Annie looked up from her bowl of cereal. "Daddy, can you do me big favor?"

I put down the tech report from work. "Sure honey, what is it?"

"You know my friend Vonna? She wants to send a picture to her boyfriend, and I told her you'd do it. You've got that new digital camera, right?"

My wife walked past and caught our daughter's request.

"Why don't you, dear?" my wife said. "You really haven't used it much since you got it. Didn't you tell me about all of the wonderful pictures you'd take when you convinced me to let you buy it?"

The fight for that particular electronic toy had been monumental. "Uh, yeah, right. Okay, I'll do it."

"Great. Here's her address. She's expecting you."

"Right now?" It was Saturday morning, and I was looking forward to a relaxing day.

"Why, what were you going to do instead?" my wife asked.

At least going to take Vonna's picture would get me away from my wife's errand list. "Sure, why not?"

Vonna wasn't one of my daughter's "immediate" friends or I'd know her, more like "second tier" status. I wondered why my daughter wanted this so badly. Then I remembered that my daughter wanted everything badly.

Vonna's address was a four story apartment building. My daughter had put the apartment number on the crib sheet. I pushed the button. Without any verbal feedback on the intercom, the door was buzzed open.

I took the elevator to the third floor, got out, and wandered down the hall, camera bag in one hand and tripod in the other. I wanted to take steady shots. Besides, I didn't know what the lighting would be like.

Vonna answered the door. "Mr. Marcus, thank you for coming. Please, come in."

I was embarrassed that I didn't know Vonna's nationality, only that her skin was naturally darker than mine, and she had a bit of an accent. The apartment was decorated with statues and wall hangings that looked really expensive. I was curious but didn't ask.

"Can I get you something?" Vonna was dressed in a plain white blouse and a pleated blue skirt that ended above her knees. Her hands were folded in front of her, surrounding full breasts.

Thoughts of sexual interactions with Annie's other friends flashed through my brain. I dismissed them. "No thank you."

"Please have a seat," Vonna said, gesturing at the couch.

She sat at one end, I at the other.

"Did your daughter Annie explain what I'd like?" she asked.

I found it odd that she didn't use Annie's name. "No, just that you needed a picture taken, that's all."

"Correct. My boyfriend Dick is in college. It's his birthday today. So is mine. The coincidence convinced that Dick is my soul mate, for life."

Oh no! Not another birthday! Well, at least Vonna had a boyfriend. If she needed fucking, he could do it.

"Happy birthday."

"Thank you. Anyway, I want to email him a picture of me on my birthday, as a gift. Can you do that?"

I sighed with relief. "Sure. I'll take a few pictures and you can choose the one you'd like. I'll hook up my camera to your computer and you can send him the picture as an email attachment right away."

"Okay, let's get started."

"Where do you want me to set up?"

"I thought a picture of me on the balcony might be nice. What do you think?"

"Well, the natural lighting should be good. Let's try it."

I set up the tripod and got the camera out. Vonna brushed her hair, raising her arms above her head. Her flat, bare midriff was exposed as the blouse rose up with her arm movements. Vonna opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the narrow balcony.

"How's this?"

I had already attached the camera to the tripod. I got them into position and framed the shot. Rather than touching the shutter button and perhaps ruining the picture, I held a wireless remote shutter controller in my hand. "Looks fine. Let's try one. There's no wasted film, right?"

The day was a bit chilly and the winds blew inconsistently around the building. Vonna's straight dark hair kept blowing onto her face. Each time she raised her hands to pull her hair back, Vonna's nipples pushed at the fabric of her blouse. The cold breezes were making them harder by the minute.

"I don't think Mother Nature is going to cooperate," I said.

Vonna came back in, looking windblown but natural.

"Why don't you take a comfortable position on the couch?" I suggested.

Vonna plopped down at one end, with her legs curled under her. The pleated skirt moved up Vonna's thighs. Her legs had a nice shape.

"Okay, now give me a smile."

Vonna put on a coy grin, as if she was keeping a secret.

"Come over and take a look," I said.

Vonna bounded from the couch and joined me behind the camera. Whatever scent Vonna was wearing, it smelled vey nice. Not flowers or anything artificial, more like just a nice smell.

"I look wicked, don't I?" Vonna asked.

"Maybe a little."

"I like that one. Dick will be so surprised."

The phone rang. Vonna excused herself.

"It's Dick," she said, recognizing the caller id. "Hi, sweetie," she answered.

I listened to her half of the conversation.

"I've got a surprise for you."

Pause.

"What is it, honey? Is something wrong?"

Pause.

"What?"

Pause.

"How could you?"

Pause.

"Well, fuck you!"

Vonna slammed down the handset, burst into tears and ran out of the room. I didn't know what to do so I just sat there, alone. After a few minutes, Vonna came back into the living room, still dabbing up tears with a damp tissue. "I'm sorry, Mr. Marcus."

"Oh, that's okay, Vonna. I guess you got some bad news. I understand."

"No, Mr. Marcus, you don't understand at all. I really believed that Dick and I were fated to be together for the rest of our lives. That's the only reason I let him take my-"

So Vonna gave her virginity to Dick.

"Now he's dumped me for some college girl."

Vonna's tears began to flow.

"There, there," I said, trying to comfort her. Before I knew it, I was holding her in my arms, rubbing her back, consoling her, confirming the lack of a bra.

Vonna caught her breath and pulled her head back from my shoulder. "Dick had the nerve to tell me he found somebody prettier than me. Can you believe that prick? Aren't I pretty, Mr. Marcus?"

"Yes, Vonna, you're very pretty."

"And I'm a good kisser. Dick told me so. See?"

Vonna planted her full lips on mine. Her kiss was urgent and needy. My lips responded in a more-than-friendly manner.

A little voice in the back of my head screamed a warning, but evidently I wasn't paying attention. Vonna took a step back and smiled at our first kiss. She pulled her blouse down, taut against her chest.

"And I have a nice body, no?"

"No, uh, I mean, yes, you have a nice body. I noticed the moment I came in." Oops, that was too much information.

Vonna's coy grin returned. "Mr. Marcus, I still want to send Dick a picture, but a different kind. To show him what he's missing. Stay right there."

I did as asked. In a couple of minutes, Vonna's voice called out to me. "What do you think?"

I turned around. Vonna had changed into a negligee. It was long sleeved, pink, and very transparent. The nipples that had been hinted at by her blouse were now in full view, dark and hard on full round breasts that stood up proudly. A swatch of matching color rode between Vonna's shapely legs. "This is what Dick is giving up. I want to send a picture that will make him jealous."

It was suddenly getting very warm. "All right. Why don't you sit on the couch and I'll take one."

Vonna got on the couch, in the same position as before, but much more exposed.

"Ready?"

"No, wait." Vonna opened the negligee so that most of her breasts were visible through the top. "There. That should make him drool."

It was doing that for me. I took a shot.

"Let me see." Vonna stood close to me, checking out the picture in the small viewfinder.

"That's not good enough. Dick knows what I look like naked. He even bought me this negligee. What was I thinking?"

Vonna took off the top but kept the g-string style panties on. "I want to make him really jealous, you know. So he feels the same sense of betrayal and loss that I do."