Naked Portraits Pt. 05

Li was introduced to Deirdre Kaahumanu Smith. Deirdre and I nodded, not needing introductions having seen each other enough in the hallways of the art building. Deirdre was dressed in black slacks, a black sleeveless leotard and black work boots. Surprisingly, she wore no makeup, allowing her natural beauty to show unabated. Even her hair appeared to be freshly shampooed.

Brian the spot operator eying Deirdre up and down.

Forget about it dude, I felt like telling him, the chick will kill you if she sees you leering at her with the misogynistic male gaze. Then he checked out Li. Strike two dude. Then the guy checked out Meka. Better, but she's out of your league surfer boy, strike three. His eyes came my way. Sorry dude, already got a surfer boyfriendi. Although he was kind of cute. If I blurred my eyes a bit he kind of looked like Keanu Reeves around the edges.

David and Brian went to one corner of the booth to study the layout of the light panel and the rest of us paraded out to poolside to check out the space.

Meka said, "Cole, go set up in the lady's locker room. Li will join you shortly."

"What's the look?" Cole asked hefting a duffel bag and dragged behind him a bright fuchsia stewardess carryall on wheels.

"An expensive evening out. She'll be wearing white. Take these and see what you can use." Meka gave him a Ziplock bag full of jewelry. "I'll be shooting in both color and black and white."

The lights came on overhead. Meka walked to the pool's edge with a serious limp as she favored her right leg. She looked up at the diving platform and extended board.

"This okay Li? It's not too high is it?" Meka asked.

"No problem this is fine," she said with absolute confidence.

"Good. Go to the lady's locker room and put on the underwear Cole has for you. He'll paint on your face." David and Brian walked out of the booth and traipsed down to poolside. Meka said to David, "I need the telephoto lens."

David went to a bag on a bench and returned with the lens.

"Nice, where did you rent this?" Meka asked admiring the lens.

"Buying a new one was faster," David said with a shrug.

"This is a fifteen hundred dollar item," Meka said.

David shrugged again.

Where do I know this guy from? I thought again in frustration.

Meka gave the lens to Deirdre and told her, "Go up high into the stands above the diving platform. Set up for a frontal shot."

"You the man," Deirdre said and went on her way.

"Yes I am," Meka said at Deirdre's retreating back. To Brian she said, "Set up number one spot there," she pointed at the stands. "Can it throw that far?"

It was Brian's brief moment to shine. He puffed up a couple of shirt sizes and said in his local surfer accent, "This da most powerful portable spots ever engineered that run on a one-ten current, mama. It have six different color slides and the sucka will throw. Wea' I get the juice is the real question."

David pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded an electrical schematic of the facility. I was impressed by his organization.

"There's outlets for the cleaning crew right were you're setting up, "David said. "Take the fifty foot extension cord." Brian marched off with his portable spotlight and stand on one shoulder and the power cable over the other.

"You're spot number two, "Meka told David. "Set up down here, front left." He gave her a two-finger salute and went to work. Meka handed me a plastic grocery bag and said, "I need an inventory of how much film I have. The yellow boxes are color film and the green ones are black and white."

"You da man," I said just the way Deidre had.

"Get to work or I'll dock your pay," Meka threatened playfully.

"Why you limping," I asked her.

"Scratched myself on some junk in the sculpture yard taking photos of Oleander Wong's art." Meka bent and raised her right pant leg to reveal a large bandage on her lower calf. "I had to get a tetanus shot so my right arm hurts like shit too."

I grimaced and said, "That's why I stay away from the sculpture yard, the place is dangerous and clearly unsanitary."

On a concrete bench at poolside I lined up and inventoried the little boxes of film. I counted out ten color and five black and white and told Meka so.

"Why are we using film?" I asked. "It kind of limiting ain't it? You can take endless photos with a good digital camera."

"I like the finite limitations of film photography," Meka said as she fiddled with a camera. "Forces me to be more creative and selective."

David, who was tinkering with his spotlight nearby said, "I like the edgy quality of film. Too bad it's a dying art." He pulled out a small note book, walked to the concrete bench, counted the film boxes for himself and made a notation. Then I watched him open each box and write something on each roll of film with a red Sharpie marker.

"What's that all about?" I asked Meka quietly.

"Strict rules on a celebrity shoot," Meka said. "All film has to be accounted for before and after."

Done with his task, David turned toward Meka and pulled a little packet from his top pocket and handed it to her.

"Use this card for your digital," He said then he went back to setting up his spotlight.

"Wouldn't take much to sneak something out." I said in a low whisper as I came up with a dozen sneaky things I could do it.

"I wouldn't try it," Meka said in the same low whisper. "David is ex-navy ops. You wouldn't make it to the door."

I gave David Tanaka a worried look and Meka laughed.

"The biggest deterrent for mischief is that David pays very well. You'd be lolo to fuck up a choice gig like this."

I kept staring at the guy, for that feeling that I knew the him from somewhere just wouldn't go away. At that moment David looked up and our eyes met causing my heart rate to increase.

"Pua'a Video is where you know me from," David said still holding my gaze and gave me a tiny smile.

The guy must read minds I thought as the memory clicked. David was the guy behind the counter at the adult movie store I accidentally staggered into a few months ago.

"You hang around porno shops?" Meka asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just that one time," I said, totally embarrassed. My eyes dropped as I was unable to look David in the face anymore. "I was a little drunk too," I mumbled low so that only Meka could hear.

"Did you like the movie I suggested?" David asked

"What did you rent?" Meka asked amused at my embarrassment.

"Ghost and Haiku," David volunteered.

"You rented a Jade Tama movie?" Meka asked surprised almost startled.

"I never got a chance to see it," I confessed not meeting anyone's eyes now.

"Too bad," David said, "it's one of Tama's best.

"Grab the bag of film and follow me to the lady's locker room," Meka said as she armed herself with three cameras.

More then happy to end that conversation, I followed her to the locker rooms.

Chapter 35 Naked Portraits; Li Hong

We encountered Li sitting stiffly on a metal folding chair wearing the lacy white underwear Meka had instructed her to put on. Cole sat facing her applying color to her eyes; Li's face was an interesting mix of beauty and anxiety. Meka got out the camera with the color film and snapped a shot.

"I've got more to put on," Cole said.

"I wanna document the process," Meka said snapping another shot. Meka handed me the digital camera." Can you handle this?"

"I have one like it only way cheaper I bet. If it's like mine it's idiot proof." I said as I took the camera.

"I wouldn't know about that. You are a declared art major," Meka said deadpan.

"I would say fuck you but I'm too much of a lady to use such language," I said as I pointed the camera and took a shot of Li seated in the beige, metal folding chair with her eyes rolled in my direction.

"Get Cole in the picture," Meka ordered as she snapped another shot with the color film.

"About time someone paid attention to the makeup people," Cole said.

"We'll do a whole documentary just around you Cole," Meka said."We'll call it Make Up Your Mind."

"I LIKE it," Cole said.

Meka laughed and took another shot of Li.

"Ignore the flashing cameras," Meka said to Li, "and the fact that you're sitting in a cold folding metal chair in skimpy underwear in front of total strangers." Meka snapped another picture.

"Yeah, right," Li said with a nervous laugh. A doubtful expression clouded her beautiful Chinese face.

"Cole step away please," Meka said. "Li, stand up and study your face in the mirror like you're adjusting your makeup." Li did and she looked amazing in the lacy white underwear; years of Olympic training added up to breathtaking physical perfection. Meka snapped a shot. "Lean on the counter and look close at your reflection. You look great. Cole make her laugh she's too serious."

"If I weren't interested in only boys I would be all over you like white on a sailor," Cole said. It did the trick, Li smiled and Meka took her shot. Cole said, "Two Portuguese sailors and a goose entered a bar—"

He never got beyond that because Li burst out with loud laughter and so did I. Meka took several more shots as she laughed.

Meka said, "When the make up is done switch to the evening dress and jewelry, I'll see you at pool side." She turned to leave then added, "Wear nothing underneath."

"Are we going to use the underwear again?" Li called after her.

"No we're done with that!" Meka shouted without turning. "Follow me Gwen"

"Okay," I said as I took one last shot of Li. Her panic expression quite comical.

"She looks a little unsure about all this," I said as I caught up to Meka.

"I know," Meka said with a sly smile. "I knew that posing in the underwear would make her uptight creating a perfect balance of anxiety and beauty."

"So you don't want Li looking sexy and alluring?" I asked.

"No way. Enough of that crap is going around already. Honest expression is a rare thing in nude photography."

"I'm not sure if I should call you genius or just cruel."

"Call me a cruel genius," Meka said.

At poolside, the two spotlights were up and running and panned about like a mini Hollywood opening. I smile and said, "This is so much fun."

"Beats scooping cement with a shovel," Meka said with a smile too.

I laughed for that was a saying my dad used quite often.

"Deirdre you set?" Meka shouted.

"I need a body to check my levels," Deirdre called from the stands.

Meka limped to the diving platform and pathetically started to climb.

"Jesus girl, I'll go," I said with a roll of my eyes. Meka gave me an appreciative smile as I climbed the ladder. At the top, I walked out to the back end of the diving board connected to the platform and peeped over the edge down to the glassy water far below.

"Is this good enough? I'm not going out on that board," I called.

"Super Goth Girl would have no fear," Deirdre called out in a mocking superhero's voice. Apparently her behind the back nick name wasn't a secret to her. A spotlight hit me from below temporarily dazzling me.

"Got what you need Deirdre? I'm freaking out here," I said, my voice echoed back at me in the large empty space. Chicken sounds came from the stands. "I'll take that as a yes," I said suppressing a laugh as I backed up and climbed down the ladder.

As I walked to where David and Meka stood, I saw Li step out of the lady's locker room. Walking barefooted, she made no sound as she neared the pool. In the dress she looked like she was floating and not walking. Meka noticed Li's too and made a beeline to her cameras resting on a concrete bench, picked one up and quickly snapped a shot of David with the near ghostly figure of Li gliding toward us.

"Hey, you're not being paid to take my ugly picture," David protested. Meka pointed behind him and he turned and saw Li. "Awai," David said very much surprised.

In the short time that I have known him, David impressed me as the kind of guy who had seen it all. If he was impressed, Meka was very much on the right track with Li's look.

"You're not ugly," Meka said to David, playfully bumping him with her shoulder.

She likes the guy for sure, I thought.

Even though David seemed a little old, I had to admit that there was something about him that held my interest. The word manly certainly fit him well. Maybe it was the ex-navy special ops thing. It made me wondered if he ever killed anyone. I watched David's eyes taking in Li's backside as she passed him. He saw that I saw him looking, so he quickly returned his attention to his spotlight.

Meka circled Li taking shots with her camera.

Unsure what to do, Li looked vulnerable and nervous and then she gave an exasperated laugh and said, "You keep taking my picture when I'm not ready."

"Because that's when you look your best," I whispered to myself agreeing with Meka's earlier assessment that Li looked great with that edge of vulnerability.

In general, the girl was stunning and I couldn't help but notice the way her nipples showed through the white material of the dress. Cole did a great job with her short boyish haircut, combing it to one side with a flip ala Hale Berry. A simple strand of pearls adorned her elegant neck with matching dangling cluster earrings. She looked like she should be walking down the red carpet at the Academy Awards. Coal appeared at poolside with a bright yellow plastic tool box. He put the box on a bench, opened it revealing a professional makeup studio.

"Cole you are an artist," I said giving him the biggest compliment in my book.

"I had a hell of a canvas," Cole said lowering himself on the bench next to his kit. He tried to look nonchalant but I could tell that he was pleased with the praise.

"Up you go," Meka said to Li. "Gwen, document the assent."

I lookes at the little screen of the idiot proof digital camera and took shots as Li climbed the ladder. The dress gave her a little trouble because no dress on the planet is designed for ascending ladders. At the top, Li casually walked out to the end of the board making my heart do flip flops at her daring.

"How does she look Deirdre?" Meka called from poolside.

"Amazing," Deirdre said. "Can I have both spots?"

"Spots on," Meka said. Both spots snapped on making Li's white dress shine a bright, white blue.

"Too washed out," Deirdre complained.

"Spot two, defuse to just a glow" Meka ordered. David's spot went from sharp hot white to a cool soft glow.

"That's good," Deirdre called out.

"Give us some dive poses, Li," Meka instructed. Li arched her back jutting out her firm chest, arms straight out at her sides with her head bent looking at her feet.

"Hold that pose," Deirdre called out.

At poolside, Meka's camera whirred noisily.

"Okay," Deirdre called.

"Pick your poses," Meka called out to Li.

Not given instruction, I played it by ear and zoomed in on Li's upper half as she casually and gracefully pivoted at the end of the board with no fear of falling. The dress plunging severely in the back giving view to her well-toned back muscles. The clingy material of the dress accentuated her splendid athletic ass.

"Can you dive in the dress?" Meka called out. "If not just say so and we can alter it. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No problem, I just can't do anything fancy," Li said.

"Deirdre, moved to Li's right side and set up there for the dive," Meka ordered. "Both spots wide spread. Gwen get the tripod for the digital and set right where you are. Spots, stay as you are and get ready to follow her down." When everyone was set Meka shouted, "On three! One ... two ... three!"

The cameras whirred, Li put her arms over her head, bounced once at the end of the board, launching herself into the air with one knee up and the other leg parallel to her body. The big empty space echoed with the spring of the diving board. Out in space, Li's body folded in half; her hands touched her toes then she spun in a slow somersault as she dropped and then knifed into the water with her arms leading the way barely making a ripple.

David whooped his approval, Brian let out a whistle and Cole clapped. Li surfaced causing the first the first real disturbance to the water's surface.

"Nothing fancy huh?" Deirdre said from the stands, echoing my very thoughts.

"Check to see if all your jewelry's still there and stay in the pool." Meka ordered Li. "Deirdre come down to poolside."

As I reloaded one of the color film cameras, I watched Li casually floating on her back with the white dress billowed around her.

Meka handed Deidre a camera with black and white film. "Shoot at will, Goth princess. You too Gwen."

"Hey, I wanna be a princess too," I joked as I fiddled with my camera.

"Yeah, but De's the real thing," Meka said.

"Really? You Hawaiian royalty?" I asked Deidre.

"In a round about way," Meka said. "De can trace her blood back to Queen Liliuokalani."

"Shut the fuck up," Deidre said menacingly to Meka.

Unperturbed by Deidre's threatening tone, Meka called out to Li, "Swim toward the ladder near me and get out."

I looked at Deidre but it was clear that she was in no mood to speak of her interesting linage and I too chicken to ask.

Meka, Deidre and I lined the edge of the pool near the ladder as, Li, In one smooth easy motion, knifed through the water toward us and the ladder. She gripped the ladder with both hands and pulled herself up and out of the pool. The wet cloth of the dress clung to her wonderful athletic form. She may as well have been naked for the wet material was totally translucent. The cameras flashed as Meka and Deirdre recorded Li's every move. The wet dress seriously hindered the girl's movement so she gripped the end of the dragging thing and twisted it in her hands to wring out some of the water. It was such a perfect spontaneous thing to do. On the peripheral, David and Brian creep in closer to watch, even Cole got off his bench to get a better look.

"Remove the dress," Meka said nonchalantly.

Li's expression went neutral and she froze. I held my breath wondering if she was about to back out. The practical side of me thought that she should walk away. Look what happened to that Olympic champion swimming guy who got into a shit load of trouble for just one bong hit. This posing nude will cost her big time when it gets out.

Finally, Li found the steel, gripped the wet dress at the bottom hem and pulled it over her head exposing her naked ass. She quickly discovered though, that the wet dress wasn't coming off that way. I heard her laugh as she did a little goofy spin. Being the pros that they were, Deirdre and Meka photographed her exposed ass and sparse triangle of hair. Li smoothed the dress back down, and then slipped the top down to her waist exposing her firm pretty breasts. Her nipples were dark brown with small lighter brown areolas.

With a lot of wiggling and shimmying that would make a professional stripper green with envy, she managed to shuck the wet garment and stood naked at the poolside. Meka made a spinning sign with one hand. Li did a pirouette exposing her perfect athletic ass, muscled back and legs for the cameras.

"Go back to the board Li. Spots one hard and sharp, spot two soft and defused," Meka ordered.

"You bet," David said with a professional air. Brian on the other hand didn't seem to hear and stood frozen staring at Li. With a knowing grin, David slapped Brian's shoulder to get him moving. Cole walked over with a terrycloth robe, covered Li up and then checked her makeup and assessed her jewelery.

"Let's switch," Meka said to Deirdre. "I'll do the long shots and you work poolside." Meka hefted camera with the telephoto lens and a tripod and headed for the stands.

"So? Is she hot or what?" I asked Deirdre.