Agents of Pleasure Ch. 21

When Paige woke up on Wednesday morning, she looked at the clock which read 6:30. This was going to be a big day. Yes, she was going to meet Pernell Cannon at 8:30; they were going to walk through the four properties she had picked out, and hopefully they could accomplish that in time for her to meet Marie at the zoo for lunch. But that wasn't all; Chad and Tom were meeting Charlie at 10:00, "How is THAT going to go?" she said out loud.

From the bathroom her mother said, "How is what going to go?"

It caught her by surprise, "Uh, did you know Tom and Chad are meeting one of my clients this morning?"

Trudy emerged from the bathroom door. "No, are they? Tom did say he wouldn't be here until after lunch."

Paige threw on a robe and they went to the kitchen. Jimmy was already up and sitting on the sofa with his sippy-cup. "Mommy, can I watch a show?"

"No, big boy! Come with us to the kitchen and we'll give you some fruit." She got him seated and then went looking for Jamie. Lo and behold she was still asleep! "Oh my God," she said to her mom, "this is a first; Jamie's still unconscious."

"It's probably a growth-spurt," said Trudy, "she's been eating all day lately."

"Well, I need to jump in the shower and get ready. I'm meeting a guy at 8:30 for an all-morning look at properties." Thirty minutes later Paige was ready, the kids were fed, Paige spent some time with them in the living room, and she was out the door by 8:15. As she climbed into her car, she thought, "Maybe if I give up sex, I'll have enough minutes in the day?" The thought made her laugh out loud, so she called Chad.

"Hi Babe! Are you still at home?"

"Nope," she replied, "I'm in my car heading to the office."

"How was your little 'party' lest night?"

"Pretty awesome, how was yours?"

There was a pause, "Fun! Sylvie was over."

"Yes, I know...I saw her car there on my way home!"

Chad laughed, "As crazy as our yesterday sounds, I'm looking forward to Friday, Paige!"

"Me too Sweetheart! I'd love to talk about it, but I don't have time right now. Can you come over tonight? I wanna hear all about it, including your meeting with Charlie today!"

"Text me when the kids are in bed; I should be home by 6:30."

"Perfect, see you tonight!"

When she walked into the office, her cousin Jimmy greeted her with a smile and handed her a piece of paper, "Take a look at THAT!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"Those are the quarterly numbers! Congratulations, at this rate we'll both make our first million by next year!"

"Holy shit!"

"Yeah, the business has tripled since last quarter! Keep your foot on the gas, Cuz! You're my secret weapon!"

Paige laughed, gave him a big hug, and went into her office to check messages. There were two more prospective clients who needed call-backs. No time for that though, Pernell Cannon was walking through the door.

Sitting in her office, Paige said, "So, Pernell, let's review what we talked about last time. You and your daughter are going to buy two properties; one for a yearly rental and one for an Airbnb, right?"

"Yep, that's it."

"Any changes in these parameters since we last talked?"

"Maybe, it depends on what I see here today. The change might be about which house we rent."

"What do you mean?"

Pernell glanced at the ceiling, "Uh, when you described the properties we are visiting today, it got me thinking; it might work out best if I moved into the new house and rented my current home."

"Oh, that's interesting!" Paige exclaimed. "What made you think that?"

"It was when you said one of the houses needed a complete make-over. I just might want to customize it for my needs."

"And what are your needs?"

Pernell hesitated, then smiled, "I'm into photography; I might want to build my own studio...it would be easy to do if I'm remodeling the whole house."

Paige leaned back in her chair, "Okay! This is good to know; let's start by looking at the condos I've selected, then the houses. I was going to show you the run-down property second, but maybe we should look at that one first."

"Sounds like a plan! You lead the way and I'll follow you to the condos."

Since the house that needed a total remodel was empty, Paige called the second house's owner and readjusted the timetable. Walking through the two condominiums with Pernell was a snap. They were both in the same complex and both had the same floor plan. The redheaded agent giggled when Pernell made his decision based on where their parking spots were! "These spaces are fifty or sixty feet closer; let's go with condo #2!"

When they got to the first house, Paige drove up the narrow tree-lined driveway into the backyard. At one point the pavement ended but the owners had continued with gravel that went around in a circle. The garage was off to one side, and they parked on the other side at the top of the loop.

Getting out of their cars, Pernell said, "I like this already! I love how you never have to park on the street."

Paige said, "The woman who lived here was ninety years old, so her kids designed this for her. It's hard for someone in their eighties to back down a driveway, and accessing the house is much easier through the back door."

"I like it," Pernell enthused, "and I really love that row of pine trees there. Is that the property line?"

"Yes, it's so pretty!"

"I like the privacy it affords!"

"The woman lived here over sixty-five years, twenty of which was after her husband died. I got the whole story from the daughter when I called her."

Paige opened the back door and they stepped into the mudroom. "You can call it whatever you want...remodel, make-over, updating...whatever. It'll take a lot of work. The roof is only two years old, but other than that, I would say the rest of the house needs a lot of attention." She wasn't wrong, but as they went from room to room, Pernell got more and more enthusiastic! He obviously had a vision for what he wanted, "This is great!" he said. "The kitchen needs to be gutted, but I can see these two bedrooms being combined in an office/studio kind of thing."

"Is photography your profession?"

"No, I'm in investments; but I work from home. My hobby is photography; I spend a lot of time at it."

Paige pursed her lips, "You mentioned a 'studio,' what kind of photography do you do?"

Pernell studied her face. "Well, I have done individual and family portraits for people, but I don't charge for them because those are all for friends and relatives. What I really like is 'glamour' photography."

"Oh, like in the mall, a professional studio with make-up and the works huh?"

"Sort of, but mine's a little more private." He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "I work by referrals. Sometimes I make money doing it...sometimes not."

The redhead looked at the card, "Pernell Cannon Photographer - By Appointment Only." Paige cocked her head, "Seems pretty straightforward; you must be good if you work strictly by referrals."

"You might say that, this is the reason I might move; the business may need expanding."

"Can I see some of your work?"

"Pernell hesitated almost to the point of uncomfortable, "I'm not sure."

She looked at his face. There was a strange mixture of concern and humor, almost like he was half enjoying this conversation, but hoping it would end. All of a sudden it dawned on her, "Ohhh, I get it, there's nudity involved."

"Bingo! I didn't want to offend you."

"I'm not offended, but it does explain the desire for a non-professional studio."

"Yes. Like, here's one example: a couple calls me, they would like to have someone take their picture together...as in their own personal porn. They don't want their friends to do it, so they call me."

"That sounds like it's a lot of fun!"

"I'm glad you see it that way. My ex-wife did not find it as agreeable."

Paige cocked her head again, "Really? To me it sounds rather professional; you're performing a service...even if you call it a hobby."

He shook his head, "In the interest of honesty, I'm not going to lie. There were a few circumstances... no, I take that back, there were several instances where it crossed the line. And she found out about it."

Paige's mind was in-sync with what he was saying now, "In other words, you sometimes got involved with the sexual activity, right?"

"Exactly. I dug my own marital grave. So even though Lily forgave me, I am 1,000% more discreet now than I was before. I don't want her figuring this out."

Paige smiled (like a fox) at him, "Ah, I see...so some of these were women initially came in to have photos taken for their husbands or boyfriends, then ended up getting caught up in the moment!"

Pernell shook his head in amazement, "You're an incredibly sharp woman, Paige Turner!"

"Thank you for that, but now we're back to the original question; may I see some of your work?"

"I would be happy to show you some," he said with a grin, "but let's discuss this house first. I don't think we need to see the second one. I like what I see here!"

"It's listed at $69,900; do you have an 'all-in' total for the house plus a remodel?"

"I'm thinking the total might be around $200,000."

"That seems about right. If you want, I can draw up the offers this afternoon. Shall I offer $59,000 here?"

"How about you go $55,500 and see what happens?"

"Perfect, Pernell! And the condo was listed at $195,000?"

"Let's go $180,000 and let them come back. You have my permission to negotiate a price."

"I like it; so we're agreed!" She glanced at her watch, "Alright then, it's 10:30...I have about an hour before my next appointment. So if we go to your house, we can kill two birds with one stone. We can set up some idea for the listing on it when you're ready to rent it, and then you can show me your photo stuff, okay?"

"Sounds good, follow me to my house!"

The trip to the other side of Paige's block took less than ten minutes, and it was 11:50 when Pernell unlocked the front door. "I can tell you right now you'll not have any trouble renting this," said the agent confidently, "How many bedrooms is it?"

"Three, with a 'Jack and Jill' bathroom connecting two of them."

"Nice!" They took a walk around and Paige kept nodding at everything looking great! "It's all so up-to-date," she said. You won't have any trouble!"

When they got to the third bedroom, Pernell said, "This is my office and makeshift studio. I keep it locked so people don't wander in." He unlocked it and they stepped inside. Half the room was set up with a lounge chair and a twin bed along with his lighting tripods and photo equipment; the other half was a bookshelf, desk, and chair. "You see why I want to customize that other house; it's kind of cramped in here. Have a seat, Paige; I'll get one of my albums." She sat down on the other side of the desk and Pernell picked a photo album off the bookshelf. There were about thirty albums visible, and after going through two of them, he handed her the third. "This one has a good variety; take a look!"

She opened it and soon enough she said, "These are really good!" This first book had five pages of pictures dedicated to glamour shots of five individual women. Two pages each were head shots, and three more were each woman in sexy dresses, lingerie, and bikinis. "I'll bet their guys loved these! I went to Jordan's Photos in the mall once; they gave me a price that was a little out of my range at the time."

"I would say I do it for half of what Jordan's charges," he said, "and I tell them, if I can keep a copy of the pictures, then I cut the price fifty percent more."

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, "and how many women want nude pictures?"

"All of them do. That's why they come to me, they don't want their friends taking those kinds of pictures. Better than half of my clients come in with their significant other. It's that porn thing I mentioned before. Again, this is just a hobby, Paige. There are only thirty plus books here with fifteen clients."

"May I see some of that?"

Pernell grinned, "You're pretty bold, Paige! Okay," he picked another album off the shelf, "Try that one!"

Page one seemed normal enough; several pictures of a very pretty, brunette woman in a cocktail dress (she had seen her earlier in the other book.) On page two though, the top of the dress was falling down, and the woman was seductively trying to contain it. Unsuccessfully! Her left boob was exposed and it was here that Paige began blushing. "Oh my God!" she murmured, "Yeah, these really ARE good!"

"Thank you!" Pernell replied, "Not to blow my own horn, but I've never had a dissatisfied customer!"

She turned a couple more pages and here the brunette was pictured in a red bra and panties set; except it was a half-bra, and her large breasts were shelved over the top of it. She was sitting at a sideways angle and staring at a man sitting next to her. Each picture was more erotic than the last, and Paige licked her lips at how Pernell had posed her. Her tits jutted out at her lover so beautifully, and the nipples were extremely hard and begging to be sucked (which the man started doing in the next few takes!)

It was soon apparent that the whole book was dedicated to this couple, and in the first totally naked picture of her, Pernell had her in a doggy position with her boobs hanging prominently. Ten pages later they were fucking and he had pictures of that from all angles. Paige found herself getting over-heated; she shivered and shuddered through the last three pages wishing she had something with which to fan herself!

Handing it back to him she said, "These are really hot, Pernell! I'm tempted to hire you myself!"

His eyes told a story and he replied, "I'd love that!" Then he quipped, "I don't have any redheads in my collection!"

Paige blushed again, "Oh, I'm pretty sure my Chad would be joining me if we did them! This would be a great way to spice things up!" Right then she happened to glance at her watch, "Oh NO! I'm already late for my next appointment!" She quickly rose to her feet and grabbed her things. "Thank you, Pernell! This afternoon I'll write up your offers and submit them immediately!"

He walked her to the door, "Okay, Good! Keep me posted, Paige. Oh, and by the way, remember that I work by referral. Please don't advertise me, but if you run across someone who might want to use my services, then you can mention me."

"I got it! Thanks for letting me see your stuff...it was...quite memorable!"

Pernell laughed, "See you later, call me!"

Paige texted Marie, "I'm on my way!" Fortunately every light was green and by the time she sat down next to her friend she was only ten minutes late. "Sorry Marie, I lost track of time."

"It's a beautiful day, Luv, and I'm in no hurry to get back to cleaning cages. How's your day been going?"

"Awesome! I made two potential sales today, assuming the offers are accepted. Have you been cleaning all morning?"

"Yes, it's a 'shitty' job," she winked, "but someone's got to do it! Let's go get some food; I'm starving!"

When they sat back down with their Cobb salads, Paige began, "Not that I'm overly anxious or anything, but quick, I can't wait to hear about Monday night!"

"You were pretty mysterious on the phone, Paige; I'm not sure how to begin."

"Okay, let's start with who you had sex with?"

Marie took a bite of her salad and stared at her redheaded friend for a long moment, "Kayla."

Paige nodded, "How was it?"

"It was great! But you don't seem surprised."

"I'm not," Paige giggled, "because I saw you!" The look on Marie's face made Paige burst out laughing! "But you DO look surprised!" When Marie didn't respond (probably because she was too stunned,) the redhead continued. "I stopped at your house to tell you about Chad and me, and I saw you. You really need to close your drapes tighter next time."

The realization hit Marie, "Yeah, maybe I better! How long did you watch us?"

"Not long, maybe a minute."

"Why didn't you come in?" asked Marie with a sly look.

"Because I was really tired; Chad and I wore each other out, and it was late."

"Oh yes! I do want to hear about you losing your anal 'virginity.' How was that?"

"So hot! But let me hear about you and Kayla first; then I'll fill you in on my last forty-eight hours."

In between forkfuls, Marie began, "Well, Kayla came over to babysit because I was going to spend the evening with Robert. But...when I went over to his house, he tripped and almost fell going up the stairs."

"He must have been overly-excited, huh?" Paige teased.

"I guess...who wouldn't be? But anyway, he caught himself by grabbing the porch railing and cut his hand pretty bad."

"Oh my God!"

"Yeah, it required stitches. We brought him over to an Urgent Care and he got three of them."

"Well, that sucks!"

"Big-time! It ruined everything; you know me...I was so fucking horny I could hardly wait, and then that happened. Robert offered to lick my pussy and get me off, but it all was too distracting...so I gave him a rain check. Want to know when that will be?"

"Sure."

"When your wedding luncheon at Mannino's is over, we're going to try again! Weddings always make me horny!"

"EVERYTHING makes you horny; you're such a slut!"

The brunette laughed, "Good point...it's true! So anyway, when I got home it was about 10:30. Kayla had finished her homework and I poured us some wine. We sat on the sofa facing each other and talked for a while; I told her about Robert's accident. She asked me, 'Is Robert your boyfriend?' and I said, 'Not formally, he's more of a friend-with-benefits!' She laughed and said, 'Oh, I have a couple of those myself!'"

Paige interrupted, "She actually admitted that, huh?"

"Yeah, and over our second glass of wine I asked her, 'So you're not seeing anyone formally yourself?' and she said, 'No, I left a relationship three months ago; I'm going to hold off a while. And I'm definitely NOT going to get involved with a teammate again.' I said, 'Oh? So are you lez?' and she said, 'Bi...but I prefer women. It's a tough situation because I do want marriage and family someday.' I said, 'I'm about the same, but I tried marriage once, and for me a second one is a long way off.' She looked at me and said, 'So you're Bi too?' and I told her I was."

"Wow, you two were really opening up to each other. So what happened next?"

"Kayla says, 'Okay, I guess you were going over to Robert's house to get laid, huh?' and I said, 'Yes, I was in one of those moods. I told him on the way to the Urgent Care that he was only seconds away from me sucking his cock, and then he had to go and get clumsy!'"

Marie paused and locked eyes on her redheaded friend, so Paige said, "I'm sensing THAT was when the fuse was lit!"

"No kidding!" the brunette replied, "She looked at me so funny and asked, 'Are you still horny now? Cuz if you are, I may have a solution for that!'"

"Oh my God, Marie, What did you say?"

"I said to her, 'Kayla, I'm all for having some fun, but I really don't want to mess up having you babysit for me. Will it?' And she said, 'I can guarantee that it won't.' Then I teased her by saying, 'Good, but am I still on the babysitting clock right now? Because I don't pay for sex!' She laughed and said, 'I took you off the clock when you poured the wine!' So I slid over next to her and said, 'I'm so fucking horny it could be dangerous!' and she said, 'That's my favorite kind!' That was when we started making out, Luv!"

"And that was about when I arrived," said Paige, "You were making out like mad, and Kayla had her top off! If I hadn't been standing on your doorstep, I would have wanted to watch the whole thing!"

"We probably kissed for five minutes before I pulled her shirt off; God, she has gorgeous tits! Did you see them?"

"Not really, the back of the couch was in the way; but I did see her take off your shirt and start sucking yours! That was when I left."