Over Exposed

I put my hand on Trista's shoulder and shoved the woman aside. She fell onto a pile of canvas backdrops. I wrapped my arms around Harland and pulled him to the floor. I dived on top of him as gunfire suddenly exploded around us.

I lay on top of the man and listened. All was quiet. I didn't feel like I was bleeding anywhere, thank God. I looked at the man pinned under me. "Oliver, are you all right?"

"You're crushing my arm under my side, but other than that, I think so."

I climbed off him and looked around. Wheeler lay on the floor on his stomach facing away from us. He wasn't moving. I glanced at Guy. He was leaning against the wall holding his right arm. It was bleeding. "You're hit!" I said.

"Just a flesh wound." He moved to help Trista to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay." She looked at Carl. "Is he dead?"

"I imagine so."

"You saved my life!" Trista squealed with joy. She hooked her hands behind the cop's neck and kissed him passionately on the mouth. After a long embrace she let him up for air and grinned widely. "My hero!"

The detective smiled shyly and held his bleeding arm. "I'm glad I could be of assistance, Miss Purnell."

"Call me Trista," she cooed adoringly. "My previous agent never let me date anyone." She smiled demurely at the man. "I have a feeling that aspect is going to change."

Harland groaned from the toppled chair on the floor. "Would someone please untie me?"

Carla stood barefoot on the bed and adjusted the portrait on the wall above the headboard. "Does that look straight to you?"

I smiled and admired the huge three foot square photograph on the wall. It was one from our second photo session with Oliver Harland. He had Carla and I dress in formal gowns for his advertising purposes. I wore a gold silk formal dress hanging diagonally from one shoulder leaving my other shoulder bare. Carla donned a red strapless number with the top coming to just above her full bust with matching red elbow gloves. The picture had me standing sideways with Carla beside me, one gloved hand resting on my bare shoulder. I held her waist, the two of use smiling demurely at the camera. Harland promised to give a big picture to us of our favorite shot as payment for our modeling services.

"Looks good to me."

Carla hopped down from the bed and moved to my side. She nodded with approval. "I like it."

I draped my arm around her waist. "You look very sexy as always, girlfriend."

"You're biased."

"You're right."

Carla nodded her head to the other picture hanging by the window. "Personally, I like that one better."

It was from our first photo shoot where Carla and I posed nude. It was of the two of us kneeling and holding each other, our boobs crushed together and our lips touching. "You would!" I giggled. "As long as we're on the subject of photographs, I got a call from Trista Purnell this morning. She told me she was going to reveal those pictures to the world after all."

"Really? Why?"

"She said after all the grief and trouble they caused, the world deserved to see them. Miss Purnell said she plans to use them for good and become an advocate against child pornography. She'll use those pictures of herself to illustrate how young innocent girls can so easily be exploited."

"Good for her!"

"Of course, she insisted on compensating Oliver Harland for all the trouble those pictures put him through. Twenty thousand dollars would go a long way to replace any damaged equipment Carl Wheeler ruined in his studio."

Carla let out her breath in a low whistle. "Wow! Twenty grand for some pictures the man took ten years ago is one heck of a profit!"

"A drop in the bucket, my dear. Trista intends to sell them to Playboy Magazine for a million."

"What!"

"Trista said she'll use them as part of a before and after shoot of herself and act as a springboard to launch her anti-kiddie porn campaign. Posing for a skin magazine should be just the thing to bring attention to her cause."

"But won't that hurt her modeling career?"

"I doubt it. Trista said she's been the cute and innocent girl next door for far too long. If the world wants to drool over her body like some centerfold cutie, then let them. Besides, this stunt would probably make her popularity skyrocket. She can capitalize on all the notoriety in the tabloids from the Carl Wheeler and Eddie Farmer murder scandal. Think of it; Supermodel catches killer over cheesecake photos. The Tonight Show would be begging her for an exclusive interview. Miss Purnell would be doing the talk show circuit for months."

Carla chuckled and shook her head. "All's well that ends well, I suppose." Carla set the hammer on the wooden dresser and dug through the middle drawer.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"This." She removed the digital camera from the drawer. "As long as we're here in the bedroom . . ."

I laughed. "More cheesecake photos?"

"Yes, darling," Carla smiled seductively. "This time it's your turn."