Photographing at the Pond Ch. 01

All of my writing is fiction and the stories and characters are all products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. Enjoy!

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My brother and I had always been a lot different. Three years older than me, I had thought I might follow in his footsteps but, that wasn't to be the case as I was always an excellent athlete, all sports seemingly coming very natural to me, while he could barely walk and chew gum at the same time. He had tried but just couldn't do anything well in the athletic line. We looked very different too. I always had the build that you'd expect for an athlete, trim and fairly muscular with hardly any excess baggage on my 5'-10" frame while he was certainly not fat but also not very well defined on his 6'-1" frame. I was, of course, jealous of his height -- having it would have made my athletic career a little different, but I adapted to what I had and made the most of it over the years. Both of us had kind of sandy colored hair, mine usually cut short and his a little longer, but, I took after my father with dark brown eyes while he took mother's pale blue eyes. I was a little jealous of that too, since the girls seemed to find his eyes fascinating, but girls and the two of us were another story indeed.

Jimmy, my brother, from the time he was in the later years of elementary school, always had to have a girlfriend, or at least a girl he could call a girlfriend. He was almost always with a girl and, when he broke up with one of them, which was fairly often, he had to find another almost immediately. It was a kind of compulsion that seemed to possess him and he was only happy or at least somewhat content when he had that girl, or seemingly any girl for that matter. Of course, when he graduated from high school he got a job and immediately married his current high school sweetheart but, similar to high school, that didn't last very long and he was soon divorced and chasing another woman, ready to get married again immediately. When that marriage ended rather quickly in divorce it was like he stepped back and evaluated himself and his life and decided he had somehow missed the mark and he changed totally, not dating or chasing women at all. He bought a little cabin out away from things and seemed to be very content again, but in a totally different way. He became a very dedicated wood worker and built some beautiful things which he shared with the family and which he also sold to locals at flea markets and craft shows in the area.

I, on the other hand, zipped off to college for two years before deciding that was just not my thing so I came home, worked odd jobs to make a little money and bought a camera as I had decided that I really wanted to be a photographer. It just seemed like a good line of work, meeting people some of the time and working by myself much of the time as well. I experimented with pictures and finally saved up enough to purchase a commercial quality camera and some lights which I knew I needed if I was really going to make this my profession. I wasn't a total recluse as I had a few dates with some of the girls I'd known in high school when the opportunity presented itself but the whole relationship thing didn't really fit into my picture of life at the moment. I have to admit that I'm not a bad looking guy so it wasn't surprising that the girls wanted to date me. Still, I usually ran away once they seemed to be looking for something more than casual dating. With a couple of the really aggressive ones I'd found the sex to be very enjoyable but, just as with the casual relationships, I wanted casual sex and that didn't seem to be their intent. I'm not blaming them, of course. We all have dreams and plans and just sometimes the dreams and plans of one crash into the dreams and plans of another and so you back off to avoid any more collisions.

I was really fortunate in my photography business as a couple of my high school friends, who I have to admit, were from some of the more prominent families in town had me do their wedding pictures. I could see that this was my chance to become really established and to build a reputation so I took lots of extra pictures, worked on them extra hard, took great pains with the printing and touching up process which meant that I didn't make a lot of money on those two jobs. However, the pictures were shared with friends, they showed up here and there, I used some of them to advertise the business and to decorate the little shop I'd been able to rent and, before I knew it, business was good and I was busy, very busy indeed. I also picked up a lot of business through family photos and children's stuff too as I seemed to have a way with the little ones and they liked me rather than being afraid of me so the pictures came out very well.

Over the next couple of years I had about all the business I could comfortably handle. The other photographer in town and I had kind of split the senior picture business at the high school, using a common format for the school yearbook and letting the students and family choose which one of us to use. We furnished a picture that the student chose for the yearbook and then sold packages of photos to the family of the student. It worked out well for both of us. Plus, I handled all the athletic team pictures and he did all the social event things and we were both happy. When they opened the second high school, he took over doing all their things and I did the same for the old school. Life was good and I was very happy with the way things were going.

One day I had stopped at our only Panera Bread store for a soup and sandwich lunch and was checking my email on my phone when I saw someone come in who looked very familiar. I watched as she was walking toward me and realized it was Peggy Lambert, or at least she had been Peggy Lambert in high school but, since I could actually see a wedding ring on her finger as she got closer, I knew she wasn't Lambert any longer. She was a senior when I was a freshman and had easily been one of the prettiest girls in the school, and, now probably 30, she hadn't lost that prettiness, just let it mature a little. And, she was obviously headed right for me.

"Hi," she said in a very rich, alto voice. "You're Larry Baxter, aren't you? Baxter Photography?"

"You've got it," I replied. "And, I know you were Peggy Lambert at one time, when we were in high school."

"I thought we had gone to school together," she quickly replied. "And I'm Peggy Hollister now." She offered her hand and I stood and shook it.

Not sure why she had stopped to talk to me, never-the-less, I gestured toward to empty bench. "Join me?" I offered.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down.

I sat back down and looked at her with, I guess, a slightly questioning look on my face. Obviously she wasn't here to hit on me so I wondered just what was up.

"I love your photography. So many of my friends have had you take their picture and I've seen them so often. They're so well done, and very flattering as well."

I had to smile at that. "Well, everyone has a certain beauty or grace or mark of character about them. It's my job to find that and bring it out in the photograph. And thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it very much."

"No problem, you deserve it. Actually I was going to stop by your studio but I thought I recognized you when I came in here. I have some photography I'd like done."

Let me hear about it, then," I encouraged.

She coughed a little nervously as she looked away out the window for a moment. I wondered if I could imagine what might be coming here.

"My husband has a birthday in two months and I wanted to do something special for him. We've been married about 7 years . . . " She paused. "I've been looking on the internet and had this idea. Have you ever done any boudoir photography?" Now, amazingly, she was looking me right in the eye.

"Not exactly," I answered, hesitantly. "Not really anything close," I continued.

"Are you interested?"

Looking at her and being 99% sure she was going to be the object of the photography, how could I not be interested. "Very much so," I assured her. "It's an addition to what I do now that I've been thinking about it." Not quite true since I had only been thinking about it for about the past 10 seconds but close enough for now.

"I'd like to surprise my husband with a tasteful book of pictures for his birthday. I think he'd like that."

I'd think he was crazy if he didn't like that as she was by far the best looking 30 year old I'd seen for a long, long time. Plus, I was trying to think quickly about just how to carry this off. But, I needn't have worried as Peggy had obviously been doing a little planning herself."

"I've been looking at pictures and trying to decide just what I want and how I want it to look." Now she had my eyes again. "Plus, you're a professional and, even though this is different for you, I'm sure you have ideas and will have more of them as time goes by." Then, I thought I could notice a slight reddening of her cheeks. "I'd kind of like to start very, um, sedately I guess you could say, and then move on to . . ." Again she paused.

"More, shall we say, risqué photos?"

Definitely red cheeks now. "Yes, that's it." She smiled.

"I'd definitely interested in this and, since I'll be experimenting and, hopefully building a portfolio, with your permission of course, the cost to you will be very minimal.

"I'm willing to pay a normal price."

"Don't worry, we can work that out." I took a deep breath, ready for a speech that had just popped into my head. That happened to me occasionally and I never knew quite where they came from. "I know I'm a male and that probably makes things a little more awkward for you but, let me just suggest that you think of me as a life-long girlfriend that you can talk to freely, or even think of it as just talking to yourself."

That brought a little laugh from her. "I've decided to do this and I'll do what it takes to get it done." She took a deep breath. "I'm not sure what you have in your studio but, we can use my house if you'd like for some of the inside pictures, you know, living room, bed room, etc. And, I was thinking of some outdoors pictures too but don't know where we could do that."

Now it was my turn. "I have a perfect place for outdoor pictures. It has a pond, grass, trees, bare rocks, mud, if you want to get weird."

Now she laughed, a warm and comfortable laugh that made me smile along with it. "Sounds perfect. Are you busy now?

"Busy with this new venture."

"Okay then. I have already picked out a few things that I want to wear but, I'm just not sure and think I should leave some of it to you, if that's okay."

"I know a couple of photographers who do this all the time so I'll talk to them. And, if you don't mind, I'll probably pick up a few things for just-in-case."

"You don't need to buy clothes -- just tell me what to get and I can pick them up."

"It'll be easier if I do it and then I'll have them on hand for the future. Once I get started in this I expect it'll go on and grow. I may have to pay you a commission for helping me get started."

"We'll have to work that out," she laughed.

I dug in my pocket and found a piece of paper. "You have something to write with? I need your sizes so at least what I get will fit right." My mind was thinking that maybe I would buy a size smaller but I had to stop thinking like that. She took a pen from her purse and wrote down a bunch of sizes, way more than I'd need I'm sure.

"I just put down every size," she said. "It was easier than trying to think what might be needed." I tucked it carefully in my shirt pocket.

"Since we're both beginners at this, I think it might take more than one day." She looked at me for a moment and nodded. "So, if you can, let's start day after tomorrow."

"How long do you think it might take, if we have more than one session?"

"I'm open to taking as long as it takes," I said and her eyes widened. "Don't worry, this is just like a photography class or seminar that I take and it's not going to cost you much, except for a few supplies maybe."

"But, this is your job and how you make your living." Her voice trailed off as I was sure she wasn't sure just what to say. "I don't want to impose or take up much of your time.

"No problem, and," I quickly replied, "if this goes well, this kind of work will certainly add to that living." I wasn't just saying that either as I knew this could be a lucrative addition to my photography.

"Okay then, day after tomorrow."

"At 9:00 am. And, I have someone who is fantastic with makeup if you'd like them to help out."

"No thanks. I don't think I need anyone else around, at least for the first day." I decided I'd have Linda there anyway, if she could come, just in case.

We shook hands again and she left and I couldn't help but smile. This could be a very interesting bunch of sessions.

I stopped by the studio as I had two mothers coming in with children for birthday shoots which went very well and both moms were extremely pleased with the pictures I showed them on the computer. I had a break next so I took my little piece of paper and headed for Victoria's Secret. I didn't think the VC models worked in the stores but that sure appeared to be the case here. Blond, very pretty and very nicely dressed in a classy but sexy way, she greeted me when I came in the store as I appeared to be the only customer right then. I explained what I was doing and showed her the little paper, asking for any suggestions she might have. She questioned me about what the limits might be regarding model exposure and the like, which got my brain racing at near light speed of course, but I tried to describe what I thought Peggy's limits might be and she went to work. I explained that Peggy was a 30 year old wife and mom and probably didn't have a lot of exotic things to wear but neither did I want to spend a fortune -- maybe three or four items.

She asked me a few questions about Peggy and soon came back with a red bra with some carefully placed lace, a pair of red bikini style panties that seemed to have several strings and not much material to them and a pair of nearly transparent white pajamas, the bottoms again very small and the top sleeveless with scooped back and front, accented with lace. I thanked her for her help, hopeful that I might be back to see her again, paid and headed back to the studio for the last two appointments of the day.

All too quickly but taking forever, the day after tomorrow finally came and, on that day, 9:00 am also finally arrived. I was up at 6:30 and in the studio by 7:00 getting things ready even though I wasn't quite sure what I was getting ready for. Linda got there a little before 9 and was ready to help out if needed. But, at 9:01 the front door opened and Peggy was there, dressed in a very sharp looking black business outfit, with a tight black skirt, black stockings and red high heels. I was looking forward to the day ahead. Yet, she was shaking her head.

"So," I ventured, "you look a little unsettled."

"Well," she began, "I had decided we could start the pictures with me in this very proper suit, but the more I thought about it driving over here, the more I realized that was silly as him seeing me like this would not be surprising or . . . tantalizing either," she said grinning. "So, I think we can just start with the regular boudoir pictures." Then she paused and looked me in the eye. "I've decided that, while we're taking these pictures, you're just going to be a machine taking pictures. Since you're a machine and not a person," she took a deep breath, "I can say what I want to and you won't react like a man but just like a machine that's taking pictures and doing exactly as it's instructed to do." Another deep breath. "At least we can start that way."

I smiled but I did appreciate her nervousness and her way of handling it seemed very original. "Sounds perfect," I replied. "And, I do have Linda, the makeup lady here if you'd like to have her help out.

"Sure, why not," she shrugged. Linda asked her a few questions about the look she wanted, what she was expecting, etc., then told her lshe'd like to try something. She got her makeup kit, did some magical things with brushes and pencils and other stuff that I didn't understand at all, then got a mirror and let Peggy have a look.

A smile slowly crossed Peggy's face and she looked over at me. "Did you say she was a magicial or did I just pick that up from looking in the mirror?" I smiled back and Linda blushed a little. An already very pretty lady now looked even better which I hadn't imagined possible.

"I'm ready to get started if you are," she said, "unless you have something you want to say too."

"Just this, I guess," I said, "that we're both new at this so we'll play it a little by ear as we go and see what happens. You know what your husband likes and you know what you can do. So, to start I'm going to let you lead. Some pictures I think we can carefully pose and take. Other times I'll just be clicking away. Sometimes it's surprising what you get that way." I gestured toward the door leading out of the general studio area into my living quarters which was a fairly small lounge/living room area with a kitchen area in the corner and a separate bedroom which was actually decorated very nicely if I do say so myself. I had set up some lights in the bed area as I had figured this was where many of the pictures would be taken.

As we walked into the bedroom she began taking off the business suit, laying the jacket carefully on one of the chairs. Then, she carefully unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it off, laying it on top of the jacket. That revealed the lacy red bra she was wearing and lots of nicely tanned skin. Without pausing she unbuttoned, then unzipped the skirt and slid it off to join the other items on the chair. This let me see the red bikini panties she was wearing, not quite as brief as the ones I had purchased, but very nice indeed along with the black hose that stopped at mid-thigh and, of course, the red heels. Now she stood there, at about 5'-8" and with the three inch hells close to six feet tall, dark brunet hair to her shoulders, lots of tanned skin and legs longer than I'd expected and I knew I was going to enjoy this, even if I was just a machine.

"I've fixed the tan lines on the front but not the back," she said, turning her back toward me. Sure enough, the panties she had on were clearly a little smaller than the bikini bottoms she usually wore in the sun. "I have some concealer and a little brush. She dug in the little sack she had brought and handed me a little container and a brush. "Be sure you get it all," she added which I appreciated as this would be very interesting. Since I was a machine, I opened the container, put some of the concealer on the brush, and very carefully put a finger under the edge of the panties and lifted, brushing the lighter skin with the brush until the color difference had disappeared. I probably brushed a little long than necessary but, as I was doing the same to the other leg I couldn't help but remember how, as a freshman in high school, I had had sat in the library ogling the senior, Peggy Lambert, who was in there the same period I was, Linda came in then suggesting that she could finish up with that. I had anticipated my finger lifting the leg of her bikini underwear but that wasn't going to happen now.

Now Peggy took a deep breath. "Ready?" she asked somewhat expectantly.