Return to Eden Ch. 02

"Thank you boys," she said in a hushed voice. The boys responded that it was no big deal, even as a hand remained on her backside.

"No... I really appreciate it. I want... well... I'll try to find a way to make it up to you. Someday." Even in such a horny state, she was not quite sure what she meant and she immediately regretted saying it. Evelyn did not know what she wanted. Looking back over her shoulder into the house, she almost stumbled again.

Smiling back at their confused faces, Evelyn stepped into the house and closed the door behind her. Feeling a sudden burst of adrenaline that bolstered her coordination, she moved into the living room and watched from the window as the boys slowly walked back to their car. Soon, they were in the vehicle and Evelyn watched the taillights disappear down the street.

She felt stimulated but unfulfilled. Her entire evening had felt like the buildup and anticipation of a roller coaster, slowly climbing to the top of the track. More than anything in the world, her body yearned for the exhilarating release that was supposed to come after.

Next door, she noticed that Arthur's driveway was still full of cars. Apparently the guys' night was still going and she hoped they had not been too loud to keep Mandy up. Stepping back into the kitchen, she quietly listened at the window to hear if the men were outside. She heard nothing.

Good, at least they moved the party inside, she thought as she stumbled towards the stairs.

She crept upstairs to her room, trying desperately not to wake her daughter.

Oh god... I hope none of the guys next door saw that embarrassing display in the driveway, practically having to be carried to the door.

She peeked through the curtains of her bedroom window, which looked directly towards the front portion of Arthur's house. Next door, she saw most of the lights on downstairs. Upstairs, she saw Arthur's bedroom light on as well.

Still hidden in darkness, Evelyn stared at the house and wondered how many guys were over there right now. She also wondered what they were doing there so late.

Faintly, she heard a noise in the night. She thought maybe she had imagined it, but soon she heard it again.

Evelyn held still, trying to quiet her own breathing to focus on the inaudible sound.

More definitively this time, she could just barely hear the sound of moaning--distinctly female moaning. With her curiosity now piqued, Evelyn slowly leaned forward, almost pressing her face to the open window.

She was certain now, she could barely make out the sound of a women that was almost certainly in the throes of ecstasy. Even more shocking, it sounded like it was coming from Arthur's house.

Oh my god, Evelyn thought. She could barely believe what she was hearing. Her nails instinctively dug into the wood of her window sill, and a swell of emotions flooded her mind.

Are they seriously watching porn right now?

On the one hand, Evelyn thought it was funny that this group of adult men would sit around and watch porn together like a bunch of teenagers. It would be funnier if she had not remembered her daughter was only two rooms away and could possibly be hearing this as well.

Panicked, Evelyn back away from her window and stepped back into the hall.

She tiptoed to her daughter's closed door and pressed her ear to it. Slowly, she opened the door a crack and peeked inside.

All she saw was darkness and all she could hear was the faint hum of a fan, spinning somewhere in the darkness. Most importantly, she could see the illumination of Mandy's window. It was difficult to see from this distance and in the dark, but Evelyn thought it looked closed. Or mostly closed.

Satisfied, she closed the door and crept back to her own room.

She immediately peeled off her clothes, standing by the window in her black lace underwear.

Wouldn't it be fun to turn on the lights and let them see the real thing, she thought as she bit her lower lip. Instead she unclasped her bra in darkness and let it fall from her shoulders. Her panties immediately joined it on the floor.

It was harder to hear the sounds next door from the bed, but Evelyn could still make out the occasional cries of pleasure.

Within a minute, she was vigorously fingering herself. The sound of her own fingers, playing with the lips of her own wet cunt, filled the room. Soon, she could no longer differentiate the moans next door from her own.

She pulled a pillow to her face as an orgasm overtook her.

Naked and covered with a sheen a sweat, she immediately fell asleep on top of her bed covers.

When she woke the sun was brightly shining through her window, casting a long beam of light across her naked body. The air was cool from the open window and Evelyn shivered a moment before trying to get up. She still felt a little dizzy and nauseous from the previous night.

Putting on some comfortable clothes, she crept to the washroom, hoping to avoid her daughter. Mandy's door was closed and Evelyn could not hear any noise from downstairs.

Maybe she slept in. Hopefully... she thought.

Evelyn spent most of the morning in her room. When she finally mustered the courage to go downstairs, she found her daughter eating a bowl of cereal. Mandy looked at her with a slight look of concern before turning her attention back to her bowl.

They made a little small talk, but fortunately neither one seemed interested in a long conversation.

The poor girl can probably see how hungover I am and is embarrassed for me.

The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully and quietly. Her hangover lasted longer than Evelyn had anticipated. No longer the young woman she once was, her body was punishing her for attempting to live outside of her limits.

Even so, the previous night left her invigorated in spite of her physical condition. She could not recall most of the events, but she could remember several sexually charged dreams. The pain in her head could not extinguish the lustful flame that she felt reigniting inside her.

The girls ordered Chinese take-out for dinner, but still remained unusually quiet.

Oh god, I hope I didn't wake her up last night or... even worse, maybe she heard what the neighbors were watching next door. Evelyn feared that maybe Mandy had heard about how drunk Evelyn was at the club.

The club...

Merely thinking about it reminded Evelyn of something, but she was not sure of what.

Did I dance with some young guys? It was scary that she could not distinguish between what was a memory and what was only a dream.

If she heard about how blackout drunk I was, that might explain the silent treatment. But it's not like I can just ask her. What would I even say? "Hi honey, did any of your friends happen to see me embarrass myself last night?"

Instead, the two women finished their dinner and went their separate ways.

Returning to her room, Evelyn finally decided to text Judy and see if she could piece together how the previous night had ended.

It did not take long for her friend to reply. "Oh my god, Evelyn. We practically had to pry you away from the club. We saw you dancing with some guys and then lost you for a little while in the crowd. Glad we found you before you went home with some college kid. Diane said some of those young guys were a little handsy. Gotta look out for my girl ;)"

Well shit, Evelyn thought, looks like I did make a fool of myself after all... but on the bright side, at least I can still get men's attention at the club. "Thanks Judy, I appreciate it. Did I get a cab home?"

"Elliot drove you."

Oh god, I can't believe Elliot had to see me that drunk. He's never going to look at me the same after that, she thought. On the bright side, at least it was Elliot that drove me. Who knows what might have happened if I got into a stranger's car.

She shuddered to think how she might have otherwise acted in that vulnerable and probably horny state of mind.             

Evelyn thanked Judy for the information and went to bed earlier than usual. The next week went by rather uneventfully, and whatever awkward silence existed between Evelyn and her daughter seemed to disappear. Evelyn began to wonder if perhaps it had all been in her head.

However, something was still bothering Evelyn. It had started during her meeting with Frank three weeks ago, and it had definitely come out during her encounter at the beach and at the hotel. Every time she thought she could repress her impulses, they reasserted control of her body and mind.

If she was in the company of men, she could not help but wonder what they were thinking about her. If she spent too much time alone with her thoughts, she would ruminate about her fantasies. The only man she had fucked since her divorce had been an older stranger from the beach. In retrospect, she could not understand what she had been thinking.

I'm sure I can do better than that, can't I?

But she had not thought in the heat of the moment. She had gone with her instincts. And as days turned into weeks, she feared that without an outlet she might give into those instincts again. She began to fantasize about her male coworkers, and even her boss.

I've advanced at my job in a relatively short and impressive time, she thought on her way to work one day. It would be silly not to suspect that at least part of that is due to my appearance and my flirty personality.

She wondered how many of her coworkers assumed the same thing and resented her for it. She wondered how many of her male colleagues thought of her as attractive, hot, or even sexy. She wondered how many of them fantasized about getting the chance to bend her over a desk and fuck her brains out.

Wouldn't they just love it if I got a little too drunk at an office party and let my guard down...

She was interrupted from her thoughts as she stepped out of the elevator and walked directly into a gentleman that was leaving the office. His folder fell to the floor and Evelyn apologized profusely as she helped him pick up a couple of stray papers.

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a smile as he stared intently at her. He was tall and mildly handsome, but there was an intensity to his expression that made Evelyn feel strange, almost uncomfortable. She estimated that he was in his late twenties, perhaps thirty at most.

He looked her over, head to toe, and Evelyn felt like he was gazing directly into her. "You must hear this all the time," he said as his eyes came back to meet hers, "but you are absolutely beautiful."

"Oh my gosh, thank you!" She beamed at the compliment. "That is so nice of you after I practically plowed you over!"

"It's nothing. Probably my fault more than yours." He paused, as if contemplating. "Have you ever done any modeling?"

"Ha! Yeah, right!" Evelyn knew she was attractive, but this young man was clearly just being polite.

"No, really, you should try it. I can tell you'd be amazing, and I think you'd really enjoy it. You know, I have a studio. Here, let me give you my card." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "I do all sorts of photoshoots--parties, grad pics, personal sets. You should give me a call some time. I'd love to do a session. No charge."

"Oh." Evelyn felt almost dumbfounded by the whole conversation, but she accepted the card. "Okay, yeah, let me think about."

"Of course. My name's Noah, by the way."

"Evelyn," she responded, returning his handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Evelyn. Please do give me a call. I mean it. You can call it a favor for almost knocking me over," he joked. Even as he smiled, the intensity never his stare. In a moment, he disappeared into the elevator and was gone.

Evelyn stared at the elevator door for a moment before slowly turning back towards the office. Catherine, the office secretary, was looking back at her and had obviously seen the whole event from her desk.

Catherine gestured for Evelyn to come over.

Still confused, Evelyn walked over to the desk. "That was strange," she said with a smile.

Catherine looked around the empty waiting area to confirm that the two women were alone. "Yeah, you really shouldn't call him," she replied quietly. "Believe me, there are a lot of rumors going around about that guy. He's a creep, and I've heard that he always tries to talk girls into undressing for him. Apparently, he's got a reputation and I don't think we'd even pick him up if the boss didn't know him. I dunno... I think the sales department was talking about cutting him loose... or, at least that's what I've heard."

"Oh wow," Evelyn said, staggered. "Thanks for the warning. I thought he seemed a little weird. Polite, though." She thought it was strange that she had never heard of this, but then again she was rarely involved or consulted on smaller company accounts.

Catherine smirked. "Yeah, I don't think he'll be coming around here anymore. I hope so, anyway. I'm tired of him chatting me up every time he stops by."

Evelyn continued to her own office, thinking about the whole exchange. She crumpled his card and was about to throw it in the garbage, but she paused.

He said I could be a model, she thought. But he was also just saying that to get me in his studio. I wonder if Catherine is right about him. What else does he do with his models? Does he think that I will fuck him just because he was polite?

She examined the card.

"Golden Hour Photography," it read. "Specializing in events and private photoshoots." The card also listed examples of the above. "Weddings. Parties. Office events. Modeling portfolios. Romantic gifts. Graduation photos. Boudoir sessions."

Well, he's not exactly subtle. Evelyn got the impression that most of those examples were simply meant to fund his true passion: romantic gifts and boudoir.

I'm sure a lot of impressionable young models are willing to do boudoir sessions with a random photographer if they think it will help build their portfolio. It's not exactly a job for the prudish. If what Catherine said is true, it sounds like this guy is more than happy to exploit that naivety.

The thought sat in Evelyn's brain for the rest of the workday, and throughout the drive home.

So what if he is just trying to see me naked? From Evelyn's perspective, that would still be a compliment nonetheless.

It still means he thinks I'm attractive. And maybe it would be fun to make him work for it, butter me up with compliments and get a free photoshoot out of the deal.

It took two more days before she worked up the courage to call him and ask about his offer. Mandy had just left the house, and Evelyn sat at the kitchen table, staring at the business card on the table in front of her.

He greeted her cheerfully over the phone and asked several preliminary questions. "What sort of photoshoot do you have in mind?"

"Well, I guess I'm not really sure. I hadn't really thought about it until I bumped into you."

"That's okay, I get that a lot. A lot of women are interested in modeling but don't really know where to start. They might not even be interested in doing it professionally, but they'd like to try it out for fun. I promise, you're in good hands. I'm very good with first timers, and I always base things on the comfort level of my model. If you want to run the show, then I am just there to control the lighting and take pictures. If you'd prefer for me to give direction, then I have tons of experience with that too."

A tingle flowed through Evelyn's body as she stood up from the table. This might be fun to try. She began walking through the house as she spoke.

"Okay," she said, "I think I might like to give it a try. What is your schedule like? Do you book on weekends or--"

"How about tonight?"

That caught Evelyn off guard. "Oh... well..." It was a Saturday afternoon, almost 3:30pm.

"I just had a cancellation," he continued, sensing her hesitation. "It's up to you, no pressure. That would work for me, or I could look and see what else I have available."

She had not anticipated such short notice. "Umm... okay. Yeah," she paused. "I can do that. I just need a couple of hours to get ready."

"Ok, perfect. How about we start around 7:00pm?" When Evelyn agreed he sounded genuinely excited. "Excellent. You have the address, right? It's on the card."

"Yes." She had already looked up the address online. It was only a fifteen minute drive from her house. Maybe it is better this way. Better to do it before I lose my nerve again. "What should I wear? Do I need to bring anything?"

"Well, you can wear whatever you'd like, but I guess it depends on what you want to do. I recommend bringing a couple of different outfits, and I do have a limited wardrobe here that might fit. You can't go wrong with a sundress or maybe business attire if you want to try something different. Or you could go all out and bring an evening gown. My usual advice is 'bring something smart, something casual, and something fun.' Gives us a few things to work with. But don't worry too much about it. The clothes are not nearly as important as the model and how she carries herself."

"Okay, I will go grab something to eat and get ready. How long will this take?"

"It's hard to say. Could take less than an hour, could be two hours. Depends on how long you want to go."

She felt silly asking, but she wanted to be certain. "And you said that this session was on the house, right?"

He laughed. "Yeah, don't worry about it. The only cost will be if you want any prints."

They said their goodbyes, and Evelyn hurried upstairs. She decided to take a quick bath to do some shaving, careful not to get her hair wet. After putting on some light makeup, she looked through the closet. Something smart, something casual, and something fun. She eventually decided to grab a yellow sundress and one of her more professional business outfits, including a skirt, blouse, and jacket. Although she was not certain how risqué she would get, she also packed her blue bikini just in case.

I wonder if he was telling the truth about the cancellation, or if that was just a lie to get me in there before I could change my mind, Evelyn wondered.

She was so excited that she could barely eat, making a light salad with some leftover chicken and opening a bottle of wine.

She arrived at the studio a few minutes early, wearing the sundress and a pair of matching heels. As she stepped inside, she noted that it looked far more professional than she had envisioned. The entryway was lined with framed photographs, some of models and still life, others of landscapes. There were several chairs against the wall in what seemed to be a small waiting area. At the far end of the room was a full length counter with a lifting gateway separating the back section from the waiting room. Atop the counter were several more framed photos and a collection of photo albums.

Noah quickly emerged from a doorway behind the counter, smiling as he greeted her. "Hey Evelyn, come on back." He lifted the gate for her and escorted her through a short hallway with several doors along the way.

At the end of the hallway was a large studio. In the center was a simple white canvas backdrop suspended from a horizontal railing. Around it were several large lights all directed towards the backdrop. Scattered around the outer sides of the room were chairs, small tables and desks, racks of clothing, and large collections of other objects that Evelyn assumed were photo props.

"Please ignore the mess," Noah said, gesturing towards the perimeter of the room. "We keep a collection of props here in the shop, but a lot of groups will leave their things here to pick up at a later date. We just had a group or LARPers in the other day for a shoot, so there's swords and armor all over the place."