Return to Eden Ch. 02

Evelyn was not quite sure what a LARPer was, so she simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"So, Evelyn, what did you have in mind for this shoot? I'm loving your choice of dress. Very beautiful. I have a couple of fans we can set up to get a little flow in the material."

"Well," Evelyn hesitated. "I guess I'm still not really sure what I want. I'm not pretending to be a professional or anything, but you made it sound kind of fun. So... yeah, I guess I will kinda just do what you tell me." She paused, blushing. "Well, within reason, obviously."

"Don't worry," he said, "you're in good hands. Are those more outfits?" he asked, looking at her bag.

"Yeah, I tried to follow your advice..."

"May I see?"

"Umm yeah, of course," she answered, fumbling as she opened the bag. "I figured what I have on is pretty casual, and this should count as smart." She pulled out the jacket and skirt, giving him time to look it over.

"Very nice... is that the same outfit you were wearing when I met you? It looks familiar."

He noticed, she thought as she tried to contain her smirk. "I can't really remember," she lied.

"And were you able to think of something fun?" he asked, watching her hand reach back into the bag. He smiled when he saw the tiny bathing suit emerge.

She blushed again. "I really wasn't sure what counted as fun. What do other models wear?"

"It depends," he explained. As he spoke his gaze jumped back and forth between her eyes, the bikini, and her body. "Some bring bathing suits or lingerie, some bring Halloween costumes or props. I like to leave it open to interpretation. Most models say that those are the most fun pics, the ones where they just let loose. So, that's why I say something 'fun.'"

She had to admit, if only to herself, that the thought of modeling in her bikini certainly sounded like fun.

"Oh, before I forget, can I just get you to read and sign a couple of forms?" he asked, moving over to a nearby counter with some paperwork. "The first one is just a standard release form... I know, it sounds pretty ridiculous, but I've had some people come in here and pull some pretty crazy stunts for the camera. Contortionists... sharp props... even some housewives doing some pretty kinky photos as an anniversary gift. I just want to cover my bases."

Evelyn laughed and skimmed the document. Everything seemed to be reasonable and in order, so she signed it.

Noah took the form and replaced it with another. "This form just gives me permission to use some of the pictures from tonight for promotional material. Don't worry, I won't put your picture on a billboard or anything without getting your approval first," he joked, smiling at her. "I don't typically use pictures for anything other than my portfolio and maybe the company's website, but since I'm offering this photoshoot free of charge, this agreement is simply to help offset the cost of my time. I assure you that I will use the utmost discretion if I choose to use any of your pictures.

Evelyn nodded and signed the form.

"Shall we get started?" he asked as he began moving their conversation towards the center of the room.

Evelyn stepped in front of the camera, awkwardly looking around, unsure what to do with her hands. Before she could ask for direction, the camera shutter clicked, startling her. She let out an awkward laugh. "I wasn't ready!"

"Don't worry, I'm just testing the lighting and color. Besides, the best poses are always natural. The trick is to take a lot of pictures and just filter out the bad ones. Also, the more pictures I take, the quicker you'll get used to the camera. The first ones will be stiff, so don't worry about it, but you'll loosen up as we go."

"Oh... yeah, I suppose that makes sense."

She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side as he continued to photograph her. Evelyn was used to having her picture taken at parties, and she was even accustomed to being the center of attention, but she felt strange now. This whole thing was about her, about making her look as good as possible.

Noah adjusted the lights a couple of times between photos.

After several more pictures, she began to wonder exactly if and when this would start to feel natural. "In retrospect, I wish I had brought the rest of my wine or something to loosen me up," she said, half-jokingly.

"You know, you're not the first model to say that," he responded, poking his head out from behind the camera. "I will have to start keeping a bottle on hand. Don't worry though, you are doing wonderful. Just keep it up. Forget the camera is here. Just move in a way that feels natural to you."

Easier said than done.

For the next several minutes, Noah gave little or no direction, simply watching and photographing Evelyn's movements. Soon thereafter, he set up the fans and took several pictures with her dress flowing in the breeze. Evelyn still felt self-conscious, but she was starting to have a little more fun.

Noah occasionally made small talk as they worked, which helped Evelyn take her mind off of things just a little.

"Why don't you let your hair down for a few photos? I'd like to see a little more motion."

Good point, she thought, quickly undoing her ponytail and tossing the elastic aside.

The breeze from the fans helped her to relax while the low white noise helped to partially drown out the constant clicking sound of the camera's shutter. The cool air passing over her skin felt pleasant and allowed her mind to wander.

She imagined that she was walking atop steep cliffs, overlooking the ocean. She had been to the coast several times in her life, but instead she imagined it the way it might appear on the cover of some romance novel. She focused on the way the flowing material of her dress pulled at her body, allowing it to take hold of her and move her.

Her body took on a life of its own, moving with agency and purpose that she could only obey. Her arms lifted and stretched, moving like leaves in the wind. She grabbed the hem of her dress as her body spun, showing a little thigh without second thought.

Behind it all, there was the faint clicking sound of the camera, barely audible, but giving a hypnotic rhythm to her movements. Subconsciously, she followed the lead of the shutter, trying to slow her body and hold her poses when there were lots of pictures being taken.

She lost track of time, but felt a strange disappointment when Noah announced that 20 minutes had passed and they should take a break.

"How am I doing?" she asked meekly, suddenly a little embarrassed at how much she had lost herself in the moment.

"Are you sure you've never done this before? Because I've seen women that have modeled for years and are not as good as you."

Evelyn knew he was just flattering her, but even so she could feel herself blushing.

He continued. "Why don't you go change while I set up for the next set?"

"Okay..." she agreed. "So... should I go with the business suit next?"

"That sounds great," he responded. "It's up to you, though. I have a few props around here that might go with it. An old desk and chair." He laughed. "I dunno... maybe it will give more of a schoolteacher vibe than a professional one. I'll dig them out while you change, and then we can just push them aside if you don't like it."

"Yeah, that works. Is... is there a changing room?"

"I have some curtains set up in the corner," he said, gesturing across the room. "Or you can change in my office."

"Thanks," Evelyn grinned as she grabbed her bag and made her way towards the makeshift changing stalls in the darkened corner.

Once she saw them, she decided that calling them stalls was being generous. There were two small curtains, side by side, allowing two models to change simultaneously, with only a stack of boxes between them to provide modest privacy from one another. The curtains themselves were angled in such a way that they did obscure her from most of the studio, but still left her very exposed to anyone that happened to wander over to her side of the room.

It's the honor system I suppose, she thought, starting to undress behind the nearest curtain. The three foot by five foot piece of material did not provide much cover. As Evelyn stood in her underwear, she could tell from the sounds of movement that Noah was nearby.

Once dressed, she looked over herself in a nearby mirror and tied her hair back again. Her grey skirt came to rest a couple of inches above her knee, and she wore a matching jacket over a white blouse. It was not an overtly sexual outfit, but Evelyn never purchased clothes that did not complement her figure. She liked to look good whether she was out with her friends or in the office.

Leaving the top button of her blouse open, she returned to the well-lit center of the studio to find an old wooden desk and a swivel chair. Noah was right. This absolutely looks like one of my teachers' desks from high school. Evelyn looked around and squinted towards the dark corners of the room, suddenly noticing she was alone in the studio.

Slowly, she walked around the desk, running her fingers along the wooden surface. With the fans off and the studio empty, the only sound was the echo of her high heels against the concrete floor. She felt a little overdressed with the jacket, but just as she was deciding whether to remove it she heard Noah returning.

"Sorry about that," he said, stepping back behind the camera. "I just had to return a phone call."

"It's okay," Evelyn said with a smile. "I was just admiring some of your props. Let me know if you need to take the call. I can wait."

"No, no, don't worry. It's just my friend. He knows I'm with a model right now. We're getting together later tonight, so it's nothing urgent."

"Alright... so what's the plan?"

He chuckled. "Well, I was going to ask you again if you had something in mind, but we can just make it up as we go again. You're a natural at that."

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay, great! Let's get started on the next set and we'll just go from there. I saw you looking over the desk. What do you think? I can pull it back out of frame if you don't like it. I guess it depends on what kind of aesthetic you want for these pictures."

Evelyn hesitated. "I still don't know what I want. I just kind of went with the flow for those last ones..."

"And they turned out fantastic," Noah assured.

"Yeah, I dunno what I'm going to do with this outfit."

"Don't worry, we'll just take our time just like the last set. Act natural, and if you need me to, I can direct you."

"Okay, sure," she agreed. "I actually don't mind the desk if you think it will look good. Doesn't look like anything I would actually use in my office, but it might be fun to pretend I'm a teacher or something..."

Noah laughed. "And we're here to have fun, aren't we? Why don't you go sit behind the desk and we'll get started?"

Evelyn nodded and did just that. She sat somewhat uncomfortably in the chair and stared directly into the camera. Almost immediately, the sound of the shutter began, much louder now without the fan to drown it out.

"Evelyn, dear, I don't suppose you have a pair of glasses?"

"No... not with me."

"That's okay, I think..." He stepped away from the camera and disappeared into the shadows that surrounded the studio. "I think I have a pair of frames here somewhere."

She could hear some movements and soon thereafter Noah returned to the light. He gave Evelyn a pair of thick-framed glasses, without lenses, along with a stack of paper and a pen.

"Here you go," he said. "If you are going to play teacher, you might as well look the part. Put those on and pretend you are grading papers." He stepped back behind the camera and began snapping pictures almost immediately.

She did as she was told. That was actually a really nice touch, she thought, staring down and the make-believe term papers in front of her. While she could not see how she looked, she certainly felt more like a teacher now.

For a brief moment, Evelyn thought of Travis teaching a university class... grading papers... fucking his student. A swell of anger rose up in her, but she took a deep breath and returned to the moment.

Noah apparently noticed the change. "Is everything okay? You got tense all of a sudden."

"Yeah, I'm fine." It was the truth. She would not allow her ex-husband to control her or stop her from having fun. "I was just thinking about something... but, I'm good now."

As Noah photographed her every movement, Evelyn continued to grade fake papers, feeling stiff from the imagined repetition of doing this for hours on end. She craned her neck, relieving an imagined cramp, massaging the muscles with one hand while the other tapped the pen against the wood of the desk.

She reached her arms above her head, stretching. Once finished, she gave a sultry look at the camera. Her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose, attempting to convey the image of a sexy teacher or slutty librarian.

"That is good," Noah praised. "How do you feel about getting up and sitting on the desk?"

"Sure." Evelyn stood from the chair and came around to the front of the desk, facing the camera. First she leaned back against the wooden surface, trying to repeat the same expression as before. After hearing Noah snap several photos, she lifted herself up and onto the desk so that her legs hung over the side. "How's this?" She asked sheepishly.

"That's great, just keep doing what you're doing."

Evelyn sat, crossed-legged, leaning back on her arms. She wanted to lose herself in the moment, like she had done earlier, but something unconscious held her back.

"You never actually answered me before the break," Noah said, speaking without taking his attention from the camera. "You must have done a little amateur modeling before, right? You've taken to the camera like a fish to water. You've mastered the 'sexy' look."

Evelyn blushed again. "Well thank you. No, I haven't done anything like this before. I'm just making it up as I go."

"Never done any modeling at home? You strike me as the fun, photographic type."

"Well, I suppose people tell me I'm photogenic."

"It shows. Some people just have a gift for it." He paused for a moment, and Evelyn could hear the hesitation without seeing his face. "That's not really what I meant though. You seem like the fun, photographic type at home. Don't tell me you've never done any risqué photos for a boyfriend or husband."

Evelyn cocked her head. "Yeah, I suppose, but who hasn't?"

"Good point," he responded.

"I didn't know I seemed like that 'type' though." She had meant it as a playful tease, but she feared that she might sound defensive or even offended. "I guess I'm pretty transparent then," she joked.

"Well, like you said, who hasn't done it?"

"Well, some more than others I guess," she joked again.

He let out a loud laugh that Evelyn found contagious. Despite their short time together, Evelyn was starting to let her guard down around Noah.

"So which category does that put you in?" He asked. "Some or others?"

She smiled, feeling the flirtation that she craved. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" The camera went silent for several long seconds as he evidently weighed the question. "Well, that depends. Who are these photos for? Friends, family... or maybe a special someone?"

Evelyn smiled again. " I haven't decided that yet. For now, they're just for me. I'll decide later if anyone else gets to see them."

"Good answer." The sound of the camera resumed, returning an almost hypnotic comfort to their discussion. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to take a little more control of things. You're doing great, but I think a little direction will help move things along."

"Okay, sure," she responded enthusiastically. "You're the expert."

"Great, why don't you stand up again for a moment?"

Evelyn promptly did as she was told.

"Perfect, now go around behind the desk and lean on it, facing me."

Again, Evelyn followed the direction. From behind the desk, she placed her hands on its surface and leaned forward. It was not nearly enough to look down her shirt, but perhaps enough to plant the idea in a potential voyeur's head.

Noah snapped several more pictures before speaking again. "I really do love that outfit. You must get lots of compliments at work."

"Well... I suppose I get a few sometimes."

"From the men, I presume?"

Evelyn stifled a laugh. "Umm... sometimes. I guess they're not allowed to say too much. Wouldn't want the wrong person to hear it and get someone in trouble."

"Really?"

"Well, it makes sense. It would make for a pretty awkward workplace if the guys were constantly making comments about how attractive the women looked."

"Are there a lot of other women in your office?"

"A few, but not a lot. Maybe one for every three guys."

"Does that make you feel strange?" He asked.

"How so?"

"Well, does it make you feel strange being mostly surrounded by men? I can only imagine that it must get awkward. A beautiful woman like yourself must get a lot of attention... whether you want it or not."

Evelyn had heard similar questions before, and she always had a semi-rehearsed response. "The men in my office are really respectful, and we really have great working environment. The guys at the office treat me just like anyone else there."

It was partly the truth. She had experienced more than her share of innocent, friendly flirting from her coworkers and supervisors, but she had never felt victimized or valued solely on her appearance. It probably helped that for most of her years at the office, she had been married. Even the most chauvinistic of her male coworkers knew that she was off limits.

Since her divorce, she began to wonder if those boundaries were starting to subtly erode or if perhaps it was all in her head. However, it did not matter now.

Noah smiled at her. "I'm sure your coworkers are absolute gentlemen. But I'm friends with a few of them, and I have a hard time believing that they don't notice how attractive you are."

"Well, maybe they do." Evelyn felt a little vain, conceding knowledge of attractiveness to men.

"Does it bother you?"

"No, not really. I mean, who doesn't want to be attractive?"

"True. And you clearly prefer clothes that show it off."

She looked down at her outfit. Is this sexual? She wondered. "I don't know, this seems pretty conservative to me."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's professional. I'm just saying that it show off your figure and those very pleasing curves. I'm sure that is no accident."

"No, it isn't. I like to look good."

"That's normal. And I'm sure it's a little flattering to think that your coworkers are going to recognize how beautiful you are."

Evelyn tried to hide her cheeks as they turned red. The smart thing would have been to deny it, but her body had already betrayed her. "Maybe, just a little... sometimes."

"Let's do a few shots without the jacket. Just throw it on the desk or over the chair."

"Okay," Evelyn agreed, unbuttoning the jacket and slipping it over her shoulders before tossing it onto the chair. It felt a little strange having the whole process photographed, but she did not mind.

"Great, now come back in front of the desk and just lean back on it again. You can keep talking, but turn your head to the side a little... like if I were over to your right side." He waited for her to get into position before he continued their conversation. "So you kind of like it when your coworkers notice you." It was not really a question, but more of an acknowledgement.

"I didn't say that..."

"Sure you did. That's okay. There isn't anything wrong with that."

"I know, but..."