Adventures of Hollywood Jim Ch. 36

Business at East Coast Image started to pick up again. We suddenly got a plum assignment courtesy of Marty O'Brien. As I'd said before, Marty's work with Tigress had made him a major player in the music business seemingly overnight. And he always made sure we were along for the ride. But this time, Chris was having second thoughts about the new assignment we got through Marty. Not because of the subject, or the money, but the location.

"Nashville? Why there? Why did we get that place?" he said in a tone that reminded me of myself at times.

I suppose his feelings were justified.

We would be going there to shoot a group of music stars for Vanity Fair magazine's annual music issue. The locations had been kept largely secret and the photographers chosen only knew where they were going after they picked a city out of a hat. And we got Nashville. And a group of country music stars. I was looking forward to it; I had only been there once before for a family wedding and loved walking around the city, feeling the atmosphere and hearing the music coming out of the clubs and bars.

"I mean, do I look like the kind of guy in a pickup playing, what's his name...Willie Nelson on the eight track player?" he said.

"Well...now that you mention it..." I replied trying not to snicker.

"Very funny!" he said "OK, let's get to work." He said with a resigned tone.

Two days later we arrived in Nashville. Marty was there to meet us and was his usual self.

"There's my boys! Welcome to Nashville!"

Chris was grumpy all morning and I wound doing most of the talking to the record company reps we dealt with. Tim McCoy would be our connection here and we hit it off immediately.

"OK, guys" he started "We'll get started in the morning at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge"

Chris looked at me with an expression that showed how much he was dreading this job. I could tell the idea of shooting photos at a place called "Tootsie's" didn't thrill him in the slightest. Never mind the history of the place.

"Cool, I went there long ago...oh, uh, who are we photographing anyway?" I said

"Well, that's a mystery to me." Tim replied.

"Why?"

"Somebody leaked the info about this shoot and they're trying to keep this as low key as possible. All I know is it's someone big." He replied.

"Oh, uh, okay. I guess we'll know when we know, right?"

"Exactly, see you in the AM boys." Tim went off with some assistants.

"I need a drink." Chris said.

"Man, you're acting like a 5 year old." I grumbled as we headed for the hotel bar.

"Well, wouldn't you? We could've gotten Miami or New York...but noooo...look where we are?" he whined.

I gradually blocked out his whining.

The following morning I was up and ready to go. I was getting my gear ready when my cell rang.

"Dude...I-I-I feel like death now." A raspy voice said

"Chris?"

"Yeah...must've had too much to drink..."

"You had one beer." I replied.

"One...one too many..." he said.

"If you're trying to get out of this you're doing a really lousy acting job." I said.

"Dude...gonna die now."

I looked up at the ceiling.

"Why me?" I said to no one in particular.

I think I now heard snoring on Chris' end.

"You are so dead, Chris!" I yelled.

I now had to be the one in charge of things, wonderful.

I frantically grabbed whatever I thought we'd need and headed down to meet the company reps and our assistants for the day. Tim had assembled a local group of techs he'd dealt with who were just what I needed in this case. It seemed all I'd be doing is snapping pictures.

Hey, Fine by me.

I arrived at Tootsies' with Tim and the crew that early morning. Our plan was to photograph our "mystery star" inside the club. But the Nashville morning had just enough of a chill and the way the sunlight hit the street was giving me an even better idea. Soon after we arrived and began setting up, a large bus arrived. It was bright red with gold stripes and the windows were tinted black. The side door opened and a perky girl with brunette hair stepped out.

"Hey, Tim! Wow, everything looks great!" she said

She was introduced to me as Debbie, an assistant. Before I could ask to whom, my answer came down the steps.

Carrie Underwood.

"Whoa!" I blurted out.

Debbie and Tim turned and looked at me.

"Hi there! I'm Carrie." She said in a sweet voice that just oozed Oklahoma.

"Yes...I-I-I'm Jim." I stammered out. "G-G-Great to meet you."

We both laughed at how star struck I was.

Even this early in the morning Carrie looked like a million bucks. She had on a bright red University of Oklahoma sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. Her golden blonde hair was tied in a loose ponytail. Her smile just lit up the streets. Carrie took an active interest in everything we had planned, before being hustled off to the makeup trailer. As she walked away, she looked over her shoulder and winked at me.

"...Like she needs anything to be more beautiful." I said.

"You said it brother." Tim replied

We both smiled and got ready for the shoot.

To nobody's surprise, Carrie's time in the makeup trailer was short. She emerged in a pair of tight weathered jeans, equally aged denim jacket, and black cowboy boots. A guitar case had emerged and out came a vintage Gibson acoustic guitar with her name elegantly written in mother of pearl on the neck.

"Jim, right?" she said to me as I nodded in reply. "What do you think?"

"Uh, I think you belong be on the stage inside." I said, trying to sound professional.

She giggled in that little girl voice of hers.

We went inside the club and rolled off some shots of her on the tiny stage, then seated at the bar with the guitar positioned between her legs. Then she had the idea of dancing around to music from the old jukebox, these shots looked great, and she looked so hot. The time just seemed to fly by, shooting her was so easy. We took a quick break as I went out to our truck to get some extra gear. I looked up the street and the rising sun looked so great.

"That's it!" I said.

I immediately ran back in the club and told everybody to get out onto the street, there was a potentially fabulous shot waiting for us. Before Carrie's people could question me, she had her guitar in hand and dashed out with me.

"Wow! I see what you mean!" she said excitedly. "What should I do?"

I told Carrie to lean up against the front window of the club. She did so, but I boldly reached down for her leg and bent it up so the boot heel was visible. She looked down at me and my position and she smiled at me, like she wanted to say something else.

"Um, nice boots." I said hesitantly while looking up at her.

"The guy holdin' them is nice too." She replied with a smile.

"Thanks..." I composed myself and got into position.

The shot I got had the rising sun in the background and she was leaning up against the window at such and angle that the name of the club and her guitar's decorations were clearly visible. Her blonde hair positively glowed in the sunlight. And she had a wistful look on her face. And that look was gorgeous.

Even the crew was in silence, like they knew a great photo was being taken and wanted to savor every moment. I really felt like I'd photographed a goddess.

"Think you got it, Jim?" she said breaking the silence.

"Oh yes...I got it." I finally said.

"Can't wait to see it!" she said as she was hustled off with her people.

I couldn't believe my good luck and how fast everything had happened. The crew guys were slapping me on the back, Tim came over and was just as happy. Carrie's assistant Debbie hugged me and told how happy Carrie was with what we'd done. I started to make arrangements for our gear and was quickly assured by Tim it was in good hands. I walked over to a coffee shop and grabbed a celebratory hazelnut coffee. As I reached into my jacket pocket, I discovered a business card with Debbie's name and an address handwritten on it.

"Come up to my place, 8 tonight." It read.

"This is interesting." I mumbled.

Especially because I couldn't figure out how it got into my pocket.

Debbie was certainly a cute one. I guess I'm entitled to a little fun, I thought.

Luckily the rental car we got had a GPS system so I programmed the address and was soon on the road. The GPS voice mentioned how we were entering some part of Nashville called Brentwood. Sure seemed like a pretty ritzy area, that's for sure from the looks of things. Finally, the voice told me to turn right onto a long darkened road that appeared to be the entrance to a gated community. There was a guard booth and I showed him the card I'd found. He ducked inside and made a phone call.

"Last house on the left." He said

"Thanks." As I drove away, I suddenly remembered a horror movie with that name, "stop being so paranoid, Hollywood" I thought

At the end there was a tall stone wall and a Spanish-style house sat atop a hill.

My car stopped at the front door and I looked around, it was so quiet. A blue Ford Mustang convertible was parked in a garage. Next to it was a black BMW X5.

I walked up to the door and rang the bell. Immediately I heard a dog barking furiously

"Ace! Calm down!" a female voice said as she approached the door.

The front door opened and I suddenly realized that this wasn't Debbie's place.

"Hi, Jim!" the gorgeous blonde said.

It was Carrie's place.

"Come on in! That's my dog, Ace." She said as he barked and scampered around me. Carrie had on gym shorts and a Dallas Cowboys' jersey with a number "8" on the front.

"Let me get you a beer." She said as she led me to the kitchen. I suddenly realized the number on the jersey was Tony Romo's. I remembered that from my encounter with Jessica. What were the chances of meeting up with 2 of his exes? Carrie had a great house from what I could see. Her kitchen was very comfortable with a center island and ultra modern appliances throughout. She grabbed 2 Corona's out of the fridge. The Eagles were playing on her stereo.

"So, like my place?" she said

"Yeah, it's really you."

"I tell you, it's so strange going from where I was before to this. I mean, I had a little apartment before I did 'Idol' and now..." she said as she grandly spread an arm.

"Yes...all these fabulous appliances can be yours....if the song is right!" I said in my best game show voice. Carrie laughed at my sudden change from nervous photog to game show impresario.

"Take a look at this fabulous refrigerator...currently loaded with...something."

Carrie was laughing even more as I opened and closed it quickly.

"Here's our first contestant...what's your name?" I said using my beer bottle as a mike.

"Carrie..." she said playing around with me.

"Carrie, eh? OK and where are you from darlin'?"

"Oklahoma." She said with a sly smile, like she thought I was crazy.

"Oklahoma...ah, well is it OK there?"

"Uh, yeah I think so!" she said, still laughing.

"Great, well let's play our game. That is if I knew the rules, which I don't. So I guess that makes you the winner. But then you already did win, right?"

"What do I win?"

"Uh...you win...uh...this toaster oven!"

"Oh! Just what I always wanted!" she said like a game show winner.

"And don't forget the case of Rice-a-Roni!" I added.

We were practically doubled over with laughter and Ace was barking too.

I'd apparently broken the ice with her and overcome any nervousness I'd had during the day. It was a great relief to see that she shared my sense of humor. Carrie showed me around her home, it was beautifully arranged throughout. Being a frustrated musician I was drawn to what seemed to be her music room. She had 2 gleaming guitars there, a black hollow-bodied Gretsch electric and the Gibson acoustic from this morning. A baby grand piano was in a corner. The wall over the fireplace was dominated by a huge framed picture of her first album "Some Hearts" with several platinum CD's circling it. Signifying in millions the number of albums it had sold. Another equally large picture was for her second album "Carnival Ride". Underneath it on a shelf were her Grammy Awards and CMA Awards. A few framed pictures of her with various musicians were there too. My eyes were drawn to the guitars nearby.

"Like them?" she said.

"Yes...always tried to play but never got very far."

"Me too, I'm still learning, I get nervous every time I have to play it onstage."

"You? Nervous? Never!" I said

"Are you kidding! You should've seen me at the Grammy's!"

"You were great doing those Eagles songs."

I suddenly realized the song she did that night, "Desperado" was playing.

"Well, what a coincidence."

"I like this song better..." she went back to the stereo and crouched down. I couldn't help but get a peek at her pink panties.

"Peaceful, Easy Feeling" came on and Carrie started singing the song, we suddenly found ourselves singing the song as a duet, she did the first verse and I started the second, looking at her as I sang the line "....and I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight...with a billion stars all around." She covered her mouth slightly and I heard an "oh my!" come from her. She was smiling, I was too as you'd imagine.

"Good song." I said.

"Good singer." She replied.

"Um...thanks."

We stared at one another and I leaned in and kissed her. I could smell a beautiful perfume and her face felt gently powdered in some way by whatever makeup she had on. She pulled back slightly, and smiled.

"Oh my..." she said, somewhat surprised.

"I'm sorry, I-I couldn't help myself" I quickly apologized.

"No, No...I, um, liked that." She said.

Carrie placed her arms gently on my hips and we kissed again. Her lips felt so nice. When we parted, she smiled that "Carrie" smile.

"What's that line from Shakespeare?" I said.

"What line?" she said.

"I remember now, you, um, kiss by the book." I said.

"Oh, thank you Jim."

We kissed again. This time it was longer, her mouth was open just slightly and her eyes closed like she was in a dream.

When we parted, she held me close.

"Oh that felt so good Jim... wow."

"I liked it too."

Carrie wrapped her arms softly around me and we hugged.

"I didn't know that would feel so good." She said softly.

"I love this feeling."

"Um...come with me..." she softly took my hand and led me up the stairs.

Her bedroom was very soft and romantically furnished with lots of white linen throughout. 2 armchairs and a couch were in a corner. A large TV was mounted on the wall and there was even a fireplace. We kissed again, deeper still. Then she had me sit on the bed.

"I'll be right back Jim." She said softly.

I was alone in her bedroom now, looking around at the place. I couldn't believe where I was, the old bit of first-time nervousness was back. I was trying to be confident, but wondering what was next? Would I be alright?

I soon found out.

Carrie reappeared wearing a short, pink babydoll ensemble with matching panties and a bright red bowtie that accented the look. She had a slight smile. I think she was nervous too. She stood at the doorway and dimmed the lights. The room went to a soft candle-like glow.

"Oh my..." I said, barely audible.

"Do I, um, look OK?" she asked.

"You look...beautiful." I said.

"Thank you, Jim." She said as we kissed. "I just got it."

My hands slowly went down her sides, the material felt so smooth. Carrie started to slowly unbutton my shirt.

"I'm okay baby..." she said softly as she removed my shirt.

"I-I am too." I said.

Her soft hands drifted down my chest until she got to my waist and I was already getting hard inside.

"Would you like to...get undressed?" she asked in that same soft voice.

"OK" I replied.

I slowly unbuckled my black denim jeans, Carrie's hands were on my zipper and I could feel it slide down. Her hand went inside and I was instantly erect as it touched my underwear.

Carrie let out a small gasp.

"Oh my...I guess I did that, didn't I?" she said with a smile.

"Uh...yes...I'm sorry, I-"

"Oh no, don't be...I like that." She said reassuringly with a kiss added. "I like it a lot."

Carrie slowly slid my jeans down, I'd luckily taken my boots off when she was out of the bedroom. She looked at me up and down and smiled;

"You look good, Jim." She said

"You look better." I replied

She bashfully smiled and we embraced again.

I was hard as a rock now and Carrie began to slowly grind against me, I could hear little moans coming from her. My left hand went behind her and caressed her ass. As she continued to softly moan, I boldly slipped a hand on her panties, her ass felt just as soft as the rest of her.

"Oh Jim...baby...please undress me." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...please...please undress me."

I took a deep breath and reached for the straps of her babydoll, and slowly slid them off her shoulders. It slid off her shoulders, and silently to the floor leaving her in just her pink panties. Her breasts looked beautiful, a small C cup I'd imagine, topped with small pink nipples that were already erect. She inhaled slightly and they became even more erect. She didn't seem to mind being topless in front of me. Carrie reached for the sides of her panties and slid them down, I did the same with my underwear and we were naked in front of each other. Carrie's body was flawless, even in the soft light I could see she was totally bare between her legs. We both smiled at the sight of one another. I could feel myself getting harder. Carrie noticed and licked her lips.

"Come here." She said softly.

We embraced again and my dick was poking at her pussy. Carrie kissed me deeply and I felt her hand caress my dick.

"I hope I'm OK..." she said hesitantly.

"Of course you are, why?"

"I haven't had too much, um experience." She said softly.

"You'll be fine," I said "neither have I." I knew it was a lie considering my past history, but an experience like this doesn't happen every day, you know.

"Maybe we should lie on the bed?" she suggested.

"That's good."

We climbed onto her huge bed. I lay flat and she lay to my sides kissing my body all over. She held my dick and studied it, then looked at me.

"It's beautiful." She said.

I closed my eyes as she kissed my dick, I could feel her lips and tongue on the head, then a surge of warmth as it entered her mouth. Was this really happening to me? I could feel her mouth slowly sliding up and down the length of my dick, getting slicker with every stroke. I knew if she used her hands I'd probably explode in a millisecond. She did just that, softly gripping me and caressing me with her soft hands. But luckily, I held myself together.

"Oh my Jim...you're somethin' else." She said with a smile as I opened my eyes again.

I sat up and we kissed. My hand caressed her breast and she cooed in response. I moved my head down and softly kissed her nipple, she sighed blissfully. I could feel her hand on my head as I licked and sucked her tits.

"Ohhhhh....Jim....baby...." she sighed.

"You're so soft." I said in the same tone.

"Thank you baby..." she replied, her eyes were now closed.

I looked down and her hand was on her pussy, gently rubbing herself. She could tell I saw what she was doing.

"I can't help it...I feel so good now...you make me feel soooo good, Jim."

I looked her in the eyes and we kissed long and lovingly.

"Jim...I want you...I really want you now." She said.

I nodded in understanding, she did the same.

Carrie rolled over to her nightstand and slid open a drawer, pulling out a Trojan.

"I'm on the pill and all...I just want to be careful, you know." She said.

"Me too." I replied.

Carrie handed me the Trojan and I placed it over my dick. Carrie leaned back on the bed and slowly opened her legs, her totally smooth pussy looked so inviting.