Down but Not Out

"Hello?"

"Is this Rob Sewall?"

"Yes." I said.

"Hi, my name is Chrissy Reed. You may not remember me, but I used to work at Birches Resort on East Lake. I was the event planner. I handled the weddings, you were one of the regular photographers."

"Sure. What can I do for you?" My voice was hesitant as I tried to recall her while flipping through my contacts.

"Well I want to know... I need a photographer. I was wondering if we could meet to discuss it?"

"Sure. Where are you these days. I know the Birches closed down a couple years ago. It was too bad, I loved that venue."

"Are you available today? I could meet you at the coffee shop on Water Street, say eleven o'clock?"

"Sure. I'm free today. How will I know you?"

"Don't worry, I remember you." She said. A low chuckle came through and it made me a little curious.

I walked into the coffee shop a few minutes before eleven, ordered a coffee and found a seat by the window. A few minutes later a woman came up from behind me and turned, setting her cup on the table before sitting. I recognized her instantly. I hadn't seen her in a few years but I remember being utterly smitten upon meeting. She was medium height with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a heart-stopping smile. She had only been at the Birches for a year the first time I met her and she was pretty green, but very good at her job.

"Chrissy. It has been a long time." I offered her my hand and she took it with a firm shake.

"About three years I'd say." She looked out the window for a moment before turning back. "I heard you fell on hard times yourself."

I became a little guarded. I shrugged, "I haven't been as busy as I was before the pandemic that's for certain. The economy hit people hard, and a lot of people are forgoing my services for collecting their wedding guests cellphone pictures."

A little smirk spread across her lips and disappeared. "I know how you feel. I haven't had a steady job since that one. Worked a few places like this, worked for a travel website as phone support." She rolled her eyes. "I did start a new thing over the winter and it's picking up a little, and I was looking to expand my business a little."

"You said you needed a photographer."

She glanced around to the other patrons. It wasn't overly busy but the lunch crowd would start filling the place soon enough.

"Well I've been doing okay myself, with my phone, until now." She stopped and took a long gulp of her coffee. "I've got a pretty good sized social media following but it's not as easy to become an influencer, as they say, without a gimmick. I've had a lot of private requests for... more. So I bit the bullet last fall. I had my girlfriend take some shots of me out by the woodpile. Lingerie, flannel, workboots, let's just say the response was better than I expected. I nearly doubled my viewership in ten days. Then came the questions." She bit her lip.

"I don't feel I'm going out on a limb to ask if you know about fan sites? The ones where you post pictures and videos for subscribers, tips, direct sales, and so on?" Her voice having dropped a little.

I nodded, seeing where she was going with this. I took a long pull of my coffee.

"How far are you planning to take this?"

"The economy has kicked my ass. I'm living with my friend and her boyfriend, a less than ideal situation, in a duplex on Sand Hill. He's hit on me a couple times and even drunkenly brought up the idea of a threesome which nearly got him thrown out on his ass. I've got school loans, and I've got this strange desire to survive."

"Have you thought this through? This kind of exposure isn't the kind you can easily recover from later should you find yourself wanting to leave it behind." I thought of how many women thought they could just stop and not have their past dragged out and flaunted to shame, control, or ruin them. "Depending on how far you want to go with this, it could be a path you can't change later on down the line. It's on the Internet, it will come back to bite you in the ass when you least expect it."

"I've looked into it and I've wrestled the demons."

I just raised my eyebrows.

"I know of two girls that I went to college with," she looked around and lowered her voice again, "that are escorts now just to pay the bills. Sadly it's the oldest profession for a reason. I can't see myself going that far, not that I didn't consider the threesome if it kept a roof over my head for a little longer, until I found he wasn't paying the rent, she was."

"Why me?" I asked.

She took another sip of her coffee. "You recognized me when I sat down. I could see it in your eyes. Do you remember why?"

"I'm fuzzy on it other than I remember you were very good at your job and I found you very attractive. Did I ask to photograph you?"

She tried to hide the smile. "You did, very drunkenly offer to take me upstairs and make me a star." Her eyebrow raised a little. "There was something else though. The Lachance and Thibault wedding?"

My eyes went wide as the memory came to me.

Chrissy's smile went even wider. I was pretty certain she wasn't trying to blackmail me, but had the goods if she wanted to do just that.

"You remember." She sipped her coffee.

"You never told anyone. I often wondered why that didn't come back to bite me in the ass."

She shook her head. "Hell of a way to start off married life by telling the couple that dropped five figures on a wedding package that I walked in on their photographer banging the bride just before the ceremony. As far as I know they're still together."

"She had been wantonly flirting with me for months. She said it was my last chance to take her up on it. We were doing some shots in her suite of her getting ready, the hairdresser had finished. She offered one last time saying that once she donned the dress the chance it was gone."

"She was hot. I'll give you that, but honestly, what an integrity hit though, if it had been anyone else that walked in on the two of you."

"So your blackmailing me now?"

"No, no! I just figured that you could use the work. I enjoyed working with you before and I loved your style."

"That's it?"

She bit her lip again and looked down at her empty cup. "That and there's a little problem. I need you, but I can't afford you." She looked up from under the fall of her hair. "If this takes off like I hope then I can pay you later, or we could set... terms." She squirmed in her chair a bit. "I know you liked me back then, I'm hoping that I might see if you still did."

"So, quid pro quo." I said softly.

She raised her chin looking at me across the table and raised one shoulder in a shrug. "It's worth a shot. You get what you wanted, me, and I get what I need. The only thing is, I want the rights to the photographs, nothing else about our deal can be on paper, for obvious reasons."

I raised my eyebrows again. "That's a lot to ask since I'm sure you don't want any watermarks on the photos."

"I didn't figure you'd want your name splashed across my fan site either. I'm not sure it would do for your other jobs. Hard to get girls to hire you for their senior class pictures if you're associated with porn."

I nodded in agreement. I looked her up and down.

We regarded one another for a long moment. "If I remember reading right, there's no longer a Mrs. Sewall. Despite my offer, I hope I won't be causing any other issues for you personally." She added, inquiry in her voice.

I shook my head. I'd had a few dates here and there over the past couple years, but nothing lasting. It's not easy starting the dating game over in your early forties. Certain parts of me were leaping at her offer and making themselves known under the table.

"If I agree, where would we do this? I don't have studio space. I can rent one from a colleague, but it's not cheap."

"The insurance company forced the owners of the Birches to keep the power on for the fire and security alarms. I know one of the caretakers that still has access to the building to keep an eye on it to make sure it's not damaged. Some of the furnishings were sold off, but they weren't in debt and held out hope they could reopen or sell it off. I can get access to the entire place. I've been there a few times in the last few weeks and cleaned up one of the suites, dusted, vacuumed in the hopes you might say yes."

I was impressed, she'd thought this far ahead.

"Let's walk out together." She gathered her bag and empty cup.

I looked around and the lunch crowd was here lined up at the counter. I cleared my cup and tossed it in the trash on the way out. She held the door for me and I followed, her short dress flapping in the breeze.

"Where are you parked?"

I nodded down the street. She began walking in that direction and I fell in beside her.

"I'm at my wit's end. I hope that I can turn this into something. They have tools that will allow me to hide my account from this area. I know that there are ways around that, but for the general public it's good. I don't use my real name. I'm really hoping you will consider it."

"It's a hell of an offer. I looked at her sidelong and let my eyes skim down over her body and back up. She smiled.

"I've stayed in shape. It keeps me from going crazy while I try to find work. Walking everywhere doesn't hurt either."

"Can I give you a lift?" I pointed at my car.

"That would be great. I'm still on Sand Hill." She pointed back the other way. "If it's not out of the way for you."

We hadn't even made it to the corner and her hand was in my lap surveying. I just looked over at her and she smiled but didn't remove her hand. She was rubbing my cock openly at this point.

"Pull into Mill Park up here."

I wasn't sure what she wanted but I did as she asked. It was pretty empty, only a few cars and signs showing the beginning of the dog walk along the river.

"Park further down." She pointed. She reached into her purse as I put the car in park and I saw her come out with one of those fabric hair ties. She reached back and started twirling her hair into it. "Put your seat back and I'll give you a little preview of how appreciative I can be. She reached back across the console and found my zipper and tugged it down and proceeded to pull my cock out. She began stroking it and made a sound in her throat which I took as approval. She glanced around to see if there was anyone around and casually slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders and gave the bodice a little tug exposing a magnificent pair of tits.

"Jesus." I exclaimed, she smiled.

"Told you, I've stayed in shape."

"You look fantastic."

"Wait, there's more." She leaned down and licked the tip of my cock and I leaned back giving her room. She pulled up drawing it to full length. She reached out and grabbed my hand and placed it on her tit. "I like encouragement." She leaned down and began taking short licks, bobbing her head as she took me in her mouth again.

"I've died and gone to heaven." I massaged her breast my thumb dragging across the nipple as she took my cock to the back of her throat making a little gagging noise. I placed my other hand on her head as it bobbed in my lap, her mouth doing incredible things to my cock. It had been a while and I knew I wasn't going to last. I did everything I could think of to take my mind off it and enjoy it, but Chrissy wasn't having it. Her tongue ran up the underside of my cock and she looked at me and licked her lips before going down on me again. She sucked hard and I couldn't take it any more, I groaned, my fingers laced in her hair as I erupted into her mouth. I felt her swallowing as she kept bobbing. I was spent, but she kept at it cleaning every last bit off my cock.

She sat up and looked around before wiping the edges of her mouth and licking her fingers. "So that's a taste of what you're in for should you accept my proposal. It's my way of thanking you for taking this meeting." She pulled the top of her dress back into place and slipped the straps over her shoulders. Her nipples poked proudly through the thin fabric and I realized my wet cock was still standing proudly from my fly. "Nice staying power. It's too bad I can't help you with that, but I need to go get ready for work later."

I began fumbling trying to get my still hard cock back into my slacks. I got myself back together and dragged my seatbelt back on.

"I'm just a few blocks up the hill if you don't mind." Chrissy pulled her seatbelt back in place. I pulled up in front of a duplex that had seen better days. "In case you were wondering, I was ready in case you said yes immediately." She dragged the hem of her dress up and showed the smallest line of fine hair over pouting lips. She dipped her finger between them and penetrated herself. She let out a little hum and drew it out offering it to me. I leaned over opening my mouth and she grinned sliding it across my tongue. She was salty and sweet and I wanted to bury my face between her thighs more than anything right then, but she whipped down the hem of the dress and got out of the car. She turned and bent down leaning in again. "Was that your cell I called earlier?"

"Yes." I couldn't help looking down the top of her dress. She grinned.

"Same, I'll text you the links to my socials so you can look around and see what I've already got and what the demand is like. I've already set up the fan site account I just need to put up more content and drive traffic to it. Call me if you're interested."

"I'm interested." I blurted out as I looked back into her eyes.

"I know it's wedding season soon, let's talk about a good time when you're available." She backed out of the car and closed the door and walked up the driveway. I looked over the building again and shook my head. No woman like that should be in a hovel like this.

I headed back across the river and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket a few times. When I pulled into my driveway I pulled my phone out and saw that Chrissy had sent me several links to social media accounts. I got out and adjusted my still hard cock as I walked toward the front door.

Seated at my desk I'd sent the links to my computer and soon had her on a large high definition monitor. She had done some good work with selfies but as with most, it got distracting having that short viewpoint with an arm sticking out towards the viewer. I got to the photos her friend had taken of her and I had to admit, she looked very natural modeling herself and wondered if she'd done any before now. Her full breasts gave way to a trim waist and a lush curve of hips and nice smooth legs. She had a terrific body and I can't for the life of me believe she had never been asked to be photographed before I did so, rather drunkenly. I didn't even remember that, and I was glad it never came back to bite me in the ass later.

I picked up my phone and texted back two words. "I'm in." I thought about the amazing blowjob she'd given me an hour ago and added, "You're like a diamond in the rough, and I can't wait to photograph you." She sent back a row of heart emojis and said to text her when I was available.

I checked my schedule and texted back a few mid-week dates for the following week.

"I'll get back to you later today." She replied.

I began getting ready, testing memory cards, clearing a portable hard drive and getting my laptop ready by setting up folders for her.

Chrissy got back to me after dinner and said that both days would work perfectly. She sent me a link to her fan site with a free membership. I had to check that out. I laughed when I went there and the flannel shots where there with a post of an Under Construction sign and to please bear with her as she gets some content made. There was a shot of her laying on her back topless, but wearing the flannel shirt. She pressed her breasts together with her upper arms and smiled up at the camera. She was a natural and I very much hoped we would get some good usable media for her. I wrestled with the idea of giving up the rights though. I thought on it and decided to limit it to the first three months worth of shoots. If we stuck it out that long, then I might have to create a new or alternate studio name to work under so I could branch out.

I texted her back. "Call me when you have time to talk. I'm usually up late."

The excitement had faded a bit, but never quite left the back of my mind as I began planning how we may shoot this in a resort hotel suite. I thought the homegrown Mainer girl would be a good angle to start with and thought it might be good to get some more shots like the ones she'd started. My house was at the end of a cul de sac and backed onto large fields of grass with a border of woods maybe a hundred yards out. I know for a fact there are some cut and felled trees in there. The few of us on this street with fireplaces have made a few treks back there to get some free firewood when needed. I wondered if Chrissy would be up for another outdoor shoot first.

I'd had dinner, showered, and hung out at my computer for a while with an image of her on the screen as I penciled down ideas. I found some old shots that I'd taken at the Birches to see if I could get a reminder of how the rooms looked. I surfed through the Thibault wedding folder I had and remembered how very wanton Michelle had been, I was surprised by her advances towards me. She seemed like a flirty tease of a woman when she was alone with me, slightly bawdy when her girls were around, once teasing that they should all get into sexy lingerie and get some glamour shots done for their bachelorette party. I admit I would have loved to see that since there were a couple of her attendants that were very pretty. I remembered the day. Her nerves seemed to be making her tense and she snapped at the hairdresser and makeup artist that was doing the finishing touches before she dressed. Sensing this I asked her softly to leave us alone for a few minutes so I could take a few more shots of her getting ready in the mirror. Once we were alone I looked up to see Chelle, as she liked to be called, and she had a grin on her face.

"Smooth. Are you going to finally take me up on my offer? Once the dress goes on you're out of luck."

I swallowed hard. "No I thought you might like a little peace."

She spun around and the robe fell open a little showing off the white lace merry widow corset she wore underneath. Her figure would make a guy sweat if he saw her in just that and I was no different.

"That's not going to calm my nerves, but I know something that will." She flipped the robe open over her legs and undid the garter on her stocking and slipped it behind the panties and reattached it. She stood, undid the belt on her robe and let it slip to the floor.

I swallowed hard again wondering what in the hell she had planned. She walked to the bed and reached into her purse and rummaged around pulling out a condom packet and held it up. I must have looked surprised.

"Please? It will help. Believe it or not." She smiled and palmed the condom. "Take my picture like this, for you."

"I, uh..."

"Know you could have had it long before today, and give you something to remember me by." She grinned. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule here." She coaxed me.

I did as requested, and she turned on her heel and slowly slid down the panties until she was bent over, her smooth pussy in front of me on the screen as it was that day.

She turned again and handed me the condom. "Please? An orgasm with a thick cock inside me will do wonders for calming me down. I've kept Danny at arms length for more than a week promising a fucking like he's never had on our honeymoon. So I'm kind of needy right now. Just don't mess up my hair."

I stood there for what felt like ages as I drank in the beauty in front of me, asking me to fuck her before she went downstairs and promised to be faithful to another man.