My husband, Dave has loved photography for years, well before we met. He has boxes and albums full of photos of sunsets, water towers, courthouses, and other public buildings. And we're acquiring more from our travels and family events. He did photography for his high school newspaper, where he also learned to do black and white photo developing. Later in graduate school he worked part-time in a "one-hour" photo lab processing color prints. Over the years, he's gotten to be a pretty good amateur photographer and has taken numerous classes to improve his skills now approaching "semi-pro" status.
For one of the first Christmases after we were married, Dave gave me some sexy black lingerie, including a bra, panties, garter belt and stockings. I reluctantly had to admit they were beautiful and classy, not sleazy by any means. He, of course immediately encouraged me to try them on, model them for him, and be sure they fit. I wanted to honor his special gift, for sure, but I also wanted to see if wearing these items would help me confront, if not overcome my own self-effacing, and often self-demeaning body image. I've mostly worn basic utilitarian bras and panties, that Dave has teasingly described as my "orthopedic" underwear. While I probably hadn't worn stockings and garters since early high school, I did know that Susan Sarandon in the movie "Bull Durham" had revived their popularity and more importantly their sex appeal and marketability among some women. But to be honest, I probably wouldn't have numbered myself among them.
I took my new gifts and went to our bedroom to try them on and was surprised with how comfortable the bra was. One of my main complaints with sexier lingerie is that it's usually very un-comfortable. The panties definitely provided less coverage than my more traditional styles, but thankfully they didn't seem to immediately invade my butt-crack or create an instant camel-toe up-front. And after fumbling for but a few seconds, I found I actually did remember how to adroitly attach garters to stockings.
With everything now in place, I looked in our full-length mirror, and thought to myself, Dave may believe this stuff will flatter me, but I'm even more convinced that I surely will not be flattering it. So, I covered up with my best satin robe and hesitated before I dared to return to our family room. As a last thought I put on my rarely worn, but sexiest strappy heels to complete the look and maybe make me feel just a bit less naked, yet more alluring.
I was startled when I saw Dave had gotten out his Nikon 35 mm SLR camera and suggested I pose for just a few shots in my new, sexy lingerie. I'd never been seriously photographed in my underwear, and never posed for sensuous pictures, so I was feeling somewhat hesitant to display my body's many imperfections and shortcomings. It's not that I'm a prude about nudity with Dave, it's just that I was more than a little insecure and distrustful about who might see these photos when I'm less than fully clothed. And who knew how far Dave would want to take this photo opportunity.
While this was in the waning days of film cameras, I knew from Dave's previous experience that men in the photo labs would certainly see them and occasionally make copies for their own prurient interest and show them to who knows who. I could also imagine some bored store clerk curiously shuffling through the photo envelopes hoping to find a picture of one of their customers less than fully clothed, hoping it to be someone they knew or recognized. I could just imagine what a high school kid would do with those in the backroom.
"Oh, Dave put that camera away," I groused, "I'm not posing for any X-rated pictures."
"Lingerie shots are hardly X-rated," he said gently, "you know you show more skin at the beach."
"Well, this isn't the beach, and I wouldn't want just anyone else seeing me in these things," I said hoping we'd end this conversation.
"Just take off the robe and let's have a glass of wine and let me savor your lovely body," he offered, trying to work some flattery on me. He'd started a nice romantic fire so I couldn't claim it was too cold to be in just my underwear. So, I compromised by opening the robe wide in front, but keeping it draped around my back and shoulders as he went for the wine and glasses. To my surprise exposing my legs in stockings and garters did make me feel a bit evocative and daring.
Dave poured the wine and much to my surprise and maybe even a little disappointment, he didn't object when he saw I hadn't completely removed the robe. His not coaxing me to show more must have bruised my newly evolving yet still very fragile body-ego. It stung just enough that I found myself crossing my legs enticingly to show off the tops of my black stockings and the pale bare skin leading to my abbreviated panties. This blatant temptation now seemed to pique his interest, so to ensure his undivided attention I slipped my extended foot out of my shoe and dangled it teasingly on my toes before him. This was totally unexpected behavior for me, and I had to admit this lingerie had unlocked a wickedly playful alter-ego within me.
After a finishing our glasses and listening to the sweet and admiring comments from Dave I went for another bottle of wine. The combination of the wine, the fire, and my growing arousal had brought me to the point where I didn't need my robe for either warmth or modesty. Returning without it, I found he had readied the camera and asked me to stop and hold the bottle suggestively in front of me for an impromptu photo. While I could have recited any number of objections, I just struck some increasingly provocative poses for several more photos before I filled our glasses and sat down again.
"Those will be spectacular pictures," he said to me. "Now hold your glass like we're toasting this wonderful night," he added as he took another few shots. That led to several other progressively risquΓ© poses in the chair. Then he asked me to stand in front of the fireplace for some standing shots. I reluctantly must admit, I was getting a little excited by posing in this lovely lingerie. I was feeling free and having fun.
I wasn't giving much, if any consideration to how well these pictures would turn out, or if someone else might see them, since I knew I could always shred or burn them, or not even have the film processed in the first place. Just feeling sexy and less inhibited made posing its own reward.
With those caveats in mind, I didn't object when Dave asked me to turn my back to him, look mischievously over my shoulder and unhook my bra. That led to sliding the straps down to my elbows, then turning to face him again with the cups falling victims of gravity. I was now getting into this game, feeling my excitement grow as I exposed my bare breasts to the camera. With the bra gone, I struck some inviting topless poses. While I've always felt my breasts were too small, Dave told me again they're my sexiest asset, and second to none as he took many pictures including close-ups and profiles to feature my fully aroused nipples.