Outside was freezing, but inside was warm and wonderful. I stood shivering, waiting for Eva to finally open the door and let me in. The New Jersey winter had been snowless but very cold, and I was still shaking for a few moments after I got in the house.
It was your typical suburban home outside, but inside was tastefully decorated in a sort of minimalist, modern style, in keeping with what I had been told about Eva's tastes. She was originally from Sweden, but had lived here for some time now. I'd heard about her from a friend of mine at the club I belonged to. Tall prints of Eva's stark, black-and-white photos were illuminated by track lighting that lined the walls.
I stopped to admire one of an elephant bathing in the mud. "Like that one?" she asked, stepping back and looking at it. "Took it while on a safari I went on in Kenya several years ago. I toured a number of African countries...saw numerous animals, indigenous tribes...some things you wouldn just not believe."
I rubbed my hands together and blew into them. This weather wasn't for me. I longed for summer. "Such as?"
She cupped her chin, thinking. "Well, this one tribe I remember...the men used sticks to stretch out their penises to incredible lengths. The things would be dangling down, but in many cases they were so distorted that they were barely functional. Impressive, but useless."
I grinned, and she gave me a quizzical look. She was a striking, raven-haired woman, well over six feet tall, with a large, athletic build, sharp features, light skin and pale eyes like ice. She wore a plain white T-shirt that was too small for her buxom chest, and tight blue jeans. She padded barefoot away from me, into the living room.
"Sharon told me you need some photos taken," Eva said, pulling up a stool at the bar that led into the kitchen. She gestured to me to put my coat down anywhere.
I nodded, and sat down on a stool next to her.
"Well," she went on, "I hope she also told you these photos won't be cheap. I'm not your regular wedding photographer for hire. My work has been published in a lot of high-profile magazines around the world. I've been out of the game for about a year now, but I don't intend to just sink into oblivion. Still, everybody has to pay the bills..."
"Sure," I said. The cold was still lingering in here, despite everything. Eva must've noticed my discomfort. She went over and turned the heat up.
"Sorry," she said, "I usually keep it a little colder in here. Not everybody likes that."
I grinned and rubbed my hands on my legs.
"So what are we shooting?" She asked.
"Me," I said, pushing the rim of my sunglasses up. "A few portrait shots. In the nude."
Her face darkened like a sudden storm. "Is this a joke?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Well--"
"I get it," she said, her eyes flashing angrily. She shook a cigarette out of a pack on the counter and lit it, blowing smoke. "It was that crack I made about the tribe before. What do you think this is?"
I didn't know what to say. This was unexpected. "A friend of mine...asked me to take some pictures of myself. For her."
Eva shook her head. "Sure, I see now. This is your typical line, your kink. You schedule a session with some random woman photographer you find in the phonebook, and then you tell her at the last minute you're going to be in your birthday suit. Right? Has the tactic worked out well for you?"