Honestly, I don't know what got into me. Usually a woman defined by taste and decorum, as I entered his studio, I was swept away by tides of emotion as I gazed at the artistic works on the walls. To call them pornography would some how demean the beauty of what I was seeing. To merely call them 'beautiful works of art' would take away from the eroticism so subtly expressed. I found myself entranced, studying image after image, some in black and white, some not even displaying a face, many just individual body parts splayed here and there for my gazing.
"Do you like them?" he asked. I assumed he was James, of "Completely James" from the sign in the shop window. Normally embarrassed to be viewing such sights in front of any man, I felt rather at ease as he spoke with me of different lighting techniques and his love for black and white portraiture. As I love photography myself, it was easy to pass an hour trading secrets and hints. I found myself in the back parts of his studio after he'd turned the sign to 'Closed,' discussing the finer points of the new cameras each of us had purchased. I was interested in some of his more luxurious backdrops - faux mink, soft pink satin, black velvet - and wandered over to feel their textures between my fingers. I could picture myself crouching, animal-like, on the fur; playful and teasing on the pink satin; naughty on the black velvet.
James, ever watchful, noticed the gleam in my eyes as I fingered the fabric and dreamed. "You know, I could take some shots of you, if you'd like." As I shook my head and laughed, his tone grew a little more serious.
"No, really, you are a beautiful woman, and I'd love to see what I could do with you from behind a lens."
Something in his tone, to this day I can't place what it was, something made me say 'yes.' I dropped my purse and sat down on the stool in front of the black velvet. I love black; surely it would show me off to my best advantage. James came up to me, telling me to relax, to smile easily, and not to be self-conscious. He put a stray lock or two of hair down beside my cheek. He unbuttoned one of my buttons and arranged my blouse a little more open, opened the slit on my skirt. I wasn't exactly used to a man showing me this type of attention upon meeting only an hour prior, but he seemed to be enjoying himself, and I was able to relax. It didn't take any time before he had me laughing and tossing my head back.
"That's it, you have a beautiful smile. Turn your head more toward me. Now unbutton another button. There you go, lean forward for me a little more."