Danielle perused the want ads. A massive volume of students left Boston for the summer since the semester ended. With her friends back in New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, Danielle found herself without a single thing to do.
She was bored. It was the worst.
But her eyes landed on a small ad in the Metro, the local free paper. "Art Project for interested student. Pay by the event." Danielle had never been an art person. She couldn't play any instruments or sing or draw. She was more along the lines of an intellectual, slightly nerdy girl with glasses, and a few pounds on the heavy side of healthy weight. Intrigued, she called the number.
"Good morning, this is Lacy for Matthewson's, how may I help you?" The voice was chipper and pleasant.
"Hi, I saw the ad in the paper. I'm not much of an art student but I'm curious as to what I can do. I'm here in the city and I could use some money."
The voice brightened instantly, "Ah, excellent. Please take down this address. Can you come in later today, around 1:00 for an interview? We'll show you our location and tell you all about the opportunity."
"Uh, sure," Danielle said, "1:00 is fine. Where are you?"
Two hours later, Danielle was strolling down the north side of Commonwealth Avenue, headed east past Exeter. It was a beautiful day today. Good news, too, since rain was in the forecast for the weekend. She found the address and hit the buzzer. Seconds later, the lock clicked and Danielle made her way in.
The suite was beautiful, with expensive carpeting, beautiful oak furniture, and many pictures of people on the wall. Weddings, graduations, portraits, and family sittings were all featured. Danielle didn't know about photography, but the framed shots looked very professional.
The woman sitting at the desk by the door got up and strode toward her, hand extended.
"Hello, Danielle. I'm Lacy, we spoke on the phone." Lacy's smile was beautiful and calming. Her eyes twinkled.
"Hi."
"Would you like anything to drink? We have an array of sodas, as well as some liquor if you're of age."
"No, I'm good, thanks."
"Very well. Please follow me."
They walked into a second room with a great view of Comm Ave. A large oak table dominated the room and there were several large plasma televisions on the wall. Two other women stood when Danielle walked through the doorway. Handshakes were made, as were introductions. Terry, obviously the one in charge, had no nonsense in her shake. Grasp, squeeze, pump, done. Alexis, the third woman, smiled gently and was seemed more polite.
"Now," Terry said, once everyone sat, "You don't have any art background and you have never been involved in any type of modeling shoot, correct?" A nod from Danielle. "This is fine. What we are going to do today is this: There is a very wealthy investor who would like to film people's reactions to unfamiliar situations. Specifically, nudity."
"Do I have to get nude?" Danielle asked.
"Yes."
Danielle stood to leave.
"Before you go, let me quickly explain. The human body is a wonderful piece of art. It's the most beautiful thing we have and it is the subject of more study then anything else, artistically speaking. We will set you up in a safe situation, have you strip, and take stills and film. After a time, we'll get you out of there. There is nothing illegal, as we have permits for performance art and shooting and it is completely safe."
"No, I'm okay. Sorry to have wasted your time," said Danielle.
"Danielle, may I just say this: Try something new. You came here looking for something and you look like a wonderful girl who just needs to break out of her shell. It may sound ridiculous, but if you try this and go through with it, you'll find something out about yourself. You'll be amazed at how you feel afterwards."
"I don't know," Danielle replied.
"Let me show you," Terry said. She picked up a remote control and clicked a button. The big television on the wall blinked to life. A few clicks later and video was running. Lacy, who sat to Danielle's left, was wearing a trench coat and boots. She stood on the Cambridge side of the Longfellow Bridge. With a quick smile and wave, Lacy took off the coat. Terry appeared, took it from her, and moved out of frame. Danielle's heart stood still.
Lacy was completely naked on the bridge. She had nothing on from her ankles up. Her small breasts and dark red nipples were exposed to everyone, as was the red hair between her legs. She walked over the bridge. It was sunny and people were out. The camera followed from behind and captured the reactions of people walking towards Lacy. She made no move to cover up and kept her hands at the small of her back. There were stares, frowns, laughs, and other reactions. One family walked by with a mother covering her son's eyes. Lacy kept walking a slow pace and 3 minutes later she took the jacket from Terry. She put it on, winked at the camera and the video cut out.
Danielle was shocked. She couldn't do that. But Lacy looked like she was confident and having fun. Danielle decided to at least try it. The money would be great and everyone had some sort of sex tape out there. If she panicked, she could stop at any moment. The other women would be there to help her.
Terry spoke again, "We've all done it. Trust me when I say you should try it out."
"I'll take that drink now," she said.
They planned for the next day. Danielle would meet the team at Kenmore at 10:30 a.m. They would get on the #57 down Commonwealth Avenue. Danielle would take off her clothes, bit by bit, and be naked until she either felt very uncomfortable or they decided to end it. That night, Danielle wondered what tomorrow may bring.
The next morning was cloudy, with light rains. It was the first nasty weather all summer and most people seemed content to stay indoors. Danielle met up with the other women and after a few quiet words of encouragement, they boarded the bus. Danielle sat in the back of the bus, the other three spread out nearby. She fought to control her breathing and she tried to stay calm. The bus slowly filled up. With a lurch, the driver left the station. The rain made everyone quiet and introspective and fogged up windows
The bus rumbled down Commonwealth Avenue. Terry, sitting between a large black man taking half her space and an older white woman, nodded at Danielle. Danielle stood up, reached up and held on to the overhead bar. The bus stopped for a passenger.