~ Key West, Florida... ~
Crossing his large, hairy arms over his paint-spattered, overall-covered chest, Arc asked, "You... want me, to do WHAT?"
Standing in the middle of his studio, Sherry Clifford smiled winningly at the burly artist. "You heard me right," she said, stuffing her hands into the back pockets of her 501's. Scuffing the floorboards with the toe of her left sneaker, she canted her candy-apple auburn-haired head at him and asked, "What? Don't think you can do it?"
Running a hand over his tanned, bald head, Albert R. Cass - aka "Arc" as the locals called him - wrinkled his brow, frowning slightly. "That's not the problem. It's just... as far as go..." Dropping back to sit his six-foot-four frame on the stool next to his drafting table, he asked "Are you sure that you want to do this?"
Sherry simply nodded, her cheeks dimpling as she replied, "Believe me, I'm sure." Beaming, her lilting, rich alto filling his ears as she explained, "This is something I've been planning on doing since last year. Everyone said you were the best in town with an airbrush... I just want to know if you can pull it off?"
Arc chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Hey what you're asking is a piece of cake," he admitted. "I can get the right mix of paints, and nearly all of my friends have done similar jobs during the festival."
Sherry grinned, her coffee-brown eyes twinkling as she raked one hand through her shoulder-length curls. "I've seen that sort of work last year. That's why I wanted to come to you for this job."
"You do realize that you're taking a big risk though." Arc frowned slightly, looking the short woman over briefly. "I mean, you could get into trouble, even with the festival going on-."
"Trust me, I know what the risks are, and I'm more than willing to take the consequences... if I get caught," Sherry said with conviction. "This is a one-time thing that I really want to do. Are you gonna help me out or not?"
Standing up, Arc wandered over to where his equipment sat on a wall rack. "Hell, girl... you could get in dutch for this... we both could! However..." He turned back and grinned at her. "I can't say no to a challenge."
Sherry felt like crowing. "So, you'll do it? Great!"
Arc's ice-blue eyes twinkled at her enthusiasm. "Hold on now, this isn't going to be like a walk in the park. I've got to prep up the right paints and do some experimenting. Since we've got a couple of weeks until the festival, you better come back in a few days so we can do a practice run, okay?"
Nodding, Sherry replied, "Brilliant! I can be here whenever you need me!"
Chuckling, Arc said under his breath, "Let's hope there is no sweat, for your sake darlin'..."
# # #
~ One Week Later... ~
The ting-tang sound of his doorbell cut through the humid air, breaking Arc's concentration briefly from mixing a can of paint at his workbench.
"Hold on a sec!" he called out, removing the face mask and shield to wipe his bald head clean of the sweat forming there. He dropped the shield and mask on the bench top and swiveled away before getting off his stool to pad on sandaled feet across the studio floor. He flicked away the sweat on his eyes, having left his home's air conditioner on halfway, which left the inside filled with the typical morning heat of the South Florida sun.
Reaching the front door, he jerked it wide open and stared, his face breaking into a smile at the sight of Sherry standing there. "Hey there," he said brightly. "Good to see you made it this morning."
Returning his smile, Sherry hopped over the stoop, dressed in a set of baggy sweat pants and jacket over a loose T-shirt, a small dufflebag slung over her shoulder. "I wouldn't have been late for today for anything," she said sweetly, tipping the ball cap on her head back as she walked past him. "Whew!" Sherry wrinkled her nose slightly as she got a whiff of the smells of alcohol and acrylic paints filling the air. "You've been busy this morning."
"Just getting the paints ready for your big day," Arc replied, walking past her. "We'll be doing most of the work over there, but the detail work and touch ups I'll do by the bench." He briefly checked the cans of paint that he'd been mixing before Sherry had arrived. "Did you prep before you left home?"
With her sneakers squeaking against the wood floor as she came to a stop, Sherry bit her lip while fanning herself with her ball cap briefly before answering. "Actually, I wasn't sure I could do a good job, so..."
Arc arched an eyebrow as he turned away from his bench, gazing down at her. "You want me to help you with that?"
Letting her small dufflebag slip from her her shoulder onto the floor, Sherry gave him a hopeful expression. "If you wouldn't... mind? I mean-."
He shook his head slowly, raising his hand to cut her off gently. "No worries, I've had to do that with some people before." His lips twisted in a wry smile. "I will admit, it was mostly backs and chests I had to do though. You sure you don't mind? I could call one of my lady-friends-?"
"No, it's cool," Sherry replied quickly. "If I don't do this now, I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve."
Arc nodded. "That makes two of us. Well," he sighed, "my bathroom's back there. I've got a few towels we can use... did you bring any shaving supplies?"
Sherry picked her duffel back up, nodding. "I brought my own."
"Good, well... go in there and strip. I'll be in as soon as I make sure we're ready to go in here, okay?" Arc said, trying not to sound too eager.
"Okay, I'll call you when I'm ready," Sherry replied, as she headed towards his bathroom...
#
A few minutes later, Sherry's voice sang out from the open bathroom door: "Okay... I'm ready in here!"
"I'll be right there," Arc replied, absently rubbing the top of his bald head. Hoping he didn't sound too anxious, he slipped his hand under the metal basin, retrieving it from the sink next to the workbench. After he'd checked his gear and the paints - all ready, mixed and set - he'd taken the time to fill up the basin with water and retrieve some skin softener from the shelf over the sink, to get ready for the task ahead.
With everything in hand, he padded over to the bathroom doorway and called out, "Okay, here I come," he warned, slipping around the door jam.
Inside, his Spartan bathroom was filled with the yellowish glow of the naked bulb, hanging from the open fixture overhead. Sherry was sitting on the edge of the small sink beneath the medicine cabinet; stripped bare from her waist to her toes. She still wore her t-shirt, but had pulled it up to expose her tanned tummy and lower torso.
"Well, you're certainly ready," Arc commented thickly, his eyes sweeping down Sherry's body, pausing at the fork of her legs to take in the reddish curls peeking above her closed thighs. He couldn't help himself, as he admired the long, curvy pair of legs stretched out in front of him, as well as her cute tummy with its slight curve to her navel.
With a slight nervous lilt to her voice, Sherry said softly, "I don't... think, we should drag this out, y'know?"
Arc nodded. "Yeah... best to do this right," he murmured, breaking his gaze from her smooth body. "We still have to do the painting, after all." As he placed the basin of hot water on the back of the toilet, he spied Sherry's duffel on the floor next to the sink. Bending down, he reached out to pulled the open end to himself and rummaged around inside. He found a pair of terry-cloth hand towels, a bottle of lady's shaving gel and some disposable razors.
"Well," he sighed gustily, "we can use these... but I don't recommend these shavers," Arc commented.
Sherry blinked. "Why not? I use them on my legs all the time."
Arc said, "Well, you've got thicker skin on your legs... plus we're going to shave a more, well, sensitive area." Reaching over Sherry, Arc opened his medicine cabinet and pulled out a compact straight razor. "This will be better, I think... no chance of getting clogged with hair, and I'm more, well, comfortable with it." He gave her an arched look. "We don't want any cuts or nicks... down there, do we?"
Sherry blushed a bit. "Yeah... I guess not. Well, you're the expert here," she said gamely. "Shall we start?"
Arc nodded, "Sure, darlin'." Setting himself down on the closed lid of the toilet, he motioned for her to turn towards him, taking a nearby bath towel off a nearby hook on the wall. "Lift up," he said, folding the towel to make a cushion for her. As she complied, he gently took one of her legs and moved it to the side, spreading her open so both legs bracketed him in a wide vee. After seeing she was positioned right, he reached back into the cabinet for a pair of straight scissors and one of his old combs, placing them with the items she'd brought as he sat back down.
"Okay," he said with a gusty breath. "Now, you relax, okay? Trust me, I'm not gonna hurt you."
Sherry nodded, bracing herself on both arms as she leaned back to give him an unrestricted view of her crotch. "Okay... I trust you," she replied, her own breathing slightly pitched as she watched him expectantly.
Rubbing his hands together briefly, Arc reached for the comb and one of the hand cloths. Draping the cloth over her left thigh, he began to gently run the teeth of the comb through her red pubic curls. Careful not to snare any tangles, he soon had them combed out, laying straight against the curve of her mons. Satisfied, he reached for the scissors and - using the comb as a shield - began to cut back the long hairs with long, steady clips.