Author's Note:
The following is a work of fiction. It may or may not contain characters based on persons living or dead and may or not may contain actions completed by these same persons who may or may not have lived.
The world where this story takes place is an alternate reality where sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies do not exist (nod to BusyBadger).
This a continuation of the Candi character.
*****
Chase let four young women into the studio at school Friday night. "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it." he smiled as he greeted her with a warm embrace. "You look beautiful." he whispered into her ear.
"This is my roommate, Karlisha." Candi introduced the young woman.
He took her hand and gently shook. "A pleasure to meet you, formally. Sorry about last time. We were, uh-"
"Kind of in a hurry." she finished pleasantly.
He looked her over appreciatively, "Nice job." he whispered, "Does she know why she's here?"
"Yes, but I told her you'd be naked too."
He gave her a look of surprise, then realized her wisdom and said, "Seems fair. I should have thought of that."
"Ladies," he began, "I'd like you to meet to Ali and Gabby. They're from my photography class. They'll be posing and taking pictures also." Everyone shook hands all around and nervously eyed each other. He began to wonder if this was a really stupid idea.
"Hey, I brought some food from the restaurant. I thought we could eat something and talk about what we're going to be doing tonight." He led them to a circle of pillows and blankets on the floor with trays of finger foods, fruits, and desserts in the center.
Each took a pillow with their group: Chase and the women he introduced on one side, Candi next to him, and her friend on the other side. Rather timidly, one or two of the girls took some fruit and very self-consciously ate while the others watched. He grabbed a half sandwich and offered one to Candi. She smiled broadly and accepted.
"Everyone has signed a model release and is here under her own free will. If at any time you don't want to participate, you are free to refuse. Is everyone okay with that?" he finished and looked around the circle and waited until each girl said yes.
"I thought we could play a game, you know, to break the ice. We'll go around the circle, when it's your turn, tell us something deeply personal - like a time when you were the most embarrassed. Everybody else has to take off a piece of clothing or take a shot of whiskey." There was some whispering and he continued, "I know it's against school policy to have booze on campus, but I'm asking for your indulgence. If you don't want to participate, you can leave now - no harm, no foul."
Candi's girlfriend looked nervously at her, but Candi quietly reassured her it would be okay. Ali and Gabby were unfazed, they had helped Chase plan the photo session. "Ok. I'll go first. I took a swim class in high school. They issued swim trunks to us and they ran out of shorts my size. The ones they gave me were too big, but I thought it would be okay - you know, it was the first day of class, I was thinking we probably wouldn't be doing much. Anyway, coach lined us up for a race so he could see what he had to work with that class. I think he was just looking for guys for the swim team. So, we all line up at the edge of the pool, practically shoulder to shoulder and he yells go. We all jump in the water and start thrashing toward the other end."
"It was like a scene from a horror movie where they throw somebody into a school of piranhas. I'm swimming as hard as I can and getting kicked and clawed. All the other kids are swimming or drowning or I don't even know what. So, I get to the other side and I see that I got there first so I quickly climb out and stand up do that thing from 'Rocky' where he's all raising his arms in the air and stuff. Then I hear this laughing."
"I look around to what some dweeby kid did when I notice they're pointing at me. What I didn't mention yet is that this was co-ed PE, so there were girls in the pool too. I look down and my swimsuit is gone! Sometime in the pool, probably back near the beginning, they slipped off. With all the adrenaline and drive to finish, I didn't even notice they were gone.
So, there I am, buck naked in front of the entire class - everyone staring, guys whoopin' and hollerin'. And the water's not that warm so my," he paused, "stuff is tiny and shriveled." The girls' laughter was sporadic, but they were starting to relax.
"So, I quickly jump back in and put a hand over myself. Eventually, this girl brings me my swim trunks. I don't know if she took them, found them, or got them from someone else. She was my swim partner the rest of the year." He paused and the laughter died down. "I was the 'naked guy' that whole year." They all burst out laughing.
Once the laughter died down, he said, "Ok. Who's stripping and who's drinking?" Candi, Ali, and Gabby quickly grab their tops and cast them aside. Karlisha looked timidly at Candi then reached for a shot glass. He poured her a shot and she threw it back. "Ok, Candi. You're next."
It took a while for everyone to tell a story, but by the time Ali told her story about walking into class with toilet paper hanging down the back of her pants, everyone was either completely naked or in her underwear and had downed a few shots.
"Ok, let's get started." he offered brightly. A naked Chase stood and motioned the girls to toward the backdrop. "What I am going for is a study in contrast. Black contrasting white to be filmed in black and white. I am thinking about some abstracts, shapes, and landscapes with interesting angles and views." The young women looked at him with a range of expressions from rapt attention to near incomprehension.
"Let's try this. Candi, you here. Ali, you next to her, Karlisha, next to Ali, Gabby next to her." He carefully guided each girl until they were standing in a row shoulder to shoulder, black, white, black, white. "Alright, everyone chins up, shoulders back. Good, good." he encouraged. "Karlisha, forward just a bit, there, good." He took his large format camera and carefully snapped a couple of frames.
He changed position, aimed the camera in a profile of Candi with a view of the other girls' breasts behind her. Since the girls were not the same height, each girl's left breast was visible. The effect like a series of black and white moguls with nipples on top. He voiced his approval.
Changing the camera angle again, he aimed the camera at Candi's round rump. The other girls' roundness was visible in smaller dimension behind hers. He raised and lowered the camera, capturing a variety of angles and perspectives. The final images resembled rounded sand dunes in sun and shade.
Switching cameras, he picked up the Polaroid and shot a couple of base shots, both front and back. It could be while before the large format film was developed. He wanted to capture where he was at that moment.
"Now, let's try a kneeling position. Gabby, you kneel here." Gently guiding her into position, her skin pimpled under and near his touch. "Karlisha, you kneel next to her, except you put one knee in between her knees." Karlisha knelt next to Gabby but was uncertain how he wanted her to do what he asked. Patiently, he took her hand and helped her stand. "This time, start behind her, not beside her." Karlisha lowered herself in behind Gabby. He guided her forward until the darker girl's breast was pressing against the other's back.
