It had all started well just over twenty hours ago when Julie had woken to find herself unexpectedly sharing a soft kiss with a shadowy figure stooping over her side of the bed. By the time she had sat up and was trying to open her eyes properly, Simon was already out the front door and hopping into his car for work.
Turning the light on, the anniversary card she found on his pillow completely surprised her. He usually forgot such things. Even better were the gift voucher and the handwritten note that dropped out of it. The stunning twenty eight year old squealed and clapped her hands with delight as she re-read them. He’d actually been listening when she had said she wanted something daring and different as an anniversary present this year. And having some professional semi-naked and nude shots taken of her in her prime was something she had hinted at for three years now. She smiled remembering the diplomacy she’d had to use to decline his well-meaning offers to take photos of her on his phone.
Only one thing had ever stopped her going off and doing it by herself - the reality of standing completely alone with little or no clothing on before a total stranger wielding a camera. A few times, she had suggested to Simon she’d like to book a session provided he came along for moral support. It wouldn’t be cheap for professional shots but they weren’t short of money. All she needed from him was to take a half day off his business. But he had always had some reason why he couldn’t help her each time.
The voucher said her booking was for noon today. In a mixture of nervous excitement, she again read the handwritten note attached to it. It not only began by saying he’d meet her there at twelve but that he’d also paid to have a set of photos taken of them as a couple right after hers. Maybe she could talk him into some naughtier shots with both of them partly naked.
But more pleasing was the proposal to share fish and chips on the beach straight afterwards with a small bottle of champagne. That had her sprinting to the shower, eager to get the day started. Under it she madly planned the whole day out.
The session was booked at a nearby photo studio, one Julie had researched it carefully a while ago after a mutual friend said she knew the photographer. She’d found that the owner, Helen, was indeed a professional whose specialty was taking private adult, nude or semi-nude shots of individuals and couples as well as her magazine and internet work. Best of all, Julie felt pleased at Simon’s choice had been so considerate; she would be a lot more at ease posing in front of a female. Delicately she trimmed her pubic hair for the new swimsuit she’d bought to pose in. Under a loose T-shirt, she decided she would wear a pair of snug shorts to highlight her shapely athletic legs and bottom.
As she put on old clothes to start thoroughly cleaning the house, she hoped she was seeing the romantic side of Simon re-emerging. To make the most of their time together this afternoon, she would work frantically to get their home all set up for the small fully-catered party they had planned for a few friends tonight.
Five hours later she was rushing into the studio. The clock on the wall said it was just after noon. Standing before the receptionist taking what seemed to be a quick call, she glanced back to see a very attractive young woman her age enter and stand behind her at the counter. Julie’s mind guiltily thought about the expense of the new racy thong bikini in her bag, especially since this would be the only place it would ever be likely to be worn. Where was Simon? He was obviously a little late.
Ending her call, the receptionist ignored them both and raced to the door. Leaning back through it almost as an afterthought, she announced that the photographer was running a bit late and that she would just be gone for fifteen minutes or so getting a sandwich. Neither Julie nor the other young woman had time to ask just how late before she vanished.
They both sat down. Between unsuccessful attempts to get Simon to text back where he was, Julie thumbed through one of the display portfolios lying on the table. She took a liking to some of the less mainstream poses of a few of the individuals and couples inside it. To pass the time, she decided to see if the tall beautiful girl in the chair alongside her browsing the other album wanted to talk.
The receptionist’s bizarre disappearance reminded Julie of a funny story in her job as a reporter. After a quick introduction, she told it and they both fell into fits of laughter. She knew she’d chosen the right photographer when Chloe went on to tell her she was a photographic model. A query revealed the girl hadn’t used Helen professionally before, but confirmed she had an impeccable reputation in the industry. Chloe went on to tell Julie a hilarious story herself, about a bad day in the life of one of her fellow models at another studio that ended with her falling off roller skates that were all she was wearing and breaking her arm.
Pointing out to Chloe what poses she had chosen, Julie was a bit taken aback when the girl said she was thinking of cancelling her own session. There was a look of sadness in the girl’s eyes as she elaborated that this was to have been a personal shoot, not a business one, and that her girlfriend had thrown her out of their unit that very morning.
To distract Chloe from her woes, Julie decided to ask the girl for an opinion on a shot she fancied. She opened her landscape folder to a nude full-length body shot taken of a wistful looking young woman reclining back against a wall. Mentioning though she would never have thought of doing anything like this without her husband being there for support, she waited for the girl’s reply. After Chloe’s complimentary response, saying Julie had the great legs needed to really carry the shot off, the girl in turn asked Julie her views on two poses of a near naked couple kissing in her own album. After Julie had enthused and disclosed she was hoping Simon would relent and join her in doing something like that, Chloe even started suggesting ways that Julie might embellish the pose to make it a tad more daring.
Interrupting their chat, Julie made yet another call. Damn Simon for now having his mobile phone turned off. There was an immediate thud of a largish body against the front glass door. An obviously harried woman in her early fifties managed to successfully to push open the door, hold it there with one elbow and guide herself through with a tripod and a case of gear under both arms.
“Hello. I’m Helen. Apologies everyone,” she managed to get out as she somehow avoided dropping gear all over the floor on her way over through to the door opposite. “Bloody traffic at lunchtime. Now, where is that receptionist?” But before they could answer, the plumpish photographer had vanished through the doors and into her studio like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.
Looking more like a middle aged teacher in her cardigan and thick black glasses, a less flustered Helen suddenly re-emerged five minutes later, took a dog-eared diary off the reception desk and was immediately in control.
Julie’s phone suddenly beeped. Snatching it from her handbag, she saw the message was from Simon. “Sorry. Busy rest of day.” She poignantly turned the phone off, eyes and throat tingling with sadness.
“Chloe Williamson and Shauna Johnson?” Helen read aloud, casting a look more like a friendly doctor’s over her glasses at both Julie and the girl. “Thank God! Both seem to be present. Which of you is, er , Chloe?” The woman froze inquiringly over her bifocals waiting for the answer.
“I am,” Chloe volunteered, getting to her feet. “Much as I don’t want to, I’m afraid I’m here to cancel. Shauna and I just split up this morning.” She looked down at the floor uncomfortably before murmuring. “Is the deposit refundable?”
“Usually no, sweetheart. Which one of you paid?” the photographer announced with a kindly look at Chloe then a much less friendly one at Julie.
“Shauna thought from the outset that this was all just an extravagant waste of money so I did,” Chloe finally murmured. The woman was glaring daggers at Julie by now.
