Tom climbed out of the driver's seat and unloaded cases from the back of the wagon, stacking lens, camera bodies, and video equipment. He also pulled out a nylon bag filled with goodies he had gathered after his conversation with Bonnie about Bess. He walked up the steps and rang the doorbell with his elbow.
When Bess answered the door she was greeted by wholesome, appealing man, 40ish, standing on the stoop, his hands filled with brown leather cases. Tom held the handle of a blue nylon gym bag with his teeth, which muffled his words. "Catch the top one," he mumbled. "It's going to fall."
The case toppled from the stack and Bess neatly caught it, tucked it under her arm, and snatched the bag from his teeth. "You certainly come prepared," she said.
"Over prepared, one might say. May I come in? This stuff is heavy."
"Sorry," Bess said, stepping away from the door and holding it open with her foot. "Come on in."
Already familiar with the house, Tom walked directly to the living room, dumped the cases on the sofa and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Tom, as you already know, and you are Bess."
Bess shook his hand and was charmed by the warmth of his smile. As Tom sat on the sofa and unsnapped his cases, Bess settled in next to him and curled her feet underneath her. "Nice to meet you, Tom."
"Me too. I've talked about you with Bonnie and I've got some dynamite ideas about this shoot."
"You and Bonnie talked about me?"
"Sure. She helped me get a handle on what kind of pictures you want. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't. What did she tell you?"
"Just that this is your first venture into this ...uh, business...and that you need shots for your album. I've got ideas about that but, if it is fine with you, I'd like to keep them to myself for the time being. Anyway, what did you think of Bonnie's album?"
"Impressive." Bess thought about the erotic photos and wondered if she'd be comfortable enough with this stranger to pose like that. She fumbled with her hands in her lap. "Bonnie looked so great."
"Yeah, they turned out well. But I had a good subject." Tom studied his new subject more closely and muttered aloud as he thought. "Great eyes, fabulous cheekbones, great skin so there'll be no problems with close-ups."
Bess squirmed under his scrutiny. She ran her fingers through her hair and nervously licked her lips. His smile was warm and understanding and since his manner was both professional and friendly, she began to relax.
"I'm sorry you're nervous," Tom said. "I think you'll find the nervousness wears off quickly once we get started."
"I hadn't realized how anxious I was about this. I really don't know what to do."
"Don't worry about that. It's my job. Would you stand up?"
Bess stood, her hands hanging awkwardly at her side.
"Relax," he said. "You're going to be great." Long legs he thought. A great body, magnificent breasts. He decided to take a risk. Either he was going to get terrific sexual pictures or he was going to blow it before he even took one shot.
"I can see your nipples through your shirt," he said softly. "Any man would want to suck them." He watched Bess react and he knew he would get the photos he wanted.
Bess was a bit surprised by the words coming from this stranger, but excited too. Although they shocked her, she realized they also aroused her.
"I'd like to get started, if that's okay. This light is wonderful and I'd like to get some head shots right here before we do anything else."
"Where would you like to start?" Bess asked.
Tom shoved a chair toward the window, adjusted its position several times and said, "Sit here and let's see."
Bess settled into the chair but Tom shook his head and pulled her to his feet. He moved the chair slightly and sat her back down. "Yes. That's nice," he said finally.
Bess had selected a simple green tank top and black palazzo pants for the occasion. She added a gold chain with large open links and oversized gold earrings. As she settled into the chair she fluffed her blonde hair and Tom watched the sunlight coming through the windows catch the golden highlights.