It was supposed to be a straight forward assignment. Jimmy occasionally did some camera work to help out the local paper when their regular photographer was busy, or to collect background shots for local stories.
The editor had told him this one was quite simple. The local gym was on a membership drive and had arranged for him to do a story on them. Jimmy was to wander along that evening to take some snaps of one of the women's fitness sessions.
The instructor, Carlene, had welcomed him, and told him to stay out of the way of the actual class. He was free to wander around the group to take his photos, but not to get in amongst them, as some of them might not be too happy about it. The session that he would be shooting was one of their young adult groups, consisting of women in the eighteen to twenty-five age group. He would please remember that he was working, which meant professional behaviour, not trying to hit on any of the girls because they were around his age.
Jimmy had assured Carlene that he fully understood and promised that he'd be so inconspicuous they probably wouldn't even notice he was there.
Jimmy set up a couple of his cameras on tripods, for set shots and wandered around the room checking light levels and considering how to frame his shots. While he was doing this the women attending the class started filtering in, gathering and chatting near the instructor, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Some of them glanced towards Jimmy, but apart from that they took no notice of him. Jimmy was smiling as he worked, as he didn't often get to work in an environment that included twenty or so young, fit and attractive women, clad mainly in tight fitting and skimpy outfits.
Carlene had just finished telling the group what their immediate agenda was when a blonde at the front raised an objection. "Ah, Carlene," she said, with a whine in her voice. "What's he doing here. We never have men here."
"He's just the photographer from the paper, Gloria," replied Carlene. "You were all informed last week that he'd be here."
"But he's a man. It's not safe to have him here while we're working out," came that irritating whine.
"It'll be alright, Gloria," soothed Carlene. "He'll stay back away from the group, just moving around to take some photos."
"But it's not safe. Look at the way we're dressed. He might grab at us."
"Does anyone else have an objection to Jimmy taking photos?" Carlene queried of the group. "No? I think you'll just have to grin and bear it, Gloria, or you can skip the session if you want to."
"I'm not skipping the session and you can't make me. I've already paid. He should go away and you should get a woman photographer. What if my top pulls up off my boobs? He'd be publishing nude pictures of me, that's what."
Jimmy noticed that the rest of the group seemed a little impatient with Gloria, some of them rolling their eyes, some looking towards him and laughing. Then to his shock, an attractive girl on the side of the group nearest him nudged the girl next to her, muttered something to her, and flipped up her top, giving Jimmy a look at a handsome pair of breasts. Her friend was giggling, and duplicated the action. Jimmy grinned back at the girls, tapped the camera he was holding and gave them an inquiring look. The girls hastily dropped their tops back down, shaking their heads. A flash was one thing. A photo, something else entirely.
Carlene was still trying to soothe Gloria, who was still whining objections. Carlene indicated to Jimmy, to come over so she could introduce him and let the girls see for themselves how harmless he was.
Gloria was not impressed. "He looks harmless now, but he's a man. What if one of us accidently exposes a breast? What if we have an accident like last month when Suzanne split her shorts and you could see everything? He could try to grab us or wait outside until we leave."
By this time Jimmy had just about had enough of her whining complaints. "I'm just a part time photographer, here to take a few shots. I'm not a sex maniac about to pounce anytime I see a boob flashed or if someone exposes their fur or lack thereof. I'm also outnumbered over twenty to one, so if I did try to jump someone, the rest of you would probably put me in traction." He felt like adding that he considered her a whining idiot, but tactfully refrained, although the exasperation in his voice was quite audible.