DRESSING TABLE & MIRROR
The test shots had been fine--safe even, though a bit goofy. Dave had asked her to make different faces; happy, sad, pouty, stick your tongue out. He told her it would help her get all the bad shots out of the way. Vanessa thought it was silly at first but it had been kinda fun, listening to his rapid fire commands, letting go and just being in the moment. The way Dave was studying her now, she could tell things were about to change.
Thoughtful, Dave adjusted a setting on his camera, "Okay it's time we got to the main event. You can lose the robe now." He walked over to a vintage-style dressing table, set beneath the soft glow of a key light.
Vanessa pondered his casual statement and disregard. She didn't know what she thought would happen, leering maybe as she shrugged the robe off her shoulders. For some reason it suddenly bothered her. Didn't he want to look at her exposed body, was she not sexy enough? Questions she shouldn't be asking, but then Marc hadn't seemed interested lately either. 'Stop it Vanessa, he's being a professional... right?' she chided herself. She pushed the thought aside as she walked over to the new set.
The space was pretty, she thought to herself, intimate even--an oval mirror, a velvet stool, a few elegant props arranged neatly across the tabletop. "Sit here," Dave gestured to the red velvet stool. At first his directions seemed stern, but after a moment of consideration, she decided his words were confident, knowing, professional. Hadn't Sasha told her to trust him, to follow his directions. 'Stop overthinking it,' Vanessa said to herself.
Dave spoke softly now, Vanessa had to lean towards him to hear. "Close your eyes and imagine you're getting ready for a date. Something romantic. You're putting on the final touches--maybe perfume, maybe touching up your lipstick. I'll shoot through the mirror, catching your reflection as you do it. Something natural, classy, sensual. You want to look good for your man. You want him to desire you."
Uncertainty crept into Vanessa's voice, the imposter syndrome trying to take hold, "I don't know, Dave... I'm not exactly a model."
Dave stepped up behind her, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder, his tone reassuring in her ear, "You don't need to be. Just be the desirable woman I see." Vanessa inwardly flinched at his touch, his fingers hot on her bare skin. She shouldn't be allowing that, should she? But then shivered at his warm breath on her ear. The sound of his voice rumbled in her brain lulling her into acceptance and compliance.
She glanced up at the mirror, catching a glimmer in his eyes, before she looked away. Looking at her own reflection, her eyes fastened on the lace bra she was wearing, how nice the silk fabric felt against her breasts. In that moment she believed--she was beautiful. She did want to be desired. Wasn't that why she was here?
She nodded, and Dave gave her an approving smile before she closed her eyes and thought about getting ready for Marc. A nice romantic date like when they first met.
Dave was patient, waiting for her features to soften and shift. When he could tell her mind was imagining the scene, he said, "Open your eyes." The shutter clicked. Then again. And again.
Dave encouraged her, "Perfect. That's it. Let me see the desire. Chin up just a little--there." Click. "Give me those bedroom eyes. Think of the camera as your husband and how excited you are for him." Click. "Run the tip of your tongue along the top lip, tease the camera." Click. "Beautiful, I can see the desire now. How hot you are getting." Click.
Vanessa let herself get wrapped up in the moment, imagining Marc coming home and finding her like this. Hoping to see the excitement and lust in his eyes. She was feeling it too, a warm glow in her core. As Dave kept praising her she found herself starving to hear more. She wasn't sure why but a small part of her kept whispering that she wanted to please him.
Vanessa almost gasped when Dave touched her arm asking, "You're doing great. Want to see?" She blushed at reacting that way. She shouldn't be acting this way, she sternly told herself. So what if Marc wasn't paying her the attention she wanted. It wasn't right.
Before she could respond, Dave lowered the camera to waist level while turning it, showing her the shots on the screen. Vanessa leaned in, her breath catching. The woman in those photos didn't look forced or awkward--she looked beautiful. Her voice soft and surprised, she asked, "WOW...is that really me?"
Dave chuckled, pleased with her reaction, "Told you!" A confident grin, as he looked down at Vanessa. Damn those pouty lips would look good wrapped around his cock, he thought. Patience was necessary and he willed himself not to place his hand behind her head and pull her towards his crotch. Time to set the bait.
Instead, Dave pulled the camera up away from her. Vanessa lost her balance and her hand shot out to prevent her fall. Her hand skipped across his abdomen, landing on something hard. Leaning back she realized she was touching his bulge. She snatched her hand back like she'd been burned. "Shit. Sorry," Vanessa professed looking anywhere but where her hand had been. A flush of shame crept up her neck.
"It's all good," Dave said, then, "He didn't mind," winking at her.
His bold innuendo caught her off guard. Trying to regain her composure, she couldn't help but steal a quick glance at his crotch. What the fuck? What was he hiding in there? Vanessa shook her head in an attempt to clear her wayward thoughts. She grappled with the guilt of them. What was causing these feelings to stir inside her? She should be ashamed for thinking such thoughts, but the more she tried to push them out of her mind, the more excited she felt. It's harmless flirting, it's not like she would do anything bad.
Goaded by a desire to be someone different, Vanessa took one last look back at the mirror and something shifted inside her. A bold idea of her own. She adjusted her posture so she was profile to Dave, tilted her head back and up slightly, her fingers grazing her bra strap. She caught Dave's gaze, arching an eyebrow, "What about something like this?" She pulled the bra strap off her shoulder. Her movement caused the bra to slip down showing her brown areola and a hint of her hard nipple.
A heartbeat lasted between them before Dave smirked, "Now you're getting it." Raising the camera to his eye. Click. Click. Click.
LOVESEAT
"Are we having fun yet?" Dave asked as he lowered his camera. Vanessa looked up at him with a grin, "Yeah, I am. But I'm getting a little stiff." She cracked her neck to work out a kink. She was actually surprised that her initial nerves had melted away, leaving a confidence in their place. A confidence she would have never believed 30 minutes earlier. Something had changed in her and she couldn't name what it was. But here she was enjoying the shoot and actually having fun.
'You're not the only one,' he thought to himself, wiping his brow. He could tell she was getting more comfortable, even suggesting some playful poses, but still not as open as he'd like. Dave grinned back at her, "Cool, let's take a break. I could use some water to cool off. You?"
Vanessa flexed her neck again, hearing it pop. Nodding at Dave, she reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dave gestured toward one of the studio set's loveseats--a plush, mid-century piece that was charming, but showing signs of wear. Vanessa sank into the plush couch cushions and sighed, feeling the high of shooting simmering in her system. Her muscles relaxed, but her positive vibes didn't fade.
Dave handed her his camera, its weight solid and heavy in her hands. He nodded toward the screen on the back. "Take a look while I grab some water," he said. "See if there are any you like."
Vanessa nibbled on her lip, a habit when she was deep in thought, as she began scrolling through the shots, her thumb brushing over the controls. Each image was crisp, well-lit, and--much to her surprise--she actually liked them. More than liked them. She loved how powerful, confident, even alluring she looked.
Her finger paused on one particular shot: she was staring directly into the camera, eyes hooded, the tip of her tongue grazing her upper lip, and the top swell of her breasts on display. It made her feel bold. Empowered. Like she was seeing a version of herself she didn't know had been waiting to be revealed.
She had been so worried about being exposed to strangers in her bra and panties, and here she was with her breasts practically revealed for anyone to see. She wondered what Marc would think, would it turn him on or make him jealous. The more Vanessa thought about it the more turned on she was getting. She couldn't explain it but her skin had an edge to it. Like it yearned to be touched.
Lost in her thoughts, Vanessa reflected on how she had always had a high sex drive. Lately though she started having fantasies--taboo thoughts--likely due to the erotica she'd taken to reading. Thinking about it she noted that she had gravitated towards stories where the wives were being naughty--they spoke to her, excited her. She assumed it was just that her sex life with Marc had become too vanilla and not as frequent as they once were. 'But was there more to it?' she thought--first Jordan's hungry look and now Dave.
She knew it was wrong to have these thoughts. She would never act on them, she wouldn't want to hurt Marc that way. But she was an adult, she was allowed to have fantasies. Thinking about other men taking her wasn't cheating, she justified. What it would feel like to have someone else inside her, it was harmless thoughts, she reasoned.
Her thoughts leapt to earlier. Feeling the bulge hiding in Dave's shorts had been an accident, but now she did wonder what it looked like, how it might feel. She knew she should feel ashamed for wanting to know. Mmmm, why then did having those thoughts feel so exquisite? She had to fan herself, her body suddenly feeling flush.
Vanessa continued flipping through the photos, marveling at the woman staring back at her. For the first time, she saw herself in a new light--not just how she viewed herself, but how others might see her. How Dave saw her. She'd never been vain; she knew she was attractive. But most of her life, she'd dressed down, softened her edges, kept herself small. At heart, she was reserved, and her clothing had always reflected that--safe, modest, quiet.
