The alarm ripped through my sleepy mind like a lion through a defenseless herd of zebra. I gasped and jerked upright. The clock read 4:45 AM in angry red numbers. And then memory came flooding in. Was it really last night that June had walked around NYC in almost nothing? And was she actually going to model for me this morning?
I suddenly recalled a dream I had had the night before. In it, I had been running away from some unknown dread, but it was like I was running through molasses. Each step was unbearably hard, and each one drained energy from me like a leech. Suddenly, June was there before me, reaching out a hand.
"Here, Dad! Let me help you!" She cried.
But before I could get to her, I sank deep into the ground, unable to grasp my salvation.
Already the heat was reclaiming the apartment from the relative cool of the night. The air conditioner had pooped out the day before, and the repairman was supposed to come by later on that morning. Well, we had a lot of work to do to get the shoot completed before the good light of the early morning diappeared on us. I pulled on a pair of cutoff jeans over my bare ass, and went into the living room to get June up.
My daughter was sprawled over her bed, still in the dress from the night before. She was on her stomach, with the dress wrinkled up around her arms. I frankly gawked at the sight of her. I had seen her ass on several occasions already in the last two days, but the sight would continue to astonish me for a long time to come. The sinuous curve of each cheek was drawn directly from classic sculpture, yet had the modern allure of the swimsuit model. And that thought jerked me out of my reverie. I had to be all business this morning. I went over to her bed, and shook her shoulder.
"Happy birthday, sleepyhead. We've got some work to do!"
I started the coffee machine, and opened the box of swimsuits. June sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched, the action causing her dress to bunch up in the middle of her chest. On either side of the dress, her tits winked at me. Oh, dear. This was going to be a difficult morning, I could see. She sat for a second, blinking her eyes, not bothering to cover herself. I had to shake myself to proceed.
"OK, June, here's the deal. Go take a shower, you can wash your hair, but don't blow-dry it. I need you to shave everywhere. If you want, you can leave a thin line of pubic hair, but it can't go more than one inch up from the top of your labia. Everything else needs to be clean. And no nicks, please! You can use a fresh razor from my medicine cabinet. For make-up, I want a fresh, innocent look. Don't overdo it! The light is going to be gentle, not harsh, so you don't need to emphasize any features. Then, just put on a robe, and we'll go upstairs to the roof. There's a shed up there you can change in. And get a move on! Sunrise is in thirty-five minutes!"
If she was shocked at my instructions, she didn't show it. Instead, she got up from her bed and went into the bathroom. In a few seconds, I heard the shower running. I brewed up some strong coffee, and poured some in my tarvel mug, and some in a mug. I quickly looked through the box of swimwear, and made some preparations. Then I knocked on the bathroom door and yelled to her that there was coffee on the kitchen counter for her, and that I would be upstairs, setting up. I grabbed my tripod, lights, two cameras, and two packs of film, and started up the stairwell. The door at the top was nominally locked, but I knew you could get it to open with a push at just the right spot.
Outside, it was still dark, but there was a hint of dawn coming from the east. Even though sunrise was at 5:24 today, it would be five to ten extra minutes before the light cleared the buildings to the east of us. I already had in mind several places that would be good for posing, and I set up the lights and tripod by the nearest. The roof was covered with black insulation, so I knew that in short order it would be too hot to be barefoot up here. There were a number of antennae, the wooden shed I told June about, and a water tower.
Having finished setting up, I took a few sips from my travel mug, surveyed the roof, and went back down, making sure to prop open the roof door on my way. Downstairs, June was in a short pink terry-cloth robe, drinking from the coffee mug. Her hair was still wet, as I had asked her to leave it. She had just the right amount of make-up on.
"OK, kid. You ready?" I grabbed the box of swimsuits.