It has always seemed a bit odd to me how a casual, off-hand remark can have huge consequences. That is exactly what happened with our family pictures.
My wife, Sarah, and I were empty-nesters. Our daughter, Gwen, was in her senior year of college on the West Coast. Our son, Tom, was a sophomore at a college in New England. Sarah and I both worked hard at staying fit, and Sarah still looked wonderful. However, our sex life was getting a bit stale. Sarah's response to that was to start experimenting with a small amount of exhibitionism, which I didn't exactly discourage.
In that vein, Sarah had decided that we should have some nude photos shot by a professional. She had investigated extensively and had found a photographer whom she assured me would be discrete and was willing to take shots that were "a little risquΓ©." Sarah hadn't really given me much choice. We had an appointment with the photographer for shortly after Thanksgiving. I really didn't mind and thought that it could be great fun.
Things started going off the rails when we were on the phone with our daughter. I was on the extension in my study. Sarah was on the extension in the kitchen. We had just finished discussing Gwen's travel schedule to come home for the Holidays. Then Sarah opened Pandora's Box.
"Oh, dear, you will get a laugh from this. Your father and I are having some nude photos taken of us," Sarah said, apropos of nothing.
"What?" our daughter responded.
Sarah chuckled and said, "Yes, we've hired a professional photographer to take pictures of the two of us with no clothes on."
"When?" Gwen asked.
"In a couple of weeks."
"Mom, can you put it off?"
Now Sarah was perplexed. "Why dear?"
"If you wait until the Holidays, Tom and I will be home and we can all be in them," Gwen explained.
"What!?" I said a bit too loudly.
"Sure, Dad, it will be great. A naked family portrait," my daughter explained.
"Uh, NO," I responded.
"Dad, lighten up. We're all adults now. You haven't seen my bare ass since I was small. Wouldn't you like to know what it has grown into? I'm told it's pretty nice. I think it would be great to see your and Tom's dicks. Mom, wouldn't you like to see Tom's dick?"
To my surprise, my wife simply said "Hum."
Gwen continued, "It will be great fun. A bonding experience. We're related. We should know what each other look like naked."
Once again, Sarah took the decision out of my hands. "Ok dear. I'll see what I can do," she promised our daughter.
Gwen sounded thrilled. "Great, thank you. I'll call Tom. I know he'll be up for it."
Sarah came into the study after we hung up with Gwen. I was not pleased and gave her what was intended as a very stern look. Sarah put on her best, sexy smile. "Don't worry Honey. It will be fine."
My hopes that the photographer would not have any times available before Gwen and Tom returned to school were dashed. Sarah had persuaded him to shoot us the day after Christmas.
"Ten a.m., Dear," she informed me.
"Why so early on a day off?"
"It could take some time," I was cryptically informed.
Christmas Day is always a happy time, and it was great to have both of our children home. However, the impending photo session put a slightly different light on things, particularly since Gwen kept bringing it up. Tom was quiet by nature, but seemed very blasΓ© about undressing in front of his mother and older sister. Sarah seemed totally unflustered and I was striving to maintain a stiff upper lip.
Still, the knowledge that I would be seeing my children stark naked the next day caused me to look at them a bit differently. Tom rowed crew and was in fantastic shape. He had his mother's blond hair and I had to believe that he was getting laid regularly at college. Somehow, it hadn't dawned on me before that Gwen had grown into a very beautiful and very sexy woman. Fortunately, she had inherited her mother's looks and perfect figure, and only my dark hair. Gwen was high energy, so you constantly paid her attention and, from a strictly guy perspective, she was very worth paying attention to.
That night, in bed, Sarah turned to me. "Are you ready to see Gwen and Tom naked?"
"I'm not sure," I said.
"Gwen is pretty hot, isn't she?"
"Our daughter is a very beautiful lady, yes."
Sarah laughed at my circumlocution. "Are you ready for her to see you naked?"
I sort of mumbled, "That's no big deal."