This first chapter is set-up, and there's no actual sex. If this is a problem for you, please wait for Chapter 2, coming soon, rather than reading this through and then commenting that you hate the story because there wasn't any sex.
*
"EntrΓ©," I said when I heard Kali knocking on my door. Who else but my sister uses a "shave-and-a-haircut know every time?
"Timmy, did you unpack your backdrops yet? And do you have a few minutes?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Yearbook photos are this week; and instead of getting them taken by the dorky school photographer, we're allowed to have them taken by dorky brothers instead."
I crumpled a sheet of paper and threw it at her. "You should work on your favor-asking technique."
She dropped to her knees. "Please, dear brother, I beg of you." Then she stood back up. "Seriously. As long as they're digital, and high def, we're allowed to supply our own. So I'd rather have you do it, so I know I'll get a good one, instead of the guy the school hired taking one shot and if I'm scratching my nose that's how my friends will remember me for the next 70 years."
I'm a photography major. I've only finished my first year at college, but I'm already paying a lot of my commission with outside assignments: weddings, bar mitzvahs, confirmations, portraits, whatever. My sister is a year younger, 18, and obviously about to graduate high school. "Sure thing," I said. "Where do you want to do it?"
"How about my room, if the lighting's okay? This way you only have to drag your shit next door."
"I can make the lighting good pretty much anywhere. Right now is good?"
"Right now is great. Oh, and... can you do Suzie too?" Susie is Kali's best friend. They were born on the same day, so they tell people they're twins.
"I'll do Susie too," I said with my best put-upon voice.
"And Jen?"
Jen is another one of Kali's friends, a few months older and absolutely gorgeous. "I'll do her too," I said, but what I really meant was "You have
no idea
how long I've wanted to 'do' her."
I set screwed my camera onto the tripod, then set up the backdrop: the offwhite screen that would serve as a neutral background. I told Kali how far in front of the screen to stand, and took a few shots. She was wearing a dressy black blouse (what the school recommended for yearbook photos), and the cut-off jeans she generally wore on warm days (because who's going to see that in a head-and-shoulders shot?)
I took the photos of the other girls in similar blouses, then we all gathered in front of the camera's screen to look at the shots. I thought they came out great, and was about to say so, when Kali said "Hate them."
"Huh?"
"No reflection on you, Timmy, the pictures came out beautifully, but that blouse makes me look like a company CEO. That's not how I want people to remember me. Can we try again?"
"Sure," I said.
She went to her closet, rummaged about for a minute, then pulled out a different blouse. Personally I couldn't see any great difference, but then I'm not a girl. She unbuttoned the blouse and took it off. "Kali!" Susie said, glancing over at me.
"It's okay, Suze," Kali said. "He's my brother. He's seen me in my bra a million times before."
"True," I said, adjusting some settings on the camera. "Boring. Now, if you wanted to show me
your
bra, wink-wink."
Kali gave me "the look": she'd told me a while back that she thought Susie had a little crush on me, so yeah, I probably shouldn't have teased her like that.
"You might be surprised," Susie said softly, but I had no idea what she meant by that.
"Ready," Kali said, smoothing down her blouse and standing in front of the screen.
I took another set of photos, and after we examined them, I asked "All done?"
"Um..." Jen said.
"You don't like yours either?" I asked.
"Well, I did bring another blouse, and I thought this one would be better, but..."
"Okay," I said. "I'll be in my room, Knock on my door when you're changed."
"No, you don't have to go," Jen said.
"What??"
"I can step behind the screen," she said, meaning the backdrop. "It'll take me less than a minute."
She grabbed her extra blouse, went behind the backdrop, and started undressing. The backdrop was opaque, but we could see her silhouette clearly. "Jen," Kali said, "we can see you."
We could see her bring her arms to her chest, covering her breasts. "Shit!"
"No," Kali said, "not
see you
see you, just the shadow. Your um..."
"Silhouette," I told her.
"Right, silhouette." Kali said.
"I guess that's okay," Jen said, putting on and buttoning her new blouse. "and it's just a fucking bra anyway, right?"
She came out. The new blouse was dark navy, maybe an inch lower neckline, but again I couldn't see much difference. It occurred to me that as a photographer, I should probably develop a better eye for these things.
I took another set of photos, Jen approved of them. I looked over at Susie and she gave me a sheepish smile. "Okay, I know, you want another set too. Go change."
She grabbed her second blouse and went behind the backdrop. I "watched" her take off the blouse she was wearing, and then she said "Oh, by the way, Tim?"
"Yes."