The Magician's Blood

by Linda G. Hill

  A few minutes later, Stephen opened the door and asked for a towel.

  “There’s one here. Just let yourself drip,” Jill said.

  He walked over to the mirror wearing only his t-shirt. Cherry put a towel on his chair before he sat down. His reflection in the mirror showed a drop of water suspended from the tip of his penis, which was semi-erect, as it had been the night that they’d reconnected. Brush in hand, Cherry stood behind him and brushed his silky black hair back off his face. Jill held Herman’s head in both hands and pointed her face in the direction of the mirror.

  “Look at yourself. Do you see it?”

  The change was subtle: she wasn’t blushing anymore, yet the color had risen in her face. “Yes,” she whispered, amazed.

  “Go very light on the makeup,” Jill said to Nate, stepping back to allow him access to Herman. “And hurry up and get her dressed. I want her out there for the second half of Stephen’s shoot.” To Herman she said, “Are you okay with Nate dressing you? It’s going to require a certain amount of nudity.”

  Herman nodded, not wanting to seem unsophisticated. “That’s okay,” she said, glancing at Stephen in the mirror. He smiled at her.

  “We’ll start out with Stephen’s white tux. See if you can find something with a tight bodice and a push-up bra for Herman,” she said to Nate. “And put her hair up.”

  “Dry yourself off,” she said, throwing a towel over Stephen’s shoulder and smiling. “I’m going out to check the rest of the equipment.”

  * * *

  Stephen was already dressed and on his way out the door by the time Nate produced the gown she would wear. Her makeup was done, and her hair was in an up-do. The dress was designed to go on from the bottom, up, and had to be tightened after it was on. Stephen winked at her as he went out with Cherry.

  Herman wondered what her reaction must have been to cause Nate to say to her, “Don’t worry. They’ll take care of him, and I’ll take care of you. You’ll see him again soon enough. Sooner if we hurry up and get you changed.”

  “Okay.” She cleared her throat to rid her voice of its wobbliness. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Take everything off except your panties,” he said, handing her a heavily under-padded lacy bra. “I’ll turn around if you’d like, but I’ll warn you; I’m bound to see it all eventually. The next change will be a quick one, and you’ll need help.”

  Herman opened her mouth to say that he should just do whatever, but before she could, he said, “I’m not going to stand here and watch you get undressed or anything. I just won’t make a point of turning around.”

  “That’ll be fine then,” she said bravely.

  It didn’t take her long to get used to the idea. Nate’s brown eyes, when his warm and appreciative gaze drifted over her face in the mirror, were comforting. Lean and tall, he was as sexy and good-looking as Margaret had said he’d be. As she undressed, she gave in to the urge to glance at his crotch, to see if he was reacting at all. She caught him adjusting himself a time or two. Once the dress was on and laced up tightly, he had her sit in front of the mirror again.

  He stood behind her and stared at her chest. Her breasts were perched as though on a shelf inside the bra. She hadn’t known she was capable of such cleavage. When Nate looked up and into her eyes, he said, “Just checking to make sure your nipples aren’t showing.” He held out his hand to help her up and she followed him out of the trailer.

  The sun was starting to go down and the air was getting colder; not yet enough for Herman to see her breath, but close. She stood back and watched as Jill took shots of Stephen in a couple of poses, the first a profile with one hand on his cane and the other on his hat, tipping it down over his forehead. In the second, he faced the camera and lifted the brim of his hat with his cane. The second she wasn’t quite happy with.

  “Herman,” she said without removing her eyes from Stephen, “would you just go and give your boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek? And make sure he has a chance to look at your cleavage.”

  Herman did. When she walked away, Jill said Cherry’s name. That was all. The woman walked over to Stephen and stood in front of him. Herman saw her hand go to his crotch, and then she stood back.

  “Okay?” she asked Jill.

  “A bit more.”

  When Cherry stood back again, Herman noticed a shadow that wasn’t there before.

  “Perfect,” Jill said with a smile in her voice. She took a few more pictures, then asked Herman to step in, instructing her to do what came naturally.

  The first few shots were of them in each other’s arms. Jill encouraged them with flattering remarks, and Herman soon got into the spirit of the shoot. The camera went crazy when Herman leaned back on Stephen’s arm. Her head hanging limp, he looked down at her breasts. But as Jill came closer, she stopped shooting and called Nate over. She asked the couple not to move, so Herman was surprised when she felt Nate’s hand slip down her bodice to hold her breast still while he hiked up the gown with the other hand, murmuring that her nipple was showing as he did it. A satisfying Take that, Stephen! went through her mind, and she stifled a nervous giggle.

  It was almost dark when they returned to the trailer. Stephen changed into his black tux and had black kohl applied to his eyes. Herman’s new dress—a floor-length gown covered entirely in silver sequins that they’d bought the day before—required her to change into her own bra. Jill suggested a thong to eliminate panty lines. Nate helped her out of her corset and she re-dressed while Stephen watched in the mirror. He left before her with the two women, so she missed the first part of his shoot again.

  With Nate following close behind her holding the train on her skirt up, Herman entered the other trailer to find Jill set up with a camera on a tripod in addition to the one around her neck. Stephen stood amidst the lights, chatting with Cherry.

  The photographer appeared from behind a reflective screen and approached Herman. “Are you sure I can’t touch him? This is taking longer than I’d planned.”

  “Why can’t I do it?” Herman asked.

  “Because he looks different when he gets hard for you. He’s in love with you. That’s not what I’m trying to capture right now. When you’re in the shot with him, it’s okay.” She sighed heavily. “So?”

  “Fine,” Herman said, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn’t happy about it, but she hadn’t exactly had angelic thoughts herself since walking into the photoshoot. She watched as Jill walked up to Stephen and stood very close to him. She said something to him quietly and he looked up. The lights were blinding him, but he seemed to find Herman. Jill got his attention again by grabbing him by the balls. He tried to move her hand away, so she called over her shoulder to Herman.

  “Tell him I have your blessing please!”

  “It’s okay, Stephen.” Herman wasn’t sure if he looked more relieved or worried. He continued to squint in her direction but was quickly brought to the situation at hand by Jill, who was beginning to get personal with him.

  Herman felt herself tense up only to have Nate step closer to her and whisper in her ear, “If he’s anything like me, you are going to get royally laid tonight.”

  “But who is he going to be thinking about?”

  “You, of course. You don’t have to watch this, you know.”

  Jill didn’t seem to be doing much except talking to him.

  “What else am I going to do?” Herman asked, forcing her gaze off Stephen.

  “You can talk to me,” Nate said. He pulled up a director-type chair for her and faced it away from the shoot. He sat opposite her in a provocative pose, his legs spread wide, his elbows on his knees. He stared into her eyes.

  “Jill was right. You are beautiful.”

  Herman looked down, bashful. “Thank you.”

  “There’s something about you …” He gazed at her as though he was a bit lost.

  “Have you been working for Jill a long time?” she asked
to get the subject off herself.

  “Oh, about five hundred years or so,” he said, making her laugh. “No, about ten years.”

  “Really? You must have started when you were about fifteen.”

  “Sixteen. It was an early education.”

  “It must have been, judging by what Jill does with …” She craned her neck around to look at Stephen and what she saw made her sentence drop off. Jill was bent down to his right, adjusting what was now an obvious erection inside his pants, and Cherry was standing to his left on her toes, topless, applying lipstick to his lips. Nate took her hand and held it on his lap. When she turned, she realized she was touching his crotch.

  “We both have one. That one,” he nodded to Stephen, “belongs to you and this one,” he pressed her hand against his erection, “belongs to my wife when I get home.” She rubbed it experimentally, wondering what the hell she was doing, but enjoying the tit-for-tat all the same.

  “Doesn’t your wife mind what you do?”

  “Ask her yourself. She’s putting lipstick on your boyfriend.”

  Herman snatched her hand away. He took it back into his but didn’t try to guide it anywhere.

  “It’s okay,” he said, smiling. “You made me like this, she helped make him like that. We’re even.”

  “How does she like this job?” Herman asked.

  “She loves it. Especially when she gets to work with someone who’s better-looking than I am. I dress and titillate gorgeous women all the time. She doesn’t get the pleasure of seeing men as beautiful and charming as Stephen very often. The rock stars are usually drunk or stoned, and most of the actors are so full of themselves, they wouldn’t notice her if she blew them.”

  “And you don’t mind?”

  “Eh, it’s just sex. I know she loves me. That’s all that matters.”

  “Where have I heard that before?” she mumbled.

  “It gets easier. For a while, Cherry and I were both jealous all the time. Then we realized it was a waste of energy, so we agreed to just enjoy what we had together and always keep the rest separate from our relationship.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Herman said miserably.

  “It’s not. But it’s worth the effort if you both love each other.”

  Herman looked back at Stephen. He was smiling wickedly, having his picture taken. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, so incredibly desirable, but still hers. Always hers.

  “Thank you,” she said to Nate. “I think you’ve helped me more than all the women I’ve talked to put together.”

  He patted her knee. “That’s probably because I’m not a threat.” Hearing the smile in his voice she turned to look at him. “And possibly because I can provide you with a little quid pro quo, so to speak. I’m guessing you don’t get much of an opportunity for that.”

  “That’s because I’m invisible.”

  Nate laughed. “You’re far from invisible, Herman. You’re a beautiful, desirable woman. It’s just that he’s damned intimidating. Too much for most guys.”

  “But you’re not intimidated by him,” Herman said.

  “If I was intimidated by boyfriends and husbands, I wouldn’t be able to do my job. Besides, we have a history with Stephen. But I wouldn’t underestimate him if he felt genuinely threatened.” He laughed again. “So don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself too much, okay?”

  She laughed with him. “But I am. Much more than I expected to, thanks to you.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “I haven’t enjoyed a photoshoot this much myself in a long time.”

  Nate looked up then and Herman realized Stephen was heading toward them.

  “Are they wearing you down yet?” Nate asked him.

  “Nothing a five-mile jog and an ice-cold bath wouldn’t cure,” Stephen said, smiling.

  “I hear ya.”

  “You seem to be having fun,” Stephen said to Herman.

  “Nate’s been keeping my mind off whatever you’re doing, if that’s what you mean,” she said, dryly.

  “He’s been doing the same thing for me,” Stephen said, grinning. “Which is why Jill had to resort to drastic measures. Now I’m standing here with half a hard-on and some weird combination of lipstick and vaginal secretions on my lips that I’m scared to lick off. And for the record, no. It’s not that much fun. Just don’t tell them that,” he said, nodding in the direction of Jill and Cherry, who were adjusting the lights.

  Just then, Jill called Nate and he excused himself. Stephen took his seat.

  “How are you doing?” he asked Herman, taking her hands in his.

  “Not too bad, actually. Nate’s a nice guy.”

  “He is, indeed.”

  “Do you really have …” she pointed at his lips.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “You didn’t …”

  “No. It came from a finger. Not mine, either.”

  “I don’t want to know whose it was.”

  “Neither do I. I had my eyes closed, wishing it would go away.”

  “Why are we doing this again?” Herman asked, frowning.

  “Because the results are going to be phenomenal. I talked to Jill about the boudoir set. She’ll do them last. Just as well, since she’ll probably have us making love by the time it’s finished.”

  Herman’s eyebrows went up along with her blood pressure. “Will the pictures leave anything to the imagination?”

  “Definitely. That’s exactly what they’re meant to do. Erotic, not pornographic. They,” he cocked his head in the direction of Jill, “will be able to see what’s going on, so whatever we do, we’ll be doing it with an audience. But the pictures will be very discreet.”

  “How do you feel about making love to me in front of an audience?” she asked.

  “I’m okay with it.”

  “Of course you are. Why bother to ask?”

  “It’s not as though they’ll study our every move. It’s our passion for one another that Jill will capture.” He squeezed her hand and the warmth in his eyes captured her.

  “Anyway, I’d like to have some nice pictures of the two of us to hang in our room. And over the mantle in the living room.” He winked playfully.

  “I don’t believe I’m saying this, but okay, let’s do it all. If for no other reason than to piss my dad off, assuming he’ll ever get a chance to see them,” she said with a giggle.

  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  “Yes.” She wished she could kiss him.

  They were called back over for their portrait pictures. Cherry, having donned her t-shirt again, did a quick makeup job on Stephen that included wiping his mouth and applying a gloss to his lips. A brand new store-bought one. Meanwhile, Nate touched up Herman.

  The next two changes of clothes and subsequent shoots followed the same pattern, with Stephen going first and getting sexed up, and Nate chatting with Herman. Jill had a few props on hand for the Halloween shoot: a ghost, conjured up and projected on a black backdrop; a witch’s hat and fake nose for Herman to wear; and a paper-mache cauldron, which Herman climbed into while Stephen stood beside it waving a wand. She was having so much fun, she had all but forgotten the boudoir set. When Nate came forward to pull an ornate fainting couch out from the next room, it came back to her with a rush of nerves.

  Maybe Jill noticed; she told them to go back to the other trailer to relax for a while with Cherry. As they walked out the door, Herman turned and Nate smiled at her.

  Cherry took them into a room curtained off from the mirrors. There was a small kitchen and a large overstuffed couch with equally overstuffed cushions where Cherry indicated they should make themselves comfortable. She went to a long pantry-type closet and found three wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. She poured them each a glass and came to sit on the arm of the couch, beside Stephen. She slipped off her shoes and put one bare foot on his
thigh, opening her legs as she did, gracing Herman and Stephen with a glimpse of the fact that she wore nothing under her skirt.

  “You know,” she said to Stephen, “I think you’re even more beautiful than you were two years ago.”

  “I’m right here, you know,” Herman said to her. Stephen reached for Herman’s hand and held it and Cherry regarded her, expressionless. Herman thought she might have been another cushion sitting there for all the reaction Cherry gave her. The woman sipped her wine and turned back to Stephen.

  “It’s too bad Jill doesn’t want you changed for your next shoot. We could have started getting you out of these clothes right away.” Her foot began traveling up Stephen’s thigh, and her face transformed into something that slightly resembled a smile. Herman took a breath to speak, but Stephen squeezed her hand and she decided to wait.

  “Cherry, is everything all right?” Her foot was at his crotch now, her toes rubbing the bulge in his pants. “How are things with you and Nate?” He handed Herman his glass and slid Cherry’s foot down his leather-clad thigh toward his knee.

  “Oh, you know,” she said. “We’ve been together eight years now. I guess you could call it … comfortable. I thought we’d be seeing Margaret.” She glanced quickly at Herman and narrowed her eyes minutely. She spoke again to Stephen: “You must miss her when she’s not around. Do you remember that time when we got the hotel room?”

  “Yes,” Stephen said. “Will you be staying in Alberta for a while, or are you heading straight back?”

  “We’ve still got the porno we filmed that night hanging around somewhere,” she went on, laughing, ignoring his attempt to change the subject.

  Without looking at her, Stephen said, “Herman, why don’t you go and see if Nate and Jill are almost finished?”

  Cherry finally turned her attention to Herman and smiled ingratiatingly. “Yes, why don’t you run along? Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Stephen for you.”

  Stephen turned to look Herman in the eye, and she wondered for a moment if he was actually trying to get rid of her, or if he wanted her to get Nate to come to the rescue. His expression explained nothing except that he seemed to really want her to go. She got up, placed the two wine glasses on the small kitchen counter, and walked out through the curtain toward the door of the trailer. She didn’t look back. Not even when Cherry called out to her to take her time.