"I know, Louise, and you're right. If the city were to find out I'm living here, they'd probably fine the heck out of me before my landlord kicked me out on the street."
"Good. We'll have you living in a decent apartment before you know it. We might even be able to get you a Christmas tree too. But I need to let you know one other thing."
"What's that?"
"I have a show coming up at Hanson Sisters Fine Art in February. I'd like to include five prints from our shoot as a series of hand-signed limited editions. They'd be sold with the same restrictions as the ones going to the couple in Berkeley. You'd remain anonymous, and the photos cannot be published or displayed anywhere in public, except of course for the gallery, but that would be the only time."
Carrie let out a sigh. There had to be a better way for her to get into an apartment. She glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was the first week of December, the time of year when business normally slowed down. This year would certainly be no exception and things wouldn't start to pick up again until late January. If she didn't act now, she'd be living in her studio until March or April, and the longer she stayed, the greater the chances of someone finding out and reporting her to the city. She let out another sigh, knowing she had no other choice.
"Okay, Louise, I'm your girl. I'll be there, Saturday morning, eight o'clock."
"Good. You really won't regret this, Carrie. You'll be proud of these photos, I guarantee it. I'll email a contract and release form for you to sign. Make some copies for yourself and bring them with you on Saturday."
Carrie couldn't shake the bad feeling she started getting after she ended the call. She thought it over and realized she was probably just nervous. She'd never been photographed in the nude before, and the idea of total strangers looking at her naked body made her feel uneasy. Then again, she'd be doing it for Louise, and she owed her success to Louise's hard work. She looked at the clock. It was time to get up. She had work to do and she'd be better off focusing her thoughts on the nice apartment she'd soon be living in.
Three
Carrie pulled into Louise's driveway at exactly eight o'clock Saturday morning. She shut down the engine and hesitated for a moment before grabbing her duffle bag. She stepped out of her car and slowly approached the front door. She seriously considered turning around and leaving before mustering up the courage to ring the doorbell. She was soon greeted by Louise's smiling face.
"Come on in, Sweetness." She gave Carrie a big hug as she stepped across the threshold. "You're right on time. Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"No, thanks. I'm nervous enough as it is."
"I understand. I'll grab a cup for me, and then we can get started."
Carrie followed her to the kitchen. Walking behind her, she couldn't get over how little Louise had changed over the years. Neither her looks nor her attitude fit the image of a woman in her mid-fifties. Louise still had smooth skin and a shapely figure. There wasn't so much as a hint of gray in her curly red hair, and she had the stamina of a woman half her age. As soon as she finished pouring her coffee, she grabbed her mug and motioned for Carrie to follow her down the hallway to a small room that had been made into a dressing room.
"Okay my dear." She pulled out the little chair in front of the vanity. "Let's get your curling iron plugged in. I'll step out in a minute, and when I do you'll need to take all your clothes off and put your bathrobe on. My studio is in the next room and I'll be setting up the lights. I'll come back in a few minutes to help with your hair and makeup."
As soon as she left, Carrie nervously undressed and got into her bathrobe. Louise soon returned and grabbed the curling iron, saying that for the first shoot she'd pull Carrie's hair back into a loose ponytail, with some wispy, curly locks dangling around her face. Louise thought that particular hairstyle would show off her oval-shaped face and deep-set blue eyes. She quickly went to work preparing her for the shoot.
"You really were born to be a model, you know that," she said as she brushed some bright red lip-gloss onto Carrie's lips. "You may be thirty years old now, but you're still drop-dead gorgeous, and you're going to be beautiful even when you get to be my age. Doug was an absolute fool to let you go. Now, take a look at yourself in the mirror."
Louise stepped aside while Carrie studied her reflection. She had to admit she still looked pretty, at least on the outside. But ever since her break-up with Doug, she'd felt less than desirable on the inside.
"Now I need you to put on those sexy shoes of yours and I'll be back in a flash. I have a surprise for you." She rushed out, returning a minute later with a wooden box. "I found this the other day at a craft fair. It's all handmade and one-of-a-kind, and when we're done you can take it home with you. Think of it as an early Christmas present from me to you."
Carrie thanked her as she eagerly opened the box. Inside was a collection of beautiful handmade costume jewelry. There were necklaces, bracelets and earrings of all different colors, shapes and styles. They carefully went through and inspected each piece as they decided which ones she would wear.
"Let's start with this," said Louise, setting a matching black-beaded necklace, bracelet and earrings down on the vanity. "I think they'll go nicely with your shoes. We'll use some of the other stuff later on. I'm going back into the studio. Come in as soon as you're ready and we'll get started."
Carrie put on the jewelry as Louise stepped away. When she was ready, she took a final look in the mirror. She let out sigh and slowly walked into the photo studio. Louise had the lights set up in front of a gray, textured screen that was pulled out for several feet onto the floor. She pointed to the spot she'd marked.
"Okay, we've got a lot of work to do, so let's get rolling. We'll start with a few warm-up shots. Take your robe off and go stand over there."
Carrie's hands were trembling as she untied her robe. She slowly removed it and set it aside. Walking to the mark, she suddenly felt as if she were naked to the world. It was more than a little scary.
"You look tense and you don't need to be. You're a beautiful woman, Carrie. Everything about you is beautiful and perfect and you have nothing whatsoever to be ashamed of. The Victorian Age is over. It's high time we women stopped feeling so self-conscious about our bodies and learned how to love and accept ourselves, exactly as we are."
She told her to turn sideways, bend down and grab her ankles.
"That's good. Now, turn your head toward me, look into the camera, and smile."
Since nothing was really showing from that position, Carrie quickly began to relax. Before long her smile began to look genuine.
"That's my girl." Louise took a few more shots. "Now, I need you lie down on the floor, facing me, with one leg in front of the other."
Carrie immediately lay down on her side, placing her top leg out in front.
"Good. Now prop yourself up on your forearm, just like you're doing now, and rest your other arm on your hip."
As Carrie put herself into the pose, she felt the cool air on her naked breasts. She looked down, realizing they were now fully exposed. She started to tense up.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry, Louise. I really thought that I could do this. Now I'm not so sure."
"Wait right there." She quickly stepped out, returning a moment later with a glass of white wine. "I was saving this for later, but I think a few sips right now might help you to relax."
Carrie sat up and took the glass while Louise popped a CD into a player. The soothing sounds of a Beethoven symphony filled the room. She raised the glass to take a whiff of the wonderful aroma. It was a fine chardonnay, her favorite wine. She took a sip, savoring it in her mouth for as long as she could before she swallowed. She drank more of it.
"Not too much," said Louise, as she took the nearly empty glass back. "I want you relaxed, not loopy. Now, close your eyes, breathe in deep, and just listen to the music for a little while."
Carrie closed her eyes. She soon began feeling the eff
ect of the wine as her back and shoulder muscles started to unwind. She resumed the pose, and Louise began to take the photos.
"There you go, that's my girl. Now look up at me and smile. There, that's perfect. I need you to move your front leg out a little more toward me. There you go. Perfect. Now, turn your head and look this way. Follow my finger with your eyes. Good."
Now that Carrie had finally loosened up things were starting to go more smoothly.
"Let's take a short break. I want to redo your hair and touch up your makeup. Then I want you to put on some different jewelry."
"Can I see?" asked Carrie, slipping her robe back on.
Louise handed the camera over and waited while Carrie scrolled though the shots.
"Oh my." Her face turned red. It was a bit of a shock seeing herself bare breasted, but the photos were tastefully shot. "They sort of look like Renaissance paintings, don't they? Too bad there's no man at home to appreciate them."
"Give it some time, Carrie. You're still young. There are plenty of men out there."
She handed back the camera and headed off to the dressing room where Louise restyled her hair and touched up her makeup. This time she wanted Carrie's hair to be long and flowing. After selecting different jewelry, she went to set up the lighting in another room. She returned a short time later and led her into the guest bedroom. Inside was a queen-sized four-poster bed, with the coverlet turned down.
"I'm going start by taking some shots of that beautiful backside of yours, so I want you to go stand by the foot of the bed. Grab hold of the bedpost with your right hand, with your back to me. Then, when I say, ready, turn your head and look over your left shoulder."
Carrie removed her robe and walked to the bedpost, turning her head back and smiling as Louise clicked away on her camera.
"You know, I just don't understand why women get so uptight about their rear ends," said Louise. "A nice, round, curvy bottom is a beautiful sight to behold. Now, keep holding on to the bedpost and turn towards me, just enough so I can see the side of your breast. There you go. That's perfect. Now, turn your head back, look toward me, and smile."
After she finished, she told Carrie to climb up on the bed.
"Don't worry about your shoes. I'm not concerned about the bedding. I just want you to look good. Now, I want you to go over to the corner at the foot of the bed."
Carrie began crawling toward the corner. She was trying to keep her shoes from touching the bedding, so her movements were a little awkward. She giggled as she crawled.
"Let's see if I can do this without falling on my fanny. You know, Louise, that wine is really starting to kick in."
"I'm glad you're finally starting to relax. This really isn't that different from the shoots we did all those years ago. Now, turn to face me and balance yourself on your knees. No, not like that."
Carrie started giggling again.
"Come on, work with me, Carrie."
"Sorry, Louise. For a moment there I was recalling the good old days, and how I sometimes used to horse around, just to see what you would do."
"I remember it well, and you have no idea all how many times I was seriously tempted to bend you over my knee and paddle your butt."
"But you didn't."
"No, I didn't, but that's only because you were the best child model I ever worked with. Now let's get back to work, young lady. I want you to face me and raise yourself up on your knees, into a kneeling position. Yes, just like that. Now, I need you to hold onto the bedpost with your left hand. That's right. Turn your head and the top part of your body toward your right and look up toward the ceiling. That's good. Now, lean back just a little and raise your right hand up to your forehead, like you're brushing the sweat off your brow. There, you've got it. That's perfect. Hold it right there."
"But Louise, this is full frontal nudity." Carrie was starting to feel uncomfortable again.
"You have a beautiful body, Carrie. Trust me, this pose is sexy and classy."
Carrie took a deep breath. Holding the pose, she thought about the times back in history when women were told to lie back and think of England. As soon as Louise was finished, she told her to lie down on the bed, facing the camera as she was positioned into a more sexually suggestive pose. Laying there, fully exposed, she realized she'd just sold her virtue. The only thing left for her to do now was to put on her best face, act like a professional, and do whatever it took in order to get the job finished as quickly as possible. Her only consolation was the fact that once it was over she'd no longer be homeless.
"Carrie, hello? Did you not hear me? I said go have a seat in that leather chair."
"Oh, sorry."
She walked over to the leather chair in the corner of the room, where Louise photographed her in several more erotic poses, none of which held anything back from the camera. She felt as if her body was no longer her own. Even the most intimate part of her was now being put on display as Louise instructed her to lean back into the chair and spread her knees as far apart as she could. She could feel more of the effects of the wine. It all felt like a strange, surreal dream.
"I don't know what's gotten into you all of a sudden," remarked Louise, "but you've finally relaxed. Keep it up. You're on a roll."
As soon as she finished, she announced that it was time to break for lunch. Carrie slipped back into her robe, suddenly realizing that she was starving. At least it would be a day when she'd get to have a decent meal. She took her seat at the kitchen table.
"Well, Louise, it's certainly been an interesting morning working with you. I guess by now there's isn't any part of me that you haven't had a good, close look at."
"Indeed I have." She poured Carrie another glass of wine. "For awhile there I was worried that you were really a man in drag. Now I know for certain that you're not."
Carrie's face turned red at her attempt at humor, while Louise hoped that whatever had happened to finally put Carrie's mind at ease would remain for the rest of the day. They had several more sessions to go, and having to stop for her occasional bouts of discomfort had taken up precious time. She watched as Carrie eagerly ate her chicken salad and drank more wine. Hopefully her good appetite was another sign she had calmed down and would be easier to work with.
"As soon as we finish our lunch I want to photograph you taking a bubble bath. Later on I'll be taking some shots of you outside, by the pool. The sun should be at just the right angle in a couple hours."
"What was that?"
"Don't worry," assured Louise. "There's a block wall, and our patio was designed for maximum privacy. I'll only put you in those areas where no one else can see you. After that we'll be all done and you can jump into the hot tub if you'd like. By then, you'll have earned it."
"Thanks. Those photos may look sexy, but most of the poses you've put me in so far sure didn't feel very sexy. My back is starting to ache a little. I'm looking forward to the hot tub."
Louise offered to get some aspirin, but Carrie refused. Once lunch was over they headed back to the dressing room. Louise decided to put Carrie's hair up, again leaving some loose strands around her face, which she touched up with the curling iron. She also redid her makeup.
"Put these on." She pulled a pair of long, dangly earrings out of the wooden box. "This time you won't need any other jewelry. And take your shoes off."
As soon as Carrie was ready, Louise led her into the master bathroom where she turned on the faucet to draw a bubble bath in the large, garden bathtub. As the tub was filling, she adjusted the blinds and moved the light reflectors around.
"This is the time of day when the sunlight comes directly through the windows and it makes for some interesting light and shadows."
Once she was satisfied with the lighting, and the tub was filled to the right amount, she had Carrie step into the water.
"Jeez!" she exclaimed as she tried to settle in the tub. "The water's a little on the cool side, Louise. You know, I'd forgotten just how unglamorous the world of modeling can
actually be."
"You're right, so quit being such a wimp. I didn't want the water to be too warm, because I don't want your face to sweat. Besides, it's making your nipples hard, which is what the client wants. Now, if you'll just cooperate with me, young lady, I'll get you out of there as quickly as I can."
Once again, Carrie followed Louise's instructions as she leaned back into the tub. The cool water, however, made the time pass much too slowly. It seemed like forever before Louise told her stand up and place a few clumps of the foamy bubbles around her hips and stomach. As they slowly ran down her body, she explained she was doing her own interpretation of Botticelli's famous painting, The Birth of Venus. Carrie was greatly relieved when Louise finally announced they were finished and handed her a towel. Dried off, they headed back into the dressing room for yet another hairstyle change, and then it was time to go out to the pool. The afternoon sun was making some interesting shadows. Carrie stood by, trying to warm herself in her robe, as Louise set up the light reflectors and laid a beach towel down on the deck at the edge of the pool.
"Okay. As soon as you're ready, I need you to come lie down on the towel."
Carrie removed her robe. The outside air was a little chilly, but the warmth of the sun on her skin felt soothing. She felt a tremendous sense of relief knowing it would be their final session. She prayed that after today she'd never have to pose in the nude again.
"I'm proud of you, Sweetness," said Louise. "You got the hang of this and it's really not so bad. Now turn on your side, facing me and prop your head on your elbow. Move your other arm back so it's resting on your hip and bend your top leg, pointing your knee up toward the sky. There you go. Now, look at me and smile."
Louise took a number of shots of Carrie next to the pool and just like before, each pose became more sexually explicit. Finally, she said she was finished, but Carrie's sense of relief quickly faded as Louise moved the light reflectors and told her to step into the shallow end of the pool. At least this time the water felt pleasantly warm. Louise mentioned it was a heated pool and told her to stay at the pool steps. Just like before, many of the poses she was positioned in were very erotic.
The Deception Page 2