A Bump in the Night

The next day, I talked to Dave. He had been a professional photographer for over twenty years and I wanted his input. He was fairly positive about the idea but warned me against using his studio for shooting any nudes. I assured him I would never do that. We talked a little more and he gave me several ideas for content and marketing.

Designing a website wasn't a problem, I was pretty computer savvy and knew how to use the free software programs to make it look good. What I was mainly worried about was how to distinguish my stuff from every other Tom, Dick, and Harry out there doing the same thing.

Using Dave's suggestions, I went to the library and checked out several books on graphic design. I was looking for flow, swirls, twists, and curves, things I could incorporate while using Megan's luscious body and different lighting techniques. I rearranged my basement home studio to give me a little more room and made some do-it-yourself props.

I went over some of my ideas with Megan and explained how I would light her poses to simulate different designs in human form. She couldn't wait so we started to experiment.

For both of us, it was a new experience. I had seen Megan naked every night for months but to have her in front of my camera felt like I was painting the Mona Lisa. Megan was over the moon when she saw them on the computer and said she felt so special having pictures taken of her like that.

For the next three nights, we'd grab a quick bite to eat then shoot till it was time to go to bed. By the time we hit the sheets, we were both so horny, we'd make love until dawn. At the end of the week, we had over two hundred keepers; from which, we selected fifteen for the website and online store. Again, acting on one of Dave's suggestions, we made a couple of short advertising videos for YouTube and Instagram.

For over a month, the website sat dormant. We had a bunch of views but no sales. We were starting to lose hope.

Unfortunately for us, Megan couldn't get Sunday and Monday off like me. Two of the other girls with more seniority had Mondays so Megan had to settle for Wednesdays off. I was in the back room of the studio loading my last portrait session into Lightroom when I heard the phone ring.

"I got it," Dave yelled from up front. "It's for you, John, it's Megan, she sounds excited; she's on line one."

I picked up the phone, "Hi, Hon, what's up?"

"We just made our first sale," she excitedly screeched into the phone.

"We did; which one?"

"Number eight."

I had to think for a few seconds before remembering which shot was number eight. "What size?"

"A thirty by forty."

To keep things simple, we only offered canvas prints in three sizes. Each print was gallery-wrapped so it could be hung with or without a frame. The thirty by forty was the largest out of the three sizes. I couldn't believe someone had paid twelve hundred dollars for one of my photographs. Unfortunately, it wasn't all ours; we had to pay the printer but we still made out great.

"Honey, I think we should pick another fifteen and rotate them."

I wasn't real keen on that idea; it was hard enough picking out the first fifteen. "Already?"

"Yeah, Hon," she replied, still with excitement in her voice, "we've have several hundred views. If they go back and see that we've changed them already, it might convince them to buy when they see one they like rather than wait and take a chance it might not be there the next time they look."

It sounded like a good idea. "Okay, we'll go through them tonight after dinner." Whether it was Megan's idea about rotating or just that more people were finding the site, I don't know, but we sold two more over the next three weeks and five more over the following two months.

Things were going great between Megan and me; so great in fact, I was starting to think about the long term. Hell, it was almost like we were man and wife anyway. She was pitching in with expenses and the money we made on the nudes was going into both of our savings accounts.

I splurged for Megan's birthday. She'd never had a party so I gave her one. I invited all of my friends, her friends, and our friends. Thank heavens the complex had a large open area in back of each condo because there was no way we could have fit all those people into my little place. She received a lot of nice gifts but I waited until later that night to give her mine. It was the most money I'd ever spent on a gift for anyone but it was well worth it when I saw her face light up as she opened it.

"Oh, Honey, this... this is so beautiful... I... I... "

"Now, don't cry," I told her when I saw her eyes starting to glisten. "It's a Peridot; it's your birthstone. Those are small diamonds surrounding it. The earrings match the necklace."

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she blubbered. I helped her with the necklace and she put the earrings on and looked in the mirror. More tears flowed as she turned and threw herself into my arms.

That night our lovemaking was even more special, the sex was secondary to the touching, caressing, and kissing. We finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

About a week later, I closed up the studio and drove around to the back of the boutique to pick up Megan. I noticed she seemed a little nervous when she got in the car. She leaned over and kissed me but it felt a little apprehensive. "Is something wrong, Honey?"

"No, Hon, why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little on edge."

"Ah, well, there is something I want to talk to you about but it can wait until after dinner."

That sounded a little ominous and I wondered if she had bad news of some kind. "Are you sure you want to wait? Now, I'm nervous."

"Don't be nervous, Honey, it's not that big a deal, honest. It's just something I have to ask you, if you say no, that'll be the end of it."

As soon as we were done eating, I cleared the table, poured us both a cup of coffee, then sat down at the kitchen table opposite Megan, "Okay, we're done with dinner, spit it out; what's up?"

She looked scared, "I... I just don't want to hurt your feelings."

I was starting to lose my patience, "Megan... "

"Okay, okay, would you mind if I did some modeling for another photographer? It would probably only be one time..."

I started to laugh, "That's it? That's what all this was about? Jesus, Megan, you had me scared."

"Why, what did you think I was going to say?"

"I didn't know but not that. Of course, I don't mind, as long as it's legit. Unfortunately, there's a lot of guys out there who think they're photographers and try to talk pretty women into posing for them; so, tell me what happened? Who's the photographer?"

"Well, his name is Matt Everly. He's the one who shoots all the photography for Sheila's website. He came to the shop today to talk to her about the spring fashions. They were in the back room so I didn't hear their conversation but she must have said something because he walked right over to me on the way out and asked if I'd be interested in modeling for the shoot. He said the job paid scale but I have no idea what that means."

"It means even though you're not signed up with any agencies, he'll pay you as if you were. I'm not sure but I think scale is about forty bucks an hour. Are you going to be the only model?"

"Oh, no, there's always a bunch of different girls. Where's your laptop, I'll show you."

"It's on the coffee table."

She was so excited as she rushed to get my computer. She opened it and showed me the website. "Well, I don't think we have anything to worry about, did you tell him you'd do it?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you first."

"Honey, go for it. When is the shoot?"

"I'm not sure but soon. I heard him tell Sheila he had the entire wardrobe collection so he could start anytime."

With my blessing, Megan retrieved the photog's card and called him. He had the shoot scheduled over a two-week period. She arranged her first session for the following Wednesday so she wouldn't miss work. That gave me a few days to help her with posing.

By Wednesday evening, I was starting to get a little worried. I had no idea of the photographer's shooting schedule but I had been home from work for a couple of hours and still hadn't heard from Megan. It was almost nine o'clock when I heard a car drive up. I rushed to the window and saw her step out of the passenger's door. I couldn't see who was driving but Megan thanked them and came running in my direction. She came bursting in the door like a tornado.

"Well, " I chuckled, "judging by that big grin, I'm guessing you had a good time."

She threw her arms around my neck and forced her lips against mine without saying a word, not until finally breaking the kiss. "I had SO MUCH FUN. I don't think I've laughed so much in my life; the other girls were a riot. I can't believe I'm getting paid for this."

I was happy for her, she deserved to have some fun in life. "You must be tired, that was a long day for you."

"Are you kidding, I'm so pumped all I can think of is jumping your bones; besides, it wasn't that long. Sheila showed up about four and watched. We shot until five-thirty then she took all us girls out to dinner."

"So, is this it now, or do you go back?"

"I have to go back two more times. Unfortunately, I can't schedule them on my days off again. I'm going back next Monday and again next Thursday, that'll be the last day of shooting. I hate missing work and it's going to cost me money but, honestly, I can't wait to do it again."

When Thursday came around, she left the house as excited as ever. She got home a little after six. "So, was it still as much fun as it was the first time?"

"Oh, yeah, maybe even more so because I got to know the other girls better. What would you say if I told you Matt asked if I'd model for some other shoots?"

"Honey, you seem to enjoy it, my only concern would be Sheila. She gave you a break and you're making great money, I'd hate to see you throw all that back into her face by not showing up when she expects you."

"Oh, I'd never do that, Hon. I wanted to talk to you first but I'll talk to her tomorrow and see what she thinks of the idea. I was thinking maybe I could work four days a week instead of five. That would give me two days a week for modeling."

"The problem is, Hon, Everyly's not going to be able to schedule jobs around your timetable. If he calls you, he's going to expect you to be there."

I could see the wheels turning as she thought that over. "Yeah, you're right; maybe I should talk to Matt again before I even bring it up with Sheila."

"I think that's a good idea," I told her. "You'll have to make him understand you're only available on certain days. I don't know how much flexibility he has to schedule work but at least he'd know when to call and when not to call.

That Saturday, she was all smiles again when I picked her up after work. "I talked to both Matt and Sheila, in fact, they both talked to each other. I'm going to be off Wednesdays and Thursdays. That way, if we don't finish a shoot on Wednesdays, we can finish it the next day. What do you think?"

"Honey, if you're happy, I'm happy."

Things were really looking good. For Thanksgiving, we made the three-and-a-half-hour drive to my folks' place in Michigan so I could introduce Megan to my parents and my sister. She was so nervous, I thought she was going to throw up in the car. I kept telling her not to worry but she didn't calm down until actually meeting them. They all loved her, and after a little while, Megan felt like one of the family.

When we drove up there for Christmas, Megan couldn't wait to see everyone again.

Our "Fine Art" prints were selling well and our savings was growing so we splurged on Valentine's Day. We both took a couple of days off from work and spent a three-day weekend in Galena, overlooking the Mississippi River. We spent our days as tourists and our nights making love. It was the kind of weekend that made you start thinking about having kids and growing old together.

By the end of March, the days were warming up, so was Megan's modeling career. In addition to Everyly, she was also working with two other photographers; one of whom, Randal Sharp, was a well-known commercial photographer and had an outstanding reputation. Because of this, he didn't like working with non-agency models. Megan had a look he really liked so he made an exception in her case but was pushing her to sign with an agency.

It was about two o'clock in the morning when I collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hung on while we both recovered from our second round of monkey sex for the night. As our breathing gradually returned to normal, Megan turned her face toward my neck and lightly nibbled on my ear lobe. She knew all my erogenous zones and that one sent me into the stratosphere. I was just starting to wonder if we were going to get any sleep when she whispered in my ear, "That's just a precursor to what's in store for you tomorrow night."

I smiled, "promises, promises."

I was ready for some sleep but she was still wide awake and wanted to talk. "What do you think about me signing with a modeling agency?"

"I think it'd be a bad idea," I replied.

"Really?" she questioned in shock. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at me, "Why?"

"Honey, so far you've been able to schedule your modeling jobs either on your days off or at least far enough ahead that you can give Sheila ample warning if you need to take off. You won't have that luxury if you sign with an agency.

"Honey, an agency's job is to promote their models. They spend time and money doing just that; in response, they expect you to go where and when they say. If you turn down jobs because they don't fit your schedule, they'll drop you and label you as hard to work with.

"If you sign with an agency, you'll have to quit Sheila and devote yourself to modeling full-time. Is that what you want to do?"

I expected her to give me a resounding, 'No' but she took a few seconds to answer and then surprised me.

"I... I don't know. I don't want to let anyone down, especially you and Sheila but I love modeling. It's always something new and exciting, and the people I meet on shoots are a lot nicer to me than most of the customers in the shop."

"Randy says I should raise my rates to one-twenty-five and hour. If I did that, I'd probably make more money than I do at the boutique."

"Hon, Randy is a commercial photographer. He works with ad agencies; they're the ones who pay you, not him. I doubt if independent photographers like Everyly will be able to afford rates like that."

"You don't want me to do this, do you?"

She was right, I didn't want her to do it, but if it was something she really wanted to do, I wasn't going to try and hold her back. "Hon, it's not that I don't want you to do it, I want you to do what makes you happy; I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into, that's all.

"I only know a couple of full-time models and they're constantly running around with very little time for themselves. I also know there are photographers they love working with and others they despise and hate working with, but they have to do it anyway so it's not ALL fun and games.

"You'd also have to buy a car. You won't be able to rely on Uber all the time."

"Hmmm, okay, you've given me a lot to think about. Let's get some sleep, Hon. I love you," she said before cuddling up and closing her eyes. I thought, 'get some sleep,' sure easy for you to say; my mind was twisting like a twig in a tornado.

I had met all three photographers she was working with and had absolutely no worries with any of them. In fact, Megan and I had gone out to dinner with Everyly and his wife on a couple of occasions.

If she signed with an agency, I'd have no idea where she was or who she was working with. It would also cut down on the time we spent together. I wondered if she considered that; no more driving to and from work together or meeting for lunch in the mall.

Something else crossed my mind too; I didn't like it but I couldn't help but worry. She once told me she had to trade sex for things she wanted, would she do it again if she wanted a particular modeling job? It's certainly not unheard of, there are hundreds of casting couch stories out there. I was ashamed of myself for thinking that way but with her background, well...

At that moment, I was her hero, her Superman--would I remain her hero if I talked her out of modeling full-time or would she always wonder what could have been and start to resent me for holding her back? I heard Megan's cute little snore and thought, thanks a bunch, you're off in dreamland while I struggle with a nightmare.

By morning, I knew what I was going to do... nothing. I already pointed out some of the negatives the night before; from that point on, there wasn't much more I could do, the decision had to be hers, which is exactly what I told her.

I'll say this, it wasn't a decision she was going to make lightly. She did her homework. Over the next month, she must have talked to thirty or forty other models, some of whom worked with an agency and others who worked freelance. She also talked with several of the agencies and a few other photographers. It wasn't until I saw her looking online at used cars that I knew her decision.

Later that night Megan poured us each a glass of wine and asked if we could talk in the living room. "John, I know you saw me looking at used cars earlier so you've probably guessed what I'm about to say..."

"You're going to model full-time."

She looked into my eyes, "Please don't say it like that, Honey. I know it will cut down on our time together but, Hon, if I don't do this, I will wonder what I missed for the rest of my life. We'll still be together. Most of the other models I talked to are happily married and still get to spend time with their husbands, some even have kids.

I could tell how excited she was by her voice, yet she had such a worried look on her face. "Oh, John, please don't be angry with me, I..."

I couldn't help but give her a big smile and chuckle. In a little less than a year, the young girl I ran down with my car had evolved from a homeless street urchin to a beautiful, sophisticated young woman about to take on the world of professional modeling.

"Honey, I am SO proud of you."

The worried look suddenly turned to joy, "Really?"

"Of course, Hon. Do you have any idea how much you've matured since I first ran into you," I asked with a smile.

She laughed, "Since you first ran into me?" She seemed to think back to that night for a second. "You know, I still remember thinking as I felt your car bump me, 'What next?' The way my life had been going, I didn't even expect you to stop. It turns out that bump was the luckiest moment of my life. I have no idea where I'd be tonight if it wasn't for you. I owe you everything."

She leaned in and kissed me... gently, with affection, not lust. "I'll never be able to repay you for what you've done for me."

"Reciprocation is not required, Hon; however, I am feeling a little horny." That got me a laugh and a full night of lovemaking.

She bought a used car, a phone, and gave Sheila a month's notice. To say that Megan's modeling career was meteoric would be understating it. Within six months she was one of the most sought-after talents in Chicago. She had also taken a couple of gigs in New York and one in L.A. I was no longer worried about her having to trade sex for any particular job; ad agencies sometimes offered HER perks just as an incentive to take an assignment.

As busy as she was, Megan always had time to stop by the studio now and then between jobs. We still had lunch together sometimes and she was always home at night except when she traveled. When she could, she also stopped by the boutique and the beauty salon to visit. She never forgot the people who gave her a break, she even still posed for Everyly once in a while on the sly and at no charge.