by Nance Sparks
“Would you come to New York if I’m chosen?” Miss Charlotte asked.
“Oh my God, that would be a blast!” The thought of going to a drag show in New York with Riley was almost too much to handle. Could something so wonderful be possible?
Riley handed Miss Charlotte a memory stick of the images. “I have them saved in different sizes. Some sites have an upload size requirement. Please let us know if you’re chosen, okay?”
“I’ll definitely let you know. I can’t thank you both enough. Here’s some serious swag, including that purple prince, all on the house. Thank you again for everything! My contact info is in there too.” Miss Charlotte bent down to hug Andrea and Riley. “I expect to see you both in New York!”
Andrea hugged Miss Charlotte one last time and then held the door open for Riley and her traveling equipment totes. She looked down at the swag bag of toys. Never before had anything like this happened to her. It hadn’t even fazed Riley. She suddenly felt like the shy and quiet one, whereas Riley seemed to be bold and daring. She looked over the roof of the car into Riley’s smiling eyes and wondered how else she had changed over the years.
Chapter Seventeen
The hotel attendant set the last of the luggage down. Riley slipped a few bills into his hand and then locked the door behind him. The two-room suite was everything she’d hoped it would be.
“Is this the room you had reserved for yourself?” Andrea asked from the other room.
Riley walked through the double doors into the bedroom. She found Andrea sitting on the edge of a deep Jacuzzi tub. The bedroom was huge with French doors that led out to a balcony. She couldn’t have dreamt up a more perfect room for the next few days.
“I might have called for an upgrade while you were packing up your room.” Riley smiled.
Andrea closed the drain and turned on the water. She looked up with a mischievous expression on her face and began to unbutton her blouse. “Care to join me?”
Riley wasted no time stripping down and nearly tripped out of her pants when she stopped to ogle Andrea’s beautiful body as she bent to check the water.
Andrea flicked a switch and the jets kicked in. She lowered herself into the water and sat between Riley’s legs and then leaned back into her arms.
“It doesn’t get much better than this,” Riley whispered into Andrea’s ear.
“Hmmm, no, it certainly does not,” Andrea said. She caressed Riley’s knee beneath the water.
“I think we need to add a tub like this to the dream house.” Riley leaned her head back on the neck rest.
“That’s right! Our dream house, we had it all drawn up. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and we even had a darkroom for your photography. God, I haven’t thought about that in years. We were going to live on a lake with a wooden dock and have a canoe or kayaks. If we add a tub like this to the dream house, it has to be in our bedroom. I’m not sharing it with anyone but you.” Andrea nuzzled in a little closer.
“Our bedroom, I like the sound of that,” Riley said. She had to remember that this was three days of fun, nothing more. Andi’s life was in Wisconsin with kids, and Riley lived a nomadic existence with a business she adored and a lifestyle that suited her almost perfectly, with no obligations to be home at a certain time or for any event. Still, she could enjoy everything about the three days. She was gently teasing Andrea’s skin with her fingertips. Riley leaned forward and kissed Andrea’s neck.
“Hmmm, that feels nice.” Andrea tilted her head to the side.
Riley lifted Andrea up in the water a bit so she was sitting on her lap instead of between her legs. She trailed kisses down Andrea’s back and caressed her skin beneath the water. Before she could explore any more, Andrea slipped off of her lap and made her way to the far end of the tub. She straddled Riley’s shins and lifted herself out of the water while reaching for something outside of the tub.
“You have the sexiest ass,” Riley said.
Andrea turned back and smiled before lowering herself back into the water. She lifted one of Riley’s ankles, sliding something beneath it and did the same thing with the other leg. Her eyes held a mischievous glint as she reached behind her back and pulled her harness up Riley’s legs.
“Would you hold yourself up for a second?” Riley asked
“I think I could manage that.” Andrea bit down on her bottom lip and winked.
She planted each hand firmly on the sides of the tub and leaned back. Her expression grew more mischievous, more seductive. Long, sexy legs came up out of the water. She draped the back of her knees over Riley’s shoulders.
“Like this?” Andrea lifted her hips up, almost out of the water.
“Uh-huh, and I’m supposed to focus on getting the straps lined up right?”
Riley cupped Andrea’s ass in her hands and lifted her out of the water. She leaned forward and teased her with her tongue.
“Oh, that feels so good.” She lifted her hips completely out of the water, holding onto the sides to keep her head from going under.
Riley took her time, teasing and exploring until Andrea began to quiver all over.
“Sweetheart, wait, I’m not strong enough to enjoy this and hold myself up. My arms—” Andrea started giggling. “Hurry. I’m going to fall.”
Riley pulled away and quickly slid the harness in place. She pulled on the side straps and tightened the fit before she moved her hands to help support Andrea. Still giggling, Andrea pulled her legs back into the water and straddled Riley’s lap. She leaned forward until her forehead was up against Riley’s.
“Everything is still so fun and easy with you,” Andrea said and then stared deeply into Riley’s eyes before leaning in for a kiss.
There was a tug on the harness and then Andrea shifted in the water. Riley watched the expression on her face change, admiring her ability to say so much without uttering a single word. The look in her eyes morphed from playful to seductive. The pressure she felt as the purple prince slid inside of Andrea was indescribable. There was something about this harness that made it feel as if it was really part of her body. Andrea moaned and the tip of her tongue touched her top lip and then her head tilted back. What Riley wouldn’t have done for a photo of that exact pose.
Andrea pulled back and then pushed into her again, driving away any thoughts of photos or anything else. Riley leaned against the back of the tub and lifted her hips to match Andrea’s need. Her breasts dipped in and out of the water with each thrust. Riley wanted to catch the water droplets with her tongue as they dripped off her nipples, but she was moving too fast. She could feel something thumping against the back of the tub each time Andrea thrust forward. She reached down and realized Andrea’s knees were slamming into the back of the tub.
“Andi, your knees, let’s move to the bed.” Riley was so close it was hard to get the words out.
“I don’t care, sweetheart, I’m so close. Please don’t stop.” Andrea leaned down and cupped Riley’s face in her hands.
Riley slid farther into the tub which increased the pressure from the harness on her clit. Every time Andrea pushed into her, it brought her closer, yet she tried to wait. It was so much more incredible when they came together. She lifted her hips into Andrea again and it was all she needed to tip over the edge. In a loud, vocal explosion, Andrea came with Riley while water splashed over the edge of the tub, onto the floor. Andrea collapsed forward into Riley’s arms, shifting her hips in tiny circles.
“Next time, I get to wear the purple prince,” Andrea whispered into Riley’s ear.
“I don’t know about that. I love the way fucking you feels,” Riley said, her chin barely out of the water.
“Let’s move to the bed, sweetheart. I’m not done with you yet,” Andrea said.
Riley’s eyes were heavy. She hadn’t slept for far too long, and that orgasm had wiped her out. She looked up into seductive hazel e
yes and decided that she could sleep some other time. Andrea lifted herself up off of the purple prince and stepped out of the tub. Riley missed her the moment she stepped away. She stood and slid her way across the tiled floor to the warmth of the bed and Andrea’s waiting arms.
Chapter Eighteen
It was already starting to get dark outside. Andrea was curled up contently in Riley’s arms savoring in the grand finale orgasmic afterglow. This seemed like a perfect way to start spending more time together. She snuggled in closer enjoying the sound of Riley’s heartbeat.
“Riley?”
“Hmmm?”
“How did Candid Photography come to be?” Andrea rolled over on top of her and looked into her eyes.
“Why do you ask about the studio?” Riley’s eyes remained closed. She sounded sleepy.
“I may have looked you up on the web while I was supposed to be packing up my hotel room earlier. Is it true that photographing a favorite subject back home gave you the concept of candid photography? And hiding in the shadows to get shots of unsuspecting people, isn’t that called stalking? But for you, it’s, umm how did they put it, award winning photography, eh?” Andrea watched Riley’s face for a reaction.
Riley opened her eyes. The trademark half grin appeared on her face. “You were on my bio page.”
“I was on your bio page. Clicked on the link to the article too and read it and then reread it several times. Nice head shot of you, by the way. That shirt was always one of my favorites. Let me see if I can remember how the article goes. ‘Amateur photographer Riley Canon was awarded Best Series on Film, Best Portrait on Film, Most Emotion in a Shot, and Best Golden Hour Shot as a first semester freshman, beating out over eight hundred submissions of mostly junior and senior level students. All of Canon’s submissions were from a single roll of film taken the evening before she left her hometown to attend Webster University. Her award-winning shots can be seen on display in the Student Commons Room. Because the Gazette was unable to obtain consent from Canon’s favorite subject, the photographs could not be published in the paper. Congratulations to Riley Canon on this outstanding achievement.’ Well, it reads something like that anyway. The black-and-white shot of our tree in the article was pretty incredible too.”
“You read that quite a few times to remember all of that detail.” Riley wrapped her arms around Andrea and flipped her over onto her back so that she was on top. “I won a one-year scholarship for that roll of film. My parents were pretty stoked about that part.”
“You used to take pictures of me all the time. I don’t remember seeing anything on your wall that I didn’t recognize. When did you start lurking in the shadows?”
“After that night at your house, when we weren’t allowed to see each other. I’d catch you every so often, when you didn’t know I was around. Those are some of my favorite photographs of you. The roll that won the awards was that last day by the apple tree.” Riley brushed a strand of hair out of Andrea’s eyes.
“Do you still have the prints? Can I see them some day?”
“I’m starving. Are you hungry? Let’s order room service.”
Andrea was confused by the change of subject, but she was indeed starving. She thought back and realized she hadn’t eaten much of anything all day.
“I could eat. How about a cheeseburger with bacon and French fries? No, wait, onion rings? Oh, and an ice-cold beer. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?”
“It does sound pretty good. Let me make a quick phone call and then I want to show you something.”
Riley climbed out of the bed and ordered a variety of food and a six-pack of beer. Andrea snuggled into the covers and wondered how her girls were doing. The last time she’d checked in with them was just before the wedding. They knew she was enjoying some adult time, but it didn’t stop her from feeling guilty for not calling every day. She looked over at the clock and added the three-hour time difference. It was already too late to call tonight. She’d check in with them tomorrow.
Riley returned with her laptop. Andrea propped up a few pillows and snuggled up close. A password and a few clicks opened a folder with several subfolders. Riley selected all of the images in a specific subfolder and clicked “open slideshow.” Andrea’s breath caught. She recognized her teenage self, and the location, but certainly hadn’t posed for the shot. She was leaning forward, looking off to the side. Her hair glistened in the sun as it cascaded down to frame her face, and her eyelashes seemed to glow, even the irises of her hazel eyes seemed to pop every color. The detail was incredible. Tiny glowing dust particles floated in the air around her head. It was a profile shot from her shoulders up. Her lips were slightly parted. The woods behind her were filled with deep, dark shadows.
“This shot won the best golden hour. That last day, I arrived early but you were already there. I stayed back in the woods and watched you for a moment. I was completely captivated by what I saw and had to see if I could capture that image on film. I took several shots before I stepped on a stick and you looked my way. I caught that moment too.” Riley clicked on the next photo. “Now, this one won the most emotion in a shot.”
“Oh, I do remember this one.” Andrea reached up and touched the screen. “You had just given me that beautiful bracelet. I know the camera was between us, but I was totally looking at you. I was a whirlwind of emotions at that moment. I knew what I had to do, I knew what I had come there to say, but my God how I adored you. I’d missed you so much. I treasured the way you treated me, the way you spoiled me rotten and cherished me. But that day I knew my words would break your heart. I knew it because mine was already broken. One evening turned my entire world upside down and I had to confess that truth to you. I see the emotion on my face in that photograph and I feel sorry for her.”
“I see all of it. The love. The adoration. The guilt. The fear, everything. It’s still one of the most powerful photographs I’ve ever taken.” Riley clicked to the next photo.
“When did you take this one?” Andrea stared at it, trying to remember it.
“When the stick snapped and you caught me lurking in the woods. It was the moment you realized it was me, and you gave me that smile that totally lights up my world. The dimples show up when you’re that happy. This one won best portrait because you weren’t totally looking at the camera. I somehow caught it just as you recognized me, but you weren’t posing for a photo. Your smile says it all.”
“You can see every strand of hair on my head, every eyelash. The sun was so bright. Look how small my pupils are.”
“Okay, now this next one is a thumbnail series of the entire roll of film, front to back. It won best series.”
Riley clicked on the next photo and the screen filled with each small photo from the entire roll of film, twelve images in all. Andrea was the subject in every single photo. There were a few of her side profile, one of her looking into the woods, others when she realized it was Riley in the woods and then the few around the bracelet. Andrea studied each shot and admired Riley’s talent.
“Can I ask you something?” Andrea looked up.
“Anything.”
“What did you see in the Jacuzzi at the hotel that made you take a picture?”
“Ah, the Jacuzzi. That’s already a new favorite.” Riley backed out of the folder and opened a different one. She scanned the thumbnails and then clicked on a shot. “Here it is. The three of you were talking about something or another. What caught my eye was how Kay was looking at Sara, how Sara was laughing and how you were watching the two of them with such a tender smile and sparkling eyes. Each of you holding a flute of champagne. The soft steam rising up from the bubbling water made the shot completely irresistible and worth being outed by the flash.”
“Now I understand.” Andrea looked at the photograph. “I can’t believe it. This is what Kay was talking about. These shots. You captured the emotion of that moment perfectly. They are going
to be absolutely thrilled. Seeing examples on your site is one thing, but I know these people, I know their hearts and you captured all of it, their essence, their love for each other, with the click of a button.”
“Sara’s right about one thing, they probably deserve a discount because there are as many shots of you as there are of their weekend. I used twice the number of disks as I have on any other job.” Riley smiled.
“Oh, so you heard us, eh?”
She winced. “Andi, I had a job—”
“Shut up. I know. It’s okay. Could I see what you captured this weekend?”
A knock on the hotel room door interrupted the conversation. “Room service.”
Riley backed out of the folder and opened a different one. “Here, start here and I’ll get the food.”
Andrea clicked through the moments of the weekend. Shots of Kay and Sara in the lobby of the hotel greeting guests. A photo of Kay and Sara in the bar with Cat setting drinks on the table. Sara was blushing at something Cat had said, and Kay was belly laughing. Andrea could only imagine the comments needed to get Sara to turn that shade of red. She kept clicking through the images. Shots of Kay and Sara at the welcome party playing Connect Four and Jenga. Shots of her turning away from the bar in that cute black cocktail dress. Wow, who knew I looked that hot? Definitely hot mom. A funny thought occurred to her as she clicked through the photographs marveling at the emotion in each captured moment. If things worked out, if they were ever to have a ceremony… Who would capture their special day? Who else could capture the emotion of their day in a way that could possibly compare to this? Andrea shook her head and a sadness washed over her. She needed to stop thinking like that. There wouldn’t be a special day for them. Their lives were too different, and she wasn’t about to ask Riley to give up her glamorous life to do soccer games and ballet lessons. Andrea had been so wrapped up in being a mom and nurse she’d forgotten how to be anything else. She couldn’t possibly expect Riley to take on that kind of existence and give up her dream life. She needed to accept these next few days for what it was and then just enjoy the fact that she had Riley’s friendship back in her life. It had to be enough.
