Inara jumped at the sound of Niall’s voice. She hadn’t expected him to be here and she hadn’t noticed him standing in the corner of the photography studio. She should have seen him. Dressed head to toe in black he stood out like a wraith against the stark white walls.
“That’s not what I agreed to,” Inara said, backing away from Sara, her shoulders bumping against the Japanese paper screens.
“I think you’ll find that you agreed to be painted. Didn’t she Sara?” Niall’s voice was hypnotically melodic.
“She did Niall. She agreed that I could paint her.”
“Okay. So maybe I said that, but there was nothing about him photographing me.”
“That’s true my love,” Niall said, black curls shaking as he nodded.
“Well then, if you don’t want to be photographed you’ll have to go…”
Inara let out a sigh of relief and just when her pulse had almost returned to normal Sara finished her sentence,”…and come back the day of the showing. I’d hoped to show photographs of you, but I’d be just as happy to display your body on the night.”
“Display me?”
“Yes. Naked and painted.”
“I like the idea my love. Imagine her on a pedestal. She could be your centerpiece.”
Inara felt a flush of hot and cold fear rush across her skin. From head to toe. She was painted into a corner. She agreed to be painted now and photographed by Niall or she appear naked on the night of Sara’s next showing-in front of thousands of people and the media. She had no choice, other than to forfeit the bet and if she did that she could never show her face at La Luna again.
“I’ll do it. I’ll be painted now and you can photograph me.”
“I don’t know. I really like the idea of showing you on the night instead.”
“No! Now! Please, now. Whatever you want. I’ll agree to whatever you want.”
Sara came towards her, stalking like a predator. Inara could move no further back without toppling over the screens. Pressed against the paper screen Inara shuddered as Sara trailed a finger up her bare arm and across the collar bone showing through the thin straps of her tank. “Whatever I want Inara. Is that right?”
“Yes. Whatever you want.”
“Strip down for me.”
Inara had expected this; knowing full well that Sara painted nudes, she’d come dressed for easy removal. She was bare underneath her top. The tank she wore had a shelf bra, not that with her little apple breasts she needed much support. For bottoms she’d chosen wide leg grey drawstring yoga pants. They pooled at her feet, slipping easily to the ground the moment she released the drawstring. Dressed only in brief, flesh-colored panties, she bent down and neatly folded her clothes. When she stood up, both Sara and Niall were watching her. Goose pimples shot across her skin and she fought the urge to cover her breasts. She was no nudity novice; she’d done this before.
She wouldn’t cover herself like some naive girl.
“Panties down.”
Inara tried not to let her disappointment show. She’d worn the flesh colored panties on purpose, hoping that she wouldn’t need to strip completely bare. She pulled the slip of fabric down over her legs. Not bending, but picking the panties up with her toes. She didn’t bother to fold them, just flicking them on top of her pile of clothes.
“Come into the light.” Sara stood in the center of the room and beckoned her forward with a curl of her fingers. Heart pounding, Inara moved slowly to the middle of the photographic area. Niall was standing near the big box lights but had yet to turn them on. Fingers crossed there was enough natural light, Inara didn’t know if she had it in her to stand tall completely naked under such bright white light.
Sara stalked around her in a circle. Pausing every couple of steps to murmur indistinct words. Finally she stopped in front of Inara with her hands on her hips. When she spoke she didn’t look at Inara, but directed her comments to Niall, “It’ll have to come off. Won’t it?”
What would? What would have to come off? A cold rush of fear gripped Inara at her words.
“Yes it definitely will,” Sara said as she moved forward and stroked her hand down the slight swell of Inara’s stomach. Only when her fingers dipped to run through Inara’s pubic hair did she understand Sara’s meaning.
“Off? Take…it off?” Inara stuttered.
“I recall you just saying Inara dear, that you’d do anything,” Niall said.
“But..”
“Anything,” Niall repeated, his voice dipping lower.
Sara went down on her knees, her face close to Inara’s pubic mound. Inara squeezed her legs tight, clamping her thighs shut. “I have to shave it. I need it bare to paint it Inara darling,” she said as she stroked her fingers through the sparse hair. As a product of her Korean-Swedish heritage Inara’s pubic hair was fine and thin. She’d never before thought of even trimming it, let alone shaving it bare.
“Niall, can you set up my paints while Inara and I go to the bathroom?”
“Certainly my love.”
The bathroom that led off the studio was stark-bare white walls and polished concrete floors. “No need making it fancy when it gets splattered with paint on a regular basis,” Sara explained as she followed through the open doorway.
The sinks were battered double stainless steel tubs covered in paint drips. The shower was just a tap and a shower hose handle attached the corner wall. There wasn’t even a shower curtain. The floor sloped to a big drain in the center of the room. A stainless steel chair sat in the corner beside the shower hose handle. In the other corner was an old fashioned, off white toilet pedestal. It had a pull chain to flush.
“I get really dirty painting,” Sara said as she led a naked Inara over to the chair in the shower corner. “Sit here and I’ll get you ready.”
Inara sat on the cold metal chair. It felt like she was in a weird art film. How else could she have ended up naked in a concrete shower room waiting to be shaved? She embraced the out of body feeling, hoping that it would get her through this bizarre experience.
Sara’s hands pressed down, cool on Inara’s thighs. “Scoot forward on the chair.
Bring your bottom right to the edge.”
She shifted forward and spread her legs. Squeezing her eyes shut tight Inara braced for intimate contact. She felt the puff of Sara’s breath on her inside thighs as she laughed. “Calm down Inara. It’s not going to be that bad. Who knows. You may even like it.”
Inara opened her eyes and looked down at Sara. She was on her haunches nestled between Inara’s legs; her face close to the apex of Inara’s spread thighs. Her mouth tilted in a slight smile and even white teeth were biting her bottom lip-she was enjoying herself. Enjoying Inara’s stilted reaction to her touch. Inara forced herself to relax, letting her shoulders drop and her back slump into the chair. She wouldn’t-
couldn’t-show smirking Sara her apprehension.
“Good honey, relax,” Sara said, coming up on her knees to spread Inara’s thighs open wider-so wide cool air hit the lips of her pussy. “I don’t think I’ll need to trim you back with the scissors. Your hair is so soft and fine the razor should do it easily.”
Inara nodded, but she was unprepared for the feeling of Sara’s fingers spreading the shaving gel on her mound. Round and around she slicked the fragrant gel until it transformed into a thick layer of creamy foam. She wiped her hand on a damp washer and then brought the orange disposable razor up to the top of Inara’s pubic mound. “I’m going to stroke down first. Get off most of the hair and then I’ll go up, against the grain until you’re nice and smooth. Okay?”
Feeling light headed, Inara nodded.
The pressure of the razor was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It scraped and massaged at the same time. In long slow strokes Sara worked her way down Inara’s mound, stopping every now and then to tap off the excess hair. She had a little jug of hot water in which she rinsed the razor. Every time she did it the razor returned hot on her skin. She liked the feeling and found herself spreading her legs and arching up into the movement.