Katie Haspel was beautiful, even at before fully developed at 18. Dark hair, carmel colored skin, brown eyes, and a body fit from years of playing high school sports. And when we met our freshman year of college I was the luckiest guy alive to get a date with her. I never would have dreamed that Daniel Paxton, mediocre athlete and hobby photographer would catch the interest of such a beauty.
One reason may have been our shared interest in the outdoors. Katie had discovered hiking and I had always had a love of hunting and fishing, and we were able to tie the two together. We would hike to a blind or stand and shoot 4 legged creatures- with my camera. Sometimes we would canoe out and photograph birds in the wetlands. Or we would hike out to a trout stream and catch fish, taking nature pics to sell, and then release the fish.
But my favorite subject to photograph was always Katie.
My mother was a highly sought after wedding and senior picture photographer and while in high school I spent most weekends with Mom at weddings. I got comfortable behind the camera and loved shooting brides and bridesmaids because they were generally about 6 to 8 years older than me at the time, usually pretty, most liked to drink champagne and would usually look past me as just some kid, and when they did that, they would let their inhibitions down.
And those were the best pictures a young man could ever want...until Katie fell into my life.
At first the pictures were tasteful. Her first ones were in cargo shorts, new boots and a flannel shirt. By that description they should not have been sexy, but with Katie in them they were the best photos I had taken by any measure. A well known outdoor clothing chain wanted Katie to model, but she was not comfortable being in the spotlight.
Then we eventually progressed to her top off and in her bra outdoors. Or the tops of her panties would be visible. Next was lingerie inside the studio or her apartment. I loved to purchase lingerie for her to model. A well known website was interested in her, but she said no to them as well. Conservative religious values. She was a virgin and would remain so until marriage.
Or remain so until we took nude photos together. I let her photograph me first, and I will admit, I looked pretty good. Sandy brown hair, green eyes, decent build at 6 foot tall, 175 pounds. I got more confidence in myself and that carried over to Katie gaining confidence.
We used a camera with film that I would have to develop myself and then I had to give her the negatives, but she agreed to be nude. And I was nude. Setting the timer, we took pictures. And ended up making love. And as a true gentleman, I gave her the prints and the film, not keeping any for myself.
We made love many times that final semester I was in college, which was my sophomore year. We practiced solid birth control principles for the most part, but the photo of the broken condom and a stream of my semen running out of her was my favorite pic I ever snapped, and since you couldn't see her face, she let me keep that one. And Katie and I are the only two who had ever seen it.
But as time marched on, I dropped out of college to take over my mother's studio after she had a small stroke. Eventually Mom was supposed to be able to come back, but she never did.
And running Mom's- which was now my studio became a full time, every weekend job that caused Katie to move on. We broke on good terms, but Katie wanted a man there when she was, and I was gone every weekend and many evenings. I was devastated but Katie deserved more than I could offer her, and I reluctantly had to set her free. I loved her too much.
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I ran into Katie just after her college graduation. She had hired me to take engagement photos of her along with her new fiance, Holden Chamber III, a guy who was going to work in Daddy's bank. I know, I took over Mommy's photo studio, but this guy was a douchebag. He was as bright as a box of broken lightbulbs and probably didn't even know how to tie a Double Windsor knot which is why he wore an ascot or some other douchebag accessory.
Okay, maybe I was jealous. I had worked my ass off taking pictures in an era where fewer and fewer people hired a photographer to take family pictures and senior pictures. Even weddings were getting to the point that the couple would hire a family member and spend $300 on a nice digital camera they could keep and shoot a thousand pictures if they wanted.
Luckily I still sold nature pics to magazines and websites and got lucky with sitting fees and pics for a couple of women wanting to break into the adult entertainment industry. But I never sold the pic of Katie. It was still a part of the bond we shared from a few years before.
Katie hired me to shoot their wedding as well. I wanted a job, but this one would be tough. I explained that I generally took photos at big milestones along the engagement path- bridal showers, engagement photos at various times of the year for seasonal change, and any other requests they might have.
Katie had one request that was supposed to be a surprise to Holden. "Dan, I would like to have you shoot me, um, in the nude. Please."
I was shocked, interested and conflicted. My heart never got over Katie, but the last few years had been real kind to her and it was unbelievable but she was even more beautiful than I had remembered her. So I wanted to see her that way, but it would rip me apart knowing she was displaying herself for someone else. And to add insult to injury, that someone else was a real douchebag. I thought I had better throw that in again in case I failed to hammer that point home already.
"Why me, Katie?"
"Well, you are the only one to ever see me naked. And to, um, you know." It was difficult for her to ask this, I am sure, but I wanted to understand her thinking.
"You mean Holden has never seen you-"
"No. He thinks I'm still a virgin. And I could just give him those old pics we took, but those are between you and me, not Holden and me," she explained.
"What do you have in mind, Katie? Your place? Outdoors? Somewhere else?"
"Not my place, or not his place. He will be gone again this weekend and I was hoping to take a few at the lake in that old stone tower, and maybe at your studio," she said.
"Well, as luck would it, I am not busy this weekend, so that should work," I said.
"Really, no weddings?"
