release. He moved closer to the twosome and lay an the floor so that the lens was aimed directly at the gap between Tess' thighs. 'Tess? I want you to spread your legs. Yes, your knees. Open them wider so I can get a few shots of your beaver while you lick Edgar-There! That's fine. It's nice and shiny, just the way my readers are going to like it… You've got nice love lips, has anyone ever told you that? Great flaps. Symmetrical as hell, and generously proportioned… '
Romo could see that Mike was about to stick his cock through Martha's legs as the two girls, as well as Mike, lay on their sides. He got to his feet and took a few more photos of Tess' face with her tongue slobbering saliva onto Edgar's cock head; he then patted her, told her that she could stop if it was all right with Edgar, and moved to photograph the guy and two girls who were humping and licking a few feet away. He got a great shot of Mike's prick penetrating Martha's cunt (he had to ask her to lift one leg so he could get the photograph), and then he noticed that Tess had abandoned her cock licking and was wiping her mouth on her right forearm as Edgar, cursing, proceeded to jerk off. He'd have to have a talk with her later-for the moment, however, he was busy. 'Lillian? Open your legs a little more so I can get a better shot while Martha sticks two fingers up your crack…'
'I'm a runaway,' the girl confessed, as the three other models were putting their clothes on. She was holding her panties in both hands, but for some reason she seemed shy about pulling them on with Romo talking to her.
'How old are you?'
'Sixteen.'
'I want to know exactly how old you are,' Romo said. 'No bullshit.'
'Sixteen,' she repeated.
He thought about it. 'I could get in a lot of trouble for this if you should have second thoughts about being in the book. What I'm doing is illegal enough as it is… If you should go back to your parents and tell them what you were up to in New York, you could get me in real trouble.'
The girl's eyes flashed angrily. 'I wouldn't do that,' she said sharply.
'How do I know you won't?'
'I'm not that kind of girl.'
Romo shrugged. 'Never mind. It's academic anyway. I've already committed myself, and so have you. Tell me, how did you get into this racket? You don't seem too happy with the whole scene.'
'I don't like it,' she said with a blush.
'I figured as much. So why are you doing it? Why aren't you clerking in the A amp; P?'
She looked him in the eye. 'I need money. Not for I drugs or anything like that; don't get the wrong idea. I just need money, that's all. Money is freedom. The freedom to get out of the bind I'm in. Out of the crash pads, the Lower East Side hippie shelters with their dope addicts and all of that.' She seemed to be challenging him. 'Don't you approve?'
'Sure, I approve,' he laughed. 'If I were a prude, I wouldn't be in the business. It's just that you seemed a bit out of place. I saw the look on your face when I asked you to lick Edgar's cock. You looked like you were about to throw up.'
'It's not that sex turns me off,' she said softly.
'No? Then why did you look so goddamn disgusted?'
'I don't like Edgar. And I don't like doing it for… for money. Even though I have to, even though I know it's an easy way to get bread.'
'Where do you live?' he asked.
'Like I said. Places where drug freaks will take anyone in. I meet people. Some of the other models let me stay with them, and I meet their friends and friends of friends. One night here, one night there I sleep all over.'
'And you fuck all over too?'
She bridled. 'Look, these people aren't renting out hotel rooms. I can't help it if they make me give them sex.'
'No, I guess not.' Romo got out his checkbook and started writing a check to the agency. Martha came over to watch. 'I'm sending this to the agency,' Romo said. 'They'll pay you. You know how it works.'
Martha frowned. 'Your agreement with them was for fifty bucks a head, right?'
'Right.'
'And your agreement with us was for sixty-five.'
'That's right.'
Martha smiled professionally. 'All right. Why don't you give the agency two hundred and pay the other sixty to us? Fifteen bucks to each of us, direct?' She stared at him. He stared back. He felt like chuckling; the girl was a pro. 'Fifteen each,' she repeated.
'How about the agency?'
'You're giving them two hundred. You're meeting your obligation to them.'
Romo laughed. 'You win,' he said. He wrote a check for two hundred to the agency, then prepared four checks for fifteen each, leaving the payee lines blank. Martha took three of the fifteen-dollar checks and distributed them among herself, Lillian and Mike. Romo handed the other fifteen dollar check to Tess, who accepted it gratefully. 'I'll mail this to the agency,' he said, holding up the check for two hundred. 'Not a word to them about our little bonus, right?'
'Not a word,' Martha said with a nod.
'You can go now,' Romo told them. He took the still naked Tess by the arm and spoke to her softly. 'Not you, though. I'd like you to stick around.'
The girl stayed, though she looked at him suspiciously as he escorted the others to the door. When they were alone, she spoke calmly, almost with boredom, as if she had been through this scene many times before. 'Are you offering me a place for the night?' she asked. 'And I suppose you want the usual favors?'
'Not necessarily.' He grinned. 'Why? Do you intend to offer them?'
She shook her head, 'Usually I don't offer anything.
I just let my hosts take what they want. I'm pretty passive about it, you might say.'
'I see.' Rome let his right hand grate one of her nipples; the pink crown of flesh turned hard. 'Aroused?' he asked, looking at the nipple.
'No. Cold.'
'It must be seventy-five in here. I turned the thermostat up since you'd all be posing in the nude.'
'I get chilled very easily,' she said.
'Uh-huh. Well, look… I've got some chores to do. Like develop these negatives, for example. Why don't you get dressed? Or wear a bathrobe if you'd like? I'll get you one and you can make yourself comfortable and just sort of make the rounds of the apartment while I'm working? Later on I'll sit down with you and we can have a heart-to- heart talk.'
She laughed nervously. 'You're very self-assured, aren't you?'
'I have reason to be.'
She laughed again and followed him into a spare room where he opened a closet and took out a mini-length bathrobe of gold satin. 'Take this,' Romo said, handing it to her. She put it on, tied it, and stood there silently as he quickly strode out of the room.
The photos were excellent; Romo's faith in his own abilities as a photographer was sustained. He examined the negatives carefully, them hung them up to dry. He'd make some contact sheets later on to get a better idea of the photos' suitability for reproduction, but he was confident that they'd do just fine. The models looked genuinely interested in what they were doing so far as Romo could tell from the wet negatives, and the images looked well- focused and sharp.
Most of the negs seemed just about right in terms of exposure too. All in all, it had been a good day so far. Romo locked the darkroom door (he was very careful about his works in progress) and looked for Tess. He found her in the library, where she was sitting at his desk with a number of files and photographs spread out in front of her.
'You really are making yourself at home, aren't you?' he said in a tone of mild disapproval.
The girl blushed. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'But I didn't know I wasn't supposed to open the drawers and-'
'It's all right.'
