He stood there quietly, leaning against the wall, nursing a single malt scotch and observing the people attending this party. As he sipped his host’s superb whisky he spotted that same host making his way through the crowd of people in his direction. Not only was the man a wonderful host, Josh was also a great friend.
“What are you doing over here by yourself?” Josh asked. “I don’t invite you to my parties to play pocket-pool. I invite you so that you can entertain some of my guest with your witty repartee while you drink my expensive scotch. Besides, you’re the only famous person I know and having you here should be worth something to me.”
“I’m not famous,” the scotch drinker said with a smile. “If I were, these people would be coming to talk with me and ask my opinions of the world situation.”
“They’ll know who you are when I introduce you,” Josh said with a frown. “Your name and work are well known, not your face.”
“Well thank God for that,” the man said. “If my face was known I’d probably end up in jail.”
Josh smiled up at the tall man, “Despite the fact that you are probably a pedophile and a serial rapist, these people would still be thrilled to know who you are.” He looked around the room and asked, “Isn’t there someone here you would like to meet?”
“Actually, there is,” he said looking across the room. “Who is that stunning woman in the black dress talking with the two older men just beyond the piano?”
Josh looked and turned back. “Why would I ever think that your eye would miss her? That is Ann Remmer, young wife of US Senator Jason Remmer. Jason would be the distinguished gentleman beside her. They are talking with Congressman Daniel Gomez from the 13 th District.”
“She’s the old fart’s wife?” the man asked.
“Yep,” Josh said as he looked back over his shoulder. “I think they’ve been married about seven years now. He’s almost twice her age. He made a fortune as a trial lawyer before running for Congress.” Turning around and lowering his voice Josh said, “He made a ton of money and then ran for Congress. He served four years as a Congressman before being elected to the Senate. But the thing was that there were rumors that he was gay. He cut that story up by marrying the very lovely Ann. It was very sudden, but of course, any guy twice her age that sweeps a beautiful young woman off her feet and carries her to the threshold couldn’t possibly be gay. His reputation is saved, he has a beautiful and sexy young wife and his election is assured.”
“I gather from your tone that you are not a believer.”
Lowering his voice again Josh said, “I’m willing to bet a substantial amount of money that Senator Remmer is as queer as a three dollar bill, but that’s just my opinion.”
The tall man finished the scotch in his glass and told Josh, “Let me refill this and then you can introduce me to the Senator and his fucking beautiful wife.” He patted Josh on the shoulder and said, “I want to make certain that you get the most out of having a famous person like me at your party.”
In less than ten minutes Josh and his friend were standing beside the Senator and his wife. “Senator and Mrs. Remmer, my I introduce my friend David Westmorland. David, this is Senator Jason Remmer and his wife Ann.”
The gentlemen shook hands. David and Ann nodded toward each other, but he saw her eyes open widely at his name. The Senator appeared to have no clue about David Westmorland.
Still standing there, Josh picked up that the Senator didn’t know David’s name. “Senator, David is quite a well-known photographer that lives in our city. I’ve known him for probably twenty years. He is best known for coming by to drink my finest single malt scotch.”
“Ahh, a single malt man,” said the Senator with a smile, appearing to not pick up on the information that David was a photographer. “Certainly there is nothing I enjoy more than one of the great single malt scotches from Scotland. I prefer the Highlands products. What about you, Mr. Westmorland?”
David looked quickly at Ann before turning back to the Senator. “Absolutely, Senator Remmer. For my taste it’s the Highlands. I’m not a big fan of Islay, but at times it will do. Speyside is acceptable, but I’ll take the Highlands.”
The Senator turned to his host and said, “Now Josh, at last you’ve found a man with whom I can hold a decent conversation. A man that knows his scotch is always worth knowing.”
Josh returned the smile and countered, “I think that you’ll also find that David is very fluent in the language of golf.”
Opening his eyes wide as if surprised, the Senator said, “Do you play regularly, Mr. Westmorland?”
“Not as often as I would like, Senator, but I make an attempt to get out once a week. I’m currently a nine handicap and play mostly at Heritage Country Club,” David told him.
“That’s a very nice club,” the Senator offered, subtly conveying Heritage wasn’t the best club around. “My wife, Ann, has been wanting to pick up the game.”
Now David had the opportunity to talk with the person he had come to meet. He turned to Ann and soaked in her dark brown eyes. “Have you started playing, Mrs. Remmer?” he asked.
Ann had been listening to the inane conversation between her husband and this man for a few minutes without paying a great deal of attention to the words. Rather, she was observing the man David Westmorland. She knew his work extremely well: She had several of his books of photography in her bedroom at home. To say that his photos had touched her core would have been an understatement. Her husband was a United States Senator, but at the moment she was far more impressed to be in the presence of a man that could touch her soul with a camera.
“Umm, yes,” she stuttered. “Well, some.“ She gained control of herself and said, “I’ve taken a couple of lessons, Mr. Westmorland. Nothing more. The Senator would like for me to play.”
David reached out and touched her arm gently, “Please, Mrs. Remmer. You must call me David.”
She looked into his eyes and wanted to cry. “Why are you here?” she wanted to scream. “I can’t deal with you,” she wanted to say. But rather she said, “Then you must call me Ann.”
As they exchanged small talk, he felt it. She felt it also.
He was excited. She was frightened.
In her mind she could see and feel this man stripping her naked … taking her flesh in his hands and making her scream with pure delight. She had never really known the pleasures of the flesh, but at this moment she knew that this man could teach her.
There was light, meaningless conversation about golf that she would never remember. Her husband joined in and they began to discuss the different courses the men had played, commenting on their favorites. Ann was lost. She was simply observing this man that she had met mere moments ago and trying to think of how she could possibly find a way to spend more time with him.
After several minutes of conversation, the Senator held up a hand. “Did I hear Josh say that you were a photographer?”
“Yes, he did, sir,” David responded.
“You know,” the Senator said, “I would really like to have some shots of Ann that I can use on my web-site and in newsletters. Could you help us with that, Mr. Westmorland?”
While Josh and Ann were about to gasp at the thought of this world renowned artist being asked to take photos that could be used on a web-site, David said, “Of course I could. After all, I am a photographer and that is my job.”
Again Josh and Ann almost went into shock when the Senator said, “That would be a great help to me and my campaign people, Mr. Westmorland. Could you do it for say … $300 or $400?”
Josh knew that Senator Jason Remmer was a wealthy man. He knew that as a trial lawyer Remmer had made millions, but he was totally uncertain that the Senator had banked more money than David Westmorland.
David was known worldwide for his artistry. He had sold millions of books with his photographs. His topic? They were almost always erotic, black and white photos of women.
Before either of them could speak, David held out his hand for a handshake. “Senator Remmer, I would be more than happy to take any shots you might need of your wife and please know that I would be insulted if you offered to pay me. It would be my privilege to do it for you as a gift for the service you give to our state.”
The Senator shook David’s hand and replied, “You are indeed a fine fellow. I should have known that would be true of a golfer and a fellow scotch aficionado.”
Josh almost spewed, but got control of himself at the last second. As he walked away to refresh their drinks he said under his breath, “Here mister wino, hold this glass of booze for me while I walk away for a while,” and laughed thinking about what was about to happen. As he walked back with fresh drinks in his hands he thought to himself, “I think the expression is giving the fox the keys to the henhouse.”
Before the Senator and his wife left, David was “summoned” once again. When asked how they should arrange to have the photos made, David produced one of his business cards, handing it to Ann. “Just call my office and let me know when you have a couple of hours. We’ll arrange something.”
“I’m thinking that some photos around our home would be excellent,” the Senator proposed.
David shook hands with both of them before they left, but his hand holding hers lasted a second longer as their eyes met. “I’ll call you,” she said as they left.
As the door closed, Josh turned to David and said, “You wouldn’t.”
David smiled back at Josh and responded, “Would I take advantage of his beautiful young wife? Are you asking me if I would take her body and play it like a violin?” David looked down at the single cube of ice swirling in his glass of scotch. After a few seconds he looked at Josh and said, “I have a feeling that she might take advantage of me, my friend.”
Over the next couple of days, David did some research on Senator Remmer and his wife. Some of the information came from on-line sources and some from mutual friends. What he finally determined was that Ann was the child of a man that had many different schemes to make a lot of money in his lifetime, but none of them had worked out quite as planned. In his fifties he still owed a great deal of money and was working on a new plan to get rich.
At this point, enter Congressman Remmer who is about to run for the open US Senator’s seat in their state. The Congressman is quite wealthy, but is in need of a woman on his arm to convince the state’s voters that he is a normal fellow, looking to help the state at the federal level. Ann’s father has a beautiful young daughter and the need for a large sum of money. A deal is struck, a back story written about how they have been courting for a long time and everyone was happy. Everyone except Ann, that is.
Ann would do anything to help her father, including marrying a man that she didn’t really know. “How bad could it be?” she asked herself. He is very rich and will be a national figure. He won’t abuse or beat me and I’ll have the opportunity to do good works with his money and in his name. She was still young, naive and idealistic enough to see the silver lining. She was also certain that she would learn to love this man that had done so much good for so many people.
Seven years later Ann had no illusions of ever loving Jason Remmer. Not that he was a bad man. In fact, he had been a reasonably good representative for the state, but he certainly was not what the people of his state thought of him. She found out quickly there was more to Jason Remmer than his public persona. He had very little interest in her and let her know that her job was to be his wife in public. As long as she played that role she would be rewarded with positions on boards of directors and on committees doing good works for the people. She was a paid actress. As long as she played the part, life would be glamorous and her father would never fail. It took Ann only three months to understand how to play the game; she learned well and was good at it.
Three days after the party David received a telephone call from Ann Remmer. “Good morning, Mr. Westmorland. This is Ann Remmer.”
“Ann, how good to hear from you,” he said softly.
“Before the Senator left for Washington he reminded me to get in touch with you and arrange to have some photos taken,” she told him.
“Is this something that you would prefer not to do, Ann? You sound a bit anxious about this,” he told her.
“If I may be honest,” she said, “I am a big fan of your work. I have three of your books in my bedroom. What I’m saying, Mr. Westmorland, is that I am very familiar with your work and I don’t think the Senator is at all.”
“Ann,” he said with firmness in his voice. “First you are going to call me David and not Mr. Westmorland. Secondly, I am a relatively famous photographer, but not every picture that I take is of a nude woman. I am capable of taking photos of a beautiful woman with her clothes on. It isn’t my favorite thing to do, but I am able and willingly offered my services to you and the Senator.”
“I didn’t mean to be insulting, Mr. Wes … excuse me, David. The thought of having my photos taken by an artist of your talent is completely thrilling,” she told him. “But did I want to give you the opportunity to back out of your most generous offer.”
“That is very thoughtful of you, Ann,” he said. “Now I’ll be honest. I am looking forward to working with you. The question at hand right now is where to do the work. I thought about having you come to my studio, but decided that you would probably be most comfortable at home.”
He could sense her smile as she spoke. “That would be wonderful, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” he replied. “The equipment that I’ll use is light and I probably won’t need any additional lighting. The next question then is when? I have an opening in my schedule for tomorrow morning. Would you be available tomorrow at 10 AM?”
“I had something scheduled, but I will rearrange it,” she responded.
David thought that he heard a little excitement in her voice. “Excellent. I’ll arrive at 10. If you would, please, pick out several outfits that you would like to wear. I’ll want to take some candid shots in a variety of rooms and a change of clothes would be good to have preselected.”
After the call ended, David leaned back in his leather office chair and gave some thought to his new project. He only hoped that it would be as enjoyable for Ann as it would be for him.
The doorbell rang at 10 am. Ann opened the door and invited David inside. As he stepped in she had a few seconds to look him over once again: he was as handsome and stylish as she remembered from the party. Without question he was over six feet tall, broad shouldered and trim.
He set an equipment bag down on a chair near the door and turned to greet her. “What a very lovely home you have. Not quite what I would have expected.”
“We moved in her a little over a year ago,” she told him as they both turned to view the room. “The Senator wanted something large enough for entertaining, but not a home in the suburbs. It is entirely too big for me and I don’t know that I’m finished decorating it yet.”
The eyes of the artist scanned the décor, taking in the walls and furniture as he walked toward the formal dining room that was just off of the large living area. “If you are the decorator, then you have my approval. I love your color choices.” He stopped, turned and said, “It is certainly well-lit from the windows. Are you an exhibitionist?”
Ann was a little stunned by the question. People didn’t generally speak so frankly to a Senator’s wife.
David saw the look on her face and laughed. “I’m sorry, Ann. I don’t know you well enough to say such things, but you need to understand that I am considered an artist. In fact, you have called me an artist. Artists are known for saying blunt and outrageous things. My reference was to the number of windows in this place. You are on the 12 th floor of this building and the views are exceptional.”
Now Ann laughed. “I see your point, but I’m not one to walk around undressed.”
He studied her and thought to himself, “I can’t imagine her walking from the bedroom to the kitchen naked. She’s a little too tightly wound for that.”
Ann gave him a bright, glowing smile and asked, “I just made some coffee, David.