 
                         --===James Davies===--
 
Picture Perfect
 
 
 
    Eric kicked off his shoes before he even closed the door to
his apartment.  He yanked his tie loose as the door swung shut.  It had
been another miserable day at the office, and he looked forward to
relaxing and bleeding off some of the stress from his day.
 
    A quick shower and a change into the oldest, grungiest pair
of sweats he owned, and he already felt a lot better.  Working as a
mid-level executive for a major publishing firm really was more work
than he'd ever wanted to accept.  The money was nice, sure, but who
wanted to work themselves to death for it?
 
    Eric slid in front of his computer, and waited impatiently
while it ran through its startup process.  A few mouse clicks later,
and he was on the internet.  Eric would never have admitted it to his
friends or family, but he was something of a porn junkie.  On days like
today, when he'd had it 'up to here' with work, his friends, and life
in general, he would get online and he would look at pictures of naked
women for hours on end.
 
    Eric was fully aware what people thought of his hobby.  He
knew that liberated women felt that pornography was demeaning to women,
and was the cause of every evil they could think of.  What Eric knew
was that it was the one thing he'd found that allowed him to relax, and
it didn't demand anything of him.  

    Signing on to one of his favorite sites, Eric went
immediately to the section of new posts.  He'd already seen literally
everything else on the site.  Most of what he found was not to his
taste this evening.
 
    About halfway down the list of new posts was a picture,
just a thumbnail, really, of a girl who looked hauntingly familiar.  He
clicked the link for more images, and soon they were there before him. 
She was posed in every lewd way imaginable, but that wasn't what held
Eric's attention.  Her face was so familiar...
 
    *Could it be Valerie?*  Eric almost dismissed the idea out
of hand.  Valerie was so quiet, he couldn't imagine her having done
this, and the girl in the photos really looked like she was enjoying
herself.  However, his eyes kept coming back to the face, and that face
could belong to no one else.
 
    *Well, maybe she has a twin out there somewhere... they say
we all do.  But that's so *close*!  I mean, maybe Val is just a lot
wilder in private than any of us knows about.*  Eric saved the images
to his hard drive, not really sure why he was saving them, or what he
planned on doing with them.
 
    Eric had no social life; he'd found trying to deal with
even more people after a day full of dealing with people was just more
than he could bear the thought of.  Thus, he did consider the thought
of asking Valerie to pose for him, but he rejected the thought
immediately.  *That's crude, impolite, and maybe even fattening... not
to mention the sexual harassment lawsuit she'd slap me with... and
rightly so.*
 
    Eric went to sleep that night unclear of what he would do
about the pictures.  His dreams, however, were filled with images of
the nude woman on his screen, which his dreams insisted were Valerie.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Eric didn't have any more answers the next day than he'd
had the previous night, and he decided not to do anything about the
pictures.  He got dressed and went to work as normal.  Valerie was not
a girl that worked in his department, or even his division, so she
wasn't someone he would bump into, which he felt was good.
 
    However, when he noticed what some guys in the mail room
were doing during their down time, he reconsidered his position.  He'd
had to go down to speak with the department head, and had found three
men, gathered around a computer, gawking at a site very similar to the
one he'd been on the previous night.  That shook him.  If it really had
been Valerie, what would happen to her reputation, not to mention her
job, if those pictures started circulating through the office?
 
    He would have to talk to her about it.  It would be an
unpleasant conversation, he was sure.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    There was a knock on Eric's door.  He knew who it was, and
he steadied himself before standing.  He let her in, and then he closed
the door.  This was unusual; Eric had a reputation for always leaving
the door open in male-female conferences, to avoid misunderstandings. 
He saw the look she gave him as he sat down.  She looked back at the
door, and she immediately went on guard.
 
    "I closed the door because I don't think you want anyone to
hear what I have to say, or to see what I'm going to show you," he
said.  His voice was soft; he was trying to reassure her that this was
not a threatening encounter.
 
    Valerie turned back to him.  "Okay," she said, still
uncertain of his motive.  "What is this about?"
 
    He reached into a drawer and pulled out the manila envelope
he'd put printed copies of her pictures in.  He'd sat up late the
previous night figuring out how to approach her about this, and he'd
not come up with a good solution.  What he tried was simply the best
thing he could think of.
 
    "I want you to know, before I show you this, that, even if
this is what I think it is, I'm not asking anything from you."
 
    Now Valerie was really on guard, and her hand shook as she
took the envelope from his hand.  She opened it, and allowed the
contents to slide out.  Eric watched her face closely as she looked at
each page, slowly moving from one to the next.
 
    He had his answer before he asked the question, but he
still was compelled to be certain.  "Is that you?"
 
    She set the photos in her lap, and he could see the tears
coming to her eyes.  "It's me," she said softly, tears suddenly
spilling down her cheeks.  Eric got up and came around the desk,
kneeling beside her as he handed her his handkerchief.  He didn't say
anything, but waited for her to settle herself.
 
    It took a few minutes before she managed to collect
herself, but he let her have the time.  He had cleared an entire hour
of his schedule for this meeting, and he would give her as much of that
as she wanted.  Finally, she wiped her eyes one last time, and handed
the hankie back to Eric.
 
    "Thank you," she said softly, and smiled slightly at him. 
He walked back around his desk and sat down.  He had approached her to
show support, but he felt that staying that close would seem like he
was pushing himself at her, and he desperately did not want to give
that impression.
 
    "I guess this means I have to leave the company," Valerie
said, her voice under tight control.
 
    "This doesn't violate company policy, that I know of."
 
    "Isn't that why you brought me in here?  To fire me?"
 
    Eric smiled at her.  "I don't fire anybody in this company,
Valerie.  And you're not even in my division."
 
    Her eyes darkened.  "Then what is it you want?"
 
    Eric understood her tone.  He'd have felt the same way in
her place.  "I just wanted to warn you.  I found these pictures...
well, through my own habits.  I'm not the only one in the company with
those habits, I'm sure.  This doesn't bother me, but if someone else
sees it... Things could get unpleasant for you."  He saw her eyes
narrow, and hurriedly added.  "That's not a threat.  I give you my
word, no one will hear of this from me.  But the site is readily
accessible, and there've got to be other folks here with... my
interests."
 
    She smiled at him, finally.  "Most guys would want
something to keep their mouth shut."
 
    "I'm not most guys."
 
    She stared at him for a long moment.  "No, I guess not."
 
    "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, gesturing at the
photos.
 
    "I would, yes.  But not here, not in the office.  How about
over dinner?"
 
    "Okay... Margret's?"
 
    "Sounds good.  Seven-thirty okay?" she asked.
 
    "I'll be there."  He got up to walk her to the door. 
Before he opened it, he put his hand on her arm.  "I want you to know,
I mean it.  This is between you and me.  It will go no further, no
matter what."
 
    "Thank you.  I'll see you tonight."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Eric was waiting for her at a table near the kitchen.  It
was not a prime location, but it was in a corner, and it was away from
the main crowd.  Eric was not trying to impress Valerie with anything;
he was trying to give her privacy.
 
    She showed up slightly late, but not as late as he figured
she might be.  Certainly, coming here to talk about what she'd done
would not be something she'd look forward to.  He understood that, and
he hoped he could ease her mind a little bit.  He rose as she was led
to the table, and he smiled.  She looked at him uneasily, but a very
slight smile crossed her beautiful face, as well.
 
    After they were seated and the waiter sent on his way to
get their drinks, he said, "You don't have to tell me anything, you
know."
 
    "That would defeat the purpose of being here, then,
wouldn't it?" she asked with a slight trace of a smile.
 
    "Dinner with a beautiful woman is never a waste of time in
my book."  He worried if that was too forward, but Valerie didn't
complain about the compliment.
 
    The two made chit-chat until their meals were served and
they knew the waiter would not be back for a while.  She took a bite of
her fish and a sip of wine before looking up at him.  She saw his eyes,
and they were full of concern, but little more.  Oh, she could detect
the hint of interest, and that was flattering, but she knew that wasn't
why he'd brought her here; he wasn't looking to hold this over her.  Or
so it would seem.
 
    Valerie took another sip of her wine, to bolster her
resolve.  She set the glass down, and took a deep breath.  She could
see that Eric was waiting patiently.  It looked as if he would wait all
night for her, if that's what it took.
 
    "Back when I was in college, money was tight.  Like most of
my classmates, I took jobs to cover my expenses.  I say 'jobs' because
I never seemed to be able to stick with the mindless tasks that my
friends seemed to relish.
 
    "Anyway, around the time of my junior year, things were
starting to get really bad.  My last job had been three months before,
and cash was more than scarce.  I'd actually sold off some of my stuff
just so I could cover some basic essentials.  Not only did I not have a
good job history, but just at this time, there weren't any jobs to be
had, anyway.  You'll recall we were in a recession that year, and
things were just lousy all over the place."  Eric nodded understanding,
and urged her with his eyes to continue.
 
    "Well, suddenly, my Dad got sick.  Turned out he had lung
cancer from his job, working in a chemical plant.  He passed away about
a year and a half later."  Eric could see Valerie's eyes misting over
slightly, and he longed to reach out to her, but he felt this would be
breaching the rules for the evening.  Valerie collected herself after a
few seconds, and carried on.
 
    "What little money my parents had been able to send me
dried up instantly.  Everything was going to cover the cost of Dad's
treatments.  Not that it mattered a damn."  She took another long sip
of her wine, and he could see she was struggling to get herself back on
track and under control.  He let her fight this battle with herself,
and was glad to see she won.
 
    "Anyway, with that source of income gone, I was really in a
bad spot.  For a couple of weeks, eating on weekends was a problem.  I
knew I had to do something, but there was simply nothing around.  I
couldn't get a job as a bag girl at the local supermarket, for crying
out loud."
 
    Eric smiled at her.  He could understand the frustration;
he'd had similar problems in college, though they hadn't been to this
extreme.  He'd always had his loans to fall back on.  Taking a few
bites of her dinner, Valerie let the conversation lapse for just a few
moments before she continued.
 
    "Well, by the time Chad approached me, I was hurting.  Most
people knew it, too.  I'd even had two sleazy guys offer me money if
I'd have sex with them.  I hope my hand print is still on their cheeks.
 
    "Chad was one of those preppy rich kids.  We all wondered
why he even bothered going to school, since we knew he'd be running the
family business someday.  Anyway, he sat down beside me at lunch one
day and tells me he knows about the financial problems I'm having. 
Well, that's not news, everyone did.  Then he says he knows how I can
make some very fast money, fairly easily.
 
    "Well, needless to say, I was skeptical and on guard.  I
figured this was some kind of scam, or just another version of what
those other two had played, only more couth.  Chad takes me to a
quieter, but still public, area of the commons, and he tells me, point
blank, that he is running a publishing business, where he sells
pictures of nude girls to websites as 'content', he called it.
 
    "In his defense, he was straightforward about it.  He told
me I was a beautiful girl, that he could 'sell my look', as he put it,
and that it would be some fairly easy money for a couple days' work.
 
    "Well, I wasn't quite ready to have that dropped in my lap,
so I told him I'd think it over.  He gave me a card with a phone number
on it, told me to call him when I'd made a decision either way, and he
left."
 
    Eric asked, "He didn't pressure you at all?"
 
    Valerie shook her head.  "No, I think he had enough
'content' to keep himself rolling in it, quite frankly.  But you know
how that kind of person is; there's never enough of a good thing for
them."
 
    Eric nodded his head in understanding, and then inclined
his head slightly, ready to hear the rest of her tale.
 
    "Well, I wasn't going to do it, but after another weekend
of, well, no food, and I broke down.  I spent about an hour crying
before I finally made that phone call."  Valerie's voice cracked, and,
without thinking, Eric reached out to take her hand.  She accepted his
touch gracefully, taking his hand and squeezing, drawing strength from
him.  When he thought she was in control again, he slowly withdrew his
hand.
 
    "Thank you," she said, smiling at him.  "Anyway, when I
called him, he said he was happy I'd made the choice I had, and we set
up a time that was convenient for both of us.
 
    "When I got there, I don't really know what I was
expecting.  I really still thought it was some kind of hustle, but it
wasn't.  There were three people there: Chad, the camera person, who
was a woman, believe it or not, and myself.  Chad explained what was
expected of me, and told me that there would be three days of shots. 
On the first day, we did the really basic stuff, where I was still
wearing *some* clothes.  The second day would be pretty much completely
nude, but mainly what he called 'body shots.'  The third day would be
when we got to the... well, to the stuff you saw."
 
    "Anyway, we did the shots, all three days' worth, and it
earned me enough money to live out the semester in relative comfort. 
The next semester, he made the same offer, but by then I'd gotten a job
with one of my professors, and I didn't need to go back to that.  I
really had hoped those pictures were well and truly behind me."
 
    This time, when the tears came, Eric did not hesitate.  He
reached across the table and took both of her hands.  He had made sure
her back was to the crowd, just in case this sort of thing happened. 
She clutched at the lifeline he offered, squeezing his hands tightly. 
For several minutes, she struggled with herself.  Eric didn't let go of
her throughout that time.
 
    Finally, with heavy sniffling, she pulled herself
together.  She smiled across at him as she slowly let go of him.  "God,
I can't seem to control myself tonight," she said, trying to make light
of it.
 
    "It's okay, Valerie.  I understand," he said softly,
handing over his handkerchief again.  She wiped her eyes, and it was
clear on his hankie that her makeup was ruined.  She tried to hand it
back to him, but he told her to keep it.
 
    "I need to go to the ladies room," she said.  "I'll be
right back."
 
    While she was gone, Eric considered all his options.  The
thought of holding this over her head never entered his mind.  He
couldn't conceive of doing that, not after she'd laid out her whole
history for him.  *I have two choices.  I can walk away from this, or I
can try to be a better friend to her.  If I walk away, how does that
make me any better than the scum who propositioned her?*
 
    When Valerie returned from the bathroom, her makeup was
touched up, and she once again looked radiant.  She sat down, and they
finished their meal, steering the conversation well away from their
earlier discussion.
 
    As they were leaving the restaurant, Valerie turned to
him.  "If I asked you never to mention this to me or anyone else
again..."
 
    "Val, I won't mention it to anyone else, period.  If you
don't want me to mention it to you again, I won't."
 
    She paused for only a second before embracing him.  Eric
hugged her back, showing her the support she really needed, but also
enjoying the feel of the woman in his arms.  When she pulled away,
there was a smile on her lips, and this time it was a genuine one.
 
    "Thanks.  I needed that."
 
    "Any time," he replied.
 
    "How about Friday?" she asked.  "This time, a real date."
 
    He stopped in his tracks.  She was actually asking him
out?  His confusion was evident on his face, and she explained. 
"Probably ninety percent of all guys would have used this to get in my
pants.  And it probably would have worked.  You didn't even try.  I
think they call that integrity.  I like it in a man."
 
    Eric arched his eyebrows and shook his head slightly to
settle the thought in his mind.  "I'd love to go out with you,
Valerie," he finally said.
 
    "Good," she said.  They worked out the details on the drive
home.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Eric was sitting in his business-class seat, flying to New
York.  It was a business trip, and the company was taking care of his
expenses, at least most of them.  The company couldn't know that, on
this trip, Eric would also be making a personal deal.
 
    He reclined his seat and closed his eyes.  His thoughts
immediately turned to Valerie.  He would be away from her for two days,
and already he missed her.  The two of them had been going together for
nearly six months, and Eric had finally come to a decision.  However,
before he could ask her about it, there was something else that just
had to be taken care of.
 
    Soon enough, his airplane landed at LaGuardia, and he
headed off for his hotel.  Once there, he made two phone calls, one of
which was to Valerie, to let her know he'd arrived safely.  Then he
settled in to relax.  Neither of his meetings was until the next day.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "I've never been visited by a major publishing house like
this," he said.
 
    "And you're not being visited by one now," Eric corrected
him.  "This is a personal deal."
 
    "Okay, so... you're looking to start your own content
business... why this particular girl?"
 
    "I only want the best.  In my opinion, she's the best
you've got."  Eric knew that saying such a thing would automatically
raise the price.  He didn't care.
 
    "It's unusual for me to ever sell my rights to something. 
Normally, I just give people distribution options on it."
 
    Eric sighed.  "Mr. Miller, I am aware of the way you
normally do business.  This is not a normal situation, as you have
already pointed out.  Now," Eric continued, looking at his watch
theatrically, "I have to be on a plane in six hours.  I do not *need*
your content, however, I would like to have it.  I'm not taking much,
just one girl.  I would think that this would be something you'd be
willing to put a price on."
 
    Mr. Miller thought about it for several minutes.  Eric sat
calmly, waiting for the man to come to a decision.  His plane didn't,
in fact, leave until the next morning.  That wasn't the only lie he'd
told in this office.
 
    Finally, Mr. Miller turned around and faced him.  "Okay. 
Honestly, this group of pictures doesn't sell that well anymore,
anyway.  It's too old, and it's run through circulation."  Eric cringed
inwardly at that thought, but didn't let it show on his face.  "I don't
know who you think you could sell the rights to, but if you want it... 
Twenty-five thousand dollars."
 
    "Twenty.  As you already said, these pictures have already
been distributed widely."
 
    Mr. Miller didn't look shocked.  Haggling was very nearly a
requirement, and he hadn't expected Eric to counter-offer that high. 
He nodded his head.  "Okay.  Done."
 
    "One thing.  I want your records *purged* of this girl.  I
want all the photos, negatives, and paperwork, and I want to watch you
clean her from your computers.  I've been burned on this before," Eric
lied.
 
    "Fair enough.  How do you want to make the payment?"
 
    "I need a bank account number.  The payment will be made by
electronic transfer."
 
    A few minutes later, and the money had changed hands.  Mr.
Miller then walked to his filing cabinet and withdrew a thick manila
envelope.  He handed it to Eric, who opened it, and looked at each and
every photo, and even studied the negatives.  He looked over the
contracts to make sure they were what was expected.  Everything was
satisfactory.
 
    "Now, your computer."
 
    "You know, don't you, that I could just recover the files
after you leave?  I won't, but I could."
 
    Eric handed him a disk.  "No, you couldn't.  You'll use the
deletion program on this disk to get rid of those files."  The program
was a disk-scrubber, that would make sure the files were completely
gone and unrecoverable.
 
    Mr. Miller looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.  "You are a
cautious one.  Okay, we'll do it your way."
 
    A half-hour later, Eric was on his way back to his hotel. 
This deal had been easier to strike than he had hoped.  He just prayed
that the company didn't find out.  Even the division of their
corporation involved with such things would have had a coronary to see
the way he'd just conducted 'business.'
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    Valerie was cuddling against Eric, her head resting against
his shoulder.  They had just spent some hours reacquainting themselves
with each other, and were relaxing together peacefully.
 
    "So, did everything go all right with the deal?"
 
    "More or less.  You know how these things go.  It'll be a
month or two before we have all the details worked out."  Eric was, of
course, talking about the *official* deal he had worked on in New
York.  The other deal was one that Valerie did not yet know about.
 
    "So, you're gonna end up going back there soon, aren't you?"
 
    "Probably.  Why?"
 
    She looked up at him, her eyes soft and loving.  "I miss
you when you're gone."
 
    He hugged her more tightly.  "I miss you, too.  I've gotten
so used to you sleeping beside me, it's hard to get to sleep alone."
 
    "I know," she said quietly.
 
    Eric felt that now was as good a time as any he could come
up with, and so he sat up just a little straighter.  He reached into
the night stand, and pulled out a large manila envelope.  Valerie
looked at him curiously as he dropped it gently in her lap.
 
    "I struck another deal while I was in New York, too."
 
    Valerie straightened, and then took the envelope in her
hands gently.  She took her time unfastening the clasp, and then she
upturned it, allowing the contents to fall out onto the bedspread. 
When she caught sight of one of the photographs, she inhaled sharply. 
She recognized them immediately.
 
    Picking them up, and thumbing through them, her eyes misted
as they had that first day.  Finally, she looked to her boyfriend.  "I
don't understand.  I thought we'd put this behind us."
 
    He nodded, holding her tenderly, but firmly enough to show
support.  "We did put it behind *us,* Sweetheart.  I wanted to be able
to put it behind *you*."
 
    Valerie shook her head, not comprehending what he meant. 
Eric reached over and picked up the documents that she hadn't bothered
with.
 
    "This is the contract you signed.  It's what gave your
buddy Chad the right to sell your photographs.  He doesn't have that
right anymore.  He also doesn't have the photographs, nor does he have
the negatives.  I also watched him delete all of your stuff from his
computer.  I can't do anything about who has already seen these
pictures, but they won't be going anywhere else in the future."
 
    Both of them knew that wasn't really true, but that wasn't
the point.  Valerie's eyes blurred with tears of love for a man who...
 
    "How much did this cost you?"
 
    "Not a penny more than you're worth to me.  Actually
several million less than that," he said with a chuckle.  She giggled
as he pulled her to him.  "The money isn't important.  I know how you
felt about these pictures still being out there.  It was worth every
cent to give you a little peace of mind."
 
    "Thank you, Eric, oh thank you."  She hugged him tightly,
her tears of happiness flowing freely.  Through her blurred vision,
though, she caught something gleaming on the bedspread.
 
    Breaking their embrace, she reached down and picked up a
small ring, festooned with a very pretty sapphire, which was her
favorite stone, even more so than diamonds.  "What's this?" she asked,
afraid to believe what it might be.
 
    "Well, I gave you, I hope, a little peace of mind... I'd
like to give you something else."  When she looked up at him
expectantly, he said, "My last name.  Will you marry me?"
 
    Valerie looked deeply into his eyes, feeling the weight of
his hopeful gaze upon her.  She felt the ring resting in her fingers,
and she felt the deep, abiding love she felt for this man.
 
    "Yes."
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
