TWENTY: Picture Perfect [FLASHBACK]

It was the middle of June; Charity was four months pregnant and engaged to Bruce. They had moved into her father's house at the beginning of the month. She'd spent the time while Bruce was at work making the house their own space. Vic had gotten himself an apartment in the city and this left the house solely for the growing family. Bruce had gotten moved in without any issue and they'd set up in the master bedroom. As an early wedding gift, Vic had gotten them a new a new bedroom set complete with a comfortable mattress. The difficult times had seemed to pass and they both seemed happy in the house. Charity was extremely grateful that he had agreed to move. It was going to be a nice set up for them and the baby.

It was later on a Monday evening as Charity was in the passenger seat of her Cutlass, once again headed off to some mysterious destination. When Bruce had gotten home a few hours before, he'd told his fiancée that he had a surprise for her. She'd gone along with it, of course. The last time, he'd taken her to their beach and proposed. She wasn't sure there were any surprises left that could top that. She had a feeling it had to do with a new job and she had a hard time containing her excitement. He'd mentioned to her the possibility of a different job opportunity but that was it.

Looking over at Bruce, she grabbed his free hand and gave it a squeeze. "Can you give me a hint where you're taking me?" Her mood had been better lately and she felt as though they were back on track.

"You'll find out soon enough." He flashed her a wan smile, wondering how she was going to feel about this new opportunity. "It's... gonna be somethin' special. Somethin' yeh haven't seen me do before."

"C'mon, just an itty-bitty little hint?" She flashed her baby blues at him, fluttering her eyelashes with her most charming smile on her lips. "I can't stand the anticipation."

He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze as he turned in a direction she didn't expect. A part of her had almost assumed it was going to be something close by but when he got on the expressway, she was stumped. "There's a box in the back. If yeh can reach it, go on an' open it."

Raising an eyebrow, Charity looked in the back seat and saw the box he was referring to. Turning, she reached back and grabbed it. She set the box down on her lap and carefully opened it. Her eyes settled onto navy blue, lacy material. Taking it out, she saw it was a very sheer babydoll nightgown that left so little to the imagination. There was also a matching robe and stiletto heels.

"Bruce, what's this for?" Her cheeks had gone red; she still got a bit bashful with him.

He glanced over, chuckling softly when he saw the blush on her face. "Cherry…" he shook his head, "got a bun in the oven an' still as innocent as the Virgin Mary herself." Putting his eyes back on the road, he finally came out with a more forthright answer. "I've got a new camera. New lenses. New job. I wanted tae do some tests, work out the best settings an' light an' whatnot in the studio an' I thought mebbe it'd be fun if we did a little photo-shoot. Just for us."

She set the nightie back in the box, a smile on her face. "A new camera?" She couldn't remember if he'd ever mentioned an interest in photography before. "What's the new job?"

Grinning, he signalled and changed lanes, exiting towards midtown Manhattan. It looked like they were headed towards the waterfront and now she was really starting to get curious. He could almost feel the unspoken questions bubbling up inside her but at least she seemed excited at the prospect. He hoped that didn't change when she found out where it was. "Just a little bit longer, love. Rather show than just ramble off a bunch of nonsense."

"Alright, I suppose I will just have to wait." She could tell that he was excited about the new job and that made her excited. A million thoughts ran through her head as she tried to figure out what job he was going to be doing. "Will any of your co-workers be there?" If they were doing a sexy photo shoot, she sure hoped not.

"No. We've got the place to ourselves. There's a wrap party somewhere…" he shrugged as he pulled up to the building near the docks – it looked like a huge warehouse but it had the words "Hell's Kitchen Studios" painted on the side of the corrugated metal. "We're here."

Charity studied the building's exterior, trying to figure out where she'd heard the name before. Turning to Bruce, she held onto the box with the lingerie in it. "Well, will you show me around?" He seemed excited about this new venture and she was excited for him.

Grinning, Bruce cut the engine and looked over at her. "Sure thing," he murmured, hesitating for a moment. "Fair warning, love. They make porn here. Adult content… movies an' photos an' the like – my cousin's invested here, got me the gig since I know my way around a camera. Never told ya that, did I? Took a few classes at the community center, back a few years ago. After I got my GED. Was gonna go tae college, real proper-like. Had a darkroom in the basement of the bar for a while…" he trailed off, seeming wistful.

"Why didn't you?"

"No money." He shrugged, "things happened. It's not a big deal." He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze before lifting it to his lips. "Fair warning, love. May not wanna touch anything in there."

Charity stared at him for a few moments as he kissed her hand. One of her eyebrows went up as what he'd said began to sink in. "Wait. Did you say… you're making porn?" She understood why he hadn't told her to begin with.

"Not exactly."

"You're gonna be taking pictures of naked women?"

"I'll be editing what's already made for the most part. A few photos," he shrugged, trying to downplay it. "Publicity shit. Gonna do headshots, too. Might start doin' that as a side project but I'm not gonna be doin' full nudes. We're not doin' spreads for Hustler, love. It's mostly softcore they film here. It's more erotica than…" he trailed off, sighing. "Do yeh trust me? That's what matters." His gaze drifted to the building, "this is a lot more money than I can make workin' the door at the club for a year. We could use that."

"I trust you." They'd had that small patch where she'd accused him of cheating and it had just about broken them. "You have to do what's best for our family. If this is what it takes, then I support you."

"C'mon, then." He opened his door and got out, forcing a smile. The thought that she might not be secure enough with him to handle this was still weighing on his mind. This whole outing he'd planned was to show her that he had no interest in anyone else and it already felt like it was going sideways on him. He walked around the car, meeting her when she got out on her side and holding out his hand to her. "Give yeh the grand tour."

Knowing how important this was to him, Charity put a smile on her face and took his hand. "I'm ready." She did feel insecure, couldn't stop thinking about him surrounded with gorgeous naked women. She knew he loved her. She had a ring on her finger to prove that. With the box under her other arm, he led her into the building and she got to see where Bruce was going to spend his time.

He took her through the large space where there were a couple different sets put together, rooms that only had three walls and no ceilings. It was weird to see it empty, not a soul around as they crossed the space and he led her through a door to another smaller room. This one had lights already set up and a backdrop against one wall. He'd obviously already been here to set up as there was a black bag in the corner that he crossed to immediately and started pulling out the pieces for his camera. He nodded his head towards another door in the far wall. "There's a bathroom through there. Can get changed, if yeh want. There's… I picked up some makeup, if yeh wanna do yer face. Everything's in there. Ready."

"Okay…" She nodded as she took the lingerie with her into the bathroom. He'd gotten it all set up for her, complete with makeup and stuff to do her hair. Exhaling deeply, she went to work, adding some waves to her hair with a curling iron and then focused on the makeup. She took extra care to flawlessly apply the makeup to her face. Once she felt confident with how she looked, she put the lingerie on. When she finally looked at herself, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world. She knew without a doubt that Bruce was going to love how she looked. Throwing on her robe and tying it shut, she slid on the pair of matching heels that had been put in the box. It was time.

"Okay, I'm ready." She had opened the door and walked out to where Bruce was setting up.

He looked up from the equipment he was fiddling with; his eyes went wide. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips at the sight of her. She looked absolutely incredible, the color of the lingerie perfectly accenting her eyes. "I'd say so…" he straightened up with the bulky camera in hand and nodded at the couch against the wall. "It's clean. Can vouch for tha'…" with a wink, he held out his hand to her, "wanna start there? Or standing?"

"How about standing?" She asked as she approached him. She'd even spritzed on some perfume she knew he loved.

He held out his hand to her, pulling her into his embrace. "That would be lovely." He hugged her tightly, giving her a kiss on the top of her head so he didn't mess up her face. "Mebbe start…" he stepped back and took her hand, leading her over in front of the backdrop. "Here's good."

She gave him a flirtatious smile, anticipation at what they were about to do. "So, what should I do?" Her hands were on the ties of the robe.

He took a few steps back and lifted the camera, checking her out through the viewfinder. "Aye, that's good. Just undo it. Slowly." His voice came out soft, a bit raspier than usual as he kept his eyes on her, doing his best to capture the beauty he saw every day. "Show me, Cherry. Lemme see…"

She did as he asked and slowly undid the belt of the robe. Her eyes never left him as she slid the robe down, revealing her bare shoulders and then it fell. Charity felt one hundred percent on display and because it was in front of Bruce, she loved it. He was snapping photos the whole time, a huge smile on his face. He didn't have to coach her, didn't have to say a word as she kept staring at him.

"That's my girl," Bruce murmured, trying to ignore just how much this was already turning him on. "Have yeh been bad or are you a good girl?"

Raising an eyebrow, she smirked at him as she took initiative. She made her way over to the couch against the wall. She sat on the arm of it and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm feeling pretty bad right now."

"Are yeh now?" His smirk grew as he lowered the camera. "What'm I gonna do with that, hmm?" He kept the Nikon in hand as he followed her over, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips as his free hand tangled in her hair. Pulling back, he lifted the camera and took a shot as she stared up at him, lips slightly parted. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Uh huh." The kiss coupled with the atmosphere left her breathless. There was a certain amount of sexual tension that had crept in as Bruce started to take her pictures. "I guess… you're just gonna have to do what you want." The words came out in a breathy whisper as the urge to pounce on him was growing.

"Mmmmhmmm," it was more a rough sound in the back of his throat as he lowered the camera again. "Well then…" his hand rested gently on the baby bump she had, feeling that strange sense of pride and awe that just seemed to rev him up further. "Mebbe I should put the camera down, hmm?"

"Not yet." Smirking up at him, she took the camera and held it up. "It's your turn." She snapped a couple of pictures of him, her smirk widening into a grin. "We'll just see if I'm half as talented as you." She snapped one more before gently setting the camera down on the couch. Biting down on her lower lip, she looked around as an idea formed in her head. "Where are the video cameras?"

One brow rose as he considered her question. "Serious-like?" He chuckled, slightly embarrassed that she'd just snapped a few shots of him – he didn't really like having his picture taken all that much, despite all the confidence he put on. "Back in the big room we went through. They're locked up… but I've got the combination for it."

"Do you wanna go get one?" She was surprised at the fact she was suggesting this, but here it was. "We did the photo shoot, now what if we take it further?"

"Really?" He didn't even have to think about it, nodding quickly. "Am game. Absolutely." He waited a moment to see if she would change her mind. When she said nothing, he nodded again and made his way to the door. It didn't take him long to get into the locked cage where the equipment was stored and he found a camera that wasn't too unwieldy, making sure it was loaded with film before grabbing it and its tripod to bring it back to their little room.

While he was gone for those few moments, she'd run a hand through her hair and pushed up her cleavage. By the time he returned, Charity was sitting up on her knees, a playful smirk on her face. It was clear how badly she wanted him. "Welcome back." She had this confidence about her that he'd ever seen in her.

"And what a welcome at that…" Bruce smirked, taking her in, surprised and just a little excited to see this almost cocky side to her. He couldn't set up the camera fast enough, being careful not to drop it or damage the equipment in any way. "So… we doing any kinda role-playing or just right to it?" He winked and chuckled, making it clear that she was still in charge.

"I think we should just be us." Getting off the couch, she walked the few steps over to him. "You have always been my fantasy, no need to pretend you're anyone else."

He'd always been a sucker for that kind of flattery but the way she looked at him made it clear she wasn't just laying it on thick for show. The camera wasn't even rolling yet and he couldn't help the grin on his lips as he reached over and flipped it on, starting the recording. "Y'know, it's funny...yeh've always been mine. Ever since the first moment I laid eyes on ya."

"Oh really?" She remembered that day back in that diner. It felt like a lifetime ago and she considered it one of the best days of her life, even though the meeting had been brief. "We shoulda just run away then." Her hands were on his shoulders, gently rubbing. "You could have corrupted me long ago."

"Mmmm," he pulled her close, his hands sliding over the silky fabric as his lips found hers for a deep kiss. When it broke, he murmured, "is that what this is then? Corruption?"

"It could be." There was a playful sparkle in her eyes and her skin was flushed from the kiss they'd just shared. Her arms went around him as she found that certain spot in his neck. "It can be whatever you want it to be."

"C'mere then… lemme get the devil in ya," he chuckled softly, his own eyes dark with desire as he picked her up and all but carried her over to the couch. He didn't even care if they were in the frame. He didn't bother to even check as he laid her down.

She was breathing heavier as he set her on the couch. She took the opportunity to lift his shirt off of him and toss it to the floor. Looking up at him she was almost bursting with the love she felt for him. Bruce was everything she'd always wanted and now she had him. "How'd I get so lucky that you chose me?"

"No." His words were muffled against her neck as he nuzzled in and kissed her, "am the lucky one. Got me an angel…" His hands slid up under the teddy, resting for a moment on the baby bump. "Sexiest girl in the world."

His hands on her skin made her squirm in the best way possible. He knew just how to touch so it felt like she was ready to climb the walls. "How about we both agree we're the luckiest." All her insecurities about his new job had melted away.

"Aye...fair deal." He was grinning as he pulled back a little, enough so that he could lift the nightie up a little, one eyebrow lifted as if he wanted to ask permission to take it right off with the camera rolling.

"Yes." Charity nodded eagerly as she lifted her arms for him as he expertly took the nightie off of her. Knowing that the camera was on didn't make her want to cover herself. Instead, it only fueled the whole experience for her. Her lips eagerly found his as she pulled him on top of her.

He couldn't keep his hands to himself, reveling in the feel of her even as he knelt between her legs. Her arms were around his neck, her fingernails digging into his scalp as she kissed him back just as hungrily as he was kissing her. She was so brazen that he was blown away and the thought of making something hot for them to watch later appealed to him in the worst way – he couldn't get enough of the way her body was changing with that life growing inside her.

Little moans escaped her lips in between each of the kisses she gave him. Her hands slid down his back and then came around to his front, eagerly working on getting his pants down. He'd always turned her on in the worst way possible, but this was a whole other level. She wanted him inside of her as soon as possible.

"Jesus, love…" his voice came out a harsh rasp as her fingers began to stroke and tease. The moment she touched him, he was already hard. "Aw...shit." He pulled away only long enough to shove his pants down the rest of the way, not even bothering to take them off fully. His eagerness matched hers and he'd already been turned on at the thought of her. Now he was beyond ready.

"I wanna be on top." She said, almost breathless as she reached down and quickly got her underwear off. Her lips found his once more as her hands then went back to stroking him.

Grinning, he nodded and leaned back against the couch, kicking his boots off and then the pants and underwear that were around his ankles. For the first time in forever, he actually felt like the sort that women would fantasize over, especially with the way she was looking at him and touching him. She'd always made him feel special but this was something else entirely. "Gods… yeah. Please do."

Charity grinned back at her fiancé as she crawled on top of him. She positioned herself so that it was easy for him to enter her. Her legs were on either side of his body. As she started to move with him, she leaned forward and firmly pressed her lips to his.

He groaned into her mouth, one hand coming up to play with her breasts as the other rested on her hip. He rocked his hips, burying himself in as deep as he could go with each thrust. It felt incredible – she was like a succubus, pulling the arousal out of him with the merest touch. When the kiss broke, he was almost panting. "Cherry…" he couldn't even finish the thought.

She picked up her pace, unable to keep the grin from her face as she sat up and placed her palms on his chest. They'd been intimate countless times, but this was the most intense it had ever been. Leaning over, her lips were right next to his ear. "I'm not gonna last long."

"Am not gonna either if yeh…" he gasped and shuddered, eyes closing as his fingers dug into her hips. "Keep on like tha'..."

She did as he requested, but knew her chances of going for much longer had dwindled down to about zero. "I love you." She said those three words as she continued on, the waves of the orgasm washing over her.

Bruce thrust deep into her one more time, feeling himself spill over the edge. At least he didn't have to worry about protection. He grinned, letting out a groan as his head went back against the couch. "Jesus Christ… fuckin' love yeh too."

Letting out a deep breath, Charity was laying on his chest. Her head was in the crook of his shoulder. "That was fan-fucking-tastic." She didn't have any other words and all she wanted was to curl up and lay with him.

"Goddamn…" his gaze drifted to the camera, and the blinking red light. There was no way he was about to move and go turn it off now. "Fuck… think yeh got me pregnant." He laughed even though the joke made absolutely no sense but he felt strangely euphoric, as if he could either laugh until his sides split or just cry. The last thing he wanted to do was anything that would ruin the moment.

"Oh no! We're not prepared for a baby!" Her face had widened into a mock shock and shook her head. Keeping her head on his shoulder, she slid to his side so she was between him and the couch. "We need to do more stuff like this…. I wouldn't say no to having a camera at the house."

"Something tae consider then." He was thinking along the same lines, given how wild and uninhibited she'd just been. "Just a little spice, makes everything nice." Wrapping his arms around her, Bruce turned towards her, grateful that the couch was wide enough for this – he didn't want to think about the reasoning behind that too much.

"We can have our own line of movies… watch them when we're too old to move." She laughed as she kissed his cheek and hugged onto him. "I love you so much, Bruce."

"Always, Cherry. My precious angel…" he closed his eyes, feeling drowsy in the aftermath. "To the ends of time."