Robert escorted Jade upstairs to his flat.
She was surprised to find it to be comfortably furnished, and not at all the masculine domain that she expected. There were definite feminine touches, in the colours selected, the curtains, and the ornaments.
Robert saw her taking in and assessing the decor.
‘The furnishings, and decorations, are courtesy of my mother. This is my parent’s townhouse, but they rarely visit the city any more. They prefer their country garden.’
‘My grandfather, the Commodore, is much the same. You have to drag him to the city. Now, where do we find your darkroom?’
Robert led her to the second bedroom, where the attached bathroom had been converted to a darkroom. When he switched on the overhead light, the room was thrown into a harsh shade of red, caused by the single red light globe. A bench had been constructed over the bathtub, holding several deep trays, and an array of chemical bottles.
‘We have to close the door, and ensure that no light seeps in from outside,’ Robert explained, ‘Anything but red light will destroy the photos.’
‘You were right; this is a tight fit,’ said Jade, as she used the excuse to move in close to Robert.
Aware of Jade’s closeness, he proceeded to explain to Jade how the film was removed from the camera, and, using a black bag with two armholes in it, to place them in a developing tank, which was then sealed against light seepage.
Removing the tank from the bag, chemicals were mixed, and poured into it. Then, the tank was agitated to ensure the film inside was completely coated, before the chemicals were poured out, and replaced by a new mixture.
Finally, the film was removed from the tank, and washed, before the negative film was hung up to dry. While the film dried, Robert prepared to print the negatives onto photo paper.
More chemicals were mixed, and poured into trays, and an enlarger turned on. Placing the roll of negatives into the enlarger, Robert showed how the image was concentrated on the board below the enlarger, blurred at first, then brought into sharp focus with a turn of the focus knob.
When the image was perfect, the enlarger was turned off; a sheet of paper was inserted on the board. When the enlarger was turned on again, its light burned the image into the chemical-covered paper. After allowing the image to set, Robert switched off the enlarger, and removed the paper, placing it in the first tray of chemicals, also making sure the paper was fully immersed.
Looking on, Jade was mystified. ‘It’s blank. There’s nothing on it.’
‘Watch, and be amazed.’
The paper remained blank as Robert slowly swirled the developing chemical. Jade continued to watch, just as a faint black line appeared on the paper, slowly followed by more lines, as an image began to appear. Finally, the image that had been shone onto the paper by the enlarger was before her.
Robert washed the photo in clear water then placed it in the second tray of liquid chemical.
‘This fixes the image in place, so it won’t fade. When that’s finished, we wash it in clear water again, and then it’s hung up to dry.’
‘Can we do the rest of the photos now? I’m dying to see how they turned out.’
‘Well, if you like, I’ll do the enlarging, while you do the developing.’
So they set to work together, in the cramped space.
Robert tried to concentrate on his work, but was continually faced with the figure of Jade, lifting the photos from the tanks, and raising them to be hung on the drying line above her head. Each time she did so, her breasts were thrust forward against the cloth of her blouse, giving him a delicious view of her firm, rounded figure.
With the two of them in the small, poorly ventilated room, the temperature rose, causing them each to begin sweating, and Jade’s blouse to cling to her, accentuating her sexuality. He could feel himself stir at the sight of her.
Jade, for her part, was enjoying the nearness of Robert, and his masculine scent. She particularly enjoyed their accidental touches, which the cramped conditions forced upon them, and she was particularly aware of the effect it was having upon him. The bulge said it all!
As they progressed, Robert commented upon the photos as they emerged. Telling her what mistakes, if any, she had made, and how they could be corrected.
Jade made sure to lean close to Robert, as he was making his judgements, ensuring that their bodies were in close contact, and enjoying the occasional touch of his arm against her breasts.
Finally, all the photos had been done, and it was simply a matter of allowing them to dry.
Jade watched as Robert placed the unused paper away again in its lightproof folder, and then stored it away, before cleaning up the chemicals, and disposing of the used solutions. She hopped up and sat on the bench, to allow him a little more room to move, and delighted to watch his firm behind as he bent over to store the trays away.
Finished, he turned to her. ‘Well, that’s finished. We can turn the white light on now. The photos are set, and won’t be ruined.’
‘I quite like this light. I’ve become quite used to it.’
She held out her arms for Robert to help her down from the bench.
He moved toward her, placing his hands upon her hips, while Jade placed hers upon his shoulders, as he lifted her down.
Their faces came close together, and Jade leaned in close, kissing him on the lips, her breasts grazing his chest.
Robert placed her down on her feet, but did not remove his hands from her waist.
Emboldened, Jade leant into him again, and raised her face to his.
Robert leaned down slightly, and drew her into him, as their lips met once again. This time, there was no doubt that it was a mutual embrace, which turned into a long passionate kiss, involving tongues, teeth and lips.
Finally parting, with a sigh, Jade looked into Robert’s eyes, and smiled at the look of joy she found there. They came together for another kiss, as deep as the one before, but this time her hands began to wander over his chest and neck, as she sought to draw him into an ever-tightening embrace.
Robert’s hands played over Jade’s back, stroking the muscles of her neck, and moving downward to cup the lobes of her backside, caressing them, and drawing them toward him.
Jade felt the hardness of him pressing into the front of her skirt, and wanted to remove all the clothing that obstructed them.
Robert’s head came down on her shoulder, as he kissed, and sucked, at the sweat on her exposed skin.
‘You smell, and taste, wonderful,’ he sighed, as he slowly released her from his tight embrace. ‘We’d better get out of here before I do something that we’ll both regret.’
Jade looked at Robert, who was trying to regain his composure, and smiled. ‘You’re about to find out that I’m not a virgin. So there’ll be no regrets about anything. Now please take me to your bedroom, and make love to me, or we’ll definitely have done something that we’ll both regret.’
‘Are you sure?’
Jade placed her hand on the bulge in his trousers. ‘I want you ... badly.’
Taking her by the hand, Robert led her to his bedroom, where, with infinite care, he began to undress her, while she took her turn, unbuttoning, and removing his clothes, as well.
Their lovemaking was slowly and tenderly executed, and Jade could feel tears of absolute joy welling up in her eyes, as she neared her climax.
She knew that this was how it had been for her father, and Yee-Ling, as she had watched them, and realised that the sex with Walter had been just that — sex.
With a shudder,