"Uh-huh."

I lifted again, letting Cherri tug my pants down and before I could make any protest she pulled at my panties and lowered those too. Sitting across the branch they stuck high on my thighs. I sat back down, rough bark against the cheeks of my ass, sat harder and a ridge of bark pressed against my pussy. Oh sweet Jesus, "You ought to get down and take aem off properly," Cherri said.

"This is okay."

"You sure?"

I nodded.

Cherri's hand went back between her legs, but she left one on my waist, fingers wrapping over to my belly. My pussy ached and the cool night air almost made me climax immediately. I lowered my hand and touched myself, not quite believing the wetness flowing out to welcome my fingers.

"Oh yeah, do it baby," Cherri whispered, her lips touching my ear.

I plunged two fingers inside myself and arched up against them.

"I'm gonna watch aem," she grunted and pulled closer, half rising so she could see over my shoulder, the movement bringing her wrist against the hollow of my back. She raised her other hand to my shoulder, brushing against my breast on the way; an accident, had to be, but I barely prevented myself reaching behind and pushing her hand aside to allow mine to touch her down where the sound her fingers made filled my ears.

Below us Jeff Simmons worked himself hard into his wife from behind. Her hands clutched the bed cover and she thrust back against him. Chrissy's neck and shoulders were flushed pink and she shook as she came a second time. Almost immediately Jeff jerked and pulled himself free. He gripped his cock in his hand and ejaculated copiously onto the round parted cheeks of his wife's ass.

"Ah!" Behind me Cherri cried out, trying to muffle the sound by pressing her mouth against my shoulder, her teeth biting into my skin.

So close, wanting to come at the same time as Cherri, aroused all evening, aroused so much it was taking nothing to bring me to a peak. Cherri grunted and jerked behind me and I let myself go, let the pent up tide loose inside, let it pinpoint and spread. I started to climax just as Cherri reached round and cupped her hand around my left breast. Even through my shirt and bra her touch was fire and I cried out. I collapsed on my front, frantically rubbing myself, humping against the rough branch. I sensed Cherri coming closer, leaning over, pressing against me, her pussy damp against the cheek of my ass and she rocked against me.

"Yeah baby, come for me Dan..."

She kissed me on my shoulder and I came again. I half turned and Cherri kissed the side of my mouth. She shivered, still humping my ass cheek and I was sure she came again too.

The cold eventually brought us round. Cherri moved back. The damp stain she'd left on my right cheek cooled in the air. I wriggled and pulled my panties and pants up. Cherri swung off the branch and searched for hers where she'd tossed them on the rock. So far neither of us had said a word about what we had just done.

I climbed off the branch and stood beside Cherri on the narrow rock top.

The light in the Simmons' bedroom went out.

Cherri's side touched me each time she breathed, or each time I breathed, I wasn't sure. Then her hand came scrabbling and found mine.

"That was fun."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"I didn't freak you did I?"

"Freak me?"

"I couldn't help myself. I had to kiss you. Sorry if I went too far, babe."

I waited, trying to work out my response. I could feel Cherri beside me, fingers still curled in mine, sensed an expectation from her.

"It's okay," I said. Not enough. She waited. "I liked it." Still waiting. "HonestaI liked it. You can kiss me any time you want." Fuck! Did I really say that?

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Sure. We're best friends, aren't we?"

She laughed and moved closer. Her hand released mine and came up to my face, cupped my chin and angled my face toward hers.

"In that case I'm gonna kiss you now."

But she waited, lips close to mine. I smelled peppermint on her breath.

"Okay."

She closed the gap and our lips met. This time even better because the kiss wasn't snatched or hurried. I let her kiss me, and then I kissed her back.

When we pulled apart she said, "You kiss girls much, Dan?"

I laughed, nervous. "First time."

"Really?"

"Of course. You think I make a habit of kissing girls?"

"I'd never have guessed. You kiss real good."

"Thanks. So what about you? I bet you've kissed a bunch of girls."

"Not all the time. I like to ring the changes."

I laughed, but only because she expected me to.

"Really?"

She shook her head. "No. First time for me too."

I stared at her, the night cloaking us, wanting to tear her clothes off, finally starting to admit to myself how much I really wanted this girl. The kiss lingered against my lips the whole time we walked to the cabin.

In the morning nothing might have ever happened, except after we'd showered and dressed and herded the kids out for breakfast Cherri came up behind me, close behind me while I finished making my bed and said, "Are you gonna do what you do with that film later?"

"Tonight," I said, looking down at the bed. "Later tonight."

"I want to come with you when you do."

"I guessed you might."

Cherri took a step closer, placing her hands on my hips. "You're not regretting anything are you, Dan?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing." Afraid and excited, sure my relationship with Cherri had changed, not sure exactly how far.

"Good. aCause I want to do more of that."

I nodded, finally turning round, wondering if she meant the photographs or the kissing, knowing which I wanted, but the pictures were exciting too.

Cherri's hands stayed on my hips, sliding over them as I turned and we stood face to face, or rather Cherri's face to my boobs because she was so much shorter. Warring emotions tugged at me. One side saying this was wrong, thinking of what my Dad would say if he discovered I'd wasted my talent on dirty pictures. Another part wanted this so bad, wanted to watch Cherri undress and pose for me. Wanted more. Lots more. And a tiny part of me justified my need by saying the world needed someone with skill to take nude shots, erotic pictures, because skill could make them so much more than smut. An attempt at justification, nothing more, helping to ease my conscience.

Cherri stared into my face, for once her own expression serious.

"I don't want you to do anything you're not one hundred percent sure about, Dan."

"I guess."

"Hungry?" She did that all the time. Serious one second, off at a complete tangent the next. Cherri made me mad sometimes, this flitting about also one of the things I loved about her, the speed her mind worked, moving at strange angles to other people's.

"Starving."

"Come on then." But still she didn't move. An electricity sparked between us, my nipples once more growing visibly pointed. Cherri's hands burned where they rested against my hips. She gazed at me and I wanted to kiss her, but that would really screw everything. Last night had been different. In the cold light of morning we'd returned to our senses. I stepped away, my skin bereft of her touch as Cherri's hands pulled loose. I didn't glance back as I left the cabin, walked fast down to the dining hall, hoping she was following.

Cherri caught me up and fell into step.

"You heard the rumors about us, babe?"

"Rumors? No. What rumors?"

Kids and counselors moved around us, everyone going down to eat, but no-one close enough to overhear our conversation.

"Mandy told me. Said someone asked her about us. About me and you."

"Us?"

Cherri nodded, amusement on her face. "Wondering how often we did it."

"Did what?" My stomach sank.

"The thing. The wicked girl thing. Word is me and you are even worse than Tonya and Holly." Cherri laughed.

"Not funny, Cherri!"

"It's hilarious."

"What about Jack and Brian? Everyone knows we're going out with them."

"Cover," Cherri said. "Apparently Jack and Brian are fucking each other too, and we're only with them so we can pretend we're all hetero."

I slowed and stopped, looking around. No-one paid us any special attention. "Who's saying this? Everyone?"

"Nah. Don't think everyone."

"We've got to-"

"Chill out," Cherri said. "If we make a fuss people'll only say we've got something to hide. It's probably that dork Greg and his evil girlfriend. Ignore them, Dan. Laugh it off."

"Huh." I started down the path again.

"Only one problem."

I slowed once more, glanced at Cherri. "What's that?"

"I'm gonna have to avoid kissing you in public, I guess."

"Kissing me in... you've never kissed me in public." I remembered last night's kiss, the way Cherri tasted and the memory made my breath catch in my throat.

Cherri laughed at the tone in my voice. "Damn. And I was just getting used to the idea."

She strode on, leaving me standing with my mouth open.

Chapter 17.

Two in the morning and Cherri slept across from me, a soft sweet not-quite-snore escaping her as I slipped from bed and crept out of the cabin. I made my way to the darkroom, three rolls of film clutched in my hand. I'd lain awake, listening to the sound of the cabin, of Cherri drifting to sleep, of girls in the bunkhouse talking before finally falling silent, and all I thought of was the pictures I might have captured. Cherri made no further mention of them since that morning, and I was glad, not sure if I could develop them with her sitting on my shoulder.

I locked the door behind me, leaving the key in the lock in case someone decided to wander into the night, but I didn't expect to be disturbed. Jeff and Chrissy would be sound asleep, hopefully everyone else too. I had the shots of them on the last roll, guilty excitement running through me at the thought of how those might come out.

I mixed chemicals and loaded three developing tanks, set them on different benches so I wouldn't get confused. The fluids went in. I rocked, tapped and rocked each tank again.

When the timers pinged I emptied the developer from each tank in turn, methodical, organized, flushing each with water three times, added fixer. More tapping, more rocking. I leaned against the bench, waiting, the ticking of the timers loud in the quiet darkroom. The best pictures were still in my room on the roll of transparency, but I didn't have the chemicals at camp to develop that. I would have to wait until I returned home. I'd need to be careful. These weren't the kind of photographs I wanted my Dad finding.

The timer dinged and I pulled the first strip of film free of the plastic spool and held it wet up to a lamp. I'd learned to judge the tiny reverse images over the years, envision how they would appear as full size prints. The first frames showed Cherri fully clothed, then in growing stages of undress, finally naked. I checked the second film, scanned through to find the images of Jeff and Chrissy pretty dark. I might be able to do something with them, but I had a strong sense of guilt about the illicit photographs and considered destroying them immediately. I hung them all up to dry and stood close to study the tiny images of Cherri. A shiver coursed through me. Many of the reverse images showed her naked, posing, some sweet, some coarse, some explicit, all exciting. I sat on a stool and waited, these not strips I wanted to leave and deal with in the morning.

Time passed and I felt myself nodding off, laid my head on my arms on the bench and closed my eyes for a moment.

I was woken from a dream of an argument, someone shouting and throwing pans and when I opened my eyes the shouting turned into a real voice and the pans became the sound of knocking on the door.

"Hey, Dan, open up." Jack called through the door, trying to keep his voice quiet enough not to carry but loud enough for me to hear.

I jerked upright in panic, full daylight outside. I got up and started for the door, stopped and spun back. The three rolls of film hung on clips, dry now. I ran back, rolled them up, stuffed them into a spare pocket before returning and unlocking the door.

Jack came in, frowning. "Early start, Dan? And why's the door locked?"

"I just..." I shrugged, unable to come up with an excuse in my befuddled state. "What's the time?"

"Seven-thirty. I wanted to come across early and... well, you know what I wanted to do. I think it's time I destroyed those prints. What were you doing?"