Now as some poet may have remarked with greater eloquence, the path of romance is seldom simple or straightforward, and recalling Aquinas's prayer for chastity but not just now ..
A chap is enamoured with a lady amateur actor, she is over twenty-one years of age and less than thirty-seven years of age, an adult. He also does volunteer work for this theatrical mob. Just to be in her company he spends hours "running lines" ..helping her learn her lines, rehearsing her role. Her brings flowers, mainly roses and frangipani. They embrace and kiss in a non sexual way. There is an attraction. They talk about many other things.
The show goes well. Towards the end of the brief run after a performance the lady actor introduces an acquaintance, a lady journalist/reporter, visiting briefly from overseas, to the chap. In a strange conversation, driven by the journalist, he finds out he has invited them both to dinner.
The next evening the actor tells the chap she won't be coming to dinner but the journalist will be. The chap thinks this is all very strange but gets a subliminal, emotional message he thinks, that in some way it is important that he agrees to this strange twist. He agrees to please the actor and she is pleased with him.and plants a genuinely affectionate kiss or two upon his dial.
But the following day the chap rings a friend and asks a few questions. Later he gets valuable information.. So he prepares a lovely dinner. The journalist dresses in an interesting way for dinner. Her outfit is 85% to 90% armour plate.inspired, but there is an open inviting scantily covered 10% or so.
Let's call this dinner guest Pandora. Pandora opts for fruit juice as her opening drink, which is happily served in abundance, whilst the chap puts a fair dash of water in his single malt. Pre dinner conversation is a barely disguised Inquisition about local politics, business identities, & scandal with some more pre cursor inquiries that ring warning bells. Dinner is thankfully served, with a "veiled warning" Pandora starts modestly drinking a little sparkling wine, and tucks in heartily. Her conversation gets slightly louder, pushier with the questions, and at a certain point the chap thinks, Pandora you are a citizen of a foreign nation, albeit Commonwealth, but you venture into dangerous grounds although not of great importance so far.
Pandora becomes overtly amorous, but thankfully shifts back to local politics in a return to a hunt for either scandal or access. The chap is relieved to fill Pandora's glass with simple fruit juice and more so when having completed dining, Pandora jaunts off to the ladies powder room to relieve her bladder.
Pandora returns with her less protected 10% well displayed, in top gear verbally, so the chap starts talking about football, because he knows Pandora likes rugby and he supports a different code, it's also the most unromantic topic he can grasp at, but it's a mistake. He rises from the table to attend to his duties as a host, and is between dining area and lounge area but Pandora is up and running with the rugby caper, & crash tackles the chap onto a lounge.
He survives the assault, and curses the lack of a grand piano, Pandora asks why, and he says well to do handstands over..but let's use the outdoor table ..Thus he escapes the perils of Pandora on the lounge and gains room to.manoeuvre on the patio. He attempts his running jump and handstand over the outdoor table but crashes in the shrubs.
Not to be outdone, Pandora to the chaps surprise and dismay, deftly removes armoured skirt & other bits of attire, and announces that she will attempt the handstand stunt. Pandora produces a camera from her voluminous handbag, announces that she wants a photograph taken of her doing a handstand, and suggests other photographs they might take. The chap is inclined not to have any photography going on, but when Pandora offers to heave a potted plant through the house if he refuses her the photograph he reluctantly consents.
Pandora makes a bold attempt, the photo is taken, and Pandora crashes on the shrubs and some cushions the chap put out
This takes a bit of her over abundant energy out of Pandora and she is happy to be guided inside for some ice for a few bruises and strawberries and coffee.
After coffee Pandora is promptly put in a upmarket taxi and sent home, fully dressed, if dishevelled, Virgo intacto as far as the chap is aware..
The chap cleans up the dinner table etc, jumps in a taxi and goes out for the evening.
The following day the lady actor visits to collect her car that Pandora had borrowed. Fair haired, beautiful Sally has had a dispute with Pandora about Pandora's behaviour, and apparently Pandora made a cruel barb about the casting couch making up for a lack of talent.
The chap comforts Sally, reminding her of her excellent performance and how she was one of the best in the show for knowing her dialogue. Sally is cheered up, then even happier to hear about Pandora's exploits at dinner. She takes Pandora's camera and readily agrees to meet later, after Pandora's imminent departure.
At this meeting Sally agrees to go sailing with the young chap and reveals that she forgot to give Pandora her camera before Pandora left but she had the film developed and she would be posting camera and photographs to Pandora.
Now it should be made clear that any photographs were NOT pornographic in any way, with the reflection that it's sad that such a point has to be made.
It was a blurry image but vaguely recognisable.
I leave it to readers to speculate on whether or not, after showing the young chap a blurry photograph, Sally planted plenty of red hot kisses upon the lucky chap. And whether or not the chap got a tip after making an enquiry that Pandora had a reputation for getting chaps compromised with perhaps less than scrupulous methods, to then extract information or other help. Either way, neither the chap or Pandora were truthful at all times with each other over dinner, but just who was hunting who in this tale of dinner with Pandora and how virtuous or immoral the nature of each hunter are for readers to conjecture upon. The chap is probably aware that he has not been wholly virtuous.
There is a happy time for the chap and Sally, not a happy ever after, but a happy time when he almost showers her with flowers, takes her sailing and teaches her to be a dab hand at the jib sheet, and Sally is a delight to watch setting a small spinnaker sail. He also gives her a trinket or two from the jewellery shop and buys her a sarong in the markets one day. But these gifts do not make Sally a harlot.
Now caution should always be observed when taking photographs. Consent has been discussed. It would be illegal to have had, without lawful purpose a covert camera filming Pandora, or taking any photographs without her informed consent given when she was sober.and not affected by drugs. Where photographs may be taken can be a key factor in whether the photographer acts lawfully or not..eg private property / public areas.
Also it is Pandora who bought a camera to the dinner. The chap, when he recalls those times might think that Sally knew Pandora's nature, and may not have been so innocent and without motive in allowing Pandora to.manipulate events and encouraging the chap "to sail into dangerous waters". Sally was an aspiring actor, with talent and she had her various " acts" for different settings / situations and people. However I think it more likely that he would treasure so many other memories of his time with Sally.. the hours of running lines & rehearsals, and the moments when bits that had been a struggle suddenly went right, like those damn eighteen lines in scene x were conquered and Sally was free to get her actions through those cursed eighteen lines sorted out, and how she danced and floated out of that session just so happy. Or he might remember Sally in sarong setting small spinnaker sail set against water and sky so blue, and forgive her anything. He of course may well have committed many sins, mostly minor sins but a few whoppers, and no doubt repents most, but it is possible there are "some sins of a carnal nature" between himself and another consenting adult that he thinks he'd rather ask for forgiveness "not now, maybe later" ( ending by coming back to Aquinas ? and the prayer for the gift if chastity, but not just now o Lord )
MODS : World Dip RIS-MarieByrd Problem
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