The Moose, the Tree, and the Irish Writer

They went into the small narrow room off his art studio and Viggo turned on the safety light and the overhead fan. He arranged tools on the long stainless sink top "OK, now it's going to have to be extremely dark in here for a fewutesutes...you kind of have to do it all by a sense of feel. First here are the tools, a bottle opener to open the film canister, scissors to cut the film from the roll, and this here is what we roll the film onto and then we place it inside this black tumbler here and fill with chemical solution. I have measured out the chemicals solution, and why don't you turn on the sink? I will need the water on." Viggo instructed.

She wasn't sure she had caught on to all of it just yet but she turned on the sink.

"ome ome and stand in front of me, I am going to guide your hands and let you do this." Viggo said pulling her in front of him.

"No, Viggo I don't want to ruin all your hard work...please you just do it." Tabby protested.

"Nonsense, I am right here...I will guide you." Viggo said softly against her ear his breath tickling down her neck. It was all she could do to keep from pressing back against his body behind her.

He said, "OK now, take the canister of film in this hand like so." He pressed the roll into her hand. "Now take the bottle opener in this hand. Ok now I am going to flip off the lights." His body brushed hers as he leaned over to flip the switch. "Ok now pop the top off the film canister."

Tabby made a frustrated sound and Viggo put his hands over hers and helped her get the top off. Her hands were so small under his and he let thing linger on top of hers longer than necessary. Once the lid was off he took the bottle opener and tossed it onto the sink. It made a loud clattering sound and Tabby jumped. She had been so wrapped up in him she didn’t realize he was going to toss it like that.
"Sorry should have warned you I was going to do that." Viggo said shaking his head. "Ok now let the film slide out of the canister into your hand." He was feeling along with her and said, "Good, now hold on to this end; just toss the empty canister on the counter." She tossed it and giggled whenbounbounced back and hit her foot.

"Not such a great toss." She laughed. Viggo chuckled. "Ok now here are the scissors, feel for the end of the film where it is taped to the roll...there you go." He felt with his hand passing over hers. He decided to do the cutting himself.

"Ok there we are." He slid the scissors into his back pocket...no sense tossing something that could be dangerous with another person in here.

"Now. Pick up the basket looking thing I showed you. There you go...here let me feel the edge." He said as he passed his fingers over hers and then the edge of the plastic thing. "Ok here is the slot right here, slide the film under that...there you go...now it works sort of like a ratchet, start turning it...here and here." He said as his hands guided hers. The contraption made a ratcheting sound and she felt the filmstrip getting shorter as it wound onto the thing.

"Ok, almost done." Viggo said softly. "Now drop it inside the tumbler...right, now hold it over the sink for me but don't put any water in it yet." She stepped closer to the sink and held the tumbler in both hands. He began pouring one of the smelly chemicals into the tumbler and then he put the lid on it. "Now don't shake it, but just swish it sort of back and forth slowly...yes there you go." He said stepping behind her again and holding his hands over hers, guiding her movements.

"Bubbles can ruin the photos so we do it slowly so bubbles don't form." Viggo explained.

"Oh." Tabby said softly.

After a bit Viggo said, "Ok now rinse....put it under the sink."

"Do I need to take off the lid?" Tabby asked confused.

"No there is a special hole in the top...sorry I didn't show it to you. Just put it under the water...here we go." He said pushing her against the sink a bit as he stretched over her to the water. She had to bend at the waist to reach the water because she was so short. Tabby could feel him pressing tightly against her back with this strong thighs pressed against her rear. She decided here in the dark in the smelly dark room was probably the most sensual non-sexual experience she had ever had with a man. It was taking all of Viggo's concentration to block getting aroused as her rear rubbed against him. Damn maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He thought.

"OK...now we let it set inside the tumbler with the water a bit." Then he was gone...the warmth disappeared from her back and Tabby had to suppress a shudder. He flipped on the safety light and went about preparing the baths.

They continued developing the film and individual prints the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally brushing against each other in the small room and Tabby thought the sexual tension in the room was thick enough to drown in.

Then as they hung the prints to dry on the strings Viggo said. "You did quite well for your first time."

She had to laugh at his choice of words. "Thanks, Now what?" She asked.

"We wait for them to dry." He flipped on the overhead lights and the room was flooded with artificial light. Tabby's eyes took a moment to readjust.

Viggo bent down and retrieved the film canister that had been tossed and then laid the scissors on the self next to the rest of the equipment. Viggo was quite neat actually; he kept the dark room in very good order...like the rest of the house.

When they walked out of the dark room he said, "I think I need a shower before dinner...I smell like photography chemicals."

She laughed. "Yeah I do too."

"You go first then, looks like I have some messages." Viggo said as they walked back into the living room noticing the red light on the answering machine.

"I didn't even hear the phone." Tabby admitted.

"Me either." Viggo said softly and brushed his hand through his hair.

Shet upt up stairs and saw him lean over the phone machine and the the button.