All in the Name of Art

She smiled. "Tell me about it. So is that a 'no' for a glass of wine or a beer tonight?"

I hesitated. "Hm, okay, but I'll keep it at just one, okay?"

"Sure, baby." She went in the kitchen, and soon was back with a beer for me, a glass of wine for her, two plates and the lasagna in its transparent tray. We settled down and started to eat. Mom started talking about her shoot at the seminar, where it seems there had been no one under the age of 50, and such a collection of dark suits that it was difficult to tell the various eggheads apart. She knew how to spin a story, there had always been something of the entertainer in her, and she got me laughing more than once. But the conversation eventually calmed down, and a large elephant entered the room.

But Mom wasn't one to let a heavy mood settle in, and decided to break the ice.

"Enough talking about work - let's talk about fun," and she went to take her laptop from her bag in the entrance of the house. She turned it on and called up Mike's program right away. "But then again, I might be boring you to death with this project of mine, so tell me if that's the case, okay, baby? I can be such a one-track-mind I sometimes forget that others aren't always as into things as I am."

"No, Mom, actually, I wanted to discuss the project with you too, so that's cool."

"Good. Oh, here it is..." she said, and the two tumblrs appeared on the screen. There were the three new pictures on top of the 'real' thing and the corresponding gray areas on the project page, but apart from that, the two sides were eerily similar... while so fundamentally different. Mom turned to me. "So, what was it you wanted to discuss, baby?"

All of a sudden, my throat felt very dry. "Well, I was wondering... I mean, it's about the last pictures, and me helping..."

"Baby, I told you already how much I appreciate you helping me. And I've looked at the project, and it's becoming so much more than I imagined..."

"Oh, it's nice, I suppose."

"More than nice, it's great! And the pictures we took together definitely give it another direction altogether. You know, when I started it, I thought it would be about empowerment, and some kind of commentary on the representation of the female body... well, the idea of empowerment is still there, but I never expected it to become so much about sexiness and sensuality. And I sure never expected to enjoy taking those pictures so much... or looking at them, for that matter."

I frowned. "Really?"

"Definitely. I look at those pictures, and I think - I'm creating art I'm proud of, but besides that they're hot! I'm hot! And don't get me started on the ones we took together..." she giggled.

"Oh, cool," I said, not really knowing how to react.

"So there's a little thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"O-kay," I said, feeling a little apprehensive.

"I'm in a bit of a conundrum now."

"How so?"

"Well, if you consider the project - the idea was to replace all the women with myself, right?"

"Hm-hm."

"So if we stick with that concept, then logically it should apply to the men as well, don't you think?"

I tensed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they should all be the same guy posing with me in the project."

"Are you saying that...?"

She smiled. "I might be needing more of your help, yes."

I was dumbstruck. "Erm, okay, Mom, but... but you know the kind of pictures there are on my tumblr, right?"

"Hm-hm."

"So... I mean, the pics we took yesterday were kinda..."

"Sensual? Sexual? I agree..."

"And well, they are some of the tamest ones on the site."

"Very true. That's why I chose them in the first place."

"O-kay. But when you say you're going to need my help again, that means..."

"... going for racier pics, yes."

"Wow. I'll have to think about it, Mom."

"Sure, take all the time you need. (she smiled) Though I thought you enjoyed yesterday's session..."

I blushed. "Yeah, it was... nice."

"From what I've seen, it was more than just 'nice' for you. (she giggled) And if it makes you feel any better, it was more than 'nice' for me too. I enjoyed it a lot," she winked. "I know it must be strange for you the way I have... invaded this fantasy landscape of yours. It's a bit strange even for me and it was my idea. But at the same time, it has made me feel so... sexy and desirable, and when we did the pictures together, it was... even better. So that's why I'd love to try and do it again - but only if you want to, okay?"

I took a deep breath. "I... I'll think about it, Mom."

She smiled a soft, loving smile. "Thank you, baby."

* * * * *

Over the following days, the project for the first time since it's inception was not only NOT the primary focus of our conversations, it was not even mentioned. I guess Mom wanted to give me some time and space to think about the whole thing, and made a point not to mention it - at all. For all that though, I couldn't stop thinking about it - and more precisely, about that last conversation we had - all it meant and could mean to our relationship. On some level, I understood what Mom had tried to tell me - how the project made her feel sexy, how she enjoyed playing with what turned me on, and how eventually my 'reaction' had made her desirability all the more tangible. On another level, I was utterly lost, and didn't know what to make of the proposal she had made me, about taking additional pictures. How far was she willing to go? And while my imagination (and my libido) was conjuring the wildest scenes, I just couldn't bring myself to believe that she was considering re-creating the raciest pictures with me.

I eventually decided to broach the subject on Friday evening. The week had been trying for both of us, I suppose, and we had been quite busy with our respective occupations. We had a quiet dinner together, and had sat through the first third of some stupid reality show - a sure sign of tiredness for us. As there was yet another commercial break, I took a deep breath, and decided to just dive in.

"Mom, I've thought a lot about your project, and..."

"Yes, baby?"

"Well, I think I want to keep helping you."

She smiled, and gave me a quick hug. "You're the best."

I didn't feel like adding anything else, and she must have been content with that, because she just moved a little bit closer on the sofa, her head against my shoulder (as she often did), and we carried on our mindless television watching.

Of course, Saturday morning turned out to be very different. Mom came in the kitchen as I was finishing my coffee and paging through a magazine I had bought the previous day. She was in a great mood, and it didn't take her much time to talk business. "Chris, we've got to talk."

I coughed. "Whoa, that sounds really serious. Somebody die?"

She smiled. "No, silly. But we've got to talk about the project."

"Okay."

"You said you wanted to keep helping me."

I smiled. "Hm-hm."

"Is that still the case?"

"Hm-hm."

"Good. So I was thinking that maybe, it would be easier to go at it in the evenings, or maybe late afternoon. I mean, I don't want to impose too much on you, and this way we can maybe start off with a glass of wine or something..."

I smiled again. "Sure, Mom, sounds fine by me."

"And here is what I propose: so far, I've been the one choosing the shots, you know? But next time we do it, you'll be the one to choose the first shot we'll take. Deal?"

I shrugged. "Okay. And when do you want us to do the next session then?"

"What about today?"

"Sure. Late afternoon or evening?"

"Hm, let's say late afternoon. Five-ish, would that work out for you?"

"Absolutely. It's a date."

She smiled, and I smiled back - hoping to sound cool and detached, while I was literally shaking inside. This was going to be a very long day...

* * * * *

I don't know how I managed to survive the seven hours that followed. I needed to go out as I had some shopping to do, but the whole thing was over by noon. After that, I was so tense I couldn't put my mind to do anything, and the only thing I accomplished was spending about forty minutes on my tumblr pondering my choice for that requested picture. I hesitated for a long time, considering different options, finally opting for one that I felt was right. And then, all that was left for me to do was wait. And wait some more. But time eventually came to pass, and when I found myself in front of the door of the basement studio, my heart was beating hard in my chest... and my cock was already tense in anticipation.

Mom was draped in her light robe and welcomed me with a great smile, quickly offering me something to drink.

"How has it been progressing today then?" I asked her.

"Hm, I've had more productive days, that's for sure. My mind must have been elsewhere," she giggled, sipping her wine. "But now that you're here, things will certainly change."

I smiled. "I bet."

There was only a moment of heavy silence, before Mom broke it. "So what picture did you choose? I'm curious."

"Let me show you." I grabbed the laptop, on which she had been working, and scrolled down on my tumblr page, until I found the picture I was looking for. I clicked on it, and it appeared in full size on the screen. I held my breath.

"Wow," said Mom, in a throaty voice that surprised me. "That's a very nice choice, baby..."

The shot was probably a naughty take on a series of pictures that had become moderately viral, by a photographer who had captured his girlfriend leading him by the hand around the world. In a pose reminiscent of these, the picture showed a naked woman seen from the back, her face turned towards the viewer (but with only the lower part visible), holding in her hand the hard cock of a guy in the foreground, as if she was leading him somewhere.

"Does that mean you want me to lead the way?" she giggled. "Or maybe that I can take you wherever I want?"

I chuckled. "Hm, be careful not to read too much into a picture, Mom."

"Sure, baby. Okay, here is what I had in mind for us today, let me know what you think."

She clicked on a folder named 'Chris', and walked me through the few pics she had selected: a bust shot of a girl (probably kneeling), arms crossed under her cum-covered tits, mouth open, with a still hard cock pressed against her right breast; a girl sitting on the floor, wearing a white blouse, a dark scarf and a black skirt, looking up at the camera with cum around her mouth, a cock inches from her right cheek; a woman on her knees, cum on her mouth and chin (and some dripping on the top of her breasts), holding the still hard cock of a guy standing to her left close to her lips; and then there was an animated gif of a woman lying on her back, licking her cum-covered tits, with a cock hovering above them and it still being stroked.

I frowned. "Erm, are you sure about that one?"

"Which one? You mean the animated one? Yes... I've tried the software Mike recommended, and it works just fine. You just shoot a video instead of a simple picture, and you convert it afterwards."

"I wasn't talking about the technical aspects, but... well, you know, he's moving."

"Oh, I see. (she giggled) Well, it wouldn't be something I haven't seen before but - but I understand. We can still try, and if you feel that's too much to ask from you, I won't push you, okay? "

"Okay..."

"Good boy!" She smiled, a strange glint in her eye. "So, we should get ready for that pic of yours. Do you need any... preparation before...?"

I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, to get... in the right state. Or maybe we can take the opportunity to do the picture we couldn't do the other day, the one that requires you to be... not hard, you know?"

"Hm, Mom, I'm not sure that's going to be necessary. (I blushed) And to be honest, just trying to take the picture you're thinking of would get me in an... unsuitable state, so to speak."

"Oh. Does that mean you're already...? (I nodded) Oh my, young men are unbelievable."

She toggled the specific setup on the computer, displaying the picture I had chosen, and suddenly hesitated.

"What's the matter, Mom?"

"Look at the background, this is a bathroom. And if we want something at least vaguely resembling a bathroom, we'll have to go upstairs."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not really. Just help me and pick up the tripod and the camera while I take the laptop, and we can be set up in no time."

Indeed, it took us less than a couple of minutes to move the gear to our bathroom, and Mom found the best angle to use to reproduce at least the mood of the original. I was to lie down on two chairs we had brought from my room, with the camera above my head. Mom seemed happy enough with the set-up, and we undressed. It was quicker for her, and she shamelessly watched me undress... not even turning her gaze away when I took off my boxer shorts, revealing my cock, which had been hard since we had begun discussing pictures downstairs. She looked at it, nodding (probably without realizing it), and turned to me. "Shall we?"

We had to shoot three takes to get it right. The woman in the original had a strange position after all, which could be seen as if she was about to sit on the cock, as much as if she was rising to lead the guy to the corner. And as she had her back to the camera, it wasn't easy for Mom to position herself. This resulted in a lot of grabbing (on my cock), some accidental contact (my cock with Mom's ass) and a good amount of laughing from us both.

The upside of this meant that we were far more relaxed around each other this time, even without the help of all the alcohol we'd had the last time. So much that we didn't bother with getting dressed again when we moved the camera gear back to the basement. In fact, we were both eager to take the other pictures.

We started with the white blouse picture, and then moved to the cock pressed to the breast one (which elicited some more grabbing). Mom had been using some lotion as a stand-in for cum, and wanted to try the gif next, as it implied a somewhat similar 'covering'. We moved the camera to the overhead harness, and we took our respective positions, me straddling her. While this wasn't very difficult per se (after all, we had already shot such a picture before), producing the video for the gif proved definitely trickier. We had to coordinate, somewhat, and we both seemed distracted by what the other had to do. Mom licking her breasts certainly did make my pulse run faster, and she had unabashedly stared the first time I stroked my cock above her. By the time we finally managed to get what she needed for the project, the temperature in the studio had definitely risen by a few degrees.

The last picture (the kneeling girl holding the cock close to her lips) was much simpler in comparison. There was a bit of technical break, as the angle of the shot needed the camera to be higher, and I helped Mom set up the tripod. Then all I had to do was stand at my designated spot, while she positioned herself at my feet. There was some more grabbing (my cock again), with Mom asking for another take, and we were done. But before I could move away, Mom surprised me by laying another soft kiss on my shaft, just below the rim of the head. She looked up at me, a saucy smile on her face: "You've been perfect, baby." She stood up and stretched. "Now go and take care of that beautiful thing before I decide we need to work on the messier pictures..."

"Mom, you wouldn't...?"

"Me? Be careful, I've been literally dripping for the past hour, so anything's possible..."

My mind was reeling with what she'd just said, and again my imagination was bringing up the wildest images in my head, but I had to gather up all the discipline I had to play it cool. "Okay, then I'll take away the temptation. There's been enough work for today, I suppose."

Mom sighed exaggeratedly: "You might be right... we'll have plenty of time tomorrow."

I shook my head in mock disbelief, and quickly made it to the bathroom. I came like a hose, as if I had accumulated the tension of the three climaxes I had been denied. I then lied down on my bed, and dozed off... until Mom woke me when she called for dinner.

* * * * *

When I got in the kitchen, Mom smiled and immediately started teasing me.

"What happened, baby? Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

I pouted. "Nah - it's this photographer I'm working with, she's a real slave driver. She bossed me around nearly all afternoon, and now I'm beat."

She giggled. "Poor thing... here, eat something, you're going to need it."

"Thanks, Mom. Hm, you smell nice... any plans for the evening?"

"No, nothing like that. But after that good day's work, I did reward myself with a long, hot shower. Hmm..." She closed her eyes, as if reminiscing. Then opened them with a naughty smile. "By the way, baby, you should remember flushing after yourself when you um... 'use' the bathroom. There was quite a mess..."

I blushed. "Oh, sorry, Mom, I... I guess I was a bit..."

"Distracted, maybe?" she giggled.

"Yeah, something like that."

"You know, that got me thinking..."

"Hm, I'm kinda worried about where this conversation is headed..."

She smiled. "Maybe you should be. I read somewhere that sometimes, in porn, people were using fake cum? That's unbelievable..."

I shrugged. "Yeah, but you know, there are some people who are into big loads, and that's easier, I suppose, than trying to rely on the few guys who made themselves a name around that."

"Really?"

"Hm-hm. And I imagine that it's a bit like what's being used in food advertising: with the lights and the posing and the time the whole thing actually takes to get done, I guess it's safer to use some kind of resilient substitute than facing the risk of it drying off or something."

She giggled. "You're probably right. I mean, I faced similar problems with some of my pictures..." She turned thoughtful and stopped talking.

"Penny for your thoughts, Mom?"

"Hm, nothing. I mean, I was thinking of the project, you know, and how I kinda like to contrast the 'homemade quality' of it against the professional shots. A bit like this cosmetic ad campaign starting with the model "au naturel", then with the make-up, hair, lighting, and photography retouches she became unrecognizable, showing how unrealistic some of our expectations have become."

"O-kay... I'm still trying to see where the 'fake cum' fits into this."

"Well, see, the project is about the real me. I'm putting myself - and a bit of you too, and again thank you so much for that - in those poses that originally had certainly been planned and orchestrated and retouched afterwards, but I'm doing it without resorting to the same tricks."

"Hm, yeah, that makes sense. Also the fact that some of those girls have been surgically enhanced."

"Exactly."

"And the fake cum then?"

"I'm thinking that if I'm going for authenticity, as I am, it's kind of defeating the point if I use substitutes there."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, you can't be serious..."

She took a jokingly haughty pose and tone: "Chris, I'm always serious, when it's about my art. (she giggled) But really that was just a random thought. In this ever-evolving process, I still have to think it through, to see where it leads us."

I raised an eyebrow, but she changed the subject and started talking about what we might do that evening. We ended up watching a movie together, some action flick that thankfully had very little in terms of sexual content. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle anything more.

* * * * *

I slept a bit late the next morning, and Mom was already bustling with energy when I got to the kitchen, around 10:30am.

"Slept well, baby?"

"Hm-hm. You?"

"So-so. I looked at the pictures we took yesterday before I went to bed, and I was so excited that I didn't sleep much. There's so much I want to do today that we might as well start off as soon as possible."