‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ I smiled my satisfaction at the nudists in front of me. ‘We should have lunch soon and go down to the lake. I hardly had any breakfast.’ I turned and went into the kitchen.
Geoff wasn’t tall but had a lanky aspect, skin and bones, with a narrow waist and long legs. His light-brown hair was clean-cut but he kept whiskers on his chin to hint at some nonconformity. I hadn’t seen all of him yet, but what I liked best so far were his nipples, broad circles that were rosy with distinct points. Would they become even more noticeable if stimulated? In the name of science, I’d be willing to take on that research.
I put some fixings on the counter and called the boys to make sandwiches. Some girlfriends do more than the minimum in the kitchen, but I save my finest work for a different room. According to tradition (and probably Google Maps as well), the stomach is the way to a man’s heart. I discovered while wooing Shawn that the alternative prostate gland route will get you there in half the time.
My fancy meal of peanut butter and honey with a banana on the side was already on the table, so I settled down to enjoy some dinner theatre. Geoff provided most of the entertainment by trying to make his sandwich one-handed while using the other to obstruct my view. It was not something he was accustomed to doing and sometimes he forgot his strategy, the gates opening only to be slammed shut a few seconds later.
His nervousness may have helped my nerves to settle. I heard the erotic hum of the situation but it was turned down low enough that I could function without seeming distracted. The boys probably thought I was enjoying their predicament because it gave me an opportunity to tease them. The power-exchange aspect appealed to my sense of humour but it w
as my limbic system that really whirled in response to the nudity around me.
Over lunch we talked about our lazy plan for the rest of the afternoon: walk down to the lake and settle on the dock for sunbathing along with the occasional cool-down swim.
‘I would help you boys clean up,’ I said after finishing my last mouthful of banana, ‘but I don’t have time because I have to go cover myself up in a bathing suit.’ I marched into the bedroom and noisily closed the door.
Putting on clothes that are just going to get wet is ridiculous. I don’t bother when Shawn and I have the place to ourselves. In front of Farhan and Geoff, I might have left my panties on (at first) but definitely wouldn’t have encumbered myself with a top. The bet forced me to make concessions, the most annoying of which was cramming my boobs into a Spandex prison. I could find bikinis that fitted fairly well if I was going swimming in a place where nudity wasn’t an option, such as a church, but my combination of petite, squishy and busty wasn’t meant for a one-piece. I had an old one that would have to do. The more skin I covered, I reasoned, the more the boys would be aware of their nakedness.
The climate of the Olympic Peninsula changes every few dozen miles. Lush forests that receive an annual average of 12 feet of rain transition into arid zones suited for prickly pear cactus. As storm clouds move inland from the ocean, they collide with the mountains and the cooler temperatures at high elevations cause drizzle that can last for days. The eastern slopes are much drier and melting glaciers provide the surface water that rushes through river valleys and gathers into small lakes.
One of these drainage pools sits at the edge of the property Shawn’s family owns.
On that weekend in June, the water was clean and cool and brave swimmers could perform belly-flops off the end of the dock. Skinnydippers and wandering tourists were unlikely to meet; the lake was too small to have a name and it was not stocked with trout.
I made the serious error of leading the way down the 200-yard trail from the cabin to the dock, thus missing out on the prime bum-watching opportunity I could have enjoyed from the back of the line. We carried everything we needed for the next few hours: towels, drinking water, fresh cherries for snacks and lots of sunscreen. I eased up on the rule of complete nudity by encouraging Shawn and Geoff to wear hats as extra safeguards for their fair complexions.
The lake was too chilly for long swims. A hot day in northern Washington is 80 degrees and, even as the temperature approached that mark, it took a while for us to warm in the sun before we were ready for the next plunge. The boys were dressed in a way that allowed them to dry quickly but my bathing suit absorbed water like a sponge. The unfamiliar sensation of being wet out of the water wore on me and eventually I decided to forgo swimming and stay on the dock.
Drawing on my resolve to be a good host, I served as the base-camp commander, requiring the boys to apply more sunscreen after swims. Shawn suggested I should help with hard-to-reach areas, such as between the shoulder blades. The arrangement benefited everyone.
Whenever I had company I tried to turn the conversation to sex but my guests were hesitant. The fantasy I’d had in the morning, of being able to trigger erections with just the power of my gaze, was not coming true and I was disappointed. The cold water worked against me as well, helping to suppress any physical reactions my words might engender.
Geoff caught a shiver and had to take a break from swimming, even though that meant he wouldn’t have the support of his friends while chatting with me. He sat cross-legged on the dock and pretended that the towel on his lap was something he’d left there haphazardly.
‘You need to remove that,’ I said, looking at his crotch to make my meaning clear.
‘Why?’
‘So I can see your cock.’
Geoff spoke seriously. ‘Why does that matter to you? We lost the game. You get to humiliate us. I get it. But you’re taking things too far.’
‘I’ve done a little bit of teasing,’ I admitted, ‘but not as much as I could have. I don’t accept that I’ve tried to humiliate you or anyone else.’
‘This is pretty humiliating.’
‘How?’
Geoff didn’t respond. Perhaps he thought the answer was obvious. I tried a different question.
‘Why do you think I agreed to the bet?’
‘So you could make fun of us if you won and dazzle us with your body if you lost.’
‘Is that why you made the bet, to make fun of me if you won and to dazzle me with your body if you lost?’
‘Guys don’t dazzle women with their bodies.’
‘I like looking at your body.’ It took Geoff a moment to realise I was not being facetious.