It was amusing listening to Peter, too dark to see anything, but knowing he was as naked as me just inches away. I reached up and cupped my left breast, squeezing softly. I could feel the burning sensation on my skin. The sunburn. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as I first thought, though. It was bearable. I moved up to my nipple, tweaking it. “Hey, Pete? How is it you had no problem doing this? Getting naked in front of people. Strangers.” I asked.
“Meh. Modesty was never really my thing. Back in college, I went on every streak. I partied at the fraternities and often ended up naked, doing stupid things. I just never cared much. Thought it was funny, maybe.”
“Hmmm. I suppose it can be funny…”
“Oh, hey, are you coming to the meeting with Roy at breakfast?”
I was still squeezing and twisting my nipple when Pete interjected with thoughts of work. “Oh, uh, yeah, if you need me.”
“Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone take notes.”
“Alright, I can do that.”
“Afterwards, what’s your plan?”
“If I’m not sunburned too badly, I was going to put my suit on — and plenty of sunscreen! – and maybe take a hike around the lake.”
“Huh. Okay. There’s supposed to be a much bigger lake with a beachfront area somewhere on the resort. And there’s two swimming pools, one near the activity center. Thing is, it gets pretty busy over there.”
“I know. Off limits.”
“I really wish you didn’t have such objections to being naked, Beth. You might discover it’s not so terrible.”
I let Pete’s words sink in while I laid there, looking into the darkness. Maybe if it was just with Pete, I thought. Maybe then I could go naked, but I just didn’t feel right in front of strangers. And even though my other two bosses might be gay, the idea of being naked near them still wasn’t appealing.
I stepped out of the shower just after 7 the next morning. I didn’t bother using hot water. The cold felt good on my hot skin. Still, I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. Perhaps the clouds in the sky helped minimize the damage.
“You about done?” shouted Peter. “I want to shower before we leave, too.”
“Okay, okay,” wrapping a towel around me and opening the door. To no surprise Peter was buck naked and pushed past me, his cock brushing against the back of my towel. “You want me to get out first?”
“I don’t care,” said Peter.
“This lifestyle really suits you, doesn’t it?”
“What’d you say?” shouted Peter, as he had just turned on the water.
“Never mind!” I shouted back, with my towel accidentally slipping off. Fortunately, Peter was turned away and I rushed to get it back on. By the time I did, it dawned on me how ridiculous I was being. I sighed, aggravated with myself, and left the bathroom.
I sat at the kitchen counter for a few minutes thinking things over. Logic told me if I went naked, it would be a show of support to the others and to the client. I’d already seen my colleagues naked and I didn’t care. Why should they behave differently with me? Then there was Peter. I was discovering I actually found him interesting. I wanted to win his affection, if only for friendship.
I made up my mind. To make sure I would not change it, I got up and walked to the bedroom, tossing the damp towel on the bed. With it out of reach, there was no panicking for something to cover myself with. I pranced back to the small table and sat back down. I was doing this. I hoped — really, really hoped — Peter would be happy with me.