Within a few weeks after their first date, Kate and Betsy were virtually living together at Kate’s apartment. Betsy had moved over many of her things, including some of her clothes though she was only permitted to wear them when getting ready to leave the apartment.

On their third weekend together, while Kate was busy at her laptop on a report for work and Betsy was reading, the phone rang and Kate picked it up.

"Allison," she exclaimed, " are you in town? Great. Sure, come on over. We’ll order a pizza or something. You haven’t met my lovely Betsy yet and I want to show her off to you."

When she hung up she said simply, "that was my friend Allison. She and her partner are in town so I invited them over tonight. You’ll love them both."

"That’ll be great," Betsy said, "Are they coming over right now? Darn, I guess I'll have to get dressed."

Kate laughed. "No, that outfit you’re wearing now will be just fine."

Betsy laughed too, thinking this was a joke.

"I’m really looking forward to showing you off," Kate went on. "I told Allison all about you being a nudist and she thinks it’s very sexy."

"But I . . . you don’t really expect me to be naked when your friends come over?"

"Of course I do," Kate said. "You said you wanted to."

"But I was, you know . . . teasing. It's just a ga--" Betsy stopped short, stunned by the sudden change in Kate’s expression.

"What do you mean?"Kate demanded, looking both hurt and angry. "You told me you're a nudist, Betsy. You said you want to be nude whenever possible. I hope you’re not saying this has all been some kind of act."

Betsy was suddenly frightened by the look on Kate's face. "No, no, of course not," she stammered. "Of course I'm a nudist. I . . . I love being nude, of course I do, but I . . . just thought that you . . . that you . . . didn’t want me to do it around other people because you wanted us to keep it a private thing."

Kate’s expression softened again just as suddenly and she took Betsy’s face in her hands, "oh you’re so sweet to be willing to do that for me! But I wouldn’t ask that of you. I love you so much, Betsy. I love that you’re a nudist and I want to share that -- not keep it a secret! Now you go off and get ready for company, but don’t you dare get dressed because I want to show you off, my love. But oh god I’d better finish this report before they get here."

And then Kate went back to her laptop and began concentrating on the screen. Betsy was relieved and happy that Kate was no longer mad at her, but her mind was struggling to absorb what it all meant. She walked slowly into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Moving as if in a trance she brushed her hair and put on a little makeup and perfume. She looked at her bare feet, deciding whether to put on sandals. Part of her realized this was a ridiculous thought and yet she kept her mind busy on it to avoid thinking about what she was about to do.

The doorbell rang and Betsy snapped out of her trance and was suddenly acutely aware of the situation. She ran out of the bathroom and up to Kate, her mouth opening silently as she struggled to say something, anything, that would get her out of this situation. But Kate was still looking at the computer screen and only said, "would you get that, honey? I just need to finish this sentence."

Betsy gulped. But then as the doorbell rang a second time she forced herself to focus on what was important. Kate loved her. That’s what mattered. If this was what Kate wanted, Betsy would just have to do it. She walked quickly to the door, pulled it open without looking through the peephole and stood naked in the doorway smiling convincingly at the two women on the other side of the screen door.

"Oh my!" one of them exclaimed with a smile. "I guess Katie wasn’t exaggerating about you."

It all happened so fast. Kate was suddenly at Betsy’s side making introductions, her arm around Betsy’s bare waist, as she said, "ladies, this is Betsy -- the love of my life."

Betsy looked at Kate’s face in profile, searching to see if this was a sincere, meaningfull comment. As if in response, Kate turned and looked right at her and smiled. "Yes," her eyes said, "you are the love of my life." But her mouth said, "Betsy, dear, why don’t you go open some wine?"

Betsy did, grateful to have a moment alone in the kitchen. My god, she thought. I’m naked and I have to stay naked all evening in front of these strangers and pretend it's normal. She opened both bottles of wine nervously but as she opened the cabinet for wine glasses she saw Kate’s vodka. Quickly, she poured some into one of the wine glasses and grabbed a bottle of tonic from the fridge to mix with it. She gulped it down. She said she loves me! She said I’m the love of her life! I can do this.

This thought made her smile, and the jolt of liquor was loosening her fear. Betsy brought the two opened wine bottles and some glasses into the living room where Kate and Allison and Naomi were seated. Betsy felt so exposed, so naked, and yet she also felt confidence that Kate really loved her and that all Betsy had to do was pass this one test.

Both of them watched her body with no attempt to pretend otherwise. "Kate told me you were the most beautiful girlfriend she’s ever had," Allison said. "I can see she wasn’t exaggerating about that either."

"Did you really say that?" Betsy asked, looking at Kate eagerly.

"Of course I did, because it’s true." They were all seated except Betsy who was still pouring wine. She felt extra-exposed with their faces eye-level with her starkly bare pussy, but she was so happy about what Kate said it was somehow okay.

"Beautiful and naked is certainly a nice combination," Naomi observed. "How long have you been a nudist?"

Betsy wasn’t sure how to answer the question. She now knew better than to admit she was only doing it to please Kate. "Well, I guess it’s something I’ve felt . . . strongly about for a long time. But I haven’t always . . . had the opportunity."

Kate tugged at her hand, pulling her down on the sofa and onto her lap. "Isn’t she adorable?" Kate gushed, relaxing her hand on Betsy’s bare stomach. And then to Betsy she said, "darling, I promise I’m going to give you lots of opportunities."

Allison and Naomi laughed at this and Betsy was glad when the conversation shifted away from the subject of her nakedness and back to Kate's job. She sipped her wine and relaxed a little, leaning back against the sofa pillow as she sat in Kate’s lap. In that position it was difficult to keep her legs together and Kate was not helping matters. As she talked about work she gently caressed Betsy’s thigh, pushing her legs farther open. Betsy instictively resisted but Kate only increased the pressure of her hand and Betsy knew to submit. Naomi, sitting at the other end of the couch, had the best view and did not bother to pretend she was not looking. Betsy was intensely embarassed by this, and yet she also felt a hint of sensual excitement by her predicament. The wine on top of the vodka, together with Kate’s caress and Naomi’s eyes was making her feel aroused.

"I love your smoothie look," Naomi said, briefly looking up at Betsy’s eyes again. "Do you shave or wax?"

"Well, um, actually I had it removed by laser," Besty said.

"Really? Well they sure did a nice job."

"She didn’t have much to start with," Kate said. "Just a little bit right here." Kate’s finger made a little circle on Betsy’s skin where her hair had been. "But nothing at all down here." And as she said that, Kate’s finger finger slid down between Betsy’s thigh and glided up and down on both sides of her vagina, and as she did so she pushed Betsy’s legs even farther apart and Betsy could feel the air as her lips opened a little.

Just then the doorbell rang. Betsy had forgotten about the pizza. She jumped up off of Kate’s lap, intending to hide in the kitchen while Kate answered the door. But Kate made no move to get up and said, "there’s a twenty on the table by the door, honey. Just let him keep the change."

Betsy froze like a rabbit, looking back at Kate. The doorbell rang again and Kate smiled, but her voice was firm when she said, "answer the door Betsy."

There was no way out of it. Betsy was determined not to disappoint Kate again, not in front of guests. Somehow her feet took her to the door and she opened it.

The pizza guy was about 17 and he nearly dropped the box as he gaped at her, speechless. Betsy managed to take the box from him and give him the twenty-dollar bill while he whispered, "awesome."

As Betsy shut the door, Kate came up beside her and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you so much," she whispered as she took the box and carried it back to the coffee table.

Betsy exhaled. She had passed another test. She poured herself another glass of white wine and took a healthy gulp and then another. She leaned back in Kate's arms on the couch feeling dreamy and sexy and let Kate push her legs apart again.

Allison and Naomi left at about eleven. They were traveling and had to be on the road early the next morning. After they left Kate led Betsy to the bedroom and made love to her with more passion than anything Betsy had experienced before. Over and over she told Betsy how much she loved her, how perfect Betsy was, how beautiful and . . . how happy Kate was that Betsy was a nudist.

In the morning Betsy lay in bed after Kate had left for work. She replayed in her mind all of the sweet things Kate had said the night before. But she also thought of the argument they had almost had and she tried to think back on how the whole ‘nudist’ thing had started. Betsy realized it must be her own fault. She had assumed it was just sexual teasing but somehow Kate thought she meant it and now what could she do? She tried to picture explaining it to Kate, but every time she imagined the conversation she saw Kate’s hurt and angry expression and she knew it would be the end of their relationship.

Betsy was stuck. She could think of no way out. If she wanted to keep Kate -- and she did without doubt -- she had to be a nudist.

I'll find a way, she told herself. I got through last night. It can’t really get much worse than that, can it?

But Betsy was wrong about that.