Tradition, part 2
by RSW
Chapter 5Ben flinched as the door opened. It was Emily. He couldn’t help but see how she was dressed as she walked into the room. She looked really good, with the cutest little bare feet. ‘Does she have to buy child-sized shoes?’ he wondered before berating himself for having such an idiotic thought.
The bare skin didn’t end at her feet either. It traveled all the way up her legs, ending at the white and blue lining of her red skirt that started, in his opinion, way too close to her waist for him to be comfortable. ‘I can see her bloomers without her even moving that skirt is so short. Does she normally wear black ones?’
Her uniform also left her midriff completely uncovered. He couldn’t help but gape at her exposed navel. ‘What’s that black fabric showing at the bottom of her top? Is that her bra?’ Taking into account the rest of her apparel, he was surprised that she was even wearing a bra or that the shirt didn’t show off more of her breasts. ‘No one told me that she was going to be dressed like that!’ he thought. ‘At least, it’s safe for me to look at her face.’
He found that it wasn’t safe, however. He was too intimidated to look her in the eyes, and all he could think about was how beautiful she was and how much he would love to run his fingers through her long blonde hair. As soon as he could, he tore his eyes away from her. He figured that the safest thing would be to pick a spot on the floor and stare at it.
He could hear her walk across the room and do something with the radio. He resisted the temptation to look at her while her back was turned. He heard her feet scuffle more, probably her turning around to face him. Then came her voice, which trembled slightly.
“Are you ready for my dance routine?”
‘Dance routine? Maybe she meant the stripping?’ He continued to stare at the floor, but he finally found his voice. “That’s okay. You don’t have to dance for me.” He expected her to be relieved, maybe even grateful. Instead, anger sparked in her voice.
“What do you mean, I don’t have to dance for you?”
“Just that. I don’t want you to dance for me.”
“Let me get this straight, a cheerleader walks into a bedroom with the intension of giving you a private striptease, and you don’t want her to do it. Are you gay?”
He winced at her harsh tone. “No.”
“I see. Then, obviously, you don’t find me attractive. It was my understanding that you had chosen me as your reward. Would you prefer that I go get someone else? Julie perhaps?”
“No. God, no. Of course, I find you attractive. You’re the most beautiful girl on the squad, in the entire school even. Probably the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen.” He hadn’t meant to say that. She had him flustered. How can he be expected to carry on a conversation with someone that pretty dressed like she was?
Some of the edge disappeared from her tone. “Can you please explain to me how a normal, red-blooded teenage guy can possibly have an attractive teenage girl, dressed like this, offer to strip naked for him and then turn her down?”
Ben didn’t know how to answer. He prayed that she didn’t say the word “naked” again, or, for that matter, “strip.”
She walked over and sat down right next to him on the bed, just inches away from touching. He could now see her bare thighs in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t help but notice that the skirt had ridden up and that her bloomers seemed quite brief and lacy. ‘Those aren’t bloomers; those are her panties!’ He couldn’t keep his eyes on the floor under these circumstances, and it would be rude to turn away. He forced himself to meet her eyes. He couldn’t help it. He just started talking. “Look, Greg told me about this party and about what the cheerleaders were going to do. He and Beth were worried about you being in front of all those guys. Then, Greg told me that the MVP could choose to have one of you meet with him in private. The plan was to have me win the MVP so that I could protect you from having to do that in front of the guys.”
“And this plan was completely altruistic on your part,” Emily said. “You had no intention of seeing me naked. They told you that I would just sit up here with you fully, well almost fully, dressed while the rest of the squad has to do who knows what downstairs?”
The anger was back. What had he done wrong? “Sort of. Greg actually told me that you would, uh, remove your clothes. He said that he and Beth were fine with that because they thought you would be okay if it were only for one guy instead of everyone. I asked him why you even had to do that. If it’s my choice, why don’t I have you stay dressed?” He honestly had no idea whether his answer would make her more mad or sooth her.
“So, the idea that I wouldn’t have to go through with this was solely your idea? Beth had nothing to do with it.”
Good. She seemed less angry. “Yes, completely my idea.”
“And, why did you come up with this idea? Why don’t you want to take advantage of this situation to at least see me naked?”
She said it again. He knew that this question was dangerous, but, having no clue by what merits she was judging his answers, he had no idea how to spin his answer. He couldn’t tell her the truth, but he should get as close to it as possible. “I know that we’re not exactly best buddies or anything, but we have hung out in the same crowd for a long time, at least occasionally. I tend to care about people who are in my circle of friends. I don’t like to see them hurt or even uncomfortable if I can help it.”
A part of Emily felt incredibly guilty for getting angry at Ben. He was obviously a nice guy who was trying to do a good deed for her. Her temper, however, was a coping mechanism that she had learned after her mom’s funeral. Then, it had been a lot easier to be mad at her mom than to grieve. Now, it was a lot easier to be mad than embarrassed.
Given what she had overheard while eavesdropping and her conversation with Beth in the car about keeping her safe, she had begun to think that Beth had arranged it so that she wouldn’t have to strip. It had been tempting, for a split second, for her to accept this protection. Her sense of fairness overcame her momentary relief, however. How could Beth expect the rest of the squad to do something and not her? Wasn’t she just as much a cheerleader as the rest of them? She was gratified when he revealed that Beth had nothing to do with that aspect of the plan. It made sense that her cousin would look out for her and arrange for her to have a slightly easier route than the rest of the squad, but she couldn’t tolerate the idea that Beth thought she was too weak to do it at all.
She turned her attention back to Ben. What was his motivation? She listened to him explain how that’s just how he treated his friends, and it made her temper rise. “Don’t you think that your friends are capable of making their own choices?” she practically shouted. “I made the choice of being a cheerleader, and I made the choice to come here tonight with the rest of the squad. I will not let them down.”
He looked at her blankly. She felt sympathy for the poor guy, but she had to embrace her anger. Otherwise, she’d chicken out. “You do have one thing right, though,” she said. “It is your choice whether or not you want me to get up there in front of you and do my striptease routine. So, choose. I either do the routine right here, right now, or I go downstairs and join my teammates and do it there. And, if you do choose to have me perform it for you, you had better not take your eyes off me.”
She couldn’t believe what she had just said, and, by the expression on his face, neither could Ben. He sat there for what seemed to be a long time. She began to think that she had pushed him too far and that he was going to send her out to perform with the other cheerleaders. Instead, looking like he had been slapped and then kicked while he was down, he said simply, "Dance.”
She managed to keep her anger burning long enough to turn on the iPod and stand with her back to him. Once the music started, she tried to block him out of her mind and concentrate solely on her performance. When the intro music started, she shook her hips. From watching the three seniors perform the dance in longer skirts than the one that she currently wore, she knew that she would be exposing her full panty-clad backside with every other beat. At least she didn’t have on a thong like Julie. Though, what would it matter considering what he’s going to see?
She continued to shake her booty until the lyrics started. In time with the music, she smoothly brought the backside of the skirt up and tucked it into her waistband. Then, keeping her knees locked, she bent her limber body at the waist and lowered her hands until they were flat on the floor. Moving with the beat, she moved her hands to the back of her ankles and ran them up her legs until they covered her butt. Still bent completely over, she grabbed her panties, pulled them down, and stepped out of them.
She kept her legs clamped together like Meg’s had been, not obscenely parted like Beth’s and Julie’s. He would see those parts of her soon enough anyway. She tried not to think about the teenage boy not five feet from her who was, probably, staring intently at her bare ass. As the chorus started, she executed three and a half full pirouettes. Each of the turns caused the skirt to flare up to her waist showing off the trimmed triangular patch of her pubic hair to Ben. Knowing that her light colored hair didn’t do much to conceal her nether lips, she got a little bit flustered as she came to a stop facing him.
‘Get a hold of yourself. He’s about to see a lot more than that in a second.’
In one smooth motion, she took hold of the bottom of her blouse and, extending her arms above her head, whipped it completely off. Dropping the shirt to the ground, she used her back and legs to bend over backward until her hands were once again flat on the floor. She knew that the move had the effect of shoving her clit directly in front of Ben’s eyes.
Unable to stop from blushing, she carried on. She slowly lifted first one leg and then the other until she was doing a handstand. When the team leaders had done the same move, the entire squad had seen every detail of their vaginas and butt holes. Having not yet had occasion to visit a gynecologist, no one had previously had such an intimate view of her as Ben now had.
With her micro-mini skirt hanging down around her stomach, she rotated one hundred and eighty degrees so that she could now see him, upside down from her point of view, staring once again at her exposed pussy. As the chorus began for the second time, she bent her legs, one at a time, away from Ben once again and resumed a standing position for two beats before turning, extending her right leg toward him, and sinking into the splits.
She then gracefully removed the sports bra and sat there, hands over her head, letting him drink in the view of her perky breasts until the beat told her to rise. She once again turned away from him. This time, there was no need to shake her hips to expose herself. Rather, she unzipped the skirt and let is slide down her legs. She stepped out of the garment and waited. Just as the song ended, she turned, thrust her chest out, and dropped her hands to her side.
Chapter 6
Ben stood there staring at the beautiful naked girl. Over the course of the last two and a half minutes, he had literally seen every part of her. While she seemed embarrassed and flustered, he was completely mortified. He had no idea what to do now.
As his silent staring began to get awkward, someone pounded on the door. “Cops!” the person shouted.
Instantly, Ben grabbed his letter jacket and threw it over Emily’s shoulders. He rushed to the window, opened it, and stepped out onto the roof overhang. “Come on!” he yelled, gesturing for Emily to join him.
The command in his voice broke her from her stupor, and she climbed out the window.
“I’ll go first.” With that, he was on the ground before she knew what he was doing. “Jump,” he called.
When she hesitated, he yelled, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you.”
She launched herself off the roof, positioning her body to fall butt first. He caught her like she weighed nothing and helped her into a standing position.
“Follow me. My car’s this way through the woods.”
She stayed right behind him until he suddenly stopped and pushed her down behind a bush. “There’s a cop with a flashlight,” he whispered, pointing toward the house.
Suddenly, a light shone directly on the bush and a voice called out. “You there. I can see the red on the jacket. Step out here right now!”
He practically ripped the jacket off of her, leaving her naked once more. “Stay right here until I draw him away,” he whispered in her ear. “Here are my car keys. If you walk straight that way, you’ll reach a dirt road in about a quarter mile. The Charger is parked there. If I don’t show up by the time you get there, take off and get somewhere safe.” With that, he took off running to the right.
Emily waited until she could no longer see either Ben or the beam of the officer’s flashlight. Trying to find the right balance between prudence and haste, she struck out in the direction that Ben had pointed out to her. The adrenaline from almost being caught by the cops quickly wore off, and she began to feel the cold night air. She shivered as the it bit at her unprotected body. Emily felt so vulnerable. Without any clothing or footwear for protection, each rock, tree with rough bark, and sharp thorn became a danger that tore at her sensitive skin.
She found that walking on fallen leaves offered the fastest course because of the cushioning the dead foliage afforded her feet. She cringed, however, at the noise that she was making. Alone and naked in the dark forest, she had literally no defense against anyone or anything that she might encounter.
At frequent random intervals, she would suddenly stop and stand completely still, even to the point of making sure that her breathing was as light as possible, while listening intently for any signs of life around her. During one such stop, she heard movement near her. Her heart started pounding. ‘Is there someone there? Should I call out? What if it’s the police or one of the boys from the party fleeing the police? No telling what some of those players would do if they caught me out here alone, completely undressed. What if it’s not even a human? Are there bears here?’
The limbs and remaining leaves of the thick growth of trees diffused the already dim light from the quarter moon. She could make out shapes of big things, like a tree trunk when she was close enough, but she could see no details. She wished desperately for a flashlight, or, even better, for Ben. ‘Get a hold of yourself, girl! What are you? Some sort of weakling character from a romance novel?’
She stepped in the direction of the noise, stepping hard on leaves and sticks to make a loud ruckus. Then, she suddenly stopped again and listened. She heard a scurrying noise rapidly retreating from her. ‘Stupid!’ she berated herself. ‘It was just a rabbit or something.’
With her newfound bravery bolstering her, she made better time. Still, she frequently found herself wishing for company. Any friendly face would have been great, but she found herself mostly wishing that Ben were there. His huge muscles would have made her feel so much safer. She walked until she abruptly realized that she could now see the moon and stars. The tree line had ended. Proceeding forward a short distance more, she felt packed dirt under her feet, and, with the forest no longer blocking the moon’s rays, she could make out more of her surroundings. She saw a dark blob by the side of the road and hoped that it was Ben’s car.
Being in the middle of the dark woods had been bad because she hadn’t been able to see what was around her. Being on the road was almost worse because, since she could see her surroundings, anyone looking could see her. Feeling vulnerable, she used her arms and hands to cover her private parts as she cautiously approached the vehicle.
She saw no signs of movement, though, and, when she drew close enough to read the lettering on the back, determined that it was definitely his Charger. She unlocked and opened the driver’s side door. The inside light surprised her for a second. It seemed to shine with the light of a thousand suns, illuminating her supple form to any onlookers. She jumped in and pulled the door shut, shutting off the light. She placed the key in the ignition and thought about what to do next. Ben had told her to take off if he wasn’t waiting at the car for her, but should she just leave? She tried to think logically. Ben probably knew the woods better than she did, and he was fully dressed. The shoes, especially, would have allowed him to move much faster than her. Surely, he would have made it here before her if he were able to. The cop must have caught him.
‘I can’t believe that he sacrificed himself for me like that. He didn’t even hesitate. I hope that he doesn’t get in too much trouble.’
She decided that her best bet would be to try to head home. She didn’t relish driving through town naked; she didn’t even have a driver’s license, just a learner’s permit. She didn’t have much of a choice, though. She couldn’t stay here all night, and, after she sneaked in through her bedroom window, home would provide clothing.
She also felt weird about driving Ben’s car. He didn’t let anyone, not even Greg, drive it. It felt even stranger being naked, the hard metal of the brake on her bare foot, the coarse fabric of the seat on her behind, the seat belt brushing her exposed breast. Shaking off the effects of the abnormal sensations, she turned the key. Nothing happened. ‘What’s wrong now? Don’t tell me that, on top of everything else, the car’s broken!’ She looked around the interior in frustration and noticed that the shifter was a lot different than the one in Beth’s Honda Civic. She felt around with her left foot. There was another pedal beside the brake. The Charger, apparently, had a manual transmission.
Beth had been the one to teach her how to drive. Her dad had only gotten involved in the process twice. Once to take her to the DMV to get her actual permit and once when he decided that all young drivers needed to learn how to drive a manual transmission. He had borrowed a friend’s car and took her out for practice. The experience had not gone well. Her dad didn’t have the patience or the skill to teach her properly. The only way she had been able to get the car out of first was to press really hard on the gas while releasing the clutch. Even as she now tried it, she thought, ‘This is a really, really bad idea.’
She didn’t floor it, but she revved the engine much higher than she should have. When she let out the clutch, the back tires dug in and spewed dirt everywhere. Not prepared for the rapid acceleration, she lost control of the car and ended up heading straight at the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Seeing that she was about to crash, she jerked the steering wheel hard to the left, managing to alter the path enough not to drive directly through the ditch and crash head on into the trees on the other side. She finally remembered to brake, and the car skidded to a halt as the front passenger-side quarter panel scraped against the trench’s dirt wall. Since she neglected to push in the clutch, the engine came to a sputtering halt.
Giving no thought to her modesty, she leapt out of the car, leaving the door open, and rushed around the Charger to inspect the damage. Even in the inadequate light provided by the headlights and interior lamp, she could tell that there was a huge dent, and the paint was all messed up. ‘Ben’s going to kill me!’
Just as she had that thought, she saw an enormous figure burst from the woods on the opposite side of the road a short distance away and sprint towards her. She could tell instantly that it was Ben. For a split second, she remembered her nakedness and was glad that it was Ben who was seeing her. Then, she realized that she had damaged his prize possession a lot more than just putting a chip in the glass. Should she run? Even if she did, how would she ever outrun him? Would he hurt her or yell at her? Which would be worse?
As he neared, she braced herself for his wrath. She expected him to lambaste her for being a careless idiot or to threaten her with physical violence. Instead, his first words surprised her.
“Are you okay?”
She didn’t know how to respond.
He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
“Are you hurt? Are you in shock?”
The cumulative effects of the evening caught up to her. The humiliation of parading her panties in front of half the football team, stripping naked for Ben, the fear of being caught by the cop, her arduous journey through the pitch-black woods, and crashing the car overwhelmed her. For the first time since her mom’s funeral, Emily started to cry, and, when she did, the floodgates opened. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. Ben wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. She buried her face in his chest and bawled. He continued to hold her until she finally regained control of herself.
Chapter 7
The loss of composure embarrassed her. She tried to apologize, both for damaging his car and for being such a baby. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize. It’s my fault. The Charger isn’t the kind of car that you just hand the keys to a stranger and tell them to drive it. It’s very powerful and very temperamental. I could have got you killed. Are you sure that you’re okay?”
Emily nodded.
“Could you stand here for a second without me? I’m going to see if I can get it out of the ditch.”
After carefully rocking the car back and forth a couple of times, he was able to back it out. He pulled up next to her and got back out. He briefly checked out the damage before guiding her to the passenger side door and opening it for her.
A vivid recollection flashed through her mind. Just after she had gotten her permit, her dad gave her permission to drive his car with Beth riding as a passenger. While backing out of the driveway, she had misjudged the distance between the car and their brick encased mailbox. Her dad rushed out of the house at the sound of the crash. His only reaction had been to exclaim about the dent and to harshly scold her for her carelessness. In contrast, Ben’s only concern seemed to be whether or not she was okay.
She reclined the seat back and closed her eyes; she needed to think. It was obvious that Ben had a major crush on her. That was the only way to explain his actions. He was a nice guy, but, even as inexperienced as she was, she knew that no guy would pass up what was offered tonight just because he was nice. His manner with her, his actions in distracting the cop, and his easy forgiveness of her wrecking his car all spoke to his infatuation. It was going to be hard to let him down without breaking his heart.
Then the thought occurred to her, ‘Why?’ Why break his heart at all? At first, she had been intimidated by his gargantuan size. She had quickly found out, though, that he was much more cowed by little old her than she would have thought possible. She didn’t even have to open her eyes to know that right now he was studiously looking anywhere but at her uncovered body. Ben was intelligent, strong, competent, and confident, and he was not bad looking at all. The only area where he seemed to lack confidence was in regards to her. She could fix that.
If she was going to be completely honest with herself, part of her refusal to date anyone had been her fear that, at some point, he was going to want to see her without her clothes. She didn’t have to worry about that anymore; being naked for Ben wasn’t nearly as bad as she had anticipated. If she had no excuses not to date, why not date Ben? If he wasn’t good enough for her, then she was setting her standards a mite too high. She made up her mind; he was the guy for her. She opened her eyes and returned the seat to its upright position.
Ben surely heard her move because, without looking in her direction, he began to speak. “I had to use the jacket to get the cop off my trail, and I don’t have any blankets or anything.”
‘What the heck is he talking about? Oh, he’s worried about me being naked.’
“I can pull the car over and give you my shirt.” He applied the brakes.
She made a quick decision. ‘It’s okay for my boyfriend to see me naked, and it will probably be easier to get him to realize that he’s my boyfriend if I stay this way. Besides,’ she felt a little slutty for even thinking it, ‘I’m starting to have fun.’
“No,” she said.
“No?”
“No.”
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Why not?”
“Ben, you’re a great guy, but you need to learn a lesson about friendship. I understand that your first reaction is to try to protect your friends from their own actions. You have got to learn, though, that sometimes it’s a sign of disrespect to do so. To me, it’s like you’re saying that I’m not mature enough to take care of myself, that you have to do it for me.”
He looked at her and, then, realizing that he had just seen her naked again, jerked his eyes back onto the road.
‘He has no idea what I’m saying.’ “First, you tried to relieve me of my responsibility to my squad. You refused to understand that I needed to stand up for myself and accept the consequences of my choices head on.”
He interrupted her. “What does that have to do with you not getting dressed now?”
He was practically pleading with her to get dressed. She almost laughed. She never realized just how much power being naked provided. “I’m the idiot who stood there like a deer caught in the headlights when the guy warned us about the cops. I’m the idiot who didn’t think to grab her own clothes off the floor before fleeing into the woods. It’s my fault that I’m not dressed. I won’t have you giving up your clothes because of my stupidity.”
He was silent for a minute, obviously thinking through his words. “I understand your point. You don’t want others to suffer because of your actions, and you want to be treated as someone mature enough to make her own decisions. I respect that. Would you, instead, take the shirt as a favor to me?”
‘Reflexive listening. Good, he does know how to debate, and he’s showing off some of that brainpower that I’ve heard so much about. I’m going to have fun sparring with him, but this is going to be so unfair.’ “Thank you for listening. That’s a good start, but how would you taking the shirt off be a favor for you? What benefit would you derive? Do you like driving shirtless and need me to take the shirt to justify doing so now?”
He could only answer no.
“Is it an imposition for an attractive girl to be riding with you while naked? You are a healthy, normal boy, right?”
He didn’t answer her that time.
“I can only conclude,” she continued, “that this ‘favor’ of yours is just a ploy to once again take responsibility for my actions. I swear, if you offer me your shirt one more time, I will refuse to cover myself AT ALL until you get me my own clothes back!”
They drove in silence for a few more minutes. She took his lack of a response as a capitulation. “Speaking of getting my clothes back, though, where exactly are we headed?” she asked.
“Actually, I was about to ask you that. This road tees in about five more miles. When we get there, we need to make a decision. If I turn right, I can take you via back roads to your house. Uh, dressed as you are, would you be able to get past your dad to get some clothes? Or, could we call Beth or someone to get you something to wear?”
Emily thought quickly. Now that she had decided to date Ben, she didn’t want the night to end. She wouldn’t even let herself think the word “seduce,” but she needed time to make him see things her way. If she told him that she could easily sneak into her room, he would immediately take her home. Neither her nudity nor her arguments would be able to dissuade him. A little white lie wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“My dad would freak if I pulled up to the house with a guy even if I were fully dressed. It’s not worth the risk. We should call Beth, though, to let her know that I’m okay. My cell phone is in her car. Do you have yours?”
“It’s in the glove box. Greg forbade anyone from bringing a phone because too many of them have cameras. He wanted to make sure that no pictures were taken of the girls.”
Emily had always thought highly of Greg, but her estimation of him went up even more with Ben’s simple declaration. She was really going to have to adjust her estimate of the male population. Some of them, anyway.
Emily dialed Beth’s number. After four rings, the call went directly to voice mail. She left a message telling Beth to call her on Ben’s phone. “No answer. Any other ideas?”
Ben seemed reluctant to speak.
“Come on. You’ve obviously thought of something.”
“Well,” he said, “if we turn left at the tee, we can go to a little fishing camp that my parents own not far from here. It’s not much, just a one room shack with a small kitchenette and a bathroom, but it would be a place that we could hang for a while until Beth calls you.”
“That’s a great idea. Why didn’t you want to tell me?”
Ben didn’t answer. She decided that she had been cruel enough already to the poor boy. She let the matter drop.
A little while later, Ben looked like he was going to start talking again, but then stopped. He did this several more times. Finally, she prodded him.
“Go ahead. What is it?”
“Well, I’m just about out of gas. I love this thing, but it’s not exactly fuel-efficient. There’s a convenience store on up the highway. We need to stop and fuel up. I could also get some snacks if you’re interested.”
“Sounds fine. But, again, why didn’t you want to tell me?”
“The station is very well lit. Anyone there could be able to see into the car. Are you sure that you won’t take my shirt?”
Before she thought the matter fully through, she took advantage of his lapse. “That’s it, mister. I warned you. No more covering for me until I get my clothes back. You’re just going to have to get used to me being naked.” She decided to push her advantage. “You keep your shirt. I don’t need it. In fact, give me your wallet. I’ll go in and pay for the gas and get snacks.”
He took his time responding. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Why not? I bet whoever’s in that store won’t be nearly as offended by my body as you apparently are.” She knew that he wouldn’t allow her to go through with her threat. In fact, she counted on him not calling her bluff. She figured that he only had two choices left to him, try to order her not to do it or pleading. She thought that she had him figured out. ‘Wait for it…’ she thought.
“Please don’t do that. I’ll do any thing that you want.”
‘Bingo!’ “Pull the car over,” she said.
He found a little side road, turned onto it, and coasted to a stop.
“Look at me.”
He turned and stared directly at her eyes.
“No, look at all of me. I’m getting a little insulted that a fine upstanding, patriotic, healthy normal American boy like yourself cannot seem to bear the sight of my naked body.” She was acting a lot more comfortable about her nudity than she felt. She tried not to gulp as he followed her command, his eyes taking in her legs and stomach, her exposed breasts and bush. Her nipples hardened. ‘Now, that’s an unexpected reaction. I’m turning into Julie, or, at least, Beth. I’m not going to start shaving down there anytime soon, though,’ she thought, remembering the view that the two other girls had presented at the practice performance.
“That’s good,” she said. “From now on, I want you to stop avoiding looking at me. You don’t have to be rude and stare, but you can at least look in my direction. In return, since you’re so concerned about my modesty. I’ll stay in the car at the gas station and even lean back so no one can see me unless they’re right by me. Deal.”
He looked embarrassed but relieved. “Deal,” he said.
Chapter 8
He started the car and drove them to the store. True to her word, she laid the seat flat and hid while he went to pay for gas and get snacks. After he left, she risked a quick peak. The place was hopping! There were at least ten separate cars there, not including the Charger. Ben had parked at the pump farthest from the building, but there were still a lot of people milling about. She quickly ducked her head back down, hoping that no one had seen her. Though she was having fun with Ben, she was far from being an exhibitionist.
She couldn’t imagine getting out naked with all these people around. She couldn’t imagine even just sitting up where they might be able to see her breasts. Noticing the level of illumination inside the car from the lights all around, she began to feel exposed and vulnerable. She brought her arms up to cover herself. ‘Any truck driving by could see me clear as day. Or, what if some guy decided that he likes Ben’s car and comes over for a closer look. I’d die of embarrassment.’
Then she had another thought. ‘What if Ben came back and saw me covering up like this? He’d know that I was lying to him about going inside.’ She forced herself drop her hands back down. ‘Hurry. Please hurry, Ben.’
She tensed when, a few minutes later, a shadow fell over the car. Someone was approaching. ‘Please, please be Ben.’
The driver’s door opened, and Ben reached in to drop some bags in the back seat. “Just gotta pump the gas, and we’ll be on our way,” he said.
She heard him fill the tank and put the hose back up. She then saw shadows moving around the car. ‘He’s checking out the damage.’
When he got back in, she noticed that he looked directly at her. The glance seemed forced, but it was a start. She would have smiled, but she remembered that she was the one that caused the damage he had just inspected.
She asked, “Did I hurt it badly?”
“Just a few scratches,” he replied, as he started the car and drove off. “The fender’s not rubbing the tire, so driving it isn’t a problem. I’ll be able to fix it.”
“I really am so sorry. Can I pay you to get it fixed?”
He looked to be considering his next words carefully. Given how much she had abused him this evening, she didn’t blame him.
“Look. I really do understand what you said about personal responsibility, but this really wasn’t your fault.”
She started to object.
“Wait. Don’t say anything. Raise your seat back up and let me show you something.”
When she had done so, he completely stopped the vehicle. Traffic on the road was light, and there was no one around at the moment.
“You drive Beth’s car, sometimes, right?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Her Civic probably has a stock four cylinder engine. That’s what you’re used to. The Charger has a V8 that has been modified for racing. My dad and I got this engine and transmission out of a wrecked racecar and rebuilt it. Those two components alone are worth more money than your cousin’s entire car. There’s a lot of difference in horsepower and performance between this and what you’re used to. Watch this.”
He revved the engine and let out the clutch. The back tires squealed, and the front end lifted off the ground. He let up on the gas enough for the front tires to return to the road. “Zero to sixty in under four seconds. I’ve done the quarter in just a hair over ten. I just need to make a few more modifications…” He stopped himself and returned the car to a more normal speed.
“Anyway, the point is that this car is a lot different from what you’re used to. I don’t let anyone drive it for a reason. If you don’t have experience with high performance driving, it’s too dangerous. I could have got you killed.” He seemed really dejected at the thought of putting her in danger.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You did the only thing that you could. Would you rather that I have been arrested? Would you have had me stay outside all night, naked and alone, at the mercy of rapists or who knows what? Thanks for making me feel better about wrecking the car. I’ll agree to let you take the blame for this one.”
They made small talk the rest of the way. He seemed to relax a bit regarding her state of undress, even if he didn’t appear to be completely at ease.
The fishing camp was located right on a small lake and, though somewhat isolated, had a few other buildings within sight. None of them had any lights on or seemed to be occupied. Emily made her way inside as quickly as she could without seeming to hurry.
The inside of Ben’s cabin was pretty Spartan. Two old chairs, a small table, and a queen-sized bed with a nightstand were the only furnishings. ‘I wonder if the bed was the reason for him being so reluctant to bring me here? Let’s find out.’
As Ben put away the groceries, she climbed on top of the covers. “It’s been a really long day. I could really use a nice nap,” she said.
“You go ahead. I’ll turn off the light and rest at the table.”
“You’re going to sit at the table with all the lights off? What will you be doing?” She was going straight to hell when she died for torturing him like this. She just knew it.
“Uh, nothing.”
“It doesn’t seem to make sense for me to get some rest and you not to, since the lights will be out and all.”
“True. I’ll just lay down over here,” he said.
“On what? There’s nothing to lay down on.”
“The floor’s fine with me.”
“I see,” she said. “Do you usually sleep on the floor?”
She was surprised that he didn’t just lie to her.
“No.”
“Then, stop being silly. Come over here. We’re two mature individuals. We can share the bed,” she said.
“Okay. You can get under the covers, and I’ll sleep on top of them.”
Was he ever going to learn to stop arguing with her?
“No, I said that I wasn’t going to cover myself up in any way until you get me my clothes.”
“But, you’re na… I mean, you’ll get cold. Sleeping with covers on isn’t the same as covering up. It’s cold in here, and the heater doesn’t work.”
She had him now. “That is a good point. But, I can’t have you getting cold, either. You don’t even have your jacket. You’re going to have to sleep under the covers with me. Now, what do you normally wear to bed?”
“Boxers.”
The boy really needed to learn how to lie. “Okay, go ahead and get undressed.”
She slipped herself under the covers and stared at him. He looked like he had no idea what to do.
“I can’t get undressed in front of you.”
‘Wrong argument,’ she thought. “You’re telling me that it’s okay for me to strip naked and parade around in front of you all night, but it’s not okay for me to see you in your boxers?”
He started to respond.
‘Surely, he’ll remind me how it was completely my decision to strip and to remain naked.’
Instead, he began taking off his shoes.
‘I do believe that I’ve finally broken the boy.’ On one hand, she felt so wrong for manipulating him. On the other hand, she really enjoyed it as Ben unbuttoned and removed his shirt. ‘Oh my God! He’s absolutely ripped.’
He turned away from her to take off his pants, revealing yellow Sponge Bob boxers. He finally spoke as he turned around. “Don’t you dare say a word. Not one word.”
She could tell that he was trying to distract her from seeing the front of his boxers as he quickly climbed into the bed, but she caught a good glimpse of the tent that had formed there. The size of what she saw, more than his admonition, left her speechless.
He lay down one his side with his back to her while he flicked off the lights. “Goodnight, Emily.”
She snuggled up next to him, knowing that he could feel her hard nipples and firm breasts on his back.
“I hope you don’t mind if I use your body heat. I’m a little cold. Goodnight.”
She woke to the sound of his cell phone buzzing on vibrate mode. They had apparently switched position as they slept because she now had her back to him and his arm engulfed her body. She could hear Ben lightly snoring. She gently extricated herself from his arms and grabbed the phone. She quickly and quietly ran to the bathroom and shut the door before answering. “Hello,” she said.
“Emily?”
“Hey Beth. You won’t believe what happened to me tonight.”
End of part 2