Beware the Quiet One

"This place is always in full swing, I promise you that," Dan told the women as they lined up to pay the cover charge and head inside. "Goes to closing time, non stop, if you want. We close the place down quite a bit."

"Too true," Nate whispered to Sally.

"Boring, is it?" Sally was guardedly hopeful that Nate might suggest they go elsewhere on their own.

"Until you get riproaring drunk, then it's kind of fun. But we don't have to do that tonight."

"Glad to hear you say that," Sally said. "I have some big plans for tomorrow."

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a surprise," Sally said with an uncharacteristically saucy grin. "But I think you'll like it."

She had timed the comment perfectly, and Nate had no chance to respond as she dragged him gently inside the dark and noisy club. Once inside, Dan bought the first round of beers, and Sally and Nate allowed themselves to be caught up in the group revelry for the time being. It was much too noisy to carry on a conversation, and Cindy and Grace needed no prodding to throw themselves into the dance. As the alcohol took hold, one by one the others joined them, Sally and Nate doing so rather reluctantly but happy to be together at least.

An hour and two rounds later, Sally emerged from the ladies' room to find Nate waiting outside. "Ready to get out of here?" he yelled just loudly enough to be heard.

"God, yes! Thank you!" Neither of them looked around to see if their friends noticed them leaving, and hand in hand they stumbled out into the dark and pleasantly cool night air. "I'm sorry, Nate," Sally said, her voice now returned to normal volume. "I like to dance as much as anyone but I hate that boring music, and what's so fun about it being so loud you can't even think?"

"I know!" Nate agreed. "The guys have dragged me in there two or three times a week all summer, and so many times I'd rather just go walk on the beach."

"You should have suggested that tonight!" Sally said. By now they were heading down the block to the public beach.

"I thought you'd want to be with your friends."

"I thought the same about you!" Soon they were laughing heartily again, their arms entwined around one another's back in their mildly inebriated state. "God, we have so much in common, don't we?"

"Too much!" Nate agreed. "Wow, Sally, I can't even tell you how wonderful today was, and that we could have spent this evening just continuing to get to know each other..."

"It's never too late," Sally reminded him.

"Speaking of too late," Nate said. "That secret you have for tomorrow..."

"Is still set for tomorrow," Sally said firmly but not unkindly. As they arrived on the sidewalk overlooking the beach, she stopped and turned to face him, holding both his hands in hers. "Nate, you're wonderful, but we just met and there's so much you don't know about me yet. And there's something I had already planned for tomorrow...I don't know what you might think of it all. I'll tell you this: this time tomorrow, if you still feel the way you feel now, then...well, we're not going to be too far apart this fall."

"I've already been thinking about fall," Nate said. "But I have to admit you're making me nervous about just what you have up your sleeve for tomorrow."

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself over," Sally reassured him. "It just might make you see me in a different light."

"I doubt it," Nate said. By now he had gently led her into the cool sand. With a grin he added, "May I have this dance?"

"You're hilarious!" Sally exclaimed. But she did let him whirl her around all the same, the echo of the surf and the noise from the bars across the street alternating in her ears as they went. After four or five spins, Sally slipped and pulled Nate down with her. The sand having broken their fall, they laughed some more and snuggled in contented silence for some time.

They both fell asleep in the sand. Sally awoke first and heard Nate's snoring, and she rubbed his chest gently until he was also awake. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Don't know, don't care," Sally said. "But we'd better get home. They're already going to be talking about what we're up to, no use giving them even more ammunition." Nate did not argue the point, and they walked home in agreeable silence. Sally realized with a start that she didn't know the passcode to the gate to their block, but Nate reassured her that he did know.

The windows of Gabe's father's house were dark, so they guessed -- correctly -- that they were the first ones home. On the step, Sally threw her arms around Nate and kissed him deeply. "Want to come in?" Nate asked hopefully.

Sally reluctantly shook her head. "Tomorrow," she promised.

"Is that what the secret is?" Nate asked.

Sally smiled through her mild embarrassment. "I'll tell you what, Nate. When you get inside, go online and see what tomorrow is."

"July fourteenth? Bastille Day?"

"That and something else," Sally said. With another peck on his cheek, she whispered, "The something else is what I've got up my sleeve. Good night!"

"Good night," Nate said through his mystification, watching as she walked away regretfully next door.

As Sally had guessed, none of her friends were home yet. So she took a long, hot shower and changed into her nightgown, and didn't even think of trying to go to sleep without some play. With the memory of Nate still fresh in her mind -- his sweet words, the dancing on the beach, the way he looked at her in her swimsuit -- she humped her way to three orgasms before settling down for the night. Even then, she soon realized she was far from settled. The big event was only hours away now, and just what would Nate think when he saw her? Would the clue she had just given him spill the beans? Was that even a bad thing? She could only guess.

Keisha finally arrived home shortly before three o'clock. Sally pretended to be asleep as she watched her friend tiptoe to the bathroom and then off to her bedroom. Cindy and Grace arrived drunk and noisy about fifteen minutes later. Though they did drop their voices as they stepped inside, Sally was aware of their salacious discussion of some guys they'd met at the club. "Hope Dan and them don't feel we ditched them!" Cindy said, shutting the door behind him.

"So what if we did?" Grace rejoined. "I didn't hear us say we owed them anything."

"Oh, I know of course!" Cindy protested. She slammed their bedroom door behind them, and then Sally could hear only the muffled remnants of their conversation.

Figuring the coast was clear for the night now and knowing she had no chance of falling asleep just yet, Sally got an idea. It was, she concluded, the perfect time to try her plan on for size in a safe setting. She kicked the blanket aside and sat up, and with a deep breath she pulled her nightgown off and tossed it on the couch. As a minor concession to her lingering modesty, she put on a pair of clean panties from her suitcase. Before her inhibitions had time to take over again, she strode to the sliding door and quietly slid it open. With no one on the beach, Sally took a deep breath and stepped out onto the deck.

The boards of the deck were cool against her bare feet thanks to hours of darkness, yet each step was utterly electrifying as Sally felt butterflies not only in her stomach, but over every inch of her body -- most of all, to her naughty amusement, the one bit of her body that was clothed. She stepped to the edge of the deck and stood gazing up at the moon, thrilling to the sense of its pale light on her naked breasts. She cupped them in her hands and enjoyed the sensation of her own supple flesh in the wonderful safety of the night.

Sally was never to know that Keisha had seen her first daring venture outside, which lasted only a few more minutes after her friend had retreated to her room. For once, Sally slept nearly as late as her friends the next morning. When she did awake, she found last night's rehearsal had not done away with her last-minute jitters, so she remained on the couch until Grace appeared in her bedroom door. "You're still in bed?" she asked in disbelief. "It's nearly ten!"

"I had a late night too," Sally said, enjoying the cryptic nature of her answer.

"So we heard, you lucky girl!" Grace teased. "Get up and get ready for the beach. It's the guys' last day and I know you don't want to miss a minute with Nate!"

"You've got that right," Sally admitted.

While the others were getting breakfast together, Sally went into the bathroom and slathered sunblock over every inch of her body, going to considerable effort to make sure even her back and especially her bottom were protected. Then she donned her bathrobe and tied the sash tightly, and blossomed forth into the dining room.

"Yay, Sally!" Cindy cheered. "Finally going to dress for the occasion, are we?"

"We certainly are," Sally said.

It was a light and fast meal, and scarcely ten minutes later they were out on the deck, all but Sally in their bikinis. They all stood expectantly around her. "C'mon, Sally, it's now or never," Grace said.

"Join us already!" Keisha said.

Sally smiled shyly and pulled at the sash of her robe, savoring her last moments of modesty. Cindy was having none of that: she began chanting "Take it off! Take it off!" Grace and Keisha presently joined in.

The encouragement quickly reached a fevered pitch, and Sally knew she couldn't go back if she wanted to. With a deep breath and forcing a smile, she pulled the sash and threw off her robe, and stood naked before her friends in the morning sunshine.

"SALLY!"

"What the hell, girl?"

"Oh. My. God!" Grace spun around and shut her eyes for good measure.

"Relax," Sally told them all, strolling off onto the sand. "Today is Nude Day."

"Nude Day?" Cindy repeated incredulously.

"Google it if you don't believe me," Sally said. "And feel free to join me if you want." She set her hands on her hips, defiantly refusing to make any effort to cover up, forcing all her friends to drink in the sight of her full breasts and bush. Since she didn't know of their fascination with her penchant for masturbating frequently, she couldn't have guessed at their amusement with the revelation that her palms weren't hairy but her pussy was.

"Yeah, right," Cindy said, and the looks on Grace and Keisha's faces made it clear she was speaking for them, too. "Are you out of your mind, Sally?"

"Nope, just out of my clothes! And it feels great!" With a cheerful flair, she pranced off into the water and stroked out deep enough into the tide to be able to stand up to her neck, and paused to consider what she had just done. They were arguing now, undoubtedly about her, but she didn't care in the least. She was focused now on two things: the prickly sense of taboo that was radiating from her pounding heart, and the wonderful sensation of being enveloped entirely in the water. It was sublime. Once she had caught her breath and the adrenalin seemed to be passing, Sally set about swimming and splashing around just as she had done the day before in her bathing suit. The others would get over their shock soon enough. And maybe, just maybe, Nate would have learned about Nude Day last night.

He had, though Sally wasn't to know right away. Instead Dan was the first of the guys to appear, much to the others' consternation. "Don't look at Sally!" Cindy blurted out when he first appeared.

"Then it is true?" he asked, only just managing to obey Cindy.

"She told you?!" Grace asked.

"She told Nate she had something big planned for today, and to look up the date online. I've never heard of Nude Day, had you?"

"No," Grace said. "And of the four of us, which one had to decide to experiment with it?!"

"Girl, that's not right!" Keisha snapped. "She's your friend!"

"If you think it's so great, why don't you join her?" Cindy suggested.

Keisha gave her friend a long, hard look, and the memory of four years of barely-concealed snobbery on Cindy and Grace's part rushed over her. With a nod, she replied, "Maybe I will. Dan?"

To Cindy and Grace's delight, he looked like he was seriously considering it. "Well, before I do anything that crazy, I ought to tell Nate. I promised I'd get him the straight dope on the whole thing."

"Tell him to hurry over, then."

They all turned around to see Sally standing in the wet sand behind them, having emerged from the surf. "Hi, Dan," she said with a nervous laugh, delighted to see his eyes and trunks bulging all at once as he admired her body.

"H...hi," Dan said. "Wow, you're...brave. And beautiful. Beautiful!"

"Thank you," Sally said. "Would you and Nate care to join me?"

"Definitely!" Dan said. "I'll be right back with him!" And he was off to fetch Nate.

As soon as the women were alone again, Cindy picked up where she had left off. "Sally, what in God's name has gotten into you?"

"Pride," Sally said. "It's something I've been thinking about for years -- I mean, what's to be ashamed of about being perfectly natural? So when I found out there was a day just for this and we'd be here then..."

"Ever think of telling us?" Grace demanded.

"Yes, but I wanted to see if you'd leave me alone about going almost-nude like you all do," Sally said. "And we all know you didn't, did you?"

"Don't you try to pin this on us!" Cindy protested.

"Oh, I don't," Sally said. "This is all about me learning to love my body." At that point she saw Dan and Nate approaching, towels around their waists and, she guessed, nothing else. "Now if you'll excuse me, it looks like they love my body too!" She turned to greet Nate, who was fixated on her body but stopped at a respectable distance of a few feet. Dan had followed his lead and done the same. Ron and Gabe were bringing up the rear, both of them wearing their trunks for now -- which, to Sally's great pleasure, betrayed an appreciation for her body.

Naturally, Sally focused primarily on Nate. "Good morning," she told him with a grin that managed to hide her thrilled embarrassment. "I guess you see now what July 14 is."

"I read about it online after I went in last night," Nate confirmed, fingering at his towel but not yet removing it. "I didn't dare believe...but I guess I should have. And, I mean...wow, Sally!"

"That takes guts," Ron said from behind her, where he had joined Keisha. "I'm really impressed."

"Me too," Keisha allowed, though she hadn't yet removed anything. "What a great idea."

"Care to join me, Nate?" Sally asked.

"Fair's fair," Nate said, and to her delight he pulled away his towel and tossed it on the deck, giving Sally her first ever look at a nude man in person. Before the shock of the moment could cause him any discomfort, Sally took him in a joyful embrace and they laughed together. She exulted in the sensation of his warm, hard cock pressing against her leg, and her hands itched to play with it just as soon as she could lure him into the water.

Cindy and Grace, who had seen their share of nude men, snickered a bit at the sight as they usually did -- the male body was ever so awkward and graceless, and Nate had looked so much the part even with his clothes on! -- and Gabe joined in with them. "I'm so sorry," he told them. "Of the four of us, which one pulls a thing like this?"

"We were thinking the same," Grace said. "This is nothing like Sally."

"I should hope not," Gabe said, casting a disdainful glance over his shoulder at Sally. "Only one of you celebrates Nude Day, and it's a hairy, mousy little thing like her?"

Nate had drawn back from Sally but remained in a reverie of mutual admiration, holding both her hands as they looked at one another, and had opted to ignore Gabe's insult to him. But he had no such patience for the slight against Sally, and he dropped her hands and turned around. "Gabe, what the fuck?!" he demanded. "You with your big porn stash, always mouthing off about getting pussy, and that's what you have to say about a woman who has the nerve to put herself out on the line like this?!"

"Relax, man, it was just a joke!" Gabe looked to Cindy and Grace for support, but they were both looking aghast at him.

"Baloney it was, Gabe!" Though he was naked, Nate was fearless as he confronted Gabe. Even Grace was impressed with his resolve as he stood up to his friend, though she was more interested in reconsidering his nude body than anything else. Like Sally, the guys' own ugly duckling had a certain beauty all his own underneath it all. Standing inches from Gabe's face now, he growled, "It's just like you to mouth off about anyone the least bit different! You've been doing it to me for two years! Sally puts herself out like this in public, totally vulnerable and laying everything on the line welcoming us to share it with her, and all you can do is insult her! What the hell, man?"

Gabe tried once again to laugh it off. "You're beautiful when you're angry, Nate," he said. "But I don't think you should argue naked."

Nate looked nearly ready to punch Gabe. Sally came to the rescue. "Nate, honey, let's go play in the water, okay?" She took his hand and led him off into the waves, her heart aglow with the things he had said in her defense. "I wouldn't want to see you guys get in a fistfight," she said to him. "But thank you for all you said! That was lovely."

"And I meant every word of it," Nate said with a proud flair, managing to look her in the eyes and surprising even himself with his success. "I'm really amazed with you for this -- what an idea! I wish I had your confidence."

"Oh, god!" Sally laughed, hugging him to reassure him that she wasn't really laughing at him. "That's sweet, but I didn't feel confident at all until...well, until just now, Nate. Ever since I took my robe off, my heart was in my throat and I was fighting off the urge to cover myself up!"

"Why'd you do it, then?"

"To show the others I could. All three of them have always been...well, a little like Gabe, frankly, always kind of talking down to me. I knew they'd never imagine me having the nerve to pull off something like this, and that was exactly why I felt I had to do it! It was my one last chance to prove I'm not the delicate little flower they think I am."

"I'll say you aren't," Nate said, now openly admiring her body. He lifted his hands gingerly out of the water. "May I..."

"Of course," Sally said, taking his hands and placing them gently on her breasts. His shyness was beginning to wear on her, but she reminded herself that she was the same way by nature. In any event, he was a natural, gently caressing her breasts just right, and Sally felt a shiver of pleasure in spite of the warm water. She also reciprocated by taking the longed-for opportunity to play with his hard cock, under the water and out of sight of their friends. The rigid, taut feel of it in her hands was wonderful in itself, and his eager response to her stroking was all she had always imagined and more, as was the lovely caress of his hands on her breasts. How she had longed for that for so long!

"Oh!" Nate laughed nervously, though he appeared to be enjoying her touch. "Oh my!"

"Like that, do you?" Sally asked, tracing light circles on his tip.

"Love it!" Nate said. "Just like I always imagined, or actually better than that, even!"

"Like you always imagined?" Sally asked. "You mean you've never..."

"Well...no." Nate looked embarrassed. "Remember, I am two years younger than you," he said gingerly.

"No, that's fine, Nate!" She somewhat reluctantly let go of his penis and slipped her arms around him. "I'm a virgin, too, actually."

"Really! That's..." He never got around to telling her what 'that' was, as they both dissolved into relieved laughter at the secret they shared. "What a relief to know you don't think I'm a freak, then," he finally said.