Caroline's Naked Ride

The man then began painting wavy spikes radiating from the circle up onto the bottom of the woman's belly, out to her hips and down her thighs. "Oh, the sun!" the woman uttered just as all three girls were thinking the same thing. When this was done, the man put down his yellow paint brush and admired his creation.

"Something's missing," he said, and he rooted around on the table till he found a brush with red paint. With a delicate touch, he drew in two eyes for his sun. Then, with one slow stroke he drew the brush carefully down over the woman's clitoral hood. She visibly tensed up and opened her eyes wide at the touch of the brush on this most sensitive part and gasped.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"Nose," replied the man.

"So where's the mouth, Rembrandt?"

The man just looked at her and raised his eyebrows again, this time with a sly grin. "You want me to paint it?"

"No!" she cried, slapping his shoulder and continuing to laugh. The man stood up, and, leaning their heads in towards each other but not allowing their bodies to touch and smear the paint, they exchanged a chaste kiss and started to make their way out from the cluster around the painting table.

Caroline looked around, her head reeling at the sight of so many naked bodies all around her -- and yet it wasn't some wild orgy. The atmosphere was like a mellow party of friends and strangers just enjoying themselves. Caroline wanted to join in, but she still wasn't sure she could.

As the couple they had watched painting themselves were emerging right next to the girls, a man wearing nothing but an ID badge on a lanyard and carrying an expensive looking camera asked them if he could take their picture. The woman started to protest, but then she relented. Posing, she covered her vulva (and most of the sun, sadly) with one hand, but she did not bother covering her blue-spiralled breasts, even though her other hand was free. Her companion made a silly face with crossed eyes, lolling tongue and hands waving on either side while he stuck his pelvis out and swayed his blue-helixed penis back and forth. Giggling, the two ran off, the woman still covering her crotch with one hand.

"Wait a minute, you didn't say there'd be photographers here!" protested Prudence.

A very naked, middle aged woman standing next to them overheard and said, "Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet! These are just the select registered photographers who are allowed inside the body painting area on the understanding they'll be respectful and ask permission. Outside that gate there'll be loads of pushy photographers trying to zoom in on your lady parts. Your pictures will be on a hundred different websites by this evening." Suddenly the balance between relief and disappointment at wearing underwear shifted towards relief. Caroline was counting on the anonymity of being out of town, but she hadn't reckoned on the Internet.

She was struck as well by the image of the painted woman's large labia. Caroline had always felt self-conscious about her own, which, though definitely not as prominent as the painted woman's, definitely stuck out between her outer lips. She let her sandy-blonde pubic hair grow untrimmed, hoping it would obscure her embarrassing lips somewhat, but this was by no means entirely effective. It was thickest and most opaque over her pubis, but the sparser hair below did little to obscure her prominent labia. They were hidden only from Caroline herself when looking down, but she knew well from the mirror that from the front her labia were completely visible and, she feared, abnormally large. Without knickers on, Caroline worried she would stand out as a freak. In knickers, she felt safe.

Unfortunately, Prudence did not feel the same. "I ... I don't think I can do this! No way!" she spluttered.

"Oh, it's not that bad really, once you get used to it," the older woman reassured. "The first hundred yards is the worst, so if you don't want the attention, just keep your bras and knickers on until you're past the scrum and then take them off on along the way."

"Oh, we're keeping them on for the whole ride," explained Prudence.

"In that case, dears, you needn't worry. They're expecting about eight hundred riders today, and most of them will be naked. No one's going to pay any attention to three girls in their underwear." Caroline actually felt her heart sink a little. "You girls do know this is supposed to be a protest, don't you? No point skulking about on the fringes."

"Oh, that's more than any of us could ever do," said Becky, putting her arm around Prudence as the girls moved away to wander around the enclosure. Everywhere, they saw other groups getting ready, undressing and, in many cases, getting painted or painting themselves. There were some women dressed only in knickers either painting their own torsos or being painted by friends, and Caroline noticed several who then pulled down their knickers to continue the paint job down below. Some carefully pulled their knickers back up again afterwards, tying not to smear the paint, while others just took them off and stayed that way. There were also other women who, like most of the men, just started their painting sessions fully nude to begin with.

Some just did slogans on their fronts and asked a friend to do the same on their backs. For the most part those who went for full-body cover let others do most of the painting. While a few of these men and women let others paint them as intimately as the couple in the cluster had done, many took care of their own private parts. Sometimes, though, this led to strange sights.

One young woman, who was mostly covered head to toe in red paint with the word 'STOP' across her chest and back in white, was desperately trying to colour in her own vulva despite not being able to see all of it. She pushed her pelvis forward and hunched over, trying to see further between her legs, while daubing red paint indiscriminately at her crotch. She pretty much got there in the end, but at the cost of her dignity, thought Prudence. Caroline reserved judgment, as she turned to Becky and said, "So are you still keen on body painting?"

"Um, just slogans, I think," said a sheepish Becky, though there was something in the way she said it that made Caroline wonder if Becky had had the same reaction to the intimate painting they had just witnessed.

Indeed, most of those getting painted opted for only slogans, and many people did not get painted at all. Becky did like the idea of having a slogan painted and was eager to get ready -- more so even than Caroline, who was now having fleeting misgivings about what was about to happen. Prudence looked absolutely miserable but was resigned to her fate.

"Well, girls," said Becky, "It's now or never!" She unbuttoned her sundress and slipped it off hers shoulders and held it at her waist to reveal a scarlet red bra -- her favourite, in fact. Its B cups were perfect for her willowy frame. "Come on, we agreed to this all together."

Caroline needed no reminding and was already stepping out of her shorts as Becky let her sundress drop, and Caroline's hi-vis T-shirt soon followed. Prudence hesitated briefly, but then unbuttoned and removed her shirt and undid her skirt. In a moment, she was standing there for all the world to see in her pale blue ... bikini.

"Prudence!" Becky moaned. "We said bras and knickers. That's a swimming costume. You cheated."

"No way! This is just as revealing as what you're wearing," remonstrated Prudence, gesturing at Becky, who was now revealing her scarlet knickers that matched her bra. "This bikini is effectively just a bra and knickers. They're just waterproof." Indeed, the undies and bikini were very similar in cut. Though scoop-cut at the bust and moderately high at the legs, both covered everything essential and were completely opaque. If anything, the bikini was just slightly more revealing as it had only string ties at the sides, but the scarlet bra and knickers still looked sexier for some reason.

"I don't know," complained Becky. "What do you think, Caro--?"

Just then both other girls turned to look at Caroline for the first time. As agreed, she was in bra and knickers, but, as at least a part of her was secretly disappointed not to be naked, her compromise was to choose her most revealing set: a very skimpily-cut lacy bra and knickers in beige. (Actually, the package called them 'nude,' which Caroline thought was appropriate for the day.) Her bra was cut with a very low scoop, with B cups (as her breasts were only slightly larger than Becky's) only just covering the tops of Caroline's nipples. The fabric was so lightweight, it would not have given Caroline's firm breasts much support if she'd really needed it. The knickers were likewise cut very sexily, only half covering her buttocks behind and with a high, French cut in front that only covered her pubic triangle.

"Oh my God, Caroline!" cried Becky. "That is so sexy -- but look, you can see your pubes!" Caroline looked down to see that it was just possible to make out the difference between her sandy-blond pubic hair and her pale skin and, although the lace was certainly more fabric than holes, she could see the odd pubic hair sticking out. "God, I wish I was that brave. At least you can't really see your nipples."

Caroline bent her head and shoulders forward to look at her chest. As she did so, a gap formed at the top of her bra and she actually could see her bare nipples from above. She quickly straightened her shoulders and pushed her chest out a bit to make the bra fit more snugly as intended. Although it was actually possible if standing close to see bits of areola through some of the holes in the lace, it was very hard to distinguish from even a moderate distance. You could just about make out a bit of it here and there if you were standing very close (and staring), but from even a moderate distance her nipples didn't show up. Paradoxically, from a great distance, the 'nude' colour meant you couldn't tell she was wearing anything at all.

"I can't believe you're wearing that skimpy thing," said Prudence. "Mike would have a fit!"

"Damn straight!" rejoined Caroline, and the girls laughed.

"Well, enough standing around admiring ourselves," said Becky. "Let's paint our slogans on."

"Actually, I think I'd better not," said Caroline. "I don't want to have to explain paint residue to Mike when I get home. And anyway, it will smear with my sunscreen whichever one I put on first."

"Oh, we did our sunscreen at home ages ago," chirped Becky. "We're all dry now."

So while Caroline carefully applied sunscreen, taking care not to stain her lacy underwear, Becky and Prudence took turns painting slogans on each other. Prudence chose 'MY EYES ARE UP HERE,' for her own chest with an arrow pointing up to her face, while Becky went with 'LESS GAS, MORE ASS.'

They were relieved to see that there were a number of other women in underwear, though most seemed to be topless or nude. Prudence was practically alone in a swimsuit, though. She was starting to relax, though, and enjoy herself like the others a bit more.

The girls continued to wander around the enclosure, taking in all the various body paintings and little bits of costumes, as well as their absence. As the vast majority of the women were either topless or naked, they saw nearly as many different types of breasts as they had penises. There were large breasts, small breasts, saggy, perky, and a few fake-looking breasts -- and quite a few pierced nipples.

They also noticed an array of different pubic hair styles. Some women had full, untrimmed bushes. Others were trimmed at the edges and to a tidy, even length. Some hair covered the entire vulva (though not all obscured the labia and clitoral hood completely), but for many more the hair covered only the pubis while the lips below were shaved or waxed. Some of course only sported a tiny landing strip or no hair at all. This meant that with the exception of the few whose thick hair covered completely and opaquely, the girls were also greeted with an array of different labia. Caroline was surprised and a little relieved to see just how many women had labia minora that extended out from between their outer lips, like hers. Some of these made Caroline's labia seem positively tiny, she thought, though hers were by no stretch the smallest, and a number of women showed only a girlish crease between their outer lips.

None of this was terribly new to any of the girls, who had been to enough gyms and shower blocks in school and uni to be aware that vulvas all looked different, though they had never seen so many on display at once. Caroline (at least) was mostly fascinated by the penises, however. Though she tried not to be obvious, she soon realised that she had been checking out the penis of nearly every man she saw, even the old, fat or ugly ones. It was a revelation to her that there was not really any correlation between the attractiveness of a man's penis and the rest of his body. She saw cute, athletic young men with tiny or misshapen penises she did not want to see again, and she saw pasty-faced geeks who were hung like donkeys. She saw young men with wrinkled, sorry-looking tackle and she saw older men with beautifully smooth and well-proportioned organs, and she saw every combination in between.

Then she spotted him again -- the athletic young man with Mike's build but the perfect penis. What's more, she saw Becky walk right up to him and start talking! She watched in amazement as her friend chatted casually in her underwear with a complete stranger who was stark naked. Her eyes were irresistibly drawn back to his genitals, as she again admired their perfect proportion and smooth, regular shape. She took a sharp intake of breath as the man gestured widely with his arm, pointing into the distance. As he turned his torso to do so, his lovely penis was sent swinging gently back and forth like a hypnotist's pendulum. Caroline was so transfixed, at first she didn't notice Becky walking up to her.

"Here," she said to Caroline, handing her a green WNBR seat cover. "I just bought these for all of us from that guy over there. You've got to meet him, Caroline. Come with me." She started to take Caroline by the elbow.

"Thanks, but I'm enjoying the view from here."

"Oh, him? Yes, he's gorgeous. Why do you think I chose him to ask about these rides? So come over and enjoy the view up close."

"Honestly, Becky, I don't see how you can carry on a conversation without being distracted by that ... by that ... penis."

Becky stopped and turned to her friend. "First of all, Caroline, don't say 'penis.' It's a 'cock.' 'Cock' and 'balls.' 'Tits,' 'pussy' or 'fanny' and 'arse,'" she said as she pointed out on her own body before clapping her hands firmly behind her on her buttocks. Second of all, I can hardly look at it when I'm looking him in the face and talking."

"That's what I mean," quipped Caroline. "You do the talking, and I'll enjoy the view from here."

Becky looked at Caroline, whose large sunglasses rested on the top of her head. Becky pulled them down over her friend's eyes. "Here, knock yourself out." She dragged Caroline by the elbow and gestured to Prudence to join them, but Prudence just shook her head with a worried expression.

Becky had the man explain again that he was from London and had been at the ride there the day before. Becky asked him to explain all the details for Caroline's benefit. Caroline was not listening, though. She smiled and nodded from time to time, but her eyes, hidden behind her sunglasses, were focussed on the man's penis. It jiggled and swayed as he spoke and gestured, showing no signs of self-consciousness at all. Finally, he excused himself and went to join some friends, and Caroline watched and admired his muscular buttocks as he strode away. She waited until he joined his friends and turned around again so she could enjoy the sight of his beautiful penis one more time.

* * *

Caroline's reminisces on the train were interrupted when she became aware that the male cyclist sitting opposite kept looking at her. He had been reading something on his tablet, but his eyes repeatedly darted up at Caroline, though never as high as her face. She looked down at her T-shirt and saw that her nipples were standing to full attention and that it was obvious she was braless underneath. She blushed to realise that her arousal was so evident. Does he know I was on the World Naked Bike Ride? Did he see me? Was he on the ride himself? Caroline looked at his face. She didn't recognise it, but then she realised that if he'd been on the ride she would be much more likely to recognise his penis than his face. She blushed even deeper. What a strange thought -- that she might have seen this man repeatedly during the course of the afternoon but not recognise him with his clothes on.

She laughed to herself at this, and her embarrassment subsided a little. So what if he saw me scantily clad? And so what if he notices I am braless under my T-shirt? There wasn't anything she could do about it anyway without giving up her seat on the crowded train. She decided she would rather have someone glancing at her erect nipples than have to stand all the way to London -- only to have someone else notice her nipples instead. Finally, she relaxed and resumed her warm recollections of the day.

CHAPTER TWO -- THE RIDE

^J

ust as the middle-aged woman they spoke to had warned, the start of the ride was a scrum of spectators and photographers. They crowded the paths of the park that eight hundred cyclists had to squeeze through, often single file. Unlike the painting area where like-minded participants milled about freely, paying little attention to each other, this was like a slow parade through clothed onlookers straining inwards for a better view. The girls all blushed from all the attention and cameras snapping away, until they noticed that the cameras were indeed trained more on the naked people around them than on them in their underwear (or bikini in Prudence's case).

Once her initial embarrassment subsided, though, Caroline discovered a new one. While Becky and Prudence were still somewhat embarrassed to receive even a bit of attention in their semi-clad state, Caroline was actually feeling self-conscious that she was not as completely naked as almost everyone around them seemed to be. She noticed that many of the semi-clad riders she had seen before the ride started had stripped off just before setting out, and she was worried that she and her friends stood out for not having done the same. In her immediate surroundings, the only other riders she could see who were still wearing anything were a group of two women and a man all wearing just Hawaiian-style grass skirts. Though their genitals were effectively covered, it seemed from the fleeting gaps as the skirts swung to and fro that they wore nothing underneath, and the women were both topless, so they were all less dressed than Caroline and her friends. It felt like a reversal of the old stereotypical dream of being the only one naked in school or work. She worried that she stood out because she was wearing too much. I can't believe I just thought that -- Mike would kill me if he knew how little I was wearing, she thought. But people here must think I'm a total coward. No one else seems to have any problem letting everyone see their ... bits.

Just then, she spotted two other girls in bras and knickers just ahead and felt a sense of relief. It seemed more acceptable not to be alone in doing the ride in underwear. As the ride filtered slowly through the encroaching onlookers, Caroline managed to edge her bike closer to these other girls, and Becky and Prudence trailed behind. As the riders around her got to the end of the most constricted part and managed to break free, Caroline, with her friends close behind, was able to come up alongside them. When the front of the ride then paused on the path circling the park to let the riders behind catch up, Caroline and her friends stood next to them, and Caroline hoped to enjoy a bit of clothed solidarity with these two.