Loading...“Mom?”
I looked across at my daughter. Sally was holding the local paper. Rarely carrying anything exciting, so why the look on Sally’s face?
“Yes, dear? What is it?”
“You know I have Jenny and Michelle coming round on Sunday for a pool party, and Kenny, Bill and Hector are coming, too?”
“Yes, dear. I know that. If nothing else, by the size of the snacks bill you saddled me with. So what has you so excited?”
“Do you know what day it is on Sunday?”
“You mean, apart from it being Sunday?” Sally nodded. “Well, it’s July 14, and if I remember my European history, that’s Bastille Day in France. Is that it?”
“No, Mom, something else.”
I shook my head. “Nothing else comes to mind, so what? Tell me.”
Sally held out the paper. ” Right-hand side, Mom, about halfway down the page.”
I took the paper, curious, and glanced at the page. A shock went through me as I read the headline.
‘July 14. National Nude Day. Free admission to the nude beach at Hay Cove. One day only.’
I looked across at my daughter, wondering, but I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. “So it’s National Nude Day. So what? Or do you plan to make your pool party skinny-dip?”
Sally nodded eagerly. “Please, Mom? Please?”
I gazed at Sally, wondering. Home from college, about to start her final year, slender, attractive, and definitely not a virgin, for Sally had confided in me when she’d lost her cherry, saying it was only right that her best friend knew. I smiled at that thought. It was true. We were good friends, as well as mother and daughter, and I’d been able to offer my daughter advice as well as counsel, albeit with a few blushes on both parts.
“Will the others go along with it?”
“I think so, Mom, but I’ll phone them later and check. I’m almost certain the girls will go for it, and if you give me the go-ahead, we’ll make the whole house a nude zone for the day, and then the guys will have to put up or shut up!”
“And what about me? Do I hide in my room all day?” Maybe my other best friend Tess would like a shopping trip, and a meal in town.
Sally shook her head, a vivid smile on her face. “No, Mom, you take your clothes off and join us!”
A shock went through me. “Whoa, girl. You want me to be naked as well? Why?”
“One, because you’re my best friend, and I don’t want you hiding yourself away all day, and two, because your figure is easily as good as either Jenny’s or Michelle’s. Or mine, come to that. Come on, Mom, admit it, you know you look good!” Sally grinned. “And, three, because I might need someone to hold my hand.”
I gazed at her. No, I tell a lie, I stared. “Okay, so I’ve kept my figure. What is it you’re not telling me?”
Sally took a deep breath, and gave me a wry smile. “Mom, I’ve seen your centerfold.” Oh, shit! “Not only that, but I often see you naked at home, when we use the pool and I have to say, Mom, you still look just as good now as you did then.” Sally sobered. “Please, Mom? Please?”
“I’ll think about it,” I said, and paused. “Where did you see my centerfold? You haven’t been prying among my private papers, I hope?”
“No, Mom, I wouldn’t do that, you know I wouldn’t.”
I nodded, knowing it was true. “So where, then?”
“Kenny’s dad has a load of old back issues and I think he sussed it out. He told Kenny, Kenny told me. Yes, and showed me, too.”
“And no doubt the rest of the guys at college I suppose.”
No, Mom, I asked him not to say anything and as far as I know he never has. Anyway, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, is it?”
I shook my head, a rueful smile on my face. “I’ve never been ashamed about it, sweetheart. Embarrassed a few times, yes, but never ashamed. Your grandma and grandpa knew I was going to do it, and never told me not to.” I laughed. “And the fee I earned came in very useful for college fees. It meant your grandma and grandpa could have the holiday they needed.”
I paused for a moment, thinking, but I knew I was going to agree. After all, the pool, the whole back yard, in fact, was surrounded by a privacy fence and part of my fitness regime was twice-daily swims, usually nude. I turned back to Sally, nodding.
“Okay, young lady, your aging parent will also do without her clothes, although I get the feeling I’m being railroaded.”
“That’s rubbish, Mom, you know we always skinny-dip when we’re private.”
“True, but then there isn’t a male around this house since your no-good father went off with his bimbo secretary.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Only at night. For all his faults, your father was — is — a good lover.” Damned good, but he strayed too easily, despite my best efforts, and it had to end.
“Well, that was candid!” Sally cocked her head. “Mom? When I said I’d seen your centerfold, you mentioned your private papers. Do you still have the picture?”
I laughed, nodding. “Yes, I do, along with several more that never made it into the magazine.”
“Can I see them, Mom? Please?”
I sighed, but if she’d already seen the centerfold, she must have seen the other photos in the magazine. “Okay. After dinner, remind me, but for now, talking of dinner, I’d better start thinking about food, not eye-candy.”
Sally laughed. “And I’ll go phone the others, tell them about the skinny-dipping.” She paused. “Mom? Can I mention that you’ll be naked as well?”
I shrugged and gave my daughter a rueful smile. “Why not? Then I can’t back out!”
Dinner was our usual cheerful time. We were comfortable in each other’s presence and chatted on any topic that came to mind, but we were both conscious of what was to follow the meal, and I wasn’t surprised when Sally raised the subject of her mother’s centerfold appearance.
“Mom? Remember you said that grandma and gramps didn’t object to you modeling nude?”
“Yes, I remember. It’s true. The only condition they made was that I didn’t do anything pornographic.” I laughed. “Can I tell you something in confidence, and you’ll promise never to say anything to anybody?”
Sally nodded. “You have my word.”
“Well, it turns out that I wasn’t the first woman in the family to model nude. Your grandmother did, too, only in her case it was for a painting, when she was twenty.”
“Would I know it was her in the painting, if I saw it?” said Sally.
“You might, but the artist changed the color of her hair. And that’s all I’ll say on the subject.”
“Okay, Mom, and thank you. Now, we’ve finished eating, so I’ll make the coffee and clear away the dishes, while you get those pictures. Deal?”
“Deal!”
The photographs were in a polythene-wrapped folder tucked away at the back of my closet. I unwrapped the folder and quickly riffled through the photos, but they were exactly as I remembered them, and I smiled in recollection. Yes, I’d enjoyed the session — it had made me feel good about myself. Still smiling, I took the folder and went back to the sitting room where Sally was waiting with two coffees. Sally held out her hand, but I kept the folder out of reach.
“Conditions, sweetheart. One, you tell no-one about these, and, two, you don’t even think about telling anyone!”
Sally laughed. “Okay, Mom, I so swear. They’re our secret.”
“Okay, then. Here.”
There was silence for a while as Sally studied the photographs. I sipped my coffee, watching my daughter, but Sally was absorbed. Eventually she looked up.
“I don’t think the centerfold picture was the best one, Mom. I think this is,” she said, and held out a picture. I took it, and smiled, nodding, remembering.
“So do I, but you know why the other one was chosen as the centerfold, don’t you?”
“Because it fitted the format?”
“Exactly. The centerfold had to be either a standing or lying shot. This one is too — square.” I laughed. “Well, in format it is, and probably a little too revealing. Just as well I didn’t shave back then, or the readers might have gotten an eyeful.” The photographer did, that’s for sure. I looked at the photograph again, and smiled. “Maybe not centerfold, but this one did get a whole page to itself.”
Sally nodded, looking thoughtful, then looked up. “Mom? Did being photographed nude excite you?”
Oh, yes! “You mean, was I wet? Yes, I was. Very. I had to excuse myself and go to the toilet to dry myself a couple of times. I think Brad, the photographer, realized, but he was too much of a gentleman to say anything.” And I was too chicken to let him know how I was feeling.
Sally held the folder out to me. “Thanks for letting me see them, Mom.” She grinned.
“What?” I said.
“You still look just as good, Mom.” She paused. “Mom?”
“Yes?”
“If I get the chance to do a similar session, can I?”
Instinct said no, never, but I’m not that much of a hypocrite. “You’re an adult, Sally, love, so how can I stop you?”
“Yes, but if I wasn’t, would you say yes?”
“If it was a reputable photographer, then yes, I think I’d give my approval.”
“Good, because Kenny wants to take a portfolio of me and submit it for approval. There’s an open competition on at the moment and he thinks I — we — stand a chance.” Sally grinned. “I told him to bring his camera.”
I had to laugh. “I think you out-maneuvered me there, sweetheart. Just make sure he doesn’t point it at me!”
“Why not, Mom? Maybe they’d go for a mother and daughter portfolio.”
I grimaced. “I’ve done it once, sweetheart, I don’t need to do it again.”
“Guess you’re right, Mom, but I think we would look good together.”
“To be honest, Sally, love, so do I, but like I said, I doubt it will happen.” A chance somewhere between zero and infinitesimal, most likely.
“Okay,” said Sally, “now roll on Sunday!”
And Sunday duly rolled around. I shaved carefully before I showered. I wasn’t quite sure why, I guess I just wanted to look my best for Sally’s friends. Who am I kidding? I just wanted to look my best, period. Showered, I dressed, knowing I wouldn’t be wearing clothes for long. Shorts and a t-shirt, no underwear. Over breakfast, a quiet meal, Sally and I just concentrated on fuel for the day. Finished, Sally washed the dishes and passed me my first coffee of the day. That down, humanity returned. I’m not at my best until I’ve had my caffeine fix.
“So, what time does the horde descend?” I asked Sally.
She laughed. “Hardly a horde, Mom.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. Okay, I asked Jenny and Michelle to be here for around one, and told Kenny to bring the others, Bill and Hector, for one-thirty. I though you might be more comfortable if it’s girls only at first.”
“Good thinking. Thank you. And what’s the target finish time?”
“Around five-thirty or six. The high school baseball team has a championship match starting at seven, and we said we might go. Even if we don’t, we’ll leave you alone around seven and you can put your clothes back on.”
“Well, thank you for that. It’s what, nine-forty now, so we have over three hours before anyone arrives, yes?”
“Yes, Mom, but aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Such as?”
“It’s National Nude Day! We should be naked all day!”
I stared at her, but that irritating, honest corner of my mind acknowledged the truth of her statement. I nodded. “You’re right, sweetheart, but what if anyone calls?”
“On a Sunday?” Sally shrugged. “Okay, hang a spare robe beside the front door, in case anyone does call.”
“Okay, I can do that.” I glanced at the clock. “At ten, we strip, and no-one dresses before ten this evening. How’s that?” I paused. “Oops! Perhaps you’d better dress if you’re going out, though.”
Sally laughed. “Great, Mom, you’re really getting into the spirit of this aren’t you?”
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.”
“That’s my Mom! Any thoughts on what we do until one?”
“I need to take the vacuum cleaner over the floor down here, and we’ll need to sort out the plates for that mountain of food you persuaded me to buy.”
“I’ll look after the food, Mom, if you use the vacuum cleaner. Maybe a swim after that, and then we’d better put some sunblock on, ‘cos it looks like being a hot day.”
“Okay, baby. Tallyho!”
It didn’t take long, and at twenty-five after ten, we were both naked, our tasks completed. In the kitchen a veritable mountain of snack food waited, covered over against any marauding insects, and I’d hung a robe near the front door.
“Swim, Mom?” said Sally.
“Swim, daughter.”
“Do you want a race, or are we just relaxing?”
“Today, we are just relaxing. Time enough for racing another day.”
It was fun in the pool, and we enjoyed ourselves, but forty minutes was enough for me and I climbed out of the pool, just as the phone rang. I waved to Sally that I’d answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mrs Tallon, it’s Kenny.”
“Do you want Sally?”
“In a moment, but there’s something I want to ask you first, okay?”
“Okay, Kenny. So ask.”
“Did Sally tell you about the glamor photo contest, and me taking some shots of her?”
“She did, yes.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Kenny, as I said to Sally, she’s an adult, so it has to be her decision, but I’m okay with it if that’s what worries you.”
“It was a little, but that’s great, Mrs Tallon. Thank you. There’s something else, though.”
“There is?”
“Yes, afraid so. Um, my Uncle Brad is staying with us for a few days – he’s Mom’s brother — and he’s a professional photographer. He said he’d shoot Sally’s portfolio instead of me, if it’s okay with Sally, and with you of course.”
“I think we need to bring Sally in on this, Kenny. Am I correct in thinking that you plan for your uncle to come here today to shoot Sally?”
“Yes, it would have to be today, as he has to catch a ten o’clock flight tomorrow.”
“Okay, Kenny. Hold on and I’ll get Sally. I’ll put her on another handset and we’ll make this a three-way conversation at first.”
“Okay, Mrs Tallon. Holding.”
I took the handset and went out to the pool, signaling ‘phone’ to Sally. She swam straight across to me and hauled herself lithely out of the water.
“Who is it, Mom?”
“Kenny,” I said, handing her the handset. “He has something to ask you, but it involves me, a little, so I’ll be on the other handset. Don’t say anything you’ll regret my hearing until I signal ‘all clear’, okay?” I said, laughing.
She giggled. “Okay, Mom,” she said, then raised the handset. “Hi, hon. What’s up?” she said as I went for the other handset. That took only a moment and I went out, carefully holding the handset at arm’s length, and caught Sally’s eye. She laughed and signaled ‘okay,’ and I put the handset to my ear.
“Okay, Kenny,” I said, “Mary Tallon back on line.” I’d walked across to Sally by then and we were standing next to each other.
“Hi, Mrs Tallon. Sally can put you in the picture.”
Sally took the handset away from her ear and addressed me directly. “Kenny’s told me about his uncle, and as far as I’m concerned, Mom, I’d like him to do it. Kenny says there’s no fee as he’s doing it as a family favor, so if you’re agreeable, I’ll say okay.”
“It’s your choice, sweetheart. No hassle from me, and I must admit, a professional photographer knows a few things that can make a difference to the finished picture.”
Sally raised the phone to her ear again and I listened in.
“Kenny, hon, it’s a go. But when? I mean, what time?”
“Uncle Brad suggested around four,” said Kenny. “He says the light gets more interesting around then, whatever that means.”
“Kenny,” I said, interrupting, “does your uncle know we’re having a Nude Day here? It might embarrass him.”
Kenny laughed. “No sweat, Mrs Tallon. He often goes to the nude beach near where he lives. Not as often since his divorce, but usually a couple of times a month. I told him about our Nude Day and he wasn’t fazed. He says as long as you and the girls don’t mind, he’ll just strip and fit in.”
“Okay, then, Kenny, tell him he’s welcome. I’m hanging up now, so you and Sally can whisper sweet nothings. I’ll see you this afternoon, so bye for now.”
“See you later, Mrs Tallon.”
I switched off my handset and addressed Sally directly. “Okay, sweetheart. Your mom will now move out of earshot.”
She laughed. “Okay, Mom.” She raised the phone again. “Hi, hon. Mom’s just moved away, so tell me again, huh?”
I laughed to myself and left them to it, wondering at myself slightly at allowing a total stranger to join our little nude day gathering. Okay, none of the six youngsters except my own daughter had ever seen me nude, but I knew and liked all of them. Oops, wait a minute. Kenny had seen me. Or, rather, he’d seen the younger me, in my centerfold portfolio. Well, he’d see the current me soon enough.
Jenny and Michelle arrived just before one. I was in the kitchen making up some lemonade — I much prefer the home-made touch — and Sally answered the door. Our front door isn’t overlooked by neighbors and she opened the door nude. I heard laughter in the hallway and Sally led her friends into the kitchen.
“Hi, Jenny, Michelle,” I said. “Do you want some lemonade now or later?”
“Later, please,” said Michelle, and Jenny nodded agreement.
“Okay,” I said, “I’ve made plenty.”
“Mrs Tallon?” said Michelle. “You look fabulous!”
“Thank you, dear. Now why don’t you two go and undress, so I can see how fabulous you look? We have a rule here today. No clothing until ten tonight at the earliest, okay?”
The two girls laughed. “Where do we leave our clothes?” said Jenny.
“Come on,” said Sally, “I’ll show you. We’re using my room to leave girl stuff, and the guys get to use the guest room. See you in a minute or two, Mom.”
“Okay, sweetie.” I looked around, No, nothing else to do at the moment, so I went into the sitting room and flopped down on the couch. It wasn’t long before before I heard voices, and the slap of bare feet in the hallway, and the three girls came in. I knew what Sally looked like nude, of course, but the other two girls were a mystery.
Sally’s like me. Dark blond, medium height, slim, long-legged and with nice, but not over-large, tits. ‘A nice handful,’ as my ex was fond of saying. Jenny’s a redhead, with the milky skin of the natural redhead, and I knew she’d need to be careful in the sun. She’s a couple of inches shorter than Sally, with a touch more meat on her bones, and full breasts, and I knew the boys would enjoy watching her. Michelle was taller than Sally by an inch or two, but with a similar build, with raven hair and smooth olive skin betraying her Latino roots. Altogether, three damned good-looking girls. They lined up in front of me and struck a pose, obviously rehearsed, and Sally said, “Tada!”
I applauded, and the girls grinned. All three were shaved, like me, and all three had erect nipples. Hell, so did I!
“Michelle?” I said. “You said I looked fabulous. Well so do you, all three of you, but before the boys arrive, can I ask a question? Have they seen you naked before?”
Jenny flushed and shook her head.
Michelle nodded. “Only one on one,” she said quietly. The color didn’t show as much on her olive skin, but she was flushing, too. Sally was quiet, but she caught my eye and nodded.
“Like Michelle, Mom, only one on one.” Well, that was no surprise, for I knew already she was no virgin. In fact, she’d told me she enjoyed sex. So do I, but I hadn’t had any for about three years, since my divorce.
“Okay, and you haven’t been naked together before, I suspect?”
“No, Mom, we haven’t. We — I, at least — wanted to see if we felt comfortable being naked together, because the nude beach at Hay Cove has a special membership offer this week, and I thought about joining.
“Hey! So did I,”said Michelle, laughing.
Jenny grimaced. “I never even thought about it,” she said, “but if you guys join, I will, too, as long as we go together!”
“That’s for tomorrow,” I said. “What I was going to suggest is that we all do something fun and silly, just to get used to being naked together. Something in the pool, maybe?”
“Yes!” said Sally. “Water polo, sort of, Mom. You and me against Jenny and Michelle, eh?”
“Girls?” I said, and Jenny and Michelle nodded.
“We can change partners if it gets too one-sided,” said Michelle “can’t we?”
“Definitely.”
The game was fun, because nobody cared who was winning and who was losing. We changed partners every five minutes or so and found out that Michelle and I were the strongest pairing. Not that it mattered, of course. We were just about to change partners again when the door-bell repeater near the pool sounded. Sally looked across at me, and I nodded.
“I’ll go,” I said. “I am the hostess, after all.”
I climbed out and headed towards the front door, careless of the wet footprints on the floorboards. They’d wipe up later, and I suspected there’d be more before the day was done. I reached for the robe on the hook beside the door, then paused, stooping slightly to peer through the viewer in the door. I could see Kenny’s battered old Ford and could just make out his face. I took a deep breath and opened the door, stifling a laugh at the stunned look on the three faces.
“Come on in, guys. Quick, before a neighbor spots me!”
Three young men hurried into the hallway with their bags, and I saw that Kenny had his camera bag, and I closed the door and turned to them, unconsciously sucking in my breath. And my gut!
“Okay, guys. The girls are in the pool and as you can see, so was I. I’d like you to use the guest room to leave your clothes so if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.” I led off up the stairs, and, evil bitch that I am, put an extra roll into my walk. I opened the guest-room door and ushered them in.
“Kenny?” I said. “You know the way to the pool, I know, so we’ll see you out there when you’re ready, okay? Okay, guys? Bill? Hector?”
“Fine, Mrs Tallon,” said Bill. “See you there.” Hector only nodded but his eyes never left me.
I nodded and turned to go, but hadn’t gone more than a few steps before I heard Kenny’s voice.
“Mrs Tallon?”
“Yes?” I waited and he came closer, glancing back to see where his friends were.
“Mrs Tallon, did Sally tell you that I’d seen your centerfold pictorial?” he said, his voice low.
I could feel myself flush slightly, but I nodded. “Yes, she did.”
He smiled. “Well, I just wanted to say that, having seen you now, I think you’re just as lovely as you were then.” And with that, he was gone, into the guest room. I heard his voice. “Okay, guys, you’ve seen Mrs Tallon, and yes, she’s gorgeous, but our girlfriends are out there, naked, waiting for us. So let’s get these clothes off and go see them!”
I laughed to myself and headed back downstairs, humming a cheerful tune. I was curious to see how the six youngsters would react, since I knew that this was a first time, at least for Bill and Jenny, if not the others, but then it was a first for Sally and Michelle to be naked in front of someone other than their current lover, and that prompted another thought. Had Sally and Kenny fucked? Or was it still on their mutual ‘to do’ list? None of my business, of course, but I was curious. After all, Sally is my daughter!
There was an air of expectancy about the girls as they waited for the boys to come out and I was interested to note that they’d all left the pool. Kenny was first out and Sally moved straight across to him and into his arms for a kiss. Bill and Hector came out together and Jenny and Michelle took their cues from Sally and went across for a kiss, Jenny with a virtually whole body flush that was almost matched by Bill’s, but there was no hesitation in their kiss and I heard Bill’s fervent ‘you are gorgeous, sweetheart,’ as they broke their kiss.
Three kisses ended and the six youngsters swapped hi-fives and there was a sudden torrent of conversation with a lot of ‘wow’ and ‘beautiful’ being bandied around. I guess everyone was pleased. After a quick word with Sally, Kenny came across to me.
“Mrs Tallon? My uncle said to tell you he’ll be here about four, okay?”
“Okay, Kenny.” I glanced across at the others, still talking animatedly. I noticed that Bill and Jenny were holding hands and that Hector had his arm around Michelle . I turned back to Kenny. “Can you get their attention for me, please?”
“Hoi!” he called. “Attention in the ranks!” Five pairs of eyes turned to us and Kenny indicated I should step forward.
“Okay, you-all,” I said. “A couple of things. One, since this is a relaxed party with everyone naked and nowhere to hide, for today only I’m not ‘Mrs Tallon’ or ‘Mom.’ No, today I’m just Mary to everyone, okay?”
There were nods and murmurs of ‘yes, Mary’ and I held up my hand for silence. “Two, I’m thirsty, so does anyone else want some home-made lemonade? Huh? Ah, typical, everybody. Okay, guys and gals, back in a moment.”
I’d made a couple of gallons of lemonade and wondered fleetingly if it would be enough. I poured the lemonade into seven of the dozen plastic glasses I’d bought and put them on a tray, then took the drinks out to the youngsters.
“Sorry about using plastic glasses, but I didn’t want to risk cut feet on broken glass if anyone drops a glass. The plastic should at least bounce!”
“Good thinking, Mrs Tal — sorry, Mary,” said Jenny. “It would probably be me who dropped one. Now I can relax.” She shared a look with Bill. “Well, at least as much as I can while being naked in mixed company for the first time.”
“On that note,” I said, “can I just say that you all look good. Yes, guys, that includes you!”
“So do you, Mary,” said Michelle. “I hope I look as good as you when I’m your age!”
“Thanks, honey, but you have to know,” I said, as straight-faced as I could manage, “I’m really only twenty-two, because of a magical age-deceleration spell.”
“In that case,” said Kenny, with a broad grin, “can you introduce us to the witch that cast it?”
General laughter followed that quip, and we all relaxed and settled to our lemonade, until Hector put down his glass and stood.
“That pool looks too inviting to ignore. Anyone with me?”
A moment later I was alone on the pool-side terrace. I laughed and took the glasses into the kitchen to wash them, then went back out to sit, or rather, lie, on my recliner, under its big sunshade, enjoying the banter coming from the six in the pool. I glanced at my watch. Two-forty. An hour and twenty minutes until Kenny’s uncle arrived. I came out of my reverie on hearing my name being called.
“Mary? Earth to Mary? Ah, she’s come back to us. Mary, we’re going to have a game of water polo, and the guys think we girls need an extra player. Are you game?”
“Why not?” I said, easing myself off my recliner and moving to the edge of the pool.
Sally pointed. “Will you bring the ball?”
The game was a tad more serious with the guys playing, but Michelle was effortlessly athletic and kept the distaff team mostly in the game. We lost, but it was close. At around three-thirty, Sally called a halt.
“Okay, guys and gals, we have a mountain of food to eat and I need to wash and dry my hair if I’m being photographed.”
“Ooh,” said Jenny, “I’d forgotten about that. I might have to run and hide if there’s going to be a stranger around.”
“Not a stranger, Jenny,” said Kenny. “You met my uncle last year when he visited, don’t you remember?”
“Yes, of course,” said Jenny. “Nice guy.” She made a face. “But I was wearing clothes, then!”
“Food is in the kitchen, gang,” I said. “Paper plates, to save on washing up. Give me five minutes, then come and help yourselves, okay?”
“Thanks, Mary,” said Hector, “we’ll be there pronto!”
And they were. They’d made a good attempt at demolishing the food mountain when Sally came back, hair gleaming and tidy, just as the doorbell sounded. Sally made a move towards the door, but I signaled to her to stop. She did, eyebrows raised in query.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ll go. I’m still the hostess here, remember?”
“Okay, Mom, we’ll keep on tackling this food mountain.”
“Remember to leave some for Kenny’s uncle. I don’t want to be embarrassed by offering him crumbs!”
“Okay, Mom, we’ll tone down our scavenger impersonations.”
I headed towards the front door, feeling nervous. Quite why, I wasn’t sure. Kenny had said his uncle used a nude beach, so he would know what to expect, but I wasn’t sure about whether to open the door naked or to don my robe. I opted for discretion, and shrugged into my robe. I pasted my ‘welcome, guest’ expression onto my face, opened the door and stopped dead, in shock.
“Hello again, Mary. It’s been a long time,” said my visitor. I stared at him, brain working furiously, mouth unable to utter a sound. My visitor smiled. “Can I come in? It might be tricky photographing your daughter out here.”
I finally found my voice. “Of course. Come in, please.” He stepped in, a camera bag in one hand and what I remembered as the carrying case for strobe lights in the other. He put them down and as I was about to close the door, stopped me. He smiled, that familiar wry smile I still remembered vividly from twenty-three years earlier. Kenny’s uncle Brad was the same Brad Kincaid who had photographed my centerfold portfolio all those years ago!
“I still need to get the stands and the tripod,” he said, and quickly moved out to his car, parked behind Kenny’s Ford on our driveway. He was back quickly and I closed the door behind him as he set his burdens down in the hallway before turning back to me, that wry smile curving his mouth.
“So, Mary Bennett as was, how have you been?”
“Pretty good until four years ago, when I found out my husband was cheating on me with his secretary. Since then?” I shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I still had a daughter to care for after all. How about you?”
He shrugged. “Pretty good, but my marriage sort of crumbled when my wife and I realized that while we were still friends, the magic had gone. We called it quits, and got divorced. Five years now. We’re still friends, thank goodness, good friends, but like I said, the magic had gone.” He smiled again. “I like to hope some of it might come back, now that I’ve finally found you, again.” He looked up as Sally called out from the kitchen.
“Hey, are you two coming in, or not?”
Brad smiled. “Do I strip first, or say hello?”
I gathered my scattered wits together. “I think say hello, first, then I’ll show you where the men have left their clothes, okay?” He’d ‘finally found me, again.’ What on earth did that mean? Brad Kincaid and I needed to talk! For the moment, though, I led the way into the kitchen.
“Hi, Uncle Brad,” said Kenny. He gestured towards Sally. “This is Sally Tallon, the girl I want you to photograph.”
“The image of your mother,” said Brad. “I’d know you anywhere.”
Sally’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, she frowned, then her face cleared. “Of course! You’re the photographer who shot Mom’s cent – ” She stopped, her face stricken, and held out her hand to me. “Mom! I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. There are only four of us here who don’t know about it. Or at least, I don’t think they know.”
“Know what?” said Bill, his face puzzled.
“That I modeled for a centerfold portfolio twenty-three years ago, and that Kenny’s Uncle Brad was the photographer.” I looked around at Bill and Hector, Jenny and Michelle, all with equally stunned faces. “On your promise that you won’t tell anyone else, I’ll let you see the photos from that session later, after Brad has finished shooting Sally.”
“Oh, please!” said Jenny. “I promise, I won’t tell a soul!”
“Me either,” said Michelle.
“Nor me.” Bill.
“I won’t say a word.” Hector.
“Okay, then,” I said. “Later, when Brad has finished shooting Sally. And as this is supposed to be a Nude Day event, I’d better show the photographer where to leave his clothes. This way, Brad,” I said, and led him up to the guest room. I gestured to the piles of clothing that Kenny and the others had left. “Just dump your stuff in here and come back down to the kitchen when you’re ready. There’s plenty food, so would you like a lemonade, home-made, or would you prefer coffee? Or maybe a beer? I have a six-pack somewhere.” I was nervous, I was prattling, and I didn’t know why, although I suspected that Brad Kincaid coming back into my life was a major part of it.
“Lemonade is fine, thank you.” I turned to go, but he caught my hand to stop me. “Mary? Can we talk later? Maybe over dinner, unless you already have a dinner engagement?”
“I don’t. Talk?Yes, I’d like that. Now, though, you have a young lady to photograph, don’t you?”
“I do. A young lady who is almost the double of her mother all those years ago. Go on down, Mary, and I’ll join you in a moment.” He smiled, a warm, intimate smile that took me back those twenty-three years. “Are you going to take your robe off before I come down? Remind me of that time?”
“Of course,” I said, then before I could change my mind, slipped the robe from my shoulders. “Remember me?”
“Every day for the last twenty-three years,” he said softly, and I blinked. He smiled. “Go on down. I’ll be there in a moment.”
I left him and headed down the stairs, trailing my robe. Every day for twenty-three years? Surely not. Yes, Brad Kincaid and I needed to talk. I hung my robe beside the door again and went back into the kitchen.
“Brad will be down in a moment. Kenny? A word with you, please.”
He held up his hands defensively. “Yes, I knew Uncle brad was the one who shot your portfolio. When he realized whose daughter Sally was, he asked me to engineer an invitation. You don’t mind, do you?” He was anxious.
I thought about it. Was I pleased, or mad? Realization came quicker than I’d expected. I was pleased, very pleased. I smiled at Kenny and saw him relax. I nodded. “I’m pleased, Kenny, very pleased. I suspect your uncle and I will be having a long talk later.”
He grinned. “I thought you might.” He paused, then turned to Sally. “Is it okay if I act as Uncle Brad’s assistant, sort of, get some tips on how to make a girl look her best in a photo?”
Sally nodded. “It’s okay by me. Mom? Any objections?”
I laughed. “Hey, I’m the innocent bystander here, remember? Yes, of course it’s okay with me.”
“What’s okay with you?” said Brad as he came into the room. I tried not to flush. Brad Kincaid naked was a sight to make a girl’s pussy get wet immediately.
“Kenny acting as your assistant, while you shoot my daughter, that’s what.”
“Okay by me,” said Brad. “You can carry the heavy stuff, Kenny.”
Kenny laughed. “Yes, boss.”
“Is it okay if we watch?” said Bill.
“Sally?” said Brad. “How do you feel about your friends watching?”
“I don’t mind,” said Sally, “as long as you don’t mind. I mean, I know these lunatics.”
“Thanks for nothing, Tallon,” said Hector, but he was grinning.
“Okay, then,” said Brad. “Mary? That lemonade sounds good. Kenny? Can you bring the gear in from the hall, please? Put it out near the pool.”
“Okay, boss,” said Kenny. “Bill? Hector? Give me a hand?” The others nodded and followed him out. I’d poured a glass of lemonade and held it out to Brad. As he took it our hands touched and I swear I felt a jolt of pure lust run through me. I broke the contact and moved away slightly, my nerves tingling. He gave me a slight smile and turned to Sally.
“Well, young lady. Are you ready for this?”
Sally grinned. “Yes, I think so.”
“Any thoughts on how you want to pose?”
He’d surprised her, I knew, just as he’d surprised me, twenty-three years earlier. “I thought you’d, like, direct me?”
“And so I will, but I like my models to have a say in what we’re doing.”
“Oh. I see. Well, sort of innocent, but provocative, and nothing pornographic.” She grinned. “Maybe some shots like Mom’s centerfold portfolio.”
“That was partly bedroom. You okay with that, Mary?”
I nodded. “If you’re as open with Sally as you were with me, no problem.”
The boys had returned with the bags and stands and Brad quickly took out a couple of camera bodies, and some large-aperture lenses. Film had given way to digital, but his brand loyalty stayed with Canon, I noticed. He turned to Jenny and Michelle, who had been silent but enthralled spectators.
“What about you two? Do you want a couple of shots for your personal collections?”
“Can we?” said Michelle eagerly, and Jenny’s excited nod showed her agreement.
“Come on, the three of you. Let’s get some group shots.”
On reflection, it was a good way to help Sally relax, and Brad shot about twenty or thirty shots of the three girls, sitting, kneeling, lying, standing, singly, in twos, all three. Eventually, he lowered the camera and turned to Sally.
“Time for some bedroom shots. Is your room tidy?”
“Probably not,” I interrupted. “Use mine, it’s bigger, so you’ll have more room to move.”
Brad nodded. “Good thinking. Kenny? Grab those reflectors. Mary, will you give me a hand, too?”
“Of course.”
He turned to the others. “Sorry, guys and gals, there won’t be enough room to watch.”
In my room, Brad looked around and for a moment I wished it had just been the two of us there, but he turned to Sally. “Okay, Sally, we’ll start with you kneeling on the bed. Kenny, grab that big folding reflector and stand over there. Mary? Can you get the smaller one? I want you to try to reflect the light onto Sally’s hair. I’m going to use the built-in flash on the camera, but with a diffuser and only to put a catch-light in Sally’s eyes. Everyone ready? Okay, then,watch out for my cues. Ready, Sally?”
“Yep!”
“Okay, children, let’s make pictures!”
It was an enjoyable hour, and I appreciated anew Brad’s skill not only with a camera, but the easy way he directed Sally into her poses and used Kenny and me and our reflectors to put light into what might have been too-deep shadows. At last he straightened up from the camera and grinned at Sally.
“Okay, Sally, I think we got some good ones! Do you have a personal computer? Yes? Good. I’ll copy the photos to your computer before I go, but these won’t be the finished images. Some I’m going to crop, and some I’ll need to tweak in Photoshop, but I think the portfolio has a good chance. Perhaps not for the competition, but the editor knows me well, and if I tell him I’ve got a winner, he tends to listen. Now, are you prepared to sign a model release form? It’s a necessary formality, I’m afraid, if you want the photos to be published.”
Sally frowned. “Brad? You don’t mind if I call you Brad? No? Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight. The competition that Kenny was planning to enter? Are you saying that the photos you’ve taken aren’t going to be entered in that contest, but are going to be submitted as a portfolio for direct submission to the editor?”
Brad nodded. “Exactly.” He turned to Kenny. “Sorry, kiddo, I know you were keen to enter, because the prize would give you both a nice cash cushion for college, but I’m planning to include you as co-photographer, and we’ll split any photographer’s fee fifty-fifty. Okay? I promise you, the fee will be more than the contest prize. Not only that, but I think the odds of acceptance are more in our favor.”
Kenny grinned. “Okay by me, Uncle Brad. Is that why you got me to take some of the photos? So the co-photographer tag would be true?”
“Exactly.” He turned back to Sally. “I’ll leave the model release form with you, Sally. You can mail it to me. It will take a few days, maybe longer, to sort out the shots for submission, so be sure you want to appear in the magazine before you sign it. Okay?”
Sally nodded. “Okay.” She turned to Kenny. “Are we going to the baseball match? Because if we are, Mom promised to let the others see her centerfold pictorial.”She turned to me. “Mom? You promised.”
I nodded. “I did. Chest of drawers, third drawer, left-hand side? Got it? Okay, show it to the others while I switch your computer on. Is your password still the same?”
“Yes, it is. I’ll be back in a moment, so don’t worry if you’ve forgotten it.”
Brad and Kenny had been packing away the equipment, and Kenny set off downstairs with a couple of bags, leaving Brad and I alone in the bedroom for the moment.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he said.
“Yes, please,” I said, “but let’s stay in. There’s plenty of food here. And I’ll be happy to cook you something.”
“If you’re sure, that would be marvelous. Thank you.”
“I’m sure. Now, you said something about downloading the photos to Sally’s computer?”
“I certainly did. Lead the way.”
Sally had her computer desk in the corner of her bedroom, and ten minutes later the photos were safely downloaded.
“Ask Sally to have a careful look through them in a day or two, when she’s calmed down, and if there are any shots she doesn’t want me to use, to let me know,” said Brad. He took a little notebook from a pocket on his camera bag and scribbled in it for a moment or two, then tore off the sheet and handed it to me. “The top number is my studio number,” he said. “Ask Sally to use that one when she calls. If I’m not there, the answering machine will kick in. I can check that even if I’m away, so it will be a day, tops, before I get back to her. The other number is my cell phone number. That one is for you. It’s taken me twenty-three years to find you; I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said, hesitant.
He smiled, warm, his eyes on mine. “Mary, I fell in love with you when I was shooting that portfolio. I wanted you so much, it hurt, but there’s a code of ethics for a professional photographer that says ‘hands off the models’, and I didn’t want to break it. I should have said something, maybe something as simple as ‘can I see you again, away from the photographer and model environment.’ I didn’t, and I’ve regretted it ever since.” He shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “I did try to get in touch, about six months later, but you’d moved away, and no-one knew where you’d gone.”
“Dad got a promotion, and we moved. Six months, you said? Then, we didn’t know where we’d end up living. If you’d asked our friends again a month later, they’d have been able to give you an address.” I took a deep breath, and a chance. “Brad, you said you fell in love with me during that shoot?”
“I did, yes, and I mean it.”
“I wish you’d said something, because I went through most of that shoot soaking wet and wanting you, too, but I was too young and shy, then, to say what I wanted Now, I’m not. I don’t regret marrying Chuck, because I got Sally from that, but now I’m divorced and free. If you still want to make love to me, you won’t hear a squeak of protest from me.”
He stared at me. “You mean that?”
“Brad, I’m a woman of my word. Not just yet, because there are still too many of the others around, but before you leave tonight, I want this,” and I touched his cock, “here,” and I touched my pussy. “For now, though, think icy thoughts and let’s find out what the others are doing.” I grinned. “I’m soaking, but it doesn’t show, at least not yet, but don’t raise the flag just yet.”
Downstairs, Kenny had stacked Brad’s photo equipment in the hallway, and Brad took a moment to thank him. I took Sally aside.
“Any plans for the evening, sweetheart? Are you going to the baseball match?”
“Jenny, Michelle, Bill and Hector are, but Kenny and I are staying here. Kenny still wants to take some photos of me for his personal collection, and I’ve said yes. What about you?”
I smiled. “Brad is staying to dinner. He and I have a lot of catching up to do.”
“You like him, don’t you, Mom.”
“Yes, I do. I suspect it might be stronger than just liking him, but time will tell.”
Sally grinned. “After dinner, then, Kenny and I will disappear. Maybe go out to the pool and take some more photos, or maybe take some upstairs.” She laughed. “Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll make appropriate noises, and keep out of your way.”
“Thanks for that, sweetheart. I’ll apologize in advance in case you catch us doing something we might be embarrassed about.”
Sally grinned again and reached out to hug me. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
A few minutes later we waved goodbye to the four youngsters who were off to the baseball match. I turned to the others.
“Okay, what shall we have for dinner? I have some steaks in the freezer, and there’s plenty of salad stuff, so steak and a side salad? Is that okay?”
“Great,” said Kenny. “Um, how long?”
“Defrosting and cooking the steaks, preparing the salad. Say, forty-five minutes?”
“Sally? Shall we get those photos done?”
“Mom? Do you want me to help?”
“I’ll help your Mom, Sally,” said Brad. “You and Kenny go and play. We’ll call you when it’s ready, okay?”
“Okay. Come on, Kenny, before she changes her mind!”
I went into the kitchen, Brad at my heels. The steaks were in the small freezer in the kitchen, and it was the work of moments to set the defrost setting on the cooker, and start the steaks defrosting. I turned to Brad, and was about to say something, but the next thing I knew, I was in his arms and we were locked in a kiss. A little voice at the back of my mind said ‘at last’ and I surrendered myself to the moment.
The kiss was hot, tender, demanding, giving, and as tight as Brad’s arms were around me, so mine were about him. He moved slightly, and I stifled a giggle, feeling him growing against me. I broke the kiss and eased slightly away from him, reaching down with my hand. He was half-erect and I took his cock in my hand, winked at him, and went to my knees, taking him into my mouth, relishing the feel of him hardening as I let my lips and tongue work over him. A little corner of my mind wondered what Sally would do if she saw me, but the devil in the other corner said, let her learn! As soon as Brad was hard I let his cock slip from my mouth and let him lift me to my feet.
Without a word, he lifted me onto the kitchen table, pushing my knees apart. Taking his erection in his hand, he moved forward, placing it at my entrance, then pushed slightly, easing the head into my soaking tunnel. I sighed, almost a gasp, welcoming the blunt intrusion of his cock into my core. I stretched up to kiss him.
“I love you.”
His smile deepened. “I love you, too.”
“Fuck me, Brad, fuck me hard, make me yours.”
“You are mine, you’ve been mine ever since you first took off your clothes for my camera all those years ago, we just didn’t know it, then.”
“But we do now.”
“Absolutely.”
“Come for me Brad, come soon. I don’t want Sally to catch us like this.”
He grinned, never pausing in the easy motion of his cock in my soaking pussy. He nodded towards the window. “I think it’s too late for that worry, love.”
Outside, beside the pool, Kenny lay on his back, his hands gently teasing Sally’s tits as she rode his cock. She was facing towards the window and as she caught my eye, blew me a kiss. I blew her one back, then let myself lay back, laughing softly. I smiled up at Brad.
“Take your time, lover. Somehow, now, I don’t think we need to hurry.”