Jamaican Beauties Jaunt Ch. 01

Will had already discerned from the photos she'd posted on her Facebook wall that Denise was indeed a good-looking woman, with a nice figure, shapely legs, caramel-colored skin, loosely curled dark brown hair, and stunning green eyes. The new photographs she emailed him were higher resolution and revealed that she was, in fact, a very good-looking woman who, for some inexplicable reason, constantly hid her figure. Based on those photographs, Will estimated Denise stood about five and a half feet tall, and weighed around 140 to 150 pounds. The photos showed that she clearly had an hourglass figure with wide hips and large breasts. However, she concealed her breasts under bras that were obviously a size too small and covered them with loose-fitting, over-sized blouses.

Although he was impressed with her good looks, Will, determined she'd been conservative in her selection of photographs to share with him. The photos, she intended to use as her proof that she was uninhibited, did the opposite. He simply could not accept them as such proof, it would be a lie, and it would be unfair to her. Doing so would mislead her into believing something that just was not true. What he wanted was photos that showed her dressed in revealing clothing or acting in an uninhibited manner—photos of her dancing in her Bacchanal outfit. Therefore, in an effort to get her to send him those photographs, when they next chatted he intentionally referred to her as, "the most prudish Jamaican woman I've ever encountered."

"But the photos I sent you prove I'm not a prude!" Denise immediately countered.

Will rebutted, "First, because it was your intent to prove you weren't a prude, the photos you sent were undoubtedly the most revealing photos you could find or, as I suspect, they were actually the most revealing photos you were willing to share with me."

Denise realized he was right and did not respond. The photos she'd selected were not as revealing as several others she'd reviewed. She'd only sent him those she was willing to share. She wondered why she had been unwilling or perhaps unable to share any of the photos that revealed more of her body.

Will continued, "Second, you did not offer a single photo of yourself with someone else. You were alone in all the pictures."

Again Denise knew he was correct, but this time she argued, "There was someone else there, the photographer."

Ignoring her retort, Will continued typing his rebuttal to her unofficial response to his Proof or Prude dare, "Third, except for one photo where you were wearing a one-piece swimsuit, it is obvious that you were wearing a bra and underpants. Fourth, your poses, although intended to show that you are an open person, actually highlight your prudish personality. You never revealed anything of yourself that might be considered sensual, much less sexual in nature."

Now angry, Denise typed, "I disagree and insist that you explain what you meant by your statement that my photos did not show anything sensual or sexual."

Will answered dispassionately, "To start, even though you were wearing a bra, you dressed so as not to reveal more than a hint of cleavage. Yet it's clear you have a fine figure, one that most women would be happy to have and many would be proud to show off. In addition to a shapely body, you have large breasts, which are apparently firm and obviously nicely shaped, and you have more than a hint of cleavage to reveal."

At first, Will's comments miffed her and Denise did not immediately respond. However, as she thought about what he'd just told her about the photographs and what they revealed about her, she concluded Will was telling her the same things her father and mother had been trying to get her to understand for many years.

After reviewing the photos she'd emailed Will as her proof, Denise admitted to herself, "Yes, I was selective about the pictures I shared. I have several dozen showing me wearing a revealing Brazilian back bikini and a smile, but I couldn't possibly let anyone see those! In addition, there are those pictures of me dancing on the Bacchanal float, but I couldn't imagine ever looking at any of them! Moreover, as for wearing a bra and panties, that's how all proper ladies dress! After all, I'm not like my mother, I'm not a concupiscent jade driven by my prurient desires!"

Sitting back in her chair, looking at the photos on her computer screen, and reading Will's comments Denise said to herself, "I still don't know what he meant when he said my poses were intended to show me as an open person, yet they never revealed anything sensual or sexual about me."

Attempting to justify her behavior, Denise typed, "I always try to smile and face the camera. In the photo of me wearing a swimsuit with my arms outstretched, I'm completely open to the camera. And although you say I don't reveal very much cleavage and you think I should, I believe a girl needs to behave in a proper manner, especially when she's big busted and being photographed."

Realizing her justifications sounded rather prudish she bid Will a good night, signed off the Internet, leaned back in her chair, and said aloud, "I need to have a long talk with mother and Will so I can understand what he means!"

* * * * *

The Proof or Prude challenge had been an eye-opening exercise for Denise. When she first decided to accept it she was positive she wasn't a prude and confident that she would prove that to Will. Although Denise assumed it would be a struggle to get him to agree with her rationale, she was sure that, in the end, he would see the merits of her presentation.

Nevertheless, Will had consistently offered irrefutable arguments supporting his contention that she was behaving puritanically. It hurt her when her mother accepted Will's arguments. Furthermore, her mother even reminded her that not only was she prudish, she couldn't even come up with a single valid argument to indicate otherwise. It once again seemed to Denise that Will and her mother were colluding with one another. That was, she thought, the only explanation for the similarities in their positions.

Her father's response, after her mother handed him Denise's notebook computer so he could review the correspondence between Will and her concerning the Proof or Prude dare, hurt much more. After studying her photos and reviewing her presentations and Will's arguments, her father calmly concluded, "I'm sorry Dee-Dee, (his nickname for his favorite daughter,) but Will's arguments are stronger and more rational than your presentations and none of your counter-arguments are sufficient to overturn his position."

The final blow came when she sat in her apartment and reviewed and appraised her presentations and Will's counter arguments. When she was honest, she could see that her mother and father were right, that Will's assessments had been correct. She always suspected, in her heart of hearts, that she was a prude, and now she would have to admit it to Will and worse, to herself. That evening she posted a photograph on her Facebook page showing her standing in front of a restaurant, wearing a long-sleeved blouse and an ankle-length wrap skirt. She also posted her confession, which stated. "I accepted and lost a "Proof or Prude" dare. Thus, I admit that I am a PRUDE! Moreover, I have long been a fool for believing and arguing that I wasn't a prude."

She next sent an email to Will telling him, "I've posted my Facebook wall with my admission that I am indeed a prude along with a photo I believe you would have chosen. If you wish, I will obtain and post any other photograph you desire me to post as my payment for having lost the Proof or Prude dare."

Will's response was almost immediate, "First, it was my hope and desire that you would win the Proof or Prude dare. Second, although you never formally accepted the dare, I thank you for the prompt payment of your obligation for having failed to provide the proof called for by the dare. Third, the photograph you posted, along with your admission that you lost the dare, is sufficient and acceptable. Consider your debt paid in full. Your appreciative friend, Will."

* * * * *

Goals Adjustment

The Proof or Prude dare made Denise realize that she'd been deluding herself about her attitude and maybe even her goals in life. With that realization, Denise reassessed her life to date, the goals she'd already achieved, and those things she still wished to accomplish. She eventually determined there was only one new, or more correctly, one revised goal she wished to achieve. She concluded that her mother's oft stated advice, now echoed by Will, that she, "should loosen up, quit acting like a prude, and enjoy the bounty God and your good genes have given you," had always been and still was good advice. It was especially true in light of the fact that she had lost the "Proof or Prude" dare because she'd been unable to prove to Will's, her mother's, or her father's satisfaction that she could behave in an outgoing and unrestrained manner.

Further, upon reflection, Denise concluded that the few times in her life she'd been truly happy were those times when her behavior was not controlled or restrained by her inhibitions. She resolved that she needed and wanted to make a change in her behavior and thus in her life. Unfortunately, although Denise knew she desperately wanted to become uninhibited, to show her mother, father, and Will she wasn't a prude, she didn't know how to go about accomplishing that goal. To that end, Denise chatted with Will about her assessment of her life and asked him what she should do about her conclusion.

"Have you considered changing your attitude, which would result in a change in your behavior, which in turn would change your life?" Will responded.

Denise smiled at the simplicity of Will's advice and decided she would take it and follow it. She would change her attitude. She would think like, and behave like her mother. She would change herself and thus change her life.

After determining where she wanted to go with her life, Denise opted to take an organized approach to changing herself. An approach Will had once explained to her. It was actually a simple yet elegant method. She identified, listed, and ranked the things she wanted to do and then she selected those things that she could control, accomplish, or change.

When Will explained the method to her, he noted that one of its charms was that it allowed you to crawl, take baby steps, walk, and finally run towards each objective necessary to achieving your ultimate goal. The accomplishment of each objective was a building block to further success, making it easier to identify what else you needed to do and better equipped to accomplish it.

As she prepared her lists of the things she wanted to do and those she no longer wished to do, she had an epiphany. She did not like working as a masseuse. It was similar to the realization she had in Arts School where she had majored in Dance and was about to earn her Associate of Arts in Dance Performance with the idea of eventually obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education. While talking with her mother about her plans she realized that although she loved dancing, she didn't look forward to spending the rest of her life having to dance or teach dance for a living.

Being a masseuse was similar, although she enjoyed pleasing her friends by giving them a massage she hated having to work for strangers. She disliked the fact that, because someone paid for her services, they often believed she should be willing to provide any extra services they were willing to pay for. More often than not, those requests were for services she was unwilling to provide. As a result, she and the customers were unhappy at the end of the session and neither wished to have another session together.

With that realization, her first step towards her goal of being uninhibited, and thus happy, was to withdraw from providing massages for a price, to no longer work in the business. However, because it made her happy to do so, she planned to continue giving her friends massages, either free or for the price of a couple of drinks. In addition, she wanted to maintain her skills because she hoped to someday surprise and please a lover with a sensual massage. To that end, as of that day, she withdrew all her advertisements and no longer took appointments.

Denise determined the second, and more important to her, step toward her goal was that rather than visiting and then writing about Jamaica's beauties, she would much rather show those beautiful places to others, as she'd tried to do with Lars. Although she was contractually committed to write more articles about Jamaica's little known attractions, she concluded that would not be a hindrance. In fact, it would be a complement to achieving her new goal. She determined that the following weekend she would start working toward achieving her second objective—to take people on tours to see Jamaica's hidden beauties—by preparing plans to form her own tour company.

As she continued to assess the things in her life that prevented her from achieving her goals, she concluded that Will had been correct; her encounter with Lars had greatly affected her outlook on life, love, and relationships. Denise realized she needed and wanted to get past that, to move on with her life. Because she just didn't know how to do that, Denise determined she needed to talk with her mother. After all, her mother knew the story, knew how a woman thought, knew Denise, and was a practicing psychologist. She vowed she would do so the next time they were together.

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