A Beautiful Day

Sara glanced out the window of the town car and noticed a man and a woman having sex on the sidewalk. They were both completely naked. The woman sat on a low concrete wall and the man was crouched in front of her, between her legs. Sara watched with wide eyes for a moment, captivated by the image of their bodies intertwined, moving against each other.

"So sorry for the delay," the driver said. "The traffic, these days, it's unbelievable. Too much new construction."

Sara quickly turned away from the window and saw that the driver was looking at her in the rear view mirror. She must have looked guilty, because the driver glanced to the side. He noticed the couple having sex and chuckled.

"Oh yes," he said. "Your first time in Meleprija?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'm here now three years." His accent sounded like he came from somewhere in Eastern Europe. "You wouldn't believe you can get used to it, I know, seeing things like that. But, I find, I start to get used to it."

"I'd read about it but it's a different thing to see it." Sara glanced back just as the car started to move. She watched the couple until they passed out of view. Further up the block, she spied two naked women standing outside an apartment, smoking cigarettes.

"Not so much in the downtown. But the neighborhood I live, I see the sex all the time. No one cares. I tell you, I don't even notice anymore. I just walk by." The driver gestured at the two naked women. "The Melepria... it's how they are. The money doesn't change it."

Reminding herself that the town car had tinted windows, Sara peered at the two women as the car slowly drove by them. The women had the dark wavy hair and golden brown skin of the Melepria. They were both young, in their early twenties maybe, and they seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they were naked. Sara knew from what she'd read on the airplane that these women might spend the entire day that way.

The driver said, "You'll see a lot of it today. Last two weeks has been rain, every day. But today, sun is shining. Today is beautiful day."

***

"Would you be able to fly to Meleprija next week?" Vicki had asked Sara.

"Sure," Sara answered immediately, not bothering to check her calendar. Since she'd broken up with Patrick three months before, her calendar was always clear. "For what?"

"Due diligence. The Kokaya Orchard deal. Everything is signed, but it depends on our evaluation of the trees. We want to fly you over there to check the quality."

"Okay." Sara nodded. "Just me? Or is Dr. Chen going also?"

Vicki shook her head. "Albert is in Amapa for six weeks. It's all he can do these days to stay on top of our agreements there. We need someone else in Meleprija. You've worked with Albert, you know what he looks for."

Sara nodded, keeping her face expressionless while inside she jumped up and down in excitement. She understood the opportunity she was being given. For five years, she'd worked as a botanist at TTX Energy Solutions, evaluating the sagana trees and the sap that was becoming so important in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. Dr. Albert Chen had been her mentor when she first arrived at the company, but then the sagana industry exploded and he disappeared. He was in South America most of the time now, traveling to that narrow region where the sagana trees thrived. The company relied heavily on his judgment, and he had personally inspected and approved every sagana deal they had made.

Everyone knew Dr. Chen was stretched thin. They did business in Meleprija, Brazil, French Guiana. Dr. Chen was constantly on airplanes and in hotels, performing orchard inspections on deal after deal. It was becoming too much for one person, and the demand for sagana sap was only increasing.

If the company was offering to send Sara to Meleprija by herself, that meant that Dr. Chen had finally consented to share his responsibilities, and she had no doubt he had personally selected her for the task. That was a boost to the ego in itself. But Meleprija was also the company's largest sap provider. If she proved herself there, Sara realized might find herself solely responsible for approving all sagana purchases from the island nation. The idea was staggering.

Vicki gave her a moment to absorb the implications of the assignment. Then she said, "Have you ever been to Meleprija?"

"No. I've been to Brazil with Dr. Chen, but never Meleprija."

"I have." Vicki leaned back. "You should read what you can online, maybe buy a guide book. Prepare yourself before you go. It's an interesting place. A beautiful island, but some of their customs are different from what we're used to."

"Okay."

"They're pretty open-minded when it comes to sex. Are you aware of that?"

Sara tried to suppress a smile. "I've heard some things."

"It's a cultural thing. A hundred years ago, they were barely aware of the modern world. Fifty years ago, they were farmers, selling sagana sap for hand lotions. Did you know that's what they used sagana sap for back then? Hand lotions?"

"Yes, I know."

"Oh, of course you do. I forgot who I'm talking to." Vicki waved her hand. "Twenty years ago, the Melepria all hit the lottery when sagana sap turned out to be the key to the energy revolution. Now they have huge houses, expensive cars, investments all over the world. But they still hold a lot of the same traditional beliefs that they've always had. Over here, nudity is considered taboo, and sex is a private thing done behind closed doors. Over there, nudity is commonplace and accepted, and sex is a natural thing that doesn't need to be hidden. It's a little shocking, to be walking down the street and pass a couple having sex in broad daylight. But they don't believe there's anything wrong with it, and I hope it won't bother you when you're there. Will it?"

Sara shook her head. "No. I'll be fine. I'm going there to do the orchard evaluation. Everything else is background noise."

"Excellent. I'll have someone call you from corporate travel." Vicki smiled. "Have a good trip, Dr. Olson."

***

The driver pulled into the underground parking garage of the Pariva building. A security guard stopped them, but waved them through after the driver explained he was bringing Dr. Sara Olson to an important meeting.

"I'm not sure how long it'll take," Sara told the driver. "Do you want to drop me off and then I'll call you when I need you?"

The driver dismissed the idea with a vigorous shake of his head. "Waiting is something I'm good at. I'll read a book, I'll take a nap. Just come to me when you're done."

"All right." Sara stepped out of the car with her black laptop case. She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as she walked through the parking garage to the elevators. The tap of her heels echoed against the concrete.

"You're a rock star," she murmured to herself, trying to calm her nerves. "They're the ones who should be nervous meeting you. If this goes well, you're going to be queen of the whole island. Your stamp of approval is going to turn people into multi-millionaires." The elevator opened and she stepped in. She pushed the "11" button. Top floor.

The elevator had a mirrored interior, and Sara gazed at her reflection. She was in full professional mode: pencil skirt, white blouse, dark jacket. Her eyes lingered on her bare legs. For fifteen minutes that morning, she'd vacillated on whether or not to wear nylons. They were definite business wear back in Chicago, but seemed like too much for the heat and humidity of Meleprija. Now Sara noticed a red dot on the back of her calf, possibly an insect bite, and she wished she'd worn nylons to cover it up.

She shook her head. "Come on, Sara..." she scolded herself. "Tomorrow you're going to be dirty and sweaty out in the middle of the jungle. Who cares about a red spot on the back of your leg? The queen of Meleprija. That's who you are... don't forget it."

The elevator pinged at the eleventh floor and the doors opened. Sara stepped out into a rectangular antechamber. To her left, a set of glass doors led into the office. The room was painted a soft eggshell, illuminated by track lighting directed towards impressionist art on the walls. Sara glanced at a garden scene as she passed, wondering if it was painted by anyone famous.

She stepped through the glass doors and stood in front of a long white counter. A pretty woman with dark hair sat behind the counter, typing on a computer. The woman glanced up. "Can I help you?" On the wall behind the woman, "Pariva" was written in large gold letters.

"Hi... I'm Dr. Sara Olson, and I..." Sara was about to say that she had a meeting with Miguel Korhika but she didn't make it that far. The woman perked up as soon as she heard Sara's name.

"Oh! Of course, Dr. Olson. Please, go right in, to the left and straight ahead. Karita is Miguel's assistant, I'll let her know you've arrived. Would you like some coffee? Tea?"

"Oh... no, thank you. This way?" Sara turned left as instructed and walked down a short hall. She passed through a doorway and into a reception area. It was comfortably furnished with two leather couches and a wide table of dark polished wood. A woman, presumably Karita, sat behind a large desk. Behind Karita, the door to Mr. Korhika's office was closed, and the office itself, visible through a rectangular window, was dark.

Sara started towards Karita's desk, but then abruptly froze.

Sitting on one of the couches was a naked man.

He was clearly Melepria. Aside from his nakedness, he had the natural bronze tan of a Melepria, and his long dark hair was pulled back and bound in a ponytail. He had a wide chest and solid arms, the muscles of a man who did enough physical labor during the day that he could skip the gym. His pubic hair was shaved, and in its place he had a tattoo, an intricate pattern of lines that radiated from the base of his penis.

Sara only caught a quick glimpse of his penis before she looked away in embarrassment. It was larger than she was used to seeing, sprawling across his lap like a sleeping snake. She hoped she wasn't blushing as continued walking to Karita.

"Hello, Dr. Olson," Karita greeted her. "I'm Karita. I'm Miguel's assistant."

"Yes, right. Nice to meet you. Um... you can call me Sara."

Karita smiled. "Okay, Sara. Miguel is running a bit late, but he said he should be here in ten minutes or so. Do you mind waiting?"

"No, not at all."

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?" Karita rolled her chair back, preparing to stand.

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Sara stepped away from the desk. At first glance, Karita had appeared to be wearing a simple, sleeveless black dress. But standing closer, Sara could see that the dress was made of a loosely woven mesh. In Chicago, a woman would have worn a slip underneath, to give the illusion that the dress was sheer. But Karita didn't seem to be wearing anything at all underneath, and Sara could clearly see the outlines of her nipples through the holes in the fabric.

Still, it was more than the man on the couch was wearing.

Sara walked over to the couch opposite the naked man. She sat down, carefully avoiding looking in his direction. To distract herself, she pulled her phone out of her bag and checked her e-mail.

"Dr. Olson?" the naked man asked.

"Yes?" Sara raised her eyes. She tried to focus on the man's face, but his penis was such a distraction. It loomed in her peripheral vision. She prayed the man couldn't see her pupils flicking towards it.

To her horror, the man got to his feet. His penis swayed back and forth as he approached her. "I'm Leon Papega, director of the Perchuga Valley projects. Miguel asked me to sit in on this meeting. I oversee the Kokaya orchard you're considering." He held out his hand and Sara numbly shook it. She'd read about the strange habits of the Melepria, but she never expected that one of them would show up naked for a business meeting. She never thought a penis would be dangling two feet in front of her, almost at her eye level.

Did that mean Miguel Korhika would be naked as well?

Thankfully, after shaking her hand, Leon returned to his seat. "I'm so glad to meet you. I know of a lot of your research. The trees, they are my passion as well. I'm eager to have you look at some of my experiments."

"Ok." Sara wasn't sure how to have a conversation with a naked man. She didn't even want to look at him.

"Your experiment, with splicing and braiding the trunks of the adolescent trees? I've duplicated it with some of my trees, to great success."

Sara glanced at him in surprise, forgetting his nakedness for the moment. "That was my PhD thesis. You read that paper?"

"Yes!" he said. Then hedged, "Well, Dr. Albert helped me to understand what it said. I understand the trees but a lot of your chemistry is beyond me."

"And you tried out some of my theories?"

"Yes!" Leon had an easy-going smile. "Your ideas are very clever, very valuable. I'll show you what I've tried, when you come to the valley."

"Awesome. I'd love to see what you've done." Sara returned his smile, before remembering he was naked. She looked away.

"Is this the first time you've come to Meleprija?" he asked her.

"Yes. First time."

"It's changed a lot in my lifetime. All these buildings, all these roads. It's amazing how quickly it's all sprung up."

"I can imagine."

"Which hotel are you staying at?"

"Um... the Hilton."

"That's a good choice. If you go directly south, you can get to the Perchuga Valley road without seeing too much traffic. That's where Dr. Albert usually stays, I think."

"Yes," said Sara. "They told me he recommended it."

Karita spoke up. "You came at the right time. We've had a lot of rain the last month, but they say this week it's going to be sunny."

"A beautiful day," Sara said. The driver had used those words. Maybe if Sara had come a week before, it would have been raining and Leon Papega would have been there in a button-up shirt and slacks. But instead, it was sunny and bright, a day when the Melepria all went to work naked, because what else were they going to wear on such a beautiful day?

And here she'd wasted fifteen minutes in the morning deciding whether or not to wear nylons. Sara shook her head, smiling to herself.

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"Oh... just thinking I'm a bit overdressed for this weather."

Leon gazed at her outfit thoughtfully. "Yes... you do look a bit... how do you say it in English? Outsider?" He paused. "You have something else to wear when I show you the Perchuga Valley, yes? More... ah... comfortable?"

"Oh, yes. Of course." Sara had packed several pairs of khaki shorts and a dozen t-shirts for when she inspected the orchards. The inspection would require her to examine the roots and take soil samples. Dirty work. Perhaps she should have dressed in her shorts and t-shirt for the meeting with Mr. Korhika, like the botanist she was, instead of trying to look like a Chicago businesswoman.

Sara abruptly decided to remove her coat. She slipped it off and draped it over her lap, intending to fold it and stow it in her computer bag. Karita saw what she was doing, and spoke up. "Sara, if you'd like, I can hang your coat up for you?" Karita popped open a cabinet door to reveal a small closet stocked with coat hangers.

"Oh... sure! Thanks!" Sara stood and passed her coat to Karita, who put it on a hanger.

"Anything else I can hang for you?" Karita gazed at Sara expectantly. Sara was confused at first, before realizing with astonishment that Karita thought Sara might remove even more of her clothing.

"Um... no, that's it. Thanks." Sara returned to her seat, hoping she didn't look as flustered as she felt. She was tempted to grab her phone and pretend to be reading something, but then scolded herself for her discomfort. It was culture shock, that was all, and if Meleprija was going to be hers, she was going to have to get used to their ways. She lifted her head and smiled at Leon.

She thought, "In a few months, you'll be so used to the nudity, you won't even look twice at it." But then, another mischievous thought followed: "Maybe you'll be so used to it, that when Karita offers to take your clothes, you'll give her everything you're wearing and not think anything of it." Her heart pounded at the thought, because she could picture it vividly. Heck, she could do it now, if she wanted. Strip everything off and give it Mr. Korhika's assistant. Sit naked in the waiting room. No one would say a word about it.

After all, it was such a beautiful day.

Stop it, Sara. Stop freaking yourself out.

She took a deep breath. Just culture shock. It would pass. She would get used to it.

Leon and Karita were discussing a new restaurant that had opened several blocks away, a Brazilian steakhouse. "You couldn't even get in, the first week after it opened," Karita was saying. "The lines were so long. But now, you can probably get a table."

"Was it open the last time I was here?" Leon asked.

"I don't think so. When was that? Two months ago?" Karita grinned. "You need to come visit more often!"

"I wish I could. We're so busy lately." Leon looked at Sara. "You'll see when you come to the valley. The construction you see here in the downtown, you'll see there as well. We have so many new workers, and we have to make space for them to sleep, to eat. The drive is long and most of them choose to live out there during their workdays. We have dormitories, showers, a cafeteria." He paused. "Do you have your room at the Hilton for the whole week you're here?"

"Yes, why?"

"When Dr. Albert visits the valley, sometimes his work takes him late into the evening. I have a guest cottage that he will borrow so he doesn't have to drive out at night. You're welcome to use it as well, if you like. It has a kitchen, two bathrooms, air conditioning... it is very comfortable."

"Really? Thanks! Maybe I'll take you up on that." Sara thought she would wait until she saw the cottage before she decided for sure. It was definitely tempting to skip the drive back and forth to the valley every day.

"Excellent." Leon gazed at her earnestly. "I can have the kitchen stocked with whatever food you would like. Or, you can eat at the cafeteria, if that is your preference..." He seemed to have more to say, but just then Karita's phone rang, and they both looked in that direction.

Karita put on a headset. "Hello, this is Karita. Oh, Hi!... Really?... Okay, I'll let them know... bye..." Karita removed the headset. "That was Miguel. He's in traffic, and he says it's not moving at all. A construction accident, apparently. He says he'll be delayed at least another half hour."

"Oh, no," Sara said.

"You sure you don't want something to drink?" Karita asked.

"Well..." Sara said. "Maybe I will have a water."

Karita disappeared behind her desk and popped up a second later with a bottle of water. She handed it to Sara. "What about you?" she asked Leon. "Anything?"

"No, thank you."

Karita grinned. "It's been a while since I've seen you with stone."

Sara didn't know what that meant until she looked at Leon. Her eyes widened. His penis was now jutting towards the ceiling, completely erect. It looked like an enormous scepter protruding from his lap.

Sara looked away, flustered, hoping she wasn't blushing. But Leon and Karita casually chatted about his erection as if it was nothing.

"You work too hard," Karita was saying. "It wants to be stone but it's too tired."

"My work is always on my mind," Leon admitted.

Of course they wouldn't think it was a big deal. They didn't think it was a big deal to have sex in public. Sara had seen several couples that morning having sex... the only reason she hadn't seen any erect penises is because they were buried inside the women...