A Nude Day Wedding

"Sounds good for a two-minute show."

"If you'd consider a double appearance for both outbound and return trips, I'll pay you $40. The last stop on the return is Ridgetop Winery, and I'd like your appearance there."

"I'm in, but I'm a student at the university. I'll have limited availability for two weeks until the end of the semester. Send me an email with the schedule, and I may be able to squeeze some in the next two weeks." I gave him my email address. "How would we coordinate the exact time? I don't want to spend hours naked by the side of the road waiting for you."

"I'll have the departure times and an estimated arrival time outbound at the mailboxes in the schedule. I'll text you when I depart and again when I'm a mile away. You'll have enough time to get in position. I'll slow down like yesterday but won't stop. I don't want to deal with people trying to exit the bus. The timing at Ridgetop is precise. We run a tight, well-oiled schedule. Oh, I have three different buses. You saw the largest one, my most recent purchase. I have two smaller vans. I use the most fuel-efficient for the number of customers."

"It all sounds good so far. You mentioned yesterday you'd be able to increase your business. How will you tell?"

"I keep detailed spreadsheets. I bought the big bus because some current tours have too many customers for my small vehicles. My current projections won't have it consistently filled until next year. I'll chart how much difference your appearances make compared to my projections. I'll guarantee you a month, regardless. We'll renegotiate your rates if your appearances increase customers beyond my projections."

"It sounds great, Dan. Get me the schedule today, and I'll give you an answer this evening."

"Thanks, Linda. Goodbye."

"Bye, Dan."

Eric spoke. "Ben Ridge, the owner of Ridgetop Winery, is a friend from my travels with my medical equipment company. It's been a while since I've visited, but I'm sure I could introduce you, and they'd give you a tour. Ridgetop's not yet a cult-level winery. It depends on tour companies and publicity events to help generate sales and following."

"I want to do this, and I think Dan would be considerate and safe to partner with. What do you feel?"

"Yeah. Dan sounds sincere and isn't trying to get in your pants because he saw you naked. Well, you weren't wearing pants, but the point stands. Let's go to the winery this afternoon and look things over before you decide."

"Super. Let me call Janet to make sure she's on board. I'll need to use her parking space."

Janet was encouraging and had no problem with parking. She also said she'd called Trish and her friend Beatrice, who were on board. Trish maybe not be nude, but she'd consider it. Janet suggested a BBQ at her house next Saturday where everyone can socialize and ease tensions.

We drove to Ridgetop Winery atop the southern end of the Mayacamas Mountains. On the way, Eric told me he hadn't been in over a year since we got together and hoped Ben Ridge, the owner, would remember him.

"Eric, it's been too long." Ben came out behind the tasting counter and wrapped Eric in a bear hug. Ben looked like a bear too. He was between Eric's and my height, barrel-chested with curly grey hair and a bushy beard.

"It's been too long, Ben, and I'm sorry. University was more time-consuming than I thought. This is Linda." He paused, looked at me, then broke into a wide grin and continued. "My fiancée."

Ben's attention turned to me. "Well then, congratulations to you both." I had my turn in the bear trap. "She's the woman you mentioned before you dropped off the grid?"

"Indeed, she is. I can't believe you remembered."

"I understand why I haven't seen you for a while. Let me get something special from the cellar. We need a celebratory toast." Ben headed for a door, an entrance to a tunnel, and returned a few minutes later with a single, unlabeled bottle.

"I know you tolerated my cabernets and chardonnays, Eric, but are a pinot man at heart. My first attempt at pinot noir; I've kept this a closely guarded secret. Eight years ago, I acquired a tiny vineyard of forty-year-old vines north of Winery Lake in the Los Carneros district. We farmed it biodynamically for two years and began vinting five years ago. Hand-sorted, half full-cluster, and nineteen months in two French oak barrels imported from Beaune, one new and one two-years-old. This is the first vintage, total production of 450 bottles, only seventy-five cases, with a few dozen larger formats. Three years in the bottle so far."

"I had no idea you'd try your hand at pinot. Your other varietals are fine, Ben, but you've never tried to compete with the cult-status vineyards. You're taking on a substantial challenge."

While talking, Ben uncorked the bottle and poured it into a decanter. "You can tell me if I've succeeded or should stick with middling cabernets." He reached above the counter for three large glasses and poured generous amounts into each.

Ben pushed a glass in each of our directions. Having learned to swirl without spilling, I joined in. Then Ben raised his glass, "To wonderful marriages and long-lived pinots."

We lifted our glasses and took a sip. I thought the wine was beautiful. I couldn't describe it and waited for Ben and Eric's judgment.

"This is impressive, Ben, especially for a new world pinot. Well-balanced and drinkable at five years, yet enough tannic structure and concentrated fruit to withstand another decade of aging, maybe longer. It's slightly hot on the alcohol but not as bad as most in California. It avoids the jammy quality typical of California's ripe fruit."

He swirled the glass a few more times, stuck his nose in, and tasted another mouthful. "It has a sublime, fecund, organic forest-floor smell I love in the Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne Romanee burgundies."

He looked at me over the rim of his glass as he breathed in again. "It smells like cunnilingus."

Ben started a laugh and soon infected us all. "There's no higher praise for a pinot noir." He had to step back against the windowsill to steady his balance.

When the laughter died, Eric revealed the reason for our visit today. "We were modeling yesterday at Janet's studio on Bennett Valley Road. Linda got carried away and walked nude to get the mail...."

Ben's spit take sprayed his mouthful of rare wine to the counter. He looked at me. "You're the Sonoma Mountain Wood Nymph?"

"Yeah, how did you find out? It only happened yesterday."

Ben got a towel and wiped the wine dripping from his beard and counter. "We were the dinner destination for Dan's tour yesterday. We have a kitchen and cater for his tours. Anyway, he said he saw you, well, saw someone on the road and brainstormed the possibility of arranging something up here."

My shock subsided. "Dan gave me his card when we met yesterday. I called him this morning, and he had things well planned out. It makes sense that Dan got your approval first."

"Well, Linda, to be honest, I thought he was bullshitting me and made the whole thing up to create some publicity stunt here. I humored him."

"So, you wouldn't mind me doing something up here as the nude Sonoma Mountain Wood Nymph?"

Ben looked from me to Eric and back to me. "You're kidding, right? I wouldn't go out of my way to arrange it; hell, arranging something like this wouldn't cross my mind. Having you here a few times a week, naked would be something to look forward to."

He looked sheepishly over to Eric. "I can see why you've been so smitten. I'll be a perfect gentleman, or Michelle would castrate me." He looked back at me. "You are stunning, Linda, and with the reality of you attached to Dan's proposals, I think this is an exciting opportunity. Are you considering it?"

"We're up here talking to you, aren't we? School's over in two weeks, and I have the summer free. It feels like something fun to do. Is Dan trustworthy?"

"Yeah, he is. I've known him a few years. He started out with Napa Valley Tours and went out on his own a year ago. He sought smaller, out-of-the-way wineries to introduce people to the beauty of some hidden wine country landscapes and avoid the Disney-like circuses on the valley floor. He's married, and his wife helps with reservations and back-office things. His first kid started school in Petaluma last fall, and his second will start in a few months."

I thought for a minute. "It's my perfect summer job. Dan's gonna email his schedule, and I'll confirm my availability with him, then with you. Sound okay to you?"

"Sure does. Any idea what you'll do? The mailbox episode has a believable accidental aspect. I'm not sure what you'll be able to do here."

Walking around the end of the tasting counter, I stopped at the glass wall made up of a series of trifold doors and looked out to the east across the lower end of Napa Valley. The tasting room and kitchen were a hundred feet long, with terraced patios. The slope beyond the deck descended ten feet to an expansive lawn, level and roughly square, with oak woodlands north to the left. The vineyards start where the slope breaks down into the valley beyond.

I noticed four pieces of sculpture placed across the lawn, starting at the near corner to the left and ending at the far corner to the right, near the vines. They drew my attention from the winery and woodlands across the lawn to the vineyards and valley. "Are those Janet's sculptures? They look like some work we saw yesterday around her studio."

Smiling, Eric looked at Ben and back at me. "Yeah. Small world, isn't it? She's a famous artist and supportive of the local community."

"I have a plan. I'll start out of sight, down the hill in the vineyard over there." I pointed to the far corner of the lawn, "And slowly walk up the hill examining the vines. When I reach the lawn, I'll walk to each piece and pose around it. After the last one, I'll walk up the stairs to the left over there, behind what I guess is the working winery. I'll start as a nude apparition in the vineyard, come closer and become more real, then dissolve in the mist."

Ben smiled. "It works for me. Eric?"

"I trust Linda's instinct on presentation." He looked at me. "You've come up with something superficially tasteful, but I'm sure you'll add your own exciting twists."

Eric's comment brought some heat to my face. "I'm sure I'll think of something. We'll have to work out the timing when I start up the hill after the bus arrives."

Ben poured more of his pinot into our glasses. "Not too much for you, Eric. You're driving." He bent down, reached under the counter, opened a small refrigerator, and lifted out a cheese platter. "Have something to eat, too."

"The timing for this couldn't be better. We're in a real cash crunch from buying the vineyard and holding the wine for as long as we have. It's going to be tight getting the bottles ready for sale. Let's hope you're a big hit and generate more customers."

Eric thought for a moment after another sip. "When I sold my business, I took most of the sales price in a fifteen-year note. I didn't need the cash, and the interest was a good income stream. After a year, they paid it off last summer and even paid the penalty. I keep meaning to look for something to invest in, but something else has taken more of my time." He looked at me, tipped his glass, and then looked back to Ben. "Maybe I could help."

"You would be a lifesaver, Eric. Prices here aren't as expensive as in Bourgogne, but it's getting tighter than I like. We'll see more of each other in the coming weeks and can talk details then."

Another quarter-hour later, Eric took one last sip to finish the glass. "Do you want to drive home through Petaluma, Linda? We can stop and talk to Petie and your sister."

"Sure. Talking in person should make it easier."

"Thanks, Ben." Eric and I said together.

We said our goodbyes and drove across lower Sonoma Valley, through Black Point, and north to Petaluma. We stopped at Petie's. Eric told her we'd be getting married in an unusual ceremony on July 14th. She gave her blessing but wouldn't commit to attending. The nudity was too much for her, but she said she'd go to the BBQ at Janet's on Saturday if no one took their clothes off. My sister wasn't home.

I checked my email when we got home and opened the schedule from Dan. "It looks like I'll be able to do all of these. There are two next week, Thursday and Saturday, and one the week after, on Tuesday. I don't have any classes on those days. The rest are after the end of the semester."

"We've got Janet's party Saturday." Eric reminded me.

"It means I'll already be there when the bus drives by. Petie said no nudity, but I'll slip away for the few minutes it'll take. No one will notice."

"I wouldn't be too sure, but they'll have to get used to the nudity sometime."

"Do you think we'll get anyone nude at the wedding besides you, me, Janet, and Beatrice?"

"I'm not sure Petie will decide to go at all, let alone go nude. I'd say fifty-fifty for Giselle and Ruth. They're an adventurous couple, but something like this hasn't come up before. I suspect Trish would if only to be naked around you. She might bring her girlfriend, Sheri. Would your sister come?"

"Karen's tough to figure out. You've seen how she dresses, wearing her clothes like armor. She can be a lot more free-spirited around her close friends. The answer is, I don't know. I'll tell Dan the schedule's good, and I'll call Karen to give her the good news and invite her to Janet's party next week."

The rest of the day involved homework, telephone calls, and scheduling my appearances. Once we contacted everyone and compared the results, things stood as we'd thought. Janet's BBQ on Saturday was a big hit. Most would probably participate in the wedding, but no nude commitments.

I called Dan to verify the schedule. After our earlier call, he had more thoughts and wanted me to plan for the winery but wait until he had a reaction to the mailbox show. He didn't want to make things worse if he had a bus full of people like the negative couple from Ohio. He'd call me at his first winery stop. I sent Janet the schedule and another copy to Ben at Ridgetop.

Studying, classes, and completing final projects filled the days before my first show. We had dinner one night with Petie, and as expected, she asked if Phyllis could come to the BBQ and wedding, which she could, of course. She also committed to attending the wedding.

Thursday, the big day, arrived. I told Eric I wanted to handle this first show on my own and drove up the hill to Janet's house. She'd opened her front door before I knocked. "You're early. Anxious?"

We hugged at the front door, and she waved me inside. "Surprisingly, not at all. I wanted to get comfortable. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, Linda. You and Eric are welcome anytime. He's not with you. Any problems?"

"No, no. It's something I want to handle on my own. My first solo modeling."

"I understand. Can I get you some coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be wonderful. The green tea you had in the studio would be wonderful."

"Green, oolong, black, and a variety of herbal teas too. Sorry, but I can't stand Earl Gray and refuse to have it in my house. Come with me to the kitchen."

I followed her and looked at my phone. "Dan texted his departure. It'll be another twenty minutes before he arrives."

"Feel free to get into costume, Linda. I won't try any funny stuff. I meant what I said before. Trish, she's a different matter, but you handled her well on your own."

Taking her advice, I pulled my t-shirt over my head. "Thanks, Janet. I'll behave too. Well, except for hanging around naked, walking down your driveway, and exposing myself to a busload of complete strangers. Normal for me."

"I'm honored you feel so comfortable here. You're everything Eric said you were when he first met you. I'm so glad you two took the chance to open yourselves up to each other. You'll have a happy and interesting marriage."

I pulled my panties off and put them on the pile of my clothes. "I can't believe any of this is happening. Meeting Eric, modeling and living with him, being nude outside, getting engaged, arranging this roadside model thing, all of it."

The tea finished steeping, and Janet poured two cups and handed me one. "You project an overpowering, raw sexual energy, yet allow others to see only as much as they can handle. Of course, some people are prudes by nature and can't handle a tiny hint of sexuality."

We sat down at the kitchen table. "I hope Dan doesn't have a bus full of those people today."

"He'll do his best to keep them off the bus." She took another sip of tea and set her cup on the table. "May I walk with you to the road? I'll stay out of sight."

We stood up. "Sure. I thought of bringing my strap-on and wearing it to the mailbox, but your presence reminds me to be a good girl for the start of my new job."

"Oh my, Linda. I hope my inhibiting influence doesn't last beyond this first time. I couldn't stand being deprived of any delicious tableaux your kinky brain may create. In any event, since you're not nude, anything goes."

We'd reached the bottom of the driveway, and I stopped and looked down at my body. "What do you mean I'm not nude?"

"You're wearing original style Salt-Water sandals in pewter. You're not nude." We both started laughing, and my phone buzzed with the text.

I handed my phone to Janet. "Showtime."

I turned to look across the road at the mailbox and turned back to Janet with a panicked look.

She smiled. "I put a few unopened letters in the mailbox earlier. Break a leg."

I heard the bus way off to the left, looked both ways, and slowly walked across the road. I tried to not look directly down the road and didn't see the bus until I'd crossed. Being out of harm's way, I slowed my pace, headed to the mailbox, extracted the letters, and turned to re-cross the road. As I'd expected, the bus was close enough I couldn't cross and would have to wait.

Dan didn't lower the window this time, so I couldn't hear his commentary, but he'd slowed to a crawl. Most customers sat pressed against the window or stood in the aisle leaning over the seats to get as close a look as possible. I smiled, raised my right arm, and waved, rocking side to side to set my breasts in a gentle sway. I held the letters in my hand and dropped them accidentally while waving.

Flashing a surprised look of sudden recognition at dropping the letters, I turned around to search them out and bent over to pick them up. The four letters had scattered more widely than I'd anticipated. I had to move and turn while bent over to retrieve them all. It felt so exciting to be exposed, and I managed to keep bent over until the entire bus passed.

I secured all the letters, stood up, turned back to the bus, and waved until Dan sped away up the road. My heart was pounding when I looked across the street at Janet, standing on her driveway. I looked both ways and crossed to her.

"I don't think anyone from Ohio was on the bus." Janet beamed.

I gave her a huge hug. "Oh god, Janet, that was so wonderful. I'm shaking. The first time was a surprise and lots of fun, but this was wonderful. Do you think it was okay?"

"I'm sure of it, honey. I couldn't see all of you picking up the letters, the bus passed between us, but the guests inside moved the length of the bus to keep their eyes on you. You were a tremendous success."

I was so overheated I flapped my hands in front of my face trying to create a breeze. "I need to sit down for a few minutes. May I stay until Dan calls?"

"Certainly, Linda. My day is open. Take all the time you need."

We returned and waited on her living room couch. The noontime sun shone through a row of Velux windows built into the south-facing vaulted ceiling, and sunbeams warmed my skin. "It was so much fun I tingle all over. It's the kind of excitement I get from modeling in your studio. The feeling will fade if the bus and winery shows continue. I understand how special theatre actresses and actors are. They have to repeat performances and maintain their enthusiasm."