A Sure Thing

Cat couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"In the early 1800s, there was a company that produced a fairly popular line of advertisements, misspelling words and coming up with short little acronyms. Some, like NS for 'nuf said' never really caught on. But the abbreviation for 'oll korrect' - O-L-L K-O-R-R-E-C-T - caught on big time. Enough so that it got picked up by Van Buren's supporters and used for his purposes."

Jay's mood had suddenly improved tenfold. As the old man got up to leave, Jay gave him a hardy handshake and shot Cat a huge grin.

Cat just banged her head down on the table, not believing the role reversal that had just taken place. Off all the restaurants in the city, they had decided to eat at Raphael's, where one of the world's foremost Martin Van Buren experts was sitting two tables away.

"So," Jay said, gloating over the brunette, "don't bother packing anything more than a toiletries case. I'll take care of the rest."

******************** SUNDAY ********************

WELCOME TO BORA BORA

It had been a long flight from Vandewalle International in Babylon. A long, long flight, complete with a stopover in LA. Cat had tried to sleep some, and actually had succeeded for about four or five hours. But when a flight lasts over fourteen, four or five hours isn't anything to be terribly proud of. So, instead, she watched two of the movies, and some of the horrible CBS sitcoms that the airline felt obliged to play for some reason. Anything, absolutely anything, to take her mind of the coming week.

Yes, there was a little part of her that was a tiny bit excited. The last time she'd paraded around naked, she'd gotten herself so horny that she'd even masturbated in her office. Thinking back to that Friday, Cat felt extremely embarrassed, even if no one else knew what she had done.

But ultimately, even if that sort of thing did slightly turn her on, Cat did not like parading herself around so everyone could gawk at her body. She was not looking forward to this week, to being at the mercy of Jay Kelly. She had no idea what sort of swimwear he had bought for her, but she doubted that it was a sensible one-piece.

Yawning, Cat stepped off the shuttle from the plane and into the airport. She had been seated towards the front of the plane, while Elsa and Jay had someone gotten stuck way towards the back. Carrying only a small backpack full of toiletries, magazines, a pair of shoes, a pair of flip-flops, and office supplies, Elsa plopped herself down on one of the benches inside the terminal.

Cat had dressed comfortably for the plane ride, knowing that she'd be spending close to a full waking day on the plane. Her top was a thin, heather gray, long-sleeved shirt, with white lace adorning the cuffs and the hem. And though she now cursed the logic of wearing pants as she sweated in the French Polynesian humidity, she had worn a pair of drab green chinos, worn with espadrille sandals.

Two tram-loads of people were let off before Cat caught sight of Elsa and Jay. Jay was wearing a pair of white linen pants and a short-sleeved blue button-down shirt. Both Elsa and Cat had made fun of him for dressing that way back in the cold weather of Babylon, but now he seemed perfectly at ease. Elsa, though, had worn a pair of terry drawstring pants with a green tank top, going for comfort rather than style.

As Elsa and Jay got closer, Cat could hear Elsa's constant talking, and thanked whatever powers existed that she'd been given a seat far away from her. Cat loved Elsa, but she didn't know whether or not she could have taken fourteen hours stuck next to her.

"So what day is it? We crossed the International Date Line, right? That means it's tomorrow, right?" Elsa was asking Jay. "What time is it?"

Jay groaned his answers. "It's Sunday. Yes. Sort of. And I don't know, but judging by the rising sun out there, I'd say that it's morning."

Cat laughed as she heard this last remark. "It's setting, Jay. It's about six thirty at night."

The man rubbed his eyes. "Good," he grumbled. "That means I can go to sleep."

"So what now?" Elsa asked. "Are we going to get our luggage?"

"WE are," Jay answered. "Cat's going to go change."

Cat knew it had been coming, but that didn't mean she didn't want to savor her last few minutes in clothes. She didn't think she'd be so odd walking around the resort in a bikini, or across the beach, but she wasn't looking forward to doing so in the airport.

"Don't we need to get luggage first?" Cat asked. "I mean, I don't have to wait naked in the bathroom until you come back with the bathing suit, do I?"

"Tempting," Jay said, reaching into his carryon bag. He pulled out a few small pieces of fabrics, and pushed them into Cat's hands. "But the terms of the bet said that you had to change IMMEDIATELY after getting off the plane. I actually have your first suit with me."

"You kept it in your carryon?" the brunette asked, in disbelief that Jay would have gone that far.

Jay looked at her as he zipped his bag back up and followed Elsa towards the baggage claim. He offered, "Well, it's not like it took up a lot of room."

The women's bathroom, just off the side of the Arrivals gate, was small, but it still had two separate stalls. Cat stepped into one of them, slowly closing the door, and banging her head repeatedly up against the partition. How could she keep doing this to herself? How did she let her desire to be right go away from her like this? How was she going to spend the next few days in whatever Jay decided to make her wear?

Cat kicked off her sandals. She wasn't thrilled about being barefoot in a public restroom, but the floor actually looked clean enough. She unbuttoned the fly of her pants, and slipped the pants themselves down her legs into a puddle around her ankles. Beneath her pants was a pair of bikini-cut satin panties, with lace trimming the edges. She had been tempted to wear a thong as she dressed at her apartment, just for the shock value as she handed her clothes over the Jay for safe-keeping. But ultimately, the thought of something running through her ass for the duration of the fourteen-hour flight turned her off.

Stripping off her shirt, Cat revealed a matching satin bra, complete with the same lace and all. She had bought the set a few weeks ago at Eve Intimates, and she thought she remembered that the color was called "candy purple." Whatever it was, it wasn't staying on her body - Cat unsnapped the bra and dumped it into the pile of clothes by her feet. She also had a belly button ring, which was new as of a few weeks ago. Mia had gone to get her nose pierced, and had dragged Cat along with her. The brunette hadn't given much thought to the ring before she was in the piercing studio, but once in, she had been sold on the idea.

She replaced the bra with the red bikini top. Cat hadn't been crazy about giving Jay her sizes, but she had done so out of fear that he'd buy something too large, or worse, something too small. As she tied the string around the back, she was surprised by what a good fit it actually was. It certainly wasn't anything that Cat would have picked out for herself, as it was a little revealing, but all in all it wasn't as bad as she had thought it was going to be.

After she had slithered out of the panties, she grabbed the swimsuit bottoms. It wasn't a bikini-cut, but more conservative. Still, the sides were up kind of high, and Cat looked down at herself to see what appeared to be mythically long legs. Giving herself the once over, Cat scooped up her clothes and headed out of the stall to the sink.

Looking at her reflection, Cat thought to herself that maybe this wasn't going to be that bad. After all, she had pranced around her office naked before - at least this time she'd get some clothes. And to top it off, she wouldn't look terribly out of place on the beach or even in some of the beachside restaurants. As she folded her clothes, she winced, thinking about the reservations that she had had Big Betty make for them at Spyro's for Wednesday night. Apparently, the manager had said that wearing a swimsuit into the restaurant was frowned upon, as it was a fairly classy establishment. However, the restaurant did have a private dining room, and the manager stressed that patrons could dress however they pleased, as long as they stayed in that particular room. That had all been well and good when it was going to be Jay in the bathing suit, Cat thought to herself, but now that the tables were turned, she wasn't very excited about the prospect.

The door to the women's room swung open, and an elderly woman walked in, clearly startled by the sight of a brunette wearing a bathing suit. After she had gained her composure, she asked, "Headed right to beach, are you?"

Cat nodded silently, smiling as she gathered her folded stack of clothes, and stepped out of the bathroom.

MATHIEU

Cat got more than a few looks as she walked from the Arrivals Gate down to the baggage claim. It was Bora Bora, which meant that people were used to seeing scantily clad women. But they weren't used to seeing women dressed in just a red swimsuit and sandals walking around in the airport.

When Cat found Jay and Elsa, Jay had already grabbed his bag and was waiting for the raven-haired woman to do the same. Jay smiled but couldn't bring himself to say anything as Cat came closer.

"Shove it," she told her boss. "Can we go now?"

Jay grinned. "We're just waiting on Elsa. Want to go hail a cab?"

She hit him on the arm. "What am I doing with my clothes?"

"I'll take them," Jay said, taking the small pile into his arms. He unzipped his suitcase, and slipped the attire inside, with his own. Cat had been afraid that he was going to rifle through her things, and make some sort of comment about her panties or bra, which had been tucked neatly inside her pants. But Jay didn't seem to even think of it, or at least, he made no outward signs of thinking about it. Wouldn't really need to look at them right now anyways, Cat thought to herself. He's got access to them for the rest of the week.

"I'll go get us a cab," Jay said, lugging his suitcase along with him. "Why don't you see if you can help Elsa find her bag?"

Cat did as she was told, making her way over to the older woman. "Any luck yet?"

"Nah, none so far," Elsa said, giving the brunette a once over. "Well, at least you can pull it off. I can see how you got away with it last time."

Last time? "How did you hear about that?" Cat asked, desperate to know if the story about her office nudity had been floating around Wonderstorm. Had Owen spread the story?

"Jay told me," she replied. "But don't get mad at him or anything. I just started relentlessly asking him about it. For about a half hour on the plane ride, all I did was repeat the same question over and over. I thought he was going to kill me."

Thank god Cat hadn't had to sit next to Elsa.

"No, but he finally broke," Elsa continued. "And don't worry, Cat, I'm not going to tell anyone. I just wanted to know what the background was to this little escapade was."

"You probably think I'm some sort of slut, huh?" Cat asked.

"What?! Cat, seriously, don't be so hard on yourself. I don't think any less of you because of this bet, or that one. You gambled, you lost - no big deal. It's not like you're getting off on this or anything."

Cat could feel herself blush, but she hoped that Elsa didn't notice.

"Besides," Elsa said, leaning in as if she were sharing a secret, "the chance to see Jay Kelly half naked all week was well worth the risk. I might have even joined you. I mean, seriously, have you seen his arms? If his arms look as good as they do, just imagine the rest of - Oh! There's my bag!"

Out by the curb, Jay was waiting with a Polynesian-looking cab driver, chatting to him in the limited French that Jay himself had. Mathieu actually spoke English, but he didn't offer that information up until he met the girls. Jay looked a little taken aback when Mathieu said to the girls, "Let me grab those bags for you, ladies. I'll put them in the trunk."

Elsa's bag was a bit hefty, but Cat's consisted of little more than toiletries and shoes. Both pieces of luggage, however, were placed in the trunk of the car. Mathieu held the back door open for both women, ogling Cat's figures as she eased herself into the car. Jay took the passenger seat up front.

The drive the resort was an interesting one, as Mathieu kept his eyes on the rear view mirror and Cat's chest more than he did on the road in front of him. He made idle chit chat, but never once mentioned Cat's state of undress. If he hadn't been undressing her with his eyes, undressing what little clothing she had left on, it might have provided hope to Cat about how the week would go. Maybe no one will even make a big deal out of it, she had thought to herself of the plane.

The duality of the being on display hit Cat again as she caught Mathieu looking at her ass as she stepped from the cab. One part of her felt dirty, like she was a cheap object whose entire function was sexual in nature. The other part felt exactly the same way, but was turned on by it. She pushed the struggle from her mind, picked up her bag, and headed into the lobby for the Black Pearl Beach Resort.

THE BLACK PEARL

"So you're saying that you screwed up the reservation?" Cat asked the woman behind the counter. The small Polynesian woman did her best to apologize, but at the same time make it clear the screw-up could have happened on Wonderstorm's end. Big Betty easily could have reserved two rooms with one bed each rather than two rooms, one with one bed and one with two.

"Do you have anything else available?" Jay asked. "Are there any other rooms open that have two beds?"

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized.

Cat took a deep breath, turning around and leaning up against the hotel desk. She was sick of arguing. She was sick of people ogling her. And she was tired.

"Look, Cat, it's not such a big deal," Elsa tried to calm the younger woman down. "We're both adults. We're both straight. We'll be okay." She smiled at the brunette. "You stay on your side of the bed, and I'll stay on mine."

"What if -" Cat began, but was interrupted by Jay.

"'What if' what, Cat? I mean, ultimately, it comes down to the fact that these people have exactly two bungalows left. And each of those two bungalows has one bed. The options that are left to us are for you and I to share a bed, or for Elsa and I to share a bed, or for you and Elsa to share a bed. What are we going to do?"

"You know," Elsa began, "I'm not sure I mind that second one."

Jay smiled uncomfortably.

"Fine, you're right," Cat gave in. "But we have to work something out before we go get tucked in for the night."

After they'd been given their keys, and pointed in the direction of their bungalows, Cat continued. "Can I PLEEEEAASSE keep the swimsuit for the night? It was different when you were supposed to be alone in your own room. It was different when Elsa and I didn't have to share a bed. You've got to give me a break on this one."

Jay shook his head. "It wasn't part of the original bet, no. But you made up the rule, and you were going to enforce it when it was me in the swimsuit. I know you well enough to know that much is true."

Cat knew he was right. This was always how she screwed herself over; she made up horrible rules and regulations, and they somehow always ended up backfiring on her.

"Shouldn't Elsa get a say in all this?" Cat asked, and both of them turned to the other woman, who was trailing a few steps behind.

"Nuh, uh," Elsa offered, waving her hands. Just walked right in between Cat and Jay and continued the short hike towards the bungalows. "I'm not getting involved. This is between the two of you."

"Are you saying that you actually want to spend the night with me, in the bungalow, and in the BED, while I'm completely naked?" Cat asked as she scurried to catch up with Elsa.

"No," she replied. "But in the end, it doesn't really bother me all that much. It's no different than the locker room. It's no different than a sauna. Do I WANT to look at you naked? Of course not. But when it comes right down to it, I don't want to get involved."

Elsa kept walking, but Cat stopped out of frustration. As Jay caught up with her, he gave her his trademark smile, each sparkling white tooth seeming the gloat over Cat. He had won, again.

The three walked out onto the decked that was raised above the water. Betty had gotten them over-water bungalows on the eastern end of Black Pearl's property, and done the same for the five Tekkei reps on the western end of the property. As they reached bungalows 7 and 9, Jay announced that he was going to bed.

"If you want to go swimming or to the bar or whatever, feel free to," he told Cat. "Just hang the swimsuit on the doorknob before you go to bed."

"Fine," she replied. She followed Elsa into Bungalow 9, and was actually surprised by how nice the room really was.

It looked, on the inside, like your standard hotel room. There was a bathroom off to the left, and then one large, open room. There was a television, a desk, an honor bar, a small dresser, and one queen-size bed. From the window, Cat could see out across the Pacific Ocean, nothing but a few bungalows off in the distance to even remind her that there were anywhere near land or civilization. It was beautiful.

"Well," Elsa said, putting her suitcase up on the luggage stand in the corner. "Here we are. In the middle of paradise. The ocean all around us. A corporate credit card to pay for alcohol." She paused. "And I'm so tired that I don't even know if I can stand up much longer."

"Yeah, I'm feeling the same way," Cat said, sitting her half-naked body down onto the corner of the bed. "I want to go out, but I don't really feeling like doing so dressed like this. And also, I'm just beat."

"If it's the former more than the latter, then I suggest you go on out there and get yourself a drink. You've got to get used to how you're dressed, especially since we're meeting Koremasu and his people in the resort's business center at ten tomorrow morning. If it's the latter, then feel free to crash, because that's what I think I'm going to do." Elsa pulled her toiletries case from her suitcase, and headed towards the bathroom to ready herself for bed.

She had a point, Cat thought to herself. Cat was good at faking confidence, but it might help tomorrow morning if she actually HAD that confidence. Plus, a good alcoholic drink would really take the edge off right now. Taking these thoughts in, she decided to do it, telling Elsa she'd be back in a short while.

THE PATIO

The Black Pearl's patio overlooked the private beach, and the ocean itself. There were Japanese lanterns strewn around the bricked bar area, but they weren't bright enough to block out the impressive array of stars over Cat's head.

There were a few people hanging around the bar, but none gave her that much attention. After all, she was technically still on the beach. A newlywed couple sat snuggling in a chaise lounge in the corner, the husband getting slapped for keeping his eyes on Cat for a just a second too long. Cat pretended not to notice, and ordered a Corona from the waitress.

As she sat drinking the beer, and looking out at the ocean, she thought to herself, "Maybe this won't be so bad after all." Was she really that out of place? Wearing a bathing suit at a beach resort? She smiled at the thought of not standing out, but it was short lasting. This wasn't a real vacation - she WAS going to have to sit through meetings, negotiations, and business dinners, all dressed like an escort.

The thought of fitting in, and having an easy week further left her as she walked back up the decking to her bungalow. If Elsa had still been up and about, Cat could have asked HER to go put the bathing suit on Jay's doorknob. But it had been forty-five minutes, at least, since Cat had left the other woman, and she had no doubt that the Elsa was in bed, if not asleep.