For Want of a Mask

"A-are you sure?"

"Positive. I don't even have a card machine here."

Angela made a show of patting her clothes. Obviously she had no cash on her--she'd spent it all getting her hair done.

"Do you sell on credit?"

The cashier frowned. "We don't. This is a charity shop."

The cashier's words hung in the air. Angela looked left and right nervously. Then she bolted.

She hadn't taken two steps before the cashier was in front of her, barring the exit. The girl took up a surprising amount of space when she wasn't slumped behind a counter. She was at least a head taller than Angela, and wider too. The vacant look on her face had been replaced with a flashing, aggressive stare.

"If you're going to shoplift, at least try to be discrete about it. And maybe don't pick a charity shop next time."

Angela briefly considered trying to duck past the girl, but mental images of herself in a tight headlock changed her mind. "Look," she said, "I really need these clothes, okay."

The girl folded her beefy arms across her chest. "So pay for them. There's an ATM in the hospital lobby. Go, I'll keep them for you."

"You don't understand," said Angela, "I'm not wearing anything underneath."

The girl's eyes widened momentarily, but then settled back into an angry glare. "First time I've heard that one. Clever, but I'm not buying it."

Angela pouted.

"Look, lady, I get that you like the clothes. I won't sell them to anyone else. But you've got to pay for them before you can take them home. That's how it works."

Angela's pout turned into a scowl. "Okay, fine, I'll prove it."

And then, before she quite knew what she was doing, in one swift, angry movement, she pulled the blouse over her head and pushed the skirt down to the floor. "See?" she cried.

The girl's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh-kay then. You weren't lying."

The sudden exposure was a shock to Angela's system after being clothed again. "I really need these clothes," Angela said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't go out there naked!"

For a moment, the cashier's expression softened, but then her scowl reappeared. "This is just something else," she said. "Lady, you should be ashamed of yourself.

With an angry grunt, the girl swiped the blouse from Angela's hands. She stepped forward, placing a booted foot on top of the skirt, forcing Angela to stumble backwards.

"I-it's not my fault," Angela sobbed.

The girl made a disgusted sound. "Oh come on, your nipples are rock hard. You're enjoying this. Not only are you a rich bitch, with your latest iPhone and your expensive running shoes, who still somehow feels the need to steal from charity shops--steal directly from the mouths of the poor--but you're also a fucking pervert!"

With that, the girl back-handed Angela right across the face. "Get out of my shop, sicko! Go find someone else to play out your exhibitionist fantasies with. You're lucky I don't call the cops on you!"

Angela whimpered and slunk out of the van, naked and disgraced. The SUV she had hidden behind before had left the lot, so she had to sprint to find cover crouching between two smaller cars.

The wind whipped at her bare back, and Angela let the tears fall. She had been so, so close this time, but it had all fallen apart, and now she was worse off than before. Every time she tried to fix things, she just ended up exposing herself to more people, in ever more perilous situations.

Finally, her tears dried, and her mind turned to other matters. Tammy's car was still where she'd left it--she'd only been in the clothing van for ten minutes at most. It seemed like that was her only option: return to Tammy, and hope that she'd actually give her a dress. Eventually.

Angela's mind turned to what the cashier had said. Was it true? Her nipples were pretty hard, but of course they were, she was cold! This had been a traumatic experience, not an arousing one. She wasn't the kind of girl to walk around naked to get her rocks off, not like that blonde lady who had stolen her clothes and set this whole mess off.

And yet. Beneath all the embarrassment, the panic, the shame, the rushing adrenaline, she had felt moments of excitement. Maybe she wasn't the kind of girl to walk into a hair salon in the nude, but she clearly was the kind of girl to strip off in one. Sure, she'd put up a bit of a fight, but in the end she'd gone with their crazy rules. And she'd taken the ride Tammy called for her, gotten in a car with a strange and gross man. But maybe she was just proactive.

Angela's eyes were dry now. She put these strange and disturbing thoughts out of her mind. Tammy's car was a few parking spaces away, but it was surrounded by vacant spaces. She would stay in her somewhat concealed position until Tammy and her mother returned.

Just then, she heard a voice behind her.

"Heyyy there, is that... Angela?!"

Angela's head spun around and she came face to face with Mark. Mark, with the gentle green eyes and strong lantern jaw. Mark, who was now getting an eyeful of her very ample and totally bare ass.

"Hey," she replied weakly.

* * *

Chapter Five: The Pool

Mark, usually so cool and collected, seemed almost more flustered and embarrassed than Angela herself. "A-Angela, w-what, h-how? Are you...? What...? Is this...?"

Angela scooted her body around so that she was facing him, but still crouching down to preserve whatever scraps of her modesty remained. "It's a long story. But I'm so glad you're here. I need your help, Mark. Do you have any clothes for me?"

Mark held her gaze for a moment. "Y-yes I do. In the car. Which is right over there."

"Awesome!" said Angela, smiling genuinely now. "I owe you one."

"Let's go," Mark said, extending an arm.

Angela slowly rose to a standing position, and let Mark put a protective arm around her back. Hand clasping her upper arm, he led her swiftly towards his Ford hatchback and opened one of the back doors to let her in.

"There should be some things on the floor there," he said, closing the door behind her.

Angela bent over to look at the car floor, and found a small powder-blue sleeveless strappy top. There were no other clothes.

"My sister's," Mark said.

Angela pulled the top over her head. It was cute, but a bit small for her, just about enough to cover her breasts. It was a tight fit, and her nipples were visibly outlined by the fabric. She was still bare below the ribcage.

Mark exchanged glances with her. "Okay, I'll drive you to my place and we can get something better."

"Thank you."

Mark got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot. Angela sat in the backseat of the car, upright and with her seat-belt on, legs crossed. If anyone caught the glimpse of her, they would probably assume she was wearing particularly skimpy bikini bottoms. Which she wished was true. At this point she'd be relieved to have a thong.

"So, uh, Angela," said Mark, "how'd you end up naked in a hospital parking lot? Never thought I'd see you of all people in this sort of predicament."

Angela sighed, and began to tell him the story. He didn't know Tammy, so it didn't really matter what he ended up thinking of her.

"Can't believe they're still enforcing masks at that salon," said Mark, once she was finished. "I haven't even seen anyone else wearing one in months. Really crazy that they made you go through that. You should leave a bad review."

Angela could imagine it now. "The trim was great value for money, and Sharon is a very skilled hairdresser, but the nudist hair-cutting experience they offer to mask-less customers carries on long past its welcome. Two stars."

"And that Tammy sounds like a real bitch," Mark continued. "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

After a short drive, Mark and Angela arrived at Mark's house, in a different suburb from Tammy's. It was quite a large, attractive house, with a well maintained front lawn. A wooden fence separated the front and back yards.

Mark parked in the driveway. "We'll go through the back. My mom is still a bit funny about having guests inside the house, what with COVID and everything."

So he lives with his mom, thought Angela. Mark was a few years older than her.

Mark got out of the car first, and opened the door for Angela, standing as cover as she climbed out, futilely pulling at the bottom of her top. The two quickly made their way to the fence, and Mark unlatched the gate and guided Angela in, one hand hovering very close to her butt.

The back yard was large, and fully surrounded by wooden fencing, Angela was pleased to note. Its central feature was a rectangular swimming pool, in which a girl of about eighteen was currently swimming. She froze when he saw Angela and fixed her gaze.

Angela pulled at her shirt with one hand and held the other one over her crotch.

"Mark," the girl who must have been his sister piped up, "is that my top?"

"Sorry," Mark whispered to Angela, "I thought she'd be out. Should have made sure the coast was clear." Then to his sister, he said, "Beth, my friend Angela just needs to borrow it until I can get her something else."

Mark touched the small of Angela's back and moved her forward. She bent down in a now-familiar crouch to keep her crotch somewhat hidden and released her grip on the bottom of the top--there was no way it would reach as far as she needed it to anyway.

Beth climbed out of the pool. She was a small girl, a couple of feet shorter than Angela. She was trim and athletic, with a banana-shaped figure and visible abs. She wearing a red bikini, the top of which was almost flush against her chest. Her face had the elements of prettiness, but was currently ruined by a foul expression.

"You're stretching it," Beth spat, puffing her chest out and standing on her tip-toes to tower over Angela's crouching form. "That's my favorite top!"

"Beth, please," pleaded Mark.

Angela tried the diplomatic approach. "Hi Beth," she said softly, now standing on the bricks by the pool. "I really need this shirt right now. Just look at me!"

Beth scowled, eyes focused on her top. "You're ruining it with your cow tits, you bitch!"

Angela flushed red and sank into a lower crouch. She decided she didn't like Beth very much.

"Mark, tell your 'friend' to give it back," Beth said. "Before she completely destroys it."

"Beth..." Mark began.

"What kind of person walks around with no panties on anyway?" Beth said, looking back at Angela. "Are you, like, a prostitute? How much did my brother pay you?"

"I--it's not like that!" Angela stammered.

A cruel smile crossed Beth's countenance. "I think that my brother should get his money's worth. He likes big tits, you know."

"Beth!" Mark shouted, face rapidly turning as red as Angela's.

"Don't think I don't see where your eyes wander, big brother. Now you, Angelica or whatever your name is, show my brother what he wants to see."

Mark glanced helplessly at Angela. He was seeming less like the shining hero he'd appeared to be in the parking lot with every passing second.

Beth looked towards Mark. "If she doesn't, I'll tell mom you tried to bring a prostitute to the house."

"No, Beth, please don't..."

"I am not a--" started Angela.

"Shut it, bitch," snapped Beth. "Nice girls don't go around town with their pussies out. And Mark, just watch me."

Mark and Beth stared each other down for a moment. Mark was the first to blink, and Beth crossed her arms across her flat chest triumphantly.

Mark sighed, his posture slumping. He shot Angela a pleading look. "I hate to say this, Angela, but, could you..."

Angela's eyes widened in shock, and she hugged the small top to herself. "No!"

"Please Angela, just give her the top. I said I'd get you something better, didn't I? Just please do this. For me."

"But Mark, I'll be--"

"Naked?" Beth cut in, pantomiming shock. "Oh no, the poor half-naked girl will be fully naked! Everyone will see her boobs as well as her ass! How awful!"

There was no way out. Beth was determined, and Mark was no help. But at least it would be temporary.

"Uugh, fine," Angela said, in disbelief of what she was about to do. "You win." She stood up slightly, put her hands to the top's straps and then pulled it up and over her head. Beth made an exaggerated expression of disgust as Angela's boobs dropped, but couldn't hide her envy. Then she snatched the top and walked off.

Naked once more, defeated again, Angela placed an arm across her breasts.

Then she felt a hand shove her in the back, and she lost her balance and toppled into the swimming pool. "Aaah!"

"You looked like you were ready for a bath!" Beth jeered, cackling as she strutted across the lawn to her towel.

Sudden submergence was a shock to Angela, but she quickly regained her faculties and resurfaced, gulping for air. Her shoes and socks were heavy with water, so she reached down to undo them. Luckily her phone was waterproof.

Angela tossed both shoes, socks and her phone past the bricks and onto the grass. Then she parted the hair from her face to see that Beth had disappeared inside the house. She also saw a stern older woman looking out of the open patio doors at her. They briefly locked eyes, and the woman made a disgusted face at her, mouthed the word "whore", and shouted for Mark.

"Yes Mother, I'll be right there!"

"And come alone!" the woman snapped.

Mark cast a sheepish look at Angela, shrugged, and went to join his mother in the house, where both soon vanished from sight. Angela bobbed in the pool, and tried to tune out the muffled screeching that soon started inside the house.

It was almost noon on a warm day. The water felt good against Angela's bare skin, and she suddenly understood the appeal of skinny dipping. Under different circumstances, she might really enjoy this. She cast a glance at her soaked shoes and socks strewn across the lawn, and wiggled her toes. Now she was truly naked.

Eventually, Mark reappeared in the back yard. His posture was slumped, and he smiled weakly at Angela. "My mom doesn't want you in the house," he said. "She says you're a bad influence on Beth. I know, I know, it wasn't like that. I tried to explain, but mother is very, uh, stubborn."

Angela looked at Mark incredulously. "Me? A bad influence? On her? Mark, your sister would be a bad influence on the devil."

"She's not that... I mean she's... Once you get to know her, she's... uh..." Mark couldn't force himself to lie. "Don't worry, I'll make a plan to get you some clothes. Sorry about all this."

Angela had been feeling a little mad at Mark, and that didn't really go away, but now she also felt pity for him. Well, really, it was more like disgust. What a weak and pathetic man, who couldn't even stand up to his mother or even his little sister.

Angela bobbed around in the water a bit more, keeping her body submerged. To the casual observer, she looked like a normal, swimming girl. But on slightly closer observation, it was obvious that she wasn't wearing a swimsuit.

After she got tired of swimming, Angela pulled herself out of the pool and crouch walked to a spot on the lawn, where she lay down on her front, with her legs pressed tightly together. The grass tickled her belly, boobs and legs. This was the position of maximum coverage. She splayed her arms out to the side, figuring Mark had already seen plenty of her ass.

Mark sat down on the grass beside her.

"Could you get me a towel?"

Mark grimaced. "My mom's exact words were, 'let that hippy dry off in the sun.'"

Angela's disgust rose. Couldn't believe this man, who she'd once found attractive, was so deferential to his mother that he couldn't even do a single small thing to help a young, attractive lady in distress.

"It's, uh, pretty hot out," Mark said.

He was right. Angela could feel that she was already mostly dried off, except for her hair. Her shoes and socks still looked soggy though.

"Listen, Angela, I--" Mark was cut off by a ringing phone. His own. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller. "Oh! Better take this, it's the boss."

Mark put the phone to his ear and said hello. A torrent of tinny voiced speech erupted from the other side.

"Uh-huh," said Mark. "Yes, got it. I do. Got one right here." Mark produced a marker from another pocket. "Take it down now? I don't have anything to--okay, got it."

Angela caught the apology in Mark's eyes, but before she understood what it was for, the lid had come off his marker and its nib was tickling her back. "Lay still," Mark whispered to her. "This is extremely important."

Despite herself, Angela lay still. She was obeying a lot of orders today, and most of them had been actively harmful to her. But she felt compelled by the force in Mark's voice. A big, strong, fully clothed man, using her naked body... if not in that way...

The writing continued down Angela's back, moving swiftly from left to right, going lower and lower. Mark nodded and made affirmative noises to the person on the other end of the line, but showed no sign of slowing down. Angela felt a pen stroke down the left dimple on her lower back, and then the right one. The pen continued.

Mark was now writing on her ass. Across one cheek and then the other, one, two, three lines. Angela thought her butt was too big sometimes, but big butts were the fashion, so she didn't let it bother her. She could feel the finger of Mark's writing hand against her plump flesh. Under different circumstances, if Mark were less entangled in his mother's apron strings, she might have welcomed it. But right now she just felt uncomfortable.

"Turn over," Mark hissed. He'd reached the end of her butt, and still wasn't done.

Angela was mortified. "No way!"

Then Mark grabbed her side and pulled her over, onto her back. His pen was on her collarbone before she could protest.

A primal fear rose up in Angela's throat, and she breathed deeply through her nose to calm it. This was fine. She was fine. Well, not really, but all Mark wanted to do was write down a really, really long message.

A line was written across the top of Angela's torso, and then he started on her boobs. Some marks on the left, then on the right. His pinky brushing the skin, grazing her nipples. Mark tried hard to keep a straight face, but she knew he was loving this.

The message continued below Angela's boobs, across her rib-cage and down her tummy, where she was extra ticklish. She let out a giggle, jiggling slightly and causing Mark to scrawl a letter.

The writing continued, but Mark's pen was slowing down now. Finally, as his hand brushed the top of her pubes, the writing mercifully stopped. Mark nodded, made another affirmative sound, and said goodbye to the person on the phone. He rolled back, collapsing on his back on the grass. Angela caught sight of a bulge in his jeans. Under different circumstances, perhaps...

"Sorry about that Angela," he said, righting himself, in the tone of one apologizing for a minor inconvenience rather than a very intimate invasion. "I didn't have anywhere else to write, and my boss is very impatient."

Angela sat up, her hands fallen at her sides, allowing Mark to scrutinize his work. He looked for a long time. "You're very beautiful," he said.

"So what's the purpose of this message?" asked Angela.

"It's a code. Yeah, the whole thing is. We're very security conscious at work. I have to type it in to a computer at the office. It's quite urgent, actually."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Do you have to do that now?"

"Yes. Stand up so I can take some pics."

Angela gasped. "I am not going to let you take naked pictures of me!"

"But it's for work! I'll delete them right after, I promise."

"No." Angela folded her arms. "Get me some clothes, and I'll come to your office with you. Then you can type your code out from the source."