Lavender and Jasmine

"Why?" I asked after a second.

"Well, we may all end up getting arrested." I heard a light playfulness to her answer that at the same time let me know she was serious.

"So you're going to go do this knowing you may be arrested?" I made myself not add 'are you crazy?'

"If you don't have clothes on and there's not some chance of going to jail, where would the fun be?"

I chuckled hearing her say it like she got nothing between her ears.

Then she got serous. "Yea, we just might. There is something very wrong with this country when a person without clothes on is arrested. Things need to be changed. You can see someone killed on TV every night but you have to go to a late night cable channel just to see someone without clothes. You can watch a cop show where they tell you about someone being raped nine ways to Sunday but you can't see someone having consensual sex? If I have to go to jail for a bit, maybe pay a fine to help try and change that... well, so be it."

I paused. I felt an urge to go and be a part of something then. I didn't like the idea of jail... I mean, I've never even had a speeding ticket.

"Jazz, I'll..."

"Come on, Flower, what are you worried about? That they might arrest you and put you in jail where there are a bunch of dykes?"

I had to laugh at her tone.

"Just come down. If nothing else you might like the paint jobs."

"What?" I asked, even more confused.

"Oh hell, I forgot to tell you. We will be wearing body paint. We have this guy who does airbrush. He can do all kind of things that are cool as hell. I'm thinking about having him do me in blue, red and green... maybe getting some peacock feathers and gluing them between my butt cheeks."

I had to move the phone away from my ear at that. The image of that sexy lady her hair rattling with every step, strutting feathers down the street...

"Jazz, I'll be there, if only to see that."

"I said I was thinking. He has so much talent I might just let him have his way with me. Be about the only time I would ever tell a guy that," she said with a chuckle. "So you'll be there?"

"Yea. I'll be there."

"Oh I love you, my little Flower. I'll see you Saturday. Come to the shop." I heard her smack a kiss through the phone.

I suddenly wished I could feel it.

"I'll be there."

"Bye,bye."

I held the phone till the tones started to beep. Setting it down I started to get up and go to maybe fix me a damn strong drink when the phone started to ring again. Smiling I grabbed it up.

"What did you forget?" I asked chuckling.

"I forgot to tell you what restaurant,Craig,will be taking you to Saturday," said Julie, laughing.

Hearing the joy in her voice I felt what I did settle around me. I swallowed against the taste of it. It was bitter as bile.

But the idea of another worthless night out with a man I had no interest in was a far bitterer pill. "Julie, I don't think..."

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

The next two days were a blur of my life falling to pieces.

Julie called my mom and then all hell hit the fan! I've was told I was going to be sent to a shrink, that I need to see a doctor, that clearly my hormones were out of balance. If was asked once whether it was my time of the month I was asked a dozen times. I finally told my mother that I would talk to her later.

Then about twenty minute later, my sisters began to ring the phone off the hook.

When my brother Travis was on the other side of my door I exploded!

Yanking open the apartment door, I looked him in the eye and with the full force of my now far out of control rage let him have it.

"I'm a lesbian! Do you hear me? I've talked to you all till I'm sick! It's not a single one of yours' business who, what, where, or how many times and with what fucking gender I have sex!"

Travis looked at me for a half a second, and then with a smile trying to peek past his mustache, he slowly let his head tilt.

"What?" I demanded.

"When I hear from Mom, Julie, Michele, and Wendy all in the same day all about the same thing... I just thought I would drop by and offer you some advice on eating pussy. I have to say my technique has gotten me more than a few compliments."

I looked at my brother and a slow blush lit up my face.

"Can I come in? Or do you want to scream something else at me?"

I finally felt a smile tugging at my lips."I'm thinking about it."

"Well, think inside damn it! It's hot as hell out here."

Moving out the way, I let my bother come inside and I stopped trying to air-condition the neighborhood.

He went into the kitchen and opened my refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water. When I looked at him he held it up.

"I'm stealing a bottle of water from you. Thought I would let you know." He grabbed a chair and slid it under him. "So want to discuss your earth shattering news or shall I go into details about what a woman enjoys when I go down on her? Seriously, I've been told I'm damn good at it, I can give you some pointers."

Shaking my head. I walked over to the fridge and looking inside, realized he got the last bottle of water. I grabbed a soda and with a shake of my head, grabbed the other chair.

"I'm not sure I want to discuss either topic."

He shrugged. "Well, I have to say that whether you want to talk about it or not... it is the talk of the family at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if our aunties don't start calling soon."

I sighed and nodded at the truth of that. The character of the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live was modeled after those two. I swear it was.

"So what should I do?" I asked him. Younger than me by two years, I often found myself non-the-less going to him for advice.

Swishing a sip of water around, he took a slow deep breath.

"Well, what you do is when they call... or Mom or our sisters for that matter, you just tell them... in a slightly calmer tone... what you told me at the door. It's not their business. If they don't like it, that's fine, but they can either keep their teeth together about it or... hell if you like shock the crap out of them and start to ask them questions about picking up women."

I chuckled and then full out laughed as I pictured my aunties' faces if I did that. I would have them splashing me with holy water going "the power of Christ compels you!"

"Sis, I just want you to know... I'm here for you. No matter what. I could care the hell less who you want to sleep with. My only problem with your wanting to date women is that you might just get one I would have liked a shot at."

I smiled. "I don't think that the types I'm going to be going after would like you." I said chuckling softly.

"Hey, you never know. I have a good job, a nice car and a...silver tongue." He stuck the tip of his tongue between his teeth and grinned.

I just shook my head. "You ain't right." I said softly.

"Well I ain't left either." He sipped the last of the water, and in a show of pure machismo crushed the super-thin plastic bottle. "Elly..."

"Call me Flower."

Why I said that I don't know. He looked at me and slowly nodded.

"Flower? I remember Grana calling you that. Okay, Flower, I've got to go. I'm supposed to be throwing a big cookout down at the lake and haven't got the meat bought yet. If I don't hurry there might be nothing but Spam."

Chuckling, I stood up. I was suddenly in my brother's arms. He gave me a tight hug.

"There for you... no matter what. You got it?" he said softly by my ear.

Nodding, I pulled him tight. I found that his support when all others are turning away was worth more than I could ever repay. I walked him to the door.

He snaps his finger as he opened it and spun around. "Oh yea the secret to eating pussy well..."

"Travis!"

His eyes went to mine and held like a snake's gaze. "You just do everything in your power to make her make different sounds. See how many places you can find that will make her change tone. It's kind of like learning how to play a musical instrument. Just keep practicing till the odd noises become a symphony. A woman brought to orgasm with your mouth is the most beautiful music in the world."

I just stood there looking at him. Then gave a slow nod.

Smiling, he tipped a hat he was not wearing and walked down the stairs out to his car. I swear the thing oozes sexy when he cranks it. I watched him drive away and for a moment wished...

"Oh, hell no! I'm getting enough phone calls already!"

Shaking my head, I went back inside to go make that strong drink.

The phone was ringing before I was half way through it.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

The spa had a 'Closed for four hours...unless I'm arrested' sign on the door when I pulled up outside.

I saw Jasmine sitting in her car. She opened the door, when I pull in, smiling. I saw her long dark legs disappear as she stood up and the robe dropped back into place.

Getting out I found myself being hugged to my surprise. There must have been a sale on me that week.

"I'm so glad you came," she said then with a grin, winking at me. "Want to see the pre-game warm up?"

I didn't know what she meant till her hands went to her robe and she opened it.

Oh... my... lord... the... body... on... this... woman!

Skin like a mixture of chocolate and silk. I let my eyes go from her feet with the toenails delicately painted to match her eye-shadow, up past her calves, to those super-smooth thighs, to what had to be a barely legal bikini bottom that I knew was a bit of floss thong in the back. Her belly had a slight pouch around her navel, then there was the curve of her waist up to her breasts that were barely hidden behind the top that was little more than postage stamps and floss. By the time my eyes reached hers I'm more turned on than any guy had ever made me.

She gave me a slow sexy smile, and looking down, let her lashes flutter at me. "You've got me blushing. Can't you tell?"

Laughing, I looked at her and grinned.

"You look beautiful, Jazz." I told her after I took a deep breath to settle the pounding I felt in my chest. Suddenly I felt a deep concern for her. I didn't at all like the idea of her being arrested. Detained. Jailed. "You sure you want to do this?"

She looked at me for a second then down at the bikini top and lifted a finger to one of the strings.

"I want you to tell me if this makes any sense to you. Right now I'm legally allowed to walk the beach, maybe even go into any store I like...at least around this time of the year. I might get asked to put my wrap around my hips but maybe not." She moves the white fabric just a bit and part of her dark as night nipple came into view. "Now I'm being arrested and considered a lewd person. If I was to do this within a hundred feet of a school I'm probably going to be put on the child sex registry. Does that make any sense to you, Flower?"

My eyes seemed to be glued to that bit of dark skin. I never for some reason thought about the fact that a black woman's nipple would be that dark. Distracted for a second, I looked up and saw her face was so very serious.

What she asked me suddenly made no sense at all.

"No, Jazz. It seems kind of silly when you put it that way."

She nodded. "How about the fact that if I was a guy I could walk around in just this?"

Her finger ran along the waistband of her bottoms. When she lifted the edge by the knot, my breath ran away from me.

"Why should gender make a difference about what can be worn? If it was anything else there would be an outcry that would startle pigeons in Washington but because this nation is ashamed of their own skin you won't hear a word."

I listened and nodded understanding. Part of me wished that she wouldn't go through with it none-the-less. Part of me wished I had her courage.

"Want to take my car?" She asked grinning. "That way if I get arrested you can drive it back here."

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

As we pulled into the parking lot of the little warehouse, a converted art studio, I felt my nerves start to give me fits. For some reason I was almost afraid to see this many people without their clothes on.

As we walked in, that fear was... not confirmed. Jasmine's bikini was not the most clothing in the room. Well, except for a few people, they mostly were dressed... although in a strange collection of clothes.

I watched a bare-chested guy with an airbrush working furiously on a tall lady with waist length black hair. She must have been at least 6'1" and he was painting her into a Zena costume! Looking around I felt my jaw drop as I realized that most of the clothes I was seeing weren't cloth.

Jasmine dropped her robe by the door and walked over to where several ladies in various stages of paint-dress or undress were standing talking. She looked back and seeing me standing by the door, gestured for me to come join her.

"Flower, let me introduce you to the Village People."

The ladies laughed but when I saw the various hats they had and some of what their 'clothes' looked like I realized that's what they were going to be when finished.

"This is Tonya, Samantha, Jennifer, and our little Indian princess is Rosette. Ladies, this is Lavender, but just call her Flower."

There seriously must have been a two-for-one blue light special on hugging me going this week. That several of the women were bare breasted come to me in the seconds after they turned me loose. Blinking I looked at Jazz's face and saw her smiling.

"Flower here has just come out. In fact she's never done more than kiss a girl."

Suddenly I was being applauded. After the reaction of my family it was almost too much.

Jazz saw this and reached back to take my hand. "Come on, nude people! Lets get this show on the road!" she called out to the others in the warehouse.

One of the artists came over to her and I just caught part of what Jazz told him. I took a seat and watched him begin to turn her into the sexiest black swan I had ever seen. He had done feathers with paint that I could have sworn would have let her fly. Then her top's strings were undone, and I saw both of those silky black nipples; my breath started to quicken.

"So what do you want to be?" asked a voice to my side.

Turning, I saw one of the artist had his cart next to me.

"I could make you a white swan." He looked over at Jasmine. "That way you two would match."

My pulse raced. Looking over at Jazz, I saw her eyes on me. Her fingers went to her hips and with slow deliberation she slipped the two knots. I saw her standing not nude but... naked in front of me. My lips parted and I licked my lips when my eyes saw a perfectly trimmed triangle of wiry curls.

"Well?"

Looking back at the artist, I found myself nodding. My hands went to the bottom of my T-shirt without thought.

As he went to work on my skin, the cool feeling of the paint like powder hitting me I found myself watching the lovely black swan that was taking shape in front of me. Our eyes met and I saw her give me a long slow look up and down.

I blushed. The artist liked it and painted the pink in. I could have told him it was a waste of time. I didn't think that blush was going to leave my face for years.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *

The leather seats of her car were a slight irritation to my lower lips when I moved. I was dreadfully uncomfortable in just my shirt.

I looked around at the cars surrounding us in the large parking lot by the park. There had never been a stranger 'dressed' collection of naked people.

NUDE!

I tried to drive the thought into my head. We were nude... not naked. Naked was what you were in the presence of your lover.

I glanced over at Jazz. My eyes went down the feathery arms to the dark skin of her thighs. I could only just make out the curls under the artwork.

"They're peanut butter," she said to me then.

Blinking, I looked up at her to find her smiling at me.

"Wha...what?" I stumbled over my words.

"My thighs. They're peanut butter."

I sat for a half-second and let that sink in but, it still made no sense. When I looked up, she grinned and leaned in till she was right by the side of my face.

"Smooth, brown, easy to spread," she whispered. When I laughed, she smiled and winked at me. "Relax, my beautiful swan. We will be fine. I talked to one of the organizers earlier. There are a lot more of us showing up than I first heard."

"Okay, and that's a good thing how?" I asked after a second or so.

Jazz tilted her head. "The more of us there are the harder they will find it to arrest us. I mean, can you imagine the chaos of trying to arrest several hundred nude people?'

Images came to me then of me being booked down-town without a stitch to my name.

Oh lord, what was I doing?

Then her hand was in mine.

"It will be okay, Flower. I'll be here for you no matter what."

Hearing her echo my bother I found myself caressing her fingers more than holding them. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and accepted that come what may, I was at least...

"There they are."

Looking up from our joined hands I felt my jaw drop. There were a swarm of car door opening all around us.

"Oh my god." I exclaimed in a whisper as I got out of the car.

Walking down the street with signs and banner held high and proud, they must numbered in the hundreds. No, maybe in the thousands I guessed as I saw the lines swelling as more groups like our own came swarming in at the designated time.

Now, some of them were like us and wearing body paint. But others? Well they had left nothing to the imagination. Truly nudes on parade.

Part of me wished I had stayed home. But it was a so very small part of me that all the rest chased it away, hopefully never to return.

I tossed my shirt into the car and followed Jazz into the marching croud.

Walking next to my black swan, I looked behind us to find the rock band Kiss following us. My eyes went down out of pure curiosity. The black, silver and white mixture of paint hid a lot less on a guy than it did on us. Gene gave me a wink when I look back up.

Turning around, I suddenly found myself in possession of a sign that said 'Nude, Not Naked.'

I felt a bit wrong of me to be carrying it.

By the time we crossed out into the wider street, people in vans suddenly appeared and hopped out with traffic cones, blocking roads. I laughed when I noticed that their orange vests and blue jeans weren't real.

"How far are we marching too?" I asked nervously when I saw the first patrol car pull up to the side of the road.

"Fountain Park," she said. Her hand found mine and I felt it tremble. That she was maybe not as sure of herself as she came across hit me then.

All of a sudden my tower of confidence and strength displayed a shaky foundation. I felt an upwelling of fear threaten to take me.

Then it faded. I tightened my fingers in her's and lifted my sign a little higher.

She looked over at me. I saw a twinkle come to her eyes and when she turned back forward there was a bit more strut to her walk, The swing of her hips must have been giving the guys behind us one hell of a show.

Up ahead I saw the tall spire topped with the golden statue of a naked woman. Next to the large bronze woman were naked cherubic imps. I remembered my only trip here and the way my brother, sisters and I had splashed in the cool water of the fountains.

"Good choice." I said, looking up at the gleaming lady, her breasts large and well displayed, bare to the world and every eye.

Jazz nodded.

As we passed the big gate with the arched sign overhead I looked behind me and saw that our line had grown more and more with every step. I saw TV news crews pulling up and getting their cameras out. I watched the growing number of policemen that were converging on the park almost as fast as we were.