Naked Portraits Pt. 16

"I wanna see the 'Friends' chicks naked," I said.

Tessa pushed the space bar and said, "Rachel, Monica, Phoebe naked."

"Now you're talking," Phoebe said.

"I hope that door's locked," Rachael said.

"The pussy's loose," Monica said. That line was followed by canned laughter. Soon all three women stood naked looking out at the real world expectantly.

"Phoebe's got a nice pair," I said. "and Monica is hairless?"

Tessa shrugged, "An educated guess. Of all the friends I figured she would go bald.

My eyebrows lifted and I gave Tessa a curious look.

"Let's see the back ends of theses gals," Tessa said. "All show back."

Everyone including animated me and Tessa turned around to show their backs. From left to right stood Rachael, Monica, Tessa, me and Phoebe. I laughed and said, "Best ass goes to Rachael hands down."

"I like Monica's, but you's is cute too" Tessa said. "All outfit 110."

All the figures on the screen Including Tessa and I suddenly had puffy round tails and long ears as each now wore Playboy bunny outfits.

"Boy does that stir my feminist pot," I said.

I pressed the space bar and said, "All face forward." All the figures turned forward at their own pace like real people would. I laughed as Phoebe did a complete turn with her bunny tail facing out again. With a silly giggle she corrected and faced forward with all the others.

I laughed. So did Tessa who said, "I programmed in lots of character quarks to give a greater sense of reality."

"They all look good as bunnies," I said.

"Especially you," Tessa said.

Again, I raised an eyebrow at the unsolicited second compliment. "This is fun, like high tech dress up. What other outfits you got?"

Tessa scratch her chin in thought. "Rachel, out fit 21." in a virtual snap, Rachel was decked up as Princess Leia from Star Wars.

"I remember the episode she wore it," I said with a laugh. "It was for some kind of sex fantasy for Ross."

Tessa nodded. "Yeah, but this outfit tops that. Rachel, outfit 77." Rachel blinked into Leia's slave girl bikini from Return of the Jedi.

Rachel looked down at herself and said in a bewildered voice, "You are a dirty boy."

"Monica, outfit 92," Tessa said, and the girl was suddenly dressed in classic Lara Croft teal tights from Tomb Raider complete with a dagger around her thigh, a pistol on her hip and her hair in a loose sexy ponytail.

"Chandler will love this," Monica said.

"Phoebe, Outfit 38," Tessa said.

Phoebe blinked into the harem costume from I dream of Jeannie, her blond hair in the classic perky ponytail and funky dark pink hat.

"Hello master," Phoebe and with a giggle. She crossed her arms in front of her and did the classic Jeannie blink with the classic sound effect. I noted that her nipples were clearly visible through the shire material of her top.

"I don't remember that outfit being so see through?"

"It wasn't." Tessa pressed the space bar. "New female outfit 14."

"Wow," was all I could say as my image on screen went from playboy bunny to the blue stripped creature from the movie Avatar in a skimpy vest bikini thing up top and a loincloth below, then I squealed with laughter when my tail swung into view.

"Isn't she supposed to be ten feet tall?"

"To much trouble to work in the scale thing," Tessa said.

I pressed the space bar and said, "New female strip naked and turn around." My blue furry virtual self complied. My ass looked great blue and stripped making me wish that I really had a tail.

"Leo made an endless variety of backgrounds too," Tessa said. She pressed the space bar. "Seventies disco club." The costumed figures on the screen were suddenly surrounded by a flashy disco scene complete with shifting lights under foot and a mirror ball over head. Tessa hit a couple of buttons on the key board and Abba's Dancing Queen started up. She held down the space bar and said, "All random dance." I laughed as everyone on screen started gyrating to Abba. Phoebe did moves that fit her Jeannie costume and I particularly liked my cool active tail as my furry blue naked self moved to the grove. Tessa held down the space bar and said, "All random night out clubbing." In a blink the costumes were gone replaced by tight mini outfits.

"Aw I liked dancing with a tail," I said with a pout.

Animated me now wore a snug pink top almost like a tube top except it had sleeves and the worlds smallest fuchsia miniskirt. "I look like I'm in the movie 'Grease'," I said with a laugh. "My mom would never had let me leave the house dressed like that even as a grown up."

Rachel wore a waist hugging tiny black dress with fishnet stockings. Monica spun in a red and white stripped little dress that made her ass look great. Phoebe wore a green and gold thing barely covered her lush chest and like a real person would, Phoebe tugged at her outfit to keep her boobs from falling out as she danced. Tessa's animated figure danced in a tight purple outfit that would have made heads turn in the non-virtual world.

Tessa held down the space bar and said, "New song, Dancing in the Streets Bowie-Jagar. New background, Times square." The new song kicked in and the characters now danced in Manhattan's Times Square.

I laughed and asked, "Where else can we go?"

Tessa held down the space bar and said, "Cycle backgrounds."

From Manhattan we blinked into Egypt dancing at the foot of the Pyramids then seconds later we were among the ancient circle of stones at Stonehenge. Then Waikiki beach with Diamond Head in the background. Then the craters of the moon. Then Statue of Liberty. Then giant sequoias, Mount Fuji, Easter Island, Mauna Kea, Mount Rushmore, Clara from Iao Valley, Washington D.C., the Eiffel Tower...

"Hey wait!" I yelled. "Take it back!"

Tessa froze the action at the Roman Colosseum. "To the Eiffel Tower?"

"No the forest scene before that."

Tessa hit some keys and the frozen dancers stood around the forest goddess Clara in the dappled light of the Iao Valley rainforest. Tessa hit more buttons, the music started up again and the figures resumed dancing.

"Stop the music and make everyone go away," I insisted. Tessa did as I asked, the only sound that came from the computer's speakers was a distant chirping of birds. "What is this?" I whispered in amazement."

"Don't know exactly," Tessa said. "All the backgrounds are borrowed from Leo's old game designs." She hit some keys and my animated self appeared again. Her night club miniskirt was gone replaced by the default t-shirt and jeans. "Sometimes Leo leaves in some of the attributes from the games. It's usually silly, sometimes scary but always brief.

I stared at my animated self who in turn stared at Clara. "Can I get a closer look at the statue?" I asked.

"You can type in a command but try voice first to see if that will work."

I pressed the space bar and said, "Closer." My avatar moved closer to Clara bringing the statue in brighter clearer view. Leo had apparently spent some time studying the real Clara for the details was uncanny. "Why are you here?" I asked softly to myself unconscious of the fact that I was still holding the space bar down.

The eyes of the statue flew open startling me, my hand released the space bar and I sat back in my chair. For several seconds unblinking golden brown eyes with canary yellow in place of normal whites stared out of the flat screen TV. The ends of Clara's mouth curled up into a smile and she said, "Hello Gwen."

Utterly unnerved, I turned to Tessa and asked in a shaky voice, "How does she know my name?"

"I named your avatar when I brought her back," Tessa said simply. "It's easier to move her around that way. Speak to the statue, see if she has more to say." Tessa didn't get at how freaked out I was finding Clara like this.

"What's your name?" I asked automatically. If she says Clara I'm gonna shit I thought. The statue stared out unblinking, smiling and silent. "I guess that's all she has," I said disappointed.

"You didn't hold down the space bar," Tessa said. She leaned in, hit a few keys, opened a drawer near the computer. pulled out a gray thingy and handed it to me. The thing fit comfortably in my hand. My thumb naturally fell on the top lever that pushed around in all directions. Tessa said, "It's a wireless nun-chuck from an old Wii game console. Just push the the lever forward then side to side to move your character. Press down to talk."

My thumb plunged the lever and I repeated my question, "What is your name?"

"I go by many names. Call me what you like."

"Clara?" I said.

"Clara?" Tessa repeated questioningly.

"I know of the the real statue and believe it or not, that's her name," I said.

"I like the name Clara," the statue said approvingly. "What can Clara do for you?"

"Why are you ... here?" I asked the first most obvious question.

"That would be my question of you," Clara returned. But you are alone. Another must be present to proceed."

"What does she mean?" I asked Tessa.

"Apparently, it takes two to play this out," Tessa explained with an edge of excitement in her voice. "Looks like Leo has planted a little mystery in my game. He's always doing stuff like that. I'll link my laptop and see where this goes." She left the room to get the laptop.

Clara's smile was gone, her eyes shut looking like a lifeless wooden carving again. My thumb pressed the plunger and I asked quietly, "What do you want from me?"

Clara's yellow gold eyes opened again. "You already know that. You've know it from the start."

I rolled my eyes at the vague answer. "Cut the grasshopper crap and give me straight answers."

Clara smiled. "You must give the proper offering to get the answers you seek."

Tessa traipsed back into the workroom toting an open laptop. She pushed an office chair next to mine, clicked at the keys of the laptop and an animated Tessa stepped into the scene dressed in a skin hugging black outfit from neck to ankles to wrists, her black hair tied back in a practical ponytail. "Another one of Leo's favorite outfits for me," Tessa said, "He call's it the killer agent outfit."

"Hello Tessa," Clara said in greeting to the new arrival. "Do you know Gwen?"

"Yes," Tessa answered using a hand controller identical to mine.

"Friends or Lovers?"

Tessa laughed and said to me, "Leo is such a perv." To Clara she said, "Friends."

"That is always the best place to start," Clara said with a knowing smile.

"Okay, Tessa said, "what secrets do you have Clara?"

"You must make the proper offering to hear my secrets," The goddess said.

"Do we have Money to give?" I asked Tessa.

In the upper left corner of the flat screen TV two boxes appeared, one pink and the other light blue. "According to those boxes we're not carrying a thing. The blue one's yours'."

I said to Clara,"We have nothing to give."

"Riches abound," Answered Clara.

"Maybe we need to find something in the forest," Tessa suggested and guided her avatar to a clump of brown rocks. "Pick up rock, give to Clara," she instructed. Animated Tessa did as she was told, but Clara did not take the rock and even looked mildly offended. Tessa laughed at the expression.

I had my avatar pick a flower from nearby and offered it to Clara. She didn't sneer at my offering this time, but didn't accept it either.

Clara said, "You have ample to offer."

"Clearly she's not talking about my tits. I hardly have any to speak of." Tessa said.

"Take off your top," I said suddenly.

"What?" Tessa said looking at me in surprise.

"Not you. Your character in the game."

"Oh, right" Tessa said sheepishly.

Animated Tessa removed the her tight black shirt and tossed it off screen carelessly like the characters form Friends had earlier. Under her shirt the figure wore a form fitting hot pink bra with lace.

"Damn it Leo, I hate that color," Tessa mumbled. "Hey!" she barked. "Clara has changed, look."

She was right, Clara looked less wooden.

"Remove top," I commanded my avatar. She stood before Clara in a light blue bra with white flowers. The effect of my character's disrobing on Clara was immediate for she looked even more human, the wood grain in her face and body less prominent, her hair grew darker looking less carved and more like real hair.

"Lose bottom," Tessa said.

I told mt character to do the same.

Clara turned even more human with just traces of wood grain in the cheeks of her face, the upper part of her breasts, belly and thighs.

"She looks familiar," I said.

"Tia Carrere?" Tessa said. "She's one of Leo's favorites."

"Maybe but I don't think so," I said. "Carrere is just part Hawaiian and Clara looks more then half to me. We have to show more skin to get a clearer look at that face."

"You go, you have more tits then I do," Tessa said.

I instructed my avatar to remove all of her clothes. A curious thrill flushed through me as she did and I gave the real Tessa seated next to me a critical once over. Her body was far slimmer then mine but all the yoga added up to a pleasing figure, her skin a deep golden brown, her face that perfect mix of Hawaiian, Asian and a little something else. Tessa caught me looking at her and I quickly said, "Your character should do the same."

She nodded and instructed her avatar to undress.

On the screen, the characters stood naked before the voluptuous goddess. I can't speak for Tessa but I felt that me avatar was woefully inadequate compared to the fully human form of Clara. The goddess was several shades darker then Tessa's character, her hair black-blue and lusty. Over coming my computer generated envy, I asked. "Tell us more."

Clara spoke in a very formal tone. "The Night is the center. The Ocean will follow. The Parchment is found and the spider descends."

"What's that all about?" Tessa asked me.

"Don't know," I said but the reference to a spider gave me a jolt.

"For more answers look into the face of death," Clara said.

"That's Ominous," Tessa said taking Clara's statement lightly. "Who does she look like you think?"

With my mind mostly on on Clara's weird statement I said absently, "If a guy named Harry Hoopii had a sister she would look just like that."

"Oh, you know Harry?" Tessa asked.

"Do YOU know Harry," I asked right back.

"Yeah, he's featured in a thing that Leo's doing for Meka Okuda," Tessa said then slapped a hand over her mouth realizing too late that she had let slip something confidential. Panic and worry etched her face.

"Don't worry, I work with Meka and Harry all the time, it's no secret to me." That wasn't quite true but I wanted to calm the poor girl down.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly. "My big mouth could cost Leo a big contract."

"Let's see what other secrets Clara holds," I said.

"Both our characters are totally naked," Tessa said doubtfully, "I can't see what else we have to offer."

"Riches abound," I repeated Clara's own words in a dramatic tone. "Gwen, kiss Tessa."

On the screen, my character obeyed and I barked a laugh at the surprised human expression on the animated Tessa's face.

The real Tessa looked just as surprised as her avatar. To save face, she told her avatar, "Kiss back."

On screen, Tessa closed her eyes and the kiss turned into a full body clutch. Then like in a movie, the view shifted 180 degrees to the opposite view of the kissing pair revealing Clara watching intently, her eyes were the only part of her unchanged her vertical pupils still giving off a golden-yellow glow.

"Nice," I said of the graphics, but mostly I was impressed by the sexual tension that Leo had created. Or is it me? I though as an all too familiar heat prickled around my edges. A quick glance at Tessa showed she was reacting strongly to the virtual kiss too. I spun a little in my office chair and purposely touched my left knee to her right just to see how she would react. She didn't move her leg away.

Was she interested or oblivious?

In the virtual world the kiss ended and Clara said, "Your offering is accepted." Clara reached out and took the hand of my avatar and said to her directly, "Seek the Watcher from the Heart."

"What does that mean?" I asked Clara directly but no answer came as the goddess closed her eyes and reverted to her lifeless wooden form.

"Wanna kiss again and see if that will wake her?" Tessa asked a few beats later.

No, I wanna kiss you for real I thought as I put down my non-chuck. I turned in my chair and allowing both my knees to touch her's firmly. I gave her a look that conveyed my intentions. In case she wasn't getting it, I lightly brushed the fingers of both my hands along the smooth brown skin of her upper arms.

Uncertainty played on her Hawaiian-Asian mixed face. Then panic appeared and she quickly stood up from her chair. But she didn't back away and our legs still touched. I spread my knees a bit and wheeled a little closer to her and placed a gentle kiss on her lowest rib below her small left breast. I looked up into her face to gauge her reaction. She had an 'oh my god I can't believe this is happening' expression.

"Take a step back if you what this to stop," I said softly. The chick held her tentative ground so I kissed the underside of her left breast as my left hand brushed her slim waist and drifted down to her hips. Then my rude common sense brain piped in.

She's only doing this because she's afraid you'll tell Meka about her slip with Harry.

So what? my lizard brain answered.

You like the power don't you, common sense accused.

So what? It's a righteous moment? The chick's hot to go, Lizard reasoned right back.

Shut up! I mentally yelled at both sides.

Either way, the bubble had burst and I wheeled away from her. The expression on Tessa's face was of total confusion.

Feeling stupid, I said lamely, "I'm sorry ... You're married ... and I'm seeing someone."

A look of unmistakable disappoint played on her face.

Ten minutes later I sat on a bench at the bus stop in Kaimuki with aching feet.

Stupid head! Lizard brain let me know. The chick was hot to go!

Chapter 67 Out to Matt

I sat in my studio and looked at my latest painting. It was of Clara the forest goddess in her dappled glade. Like in my dream and in Leo's pointless little game, Clara was naked with beautiful golden brown skin. I had left the face in shadow, vague and indistinct, although in my mind I connected Clara with Harry. Deirdre Kaahumanu Smith was my stand in for Clara. It wasn't my idea. Oddly, it was Neffie who had put together the hold thing.

I whispered the title of the painting aloud, "Watcher of the Heart."

I never got the chance to talk to Leo about his animated Clara adventure. Mostly I was too embarrassed to face Tessa after botching her seduction so badly. And besides, I had enough on my plate to deal with as of late.

The word was out in the halls of the art department that I had changed artistic camps. All my efforts to keep that a secret had been an apparent failure. If Beaumont wasn't so preoccupied with her coming show in San Francisco she would have made my life unbearable.

Another scandal circulating about was that I was a lesbian. Yet oddly, that rumor didn't center on Aly, which would have made perfect sense. Instead, it centered around Meka and Neffie. Neffie had taken to hanging around my studio so I guess people made assumptions. I don't know what was fueling the Meka Okuda rumors though. Maybe it had something to do with my brief encounter with Tessa but I couldn't see how.

A few days ago Meka had dropped off an envelope with five thousand dollars in cash, half of the agreed mount for the movie. Meka said that someone had gotten a peek at Leo's cartoon project and her mystery patrons had pushed my movie date up. The money has been sitting in my desk untouched as I waited for my logical side to say, STOP. But for some reason, logical brain has kept quiet ... maybe lizard brain had killed her. A gentle knock at my studio door pulled me away from my meandering thoughts. I took Clara off my easel and put her down facing the wall.