Nude on the Job

"What was that for?"

"Tank, some men give women the willies. Chad is one of them. He is always staring at me, and not in a nice way. I feel like he's sizing up his prey."

"Want me to say anything to him or his boss?"

"No, I don't want your business to suffer. I'll just make myself scarce whenever he's around. OK?"

"Alright, we can do that. So, let's get going," Tank said.

We decided to redo the wall board first, then the flooring, then the baseboards. Finally, we would paint. It was surprisingly easy to replace the wall board. We only needed two feet wide strips and they were easy to handle and one of us would hold the piece in place while the other used the wallboard drill. Once all the pieces were in, Tank asked me to putty the screw holes and tape the joints while he started on the subflooring in the other room. Before we knew it, lunchtime had arrived. We went out to the truck and grabbed our food and sat there on the steps of the cabin while we ate. Halfway through the food I realized we had been naked all morning and at lunch and it seemed to be pretty much routine.

"You'd think we were having lunch on any old job, the way we're sitting here," I laughed.

"Yeah, it's almost like I forgot it."

"Oooh, Tank, look at that guy over there, No! Don't stare, just take a peek." I was interested in what appeared to be a guy in his twenties and man, was he built. Nice muscles, lean torso, no gut. Sweet.

"Luce, I can't believe you. You're worse than some guys I know."

"Hey, a girl's gotta get her appetite somewhere."

"Yeah, but you don't see me staring at the women now, do you?"

"No, but you should."

"If I did, well, it'd be all over for me. The women would see it from a hundred yards away and would run screaming for the bushes."

"If so, maybe they'd be wanting you to follow them, ya think?"

"Nope. Not a chance."

"Tank, you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a nice guy, handsome, you know. A girl would be lucky to get you."

"A carpenter/contractor? Hardly."

That kind of pissed me off. I stood up right in front of him so his eyes were right even with my pussy. "You are an idiot. You don't know shit about women and what they like in a man. Take me for instance: I like you. You are fun. Fair. Hard working. Attractive. Friendly. The list goes on."

Tank kept looking down at the ground before he spoke, "OK, if you say so. Now, would you please move away so I'm not staring right at your lady bits?"

"I will when you look at me in the eyes and say 'You are right, Lucy, I am a catch'."

He muttered a few seconds, looked up slowly to my eyes. I could tell his eyes lingered a second on my pubes and boobs.

"You are right, Lucy. I am a catch," he said, "Happy?" he asked as I noted his cock stirring again.

"Yes. Now let's get back to work before that thing gets so big you won't be able to lay flooring," I teased. I started to turn away when I felt a loud smack right on my ass! "You little shit," I cried.

"Deserved it."

"Did not," I retorted, trying to look unhappy. "I was just having fun."

"Well, so was I."

"Oh," I said, "You like it rough, eh?"

"No, not really, but it was fun putting you in your place. Now let's get back to work."

The rest of the afternoon was hard work, plain and simple. No way to sugarcoat it at all. By four thirty or so we were beat. We had done a lot. The wall board was ready for texture, the subflooring was in as well as half of the final flooring. We were quite pleased with how well things had gone. At this rate, Tank told me, we'd be done before the weekend for a job that was potentially a two-week job. You never know with remodels and repairs. Surprises usually turn up, but so far none had for us.

Tank

We wrapped up the day, stored all the tools and flooring inside and took off for home. We dressed at the 'dressing shack' and we drove back to my office. Lucy still needed to get her car. Once we got there we stood outside and talked about the job and a bit more about a local political race which was heating up. Next she talked about her boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, I guess I should say. She was still mad about what had happened but at the same time admitted the relationship was never going to last forever. Finally, she took off and I drove back to my place.

Even though I have a cell phone, my FWB Linda never called it unless it was an emergency. I had an old-styled land line with voice mail which she would use if she wanted to get ahold of me. Usually, her messages were to invite me over. That meant dinner and sex, most of the time. Even though I liked Linda, I had never thought she was angling for anything more than an occasional hook-up. Lucy's comment that Linda might be interested in more was echoing in my mind when I saw the VM light blinking on my set.

"Hey, Tank, I need to see you this evening. Could you please come by sometime after seven?" was the message. It was an odd message. I wondered why she wanted me to come over so late. It meant no dinner, so I fired up the oven and grilled some chicken and whipped up some mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus. I showered and hopped in my truck and arrived at her door around seven-fifteen.

I knocked and was ushered in by a pissed off looking Linda.

"Hi," I smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss on her cheek. She dodged it and pushed me away with her hand. I stared at her perplexed. "Uh, what's wrong?"

"You tell me, Tank. Is there anything wrong?"

"I didn't think so, but apparently there is. What's up?"

"Your hanging out with Lucy, that's what's up."

"Uh, she works for me. We see each other probably four to five days a week. So, yeah, we hang out, I guess."

"I heard you were out drinking with her the other night."

"Yeah, we had a wild day on the job, were a bit late getting back and so I offered to buy her off with a burger and beer. Anything wrong with that?"

"No, but that's not all. Her car was at your office all night. You take her home, Tank?"

"Yeah, I took her home, to her home. And I left her there. She'd had a bit too much to drink and she didn't want to be driving. I took her home and left as soon as she got her front door open. I picked her up this morning, took her to the job site and dropped her off this evening at her car."

"I see."

"Wait. What the fuck is wrong with this picture? You and I have a nice situation, I think. We are independent, have our own lives and occasionally get together for a date, or dinner or sex. Did you ever tell me this was exclusive?"

"No, dammit, Tank, but I thought I'd get a little more respect from you than finding out from my coworker that you were sleeping around."

"I wasn't sleeping around! I dropped her off because she was in no condition to drive. End of story! Now, do you choose to believe me or not?"

Linda paused a few seconds and I noticed a few tears trickling down her cheeks. Then she went on, "Maybe we shouldn't keep this going, you and me."

"Uh, you want to call it quits? Everything?"

"I don't wanna, but I think I gotta. You see, Tank, I thought what we had was special and could potentially lead to something stronger, more long term. And I get the idea you may not think so."

"Well, as I see it, there are two issues on the table. First: Did I sleep with Lucy? The answer is 'Hell no.' We are work colleagues, she's my employee, for God's sake. The fastest way to financial ruin is to sleep with an employee.

"Second: We have not talked about 'us' in a long time. I had no idea you were thinking things might get serious. Look, Linda, I like you. I like you a lot. But we're not at the point that we should be thinking long term, at least in my view."

"Well, that settles it for me. Tank, it's been fun, but I think we need to call it quits."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah, just like that."

I went up to her and reached out for a hug. She folded in my arms and started to bawl. I hate it when women cry. There's nothing you can do to make the situation better and anything you try usually makes it worse. So, I kept my mouth closed and gently held her in my arms. After five or ten minutes she seemed to get ahold of herself and pulled back from me.

"Thanks for the hug, Tank. I'll be OK, really. But I still think it's best we split."

"OK, Lin, I wish you the best."

"Yeah, thanks. We can still be friends if we meet at a party, or something, OK?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's tell people we realized we weren't long term material, OK?"

"Umm-hmm. Sounds good to me. Uh, Tank, thanks for a wonderful time together. I'll miss you, but this is best for both of us."

I reached down, gave her a quick good-bye kiss on her cheek and turned to the door. "Bye, Linda. Take care."

Lucy

Tank was obviously preoccupied the next morning. I asked if everything was OK and he clammed up saying "Yeah" but not anything else. I decided to ignore things and concentrate on our job. Work went fairly well. I was in charge of texturing while he continued with the flooring. Once the flooring was in by late in the day I started on the baseboards while he took measurements and designed a new cabinet.

All of this was done nude or with basic protective gear on. By now it seemed almost normal to strip down when we arrived and to get dressed on our way out. I noticed Tank's erectile issue was fading. In our case familiarity didn't breed contempt but it sure bred a sense of normality.

Once we were back on the highway, I turned to him and asked finally, "What's wrong, Tank. Have I done anything..."?

"No, no way," he interrupted, "Your work is great. I can't imagine a better assistant."

"OK. What's up? Normally you're easy to get along with, funny. Today you've been a grouch."

"Personal things, that's all."

"Care to explain?" I asked and he failed to say anything. After a few minutes I decided to push on. "Problem with Linda?"

"Huh? You could say that."

"What?"

"Actually, no problem at all. We aren't seeing each other anymore."

"Oh, Tank! I'm so sorry to hear it, really. Care to talk about it?"

"Not really. Seems you were right. She was pissed when she thought you were spending the night with me and when I reassured her, well, she went on saying things about us together in the future, you know. I guess I let her know I didn't think of her in those terms, so she booted me."

I wanted so much to say 'I told you so' but I knew better than to kick a man when he's down. We rode along in silence a few more minutes when he asked, "Aren't you gonna tell me you told me so?"

"No, Tank," I said as I lay my hand on his right forearm, "There's nothing I can say that will make things better for you, except to say I'm sorry it worked out that way."

"Thanks. 'preciate it."

Once back at the office I got into my car and as I glanced one final time at him, I saw the face of a truly sad guy. I hopped back out of my car and flagged him down.

"What's up, Luce?"

"Uh, I, uh....well it seems we both are suddenly single. I'm not coming onto you, but would you like to try my cooking tonight. Maybe have a brew and hang out?"

"Yeah, I could do that. Otherwise, I'll nuke a TV dinner and feel sorry for myself. What time?"

"Any time. I'll thaw some chicken and we can bar-b-q it, add some slaw and beans. OK?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Oh, beer's on you," I laughed and for the first time all day he cracked a smile.

I pulled some chicken thighs out of the freezer and defrosted them in the microwave while I showered quickly. I pulled on a nice pair of jeans and a simple T-shirt. I didn't think about it at the time, but later I realized I hadn't put on a bra. I hate the damn things and it is so nice to go without that I rarely wear them once I am home. And of course, I hadn't worn one all day.

Tank

About an hour after we split at the office, I pulled into Lucy's place with a six-pack of a local brewery's sampler pack. I had quickly showered and even put on a nice shirt over my newer jeans. I hopped over to her porch and knocked.

"Hi, Tank. Come in," she smiled and ushered me inside. I had been there once or twice before, but this was the first time I'd be staying for any time. She had it nicely fixed up, the furniture was used but clean and she had obviously painted recently.

"Nice place, Luce. Who did your painting?" I teased.

"I happen to know how much painters charge and so I took some of my new skills to do it myself. Look OK?"

"No, yeah, looks great. You better not be planning on branching out and competing against me," I laughed.

"Not a chance of that. You get all the paperwork and tax headaches and I get to just work," she said as she turned to me from the kitchen.

Then I saw it, or rather them. She had no bra on; that I was certain of. Her nipples poked out and seemed to tease me as she walked and leaned over the table. And her breasts looked so good. I couldn't believe what my mind was doing. All day we were naked or nearly naked and working side-by-side and I was able to finally ignore our nudity. But here, I was attracted to a pair of minimally cover tits! Oh, how crazy was that?

She went back in the kitchen and I followed her and opened the beers with a bottle opener she tossed my way. I held mine up to hers and offered, "Cheers!"

She replied 'Cheers' and took a long swallow. With her head turned up I could see her neck which seemed to be quite enticing in its own way.

"Ahh, nice brew. Thanks."

"No prob. Thanks for the invite for dinner."

Once the meal was ready, we went over and ate at a little table which barely had room for two. Our conversation was mainly about the job and some future potential bids. We also told each other a bit about ourselves. I knew she had a family back east, but that night she told me for the first time her mother was upset at Lucy's career choice.

"She thinks I can do so much 'better' than this," she said, "But I've told her I'm happy, supporting myself and paying taxes. At least I'm not on the dole, using or turning tricks."

"What about your dad?"

"I think secretly he's envious. He always liked tinkering in his shop. Maybe that's where I got my love for this kind of work. Dunno. What about you?"

"My father was never in the picture. Mom struggled when I was young and then met a great guy when I was ten or so. It took me a long time to not hate him and to accept him. I think it was while I was in the service that I finally realized what a great person he is. We try to go hunting each fall, just the two of us. Honestly, it doesn't matter if we get anything. The time together is what counts."

"Your mom?"

"Great lady. Very supportive when I was growing up. I know I was a shit to her when Bill came along, but she's forgiven me by now. I tell her every chance I get how lucky she is and how happy I am for the two of them."

We chatted a bit until I realized it was getting close to ten and I needed some shut-eye. When I left, she stood halfway behind the door, holding the handle and smiling a tiny bit. As I got into my truck it hit me: that posture and her look suggested someone who didn't want me to leave. I wondered about it as I drove home and crashed as soon as I could.

Lucy

When I went to bed, I realized I had totally enjoyed Tank's visit. He was nice and seemed to have his head screwed on straight when it came to his less-than-ideal childhood. And he was easy on the eyes. I had to laugh to myself. I had seen him naked most of the day but when he came over wearing a nice shirt with snug jeans, I looked at him in a new light. It took me awhile to fall asleep as I thought about him.

The next morning, we met at the office and, as usual, he drove us over to the job site. Hopping out at the dressing cabin happened without any hesitation. By then we had gotten used to stripping down. As we drove down the road to the cabin, I glanced over at him through the corner of my eye. I had seen his cock before, several times, and frequently when it was erect. But on that morning, I realized I liked it. Nice size, nice shape, uncircumcised. And, thank God, he wasn't manscaped. A sudden thought ran through my mind: I wanted to taste it.

Whoa! Where had that come from? He was my boss and had never stepped over the line with me. But still, the thought lingered until we pulled up to the cabin.

Work was pretty straight forward. I finished the baseboards, caulked them and laid a primer coat over everything. Tank pulled out his table saw and finished most of the new cabinet. We agreed with any luck we'd be able to finish the painting the next day and hopefully stain the cabinet. Then one more day for final touch-ups and we'd be done. And a few days early. Yoo-hoo! I was looking forward to a few days off.

Several times during the day I looked over at him while he was working. I had always liked how he looked and, of course, I'd already seen him naked. But there was something different. Was it my new status as single? Our comfortable evening the night before? I didn't know, but there was something nice about watching him work. I could see his brawny muscles ripple and flex as he picked up wood and ran it through the saw.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, surprising me out of a bit of a daydream.

"Uh, nothing," I answered lamely.

"So, I'm nothing, am I?" he teased.

"You know what I mean. I was just watching you ripping the cedar plank."

"Nice save, Luce. Nice save," he grinned at me.

Around four we called it quits and packed things up. I was nearly finished with my work while he still had a few hours to finish and stain the cabinet. On the way home, he volunteered to finish my work and suggested I take the next day off. When we were close to town, he got a call from an older woman who needed some wallboard repaired and painted. Apparently, her drug-abusing son came in higher than a kite and tried to get her to give him money. When she refused and called the cops, he went ballistic and smashed a hole in her wall. Tank turned and watched me as he spoke to her and I heard him say he would send out his assistant to do an assessment. While I was bummed I wouldn't get the whole day off, I was pleased he'd let me do the evaluation.

Once he hung up, I said, "You're so mean. Give me the day off but you still make me work."

"Hey, it will take you five minutes to say 'Hi,' measure the hole and give her an estimate."

"Oh, sure," I pretended to pout, "While you do real work, I get to hold the little old lady's hand."

He didn't understand I was teasing him so he launched into a mini-lecture of how the process of seeing the client first was so important, yada, yada, yada.

He finished up his little spiel as we pulled up and I started to laugh at him. "You bozo, don't know when I'm teasing you?"

He looked kind of sheepish and grinned. "You little shit, you had me there."

"Good. Lucy one, Tank zero," I teased further. "I'd be glad to help out. I can visit her in the morning and get the rest of the day off. And thanks for trusting me with this, I mean it," I said as I reached across the console and squeezed his arm.

"Yeah, sure. No problem and you're helping me out. I want you to do the whole estimate right there. Figure it out. Wallboard and spackle cost nothing, we've got lots of both. The texture stuff comes in a can and we have a little bit left over from this job. You'll need to figure a quart of paint to cover the wall to the corners, that'll be twenty bucks. Figure in your time and do the math. And when you've come up with a figure, take a look around. Is she doing ok? Have money? Or is her dead-beat son bleeding her dry? And if you have any doubt about her financial status, charge her for the supplies and forget the labor.

"Tank? Are you serious? That's so nice," I said as we got out of the rig.

"Yeah, I guess. But I'll still pay you for your labor."