Shade, Sun, and Neighbors

William and I were in our mid-twenties and had been married only two years when we moved into our first home, a place well out in the country and away from the city and suburbs. The open countryside may have appealed to us because of our mutual shyness. Neither of us had brothers or sisters, and when we had met on the intramural soccer fields at the state university, we were both the kind of player who came along only because a friend had dragged us there.

Of course, I was glad that I joined the team because, at the time, I had dated a bit, but I had no real sexual involvements. Experiences with William, therefore, became my "firsts," and I was happy to know that they were "firsts" for William as well. My sexual curiosity may have been stronger only because William at least got to see women nude in movies. Even famous stars with cute, girl-next-door images sometimes appeared in the nude, but we all know that the male stars almost never give us women in the audience similar satisfaction. For that, I had William, and together as lovers, we satisfied a great deal of pent up curiosity. Which is not to say that we lacked curiosity about more.

After graduation, we both found interesting jobs that, if they did not make us rich, allowed us to look for a home in the country. The property we found covered four acres, although less than half of it was the yard around the house, and the rest was wooded and overgrown. Along the rural route, the hills rolled, but only a few of those hills leveled off enough to make for good settings for a house, so our place and one other seemed quite isolated. Not that we cared.

The neighbors, another couple who, the real estate agent told us, were in their young forties, lived about a hundred yards away. Behind and a short distance from the houses, the two yards were separated by a line of dense bushes, but nearer to the back patios that each had, there was a lower fence that was covered with vines, except for one break for a gate. We noticed when we were first looking at the house that this vegetation prevented anyone's seeing into the other yard, unless one came over to the gate. From the upstairs windows, however, each house had a mostly clear view into the back yard of the other.

And when we looked from one of those windows, the first thing we noticed about the other property was its in-ground swimming pool next to the patio in a yard that was otherwise open to the sun. Our prospective yard, on the other hand, had a smaller patio with a low brick wall and more shade because of a few mature trees.

The real estate agent noticed our envious looks and said, "I should give you fair warning about the pool." I thought she was going to tell us that the neighbors were unfriendly and would probably never invite us over for a swim, but I was wrong. Instead, she told us, "I don't know exactly how to put this, but the couple next door are somewhat wild." We did not know exactly what she meant by that and asked her to explain. She seemed reluctant, but finally said, "Well, the former occupants informed me that those two are nudists. It's springtime now, and the weather will only be getting warmer, so you should expect they might often be using their pool and yard for soaking up the sun."

I would not say that William and I were prudes regarding other people's behavior, but we were obviously not that adventurous ourselves. When we honeymooned in Europe, on one of the beaches along Spain's Costa Brava, a lot of women were sunbathing topless. As for me, I thought I was already showing more than I ever thought I would in a bikini that William bought for me. Only half-seriously, he tried to talk me into removing my top while we were there. I allowed him to undo the strings on my top as I was lying on my stomach and even allowed him to pull it away from beneath me, but I remained on my stomach.

William wanted to take a few photos, and this pose would make it look as if I were more daring than I really was. He pretended to plead with me to turn over, more in a teasing manner than otherwise. Besides, as he knew, I did not want to bare myself that way, not only because I was shy, but also because I was self-conscious about what I considered to be a skinny body, especially my small breasts. If I were sitting up, my breasts would appear no larger than small lemons, so lying on my back, I would have appeared almost completely flat-chested. William always said my body may have been thin, but my long, legs (I'm 5'9", same height as William) were so slender that my bottom appeared nicely shaped. And about my tiny breasts, he said they were lovely and, besides, my areolas were wide and dark pink, making my slightly upturned nipples a special feature that more than compensated for the very modest size of by breasts.

When he pleaded, half joking, I responded, "Do you think my mother and father gave us that digital camera so you could take nude pictures of their only daughter?"

"Well, they're not here, so let's take the pictures now, and we can ask them later." We both laughed, and William never really tried to pressure me into anything I didn't want to do. He was so sweet, so finally, when it was time to go back to our room, I suggested a compromise: I would sit up to put my top back on, but he could not take my picture.

Before I sat up, I hastily checked to see that no one was looking our way, and then I did it as quickly as I could. As I was tying the string behind my neck, I was embarrassed to notice a man smiling at me, making me wonder if he was pleased by the brief show I might have given him. To William, it only added to his thrill. We never saw that man again during our stay, and I had to admit that I was not really that upset over maybe letting him see my breasts. Whenever William and I recalled the incident, we laughed.

That afternoon a couple years later when we toured the vacant house, this memory of the beach probably occurred to William just as it did to me, although neither of us mentioned it at the time. We did not decide anything that day, but neither did we tell the real estate agent that we were not interested in the house.

Other available houses that we looked at were in other counties that were closer to the city. Their prices were therefore higher, and they were more likely to be engulfed by encroaching suburbs sooner rather than later.

We talked it over. As William pointed out, the real estate agent never said anything that would suggest the neighbors would be dangerous perverts, and the house was in all other respects ideal for what we wanted. What neither of us said in this discussion regarding the house was that we were curious about the neighbors, curious about their boldness. So we bought it.

When we took possession of the house, we spent part of the afternoon just walking around the property and getting acquainted with the surrounding woods. Returning to the house, we were greeted by our new neighbors from the gate. They had heard of our buying the house and then had noticed the activity next door. We were pleased to meet them, and I was relieved to see that they were dressed that day. I was anxious about meeting them and trying not to react in an embarrassing way, and I thought I would need to prepare myself for the encounter. Their sudden introduction got me over any anxiety.

Still, I did look at Carrie and Steve in a different way. More average in height, she had a fit appearance, fair hair and skin, some freckles and a pretty face and smile. Steve was tall, similarly slim and more tanned than his wife. As we talked, I tried not to think of them without their clothes, but I admit I did wonder, and afterward, William admitted the same.

It was several days later when we finally moved in, and the neighbors made no appearances then. Later, we would learn that they were vacationing in the Caribbean. In any case, we had plenty to do while settling in.

I did not see either of them until a couple of weeks later. William was gone for a few days on business, and I was in an upstairs room at the computer, writing and editing various articles. I looked up once and saw Carrie in the yard. She had a watering can and was going around the patio and pool to each of several potted plants. She was wearing a hat, a bikini bottom, and nothing else. I was taken by the ease of her manner because she looked so casual and comfortable.

She certainly had nothing to be shy about: her breasts were nicely rounded and, perhaps not able to pass the pencil test anymore, still attractively firm enough to give me a pang of envy. As I watched her, I imagined that William would be sad to have missed seeing her, and that thought made me wonder whether Steve would be out there as well. Not that morning, I guessed, once Carrie had gone back inside and did not return.

At lunchtime, I took my salad out on the patio to enjoy the fresh air. I ate and then leaned back and closed my eyes, feeling the warm breeze. Carrie's voice made me sit up. She was at the gate, calling hello. I got up and walked over to her. She was saying that she hoped we were getting settled well in our new home. I told her that we loved the house and yard, but as we went on talking, I was having trouble concentrating. Up close, I could see that her freckles went down over her breasts and around her pale nipples. I could see because she was still topless.

In fact, she brought it up when she must have noticed my looking at her. Or my trying not to look at her. Carrie said she was glad to see me alone because she wanted to talk to me. She did not know what the real estate agent had told us, and she said, "Linda, I guess you've seen how I take advantage of the isolation here. I just hope that you and William won't think that we're strange, but Steve and I, well, we both enjoy nudism. If that upsets you guys, we would do whatever we can so as not to offend."

"Oh, we don't think you're strange. It's just something different, something we're not used to." I then told her about my brief exposure on the Spanish beach.

Carrie laughed and said, "If you were with us last week in the Caribbean, you could have looked right back at that man and seen more of him. Down there, people on the beaches are fully nude."

"Oh, I don't think I wanted him to see more of me, though."

"I don't know why you say that," Carrie replied. "You look like you would make quite the bathing beauty on the beach." I just blushed and said nothing, and she went on, "Anyway, if you think you see too much of us, you just say the word. We don't want to get off on the wrong foot with our new neighbors. And by the way, if you guys think a dip in the pool would sound great some time, feel free to come over and get in. With or without swimsuits, you're welcome. In fact, if you feel like a break, why don't you come over right now? Steve's at work."

It was a bit warm in the sun, but I was not ready to jump in, as it were. "I should really get back to work for another hour or two."

Carrie immediately picked up on the opening I'd left, saying, "That sounds fine. In another hour or two, it will be hotter and the water will feel all the better. So, see you around three? Just come on over."

I told her okay, but as I was going back to my desk upstairs, I was wondering how I could get out of going. Or what I would do if I did go. Not much work got done that afternoon, and as three o'clock approached, I found myself heading downstairs, pausing to get a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, and then walking across the patio and over to the gate. Like my soccer participation, this visit was more to please a friend, although I felt that I really wanted to be her friend. Carrie was just coming out onto the patio as I walked up. She had a robe on.

"Glad you could make it. Since it's just us girls now, is it okay with you if I just forget my bikini altogether?"

"Oh, no, I don't mind. It's your pool. Whatever makes you comfortable." Not that I was all that comfortable myself, mind you.

With that, she opened and dropped her robe on a chair. Carrie's fair skin must have been susceptible to sunburn easily, so she did not have much a tan, but no tan lines either. I also could not help but notice how densely curled her pubic hair was. Given its strawberry blonde color, from a distance it might have been difficult to tell that she had any pubic hair at all.

As I was thinking that William would be sorry to miss this show, Carrie said, "So, what do you say we get in the water?" That's when I realized that, in another sense, I had forgotten my swimsuit too. Like an idiot, I just walked over, and now I didn't know what I was going to say to Carrie.

I stammered, "You won't believe this, but I forgot to put on my suit before coming over here. I don't know where my mind is these days."

"Don't worry. It's not like this pool has any requirements regarding proper attire. If you really want to, you can go get your suit, but feel free to just hang your things over a chair and join me in the best way to swim."

I did not want to look as though I was uptight, and neither of our husbands was present to see. Still, it was a challenge, being outside and with someone I had not known that long. Carrie waded into the pool, as if to give me a bit more room to make up my mind. And to get undressed if I chose to do so.

I moved toward the edge of the patio, as if to go back home, and then I stopped and stepped closer to the house. It just felt a little more out of sight there, and I kicked off my sandals and started to take off my clothes. Since I was not wearing a bra, I unbuttoned my shorts first and stepped out of them. I was turned sort of sideways, not wanting to be so shy as to turn completely away from Carrie, but also not so brave as to face her directly. Pulling my shirt over my head, I took a quick glance to see if she was watching me, but I could not look out in her direction long enough: once I had my shirt off and suddenly felt the breeze on my nipples, all I could do was look down at myself and wonder if I could go any further. For a moment, I thought that I might keep my panties on, and in the next moment I realized how foolish that would look. My string bikini panties, supposedly for William's eyes only, were so thin in the front as well as the back as to be see-through, and they would practically disappear when wet. I set my shirt down on the chair, took a breath, hooked my thumbs in the string of my panties, and slowly eased them down. Stepping out of them left me with an entirely new sensation, one that I was not sure I was enjoying.

Carrie called out, "You look ready. Come on in, the water's fine." As I walked over to the pool's edge and waded down the steps into the water, I noticed that Carrie was not looking away now. There was nowhere else to go, however, but into the water where I could feel somewhat less on display. "I knew you had nothing to be shy about," Carrie told me. "Lots of women would kill for that shape you have. Anyway, now you're here, so let's enjoy the water."

We swam and talked about all kinds of things, but not about nudism, and pretty soon I was less self-conscious. Carrie got out once to answer a phone call, and I felt comfortable looking at her body as she stood talking. As if to return the favor, I got out of the pool and forced myself to stand casually, facing her as I sipped on my water and applied sun tan lotion to myself. I thought it was like being with a sister with whom I shared a room, not that I really knew how often such sisters might be casually nude together. She said, "Your skin should tan better than mine ever would. Use the lower SPF stuff and lay out on one of the loungers. An all-over tan will give William a nice surprise when he gets home."

I did as she suggested and even lay on my back for a while. She got out and joined me, but pulled her chair into the shade from the house. We continued talking, and I turned over onto my stomach so that I could lie there facing her as we spoke. Our conversation drifted, and the warm sun made me a little drowsy. I guess I soon drifted too, off to a light nap.

What woke me was the sound of Steve's voice. Carrie was back in the pool, asking him how work how been that day, and he was answering her. I stirred a bit, a little disoriented, and Steve said, "Hi, Linda. I see that Carrie has introduced you to our pool's customs."

I glanced up, suddenly aware of exactly how I looked to him: my clothes were well out of reach, and forever how long he had been there he was able to take a lingering look at my nude body, especially my bare bottom. I think that was all he could see because I was hugging myself to the lounger and trying to act unfazed. That act was getting to be more difficult, however. Not only was I so exposed to him, he was taking off his own clothes too. "That water looks so good. Mind if I join you?"

I tried not to stare just as much as I tried not to show more of my body to him. Even so, I could not resist watching as he finished undressing. He slid out of his briefs (cute, low-cut black ones), displaying an evenly tanned and slender bottom. Before he got in the water, he put sunscreen on his shoulders and arms, all the time standing in front of me, completely casual about my plain view of his sun-bleached pubic hair and his penis. Aside from William's, it was only the second penis I had ever seen, and I noticed that it looked slender, like the rest of Steve's body.

I remembered what Carrie had said about being able to look back at that man on the beach, and maybe I was beginning to get her point. But what I liked was getting to see what Steve looked like in the nude, not that I was also nude.

Finally he got in the water and started swimming around. I watched carefully for an opportunity, and when, headed in the other direction, he dove under the water one time, I jumped up and ran to the chair where I had put my clothes. I tried to keep my back turned, although in my hurry, I put my shirt on first, leaving my bottom on display that much longer. At least I realized that I would not need to put my panties on and quickly pulled my shorts up. No doubt, I must have looked rather panicky as I told them what a nice afternoon it had been but that I had to get home.

Once in the house, I calmed down and caught my breath. It had been quite an afternoon of new experiences, and I was wondering how I would tell William about it. I went back to my desk upstairs, and about an hour later, William called. He asked how things were, and I said, "You won't believe this, but I'm looking out the window right now at Carrie and Steve's pool, and they're swimming in the nude."

But that's all I told him then.