The Loves of a Summer Lifeguard

After a fifteen minute rest, Tyler was back in the water. Brooke joined him for more laps. This time she used only her legs to kick the distance. At the end of another hour, the muscles of her abdomen felt like a bear trap had been snapped on them. Her glutes were howling in protest, too. She and Tyler took another break.

Other lifeguards were arriving by this time. Zinc-nosed Rowan showed up, giving instructions to any guard just sitting around. Cousin Rue arrived, and sat next to Tyler and Brooke at the edge of the pool.

"Ooh!" she said. "That's chilly!" Goosebumps speckled her long, thin legs, and she shivered.

"It's fine when you get moving in the water," Brooke told her. "But I'm done now."

"Did I say you were done?" said Tyler, lying on his back, his arms outstretched.

"You better say I'm done," Brooke teased. Both she and Tyler were short of breath.

Rowan found them and came over.

"Two lifeguards with nothing to do? Is that right, Rue? Brooke? I can find something for you both to do."

"Don't be a jerk," Tyler said.

"I see what the problem is. The concession guy is distracting you. Shouldn't you be in your little store, Mr. Concession guy? Don't you have to start boiling hot dogs and popping popcorn? Opening day is always a big crowd."

"I have time, Rowan, so just go away. We're talking."

"I can't have my lifeguards distracted by lower level employees who don't have the same responsibility that the guards do, you know? These girls have to save lives. You just have to count change."

"I'm on the constant alert for botulism, too, Rowan. Wouldn't want one of those hot dogs to tear up your delicate insides, now, would we?"

The girls were giggling at the gibes the two young men threw at each other. Tyler began to get the better of the arguing, so Rowan turned his attention to the girls.

"Rue, take off the jacket. I want to see how your suit fits. To see if it needs adjustment."

Rue janked each sleeve off and let the jacket slump around her half-exposed rear.

"Of course it needs adjustment. It's too small, you pervert. I have dance leotards that provide more modesty. Where did you buy these things? Victoria Secret?"

Rowan blushed behind his sunglasses.

"Where is yours, Brooke? You're not wearing your official lifeguard uniform."

"I still have time to change. And my suit is too small, too. Half my butt is exposed. That can't be very family friendly. Wait until Archie Locke sees those suits."

"Archie will probably have a heart attack," Tyler said.

Rowan's face was red with anger by now. He still had his sunglasses on, his zinc on his nose, and a visor on his head, but his cheeks were red as a sunburn.

"Those suits are approved by the NCAA! They are the same ones worn by the Olympic athletes."

"Oh, yeah?" Tyler said. "What Olympic team wore those? The Munchkins?"

Brooke and Rue tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. It would not turn out well to antagonize the head lifeguard, especially when it was Rowan.

"Go!" Rowan said. "No more fraternization. Lifeguards will keep to their area, and concession boys will stay behind out of the deck area. I can't have you distracting them from their duties, Tyler. Understand?" He stomped off to the life guard room. He turned around to call back to the two women with Tyler.

"Coming? Now!"

Rue gave Tyler a kiss on the cheek, then tucked her legs under her, and stood up in one fluid motion. She took a moment to pull the edges of her suit in an attempt to cover her convex hips. The suit just wouldn't stretch that far.

"You watch," she said in frustration. "By the end of the day, this suit will be half way up my ass."

"Don't forget the tanning lotion back there," Tyler teased.

Brooke wanted to lean over and give Tyler a quick kiss on the cheek like Rue had, but she was still embarrassed around him. She got up, a lot less gracefully than Rue. Her body was just beginning to complain about the workout she had done. She relished the pain, because it had been such a long time since she had worked that diligently. She liked the way her body tingled and ached after a good workout.

Tyler stretched out his hand to her. He needed a hand to get up. His body must be complaining a bit, too. Brooke pulled him to a standing position. He hopped on his good foot a bit until he had his balance.

"Thanks, Brooke. I still have to work on that standing up from a crouched position. You did great, today. Good luck on your first day. Don't let anyone push you around, and don't let anyone get hurt with horseplay."

"Not much chance of that. Rowan has banished me to the kiddy pool for most of the day."

"Kids can still be hurt in water no deeper than a wading pool, so don't take it lightly."

"I won't. Thanks, Tyler. Tomorrow?"

"Same time, same place. You did great."

Brooke smiled, and turned to walk away.

"Whoa!" Tyler said. "Hold on. Don't I get a quick hug?"

Brooke gave a pleased smile.

"I thought Rowan was the only pervert around here."

Tyler's shoulders sagged. He really might need a friendly hug.

"Oh, alright. Come here."

Brooke and he hugged, clapping each other on the back like long time friends. It only lasted a few seconds, but Brooke noticed how firm his shoulders and back felt, how tightly his arms held her, and how insistent his thighs were next to hers. Her mouth went dry, and she had trouble swallowing.

"Tomorrow, Brooke."

Brooke stammered. "S-s-sure."

The first thirty days at the pool flew by for Brooke. The weather warmed up, the crowds never diminished, and she only had to guard the kiddy pool on occasion. It seemed the lifeguard suits Rowan chose were a big hit, attracting lots of teenage boys, who in turn attracted teenage girls. There were a few complaints that the suits were indecent, but that kind of rumor just made the pool more attractive. The new female guards were soon operating with the confidence and skill of the experienced guards. Rowan's management technique was remarkably hands off, letting the operation of the pool cruise along on auto-pilot. Brooke wasn't fooled though. The real tests always occurred during times of crisis. The first thirty days were crisis free, and everyone expected and hoped that the rest of the summer would proceed the same way.

Brooke kept working out with Tyler. After thirty days, he had lost the limp, although the scars on his right foot were still disconcerting to see. Rue kept dancing during her off hours, and at the end of thirty days, landed a job performing in a regional theater beginning in September. There would be practices before that in late August. She admitted she was playing in Carousel, although she wouldn't tell anyone the role she had. Brooke thought she should be proud of any role, even the roles of the backup dancers, of which there were quite a few in a Rogers and Hammerstein musical.

Rue and Brooke walked around the pool together, one keeping an eye on the water, the other on the activities occurring on the concrete deck. With all the additional teenagers coming, there was a danger that they might sneak in alcohol or weed, or that they might get a little too handsy, friendly, and frisky. That would be fine once they were in college, but not in a family pool. Still, both Rue and Brooke found the job easy after they fell into the routine.

"Thinking about the theater?" Brooke asked, when she caught Rue performing dance steps or humming to herself.

"Of course," she said. "I can't stop thinking about it. You'll come, won't you?"

Brooke hesitated. She would be back in school in early September, and wasn't sure she would be back before the show's run ended. In addition, she was eager to get back to school to see Dennis.

"I really would like to come, Rue, but I may be back at school. I know you'll do great though. Just send me a copy of all the rave reviews that the show gets."

Rue smirked. "Well, maybe you can come to a rehearsal. I could use the support."

"Sure, I'd love to come. Let me know when."

"I may have to sneak you in. But it would be a big help to get your opinion."

"Sure, Rue. I'll be there if I can."

Rue nodded as though she couldn't quite believe that Brooke would ever show up, either for the show or rehearsal. She changed the subject.

"What do you hear from Dennis? Has he neutered all the fish yet?" Rue teased.

"He's wonderful! The lab results are all that he had been hoping for. They had a break-through just this week. He wished I were there to help them celebrate. He sounded pretty wasted when I talked to him. I would have liked to see that!"

Rue looked at Brooke. "What? He doesn't party?"

"Well, he doesn't usually party. He's a doctoral candidate, and most of his energy is taken up with research and writing. He expects to give his dissertation before the end of the year. So, I guess the break-through was something he needed to celebrate."

A pair of young friends huddling under a blanket caught their attention. Rue helped to position them so as not to embarrass any other patrons. The girl blushed, while the guy was more belligerent. Brooke put her arm around the girl as she led her toward the concession area.

"It's okay," Brooke told the girl. "What you're feeling is normal, and powerful. You have to keep it under control when you're in public, though. Not everyone is comfortable with public displays of affection. And you don't want to get into a situation that will compromise your good judgment."

The girl pulled away. "Who are you, my mother? Leave me alone."

She stomped away and into the women's showers. The boy who had been with her chuckled when he saw the girl leave. "Take that!" he said to Rue, hunching his shoulders and rocking side to side.

"Relax, Casanova. This was a warning. I see you harassing anyone again, and you'll be thrown out. Got it?"

The boy shrugged, and plopped down on a blue pastel board, scanning the crowd for other friends.

Rue came back to Brooke. "Were we that obnoxious at their age?"

"Not me," said Brooke. "I was perfect. Ask anyone but my dad." They both laughed at that.

"All that exercise is paying off, Brooke. You're looking hot! Dennis should go nuts the next time he sees you."

Brooke smiled. It was the kind of reaction from Dennis that she would love to create.

"I think you deserve a reward, Brooke. When I hit my goal plateaus, I treat myself. I think you should treat yourself to a gift. And I know just the thing."

Brooke looked at her suspiciously. "I don't know. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I've noticed that the black suit you've been wearing to swim laps with Tyler has been looking a little loose on you. So, what about getting yourself a new swim suit? I'll help you pick it out. And not a one piece. You want to knock Dennis's eyes out, right? We'll get just the perfect little bikini for you. What do you say? Please?"

Brooke felt a little shocked and put on the spot. And yet, there was a tingle in her insides that told her that this might be a daring thing, but it was something that she should do. It gave her a thrill to think of the reaction it might garner from Dennis.

"I don't know," she said, but without much conviction.

"I need a new suit, too. So, it's settled. I'll meet you tonight after work, and we'll go shopping for some swim suits that will set tongues wagging."

Rue hugged Brooke and broke away before she could reject the idea. "Love you," Rue said, waving her hand as she climbed the lifeguard's chair for her next stint.

Brooke shook her head. Things were simpler when she was a teenager. Now, she was an adult, and there were adult expectations of her. She was a grown woman now, with a curvy body that she hoped Dennis would absolutely adore. Of course, if he never saw it, how could he appreciate it? The last time he saw her, she was a chubby coed. She had changed, and it was time she acted like the sexual being she was becoming. That's what men liked, right?

Thoughts tumbled in her head, reasons to object to the shopping Rue had planned, and doubts about Dennis's reaction to her overt sexuality worried her as she took her own lifeguard post.

Brooke and Rue rarely had the same days off, so it was fortuitous that the next week they both were off on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rue set Tuesday as the day for shopping. She was at Brooke's house before nine in the morning.

"Come on, sleepy head! We have suits to buy."

It did no good for Brooke to turnover in bed. Rue was sitting on the edge, bouncing to get her awake.

"Who let you in? Is it morning?"

"Of course, it's morning. A beautiful day!" Rue stretched her arms over her head and arched her back.

"I let her in, Brooke." Her father, a tall, dark Irishman who ran a construction company, still looked handsome in his late forties. Not handsome like Tyler, or even like Dennis, but since the death of Brooke's mom three years ago, Brooke knew he had been pursued by several women hoping to make him their trophy husband. He had a broad smile. His face was tanned from working outside. His tanned arms were powerful, and his frame was muscular. But his best attribute was that he cared so deeply for Brooke, wanting only the best for his little girl.

"Come on, Brooke. Get up. Introduce me to you little friend."

Rue started at his description of her, and turned her narrowed eyes to the man in the doorway. When she stood up, she was nearly as tall as Brooke's father. She wore shorts that displayed all of her tawny, lithe legs, and a flimsy blouse that showed how narrow her arms were. Her posture was impeccable, though.

Brooke rubbed her ginger mop of hair furiously, and smacked her sleep-dried lips. "I'm up. Take it easy. I'm up, Rue. I'm up, Dad."

Brooke lurched toward the bathroom connected to her bedroom. Before leaving, she introduced them.

"Dad. Dad, this is Rue, my friend from work. She's a lifeguard at the pool, too. And she's a dancer. Maybe that's why you think she's 'little.' Rue, this is my Dad. He's usually more hospitable than this. Since my mom passed, we're all either of us have."

Rue stretched out her long, thin arm. "Pleased to meet you."

He grasped her hand in his own large paw. "Likewise."

Rue winced and pulled her hand back, shaking it.

"Sorry," he said. "I don't know my own strength some times."

Rue shook her head, smiling prettily at him. "It's okay."

"Can I get you some coffee while Brooke gets ready?" he asked. "I just finished making some downstairs."

Rue shrugged, still smiling. "Sure," she said, and followed him downstairs.

Brooke had watched all this with a quizzical look on her face. She wanted to shake her impressions off, because after all, he was old enough to be Rue's father. And Rue, well, she was too darned thin to appeal to her husky Dad. Wasn't she?

Brooke took the quickest shower in her life, threw on a blouse and a pair of shorts that showed a much leg as Rue, and danced down the stairs. The smell of coffee filled the downstairs. But what unsettled Brooke was the amount of laughter coming from the kitchen.

"What's so funny?" she asked, maybe more harshly than she meant.

Rue answered. "Don't you tell your Dad anything about what goes on at work?"

Her Dad shook his head. "That Rowan sounds like a real tool." He smiled at Rue, and she smiled back at him.

"We're going shopping, Dad. It's our day off. Will you be back for supper tonight?"

"I'll make it a point, Brooke. I don't know what we'll have — something ordered out. But neither Brooke nor I have been poisoned yet. Rue, will you be able to join us?"

Rue blushed. Brooke was appalled. Rue had blushed! She never blushed.

"We'd better get going, Rue," Brooke said, helping her to stand up.

"I'd love to come tonight. Okay, Brooke?"

Brooke looked puzzled.

"Then, it's settled. I'll see you two tonight. Brooke, honey, love you. Rue, I'll look forward to some more work stories tonight. And Brooke, ..."

Brooke stood, weight on one leg, her hands on her hips, slightly confrontational.

"What, Dad?"

"Aren't those shorts a little... short?"

"No shorter than Rue's, Dad. Have you seen Rue's shorts?"

Now, both Brooke's Dad and Rue blushed. Brooke grabbed Rue's arm and dragged her out of the house.

"What were you doing, Rue? That's my father. He's not someone to be telling work stories. You didn't tell him about Rowan's uniform distribution on the first day, did you?"

"No! But, don't you think he should know? He really wants you to be safe. He cares about you. It must be nice to have someone who gives a damn about you. Even about what you wear."

"He can be sweet, but he's also a pain in the ass. Overprotective, you know. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to have a date with him always looking after me. Now, let's get going."

Suits were half off since the summer was half over. Rue picked out a few bikinis for herself that seemed more string than fabric. Then she found a neon lime green thong bikini, and offered it to Brooke.

"I can't wear that!" she said, gasping.

In response, Rue showed Brooke the suits that she was holding. One in particular seemed to be Rue's favorite. It was just three pink triangles strung together by light blue cords.

"That won't cover you at all," Brooke said.

"I don't want it to cover me. I want it to reveal me. Okay? It's freeing!"

Rue tried it on, and Brooke was right. It didn't cover much of Rue at all. The bottom triangle barely covered her pubis. The blue cord rode so low on her hips that it was nearly at the level of her leg. From behind, there was nothing to hide her shapely ass. The cord disappeared between her glutes. The top triangles had to be adjusted, not to cover her smallish breasts, because they failed at that. They had to be adjusted so that her brown areolae weren't peeking out. The outline of her current bikini was visible, showing patches of white breast, ass, and lower abdomen.

Rue looked at herself in the mirror, swiveling side to side, looking over her shoulder to see that her ass was exposed so completely.

"What do you think, Brooke?"

"I'm shocked."

"Good. I love it. I'll take it. Now for your suit."

Brooke had been leaning toward a more traditional kind of bikini. The top fully covered her breasts, and the bottoms hugged her butt and was plastered against her skin up to just below her navel, in her favorite color for swimsuits, black. She showed Rue, who looked shocked and disappointed. Then Rue frowned.

"Nuh, uh. Nope. No way," she said, shaking her head. "Why do you want to wear your grandmother's swimsuit? Come on! Get into this century."

"I can't wear that bit of nothing you bought. It's not me. My body is not a dancer's body."

"Your body is wonderful, Brooke. You have curves at your hips that make your waist look tiny. Your boobs look soft like pillows. I bet dozens of those boys back at college would love to take a nap on those soft mounds."

"Stop," Brooke said, turning red.

"I'll never have hips like yours. I have bones and cartilage. You can see my bones at my hips, on my legs, on my arms. You have softness, everywhere. You're right, you can't wear the same kind of suit I wear, but you can definitely wear this one. Now go try it on."

Rue took the lime green thong bikini and thrust it at Brooke, pushing her into the dressing room. It took only a minute before Brooke stuck her head out, wrapping the curtain around her.

"I don't know," she said.

"Let me see," order Rue. Brooke hesitated, so Rue pulled her out.

Brooke had never been this exposed while wearing a suit. Her breasts overspilled the top, but just enough to show that they had some jiggle in them. There was a long empty space between her top and the point well below her belly button where the bottoms began. Her thighs were exposed, and the tie passed over her hip to join a very small lime green triangle behind. Her ass was on full view. The swimming she had done with Tyler had paid off — her butt was firm, round, and shapely. It also had white slices where the sun had never shined, and covered with her Irish freckles.