Under All Those Clothes

"I want a portrait of me, Doug. I want it in time for mine and Al's anniversary."

"I think I can squeeze that in, Lucy," I said. "What sort of pose are you looking for?"

She looked at me strangely. She was demurely dressed, soft-spoken, yet incredibly pretty. Like her husband, I have a major weakness for brunettes. Lucy flushed for a moment, twisted her engagement ring about her finger nervously, and finally uttered.

"Nude."

"Excuse me, Lucy?"

"I have to do something, Doug. Al's been raving about Alison, his "hot" new co-worker. I stopped by the plant yesterday and caught her flirting with my Al. I don't think she knew who I was or, worse, she knew and didn't care. She's everything I'm not, tall, blonde, and stacked! I want to remind Al about what a terrific thing he has in me. I also want to prove to him that I am not simply a shy little mouse afraid to step out of her comfort zone and not do anything naughty."

"I'm pretty expensive Lucy and it's a lot of hours in my studio without a stitch on."

"I'm prepared to pay your fee, Doug. I still have some money that my aunt left me.

As for the rest of it, that comes with the territory now doesn't it?"

"Indeed, it does, Lucy. Are you comfortable with me seeing you naked?"

"I'm not comfortable with anybody seeing me naked, Doug but that doesn't matter. When Al comes home it's "Allison this" and Allison that" I'm terrified, Doug!"

"Are you sure it isn't already too late, Lucy?" I asked with as much concern as I could muster.

"I'm positive he's done nothing more than flirt with her. I suspect that he is fantasizing about her while we make love, though."

I coughed nervously at Lucy's forthrightness. "Well, er, how can you be completely sure?"

"I know my man, Doug. I know his heart. He's lusting after Allison something fierce, I think he's mostly, at this point, responding in kind to her overtures. I can honestly understand that. Heaven knows I'm not a vivacious, statuesque blonde. I understand his attraction. I know, however, if this continues for any length of time, he'll cave to the bad angels and destroy our marriage; BUT I know I can get his mind off that track. After I'm done here, I'm off to the store to buy all new and very sexy underwear and about a dozen very short and very tight skirts. Al won't call me "Lucy the lemon" anymore!"

"You realize Lucy, that once it's finished, Al will probably hang the portrait over the fireplace?"

"I was thinking more of our bedroom, Doug, but it will be Al's painting, he can hang it anywhere he wants to. Actually, the more prominent it is, the more often he'll see it and realize how special I am and how utterly perfect we are for each other."

"That sounds like a plan, Lucy," I returned the artist as I handed her the form with my rates. Lucy looked at them without even raising an eyebrow.

"I'd rather you paint me, Doug, and not some stranger. Plus, I think Al will get a charge out of his best friend spying me in the altogether. He'll probably rave to everyone about his best buddy doing such a great job capturing me. It'll probably bring you lots of secondary sales, Doug."

"It just might, Lucy, it just might. Since you have no problem with my rates, I can fit you in for three straight sittings next week starting with Tuesday. I like to work early in the morning to get the sunlight to fall just right in my studio. Ideally from eight to eleven A.M."

"I can finagle my office hours around that, Doug."

"Well IF you are certain, Lucy. I'll treat you like any other client."

"That's exactly how I want it, Doug."

"Fine. I need half the money as a deposit at the time of the first sitting; the balance upon delivery of the painting. Between now and then, you should get yourself squared away, Lucy. A wax of the legs and underarms, or a real close shave. A trim or whatever you prefer for the nest, but not just before the sitting in case you break out in a rash."

"I understand, Doug. Is there anything I need to bring?"

"Other than your checkbook and a smile? No. I have a robe you can wear and a blanket to wrap yourself in if the studio is too cold."

"You've always been such a dear, Doug," said Lucy as she bent my head low and planted a brief buss on my lips.

"NOT a word of this to AL!" she warned before we exchanged goodbyes. I watched her walk away. Lucy has a very fine ass. I've known Al all my life, but Lucy only since she entered his life. I understand exactly what my best friend in all the world first saw in her and, I hoped through my artwork, would see again. Lucy has a marvelous enchanting face with cerulean blue eyes, carmine lips, and an ivory complexion. She's probably just a hair over five foot two, but I could tell when she wasn't wearing her usual dowdy fashions, that she was well put together. Al's biggest complaint IS Lucy's fashion sense. As long as I've known them as a couple, Al has been after her to loosen up. She finally was, but it took a rival for her husband's affections to take such a daunting step.

Much as I love Al, he has a bit of a big mouth about his bedroom antics. He told me that on one camping trip, Lucy allowed Al to bind her hands together and tie them over her head to a huge tree limb. Then, he cut off her clothes with a buck knife! In private, she's apparently indefatigable in the sack and game for just about anything. I emphasize "in private." Outside the bedroom, she looks like the director of the local PTA in fashions more suited to her mother or grandmother! According to Al, Lucy had a "killer body, under all those clothes." Al desperately wanted to show off his wife. "She dresses like a nun, but she fucks like a devil" Al told me more than once. Immediately followed by, "And nobody knows it but me! To be honest, more than once, I've wondered if Al was just blowing smoke. The fact that I would soon have first-hand information sent a thrill along my spine. Aside from doctors, Lucy had probably been seen naked by just one adult male, Al! I wondered about Lucy's competition. It must be pretty serious to bring about such drastic action on the part of Lucy. It seemed akin to the dormouse becoming a lion. I knew before I started working on this painting, I'd have to go out for drinks with Al and have him spill the beans about Allison. I knew Al was the kind of guy who took his vows seriously and would think long and hard before he fell off the fidelity wagon. BUT if she was making a major play for him? Al certainly wouldn't be the first guy to have his head turned by a bit of strange. I had to know where he stood currently. Either I would be reigniting a passion or creating a testament to failure. I desperately wanted it to be the former. I knew just how to pull out all the stops in a portrait, that's why my work is in so many galleries. I really liked Lucy. I hoped Al hadn't done or was about to do anything stupid.

**

I had Al come over for some Sunday night baseball and got him just liquored up enough to loosen his tongue.

"So, how are things at work?" I ventured.

"Oh, the usual office politics, nothing too exciting."

"Really?" I replied as unconvincingly as possible.

"Well, there IS this babe named Allison. Oh My God! Friday, in the supply closet, she flashed me her tits!"

I almost choked on my beer, "God's truth, pal?

"I'll swear to it, well not in public but you know what I mean. She's got a fine set and there are little rings in her nipples!"

"Spill it, Al!"

"Nothing else happened. I swear it! Well, she does brush up against me a lot and wears plunging tight blouses that are not exactly in keeping with the company dress code. Man is she making me hot! When Lucy is sucking my cock, I close my eyes and pretend she's Allison. I should really stop that because the next thing I'm thinking is wondering if Allison is as talented as my Lucy. My wife swallows but Allison looks like the kind of girl who would kiss you with her mouth full of your cum and then pass it back to you when she Frenched you!"

"Al, you're a married man."

"So, I keep telling Allison. But she doesn't want to listen to that. The other day Lucy came to work. You know, sometimes, when our lunch hours coincide, and Lucy's job takes her near my office we grab a quick bite at the deli across the street. Allison refused to turn it off in front of her. When I got back from lunch with Lucy, Allison was in my face with, "Why would you want a hamster when Catwoman is purring in your ear?"

"What did you do, Al?"

"I told her to go fuck herself, well I SHOULD have said that. Instead, I just mumbled something inane and hurried back to my office."

"You should have been firmer with her Al. Lucy loves you."

"I KNOW Doug, but Allison's got knockers out to here!"

"Think about Lucy instead."

Al got a weird look on his face and said, "Doug, do you think Lucy is stepping out on me?"

"Lucy?" I replied incredulously.

"Yeah, her skirts are suddenly a hell of a lot shorter and it looked like she was poured into the top she was wearing yesterday when we had the Henderson's over for a barbeque. No bra either!"

"Well isn't that what you've been after her to do since day one?"

"Yeah, but why now? Why does Hank Henderson get to see her nipples through that tight blouse? Was her leg show for his benefit? Hank works from home. There would be lots of opportunities for him and Lucy to get together. I've seen him mowing his lawn with his shirt off. He certainly takes advantage of his gym membership! Doug, do you think Lucy is fucking some guy on the side?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Al. Lucy is a one-woman man. How's your sex life?"

"Incredible! Like she's really, really passionate and horny. It's like she is really guilty about something. Like she has some stud lover somewhere and wants to atone for her indiscretions with a conflagration between the sheets!"

At that moment, it took every last fiber of my restraint to keep from slapping Al hard across the mouth.

"Don't be an idiot, Al!" I said firmly. "Do you really think she could hide something like that from you?"

"Well, no," came his answer after a long moment, quickly followed by, "But something is going on!"

We all have friends like AL. Oblivious to the obvious. And on the cusp of a good thing, they fumble the ball.

"OK," I said, "I'll play devil's advocate. Let's say Lucy IS having an affair. What

evidence do you have?"

"The skirt. The no bra."

"What do those prove, AL? Your anniversary is not far away. Maybe Lucy is giving you something special and the short skirts and lack of bra are part of that."

"You should have seen Hank Henderson, studying Lucy's boobs and legs out of the corner of his eye!"

"Al! How many times have you told me that you wanted Lucy to dress sexy?"

"But, she's MY wife, Doug! She shouldn't be turning guys like Hank on!"

"Jesus! Will you listen to yourself, Al? She's giving you what you've always wanted and THIS is how you react?"

"She bought a lot of new sexy undies too! Who are those for?"

"Almost certainly, for YOU, you, big lummox!"

"Oh, God, Doug, I don't want to lose, Lucy!"

"Then focus on HER asshole! Stop doing stupid shit like being alone with Allison in the supply closet. She sure as shit ain't going to flash her tits in the crowded main office! If you have to, when dealing with her makes you super horny, find a quiet place where you can beat off uninterrupted. Stop being an idiot! Idiot!"

Al was quiet for a long time before he stated, "Thanks, Doug. I'll try to steer clear of Allison. I'll also keep an eye out. Maybe it's not Hank Henderson, BUT it might be somebody else. She works with a lot of guys, and she's been wearing those skirts to work..."

"Moron, is that fact turning you on?"

"Yeah, Doug it is! A lot!"

"Then it's working, doofus!"

"Yeah but what if she's doing it for some other guy?"

"Drink your beer Al, watch the game and STOP BEING AN IDIOT!" I barked in frustration. After that, I poured enough beer and whiskey down Al's throat until he was supremely mellow and feeling no pain. I felt guilty bringing him home to Lucy in an inebriated state, but I thought it was the best option. Lucy answered the door in a bathrobe. I helped her put Al to bed. I told her nothing of my conversation with Al. I figured I could not tell Lucy part of it without spilling all of it, so I took the blame for his drunkenness and apologized profusely. I did tell her that after my night with Al, that her portrait was a very good idea. I really wanted to see my friend's eyes when he realized that the woman of his dreams was about to fulfill all his marital dreams as well.

**

For the first citing, Lucy was punctual to the dot. She handed me a cashier's check and then took her coat off. I saw right away what had Al in his state. Lucy was wearing a slate gray pencil skirt that stopped at mid-thigh and black stockings. I'd never seen so much of her legs at one time before. They seemed very long for such a short woman and they were exquisitely turned. Above the skirt, Lucy wore a red sweater blouse that neatly clung to her curves. It revealed that Lucy had modest breasts but that they were perfect for her frame. Suddenly, I could understand why Al, despite his stated desires, had a problem with Lucy exposing so much of herself. A woman like Lucy was bound to attract all sorts of male attention. I mentally compared how Lucy was currently dressed to her old wardrobe. It was like a drab moth turning into a Monarch butterfly!

I quickly composed myself, led Lucy to my studio, and gestured towards the partition.

"You can get undressed behind there, Lucy. There is a kimono on the clothes tree. I'll finish setting up while you are getting ready."

Lucy stepped out from behind the partition a few minutes later, her long hair down, the supple lines of her body obvious through the jade silk of the kimono. I took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

"First off, I think we should try out some poses, Lucy. Then you will need to take off the robe and let me see you from all angles so that I can tell which pose is best."

"Sure, Doug," she said in a matter of fact way.

After a bit of discussion, we both liked the idea of her legs together on the floor, her arms back supporting her weight thrusting her bust forward and upward. It would look like she was just rising out of bed. If only I could capture that twinkle in Lucy's eye!

"OK, Lucy, lose the kimono."

Now, I have seen models both male and female of every imaginable variety. Nothing prepared me for the unveiled wonder of Lucy. Her physique was remarkably toned and shapely. Her breasts were firm with light brown areolas and chance pink nipples. It was obvious that they needed very little support. Her flat tummy had signs of definition from the abs and was adorned with the cutest "innie" navel. Her wasp waist gave way to flared hips. Her intimate triangle was thickly furred but neatly trimmed and her thighs were magnificent. As she turned her buttocks flexed. It was without a doubt the sexiest and pertest backside I had ever spied! A thought crossed my mind. "Maybe, Al is better off with Lucy in dowdy clothes!"

I took out my digital camera. "I need reference shots, Lucy."

"Is that necessary, Doug?"

"You want the best portrait possible, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then the reference shots are necessary. Don't worry no one else will see them."

"That better be the truth!"

"Have I ever lied to you, Lucy?"

"Probably."

"OK, strike the pose we agreed on and smile. We'll work on your facial expression later."

About forty minutes later, I had completed my preliminary sketch.

"Doug?'" asked Lucy, "Am I eminently fuckable?"

"Excuse me?" I responded.

"I heard some of the guys at work whispering about me. One of them said I was "eminently fuckable." Am I?"

"I'm not the right person to ask that, Lucy..."

"No, you are the best person to ask. You've seen all sorts of naked female and male bodies, your nudes carry a strong erotic charge, you know what men and women find desirable. Am I eminently fuckable?"

"Lucy..."

"Yes or no, Doug!"

"I'd really rather not answer that..."

"Give me an answer Doug or I'll walk out of here and stop payment on that check!"

"Well...yes, Lucy, you are."

"Thank you for being honest, Doug."

There was a long moment of awkward silence before Lucy spoke again.

"Since I've changed my fashions, at work, I'm getting a lot more attention from the guys and the women treat me differently. They are rude to me now, but I can tell that's just jealously at how the guys view me currently. On Saturday, we had Hank and Connie from next door over for a barbeque. Hank couldn't keep his eyes off me! We've been neighbors for years and he never looked at me twice. He's really good looking! More handsome than Al even."

"Aren't the new fashions for Al's benefit, Lucy and not the guys at work or next door?" I stated.

"Of course, but I never really thought of myself as beautiful before. Oh, Al calls me beautiful all the time and people would say I have a lovely face or a nice figure, but they were just being polite. Before, all I had to impress was Al. He criticized my choice of clothes early in our marriage and I sort of doubled down on them because a big part of me didn't believe him. My mother called me ugly. My dad called me a beautiful princess, but mom ruled the roost. Mom taught me to hide my figure. I looked with envy at women who attracted male eyes and wolf whistles on the streets. Now I'm actually receiving those same things! I thought I was an ugly duckling but I'm not I'm a swan!"

"Yes, you are, Lucy, but remember you are Al's wife."

"I KNOW that, silly. It's just that being ogled and whispered about in a positive manner is all so new to me. One of the guys at work left a box of chocolates on my desk! Before, I was lucky to even be remembered at the company's annual Christmas gift exchange. I hope Al does hang this painting in the living room! I want everybody to see it."

"Lucy. Don't let all this new attention turn your head."

"Why shouldn't I, Doug? It's not like I'm getting any younger. I feel like dancing, and that is exactly what I am going to do. If Al won't take me dancing tonight, I'll go myself!"

"Lucy!" I cried in frustration, "We need to stop jawing and you need to start posing."

"Alright, Doug, but let me ask you, If I wasn't the wife of your best friend would you want to fuck me?"

I screwed on my best poker face and replied, "I refuse to answer that question."

"So, the answer is yes! Just imagine that your cock is inside me Doug while you are working, and this painting will be so hot displaying it will be a fire hazard!"

My jaw dropped and I had to adjust my posture to hide my sudden stiffy while Lucy giggled merrily. My best friend Al had inadvertently created a monster. And this exceptionally beautiful monster was acutely aware of her newfound power. Suddenly my usually drafty studio was a sauna. How did Mr. Spock put it? "You may find that wanting is better than having. It is not logical, but it is often true." Those words applied to Al in spades. I threw myself into the work applying paints almost as though I was in a fever dream. I found a fluidity and depth of control I only rarely reached before. I knew implicitly that this portrait would end up being one of the finest of my works.

By the time came for Lucy to leave, I had made a terrific start on the portrait. Lucy returned from behind the partition, dressed once more. She made a bee line for the painting, but I cut her off.

"Not a single peek until it's finished Lucy, that rule is ironclad."

"Killjoy," spat Lucy as she turned and slung her purse over her shoulder.

"How do I know you won't jerk off later to my reference photos, Doug?"

"Lucy!"

"You have my permission, Doug," she said with a grin. "Now I'd better get to work, to see if any of the guys left me presents or if the girls hid a tack on my chair."