The weekend rolled around, and on Saturday morning, Celia found herself with two free days ahead of her. The morning began with a vigorous workout in the complex gym, and then she decided to hit the pool before the heat turned blistering. She filled her water bottle with ice water and put on her bikini. Checking her bikini line, she decided she needed a little trim before going out in public. Dropping the bottoms, she sat on the toilet and trimmed her pubes. Her small pink electric razor did a nice job of mowing the lawn without leaving stubble behind.
She had never dared to wear a bikini before. Now that she had breasts, she filled out the suit so much better. Her tiny tits always seemed lost in a bikini top. Mentally, she buried the one-piece suit without fanfare, alongside the wine-in-a-box.
At the pool, she grabbed a chaise lounge and tossed her towel onto it. Going to the water, she stepped down the stairs and let the cooling sensation ride up her body as she got deeper. Once on the pool floor, she held her nose and went under. Bursting back through the surface, she shook her head and let her hair fly.
She floated for a few minutes, and her mind naturally went to memories of Carter and swimming naked. She still harbored a good deal of regret about breaking things off. This feeling in her stomach, however, reminded her that she had done the right thing. A long-distance romance was the exact opposite of what she needed right now.
For once, her head won out over her heart.
Feeling refreshed, she climbed out and lay down on the chaise. She had brought a book and planned to read for a while, but one of her neighbors came around the corner and spotted Celia.
"Hi," she said with bubbling exuberance. "I'm Skylar. I live in 22A. I've seen you around a few times and wanted to introduce myself."
Skylar was tall—probably just a little shorter than Celia—but slim, with pert breasts and long brown hair. She had a tattoo sleeve on her left arm and a gold stud in her left nostril. A floral cover-up draped over her two-piece suit.
Celia smiled and introduced herself. "Celia. Yeah, I've seen you too. I'm usually rushing somewhere or working, so I'm not out and about much."
"Mind if I sit?" Skylar asked.
"Make yourself at home." Celia shifted on the chaise and sat up. Skylar draped her towel over the lounge chair beside Celia and sat down. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of spray sunblock.
"I have to do this every time I go out," Skylar explained. "You'd think that, with a last name like Villalobo, I'd be more at home in the sun. But nope. I'm just a pasty white girl who burns in thirty seconds. If I'm not covered in SPF fifty, I'm done." Skylar laughed. She had an infectious and straightforward laugh that made Celia like her right off the bat.
As she sprayed on her sunscreen, Skylar kept talking. "I love having access to this pool. I'm out here at least once a day. I just love the water." She dropped the straps and sprayed her chest, running her hands down into the cup and under the strap on each side. She then sprayed her stomach, her legs, and her calves. Celia knew the next step in this process.
"Mind getting my back?" Skylar asked. Celia had already started to stand before she spoke.
As she sprayed her back, Celia said, "I remember when all we had was lotion.
I used to love it when my boyfriend would rub it on my back. It was so sensual. Even for me!" She laughed. "I wasn't the most sensually aware person when I was younger, but I did like that."
Skylar moaned, "Oh, I know what you mean. That was always so fun.
Rubbing on the suntan lotion." Skylar's eyes rolled back, enjoying a sense memory. "Oh yeah! But I gotta say, that lotion rub would lead to other things way too many times!" She let out a loud laugh. "You know what I mean?"
Celia sprayed her lower back, and Skylar reached around and pulled the waistband of her bottoms away from her body, exposing the top of her butt.
"Yeah, sorry to flash you, but I need to get that under the waistband. I can't tell you how many times I've gone home with a tiny sunburn line around my stomach. Mostly, I hate wearing suits anyway. I prefer to skinny-dip." Skylar talked fast, with significant animation.
Celia finished and handed the bottle back to Skylar. "I couldn't help but notice that you don't have tan lines. Is that why?"
"Yeah. I spend a lot of time up at Hippie Hollow. It's just so freeing to be able to run around nekkid."
Celia asked, "What's Hippie Hollow?"
Skylar turned and sat on the chaise facing Celia. With genuine enthusiasm, she said, "You've never been to Hippie Hollow? Oh, let me tell you. It's a clothing-optional park just outside of town—a nude beach—and it's so much fun. We were supposed to go today, but my friend got called into work. He's a nurse practitioner and on call, so we kind of expected it."
Now she had Celia's attention. "Just so happens, I went skinny-dipping a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't done it since I was a kid, and I loved it."
Skylar brightened. "Oh, then you definitely have to come with us. We have a whole group—about ten people. Bucky has a boat, and we go out and float on the lake."
"Guys too? Is that weird? I mean, does it ever get awkward?" Celia asked. "Hell no. We're all friends. Not that there hasn't been a time or two when people hooked up, but mostly it's just fun." Skylar pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a scrunchie. "They've got grills and everything, so we bring burgers or whatever."
Skylar walked to the edge of the pool, yelled, "Geronimo!" and dove in. She swam a lap or two, then climbed back out. Crossing to her towel, she began to dry off.
"Yeah, Hippie Hollow's a lot of fun. Give me your info, and I'll add you to the text list."
Skylar grabbed her phone and held it out toward Celia. Celia reached into her bag, pulled out her own phone, and tapped it against Skylar's. The contact page lit up, and just like that, they had exchanged information.
I'm not sure that was a smart thing to do. A skinny-dipping club? Oh boy. Skylar lay on her back beside Celia and kept talking. They traded the usual getting-to-know-you details, and half an hour later, Celia said goodbye and headed back to her place.
After a shower, she opened her laptop. She still had a lot to do before she could earn her CPA certification, and she needed a plan. She tried to force herself to focus on school, but her mind kept wandering to the fantasy suite idea. Giving in, she continued researching SDS Entities and their luxury-suite division. There was quite a bit of information available, as they had designed luxury suites in over thirty of the top stadiums and arenas in the country. She discovered that they had just completed a project in Nashville for the Titans in their new stadium. Further digging revealed a public document outlining the project's cost breakdown. This helped her formulate a plan for a fantasy suite based on the same process. The similarities were astounding. They were both specifically designed rooms that used a theme, layout, and feel to represent a particular topic. If that topic was football or bondage, did it really matter?
Her phone buzzed. Skylar Villalobo's name appeared on the screen. She opened the text.
Tomorrow. Hippie Hollow. We leave here at 10. Be there or be talked about!
Celia took a deep breath and wondered whether she could do this. Getting naked in front of a bunch of strangers would be quite a leap. In her mind, she tried to visualize the scene. The lake, the boat, the shore—for a moment, she could feel the warm air cradling her body. Goosebumps popped up along her arms, and a little buzz ran between her legs. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She smiled, thinking, What the hell?
She tapped out a reply.
I'll be there. See you then.