It was early afternoon, and the group had been hiking since mid-morning. The dozen or so young people had stopped to take a hydration break, picking out convenient logs and boulders to sit on while admiring the view from the mountainside Kathryn and Ted had met for the first time on this outing, but they clicked almost immediately and had spent most of the day hiking together and talking. Kathryn mentioned that next week was her 25th birthday, and Ted immediately offered to take her out to dinner.
She accepted, and the following Friday he picked her up at the house she was renting and took her to a fancy restaurant. The chemistry that had formed during their previous long ramble together continued to develop nicely, and by the time he drove her back home they were both feeling very comfortable with each other.
Kathryn had her key ready, and she opened the front door before Ted could kiss her good-night. "Come on in," she said. "Let's sit and talk for a while."
He followed her inside, and they sat on the sofa and talked. They talked for a couple of hours, inching ever closer as they did, until they were nestled snugly together with his arm around her and her head on his shoulder. "You never gave me a chance to kiss you at the front door," Ted reminded her softly, running his hand through her hair.
"I know," Kathryn replied, moving her lips closer to his, "I thought the sofa would be much cozier." Their first kiss was short and tender, but their second followed only seconds later. For a few minutes all conversation was suspended as the electricity between them took over and they did all their communicating by touch. When they had relieved some, but by no means all, of the physical tension that had been building up all night, they found room for words again.
"I think we've got something special," Kathryn said, nibbling on Ted's ear. "I like you a lot, and I want to keep getting to know you better."
"The feeling's mutual," he confirmed, gently stroking the nape of her neck.
"One of the best ways to get to know a person is to share fantasies," she said. "Would you tell me one of yours?"
"What kind of fantasies?" he asked.
"For example, if I ask what secret sort of thing turns you on, what comes to mind?" Ted seemed taken aback. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody else. It's important not to sensor it, though - you need to tell me the first thing that popped into your head just then."
"This is kind of hard," Ted hesitated. "It feels pretty vulnerable to let someone into my head that far, even you."
"Are you afraid I'd use the information?"
"Sort of." Ted bit his lip. "Or maybe I'm more afraid you wouldn't."
"Don't be afraid." Kathryn took his hand in both of hers and snuggled close to him. "You can trust me. We're going to take good care of each other."
Ted was silent for a moment. "Ok. The first thing that popped into my head was a scene from a TV show I saw once. I've forgotten what the rest of the program was about, but this one image stuck in my mind as being really arousing."
She waited patiently for him to continue.
"There was a guy taking a shower, and this cute girl wanted to catch him, so she stepped into the shower with him and started soaping him up."
"That's not so unusual," she assured him. "Lots of lovers take showers together."
"That's not the whole story," he continued. "What made it so erotic, what really grabbed my attention, was that except for slipping out of her shoes, she didn't stop to take any of her other clothes off. She had this sexy dress on, and she just wore it right into the shower. As soon as the water hit it, the material went translucent so you could see her lingerie underneath. What got to me was the way she put raw sensuality ahead of everything else."
"I see," smiled Kathryn. "And once all her clothes were sopping wet, I suppose the fellow had to help her strip everything off?"
"No, not right away, in fact they never even showed them doing that. She just scrubbed away at his chest, standing there in that dripping, clinging dress like it was the most natural thing in the world to wear it in the shower. You know, it's funny, you couldn't see nearly as much as if she'd had on a bikini, or even a one-piece swimsuit, but I couldn't take my eyes off her."
He paused, so she urged him on. "Tell me more. What kind of a dress was it?"
"Well, it was short, and I think it was sleeveless, so it showed enough skin to make her look good even when she was still dry. It wasn't very fancy or frilly, just a simple, flattering cut. What made the whole scene really effective was that it wasn't just a T-shirt-and-shorts kind of outfit that your average girl might decide to go swimming in on a hot day. This was a bit dressy, not the kind of thing you'd ever expect someone to get wet in, so her actions had this undertone of being really naughty, and that made her quite seductive."
"I see. Please forgive my single-mindedness on this, but I went to engineering school and once I get interested in something I don't let go until I really understand it." She stood up and motioned him to follow her.
"I hope you don't bring your work home with you," he said, as they stepped into her bedroom.
"Don't worry, I left all my logarithms at the office," she laughed. "I really do try to understand men, though, and asking lots of questions is the only way I know how to learn more."
"We should all be so direct," he replied, sitting down on the bed. "Ask away."
Kathryn opened up her closet and pulled out a gray wool dress. "Would a dress like this hit your buttons? In the shower, I mean, like on the TV show."
"You really are persistent, aren't you?" Ted looked at the dress briefly, then shook his head and answered. "No. For one thing, it probably wouldn't look much different wet than dry, and for another, it looks too expensive. Maybe I'm overly frugal, but if I knew it was getting ruined that would distract me."
She replaced it and pulled out another. "How about this one?" It was a white peasant-style dress made of thin gauzy fabric, with puffy short sleeves, a scoop neck with a gathered bust, a self-fabric belt with a bow in the back, a swishy skirt that would reach to her knees, and a couple simple flowers appliquéd on it.
"Yea," he said. "That one would do it for me. Some people might think it was a bit 60's-hippyish, but it's pretty and I like it." She laid it on the bed and pulled out another. "More?" he asked, surprised.
"No good engineer relies on a sample size of one," she explained. "I'm going to figure you out, Mister." She pulled out a couple more, neither of which did anything for Ted, but her final selection caught his eye.
"You've got another winner," he said. It was a short, black, sleeveless dress, styled like a cocktail dress, with a halter top that would expose rather more than it would hide. "That one looks hot."
"Which would elicit a stronger response?" she asked. "The white or the black?"
"You sound like an optometrist," Ted laughed. "Better 'A' or 'B'?" Kathryn smiled, but waited for him to answer. "I like them both."
"Well, what color dress was the girl on TV wearing?"
"White. I remember that, because you could see that her underwear was white, too." When Kathryn returned the black dress to her closet, Ted told her indignantly, "I didn't mean the black one was a reject."
She chuckled. "I didn't interpret it that way. I'll just save that one for a special occasion some other time." She closed the closet door. "Ok, we're done."
"No, we're not," countered Ted. "You need to tell me a fantasy, too." She blushed. "Come on, this was your idea. The first thing that came into your head, and no censoring."
He waited patiently. "This is embarrassing," she whispered.
"You're safe with me," he reassured her, and motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. "You can trust me, too."
"Well, I had a fantasy once, and I tried to act on it, but it didn't work out." Ted remained silent, letting her speak in her own time. "It was my 18th birthday, and I was still a virgin, and I'd gotten this idea in my head that I wanted to 'become a woman' on my birthday." She laughed nervously. "It seems so silly now, but I'd wheedled a date with this guy at school. He was really Mr. Popular, the one all the girls wanted to go out with. Anyway, I was pretty shy then, and for most of the date nothing much happened. Then after the movie we were sitting in his car, and he started pawing me. A little surge on the clumsiness meter wouldn't have bothered me, but this guy zoomed right past that, all the way to 'totally insensitive jerk,' and beyond. I ended up jumping out of the car and taking a cab home. What a let-down." Ted held her hand and stroked it softly. "I'm glad not all men are like that," she added, smiling at him.
"Or all birthdays," he said quietly. "I won't let you down." When she relaxed and nuzzled into him, he continued, "You were right, this is a good way to get to know each other. It's a good way to build up trust, too." She nodded. He kissed her, and she climbed into his lap. For a few minutes they snuggled and kissed quietly but very tenderly, until they reached a point where both realized they needed to make a decision. "It's getting pretty late," he ventured.
She thought for a moment, then looked him in the eye. "Don't go home now," she told him. "I worry when somebody I care about is out driving at this hour. There's so many drunks on the road. You can stay here."
"Ok," he agreed, and gave her a little grin. "Are you offering me the couch?"
She grinned back at him. "If you try to sleep on the couch tonight, I'll throw you out of the house. There's plenty of room right here in my bed, and I don't want to get cold."
"I was hoping that was what you had in mind." He kissed her again, slowly. "You deserve a nice clean bed-warmer, though. Do you mind if I take a quick shower before we turn in?"
"My, I did get lucky tonight," she replied. "Good looks *and* good manners." She kissed him again. "Go ahead. There are plenty of towels in the bathroom."
He slipped into the bathroom and had barely gotten soapy when Kathryn stuck her head through the door. "Is it ok if I brush my teeth?" she called.
"Sure," he consented, invisible behind the opaque shower curtain.
She performed her dental ablutions, then pulled back a corner of the curtain so she could see Ted's face. He seemed only moderately surprised to see her, and not at all displeased. "Let's see behind your ears. My mother told me that boys never get those properly clean." He turned his head to let her examine them. "Mom was right, I'm going to have to do that spot myself. Aim the spray up front so it won't hit me." After he did as she requested, she pulled back the rear of the curtain and stepped into the tub.
Ted looked at her and caught his breath. She was barefoot, but instead of being nude as he'd expected, she was wearing the white dress that she'd left lying on the bed earlier. He could discern the form of a white bra through the thin material, and though he couldn't quite distinguish them, he suspected she was wearing white panties as well.
"That dress looks good on you," he said, refraining from any comment about the time and place she'd chosen to wear it.
"Thank you," she replied graciously, a single quick glance downward betraying her awareness of his rising interest. "Since you were kind enough to say you liked it, I thought the least I could do was let you see me wearing it before we turned in for the night." She pirouetted once for him, letting the skirt swirl around her legs. "Now," she continued, changing the subject, "hand me the washcloth, and let's see what we can do about those ears." She reached up to scrub his ears, and then slowly and deliberately began working her way down the rest of his bare, soapy body. When his back was finished, she turned him toward her to begin on his chest.
As Ted turned, he saw that Kathryn had not been entirely successful in staying dry. "Your dress is getting wet," he pointed out, seeing that the spray had already reached her in a couple of different places.
A cursory examination of herself confirmed his observation, and she shrugged. "I suppose that was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it?" she asked rhetorically. "It's pretty hard to stay dry in a shower." Showing no hint of surprise or concern over the matter, she returned to her task of soaping and washing his chest, then moved lower and continued cleaning. "Is this my birthday present?" she teased, gently stroking him as she entered more interesting territory.
Ted grasped her arms and lifted her upright, and she pulled his head to hers. This kiss was as urgent as their earlier ones had been tender, and her fingers clenched his shoulders tightly as they embraced. When they paused and separated for a moment, Ted looked at her hungrily. "There's soap all over your dress," he said.
"Then you'd better rinse it off," she replied. He redirected the shower toward her, and as he soaked the dress the gauze material instantly became transparent, clinging tightly to Kathryn's smooth skin as the soap suds slid off of her. There was no soap on her back, but she turned to let him drench the back of the dress anyway. Soon even the puffy sleeves and loose skirt had drawn themselves so close to her body as to become nearly invisible, so that she looked almost as naked as Ted. Naked, that is, save for the sopping white bra and panties that were tenaciously affixed to her most attractive contours, denying Ted the last choice sights that he craved. "I still need to do your legs," she said, taking the washcloth and putting it to use again.
Ted took a deep breath, and patiently stood still while she worked. "Tell me, Kathryn," he asked, "do you always wear a dress in the shower?"
"It's the most natural thing in the world," she replied, "for a woman to want to look her best when she has a special guest, don't you think?" She washed his feet, then stood up again. "There, you're all done. Now let's both get rinsed off." They did, then stepped out onto the bathroom floor. Every square inch of Kathryn's flimsy dress adhered to her tightly, steadfastly refusing to loosen its grip while she toweled off Ted, and his anatomical response to her appearance left no doubt about his desire for her. When he was dry, she handed him a fresh towel.
"I can't tell you how lovely you look in this dress," he said, drying her hair, "but if you leave it on, I'm afraid the bed will get all wet."
"I'm sure you can find a simple solution to that problem," she told him. He unfastened the dress, peeled it slowly from her wet, nubile form, and massaged her slowly with the towel. When he begin to finger her bra, she added matter-of-factly, "If you're wondering, I sleep in the nude."
He freed the bra and let it fall from her bosom to the floor, then rubbed the towel gently across her breasts to dry them. "You're not shy anymore, are you?" he asked, sliding the last article of her clothing to the floor.
"I'm very particular about my men; I spend a lot of time looking and most just don't cut it, but when I finally find one I want to hang onto, it would be foolish to hold back."
Kathryn was many things, Ken would soon learn, but foolish wasn't one of them.
The couple had their next date the following weekend. It was for an informal dinner, so Ted put on casual slacks and a short-sleeved shirt, and when he arrived at Kathryn's place to pick her up, she was ready and waiting at the door.
"Wow," he said, stopping in his tracks. She was quite an eyeful, standing there in a very flattering black dress. At its waistline a band of snug shirring separated the full skirt that hung loosely down to her knees from a plunging halter-style top. The two vertical bands of fabric covering her breasts had been adjusted to look far less secure than they really were, and to provide sufficient freedom of motion to expose an occasional glimpse of a black satin bra underneath. "You look so sexy in that dress. I really like it."
"Thank you," Kathryn replied. "Last week you mentioned that you liked this one, so I made a special point of wearing it for you tonight."
Ted looked at her with a gleam in his eye. "I'll make a special point of finding some way to express my appreciation."
She returned his suggestive look. "No doubt you'll think of something appropriate. Oh, and I have a surprise for you."
"You do?"
"Yes. Would you like to cool off in the pool when we get back?"
That was truly a surprise. "The pool?" he asked. "You put in a pool? Since last week?"
"Well, sort of. Come on out and see." Kathryn locked the front door, then led Ted out behind the house she was renting. There in the backyard was a large inflatable pool, about a half-meter deep and two meters wide. It was full, and floating in it were a toy boat and a child-sized plastic beach bucket. "The landlord said the grass was so bad here that he didn't care if I killed it," she explained, "because this fall he's going to replace it all anyway. I filled this a few days ago so it should be fairly warm by now, but I haven't actually used it yet."
"Then let's try it out," exclaimed Ted eagerly.
"Absolutely, that's what I bought it for," she laughed, "but we don't want to miss our dinner reservation. Don't worry, the pool will still be here waiting for us when we get back." Ted reluctantly followed her out to his car, and soon they were at the restaurant. Since it was so hot they both ordered cool, light entrees. As they ate they discussed the topics du jour, but he kept unintentionally breaking eye contact with her, his gaze drawn away from her face by the plunging neckline of her dress and by an occasional flash of black satin under it. When she noticed what was happening, she stopped talking and smiled at him, not at all displeased.
For a moment there was silence, then Ted realized that Kathryn was very much aware of his staring. "Sorry," he mumbled, his cheeks flushing.
"Don't be," she corrected him. "I take it as a compliment."
"It was intended as such." He paused. "Have I been doing that all evening?"
"Yes, you have, but it's all right. In the proper context, repetition can be a good thing."
He smiled. "That's nice to hear." Thinking for a moment, he added, "You know, while we're talking about context, there's something else I should ask you about." She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "When I told you last week that I liked that black dress, it was in a particular context."
"If I remember correctly, we were discussing fantasies."
"And if I remember correctly, you told me you were going to save that dress for something special."
"Yes, I did," she replied, smiling. "I was careful to set it aside so I wouldn't forget."
Ted's voice lowered. "That suggests that tonight might be something special."
"There's always that possibility. If you play your cards right, any night can be special."
"I like your style woman, but you're driving me crazy. Now I won't be able to tear my eyes away from you all night long."
"Good, then your eyes will be right where they belong. I wouldn't want you to get distracted."
"What could possibly distract me from you?" he asked.
"Oh," she teased, "perhaps another woman. Or even worse, a football game on the tube. I've seen that happen, and it isn't pretty."
He took her hand and stroked it slowly. "I have a feeling that tonight you're going to be all the woman I can handle. And as for the football, I can think of lots of better things to do than watch television."
"I hope some of those things involve me."
"All of them involve you."
The chemistry between them continued to heat up as they finished their meal, and they left the restaurant with their arms firmly around each other's waists. When they reached Ted's car he opened the door for Kathryn, but before she could get in he pulled her close and kissed her. Her response was immediate and enthusiastic, and the kiss lasted longer than he'd expected. "I thought it was traditional for that to happen back at my place," she told him. "You're not in any hurry, are you?"
"No," he answered, "but procrastination is a terrible vice. I'm trying hard to overcome it."
"A worthy endeavor," she smiled, then kissed him again, hard. "I wouldn't want to discourage self-improvement."
Kathryn's place was near the restaurant, so they reached it quickly. "It's time for a swim," Ted announced as soon as they were out of the car, the excitement in his voice readily apparent. "Let's go check out your pool."
"Right this minute?" she laughed. "We just got back."
"Yes, right this minute. I'm hot, and I've been thinking about that water all night." He took her hand and began pulling her gently toward the backyard. "Come on, I don't want to wait another instant."
"Ok, ok," she readily agreed, trotting a few steps to catch up to him, "I get the picture." Tousling his hair good-naturedly, she added, "I wouldn't want to deprive a desperate man," then snuggled firmly against him as they proceeded to the backyard. When they approached the pool, though, Kathryn slipped away, made her way to the back door, and unlocked it. "We don't need the security lights on," she explained, reaching inside and flipping the switch off. "It looks like the neighbors aren't home, but it's still nice to have a little privacy. I was never much into spectator sports."
With the floods extinguished, it was now dark enough to discourage any unwanted attention from passers-by, though it was still light enough for the couple to see what they were doing. Kathryn laid her purse carefully in the house, but much to Ted's relief made no move to actually go inside herself, instead closing the door and retracing her steps straight back to the pool to rejoin him. Moving behind him and sliding both her arms around his waist, she slowly stroked his chest for a moment, then moved her hands lower and sensuously slipped one into each of his pants pockets. "So, Mister eager-for-a-swim," she asked, feeling around in his slacks, "are you wearing a bathing suit under these so you can jump right in?"
"No, only regular underwear," Ted replied. "You didn't tell me ahead of time that you had a pool, remember? So it never occurred to me to even bring a bathing suit tonight, let alone wear one." He kicked off his shoes, and tossed his keys and wallet onto the grass next to them. "That's ok, though," he continued, "it's really hot, and not having a bathing suit provides a perfect excuse not to waste any time changing. I can just swim in what I have on now instead."
Kathryn watched with amusement as he stepped into the pool without bothering to remove any further clothing. "Ah, the water feels great," he said, standing there with his socks submerged and the bottom of his slacks soaked. "I've been waiting for this all night." Then he looked at Kathryn and grinned. "I'd hate to swim alone. You are going to join me, aren't you?"
"You bet I am," she assured him, kicking off her own shoes and stepping up right next to the pool. "I wouldn't miss it."
"And get wet with me?" he pressed.
"Last time I checked, that was the whole point of having a pool," she replied.
He reached out and stroked her dress sensuously. "How about you? You wouldn't happen to be wearing a bathing suit under this, would you?" His fingertips lightly brushed the sides of her breasts, then slid smoothly down over her hips.
"No," she replied with careful casualness, "only regular underwear, same as you. I didn't think it was customary to wear a bathing suit to a restaurant."
"That depends on one's after-dinner plans," replied Ted meaningfully. "I didn't know about the pool when I got dressed, but it occurs to me that you did."
"I knew my swimsuits would be right in the house," she teased. "I figured if I needed one I could go back inside and change."
"I don't see any reason for you to go to all that trouble," Ted quickly told her, his voice trembling. "Why don't you do it the easy way instead, like me, and just swim in what you already have on?"
"You mean like this, in my dress and underwear?"
He smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Somehow I had a feeling you were going to suggest that."
She smiled, then paused for a moment to primp, straightening her clothes and arranging her hair. "You do know, don't you, that this is hardly the sort of thing I'd normally wear for a swim?" She ran her fingers over the edges of his ears, then down across his lips.
"I'm sure it's not," he replied, after slowly and sensuously licking her fingers, "but then you're hardly the sort of woman to let herself be a slave to habit. And," he added with a grin, "it's the most natural thing in the world for a woman to want to look her best, don't you think?"
"Good point," she conceded, running her hands over his shirt and fingering his waistband, "and since dinner attire does appear to be the accepted style for bathing this evening, I suppose I'm game ..." Her voice trailed off, and she calmly stepped into the pool next to Ted, untucked his shirt, and began slipping her fingers underneath it. "Besides," she added, "you seem to be quite fascinated with what I've been wearing all night, so now that I have your complete and undivided attention, I'd be a fool to change into anything else anyway." They melted into each other's arms and kissed long and repeatedly, fingers running through hair and lips exploring cheeks and necks and ears. Then Ted looked down.
"Your dress is getting wet," he observed. The water was barely brushing its hem, leaving the edge tantalizingly damp.
Kathryn laughed. "Of course it is. I rather anticipated that would happen when I decided not to bother changing before our swim." She stroked his cheeks and looked into his eyes. "Didn't you?"
"Indeed I did. I've been anticipating it all night, and I must say that the wetter you get the more irresistible you're going to look."
"Why thank you," she chuckled, curtsying politely, which quite predictably dipped her dress even further into the water.
"You know, I was thinking."
"Imagine that," she said, poking him playfully.
He poked her back. "I was thinking how great you look in that black dress, and how sexy you've been all night."
"That's a good start. Tell me more."
"I was thinking that when you first put that dress on before dinner, you were probably already planning to swim in it afterwards, just to drive me crazy."
"Let's just say I was planning to keep my options open," she replied. "I made sure all my bathing suits were clean and put away in my dresser, but it did occur to me that they might never leave their drawer tonight."
"I like a woman who thinks ahead." He held her tight and they kissed again. "And now I'm thinking that when we stop kissing long enough to really make use of this pool, that dress is going to get completely soaked, and it will probably cling to all your wonderful curves, and your whole body will get all shiny and dripping and incredibly sensual."
"That's very likely," she confirmed, "and since this is a light summer dress, my underwear may even show through." She stroked his ears lightly and gazed into his eyes. "Would you like that?"
Ted moaned softly. "I can't wait to see you like that, totally drenched with all your clothes still on."
Kathryn picked up the bucket, filled it, and handed it to him. "What was that you were saying earlier about procrastination?" Then she put her arms around his waist, pressed herself close to him, and nestled her head into his chest.
Ted took a deep breath and started pouring the bucket's contents slowly onto the back of Kathryn's neck. When the cool water first struck she squeezed him tightly, then relaxed as it began its odyssey across her shoulder blades and down her back.
Ted watched entranced as a dark, glistening patch formed on the back of her thin black dress, the outline of the rear strap of her halter-style bra quickly popping into sharp relief as the wetness enveloped it. The dark patch grew ever larger, and when the leading waves washed over the shirring on her waist and began dripping off the back of her skirt, he placed his free hand on her buttocks to hold back the water, kneading her firmly to help it soak through the folds of her dress and into her underwear beneath.
"Are your panties wet yet?" he asked softly, the bucket now empty.
"Yes," she whispered, "but you can make them even wetter." Sliding her arms free, she turned her back to him, pressed her soaked back into his chest, and leaned her head back. "And don't forget I'm wearing a bra, too."
Ted felt the wetness from her dress soaking through his dry shirt, which heightened his arousal even more as he refilled the bucket and repeated the dousing process on her front. At first her cleavage channeled the stream right down over her navel, so he cupped his hands over each breast in turn, holding the moistness in place while he massaged it through the dress and into each side of her bra. Then she took his hand and gently directed it to where it could catch the overflow and guide the excess water through the front of her dress and into the remaining portion of her panties.
"You're so sexy," Ted grunted. "This is driving me insane with lust."
"Really? Then I wonder what this will do." She knelt down, slid forward to completely submerge herself, and came back up with her hair dripping, her skin sparkling, the shiny black dress glued to her body, and a set of crisp outlines clearly visible through the clinging fabric making it obvious that her lingerie consisted solely of the aforementioned bra and panties. Backing up to Ted, she began rubbing her butt against his groin and positioning his hands where she most wanted them.
"Oh this feels so good," panted Ted, "I just want to ..."
She turned and interrupted him with a deep kiss. "Show me," she insisted, and his hands quickly slid inside her dress as her own dexterous fingers rapidly unfastened his shirt and trousers. Before long various articles of clothing, no longer needed, were adrift in the pool, rocking in unison with the rhythm of their owners. At last the black satin bra, now bobbing jauntily on the swells, was joined by a matching pair of panties, and then both were swept away as the waves of passion crested.