by NTS
"They did. And Tom drove me home, actually," Sarah said. She hoped she hadn't left a wet spot on the leather of his front seat...
"Are you liking it?"
Sarah felt a tingle. Oh My God Not In Front Of My Mom!!
"I guess. It's a lot of mundane paperwork, but the people are mostly friendly and nice. I'm learning a lot about how a case like this proceeds, and I think I'm making good contacts for later, you know? So it's good," Sarah explained.
"And how's Kierra? You've hardly mentioned her."
"She's fine. I don't see her much. She's in a different part of the office," Sarah said curtly.
The conversation fell into another awkward silence, but it was broken a minute later when the waiter approached the table, running down the specials and then asking for their orders. Yukiko ordered a mushroom tortellini; Sarah and her mom both got the veal parmigiana.
Sarah excused herself to use the bathroom before the next silence had a chance to turn awkward. She stood, conscious of the full view of her body she was now giving her mom. She quickly left the table and crossed the restaurant, turning heads and she zig zagged for the lady's room.
Once there, she stood in front of a mirror, breathing deep, looking at herself - she'd done her makeup and hair before dinner, but it seemed so out of place on top of naked breasts. She'd been naked for over a month now, her body exposed to the whole world to see... but being this way in front of her disapproving mother was proving to be something else. It was a whole new kind of shame... she felt like a little girl with her hand caught in the cookie jar. But on the other hand, it was obvious how much Sarah's mother was trying, putting aside her personal feelings to accept the daughter she loved unconditionally. Which made Sarah smile.
She ran the water, splashing her face and washing her hands. If only I was putting her through this for a better reason though, Sarah thought. Such guilt was gnawing at her constantly now... she'd met several nudists in the office now, and all of them had a similar story to tell - stories of personal struggles and discrimination, all for living their life as they felt was right for them. Meanwhile Sarah sat there, having joined their ranks only for personal benefit, suffering embarrassment and humiliation in order to take advantage of a system meant to protect these people. Who knew that there were so many different kinds of shame?
Another woman entered the bathroom, and shot Sarah a snide look before entering a stall. Sarah could never predict the reaction of women. Men uniformly loved to look - sometimes they tried to hide the fact, but she'd yet to meet one who didn't like having a naked girl around. But women, they were all over the place with their reactions - they expressed everything: contempt, jealousy, disinterest, fascination, and, more than Sarah ever would have expected, lusting stares no different than the men's.
Sarah took a couple of paper towels and dried her hands, dabbing herself between her legs with them as well, to absorb what moisture had accumulated there. She might be getting off on being naked, but the last thing she wanted was for her mom to know that.
She returned to the table to find that her mother and Yukiko had managed to get a conversation going. They were discussing a recent movie - it was a safe enough topic, and the three of them managed to keep it going until dinner was served.
Sarah looked up to say thank you to the waiter, but what she saw made the blood drain from her face. Entering the restaurant was none other than Kierra, accompanied by someone who must have been her boyfriend.
"Is everything okay Sarah?" Her mom asked, noticing.
"Fine," Sarah said. "Just felt a little dizzy, is all. It passed."
Sarah slumped in her seat a little bit, on the slim hope that Kierra wouldn't notice her. Of course, being naked, that was a slim chance - she'd barely taken two bites when Kierra stopped by the table.
"Surprised to see you here Nubbly!" Kierra exclaimed, loud enough to attract the attention of every patron in the room. "Didn't anyone tell you this is a dress up sort of place?"
"Hi, Kierra," Sarah said, doing her best to hide her discomfort.
"Oh Kierra!" Her mom said, realizing who it was. "We were just talking about you. I haven't seen you in years dear, how have you been?"
"Why Mrs. Mariano! It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"How's work dear?"
"Oh it's great... I love seeing sooo much of Sarah."
Sarah's mom seemed oblivious to the double meaning. "That's good! I'm glad you two girls still get along."
"Oh, how rude of me, I don't think you've met Derek," Kierra said. Derek was a large black man, who had been quite openly eying Sarah over this whole time. Evidently Kierra didn't mind her boyfriend ogling at a naked woman, much to Sarah's chagrin.
"How do you do," Sarah offered, doing her best to seem polite.
Before Derek could speak for himself, Kierra interjected. "I don't think Derek's ever met a real nudist before, have you hun?"
"No can't say I have," he answered. "This is a treat."
"Pity you're so hidden under the table there," Kierra commented. "She's not normally so hidden," she went on to explain to Derek.
Sarah's mom was blushing almost as much as her daughter, clearly uncomfortable with the way Sarah's nudity had become so front-and-center. But then she surprised everyone: "You don't have to be modest for me, Sarah... if you'd rather be exposed... I know you're a nudist..."
Mom, this isn't the time to be supportive! Sarah screamed silently, in disbelief. "I don't want to offend anyone," she offered meekly.
Kierra and Derek smiled. "Oh Nubbly, it's cool, we're all tolerant here," Kierra said. "Why not show a little more for Derek?"
This isn't happening, Sarah thought, closing her eyes. But when she opened them a moment later, everyone was still there, expecting her to do something. She was in a corner. A real nudist wouldn't feel at all shy about this... and she couldn't admit to anyone here that her impulse to become a nudist had been less than sincere. So she inched her chair backwards, bringing her legs out from under the tablecloth, and twisting to give Kierra and Derek a clear view of her body. Whatever part of her enjoyed this had abandoned her; this was simply being tormented by her worst enemy. It was pure humiliation, as her naked body became a dinner show.
"Oh, stand up why don't you?" Kierra said. "I'm sure Derek would love the look and really, I don't mind."
Derek just smiled, clearly enjoying this. Kierra just wore the same evil grin she always did when Sarah saw her. She knew what this was doing to Sarah, and that just seemed to make her enjoy it all the more. Sadistic bitch.
Sarah swallowed and slowly stood up, summoning all her energy in an attempt not to blush and make her embarrassment known. Everyone spent a minute in silence, just looking at Sarah, as she stood displaying herself to Kierra and her boyfriend, her mom, and the entire restaurant, many of whom took notice. Yukiko wore a concerned expression, perhaps sensing Sarah's discomfort. Sarah's mom looked for a few moments before looking away, pretending to look for something in her purse. Kierra just looked firmly into Sarah's eyes, perhaps relishing the fear she found there.
"Amazing how immodest you are," Derek said. "You're very pretty, but I wouldn't ever be caught dead naked like that."
"No you wouldn't!" Kierra said. Finally, though, it seemed she'd enough. "Well, we'd best be sitting down now. It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Mariano."
Sarah quickly sat down and pushed herself back into the table, but the meal took on a different tone after that, passing mostly in silence. Sarah felt renewed guilt about her mother, who was clearly struggling to accept her daughter's behavior. Sarah focused on her meal, putting on the strongest face she could while bottling the impulse to cry. She hated that she couldn't.
Emotions abated a little bit as the dinner went on, and Yukiko even managed to get some idle chit chat going between them as the bus boy took their plates and the three women examined the desert menu. The choice was delegated to Sarah, on account of her birthday, so she decided on a chocolate mousse to share between th
em.
The desert came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, a single candle burning on top. Thankfully the restaurant wasn't so tacky as to have the wait staff sing, but even the small amount of extra attention that the birthday candle drew was more than Sarah wanted.
"And a happy birthday to the lady in the birthday suit," said the waiter as he placed in the table.
The pun got a tiny nervous laugh from Sarah's mother. "Happy Birthday, Sarah," she said sincerely. "Make a wish!"
Sarah looked at the colorful wax candle and the small flame burning on top of it. The only thing she wanted was to cover herself, to hide from the staring eyes and embarrassment that had become so much a part of her life now... she wished it silently as she blew out the candle.
It wouldn't ever come true, but a girl could dream.
Chapter 12
Wearing nothing but a security badge hanging from her neck and a smile, an exhausted Sarah crossed the lobby of the office building, glad for the respite from the constant stares of pushy morning commuters. She gave a cursory hello to Jim the security guard as she walked by, trying not to think about how he'd watch her on those video monitors of his.
It was Monday morning, and Sarah felt half asleep. She'd tossed and turned most of Saturday night, too emotionally strung after the dinner with her mother to sleep much. She'd wound up taking a long nap on Sunday, and as a result didn't sleep again last night.
Sarah got on the elevator in the same daze she'd felt all morning, moving more out of habit than conscious thought, unable to shake the last cobwebs from her head. She was alone in the elevator as it made the short trip to the third floor, offering a too-brief moment of total privacy. She looked at her distorted reflection in the metal of the elevator doors... no details were visible, but it was quite obviously the shape of a very naked girl.
You know that nightmare, where you get up in front of a big audience and realize you're naked? Sarah thought, narrating a story in her head to no one but herself. That's me now, all the time. It even feels like a dream.
As if to prove her own point, Sarah took herself back to high school. Prom night, her senior year. Everything about her life had been perfect then. At that point, Kierra had been a distant memory. Sarah had risen from an awkward freshman to the height of the high school social pyramid, and was about to be crowned prom queen. Her date had been Suresh Shah, a cute Indian boy, who had been captain of the swim team and destined to go on to med school. He was sweet.
And that dress! It had been perfect. Long, red, and gorgeous - it hugged her body just where it needed to, and accentuated her beauty in all the right ways.
Only this time, there was no dress. Sarah sat shyly, dressed just as she was now, until they announced her name as queen. She stood up nervously, and walked out onto the dance floor in nothing but her red heels. There was a dead silence... click, click, click they went as she crossed to the center of the floor, standing in the spotlight, letting the whole senior class get a good look at her exposed body. This time, there was no congratulations as she accepted that tiara, no applause and no cheers. There were only hushed gasps and wide eyes, as the crown went to the only girl who was naked amongst this sea of formal wear...
Ding! The elevator door opened, shaking Sarah from her daydream. Moments later, she'd already forgotten about it.
She continued going through the daily motions. A walk through the lobby. Say hello when appropriate. Try not to linger. Stop by the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee. Mmmm, coffee. Avoid that perv accountant. Find her desk. Look depressingly at the small pile of paperwork that had been left for her to plow through. Say hello to the other interns. Tom's not in... must remember to say hello later.
Sarah had nearly forgotten about the little "show" she'd put on for Tom on Friday night... but as she got to her desk, it came rushing back and she relived it in her head. She felt a renewed wave of embarrassment and blushed. Thankfully no one noticed the momentary redness of her cheeks, or if they had, at least they had the decency not to comment.
She continued on in her daze. She sat down; the itchy fabric of the office chair rubbed against her bare ass. She flicked on the computer monitor and began going through the paperwork that had been left for her. Filling, filing, entering data, organizing... it was all pretty mindless work, but it perfectly suited her mood this morning.
She was so focused on her repetitive tasks that she didn't even notice Kierra and Fleur standing above her.
"Wake up Nubbly," she said. "What are you, asleep?"
Sarah inwardly groaned. Whatever reason Kierra had for being here, she was sure she wouldn't like it. And it didn't fill Sarah with confidence that Fleur, Kierra's de facto partner in crime, was there to. She leaned back in her chair to address them, consciously crossing her arms across her breasts as she did.
"Sorry... I didn't get much of it over the weekend. And I'm kind of busy..."
Kierra smirked. "Well we just wanted to say happy birthday. Today's the day, isn't it?"
"Yeah... thanks..."
"We've got a birthday surprise planned for you later, but you'll just have to wait to see what it is," Fleur added.
The two girls giggled and wandered off. That's nice of them, she thought as she returned to her work. Except Kierra's not nice. A new sense of dread filled her.
Sarah sloshed through the rest of the morning, gradually waking up as she went through her tasks. She worked through lunch, and by early afternoon Kierra's warning had been all but forgotten. So it was a genuine surprise when Sarah heard people singing around four.
"Happy Birthday to you," came the voices drifting from down the row of cubicles. Sarah looked up, and the color drained from her face.
"Happy Birthday to you," more voices joined in, as much of the office followed Kierra's lead in marching to her desk, holding a cake with a lit candle. "Happy Birthday, dear Sarah, Happy Birthday to you!"
There was some applause as Kierra placed the cake on Sarah's desk, which accidentally put the candle out.
"Oh, that won't do!" Marietta, one of the junior lawyers and a genuinely nice person said. "I'll go get some more matches."
Marietta wandered off. There was still a crowd of perhaps twenty people hovering around Sarah now, all focused on the birthday girl, which made her intensely uncomfortable.
"That's okay, why don't you open your presents in the meantime?"
"Presents?" Sarah said incredulously.
"Of course," Kierra said with an evil gleam in her eye, before shoving a wrapped box in front of Sarah.
"Um thanks," Sarah accepted it.
"Well, open it? We know you're not shy!"
Sarah slowly opened it, nervous about what she'd find and wishing that Kierra hadn't designed it so all these eyes would be on her. Beneath the wrapping paper was a plain white box. It was suspiciously heavy, so she wasn't expecting what she found when she looked inside.
Clothes.
Specifically, it was a skirt and halter top - clubbing wear. Sarah just looked at it incredulously. Clothes. It was almost weird to feel them in her fingers as she held them up; the touch of fabric had become an almost alien sensation on her skin. She wanted so badly to be able to put it on, it was almost painful to have to simply put them back down.
She looked up, becoming aware of the giggles around her, notably coming from Kierra. "Your wardrobe seemed a little sparse, we thought you could use it!"
This got a laugh from everyone, at Sarah's expense. She had a flashback to that pool party during her Freshman year, when Kierra had masterfully turned everyone at the party against "nubbly". It was the same thing all over - all her co-workers stood around her, laughing at her - the nudist getting clothes for her birthday, clothes she could never ever put on. Sarah felt humiliated and powerless, with a simmering anger towards this bitch, who took such pleasure in making a humiliating circumstance that much worse for her.
"Try it on!" Fleur said. "Oh wait, that's right."
More laughs.
"
Well at least stand up and give us an idea of what it'd look like," Kierra said, still laughing.
Sarah looked around. Her audience looked back expectantly. Sarah stood up.
Why am I surrendering to this, to her? She asked herself, as she tried to bottle the negative emotions that were getting dangerously close to the surface. She stood up, and all eyes were on her exposed, naked body. She couldn't put the shirt on, but she held it in front of her and showed everyone. The momentary cover did nothing to make her feel any better - "modeling" the outfit like this just highlighted her nakedness.
"Damn that'd look good on you," someone said. "Too bad we'll never see."
"Hey, I kinda like her as is!" someone else countered.
"What's this?" one of the other interns asked.
Sarah looked down, and noticed that the clothes weren't the only thing in the box. She looked at the object with curiosity - it was long, pink, and resembled a penis. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks: it was a vibrator. She almost gasped upon the realization.