Chapter 2: Stripped Bare
My mind was a short-circuiting mess of panic and a deep, traitorous thrum of excitement. The safe, predictable lines of my life had been erased. I was being herded, bracketed by the soft, warm bodies of my best friend and her stunningly direct girlfriend. Every protest that died on my lips felt like a surrender. The short walk from my kitchen to the back patio felt like a mile-long perp walk, and I was the star inmate.
"Isn't it a perfect day for a swim?" Sarah chirped, her voice a stark contrast to the storm brewing in my gut. She gave my arm a little squeeze, as if we were just two friends about to enjoy a casual afternoon.
"Sarah, I don't—"
"Don't what, Josh?" Jean murmured from my other side, her voice a low purr that sent a shiver down my spine. "Don't want to cool off? You look a little flushed."
We stepped out into the blazing sunlight. My backyard, my sanctuary of quiet weekends and meticulously grilled meats, suddenly felt like an arena. The pristine blue water of the pool shimmered, no longer inviting but mocking. The lounge chairs seemed like sacrificial altars. I was utterly exposed.
"Look, this is… this is crazy," I managed, finally planting my feet near the edge of the pool. "Whatever you two have cooked up, I'm not—"
It happened in a blur of motion and mischievous laughter. Sarah released my arm, and with a strength that always surprised me in her petite frame, she shoved me squarely in the chest. My balance evaporated. For a heart-stopping second, I was airborne, my arms pinwheeling uselessly. Then, the world exploded in a cold, chlorinated rush.
I surfaced, sputtering, gasping for air as water streamed from my hair into my eyes. The shock of the cold was a welcome distraction, a jolt that momentarily cleared the fog of lust and confusion. For a second, it felt familiar. This was a classic Sarah prank. Annoying, but harmless. I treaded water, wiping my face, ready to launch a volley of curses at her laughing form on the deck.
"Alright, alright, you got me," I said, a reluctant grin starting to form. "Very funny. Now help me—"
My words caught in my throat. As I’d pushed myself up to grab the edge of the pool, Sarah had moved with the speed of a striking cobra. Her hand darted down, and I felt a tug at my waist, the drawstring of my swim shorts giving way with an easy slide. Before I could react, she had yanked them clean off, leaving me completely naked under the water.
She danced back, holding the soaked fabric aloft like a conquered flag. "Looking for these, Josh?" she sang out, her eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated victory.
A wave of heat, far more intense than the afternoon sun, washed over me. I instinctively dropped back into the water, crossing my arms over my chest as if that could somehow hide my nudity. "Sarah! Give those back!"
"I don't know," she mused, tapping a finger to her lips. She sauntered over to where Jean was standing, a silent, captivated audience to the entire spectacle. "What do you think, babe? Should we give the poor boy his shorts back?"
Jean stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over me in the clear water. Unlike Sarah’s teasing glance, Jean’s was a slow, deliberate inventory. It was the look of a connoisseur admiring a piece of art she fully intended to acquire. My entire body tensed under that stare, the cold water doing little to quell the undeniable physical reaction her appraisal was causing.
"I think," Jean said, her voice dropping to that same velvety low tone, "we should get a better look at what we're working with."
They moved to the edge of the pool, kneeling down in perfect sync, their faces just a few feet from mine. They were two predators looking down at their cornered prey. My heart hammered against my ribs, each beat a frantic drum of humiliation and arousal. I was trapped. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.
"Sarah, this isn't funny anymore," I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper.
"Oh, I think it's hilarious," Sarah countered, her grin unwavering. "But this is about more than just fun. This is about the gift I mentioned." She dangled my shorts over the water. "Here's the deal, Joshy. You're naked. You're in your own pool, and you can't get out without walking past us. We hold all the cards."
"So what do you want?" I ground out, my jaw tight.
"Compliance," she said simply. "We want you to play along. Be a good boy and participate in our little afternoon game. No fighting, no complaining. Just… go with it."
My mind screamed at me to refuse, to stay in the damned pool until they got bored and left. But then my eyes met Jean’s, and I saw the raw, undisguised hunger there. It wasn't a game to her. The craving Sarah had mentioned was written all over her face. And worse, a part of me, a deep, primal, and utterly shamed part, was flattered by it. Excited by it.
"And if I do?" I asked, the question feeling like a monumental concession.
Sarah's smile softened, becoming something dangerously close to conspiratorial. "If you do… then you get a gift in return. A fantasy gift. Something I've seen you blush about, something I know you've thought about. Consider it your payment for being so… accommodating."
My brain stuttered. A fantasy gift? From her? The implication was a lightning strike, a sudden, impossible hope that sent my already-betraying body into overdrive. She knew exactly what I wanted, what I had secretly fantasized about for years. She was offering it to me. It was a bribe, a manipulation of the highest order, and god help me, it was working. The humiliation of my position warred with the dizzying possibility she was dangling in front of me.
"You're an evil, manipulative little devil," I breathed, the words a mix of accusation and awe.
"I know," she said, her voice smug. "So, do we have a deal? You'll be our plaything for the afternoon…" She let the words hang in the air, then leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "…and I'll make a dream of yours come true."
I looked from her wicked, triumphant face to Jean's burning, expectant one. I was outmaneuvered, outplayed, and completely cornered by my own long-buried desires. The fight drained out of me, replaced by a wave of resigned, heart-pounding anticipation.
I took a deep, shaky breath. "Okay," I said, the single word feeling like the heaviest I'd ever spoken. "Deal."
A slow, triumphant grin spread across Sarah’s face. She tossed my shorts onto the poolside decking. "Good boy. Now, get out of the pool. Our first game involves tanning oil, and Jean needs a very, very thorough application."
Characters

Jean

Josh
