It took a while for the sound to penetrate her awareness. She had come home after a tiring day, kicked the shoes off her aching feet and headed straight to the kitchen for a glass of a light white wine. She didn't drink alcohol very often, but after the day she'd had, she was in the mood to be a bit rebellious. She debated about fixing herself something to eat, but decided that she really wasn't very hungry. Besides, Paul would be home in an hour or so and they could fix something together. Instead, she wandered toward the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. As she undressed, planning to slip into sweats and a T-shirt, she decided that a warm bath would feel good to her aching feet and legs so she headed into the bathroom.
She slowly sipped her wine while the tub filled, mindful of the fact that her stomach was relatively empty. While she waited, she examined herself in the mirror. As she looked at herself, she mused about the whole 'aging thing'. It was amusing to realize that she found herself needing to get reacquainted with herself on a regular basis these days. Her fortieth birthday was a couple years behind her and it was beginning to show. She noticed that her laugh lines had transformed into crow's feet that didn't disappear when she stopped smiling. The gray in her dark brown hair was becoming a bit more noticeable, too. Should she begin to color her hair? Not just yet. She believed strongly that it was healthier for her to accept the changes that life was bringing to her body......yet, she thought wistfully of the youthful tone her skin used to have. If only she had had the sense to appreciate it at the time instead of viewing her fair skin as too white and unattractive!
She took a step back from the mirror to take in more of her naked figure. She saw full breasts with pale pink aureoles and nipples that were hard little buttons at the moment because she was slightly chilly. It had been so hot for the last few days that the air conditioner was getting a real work out. Her breasts didn't sit up as pertly as they used to, but she privately found their slightly drooping fullness appealing. Her eyes traveled down over the white expanse of her belly and her broad hips. She would have liked to see a bit less padding there, but she had made her peace with that aspect of her body a long time ago. She was just not destined to be thin. She was glad to see that her waist still tapered inward above the flare of generous hips. She turned slightly to the side and was pleased to see that curves of her hips and buttocks were still round and up where they belonged! She turned back and looked at the slight overhang of her belly. She sighed, and again regretted the lessening of skin tone that comes with being over forty.
She gave her reflection a rueful grin as her eyes rested on the triangle of hair between her legs. She examined the somewhat puffy curves of skin she could see through the relatively thin pubic hair. Who knew you could store fat there! She knew that the appearance of that part of her would be described by many as 'fleshy'....and she had to admit that the term was an accurate description of what she saw framed by her full thighs.
She realized that the tub was nearly full, so she turned away from the mirror and decided that, all in all, she didn't look too bad. Thank goodness that she had the height to carry the extra weight and curves well. At 5'8", she wasn't overly tall for a woman, but no one would consider her short. She set her nearly empty wine glass on the counter and moved toward the source of relief for her aching muscles.
She turned off the tap, stepped over the edge of the tub and with a sigh, eased herself into water that was so warm it was almost painful. She couldn't believe she actually was enjoying a hot bath on such a hot day, but the heat felt wonderful on her sore legs and feet. She laid her head back and soaked for a while, letting her mind wander where it would. She wished for probably the millionth time that she had a hot tub, or even a nice deep garden tub, so that she could really submerge completely. Well, at least her sore legs and feet were happy. Eventually she sat up and reached for the body wash. She enjoyed the feeling of the moisturizing lather on her skin. As she caressed her skin, she decided that she needed to shave, so she grabbed the razor. She completed the task with businesslike motions because she was beginning to feel overly warm from the hot bath. She decided that she might as well do the job right and sat on the edge of the tub to also remove the hair from the underside of her labia as well. This task always made her feel a bit mischievous and mildly aroused. The skin was so soft and sensitive when bare, and it was a nice compromise between the naughtiness of being completely shaved and not shaving at all. She definitely did NOT want to look like a child!
She stood up and turned on the shower to wash her hair and thoroughly rinse herself. She soon emerged from the tub feeling clean and refreshed. She dried herself and slipped into her light summer robe. She had made the robe herself from a lightweight flannel in a pretty shade of mauve. Silk or satin felt smoother to the touch, but in the hot weather she preferred the flannel because her skin felt drier in it.
She wandered out to the living room and settled on the couch to look through the mail and wait for Paul to come home. A few minutes into her task, a sound that had probably been going on for a while penetrated her awareness and prompted her to look out the window. While she had been in the tub, the sky outside had darkened dramatically and a stiff breeze had developed. She realized that a storm was blowing in. She loved summer storms. There was something slightly erotic about the wildness of the wind and rain. She liked to watch the rain come pouring down with the lightning flashing and the thunder rumbling.
She rose from the couch and moved to the sliding door that led to the back patio. Through the large expanse of glass, she could see roiling dark clouds in the sky. The branches of the trees were being whipped by the gusty wind. It had grown quite dark even though it was relatively early in the evening. She heard distant rumbles of thunder and thought she saw brief splashes of lightning across the underside of the clouds. The lightning was still off in the distance, so she slid open the door and stepped outside. She gave a passing thought to the fact that she was wearing only a short robe, but decided that there wasn't much risk of the neighbors seeing her. Their backyard wasn't large, but it was enclosed on two sides by a six foot privacy fence and on the third by a hedge of mature bushes, so she was safe from prying eyes as long as she didn't turn on the outside light. She checked to make sure the umbrella of the patio table was folded down so it wouldn't end up sailing across the yard. The patio set was new this year. There were four chairs with brightly colored outdoor cushions and a chaise lounge in addition to the umbrella table. She and Paul often carried their dinners out to the table to enjoy the evening air while they ate, although it had been so warm for the past few days they had opted to stay in the air conditioned kitchen.
She moved toward the end of the patio and began to gather the chair cushions so she could store them in the storage box. Suddenly, the wind gusted strongly, blowing warm air up under her robe and across her bare skin. She was surprised by the warmth of the wind as it caressed her body. Usually storms like this herald a break in the heat and are accompanied by cooler air. This time, however, the breeze was silky and warm. She was surprised to find herself enjoying the feeling of it on her skin. In fact, she found herself feeling mildly aroused and concluded that the wine, the body wash and the intimate shaving were conspiring with the wind to awaken her sensuality. She moved to the chaise and bent to retrieve the cushion. The wind blowing under her robe and over her naked backside made her pause with the pleasure of it.
She straightened, lingering there with her hands resting on the raised back of the chaise. She remembered a conversation she and Paul had had recently about a nude camp he'd heard about from a friend. Apparently when Paul was younger, he had been to a nude camp a few times. He talked with enthusiasm about the pleasure of being naked outdoors and expressed the desire to experience that someday with her. She had not completely rejected the idea, but at the same time it was clear to them both that it would take her some time to work up the courage needed to even consider such an adventure. She was comfortable with her body in the privacy of her own home and with Paul, but it was hard to imagine walking around completely naked in broad daylight in front of people she didn't even know. She imagined that they would look at her plump, aging form and wrinkle their noses in disapproval. Paul assured her that people of all shapes and sizes go to nude camps and that the purpose of going is not sexual. He told her that the people there would not be judging her or imagining her as a potential sex partner, but would simply be enjoying the freedom and naturalness of being naked. The conversation ended with her promise to think about it.
At the moment, she was thinking quite hard about it. She wondered what it would feel like to be standing outside in this wild weather completely naked. Feeling a little foolish, and very glad that she was home alone, she loosened the tie to her robe and let it fall open to expose her breasts to the warm wind. It wasn't long before she was smiling gently to herself as she felt her nipples harden under the gentle stimulation. It felt amazing! It was like many tiny hands touching her skin with infinite gentleness. She loosened the belt the rest of the way and allowed the robe to fall open, exposing more of herself to the wind's caresses. A feeling of surprise at her own daring, combined with signals from her exposed skin made her heartbeat quicken. Her hands began to roam gently over her own body as she surrendered herself to the sensation of being caressed head to toe by the warm wind.
Paul opened the front door and managed to wrangle his briefcase and the take-out Chinese inside despite the strong wind that had arisen in the last half hour. They usually fixed dinner together, but tonight he had decided to surprise her with take-out. He was relieved to be done with work for the day and to have made it home before the storm broke. It looked like it would be a real soaker. Well, at least he wouldn't have to mow the lawn tonight like he had planned. He had been dreading that chore, especially since it had been such a hot day. He left his briefcase near the desk in the corner of the living room and went in search of Renee. He actually had expected to see her usual place on the couch, going through the mail or watching television while she waited for him to get home, but she was nowhere in sight. He wandered into their bedroom and noticed the discarded clothes. Well, she was clearly home. He peeked into the bathroom, his eyes taking in the wet shower curtain, the damp towel on the rack and a nearly empty glass on the counter that appeared to contain white wine. Hmmm. Apparently she had a rough day and decided to do some serious relaxing while she waited for him. He congratulated himself on his timing. Apparently today was a good day to take care of dinner. But where was she?
