Darrell had just returned home from his Monday morning class. The summer semester at CRM was divided into three sessions. He needed to complete his math prerequisite and decided to knock it out that summer by taking statistics, which he had on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for three hours each day. That might be more applicable to a geology major than Calculus I. The second and third sessions would be filled up with his six-week field geology camp. Normally, this would be held away from campus for six full weeks, but apparently, the professor needed to be close to home for some family issues for the final two weeks. This was good and bad for Darrell. He liked his living arrangement and his budding relationship with Crystal, but he had been looking forward to field camp as it had been originally planned. Now, he was going to see a lot of the same old geology during the last two weeks.
He was contemplating starting his homework, which would be followed by lunch and then a landscaping project in the afternoon, for which he would get a few dollars. His thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. It was the door that led to the yard, not the alley, so he had to assume it was one of the Andersons. He opened the door, and it was Meredith, his preferred landlord.
"Oh. Hi Meredith."
"Glad to see me, even if I'm clothed?"
"Always."
"How's your day going, Darrell?"
"Pretty good. I just got back from class. What can I do for you?"
"I have a favor. We are having a birthday party for a friend of ours this Saturday. We would like you and Crystal to come if you don't have any other plans. It would help us out."
"Sure, I'll need to check with Crystal, but I'm pretty certain we can be there. Although, I'm curious: why do you need our help? We don't run in your circle of friends."
"Well, that is the thing. This is kind of your circle of friends, too, or at least they could be."
"Okay -- I'm confused."
"I'll explain. This is for our friends Martell and Jasmine Trudeau. It is Jasmine's birthday."
Darrell interjected, "How old is this Jasmine?"
"She is just a little older than me."
"It's just that I know another Jasmine. She goes by Jaz. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Well, the thing is that we have known them for a long time and really like them, but we have always been a bit uncomfortable around them outside of a restaurant or bar. The problem is that they are hardcore naturists. See the connection? It seems they have family money and have a bunch of land southeast of town, hundreds of acres, I think. They live out there naked, except in the winter, obviously. They grow vegetables and raise various livestock, chickens, and such. I don't think they need to do that for a living, but they seem to enjoy it. We have not been comfortable around them because of the nudity thing. Well, we are getting over that because of you and your girlfriends. Thanks for that, by the way."
"You're welcome."
"Anyhow--we invited them over for a birthday get-together, and they accepted. We want to make it a surprise party of sorts; only the surprise will be that it will be a nudist party. Ryan and I will be more comfortable with you guys there. We are getting pretty used to you. Plus, a party of six will be more of a birthday party, as well as being more comfortable for us."
"That sounds like it could be fun. I'm sure Crystal will jump at a nude party. She grew up with people like the Trudeaus. What time?"
"We were thinking of starting mid-afternoon, let's say three o'clock."
"Can we have our croquet game?" he asked.
"You know where we keep it in the shed."
"So cool. I'm finally getting you to play naked croquet. This summer is just getting better and better all the time."
"You better be prepared to lose. I actually know how to play that game."
"Sounds like there might be some wagering involved. This will be a fun party, and I'm looking forward to it."
"Okay then," she said. "You know the dress code and time. Let me know when you confirm it with Crystal. I hope she'll agree to come. It would be nice if Katherine were still around, too."
"I'll let you know."
"We'll talk later." With that, she left and walked back toward the house.
That made Darrell's day. It sounded like a fun time, and some time with Meredith in the buff was a big bonus. What kind of wager they could have? He and Crystal already had planned on spending Saturday day and night together but were unsure what they would do. This was perfect.
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Crystal agreed to the party but not as enthusiastically as Darrell had expected. Apparently, she was a bit hesitant to spend time with older naturists who were like her parents, who even lived like them. He did not quite understand this; nonetheless, she said it would probably be fun.
Meredith and Darrell had worked out the plan. It seemed that the Andersons were beginning to get cold feet. To counter this, the plan they came up with was for Darrell and Crystal to be nude in the backyard. When Martell and Jasmine arrived, Meredith or Ryan would send them to the back. They will have already been told that their tenant and his girlfriend would be helping celebrate. Them being nude would be surprise number one. Darrell would let them know that this was to be a nudist party -- surprise number two. They assumed that they would not hesitate to shed their clothes. At this point, the Andersons would be committed and would need to bite the bullet and join their party minus clothes. With four other naked people in the yard, Darrell suggested that this would be more comfortable than they expected. Meredith was not sure but agreed that it was a good approach.
Darrell and Crystal were setting up croquet in the backyard when Martell and Jasmine arrived. If the Anderson's guests were surprised at the lack of clothing being worn in the backyard, they did not let on.
Darrell started the introductions with his hand on Crystal's shoulder, "Hi there. This is Crystal, and I'm Darrell. I live in the Anderson's cottage over there. You must be Martell and Jasmine."
Martell said, "You have that right. Liking your attire."
Darrell went on, "Ryan and Meredith wanted to surprise Jasmine with a clothes-free birthday party. You're welcome to drop your clothes. They will be down in a minute."
As they continued the conversation, Martell and Jasmine undressed. Martell was heavier set and looked like he could wrestle an ox. A few extra pounds could not hide the obvious strength in his 5' 7" frame. He was a hairy man with long dark hair on his head, abundant body hair, and he appeared to be a few years older than his wife, who was approaching 50 by Darrell's estimation. Jasmine was nearly as tall as her husband and looked to be wirily strong with a large, but not overweight, physique. She had long mahogany brown hair and, with her pleasant smile and was a person you could not help but like. Martell was a bit gruff and was harder to warm up to.
Jasmine stated, "This is a surprise. Those two have never seemed comfortable coming to our place. We are committed naturists and rarely wear clothing on the farm. I guess I will believe it when I see it. I had given up hope on those two."
Crystal chimed in, "They are turning a new leaf, thanks mostly to Darrell. By the way, we share something in common. I grew up in a naturist community. I did my share of naked farming."
Jasmine lit up, "You have to come visit. We have just under a thousand acres but only work a small fraction of it. Most of the rest is rock outcrops and forest. If you like hiking, it's good exploring."
"Darrell and I have been working on exploring much of the county naked. We would love to come out."
Right then, Ryan and Meredith made their appearance--naked. The guests gave the hosts quick hugs, which Darrell thought that neither of the Andersons appeared particularly comfortable with. They exchanged small talk while Ryan got them beer and wine. After a few minutes, Meredith, who seemed a little uncomfortable, looked at Darrell and said, "I see you got the croquet set up."