William P. Atherton, III, a tall, handsome man with dark brown hair, wearing a tuxedo, rang the doorbell at the McIntyre home. He was "William," not "Willie," "Will," or "Bill." A nickname simply wouldn't do for an Atherton.
Jennifer opened the door so her escort for the evening could enter her house. "Good evening, William," she said.
"Ah...good evening, Jennifer," William replied. He gazed at Jennifer with undisguised admiration. He'd always known Jennifer was attractive, but he usually saw her in the casual clothes she wore when she worked around the farm and had forgotten how really attractive she was when she was dressed up. "I...I must say," he stammered, "You look very lovely tonight."
"Thank you, William," Jennifer said. She was wearing a wheat colored pantsuit, the jacket held closed by a sash of the same color. Her curly brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders and down her back.
"Shall we go?" William asked, bowing slightly.
"Of course," Jennifer replied.
William held the door for her and she walked outside, down her front steps, to the waiting Bentley. A liveried chauffeur stood by the rear door, holding it open.
Jennifer turned to William. "Only the Bentley?" she asked. "I don't rate the Rolls?"
William's face reddened. "I must apologize," he said. "Mother and Father took the Rolls."
Jennifer laughed. "William, don't be so serious," she said. "I was only kidding."
"Oh," William replied. He was not happy to have Jennifer pulling his leg.
Jennifer got in the car and sank into the soft leather seat and William joined her. The chauffeur closed the door behind them, walked around, and got in behind the wheel.
"So, William," Jennifer said as the car glided silently down her driveway. "What have you been doing with yourself?"
"Father and mother wanted to travel this year, so father appointed me vice-president and acting C.E.O. of the brokerage," he replied. "With economic conditions being what they are, I've been horribly busy."
While her escort launched into a detailed description of the trials and tribulations of his job at his father's investment brokerage, Jennifer felt her eyes glazing over. "Why did I ever say I'd go to this affair with him tonight?" she found herself wondering as William babbled on. "It would have been better if I'd gone alone."
It was a problem she'd faced her whole life. Her parents were extremely strict, monitoring her dating closely, carefully doing what they could to keep her from dating boys who were, as they put it, "beneath her." The fact that Jonathan, who her parents loved and approved of, had always been available made her folks' job easier.
"If they'd only known what Jonathan was really like," Jennifer mused, barely aware of William, who kept droning on and on about his job at the brokerage.
There was one boy her parents missed keeping her away from, at least for a time. His name was Tommy Singleton. He was a good-looking young man of nineteen who came to work on the farm the summer Jennifer was fifteen. He and Jennifer had gotten friendly, but nothing more seemed likely to happen because her parents kept their usual close watch on her.
Then her folks went on a trip and allowed Jennifer to stay home because she was appearing in a ballet recital...
**********
She went out to the barn one morning and found Tommy stacking hay bales The young man smiled when he saw Jennifer approaching.
"Hi, Jen," he said.
"Hi, Tommy," Jennifer replied. "that looks like hard work."
"Yeah, it is," he replied. "I was thinking about going swimming when I'm finished."
"Where do you go swimming?" Jennifer asked. She knew he didn't use the pool on the farm. The hired help wasn't allowed to use the family's pool.
"There's a place up in the hills I found, it's really neat," the young man replied. He brightened. "Hey, you want to go with me?"
Jennifer wasn't sure she should. She knew her parents definitely wouldn't approve. "Sure," she said. She decided to do something she wanted to do for a change. Her parents weren't around, and would never have to know. "It sounds like fun."
"Why don't you go get your suit?" Tommy said. "I'm almost done here."
Jennifer walked back to the house, slipped into a swimsuit then pulled a pair of cutoff jeans over it. It was an outfit her parents wouldn't have approved of, but they weren't home and Jennifer was feeling rebellious. She grabbed a towel and headed back for the barn.
Tommy, sitting in his beat-up old Jeep, was waiting for her. Jennifer was very aware of the approving gaze he gave her as she walked toward him and slid into the jeep.
"Let's go," she said.
Tommy started down a dirt road that led up into the hills surrounding the farm.
"Where are we going?" Jennifer asked as he turned onto what appeared to be a logging road. It was just two tracks, almost overgrown with brush.
"It's a place I found earlier," he told her. "I wander all over the property on my time off. You'll love it, it's really neat."
The road pitched uphill and grew even more primitive. Tommy reached down and put the jeep in four-wheel drive.
"Just how far back in the woods is this swimming hole?" Jennifer asked as they crawled along the rugged road.
"About a mile or two," Tommy answered. The little lake he was taking her to was very picturesque, surrounded by a forest meadow and filled with clear water. It was the perfect place for an afternoon with a beautiful girl. "I wonder if she'd go skinny-dipping with me?" he thought and felt his face get hot.
