We found our destination, a remote hot spring on the edge of a dry lakebed, by mid-afternoon. We took an open campsite - a simple fire ring with a ragged picnic table - farthest from the pools. There was a small group of other campers by the springs, but no one was too close to our site for the moment, and Elysa felt confident enough to stay topless as she set up the tent and unloaded our bags. She was taking advantage of the opportunity to indulge her budding exhibitionism, and I was quite impressed with her growing confidence. I was surprised, then, when she emerged from the tent wearing her bright red string bikini and flip flops.
"Let's wash this trail dust off already!" she chuckled as she threw my swimsuit at me.
I caught the shorts and replied, "Now you want to wear clothes?"
"There's a lot of people down there. Let's scope out the vibe first."
I thought about our game of dares and wondered if I might take advantage of her submissive side. I briefly fantasized about ripping her bikini off and marching her down to the pool fully exposed. The thought thrilled me, but I quickly came to my senses. If I pushed her too hard, I risked ruining all the fun. Better to take it slow, I thought.
"Fiiine." I feigned annoyance as I took off my shorts and tossed them into the tent. Then I bent and slid off my boxer-briefs. I turned to face Elysa and put my hands on my hips, giving her a full view of my nude body. "...you suure?"
"Oh quit showing off," she rolled her eyes slightly but kept her gaze fixated on me.
"Alright then," I replied as I put my swim trunks on. "Your loss!"
She came closer to me, pushing her chest into mine. With a hand she took my wrist and guided it under her bottoms. My fingertips slid past her soft hair and felt the wetness between her legs. "Plenty of time for fun later." she moaned softly.
She giggled, then darted off to the spring.
***
We eased into one of the rock pools, slowly adjusting to the hot mineral water. We made small talk with various folks and basked in the immensity of the wild landscape.
As we talked, I noticed several of the men in the pool seemed fixated on Elysa. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, and sure enough their gaze was not subtle. But who could blame them? She was a goddess in that string bikini. The suit screamed a fire engine red against her deep tan skin. Its high lines and halter strap seemed to extend her already elongated limbs. My eyes traced her features. Her legs softly met the twin crescent curves of her butt, a narrow sliver of daylight visible between her thighs. A pair of dimples in her lower back seemed to anchor her torso to her lower half. She stretched, and her hipbones peaked from her skinny frame just above the red fabric of her bowtied bikini bottom. Her top - a pair of red triangles tethered by thin red cord - carried her breasts without effort, and a sinuous curve between her tits revealed the gravity-defying contours of her youth.
I alternated between watching these men admire her, and admiring her myself. I wasn't upset by their gaze, but I was disappointed at their presence. Elysa in that suit was irresistible. I suddenly wished we'd been alone. Or that she was bold enough to give them more of a show.
I'd get my wishes later.
After our soak, we returned to our site to organize and get dinner started. I cooked up a good camp meal, and Elysa got a small fire going. We ate by the crackling flames, exchanging laughs at the events of the past two days and wistful predictions of the days ahead. The summer light dwindled slowly into a long, late twilight. As the fire died down and the temperature dropped, we sat peacefully at the picnic table with her head nestled on my shoulder. She rolled a joint, our little after-dinner ritual, and we passed it between us in familiar silence.
"Hey Lys."
"Yeah Andy?"
"Ready for another dare?"
"Sure!"
"Once it's dark," I said between puffs, "let's get another soak in before we sleep."
"...what's the dare?" replied Elysa.
I took another drag and blew a tiny smoke ring her way. "...no suits this time."
"Mh-hmm!" she encouraged.
The desert gets chilly at night, even in the height of summer. So I donned pants and a sweatshirt for the walk. Elysa wrapped her towel around her waist and threw on a zip-up hoodie to keep warm.
We went to the hottest of the three pools and found it quiet except for two older women chatting to each other on the far corner. It was difficult to see their features in the dark, but they said hello to us and resumed their conversation. I smiled calmly at Elysa as I tossed my clothes by the bench and stepped through the dark fully naked.
