"I would like to have everyone please remove their clothes, find a comfortable place to sit, and we will get going!"
It was definitely a request Charlee had never heard before, but she was well aware that this was what she signed up for this weekend.
Just twenty minutes ago, Charlee had stepped through the tall, wooden door and saw all the people already inside, talking and mingling. She tugged at her shoulder-length red hair, with a small thrill of either excitement or anxiety, she couldn't tell which, when she saw more than sixty people in the room. The large community center at the ski lodge appeared spacious yet comfortable, plenty of soft couches and armchairs around, a large stone fireplace, a wooden bar area, and floor to ceiling windows at the back of the room through which you could view the mountains and fir trees.
It was late afternoon and the September sun was making its way down in the West, casting long shadows on the hills outside. Thankfully, the windows faced North, so no one inside was blinded. She noticed that it was about the average mix of people you'd expect to see at a Colorado ski lodge, except that the ages of everyone were only about 20-40 years old, which was what the class signup sheet online had classified as "young adult."
Charlee had managed to get there 15 minutes late, missing a portion of the time set aside for signing in, getting a name tag, and chatting with other attendees of the Modern Sex 101 class, but still had a few minutes to check in and check out the scene before the instructor started speaking. She walked to the left of the room where a few groups had gathered to chat, sipping glasses of wine or beer, and looked around to see if she felt like saying hello or not.
"Hey!" A shorter guy with dark brown hair and a huge smile was walking up to her. He held out his hand. "I'm the coordinator of the event, Brett. Nice to meet you Charlee," he said, looking at the sticker she had placed below her right clavicle on her t-shirt. No need to dress up, she had thought, when the clothes probably won't last long.
"Nice to meet you, Brett," she said, returning the smile. "I wasn't sure what to expect, but it looks like this is a good turn out?"
"Definitely," Brett chuckled. "We have been increasing our reach though, with our blog and our previous events, more people are finding out about us and telling their friends and such. Let me introduce you to a few people before we get started in about ten minutes."
Charlee was introduced to Flynn, a slender, green-eyed woman with blonde hair; Troy, a lovely looking man of Indian descent with a British accent; and Robbie, a broad man with a bit of a belly, but very nice shoulders and a thick head of salt-and-pepper hair. They were all very welcoming and chatted with Charlee for a few minutes before they were interrupted by the coordinator. He had jumped up on the hearth of the fireplace to see over the group and to get everyone's attention.
"Hello, everyone! If I didn't get a chance to meet you personally yet, I'm Brett. You might know me from the blog or the community group we have online, but if you're new to this concept, our in-person classes promote sexual wellness on the personal or couple's level, better communication, and hands-on exploration. Sexploration, am I right?" Brett chuckled again. "The event tonight, of course, is called Modern Sex 101, which just means you get to try new things and the event is essentially non-partnered, as opposed to missionary sex or something! Are you guys ready to learn some fun stuff?"
Charlee could tell people were becoming giddy at the start of the event, because there was a lot more clapping and cheering from the small crowd than she might have otherwise expected at this basic introduction.
"Let me introduce our instructor, Dr. Flynn McElroy, sexologist and author of three award-winning books on 'sex-improvement'!"
The blonde woman Charlee had met earlier walked over to the same side of the room as Brett and gave the group a small wave. She gave another short introduction of her own, explaining that the mission of her career was to help people live their fullest lives by better understanding pleasure, and that part of this journey was to open one's mind to new possibilities. She outlined the goals of the class as: understanding that no two bodies are the same, being open to new experiences, and learning to both give and receive.
"So, are you all ready?" She asked the gathering with a grin.
She was met with another cheer and round of applause.