Naked (Part 2)
Kathryn M. Burke
When, struggling into a nightgown, Fanny trudged down to the kitchen, she saw exactly what she expected. Cliff was at the counter, pouring out a large helping of coffee into a mug while poor Margeryâwho may or may not have known of Fanny's overnight visitorâwas cowering in a corner. Wearing only a nightgown herself, she was covering her breasts and pubic area with her hands, as if she and not this male intruder was the naked one.
"Fanny!" she cried desperately. "Who
is
this?"
"Who do you think it is?" Fanny said with a sigh. "My, um, companion for the night."
Margery continued to gawk at Cliff as he sat down calmly at the kitchen table.
"Cliff," Fanny said, looking down at him severely, "do you really have to go around naked?"
"I don't care to wear clothes in the house," he said with unusual precision.
"That's obvious. But there are other people here who, shall we say, may not be keen on seeing everything you have to offer."
"I'm not ashamed of my body."
"Okay, fine, butâ"
Suddenly he leaped up. "Hey, how about some breakfast?" he cried. "I'm starving!" He opened the refrigerator and began pulling things outâa box of eggs, a package of bacon, some butter.
"
You're
going to make breakfast?" Fanny said. "Like that?"
"I'm pretty good at it," he said smugly.
Fanny didn't know if he meant, "I'm pretty good at making breakfast," or "I'm pretty good at making breakfast naked."
Shaking her head, she sat down. Margery, for her part, couldn't take her eyes off the naked man. Slowly and carefully she sidled over to the table and sat down at it. She seemed fixated by Cliff's backside as he stood at the stove and began whipping up a fine weekend breakfast. Every now and then she gave her sister a look of incomprehension, to which Fanny just replied with a baffled shrug of her shoulders.
When the eggs, bacon, toast, and roasted potatoes (which Cliff had found in the freezer) were ready, he doled them out onto three plates and presented them with the elegance of a skilled waiter as he placed them down in front of the two women. Then he sat down himself and began shoving the food into his mouth.
With his naughty bits now largely hidden under the table, a certain semblance of normality prevailed. But, even as Cliff peppered Margery with nosey questions about herself, Fanny felt a sense of the unreality of the situation. What exactly had she gotten herself into? Was this young exhibitionist for real? Or was he just being bold and sassy in the company of two middle-aged ladies?
In a way, it turned out that Cliff was right when he'd said that Margery (and, by implication, Fanny herself) would "get used to" his nudity. With the passing of weeks, he was over at the house more and more, cuddling up to Fanny as they engaged in all manner of bodily permutations. They seemed less and less inclined to be quiet about their activities, and the next morning they encountered a blushing Margery who, in her prudish way, was resolutely determined to pretend that nothing was actually happening.
As Fanny became more comfortable with Cliff in her bed, she pondered on the nature of the relationship. Their twenty-year age difference made it unlikely that this would be a long-lasting affair: she just couldn't envision marrying this sex-obsessed young man, and he didn't seem to think this was anything but an entertaining roll in the hay with a supremely appealing older woman. And that was fine with Fanny: it was all helping to raise her self-esteem after her no-good husband had ditched her.
One night, as they were snuggling after some energetic vaginal and anal sex, Cliff directed his attention toward Fanny's sister.
"So," he said, twirling his lover's nipple with delicate fingers, "what gives with Margery?"
"What do you mean?" Fanny said, as little jolts of pleasure surged through her.
"I mean, how long is she going to stay here? Doesn't she have a life of her own?"
"You don't like her being here?"
"I didn't say that. It's not my call to make. Anyway," he added with a chuckle, "she seems to be getting a kick out of seeing a naked man wandering around the house."
"I'm not sure 'kick' is the word. I actually think she's kind of freaking out about it, but somehow she's convinced herself that it's nothing out of the ordinary."
"Doesn't she go on any dates or anything?"
"Cliff, she's still traumatized over her last love affair, which blew up in her face. She's told you herself she's not had good luck with men."
"There's no reason why that should be. She's really a piece!"
Fanny didn't appreciate the way Cliff was talking about her sister. "Oh, you find her attractive?"
"Who wouldn't? She has curves in all the right places."
"Maybe, but she's a bit on the timid side. And I think sex makes her nervous."
"Some men like that. You know what they said in the Middle Ages: 'my cold, cruel lady fair.'"
"I wouldn't call her cold. I think there's a lot of passion in there somewhere. It's just a bit buriedâshe seems afraid of expressing herself in that way."
"Well, that's silly."
"Sure it is, but that's just the way she is."
"Maybe I can change that," Cliff said slyly.
"Oh, you want to make a move on her?" Fanny said tartly. "Well, actually, you could do far worse. Maybe that's exactly what she needs."