The Riss of Topless Sunbathing

This one has some fun elements, but I struggled with writing it. I hope I was able to salvage it in the edits. This one starts slow. Enjoy!

*****

"AMY! AMY!"

My brother, Mark, was shouting from the door. He'd been next door mowing the neighbor's grass. Our neighbor was Ted Kazinski, and up until two weeks ago, we thought he was just another friendly guy. That was when he filmed me sunbathing topless in my back yard. He had taken the video from his attic window, which was high enough to oversee our fence. Ever since then, life has been hell for my brother and me.

Ted came over, later in the evening, on the day he filmed me. He told me and Mark what he did and threatened us with it. He promised he would keep only the original file, and would delete it on one condition. For the next three months, Mark had to mow his lawn once a week, and we had to make dinner and invite him over, every single evening.

The more we got to know Ted, the more we despised him. My brother suspected Ted didn't let us in his own house because of the video camera and computer. We only did the dinners at our house.

Mark was very angry that I had sunbathed topless in the first place. Angrier that he was working for free, just so I could keep my dignity. Ted threatened to post the video to local swingers sites and "anywhere else I can find." I should probably mention this occurred before the days of voyeur and "revenge" porn laws. Back then, one couldn't do much of anything if someone posted a video without their permission online.

I didn't dare tell Eric, my new boyfriend. We were too new and fresh, and I didn't want to impose drama. I had to get through this, and I was grateful my brother was helping.

"We just need to get in his house and erase that file," Mark had said on a number of occasions, but Ted was a homebody. Not only did he work from a home office, he even had groceries delivered to his house (when that was barely a thing - it's much more common now). Ted hated going out in public. Still, we knew he always kept his back door unlocked.

We'd come to know Ted pretty well, in spite of not wanting to, due to all the awkward dinner conversations. The most "outside" Ted gets, is into his backyard. A couple times a day, he may walk outside and drink tea; breathe the fresh air. Apparently, he once locked himself out, so now he always keeps the door unlocked, since he has a locked gate and fence around the yard. Unfortunately, his presence prevented us from attempting any coups.

Mark and I suspected Ted made the dinners part of the agreement just so he could be around people. "He's holed up in that house of his and he wants to force us to be his link to society," Mark had contemplated. "Dude is messed up, Amy. And he drools all over you, too."

"I know, but he PROMISED he would only make us do this until the end of August."

"I bet he'll go back on his word," said Mark. "We have to figure out a way to get that file back. Or delete it forever."

Mark had been scheming for days. Now, as he came rushing into the house, yelling my name, I figured he must have hatched a plan. I called to him, "In the kitchen!"

He bolted in. "Oh, thought you were in your bedroom. Hey, when I was finishing up Ted's yard, he came out and made some stupid quip."

"Oh, yeah? What was that?" I dropped the noodles in the pot.

"He said it's a shame you don't sunbathe anymore."

"Fuck that guy," I bitched, "I hope you punched him for me."

"If he wouldn't retaliate by uploading your stupid porn, maybe I would."

"Hey! Come on, I was just topless." I pulled out three sets of plates and silverware, as the water began heating in the pot. Spaghetti was always an easy fix.

"Jesus, Amy. You, topless, is equivalent to like three other girls doing it." My brother always teased me about my tits. "Torpedoes" he typically called them.

I rolled my eyes, "Fuck you, too. Why'd you come running in here screaming my name?"

"The point is, he made another comment... that it doesn't matter that you don't sunbathe anymore, because his camera is busted. Apparently, he was charging it, and a surge blew the board and the drive."

I should note, that back in this day, digital cameras were new and kind of rare. The more affordable ones were built with cheap parts in abysmal factories in developing countries, with poor quality control. Cameras faulted all the time, for a variety of reasons. I used a few of them in my college courses and had seen it myself. "Well, it broke two weeks too late, though. Does this mean we don't have to do this anymore. The file is destroyed?"

"No, unfortunately. Ted said he had already moved the file to his PC backup drive. Said he was making room for new videos on the camera's drive. Get it? So he says you can wait a few days to sunbathe again, until the new camera he ordered arrives."

"That asshole," I said. "You can tell him he'll never see me naked again. And isn't it so fucking funny how he can talk shit to you, but when he's around me, he's a sniveling creep?"

"He is anti-social. Weird as fuck. But.. uh... about him never seeing you naked again..."

I stopped, turning to Mark. "What?"

"Amy, don't be mad. I was just thinking on my feet."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told him hat it's too fucking bad his camera broke, because we're in the process of renovating the bathroom."

"The bathroom? We're not doing anything to the bathroom."

"I know that!" barked Mark. "But well.. we kinda are now. That is, if you're up for it."

"What the fuck are you getting at?"

"I told him we were taking down the curtains and blinds, and painting the bathroom. He knows you shower in there every night at nine."

We came to discover that Ted knew all of our private habits. I suppose spying on neighbors is what one does when they have no friends. Our bathroom faces the neighbor's side yard, and we have maybe twenty feet between us. His poorly-designed home has a small study (that Ted never uses) with a bay window that directly faces our bathroom window. Due to that fact alone, Mark and I installed curtains and blinds before we moved in; even before we knew Ted, just because we thought it was a practical thing to do. In hindsight, I am glad we did, knowing how that asshole likes to perv on me.

Mark continued, "I couldn't think of anything else, so I told him it was 'real sad' (Mark used the hand-quotation mark signal as he said this) that his camera broke, because the curtains would be down tonight, and inevitably, you would take a shower. I'm telling you Amy, he was furious! I mean, excited, too, but furious."

"But Mark, we haven't pulled the curtains down in there, and why would you say that, anyway?"

"I'm gonna go do it now, before he checks. I told him we only just got the paint, and that we're prepping today."

"But WHY?"

"Okay, so we know he always keeps the back door unlocked. When you go to shower, we'll know he'll either be in the yard between our houses, or in that tiny room, looking out that bay window. I'll run around the far side of his house, climb his fence and get in the back door. I'll find his PC and remove the file. Permanently."

Mark was great at techie shit. I didn't know as much, but I did know I hated this plan. "You want me to shower? In front of that asshole?"

"Oh, come on, sis. You don't have to get completely naked. It's clear, you would be aware of the open window. Just tease him. Wear towels going in and coming out of the shower, but stay in there and keep him occupied until I get back."

"How will I know when you're done?"

"I'll knock or something. You'll know. I'll be here. Tell ya what. Keep your phone in the bathroom. I'll text if I need to communicate with you while we do this."

This was back in the days of flip phones, when texting was about the only extra feature one got with their cellular plan. If you were lucky, you might have a really shitty camera with it.

"I don't know Mark. What if Ted doesn't actually watch me, and you enter his house and he busts you? He could call the police on you."

"Are you fucking joking?" cried Mark. "Not watch you? He crushes on you! I wouldn't be surprised if he stands on our side of the yard and peers right into the window. He's a pervert. At the very least, he'll be glued in that study that he barely uses, and I'll be on the opposite side of the house, quiet as a mouse. Seriously, not watch you? He probably jerks it to that video every night. He certainly tells me he loves your 'boobies' all the time."

Whenever Ted visited (which would be in about twenty minutes, by the way), he mostly talked about his work as a freelance data analyst, or his favorite TV shows. All boring stuff, when he is around me. Outside of that, he might make some corny joke about how he has a great video with me in it, and it's his favorite movie of all time.

But the fucker never talks crudely to me, like he does to my brother. Apparently, he walks about me all the time, with Mark. When he is personally around me, he gets nervous. Still, with this video hanging over my head, he thinks he has a right to my presence. It's disgusting behavior. I wondered how many times he had beaten off to that video. If anything, that may be the only good thing that came of this. Ted Kazinski can beat off all he wants, so long as he knows he'll never have me in the flesh. Let that video remind him, the utter dweeb.

The more I thought about Mark's impromptu plan, the more I found it agreeable. It dawned on me that if I went through with this, I could easily tease Ted to keep his eyes focused on me. I'm a girl, after all, and have plenty of practice using towels that keep my bits just barely covered. I knew Ted would be praying for me to remove it, too.

I'll make him suffer, I thought. I'll tease incessantly, showing cleavage and lots of thigh. While my brother deletes the one thing that really shows me naked, Ted will be busy trying to get another show. In the end, he'll get nothing. I loved the idea.

"Okay, let's do this," I shouted. "Go get the curtains down in the bathroom. Make it look a bit of a mess in there, like we're about to do work."

"Shit, Amy, I thought I would actually have to talk you into it more."

"Nope," I said. "Let's do this. You delete that file. But then let's not tell him. And tomorrow, when he comes over for dinner, we refuse to let him in. He'll figure it out, if he doesn't know by then."

Mark smiled. "I like your thinking." He scooted off to the bathroom.

I glanced down at my shirt. It would take three buttons, at least, to show an ample amount of cleavage. I unsnapped them immediately. I had every intention of teasing Ted during dinner, ensuring he'd fall into our trap. That's when the bell rang, and the door immediately opened.

Ted didn't bother waiting for either Mark or me to answer the door. It was as if he felt he was entitled into our home. I was actually surprised he bothered ringing the bell at all. Soon, he turned the corner into the kitchen, just as I was pouring the sauce on the spaghetti. I kept my back to him. "Hello, Ted," I said.

"Huh.. uh.. hi, Amy. Oh, yeah... you promised spaghetti again. Did you make the garlic bread like last time, too?"

"Oh, darn it, Ted," I said, with a higher pitch than usual. "I sure did forget. Can you forgive me?"

I could hear it in his voice. He was demonstrably upset. "Hey, you know you could think about me a bit more than that." His voice cracked, as he tried to be authoritative. "You... you know how much I love that garli-"

I spun around and bent forward with the large bowl of spaghetti in hand. Ted wasn't, in any way, looking at the dish. His eyes went straight to my cleavage. "But I promise the spaghetti is great. And next time I make it, I'll make extra garlic bread, just for you!" I don't think Ted caught the disdain and sarcasm in my voice. Idiot.

"Oh, there you are," said Mark, coming in. "Dinner ready then?"

We usually tried to have Ted out of the house by 7:30, but I laid it on thick. I started asking questions to him about his work, anything to force him to keep his eyes on me and my tits. At 7:20, I mentioned the bathroom to Mark. "Hey, did you pick up that extra paint we needed?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, sure did. I didn't want to have to go back to the store tomorrow."

"That's right," said Ted. "Mark mentioned you were painting the bathroom."

"Yeah, I insisted," I said, batting my lashes. "Tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't take too long. I hate having such a mess in the house. Renovating is such a hassle."

The reminder seemed to do the trick. By now, all Ted could do was gawk at my open cleavage. He was trapped. Twenty minutes later, we finally set him on his way. "See you tomorrow, Ted," I said, closing the door behind him.

"I can't wait to see the new updates in the bathroom," he hollered, behind me.

I rolled my eyes to Mark. "With any luck, he'll never step foot in this house again," I whispered.

"Oh my God, this had better work. I can't take one more day of having to put up with him. By the way, I noticed you laying it on thick there." Mark shifted his eyes to my cleavage.

"Yeah, well, I just want to be sure this happens."

Just then, my cell phone rang off. I rushed over to it, seeing the call coming from my boyfriend, Eric. "Hey," he said, when I answered. "Where you been, babe? I thought you were gonna come over at least one day this week. Do I need to drive out to your place?"

"Oh, hi Eric." Again, I hadn't told him about the deal Mark and I had made with our neighbor. The daily dinners certainly impaired my social life, and while I did try to work around it, Eric was beginning to notice the time we shared being diminished. "I'm so sorry. It's just... well, I've been doing this uh... summer project... and well, I'm almost done with it, I think."

"Summer project?"

"Yeah... look, I'll explain later, but I promise, it's nothing to worry about. I love you so much, babe! I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Um.. okay, I guess. But really, we gotta meet up for more than a few minutes at a time. Something's wrong here, don't ya think?"

"I promise, it will all be finished soon." I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow. I better make this work, I thought. "Just relax, Eric. Everything is fine. I'll explain everything to you soon."

Maybe I should have told him already. I certainly had fond feelings for him, but still, I hated imposing drama. I didn't want to see Eric go off the rails on a nobody like Ted. It wasn't worth the effort, or risk of getting in trouble. After I hung up, I turned to Mark. "This better fucking work."

Nine o'clock didn't roll around fast enough. Ten minutes prior, I stepped into the bathroom and put on a big show of getting ready, in case Ted was already watching. I prepped my soap and shampoo and took a towel from the pantry. As I got ready, I glanced toward the open window.

Our home was built in the early '90s, when unusual designs superseded practical purpose. The window into the bathroom was at least eight feet high, starting about two feet off the floor. I suppose it was meant to let the sun in, but it was a hassle to open and close the blinds every time one wanted to use the bathroom. Hence, we always kept it closed.

As I looked to the window now, it simply reflected the bathroom back to me. It was pitch black outside, and the light to Ted's study across our side yard wasn't on. I imagined he was in there already, popcorn in hand... or tissue. Without visual proof, I would have to just trust my gut that he would watching.

Usually, I undress for the shower in the bathroom. Not this time. I went to my bedroom, stripped off and wrapped myself in the towel, spending several minutes in front of my mirror adjusting it. Mark called out to me through the bedroom door. "You almost ready, sis? At 9:10, I'll head over. Don't forget to take your cellular phone in the bathroom."

"Almost there, Mark," I said, shifting the towel again. The ones we use are large, but considering the size and shape of my breasts, most of the material is spent managing those. I could raise up the towel, and show more leg and perhaps a hint of ass, but by sacrificing some cleavage. Or I could drop the towel damn near to my nipples and show miles of cleavage, but less thigh. That "booby" flesh would drive him mad. I opted on the latter and stepped out of my room.

"Jesus, Amy!" shouted Mark. "I said you could leave some room for the imagination, didn't I?"

"Oh, you know he is always ogling at my tits. I'll walk back and forth in the bathroom like this for a bit, to be sure he won't leave."

"Alright. Be careful. I'll be quick."

As I rounded the corner into the bathroom, that's when I saw it. A flash of movement in the window. I think it was a lens from a regular kind of camera, one that just takes pictures. Ted must have been testing his angles at the window. Whether he noticed my eyes darting to his movements was anyone's guess, but I quickly turned to the bathroom mirror and fiddled with my hair, pretending I saw nothing. I lifted my towel just a smidgen. Much lower, and my areolas would have escaped. I had to think... Ted had a camera on him, so I had to be careful not to show anything. I picked up my phone and texted Mark: 'hes outside at the window don't get caught hurry.'

Most folks may not remember it was a bitch to text someone back then, having to tap a numerical key several times to make each character of the alphabet. I turned to head over to the shower, and stepped over some curtain rods that Mark had left on the floor. I pretended I was wholly unaware of Ted's presence outside the window, just a few feet away now.

The shower itself is maybe five or six feet long and runs perpendicular to the window, but with the window so large and wide, and the curtains down, you can see entirely into the room, shower and all. Thankfully, our shower curtains were a dark green, so I would be hidden behind it.

As I got ready near the tub, only a few feet from the large pane of glass, I bet Ted was loving it. To be honest, I was finding it kind of exciting, too. It felt like a game, to see how much I could show, without showing anything at all. I got to play a bit of an exhibitionist, without the guilt of feeling like a slut for doing it. This had purpose, right?

I looked down to make sure my nipples weren't sliding out, giving the towel another quick adjustment as I turned to face the window entirely. I bent over, rubbing and examining my legs, then rose up, checking my arms and pits, checking my skin before entering the shower. I must have faced that window for a solid minute. I didn't see any camera lens reflecting through the glass, but then, I wasn't trying to focus my vision outside of the window. I dared not risk allowing Ted to know that I was aware of his presence.

'Take all the pictures you want,' I thought, however. 'It'll never compare to what you're losing tonight.'

I reached over and turned on the water, starting the shower. I bet Ted was jumping out of his skin, hoping I would drop the towel right there, but instead, I stepped into the far end of the tub and pulled the curtain back. I then removed my towel and flung it over the rod, smiling to myself, as I was protected behind the thick, green plastic material.

Just to keep things interesting, as I stepped toward the falling water, I pulled the shower curtain back, leaving about six inches open, just enough for me to show the skin of my arms and back, as I popped in and out of view. I would be sure to not allow any tits or ass to get exposed.

I had only just grabbed the soap when I heard my phone ding off. It was a text. "Oh fuck," I said to myself, "I should have brought that closer.' The only way to get to it was to step out of the shower and walk back to the sink. I quickly shut the water off and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around me. I was soaked already.