This is a sequel to my story "Avery's Exposure." This particular story does not have any action that is nonconsensual or reluctant, and is, in fact, a much-requested romance between the two characters. However, it is set in a world where minor crimes can be punished with humiliating and painful nude punishments and often references Avery's previous experience with those laws, so be warned if that isn't your kind of thing.
Thank you to everyone who reaches out with feedback and leave comments. Talking to readers is what makes writing these stories so fulfilling. If you ever want to chat or talk about my world or sex stories in general, I answer every email. More stories are in development and I love hearing suggestions.
Avery rolled over, sinking into her mattress, and slowly her memories of the previous day returned to her.
"Oh God, why didn't I make him stay?"
she thought,
"I'm so dumb!"
Yesterday had been terrible and hopeful in equal measure. Her greatest fear, that had been building for weeks since she got her speeding ticket, had finally happened. She had attended her appointment at the Judicial Center where she had been strip searched and then put on display in an auditorium in front of twenty or so of her fellow citizens. She was tied to a couch and her knees and ankles were forced apart and, for an hour, her breasts and all her feminine secrets were on display.
However, she had thought it was going to be much worse. As she sat there, she got used to it. In the end, the worst part was her sore back and cramped legs. Isaac had made it all better. He was her best friend but since yesterday she couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted him to be more. She'd even kissed him! And then, she wasn't able to close the deal.
Isaac was amazing, she thought. They'd been friends for two years, all through graduate school. They had graduated a couple months ago and both searching for jobs. In the meantime, they were hanging out all the time and enjoying the nice, summer weather. It was only yesterday, as her punishment was approaching, that she realized how much she liked him.
Now it seemed insane how long it had taken her. He was just perfect. He was always so relaxed, and he would do anything for her. Anything she ever asked he came through for her and he was so cute. He was tall and much bigger than her, which before the previous night, she had never realized how much she liked. She wanted to rub her hands through his buzzed, blonde hair and stare into his blue eyes.
Avery trusted him completely. So much that she invited him to watch her punishment. She just didn't want to be alone and he was the only one she could think of who wouldn't be weird about the whole thing. And it was definitely weird. Obviously, she was naked in front of him, but there were others being punished, too, and he had had to watch that. Four other women and a man were punished with her and, in Avery's opinion, they had it much worse than she did. They were whipped and caned and groped as punishment for their various crimes. She felt terrible for them and even worse that she thought it made her punishment go by more easily in comparison.
Before telling Isaac, she'd thought about talking to a couple of her girlfriends, but her friends that lived nearby were all school friends, not really close, forever friends. Her closest friends were spread across the country and hours away. That's what happens when you're twenty-five: jobs and school disperse even the closest friends to the four corners.
Somehow, despite only knowing him a couple years and only being really close to him for less than half of that, she knew that he would be there for her. She just had a feeling. It was more than friendship, she thought, and she wondered if she'd had these feelings for much longer and only noticed it yesterday. "
Terrible timing, really
," she thought.
Avery threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. If she did lo . . . She had to push the L word out of her head. That was silly and it scared her that such a strong word was flitting through her mind after one kiss. If she did like him the way that she thought she did, she wished she had realized it before.
She feared what he must think. That kiss shouldn't have happened. It was too wild and too close to what had just happened to her. It must have seemed that it was a side effect of her punishment. Her emotions were high, and she did something without thinking.
"God I must be freaking him out."
However, she knew that wasn't true. She'd meant it when she kissed him and then she got scared. When they left the Justice Center, she had every intention of dragging him inside and . . . well she didn't know what she was going to do other than kiss him, but she had some ideas. She wanted his hands on her. Twenty-five was too old to be a complete virgin and she wanted that to change. Maybe she didn't want to jump to sex straight away, but she wanted something. She just needed to be brave and convince herself to tell him.
She just couldn't make herself do it. He had come inside and made sure she was ok, but no matter how much she wanted more from him, she couldn't put it into words.
Isaac had been so nice. He offered to talk about what happened or pretend it never happened or whatever she wanted, but she didn't know. She wanted to cuddle and kiss him and, well, she didn't know what else but be close to him. But she clammed up. She couldn't put words together and she was afraid to make a move.
Avery knew that she had to do something to get what she wanted. This morning, she was gonna call him, or, rather, text him like any normal young millennial. She grabbed her phone and headed to the bathroom.
She sat down on the toilet set and stared at her thread with Isaac. It was filled with memes and jokes and idle conversation, but currently it ended with her awkward signoff from last night. He had wished her goodnight and she responded, "Thanks," and that's where it stood.
She beat herself up further,
"He saw me naked, I kissed him, and all I could say was thinks. Crap, I'm so dumb. He must hate me."
Avery tried to compose a new message. Something apologetic and flirty and with just enough cleverness and coyness that everything could go back to normal if he turned her down.