"You bet! What's good for the goose is good for the gander," Nancy replied.
"What do think, James? I think they have a point. Since men's swim wear is topless, I think women should also be topless," Paul joked.
"Hey, you don't have to twist my arm," said Ann as she peered through half-closed eyes in the sunlight. "I'm all for clothing optional recreation. Come on sis! You need to get with the program!"
Nancy tried to ignore her younger sister and the calls from her boyfriend and brother-in-law for her to drop her top, but they were insistent.
"Come on Nancy! We'll all adults and we all seen boobs before. Stop being such a prude!" Ann chided.
Realizing she wouldn't be left alone until she complied, Nancy gave in to their calls and peeled her swim suit down to her waist, revealing her well-tanned top. She was acutely conscious of how her small soft breasts drooped and lay flat along her chest when she reclined and in the back of her mind, she compared herself unfavorably to her younger sister's near-flawless body. However, if anyone else noticed, they refused to comment on her less than perfect form. Instead, James was the first to state the obvious.
"Mmmmm.... It doesn't look like this is the first time you've sunbathed topless. What's with all the drama earlier? Are there any other missing tan lines we should know about?" he teased. Refusing to be baited, Nancy coyly replied, "Perhaps," and left the implied question unanswered. The conversation returned to less titillating topics and Nancy found herself becoming less concerned about her partial nudity in front of her sister and brother-in-law. Once again she was surprised at what she didn't know about her sister's life and attitudes. The only other moment where she began to get a bit alarmed was when Ann decided to remove the bikini bottom she was wearing to get a more complete tan. When Ann rolled back over on her stomach, James moved over to apply some fresh sunscreen to her back and shoulders, then down over her bare bottom and legs.
Ann's whole casual outlook on nudity and sex left Nancy somewhat at a loss, but Paul seemed similarly indifferent which became one less concern for her. It wasn't until later that she realized she had always equated nudity with sex and here she was in a situation where nudity was not necessarily a prelude or forcing function to have sex. When she thought about it, she had the same feelings when she first started seeing Paul and had to overcome her reluctance to sunbathe topless or completely nude with just him around. She used to kid him about being a closet nudist since he was always walking around his house wearing little or nothing in the mornings as he made breakfast, telecommuted from his study, or just relaxed with her.
It wasn't much longer before everyone decided to shift back indoors before they became sunburned, but following Paul's lead, they each jumped in the pool for a quick dip to cool off before heading inside. The cool water caused the women's nipples to immediately stand out, however Nancy had opted to pull her suit back up in place while Ann jumped in au naturel.
Leaving the pool, they went back into the screened porch to decide what they were going to do for lunch and the rest of the day. Paul's shorts were too wet and heavy to stay in place, so he kicked them off without a second thought and went naked into the kitchen to make up a pitcher of margaritas and some snacks for everyone. Nancy was dumbstruck by his lack of modesty in front of her already nude sister. James went inside with him leaving the two women to chat alone.
Ann still hadn't shown any inclination to put some clothes on, which left Nancy feeling a bit disturbed again.
"Aren't you going to get dressed, now?" she asked.
"Not yet. I was thinking I might want to go back in the pool after a bit. It felt so good just now," Ann replied.
"I don't know that I like you sitting around Paul like that," Nancy said a bit heatedly.
"You need to get over that," Ann lectured. "A blind person could see that Paul is only interested in you. He might enjoy looking at some women, but believe me, he LOVES you, and I can't believe he'd do anything to jeopardize your relationship, especially not with me!"
"How can you say that?" Nancy persisted. "You hardly know him."
"I've known him longer than you think. We first met in a swinger's group when he was with his ex," Ann confided. "I think the whole thing was her idea, but he went along with it. He stood out a bit among all the men in the group and a lot of the women were interested in giving him a "test ride", but from everything I saw, he remained devoted to her. Frankly, I wasn't sure what he saw in her. I thought she was a stuck up bitch and the only reason she wanted to join the club was so she could have more men drool over her and show off her hottie boyfriend to the other women. Everything about her was fake. She had fake boobs, veneers on her teeth, botox on her face, and probably a few other enhancements that weren't immediately obvious. The only things that she was missing were implants in her ass, because she had what James used to call, an "ironing board behind." Even her personality was fake. The second best thing that ever happened to Paul was her running off with some dumb bastard. The best thing that happened to him was you, and I bet he knows that!"
Ann's sudden outburst left Nancy stunned with its revelations. Paul never spoke about his ex-fiancé since their first day together and had certainly never mentioned some of his previous "social activities." Feeling a bit deflated, Nancy sat back and considered her sister's statements.
She knew that if Paul was only interested in a woman for her body, he would have never given her a second glance. When she looked at herself critically in the mirror, what she saw was a 55 year old woman with short hair that wasn't stylish; a face that wasn't particularly remarkable; two small droopy boobs; almost non-existent hips; and a tummy that bulged out too much as the result of three pregnancies. The only things she did like about her appearance were her toned, muscular legs and arms.
Despite her own misgivings about her appearance, Nancy recognized that Paul never failed to compliment her various body parts whenever the opportunity arose. When the two of them went out together, he always made sure she knew he cared for her by the small gestures and courtesies he extended. She once listened in from the next room as he was talking about her to some of his friends who had been invited for dinner and drinks. She was embarrassed by the praise and admiration he heaped on her for all her accomplishments and talents. When she came back in the room with fresh drinks, Nancy felt a subtle change in how the others looked at her and spoke to her.
As she sat back in her chair silently thinking everything through, she had to fight back the tears that came from own insecurities that kept her from accepting that her relationship with Paul wasn't temporary until he left her for another woman or doomed to failure because she couldn't meet his needs. She had become so insular with her life over the past 25 years that it was hard for her to truly open herself up to another person and risk ridicule or dismissal. That was probably why she had become somewhat distant and detached from her sisters, especially Ann and knew so little about what they did or how they thought.
Paul and James returned with a tray loaded with various cheeses, crackers, dips, and chips, plus a large pitcher of margaritas and four chilled glasses. Nancy quickly wiped her eyes and put on a smile to cover up her brief self-reflection. She immediately noticed that James had stripped off his wet shorts to join Ann and Paul in their 'natural look".
"Oh hell," she thought to herself. "It's just a matter time before they start giving me crap again about keeping myself covered up." And in a move that surprised herself and everyone else, Nancy stood up, peeled off her swim suit, and leaned over to pick up a margarita before plopping back in her chair. As she sipped it, she was aware of everyone looking at her with approving smiles and their eyes were focused on her face, not the rest of her bare figure. Nobody commented on her sudden change of heart or made teasing remarks and when the conversation resumed, Nancy remained unusually quiet for a short while as she slowly accustomed herself to this novel environment, then slowly joined in with her normal exuberant and lively personality. By the time she finished her second margarita, she had mostly forgotten that no one was wearing any clothing and was enjoying the ribald conversation between Paul, James, and Ann.
