Have you ever been in a position where you want to do something that you know you shouldn't but you think, "Nobody will know. Why not?" That's the position we had been in and like everyone else in that situation we made the wrong choice.
My name's Pamela. I live on a cattle ranch with my father, who's the foreman of the ranch. I'm eighteen, with brown eyes and brown hair and, what with all the sunshine I get, effectively brown skin. I'm also rather fit, because you don't get a chance to be idle on a ranch where my father is the foreman. At least, I don't.
Jerry is the son of the owner and I've known him for eighteen years. That's right, all my life, although not all of his as he's several months older than me. He's blond, with blue eyes, with the sun ensuring that his hair is really blond. Like me, he's heavily tanned and quite fit. Both my father and his make sure that he doesn't have time to be idle.
I would like to point out that Jerry is not a love interest. He's more like my brother, with his father being an adopted uncle. I know that Jerry also considers me in the light of a sister as he's always asking for advice about his current girlfriend.
Anyway, to get to the point, Jerry and I had been out doing a count of calves in one of the distant grazing areas and looking to see if there were any potential problems. It was late spring and it was hot, and working around cattle is hard work, and the fool beasts throw up a lot of dust, so we were both hot and sweaty and sticky and dirty.
We were heading back towards the ranch house when we came to the river.
"God, that water looks cool," I grumbled. "I'd much rather be in there swimming than up here riding this damn horse."
"Me, too," said Jerry with a grin, "but needs must when the devil drives and if we don't get back fairly soon there'll be a couple of devils on our cases."
"Maybe, but we do have some time," I pointed out. "If I'd thought to bring my bathing costume with me I'd be changing and diving in for a few minutes at least."
"I know what you mean," Jerry said, and we just sat for a few moments looking at that cool water. What a waste to just see it go rolling by.
"Um, we don't actually need bathers," Jerry said. "As long as we're away from the trail, like just up past those trees where the large pool is, no-one would notice us and we could have a quick dip."
"What, go skinny-dipping? I couldn't. It wouldn't be right."
"So who would know? I'll turn my back while you get undressed and go in and then I'll join you. You'll effectively be covered by the water. After we've had our swim I'll leave first and keep an eye out while you get out and dressed."
I hesitated. There it was. The choice where the answer should be no, but the idea was so appealing. I wasn't worried about Jerry in a sexual sort of way as, like I said, he was more a brother than anything else. It would feel like incest to get passionate with him. Neither was he likely to get ideas and jump me, because basically he was a nice guy.
"Why not?" I said, succumbing to temptation. "Let's go."
That water was so cool and refreshing. I was able to wash off all the grit and grime and just relax for a few minutes. I was about to suggest that we should start to head on back to the ranch house when an angry voice interrupted us.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," Thomas thundered. Thomas, unfortunately, was Jerry's father.
"Out, now," he yelled, and Jerry almost walked on the water in his hurry to leave the pool.
"I'll see you back in the house," Thomas snarled, and the last I saw of Jerry was him pulling up his jeans as he ran for his horse, carrying the rest of his things with him as he went.
"I'm waiting, Pamela," Thomas reminded me, as if I needed reminding.
"And you can keep on waiting," I said tartly. "If you think I'm leaving the pool dressed this way with you waiting you have another think coming."
"Don't you mean undressed that way," he said sarcastically.
"Maybe I do," I said defiantly, "but that's all the more reason why I'm not coming out."
"But it's fine to swim naked with Jerry?" he asked.
I flushed and glared at him.