George led his guests -- older sister, younger sister, and teenaged niece -- through the entrance to the lobby garden. As they followed him into the sunlit interior, their stunned gasps pleased him despite his embarassment. He was counting on the quality and luxury of his living arrangements to take the pressure off his clothing. Or lack of clothing. Or whatever. He had hoped that when his family saw how wonderful his apartment was, they'd decide for themselves that sacrificing his clothing was a smart bargain.
They moved through the lobby garden, sun and shade joining with a hundred different textures to present their eyes with a green mosaic that triggered primitive responses in their brains, relaxing mind and body before they were even consciously aware of it.
"George, this is just unbelievable," Marie breathed. "It's like a Japanese garden in a tropical setting. Maybe we could just have Dinner right here in the garden. Do people do that?"
"Not really," George replied. "This is the formal entryway for the building. We don't have picnics or throw parties in the formal entryway. We go up to the roof for that. It gets used a lot more, so it has to be more utilitarian. But the view is spectacular, and it is well done even if more casual."
He picked his way among river-washed gravel, the small round stones shifting under his bare feet. It was uncomfortable, but not nearly as painful as sharp-edged crushed gravel would have been. Patches of alternating shade and sunlight gave the effect of a slow strobe that momentarily scrambled optic nerves and set Heather sneezing. George glanced over his shoulder. Kay followed close behind, breathing deeply of the natural scents that drifted on the cool, moist air, her hands outstretched to brush lightly against deep green foliage as they passed. The path followed a tiny stone bridge, rustic yet graceful and oddly delicate, over a narrow, shallow stream that giggled and danced among loose stones.
As they walked, George could feel his tension slipping away. His shoulders relaxed, the dull ache bled quickly out of his lower back. Perhaps best of all, his semi-rigid penis noticeably slackened without retreating into hiding like an eel into an underwater cave. It occured to him that none of his guests so far seemed the least put out by his nudity. In fact, he grudgingly admitted to himself, they appeared to be ready to accept and enjoy it. So far, the only one here who had a problem with his appearance seemed to be him!
George breathed deeply, rotated the last of his tension out of his shoulders, and moved towards the door to the front locker room. He told himself if these three women were okay with the state of affairs, then there was no reason to expect anything different from the others. Really, now, who was left to see him? His parents of course, but they'd certainly seen him naked before, albeit probably not in the last thirty years. And his brother and brother in law, but being guys, they weren't going to see anything they didn't already see in the shower every day anyway, so there shouldn't be much trouble from that end. And there were Janey and Leah. Janey had already seen him naked, hell she'd taken pictures, then fondled his balls and stroked his cock! So, he told himself, the only one left who could possibly have a problem would be Leah. And Leah was a bit of a wild card. You never quite knew what you were going to get until the moment arrived.
So, he thought, this could work. He'd just have to be ready to roll with the punches. Presumably Janey had forewarned everyone. Certainly the three women with him hadn't seemed surprised at all. These thoughts brought him to the locker room door. He waved his keycard at the magnetic reader and tugged on the heavy steel door. Looking over his shoulder again to make sure all three girls were with him, he stepped into the 'country club', as the residents jokingly referred to it, the designer-decorated, sumptuously appointed locker room that let onto the front sidewalk of Sinclair Towers.
"Wow!" Kay commented as they passed through the doorway. "This is the first time I've ever seen a locker room that actually looked nice! My living room doesn't look this good!"
"Yeah, this place is just incredible!" Marie confirmed. "George, how in the world can you afford to live in this kind of building?"
George chuckled quietly. "I don't pay the going price, that's how," he said over his shoulder. "I agree to their rules about men and clothing, and they give me a break on the rent. It might seem a little pervy, but the way I see it, the place is worth it so I come out ahead."
"I'm beginning to think these people are on to something here," Marie said. "A wonderful building, stuffed with naked men. That sounds like a winning business plan to me!" All three women laughed. Even George smiled and chuckled, because Marie had just nailed the Sinclair Towers concept: attract wealthy, independent women by providing beauty, luxury, and grace, and garnishing with naked men 24/7.
"But do the men ever get out of hand?" Kay asked as they moved past rows of gleaming wooden lockers. "I mean, they have to be thinking about sex all the time, that's just how guys are, and here they are running around naked, it seems like it would just make it worse than ever. So do the guys get, you know, obnoxious or aggressive or demanding?"
"Not that I've ever seen," George replied. "This is a very high-end building. Very genteel. Residents here are carefully screened before they're accepted. Good manners are the rule of the day, and of the night. I imagine if someone did get too pushy, the women would set him straight in short order. And if that didn't work, he'd be gone within seventy two hours."
"God, it sounds like a dream come true," Marie breathed. "Naked men all around you and they're NOT demanding sex? I think I've died and gone to heaven! Someone introduce me to a leasing agent quick, before I wake up."
"'Ree, girl, there is no way people like us could ever afford a place like this. We'll just have to make sure we visit our brother more often, right?" Kay suggested.
"I bet my mom and dad could afford it," Heather piped up.
"Would you like living here?" Kay asked. "Your place in the country is already so beautiful, I'm surprised you'd even consider moving."
"I don't know about leaving our place there," Heather said, "but having a place here would be awesome. Can you imagine how many girlfriends would be coming home with me on the weekends?" All three women busted up laughing at the thought.
"You'd have to hire a bus to carry them all!" Marie quipped.
"Hell, you could sell tickets!" Kay countered.
"Here we are," George announced, coming to a stop at the passageway that led to the outside door. "The door is just around that corner. Would you mind waiting here? The passageway can get a little crowded if too many people start milling about."
"Don't mind a bit," Kay answered. She watched her brother's firm ass cheeks flex and relax as he walked down the short hall away from them.
Reaching the inside of the steel door, George rapped on it sharply with his knuckles, giving the old "shave and a haircut" signal. Immediately, Roger Rabbit popped into his mind. 'No 'toon can resist 'shave and a haircut,' he thought with a smile. 'They HAVE to answer.' And indeed, within a second or less, he heard the double rap 'two bits' in response, followed by muffled laughter from the other side of the door. He grasped the solid-feeling knob and turned, releasing the magnetic lock, then pushed against the door to open it slowly onto the fall sunlight.
Leah and Niles stood immediately before him. They stared directly into his face at first, then both sets of eyes traveled slowly down his body to his feet, then just as slowly back up. Leah began to show a controlled, secretive little smile. Niles began to turn bright red. Although his beard hid his lower face somewhat, and the bright sun left George semi-blind, he was pretty sure that Niles' mouth had just dropped wide open, and remained there.
George quickly scanned over Leah's shoulder to ID the rest of the group. Grandpa and Grandma Hanover waited behind Niles and Leah, then Jerry, and last of all Janey. George looked directly at Janey, trying to make eye contact. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze. She also seemed to be having a hard time controlling herself as Niles and Leah, then the elder Hanovers, and finally Jerry beside her, awoke to the fact that George stood before them absolutely stark naked.
As the realization that he'd been set up sank in, George's flush was quick and deep. His entire face and the length of his neck, almost down to his collar bones, turned a striking shade of red that was visible even in the relative shadow of the hallway. Once again, his balls were fighting with his penis for space under his lower ribs. He was aware that his throat was impossibly dry, and that his knees were shaking. He felt weak with fear and mortified with embarassment. Had Janey told them nothing? He was such a fool to trust her. Oh God, how would he ever live this down? And what in the frozen bowels of Hell should he say or do now? Without conscious decision, he went with the simple, direct plan.
"Uh, come on in," he croaked, pushing the door wider. Niles seemed rooted to the sidewalk, perhaps as paralyzed with embarassment as George himself. Leah reached out and caught the door. Like the three women who'd arrived with him and watched him strip, she seemed a little less than surprised at his nudity. Or, he wondered, maybe her training as a social worker has prepared her to take things more in stride? Or more likely, just to hide her personal reactions so as to avoiding putting off her clients.
"Looks like we found the right door," Leah said brightly. "Let's go, honey." She nudged Niles with her free elbow and took a step forward.
With door duty passed to Leah, George retreated towards the relative safety of the locker room. Maybe there would be other men changing in or out, as there had been in the garage locker room. It would help, he thought. He would look less like a perv flying solo, and more like a member of a community with a few odd rules. He quickly covered the short distance back to the waiting girls.
