Chapter 2: The Second Day at the Beach

“Joshi! What a surprise. You know Jason’s working today, don’t you?”

It could have been an awkward moment but Claire was truly surprised to see Joshi at the door the next day. It wasn’t because it was Monday. Unlike most of his friends, Joshi hadn’t had a summer job since he worked at the coffee shop and his mother found out that, like the other employees, he had to clean the washrooms as part of his duties. Joshi didn’t mind, any more than the other kids, but that ended his working life and from then on his parents provided him with all he needed. Except for a car, of course.

Nevertheless, Claire still blushed and looked down at her feet after her initial welcome.

“I know,” Joshi replied. “I’m just bored and I wondered if you’d like to go to the beach again. I had a really good time.”

“Joshi, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“I didn’t mean...,” Joshi looked down at his feet and shuffled them.

Claire thought he was blushing but his dark skin made it hard to tell. Despite her own discomfort, she felt a pang of sympathy for him. After all, she was a grown woman and it was no more his fault than hers for what had happened at the beach.

“I mean, I know things got carried away, Mrs. Kendriks, but it won’t happen again, I promise. I hope you don’t hate me,” Joshi ended in a subdued voice, shuffling his feet faster.

Claire’s heart went out to her son’s friend. It must be tough for him. Aside from being East Indian, not being allowed to have a car or take a summer job isolated him further. He probably spent most days out of school bored out of his mind. Like me, Claire thought. How do I manage to fill my days with all my friends working? The last thing she needed was for Joshi to be unable to handle what had happened and confessing it all to one of his friends or, God forbid, Jason. It would be best if they could talk it out themselves and become friends, of sorts. Friends were less likely to betray each other.

“Ok. Tell you what. You wait here and I’ll be right down.”

In the car, on the way to the beach, Claire said, “There won’t be any monkey business today.” Her voice was firm but she wasn’t sure whether the remark was for Joshi’s benefit or her own. Yesterday had been wild and she had woken in the middle of the night with her hand cupping herself. She was wet and under the covers reeked of her sex. She had been dreaming for some time.

Joshi vigorously nodded his head in agreement. He was quite certain where the comment was directed.

“Friends?” Claire held her hand, palm up, toward Joshi.

“Friends!” Joshi laughed, high-fiving his friend’s mom.

“Friends with a secret,” Claire added.

“Yes,” Joshi agreed, solemnly. “And only we will ever know.”

Claire and Joshi twisted their wrists around each other and clasped their hands in a tight grip which they held until Claire had to make a turn.

At the beach, they walked toward the end but didn’t go all the way to the rocks. Instead, about three quarters of the way there Claire hesitated nervously and stopped. Joshi set his pack down and pulled the blanket out, spreading it in a spot with people nearby on each side. They settled in for the afternoon, Claire reading and Joshi swimming from time to time with breaks to dry in the sun in between. For a while, Joshi joined a group of girls that wanted to play beach volleyball and even dragged Claire up to play a few games. When she begged off due to near exhaustion, Joshi left too, though the girls begged him to stay. Claire was surprised that he followed her because two of the girls were openly flirting with him and she had caught them several times admiring Joshi’s slender though lithe body. As she walked away, Claire felt somewhat proud for winning a small victory for women of her generation. I’m not in the grave yet, girls.

Claire hadn’t removed her summer dress, a cute off-white number with squiggly black designs set on a plain background that clung to the top of her breasts, leaving her shoulders and upper back bare. She kept it on even after they finished playing ball despite the hot sun. They were having such a good time that Joshi didn’t want to jeopardize things by suggesting she remove the dress to cool down but his eyes were immediately drawn to her legs when she lifted the hem and shook it to fan in some cooling air. Though he would have loved to, Joshi didn’t offer to put lotion on her legs and Claire did it herself.

Claire was an attractive woman with a remarkable figure for her age, probably due to being too slender most of her life. Twiggy, her brothers had called her when she was a teenager. Well, she wasn’t twiggy now. Joshi couldn’t help admiring her legs as she rubbed the lotion on, leaving her skin gleaming in the sun. Claire was aware of Joshi’s attention but despite her initial apprehension at the beginning of the day she felt quite relaxed. Joshi hadn’t made any suggestive moves. To the contrary, he had left her to read while he swam except for the beachball game and that had really been quite fun, taking Claire back to her younger days. It was almost like Joshi was a friend, like one of the guys she used to hang around with in school and, from time to time, flirt with. Each time one of the girls tried to entice Joshi back to the game, Claire was pleased that he stayed, though she outwardly urged him to join them.

Claire applied the lotion to her legs again but this time in long strokes that travelled the full length of her legs, from upper thighs to toes, twisting over and under her knees. Casually, Claire let the loose summer dress slip up her thighs so far that her bikini was revealed. Joshi almost looked away and Claire smiled to herself. He was clearly nervous because of the day before and what she’d said in the car. His anxiety about her reaction made her feel comfortable and in control. She stretched out the the leg nearest him along the blanket, permitting an unbroken view of the inside of her other, still bent leg. Leaning forward, she let her breasts divide on her left thigh as she peered over her knee to watch her hands progress down each side of her calf, knowing her action exposed more of the front of her bikini. It was a dark green bikini that went well with her soft red hair and green eyes and, despite its swimsuit status, still looked like a delicate pair of panties, especially when glimpsed under a woman’s dress.

Claire almost laughed out loud, she was having so much fun. She felt young and free in the hot sun. Stop teasing the boy, she chastened herself to no avail. She lazily dragged her hands up and pushed them down her legs twice more before she turned onto her stomach. Joshi was trying hard not to look directly at her but she knew he did as soon as she turned away. She turned her face sideways and lay on her hands, sighing contentedly.

“Can you do my back, please?”

Joshi was surprised but, after a frozen moment, scrambled to find the lotion. Claire smiled to herself, flattered by his eagerness.

“Just my shoulders and my back,” Claire cautioned. She could hear the girls laughing in the background as they continued their game. Compete with this, girls, she thought to herself.

Joshi acknowledged her instruction and proceeded to rub the lotion, warmed from the sun, on Claire’s freckled skin. It was so nice to be with a woman, he thought. Better than those silly girls. Look how she lies here, knowing how hot I think she is, and yet she doesn’t make a silly farce of it, just lets me enjoy her, even if just a little. This is a what a real woman is all about.

Joshi did Claire’s arms and shoulders, going over the same territory again and again, until she suddenly reached awkwardly behind her back and unzipped the top of her dress to about halfway down her back. Nervously, Joshi grasped the little zipper and pulled it the rest of the way, exposing her back and the top of her bikini. He resumed applying the lotion, and especially enjoyed doing the small of her back just below the rise up to her buttocks. He stared at her ass as he rubbed. It wasn’t so hard to imagine the sculptured outline of her cheeks under the flimsy dress and bikini. Even if she had been wearing a kilt, Joshi could have visualized those perfect pears from memory. God, he wished he could have her ass, just as he’d had his aunt’s in the fake story he’d told Claire the day before. He felt himself stiffen in his swimsuit even more.

Joshi was startled when Claire reached behind her back with both hands and unhooked the top of the bikini, pulling the straps to the sides and dropping them on the blanket. Joshi’s hand stopped in its tracks on Claire’s back, his eyes caressing her smooth, lightly tanned skin. When he realized that he had stopped, he jolted into motion but after a minute he applied fresh oil in a streak across Claire’s back where the bikini top had been.

Claire didn’t say a word, even when, while kneading her back, Joshi stretched his fingers down her sides onto the paler flesh where her breasts bulged out before being hidden in the blanket. Be careful, girl, Claire thought. You can’t give this young guy much more than an inch. She laughed to herself. And he’s got a lot more than an inch to give.

“What’s funny?” Joshi laughed.

Claire was surprised that she had laughed out loud.

“Nothing,” she said. “Keep rubbing. Actually, can you do my legs? I think the lotion has worn off now.”

Joshi switched to Claire’s legs, starting with her feet. Claire relaxed. She didn’t need to be so vigilant now that his hands weren’t rubbing the sides of her breasts. She settled into the blanket, relishing the warm sun and the soothing caress of Joshi’s hands, way down there, where they couldn’t do any harm.

Joshi didn’t just the rub lotion on Claire’s feet ... he massaged it in. It took ten minutes to get above her ankles and another fifteen to pass her knees before his fingers tasted her thighs. By then, Claire seemed to be sleeping and Joshi’s fingertips changed from long, gentle massaging strokes to shorter, scratching caresses. Claire seemed unaware of the change except for a slight change in her breathing which became deeper after the occasional sharp intake of air.

She had marvelous legs, slender all the way to the top with just a slight widening about half way up her thighs. Her flesh was soft and white, hardly tanned at all above the knee. Joshi worked her thighs for a long time but never approached the golden honey pot at the crux of her limbs, nor did he let his fingers reach the crease defining the boundary between her buttocks and her legs though he dearly wanted to. He knew Claire was enjoying what he was doing because she hadn’t stopped him even though he had long surpassed the need to cover her legs in protective lotion. Also, though she might not know it, her buttocks betrayed her feelings, every once in a while, after a long scratch up her thigh, especially on the inside, Claire’s cheeks sucked in like the sides of an old Corvette.

“I didn’t finish the story about Aunt Nalini,” Joshi offered quietly.

Claire tensed and Joshi thought he’d made a mistake. Her breath, which she had suddenly held, expelled in a long sigh.

“I think I can guess what happened. I don’t need all the gory details.”

“You’d be wrong.”

“It was pretty obvious what would happen and I’m not sure I believe it really did.”

“It did, and I can prove it.”

Claire’s eyes opened and regarded him intently. Joshi wished he’d kept his mouth shut.

“How?”

“The belt.”

“What belt?” Claire’s interest was piqued.

“You know. The one with all the pebbles.”

Claire twisted up onto her elbow, facing Joshi. Now he was really pissed at himself.

“You’ve got it?”

“Yeah, she gave it to me. Here, look.”

Joshi reached behind himself to grab his knapsack, dug around inside and retrieved an ornately designed pouch. He opened it and pulled out a string of polished colored stones spaced about three inches apart. Each stone was slightly larger than the next and each was perfectly formed like a little pear.

Claire sat up, forgetting her bikini top at first, then grabbing it and holding it over her breasts. Joshi handed the belt to her. She held it up in front of her with one hand and clutching the top to her chest with the other, admiring its artistry and workmanship. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “I had no idea. She gave it to you?”

“Yeah,” Joshi replied, the truth not exactly adorning his eyes but he was saved from exposure because Claire was staring at the belt. “Small consolation,” he added.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I didn’t get the prize.”

“But I thought ... it seemed like...,”

“See. I said you’d be wrong.” Joshi laughed. “Aunt Nalini finished while I was still trying to get into her and I did too. I made a mess all over her and she got mad at me. By the time I had made amends, the servants were up and about and she wouldn’t stay.”

Joshi drew his knees up and kept his head between them, avoiding Claire’s searching eyes.

“But...,”

“I had to leave the next day. I only got to be alone with her for a few minutes. That’s when she gave me that,” Joshi pointed at the belt, “and she whispered to me to come back to India so she could spend more time with me. She actually reached inside my pants and held me while she said it and kissed me too. I would have tried to do something but my cousin interrupted us.”

Claire couldn’t help glancing between Joshi’s legs. She wasn’t sure if the excitement showing there was due to the memory of his aunt or the license she’d allowed him with her legs.

“Do you keep in touch with her?”

Now Joshi turned and looked at Claire, meeting her eyes for the first time.

“Yes,” he said. “Through Facebook.”

“Oh, she’s computer savvy?”

“She’s no slouch,” Joshi agreed. “She’s with it.”

“Apparently,” Claire laughed.

Joshi joined in.

“Does she do things for her own son?” Claire asked, surprised by the way her voice suddenly thickened.

“Yes,” Joshi replied seriously. Claire looked shocked.

“My cousin doesn’t have any sisters. Usually it falls on the sisters to protect the family’s honor, to keep their brothers in check but, with sisters, it usually doesn’t go too far.”

“You mean intercourse?”

“Yes. Well, never that. The sisters must be virgins too. I mean, they don’t, do, what, uh ... Aunt Nalini did, or was about to. Nor would the sons usually want to with their mothers. They would prefer their sisters. Not everyone has a mother as beautiful as Aunt Nalini.”

Claire nodded. There was a long pause.

“So they ... masturbate them?”

“More,” Joshi said.

Claire looked at him, expectantly.

“They use their mouths,” Joshi explained.

“Oh, of course.” Claire looked out at the ocean, embarassed. “But, do they get bored with that?” she asked, pointedly watching the waves.

“I don’t see how they could,” Joshi replied, laughing.

Now Claire joined him in to share the mirth but after a moment she pressed on, “But some do, go further?”

“Yes,” Joshi admitted quietly, as if reluctant to admit it.

“And Aunt Nalini?”

“No,” Joshi shook his head.

“Do you know from your own experience, then?” Claire asked the forbidden question.

“With my mother?” Joshi’s breathing betrayed his excitement at the question. “No,” he admitted. “She’s too American, but I have other cousins and aunts, some here and some back there.”

“But not all of them have sisters and some must have pretty mothers like Aunt Nalini?” Claire’s eyes finally left the ocean to peer at Joshi.

Joshi turned to meet Claire’s gaze. “Yes, some of them don’t have sisters, or they’re not old enough, but their mothers are reasonably attractive. Why?”

Claire seemed flustered by the question and, though it opened the door for her to ask exactly what she wanted to know, she turned and stretched out on her stomach again.

“Nothing,” she replied, covering her reddening face with her arm. “I was curious. that’s all.”

For several minutes, Joshi watched her in silence. Then, he picked up the stone belt which Claire had dropped on the blanket when she had turned around in a huff. His hand hovered above Claire, the small pebble at end of the belt dangling an inch over the small of her bare back. Joshi dipped his hand twice, allowing the stone to graze her skin. Claire reached behind her to scratch the tickle. Finally, she uncovered her face and twisted her head to look behind her.

“Joshi, stop it.”

“It’s for you. I brought the belt for you.”

“I can’t take that.”

Joshi detected a trace of anger in her voice.

“It’s just a belt,” he soothed. “It would look pretty on you. It doesn’t have any special meaning, in India or here.”

Claire dropped her head and covered it with her arm again. “I can’t take it. I don’t want it.”

Joshi dipped the belt down and let it travel in a circle around the small of Claire’s back.

“Joshi, stop it.”

“It’s a beautiful belt. You said so yourself.”

Claire didn’t answer and Joshi kept tickling her back with the end of the belt, dragging the stone all over her back and even letting it dangle down her sides, bouncing along her waist until it skipped across the sides of her breast.

“Joshi.”

“Okay, okay.”

Joshi dropped the belt in a pile in the middle of Claire’s back. After a few seconds, he picked it up again.

“Joshi.”

Joshi stretched the belt across Claire’s back and let it droop on either side of her waist.

“Just try it on. If you don’t like the way it looks, then I’ll take it back.”

Claire sat up, exasperated. “Okay, if that’s what it will take to get you to stop bugging me.”

She grasped the belt and pulled it around her waist. She tried to connect it but couldn’t figure the clasp out. Joshi took it in his hands, adjusted it to fit her narrow waist, and snapped it shut. The belt rested on Claire’s hips, a sufficiently loose fit to let the stones swoop across the pout of her belly just below her navel, drawing attention to that sensually deep, oval orifice. A good fifteen inches of the smaller stones hung down from the join. Joshi pulled the belt around until the extra strand dangled down the side of Claire’s hip.

“It’s quite flattering,” he said.

“Yes, it’s nice,” Claire agreed, the pleased tone in her voice lending credence to her words. She turned back onto her stomach. “Now, will you leave me to tan in peace?”

Claire didn’t seem to have noticed but the whole time she had sat up to fit the belt on, her breasts had been bare, the bikini top having remained on the blanket. Joshi had certainly noticed and, truth be known, Claire did too though not at first. When she did, she not only resisted the urge to cover up, she actually arched her back slightly to make her breasts push up, after, that is, a quick glance down the beach to make sure nobody was looking.

Joshi honored her request and left her alone. He ran down to the surf and went for a swim. He did, after all, need to cool down. On his return, he dried himself with a towel and enjoyed Claire’s mature yet still sexy body, being careful not to disturb her by dripping cold water on her legs. He sat next to her and continued watching her for several more minutes, then turned to lay on his side, facing her. Quietly, trying not to wake her since she seemed to be napping, Joshi picked up the end of the belt. Carefully, he tugged it around her sexy, narrow waist until it was lined up in the center of her back instead of off to one side. Delicately, Joshi traced a path across Claire’s back with the small stone at the end of the belt just above her bikini — Claire must have removed her dress while he was swimming as it now lay in a pile on the blanket. He paused, waiting for a rebuke, but there was none.