Chapter 32: Wednesday After

Tom himself greeted them. "Missed you guys, glad you're back."

Rudy said, "Well, we didn't really all go away, Tom. Mel and I just sort of took a break. These guys did, though." He gestured at Ned and Toni, Ed and Dana. They all took places in their usual booth.

"Hey, have I got pictures tonight, guys!" Toni said.

"Like the ones you showed us last year?" Rudy gibed.

Toni laughed. "Decide for yourself," she said, passing the packet of photos along. Sheldon opened the envelope and began handing the pictures on around the group. They began with a shot of Toni at the airport in her sideless shift. She wore her kiss-my-ass shorts underneath it, but no bra.

"Wow, Toni. These aren't at all like last year," Dana said, reaching to take the picture from Ed's hand, peering closely at it. "I don't know how you did it. I can't see anything that would get you put in jail, but you sure look like you deserve it."

Ned said, "She kept flashing me all the way down. I think the flight attendant got a pretty good view, too. I must say, no one complained, least of all me."

The pictures began to circulate, a few of them simply resort pictures of palms and beaches, but then, as the camera moved onto the beach, there were throngs of naked people, of Ned's naked body, of Toni's tanned nakedness. There were many shots of both of them with unidentified people they had met.

"Get to know any of these people?" Rudy asked. "Oh," he said as the pictures continued.

There were shots of different couples having sex beneath a bush, in the dark, in the sand. They were all couples shown in earlier pictures. Then, Toni and Ned appeared, Ned sliding into her as she waved at the camera.

"Is that all?" Sylvia asked Toni with a smile. "No movies, no orgies?"

Toni managed to look cheerfully blasé. "No, just a quiet, relaxing beach holiday. You should try it sometime." She gathered the photos back into their envelopes.

"How was London?" she asked Dana.

"Damp and hot," Dana said. "I went to some shops on Oxford Street. You should see their windows; they look just like Melanie's."

"What? Are they stealing my thunder?" Melanie asked.

"No, it's just they sell a wide line of clothes a lot like what we're developing. I got a lot of names of the people who make them, I think we can bring them here — expand our line.

"It was kind of funny, though. The British are a lot like us, but the girls really like to show off. I saw a lot of skirts that were considerably shorter than fingertip length. 'Course, it looks really silly when the girls keep curling their fingers down to be sure they aren't showing anything. Really calls attention to what they're wearing."

Jenny asked, "Did you go anywhere but Paris and London? I thought you were going to Germany."

"Well, in the end, I decided not to. The Germans like sexy clothes, but the whole approach is different. They wear loose stuff, just not much under it. The British and French wear tight clothes, almost always bras. The Germans show off with movement, the others with skin. And skin is our business, really."

"Take any pictures in Cap d'Agde?" Sheldon wanted to know.

"Glutton," Dana said, but produced her own packet of photos. She passed them around. "After Toni's these are pretty tame. Where we were, nudity is a lot more matter-of-fact."

"What does that mean, Ed?" Rudy asked.

"Well, it means walking around naked all day, then getting dressed for supper. Walking down the beach for miles in the nude. Swimming, watching the naked little girls and boys playing, watching the big boys and girls talking to each other. Just like any beach or small town in America, except no clothes. Really kind of eerie."

"Eerie? How's that?" Melanie asked.

Ed grinned. "It's like everything is normal, just perfectly ordinary, but someone forgot a little detail — clothes. I loved it."

"I think I will, too." Melanie said. "I can't wait to try it."

Dana said, "I brought along a whole lot of brochures from the people who rent apartments at Cap d'Agde, Melanie. I thought you might like to put them out on your counter. They're really pretty tame in themselves, and the idea is to rent vacation apartments, but you might find them sexy enough to stir up some interest." She passed copies of the brochure around. "If you want more, let me know."

Melanie put them in her purse. "We need to have a meeting, you know. I want to talk over where we go in the Christmas season. With the clothes, I mean."

"Tomorrow?" Dana said.

"No," Toni interrupted. "Give me a few days. I'll let you know. My place, bring bag lunch."