Chapter 3

When Carl woke the next morning he found that Susie had draped an arm and a leg over his body. She was still sleeping, and Carl lay there quietly so as not to waken her.

He was about to doze off again when he caught her eyes gazing back at him. He smiled, with a "Good morning, Susie," then gave her a kiss.

"Good morning, Carl!" She gave his kiss back to him.

"What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well, first let's get some breakfast. Okay?"

"Sure."

Susie got out of bed, grabbed her bag, and closed the bathroom door behind her.

When she came out Carl followed suit, and they went down to the dining room together for breakfast.

"Still scared of me, Susie?"

Susie didn't answer, and they finished their breakfast without another word.

They also needed no words when they left the table, but automatically joined hands and walked to the back of the building and the start of the paths. A look and a gesture, a nod and a smile, were all it took to start them on a new path. As they moved into a wooded area they stepped closer together, and their arms went around each other. They paused for a kiss, then walked on.

This path, too, led to a lagoon, but one that was heavily overgrown with reeds. They could hear the sounds of waterfowl among the reeds, but they couldn't actually see them

The path continued along the lagoon and over a stone bridge where the lagoon emptied into a narrow brook. After leaving the brook and walking across a grassy meadow the ground became uneven, with numerous small mounds or hillocks. The path meandered among them, maintaining a fairly level course, and finally arrived at another fork. They saw a sign on one side pointing the way back to the Inn, but at the side of the other path was something new; a larger sign that read,

Clothing optional
beyond this point

"Carl, you said... !"

"Well, I guess I was wrong. So," he added with a sly grin, "which way, Susie, do you want to go back?"

"No, not really, but ... oh, okay, I guess we can go see what's there; but I'm not taking my clothes off!"

"Nor am I," he smiled back at her.

They walked down the path a little ways, and came out onto a tiny beach surrounding another small lagoon. There on the beach was one couple, completely nude, making love, totally oblivious to Carl and Susie's presence. Another couple was sitting on a rock in the lagoon with only their heads above the water, laughing together.

They walked up to the water and Carl reached down into it. "Hey, this water's really warm!"

Susie reached into the water also. "Yeah, there must be a natural hot spring here."

"I don't know. Hot springs are supposed to smell like sulfur. I don't smell anything. Hmmm, the water tastes perfectly clear."

"Well, I can't believe they would be heating a pond, or this place would have to cost a lot more than $250 a day!"

"Let's ask when we get back."

"Sure."

Carl looked over at the couple in the water, then reached down and dipped his hand into it again.

"Gee, I wish we could go in. It looks so inviting."

"Yes, it does," Susie agreed, looking longingly at the water, "but we don't have anything to wear, and we both agreed..."

Carl nodded, "There's no way we're going to undress, so I guess we can't ... No wait! I have an idea. Let's go back to the lodge."

Susie shook her head. "Carl, you may have packed a swim suit, but I didn't, so going back to the lodge is not going to make a difference."

"Yes it is," he insisted, his eyes sparkling. "Come on, let's go. You'll see."

Reluctantly she took his hand, and with a last reluctant look over her shoulder hurried to keep up with him as he started back.

They made it in record time, and he led her through the lobby to the shops on the other side. He stopped at the place with sexy lingerie, and started to pull her inside.

"No, Carl! We're not going in there."

"Yes we are, Susie, but we're not going to buy any of the sorts of underwear they have on display."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Now come on."

Inside they were met by a young lady. "Hi, I'm Lulu. How can I help you?" Turning to Susie, she asked, "Something special for you, hon?"

"Well, actually," Carl put in, "this may be a little out of your normal line, but I was wondering if you might have some swim wear."

"Why, yes, we do," she nodded, "are you looking for something for both of you?"

Carl said, "Yes, we are," at the same time Susie started to protest that she wouldn't feel comfortable wearing anything they would be likely to have for sale here.

"Don't worry, you'll be pleasantly surprised," Lulu assured her. "Sir, see if you can find anything you like in those bins over there by the wall while I show your lover some things for her."

Susie started to protest the term, but Carl put his finger on her mouth and shook his head. She sighed, and followed Lulu.

While looking though the bins Carl heard some giggles from the other side of the shop, and was tempted to spy on the two of them, but thought better of it. Before long he had found something suitable, and apparently she had too. Once again he agreed to charge it to their room, and they left with a bag in his hand.

"While we're here," he said, "let me check something," and he led her back to the dining room.

"No, Carl, it's too early to eat. I feel as if we just had breakfast."

"I agree," he said, "just trust me."

She shook her head. "I seem to be doing a lot of trusting this weekend."

"And has it gotten you into trouble?"

"No, Carl, it hasn't. -- Quite the opposite."

They found the dining room empty, as would be expected at that hour, but someone came to greet them in a moment. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," Carl explained. "Yesterday we saw a couple eating a lunch out in the gardens. Would you perhaps have lunches for guests that might like to eat somewhere out of doors?"

"But of course! You have your choice of a roast beef sandwich, a turkey sandwich, or a vegetarian pita. And of course they come with drinks, dessert, chips, and some nicely prepared raw vegetables."

Carl picked the roast beef, and Susie the turkey, and in only minutes they were presented with a canvas bag that had straps for wearing as a backpack.

"Do have a pleasant lunch," the man smiled as he handed Carl the bag. "Of course we expect you to return the bag to us when you get back."

Carl slipped the swim wear bag into a pouch on the side of the backpack, and soon they were on their way. They were beginning to be familiar with the paths now, and had no trouble finding their way back to the "clothing optional" sign.

Suddenly Susie stopped and stared wide-eyed at him. "Carl, we forgot something. We should have gone up to our room and put our swim suits on. Now we'll have to go back."

Carl shook his head. "No, I didn't forget. While we were at the beach before I noticed some dense bushes off to the side. We can go hide in them to change."

"Together?" she asked with a shocked tone.

"Of course not," he laughed. "Trust me."

When they got back to the beach, Carl said, "You wait here while I go find a private place in the bushes and change. Then I'll come out and you can change."