Chapter 5

Julia managed to be waiting at Lindsey’s as the kids all returned from school Monday. She and Frank had hurried back from their meeting with the team from Addison. Asking Regan to go to her room, which was now a regular room, she gathered the rest of the residents and all of the staff.

“I’ll make this short,” she began. “You already know that Regan is back and naked. Bryan will be returning tomorrow, and he will finish out his sentence naked. That is a departure from previous policy. Unless I miss my guess, there will be a naked college-age couple living here for a while. They are new staff members who are trying to get used to nudity quickly.

“Another policy we have had here is ‘no unauthorized nudity’. For a number of reasons, that probably does not make sense any longer. For obvious reasons, we have to be very careful when visitors are present, but that is the only true concern. I am going to let you residents decide on a new policy about nudity. You can talk about it right now, or schedule a later meeting. Whenever you meet, Regan and Bryan should not be included. Have a good evening.”

Julia was not even out the door before Missy stood and declared “I propose eleven pm to eight am as clothing optional time. Those of you who swim laps in the morning can wear a suit or not. No heavy petting in the public area if anyone else is around.”

In the eyes of the other residents, Missy was just a small step below Julia in authority, probably about even with Muriel. All of them looked at each other for a moment, someone started to clap, and Missy’s proposal was affirmed.

Muriel called Julia, who had gone over to her Tee office, but hurried right back to Lindsey’s. The group had broken up, so Julia sought out Trip and Essie. “Can you two skinny dip with Regan tonight at eleven?” Trip looked stunned and uncertain, but Essie almost jumped up and down, assuring Julie that they would.

Next, Julia found Missy and told her “See if you can keep everyone but Regan, Essie, and Trip away from the pool after eleven tonight.”

“I don’t think any of the other kids are that eager to strip,” Missy replied.

“Except for you, you mean?” Julia teased. “Once Erica finds out, she’ll be here naked every night late.”

“Yeah,” Missy agreed. “What fun would an all-girl skinny dip be, anyway? The problem will be getting some naked dicks to participate.”

“If the guys come in suits, will the girls stay naked?” Julia asked. “It is optional, after all.”

“Maybe I didn’t think that through,” Missy lamented.

“It’s OK. We needed a change so some of the nudity that I see as inevitable won’t be breaking the rules. After all, Missy, what percent of the time recently has there not been a naked person around?”

“I guess you’re right. It has always been someone naked for a specific reason, though.”

“How about Sophie?” Julia challenged, and they both laughed. Getting serious, she went on “Sophie is actually an important example. Baring herself and being accepted has become very important to her. Her self-worth was about as low as it could get. Most of our kids have self-worth problems, too. Don’t you remember when you arrived?”

“And I HAD to be naked,” Missy reminisced. “What you’re saying is that it would be good for all of the kids, huh?”

“I’ve toyed with the idea of declaring naked days or naked evenings. That wouldn’t be right, either. We can’t put any pressure on any of the kids.”

“Except for the pressure they put on each other, you mean?”

“Missy, I think your idea is the best start we can make.”

“Hey, do you think it would be good for Randy to join his sister and the twins tonight?”

“Oh. Now, that is quite a question? What do you see as the benefits, Missy?”

“She must feel a lot of guilt about her role in abusing Randy. It would be an expression of forgiveness on his part. If the objective is to get Regan away from the bad influence of her mother and sister, the more she feels truly accepted here, the less appealing home will be.”

“And if Randy makes that gesture of acceptance, the other kids will follow along, right?” Julie added. “Go find Randy. You tell him. Frank and I have to leave for an appointment.”

It did not take long to locate Randy, and Missy went to his room with him. “Trip and Essie are going to skinny dip with Regan tonight.”

Randy was silent for a moment, looking at Missy, then down. “I should join them,” he said with a firm nod of his head. Missy’s energetic hug was more dangerous to him than anything the kidnappers had tried.

At eleven that evening, Regan was surprised by a knock on her door. When she opened it to find Trip and Essie standing there naked, she was left speechless and gawking. Trip was equally speechless, although Essie was so excited she could hardly stand it. Trip managed to ask “Care to skinny dip with us?”

Even after all of the time naked with his twin sister, Trip had his limits. He was flaccid when he knocked, but when Regan ended up staring fixedly at his penis, his blood headed that way. Despite her excitement, Essie must have been watching for that because she grabbed one hand before he could cover himself with it. That seemed to remind him that the whole point was to expose himself. Essie took Regan’s hand and put it in her brother’s other hand. Regan got the idea, and the girls led him to the pool.

As they walked into the pool, Essie stopped them in shallow water, well before Trip’s cock could be hidden by the water. He pulled as if to get deeper, but one look at his sister’s face convinced him to stay. There was no one else in the pool, and it was difficult to get any conversation going. Essie was the only one with any success.

“How many have you seen besides Randy’s,” she asked Regan.

“N ... none,” Regan barely answered, still staring.

“Cool, isn’t it?” Essie teased.

“But ... but he’s your brother!”

“Well, Randy is YOUR brother.”

“But, we ... I mean, I ... that was...” Regan babbled.

“That was another life, Regan.” Randy said that as he got into the pool from behind Regan and walked toward them. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, Regan saw her brother’s penis flaccid. Just his presence and his nudity, though, made the biggest impact.

“Randy! Why are you ... how can you ... after everything I did...”

“I believe in this place, Regan. My life has already changed more than I could ever have hoped. I think maybe you were a victim, too. You made a choice to change your life. I want to give you that chance.” He had moved to within a few feet of her, but he did not try to make any contact.

Suddenly, Regan very much needed contact. She swayed a little and her knees gave out. As she sagged down, Trip was right with her. When he was on his knees, he put an arm around her to support her. Since the pool was shallow where they had stood, their heads and shoulders were above water.

GREG

Monday

Not certain who all would be at the Monday meeting and even less sure how punctual all of them would be, Greg waited in an empty nearby office to watch the arrivals. He definitely would not be late, but he wanted most of the other attendees there when he walked in, if at all possible.

When he had arrived at the conference room, he was lucky to find the vacant office to wait in. He was quite familiar with everything in the Psychology department, but this room was in the Administration building, and it was very nice. He wondered why, but that question was overwhelmed by his nervousness at what he intended.

All of the rest of the team candidates had arrived and Greg was out of time when a man and woman he recognized as the Waxmans came down the hall. He met them right at the door to the meeting room, quickly introduced himself, then stripped off the two garments he wore. Towel in hand, he motioned for the Waxmans to enter, then followed them in.

Julia and Frank did a great job of showing nothing but smiles of greeting as they walked in. It did not take long for the fact that the other four team members were gaping at something behind them to get their attention. Pretending she did not know Greg was there, Julia turned and introduced herself as if for the first time. She carefully did not react to the fact that Greg was naked.

Both Julia and Frank walked around the table to greet the rest of the team. Only when they had sat down did Julia address Greg directly. “Greg, I see tan lines, so you did not grow up a naturist. When did you start?”

“Friday night.”

“Ah. That means you started because of this project. Tells us more.”

“It was obvious to me that nudity is one of the main principles of the Transformations philosophy. We have been given the unbelievable honor of having a say in the operation of Transformations. How could I be effective if I had no personal understanding of a key principle?”

“Do you understand it now?”

“In three days? Hardly,” Greg chuckled. “I only have a start. About all I understand so far is what a shock first exposure is.”

“Well, you survived that, and you were able to make this very dramatic statement,” Julia pointed out. “Let’s see, you have two sisters at home and one who lives in town. I’m sure they all managed to spend much of the weekend at home.”

“For sure. They alerted my four aunts and a whole troop of female cousins, too. I lost count, but I’m pretty sure some of them invited friends to come along.”

“How much of the time were you hard?”

That broke Greg’s composure for the first time. “Uh, well, uh, things got to me after a while and I was hard a lot.”

“So, the girls either ridiculed you or scolded you for your erection, right?” Julia teased.

“I think you know that didn’t happen. Some of them were nicer to me than they had ever been before. We have at least our share of bitches in the extended family.”

Julia stood and started unbuttoning the blouse she wore. As if they had choreographed it, Frank stood almost simultaneously and began undressing. Speaking as she disrobed, Julia told the group “Fist of all, I do not want any of the rest of you to undress. Greg obviously planned his exposure carefully. Don’t you do it as a reaction.

“Why are we undressing? Well, this is completely unplanned and stripping in front of you is rather crude. However, I want to follow up on what Greg has started. Nudity means nothing to us.” Julia went on to explain how much time the staff spent naked. When she and Frank had carefully placed their clothes on extra chairs, they sat down and Julia continued talking in the same easy manner.

“So, Greg, tell us how you first exposed yourself to your family. Was it the first time?”

Greg told about the meeting with his parents. Julia interrupted to ask him “Did you relieve yourself beforehand to prevent an erection? Did you get hard anyway?”

Hearing gasps from around the table, Julia explained “Please understand that I am not just sensationalizing, here. As I told you, this was not at all in the plan for this meeting, but Greg has given us too good an opportunity.

“Courtney, your family had some naturist experience. I imagine you frequently heard that naturism - nudism - was not about sex. Is that right?”

Courtney cleared her throat, then answered “Yes, we were told that quite often.”

“Did you believe it?” When Courtney hesitated, Julia cautioned “Please, don’t try to give me the answer I’m looking for. What was your honest reaction to that claim?”

“I thought it was bullshit,” Courtney said firmly.

Julia just nodded, then pushed “Why do you think nudity and sex really are related.”

Courtney was sitting on the opposite side of the table from Greg, but she came around to his side and pulled him to his feet. “Reactions, that’s why,” she said firmly. “Seeing a body like yours exposed, there is no way a guy Greg’s age can stay soft.” Indeed, Greg was far from soft. To his credit, he did not try to retreat to his chair or cover up with his hands.

“I guess you would agree with Courtney’s statement, right, Greg?”

“How could I deny it, now?”

“There is a lot I could say about erections, women’s reaction to them, and a number of other consequences of nudity. I am just so gratified that Greg and Courtney have hit a topic head on that we were afraid would take this team a while to come to grips with.”

Alicia was able to ask “Does this mean that you expect all of us to be naked at some times?”

“We would never demand that,” Julia assured the girl. “We just assumed that you would decide you could not do anything meaningful for us without experiencing some nudity yourself. Particularly for you women; how can you make recommendations about an operation that deals with naked women if you don’t experience at least some of it yourselves. There! We never wanted to be that direct with you on the nudity issue. Blame your teammate.”

“So, the women will be nude in this new operation?” Courtney inquired.

“Yes, they will. It will closely resemble Transformations with some key differences,” Frank answered.

“Then, I am going to say thank you for considering me and back out,” Courtney said to everyone’s surprise. “I can even believe it will be fully by the women’s choice. I still consider it pandering to a woman’s weaker side, and I would not be true to myself if I supported that.”

Julia actually came to Courtney and gave her a hug. “I am disappointed that you cannot work with us. I have to applaud you for sticking to your convictions, even though I do not share them.”

After Courtney had left the room, Frank spoke for the first time. “Alicia, because of your family background, do you think it will be impossible for you to participate?”

Both Frank and Julia were very pleased at Alicia’s strong reaction. “I will not let their beliefs control my life! My challenge is not their beliefs. It’s my own terror at exposing myself.”

“Given your upbringing, why are you interested in a project for a place that must be sinful according to what you have been taught?” Frank challenged.

“What I was taught did not bring a lot of happiness and what I consider fulfilled lives,” Alicia answered sharply. “I’m taking psychology so I can try to understand what was right and wrong about the way I was raised and maybe help other people with similar questions. Being asked to do this project is an unbelievable honor and a chance that I could not think of refusing. If doing the project means I have to walk around campus naked, I will do it somehow.”

Having said that, Alicia’s bravado evaporated and she hung her head. “I can’t start with the support of my family, though.”

Julia thought for just a moment. “Look, I don’t have approval for this, but I’m making this offer, anyway. Why don’t all of you move out to Transformations for the duration of the project. We’ll provide transportation back and forth to school. I want you to move into Lindsey’s and live there naked.

“Alicia, Lindsey’s is a wonderful substitute family for kids whose real families are broken. Yours may not be broken, but it definitely will not support you in this. The kids at Lindsey’s are very used to naked people. You will be right where you can see everything about our operation.”

Frank spoke again. “We do not have four extra rooms at Lindsey’s, but we have the ability to add space. We will call you as soon as space is ready.

“Now, what we had planned for this meeting was a very brief ‘pep talk’. That will not be necessary, from what I can see. We are going to dress and leave you. I would suggest you choose a team leader, whether permanent or rotating. I think you should also lay out at least a sequence of what things you will provide us. It has been good to meet you all, and we will be sure to visit when you move in.”

When the Waxmans had left, the other three instinctively turned to Greg. Tod spoke first. “Greg, you see us just like employees, spending time naked with some of the, uh, patients?”

“If we want to make valid suggestions about the operation, we have to really understand it,” Greg answered.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Tod said glumly. “Frankly, I’m just not willing to undress for all of those women. I’m sorry, but this is not for me.”

Beginning to wonder if he had gone through the naked weekend for nothing, Greg looked at Tina, who was already standing. “I think Dr. Truesdale chose me for my grades and because of my mother’s experience. He knows that I am focusing on child psychology, though. I can’t get excited about this enough to do what you did, Greg. I would not be a good team member.”

That left just Greg and Alicia. From what she had said earlier, Greg was sure that she was not going to leave.

“First naked guy?” he asked her gently, and she nodded. Neither said anything more for a while.

“It sounds like you have a nice family,” Alicia broke the silence.

“The best,” Greg affirmed. Somehow, he knew he should say as little as possible. She was obviously working out in her mind something serious and difficult.

“You didn’t mention any brothers.”

“Just three sisters, two still at home.”

“Your dad home?”

“Tonight? Yes.”

“Greg, like you, I see this team as the awesome opportunity it is. I would never even have thought of stripping like you did, though. That really took guts.”

“Um, thanks. Can’t say it was easy.”

“But your family made it easier, didn’t they?”

“It seemed like Mom had tears in her eyes all weekend. She kept starting to hug me, but she’d remember I was naked, then jerk away. Finally, I just grabbed her, hugged her, and kept my arm around her for a long time.”

That brought tears to Alicia that she did not even try to hide. “My mom and dad love me, and they are good to me. It’s just that there are so many rules and no room for any compromise. I’m faced with dropping off of this team or pretty much breaking up with my parents.”

“I’m so sorry, Alicia. I can’t think of any way I could help you.”

“Well, I can. Would you and your family let me be naked at your house?”

Greg was certainly not expecting that, and did the drowning fish thing for a bit. When he was able to think, he told Alicia “That is certainly not something I can answer. That would be Mom’s prerogative. Tell you what. I’ll call her, give her a brief explanation, give you the phone, and leave the room. You talk with her, then let me know when you are done.”

“Really! I ... I ... but, I don’t know her.”

“Alicia, if you are considering baring yourself to our family, you need to get to know her quickly.”

“I guess the whole idea is silly, isn’t it?”

“Wanting to succeed, wanting to do something meaningful is never silly,” Greg consoled her. He made the call.

“Mom, are you sitting down? Well, find a chair. I want you to talk with someone. This is Alicia, the only other candidate who has agreed to be a member of the team. She is as thrilled about the chance as I am, but she has a huge problem. Here she is.”

Alicia was almost unable to take the phone, but finally did. Greg dressed and left the room just as she was stammering “H ... h ... hello? This is Alicia Bergstrom. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know Greg’s last name. We really just met, and...”

“ ... and he would never think to properly introduce himself, would he? I’m Sandy Sumner. Just Sandy to you.” Sandy chuckled.

“Well, um, I think Dr. Waxman said Greg’s last name, but I was, um, ah...”

“Were you distracted by his penis?! You mean he really did it? My boy is something else, isn’t he? Believe me, Alicia, I understand if you were distracted. I was distracted all weekend. From what he said, I’ll be distracted again tonight. Greg inherited a very nice package from his father. Oh, I’m sorry! I’m probably embarrassing you. Greg said you had a problem we might be able to help with.”

“Mrs ... uh, Sandy, I don’t know how to even ask this, but ... Greg told me how helpful you all were when he went naked for the weekend. Well, I can’t do that at my house. It’s a long ways away, and it would freak out my parents.”

“Ohhhhhh! You’re wondering if you can do it here? My goodness, Girl. I want to meet you. You sound like you would be a perfect match for Greg. By all means, come on out and get comfortable.” Sandy giggled.

“It wouldn’t bother you for your husband to see me naked?”

“Well, it would bother him, then he would REALLY bother me later in bed, and everyone would be happy,” Sandy giggled again. She stopped quickly when she heard Alicia sniffling.

“Your problem is prudish parents, isn’t it?” Sandy asked gently. “I’m sorry if I offended you by joking.”

“Oh, no, don’t apologize. I’ve learned that people should be able to joke about important things and sex is a very important thing. It’s just that we can’t joke or even talk about anything sexual at home. If Daddy saw me naked, Mom would have to organize a big prayer meeting over his spiritual health, or something.”

“Alicia, Honey, tell you what; I’ll drive out to school right now. I can get you two back here before you could make it on the bus. You get what you need for tomorrow so you can stay overnight. Greg knows the usual pickup place. I’m anxious to meet you.”

When Alicia came out of the conference room holding Greg’s phone, she seemed dazed. “Oh, oh! I’ll bet Mom was in her well-f ... I mean her, uh, jovial mood.”

“I know what you were going to say, Greg.” Alicia’s laugh broke her trance. “I’m guessing that seeing you naked all weekend got her really aroused. I wonder if your dad can walk today?”

“So, you’ve learned a lot since fleeing your super-sheltered home, huh?”

“You could say that,” Alicia agreed. “Um, I need to go to my dorm room. Where should I meet you?”

“Can I just walk with you?”

“Really? Oh, wow! My roommate will have a stroke if a guy comes to the room with me.”

“And what would she do if I told her I was taking you home and making you be naked for me and my dad?” Greg teased.

When Alicia stopped as if she had been slugged, Greg quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry, Alicia. Believe me, I know it’s no laughing matter. I guess I just don’t know how to deal with the whole idea.”

“Well, you’ll be naked, too, won’t you?”

“Uh, huh.”

“Then, I’ll just tell that to my roommate, then call 911 for her.”

That made Greg stop and just stare at her. “Alicia, I really admire you. You’ve decided the same things I did, but you have a lot more to overcome. Even if I joke, it’s because I don’t know what to say. Just remember that I think you’re awesome.”

Alicia gave Greg an instinctive little hug at those kind words and they got moving again toward her dorm.

They were waiting when Sandy pulled up to the pickup spot. She bolted from the car and hugged Alicia like a long-lost daughter. Ordering Greg into the back seat, the chattering began instantly and did not stop until they turned into the driveway. Then the import of what was about to happen hit Alicia.

Sensing her distress, Greg reached between the front seats to put a comforting hand on her arm. “How can this be easiest for you,” he asked.

“I don’t know. I can hardly think about it.”

“Well, when all of the cousins were here, I stayed out by the pool. Somehow, swimming and nakedness seem to fit together easily.”

“He’s right, Honey,” Sandy agreed. “You go out on the patio, undress, and get in the water. Then, I’ll send Greg out. You have about an hour until Phil and the girls show up.”

When Alicia had almost staggered to the pool, Sandy playfully loosened Greg’s belt and pushed his pants down. “Good! You should react to her that way. That girl is a keeper, Greg.”

“Mom, we just met. This has to be the weirdest introduction on record. Don’t you go matchmaking, now, hear?”

“I’ll bet lots of couples met without clothes on,” Sandy pointed out. “You know, nudist camps, nude beaches, and all that.”

“OK! OK! Just remember, this was NOT my idea. She is a girl with guts, and I’m happy to help her out. Just forget the rings and the cake and stuff, OK? What did Dad say when you told him there would be a naked girl at the dinner table?”

“Haven’t told him, yet.”

“You’re kidding! Be careful, or we’ll make you join us naked for playing tricks, Mom.”

“And that’s supposed to be a threat?” Sandy challenged.

By now, Greg had shed all of his clothes. Looking in his mother’s eyes, he saw that she was serious. She would not mind going naked at all. Taking her hand, Greg pulled her out to the pool, saying “I think this is a discussion that Alicia should hear. It may be key to our project.”

“Huh?”

“Alicia,” Greg called out as they went through the patio door, “Mom said something we need to talk about. Come on over to the side of the pool.”

Ignoring Alicia’s look of mixed terror and determination, Greg sat on the pool edge, pulling Sandy down beside himself. She had the foresight to kick off her sandals, first. As soon as Alicia came up to them, her shoulders barely above water, Greg replayed the last part of their conversation.

“So, Mom, the idea of undressing actually appeals to you?” he probed.

Sandy realized that the time for teasing and verbal sparring was over. “Hon, you have to realize what your naked time has been like for me. I somehow feel a closeness that we’ve never had before. But it’s more than that. You were doing something important and courageous, and I would like to feel a part of that.

“But another reason is, um, I don’t know how to say this. You were displaying the real you, without any pretense or disguise. Something in me wants to let people see that real me.”

All three of them tried to absorb Sandy’s comments before she continued. “Alicia how old were you when your mother made you stop running around naked?”

“As far as I know, she never, ever let me,” Alicia answered with a trace of anger.

“So, you never felt that thrill, huh?” Alicia just shook her head. “Well it is a thrill, and there is always the urge to experience it again. I remember how my daddy used to smile when he saw me. I just know that Greg would smile the same way. Maybe I’m awful, but I want that feeling again.”

“You know, Alicia, what Mom just said may be a key to why the new venture will work. Maybe for a lot of women, having to be naked is no threat. Maybe it’s a drive of some kind, something from their early years.”

Alicia had been crying softly when Sandy recalled the pleasant memories from her childhood. At Greg’s comments, though, she became thoughtful. “If that’s true, I may never really understand how it can work. I can’t dredge up those childhood thrills.”

“Maybe this is unique to guys, but what about the dream where you are naked at a party or in school or somewhere. You don’t know how you got that way, and you can’t find your clothes. Do girls have dreams like that?”

Alicia stared at him for a long moment with her mouth open, then blushed brightly. “Alicia! You need to tell us about this. It’s for research, remember. Also, I think this is a good time for you to get out of the pool and let us look at all of you,” Greg insisted. “I’ll get you a towel.”

While Greg fetched a towel, Alicia jumped up onto the pool side to sit by Sandy. Greg sat on Alicia’s other side and spread the towel over her shoulders. He exerted every bit of self-control to keep from staring at her breasts.

Waiting until Alicia had dried off a bit, Greg demanded “The dream - why did it make you blush remembering the dream?”

Alicia blushed again, but admitted “The dream always got me really aroused.”

“So, even if you can’t remember the little girl thrill, there is some kind of drive to display your body, huh?” Greg surmised.

“I guess that’s why Transformations works,” Alicia mused. “I never could figure it out before.”

“Because you’ve not had many chances to display your bare body,” he suggested.

“Like none,” Alicia replied with that same angry tone.

Standing up, Greg took her hand to help her up. “Time to get on your feet, drop the towel, do a three-sixty, and feel that thrill,” he encouraged her.

Alicia did just that. She was not relaxed and fluid in her motions, but she did the full turn and wore a look of triumph when she again faced Greg. The look quickly changed to some shock and wonder when she noticed that his penis had reached horizontal.

Sandy put her arm around Alicia and told her “Now, THAT will get you aroused for sure, won’t it. Doesn’t he have a nice one? It’s sure enough to make a mother proud.”

By then, no reaction from Alicia should have surprised them. She broke into tears and they just waited her out. When able to speak, she told them “My mind tells me that this is the way it should be. We should be able to talk and joke about sex. It’s a huge, normal part of our lives. I feel cheated that so much of that important stuff was denied me when my hormones were at their worst.”

Right then, Greg felt a strong urge to hug Alicia like his mother was doing. He knew he could not, though.

At that moment, the patio door opened and Greg’s dad and his two younger sisters walked through. They all stopped in their tracks at the sight of their mother hugging the strange naked girl.