Chapter 24

[Muriel & Clark] Early December

Clark was elated when Muriel told him about their weekend. He had loved her deeply since he first met her. She had been married, then, and his sense of honor had prevented him from ever revealing his feelings. When she became widowed and penniless, he helped her and Dale out of natural human concern and kindness. At the same time, he had hoped that someday he might earn her attentions.

Although he had never married, Clark had been in an eight year relationship that he had always hoped would lead to marriage. When it ended in a needlessly cruel way, he swore off women, except for casual sex. His first introduction to Muriel changed that for good.

Clark had been determined to wait until Muriel was ready. Their long forced separation because of her and Dale being sequestered had been terribly hard on him, but it looked like it would all be worth it, now.

There were two items of concern in their relationship, from Clark's viewpoint. One was his earning potential as a teacher. The other was her position at Transformations. He knew that Transformations used nudity as a key part of their program. He had been at Lindsey's several times before Muriel had to be sequestered there, and he knew that nudity was not allowed. Still, he wondered if she had been required to be nude as part of her job preparation. He could not help wondering how many men saw her naked, and how frequently.

A related concern had been on Muriel's mind. As Dale had sensed, she was ready for sex with Clark. Actually, she had been ready for a long time, except for the lingering feelings of unfaithfulness to her dead husband. As a staff member of Transformations, she had heard and believed that one partner being comfortable with nudity while the other was not could create dangerous tension in a relationship. Her conundrum was what to do about it. She had talked it over with Julia, and now was the time to face the issue squarely.

As soon as they reached the suite, while Clark was stowing their meager luggage, she feigned a full bladder and undressed in the bathroom. She was watching his eyes intently when she walked out. After the initial shock, she was thrilled to see awe, desire, pride, and tenderness in his gaze.

Walking up to him, she tried to keep her voice steady for the little speech she had prepared. "Clark, Darling, I'm finally ready to start building a life together. I'm sorry it has taken so long, but your patience convinces me that this is what you want, too. Is that right?"

"God, Muriel! I always knew you were beautiful, but seeing you like this leaves me speechless. Yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You know, though, that teaching is what I want to do. I think I will have a principal's job in another year or so, but I will never earn the big money you were once used to."

"Oh, I know that, Clark, and believe me, it does not concern me at all. The time I have spent at Lindsey's, working on the staff of Transformations, has given me a whole different perspective on wealth. Compared to relationships, it just doesn't matter."

"I have to tell you, Honey," Clark said, "that I'm uncomfortable not knowing very much about your involvement with Transformations. Oh, I know about Lindsey's, but I suspect there is more that you have not told me."

"You're right, Sweetheart. This weekend was a surprise, but I think we should make that concern a priority. I'm anxious for you to know everything about it. I promise you, though, that no matter what your reaction is to what I tell you, I want us to be together. Nothing is more important than that. Can we finally make love? That's the first, most important thing."

"I ... need to shower first," he stammered as she managed to get her hands down into his shorts and accelerate the swelling that had started.

"I'll help," she offered around a sizzling kiss.

Pride in one's body and discipline in caring for it do not equate to narcissism. The muscular athlete gone to seed is a cliche, but one that Clark had determined would never include him.

Perhaps Muriel was snobbish about the men that appealed to her. After her exceedingly well built husband and the exceptional sex life that they shared, she could certainly be forgiven for her ideal template. When her son Dale developed an arguably even better body, it just strengthened her preference.

Clark's body met all of her criteria. Oh, his face was rugged and manly rather than cover boy handsome, as her husband had been. Countless times, though, she had admired the sharp angle of his torso spreading upward from his tight buttocks and narrow waist to his wide, corded shoulders. When she looked at him in profile, the girth of his upper chest never failed to cause things to happen at her crotch. In a golf shirt, the size and chiseled look of his biceps and forearms were an aphrodisiac to her.

As erotic as she found his body, though, Muriel was not so shallow as to let that overcome her judgement. Clark had proved over and over that he had the love, care, and respect that would make him a great husband.

After her trip a year earlier to help Dale get prepared for his modeling job, Muriel and Clark had become much more familiar with each other's bodies. Still, Muriel had not been able to take the final step and go to bed with him. Nor had she been naked with him before.

The opulent shower in the suite's bathroom was a perfect setting for the long-awaited chance to fully enjoy the fruits of the other's disciplined attention to conditioning.

After a few minutes of supposed washing, Muriel was stroking his bloated shaft, drooling over how she expected its impressive thickness to stretch her passage. Looking up at him with all of her pent-up longing showing in her eyes, she asked "if you come now, you'll still get hard again in a little while, won't you?"

"I ... I don't think I'll even get soft!" he groaned. "Don't stop now ... you'll kill me!"

She felt a pang of guilt when he came, but only because her mind flashed back to the many times she had felt her beloved husbands shaft swelling with each spurt while his testicles tightened in preparation for the next one. She also remembered her one wonderful session with Dale in Catherine's back yard.

But this was a different man. His organ was different, but no less thrilling to her. This would be hers to enjoy for the rest of their life together. She would once more have the source of that wonderful force in her loving hands.

"Let's get in bed so I can do that for you," he panted as he leaned against the shower wall and gasped for breath. She agreed so enthusiastically that they were still quite damp when they threw back the covers.

Muriel had just one thought: she wanted that splendid muscle inside her. She fairly ached for the feeling. However, the way he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her left her breathless and unsure of what she wanted, where she was, or even who she was. His strength and his desire was were so compelling that she decided that what she really wanted was whatever he wanted.

What he wanted was his hands and mouth on every part of her body. He confessed his lack of expertise, but she was soon ready to argue with him. Perhaps it was the the unmistakable love that flowed through every touch, every lick, every kiss. When his tongue found her clitoris, she was ready to proclaim him the world cunnilingus champion. He had her bouncing and writhing, moaning and pleading for several minutes.

When her body had to escape the sensual overload by collapsing into orgasm, her mind could only handle one thought: she had to have him inside her. She probably did not realize how hard she grabbed an ear, or how much it could hurt as she tugged him upward with a handful of hair. He probably did not feel much of it either. Both of them were lost in the need.

Muriel had waited long enough, and that was a good thing. At the peak of their passion, she never once thought of anyone but Clark. There were no more images of her dead husband, just the marvelous filling and stroking of his cock. It was enough. She had healed and could look forward to a new life of passion with this wonderful man. How many women could be so twice blessed?

With neither being sure how it happened, they fell asleep with the covers pulled over them. There were two beds in the suite, and when they awoke, they realized that they would need the other one. Both felt the need to get cleaned up, and Muriel convinced him that the jet tub would be the perfect way. She had another motive besides just getting clean, though.

When they were relaxing in the hot water, she brought up the subject that she had been concerned about. "Honey, as I told you before, no matter how you feel about what I'm going to tell you, I want to be your wife. There is nothing I won't give up or change if it displeases you."

She recounted what she had done at Transformations until they had to get out of the hot water. It was evident that he was not happy about some of her exposure, although he did not say anything.

Convincing him to stay naked, she cuddled on the couch with him as she continued. "I could tell that you did not like that I was naked around a number of men. Honey, if I continue at Transformations, that will happen more.

"One of the things that management is very strong about is not to let the needs of the job damage families. To me, nudity is no big deal. If you do not feel the same way, it could damage our relationship."

"So, what do we do about that? I don't want to ask you to quit," he stated.

"What I hope we can do is get you comfortable with nudity," she answered.

"Ohhhh. I don't consider myself a prude, or anything, but I don't know if I could ever be casual about it."

"Everyone who goes through it is surprised at how easy it seems afterwards. Maybe you don't want to address the issue now, but in lots of ways, it's best to do it quickly and aggressively. Do you want me to be able to continue at Lindsey's and Transformations?"

"I would hate to ask you to quit. I know how much you love it. You know, I've come to love those kids, too. They really are special. I've thought about ways that we could live there together, but maybe that's unrealistic."

"No! No! That's not unrealistic at all! Oh, Honey, there's even more happening at the Tee that we could be involved with. It would be so wonderful to do it side by side!"

She did not mean to be manipulative. She did not even do it on purpose. Tears of emotion just sprang to her eyes. He knew exactly why. "Working with you would be wonderful, Sweetheart, but I don't want to give up teaching."

"I don't want you to. If we were living there, I'm sure there would be ways you could help when you were not in school. Darling, the steps to get people prepared have been well tested. I would never try to tell you it will be easy. It wasn't for me, that's for sure. Would you trust me to get you comfortable, starting this weekend?"

"What would I have to do?"

"Just trust me. I won't tell you what will happen ahead of time. I will just promise you that it is nothing that hasn't been done by every other male employee."

When he said nothing for a while, she fondled his penis and told him "I can promise you that I will make it impossible for you to get an erection this weekend, except when I want you to. I will tell you that some number of females will see this. I believe I will doing them a huge favor by letting them."

"Muriel, I want very much to be a part of your world. I am so impressed by your commitment to it and the good things that I know are happening. I ... I'll do whatever you say."

"You won't be sorry, I promise," she said, bouncing enticingly in her joy. "The first thing is that you won't be wearing any clothes until we check out. No matter what happens or who comes in here, you will face them and interact with them naked. Still game?"

"Oof! Yeah. Still game."

"Just remember, by the time we check out, it will already be a lot easier. Also, it is my intention to have you so fucked out that you won't remember any embarrassment. As soon as I make a few phone calls, we'll start on that promise."

She was as good as her word. After she spent about ten minutes on the phone in the bathroom, she pulled him to the bed, spread herself out in invitation, and urged him through a very energetic pounding. He was able to hold out until she shuddered through an orgasm, pleasing him greatly.

As they lay recovering, she told him "We really should get some sleep, but now, we don't have a clean bed to sleep in. I'll call housekeeping. You let them in and stay with them, OK?" He was too tired to gasp, but not too tired to realize that his trip through the 'gauntlet' was about to start.

Through Friday and Saturday, Clark was never to know whether the various people who brought meals or did housekeeping were actual hotel employees or plants. As it turned out, almost all were actual employees, although some were supervisors or managers drafted for 'special duty'. All were female.

He also would never know that Norma spent the weekend at the hotel, carefully prepping each employee that was to enter the room. She also tipped them liberally.

That first night, two women came in to make the beds. One looked barely twenty and did not stop blushing the entire time. That was harder on Clark than the older woman who seemed to always have her gaze on his crotch. He could not figure out how they actually got the beds changed.

Muriel did not have to tell him that he was to let room service in to set up breakfast Friday morning. He was not even very surprised to see the two young women set up four places.

Muriel dressed for breakfast and Norma and Paul joined them. Norma gave him a warm hug when she entered and never stopped expressing her joy that they were finally going to be a couple.

Paul regaled him with tales of his own orientation. As he talked about his first exposure to his daughters, Clark was grateful for the wakeup sex that that had made an erection impossible.

Impossible or not, Muriel got him hard enough for another round as soon as Paul and Norma left. He could tell that she was not faking her excitement. Having him naked in front of other women really aroused her.

They had just finished when it was time for the normal room cleaning - two more young women.

Carol and Ryan were the lunch guests, and Gretchen joined them. For dinner it was Faith and Dale plus Yvonne and Michelle. Both Muriel and Clark objected to the newlyweds spending their first day that way, but Faith was having none of that.

"Muriel, don't be silly!" Faith said in mock anger. "An image I will never, ever forget is you standing in Catherine's little studio, sending Dale your love and support with your gaze. If we can help Clark even a little to make the start of your married live better, well ... just don't be silly! There is nothing that could be more important to us."

Being the only naked one with the three gorgeous young women was a lot of pressure on Clark, but Muriel had kept her promise. In fact, it was not until the middle of the night that she was able to get him hard again.

When the two young couples, Leah and Cy and Missy and Ted, showed up for breakfast Saturday, Clark was a little upset. Muriel quickly explained how they were already familiar with nudity, and he settled down.

The biggest shock so far for Clark was when his mother and his sister walked in for lunch. It had taken a lot of talking to get them to do it, and at first he was almost angry enough to send them away.

Muriel cuddled up to him and told him "Sweetheart, please! Just look in their eyes, both of them. What do you see? I see nothing but pride and gratitude. You've got to realize how women feel about this awesome body of yours.

"Your mother brought you into this world. Can you imagine how it feels for her to see you in all of your glory? Your sister has probably wondered her whole life what was between your legs. Does it hurt you any to let her find out? Will it hurt your relationship with her? I think you know those answers. Now, they are doing this for you. They had to be talked into it because they were afraid of embarrassing you. Go give them a hug and thank them. They love you more than ever, if that's possible.

The visit went on for most of the afternoon, and it ended well. At one point, his sister spent a good twenty minutes cuddling on his bare lap.

Julia and Frank were the dinner guests. "Clark, I can't tell you how happy I am to see your penis!" After saying that and seeing Clark's stunned expression, she laughed and told him "I guess you aren't quite comfortable enough yet for joking, are you. Actually, I am glad to see you naked because it means that I won't have to lose Muriel. It also means that I have another man to help in our new venture." She went on to describe Jenny's and how he might fit in on his off hours.

"I think you've heard how our orientations usually go, Clark, but I would like to do something a little different with you. I would like you to come to the Tee after school, and work with the women as a regular employee. The difference is that I want you naked for probably the first two weeks. So, you will be naked, working with about twenty naked women. Can you handle that?"

"I never thought I could handle any of this, so my opinion isn't worth much. Pulling Muriel close, he said "Somehow, I suspect that Muriel will get me through it."

"That's great. I guess you're familiar with all of the theory and the reasons." Somehow, she forgot to tell him that no other man had been required to do quite that much. Somehow, none of them thought of how he was supposed to stand naked and massage the women.

[Mercedes] Early December

Mercedes Charles was not doing well at all. Her initial rage could only carry her so far. When it died out from sheer exhaustion, depression set in for perhaps the first time in her life.

The first thing the morning after the wedding, she had called her lead attorney and ordered her to get the commitment order served. When the attorney had replied, Mercedes had immediately fired her, even though she had served for almost fifteen years. The attorney had declared that the restraining order would make any attempt to serve contempt of court. She also said that since Faith was now married, Mercedes' parental rights over any kind of medical treatment were voided.

"But she's not twenty-one, yet!" Mercedes had screamed back.

"Rights like that pass to the spouse at eighteen," the lawyer replied. "At any rate, she is mere weeks from twenty-one, so it would be easy for her to stall, even if we could serve the order."

Following another extended tirade by Mercedes, the lawyer calmly said "As my last act as your attorney, I must advise you that there is absolutely nothing you can legally do to your daughter any longer. She is now a free, independent adult. I must also warn you that anything that you attempt could land you in jail on a contempt charge.

"No judge here would do that to me!" Mercedes shouted.

"We're not talking about judges here," the lawyer pointed out.

When the acrimonious call finally ended, the lawyer once again wondered if she would not have been better off turning down the apparently lucrative Charles account in the first place. After all of the years, she faced the very real prospect of being blacklisted locally.

A week later, Mercedes received the DVD of the wedding, and it drove her deeper into depression. Despite her private rages, Mercedes had always been meticulous about her public image, and she would never risk being arrested for any reason. Always before, she had found ways to 'play' the legal system to accomplish what she wanted without personal risks. Now, all legal recourse seemed closed off and she was still not willing to risk the humiliation of arrest.

More than she would ever admit, Faith had been a key part of Mercedes' life. The girl had mostly been a source of frustration because of unrealized hopes, but still a dominant factor. Max had also been an important fixture. For Mercedes, targets for her dominance, her manipulations, and her anger were very important. Now, she had lost both of her main targets, and she felt an unexplained emptiness.

In her circle, therapy was almost as accepted as a visit to the hair salon. Mercedes had been more than willing to seek therapy for Faith, even though she paid no attention to the conclusions. Seeking help for herself, though, was unthinkable. Thus, Mercedes was left with two crushing losses and nowhere to turn for help.

Unable to accomplish any more legally and unwilling to take any more personal legal risk, Mercedes had only one alternative. She had to act as if her daughter and her husband never existed. Of course, a decision like that was virtually impossible to implement, but that was the course she chose and she would stick to it with her usual single-mindedness. Everyone in her employ or her acquaintance would soon learn that Faith and Max were never, ever to be mentioned.