Twenty three

Twenty three

Emaline Mirabelle Conway was known as Merri to her parents. Her school friends had called her Bella, but at the PDQ Agency she was called E-M (pronounced Em). Her job was to do the sensible things. All the creative things were done by the erudite copywriters and the flamboyant art directors who flounced and strutted, argued and enthused. Merri kept the business running. It she who filled the coffee makers, ensured the printers and photocopier were tonered and filled with the right type of glossy paper. There were always staplers and glue and paint and pencils handy to replace the ones they lost or destroyed in a fit of petulant anger. While she may not have won any contracts or awards one thing was absolutely certain there would never been any campaigns without her.

The morning of the day that would change her life forever was warm. There was every probability that the rest of day would be warmer still. Even so Merri packed her cardigan, a simple plaid pattern today in purple and white she thought as she folding it neatly and placing it in her wicker shopping bag. Merri always needed an extra layer in the summer at PDQ as the air con was invariably set on alpine peak. Checking herself in the mirror that hung in the shadowy hall, Merri sighed, a long, heartfelt sigh for all she had lost. An involuntary expression of sadness for the lost lives of both her parents, coupled to the loss of her life that just might have been. Still she thought to herself briskly, no use crying over spilt milk. Wiping a tear from her eye she stepped out into the golden morning, brushing her bare legs against the warm fur of her only companion, Eric, her tabby cat who was hurrying in after a long night prowling the neighbourhood. She often wondered what strange sights he saw in the wee small hours. Were the streets and back alleyways populated by a different set of inhabitants while the rest of the world slept?

‘How wrong can you be?’ thought Merri as she opened the door to PDQ’s office and a wall of warm air hit her like a foolish motorist opening his car window in the middle of Death Valley. The temperature seemed to rise by one degree per stair as she climbed to the first floor suite where she, manager Dave or D-Z (pronounced Dizzy) worked with a small group of creatives in a suite of seven rooms.

“Is the air con broken” she asked a petite blonde called P-W (Penny Wilson, aka Pow) who was monopolising the water cooler. She grunted before replying “It’s Dizzy’s latest ploy to get the Misthaze shopping centre account.” Merri knew all about this, the local mall was promoting itself as a green venue by turning off their climate control, hence Dave’s decision to switch of theirs. She moved through the open plan office cheerily greeting the other staff members who seemed to be boiling already. She dreaded to think how they would all feel by the afternoon. In fact they would all feel cool and refreshed, but at that time Merry had no inkling how the day would progress.

“Wow, I know I always thought the air con was too high, but there was no need for this” Merri turned and smiled. “Morning Marion” Their part time accountant was always welcome. Merri viewed as a kindred spirit, level headed and sensible. A veritable pillar of the community, although she had a nagging doubt about her daughter’s actions.

“Hello Marion,” said Dave, “I hope you’re pleased with our concern for the environment”

“I would have appreciated a little warning, Dave” Marion ignored the latest office fad for initials “I’d have worn a little less”

“It’s your daughter’s fault” he retorted, “She started this…by wearing a lot less!”

“You don’t have to follow all that rubbish” Marion complained, “She’s hardly likely to march around here demanding you turn off the air con”

“it’s a little more complicated” H-S, (Harry Smith, pronounced Hiss) a pleasant looking, long haired lad, explained “You see we’re up for the Mall’s contract and they are following the air con bad message” he gulped on some coffee before adding “Saves them money, they’ve no real scruples”

Merri left them to their discussion to check the answer phone. The first call was from Miles Jones the director of the Misthaze centre. He confirmed his appointment for three that afternoon. Merry hoped they would be ready, but she doubted this.

Her suspicions were confirmed later in the morning by a very sweaty M-S (Melainie Smith or Mess).

“We’re nowhere Em” she told her as she inspected two large wet patches on her pale pink silk blouse, “Do you think these will come out?”

“Oh yes, a bit of biological will sort that”

“It won’t ruin the material?”

“Not if you use a very low temperature, Mess”

The whole office consulted Merri on just about everything except for affairs of the heart. They saw her as an old spinster left on the shelf, a shrivelled virgin who had never felt the sting of Cupid’s darts. On that account they were wrong for she had had her day once, many years ago when she was a fresh faced, eighteen. Back then, she had a boy friend called Chris who she loved deeply. She had even made up her mind to have sex with him. Merri had planned it all, a secluded picnic in the woods after which she would allow the unsuspecting Chris to seduce her. She had even chosen the date, a day late in her monthly cycle when pregnancy would be highly unlikely. Merri had always been pragmatic. Sadly it was never to be; her poor father put paid to that. The very Sunday before what was in her mind as the biggest event in her life so far he contrived to upstage her passage from maid to woman. Merri remembered the day well, how could she ever forget? They had just left church, and she and her mother were admiring the rose bushes that were in full flower, Merri could still remember their heady smell that hung in the fresh summer air. Her father, who stood as a rock around which the family was anchored, was talking to the vicar. She could still remember the warm rhythm of his words, his deep voice sounding across the crunch yard. Then there was a cry and a quiet crunch as the gravel gave way under an unexpected mass. In sudden panic Merri turned to see her father slumped on the ground; his left arm quivering as the priest kneeled, muttering quiet words of prayer. Inside Merri boiled; she felt like shouting, “he needs cardiac massage. Don’t just kneel there, help him” She had ran across the churchyard, scattering small stones, with her mother behind her screaming but all Merri could hear was their friend and neighbour Jack Filey speaking desperately in hushed tones to his phone. But the heart attack was too big, the ambulance too slow. Merri’s life also ended in a way on that summer’s day, for her mother, who was never strong went spiralling into a decline and Merri was slowly sucked into her whirlpool of illness and despair, and so she was gradually pulled her away from all she knew. It was twelve years before her mother finally shuffled off her mortal coil leaving Merry a lone survivor, blinking on a sunlit beach with an ocean of experience before her yet to be explored.

Rebuilding had been slow, it had taken her months to build a small circle of friends, first flower arranging at church, then the swimming club, and finally the biggest hurdle of all, this job at PDQ. Mess broke into Merri’s reverie, “I could certainly use a lower temperature myself. Any chance Dizzy’s going to turn the ac back on?”

“I doubt it; he’s keen on this contract”

It was a slow day for the creatives, sometimes they whizzed, ideas tumbling from them faster than storm waves on a winter shore. Today the ideas were lake water lapping on an idling rowing boat. At eleven o’clock a meeting was called. Dizzy ran the whole gamut of despair, his team had deserted him, the contract was as unattainable as a desert mirage. Fortunately for Merri a caller at the door necessitated her to leave at this point.

“Hello Marion, you’re back, I see you’ve changed into something more suitable” said Merri noticing Marion’s thin summer dress.

“Not for much longer I fear” replied Marion rather mysteriously, “Bella, let me introduce to my daughter, Isla and this is her boyfriend Henri”

Merri had, of course, recognised Isla from the newspapers, “how do you do” she greeted them both shaking hands, “come to offer some advice?”

“Oh yes” replied Isla confidently

“Well they are all in a meeting, come on through” Merri said warmly as she ushered them towards the conference room. She led them in and stayed while Marion introduced her daughter and Henri to the small workforce.

Merri enquired if anyone needed a cold drink. This was like asking the pope if he wanted a service on a Sunday, as the room was hotter than a volcano. When she returned a few moments later it was instantly clear little progress had been made.

“Well no” Henri was telling them animatedly “we weren’t able to come up with any better slogans, that was one of our problems. Even ‘I’d rather have nothing on than have air con on’ was pinched from someone else” The whole room looked dejected, they were getting nowhere fast.

“Look,” said Isla, “I’m not in advertising, but even I can see you’re not going to get anywhere in this atmosphere, it’s far too hot”

“Well I could switch the air con back on” began D-Z. Merri and the rest of the staff looked longingly at him, tongues hanging out like puppy dogs waiting for their master to throw the ball. Isla on the other hand gave him to look of death, “That would rather defeat the object, don’t you think”

Isla looked around the room at the worn out faces and beamed, Merri started to become very worried indeed. Not as worried as she was a moment later when Isla told them they should follow her slogan.

“My slogan” Henri reminded her as fear gripped Merri warmly by the throat.

“I suppose we could” muttered D-Z “it would show how serious we were.”

Merri’s heart stopped beating at this point, surely he didn’t mean, he couldn’t. She was aware the others were talking, but her brain wasn’t processing the words. It was like a sporting match where the vision was fine but the sound signal had been lost. The conference room was the field of play and her colleagues the players in the game. She watched in a detached way as they ran around the in fury all arms gesticulating in silent animation, but the sense of occasion was lost on her. By the time normal service had been resumed it was all over, the final whistle had been blown. The naked office was on.

Marion turned to Merri “you haven’t said anything, Bella.”

“You don’t have to join us Em” Dave told her gently, before quickly adding “Don’t take that the wrong way, we would love you to join us, but…..”

There was a general low hum that indicated that agreement of her colleagues

Merri knew what they were thinking, dry wizened old spinster, old fashioned and prim, only naked for a shower.

“Tell you what” Marion told her “I will if you will” Like the watcher of the skies the whole attention of the room moved away from Merri and focussed on the new plant in their ken, Marion who, in their minds marched to the same drummer’s beat as Merri.

Someone said “In that case count me in” The whole room’s attention swung back to Merri, who was gradually realising that it had been her voice that spoke.

The silence was broken by Isla who was clearly becoming exasperated by the whole affair.

“Right, we’ll stay in here and you men can go somewhere else?” she looked enquiringly at Dave “The gents” he said. This drew a drone of distaste, “alright my office”

“I’ll come and get you when we are ready” Isla informed them as they trooped out contemplating the size of their midriffs. They had barely closed the door before Isla was naked, but then considering her the amount of practice she had this should have surprised nobody. What was a shock to Merri and the two other girls, Mess and Pow, was the speed at which her mother joined her in the altogether. The sight of her all over tan was both an answer and a wake up call.

“Tanlines” Pow spat out, removing her low cut top, to reveal a pink push up bra. Mess had other worries, “If only it known I’d have had a trim down there” she confided as she slipped out of her grey pencil skirt.

These were the least of Merri’s worries. She had no tan to speak of and her weekly outings to the ladies only swimming days at the Waterloo centre had taught her the benefit of ensuring no stray hairs peeked out from the lycra. Her worries were more in the line of stripping. Suddenly, with no warning her mind slipped back to the time before her father died, when she had aspirations of a normal life. She remembered quiet days in the summer, when the house was empty, no sound beyond the ticking of the clock in the silent hallway. Those were the days when she had planned for her liaison with Chris. She had it all worked out, the meal, the seduction and the strip before the final act of union. For days, alone in her bedroom, curtains closed against the peaking sun Merri had rehearsed her routine. First the plain white blouse, slowly, one button at a time, starting from the bottom. Then she paused, her flat white stomach bare, the outlines of her lacy bra just visible. Merri stood still for a brief moment, chin down, looking up. More of her diaphanous bra was exposed as she reached to let down her long brown hair. Free from its band, she shook it loose, giving her audience a brief glimpse of her protruding nipples pushing out from the fabric of her underwear. Then, reaching behind her she unzipped her thin red skirt. This bought her slim shoulders back, emphasising her full breasts. With a flick of her hips she allowed the skirt to fall to the ground. Then, she stepped forward, out of her fallen skirt leaving it and her sandals behind. The part opened blouse hung well below her waist, hiding her hips but the outline of her dark patch of pubic hair was plainly visible through the lace in her clean, white, high cut knickers. Slowly she let the blouse fall from her shoulders to join the rest of her clothing. With no pause, just a seductive smile, Merri reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, this done she dropped her shoulders to emphasise her cleavage. Quickly she let it fall releasing her full, firm breasts with their small cherry nipples. Turning away, she looked back at the mirror and, with a lascivious smile she leant forward, pushing her rounded buttocks towards her audience. Then with both hands she slipped her thumbs inside either side of her knickers and slowly rolled them down her firm thighs. Standing suddenly with her last item of clothing held at arms length between her thumb and forefinger she turned to face the mirror. Dropping the last of her underwear Merri stepped forward to the imagined seduction that was destined never to take place.

“Are you alright Em?” asked Pow. Merri snapped out of her reverie. Unconsciously she had already begun the long forgotten act, standing before her colleagues with her blouse open.

“Sorry just a bit much to take in” she said apologetically.

“For you and us all,” said Mess, “except of course young Isla” Although neither Mess or Pow were too sure about Marion anymore. Merri switched quickly to her swimming pool routine, folding her clothes neatly as she undressed. When she was naked she reached automatically for her costume, but of course it wasn’t there, and it was never going to be. Standing awkwardly, arms by her side she looked at her two colleagues. They were alike, pencil thin with sharp breasts pointing accusingly at her. Their faces held a look that Merri could only translate as astonishment.

“What’s wrong?” she asked shyly. She felt intimidated by their nudity, their bodies part tanned, with long legs and small patches of pubic hair.

“Merri” said Mess quietly, “let down your hair”

Merri did as she was told, suddenly realising that everyone was looking at her.

Mess spoke for the room. “Talk about hiding yourself away, you sure are one hell of a swan Merri”

“What me?”

“Oh yes, you, I don’t know why I was worried about trimming the lawn, ‘cos one thing’s for certain, nobody’s going to be looking at me!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean”

“Bella,” said Marion kindly, “you’re gorgeous,” she pointed to a mirror in the corner “look at yourself”

Merri didn’t need to look at herself, she already knew what she looked like. It was the sight of the rest of the flesh that was new. With no reference points she had rather assumed she had an average body, but looking at the two skinny girls standing shyly before her Merri swiftly revised her opinions. She had previously seen Mess and Pow as sirens, pulling unsuspecting men into their, what was now revealed to be not so ample bosoms. Now, stripped bare of their camouflage, they were diminished, two stick insects next to Merri’s queen bee.

Isla interrupted tersely. Merri was nothing, she had Suzie Blackwell for competition. “Enough of this preening ladies, I’ll go get the chaps”

Merri swallowed hard, here she was naked at work, being gawped at by her equally bare colleagues and now her first naked males were about to be delivered. Within seconds the first penis she had ever seen hove into view. What an odd little appendage she thought. She knew they could get bigger, but the mechanism by which such a floppy flaccid object could become large enough, and stiff enough to fit inside her vagina was unfathomable.

For a few moments the employees of the PDQ agency stared as silently as stout Cortez gazing on the Pacific. They took it all in, and would probably have done so for an age if Marion hadn’t intervened and set them all to work.

Merri busied herself with the photocopier which had run out of toner. She was the only one in the office who could replace the cartridge without getting toner all over her clothes. Today she was all fingers and thumbs, dropping the cartridge and nearly getting covered in ink. ‘Oh well she thought, at least it would have wiped off. One bonus to working in the nude’ She wondered if there were others, she certainly no longer felt hot under the collar.

She took lunch as usual at her desk, except it wasn’t usual at all she thought brushing breadcrumbs from her breasts. The leather of her office chair felt smooth and cool on her back, contrasting with the roughness of the small hand towel she had found in the store room to sit on. Her phone buzzed just as she was scolding herself for spilling orange juice on herself. Dizzy was calling a meeting in the conference room. Merri grabbed her towel and unconsciously brushed away some breadcrumbs that had nestled in her pubic hair. She headed quickly through the door, almost bumping into Hiss in her hurry. “After you, Em” he said politely. As she walked along the narrow corridor that led to the conference room she suddenly realised that Hiss had an excellent view of her bare behind. Still, she preferred him scrutinising her bottom to the alternative.

Shorn of their clothes the ideas had flowed from the creative team. Hours ago thye were nowhere, now they had an outline for the campaign. Merri had to admit it was slick and fizzed with ieas.

“Ok” Dizzy told them, “tidy it up and get it ready for Mr Jones” He paused looking sheepishly around his small company, “I’d like Pow and Mess to do the presentation” Utter silence filled the room like the gulfs between the stars “Er I know it’s sexist but, you know….” He would have looked at his shoes if he was wearing any “You have to play to your strengths”

“Yes, you’re right” Mess told him, “I’ll need to pop out to get some stuff first” she told him

“What sort of stuff” asked a puzzled Hiss

“Girlie stuff” Pow and Mess answered in unison.

Dizzy cleared his throat, a gentle polite, noise much like a well brought up toad. “I don’t suppose you could join us Em?” he croaked

Merri beamed, “Of course” she replied. Mess and Pow nodded. No point in leaving your star centre forward on the bench for the big match.

Miles Jones had never looked forward to a meeting so much in his life. Usually he kept people waiting, Being punctual meant you weren’t’ busy enough. Time was money and unless he was paying for somebody’s time he wasted it. But the opportunity to cast an eye over naked totty changed everything, if the staff of PDQ were desperate enough to prance around stark bullock naked to get his attention, he would give them all the time they wanted. Not that he was interested in the bollocks bit, Dizzy and his similarly named arty farty boys could prance around in the nuddy till their balls froze off for all he cared, but there was a couple of foxy girls and he wouldn’t mind seeing what was in their knickers. He remembered them well, long legs and stilettos, short skirts so you could almost see their bums. Tight cut low blouses with plenty of cleavage on display. He rubbed his hands together with glee at the thought of those puppies let loose. Oh yes, today was going to be a good day he thought to himself as he rang the door bell.

The door was answered by a stunning brunette, who was wearing the attire he liked best. Absolutely sweet FA. Where did that fatuous moron Dizzy find this babe from, Miles thought to himself. The last time he was here he was greeted by that frumpy secretary of his, all plaid pleated skirt and ribbed blouse buttoned up to the neck, hair tied back in a Mary Poppins bun, and shoes too sensible for a nun. This was a great improvement he thought as his eyes darted up and down her firm flesh. She stood with her long legs slightly apart, one hand on her perfect hip while the other idly rubbed her back. He drooled as her firm pert breasts rose and fell in time with her breathing, His throat was dry and he almost swooned, as his eyes roamed up her firm legs as sturdy and perfectly formed as an alabaster statue. She had kept her pubic hair, he liked that in a woman, and this specemin before him was undoubtedly a woman. He stood and admired her perfect curls, purring like a tom cat as he gazed at the thicker darker hair that nearly, but not quite, covered the twin swellings that led to her vagina. It seemed like an age to him but in reality it was only a few seconds, as he stood in the doorway grinning inanely at her body before he met this heavenly creatures eyes. Then he really got a shock, for the Aphrodite standing naked before him was that frumpy secretary. In that instant, as their eyes met Merri knew the contract was won.

That evening Merri floated home on a tide of champagne. After the deal had been signed, Dizzy had insisted that all go out for a celebratory meal. Merri didn’t usually mix socially with the others, preferring to retreat to the solitude of her quiet house with it’s calm familiar rhythms. But how often do you spend time naked with people? It had changed her perspective, engendering a deep trust. With these new bonds she felt she could venture a little further from the safety of the shore.

Their discussion was all on their day and the adventure they had faced. Pow and Miss felt they had taken most of the blows, standing naked at the screen, both as thin as rakes, with long legs accentuated by the high heels they hastily purchased that afternoon. Their cosmetic worries were also salved. Both now sported all over tans as even as Marion Shaw’s, but to Merri’s eyes there was a touch of orange that just wasn’t there on the firm’s account, who, fortunately had gone home, preventing any opportunity of comparison. Their concern’s over having a few hairs out of place had been dealt with too, although to Merri’s eyes they had used a combine harvester in place of a pair of garden secateurs, and both their vulvas had stood out like twin scars on their flat featureless torsos.

Poor Mr Jones didn’t know where to look, his eyes were flitting everywhere, he appeared to be desperately trying to concentrate on the screen, but the presence of all that naked flesh made it so hard for him. Mess and Pow laughed heartily when Merri told them this.

“Listen, Em the only thing he was concentrating on was the swelling in his pants” Pow told her bluntly.

“And frankly” continued Mess, “you were the main distraction”

Merri could feel the heat in her face, she had never considered herself as an object of attraction, but here she was sitting with her two co workers, both of whom again oozed a sensuality that had already acquired much attention from a few fellow diners. And they were telling her she was a sex symbol.

Before she could pursue this line of thought further Merri’s bus had arrived at her stop. Thanking the driver as was her wont, she alighted and walked along the familiar summer streets to her home. Her cat, Eric greeted her with all the haughty distain of his species. Merri filled his bowl with milk before getting herself a cool glass of water. The champagne, coupled with the intense heat that hung sullenly in the air of the closed house induced a great weariness. Shedding her clothes for the second time that day Merri indulged herself in a long cool shower. Suitably refreshed she reached for the robe that usually hung behind the door. Uncharacteristically she had forgotten to put it there, so she wrapped her towel around her body before heading towards her bedroom. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks. What was she doing? She had spent the whole afternoon stark naked in front of her colleagues and now she was covering herself to walk from her bathroom to her bedroom in an empty house. Removing the towel she folded it carefully and hung it on the towel rail, and gingerly, and bizarrely for the first time in her life, stepped onto the landing of her house with no clothes on. She tiptoed towards her bedroom, as if in fear of being caught. She caught herself again, what was she thinking, tomorrow she was going to spend the whole day naked at work, what was the point of getting dressed now. The house was swelteringly warm, and completely empty. Pulling herself together she walked down the stairs and along the hallway Just before she reached the lounge she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror by the front door, and finally, she allowed herself to see what Miles Jones, Mess and Pow and all the others had seen.

“Oh my, Merri look at you” she told herself. After an hour watching television Merri felt extremely comfortable, for a few moments she even forgot she was naked.

‘Perhaps I’m a nudist’ she thought, and then laughed at the notion. She had no idea what a nudist was. There was only one way to find out. Switching on her computer she typed it into her search engine. She was very surprised to find there was a nudist, or naturist facility within three miles, in fact her bus home had passed by the gates. Merri had always assumed the Sandydunes Sun Club was a health farm. Now she knew otherwise it was so obvious, the high hedges, the gate set well back from the road with its entrance guarded by a security code.

Its website by contrast was more than welcoming, having detailed pages for current members and those who may just be thinking of giving it a go. There was even a quiz to see if you might just be a naturist. Merri giggled to herself as she looked at the questions.

The only pale I’m naked is in the bath with the door firmly locked. That would have been a yes this morning, but now, she dropped her gaze and smiled.

Next question, nobody would want to stare at that ugly carcase of mine. Well she had pretty good evidence for ticking the box marked no.

The rest of the questions were about the feel of the sun and the breeze on your bare body, and the pleasure of skinny dipping. Nothing, however, about working in the buff. Well, she could do nothing about skinny dipping, but the feel of the sun and the breeze was a definite possibility. Before she could change her mind and back out Merri opened the patio doors and stepped out. There was no danger of being seen, but then that cat was well and truly out of the bag anyway. ‘That’s settled,’ she thought, ‘I can tick another two yes boxes’

“Oh what the hell” she muttered as she sat back down in front of the computer, “What are you doing Merri?”

But there it was in big letters, ‘Give it a go, we want you to join us’ Merri read on, and realised that they didn’t want you if you were single and male, but if you were female there wasn’t even a waiting list. She looked sown at her body, that until today she had hidden away in unflattering clothing. Now here she was, a butterfly shorn of its cocoon, sitting naked in her empty house, with a full day of naked work ahead, and yet new eyes free to roam over her bare skin.

She smiled again as she turned back to the keyboard as with an email address and a few clicks of a computer mouse Emaline Mirabelle Conway left that lonely life behind.