Chapter Three

The next room turned out to be the bedroom Sheila shared with her partner, Lucia. A floor-to-ceiling bookcase and a trio of artistic watercolors of lightly-clad women adorned the golden-yellow walls of hand-hewn pine planks. 

A queen-size, four-poster bed overlaid with a beautiful handmade quilt took up one wall. An antique handcrafted wrought iron table lamp with a stained-glass shade provided most of the light for the room. The remainder came in the form of the hazy glimmer of smoldering embers within the stone hearth. 

An impressive bearskin carpeted the floor at the fireside, and scattered throw pillows promised comfy seating. Overall, the aura in the warm and dimly-lit room was pleasant and cozy. 

The colony's mistress retrieved an amber-colored bottle and two glasses from the bookshelf and sat down on the furry surface. 

"Would you care to join me in a glass of home-brewed brandy?" Sheila suggested. Her hand patted a spot next to her side, and she beckoned me to sit. 

"Sure, but only if you make mine a double," I answered and lowered my body to the rug. 

While I was tempted, I decided not to ask for a triple. Perhaps later, this will do for now. 

I took a sip of the fragrant spirits. The silky-warm glow of liquid heaven slipped down my throat as smooth as glass. 

"Tell me, Dennis, how at-ease are you with public displays of the human body?" Sheila invited before taking a swallow. 

I nearly snorted the drink out of my nose as I coughed and choked in shock at her weird question. 

"Don't gotta problem with casual nakedness," I said as I fought to regain my composure. "Back in the day, I visited lots of unclothed beaches in my lifetime." 

"Did you undress or only visit as a voyeur?" 

"Yes, I got as sunburned as everyone else. Why do you ask?" 

"FYI, our dress code is clothing optional when we're home. Most of us go skyclad when we aren't working or cooking or if safety requires, we remain covered up. I'm glad you're comfortable with this," Sheila pulled her sweater over her head and revealed her braless chest. 

I used to think of myself as jaded as jewelry, and nothing would surprise me. Wrong. 

She folded her garment, rose to her knees, unbuckled her blue denim trousers, and slid them down to her ankles. My eyes widened in wonder. Sheila wore no underwear, and her unclad body exhibited no trace of tan bands. My head spun. 

The same dizzy sensation I had when standing at the edge of a cliff swept over me in a wave of cultural vertigo. I struggled to keep my mental balance. The standard familiar landmarks outlining the boundaries of acceptable behavior were either missing or obscured in this strange new world. After placing her jeans on top of her pullover, she leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes. 

"Ahhhhhh, much better. I'm getting to where I almost despise attire," she said with a deep sigh. 

I took a second to examine Sheila's exposed body as I engraved the image in my memory for later replay. The moment might make more sense the next time around. Her tanned breasts had thus far won their war with gravity. Apart from some stretch marks, they were teenage-firm. Her attentive spirit and youthful voice belied her years.

Except for a few creases above a thin patch of reddish-brown hair, Sheila's toned and brown body was almost wrinkle-free. She was in better physical shape than women half her age. Whatever the years, the view was soft on the eyes. 

Her face had the typical lines and weather-worn features of someone who spent most of their life outdoors. She blinked her eyes and caught me studying her body. 

"Do I meet with your approval?" 

S**t! Stone-cold busted. 

"Aha, err, sorry," I blushed and half-smiled. "Didn't mean to stare, but I don't often find myself alone with a naked lady as attractive as you" I confessed. 

"This whole thing is way too wild. Talk about being on the wrong side of easy; you're nude, and you tell me an entire flock of natural jaybirds is roosting beyond this door." My eyes darted about the room, "and, um, all this, this place is half-way to nowhere a dozen zip-codes from my comfort zone. I need time to process." 

I hesitated for a moment and glanced about while I took deep cleansing breaths and tried to gather my wits. A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

"Take this cabin, for example, almost new, ten or fifteen years old at most, must have cost a fortune. What'd you guys do? Win the lottery or something?" I said, waving my arms about the room. 

"You're either a wonderful guesser or a rather lucky boy. Luck is how this community came to be. Remember twenty years ago when everyone freaked out over an unclaimed seventy-five million dollar jackpot? We were the winners, the sisters and me," Sheila said with a wink. 

"We cashed the ticket on the last day after taking a year to plan and establish a corporation to hold and claim the prize. We elected to fly under the radar. We didn't want the media attention. I'm sure you can understand." She caressed my thigh. 

"You needed tons of supplies to build this place and the glen has no roads in or out. How the hell did you construct this mansion? "

"We cut and milled the wood we required on site. A French Canadian heavy-lift helicopter service hauled in everything necessary to complete this building and several utility structures. I'll give you and Darlene a tour tomorrow," Sheila offered. 

I nodded as my fingers searched my shirt-pocket. A butt would calm my nerves. 

I held my tobacco-filled tube before Sheila and inquired, "Okay with you if I light up?" 

"S**t! F**s?" She took the tin case from my other hand and emptied two and set them next to her body. 

Sheila gave me one before rolling on her stomach. Her legs spread a little wider for increased stability as she inched forward and reached for an unburned sprig to use as a match. 

Her bare buttocks were on vivid display. So was the scenery in the valley between. The little guy in my shorts stiffened in response. 

Down boy! I better learn manners if bare-assed is the new normal. Woodies wouldn't cut it. 

I lit my cancer-stick and took a thoughtful drag while I studied Sheila as she worked to ignite her twig. I tapped her leg and presented my torch. 

Sheila relaxed against her cushion for the next few minutes and puffed away at her first cigarette in years. "Thanks! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed nicotine." She laughed and blew a perfect smoke ring, smiled, and exhaled another. 

"My treat. Plenty more in the car." 

My eyes followed the misty circles until they dissolved in the shadows. I was impressed. Not many smokers can blow quality cloud-circles. 

"How many cigarettes is quote-plenty-unquote?" Sheila asked as her fingers did quotes around the last word. 

"Oh? About twenty-four thousand, enough to fill two-hundred cartons, should last a few years," I told Sheila about my bulk tobacco purchase in Rifle, Colorado. 

My eyes kept drifting back to her chest and down to her thighs as we talked. 

"I recognize staring is rude. You're a beautiful woman. I'm having a difficult time keeping my wandering eyes at home." I twitched. 

"Obviously," she chuckled. "Don't worry. I didn't give you much warning. I was testing you. I wanted to find out how you handle female nudity. You did fine," Sheila replied with a grin. "To be honest, I'm flattered when anyone, even a man admires my body." She stated and smiled at my crotch. 

"I understand the usual nudist norms. Unwanted sexual aggression ain't welcome. You being au naturel doesn't give me permission to grope or gawk. I got this." 

I averted my eyes and rested my hand on my lap, for safety's sake. 

"Hmm, almost a feminist viewpoint. Not bad for a man. Perhaps you'll fit in." Sheila stretched and stood on her tiptoes as circulation returned to her legs. 

"Dinner-time is almost over. We gotta' hustle if we wanna eat," my hostess said and extended her hand. 

I have the creaky joints of a man twice my years.

Author's Note

Chapter by chapter feedback is requested. Leave a short (or long) note at the end of each chapter with your thoughts on the story, plot, characters, or writing style. Does the story hold your attention? Is the plot credible? Are the characters believable?