Ashley was lost in her own excitement and likely would have continued on, were it not for Tony's pronouncement, which served to remind her of the total situation. "In your dreams, maybe," she snapped at Tony and hastily pulled the shirt down to cover her panties.

"Now look what you've done," Billy chided.

"Yes, I think you guys have seen enough of me for one day," Ashley added as she looked down at her mostly unbuttoned, flimsy shirt and bare legs. "And I've had enough of dancing alone."

"We could take turns dancing with you," Billy suggested.

Ashley wanted an excuse to continue. "That would be an improvement," she responded. "But I'm going to need another soda while I think about it."

"I'll get it," jumped in Jarrad, "Wouldn't want you to be thirsty while you're dancing."

"Right," Ashley said, swallowing hard. Jarrad had just told her what he expected her answer to be. "Better get enough for everyone," she said to Jarrad, "I don't want my dance partners to be thirsty either."

Ashley turned again to the satellite radio, flipping the channels, looking for some danceable music. As an up-tempo number with a disco beat began, Ashley motioned for her step-brother to join her. She put her mouth close to his ear and whispered, "I thought we should dance to something that doesn't raise too many eyebrows."

They began a jitterbug type dance, one that kept them close enough for a private conversation without any real body contact. "I'm not too worried anymore about raised eyebrows," Brad whispered. "Step-sister or not, that dance was the hottest thing I have ever seen." Then he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "But we certainly wouldn't want to violate the 'look, but don't touch' rule."

"Oh, that is cruel," Ashley countered.

"Just remember, they don't have any rules," Brad responded, exhibiting a bit of sour grapes. "We're not children anymore. We're all at least eighteen. We're adults now.”

“So maybe I'm ready to act like it, too.”

“Between those bare legs and your unbuttoned shirt,” Brad gave Ashley a thorough once-over, “not to mention the memory of your dancing, these guys are certainly expecting that."

Ashley hesitated, weighing Brad's words, then asked, "Is it going to bother you to watch?"

"Probably not. Might even be kinda exciting... watching you dance with these guys."

They finished the number to the applause of the other two as Jarrad returned to the room with the drinks. The next song was slow but not very danceable, so they all sat around drinking their Cokes until the next one began. It was a popular dance number, but slow. Ashley motioned to one of Brad's friends whose name she could not remember.

He hastily took off his athletic shoes, (the floor was hardwood), and eagerly joined Ashley in the middle of the room. He took hold of Ashley with an imitation of a formal dance position, one arm clumsily around her back, the other outstretched, his hand clasping hers.

Ashley dropped his hand and put her arms around his neck. "Put your arms around my back," she whispered. He put his arms around her waist, but still held her at a respectable distance. "Uh..." she started, fishing for his name.

"Billy," he prompted.

"Billy, I don't break. It's okay to hold me closer."

Billy was a bit of a nerd though, probably not been out with any girl more than one time. He closed the gap between them by a few inches, but was still careful not to press against Ashley's breasts, or let her feel his hardened tool.

Ashley tightened her arms around Billy's neck and pressed her groin against his. She rubbed her body against his, increasing the stimulation both were realizing. "Better, isn't it," she whispered breath-fully into his ear.

"Yeah, but... I'm sorry I uh -"

"Hey," Ashley said, looking into his eyes from a few inches away. "Don't apologize. You liked my dance. I'm flattered."

"Uh... You mean it's okay," Billy asked in wonderment.

"Of course. That's why we're dancing."

"Huh?"

"You're supposed to be excited," Ashley put her lips against Billy's ear. "So just enjoy it."

For the rest of the song Billy kept his body pressed firmly against Ashley's. The song ended but Billy wasn't ready to quit. Ashley pried his hands off her back. "I think I'm supposed to dance with your friend, whatever his name is."

"It's Tony," Billy said, looking at Ashley like he had just fallen in love. "Are we going to get to dance again?" he asked.

"I think probably," Ashley said, not sounding like she really wanted it to be true, "But right now, I need to dance with Tony." Another somewhat slowish song started, this one with a bit of a Latin flavor, appropriate as Tony was at least part Italian.

As Ashley and Tony pressed against each other and moved with the beat, Ashley spoke first. "You might not be too popular with your friends right now, but I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Huh."

"Well, if you hadn't said what you did, I might have taken my clothes off. I think it was a good thing you spoke up when you did."

"Yeah, well I was afraid that if you continued, you might not be too happy with yourself later on, not to mention how embarrassing it might have been for Brad."

Ashley tilted her head back so there was a foot or so separating their faces. "I might be a blonde," she said, "But I'm not stupid. You're not really trying to tell me that you wouldn't want to see me naked, now are you?"

"Well, I uh... I mean, like sure... if the situation was right... like if we were on a date, just the two of us."

"And how is that going to happen? You've never even asked me out."

"Well, since you're not going out with Rob Baker anymore, we could go out this week."

"Not," Ashley snapped.

"What? You think I wouldn't ask you?"
"Oh my god! You really are full of yourself, aren't you? No, asshole, it's because there is no way I would ever go out with you." Although the song hadn't ended yet, Ashley terminated the dance.

She went to the couch and pulled Jarrad to his feet. Her arms went around his neck and his around her butt. They danced to the end of the number and continued on into the next. The music was definitely meant for belly-rubbing and both took advantage of it. Jarrad was the first to speak. He put his mouth close to Ashley's ear and whispered, "It seems that you have had a pretty good time today."

"Except for that creep I was just dancing with, yeah, I've been having a good time."

"And if that 'creep', as you called him, hadn't opened his mouth when he did, how much further would you have gone."

Ashley's head was on Jarrad's shoulder. She lifted it and looked directly at him. She had a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Well... how much further would you have wanted me to go?"

"Only as far as you wanted, I guess."

"Well, if nobody had said anything, I might have at least finished unbuttoning the shirt." Ashley felt Jarrad's already hard cock stiffen even more. She looked into his eyes and asked, "What would you have thought about that?"

Jarrad's hands slid down past the hem of Ashley's shirt to her bare thighs. Then they returned slowly to their original position, clasped to her backside... but now under the shirt, on her panties. "You mean, you can't tell," he teased, rubbing his cock against her.

After pretending to ignore it for a few seconds, Ashley whispered, "You need to keep your hands on the outside."

"Yes, ma'am," Jarrad fired back.

"There are three people watching," Ashley explained patiently, "And one of them is my brother."

“Yeah, but he's not your real brother.”

“Okay, step-brother then, but I'm still going to be careful when he's watching.”

"And if he wasn't watching?"

"I'd tell him."

"You're going to tell him what happens on our date?"

"I would hardly call this a date."

"I mean later tonight."

Ashley stopped dancing and looked at Jarrad a few seconds before speaking. "Are you telling me that we're going out on a date, later tonight?"

"Telling? No. I thought I was asking. But yes, that's what I meant."

Ashley slowly put her arms around Jarrad's neck and started to dance again. She was face to face with him. There was less than an inch separating them. "So how do we work it... so we don't piss everyone off too bad."

"When this dance ends, you make some excuse to go to your room. Make sure everyone understands you're not coming back. Then, after you've gone, I'll suggest we leave. Without you around, the others will want to go anyway."

"But you're going to come back and pick me up."

"Right, about seven."

"So how am I supposed to dress."

"You decide... I'm sure you'll be fine, whatever you wear."

"So we're not going to the opera or something like that."

"Oh no, maybe a movie, pizza and uh... whatever."

"Movie, pizza and whatever?" Ashley put a special emphasis on the 'whatever'. "Sounds like it might be fun. Okay, let's do it."

When the song came to an end, Ashley gave Jarrad a quick kiss, the kind she would have given her father, and headed toward her room. As she passed her step-brother she whispered, "End of party. Tell your friends I've got a headache or something."

"Guys," Brad said, "Ashley's had it. I think she's not feeling so good. And, truthfully... I've about had it too."

Addressing Billy and Tony, Jarrad put in, "I mean like we've been here practically all day, guys. C'mon, lets leave the man alone." Herding the two of them toward the door he asked Brad, "You going to be okay, straightening this room by yourself, or do you want me to stay and help."

"No, its just the coke bottles and the mess from the wings. I'll get it, you go on."

*****

After they were gone, Brad walked down the hall to Ashley's room. "Can I come in," he asked as he knocked on the door.

"Sure, come ahead," she responded.

Ashley was still wearing the old shirt from before. "I was just going to take a shower. If you want to wait, I'll just be a couple of minutes." She started toward the bathroom.

"I really came to check on you. I told the guys you weren't feeling so good."

"Yeah, well that wasn't really the truth. Just hang around a few... or come back if you'd rather. When I've had my shower, I'll tell you what's really coming down."

"I think I'll stay," Brad said. "Something tells me this is worth waiting for."

"Well maybe, but we'll see." Ashley selected undergarments from a drawer and disappeared into the bathroom.

Brad thumbed through a Cosmopolitan he found next to the bed. He found a feature entitled 'Bad Boys' and began reading. A towel and a man's shirt were among the suggestions for attire. Flirting with his friends was mentioned as appealing to some 'bad boys'. Most important though, was the last paragraph, "You can't fake this. You have to want to do it."

As he set the magazine aside, Ashley came out of the bathroom in what looked to be a recently purchased bra and panty set. She sat down at her dressing table and proceeded to comb out her hair. "You waited," Ashley began, "so I guess you want to hear it."

Although the underwear was bikini style, it was still rather modest. Somehow it didn't fit with what he was imagining. "Yes, please," he replied.

Putting down her brush, Ashley turned in her seat to face him. "I have a date," she said.

"I kind of guessed that much," Brad volunteered, "but I couldn't figure out who, or why you didn't mention it sooner."

"I didn't mention it sooner because I didn't know about it until a few minutes ago."

"Huh... I don't understand."

Ashley brightened. "My date is with Jarrad, Doofus."

"Jarrad? But he just left."

"He left to get ready. He's picking me up in a few minutes." Ashley turned back to her dressing table, this time applying makeup.

Brad had been hoping that with the folks gone for another night, he and Ashley might go skinny-dipping again. His hopes dashed, Brad slipped into a minor funk. "So... what are you guys going to do?"

Ashley looked at Brad's image in the mirror. "Jarrad said something about a movie and pizza... but I think mostly we're going to play it by ear."

Brad didn't like the sound of that. "I warned you about him, and I also told him he better treat you right."

Ashley stopped what she was doing and turned around. In an assertive voice she said, "I am leaving home a virgin, and I will return a virgin." She turned back to her makeup. "My god," she added, "you are sounding more like Daddy every day. "

"You may remain a virgin, but I promise you, if I know anything about Jarrad, you are going to learn things tonight they don't teach in sex-ed."

Ashley was applying lip gloss and stayed focused on her own image in the mirror. "Are you going to wait up and hear about what I learn?" she teased.

Brad's attitude notched up at the thought of Ashley telling him about her date. He didn't want to sound too anxious though. "If you're not too late, I'll probably still be awake."

Ashley dropped the lipstick tube in her purse and suggested, "Maybe we can go for a swim again."

"You're serious aren't you? You want to tell me about your date."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Shit, he's early. Go keep him company while I finish dressing."

Brad got up from his chair and bowed low, sweeping an imaginary hat across the floor, "As you say ma'am," he said, snickering as he backed out the door.

Prospects of going for a swim, and hearing about Ashley's date, improved Brad's spirits considerably. He ushered Jarrad in like a long lost brother. "She's putting the icing on the cake. Said she'll be ready in a couple of minutes."

"I'm glad you're okay with this," Jarrad said testing the water.

"You know I worry about her a lot, but I'd rather have her out with you than some dork I hardly know." Brad understood Jarrad's meaning and wanted to do a little water testing of his own. "You are going to behave yourself, aren't you? You know she's not like those bimbos you usually go out with."

Ashley came into the room. "I heard 'bimbo' so I know you weren't talking about me. Okay, I'm ready to go." As Jarrad stood, Ashley took him by the arm and led him to the door.

As he was ushered out of the house by Ashley, Jarrad tried to reassure Brad, "I'll take good care of her."

"You better," Brad shouted as the door closed behind them.

"Interesting," Brad mused. "I had expected her to be dressed like a tart." He pictured how she had been dressed. "Well..." he said to himself, "The skirt might have been a little on the short side, but it's likely something she has for school. And the blouse too, very Mary Poppins-ish."

Brad chuckled to himself. "Jarrad has met his match," he concluded. "I am definitely going to enjoy hearing about this one." Brad turned on the television. It was not the right season for Sunday night football, but he was able to find a movie that looked promising.

*****

Jarrad had gotten a quick look at Ashley as she rushed him out the door, but it was not until he was opening the car door for her, that her attire began to register with him. Her khaki skirt was mid-thigh length and very tight. Watching her get into the car was going to be interesting.

Ashley pushed her purse into his hands. "Hold this and turn around until I get in," she directed. Jarrad took the purse but didn't turn around. "So turn around... okay?" she prodded.

"Not okay," Jarrad responded, "I want to watch."

"Quite playing games and turn around."

"It's not a game. I'm going to watch," he replied stubbornly.

"So you're not going to turn around, huh." Ashley was tempted to just blow the whole thing off and head back into the house, but deep down inside she really did want Jarrad to watch. Continuing to stare defiantly at Jarrad, she took hold of the bottom of her skirt with both hands and lifted it up her legs, until her panties were barely covered.

She sat down sideways in the seat and lifted her left leg into the car, while keeping the other on the ground. Before she swung the second leg in, she treated Jarrad to a picture of her inner thighs and satin panties. Without bothering to reposition her skirt, but continuing to keep her eyes locked on Jarrad's, Ashley held her hand out for her purse.

Jarrad stood holding the door, open-mouthed at what he had seen, and was still seeing. He never expected Ashley to do as she had done. Had she pushed just a bit more, he would have yielded. "She must have liked that as much as I did," he thought. "This is going to be an interesting evening." He handed Ashley her purse and closed the door.

Ashley started to tug her skirt down to cover her legs but stopped, thinking, "He likes to look at them, then let him look!"

When he opened the driver-side door, Jarrad expected to find that Ashley had pulled her skirt down and was behaving more demurely. As he slid under the wheel, he glanced at his date in the passenger seat. He was shocked to see that she had not pulled her skirt down, not even a little bit. His cock hardened at the inviting display of thighs and panties.

Jarrad started the car and began backing out of the drive. He was so distracted by Ashley's flaunting of her charms though, that he ran over the curb and nearly took out the mailbox. "Are you going to to be able to drive, or do I have to pull my skirt down," Ashley asked with a chuckle.

"Uh, I'll be okay," Jarrad replied as he forced himself to focus on the road. "It's just that after listening to Brad's lectures about why he didn't want me to date you... well I'm -"

"Surprised?" Ashley finished.

"Yeah... surprised." Jarrad confirmed. "Uh, Brad... does he -"

"Know how I really am?" she finished again. "He must, after that dance I did in front of his friends this afternoon."

"That was hot. We were all a little surprised."

"Me too... surprised mostly by how comfortable it felt."

"And Brad... he not only seemed comfortable with his friends, uh... egging you on. I think he might have even gotten a little excited himself."

"Yeah, well that's what I meant... a couple of minutes ago, when you wanted to know if he knew? Well, before I broke up with Rob, I don't think he really wanted to know."

"But now?"

Ashley pulled her legs up straight against the seat, adding to the enticement of her exposed thighs and panties. Jarrad took his eyes off the road to look in Ashley's direction, swerved and nearly drove off the road.

"Watch where you're going," Ashley shouted, feigning ignorance of what had distracted him.

"There was something in the road," Jarrad lied, "I had to swerve to keep from hitting it." He glanced over at the delicious sight in the passenger seat, but was careful this time to keep the car pointed in the right direction.

Ashley continued, "Brad listening to me tell about my dates, I think, has helped him realize that I don't want to live in a nunnery."

"You mean, you really do tell him about your dates? I thought you were just kidding when you said that this afternoon. You going to tell him about this one?"

"Sure, he's got to be dying to hear about my date with his best friend."

Jarrad stopped the car in front of the movie theater. "You get out here. I'll park the car," he said, then watched as Ashley opened the door and swung her legs onto the sidewalk.

"I'm leaving my purse on the floor, so be sure and lock it," Ashley said as she got out and closed the door. After Jarrad drove off, she walked over to read the movie posters.

While walking from the parking lot, Jarrad assessed how the date was going so far. He was certain that Ashley's behavior held a lot of promise, but if she really was going to tell Brad everything, he was going to have to take it easy.

After acquiring a bucket of popcorn and a couple of giant drinks, Jarrad ushered Ashley inside the door of the theater, where they stood until their eyes adjusted to the dark. Once able to see reasonably, they ventured down the aisle and slid into a row that looked to be mostly deserted.

They picked their way past one couple and chose a spot in the midst of several open seats. They were just able to see what appeared to be another couple, a few seats beyond, closer to the other aisle.

Jarrad watched as Ashley took her seat, wondering how high the skirt would go. At the car, needing to spread her legs in order to get in, she had raised the skirt a considerable way. Now however, with no need to spread her legs, she did as Jarrad suspected she would. She raised her skirt only an inch or so, just enough to allow her to sit down comfortably.

Once seated, however, Ashley's hands dropped to her lap and began to toy with the buttons down the front of the skirt. It was held together by loops of cord hooked around small round glass-like plastic buttons. To Jarrad's surprise and delight, Ashley slowly unhooked one button after another, until she was able to spread her legs in a more relaxing manner.

She sat back in the seat, resting her hands on the armrests and appearing to direct her attention to the previews showing on the screen.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that Jarrad was also pretending interest in the previews, however she suspected, maybe even hoped, that his real interest was elsewhere.

Jarrad's hand, the one closest to her, rested briefly on her own, but quickly slipped into her lap, through the opening in her skirt, and came to rest on her bare thigh, a scant couple of inches from her already damp panties. Jarrad continued to look toward the screen, seemingly oblivious to the intimate contact he had just initiated. Ashley also pretended not to notice.

For the next several minutes, perhaps as much as half an hour, Jarrad sensuously stroked Ashley's inner thighs. Although they had been made firm and muscular by her cheer-leading, their creamy smoothness provided a feel that made Jarrad's cock hard. Ashley reacted to his steady stroking with barely audible whimpers of pleasure. She narrowed the gap between her thighs such that while the palm of Jarrad's hand was running along the inside of one thigh, her other thigh was being stimulated by the back of his hand.

Ashley clasped her hand over Jarrad's and tugged it toward the center of her excitement. Although she had already undone the lower three buttons of her skirt, it was not sufficient to allow him to reach her panties. She hastily undid the fourth button, but that was still not enough so she continued with the fifth and sixth.

At long last, Jarrad's fingers felt the dampness of Ashley's panties, and while the frequency and volume of her whimpers increased, so too did the motion of his hand. The audio intensity of the movie kept Ashley's sounds of pleasure from attracting anyone sitting nearby. Ashley's hips bucked repeatedly.

Her head contained a wild dance of mixed emotions. "Oh my God!" she thought, "Awesome, but on the first date... and in public..." Ashley regained her senses. She jerked forward in the seat and slapped her hand down on Jarrad's. "Stop," she said, "We've got to stop."

Jarrad stared in shock. He really didn't want to stop, but Ashley was definitely the most exciting girl he had ever dated and he did not want to do anything that might jeopardize the future. Also, he did not want to do anything that later might cause Brad to become upset with him.

Already that day, Jarrad had seen Ashley in a towel and braless in a thin old shirt. She had come surprisingly close to baring her breasts to him and his friends that afternoon, and when he had danced with her, she had rubbed her breasts suggestively against his chest. And now she had let him put his hand between her legs and very nearly orgasmed. She was definitely a keeper.

Ashley carefully removed Jarrad's hand from between her legs. She snuggled into him and led his arm around her shoulder. Throughout the remainder of the movie she held his hand lightly against her breast, creating a moderate level of intimacy, but preventing any serious arousal.

As the credits flashed across the screen, Ashley stood and led Jarrad up the aisle and into the light of the lobby. "You get the car and I'll meet you outside. I need to stop in the ladies' room."

"If you leave your skirt unbuttoned it will be a lot easier for you to get in the car." Jarrad was trying to make it sound like he was just being helpful, but Ashley was pretty sure what was really on his mind -- likely the same thing that was on hers. "Also," he added, "I'm sure it will improve the service we get at Luciano's."

"I have no doubt you are correct. We'll see," she teased. "Meet you in front." Ashley gave Jarrad a look that said he would not be disappointed.

After relieving herself and sopping up most of the moisture that had been created by her excitement, Ashley looked at herself in the mirror. The bottom six of the skirt's ten buttons remained undone, and although this created a gap in the tight skirt, if she was careful with how she walked and moved, her panties and the upper half of her thighs would remain covered. She closed one more button to be on the safe side.

Reaching under her sleeveless blouse, Ashley unsnapped the front catch of her bra, and by pulling the straps of it through the armholes, was able to remove her bra without removing her blouse. She looked at herself in the mirror. If she was with her ex-boyfriend, Rob, she could never have dressed this way in public, but with Jarrad... well he was the type who would definitely like it.

When Ashley got to the curb, Jarrad was just pulling up. She opened the door and, with the bottom five buttons of her skirt still undone, was able to swing her legs into the car and close the door. She reached for her purse to put away the bra.

It did not escape Jarrad's notice that Ashley's skirt was still pretty much unbuttoned to the extent it had been in the movie house. He also noticed her tuck something into her purse. "What is that you're putting away," he asked.

"My bra," Ashley responded as she closed the purse and put it back on the floor. "I didn't want to take the chance of leaving it in your car."

"Why don't you just burn it. That way you won't be tempted to put it on again."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ashley replied, "But it wouldn't serve any purpose, except to leave me with one less bra. I have plenty more at home."

"Burn them all then. You don't need them and you look fantastic without."

"I appreciate the complement, and your support, and I think you know I'd much rather go without," Ashley said coyly, "but Daddy and Mother would never let me out of the house without one. In fact, they'd kill me if they knew I was going into Luciano's dressed like this."

The pizza place was only a couple of blocks away and Jarrad tried to focus on driving, although he took every opportunity he could to catch a glimpse of his 'hot' date from the corner of his eye. When the car was safely parked though, he opened the door to turn on the light and gave her a very thorough once over. "Hot," he said, emitting a low whistle.

Ashley blushed. "And in case you're wondering," she said as she opened her own door, "I didn't take the bra off and leave the skirt unbuttoned to tease you. It was to get us better service at Luciano's." Just before closing the car door she added with a grin, "Of course it doesn't hurt that you like it too."

Jarrad locked the car and caught up with Ashley. "Course I like it, and if it gets us better service all the better."

"I have noticed that Luciano tends to favor the girls that are wearing the least," Ashley explained, just before Jarrad opened the door to the restaurant.

Luciano's was a small restaurant. There were two small circular booths, each usually occupied by a single couple. There were also four tables, each capable of seating four, but more normally occupied by one or two. Luciano himself was maitre d', waiter and busboy, and at really slow times, even the chef.

Tonight was one of those really slow times. Seated in a semi-circular booth with a linen table-cloth that would hide anything that might go on under the table, Jarrad and Ashley nibbled at the antipasto Luciano had suggested to tide them over while their pizza baked. They were the only patrons in the restaurant.

This was by far the hottest date Jarrad had ever been on -- at least up to this point. And with what had already taken place in the theater, and since Ashley had removed her bra and left her skirt unbuttoned after the movie house, Jarrad was pretty sure the decks were clear for anything he might have in mind.

Hidden by the table-cloth, he put his hand between Ashley's bare legs and slowly moved it toward her panties. He was startled by Ashley's reaction.

"What do you think you are doing," she asked sternly.

"Well, I uh... thought -"

"I told you in the car," Ashley carefully explained, "That the way I am dressed is not for you -- it is for Luciano."

As Jarrad removed his hand, Luciano came from the kitchen with the pizza. He put it on the table and turned to leave. Seared into his memory though was the sight of the young girl's terrific bare legs and unfettered breasts as he seated them in the booth. Luciano turned back to the table and served them each a slice of pizza, while doing his best to see through the opening in Ashley's blouse.

Eventually however, with no excuse for remaining at the table, Luciano returned to the kitchen. Jarrad and Ashley, having had nothing other than snack food and soft drinks since breakfast, were famished, and devoured the first couple slices of pizza without any conversation.

Jarrad was still feeling somewhat downtrodden by the way Ashley had treated him earlier. As he served himself a third slice, intending to upset her smugness, he said evenly, "I think I saw some pictures of you on the Internet."

Ashley too was serving herself a third slice but stopped abruptly, her pizza suspended in midair, as Jarrad's remark registered. "What?" she gasped. The unexpected statement had her grasping for straws. "Uh, where? ... er, what I mean is... are you sure it was me?"

Ashley had reacted more unfavorably than Jarrad had expected. He minimized the significance of his statement. "Well, I thought it was you. Whoever it was, was wearing a shirt like the one you wore this afternoon."

"Uh... where was this?" A shley asked, trying to hide her discomfort.

Jarrad could see that he had hit a nerve. "It wasn't anyplace I recognized," he replied, downplaying his response, "Probably wasn't even you."

"What I meant was , where on the Internet," Ashley painstakingly clarified.

"Oh, uh... Flickr or something like that... not sure, I was just cruising the Internet when I saw them."

"Flickr? Don't they have rules about nudity and stuff like that?"

"No..." Jarrad answered, noting that Ashley had asked about nudity, even though he had said nothing about it. "Well," he chose his words carefully, "Not except for requiring that the pictures are properly identified for their sexual content."

"So anyone can post naked pictures and you can see them if you want?"

"Well, yeah, uh... yes, I can see pretty much whatever I want."

Ashley showed signs of accepting this unexpected information and took on the manner of an attorney examining a witness in court. "And who posted these pictures?"

Jarrad, recalling that messengers bearing bad news were sometimes killed, took up a defensive posture. "It wasn't like a real name. I'm not sure I remember... 'ex-boyfriend' or something like that."

"Are you shitting me," Ashley blurted, "Doesn't he know he could go to jail for stuff like that."

"Stuff like what," Jarrad asked, sensing an imminent turn in the tide.

Ashley backpedaled, "Like, uh, uh... naked pictures of young girls."

"Well as long as the girl is at least eighteen, there's nothing wrong with it, even if she is naked. But this girl wasn't even naked.”

Ashley recognized her mistake. No longer in a position to be aggressive, but still curious, she sheepishly asked, "Uh, well then... what did he post?"

Jarrad did not want to worsen Ashley's embarrassment. "A few pictures of a sexy teenage girl, probably eighteen or so, wearing a man's shirt, is all."

"And nothing else."

"Right," Jarrad confirmed, "And nothing else."

"You could tell, though, that she wasn't wearing anything under the shirt."

Jarrad continued cautiously, "Uh, yeah... that was kind of obvious. The shirt was unbuttoned and open all the way." Ashley's eyes went wide and her face took on a look of horror. Jarrad hastily added, "But everything was covered."

For some time, Ashley said nothing. Her face melted into a look of thoughtful concern. After Jarrad had sat in silence for the better part of a minute, Ashley spoke with considerable hesitation. "I think it probably was me that you saw... and it was the same shirt. The pictures were taken at Rob's... a few months back, just before we broke up. He gave me the shirt to keep." Ashley looked away. "But you said you thought I looked sexy."

Jarrad was sure that if he handled this one correctly, he would be home free. "Oh yeah," he said, "Those pictures were sooo sexy... I went back every day for several days... hoping to find more."

"What..." Ashley asked, a grin forming on her lips, "Did you think he might post the pictures without the shirt?"

It was going the direction Jarrad had hoped for. "Uh, yeah... I hoped he was that stupid."

Ashley moved into full tease mode. "And were you disappointed that he didn't... er wasn't... well you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean... but yes, I did hope he was that stupid."

"So you wanted to see me naked."

"For sure," Jarrad replied, "Like ever since, oh maybe, two years ago."

"So sixteen, huh. I guess that is when I started to fill out."

"Hey, don't get me wrong. I've always thought you were cute, it's just that..."

"But when I started to look a little more like a woman,” Ashley was resuming control of the conversation, “you started having some other kinds of thoughts."

"Bu... bu... but, I didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to look is all."

"Yeah, right.” After snapping back though, Ashley thought she better let Jarrad off the hook. She smiled. “Actually... I am kinda flattered. So how come you didn't say anything."

"What? ... You mean..."

"We'll never know will we... but I did think you were kinda cute," Ashley said grinning.

"Oh, shit. And all the time I thought... well, never mind... whatever."

"Right, whatever... So anyway, you were hoping Rob would post the naked pictures."

Jarrad saw that Ashley had once again steered the conversation in a different direction -- away from him -- toward herself -- and more recent in time. He took advantage. It was his turn to assume the courtroom lawyer tone. "So he did take naked pictures of you then." Ashley realized she had again 'let the cat out of the bag'. "How did he ever talk you into that," Jarrad demanded.

Ashley surprised him with her answer, "I don't recall having raised a great many objections," she teasingly replied.

"You mean, you deliberately took off your clothes, and let him take pictures of you."

"Uh, well... it wasn't quite like that... but yeah, sorta."

"And you weren't worried that he might show them to someone... one of his buddies... or even post 'em on the Internet."

"No, actually, I was sure he wouldn't, at least not while we were still going together. He didn't like me acting sexy around anyone... except him, that is... and only in private. So no, he would have never done that."

"But you had a different attitude about that. Have I got it right?"

"Maybe... At least that's one of the reasons I broke up with him."

Jarrad paused, allowing this last revelation sink in. "So this afternoon then," he started cautiously, “we... me and the other guys... we didn't exactly talk you into the uh... dancing, I mean."

Becoming conciliatory, Ashley replied hesitantly, "Maybe not quite. I mean, like... I was sorta wanting to do it, but... well, I needed to know you wanted me to do it also." Ashley sought further assurance. "It did turn you on, didn't it," she asked, "Me being almost naked and playing with all those guys."

Jarrad's confrontational tone disappeared. "Yeah, I guess I liked it pretty much, but..."

"But what?" Ashley asked, a puzzled look on her face.

Jarrad continued, still with a critical look on his face, "You might have taken the shirt off," Jarrad grinned, "Yes! Now that would have been really hot, you dancing with us in nothing but your panties. Oh yeahhh!"

"And what if I was your girlfriend, would you still have wanted me to do that?"

"Shit yeah!" he excitedly agreed, "And you would've too, wouldn't you?"

Ashley smiled and took Jarrad's hand. She deposited it on her bare thigh, just as Luciano came with the check. Sensing that his customers did not want to be interrupted, he dropped the check on the table and turned toward the kitchen, but Jarrad caught his attention almost immediately. "Wait, take this," he said, taking a credit card from his pocket and placing it on the check.

As Luciano turned toward the kitchen, Jarrad again put his hand between Ashley's legs. When the proprietor was safely out of ear-shot, she said quietly, "Undo a couple more of the buttons... so my panties show a little."

"Huh," Jarrad responded disbelievingly, "But we're about to leave, and when Luciano comes back he's going to pull the table out for us."

"Right... and I want to be sure he remembers me the next time we're here, even if I'm wearing jeans."

"I don't think you're going to have to worry about him remembering you," Jarrad quipped.

As Luciano approached from the kitchen, Jarrad undid the buttons as instructed, and then, with Ashley smiling unflinchingly, dragged his fingers suggestively over the front of her panties.

Jarrad looked up at Luciano with satisfaction as he signed the ticket. "How about you do your thing with the table so we can get out," he suggested.

Luciano bowed and pulled the table out of the way. His mouth dropped in astonishment at the sight he uncovered. The girl's skirt was not only split further than when she had come in, but it was also pulled to either side, exposing her legs completely and even a bit of her panties.

Ashley feigned ignorance of the spectacle she had created and fumbled around several seconds, locating her purse and ascertaining that all her belongings were safely inside it. At long last she looked up to find Luciano still staring. She held out her hand as a request for his assistance in getting to her feet. Once standing, she gave Luciano a dismissive peck on the cheek and followed a smirking Jarrad to the door. No, Luciano would not forget her anytime soon.

At the car, she waved Jarrad off from coming around to open the door. "You've seen enough for one night," she teased as she opened the door and got in. Once seated she struggled to pull her skirt together enough to get at least a few of the buttons redone.

Pulling into the street, Jarrad snapped, "Damn," as if he had been suddenly angered. "Why is it that for a stranger, you unbutton far enough to show your panties, but for me you button back up?" he asked in faked belligerence.

Adopting a similar tone of voice, Ashley manufactured the excuse, "He was serving food and you are driving a car and I would like to get home in one piece." Stifling a little laugh she added, "So I don't want to distract you."

Continuing the feigned argument, Jarrad countered, "And you think your bare legs and a glimpse of your panties would distract me."

"Well, wouldn't they?" Ashley asked in a considerably mellower tone.

As they turned on the highway to home, Jarrad sighed. "Yeah, probably so," he admitted. Then added, "I guess, next time, I better get someone else to drive so you don't have to wear so much."

"Next time?" questioned Ashley. "Who said anything about a next time," her tone unmistakably serious.

"Well uh..." Jarrad stammered. Maybe he had assumed too much. "I sorta... I mean... I was hoping there would be a next time." It was a major admission coming from a guy who was not used to begging for dates.

Ashley, having extracted her pound of flesh, replied demurely, "Well, it might help if you asked, instead of just assuming. I would like to at least know that I had a chance to say no."

"Well... Is there going to be a next time?"

"We'll see," she allowed, "Call me." Jarrad turned down a side road, away from Ashley's house. "Where are we going," she asked.

"The lake, we've still got a half-hour or so to fool around."

"Like walk on the beach you mean."

"Yeah, walk on beach," Jarrad replied, pulling the car into a parking area at the edge of the lake.

After opening the door, Ashley removed her shoes. "I'm leaving these in the car," she said, "Not good for walking in the sand."

"Right," Jarrad said as he came around the car and led her toward the beach. He was wearing athletic shoes and didn't feel the need to take them off.

Jarrad took Ashley's hand as they stepped over the parking barricade and onto the beach. At the water's edge they turned and headed up the beach, to the left of where the car was parked. A hundred yards or so up the beach Jarrad announced, "This is far enough," and plopped down on the sand.

"Far enough for what?" Ashley asked, hands on hips in mock defiance.

"Far enough so that if someone else comes into the parking lot, their lights won't be shining right on us."

"Good thinking," Ashley commented as she sat down next him.

They had not previously kissed but neither showed any hesitation. They kissed open-mouthed from the first contact. Ashley sucked Jarrad's tongue into her mouth with such fervor that she nearly pulled it out by its roots. Their arms went around each other and their bodies were crushed together.

Jarrad got a hand between Ashley's legs. She opened them, giving him unrestricted access. He gently massaged the front of her panties, then slipped his fingers inside. As his fingers stroked the smooth moist surface of her pussy lips, his thumb gently massaged her clitoris.