Katie's Bad Day

Seven

Katie returned home late on Sunday afternoon and quickly unpacked her overnight bag, hanging her clothes up in the wardrobe and putting the used underwear into the washing machine.  She slipped into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee getting herself up a quick snack from the fridge.  

It had been Tuesday when she had packed that bag and she recalled her  excited anticipation as she slung those tiny shorts and tinier top in after her other things. ("What I'm taking these for, Heaven knows", she had thought at the time.)  And here she was, still wearing them after two days of excited self-discovery.

When she had retrieved her clothes at the beach, she had firstly donned her bra, panties, shorts and top - and then............  Coolly and deliberately, she had picked up the shoes and thrown them, with all the energy she could muster, far, far out to sea.  Some of her madness was still with her, she realised as one part of her self witnessed the ever more stronger part doing this rash deed.  By the time she had made the journey across the rocks, over the shingle and up the wooden steps, she was dry and warm all over.  Her feet hurt a lot and she had a long way to go, much of it over sharp stones, but she relished the prospect.

Two elderly female guests had looked at her with venomous disapproval as she strolled nonchalantly back into the hotel foyer and demanded her key from the desk attendant.  

"What time of year does she think it is for Mercy's sake?   Cheap litle tart" one of the ladies spat at her companion. "Disgraceful"  they both uttered in unison.  They had a point since the shorts only came three quarters of the way down her rear and the swelling curves of her well toned, smooth-skinned buttocks were clearly visible, as many a surprised and delighted gentleman had seen all too clearly as she had sauntered through the town.

She had gone over, still barefoot, to the same beach  very early next day and repeated the icy swim.  She had been burning all over when she finally climbed up onto the pebbles and had taken the risk of remaining nude until she was getting too close to the town to run the risk of discovery.

How she had managed to concentrate on her driving on the way back home later that day, she would never know, and here she was, home again a very changed and rather disturbed young woman.

She shivered slightly in her scanty clothes.  (She had switched off the heating on Tuesday to save money.)  Katie opened the cabinet where the heating controls were and  her hand hovered over the switch for a second.  Then she closed the door, without having turned the heating on and stepped  straight out of her clothes.

She was covered by goose pimples and the chill caused her shivering to intensify.

She went into the sitting room and turned on the television. Must catch up with the news - but how boring it all seemed.  There was mention of her article on the conference and praise for her ability.  Big deal!
 
 The thought of a lifetime of covering financial and economic news, Wall Street, Tokyo, Frankfurt, London et al. and indices and bear and bull markets and bond issues. My God, how awful!!  And I used to love all this only a couple of months ago!  That bastard Ford has really screwed me up! She stretched herself out full length on the sofa and decided that the sight of her naked body was a lot more fascinating to her than the boring old telly.  All the goose bumps had subsided, the chilly feeling had gone as she acclimatised herself to the temperature. To her amazed delught, she radiated healthy well-being.

Where can I go to swim tomorrow? Her experience these last couple of days had shown her than a daily swim was essential from now on.   She remembered an elderly female colleague who had often mentioned an open-air bathing pond  in  the North West reaches of her native city and she had walked by it many times  in the summer, without paying too much attention.  She doubted that nudity would be permitted there, in fact she had heard her colleague mention more than once that the lifeguards were real dragon-ladies!  Before going up to bed, she looked out her skimpiest bikini, more like dental floss, as a former boy-friend had approvingly told her.  That'll have to do.   There'd still be ninety five percent or more of her skin left appetisingly bare  to feel the the icy touch of the water.

She flopped down onto her bed, not bothering to get under the sheets and was soon asleep.

 The lovely, satisfying dream of tormenting Charlie Ford returned and she awoke with a happy smile on her face, which soon faded as she realised that he was still out there somewhere and dangerous.  A man who could do to her what he had was perilously unhinged.  She ought to go to the police, but she wanted to handle this herself, since her drunken  stupidity had landed her in the mess in the first place.  Her pride was involved.   She had not touched a drop of alcohol since - never would as long as she lived.  She would even drink the Sovereign's health in lemonade from now on and cause a few raised eyebrows as a result. (Better lemonade than Diet Coke - author).  She loved fine wines and would always miss them, but she had foolishly transgressed and would punish herself for ever.

 The Police Captain had not named Ford as his accomplice in Katie's kidnapping.  This wily gentleman knew a fat sum was awaiting him on release and did not wish to lose it.  Any way, he was pretty soon out again and reinstated!  These things can be fixed in some parts of the globe.

Five minutes before seven found Katie waiting with a group of leathery skinned, but friendly looking middle aged ladies to be admitted to the  Ladies Bathing Pond.  She realised that she was easily the youngest lady there and the most underdressed, by a very long way indeed,  barefoot and attired in another pair of brief shorts, another daringly short top - a sort of twin sister to the other outfit!!.

"By Jove!  You look cold before you even start,  my dear"  said one of the ladies in a pleasantly upper-class voice.

"Oh, I come from a long line of hot-blooded people", Katie laughed."This is nothing"

Finally the lifeguard came and opened up and the group of women trailed down the path and into the changing pavilion.  Katie looked out on to the pond and immediately fell  madly, passionately and irrevocably in love with the place.  It was a long and wide stretch of  water, completely fringed with trees on all sides.  Such lovely  and all-encompassing greenness!!  How could she have passed up on such an experience for so long?  

The lifeguard looked on open-mouthed as Katie dashed out onto the platform and took a running jump into the water.  It was as well she had not dallied as the guard was thinking of telling her that her costume was much too flimsy  -  not to say downright indecent, but Katie was halfway to the end of the pond, before  the astonished lifeguard could gather herself together. The water was different to the sea, less buoyant and murky with all the fine clay that was washed into the pond by the springs which fed it.

For much of the time she satisfied herself with floating on her back and drinking in the sheer exquisite beauty of the place.  This is the very Heaven, she thought  What peace she was feeling and what unearthly joy!  After half an hour she pulled herself out and onto the platform and saw that the other ladies had  long finished swimming and had showered and dressed.  A ripple of applause, in which the lifeguard joined, greeted her emergence.

"Bravo. Bravo! my dear you're a real heroine!"  said the posh-voiced  lady  "Welcome to the club"

"See you all tomorrow, said the exhilarated , bright-eyed Katie and stepped into the changing room , straight under a cold, cold shower as soon as she had taken off her bikini. She noticed that the other ladies all wore conservative one-piece swimsuits.  Not for me!, she thought - no way!  She pulled on her clothes without bothering to dry herself and walked back to her car, glowing all over.  What a great place!  What lovely ladies the others all were!

Later that morning a smartly dressed Katie arrived at her office and settled into her chair. She shook off her shoes and started the article she had promised some boring finacial journal  a week ago. A brilliant piece of analysis, she thought,  as she typed away, although I say it myself.

The phone rang.

"Hi, sweetie" said the unmistable and menacing voice of Charlie Ford, " I think we should meet for a little chat"

"Oh, piss of, you pitiful little creep. Liked the photos, by the way.  Brought back some happy memories." She put down the phone and told her secretary to put no more calls through to her that day and until further notice.

"How will he react to this?  I'll find out soon enough"

And so back to the article and on with the rest of the day..

At about seven in the evening, Katie heard the bell. Answering it she saw fat old Charlie Ford standing there.

"I think we have things to talk about, Katie!"

"Come in you bastard."

Charlie had looked startled when the Katie who answered the door had been the same naked Katie he had seen shackled to a post in a sleazy Central Asian theocracy. He sat down in her lunge and shivered.

"None too warm in here, old thing! Aren't you cold like that?"

"No, Charlie! I feel very comfortable indeed. If you can't take it, you can always piss off. I'm not that enamoured of your obese company!"

Charlie looked nonplussed. he had expected this interview to go differently.

"Seen any nice photos, lately?"

"Indeed I have, Charlie. I think I'll have them framed. In fact one of them already is. You know - the one where I'm scratching my cunt. I really liked that one!

"I think I can tell bravado when I see it, old girl! I intend you to give me a lot more entertainment before I let you have the negatives.!"

"What negatives, you arsehole. They're most likely all over the web by now. Nothing can wipe them now!"

"I deleted them as soon as I had printed off two copies, old sport. I'll let you have the other set when I'm tired of putting you through Hell!"

"Tell you what, Charlie! I'll start passing a few of them around myself to selected people. I don't think I've too much to fear. Not when I expose you as the instigator of my troubles."

Katie knew this was not true. She would die if these pictures got about, but she wasn't about to cave in to Charlie's blackmail either. She would face the scandal and hope for the best.

Ford must have seen he was getting nowhere. He became threatening.

"I think maybe Stage Two can start right here and now, you little upstart, with a beating up you'll never forget!"

Before he could deaw breath after delivering this menacing speech, Charlie Ford found himself on his back, bleeding from the after effects of a savage kick delivered by the irate Katie. He had a vague memory of that naked body bursting into action as a shapely leg moved with lightning speed and a pretty foot crashed into his face. Then he had hit the deck and lain for seconds semi conscious. He saw that Katie was looking down at him and that her foot was drawn back, in preparation for another damaging impact!

"Come on, you lardbutt! Time to be locked up! I don't have the same facilities as that nice Police station, so you'll have to make do with the cellar! First of all, though, I want you undressed, just like I was all those weeks!"