Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. ï>¿The Joy Of Nudity CMNF-Style by sarobah The Joy Of Nudity CMNF-Style Pt. 04 How I learned to stop worrying and love being naked. The Past is Prologue "Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, in yours and my discharge." (William Shakespeare, The Tempest ) It's confession time. My CMNF experiences with Rob were not my first. Before I met the love of my life I had a few casually intimate affairs. By this I mean a good time without commitment. And while I'm not proud of this blasÃ(C) attitude, I was neither a flibbertigibbet nor a DoÃ+/-a Juana (that's a female Don Juan). Indeed, one my most memorable flirtations was essentially guilt sex. Nathan was a boy who lived in my street and was a year behind me in school. He had a red-headed, freckle-faced appeal but a shyness and a stilted sobriety which was off-putting to a high-spirited termagant like yours truly. He had a crush on me but I held myself aloof; and though I wouldn't describe myself as callous, and certainly not as a tease, I admit that I enjoyed having an admirer who was at my beck and call yet kept at a distance. At university in my senior undergraduate year I won an academic award which entitled me to a job mentoring freshman students. This meant that I had access to rooms and offices in the physics department. Occasionally I saw in the corridors and lecture halls a lanky, handsome, dark-haired guy whom I would later decide to marry. In the meantime, I had reconnected with Nathan. He was also studying physics, for which he had shown little aptitude in school; and so to this day I wonder if he had pursued me there. (On the other hand, I doubt that my mootable charms could really have elicited such devotion.) After some pussyfooting and dilly-dallying, he asked me out, and -" feeling some guilt about my previous disdain -" I promoted him from the friend zone to the status of apprentice boyfriend. Yet I'm sure he still felt intimidated, because he conceded to me total control over our relationship. Which suited me fine, of course. I was that sort of girl (and still am, let it be known). But I was concerned that if things developed, I would have to drag him into bed. One night I was working late in the office which I shared with a couple of postgrads. The only other person on the entire second floor was Nathan, who sat silently, waiting for me to finish and glancing at the clock. Finally his endurance failed. He went downstairs and brought back two coffees and two vending machine packs of sandwiches. He handed me the egg-and-salad and reacted glumly to my grimace. I'm allergic to egg. So I ended up with the cheese and salad, which he eyed covetously. And naturally I had to reward his chivalry. Did I sell my virtue for a slightly stale supper? No. It was fatigue that made me amorous. I have a weird metabolism whereby I become more energized when I'm tired. So I thought it was time to do something wayward with Nathan. At the back of the room is a door which leads into a closet-sized storage area for obsolescent files, stationery and cleaning supplies. It is such a strange location that I suspect the entire office was once the repository. (Such was the rank of academic assistants within the physics department.) So on a whim, I beckoned for Nathan to follow me into it. He complied looking nervous. Perhaps he feared foul play or, worse, a prank. More likely he was overawed by what was about to happen. I switched on the light and closed the door behind us. There was barely enough space for us to stand facing each other. It was poorly ventilated, with a musty whiff of ageing archives and a malodorous trace of ammonia. We stared into each other's faces for an uncomfortable moment, each expecting the other to make the next move. Then I took his right hand in my left and placed it on my bosom. His fingers twitched but otherwise he remained inert. So I unbuttoned my blouse and drew it backwards, off my shoulders. I let it fall to the floor. I turned away and it took Nathan a few seconds to get the meaning. He grappled with the clasp to unhook my bra. When I spun back round, I was expecting him to complete the task, but once again he didn't respond. I was starting to regret taking the initiative. Maybe I should have stuck with a kiss and cuddle. But having gone this far, it would be very awkward to reverse course, and admit I was not as desirable as I'd imagined. So I grabbed the straps of my bra and plucked it away. I moved in closer until my breasts brushed against his shirt. He was breathing heavily and my own chest was heaving. The effect was wonderful. My nipples, hard and sensitized, prickled against the twill. It's slightly coarse texture gave extra stimulation. I drew him into an embrace. I buried my face into his left shoulder as his hands wandered over my torso -" first gliding across my back, gently stroking the bare skin, then up and down my arms, and finally over my breasts. I gasped and bit my lip as, emboldened, he squeezed the flesh and pinched my nipples. His touch was unexpectedly cold; his fingers trembled. I raised my head to look into his eyes. We kissed. It was crude and sloppy, but it released more energy, casting off inhibitions. Nathan's hands slid down my sides, over my hips and behind my back, inserted themselves under the top of my jeans and knickers to grope my bottom. I pulled away and for an instant I saw disappointment in his face. But he grinned as I unfastened my jeans and pushed both outer and inner pants down to my knees. Soon they dropped to my ankles. I stepped out of them and pushed them aside with my foot. I don't know exactly why I had gone this far. It wasn't just to appease Nathan, and I wasn't merely being impetuous. The honest truth is that something like this had long been a fantasy of mine. But I have always conceived of CMNF in terms of both male dominance and female empowerment. I had never dared to follow up on my fantasies because I couldn't resolve that paradox. But Nathan gave me that opportunity, albeit in a way that reversed the formula. For several reasons -" our previous history, my belligerent personality, my academic position -" I was the dominant partner in our relationship. My small stature and "cute" looks (as in "What a cute kitten!" not "What a cute supermodel!") actually reinforced my ascendancy. So stripping for Nathan was a way of empowering him, bringing an equality into our relationship which allowed me to break free of my residual inhibitions. This sounds very cold-blooded and even cynical, that I was using Nathan to satisfy my own urges and impulses. But it wasn't selfish. We both found joy in my nudity. As our bodies connected, as my bare flesh pressed against his shirt and trousers, I tingled all over, inside and out. His crotch nestled snugly into mine and I entwined one leg with his. That forced me to lean on him, to depend on him for support, drawing us together more tightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck while his fingers explored me, massaged my butt cheeks, intruded in the crevice and slithered between my thighs to probe my front crease as well. He ran his hands over my hips and down my belly, plucking and tugging at the filaments of my pubic hair. He pinched and tweaked my clitoris; and when he felt my wetness his fingertips jerked, as if in shock, before entering me. So I had the sense that this was his first experience with a naked girl, perhaps his first truly intimate moment with any woman. His fondling was hesitant and clumsy but did its work. My body surrendered. My muscles tensed, my blood rushed, my heart raced, my breasts heaved, my innards tightened. I tried to stifle a moan, clenching my jaws. It came out anyway. I hadn't wanted to lose control, to show weakness or submission; but once I'd removed my clothing I found myself subject to his power as the passive, helpless object of his masculine desire. He did not reciprocate the gift of my naked body. So while I writhed in ecstasy, loving what he did to me, his clothing was his armor. I had allowed him to penetrate my defences, and my body, while his remained inviolate. Indeed, whereas I had completely and willingly undressed, I could tell that Nathan didn't want to; and somewhat to my surprise I was happy with that. I rationalized it as being for the best that we didn't go all the way together. It was not the right time, and certainly not the ideal place! (I could feel his passion in his trousers, through the layers of fabric between his loins and mine that prevented us conjoining.) And yet there was something else. I liked the one-sided nudity. It turned me on. Our storeroom liaison became a weekly ritual. It was a way to spice up our relationship. (I confess that this was largely on me. To be blunt and candid, I found Nathan rather boring. There... I've said it!) It was daring, it was transgressive, it was illicit. It was a game, and part of the excitement was the danger of being caught in flagrante delicto. But really, there was no serious potential for public embarrassment. By the time of evening when the game began, the entire building was virtually deserted. It was usually a Friday, when we were practically the only people in the place and the security guard hadn't yet started his patrol. Nevertheless, once I heard voices in the corridor outside the office and got dressed in a panic. Luckily whoever it was went away, because my disheveled state would likely have betrayed us. But although our escapade was over for that evening, we resumed a few nights afterward. But there was thrill in the risk, and something else as well. There was also an imbalance between Nathan and me, an unfairness if you will. Had we been discovered, we would both be red-faced, but the disgrace and degradation would mostly have been mine. I was the bare-assed one. I would be the one exposed and humiliated, while he could (if he wished) remain calm, clothed and collected, even bask in kudos. Yet I wasn't deterred. It excited me. I had no secret, suppressed wish to be found out, but I have always been something of a daredevil. When I took physical risks, I wasn't privately hoping to smash into the rocks or face-plant in the dirt, or whatever. The challenge lay in the potential for disaster. So there was an extra piquancy in the fact that I would bear the brunt of the fall-out for our joint transgression. This made me hyper-aware of my vulnerability and also of my sexuality. It was I, the naked female, who would be shamed for her wantonness. Whereas Nathan was shielded from such a fate by his clothing. But that's the thing. I still had the better of it. He could not fully express his sexuality as I had done. The barrier between us was therefore his limit, not mine. That gave me (at least in my perverse mind) the upper hand, the real power. And this impression was reinforced when I got dressed once more. Nathan watched me with a blank expression; and I was disconcerted by his unruffled demeanor. It bothered me that he appeared unaffected physically as well. While I was lathered in sweat and saliva, as I pulled my pants up over my moistened crotch and felt the clamminess clinging, he was dry and calm. Clearly my experience had been the more intense. That just made me more determined to repeat our cubbyhole rendezvous. This went on for about three months; and it was where we screwed for the first time. As usual I initiated it. While we were snuggled together, I fumbled with his trousers until he pushed my hand away and undid his fly. And when he nudged into me, the thing I remember most vividly was how the teeth of the zipper grazed ticklishly against my tenderest flesh. It wasn't prolonged or satisfying. We hurried to get it over and done with. After that it was mattress sex. Our relationship did not last. There was no abrupt ending. It just petered out, well before I hitched up with Rob. For me it had been more than a dalliance but less than a whole-hearted, full-blooded commitment. As for Nathan, it seems that once he'd entered the Temple of Sarah my icon lost some of its luster. That wasn't his fault. The mystique which had shielded my less admirable qualities was eroded by the friction of close contact. But we had a few good months; and he was a foretaste of Rob. In their reluctance to shed their own clothes, they helped fulfill my fantasy. *** There are some other episodes that are worth relating. When I started at university I was quite naïve. I became friends with a classmate, Amanda, who was a year older and much worldlier. She was athletic, bronze-skinned and brazen. She called herself a lesbian, but I suspect that she was bisexual. She loved hanging out with and being one of the guys. I think she wished she had been born male but decided that she would make the most of being female. I never saw her in a dress, rarely in a skirt, but her skimpy tops and truncated shorts exuded femininity and sexuality. Amanda introduced me to a party scene which anticipated, and perhaps inspired, my CMNF proclivity. There was a once-a-month revel at the hall of residence where Amanda stayed that more often than not had female partygoers in a state of minimal dress -" with themes like "lingerie night", "board shorts and bikinis", "pimps 'n' hoes", "tarts and vicars", "playboys and bunnies", "007 and Bond girl", "pirates and their booty". I was never particularly bashful, but this took a bit of getting used to, particularly in the colder months. But what impressed me was the sophistication of the participants. In my bikini, bunny costume and so on, it was gratifying to get admiring looks. But compliments were generic, like "You look great!", not a comment on a girl's body or the skimpiness of her outfit. On the board shorts and bikinis night every male wore a shirt (albeit typically gaudy floral monstrosities), so that almost all the exposed skin was female. The guys ogled us at first (and who could blame them?), but pretty soon it became just another Saturday night celebration. When one of them started a conversation he inevitably took a quick glance at my bikini-clad figure but then just chatted normally. So a fleeting look acknowledged my feminine charms, just enough to express approval and appreciation, to make me feel flattered and relaxed. Generally I hovered on the fringe of Amanda's social circle. But one night she enticed me into a game of strip poker with her roommate and some friends, girls and guys. I was disinclined, but she could be quite persuasive. It was, however, different from what I expected. We paired up, male-female. Amanda assigned partners and mine was Antonio. I told the group that I was lousy at poker and didn't relish the prospect of losing every hand. (Actually I'm good at the game because I understand probabilities.) Matthias called my bluff and came up with a proposal. The four males would play, while the girls' clothes would be the stakes. The twist was that the winner's partner would lose an item. (This, I quickly realized, prolonged the game because a single round could have multiple losers.) It was a diabolical scheme. There was no compelling incentive, apart from player's pride, for any of the guys to win because, win or lose, they'd get to see one of us girls drop a piece of her clothing. Everyone laughed at the idea, but we'd had just enough beer that it sounded like fun. The eight of us sat in a circle on the carpet. The boys played Texas Hold ʼEm, and we girls took turns to deal. The mood was jolly, but we'd stopped drinking and sobriety set in as soon as the first round of cards was dealt. So when Jason won the hand and all eyes turned toward Rachel, she cast an accusatory glare at her partner. She giggled. "Good thing I'm wearing socks." Immediately we saw the perennial flaw in strip poker. I did a quick appraisal. None of us were wearing our shoes, but I wore seven items of clothing -" socks and undies, jeans, shirt and cardigan. Trina was barefoot but wore a scarf, Amanda clearly wasn't wearing a bra. So Matt unilaterally declared that a scarf counted and a pair of socks was a single item. No one dissented. Amanda would just have to accept her handicap. She didn't seem to mind. (It was because of this disparity that I had previously refused to play strip poker with a short-lived boyfriend -" meaning of short duration; I didn't murder him. It was unfair because he was wearing a shirt, pants, underwear, shoes and socks; whereas all I had on was a dress, my knickers and sandals. Even if we were an even match, I would be naked after just three losing hands. He refused to compromise, which means he wouldn't risk divesting his clothing to see me naked. So without a level playing field I wouldn't play the game. I was not averse to CMNF even then, but I had my principles!) Amanda's partner was Matthias, and he was a good player. She lost her shoes, shirt and shorts very quickly. Already bare-breasted, when Matt won with a big blind special she glowered then grinned, toppled backwards to lie on the floor, raised her hips and slid off her last garment, giving us all a front-seat view of her pudenda as she parted her knees. She flicked her panties like a rubber band, directly towards Matt and hit him in the face. Tony was hopeless at poker. I rolled my eyes at his mistakes, but it meant that I was still in my undies when Amanda and Rachel were naked. Not at all embarrassed (though Rachel kept her hands placed strategically in her lap), they laughed and joked. The guys, not wanting to spoil a good thing, behaved themselves. And when Rick won the last hand against Tony, the game ended. Not as flashy as Amanda, Trina raised herself to her knees and sucked in a deep breath. She kept her thighs pressed together as she lowered her knickers. She blushed at the applause. I wasn't disappointed that it was over, but felt a bit left out as the only girl not au naturel. The game couldn't go on, because if it did that would undermine the pretext that it really was a competition with a winner as well as losers. But, of course, someone proposed an "ultimate" round, in which Tony wagered my compromised but intact modesty against the other girls remaining nude for the rest of the evening. (It was still only eight o'clock.) When Rachel and Trina vigorously shook their heads, the idea was dropped. Amanda did in fact choose to stay naked as we partied on till midnight. She made out with everyone, including yours truly. I'm not that way inclined, but for the only time in my life I felt what it was like to get it on with a naked girl. CFNF was nice. *** The final stories in for this chapter are rather tepid in terms of CMNF, so if you stop reading here I won't be offended. Although an astrophysicist, I have never regarded myself as a nerd or (heaven forbid) a geek. But for a time I worked with a bunch of aerospace engineers, a.k.a. rocket scientists. They were not exactly like the guys from TV's The Big Bang Theory, although Howard Wolowitz would not feel out of place. They were the core members of a drinking club called the Jetpack Society. I don't know why it was named that, since we were working with scramjets and you wouldn't want to wear one of those; but it's a cool name. Their gatherings were like a cross between Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds. I and another girl, Sabrina, were invited to join, the first females ever. I had dabbled in astrodynamics, i.e. orbital mechanics, i.e. spacecraft motions. Bree was an engineer. It was both an honour and a challenge. And to our amusement, we discovered that the JpS had a uniform. Ã- la Star Trek, this consisted of a scarlet tunic (with a big gold spaceship-and-sun badge) with black boots and trousers. But as the first of our sex to join the ranks, Bree and I needed something special. So, being much more domestic than yours truly, she made us both sexy costumes from red one-piece swimsuits, trimmed with tinsel and braid. It's always intrigued me that science fiction heroines never seem fazed venturing boldly into the harsh realm of outer space dressed for the beach. Anyway, for our induction we squeezed into our little figure-huggers to join Jasmiran, our fellow recruit, he of the fully clothed gender. The motto of the JpS was so uninspiring that I don't remember it. I suggested, based on our colleagues' keen appraisal of Bree's and my uniforms, "Let no heavenly body remain unexplored." But I didn't mind the attention, However, I discovered an egregious double standard. It's a nasty stereotype that science buffs don't have girl- or boyfriends. Most JpS members did, and Bree and I brought along our guys. (I was still with Nathan.) To my indignation, they were installed as honorary members. The girlfriends were not, and Bree and I had to earn the privileges bestowed automatically on our menfolk. Obviously we didn't have the right stuff (between the legs, that is). Now I'm not really complaining, because nobody took the JpS seriously; and anyway I didn't stay long. Once a third girl joined and Bree had company, I resigned. (So did Nathan, to his credit, even though we were already drifting apart.) But the Society gets a mention here because the presence of female members didn't stop the Jetpackers hiring a pair of strippers for their end-of-year celebration. Lorelei and Vanessa were not seasoned professionals, just university students earning spare cash. There was nothing too raunchy; and I was actually amused that they wore (and took off) cut-down (more cut-down!) versions of the Trekette uniform. Bree and I were magnanimous, to the extent that we were persuaded to perform an impromptu "space ballet" with the strippers. I was my usual clumsy clodhopper self, but the two girls very skilfully guided me through the moves, and it was fun. Then Lorelei peeled the top of my costume down to my waist. I was facing Bree, who was exposed by Vanessa. So we joined in an embrace that preserved some decorum. It was also nice to be hugging a topless girl. She was the more embarrassed because her nipples were hard while mine remained soft. We locked eyes and giggled, and I felt her body relax. We swayed and boobed to the music but did not disconnect until it stopped. As the show ended I quickly covered my chest again. Vanessa and Lorelei circulated for the next half-hour or so, stark naked and completely at ease, as Amanda had been. I envied such carefree confidence. Indeed, strippers were involved in another episode, and Amanda as well, peripherally involved. She dragged me along to a birthday celebration at a nightclub's ladies-only cabaret. There were four male "exotic dancers" strutting about the stage. They were hearty beefcake, and to the wild cheers and whistles of the crowd they stripped down to buckskin loincloths. Every so often two of the men would make a foray into the audience and grab a woman. When they came towards our group, poor Liz the birthday girl was thrust forward. The men gyrated about her, gradually stripping her until she was stark naked, as she danced with them. Since we were all half-tipsy, Liz was laughing and loving every minute of it. But here's the thing. The strippers were never completely naked. Maybe it was in their contract; maybe there are laws against full-frontal male nudity. But that didn't stop the women they dragged onto the stage from being fully divested. (I hastily add that any who showed resistance were left alone. Only one did.) Fair enough, it was a totally female crowd, except for the four men. Nevertheless, that's what struck me, the idea that the women, paying members of the audience, ended up completely naked while the males who danced with and for them kept a vestige of their modesty intact. So a nightclub routine with male strippers was still CMNF, or at least PCMCNF -" partially clothed male, completely nude female. Thus, I shall finish this chapter with one of my favourite quotations. "Lady Stutfield: 'Ah! The world was made for men and not for women.' Mrs Allonby: 'Oh, don't say that, Lady Stutfield. We have a much better time than they have. There are far more things forbidden to us than are forbidden to them.'" (Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance" ) The Joy Of Nudity CMNF-Style Pt. 05 How I learned to stop worrying and love being naked. The Weaker Sex? "Woman has a singular power which consists of the reality of strength and the appearance of weakness." (Victor Hugo, Post-Scriptum de ma Vie) We females get called the weaker sex, and I suppose in some ways we are; and I can live with that. I am quite comfortable with the idea that, being small and a little on the skinny side, I am physically weak. However, the CMNF experience can turn that platitude on its head. It requires a degree of mental toughness and some physical endurance. I have called my nudity a gift to Rob. And it really is one-sided. When your personal wants and needs and desires merge with those of your partner, you don't need to keep score. But the gift does cost me, the giver, something. And the price you pay for anything is a measure of your commitment. So there are times when I'm feeling discomfort and don't show it, because I want the gift to be unconditional. But at other times I think it is important that Rob knows what I am putting up with. But I'm not suffering for his sole benefit, because it's fun. I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it. I'm not a saint and I'm not a slave. We have our own house now, in a fairly secluded location with lots of trees and shrubbery screening us from the road and neighbors. In addition to regular housekeeping we devote one weekend each month to renovation. Some of the work is quite arduous like tearing up old floorboards, some is tedious like painting, and some is messy like digging in the garden. I do my share of the hard work. If mine really is the weaker sex, I don't take advantage of it. Yet there is an imbalance in our joint effort because (excuse me if this is getting repetitious) I work naked. My man is fully and comfortably clothed, and protected. In other words, Rob is working, while I am working and also being visually decorative, sacrificing convenience and comfort in the process. And I am no doubt a sight to behold, more goofy than sexy, in my heavy-duty work boots and gloves, oversized goggles and floppy straw hat with nothing on in between except dirt, dust and paint spatters. (At the end of the day, Rob nobly volunteers to assist me in washing off the grime.) We're at the point where Rob doesn't take much notice. But every so often he will smile; and when I ask what's so amusing he tells me how cute I look. "My dirty little girl," he calls me. So does he really get turned on by my self-imposed adversity? I suspect he does, but I don't ask him. Since I'm the one paying the price (however willingly), this must be about what I want. And even if he does, it's not that he's sadistic; it's more that my goosebumps, for instance, are symbolic of my willingness to go outside my comfort zone for his and my pleasure. I'm the one making the sacrifice. But I enjoy it, because CMNF is not just being naked, it's about feeling naked. I don't feel as self-conscious as I used to, so a little extra physical stimulation, inconvenience, even discomfort, replenishes the experience. In other words, my one-sided nudity requires strength -" of will and sometimes of body. In this respect, I like the term "girl power". It doesn't mean exerting power over others. It means having the determination, the self-confidence and self-esteem to define one's own course in life and one's own lifestyle. It means having and exercising inner strength. Those are the qualities needed in CMNF, to pull it off... or more specifically, take it off. (I was about to say it takes balls, but in CMNF that is obviously not an issue. Anyway, what's the big deal with balls? I don't have them, I don't need them and I certainly don't want them!) It's also not about having a perfect body (I'm short and somewhat on the skinny side), but rather the self-assurance, and to an extent bravado, to pull it off. As I've already divulged, most nights I go to bed with nothing on. It's a lovely feeling, to be naked under the sheets and up against Rob's body. And I guess it is handy for having sex, although the second or two it saves is hardly a major bonus. I think it's more symbolic. It's me saying "I'm always ready and I'm yours, you can have me, whenever you want." And I have now reached the point where I rarely have on clothes around the house, when Rob and I are alone. The novelty has not worn off, it hasn't become blandly habitual or a vapid, jaded ritual. In fact, the ordinariness adds piquancy to my nudity. I still feel a little embarrassed and vulnerable, as well as aroused, when I stand naked before him (when he is clothed). But that's the point. When I go about my everyday business, like doing household chores or just relaxing with a book or watching television, my womanhood is on display. It's not just a part of my daily life, it defines it in the sense that Rob's manhood is defined not so much by his clothing as by my lack of it. That asymmetry is my way of reaffirming and celebrating, for myself and to him, my femininity, that I love being what I am, a woman, my way of acknowledging and appreciating what he is and I am not. I've referred to the symbolic aspect; and this is the key. My nudity is not just the display of my body for Rob but a mark of my affection and devotion. It is a joy to me to share in Rob's pleasure, and it's not just the visual which turns him on. It is my way of honoring him as my man, but also of experiencing my womanhood -" by which I mean not just being a woman but feeling like a woman. "Man, I feel like a woman!" proclaimed Shania Twain. I have always loved that song! In the Robert Palmer videos that she's spoofing, it's the women who are dressed sexy. Shania doesn't do a role-reversal, because in her video, the male models wear more clothing than she does, especially after she strips down. She may be the woman in charge, but she's still the woman, and she asserts herself through her skimpy clothes... "Go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady. Men's shirts, short skirts. Really go wild. Yeah, doing it in style." (I had a long exposition prepared at this point, about the differences between CMNF and CFNM, which I believe have an entirely different sexual and social dynamic; but I think I have pontificated too much already.) Rob and I still work side by side in a university department and I am still his "superior" - not exactly his boss, but I have a higher ranking. Sometimes I do have to give him orders (which I diplomatically call "instructions".) Although he doesn't have serious ego problems, it can't be easy for any guy to have to take orders from his girlfriend/wife at work. So when we come home in the evening and I take off my clothes, it helps restore ("redress" if you will!) the balance. It's not about letting him know who's boss, because I am still very assertive. It's my acknowledgement that he is the man of the house -" he wears the pants, and all the other clothing as well. It's a reminder to us both that my body belongs as much to him as it is mine. But if our workplace roles were reversed, if Rob was my superior at work, I'm sure he wouldn't be taking off all his clothes when he gets home in the evening. Rob is conservative when it comes to revealing his own body. But it's not a sexist double standard that he gets such pleasure out of mine, because he knows that I get pleasure out of pleasing him. Although the nudity is one-sided, the pleasure is shared. We're both happy. And I openly admit that I don't get nearly as titillated seeing Rob naked as vice versa. I'm not saying I won't look at men's bodies, but I do think the female form is by far the more aesthetic. Plus it's a well-known (not necessarily correct) fact that men are more disposed to visual stimulation, women to the tactile and emotional. For while I don't really go for the whole "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus" idea, one of the key differences between the sexes is that women are more outwardly focused, relationship-oriented and sensitive to how others view them. When men do dress to impress, they derive good feelings from whatever image they have chosen to project. Women derive satisfaction and fulfillment more from evoking good feelings in others. It's not pandering. It's being true to ourselves, in expressing our own sexual, feminine identity. "Here endeth the lesson." (Book of Common Prayer ) *** So I shall end this chronicle of my quirks in the present tense. It's nine o'clock at night. As I type these words I am seated in my big, cosy, leather office chair, and I'm naked. It's cold and rainy outside. My skin tingles, from the chill in the air, from the slick touch of the upholstery on my bare back, bottom and thighs, from the voice of my wonderful husband, who has just come in with a mug of steaming cocoa. I take a sip, and when I put it down he stands behind me and runs his fingers through my hair. He kisses and strokes my neck, massages my shoulders, caresses my breasts. His hands are like ice. "That was a shiver," he says. "Put something on or come to bed." "I'm finishing up now." I continue to type. "What are you doing?" He checks the words on the screen. "Okay... Wait, are you writing this down? This is very weird!" "So nothing new then," I reply. "Anyway, I'm done now. Let me save the file." POSTSCRIPT: Though adjourned to the bedroom, my evening was far from over. But that's another story.