The Far End of the Beach

Isn't it funny how some of these stories seem to almost write themselves. Some stories I have to really think about where I want to take them, and others, like this one, start with an idea and it's all I can do to write down the ideas as they pop into my head so I don't forget anything I wanted to cover.

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THE FAR END OF THE BEACH

I wasn't comfortable with what was going on.

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We had been planning the trip for five years. It would be a combined 5-year wedding anniversary present to each other and a 30^th birthday celebration for both of us, since our birthdays were within two weeks of each other.

My wife, Lisa, and I had saved every penny we could to get ready for the trip. We weren't rich but we lived well within our income so were able to save enough while still enjoying our lives together. We expected to start our family after we got back, so it would also be our big chance to really let go and have a good time.

We had made reservations at a resort on the Mediterranean in the South of France. The trip there was uneventful and the hotel was spectacular. I remember thinking how outrageous the rates were when we were researching and booking the reservation, but found myself thinking it was well worth the price.

Our room was on the 9^th floor of the hotel and the view was spectacular. We had purposely booked a room with the seaside view, wanting the very best of everything as much as possible, and this room delivered. The weather outside was about as perfect as it could get and we could hardly wait to get started.

With our late afternoon arrival we decided to put off our first visit to the beach until tomorrow. We spent this first evening walking through the streets that bordered our hotel. There was no shortage of restaurants and shops, and Lisa took the opportunity to pick up a new dress and purse.

We dined at a small bistro a few blocks from the resort and were suitably impressed by the quality of the cuisine, though again a little surprised at the prices they charged. I don't think we've ever shared a meal that cost as much as even one of our plates did at this place, but we accepted it as the cost of the vacation and paid it with a smile on our face and with compliments to the chef and wait staff. Say what you want about the French in other areas, but they can cook and they can schmooze with the best of them.

Between the jet lag and the exertion of the day, we were both quite tired when we returned to the hotel room. Lisa got a bucket of ice and wrapped my knee for me, a necessity on days when I overexerted it. I had played college football and my career ended on a bad hit that tore pretty much every ligament I had. I had three surgeries to repair it but it still wasn't quite right.

We awoke the next morning having both slept very well. We took our breakfast in one of the hotel's four restaurants and found it every bit as good as the bistro dinner from last night. We planned on just staying here for dinner tonight.

When we returned to the room we changed for the beach. Lisa was a stunner, or at least I thought so, and the bikini she had bought especially for this trip left little to the imagination. Back home I would have objected strenuously to her going out in so little, but we were on vacation and stretching our normal boundaries was kind of the idea.

We were quite aware of the existence of the clothing-optional beaches that permeated the area and talked about possibly trying one out but didn't discuss it at this point so I assumed we were headed for a normal beach. It turns out I was wrong. Really wrong.

We trudged along slowly, my knee still sore and slowing us down just a bit. I was focused on walking without having it give way so hadn't paid much attention to where Lisa was leading us. I made my way across the warm sand following her lead, and only when I looked up and saw no one wearing a thing did I realize she had taken us to a beach that was not even clothing-optional; clothing was not allowed, with the only exceptions being women on their periods (who could wear only bikini bottoms) and children, who could remain clothed if their parents so wished.

"Uh, Lis, this is a nude beach," I said as she dropped our things under one of the over-sized umbrellas that dotted the beach.

"I know, baby. Isn't it wild?"

"Yes, perhaps too wild."

"Oh come on, Henry. We promised each other we'd get out of our comfort zone during this trip. These people don't know us. We're just another couple of tourists doing like they do. We won't ever see them again once we get back to the states."

"But still..."

"No buts, Henry. We talked about this and agreed to it, and we're here now. So strip down and stop being so modest. It is the rules, after all."

I didn't remember actually agreeing to it, but I was quickly distracted as Lisa was already undoing her bikini top, and without even a bit of hesitation she took it off and tossed it into her bag. I watched with more than a little surprise when she slid out of the bottoms like she had been doing this sort of thing her whole life.

I was, as always, mesmerized by her beauty. Her dark blonde hair hung to the middle of her back when it was down, though it was up in a high ponytail at the moment. Her breasts were still perky, their b-cup size helping with the fight against gravity. Her pussy was clean-shaven, which surprised me since she and I both have said we prefer her to have a little fur down there. She caught me staring.

"Now don't you start. I did it this morning thinking the smooth look is more in these days and I didn't want to seem out of place. I'll grow it back when we get home."

I did my best to remember that we were on vacation and trying new things so I went with the flow, but I was getting a little overwhelmed by all of the newness we were trying.

We sat for about an hour, a time that included applying sunblock to ourselves and each other, which certainly served to arouse me and I got the feeling it affected Lisa a bit as well. We had spent the time surveying the beach and finding people of all ages from babies and kids to the elderly. I was surprised at the presence of children among all of the otherwise unclothed. Though they themselves were mostly clothed, there were a few girls in the younger age brackets without tops on. Seeing a scattering of pre-teens walking around topless made me pretty uncomfortable, but again I tried to just go with it.

There were a number of activities going on at different locations. The most prevalent were games Frisbee or similar types of games as well as a few volleyball nets set up here and there, including one directly ahead of our spot but far enough away that none of the conversation could be heard.

Lisa noticed it first, that a couple of the ladies playing in that game apparently had enough and made their way on to other things. It was a co-ed game but the departure of the two ladies had left things heavily in favor of the male gender by a count of 6 to 2. We watched the guys try to draw some other ladies into the game but weren't having much success. I assumed they were a little on the perverted side and wanted women to join the game so they could ogle them. Heck, that's what I would do.

Suddenly Lisa stood up and my gaze followed her face as she stood up, expecting an explanation on where she was headed. This is not to suggest that she had to report to me, but rather just the courtesy that you'd expect from your spouse. And explain she did, but I wasn't happy with the explanation.

"I'm gonna join the volleyball game, baby. I'm kind of tired of just sitting here."

"What do you mean join the volleyball game. The one with all the guys down there?"

"There's women, too, baby, and they need some more to keep things even."

"But I can't go over there and play with you."

"I know, baby. You just sit here and relax. I'll just be right over there."

I called after her as she made her way across the beach to where the game was on hold as they continued seeking other players. I watched my wife's bare ass sway as she made the walk and I had a very bad feeling about this, but what could I really do? Sure, I suppose I could have walked over there and made her come back but that wouldn't have gone over well since there wasn't anything actually going on. All I could really do was just watch and be prepared if anything untoward happened.

Living an active life was very important to Lisa. Some things, like scuba diving, I could do with her, but there were a lot more that I couldn't. Rock climbing? Too hard on my knee but I did go along and help with her equipment, and then wait for her at the base. Skydiving? The free fall would be fine but the landing would be too jarring. Just running? Nope. And now beach volleyball, which would obviously strain my knee too much.

Lisa's love of active outdoor activities was one of the biggest things that I thought might one day draw her away from me. I couldn't do much more than walk, and even that became too much after awhile. I know there were some things that she didn't do solely because I couldn't, and I was constantly worried that she would grow to resent me over it, or just find someone that could do them as well and decide the old cripple was slowing her down too much.

With Lisa's joining of the game they were able to recruit one other woman to play, and they split into teams of 5 with 3 men and 2 women on each side, with not one stitch of clothing among them. I know those were the rules, but that didn't make me happy about it.

I watched intently for about 30 minutes but nothing inappropriate happened. Except for the nudity it was no different than any other beach volleyball game, but even still I found myself getting more and more uncomfortable as time passed. The longer she was gone the more opportunity there was for something to happen. I suppose it didn't help that Lisa hadn't even once looked in my direction.

"First time on a nude beach?"

The voice startled me because I had been so focused on watching Lisa I hadn't heard anyone approach. I turned to my right and looked up at a very beautiful, and very naked, young woman standing next to me. She spoke very good English, though with an obvious French accent.

"Yes, yes it is."

"So, my bare vagina being just half a meter from your face is making you uncomfortable. Is it not appealing?"

Her mentioning it made me unconsciously look at the bare spot between her legs, and I immediately thought of Lisa's earlier comment about the smooth look being in. When my brain finally reconnected to my mouth, I gave the only answer that I could think of.

"Actually, it's one of the nicest ones I've ever seen."

I'm not sure if that was an invitation to join me or she had planned to do that anyway, but suddenly she sat down in the spot that Lisa had vacated 30 minutes ago, her legs stretched out in front of her. She was entirely comfortable with sitting completely naked next to a total stranger, while I was doing my level best to disguise the fact that I was dressed the same.

"You are American. My name is Simone. And you are?

"Uh, Henry. It's nice to meet you Simone."

I returned my eyes to the goings on over on the volleyball court and she followed my gaze.

"I assume your wife is over there."

"The blonde with the long ponytail."

"She's lovely."

"I agree."

There was a brief period of silence before she spoke again.

"You are uncomfortable with other men seeing your wife in the nude."

It was as much a statement as it was a question but I treated it like a question.

"Yes, very much."

"May I ask why?"

"Why? Because she's my wife, and she's incredibly beautiful, and..."

I didn't want to finish the thought, that I was always worried about losing her, nor did I want to come off as overly possessive. I loved her more than life itself and couldn't imagine life without her.

"Why do you not join her in the game?"

"I can't; bad knee. I can't really do anything more strenuous than walking or..."

I stopped before I completed what had become my standard answer to questions about my knee, but Simone finished the thought for me.

"Or have sex?"

"Yeah that, though there's not an injury in the world that would keep me from doing that, at least as long as the hardware is working."

"I see. So you do not trust your wife?"

"Actually, I trust her completely, but things sometimes happen, and men are always coming on to her. She's so incredibly beautiful."

"And do you imagine that you are not?"

I turned to look at her, my confusion I'm sure showing on my face.

"I'm sorry?"

"You are a very handsome man, Henry. In fact, I came over here with less than honorable intentions. I saw your wife leave and thought perhaps you had an open marriage and she had gone to seek a partner for the evening."

"So you came over here..."

"To seduce you, yes. But it is clear you have no open marriage so of course I will not offer myself to you. I wouldn't dream of sleeping with a married man unless he had such an arrangement with his wife."

"Seriously? Wow, I had no idea. For what it's worth, if I wasn't married I'd have taken you up on it. So, you're okay with open relationships?"

"For myself, certainly not. When I marry it will be for life and there will be no room for other people in our bed, but I also don't judge people or their lifestyle choices."

I didn't really have a response and so the conversation lapsed into silence. It was a few minutes later when she spoke again.

"You have nothing to worry about, you know. At least, not here on this beach."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing will happen here. Look around, Henry, and tell me what you see."

I glanced around primarily for show, but I already had my response.

"A bunch of naked people."

"True, but what else?" I looked again but didn't know what she was talking about so I looked back at her. "Families, Henry. This may be a nude beach but it is one for families, and they don't take kindly to people behaving improperly. The far end of the beach, well that's another matter, but here nothing will happen. Not even couples that are together can get away with acting wrongly."

At her mention of the far end of the beach I glanced in that direction, noting a long rock formation some distance down the beach and noting that the sand was clear for about 100 yards leading up to it. She continued.

"Over there they permit couples to engage in sexual activities. It's not allowed per se but it's sort of an understanding the resort has with the authorities. But it is not done here."

"You seem to know quite a bit."

"I grew up on nude beaches, Henry, and have spent many hours on this one in particular. My parents are about 50 meters up the beach the other way. They introduced me to this lifestyle many years ago. I remember being on beaches when I was 7 or 8, though I wasn't allowed to be without my bottoms until I was somewhat older."

"It's just not how I was raised."

"That's one of the reasons I knew you were American even before I spoke with you. Your discomfort was obvious. But these people, or most of them anyway, are not here for sexual titillation. They simply enjoy this lifestyle and are comfortable without clothing. It allows people of most every age to enjoy being undressed without judgment. In fact, look at that young lady over there. I know you admired her earlier."

Simone brought my attention to a young woman that was walking back across the beach. I had indeed watched her walk past me the first time, though it was not a conscious act. She had simply caught my attention. As we watched she stopped to speak with another young lady.

"She's very pretty. What about her?"

"She is just 16 years old and yet she walks around without the least bit of self-consciousness about her body. I doubt many American teenagers, even those as beautiful as she is, would be able to do so."

"You're probably right. How do you know she's 16?"

She turned and smiled at me before responding: "Because she's my sister. Amelie!"

She called to the young woman in question and Amelie immediately turned and waved, then came walking toward us in response to Simone waving her in our direction. I took note of the resemblance between them as she got closer. Simone was a true beauty but I suspected Amelie would surpass even her.

"Amelie, this is Henry, from America. Henry, this is my sister, Amelie."

We shook hands and she sat down in front of her sister, the invitation implied. I was immediately on edge. This was the kind of thing that could get you arrested back in the states, not to mention that I was concerned about Lisa's response should she finally glance over here.

Simone brought Amelie up to date on our conversation thus far, even pointing out Lisa to her. Amelie listened intently and expressed a similar point of view. I admit that speaking with them made me feel better, at least right up until Lisa looked in my direction. It was the first time she had done it since joining the game, and she saw me sitting in intimate quarters with two gorgeous and naked French women. I could only imagine what she was thinking, but all she did was smile, wave at me, and then go back to her game.

Of course I immediately began thinking the worst. I was sure she had seen me sitting with Simone and Amelie and thought that the new experiences we planned on having included sampling a little strange. I was growing more uncomfortable by the minute but was trying very hard not to be rude to my lovely guests.

We chatted for about another 15 or 20 minutes before I started to get tired. The exertion from yesterday combined with sitting in the heat today, not to mention the stress I was feeling from everything that was going on, had finally taken it's toll. I don't know if Simone and Amelie were aware of my exhaustion or simply decided it was time to move on, but they stood with the intention of moving on. Amelie said her 'adieus' first and Simone watched her leave before turning to me.

"I'm staying at the resort. Room 618. Should you and your wife decide to stretch the boundaries of your marriage I hope you will think of me first. Au revoir, Henry."

I watched Simone walk away. Her body swayed as she walked and she was clearly in no hurry. It amused me to see all the heads, some of whom were female, turn to watch her as she walked away.

I glanced back at the volleyball court but nothing had changed, other than a couple of new guys having joined the game, though two others had gone on their way so the numbers remained constant. I could barely keep my eyes open so I laid out on my back and pulled my hat over my eyes and planned to get a little sleep.

I have no idea how long I was out but I awoke to Lisa gently shaking me. I was still quite groggy so I doubted I had been asleep for very long. I tried to get up but she held me down.

"No baby, keep on sleeping. Some of the guys and I are just heading down to the far end of the beach. I'll be back in a while."

"Okay, hon, have fun," I replied tiredly, or something to that effect as I drifted back off to sleep.

I shot up suddenly. What the hell did she say? Where were they going? Where in the HELL were they going?

I had no idea how long I had dozed after Lisa whispered those fateful words to me, but I leapt to my feet and headed down the beach to the 'far end'; the part of the beach walled off by rocks and for adults only to engage in sexual activities. How could I have been so stupid, so fucking trusting? I suddenly realized that my fears were coming true, that she had found someone athletic like her and was taking advantage of the opportunity. It would probably only be a matter of time before I was history. Maybe not today for one of these guys, but almost certainly not long after we got home.