Caught Naked in the Pool House

Julia was familiar with her stepmother’s outbursts of anger. They were intense, but usually short-lived. She figured Claudia would calm down again after a few days. The weekend was supposed to be warm, and Julia planned to really enjoy herself.

Claudia had sent word through the staff that she would be meeting with important business partners and didn’t know when she’d be home. For Julia, this was the perfect opportunity.

She loved streaks of even tan. No pale lines on her body. So she stripped completely naked and laid her skimpy bikini next to her on the large lounge chair by the pool. The sun felt pleasantly warm on her bare skin. She lay on her stomach, her head resting on her folded arms, and enjoyed the warmth. After a while, she grew tired. The air was hot, the bees were buzzing, and eventually she fell asleep.

She woke up to voices.

Laughter. Men’s voices. The clinking of glasses.

Julia lifted her head. On the adjacent terrace, just a few meters away, Claudia and five men were just rounding the corner. All of them were in suits, obviously coming from a business meeting. Claudia was wearing an elegant, light-colored dress and smiling charmingly. The men were in their fifties, well-dressed, and self-assured.

Julia froze.

Panic shot through her body. She wanted to sit up—and only then realized she was completely naked. Her bikini was gone. It had simply vanished. Even the towel she’d brought with her was no longer there. Someone must have put it away.

“Shit…,” she whispered.

She crawled off the lounge chair and pressed herself flat against the ground, hoping that the high lounge chair would hide her a little. But the men were getting closer. They were bound to see her any second.

Julia had no choice. She scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could the few meters to the pool house. Her bare feet slapped against the warm stone slabs. Her breasts bounced with every step. The wind brushed against her completely exposed skin.

She barely made it into the pool house and shut the door behind her. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

Outside, she heard the group settling down on the terrace. Chairs were being moved. Drinks were being poured. Claudia was laughing at something.

Julia stood in the middle of the pool house. It was almost empty. Just a few old lounge chairs, a small table, and an open cabinet with no towels—they’d all just been washed and put away. There was nothing she could use to cover herself. No towel. No piece of clothing. Nothing.

She pressed her back against the wall next to the window and dared to glance outside.

One of the men was holding something up in his hand. Julia’s black bikini top. And right next to it, the bottoms.

“Well, look at that,” the man said with a laugh. “Looks like someone left their things here.”

Claudia picked up the top as if to examine it. Then she smiled slightly.

“Oh, that,” she said calmly. “That belongs to my stepdaughter. Julia often sunbathes topless up here. Sometimes completely naked, too. She doesn’t like tan lines. You know how young women are.”

The men laughed. One of them whistled softly through his teeth.

“Well… if she leaves her things lying around here,” another man said slowly, “then she must still be naked somewhere nearby, right?”

A third man leaned back and grinned.

“Maybe she’s hiding somewhere right now. It would be a shame if we missed her.”

The group laughed again. It wasn’t a malicious laugh—it was the laugh of men who were currently indulging in some very pleasant daydreams. Images of a naked, young woman hiding somewhere on the property. Naked. Alone. And probably embarrassed.

Julia heard every word.

She stood in the pool house, completely naked, her arms crossed over her chest, even though it was already too late. Her skin was hot—from the sun and from shame. She felt her heart racing. Her nipples had tightened despite the heat. Between her legs, she felt a not-unpleasant tugging of fear and something else she didn’t want to name.

She firmly believed that Claudia had done this on purpose.

The announcement about the staff. The sudden appearance of exactly these five men. Taking away her top and her towel. The casual remark that Julia “sunbathes naked more often.” This was no coincidence. This was revenge.

Claudia had deliberately put her in this situation.

And now five strange men were standing right in front of the pool house, laughing at the idea of her walking around naked somewhere, and Claudia wasn’t doing anything to stop them.

Julia pressed herself even closer against the wall. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this. She had nothing to wear. And she had no idea if Claudia was going to egg the men on even more.