An announcement

The lights on stage started to dim. Valerie sighed in relief, her legs quaking slightly. The thrill of just a wooden plank in between her naked body and the audience had been intoxicating. However, it had also put her on edge. Very soon, she would run and hide in her green room.

She would be able to use this memory to get herself off for a long time. She might even do it in the green room - her body was taut with stress.

Suddenly, the lights brightened again, alarming her. She heard the sound of microphone static - what was going on?

"Ahem. Does this thing work?", said a middle aged man, walking onto the stage from the other side. He hadn't looked at her yet, seemingly blinded by the spotlight shone upon him. He was clearly unfamiliar with being on stage.

"Miss Valerie, please don't leave. The organization would like to honor your recent successes in the field, and this wonderful presentation, with the 'Agent of the Month' award!"

Applause echoed in the room as Valerie was torn between happiness and alarm. This award meant she was considered one of the top agents in the organization. Normally, she would have loved to go on stage and accept it. Now, however, if she did - she would be exposing herself to every single person in the auditorium.

"Come on, now!", the man said. "Don't be shy. We all know how hard you've worked to get this!"

The spotlight moved from the man to her as she stood behind the podium. She gulped. There was no getting out of this. She took a deep breath, steeling herself and putting one foot out from behind the podium.

She felt a collective gasp from the audience as they saw her bare leg, accompanied shortly by her completely nude form. The spotlight followed her as the walked to the center of the stage, the bright light illuminating her curvaceous body. She felt like a deer in headlights - so much so that she didn't even remember to cover herself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Agent Valerie!", the man said as she came up to him. He handed her the award and microphone, before quickly making his exit. She noticed that his mouth was wide open with shock the entire time.

She stood in the center stage for a moment, paralyzed. She was naked in front of all her coworkers and superiors. Was this it? Had the best moment in her career transformed into its most humiliating one? Despair threatened to swallow her. How could she ever recover from putting herself on display like this?

Hold on, a voice in her head suddenly said. You can still save this.

She realized that she was right. Her nudity didn't need to take away from how hard she had worked to get to where she was. In fact, most of the audience was spellbound, unable to take their eyes off her. A bolt of inspiration struck her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for this award - for showing confidence in me.", she spoke into the microphone. The auditorium was completely silent. You could hear a pin drop.

"Now, some of you might be wondering why I'm au naturale.", she laughed. "It's strange. I could have sworn I put on my clothes this morning!" Several members in the audience laughed. She had the momentum - she needed to keep it going.

"The truth is, I realized that while you have shown confidence in me by giving me this award, very rarely have I shown confidence in myself - especially since returning from captivity. And that needed to change.", she said solemnly.

"I look at my friend, Iris, and I know that many of you laugh behind her back, ignoring her condition. That is unacceptable in a modern and forward thinking organization like ours." She stared at the audience. Several members squirmed uncomfortably in their seats. She knew she had all of them in the palm of her hand.

"The reason I'm out her naked is because I want to support my friend. And not just her - I want to support every woman who has been body shamed - anyone who has been told she's too old or too fat. You're all beautiful, and you all deserve this award!", she finished, raising the trophy in her hand.

The entire auditorium erupted in a standing ovation. She saw Iris, sitting near the front row, clapping, tears in her eyes. She gracefully bowed as the clapping continued for over a minute, before finally exiting the stage.