sunbathing on the water (the women's version)

[NOTE: This chapter happens in parallel with Phil's story.]

"My god, you look amazing in that suit!" Staci cheered as she looked Melanie up and down.

"It's my boat attire. My ... boat-tire!" Melanie laughed at her own pun, which led Staci to laugh in solidarity. Melanie wore a white bikini with a bra-style top (ties behind her neck and a clasp in the back, helping to support her larger bosom) and high-hipped briefs. She had a sheer white cape-style wrap over her shoulders, and wore matching white flip flops.

Staci quickly disposed of her tray of snacks so she could better take in the view of Melanie's attire. "Seriously, Mel, you've never looked so good!"

Melanie scrunched up her face and adjusted her glasses. "You really think so?" She looked down at herself. "If I hadn't slugged half a bottle of wine in the limo and then another cocktail already here, I'd probably be too self-conscious." She flung the wrap around her body, and then performatively opened it up again as a reveal.

"Fantastic!" Staci exclaimed.

"I don't know, it's probably too showy, but -- you know, we're all basically friends here. And after that ride here, some boundaries might be getting a little fuzzy, you know?"

Staci nodded and smiled. "I know." Before she was able to continue, a slight bustle behind her caught her attention, and she turned around to see Taylor emerging from the steps below.

"Hey, Stace," she said, climbing back to the main deck. "I hope you don't mind, I used one of your rooms downstairs to change. Wanted to take advantage of this sunshine!"

Taylor wore a teal bikini with all string ties. She was tall and slender, and the long strings from behind her neck and back as well as at her hips all dangled loose on her body like tassels. Each string ended with a tiny gold bead which added an accent of elegance to her look.

"Oh, I forgot to bring some kind of shoe for the deck," Taylor said with disappointment, noticing that Melanie had flip flops on.

"It's not a problem," Staci said. "Whatever you're comfortable with, that's all that matters."

Emily made her way to the group and admired the two women now decked out in swimwear. "Ooh, I guess it's time to change and enjoy the beautiful weather up here." She rummaged in her bag, which hung on one arm. "I know I have a swimsuit here myself, and some sun screen ..."

"Take your time, Em," Staci said. "You can change wherever you like."

Emily nodded and headed below deck to find a private spot to change. Meanwhile, Alicia returned to the group after she and Ashley concluded their conversation. She fished around in her oversized tote bag, pulling out a maroon bikini with white trim.

"When was the last time we sailed together, Stace?" Alicia asked. "I mean you, me, Ashley, all together?"

Staci thought. "You know, I'm not sure. It's been at least since last summer, since Phil and I were out of the country so much at this time last year."

"Right," Alicia agreed, thinking back on it. As the sisters continued talking, Alicia nonchalantly reached under her dress and pulled her panties down, stepping out of them.

Staci smiled at her sister, chuckling a little at Alicia's complete lack of either concern or awareness about the public setting and getting changed with other people around. She glanced at Melanie and Taylor, both of whom were quite a bit more surprised -- though not enough to say anything or stop Alicia, who simply continued her narrative.

"Ash and I took the boat out in the fall, I think. Brought a couple boys we knew from work, just made a long weekend of it."

Melanie nodded, responding to nothing in particular, and primarily focused on watching Alicia continue her wardrobe adjustments.

Alicia found her bikini bottoms in her tote bag, dropped the bag, and began to step into them. She lost her balance a bit, and put an arm out, catching Taylor's shoulder, which she clutched to steady herself.

"Whoops, sorry about that!" Alicia said, smiling at Taylor.

"No problem," Taylor replied, giggling.

Staci gently patted Alicia's arm. "I'll be right back." She stepped away from the group, and went down the steps to a room in the lower deck.

"But yeah," Alicia continued, talking to no one in particular now that Staci had left. "I don't even think I've been here myself since then. It was cold that day, I remember -- definitely couldn't have done any swimming or sunning."

She reached behind her back and unzipped her dress, letting it fall forward off her arms, and then down to the deck floor, leaving her standing there in just a lacy bra and the bikini bottoms. She kept up the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Then, reaching behind her back, she unhooked her bra and shrugged it off.

"Definitely warmer today!" Alicia said, turning her body to feel the sun on her skin.

She stood there topless for a minute, completely at ease, her pert breasts on full display. Melanie glanced over and noticed Danny not-so-subtly ogling Alicia's chest from across the deck. She nudged Taylor and they shared a knowing look, raising their eyebrows.

Finally, Alicia brought her attention back to the group. She caught Danny's eye, though remained unconcerned about her partial nudity. She smirked at Danny as if to let him know that not only did she catch him staring, but she enjoyed it. Slowly, languidly, she pulled her bikini top out of her tote bag and found the right angle to pull it over her head. She took her time tying the strings and placing the small patches of material over her breasts. Eventually, her moment of exhibitionism came to an end as the maroon fabric covered her chocolate skin.

Just then, Emily returned from below deck wearing a sleek black string bikini that contrasted nicely with her pale complexion and dark hair. "I found some sunscreen too if anyone needs it," she offered, holding up the bottle.

"Perfect timing," Staci said as she also emerged in her swimsuit - a emerald green halter top style cut short to expose her toned stomach and low-rise bottoms that accentuated her curves. "I think we're almost all set." She also wore an oversized shawl that served as something of a wrap, and flung it around her shoulders.

The women glanced around, realizing Abbie was the only one not yet in beach attire. "I actually didn't bring a bathing suit," Abbie admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, that's right," Staci said with a sigh. "Well, obviously you're welcome to sunbathe with us all -- you'll just have to make do with what you've got, right?"

"Right!" Abbie agreed. "Hey, I have this fun new t-shirt. And ... I guess my panties are no different from a bikini bottom. As long as you all don't mind, I don't mind!" Glancing around, she noticed that most of the other women were barefoot, so she kicked her shoes off as well.

"I don't think anyone minds anything," Melanie said with a giggle. She gave Alicia a look as if to acknowledge how she stripped topless moments earlier, but Alicia didn't recognize that the comment was about her, and just looked back at Melanie, puzzled. "I'm just saying -- you want to change right here? You can change right here."

Abbie shrugged and shook out the t-shirt to look at it. "Sure, that's fine."

"There's room downstairs, too," Emily said cautiously, her eyes darting back toward where all the men were lounging.

"I'm okay," Abbie said with a smile. She turned her back to Emily. "Can you unzip me?"

She lifted her face toward the sun and closed her eyes, letting the warmth bathe over her skin. She felt Emily lower her zipper, and then shrugged the dress forward and off her upper body. She let the material collect around her hips, pushed it down, and dropped it as it fell in a pool at her feet. She held out the t-shirt again to angle it correctly, lifted it up, and casually slipped it over her torso. Then she bent forward, scooped up her dress, and set it off to the side where it would be out of the way. As she turned back, she saw Emily was still standing there, frozen in place.

"You okay?" Abbie asked kindly.

Emily smiled. "Yeah, totally."

"You look great in that two-piece, by the way."

Emily bit her lip and blushed. "You think so?"

Abbie nodded. "Definitely. I can't believe I'm the only girl here without a swimsuit!" She ran her hands over her body, reluctantly feeling the t-shirt against her.

"Um," Emily mumbled, "well, at least you look good in a t-shirt, right?"

Abbie looked down at herself, and then back at Emily. "Oh, thank you!" She put a hand on Emily's arm as a gesture of gratitude. "Hey, I'm just happy to be out here today. Beautiful day, what an amazing boat, and everyone being so nice. Really a great party, isn't it?"

Emily was slow to respond. but only because she was temporarily distracted by Abbie's hand on her arm. Visions flashed back in her mind of the moments they shared at the country club bar, talking about hands and the sensitivity of touch. Emily watched as Abbie moved, unable to ignore the slight bounce of her breasts under the t-shirt. She blushed again as she realized she hadn't replied.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty amazing."

Abbie's hand slid down Emily's arm and their fingers hooked together for a moment. "Come on," she said with a light squeeze. "Let's join the others."