A small step forward.

One Wednesday afternoon while we just hanging out watching a cheesy horror flick, he gave me the order. "Undress please."

"Ok." Is all I said before removing the loose fitting t-shirt and shorts I had been wearing. I hadn't bothered to put on a bra as we were just hanging out at home all day, and a simple pair of cotton panties slid down my legs and landed in the small pile of clothes.

"Thanks," he said while looking my over for a bit, until returning his attention back to the media on screen.

Assuming he was done for the moment, I bent to pick up my clothes.

"Leave them off, you can take them to your room. You're fine without them."

I must have blushed, but replied with a faint "OK" before dumping the garments in the bathroom hamper and returning back to the couch. It's not the first time he'd wanted my to just hang out naked, so I just kind of, let it happen again.

For an hour and a half that's how it went. We occasionally talked between the commercials and otherwise just watched movies.

"You look good naked." He said seemingly out of nowhere.

"Thanks, I think." I replied timidly.

"I mean, it doesn't bother you does it? you don't have to be naked if it makes you uncomfortable."

Now I know I blushed, and the butterflies in my stomach stirred up something fierce.

"Shut up! You told me to get naked so I did, now stop talking about it, you're making me self conscious!"

He grinned. "Do you do everything people tell you? Would you jump off a bridge just because someone told you to?"

Was he really going there? "Please don't ask me to jump off a bridge." I muttered quietly. He laughed.

"I'll find your limit sometime."

Amidst the glow of the tv and the atmospheric horror soundtrack, I could hear an engine and dog barking from outside.

"Oh sweet, mails here." John said seemingly to no one in particular. Then a few seconds passed, and I realized he was staring at.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, mails here, go get it."

I rolled my eyes. To be fair it is generally something I do, but, his intention to make it a command did make me feel a little used.

"Fine," I said as I stood up and started moving towards the bathroom and my clothes.

"No, go get it like that."

I stopped and the hair on my neck stood up harder, and my arms were covered in goosebumps harder than any reaction I had from watching horror movies for the last 3 hours. My stomach was a literal knot.

"You can't be serious," I muttered under my breath mostly to myself.

"I'm serious, it'll be fun, and think how much of a confidence booster it would be." I'm not sure I agreed with his logic, but I knew I couldn't say no.

"Are you sure?" I asked with a wince. "I really don't want to ."

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. I just thought it'd be funny. Spice up the neighborhood a bit. Maybe someone will get a good story out of it."

It's true he wasn't forcing me to be naked at gunpoint, but he knows I couldn't say no. My instinct had betrayed me, and I had already moved a few steps towards the door.

"Please don't make me do this." I offered a final plea while the cold brass door knob rested in my shaking hand.

He didn't say anything. He just continued smiling as my hand turned and chilly air and sunlight slowly eclipsed my body, and I stood, looking back praying he told me to stop. My hopes dwindled when my forward foot landed on the cold brick of the front stoop and momentum carried me further. I was beyond any form of cover as the cool fall air attacked my skin.

My eyes darted around the yard, to the road, and towards the porches of my nearest neighbors. The neighbors chain link fence would provide me no sanctuary. My feet just moved. I hastened my step after the cursory survey showed no eyes except the ones belonging to the Right neighbors boxer mix named Stevie who seemed very interested in the fleshy individual making her way to the sidewalk. I hop scotched the Island stones across the field of grass. It hadn't been long when I reached the mailbox. I was more concerned with moving than covering up, and my fingers quickly flung open the mailbox door and pried out the pries within. Just a few envelopes entered my clenched fist. A whine from the dog startled me as I turned around to see a very surprised owner who looked like a deer staring at an oncoming train. I'm sure my face was equally aghast. I let out an involuntary squeak as I ran back into the house screaming, "I'm so sorry!" at the beleaguered elder and closed the door behind myself.

My face was on of trauma as I pressed my back against the cold wood of the front door, wide eyed and frantic. John on the other hand was hysterically laughing at me.

"Mr. Wilson just saw me you asshole!" I shouted at the maniac.