We can reach, we can beach

The rest of the morning was kind of a blur for Nick. After being explained in great detail about how exciting the beach party would be… he was kind of just ditched.

Vivian had grabbed Mary and dragged her off somewhere, no-doubt to use her transformation and get her dressed up. The other girls left too, with Gina muttering something about swimsuits and giving him a saucy, teasing expression to build his anticipation.

All except Kim, that is. She said that she needed to be going off to work… only to sheepishly realize that she didn’t have work today, because she’d used her Sick Day.

When Nick pointed that out to her, her flushed complexion turned an even deeper red and she scratched her head sheepishly.

“Well, uh… with that in mind… what do you think of my choice of clothes?” She asked, posing for him with a broad grin.

Nick took a moment to look her over. He had to admit… she looked pretty good.

“I definitely like you wearing casual stuff,” he complimented her. “It suits you, Kim. Way better than a schoolgirl uniform.”

“Eh, I kind of like the schoolgirl uniforms,” she admitted. “Although, the skirts are definitely a little too short.”

Nick had nothing to say about that, and especially nothing about her current state of dress and how the two things were related.

He just gave her a polite smile and nodded. If that’s the way she wanted to see it, well, fine with him then.

But in the end, even she left to go get changed, too.

“It’s better this way,” she assured him with a coy smile. “You don’t want to spoil yourself on the surprise, do you?”

Kim didn’t always tease him, but when she did… he couldn’t deny that he really liked it. He cracked a grin and she winked at him again, before skipping off to go get ready for the big day with the other girls in his harem.

That left Nick alone in the Banquet Hall with just his thoughts. He wasn’t sure what to expect from this contest, but at least it seemed like nobody was taking it so seriously that the results would lead to bad blood between the girls. That was the last thing he wanted.

It also gave him some time to think about how he’d done today, in so far as asserting himself more. He’d made a couple of mistakes, but all in all he felt pretty good about standing up to Dakota and also interacting in a more positive way with the women in his harem. He’d tried not to give too much favoritism to anyone, but he hadn’t really had a lot of opportunities for that, either.

This beach party would be the real test of his mettle. Could he enjoy himself with the others, without making it look like he was prioritizing any one person too much?

He knew he needed to be conscious of how much focus he gave to everybody. That was the best way to handle this mess.

I just hope I’m ready for it.

Not sure what else he should be doing right now, Nick went back to the Master’s Suite. He had a swimsuit of his own (thankfully one that was a lot more modest than what Sylvia had forced onto him way back in the first challenge) and changed into it, throwing on a shirt as well. He didn’t know how long it would last, but it wasn’t like he was planning to throw an orgy on the beach or something.

…

That was something Sylvia or Dakota might have endorsed, but he hoped Vivian and Mary would have a little more self-control than that.

It was just meant to be a casual, friendly party, right?

He headed down again, and time seemed to flow past him like a rushing river. Before he knew it, he felt a tug on his chest, almost like something was compelling him to leave the hotel.

Before he could process that, a bright green faerie popped up in front of him, with a big smile on her cherubic little face.

“Master Nick! Your presence is requested out on the stage!” She declared, flying off before Nick could ask for clarification.

Not that he needed to, of course. He had a pretty good idea what was going on here.

With a sigh, Nick headed out towards the beach. The party would likely be starting pretty soon, and with it, the swimsuit contest. Knowing Dakota, she probably saw that as the main event, which meant that’s what she’d start with.

She frankly wouldn’t care much about anything after that, even though Nick was far more interested in actually socializing with the girls.

As he walked over the sand, which was, somehow, not blistering hot even though the sun had been roasting it all morning (just more of the island’s magic, he figured) he kept his eyes peeled for the familiar glint of Dakota’s cane.

But he didn’t see her anywhere, not even when he arrived at the stage.

Instead, a familiar voice greeted him with a long-winded speech that made him jerk up.

“Good morning, Nick! You made it! I’m so glad you made it! Now we can get started! Are you ready to get started? The swimsuit contest, I mean. And the party. And just the day in general, you know? You already had breakfast, right? It’s the most important meal of the day! I just had breakfast myself. I know it’s a little late, but I’ve been working hard since this morning to get everything ready! What do you think? Look nice?”

Nick didn’t know what “nice” thing he was supposed to be looking at, but when he turned his head, what he saw looked very nice indeed.

Nola always did, even if she could be very annoying.

The pink-haired leprechaun had come dressed for the occasion herself, which he should have expected. She wore a bright green swimsuit with a clover pattern, showing off a bit of her cleavage. It looked very pure and modest as far as bikinis went, and he suspected that was because Nola wasn’t aiming to seduce him like some of the other girls.

She was just happy to be participating.

The leprechaun waved him down, skipping through the sand to come up to greet him. Her green eyes glittered with delight, and then she pouted.

“Aw… you’re wearing a shirt? How boring. You should be showing off too! All the girls are, and even myself! What do you think? Betcha wish you had ME in your harem, right?” She struck up a pose, calling into question Nick’s earlier assumption that she wasn’t trying to seduce him. Not that he would have been interested.

“I mean it, Nick, you’re really missing out! But, sorry, I can’t do it. I’m too devoted to my job. Plus, I’m a leprechaun and you’re a human. It could never work out! …I’m sorry, I know this must break your heart, but it’s okay. You’ll heal… that’s what the love of your other women will do.”

She reached out and patted him on the arm, wiping away a few tears that Nick was pretty sure were faked.

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Nola scrunched up her face, like she was actually considering the idea that she’d just thought up out of nowhere and Nick wasn’t at all interested in.

“Unless… no, no, Dakota would never go for it… but maybe…”

“Nola, are you done?” Nick asked, trying very hard not to be rude. It wouldn’t get him anything if he antagonized Nola, and he really did feel bad for her, so he was trying to be courteous. But she could be a bit of a nuisance, even when she was trying to be nice.

She cracked a smile.

“Done? Oh, no, I’m not done! Not by a mile! And neither are you! No, your date is awaiting you, Nick! Better get going!” She gave him a saucy wink and he just stared blankly at her.

“Date? No, it’s a beach party,” he corrected her, shaking his head.

Nola responded with an amused smirk. “…Right. Of course it is,” she purred, wiggling her eyebrows. “But before the big contest, there’s someone who wants to say hello. Right this way~”

With a hum in her voice, she led him over to the stage, and when he got there, he saw a very familiar woman standing there with a wicked smirk on her pale lips.

“Well, Nick? What do you think?” Dakota asked, placing her hand on her hip and twisting her body to best show off her attractive features. “Ready for the big competition?”

Nick’s jaw dropped. “Dakota, you look… wow.”

“I know, I do, don’t I?” She preened, running her fingers through her short hair as she held up her head with pride. “I wanted to make sure I looked my best. Since everyone else is trying so hard to show off for you…”

Nick nodded. He absolutely believed Dakota when she said that. After all, she’d gone all-out on her swimsuit, a sexy number in red and black with frills that gave it just enough cuteness to offset the seductive edge that had characterized so many of her outfits since she’d taken over as the host.

At the same time, he wasn’t so blinded by her beauty to miss the bitterness in her voice when she said that.

“So how is this going to work?” He asked. “I’m assuming every girl is going to come out and make some big production to show off for me, and the audience?”

“Ah, very perceptive of you, Nick!” Dakota giggled, holding her hand over her mouth. “That would usually be how I’d do it… but this isn’t some major event. No big spectacle this time. The girls have all discussed it, and they’ve agreed to come out for you in their own order. Just to say hello and show you their swimsuits. Nothing so… formal.”

“Really?” Nick raised his eyebrow. “That’s surprisingly permissive of you. I’d have expected you to make it into some grand farce. You are a host, after all.”

“Indeed, under normal circumstances, I might,” Dakota admitted. “But I’m letting the girls run the show this time. But I must say… You’re starting to think like a host now!”

That was a scary thought.

“I just know you so well,” Nick replied politely. It was a fine line to walk, trying to get closer to Dakota and get her to open up, without setting her off. “Still… do we have to start right away?”

Dakota looked taken aback for a moment.

“…What do you mean?” She asked, crinkling her eyebrows in suspicion.

Nick shrugged. “I mean… ever since you’ve become the host, you and I have hardly ever had any time to ourselves to really talk,” he pointed out. “I’d actually enjoy that, you know. Getting to spend some time with you, before the other girls come out.”

Dakota’s mouth dropped open, and she gave Nick a blank stare that quickly shifted into a suspicious look.

“…Really… well, perhaps another time,” she said, clearing her throat. She conjured her cane and flicked it through the air, and Nick found himself pushed back onto a large throne, which had been moved down from the stage.

“We have a show to get to, after all!”

Dakota had gone back to her strictly business persona. But Nick didn’t miss the pleased look in her eye. Or the fact that her smile seemed so much brighter than usual.

I got through to her, just a little bit. She was tempted, I know she was. She wanted to spend time with me, too. But she couldn’t bring herself to accept it. So there’s some part of her that really is still the same.

That was a relief. But it also made him feel sad.

“Eyes forward,” Dakota said sternly, giving him a knowing look. “These are the girls in your harem, after all. You should be giving them some special attention.”

Nick nodded slowly. He knew on some level that Dakota was right, but at the same time… he wasn’t sure how he should feel about her stepping aside for the other girls.

Maybe that was part of her job… but he wasn’t okay with it.

“Now then!” She cleared her throat again, and stepped away. “You can come out, now!”

Not even a flourish of her cane. This was wholly an event staged by the girls, with no frills from the host at all.

Vivian was the first to come out. He should have expected that. This was her party, after all, it only seemed fitting that she’d come out first to make a big deal of things.

She pranced out with her head held high, and strutted through the sand like model on the catwalk. It seemed so natural to her, and she definitely started things off with a very high bar.

Nick was impressed, frankly. He’d anticipated that Vivian would try to blow him away with some overt sexuality, picking out a skimpy swimsuit. But no, her swimsuit was actually rather modest.

…Well… not modest. But it wasn’t a bikini, at least.

Her swimsuit had more coverage than he’d expect for most of the girls. It was a one-piece, after all. But it was stylish. Tight laces bound it up, holding the front and back together, rising up her sides, revealing a lot of skin. And that wasn’t the only revealing part, either. A large cutout was carved in the front, revealing her cleavage completely while sandwiching her chest together to emphasize it even more. More crisscrossed laces arced across her breasts, instinctively drawing the eye to her chest. And a nice straw sunhat finished the look, giving her a note of casual elegance that almost made her sultry outfit look polite and decent.

Nick blushed, not sure what to make of the outfit.

“Wow, Vivian, you look…”

“Sexy? Desirable? Delicious?” Vivian teased as she strolled up to him. “You wouldn’t be the first to say it, my dear.”

Nick smirked at her. “It’s definitely not what I expected.”

Vivian laughed. “Ah, let me guess. Something slutty, like a swimsuit that’s just a v-strap covering up my nipples? That’s far to gauche for someone with my style.”

Nick could believe that. He nodded in approval, not at all disappointed in her choice of swimsuit, just very surprised.

“As the host of this little beach outing, I simply had to start things off with a bang,” Vivian continued. “But there are all sorts of lovely ladies just dying to show off for you,” she purred, leaning against his chair and stroking his cheek.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he replied with a smile. “Especially if they all try as hard as you.”

Flirting with Vivian felt rather natural. And he couldn’t deny his attraction to her. But he wasn’t going to let her get under skin that easily.

Then she pulled up a folding chair and plopped down right beside him.

“…Vivian?”

She flashed Nick a toothy grin in response. “Best seat in the house,” she informed him, rapping her fingers on her arm, leaving teasing little marks. “Let’s see who’s next, shall we? I bet you’re going to be excited.”

Judging by her playful expression, Nick had a good idea of what he could expect.

“Next up!” Vivian called, taking the lead from Dakota, earning her a glare from the host. But Dakota took a step back, and let the girls come out in order.

As Nick expected- the next girl to come was Mary. It only made sense that Mary would be after Vivian, given that Vivian had picked out the girl’s swimsuit, and used her transformation to let her wear it.

And Mary really did look gorgeous.

It had been so long since Nick had seen her in ordinary clothes, it had caught him off-guard. He had to take a moment to remind himself that this was Mary he was dealing with, his gorgeous wife.

He had expected Mary would wear a more chaste one-piece. But then, she had gotten more daring since they married. Not daring enough to wear her last swimsuit (the one that didn’t fit her) but definitely daring enough to wear a bikini- even if it was a modest one.

Mary’s swimsuit was a sweet pink color, crafted to fit her luscious figure. Frills lined the top, emphasizing her cupped breasts, and the straps on the sides of her arms were frilled as well with tiny little ribbons. It was a very chaste design, one that emphasized her cuteness more than her sexuality. It was the kind of outfit Mary should have been wearing this whole time, were it not for her transformation.

Needless to say, it was a good thing that Mary wasn’t eligible for any prizes. In Nick’s book, she would have won hands-down.

Although, Vivian was a good competition… maybe he was jumping the gun a little.

“So, um… do you like it?” Mary asked shyly, tugging on one of her pigtails. She had stopped being that self-conscious about the clothes she wore ever since she’d been forced into the farmgirl outfit, but that was because she’d gotten used to it.

These clothes were brand-new… and she genuinely didn’t know if she looked nice in them or not.

Obviously she looked amazing.

“You look great!” Nick complimented her. “I love it! It’s so you!”

“I know, isn’t it?” Vivian beamed with pride. “I just knew I needed a design that would emphasize her cuteness! She is your wife, after all. We could have gone with overt sexuality, but that just felt wrong for such an adorable cherub!”

She hopped to her feet and pulled Mary into a sideways hug, rubbing her cheek up against the girl’s.

Mary blushed, but didn’t shove Vivian off.

“Thanks for picking this out for me,” she said with a smile. “I really like it!”

“From one of Nick’s wives to the other, it’s only fitting I help out and make you look your best,” Vivian said with a giggle.

Mary stared at her.

“…You aren’t his wife, though,” she pointed out with a cold voice.

Mary might have been grateful to Vivian, but she wasn’t about to let the other girl stake out her territory that easily.

Vivian just smirked and shrugged.

“Ah, well,” she sighed, scratching her head. “Anyway! Let’s move on! We’ve got another girl who absolutely insisted she come out third, so let’s call her out!”

Nick knew who it was before the woman in question came out.

Only one person would demand to come out after Mary.

“Nick! Bonjour!”

Nick turned his head to see Rose stroll up to him with a wave of her hand and a sly gleam in her eye. Nick blushed the second he saw her, in spite of himself. He knew it would be Rose, and yet…

Damn.

If Mary had gone for chaste and adorable, downplaying her sexuality even while emphasizing it, Rose had gone the opposite direction. Her blue bikini showed off every slender curve while pushing out her breasts, showing more than enough skin to be sexy. At the same time, the ruffled design gave it an air of cuteness to contrast the sexiness, making her look somehow both sexy and genuine in a way that only Rose could really pull off.

Her bedroom eyes really helped with that too.

“I like this one so much more than the last,” she breathed, coming up to Nick and winking at him. “Blue really is my color, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Definitely,” Nick nodded.

Rose looked at Vivian, sitting on one side of Nick, and then to Mary, who was sitting on the other.

So that’s your game, eh? Well… I have a card or two to play myself!

If Rose couldn’t seize a spot beside Nick, she’d just take the next best thing!

With a cheeky grin, she planted her butt right in his lap, arching her back to press up against him, filling his nose with the sweet scent of her perfume.

“You don’t mind, do you?” She purred, and Nick blushed. He shifted as best he could with Rose’s butt rubbing insistently against his crotch, angling away so she wasn’t outright dry-humping him. It was the best he could do, and it was good enough for her, apparently.

“Keep it in your pants, you two,” Vivian chuckled, while Mary just stared at the two of them in silence.

Nick wondered if that was jealousy he saw in her eyes, before deciding he really didn’t want to know.

He was about to ask who was next, but before he could, the woman in question had already made her appearance.

The impatient girl wasn’t about to let anyone get the better of her!

With a smug grin on her face, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin strolled out of the changing room brimming with confidence. She walked as sure-footed as Vivian had, even though she was no model. Not that you could tell by looking at her slender frame, though.

She wore a shiny black swimsuit cut high in a way that showed off her thighs, with more cutouts to emphasize her hips, back, and the sides of her breasts. Most notably was the window cut into the center of her one-piece, which, like Vivian, showed off her chest.

The first thing Nick’s eyes were drawn to was Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s cleavage. For one, she actually had some! He hadn’t spent enough time around her to really monitor her progress, but her Nanomachines, Son! transformation was clearly working at full force. Her breasts had really grown over the course of the round, and she was showing them off for all they were worth.

Feeling Nick’s eyes all over her, the assassin posed for him, arching her back to emphasize her trim figure with a smirk.

“Wow, you look… great,” Nick said, not sure what else she expected from him. He sadly didn’t know her well enough to know what would make her happy to hear, but judging by the beaming smile she gave him and the cheerful nod, he’d apparently done good enough.

That smile lasted right up until she saw that Rose had claimed his lap. Then she started glaring at the blonde.

Rose shivered. She knew it was a bad idea to make the assassin mad, but at the same time, she didn’t want to give up her spot for anything.

“Here, you can have my seat!” Mary offered generously, standing up and letting Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin sit there.

The assassin smiled gratefully at Mary and nodded, swiftly taking the spot. Nick glanced sympathetically at Mary, who just smiled and winked at him.

She didn’t have to say anything for him to know what she was after. She wanted him to spend more time with the girls who were actually in the harem, and wasn’t about to get jealous.

On that note, the next to come out wasn’t likely to get jealous either.

“Hey, you guys having fun?” Dani came strolling out with a grin, her arms held over her head. She was wearing her sexy blue swimsuit from before, and didn’t seem to care if Nick checked her out thanks to her transformations.

She just smiled his way. “Looks like it, considering you’ve got women on all sides, you dog you,” she teased, pulling up a seat beside the other girls, putting a fair distance between them.

“You look nice too,” Nick complimented her. “I don’t know if you want to hear that from me, but…”

“Nah, of course it’s fine,” Dani chirped. “I’m just fine with compliments. But you better watch out. The next woman’s definitely going to knock your socks off!”

The knowing way she said that and the look of excitement in her eyes made Nick suspect he knew who it was going to be.

A flash of orange in the corner of his eye confirmed his suspicions.

Carly wasn’t exactly wearing a swimsuit. She was wearing half of one, though! Her Nami cosplay was as sexy as he remembered, and it took his breath away. She flashed a peace sign at him as she strolled up, and Nick could hear Dani’s breath hitch.

He knew how she felt.

“It’s not exactly a swimsuit,” she admitted sheepishly, brushing her orange hair aside and grinning at the crowd. “But it counts, right, Dakota?”

“Counts enough for me,” Dakota said with a smirk and a nod.

“Obviously it counts! You look even sexier on the beach!” Vivian agreed. “Don’t you think, Nick?”

“Well, obviously!” Nick blushed, glad he’d already shifted away from Rose. If she felt his dick push against her, this might go in a whole other direction. “You look amazing, Carly.”

“Amazing enough to be excited for tonight?” Carly asked with a knowing smile. “Because I’ve got some ideas planned.”

Nick blushed, not sure what to say to that. But he liked the tantalizing promise.

“Now then,” Carly said, shooting a sly grin at her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye, “next up, we’ve got… oh. Crap. Right.”

She slapped her forehead and looked back at the changing room. With a sheepish look on her face, she rushed back, and Vivian burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny!” Mary chastised her and the silently-snickering Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin.

Rose just shook her head in exasperation, trying to hide her amusement.

A couple minutes later, Carly came back out, with a very flustered and irritated Marley in tow.

“…I said I was sorry! I was so excited, I just wasn’t thinking!” Carly apologized.

“Obviously!” Marley groaned. “You’re never thinking! But that doesn’t mean you can just-!” She was so busy arguing with her sister about Carly letting her revert back to slime that she didn’t realize she had made it to Nick until she met his eyes.

She turned scarlet and quickly covered herself as best she could, a little embarrassed by the sudden outburst.

Nick could understand why she was embarrassed.

For someone who usually dressed so modestly, Marley had gone with a rather daring bikini. It was a top with a ruffled style like Mary, only pristine white like her usual clothes. It was a lot skimpier, too. The cups tried desperately to contain her luscious curves, as they practically poured over the sides, and her thicc thighs and hips strained against the small bottom.

She continued to cover her belly, clearly self-conscious.

“It… it suits me, right?” Marley mumbled. “I don’t look too… you know?”

She didn’t want to say it, but she was incredibly worried that her skimpy swimsuit would show just how pudgy she was. She wasn’t model-thin like her sister, and that made her afraid that Nick would think she was a little too chubby.

But if Nick thought she was chubby, he clearly didn’t think that was a problem.

“I-I don’t know why you’re so worried,” he said, shaking his head quickly. “You look great, Marley, really, you do!”

“R-really?” Marley brightened when she heard that, like his words were a gust of wind blowing all her prior anxieties away. She sighed in relief as her sister patted her on the back.

“See? What did I tell you?” Carly laughed. “You need to be more confident in yourself, girl! You look great in that!”

Marley didn’t say another word, too shy to do so. She just meekly nodded and continued to make bedroom eyes at Nick.

But if she was shy and embarrassed about the lack of coverage of her current swimsuit, that was nothing compared to who was next on the docket.

Morgana ran out of the changing room so fast she kicked up a cloud of sand behind her. It looked like she was getting out all of her energy in one quick burst.

…Of course, she tripped and sprawled on the beach, kicking up another cloud.

“EH! I-! I’m here!” She wailed, scrambling to her feet and hastily brushing herself off. But if she thought anyone would care about her fall, then she clearly didn’t realize how big of an impact her swimsuit had on them.

Morgana had aimed for a daring swimsuit, and boy had she delivered. It was a one-piece… in the technical sense. Her curvy body had been squeezed into a skimpy little strip of black cloth that was held up with string, straps, and some good old-fashioned prayers. Her breasts were practically hanging free in the roads of cavernous cleavage they displayed, and the plunging neckline continued from there. A large cutout bared her midriff, cutting all the way down to just above her mons in a swimsuit that, while technically providing coverage, really looked like it would rather not be.

Morgana gazed shyly up at Nick, her hands fidgeting behind her back.

The look of shocked desire on Nick’s face made her spirits soar, and she stood a little taller, knowing that she’d left him completely at a loss for words.

“I… do you… um… do you like it?” Morgana played with one of her pigtails and tried to be flirty. “I wanted something daring, something that would really capture your attention! So… what do you think?”

She waited anxiously for his answer, even though she knew it might be a long time coming.

Nick’s mouth flopped open and closed for a few seconds, but then he finally managed to get some words out.

“Morgana… that’s amazing,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You… I definitely didn’t expect such a daring swimsuit! But… it really fits you well.”

“R-really?” Morgana had a feeling that’s what Nick believed, but hearing it from him really meant a lot to her. She sighed in relief, and suddenly realized it wasn’t just Nick staring at her.

All the other girls were giving her the once-over as well, and even Dani had been drawn from her girlfriend for a moment to look appreciatively at the curvy goth.

Morgana also realized that she was holding up the line. So, still flustered, she hastily rushed aside, so the rest of the women could come out.

Nick wasn’t sure who would follow Morgana, or who would want to after such a daring display. But if he’d thought about it for a moment, the answer would become clear.

The next member of his harem to make an appearance was Amelia, who absolutely couldn’t care less if she was shown up by a girl half her age.

What Nick did find surprising though, was that his stepmother had chosen a bikini as well. He’d assumed that she’d wear something plain, frumpy, and basic, given that she absolutely wasn’t trying to seduce him and he doubted she was trying to appeal to the audience. But no, she wore a modest two-piece with a crossed top and a white sarong, and she wore it well, walking out confidently and standing before him with an ambivalent expression on her face.

“Well?” She raised her eyebrow, and Nick realized she was waiting for him to say something. Was… was this another test?!

“A-Amelia, um, you look… you look good! Very mature!” He complimented her as best he could. Was it really his fault, if paying her compliments made him feel incredibly awkward? It couldn’t be, right?

His stepmother remained silent, but evidently she thought this was good enough, because she gave him a crisp nod and walked away, pulling up a folding chair to sit in as she watched the others come out.

“Looking good, Teach!” Vivian whistled her way, and Amelia pointedly ignored her. She had more important things to focus on, like the next woman to come out, who could use all the support she could get.

Not that you’d be able to tell by the cheerful smile on her face.

“What do you think?” Sylvia hummed as she skipped across the sand, flashing her slender frame for Nick’s admiration. “I’m definitely scoring better in this one than last time!”

The last swimsuit Sylvia had picked out for herself had been a daring red bikini that revealed every curve of her body. This one was still revealing, but her curves had greatly diminished from her time as a host.

She was still happy to flaunt them, though, wearing a swimsuit that Nick felt had been pulled right out of a fetish magazine! It was black as coal, another one of her favorite colors, and styled like a corset, laces and all. If not for the sheen of the fabric, Nick might have even assumed it WAS a corset- but it wasn’t.

It sure was a statement, though.

Nick couldn’t help but glance at Dakota’s bikini, and compare the similarities between the two of them. As much as Dakota was loathe to admit it, she and her daughter had a lot in common.

“You look so great!” Marley gushed, fawning praise on the blonde.

“Thank you, Marley! I try,” Sylvia beamed with pride, batting her eyelashes at Nick. “What do you think, Daddy? Is this appropriate for a family outing?”

She just had to ruin it. Because of course she did. That’s the kind of girl Sylvia was, always taking things one step too far.

Nick sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes. But he forced himself to put those feelings aside, and share his genuine thoughts on the outfit.

“Sylvia, you really do look great,” he complimented her. “That style really does suit you, even if it’s a little more daring than I’d expect for a swimsuit.”

“Aww, thanks, Daddy,” Sylvia said with a saucy wink. “But I’ve got nothing on Morgana over there, you know!”

Morgana blushed and shied away from the other girl.

“And with that in mind… I don’t think Gina was exactly going for ‘cautious’ either,” Sylvia snickered, looking over her shoulder as the punk girl strolled out of the changing room with a smirk.

Gina definitely had not.

In the last swimming contest, Gina had shoved her into a modest one-piece to highlight how she was supposed to be a “good girl”.

Gina voiced her disapproval with her current outfit.

If Nick thought he was going to get tired of skimpy bikinis, he very much was not. Gina’s didn’t have any of the frills or accentuations some of the other girls had, it was very much a traditional black bikini that revealed a lot of her generous cleavage and juicy thighs. Her tattoos were on full display… except for the ones on her arms. In a rare bit of foresight (or perhaps mercy) Gina had come to the swimsuit contest in a long black jacket, left wide open to show off her bikini but with her arms through the sleeves, to keep the other girls from being barraged with images of her sexual fantasies.

Given the hunger in her eyes as she stared at Nick, he could begin to suspect what those fantasies were.

Gina strolled forward, looking past Rose and fixing her eyes on him. With a lick of her lips, she leaned in close… and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Expecting more than that?” She purred in a surprising display of sensuality from such a blatant woman, leaning back and shaking her breasts slightly in the process.

She turned away from him, and Nick felt a compelling urge seize his body. He slapped Gina across the ass and she jumped slightly, then flashed him a grin over her shoulder.

“Not just yet,” she said, shaking her head. “We can do that later… there are still a few girls left, you know.”

That’s true. There were. It felt like this had been going on forever, and Nick’s erection was straining impatiently against his swimming trunks.

The next girl to come out… well, she certainly didn’t help with that.

Nick wasn’t sure why he’d imagined Kim would still be wearing her school swimsuit when she had the option to wear whatever she wanted, but he really should have thought better about that. The tomboy had chosen one of the skimpier bikinis he’d ever seen. The sort of swimsuit that a woman with larger proportions would have burst right out of, but which hugged her sleek athletic frame nicely. It was bright gold and glistened in the sunlight, as did her sweat-glazed skin.

Then she decided to put on a show. Leaning forward, she knelt in the sand before his seat, giving him a perfect view of her body from above as she waved at him, letting him see her in all her glory.

“Hey!” Rose objected. “I thought we said no showing off!”

Kim ignored her. Her eyes were completely focused on Nick.

“Last time, I wore something plain and frumpy,” she said in a breathy voice, leaning back to highlight her slender stomach. “I wanted to make an impact, as you can probably guess.”

Nick nodded. She definitely had. “You’ve changed a lot, Kim,” he agreed. Between her daring behavior earlier this morning and her brazen display, she was clearing aiming at him with all cylinders firing, eager to work him up.

“For the better?” She inquired, leaning in intently.

“…Yeah. Absolutely,” he agreed. “But you were great before, too.”

She blushed. Two could play at this game.

With how sexually aggressive she was being with her clothing choices today, though, Nick was really looking forward to their night together. It was almost upon them, and Kim was making it clear just how ready she was. There was a lot to expect.

Then, a guilty expression crossed Kim’s face. “I’ve gotta say, though, I feel a little bad,” she admitted, scratching her head sheepishly. “I really pulled out all the stops, and coming next, well…”

The person to come next was Dawn. She’d come in last place in the previous swimsuit contest. And she had to follow up Kim?

But to Nick’s surprise… she actually looked confident.

It helped that her bikini this time was flattering for her figure, unlike the skimpy one Sylvia had forced her into, which had only drawn attention to her lack of curves.

She had gone for a cute number in a lime green, which was definitely her color. The ruffles on her top helped to conceal her lack of a chest, an excellent use of camouflage and redirection. She batted her eyelashes at him and brushed back her ponytail, and her tail flicked excitedly behind her.

“I know it’s not much,” she admitted. “But I really spent a lot of time picking it out.”

“It’s cute,” Nick agreed, smiling at her in a way that made her blush. “I think that a swimsuit like this is perfect for you, Dawn. It emphasizes your cuteness, while not being too childlike.”

It was a hard thing to get right, finding a swimsuit that didn’t make her look like a child. But she’d managed it. And the sigh of relief on her lips showed just how happy she was to have done that.

“I’m glad,” she said, brushing back her bangs. Her shyness lasted only a moment, and then the mature woman she was took control again. She looked serious again.

“Anyway… Nick.” Her face hardened. “There are only two women left. You should be nice to them. They could really use some support right now.”

Nick nodded. He knew exactly who she was talking about. The two women left in his harem were Ella… and Holly.

Neither were a bastion of self-esteem.

It was Holly who came first.

Possibly, in more ways than one.

As usual, the sex addict was dressed in an outfit that straddled the border between cute and fetishwear. She wore a bright blue swimsuit with white frills, coming up over her shoulders like on her maid outfit. The swimsuit had a bit of a heart motif, with a tiny cutout right under her small cleavage. Two straps rose up from the cups over her tiny breasts to connect to the hoop on her collar that her chain hung from, and she was practically drooling as she felt Nick’s eyes all over her.

“I… I wanted to go last…” She panted, practically gasping for air. “It’s what I deserve, being the worst girl here… but Ella wasn’t ready… she was shy… so I let her go after me…”

It was clear she was teaming with expectation, and her eyes flashed with desire. Nick wasn’t even sure what she wanted from him. A compliment? Repudiation?

…Probably both, if he was being honest.

But she really did look lovely. It might be hard to explain how a woman with such petite proportions could look sexy- cute, sure, anyone would accept that, but sexy?

And yet, something about her overwhelming sexuality and desire for him, the fact that her body practically radiated sex, he couldn’t describe it as anything other than sexy.

So that’s what he said.

“…Sexy,” he bluntly put it. After so many amazing swimsuits, it was getting hard for his brain to process thoughts more complicated than that.

Holly was so shocked that, for once, she didn’t even look horny.

Then she turned red with something other than desire.

“S-s-s-sexy?! N-no, I… I don’t, I… you… you think so?” As if she suddenly realized just how skimpy she had dressed, Holly began to cover herself, overwhelmed with embarrassment and shame. She smiled bashfully at Nick and quickly scurried away, leaving just one woman left.

One even shyer than her.

Nick’s heart pounded in his chest. Here it came. He’d been looking forward to seeing what Ella had chosen for her swimsuit, ever since she’d declared her firm intent to show off for him. But as every girl came out, and they weren’t Ella, he’d begun to worry.

What if this was too much for her? What if she was overwhelmed? What if… What if she turned into Cinder?

He had no idea what would happen then. He just knew that she wasn’t leaving the changing room. He glanced at Dakota, who was staring ambivalently at the changing room door, her expression impossible to read.

Nick swallowed, and cleared his throat. “So… Ella’s coming, right?”

“She’ll be here,” Dawn said firmly. “I’m sure of it! She was really looking forward to showing you her swimsuit!”

And yet, as confident as she sounded, she held the same doubts he did.

Then, finally, the door creaked open, and the latina stepped out.

It was as he feared. She didn’t look at all excited or eager. She sucked in a breath of air and walked forward on tottering steps, her amber eye swimming in her skull as she tried to keep her gaze focused on him.

She really looked cute… but really scared, at the same time. It was a pity, because he really thought she should be more confident in herself. The bashful girl wore the most modest swimsuit out of anyone, an adorable pink one-piece that looked like it came right out of a princess magazine, perfectly fitting with her style.

But her lack of confidence showed. She had tried, she really had, but as she covered her chest with her hands and started to shake, he could tell she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

Nick thought that the best way to help her was to comfort her with some kind words.

“Ella,” he said gently, “you really look good. That swimsuit fits you perfectly.”

Ella’s complexion reddened, and she smiled. She nodded, swallowing loudly, and then she snapped her rubber-band.

“THWAP! THWAP! THWAP THWAP THWAP!”

She clutched her head and started to shake. Nick gasped. He saw her start to hyperventilate as she began panicking, a giddy smile overwhelming her flustered expression, and then, finally, she straightened up and the atmosphere around her changed.

Nick paled at what happened next.

“What… what…” the latina trembled, and her fiery eyes shot up to glare furiously at Nick. “What is the meaning of this!?” She roared.

Cinder. Just as he’d feared. Ella had been too overwhelmed, and she’d retreated into her subconscious, relying on Cinder to protect her.

Dakota leaned back in her seat and smirked. She rose to her feet as the fuming Cinder screamed obscenities in Spanish.

“And that’s that!” She chirped, clapping her hands together. “Let’s put it to a vote, shall we? Who had the best swimsuit?”

Contest Poll:

https://strawpoll.com/X3nkPqqNzgE (For prize participation.)

Casual Funsies Poll:

https://strawpoll.com/6QnMQ88None (Votes for Mary, Cinder, Dakota, and Nola are just for fun and will not affect placement or prizes.)

In Nick’s opinion, there were far more important things to deal with right now.