A Curious Combo

The couple arrive at their holiday hotel.

Eddie has a solution to Honey's problems.

You will need to have read Chapter 1 for this to make much sense.

*****

Chapter 2

So, arrangements made they travelled. The travel was the usual airport thing of queuing, moving a bit, waiting, walking, and there never being a seat unless you bought food or drink that you did not really want. Both were used to this as experienced air travellers. They found things to talk and laugh about despite the background.

The flight was OK, the hotel initially not so. It was quite late when they arrived to be told the customer had cancelled both rooms. The man did not speak good English and after an initial show of sadness started to get impatient almost implying they were trying some fraud on the hotel. Apparently the manager had gone home hours before and the duty manager was not available. Eventually, after talking to someone else who had a better grasp of English a further member of staff appeared and all was sorted with a better room thrown in for the inconvenience. At last, around 1am they found themselves in the room - alone.

****

Once in the room I opened the balcony doors and said, "let's see the view."

We stepped out on the balcony in the dark. I looked at Honey, "Beautiful view."

"Where are you looking?"

"Right there" I said pointing in her direction.

She smiled, "flattery might have got you into many beds, but won't in mine buster."

"Aw, and I thought it was sure to work." I had thought of another line but that might have crossed our red lines so walked back into the bedroom. Honey came in too and I closed the doors and the blinds.

Honey then said, "I bags the bathroom first then I'm going to get some sleep. We can make plans in the morning. You can have the big bed."

There was a king size bed closest to the bathroom and a smaller, though still double bed in our upgraded room nearer the balcony. Honey grabbed a negligee and her toilet bag and went into the bathroom. Coming out a few minutes later giving me a greater view of her body than ever before. This resulted in my cock hardening instantly to a point I thought might be embarrassingly obvious. If she did see this, she gave no sign. What can I say? I am a little bit of an intellectual snob and have no time for dumb blondes. Honey however, was blonde, beautiful and anything but dumb. What I could see for the first time was almost all of those great legs, long and strong. Breasts firmly pushing the negligee out and the shadow of them both through the light material. I dislike the terms tits or boobs, which seem to me demeaning for such beauty somehow, even if it is how women usually refer to those parts themselves.

Lost in my thoughts on her, I had been slow to realise that I had been staring. This was what we signed up for. How could she not know the beauty that made me stare? Then realising those latter thoughts were just excuses and that I had inadvertently broken my promise not to make her feel uncomfortable. I had been thoughtless in staring, enraptured as I was by her body. On the other hand I did not think turning my back or closing my eyes would really have eased any awkwardness Honey had. It made me think even more that she should not see my semi-hard on, which of course had the effect of making my cock even harder. Getting off the bed on the side closest to the bathroom door to hopefully hide my erection I entered the bathroom. I have seen a reasonable number of naked women in my time, been on various nudist beaches in my younger days too. However, the intimacy of being in a room with this gorgeous woman and perhaps even the fact that sex was not on the agenda made the whole thing more erotic in a way hard to describe. The time it had been since I had last had sex, or even held a woman close more than possibly was an additional factor in my arousal.

I have never owned pyjamas in my adult life. So came out of the bathroom just in my briefs. Luckily my hard on had subsided mostly by then. Honey was in bed and stared at me for a moment with a serious look on her face then wished me goodnight. I was woken in the morning by Honey opening her case then grabbing some clothes and holding them to her body as she hurried into the bathroom. She called through to say she was taking a shower and would be out in 10.

I used the bathroom after Honey taking clean underwear in with me but leaving the rest of the dressing till later. When I came out of the bathroom Honey was on the balcony. I got dressed and then we went down for breakfast.

I thought Honey was a bit quiet over breakfast. I reflected we had not previously spent much time together during early mornings and some people are not morning people. I did not think much about her mood at that time. We made our plans and shortly after travelled into Palma centre. We had a fun day, visiting the Roman ruins and the impressive cathedral. Never short of something to talk about and having a few laughs along the way. In the heat of the early afternoon we retreated inside to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the old town. We were both tired from all the walking as we made the way back to the hotel.

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The trip to Mallorca was OK though a little tiring and then we were greeted with the news there was 'no room at the Inn'. It's not the first time I have arrived somewhere to find a mess up over the room booking and I never thought we would be left to pace the streets all night. But during the time wasted at reception my anxiety grew as to what I had got myself into and how I would cope.

As we took the lift to the room, I could feel myself getting tense. I had been mad to think of this idea! No way it could work. After putting our cases down Eddie opened the doors to the balcony and suggested we view the scenery - at 1AM in the morning. Anyway, I went outside and pointed out that it was dark and there was nothing to see. He then made a cheesy remark saying there was a beautiful view and pointing at me. He was breaking our agreement and making a pass the minute we arrived. I was about to say something rude then thought it better to get to bed and not argue. Instead simply remarking flattery would not work with me even if it might with his other girls. His remark just added to my nervousness. I was breathing faster and at the same time telling myself to stop 'being a silly little girl'. I was determined not to show my feelings and make myself look weak and stupid in front of Eddie.

I just wanted to get into bed with no more conversation. I quickly said I'd use the bathroom first and suggested he took the bigger of the two beds. As soon as I had spoken the words I realised my mistake, but could not take the words back. My smaller bed was the one closest to the balcony doors and his very close to the bathroom. Each and every time I wanted to go to the bathroom I had to walk past his bed, to get there. Then I realised my second, even worse, mistake. I had packed a particular negligee reasoning that it was light and would be good in a warm climate. It was not something I normally used. The mistake, that it was almost see-through and now thanks to my first mistake I had to walk right by him and show him all my body. My tits swaying, for all I knew even my pubes on display. What had I been thinking! I could feel my heart rate rising. What a stupid, stupid idea all of this was, I thought miserably. I could hardly toss him out right this moment though.

I went into the bathroom to do the necessary things, changed into my negligee and then grasped the travelling clothes to my bosom ready to leave. Then I thought, what will that say to Eddie? It would show what a silly little girl I was. Instead, I took a deep breath, let the hand with the clothes drop to my side, opened the door, and walked out. Eddie must be looking at my body now, displayed in nightwear worthy of Victoria Secret. What was he thinking? How had I got into this mess? I was not ready for this intimacy. He was staring at me. Was his cock getting bigger? In the gloom of his bedside light I saw movement in his trousers answering my question. I quickly looked ahead. I had invited a randy man to stay in my bedroom for a week when I could barely shake hands with a man since the treatment by Josh. What was I going to do? The effect of me thinking about what Eddie was thinking about me, reinforced by seeing the movement in his trousers was causing my nipples to harden and I was wearing a see-through negligee. Christ! I desperately wanted to run to the bed and cry into the pillow. With a massive effort I tried to walk at a normal pace and slowly get into bed. He used the bathroom coming out dressed only in his underwear. I wished him goodnight saying we would plan everything in the morning.

Once my heart, and emotions slowed down I slept quite well and woke needing to pee desperately. PROBLEM, there was a man between the bathroom and me. Despite the blinds the room was light. I would be showing off even more of my body in this light. I quickly gathered some clothes and clutching them to my chest I dashed for the bathroom. Fuck Josh! Before then I would not have cared who saw my body, even if I was completely naked. His control, his dictation on what clothes others should see me in, his unhappiness with my body, had left me a silly frightened little girl.

After showering and dressing I went onto the balcony to give Eddie some space and myself some time to quieten. That did not prevent me seeing Eddie leave the bed just in his brief briefs. He did have a good figure, perhaps just a tiny bit overweight but tall and muscular, and manly too the dirty part of my brain added.

I was still thinking what a mistake it all was throughout breakfast, even as we planned where to visit today. Eddie is good company and my mood lifted once we started our sightseeing. I enjoyed the day until we approached the room again in the late afternoon.

We entered the room. I saw Eddie looking at me with some concern in his eyes and seemed about to speak. I thought it important to speak first, "There's a couple of things I want to say, and can you let me finish please because it's very difficult for me. I felt uncomfortable last night and this morning using the bathroom with you there in bed watching. I did not think I would. It's not that I am ashamed of my body. It's.. well.. some unpleasant things have happened to me at the hands of men. Look, please try and understand, I know you are not like them or I would not have invited you, but I can't help what I feel and don't know what to do."

Then, when you think things can't get any more embarrassing than explaining your silliness to a man whom you care what he thinks about you, they do get worse. I felt myself tear up. So I finished speaking quickly, "You must think me a foolish little girl." I looked away, I did not want to see the disappointment in his face. I wanted to run away - far away.

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Eddie saw the shadow come over Honey as they returned to their room. He was about to say something, ask her the problem when she interrupted, explaining how serious her anxieties were. Referring to things that had happened to her. I could see how hard it was for her to talk about this and then I saw the tear in her eye as she finished speaking with the phrase 'foolish little girl'.

Her tears made me want to hug her. That clearly would not be helpful at the precise moment. So instead I said, "I have no time for foolish little girls, not even beautiful ones. I can see you have been hurt badly. That makes what you are doing brave."

My mind was racing I knew I had to do more, say more. I thought of one solution, then a second, and potentially better one in the longer term. The downside of the second idea was that it would ask a huge amount from Honey, could well be misunderstood and bring a fast end to our holiday on the first day. It could also end our friendship that I was just beginning to understand how much I valued. Yet, not to recommend the second idea might equally create the end of the relationship, even if not as immediately.

So let's mention them both, I decided. Taking a deep breath, "I have not one but two solutions. Please let me finish and don't ascribe motivations until then." I saw her flinch slightly as I said the last part, maybe it sounded too much a diktat. "The first solution to offer is the sticking plaster one. When it's bedtime I can take a walk whilst you do your ablutions and get into bed. In the morning I can get up first and leave you to your morning routine."

"That's what I thought might help." Honey interrupted quickly.

I needed to continue, "the alternative to the sticking plaster is a proper, perhaps permanent solution." I paused, took a deep breath then plunged on, "That is for you to show me yourself completely naked." There was an audible intake of breath from Honey in response, however now started I had to finish. "I will do the same for you. The point is, if you know that I have seen all of you and you of me then what is there to be tense about? I am beginning to understand how much courage it will take. However, you are in control. I won't move. I won't touch. You only have to do it once. If you do this you will know that you are in charge and won't have the same fears again. The solutions are not mutually exclusive. We can do the sticking plaster solution and then if you feel you can, the better solution later."

Honey's face was serious as she digested the idea, then her face darkened. "You just expect me to come over to you and strip for your entertainment and that is supposedly a cure. Are you sure a blow job wouldn't cure me better?" Her voice low, angry, and dripping sarcasm at the end.

I had been afraid of that reaction, could even understand why that might be her first conclusion. I had asked Honey not to leap to judgement for that reason. I replied, equally serious, "If you can show yourself to me naked I can't promise it will instantly end all the hurt you have. No silver bullet. But think about this. If

you

have chosen to show me yourself completely naked then how can you then be embarrassed by me seeing you in underwear or negligee ever again? You can remove your clothes in the bathroom, come out, give me a twirl and dive into bed if that is what you decide. In all seriousness if you can take your clothes off in front of me then I believe that would be even more empowering for you. I promise not to move, I won't say a word if that is what you prefer."

Honey looked at me intently, seemed to start to say something and changed her mind. After a few moments she said with a momentary trace of a smile that was almost instantly gone and a tone that was still as sharp, "Hey, I considered a few ways this discussion might go but being asked to strip naked for you was not one of them... Mainly I expected a lecture about how stupid I was."

Her voice quieting as she got to the bit about how stupid she was.

There was then silence for a while.

______

I was very uncomfortable in front of him in my negligee and now he was calmly suggesting I did a strip tease for him. Put on a show for him! How could things get more twisted? He was just crazy, sexist, selfish, sex-crazed, like every other male!

There was silence in the room. Eddie seemed to be searching for some words to add, though none came out. I felt there were no words to express my anger at him so I said nothing and the silence continued.

Some moments later and after taking a couple of deep breaths, I realised that was not what I really thought deep down about Eddie. He'd hardly be a man if he did not like to see boobs and a cunt. I would not be surprised if he paid to see such online. I wondered how he would compare my big tits and big ass with all those beautiful women online? I was sure he must have dated women not as ungainly as me. But, that was all irrelevant because it was not something that was ever going to happen. He really did think that being naked, stripping in front, of him would help get over my problems. He did not know what Josh had done, what a fool I had been and what it had done to my confidence in my body and relationships with men. All of which had not been helped by the sexist bastards I had to deal with at work either.

I concluded that he said what he believed would help me but that was, of course, different from me believing it would help me. Having accepted that his motivation was pure, even if the suggestion was something both impossible and absurd. I also realised that another problem now existed. If I just told him how I felt, to just Fuck Off, or even slightly more politely immediately rejected the idea this may make the future of the holiday difficult and possibly determine whether we remained friends after. Many men did not take any quick rejection of their ideas well from a woman. You needed to try and work up to it. In the office I often I could not be bothered with the indirect route, was blunt and tried not to care what they thought of me but it was different with Eddie. Thinking it better, therefore to postpone the rejection of his idea I decided on some acting and enforced levity.

"You do, do you?" I said with a smile and an exaggerated arched eyebrow. "Ply me with some strong booze downstairs and you never know your luck."

I did feel slightly better after the conversation regardless of his ridiculous idea. Mainly this was because I had not seen contempt, or the wish to control in his eyes.

Despite the crack about booze I did not really want the drink he brought me when we went to the bar downstairs and it sat in front of me almost untouched. So, it was not "Dutch Courage" that caused me to consider, however whimsically what it might be like to do what he suggested. I can't deny that I had fantasised that men might suddenly lust over me giving me power over them just through their sight of my body. BUT, these were erotic imaginations any horny woman had. I had already told Eddie that I had never had sex outside of a relationship. I had never really been seriously tempted by one-night stands. I had certainly never stripped and tried to pose sexily for a man that I was not in a relationship with. Maybe that made me a prude, an anachronism in today's times, but that was me, who I am.

My mind has a habit of not letting some things go however, no matter how many times I instruct it to. I tried to put some objectivity into the thought process my mind would just not give up on and to put my thoughts in order. ONE, could I really, with certainty, trust Eddie even though I said I did? TWO, if I were to do this crazy thing I needed certainty that it would be for me - not for Eddie. Josh had been master at the psychology control tricks. Getting me to believe his desires were mine too. Was I absolutely certain this was not Eddie's game too? THREE, suppose that I started to do it, and then ended up in a tearful heap crying into my pillow. Eddie would lose all respect for me, he would never have any time for me again and it would put my whole 'get over Josh strategy' right back to day 1. I thought on all this for what seemed a very long time though in reality probably was not.

We had sat with our drinks in front of us not speaking and I was scared shitless. I was so scared because I was actually, crazily, starting to think that Eddie had a point. If we did see each other naked then wouldn't that be a hell of a step forward? Wouldn't it be getting over Josh even more? Yet, how could I do this? If I got embarrassed in front of Eddie in my night attire how could I possibly show him my naked body? After all this was the same body that had seemingly appealed to Josh for such a short time before he saw the flaws in it.

I decided on something else in order to salvage a small amount of pride. I would not chicken out through inaction, by not making a decision. I was either going to chose to do this or decide, decisively not to.