The following story is an embellishment of some actual events that took place about 20 years ago. Note that none of the characters in this story are under age 18 nor do any participate in any form of abusive behavior.
Doug was in his late 20s, had already earned an MBA but had decided to return to campus to pick up an additional graduate course that he thought might be useful. Single at the time, Doug was enthusiastic about returning to school and as he stood in line at the bookstore that first night of class, he started a conversation with a young woman just ahead of him.
Kirsten was taller than average, but perhaps not by a large measure. With her pixie cut blond hair she was attractive and somewhat slender suggesting some level of athleticism. They started with the usual small talk: he was a supply chain analyst for a consulting company who was taking a course in transportation economics; she, a registered nurse enrolled in a course in medical metrics as the last part of master's degree in biostatistics. One thing led to another that resulted in him inviting her to go for a beer after class to which she readily accepted. They weren't going to venture far off campus and elected to walk to a neighborhood bar named Stanley's Tavern, only about two blocks away. During the short walk they chatted about their interests and Kirsten mentioned that she really enjoyed the water, especially kayaking and snorkeling whenever she got the chance. The rest of the evening was casual enough as they got to know each other.
The next Wednesday evening they ran into one another in the hallway on their way to class. Both seemed happy to reconnect and that was when she asked whether he might want to go kayaking with her sometime. As it turned out Kirsten's older stepbrother, Matt, had a small cottage on a lake less than a two-hour drive away, hence she suggested that they avail themselves of his standing invitation to use the place since he was on a prolonged business trip to Europe. She said he also had several kayaks and all they had to do was bring food and beverage.
Not surprisingly Doug readily accepted, and they agreed that the weather the coming Saturday looked to be nearly perfect. This was during the early fall of 2004 and the Autumn days were gorgeous with crystal clear air, leaves showing beautiful color, and water still warm from the summer months. Doug was really looking forward to spending a nice Saturday with Kirsten and threw his swimsuit, some groceries, and two six packs of beer in the second seat of his Jeep Wrangler. Not 20 minutes later he pulled into a parking place in front of Kirsten's apartment and got out. Kirsten opened the door before he got there and that's when his jaw nearly hit the ground. Dressed in white denim shorts and a pink tee shirt she was certainly a far more attractive woman than the night student he had encountered on campus. The shorts accentuated her long shapely legs and the tee shirt confirmed that while she might not have a large pair of boots, but was adequate enough to provide eye candy just the same.
Kirsten brought along a canvas tote which Doug put in the back and moments later they headed off on their road trip.
"I didn't even think about bringing along any life jackets," he noted while getting in behind the wheel.
"That's OK because Matt has all sorts of stuff. The air temperature is supposed to be in the low 80s, so it should be a perfect day," she said.
There was no traffic this day and it took just more than 90 minutes before they pulled down the dirt road to Matt's cottage. It was remote and perhaps a bit rustic but also appeared to be nicely maintained. When they finally parked Doug found himself looking forward to spending time out on the water, but in all honesty also hoping to enjoy spending time with Kirsten. They went into the cottage, a small structure with only a bedroom, kitchen, great room, and fortunately, an indoor bathroom. Kirsten pointed to the bedroom where Doug could change while she decided to do so in the bathroom.
It did not take Doug long to change into athletic looking swim trunks and a couple of minutes later Kirsten emerged wearing a hot pink bikini that looked terrific on her even if it did reinforce the notion that she was only modestly endowed. Nevertheless, she was still an attractive woman and Doug had all he could do to not stare.
"It's such a nice warm day that the bikini seemed like the best idea for me to catch some rays while we're out on the water. Before we start out if I could get you to apply sunscreen to my back, that would be great," she asked.
"Sure, glad to," replied Doug thinking that the pleasure would be all his.
"Get a couple of life jackets from the closet as I find the paddles," said Kirsten turning and heading for the door. Doug enjoyed the view of what he thought had to be the perfect butt. A moment later she had turned around and came back inside.
"Is everything OK?" he asked.
"I forgot to bring a hat and sunglasses. I'll see you at the dock whenever you're ready," Kirsten replied flashing Doug a to die for smile.
Not more than 10 minutes later Doug was down at the dock where he and Kirsten launched their two kayaks. For a late summer Saturday, the lake was relatively calm as they slowly paddled not far offshore on a lazy journey that went about four miles to the south end of the lake. Pausing to hydrate it was obvious that they enjoyed being together as they joked while taking a few minutes rest before heading back. All told, the trip lasted more than three hours and once back at the cottage, they found sweatshirts to be a welcome addition as the air was now beginning to cool as evening approached.
"How about some dinner?" asked Doug as he retrieved two salmon filets from the cold pack that he had brought. "I assume that Matt still has some propane for the grille."
"That sounds good to me. Let me first get us each a beer and then I'll attend to making a salad," said Kirsten getting up out of one of the ancient Adirondack chairs and heading into the cottage. Doug watched her every move and was convinced that her butt might have had just a bit more wiggle and he wondered if it was intentionally for his benefit.
Just for the record, nothing even faintly romantic occurred that day and as the semester progressed it became a common practice that they would get together for a quick bite before heading off to their classes. On occasion, such as finishing their mid-term exams or turning in a lengthy assignment, Kirsten and Doug would celebrate by going to Stanley's afterwards.
Towards the end of October, the weekend weather forecast was again calling for clear days with seasonable temperatures. Knowing that it might be the last opportunity for some kayaking for the year, Kirsten suggested that they return to Matt's cottage, an idea that Doug again immediately agreed to. As they had done in the past, Doug chose to drive and after bringing along a swimsuit, full wetsuit, and change of clothes he headed off to pick up Kirsten but not until he stopped enroute to buy a couple of steaks and a decent bottle of red wine to go with them. Kirsten also brought a wetsuit along and they headed off.
When they got to the cottage, the sun was out but there was more than just a touch of Fall coolness in the air. They unloaded Doug's truck and again Doug used the bedroom to change and Kirsten, the bathroom. Doug finished changing and went out to the great room to wait for her. Not more than two minutes later Kirsten emerged wearing a glossy black one-piece wetsuit that to Doug's mind looked more like a sexy catsuit. It was not just any catsuit but one that accentuated her every curve and just the sight her made his manhood twinge.
"The black wetsuits will absorb the warmth of the sun," he noted.
"I hope so because this is the first time I've worn this. My other wetsuit was a bit worn out so I decided that a new one was in order."
"It looks great on you," said Doug letting his mind wander to thinking about whether she was wearing anything underneath or not. They grabbed a couple of life jackets and paddles, and then headed out the door and down the hill to the water's edge where they launched their kayaks. As the weather had cooled one boater after another had already given up on the season having taken their vessels out and putting them in winter storage. Still, there were the occasional fishing boats and even a canoe or two but they were few and far between..
