Allison's Inheritance

One day Arthur had taken Rebecca on a trip out of town and they were staying together in a hotel suite. After making love Arthur asked her if she would go down the hall for some ice.

I got out of bed and started to put my robe on. You don't need the robe, Becky, he told me. I just laughed and put it on anyway and went out for the ice. I have to admit I was a little shocked by the suggestion. There's no way I'd ever walk out naked into a hotel hallway.

When Rebecca returned to the room Arthur was unusually quiet. He didn't say anything about what had occurred but Rebecca could sense something had changed in their relationship somehow. After they'd gotten back home she didn't hear from him for a week. Then two weeks. Rebecca desperately tried to reach him but he didn't return her calls. She'd almost given up hope of seeing him again when the phone had rung a month later.

"Meet me at The Arlington restaurant at eight tonight, Becky," Arthur Compton had said. "We have something very important to talk about."

Arthur and Rebecca

Rebecca followed the maitre 'd nervously through the upscale restaurant unsure of what kind of reception she'd be getting from Arthur. He hadn't told her over the phone what he wanted to talk about and their long separation had Rebecca expecting the worse. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she saw him sitting alone at the table. He smiled as he stood to greet her. "Hello, darling," he said and lightly kissed her cheek. Rebecca could smell his familiar musky, masculine scent and she knew that his absence had made her want him more than ever.

Rebecca settled down in the chair that had been pulled back for her by the maitre 'd. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked.

"No thanks, I think we're fine for now," Arthur said and the man returned to his podium leaving the two of them alone. Arthur pulled an uncorked bottle of wine from the wine bucket adjacent to the table and filled Rebecca's glass. "I hope you don't mind but I've ordered the wine and food in advance."

"That's fine," Rebecca said as a million questions ran through her mind. Was this a final farewell dinner before he dumped her? Were they getting back together? Why hadn't he returned her calls in over a month? Was there someone else? She resisted the urge to blurt out these questions and waited for him to initiate the conversation.

Arthur held up his wine glass. "You look lovelier than ever, Rebecca." She clinked her glass against his and felt the calming influence of the wine as it drained down her throat. They sat in silence for several minutes as Rebecca picked at the dinner salad that had been placed in front of her.

"It's good to see you again, Arthur," she said finally. "I didn't know if I ever would again."

"Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry about that, Rebecca. I had to do some thinking about our relationship and where I wanted to go with it."

Rebecca felt a nervous chill crawl up her back. She noticed that he was calling her by her full name instead of shortening it to Becky like he normally did and wasn't really sure what that meant. "And what did you decide?" she asked, not at all sure she wanted to know the answer.

A waiter appeared at the table before Arthur could answer and the half-eaten salad was removed and replaced by a covered entree. The waiter lifted the cover revealing the spaghetti alle vongole smothered with a sauce of baby clams, white wine, garlic and olive oil...her favorite. Arthur had ordered the roasted pheasant for himself. The two of them ate in silence at first and when they spoke again it was mostly small talk. What had she been doing since he'd last seen her? Not much, was her reply and that had been the truth. Without Arthur her life had returned to the dreary routine she'd known prior to meeting him. Had Arthur done anything special? Just taking care of business matters mainly, he told her.

Rebecca knew better than to ask him about his business affairs; it was a subject he rarely talked about with her. She'd gotten the feeling early on that it might be best if she didn't know everything there was to know about how he made his money. It's not that she thought he was a gangster or a drug smuggler or anything, but she wasn't sure that all of his wealth had been acquired completely honestly either. He'd started from scratch and had become quite wealthy at a relatively young age. He was only ten years older but sometimes the gap between them seemed like decades to her.

The two finished eating and the empty plates were removed. Arthur re-filled both of their wine glasses as Rebecca's unasked questions hung over the table. Arthur finally began to speak. "Rebecca, do you remember the last time we were together in that hotel?" Rebecca nodded. Of course she did. "What were your feelings when I asked you not to put on your robe when you were preparing to go down the hall to the ice machine?"

"I guess I thought you were joking," Rebecca replied.

"Would you have done it if you'd known that I wasn't joking?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Someone might have seen me."

"Would that have been so terrible?" he asked.

Rebecca shifted nervously in her seat. "It would have been embarrassing."

"Do you think it would have been exciting for you as well?" Arthur smiled at the wide-eyed look on her face. "Yes, I mean exciting in a sexual way. Do you think you might have become aroused by being naked in a public setting?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It would have made me very nervous."

Arthur smiled again at her. "That's good, Rebecca. Being nervous and excited is very good. It makes you feel alive doesn't it?"

"Why are you asking me these things, Arthur?"

Arthur leaned in toward her as if letting her in on a secret. "Rebecca there are two things in my life that go beyond normal passions and hungers into the area of obsession. The first of those things is making money and gaining the power that having wealth brings." Rebecca took a nervous sip of wine as she listened to him speak. "Do you know what my second obsession is, Rebecca?"

"Sex?"

"That's very important, yes, but I think my appetites fall within the norm in that regard."

Rebecca didn't offer up any more guesses and waited for Arthur to continue. He fixed his gaze on her and spoke again.

"Rebecca, I've had strong fantasies ever since I was a child...fantasies about public exhibitionism, about naked flesh in a public setting. No, not my own naked flesh. I don't find the male body particularly attractive, not even my own. But a beautiful nude female body revealed in a public setting...my god, there's an awesome power and excitement in that, especially if the woman is not entirely willing."

Rebecca could feel her heart pounding in her chest and a nervous energy filled her body as the direction this conversation was heading became all too obvious to her.

"You have to understand, Rebecca, that this is not a normal fantasy...it's something that permeates my dreams. The nervous excitement, energy, arousal, and humiliation of the exhibitionist is something I feed off of and derive power from. It's not something I want, Rebecca., it's something I need."

Rebecca stared down into her wine glass, avoiding Arthur's powerful gaze. "I..I don't think I could ever do anything like that," she stuttered.

"Do you love me, Rebecca?" he asked..

"Yes."

Arthur smiled. "That's good because I've come to realize that I'm in love with you as well. I realized it over the past month when I didn't see you. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Rebecca was thrilled by these words.

Arthur continued. "One of the things I find most intoxicating about you is your innocence and lack of vanity. Those are rare qualities in a beautiful woman."

Rebecca listened silently staring down into the wine glass, not sure what to say.

"Rebecca, I've decided that I want to marry you."

Rebecca looked up at Arthur stunned. She hadn't been expecting this at all.

"You do?"

"Yes, I want that very much, Rebecca. There's only one thing standing in our way." He leaned in very close to her now. "I need to exhibit your nude body to the world. I need to feel what you're feeling when you experience that, Rebecca. It's something I have to know that you'll do for me whenever I ask."

Rebecca's head was spinning now. "Couldn't you just hire someone to do that for you?" she asked, a little shocked by her own suggestion.

"You mean hookers or strippers? I'd get no satisfaction from women like that. I need someone who would find what I ask daring and exciting and frightening and even humiliating. I need someone like you, Rebecca."

"I'm not sure exactly what you would want me to do, Arthur. Are you talking about going down the hall naked for ice or being naked in front of a lot of people?"

"Both. Sometimes I'll ask you to do things where you might not be seen at all and the thrill will come from the possibility of being seen. Other times there will be no question that people will see your nude body."

"How often would you ask me to do these kinds of things?"

"Not often. It might be weeks or months at a time between experiences. It's important to me that you never become accustomed to doing it. You'll never know ahead of time when I'll ask and that will be part of the excitement of it. It could happen at any time and anywhere."

"And what if I refused to do it?"

"I'd consider it a breach of our wedding vows and grounds for divorce. You wouldn't get much in the settlement either. I have very good lawyers."

Rebecca sat stunned by all she was hearing, unable to speak.

"Rebecca, I want to take care of you. I'll treat you like a princess. You'll have wealth and anything you want in this world. I'll deny you nothing. We'll raise a family together. I just need you to do this one thing for me. I can't marry you without the promise that you will."

"I..I don't know if I can. I don't know if I'm capable of doing the things you're asking."

"There's one way to find out, Rebecca," he said.

"How?" She looked into his face but he didn't answer. He just leaned back in his chair and stared at her intensely. With a growing realization she began to understand what he was suggesting. Her eyes grew wide as she looked around the crowded restaurant. Every table was filled and there were more diners standing near the front waiting for a table. "Here?" she whispered in shock.

Arthur Compton pulled a small box out of his pocket, opened it, and set it on the table in front of her. It was a diamond engagement ring and to Rebecca it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"Rebecca, there's a women's restroom at the back of the restaurant. I'd like you to go in there, freshen up, and think about everything I've said here. If you decide you can't go through with it then just return to the table and we'll leave. We'll both know at that point that it's not going to work out between us."

Rebecca closed her eyes and could feel her head spinning knowing what he was going to say next.

"But if you decide you do want to marry me, to live the life that I'm offering, then I want you to remove all of your clothes and put them in the trash can. Everything. Even your shoes. Leave your purse here at the table. If you return to the table in the nude then I'll know that you've accepted my conditions as part of our marriage contract."

Rebecca's Decision

Rebecca shoved open the door to the women's restroom walking quickly to a sink. A woman applying make-up was the only other occupant. Rebecca turned on the cold water tap and began rubbing water over her face. "Are you alright, dear," she heard the woman say. "You look ill."

"I'm fine thanks," Rebecca answered as she made her way into one of the stalls, latching it behind her. She stood leaning against the side of the stall, tears welling up in her eyes, a torrent of different emotions rushing through her. She heard footsteps, then the door opening and closing as the restroom turned silent. Rebecca began sobbing quietly, unsure what to do.

The marriage proposal was a dream-come-true for her but the conditions attached to it were almost unthinkable. Could she possibly walk out nude into a crowded restaurant? And even if she did it could she possibly do that kind of thing over and over again? That might be the worst thing of all...not knowing when or where Arthur might ask her to take her clothes off. She'd be in a constant state of uneasiness! Rebecca wiped her eyes and tried to think it through logically. I'm only considering this because I love him, she thought to herself but knew immediately that wasn't completely true. She did love him but would she have ever considered doing this if Arthur had been some working class stiff struggling from paycheck to paycheck? She didn't think so. She'd never thought of herself as being particularly materialistic before but when you grow up poor and then get a taste of the other side of life it's hard to go back. Money matters, she thought, not wanting to lie to herself. Money always matters when you don't have any.

Rebecca wiped her eyes and could feel her fingers trembling as they fumbled with the zipper behind her back. She slid her hands beneath the straps of her dress and pulled it down her body to the floor. She stepped out of it and looked down on it lying in a crumpled heap at her feet. That's my favorite dress and I'm going to throw it in the trash, she thought numbly, barely believing that she was actually going through with this. But he'll buy me another. Oh, he's going to buy me whole closets full of beautiful dresses for doing this, I'll make sure of that.

Rebecca continued undressing until she held all of her clothes and shoes in a ball against her bare stomach. She unlatched the stall door and walked to the large white trash can in the corner. There was one last moment of doubt and hesitation before she shoved the lid open and jammed her clothes into it.

As she turned toward the door she got a glimpse of herself in the mirror and the full shock of what she was doing hit her. She could feel a wave of panic and despair as she stared at her naked body in the mirror. Her face had turned a beet red and the unmistakable feelings of arousal were washing over her. Arthur was right about what I'd experience, she thought to herself. This is exactly what he wants.

Rebecca stood at the restroom door for what seemed like an eternity, terrified of what she knew was in store for her beyond it. She breathed deeply trying to calm herself, half-expecting the door to open at any moment. "Oh, god," she said quietly as she pulled the door open and stepped out into her new life.

Rebecca heard a woman gasp as she walked past the tables of diners. The restaurant went eerily quiet and she could almost hear the sound of her own heart pounding. The room began to swim and for a moment she was afraid she might faint. Up ahead Arthur was staring at her, a greedy, hungry look in his eyes. She could feel him willing her onward toward the table and she obeyed putting one step in front of the other until she reached him. He grasped her in his arms and took her hand, sliding the diamond ring onto her finger. "You have no idea how happy you've made me here today, Rebecca." Arthur said to her. "I'm so proud of you." Rebecca could only nod her head weakly as her knees began to collapse. She felt Arthur lift her into his arms and carry her towards the door.

Allison's Decision

The window drapes slid open sending the morning light beaming into Allison's face and she blinked awake to see her roommate Katie standing above her.

"Wakey-wakey, nakie Allie," she heard Katie say in a sing-song voice. "Time for another glorious day of indoctrination and brainwashing."

Allison glanced over at the alarm clock next her bed and saw the red blinking 12:00. "Shit, what time is it?"

"About eight," Katie responded.

Allison sat up groggily. "I see the power's back on."

"Nothing escapes your uncanny powers of observation, girlfriend."

"Shut up," Allison giggled.

"You going to breakfast this morning?" Katie asked.

"Naw, I don't think I have time. My first class is at nine. I'm just going to hit the showers and maybe grab a cup of coffee."

"Yeah, I can see how you wouldn't have time for breakfast what with having to decide which clothes you're not going to wear and all."

Allison laughed. "Yep, that's a real time consumer."

The two girls shuffled down the hallway toward the women's showers, Katie in her bathrobe and Allison in her birthday suit. Allison saw a couple of guys down the hallway gawking at her. She felt a little annoyed but let it pass. Why wouldn't they gawk?

The shower room was empty and the two girls selected showers next to each other and began adjusting the water temperature to their individual suiting. Allison stepped under the hot water and recalled the sensuous feeling of standing nude in the storm the previous night.

"Nasty storm last night, huh?" she heard Katie say.

"Wonderful storm," she replied with a smile as she rubbed the soap across her breasts. Her thoughts continued on to Rebecca's diary and that suddenly reminded her of her uncle's visit. The warm feelings quickly faded away.

"Katie, my Uncle Tony showed up yesterday."

"Yeah? What'd that sleazeball want?"

"He offered me a deal."

Katie stopped soaping herself and looked over at Allison suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"

Allison explained the terms of the offer. "That deal sucks! You didn't take it did you?"

Allison shook her head. "I was considering it, though."

"Well don't. You've gotta become a rich bitch and make me your number one assistant. We have a deal."

"I said I was considering it. Past tense. I'm not anymore," she said realizing for the first time that she'd made up her mind.

"Whew, that's good," Katie said. "Just curious why not, though."

"I was reading my grandmother Rebecca's diary last night. I guess it just reinforced how cruel my grandfather was." She told Katie the story about the night Arthur proposed to her.

Katie shook her head. "God, your grandfather was a major perv, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's why I have to keep going with this. I'm going to make him pay for how he treated Rebecca even if it's posthumously."

"Jeez, I thought my family was screwed up. Your family makes the one on Dynasty look like the Cleavers."

Allison laughed. "Well at least I turned out pure of heart and mind."

"And naked of body," Katie added.

The two girls finished their showers and returned to the room. As Allison toweled her hair she decided to get the unpleasant task of calling Tony over with. Picking up the phone she dialed his number.

"Hello."

"Tony, it's Allison. I'm calling you with my decision on your offer."

"Okay, go ahead."

"The answer is no, Tony. No deal."

There was silence on the other end for a few moments before the response came. "Then let the games begin," Tony said, and the line clicked dead. Allison breathed deeply as she hung up the phone, both relieved that she'd made the decision and terrified about the future. The nightmare was going to continue. She sat down on the bed and ran the brush nervously through her hair as she watched Katie getting dressed and applying makeup. Not having to worry about clothes or makeup really does save time, she thought as she waited for her roomie to finish up. She saw the photograph of Rebecca lying on her bedstand.

"Do you want to see a picture of my grandmother, Katie?"

"Sure."

Allison handed the photograph to Katie.

"God, you look a lot like her," Katie said as she examined it. "No wonder the old creep wanted to get you naked. You reminded him of her. You don't have to be Psych major to figure that shit out."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."