She hadn’t relaxed enough to turn over and expose her breasts but she would have to do it soon, very soon. If she didn't, she would be too sunburned to sit down when she started her new job the next day. One thing she had forgotten was Laura's passion for lying out in the sun for too long. Too long for Kate at least, because while Laura tanned beautifully, and time in the sun lightened and streaked her curly, caramel colored hair, Kate turned into a lobster, no matter how much sunscreen she used. Of course, the sun also dried out her hair, making it dull and brittle. Nature, Kate thought wryly, was a very unfair witch.

Just when Kate was working up her nerve to turn over, Laura exclaimed, "Well! I'll be damned! I've never seen him here before."

There was a hint of alarm in her voice.

"Who?" Kate was only mildly interested; she didn't even look up.

"Bob Simmons." Laura hesitated, then started talking too fast, sounding alarmed. "Ah . . . Kate, I'm sorry. I swear this is the first time I ever saw anyone I knew here, and it had to be Bob, of all people."

"So who the heck is Bob?" By now Kate was concerned, she had noticed the consternation in Laura's voice. She knew it took something major to upset Laura.

"Kate, I'm truly sorry about this," Laura couldn't meet Kate's eyes, "he's the man who's going to interview you tomorrow for the job. In fact, it's a foregone conclusion, as of tomorrow; he's your new boss."

"He's my what?" Kate gave a shriek, only partly muffled by her beach blanket. She had thought she was embarrassed before but now she knew what the word really meant.

"Your new boss, the man who agreed to hire you on my word alone. The man you're going to work for, starting tomorrow." Laura said, pretending to cower and fend off blows. "Please, please don't kill me!"

Laura was hamming it up but she was really worried about her best friend's reaction to this latest sticky situation she had gotten her into. She watched as Kate buried her face in the towel. How was she going to set these two up if Kate died of terminal embarrassment, she wondered, but then again, the little voice in her mind added, even Kate could hardly ignore Bob now. Heaven's above, she looked up at Bob as he walked over and thought to herself, no woman breathing could ignore him, even a very happily married woman like herself.

"No! Laura I can not let him see me here. There is no way I'm going to meet my new boss for the first time stark, staring naked! How could I ever face him at work? Is he really headed this way? How do I hide?" There was genuine panic in Kate's voice.

"Too late." Laura whispered, then she looked up and smiled. "Hi Bob! I didn't know you came to this beach."

Laura didn't feel any embarrassment. She didn't even see any need to try to cover herself up. She was a regular at the nude beach, and also a member of a local nudist colony.

"I've never been here before. I just moved in up on the bluffs." Bob answered. "Who's your sunburned friend?"

"I'm not sure that's a sunburn, I think she's blushing, and if it's your first time here, why aren't you? Blushing, I mean." Laura asked, with a hint of challenge in her voice.

"I didn't say I had never been to any nude beach," Bob looked down at the woman trying desperately to disappear into the beach towel, "just not this one."

He couldn't help but to notice three things: She had beautiful, long, red hair, a great ass, and she was so red that she seemed like she was about to die of either sunburn or total embarrassment.

"I noticed you skipped the introduction." He took pity on her. "Hey, don't be shy. Everybody's nervous the first time they're here. Look at it this way, you'll probably never see any of these people again."

He failed to mention that he had every intention of seeing her again, with Laura's help. This brought a muffled choking sound from the blanket and caused Laura to look away.

Bob looked from one woman to the other and had a sudden sinking feeling that was confirmed by Kate's words. "Oh, I'll see you again all right. I'm your new accounting clerk, Kate Winslow, that is, if I still have a chance at the job."

"Kate, come on now, did Laura tell you that I'm such a jerk that I wouldn't hire someone because I saw her at a nude beach? I promise that tomorrow, I'll act like I've never seen you before." He had a soft, yet husky voice that was very intriguing. At any other time, it would have made Kate think of silk sheets.

"Come on Bob." Laura put in, "You know me. Of course I didn't tell her you were a jerk but I did mention a few things like your sexist attitude, your rotten temper and your special rules: No coffee breaks ever. Bow and kiss the floor whenever you walk into the room. Oh, and we have to wash your car on our lunch hour."

"Yeah, but I don't make you wax it," Bob grinned, "and if I really were such a sexist pig, her chances for success on the job have just improved a whole lot."

Kate had by now gotten up her nerve to take a quick peak up, just to see if the owner of that intriguing voice looked as good as he sounded. She had, however, failed to realize exactly what part of a naked man kneeling in front of her would be in her immediate field of vision. Her first quick peak landed on the one part of him that would have been covered up at any regular beach.

Oh my, she thought as she gasped, I know it's been a long time but if I remember right, that's pretty darn, uh, spectacular! Kate knew instantly that her libido was not dead, it was gloriously alive and well. All her dormant hormones began to rage as she also noticed wavy brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a surprisingly muscular build for an accountant. I wonder what he does to get that body into that shape, she thought, he didn't build those muscles behind a desk. Her muffled gasp did not go unnoticed by Laura.

"Kate," Bob said, quietly sitting down and discretely laying his light brown towel in his lap. "I can't help but noticing that you're more than a little embarrassed. Please tell me, you're not going to let it stop you from coming in to the interview tomorrow, are you? I mean, you aren't going to get home and realize that you don't want to face me in the morning, and chicken out, are you?"

"She certainly will." Laura put in. "She's not only a shy chicken but she's also a world champ at second thoughts. If it were an Olympic event, she'd make the team."

Bob considered this for a moment.

"So we'll fix it so that she doesn't have time to think. Why don't you two get dressed and come up to the house? I'll fix you both lunch and we can talk before Kate has a chance to get those second thoughts in gear," Bob offered, "besides, there's a few things we can go over before she comes in tomorrow. You know that I wanted to have a private conference with the two of you somewhere outside the office so no one else could overhear. Would barbecue burgers be enough inducement to talk shop for half an hour on your day off? I'll even do all the cooking."

"Can I bring Jack?" Laura mentioned her husband.

"Sure, why not?" Bob and Jack had become good friends.

"So boss man, tell me how to get to your new house and I'll drag Kate along, kicking and screaming." She listened as Bob gave her the directions. "We'll be there in about an hour, okay?"

"Laura, I can't," Kate finally found her voice. "I've got to get the kids from my mom."

"Kate, she was going to keep them for at least another couple of hours anyway, that's just an excuse." Laura said firmly. "You might as well give in, because you know I can talk you into anything."

"Why don't you bring them along?" Bob suggested. "Do they like hamburgers?"

"Are you serious? They're kids; they practically live on hamburgers." Kate reluctantly admitted, meeting his eyes for the first time. "But won't your wife get mad if you invite all of us over without warning her? And about my kids, I hate to admit, can sometimes be little monsters."

"No problem," He gazed into her brilliant green eyes, only peripherally looking at the full swell of her breasts she unconsciously revealed as she raised herself up on her elbows. "First, I don't have a wife and secondly, I firmly believe that all kids are supposed to be little monsters, on occasion. At least my mom says I was, and I know I'm practically perfect." He winked, full of humor. "Do you have any other objections?"

At her silence he went on, "Please bring your swimsuits, I've got a pool. Unless you would prefer to go skinny-dipping?" He couldn't resist teasing. "I'll see you in an hour or so."

As he walked away both women were watching, they had to, he had great buns.

Later that day, Bob is alone with Kate by the pool.

“Bob?” she asked, raising up on one arm and turning to look over her shoulder at him, “Did she set me up today?”

 “No. Kate, I swear I had no idea the two of you were going to be there.” There was pleasure and just a hint of guilt is his grin. “I won’t swear that I’m sorry you were there. To put it right out in the open, I liked what I saw.”

 “What you saw, ha! You should have seen my view.” She rolled onto her back and slanted him a mischievous glance. “Bigger than a breadbox.”

Bob almost choked on his iced tea. “Here I thought you were so shy! I’m shocked!” He actually blushed.  

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re at least six foot tall, certainly bigger than a breadbox. Unless you thought I meant, ah, a little over-confident, are we?” She laughed openly at his expression.

“You led me into that!” he accused. “You are a minx under those blushes.” He eyed her for a long moment silently, speculating. “Do you think kisses constitute sexual harassment?”

 “I think that depends on who’s kissing who, and how, and why, and what kind of kisses.” She grinned, and raised her eyebrows. “You’ll have to give me a little more to go on if you want a definitive answer,” she challenged.

He reached a hand out and slid it behind her neck, pulling her gently towards him. “Is this definitive enough?”

WITH A START LIKE THAT, HOW CAN ROMANCE BE FAR AWAY?