The icon on Anna's computer screen flashed, letting her know there was a message on MSN messenger.  It was Steve, IMing her from work.  They caught up on their days at work, Anna was at home writing an article for her newsletter.  She was just in a t shirt and panties, and was feeling a little horny.  Another message appeared, it was Ben saying hello.  He and Anna would chat sometimes, nothing special, mostly about work and music and movies.  Both of them had a thing for spanish cinema, which tended to bore Steve to death, and annoyed Maureen.  Once they had gone to a matinee together during the film festival, while their others had gone elsewhere.  Maureen to Nordstrom's, Steve to the photography and art coffee house down the road.  They all met up there after, though nobody was interested in hearing Anna talk about Spain.  Well, except Ben.  Anna juggled the two screens, and her article, then answered the phone from her office manager.  Schedule change, and she'd be working Saturday morning.  Which meant she couldn't go camping with Steve and Jason that weekend.  They were leaving first thing.  She closed out the IM boxes, and finished up her piece.  She saved and attached it to email, her mind on getting naked in the back yard with Steve.  

"How's my sexy lady doing?" Steve's text popped up under her document.  He'd get her all buttered up with steamy IMs before he'd come home, and then she'd already be in the mood for him when he got there.  She liked getting him turned on at work, he said it helped his productivity.  Worked faster.  They exchanged sexy words and come ons, then a message from Ben popped up right above it.

"I need to stay at your house this weekend, Maureen asked me to move out.  I already talked to Steve, he said fine.  Just thought I'd give you the head's up. I'll be there in about an hour."  Maureen had clicked on Ben's window without realizing it, and had answered Steve's sexy IM before reading what was in front of her.

"I'll be waiting for you by the pool, see you tonight."  She clicked send and then got up to shower, when a few more messages flashed more quickly. 

One was from Steve, "I'll be home around 6.  Ben's coming to stay this weekend, while we're gone.  Hope that's okay with you."

And one was from Ben, "Well, okay then."

Anna had walked away, unaware that either of the messages had shown up, or where hers had gone.  She got in the shower, and sudsed up and rinsed off, then slipped on a light kimono.  The back yard was a paradise for two, a small but deep pool had been put in, with a love seat carved into the wall by the water feature, and small jets that sprayed onto the backs and legs of the bathers.  She and Steve had had many hot evenings there, then going out for happy hour sushi with their skin all polished from making love in the pool.  There was another four hours before sunset, and it was still hot out.  She slipped off her robe, and lay face up on the lawn chair.  Sun hat over her face and balm on her lips, she dozed off without another stitch on.   She didn't hear the door slide open, or the feet on the flagstones.

Ben watched Anna's nude body for a while, just relaxed in the door frame, drinking a beer and letting himself get hard.  She knew he was coming, and he knew they were nudists in private, so he didn't feel like he had invaded anyone's space.  It's not like she hadn't IM'd him as much, either.   His hand slid down and he pulled on himself a couple times, and then he saw her rustling a little.  He ditched his shorts, and put his beer down, diving into the pool.  That woke her up promptly. 

"Ben, when'd you get here?" she was more than a little surprised.  He swam to the side of the pool and picked up his beer, still drinking.  

"Maureen kicked me out.  I texted you this afternoon, you said you'd be here."  Anna looked at him without recognizing his comment. "Steve said it was fine, you guys would be going camping anyhow." Anna remembered the sexy IM from before and realized that Steve didn't know she'd be working in the morning.  And he wasn't home yet.   She reached for her kimono, and Ben laughed. 

"Don't have to put that on for my account, looks great from here.  Not like I haven't seen it before."  He took another swig.  Anna flushed from heat and self consciousness, recalling a night of skinny dipping in their yard a year before.  There had been a last minute party with a lot of margaritas.  Anna had just moved in with Steve, and had barely met anyone in the group.  Ben and Maureen had been married just two weeks before.  Steve encouraged her to feel comfortable, as he and his friend had gone a long way back and everyone was like family.  Anna hadn't noticed Ben watching her then, as she was focused on Steve, and Ben had his arm around his new wife.  There were a few others as well, coming and going, and no one seemed to bat an eyelash.  

Anna had been learning to be comfortable with the nudism.  Steve had made her feel so beautiful that she had started to embrace walking around at home with just her underwear.  Sharing with friends was different, but it had seemed safe enough.  Anna had stripped down and climbed in with the others.  She hadn't thought of that night until now.  She and Ben had become friends after that night, talking of common travels and movies and books, they were both more intellectual than the rest of the group.  She and Maureen had hit it off as well.  When couples meet who can all go out together it is a relief.  Her oldest kid could babysit the other two, and so the four of them ended out on weekends pretty regularly.  But they hadn't been naked together again. 

Anna got up anyhow and pulled on her kimono.  She'd be staying here, and Ben would be staying here, and Steve didn't know about the change in plans.  It's not that there was anything to say, was there?  She remembered her dream from two weeks before, the one with Ben trying to kiss her at the restaurant and brushed it off as a silly fantasy.  She was in love with her boyfriend, but she couldn't help feel curious by the attentive stares that Ben had been giving her lately.  It wasn't until his second big fight with Maureen, a month ago, that she wondered if he really wanted to work things out with his wife, after all.  Ben was very comfortable around the two of them, more relaxed, and Steve was happy for his friend to be around.  He hadn't spent the weekend talking about working it out, or even trying to leave their home any sooner than he had to.  

Anna had never mentioned Ben's compliments to her, because they had never seemed that relevant.  She had told him he was dashingly handsome before, which he was, when he was going on one night about being a late bloomer and skinny boy in high school.  He had lit up with her assessment, and had returned the favor here and there.  It had never occurred to her it meant anything more than a compliment from two friends giving each other moral support.  Yet, here she was facing a weekend alone with him and suddenly she was a bit scared of where things could go.  It was true, really, what he had said.  If they had met each other first, they probably would have tried dating.  Maybe not stayed together, she preferred Steve's more manly patience to Ben's more boyish enthusiasm in a boyfriend.  As a lover, that might be very different.

Anna looked out onto the patio, where Ben was now lying on her lounger, and eyed his body as he sunned off.  There were sounds at the door, and she looked over to see her boyfriend come home, his arms filled with groceries for their weekend camping trip.  Anna greeted him with hugs and kisses, while Steve unpacked and laid things out for the trip.  She pulled his hand to follow her, and led him to the bedroom.  Surely, she'd find a way to get Ben off her mind and Steve's attention onto her and away from the backyard.