Jack and Maude: Daring Adventures

A Dare is a Dare

The black stretch of pond, lit only by the luminous oval of tarnished silver was not in the least inviting to Maude. Tree limbs dipped cautious fingers of spring leaves over the rain swollen bank where she stood, poised on her toes like a gymnast, contemplating the runway of the wooden dock. She squared her shoulders, hesitated for just a moment, and raced with athletic precision to plunge into the pond’s depths in one fluid motion.

A few yards out Maude surfaced with a deep in take of breath, “shit.” The water was freezing and she was naked.

Maude treaded water until her body; warmed by the motion, relaxed enough to enjoy the sensation of freedom and the view offered her. The darkness of the pond that had been intimidating just moments before was actually spread before her in various hues of blues. Dark gave way to a sheen of silvery blue caused by moonlight reflections. This merged with the far side of the pond, where gentle slopes rose in hulking shadows that gave the slightest indication of pine trees against the paler blue of the sky. The stillness of the pond itself was balanced by the night sounds that ringed its edges: owls, crickets, and if you were listening closely the muted thud of a canoe brushing against another dock.

The tranquility of the moment was marred by the mixture of male and female voices making their way through the underbrush of a path, some definitely altered by too many glasses of wine.

“Where’d she go?”

“I know it’s the end of June but would she really go swimming?”

“I didn’t bring a suit; did you?”

Reluctantly, she turned her body back to see blots of lights that were not fireflies getting larger as they approached the dock’s edge. It would only take her a few swift breast strokes to put her within easy reach of standing on the rocky bottom. A few more would allow her to reach the pile of clothes she had left on the beach.

“Son of a…..” a male voice echoed above the others followed by the not so subtle sound of Jack breaking free of the tree line and a branch that must have gotten in his way. “Maudie. Maudie this is not funny.”

She hid a smile beneath cover of the inky water. A dare was a dare. She ducked her head long enough to dampen the blonde tendrils that usually curled around her thin face in corkscrews. She enjoyed the way they spread behind her like mermaid hair tangled in seaweed as she gave a silent kick beneath the surface to propel her body forward.

“What’s wrong Jack, afraid to get your feet wet?”

On the bank she could see him in silhouette from the dropped flashlight kicking off his sneakers. “Nope, gonna get more than my feet wet Maudie my love.”

He hadn’t had so much alcohol that he forgot to take off his socks, but enough to make him sway dangerously as he pulled the dark T-shirt up and over his head. “A dare is a dare. The question is…. Are you wearing boring beige or lacy lingerie?”

Maude laughed, he hadn’t thought of a third option. “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Boxers or briefs?”

The denim material provided another balancing act as Jack extracted one leg at a time. “Briefs,” he declared in a tah dah tone.

He bypassed the dock and waded up to his thighs before the cold registered to his system. “So love, your turn. Wal-mart white or Victoria Secret satin?”

They had both been so attuned to their own game of flirtations, neither realized the other three couples had managed to crash their way onto the moonlit stretch of sand and rocks. Jaime raised the empty wine bottle in his right hand to toast lechery beneath the stars.

“Judging by these items,” he held the red bra and matching panties in his left hand. “I’d say neither. Looks like our leading lady is bathing in the buff.”

Jack squinted into the blues of the pond but only saw the halo of silver that glinted in the brightness of the full moon. “say it’s not so. Are you out there…naked?”

Maude kicked again to put herself almost within reach; he’d still have to get wet to catch her. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet Jack.”

He contemplated the crowd behind him, the woman in front of him, and the months of sexually charged teasing. “Nope. A dare is a dare.”

Jack took the plunge.