No One Is Awake To See and Other Revealing Tales Read online

  Unfortunately, Madeline stood at the wrong angle to be able to see herself in the full-length mirror, so she waited patiently, peeking down at the work that was being done. Finally, Krista sat back, smiling with satisfaction. “All right.” She nodded up at Madeline. “Go take a look, and let me know if you want anything else.”

  Madeline walked over to the mirrors and admired the designs drawn on her skin. A green vine with red flowers curled around her right leg, winding all the way up to her hip. On her left leg, Krista had drawn a lacy black garter circling her upper thigh. It looked so real that Madeline had to keep telling herself it was only body paint. Written on the garter in elegant white letters, it read “It’s My Birthday!”

  A pattern of glittery blue diamonds swooped around her right side, curving under her right breast. They looked almost like shiny blue scales. On her left side, Krista had painted butterflies fluttering up the side of her left breast and up to her neck. Madeline turned and looked over her shoulder, admiring the continuation of the blue diamond pattern as it darkened and split into a flock of black birds crossing her back.

  “How is it?” Krista asked.

  “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Madeline said. “I think it’s amazing!”

  “I told you.” Petra nodded in satisfaction. “But you know, you must be careful not to ruin it.”

  “The paint dries quick and it won’t smear easily,” Krista said. “But you should still avoid getting it wet, or anything that could rub against it.”

  “We’ll put your clothes in a bag, my dear,” Petra said. “You need to wear something loose. I’ll lend you a robe to wear home.”

  Madeline paid Petra and Krista for their work, and tipped both women generously. She left the salon with her clothes in a plastic bag, wearing just a thin bathrobe tied closed with a belt. The robe was shorter than she would have preferred, ending above her knees, and she felt very aware of her lack of underwear as she waited for the train to take her home.

  When the train arrived, it was too crowded to find a place to sit, which was fine with Madeline as she thought the robe might ride up when she sat. She found a place to stand, holding onto a silver vertical bar. Three teenagers sat in the seats in front of her, two girls and a boy, and Madeline could tell they immediately noticed the body paint on her legs. The boy followed the vine circling her right leg with his eyes, probably wondering where it ended.

  One of the girls asked Madeline, “Is it really your birthday?” The girl pointed at the fake garter circling Madeline’s leg.

  “Yes, it is,” Madeline said.

  “Happy birthday!”

  “Thank you.”

  The girl leaned forward, examining the garter. “That’s so amazing. It looks so real. Is it body paint?”

  “Yes,” Madeline said. “I had it done for a party I’m going to tonight.”

  “That’s awesome!” the other girl said. “That’s such a cool idea!” Madeline smiled, pleased at their response, and she was almost tempted to open her robe and let them see the rest of Krista’s artwork. But of course, that wasn’t an appropriate thing to do on a public train. Anyhow, she had plenty of people who would be seeing her naked that night; no point in starting early.

  ***

  The doorbell of her apartment rang, and Madeline checked her door camera to see Anna standing outside. Anna had shoulder-length dark hair that curved around her delicate face. She wore a black leather coat over a silky red dress.

  Madeline opened the door, already ready to go. She also wore a black coat, only hers was closed and she wore nothing underneath.

  Anna eyed the coat suspiciously. “So… you’ve got something nice on under that coat, right?”

  “You tell me,” Madeline said, and casually opened the front of her coat. “Is this nice enough?”

  “Damn, Mads,” Anna swore. “You don’t do anything halfway, do you? Is that body paint?”

  “Yes, do you like it?”

  “It looks absolutely gorgeous. You look gorgeous. So you’re really going to do this?”

  “Yes, I really am.”

  “Okay, but let me make one last attempt to dissuade you,” Anna said. “What if I did this: I will personally call everyone on the invite list. I’ll tell them the whole birthday suit thing was a stupid joke of mine. I’ll tell them I’m sorry and I’ll say you never had any intention of being naked at your party. I’ll take all the blame. On top of that, I’ll meet everyone at the door to the party and say the exact same thing over again. If I do that, will you put on a nice dress?”

  Madeline didn’t even need to consider it. “No, it’s too late for that, my dear,” she said firmly. “I’ve said to people that I would be in my birthday suit, and now everyone is wondering if I’m going to go through with it. I won’t want to disappoint them.” She glanced down at herself before closing the coat again. “Anyways…after having all this artwork put on me, I can’t bear the thought that no one will see it.”

  Anna grinned. “Well, then… to the party!”

  They went downstairs to Anna’s car and Anna drove them to Martino’s. Anna let the host know that they had reserved the banquet hall. “Oh, yes,” the host said. “Your other friend is already there.” He called for one of the busboys to escort them to the room.

  They found Vanessa hard at work decorating the room with streamers and balloons. “Vanessa!” Madeline exclaimed. “This looks wonderful! I can’t believe you did all this!”

  Vanessa smiled from her perch atop a step-stool, where she was in the process of hanging a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADELINE” banner. “Of course! How could I not, after all you did for my last birthday?” she said.

  Madeline noticed the busboy turning to leave. “Oh! Excuse me!” she called to him. “I have something to ask you.”

  “Yes?” He stopped and waited politely for her question.

  “Er…” Madeline had to consider the best way to phrase her question. “I just wanted to check with you… it’s my birthday party, you see, and as a silly sort of thing, I told some of my guests that I wouldn’t be wearing anything at this party… and I just want to make sure it’s all right for me to do that.”

  The busboy blinked at her. “Pardon?” he asked. “Sorry… what is it that you want to do?”

  “I want to make sure it’s okay if I don’t wear anything,” she said. “You know… be nude.”

  He was silent a moment, as if thinking she couldn’t have possibly meant what she had just said. “I’m sorry…” he said. “Can you explain what you mean exactly?”

  Madeline sighed. “I’ll just show you.” She unbuttoned her coat and pulled it open. The busboy’s eyes widened as he looked down at her naked body. His eyes flickered over her body, then up to her face, then down to her body again.

  “Um…” He licked his lips nervously. “I better ask the manager.”

  He darted off. Madeline closed her coat, but just tied it closed with the belt rather than buttoning it back up. She didn’t have long to wait before the busboy returned, accompanied by a thin man with short dark hair.

  “Hello. I’m Frank. I’m the manager,” the man said. “Eduardo said you had a question for me?”

  “Yes,” Madeline said. “My name is Madeline, and this is my birthday party. Um… Eduardo didn’t explain to you what I was asking?”

  “No, he just said you had a question.”

  “I see,” Madeline said. “Well… as I said, this is my birthday party, and I just wanted to check if it was okay for me to attend this party in the nude…”

  The manager frowned. “I’m sorry, did you say in the nude?”

  “Yes. I told some of the guests that I would be nude, you know, as a fun sort of birthday thing…”

  Frank exchanged a look with Eduardo. “Sorry,” he said to Madeline. “Do you mind showing me what you mean?”

  Madeline unbelted her coat and pulled it open. For a long moment, both Frank and Eduardo gazed at her body, their expressions carefully neutral.

&nbs
p; Frank looked up. “Yes, that should be fine,” he said politely, as if it was a perfectly normal request. “You’ll be in the banquet hall, which will give you a fair amount of privacy. I don’t see that it will be an issue.”

  “Oh, good!”

  “Yes. I wish you a happy birthday, and I hope you enjoy your party.” Frank paused for a moment, his face carefully composed. His eyes flickered downward. “Would you like me to take your coat?”

  “My coat?”

  “I can leave it with our coat check. Guests frequently leave their coats at the coat check by the front.” Again, his voice sounded perfectly polite, as if this was something he asked all the guests. But certainly he must have been aware that he was asking her to surrender her only piece of clothing.

  “Okay,” she said. “Thank you.” Madeline felt like this was the big moment as she slipped her coat off and held it out to Frank. She was acutely aware that she was now completely naked in the restaurant. Frank accepted the garment, and hung it on his arm. To his credit, his eyes stayed on her face.

  “Thank you,” he said. “We’ll take good care of it. Eduardo?”

  The busboy wasn’t showing the same restraint as the manager. He was walking a complete circle around Madeline’s naked body, although he seemed to be just as fascinated by her body paint as he was by her nudity. “It’s… My…. Birthday…” he read off the fake garter on her leg, leaning in close to it.

  “Eduardo!”

  Eduardo straightened abruptly. “Oh! Pardon!” He smiled and nodded at Madeline. “Um… have a good party!”

  Madeline watched them turn to leave, but didn’t actually see them go, because right at that moment Vanessa seized her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Madeline!” Vanessa exclaimed, staring at her. “You really are naked!” The pretty brown-haired woman wore a snug green dress that accentuated her curves, and she had her long bangs combed to the side, with a single stray lock crossing over her eyes.

  Madeline smiled at her friend. “Yes! I said I would be.”

  “I really didn’t think you were serious!” Vanessa looked her up and down. “But you’ve gone all out, haven’t you? You’re painted up and everything!”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s amazing! Madeline! I can’t believe how crazy you are! I want to hug you but I’m worried I’ll mess up your paint!” Instead, she leaned forward and carefully kissed Madeline on the cheek. “Are you’re going to be like that all night?”

  “I plan to be. I don’t know, do you think I’ll lose my nerve?”

  Vanessa giggled. “Oh, I doubt it! After I’ve brought you a glass of wine or two, you’ll probably completely forget you’re naked. We might all be naked by the end of the night!” Vanessa glanced at her and started to giggle again. “I’m sorry, Mads! I don’t mean to stare but I can’t seem to stop! I’m not used to seeing you like this!”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” Madeline said. “Stare all you like. You’ll get bored of my tits soon enough.”

  “I don’t know if I will! They’re so cute!” Vanessa reached out with her finger and touched Madeline’s right nipple like it was an elevator button. “Do you have make-up on your nipples?”

  “A little bit,” Madeline admitted.

  Vanessa looked toward the door. “Oh! You know what I’m going to do?” She laughed. “I’m going to film anyone who comes in that door, just so I can capture that moment when they first see you! Can you imagine how shocked everyone is going to look? It’ll be hysterical!” Vanessa went to get her phone.

  Anna gently touched Madeline’s arm from right behind her. “I do have a dress in my bag,” she whispered. “Your size. No one will think any less of you if you decide to cover up.”

  “Thanks, Anna.” Madeline smiled at her friend. Yet, strangely, she felt very calm. This was her birthday, she would be surrounded by friends and she felt like having a good time. Why waste time feeling anxious? Wasn’t it her fifteenth birthday when she kissed Jason Androus for the first time? She had gone right up to him and kissed him, because she’d had a crush on him for a while and it was her birthday. When it was your birthday, weren’t you allowed to be a little reckless?

  “Here you go, my dear.” Vanessa appeared with a glass of white wine. Madeline accepted it and had just taken a sip when the first guests walked in through the door.

  Vanessa was right. The reactions were hysterical. Brett and Maxine, the first two through the door, had no warning that Madeline would be naked. Maxine had already ordered a drink from the bar and she was so stunned when she saw Madeline that she dropped the drink onto the carpet. Brett froze in mid-step like he’d been hit with a jolt of lightning. Afterwards, he confessed that he hadn’t recognized Madeline at first, and thought that Anna and Vanessa had hired a stripper for some reason.

  Maxine had to get a new drink, of course, but that wasn’t a big deal. Vanessa and Anna were laughing so hard that it was impossible not to join in.

  Other guests arrived, and Vanessa tried to film all of them. She had a method. She would meet them at the door with her phone recording video, and would tell them that she was going to make a video of each guest offering Madeline best wishes for her birthday. The guests would smile and talk to the camera, some of them joking, others trying to be sweet and sincere. And then they would spot Madeline, and the happy birthday message usually switched abruptly to: “Oh my god, is that Madeline?”

  The wine gave Madeline a warm buzz that she found very pleasant, and she relaxed despite her nudity. Some of the guests offered to buy her drinks or birthday shots, but either Anna or Vanessa always stepped in. They would explain to the well-meaning guest that Madeline wouldn’t be accepting drinks from anyone else that night. Her only drinks would come from Anna and Vanessa.

  Madeline supposed her friends were worried she would get drunk and get herself into trouble. A legitimate concern. Just leaving the banquet hall would likely get her in trouble. The other patrons of the restaurant would be shocked to see a naked woman walking among them. And if she left the restaurant, her inebriated mind deciding that walking a few blocks might be a splendid idea? She could even be arrested!

  Or what if she got flirty with one of her male friends? She’d noticed a few of them eyeing her, even some that were married, and knowing that she was naked in front of them was turning her on more than a little bit. Anna and Vanessa needed to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t try to hook up with anyone.

  She encountered a situation of that sort later in the evening, after a few of the early bird guests had gone home. Madeline was leaning against a wall by herself, feeling good, swaying to the beat of a birthday mix Vanessa had put together, when she noticed Max from work approaching her.

  “Hey, Max!” she greeted him with a smile. “So glad you could come!”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it.” He grinned. “Especially after you told me you were going to be here in your birthday suit. How could I miss that?”

  Madeline held out her hands. “Well… here I am!”

  “Here you are,” he said with admiration. “You weren’t lying. And you look amazing!”

  “Thanks!” she said. Suddenly she pulled her hand up to her mouth. “Ohhh!”

  “What?”

  “I told you could touch it, didn’t I? On the phone. My birthday suit.” She laughed. “In other words, me!”

  He looked embarrassed. “Yeah, you kinda did say something like that. But I didn’t really think…”

  Madeline wasn’t having any of it. “Come on!” she said. She took Max’s hand and led him towards the back of the room, where a short hallway ended at a locked door, probably some kind of store room. Madeline looked over Max’s shoulder and was pleased to see Anna and Vanessa engrossed in a conversation. Neither of them was paying any attention.

  Madeline looked up at Max. She still held his hand in hers, and now she brought it up and placed it on her breast. “How does it feel?” she asked. “My birthday suit?”

  “It
feels… oh my gosh!” He squeezed gently. “It feels unbelievable!”

  Madeline found his other hand and brought it to her other breast, so he was squeezing both at them at the same time. “Soft and silky?” she breathed. “Isn’t that what I said?”

  “Soft and silky,” he agreed. His fingers pulled at her nipples. “And warm…”

  Madeline couldn’t stop herself. She took his right hand again, pulling it away from her breast, pulling it instead between her legs. “What about down here?” she whispered urgently. “Will you tell me how my birthday suit feels down here?”

  His hand pressed against her pussy. Madeline knew that he could feel her wetness as he fingers slid back and forth. “It feels awesome,” he said. “So awesome.”

  “Hey, now! No leaving the party without a chaperone!” Vanessa’s voice called. Madeline stretched up to look over Max’s shoulder, and saw Vanessa approaching.

  Max pulled his hands away quickly, and Madeline couldn’t help giggling at his guilty expression. She thought he looked like a junior high boy about to get reprimanded by the teacher. As Vanessa neared, they stepped out of the hallway and turned to face her.

  “Back to the party, Madeline,” Vanessa ordered. She gazed at Max sternly. “You can hit on her tomorrow,” she told him, “when she’s sober and has some clothes on.”

  “I’m not so drunk,” Madeline murmured, and it was true. She really wasn’t that drunk. She was just really turned on.

  “Come on, Mads.” Vanessa took her hand. “Come dance with me. I love this song.” Madeline let herself be led to the open middle area of the hall, where other couples were already dancing. The song had a good rhythm, and Madeline happily moved her body to the beat. Why not? It was a good way to burn off some of her excess energy. Before the song ended, Anna and Diane had joined them and the four friends stood in a circle, dancing to song after song.