[Steel]

"You're right," said Laila lightly. 'I don't know you that well, Kusha. But I know your husband. Oh yes... I know Sherry very well. You know he had the most adorable crush on me all through college, right?"

Kusha remained silent, and Laila nodded. "I can see the idea doesn't shock you at least. He thought he was sneaky about it, but everyone knew he had a thing for me. I could have picked up Sharath any time I wanted. And I almost did. Let me tell you the story, Kusha. It might make things a little... clearer. You don't need to say a thing. Just listen."

Kusha thought about speaking up, or even just standing up and moving away. But she was curious despite herself. Sharath was a good-looking, charming guy. If Laila was not dating anyone, and knew Sharath was interested, why had she rejected him?

"It was March of our first year in college," began Laila, shifting her wide butt a little on her seat, making her C cup breasts jiggle with the movement, and dislodging a trickle of sweat to run down her body from her collar bone down her soft belly between her legs."The weather was warming up, so Sharath and I and some of our other friends decided to do a little hike up to a waterfall near our college, one of those hidden ones in the hills, still running clear even off season. It was supposed to be pretty. Crystal water tumbling down the rocks into a quiet pool."

The attendant put another ladle of water on the coals, sending up a hissing cloud of steam as Laila went on. "Anyway, in the end, everyone cancelled except for Me and Sherry. We went anyway, and had a lot of fun. I knew he liked me, and we flirted back and forth on the way up to the waterfall. And, even though I had hesitated in the past, I had such a good time and felt such nice chemistry with him that I said, hey, why not? I was ready to give him his shot."

Laila chuckled warmly at the memory. Maybe it was the intense heat and the strange vulnerability of her bare skin in that swimsuit, but Kusha found herself totally absorbed in the story, holding on to every word.

“I’ve always been a bit of a tease,” Laila said with a cheeky grin. “So when we finally reached the waterfall and saw there was no one else around, I steered the conversation toward wild things we’d never done… specifically, skinny dipping. He admitted he’d never tried it. Neither had I. Without even waiting for him to answer, I peeled off my clothes, covered my privates with both hands, and jumped straight into the cool, clear water below. Completely naked, daring him to follow.”

Kusha could imagine it. The first heat of summer. The deep blue sky. The adrenaline rush of young attraction. How must Sharath have felt to see his crush flirting so brazenly? To catch a glimpse of her naked body as she jumped into the water?

"And to his credit, he did," said Laila with a laugh. "Stripped off his clothes and took the plunge to join me. Laila’s grin turned a little wicked. “I swam closer, still covering myself under the water, and said, ‘Some things are better experienced than judged from a distance.’ Then I let my hands fall away and closed the last bit of distance between us.” We were both there, feet away from each other in the water. Totally naked and all alone, without another soul for miles. And you know what happened then?"

'What?" Kusha asked, forgetting her disdain for Laila for just a moment in her curiosity.