My heart was beating so fast. I couldn't believe I just had a conversation with a stranger while I was completely naked.
"You're awesome," said Ethan.
I smiled. Even though it had been just about the most awkward thing ever, talking to his boss while being completely naked had been strangely exhilarating. And it made the handsome man next to me think that I was awesome. But I couldn't admit that to him. I figured I might be able to use it to my advantage. "Awesome enough for you to not make me walk through the lobby of the building?"
Ethan thought about it for a second. "You sure you don't want to? It seemed like you had fun talking to my boss."
"It wasn't that fun. And I won't ever see him again. I have to work with everyone in the studio every day."
"Okay, fine. I guess you've earned it. But won't you still have to broadcast the weather naked?"
"I might. But maybe I can convince my producer to let me broadcast alone from the old studio."
"Old studio?"
"Yeah. We had a new one built a few years ago. But the old studio is still there. They use it from time to time, but for the most part it's empty. I go there with some of the weather team when I want to do a practice run of the weather before the actual broadcast."
"Is it in this building?"
"Yeah. The staircase in the back leads right to it."
"I assume that's how you expect to get in the building without going through the lobby naked?"
"Well, you could always just give me my dress," I suggested.
"That doesn't sound very fun."
"Then yes, I'd very much like to use the back staircase. Is your boss always so angry?"
"No, he was particularly agitated today."
"Why is that?"
"That would be because I skeeted in his coffee."
I laughed and looked up at him. He was smiling, but he looked serious. "Wait, really?"
"He deserved it."
"Oh my God, can you do that to my producer? That would be hilarious. He deserves it too, I swear."
"I did not expect you to be this cool."
"What do you mean?" I was walking outside naked, but for some reason his words were what made me blush.
"Girls that look like you usually aren't so awesome."
"You just think I'm awesome because you've seen me naked."
"No, that's not it. I mean, don't get me wrong, you have an amazing body. You're beautiful. But you seem fun and down to earth."
I felt my face blush even more. I definitely never expected a guy to be analyzing my personality when I was completely naked. There was something extremely endearing about Ethan. It had been a long time since a guy had made me laugh.
We made it to the back staircase without any more awkward encounters. Ethan used the access card clipped to my dress to open the door and we made our way up to the third floor. I was glad that the staircase was wide enough for both of us. It would have been awkward to go single file and have Ethan staring at my ass the whole time.
I hit the light switch and brought the old studio to life. I always loved the old studio, especially now that it was always empty. There was something so peaceful about having such a big, fancy place all to myself. It reminded me of the old abandoned house that my friends and I would hang out at after school.
"Ever been here naked before?" asked Ethan.
"Never."
"Ever think you would be?"
I used to want to bring my ex here, but he thought it was childish. "Never."
"So how do you plan to talk your producer into letting you do the broadcast from here?" asked Ethan.
"I figured you'd ask him for me."
"I don't know. I think it would be super hot for you to do the weather completely naked in front of everyone. That would probably be the first time any weather girl has ever done that."
"Wouldn't you prefer if you were the only one who got to see me give the weather report naked?" I lightly touched his tie. "After all, everyone watching at home will see it blurred out."
Ethan considered it. "That would be fun, but I think the other would be better. Especially since you seem to really enjoy people seeing you naked."
Do I? Maybe I kind of do. "I really don't."
"Sorry, Layla, but a deal's a deal."
"Alright, fine. Can I at least practice my lines first?"
"Sure. That's what you said this room is for, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Okay, so here's how this works." I walked over to the teleprompter by the green screen. "Press this button here to start...wait a second. Want to play a game?" I had one final idea to try to get out of doing the weather report nude.
"Depends on the game."
"Sometimes we play a game here where everyone tries to distract whoever's reading. It's actually pretty good practice to get familiar with the lines and learn how to stay focused during the live broadcast."
"What do you do to distract each other?" asked Ethan.
"Pretty much anything. The only two rules are that you can't touch the other person with your hands and you can't obscure their view of the teleprompter. The winner is whoever can get the furthest into the broadcast without stumbling over a word or stopping."
"So I have to read the lines too?"
"Yeah. Part of the game."
"But you have so much more practice than me. That doesn't seem fair."
"Oh, come on. Anyone can read a teleprompter." You don't stand a chance. It's harder than you think to read a teleprompter without missing a word.
"Okay. Prepare to lose," he said.
"Don't you want to know what we're playing for?"
"I thought it was just for fun?"
"Not this time. If I win, you have to go talk my producer into letting me do the broadcast from here."
"And if I win?" he asked.
"Not going to happen."
Ethan laughed. "Okay, well on the off-chance that I do win, what do I get?"
"I'll do the broadcast in the real studio."
"You're going to have to give me more than that. If I just refuse to play then that would happen anyway."
"Fine. I'll give you my number."
"Deal. You read first."
I walked over in front of the green screen and took a deep breath. This'll be easy.
"Ready?" asked Ethan.
I nodded and he hit the button on the teleprompter. The words for tonight's broadcast began scrolling down the screen.
"Enjoy the nice weather while it lasts," I read, "because we're tracking some rain coming in from the west. It should start around 6 a.m. and then intensify throughout the morning commute, so be careful when you're driving out there, especially along I-95 between Naples and Miami. We're looking at a high of 68 in Miami, 67 in Ft. Myers, 68 in Naples..."
I looked at the camera feed to see where those cities were displayed on the green screen behind me. It was super weird seeing myself naked giving the weather report. Stay focused.
"The early morning rainstorm tomorrow should be all cleared up for the Dolphins game at 8 p.m. And with a high of 68, it should be a perfect evening for some great family fun at Sun Life Stadium."
Did I really just talk about family fun while doing the weather nude? And what is Ethan doing? I don't think he's even tried to distract me.
I continued to present the weather flawlessly for another thirty seconds. Then I saw a camera flash. I glanced away from the teleprompter as Ethan turned his phone so that I could see the screen. He had written out a text and was about to send the picture to someone. And it won't be censored. Shit. There was no way that wouldn't end up on that pervy Twitter account of me.