Binoculars

望远镜

Lana sipped her coffee behind the counter of the store she and her childhood friend Karina had poured their life savings into. 

Their little tourist shop represented not just their friendship but their shared dream and determination to succeed at any cost. Karina, ever the bold one, had once quipped that she’d stand behind the counter naked if it would bring in more customers.

The joke lingered in Lana’s mind, not entirely far-fetched given her friend’s striking beauty – Karina could have easily graced Playboy’s cover. Nature had blessed her with an enviable figure: generous curves that created a mesmerizing rhythm when she walked, a slender waist that accentuated her rounded hips, and legs that seemed to go on forever, ending in delicate ankles and shapely calves. Her dark chocolate hair cascaded down to her waist, glossy and luxuriant, framing eyes so deep and brown they seemed to hold secrets.

Karina was well aware of her allure and showcased it artfully through careful makeup, elaborate hairstyles, and deliberately revealing attire. Summer days found her in impossibly short shorts that showcased her legs to perfection, paired with flimsy cropped tops. She had a rebellious disdain for bras, completely unfazed by how her nipples were outlined beneath thin fabrics.

Lana, though not that different from her friend, possessed her own captivating beauty. Her breasts, though a modest C cup, were flawlessly shaped – perky and firm. It was Karina who had persuaded her to abandon bras altogether. “You can’t hide such beauty,” Karina would insist whenever she watched Lana change clothes. Since the two not only shared their business venture but also lived together, these words became Lana’s daily affirmation. Gradually, she embraced this philosophy, liberating herself from underwire constraints. Now her breasts moved naturally with each step, and Lana found herself enjoying both the admiring glances from men and the unexpected sense of freedom that came with every unrestricted breath.

Standing slightly shorter than her friend, Lana was a golden-haired beauty, her bouncy curls framing a face that radiated vitality. Her body was lithe and toned – the reward of her dedicated yoga practice, which she pursued with passion each day. When warm weather arrived, she would move her practice to their seventh-floor balcony, fortunately, positioned far enough from neighboring buildings that no one could observe her intricate asanas without optical aid. This private perch offered Lana the perfect opportunity to combine her yoga with sunbathing, which she preferred to do either topless or completely nude, having developed a distaste for the pale lines of swimsuits left on her otherwise evenly bronzed skin.

“Babe, where did we get these binoculars?” Karina’s voice startled Lana out of her reverie as she emerged from the back room, struggling with an oversized box.

The sudden interruption made Lana jump, sending her coffee cascading down the front of her vibrant green t-shirt. A dark stain bloomed across her chest, and she let out a small cry of surprise as she frantically tried to blot away the liquid, only managing to spread it further.

“Is it hot?” Karina’s voice shifted to concern, her eyes widening as she quickly reached under the counter for napkins.

“No, the coffee was already cold…but what am I going to do?” Lana sighed, genuinely distressed at the damage to her favorite shirt.

With decisive energy, Karina strode toward the outdoor apparel section. “We’ll write off one of the display shirts – and you can be our walking advertisement!” she called over her shoulder, her tone brightening. She returned triumphantly with a hanger bearing a fresh t-shirt. “Go on, take that one off!”

“Right here?!” Lana’s voice rose in disbelief.

“Why not? There’s nobody in the store!” Karina thrust the shirt toward her friend with an encouraging smile. “Come on, hurry up!”

Lana gave a casual shrug and pulled off her stained tank top without further protest. After all, Karina had seen her unclothed countless times, and the store remained empty. As the cool air whispered across her exposed skin, her nipples responded, tightening into firm peaks. She noticed Karina’s eyes linger on her bare breasts – that same appreciative gaze she’d caught numerous times when moving about their apartment undressed.

With a mischievous smile playing on her lips, Lana deliberately slowed her movements, pretending to struggle with the fresh t-shirt. She feigned difficulty with the narrow neckline, letting the fabric tangle as she arched her back dramatically, presenting her breasts toward her friend in a teasing display of mock helplessness.

Just as Lana decisively pulled off her stained tank top, the shop’s doorbell jingled. She gasped and hastily tugged the fresh shirt down, her cheeks flushing crimson as Karina’s amused laughter mingled with a man’s awkward cough. As she adjusted the fabric, Lana noticed a customer entering – a man whose face triggered a vague sense of recognition.

“Um…Ahem…” The man shifted his weight nervously, attempting to avert his eyes from Lana while his gaze repeatedly, helplessly strayed to Karina’s curves. His complexion alternated between crimson and ashen, looking as though he might bolt at any moment.

“Looking for something specific, darling?” Lana asked, abandoning any pretense of formality – after all, the man had just glimpsed her in a state of undress.

“Binoculars…Do you have binoculars for sale?” he managed to stammer.

“Well, aren’t you the lucky one!” Karina exclaimed, her voice brightening. “We’ve just received a new shipment of excellent binoculars. I’ll show them to you right away, while my friend checks their pricing…”

Karina deftly extracted a pair from the box and began demonstrating their features to the man, while Lana, regaining her composure, rifled through the invoices to determine their origin and cost.

The man departed with his binoculars, satisfied with his purchase but still flushed with embarrassment. As the door closed behind him, Lana’s gaze lingered, a sense of familiarity nagging at her memory. She was certain she had seen him somewhere before…

Karina broke into laughter, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Looks like the naked salesgirl joke isn’t just a joke anymore, huh?” She playfully bumped Lana with her hip. “Well, your impromptu striptease worked wonders – we sold those premium binoculars!”

“Didn’t he seem strange to you?” Lana asked pensively as she arranged the remaining optics on the shelves. “I swear I’ve seen him somewhere…”

“Well, darling, anyone would act strange after being greeted by a half-dressed beauty,” Karina chuckled. “As for why he looks familiar…I suspect he’s just from our neighborhood. We tend to stand out around here, you know.”

The playful glint in Karina’s eyes suggested she was rather pleased with this possibility.

Lana tried to dismiss her friend’s explanation and put the strange customer out of her mind. But the very next morning, he returned – this time accompanied by a friend who also purchased binoculars. Oddly enough, this new face also stirred a sense of recognition in Lana’s memory.

With Karina absent that day, Lana found herself managing the store alone. To her bewilderment, an unusual number of customers streamed in, nearly all of them men, and almost everyone asking about binoculars. Most peculiar of all, each visitor gave Lana that same unsettling sense of déjà vu, as though she had encountered them somewhere before.

That evening, back in their apartment, Lana told Karina about the bizarre binocular-buying frenzy. While the friends agreed that the sudden surge in sales was welcome, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something mysterious was unfolding – something that seemed to connect all these vaguely familiar faces and their sudden interest in optical equipment.

The mystery revealed itself the very next morning. As was her ritual, Lana stepped onto the balcony for her yoga practice. It was a perfect day – the sky a vast canvas of uninterrupted blue, the sun already casting its golden warmth across the city. She queued up her favorite meditation playlist, unrolled her mat with practiced ease, and peeled off her t-shirt in one fluid motion, surrendering her youthful form to the caress of sunlight.

With unhurried movements, she reached for the suntan lotion, squeezing a generous amount into her palm. She began applying it in slow, circular motions – first along her arms, enjoying the sensation as her fingers glided over skin, then across her shoulders in a languorous rhythm. Her hands traveled downward, spreading the cream across her chest and stomach with deliberate care, working it into her already sun-kissed skin. The scent of coconut wafted around her as she moved.

Realizing she couldn’t reach her back, she called through the open balcony door, her voice carrying on the morning air:

“Karina! Babe, help me out!” Lana shouted through the open balcony door.

Karina appeared a few moments later, completely nude, her skin glistening with water droplets, hair clinging to her back in dark, wet tendrils. Having abandoned her shower at Lana’s call, she hadn’t bothered with clothes, simply coming to see what her friend needed. Lana found herself transfixed by the sight of her friend’s naked form – especially her breasts, where tiny droplets caught the sunlight like prisms, scattering miniature rainbows across her skin. She watched, mesmerized, as one perfect bead of water traced a meandering path down the curve of Karina’s breast, over the plane of her stomach, and lower still. Karina noticed her gaze and responded with a knowing, predatory smile as she reached for the tube of sunscreen.

Lana turned and gripped the balcony railing, sweeping her golden curls over one shoulder to expose her back. She leaned forward slightly, making it easier for Karina to apply the cream. Her friend’s hands moved with practiced ease, fingers gliding over her skin in slow, deliberate circles. The sensation sent pleasant shivers through Lana’s body, causing her to close her eyes momentarily in bliss as she gazed absently at the street below and the building opposite theirs.

Then, a flash of light caught her attention – something reflecting in one of the windows across the way. Squinting against the sun, she tried to make out what it could be…

At that moment, realization dawned on Lana – she suddenly remembered where she’d seen that first customer. His car was regularly parked beside hers in the shared lot between their buildings. The man lived in the apartment complex directly across from theirs. He must be watching them through the very binoculars he’d purchased from their store.

“Karina,” Lana whispered, her voice barely audible as though the neighboring building might overhear, still tingling from her friend’s caress. “We’ve got an audience. That first customer…he lives right across the street…”

Karina leaned in close, her lips brushing Lana’s ear from behind, her naked breasts – still cool and damp from the shower – pressing against Lana’s back. She whispered with equal discretion:

“And he brought a friend, don’t forget…We’ve got two more boxes of those binoculars, and there are dozens of apartments in that building…”

“You cunning fox!” Lana giggled, deliberately tilting her head to offer any observer a tantalizing view of her profile. “You’ll use anything to make this business profitable, won’t you?”

“Let’s call it targeted marketing,” Karina purred, delivering a playful slap to Lana’s firm buttocks.

Lana let out a snort of laughter but blew her friend an exaggerated air kiss. After a moment’s deliberation, she hooked her thumbs into her panties and slid them down her legs with newfound boldness. After all, tan lines would be terribly unflattering with her favorite denim shorts. And besides, those binoculars weren’t going to sell themselves.

Over the next week, the women embraced their role as inadvertent marketing directors. They sunbathed topless or completely nude on the balcony, shared affectionate embraces within view of the windows, and even exchanged a few playful kisses, creating an impromptu theater of innocent sensuality. Day by day, their inventory of binoculars dwindled while the number of reflecting lenses in the opposite windows multiplied.

By the end of the week, their stock of binoculars was completely sold out.