However, I told myself sternly, I had a mission. My Master had given me my instruction, and I had to choose between the White Hotel man and the moon-faced woman for the person whom I intended to seduce.

Except they had both gone.

With rising alarm, I scanned the beach, trying desperately to find them, hoping I had merely misplaced them, wishing, with little expectation of success, that my eyes would soon alight on them. No, they were gone, both of them. With a sinking heart, I began to pick my way back through the assembled bathers, ignoring the lascivious looks I was drawing, and searching frantically for a replacement. I couldn't return to my Master without having made a selection. It was excruciating, of course: in my near naked state, I wanted to return to our spot as quickly as possible, to end my humiliating exposure; and yet, anxious to find a suitable candidate, I had to walk slowly to give me time to make my choice. Even so, even walking as slowly as I could manage, I was fast approaching my waiting Master and nobody suitable had emerged. My heart was pounding by now, despair clawing at my throat and my hands shaking.

Over to the left, I could see a woman sprawled out on a towel, clearly alone. Smiling at my Master as I picked my way through the bathers, I took a detour in her general direction and sauntered as casually as I could past her towel. Please, I thought, please let this be the one. She was reading a book, the cover of which I recognised as The Blue Nowhere, by Jeffrey Deaver. She was attractive, with a slender body and long, tanned legs; her breasts were quite large, larger than I like, to be honest, but not excessive; and her face, peachy and fresh, was alive with emotion, with a broad, luscious-lipped mouth and slender, attractive nose beneath eyes shielded by dark sunglasses. She would do, I thought, she would do.

Elated, I made my way back to my Master. By now, the heat of the sun had mostly dried my outfit, and I was less visible than before. I flopped down beside my Master and smiled.

"Well," he asked, "did you enjoy that?"

"Yes, thank you. The water was very cold, but quite invigorating once you get used to it."

"And have you made your choice?"

"Yes I have, Master."

"And who is to be the lucky person?"

"Over there, Master." I pointed surreptitiously at the prone woman. From our position, we could only see her back, but my Master nodded his approval.

"She looks like a very good choice. I suggest you start on your quest straight away, before you run out of time."

"Yes, Master," I replied. I was at a loss now. So engrossed had I been in my search for a candidate that I had given no thought whatever to how I might approach the mission. I had no idea what to do next. My Master saw my indecision.

"Take your handbag, clothes and towel. Ask her if she would mind keeping an eye on them while you have a quick dip. You can go down to the water and come back. Take it from there."

It seemed as good a plan as any so, gathering up my belongings, I headed in the direction of the girl.

"Excuse me," I said, "I'd like to go and test the water, but I can't leave my stuff lying around. Would you mind awfully keeping an eye on it for me? I won't be long." She looked up from her book, hooking her sunglasses down and peering over them at me. Smiling, she said she would be happy to, and I deposited them beside her, artfully ensuring that my panties were visible on the top of the pile. I sauntered off towards the water, swinging my hips and wiggling my bared buttocks in the hope that the girl was watching. I turned round. She was; that was hopeful.

As I approached the water I started skipping, and then broke into a run. Hurling myself forward, I launched once more into the waves and belly-flopped onto the oncoming tide. Again, the intense cold shivered through me and I shrieked involuntarily. I dragged myself clear of the shallows and struck out into the deeper water, adopting a demure breast stroke for a few moments before turning and heading back to the water's edge. Enough was enough, and I had business to attend to. Once more, I stood in the water, my body revealed through the completely transparent bikini. With no reason to delay, I rushed back to where the girl was sitting.

"Oh God," I cried, "too cold, too cold. I couldn't take it any longer." She looked up again, and I could see the surprise register on her face as she observed my body in the sodden and see-through outfit. "Hmm, yes," I laughed, grabbing my left breast and looking at the outline of my nipple through the bikini, "I just bought this, and don't think I'll be wearing it again."

She smiled at me. "It's very nice," she replied, "but possibly a bit revealing for a public beach. Maybe you should sit down, you appear to have quite an audience." I looked round and, yet again, I had become the focus of attention for everybody around us, including, I noticed with a smile, my Master. Seizing on her invitation, I deposited myself on the edge of her blanket and sat cross legged facing her. From her position, she had a clear view of my body; she could easily see my breasts and nipples and, if she raised her head slightly, she could see, over my knee, the vivid outline of my pussy. With a start of excitement, I noticed that she did, indeed, raise herself almost imperceptibly. I couldn't see her eyes because of the dark sunglasses, but she was looking, I was sure of it. I drew my knees downwards, pulling my legs wider open. With the flimsiness of the material, I knew that very soon she would not only see the form of my pussy through the fabric, but that it would start spilling out completely. I rested my hands on my knees, quietly pushing them even further down and easing my legs wider apart. And there was no doubt about it now. She had stopped talking and was looking at me intently: I was sitting a yard away from a woman I had never met and deliberately exposing myself to her.