StripSearch

On Sunday, September 16, 1984 the sun shone brightly through the stained glass windows of the youth chapel at First Baptist Church in Abbeville, South Carolina.

Emily, all 5’1” 100 pounds of her, stood at the podium addressing the group of girls and young women that had packed into the chapel to hear her.

John, her handsome husband whom people were always comparing to Michael J. Fox, stood next to her on the stage.

Emily Thompson Smith. Every Christian girl in these parts knew that name and her story. She was the only child of Reverend Joseph Thompson, the well-known pastor and host of the popular radio program called The Bible Tells Me So, where he applied conservative Christian Biblical principles to day to day life. The program talked a lot about submission to authority, purity, and modesty.

She had recently graduated from the ultra-conservative Bob Jones University with a degree in Biblical Studies – and an engagement ring! During her time there, she had met John, a kind and gentle young man whose family owned a Christian book publishing house. After a brief but chaste courtship, John had proposed to her right before their graduation in May.

Reverend Thompson officiated the beautiful outdoor wedding in August as hundreds of friends and family and even local officials joined in the celebration.

To the girls and young women in the audience, Emily was the paragon for feminine modesty and virtue and evidence that God rewarded those who followed His ways.

“The female body is the most beautiful and sacred creation of God.” She began.

She continued talking about the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament and how the priests always kept it covered from the eyes of the people.

She warned of compromise and the dangers of relative standards. Weaving together Biblical exegesis, history, culture, and psychology she expounded a standard of modesty for women to cover their bodies from the shoulders to the knees.

She brought up the example of swimming. She said that many otherwise modest young women will wear one-piece bathing suits. She talked about how that wasn’t modest as it reveals portions of a woman’s bottom and thighs down below and cleavage up top. She said, even when swimming, girls should wear a t-shirt and swim trunks over their one piece bathing suits to keep covered from shoulder to knees.

Emily was a naturally gifted speaker. Her mind was sharp and insightful and her knowledge was broad and deep. She had also inherited her father’s ability to mesmerize an audience.

With her blonde hair framing her face like a halo and and piercing blue eyes - she almost looked angelic.

She then continued on with the topic of purity. She talked about how she and John only started holding hands after their engagement, and that their first kiss had been at the altar after Reverend Thompson had said, “You may kiss the bride”.

A blush crept into her face as she told how their first night together had felt all the more special knowing they had kept themselves from any hint of impurity and had fully saved themselves for marriage.

Afterwards, there was a long line of young women, wanting to meet her in person and ask her their own questions.

Buoyant in spirit, but exhausted in body, she and John finally left the church at 2 in the afternoon, ready to make the 4 hour journey home. The monotonous hum of the car wheels on the road soon lulled her into sleep.

The lurch of the car onto the gravel shoulder woke her from her slumber.

“It’s ok, Em,” John explained. “I think we may have a problem with the radiator and the engine is overheating. I need to let it cool down and check what is going on.”

Emily immediately said a quiet prayer asking for guidance and help. No sooner had she finished praying, then a large sheriff’s pickup pulled up behind them.

The door opened and out stepped a mountain of man.

Sheriff Jefferson Daniels.

Daniels was a living legend around these parts. 6’9” 270 pounds of pure muscle.He was an All-American linebacker in college who volunteered for the Marines. He had served multiple tours in Vietnam receiving numerous citations for bravery and valor. And now for the past decade, he served as the sheriff of Lexington County.

Moreover, he was a man of faith with a strong belief in and devotion to the Bible.

Accompanying him was Bear, his faithful canine companion and drug sniffing dog.

“Howdy, there!” He greeted them with a warm smile as he walked to John’s side of the car.

Emily immediately recognized him as he walked towards them. There was no one else it could be. Even if her eyes had been closed she would have recognized him by his voice - so masculine, so powerful, so authoritative! He was a regular phone interview guest on her father’s show, and she had listened to him many times talking about issues.

As he walked towards them, the badge and gun glinting on his massive, muscular frame, she viscerally felt something deep within her stirring in response to his undeniable physical and legal power.

John got out of his car and shook his hand, explaining the situation to him.

The sheriff asked for their identification which John handed over.

“You’re Reverend Thompson’s daughter aren’t you?” he said looking at Emily who was seated in the car. “I read about your wedding in the local paper.”

Emily nodded.

“I was just on your father’s radio program a few weeks ago,” he mentioned.

He had been on the show talking about how he was using the Law Enforcement Explorers program to reach out to troubled young men. In the interview, the sheriff explained how the traditional Law Enforcement Explorers program was designed for young people considering a career in law enforcement.

The sheriff’s version of the program, however, was unique. Instead of just looking for young men already interested in a career in law enforcement, he deliberately reached out to and recruited young men who had previously been on the other side of the law having an arrest record for minor infractions such as school fights, simple possession of marijuana, trespassing, or breaking curfew. Instead of alienating them further, Sheriff Daniels saw this as an opportunity to break the cycle and to have them experience what it was like to be an agent of the law, rather than a target of the law. He had had great success with his first year of that, and had successfully recruited for this year.

Emily had listened to that broadcast. “You were talking about the Explorer’s program, right?” Emily responded. “I have always respected your grasp of the nuances of secular law as well as Scripture and how they should be applied.”

“I was just praying for God to send someone to help us, and I believe it is no coincidence that you were the one to come help us,” she continued.

He smiled sincerely, “Well then, let’s stop jawing and actually help you. You young people look hot out here. Why don’t you come with me into town, and I will have your car towed to our repair shop.”

Grateful, John and Emily accepted.

However, as Emily opened the car door, stepped out, and came towards the sheriff, Bear looked at her with keen intensity. He began whining and barking and lunging towards Emily as the sheriff held tightly onto the leash.

A brief look of studied interest passed across his face for a moment and then was gone.

“I am not sure why he is doing that, but don’t you worry. I will put him in the back and the two of you can ride with me.”

Together they rode back to the sheriff’s office, with Bear whining and sniffing Emily the whole time.

After a short drive, they reached the sheriff’s office and went inside. Sheriff Daniels secured Bear in his position near the door and they all went further inside.

The office was a large single room with multiple empty desks situated across the floor. Because it was Sunday, the rest of the deputies were off for the day.

Sheriff Daniels, Emily, and John walked to the sheriff’s large desk at the back right corner of the room.

“Please sit down,” he gestured to two chairs in front of his desk, “while I call the tow truck to have your car towed to the repair shop.”

After a brief phone call, he turned and looked at Emily and John, a more serious look crossing his face.

“Are either of you doing or carrying any drugs?” He asked.

A look of utter shock came across Emily and John’s faces!

“We would never!”

“It goes against everything I believe in. Everything, I have been taught since I was a little girl.” Emily added.

“I know, and I believe you. However, the dog tagged you, Emily, as carrying drugs.”

“I have had Bear for 7 years, and he has never been wrong, and furthermore, I have never seen him take such an interest in anyone before. I am obligated to fully investigate this,” he continued.

“What, do you mean investigate? What will you have to do,” Emily asked quietly.

“The protocol for this is pretty clear. Because you were so obviously tagged, Emily, it is my duty to perform a thorough strip search on you,” the sheriff with an air of absolute authority.

Fear and outrage rose up in her. At the same time, there was something about the confidence and assertion of authority by the sheriff over this most delicate area that stirred up a primal fascination deep within her. She immediately fought it off.

“You can’t do that! That is wrong. My body is sacred and no man other than my husband is allowed to look at me without clothes. How could you even suggest such a thing? You have a reputation as not only a dedicated sheriff, but as a good Bible-believing Christian,” she upbraided him.

He looked at her with calm confidence.

“Emily, although I haven’t met you before, I know your reputation and your advocacy for modesty, and I applaud you for that. I would never do anything that went against Scripture,” he said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a worn, leather-bound King James Bible.

“I will show you some passages.” he said.

Emily nodded.

He turned in the Bible to Romans 13, verses 1-5. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.'"

Emily knew these verses by heart, and had heard her father quote them many times from the pulpit and on his radio show.

The sheriff continued, “These verses say that law enforcement - referred to here as “the powers” - are ministers of God to promote the good and punish evil. Do you agree?”

Emily nodded, that was all pretty uncontroversial.

“Now being a minister means standing in the place of God, Emily, your father, when he is behind the pulpit is a minister of God, speaking God’s word with His authority. Similarly, in my role as law enforcement, I am in the place of God, working to further His justice in the world,”

When he said, “I am in the place of God,” Emily’s heart quickened as he did indeed seem to be a fitting avatar for the earthly authority of the Almighty.

“I agree with all that. But that doesn’t give you the right to violate my modesty?” Emily protested.

The sheriff nodded and flipped to Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

“The phrase, ‘have to do’ is rendered in other translations as ‘to whom we must give account`,” he continued.

“So this verse is telling us that when God judges us, we are naked and opened before him. Romans 1 is telling us that authorities are God’s earthly ministers standing in His place. Just as we are spiritually naked and opened before God for the purposes of heavenly justice, sometimes there are situations where a person needs to be naked and opened physically before God’s earthly ministers, standing in His place for the purposes of earthly justice.”

Emily’s face turned red. She had no response to the sheriff’s powerful Scriptural argument. She had been taught from an early age that resisting God-ordained earthly authority was resisting God Himself, so from a spiritual and intellectual point of view, she knew she had to submit. Yet, it was her visceral emotional response that shocked her. Even as she burned with embarrassment at the very phrase “naked and opened”, a part of her thrilled at the thought of being so utterly vulnerable before such an masculine and powerful embodiment of Divine authority.

John piped up, “But doesn’t this contradict the other teachings about modesty?”

Emily was almost irritated at John’s simplistic view of Scripture that prompted such a question.

“No, John,” the sheriff replied. “Sometimes some principles can supersede others. For example, ‘Thou shalt not kill’ is a pretty fundamental Biblical principle, being in the Ten Commandments and all. Yet, in Romans 13, Paul uses the phrase, ‘beareth the sword’. Centuries of Biblical scholarship agrees that that is referring to the use of lethal force by authorities to enforce law and justice. Now if standing as God’s minister in His place gives the authority to use lethal force in appropriate situations setting aside even the principle of ‘do not kill’, don’t you see that the principle of modesty could not override this God-given authority to see a person naked and opened?”

She couldn’t help but admire the clear and powerful way he had answered the objection.

John’s voice had an edge of desperation as he tried to prevent another man from seeing what had been exclusively his.

“Can she keep on her underwear at least?” he pleaded.

The sheriff cast a withering glance at John. “No! What do you think ‘naked and opened’ means in the context of a search? Let me spell it out for you. In accordance with my legal and Scriptural authority, I will fully inspect and search Emily's entire body including her breasts, anus, and vagina and so all clothing including bra and panties must be removed.”

The way in which he asserted his dominance over John and the confidence in his legal and spiritual authority by which he named her most private parts and announced his intention to inspect and search them fully made Emily’s whole body quiver with a maelstrom of emotions, some expected and some not. She felt the parts he named reacting reflexively to their upcoming exposure before him. Her nipples stiffened and became hard underneath her bra. Her anus clenched tightly. Her vagina moistened.

The sheriff stood up and walked across the room to where a massive whiteboard - 6 feet tall and 7 feet long stood. He easily rolled it back and positioned it in front of his desk, blocking the view from anyone who might walk in the front door.

The sheriff then looked at Emily as if assessing her. He immediately saw the widened pupils, the goose bumps, and the subtle tremors in Emily. John had noticed them as well and in his naivety and inexperience attributed them solely to fear and terror at the upcoming ordeal. But the sheriff knew better.

He turned to John. “I need you to step to the other side of the whiteboard to give Emily privacy during her strip search,” he commanded.

“But, I’m her husband,” he started to protest.

The sheriff turned in his Bible to Exodus 19:15. “Come not at your wives,” he quoted. “John, this passage is telling us that although the marital relationship is sacred, there are times when it must take a backseat. This is such a time. As Emily prepares to stand naked and opened, the only distinction that matters is between law enforcement as God’s appointed ministers and the general public. You, John, are part of the general public and have no right to see Emily unclothed.”

Chastened, John looked back at Emily, and slowly walked out of sight to the other side of the whiteboard.

Strangely, Emily felt a sense of relief that John would not witness her search and see her body’s reactions.

“Stand up Emily, and face me,” the sheriff ordered as he stood in front of her.

She stood facing the sheriff and the wall, her back to the open area of the office that extended past the edge of the whiteboard.

She was blushing, and a light sheen of sweat coated her. She wrapped her hands around her and looked at the floor, unable to meet the sheriff’s gaze.

“Emily, look at me,” he said, almost tenderly. “Have you ever gone to an amusement park, and ridden a roller coaster?”

Emily was caught off guard by this unexpected question. She just nodded in surprise.

“What was the scariest roller coaster ride you rode?” he asked.

“Space Mountain at Disney World,” she said. “It was so dark and scary, and on the turns and falls, I felt like I was about to die. I screamed my head off.”

“But you know something, Emily,” the sheriff interjected. “The whole time, you were perfectly safe. No matter what sensations you experienced, you were safe.”

He looked into her eyes as he continued. “Today is going to be like that roller coaster ride. You will experience emotions and sensations that will take your breath away with their intensity. You may experience fear, terror, embarrassment, and humiliation. You may experience other emotions and sensations that are confusing. But know you are perfectly safe - both physically and spiritually. At the end you will still be the same Godly, chaste, modest Emily, devoted, loving wife of John, and pride and joy of Reverend Thompson.”

He continued, “Do not try to judge or control these emotions and sensations. Just experience them. Just let them wash over you in their full power. Remember, just like on a roller coaster, you are safe and all those heart stopping drops and turns are just part of the ride.”

She nodded with relief at not having to try to control the emotions that were already rising up inside her and felt a deep sense of gratitude for the wisdom of the sheriff.

The sheriff placed a small box on the floor in front of her. “As we talked about, you need to disrobe completely. As you take off each item, place it in the box. Start with your shoes.”

Emily just nodded. Fear, terror, and embarrassment rose up inside her. But following the sheriff’s advice, she didn’t try to fight the feelings and just allowed herself to experience them at full intensity.

Emily took a breath and slipped off her flats. She leaned over, picked them up, and placed them in the box.

As she stood barefoot on the cold floor, she knew that was the easy part.

Her hands shook as she slowly fumbled at the first button on her dress. After many attempts, she finally got it undone. She moved on to the next. She glanced up at the sheriff who was watching her intently.

Embarrassment, but also a certain excitement, built up with each button undone, each inch of pale, flawless skin revealed to him. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt faint riding on the waves of emotions.

Finally, she undid the last button. She took a deep breath, and shrugged the dress off her shoulders. It slowly crumpled to the floor sliding down along her body, until it lay pooled around her feet leaving her standing before the sheriff in just her bra and panties.

They were sexy, red, lace Victoria’s Secret matching bra and panties. The panties were hi-cut and strands of blonde hair poked out the sides of the panties.

Emily stood blushing for a moment and looked at the sheriff. What would he think? She had decided to wear these panties as a surprise to John. After her first time giving one of her famous talks on modesty as a newlywed, she discovered that a talk in the morning meant passionate sex in the afternoon when they arrived home. Somehow, even just talking about all that suppressed desire and passion before marriage, stirred up a desire to experience full relief now that they were married. The sexy lingerie was Emily’s idea of turning this up to 11. She knew John would go crazy once her surprise had been revealed to him, and he realized that she had given her talk on modesty while wearing this underneath!

But, instead of John making the discovery, it was the sheriff! What would he think of her now? She slowly looked at this face, blushing.

The sheriff’s eyes conveyed what he felt. Emily was beautiful, and this was a beautiful gesture of romance and passion to be shared by husband and wife. His appreciation for Emily’s depth as a person increased.

Emily knew she must not hesitate too long or she would lose her nerve. Reassured by the approval of the sheriff, she quickly placed her crumpled dress in the box.

She reached behind her with trembling fingers for the clasp of her bra. Taking a deep breath, she worked it free. In her heightened state, she felt the silky sensation of her bra straps as they slowly moved down her arms leaving goosebumps behind. Forcing herself not to pause, she shrugged it free, exposing her breasts to the sheriff. Her nipples crinkled as she felt the cool air caressed her breasts. She quickly placed her bra in the box.

As her fingers went to the waistband of her panties, she realized with horror that she was wet!

She looked up pleadingly at the sheriff, her eyes wordlessly begging if she could retain this one tiny garment. His eyes were stern and unyielding. He had already told her that every item of clothing would have to be removed. Looking at him, she knew there would be no reprieve.

Embarrassment swirled within her as well as a strange thrill to be completely under his authority. She slowly pushed the waistband of her panties down.

The soaked gusset of her panties clung to her pussy a few moments longer even as the rest of her panties traveled downward and it wasn’t until her waistband was almost to her knees that her panties pulled away completely from her pussy. She felt more vulnerable than she had ever felt in her life as the air-conditioned coolness of the room met her wet pussy. She finished sliding them down her legs and stepping out of them.

In a futile gesture of embarrassment, when she placed her wet panties in the box, she tucked under her other clothes to hide them.


The sheriff noticed her arousal and the wetness of her panties and pussy, but his eyes held no judgment or condemnation as Emily had feared. He seemed to consider it not even worth mentioning.

He continued his instructions.

“Now assume the standard search position: elbows out, hands behind your head with fingers interlocked, and your feet shoulder-width apart!”

The scariest drop she had ever experienced on Space Mountain did not compare to the waves of fear and embarrassment that washed over in that moment. As she moved to obey, she was surprised that there was a sense of excitement and anticipation. As she put her hands behind her head, she noticed her nipples were hard. As she spread her feet, she could feel the coolness of the air on her wet pussy, which seemed to grow even more wet.

Her whole body and soul were a quivering mass of conflicting sensations and emotions, fear and anticipation, arousal and embarrassment, terror and thrill all played off of each other. But taking the sheriff’s advice she didn’t try to judge or control and just surrendered herself to them and let them wash over her.

She felt she was dying of embarrassment and yet at the same time like she had never been more alive. Every inch of her skin seemed to tingle.

The sheriff’s eyes slowly swept across her body, appreciating the play of shape and color across her body. Her face was bright red with embarrassment extending down to the top part of her chest. And then there were the tanlines. Emily’s arms, starting at mid-arm, her face, her neck, and her legs starting just below her knees were light tan. Her upper arms, chest, belly, and thighs all were a pale, almost translucent white never having been exposed to the sun.

Set against this pale, white background, her breasts rose proudly like peaks capped by long rose colored nipples. Her breasts were average size, but given that her petite frame was a lot smaller than average, they looked spectacular on her.

Her full blond bush at the juncture of her thighs completed this enchanting landscape.

She looked up at the sheriff and saw something in his eyes that startled her. There was no deference to modesty, no apology in his eyes as he looked at her. He was looking at her as if it was his right to see her most private parts. His eyes gently swept over her entire form lingering on her breasts, nipples, and pussy. She knew looking at his face that he enjoyed his authority to see her naked.

Yet, to her surprise, she did not feel fear or disgust, but rather a sense of excitement. This powerful man, this literal embodiment of God’s authority on earth, found her female body desirable! The thought was intoxicating.

Even as she thrilled with the realization. She knew he would never do anything that would harm her or defile her. She felt safe, and that freed her up to experience everything more acutely.

And then suddenly, all these thoughts were pushed aside by the sound of the front door of the sheriff’s office crashing open followed by the sound of footsteps and voices of young men.

Five eighteen year old young men - 3 white and 2 Black - stepped into the sheriff's office.

The whiteboard hid Emily completely from them. The sheriff, however, was tall enough so that his head and neck were visible over the whiteboard.

The sheriff’s face showed surprised for a second, before he remembered that this was the day the new Explorers were to start

“Welcome, gentleman, to the Explorer’s program,” he greeted them warmly. “On the desk nearest the door, you will find a box with your uniforms and badges. Please take them to the locker room which is on your right and change into them.”

The footsteps and voices of the young men caused Emily to feel a wave of vulnerability. Although she knew she was protected from their eyes by the whiteboard, she knew that they could hear everything. As she heard the sound of the young men gathering their uniforms and retreating to the locker room, a horrifying thought filled her mind. What if the sheriff decided to have them wait on the other side of the whiteboard with John until he finished her strip search? The thought of these unseen young men hearing the sheriff’s commands and the sounds of her movement filled her with mortification and her blush deepened.

The sheriff seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then looked down at Emily.

In a very matter of fact tone, as if he were discussing the weather, the sheriff stated, “Emily, after they return from changing into their uniforms, I am going to have the Explorers join us on this side of the whiteboard to observe and assist in your stripsearch.”


Waves of embarrassment and impending humiliation crashed over Emily and she felt as if her insides were jelly and she could scarcely breathe.

Before she could say anything, John protested. “You can’t do that! This isn’t right! It is already bad enough for you to be strip searching Emily, but to make her a spectacle in front of those five young men is unthinkable. And the hypocrisy! You put up this whiteboard to separate Emily from me to preserve her privacy, and now you want them to just walk past and ogle her. I won’t stand for it!” With that he started walking towards the edge of the whiteboard planning to go past it and confront the sheriff.

“Stop!”

The tone of voice made John instantly freeze. “If you take another step towards that edge I will arrest you for attempted voyeurism. Emily is undergoing a legal procedure, and you have no right as a member of the general public to see her naked.”

He then turned to Emily. “Please explain to your husband why the Explorers being present is justified Scripturally.”

The command took Emily by surprise. He was asking her to justify his right to expose her to others! Yet there was no resistance. Instantly, her sharp mind, immersed in the Bible since before she could even talk, put together the argument.

“John,” she began sympathetically. “I know this is hard for both of us, but God has placed the sheriff in authority over us as His minister of justice. As we all discussed earlier, because of the situation and the protocols, he has the right to set aside my modesty completely and see me as God sees me.”

That she was too shy to say the word “naked” and only referred obliquely to it was a testament to how far out of her comfort zone she was.

“John, the Bible also teaches about delegation of authority. From Jethro’s advice to Moses, and Paul’s advice to Titus and later to Timothy, and even in Jesus’s words, ‘As the Father has sent me, so send I you’ it is a well-established principle: the person in authority has the right to delegate that authority to others of his choosing.”

“These young men as Explorers are operating under the authority of the sheriff. So it is his right and prerogative to choose to delegate his authority to see me as God does to these young men.”

She paused for a moment.

“I am the most embarrassed I have ever been in my life,” she confessed, “and it is about to get much worse. But, this is what it means to truly follow the teaching of Scripture, and I need to fully acknowledge and submit to the sheriff in this matter.”

John went back to the center of the whiteboard and slumped in a chair defeated. “You know the Scriptures better than me, Em, and I will support you no matter what. I love you.”

“Thank you, John, I love you too. God will see us through.”

The sheriff spoke, his eyes full of pride and approval, “You are a wise and courageous woman, Emily, with a deep knowledge of Scripture and, even more important, an adamantine commitment to following it no matter what!”


Despite the embarrassment, she felt a heady rush of satisfaction at his approval.


The young men came out of the locker room, dressed in their Explorer uniforms.

“Gentlemen, for this moment, under my authority, you are law enforcement. I am currently in the process of conducting a strip search. All of you, join me on this side of the whiteboard so you can closely observe and assist if necessary.”

The young men hesitated, unsure if they had heard correctly.

“Gentlemen, that wasn’t a suggestion! Line up and walk quickly and orderly to my side of the whiteboard.”


They were being ordered to observe a stripsearch?!? Excitement blossomed for a second, and then faded. Surely, it would be some nasty old man.

They found out how wrong they were as soon as they filed past the edge of the board and stood in the open area behind Emily.


They were confronted with a beautiful young woman, fully naked.They wordlessly drank in the sight of her petite body, her elegant fingers clasped behind her head, her thin arms extended. Her long blond hair flowed down her back. They took in her narrow waist and flaring hips, her dimples right above her bottom. And then there was her pert, flawless bottom, which looked muscular yet soft leading down to thighs and legs and dainty ankles. They noticed how her blush deepened on hearing their footsteps and sensing their presence behind her.

And yet there was a tension, born of centuries of spoken and unspoken prejudice. The white Explorers, almost instinctively looked at their 2 Black compatriots as interlopers, as if they should not be seeing a white woman like this.

The sheriff sensed the first embers of this and quickly snuffed them out.

“Gentlemen. This is about your roles and your authority under mine to act as law enforcement. Each and every one of you has the same right to be here and observe as any other, based only on the delegation of my authority to him to act as law enforcement. There is no Black or white, only blue - am I clear!”

“Yes, sir!” they replied.

“And I expect you to live up to your calling and authority.”

“Yes, sir!”

The young men knew viscerally that the sheriff really meant it when he considered them law enforcement. Why else would he have them observe such a delicate task? He was placing a great deal of trust in them, for them to act mature and professional. And this ennobled them.

Although their eyes drank in the sight of Emily’s nude body like camels after a desert crossing, even as they found her beautiful, even as attraction and even lust stirred in their groins, they did not do or say anything demeaning or unprofessional. They did not want to mess this privilege up.

“Emily, turn around and face the Explorers, while I finish inspecting your clothing” the sheriff ordered.

Emily slowly turned and faced the Explorers. However, as she turned, she instinctively dropped her hands and arms and used them to cover herself. Her left hand and arm went across her breasts trying to shield as much as possible from view, while her right hand quickly covered her pussy. Her legs changed from their wide open position and she tried to clamp her thighs together to minimize her exposure.

As she stood there looking at the young men, she blushed knowing that they had already seen her naked bottom, and that that there was more exposure to come. While she was embarrassed by each of the young men, it was the thought of her impending full exposure before the young Black men that filled her with the most embarrassment and dread.

“Gentleman, this is Emily Thompson Smith,” the sheriff introduced her. “Yes, that Thompson,” he said, answering the question about the famous father that immediately popped into the young men’s minds.

“I personally think she is innocent, however, the evidence as indicated by my canine tagging her, suggest that she may be carrying drugs and so a thorough search is required. The law must be applied fairly and without favoritism.”

“As you can see, Emily has already fully disrobed. As you may have guessed, Emily is a very modest person and this is very embarrassing for her, but the law requires full exposure. As agents of the law, we have the authority to demand this full exposure before us when it is required.”

The young men nodded, the full weight of their authority sinking in.

The sheriff then addressed Emily. “Emily, each of these young men, because they are in the place of law enforcement under my authority, have the same right to see you naked and opened that I do. Do you understand?”

She reluctantly nodded, “Yes sir.”

“Good. Then what position should you be in right now before them?”

Emily shook like a leaf and clutched her defenses tighter for a moment. Then she finally worked up her nerve to answer.

“The standard position sir, with my hands behind my hand, elbows out, and feet shoulder width apart!”

As she said that, she felt herself carried to new heights of embarrassment and visceral terror. Yet, there was also a concomitant surge of excitement and almost anticipation.

Her hands came away from their guard posts over her breasts and pussy and to the back of her head - useless to shield her most private parts. She shuffled her feet to shoulder-width apart, opening her pussy to the cool air and the gaze of the young men.

As she stood there before the young men fully exposed in the standard search position, she viscerally felt the reality of their authority over her. She was compelled to set aside her modesty before them and reveal herself fully before them. All her most private womanly parts, so carefully guarded all her life were exposed to their gaze. The position of her arms, pulled up her breasts presenting her pale white mounds capped by rose pink areola and long sensitive nipples as if they were an offering. Her wide open stance, left her pussy obscenely exposed. Her pink inner labia peaked through her full blonde bush.

She could scarcely breathe. She looked at each young man, each with his eyes wide open, his gaze focused on her breasts, nipples, and pussy with occasional scans of the rest of her body and her blushing face.

This was far more embarrassing than being exposed to the sheriff. The sheriff was a highly respected member of the community with a sterling reputation, and had been the head lawman for years. Although embarrassing, she could see him as God’s earthly minister standing in His place and demanding total transparency. The Explorer’s on the other hand were just teenagers - younger than her. And she knew their backgrounds in general. They were all petty criminals of some sort. How could they be standing in authority over her looking upon her womanhood?

And two of them were Black! Although each young man was in the same situation and all were gawking at her, it was the gaze of the 2 Black men that mortified her the most. As she saw them looking at her, her whole body quivered with embarrassment as years of personal bias backed by centuries of culture collided with the naked reality of her total exposure.

It didn’t matter!

The thought exploded across her consciousness. Her embarrassment did not affect the authority of the young men including the two Black young men to see her fully exposed like this. That authority came from the sheriff and the delegation of his authority as law enforcement.

And ultimately from God!

A previously unknown stronghold crumbled at this thought. Although Emily and her father had taught that all people are equal before God, Emily had grown up in a very racially and culturally homogenous environment. She had lived next to white neighbors, gone to a white church, and attended a white Christian school. Her peers and superiors had been white. Her encounters with people of other races were typically limited to service roles - a clerk, a store employee, a gas station attendant. Because of this, an unconscious bias of racial superiority had taken hold in her.

The heat of the humiliation of her sanctioned exposure before these young men - her body bare and exposed and quivering in embarrassment - began to burn away this bias.

She recognized it as a spiritual root canal - painful and difficult - but necessary to remove the decay in her soul. She chose to lean into and sit with the embarrassment and humiliation knowing it was for her good.

The sheriff finished inspecting her clothing.

“Emily, remain in position, I need to do a more detailed inspection of your body,” he ordered.

He moved to the front of Emily, standing off to the side so as not to block the view of the Explorers. He gently ran his hands through her hair to the back of her neck, and then slowly lifted up her hair, letting it sift through his fingers checking for anything concealed.

“Open your mouth, Emily. Good, now lift up your tongue.” he instructed.

“I am going to check under your breasts.” He then cupped both of her breasts using his massive, powerful hands.

His touch sent shivers through Emily. John had always been so gentle and thoughtful. Even though he was her husband, he never asserted a claim over her body. Even in the throes of passion, his touch always had a question mark, making sure she was ok with it. The sheriff was completely different. His touch on her breasts, while gentle and causing no pain, held no hesitation, no apology, no question mark.

“Turn around and bend forward with your hands on your knees. I am going to inspect your anal and vaginal area.”

This was said with the same tone that he had instructed her to open her mouth.

She turned around and assumed the position he had instructed.

She felt his hands on her bottom. Her ass cheeks nestled into each of his hands. And then he pulled her ass cheeks widely apart. Emily burned with shame as she felt her asshole gape and her pussy lips pull open from the gentle tension.

He held her open for a few mortifying moments.

“Cough deeply 5 times Emily!”

With each cough, she felt her asshole and vagina spasm. Her breasts wobbled and jiggled from her coughing.

The sheriff released her buttocks.

“Turn back around, face the Explorers, and resume the standard search position, while I get my desk ready for the next part,” he ordered.

Emily turned around and resumed the position. The young men had expressions of disbelief as if they could scarcely believe what they had just witnessed. Some looked at her face, seeing the deep red blush. Others looked at her breasts, as if recalling the sheriff handling them so casually. Others looked at her pussy, imagining the view from the back with her all spread open.

As she stood looking at them, knowing what they had just witnessed, her embarrassment compounded, but so did her sense of submission to their authority over her.

The sheriff quickly cleared off his desk and retrieved the necessary supplies for the next step.

“Emily, I will be searching your vagina internally next. Please lie on the desk on your back, your feet at the edge.”

Emily burning with a heady mix of embarrassment, submission, and arousal slowly walked to the desk and lied back on it. She felt the cool, smooth wood on her hot flesh. She put her feet at the edge, but modestly kept her knees tightly together.

The sheriff placed a small pillow under her head, both for her comfort and to allow her to easily make eye contact.

“Emily, open your legs as wide as you can.”

As she slowly spread her legs, she could see the young men moving closer, eyes focused on the slow motion reveal as her pussy became fully displayed, her inner lips parting to reveal her vagina and clit.

Embarrassment, arousal, anticipation, submission, all roiled over her until she was just a seething mass of sensations inside unable to even separate each one.

“I am going to search your vagina internally,” the sheriff informed her as he stood between her legs and snapped on latex gloves onto his massive hands.

As Emily’s eyes caught sight of the sheriff’s huge, thick fingers, sheer terror welled up inside.

She had a secret that not a single person in the world knew.

Although she had enthusiastically made love with her husband since their marriage, sex was painful during penetration. She wanted to be a good wife and lover and had always tried her best to hide this, and had never brought this up with John.

The sheriff’s fingers were much bigger than John’s penis. If John entering her hurt like it did, she knew she was facing pure agony in the next few moments.

The sheriff saw the look of terror in her eyes. His keen insight discerned the reason.

He resolved to make this painless.

As he looked at her pussy, he saw the arousal and wetness he had first noticed when she removed her panties. He knew her body could produce the lubrication necessary for the search, and he decided to honor the adequacy of her female body and not use artificial lubrication.

He slowly brought his fingers towards her pussy. Instead of entering her, he gently began to stroke along her inner lips. Emily had winced at the first contact, expecting pain, but instead felt pleasure.

Looking into her eyes, he talked to her in low reassuring tones.

Emily began to relax. He then gently massaged around her engorged clit prompting a sharp intake of breath and a low moan from her. After a few minutes of this, her slit was weeping with her feminine juices. He then worked his finger around the entrance of her vagina feeling the muscles relax.

His finger slowly entered her vagina. Emily was shocked that she felt no pain, only a sense of fullness that was actually pleasant. As his finger went deeper, she felt herself accommodating him easily. Once she had adapted to his finger, he slowly introduced a second finger into her. The exciting fullness inside her grew, but without any pain.

Emily whimpered in arousal as the sheriff slowly and gently searched inside her.

By the time the sheriff finished searching inside her, Emily was whimpering, panting, and sweating. As he withdrew his fingers, she let out a low moan. Her vagina gaped open a few minutes, spasming onto the frustrating emptiness.

Emily lay like that a few moments before the realization of her position and the eyes of the young men and the sheriff brought her back fully to the present.

She blushed deeply and looked at the sheriff but saw no condemnation, only affirmation in his eyes.

As the sheriff helped her to sit up, a new realization dawned on her.

She had felt no pain!

Because of her sexual inexperience, she had just assumed that because of her petite size, painful sex would just be a fact of life for her. She was determined to make the best of it, though, and still be an enthusiastic lover to her husband.

But now, she knew differently! It did not have to be like this. With the right preparation, she could have all the pleasure without any of the pain! Excitement surged within her as she anticipated sharing this new knowledge with John.

“Emily, the search is over. There was no contraband. You can go ahead and get dressed again.” the sheriff informed her.

He placed the box with her clothes and a box of baby wipes on the desk beside her.

“We’ll give you some privacy while you get dressed, Take your time. Once you are dressed, you can come to the other side of the whiteboard.”

With that, the sheriff ushered the Explorers to the other side.

It was over.

She felt a sense of relief, but also a surprising sense of wistfulness.

She shook her head to clear it, and then cleaned herself with the baby wipes and began the process of re-dressing.

Each item of clothing seemed to increase her sense of normalcy.

Finally, she dressed completely, and walked past the edge of the whiteboard.

Her eyes immediately focused on John who ran to her with a cry and encased her in his arms.

He just held her, not speaking, his touch doing all the needed communication of how much he was worried about her and happy to see her again.

As they ended their hug, and John looked down on her with questioning eyes, she reassured him.

“I’m, OK, John. The sheriff and the Explorers treated me kindly and gently.. The sheriff had the right and obligation to search me thoroughly. It was also his prerogative to include the Explorers, and frankly, I am thankful for his wisdom in including them, as God used them to show me areas of my life where I needed to grow.”

“I know it was so hard for you to let me go through this, but I always felt your love and presence. Thank you for being there for me. I love you!” she said as she planted a quick kiss.

As she looked around, only the sheriff was present. Knowing that it might be awkward for Emily and the young men, when he had led them past the whiteboard to give Emily privacy to dress, he had quietly told them to get changed in the locker room and to exit directly from there and they would discuss this next week.

She walked over to him.

“Thank you sheriff. You truly are a man of God. I thank you for your sensitivity and wisdom and your gentleness and kindness. God used you today to help me grow in my faith,” she said sincerely.

“Thank you Emily, for your commitment to follow the law and Scripture no matter how difficult. You truly are a courageous and Godly woman! It is my honor to have met you in person!”

“The mechanic found the issue, and your car is in the lot, ready to go!” he informed them.

“I told him you are friends of mine, and he said you don’t owe him a thing!”

Emily and John walked together to the door.

As they neared the door, the sheriff’s dog, Bear, got up from his position and began barking loudly and excitedly.

This was what had started it all.

But it couldn’t be drugs he was tagging, there had to be something else.

Emily looked at him closely.

His eyes seemed to convey warmth and affection.

She looked back at the sheriff, “May I?”

He nodded. She slowly walked towards Bear. Each step she took, Bear wagged his whole body in anticipation and excitement. He excitedly sniffed and licked her extended hand as soon as she was close enough. He seemed to drink in her petting and scratching of his head, ears, and neck.

As Emily knelt down next to him, he covered her face in wet dog kisses, and then rolled on his back for her to scratch his belly.

Unknown to everyone except Bear, Emily had inadvertently used the same perfume that Bear’s trainer used to wear when he was a puppy. She had worked with him starting when he was just old enough to leave his mother until he had been sent away to work for the sheriff after 5 months of training, and that scent had become imprinted on him. In the intervening years, he had never encountered that scent, until today, when it brought back warm memories of affirmation and acceptance.

Emily laughed a laugh of pure joy, that seemed to wash away all the tension. “I guess he wasn’t tagging, was he?” she said.

“God’s ways sure are mysterious,” she said with a smile.

She grabbed her husband’s hand, looked back at the sheriff with a wave and smile, and walked out the door to their car.

She was still the same Godly, chaste, modest Emily, but she had discovered new depths of meaning for each of those words.