I looked in a mirror. It was indeed lovely, but the skirt was too long. It was brushing the floor.
"Okay, shoes," she said. "I guessed your size. If these are wrong, I'll get others. I'm sorry they don't match the brocade. Most of the shoes we carry are, frankly, awfully slutty. And you, my dear, aren't at all slutty. I wouldn't allow you to wear them. We've been trying to design our own line of shoes, but it's not the same as clothing. Jeremy knows what he'd like them to look like but not how to make them, and we haven't yet found anyone local who can help us. These are the only shoes we carry that don't scream 'Fuck me'."
She knelt down in front of me, lifted the skirt away from my right foot, and helped me slip on the shoe. She buckled the thin strap then helped with my other foot. When she was done, the skirt cleared the floor by a scant two inches. She stood up, looked at me, then said, "Perfect, Shane. You are stunning."
I looked in the mirror. She was right. I was stunning. And I felt more exposed than I ever felt. I wasn't ever this flamboyant. I said so to Victoria.
"Maybe," she said. "But wear it for a while? For me?"
She didn't wait for an answer but headed for the door. I walked through and then she said quietly. "Wendy is reading a book from behind the front counter. We haven't had anyone in all day, and we wouldn't both be here except we'd gotten a shipment in this afternoon and had just finished cataloging it when you arrived. If you'd gotten here 30 minutes later, one of us would already have left." She navigated us towards the front of the store then pulled me behind a large display of leather clothing. "Wait here," she said, "but come up front when I call you. I'll only be a moment."
I nodded and watched her disappear around the display. Her footsteps clicked against the floor as she headed towards the front counter. She spoke loudly enough I could hear her.
"Wendy," she said. There was a pause and a murmur I couldn't make out. "No, no. But I have someone I want you to meet."
I came around the display and turned left towards the front of the store. I could see Victoria leaning backwards against the front counter, half facing me, with another woman standing on the business side of the counter. Wendy was taller than Victoria and slender. I was immediately struck by a sense of grace. They were both watching me, although Victoria kept glancing at Wendy to judge her reaction.
I started walking up the aisle, moving slowly so as to avoid tripping over the skirt. The heels were tall enough they added a sway to my hips that wasn't normally there, and I was forced to take short steps.
"Oh. My. God." said Wendy, watching me. She didn't take her eyes off me, but asked Victoria, "Is she for me?"
I stopped, shocked. No, I wasn't for her!
"Don't scare her away!" Victoria said. She held out her hand. "It's okay, Shane. She won't bite."
"Unless you ask me to," Wendy said.
I heard Victoria mutter something to Wendy. It sounded like, "Knock it off," but I wasn't sure. Victoria just held out one hand waiting for me, and I walked to her.
I got to her and she said quietly, "Trust me." I'm sure Wendy heard her, but she didn't say anything. Maybe she finally realized I was feeling scared, vulnerable and intimidated. But I nodded to Victoria, trusting her again.
"Wendy, this is Shane. Shane, this is my partner, Wendy. I've told you about her." Victoria turned to Wendy and said, "Shane has just come out to me. She heard we were kind and discrete. I'm the first person she's told. I assured her she would be safe with us." Victoria looked quite pointedly at Wendy.
Wendy looked back and forth between Victoria and me. As she did so, her look turned into one almost of horror. "Oh my god, Shane. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never would have teased you if I'd known." She covered her face, clearly embarrassed now.
I looked at her and I looked at Victoria. Victoria didn't say a word but just let me make up my own mind.
"Wendy," I said. "Do you think we can be friends?"
She lowered her hands from her face. "I love making new friends," she said after a moment.
"Excellent!" Victoria said. "Wendy, we're having a dinner party!"
"We are? When? Now? There's not enough time to plan."
"Yes. No. Tomorrow. There's still not enough time to plan, but we'll do it anyway." She filled Wendy in about my life, hitting the highlights. It was surreal watching someone else explain me that way. Finally she wrapped up. "Who should we invite?"
"We can't have a dinner party without Jeremy," Wendy replied.
"A guy?" I asked.
"And his partner, Lawrence," Wendy said pointedly. "I can not call anyone Larry. We can't have a dinner party without Jeremy."
"If we do, he sulks," said Victoria.
"For a month," added Wendy.
"Jeremy is going to love you," said Victoria. "He's going to design an entire new clothing line around you."
"Do you think she'll model for us?" Wendy asked Victoria. "She'd be perfect."
"I've already asked her," Victoria said. "I think she's a little afraid for her reputation. And maybe what we'd ask her to model." She made a crude motion to Wendy.
"Oh dear," Wendy said, laughing. "No no, nothing like that. Just the clothing. Do you know how many of those corsets would sell if people see photos of you wearing them?" She started talking with pride about their clothing line, telling me many of the things that Victoria had. She suddenly stopped. "I bet Victoria already told you that. She's the one who decided we should produce locally, and it was one of the best business decisions we've ever made."
"She did," I admitted. "And offering a way I can pay for this corset-" then I looked down at the skirt and cringed. "And skirt was certainly a selling point."
"You think about it and promise you'll let us talk you into it next week," Wendy said. She winked at me.
"I'll think about it and promise to let you try to talk me into it, but you might find I'm really good at digging my heels in if I decide something is a bad idea."
"About the party..." Victoria said.
"Okay, Jeremy and Lawrence," Wendy said, pulling out a pad of paper from behind the counter and writing the names down. "You and I of course." She wrote their names down above Jeremy's, then added mine, also above Jeremy's. Then she took the pad to herself and began writing down more names. When she was done, she handed the pad to Victoria.
Victoria read the list, then held out her hand. "Pen," she said.
"No," said Wendy. "She's there for contrast."
I looked between them, confused.
"Victoria wants to cross off a name. But she's going to trust me." I looked at Victoria, who looked cross
"Shane," said Wendy. "Tomorrow, you are not to do so much as give anyone your full name, your phone number, and certainly not leave our home with anyone without talking to us first. You have to promise, or the party is off."
"Because we want to make sure you know what you'd be getting into," Victoria said.
"Okay," I said. "Promise."
The three of us talked for quite a while. They told me more about themselves. I told them about school and my plans. I explained how school was important and how I was avoiding any jobs during the school year so I could stay focused.
In the middle of our conversation, a woman came into the store. She had a dark complexion with short, black hair. She looked like she'd come straight from Italy. She looked around hesitatingly before she saw the three of us standing at the counter. She walked up to us slowly, looking at me the entire time. She walked around me, looking me up and down. I thought I was on display. It wasn't helped when Victoria took my hand and held it up over my head, encouraging me to turn around.
I obeyed, but then looked for a place to hide.
The woman spoke for the first time. "That's amazing," she said. "Do you think you have one in my size?"
"Of course," said Victoria. "But this one won't suit you at all." She held out her hand and the woman took it automatically. "But we have a violet brocade that you would look divine in." She drew the woman away.
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Wendy and I continued to talk while Victoria was helping the new customer. They were gone quite some time, although Victoria emerged from the back periodically to collect more choices from around the store. My clothes were in the fitting room, and I was getting nervous about the time. I needed to leave soon if I was going to make the bus back to Knightly. But I didn't want to interrupt Victoria to go change back into my own clothes. Wendy caught me looking at the clock.
"Is someone expecting you?" she asked.
"No, but I have a bus to catch." I explained the schedule. She asked about the schedule tomorrow, so I told her it would be tight, but I was sure I could get to their house by six.
She pursed her lips but changed the subject.
Eventually Victoria and the lady customer emerged from the back of the store. Victoria was carrying a pile of clothing including the violet brocade corset and matching skirt as well as several undergarments, a camisole, and two shoe boxes. I arched an eyebrow at her, and I caught a very subtle shake to her head.
Victoria rang up the purchase, chatting with the woman the entire time, then walked her to the door. As the chimes rang and the door closed, Victoria came back with a huge grin.
"$50 an hour," she said. "That woman came in for a single camisole. One look at you and she bought almost $600 of clothing plus two pair of slutty shoes." She turned to Wendy. "We really need to get serious about our own shoe line."
Wendy laughed. "Victoria hates the shoes we sell," she said to me.
"$50 an hour is too much," I told her. "If I decide to do it, I'll do it for the $25. And the store discount. But I haven't decided yet, and offering any more money won't change my mind."
I looked around the store. The counter was closest to the clothing sections and well separated from the more intimidating products, but I was sure I wasn't willing to wear everything I could see. There was a rubber cat suit that looked amazing, but there was no way I was going to put it on and let anyone take pictures of me.
"If you do it," Wendy said, "You'll do it for $50 an hour because anything less will feel like we're taking advantage of you. I can disguise you so no one will recognize you. And you don't have to model anything you don't want to. But I reserve the right to do my best to talk you into that cat suit." She must have caught me looking at it.
"We'll see," was all I promised.
"Victoria," said Wendy after a short pause. "Shane has a bus to catch. If you watch the store, I'm going to drive her to the bus station after she changes back into her own clothes."
"Bus?" Victoria asked. So I explained again about the busses. She asked how I was getting to their house tomorrow and I explained more about the busses.
"Nonsense," she said. "Utter nonsense. I will come and get you." She took the pad of paper off the countertop, ripped off the list of names and handed it to Wendy. "You start making phone calls." She slipped the pad to me. "And you give me directions. When is your last class?"
"It's over at 2:30," I said. "But I can take the bus."
She glanced at the clock then back to me. "When's the bus back to school?" I had about an hour, which meant I had about 10 minutes to leave the shop if I were going to take city busses to catch it.
"You can't exit the corset without help," she said. She smiled. "I just love this one! The laces end just at that point in your back you can't reach yourself to untie the knot."
She folded her arms and looked at me pointedly.
"You'd make me miss my bus?"
"No," she corrected. "It's your own choice. I figure you have about 10 seconds to decide before you're dependent upon me for a ride to the bus station -- which I intend to give you anyway. So that really means you can dilly dally for the next half hour. I don't mind looking at you for the next half hour. I bet Wendy doesn't either."
"That's blackmail!"
"Yes it is," Victoria said.
"I can't believe you're blackmailing me into letting you give me a ride."
"Shane," she said quietly. "You can say no. But if you take the busses tomorrow, you'll arrive harried and not at all looking fresh. Everyone else will probably have arrived. Even if you dash to the bathroom to freshen up, it won't be the impression I really want you to make."
She paused. "The blackmail is just teasing. You knew that, didn't you?"
"No." I said. I thought about it, thought about the afternoon. "I should have known it, though."
"Come on," she said, gesturing towards the back of the store. "I'll help you change."
"You don't mind getting me tomorrow? What about the store?"
"The store will be fine. We do have employees, you know. I'd love to get you and we can talk more. You can come help for the party then have plenty of time to change and get ready."
By then we'd arrived back in the fitting rooms. Victoria gave me a turn around gesture. When I did, she untied the knot and loosened the laces. She checked the clock. "90 minutes," she said. "How did it feel?"
I realized I could breath easier, but I'd actually been pretty comfortable. I told her so. She helped me take everything off and I dressed in my own clothes. "I'd love a ride," I said as we exited the fitting room. "Thank you."
We went back to the front counter so I could give Victoria directions to the college and my cell number. Wendy was on the phone but hung up as we approached.
"Four yes, one unavailable," she said. "Roni had other plans, but I told her she absolutely had to reschedule, so she said she would and will be there.
"Who wasn't available?"
"Lisa. I was going to call Karen next." Victoria nodded. "That works. Are you set here? I'll drive Shane to the bus depot and meet you at home?"
* * *
Friday started as a typical day. I did a workout, had breakfast, and went to classes. I rushed back to my dorm and fiddled through my clothes, trying to decide what to wear. I was still contemplating when there was a knock at the door. I let Victoria in. She looked around briefly then said, "Ready to go?"
"I couldn't decide what to wear."
She grinned for a moment then asked me which closet was mine. I pointed to it, and she went diving in. She thumbed through the dresses and pulled out one of the more conservative dresses, holding it up to me and arching an eyebrow.
"Dad is very conservative," I explained.
"Uh huh," she said, putting the dress back. She pulled out the little black dress Mom had bought for me and held it up. "Much better. Do you have everything to go with it?" I nodded, and it just took me a few more moments to assemble a mini travel bag. Before we left, she asked me, "Where's your roommate?"
"Still in class," I said. Her last class doesn't end for another hour."
"Okay. When you go on dates, do you take precautious for your safety?"
I nodded. "I tell Molly who I'm going out with. But for tonight I just said I was visiting friends so she knew not to look for me, and that I might be home awfully late."
Victoria shook her head. "Okay, time to teach you some personal safety. You should already know these things. You're about to get into a car with someone you just met yesterday who could be taking you somewhere to sell you into white slavery."
I laughed.
"You can laugh, but I'm serious. What are you going to do?"
I thought about it. Then I got out my phone and she let me took her picture. I emailed the photo to Molly then told Victoria what I'd done.
"Perfect, although not enough. When we get to my car, snap a picture of my license plate and send that, too. With someone else, it's good if you're subtle so that you don't offend them, but if they do become offended, then that might not be someone whose car you want to get in."
* * *
During the drive back, Victoria and I just talked. She asked about my classes and what I wanted to do when I finished college. Then she told me entertaining stories about trips she and Wendy had taken together.
At one point, she glanced over to me and asked how I felt about teasing.
"I'm not very used
to it," I said. "Well, not from adults."
She nodded. "You're going to be the center of a lot of attention tonight. Are you going to be able to handle it?"
"Should I be worried?"
"No," Victoria said. "But everyone knows everyone. You're new. Wendy and I didn't mention you, so everyone is going to be wondering what you're doing there. You have to decide what you're going to tell people."
I blushed. "I don't know if I can tell an entire room of strangers that I'm a lesbian. I haven't even told my friends."
"Everyone else who is coming tonight is either gay or a lesbian. They're all going to assume."
"But it's one thing to let them assume and another to come right out and say it." I thought about it some more. "If we tell them the story about yesterday, I'm going to look weak."
"True. With some of them, it would be endearing. With a few others, being seen as weak makes you a potential victim."
"So, let them assume what they want."
She nodded. "Will you mind if Wendy or I talk privately to one or two about you? We wouldn't mention any of the more private details, but maybe enough so they know you could use some gentle treatment."
I considered it. Gentle treatment sounded good. "Okay."
* * *
Victoria and Wendy's home was an uptown condo not all that far from their shop. It was a very trendy neighborhood. Parking was underground, and we rode the elevator to the top floor of the four-story building. The building was old, quite old, with high ceilings and exposed beams, but it had been clearly updated with modern steel and glass. The look was quite industrial.
We entered the apartment. There was a lovely foyer, which opened up into a spacious area separated only by the furniture into a living room and dining room. A kitchen and bathroom were on one side with two bedrooms on the other. Floor to ceiling windows looked out over a park. The floor was hardwood and gorgeous. The place was spotless.
"No one should arrive for two and a half hours. That gives us an hour and a half to cook and an hour for me to help you get dressed."
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