I saw her the first time in Bloomingdales, in the shoe department. I was looking for a new set of pumps to go with my fushia suit and she and I were the only one's there besides the clerk, who was flitting back and forth between us. I hardly noticed her until I felt her next me, her hand lightly touching my arm. "That one", she said, pointing to the one in my right hand. "The color is perfect with your suit."
That's all she said and she walked back to the counters without saying a word. She was right though, I thought as I looked at the two shoes in my hands. How could I have had any doubt.. I looked up at her again as she tried on a pair of very high heels. There was something different about the way she looked at herself in the mirrors but I couldn't place it until the clerk broke in.
"Odd one, her." Said the clerk.
"What?" I asked.
"Most women look at their feet when they are shopping for shoes. Watch her."
I did. The woman had on a spring pink set of spiky sandals and was looking at herself. But not in the shoe mirror. She had walked across the aisle to the dress section and stood at the three way mirror by the dressing room, looking at how the shoes made her legs and backside look. Evidently she liked what she saw, because she smiled faintly and nodded as she looked at herself. That was it. Who looked at shoes that way? I thought.
But my next thought was that maybe we should look at shoes that way. We all knew that heels shifted our bodies, gave contour to our calves and thighs, and changed our whole posture and look. Yet we looked at our feet when we shopped. I'll remember that the next time I shop, I thought to myself, watching her leave with her new purchase.
I saw her again about 20 minutes later, in Victoria's Secret. I looked at her more closely this time. Mid thirties maybe? Great skin. Not a skinny girl, but curvey like me, the curves enhanced by the flirty 1950's style polka dot dress she was wearing. Blond. Dare I say it? Marilyn Monroe blond, but with more curl. The dress was cut a bit lower than I would have dared in public, showing her cleavage. Not trashy, I thought, but definitely sexy.
She smiled a lot. Even as she absently looked over the racks, she wore a small smile that went all the way to her blue eyes. This is a woman who is truly happy. I thought. I wondered why.
Evidently they knew her there, because before long the manager walked across the store and they hugged, the woman's smile growing wider as the manager asked her what she was looking for.
"Oh I need something to be enslaved in." said the woman. I let out a little gasp, and she must have heard me because she looked up and flashed me a happy smile. She winked at me before she turned back to the manager and went on. "Black of course. It's the only color for enslavement. But something with a little color. Not one of your normal gowns, but something a little more.... Exotic?"
"We have some new corsets" the manager said, leading her to the back of the store. I watched from the corner of my eye as they held up several, and watched her choose a black corset with pink ribbons and lace that matched her pink heels from Bloomingdales. As they went searching for stockings I looked over the long gowns, wanting to buy something to surprise my husband with tonight.
A moment later, I felt her hand on my arm again, and almost jumped. "No hon, go for the exotic. There's a wonderful black corset with cornflower blue trim back there. It would capture the lighter flecks in your eyes perfectly. " and she was off again. I watched her walk towards the door, admiring the swing in her step, then turned and went over to the corset display at the back of the store. I had never thought of a corset before, but I knew my husband would love it. I was normally a little more conservative.
Se was sitting on a bench right in front of the store when I walked out with my pink and white bag, a sly smile on her face. "So did you get the corset, hon?" she asked.
I nodded, blushing slightly, and very aware of it..
"Good!" she said. "Now, come have lunch with me before you go back to work or home or whatever you do. I have a feeling we'd enjoy each other." And without another word she took my arm and we walked, arm in arm, like old girlfriends, to Ragazzi's in the mall.
It was early for lunch, so the waiter was right on us. She ordered a "Tall White Russian" and looked to me. I never drank this early, but I ordered a vodka tonic, with a twist.
"I'm Deborah." She said. "Not Deb, Not Debbie. Deborah."
"Sharon" I said. Why was my voice hoarse, I wondered.
"I could tell my little announcement of what I was looking for at Victoria's got your attention." She said. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.
Gaining my confidence back, I answered. "It's not the normal thing people ask for. Most women would ask for a gown or a teddy or a corset " I said, not something to be enslaved in. But I'm beginning to think maybe you do a lot of things a little differently."
"You noticed!" she was almost gleeful at my answer. "Most people never notice anything going on around you. Sometimes I do things a little different just to see if anyone is paying attention. And you were! I'm so glad!"
I had to smile. I could not remember the last time I met someone who was joyful.
"But I meant it." She said. "I am going to be my husband's love slave for a weekend and he sent me out to buy something appropriate for the occaision." For the first time I noticed the bags all around her. There were the two I had seen her buy, a second, larger bag from Bloomindales, one from Cache, and another from Bebe.
She shrugged as she watched my eyes go over her bags. "I want to be a very well dressed slave." She said. "Only the best for him." She laughed and I laughed with her. "Now," she said, "tell me all about yourself."
We sat and talked for hours. I learned about her, married at 19 (she was over 40 now, she said, but would not tell me how much over 40. I was incredulous.), two kids. A stay at home mom. Her husband was some kind of free lance consultant and traveled a lot, often taking her with him, even overseas. She had been to London, Munich and is in the last year. " I love getting away with him," she said. "all the sex! We have to make up for when the kids are all around after all!".
I told her about my life. I did not feel quite like this exotic creature, but she seemed so interested that I spoke of enthusiasm of my new marriage, my husband, my work at the school and more.
By two, the conversation began whine down. There were six glasses in front of us, all empty. I could feel the effects of the drinks, and maybe emboldened by them, I asked her. "You aren't really going be a sex slave, are you?"
"Oh but I am!" she said. My husband had a real one for a couple of years. It's not my thing, really, but he loved it, so a couple of times a year, I become his slave to do with whatever he wants. Trust me, some of those have been weekends to remember!"
I felt my pulse speed up. I had, I knew, a slightly submissive streak in me, and while my husband and I had played a few bondage games here and there, I had a fantasy of being completely under someone's control, not forever, but just for a night. I was not easy to shock – my husband and I had a pretty adventurous sex life, that had even included others in our bed, but we had never taken the bondage but so far.
She must have seen that in my eyes somehow. I had a feeling she saw more than most people. "Ah.... You'd like it too. I can tell."
I blushed. But I nodded. Trying to change the direction of conversation, I asked her "When is your slave weekend?"
"It's already started." She answered. "That's what we are here for. He sent me shopping and I am to be ready for him when he gets back in at 6:30. Want to see what I am wearing to dinner tonight?"
I did of course, and out of the Cache bag, she pulled a rich turquoise dress, tea length. "It has a princess cut" she said, which is really flattering to me. I looked at the slit, held together with tiny pearl buttons, and the deep, wide neckline. The color was perfect for her pale skin, it brought out the color in her face.
"It looks wonderful." I said. "Did you find everything you were shopping for?" I asked.
"Almost." She said, something like a sigh in her voice. "I need to find another woman to be his second slave and I have never picked up anyone in my life. Would you be interested?"
At first I thought she was joking, but looking across the table at her, I realized she wasn't. I felt my pulse race. She smiled.
"I thought you might."
"I don't dare." I said."My husband...."
"Sorry hon. Mr was very specific. Only a woman. No husbands. He wants two slaves for tomorrow night. I'm not sure what, if anything he'll do to me if I don't find one.I might have to break down and find a call girl or something." She wasn't smiling now.
I could feel the dampness between my legs. She was right, the thought excited me. And then, as if she knew, she patted my arm. "You go home and talk it over with your husband. If the two of you would even consider it, come join us for dinner tonight. We're at the Carleton, in the Regency Room. We've got reservations for four at 7:30. Come join us. Mr can be very persuasive."
With that, she got up, paid the bill in cash, and walked away. She turned and looked at me as she got to the door, flashed me another smile, waved and she was gone.
I didn't know what to make of her, or the invitation. When I got home my husband was home early. I told him about Deborah and the whole idea got us so excited that we ended up making love in the living room, before he ever saw what I had in my shopping bags. I sighed in contentment as we lounged naked on the thick carpet. "At least..." I said. "At least the whole thing led to this."
"I think you should take them up on it...." My husband said.