Cheri welcomed every little task that piled into her in-box, because it made the time pass more quickly. Besides killing time, the good thing about working hard was that it would help to overshadow her being a little late coming back from lunch. No matter what she was working on, though, her mind was always in two places at once. She couldn’t wait till lunchtime, when she could hop in a cab and be whisked off to Georgetown and that little shop of pleasures.
The upscale, naughty store, Out of the Closet, was nestled among many other exclusive boutiques in the high-end part of town. She had never been there before, but every time she passed it caught her eye. In fact, no one she knew had ever confessed to shopping there, but a sparkle gleamed in many an eye whenever it was mentioned.
As she finally walked through the doors, Cheri was nervous. She was sure everyone in the store, including the clerk behind the counter, was far more skilled in the bedroom than she was, and she felt entirely out of place, like some kind of rookie walking into a pro locker room for the first time. Not only that, but she was fully certain that all the Georgetown pedestrians outside had seen her walk in. It only made matters worse that the shop personnel seemed like sharks spotting new blood in the water, with particularly predatory looks in their eyes as she glanced around to see where she wanted to explore first.
“May I help you?” asked one. “Do you have any questions?”
Cheri shook her head quietly, feeling a little vulnerable. “Just looking,” she said, almost in a whisper.
“Well, corsets are over there,” said the salesperson, pointing. “Fantasy and costumes are there. Toys and videos are over that way.”
It was Cheri’s chance to take a rare walk on the wild side, but she wasn’t sure she could go through with it. Sex with Thomas was already exciting and spontaneous. During the months since she had last spoken to him, he had replaced with unforgettable reality all the anonymous fantasies she’d ever had before she met him. Her every forbidden daydream evolved to a real-time hit, all starring him, now that he was in her life again, and she didn’t need props, bells, or whistles.
She cleared her throat, found her confidence, and announced, “I’d like to see your lingerie.”
The salesperson smiled. “We have plenty of that. It’s right over there, to the left.”
She sauntered over to the racks and perused the drawers, looking at all the laid-out corsets, every shade alluring and inviting and every style beautiful and romantic. She wanted to buy them all, but she settled on a color that complemented her suit.
Before she left, while she was in the process of paying for her purchase, one other item caught her eye, something that would be the game-changer: a sweet little trench coat. She had a raincoat already, but this one was more about hotness than functionality. Since it was still summer, the tag boasted a clearance price she simply could not pass up, so she stopped abruptly, left the cash register, and grabbed it. “This too, please,” she said with a grin.
“Very nice,” the clerk said as she rang up the order.
Cheri smiled as her items were placed carefully in a bag. Everyone knew the candy stripe scheme of Out of the Closet, so the bag wasn’t exactly anonymous; she was sure the vibrant red and white would draw the eye of anyone who saw her carrying it. Still, the vulnerability just added to the moment, a good kind of uncomfortable. Before the salesperson closed the bag, she tossed a jar in with her purchase.
Cheri put her hand down to stop her. “What is that?” she asked with some agitation, not wanting to be charged anything extra for something she didn’t want.
The salesperson smiled, dark mischief dancing in her eyes. “It’s body glaze that tastes like brown sugar, our gift to you. Thank you for shopping at Out of the Closet.”
By six o’clock, a debate was raging in Cheri’s brain over whether she would or would not actually don the trench coat. Just the idea of wearing something so heavy and long-sleeved wasn’t so appealing in the lingering humidity, but she liked the idea of having it in her closet, even if it was for another place and time. She knew a walking out of the office in a trench coat and heels with satin peeking through would be an obvious indication that she was off to have some swing-from-the-chandelier sex, but she had to wonder if the thrill on Thomas’s face when he saw her in the getup would be worth the slight humiliation of taking that walk of shame past the cubicles. It won’t be the same if I just take it with me and change into it when I get there, she reasoned.
The question was answered when she looked out her boss’s window and saw black storm clouds blanketing the sky, almost entirely blotting out the sunlight. She was relieved to know that no one was going to be paying attention to what she was wearing, because they’d be far too busy running for cover. In fact, people were ditching their desks already, hoping to beat the storm home.
Cheri freshened up in the office shower. She stepped under the hot spray of water, careful to avoid her hair. After, she smoothed on the brown sugar body glaze, and it melted into her showered, heated skin and smelled amazing. Ooh, Thomas is gonna love this. It’s probably laced with mind-altering pheromones, she thought, smiling to herself as she imagined him eating her up like candy.
Finally, she stepped into her corset and heels and admired herself in the full-length mirror, feeling incredibly confident. She felt like a truly beautiful woman, and there was nothing arrogant or prideful in it; it was merely a wonderful awareness.
Cheri put on the smoking little trench coat, the perfect outerwear for the downpour so suddenly unleashed on the city. She tugged the yellow clearance tag off and took a moment to admire herself once again. “This is gonna be one fun night,” she said to her reflection, then laughed as she pictured herself dicing up lettuce and tomatoes in that little black raincoat and corset—or out of it.