Packaging

Alexis lifted the skirt along her legs. She’d stopped at a lingerie shop the prior night, lingering over bustiers and push-up bras. She’d settled for stockings, and she’d lain in bed with them on, swishing the nylon against itself along her thighs and tracing fingertips along the border of the lacy tops and her bare skin.

It felt like she’d drawn a battle line, tempting her fingers to approach. No conscious thought led her to draw her hands further up her legs, sliding  and circling, as her mind offered images of Ren, Theo, and the strippers. Her body responded, and she’d drifted from those images, orgasm, and sleep without noticing the crossing between them.

Waking, her skin tingled at the sound and the slipperiness of the nylon against the sheets. She almost wore them under her yoga pants to the gym, but feared they might tear. She’d only bought one pair, and she wanted them for work. Lying them on the bed and smoothing the fabric, she’d traced a hand over them before leaving for the gym.

As her skirt’s wool slid along her legs, she decided hose would no longer work. Stockings would be what she wore from now on.

Then, she bent her arm to zip the skirt closed. It hesitated, and her hand slipped. She tried again with more force, and the skirt closed around her waist, but the fabric across her legs and hips pulled taut, binding her movements.

A moment of fear washed over her, and she remembered the meals of the prior days. She went to the bathroom, her skirt clinging.

She’d hated her hips and thighs. Waifish, almost boyish, her hips had the barest flare and curve, and her thighs were strong but narrow with no taper or allure.

In the mirror, she slid a finger into her waistband. Loose, it gapped away from her body while the skirt bound itself to her hips and thighs.

Turning, her butt had swelled, and there was an instant’s battle between fear about her weight and an appreciative hand sliding over her backside. She had a bit of curve.

Looking into the mirror, she looked back at herself and leaned forward.

Her skin. She touched a hand to her cheek. A natural blush had appeared along the cheekbone, and she looked like she’d come from the spa. Clear and translucent, her skin caught the light.

She heard Ren. “I look forward to what you’ll become.”

Her hands had changed. Subtle lines at her knuckles and joints had faded, and, by rubbing her hands together, the skin was soft, almost silky.

Turning, she put a hand on her hip, highlighting the taper from its swell to her narrowed waist. The skirt didn’t fit. It clung and reminded her when she moved instead of vanishing into a uniform she could ignore.

She touched the necklace, and it drew attention to her bra. The straps bit into her shoulders while the bra was tight around her torso. The gem found a cleft between her breasts that hadn’t been there.

Dressing in front of the mirror, she watched herself, noticing how the buttons on her blouse would pull when she moved her shoulders.

She chose a smoky eye shadow and gave her eyes an upturned edge. Plum lipstick went on last, and she stood back and raised an eyebrow.

Still ok for work but with a touch of danger.

Her movements intentional, she gathered her things for work, noting how her clothes resisted and pulled as she moved, and how her skirt played along the border between her stockings and bare thighs.

The doorman’s smile faltered when she crossed the lobby, and he hurried to push the door open. She thanked him and passed without breaking stride.

Glances found her on the sidewalk and on the trip to work. Her brain suggested that they might have always been there, and she’d only noticed them today.

Then, the receptionist’s practiced smile froze when Alexis entered the office. She looked Alexis up and down, eyes narrowing.

That didn’t happen before, Alexis answered.

In her office, she unpacked and connected her laptop, uncoiling the mouse cord.

Theo appeared in the doorway, coffee cup in hand.

His jaw went slack and worked silently. Alexis felt a desire to hug him; his open desire confirmed everything. Taking a deliberate breath, she sat. Her skirt pulled taut along her thighs.

Turning away, she crooked a finger. He approached and set the coffee down.

Lifting it to her lips, she sipped. It wasn’t the coffee they served in the office. Richer, darker, and softened by the cream, the scent filled her nose, and she held the taste on her tongue instead of gulping for the caffeine hit.

Setting the cup down, the plum color of her lipstick remained on the cup.

Her clothes refusing to be ignored, she logged in.

“Theo, what are you doing at lunch today?”

“I’m, uh. What time?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Noon or so. I’m not certain.”

“Well, there’s the conference call-“

Feigning impatience, she nodded. “I’ll find someone who can make time.”

“Ms. Winters.”

She looked up at him from under her brows. “Yes?”

He composed himself. “I’d love to go, thank you.”

She returned to her laptop. He lingered, waiting, before making a tentative retreat.

Her body and the hug of her clothes were a distraction, her mind split between the temptation she’d indulged the prior night. Wanting to just feel and slide her hands along the stockings, her rational brain argued that this was work and that she was being paid.

Frowning and relenting, she gave in to it and concentrated.

Sometime later, she heard a voice and kept working. She’d reached that place where the numbers felt like a frozen mobile that floated in her mind. She could turn it, connect the numbers, and reveal new relationships. It was a delicate moment, and she wished the voice would go away. Getting to that place felt like magic, and if she let it go, there was no guarantee she’d return to it.

“Winters.”

Wanting to curse, she stopped. Jeff was at her office door. Trying to hold the gossamer construct of numbers, she restrained her snappish response.

“Going to lunch. Want to join?”

He entered and came to her desk, glancing at her screen.

“The Osaka thing?”

She nodded, desperate for him to go away.

“You found something?” he asked.

The structure collapsed, and she closed her eyes. Sarcasm wanted to tell him that she had found something until he barged in.

“A few things. We’ll see.”

“No rush on that. They’ve not returned the contract yet.”

“I’m in it now. Might as well finish. Still could use it if they back out.”

He tapped the desk. “Lunch? You interested?”

She looked out the window, then at the time on her laptop. It was 12:30. Where’d the time go?

“Couple errands. Next time?”

“Right.”

He reached the door and turned back. “Have you seen Theo?”

“Passed him earlier.”

“Been trying to track him down,” Jeff said, then glanced out the door. “Speak of the devil.”

Theo appeared at the edge of the doorway.

“The bond guys thought they had a call with you,” Jeff said.

“Tomorrow,” Theo said.

“They said it was today.”

Theo glanced at Alexis. “No, tomorrow. I’m sure.”

“Ok then. Can we bring you guys anything?” Jeff asked.

Alexis shook her head. Jeff waved and departed.

Flushed, Theo waited. He’d lied for her. She beckoned, and he glanced up the hall and slid into her office.

Debating, she wanted to tell him not to lie for her like that. His smitten adoration was fun, and despite her demeanor, she didn’t want to hurt him, just watch him twist and struggle. Torment, not injure, she told herself.

Not able to meet her eyes, he waited. She almost told him, but as she turned, she felt the tug of her skirt and pull of her blouse. Her smile darkened, and she rose.

“We were supposed to go at noon. It’s after 12:30.”

“I didn’t know-“

She sighed and strode to the door. “Let’s try to make the best of it.”

He fell in behind her and remained behind when they reached the elevator. She felt his presence. So different than with Ren, she smirked, feeling his desire to touch her and knowing he wouldn’t. Unlike Ren, the absence of Theo’s touch made her feel powerful and beautiful. When they reached the ground floor, she shifted and brushed against him.

“Oh, sorry,” she said and patted his chest.

His face became a tortured mask, and his hand drifted towards where she touched him. She stepped out, and he hurried to keep up.

At the curb, she hailed a cab, and he pulled the door open when one pulled up, hurrying across to the opposite side and entering. Alexis gave the address.

Sliding a hand along her thigh, her fingertips found the top of the stocking beneath the skirt. She sighed and noticed her nails.

A plain, clear lacquer covered them. Well-kept and short, they spoke of practicality and days spent punching keyboard keys. Feeling her stockings, practicality was the worst thing. Instead, she thought they should be a dark plum like her lipstick, maybe even black with a glossy mirror finish. And longer with shaped tips, like elegant talons.

Theo’s eyes had locked on her thigh, watching her hand stroking the stocking tops. She imagined her nails grown to dagger length and with a high shine, scraping along the line of his jaw and lifting his chin. He’d tremble and melt when she commanded him to look her in the eyes.

Her practical, short manicure wouldn’t work. She had the nails of a well-groomed auto mechanic, not a woman who lured young men to lie for her.

The cab eased to a stop. Theo’s hand flashed and swiped the card reader, paying the fare.

Her flash of anger froze him, and he looked at her, his card frozen in the air next to the card reader. She’d not told him to pay. She might have. She might not have, but he’d done it without her command or permission. Shaking her head, she pushed the door open.

Theo moved in a flash, getting out, racing around the back of the car, and holding her door. She breezed past, hearing the car door close as she dodged pedestrians. She paused before the store’s façade. Theo caught up and opened the door.

She shook her head at him and entered.

The wall of scent greeted her: leather and rubber. She paused to take it in.

Lit with neon and backed with chrome paneling, the walls and racks were laden with skirts, boots, heels, corsets, and catsuits.

Stepping in behind her, the front door rattled closed.

Theo whispered under his breath. “Jesus.”

“You don’t mind helping me pick out something, do you, Theo?”

His voice was hoarse. “No, Ms. Winters.”

A saleswoman greeted them. Dressed in a latex corset and short skirt, she glided on high heels. Alexis watched her hips and body sway like a lure while the clerk’s face showed effortless calm.

“Help you find something in particular?” she asked.

The question stopped Alexis. She’d not gotten that far. The desire for something glamorous, dangerous, and not office-Alexis has consumed her thoughts. The clerk’s smile became bemused, as though she’d seen Alexis’ reaction to entering a Candyland of beauty before.

The saleswoman’s bemused expression went to Theo, and she nodded towards Theo. Alexis looked.

An array of thigh boots was arranged on a table. Alexis’ hand had drifted and played along the patent leather. The predatory desire rose, and she smiled at the clerk.

“Some boots, I think,” Alexis said.

Her eyes laughing, the clerk went to the table. She lifted a pair that zipped along the inner thigh. Alexis shook her head. Then, she lifted a pair of kid leather boots with intricate lacing that ran up the front, extending from ankle to mid-thigh.

“I love these, but they take forever to get into,” the clerk said.

Transfixed, Theo looked from them to Alexis.

Alexis and the clerk shared a look.

“Theo will help. You have them in a five?” Alexis asked.

The clerk sorted, frowned, then said she’d check the back. Alexis browsed, letting her fingers trail over corsets, pausing at a pair of platform heels with Lucite soles. She glanced at Theo, whose expression became taut, and for an instant, he seemed to shake his head.

Alexis put them back, and the clerk returned, a pair of the boots draped over her arm. She glanced at a chair, and Alexis sat, stepping out of her flats.

The clerk sat on a shoe-fitting stool and moved to slide them on. Alexis held up a hand.

“Theo, you don’t mind, do you?”

Theo had lingered near the shoe racks. Alexis chuckled as his face turned crimson. The clerk rose and held out the leather. She winked at Alexis.

“I’ll talk him through it.”

His movements awkward and stiff, Theo approached. He descended onto the stool. Alexis lifted her foot and slid it between Theo’s legs, laying it on the footrest. Alexis glanced at the clerk, and she settled into the chair next to Alexis, crossing her legs.

Like preparing to climb a mountain, Theo swallowed and lifted the boot. Alexis slid her foot dangerously close to his crotch, and he guided her foot into the leather, adjusting it along the back of her ankle.

He began to lace, one trembling hand crossing the black cord over the other.

“Leave some slack at the ankle so she can balance,” the clerk had advised.

He continued to lace.

“Did you hear what she told you?” Alexis asked.

He flushed and nodded. “Yes, Ms. Winters.”

Alexis and the clerk shared a mischievous look.

As the leather had begun to mold itself around her skin, Alexis thought she might need to run into the back. The leather was cool and soft, and as Theo pulled the laces taut, she felt bound while becoming freer, more dangerous.

She didn’t realize she’d closed her eyes until Theo began stripping laces from the boot and starting over. He’d crossed the laces and needed to redo them.

Part of her wanted to scream for him to continue, but his face had changed from trembling uncertainty to calm determination. He started again, looking to the clerk every so often, continuing when she nodded approval.

“You two been together long?” the clerk asked Alexis.

Alexis adjusted her foot as the lacing reached her calf. “Not sure I’d say we were together.”

“Smitten?” the clerk asked.

“Is that fair, Theo?” Alexis asked.

“Yes, Ms. Winters.”

The clerk shook her head, glancing at Alexis with delight. Another customer entered, and the clerk rose.

“I’ll check back,” she said.

Theo had reached Alexis’ thigh and faltered as she’d needed to pull up the hem of her skirt to allow him to keep working. His eyes widened when he saw the top of her stocking.

Finishing with one boot, they started again with the other, and when it was laced, Alexis held Theo's hand. He took it, and she lifted herself onto her feet.

The leather clung to her from foot to thigh, and as she rose, it creaked  and shifted. Warmth spread in Alexis’ belly, and she took a tentative step.

Not fitting just right, her toes were pinched, and her balance had become precarious as it required movement from her entire body, shoulders to hips to feet, to remain perched on the heels. Theo took her hand, giving her a solid foundation, and she took a few tentative steps.

Having none of the clerk’s grace, Alexis felt that she might reach it with practice. The tautness of her skirt reminded her of every hip sway, and the adjustments of her shoulders pulled the fabric taut across her breasts. She wanted to find that grace, and the sensuality of practicing made her close her eyes with anticipation.

She found a mirror and extended a foot towards it. In heels, she was taller than he was.

Theo looked on, and the same hesitation she saw when she’d lifted the Lucite heels returned.

Still beautiful, the boots did have flaws. The leather seams did not match perfectly, and the fit caused it to bunch at her knee and ankle. That, along with the pinch of her toes, would have caused her to, in other situations, try another pair, but this was not one of those situations. She would take them.

Returning to the chair, she lowered herself into it. Theo began undoing the laces. The clerk appeared.

“What do you think?”

“I’m taking them.”

The clerk smiled, glanced at Theo, and shook her head.

Feeling somehow diminished without the boots, Alexis stepped into her flats and paid. The clerk bagged everything and offered a knowing smile as they left.

Theo hailed a cab and held the door as Alexis entered, then rushed around to the other side and entered himself. The cab pulled away.

Theo sat, his face pensive. Despite the flush of wanting the boots back on, Alexis worried. She’d never seen this.

“Are you ok?”

Like when he’d gathered his courage before lacing the boots, he drew himself up, but his anxiety didn’t have the tinge of arousal. It held more. He started to speak, stopped, then turned sideways in the seat.

“Alexis, would you let me do something for you?”

“Depends on what it is.”

“I saw what you wanted in the shop,” he glanced at the bag. “I worry this will come across the wrong way, but you deserve way better.”

If there’d been a hint, the barest whisper of superiority in his tone, she’d have thrown him out of the cab, but his face reached out to her like a man desperate to share a secret.

“How?” Alexis asked.

“May I?” he asked. “Please.”

Alexis narrowed her eyes and nodded.

He slid his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, his eyes defenseless and without guile.

“Edith, this is Theodore Whitmore,” Theo said.

The voice murmured, and he smiled.

“It was my pleasure, and I hope it’s earned me a favor?”

The response was short.

“Could you squeeze a good friend in for an appointment tonight?”

Another murmur.

“Anytime after about 5?” he looked at Alexis.

The murmur again.

“No, not for me. A woman from work.”

The voice responded, and he blushed. “I wish, but no, a good friend.”

The voice replied again, and he nodded. “Perfect. I’m so grateful, Edith.”

The voice replied, and he ended the call.

He turned back to Alexis, relief on his features. “She’ll see us at 7.”

“Who’s Edith?”

The need in his eyes returned. “Let me do this for you. Please. I promise you’ll like it.”

The scent of leather rose from the bag, and the image of herself in the mirror returned. Better than that would require something special.

“Ok, Theo. It’s a big promise to make.”

“I know.”

They rode in silence, and as the cab slowed for their building, Theo looked at her, putting a hand on the seat between them.

“Thank you, Ms. Winters.”

He leaped out when the car stopped. Every desire wanted to tell him to get back in the cab so she could torment him for the rest of the afternoon, bathing in his adoration.