That Red Dress Started It...! Ch. 04

"What?" asked Helena, wanting to know more. "Come on, tell me, woman-to-woman."

"Well. It was the other day. When that David guy, he had mistaken me for a woman, for you in fact. It was - I hardly dare admit this."

"Go on, Bethany, you'll feel better when you've said it."

"It was when he had exposed himself to me. I was stroking his - his cock - he was totally in my power. I just loved that, being able to control a man like that."

"Well Bethany, you really are a woman now. We all know about that, about using our sexual wiles to get what we want. Speaking of which, there's a rather handsome guy at the bar staring at you right now - don't look."

I wanted to turn round bit didn't.

"Bethany, I want you to have some fun. In a moment, just turn and look at him, he's wearing a blue shirt. It's far too young and bright for him really and he's rather full of himself. Go on, turn and look now, and slide your skirt hem up, I dare you!"

"Helena, what kind of a woman do you think I am?"

Had I really said that? But she was right, I knew I had to so I did just that. I shuffled round on my seat as I finished my wine and felt my skirt hem slide up. So I reached down casually and began to tease the hem with my red-tipped fingers, glancing down to notice that it had slid right up and was exposing all my stocking top and a fair amount of bare leg too. I looked up and saw him, and I smiled.

He looked so embarrassed. In a way so was I, thinking of what I had just done. I looked at Helena who was trying not to laugh. She stood up and picked up her bag.

"Come on now, Bethany dear, enough of this flirting. It's nearly five, we have just time to get to Edgbaston. I want to show you that 'CCs' store, it's bigger than the one we saw earlier, and there's a gorgeous range of underwear there. And there's someone I want you to meet."

We skipped together out to the car - I really was having so much fun. Helena drove us quickly and smoothly through the Birmingham streets, and within five minutes we were pulling up outside another 'CCs' store, this one obviously much larger. Helena parked in front of the shop and led me to the front door. As we opened it there was something of a whoop of joy from our left. We turned and a flamboyantly dressed woman, maybe late twenties, rushed towards us,

"Helena, dear, when did you get back? You do look well, and a bit of a tan too, I hope you didn't overdo the sun. Or were you just lounging and watching the men, I bet you were?!"

Helena spoke much more quietly.

"Hello Kate, nice to see you too. I bet you're looking forward to Christmas. And how's Lennie?"

That's still something I didn't understand about women, the way they can keep on talking, asking question after question of each other and never getting or even expecting an answer. As if every question is rhetorical, it doesn't need an answer, and is complete in its' own right. But this time Kate did answer, grabbing Helena by the arm and leading her into the store.

"Lennie? He's still gorgeous. And still - very fit."

That one I did understand, a shorthand way of saying that sex with him was good. Helena turned towards me.

"Hang on a moment Kate, I need to introduce you. This is my good friend Bethany, she's after something rather special for the festive season. Undies mainly, I think, and I don't mean white and cotton."

Kate turned and greeted me, beaming and bouncing all the while.

"Oh, I see. Hi there Bethany. A man in mind obviously – or is it a woman? Anyway, how about you have a good look round at the top end of the store? I need to ask Helena a couple of things. Geraldine is sorting some stock there if you need some help. Sorry, I don't want to seem rude, but I really must show Helena a dress I'm thinking of buying for her party. I have to get it today if I'm going to. OK?"

I smiled an 'OK' back and made my way to the back of the store. I did indeed find a young girl with a 'Geraldine' badge, she helped me a little with sorting out what I wanted. I'm pretty sure I didn't make much of a fool of myself, I knew quite a bit about the sort of styles and colours involved in women's underwear, I don't think Geraldine realised I was pumping her for details just a little.

I did end up with rather more than I thought I would be buying, four bra and panties sets, in white and black and red and burgundy, and several pairs of tights and stockings. And, I picked up several pairs of earrings and two rings and two bracelets - and a very swish black leather handbag. At the checkout, as I flashed my 'gold card' in a rather impressive way Helena and Kate joined us, Helena commenting rather favourably on my choices.

At which, again from our left, there was another cry, not a feminine whoop this time but a more masculine cry, though with no less enthusiasm.

"Helena, hello there".

I turned to see a tall man giving Helena a kiss on the cheek and hugging her.

"So good to see you, you've just missed Charlie. He's gone over to the Coventry store to sort out some staffing problem over there. He said you were back but I didn't expect you in here today. I thought you'd finished all your Christmas shopping?"

"Hi Andrew. It's good to see you too. I just needed to come in briefly with a friend of mine. Andrew, this is Bethany, Bethany, meet Andy. Be nice to him, he's the store manager. He's a gorgeous guy when you get to know him, really."

Andrew shook my hand and smiled.

"Hello there, any friend of Helena is a friend of mine. I hope you're here to spend as much as Helena, we can use the business."

He looked at the large bags I was carrying. Probably a delight to any store manager, business in quantity means profit after all. Then he saw my 'gold card'.

"Oh no" he called out in mock dismay.

"Sorry Bethany, he's just gone off you. That card - staff discount equals reduced profit. He's a businessman after all. Men, all they care about is money."

Kate came up to speak to 'the boss'.

"Andy, there's a problem, till three, Tracy has locked it with the button and hasn't got the key."

Kate took my arm as I was looking at Andy walking briskly down the row of tills.

"Don't even think about it, Bethany, you can stop staring. Andrew isn't interested in either of us. Not interested in women at all, that is. What a shame, what a waste, I wish my Lennie had a body like that."

Helena had heard us.

"Kate, I'm surprised at you, Lennie is a fine figure of a man. Anyway, come on Bethany, the store's closing in a few minutes and we should be off."

She took my arm and began to lead me out of the store . As we strolled towards the door together Andrew came back and very politely opened it for us, then Helena had to dash back for a moment to say something to another of the staff. I was left talking quietly to Andrew, very nervously I must admit, about Christmas and so on, just for a minute or two, standing on the pavement outside the store. Then Helena came out again and looked at us chatting together.

Suddenly Andrew stopped, almost in mid-sentence. He was looking at me. Not exactly rudely, but in a way he was staring. What had I said? Or? I thought I recognised the 'look', I'd seen it or something very like it once before, on the face of a policewoman in the Ladies in a supermarket.

Helena saw the look on his face too, she grabbed me and turned me towards the car. I looked at her quizzically.

"Does he...?"

"Yes" she said.

'Fuck' I thought.

End of Part