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With Hesitant Stride - a Blog Novel

"No, I'm not that kind of girl!" she moaned, writhing with desire, yet pushing away. "Yes," he urged, "It is time and past time for us to give in to our passion!" He clutched her tighter. Read on to see what happens.

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Monday, May 22, 2006

With Hesitant Stride - A Blog Novel - Excerpt 10

I quite preferred shopping at Downtown Plaza. Macy's was the main anchor store and it had plenty of fashions for the average office girl, in other words, me. Plus it stocked some very nice dress-up outfits. And for those times when Macy's didn't have what I wanted, there were eighteen other stores specializing in women's fashions, from American Eagle Outfitters - yes, I have a cozy pair of Fireside Flannel PJ Pants which are perfect for lounging around in front of the television on a cold winter night - to Wilson's Leather - Okay, so PETA doesn't believe in wearing leather, I do and I have two jackets, a gorgeous, black Belted Lamb Coat which set me back $379 and a chic Suede Riding Blazer in burnt orange I picked up for the bargain-basement price of $79. And don't even think about dissing the shoe shores. This is one mama who loves Jimmie like a sister, but even he's not crazy enough to get between me and a comfortable pair of shoes. Plus, both The Body Shop and Bath and Body Works have stores there.
Assuming we didn't get side-tracked, we'd eventually end up at the movie theater to catch one of the latest flicks. Jimmie and I had similar taste and that meant I wouldn't have to be scared out of my wits by some blood-and-guts horror show or have my brain traumatized by the fluid ethics and extreme body count of a stupid action movie. Jimmie was as much in favor of relaxing in those comfy loge chairs as I and the best movies for that were romantic eye-drenchers. Passion, love, denial, rejection, redemption and commitment; pack all those in with driven, yet caring personalities and the film studios would grab our entertainment dollars every single time.
But first we had shopping to do. "C'mon," I said. "Let's head over to J. Crew. I'd like to see what they have in sweaters and tops." We plunged inside. I made a beeline for the outerwear section. If Richard and I managed to get to San Francisco, I had several ideas for dresses to wear. Any of them would leave me chilled if we left the hotel in the evening and I'd need a jacket to stay warm.
As we passed the tops, Jimmie remarked, "Hey! I thought you wanted to look at tops?"
"I do. I want to see what's new in coats. My best one isn't all that new and I'd like to keep warm while out on the town."
"Oh. Gotcha. San Francisco's somewhat chilly this time of year."
I had a basic idea of what I wanted and I worked down the four-ways, seeking that style. Sometimes serendipity strikes; it did today. Halfway down, against the wall to my left was a duster-length wool-cashmere, belt-tied coat, in a lustrous charcoal gray. They had one in size 12. I pulled it on and headed straight for the three-way mirror. Twirling, I watched how it moved. The bottom edge flared out slightly, and tied closed it became quite warm. Only one thing left, I found the tag - $275, marked down from $360. Within my range and it felt right.
"What do you think," I asked. "Would this work for both a cocktail and an evening dress?"
"It depends upon the dress, but knowing your tastes, yes," he said. He caught the tag. "And the price is decent. This is a keeper."
"Good, I didn't want to spend much time here. I found what I was looking for here. Let me pay and we'll head to Macy's." Which had to be the shortest time I've spent in a store looking at clothing. However, this was just the warm-up. I hadn't come in expecting to buy this coat, yet it called to me and, assuming I could find what I was looking for, the duster would be perfect for the dress I hoped to find at Macy's.
Macy's was… Macy's. It's possible to find about anything a person could want or need in the way of clothing, furniture or appliances - a true department store. Yet much of the time, I purchased most of my daily outfits for office wear at JCPenny's or Sears. But then, why buy smashing outfits when no one's going to see them except the same co-workers who've seen you day in and day out for ten years? However, I'd rather drop dead than buy a cocktail dress or gown at JCPenny's. And I went whole hog, got the Macy's credit card and bought enough to keep it active. I kept my fingers crossed as we threaded our way to the women's clothing department.
If Richard and I managed to get to San Francisco for the upcoming weekend, I wanted to be ready for a classic night out on the town. That meant wearing clothes which would fit an upscale restaurant, the theatre or the dance floor; maybe all three. I had a couple of such dresses, but why wear last season's fashions?
"Oooh… This looks cute," Jimmie said, spotting a very sleek London Times black Strapless Jumpsuit. It was, and no doubt I'd look good in it. Yet a jumpsuit did not give the message I was trying to send, 'flirty' and 'fun', and the London Times outfit struck me as sending the message, 'sexy', yet 'hard'. Not me at all, at least, not with Richard.
"Hmmm… Yes, but doesn't it strike you as somewhat Euro-severe? I'm not sure I want to give the message I'm into bondage and discipline."
"You know, looking at it, I believe you're right. It is rather 'whip me', isn't it? Do you think I could find one in silk or leather, for a man?"
"Oh, please," I scowled. "As if you'd ever let yourself get whipped."
"How would you know? Have you been spying on me? If you're that interested, perhaps I can get an invite for you. Try it, you might find you like it." He grinned. "And if things go well with Richard, you can add a whole new dimension to your relationship."
"You snot! You are so bad. I can just imagine what trouble you were for your older sister. I'm going to ignore you until you act mature." I had heard several 'war' stories from his sister confirming his tendency to be outrageous over her love life. As I had no brothers or sisters, I'd never experienced such joy. Oh darn. I had continued to browse the Maggie London collection, pulling out lovely chocolate Velvet Halter Dress. "What do you think of this one," holding it up for him to see.
"It could do, but velvet just screams 'demure' and 'virgin' to me." He reached around me to pull out a black halter shimmering with the silver patterns that ran through it. "Now this is what I call an 'I want it' dress."
"That could work. Set it aside and I'll try it on as well. Oh. Now this one screams 'flirty', or maybe 'provocatively shy'." I laid a black silk slip across his arm.
"Not really. But the wine-colored one does." He put the black one back and snagged the other.
"That's enough for a first run. Let's head to the dressing rooms."
As we snaked our way through the maze of three-ways, four-ways and round displays, one more dress begged for attention. I did not usually buy Nine West designs, but this halter top gave a whole new meaning to 'bare shoulders'. The color, a muted hazelnut, also matched well against my skin. I had to search, but I found one in my size.
"There. Now I'm ready to put on a show," I said, once again heading for the dressing rooms. As we approached, I took the dresses from him and shooed him to the waiting chairs. "Any preference which one I model first?"
"I want to see the wine one."
"Deal."
Having prepared for this, it didn't take long for me to shuck my clothes and seal myself into the slip dress; the hardest part turned out to be getting the shrug draped correctly over my shoulders. It kept snagging on one or the other spaghetti strap. Finally ready, I strolled out to where Jimmie waited. He'd been quiet, but his face betrayed his impatience.
"So. What do you think," I asked, walking past, twirling and walking back.
"Hmmm… Now that I see it on you, girlfriend, I don't think this shade of wine is your color. Still, maybe in black. Let me see you walk again." One more time I walked away from him, swirled around and strode back, stopping to face him, my eyebrows raised in question. "No. It would be fine if you were looking to play 'just out to have a fun time', but it doesn't scream 'I'm really attracted to you'."
"If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'll go try on the velvet one."
Getting out of the dress was far easier than getting into it. Never one to leave a mess, I placed it back on it's hanger before pulling the velvet halter dress on. I loved it already. Smooth and soft, it stroked my skin with a gentle lover's touch. For all it's demure appearance, I rather doubted I'd be able to maintain my composure in the face of alcohol, his charm and this dress. Only thing left was to see what Jimmie thought of it.
I did my boardwalk for him, and I could tell from the way he fidgeted, he didn't care for it. "Okay," I said, "what's wrong with it?"
"It's just not you. I like the dress, but it's not you. You're just a bit too slender for it; the drape's all wrong."
"What do you mean?" I went to the three-way mirror and tried to set aside how the dress made me feel. Looking at myself, I sighed. Yes, he was right. This dress made me look like I wanted to out-starve Kate Moss. "Fine. You're right. On to dress number three."
"Which one?"
"I'll surprise you." I went back and changed into the shimmer halter dress. And once I had it on, I could tell the dress wasn't for me. As with the velvet one, it draped wrong. Nor did it have the virtue of tingling my skin with every move. Still, Jimmie would want to see it for himself, so I went out.
"Gawd. And I thought the velvet halter was bad. Take it off. Take it off."
"I can't fault your judgment on this one, Jimmie. I only came out to see your face." And it was worth the walk. Jimmie had screwed up his mouth, smashed down his eyebrows and just about twisted his nose right off his face with disgust. "You know, you could become a character actor. You've got the facial expressions down cold. Almost made me want to see your face freeze that way."

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