Chapter 23

We walked around the mall some more, looking in store windows but not really seeing anything.

"Jack, I was afraid I lost you when you told me about Sara. I know I acted a little strange but I was fighting for you."

"I'm sorry, Jill. When Mary talked to me about it, she made me see that I went overboard telling you about her. I'll tell you what really bothered me. We got to my school and you gave me a quick peck on the cheek and took off. And I couldn't get in touch with you. I almost went crazy."

"What do you mean?"

Mary told me that you thought you were on probation and I wanted to let you know how I felt. When you didn't answer the phone or return my calls I figured you decided I wasn't worth the effort and didn't want to talk to me. I thought I lost you."

"I guess I could have called you but we were kind of busy with my aunt dying."

"I know that now. It wasn't your fault. I just thought too much and I came up with the wrong conclusion. I was a total mess."

"A mess?"

"Yeah. I didn't sleep much that night. I fell asleep in English. That's when my teacher tried to wake me up and I called her Mom. I did lousy at the swim meet."

"Don't tell me you lost."

"Oh, yeah, big time. Two out of three. I'm sure it would have been all three but I decided I'd lost you and it wasn't doing me any good to sit around and moan about it. I came back into my own in my third race. When I talked to you on the phone Thursday night, it was like you saved me from drowning. I know it was all my overactive imagination, but I never want to go through anything like that again."

"Now I feel terrible."

"Oh, Jill, it's not your fault. I just didn't think straight."

We passed the pet store and Jill squealed, pulling me by the arm into the store. The same lab puppy was in the window. She kneeled down and he came over to her, his whole back half wagging with his tail.

"He remembers me from last week!"

"I sort of doubt that."

She picked him up and was talking to him, telling him she knew he remembered and not to pay attention to me because I didn't know what I was talking about. I'll say one thing, he looked like he knew her. His tongue was all over her face.

Once again, Jill got read the riot act by the teenage clerk. Some people get a little power and they think they rule the world. This time Jill didn't wait till we were out of the store to call her a bitch.

We stopped in Fredericks of Hollywood. There weren't any adult toys for sale but they definitely had some more provocative things than Victoria's Secret.

"Jill, I want you to find something you really like and model it for me."

She looked at me like she didn't know me. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can take it."

"OK. You promise me I won't hear about this later when you're trying to prove what a slut I am?"

I pulled her to me and kissed her hard. She gasped as I let her loose. "I promise. I know I was an ass last week. Show me something you'd like for your birthday."

"OK. Go sit over there. You can see it when I've changed."

I sat down and tried to look at things other than Jill. She kept looking over at me with a quizzical expression on her face, trying to believe it wasn't some cruel joke. She finally looked like she made up her mind, grabbed something off the rack, hid it from me and went into the changing rooms. She said something to the attendant and then got into a discussion with her. The attendant seemed satisfied and went to a couple of bins and picked up picked up some items and took them in to her.

Jill came out about five minutes later.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was her. She stood just outside the entrance to the changing rooms. Her left hand was on her left hip. Her left leg was bent at the knee and her hips were cocked to the right. She had a look of desire on her face, particularly in her eyes. When I realized it was her, her tongue snaked out of her mouth and licked her lips. As if she was getting her mouth ready for something. Other than talking.

"Oh, my God." I can't believe it. You want me to get that for your birthday?"

"That's what you told me to show you."

"What about your father?"

"This won't be for my father."

"Damn, Jill. You get me alone somewhere wearing that and I may not be able to control myself."

"Good. That's what it's supposed to do."

My first impression was that she could get arrested for indecent exposure. As I looked, I realized it didn't actually show anything. But you could tell everything she had.

I found out later the main item is called a corset. It was not unlike the top portion of a one piece bathing suit. The bottom was scalloped and came down just below her navel. Her breasts were totally covered and there were some thin straps over her shoulders. There were some extra straps visible underneath it. A couple of semi circles under her breasts, just enough to define and support them. I'm sure Jill didn't need them but they didn't hurt. There were a couple more that ran vertically to mold it to her body and continued over her panties and to just past the tops of her thighs ... It definitely showed off her hourglass figure and probably was designed to help bring back the figure of someone a few years past her prime. It was lace, I guess, and had intricate pattern of swirls. I got a picture of the two of us on a couch with her wearing it and knew I could spend hours exploring the textures with my fingers.

It was lavender. The combination of that color with her blond hair made me ache.

But that wasn't all. She had a pair of matching panties on. Nothing risque about them but the straps from the corset ran over them and down to hold up a pair of lavender stockings she was wearing. Not panty hose, stockings. Her tennies spoiled the effect a little but not enough to prevent the wood I sported as soon as she walked out the door.