Chapter 6

“Hi, I’m Carly. Who is this beauty? And why is she handcuffed? Are you a cop or something?” the saleswoman before she suddenly recognized me, “wait, you run this mall, don’t you? You’re the manager!”

“Assistant manager, actually. Jamie’s the manager. Jamie Larousse. I’m supposed to be off today, though, due to events surrounding my upcoming divorce,” I showed the salesgirl the cheater’s mark where my wedding band used to be.

“Getting a divorce, huh? I gather that this isn’t the wife. Shoplifter? Isn’t that normally something that mall security handles?” Carly peppered me with more questions, even as she ogled Michelle rather brazenly ... but viewed me much more clinically.

“You’re gay, aren’t you? Anyway, I used to head mall security, not that long ago,” I asked Carly directly and she nodded with a lump in her throat.

“Yes, sorry, am I really that obvious? I mean ... not sorry that I’m a lesbian, but well, you know,” Carly tried not to be too transparent, but I could smell how wet she was.

“Yes, well, Carly, this is Michelle, my slave. Yes, I said ‘slave.’ She just became my slave today, and not because of shoplifting. She’s here because I want to get her a new ... denim miniskirt if possible before we go to the Ruby Tuesday for lunch ... or should I say dinner, given how late it is?

“Long story. Maybe you’d like to join us for dinner and I can explain better. She just thought that she’d be getting to the food court, but she’s basically my girlfriend, too, now, and that’s no way to treat a new girlfriend, is it?” I explained to the clearly aroused lesbian salesgirl.

Michelle blushed a bit as she considered the ramifications of her new status. Here I was, doting on her, showing her off, presenting her as my lover, and even encouraging a lesbian to lust for her. It must be rather heady wine. In any case, Carly took every opportunity to admire her and flirt with her, rather shamelessly by now, as she figured out that I didn’t seem that jealous.

If anything, I thought that the obviously clumsy, but eager advances by Carly on my cuddly blonde slut rather charming in their own awkward way. It was a crush and Carly wasn’t smooth or cool about it at all. It smacked of sincerity for the same reasons that Michelle’s own moves on me did. There was nothing glib about Carly Fuentes, nothing at all.

“There we go. But your money’s no good here,” Carly told me suddenly, bringing me up short.

“I don’t think that you can afford to cover it on a sales associate’s salary, or could you?” I persisted.

“No, but I can,” I heard behind me.

“Jamie,” I smiled as I turned around to see my boss, Jamie Larousse, the mall’s actual manager.

“Yep, and I thought that you were taking the week off, what with the crime committed against you and the divorce and all that jazz. Here I find you trying to buy a denim miniskirt for one of the cutest, most bubbly women that I’ve ever met ... from one of the other cutest, most timid women that I’ve ever met. Hi, I’m Jamie. What’s your name?” my freckled, sandy-haired tomboy of a boss introduced herself to Michelle.

“I’m ... Michelle ... one of his estranged wife’s friends ... until today. She was way out of line, you know. It was completely uncalled for, what she did. In case you’re wondering, I’ve discovered my submissive, masochistic streak and offered myself to Simon as his slave for as long as he doesn’t give me back the keys to these handcuffs.

“I personally hope that he never does. I want nothing more than to serve him for life. I guess that I’m also his ... girlfriend now? Though it’s probably not in an exclusive sense, as he seems very smitten with you and he has encouraged Carly to flirt with me. You’re in love with him, aren’t you? I can’t blame you. I think that I’m in love with him, too, truth be told,” Michelle blurted as Jamie paid for her miniskirt.

“We’re going to dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s, if you’d like to join us,” I announced, making Jamie lick her lips.

“Why, Simon Avanti, are you asking your boss out on a date? In that case, not all of the HR experts and counselors in the world could make me turn you down. Come along, you, too, Carly. I’ll make sure that your boss doesn’t can your sweet ass for falling in love with a beautiful blonde out of envy. They should be so lucky,” Jamie told her, “trust me, as mall manager, I got my share of leverage here. Oh, and Simon, your money’s no good on this date, either. I’m paying, babe.”

“Wow ... you aren’t just the manager here, are you, Jamie? You ... own this place, don’t you?” I realized suddenly as we reached the Ruby Tuesday.

“Bingo, lightbulb moment there, sugar! LMOE, LLC. stands for Larousse Mall Operations Enterprises, LLC. Care to guess who sits on the Board of Directors as Chairwoman and CEO? Yours truly. This is actually the home office. You just didn’t know it yet, as it doesn’t fit the SOP for such things.

“Hey, you inherit a butt-load of money from some Tulsa heiress, you gotta do something with it, right? In fact, when you get back from your little sabbatical, you’re gonna be the new manager, I swear it. I’ll take a step back, especially with maternity leave and all that noise,” Jamie’s Okie accent came out a little stronger that time.

“You’re pregnant? Wow, now that is big time news, Jamie! Congratulations!” I smiled at my boss, even if it was still a bit wild how much she seemed to dig me.

“Not yet, but I’m workin’ on a plan to get there, I reckon,” Jamie smiled and winked at me and then at the hostess, a Latina who happened to be Carly’s big sister.

“Sis ... who’s this cutie?” Ana teased her sister.

“This is Michelle and she’s actually Simon’s slave, but I’m hoping to borrow her now and then from him. And you already know Jamie, I assume. She probably gets mall discounts here. Thank you, by the way, for getting me this job,” Carly thanked her elder sister.

“Oh, it’s nothing, honey. You’re my baby sister and you’re going through enough, coming out to half of the family in one fell swoop. It’s gotta be hell to be a Mexican lesbian. Now, I, on the other hand, am bi, not gay or straight, single, recently in fact, and very open-minded, if you catch my drift, guys. Oscar’s open, too, but in his case, he’s queerer than Dennis Rodman,” Ana teased the flamboyantly gay waiter as she turned us over to his care.

“Yes, I’m Oscar, and yes, I’m your waiter. Carly knows me as Oscar Herrera, unless I’m mistaken. We’re in the same Psych classes at our community college. Difference being that she wants to teach middle school. I want to teach high school. Not in the same sense as Ana, though,” Oscar teased both sisters, “Ana considers it her personal duty to deflower any barely legal high school grads who didn’t quite make it to prom.”