I should have known better than to follow her around the store for too long that afternoon. She was tall, probably around 6'3, in heeled boots, so she was likely 5'10" to 6'0" tall in her bare feet. Her hair was dark brown, curly, just touching her shoulders. In contrast, her eyes were a deep green. She wore a white business jacket, matching skirt and a silk blouse with a floral print. She wasn't skinny or even thin, but "pear shaped", curvy and voluptuous to the point fashion magazine zombies would call her "fat". She looked to be in her late 40's or early 50's and walked with her head up, shoulders back, and so confident.
In a word, she was a "goddess".
I was window shopping at a gifts store, one that carried everything from cheap samurai swords and vintage rock star t-shirts to gag greeting cards and bongs. I heard her heels click on the tile behind me and then her perfume filled my nose. It was strong, slightly sweet but also musky. It was not the type of perfume worn by tweens or young adults. No, this scent was one that demanded attention not begged for it.
I turned around just in time to see her arm pass my head. I'm 5'6, not really that short, but shorter than the norm. At the time, I was in my early 30's and just out of a very short relationship. I didn't know how lonely I was until I saw her very round, teardrop-shaped rear-end and I literally took a deep breath.
She stopped and picked up a music box. It had a mirror inside the lid and as she listened to the song, she looked right at me, catching me staring at her. I thought I saw a smile on her face, but I turned away in embarrassment and walked around to the next aisle.
My mouth was dry. Hands were sweaty. My heart was beating so fast I could feel it in my chest. No woman had ever had this kind of effect on me and she hadn't even said a word to me yet.
I saw her pass by the end of the aisle and I had to follow her. I wanted to smell her perfume and see her voluptuous body again. She was at the end of the next aisle looking at those brightly colored scarves from India, so I stopped and pretended to be interested in the wind-up toy Elvis that shook its hips in little circles. Again, her perfume filled my nose and it was intoxicating.
I chanced looking over at her. She was wrapping the scarves around in her hand, probably asking herself which one she wanted. Suddenly, she looked up and caught me staring again. She smiled and shook her head. Quickly, I looked back to the toy Elvis in my hand, silently cursing myself for getting caught again. I felt my cheeks burning.
She took one of the scarves and walked around the corner. I told myself, "Just one more smell of that perfume, one more look, and I'll leave before she reports me for stalking her."
My steps quickened and the store became a blur. I didn't care about the trinkets and junk on sale, I just wanted one more smell, one more look.
I was in such a hurry that I didn't pay attention to the sign next to the curtained-off area of the store where she must have gone. Stepping inside, there were six aisles of adult toys and a small fitting room in the rear corner. Vibrators, dildos, butt plugs, hand-cuffs, lingerie, g-strings, it seemed this gift store was one of many that had an "adult section". I turned to leave but I caught a glimpse of my elderly neighbor, Dorothy, walking into the front of the store.
Just my damn luck, I thought. Dorothy was a sweet old lady who'd been widowed for 20 years. She would often ask for my help mowing her lawn or carrying in groceries from the store. In return, she would sometimes wash my clothes and cook me a decent meal. There was no way I was going to let Dorothy see me walking out of the dirty section of the store.
I hurried toward the aisles in the back of the adult section to hide long enough for Dorothy to leave. I didn't see the woman I'd followed anywhere in the adult section but I smelled her perfume. For a moment it made me forget all about Dorothy and instead imagine the tall, curvy beauty smiling at me.
Walking around the aisles I wondered where she went. I wondered if she was something my imagination dreamed up for me. Perhaps she was never real. Maybe I was just lonely.
As I turned the corner near the fitting room, I felt two hands grab my shoulders from behind. The same perfumed filled my nose. It was her. I froze.
She learned forward, put her mouth next to my ear and said in a quiet voice, "You've been following me around, haven't you?"
Still frozen, I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything.
"Just nod if you agree."
Biting my lip, I nodded.
"Do you know what happens to little boys that follow tall, strong woman around stores to stare at their bodies?"
I shook my head.
"Walk though here," she said, opening up a door on the rear wall. It must have been a stockroom since it was full of boxes. "This is my store and I'm sure my security cameras have plenty of video of you following me around to stare at my big ass like some creepy little pervert."
I had no choice. Even if I could get away, there was a good chance my neighbor would see me running out of the adult section. One thing I didn't want was my face plastered all over the mall with the word "pervert" underneath it.
I didn't resist as she guided me through the opened door into the stockroom. Once inside she closed the door. It was darker than the store with walls painted black. Luckily, there was no one else there.
"This way," she said, taking me by the hand and leading me past the rows of boxes to a small office in the back. She closed and locked the door, then took a seat in a big leather chair behind a wooden desk. Pointing to a chair in front of her desk, she said, "Sit."
I did and stared down at my feet unable to look at her.
"What is your name?"
I didn't answer her. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak but that I couldn't. My mouth was too dry.
She must have noticed because she asked me, "Do you need a glass of water?"
I nodded. She got up from her chair and retrieved a bottle of water from a small refrigerator in the corner of her office. Opening it up, she handed it to me.
The first gulp quenched my thirst but I wanted to delay speaking for as long as I could so I just kept drinking. She reached out and took the bottle from me.
"Not too much water, I don't want a urine sample," she said, then continued, "at least not yet."
Returning to her seat, she again asked for my name.
