I had been in the little shop many times. It's gotten difficult to find decent greeting cards at major retailers. So often the options are crass and tacky, and I don't mind paying a few dollars more for quality stationary at local gift shops. For this particular visit to the Paper Company, I was in the market for a birthday card for my friend Jane. It was my first time there since the mask requirement was lifted, and I remember because it was the first time I got to see the clerk's face. Not that I didn't have a crush on her already. She was petite and fair, with thick hair she'd dyed grey with a tint of lavender, and sweet eyes that punctuated her overall fairy aesthetic. She often wore an oversized sweater and a cloth mask with flowers stitched into the fabric. But no mask this time. She greeted me with a stunning, wide smile and I got my first look at the modest diamond stud in her nose. I don't know if she recognized me. I bought most of my cards at the Paper Company, but I had always been masked also, and I suspected her warmth was offered to every customer equally.
"Can I help you find anything?" she asked.
"I need a birthday card for my friend."
"Check the turnstile," she said. "If nothing strikes your fancy we can take a look out back."
I was a bit surprised by the suggestion. The card selection was always broad and appealing and even if I didn't find the right one, I would never have presumed I could go behind the counter. Granted, there was little formality to the Paper Company. The storefront enjoyed floor-to-ceiling windows on three walls, and otherwise kept only a small office out back for overstock. I said thanks and browsed to myself for a few minutes.
It was mostly quiet, save for a gentle playlist that sounded from a Bose speaker by the cash. Likely curated by the clerk herself, I didn't recognize most of the songs. They were indie-sounding and breathy. She and I were the only two in the store so, however unexpected, I knew she had to be talking to me when she asked for some help lifting a box. When I turned, I realized she was calling from the office and I helped myself behind the counter and entered meekly.
"Sorry, you meant me, right?"
She smiled, involving her eyes and showing how easily she'd always enchanted me from behind a mask. "Can you get that box down?" she asked.
Now, I'm not exactly an avenger. Average height and on the skinnier side of an average build. Of course I was taller and stronger than the clerk, but the medium-sized box in the middle shelf didn't present as too substantial for any adult. It was growing clear, the box was simply a device to lure me into the office. I slid it from the shelf and asked where she'd like it. She pointed to the floor corner and removed her sweater. Just like that, with no hesitation. It was gone, and beneath was a cream-coloured silk bra with lace that hanged down from her small but perky chest, over the top of her flat stomach. Her skin was porcelain white and she had just a few small moles which I found unbelievably sexy. It's typically rude to stare but I don't imagine she minded, and anyway, I was too stunned to speak.
She asked, "Can you do me another favour while I have you?"
I nodded, consciously trying to seem easy and not betray my exuberance. It was impossible to hide for long though, with her next move being to step into my immediate space and lean her tight little body against me. With each hand, she rained her fingertips down my sides, starting at my shoulders and ending at my belt, where she hooked her fingers and tugged just a little. It wasn't expressly clear if there was in fact a specific favour she needed from me, but there was no question I was free to act on my instincts. I leaned down to kiss her lips, but she dodged me coyly and I landed my mouth on her neck. She released a deep sigh of anticipation so I stayed there, kissing her gently between her collarbone and hairline, and I exhaled similarly when I felt her hand move below my belt and begin grazing the imprint of my hard cock.
The first time my hands touched her I was conservative. I chose to take her face into my hold and I kissed her deeply. Once locked there, I dropped my hands to her hips and gripped snugly around her tiny waist. She was wearing jeans, and the odd stolen look revealed she was barefoot. It occurred to me I might never have seen her below the ankles before; she was always behind the counter. I tried to remain as graceful as possible, kicking off my own shoes, and I knew also that it was a risk to do it at all. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. There was a chance this would end without progressing beyond a steamy make-out between two strangers in a storage office, but if my shoes came off, it meant we were agreeing to a continuance. And they did come off, and I manoeuvred it pretty smoothly, though it cost me about an inch of height. I hoped I could make up for it elsewhere.
The clerk returned to my belt - the buckle this time. Swiftly, she unfastened it and then my button-fly, and she slid her hand down the front of my pants, grabbing me and coaxing my profound turn-on. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. You go about life, passing beautiful women in stores and on sidewalks, and you wonder what it would be like to abandon all else with them and free fall into a tizzy of carnal passion. You can get through quite sufficiently on the fantasies alone. But it never actually happens. It never just falls into your lap like this. Never so literally. My inexperience in such spontaneity could explain why I stuck to following her lead. I unbuttoned her jeans and traced my hands around her hips, cutting low and circling back to the top of her perfect, heart-shaped ass. Then I pulled her pants down, yanked them past the subtle curve of her figure and let them fall to the floor.
She pulled back from me and smiled. It was tantalising of course, but it was sweet too, like she was having fun. Now I had the chance to really observe how incredibly hot she was. Her bra remained on, and the only other thing she wore was a matching g-string. It had flowers in the lace and satin lines running around her waist and into the valley between her cheeks.