A New Way of Seeing Things

(This story takes place in a fictional world. Any similarities to people or things in the world we actually live in is coincidental.)

"Next Monday."

It took a moment for Gwen's thought process to shift from the expected response to the 'Nelson Plumbing' she had answered the phone with. "Natalie?"

"That's me. Next Monday."

"What are you—"

"Barry's got the day reserved for you next Monday. Can you make it?"

Gwen's head swam. Thoughts of what she had committed to had never been far from her mind the past weekend, thoughts that were both thrilling and frightening. Images of Tim receiving the gift and throwing her on the bed to ravish her had sparred with him becoming disgusted and angrily throwing the gift away. Natalie's voice brought the roller coaster ride to the crest of another hidden drop.

"Next Monday? But we're open—"

"You're an owner. I'm sure Tim will understand if you take a day off. "

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, Natalie..."

"No chickening out now. It's a great idea. We'll go up to Atlanta Sunday afternoon—"

"Sunday? What do I tell Tim? I never go anywhere overnight without him now that the girls aren't riding competitively..."

"Tell him we're going up for some shopping on my day off and I want to make a trip of it."

"So, this is happening up there?"

"Uh-huh. The Inn at Little Falls. Same place I did mine. And I have an idea on where to get your second outfit; we can do that on Sunday, too."

"Do I need to book a room there?"

"We can stay with Liz Sunday night. Her ex has her daughter for a month, so she's got the condo to herself. The Inn's not too far from there."

"We—I mean, I, couldn't impose on her like that!"

"She already said it would be fine. She's got plenty of room. "

The line went silent for a moment, Gwen thinking of some way, anyway, out of this. The fantasy had been fun, but it was rapidly spinning out of control. "I don't think I..." she began slowly.

"Oh, hush. Start writing up instructions on how many scoops of oats Tim needs to give the horses while you're gone. We'll work out everything else when I come over on Friday."

The week was filled with further reviews of Natalie's album and the various portfolios on the website as well as the need to relieve the urges these created. It was not until Thursday night that she worked up the courage to tell Tim of her trip.

"Natalie asked me to go to Atlanta with her Sunday and Monday—she's going shopping and wants some company," she said as she lay nestled into his side before they nodded off. "Are you alright with me going? If not, I'm fine with staying here."

Tim was mildly surprised by her announcement—his wife and sister-in-law had gone from polite acquaintances to BFFs seemingly overnight.

"Uhh, no, no problem, go have some fun," he replied, doing his best to hide his surprise. "Are you guys commuting, or getting hotel rooms?"

Gwen hesitated. "No, I think we're staying with a friend of hers." She said, unwilling to tell him the friend was Natalie's long-time lover. She pulled back the blankets to reveal his flaccid member. Gently she put her lips over him, anxious to avoid having to answer any more questions.

Natalie put Tim's shirt and a pair of Gwen's low heels in her car before they began their ride the next morning. She answered all questions about the upcoming weekend with variations of "you asked me to arrange it, and I am. Just relax."

They made their way to the pool after the extended ride, Natalie's line of discarded clothing leading to the water's edge while Gwen's was neatly hung on a nearby chair. "Oh, Barry wanted to know what kind of shoot you wanted to do," the nude blonde said as she tread water. "I told him as graphic as he could make it—start with a shot of you on your hands and knees, ass up in the air begging for some doggy style, then get wild from there. Did I guess right?" Gwen's panicked eyes found her sister-in-law's, her mouth open in horror. "Just kidding. I told him nothing too racy, more along the lines of what I did. I hope I wasn't off base?"

Gwen shook her head but said nothing. It took her a few moments and several sips of wine to recover from the shock.

Nothing more was said of the matter and Natalie soon climbed from the pool and dressed for work, departing with a reminder that "she was taking care of everything." The realization that this was going to happen gave Gwen the same thrill she had been getting since she had said yes to this crazy idea, but her nerves had finally reached a point at where they cancelled out her sexual excitement.

She managed to control her shaking as she said goodbye to Tim late Sunday morning, climbing into the passenger seat of Natalie's SUV while he leaned into the driver side to talk to his sister-in-law. It was not until they had pulled onto the road that her self-control finally gave way and her body began to tremble while her leg bounced rapidly.

"Hey, relax," Natalie soothed as she put her free hand over the ones her sister-in-law had folded in her lap. "You'll be great, and you'll have fun. I promise!" Her hand stayed there for some time.

The drive took three hours, the women talking about family and life in general when Gwen could bring herself to talk, anything but about the reason for their trip.. Natalie eventually pulled the vehicle into a parking spot in front of a grey two-story condominium set in a sea of like buildings.

"We're gonna use Liz's bathroom, then go shopping for your second outfit, then on to dinner," Natalie announced as she set the shift to Park. "C'mon in."

The pair made their way to the center unit of the building they were in front of, the door opening soon after Natalie rang the bell. Liz stood there, her slender figure clad in a white shirt and jeans that Gwen swore had been pressed, ruby red lipstick accentuating her pale blue eyes while fighting for attention with the luxurious mane of red hair that flowed down her back.

She traded a warm hug and kiss with Natalie, a more reserved hug and smile for Gwen. Pleasantries were exchanged and facilities used, and Gwen came out of the bathroom to find Liz texting while Natalie looked on.

"Cho said she'll meet us there," the redhead announced without looking up from her phone. "It's only a five minute drive for her."

"Let's go." The three women headed for the SUV. Gwen what somewhat surprised that Liz was joining them—she had not expected that—but was also curious who this Cho was. Her shaking resumed.

"So, where are we going?" She asked from the backseat as her sister-in-law pulled out of the parking space.

"A friend of mine owns a boutique not too far from here," Liz answered from the front without turning. "Natalie told me what you were looking for; I asked Cho if she might have something like that, she's pretty sure she does. She's not normally open on Sundays, but I called in a favor, so she's going to open up for us."

"Thank you," Gwen stammered, unsure what else to say. She had never considered the possibility that Liz might know why she and Natalie were in town, much less that her sister-in-law had discussed the scandalous details with their host.

"Nothing to it," the woman in the front seat said dismissively. "But I have to be honest, you never struck me as the type to be into this type of thing. You always seemed more, I dunno, conservative, I guess."

"I didn't strike me as this type either," Gwen said with a blush as she folded her hands. "Natalie had quite a bit to do with all of this."

"I just helped you let down your guard and your undies a bit," her sister-in-law replied with a smirk.

They pulled into a small strip mall twenty minutes later. A storefront about halfway down the line featured pink fabric-screened windows that prevented a look inside, white letters further obscuring the view on one pane. Sensual Sensations. The name sounded familiar...and then Gwen remembered. The catalog locked away in the cabinet, the box her toys came in...

Natalie chose a spot near the entrance and led the way, Liz knocking once they reached the door. The lock rattled and turned, and the door swung open to reveal a young Asian woman, shorter and a more full-figured than Gwen. "Please, come in!"

The trio entered and Gwen could hear the door being locked behind her as she looked around in wonder. A rack of condoms was directly in front of her, more kinds than she believed could have existed, while to her left a display of vibrators stood. The entire front of the store seemed filled with items she could not quite identify but knew to be things best viewed discretely; the back half was filled with clothing, glimpses of leather and vinyl making the store she and Natalie had visited for her garter seem tame.

Natalie hugged the young woman as she moved to greet them, making it obvious they had met before, and Liz bent slightly to hug her as well, thanking her for opening up on her day off.

"Gwen Nelson, Cho Lin Chen. She's the owner of this fine establishment."

The young woman thrust out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, and thank you for letting me come in on your day off."

"No problem! Always happy to welcome a new customer, especially if these two are bringing her in!"

"Liz and I met Cho at a Naughty Nightie party she was running," Natalie said in explanation. "She throws the greatest parties!"

"It helps when you have such willing display racks like you and Liz." Cho sized up the brunette standing across from her. "If you're ever interested, get these two to invite you along to one of my parties some time. I think you'd make an excellent model."

Gwen blushed. "Well thank you, I've never been to a...one of those.kinds of parties before, and I think you're too optimistic about my modeling skills."

"Let's see about that. If you ladies will follow me." Cho set off down an aisle, past a dizzying display of vibrators in all shapes, colors and sizes, and into a forest of lingerie racks. The trio followed, Gwen almost running into Natalie's back when she pulled up short.

"Liz said a corset, right?" came a voice at the front of the line. The other women moved to the side to allow Gwen to come forward to where Cho was holding several. "She guessed at your size, so I pulled a few out in advance. She mentioned red and black, but she also said you might prefer something not so risqué...I pulled out a few while I was waiting, so let's start with this one." She handed Gwen an all-black garment. "It latches up the back, so it can be a pain in the ass to get in and out of...want me to help you?"

"I can help her," Natalie quickly offered.

"All right then!" Cho said brightly. "Dressing room's back there—c'mon out when you get it squared away and we'll see how it looks."

Gwen numbly moved in the direction the woman was pointing at. Come out? It was bad enough Natalie was going to see her in this outfit meant solely for enticing a man into having sex, but two strangers as well? She found the tiny cubicle, really only large enough for one body, and began to undress while Natalie stood in the doorway. She stopped at her bra and panties and reached for the corset that her sister-in-law now held, but Natalie pulled it back. "Uh-uh. Everything. We wanna see the full effect."

Reluctantly she removed her underwear and stood there naked, shivering slightly. Only then did she get the garment. She understood the need to wrap it about her, and Natalie did the rest, hooking her up while she adjusted it about her breasts and hips. The garment sat high on her hips and low across her breasts, squeezing her as Natalie closed it from bottom to top, the final clasps not causing her any issue despite the snugness. The reflection showing her covered breasts and midsection while her bare pubic mound and bottom were prominently on display. Nervously she turned for her sister-in-law's inspection.

"Not bad," she said noncommittally. "Not big on the garter straps—I was thinking more of a thigh-high stocking, but let's see what the others think." Natalie moved aside to give Gwen room to exit the cubicle.

"There's no customers here, right? None of the other employees?"

Natalie chuckled. "You want their opinion, too? No, nobody else."

With a deep breath, Gwen padded past a row of racks holding filmy gowns to an open space where Cho and Liz stood.

"Not bad," the shop owner agreed, further adjusting the garment while Gwen turned for her. "Is it too tight? It looks like you're getting red in the face. This won't be any good if you can't wear it for any length of time."

Gwen turned a deeper red, unwilling to admit that her flush was due to the embarrassment of being bottomless in front of these women. Off to the side she caught a glimpse of Liz whispering to Natalie and gesturing at her mostly-naked body with a nod. "No, it's snug, but not uncomfortable," she answered.

"Good. Fits nice, but you have the kind of body just about anything will look good on." Cho turned her again. "And if you don't mind me saying so, you're ass and legs are incredible. Put you in a pair of heels and the boys—if that's your thing—will be all over you."

Gwen turned a brighter red. "Thanks, but I'm married."

"Lucky, lucky man" the Asian woman murmured as her fingers brushed through Gwen's abundant patch of hair to tug the bottom of the corset. "OK, next one, please." The woman handed her something that appeared to be a version of what she already wore, but in white. The process was repeated, Gwen and Natalie retreating and returning, Cho turning her and adjusting here and there. With a satisfied nod, she reached for a nearby hanger and gave Gwen something with an abundance of red silk and black piping.

Gwen's breath caught in her throat. This was the one! This was the Slut, come to life! Please let this fit, she thought as she made her way back to the dressing room.

Natalie stood back as Gwen's shaking hands closed up the concealed hooks on the front. To her relief, it felt like she had wrapped a brand new silk riding glove about her body. It hugged her in all the right places without feeling restrictive. Something about this one was different than the others, nastier, sluttier, more right. She looked at herself in the mirror. The first two she had tried on, while far racier than her normal attire, somehow looked like they would not have been out of place under some of the dresses she had seen on women at elegant functions in magazines and on TV. This one though, this one screamed Slut. Her breasts were pushed together to present more cleavage than she had ever looked down upon, while the bottom hugged her waist, accentuating her tight rounded buttocks. Despite her desire for this ultimate expression of wickedness, she looked at Natalie with uncertainty.

"Wow. If I didn't know your preference for granny panties, I'd say you were born to wear that thing. Let's go see what Cho says."

The smile on the shop owner's face made her feelings clear. "If you're comfortable wearing something this hot, I would say we have a winner," she said as she moved about, primping and pulling on the taut fabric. "I think I know the pair of panties to go with this—something lacy, black, and very brief."

"I get to wear underwear with this?" Gwen asked hopefully, looking over at Natalie. The onlookers laughed.

"It's your outfit, you can wear or not wear whatever you want," Cho told her. "Although I think wearing anything more than absolutely necessary would be a shame. In this case, though, I think undies might add just a little bit of mystery, at least until you're ready to lose them. So, is this the one?"

Gwen surprised herself with how quickly she answered. "I think so."

"Very good. Shall I wrap it for you, or would you like to wear it home?"

Her blush renewed. Wrapped, please." She hurried back to the dressing room where Natalie whisked the garment away as soon as she removed it. Gwen emerged to find her package ready and paid for, a gift from her sister-in-law despite her protests.

Cho saw the women off after they had given her their thanks and she had repeated her request for Gwen's attendance at her next party. Drinks and food were next. "There's a great Italian place between here and my house," Liz offered, and helped Natalie find her way to the eatery.

The conversation during dinner revolved around the college roommates' lives while Gwen quietly sipped her wine. Her elation over her find at the boutique had again been replaced by nerves over the occasion it was wanted for. The roller coaster climbed; the roller coaster dropped. Natalie and Liz could sense the reason for her silence and did their best to keep her distracted.

Between the casual confidence both of these women displayed and the wine, she was feeling somewhat better when they walked back into Liz's condominium later that evening. Another bottle was opened and emptied as they sat and talked before bed, but Gwen was careful not to overdo it, the lessons from her night at the resort still fresh in her mind. Liz's cell rang, and she moved to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hey listen," Natalie said quietly as she bent towards her sister-in-law. "Liz and I were talking while you were trying on stuff—"

"I saw you whispering something," Gwen replied, fear beginning to rise. "Was something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's fine. It's just that, well, we noticed your bush has gotten pretty, umm, lush. Does Tim like it like that?"

Gwen felt her personal hygiene being called into question and wanted to crawl under the seat cushion. "I don't know—he's never said anything—is it bad? " She babbled. "Is it ugly?"

"No, not at all," Natalie reassured her. "It's just that we thought the underwear Cho picked out for you might work better with a shorter hairstyle. If you and Tim aren't in love with the current carpet," she added quickly. "If you are, I'm sure Barry can make that work, too."

"Why would Barry care about what I look like down there? I thought I wasn't going to show anything like that!"

"The finished product may not show you down there, but trimming it back some might give him more to work with. Remember how my pictures showed my bunny tail?"

Gwen nodded miserably. "But I didn't bring any scissors..."

Natalie smiled. "I'm sure we can borrow some from Liz, and I've got a fresh razor."

"A razor? Won't a trim be enough?"

"Don't worry, we're not going to take it all off. I'm just gonna make it little tighter and little

sleeker."

Gwen couldn't bear to look at her sister-in-law. "I can try and trim it up some..."

Natalie gently laughed. "Your hands are shaking like a leaf, and the wine and your inexperience won't help. Let me do it. My job has given me plenty of experience."

"I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"You don't have to ask, I'm volunteering. C'mon, let nurse Natalie do her thing."

Gwen took a gulp of wine. "Alright, I guess."

Liz returned from the kitchen, holding the phone out. "Nick. Just wanted to let me know what he and Ashley did this weekend. He was an asshole as a husband, but I gotta admit, he's a good father."

Natalie stood. "Got a pair of scissors? I need to give a haircut."

Liz looked at Gwen and smiled. "I do. You're in good hands. Natalie's done mine more than once. I'll go get 'em."

"Why don't you head into the spare bedroom," Natalie suggested, "Let me gather up some things and I'll meet you there."

Gwen arose and moved down the hall to a room on the left. Closing the door behind her, she sat on the edge of the bed, hugged herself, and waited. There was soft knock 5 minutes later, the

door opening before Gwen could answer, and Natalie entered, carrying a basin of water, a towel and a small cloth bag. She smiled, and after setting the basin on a nearby dresser, moved to Gwen.