Part 1
Claire picked idly at her fingernails and her thoughts, sitting behind the counter of OfficeOptions, her current place of employment. A small part of her brain warned her she was ruining a relatively nice manicure, but she was too perturbed by the rest of her thoughts to care. She was genuinely torn, a situation she didn't enjoy. Claire had always been able to make up her mind, and follow it doggedly, regardless of the consequences. She double majored in literature and art history, spending an extra year to finish both degrees, even though she had no interest in writing or teaching either. She broke up with her boyfriend Paul of four years five minutes after she realized he was going to be bald much sooner than she would have liked. Just looked at him shaving in the mirror at his apartment and told him before he had wiped the extra shaving cream off his face that there was no need to rush to brunch because she didn't feel like going, and didn't feel like a lot of things to be honest.
But now, staring at her friend, roommate and coworker Lisa, Claire was wondering about the future. They had been friends for seven years now, good friends. Lisa would swear to anyone that meeting Claire was the best thing to happen to her. They met at a freshmen orientation. Claire couldn't find a building and Lisa, who was always nervous about putting herself into a weird spot, offered to show her around. Claire promised to make it up to her and she did: it was Claire who put Lisa together, replacing her Dial soap with a gentle scrub for the face that finally saved Lisa from acne. It was Claire who taught Lisa how to diet without starving herself, and to exercise her way into an exceptional figure. Lisa, Claire decided, was an attractive girl who was way overdue for a boyfriend. If she would dress like I told her, Claire told herself for what must have been the 100th time, and show off those curves. Claire ended the though with a sigh. She remembered the one time she had convinced Lisa to give it a shot.
_____________
Three years ago as Seniors, Claire had managed to talk Lisa into showing off her curves. There was an annual party with a 300 theme, which the girls had been invited to thanks to Paul, a linebacker on the Centurions football team, who had just started dating Claire. Claire had cajoled Lisa for hours to come with her.
"Come on, you never go to anything."
"Possibly for a reason. I'm not walking around in a bed-sheet in public." Lisa's voice fell to a whisper, reddening at the thought.
"What? But you're perfect. You're a more olive-skinned Lena Headley. I'm the one who's going to look out of place with my blond hair."
"Claire, you couldn't look out of place anywhere. You always look great."
"So come with. Please?"
Two hours later, they were there. Claire wore a short tunic style toga more suitable for a boy. She knew it wasn't ideal, but she wasn't about to miss an opportunity to show off her toned legs. Besides, she wanted to spend most of her time beforehand working on Lisa's outfit.
The completed effect was everything Claire wanted, and almost everything that would make Lisa uncomfortable, although, she had to admit, she looked great. Claire had twisted and pinned Lisa's sheet into more of a draped prom dress than a toga. Claire finished the look with some fake plastic leaves on a garland for a laurel effect that also supported the front of the dress. It showed off Lisa's shapely, still firm breasts, and hinted at her hourglass figure.
Claire was thrilled. Lisa looked like a Greek goddess.
"Everyone will love it." Claire assured her.
And she was right. The moment they entered the party, mouths all around the frat house dropped. Lisa blushed at the attention, but kept smiling, enjoying the newfound attention. Boys who had no idea they'd been in class with Lisa were now looking for excuses to go up and talk to her.
Paul sidled up to Claire. "Wow, that's your roommate? You did a great job on her."
"Thanks. I put her dress together myself."
"Some of the guys and I were talking. Do you think she'd present something to Tryon? We want to do something for him. He ripped his knee, done for the season, and he's kind of down about it."
"Sure! Actually, I've got an idea."
Claire called Lisa over and told her what was discussed.
"The hot guy on crutches? Oh God, yes."
"Excellent. I just need some of your laurels. Don't worry, your dress will be fine." Claire took the run of leaves that worked as the neck strap for the dress. Lisa was about to protest, but she didn't feel any shift in the dress. I guess there's nothing to worry about, she thought to herself. There's so many pins in this thing, I doubt it could move if it had to.
A few moments later, Claire had twisted the flowers into a laurel wreath, and Tryon was seated in a chair at the top of the blocked off first landing, smiling and making jokes. Claire whispered a few words of encouragement into Lisa's ear and she began to ascend the steps, locking eyes with Tyron. She kneeled at the step right before him and offered the laurel wreath. As she kneeled, her shoe dressed down on the inside of her dress. He nodded at her, smiling, and Lisa stood.
Her dress didn't. The series of pops were loud enough to be heard across the room as the dress stayed stuck under her shoe. She stood wreath in hand in front of Tyron, naked except for the shoes and thong.
It was hard to tell who's eyes got wider or did so more quickly. For a long second, they both stood frozen. Lisa's yelp was covered by mingled gasps and laughter. For a brief moment she twisted back and forth, unsure of what to do, before covering her ample breasts with one hand and offering the laurels to Tryon with the other. He was too mesmerized for a few seconds to take them, a few seconds that felt like an agony to Lisa. Finally he did.
She immediately bent down and grabbed at the bundle of fabric at her feet.
"YEEOOWW!" She stood bolt upright, rubbing her right hand with her left from the sting of the many pins that had once held the dress on which were now pointing in every direction.
The dawning realization hit her. She was rubbing her right hand with her left. She had exposed her breasts again.
She again yelped, and again covered her chest with her hands. She stood frozen and confused. She then tried with her left hand to pull the sheet from the floor, but a few tugs made it clear that she was still standing on it, whatever pins hadn't stabbed her were now caught in the carpet. Making things worse, she realized she was in serious danger of falling down the stairs if she kept moving.
Claire scrambled looking for a bed sheet, a tablecloth, anything to hide her friend. She grabbed Paul by the shoulder, pulling his eyes from her nearly naked friend.
"Where can I get something to cover her?"
"Oh Damn," Paul said with a laugh. "We keep that stuff upstairs."
A few hours later, Claire was still stroking Lisa's shoulders as her mortified friend laid face down on the bed.
_____________
Claire though about that now, three years later. Because, she realized, to help Lisa before she lost her final chance, Claire was about to make life for Lisa make that night a few years ago feel like a holiday.
It wasn't that Claire was cruel. Far from it. She loved Lisa like a sister. But Lisa was a few months away from taking a full time job as a library technician at a local community college. While Claire was thrilled for her friend she knew that this was her last chance to get Lisa a boyfriend. And even though after that night at the frat house, Lisa already dressed the part of a librarian, she still kept her figure and flawless skin, and still caught glances from customers and coworkers. Claire knew that she would have to show off her friend, and there was no way Lisa would do that willingly.
Also, Claire had found the perfect guy for Lisa just two days ago. Ken was new to the store, a college junior. He was very good looking but very shy. Claire had done some digging rig after meeting him at one of the "team meetings" their boss Peter was so enamored with.
"What's his story, Petey?" Lisa said with a smile. Peter was hopelessly smitten with Lisa and would have handed her the keys to the store and the combination to the safe if she ever even hinted she wanted them.
"Oh, Ken? His full name is Kendrick. Smart kid. Finishing his degree in electrical engineering at your college a full year early. Wanted some extra cash to prep for grad school. I know his cousin from..." Peter couldn't bring himself to say Dungeons and Dragons, "...from when we were younger. You know he used to be like nearly three hundred pounds?"
"What? Ken? No way. Look at him." Claire gestured at Ken's figure. "He looks like a boxer or something."
Peter sucked in his gut a little. "Yep. Apparently at seventeen he went on some strict diet and exercise regimen. His cousin said the wrestling team was begging him to walk on last year."
"So he's straight?"
"Yeah, I assume. I mean, he went to an all boys school for high school and apparently works his butt off at college, plus summer courses and I'm told he work some construction as well. He's got a couple friends but I doubt he's been on a date in his life."
He's perfect, Claire thought to herself. He's just like my Lisa, a diamond in the rough.
___________________________
It was time for step one. Claire watched Lisa circulate the empty store in her light white blouse that Claire had just bought her, tank top and loose, shin-length skirt and boots. This location of OfficeOptions was a glorified loss leader, kept in the mall to put the brand name out there as the company tried to move to from purely business warehouse sales to some retail as well. Lisa was no doubt imagining herself walking through her future library as she straighten and organized. Claire had taken over scheduling duty from Pete and put her, Lisa and Kenneth together on the evening shift.
Lisa watched Ken lift case after case of paper, working on the display she had assigned him to keep him busy as she started her plan. She occasionally caught Lisa shooting glances in his direction. She's interested, Claire thought, so let's see if he is.
"Lisa, got a second? Could you help me with these boxes? I've got Ken working on something else so I don't want to distract him."
Lisa came over quickly. "What's up?"
