Michelle was a model employee at Vivienne's Boutique and had worked her way up to assistant manager. She enjoyed the store discounts, especially the new lines of clothing and arrivals for each season. It was easier to stay in fashion, and she didn't have to spend as much of the money given to her by her parents, who strictly forbade her to work during her studies, which she hid successfully. It had been just over one year since she began, and working her way up had given Michelle a new level of confidence. She also regularly visited the gym to exercise and took up yoga classes to accentuate her already firm, curvy body, keeping herself in immaculate shape and eating a healthy, balanced diet. Her grades were above average as usual. Life was going very well for Michelle indeed.
At the beginning of her job at the boutique, Nathan became an intense fixture in Michelle's sex life, though in recent months, his visits dropped in frequency. In fact, he rarely dropped by at all and stopped altogether it seemed. While Michelle often found his dominance intense and severe at times, she longed for his return. Another month went by and no sign of Nathan. Michelle's hair had grown from the well manicured short, inverted bob to a more conservative shoulder length style. She grew impatient of his return and decided to change her style into a more longer layered look with a trip to a new salon in the mall. The stylist was kind and suggested some low lights of chestnut against her golden locks. Michelle gladly accepted the change. It was time to move on, she thought.
With an increase in sales as a result of successful promotions and a great selection of fashion, Michelle was instructed to hire someone to help with the displays. After reviewing a pile of resumes, she short listed the best qualified candidates, narrowing it down to two people: her roommate Andy and a first year student, Lacey. It was a difficult decision to make. She thought about offering the job to Andy, as she knew him well and trusted his sense of style. Lacey, however, was a great option too, as she was a student of fashion. Michelle had an idea: she would hire Lacey part time on weekends, and give the hours during the week to Andy. This seemed like the best solution, and it worked out well. Within two months, the three employees were a fantastic team, communicating their ideas, keeping things innovative and bringing in lots of revenue. Sometimes they worked all together, collaborating their talents into great marketing ideas. Vivienne's Boutique was quickly becoming the hottest place to shop in the mall.
During the week, Mondays and Tuesdays were usually slower as a rule, allowing the staff to socialize and rearrange the displays if need be. Lacey was in the store with Michelle at the time. She was petite with long wavy black hair to her waist, always walking cheerfully with a skip and smiling constantly. Her eyes were chestnut and she had a nice even bronze tan. Lacey's flare for fashion impressed Michelle so much that she left a lot of the decisions up to her and Andy, freeing her time to supervise the sales staff during the store's busier hours.
One day Andy and Lacey were discussing the appearance of the mannequins. As useful as they were in displaying all of the newest trends, their short bob hairstyles had become "old news", as Andy put it...
"You know..," he began. "We should think about changing their hairstyles, it really doesn't suit them anymore. What do you think?"
"Great idea," Michelle replied quickly. "Now that you mention it, they are tiring to look at. Maybe they could use new wigs...or a different hat."
"I saw some very nice wigs on sale at a nearby shop," Lacey offered. "I could pick up a couple of them if you'd like to try something different...maybe a curly wig or a longer hair wig?"
Michelle and Andy both nodded in agreement. That afternoon, new wigs were purchased. The mannequins now sported a new look: one with should length blond curls, the second one with jet black long hair with blunt bangs, and the third wore a shaggy chin length bob. They were also fitted with new spring fashions to complete their look: lilac, white and mint green sleeveless dresses that flared out at their knees, and wedge heels to match each colour. It was a productive day in the store. When it was time to close up, Andy made a suggestion.
"Hey, how about the three of us grab some drinks on the way home?" he asked. "I want to try something new with my hair. I bought some pomade."
"Oh wow, that would be fun," said Michelle, thinking of how she hadn't played with her hair on her own, or under Nathan's instructions for some time. She then continued with another suggestion: "I'd like to try some of it too, what is it, exactly?"
"It's like a grease, but it's the vegetarian kind, without the animal fats they used in making it years ago," Andy explained, while running his fingers through thick dark brown hair. "I was thinking...of sporting a pompadour, what do you think?" He smiled shyly.
"A nice vintage look!" exclaimed Lacey enthusiastically. "I love it! Hey, let's close up and do it right here in the store. Do you have it with you? We'll bring the drinks back here, it will be fun."
"I don't know about that...," began Michelle, concerned about how they might get caught.
"Aw come on Michelle, once they turn off the main areas of the mall, no one even cares if we're here, plus you're in charge until Cecilia returns from her vacation next month, remember?" Andy had a good point. They could drink some wine in the back of the store, apply their hair products and even try on some clothes if they wanted to...and no one would know.
"Oh alright, but we have to be quiet, or I'm going to get in deep shit," Michelle said, rolling her eyes. They all laughed. It was going to be a fun evening.
