I was really just window shopping when I saw them. Black boots and they were just made for me. Suede with a medium heel and they would reach up to just below my knee. They were beautiful and I had to have them. I just turned and went into the shop so fast that it was as though someone had reached out and just grabbed me and yanked me in.
The store was empty apart from me and a salesman and I smiled at him.
"The black boots in the window display," I said. "Do you have them in six and a half?"
"I believe that that is the size of that pair," he said. "We only have that one pair. Would you like to try them on?"
Would I ever. I was in love.
He fetched the boots and passed them to me. I slipped them on and zipped them up and they fitted perfectly. It was like they were black suede gloves fitted to my feet. Oh, I so had to have these.
"They seem okay," I said. "Ah, I didn't notice the price. How much are they?
"How much?" I asked, going into shock. He had to be kidding. Brian would kill me if I spent that amount on a pair of boots, no matter how fantastic they were. I'd been prepared to stretch my budget a little but there was just no way it would stretch that far. I was almost in tears.
"My husband would never agree to me paying that much. I don't suppose you could give me a discount?" I suggested. "Say fifty?"
"Knock fifty off? You have to be kidding," he said with a big smile. "I'd fire any of my staff who did that."
"I meant fifty all up," I said, feeling a little pathetic. I felt even worse when the cruel beast laughed.
"At least it would be a sale for you," I grumbled. "I can't see any other customers in the store."
"I can't see any customers in the store at all," he said with an evil smile.
I glanced toward the door, wondering how fast I could run.
He gave another nasty smile.
"While you're looking at the door take a look at the camera mounted above it," he suggested.
"I don't know what you're insinuating," I said huffily, striking out bolting for it from my options.
"Can I pay them off?" I asked.
"Certainly, but we will retain the boots until they're paid for."
"Are you suggesting that I might not come back to pay them off if I took them with me?" I asked, letting him see how insulted I felt.
"The thought never crossed my mind," he said. "It's just store policy. I'm sure you understand."
I understood alright. I understood that he was a greedy monster who wasn't going to let me have my boots.
"Oh, please, can't you make an exception for me?" I asked, taking a deep breath and throwing my chest out. I had quite a sizeable chest and it looked spectacular when I threw it out like that. I saw him go quite still and knew I'd made my point. He was now putty in my hands.
He was looking thoughtful and I was giving him my most winsome look.
"Well, I suppose we can come to some sort of agreement. You really like those boots, don't you?"
"Oh, yes. They're marvellous and you can see how well they fit me. They might have been made especially for me."
Then he had that evil smile back on his face.
"Well, I could let you have them for fifty, and give you a receipt for fifty to show your husband. You can tell him you were lucky and picked them up at a snap sale."
My heart leapt and I almost bounced over to him and hugged him, but I'm glad I didn't because he hadn't finished talking.
"Before we do that you can come into the back of the store with me and show me just how much you want those boots."
I just looked at him. He surely couldn't have meant that the way it sounded. No, I was imagining things.
"Excuse me? I'm not sure what you mean."
"Oh, I think you do," he said, smiling widely. "Do you want me to spell it out? I was thinking how cute you'll look standing in front of me wearing those black boots - and nothing else."
"You expect me to stand in front of you with just the boots on?" I was quite proud of the way I refrained from shrieking at him.
"For a start," he said, still with that smile on his face. "I'm sure things will progress nicely from there."
"You expect me to have sex with you just for a pair of boots?"
Still not shrieking. Well done me.
"Not expect. Hope. They are an expensive pair of boots, as you already pointed out."