The mall appeared deserted as I hurried toward my car, heels click-clicking loudly against the tiles. It was nearly closing time, and many of the shops had already pulled their grated doors halfway down. The steady hum of vacuum cleaners drowned out the insistent music that blared from the loudspeakers. I had nearly reached the exit, when a pair of shoes in a window caught my eye. The door to the shop was still open, the bored-looking clerk sitting behind the register, so I slipped in.
"I'd like to try these in an eight and a half, please." I said, handing a high-heeled shoe to the skinny boy behind the counter. He looked up from a graphic novel and stuffed it hurriedly under the register, but not before I'd glimpsed a nude, large-breasted woman who appeared to be screaming. My lips tightened in disgust. The little freak – I doubted that he would even know what to do with a real woman.
While he scurried back to the stockroom I wandered about the shop, glancing at the array of shoes, cheap jewelry, brightly colored scarves, and leather handbags. I paused before a mirror to smooth my hair. With one finger, I carefully wiped a few smudges of mascara from the corner of my eye. At last he returned and I seated myself comfortably in a low chair. He knelt at my feet, and I smiled as a naughty vision struck me: me, dressed all in black leather, and him, kneeling before me, kissing the toe of my thigh-high boot. As if.
I slipped off my pumps and reached for the shoe he held, but he pulled it back. "Allow me," he said. Smiling, I extended my foot and allowed him to slip the shoe onto it, ala Cinderella. As he buckled the straps securely around my ankle, I felt his thumb slowly and deliberately graze the back of my bare calf, stroking softly upward. Why, that little pervert! I was mildly outraged that he thought he could take such liberties with me – but also a little amused. Looking at him, I would guess that he was still a virgin. "Now, the other one." He reached for my right foot. On a whim, I parted my knees slightly, pointing my toes and offering him my foot. As expected, his eyes were drawn like a magnet to the dark cleft under my short skirt, and I knew when I saw those eyes widen that he had glimpsed the wisp of white silk and lace hidden there. I leaned forward to watch him buckling on the shoe and saw his eyes snap to the ample cleavage revealed by my low-cut blouse. I smiled – a cruel, triumphant smile – as I saw the bulge straining against his trousers. I stood and sashayed over to the mirror, hips swaying subtly, and admired the way the high-heeled shoes accentuated the taut curves of my long legs.
"I'll take them." I decided. Still watching the gawky clerk from the corner of my eye, I bent down to unbuckle the shoes myself, knowing that my skirt would ride up slightly, the fabric pulled tight across my ass. And of course, he couldn't take his eyes off me. "On second thought, I think I'll wear them out." I reconsidered, straightening. He blinked, his reverie shattered, when I handed him my old shoes and a credit card.
"Will there be… umm… anything else?" he stammered as he scuttled back to the register, clearly eager to please.
"No, thank you." I replied frostily, taking the bag from his trembling fingers. I turned to go, but as I stepped through the doorway, I was startled by the loud blare of a siren and a sudden flashing light.
"Pardon me, Ma'am, but I'm going to need to look inside your bags," a uniformed security guard said. Where had he come from? I had not seen him when I entered the store, and I'd only been inside for a few minutes. Surely I'd have remembered him; he was drop-dead gorgeous - not at all the typical rent-a-cop.
"Of course," I replied, blushing furiously, as I handed him my purchases. "There must be some mistake."
He gave my purchases only the most cursory of inspections, then turned his attentions to my purse. Almost at once, he pulled out a pair of cheap rhinestone earrings, still attached to a plastic card. "Do you have a receipt for these, Ma'am?" he asked, his voice decidedly colder now.
Bewildered, I looked at the tawdry trinkets. I'd never seen them before! "I… I don't know how those got there…" I whispered lamely, my mouth suddenly dry. Behind him, I saw the clerk watching avidly, a smirk stamped plainly on his oily features. Of course! The little freak had set me up! He must have slipped them into my purse when I wasn't looking. I tried explaining that to the guard, but he didn't appear to be interested.
"Let's go back to my office, and I'm sure we can clear everything up," he suggested. "Unless you'd rather I called the police right now?"
"No…" I whispered. This was too embarrassing! The fewer people involved, the better. Certain that we could resolve the whole mess, if only he would allow me to explain what had happened, I allowed him to take my arm and guide me through an unmarked door, down a narrow hallway, to a small room hidden deep within the mall. A single bare bulb lit the concrete-walled room, directly above a stained table and several folding chairs. In the corner, a small television sat on a cheap desk, connected to a thick bank of cables. I sank into one of the chairs and felt the cold metal of the seat against my thighs.
"Now then… Bradley…" The guard addressed the clerk, who had followed us. "This lady suggests that you put those earrings in her purse?" The clerk – Bradley - didn't say a word. With a sigh, the guard turned to the TV on his desk. "Well, I'm sure the security footage will help clear this up." I drew a deep breath of relief. Of course! The security cameras must have caught the whole thing – once the guard saw for himself, this would all be over. My relief was short-lived, however, as the guard selected the feed from the shoe store and rewound it to the moment that I'd entered the store. My cheeks blazed with embarrassment as I saw myself on film, teasing the clerk. Had I really been that obvious? I slumped lower in my chair, wishing that I could sink right through the floor. Still, I felt somewhat vindicated when I saw, on screen, Bradley dropping something into my purse while I bent to tighten the ankle strap on one of the shoes. Finally!
