‘Well, hello, stranger,’ she said. ‘Great to see you here. Come in, come in. I’ll give you the full VIP treatment.’
She led me into a sumptuous boudoir-themed space, swagged in black and red velvet and hung with leather harnesses and brocade corsets along one wall.
‘This is the fetish gear,’ she said, waving a hand. ‘Over there we have implements and accessories – you know, whips and dildoes and all that. We’ve a few books and DVDs at the far end, and a big back room full of undies. Are you looking for anything particular today, or did you just want to browse? I’ve done my best to make it a place women will like to come into – not like those old-fashioned dirty-mac sex shops. What do you reckon? Do you like it?’
‘It’s…nice,’ I said, trying to acclimatise to the red-lit vibe and the collection of strange and scary-looking items on the shelf at the back of the room. ‘Tasteful.’
‘Thank you! That’s what I’m going for. Discreet, you know, but fun as well.’ She went back behind her counter and pulled out a pair of glittery nipple pasties from underneath it.
‘Our latest,’ she said. ‘For your inner burlesque artist. Cute, aren’t they? Oh, I’m sorry. You didn’t answer my question – did you come in for something specific?’
‘Actually, I wanted to…the thing is…I have a kind of date tonight…’
‘How exciting! Is it with Tom?’
What was with everyone assuming I was getting it on with him? The question twisted the already very twisted knife in my heart.
‘No, it isn’t with Tom,’ I said. ‘Nobody who was there last week. Just someone off Safeword.’
‘A dom?’
‘Yes.’
‘Congratulations. How exciting – your first kinky date. Well, I’d love to help you. What sort of date is it?’
‘Dinner, and then…I don’t know. Depends if we like each other, doesn’t it? But even if we don’t, I’d like to be prepared, with something gorgeous under my dress.’
‘Of course you would. So – how kinky do you want to make it? I’ve got everything from bridal ivory to crotchless latex.’ She laughed. ‘That might be better on a second or third date, though. But you know best.’
‘I was thinking maybe some kind of corset or bustier. With stockings and suspenders and fancy knickers. Something to nip in my waist and push up my boobs, if you know what I mean.’
‘Trust me, girl, I know exactly what you mean. Come through to my lingerie lounge.’
‘Lingerie lounge?’ I grinned, despite my nerves.
‘I know, it sounds cheesy, doesn’t it? But it makes people laugh, which can put them at their ease. I still get a lot of nervous nellies in here.’
I was the most nervous nellie of them all, following her through a beaded curtain into a smaller back room, which was wall-to-wall intimates. They were colour-coded – lots of black, in all kinds of textiles, working round the room through the dark jewels to the light pastels and ending with white. A gleaming white rubber playsuit was the last item on the rail, with cut-outs where nipples should be. I couldn’t take my eyes away from it; I was the rabbit and it was the headlights.
‘That’s on special,’ said Louise casually, running her hand over it. ‘White latex doesn’t seem to sell like the other colours, for some reason.’
‘Oh,’ I said, pulled out of my gruesome fascination. ‘No. Latex might be horribly hot. I don’t know if the place we’re eating at has central heating or not.’
‘Good point.’ She grinned. ‘A practical sub, like myself. So – black, red, purple? Something a bit different? These green and pink sets are pretty.’
‘I don’t know enough about his taste yet,’ I said, turning to the darker shades. ‘I think I might play it safe. Basic black. Or rather, not that basic.’ I fingered a frilly suspender belt with a leather lace-up feature.
‘OK. Let me pull a few things out for you and you can have a trying-on session. I’ll keep the area clear until you’re done, OK?’
She grabbed an armful of lacy flimflam and put it on a chair for me, then pulled a full-length mirror out of hiding.
‘I’ll guard the counter,’ she said. ‘Give me a shout if you want opinions.’
Obviously I wasn’t able to try on the knickers or stockings, so I had to imagine them under the various magnificent corsets and basques I hook-and-eyed my body into. My plain Jane black cottons didn’t really enhance the effect, but at least I’d taken off my jeans. I tried five different shape-squeezers, eventually deciding on a black self-striped satin number with silk ribbon ties up the front – easier to get on. And off. Oh, God. I didn’t want to think about that.
It would look great with my black pencil skirt and office jacket – a winning combination of sophistication and glamour that hinted at availability without advertising it all over town. And only I would know that I was wearing suspenders underneath.
‘Louise,’ I called, ‘what do you think of this? Do you think it’s the right size, or could I go smaller?’ Actually, even saying that out loud made me gasp for breath. It was more than tight enough, but I was a little bit in love with my new silhouette, finally earning Tom’s ‘Foxy’ nickname.