Not Just Your Regular Shop · Part 1

Not Just Your Regular Shop · Part 1 (1/2)
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Alex, like many twenty-somethings, didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life after university. Whilst many of her classmates signed their souls away to big corporate firms or jetted off to the Global South to Instagram their rediscovery, she had neither the want for the former nor the money for the latter. So, she watched as her friends moved on while she demurred over what to do.

Rather than face the humiliating prospect of moving back in with her parents, she decided to stick it out in London. But that meant finding a job. Loath to find yet another gastronomy gig with shitty wages, she scoured the job sites until she came across an ad for a sales assistant at a boutique sex shop. She was surprised at the candour of the shop – most of the time these places described themselves as “fashion stores” or something more discreet. But that wasn’t all. This place stated proudly that it was a women’s only sex shop: strictly no men allowed. The more Alex read about this place, the more she was interested. The pay was good.

She wouldn’t have to deal with sleazy college guys leering at her. And she would be empowering women to embrace their sexuality (which was what a Gender Studies graduate should do, shouldn’t they?). After little deliberation, she sent in an application, and the next week she was invited for an interview.

Fast forward, and Alex was celebrating the end of her first week of work. The shop was nondescript from the outside but elegantly laid out within. It housed everything you might expect a sex shop to have and more. There were dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, lingerie, boots, corsets, whips, paddles, gags, collars, restraints, and some stuff she still wasn’t wholly familiar with. There were even a couple of playrooms in the back, where couples could go in and test out products before they bought. So far, she had only sold a few vibrators and dildos to some meek looking 40-year-olds who seemed reassured the sales assistant was someone younger than them. The rest of the time Alex spent doing inventory, which meant looking closely at all the exotic products and imagining what it would be like to use them – and be used by them – when she heard the bell above the front-door jingle.

Two women roughly the same age as Alex walked in the shop. Both immediately started giggling and laughing amongst themselves, completely ignoring Alex as they walked by. Alex recognised them straight away. All three of them had gone to the same school. Cara had been in Alex’s year, and Emma the year above. She recognised them immediately because they had barely changed their look. Cara had that slender blonde look that reminded people of Anna Taylor Joy. Her effortlessly skinny physique always provoked envy amongst the rest of the girls in the year, and her time spent dancing ballet gave her an elegant waltz. Emma was everything Cara was not.

With a large bust, she had been the first one in her year to start wearing bras and was always eager to show off her extensive underwear collection. Even now Alex could recognise she was wearing one of her signature thongs, obviously visible between her denim shorts and skimpy crop top. Alex held her breath: serving these two wasn’t exactly how she was hoping to finish off her week, especially given what Emma had done to Alex’s best friend Megan.

After the two had controlled their giggles and snorts to manageable levels, they marched over to Alex.

“Excuse me, my friend wants to buy something slutty for her boyfriend.”

“Cara, shut up! It’s my boyfriend’s birthday – I want to surprise him with something wild – what do you recommend?”

Alex stood stunned. Why did they keep saying “her boyfriend”? Alex knew who Josh was – Emma had stolen him from Megan last year – a move that had devastated Megan and caused Alex much headache having to console her, right in the middle of finals.

As the two stood impatiently waiting for their mute sales assistant to say something, it clicked in Alex’s head. They didn’t recognise her. Sure, Alex had done the typical university rites of entry by getting a nose piercing and cutting her hair short, but she only realised now how little these two must have ever paid attention to the likes of her or Megan in school. Alex definitely wasn’t unattractive, but definitely in a more unconventional sense. But to them, she was a nobody. Huh.

“Well? Do you have anything for my friend? Or should we just go to Anne Summers like I told her?”

Alex brought herself back to earth.

“No of course. We have a wide range of lingerie for you to choose.”

“No not fucking lingerie. I don’t come to a fucking sex shop for lingerie. I’m talking about bondage stuff. Freaky shit,” Emma scolded Alex. Brushing aside her rude rebuff, Alex tried to keep her composure.

“All of our restraints and BDSM gear can be found on the second aisle from the playroom-”

“Playroom?” Cara interjected, her eyes widening.

“Yes, our shop comes complete with two secluded playrooms for couples to try out any gear they like before they buy,” responded Alex.

“Oh hell yeah! Alright, this is what’s going to happen, Ems. You’re going to go into one of these playrooms, and me and this goth girl are going to bring you things to try out.”

“As if I would trust you with that, Cara. I was just looking for something for Josh to tie me down with. I don’t want to be trussed up as some American Horror Story gimp.”

“Listen, who best to know what you look sexy in than a bona fide lesbian? Probably two bona fide lesbians.” With that Cara winked at Alex, who still stood there bewildered at what these two were suggesting. “And besides, it’s only try before you buy, right? You can leave any of the stuff you don’t like behind.” With both of the girls staring at Alex, she reminded herself to nod along with what Cara had said: after all, that’s what the playrooms were there for. Emma stood proud, but Alex could tell she was uncertain by Cara’s proposition.

“Fine, but only you see me Cara, not her.”

And with that less than polite rebuke, Emma and Cara made their way to the playroom.

The Restraints Apart from the occasional giggles from Cara, Alex didn’t hear anything from the pair for the next 15 minutes. Unsure of what her role was in catering to her best friend’s worst enemy, she pretended to do busywork behind the till, conscious that she would need to close up the shop soon. Inside Alex was fuming. Fuming at the arrogance of Emma and Cara. How they simply waltzed into the shop, how they assumed they could do what they liked, speak how they wanted towards Alex. But secretly Alex was upset that they didn’t even remember her. That Cara didn’t even remember her. Since high school, Alex had fancied Cara. Her hair, her impossibly perfect figure. How she would gracefully walk. What it would be like to kiss her glossy lips… “Hello! – Earth to goth girl!”

With that Alex was startled by an annoyed Cara standing in-front of her.

“Okay I’ve gotten her tied up with the basic shit – ball gag, handcuffs – but it’s looking all a bit, well, basic! What do you have that really screams EXTREME?”

With that last bit Cara had lunged forward at Alex with her hands up like a dinosaur, startling Alex and making Cara. Annoyed, Alex thought of what she might have seen during inventory to suggest to Cara. Thinking she knew of a way to placate her, she brought her over to the extreme restraints section, picking up a light-weight straitjacket and holding it up to Cara.

“Well if you’re looking to really immobilise her, we could look at some straitjackets.”

This answer didn’t impress Cara.

“I’m not some freak that is into looking like a mental patient, and I don’t think Emma is either. I’m talking sex shit.”

“Well what about an armbinder?” Alex answered.

This suggestion seemed to please Cara.

“What the fuck is an armbinder?”

Alex picked up a black faux leather armbinder and handed it to Cara.

“It forces the person’s arms behind their back and stops them from being able to use their hands.”

Cara handled the material, unsure of which way was up.

“How does it work?”

“It restrains a person’s arms behind their back, stopping them from being able to move their hands. Once in, the user cannot get out, unless you have an emergency release, like this one does.”

Cara seemed to be disappointed as she handled the armbinder.

“I’m still not clear. It stops the person from being able to move their hands, but then what? What’s in it for the other person?”

“Well, you can attach the end of it to another restraint, maybe a belt or a chain hanging from the ceiling. Plus, when someone’s arms are tied behind their back like that, their chest…” Alex left the rest of her sentence blank, hoping Cara would understand.

Cara stood there confused.

“Their chest what? Is also tied up?”

“No, their chest… is accentuated,” Alex tried to put it as delicately as possible.

Cara now looked both confused and annoyed.

“I don’t understand what the fuck you mean.”

“Your friend’s chest will… stand out. Literally.”

Alex saw the penny slowly drop in Cara’s face.

“I don’t believe you.”

Alex saw words wouldn’t explain the flattering effect of armbinders.

“Let me show you.”

Alex approached Cara with the restraint.

“Hang on, if this miracle piece of leather accentuates a chest, surely there needs to be a chest to start with? How the fuck you think this will work with me?”

With that Cara grabbed her A-cup chest and shook her tits, with notable minimal effect – you don’t get to become a ballet dancer with big tits. Alex was slightly dumb struck at Cara’s candour.

“Let me see what it’s like on you. At least you have something to work with.”

Alex was slightly hesitant. Having worked less than a week in the shop, she hadn’t mustered up the courage to actually try any of the toys out yet. And she felt sheepish modelling an armbinder for Cara for the explicit purpose of her to see how well it accentuated her chest.

“Surely you can just see what it’s like on your friend, seeing as it’s for her anyway?” Alex tried meekly responding. Cara shook her head at this rather sensible proposal.

“She’s already on the fence about this place. I don’t wanna spook her, and I definitely don’t want to bring her anything that doesn’t scream ‘Take me daddy!’”

Alex retched slightly in her mind at the prospect of Emma calling Josh ‘Daddy’. Weighing it up in her mind, Alex knew the sooner she got these two what they wanted, the sooner she would have them out of her store. Plus, it seemed like they were here to spend money, meaning a pretty commission for her. And anyway, this was a relatively low-key restraint. It had an emergency zip at the base of the glove, unlike the other models, and didn’t have any additional buckles or clasps. Alex nodded to Cara, who with glee spun Alex around as Alex put her hands behind her back.

Alex felt the glove go up her arms and settle underneath her armpits. The material felt stiffer than what she was expecting, but she still let Cara zip up the rest of the glove. Sure enough, once the glove was zipped up, Alex’s chest stood out proudly. But Alex noticed Cara wasn’t focusing on her chest. She heard the fumble of a buckle and clasp, and felt the armbinder start to tighten even more! Alex tried reaching for the zip inside the glove, only to find nothing! Another buckle tightened around her elbows, and Alex was seriously immobilised now. Cara must have swapped the armbinders! Cara finished off by strapping the attached collar around Alex’s neck and locking it in place.

“I know you showed me the black one, but this pink one looks sooo much better on you! It really accentuates your all-black goth features.”

Alex struggled in her restraints, concerned that Cara had swapped the gear without telling her, and worried by the fact she couldn’t get out of this one by herself.

“Um, can you let me out of this please?” Alex asked Cara. Cara stood arms crossed, defiant.

“I thought you said you could get out of it yourself?”

“The black one has an emergency zip. This is a more heavy-duty model.”

A smirk broke across Cara’s lips.

“So that means you’re stuck in that until I let you out?”

Alex hesitated, not wanting to let Cara know how vulnerable she was, but realised it was futile. She was stuck until Cara let her out. Resigned, she nodded.

“Sexy. Alright well tell you what, you model the rest of the stuff I want to use on Emma, then we will be out of your hair. Deal? It’s not like you can say no!”

With that Cara picked up a leash and attached it to the D-Ring at the front of Alex’s collar and proceeded to lead her to the next part of the shop.

The Accessories Alex was pissed. She was annoyed at how Emma and Cara had acted. She was annoyed at the arrogance of Cara for leading her around the shop like this. But really, she was annoyed at herself for getting into such a silly situation. She could freak out, demand Cara release her,

Not Just Your Regular Shop · Part 1 (1/2)
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