Page 14 of Time Served in New York
“How does . . . I mean . . . Where does that come from?” Jenn asked from the chair next to the one where Maylee was now sitting and dabbing the corners of her eyes. “Did he wake up one day and think, ‘Sweaty armpits arehot!’ and then just roll with it?”
“Ms. Romano, would you like me to put that pair aside for you?” the elegantly dressed saleswoman said without even breaking stride.
“Anna! I bet you have some stories!” Matalie said as she stared at the saleswoman that she, Pandora, and Blue had made friends with almost as soon as we walked into the store. “Tell us something good.”
“Oh, I’m not sure I have anything that can compare to . . .” Anna paused and put her hand up to her mouth as she swallowed a few times and then gagged. “. . .that.”
“Have you seen some shoe fetish freaks? You have, huh?” I asked.
“I do have a client that thoroughly enjoys it when me and some of the other saleswomen model the latest shoes,” Anna admitted. “I’m sure it’s nothing sexual, though.”
“Oh, you know it is,” Blue teased. “Come on, Anna! Spill the tea!”
“Some of the women appreciate the tips they receive if they let him take pictures of their feet in the shoes they model.”
“I knew it!” Blue cheered. “How much does he tip?”
Anna shook her head and glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one else could hear when she said, “He gives us each a thousand dollars if we let him take a couple of shots, and of course, we get the commission when he buys the shoes we’ve modeled.”
“He shops here, so he must be loaded,” Brea whispered. “I wonder who it is!”
“He only comes to visit a few times a year unless he’s on location for an extended amount of time,” Anna hinted. “That’s all I’m going to tell you.”
“He’s an actor,” Pandora concluded. Anna didn’t answer. She just smiled as she took the shoes from Frankie and walked away. “Now I have to figure out who she’s talking about.”
“Okay, that’s enough about shoes and weirdos,” Bernadette said as she stood up from her chair. “Let’s go try on our dresses!”
“I’m drunk. You’re gonna have to drag me,” Blue said as she flopped back to the floor.
“I’ll do it,” Jenn said as she walked over to Blue’s feet. “Come on, Paula. We’re pretty good at this.”
“You can do it, put your back into it!” I sang as I jumped up and stood next to Jenn. Blue lifted her legs so we could each grab an ankle and then sang the rest of the lyrics in an off-key voice with us along with Pandora, Matalie, and Brea, “You can do it, put your ass into it!”
“Hillbillies!” Frankie hissed before she picked up the champagne and took a long swig straight from the bottle. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then let out a delicate burp before she scowled at the women in the middle of the room. “I’m surrounded by hillbillies!”
???
JENN
“Do you think the guys are having as much fun as us?” Paula asked as she sat down next to me. We were wearing robes that the saleswoman had given us when she asked us to get undressed so she could take our measurements. We were even wearing matching slippers as we refreshed our flutes of champagne. “I can’t imagine that it’s taken them this long to get measured for their tuxes.”
“How do you think they are gonna handle it when some man gets all up in their junk to measure their inseams?” I asked.
“I’d guess that at least one of them has already committed assault and battery,” Matalie said as she sat in the chair beside mine. “I thought about warning Gus but then decided it would make a funnier story if I didn’t.”
“I just got a text from Jude,” Blue said from where she was sprawled on the floor with Brea and Paula. “He said they’re almost finished at the tuxedo shop and then they’re coming over here.”
“Frankie’s dress is put away, right?” Bernadette asked as she hopped up from her chair. “I’ll make sure.”
“Where’s Maylee?” Blue asked.
“She’s in there trying . . .” My voice trailed off when Maylee appeared in the arched doorway. “Oh, Maylee, you look beautiful!”
“They had to pull out all the stops on the bodice,” Maylee explained as she ran her hands down the front of the dress. “My shoes matchperfectly!”
We watched as Maylee lifted the hem of her dress and stuck her foot out. “You’re going to leave those with the dress for now, aren’t you?” Frankie asked as she walked in, still in her robe too.
“I’ll take them to the hotel with me . . .”
