Copyright 1998, Cyan

Could I do this? I stared at the thing: a "Merry Widow" it's called? The
salesgirl looked at me, waiting. I took a deep breath: if it was killing me with
embarrassment to even hold this thing up in front of a salesgirl, how would I
ever *wear* one in front of a man? I took a deep breath, and said "I don't
know," in a voice that was perfectly firm, but expressing doubt about the
garment. I can control my voice: I knew my speech wouldn't give me away--I hoped
my face wouldn't either.

"Are you married?" asked the salesgirl.

I looked at her: she was obviously trying to start a little conversation to put
me at ease. Sales tactics. "No," I said.

"Boyfriend?" She gave me a little smile of encouragement.

I wasn't sure I could handle this. I needed to stop it somehow before she went
on. "Is it any of your business?" I said in my most confident voice.

"Oh my, aren't *you* a sassy one," she said. I stood there, stunned: don't sales
clerks with mouths like that lose their sales? "Come!" she said suddenly,
turning and walking away.

*Come?* This wasn't possible! I realized I should take my business elsewhere.
She glanced back over her shoulder at me and paused when she saw I wasn't
following. I felt I should be going, but I felt stuck to the floor on that spot.
Her eyes asked me why I wasn't coming, then she simply turned and walked again.
She seemed to fully expect me to follow.

I still can't believe that I started after her. As she walked down the aisle,
she glanced at a rack she was passing, and without stopping, grabbed a hanger. I
still followed, watching her certain stride, and in a moment found myself in the
changing area. She pulled open the last curtain on the right and reached in,
holding the hanger in the room. "Call me when you're in it," she said.

I stared at the thing after she'd closed the curtain behind me. It was
completely transparent: it would be like wearing nothing! I wondered how many
women dare to wear such things, even in their own bedroom. But there had to be
those who would do such a thing since stores had them in stock.

I knew I should leave. I wondered why I'd even come into the changing room,
simply because the saleslady had told me to. I had to strip bare just to see
what the thing was supposed to look like on me.

I almost died with fright when the curtain parted as I finished changing. It was
her. I wondered whether I'd really been going to call her but now the point was
moot. I worried about the open curtain and the possibility of being seen by
someone else popping out of another booth. But I my heart nearly stopped when
she grabbed my wrist and I found myself tripping out into the little hall! She
pulled me through a curtain in the back that led to the employees-only area and
my immediate thought was my clothes and purse left in the changing room.

"My *stuff*!" I said. She was circling me, looking at me, and suddenly I forgot
the stuff for being in this state: virtually naked, being inspected.

"Not bad," she said. "Needs cuffs." That was when I noticed in her hands, a
little leather-and-fir thing. She grabbed a wrist put the thing around it.

"Hey!" I said before thinking.

"Don't worry, the fur's fake," she said as she attached my wrists together
behind me.

"What are you *doing*?"

Behind me, she gave a sharp laugh and said: "Needs a gag, too." Suddenly a ball
was being pulled into my mouth and I felt it strapped on.

I turned toward her, trying to vocalize through the gag. There wasn't much I
could do: run somewhere if I cared to run out like that. "Yeah, your man'll like
you in this," she said, grinning. Then she called: "Hey Susan!"

And she walked out. I stood there, thinking again: *what should I do?* Run out
into the store? Before I'd come to any conclusion, she was back with another
saleswoman who looked at me and grinned.

"I could tell she wasn't as confident as she made out to be," said the first
saleswoman. It was like a bad dream, standing there uncovered with those two
women watching me. The first saleswoman went on: "You think the switch?"

The other woman, Susan I suppose, produced a thin piece of something: it looked
flexible and springy. "Do you like our switch?" asked the saleswoman. Of course
I couldn't answer.

"They say it stings," said Susan. It was the first I'd heard her voice and it
was melodious. "Watch," she said. Then as I stood there still looking
ridiculous, the saleswoman lowered her skirt and her underpants! She stood
sideways to me and grinned at me, her rear toward Susan! Susan made a great show
of winding up, then swatted the saleswoman hard with it.

The saleswoman almost lost her balance: she tripped forward, her skit and
underpants around her ankle making it the most awkward movement. She grunted,
and her hands were immediately on her rear and her grin was gone, replaced by a
grimace. It was obvious that she'd forgotten my presence for the second. Susan
laughed.

"Oh my God!" said a voice behind me. I spun to find a man watching us. "Who is
she? You'd better not say another customer!" he demanded, obviously to the other
two. They didn't answer, but stood there, frozen.

The man's face indicated he knew their answer and he immediately took my arm and
drew me away. In seconds I found myself in a small room further back, then he
was gone. The door was open and I heard him talking: "I can't believe you're
fooling with customers again! Come here!"

After a second, he said: "This had better be the last time." Then I heard it:
the switching sound: same as when Susan had used it once on the saleslady. But
this time, it repeated, in rhythm. "OK, your turn," he said after ten or so
strokes. More followed.

He came back in the room and I was acutely aware of my dress, or lack of it.
"Those two are terrible!" he said, not seeming to notice, as he came over and
ungagged me."

"Please, can I have my clothes?" as soon as I was free to speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, wrapping a big sheet-like cloth of some kind around
me. It was big enough to cover me up to my neck. "We'll find them," he said, has
he pulled it snugly around me. My hands were still bound, underneath it. I found
myself wrapped in his arms and I looked up at him.

Then in an instant, his lips were on mine. I don't know what it was, but I
melted, kissing him and kissing him. I was bound, wrapped in a sheet, held in
his arms, completely helpless. And all I wanted to do that instant was kiss him.

I felt myself touch the edge of something, a desk or table I'd backed into, then
felt myself being lowered onto it. I was still completely helpless and soon he
was leaning way over me, still kissing me.

Then his lips were gone and I opened my eyes briefly. He looked down at me. "You
want me to take you?" he asked.

I heard myself whisper my answer. I held my eyes shut: I couldn't believe I'd
just acceded to all this, but keeping my eyes shut made it seem like a fantasy.
I felt him pull the sheet up and draw my legs apart. I drew my knees up and
apart, resting my heels on the edge of the table. Then, my eyes still closed, I
felt him enter me.

I was so hot, so ready: I wondered what made me that way. Being embarrassed?
Tied? The switchings? I heard my groans as I felt him taking me. "Nice girls
don't do this, do they?" he said. I think I tried to answer, but I certainly
couldn't shape sounds into words at that moment. "No, they don't, and naughty
girls need to be switched, don't they? Are you a naughty girl?"

THE END