Ch 9: Madam V's Lingerie Boutique
"This is probably stupid, but do you carry patterned strappy high heels?" I snort, and Alicia gives me a dirty look before she's lead off. It's a shoe store! And one of this size is bound to have some patterned high heels.
"Of course! We even have a whole section for them!" Mia says cheerfully, leading Alicia to the back of the store, said girl right on her heels. I sigh and turn to look for Ange. I blink when I see Ange looking at some cute white and black sneakers.
"Come on you," I say, dragging her away from the sneaker section. She had enough as it was! Let's just say she had enough to wear a different pair of sneakers for about three weeks.
"So what pattern are you looking for?" we hear Mia asking. Ange sat down huffily on a white bench while Alicia looked over the mountainous wall of high heels. I'd hate to be around here if there was an earthquake. You could lose an eye, or worse!
"Do you have white? With black polka dots?" Alicia asks. I don't really pay too much attention, as I find a pair of black high heels. There's a strap going up the back of the ankle, and it billows out into a black scarf that you tie around your heel. What can I say, I'm a sucker for black.
I turn around to see Mia bustling back with a box and hands it gingerly to Alicia. Alicia opens it and she starts squealing loudly. My ears! My poor little ears! I shove my palms over my ears and turn to see several people looking at Alicia like she was mad.
Alica plops down next to a bored looking Ange, who nearly falls off the bench.
"Hey!" Angelina protested. I snickered and she threw me a dirty look. Of course Alicia is in her own world right now. She finishes pulling the strap around her ankle and stands up.
"You look really great in those! It's like they were made for you!" Mia says. Oh that's right, butter the girl up, then break it to her that the shoes are a bajillion galleons. Alicia looks up happily after she struts around on the three inch pegs holding her up.
"I'll take them!" Alicia cries. Mia's own eyes light up as she dashes off to the cash register.
"What are you doing? You don't even know how much these cost!" Ange hisses in Alicia's ear as she begins to take the shoes off.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," Alicia says. Just watch, that statement will be her undoing.
"I can't believe they cost that much," Alicia mumbled crossly five minutes later, shoe bag in hand.
"You didn't have to buy them," I point out. Alicia glares at me, and I put my hands in the air defensively. She could get downright scary when she was in a mood.
"Hope you're not planning on eating for a few weeks," Angelina chimed in. Alicia sighed and looked down at her purchase.
"It's ok, Alicia. If you need something, you can borrow some money from me," I say reassuringly.
"After all, the girl is loaded," Ange chimed in, once again. What did she say?
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm sure she could borrow some money from you and Oliver. He must be loaded, playing professional for what, the past 6 years? Not to mention he's been the MVP for four years," Ange points out. Hey, she's right. Wonder what Oliver does with all that money...
We walk down the street, the other two talking about Oliver's wealth, but I stare off into space. I look up at the sky, and see some clouds passing over the sun, blocking my view of it. A cool breeze blows through my hair, and I sniff the air. Smells like autumn.
"What's today?" I ask Alicia out of the blue. She closes one eye in concentration, her open eye focusing on the sky.
"Thursday, November 3rd," she says. My jaw drops slightly.
"Wow, I can't believe it's this warm in November!" I comment. I finally completely notice all of the autumn decorations, and all the multicolored leaves spilling into the street from a nearby park.
"Hey guys! Come over here!" Ange calls us over towards a bookstore. Wow, lots of different books. Hmm, is that a new romance novel I spy?
"Look, Katie!" Ange says, pointing to a Quidditch book. 'Quidditch Through The Ages: The beginning till now.' My eyes widen in shock as I sprint into the store.
The old book keeper looks up from the cash register and stares at me. Every wooden bookshelf in the store is lined with books, some new, most old and tattered. Must lingered heavily in the air, and I had a feeling that if you hit the little cloth couch in the corner, it'd fall apart...or possibly disintegrate into a pile of dust.
"Can I help you?" he asks, his tone slow and grandfatherly. He's an old, old man, with saggy spotted skin showing from his tattered brown short sleeve shirt. He has large spectacles on his face that make his eyes seem huge. I smile fondly at him, because the glasses remind me so much of Professor Trelawney, back at Hogwarts. All he had left of his hair was a tiny white bob on the top of his head, and a few wisps just above his ears.
"That book in the window! Quidditch through the ages! How much is it?" I demand, leaning over the counter. The old man adjusts his glasses and gives me a funny smile. He slowly walks over and retrieves the book, placing it on the counter gently. I run my hands over the cover. In raised, gold letters, the title shimmers in the dim light. The cool leather feels nice against my slick fingertips, and I revel in the fact that such a rare book is in such perfect condition.
"Uh...I believe that's twelve galleons," he says. Twelve galleons?! That's highway robbery! But I highly doubt any other place would have it. Most places don't carry it, because it's so large and hard to maintain. My hand drifts to my purse, and I glance in my purse. I only have 13 galleons, along with a handful of knuts and sickles.
"Katie, that's awfully steep. Maybe you can find it somewhere else?" Angelina whispers. The old man's ears perk up, and he inhales.
"Afraid not missy. The only copy in a 75 kilometer radius," The old man stated. Wow, pretty good hearing for an old man. I looked back at Ange who was frowning, her eyes scanning over the cover of the book. I gave her a pat on the cheek, and she looks at me dubiously.
"It'll be expensive wherever I find it," I tell her, then I turn around and slam the coins ceremoniously on the counter. "I'll take it!"
The old man beams at me, and collects the coins, separating them as he counts. He then taps a few keys on a very old looking magical register, and the box flies open, the coins automatically arranging themselves as he puts them in. Kinda cool lil' gizmo he has there. He takes the book, and wraps it up in tissue paper – kind of odd – then puts it in a brown bag and hands it to me.
"Thank you for your business!" he croaks, raising his gnarled hands in salutation.
"Anytime!" I call over my shoulder, waving lightly.
"God damn, Katie. You spent more on a book than I did on shoes!" Alicia cried out, raising her hands in the air. My eyes snap over and I see she's not just carrying a bag in hand. She continues to rant loudly, while I lean over to Ange.
"Did you let her get coffee?!" I hiss. Ange shrugs.
"I didn't even see her go, so don't blame me," Ange hisses back. Hmm...now that I think about it, Alicia wasn't even in the bookstore with us. Crazy girl.
After we left the bookstore, Angelina, being the only one who hadn't splurged on frivolous things, treated us to ice cream, and of course, Alicia and I ordered double scoops. Hehe, we're so bad. But hey! It hasn't gone to our hips! Yet...
The three of us were sitting on a stone bench on the side of the road, just licking our ice creams and watching the people go by. I got two scoops of chocolate, mixed with peanut butter cup bits, Angelina got cookie dough and vanilla, and Alicia got –what else?- Coffee and mocha.
We sat in silence, just eating our ice creams, and would occasionally giggle when we saw something weird. Take for example, this one guy walked by with an angry-looking pet poodle, and he winked at us. We giggled about that for quite some time, saying we might have to compete for his love with his poodle. Hey, we're eating ice cream, and we got nothing else better to talk about!
All three of us tossed our paper cups into the trash can and smacked our lips approvingly. Angelina burped and Alicia is looking slightly...loony. Better not let her have any more caffeine today...
So yeah, we continued our walk down the cobblestone street, occasionally pausing to look a little harder into the windows, but kept going. I looked at my wrist watch in awe. We've been out shopping for 5 hours! It is now 3:30 in the afternoon, and the other two show no signs of stopping. I had paused to check my watch, so I had to jog to catch up to the girls who lingered outside a store on the corner.
"Hey, let's go in here!" Alicia says, pulling me towards the door. My eyes fly over to the window, where in hot pink script, it reads 'Madam V's Lingerie.'
"You've GOT to be kidding me!" I say loudly. Alicia stops pulling for a minute to stare at me mischievously.
"Come on, Katie! It'll be fun!" Alicia says. Right. Since when has underwear shopping been fun? Especially in such a racy store as this?
"Don't tell me you don't need new underwear, Katie," Angelina said, putting her hands on her hips. Well she's right, I do need some new underwear, but why do I doubt I'll find the kind I'm looking for here?
"E tu, Ange?" I ask, mimicking Caesar, a character Muggle playwright William Shakespeare wrote about. Angelina just frowned. I turned to Alicia, who was a hopeful look on her face.
"FINE!" I huff. No sooner had the words left my mouth, then I was shoved in the entry of the store.
The smell of lilac floats freely in my nose, and I try to resist the urge to blush, seeing all the scantily clad midsections on the walls. A strict, elegant looking woman approaches us. The strange thing is, she doesn't look out of place.
"Good afternoon ladies. I am Madam V. If you need any help with anything, don't be afraid to ask," she says, wringing her hands slightly as she talked. She then spun around and walked back to her counter, where she stood like an eagle-eyed sentry.
"Nice pantsuit," Alicia comments. I look over, and see Madam V is wearing a very becoming black pantsuit, with a dusty button up shirt underneath the black blazer. Her matte brown hair was left down, curling slightly at the bottoms, and rested just below her shoulders. I smile at her, even though she's currently watching a middle aged man fingering a thong, obviously buying a gift for his girlfriend or wife. Madam V is the perfect saleswoman. She let us know that she's here to help, and then backed off. It's always nice to shop when you don't have anyone breathing freely down your neck.
"Hey, Katie, look at this!" I hear Alicia say. I turn slowly around and see Alicia, her fingers stretching the waistband of a very tiny thong. My cheeks are burning slightly at this point, and I really hope Angelina is at least being civil to me, and not trying to make me burst a few blood vessels in my face.
Sure enough, Angelina is keeping to herself, eyeing a few lacey pink bras. I sighed. Ange was the only one blessed 'up there.' Alicia and I were very humble when it came to that department, but hey! Don't see me complaining. Having small boobs makes it a lot easier to do sports!
A few minutes later, while I pause to look at a few crimson corsets, I feel someone approach me from behind. It's Alicia, and she has an evil look in her eye...This means trouble.
"Now Katie, I'm sure you want to get out of here...But we're not leaving until you buy some lingerie!" Alicia insists.
"You're not serious," I say. Do they really expect me to wear this stuff, much less buy it?
"Nope, we're not. Besides, you can wear it for Oliver," Ange adds with a wink. I turn to her in horror. You're in on this too?! Whyyyyyyy?! Both girls look at me, and I realize they're completely serious.
"Can it be something of my choosing?"
"OK, let's put it this way. If you get one item you want, you have to get two items, and that must be different. However, if you let us pick something for you, you only have to get one," Alicia explains. This is really complicated, and all just to leave one little store.
Hmm, what would be worse? Two items of my choosing, where I at least know what I'm getting? Or one item from those two? Either way, it'll be scandalous. I sigh loudly. I can't say that I've never wanted to own something sexy, but after a while, it's just kind of like, who would see it? My imaginary boyfriend?
"I'll take the two, thank you very much," I say. The girls share a knowing glance, and turn to me sharply.
"So what are you going to get?" Alicia asks, her bright eyes flashing. Hmm, what do I want to get?
"I've always wanted a corset," I say. I always thought I'd look really classic and beautiful if I had one. Hehe, I'm blushing just thinking about it.
"Ah yes. One of our more popular items," I hear a voice drawl from my left. I look up, and see Madam V approach us.
"Do you need help sizing?" she asks. My mind raced with the images of tape measurers over every inch of my upper half, and all I can do is stand there, subconsciously covering my chest with my arms.
"Yes. It's her first one," Alicia pipes in. Madam V looks at Alicia, then beckons me towards the back. She steers me into a large dressing room, and I notice a few measuring tapes on the wall.
"Now, take off your top so I can measure you," she commands. I blush but don't hesitate. She seems like a no nonsense kind of woman, so I better stay on her good side. I obliged, and soon I stood in a bra and my tan capris.
"I take it you're rather shy, so I'll measure you with your bra on," she says. I close my eyes and put my hands behind my head when I feel a slight pressure on my chest from the measuring tape. The tape goes lower, and I hear Madam V murmur to herself as she measures my hips and underneath my bust.
"I'll be right back," she says. I keep my eyes closed, and try to keep my flush under control. I just had a woman measure me, and I feel...exposed, kind of.
"Here you are," she says, shoving a cabernet red corset in my hands through the closed curtain. Oh thank God! I thought she was going to help me into it! Now THAT would have been humiliating. I pick up the corset up to eye level, and look it over. Not bad.
After quite a bit of struggling, I look into the mirror and see a great corset...on top of tan capris. I laugh, as I come out of the change room. Madam V is on me like stink on a monkey, and starts tugging on the lacing. I feel the breath slowly leaving my lungs, and I resist the urge to gasp. Does it really have to be this tight?!
"Lookin' good, Katie," Angelina says, holding two thumbs up. I look over at Alicia, and she winks. Wait...what has she got in her hands?
"Oh yeah. Madam V said that the corset you've got on has a set of matching bottoms. You have your choice of: a lacy thong, or lacey boy shorts. You pick," Alicia says. Hmm, I wonder what I'll choose.
"Boy shorts," I say automatically. Alicia smiles.
"How did I know you'd choose that? Well, I already have your size, so as soon as you get the corset off, hand it out to us and we'll pay for it," Alicia says. I nod, and head back into the room. How nice, they're putting me through hell, and paying for it!
I exhale heavily as the laces finally come undone. Those things make you look great, but at the price of making you short of breath! Now...where will I wear one of these?
I hand the corset out to Alicia, and proceed to put my clothes back on. Right as I pull the polo over my head, I hear the ringing of the register. I come out and see the girls waiting by the doorway.
"Hope to see you soon," Madam V said calmly as Alicia handed me the hot pink plastic bag with Madam V's logo on it. I nod and take a step out onto the street. Ahh, back to the smell of autumn. I inhale deeply, and sigh. I love autumn.
I glance at my wristwatch again, and see that it's now nearing 5. Despite the ice cream we had, I'm starting to get hungry.
"Hey guys, can we head back? I'm getting hungry," I whine. The two girls look nervously at each other, then to me. What are they up to NOW?! Angelina looks at her wristwatch, and nods to Alicia.
"Sure thing," Alicia agrees, pretending nothing's wrong. I know something's up. The question is...What?
"So are we going to apparate or what?" I ask, seeing the girls' just stand there.
"Come on Katie, don't be so lazy! We can walk back!" Angelina suggested. Ever the fitness freak. I groan and whine, but of course, no one pays attention to little ole Katie. Sniff, sniff.
Ok, that walk sucked. I'm even more exhausted now, and I'm crankier to boot. We reach the bottom floor to the building, and I turn to the girls.
"I don't care what you say, but I'm apparating up these steps. I'm tired, and I just want to get home and relax," I say, hands on my hips. The other two shrug. Fine, act like you don't care about me! I don't care!
Seconds later, I'm outside my apartment door. I turn around after hearing to solid pops, and see Angelina and Alicia standing next to me.
"I see you didn't opt for a sprint up the stairs, Ange?" I ask. Ange just rolls her eyes. I don't even bother to look at Alicia, 'cus I know she's probably still bouncing around on the balls of her feet from her stupid caffeine high.
"SURPRISE!" I hear several voices shout. GAH! HEART ATTACK! (AN: life alert!! Hahahaha) I'm soon tackled to the ground, and all I see are two red heads.
"Damn! I turn the door knob and here I am, scared out of my wits and tackled to the ground!" I yell. The two heads recede and I see Fred and George grinning at me happily. George (or is it Fred? Nah, definitely George) pulls me to my feet, and we embrace. Over his shoulder I can see Oliver standing there, grinning in approval.
Fred disentangles himself from his embrace with Angelina, and hugs me. I squeeze his torso, and he reaches up and gives me a noogie. Hey! My poor hair!
"How have you guys been?" I ask. The twins look at each other, grinning from ear to ear.
"We've been good-" says Fred.
"Business
is good-" continues George. Uh oh. I recognize a pattern. Their
finishing each others' sentences could go on for a lonnnng time.
"Booming! What about you?"
"We've heard you're store is doing well," Ooh! I see my chance!
"Yeah. It's been great. Get to make our own hours, though Alicia here insists I get there early to help her open the place," I say, winking at Alicia, who nudges me in the ribs with her elbow.
"OK, enough of the how-dee-doo's! Let's break out the booze!" Fred cries. Hey! He rhymed! I start giggling, and all I have to do is blink before the twins muster up some assorted alcohols. Oooh. Fire whiskey, butterbeer (even though it's not that strong, it's still good!), red currant rum, some sherry, and some assorted Muggle gins and vodkas.
I look up at Oliver, half expecting to see him frowning, but he's not! He smiles and winks at me, and I grin back. So we have approval from El Capitan? Huzzah! Let's get this party started!
With a wave of my wand, shot glasses appear in a tower on the glass coffee table, next to the booze, and we all pile in around it.
"Uh, shouldn't we eat before we get completely hammered?" Angelina asks. Dammit Ange! All I know is I better get the first sip of that apple flavored vodka! Or else!
"We'll do it!" The twins say in unison before scrambling into the kitchen. Well, I'm at risk of being poisoned, but I really don't care. As long as I don't have to cook!
So Angelina and Alicia fall into whispers across from Oliver (who is sitting on my left) and I. Geeze! Everyone is up to something today!
"What's this, eh?" I hear Oliver ask. I tear my eyes away from the pair across from us, and see Oliver holding up...Oh God.
"Madam V's Lingerie?" he asks. I hold my breath, and I think someone should go get a bucket of water, because my cheeks feel like they're on fire.
"I uh..." What do I say? Oh yeah, Oliver. I bought a sexy corset and lacey boy shorts. Want me to model them?
"Oh, Katie just bought a few things. I'm sure she wouldn't mind modeling them for you," Alicia giggles. That jerk!
"Stupefy!" I yell. Alica stops and turns stiff as a board, while Angelina looks on, trying to decide whether to laugh, or revive Alicia.
"Now I'll gladly get you back, but please, be nice," I say with a wink before yelling, "Ennervate!"
Alicia's body slackened, and she gives me a dirty look. I quirk an eyebrow and raise my wand to threaten her. She glares, and turns back to Ange. I laugh and turn to Oliver, who's just shaking his head.
"You girls," he says. Quite an open statement there, Oliver. I inhale deeply, and smell...a hint of smoke? Oh no! The twins!
"I'm on it!" Oliver yells, leaping over the back of the couch and bounding into the kitchen. I sigh and sink back into the couch. Hum, I should spend more time out here. This couch is nice and comfy. I would put my feet up, but I don't want to knock over any of the bottles that completely cover the table.
"Dinner; is served," I hear one of the twins say. That quick? Us three girls get up and walk into the kitchen, where two more seats have joined around the circular table. I see a really delicious looking dinner, and the boys all standing there grinning lopsidedly. OK, I've completely lost trust in each and every one of my friends.
"This looks great, boys!" Angelina exclaims. Alicia nods vigorously. Fred beckons Angelina over and pulls her seat out for her. Angelina sits down gracefully, and George catches his brother's drift, pulling out Alicia's chair. We all look expectantly to Oliver...who is already sitting down.
"Oliver!" Alicia hisses, jerking her head in my direction. Oliver merely blinked.
Gah, I'm SO sorry this didn't come out earlier. Stupid website wouldn't let me upload ::TEAR:: So, for some, it'll be like 0 chps 1 day, and 2 the next. Sorry though :( and fyi, I didn't completely break my promise, cus it's only 10:30 in my timezone when i post this! Bwuahahaha...::Cough:: So here's the Wall Of Fame!!
-Paradise-Unknown (Such long reviews! I love em!)
-SopherGopher
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-Christy January
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-im rad
-crying pixie (Hehe, DEFINITELY considering that bunny. Just need some free time. stupid school -.-)
-old school rocker
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Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! And we're a little less than halfway through the fic and i have 95 reviews! Heck yah! Maybe I'll reach my goal of 200!!!! Love you all, and i still want plot bunnies!!!!
English-Foxlette (who is thoroughly deprived of sleep and has to get up in 6 hours)