AN: Costume shopping and NSFW fitting room fun with a riding crop. Need I say more?

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In truth, shopping with Red wasn't very high on Liz's wish list, and for a number of reasons. They'd done so in the past, and each time, she couldn't help feeling scrutinized and even somewhat patronized. It had nothing to do with money, and everything to do with the sense that his taste was better than hers, that she didn't really know what was best for her, and that she required some manner of manipulation in order to be worthy of his desire.

Of course, that was all crap, and she'd never, ever admit those insecurities to him. The more she thought about it though, the more she understood that she hadn't gotten drunk to steel her nerves for the haircut - but instead, for shopping with Red.

But so what? It was truly the best idea ever. She had a blast. They managed to collaborate on their wardrobes, creating a look that was optimal in terms of both form and function. Daytime in the desert mandates protection from the sun, wind, and sand. At nightfall, plummeting temperatures demand something else entirely. So, what to do? If pressed to give their chosen eclectic aesthetic a label, one could say 'desert steampunk'. It all came along piecemeal, from cheap thriftshops, expensive boutiques, and a military surplus store.

Liz's only veto was for a lace-up corset-style belt. It was gorgeous, no doubt, but it also looked uncomfortable. Red pouted, "But it's so sexy! I love how it shows off those exquisite curves."

"I'm not wearing anything that requires your help to remove."

"So, you can't be naked without me? I fail to see a problem with that."

Liz rolled her eyes and redirected her attention elsewhere, assuming that her point had been made. However, when they finished up, she caught the cashier scanning the belt. Oh, that tricky little scamp. In the interest of preserving the peace, she fiddled with the strap on her watch, pretending not to notice.

But in the very next shop, she found a pair of mens beige riding jodphurs, and instantly formed a plan. She held them up for Red's inspection. "You should try these on."

"Nope."

"I thought I was out with 'Fun Red'..." She grumbled.

He worked his jaw for a moment, but complied. "Touché."

When he exited the fitting room, it was all she could do not to drool all over herself. Oh god oh god. The jodphurs left very, very little to the imagination, hugging him in all the right places. With a smug grin, he strutted from one end of the store to the other, just like a couture-clad model on a catwalk. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Unfortunately for him, so did she.

"Buy them."

"Nope!" He shook his head, recalcitrant.

"So... that means I'm supposed to just buy them for you anyway, right? Isn't that how this works?"

His lips spread into a comically-huge grin. "Busted."

"Then I have a proposition... it just might satisfy us both." She pursed her lips, trying and failing not to laugh at her own double entendre.

"I'm sure you do."

"I'll wear the corset belt if you wear the jodphurs."

He'd walked right into that one, truly. "Deal."

Minutes later in the same store, he found a riding crop, and his eyes twinkled with glee. "I'll be needing this."

Liz huffed, feigning a scandalized shock. "No, you don't!"

"I'll look completely ridiculous in jodphurs without it. Accessories are everything, Lizzie. Everything!"

She knew the real reason that he wanted it. He ought to be chastened, she decided. Liquid courage still bubbling in her stomach, she picked up a zippered red dress and gently elbowed him. "Do you mind helping me into this?"

Hah! As if he'd actually have to think of a response... He followed her into the fitting room and put his purchases down on the bench inside. After closing the door behind them, she began to undress. Red watched her through the mirror with hooded eyes.

Down to just her bra and panties, he took the dress off of the hanger and held it out for her, but when she leaned in as if to take it, she bypassed the dress and grabbed the crop from the bench instead.

"Lizzie?" His breath caught in his throat.

In answer, she pushed him backwards, step by step, until he hit the wall and her body was pressed up against his. She kissed him softly for long seconds before opening her mouth to him. All the while, she kept both hands behind her back, clutching the crop.

Like always, his cock behaved like a lightswitch. With a mere flick of the wrist, Red was rock-hard and ready to go. He grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, but Liz was quick to step back. "No hands." She said it softly and sweetly, as if requesting a small favor, but the crop in her hands reminded him that it was really a command.

"It seems I've underestimated you," he replied huskily, all the more turned on.

She smirked and stepped in to kiss him again, but maintained an inch or two between them. Only after he proved that he could behave did she lightly rub against him through his pants with the crop.

He tried to press forward with his hips, needing more pressure, more friction, more contact in general. Liz took pity and tried to give him that.

For a moment, anyway.

Abruptly, she stepped back again, but this time, she turned away from him and reached for the dress. After pulling it over her head, she met his eyes through the mirror. He was panting, jaw slackened in disbelief.

"Well? Are you gonna zip me, or should I give you a few lashes on the ass instead?"