Can't Say No to Her Ch. 07

Chapter 7

She was definitely upping the ante now, and I felt completely out of my depth.

Another text from Flossie chimed.

Get your jaw off the floor, bestie. We've got one more shop to go to after this, but you have to promise me you won't freak out.

One more shop?

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to know what she had planned. Before I could reply, another message came through.

When I come out, you're paying for these sets. And if you behave in the next shop, you'll get the fashion show of your life x

I swallowed. She'd turned the whole thing into a game.

And she'd sent me a kiss.

I looked back at the photo, then towards the changing rooms.

Twenty minutes went by before Flossie appeared, awkwardly carrying all ten sets in her arms. She spotted me and ushered me over.

"Come on, Willy. Take these to the till. I've got to make a quick call."

She handed me the pile before I could respond, pulled out her phone and walked away. I stood there with lingerie balanced on top of the shopping I was already carrying.

Like a true errand boy.

At the counter, I put the bags down by my feet and carefully deposited everything else in front of the cashier.

"Did you find everything okay?"

"Yes, thanks," I muttered.

She started scanning the items. I nodded along to the small talk, keeping my head down and hoping nobody I knew happened to walk past.

"Cash or card?"

"Card."

She turned the payment screen towards me.

£297.00.

Nearly three hundred pounds. For lingerie.

I glanced over my shoulder towards where Flossie had disappeared. I could still tell the cashier I'd changed my mind.

Instead, I pulled out my card and paid.

By the time everything had been bagged, Flossie was waiting at the front of the store. She barely noticed me approaching, still completely absorbed in her phone call.

Eventually she moved the phone away from her ear and covered the microphone with her hand.

"Coffee."

She pointed across the street towards a café.

"Yeah."

I nodded, quite relieved at the prospect of sitting down together. She put the phone back to her ear, then immediately pulled it away again.

"No, idiot. Go and get me one."

She gave me a look.

"And don't fuck it up twice."

Then she returned to her conversation.

I stood there for a second. I'd just spent nearly four hundred and fifty pounds on her, and apparently I was an idiot for assuming we might have a coffee together afterwards.

I couldn't even get one for myself. My hands were too full.

At the café, I ordered an oat milk flat white, making absolutely sure they'd heard the oat milk part. Then I carefully made my way back across the street, balancing the cup along with all my bags.

Flossie took it without a thank you. She was giggling at whatever the person on the other end of the phone was saying. Then she pointed down the street and mouthed, "This way."

I followed.

I hoped we weren't going far. The handles were digging into my hands. Flossie walked ahead, chatting happily, until we turned down a fairly dodgy-looking alleyway.

Surely there weren't any shops down here that she liked.

There were a few men further along. A ragged-looking homeless man was trying to get another drag out of a cigarette that was down to the filter.

"Any change, mate?"

"Sorry, no," I replied, carrying on.

My attention shifted towards the others. For all my frustration with her, I still felt responsible for Flossie. If anything happened, I'd drop every bag without thinking twice.

I walked a little faster, keeping an eye on them and puffing out my chest. Flossie didn't seem remotely bothered. She carried on laughing into her phone as though we were in the middle of a shopping centre.

Then she stopped so abruptly that I nearly walked into her.

I looked past her at the shopfront.

It was a sex shop.

She ended her call with a curt "Bye-bye, see you later," slipped her phone into her pocket and turned to me.

"You promised not to freak out."

I hadn't promised that, but I didn't bother correcting her.

I took a deep breath. Part of me was beginning to think this could actually be fun. The lingerie, the photo, now this. Maybe I was finally getting somewhere. Maybe, after all these years, she was going to sleep with me.

My heart started racing.

She leaned towards my ear.

"Best behaviour if you want the show, Willy."

I gave her a small, almost triumphant nod. I could manage that.

Flossie smiled and stroked my cheek, almost as though she were reassuring a child.

We walked up the two small, dirty steps and opened the door. A little chime sounded above us.

A woman with bright green and purple hair approached.

"You must be Flossie."

I looked at Flossie. Had she booked an appointment?

She nodded, smiling as excitedly as I'd ever seen her.

The woman turned to me.

"And you must be Will."

Her tone was noticeably sterner.

"That's correct," I replied, perhaps a little more standoffishly than I meant to.

Flossie gave me a sharp look and silently mouthed one word.

Behave.

I wasn't sure what I'd done wrong.

The woman glanced between us, then turned back to Flossie.

"Are you ready?"

"Absolutely."

"Er... ready for what?"

I looked at Flossie. She met my eyes, but instead of answering, she just smiled.

The woman looked between us again.

"Come with me."

Flossie followed her. I took a tentative step after them.

The woman stopped and looked back.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait here."

"Oh... right."

I stopped, suddenly feeling rather stupid. Flossie turned towards me, and for a second I thought she might tell the woman I could come with her.

"Be good, Willy."

"Yeah... okay."

She held my gaze for another second, then disappeared down the aisle with the woman.

I watched them turn the corner before making my way back towards the entrance. There were chairs beside the front door. I didn't particularly want to browse.

I sat down beside a bloke, putting my bags next to his. He was probably in his mid-fifties, slightly odd-looking, with thinning hair and a jacket that seemed too big for him. We exchanged a nod, and he gave me a timid little smile before looking down at his hands. A minute later, an attractive woman came round the corner. She looked about thirty-five, with jet-black hair and a pretty face set in an angry expression. He was on his feet the second he saw her, gathering every bag from around his chair while she walked straight to the counter. He joined her, paid, then followed her out with the bags hanging from both hands. She hadn't asked him to do any of it. Bit weird, I thought, before turning back towards the aisle where Flossie had disappeared.

I settled back in the chair, her bags piled around my feet, and kept glancing towards the corner.

After what felt like a very long five minutes, she returned.

She looked like a child at Christmas. In her hand was a small white box.

I looked at it, then at her. She caught me staring and gave me a little nod that seemed to mean don't ask questions.

She turned towards the counter.

"Will, pay the nice lady and thank her for her help."

The woman hadn't helped me. She'd helped Flossie.

Still, I was thinking about the fashion show. I gathered the bags, walked over and pulled out my card.

I paid without even looking at the total.

A moment later, my phone buzzed with the payment notification.

£148.00.

One hundred and forty-eight pounds. For whatever was inside that tiny box.

"Thank you for your help," I said awkwardly.

I turned towards the door, keen to get out of the shop.

I was almost through it when Flossie called after me.

"Ladies first."

I stopped and looked back. She was standing there with her handbag, looking completely amused.

"Come on, Willy."

I sighed, stepped back and held the door open with my shoulder. She walked past me, and I followed her down the steps.

By then, the little white box had disappeared into her handbag.

I tried to decide whether to ask about it now or wait until the drive home. I was half tempted to do my terrible Brad Pitt impression.

What's in the box?

I thought that would have been pretty funny.

Before I could say anything, Flossie turned to me.

"I'll buy us both lunch."

That was a nice touch. I'd just spent nearly six hundred pounds on her, after all.

"That sounds great."

We found somewhere to eat, and strangely enough, there were no surprises. The conversation flowed. For the next hour we talked about the future, sport, friends and everything else we'd normally talk about.

It was almost bizarre how normal it felt.

For a while I almost forgot about everything that had happened that day.

Eventually Flossie got up and paid the bill.

"Thanks for lunch," I said.

"Come on. I'm ready for home."

I picked up the bags and followed her out.

We began the long walk back towards my car. Flossie led the way while I struggled to keep up, shifting the handles between my fingers whenever they started to hurt.

She didn't seem to notice. Or at least she didn't let on that she did.