Ann: A Love Story Ch. 42

Ann's little car really moved. I was whipping it along the main drag through town, going back and forth between the left and right lanes as I navigated through the slow moving traffic. No one seemed in a particular hurry to get anywhere. No one...except me. I kept a lookout for one of the many police cars that inhabited the town, but I was in a hurry, and the car moved like it was a part of me.

My mind was racing along with the way I was driving. The end of the conversation I had with Alfred had me smiling...and wondering. The fact that he'd referenced Ann's friend Missy was a surprise, and then again, it wasn't. I knew as soon as he said that Ann and Dana were at a place called 'The Leather Door', and that it was an adult store, that it was the place where Missy worked. The fact the Alfred and his wife knew Missy...enough that he wanted me to say 'hi' to her for him? That had my head spinning.

Alfred was in the same general age group as my Dad...and Ann's dad, Marlin. And I was having a hard time seeing either one of those two in an adult store. Never mind the thought of them bringing along their spouses. My Mom...or Jean...in a store filled with sex toys and porn videos? I shook my head, trying to get the image out of my brain. But I couldn't. And the reason I couldn't was because of Ann.

Since Ann had come into my life, the way I looked at my parents had totally changed. I'm not so sure my parents hadn't changed a little too. They seemed so much more open and free about who they were sexually; at the very least, they were suddenly a lot less guarded about it around me. Was it really out of the question that they might have made a trip or two to some kind of adult shop? Based on what I'd learned over the last few months, I had to be honest and at least admit that it was not only possible, it was likely.

And the same could be said for Jean and Marlin. I think Ann would have agreed that since I'd come into her life, we'd had the same affect on her parents. So it was at least possible they'd made an occasional pilgrimage to a sex shop of their liking.

Checking off the cross streets, I knew I was getting close to the turn I had to make. I went two more blocks, and turned left down a road that was filled with fast food restaurants and shopping plazas. It was another main artery to the town, and that surprised me, since the place I was going was on that street. I figured if I was going to an adult store, it would be in a more desolate part of town...one you may not want to be in after dark. But there didn't seem to be a seedy side to Ann's town. At least, not that I could tell from the places I'd been driving.

The farther I went towards the outskirts of the town, the more the landscape changed. Closer to the main street that I'd turned off of, all the buildings had been modern commercial structures, and all businesses of some type. But as the miles passed, some sporadic residential areas started appearing. First, a trailer park, and then apartments and condos would pop up. And as I traveled further West, there would be the odd house in a location that seemed out of place. It was obvious that the town had spread out over time. More and more land that had once been beautiful countryside had been swallowed up in the name of progress, right along with the structures that had been there for decades.

And so it was that when I came upon the address of where I was supposed to go, I almost missed it. I was looking for a commercial building or some kind of strip plaza. Instead, it was a house. An old Victorian two story house, with a wraparound porch that went around the sides and the front, and it was located in the midst of a grove of huge maple and oak trees. The elegant sign was a little obscured by the picturesque floral landscaping that surrounded it. The sign was in the island of bushes, shrubs and other plant life that split the paved driveway, creating separate entrance and exit roads to the parking lot to the east side of the house. I pulled into an open space in the half-filled lot, which was big enough for about twenty cars.

The house itself was amazing. The wooden siding was painted a soft yellow, with red trim to go along with the red roof. The red of the railing handle around the porch offset the white spindles and posts. As I walked up the steps onto the porch, I peered through the mesh of the screen door, to the one behind it. It was indeed covered in soft, black leather; the stitching perfect around the edges of the small diamond shaped window. I opened the screen door, and I felt like I should be knocking. Instead, I pressed the latch on the handle, and pushed it open.

Closing the door behind me, I was floored by what I saw. It was, indeed, an upscale place. Much of the lower floor had been gutted, support beams replacing walls, creating a wide-open look. There were racks filled with sexy clothes and lingerie nearest the door. Off to the left and right, there were several long aisles of sex toys. Towards the back, there was a separate room that had nothing but VHS tapes. On the wall to that room, there was a huge rack of explicit adult magazines. And in the middle of the room, next to a wide carpeted staircase that led to the upper floor, was the counter, complete with a huge cash register like you'd see in a general store in the old West.

As I made my way through the maze of clothing racks, I looked at the woman behind the register, who was smiling at me. She came around the counter, out into the open, standing...practically posing as I approached.

She was...well, she was Missy. I knew it the moment I laid my wide-open eyes on her. I wasn't sure of her ethnicity at first. Her dark bronze skin and long, jet-black hair had me wondering, but not to the point that I wanted to guess. It didn't matter...I just knew she was stunning. She was wearing a very short, white sundress that showed off her long, slender legs. The thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders attached to a low scooping front, which held in her modest chest. There was a white sash type tie that went around her slender waist, making the dress conform to her body to show off more of her great figure. She was a little bigger than Ann, but not much. Still it was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra, by the design of the dress, and her dark nipples, which were plainly visible through the white fabric.

An attractive, middle aged woman of about 50 came to the counter, which made Missy have to go back to wait on her. When she turned, I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew Missy had long hair, just from the style and the way it she had it back off her shoulders. But I didn't know it went all the way down to the middle of her ass. It was the longest, straightest hair I'd ever seen.

I stood, staring at her, unaware of how obvious my leering was. She glanced up at me several times, smiling each time our eyes met. Eventually I realized I was making a fool of myself, so I tried shifting my gaze by pretending I was browsing. But since I was standing in a section filled with strap on dildos, I found that more uncomfortable than just being a potential pervert staring at a hot babe in an adult sex shop. Still, I was drawn to a particular strap-on named 'The Grinder' that was prominently displayed.

Well, it wasn't the strap-on itself that I was drawn to. It was how it was being marketed. It was marked as a kind of 'house special', and next to the display model, there was a handwritten note encased in a frame made out of the same black leather the door was covered with. The note was a testimonial, written by a customer. I read the detailed account of how the customer loved the product, and the service they received at the store, and it was signed with the person's first name and last initial. Glancing down the aisle, I noticed several other leather frames near items that were being promoted the same way.

Missy finished with her customer, placing a rather large black vibrator in a paper bag that was designed to look like black leather. Handing it to the woman, she said, "I'm so happy you picked that one out, Alice. Take my word for it...you're going to love it."

"Well, I hope so. I'm a little nervous."

"There's nothing to be nervous about, sweetie. You just do it like I showed you, and I promise you you'll be happy."

"Okay," the woman said, turning toward me, blushing when she saw me smile at her.

"You have a great evening, Alice. And by great, I'm saying no less that three!"

The woman stopped and turned back to look at Missy. "Three what?"

"Orgasms. Five's my record with that one, but I know you can have at least three if you stick with it."

The woman smiled and said, "You're incorrigible, Missy."

"Yes I am...now go have fun. And call me tomorrow to tell me how it went!" Missy replied with a wave.

"I will, I promise. Thanks for being so...attentive," the woman said, choosing her words carefully.

"Just doing my job, Alice."

The woman walked through the door, and I looked at Missy. "And you do it very well," I said with a grin.

Missy practically ran around the counter, jumping at me. I had to catch her as she leapt into my arms. Frankly, I was stunned as she hugged me so tight it would make a bear jealous.

"Neil...I'm so glad to finally meet you!" she said as she kissed me on the cheek. Pulling back she smiled, her bright white teeth matching the brilliance of her dress.

"Uh...hi...Missy," I said, feeling a little awkward about her being so forward.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I know you, already. I've heard all the stories from Ann...and I've..."

"Seen the pictures," I said with a laugh, and getting a nod in return. "I'm not surprised."

"Don't be upset. Ann was just sharing her love for you, that's all."

"I'm not upset. I'm actually okay with it," I said, realizing that I was. I didn't know why, but it really didn't seem to matter.

But I must have had an expression that was less than convincing of my true feelings, because Missy said, "Well, just so you know...she's only shown them to me and Dana. It's not like she showing them around to everybody."

"Really, Missy. It's okay. They're Ann's...if she trusts you enough that she felt she could share them with you, then I trust you too."

"Wow...you really feel that way? You don't even know me."

"Ann does, so that's good enough for me. And I'm sure you'll get around to telling me about yourself eventually."

Missy laughed and said, "Not much to tell, really. I'm just your average woman, working on the fringes of the sex industry; trying to make a difference in the world one orgasm at a time."

"That's funny," I laughed.

"Well, it's kind of true, really. I love my customers, and I try to make them feel comfortable about this kind of stuff," she said, motioning to the items that surrounded us.

"This is a nice touch," I said, pointing at the testimonial sign I'd read earlier.

"Thanks! That was my idea. That's part of our follow up with our customers. We ask for feedback, and if we get a customer that really likes a product, we ask for a little hand written note outlining it, and why they like it so much. We call them 'customer certified' products. If someone is willing to write a note and let us use it, we even let them give the product a nickname if they want. Hey, speaking of that...come with me!"

Missy grabbed me by the hand and led me through the store. While we walked, she actually told me about herself, without me having to prompt her by asking questions. She started by telling me that she was part Native American, saying that that was a question she got all the time, so she just told people up front to get it out of the way. Missy told me she was 26, and had been working at the shop for 5 years. The job at the tanning salon was part time and she only did it because the same lady who owned the sex shop owned it as well; and it gave her free tanning...not that she needed it from what I could tell. I was sure her natural skin tone was amazing on it's own, but there was no denying that her deeper tan made her look exotic, and damn sexy.

Missy was a talker...the kind that spoke extremely intelligently, but at a speed that forced you to pay careful attention for fear of missing something. As it was, I learned an amazing amount of things about her in a very short distance. But mostly, I learned that she talked fast, so when she paused finally paused long enough to take a breath, I took that opportunity to say, "By the way, Alfred says hi."

"Oh my GOD! Did he? I was wondering if you met him. Ann was saying you were mailing the rest of her things today. Isn't he the most adorable...well, you may not think so, since you're a guy...but isn't he great! I really miss him...he used to come in her all the time, but then he moved to the Post Office all the time, so now I only get to see him when he brings Billie in. But I think it's great that he and his wife come in together. Don't you?"

Missy's words had flown from her mouth, and I was still processing them as she abruptly stopped talking. Before I could answer, she was pointing at a huge display of dildos. There had to be over a hundred, in various shapes, sizes and colors. On the top shelf, there were three different ones displayed as 'customer certified', with the one in the middle being labeled the store's 'most popular'. Underneath that sign was a tag, calling it 'The Antonio' and next to that was the elegant, glass covered leather frame; the handwriting on the note was familiar in its style and grace...not to mention that it was on lavender stationary.

Ann wrote three paragraphs touting the virtues of the rubber cock she personally vouched for as a lifelike facsimile of her 'husband'. She detailed the benefits it provided her in my absence, and even outlined how it helped her as a training tool for anal and oral sex, stating for the record that if you could successfully take 'Antonio' down your throat or up your ass, you could handle almost any 'real' cock with ease. The most interesting point, besides saying she had a husband before we were married, was that she signed it 'Anna T.'.

I looked at Missy, who smiled, knowing what I was thinking. "I asked her write it like she was already married. I didn't want her to have to write a second one...and you'll be married before you know it anyway."

"I can't believe she did this," I said grinning.

"Why not? It's all true, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah...I guess, but"

"But nothing! Thanks to Ann...and you, now that I think of it, the 'Antonio' is currently our biggest seller in the store. I can't keep the damn things on the shelf. I've got two in stock right now, and I'm betting they'll be gone by tonight...tomorrow at the latest. I've got two dozen more coming in Wednesday, and the way the thing has been selling, I may run out by the weekend."

I was going to comment, but Missy grabbed my hand again and dragged me to another part of the store, chattering all the way. I was looking around while she talked, trying to spot Ann or Dana, but I couldn't see either of them. I wondered if they were still there. I'd forgotten to look and see if Dana's car was in the parking lot when I pulled in, assuming they were inside. I started to ask Missy, but she pointed out then next thing she wanted to show me.

It was another framed note from a woman, praising a scented massage oil kit. The note talked about how wonderful the service in the store was, personally thanking Missy for her being so helpful. And it commented on how the author of the note and her husband had several consecutive magical moments the first evening they used it, and how that hadn't happened in a long time. The 'customer certification' was signed by 'Billie D.'

"Alfred must have been on fire that day. Billie told me they did it three times that night!" Missy laughed.

"No wonder he wanted me to say hi to you," I laughed.

"Yeah...I kind of took Billie under my wing," she said with a wink.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The distinctive chimes that hung over the front door announced the arrival of yet another customer. Like most of the ones that I'd seen come in up to that point, this was another young female, beaming from ear to ear as she stepped into the air conditioned room and closed the door behind her. I glanced at my watch, and noted that it was just after 6:00.

"Man, you really have a lot of 'happy go home' traffic," I said to Missy.

"What kind of traffic?"

"You know...the 'I'm happy I just got off work and I'm stopping on my way home' crowd. That's like 10 or 12 people that have stopped by in the last half-hour."

"Well, Monday's are one of our busiest days. We're closed on Sunday."

As Missy showed me around the rest of the store, I continued to scan for Ann and Dana. There were plenty of other customers milling about, being helped by the other two cute young staff girls, but as I craned my neck, there was no sign of either of them. Missy smiled and said, "Are you looking for something in particular? Perhaps a nice leather g-string?"

"I'm looking for Ann and Dana...are they still here?"

"Yep...they're...busy right now," Missy said, being evasive.

"Busy...doing what?"

Missy put her finger over my lips, and said, "Patience, Neil. You'll find out soon enough. I've got to take care of a couple of things. Why don't you browse around? I'll be back in a little bit."

Before I could say anything, Missy turned heel on her white 5-inch spikes and walked briskly across the hardwood floor, making the hem of her little white sundress flow in the breeze she was creating. I could see the bottom of her ass bounce as she strutted off to help a customer she knew by name.

So, I milled about, looking at racks upon racks of erotic clothing, and countless rubber sex items that could be used in countless different ways. All the while, I kept a wary eye on the lookout for Ann. I was amazed at the atmosphere. The house was big and spacious, and extremely well lit. I was a bit surprised that the windows in the front were allowing sunlight in. The idea that someone driving past could look inside and see people shopping for explicit sexual items astounded me. "Is this a California thing?" I asked myself as I watched the cars and trucks drive by outside.

Looking at the windows more closely, it dawned on me that while there was natural light coming through, it wasn't the wattage that I should have expected based on the beautiful sunny day Northern California was providing. The windows were tinted, dark enough that I was sure no one from the street could see in, at least during the day. There were blinds on the windows that could be lowered, and that kind of confirmed my suspicions that at night, the lights inside would make the customers visible. But in the daytime that wouldn't have been a problem.

I'd been in my fair share of adult stores, and up to that point, they were all the same. All were dark and dingy, having the same ambiance as the floor of a taxi cab. I was amazed at how different this was. And the windows had a lot to do with it. Then I heard the music playing over the speakers. It was classical music, and it actually provided an elegant atmosphere. I felt as ease as I walked through the store. It made looking at, say...rubber vaginas or nipples clamps appear like such a normal thing to do on an early Monday evening.

Six o'clock became 6:30, time going by swiftly as I looked around. It's extremely difficult to browse through a store like that, being bombarded with visual images of all things sex, and not have it impact you in some way. I suppose there would be some people that would be either embarrassed, or grossed out, or perhaps even angered by such a display. But then again, those people likely wouldn't be loitering for over an hour in a place like I was in, no matter how upscale it was.

But for those who assimilated more easily to that type of environment, I'm sure the reaction was similar to mine. I was getting more turned on by the minute, and as I glanced at my watch, I not only wondered where in the world Ann and Dana had been all that time, I also wondered where Missy had run off to. From where I was standing in the back corner, near the video room, I could see to the left and right. The far center of the store was blocked by the cashier area, and the back of the stairway that came down in the middle.