Giving Thanks for Lingerie

"So you want to be a bad girl," I teased Erica.

"Yes. Of course," Erica said in a way that implied she didn't want to talk about it.

* * * *

The next morning, Erica and I went for a jog again. She asked early on in the jog, "Are you doing anything with Alexa today?"

"Maybe. Any ideas on what I can get you for Christmas?"

"No. I had forgotten you had asked me that."

"Perhaps if I go shopping with Alexa this morning, she can give me some suggestions."

Erica seemed displeased with that answer and was kind of distant for the rest of the jog. I reviewed the rules of D&D with her so she could lead William and Alexa tonight.

After breakfast, Alexa sought me out. I asked her, "Would you like to do some Christmas shopping with me today?"

"Sure."

Mom said, "Be back before lunch this time."

"Sure."

We got back around 11:30. Alexa came in with a wrapped present, which she sneaked up to her room without William seeing it. After I checked in with everyone, I went up to the office to review everything for tonight's D&D session. As I had the office door closed, I thought about jerking off, but decided it was far too risky. This weekend, I hadn't gotten anywhere close to enough privacy to comfortably jerk off. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I called.

Erica came in and sat on the edge of the desk where I was working. "So what did Alexa sneak in?"

"A coffee table book of dog breeds for William. My suggestion."

"Did she give you any suggestions for me?"

"No. She asked if I knew how your apartment was decorated, and I said no. If I had, I think she could have given some good suggestions."

"Did you have fun shopping with her?"

"Yes. Though we didn't actually shop much. We found the book, she bought it, then we talked in the bookstore cafe while she sipped one of those stupid mocha latte things."

"That sounds yummy," Erica said with a taunting smile. "What did you talk about?"

"Stuff." Erica frowned, and I chuckled. "She opened up a bit more. She's in a stage where she's fixated on how unfair life is to women. Women are always judged for their looks. Women are always either dressed too sexy or not sexy enough. Men are always objectifying women, seeing them as things to conquer. Women never feel safe alone, which guys don't understand. Women are still paid less than men for the same job. The ideal employee for most corporations is a man with a wife in a supporting role, and they push women to act like those men." I raised my hands, palms up. "The usual stuff."

"And what did you say to that."

"First, I let her talk. Get that all out. Then I told her that I agreed with her. All of those things were unfair. Modern American life is unfair to women. I followed that with had she considered how modern American life is unfair to men?"

Erica raised her eyebrows. "And had she?"

"No. I pointed out that women objectify men in that they are not interested in short men. How can height be important in today's society? Yet, short men are turning to expensive, painful surgery to make themselves taller to get women to pay attention to them. I also pointed out that more women get college degrees than men, and more women get advanced degrees than men, yet women continue to only want to date men who make more than them. That results in there being not enough acceptable men for well-educated women to date, but they refuse to lower their standards. I told her I felt a huge amount of pressure to live above my means to impress women of a similar education level as me. And as for corporations wanting employees that act like men with a wife in a supporting role, what does that mean for a man whose wife makes as much or more than him?"

"And what did she say to that?" asked Erica in a casual manner that I felt hid some serious interest.

"Not much. I think she was quite gobsmacked. And I'm not surprised. Society still assumes that men have a serious leg up over women. Most colleges have a department that specializes in looking at the unfairness that women face, but there's nothing like that for men. Now, I get that at the top levels of this country, it's still very much a man's world. But down at my level, I'm seeing both men and women facing unfairness, but no one talks about the unfairness men face."

Erica sat frowning for a while. "Did Hailey make more than you?"

"Yes."

"Is that what you think caused you two to break up?"

"No. Yes, she was making more money than me when we broke up. But my practice is growing...I don't want to say quickly, but quickly for a therapy practice. In five to ten years, I'm hopeful it'll be decently lucrative. So it wasn't clear that Hailey would always make more than me." I sighed. "What I think killed our relationship was that I didn't discuss my financial situation with her until we merged our finances. Then she saw that I had no money saved for retirement or a house and had lots of student loans and a large amount of credit card debt."

"Which you ran up while trying to give her the impression that you made more than her."

I shrugged. "Regardless, my finances were an unpleasant surprise to her, and she lost a lot of respect for me. It seemed without that respect, things that had been fine weren't anymore, and things fell apart."

"What kind of women are you looking to date?"

"Someone a lot like Hailey. Good-looking, fun, smart, has their shit together, makes more money than me, and likes being physically active."

Erica looked away. "I'm envious of how clear-eyed you are about your relationship with Hailey. I don't know what's going on in my head about Aaron." She looked down at me. "Yes, I've not been talking about myself. Or more correctly, me and Aaron. We're happy, and I could see us being happily married for a long time. But at the same time, I have this feeling of future disappointment now whenever I think about him. I'm very confused." She sighed. "Maybe it's the money thing."

"Have you thought about seeking counseling?"

"About what? We're a happy couple. Most days, I see a happy future being married to Aaron. But since we had to take Greckle back to the shelter, I've had this vague feeling that something is wrong. I'd need something specific to talk to a counselor about. What do you think the issue is?"

"Me? I'm not a marriage counselor."

"You're a therapist. You've thought a lot about what makes relationships work. I'd like your opinion."

I took in a big breath. "I have an idea of what the issue might be, but I need more information. I know this is a really personal question, so you don't have to answer. How often do you have sex?"

"If I don't answer it, you won't give me your opinion?"

"Yeah. I don't want to give you my opinion. I don't want to be your therapist. But I'll give you my opinion if it's important to you. But I want to make sure it's important to you. And that it's a good opinion."

Erica's shoulder's slumped. "Okay. Probably every week or every week and a half. Often enough."

I nodded. "Does he ever ask for sex, and you tell him no?"

"Occasionally. He always takes it well."

"You know," I said as I shifted in my chair. "I've been repeatedly told to never say, 'Aha! I know what my client's problem is.' I see them in a very artificial setting. I don't have them tell me their deepest feelings. I'm really counting on them to figure out their problems on their own." I shuffled my feet. "That being said, I'm going to say 'Aha! I know what your problem is.'"

Erica gave me a small smile. "What is it?"

"You've always dated bad boys. They were very exciting but constantly did stupid things. When you began to think about settling down, you decided - and I think quite wisely - to date someone besides a bad boy. Aaron is a good guy who doesn't do anything stupid. You have a very pleasant life with him. You can see yourself having a pleasant life with him until you're old and gray. But he doesn't excite you. When he asks for sex and you tell him no, that's saying he hasn't sexually excited you enough to put you in the mood for sex. And he's accepting of that. He's probably very accepting of the fact that he's not an exciting guy. But you're not happy about already being in a rut with him, and you don't know if you want that lack of excitement for the rest of your life." I stood up. "I was thinking of making lunch today. At least for a few people." I moved around Erica. "My opinion was worth every cent you paid for it. I have no problem if you ignore it."

"It's something to think about," said Erica in a gloomy tone.

To brighten things up, I decided to tease Erica. "Maybe after lunch, I'll take Alexa shopping again." I gave Erica a wicked grin. "I could take her to Victoria's Secret and buy her some lingerie as an early Christmas present. Then we could get a motel room where she could model the lingerie for me." Erica frowned. "Lingerie is a gift for both the woman and the man."

"You wouldn't actually do that," Erica said in a disapproving tone.

"Of course not. Because I was planning on taking you shopping at the mall. Maybe if we walk around together, you can come up with an idea of something I could buy you for Christmas. Are you up for that?"

"Sure!" Erica said with a smile. "Anything to keep you from constantly bugging me for Christmas present suggestions."

This story was written by 8letters and published on Literotica

* * * *

"So where do you want to start?" asked Erica as we got close to the mall.

"The problem I see is that almost anything you want, as soon as you want it, you hop on Amazon and buy it. There's nothing you really want that you haven't already bought. I was going to buy you a blouse or a sweater. You don't need another blouse or sweater, but you'll wear it occasionally if it's in your closet, which is more use than if I bought you a coffee table book."

"Okay. Just like you have me always buy you a funny T-shirt."

"Exactly." I pulled into the mall parking lot and headed toward a big department store. "And I wear whatever you buy me even if I don't find the T-shirt funny."

Erica said in a good-natured jab, "But someone with a better sense of humor than you will find it hysterical."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "So you pick out a blouse or sweater that you like. I'll buy it, gift wrap it, and put it under the tree. And then you act surprised when you open it on Christmas."

Erica and I went in and walked to the women's clothing section. Erica started looking at sweaters. "Any price limit?"

"Whatever is the average price of a sweater or a little more. Don't pick the most expensive one in the store."

"Okay."

I pulled out my phone and began playing a game while Erica perused. Occasionally, she'd ask my opinion of a sweater. After a while, Erica grabbed a few sweaters and took them into the changing room.

A short while later, she came out in a gray sweater. "What do you think?"

"It's nice."

Erica frowned. I was sure she wanted me to show a little more enthusiasm. "Sweaters don't excite me. Hailey shopped for sweaters and blouses by herself because I found shopping for them boring. But I went with her when she shopped for dresses for going out with me. I enjoyed that."

"Dresses cost a lot more than sweaters. Any would be over your price limit."

"True."

That seemed to satisfy Erica. She went back in and came out a little later with a new sweater. She got another 'It's nice' from me. She changed into a third sweater, and got another 'It's nice'.

"Which one did you like best?"

"No preference. Whichever you like best."

Erica put her hand on her hip. "I want you to buy me something that you like. You're giving me the feeling you don't like any of these." She had a good point.

"Let's look at what dresses they have on sale. Maybe they'll have a dress that I like for a price comparable to a sweater."

Erica and I went over to the sales rack in the dresses department. We couldn't find a dress that was in my price range and that either of us was excited about.

"I'll make you a deal," I said. "I'll buy you a nice party dress if you buy the lingerie to wear underneath it."

"What kind of lingerie are you talking about?" asked Erica suspiciously.

"A bustier, a garter belt, thong panties, and stockings."

Erica shot me a disgusted look. "You aren't serious, are you?"

"Sure, I'm serious. My going shopping with you kept me from taking Alexa to buy her lingerie." I winked at Erica. "There's no harm in me watching you buy lingerie." Erica still looked dubious.

"Why aren't you going to buy me the lingerie?"

"Oh, no, no, no," I said as I raised my hands. "It would be very bad for me to buy you lingerie. No way can you explain it to Aaron or Mom and Dad." I dropped my hands and leaned forward. "When Aaron picks you up tomorrow, you can tell him that you've missed him so much that you decided to buy some sexy lingerie for him. Maybe that'll give him a hint to do something aggressive that will get you excited."

Erica stuck her lips out in a pensive gesture for a little bit and then asked, "So we're going to Victoria's Secret?"

"No." I shook my head. "They don't sell the fun stuff anymore. This store has bustiers and corsets. Victoria's Secret has only corset tops, which is a contradiction in terms."

"What do you mean?" Erica looked confused.

"Bustiers boost your bust, and corsets constrain your waist. If it's only the top of a corset, there's no constraining of the waist." I grinned. "I've done a lot of research on this."

To my surprise, Erica turned and walked toward the lingerie department. I hadn't expected her to agree to look at lingerie. I quickly caught up to her.

As Erica looked around, she asked, "A bra and panties aren't enough?"

"Nope. A full set of lingerie. I want you to look sexy and beautiful before you put on the dress I buy you."

When we found the bustiers, all they had were white. I said, "Bridal lingerie. The bustiers I see online for big department stores frequently have their model wearing a bridal veil."

They had three types of bustiers. "Which one do you prefer?" asked Erica.

"Isn't what's important is which one Aaron would prefer?"

"Aaron's not here. Aaron's not the one talking me into buying this. Which one do you prefer?" Erica glared at me. Maybe a dare for me to give an opinion on what bustier my sister would look best in?

I grabbed the three packages and carefully looked over the pictures on the front. Eventually, I showed one to Erica. "This one. I like all the lacework in the front and the bottom of the bra cup. With the way the cup is shaped, I think it will give a nice boost to your bust." I pointed to the bottom of the picture. "I like that it has its own ribbon straps so you don't need a garter belt. If you're rocking this, I think you'll look very sexy and beautiful."

Erica looked down and blushed.

"Is this your size?" I asked as I pointed to the '34B' in the upper right.

"Yes."

I handed Erica the package and went to the unmanned sales desk in lingerie. I looked around.

"What are you doing?" asked Erica.

"Oh, nothing." I found a pen and pulled one of my business cards out of my wallet. I wrote '34B' on the back of it.

"Why are writing down my bra size? You're not planning on buying me lingerie are you?"

"Oh no." I gave Erica my best innocent smile. "I'd never do that. I'm your brother. But if you and Aaron do get married, Mom may want to buy you some wedding night lingerie, and I'll be able to tell her what size to buy."

It was a flimsy story, but it was the best I could come up with. I just wanted to have Erica's bra measurement, and I wanted her to know that I had it. And it had felt good writing it down in front of her. The mean big brother once again does something to annoy his little sister.

I asserted dominance again by saying, "Time to buy the thong panties and stockings. You'll want both to be white to go with the bustier."

I watched Erica closely as she looked through their thong panties. She held up three different packages and asked, "Which one?"

"That one," picking the one I liked best. Its front was lace in a pattern that matched the bustier. I used the stolen pen to note Erica's size. We did something similar for the stockings.

"Is someone finding lingerie shopping exciting?" I said. Erica looked a little confused, so I pointed to her nipples that were prominently pointing out.

"What? No. It's just cold in here."

I nodded my head in agreement, all the while enjoying her discomfort. "Let's head back to the dresses."

"Okay. I think I saw a dress in the sale rack that would go well with white lingerie."

"You don't have to pick a dress that goes with that lingerie. You're getting the lingerie to wear tomorrow, and you won't be able to wear the dress until after Christmas. You'll probably want a black dress."

"Who's picking the dress, you or me?" said Erica, asserting her dominance.

I hung my head and said in a defeated tone. "You are. You did what I asked, so you're free to pick what you want."

Erica smiled and handed me the three lingerie packages. We walked to the sale rack, and, after a quick search, she said, "Here we are," as she pulled a dress off the rack. She held up against her. "What do you think?"

The dress was a simple cocktail dress with a small amount of material on the shoulders, a plunging neckline, and falling to mid-thigh. The material of the dress was unusual, white cotton with a blue shiny material worked through it. And then from the waist, lace hung down with flowers embroidered on it.

"On sale for half off. What do you think?" Erica asked as she showed me the price.

At half off, it was still well more than the sweaters we had been looking at. "That's fine."

"I'll go try it on then."

Erica took the dress into the changing room. I waited outside of it as she changed. It felt awkward standing alone while holding the lingerie packages. I was perfectly fine buying lingerie, but that was always a quick grab-purchase-leave thing. Standing in the women's department holding three packages of what was obviously lingerie as many other female shoppers moved around me was a completely different experience.

I felt relieved when Erica came out in the dress, but that quickly turned to awe. "Wow! You look great in that dress." The top hugged her body tightly and nicely showed off her tits. From there, it flowed down to her narrow waist and then flared out over her hips. The dress showed off a lot of her nice legs. I stepped close to Erica so people around us couldn't overhear. "You in this dress with this lingerie underneath will be spectacular. It'll knock Aaron's socks off."

Erica smiled warmly for a moment and then frowned. "You'd probably tell Alexa she looked spectacular in lingerie if you had gone shopping with her instead of me."

"No." I shook my head. "I've learned that you can be a little generous when complimenting women, but only a little. Much more than that, and they'll know you're stretching the truth. Then, they'll be insulted. 'He couldn't think of anything nice to say about me, so he told me that corny line?' With Alexa, if I had bought her lingerie like what I'm holding and she had modeled it for me in a hotel room, I would have said something like, 'Ooh, white really suits you' or 'I never imagined my little cousin Alexa would look so good in sexy lingerie'." I gave Erica a little smile. "Stick to the truth, but be selective in the truth you tell."

Erica still looked unconvinced. "I wouldn't look spectacular. I'm not big enough on top to look spectacular. How big was Hailey? D cup?"

"She was." I thought quickly about how to sell what I was telling Erica. "Hailey had a body like a porn star. You have a body like a movie star. A porn star body is great to watch in porn videos, but I prefer a movie star body in real life. I stand by my comment that you'd look spectacular in that dress with this lingerie."