Neighbors Ch. 26

Two hours later, I parked in front of the lingerie boutique downtown where Claire worked. After washing Amber's BMW, I had changed out of my bikini and back into the black panties I was wearing earlier. Amber had stepped out to get a massage, but thankfully had returned my clothes to me before leaving.

I took in the window display as entered the boutique. Fairly realistic-looking mannequins in sexy poses dressed in frilly lingerie adorned the spacious window front. One mannequin had another over her knee and was giving her a play spanking. Fairly risqué, I mused. But it was kind of a bohemian part of downtown. I doubt people would really complain around here.

Claire gave me a friendly wave from the back of the store as I entered. It looked like she was busy with a customer, so I slouched over to a corner of the store and tried to look inconspicuous. I always felt awkward in lingerie stores - I didn't have much experience buying underwear for the few girlfriends I had, and I was afraid I'd be mistaken for some sort of pervert coming in here to smell panties or whatever. I made my way over to the least sexy part of the store and pretended to be interested in some silk robes and occasionally checked work emails on my phone.

I glanced around the store. It was moderately busy, with maybe five or six women and one couple browsing the displays. Claire was still busy with her customer, but she caught my eye and gave me a wink. I felt myself blush slightly, remembering again why I was here. I had been trying to push it out of my mind. She was going to help me pick out a complete wardrobe of panties.

I returned to the robes. I could still feel my face redden with embarrassment. I had no idea how this was going to work with so many people in the store. Someone was bound to overhear something.

"Hey Chris!"

I started as I heard Claire's chipper voice right behind me. I turned in surprise just as she shot up on her tip toes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. She was practically bouncing on her feet in excitement. Her small features and petite build made her look like she was in her late teens or early twenties, although I thought her true age was more mid twenties. She was dressed as usual in a skirt and blouse. I was impressed with how coordinated her outfit was - her skirt was light blue with dark stripes, and her blouse matched the stripe color exactly. She had a pair of practical black flats on her feet, and her long black hair hung down to the small of her back. Her name tag was the only thing that indicated she was an employee.

"Uh, hey Claire," I said, taken aback by her public display of affection. We had basically just met last night...of course, it was far from a normal night, I reflected. I supposed we shared some crazy experiences that were new to both of us.

"Oh my god Chris...this is going to be SO much fun!"

She clapped her hands and did manage to literally bounce for a second on her feet. I envied her pent up energy. Personally I was still tired and a bit sore from my punishment at Amber's hands earlier that day. She grabbed my hand and pulled me after her, taking off at a fast pace across the store. I was sucked along in her wake.

"Come on, keep up," she admonished. "I think we'll start here."

She pulled me to the front of a display where three fairly realistic mannequins were exhibiting their underwear, no doubt as embarrassed as I was to be on display. I felt an odd sense of empathy with the inanimate objects. Claire gripped my arm possessively.

"So Chris, the way I see it, we need three categories of panties. Something practical for you to work out in - I know how exercising is so important to you."

I sighed. It certainly was important to mistress Sarah, my cruel personal trainer. I would have been ok with a light weightlifting or cardio session a couple times a week. I did have to admit though that I was developing a fair amount of lean muscle. As Sarah had pointed out, I didn't seem like someone that was going to bulk up or anything, but I had abs for the first time in my life, and my arms, legs, and chest were cut if still a bit slim.

I suddenly noticed there was a woman standing just ten or twelve feet away, looking at a bra. I glanced at Claire and inclined my head to the woman, making sure she knew someone was nearby. Claire either didn't notice or didn't care.

"And then we need a bunch of panties for you to wear day to day - you know, around town and stuff. Every day panties."

I saw the woman pause for a second and then glance over at us. I blushed.

"Claire..." I hissed quietly. She ignored me again.

"Now what a lot of people don't understand is that even every day panties can still be really sexy. It's all about finding the right fit that makes you feel confident and comfortable as well as hot."

I glanced over at the woman again. She put down the bra she was looking at and took a step closer to us, picking up a pair of panties to examine. I could practically feel her ears orient in our direction. She was about my age and pretty, with short auburn hair and freckles. Light makeup accented her greenish eyes and red lips. She was wearing a dark business pant suit and no-nonsense low heels. Despite the severe cut of her suit I could tell she had a nice figure. Her ensemble made her appear as if she had just finished trying a federal crimes case.

Claire looked up at me and squeezed my arm.

"And then we need to find you some REALLY sexy things. You know, date night panties." She laughed in a way that I thought sounded slightly wicked. I guess she knew I wasn't really likely to go on any dates in my current...condition.

I saw the woman cough and cover a smile quickly as she glanced at us again. I felt my face turn beet red. Claire wasn't going to make this easy on me at all.

"Come on, let's start with your exercise panties."

Claire opened a few drawers and began to make selections. She would rifle expertly through the drawers and grab one or two, then hand them to me to hold. After maybe five minutes I was holding a double handful awkwardly in front of me. They were mostly solid colors and without frills or lace or bows, but I realized Claire nevertheless was selecting styles that still looked very feminine. She pulled out a heather gray pair and held them up, chewing her lip as she considered. I saw that they were thongs. She quickly turned and pressed them against me, considering how they would fit. I groaned out loud and looked around the store. The lawyer-looking woman was still in the area, clearly listening in to our conversation. The couple I saw earlier were now nearby, and I saw the woman look over just as Claire pressed the thong against me. Her eyes shone and she jogged her boyfriend's elbow. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt my cheeks burn.

"Hm. I think these will work, even as exercise panties."

Satisfied, Claire handed me the pair and returned to the drawer.

Minutes later, she eyed the growing pile of panties I was still clutching in my hands.

"That's probably enough exercise panties. Let's find you some daily wear."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me across the store to another display. I noticed Lawyer Woman surreptitiously follow us, pretending to examine lingerie along the way. I also saw the couple was looking at us from time to time, whispering to each other and laughing. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore everyone except Claire.

I could tell that we were in a fancier part of the store. All of the mannequins were wearing lacy and sheer lingerie. I glanced at a price tag on a random pair of panties that we walked by and blanched.

Claire started selecting more panties. I noticed these were very different that the first bunch. Bright colors, multiple colors, lace, ruffles, and bows were everywhere. I also noticed that the first four or five she selected were thongs.

"Uh....are you sure I need, uh..." I lowered my voice to a whisper "...thongs?"

Claire gave me her shy smile.

"Don't you think thongs are sexy?"

I swallowed. Claire looked so innocent, but I knew better.

"I...I mean, yes..." I said.

She smiled again and leaned into me to whisper in my ear. I could feel the light touch of her small breasts against my arm.

"I'm wearing a thong right now. A really pretty light blue one. Almost exactly the same color as my skirt."

I exhaled sharply. I could practically feel blood rush from my blushing cheeks to my penis. The small chastity cage cruelly crushed my attempted erection.

She stepped back, and gave me a wink before deliberately letting her eyes drop to my crotch. I knew she knew I was in distress. She gave a little half spin and glanced over her shoulder at me and bent forward slightly at the waist.

"Do you see any panty lines?" She asked, smoothing her skirt over her ass.

I groaned as I stared at her butt, sticking out and on display for me under her skirt. I was picturing what it would look like without the clothing - just her pale blue thong framing her slender but shapely ass. I grimaced as my penis surged again in its prison.

"No...no lines" I stammered.

Satisfied, Claire straightened up and winked at me again.

"Good boy. Now let's find you some more sexy thongs to wear. And other styles too of course. You have a whole panty drawer to fill up."

At that moment, I made eye contact with Lawyer Woman. She was coincidently pretending to be interested in a thong, holding it up and looking past it directly at me. She looked away almost instantly.

I groaned again, this time in embarrassment.

"Please, can you try to keep it down a bit?" I whispered at Claire.

"Hmmm?" She said, concentrating on some panties she was holding.

"The trick," she said in a slightly louder than normal voice "is finding a thong that's wide enough through the crotch to cover your little chastity cage."

I heard an eruption of quickly covered laughter from Lawyer Woman. I glanced in her direction and saw her turn quickly, pretending to cover a cough. She feigned interest in a lacy bra on display.

"Claire..." I whispered again. Somehow I was now blushing and simultaneously straining against the cage.

She turned to me with an exasperated sigh.

"Chris. Honestly. We're in a lingerie shop. Guess what people do here? They buy underwear. What are we doing now? Buying underwear. It's the most normal thing in the world. Seriously, stop being such a prude."

I looked down and nodded.

"Yes Claire. I'm sorry."

She shook her head and snatched another pair of panties from a drawer, adding it to the pile I was still awkwardly holding. I had to clutch the collection to my chest now to keep it all from slipping.

"Uh, can we leave these at the counter or something?" I asked, looking around the store again at all the customers.

"No, you're fine." Claire announced, making a few last selections. She gave me a quick smile as she added them to my pile, patting them to make sure they were secure.

"Ready to pick out some date night panties?"

Ignoring my groan, she grabbed my arm and steered me again through the store. I was definitely the center of attention now - most of the customers were at least occasionally glancing in my direction to see the obviously embarrassed male customer clutching an ever-growing pile of underwear. I glanced over my shoulder as we swept to yet another corner of the intimate boutique. Predictably, Lawyer Woman was making her way slowly behind us, hardly bothering to feign interest in the lingerie around her.

Claire stopped in front of another large dresser, with drawers open and draped with nothing but skimpy, see-through, and ruffly panties. She gave them a quick survey and clapped her hands with excitement.

"Now this is where it gets REALLY fun." She turned to me and grinned. "And expensive for you. And of course lucrative for me."

She held up something black that was all string and absolutely zero bikini and looked at it thoughtfully.

"There's just something so...hot about underwear that's just one hundred percent about sex. Totally impractical. Maybe even uncomfortable. But undeniably hot."

She held the collection of strings up to my body. I didn't see how it could cover anything, much less my chastity cage and balls. She tossed it on my pile. It happened to land where I could see the price tag. I let out a gasp.

"Claire...these panties are seventy dollars! And for what? There's no fabric at all!"

She chuckled, holding up a black bikini cut panty that was sheer to the point of being translucent.

"Typical male. No eye for fashion. Those are French, and extremely sought after. Don't worry about the price," she turned and winked "I know you can afford it."

Making a decision, she added the sheer panties to my pile.

"You know, they keep track of sales here. I used to hate it, always feeling like I was in competition with my co-workers. This month, I think I'm going to come out just fine."

She laughed as she added several more ridiculous panties to my pile.

"In fact, the rumor is that the manager is looking to make a change and hire an assistant manager from one of the floor staff."

She paused as she eyed a bright red garter belt.

"That would be a big boost for me if I make the cut."

She held up the garter belt with a thoughtful expression.

"Now THIS would look great on you with your figure."

I was feeling almost light headed with embarrassment. I could feel dozens of eyes on me, watching me and Claire as she happily picked out lingerie for me. I moaned what I saw the garter belt.

"No...please...that's too much. It's not...I mean...why would I wear something like that?"

She paused, considering.

"True. We'd have to get you some stockings for this."

That wasn't what I meant.

"No, please. Just the panties, please?"

She ignored me, turning to a smaller counter that had several stockings laid out on display.

"Relax. These are for date night, not every day, remember?" She held up a pair of black fine mesh stockings. I saw they had a single dark seam running up the length.

"I love wearing stockings and a garter belt on dates. You wouldn't believe how excited guys get when they see that you're wearing something like this."

I didn't bother to tell her that getting guys excited wasn't really my goal. She had brushed aside all of my protests with ease and was clearly set on getting me whatever she felt like.

"These stockings are the best - French, of course. They have this lovely seam that runs up the back of your legs. If you want to recreate that classic pin-up look, you simply must have a pair or two of these."

I didn't, but that didn't stop her from adding them to my pile.

"Of course, they tend to snag and tear easily, and they're quite expensive. So when they run on you you'll have to come back and buy more."

"Now these garters have a matching panty if I remember correctly....ah here they are."

I jumped as I felt a brush against my elbow. Lawyer Woman was right next to me, looking at the garter belt in my arms.

"Do you have that with the matching panties in size small?" She asked, her voice low and melodious.

Claire turned to her, completely unfazed with her interruption of our shopping.

"Of course."

She turned to look through the drawers. I tried to look away but Lawyer Woman addressed me and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Jennifer. Friends call me Jen."

Instinctively I reached out my hand to shake. Immediately almost all of the panties I was clutching fell to the floor. I looked down in dismay for a second before dropping to my knees to start to pick up the underwear. I glanced up and saw that Jen was still holding out her hand. Awkwardly, I reached up from my kneeling position and shook it.

"Chris."

She smiled briefly, and I scrambled to scoop up the panties, eager to make as small a scene as was possible.

"Here you are," Claire said, turning to Jen with a garter belt and panties, matching the set I had in my arms.

Jen looked these over.

"Fantastic. I think I have some stockings at home already. What are your recommendations for a bra to go with this?"

Claire frowned and thought for a second.

"I just saw something....wait..."

She turned and lifted a bra that was the exact same color from another drawer.

"Unfortunately I don't think they make a matching bra for that set, but this is the right color, and the style is similar."

Jen took it and shook her head.

"I like it, but I need a 32 double d cup."

I gulped from the floor.

Claire shook her head wistfully.

"Lucky."

Jen laughed, a low silvery sound.

"Tell that to my back at the end of a long day."

Claire looked for another few seconds. I had just gathered all of the panties and was slowly rising to my feet, with my arms still clutching the dozens of pairs of underwear to my chest.

Jen turned to me with an arched eyebrow.

"That's quite a...collection of underwear you have there, Chris."

I blushed.

"Thank you," I stammered, immediately mentally kicking myself. Why the hell did I say that? I was always so awkward around women in general, and this situation ramped my natural social ineptitude up to maximum.

Jen gave a low laugh.

"You're welcome."

Claire was elbows deep in a drawer, but responded.

"He's building a whole new wardrobe. He's replacing all of his men's underwear with....Here you go!" she said triumphantly, replacing the bra in Jen's hands with a different size.

"That's amazing. Thank you so much for your help."

Jen turned to go but paused for a second.

"I couldn't help but overhear you say that Chris is wearing a chastity cage."

I groaned. It seemed like everywhere I went people were finding out about it. It hardly seemed possible for so many people to be aware of something that was hidden in my pants.

Claire nodded, matter of factly.

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

Jen chewed on her lower lip for a second, quite prettily, I thought.

"Is it by any chance...a Latham device?"

Claire frowned.

"You know, I have no idea actually. Hmmm...Chris?"

Both women turned to face me. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment yet again.

"Uh...yeah...I think it is."

Jen nodded. I could tell she was a bit excited.

"Is it...a Mark 6 model?"

I frowned. I had no idea. Claire shrugged.

Jen glanced down at Claire's name tag.

"Hm...Claire, right? Do you...do you have an app that controls it?"

Claire brightened.

"I do, actually!"

Jen smiled. I could see she was even more excited.

"That's...that's wonderful. An actual Mark 6..." She trailed off, looking down at my crotch. She was biting her lower lip again.

"Why do you ask?" Said Claire, organizing the drawer she had found the bra in before closing it.

Jen shook herself and came out of her reverie.

"Nothing. I mean...I was just reading about those last week."

Claire looked interested.

"Really?"

"Yes, you see..." Jen reached into her purse and pulled out a card. I caught a glimpse of it before she showed it to Claire. "I'm a patent attorney."

I couldn't help but feel a bit victorious at my guess.

"I was just reading about these devices in some trade blogs. Really, they have some remarkable tech. I understand that they're not far from going mainstream, with a large budget for advertising and promotion."

I moaned slightly. I couldn't imagine every single woman out there knowing that a device like this existed. Or perhaps I could. It would certainly be a different world, I thought.

Claire smiled.

"Really? Wow. That's so cool. Honestly I'm pretty new to this. I was sort of brought into this from a friend."

Jen nodded.

"But you...you have the app that controls his device?"

Claire nodded.

"Wait here a sec - let me get my phone."

She turned and practically skipped away to a back room.