The Southridge Mall

Simmons was dark and dank, and I felt like I was walking into another world when I entered the small shop. The walls were black, neon lights illuminated almost every other inch, and I got this very ungrateful dead / reggae hip-hop kind of vibe from the first ten feet of space. As I moved deeper into the place, I realized it was basically a novelty shop. They hag gags and gifts, and tricks, both magic and otherwise. They had a section of lava lamps and plasma balls, glow-in-the-dark items, and collectible shot glasses that came in a thousand different designs.

As I searched for Mackenzie and Jennifer, I found the shop slowly turned into something more adult orientated, with the gags often showing women's breasts or men's dicks. I heard Mackenzie's voice from the other side of the aisle and slowly came around the corner to see what they were doing.

"Hey baby," Mack said, smiling like a kid just caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

"Hey. I, uh, finished the pretzels," I said.

"Pretzel guy," Mack said, jerking a thumb at me.

"Oh my god. Yes. Haha!" Jennifer burst out laughing as well.

I frowned but then dismissed whatever they were saying. I could take a joke, even if I didn't understand it. "So, are we almost done shopping?"I asked, stepping into the walkway and turning to see what the topic of discussion was.

Arranged in a tight row were large slender boxes with words and drawings of items on each. They looked as if they were made in Japan, and I grabbed the first one, trying to decipher what was inside. The box read: Magic Bunny. Love you his ear. Make gift in front, or double gift in back. Vibrating bunny feature three. Requires 8 AA Battery.

"Magic Bunny?" I asked.

"Oh, we got that one already," Mackenzie said and I took that to mean I should put it back.

A vibrating magic bunny I thought. Hmmm. I wondered what else they had and picked up the next box. Hunry is the Hippo. Magical horny goodness. Hippo had big girth. Make for maximum fun. Feature three. Requires 8 AA Battery.

"Do all of these take batteries?" I asked, turning the box over to see a picture of a rhino, not a hippo, and a single horn that looked as if it was stuck in a puddle of water.

"Yes Daddy," Jennifer said with a giggle. "Put it down. We already got the ones we wanted."

"Did you get one for me?" I asked, having already figured out that these items were back massagers.

"Oooo, that might be fun!" Mackenzie said, reaching for a box that said Flaming Phoenix.

"You really want a waterproof vibrator?" Jennifer asked me, shooting me a playful glance. "I mean, if you need one I'll get you one."

I had started to reach for another box and then stopped. "They're not back massagers?"

"Oh, I'm gonna use mine on my back, and my front. Mine does both."

"No Daddy," Jennifer said, turning the box over. She inverted the box and the puddle became a spread open vagina, the vibrator penetrating the hole with the elephant's trunk nuzzling the drawn representation of the clit.

"Nope. I think I'll pass," I said.

"Are you sure?" Jennifer asked teasingly. "There's a couple here that say they're made for prostate massage."

"I'm sure," I said, waving a hand at her.

"Alright, I think I've done enough damage," Jennifer said, dropping the box into a basket at her feet before picking it up.

"All of that is yours?" I asked.

"Yes," Jennifer said, and she motioned to Mackenzie who picked up a second basket.

I didn't say a word because I knew Jennifer was using her own money to buy the things and ultimately if that was what she wanted to spend her money on, that was up to her. I followed behind, dutifully, all the way to the checkout counter where a skinny goth-looking woman was waiting to ring us up.

"Hey, how's it going?" the cashier asked. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"That, and more," Jennifer laughed.

The woman took Jennifer's basket and began picking the items up quickly, scanning them, and sliding them into a red plastic bag as if she were working for Santa and it was her duty to make sure I didn't see anything that was being bought.

"Are any of these things gifts?" the woman asked.

"No. Not really," Jennifer said.

"Is this your boyfriend?" the woman asked, nodding at me.

"It's my dad," Jennifer said flatly.

"He's my boyfriend," Mackenzie said.

"Lucky guy," the cashier said, picking up the elephant toy and scanning it. "You are going to love this thing," she said, sliding it into the bag. "Setting three and four, oh my god."

"I read a couple of reviews. I mean, it's kind of pricey."

"Yeah, but I'll tell you. Worth every penny," the woman said. "I wake up, I use that to get me going. Sixty seconds and I'm good."

"Wow," Jennifer said.

"Holy shit," Mack added.

"Does it brew a cup of coffee?" I asked, seeing the $399.99 price as it blinked on the screen.

Everyone laughed as if I'd told a joke, and the cashier kept ringing.

"Ahhh, another nice one," the cashier said, picking up a large piece of cardboard that seemed too heavy for its size. The woman slipped it into the bag and I saw the price at $79.99. The name of the item: DBLENDDLDO.

"What is D-blend-Old-O?" I asked.

"You want me to tell him?" The cashier asked Jennifer.

"Sure," Jennifer said, smiling.

"It's a double-ended dildo. It's really nice and had this thick contoured head on each end. I have two or three of them myself. They work nicely if you need some double penetration, or if you want to have some fun with a friend. I assume your daughter is going to be using it with a special someone soon."

"Is she?" I asked, turning to Jennifer.

"Fuck yeah she is," Mack laughed. "She got that shit for me."

I turned to Mack, chuckling.

"I dig it," the cashier said, continuing to ring up the small gel packs of fruit flavors which I assumed were gummies or water flavorings, and a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs.

"What are those for?" I asked, turning to Jennifer.

"Those are for the good times, and the bad times," the cashier said, raising her hands over her head and crossing them at the wrists. "You can't go wrong with those. They're just tough enough to do their job, but you can break them. The chain snaps pretty easy."

"Good to know," Jennifer said, nodding.

I watched as another four hundred dollar vibrator was rung up, and then at least four dildos, a package that looked like it had multiple items inside of it, and a large bottle that clearly said "Cum-Lube" on the side.

"Oh, I want to get one of these," Mack said, grabbing something off a display and handing it to the cashier who rang it right away and slid it into the bag before I could see what it was.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Nope. I think that'll be all," Jennifer said, handing the cashier her credit card.

"Oh, just insert it below," the cashier said, pointing straight down.

I leaned over, looking down at the cashier's feet, and didn't see anything there.

"Daddy!" Jennifer said, her face turning red.

"What? She said insert it below! I don't see..."

"It's a joke," the cashier said quickly. "It's a uh...a dirty joke."

"Ahhhh," I said, chuckling. While she meant the card needed to be inserted into the card reader...down below...it could easily be misinterpreted...too easily I guessed.

"You all seem like a lot of fun. You ever get into any kinky shit? I mean, stuff?"

"Sometimes," Mackenzie said.

"Yeah, sometimes," Jennifer replied.

"Like, what?" the Cashier asked, eager to hear. "Is it like candle wax on the nipples? Some light BDSM? You're not into any of that super weird shit, are you?"

"What's super weird?" I asked.

"Scat, shit, pissing. Bloodsports."

My mouth dropped open. What in the hell was bloodsports?

"I do a little freelance photography and videography. If you ever need someone to shoot some footage for you. You know...hold the camera...."

"Sure," Jennifer said, smiling.

"Or if you just wanna hang out. I'm game for that too. Whatever."

Jennifer nodded, smiled, and reached over to grab the bags.

"I got 'em," I said, reaching forward and grabbing all of the bags at once.

"You want my numbers?" the Cashier asked then, as if wondering if any of us were actually going to take her up on her offers, or if we were just smiles and chuckles, and nothing else.

"I'll get it," I said and both Jennifer and Mackenzie gave me the strangest looks.

"Oookay," the cashier said, slowly grabbing a marker from behind the cash register. "Look," she said leaning forward. "If you're not up for it, please don't waste my time." She turned to glance at Jennifer and then Mackenzie. "Are you really into kinky stuff? A lot of people say they are, just for conversation, but then...you know. They never call."

"I really shouldn't say," I said, my face turning red.

"She doesn't suck you off and spit it in your ass, does she?" the cashier asked.

"No," I said, disgusted.

"Go ahead, get her number," Jennifer said then.

"Alright, can you write it down for me...Cherry?" I asked, leaning over and seeing the name "Cherry" on the cashier's name tag.

"Oh, it's Brandy," she said, sliding the sleeve of my shirt up and writing on my skin with the marker. "It's just hard finding friends in a small place. I just moved here, and I'm bored to death." I smiled at her. "And there's only so many times you can ask someone if they wanna watch a movie and chill, or just fuck, and they never show up."

I tried to keep a straight face as Brandy completed writing her phone number on my arm and then signed it with an XOXO at the end.

"I also do a bit of work as a fluffer. Internship really. If you need one. I doubt you do though," she said as Mackenzie came walking back over.

"Did you get her number?" Mack asked sweetly.

"Yes," I said, lifting the bags I was holding with the same arm that Brandy had just signed.

"Alright. Jennifer says it would be cool to just hang out. Gotta wait for the power to come back on, but after that, we'll give you a call."

"Okay, tight," Brandy said, nodding.

"Thank you for your phone number," I said, giving Brandy a wink.

"Oh, uh, yeah. No problem," Brandy said awkwardly.

"Are we ready to go yet?" Jennifer asked, hurrying back over.

"Yeah," Mack said, smiling. "What's the hurry?"

"Daddy's cum has soaked through my panties and is starting to leak out. We gotta go." Jennifer turned around and began walking away, and I looked over at her, expecting to see a huge wet spot between her ass cheeks, but there was nothing.

"Gotta go," Mack said, skipping away.

"I, uh, we gotta go," I said.

"You better fucking call me," Brandy said as I hurried away, and then as we exited the door to the food court I thought I heard her call out again, "Call me!"

We ran to the truck and jumped inside, and I started it up and pulled out of the parking spot before any of us had our seatbelts on.

"What in the fuck, was that?" I asked, leaning forward and glancing at both Mackenzie and Jennifer.

"I don't know," Mack said, pulling my shirt sleeve up. "Oh, it was Brandy."

"Is that her name?" Jennifer asked. "I thought it was Cherry?"

"Nope," Mack said. "Brandy. Brandy x-o-x-o."

"Am I missing something?" I asked, grabbing my seatbelt and slipping it on quickly.

"No," Jennifer said, and then Mack started laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"That's two different women in three stores," Jennifer said.

"Four stores," I said. "Five, no, six, if you count the pretzel place and the lemonade stand. And so what? Casey, Casey is one of your friends. She wanted you to call her. Not me," I said defensively.

"The jewelry store doesn't count. It was just an old guy," Jennifer said.

"Okay, well, you know what? Get used to it. I have to deal with this sort of stuff every day."

"Bullshit," Jennifer said.

"Yeah, he's really bullshitting now," Mack said.

"Oh yeah?" I said, getting angry now. "You know, I turn away friends, I turn away acquaintances. Total strangers. I turn down job opportunities because I feel like they're just trying to reward me for my looks? Or they feel sorry for me? No. I'm not bullshitting."

"You think Casey is hot?" Jennifer asked then, curious.

"I...don't know. In a weird kinda, uh...girl next door kinda way...maybe?"

"She likes feet," Jennifer said.

"Toes, or the whole foot?" Mackenzie asked.

"Like, feet-feet. She's the one who got me into the foot modeling stuff."

"Okay," I said, nodding as if this was good information.

"She likes to lube up her feet and do things with them."

"What kind of things?" Both Mack and I asked at the same time.

"This isn't some sort of audition!" Jennifer said loudly. "Don't you think that's gross?"

"Feet aren't gross," Mack said quickly. "You just gotta scrub them, and make sure they're soft and your nails are painted."

"I could never understand that," Jennifer said. "And I was selling them to make money. Never understood it."

"I'll teach you later," Mackenzie said promisingly.

"I don't need to learn about feet," Jennifer said in a stern tone.

"Okay, but everyone has kinks. You said it yourself. Is she hurting anyone?"

"No," Jennifer said.

"Is she disgusting?"

"No," Jennifer repeated.

"And we need friends. We need people who are going to know us, and who won't rat us out. We need people who are going to accept us. So what if she has a thing for stinky feet?"

"It's not stinky feet," Jennifer said in a frustrated tone. "She's...actually very clean. She just...she likes to have her toes sucked, and she likes to jerk guys off with her feet."

"No toe sniffing? No toe jam?" Mack asked. "Jesus, you made it sound like this bitch was some stinky foot queen." Jennifer shook her head and then began to chuckle. Her chuckle turned into a light laugh, and we all pitched in. "So, Casey is cool. We can invite her over, as long as daddy gets a foot job, and one of us is going to have to suck her toes."

"Who said we're doing any of that?" Jennifer asked sharply.

"You just did, by thinking I was serious," Mack laughed. "You've been thinking about it, haven't you?" Jennifer's face turned red and she didn't say another word. "What about Brandy?"

"What about her?" Jennifer asked.

"I think Brandy is weird," I said, glancing at Mack.

"And we're not?" she asked.

"Why do you think she's weird," Jennifer asked, and then added, "Don't get me wrong. I agree with you. I just want to hear why you think she's weird."

"She said she was a fluffier," I said. "Aren't those people who dress up like cows and have sex with ....?" I couldn't even bring myself to say the words.

"Furries!" Jennifer burst out laughing and so did Mackenzie. "Jesus Dad. Furries dress up, and no they don't do that stuff. They just like to dress up, and they have plugs that have tails on them. It's kind of sexy if you ask me."

"Really?" Mackenzie said.

"Yeah, I mean...kind of."

"So feet are a no-go, but tails in the ass are just fine?" Mackenzie asked Jennifer.

"I said...no, I didn't say, but...feet might be okay...might be. Okay?"

"So she's a furry," Jennifer said then. "Actually that makes a lot of sense. Furries and Emo chicks are usually one and the same."

"She didn't say furry. She said fluffy-er. Floofer? Is there a floofer?"

"A fluffer?" Mackenzie asked.

"Okay, yeah. A Fluffer," I said.

"Uh, you watch a lot of porn and you don't know what a fluffer is?"

My face screwed up as I realized that Brandy was indeed saying she was a fluffer. "She's a fluffer?"

"Maybe," Mack said. "I mean, technically any girl that can suck a mean dick can be a fluffer. I could be a fluffer."

"So could I," Jennifer said.

"Not me," I said, making sure both of them understood that was not happening.

"Alright so, enough with the phone numbers," Jennifer said. "We'll write them down, we'll give them a call and they can come over and hang out. Just friends."

"Just friends," Mack said nodding. "And occasionally with benefits."

"No benefits!" Jennifer said. "I'm being serious!"

"I was just kidding!" Mack said, folding her arms across her chest. "Anyway, the more the merrier. Friends. I'm talking about friends."

"Good," Jennifer said.

"Alright."

"Okay," I said, continuing to drive as the sun set quickly and darkness took over the sky.

A moment later, Mack and Jen were digging through their bags, ripping open boxes, and inspecting the items they'd just bought. Dildos were given an initial suck test, one of the gel packs was accidentally broken open, which resulted in a quick dispensation of orange-flavored lube for everyone to try. Mack decided I needed to have a sloppy wet kiss that tasted like fake oranges, almost causing us to drive into the ditch, and after that, I made it perfectly clear I was no longer included in the product testing.

The handcuffs were tried out, and at the same time a small "buzzer" was applied to Mackenzie's privates. Jennifer, manning the controls, switched the device on and off at random, making Mackenzie gasp and squirm until she finally got both handcuffed hands down the front of her pants to remove it.

As I turned onto our road, and we got closer to the house, I noticed none of the houses had their exterior lights on. As we came over the last ridge before the house, I noticed the guy who;s house sat on the top of the hill was completely dark. I glanced at Jennifer and Mack and said, "Powers out again."

"What?" Jennifer asked, looking right and left.

"How can you tell?" Mackenzie asked.

"No garage lights," I said, pointing.

"Man, I was gonna make some mac and cheese when we got home," Mackenzie said disappointedly.

"Looks like stew is back on the menu," I said.

"Or ice cream," Mackenzie said.

"Oooo, ice cream for dinner?" Jennifer asked. "Can we, Daddy? Please?"

I chuckled, thinking she sounded so sweet and innocent. "I don't see why not. We have a ton of it."

"Awe-some!" Mackenzie said as we pulled back into the driveway and everyone piled out.

"Holy crap it's dark!" Jennifer said as I turned the truck lights off, plunging the entire world into absolute darkness.

"There must be a lot of cloud cover," I said, turning the lights back on. "Not a star or the moon in the sky."

"I'll go get a flashlight," Jennifer said, running to the house.

"I'll go light the candles," Mackenzie said.

"I'll stay right here," I said, waiting until Jennifer came back out with a light and I could safely make it inside.

"I hope it doesn't snow tonight," I said, taking my jacket off and instantly feeling how insanely cold the house had become. "Looks like I need to restart the fireplace," I said, hurrying into the front room. Mack followed close behind, lighting three candles around the front room, and bringing me the lighter right after. I thanked her and she gave me a quick kiss before heading into another room to light more candles.

In just a few minutes, I had the fireplace going, and to my surprise, steam began wafting through the front room as the heat overwhelmed the cold and the ice that had formed through the cracks in the front window. I'd taken the time to replace the shitty plywood board which had a significant hole in one side and a corner missing, and had boarded it up with the planks I'd purchased, but now it seemed like it needed more. Silently I vowed to get the repairs done tomorrow, after work, and I hoped that it would put an end to the brutal cold constantly trying to seep into the house.

"Here ya go sweetie," Mack said, handing me a bowl of ice cream and a spoon.

"Thanks," I said, scooping some out and eating it. It was double chocolate, my favorite, and I turned to Mackenzie to thank her yet again.

"No problem," Mack said, and then she sat bolt upright and her knees slammed shut.

"Are you okay?" I asked, eating another spoonful of ice cream.