Personal Shopper (6 page)

Laura McCaffrey
pulled onto the Interstate, heading west towards The Gables. In her rear view
mirror she could see snow clouds hanging over the city. More than flurries
would come out of those clouds.

She glanced over
to the passenger's seat, where the long box sat, white against the black
upholstery.

What kind of man
collected paddles? Max Greenway didn't seem like a sadist. He seemed like a
really nice guy. He'd handled the revelation about what she'd done with far
more tolerance than she'd anticipated, although his solution raised a lot of
questions. The errands he'd sent her on were a bit odd. The clothing, she could
understand.
But writing paper and a paddle?

Laura turned on
the radio. The Kinks were singing "Lola." Outside, Christmas lights twinkled
merrily from the houses. Laura's heart twisted a little in her chest. How in
the world was she going to buy Evan a Christmas present? The money from the
Tighlmans
was all slated to go to pay the gas bill, they
needed groceries, her car and renter's insurance was due.

Ahead of her,
the walls of The Gables stretched out like a fortress beside the snow-dusted
roadway. Laura wondered what it would be like to live behind that wall, where
the counters were free of bills waiting to be paid. Hopefully, if she worked
really hard someday she'd know. If she worked really hard and was open to
life's lessons, perhaps one day she and Evan could live a worry free life.

There was a
different guard today, a middle-aged woman with her hair arranged in a tight
bun peeking from beneath her black-brimmed cap.

"Max Greenway,"
Laura said. "He's expecting me at noon."

"Hold on." The
guard went into the little office, dialed the phone and then waved Laura on as
the massive gates silently swung open, admitting her over the dividing line
that separated people like her from people like the
Tighlmans
and Max Greenway.

The sky was so
cloudy that the automatic lamplight had come on in Max Greenway's front yard.
Laura noticed that spurts of flakes were dancing in its beam. The really heavy
stuff was forecasted to start after midnight, and in spite of everything she
was looking forward to it. Laura loved snow.

Max Greenway
answered the door wearing an off-white sweater and a pair of charcoal gray
pants. Laura couldn't help but admire the way he looked. He smiled at her and
she felt her heart quicken as she smiled shyly back.

"So how was the
shopping expedition?" he asked as she followed him into the living room. He'd
built a fire in the fireplace, and it crackled warmly. He'd also put up a
Christmas tree in the corner. Underneath were gifts, and it bothered her that
she hadn't had a chance to wrap them.

"Okay," she
said. "I got everything." She put the boxes down on the coffee table. "It looks
like you've been busy," she said.

"I like to do my
own decorating," he said. "Thanks to you I've had time this year. You actually
inspired me to take a day off, something I wouldn't have considered before I
met you."

Laura looked at
him, puzzled. "You hired me because you were too busy to shop, and now you're
taking a day off?" She smiled. "That's weird."

"Well, I figured
we needed some time to wrap up loose ends." He walked over to the couch and sat
down. "Let's see how you did."

He picked up the
Nordstrom's bag and opened it. "Very nice," he said. "Why did you choose this
particular style?"

Laura blushed.
"Well, whenever I don't know anything about the recipient I rely on my personal
taste."

"Good call,"
said Max. "It looks like you have a feminine taste in clothing."

"Femininity is
underrated," said Laura. "I believe women should be able to take care of
themselves, but that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice their softness."

"You know, I
agree," he said. "But I want to be sure that outfit is just right for the woman
I picked it out for. Would you mind indulging me by modeling it for me? It's
hard for me to visualize how something will look without actually seeing it on
real living person."

"Well, I..." Laura
stuttered,
then
realized she wasn't out of the woods.
Max Greenway had trusted her enough to give her a second chance. The least she
could do was trust him enough to comply with a simple request."

"Sure, OK," she
finally said, taking the outfit. "Do you have a place where I can change?"

"There's a
bathroom down that hallway," he said, and Laura walked in the direction in
which he had pointed.

There was a full
length mirror behind the door and she caught a glimpse of herself. Even after
having had a child, Laura had kept her figure. Her belly was nearly flat, her
thighs and bottom still well-defined and shapely from her years as a dancer.

She carefully
folded her jeans and the soft lavender sweater she had been wearing and laid
them on the counter. Then she carefully donned the whisper soft shirt and
flowing skirt, delighting in how the fabrics kissed her skin.

Laura felt
strange walking out of the bathroom without her shoes, but in a way, but the
drape and flow of the skirt made it look perfectly fine without them. Max
Greenway was standing by the fireplace when she walked in and smiled at her.
Laura found herself blushing under his gaze.

He twirled his
finger, indicating for her to spin around. "It was the perfect choice," he
said.

"Yes," Laura
said, lifting the sides of the skirt and letting them gently fall back down.
"Any woman would be crazy not to fall in love with this."

Max walked
towards her and picked up a pair of scissors. "Turn around," she said. Laura
looked at him, a bit of uncertainty in her eyes but then turned, putting her
trust in him. She felt him lift her brunette hair to the side and heard the
click of the scissors biting through the plastic that held the tag. Then he
lifted the hem of her shirt enough to expose the tag at her waist and clipped that
too.

He stood back
and smiled. "I'm glad you like it, Laura." He paused.
"Merry
Christmas."

Laura gasped and
turned to look at him. "You're kidding." She said.

"Would a guy
serious enough to hire a professional shopper kid about gift giving?" he asked.

Laura fingered
the soft fabric of the skirt for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "Why?"
she asked.

"Because
I like you.
I liked you the minute I met you - liked your sense of humor and your
dedication. My ability to gauge people is impeccable, and my people-gauge told
me you were a nice person."

Laura looked
down in shame. "A nice person who spent your money," she said miserably.

"Hey, you
thought you could just go get more when you did it," he said softly, tipping
her face up to look at him. "You're a good person, Laura."

It felt natural
to kiss him and she felt, and the ease of it took her by as much surprise as
the kiss itself did.

"That's nice,"
he said, when their lips parted. He trailed his fingers down her cheek. "You're
nice."

Laura smiled
then laughed. "I wish I could think of something eloquent to say right now,"
she said. "But whatever comes out is going to sound like the ramblings of a
silly school girl."

"Then let me go
first," Max said. "I'm 47 years old and feel like I have nothing to lose by
laying my heart on the line. I'm young enough to still want a mate but old
enough to be tired of the games. I'm interested in a relationship with you,
Laura."

"You don't even
know me, Mr. Greenway," said Laura.

"Max," he
corrected. "We just shared our first kiss. I think it's OK for you to call me
Max."

"Max," she said.
"You don't know anything about me, Max."

He smiled and
brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I know you're a good mother," he
said. "I know you're dedicated to excellence. I know you have a conscience. I
know you have traditional values."

"I do," she
said.

"That's good,"
he said.
"Because I have traditional values, too.
Ultra-traditional values.
I believe the man should be the
guide and leader in the home and that the woman should obey. That doesn't mean
that the woman is any less intelligent; it's just a nod to tradition. How do
you feel about that?"

Laura thought
for a moment. "I agree," she said, and then an image of Clay flashed into her
mind. "But he has to be capable of leading."

"Yes," he does,
said Max. "I want to lead you, Laura. Lead and protect you."

Laura blushed
and looked away.

"How do you feel
about that?" he asked.

She gave a small
nod, her affirmation feeling as natural as the kiss.

"I'm glad," he
said. "Because there's something you're going to need to trust me on. I'm about
to clear the debt you owe me off the books, and I want you to listen to why it
has to be this way if we're going to be together."

Chapter
Five

"You're going to...to punish me?" Laura's voice was
barely above a whisper as she asked the question, her gray eyes wide with
disbelief.

"Yes, Laura. If
we're going to have a relationship I want to get it out of the way. Of course,
you don't have to. You can just walk away if you want to. I don't want a woman
who has to be forced into submitting to my requests. I don't believe in forcing
unwilling subordinates. I believe in forging relationships with responsible
ones."

"Right, and if I
walk away I'll never work in this town again," she said. "People like me don't
have any power against people like you."

"I'm not Mrs.
Tighlman
," Max Greenway said. "I don't exploit people. You
ran my errands today and did everything I asked." His voice softened. "You even
tried on your new outfit for me."

Tears sprang to
Laura's eyes. "I need to think about this for a moment," she said.

"Take all the
time you need," he said. "I'll leave you alone so you can think." He started to
walk from the room.

"Mr. Greenway...I
mean, Max?"

He turned.
"Yes?"

"If you...I mean,
if you punish me...like you said
.."
Laura fidgeted. "Are
you going to use that?" She gestured towards the paddle and then pulled her
hand back, as if it could bite her from across the room.

"That's why I
sent you to get it, Laura." But it's up to you. "I'll be back in a little
while."

Laura didn't
know how long she stood there, staring at the paddle, which lay in its box on
the coffee table. The top was off. Max had removed it and pushed the paper
aside when he told her he intended to clear her debt with an over-the-knee spanking.
He hadn't specifically said he was going to use the paddle, but it had been
obvious. Still, Laura had needed to hear it - to hear him actually say it.

It was a
difficult situation. She felt strongly attracted to Max Greenway - and not just
physically. There was something about just the nearness of him that made her
feel enclosed in a feeling of warmth and caring - as if his presence were a
buffer between him and the world.

Laura sat down,
tearing her eyes away from the paddle to stare at the flickering fire. The very
idea of submitting to a spanking, she knew, should repulse her. So why didn't
it?

When she thought
about it, the idea of being punished appealed to her. She put her head in her
hands at the silent admission. If her Women's Studies teacher knew what she was
thinking she'd haul her before some feminist tribunal and strip her of her PMS
rights! But Laura couldn't lie to herself. It did appeal to her. If he spanked
her, it would be just like doing penance. And afterwards, the slate would be wiped
clean.

But there was
the question of pain. She shuddered as she remembered the spanking Mrs. Wells
had given her in front of the class. But that was so long ago, and her
childhood memory probably magnified the trauma and the pain.

Laura tried to
fast forward in her mind to what it might be like, being bent over and spanked
by Max Greenway. But she couldn't. The mental projection was a haze; it was too
hard to believe that something like that - any of this - was real and could
happen.

But it was real,
and she had to make a choice. She took a deep breath and walked to the door.

"Max?" she
called into the corridor.

He came out of
the kitchen and walked down the hall towards her. Laura admired - again - his
powerful physique, his broad shoulders,
his
slim hips.

"So what have
you decided?" he asked.

"I'm still not
sure," she said. "I'm kind of confused." Laura bit her bottom lip, which she
always did when she was choosing her words. "Is your punishing me a
pre-requisite to the relationship? I mean, are you..?"