He goes to Allegra and whispers something in her ear. Her expression is a dead giveaway, her lips slowly curving into a mischievous smile. She doesn't waste any time picking up the dress again, and a few others. In fact, soon her arms are full of clothes, and she makes her way toward the changing rooms.
Still minding the distance, I get a little closer, hiding behind a column. She shouldn't be able to see me from her location, but I have a full view of her.
Nero, who is currently waiting for her, gives me a thumbs-up from across the room.
Allegra opens the curtain, uncertainty written all over her face as she steps in front of the large mirror of the dressingroom. She looks stunning in a black dress that is a bit too short for my liking, her slender, shapely legs highlighted in a way that makes me physically uncomfortable.
"Nero," I call him again, ready to try the reverse psychology once more. "Tell her I love sexy dresses and that the more skin they show, the better. Also, make sure she thinks I don't find conservative clothing attractive at all."
Nero does as told, and Allegra seems pensive for a moment, her eyes still lingering on the way the dress hugs her body.
I look around, dreading the fact that other people can see her too.
She finally drops the more revealing garments in favor of the most awful, straight-up granny clothes.
I stifle a groan, satisfied with her choice but feeling sorry for my poor eyes for the foreseeable future.
God, she really wants to spite me.
Once the bill is paid, they move on to another store and Allegra starts looking at shoes, trying on different styles.
I'm almost relieved that this excursion is about to be over, but out of the corner of my eye, I see a sales assistant heading toward her—a male sales assistant.
Nero immediately whips his head around to gauge my reaction, and I signal for him to pay attention to her.
She's sitting on a plush chair, waiting. The sales assistant brings her a different pair, kneeling in front of her and taking the shoes out of the box.
I watch, stupefied, as he puts his hand on her foot, helping her put the shoes on. Allegra is wholly focused on the shoes—her only salvation—but the kid makes no secret of his open perusal of her legs, his gaze moving upward.
I give Nero a brief sign, and whatever he tells Allegra has her standing up and hurrying back to the clothing shop.
The road clear, I leave my hiding spot and head directly for the sales assistant, who is still on the floor, his eyes on herretreating figure. I sit down in front of him, taking the place Allegra had just vacated.
"Can I help you?" he asks when he finally realizes I'm in front of him.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can," I smile brightly at him, stooping down to whisper in his ear. "Touch that lady again and I'll cut off your hands."
He leans back, shock written all over his features. His eyes wide, he starts stammering.
"Wh-what… you can't do that!"
"I can, and I will." And just to show him I'm not kidding, I remove a knife from my jacket, tracing the outline of his front shirt and popping a button open. "Or maybe I can do worse…" I trail off, my blade going lower toward his dick.
"I won't touch her, man. I won't even look at her," the kid whimpers, falling on his ass, true fear written all over his face.
"Good. Then we're understood."
I get up and remind Nero to delete the CCTV footage before he leaves. Just as I resume my place in the shadows, Allegra returns, almost out of breath. She's trying to explain to Nero that she hadn't forgotten anything in the changing room.
The sales assistant had already scrambled away, so I continue to happily watch the uneventful rest of the shopping spree, where Allegra gleefully spends what she must think is a fortune but is in fact only pocket change.
At last, she seems satisfied with her purchases and sets out to return home.
And I canfinallyfocus on my work.
20
ALLEGRA
