Soubrette: Chapter 9

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Soubrette

Chapter 9

Nick was happy playing the system,unemployed and unemployable but it had to end some time.

Chapter Nine

Breakfasting on my balcony, looking over the still silent streets and empty sands, I knew that today would be too warm for an overcoat.

Fortunately my uniform, along with the hated fishnet stockings, was hanging in the shop's storeroom, which meant that I had nothing to hide beneath an overcoat.

I was almost giddy as I closed the front door, after double checking that I'd remembered to stuff the push-up bra into my bag, along with lunch.

When I arrived, Soubrette was half shuttered, and someone was moving around, with the shop's lights still turned off.

'Someone's full of the choice of spring!'To my surprise, I found the early bird was Isabel, who was fiddling around with nothing in particular, and seemed eager to chat. 'That's a posh frock for a Wednesday,' she said, picking at the fabric.

'This old thing?' I twirled to lift the dress's skirts. 'Too early for sleeveless?'

'Just how many wolf whistles did you get?' Isabel asked.

'Only two… Until I got to the new building site,' I joked, kissing her lightly on the cheek, as I turned away. 'Where's Janice?'

'She's picking something up at Digby's.'

Digby's I knew was the name of a pokey little Internet cafe at the north end of the promenade, and its proprietor. From Isabel's gossip I also knew that Digby was romantically involved with Janice.

'That's not a very vintage bra,' said Isabel, who had followed me into the storeroom.

'The trouble with vintage bras,' I said, stepping out of my dress, 'is that they are rubbish. A neighbour bought me this for Christmas.'

'Your girdle seems authentic, though you really don't need it,' Isabel said, 'let me help you change stockings.'

After much wriggling to get the seams straight, Isabel disappeared back into the shop. She returned a few minutes later, with a red and black lace garter, which she rolled languorously over the fishnet stocking on my left thigh.

Once I was installed in my petticoats and abbreviated dress, Isabel opened the shutters wide. To let the world know, in her words, we were open for business. Dressed as a slutty maid, I already felt so.

Wednesday mornings are not particularly hectic in fancy dress shops. I stood behind the counter chatting with Isabel, as she idly stroked me through my panties. While I, for my part, tried not to let on how much I enjoyed it.

Janice bustled in at nine thirty carrying two boxes, one of which she dropped on the counter in front of me. Noting my quizzical look she said simply, 'new shoes.'

'That's right,' Isabel said, 'Felicity will need her shoes back tonight.'

'I can't wear these,' I protested, after I'd opened box.

'Of course you can, you said exactly the same thing about this shoes you're wearing,' Janice said, 'just pop them on.'

Isabel was already moving a chair for me to sit. And with growing apprehension, I sat with the shoebox on my lap. There was a one inch platform under the toes, and the stiletto heel was a soaring seven inches high.

'I bought them from that new shop,' Janice said, 'across the road from Ann Summers.'

'I bought my new boots there,' Isabel said.

'The thigh length ones?'

'I'm going to break my bloody neck in these,' I shouted, but neither seemed able to hear me.

'Of course you won't,' Isabel said, squatting by my feet, 'I'm even untying your ankles.'

'Why does Felicity need her shoes back?' I asked, tottering along the counter.

'See, you've already got the hang of it,' Isabel almost managed to sound convinced. 'We're doing an event tonight. You'll get to meet all your sister maids when they come in to get changed.'

'It's a shame you'll be sewing tonight,' Janice said. 'How is it going, by the way?'

Janice spent the rest of the morning folding sheets of A4 paper, which I guessed had been in the other box. Isabel and I were left to man the shop, which was as I've said, fairly quiet apart from a steady stream of young men looking for gangster costumes.

'Now try walking to the inflatable bananas and back,' Isabel suggested, propelling me forward with a tap on my bottom. 'Wonderful, but don't hold your arms out like a tightrope walker.'

I'd had the shoes for an hour, and could walk five or 6 feet without falling over - on a level surface. The ridiculous heels did a better job of hobbling me, than tying my ankles together. Was this why Janice had bought them?

At eleven thirty, when even Isabel had tired of ordering the about, Janice reappeared. Clutching a sheaf of the folded papers, she had me stand still.

'We made quite an impression on the public yesterday,' Janice told me, 'and I think if you handed out these flyers it could bring in a lot of new business.'

'Where?' I asked, aghast at the prospect of returning to the High Street, especially in my new shoes.

'Just on the pavement outside the shop,' Janice stuffed the flyers into my hand.

'But these shoes,' I pleaded.

'If you find yourself falling,' Janice reassured me, 'just hold on to the lamppost.'

'How long will I have to stay out there?'

'Only until the lunchtime traffic peters out,' Janice said, 'about one thirty.'

'Can I have a hug please,' I asked Isabel, who was trying not to laugh behind her hand.

Hugged, and kissed very tenderly on the forehead, I was thrust through the door, with the promise of plenty more leaflets, if I ran out.

Almost immediately I became aware of a sea breeze, playing on the bare skin above my stocking tops. Momentarily distracted, I stumbled over a crack in the pavement, and only just righted myself, by hanging on to the lamp post. Looking back at the door, I glimpsed Janice and Isabel snickering.

Luckily there were no other witnesses nearby, or far away for that matter. Just what lunchtime traffic Janice had imagined, I did not know, but braced myself for the encounters that would surely follow.

My first passersby were inevitably, two policeman. Nervously I pressed leaflets upon them, and even attempted a little curtsy. They walked off laughing, and shaking their heads.

Ten minutes later a group of workmen approached, I guessed from the nearby building site. All seemed preoccupied with their own jokes to notice me, but my heels could not be ignored for long.

'Oy, love,' jeered the youngest, his yellow vest flapping, 'you don't want to stand outside that shop, people will think you're a bloke.'

In Nick's gruffest voice, which was just a gruff enough, I shouted back, 'what do you think is at the top of the stockings you're ogling?'

It wasn't the wisest choice I've made, but honest ribaldry seemed a safe policy. The young workman showed a quick flash of anger, but had a harder job dealing with his workmates' ribbing.

As the time grew closer to noon, the pavement became busier, and the pedestrians faster moving. Some stopped to take a leaflet, and others asked questions, with flattering incredulity. There were even those, who returned with friends.

I stepped inside several times for more leaflets, a sandwich nibble, and brief sits down; my toes had quickly become numb in those benighted shoes.

When my stint outside was over, I rejoined Isabel behind the counter, barefoot and feeling liberated. Isabel promptly insisted that my ankles be tied again, to ensure there would be no giant leaps for maid kind.

'Do you ever wish,' I asked Isabel, as she tied the knots, 'that we were sort of normal?'

'If normal doesn't have space for us,' she smiled, looking up from the laces, 'then there isn't much chance for normality.' Any hopes I had of this friendly answer, might indicate a softening of Isabel's treatment of me, were dashed when she had me then over the counter, and administered six sharp slaps on my bottom.

'Sank yoo, madamoiselle Isabel,' I said, straightening up, 'I weel not forget mon accent Francais again.' Spanking hadn't been mentioned before, but as Isabel explained, it would help me remember. Still gingerly prodding my inflamed behind, I returned to my post, and tried not to eavesdrop as Isabel took a call on her mobile.

'Why yes it was her,' Isabel said, turning her back, 'did you see her?' It was obvious that I was the subject of the conversation, but to whom was Isabel speaking?

'A little bit of bleating beforehand about her new shoes,' she laughed, 'yet I think she was enjoying it, by the end.'

'Are you talking about me?' I asked, and Isabel turned to give me a withering stare.

'Yes you're right, she is often unworldly, and at times a bit dense.'

'I am not,' I protested.

'Yes that's her, and I'm afraid she'll be getting another spanking if she isn't quiet.' Unconsciously my hands moved to my bottom, which was burning almost as much as my ears. 'Only six, but her bum will still you red this evening.'

'Who are you talking to?'

'Yes she is very pretty,' Isabel smiled at me, 'and very affectionate once you get past the reserve.' I was at a loss for words, and came very close to stamping my foot. 'No she didn't,' Isabel gave me a quizzical look, 'well I'll be sure where she gets the message.'

'Who were you talking to about me?'

'Who gets a young woman down to her panties,' Isabel said gravely, 'and begs off to work?'

'You were talking to Kirsty?' I asked, puzzled why she should call Isabel, and a little uneasy about what was said. I'd been talked about like a little child.

'Yes I was talking to your girlfriend,' Isabel grinned, and she gave me a message for you, in three parts, one, she's taking her mum for a meal this evening; two, who in this day and age doesn't have a mobile phone; and…'

Isabel stepped forward, catching me in a tight embrace, that would have knocked the breath from me, had her lips not formed a perfect seal over mine.

'From Kirsty,' she said, releasing her grip on me.

'I suppose I am a bit unworldly, at times,' I said, steadying myself on the counter's edge.

'Oh, and another six, for eavesdropping.'

Janice bustled back into the shop a little after five. 'I've been to every charity shop in town,' she said, 'and not one has any fedoras.' We'd had another five customers since lunchtime, who wanted gangster costume, so Janice had taken it upon herself to find more.

'The average age in this town is eighty-five,' Isabel said, 'everyone's probably waiting for them to come back into fashion.'

'Judging by this week, they already have.' Janice shook her head wearily, 'no sign of any of the girls yet?'

'It's still early,' Isabel said, 'but how, I'd best get home to change.'

'All my girls are good girls,' Janice said, as another maid disappeared into the back room, 'there's Joy, Grace, Prudence, Felicity (whose shoes you've been wearing), and who are we waiting for?'

'Patience, who else?' The newly emerging maid said.

'I've been wearing your shoes, I hope you don't mind,' I told Felicity, who was leaning against the other side of the counter.

'Those old things? I haven't worn anything that low for ages,' I'd been tricked into wearing the new shoes, with their towering heels. Maybe I was unworldly.

'You caused quite a stir outside the shop today,' Felicity continued, 'everyone in town seems to be talking about the Soubrette girl.'

'It was just standing there,' I said modestly, 'anyone could have done it.'

'Not me,' said Felicity, leaning confidentially over the counter, 'when I walked in and saw you, I thought "nobody else is getting a tip tonight". '

'So what's your deal?' Grace asked, joining Felicity, 'girls, guys, farm animals?'

'urm I'm bicurious, I suppose,' I mumbled. A week ago I'd have known what to answer, but now everything was a bit of jumble. 'I can't help wondering how it would be with someone else like me. A tgirl I mean, not a drag queen.'

'ooh get her,' said Grace and Felicity, holding imaginary handbags to their chests. Before I had the chance to wedge my other foot in my mouth, Isabel's entrance saved my blushes.

We all more pretty much the same maid's uniform, and the shop resembled a Degas ballet study with maids, but care had been lavished upon Isabel's'.

The conservative clothes she wore during the day, only hinted at the figure beneath. The combination of a deep bust, wasp waist and long legs, were all emphasised by her uniform. I may still have been ambivalent about broadening my horizons, but seeing Isabel this way, made me positively bi-nosy.

Janice closed the shop at five thirty, allowing me a few minutes to change into my street clothes, while she loaded maids into a minibus. By the time I got the pavement, everyone had been jammed in, and was ready to go. I had been looking forward to spending the night alone with my sewing, but now I wished that I was going on with them.

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Comments

Well, OMG and such like!

I am SO GLAD you're back! I've been away myself for the past two weeks, so I didn't realize until now.

In fact, I'd just mentioned you at the end of April.

I do love this story, but I've often wondered where On Her Own Petard would go, and often thought (seriously, though it won't sound so) -- I'd often thought of doing an homage called Hoisted by her Own Petrach, in which a bookish young man starts off with a website Letters From Laura, answering Petrarch's letters *to* Laura... and one thing of course leads to another and he ends up having to dress the part and so on.

Silly and all, but I figured if you could pull a petard onto the website, I could pull Petrach.

Anyway, glad you're well enough to type. Best wishes and lots of love and SO SO glad to see you here again.

Hugs and effusions,

Kaleigh Way

hi sorry it's taking so long

hi

sorry it's taking so long to finish chapter 10. I've spent much of the last week or so, trying to connect a Bluetooth microphone, after taking a couple of headers over my existing microphone cable. I've now given it up as a bad job:)

someone else posted a comment asking if 'on her own petard' would be finished. I know what happens up till the end of Stevie's two week trial. I've gone through the events so often, they are almost like memories of actual events, and I'm afraid that I will be unable to do them justice.

Verity's story is much easier to write, as while I know roughly what's going to happen to her, there is still room to throw new ideas in. Chapter 10 will cover the events in the shop on the next day, while chapter 11 will concentrate on Verity's and Kirsty's big night out at the cinema. I I hope to finish chapter 10 at least in the next few days.