Strapped by Nina G. Jones Page A

multiple ladies in his life...Look at him! Here I was the other day, feeling sad for this poor, lonely, rich man. He is not as lonely as I thought. Shyla, you have Rick. Stop with the schoolgirl crap. I hesitate.
    “Is there a problem?”
    “Well, I just thought Mona would be more qualified to pick out this kind of stuff.”
    “Mona is out of town. As I said Bella will take care of you. Is running errands beneath you?”
    “No, that’s now how I meant it. I’ll go, it’s no problem.” I do my best to look unaffected as I head for the door. While my rational side is screaming to me that this is inappropriate, Mr. Holden has found a way in just a few words, to make me feel like I am some sort of snob for questioning the errand, as if I think I am better than Mona or something.
    Bella’s Intimates is a very small boutique that looks like a French lace factory exploded throughout its interior. As I soon as I walk in, I eye a dainty baby blue bralette. I lift the price tag: $580. Holy shit! Now I know why I have the black card.
    “Hello beautiful! You must be Shyla!” A portly older woman emerges from the a door behind the counter.
    “Hi. You must be Bella. Mr. Holden said you could help me select something for him?”
    “Of course! I know Mr. Holden’s tastes well. Let me show you what I have preselected.”
    She takes me to a table with individual pieces laid out. There is a clear theme of black lace and satin. A pair of crotchless panties lays on the white decorative table, the crotch spread slightly open. I start to feel warm all over and remove my cardigan. There is a black bustier, a black bralette, and a thong, all lace. There are also black satin pieces: a teddy, a garter belt, and a nightgown. This is more than I am prepared to know about Mr. Holden. This whole errand is oddly intimate, learning his taste in lingerie. Crotchless panties? That’s pretty kinky. I won’t lie, I have had thoughts about him, lustful ones, but this is too real. Lying in front of me are the pieces of lingerie his girlfriend or lover will be wearing as he makes love to her. It takes my thoughts about him from the abstract to the concrete. Then I feel it. It is a hot, uneasy feeling. It is something I haven’t felt in a while. Apparently, I am not the only one who can touch him. It now makes sense, why he has chosen to work with me. Not only is he okay with my touch, but he is not attracted to me. This is the perfect work arrangement for him. I am a fool for acting like a child and gawking at this man. I think he knows what he does to women, what he does to me, and he likes to get a rise out of it. He uses his money, his power, and his looks like pieces on a chessboard. He has it all and I am just another tool at his disposal. I must remind myself that he is just a man. A man that happens to have the perfect collection of eyes, lips, hair, skin, and physique. He is just a man.
    “I’ll give you a moment to look at everything. Please let me know if you need any help.” Bella heads to the dressing room area out of sight.
    For the first time I begin to seriously reconsider my decision to work at H.I. Every time I feel like I have a grip on this man, he throws me for another loop. I want to call Kristin and tell her everything, but I can’t. The feeling is incredibly lonely. I am not used to making big decisions like this without talking it over with Rick or Kristin. My rational side starts to scream at me again. Leave. This is not appropriate. Tell him you can’t work for him. My rational side used to be the loudest, but lately, this other side, one that is unfamiliar, has taken hold of me. I don’t have a label for her, but she is almost devilish. Don’t be so sensitive. You’re his assistant and he wanted you to run an errand. Stop being such a pussy. You know you want to see him again. You know you want to go to Russia with him.
    She wins.
    “I’ll take it all.” He can sort this shit out himself. I nearly pass out at