“Yeah, totally,” I agreed. “The zoo sounds awesome.”
* * *
After I finished breakfast, the girls went to get ready.
“Is it okay that we’ll be gone all afternoon?” I asked Anne.
“Of course, dear.”
“Are you sure? Do you need help with cooking or anything for tomorrow?”
“No, but thank you. We don’t really do much. Nothing as formal as Thanksgiving.”
“Besides,” Harold said from behind his paper, “the girls can help in the morning.”
I deliberately didn’t say anything, but I gave Anne a look that asked if she wanted help anyway. She smiled and shook her head.
“The weather’s supposed to be lovely today,” she said aloud. “Would you like to take my car?”
“That’d be nice, thanks. As long as you don’t mind.”
“She wouldn’t’ve offered if she did,” Harold said.
Anne cleared her throat. “He was being polite, dear.”
“Ah, right.” He turned down a corner of the newspaper and said to me, “Sorry. Sometimes I forget I’m not the Admiral at home.”
“Should I call you ‘sir’ when you do?”
“No,” he grumped. Then, “What’s so funny?”
“Christy does the same thing when I tease her. She even sounds like you.”
“Smart girl.” He flipped the paper up.
Anne did her level best not to grin at the two of us. “I’ll get the keys.” She returned with them a moment later. “Where are you off to?”
“The zoo.”
Her eyebrows rose in mild surprise. Then she thought about it and decided it was a cover story. She didn’t say anything, though, and we made small talk until the girls appeared from the back. I literally stopped in the middle of a sentence when I saw them.
Christy wore a tight white halter top with pink stripes and a matching pair of pink shorts that showed off her tanned and firm legs. Brooke was the real conversation-stopper in a strapless terrycloth dress. It was teal, which highlighted her hair and complexion, while the top showed off her shoulders and chest. She blushed when she saw my awestruck expression.
“I told you,” Christy said under her breath.
Harold folded his newspaper and did a double take. Then he did his best impression of a robot. I actually felt sorry for him. Brooke oozed sex appeal, especially since her breasts moved naturally without a bra, and he was all too aware that she was his daughter’s age.
“You look great,” I said as I stood. “Both of you. Ready to go?” They nodded, so I thanked Anne one more time.
“You’re welcome, dear. Will you be home for dinner?” It wasn’t really a question.
“Of course. What time?”
“Seven.”
“Sharp,” Harold added.
“Yes, sir,” I snapped playfully.
He scowled, but Anne let me get away with it.
“Why don’t you join us,” she said to Brooke. Again, it wasn’t a question.
“Thanks, Mrs. C.”
“Have fun at the zoo.” Her eyes twinkled with a smile.
“Don’t poke the bears,” Harold said.
Anne gave me a bland, expectant look, and I had to stifle a laugh when I realized that it was a reminder to make sure our alibi was solid.
“Roger that,” I said.
She and Harold each heard what they wanted, and everyone was happy.
* * *
“So, where are we really going?” I asked as soon as we were safely out of the driveway.
“Ugh! How could you not understand?” Christy said. “I told you, remember?” She hinted again, “The store by the zoo?”
“Sorry, still don’t get it.”
“The one with the… um… special items?”
“No clue.”
“The sex stuff!”
“Ah, right! Lingerie and toys and movies.”
“I promise,” she said to Brooke, “he isn’t normally this dense.”
“It was kind of obscure,” Brooke said. “I wouldn’t’ve known what you were talking about if you hadn’t said something earlier.”
“Fine, take his side.”
Brooke and I shared a smile in the rearview mirror.
“Okay,” I said, “I need directions.”
“Don’t look at me,” Christy said.
“Seriously? You don’t know how to get there?”
“She doesn’t know how to get anywhere,” Brooke laughed. “I’m not even sure she knows how to drive.”
“I can drive,” Christy muttered.
“Are you sure?” Brooke teased. “I’ve never seen you do it.”
“You know, she’s right,” I said all of a sudden. “I’ve never seen you drive either. I mean, you always ride with me or someone else.”
“I have my license,” Christy said indignantly. “I just… don’t like to drive. My feet don’t reach the pedals,” she added loftily.
“Your mom’s do,” Brooke said, “and she’s even shorter.”
“Stupid logic,” Christy grumped.
Brooke and I shared another smile. Then she turned businesslike and said, “Take a right and head toward the interstate. South on I-5. I’ll give you directions from there.”
* * *
We parked on the street and walked toward the store, and my first thought was that we were in the wrong place. The sex shop I knew in Knoxville was a drab little windowless building. The one in San Diego was on a main thoroughfare in a row of normal shops with a wide sidewalk and big plate-glass windows. I couldn’t imagine an adult store in one of them, but I was wrong.
The shop had lingerie-clad female mannequins in one window and male mannequins in bondage gear in the other. And if those weren’t enough of a clue, the name of the shop was Adam & Eve and their sign proudly advertised “adult products, lingerie, bondage, and more.”
I held the door for the girls and then followed them inside, where I received another shock. The store wasn’t dingy, small, and cluttered like the one I was used to. It had good lighting, room to browse, and signs over each department.
One of the employees approached us, an attractive dark-haired woman several years older than us. She wore a black leather bustier, a short mulberry-colored skirt, and fishnet stockings, but she looked normal in almost every other way. Her ears were pierced several times and her lipstick matched her skirt, but I couldn’t really hold that against her, especially when I’d been expecting a creepy old guy with three-day stubble.
“Can I help you find something?”
I started to answer before I realized she was talking to the girls.
“Um… lingerie?” Christy said tentatively.
“Sure. Right this way.” She must have been used to dealing with nervous customers, because she realized the girls needed a bit more guidance than simply pointing them in the right direction. “Do you have something in mind?” she asked. “Everyday wear? A special occasion? Something exotic?”
“Maybe the last one?” Christy said.
“A woman after my own heart. Over here.” She glanced back and added, “I’m Amber, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you,” Christy said, and introduced herself.
Brooke mumbled something polite.
“I’m Paul,” I said when Amber looked my way.
“Is he with you,” she asked Christy, “or are you with him?”
“Um… we’re with him.”
“So, no slave gear today?” she said to me.
“Oh my gosh,” Christy said under her breath.
“Not my style,” I chuckled.
“That’s cool,” Amber said. We reached the first lingerie display and she said, “Well, here we are, ladies. What can I show you?”
We spent the next hour looking at everything from relatively demure nighties to crotchless cutout teddies. Most of it was meant for sex or dress-up foreplay, so it wasn’t the same quality as Christy’s everyday lingerie, but that was sort of the point. It didn’t have to hold up to regular wear because it would never leave the bedroom.
The girls slowly relaxed as Amber treated everything like it was just another part of life. She even made explicit things sound normal. She glanced at me a couple of times to see if I had an opinion on whatever Christy was looking at, but she clearly wasn’t flirting. She was a very good salesperson, too, and wasn’t afraid to give her honest advice, especially when something wasn’t a good look.