Chick Lit Box Set

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Wearing her hair down, a floppy hat that almost hid her eyes, and rather a large snood that covered most of her face, Aggie took a deep breath and followed Coco into the popular exhibition centre.

“You know you look absolutely ridiculous, Aggie,” Coco had said when they’d met up bright and early that morning.

“I’m feeling a bit…cold,” Aggie muttered as she snuggled into her snood while Coco started the engine.

“Nobody’s going to be looking at you, honey.”

“I know that. Like I said, I’m cold today.”

“Hm hm,” Coco said, twisting her head to check the traffic as she backed out of the driveway.

“You’ve been doing so well with your embarrassment factor. Don’t let it stop you now.”

“I know but…but…”

“But what?”

“It’s an erotic fair, Coco. I’m going to be mortified, I just know it.”

Coco cracked up laughing, almost hitting a poor man on his bicycle. She swerved to miss him and waved an apology while he branded his fist at her.

“I said sorry,” she muttered under her breath as she put her foot down and headed for the motorway.

“You’re right. It is an erotic fair but everybody’s eyes are going to be on the products, not to mention the models. So you really have nothing to worry about. So just chill out and enjoy it. You need to get used to it.”

Aggie had pretty much ignored Coco and sank back into her seat, pretty much remaining quiet until they’d arrived.

“Wow,” Coco exclaimed as she turned around and pulled Aggie toward her. “Keep up, Aggie. We’ve got loads of people to talk to and we need to get as many contacts as we can. Don’t forget we need a whole shop floor of products to order today.”

“I know, I know,” muttered Aggie, as she blushed uncontrollably at the sight of two very tall and very fit men wearing very little apart from tiny thongs and what appeared to be chains.

“Are they tied together with chains?” she whispered. “And what’s in his mouth?”

Coco laughed at her and nodded. “Yes they are tied together with chains and that, my dear, is a ball gag. Do you really not know any of this stuff?” Coco asked, turning to look at Aggie, who was still hiding beneath her hat and snood.

“Not really.”

“Aggie, where have you been all these years?”

“Not in erotic trade fairs,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Oh come on, Aggie. Did you and Timothy never play during s*x?”

Aggie pulled her snood further up, “We played a little bit.”

“You never watched any filthy movies? Or bought anything dirty online?”

“Not really,” Aggie muttered.

“Well then honey, you’ve got a lot to learn. And you’re going to need to do some homework to be ready for when our customers start asking questions.”

“Oh God, I can’t believe you’ve dragged me into all this,” Aggie moaned.

Coco raised her eyebrows and pulled Aggie’s hat up a little and her snood down a little. “Starting right now, you’ve got to be brave and just enjoy the moment. After all, this here,” she pointed to all the stands around them, “is all about pleasure, honey. And there’s nothing wrong with pleasure, is there?”

Aggie stood looking around.

“Is there?” Coco asked again.

“Of course not,” Aggie eventually replied. “I get all that and I know what you’re saying. I am in this business now,” she said, trying to talk herself round. “I can do this. I’m an adult. I’m not a virgin. I know about all this stuff. Well…some of it. Oh Christ, Coco. What am I doing?” she almost wailed.

“Hey darling, are you all right?” said a rather camp voice to the left of the girls.

Both of them turned at the same time, finding a man in his thirties, staring at them with the most wonderful, calming smile. “Darlings, are you lost?” he asked.

“No, we’re not lost,” Coco smiled, walking closer to him. “I’m just trying to convince my friend not to be so embarrassed.”

Aggie rolled her eyes and shook her head at Coco’s comment.

“Oh darling,” he said, motioning her over. “There’s absolutely no need to be embarrassed in this place. Nobody takes any notice of that sort of thing in here. I mean, look,” he said pointing in the opposite direction to the entrance. “Most of the men, the straight ones anyway, have got their eyes on those models over there.”

Aggie lifted her hat so she could get a better view. About seven girls stood at the entrance to one particular exhibit. None appeared to be wearing anything.

“Are they n***d?” Aggie asked.

The man nodded, “Well, they might as well be. They’ve probably got little G-strings on or something, but they’re here today to help promote the latest buzz word,” he laughed at his own joke.

“Buzz word?” Coco asked, before realising he meant vibrator. “Oh right. We’ve already ordered some of those online.”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Are you in the business?”

“Yes,” Coco replied, but I’ll let Aggie tell you more.” she said, shoving her friend forward.

“Oh erm, yes. We’re opening a shop,” she said, trying to smile.

“What kind of shop exactly?” asked the man.

“Well, it’s a bit unique actually,” she said, warming to him. “It’s part lingerie and sleepwear and stuff like that, and then the second floor is all a bit more, er, kinky,” she smiled, proud of herself.

“Oooh sounds wonderful. Where is it?”

“In Frambleberry.”

“Oh yes, I know the town. Lovely place. I have a cousin that lives near there, come to think of it. You must send me information so I can pass it on,” he said, rubbing his chin in thought. “I’m Eric, by the way,” he said, extending his hand.

“Aggie. Aggie Trout,” she grinned, feeling at ease at last.

“Give him our card, Aggie,” Coco suggested, who had been having a look at Eric’s stand.

“I see you sell a multitude of products yourself, Eric. Sorry, I’m Coco, nice to meet you,” she said as they shook hands.

“Yes I certainly do,” he said, batting his fake eyelashes. “My partner and I import products from the US. All high quality, of course,” he reiterated. “We can’t be doing with scratchy fabrics during s*x, goodness no. And the vibrators are made from natural wood, ultra smooth and oh-so-very-nice indeed,” he winked. “Nothing tacky here,” he added, glancing to some of the stands across from him.

Aggie smiled. “Well then, sold. We’ll be ordering from you, for sure.”

Eric grinned, and pawed at Aggie with his hand. “Oh wonderful, we can offer you a very special discount of course. Here, let me give you our catalogue,” he said, handing a black and gold booklet to her.

“How soon can you deliver?” asked Coco as she flipped through the pages.

“We have plenty of stock in-house at the moment so if you placed an order today or tomorrow, we can have it to you within the week. Anything you order from the last two pages of the catalogue is a special order from the States and could take up to eight weeks. But that is the more expensive range so we tend not to have too many in stock, as you can imagine. The swings, for instance, are also quite large and bulky.”

Coco and Aggie nodded, as he pointed to a page showing a large black leather-and-chain swing.

“Ooh Pete had one of those,” Coco said to herself in somewhat of a daydream.

Aggie lightly elbowed her in the ribs and nodded to Eric.

“I think we’ll be making all our orders tomorrow morning,” she said. “What’s your best seller?” she asked as she started to act like a businesswoman and not a prude.

Eric beamed and turned back toward his stand for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying a very sizeable wooden vibrator with a golden end. “It’s the Golden c**k,” he said. “Beautifully and exquisitely made in Texas, this is by far our biggest seller. The ladies love it,” he said, chuckling, “and,” he turned back and forth, leaning forward, “the gentlemen?” He covered his mouth for a second, “They think it’s utterly divine,” he mouthed. “It’s the wood that does it. There’s nothing better than natural materials. Feels like heaven,” he chuckled mischievously. “My Edison,” Eric pointed to the other man in the stand, “is wowed by it every. single. time.”

“Well,” Aggie said, swallowing and blushing a little. “Er, perhaps we should order some of those?” she turned toward Coco, who was holding the example in her hands and caressing it between her fingers.

“Coco?” Aggie said, nudging her.

“Yes, absolutely. We will definitely order some of these,” she grinned.

“As you can feel, the sensation when pulsing, is really rather special,” Eric smiled, taking it from her and flicking a button before handing it back.

“Oooh,” Coco said. “I see what you mean,” she laughed. “Here, Aggie. Feel.”

Aggie, composing herself and breathing in, took the item out of Coco’s hands and let it sit in her own fingers. The pulsing sensation was so intense that it made her giggle out loud.

Eric and Coco both looked at each other and chuckled.

“Well Coco and Aggie. It’s been wonderful meeting you both, but I imagine you’ve got plenty of other exhibits to see today, so I shall not take up any more of your time.”

“Thank you so much, Eric. You’ve certainly helped calm her down,” Coco whispered with a shake of his hand.

“My pleasure, lovely. It’s why I like to have the stand closest to the door. I often meet people who haven’t yet become accustomed to the business,” he smiled. “But I can already tell that Aggie here is going to be a natural.”

Aggie put the Golden c**k back on the shelf and shook Eric’s hand, even though her fingers still felt like they were buzzing. “Thank you for helping put me at ease, Eric. I appreciate it.”

“My pleasure, darling. Pop back before you leave today, I’d like to see you both again and find out how you got on.”

“Absolutely,” Aggie said, smiling. “We’ll look forward to it. And thanks again.”

Eric nodded and watched the women walk away.

“Feel better now?” Coco asked as they walked past the same two men wearing nothing but little thongs and chains.

“Much,” Aggie grinned, as she bit her lip and tried to ignore them.

“I was impressed with Eric’s products,” Coco said. “I do think we should focus on quality, don’t you agree?”

“Definitely. Quality is what Aphrodite’s Closet is all about, right?”

Coco nodded. “So let’s give those stands a miss then,” Coco said, as they noticed some dodgy-looking plastic gadgets on show.

“What about over there?” Aggie suggested, pulling Coco toward an exhibit that was full of colourful bottles of something.

“Oh yes, we should definitely stock up on lube. I’ve heard good things about this company,” she said.

Aggie looked at Coco and grinned, “Really?”

“I was doing a bit of research online last night and this is supposed to be the best.”

“Well then, let’s find out more…”

Several hours later, Aggie was sitting at a small plastic table, swamped down with several bags full of catalogues, business cards, and leaflets while she waited for Coco to bring over some much-needed coffee and something to eat from the one and only bar in the exhibition centre.

She’d given up on her hat and snood some time ago. Embarrassment had all but disappeared from her body, having soon realised that s*x was just a business there. And she was now in the trade and to get where she wanted to be, she knew, she had to be a professional.

As she waited, she enjoyed people watching. And there were certainly some sights to behold in an erotic trade fair.

Every other person that walked past was demonstrating (not literally) something he was selling—either vibrators for men and women, b**m gadgets like restraints and blindfolds, lubricants, and of course, the most entertaining, the kinky bedroom-wear.

Aggie had seen several women of all shapes and sizes wearing full body, crotchless, fishnet suits (all wearing flesh-coloured thongs beneath to at least preserve a little modesty) in all kinds of way-out colours—even a rainbow one, which looked rather fun.

Sighing, Aggie thought of her ex, Timothy, whom she’d dated from the age of seventeen until she was twenty-five. She’d always assumed they’d get married, settle down and do the usual family thing. But it hadn’t been meant to be. He’d fallen out of love with her and in love with a woman he’d met online. She lived in Australia and Timothy had moved out there shortly after that.

“Sorry it took me so long, the queue was huge,” Coco said as she put the tray on the table and plonked herself down opposite.

“You okay, Aggie? You looked miles away then.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she sighed.

“Really? What’s up?”

“Nothing…I was just reminded of Timothy, that’s all.”

“Oh…you never talk about him. What on earth made you think of him?”

Coco looked around to see if there was someone nearby who could have reminded her of him but when all she saw was women in kinky underwear and people holding vibrators, she laughed out loud.

“What?” Aggie asked.

“I just couldn’t fathom what would make you think of Timothy.”

Aggie raised her eyebrows and pulled a face, while Coco handed her a large coffee in a plastic cup and a hotdog.

“Sorry, I know you don’t normally do hotdogs but it’s pretty much all they had,” she said, curling her top lip.

“That’s okay, I’d eat pretty much anything right about now. Awful coffee though,” she almost spat.

“Have some sugar,” Coco said, handing her a couple of sachets. “It’ll help a bit.”

Opening the sachets and pouring the small amount of sugar into the coffee, Aggie sighed.

“You’re doing it again?” Coco said.

“What?”

“Sighing like something’s wrong.”

“No, I was just seeing all these people selling s*x stuff and it just made me a little sad to be single, that’s all.”

“Wow, I haven’t heard you talk like that for ages. I thought you were happily single?”

“I have been on my own for three years. Maybe it’s time for a change?” Aggie replied, taking a bite out of the hotdog.

“Gosh, Aggie. You’ve surprised me.”

“I think I’ve surprised myself,” she sighed, sitting back into the chair.

“But why think of Timothy?” Coco asked as she unzipped her boots and rubbed her sore feet.

“Just because he was the last guy I slept with, I guess,” Aggie murmured.

“It’s about time you got laid,” Coco chuckled. “Or, we could just get you a Golden c**k?”

Both girls laughed before they sat in silence while they finished eating.

“I think today’s going really well, don’t you?” Coco said a little while later, while she did up her boots again.

“Yeah, we’ve got some really good contacts here for sure,” Aggie replied as she finished the last of her coffee. “We’ll have to go through it all tonight, and then order everything first thing in the morning.”

“Definitely,” Coco added. “There are just a couple more stands to do and then we can head back.”

“And then next Friday, we’re off to the lingerie fair, right?”

Coco nodded, “We’re going to be exhausted,” she said, yawning and stretching.

“Hm hm,” Aggie agreed. “But then the hard work is done.”

Coco smiled, “It’s going to be amazing, you know?”

Grinning, Aggie nodded, “I know. I actually can’t wait.”

“Me too. Come on, let’s carry on.”

They both stood up, Aggie collecting the rubbish and depositing in a nearby bin, while Coco waited with all the bags.

“Hello ladies,” said a voice approaching them just as they started walking back into the crowd. “Can I interest you in our latest catalogue?”

Both Aggie and Coco looked up and smiled at the immaculate, middle-aged woman dressed in a black and white pinstriped suit. “Sure,” said Coco. “What are you selling?”

“We specialise in high-end bedroom wear for both men and women,” she said, handing them the thick catalogue, which had the most beautiful couple on the front. The woman was wearing an exquisite red satin negligee, which was trimmed with black lace; she also had on a pair of black stockings and rather high red shoes. She straddled the man while staring into the camera. The man, however, was staring at her. He was wearing nothing but a pair of red and black striped silk boxers, but was holding a silk scarf and eye mask in his hands. It looked like such an intimate picture and was beautifully photographed.

“The photo is stunning,” Aggie said, before she flicked through the catalogue. Liking what she saw, she nodded to Coco. “I’m impressed.”

“Do you have any samples we can look at?” Coco asked.

“Certainly,” said the woman.

“I’m Alexandra. Nice to meet you,” she said as she motioned for them to join her closer to the small stand some way from the cafe.

“Nice to meet you, Alexandra. I’m Aggie and this is Coco, my business partner. We’re going to be opening a shop in Frambleberry soon, and want to specialise in quality goods.”

“That sounds marvellous, and exactly like the kind of place we’d like to sell to,” she smiled. “Here,” she handed them a couple of pieces of lingerie. One was a crotchless body suit in silk and the other a similar item, but in fishnet. “Just to give you an idea on quality. All our goods are made in Germany and France, so they are a little more pricey, but you get what you pay for.”

Impressed with the feeling of the fabrics, Coco and Aggie smiled at each other.

“This is exactly what we need for the shop,” Coco said. “Do you have a business card as well?”

“Absolutely,” Alexandra said, handing them a well-designed card with the name Alexandra Prince written on it.

“The Kinky Prince?” Coco grinned. “I love the name.”

“It’s a family business started by my parents back in the seventies,” Alexandra said. “The name started as a bit of a joke but it stuck and it’s been quite successful ever since.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Aggie smiled, “And exactly what we’re looking for, for Aphrodite’s Closet.”

“Aphrodite’s Closet? That’s the name of your shop?”

Aggie nodded.

“Fantastic,” Alexandra said, “It’s certainly got a ring to it. My brother will be impressed. He’s always been a fan of Greek mythology.”

“Oh really?” Coco’s ears pricked up. “Your brother?”

“Yeah, he works with me in the business too. But he couldn’t make it today. He’s in Germany, finalising some new lines. But I’ll send you information about that if you like? Again, it’s top quality.”

“That would be brilliant, Alexandra. Thank you so much,” Aggie said, handing her her own business card.

“Looking forward to doing business with you,” smiled Alexandra as another client approached her. She waved and nodded as they walked away.

“She was lovely,” Coco said. “And she has a brother into Greek mythology, eh?”

“Who is probably even older than her and married with a couple of kids,” Aggie said, shaking her head. “Just because I mentioned Timothy earlier doesn’t mean you need to find me a man, Coco.”

Coco laughed and said nothing.