Stephanie's Revenge Read Online Free PDF Page B

brass finger pull and a
neat label written in florid Italian script. In front of the
counter there was nothing; no point-of-sale bins, no special
offers, no advertising display cards, not so much as a poster of
any manufacturer of lingerie. There was a chevalier mirror and an
old upright chair with a wooden seat.
    A woman,
summoned by the bell, appeared from behind a heavy damask curtain
hanging at the end of the counter. She was dressed entirely in
black; her wrinkled skin was sallow, her hands thin and bony, the
fingers crooked with arthritis, her black lisle stockings hanging
loose on her thin legs.
    The woman said
some words in Italian, obviously a question.
    'Non parlo
italiano,' Stephanie said, determining that learning Italian should
be on her list of priorities.
    'Fine. I speak
a little English. How may I help you?' Her English was spoken with
little trace of an accent.
    The woman was
definitely over seventy, Stephanie thought, but she moved with a
grace and energy that belied her obvious age.
    'I'm looking
for lingerie. Whatever you could show me...'
    'Of course.
You are a very beautiful woman. For you, I think, only the best is
good enough.' Her English was precise, her voice strong. 'You have
the figure to wear such things. It will be a pleasure to serve
you.'
    'Thank you,'
Stephanie said.
    The woman took
a bra out of one of the drawers, then some matching knickers and a
suspender belt and slip, all in black. She laid them out on the
counter. 'Everything we have is made here by our own girls. All our
own designs.'
    'They're
lovely.' Stephanie fingered the garments.
    'Try these
first for size, and then I will show you all our designs and
colours.'
    Stephanie
picked up the bra. It was exquisitely made, hand-stitched and
underwired.
    'This way
please.' The woman in black came out from behind the counter to
guide Stephanie through a small mirrored door into a short corridor
where there were two small cubicles made from frosted glass mounted
in ornate wooden frames, each with a lace curtain for an
entrance.
    'Please,' the
old woman said, indicating one of the cubicles.
    Stephanie
stepped inside, stripped off her clothes and slipped into the black
lingerie. The size was perfect. The underwear could have been made
for her. The bra held her breasts firmly, pushing them together
slightly into an alluring cleavage. The knickers fitted perfectly,
following the soft curves of her buttocks. Obviously the old
woman's experienced eye had judged her size to the millimetre. The
material of the garments was soft and silky, but it was more
elastic, more supportive and stronger than silk. This shop,
Stephanie thought, was a definite find.
    She put her
dress back on and came out of the cubicle. The old woman stood
waiting for her.
    'Va bene?' she
asked.
    'Wonderful,'
Stephanie said. 'Exactly the right size.'
    'So I show you
the styles and the colours. This way please.'
    She led the
way through another door and up a narrow flight of stairs. The
stairs were dimly lit with no carpeting. Their shoes echoed on the
wood. At the top of the stairs was a comparatively large room with
two picture windows overlooking the narrow street and the building
opposite, which appeared to be no more than feet away. The windows
were bare, no curtains or lace. At one end of the room was a small
dais, and a large green velvet drape hung behind it. The only items
on the polished wooden floor, pitted and marked with age, were five
or six gold-painted spoon-backed chairs. The woman indicated that
Stephanie should sit. Then she lifted a corner of the drapery and
disappeared for a moment behind it.
    Stephanie felt
a strange sense of excitement. She could still feel the silky
material of the lingerie as it had wrapped itself around her body.
She looked down at herself and was not surprised to find that her
nipples were hard and erect, poking through the thin cotton of the
dress.
    The old woman
reappeared. She hooked the corner of the drapery to a tie-back so
it