PETTICOATED!

[petticoated]

Ding. ding. The little bell to the entrance of ~L~ynn's bridal store, "Cinderella," announced the entrance of a visitor. "~L~ynn, where are you?" The pretty young lady maneuvered herself amidst the racks of swishing dresses and frocks in search of her proprietor friend.  "Back here, Angie," replied the stunning blonde from her office overlooking the store.  "I've got something to show you, ~L~ynn," Angie said, handing a brown envelope to her friend. Inquisitively, ~L~ynn asked, "Huh? What are you talking about?"  "You'll see, ~L~ynn. Open the envelope."  Brushing her long flowing blonde hair from her beautiful face, ~L~ynn curiously opened the package. Her curiosity was piqued as she carefully examined about twenty photographs. Each picture showed a man...a boy (?), somewhat smallish, standing in front of the display windows of Cinderella. She looked at the pictures again, glanced at Angie, and shook her head in bewilderment. "He's been doing this every Sunday for months, ~L~ynn," her friend replied. I usually open up for breakfast at 8:00 every Sunday and he's almost always there...gazing at the displays. He sometimes looks around to make sure nobody is watching. He gets back into his car, a black BMW 7-series, stares from behind the steering wheel, and then leaves.   Each photograph represents a different Sunday. As you can see, the displays are different. You change them weekly, don't you, ~L~ynn?"  "Y...yes," replied her friend. "Occasionally I'll leave the displays up for longer than a week, but not very often." Angie replied, "I just thought you might be interested. Do you have any security cameras?" "No, Angie, I don't. At least not exterior cameras.  Hmmm...I wonder......."

[petticoated]

"Yes.....?" Angie asked, hesitatingly. "Why would a guy stare in front of the display window of a bridal and formal dress shop..." "When nobody's around...on a Sunday...early in the morning. I was wondering the same thing, ~L~ynn. That's why I started taking pictures. I figured it was time you saw them." Shaking her head plerplexingly, and again brushing her cascading blonde hair with her long feminine hands, she glanced at her pink fingernail polish, so expertly applied to her perfectly manicured nails, and now wondered aloud to her girlfriend, "Angie, can you get the tag number on his car for me? I mean, is he still coming by every Sunday morning?" "Oh, he'll be back," Angie said. "He'll definitely be back. He can't stay away. He just stands in front of that window... and...gazes. It's almost like he's studying every detail. But I'm only seeing him from the backside because my business is across the street from yours. The only time I get a look at him is when he's walking back to his car. I don't look when he turns around to go back to his car. I don't want him to see me. I take the pictures while he's looking at the display window. I do know, at least from where I am across the street, he's only about 5'5", and thin. Very young looking. VERY young," Angie  emphasized.  "So can you snap me a picture of the tag number, or write it down for me? I want to find out who he is." "Sure, ~L~ynn. I'll keep a camera with me on Sunday morning." Angie said. "I'll get the tag number the next time he's there.  We won't have to wait long. Hey, I've got to get back over to my place. I'll see you later." "Thanks, Angie." ~L~ynn said to her girlfriend as they hugged each other a quick goodbye.  ~L~ynn returned to her office and sat down behind her desk.  Turning in her chair to face her monitor, she pulled out the keyboard and Googled: "Female Private Investigators." Stopping for just a split second to contemplate what day of the week it was, she realized it was already Thursday, and she had to change the display window before she went home.  And then a thought came to her...

[petticoated]

Her hand reached for those photographs again. Her eyes focused on the displays. What was the trend the past few months, she asked herself. Prom. Prom dresses. She recalled a series of weeks recently where she had featured the ballgown look...full-skirted...ruffly...feminine...But she had also had a few weeks where very elegant, yet simple, wedding dresses were prominent. Of course, she tried to reason, maybe the display window had nothing to do with him frequently going there...and staring. She decided she would go frilly and feminine...ultra-feminine this weekend. Ruffles. Lace. Satin. Tulle. Petticoats. And then she remembered the question Angie had asked her about security cameras. All of hers were inside her store. She called her security service to inquire about a quick installation of exterior security cameras. She begged them to install them the following day. They came. And they installed them, four of them, on Friday. One camera was positioned at each end of the  display window.  Two were installed in the mannequins.  She added lighting to the window at night. ~Lynn~ still had to see this for herself. She was curious. Late Friday evening she completed her window display for the weekend. The theme: "Frilly White Wedding." Ruffles. Lace. Satin. Tulle. Petticoats. Girly.   Saturday's unveiling of "Frilly White Wedding" actually attracted a lot of traffic for those still-shopping spring-summer brides-to-be. Before closing Cinderella early Saturday, ~Lynn~ checked on her newly-installed system of lighting and was amazed at how the dresses came to life in the dark of night.  An "attention-getter," she thought to herself, as she turned the key and locked the door to Cinderella.

[petticoated]

Monday morning found ~L~ynn in front of Cinderella with a small piece of folded paper taped to the door with her name on the outside. ~L~ynn opened the note and read the Connecticut tag number for the Black BMW. Added below were the words, "Call me! Angie." She pulled out her key and opened the door to Cinderella. She stopped momentarily to scrutinize her latest display, "Frilly White Wedding." "Not bad...not bad," ~L~ynn said to herself. ~L~ynn had been at her desk for only a few moments when the little bell dinged signalling an arrival. It was Angie. "~L~ynn, that guy must have stood out there in front of your window for like...I don't know...30 minutes!?! He just stared.  Then he went back to the car as if he was on his cell phone, but he was looking straight ahead at that display. He drove off. Then he drove back around the block again and slowed down as he passed by.  Anyway, there's his tag number." "Thanks, Angie. You wanna hang around and watch the security tapes from the weekend. Might be kind of interesting. I say we start with Sunday morning." ~L~ynn gave a raised eyebrow to Angie as she said it. "Oh! The cameras. I forgot you had them! I want to see this, ~L~ynn," she laughed. "Cup of coffee, Angie, before we begin?" "Sure. I'd love a cup of coffee." "I'll get it for you," ~L~ynn said. They met behind the computer screen. "Angie, what time Sunday?" "Eight thirty AM." In a few seconds, ~L~ynn and Angie were watching the black BMW pull up in front of Cinderella. The driver looked around for a few seconds as if to make sure he wasn't being watched. When he got out he immediately walked in front of the display window and looked in.  And he stared. And he moved back and forth from one frilly dress to another. He would stare at one. And then he would seek out another dainty confection, as if he was a kid in a candy store. But all the candy was literally under glass. And then he bent down. He bent further down, gazing upward at the dresses. Angie's mouth was wide open, "He's trying to look up their dresses, ~L~ynn! How funny!" To which ~L~ynn responded, "And look where his hands are. In his pockets. Look, Angie, he's stroking himself while he's standing and staring at those frilly dresses. This is amazing. Look at him."   When the tape of the mysterious visitor had ended, ~L~ynn paused,  "He's mesmerized."   Angie replied, "He's kinda cute, though, you've got to admit,"  He's just a little too short for me.  But he is cute. And he's got a nice car. It'll be interesting to see who this guy is. So what's next, ~L~ynn?" "I've hired a Private Investigator to look into my little man.  I've already called her." "You said 'her.' Your PI is a woman?" Angie asked. "Oh yes. Most men would never suspect a female to follow them. She asked me to give her a week Her name is Samantha." said ~L~ynn.  "So what are you going to do until then?" asked Angie.  ~L~ynn thought for a moment before responding,  "Plan my display window for next week, of course..."

[petticoated]

~L~ynn spent all of that morning browsing amongst the racks of frilly bridal dresses. And then she gravitated over to a large section of flower girl dresses. These were shorter than bridal gowns, she thought to herself.  And then she moved to a rack of especially frilly and very girly little dresses. She recalled the young man earlier on the surveillance film...desperately hoping for a look underneath. She smiled to herself as she resolved to tease her little friend. And then she put her hand on a short white tulle and satin dress. It rustled as she shook it out to admire it. The little dress was so dainty. The tulle petticoats floated like puffy clouds. Layer after layer of rustling tulle skirts. But what made this little dress especially girly was the ruffled white lace hems on each rustling layer of tulle. Her painted nails caressed and examined the intricacy of the dress' ruffled white lace petticoat skirts cascading from a white short sleeved, satin top. A pale pink satin ribbon was tied in a large pretty bow in the back of the dress.  She held it up in front of her, and that dress was in her window by Friday. She found four additional frilly party dresses and surrounded a white satin ball gown with them. Then she scattered white and pink petticoats among the dresses.  When the next Monday arrived, Angie joined her for coffee at 9:00. Angie had already reported three separate sightings of the guy over a two-hour period. What they had learned from the security tapes was a heightened amount of activity by him. A total of seven "visits" on Sunday alone, including an hour of gazing and staring early that morning. Just before Angie could ask ~L~ynn a question, the phone rang. ~L~ynnn picked up and was keenly interested in what the caller was saying. She toke notes. She asked questions. She complimented her on her job thus far, and told Angie, "This guy's big.  His name is Robert Morrizzon.  Of the Morrizzon oil family, Angie. He's worth over $600 million." "Are you sure it's him?" asked Angie. "Yes...it's him. Samantha says she's positive." "Does this guy live up here?" Angie asked. " "No. He lives in the city. He's got a penthouse overlooking Central Park." "What else do you know, ~L~ynn?" "Samantha saw him out three nights last week, with a different girl each time. All of them pretty. I need to meet this guy, Angie. I need to meet him fast. Any ideas?" Angie thought for a moment, "Well, if you're going to meet him, Sunday morning is the time to do it. You've just got to  surprise him.   When are you planning on doing this, ~L~ynn?" "This Sunday, Angie. And I'm leaving my same display up for another weekend."  ~L~ynn thought for a moment and then asked Angie to drive her to Cinderella by 6:30 Sunday morning. ~L~ynn would hide in her store, watch the cameras...and wait.

[petticoated]

Early Sunday morning ~L~ynn awoke with a single purpose. To meet "him." As she stood in front of the mirror deftly applying the final touches of blush to her cheeks, she held the brush in her limp wrist and allowed her thoughts to wander. She would be hiding in her office and would pounce on him as he gazed at her display window. What would she say? What would she wear? She chose a pair of jeans and a sheer white silk blouse. Underneath she chose her laciest white satin bra. She finished with a red lipstick, filled her small clutch purse with makeup, and pulled her long blonde hair back in a ponytail. As she rode to Cinderella with Angie, the two chatted about what time he might arrive to gaze in her display window. "I don't think you'll be waiting long," Angie remarked. We'll get there by 6:45. I'll bet he's there by 7:00-7:30."  As she dropped ~L~ynn off in front of Cinderella, Angie asked her friend to come over later "and give me every detail." ~L~ynn smiled and said, "If he comes." "Oh, he'll come, ~L~ynn...he'll come," answered Angie assuredly.  ~L~ynn got out of Angie's car, thanked her for the ride, stopped to admire her work in the window, and pulled out her key, unlocked the door, listened to the familiar little bell, and then locked the door again. She made her way between rows of swishing dresses, made a cup of coffee, and waited.  Twenty minutes later she spotted the black BMW driving past Cinderella, slowing down, stopping, and then driving off. Maybe he had seen her? Maybe he was nervous? Maybe he wasn't going to stop this morning? A thousand thoughts raced through ~L~ynn's mind as she anxiously awaited the return of her visitor. He didn't disappoint. Five minutes later, the camera showed him stopping in front of the window, looking at it from inside his car, and then whipping his car into the parking spot directly in front of the display window. As he stepped out of his car, he looked quickly in all directions. Certain he was alone, he approached the window, full of dainty, lacy, frillies.  ~L~ynn was motionless. Frozen. She watched her little friend through the eyes of the camera. He seemed to have this far-away look in his wide eyes as he gazed at the dainty dresses. Then ~L~ynn opened her small clutch purse, touched up her makeup, applied new lipstick, and moved quickly to intercept him. She slithered quickly among the dresses and sprang on him before he ever knew she was there. As she exited her store to his surprise, he fumbled nervously to retrieve his car keys from his pocket. But he was unable to move towards his car. It was as if his feet were frozen. And now...in front of this display window of frilly, girly dresses, this tall beautiful blonde smiled a warm smile and said softly, "Good morning. Can I help you? I'm ~L~ynn...the owner." He was speechless. He looked down for a moment...his face red. He WAS cute, ~L~ynn thought to herself. But he was also several inches shorter than she was. As she waited for him to respond, she noticed his big brown eyes transfixed on her chest. ~L~ynn's feminine intuition told her, however, that it was not her chest he was focused on. It was her bra. Her lacy satin bra. "And you are.....?" she asked in her softest, most feminine voice, as she moved just a little closer to the frightened little man...

[petticoated]

"Uh..Rob...Rob Morrizzon." He  tried to gather himself in front of the beautiful woman. "Nice to meet you, Rob Morrizzon," ~L~ynn smiled. The nervous Mr. Morrizzon fumbled for his car keys in an effort to escape the scene out in front of Cinderella. But before he could leave, ~L~ynn invited him for a cup of coffee across the street...at Angie's little cafe. He recovered his masculinity in time to accept, "Sure, okay. But I can't stay long. I'm playing golf later this morning." ~L~ynn seemed to ignore the "golf" comment and led Rob across the street to "Serendipity."  ~L~ynn carefully selected an outside table, making certain that when Rob sat, he would be able to view the window of Cinderella across the street as they chatted. The guy nervously pulled out his chair, eyes transfixed on ~L~ynn. "And do you live around here, Rob?" ~L~ynn began the conversation. "Actually I live in the city. But I have some friends who live nearby... and I'm up here for the weekend. I...uh...was out here this morning...driving around...uh...looking for a newspaper. The Sunday Times. Can't seem to find a newspaper rack anywhere." "Oh, I see," smiled ~L~ynn. And that's why you were standing out in front of my shop? Looking for a newspaper?" "Yes," the man laughed nervously. "Do you know where I can find one?" Their conversation was interrupted by  Angie, who had discovered them sitting outside. "Hi ~L~ynn! How've you been? I haven't seen you in a while." "Oh, hi, Angie!" Then turning to Rob, she said, "Rob, this is Angie, a girlfriend of mine." "Nice to meet you, Angie," Rob acknowledged. "What can I get you two, ~L~ynn? Coffee?" Both nodded their heads, Angie smiled, and ~L~ynn resumed her chat with her new friend.  "Do you come up here often?" "Only weekends when I'm playing golf," Rob countered. "We're playing at 9:00 this morning. He looked at his watch. "Do I make you nervous, Rob?" ~L~ynn asked...