Chapter Ten ~ Jewel
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After an hour we were headed out to the limo, our evening attire in hand. We all piled into the limo and headed out to the mall. Michael gave the driver specific instruction to pull up around the back of the building. We pulled into an underground garage and went into the back entrance of the large mall. I looked at Nadine.
“Have you been here before?” She nodded.
“Of course I have, you won’t get lost, believe me. I‘ve been here hundreds of times.”
“I’ve been here once before…it was in the early nineties however. So it’s been a while.” Michael chimed in as the limo came to a stop. The chauffeur opened the door and we all got out. We all headed inside to find that the mall was completely empty. I examined the mall map, the mall was the most massive mall I had been to. I knew Mall of America was a lot bigger, but I had never been there. So this one took the cake. It had over 100 stores. Even some I was familiar with, like Old Navy, Hot Topic, and Macy’s. Michael and I stood there look at the map for a little while before Nadine was basically dragging us away. Nadine drug us to Hot Topic…there were a few things I wanted but Michael was shaking his head quite a bit as Nadine and I joked like two pre-teens. I ended up coercing Michael to put on some black Tripp pants and a gothic shirt. Nadine and I laughed.
“Come on guys, can I get dressed back into my regular clothes? I can’t believe you guys talked me into this. How can anyone wear these things…” Michael said gesturing to the platform black army style boots he was wearing.
“You should know Michael, you wear them in the 70’s…”
“I was in my late teens and twenties…it was the style…”
“Well there go,” I said looking at him then looking back at the spiked wristbands.
“Michael this is the style that most gothic guys wear now-a-days…”
“Emos, Goths, Preps, Punks, Plastics…How many classes of people are there now a days? I am so out of touch with today’s generation.” Michael mumbled as he walked back into the dressing room. Nadine walked over to me.
“Hey what do you say we play a game of Ditch on Michael. We can always come back later.” Nadine said, as she took my hand in hers. We ran out of the store, quietly. Then we made our way up to the second floor. At the top of the escalator there was a jewelry store and in the case facing us was a stunningly beautiful diamond necklace set in white gold. It caught my eye and I raced over to it. Nadine joined me.
“Come on Crys…I want to go to Club5Clothes…Oi! That’s pretty! You should try it on. I bet it’d look nice with the dress you picked…” Nadine said noticing the necklace I was looking at. The lady who worked there came over to the case to help us out.
“Can I help you with anything Miss?”
“Yes I’d like to try this necklace on.” I said, pointing to the necklace in the case.
“No problem.” The saleswoman said as she grabbed her keys and opened the jewelry case. She took out the necklace and held it between her finger with delicacy.
“Please turn around miss.” I obeyed as I felt the cool metal backing drape over my skin. I felt the clasp engage. I turned to Nadine who nodded in approval.
“How much is this ma’am.” I asked running my hand over it.
“Um…8,900 Euros ma’am.” My jaw dropped. That was a lot more than I had. Nadine’s jaw dropped. But she wasn’t looking at me, but rather behind me. I felt a finger trace along my neck. I froze. Knowing that it was Michael.
“Turn around so I can see it.” I heard Michael’s unmistakable falsetto. He was dangerously close to my ear, causing shivers to run down my spine. I turned around, our eyes meeting. His hand ran over the gems and he nodded in approval.
“How much did you say this was ma’am?” Michael asked his eyes meeting the saleswoman’s.
“8,900 euros sir.” The saleswoman said.
“She’ll take it.” Michael said. Both Nadine and I looked at each other in shock.
“Michael…” Michael raised a hand up to stop me. He motioned for me to turn around. I did, attempting to convince Michael I didn’t need the necklace. He took off the necklace and handed it to the saleswoman. We all made our way to the cash register.
“Michael you realize that you’re spend nearly 12,000 US dollars on me. I can’t let you do that. What am I going to tell Jason…”
“I want to do this for you, I love you Crystal, its my duty to provide your wants and desires…as for Jason, tell him the truth. You’ve found someone new.”
“Michael…please…”
“Crystal, don’t argue! Just take it.” Nadine said, looking at me with an annoyed look on her face. “Look I’m gonna be up on the next floor. When you guys are done, you guys can come and find me.” Nadine said walking out of the jewelry store. Both Michael and I waved her off.
“Is there anything else you need?” The saleswoman asked. Michael looked as if he was thinking about something.
“Do you have a matching bracelet and earrings to go with this necklace?”
“Yes we do, did you want to add them to this?”
“Yes, please.”
“You’re total will be 16,498...is there anything you’ll need today?”
“Yes, can you show us some of your finest rings please?”
“Not a problem, they are along that wall over there, let me just grab the keys and I’ll be right with you.”
“Michael what are you doing? My ears aren’t pierced…” Michael turned around and examined my ears.
“Oh pity, I guess we’ll have to get them pierced. Those earrings would look wonderful on you.”
“You didn’t have to buy that for me. I feel bad now,”
“Why? I want to spoil you, I want to lavish you with things that you dream of. Let me…please?”
“But I don’t want you to spend a whole lot of money on me. I’ll feel like I’m using your wealth…”
“I don’t normally say this…” He looked at Nadine, then he moved his lips my ears then he whispered, “Use me. I want you to.” I looked at him and blushed.
“Why?”
“Because I love you, now, pick out a ring…” I looked into the case. All of the prices of the rings were over 3000 Euros…I absentmindedly picked the cheapest one.
“Crystal, you don’t seem to be a emerald and ruby girl. Come on. Pick something out that you’ll genuinely like. Don’t worry about the price of it…”
“Easier said than done…”
“You’re going to be difficult aren’t you?” Michael said as he arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and leaning down upon the case. He put his chin in his hands. He then got up and asked to talked to the sales woman out of earshot. The saleswoman nodded then she walked back and grabbed the case of rings. She took out a roll of black electrical tape and began applying the tape to the case. I looked at Michael.
“What is she doing?”
“Covering the prices, so that you’re not tempted to pick the cheapest one. I want you to pick the one that you love. Okay? You’ll be stuck with it for a while.” Michael said winking at me. I raised an eyebrow at him.
What does he have up his sleeve… The saleswoman came back with the rings. I examined the case to see the cheapest ring was taken out of the selection. I looked at Michael evilly. He laughed.
“You’re evil Michael. I can’t believe you’re making me do this.” I said looking at the case of rings.
“Oh come on, it’s not like I’m asking you to give a kidney or anything like that.”
“I know, I know…ooh! I found it, I want that one.” I said looking at a silver ring with a large diamond in the middle with two smaller diamonds on either side of the larger one. Michael looked at it and nodded. Then he reached over and peeled off the black tape.
“4,960 Euros. Good Choice…what size will it be in?”
“Um…can I try some sizes on,”
“Well what size is that ring on your finger miss.” The saleswoman asked. I looked down at the ring on my right hand and a twinge of hurt panged through me.
“Nine.” I said, my voice cracking just a little. The saleswoman nodded and dug into a cupboard underneath the case and took out the size. She handed it to me and I tried it on. It was a perfect fit.
“Perfect.” Michael nodded. The saleswoman put the jewelry in the appropriate boxes and began to check us out. I bit my lip so hard that I tasted blood when I heard that the total was going to be over 23,000 with the government tax. Nobody had ever spend that kind of money on me. I had never spent that much in my life on anything. Not even a car. With just a swipe of a card it was all paid for. I felt faint.
“Crystal, are you going to be okay? You don’t look so good…”
“I think I am getting hungry…its after one after all. Lets go grab a bite to eat.” I said interlocking my fingers with Michael. He held onto the jewelry bag as we went upstairs to the third floor to find Nadine. We found Nadine at Club5Clothing looking at some shirts. We asked her where the best place to eat in the mall would be and Nadine said she had always wanted to go to The Four Leaf Clover which was a four star eatery. She never had enough money to go there. So we all decided to eat there. The food court was located on the fifth floor.
*A Half Hour Later*
We were on the fifth floor, eating at a skyline restaurant. Michael eating a green salad with water, I was eating a turkey wrap with a zinfandel wine, and Nadine had a toasted roast beef sub with chips and a coke. We all ate our food and were just sipping on our drinks trying to think up a plan to best shop the mall in the two and a half hours we had left. Michael stepped away to use the bathroom.
“Hey Crystal, can you sneak me a drink of your wine…I need something…this hangover is too much.” Nadine said, looking at me with pleading eyes.
“I would, but I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Come on, there’s nobody here!” I looked around and sure enough. She was right.
“Fine.” I said handing my glass to her. She gulped down what was remaining in my glass.
“Hey!! I said a drink, I didn’t tell you to finish the rest of my glass!” I scolded her as she handed back my glass.
“Thank you, I feel a little better…” I grabbed her glass and finished what was left of her coke. “Hey!!”
“Don’t hey me, hay is for horses.” I said, grinning that I won this round of revenge. We both started laughing. Michael came back with a puzzled look on his face.
“What did I miss?” Michael asked switching glances at the both of us.
“Nothing, nothing at all…now if you excuse me, I have to visit the little girls room.” Nadine said excusing herself and going to the bathroom. Michael wrapped an arm around me.
“So what was that about?”
“What was what about?” I asked, looking at him, trying to be as innocent as I could.
“When you guys left me in Hot Topic or whatever…what was that all about…”
“Don’t look at me, that was all Nadine’s idea…”
“But I am looking at you?” Michael said, pulling me closer to him.
“Oh? Do you like what you see?” I asked, my eyes meeting his.
“I think you already know that answer.” Michael said, his lips meeting mine in a fiery kiss. His tongue met mine. I pulled away momentarily.
“What if Nadine comes back…”
“Crystal I want you…”
“Oh? Well what do you suspect we do about that?” I asked looking at Michael.
“How about we head back to Hot Topic, their dressing rooms are pretty much pitch dark…if you can keep quiet…” I was about to smacked his arm in disbelief. But he caught it and pulled me against him in the booth. “Unless you want to do it right here and now…I could do it either way…” Michael whispered, his lips meeting mine while his hand slipped under my shirt and rubbed the outside of my bra. Pleasure began to course through me, but before my body could really get into it. Michael pulled away. Nadine’s was coming back to the seat.
“See ya in a little bit. Meet me in the dressing room of hot topic.” Michael whispered in my ear before getting up.
“Well, I think I am going to go down to the lobby and look at the map. Why don’t you ladies spend some time together. Just call me when you guys are ready to check out some other stores.”
“Okay.” Nadine said, as Michael gave me his phone number. He headed out while Nadine and I lagged behind. I ordered another mixed drink to go and we walked slowly around the mall.
“So tell me Crys, what was it like?”
“What was what like?”
“Oi! Don’t play dumb with me…you know what I’m talking about?”
“Okay…it was good.”
“Just good? Come on, give me more details…was he better than Jason? Is he well-endowed?”
“Yes, and yes, and he’s a horn dog man, he can’t get enough of it.”
“Really? Well that’s fantastic. At least he’ll treat you better than that scummy ol’ Jason. I still can’t believe he did that to you. I’ll kill him if I see him. I mean it.”
“Now don’t go flying off the handle just yet Nadine…I know Jason a lot better than you do…”
“But I knew he was bad news at the get go. I just never liked him and now I know why…”
“Yeah, well Jason’s been more of a friend to me than most guys have been. That’s for sure.”
“Well, from what I’ve seen and heard, Michael can take better care of you than Jason can. Seriously…”
“I know, I know, I just don’t want to jump the gun yet. You know? I need to see what Jason is going to say. I don’t want him to make the nearly 4000 mile trip just to find out that I’ve been seeing Michael…”
“Fine,” Nadine said sighing in submission. “Do what you want Crys…Jason’s probably going to coerce you to go back with him.”
“Yeah I know that. He’s a pretty persuasive. But I need to do this. So that he doesn’t feel…oh what’s the word…cheated.”
“Crystal he cheated on you, he deserves to be hung by his balls, end of story. But you’re not me, and I’m not you so…”
“Right.” I said as we walked by Hot Topic. “Hey, did you want to go back in here? I wanted to get a couple of things.”
“Yeah, I saw some stuff I wanted too.” Nadine said as we both walked into Hot Topic. Inside, I grabbed a few things I saw earlier, including some pants and a shirt. I told Nadine that I was going to try them on and went toward the dressing rooms. I felt a familiar tingling sensation in my nether region as I neared. I looked behind me to see Nadine towards the front of the store. I softly knocked on the first one, and it came to no response. I knocked on the second one, no response but the fourth one knocked back at me. I walked over to it and walked into it to meet Michael’s half naked body.
