Mike & Melody Ch. 02

A knock at the door caused her to look away. Looking up, she saw that her assistant manager, Emily, was standing in the doorway "Please tell me it's good news."

Turning up the corners of her mouth, "Welll..."

With a deep sigh, "What is it?"

"I hate to do this to you, But Deanna Spencer is here."

"Don't tell me, returning everything she bought a couple of days ago?" with a note of total exasperation.

Emily could only shake her head in the affirmative.

Deanna was a longtime customer of the store. She bought a lot of clothes over the years. It has only been in the last few months that she is returning just about everything she's bought.

Looking at Emily, "We need to bring this to an end. She's beginning to cost us too much money."

Emily slowly shook her head in agreement, "I know. But she's been coming her for so long. I just hate to lose her."

"Me too." Melody stood up and started for the door, "Well, I'll go talk to her and see what her problem is today."

Deanna was facing the front of the door when Emily and Melody came out from the back office. Melody paused to look at the figure before her. She was wearing a dress that stopped an inch or two above the knees. Her legs were bare and her feet in sandals. From the back side, she displayed a very nice and what Melody would call a very attractive figure.

"Good morning, Deanna."

Turning around, Deanna replied, "That's your opinion, which I don't happen to share."

Melody could see that the skin on her face had the appearance of being pulled back. It was, in actuality, a beautiful face. Deanna had her hair pulled back into a bun which created sternness in her appearance. 'She could be such a beautiful woman, if she'd just let go of that damn bun and smile.'

"What can I help you with?" Melody asked, but already knew.

Handing over a bag of clothes to Melody, "I'm returning these and I want a refund."

Melody took the bag and peered inside. She noticed the receipt was sitting on top. She turned and handed the bag to Emily with a nod to go ahead and process the refund. Turning back to Deanna, "What's wrong with them?"

"I just don't like them. That's all. They don't look good on me" she replied with a little bit of a huff.

Folding her hands in front of her, Melody looked at the floor for a moment and then to Deanna, "Deanna, how long have you been coming to this store? How long have we known each other?"

"I don't know. A while."

"You've been coming to this store for years. Long before I started here and I've been here three years."

"So?"

"We've have always tried to treat you well and help you find what you need."

"Yes, you have."

"Well, it pains me to say this, but I think that perhaps you need to shop someplace else. We can't keep selling you clothes only to have you return them. It costs the store money every time you do."

Deanna looked at the floor for a moment before looking at Melody again. In a soft voice, "Please don't do that."

"I don't know what else to do" was all that Melody could say.

Deanna looked at Melody for several seconds, pondering her next step. She didn't want to shop somewhere else and Melody has been a good friend over the past couple of years and she didn't want to lose that either. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Sure, we can talk in my office." She started to turn and raised her hand, waving it to beckon Deanna to follow her. Stopping at the register, "Emily, Deanna and I are going back to my office and talk for a bit. Let me know if you need help."

"No problem" Emily replied with a smile and a look that said 'Good luck'.

Melody led Deanna to the back office and offered her a seat. She closed the door behind them and took another seat just off to the side. Deanna's dress slid up her legs as she sat down, exposing her inner thigh as she crossed her legs. Melody was also wearing a short dress and pantyhose and was cautious about displaying too much. Putting her knees together and resting her forearms on them, she leaned forward, waiting for Deanna.

Deanna looked over to Melody and could see down the top of her blouse and the cleavage of the tops of her breasts. She had always admired her looks and wondered for a moment what her breasts were like and how they might feel in her hands.

Looking at Melody, "I'm sorry, Mel. I just seemed to have lost my touch in finding nice things to wear."

Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, "I'm not sure I know what you mean. I've helped you find things each time you've come in. You've tried them on and seemed happy with how you look. I know both Emily and I thought you looked pretty damn good in them."

With a sigh of her shoulders, "Yeah, I guess not everyone thinks so."

Sitting back up, "Okay, now I'm really confused."

Deanna looked around the room a little before answering, 'How much should I say?' She looked back at Melody whom she could tell was waiting for her to elaborate. 'She's always been a friend to me when I come in.' Deanna let go another sigh, "Well, things haven't been good at work and my social life, well, there isn't a social life."

"I'm sorry to hear that" Melody said, truly feeling bad for her friend.

"Yeah, well. I have to work with a bunch of guys and they all seem to be assholes. They treat me as if I'm not even there. I tried to change how I dress even going so far as to wear skirts that showed a little leg. But no, I still don't exist."

Melody was starting to get the idea. 'Well if you have the same attitude at work as you do here, you'll never have any friends, work or social.' She nodded to indicate that she understood, "What about your social life."

Deanna looked at Melody and Melody could see that her eyes were a little redder than they were when they came into the office. "What social life?"

"I thought you were seeing someone a while back."

"That was two years ago. He just upped and left one day telling me that it was over. I didn't have any idea that he was even thinking of leaving. Asshole."

Nodding her head more, the picture was becoming clear for Melody, "So there's been no one since?"

"NO! I'm tired of going home to a dark, empty condo every night."

Melody thought to herself for a moment, deciding to take a risk, "When was the last time that you 'been' with a man, so to speak?" using her fingers to air quotation marks.

Deanna looked at her friend, not quite expecting the question, "There's been no one since the asshole moved out" she replied and then looked down into her lap. She was suddenly embarrassed.

Melody scooted her chair closer to Deanna and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Deanna, I don't think it's the clothes." Deanna looked up as Melody continued, "Look at you, you have a gorgeous figure, a figure that many a female would love to have. One that I have no doubt that many a man would adore as well."

Deanna didn't say a word as she continued to look at Melody, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

Melody moved her hand and placed it on Deanna's knee. "Lose the bun, let your hair down. Relax a little. Get rid of that chip on your shoulder."

Deanna jerked her head up to glare at Melody and was abort to give a retort. But the look on Melody's face was such that it was a friend trying to help and not someone trying to hurt.

"I'm so tired of being alone. I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life. I just know it."

"I'm willing to bet you're wrong. You are a very sexy looking woman. With a few changes, I have no doubt that you'll have guys knocking at your door."

Melody smiled inwardly, 'I have no doubt that Mike would fall in love with your legs and would want to explore more.'

"Deanna, I have an idea."