Who Said That Three is a Crowd?

by Samantha Michelle Davies

Part 7 – Judy Gets Ambitious

 

The next morning I awoke to find only TJ still with me in bed. I kissed her gently but passionately. I got a little reaction from her but it was obvious that she was really asleep. I made a mental note that I should wake her up just by kissing and fondling her another morning. I slid out of bed, got dressed and went downstairs. I found fresh coffee brewing and I heard the clatter of the PC Keyboard. Judy was hard at work surfing the net. I went over and peered over her shoulder at what she was doing.

 

I was shocked at what I saw. She was looking at the web site of the Manufacturer of the Chastity belts we were all wearing.

"You didn't tell us about these little extras that are available for these things. Did You?"

"I didn't think that you would be interested!" I protested.

"Wouldn't be interested my arse!" She then smiled.

"That is no language for a lady" I commented

"I was laying in bed early this morning thinking about what you said about dressing to kill in business and also using these things as power over adventurous men. Well I thought we should get some pleasure from these as well. So Here I am."

"What exactly have you done then?" I enquired.

"I have spent some of your money on a few of these extra features that you confidently forgot to get when you made the original purchase"

"What did you buy?"

"You will have to wait and see. Won't you!" She flipped to another browser window and changed the subject.

 

"I have been looking at some of the places where you can buy custom made shoes. Shoes are an essential accessory for any woman. Look at the success of designer like Jimmy Choo. But, I want to be able to design shoes and have them made. This will also help TJ show off her outfits in the best light. The choice falls into on of two categories. Firstly there are the bespoke cobblers. These charge the proverbial arm and a leg for their work and frankly, many of them could not make a woman's shoe to save their lives. Then there is the lower end of the scale. This is mainly for the Fetish & TV/TG market.

Many are pretty poor quality and fit only for TV's but there are one or two that could be useful to us."

"You have certainly been giving this some thought. So, exactly what have you in mind? I already know it is devious but what are you planning?" I enquired.

"You have seen that I have sort of gotten used to wearing these heels but I want to have my own shoes. You have your own shoes. TJ should have her own as well. They also should fit properly for maximum comfort and be made of the best materials especially leather "

"That is a good point. So what do you propose to do next?"

"That's up to you."

"Why me?"

I sort of guessed what was coming.

 

"Well. We sort of have our own tame corset supplier with Georgina."

"Yes that's true" I commented.

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I want you to buy one of these companies and get them making custom designed shoes alongside their current things"

"It's a company thing, its up to US not me. Ok, so you can wrap TJ around you little finger with this but I'm not convinced.

I could see that she was a little disappointed.

"So, do you think you are the next Jimmy Choo?" I said trying to be more positive.

"Yes quite possibly. If I'm going to concentrate of things like shoes, hats & bags"

"So my dear how much would one of these Companies cost me? Why couldn't we just contract them to make things for us" I said more than a little concerned.

"We could do that but I would want total control so, it comes down to having our own manufacturer. I don't know the exact cost but it should not be very much. Providing…" she paused

"Providing What?" I enquired.

"Well. We would need to find the right company. Not one where the owner is out to make a quick killing"

"That pretty obvious. From your tone I think you have possibly found such a company!"

"Yes I think I have. Here are the details," She said pulling up a new web page from an established commercial agent.

"Print it all off so that we can look at it together."

"This is certainly not something that you have thought up at the last minute" I remarked.

She printed out the details. Over coffee we discussed the issues about doing something like this. This was not an option I had ever dreamed of but the more we talked about it the more I got to like the idea but I was determined to be cautious. This was well beyond anything I had ever dreamed about. Still, It was nice to see Judy using her imagination.

 

Just about the TJ came wondering down still half asleep and needing to run a brush through her hair.

"Look what the cat dragged in," said Judy

She got a soft punch in the upper arm for that remark.

"I smell coffee"

I poured her a cup.

"While you have been sleeping, Judy here has been making plans for us to spend lots of money"

TJ was suddenly wide-awake. She always took a keen interest where money was concerned.

"What have you been doing!" she demanded.

"I think we shall keep that a surprise until we have done some more work. I think Judy and I will go and do some investigations today. I suggest that you stay here and do the housework."

"Why me? You know I hate doing it?" She protested.

"Before we go, there is something I want you both to see. Take your coffee into the sitting room. I will be back in a min."

 

I went to my bedroom and unlocked the closet. I took a video from the shelf and went downstairs after locking the door.

 

I put the video in the player and we all sat down. It was one I had shot about a week before the night of the fashion show.

"Hey that's the college!" exclaimed Judy.

"Shhh. Be quiet!" snapped TJ

 

A picture came on the screen of TJ & Judy walking along the street.

"You were stalking us!" said TJ almost shouting.

"I was sitting in a car looking at the ladies walking along the street. I was there as Freddie not Mike. No one took a second look at me. Forget who it is instead, concentrate on what the people are doing." I instructed.

 

There were several sequences of different women waling along the street.

 

After about two minutes the sequence ended. I rewound the tape and played it again.

"Look closely at how the women are walking. Notice that most are striding. Look at the woman who is about to come into shot. What do you notice about her?" I asked them.

"She is wearing a skirt with a split. Oh it has a tear in the skirt where she has taken big strides" said TJ.

"That's it exactly. Now look at this". I fast-forwarded the video to another sequence.

 

This showed some women strolling rather than striding. The difference was startling but their whole demeanour was still purposeful.

"But what else do you notice about them. Look at their shoes" I asked them both.

I played the sequence twice more

"Well?"

"I can't see anything wrong with what they are doing. Their shoes look well matched to the clothes they are wearing," remarked TJ

Judy was shaking her head and looking mystified.

"I said look at the shoes," I said as I started the sequence once more.

I froze the picture after a few seconds.

"Notice the little white marks just in front of the heels. They are price labels. Next time you go out shopping look at how many women are just too lazy to remove them. I think it looks cheap and tacky. Not the sort of thing a proper woman/lady would do"

 

"So ladies apart from the labels, what do you see as the difference between the two sequences?"

"The second one shows women being women and not being like a man" Said Judy.

"And they look better as well" continued TJ.

 

"That ladies is the next lesson. TJ, go and get dressed for the housework. Judy and I will get dressed to go out on Business." I said ejecting the video from the player.

 

I got dressed in a two-piece pinstripe business suit. The skirt finished about an inch above the knee. I had a high collar silk blouse with a simple black onyx necklace. Black stockings and a pair of black sling-backs with two-inch heels completed the outfit. Just the right outfit for the task in hand.

 

Judy came into the bedroom looking fine. She was dressed much softer in style but still purposeful.

 

TJ came striding in dressed for the housework.

"Right. How can we stop you striding?" I questioned. "Ah I know" I knelt down in front of her and pulled the keys to the locks to her ankle boots from my pocket. I unlocked on of the locks an each leg. I then reached under the bed and pulled an eight-inch length on chain. I attached the chain to her boots using the locks.

 

"But I can't walk. Why are you doing this to me?" The pleaded.

"There. Try striding now. You have to take much smaller steps now! Remember, it's our turn later" I said calmly.

 

Before TJ could protest I grabbed Judy's hand and we left for our business trip.

 

As we were heading up the drive Judy said "That was cruel"

"Our turn will no doubt come tomorrow Ok? Lets concentrate of the matters in hand for today. We have a lot to do"

 

We spent the rest of the journey to Northampton discussing some general ideas of what we might need in a company. We agreed that we needed the ability to produce bespoke leather goods as well as a range of off the shelf products to keep the company ticking over on a day-to-day basis. I posed the alternative where we used a company on a contract basis. Judy did not think that would work. Besides she wanted to design shoes and have a market for them.

 

Judy had got the addresses of a couple of companies who mainly catered for the TV market. They made shoes in male sizes up to 13. Our plan was that we would pose as a couple looking for shoes for their husbands.

 

We arrived at the first company just before lunch. They had a small workshop cum showroom in a new industrial park on the eastern side of the town. We met the manager Dave. He showed us the catalogue. Frankly it was a bit tired. No leather was used. It was all synthetic materials. I did notice that the two main workers Jim & Steve both had diplomas as master boot-makers mounted on the wall over their benches. Northampton had once been a great centre of show & boot making. Cheap imports had decimated the businesses. Now there were in reality only a few hundred people working in the shoe trade now. This was probably all the work they could get. They were both in their mid thirties. I could hear Jim's Scottish brogue as he cursed when a needle on the sewing machine broke.

 

We looked at the range of shoes and boots they had for sale. We looked at each other and we simultaneously shook out heads and decided to leave. Before doing so we asked the manager if he knew of any other places that might have whet we were looking for. He directed us to the other place that Judy had found on the Internet. Judy purchased a pair of thigh boots with 6-inch heels for TJ and we left.

 

We drove across the town to the other business. This was a much larger concern. This was evident to us from the sophistication of their web site. This was the business that was for sale. We were greeted as we entered by John, the shop manager. The place was busy with a couple of people packing orders for dispatch. We looked at the catalogue and found a much wider range of shoes and boots. We looked at some and I did wonder about the quality of the work. Like the previous establishment, they did not use any leather in anything of their products. None of the workers had any diplomas on show unlike those at the other business.

 

We adjourned to a pub on the outskirts of the town and ordered some food while we discussed the places we had visited. We were both of the same opinion that the second company was not for us. It was too big and we did not think that the skill of the workers was what we needed. Over some terrible tuna & cucumber sandwiches we formulated a plan.

 

I made a call to TJ. I had to wait a long time for the phone to be answered but that was understandable given her circumstances. I explained that we would be late back and to get dinner for herself. We would get something here before coming home.

 

It was getting near to 5:00pm when we got back to the first company. We were just in time to see Jim getting into his car ready to drive home. We followed him to a large estate on the outskirts of the town. As he was going into his home we approached him.

 

"Jim" I called. "Can we have a word with you please?"

"Oh hello ladies" he said surprised to see us there.

"You were in the shop earlier. I didn't expect to see you again but what can I do for you?"

"Could we go inside your house? We could have some business to discuss," I said.

His look was one of sheer puzzlement but also of interest.

 

He invited us into his home. His wife was busy making his tea. We sat down and properly introduced ourselves. We explained that we wanted to be able to produce quality leather shoes and other goods to go with a range of clothing that we were going to produce.

 

"I've never heard of you," he said.

"That's not surprising. Judy here graduated from a London Fashion School last July. She and her colleague are the designers. We are in the process of getting started" I replied.

We went on to explain what we had noticed about the company he worked for. Jim said that he did not expect them to survive beyond the end of the year. He agreed that the whole range needed a complete overhaul but the owner did not seem to have any interest in the business since her husband who founded the company was killed in a car accident over a year before. He was also frustrated not to be using his skills as a boot maker.

 

I went straight out and asked if the owner would sell the business. His face lit up and said, "Yes. I'm sure she would". He then went on to say "Ladies, if you take over the place, I would be happy to work for you. Actually, even if you didn't take us over I would like to come and work for you. I am sure that Steve would do the same." I gave him our phone number and asked him to call us with the contact details of the owner. He said he would just that the following evening.

 

We said thank you and said started to say our goodbyes. We told Jim that he would be hearing from us in a few days after we had discussed things further. As we left, Jim took hold of my arm and surprised me by whispering in my ear in his soft Scottish brogue, "Laddie, You make the best woman I have ever seen. Don't worry your secret is safe with me" I was very shocked indeed. I wondered how he had 'read' me but that would have to wait for another time. I got in the car and we started our drive home.

 

I did not say much when we got back to the car. A couple of times Judy tried to get me to open up as we negotiated our way out of Northampton and onto the A43. I glared at her. This shut her up for the time being. My mind was frantically trying to figure out how Jim had 'read' me. This had not happened for a long time.

We stopped at a pub near the Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit for a quick meal. We discussed our options. We could try to buy the company or set-up something with Jim & Steve as our workers. The food was much better here so we were not distracted with the awfulness of the fare as we had been at lunchtime.

 

As the business talk dried up, Judy asked me

"What happened back there as we left Jim's house. One minute you were on a high. The next, it was as if the floor had opened up and swallowed you whole"

I knew this was coming.

"Jim 'read' me. That has not happened for a very long time. It is not something that I had been prepared for. It was a bolt right out of the blue"

"Ha-Ha!" laughed Judy. "Is that all? You are a right old woman at times and that's no mistake. Worrying you're self to death about something so trivial. If you are still worried, then just ask him next time we see him" she said comfortingly.

 

The tension between us relaxed visibly. We chatted about lots of things in genera but business was never very far from the topic of our conversation.

Judy was certain that we could pick up the company for a small sum. If that option failed then, would we contemplate setting up something with Jim & Steve. I raised my glass of Mineral Water and we toasted to our success.

 

We arrived home well after 10:00pm. TJ was still up, gently fuming. She hobbled to the front door and opened it. Her stare was like a pair of daggers. I could understand her frustrations but I was sure it would a lesson well learned. I placated her by saying that it was our turn tomorrow.

"I will take great pleasure in locking you both up in the morning. Then I'm going shopping"

 

I unlocked her and we all trooped off to bed together.

 

Continued in Part 8

  

  

  

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