Mr. Cowall drags Katie to the mall

"And he keeps calling me 'Kate' for some reason."

Katie followed her boss's lead through the mall. He was walking through the place like a man on a mission. Since it was the middle of the morning on a weekday, the mall was relatively empty and he rarely had to slow his gait. They only had to avoid the occasional stroller mom and seemingly the same group of hexagenarian mall-walkers.

Earlier that morning, Mr. Cowall had suggested they take a break from work and go to the mall. At first, Katie objected; she didn't need the temptation to spend money, and she frankly still didn't feel comfortable spending time with Mr. Cowall outside of the office, but he was, as usual quite convincing. She had to agree that they both deserved a bit of a break from the drudgery of routine, so she decided to tag along. He wouldn't tell her what he needed to buy, but it wasn't really her business so she didn't pry. At some point, their conversation transitioned to her relationship with Jake, and she felt the dam burst.

"I just don't understand why he's being so passive aggressive about everything," she finished.

"Have you talked to him about it?" asked Mr. Cowall. He barely looked over his shoulder to ask her as he trodded on. He seemed to be in quite a rush.

"He should know how much I hate that name," she snarled, "He may as well just call me a bitch instead, but he's choosing to be passive aggressive instead." Katie followed her boss into a shoe store, failing to notice as he walked towards the women's shoes. Her eyebrows softened as her expression changed from annoyance to one of despair. "I just don't know what I did wrong. I wish he'd tell me, but he keeps acting like I'm the crazy one."

"Mmhmm..." nodded her boss. His attention seemed to be more drawn towards the wall of boots in front of him.

Katie could tell he wasn't listening anymore, so she dropped the subject and finally took in her surroundings. "Wait. Why are we-"

"What do you think of this boot?" Mr. Cowall asked, not bothering to answer her question. He passed her a black Chelsea boot from the display.

Katie was confused, but she grabbed the boot. It looked fashionable enough, she had noticed a lot of other women wearing similar boots. They seemed quite versatile, but these also felt like they would be warm enough for their winters. "It looks like a good boot," Katie said and she passed it back to him. "Who is it for?"

Mr. Cowall's eyes were trained on her, seemingly studying her face for any reaction. "You," he curtly replied.

Katie was not expecting that response in the slightest and her eyes quickly flicked to the tag on the boot and the absurd price it showed. "Oh, no, no, no," she quickly refused, "I already have winter boots. They work great."

Mr. Cowall rolled his eyes and placed the boot back in its spot. "If you're going for a hike with your boyfriend, they'd be great," he said before turning his gaze upon her once again, this time engaging in direct eye contact. Katie blushed. The intensity of his eyes used to make her uncomfortable, but now she couldn't look away. She would just get lost in the icy pools of his irises. "But you're a woman working in the city. Don't you agree that you should wear things that are more stylish? More feminine? More attractive?"

Katie nodded slowly. More stylish and feminine. Attractive. He was right. She tore her eyes away from his and looked down at the winter hikers on her feet. They looked so bulky and clunky. She hadn't realized it before, but they were so terribly unattractive. The woman looked back into her boss's eyes. God, he had such striking eyes.

"Y-yea," she stammered, "I really should, but I can't afford those."

Mr. Cowall's stern face broke and cracked a wide smile. "Relax, they'll be my treat."

Katie shook her head and snapped her eyes away from his once again. "No, no, no," she said, "I can't accept that. They're so expensive!"

He chuckled and began to flag down an associate, "Consider it a pre-winter-bonus bonus." Katie continued to shake her head. "An early Christmas present?"

"No," said Katie, "Jake is still wary of you and me. He'll flip if he knows you're buying me shoes."

"Boots," corrected her boss, "But shoes aren't a bad idea either." An associate began walking over, so he quickly turned his attention back to Katie. She immediately fell deep into his gaze like his eyes were icy-blue whirlpools. "What he doesn't know won't hurt you, don't you agree? Just tell him you found them on a discount rack. He's not going to know where they're from."

Katie nodded again. "Discount rack," she murmured. Yea, she could tell Jake she found them on sale. It's not like he would know any better. It's not like he'd know that Mr. Cowall bought them for her.

"Hello!" said Mr. Cowall to the sales associate as she approached. Katie shook her head free from her fog and looked at the woman. The woman was thin, maybe athletic, with long blonde hair and a rosy smile. She was wearing a stylish red blouse and a beige pencil skirt that went down past her knees. Katie couldn't help but notice how Mr. Cowall's eyes completely drank the woman up in a predatory gaze. She remembered how he used to do the same to her and it used to make her uncomfortable. If the sales associate was uncomfortable though, she was doing a good job of hiding it. Her customer service smile remained unfazed on her face.

Mr. Cowall showed the boot to the woman. "We need this in a size... Katie?"

Katie blinked. "Seven and a half," she responded by reflex, still unsure if she was going to accept her boss's gift.

"Sure thing," smiled the associate, and she turned to leave. Mr. Cowall's gaze remained fixed on the woman, although pointedly lower than it was before.

Katie wondered why or when Mr. Cowall stopped looking at her that way. The woman was about the same age as Katie and had around the same physique, although Katie's breasts were bigger, and while the associate's blonde hair shone in stark contrast to Katie's dark brown, the woman served as a facsimile to Katie's self. Katie couldn't help but notice how Mr. Cowall's eyes completely drank the blonde woman up as she walked away. The associate turned into a hallway at the back of the store, disappearing from their view, but the sound of her heels continued to echo through the quiet store until they too quietly vanished. Mr. Cowall's attention finally shifted and he looked back at the wall of boots and shoes, seemingly ignoring Katie's existence. He grabbed the occasional boot and looked it over before putting it back down.

Katie couldn't help but wonder why he didn't leer at her anymore? What changed? Not that Katie minded or was jealous of the woman receiving his lecherous gaze. His attempts to leer at her were hardly discreet or welcome. Still...

She thought back to the woman's appearance. For all intents and purposes, if Mr. Cowall was attracted to the associate, he should also see the same in Katie, but... Had he become bored of Katie? Accustomed to her body? Her appearance? Had he simply accepted the idea that she would never leave Jake to be with him?

The sound of the associate's heels on the tile floor returned, shaking Katie from her reverie. She realized she hadn't moved since the associate left and had been stuck in a stare the entire time. Her gaze shifted to see the woman return with a shoe box, and she couldn't help but notice that Mr. Cowall's eyes immediately did the same. Katie recognized the intensity in his eyes and the slight upturn in the corners of his mouth. It felt like forever since he last looked at her that way. She wasn't jealous, right? That would be absurd. But what did the sales girl have that she didn't?

The woman's heels clicked as she neared the pair. Her hips swayed in her beige pencil skirt when she walked. Her red blouse was unbuttoned just enough to still be professional, but also flirty. Sultry. Stylish. Feminine.

Katie thought about her own white blouse and navy slacks. Sure, they were both obviously womenswear, but they definitely lacked femininity. They didn't accentuate the curves of her body. They weren't stylish. They didn't show off the figure she'd been working so hard to achieve...

"Here's a seven and a half for you!" said the sales woman and she handed the box to Katie. Katie found her eyes drawn to the woman's ruby red lips. They looked so full and vibrant.

"Th-thanks," said Katie, still confused and caught up in her self reflection.

"No problem. Just let me know if you need any other sizes," smiled the woman.

"Actually," Mr. Cowall interjected, "Is that boot warm?" He pointed away from Katie towards a low shelf holding multiple different boots.

"Which one?" asked the associate. She gracefully walked over to the shelf and bent down in preparation to grab whichever boot Mr. Cowall said. Her ass pushed against her tight skirt and Mr. Cowall's gaze hungrily ate up the sight.

Katie was fully aware that he didn't care about any of the boots on that shelf. She knew he was doing it all in an attempt to ogle the girl some more, but instead of scoff, Katie couldn't tear her own eyes away from the woman. She just looked so exquisitely femine. So attractive. Katie admired how her skirt both accentuated her hips and showed off her calves. She loved her heels: shiny black with red soles. The perfect match to her red blouse, ruby lips and crimson nails. She watched the woman intently as Mr. Cowall kept her busy. Katie studied her manuerisms, examined her wardrobe and makeup, and simply basked in her femininity. She realized that this was what Mr. Cowall had been talking about before. This was femininity. She wanted to be like this woman. She wanted to be more stylish, more feminine, more attractive. She wanted nice clothes, pretty skirts, feminine blouses and shirts, and shoes. She really wanted new shoes, like the ones the associate was wearing.

"Well?" asked Mr. Cowall. Katie blinked, once again realizing she had been stuck in a stare and hadn't moved. "Are you going to try them on?" Both Mr. Cowall and the sales woman were watching her.

Katie blushed furiously. "Sorry, just being a space cadet today," she said with a chuckle and began opening the box while she sat down on a nearby bench.

The sales woman tried escaping once again. "I'll just be over at the counter if you need any more sizes."

"Actually," Katie's mouth began before her mind could fully catch up. Her face flushed once again as both sets of eyes darted back to her. Was she actually going to ask for it... "Umm... Shoes," she stammered, "The ones you're wearing." Thankfully that took away the associate's attention, even if Mr. Cowall's gaze remained fixed on her blushing face. "Where did you get those?"

The associate looked back up and smiled. "I'll go get you a pair."

Katie thanked her and turned her attention back to the boots in her hands. She was painfully aware of Mr. Cowall's gaze now, and how he never gave the associate another glance.