Mandy nodded, before hurrying out of his office. Meghan and Jen quickly looked busy and Mandy bee-lined for the restroom. Once inside, Mandy locked the door so no one could disturb her. She fixed her hair and straightened her blouse, before taking care of the mess of Justin's fluids. When she finally felt presentable, she left the bathroom, but swung by Ally's desk first.
"What time are we supposed to go today?" Mandy asked, referring to their shopping excursion.
Ally smiled widely at her. "How about noon? We are going to King's Lake, so I thought we could grab some lunch there, too."
Of course, Mandy thought to herself, Justin would have them shop at King's Lake. It was the most exclusive shopping mall for miles. It was filled with expensive, designer stores. Mandy nodded before heading back to her desk. Jen smiled at her, while Meghan busied herself with typing. Jen motioned to Meghan and rolled her eyes. Grateful for the alliance, Mandy smiled before settling into work. She had been at work for over an hour, and all she had manage to accomplish was being violently fucked by her boss, who also happened to be her so-called Master.
Noon rolled around quickly, and anxious to escape the awkwardness that had set in at the alcove, Mandy grabbed her bag and said a sheepish good bye to Meghan and Jen. She felt bad leaving the two girls to cover her, but then again she was now Justin's Property, and Justin had requested she go shopping with Ally today. Clearly, Justin found this more important than her working in the office.
As Mandy approached Ally's desk, she quickly shut off her computer and grabbed her purse, smiling all the while. Ally seemed perpetually happy.
"Are you always this happy?" Mandy asked, unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
Ally didn't look bothered in the least. "Yes, I guess I am. I don't know. It's just my personality!" She shrugged as they stepped into the parking lot, Ally's pointy and expensive heels click-clacketing across the asphalt. As always, Ally was perfectly coiffed. Not a hair out of place in her sleek ponytail, and her charcoal grey pencil skirt complimented her blue blouse perfectly.
"I'll drive," Ally said in her chipper voice, and Mandy was relieved. She climbed into Ally's Audi and they sped off towards King's Lake. King's Lake was a forty minute drive, but Mandy didn't have to say much as Ally was more than happy to carry on the conversation. She chattered on about all the stores they were going to visit, as well as the ones they would stay away from. She debated on what to have for lunch, salads or sushi, and where to park the car, at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus?
Mandy smiled and nodded at the appropriate moments and she was more than happy to listen to Ally. As they neared the mall, Ally began talking about the costume party, which reminded Mandy that she needed to ask about buying an outfit.
"I wanted to ask you. Is this an occasion where I need to buy a new outfit? Or can I just find something that I have at home?" she asked, as she played with her nails.
Ally giggled, "Do you happen to have a ball gown lying around at home?"
"Ball gown?" Mandy screeched, "I thought it was a costume party!"
Ally nodded solemnly, as if explaining something of great importance. "Yes, it a costume party, but think of it as a masked ball."
Rolling her eyes, Mandy sunk back into the seat. Of course this couldn't be a party where she wore all black with some cat ears and a tail. This was going to be a full out event.
"Don't worry. It's on my list of things to pick up today. You're going to have to look ravishing considering that you're the – "
"Property. Yadda, yadda, yadda," Mandy said, cutting her off.
"Mandy do you know just how big an honor this is?" Ally admonished.
"What I do know is that it's becoming more of a nuisance by the hour," she said. "I don't know why I even agreed to the damn thing," she muttered under her breath.
"Do you know how many of us would die to be the Property?" Ally asked shrilly, her normal peppy voice gone.
"Then why aren't any of you?" Mandy burst out, unable to hold in her feelings. "I don't get it! Why did Justin choose me? I'm not nearly as pretty as any of you and I dress like crap! All of you look perfect! I don't fit in at all. I can't figure out what Justin sees in me!" Mandy knew she sounded like a petulant child, but she couldn't help herself. She had been wrestling with these thoughts since the day she walked into McIntyre Technologies.
Ally pulled into a parking space and shut the car off before turning to look at Mandy directly. Embarrassed, Mandy looked out the window so she wouldn't have to meet Ally's gaze.
"It's clear to the rest of us. Why isn't it clear to you?" Ally asked softly, almost to herself. Mandy felt uncomfortable, as if she should be having this conversation with Justin instead.
"He chose you because you are far more interesting that the rest of us. We all threw ourselves at him, but you didn't. He's used to idiots like us throwing ourselves at him. You have character. Not that the rest of us don't, but you are certainly more charming than me, Meghan or Jen."
Mandy rolled her eyes; that was definitely not true.
"Don't roll your eyes! It's the truth! You can handle Justin. None of us could handle him the way you do, and while we envy you, we know deep down it's the truth. Do you think Meghan could take his orders and do what you are doing behind closed doors and then come back out and do her job? Of course not! And neither could Jen. She'd be flitting around the office, buzzing like a bee, unable to focus. You are exactly what Justin is looking for. Someone who can handle his personality, meet his demands and desires and then come into the office and do your job."
Embarrassed again, Mandy looked away. Could Ally's words be true? It didn't make sense. Guys fell for girls like her, not girls like Mandy.
"It doesn't make sense!" Mandy argued. "And even if it did make sense, I'm not nearly as pretty as any of you."
"You are a natural beauty. It takes hard work for the rest of us to look like this, but you're naturally pretty. That's what Justin likes. He's a werewolf for Christ's sake. He doesn't want a woman that takes hours to get ready!"
Mandy didn't believe Ally would lie to her, and she felt relief begin to course through her. Maybe she was worthy of Justin after all.
"Alright, enough!" Ally said playfully, "Let's get inside and spend Justin's money! We have a wardrobe to buy you!" She hopped out of the car and Mandy followed.
"That's another thing – why do you all dress so well?" Mandy asked as she nearly ran to catch up with Ally.
"Oh. Well, we have a wardrobe stipend."
"A what?"
"You know, we have a special allowance for clothing. Justin prefers his employees to be dressed well and to set the right tone in the office. Many of us have a stipend for clothes," she said matter-of-factly. Mandy realized that it made perfect sense.
"Well, why don't I have a stipend then?" she asked suddenly.
"Because you're the Property! You don't need a stipend. You have Justin's wealth at your disposal!"
Mandy wasn't sure if she liked the idea of having access to Justin's money. It seemed too big of a responsibility.
"But, I wasn't the property when I first started! I was just a regular worker and I didn't have a stipend," she argued.
"Justin doesn't usually give stipends until employees have been with the company for four weeks. He likes to make sure they are a good fit before he offers the stipend."
Somewhat appeased, Mandy followed Ally into the mall. Ally was clearly in her element as they moved from store to store, their arms becoming more and more laden with bags. They purchased pair after pair of shoes, skirts of all shapes and lengths, various dresses, multiples pairs of pants with an array of blouses and shirts. Mandy stopped looking at the price tags because it was too unbearable to see the costs. She constantly reminded herself that this was what Justin wanted.
The women needed to make three trips back to the car to drop off bags, and Mandy realized it would have been impossible for anyone else to join them. The trunk had been easily filled, and the bags were now spilling into the backseat and piling precariously high. They were just finishing up with jewelry and accessorizes when Ally smacked her head with recall.
"I almost forgot! We have to find you a gown for the party!" she exclaimed. Mandy was tired and it was already past four o'clock. She trudged behind Ally as Ally led her to a fancy store with racks of long gowns. Ally rifled skillfully through the racks before extracting two gowns. One was a deep plum shade, while the other was a jeweled-indigo shade. The plum dress was stunning, but the indigo dress was beyond words. Even Mandy gasped at her own reflection. The dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline that was adorned with twinkling crystals. The dress was rouched and fitted through the waist, but once it reached her hips, it fanned out, cascading down her frame in gentle ripples. The material seemed to float above the ground, and Mandy looked ethereal.