I debated playing with her, but this was just too funny to break the illusion. If I started doing really scary stuff to her, things she really didn't want, especially pain, and she'd realize she wasn't in dreamland after all.

The women were excited. Trying on different items. Just being female. I loved watching them. All of them. Moving around the store. Completely happy. Not caring in the slightest that they were nude. None of them. Anne was even smiling. Making suggestions.

Finally I spoke from my seat. "Girls? We don't have all day. Remember Elizabeth?"

Anne softly asked Jane, "Who's Elizabeth?"

Jane smiled evilly and leaned over the counter. "She's the girl we left at home. Tied up. Naked as well. She's probably getting uncomfortable by now. Even though she can still talk to Sheila if she's bored."

Anne's eyes widened at that, but she just nodded as though Jane had explained the general theory of relativity to her. I smiled as I kept seeing Anne pinch her bare arm. Looking a bit confused when it failed to wake her up.

Finally the girls presented themselves to me. Just standing in front of me. Christi had picked out a necklace and earrings. Both with red rubies. Jane had gone green, with emerald. A silver bracelet and a necklace. Amy had a saffire and diamond tennis bracelet gracing her left wrist. Rubbing up against her handcuffs. A thin gold chain around her right ankle. All the girls were beaming. None of them could hope to afford any of this in their former life.

Christi opened her hand. She showed me another necklace, a bracelet, and two anklets for Elizabeth and Sheila. All the jewelry they picked out was stunning. They certainly had taste. Instead of distracting from their nudity, the gems enhanced it. I don't know why I was surprised.

I ushered the girls out of the store, laughing and admiring their new possessions. Certainly female. I just shook my head as they filed out into the mall standing around the cart looking at themselves.

I turned to Anne. I motioned her out from behind her displays.

Without a look of worry she pranced out. On second glance she did look nice. Not stunning like Christi or Jane. Kind of plain. But she had an inner beauty behind her blue eyes. She was a kind and caring person on the real timeline. I could just tell. She stood nonchalantly in front of me.

"This where we f.u.c.k?"

I cringed at her use of the word. Seemed wrong coming from her lips. In other circ.u.mstances I might have punished her for it.

"Anne. Come here," I said to the nude girl.

She walked over on her bare feet and carefully draped herself into my lap. She kissed me on the lips. Arms loosely around my neck. Still thought she was dreaming.

"This is the most realistic d.a.m.n dream I've ever had." She smirked. "Why don't we get you out of these clothes." Her fingers pulled at my top gently.

I kissed her lips again. Softly bit her lower lip.

She backed her face away from me, realizing that the sensations on her body were just a touch too realistic. "This isn't a dream. Is it?"

"No, honey."

She scrambled off my lap. Her breathing laboured.

"It must be a dream. There were just three naked girls in here. I just took off my clothes for you. I'm aroused. It has to be a dream." She pinched her right arm again. No response.

I almost laughed. "You dream like this often?"

"Sometimes."

"Anne. You were a wonderful help."

She looked confused. Looking around. Fear creeping into her eyes.

"What's going on?"

I didn't bother answering her. I just shook my head and released her from our time line. Her mouth formed a small *o' just before she returned to her normal timeline. Clothed. And waiting for the next customer to walk in. Minus a few lovely pieces of jewelry. I hoped that the next customer didn't make her strip and rob her.

Chapter 98.

I exited the store and walked back to the shopping cart. Christi, smiling, moved back to her post and placed her hands back on the pushbar.

"What the h.e.l.l got into you?"

"You were behaving. And it didn't seem fair to go shopping and not let you get anything. Besides, I kind of promised Elizabeth a present."

"This stuff is gorgeous."

"Don't get too used to it."

"Thank-you," she whispered. Such a change. A week ago, if I'd told her that she'd be thanking me for allowing her to shop naked in a jewelry shop with two other nude women, in handcuffs no less, she'd probably have laughed her a.s.s off.

"Come on, then." I gave her a playful swat on the rear and she squealed. Prodded into motion, she moved back down the mall.

We stopped at the drugstore. I sent Amy and Jane in to pick up basics. Toothbrushes and hair clips for the girls. Toothpaste. Soap. Whatever their normal shampoo was. Tissue. Basic stuff.

Once the two girls had disappeared into the store, Christi tried to talk to me.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Yeah. You seem. Unstable."

"Unstable? You looking for punishment?"

"No. Please. I'll stop asking dumb questions if you want."

"It's alright. What were you saying?"

"Unstable. You were happy in the morning. Treating us nicely. Then you scared the h.e.l.l out of us. Were cruel to Elizabeth for no reason. She's still suffering. You torment the h.e.l.l out of two cashiers for no reason. G.o.d knows what you ended up doing to that poor woman, Kara. Then you are nice to us again. It's hard to keep up."

I smiled. Way to keep them off balance.

"I don't know. I just sometimes need something. I'm kind of struggling to find out what."

"If it's s.e.x, you know that I'll be more than willing. You can have me right here. I don't care. You don't need to hurt us to get that."

"Christi. Let me ask you a question."

"Alright."

"If I offered to send you back right now, would you want to go?"

"Of course. I think."

"Alright then. I'm giving you a choice. Stay or I'll send you back. Your choice."

"Don't give me that choice. Please. Give it to Amy. Or Jane."

"You don't want to go. Do you?"

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"I really don't know. I hate you. Then I like you. Then you let me have jewelry. Then I hate you when you force me to do some of the things you do. And I don't like having to keep my hands here. Just because you say so. I don't know. I kind of like not having a million people around. Stressing me out. All these people don't even know I exist." Referring to the frozen people in the mall. "You know? In some ways it is really peaceful. It would be paradise if it wasn't for some of the things you make me do. But I'm not even minding most of that now. It doesn't seem like that bad a trade. Some torment for some peace."

"So you like the lack of responsibility?"

"Yeah. It's easier to have fun when you don't have to worry about the consequences. The s.e.x is certainly easier."

"My thoughts exactly. Alright. I wasn't going to send you back anyway. Just curious."

She fell into a kind of silence. Looking at her hands. The hands she wasn't allowed to move. Must have felt weird for her. Being free, but not being free.

I spoke again. "You are going to like my next surprise. Well, most of it."

"I generally don't like your surprises."

"You liked these, didn't you?" I lifted her new necklace from between her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her eyes lit up and she nodded. "It's a surprise like that."

I heard Jane and Amy approaching. Their voices carrying ahead of them. Arguing about toothpaste of all things.

They emerged out into the main mall. Their arms loaded down with various toiletries. Even makeup. All of it pressed up against their bared b.r.e.a.s.t.s. They approached, finally standing in front of the cart. Still playfully arguing.

"I said I like Colgate," Jane was speaking angrily to Amy.

"Crest. I'm older than you," Amy a.s.serted herself.

"I've been his slave longer." Jane tried a very illogical argument. I almost laughed at that.

I broke up the disagreement. "What did you end up getting?"

"Crest." Jane looked disgusted.

"That will do fine. Either of you even consider that maybe you should have found out what *I* wanted?"

They paled.

Jane mumbled, "I'm sorry, Master." Echoed by Amy.

"It's alright. I'm not angry or anything. But you should be lucky that I'm not making you all brush with baking soda."

Jane made a face, couldn't keep a straight face and stuck out her tongue at me. The two girls moved forward and dumped their arms into the shopping cart we'd liberated from the grocery store. Toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, and makeup all cascaded over the food. Someone was going to have a h.e.l.l of a time sorting this out. And it wasn't going to be me.

"Now march," I gave the order in a mock disapproving tone. Jane turned on her heel and began to goose-step back down the mall. Amy was laughing her a.s.s off at Jane.

"Janey?"

The nude girl turned around. Stopped her marching. A wide grin on her face. Standing with her bare feet slightly apart.

"I'd salute if I could, SIR!" She pulled at her handcuffs.

I just shook my head. I'd have to put up with the hijinx if I didn't punish her. It was refreshing. I left her alone. Let her play.

"Carry on."

"Yes sir. Very good SIR!"

She spun again and resumed her exaggerated marching. I just shook my head. Smirks on Christi and Amy's lips. Amy walked normally beside Jane and Christi began to push the cart again. Jane stopped her marching fairly quickly. Tired. She was panting with the effort. I filed it back in my mind. It might not be a bad idea to force them to march like that as a punishment at some point. The flashes of their bodies and the effort that they had to expend was delicious. Jane had no idea what she'd just done. But they were happy, for now.

We continued almost until the end of the mall. I glanced over to the left where there was a teen clothing shop. The Gap, or something. To the right a fancy women's boutique. Holly's. Perfect.

I called out to the girls, stopping them. They gathered around the cart.

"Christi? You can let go."

The bare girl let go of the cart again. Relief on her face that she didn't have to remember to hold the bar any longer.

"What now?" she asked me.

"Time for more shopping."

"Shopping? What now? We don't need anything else."

"I thought you wanted clothes."

"Oh my G.o.d. You have got to be joking."

"I'm not. For now. Just you. And again. Don't get used to it. I may not let you wear them very long."