17-A Knight in Charming Armor

Nicky was usually the last one to leave the office, but at 5pm sharp, she walked over to Alex’s cubicle and asked him if he was ready to go shopping. He was in the middle of writing a report, he told her, and couldn’t leave yet. But after a little pressuring from Nicky, and a whiff of her Chanel perfume, he agreed to turn off his computer and pack up for the day. The two decided to walk to Bloomingdales, which was a good 25-minutes away from work on foot.

The sun was still shining when they walked outside of their Park Avenue office building. The temperature was unseasonably warm at 64 degrees.

“Do you still feel like New York inspires you?” Nicky asked, as she put on her sunglasses outside.

“Sure, why do you ask?” Alex said.

“Because I feel like it’s getting harder to come up with great, original ideas at work. And I’m worried about losing my edge.”

“I think you’re over-thinking it,” Alex said. “You are extremely creative.”

“But your ideas are always fresh,” Nicky said. “And I think they’re getting better with time. Where do you find that inspiration?”

“I guess I’d have to say people,” Alex said.

“People? Give me an example. Like who inspires you?”

“An example? You definitely do,” Alex said.

Nicky took off her sunglasses. She looked at Alex as they talked.

“Okay, tell me more,” Nicky said. “How do I inspire you?”

“Let me think,” Alex said. “Remember when I was working on the Power Bar campaign and I couldn’t conceptualize anything?”

“Yeah, but you ended up winning an award with that ad,” Nicky said. “It was an awesome campaign.”

“Well at the beginning, I couldn’t think of anything,” Alex said. “It’s like I only had white paint for a white canvas. I couldn’t come up with anything, until I saw you walking one day with a Power Bar in your back pocket. That sight alone inspired that entire campaign.”

Alex’s print ad showed the backside of a couple, walking down the street, holding hands. The woman was wearing tight, faded jeans, with a great ass. She had a Power Bar sticking out of her back pocket. A skinny, short guy in a suit walked next to her. His pants wear high-water and didn’t fit him properly. The tag line at the bottom of the ad said: A Little Power Goes a Long Ways.

“So I was the sex symbol for your ad.” Nicky said sarcastically. She put on her sunglasses. “You really know how to flatter a woman.”

“No, you’re missing it,” Alex said. “I was that nerd, holding the model’s hand. You inspired that feeling of wanting more power so I could provide a better life for my woman.”

Nicky took off her sunglasses.

“You mean provide a better life for me,” Nicky said.

“No, for my woman,” Alex said.

“But you already said that woman was me. I was the woman who inspired that,” Nicky said.

She cracked a small smile.

“However you want to look into it.” Alex said with a mischievous grin.

“That is so sweet.” Nicky reached out to grab Alex’s hand. “C’mawn, my little nerd, let’s go shopping.”

When they walked inside Bloomingdales, Nicky took charge. She grabbed Alex by the hand and led him through the store. He had now entered her area of expertise: shopping.

Nicky maneuvered her way around the gigantic department store, like it was her own private mansion. She even knew hidden shortcuts to avoid throngs of shoppers inside the large department store.

They headed straight for the men’s section where Nicky mixed and matched the shirt and ties with precision. She held the ties up under the light, and looked at their tiniest patterns. She went through about 40 different shirt-tie combinations before she settled on a yellow shirt with a stripped blue and green tie. The tie had a dab of yellow in it, and when you looked closely, you could see it blended perfectly with the colored shirt. The combination was classy, artsy and expressive. Nicky handed the shirt and tie to Alex, and without questioning, he bought them both.
Next, came the suits.

Nicky made Alex try on ten suits before she settled on a black Armani two-piece suit with three buttons. When Alex walked out of the dressing room wearing it, Nicky walked over to him and adjusted his collar. She tucked his dress shirt into the back of his pants, and turned him around in front of the mirror. She smiled at him like he was her prized possession.

“You look stunning,” she said. “So handsome in this suit.”

“Then let’s take it before you change your mind,” he said.

“Alright, we’re done. Wait,” Nicky said, putting her index finger in the air. “How are your shoes?”
Nicky looked down at Alex’s feet. He didn’t answer, which was enough for Nicky to know they had one more task before they left.

The shoe selection went much faster. Nicky walked quickly up and down the wall, scanning the shoe inventory. She picked up shoes from the top and bottom shelves. She felt their texture, inspected their soles, and placed the shoes on the floor to see what they looked like from different angles. After Nicky found what she was looking for, she ordered Alex’s size from the salesman. Alex was sitting comfortably on a sofa chair, observing her from a distance.

When the salesman brought the shoes out, Alex tried them on, and stood in front of Nicky.

“Do you want to see a mirror?” The salesman asked Alex.

“What do you think Nick?” Alex asked.

“Are they comfortable?” She asked.

“Yup.”

“Then we’ll take them. They’re perfect,” Nicky said. “You are going to be the envy of every single woman at this wedding.”

“And I can’t wait to meet them,” Alex said.