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“This is stupid,” Emma grumbled as she tried to place her feet carefully to avoid stumbling or tripping over the ground she couldn’t see.
“It will be worth it,” Regina assured her, arms wrapped around Emma to steady her, while looking to make sure the blindfold was still in place. She’d had Emma put it on in the car when they were still several minutes out from their destination and didn’t want it slipping and ruining the surprise now.
It took a little bit of care to get through the door without Emma bumping into the frame, but Regina was slow and gentle as she guided her through, the shop’s assistant hurrying to help open the door. They were expected.
When they were inside and the door shut behind them, Regina positioned Emma on a spot where she’d be able to see the whole of the main room and then carefully removed the blindfold, watching as Emma blinked in the light, her eyes adjusting, and then widening in surprise as she took in where they were.
“Regina,” she breathed, not even looking at her, still staring around the room in pleasure, taking a deep breath of the air, redolent and delicious.
“Pick one,” Regina instructed her.
Now Emma did look at her, genuine shock writ across her face. “Oh, no, that’s way too exp--.” Her words were cut off by a firm finger being pressed against her lips as Regina stepped into her personal space, taking charge of the situation and overriding Emma’s objections.
“I said pick one,” she growled into Emma’s ear, her tone daring Emma to challenge her.
Emma was not a stupid woman. She shut her mouth on further objections, and after a quick look at the shop assistant, who was studiously ignoring their interaction, she moved forward towards the racks, her hands coming forward of their own volition to stroke the leather, to feel the smoothness of it beneath her fingers.
Regina watched her with pleasure and the tiniest bit of amusement as she noticed the way Emma was carefully shifting each item turning it and trying to discretely look for a hidden label.
“They don’t have price tags,” she said, after watching Emma go over three pieces this way, not even paying attention to the sizing or fit. Emma looked up at her with a startled expression, a deer caught in the headlights. Regina merely raised an eyebrow at her as she flushed. “Pick the one you like and let me worry about the rest.” It was not a suggestion and Emma took it as Regina meant it, turning back to the racks with less concern this time.
Now she was looking at the details, at the design, at the color, and was making a choice based on what she might like the most. With a glance towards the shop assistant for permission, she took one off the rack and tried it on momentarily before putting it back and selecting another. She did this many, many times before she finally found one that when she slipped it on, it was obvious, to her and to Regina who was still watching, that she had found the perfect one. She couldn’t help but smile at Regina when she looked over at her to see her reaction, a smile that magnified tenfold when she saw the approval in Regina’s expression.
They took the new jacket up to the counter, where Emma reluctantly slid it off at Regina’s insistence, and laid it down.
“That’s going to be worn out,” Regina informed the shop assistant before asking “Is the door to the back room unlocked?”
“Yes, Ms. Mills,” they replied.
“Excellent, we’re going to go browse in there for a while,” Regina informed them, steering Emma towards the back of the shop and to a door she hadn’t noticed while she’d been fondling all the leather clothes.
In the back room Emma’s mouth dropped open for a moment before she snapped it shut and blushed bright red. “Those are…” she began, indicating the nearest wall and trying to ignore the rest of the room.
“Floggers, yes,” Regina finished for her. “I want you to pick one of those too. Don’t worry about any of the rest. I’ve already been shopping here and made my selections.”
Emma’s blush deepened as she looked over at the selection of harnesses and the display of cuffs and collars, but this time it was arousal that colored her face as she thought about what Regina might have picked out and how it would be used.
The selection of a flogger took longer than the selection of the jacket had done. Emma went through the racks, feeling the falls, looking at the cut of the ends, and considering her options. It amused Regina to watch her indecision when she got down to the last two floggers, obviously diametrically different from each other, one a soft leather with straight cut ends and the other a harder leather with angled ends. Eventually she made her choice, selecting the one with harder leather that would sting more, but Regina made a note to come back later for the other one.
At the checkout counter the assistant named no price, simply ringing up their items and accepting the card Regina handed over without qualm. Emma was less phlegmatic about it, but it had already been made clear to her she had no say in the matter, so she didn’t risk Regina’s ire by arguing now. She put on her new jacket, enjoying the feel of it, and exited into the sunshine by Regina’s side.
“Thank you,” she said to Regina as they got back into the car.
Regina leaned towards her over the center console and kissed her. “Happy birthday, Emma.” She started the car and pulled out of the space before adding. “The rest of your present comes tonight and maybe you will too.” She grinned wickedly and Emma gulped as her body warmed in anticipation.