Nicholas's smile widened as he saw Serena emerge from the changing area, noticing the change in her walk. She looked confident and much more alive than when she'd walked into the mall.<br/><br/>"You look like a new woman," he said warmly and sincerely. He brought Serena to a mirror and standing behind her very gently and slightly opened the lapels on her blouse to show the tops of her breasts a little more.<br/><br/>"Beautiful and womanly," he said. "The kind of woman any man would notice and any woman would envy." He paused for a moment and looked into Serena's eyes through the mirror. "And there's something else; a look in your eyes that tells me you're at least a little pleased, that you feel something a little different, a little exciting. He took his hands away from her.<br/><br/>"My very strong opinion is that<em>this</em>is the way a person wants to feel as he or she goes through life, and you're just beginning to have a tiny glimpse of what that can be. There is fun to be had in almost every moment, something thrilling and satisfying and glorious. Our blood flows not only to feed the cells that give us life, but to remind us of our senses, all of them."<br/><br/>Nicholas glanced over at Violet, who was tidying a rack but stealing looks at Serena.<br/><br/>"Did you notice the woman who helped you?" he asked. "She's older than you, I'd say, but she has the look -- an aura, I'd say -- of someone who dresses to engage the eye of whoever looks at her, and enjoys that engagement. She looks like the kind of woman one would like to know, who'd be interesting and fun."<br/><br/>He took Serena gently by the shoulders and turned her to him.<br/><br/>"And now, so do you." He squeezed her shoulder, just a quick tensing of the hand, and smiled again. "I think a pair of shoes are just the thing to complete the outfit, if you're game."<br/><br/>He didn't wait for an answer but instead hooked Serena's arm through his and with a nod toward the smiling Violet led Serena out of the shop and into the mall corridor.<br/><br/>The shoe boutique was small, but Nicholas had noticed several styles of shoes -- all with heels higher than Serena wore -- that he'd thought would look good on her. Two young female salesclerks straightened displays and dusted. The shoes were expensive and while there were a few customers, the girls were not busy.<br/><br/>"May I show you something?" the pretty blonde salesclerk in a short, plain black dress asked Serena with an admiring look and a pleased expression.<br/><br/>"Actually," Nicholas said, "I wonder if you could start us with these," and he pointed to three pairs of high-heeled pumps, one with an ankle strap and stiletto heel, another with a broader heel and a slight platform. "Size 8, I'd say."<br/><br/>The salesclerk looked at Nicholas and then at Serena.<br/><br/>"Perfect," she said. "I'll be right back." She looked at Serena one more time, up and down. "You have great legs," she said. "And I think the ankle strap is really going to do it for you." She was back in a minute and motioned Serena to a chair. She knelt in front of Serena, and Nicholas noted that she rested on her right knee, her left foot on the floor and her legs slightly spread. He smiled at her invitation for Serena to look.<br/><br/>The girl took off Serena's shoe and put the ankle strap shoes on, resting Serena's foot against her thigh each time. She kept her eyes down until she was almost done and then Nicholas saw the tiniest delay as she lifted them to Serena's.<br/><br/>"Beautiful," she murmured. "The shoes," she added, a little flustered. "The shoes are beautiful. Why don't you stand and see how they look and feel?"<br/><br/>She turned to Nicholas.<br/><br/>"And you know, we just got in some lovely hose -- stockings -- that might go well with any of these styles," she said. She smiled at Nicholas and then turned to Serena.<br/><br/><em>I think our girl Serena has a conquest,</em>Nicholas thought with some considerable pride.<br/>