Dressing Death

By Thom Nichols

The new woman in his building is breathtaking. The only problem is that she wears the most curious dresses. And, everytime she changes, he falls victim to a strange accident. As the dresses progress from strange to frightening, Al does what any man would do. He tries to save her. Then, he learns that she is the one trying to kill him. Now, he'll do anything to get rid of her, even kill her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thom Nichols
• Release date: Oct 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452319506

Thom Nichols

Thom L. Nichols was born under a mountain in Mt. Shasta California. He grew up in Arizona, but has lived all over the United States. Starting out in the Marine Corps, he has had a multitude of jobs ranging from overnight security guard to UNIX Senior Specialist and everything in between. He married his wife of nineteen years (So far) two weeks after meeting her. He has three children and one granddaughter (So far). He has been writing since he was born, but always for fun. He wanted to get his degree in English so that he could become a writer, but with a family he decided to go the safe way and went into computers. Now that the kids are pretty much grown and moving out, he decided to follow his dream.

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Dressing Death

Thom L Nichols

Published by Thom L Nichols at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Thom L Nichols

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

01.

Al didn’t even notice the coincidence when he met her. It wasn’t very obvious. She was tall and thin and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long straight black hair that bounced when she walked. It caught the light just so and made it flow over her shoulders. She had the largest and most sparkling green eyes ever created. They glittered when she smiled.

He saw her while she was still outside. His heart began to beat a little faster as he watched her through the window. She was heading straight for him. Then, his heart actually skipped a beat when she paused on the plaza.

Unable to look anywhere else, Al forced himself to blink as he watched her twist into half a turn and look down at the back of her shoe. The simple motion set off a chain reaction. The cloth of her dress hugged her body outlining every curve. She ran a hand down her side so that she could brush the bottom of her dress out of the way. The light breeze caught the skirt and it flowered up exposing her knee. As she pressed the cloth against her skin, Al could imagine every detail vividly.

Her legs were incredibly thin and long. They were tan and silky. She was wearing high heels that accented her trim muscles. Her bare arms were equally slender and delicate. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she looked down. When she couldn’t find anything wrong with her ankle, she flipped her dark locks back with a casual shrug that caught the sun again. Her hair glistened as it bounced perfectly into place.

Swallowing hard, he watched her glance around the plaza. There were two towers. Silently, he prayed that she would turn toward his building. Amazingly, she did. Straightening his shirt and tie, Al sucked in his gut and puffed out his chest. He wished he had time to shine his shoes and comb his hair. He wanted her first impression of him to be perfect.

She was wearing pink nail polish as she took hold of the door handle and pulled. The breeze from the air conditioner caught her as the door bent to her will. She smiled and Al could have fallen over dead, forever content. She had perfect teeth and a small mouth. Her nose was slender and neither turned up or down. She was wearing dangling earrings and a thin necklace.

Instead of walking directly to the elevators, she approached Al. Nervously, he began to sweat. He could feel his palms moisten. His mouth became a desert. He tried to swallow, but his mouth wouldn’t make any saliva. She was ten feet away from him when he found he didn’t know what to do with his hands. He began looking from one side of the room to the other. He wanted to stare at her for the rest of his life, but he felt self-conscious. He didn’t want her to think that he was staring.

Suddenly, the idea to run away sounded like perfectly acceptable behavior. Excuse me. She said, and it was like angels singing. Al opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. His eyes began to water and he started to lose his equilibrium. He nearly threw up on her. Fortunately, before he could, she tripped.

The high heel shoe she was looking at outside decided to break at that moment. It was magical. Al automatically reached for her. She was soft in his arms. She didn’t weigh more than five pounds. Lifting her easily, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their eyes met and time stood still. Neither of them blinked for at least an hour. Oh no… I’m sorry. She finally cooed. There was despair on her face.

Her momentary anguish and misery struck him physically. To see her like this was agony. Shhh. He whispered gently and to his surprise, her face lightened. She smiled brightly and the strength to lift mountains surged through his muscles. Realizing that she was in his arms, he carried her to the podium he was standing next to. There was a tall stool behind the podium. He placed her on it gently.

Blinking her eyes once very slowly, she lowered her head and lifted her knee. A shadow fell across her face mysteriously and she reached down to rub her ankle. Al couldn’t help himself. He breathed in deeply of her. He couldn’t place the scent, but he knew he had smelled it before. She was intoxicating.

Kneeling down, Al placed his hand on her small foot. Looking up into her eyes for approval, Al nearly lost himself again. The only thing that saved him was his hand touching the bare skin as her high heel slid off. He had never felt anything quite so exquisite. Her foot was perfect. The tiny toes wiggled gracefully. The nails were also pink. He shuttered visibly.

He had gone too far. Horrified, he looked up at her again. She was going to think he was some kind of maniac or sex pervert. Why did he have to be such an incompetent? Resigned for her reaction, he was amazed when her hand touched the side of his face. She caressed his cheek. Are you ok? He asked lamely.

Gently, she shook her head. I’ll call an ambulance. Al said quickly. He stood and pulled the walkie-talkie from his belt. Before he could speak into it, she placed her hand over his. With a miniscule amount of pressure, she forced him to lower the radio. She brought her hand up to her mouth and then shook her head again.

Was she telling him that she couldn’t speak? That didn’t make sense. She spoke just a few seconds ago, didn’t she? As Al tried to think of what she said, he was distracted by the touch of her hand on his arm. Why did he have to wear a long sleeve shirt? He had short sleeves. If he would have worn one, her fingers would be touching his skin. He could still feel her hand on his face and her foot in his hand. She smiled again, and slid off of the stool.

With her shoe in her hand, she gracefully glided toward the elevator. Half way there, she turned and smiled at him. Al wasn’t sure if his heart started beating again, or if it just started beating harder. Either way, he could feel it pulsating throughout his whole body. The woman pressed the button to go up. Unfortunately the elevator opened immediately. Before she entered, she turned to him again and blew a kiss.

The last thing he noticed as she stepped lightly into the elevator was her dress. He remembered it brushing up against him. It was silk. It wasn’t a professional business suit like most of the tenants working in his building wore. It was a dress he pictured in the park. A comfortable, light, breezy dress for everyday wear, but it was definitely some kind of a designer dress. It was elegant and seemed to be created especially for her.

As she disappeared into the elevator, he couldn’t remember what color it was, but he could remember everything about her. She was burned into his memory forever. Turning away from the elevators, Al looked at everyone else in the lobby. He wanted to ask every one of them if they just saw what he saw. Turning back to the elevator, he couldn’t wait until she came back down.

Al was a security guard at a downtown office building. His job was to stand there and watch the elevators. He worked in shifts with another guard named Sam. When Sam came to relieve him, Al didn’t want to go. He was sure that she would come down the elevator and he would miss her.

As Sam sat down at the podium, jealousy flared through Al’s mind. How could he not have sat down after her? It revolted him to think that Sam was sitting where she sat. If she came down while he was posted in the lobby, he didn’t know what he would do.

When Sam’s two hours were up, Al nearly ran to the lobby. His eyes rarely left the elevators the rest of his entire shift. She never came back down.

Al and Sam worked from six in the morning until two in the afternoon. Al was sure that she was coming to work when he saw her and she probably didn’t get off work until four or five. He would have to wait until she came back in, tomorrow.

The missed coincidence didn’t occur until he went to sleep. Al was in his late twenties and a confirmed bachelor. He had been serious with women several times in the past, but none of them ever turned out to be the right one. As his head sank into his pillow, he couldn’t get that woman out of his mind. She was all he could think of all day long, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the right one.

Closing his eyes, her image came immediately to his mind. He wished he could paint or sculpt. He memorized every inch of her and had this strange creative urge. It was so overpowering, he wanted to scream. He wanted to write poetry about her or compose a symphony in her honor. Everything he could think of, in his opinion, was woefully inadequate. He needed to see her again. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow. He wanted to camp out at work so that he wouldn’t miss her in the morning.

Fitfully, he thrashed around in his bed. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He physically needed to see her again. Then, the worst thing that could happen to him flashed through his mind. It caused him to sit straight up in bed. What if she wasn’t a tenant? It was the first time Al had ever seen her. He assumed that she was a new tenant working in his building.

There were thirty floors with more than seventy different office suites. Al knew most of the tenants by sight, some even by name. Sometimes, it would take him a few days to recognize the new people that moved in. But, what if she wasn’t a new tenant? What if she was just visiting a tenant? Or, what if she only had business with one of the tenants? She might never come back. Today might have been a once in a lifetime meeting.

The thought was so terrible, Al wanted to jump up from bed and scream. He tried to lie back down and calm himself. But, the horror of never seeing her again wouldn’t go away. He had to lie to himself. He had to tell himself that there was a new company moving in and she belonged to it. After convincing himself he knew the new company, his eyes closed. Al was never a hard sleeper, and tonight it seemed like he was never going to relax enough to get any sleep. But, as the hours creped past painfully slowly, he finally went out.

Dreaming of the mystery woman, Al did something he hadn’t done since high school. He woke up in a cold sweat. He was breathing hard and trembling. It was a very sexy dream. Trying to remember, he was frustrated only able to picture her face. Everything else was already gone. He looked down at himself. He had made a mess. It was sticky and all over the place.

Trying to laugh at himself, Al found that he could no longer breathe. Choking and gasping, he grabbed his neck. There was something tangled around him. Pulling at it, Al barely managed to fit his fingers underneath the soft fabric. His eyes started to bulge and he began to panic. With all his might, he pulled. There was a ripping sound.

His lungs filled with air. Untangling what he thought was a sheet from around his neck, Al glanced over at the clock. It was almost four thirty. The alarm clock was about to go off. Throwing the shreds of fabric down onto the bed, Al glanced at it. They weren’t from his sheet. The shreds were from a silk scarf. I wonder who could have left that? Al said out loud quizzically.

Then the alarm clock sounded. Bounding out of bed, Al couldn’t wait to jump into the shower and head to work. He needed to get back to her. The silk scarf was already forgotten.

02.

The first hour and a half of work was torture. Al’s job wasn’t the most exciting during normal times. His main function of the day was to greet the people as they came to work. If someone entered the building and they looked a little scruffy, he was supposed to ask them where they were going. If they had an answer, he was to let them up the elevator. If not, he was to ask them to leave the building.

Al wasn’t an armed security guard. So, if he asked someone to leave and they refused, his only recourse was to call the police. Normal security guards didn’t have any real power. If someone told him that they were going to go up to the penthouse and start breaking windows, maybe trip a few old ladies, and pee down the elevator shaft, Al could respond with a Please don’t. If they didn’t listen, then he could call the police, but that was all. He wasn’t allowed to physically restrain anyone.

His other functions were just as difficult. There were bathrooms on every floor upstairs. But, if anyone was to come up and ask him where the bathrooms were, his job was to tell them that there was a Burger King across the street. Furthermore, Al was supposed to stop any and all deliveries at the door. They were all supposed to sign in down in the parking dock and use the freight elevators. There was a sign on the door, but bike messengers and food deliveries always ignored them and tried to sneak past him.

During the first hour and a half, Al didn’t have any restroom searchers or sneaky delivery people. As the end of his two hour rotation was approaching, his greetings began to sound curt and forced. He was becoming upset wondering where she was. Most tenants arrived between seven and nine to start their day. Please, please, please… Al ran through his mind over and over. He didn’t know what he would do if she came in early yesterday for some reason and was back to her normal schedule today.

Then, he saw her through the window. She stepped off of the shuttle bus at the bus stop. Al’s stomach flipped over and jumped into his throat. She stepped onto the plaza and the sun caught her. She was everything he remembered from yesterday. Stepping away from the podium, he ignored several people as they entered. Hi Al. the secretary from the twenty first floor said as he passed her. She looked over her shoulder when he didn’t say anything. Frowning, she continued on her way assuming he didn’t hear her.

Passing the bank that occupied an office on the lobby floor, Al approached the window. He could see her smiling at a tenant smoking outside on one of the benches. She lifted her hand up to her chin and waved at the man. If the window wouldn’t have been there to stop him, Al would have attacked the smoker. Who was he anyway? Al thought, and then mumbled. That’s that lawyer from nineteen. I knew he was a lecherous scumbag.

Straightening his uniform, Al was about to walk out the door and slap him to the ground, but she turned away from him. Relaxing, Al felt himself cool down. He would have to remember to bring his police truncheon with him tomorrow. He would cudgel anyone that tried to look at her like that. Not to mention the smoke. How could he even think of polluting the air around her? He might have to trip him when he came in from his cigarette break.

The revolving door began to move. What was wrong with him? She was already at the doorway. He was focusing on the lawyer from nineteen and didn’t even realize that she was so close. He could have held the door for her. There was a regular one next to the revolving one. She wouldn’t have had to sully her fingers by touching such a filthy disgusting swinging door handle.

Moving quickly away from the window, Al saw her reach for the revolving door instead of the normal swing door. He stepped to the side of the door so he could be there when she exited it. He caught her eye while she was still inside pushing it around. She smiled. All of the weight of the world fell from his shoulders. The lawyer from nineteen could have come up and spat in his face and he wouldn’t have realized or cared. He was mesmerized by her smile.

Stepping into the lobby from the revolving door, she turned toward him. She opened her mouth as if to say hi, but was interrupted by bank traffic trying to leave. She was brushed to the side as several people exited into the revolving door.

Surprised horror pulsated through Al. How could they have done that to her? She automatically turned toward the elevators and took a step. They were separated by a parade of three people. Al wanted to push them out of the way so that he could get to her. But, even intoxicated by her loveliness, he knew he couldn’t do that. He would lose his job if he assaulted anyone.

Hi, He said scampering forward as the bank traffic passed him. Suddenly he remembered that she couldn’t hear or speak. He reached out to touch her sleeve, when she surprised him by turning. Did she hear him? Hi. He said again. Was she really deaf, or did he misinterpret what she was doing yesterday.

Waving at him daintily, she smiled. Suddenly, it didn’t matter if she heard him or not, but he needed something else to say or she would turn and disappear in the elevator. Did you hear me? He asked and pantomimed at the same time. Timidly, she smiled and shook her head slightly. Then, she pointed to her eyes and then to his lips. She’s telling me she can read lips. Al thought. She is deaf. Her fingers were so close to his mouth that he could almost taste her.

Her fingernails were yellow today. Al looked from them along her wrist and up her arm. When his eyes found her face, he realized that she had changed a little. She cut her hair. How could he have missed that? It was very short now and spiky. Somehow it accented her face much better than her long hair. It made her neck stand out, and she had the most spectacular neck. It was long and petite and the back of her hair tickled it as it curled around.

With a thick tongue, Al gazed down at her trying to come up with anything to say to keep her here beside him. His eyes landed on her body and although he could think of about a thousand complements to lavish on her, he didn’t think they would be appropriate at work or this early on in their relationship.

Forcing himself to tear his eyes away from her slender form, he reluctantly looked up. Her eyes met his again and he was transported back to heaven. How could he even think about her body when she had eyes like that? She tilted her head slightly to one side and pointed upstairs. She smiled and glanced toward the elevators. Al’s spirit fell. It was like a hundred pound weight was added to his chest. He wanted to say something to keep her here, but nothing came to mind.

Reluctantly, he lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers in a goodbye motion. Her eyes slid back to his and she blew him a kiss. The weight was gone instantly. He could physically feel the kiss fly through the air and land on his lips. It was like she was on top of him. He could smell that wonderful fragrance again. He could taste her lipstick. He could feel her breath on his cheek and the press of her body against his. He closed his eyes for just a second to revel in the rapture of her blown kiss.

When he opened his eyes again, the lobby was empty. Quickly, he glanced toward the elevator. She was still there. She was stepping into one of the cars. He wanted to rush to her. He needed to rush to her, but the elevator doors closed.

Returning to the podium, Al sat down. He usually didn’t like to sit in the morning when the tenants were arriving, but he couldn’t help it. His legs were spaghetti and they weren’t going to hold him much longer. Closing his eyes, he pictured her. He wanted to remember everything exactly. He didn’t want to lose one single detail.

Starting with her hair and neck, he remembered the sparkling earrings. When she moved her head, they nibbled at her neck fighting with her hair for its attention. Her lipstick was dark today. What color was it? Forcing his brain to comply, he pushed his fist into his eye. It was dark red. Yes, it was dark red. He licked his lips. Her breath was still on them. She tasted like wine.

Moving down her body, Al stopped. Yesterday, she was wearing a nice breezy dress. Today… Today, she was wearing the opposite. It was a black leather dress. It was short and décolleté. It hugged her body like a glove. She was wearing dark pantyhose and boots. Her outfit was sexy.

Did she wear that just for him? Was she trying to impress him? She didn’t have to do that. He was impressed already. Burning her outfit into his brain, Al thought about what happened last night and this morning. He was defiantly going to dream about her in that dress. In fact, he was already dreaming up fantasies about her. He didn’t want to wait. Looking around, he wondered where Sam was. He needed to get to the bathroom.

Looking down at his wrist, he saw that Sam wasn’t due to relive him for fifteen more minutes. This was just impossible. How could there be fifteen more minutes to go? Angrily, he slammed his fist down on the podium. Two people from the second floor were walking past. Good morning. He said apologetically.

Al failed to make a connection again as Sam strolled in to take his turn in the rotation. Sam was a wealthy man. He was retired and nearly seventy years old. He liked the nice life, but it was also a little boring. He took this job just to get out of the house and have things to do. The only thing he didn’t like was the uniforms they were forced to wear. So, he accessorized it with gold watches and expensive tie pins.

It’s about time! Al grunted as Sam casually made his way across the lobby.

Shaking his watch out of his sleeve, Sam checked the time. I’m two minutes early. He said furrowing his brow.

Ashamed at his outburst, Al apologized. Sorry. I guess I just have to go to the bathroom. He smiled. It was both a lie and not a lie.

You could have called. Sam seemed to accept his reasoning. I would have come to relieve you. As Sam spoke, he came down on the side of his foot crookedly. The sole of his expensive leather shoe made a ripping noise and it separated. The leather shoe slipped on the tile and, pinching the sole, snapped it up into the air. Sam fell to the ground sideways and Al jumped from the stool trying to catch him.

The sole of Sam’s shoe slapped Al in the face. It wasn’t a hard slap, but it surprised him. Jerking his head back, Al began to stumble. He stepped on Sam’s sprawled out hand. Sam screamed as he pulled it away. Trying to stay on his feet, Al fell backwards as Sam jerked his hand away. His head slammed against the plate glass window of the bank. His momentum carried his body into it and the glass shattered.

With his eyes wide open, Al saw an enormous shard of glass falling toward him. It looked sharp and had a nasty jagged edge. Reacting without thinking, he sat up. The shard of glass fell and missed him by a fraction of an inch. It shattered into a million tiny pieces behind him. Sam, are you all right? Al gaped trying not to look behind him at the still echoing mess.

Pulling himself to his knees, Sam stared open mouthed at the disarray. I’m not paying for that. He said shaking his head.

03.

The property management ordered a new piece of glass, and had the building engineers fit a piece of plywood over the broken window. The new glass would be installed in the early afternoon tomorrow, but that meant someone had to stand guard over it in the meantime. Normally there were two shifts, a six till two shift and a two till ten shift. To keep the bank secure, someone was going to have to take an overtime shift of ten till six to make sure no one broke in overnight.

The building management called the security company, but they didn’t have anyone that could work on such short notice. Sam and Al were going to have to cover it. They were about to flip a coin when Sam suddenly grabbed his foot. He said that the pain was unbelievable. He tried to walk on it and was only able to gimp along very slowly. It was obvious that he was faking it, but Al caved. He said he would work it.

After getting off at two o’clock, Al went right home. He needed to get some sleep so that he would be able to stay awake all night. It was difficult. He couldn’t get the woman out of his mind. She had blown him a kiss again. That meant that it was his turn to make a move. As he was lying in bed, he realized that he needed to do two things.

First off, he had to think up several things to talk to her about. He couldn’t just pounce on her as soon as she entered the building and ask her out. He would have to ease into it. He could still remember Jeff. He was a guard about seven months ago. He was basketball player tall. He was about twenty five, but he could pass for eighteen very easily.

Jeff asked out one of the realtors from the twenty fourth floor. She not only turned him down, she insulted him. She wasn’t the nicest person. Most people at the very least would nod in the morning when they came in and were greeted by the security personnel. But, there were a few that passed by refusing to even look as they completely ignored them. Jeff was unfortunate enough to have asked out one of those snobs. He tried to apologize the next day when she came in. It wasn’t pretty. She yelled at him in the lobby in front of everyone and eventually had him fired.

That wouldn’t happen to Al, but still it would be prudent to ease into it, especially if there were other tenants around. Secondly, he would have to figure out how he was going to ask her out. He needed a plan, like dinner and a movie.

As Al flipped over from side to side trying to think about what types of movies she would like, he realized he wasn’t going to get any sleep. He had to stop thinking about her. Figuring out that the only way he was going to be able to fall asleep, was to tell himself that he would have all night to come up with something good.

Finally, he drifted off. He ended up getting only three hours sleep. He wasn’t used to sleeping at that time of the day, and didn’t dream because of it. When the alarm clock buzzed, he didn’t feel rested at all. Slowly, he showered, climbed into his uniform, and ate. It was meatloaf. He sliced it into thirds and took the other two thirds to work with him.

After relieving Tim and Daniel, Al posted himself in the lobby next to the plywood. He brought a book and sat down at the podium. Picking up his book, he started to read. He read the same page twice because the office cleaners kept interrupting him. There were a bunch of them and they kept going up and down the elevators. Al was sure that they were supposed to only use the freight elevator, but there weren’t any tenants here so it probably didn’t matter.

Tuning them out, Al made it to the second page. After thirty more minutes of reading, his eyes became heavy. Placing the book down, Al stood up and walked to the window. Rubbing his eyes and blinking furiously, Al couldn’t believe what was happening.

The woman, she was walking toward the building. Quickly, he rushed to the door to open it for her. She stopped in mid stride when she saw him. She cocked her head and smiled in surprise. Al couldn’t believe how cute she was, and he couldn’t believe that he used the word cute while he was thinking of her. What was she doing to him? Playing at being as dashing as she was cute, Al bowed with a wide sweeping of his arm, inviting her in.

As she passed, she brushed up against him. Al breathed in deeply to catch her scent and missed the rustling noise her dress made as it touched his shirt. As she entered, she stopped and turned to him. She was wearing a tiny watch on her left wrist. She pointed to it and then toward him. I’m working overtime. Al shrugged and nodded toward the broken window.

Lifting her head and smiling, Al realized that she understood. He opened his mouth to say something, but he never finished thinking up things to talk about. Panicking, he decided to complement her on something. Her hair was different, he noticed right away. It was longer and it was blonde. He knew that women often changed the color of their hair, and he couldn’t remember if it was polite to talk about it or not.

Knowing for sure that women didn’t like it when someone pointed out that their roots were a different color from the rest of their hair, he decided to complement her on something else. He needed something that didn’t have rules. He started to look down, when he realized that her hair was longer. This morning, it was short and barely curled up onto her neck. Now, it was shoulder length.

Stop obsessing on her hair. He said to himself. It probably looked shorter this morning because of the way she styled it. It was like the towel in the hair thing. He could never figure out how or why they did that with their hair when they came out of the shower. He glanced down again. He had to hurry. If he didn’t say anything, she would probably leave.

Finding her dress, Al’s mouth fell open. What was she wearing?