The bell chimes as someone passes through the thick black curtains at the store’s entrance. Since I'm unboxing new stuff facing away from it, I quicken my pace and shout :

“Hi, this’ll be just a sec.”

I promptly empty the rest onto the countertop and swing the box into the backstore, chasing away the dust on my hands as I make my way into the aisles looking for my customer when my jaw drops. Still at the entrance, she looks up at me sitting in her motorized wheelchair.

“Hi… um.” She looks around the store, her lips pressed together, like about to burst out crying. “Can I come in?”

I stumble across my words. “S-s-s-sure! Of course you can!” I step aside and gesture a passage with my hands.

“Thank you.” Her voice is sweet, quiet. She leans forwards to reach her chair’s controls with her right arm, a stump without hands or fingers, and skilfully squeezes herself between two shelves.

“Are you… looking for something specific?” Her eyes are restless, jumping from one item to the other with a look of complete incomprehension, her mouth slightly open. “You know what, I’ll be in the back if you have any questions, okay?”

As if she only now remembers my presence, she presses her lips together again. Finally, I get a “Thank you.” uttered with the same hushed voice as before.

Every few paces, she stops to look at something, leaning towards it or squinting her eyes to read on the label. As I help one of my regulars pay for their purchases, I see her, out of the corner of my eyes, feeling the fabric of some lingerie on display, looking up at the well endowed mannequins towering above her, or even subtly looking down as if comparing herself. Biting her lower lip, she throws a quick look my way and I nod, while I help another customer at the register. Alone again in the store, I loop around the counter and come before her, putting a knee on the floor.

“Do.. Do guys really like this?”

With her left arm, she’s holding up a set of shiny black leather bra and shorts.. I pick it up, revealing a second limb quite similar to her right one, its flesh slightly indented after she wedged it in the plastic hanger's hook. Ending prematurely above her elbow, it has no scar that I can see from this angle. She looks at me inquisitively, her abridged arms now at her sides.

“Do you like it?” I raise my eyebrows.

She shrugs, setting her stumps on the armrests, waddling on her seat.“...No?”

“Then it’s a no.” I put it back on the shelf. “As simple as that.” I lean on the display, and look down at her, trying to piece out what goes on behind her eyes. “Is a piece of lingerie what you’re looking for?”

“I don’t really know what I’m looking for, I think.” She scoffs, pushing a lock of curly hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"Are you shopping with a special someone in mind?

"No, I mean yes. I…" She takes a deep breath, opening and closing her mouth, unsure what to say. "He… His name is Henry. We went on a few double dates with my friend and her longtime boyfriend. But tonight he's coming to my place and we're gonna be alone… I just thought I'd be, you know. Prepared. Just in case."

I let the silence linger out of respect for this information. "You know that consent goes both ways, right girl?" Another silence. Okay, cold shower much. Let's change the subject. “What about this one, huh?” I take one off of its hanger and lay it against my hand so it cascades down to her. “A lot softer, right?”

Her cheeks have reddened. She’s taken aback at first and looks back at me, as if she’s unsure if she has the right to be intrigued. She brings an arm under the flowing fabric to make it fall across her skin. A smile forms at the corner of her mouth. “Is this silk?” She asks, bringing her other arm to it. “No, that’s a stupid question.”

“Imitation silk, so only half stupid.” Her smile vanishes. “I.. I have the same one but in red, here.”

I quickly make the switch and present it to her the same way. Like entranced, she follows along a floral pattern sewn on the bra cups. It goes up and down in spirals, branching out towards the stomach and onto the sides where the vines are covered with thorns. She drives the movement of her arm through her shoulder and down into her core, her torso tilting forward and back, always making micro adjustments that her lack of elbows cannot allow her. I turn it around, showcasing the intricate lacework that ties the entire thing together.

“That’s nice.” Is all I get from her. She frowns when noticing the complexity of the lower pieces.

“Forget about them for now. They’re not important.” Our eyes meet again and, in a fraction of a second, we both understand each other. “Give me one second.” I walk to the front of the store to lock the door, turning over the sign I usually put on during my lunch break before making my way back to her level. “What’s your name?”

“Lilly.” She fidgets on her seat. I had already noticed her legs, or single leg rather, but I’m trying really hard not to stare down at it.

“Right now it’s just you and me in this store, Lilly. No one else works today and I don't make commissions on sales.”

I present the lingerie to her again. This time, she leans forwards and grabs it between her arms, her grasp deliberate yet clumsy. She turns it over, then looks back at me. “Are you sure?”

“One thousand percent sure.”

She takes a few deep breaths. “Let’s do it.”

I smile my biggest smile and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Good. I’m Parker, by the way.”

“Hi Parker, nice to meet you.”

She lifts her right arm towards me. I once again notice the way the movement of her entire limb is channeled through her shoulder, allowed only to pivot on this one socket. I slide her stump in my hand and shake it gently. My smile widens.

After our little handshake, Lilly started to loosen up. Spoke a little louder, expressed her tastes when looking at clothes, asking to choose some based on her interests. I continued to warm her to the idea and convinced her to grab a few more outfits on our way. A leather bustier, a corset, and a few other kits that caught her eyes. Then, we set up shop in a wide fitting room completely hidden from sight. Sitting on the leather bench, a wall-length mirror against her back, she looks up at me, waiting.

"So what about we try this one first." I grab the plunging lingerie piece we got at the start of our run and shake it towards her. She nods, stumps joined before her, lips moving without a sound. Oh no, she's cooling back down. "I'm here to help you and I want to, I really do. I just don't want to cross any unwanted boundaries."

"That's very kind of you." She shifts in her seat and shrugs her shoulders before leaning to the left and poking an arm in the fabric of her shirt, stretching it over her stumps, and throwing it upwards and over her head. What is revealed underneath is a truly stunning body. Toned abs, a narrow waist, and wide but delicate shoulders, lacking the muscle mass she doesn’t need to use her reduced limbs. I hang her shirt on a nearby hook. "Thank you."

Crunching forwards, she wrestles against her jeans shorts, pinching her stumps over the metallic button without success. I keep my eyes to the ground, trying not to stare too much as well as allow her a respectful amount of time before I offer my help, however there are two things I simply cannot ignore. Folded in half, stumps joined in front of her, she inevitably pushes her breasts together, in spectacular display for me. Either big Bs or small Cs, they’re pushed up so high in their cups that I can see more than a hint of a nipple.

Meanwhile, the fight goes on with her shorts.

She sighs and straightens up, rolls her shoulders and bends again, pressing down on the denim covering her lower belly with one arm and poking the flap with the other, hoping that luck will get it through the damn hole. Facing another failure, she waddles from side to side to loosen up a bit more denim and starts again, her gaze locked onto her target. Once or twice, I think she’ll fall to the ground, flailing her arms back and raising her leg, but she always manages to regain her balance. After about a minute of unfruitful attempts, I take a step towards her.

"Please Lilly, let me help." She sits back up with a defeated look, the chafed ends of her arms now reddened. "Is anyone accompanying you today?"

"Not today, no." Air blows out of her nose like a repressed laughter. "Figured I could manage the commute and some window shopping by myself, but I didn't expect to end up in this store. I don’t usually venture by myself for things like this.”

"Don't worry I've got you." I flick the button out of its fold with a single finger and she scoffs again. “Nooooooo. No.” She locks eyes with me. “Not today.”

“I… Yeah, sorry.” She brings an arm to her hair, slicking them back, head cocked. “Welcome to my life.”

“Today, we are shopping for clothes to make you feel beautiful and sexy in your skin. Not mine, not anyone else’s, your skin. Is that clear?” The harshness of my voice contrasts with the softness of my hand on her thigh. A few inches short of a knee, it rounds into a featureless stump, just like her arms. “Hmm?”

Her lips form a thin line once more. “I’ll try.”

I steal another smile from her just as I start tugging on her jeans. She places her stumps on the armrests and pushes her shoulders down to lift her bum. As the shorts slide off her short leg, they reveal on her left hip a firm patch of skin that leaves this side of her panties completely empty. No, not empty. As she sits back down, I notice something in the center. A round, slightly sunken dimple. It's what her left leg could've been, there's no doubt about it.

Wearing nothing but her undies, she looks absolutely stunning.

“Honestly, you have nothing to be ashamed of, Lilly. I mean look at you! You’re gorgeous just the way you are.”

She joins her stumps, the corner of her mouth discreetly curving upwards. “Thank you.”

"Okay now. Let's squeeze you into this."

—

We had been at it for almost an hour and she had tried on about half of the clothes we have in store, gradually gaining confidence on the way it fit her, as well as finally opening the lock that kept her lips sealed so tightly. As I learned more about herself and her tastes, I could also refine my searches to better suit what she had in mind.

I step back and cross my arms, gauging the fit of our newest idea : a short white satin dress. The plunging collar offers me a gorgeous view of her breasts, only partially supported by the dress's inline bra, and almost all the way down to her stomach. The sleeves, narrow bands of frilled fabric attached to the dress piece under the armpits, leave her delicate shoulders exposed, warmed by the soft lights of the enclosed space.

From the ribs down, the rest of the dress flows freely around her curves, the see-through veil haphazardly teasing glimpses of her waist and lower belly. Then, I help her spread it evenly around her hips, concealing all but the stump of her leg.

A matching white string covers her essentials, tied to the back with nothing but a thin lace and adorned with imitation diamonds amongst other sparkly plastic. The whole outfit gives her an angelic look, as if she could dissolve into thin air at a moment’s notice.

She grabs part of the veil and throws it up, playing with it like a little girl, making the sleeves fly. Angling herself on her legless hip, she pushes backward with her leg to spin around like a broken top, head tilted, staring at herself from every possible angle. Her thin lipped smile had finally turned into a powerful grin.

"Do you like it?" The question is a formality because the answer is written all over her face.

"I love it." She twists her shoulders again to look at the laces crisscrossing against her back. "I never thought something like this could make me look good."

"Good? Are you kidding me? You're GORGEOUS Lilly! That guy will go absolutely crazy over you!"

"You really think so?"

I clear my throat. "I've seen a lot of girls trying out stuff in this store, let me tell you this. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of them that rocked a déshabillé as much as you do now."

"Well count yourself lucky! I don't even have fingers!

She lifts her stumps towards me and explodes into laughter. A loud, raspy, honest laugh, the one that makes you wheeze so hard that you need to cough right after. Folded in half, her arms covering her face, she snorts like a little piggy, and I can't resist joining her. Before long, I'm on my knees, head against the seat of her chair, fighting to control my breathing. As we wipe our tears, an idea crosses my mind.

"That date of yours, it's tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Her roséed cheeks stand out against her pale complexion.

"And who's going to.. I mean, is anyone helping you out at home? To get ready I mean."

She looks at me through her eyebrows. "My mom. She helps me with a lot of things, well most of them anyway."

Her gaze focuses on her reflection again. Sitting on the floor of the fitting room, she twists her hips to one side, then the other, using her leg almost like a paddle to push her legless side forward, waddling like a penguin.

"Hey Lilly. Anything planned until then?"

"Until tonight?" She shrugs, absently feels her breasts, gauging the fabric of the dress. "Not much, no."

I sit on my heels to face her. "I'm taking you out, then."

"You're serious? What about the shop?"

I scoff. "Who cares about the fucking shop. The owner's a cunt anyway. Come on. What do you say?"

She bites her lip, looking at the dress, at me, at the time on my smartwatch. "I'm in."

—

*A few days later*

A woman in her late forties answers the door with a beaming smile. "Hi! You must be Parker!"

"I am! Nice to meet you!" As I extend my hand, she leans over for a kiss of the cheek.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Shirley, Lilly's mom. Come on in! Make yourself at home!"

—

"... And here is Lilly's room!"

Shirley finally walks me down to a closed door sporting two sets of knobs, with the second one being set close to the floor. The two are joined together with a metal rod and chain links, allowing both to turn when either is used. She knocks.

"Come in!" Sitting in front of an elongated vanity set on the floor, Lilly's applying makeup. "Hey! Glad you could make it." The subtle happiness of her smile contrasts heavily with the anxiety that her angled eyebrows convey. She focuses once more on her eyeliner, the pen in delicate balance between her fingerless, narrow stumps. "Thanks mom."

“I’ll be back just before Henry arrives to see if you girls need anything, okay?”

“Okay." She answers without taking her eyes away from the mirror.

I need a few seconds to take in the decor of her room. The ensemble looks like a Pinterest post about pastel : softs blues and lavender tones are mixed and matched with matte whites. Hard edges have been sanded off the furniture, creating a series of organic curves and waves in the natural wood ; a mountain side has been etched on the top half of the wall opposite to the vanity, along with a few inspirational quotes, and the entire thing screams white girl Feng shui.

Her bed, a few inches off the floor, is encased in a light gray frame covered in fabric similar to couch cushions. Firm yet supple. Probably for Lilly to ease herself in and out of bed more easily.

"Your mom is so nice." I try to steal a look at her as she vanishes down the corridor.

"Yes, she is." She shrugs, caps her eyeliner, and looks at me through the mirror. "She helps me a lot."

"I'm guessing she did most of the decorating here, right?" I gesture around us. "Quite the Pinterest room you have."

She chuckles. "It's my secret little space." Lips pressed together, she turns to look at me. "I love pastel."

"You sure do! Probably as much as I like black." I sit next to her. "Soooo… Tell me everything."

"Everything? About what?"

"Your date Lilly!" I grab her stump in lieu of a hand. "How did it go?!"

A lock of hair falls between us as she lowers her head. "It was nice."

"Nice?" I snort. "This room is nice, the weather is nice, but a date? Come on! Give me some juicy deets!! Did he like the dress?"

There's a long silence. And I mean long. "I think he did."

"Did he take you in his arms and twirl you around like a princess? Did you feel his boner through his pants or what?" Lilly blushes, violently turning red. "Ohhhh I see. So he really liked the dress."

"Very much so." A smile creeps up at the corners of her mouth and she throws a quick look at her bed. "Although.." She stops talking, as if her sentence had ended one word too far from what she had originally planned.

"Okay, so there is an although. Let me guess then, after he twirled you around he couldn't resist anymore and tore it off of you?" I lay down on the bed, chin resting in my hand, my left leg in the shape of a 4 against my right. I point down on the mattress. "Right here?"

She has a quick nervous laughter. "Shut up."

I gasp in surprise. "I KNEW IT!!" I jump off the bed to hug her. "See? I knew that if you flaunted your assets in his face he couldn't resist." She grabs a fold of her tank top between her stumps. "How far did you go? No, don't answer that. Actually, yes, that's why I'm here, did you suck his dick?"

A giggle escapes her lips before she can smack a stump against it. Her complexion, which had only just lightened, jumped back to its ripe tomato setting. "Never! I mean, probably not never, but…"

This time, she lets herself laugh. Her emotion is so genuine, so sincere, that it changes how I look at her. Her shoulders stand straighter, her face, already cute in and of itself, is transformed, gorgeous. In the face of such unbridled joy, her stumped limbs don't seem to matter anymore.

"Nobody's ever asked me that question." Her stomach spasms, on the edge of another laughing fit. "No I didn't… s u c k  his dick." She snorts herself, drying her cheeks with her shoulders.

"What then?"

"Not…" The Lilly I met at the store is back, shy, almost ashamed. "Not much at all."

"But the bed? You said you ended up here!"

"Yeah we… After dinner, he took me in his arms and… we danced for a while. That's when I felt… him. We stayed for a long time like this." Unconsciously, Lilly had started grinding her hips from side to side, her gym shorts tight against her groin.

"With his dick against your crotch?"

"But when it came down to it I…" Her lower lip starts quivering and new tears roll down her cheeks. She speaks in a whisper. "I couldn't do it. I was so nervous I couldn't stop shaking. I'm just so scared all the time…" She stares down at her leg and taps it against the floor. "Why can't I be like all the others?"

All of the sudden, she sobs. I run my hand in circles against her back, as if I was comforting a child. Head tilted forward, almost in fetal position, arms hanging loose at her sides. I reach for her left and let my hand meander on it, in what I hope is a soothing motion. Crazy to think that she was born like this. She'll never know what it feels to hold something or even take a step.

I sit facing her and grab her stumps, holding them with one hand while the other one reaches for her wet cheeks. How hard it must be to step out of your comfort zone when it barely stretches out of the house. I slick her hair back, hoping to catch a glimpse of her eyes but to no avail. I wish I could do something to help her out but right now, all she needs is a shoulder to cry on. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her up on my lap, pressing her tiny body against mine, while her tears wet the collar of my shirt.