In love with leather

Upon reading Deity’s evocative post about his girl’s newly acquired ballet boots, I was prompted to consider what any item of leather might mean to me. I thought hard but nothing immediately came to mind. I love a number of leather items I own but I would not call any of them "obsessions". I happen to have a few obsessions but they are not made of leather. That is a topic for another day. Then, I thought about two men whom I know well and what an item of leather had meant to them. And, that made me smile with three rather poignant and most pleasurable memories.

First, I have a story about my husband. The two of us were having a dirty weekend in New York City. We were having a most enjoyable stroll down Madison Avenue when my husband saw a lovely men’s shoe store and he gestured that he wanted to enter. It was one of those stores where you enter if they allow you to enter. You know what I mean. So, in we went and my husband spotted a pair of ankle boots. They were beautiful soft leather and a really decadent, sexy pair of boots, I must say. He tried them on and was clearly in love. He simply could not hide that fact. I knew. The salesman knew. The price was ridiculously high and it never entered my head that my husband would actually buy them. He is a generous man but very rarely chooses to spend money on himself unless necessary. You could see him thinking but he wasn’t saying much. He took a look at the price again.

“Is this your best price?” he asked the smooth Italian salesman.

“I could ask for more, Sir, if you prefer...”

We both laughed. It was such a silly question but he can’t help himself.

There was silence for what seemed the longest time. Then the salesman said, in his honey smooth Italian accent,

“Oh come on! You know you want them...”

I was laughing wildly now. He had my husband’s number and that was all there was to that!

“Okay. I’ll take them.”

He has absolutely adored those boots and still enjoys wearing them to this day.

The second story is about the man for whom I worked. One year he brought back from Italy a beautiful soft leather briefcase. He really loved it, and it sat on the chair in the corner of the office right beside his big, leather embossed wooden desk. I can’t tell you how often he looked over at the briefcase, how often he smelled it to take in its aroma, and how pleased he was to pick it up again one more time when he went off to a meeting.

One day, a good friend and a board member made note that he seemed to be really enjoying his new briefcase. My boss replied rapturously,

“I could marry it!”

We all fell about laughing because it was the truth!

And, one more story because you are such good listeners...

One year, I was given a voucher to Bloomingdales department store. There was a sale going on too and I acquired a lovely, very soft brown leather jacket for a very good price. I bought it home and showed it to my husband who adored it the moment he saw it.

“Take everything off and put on the jacket,” he said.

I did that and down on the bed I went. He thoroughly enjoyed making love. But, was he making love to me or the jacket?

I am still not quite sure!