The Snakeskin Secret

After my best friend lost her husband, she started looking better by the day, her skin as fresh and dewy as a twenty-year-old’s. I couldn’t help envying her flawless complexion, so I pressed her for her beauty secret. Blushing furiously, she stammered: “I—I just had a little treatment at the snake shop.” I was baffled. A snake shop wasn’t a beauty salon. “What kind of treatment could you get at a snake shop?” My question seemed to bring something to Chloe’s mind. She swallowed, her eyes going hazy as she caught her lower lip between her teeth. “That shop doesn’t just sell snakes. They sell snakeskin panties, too. Put them on, and you’ll never want to leave. They can make a woman look years younger overnight.” After Chloe’s husband died, she suddenly became obsessed with visiting a snake shop to pet the snakes. I’d been terrified of snakes since childhood. I couldn’t understand why she wanted to touch them, but she gave me a knowing look. “Snakes are good for women. They make you beautiful.” I laughed at her for thinking petting snakes could improve her looks. A month later, I had to eat my words. Chloe’s once-pudgy body had become beautifully curvy. Her cheeks glowed as though someone had been thoroughly satisfying her, making her look even more alluring. She certainly didn’t look like a grieving widow. I didn’t believe petting snakes had done all that. Plenty of people handled snakes, and I’d never heard anyone else claim it made them prettier. Looking at her flawless skin, I finally gave in to my envy and curiosity and asked what beauty secret she’d been using. Chloe blushed and stammered: “I—I just had a little treatment at the snake shop.” I was baffled. A snake shop wasn’t a beauty salon. “What kind of treatment could you get at a snake shop?” Her face turned even redder. She pulled me into a corner and whispered conspiratorially: “That shop doesn’t just sell snakes. They sell snakeskin panties, too. Put them on, and you’ll never want to leave. They can make a woman look years younger overnight.” Panties made from snakeskin? That was a new one. I thought she was pulling my leg. “Snakeskin panties can do all that? Are you wearing them today? Let me see.” I reached for her waistband. Chloe begged me to stop, then sighed. “You can only wear them at the shop. Each appointment gets you two hours.” I blurted out in surprise: “What? Isn’t the whole point of buying panties to wear them? You can’t even take them home? Then why buy them?” My question seemed to bring something to Chloe’s mind. She swallowed, her eyes turning hazy as she caught her lower lip between her teeth. “You’ll understand once you go. These aren’t ordinary panties…” When I still looked confused, she patiently explained: “You’re not exactly happy with your husband in bed, right? Instead of relying on that useless man, why not go find a little excitement for yourself?” For a second, I thought she was encouraging me to cheat. I quickly waved my hands. “No, no. My husband’s actually asking me to come home. I need to go.” I hurried away before she could drag me there. Chloe had hit a sore spot. Nathan and I had been married for five years, and our sex life had always been disappointing. More accurately, my husband had never satisfied me. That night, Nathan slept soundly beside me while I tossed and turned. I’d hoped we could have a proper night together. I’d even changed into a sexy lace nightgown that barely concealed my nipples. It had gotten Nathan excited at first. He’d even asked how good he was while thrusting. Less than three minutes later, we were staring awkwardly at each other.And yet, he put all the blame on me. Nathan looked me over with a sneer. “No tits, no ass. How am I supposed to get turned on? Wearing something like that does nothing for you. What a waste of money.” He didn’t hold back. While cleaning himself up, he kept going. “And that sallow face of yours? Don’t even get me started. One look kills the mood. Can’t you put some effort into your appearance?” Every time this happened, Nathan would start putting me down, criticizing my face and body. I was plain. I knew I wasn’t in the same league as someone as handsome as him. When he first pursued me, I’d wondered if I was dreaming. Everyone around me said I’d won the lottery by catching a man like Nathan. They told me to marry him before I lost my chance. Between their encouragement and Nathan’s sweet talk, I’d ended up making it official. With a body as strong as his, I’d assumed he’d be impressive in bed, too. Instead, he was built like an oak tree with a chili pepper dangling from it—and he barely lasted. I’d suggested seeing a doctor, but Nathan had torn into me, insisting it was all my fault. Apart from that problem, we got along reasonably well. Somehow, five years had passed. Our new place had thin walls. The newlyweds upstairs were at it again. Judging by the woman’s satisfied cries, her husband knew exactly what he was doing. Looking at Nathan, still dead to the world, only made me angrier. As her breathless moans grew faster, heat spread through me, and I hurried into the bathroom. After taking care of myself, I leaned weakly against the sink and studied my reflection. I was skinny, with cramped, mismatched features and rough, sallow skin. Compared to the gorgeous, curvy streamer my husband was always tipping, I really wasn’t much to look at. If I became prettier, would that fix his problem? I remembered the snake shop Chloe had mentioned. Snakes scared me to my core, but thinking of how radiant Chloe looked now made me tempted. After a little thought, I finally sent her a message. What did I have to lose? I wanted to see whether that snake shop was really so miraculous. The next day, Chloe took me straight there. The shop wasn’t as frightening as I’d imagined. As long as I didn’t deliberately look at the little creatures in the glass tanks, I could handle it. But where were the snakeskin panties she’d mentioned? None were on display, and there weren’t any signs advertising them. “Chloe! Back again?” The clerk greeted us eagerly. Chloe nudged me forward. “Of course. I even brought you a new customer.” The clerk looked me up and down, then smiled at Chloe. “Wonderful. All our rooms are reserved right now, though. You’ll have to wait a little.” Feeling slighted, Chloe pouted. “I have a gold membership, and I still have to wait?” The clerk hurried over and affectionately linked arms with her. “I can’t help it. They’re all black-card members. Why don’t you upgrade? The black-card panties feel even better.” Chloe flicked the clerk’s forehead and laughed. “You’re always trying to sweet-talk me. Your black membership costs a fortune.” I couldn’t make sense of their conversation. Membership cards for snakeskin panties? Marketing these days was getting ridiculous. Just then, a woman wearing oversized sunglasses walked into the shop. She seemed familiar. She noticed us, too, but her gaze didn’t linger. She handed the clerk a black card. With a knowing look, the clerk disappeared into a back room. The woman took off her sunglasses and glanced at us again. This time, I got a clear look at her face. My jaw dropped. Wasn’t she the streamer my husband watched all the time? Was she… here for a beauty treatment, too?When the clerk returned, she really was carrying a pair of snake-patterned panties. I’d assumed “snakeskin” was just a marketing gimmick, that they were made of imitation material. But these had an actual snakeskin texture. Looking closely, I could even see tiny scales. It was unsettling. From a professional standpoint, that material wouldn’t breathe. It would rub against the skin, too. There was no way it could be comfortable. “Could I get a bigger size?” The streamer’s cheeks visibly flushed as she asked. I glanced at her figure, then at the panties in the clerk’s hands. As a clothing designer, I could tell at a glance whether something would fit. Those panties were exactly her size. Why did she want a bigger pair? Wouldn’t they sag? Since the clerk was selling them, I assumed she would recommend the proper fit. Instead, she gave the streamer a wicked grin. “You really are a regular. You can handle more and more every time.” “These work so much better than a man. How could I stay away?” The streamer covered her mouth, laughing so hard her whole body shook. I didn’t understand their exchange. Trying to be helpful, I offered: “That pair is your size. A bigger one won’t fit properly.” The streamer’s face turned scarlet. Chloe immediately clapped a hand over my mouth and gave her an awkward smile. “It’s my friend’s first time. She doesn’t understand any of this. Don’t mind her. Bigger is good. Bigger feels better.” I didn’t understand Chloe’s reaction, but I realized I’d been a little rude, so I kept quiet. The clerk exchanged the panties for a pair whose pattern somehow looked more menacing. Delighted with the size, the streamer took them and even held them to her nose for a sniff before hurrying into one of the rooms. About an hour later, she came out carrying the panties. Her face was flushed, and she looked as if she wished she could stay longer. Her skin seemed even fresher than before. Reluctantly, she dropped the panties into a laundry bucket the clerk held out. For a moment, I thought I saw white spots all over them. Anyone who’d been married would recognize those stains. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? I tried to look closer, but the clerk tucked the bucket under the counter. She gave the streamer a teasing look. “Finished already? You still have another hour.” The streamer pressed a hand to her forehead, sounding mildly resentful. “My boyfriend keeps telling me to come home.” Well, well. She had a boyfriend? Nathan would be heartbroken if he knew. My husband liked watching female streamers and occasionally sent them small tips. I checked out handsome guys myself sometimes, so I considered it normal. As long as he didn’t cross a line, I could look the other way. Otherwise, we’d never stop fighting. “The gentleman who brought you here the first time?” the clerk asked, eager for gossip. “Yes. But he doesn’t know. He thinks this is just a regular snake shop.” “Your boyfriend looks pretty fit. Why do you still need to come somewhere like this for excitement?” The streamer’s face fell. “He’s all show and no substance. If he didn’t have money, I wouldn’t be with him.” Huh? All show and no substance? “My husband’s the same.” The thought slipped out before I could stop it. Embarrassed, I quickly covered my mouth. But the streamer’s eyes lit up, as though she’d found someone who understood her pain. She came over to talk. She complained to me for ten minutes. I noticed that her boyfriend and my husband had a lot in common, and I couldn’t resist venting a little myself. “I’m Scarlett. Here’s my contact info. Let’s talk properly next time. I really need to go.” After Scarlett left, Chloe stopped playing with a snake nearby and came over. Her expression was frighteningly dark. “Don’t get too friendly with her. There’s nothing clean about the way she makes her money.” I was a little surprised. Did Chloe know Scarlett was a streamer, too? The clerk said a room had opened up and asked which of us wanted to go first. Chloe immediately looked bashful again. “I’ll go first.” Smiling, the clerk produced a fresh pair of panties in an even larger size. A little shocked, I asked: “You wear something that big?” Chloe lowered her head shyly and gave my chest a light tap. “Oh, stop. When it comes to these treatments, bigger is better.” Then she swayed her slender hips and headed into the room at the very back. I waited in the lounge for ages and drank too much tea. Eventually, I went looking for the bathroom. As I passed the private rooms, I caught the faint sound of women moaning behind the doors. It was enough to make my face burn. But this was a snake shop, not a hotel. Was I imagining things again? I quickened my pace. To my surprise, the door to the last room wasn’t properly shut. It stood open a crack. Wait. Wasn’t that the room Chloe had gone into? I stepped forward, intending to close it for her. As I approached, a heavy musky scent hit me. The soft moans grew louder, and I froze. Had Chloe brought a man here to do that? But when I looked through the gap, the sight inside left me stunned.