A Summer of Changes
by Louise Anne Smithson

Book 2 Chapter 6

The test shoot

It was mid-June and summer had really arrived with a spell of hot weather on Wednesday morning. Samantha was wearing a lemon yellow summer dress and white high heeled sandals and a matching bag, as she waited in the office. Denise, who had again spent the night at her own bedsit, arrived wearing a light blue suit with a pink blouse, which looked smart enough but was not ideal for such hot weather. Sue was dressed in light-weight black trousers with a light cotton top.

‘Hello Denise, I didn't expect to see you again so soon but am always pleased to do so,’ said Samantha, kissing her friend on the cheek.

She then turned to Sue.

‘My sister told me to report to you this morning, Sue. What would you like us to do?’

‘Would you both mind waiting by my desk for a few moments whilst I make some last minute arrangements?’ she answered and left them together.

Denise smiled at her friend, ‘That is wonderful news about your sister.’

‘Yes, I'm very happy for her, although I'm not sure that I'm quite ready to face being an aunt,’ she replied laughing. ‘But, it'll also be good news for us if it results in our getting a modelling job for the summer.’

‘I'd no idea that they were considering us for three months of work, until Jane mentioned it to me late yesterday. I was given to understand that we were wanted to fill in for a day or two until Jane stopped feeling sick,’ said Denise.

‘Maybe they didn’t realise that Jane would be throwing up every morning when they spoke to you, or, more likely, they wanted you to get used to the idea gently,’ said Samantha.

A few minutes later Sue invited them to come through to the new temporary photographic studio which she had created by clearing an upstairs storeroom, hanging some cloth backdrops, and installing some lights.

‘What we're hoping to do today is to take series of trial shots of you, both individually and together, and wearing a number of different outfits. We want to be able to judge how you will look under photographic lighting and whether you can pose effectively. Also, we need to know what colours and styles suit you best. Above all, we need to get an idea of how long the process will take.’

‘And assuming all goes well, then what?’ asked Samantha.

‘That will be up to Helen to decide, once she has seen the test shots. I believe she will be anxious to begin photographing the entire collection as soon as possible.’

‘OK Sue, what would you like us to do first?’ asked Denise

‘Take off your top clothes and hang them on the rail in the corner please. I will show you how to fix your makeup. It will be useful to me if you were able to help one another in this respect.’

‘I am sure we can do so, we are good friends,’ said Samantha.

Sue seems to be assuming that we will both be working together for some time,' Denise thought to herself.

Sue proceeded to show them both how to make up each other’s faces to suit the requirements of the studio lighting.

As soon as they were ready Denise and Samantha were each asked to change into a series of pre-planned outfits and pose in such a way as to show off the clothes or accessories. At first Sue had to explain in detail to each of them what she was looking for in terms of the position of the body and the facial expression, but as the morning wore on the two novice models increasingly came to learn what was expected and would get in to position and respond to Sue’s requests for different facial expressions with the minimum of guidance. Denise enjoyed trying on the different clothes and could see how Sue had carefully chosen the various accessories to co-ordinate with what she was wearing. She felt that she would learn a lot if she were to be offered the job. The work was also fun to do, but proved to be surprisingly tiring and both the models were relieved when Sue decided to break for lunch at 1.00pm.

‘Alright ladies, you can put on your own clothes again now as I need to download the photographs I've taken. I’ll see you both back here at 2.00 pm sharp please.’

‘Won’t you be having some lunch?’ asked Denise, hoping she might get some feedback on how it had gone.

‘Not today, I'll have a coffee and a sandwich at my desk.

‘In that case Denise, let us go and get a coffee and a sandwich next door’ said Samantha.

‘Won’t we look a little odd wearing all this makeup in the middle of the day?’ said Denise

‘Not really, perhaps we both look a little bit over made up, but nobody is going to say anything,’ she replied.

‘Alright then but I will stick to a salad as I'll have to watch my waistline in future if I'm going to be able to wear some of those dresses’ said Denise.

After ordering their food the pair sat down and began to compare notes about the morning.

‘So, what do you think?’ asked Samantha.

‘Do you mean, “what do I think of the work”? or, “how did we get on”?’ Denise replied.

‘Both.’

‘I enjoyed the work, or at least I began to do so once I understood what was required of us. I also suspect we did alright for a couple of amateurs, but whether or not they will make good enough pictures is another matter.’

‘Yes, I agree, and it was such good fun trying on all of the clothes,’ said Samantha, excitedly. ‘I've wanted to work in the fashion industry, ever since Jane told me about her job.’

‘Yes I remember you telling me the first time we met,’ answered Denise.

‘Those photographs that Sue took of us at Jane’s wedding were really very good, at least as good as the ones taken by the professional photographer, and I don’t think they would have offered us this trial if they did not consider us to be sufficiently photogenic.’

‘In that case let us hope you are right.’

‘So, Denise, what will you say if they offer us the job?’

She thought for a moment before answering.

‘It depends on whether your offer of accommodation is still open. I could not accept it if I had to keep changing back into Denis before going home each night and into Denise again the next morning.’

‘But on Sunday you said you were not prepared to live as Denise full-time,’ said Samantha.

‘I know, but I've been thinking about the future a lot over the last couple of days. I've now spent two extended periods as Denise and enjoyed every moment of it on both occasions. I'm getting more confident all the time and my friends and workmates also seem to be happy with me as Denise.’

‘Yes, Jane has commented as much to me,’ replied Samantha.

‘I've thought about the possibility of spending my weekdays as Denise but I don’t think my landlady would be happy if I changed my sex every Monday morning and back again every Friday evening for the next three months, and in any event, what would be the point? So, if we are offered three months of work and you are still willing to have me as a flatmate, then I would like to accept your offer,’ she said smiling.

‘Denise, I would so love to have you as a flatmate,’ said Samantha, touching her hand, ‘but you must realise that I was being serious about my stipulation. If you come and live with me, you do so as Denise full-time. Denis’s clothes must be stored elsewhere. That is non-negotiable.’

‘I realise that,’ answered Denise.

‘I would expect you to embrace being a girl in everything you do and say, and even in your choice of reading matter, and the films you watch,’ said Samantha.

‘So you want me to trade in my blue toothbrush for a pink one?’ said Denise smiling.

‘Yes, that's right. I want to live with someone who enjoys being a girl and is happy to discuss clothes, makeup and her boyfriends with me.’

‘I should be in a position to satisfy you on the first two criteria after I have gained a little more experience, but as to the third I'll make no promises,’ said Denise.

‘Alright then, two out of three will do for now, especially as I don’t have a boyfriend myself at present. We'll have to work on the third .’

‘In that case, if we're offered the work, I should like to move in to Jane’s room, for the weekly rent that we've discussed,’ said Denise.

‘Alright, but before you do so you will have to find somewhere else to store Denis’s belongings until you have need of them again,’ said Samantha.

‘We may of course be jumping the gun and there may not be any offer of work. Let's see what they decide to do at the end of today and, if necessary, I'll make arrangements to move,’ said Denise.

‘I'll keep my fingers crossed for us both’ said Samantha.

‘So will I,’ said Denise.

---

‘How were the shots from this morning?’ asked Samantha as they returned from lunch.

‘As far as I am concerned they were mostly successful but it will be up to Helen to decide whether they're good enough to put up on the new web site,’ answered Sue.

The photo shoot continued for a further two hours in the afternoon but this time they were able to make more progress. At last Sue declared herself satisfied with what they had achieved and invited the two models to change back into their own clothes. Between them they had modelled more than twenty different outfits, with a dozen or more shots taken of each one.

‘Samantha, I'm afraid that Helen isn't back yet, and so we'll have to telephone you at home this evening if we would like you to come in next week. In the meanwhile we've arranged to pay a fee and your expenses for today’s work,’ said Sue.

‘What are you planning to do now Denise?’ asked Samantha.

‘I will now have to change back so that I can go home tonight, as my landlady will be arriving home any time now. I should also warn you that I'll be Denis at work tomorrow, but I will do my best to ensure that we do not meet.’

‘In that case I'd best leave you now, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for us both,’ she said.

‘Good luck,’ said Denise as she kissed her friend on the cheek.

‘You too,’ whispered Samantha.

---

Helen arrived to have a look at the results at about 5.00 pm, whilst Denise was busy changing herself back into Denis. Sue had downloaded all the pictures, selected and edited a few dozen of the best ones and inserted them into an electronic album. She then projected them on to a screen in Helen’s office.

‘What do you think?’ she asked her employer.

‘These are very good indeed, especially those of Denise, which are quite remarkable given what we know about her origins.’

‘Yes she looks totally female, even close up, although we may need to pull in her waist a little for some of the shots and give her a little more padding around the hips. Her facial expression is good though. In fact she seems to have a natural flair for the work.’

‘How about Samantha?’ asked Helen.

‘Her body shape is better but she's more self-conscious, although I suspect that will disappear with a little more practice. In my opinion both of them look like professional models,’ said Sue.

‘On the basis of your experience today, how much is it likely to cost the business and how long will the process take, if we go ahead with the plan to enhance the website?’ said Helen.

‘I estimate that if you used me as a the photographer and employed those two, rather than professional models, we could complete the job and mount the catalogue for about thirty thousand pounds over a period of 3-4 months. That is assuming that you employ Samantha for three months and will also pay both Denis/Denise and myself a 7% bonus on top of our current salaries.’

‘Will they both be available for that period?’

‘If we were to start work on Monday you will have three months before Samantha needs to go back to university in mid September. Denise is already on your staff, although she may ask for some leave during the summer. If necessary we can ensure that all of Samantha’s solo shots and the shots of the two of them together are completed first and then finish off using Denise alone afterwards.’

‘The next question is whether Denis will be prepared to work as a woman for such an extended period?’

‘I get the impression he's coming round to the idea and would be quite enthusiastic about the prospect, but you'll have to verify this with him first. It would be disastrous if either of them pulled out half way through. I suppose you could always make the payment of his bonus dependent upon his completing a minimum of three months.’

‘Alright then, let us have a word with them both.’

---

Denis was just about to leave work, with a bag containing the clothes and wig worn by Denise that day, when Helen asked him to come up to her office. Sue was already there.

‘Tell me what you think of these Denis?’ she asked him, projecting a slideshow of pictures of Denise onto her office wall.

‘She looks very attractive, I could almost fancy her myself,’ he said laughing.

‘Sue thinks that I should offer her a job as a model, what do you think Denis?’

‘I agree with Sue, in fact I believe that you found yourself two very good models today,’ he replied.

‘Maybe so, but before I make any offer I need to be sure that I can rely upon her,’ she said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I need to know whether you are likely to get fed up with changing into Denise every morning and will want to give up after a few weeks?’ she said seriously.

He thought for a moment.

‘Yes, it would soon become intolerable if I had to change from Denis into Denise every morning before going to work and back again afterwards. Even spending the whole week as Denise would be a pain. However, if you do offer me the work, it is my intention to remain living as Denise full-time until the job is finished’ he answered.

‘Are you sure about that? You do you realise that the work may take at least three months to complete.’

‘Yes I know,’ he replied. ‘I've given the matter quite a lot of thought over the last few days. I'd be willing to live as Denise for a sustained period of time, so long as I have a job to go to and somewhere to live.’

‘I am not saying that you will not be able to take an occasional day’s leave but I would not want you to take an extended period away.’

‘Don’t worry, I've no holiday booked and no plans for the summer,’ he answered.

‘We may also need you to spend some time fulfilling your existing duties to help mount the web site, during that period.’

‘So long as you pay me, I will do whatever you want’ he answered.

‘So what will you do about your living accommodation if you were living as a woman? I was under the impression that was the main stumbling block.’

‘Samantha has offered to let me rent Jane’s old bedroom in her flat, it will be vacant from Saturday.’

‘What about the weekends?’ asked Helen.

Denis shrugged, ‘I guess I’ll spend some time catching up with my everyday chores and also I will have to learn how to amuse myself as a young woman,’ he answered.

Sue joined in the conversation at this point.

‘It would make life a lot easier from my point of view, because we could get started almost as soon as you arrived at work. Also, if you were willing to live full-time as Denise, there would be no reason why we should not attach extensions to your hair once again and make a more permanent job with your finger nails. We could likewise attach your breast forms and the padding of your hips a little more securely’ she added.

‘As long as these appendages look fairly natural and I'm able to remove them at the end of my period of employment without too much pain, I won't object’ answered Denis.

‘In that case I'm happy to offer you a job as a model. It will be for thirteen weeks in the first instance. I will continue to pay your existing monthly salary plus 5%, but upon successful completion of the whole period I will also pay you a bonus of £1,000.’

‘Thank you, that is very generous. I'll be happy to accept your offer.’

Helen and Sue both gave him a hug.

‘Will you also be employing Samantha?’ asked Denis.

‘Yes, I'll telephone her this evening to make arrangements. We'd like you both to start work on Monday morning. Is there any way that we could sort out your hair and appendages before then?’

‘I'll need to talk to my landlady this evening and then arrange to move in with Samantha. I'll let you know the arrangements tomorrow. Oh, there is one other thing though, when I do move in to my new flat, may I store Denis’s clothes in one of the store rooms at work as Samantha refuses to let me keep them in her house?’

‘Yes of course, I'll be happy to store them for you,’ said Helen, ‘so long as I keep them under lock and key.’