A man is feminized by his wife and his business partner and framed for embezzlement. Can he survive the humiliations his wife intends to subject him to and start a new life?

Thanks go out to Marina Kelly for her very valuable editorial assistance in improving the quality of this story.

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Chapter 16

It took a few minutes for Sally to be completely coherent, but she was alert quickly enough, once Pete explained why he had awakened her from a dead sleep.

An unbelieving Sally struggled with the concept. "My boss performs in a strip club. As in burlesque? You've got to be shitting me. He wouldn't make it as a Chippendale dancer, let alone as an erotic dancer pretending to be a female. Are you sure you weren't just drunk? It must have been just a parody right? He was doing it for laughs?"

"No sis, actually he was totally convincing and erotic. This was no joke."

"Yes, Sally," Pete replied patiently. This was the third time she had asked the same question, almost as if the information was not sinking in. He put a cup of coffee in front of her to help her wake up.

Sally took a swallow of coffee, letting the heat of it warm her. She hadn't really enjoyed much in the past few weeks. But knowing that Rob might be okay was enough to put some life back into her.

"What the hell is he doing in a strip club? I mean, how much does he show? Is he a she now or a female impersonator?" Sally had finally gotten past that one sticking point and her voice rose as she posed her questions. Which were voiced more like exclamations.

Pete shook his head as he said, "I don't know sis. But I can tell you that your friend doesn't look anything like a guy and he's a pretty good dancer too. It was obvious to everybody that he wasn't a woman, sexually, but he has everything else. The face, the tits, the legs, even the voice. In fact, he moves on heels better than a lot of genetic women do and, no offense, that includes you. "

Sally laughed and replied, "I don't remember you doing so well either on our late night outing."

Pete just grinned ruefully. He knew that he would hear about that breaking and entering adventure for a long time to come.

"You should have seen the stage act that he did! He had just about everyone in the place wanting to rush the stage and have their way with him...her whatever. Men and women. All I know for sure is that the person I saw the last two nights is a she-male and is a dead ringer for the person in that picture. If this isn't him he has a twin sister out there running around." He tapped one of the pictures that Jim had taken during his surveillance.

Sally shook her head as if she were trying to loosen something that was stuck. "That doesn't make sense. I need to call Jim."

Her calls to Jim's cell phone went directly to voice mail and she was only able to leave a message for him and the precinct switchboard. He had been reinstated to duty a few days after their return from looking for Rob. Since then, Jim had been assigned to some organized crime cases that kept him from maintaining regular contact with Sally.

She was rather frustrated when she finally hung up. All she could do was leave messages and wait for him to call back now. Sally found herself in a state where she was unable to relax. Here it was, the middle of the night, and she was too wound up to sleep. Pete begged off shortly after she finished with her phone calls and she found herself alone in the living room. Sally finally resorted to using a sleeping pill so that she could face the coming day refreshed. Hopefully, Jim would return her messages and help her make some sense of this new problem.

She finally fell into a troubled sleep, plagued with visions of Rob in a suit and tie that kept kaleidoscoping with images of him dancing in a thong, with pasties on large full breasts. She woke with her panties soaked, which confused Sally even more. She hadn't had erotic dreams like that since she was a teenager. Did it mean that she was attracted to Rob when he was a sexy woman? Did it matter? It was Rob and she had been attracted to his friendly, outgoing manner first. Really, Rob was everything that someone looked for in a friend and a lover, it didn't matter to her if Rob was a man or a woman now. But would Rob want her? That thought nagged at her for quite a while.

* * * * *

Sally had wanted to be at the club when it opened so that she could see and talk to Rob. In the weeks since he had been gone, she had romanticized her reunion with her boss in her mind. She could see herself just holding Rob tightly, telling him that she would help him through whatever had happened to him. From the sounds of it, she and Rob might be able to share the same wardrobe. She wondered what she would wear for him. And what he would like to wear. Would they be lucky enough to wear the same size, he was about her height after all. She shuddered at the thought of having to give up half her closet space for her boss.

Peter could see that Sally had a problem with Rob's situation. He knew that she couldn't go rushing in to save him, but he knew that it would be difficult to get Sally to realize that things seldom worked out like they did in the movies. He needed to keep her away from the club until they could discuss it with her friend Jim.

For Sally's part, she was dealing with the stress of knowing that the man she had strong feelings for was in some kind of trouble and she needed to help him. The fact that she was actually running his company made her feel like some kind of impostor or that she was stealing it from him. She wanted Rob to come back to take over his company again, the responsibility could be a bit of a burden at times. But she was still infatuated with her boss and she needed him to be there so that she could help him, care for him, and make sure that he was okay. She knew that it was far too soon to tell him how she felt, but she was willing to wait and find out.

This all combined into an altruistic, but rather unreasoning drive to want to go and get Rob from wherever he was. Upon closer self-examination, Sally realized that what she thought was altruism might very well be a self-serving drive instead. Here was a man who could fill a void in her life. Her true motivation for wanting to help was eluding her. But God help anyone that got in her way.

Pete had taken the time that morning to explain the situation as he saw it to Sally. Rob was working in a nightclub that appeared to have connections to organized crime. Rumors in the gay community said that the Mob had a more than casual interest in the operation of the club and it could be a dangerous place to get into trouble. He hadn't really considered until now how close he might have been to being beaten or worse last night.

If everything Sally had told him about Rob, his wife, and his partner was true, Rob might not be there willingly. If Sally were to go charging in, she could be putting herself and Rob into danger. He had gotten her to agree that the best approach would be to wait until everything had been discussed with Jim and a course of action could be mapped out. She had promised to stay away from the club before Pete left for work. But he made a mental note to keep an eye on his sister.

* * * * *

Jim had gotten Sally's messages when he had gotten off shift that morning. He was very interested in the news Sally and Pete had for him and suggested that it might be tied in with some the cases he was working on. As a result, the three of them ended up in Sally's apartment that night, discussing things over a pizza dinner. Sally had spent most of the day feeling and acting like a little girl, waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. She was nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. She wanted very badly for Pete's sighting of Rob to be true.

Jim said, "Pete was right about you not charging down there Sally. We've suspected that nightclub as being a center for prostitution and human trafficking for a while now." Both thoughts sent chills through Sally; she reached out and squeezed Jim's hands. He returned the gesture and went on, "But we have never been able to move a case forward. There's no telling what might happen to people who cause trouble for the Mob."

Jim continued, "I have cases that have gone cold very quickly because we have no evidence or witnesses to pursue the case. A lot of them end up as missing person cases and some of them are linked to the club.

"We can't even think about mounting a rescue mission until we're sure if we are actually rescuing someone. You've known Rob for a while Sally. Did he ever show any indications of being a closet tranny? For all we know, Rob is there of his own free will. But, based upon what you told me about that other dancer Pete, I have to agree that something is going on though."

Jim paused and looked intently at the other two.

"I'm telling you this because I know you and that you can be trusted. You need to be aware of all of this because you're part of this case, but you also need to make sure you don't share this information."

Sally and Pete nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to check out the club yet tonight and see if your friend is there. Then we need to make some plans."

"Can't I come along with you tonight?" Sally asked, half hopefully.

Jim shook his head.

"No. That wouldn't be wise. The members of the organized crime unit are all known by the Mob. They're aware we can't do anything without probable cause, so they know that we're always checking them out. They leave us alone in their clubs because they would be asking for trouble if something happened to us. If you were with me, it would expose you to scrutiny by the Mob. They might put your connection with your work together with Rob. That could spell disaster for both of you. "

"So…You two will stay away from there until I tell you otherwise. Agreed?"

Pete bought into Jim's reasoning readily enough, but Sally only grudgingly accepted Jim's explanations. She'd heard how slowly some case had to move; to make sure that justice could be delivered.

Once Jim knew that his non-combatants would remain that way, he proceeded to start making calls to his supervisor and to co-workers he knew that he could trust. There was always some information leakage or outright snitches in an organization as large as the Philadelphia Police Department, but the Organized Crime Unit had managed to clean house very thoroughly. Still…it was wise to make sure that people knew where you were going and what you would be doing while you were there.

The evening was pretty much gone by the time they were done talking and Jim had spoken with his team at the department. Even though Sally chafed at the fact that Jim did not feel he could accomplish anything yet that night, she could see his reasoning.

Jim, knowing that Sally might be impulsive enough to go to the club yet, made her agree to let him investigate first. She was not happy about it, but Jim's warnings of the actions the Mob might take against her or Rob was serious enough that she could understand the wisdom of allowing the police to investigate.

She knew that the coming few days were not going to be easy to get through, but there was nothing she could do and there was light at the end of the tunnel now. Medications or alcohol were not her choices of relaxation, so she could see that she would need to throw herself into work to distract herself. And wait to hear from Jim.

* * * * *

Diana and Sophie sat at one of the tables just inside the club from the back room. Neither really wanted to look at the other right now, considering that they had spent the night face-to-face. They wore belly shirts that ended just below the middle of their breasts so that anyone could see the large emeralds that topped their navel piercings. Rob reflected idly on the internal conflict he felt that he wished that his breasts were not as large as they were, but he was proud of them at the same time. It seemed like they had gotten even larger in the past couple of weeks, but he wasn't sure as his clothes still fit.

After Sophie's incident with his father-in-law, soon to be ex-father-in-law, Vargas had decided that both she-males needed a bit of bling to show to the crowds. After getting agreement from Anders, he had brought someone in yet that very night and they had found themselves the less than proud owners of a bar bell stud inserted just above their navels.

The jewels were at the top of the stud while a small, but sturdy ring dangled from the bottom end and played hide-and-seek in the cave of their navels. There were informed that both ends of the studs were permanently cold-soldered together and wouldn't be coming out any time soon. Vargas then proceeded to demonstrate to them that any misbehavior could be punished in some amusing ways. Diana and Sophie had then spent the night attached to each other with a small lock through their navel rings. Bumper to bumper, if you will.

Diana had been aroused all night long; her large girl clit kept poking Sophie every time they changed positions. Sophie had found the punishment embarrassing, and unlike Diana not the least bit erotic, which was Vargas' intention. At one point, Sophie was awakened by a kiss from Diana. She found herself responding to Diana's tongue snaking into her mouth before she was fully awake. The shock that she enjoyed the sensation caused her to jerk back abruptly, sending a jolt of pain through both of their bellies.

After that, Rob found himself able to exert more control over himself. He had found himself having the same kind of feelings about their punishment as Sophie, but he acknowledged to himself that he found that he was enjoying it too. It was obvious that the line between his male mind and the programming that made him act as Diana was starting to blur.

Rob also found himself coming to resent his condition. On one hand, he was able to be coldly analytic about a problem the way he used to at work and on the other, he was still subject to the slutty behavior that had been imprinted on his mind. In what he thought of as a lucid moment, he promised himself that everyone who was responsible for putting him here would pay, if he ever had a chance to collect.

They had spent the night doing their best to stay still in order to avoid hurting themselves or each other. Their bodies had been touching all night, with the only accommodation they could make was that one slept with his head elevated on a pillow while the other slept with his head on the mattress itself. The alternative would have been that they would practically share each breath they took.

By morning, their necks and backs were sore from trying to put some kind of distance between each other without feeling like they were ripping their bellies off. They hadn't really gotten much sleep as a result. Vargas came to unlock their rings, laughing at them, and, after seeing Diana's erection, telling them that he hoped that they had enjoyed themselves and each other during the night.

He looked at each of them and informed them that any further trouble would result in rings through their nipples. Both of them shuddered at that threat, but Diana felt a bit of thrill go through her at the thought though. Would she look sexy with nipple rings? How big would they be? What would they feel like? Rob had to wrestle with those erotic thoughts to get control again.

Julie had taken charge of them again after breakfast and put them to work on generally light duties. They were informed that they would be dancing each night from now on. Because of Diana's popularity, she would be working the bar when she was not dancing, but Sophie would be working the floor. She had them sweep and mop the floors and wipe down the tables before sending them back to work on their routines.

Diana worked on new routine that was inspired by the phoenix tattoo on her derriere. It was loosely based upon an old Gypsy Rose Lee number and used feathered fans to emulate flames. The club obviously had access to materials from other places as Diana had not seen the fans in the costume room earlier.

Diana seemed to take to dancing and stripping as if it was second nature. Rob had only to relax and let things happen. It was like sharing his body and mind with another person that he could not talk to. Like some kind of timeshare. Debbie had only a few suggestions for her act as she practiced and refined it. When he took a break to rest and get some water, he wondered if he might have been an exotic dancer in a previous life. They both worked hard to polish their acts and they were tired and sweaty by the time they needed to get ready for the club opening.

They showered and dressed in their waitress costumes that revealed more of their bodies than they concealed. Seeing that what they were wearing now was less modest than what the other girls were wearing, they could see that they were obviously on display. Something told Diana that they were getting close to the date for which the auction was scheduled, but nothing had been said to them. Rob had gained enough control over himself that he was torn both ways.

He felt afraid of what would happen to him when he was sold to the kind of person who would purchase another. At the same time, he wondered what it would be like to be owned by someone else — never to have to make another decision just do what you are told — your only responsibility was to look attractive and bring pleasure. Would they be nice or mean to him? Would it be a man or a woman? Diana didn't care. Rob was rooting for a woman, as it would make his life a lot easier. He briefly fantasized about being purchased by Sally. That would make this living hell worthwhile. Oh well, Que Sera, Sera. He did wonder if there was anything he could do to influence who his future owner would be.

Rob shook his head to break his train of thought and took a drink of water. The club was due to open in just a few minutes and he knew that he would be busy enough to keep himself from dwelling on what his future might turn out to be. He allowed himself to relax and allow his Diana persona to drive. By doing so, he was less inhibited and able to more spontaneous in how he moved and spoke with the customers on the floor. Many were polite and friendly, but there are also plenty of jerks who thought that it was acceptable to make crude comments and outright propositions to the waitresses. Rob wondered if their mothers would have allowed that kind of behavior as they were growing up.

* * * * *

The night was relatively normal for Diana and Sophie. Diana tried out her fan dance routine for the first time for her audience and made some mental notes where she could improve upon her act. Regardless of how good or bad she thought it was, her raw sexuality came through to her audience and she once again scampered around gathering tips in exchange for garters. As she finished her act she had an almost irresistible urge to dive off the stage into the audience and crowd surf. Luckily, Rob was able to take control, realizing that action would one, cause a riot and two, get him punished or three, he would end up being raped. 'Is it rape, if you want it?' thought Diana as she poked her thoughts back into the conversation.

She was stationed behind the bar again to keep the chaos in the club to a minimum. Once again, the queue at the bar was busy as everyone wanted a beer from the cute dancer.

Sophie's act was well received also, but obviously not with the enthusiasm that had greeted Diana, so she was able to work the floor without a problem. Julie pulled them off the floor early to allow them to rest. Because their tips were being given to their co-workers, there were no hard feelings about the two of them not finishing the night shift. When they finally broke for the night, the two she-males went back to the kitchen and got some finger food to take down to their room-cum-cell. They collapsed in relief on Diana's bed, allowing the stress and tension to drain out of them.

As they ate, they talked about the highlights of the evening.

"I think that one of my customers is going to be at the auction," Sophie said quietly. "He was asking me a bunch of questions about you and I think that he might be somebody that is planning on bidding on you. I thought that you might want to know and be prepared for it."

Obviously, the thought of the auction and being sold to another human being as property really scared Sophie. The presence of someone who might actually be part of that sale brought that reality home and she was rather subdued as a result. But Rob was intrigued by the whole thing. The programming forced upon him had diluted the fear and concept of danger that being owned carried with it.

So the first question Diana asked was, "Was he handsome?"

Sophie giggled as he said, "I'd say more cute than handsome." He wondered, 'When he had started to view men as cute.'

Coming back to the present he went on, "He wanted to know things like who you were, how long you had been here, and where you lived."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him the truth. I told him your name and that you have been here for about two or three weeks, and that we lived here in the club. He was a little surprised about that and wanted to know why we were here. So I told him that we would be here until after the auction. He even wanted to know why we didn't just leave."

Before Diana had a chance to comment further, Vargas pushed open the hallway door and stood looking at them lounging on the bed. He leered at them, two men who looked completely like women, for a moment and then adjusted the bulge in his pants.

"Anders told me that I can't pierce your nipples so close to the auction, but I'll lock you together again if you get out of line. You'd better be careful with the customers out there. Next time, I'll attach you two head-to-foot." Diana thought about spending a night with her head between Sophie's legs and immediately got hard. This time surprisingly Sophie responded similarly, her Willie started to inflate at the thought of at the thought of having Diana's head in her crotch.

He looked at them again and Diana got the impression that Vargas didn't really care that they were really men. She felt fine with the disconnect, though she knew she would feel differently when her Diana programming receded again. Vargas leered at them again and left.

Rob was half-afraid that the asshole manager would turn off the light and lock them in, but he just closed the door behind him.

"At least we don't have to worry about getting our nipples pierced," Rob said with a grin as he took a bite of chicken wing.

Sophie grinned back and said with a false sad tone, "But I was looking forward to having holes driven through my breasts and steel rings shoved through. What will we ever do now?"

"I know. But I think that I'm fine with behaving myself so that we don't have to sleep face-to-face again."

"I agree. What was the deal with that kiss last night?" Sophie looked uncomfortable just referring to it.

"I'm sorry. It's what makes me Diana that caused that. I lost control," Diana answered, trying to look sorry. He succeeded for the most part.

"Well…It's okay as long as we don't end up locked together again," Sophie said. She looked a little embarrassed when she said, "It was kind of nice actually. I haven’t been kissed or even held by anyone for months."

Diana nodded sympathetically. "I know. I haven't either and I really miss it." Diana's eyes teared slightly as she admitted her loneliness. This was something else that fed into Rob's anger. He hadn't felt close to anyone since Jake and Tanya. Everyone needed to just be held once in a while.

It wasn't too much later before Vargas returned again to tell them that they were done for the night and he would turn the lights off in five minutes. The fact that Vargas wasn't acting like a jerk at the moment put them a bit off balance. Sophie and Diana were already prepared for the night and lights-out found them holding each other in bed. This time, neither of them felt any shame at finding comfort in the contact between them.

* * * * *

Jim didn't stay at the club until closing time. He had recognized the waitress that Pete had described and he had taken a table in her section. After he had a chance to chat her up and get some very interesting pieces of information, he had noticed that at least one of the bouncers moving through the tables was paying more than casual interest in him.

He was able to enjoy Diana's fan dance before he left. He agreed with Pete's assessment of her attractiveness and pure sexuality. Her act was a different one than what Pete had described, but that did nothing to reduce the reaction of the audience. At any one time, there must have been five people, men and women, holding out a bill to her along the stage where it poked out into the audience. While the security staff was distracted with keeping anyone from becoming too enthusiastic about meeting her, he took the opportunity to pay his tab and leave.

Once out of the club, he had practically run to his car and left for Sally's apartment. Looking back, he saw that he hadn't been followed and concluded that the muscle he had seen in the club either had not seen him leave or they hadn't been really interested in his presence after all.

Pulling up to Sally's apartment building, he saw that Sally was still up. Not that he was surprised. He knew that she and Pete would be eager to hear what he might have discovered at the club. He was actually happy that he did have news to share and he headed up to the door. They must have been watching for him as Sally opened the door as he walked up. Sally stood in the door wearing a pink baby doll nightie, that several months ago would have driven him to distraction. He could see Pete standing not too far behind her.

In almost no time at all, the three of them were seated around the dining room table with coffee in front of them. After some of the much too strong or cold coffee had to swallow in the past few weeks, Jim was glad Sally knew how to brew decent coffee. While he marshaled his thoughts, he savored a swallow of coffee, even if it was too hot.

Sally and Pete were looking at him expectantly, resembling children in a hurry to open their birthday presents. Jim took pity on them and sat forward in his seat to rest his arms on the table.

"Okay. I saw your friend, Rob, working behind the bar and up on stage. Apparently, he has a new dance routine and it looks like he might have a hit on his hands." He paused and looked at Sally to ask, "Are you sure that he's a guy. He definitely looks, acts, and sounds like a woman."

Sally nodded and said, "Rob's a guy alright. He might not be the most manly of men, but he's not a woman…or he wasn't the last time I spoke to him."

Jim nodded his acknowledgment of Sally's statement. "Don't be too sure of his masculinity though. There is definitely something going on."

He looked at Pete and said, "I'm pretty sure that I met the dancer you were telling us about, Pete. I was able to sit at one of her tables and she told me everything that I wanted to know.

"Apparently, the two of them are prisoners at the club and wear some sort of bracelet that keeps them from being able to open the doors to escape. From the sounds of it, there is going to be a major auction at the club this weekend."

Jim looked thoughtful and said, "It would be the perfect opportunity to pull in a lot of the slimeballs we've been chasing for all this time."

Pete looked confused. "What kind of auction?"

Jim's expression hardened. "A slave auction. They plan on selling your friends to the highest bidder. After that, you'll never see them again. Once they're gone, there's no telling how long they might even live. This is the same kind of situation that I saved your little sister from. We might have a chance to shutdown slavery operations from coast to coast. If we're lucky that is."

Sally gasped. "I thought that slavery ended over a hundred years ago."

"Not white slavery. Look at what your sister was about to experience. A lot of people with money don't have the same moral compass that you and I do. We suspect that a lot of the missing that we look for end up in some sort of human trafficking operation. Many of them are out of the country within hours after being grabbed. We're just lucky that the crooks here in town are incompetent or your sister would have been long gone before we saved her.

"The same holds true with your friend, Rob. How stupid do you have to be to kidnap someone and then keep them in plain sight in the city they live in?" Jim shook his head in amusement.

"Do you have enough information to go in and get Rob now?" Sally asked. It was obvious to Jim that she had not thought through the implications of that exact action.

"Yes, but we need to be organized about it. I know that the Captain will want to net up some of the other players too. That means that Rob and your other friend will have to stay there until the weekend."

Sally's face fell at that news.

"If we go in after just the two of them, we'll lose any chance to nail all of the others. Sally, we have to do it this way. We'll be preventing this from happening to many other people."

"I know," she acknowledged with a shrug. Her disappointment was quite obvious.

"You have nothing to worry about," Jim told her. "Those thugs want to get as much money as they can for their property, so your friends are in no danger and will probably be well treated."

"I understand," Sally said. "It's just hard to accept is all. What will happen to them when you raid the place?"

"Our raid will have to be fast and well-coordinated, to prevent the bad guys from permanently silencing them as witnesses. Just standard hostage rescue procedures. Then they would be taken into protective custody so that they can testify."

Jim looked thoughtful for a moment and looked at the brother and sister innocently. He asked, "They wouldn't be under arrest. Do you know where they could stay where they would be safe? We could put them in protective custody, but looking like they do that could be problematic. If we were to put them into the general population in jail, they would end up as road kill."

Pete and Sally exchanged looks and faint smiles. They looked back at Jim and said, "We might have an idea."

* * * * *

It was like divine providence that Jim's phone was ringing as he let himself into his apartment. He'd finished up telling the Olsen siblings what he had learned about the nightclub. He hoped that Sally would listen to him and not go into the place on her own. If she made one wrong step in a place like that, she would disappear more thoroughly than her sister had almost done.

The phone had stopped by the time he was all the in, but it started up again immediately. Obviously, someone needed or really wanted to speak to him and not his answering machine. This time he answered it before it rolled over to the machine.

"Hello?"

A woman's voice on the other end. "Is this Jim Freeland? The police detective who saved that girl from the brothel?"

Shit. Another reporter. Jim wished that they would leave alone.

"Yes, but I have no comment about that. Our investigation is still ongoing."

Before he could take the receiver away from his ear, his caller responded, "Mister Freeland, I'm not a reporter. I'm calling you about a couple of friends who are in trouble and I think that you would be interested."

Jim paused. This was either a new way of getting an interview or a thinly veiled threat. Either way, it was wise to find out what she wanted. He was already getting his cell phone out so that he could warn Sally and her brother.

"Who are these friends of mine?" He might as well hear what they had to say and then rush back to Sally.

"I don't believe that you know them. They're servers at the Eagle nightclub; actually they're more like prisoners."

Jim's mind moved into a totally different track at the mention of the nightclub. This woman wasn't making threats against his friends, she was asking for help or it was a trap.

"I'm familiar with the club; I've been there a few times."

"Mister Freeland, I work at the club. I'm afraid of what Vargas might do if I try to quit. If he knew that I was speaking to you, he would kill me and my entire family. I know that I can trust you because of what you did to that brothel."

Jim's mind was working furiously. This might be the help he needed at the club. "I can understand that ma'am. Do you want to tell me your name?"

There was a very long pause at the other end of the line and it would have been easy to think that she had hung up the phone, but she answered, "My name is Julie. I'm the assistant manager and bartender at the Eagle. Can you help me and my friends?"

The conversation moved on to what information Julie might want to give up and what she wanted from him. Finally, they agreed upon a time when she would call him on his cell phone the next day.

* * * * *

Jim was in his supervisor's office the next morning, running on about four hours of sleep. After Julie had hung last night, Jim had spent another hour making phone calls. As a result, there was a conference of several members of the department present at this meeting.

He quickly related everything that he had been involved in and what he knew about Rob Tanner, Evan and Geri, the investment theft, and the connection to the Eagle nightclub. As much as they wanted to keep the glory and publicity for the department, those present agreed that the sheer size of the case warranted getting assistance from federal agencies. As a result, more meetings were held at locations away from the department. Most of the suspected moles in the department who might be reporting to the mob had been identified, but it was better to be careful at this stage.

Jim once again related everything again to this new group of people and the law enforcement engine began to crank with very deliberate purpose. Only those members of local law enforcement that were already present would be aware of the planned raid on the Eagle. Plans were made to use members of federal law enforcements organizations in the raid instead. It was also agreed that it would be best to make the raid during the auction Jim had been told about. The opportunity to net members of organized crime and some of the less-desirable members of society at the same time was enough to make some individuals in the room practically salivate at the political hay to be made.

All that was needed now was the date and time of the auction. Everyone would be on immediate notice of deployment in case the information was not available until the last minute. They were sure that it would be soon, but they would have to wait to find out. The decision was made that the teams entering the club would avoid using deadly force, unless it was absolutely necessary. Many of the people they would be arresting were made of money and having people acting like John Wayne and spraying bullets around could only mean problems. If they were going to shoot someone, try for a single shot.

The only break in security was the phone call Jim made to Sally. He explained what was being done and that she and Pete could absolutely tell no one. If they did, in fact, tell someone else, there was a real possibility that Rob and the other hostages in the club could be killed to get rid of evidence. He promised that they could be there when the raid took place, but they needed to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

* * * * *

Rob and Sophie knew that they were to be auctioned off like livestock sometime at the end of the month and had resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing they could about it.

While Sophie was worried about what was going to happen to her and wished she could escape somehow, Rob almost seemed to be looking forward to it. He knew that this was due to the Diana side of his mind, but that programming also insulated him from feeling the fear and depression that Sophie was feeling.

Rob's control over himself and the programming continued to grow, but he still answered to the name Diana. He saw no reason to fight to be called by his given name when he looked and sounded so much like the bimbo Diana had been designed to be. The Diana persona just made is easier to avoid any kind of angry punishment from Vargas. Rob actually felt popular with Julie and the other girls, which he liked. Sophie knew what was going on in Rob's head; they had to talk about something in bed before they fell asleep, and understood how Rob was thinking. That didn't mean that she was comfortable with it though.

Apparently, the specter of the auction also caused Sophie to come to some life decisions about the same time as Rob had. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to change his fate, he had stopped even thinking of himself as Steven and accepted that he would always be known as Sophie. Hopefully, not Sophie the Sissy though. He had also come to terms with his appearance in the same way Rob had. He now looked like a mannish woman and could never return to the person he had once been. Sometimes in the middle of the night snuggled in Diana's loving embrace the thought of being Sophie didn't seem so bad.

Steven the man resigned himself to being Sophie the she-male for the rest of her life. She knew that she would have no choice in the decision anyway. When she became the possession of the highest bidder, she would be lucky to be able to retain any control over her identity at all. That scared her more than anything else. This was something that Rob did not feel. He knew that Diana insulated him from the fear and he seemed to stand off to one side as an observer.

It only took a couple of days for them to lapse into a sort of mindless routine. Wake up and eat. Clean up the club. Practice their stage acts. Work the bar or the floor for a few hours. Eat and crash for the night. Repeat. After Vargas had used his cattle prod on Sophie for telling a customer about the auction and their situation, both of them were in agreement that they did not want to be punished again. They made sure that they were doing what they were supposed to be doing before they even told to be doing it. They also made it a habit to try to be anywhere Vargas was not.

The result was that they were on their way to turning themselves into meek compliant slaves. They knew what would happen to them if they tried to get through an exit, by themselves or with help. If they were caught, the cattle prod would only be the start and they would find themselves locked up until they were sold. Even if they had the nerve to ask a customer for help, they had no way of knowing if that customer would actually help them or if Vargas would somehow find out that they had talked.

But even slaves dream of freedom. Their only free time was when they were in bed. They talked quietly about escape, how they could do it and when. But they were not able to come up with any ideas that could work. It was one the cruelties of slavery: Let the prisoner dream of freedom, but always deny the dream.

To take their minds off a dismal future, they threw themselves into their acts. Julie explained that there was nothing that she could do to help them without exposing herself and her family to revenge by Vargas and his mobster buddies. But she wanted them to be safe and happy after they left the club. She had pointed out that being desirable on stage would drive up their auction price. Someone who paid a large amount of money for them would be less likely to abuse them.

Over the past week, their popularity with the customers had jumped. It might be that the audience contained a number of individuals who were checking out the merchandise to be auctioned off. Regardless, while Diana continued to ignite her audience with admiration and just plain lust, Sophie was starting to be received almost as well. His acceptance that he was to live the rest of his life as a female translated into a greater energy in his stage performance.

They continued to spend their nights discussing their fates. They both agreed that their performances on the night of the auction would result in an intense bidding war. They jokingly made a wager on who would go for the greater amount. They managed to laugh at the fact that they had nothing to wager and sadly acknowledged that they wouldn't be able to collect if they did. They would probably be thrown in the trunk of a car immediately after they were sold.

* * * * *

They overheard a couple of customers discussing the auction that had been scheduled for the last Sunday of the month. It would have been foolish to use Friday or Saturday, considering how much money there was to be made on those nights. Because they had not left the club in weeks, Rob had almost lost track of the passage of days. He was mildly surprised when he learned that they were well into winter now. Diana thought about how she would need a whole new wardrobe to fit her new assets. She wondered what a mink coat would look like on her.

They were awakened halfway through the night by loud conversations and crying in the hall. They were too tired to roll out of bed to see what was going. While they heard doors being slammed shut, no one came to their door and they quickly fell asleep again.

In the morning, or as far as they knew it was morning, the reason for all of the noise became apparent. During the night, several newcomers had been installed in the empty cells around them. While Julie had been releasing them from their cell and taking them to eat each morning, she was not in evidence. Instead, one of Vargas' thugs released them and escorted them up to where they were fed and allowed to get cleaned up. They were already wearing their work clothes, which consisted of a cotton blouse, a knee-length skirt and flats. Because of Diana's tightened hamstrings, Vargas had found it amusing that she always needed a set of heels. Rob reflected that Vargas was just the type to think forcing someone to wear heels all of the time was funny. While Rob needed them to walk or stand comfortably and he moved like a ballerina in his stilettos, having to wear them continually had become routine long ago.

When they were ready to start their day, they were taken out to the club floor where Julie was directing the efforts of half a dozen workmen. More of Vargas' muscle was in evidence here as well, apparently to control the men who were moving tables and chairs.

"Good morning ladies," Julie said flashing a million dollar smile, as they walked over. She knew that she was not insulting or mocking them as she had been trying to make them comfortable with their appearance. No one knew of Rob's control of himself, though it would have been hard for anyone to tell the difference between the personalities of Rob and Diana now.

"We're having almost two dozen more tables added to the floor tonight. It's going to be crowded."

Rob looked at Julie with a combination of resignation and sadness, he let slip a bit of himself when he said, "That's okay. It's unlikely we'll be around for cleanup tomorrow." Sophie just shrugged.

Julie smiled at them rather sadly as well. She moved closer to them and said quietly, "I've really enjoyed having you both working with me. I've come to consider you my friends and want to tell that I hope that everything will be all right."

Rob nodded and wrapped Julie in a hug. "Julie, thank you for what you've done for us. Don't worry about us, Sophie and I have pretty much come to terms with ourselves and the situation, but we're still scared. All we can do is try to get through this."

Julie stepped back to look at both of her friends and said, "I really hope that you'll be okay."

To break up the awkward moment, she put them to work washing down the tables taken from storage. The room was rather crowded now with all of the tables for the expected bidders. Diana commented to Julia when she went by that it was thrilling to think that there would be all kinds of people there just to bid on her, the Diana side of him found it exciting to be the center of attention.

Julie smiled in amusement. "It's good that you still have that 'positive attitude' about you. The noise you heard last night was more 'menu items' that Anders plans on putting on the auction. You and Sophie will not be the only ones being sold tonight."

Rob blushed and said hastily, "I knew that, I guess that I just said it wrong. I meant that it was a thrill to be up in front of all of these people."

"Yes, I imagine that it might be…to you. But you should keep in mind that a lot of the 'people' who will be here are not the nicest persons. Vargas is making sure that none of them bring weapons in here. The wrong word could result in a real bloodletting in these close quarters."

Rob nodded soberly. "I wish that we could get away from here and go back to our lives, but I know that we can't. But we should be bought by someone decent, shouldn't we?" Rob's pretty voice climbed at the end, betraying some of the fear that still lurked behind the excitement.

Julie hugged Diana again, harder than she had earlier. "I've really come to care for you and Sophie. I've been forced to watch while Vargas and Anders have done this to others in the past, but it really hurts this time."

She lowered her voice so that the guards could not hear her as she said, "I'm going to try going to the cops. I'll know who buys you and Sophie. I'll try to save all of you."

Rob returned Julie's embrace as she gave Julie a whispered and heartfelt 'Thank you'. While Diana was still aroused by the idea of being owned by someone and made to do what they wanted, it would be the same kind of thing that Rob had been enduring for months now. While there had been moments in there that he could think back on and smile about, being controlled was not fun all of the time. He did not want to live that way for the rest of his life.

When they were done with the tables, they helped Julie organize the bar. When the three of them went to the storeroom for extra glasses Julie told them what she knew.

"There won't be any of the other girls working tonight so that they can keep the number of witnesses down. Everyone who will be here for the auction will have a stake in maintaining secrecy. I'll be the only bartender for the night, so everyone will just have to come to the bar for their poison of choice. You two will help me behind the bar until it's time for you to go on stage."

Then with tears in her eyes she said, "You'll be sold immediately after your performance. You won't be coming back to the bar after that."

* * * * *

Knowing that this was their final day of freedom, such that it was, Julie sent them backstage once the bar was ready. Vargas was busy dealing with Anders and getting the financial side of things squared away for the evening. She knew that Diana and Sophie did not have much to worry about concerning their acts and she took advantage of the free time to make some phone calls and have sandwiches delivered to the front door for the three of them.

They sat together backstage, talking quietly like three girlfriends. It was hard to find something to talk about that Julie had in common with other two that did not involve the club, mainly because they were totally unaware of current events. Hoping to distract them for even a little while, she talked about things you normally tried to avoid in a conversation, the weather and politics. That led them to talk about movies and some current events.

Rob knew that they were still in the city, but he was mildly surprised to find out where they were. It turned out that the club was only a few miles from his former business. He didn't know if the company still existed in light of the plans Evan and Geri had made. He wondered what happened and what Sally might be doing now. He felt a stab of something he thought was sadness when he thought about her. He wondered what she was doing right now. He again fantasized about Sally miraculously showing up at the auction and taking him away on the back of a white stallion. The thought of being her love slave went through is mind again. He felt dreamy at just the thought.

Then he felt the anger and frustration at himself for allowing this whole disaster to take place. If he had only seen what Geri had been doing to him, he would still be at work. All if friends and employees would still have jobs and the people who had depended on him to manage their money would not have been swindled. He couldn't care less about what they thought of him, but he felt badly for them all.

Julie saw Rob getting quiet and acted quickly to try to break her friends out of their funk.

"Come on guys!" she exclaimed. "Snap out of it!"

Rob nodded and shook his head as if to clear it

"You're right Julie." He looked at Sophie and continued. "We can't do anything about what is going to happened to us tonight, Soph. We aren't doing ourselves any favors by being depressed. The best we can do for ourselves and each other is to keep our spirits up and our eyes open. The only thing that we can do is put on the performance of our lives, to make sure that we end up with a rich benefactor."

Sophie returned his nod and straightened up. After a bit, she relaxed somewhat, even if she wasn't smiling and laughing.

Julie stood and pulled the other two up with her.

"Look…Tonight is going to be a long one for you both. Go down to your room and get some rest. There's nothing more you need to work on up here. I'll come down and get you in a few hours. And don't worry. I think that everything is going to be okay."

Rob and Sophie both hugged her. Before he turned away, Rob grabbed Julie again and gave her a loving kiss on the lips.

She pulled away and said, "Please Diana, I'm not a lesbian."

Rob grinned at her in response and said, "It's okay…Neither am I."

As they were about to head down to their room that was about two stages above a cell, Julie stopped them and said, "I have a surprise for you guys. I arranged a new cell for you two with an ensuite; it even has clean sheets and fresh towels. I'll show you were it is."

At their new room, Rob stood in the door for a few moments, wondering what his living arrangements would be like by this time tomorrow. They lay down together on the narrow bed, just taking comfort in being held. They lay side-by-side, with an arm around the other.

"Diana? I've known you only for a couple of weeks, but it seems like much longer."

Rob smiled and hugged Sophie with his one arm. "I know what you mean. It almost feels like we have been together for months."

"Yes…I've gotten so used to being with you, even though we started out being forced to, that I'm really going to miss you."

Rob used his free hand to brush at the tears that wanted to take shape and said, "I'm going to miss you too. I've come to care about you."

Sophie giggled a bit and said "Yeah, I know all about that. If we had communal showers, I'd have to worry about dropping the soap."

Rob was silent for a moment and said quietly, "I'm sorry about that. It's because of the brainwashing that I was put through."

He lowered his voice and turned to put his mouth close to Sophie's ear.

"I've been able to get more control over it lately, so you wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. Besides, with the hormones that they put in me, I can get aroused but I can't satisfy a woman that way any longer."

Sophie returned Rob's hug, slid her hand between them, and put her hand on Rob's member, squeezing it lovingly, and said, "I don’t know, I guess it depends on the woman. I'm sorry that has happened to you. With everything that has happened to me over the past months and having gotten to know you, I think that I could actually have been willing to do that with you. But I'm too scared about what is going to happen to us to even think about that."

Rob tightened his arm around his friend and said, "I'm afraid too, Sophie. The best thing you can do is to keep it together. Keep telling yourself that everything will be okay."

He felt Sophie tremble slightly as if she was either crying or very scared. It was understandable; they were terrified out of their minds. At least Sophie was, Rob couldn't feel the fear that Sophie was exhibiting. These past few months had shown him that he was able to handle anything that happened to him.

He had been changed from a lonely desk-bound manager with a cheating wife into something else. Yes, he knew that he should be appalled at the physical changes forced upon him by Geri and Evan, but he had become comfortable with his new body. He wondered how his wife and the man he had considered a friend would react when they found out that he was actually happy. He'd gotten the distinct impression that it was not their intention for him to be happy.

Rob thought he had adapted to his body and status as a piece of property rather well. He didn't know why, perhaps the drugs and brainwashing had insulated him from everything and had given him some strength to deal with things. He certainly hoped so.

* * * * *

Rob woke with a jerk when Julie shook his shoulder.

"Come on," Julie said. "You have about ninety minutes before the club opens." She didn't stick around, but left once she could see that Rob was awake.

He was glad that Julie was giving them their privacy. Even though they were covered with the blanket, both he and Sophie were wearing only their panties. Rob had been curled against Sophie's back for warmth and his hand had been on her generous breasts. Even with the lack of a need for modesty that Diana's personality brought with it, Rob didn't feel like displaying the hard-on that being cuddled up to Sophie had brought on.

Rob leaned over to Sophie's exposed ear and nibbled at the ear lobe. Sophie moved a bit and Rob's tongue flicked out to wash around the whorls of her ear. Rob was rewarded with some more movement, but Sophie was still pretty much asleep. He could see that Sophie enjoyed the attention and he smiled mischievously. Knowing that no one likes a Wet Willy, he first blew gently across Sophie's ear before he plunged his tongue deep into Sophie's ear and rolled it around.

The results were all Rob could have hoped for. It was like going down on a very tight pussy and being rewarded by an immediate orgasm. Or sounding an air horn in the bedroom of a very sound sleeper. Sophie's eyes shot wide open and she jerked away from the tickling intruder in his ear. She didn't quite let out a yell as she rubbed at his wet ear.

"I hate that! My sister used to give me Wet Willies!"

Rob grinned at Sophie. "With her tongue?"

Sophie rubbed at her ear a little more before she returned his grin and said, "No…I guess that's one way to wake somebody up though. It's still better than having my hand put into a bucket of warm water."

"Don't tell me, your sister did that too?"

Sophie nodded. "After that, I got a lock on my bedroom door and made sure that she couldn't get in after I went to bed. I guess that is the kind of thing you might expect from your twin sister."

They started getting ready for the evening. Showers completed and dressed in their waitress uniforms, they hurried out into the hall. The other doors in corridor were all closed now, making it plain that the hallway was more like a prison than a dormitory. The fact that the doors only had keyholes (no door knobs) and the guard at the end of the hall just reinforced the overall atmosphere.

They were very quiet as they walked past the guard and went to the kitchen for their meal. Julie was already seated and almost finished when they sat down with their plates. Vargas had either decided to feed them well on their final night or he wanted to make a good impression on the guests who were coming to the auction. Rob suspected that it was probably the latter as he had not shown any concern for them before.

The three of them chatted about how things were to happen during the night, behind the bar and on stage. Rob and Sophie felt comfortable with Julie, the only difference between them being that Julie was able to leave the building and they were going to be auctioned off in a half-civilized slave market. Other than that, they were all prisoners of a sort.

The plan that Julie was aware of called for the three of them to work the bar together while the bidders arrived at the club and were admitted.

About an hour after that, Diana would get into her fan-dance costume and perform on stage. Immediately after she was done, Vargas would go on stage with her to auction her off. Diana would then either leave with her new owner or be put into the holding cage that was back stage. That would be if her new owner intended to make more purchases.

Once Diana had been sold, it would be Sophie's turn to go out and show everyone what she could do. Then she would be sold. Vargas had decided that having the two of them perform would drive up the bidding and Rob agreed that he was probably correct. None of the other men or women who were locked up downstairs would be dancing; they would just be dragged out onto the stage and sold off.

They finished eating and headed out to the bar. All the prep work was done so they stood or sat while they chatted. Julie did her best to keep them relaxed, which was rapidly becoming a futile effort. She was thankful that people began to filter into the club as it gave her friends something to do instead of fret about their futures.

Before long, all tables were filled with men and women holding numbered paddles. The men being accompanied by trophy women made up most of the crowd, but there were a few women holding paddles as well. It appeared that no one was alone in the room; everyone was escorted by at least one other person.

The clientele appeared to be rather varied. The men who would be bidding covered a wide range of ages. There were young men who might be looking for some plaything which could probably be said of some of the older men as well. The women bidders were all older and would have fit the definition of cougar, if they had been younger. Rob’s assessment of these people was essentially that he had always wondered what the moral dregs of society looked like, now his curiosity was satisfied.

Most of the population in the room was drinking beer, which was what Diana and Sophie were serving at their positions on the long bar. A small percentage wanted mixed drinks and they were sent down to Julie. There were only a few orders for sissy drinks like daiquiris or margaritas. The reset of the mixed drinks were the traditional hard liquor, as if they had to demonstrate to everyone else how macho they were.

It had taken less than half an hour for all of the invitees to make their appearance. In all, there were over two hundred men and women sitting at tables or standing at the back of the room. For the number of people present, the noise level was relatively low. There were people who thought that they were movers and shakers, so they didn’t trust anyone to overhear their conversations. Also, most of the escorts to the bidders were eye candy only and they could not be expected to hold very meaningful conversations.

Vargas and Anders had stationed themselves at the end of the bar and it was obvious that Anders was happy with the attendance. He looked over his two sale items as they worked behind the bar. Julie had warned Rob and Sophie to stay away from the two mobsters, so she took care of serving them their drinks. Anders had made no secret of the contempt he held for his prisoners, almost as if he was afraid that their appearance or condition was somehow contagious.

Rob stayed at his end of the bar and tended to those customers who walked up. Everyone knew that he and Sophie would be up for sale tonight, so they were checking out the merchandise while they waited for their beer. Rob kept busy enough to only have a little time to reflect that his own appearance was nowhere near a male sissy. He was sure that most people in the room saw him as the young woman he had been made into. He was sure that some of them would be shocked when they saw him on stage later.

At the half hour mark, Julie sent them both to get prepared. They went backstage to the dressing room that the performers used for privacy. They both stripped completely and turned to their costumes.

Rob pulled on the special thong which displayed his legs from his heels to his ass. His legs looked more like the legs of a centerfold than a man’s ever could. The past few weeks of waiting on tables and dancing had served to burn even more fat away, leaving stringy muscle in its place. The thong wasn’t intended to conceal the fact that Rob was a man, rather it was intended to show call attention to it.

Next came the two piece long-line bra. It would be removed in two steps with the first pieced revealing his barely concealed breasts. The breasts themselves would be covered by the adhesive cups that would be pulled away separately. Finally, Rob pulled on the fishnet stockings that clipped to his garter belt. The stockings would drop to his feet the moment he unclipped them.

The final item of clothing was a thin flowing gown that clung to Rob’s curves. The intent was to tantalize the audience with barely concealed assets that could then be quickly revealed in stages. Rob’s performances had been received with a lot of enthusiasm. Because his status as a she-male was never kept secret, he had seen a lot of men and women wanting to get his attention. Many of them had taken to coming to the club each time it was known that Diana would be performing. It was almost as if Diana had her own fan club. When Julie had first pointed out the number of repeat customers, Rob had been thrilled. Now he was a little amused about the whole thing. He thought that he recognized some of those fans among the attendees tonight. He hoped that he would be purchased by one of those people who liked him. Life might be better being owned by them.

Rob didn’t bother with his feather fans or the five inch heels yet. Even though he could move easily in the heels, he found his normal four inch heels more comfortable. He turned to help Sophie with her costume and makeup.

Sophie had adopted the Shania Twain act as her own and had done very well for herself. She pulled on a thong like Rob’s. Her legs were obviously masculine, but were slimming down under the same exercise regimen that had been helping Rob. She fastened on her own stripper bra, but would not be removing it in two pieces like Rob. Her bra would stay in place on his breasts after release until she pulled it away. That was part of the act. Of course, her very ample breasts would sway and bounce without the restraint.

Sophie's garter belt and fishnet stockings were the same as Rob’s. They had both laughed many times about the fact that people found fishnet stockings to be such an erotic sight, but they used them because they were erotic. Over this went the suit skirt and jacket, giving Sophie the look of a slutty business woman. A top hat would complete her look.

The two she-males brushed each other’s hair into place. A couple of clips and pony tail holders were all they really needed for their acts. They had both become proficient in applying makeup as well. Rob’s education had begun while he was still acting as Diana under Geri’s guidance / control. After watching how the other girls applied their makeup, Rob had perfected his look and had taken to helping Sophie with hers. Sophie was not quite as good with her makeup as Rob was, but she was catching up. Hopefully, it would not be a problem for her after they were separated.

Rob was already done with Sophie and was finishing his own makeup when Vargas came back to tell them that they had five minutes before show time. Rob found it interesting that Vargas did not exhibit his customary smug, creepy attitude. It was obvious that he was worried about how the auctions would go.

Rob acknowledged him with a nod and pulled on his skyscraper heels. He was practically standing on his toes in them and he would be hard put to walk any kind of distance in them. But as he would be strutting back and forth on stage a few times, he would be able to handle it. He was just glad he wouldn't have to run in them. He intended to make these shoes disappear after his act tonight. He didn't want to risk having whatever pervert who bought him making him wear them. If they wanted him in these torture devices, they would have to go out and buy new ones.

Sophie handed him the two feathered fans that were almost as big as he was and he went to the edge of the curtained stage. Once the curtain went up, the music would start and he would strut his stuff back and forth on the stage, playing peek-a-boo with the audience. On top of that, he would be singing. Every time he would peek out from behind a fan, an article of clothing would be thrown out right after. With the flash of skin that would follow that, he knew that the members of this audience would be hot and bothered by the time he was done. Several of the other girls had confessed to Rob that they themselves were really turned on by the time he finished.

Rob reflected for a moment on the comment Julie had made regarding the quality of the clientele tonight. He wasn't sure if they would be more genteel than the regular crowd or if they would be more low brow. Just because they had the money to participate in something as vulgar as a human auction didn't meant that they were the apex of society. For the same reason, the thought of stripping in front of this crowd made him feel dirty. This was the first time that he had realized just how dehumanizing stripping really was.

Rob was hit with another wave of melancholy as he thought about the people he missed. Irritated, he shook it off. He didn't know why he was starting to feel this way, but this was not the time. This performance could be one of the most important things he would do for quite a while. It could very well determine how secure and comfortable the rest of his life might be.

There were only a couple of minutes to go and he closed his eyes to relax. He took a deep breath and concentrated on thinking about his act as he let it out. His heart sped way up as he heard Vargas begin the intro for 'Diana Phoenix'. (It was the stage name everyone had given Diana after watching her act for the first time).

When the curtain opened and the follow spot flashed on where he would enter the stage, the music started up and Rob stepped out. He let Diana's persona take over and he backed out on stage, his ass on display as the follow-spotlight lit up the tattoo that was her trademark. At the center of the stage, he spun around to face the audience and he began to sing. The overhead microphones on stage were good ones and they picked up Rob's throaty voice as he began belting out 'Let Me Entertain You'.

The whole show lasted less than ten minutes, but Rob probably crossed the stage eight times, throwing out pieces of lingerie or flashing more and more skin. At the end, he was down to his thong, stockings, and stilettos. For the finale, he threw his arms wide, shaking his fiery looking fans around him like flames and belted out, " 'We'll have a real good time!' "

When the music ended, there was silence for a moment and Rob looked out from the stage. The spot light was not in his eyes, but focused on his bare torso and he could see a very crowded room filled with people just staring at him. So he was almost staggered by the clapping and cheers that suddenly assailed him. Rob's tentative smile grew into a crack in his face that looked like his head would split in half and he first curtseyed and then bowed to his new fans. His breasts bounced enticingly as he moved the nipples rock hard and almost blood red with the arousal. Still smiling like a madman, no madwoman, he strutted off the stage like a queen, trailing the fans on the floor behind him. Just before he disappeared behind the curtains, he faced the audience and gave them one last mighty shimmy that sent his hooters into convulsions. The audience went crazy.

Sophie met him at the edge of the stage, grinning as widely as Rob was.

"You were great! You even made me want you!"

"Promises, promises," joked back Rob.

"While I was watching you, I remembered all those times I used to go to the club. I never realized how different life was on this side of the pasties until tonight."

Sophie hugged him, but had to let go again when Rob had to go back out on stage to take a second bow. When he came back out again, Vargas was standing there instead of Sophie.

Rob's smile withered at the sight of the manager who was flanked by one of his gorilla-like muscle men. Rob wondered where all of these guys hung out because he had only seen a few of them before. Maybe Vargas and Anders maintained a warehouse where they kept them caged until they needed them. They probably had bananas delivered by the truckload. He suppressed that thought as soon as it formed because he didn't think Vargas would see the humor.

But Vargas seemed to be in a rare good mood.

"Good job, sissy!"

Even when he was paying someone a compliment he couldn't show them any respect. Rob hoped that someone broke the guy's teeth out someday. Even if Rob was a sissy she-male now, at least he was a good looking one. All things being equal, Rob was more attractive than Vargas was.

Vargas turned to his shadow and said, "Keep her here. I'm going to wait until the other one is done before I start the auction."

He turned to look backstage where Sophie was putting the finishing touches on her costume.

"Hurry up, sissy. You have three minutes."

Sophie didn't answer him other than to look up and nod. Rob knew that she did not like Vargas. Considering that she would be away from his control in quite likely less than an hour, she was probably feeling pretty safe. All she needed to do was put on the form-fitting suit jacket and her top hat. None of her apparel was actual business attire, but was a stripper's idea of what a sexy business woman would wear.

Rob stepped over and held the jacket up for her to slide her arms in. It was designed to split up the back when Sophie wanted to get out of it quickly, so it really needed two people to put it on neatly. While Sophie settled the coat on her shoulders, Rob picked up the top hat and cane. Sophie wasn't wearing stilettoes that were quite as precipitous as Diana's had been but they definitely made her calves and thighs look striking. It was a good thing for Sophie that her act did not call for a great deal of walking or dancing as her heels would still have been painful.

Vargas was standing just on the edge of the stage, outside of the closed curtain, encouraging everyone to hurry to get their drink refills as the next show would start in a few minutes. In preparation for the start of his performance, Sophie strode to the center of the stage and took his place. Hands resting on the cane before him, with his head tipped down as if he was resting.

As soon as he was in position, someone gave Vargas a signal and he went into his spiel to announce the next act.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The Eagle is proud to present out next act. She will also be part of our auction tonight! Here is Sophie the Sissy!"

The curtain opened and the spot light was focused right on Sophie. His head came up with a huge smile and he went right into his act. He had the audience rocking along from the moment he said, "Let's go girls!" As he sang Shania's song, it was obvious that it was not a genetic girl's voice, but it was close. He sang and he pranced, with no sign of embarrassment.

Diana's performance had obviously ignited the rowdy side of some of the 'guests'. While Sophie was obviously a feminized man, this did not stop the catcalls and shouts from around the room. While some of the comments were less than complimentary, the lion's share communicated their lust.

As Sophie continued with his act, he put his heart into his singing and dancing. Like Rob, he knew that he was literally dancing for his life. With every turn, a piece of his costume disappeared and the people near the stage got louder.

At one point, a shout carried over the other voices to Sophie. "Come on Steven! Show us what you got!" He faltered for a moment before finding his rhythm again. Sophie finished his song and dance wearing just his hat, thong, and stockings. The jiggling of his generous boobs was definitely the center of attention.

Sophie sported a broad smile as he bowed to the audience, making his assets bounce again. He strutted off the stage in triumph and into Diana's embrace. Interestingly, Diana had not bothered to get dressed again, but Sophie didn't care. Once he was out of sight of the audience, the smile on his face crumbled and he practically collapsed into Diana's arms. It might have been Diana holding Sophie, but it was Rob who was asking him if he was okay.

A terrified sob shook Sophie as answered, "I heard Maria yelling at me out there! What if she buys me?"

Rob hugged Sophie as tightly as he could, trying to squeeze the fear out of his friend.

"Everything will be okay Sophie. You've got to believe that. The moment you lose hope, your worst fears will have come true."

Rob held Sophie for a few more minutes before Sophie took a deep breath and seemed to relax in Rob's arms. Sophie pulled back a bit from Rob, but their nipples and breasts continued to rub against each other.

He smiled at Rob and said, "You know…This kind of activity helps to take one's mind off their problems…"

Rob grinned back, "I know. Too bad this is the wrong time." He leaned in and kissed Sophie solidly on the lips. "We should get dressed so that we don't give Vargas' apes a show."

Sophie's embarrassment was directly opposite to Rob's behavior. She blushed bright red when she realized that there were guards standing backstage watching them. Rob, with Diana's stripper mentality so dominant at the moment, had no modesty at all and was amused by the attention and Sophie's response.

Sophie broke their embrace and Rob handed him a robe. "They took our clothes."

Sophie looked around and saw that Vargas had obviously decided to make sure that they could not suddenly become brave and attempt to escape. Any one of the guards would have been a match for them. The three guards that stationed there made running away patently impossible.

Rob and Sophie suddenly felt rather small and weak in their presence. Sophie crossed his arms across his breasts in an attempt at modesty. Rob led him over to a bench and they took seats as far as they could from the guards and tried to look harmless. After a moment, even Rob felt the need to cover his breasts and cross his legs against the looks they were getting.

Vargas passed through on his way to the stage and stopped to look at them. "My…My…You bitches look so pretty sitting there," he said mockingly. His tone changed a bit as he continued. "You did a good job on stage. If things were different, you would both be welcome additions here." Then he headed on out to the open stage.

Rob and Sophie just looked after him, but gave no response. Neither of them cared for Vargas and how vicious he could be. Considering his treatment of Julie, they could hardly expect to be treated any better. Rob reflected that he and Sophie might be marginally better off being sold to someone instead.

Out on stage, they heard Vargas working to get the attention of the people in the club.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We hope that you enjoyed Diana and Sophie. They will out later for our sale, but we have some other items to be presented first. Please give us a few minutes to get ready and we will start."

As he was speaking, more guards came into the backstage area. They took up positions around the room and did not look as if they were there to relax. A few minutes later, the reason for their presence became apparent as more people began to appear.

They showed up in threes, two thugs forcing the third along the hallway. By the time they were done, the guards and forced five prisoners into the backstage area, a mix of men and women. One of the men had the appearance of being more a boy or a teenager than a man while the other man had the soft appearance of an office worker. The women were all in their mid-twenties. All of them looked frightened and showed signs of physical abuse.

With the number of guards in the room, the seven prisoners would have been hard-pressed to overpower them, even if they could have organized themselves into a team. The five newcomers were herded over to a bench along a wall, where they could be watched and controlled easily. The prisoners all exchanged scared glances, but no one tried to speak.

Out on stage, Vargas was working the club up to get them into the proper mood. The sound was more like what the crowd at the Roman Coliseum must have been like when they were waiting for the Christians and the lions. When the auction finally started and one of the women was dragged crying out on stage, she was greeted by whoops and catcalls.

As each person was sold, they were dragged backstage again. Each had been stripped while on stage and even the men came back crying from the humiliation. None of them were removed from the backstage area, but their hands were zip-tied behind their necks in a complicated manner so that their arms were bent and the elbows framed their faces. It was the perfect way to handicap them so that ye could not open doors or even run very well.

When it came time for Diana or Sophie to be taken out, they were pushed out on stage together. They moved out to the center of the stage and stood beside Vargas.

"And now…The main event!" Vargas called. He was answered by a deafening roar. Rob knew that the room was packed, but the spotlights now were focused directly on them and blinded him so that he couldn't see past the edge of the stage.

Vargas continued his spiel saying," I know that there is a lot of interest in our pair of sissies here and I'm sure that I could get more for them if I sold them separately. But several of our bidders have expressed interest in both of our special girls here and have demanded that we offer them as a set. So…that is how we're going to do this folks. If you don't like it…tough!"

Vargas and Anders obviously had no fears about anyone being upset. This was a seller's market and a disgruntled buyer couldn't very go somewhere to complain. Reporting these events to the authorities would undoubtedly be fatal.

There was some grumbling to be heard from the crowd, but an expectant atmosphere seemed to settle over everyone. Rob had heard the prices offered for their companions that were in back and the highest price he had heard was 15,000 dollars. He was more than a little shocked when the first bid was 100 thousand. There was some spirited bidding and the total quickly reached 300 thousand before it paused.

Both Rob and Sophie exchanged shocked looks at the amount of money being offered for them. A devilish thought crossed Rob's mind and he moved around Vargas to Sophie's side. Reaching over, he slid his hand inside Sophie's vest to make it obvious that he was fondling Sophie. Sophie's eyes widened in response to Rob's squeezes and he looked at Rob in surprise. Seeing Rob's wink, he leaned into Rob and proceeded to give him a kiss that grew into a passionate embrace.

After a stunned silence from the crowd, the bids resumed with a frenzied pace. New bids climbed rapidly, with Vargas doing nothing more than point and announce the latest bid. He had a huge smile on his face as the amount hit 650 thousand before they finally faltered again. Bids had been alternating among five or six people, with a bidder dropping out with each successive jump in the amount.

Sophie held Rob's hand in a death-grip and Rob turned to see that Sophie had turned white. Sophie looked at Rob and said quietly, "Maria is bidding on us Diana. We are so screwed."

Rob responded with a shrug and said, "Maybe…But it can't be worse than dealing with Vargas here. You never know, I think that Maria could still love you." He pulled at his hand and said, "Could I have my hand back before you cut off all the circulation?"

Sophie took his hand and held it at her crotch. He humped his hand a couple of times, brought it to her face and kissed it, before releasing it. The crowd seemed to get even wilder as they watched Rob become aroused.

Sophie gave a Rob with a pseudo-innocent look and said, "Paybacks are a bitch." He grinned at Rob's surprised look. Obviously, Sophie had surprised Diana at being as randy as she could.

While Rob was shaking some feeling back into his hand, they listened as Maria and her lone competitor drove the price up to 750 thousand dollars. At that point, Maria's bid stood alone and Vargas was left pointing at her.

Everyone in the room was completely silent as they watched Maria rise and walk slowly to the stage like a queen. Then applause and cheers broke like a wave as everyone was congratulating her. Never before had anyone seen an auction like this and the price had never been anywhere close. Maria went to one end of the stage and climbed the stairs. She walked deliberately back to the center and stopped in front of Sophie.

"Well…Look at you now, Daddy and I are going to have so much fun teaching you teaching you manners." Maria said with a sneer. Her voice seemed to ring with glee at having her feminized husband under her control. "I'm going to make you wish you had never seen me. We are leaving now. Get the rest of your costumes! You're going to put on a show for me every night."

Vargas watched Maria as she delivered her victory speech to her husband. His smile was almost feral as he enjoyed watching Sophie wilt under her threats.

Rob accepted Maria's speech with the kind of resignation that had become second nature over the past few months. It seemed that he had been under the control of someone almost since he had married Geri, Maria's kind of control probably wouldn't be much different from he had already endured.

They made their way backstage and picked up their tops that had been dropped at the stage's fire curtain. Rob helped repair the Velcro split in the back of Sophie's vest. With the exception of Rob's feathered fans and Sophie's top hat and cane, the rest of the costumes had been thrown into the crowd.

As they finished straightening their tops and turned to go back to their new owner, there were several dull explosions. Almost immediately after that there were several much louder explosions out in the club and bright flashes that even lit up the backstage area for a moment. The sharp explosions seemed to fill the entire club and then echo from the walls and ceiling. Simultaneously with the explosions, the main lights in the club went out.

The sound had been deafening; but the fire curtain had seemed to absorb a great deal of the noise. Rob's ears were ringing a little, so he couldn't imagine what it must have been like those people who had been unprotected in the club. From where they stood, they could hear the reign of chaos out on the club floor as people screamed in fear and anger. In addition to the sound, Rob knew that the flashes of light must have been blinding. They had been protected from that as well.

Knowing that there were some of Vargas' bully boys backstage, Rob and Sophie slipped around the fire curtain and out onto the stage. The club was dark, except for some emergency lighting on a couple of the walls. The spotlight had remained lit, but Vargas and Maria couldn't be seen in the pool of light it cast on the floor. As they stood, half-concealed in the curtain, Rob saw a figure climb onto the stage from the front and come toward them.

A flashlight shone on Rob's face for a moment and the reflected light showed him a man with goggles raised above his eyes, wearing a vest that said POLICE. The flashlight snapped off again and the police officer put his head close to Rob's ear so that he could be heard over the riot going on behind him.

"I'm here to get you out, Rob," the officer said. "Sally sent me."

Hearing Sally's name sent a thrill through Rob and the thought that she was out there thinking of him seemed to charge him up. He clapped his hand on the officer's shoulder to indicate that he understood.

The police officer put his head near again and spoke loudly enough for Rob to pick up.

"Can you show me where the other hostages are?"

Instead of trying to speak, Rob patted him on the shoulder and tried to indicate the backstage area at the other end. He stepped away from the cop and pulled slightly to show the direction and they all headed backstage.

While there had been at least some pseudo-light out in the club, the area backstage was black as night. Rob was brought to a halt by the officer, who made him understand that they should be quiet and remain where they were.

Rob stood with his back to a wall, the darkness making him feel dizzy while he perched on his heels. While he and Sophie stood there, he could hear sounds of a struggle, but no one came near them. After a few minutes, a hand on his shoulder drew him into the area where everyone had been waiting before the auction.

A flashlight blinked on, aimed at the floor to keep from blinding everyone. At the edge of the light, Rob saw two of Vargas' thugs lying on the floor. They had obviously been the reason for sounds he had heard, but he could see that they were in no condition to be moving around for a while. In addition, their hands were now zip-tied behind their backs.

The police office said to the group in general, as he moved from person to person cutting the zip ties that held their hands, "It's amazing how one-sided a fight can be when the guy you're fighting can't see you." The relief in his voice was very apparent. After a few seconds of letting everyone get used to the light, he flashed it around the group of people huddled in the room. "Is everyone okay here?"

The mumbled replies indicated that everyone was marginally in good shape. There were more than a couple of sobs of relief. The flashlight showed that the only ones wearing any clothing were the police officer, Rob, and Sophie. The unconscious men on the floor didn't count.

The police officer directed his attention to Rob, mainly by pointing the flashlight at him and said, "Mr. Tanner, do you know of any clothes these other people can wear? I need to get you out of here."

"Yes. That closet over there has robes." Sophie was already moving in that direction and was quickly grabbing robes and slippers from the closet. Standing at the back, Rob started to become aware of something else. He smelled the sharp tang of burning plastic and wood. He looked over at the police officer and said loudly, "Fire!"

"Yes, I know," the cop answered. "Those damned grenades we used have a tendency to burn down the buildings that we are trying to raid. That's why I'm back here. Not only do we want to save you, but you are also important to helping us make our case. Come on!"

He started leading the group back out to the stage when Sophie barked, "Officer! Wait." In the glow of the light that played on him he continued, "If you want evidence for your case, I know where Vargas keeps his business ledgers!"

"I need to get you folks out of here first."

Rob spoke up and called, "I can lead us out. I've been here long enough to be able to find the door in the dark."

The cop hesitated for a moment and then said, "Okay, but wait a minute." He took a walkie-talkie from his belt and turned up the volume. There was the normal static as he said, "Commander…This is Freeland. Over."

"Come in Freeland."

"I have a group of six hostages coming out the front. One of the performers is leading them. I am going after one of the other hostages. Over."

"Acknowledged. We'll watch for them."

The cop turned to Rob and the others. "Listen! Stay along the walls. There is a fire going now and the smoke is going to be dangerous to breathe. Get down on the floor and crawl or creep to the front door, the air will be okay near the floor. They'll be watching for you at the front door. They'll take care of you. Don't worry!"

The others were obviously scared to go out on the floor, but were more afraid to stay where they were. The smoke was becoming thicker and a couple of the women in the group were starting to cough. Holding hands as they had been told, Rob led them over to the wall. They immediately got down on all fours and played follow-the- leader along the sides of the room. There were still a lot of people in the club, but they were out among the tables and it appeared that there were police officers out there with them, subduing them.

By the time they had reached the door, the thickness of the smoke had gotten much worse. Rob could see flames along one of the back walls and it looked like it might be getting serious about burning the building down. They were all coughing as they crossed through the door and up to where a pair of large police officers stood at the door. Their job appeared to be grabbing prisoners as they were shoved through the door and propelling them on to the next pair who was waiting to seat them in a prison bus.

When they saw a group of men and women crawl out of the smoke, being led by a scantily clad stripper with colorful wings, they recognized their group of hostages and had them escorted to one side. Rob must have been an interesting sight as he stood up against the smoke. Medical staff began checking them for injuries and making sure that they could breathe. Rob had been fortunate enough to avoid inhaling much of the smoke and didn't need treatment.

As he stood to one side, watching for Sophie and the police officer to come out of the smoke, a camera flash dazzled him. There were a couple of more pictures taken as he worked to see again. Instead of running away like some paparazzi, the photographer walked up to him.

"Sorry about blinding you ma'am," he said. "I was brought along to cover this raid as PR for the police department and the FBI. They don't want me taking pictures of the police, so I have to get shots of the ones being arrested or folks like you."

"Yes?" Was all that Rob could say in response. He knew what image he presented right now. A scantily dressed, very attractive showgirl. In the half-light here in the street, his status as a she-male was not immediately apparent and his feminine voice provided no clue.

"I saw you lead that group out of the door. The fact that none of you are being arrested means that you're civilians and that will make everyone at home feel good about this raid. You're a hero, or heroine, for getting them out of that club. One of these pictures will probably end up on the front page tomorrow."

The reporter was really on a roll with his excitement of having a good story. "What's your name?"

Rob answered with the only name that made sense. "Diana Phoenix. I was one of the prisoners that they were going to auction off."

The reporter was scribbling notes as fast as he could. He asked a few more questions before moving away. Rob was becoming very worried about Sophie and the police officer when he saw them walk around the side of the building. They dodged around members of the fire department who had now been sent in to save the building and any evidence that might still be there.

Rob was still near the group of medical vehicles and he waited as the other two came over. They were coughing somewhat, but appeared to have gotten most of the smoke out of their lungs already. Both Sophie and the police officer had large smiles on their faces and Rob could see that the officer was carrying a stack of books.

"Stay here, both of you. I need to turn this over to my boss and the FBI. I'll be right back." He headed away toward a group of cars parked behind the ambulance.

Rob and Sophie found an out-of-the-way spot and collapsed almost bonelessly on the ground. The feeling of utter relief and joy at being out of the club and everything that it represented was overwhelming. A huge smile was plastered across Rob's face, while tears streamed down Sophie's. Neither could believe what had happened and it would take some time for it to really sink in.

Finally, the police officer came back. "Forgive me if I do this wrong, but…Gentlemen, my name is Jim Freeland. I brought along some friends tonight who have been very anxious to meet you."

* * * * *

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