The Awakening of a Vengeful Phoenix — Part 16 - Chapter 21

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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Sally forced herself to sit back down. In the ninety minutes since she had arrived, her nervousness had progressed from fidgeting in her seat and bouncing one leg on the other knee to pacing around the lounge that the clinic's receptionist had ushered her into. She couldn't even convince herself that she was bored because she had paperwork along that had to be reviewed. No…She was just plain nervous and afraid of what would happen when Rob was finally released.

This waiting was her own fault really. After being put off for a couple of additional days, she had been eager to see Rob and to take him home. So she had shown up first thing this morning and had practically walked in the door with the staff. There weren't many people left in the building these days as Sally had been informed that everything was being moved to a new location. That was fine with her as Winters had assured her that she and Rob would be able to contact him if they ever needed him, he had even gone so far as to provide Sally with his personal cell number in case there was ever an emergency. He had explained that his government handlers hadn't been enthusiastic about that promise but that they saw the wisdom in not blocking his availability.

To be totally honest, she was just as much afraid as she was nervous. She had fallen in love with Rob over the past couple of years and had been reconciled to the fact that he was married and that he was off-limits to her. She was sure that Rob had fallen in love with her as well and was equally forbidden from pursuing it. It was the typical love triangle and certainly not the first time in history where two 'soul mates' had been kept apart by the commitment of marriage vows.

The biggest problem now was not Geri, but the fact that everything had been filtered through the artificial personality of Diana. Sally was conflicted. Had she fallen for the outrageously sexy and vivacious Diana rather than Rob? Would she find that she might fall out of love with Rob? The other issue was the Sally wasn't sure who had fallen love in with her. Now that he would be in control of himself, would Rob feel the same way about her now as he did before she brought him here?

All she knew for sure was that she mustn't assume that things would be the same as they had been. The doctor had been careful to warn her about the possibilities and tried to prepare her for a potential disappointment. All of those possible situations had kept her from getting much sleep last night. Her dreams had run the gamut from Rob becoming her faithful, lesbian love slave to a macho-man who would want nothing to do with her or worst yet…the dreaded 'I only want to be friends'. She didn't know what she would do if they couldn't continue together.
She did know that after Diana, Sally would never be satisfied with a mere man as a lover ever again. She had been spoiled by the seductive hybrid man/woman she had shared her bed with.

What added to her frustration was the fact that she was essentially locked here in the lounge and couldn’t go off to try to hurry things up. She could leave the building if she wished, but she had no intention of leaving without Rob.

She just wished that they would hurry up! It was almost like being a child on Christmas morning, waiting in anticipation to see what surprises were under the tree. She couldn't remain still; she had thumbed through every magazine in the waiting room. She sat, she stood, and she paced the floor until she was sure that she had a worn a path into the carpet.

She turned as the door allowing access to the rest of the building buzzed. There were several people grouped around the door and prepared to come into the lounge, but she was focused solely on Rob. The doctor had warned her that he would be doing nothing to restore Rob's original appearance and Sally had to admit that she was fine with that. In fact, she had had to work extremely hard to retain a neutral composure when the doctor said that he wasn't going to mess with the features of her Mona Lisa of a girlfriend.

Looking at Rob, she could see that the doctor hadn't tried to restore Rob's masculine appearance. If anything, Rob's appearance seemed to have been enhanced somehow. The long reddish-blonde hair that Rob had arrived with had been clipped so that it just brushed his shoulders now and seemed to open up his face instead of shadow it. The expression that he wore almost gave the impression that Rob was just the-girl-next-door. Looking back on it, the difference between Diana-then and Rob-now wasn't that obvious until you were able to compare the before and after images.

Making eye to eye contact, Sally's heart leapt. The clinic might have toned down his physical appearance but Sally was almost certain she could still see the lust in his eyes. She knew he still wanted her, or was she just seeing what she wanted to see?

The warm, easy smile that Rob gave her was a turn-on all by itself and all of her fears evaporated in an instant when Rob rushed over to her and hugged her tightly. When Rob stepped back, she could see some of the same fears and concerns on his face that she had been feeling. While Rob's hug had assured her that she still had a lover, Rob hadn't received that same feeling in return.

She took his face in her hands and gently kissed his lips before hugging him just as tightly as he had just done. Putting her lips to his ear, she whispered softly, "I love you." That was all it took for him to relax into her arms in happiness. They both could have stayed that way for quite some time but the doctor interrupted them with a cough.

"Excuse me? I know that you two have a lot to catch up on, but I want to discuss some things with you both. Also, agents Wainwright and Jackson need to talk to you as well." He indicated the man and woman who had come into room as well. The federal agents nodded to them with neutral expressions.

Leaving the agents by the door, they took seats on the couch and chair at the other end of the lounge. Winters took up a position across from the two lovers because it was obvious that nothing could separate them at the moment.

"I see that you like the new Diana," Winters started.

Diana faced Sally, "You haven't said anything about my new outfit. Don't you like it?" He twirled around and wiggled his butt at Sally and asked over his shoulder, "The dress is new. It doesn't make me look fat, does it?" He was acting like the stereotypical woman who was vain about her appearance.

Sally's giddiness at being with Rob seemed to vanish in an instance. Her smile was replaced with wide eyes and a look of concern. She looked between the doctor and Rob before she said, "I thought that you were successful Doctor! You were going to eliminate Diana." She was becoming concerned again about Rob and his ability to be around other people again. If it meant that Rob would have to live in seclusion, then that would be what she would do too.

Winters was quick to understand Sally's upset and answered, "It was! It was! I'm sorry, Sally." He looked to Rob and said, "Maybe you should explain."

Rob shifted to face Sally and put his hands on hers. "Sally, I decided that I want to be known as Diana, not Rob. But Diana herself is gone."

Sally's head seemed to spin for a moment. She couldn't believe that Rob still thought of himself as Diana. "But why would you want to call yourself by _her_ name? Don't you realize what you were like when you were really her?"

Rob nodded as he acknowledged Sally's antipathy for the Diana persona she knew. Rob took Sally's hands in his and pulled her close, "Sally, you must understand, being Diana helped me survive those awful months. For a while, it was like having someone else in my mind with me. But she doesn't exist any longer. I guess that you could say that she's dead."

He paused to think about what that really meant. Blinking back some tears, he continued. "I wouldn't have survived to be here today if it weren't for the strength that Diana brought out of me. All I can do is honor the memory of her existence. Taking her name will be a reminder that the new me is a combination of the best of Rob and Diana."

Sally looked at the new Diana for a couple of moments and realized what her lover was saying. This was what had drawn her to Rob in the first place. He thought about the value of others, what they thought, and how they felt about things. This was more of that same honor and integrity. It meant that the man she had fallen for was really in front of her and that he intended to embrace his new reality instead of try to hide from it.

"So you're going to become Diana Tanner and not be Rob?" Sally wasn't sure how this would work out.

Diana nodded and said, "Yes. That is one of the reasons why the real Feds are here today. They've managed to change things so that the story that Evan and Geri were going to tell the world becomes the real story. Rob Tanner went to Thailand and transitioned to become Diana Tanner.

"Sally, the doctors have explained they can't give me back a masculine form or even a voice that would sound like a man. I think the world is more readily accepting of a transgender female, than a sissified man. Plus it solves a number of legal issues, by just taking a new name and claiming a new gender. Diana Tanner is the legal owner of the business and my trust fund. Rob Tanner looking like a woman could cause a number of issues.

"The reason you had to wait to have me released is because I was going through a crash course in how to be a normal everyday woman named Diana."

Sally looked between Doctor Winters and Diana. "You could have told me that. I would have been glad to help."

Diana/Rob nodded. "I know. But I wanted to smooth off some of the rough spots on my behavior and the doctor wanted to make sure that the old Diana wouldn't somehow reappear."

Sally acknowledged what Diana was saying with a short nod and visibly relaxed. "It's not like we were hiding anything from you, except maybe my new hair style and my clothes. I just wanted to make sure that I made a good first impression." Diana's smile was a cute grin that would have melted a glacier.

Sally looked at Diana's crotch and didn't see the familiar bulge. She just glanced at the doctor and then looked at Rob again. She asked slyly, "Is Mr. Happy still there?"

The doctor spoke up, "We didn't do anything in that area; Diana is still technically a male. That is one of the things that I need to discuss with you both. We can, of course, complete Diana's change at some future date…if Dana wants to go that route."

Sally nodded in acknowledgement. This is something that Diana was probably already aware of; they just wanted to make her part of the discussion.

Diana asked her, "Would you ever want that Sally?"

Sally pulled Diana into a hug before pushing her back and saying, "The only reason I can think of for doing something that drastic would be so you can wear a string bikini. We can worry about that later. After all, why mess with perfection."

The two of them collapsed into another loving hug that the doctor allowed to go on for a few minutes before he coughed to get their attention again. "Look you two. If you don't cut it out, I'll have to move you to a private room upstairs."

Sally and Diana had the grace to blush in embarrassment at their behavior and separated again.

"Now, I just have a few things to tell you and to warn you to be watchful for and you can go back to real life again." He leaned forward and said, "I'm quite sure that the old Diana personality is gone, but you may find some of her mannerisms or personality traits will appear. It might happen over time or there could be some trigger that could bring them out. The worst of the programming was eliminated, so you should have nothing to worry about.

"The other subject that I wanted to bring up is rather delicate and embarrassing, but I need to talk to you about it. Diana, did you ever intend to be a parent?"

Without thinking or consulting Sally Diana responded, "Of course, having a family has always been a dream of mine. I guess now the only way that can happen is if we were to adopt."

The Doctor smiled and said, "Diana, way back when this all started and I realized what Evan and Geri had planned for you, I knew that your life might be changed forever. I wasn't sure that I would find a way to get away from the monitoring and control that the Mob had us under, which meant that you, Rob Tanner, stood a very real chance of being unable to father children, if you chose to do so at some point. All I could do was take advantage of the time you were here in the clinic to gather what I needed to make sure that you could still be a father someday."

Diana looked at the doctor with a blank expression, not comprehending what he was talking about. When Sally saw this she said, "He means that he took sperm samples from you before you became sterile." She nudged Diana playfully and said with a smile, "Honestly…Give a girl blonde hair and look what happens."

Doctor Winters, thankful that the tension in the moment had been defused, smiled. "Yes. It's the kind of thing that most clinics and hospitals do when a man undergoes a vasectomy these days. Even though a vasectomy might be reversible, saving and storing sperm samples are a better way to go in the event that a man still wants to have children. But you, Diana, have been essentially chemically castrated and I can't undo that."

Diana had come to terms with that part of her physical life long ago and had already anticipated this kind of news so it was not the emotional seismic shock that it could have been. It was just another thing that made her more Diana than Rob.

After that, the three of them engaged in some lighter discussion before the doctor turned them over to the federal agents. He moved off to one side of the group while Wainwright and Jackson came over to the group for their part of the conversation.

Both Diana and Sally were officially informed of their responsibilities regarding their limited and modified participation in the witness protection program. The government had successfully planted the idea Geri and Evan were the sole culprits, and thus the likelihood that the Mob would come after Sally or Rob/Diana was deemed extremely low. The other two would have to disappear for life; the Mob had a long memory. It had been determined that this was the best way to provide them with continued contact with the doctor. In addition, Diana was one of the few civilians who had experienced Doctor Winters' program and might be considered relatively friendly to it.

It went unsaid that making them part of the federal program would also allow their government handlers to monitor and keep track of them. Of course, it would be difficult to track wealthy subjects, but it was better than the alternative. It was hoped that Diana and Sally would see the value in being friendly toward the program instead of causing trouble in the future.

The agents finished their briefing quickly, answered questions, and issued special contact phones. It was explained that these phones would allow them to contact their handlers and would be the only contact they would have. It was also stressed that they should not lose them.

All conversations were quickly finished and they were free to go. It turned out that Diana, at government expense, had accumulated a bit of a wardrobe during Rob's stay and a couple of the staff helped to carry it out to the car. There were hugs, smiles, and thank-you's exchanged and they were finally able to leave.

Once they were on their way, Sally glanced over at Diana and said, "You said that you wanted to be called Diana from now on and I'm assuming from the way you are dressed that you think of yourself as a woman. Is that right?"

Sally's question brought home to Diana that she hadn't realized that there might be a problem between the two of them. After all, she just went with her appearance. She knew that she didn't look or sound anything like the old Rob Tanner, so it only made sense to conform herself to that. Anything else meant that she would ultimately drive herself crazy. The only question or issue that remained was what to do about what was between her thighs.

But right now, much larger questions loomed for Diana that she had neglected to consider. What would Sally prefer her to do? Did she want Diana to become Rob again and to overcome the changes that had been wrought upon her? Their time together after the rescue from the club had been wonderful, but had Sally only been marking time until Doctor Winters could restore his appearance? Would Sally still want her as Diana? What would she do if Sally didn't want her around?

Finally, an epiphany began to form. He had only been thinking about what was best for him. He loved Sally with all his heart, but if he said he thought of himself as a woman, and Sally stayed with him, that would make her a lesbian. Could or would Sally convert for the sake of their love? This was something that he hadn't considered and he really needed to talk to Sally about…Soon!

The silence grew longer as Diana became tangled in her thoughts. It dragged on so long that Sally began to become concerned that Diana might be developing a problem of some sort. When she saw that Diana was just staring straight ahead and a tear running down her cheek, Sally quickly pulled the car over to the curb before taking Diana's had and making her turn. Looking her in the eye, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Diana blinked back more tears and just nodded. Then she said, "I just realized that I didn't think about what you might want. I decided to be this way because it made the most sense and because Diana kept me from going crazy. Do you want me to be Rob again?"

Sally just looked at Diana. All she saw before her was a young woman who looked lost in the world and just wanted to be accepted and loved. Sally released her belt and leaned over to take Diana in her arms.

"Honey, I love you! I loved you when you looked like Rob and I love you when you look like Diana. It's who you are that's important to me, not what you look like."

Sally blushed a deep crimson, "Can I tell you something personal?"

"Sure, Sally. Anything."

"Having the old Rob in the Diana shell really turns me on. "What's more, the doctor said that he took samples from you. That means that you can still be a father."

Diana laughed into Sally's shoulder. "That's what he said. For all we know, he took those samples from himself."

Sally froze at Diana's words and pushed her back so that they could see each other. There were tears forming in her eyes now. "Don't say that. Don't even think that," she said. "Don't you want to be a father? I mean, I want to be a mother. At least some day." Sally dropped her eyes when she realized what she had just admitted to Diana.

Diana saw just as quickly what Sally was saying and her heart seemed like it wanted to explode. She smiled as she blinked through more tears and nodded. "I'd love to be a father, but I think that the baby will have to be satisfied with two mommies instead. If we play catch, I wonder if I'll throw like a girl."

* * * * *

Sophie was overjoyed to have her BFF home again, and to welcome the real Diana to the ranks of womanhood. Most of Diana's wardrobe had consisted of clothes that went with her former slut / party girl persona, so the three of them had fun filling Diana's closet and bureaus. Diana's preference for clothes ended up leaning toward skirts and dresses, just not as short as they had been. Even though the old Diana was gone, Rob's Diana couldn't bring herself to wear jeans or pant suits. She did prefer a more demure length to her hems though.

When Sophie and Sally weren't shopping with her, Diana spent her time working as Sally's intern. The two of them agreed that the best thing for the investment firm, all of the employees, and for themselves, was that the company should be sold. Diana really could not concentrate on it any longer and she was correct that no one would take a woman with her appearance seriously as a hotshot investment analyst. For her part, Sally didn't want the stress of continuing to run the company on a long term basis.

The same day that Diana came home from the clinic, Diana moved into the master bedroom with Sally. They had the place to themselves as Sophie had decided to move in with Pete. Because of changes that would be happening in their financial situation, they agreed that it might be better to move out to a location that would give them more privacy and security.

The Feds had been true to their word and had smoothed the way for Diana Roberta Tanner to take possession of the trust fund that had been left to Robert Tanner. With access to everything that had belonged to Robert and Geri Tanner, they were able to find a small estate outside of the city. They giggled like teenagers when they joked about being Ladies-of-the-Manor. They had fun planning colors for rooms, selecting carpets, and furniture. Because of the improvements required, like the addition of two huge walk-in closets in the master bedroom, they wouldn't able to move in for several weeks.

At work, Wanda became part of the inner circle that was aware of Diana's secret when she had returned. The two of them became fast friends and Wanda was an important part of making everyone see that the company couldn't continue indefinitely in Rob Tanner's absence. Everyone felt better about the sale when they were assured of keeping their jobs with the company who was absorbing them. It helped that Rob and Sally had created an excellent work force over the years. Admittedly, there were a couple of clinkers, like the analyst who had posted Diana's strip-tease to YouTube prior to his departure.

It didn't take Sherlock Homes to figure out that Diana and Sally were headed for matrimony. Wanda was thrilled for them both. Diana made it official a couple of weeks later. Even though she now presented herself as a woman and acted like a woman, she was traditional enough to want to propose marriage to the woman she loved. She had found it easy to buy an engagement ring for Sally by opting for a simple setting of diamonds.

Being made of money now, they enjoyed dinner out at least once a week. Diana waited until they had finished their dinner and the waitress had brought them their coffee before she knelt before Sally and asked for her hand in marriage. The other patrons around them had clapped when Sally had smiled and answered yes to Diana's question.

Not to be outdone, Sally waited for Diana to regain her seat. With a completely straight face, she said, "Diana you have ruined my surprise, darn you." The smile on Diana's face vanished like it had never been there.

A suddenly worried Diana saw a waiter approaching the table with a tray holding a simple cupcake. Her smile began to return as the light dawned on her. There, as garnish among the white frosting on the cupcake, was the largest diamond ring Diana had ever seen.

While Diana sat with a shocked smile on her face, Sally slipped the ring onto Diana's finger and asked, "Diana Turner, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" This time, the diners around them erupted in cheers for both of them and their mutual declaration of love.

The sale of the company went remarkably fast and easy. Sally reflected that it helped to have friends in high places who could grease the wheels. Diana, Sally, and Wanda found themselves working harder to keep normal operations going as they also prepared for the turnover of control. There were reports produced and meetings held to ensure a smooth change.

Once there was a group from the new owners in the office who were settling into place, Wanda made it her primary task to help her bosses plan their wedding. It quickly came down to just setting a date and finding dresses for the wedding party. Diana was helping but she kept insisting that they be married in bikinis. Sally wasn't sure if Rob was being cute or if the old Diana had emerged. In either case Sally was having none of it and dragged her fiancée to numerous wedding gown fittings. Wanda was in seventh heaven while she helped with everything.

A celebration party was planned when the deal to sell was finalized and a final date was announced. Sally decided to surprise Diana by making it a bachelorette party for Diana as well. She arranged with Julie to use the club on the one of the nights that it was normally closed.

* * * * *

Many of the girls at the club knew Diana and Sophie and were happy to see them again. The entire party was a catered affair so that no one had to work...except the entertainment. Because it was partly a bachelorette party and partly an office celebration, the party was not officially stagette. As a result, there were several dozen men and women seated around the room. Rob had been well liked in the office and, even though it was not known that Rob was actually Diana, she had endeared herself to everyone at the club and in the offices as well. The result was a veritable mountain of gifts on one side of the club.

Sally made Diana the center of attention and she absolutely cherished it. There were plenty of gifts to them both, but there were also gifts especially for Diana. Most of the gifts were thoughtful, like 'Hers and Hers' robes, a spa in a jar, and gift certificates to various shops and salons in the area. There were several gag gifts, obviously from girls who knew Diana. Things like edible undies or vibrators. Diana blushed a beautiful shade of pink each time she opened one of the special gifts and she got a good number of hugs from her friends because of her good humor.

It was when the lights dimmed and Julie stepped up on stage to introduce the special entertainment that the party took a left turn. Sally knew that the entertainment offered by the 'Eagle' might not be everyone's cup of tea and she had warned everyone in advance. As a result, several couples had voiced their congratulations to Sally and Diana and taken their leave before Julie started her introductions.

Once the audience was relatively quiet again, Julie launched into her speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" There were a few men from the office as well as Jim and Pete who had decided to stick around. Julie knew from experience that the coming performance would be enjoyed at some level by everyone. "Those of you who have visited lately will recognize tonight's special act. They've been a favorite for several weeks now. Please welcome Geri and her ponygirl husband Evie!"

The music became louder and switched over to a western theme. The curtain opened behind Julie as she made way and Diana beheld two women who could be sisters. What shook her to her core was the she recognized Geri, which meant…the other woman was Evan! If she hadn't been looking for it, Diana wouldn't have known that it was Evan, but that woman could be Evan's sister.

She studied them for a minute and realized that they looked strange in some way. Evan, of course, was as feminine as Diana herself was. But Geri actually displayed greater changes. Any softness that had shown in her features seemed to be gone and had been replaced by sharper edges. In addition, her womanly curves appeared to have slimmed away. It almost looked like she had taken to running for miles and lifting weights.

Geri was clothed in a black, form-fitting PVC catsuit that had a cutout to display the tops of her large breasts. The catsuit itself was form-fitting with a zipper that ran from her cleavage through her crotch. Black gloves stretched halfway up her arms, to her bulging biceps that seemed out of place on a woman. Spiked boots that reached almost to her knees completed her dominatrix uniform. Brightly polished spurs glinted on the sides of the boots, giving them a sinister appearance. She moved around the stage with cold confidence, swinging a short whip back and forth.

Evie was a counter-point to Geri's command of the stage. She was clad in a similar outfit except that her breasts were exposed for all to see. It was hard to believe that this woman was actually Geri's husband. Her hands were encased in what appeared to be plastic hooves that stretched up past her elbows. The shape of the gloves or gauntlets that she wore also seemed to keep her from straightening her arms so that they were kept permanently bent. In addition, her upper arms were held to her sides by clips and rings. Her head was held up by a collar that stretched from the top of her shoulders to the base of her skull. It seemed to cradle her head, but it was obvious that it held her firmly in place and that she could not turn her head. Blinders on either side of her face accentuated Geri's control over her. A leash was attached to a bit that was fastened firmly in her mouth, looking like the reins of a horse. She wore incredibly high spiked heels and platform shoes.

As Evie stood quivering at attention and worked to maintain her balance, Geri cracked her whip and addressed her audience.

"Good evening everyone! Thank you for being here tonight! Evie and I would like to wish a special welcome to our guest of honor." Geri's eyes seemed to burn holes through Diana as she sat at the table. "Evie and I have been working on a new act for you. We're just going to put her through her paces for you." She walked around Evie, caressing her lightly with the haft of the whip.

"As you can see, Evie is a fine image of a pony. Sleek lines and good definition." The whip lifted a large breast before letting it drop and bounce. It then trailed down Evie's front to tap against her crotch. It was obvious from how she jumped that her manly parts were still present.

Diana sat frozen in her seat, staring at the pair on the stage. She hadn't really thought about them in weeks and she had just been glad that they were out of her life. Now…they seemed to be back again, as if dropped out of the sky. Sally had turned to look at her from across the table, giving her a relaxed smile as if to say that she knew what was going on and that she wasn't worried.

On stage, Geri continued with the act as she described the features of her ponygirl and some of the advantages, like being able to ride to each store in the mall or not having to worry about buying shoes for her. Her jibes and jokes were getting quite a few laughs from the audience as she strutted around. She was in her element as a master of ceremonies.

"Now…We start with teaching her to step properly." Geri turned to Evie and paused. "Why Evie, you forgot your tail again." She looked at the audience and said with a wink, "You can't have a ponygirl without a tail." She strode off the stage and returned almost immediately with a long tube with a bulb on one end and a fake tail on the other. She held it up to the audience and smiled. "Here it is! Now that's a tail!" She held it up before her husband's eyes before stepping behind 'him'. There was the sound of a zipper and Geri fumbled around his hind haunches for a minute while Evie looked like she wanted to lift herself off the floor. She would have tried to get away, but Geri's firm grip around her waist kept her still. Geri firmly slid the bulb end up his back door. She closed the Zipper holding it in place. Geri stood up again and said, "There! Now we have a proper ponygirl!" Projecting from behind Evie was the faux pony's tail. It bobbed up and down with each movement that Evie made.

Evie's eyes had tears in them from the pain that must have been inflicted, but the audience was eating it up. Geri snapped her whip again before looking into Evie's eyes and sliding the whip along Evie's crotch. Evie could see Diana in the audience and knew who Geri had been looking at. She trembled in obvious fear of what Diana might do to her next. After all, Diana was why they had ended up here in the first place.

Diana sat in her chair like a statue as she watched Geri's cruelty. The tears in Evie's eyes were mirrored by the ones that formed in her own. With each crack of the whip or taunting comment that Geri made, she felt the twist in her gut grow. If Geri's plan had worked, that could have been her up there and she would be doing it happily. How could Geri be allowed to do that to her own husband? Again. She enjoyed treating people like this and she wasn't actually suffering herself.

A terrifying thought occurred to her that it might be Sally's plan to give her to Geri. The very possibility made her heart literally skip a beat. She wouldn't allow that kind of thing to happen to her again! Then one of the girls from the office called out, "Do you have room in your stable to train one more?" She was there with her boyfriend who gave her a good-natured nudge in response. Everyone laughed when Geri answered, "Of course, there's always room for one more." She was looking right at Diana as she said it and Diana could almost taste the metal of the bit in her mouth.

Geri continued the act as she made Evie prance around in a circle clapping his plastic hooves creating an authentic trotting sound while she cracked the whip. The awkward movement caused Evie's considerable breasts bounce each time one of her feet came down. Diana continued to watch the performance, but it felt as if she had become detached from everything. She was seeing it, but it didn't feel real to her. If she hadn't been sitting between the table and her chair so tightly, she might have fallen onto the floor.

Because Sally was on the other side of the table, she was not aware of Diana's difficulty. If it had been Halloween, Diana could have claimed that she was a ghost or a zombie. In the lowered light of the room, her sudden paleness was not immediately noticeable. Sally was enjoying the show as much as everyone else and was thoroughly enraptured when the music changed to the theme song from 'The Lone Ranger' and Geri leapt onto Evie's back to ride her around the stage, whipping her to go faster with each lap. The spurs on her boots gouged at Evie's sides, also forcing her on.

Evie was staggering with fatigue when Geri slid down to the floor again. When Evie sank to her knees to catch her breath, Geri mimed shooting her as if putting her out of her misery. She looked at the audience and said, "If anyone is interested, my filly is available for a small stud fee." She paused and smiled slyly at everyone before adding, "You should hurry before I turn him into a gelding. Anyone know a good vet?" Evie's eyes grew big at that statement and she levered herself back to her feet, backing away. That got a big laugh from the audience.

All the while, Geri had been looking at Diana as if she wanted to come into the audience and claim another pony. Sally finally realized that Geri wasn't directing those looks at her, but at Diana behind her. Turning around, she was shaken at Diana's appearance. She looked back at the stage and stood to block Geri's view of Diana, the look that she gave Geri was dark and dangerous. Geri gave a hate-filled look at Sally and turned away to drive Evie from the stage, her whip falling viciously on her butt and thighs.

Sally started around the table to Diana, but Diana pushed herself up from the table on brute strength alone before she hurried toward the lady's room. Everyone was so aroused by what they had just seen that it was easy for them to think that Diana was really excited by the show and just wanted to be alone.

Sally knew that there was a real problem and started after her. Wanda and Jim arrived at the bathroom door right behind her. Leaving them to stand guard, she went in to find out what was wrong with the woman she loved. She found her sitting on the floor by the commode crying. It was obvious that she had been ill.

"Diana?" Sally said hesitantly. She didn't wait for an answer as she went over to crouch by her future wife. "What's wrong honey?"

Diana looked up at Sally, struggling hard to be able to speak. When Sally moved to hold her, Diana cringed away from her in fear. Sally was totally confused by her reaction and backed off. Her lover was acting as if she might be having some sort of flashback, so she settled where Diana could still tolerate her presence. This wasn't something that the doctor had warned them about, but it might be some kind of panic attack.

Before she could formulate some way to approach her, Diana raised her head from her knees to look at Sally through her tears. "Please don't give me to Geri, Sally. I'll do anything you want me to. I'll be good!"

Sally heard Diana's outburst as part plea and part accusation. Was the old Diana back somehow and having a breakdown. Why was she afraid of her?

Sally kept her voice soft and gentle. "Honey, everything is okay. I'm not going to do anything to hurt you." She remained still so that Diana would not become more spooked than she already was. "Diana, can you tell me what is wrong?"

Diana looked at her with wide eyes, reassured by Sally's tone and said, "Evan and Geri are just like me! But Geri is still mean! The doctor changed them like he did me and I don't want Geri to be mean to me again!" She was starting to tremble and her voice was rising from fright.

Sally was only just starting to catch on. "Oh Diana! I would never let Geri near you. I hate that bitch as much as you do!"

That got Diana's attention enough to get her to really focus on Sally. "What happened to them?"

Sally straightened up said, somewhat proudly, but now ashamed as well, "I guess that I happened to them."

She told Diana the story of how she and Jim had caught the two criminals and had taken them to Doctor Winters. Because of the heinous things that they had already done and had intended to do, they had been made over into the same kind of person they had intended for Diana to be. As she listened to Sally's story, Diana began to relax, realizing that she was in no danger.

"I'm so sorry Diana. I thought that you would like seeing them punished. I never thought that you might think…" She choked up as she realized how broken Diana must really be to be afraid that Sally might make her Geri's slave again. It was her turn to break down crying as she tried to apologize for scaring her loved one.

"I'm so sorry! I just wanted to show you…"

A shaken Diana was suddenly wrapped around Sally hugging her tightly. She stroked Sally's hair and whispered that everything was okay. Sally returned her embrace as they both shivered and cried together.

After a few minutes, they were able to relax and take some deep breaths. There was a knock on the door and it opened enough for a worried Julie to look in.

"Are you two okay?"

She was answered by a pair of happy smiles and nods as they requested purses so that they could fix their faces.

After a rapid repair job, and the liberal use of some eye drops, both Sally and Diana made their reappearance. Their guests were preparing to leave, but they had waited for the happy couple to return to the party first. They were very willing to let everyone think that the reason for their absence and slightly rumpled appearance was due to some impromptu amorous antics in the bathroom.

* * * * *

While Sally and Diana were dealing with their issues, Geri and Evie were dealing with their own. Geri drove Evie ahead of her with sharp snaps of the whip on her husband's ass. She made no move to remove the bit in 'her' mouth or to free her hands. Evie could only squeal or grunt as Geri tried to make her move faster. Arriving at the stairs that led down to their room in the basement, Evie slowed down and held the bannister as she negotiated each step in her boots.

"Get. Down. There!" Geri ground out, punctuating each word with a savage slash of the whip. Most of the stings Geri inflicted had long ago passed the point where the pain actually registered. Evie thought that Geri knew it too and that Geri just liked to take her anger and frustrations out on her. Because the welts she was receiving didn't really hurt, she refused to be hurried down the steps. Considering how Geri had changed these past months, Evie wouldn't put it past her to truly shoot her like a horse if she fell and broke an ankle or leg.

Once they were at their rooms, Geri shoved past Evie to stomp over to the bed.

"That little bitch!" She spat. "Sitting there watching us and looking pretty as you please! And the other one standing up to block me! They're the reason that we're here! It's your fault too! You fuck up! If you had done your part right, we would have gotten the money and we would be in Paris right now!"

Geri always seemed to forget her part in how their plot had gone wrong. She rounded on her husband where he stood by the door. He could not sit down because the tail sticking out his ass. He could reach it to pull it out because of how his arms where restrained and he could not participate in the conversation because of the bridal bit gag. He just stood there looking back at her like the dumb animal he was made to imitate. It hadn't escaped Evie's notice that Geri was coming to think of him as being dumb as well.

"I need help getting out of this, come here so that I can undo your arms!" Geri wasn't going to even walk over to free him up.

Evie made her way over to Geri, not prancing as a horse but moving carefully enough to not fall. The boots she wore were actually better for her if she did move as if she were horse-stepping, but her legs were just too tired.

Geri moved behind her and opened the clips that held her arms against her. It felt good to be able to move properly again and she knew that she would have cramps in her shoulders later. She thought that might be partly by design on the part of whoever had created this costume. It took a few moments for Geri to remove the hooves and then Evie was free.

She shrugged her shoulders as she reached up to unclip the straps that held the gag that doubled as a bridal bit in her mouth. She exercised her jaw after removing the damned gag. She really did not like letting Geri dress her up I this bondage gear, but Julie had agreed that Geri's idea for a stage act was a good one. Evie found herself unable to disobey or even disagree with Julie or Sally.

"Hurry up! I want to get out of this!" Geri demanded.

Over the past weeks, Geri had begun to treat Evie more like her servant instead of her husband. It stood to reason that would happen, considering that Evie no longer looked much like Evan. Evie had been coming to feel more comfortable with her new condition as a feminized man and had started thinking in feminine terms quite some time ago.

"Yes, dear," Evie responded. She crouched to unzip the backs of Geri's boots, her own boots forcing her to balance carefully. Geri had already opened the zipper in the cat suit and Evie pulled the tab through Geri's legs and part way up her back.

Geri gave a relieved sign as she was able to take a deep breath again. She unzipped her gloves and held her hands out to Evie to pull them off. She was quickly stripped out of her costume and stood nude before Evie. Geri was obviously a woman, but only anatomically one. Her body really had become harder and leaner, so much so that her breasts had even seemed to shrink. Evie wasn't sure if Geri had noticed the changes or if she just did not care.

Evie's body was still pretty much the way it had been engineered, although he did seem to have continued to lose muscle mass. While she still had her cock and was able to become aroused, the rest of her body had settled into a form that would make most magazine centerfolds jealous. She had reflected at one time that she could probably enjoy a successful career in porn movies as a she-male actor.

A lot of her acceptance of her current situation might be due to the programming they had been subjected to by Doctor Winters. She had had plenty of time to think about things and she wasn't dumb. She also was not lazy, but she had to admit that the life she had been leading as Evan, the con man, was not really a happy one. It meant living a false life all of the time and hurting people in order to survive the only way that he knew how. With the exception of the abuse that heaped upon her, a life where she did not have to do harm to survive was heaven.

He knew that this life was a punishment and so much of what he was forced to endure was cruel. He didn't think that Julie and Sally knew that he only found some of their treatment to by repugnant, but that might be why they let Geri have the leeway that she did. He knew that by letting Geri be so dominant over him, they were punishing him. Geri couldn't see that she was being punished as well, because she had alienated everyone else around her. None of the other girls had any use for her arrogant behavior and they avoided having any contact with her. It really was not punishment though because Geri had no use for anyone other than herself.

Without a backward glance, Geri stomped off to the bathroom for a shower, leaving her costume strewn on the floor. Evie watched Geri's bare ass disappear around the corner. She was more than a little disappointed that Geri hadn't helped her out of her own costume at all and she thought that there might very well come a time when her wife might fix it to keep her in it indefinitely. At the same time, Geri's behavior did not surprise her.

She began working herself loose from her costume. It wasn't quite impossible to do on your own; it was just a lot harder. After a few minutes, Evie got herself stripped down to just her boots. She looked down at herself and with a touch of pride saw a well-endowed, curvy she-male. She reflected sadly that she was male in only one way now. She had come to terms with it eventually and was working on becoming comfortable with herself. After all, she probably deserved this and more. Evan had been willing to go along with transforming Rob as part of the scan, even if it had not been his idea.

Evie had already arrived at the decision that she needed to put some distance between her and Geri. There were other suites present in the basement that had been converted from the cells that had been here. Because the original intention was not to make them prison cells again, Evie knew that she would be able to lock Geri out when the time came. She had already moved her clothes and costumes out and she was sure that she could come up with an acceptable story to tell Julie that would allow her to remain there.

Before she could make her exit, Geri returned. She was barefoot, which meant that she had to walk on her toes to avoid a lot of discomfort in her feet. She was apparently making an attempt at being attractive as she was wearing a short baby doll nightgown and makeup. Evie barely looked at her as she started gathering up the various parts of her costume.

When she returned, she realized that she should have gone to the other room much earlier. She had put on a baby doll of her own before leaving the bath and she found Geri in the bed, waiting for her. Evie had seen this behavior before. Acting dominant over Evie seemed to make Geri horny. However, Evie had reached a point where she no longer liked being mistreated to the level Geri enjoyed. Geri looked on as Evie started hanging her own costume.

"Come to bed Evie." Geri said, her voice gentle now. It was apparent that Geri wanted to extend her playtime to bed this evening. This had become part of their routine as well; be mistreated on stage and then to be made love to afterward. Evie had initially enjoyed it, but even their lovemaking had taken on a rougher tone lately and it was no longer fun. Evie had just reached a point where she felt no arousal for her wife anymore. She was quite sure that it wasn't a problem with her male equipment; she just was not attracted to the vicious, domineering bitch that her wife had become. Perhaps she always had been and Evan / Evie had not seen it until now.

On her way to the door, Evie paused to look at Geri reclining in the middle of the bed. "Not tonight, Geri. Being ridden like a pony really tired me out. My sides hurt where your spurs scratched me too."

Geri had no intention of taking no for answer and she replied sexily, "I'll ride you some more too. Come here." She beckoned by holding her arms open in an embrace.

Evie turned and continued to the door. "No, Geri. I just want to sleep, so I'll take one of the other beds."

Geri finally reached her boiling point and jumped from the bed. "I want you to come to bed here!" Her voice rose and promised unspoken violence if she didn't get her own way.

Evie found that she had no fear of Geri anymore. While the shift of their roles and apparent physical transformations had left Geri as the stronger of the two of them, Evie had finally reached her own limits.

"Geri, we both know that you can hurt me. I also know that you can only go so far before Julie or Sally will pull you back...hard. You've changed in the last few months and you've become someone who likes to hurt me. I'm sure that is partly what they intended for us, but I don't feel like being your slave anymore. I think that we need to spend some time apart."

Geri's face froze as her sissy husband rejected her and her face flushed with anger. Evie waited a few moments while her wife struggled to speak.

"You bitch!" Geri spat. Evie could see that she had hit multiple sensitive points and that Geri was now beyond being just upset. She gauged her chances of getting out of this room and behind locked door in the other room before Geri could reach her and get violent. She thought that the odds were in her favor, because Geri would have to try running on her toes.

"Your incompetence screwed up the whole plan and we got caught!" Geri was on her familiar rant again and her face was starting to get red. "Now you think that you're too good for me and that you don't need me!

"Fine! If you won't do the act, I'll have Julie force you!" Geri was working herself up into a fine tirade and Evie knew that she could hit with a lot of force now. She had gotten bruises in the past that took weeks to completely heal.

"Do you think that you'd be happier hustling drinks for the club? You're so girlie now!" Every statement Geri made was another rant.

Evie struck back against her better judgment. "What's' the matter Geri? Are you pissed because I look better than you now? Is that why you came up with this ponygirl act? Because you look more like a guy than I do and the guys don't find you pretty anymore?"

Her last comments had drawn blood and might have been ill-considered because it was obvious that Geri's control was finally gone. Before Geri could get her balance, Evie was out the door and into the other bedroom. It was partly fear that drove her speed because she didn't want Geri pounding on her. There were times when Evie really cursed the fact that he had ever come into contact with Doctor Winters.

She had the door closed and locked just seconds before Geri was on the other side trying to open it. Geri raged outside the room for several minutes, but Evie was certain that she would get through the door. This was probably the first night in many that she would not be sleeping with Geri and that was fine with her. They might have been hypnotized to only be able to want sex with each other, but that didn't mean that they had to have sex. Evie had arrived at the conclusion that sleeping alone was preferable to sleeping with that psycho. It had taken a lot of soul searching to realize that Geri had always been this way and that he had been manipulated by her as much as Rob had been. Evan had just gone along with it for much longer than he should have.

Geri eventually figured it out that she could not get at Evie tonight because it became quiet in the hall. Evie was not looking forward to the confrontation that would come tomorrow, but she had made the needed break. The fallout could be dealt with. She made herself comfortable in bed and settle into a painful and exhausted sleep.

* * * * *

Diana's silence during the drive home worried Sally. They had finished the evening at the club on a happy note and Diana hadn't shown any of the emotional jag she had exhibited earlier. So Sally was really confused now. She expected Diana to be smiling at least, not lost in her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Sally asked.

"Hmmm?" Diana looked over at her, obviously distracted, but not upset or angry.

"You're pretty quiet. Are you still upset about Geri and Evan?"

"I'm okay," Diana said. "I just thought that those two were out of my life forever. When I saw them up on stage, I didn't understand what was going on for a while. I actually thought that Geri had somehow taken control of everything."

"I'm sorry," Sally said quietly. "I didn't realize that seeing them would affect you this way. I was trying to show you that they were being made to suffer the way they wanted you to."

Diana smiled and squeezed Sally's leg to show that she was not upset. "I guess the way she was treating Evan caused some sort of flashback for me. I'm glad that you were there to help me through it."

"I'm glad that I was there too. I'm just sorry that I hurt you."

"I'm fine now," Diana assured her. "The only thing that bothers me is how Geri was treating Evan."

"I know, but he deserves it," Sally replied.

"Sally, I'm not so sure about that. From everything I was of those two, I think that Geri was the brains of the two. Evan was just a figurehead. I really think that Geri was setting him up to be a fall guy just like I was."

"That may be true, but they both deserve to be punished Diana. If we let the courts have them, they'll probably end up in a minimum security facility somewhere and back on the street in five years." She was obviously very much in favor of what she and Doctor Winters had done.

"I agree that they need to be punished somehow," Diana said, nodding. "But we can't keep them there."

"Why not? They're getting better treatment than they intended for you."

"If we do this to them, we're no better than they are," Diana returned. "I've learned something over this past year or so. A master or mistress has a responsibility toward those that they have poser over. The measure of a person is in how they live up to the responsibility."

The only sound in the car was the wind noise rushing past as Sally considered Diana's philosophy. The emotion and logic in those few words were unassailable. Diana was completely correct. Geri and Evan could be left in the own little hell forever, but Sally and Julie would have to join them there to make sure that they continued to suffer. But she could see no way that the two criminals could be made to pay.

"But we can just let them go!" Sally argued.

"Well…I've been wondering," Diana said. "It didn't look like they were under guard at all. Why haven't they just walked away?"

Sally laughed as she related, in detail, everything that had been done to them by the doctor. The upshot was that they could not leave without being told to.

After they got home, Diana pressed the conversation again.

"I think that we could use a gardener, chauffeur, and a house maid, don't you?" Diana said. "You certainly don't expect me to do all of that work?"

"But honey," Sally said, looking at her lover with big, innocent eyes. "You look so cute in your French maid uniform. I'll bet that you would look really hot in a chauffeur's uniform and boots with a high-heel." She was unable to maintain a straight face for long and grinned broadly at Diana.

"I'll tell you what," Diana replied, leaning up against Sally. "We'll go out and buy a chauffeur uniform for me and I can play French Maid or Chauffeur while you play the spoiled rich heiress." She batted her eyes at Sally.

Now Sally was smiling broadly at just imagining Diana in uniform. "Okay...But I don't want those two living near us. Geri scares the hell out of me."

"Why don't we speak with Doctor Winters and make sure that their programming will keep them from being a danger to us?"

"I guess that will be okay, but I still have my concerns. I don't want to wake up dead some morning because Geri went crazy on us."

"They can live in the guest house at the back of the property," Diana agreed. "We could use shock collars like the ones they use for invisible fencing with dogs. Surely our government contacts could suggest something that would keep them from even considering escape."

"Okay, but I want a good security system on the house. We need to make sure that we can control when they come into the house and that we know where they are all of the time."

"That makes sense. We can't lock them out of the house permanently, but we can make it so that we know when they're around us," Diana said. "Don't worry though. I know from experience that they won't be able to break free from that programming."

"All right then. I'll call the club in the morning and talk to Julie," Sally said. "They'll live at the club and just be regular employees until we can move them out to the estate." She paused and looked closed at Diana. "You know that Geri really enjoys dominating and being cruel to Evan, don't you?"

"Yes, I know." Diana replied. Her smile communicated her pleasure at knowing that she was able to thwart Geri in some small way. She knew that just preventing Geri from brutalizing Evan would drive her right up the wall.

"I just think that it's time for Diana Phoenix to get some revenge upon some people." She thought that it was only fitting that they would spend the rest of their lives working for the people they had tried to hurt so badly.

"Hey! Are you calling me spoiled?"

Diana tried to look innocent as she looked back at her and said, "Not at all, Your Majesty. Unless you want to be spoiled."

Sally smiled back and said, "Well...I always wanted my own private hand-maiden. Are you applying for the job? It doesn't pay much, but you'll cleanup on the overtime."

Diana finished the conversation by fixing a lip lock on her lover's mouth. Several minutes later, the two of them finally settled down for the night, spooned against each other like any other pair of lovers...