“Thank you, please fly with us again!” Jessica said, a wide smile on her scarlet lips as she waved the hundred-plus passengers off the aeroplane. Most of the men and women simply ignored the American girl, tired as they were from their flight, but a few acknowledged her with a smile, making Jessica giggle happily. Once all the passengers has disembarked, Jessica returned to the aeroplane, straightening her tight red skirt and elegant pillbox hat before performing her post-flight checks.

“Ugh, I am sweating like a pig,” Abbey complained as she adjusted her own skirt.

“Well, if you will tighten your corset as far as it’ll go…” Jessica teased.

“Well, if my counsellor will refuse to give me oestrogen,” Abbey retorted. “Never mind the fact that I’ve been living as a woman full-time for over a year, never mind the fact that I’m always female when I’m ‘with’ my boyfriend…”

“Never mind the fact that your wardrobe at home contains more latex than cotton,” Jessica teased. “Never mind the fact that when you ‘boyfriend’, it’s only been in the singular for the past month…”

“So I like sex,” Abbey shrugged. “With as many men as possible. Sometimes at the same time. I’m not hurting anyone, it’s not a crime…”

“But your counsellor may see it as a fetish,” Jessica said. “I will admit, when you were my probie a year ago, I had no idea you were such a- such a-“

“’Slut’?” Abbey asked. “It’s okay if you want to say it if it’s what you’re thinking. Hell, it’s what I’M thinking, heh!”

“The word I was looking for was ‘adventurer’,” Jessica said with a devious smile.

“Monogamy doesn’t suit everyone,” Abbey said with a devious smile of her own. “I’m 20, I’m not ready to settle down yet, I want to explore what life has to offer!”

“Then surely you can afford to wait a little before starting oestrogen?” Jessica asked, making Abbey sigh sadly.

“I would say ‘it’s easy for you to say’, but I know for a fact that it isn’t,” the Englishwoman said as Jessica sighed sadly. “Is oestrogen really worth it?”

“Totally,” Jessica whispered, pausing briefly as she felt the blood flow through her veins- the blood that carried the precious female hormone to every corner of her body.

Following her return from America, Jessica had made an appointment with her counsellor, during which she explained what had happened, went into detail about her reconciliation with her family, and made an immediate request for oestrogen. Three days later, Jessica took her first hormone tablet, and didn’t look back. Whilst six weeks wasn’t enough time to produce any physical changes- certainly not on the scale of Paige or Anna-Jade, who had been taking oestrogen for a year and over a year respectively- it enough to make Jessica feel happier, more settled in herself. Before oestrogen, Jessica had been permanently confused, unsure of herself and worried at what the future might bring. Oestrogen was like the final piece of the puzzle, the solution to all of Jessica’s problems. Her anxieties had been replaced by excitement at what the future would bring- and Jessica woke up every morning feeling happier than she had the previous day.

“See what I mean?” Jessica asked, tugging at the over-tightened laces of Abbey’s corset as the two women changed in the cramped locker room. “If there’d been any turbulence on that plane you’d have snapped in half!”

“Oh- whatever,” Abbey sighed, loosening the laces of her corset and breathing a sigh of relief.

“It can’t make it easy to do your job, either,” Jessica said. “Not that any part of these uniforms are designed with that in mind…”

“Yeah, well, that’s an argument for another time,” Abbey sighed. “Sucks that you had to work yesterday, on Valentine’s Day…”

“I’ll live,” Jessica shrugged. “I’ve always got tonight, anyway…” Jessica smiled happily as she hung up her red uniform and slithered into her slinky black pencil dress, before heading to the nearest tube station with Abbey. After bidding the Englishwoman farewell at her tube stop, Jessica hopped off the underground train and walked the short distance to her flat, her smile widening with every step she took in her high-heeled stilettos. As Jessica opened the door to her apartment, the reason for her widening smile finally came into view.

“Hey,” Paige said, wrapping her slender, pale arms around Jessica’s neck and giving the American girl a long, deep kiss.

“Hey,” Jessica said, kissing Paige again and allowing her lipstick to mingle with the colour on the Scottish girl’s lips. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Happy close-enough-to-Valentine’s-Day-that-it-makes-no-difference,” Paige responded. “Dinner’s cooking, should be ready in about twenty minutes. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and slip into something a lot LESS comfortable…” Jessica giggled as she watched Paige step into their bedroom, emerging fifteen minutes later wearing a scandalously tight black strapless dress that showed off her already-enviable cleavage and virtually every inch of her slender legs, which were, of course, encased in dark tights and ‘topped’ with 5” heeled black stilettos.

“You know,” Jessica said, giving Paige another kiss, “I’m going to get indigestion now, rushing to eat my dinner so I can get to ‘dessert’.”

“I, um, didn’t make any ‘dessert’,” Paige said.

“Yeah… You kinda did,” Jessica giggled, playing with the top of Paige’s dress. The Scottish girl smiled devilishly as she served herself and Jessica each a plateful of hot, rich-smelling food.

Mere minutes later, after the plates- and half a bottle of wine- had been consumed, the two women hastily retreated to their bedroom, their bodies entwined in a passionate embrace. It wasn’t long before the two women’s dresses had found their way to the floor and the women themselves had dived underneath their bed covers, their clinch growing ever tighter…

Jessica moaned as the alarm on her lover’s phone chimed, signalling the start of another day.

“Ah, quit groaning,” Paige sighed, kissing Jessica on her bare shoulder. “You’re not the one who has to get up today…”

“I know, I know,” Jessica sighed, smiling happily at the sight of her lover as she pulled on her bra, thong, corset and stockings. “And the sight IS worth waking up early…” Paige smiled as she playfully wiggled her pert backside for her American lover.

“Make sure you get up before the party tonight,” Paige warned. “You know Rachel will go ballistic if everything isn’t 100% perfect…”

“It’ll all get done,” Jessica laughed. “Provided Anna-Jade can pry herself off of Mr. Kennedy at some point before the evening!”

“A 6’ 1” fitness fanatic with no qualms about dating a T-girl?” Paige asked. “I’m surprised Anna-Jade hasn’t had herself surgically grafted to him yet!” Jessica giggled as Paige pulled on a pristine, sleeveless white blouse, one of her favourite slinky black pencil skirts and a pair of torturously high stiletto heels.

“Mmm,” Jessica moaned, gently caressing Paige’s soft, hairless arm. “Come back to bed...”

“Tonight, I will,” Paige said, kissing Jessica one final time before leaving the flat alongside her flatmate and supervisor.

“You were actually able to tear yourself away from Jessica, then?” Rachel asked.

“As if you’d have given me the choice,” Paige snorted, making Rachel laugh.

“Her ‘girl juice’ isn’t having, you know, an ‘effect’ on things in the bedroom, then?” Rachel asked. “Umm, feel free to say ‘no comment’ if I’m prying, I’ve just always wondered how girls like you and Jess-“

“No comment,” Paige said, whilst flashing Rachel a smile that made it clear that she was VERY satisfied with her relationship with Jessica- even if Paige herself wasn’t fully convinced that this was the case.

From the very first second that she’d started taking oestrogen, Paige was sure that she was making the right decision. Every physical female characteristic that she gained made her feel more complete as a person, and it seemed to Paige that every additional characteristic made Jessica more and more attracted to her. After ten months on oestrogen, Paige truly felt as though she’d been female for her whole life, and when Jessica began her course of hormones, Paige was excited to be able to share the American woman’s journey with her.

However, as Jessica herself began developing female characteristics- no matter how slight- Paige found herself feeling wary, especially when it came to making love. She’d always been attracted to Jessica physically, but a major part of Paige’s attraction to Jessica had stemmed from the fact that the American girl was a physically male person presenting as a woman. The ‘pretense’ added an extra layer of excitement to their lovemaking that Paige felt was slowly disappearing with every oestrogen tablet Jessica took. Sure, she still loved her for who she was- but Paige felt that she wasn’t as in love with Jessica as she was before the American girl began her hormone treatments.

Paige put all concerns about her relationship out of her head as she stepped into the main concourse of Heathrow airport, quickly heading to the Soixante-Trois Airlines locker room to change into her standard blue uniform. Rather than report to an aeroplane, however, Paige followed Rachel down the corridor to a small meeting room, where Paige took a seat alongside a nervous-looking brown-haired woman who was dressed identically to herself- with the obvious exception of Paige’s blue pillbox hat.

“Hi,” Paige said to the young woman. “You must be Rhianna. I’m Paige, Paige Robertson.”

“Hi,” the brown-haired woman replied, sharing a limp, feminine handshake with Paige. “Hi, yeah, I’m Rhianna Ferguson.”

“Good to finally be mentoring a fellow Scot!” Paige giggled. “What part of the country are you from?”

“Dalkeith,” Rhianna replied. “I’m guessing you’re a bit further west than me?”

“Aye, Dumbarton,” Paige said, sharing a giggle as Rachel watched on with a smile on her face.

“Aww,” the blonde supervisor cooed. “I knew you two would get along! And to answer the ‘inevitable question’ you both have… Yes. BOTH of you.”

“Really?” Rhianna asked as she examined Paige’s body. “H- how long, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Pretty much a year to the day since I started oestrogen,” Paige said. “You?”

“Only started two weeks ago,” Rhianna sighed. “I’ve only been living full-time since my nineteenth birthday last August.”

“Well, you still look great,” Paige said with a warm smile. “And you’re only going to look even greater!” The two Scottish women and Rachel shared a laugh as the room slowly started to fill with bodies, two of which belonged to Natalie and Annabelle, who took their seats next to the young woman who would be under their care for the next three months.

“Hello,” Natalie said with a cheerful voice to her ‘charge’, a slender, dark-skinned woman with straight, jet-black hair tied back into a tight ponytail.

“Hello,” the woman replied with a thick Birmingham accent. “I’m Tanisha, Tanisha Grey.”

“Natalie Briggs,” Natalie replied. “I also answer to ‘Nat’ or, if I’m feeling rebellious… Matthew.” Tanisha giggled at Natalie’s openness, which helped to ease the tension she was feeling that was associated with the first day of a new job.

“I prefer ‘Tanisha’,” the dark-skinned girl said. “Much prefer it to ‘Thomas’.”

“Wise girl,” Natalie giggled. “So… How long?”

“Two years,” Tanisha said with a proud grin. “Took my first oestrogen pill on my eighteenth birthday. Was looking forward to SRS next year…”

“’Fraid you’ll have to wait until 2019 for that,” Natalie sighed. “The company will only authorise three months off to recover once you’ve worked for them for three years. Unless you fancy quitting and reapplying once you’re ‘done’…”

“HELL no,” Tanisha laughed. “Nerve-wracking enough getting the job the first time around!” Natalie and Tanisha giggled loudly, earning a stern stare from Rachel, as Annabelle sat down next to her designated girl.

“Hey honey,” Annabelle said in her trademark sweet voice.

“Oh- hi,” the olive-skinned girl replied in a light Portuguese accent. “I- I’m Rosita.”

“Annabelle, Annabelle Cope,” the American girl replied, exchanging air kisses with Rosita. “Nervous?”

“Yes,” Rosita confessed. “Only been learning English for a year.”

“Well your English is very good, honey,” Annabelle said, making the Portuguese girl smile happily as the manager arrived to begin the presentation for the new employees and their mentors.

Eight hours later, the six women- Paige, Natalie, Annabelle, Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita- exited the briefing room and returned to the locker room to remove their uniforms from their tired bodies.

“Regretting it yet?” Natalie asked the three new girls, who all giggled tiredly.

“It was a LOT to take in,” Rhianna sighed. “I’m glad we’re not expected to do it for real for the first few weeks.”

“Ah, you’ll be fine,” Paige laughed. “It’s a lot of hard work, but you do get to visit some really beautiful locations.”

“And make really great friends!” Annabelle said in a shy voice.

“And meet hunky pilots?” Tanisha asked, giggling as Rhianna playfully whipped her blouse at her. “What? I can’t be the only one thinking it, right?”

“Calm down!” Rachel giggled as she entered the locker room and removed her jacket and skirt. “Don’t want to be disciplined on your first day, do you?

“Depends on what these three are into, I guess,” Natalie shrugged, making Rachel roll her eyes.

“Well, anyway,” Rachel giggled, “you’ve worked hard today, it’s only fair that you get to enjoy yourself tonight, so fix your make-up, girls- I can guarantee a hunky pilot or two at tonight’s party!” The seven women all giggled excited as they repaired their make-up and pulled on the smart, feminine clothing they’d worn on the journey to work. A short while later, they arrived back at Rachel & Paige’s small apartment, which was already filled with several young men and women having a good time.

“Ah, welcome newbies!” Jessica said, greeting all seven women with air kisses- and giving Paige a special greeting by way of a kiss on her lips. “And welcome ‘oldbies’ as well, I guess!”

“Call ME old…” Paige said, before giggling and returning Jessica’s kiss.

“Okay, okay,” Rachel laughed. “No TV cameras here tonight, save it for the bedroom!”

“Trust me, we ARE,” Jessica laughed. “I did invite some of the Angels along but they were all busy, I’m afraid. Well, unless you count Zoe, who’ll be here in about an hour.”

“Can’t believe that, out of all of us, SHE’S going to be the one spending all her time with celebrities…” Rachel spat.

“Stop acting all jealous,” Paige ordered Rachel, who rolled her eyes in response. “Besides, Zoe’s spending all her time with pubescent teenaged girls rather than celebrities.”

“…except on Wednesday mornings,” Rachel snorted.

“Wednesday mornings that you’re more than welcome to attend too,” Jessica reminded Rachel. “I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow, trying to cram information into your students’ heads whilst I’m dancing around with half of one of Britain’s biggest girl bands…”

“You’d better be thinking of me as well,” Paige said, giving her lover a playful shove before heading toward the drinks table with Rhianna.

“Was that the ‘Angel ballet lesson’ you were talking about?” Rhianna asked. “How’d you manage to get into that?”

“Long story,” Paige giggled. “I could always put in a good word for you with the teacher, if you’d like?”

“Maybe once I’m out of probation,” Rhianna giggled. “Think my brain will explode if I try to learn more than one thing at a time, hehe! And more to the point, I’ve got almost twenty years of girlhood to catch up on…”

“Now THAT’s something I know all too well,” Paige sighed. “So, then, seen any hunky pilots you like the look of?”

“One or two,” Rhianna said. “I’m not just going to ‘open wide’ for any old guy, though!”

“Atta girl!” Paige giggled as the two women began to mingle with the packed crowd.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Natalie giggled as she dragged Tanisha to the sofa where Abbey and Anna-Jade were sat. “It was this time last year for you, Abbey, this time two years ago for me and Anna-Jade…”

“Sure, it hardly feels like two years,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“The job’s THAT enjoyable, then?” Tanisha asked. “Beyond, you know, spending all day wearing a sexy uniform…”

“That’s one of the highlights,” Abbey said. “But you do get to see a lot of beautiful locations, the pay’s great, there are parties, like, every week…”

“Yeah, it IS hard work,” Natalie said. “But it is a dream job for anyone who’s, you know, a ‘girl like us’. Even if you HAVE been transitioning long enough to get your gender recognition certificate…”

“Really?” Abbey asked, her interest piqued. “You’ve been on oestrogen for two years?”

“27 months, to be precise,” Tanisha said with a proud smile. “Got my certificate last month. Would’ve gone for SRS this summer, but I’ve been unemployed for six months… Birmingham’s not the easiest place in the world for a T-girl to find work.”

“Could be worse,” Jessica said as she wedged herself between Abbey and Natalie. “Could be Birmingham, Alabama…”

“Yeah, I remember THAT episode of Top Gear…” Natalie mused. “Still, you’ll never find a more diverse city than London, heh.”

“I dunno, Paris isn’t bad,” Anna-Jade said. “And the scenery’s beautiful, the people are friendly…"

“Oh god,” Jessica moaned as she looked toward the front door of the flat. “Speaking of ‘friendly people from Paris’…”

“What?” Anna-Jade asked, before her stomach sank at the sight of the figure in the front door. “What the fuck is that piece of shit doing here!?”

“Don’t come over here, don’t come over here…” Abbey whispered as the figure approached their sofa.

“Oh- god, Abbey, you didn’t…” Jessica moaned.

“Only once,” Abbey whispered. “Okay, twice…” the young Englishwoman cringed as the man stood in front of the five women, a smile on his face and a glass of wine in his hands.

“Hello, Jacques,” Anna-Jade said, her voice dripping with bile. “Has France finally come its senses and kicked your sorry arse out?”

“Ah, Mademoiselle Houghton,” Jacques said in his trademark oily voice. “Such a pleasure to see you again. And Abigail! Truly, this is a meeting of the Jacques fan club.”

“It’s ‘Abbey’, not ‘Abigail’,” Abbey growled.

“And it’s the ‘Jacques Lacroix can fuck off’ club, not ‘fan club’,” Anna-Jade spat.

“Don’t worry, Anna-Jade usually adds as man swear words as possible to every sentence she says,” Natalie advised Tanisha, before gesturing toward Jacques with her middle finger. “And this slime ball seems to have made it his life’s goal to hump his way through every stewardess who’s ever worked for Soixante-Trois.”

“Not EVERY stewardess, Mademoiselle Briggs,” Jacques said as he gave the giggling Tanisha a kiss on her hand. “Only those who are truly beautiful.”

“I’m flattered,” Tanisha giggled. “But I’m also very aware of your reputation.” The other girls on the sofa all laughed as, without warning, Tanisha flicked Jacques on his bottom lip, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.

“Your loss,” Jacques oozed, his oily confidence returning. “It just means more Jacques for everyone else.” Tanisha giggled as Jacques walked away, quickly finding his next ‘target’.

“Ah, Mademoiselle Cope,” Jacques said, his voice sending a shiver down Annabelle’s spine. “Truly, you look more beautiful with every passing day. Both beautiful and wise, to have such a delicate and precious flower as your pupil.” Annabelle struggled to retain her calm demeanour as Jacques took Rosita’s hand and kissed it, in much the same way he had kissed Tanisha’s.

“Oh, you are Jacques Lacroix,” Rosita said. “Annabelle has told me a lot about you.” Jacques smiled at Rosita, but his smile quickly wavered as Rosita snatched her hand away from him.

“That’s your cue to leave, honey,” Annabelle said to Jacques with a sweet, albeit insincere, smile.

“He is even more disgusting than I thought,” Rosita said. “Thank you for warning me.” Annabelle sighed as she remembered how Jacques had first seduced her, how he had treated her like a princess- and how he had cruelly rid himself of her when some other woman caught his eye. As the American woman scanned the apartment, her gaze caught sight of where Jessica was sat with her friends. Despite her natural aversion to crowds, the sincerity began to return to Annabelle’s smile.

“Honey,” Annabelle said as she led Rosita toward Jessica’s group. “How’d you feel about wearing a tutu?”

The party lasted until late into the evening, by which point the girls were all tired from a combination of alcohol, a long day at work, and racking their brains over how to teach Jacques- who they learned had been promoted to full pilot and moved to London full-time- the lesson he so badly needed.

“It’s going to take ages to wash the oil off of everything Jacques touched,” Jessica shuddered as she eased out of her slinky black dress and climbed into bed.

“What’s he even doing in London?” Paige asked. “Actually, never mind, I don’t want to know. I’m just as happy to forget that he ever existed!”

“Yeah,” Jessica laughed. “Well, as long as everyone’s been warned about him, I guess there’s no harm, after all, he’s a sleazebag, not a rapist. And I know that there’s only one person I want to share my bed with, and it’s DEFINITELY not him!” Paige giggled as she joined Jessica under the sheets and kissed her deeply, before the two young women cuddled their bodies close together and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

For the second morning in a row, Jessica moaned as the alarm on Paige’s phone woke her from her slumber, though her moans quickly turned into sighs when she saw that the phone was mere inches from her ear, and was being held by Paige’s immaculately-manicured hand.

“Morning, beautiful,” Paige- who was already dressed in her pencil dress, hose and heels- giggled, before giving Jessica a quick kiss.

“Morning,” Jessica dreamily sighed. “Have fun with the newbies.”

“Have fun prancing around in skin-tight lycra all morning!” Paige giggled. “Are you sure that isn’t the REAL reason you didn’t sign up to be a mentor this time?”

“It’s not the ONLY one, that’s all I say,” Jessica said, letting out a small giggle. “See you later, babe.” The American woman smiled as Paige left the small bedroom, before getting up and running herself a long, hot shower. After drying her platinum blonde hair, she reached into the bathroom cupboard for two small vials of pills with her name on, and stared at the small tablets she removed from the vials.

“Delicious,” Jessica said with a wide grin, before putting the tablets on her tongue and swallowing them with a gulp of water.

After wrapping a towel around her (still flat) chest and another one around her hair, she padded back to her bedroom, where she applied her make-up and pulled on a clean padded bra and control thong, followed by a pair of soft pink tights and a black tank leotard. After covering up with a tight khaki top, a black miniskirt and a pair of knee-high stiletto heeled boots, Jessica returned to the living room, where she giggled at the sight of Anna-Jade’s lower legs covered in the exact same colour tights as her own.

“Ready?” Jessica asked her Irish flatmate.

“First lesson in three weeks,” Anna-Jade replied. “Can’t wait!”

“Same here!” Jessica giggled.

“Really?” Anna-Jade asked. “Because I remember someone saying before her first lesson ‘I feel silly, this is ridiculous’."

“…And I did feel silly,” Jessica laughed. “But then two things happened.”

“Go on…” Anna-Jade said.

“One, I realised I was with friends,” Jessica said. “Hell, I’m only really doing this to support Zoe. Though learning to dance and wearing a skin-tight leotard is a hell of a bonus!”

“…And two?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Two,” Jessica giggled, before rushing into the bathroom and producing her vial of pills.

“Should’ve guessed,” Anna-Jade giggled, producing her own pill bottle from her handbag and rattling it in time with Jessica’s. “The ultimate cure for when you’re feeling self-conscious! You know who’s joining us this morning?”

“Just Abbey, I think,” Jessica said. “Well, and the obvious person, of course…”

Zoe giggled excitedly as Jessica, Anna-Jade and Abbey strode through the front door of her dance studio and greeted her with tight hugs and air kisses.

“Mes filles!” Zoe said. “Just the three of you today?”

“Yep,” Anna-Jade said. “It’s new recruit season so you won’t be seeing the others for a while, I’m afraid.”

“So you’ll just have to settle for us,” Jessica said. “Well, and all the celebrities, of course!” Jessica smiled as she scanned the posh, clean reception area for faces that she’d known for months from the reality TV she was forced to watch by her flatmates, but who had quickly become good (albeit not especially close) friends. However, one of the faces that she was expecting to see was conspicuous by her absence.

“Where’s Jamie?” The American girl asked, prompting a shrug from Zoe.

“Not here,” Zoe replied. “Think her fiancé’s back in hospital. Why?”

“Oh… Nothing really,” Jessica said as she and her friends headed to the changing room to get ready for their lesson.

Secretly, however, Jessica was bitterly disappointed about the famous transwoman’s absence. Despite her fame, Jamie had always found time to respond to Jessica whenever the American girl had emailed her with questions and concerns over her transition, and had been a strong source of support when she’d started taking oestrogen- a source that Jessica had hoped she’d be able to share with Abbey. Even though it had been nine months since Abbey had stopped being her responsibility, Jessica still thought of the Englishwoman as a surrogate younger sister, and felt a pang of guilt every time Abbey talked about her longing for oestrogen, when Jessica herself had requested and been granted the hormone treatment without any real difficulty.

At the end of the lesson, Jessica pulled her skirt and her top back on and stretched her tired muscles, before coolly striding over to where Zoe was preparing for the rest of the day’s lessons.

“Still enjoying it?” Jessica asked the Frenchwoman, who giggled in response.

“I could ask the same about you,” Zoe replied. “But yes, I’m really loving this. No regrets.”

“I’m glad,” Jessica laughed. “And yes, I’m still loving flying all over the world, seeing all the sights you don’t get to see anymore…”

“If I want to see sights, I simply ask Krystie for a holiday,” Zoe giggled. “Why were you asking about Jamie, anyway? Don’t tell me you’re having regrets that aren’t related to work…”

“No, none at all,” Jessica said. “The only regret I have as regards oestrogen is not starting it earlier. It- it’s Abbey.”

“Ah,” Zoe whispered.

“Is she settling in well at your place?” Jessica asked. “Rooming with Annabelle must be an experience for her…”

“They get on fine,” Zoe shrugged. “Though obviously, Annabelle isn’t very ‘open’… Doesn’t Abbey have a work counsellor she can talk to?”

“Yes, but I don’t know that she goes very often,” Jessica replied. “It’d be much better for her to have another T-girl to talk to, someone she doesn’t work with. Aren’t there usually two other T-girls at this lesson?”

“Usually,” Zoe replied. “But Stephanie- the singer- is busy rehearsing for her tour, and Nikki’s at home caring for her fiancée, think she had her, erm, whatever the English for dents de sagesse is, removed.”

“Damn,” Jessica moaned.

“They’ll probably be back next week,” Zoe said. “Pity you didn’t decide to be a mentor this time round- you make such a great ‘big sister’. Though if you did, you’d probably make Abbey jealous, hehe!”

“Did I just hear my name mentioned?” Abbey asked, approaching the two women with a short, tight sweater dress covering her own dancewear. “Great lesson today, by the way!”

“Merci,” Zoe laughed.

“Abbey,” Jessica whispered, “when- when was the last time you went to see a counsellor? You know, a transgender specialist?”

“…It may have been a while,” Abbey mumbled.

“How long?” Jessica asked with a long sigh.

“…A few months,” Abbey said, making Jessica groan.

“So they haven’t been denying you oestrogen as such, you just haven’t asked?” Jessica asked.

“Oh- don’t look at me like that,” Abbey sighed. “I’ve had a lot on, I’ve been busy at work, I’ve had to move to a different country…”

“You’ve been busy complaining about not being prescribed oestrogen,” Jessica sighed. “Abbey- I’m not disappointed in you, I’m really not, I- I’m just concerned. What’ve you got planned for the rest of the day?”

“Just relaxing,” Abbey said. “Maybe abusing my credit card a bit online.”

“Fancy abusing it at some real shops?” Jessica asked, making the Englishwoman smile.

“Retail therapy instead of ‘proper’ therapy?” Abbey asked.

“Meh, it’s still therapy, isn’t it?” Jessica asked, giggling with Abbey as they left the dance studio and headed into the retail centre of London.

In the small lounge area at Heathrow airport, Paige, Natalie and Annabelle all relaxed after their second morning looking after their new colleagues.

“I love newbie season,” Natalie giggled as she leaned back in her chair. “And not just because we effectively get a week off, hehe!”

“A week off in which you’re supposed to be passing your alleged wisdom onto the next wave of employees, Miss Briggs,” Rachel teased.

“Less of the ‘alleged’, please,” Natalie retorted, making Rachel laugh. “The company wouldn’t make such a flagrant mistake as picking an inexperienced or inappropriate mentor, would it?”

“No, of course not,” Rachel retorted with a laugh. “Annabelle, you getting along well with Rosita? I figured that as you were both quiet people, you’d ‘click’. Hope I was right?”

“Yeah, she’s nice,” Annabelle said. “Can’t believe she’s a T-girl too…”

“The company only hires T-girls if they can pass,” Paige remarked. “I mean, REALLY pass. I’ll admit, when I applied, I thought there was no way they’d ever actually hire me.” Natalie and Annabelle nodded in agreement as they heard their own stories reflected in Paige’s words, before the mood of the group lightened considerably with the arrival of Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita.

“Hey, honeys!” Natalie laughed, making Annabelle roll her eyes at the use of her ‘catchphrase’. “Go on, show us those shiny new IDs!” The three new employees all giggled shyly as they held up the new laminated cards for the other four women to see.

“You’re one of us now,” Rachel said with a proud grin.

“One of us… One of us…”Natalie and Paige playfully chanted, before a stern stare from the supervisor silenced them.

“It’s all starting to seem so real,” Tanisha laughed. “I know that must sound silly…”

“Nah, we’ve all been there, had our ‘first day’s,” Paige said. “Even Rachel, even though her first day was, like, a millennium ago…”

“I’m 28, you cheeky little so and so!” Rachel retorted as the other girls laughed. “Still remember my first day like it was yesterday, though obviously, there WERE fewer employees back then, fewer destinations that the company flew to-“

“-And no transgendered stewardesses,” Natalie finished Rachel’s sentence for her.

“And no fancy parties either,” Rachel continued, laughing off Natalie’s interruption. “Hope you three weren’t too hung over this morning?”

“No, hardly drank anything last night,” Tanisha said.

“Or me,” Rosita concurred.

“No drink,” Rhianna said with a wicked grin, “but I may or may not have met a cute guy…”

“Ooh,” Paige, Natalie, Annabelle and Rachel cooed excitedly, before their excitement suddenly changed to concern.

“This guy…” Rachel asked cautiously, “What- what was his name, Rhianna?”

“Pierre,” Rhianna answered, causing the other women to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Honey,” Annabelle asked, her own tone still one of caution, “did he look anything like this?” Annabelle held up her smartphone for the Scottish girl to see, who nodded happily.

“Aye,” Rhianna said. “That’s him. Do you know him, Annabelle?”

“EVERYONE knows him, honey,” Annabelle sighed. “That ‘man’s name isn’t Pierre, it’s Jacques Lacroix.”

“What- no…” Rhianna gasped. “But- but he seemed so nice, so gentle…”

“Yeah, he does at first,” Annabelle spat. “Then he sees another girl he likes the look of and you suddenly cease to exist. No matter how devoted you were to him…”

“Trust me,” Natalie said. “You’ll really be doing yourself a favour if you broke it off with Jacques now. I mean, he’s already lied to you about his name, for god’s sake!”

“I- I dunno,” Rhianna said. “You don’t know what he’s like when you’re alone with him…”

“Yeah, I do, honey,” Annabelle said.

“So do I,” Rachel whispered. “So does half of Paris.”

“Rhi,” Tanisha said. “You heard the stories.”

“Rumours,” Rhianna retorted. “I heard the RUMOURS about him. Can- can we just eat, please?” The other six women nodded as they headed to the food counter to collect their meals, but their concern for Rhianna, specifically her fledgling relationship, was obvious.

Abbey giggled as she paraded in front of Jessica in her tiny designer black dress, making sure to show off every inch of her smooth, bare legs to anyone else who might be watching.

“Gorgeous,” Jessica gushed. “No man will be able to resist you!”

“How would you know?” Abbey teased. “You’re a WOMAN! Me, on the other hand…” Jessica smiled sadly as Abbey let out a long sigh, before returning to the changing room to try on another dress.

“The more you bring it up, the more I’m going to pry,” Jessica reminded her English friend. “Whole point of this shopping trip is to help you feel better, it’s going to take more than just a few new dresses to do that!”

“Yeah, I know,” Abbey moaned. “I’ll have to get a couple of new skirts as well!” Jessica giggled, though her determination to help her friend didn’t waver.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jessica said. “But you’ll feel better putting something IN your body rather than ON it.”

“So… You want me to pick up a guy as well?” Abbey asked, making the American woman roll her eyes.

“You KNOW what I mean,” Jessica said.

“Two guys?” Abbey retorted, making Jessica laugh uncontrollably. “Because that’s not as much fun as it seems at first…”

“Two PILLS,” Jessica said, before playfully wolf whistling as Abbey stepped out of the changing room in a flared, strapless dress made from opaque black chiffon.

“I told you,” Abbey said. “My counsellor rejected my request for oestrogen. No sense in flogging a dead horse.”

“And how along ago was this rejection>” Jessica asked, grimacing as Abbey turned her head away in shame and mumbled in response.

“Didn’t quite get that, Miss Watkins?” Jessica pressed further.

“Year and a half,” Abbey mumbled more coherently. “Just after I’d started living full-time. Stupid woman called it a ‘fetish’.”

“If it was days after you’d started, maybe she didn’t have the evidence she needed,” Jessica shrugged.

“Oh, she had evidence,” Abbey snorted. “The fact that my wardrobe was full of costumes and PVC leotards instead of dresses like this, the fact that I was wearing five times as much make-up as I am now…”

“Exactly,” Jessica said, confusing Abbey. “That was then, this is now. Now, you’ve lived and worked full-time as a woman- a PROFESSIONAL woman- for over a year.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t still have the costumes, though,” Abbey sighed.

“I’ve got a damned Cinderella dress in my wardrobe at home!” Jessica laughed.

“You don’t regularly wear it, though,” Abbey retorted. “Doubt any counsellor would look favourably at me regularly wearing my playboy bunny costume.”

“It wouldn’t be an immediate deal-breaker either,” Jessica said. “When you change out of the bunny costume, you pull a skirt back on, don’t you?”

“Well- yes,” Abbey sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ll see my counsellor again…”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Jessica said with a smug smile.

“Seriously?” Abbey asked.

“You clearly don’t like the woman,” Jessica said. “I’d recommend you see MY counsellor. She’s smart. Seriously smart, and she’ll hear everything you have to say and look at things objectively. Even if her daughter is one of the girls at our regular ballet class, heh!”

“Ah, keeping it in the family,” Abbey laughed.

“And playboy bunny?” Jessica asked as Abbey scooped up her purchases. “Seriously?”

“I always wanted to be a playboy bunny,” Abbey sighed. “Well, between wanting to be a lingerie model, Las Vegas showgirl and stewardess, anyway.”

“Meh, just means I know what we’re doing for your next three birthdays!” Jessica giggled.

After paying for her purchases, Abbey- under the strict eye of Jessica- called the number the American girl provided for her counsellor, who agreed to let Abbey sit in on one of the group sessions that Jessica regularly attended. Satisfied with the English girl’s actions, Jessica invited Abbey back to her apartment for a late lunch, only to discover that they weren’t alone.

“Umm… Hey, girls!” Jessica said, entering her home to discover Paige, Annabelle, Natalie, Tanisha and Rosita sat on the sofa in their smart commuting dresses.

“Hey, Darcey Bussell!” Natalie giggled, her upbeat mood a sharp contrast to the dour expressions of the other four women.

“Hey,” Jessica whispered, sitting down next to Paige and giving the Scottish woman a long kiss. “Umm… Who’s died?”

“My probie’s self-respect,” Paige sighed, resting her head on Jessica’s shoulder. “Guess who she hooked up with last night?”

“Oh, you have to be kidding,” Abbey moaned. “’Le connard’? Seriously? You didn’t warn her about him?”

“I warned her about Jacques Lacroix,” Paige sighed. “I didn’t warn her about ‘Pierre LeFleche’.”

“He’s using pseudonyms to pick up girls?” Abbey spat. “The rapist…”

“It’s despicable, I agree,” Natalie said. “That’s why you’re looking at the two newest members of the Tutu Project!”

“As long as we get to wear actual tutus!” Tanisha giggled.

“Everyone in this room has undoubtedly dreamed of wearing gorgeous, girly costumes at one point or another,” Jessica said, sharing a knowing smile with Abbey. “I can guarantee you that yes, there will be actual tutus involved!” All seven girls giggled excitedly as they began to discuss ideas on how to execute the ‘Tutu Project’, a discussion that was eagerly joined by Anna-Jade upon her return from her boyfriend’s house and by Rachel and Zoe upon their return from their places of work.

After a filling takeout meal, Jessica headed into the kitchen to clear away the dishes when she was unexpectedly joined by Annabelle, who was wearing a concerned expression on her face.

“What’s up, Annabelle?” Jessica asked the woman who she used to see as a bitter rival, but who had quickly become one of her closest friends.

“Honey…” Annabelle whispered. “About Jacques…”

“What- what is it?” Jessica asked. “You- you don’t still miss him, do you?”

“I wish I didn’t,” Annabelle moaned, prompting Jessica to give her a big hug. “I mean, he’s a real, you know, b-word, but when he is with you, he really is devoted to you…”

“Until someone else comes along,” Jessica spat.

“Exactly,” Annabelle said. “The man is scum… But- but he’s well-connected scum.”

“’Well-connected’?” Jessica asked.

“He’s Antoine Masson’s nephew,” Annabelle said, causing Jessica to groan with frustration. “Or second cousin, I’m not quite sure. Either way, they’re related… Whatever Jacques wants, Jacques gets.”

“Including a steady stream of attractive young stewardesses,” Jessica spat. “Easy to tell that he’s related to Masson.”

“And he’s vindictive too,” Annabelle said.

“I remember,” Jessica nodded. “Natalie and Zoe used to be together in secret, behind Zoe’s sister’s back… Jacques blew that wide open simply because Natalie talked to him in a way he didn’t like.”

“Sounds like Jacques,” Annabelle snorted. “So I’m not sure this ‘Tutu Project’ is such a good idea. If Jacques wants revenge, and he will…”

“We can’t simply let him screw his way through every stewardess employed by the company,” Jessica pleaded. “You know that Paige’s probie will be in this apartment in a few weeks’ time, curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out because this ‘perfect gentleman’ chucked her once he got bored of her.”

“All I’m saying is that we need to be careful,” Annabelle said.

“And we will,” Jessica said. “And when we’re done with Jacques, so will he. I guarantee it.” Annabelle smiled an uneasy smile as she and Jessica grabbed a bottle of wine before rejoining their friends in the lounge, but deep down, she knew that by going up against Jacques, she was risking a lot to gain the revenge she so badly craved.

The following morning, the eight young women from both flats coolly strode into Heathrow airport dressed in their smart commuting attire of tight dresses and pencil skirts- all apart from Zoe, however, who looked smug and comfortable in her black leggings, short denim skirt, dark pink hoodie and pink sneakers.

“One of us is not like the others,” Natalie mused, earning a playful shove from her French lover.

“Hey,” Rachel said, before rolling her eyes at Zoe’s defiant grin. “Don’t make me call security and have you escorted out…”

“As if you would,” Zoe giggled, sticking her tongue out at her former supervisor. “You all have fun in Madrid. And Berlin. And your classroom!”

“We will!” Jessica said.

“She is so lucky,” Abbey sighed as she watched Zoe leave. “Doing her dream job…”

“So,” Rachel teased, “are you telling me that being a Soixante-Trois stewardess ISN’T your dream job?”

“Well… One of them, anyway!” Abbey giggled.

“Imagine our Abbey wearing a strapless satin leotard, a pair of ears and a fuzzy tail on her bottom,” Jessica teased, making Abbey blush.

“I think it’s Abbey herself who’s most excited by that thought!” Natalie laughed as she and the other women changed into their uniforms for the day ahead.

“Well, there IS a Playboy Club in London,” Rachel said.

“Yeah, spot the immediate problem there?” Abbey retorted.

“Says the woman- the WOMAN- pulling on a tight pencil skirt and a pair of high heels,” Paige said. “The same EU regulations that means that Soixante-Trois had to hire you have surely got to apply to the Playboy Club too?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Abbey shrugged. “In the meantime, though, we’re all off to sunny Spain!”

“Some of you are, anyway,” Rachel sighed. “I’m sure you’ll be thinking of Anna-Jade and I as we brave a wet, cold afternoon in Berlin, whilst you two are scorching hot in Madrid…”

“Hardly ‘scorching’, it is only February,” Jessica laughed as she zipped up her tight red skirt. “It’ll be hotter in the ‘classroom’…”

“We’re showing the newbies around planes today,” Natalie laughed. “Planes that ALL of us will be spending most of today onboard, so no one really has a right to complain about being colder than anyone else, do they?”

“Right,” Paige giggled. “And besides, who cares if we’re not warm today? We’ll always be HOT!”

“Hell yeah!” Anna-Jade cheered as she balanced her blue pillbox hat atop her head and followed her colleagues out of the locker room.

After they’d finished dressing, Natalie, Paige and Annabelle headed toward the small conference room where Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita were waiting for them, their uniforms smartly pressed and- with one exception- their faces covered in wide smiles. Paige frowned in confusion as she sat down next to Rhianna- the only one of the ‘newbies’ not to be smiling.

“Hey,” Paige said to the younger Scottish woman. “You okay? Jacques behaving himself?”

“I don’t get why you’re all so down on him,” Rhianna retorted. “Have you ever actually tried to get to know him, like, really get to know him?”

“Nah, I have trouble walking in heels when the floor’s covered in slime,” Paige said, making Rhianna snort derisively. “Okay, fine, let’s- let’s just leave our private lives in private, okay? Concentrate on our work?”

“Fine with me,” Rhianna said, turning to face the front of the small room where the women’s manager was ready to begin the day’s presentation.

All throughout the day, Paige noted the Rhianna behaved strangely around not just her, but the other women as well- even the other newbies, with whom Rhianna had quickly made friends. Eventually, 5pm rolled around and the women were preparing to change out of their uniforms, but before they could do so, they were intercepted at the entrance of the locker room by Rachel.

“Hey girls,” Rachel said in a quiet, almost sombre voice. “I- I just need a word before you go in and change. Not you, Rhianna- you go and get ready for home.” Rhianna nodded with a guilty look on her face as Rachel led the other women to a nearby office, where the still-uniformed Anna-Jade was waiting for them.

“What’s up?” Natalie asked the blonde supervisor. “Has ‘le connard’-“

“We’re not to refer to him by that ‘name’ ever again,” Rachel sighed. “Nor are we to have any contact with Jacques that isn’t strictly professional. This has come down from Antoine Masson himself.”

“Oh- what?” Paige asked, her face a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Jacques has complained that we’re quote-unquote bullying him,” Rachel explained.

“Rhianna,” Paige spat.

“I can’t say for certain, but yep, that’d be my guess too,” Rachel sighed. “Believe me when I say I really don’t want to be telling you off about this- I want to see him taken down just as badly as you do.”

“I doubt it,” Anna-Jade mumbled.

“Four months after I started,” Rachel retorted. “He’d joined the company at about the same time, we got talking to each other, one thing led to another… Three weeks. That’s how long it lasted. Three weeks then he kicked me to the side and wrapped his face around some other tart. I’d never, ever felt so used. So yes. I want revenge. And now, I can’t get it.”

“How did Rhianna find out, anyway?” Natalie asked.

“Me,” Rosita whispered in a small, ashamed voice. “I- I may have told her…”

“Oh- Rosita…” Paige sighed.

“We’re room-mates,” the Portuguese girl mumbled. “I- I don’t like keeping things from people.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” Rachel said. “And frankly, I prefer people who are too honest to people who are bare-faced liars. So I think we can all forgive Rosita, right?”

“Right,” Natalie said, giving Rosita a gentle hug, followed by the other girls.

“…Right,” Anna-Jade said last of all, before joining in the group hug.

“Rhianna, on the other hand…” Paige said.

“Rhianna too,” Rachel said, shooting a stern stare at Paige.

“…Rhianna too,” Paige sighed.

“So, I guess that’s that, then,” Anna-Jade sighed. “The Tutu Project: Dead as a fucking dodo.”

“And le co- Jacques will continue to screw his way through all of Soixante-Trois’s stewardesses,” Natalie spat.

“Oh, I never said the Tutu Project was dead,” Rachel said.

“You just called us all in here for a bollocking,” Anna-Jade said. “Kinda easy to infer that yes, it IS dead.”

“I called you in here because I was told to,” Rachel said. “That doesn’t mean I agree with management.”

“How are we meant to carry out the Tutu Project if we’re not allowed to have non-professional contact with Jacques?” Paige asked.

“We’re not allowed to have contact with him,” Rachel said with a smug smile. “That doesn’t mean that he’s not allowed to have contact with us…” The women listened intently as Rachel detailed her plan, before leaving the office fifteen minutes later desperately trying to disguise their excitement. Rachel hung around the office for another hour and a half, waiting for Jessica and Abbey’s return from Spain, before filling them in on the plan and accompanying them on their journey back home.

“It’s a bold plan, Rachel,” Jessica said as she stepped through her front door and immediately grabbed her iPad, opening up the Amazon app.

“You sound surprised,” Rachel giggled. “Need I remind you that I know him just as well as anyone else?”

“It’s just- I never expected to be buying THIS,” Jessica said. “And I never expected you, of all people, to be recommending it to me!”

“Just because I have ambition, doesn’t mean I’m a total square,” Rachel retorted. “And besides, how do you know that I don’t already own anything like this?”

“I’ll let my imagination rest there,” Jessica snorted. “Okay, ordered. Should get here on Saturday.”

“And who doesn’t love Amazon Prime?” Rachel asked with a chuckle. “Saturday evening it is, then!” Jessica smiled as she went into the kitchen and prepared dinner for the flat, though as she went to bed later that night, she was nervous- Rachel’s plan had every chance of backfiring on the girls, and she dreaded the consequences if they did.

When Jessica arrived at Heathrow airport the following day with the other girls, she was greeted by a stern look on the face of her intended ‘target’- and her nerves quickly turned into outright fear.

“Mademoiselles,” Jacques said in a smug voice. “I understand that you feel I am to be taught a lesson, yes?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rachel replied.

“Ah, Mademoiselle Harrison,” Jacques oozed. “When will you learn your place in this company, as well as in life?”

“And what ‘place’ is that?” Rachel asked.

“Underneath me,” Jacques whispered, causing Rachel’s face to turn red with rage. “I shall overlook your bullying for now, as I am a generous, kind man.” Jacques paused briefly as Natalie snorted with derisive laughter.

“I shall overlook that too, Mademoiselle Briggs,” Jacques continued. “Your ‘Tutu Project’ will not succeed. I will not be tricked by a group of bimbos such as yourselves, and you will not keep the wise women of Soixante-Trois from enjoying everything that Jacques has to offer.”

“I assume ‘wise’ means something different in French to what it means in English,” Anna-Jade spat, quivering with fury as Jacques laughed in her face.

“It means ‘knowing when you are beaten’,” Jacques oozed. “’Knowing to play for the winning team’. Mademoiselle Grey?” the women’s jaws all dropped as, with a guilty look on her face, Tanisha stepped forward from the group and linked her fingers with the French pilot.

“…Sorry,” Tanisha shrugged as she walked away hand-in-hand with Jacques, leaving the other women stood in the middle of the concourse, their mouths agape.

What Jacques didn’t see, however, were the women exchanging fist bumps and high-fives once he was out of sight.

Later that evening, after a long day at work, Paige, Rachel, Natalie, Annabelle and Rosita all returned to Natalie and Annabelle’s flat, sighing heavily as they crashed onto the plush sofas.

“So, Rosita,” Natalie teased. “Regretting taking this job yet?”

“Not at all,” Rosita giggled as she slipped off her high-heeled shoes and stared at her dark red toenails through her translucent stockings. “It really is a dream that’s true.”

“Glad to hear it,” Rachel said. “You’ve worked hard this week… It’s only fair that you get the opportunity to play hard as well!”

“Oh- I don’t know,” Rosita said hesitantly. “I’m not really into clubs…”

“Flaunt that sexy body!” Natalie said, making Rosita club. “Besides, after this week, I think we could all use the opportunity to unwind.”

“Definitely,” Rachel said. “We’ll not stay out long, just a few drinks. Just enough for, well, you know.” The other four women all smiled and nodded in agreement, before heading into Natalie’s bedroom to change into tiny black dresses for their night out.

“Thank you for lending me this dress, Natalie,” Rosita said as she squeezed herself into the tight, strapless garment. “I do love strapless dresses…”

“It’s my pleasure,” Natalie giggled as she pushed her dangliest, most frivolous earrings through her earlobes.

“I just wish Rhianna and Tanisha could come out with us tonight,” Rosita sighed.

“You know why they can’t,” Paige said, straightening her opaque black tights. “But don’t worry about it too much… I’m sure everything’s going to work out just fine.”

“Exactly,” Rachel said. “So just relax and enjoy the weekend. I know for a fact that I will!” Rosita smiled, before adjusting her dress and following the other women out to their waiting taxis. After picking up Jessica, Anna-Jade and Abbey from the other apartment and Zoe from her place of work, the two taxis headed into the centre of London, depositing the nine excited young women outside a loud, packed nightclub.

“To a successful first week!” Rachel toasted, clinking her glass (which had been filled with an expensive cocktail) with the other seven women’s glasses.

“And to all the weeks to come!” Natalie laughed. “Especially if the production company decide to record our training sessions…”

“Sadly, if one of the newbies vetoes, that means we can’t record them at all,” Rachel sighed.

“Not me this time!” Rosita said, prompting a mass giggle.

“I never doubted you for a second,” Paige laughed, giving Rosita a quick hug. “So, take a look out at all the hunky English guys. Sure, they may be English, but there’s got to be a couple who take your fancy, right?”

“And there’s bound to be a couple of open-minded guys out there who fancy a gorgeous olive-skinned 22 year old, regardless of her genetics, right?” Abbey asked.

“Right!” Rosita giggled, sipping her drink.

“Unless, of course, you’d prefer a girl…” Jessica laughed, cuddling Paige’s cinched waist close to her.

“No, no no no,” Rosita chuckled. “My mouth is ‘Man Only’!”

“At least kiss them first!” Natalie said, making Rosita blush as she realised her double entendre.

“Aww, don’t be shy, honey!” Annabelle said. “You can’t really afford to be shy when you’re up in the air, serving hundreds of passengers…”

“And she knows better than anyone!” Jessica said, giving Annabelle a quick cuddle and making the taller American girl blush herself.

“So, guy or girl,” Natalie said, wrapping her arms around Zoe’s waist, “get out there and take your pick!”

“I know for a fact that’s where I’m going now!” Abbey said, coolly striding onto the dancefloor and flirting with the first guy she saw.

“Same here,” Annabelle said confidently. Shrugging her shoulders, Rosita followed the two blonde women onto the dancefloor, with Rachel bringing up the rear, and soon, the four women were bumping and grinding the night away.

After a mere thirty minutes, however, Abbey’s cheerful mood vanished when she saw a familiar figure stride into the club, accompanied by two equally familiar women.

“Rachel,” Abbey whispered, dragging the 28 year old woman away from the man she’d had her eye on.

“What’s up?” Rachel asked. “I’m kinda busy here…” Rachel’s frown at Abbey’s interruption deepened when she followed the young woman’s eye line and found herself staring straight into the smug face of Jacques Lacroix.

“Ah,” Jacques said as he approached the two women, with Rhianna hanging off one arm and Tanisha hanging off the other. “Is this a nightclub, or is it the Jacques Lacroix fan club?”

“Go away Jacques,” Rachel spat. “We’re not supposed to have contact outside of work, remember?”

“Oh,” Jacques cooed, his smile growing more and more smug with every word he spoke. “But you are not allowed to contact me. There is nothing stopping me from speaking to you, if I so wish.”

“Wish off, Jacques,” Abbey snorted, making the French pilot laugh.

“Ah, see the jealousy in her eyes, girls?” Jacques asked, making Rhianna and Tanisha giggle excitedly.

“I see you’ve dropped the pretense and just decided to date two girls at once,” Rachel spat. “You okay with being ‘number two’, Tanisha?”

“There is more than enough of Jacques to go around,” Jacques said, interrupting the dark-skinned girl before she could speak. “They do not mind, so neither do I.” Rachel shook with anger as Tanisha and Rhianna both flashed sweet, smug smiles at her before heading onto the dancefloor to dance with Jacques.

“I take it we’re leaving?” Abbey asked.

“I’ll get the girls from upstairs, you get Annabelle and Rosita,” Rachel said. Abbey nodded as she rounded up her two friends, and soon the nine women were on their way back home for an early night.

The following morning, all of the women (apart from Zoe and Rosita) woke up early for their shifts at work, which they conducted with their usual high level of professionalism. Upon their return from their various European destinations, however, they changed into their commuting attire as fast as possible before returning to Jessica’s apartment, where Zoe and Rosita were waiting with several boxes that had been delivered from Amazon.

“Is everything here?” Jessica asked.

“I’ve checked and double-checked,” Zoe said. “Everything we need is here. I kinda got some… Odd looks from the delivery man when he brought it.”

“I don’t doubt it!” Rachel laughed as she looked at what was contained in her box.

“Soo…” Natalie asked. “I take it we’re not changing here?”

“I sure as hell am not,” Zoe laughed as she showed Natalie the contents of her box.

“What- why the fuck exactly did you buy THOSE!?” Anna-Jade asked the French girl.

“I’ll tell you when we get home,” Zoe said with a giggle. “It’s just gone 7pm… They should be back by now.”

“Then it’s show time, girls!” Rachel said. “If you want to back out, now’s your last chance. I won’t lie, there’s still a chance this could go REALLY badly… But there’s also the chance that it could go REALLY well.”

“I’m going nowhere,” Annabelle said. “Rosita, honey, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Jacques ain’t never done anything to you…”

“I’m going nowhere either,” Rosita said, confidently snatching her box from Annabelle’s hands and making the American girl grin widely.

“Then it IS show time!” Rachel giggled as she led the women (and their boxes) into two waiting taxis.

Tanisha smiled as she strode into her modest bedroom, her slender, dark-skinned body clad in a tiny, translucent baby doll. She smiled wickedly at the sight of Rhianna laid on the bed wearing a similar piece of lingerie, and of Jacques laid next to her, wearing nothing but a long, oriental-patterned kimono.

"This gonna be your first threesome, Jacques?" Tanisha asked.

"Ah-ah-ah," Rhianna teased. "You mean 'ménage a trois', right?"

"Pardon," Tanisha giggled in as accurate a French accent as her feminine voice could manage.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Jacques oozed, kissing Rhianna on her lips before doing the same to Tanisha. "Mademoiselles, for tonight, Jacques is yours for to do with as you please."

"I was really hoping you'd say that," Tanisha said, before reaching into her nightstand and producing a pair of hot pink, fur-lined handcuffs.

"Oh-ho-ho," Jacques giggled as Tanisha waved the handcuffs in front of him. "You desire a captive audience?"

"You ARE ours, aren't you?" Rhianna cooed in Jacques's ear. "To do with as we please?"

"And this-" Tanisha said, gesturing to her lingerie- "isn't coming off until these go on." Jacques smiled a lustful smile as he held his hands against the bed post, smiling as Tanisha crawled up his body and wrapped one cuff around his left wrist.

"Do you want this, Jacques?" Rhianna whispered in Jacques's ear.

"My desire knows no bounds," Jacques oozed.

"Then ask for it," Tanisha ordered. "Beg for it!"

"I beg you," Jacques whispered. "Cuff me." Tanisha smiled wickedly as she attached the second cuff to his right wrist, leaving Jacques tethered to the bedpost.

"Now," Tanisha cooed as she stood at the end of the bed. "The REAL fun can begin."

"Girls!" Rhianna yelled, startling her captive lover. "You can come in now!"

"Qua-" Jacques blurted, his eyes going wide as nine feminine figures barged into the small bedroom, crowding round the double bed.

The nine unexpected guests were each wearing very different outfits, but they were similar enough to evoke a theme- a theme that caused Jacques's blood to run cold. Jessica, Natalie, Paige, Anna-Jade, Annabelle, Rosita and Rachel were all wearing skin-tight black latex catsuits, extra-high platform stilettos and were each carrying what could only be described as weapons including whips and riding crops- weapons they took delight in whacking down into the sheets mere inches from Jacques's vulnerable body. Zoe was also clad in a catsuit, but instead of the platform stilettos worn by her friends, on her feet she had a pair of knee-high ballet boots that forced her feet- one of which she rested on the pillow in full view of Jacques's terrified eyes- into an en pointe position.

Abbey's costume, however, was the most extravagant of them all. Instead of a catsuit, she wore a skin-tight, bright red leotard with a scanty thong back, matching latex stockings, a pair of bicep-length latex gloves in the same colour and clear plastic platform stilettos with a suicidally high 8 inch heel.

"Try not to fall over," Jessica whispered to Abbey as the Englishwoman leaned in close to Jacques's terrified face.

"You are not supposed to have contact with me," Jacques said in a bold, albeit scared voice. "If my uncle-"

"Oh, hush," Rhianna cooed, silencing Jacques with a carefully-manicured finger on his lips. "They're here because I invited them here."

"YOU!" Jacques yelled. "You- you are-"

"You're dumped," Rhianna spat at Jacques, causing the Frenchman to frown in frustration. "I want you out of my life as soon as possible, you disgusting, greasy pervert!"

"Then unlock me and I'll go," Jacques said.

"And go crying straight to your uncle," Rachel spat. "Right before conning another poor, innocent girl into climbing into your bed."

"We intend to make sure that you never, ever treat another woman the way you treated us," Anna-Jade growled at her ex-lover.

"And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?" Jacques asked. "Revenge porn is illegal in the UK. If you touch me without my consent, it would be just as if I touched you without your consent. And I am not a rapist."

"No, that's true," Natalie shrugged. "You're a disgusting, filthy, oily slime ball who treats women like they're garbage, but you do at least ask for permission first."

"So unlock me," Jacques said. "And I'll forget this ever happened."

"Possibly the only mature thing you've ever said in your entire life," Rachel snorted. "I'd almost be tempted to believe that you’ve learned your lesson." Jacques yelped as Rachel brought her riding crop down onto the sheets mere inches from his inner thigh. "Almost."

"Then torture me," Jacques spat. "I dare you. A month from now, you'll all be in prison! This is unlawful imprisonment!"

"Is it?" Natalie asked as she rested a laptop on the foot of the bed, on which was a video of the events that had just transpired in the bedroom.

"I beg you, cuff me," the video image of Jacques said.

"Girls," Rachel said, "you might want to turn up the heat in here, Jacques has gone awfully pale..."

"My uncle will believe me!" Jacques pleaded, his confidence wavering.

"You want your uncle to see you laid on the bed like this, surrounded by nine dominatrixes?" Jessica asked.

"Um, uh-" Jacques stammered. "You can't touch me! You can't lay a finger on me!"

"Ew, why would we want to?" Annabelle asked. "Trust me, honeys, he can make three inches look huge!"

"That's a lie!" Jacques yelled, straining against his bonds before laying back down on the bed, defeated. "What do you want from me?"

"Huh, turns out he's deaf as well as ugly," Anna-Jade snorted. "What was I you said, anyone?"

"You said," Rachel answered, "And I quote, 'we intend to make sure that you never, ever treat another woman the way you treated us'."

"And I won't," Jacques pleaded. "I promise!"

"And we believe you," Paige said.

"Then let me go!" Jacques yelled. "Please!"

"I wasn't finished," Paige laughed. "We believe that you say you won't. You may even believe it yourself, for a couple of days, anyway. And then, some poor girl will take your fancy, and the old Jacques will come slithering back like the bad smell that he is."

"He won't," Jacques said, tears of desperation starting to form in his eyes.

"Ooh, here come the waterworks," Abbey giggled. "Nat, are you getting this?"

"Every last drop," Natalie giggled as she held her smartphone up to Jacques's tear-stained face.

"I'm sure every girl will want to date a crybaby," Rachel laughed.

"I am transgender!" Jacques yelled, startling the room into silence. "I am like you- like most of you. Always, I dreamed of being a girl, but I couldn't, so I became who I am today. I am as much a victim as you all are. Surely, you would not treat a sister like this?"

"One," Rachel snapped, slamming her riding crop into the bed again to emphasise her point. "Even if we believed you were transgender- which we don't- it doesn't make you a 'sister'. The way you've treated us- and all the other girls you discarded- means that we will NEVER view you as a 'sister'."

"Two," Natalie giggled. "You are giving us SO much great footage. I wonder what would happen if Uncle Antoine saw this 'confession', hmm? Might reassign you to, I dunno, being a stewardess just like us?"

"Spending all day in an uncomfortable corset, a tight skirt and high heels," Jessica laughed. "Fending off the advances of disgusting, slimy pilots..."

"Okay," Jacques blubbed. "You win. You've won, I lost, I'm a loser, I swear, I promise, the old Jacques is dead. I'll never treat another woman like an object. I promise."

"Now THAT's what sincerity sounds like!" Paige giggled.

"Now- please, please let me go..." Jacques sniffled.

"Hmm... Okay," Rachel said, causing Jacques to cry tears of joy. "But..."

"What 'but'?" Jacques asked angrily, once again straining against his bonds. "Let me go! Please!"

"It seems a shame that we're all dressed up, and you're just laid there in that robe," Abbey giggled, holding up an item of clothing that made Jacques shiver.

"No, no, please-" Jacques begged.

"What's the matter, Jacques?" Natalie asked. "I thought you said you were transgender? Surely you'd love to wear something like this?" Jacques sniffed back tears as the garment was brought closer for him to examine closely. It was a short, patterned taffeta dress with a matching hat and a shepherd's crook- and would be a perfect fit for Jacques.

"Repeat after me," Rachel cooed. "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep..."

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep," Jacques whispered.

"And doesn't know where to find them," Rachel continued.

"And doesn't know where to find them," Jacques sniffled.

"Good," Tanisha giggled, unlocking Jacques's handcuffs, much to the French pilot's relief.

"What's to stop me from simply leaving now?" Jacques snorted. "You've unlocked me, I could just go..."

"Not past us, you can't," Anna-Jade said as she, Paige and Jessica formed a human shield in front of the bedroom door.

"Unless you fancy forcing your way past us," Paige said. "A grown man using physical force on three women, all captured on video... Yeah, Uncle Antoine's gonna LOVE that."

"Then I'll wait," Jacques said, crossing his arms. "I am NOT wearing that dress."

"Fair enough," Rachel said. "Natalie, do you have Antoine Masson's email address? Better yet, are you logged onto YouTube on your phone?"

"I am indeed," Natalie laughed.

"Wait!" Jacques said, stopping Natalie before breaking down into another flood of tears. "Give- give me the dress..."

Five minutes later, Jacques stood in front of the camera, the dress barely covering his modesty as he nervously played with the shepherd's crook in his hand.

"On three, Jacques," Natalie ordered. "One, two three..."

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, and doesn't know where to find them," Jacques said in a shaky voice. "Leave them alone, and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them." Jacques hesitantly turned his back to the camera and wiggled his bottom toward Natalie, prompting wolf whistles and howls of laughter from the assembled crowd. "Please, please that must be enough!"

"...Yeah, alright," Rachel said. "Get dressed, and get lost. And don't even think of trying to turn us in to Uncle Antoine, not unless you want the entire world to what a cute Little Bo Peep you make!" Jacques nodded hastily, almost tripping over his own feet to return to the bedroom to change out of his dress and back into his street clothes. Mere minutes later, he ran out of the apartment, not once looking back at his eleven tormentors.

“Mission: accomplished,” Rachel said with a smug smile as she twirled her smartphone in her gloved hand.

“D’you reckon he’ll be alright?” Annabelle asked as she stretched her body in the tight latex and sat down on Tanisha’s sofa.

“Never mind him,” Paige snorted. “Will you be alright, Rhianna?”

“Plenty more fish in the sea,” Rhianna laughed. “Hopefully they won’t be as poisonous as that jerk… I knew from the look in his eyes when I suggested the threesome that he was no good.”

“Better to find that out now than later on,” Anna-Jade said. “Take it from someone who knows!”

“More than one person,” Rachel sighed. “God, I can’t wait to get out of this thing… Do you girls REALLY fantasise about wearing stuff like this?” The other women in the room all giggled bashfully as every pair of eyes slowly turned toward where Abbey was sat.

“…What?” Abbey asked.

“You need to ask?” Jessica giggled.

“Okay, fine,” the young Essex native said. “So we have different ideas of ‘fun’. Heh, wish my counsellor could see me now, I’d NEVER get prescribed oestrogen…”

“Don’t see why not,” Rachel said. “You’re EASILY the hottest of us here tonight!”

“I’m hotter,” Rosita said, unzipping the front of her catsuit and fanning herself with a nearby magazine. “Can we please get changed now?”

“Seconded,” Zoe said, beginning the lengthy task of unlacing her torturous boots. "These things aren't nearly as much fun as I thought they'd be..."

“Thirded!” Rachel said. “But…” Rachel smiled as the other women- who were all already in a state of undress- moaned.

“But…?” Paige asked.

“…Can we get a selfie first?” Rachel asked. “In the dominatrix gear?”

“You read my mind,” Natalie giggled as she zipped up her catsuit and posed behind Rachel, quickly (or, in Zoe’s case, slowly) followed the rest of the women.

“Can we get copies of this photo?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Of course,” Rachel said. “Planning on starting a scrapbook?”

“Planning on giving my dad a fucking heart attack,” Anna-Jade said, making all the women laugh as Rachel took the photo.

Two days later, on Monday morning, all eleven conspirators of the Tutu Project, including Zoe (in her civilian clothing and- much to her relief- flat shoes), coolly strode into the main concourse of Heathrow Airport, making a point of checking their smartphones the second they saw the familiar sight of Jacques Lacroix emerge from one of the airport’s many coffee shops.

“I still reckon he’ll find a way to drop us in it,” Jessica sighed.

“Nah,” Rachel said. “Men like that are cowards. All mouth, no trousers.”

“Literally, in Jacques’s case, on Saturday night!” Natalie said, making the women all laugh. “Come on, Tanisha, I’ll buy you a coffee before we head to ‘class’. Our favourite mole deserves a reward!”

“Definitely!” Paige giggled, before wrapping a comforting arm around her own ‘student’s shoulders. “And I think Rhianna deserves a treat too.”

“You’ll get no argument from me,” Rachel said with a warm smile.

Six and a half hours later, upon their return from Paris, Jessica and Abbey stripped off their blue uniforms and changed back into the smart pencil dresses they’d worn on their journey to work. After a short trip on the tube, the two blonde women found themselves stood outside the office of Dr Beverly Phillips, the counsellor who had provided Jessica with immeasurable help over the previous months.

“Ready?” Jessica asked.

“Ready!” Abbey replied confidently, before striding up the stairs and into the large office, where they were greeted by the middle-aged woman herself.

“Hello, Jessica!” Dr Phillips said with a warm smile.

“Hi, Beverly,” Jessica replied. “Dr Beverly Phillips, I’d like you to meet Abbey Watkins, the girl I was telling you about.”

“Hello, Abbey,” Dr Phillips said, greeting Abbey with a light, feminine handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Jessica’s told me a lot about you already but I’d like to get to know you a bit better. Jessica says you’ve been transitioning for almost a year and a half, is that right?”

“Umm, yeah,” Abbey replied, taken aback by Dr Phillips’s openness. “What exactly would you like to know?” Jessica smiled as Abbey sat down next to the counsellor and began to fill her in about her past, both as Abbey and in the years leading up to her decision to transition.

Four days later, Jessica- accompanied by her friends- watched with pride as Abbey produced two pills from two separate vials and placed them in the palm of her hand, before swallowing them with a gulp of water.

"Yes!" Jessica giggled, giving Abbey a tight hug. "I'm SO proud of you!" Abbey giggled as she returned Jessica's hug, before being swamped in a seeming tidal wave of femininity. Everyone present was happy that Abbey had finally taken the first step toward being a woman, especially the woman who had taken so long to start her own oestrogen program.

After the guests had left, Jessica gave Paige a long, deep kiss before returning to her bedroom and retrieving a small ring box, inside which was a gold ring with a simple diamond inset in the top.

"Soon, Paige," Jessica whispered. "Soon... We will be each other's wife."