Hidden Talent – September Contest entry

Monday’s were always a trial for Tristram Morris. He worked in a TV Advertising sales office with three women. Monday was the day when his female colleagues recounted in glorious (or should that be gory?) Technicolor detail their respective weekends.

Most of the chatter was about men and who did what to whom in bed and how much booze they’d consumed in how short a time…

For much of the time that they were chattering, Tristram was simply ignored because he wasn’t a woman. Add to that, he wasn’t particularly interested in their frankly juvenile antics. He considered them just silly and immature even though they were almost the same age as him.

The only time his presence was recognised was when one of the three recounted a particularly intense or lurid sexual act. Then they sent their jibes in his direction in the hope of seeing him get embarrassed.

By the time Monday Afternoon arrived, the ribald accounts of the weekend were over and then their attentions turned to Tristram.

“How was your weekend then Trissy?” asked Juliet, the self-appointed leader of the trio.

He hated their pet name for him. If this wasn’t the fifth job he’d had in the past two years, he would have left within the first month. But he’d made a resolution to try and stick this job out come rain or some shine.

“Ok” he mumbled.

“Ok? Is that all” she complained.

“Yes Ok. If there something wrong with that?”

Juliet looked at the other two occupants of the office, Tracy and Bridget or Biddy for short. They were waiting for the next question.

“Didn’t get your little weenie away then?”

Tristram gave his standard reply.

“What I do during the weekend is none of your business. I have said that before and I will continue to say that every week.”

This time he added.

“But, if you really must know, I was in Bristol for most of the time.”

Biddy picked up the questioning.

“Who is she and did you shag her and how big were her ‘Bristol’s’ then?”

They all giggled.

“’No’ Bridget, and also ‘No’ to your second question. It was not that sort of weekend and the size of ‘Bristol’s’ as you so crudely put it was not part of the weekend.”

“Well what was it then?”

Tristram sighed and smiled at the same time.

At least this week he had a tale for them most weeks they got nothing out of him.

“If you must know, I was part of the cast in a ‘Murder Mystery Weekend’.”

There were cat calls all round.

“Ohhhhhhh.”

Juliet teased,
“I see he didn’t break a leg then!”

That caused much merriment.

“Again, if you really must know, my part was killed off during Saturday Afternoon so I had the rest of the weekend free. Bristol is a very nice place to walk around. Lots of history and some great architecture.”

“Pity you weren’t the killer then,” remarked Biddy,

“I’m sure you would have died a magnificent death in the final act.”

And so, it continued until they’d run out of bad puns and innuendo’s to hurl in his direction.

---

Most of the time Tristram was a mere object of their derision. Juliet was the main instigator of it. Tracy was her friend from childhood so she went along with everything Juliet started.

Bridget was a slightly reluctant participant. She was a year or so younger than the others and dressed very differently than them. Juliet and Tracy were well, ‘normal’. You could pass them in the street and not think any more of it apart from their appalling dress sense but that seemed to be the norm for many young women especially ‘Essex Girls’.

Bridget was, well different, very different.

She wore lots of bright gaudy clothes and heavy make-up plus constantly changing coloured false hairpieces. It was a total look. One that made you turn your head and not for the normal reasons.

By Friday morning, the gossip had turned to the plans for the next weekend.

“How about you Trissy? Playing a dead body this week then?” Asked Juliet.

He just glared at her and thought to himself, ‘they can go to hell. This weekend I’m going to be very busy doing things I want to do’.

5pm came at last, and everyone headed off home. As usual, Tristram was almost the last to leave.

He stepped out the office and into Carlisle St. This is one of the many side streets off Soho Square in Central London.

He dithered for a few seconds. Should he walk to Oxford Circus and take the Bakerloo line or should he head towards Tottenham Court Road and the Northern Line? Normally he took the Northern Line but today was not a normal day.

He turned left and headed for Oxford Circus. He decided to stop at M&S to get some food for later as he’d be heading out of his home near the Kennington just before 8pm.

He turned the corner and almost walked headfirst into Bridget.

“Biddy! I thought you’d be long gone by now?”

“I wanted to apologise for the ribbing you get Trissy. It was particularly offensive this week. You have lasted far longer than other man has done until now but you are too good at your job. I for one don’t want to see you quit on us.”

“Thanks for small mercies,” he mumbled.

“Where are you off to then? I thought you lived in Kennington?”
This shocked him. He had deliberately not told any of his colleagues where he lived.

“Yeah. Sort of…”

“So?”

“I’m going to M&S to get a ten quid TV dinner and a bottle of wine. Then I’m going home. Ok? Or do I need your permission to do that?”

He was decidedly grumpy now. It was just what he needed at the beginning of an extremely important weekend.

She held up her hand

“Ok. Just asking. You don’t have to bite my head off.”

He felt a little sorry for Biddy but he couldn’t stand around on a Soho Street arguing with her.

“Look Bridget, can’t you leave me alone? I don’t give a toss about you and your cronies and who knocked off whom at the weekend. Ok?”

With that he walked right past her not waiting for a reply.

As he strode away he thought he picked up Biddy saying,

‘They aren’t cronies of mine”.

He was in such a mood that he didn’t pick up any food but went straight home.

---

Just under an hour after arriving home, a very different person emerged from his home and hailed a ‘Black Cab’.

“Euston Please. Can you step on it please?”

“Yes Miss,” replied the cabbie.

Jessica, a.k.a Tristram climbed into the cab and breathed a sigh of relief.
The cabbie was a good driver and despite the Friday evening traffic, he got Jessica to Euston Station just in time to make the Birmingham Train.

When she arrived in Birmingham just after 9:00pm she was much calmer despite one of her fellow passengers trying to ‘feel her up’ on the train. She quickly exited the station and found another Cab.
“J’s Nightclub Please” she asked the driver.

“Ok Miss. A little early, aren’t we? That place does not get going until Midnight.”

“I’m on the bill tonight. I can get you in if you want?” replied Jessica.

This was a very different person to the normally timid Tristram. Jessica was confident and sure of herself.

Ten minutes later the cab dropped her off at the Night Club. She found the back entrance and was soon sitting in her Dressing room getting ready for the first of two performances that night.

Just after 11pm, the stage manager stuck his head around the door of her dressing room.

“Five minutes Miss Jessica.”

“Ok. I’m coming,” she replied.

She checked her makeup one final time before picking up the hem of her long evening dress and heading towards the stage.

The MC Announced,

“Ladies and Gentlemen. And now direct from T’s Club in London, please give a warm Brummy welcome to Miss Jessica!”

There was a warm round of applause as Jessica walked onto the stage.

The music started and she launched into a rendition of “Goldfinger”, the song that really put Shirley Bassey onto the world stage.

Jessica’s voice was nowhere near as powerful as Dame Shirley’s but she gave a good go at the song and belted it out.

As the set wore on the Audience began to warm to Jessica’s style of singing. It came alive when she finished with The Doors, “The Changeling”, and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”.

To some very good applause Jessica left the stage.

“Nice Set Jessica,” said the MC as they passed in the wings.

“Thanks. It felt good.”

The big smile on her face said that she was alive. So very different than the normal slightly withdrawn and timid demeanour that Tristram showed during the week.

Jessica returned to her dressing room and relaxed. She had another set to do just after 12:30.

The second set was even better received than the first. The MC waved her back on stage for an encore.

With a huge smile on her face she launched into a very revised version of “Climb Every Mountain” pronounced “Man-tain” just for the benefit of the audience.

She finished to some rapturous applause as she took a bow in the full glare of the spotlights.

She made a deep curtsey and as the lights dimmed she made a hasty exit from the stage.

Once Jessica was back in her dressing room she danced with Joy. She was elated at the two sets she’d given that night.

A few minutes later, the MC dropped by.

“You can be sure of a return booking Jessica,” he said as he handed over £800.00 in £50.00 notes.

“We rarely get the audience that involved. You were splendid.”

“Thanks. They were very kind.”

He smiled back and looked at his watch.

“Your Taxi will be here in 15 minutes.”

“Thanks.”

It was however almost 20 minutes later when Jessica got into the waiting Taxi.

“Where to Miss?”

“The Holiday Inn near the Bull-Ring please. I understand that the club are paying the fare?”

“That’s right Miss. It’s on their account. Just sit back and relax.”

---

The following morning, Jessica took the train north from New St to Manchester where she performed two sets at a club in the city that night before travelling back to London late on Sunday morning.

It was late afternoon when a tired but happy Jessica stepped out of a Taxi near her home in Kennington. She didn’t notice that she was being watched from the other side of the road as she entered her building.

She unpacked her case, examining her dresses for signs of dirt or damage.

A little later Jessica was preparing for a long hot bath and her return to her Monday to Friday life as Tristram when, dressed only in a silk dressing gown when the front door bell rang.

“Go away. I’m busy”, said Jessica to herself.

It didn’t. The bell rang and rang.

Eventually she answered the Intercom.

“Hello” she said. Then she stopped and remembered that she was speaking with a feminine lilt. She switched back to Tristram’s normal tone.

“Hello. Who is it?”

“Tristram, It’s Bridget from the Office. We need to talk.”

His heart stopped for a long second.

What on earth was she doing here? As far as she knew, Biddy lived somewhere in Essex, after all, she was apparently an ‘Essex’ girl.

“I’m busy. Go away. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow won’t I. What do we have to talk about”?

He thought to himself, ‘why can’t she leave me alone?’

“Tristram, or would you prefer me to use the name Jessica?”

His heart and head sank. How had she found out?
“I’m still busy,” he said hoping that she’d take hint.

“You were very good on Friday night in Birmingham. I really had no idea how good you were. It was a nice touch to pronounce Mountain Man-tain.”

Tristram was almost crying. Yet again and despite all his care, his secret had been exposed once again.

He desperately needed some time.

“Look Biddy, there’s a Café down the road. Let me get changed and I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

“Oh, you aren’t going to let me meet Jessica then?” came her evidently disappointed reply.

“No, you won’t.” he said firmly.

Then he hung up the intercom without waiting for a reply

Tristram walked over to the street window of his apartment. Luckily, the fairly heavy net curtains precluded her from seeing inside. He watched the street below for signs of movement.

Sure enough, after a few seconds she appeared and after a brief glance up at the window where he was standing, Biddy walked off towards the Café.

Tristram breathed a sigh of relief as he collapsed into his favourite armchair and tried to think.

He came to the probably inevitable conclusion, that there was nothing for it; he’d have to meet Biddy and try to persuade her from telling the others in the morning.

His disappointment was increased as despite the antics of the others in the office, he liked the job and the pay wasn’t that bad either.

The sooner it was done the better and then he could return home to his sanctuary and get totally pissed. He also decided to submit his resignation with immediate effect the following day. The sooner he was away from those three obnoxious cows the better.

With an air of resignation, he got up and headed for the bathroom.

---

Just under an hour later he entered the Café.

Bridget’s face lit up when she saw him.

“I’d just about given you up for dead?” she said joking.

Tristram had to admit to himself that idea has crossed his mind at least once in the past hour.

Biddy was normally a pretty extrovert dresser. Today, she’d surpassed everything he seen her wear to-date. On her feet was a pair of those ugly sheepskin boots. What made these especially awful was that these ones were bright Pink. It matched her huge handbag, pink tights and very pink make-up. Even though Tristram wore women’s clothes and had been doing so since the age of 12, he really hated this obsession some women had with all things Pink. This was the first time he’d seen Biddy in ‘pink’. The term ‘Shocking Pink’ was just about right for her now.

He ordered himself a large mug of black coffee and sat down on the opposite site of the table to Biddy.

There was a pregnant silence. Each one was waiting for the other to start. Eventually Tristram plucked up the courage.

“I’ll be resigning first thing in the morning. I’m sure the office gossip factory will be working overtime once you tell everyone about me.”

Biddy shook her head.

“I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“Ha-ha. Pull the other one. I have lost count of how many times have I heard that before. Plenty of people say it but few mean it.”

“I mean it. If I do then I’d have to tell everyone how I came to see you in at a Gay Club in Birmingham on Friday. Won’t I?”

“So. I’m sure you could think up a whizzo tale that no one would question.”

She shook her head again.

“The reason that I was there was that I was with my brother Will. It was his ‘stag’ do. He’s gay. He and his partner, Gary got hitched on Saturday. You know what the others think of Gay men. I daren’t say anything,” replied Biddy with a slightly worried look on her face.

“So why did you come and hunt me out? How did you know the singer on the table was me? Why do you want to persecute me?”

“Hey Hold on. One question at a time.”

She took a drink of Coffee.

“I’m not trying to persecute you.”

She looked at the table.

“Look. This is hard for me.”

Tristram was sitting patiently.

“Let me start at the beginning,” she said.

“That might be appropriate…”

“A month or so ago you had your iPod in the office. You were listening to it and miming to the music when you were compiling the monthly Sales report. The others had as usual for the end of the month taken an early lunch leaving us in the Office. I wondered what the music was. So, when you went to the toilet I peeked at your playlist. I could not believe the choice of songs. All those old classic ballads.”

“I shall have to be more careful with that in my next job.”

“No please don’t. You sing beautifully.”

“Pah. Says who? From what I understand your taste in Music is what? Oh, I know this abomination that passes for R&B. How is this crap related to proper Rhythm and Blues?”

With his ‘rant’ over, he stopped voicing any more opinions for the time being.

“Honestly. When Jessica was introduced to the audience on Friday, I had no idea it was you. Then you got into your routine and around the time you sang ‘River Deep Mountain High’, it clicked.”

“What clicked?”

“The songs. They were all the ones you had been singing along with in the office. I nearly leapt out of my seat. I told my Brother and he just laughed at me. I racked my brains and tried to remember the next few songs. I told him that you be singing two Dusty Springfield numbers he just laughed at me. When you did, he started to believe me.”

“So? What is it that you want?”

She held up her hand.

“You know when I spoke to you outside the office on Friday?”

“Yeah?”

“I was trying pluck up the courage to invite you to come up to Birmingham with me as my date for the evening. I didn’t have anyone else. You fobbed me off without me getting to the point of asking you, what with you supposedly being ‘gay and that. Now I understand why you were so abrupt with me.”

Tristram burst out laughing.

“Now you are kidding me. What about all those men you get off with at the weekends? Surely one of them would have obliged?”

“As if. As it they existed at all. They were all made up. I’ve not had a boyfriend for the past two years,” she replied with obvious sadness.

“Why? Why would you do that?”

She looked very sad.

“Look at me. I’m not that good looking. I’m a bit overweight and I have terrible dress sense. Who in their right mind would want to go out with me?”

Tristram didn’t answer but thought that no sane person would want to go out with her. In addition to her dress sense, there was the really over the top makeup including ‘stage length’ false eyelashes with glittery tips, the huge bundles of Pink and Black hair woven into her own and four piercings in her lips, three in the bottom and one spiked in the middle of her top lip. How could anyone even think of kissing that!

“Why do you make up all those stories?”

“Because I didn’t want to feel left out. When they started off with their tales, I didn’t want to be left out. Left out like I have been all my life.”

“Looking like that can’t help, now can it?”

Tristram liked where this was going. Talking about anything apart from Jessica was perfectly fine with him.

Biddy didn’t flinch when he said that. He was expecting at least some reaction from that thinly veiled insult.

“Do you know that this is the most you have spoken to me since you started at Jenkins?” she said with a smile on her face and deliberately changing the subject.

For some reason, he startled himself by thinking that there might be an attractive and intelligent woman underneath all that camouflage.

“Why didn’t you make yourself known to me on Friday?”

“I tried to but the men at the door wouldn’t let me go backstage,” she replied in a resigned manner.

“I probably wasn’t ‘Gay’ enough for them.”

Tristram nodded in agreement. Their attitude to people in general was really the only downside to the Birmingham Club.

“I’ll bet you had more than a few people trying to pick you up thinking that you were a tranny?” he said half joking.

“Yeah. More than a few.”

“Well?”

“Not a chance. Besides I had to stay sober to make sure my Brother made it to the ceremony on Saturday.”

He nodded his understanding.

“Where are you performing next?”

‘As if I’ll tell her’ thought Tristram to himself.

“I’m not sure. My agent usually calls me on a Monday or Tuesday Evening” he lied.

He knew perfectly well that he was appearing in Brighton the following weekend.

“How long have you… you know, dressed up?”

“Since I was about five or six”, he joked.

Any further conversation was going to be impossible. The Café was closing for the day so they had to vacate it.

On the pavement outside Tristram said to Biddy,

“I was very serious about resigning tomorrow. I really can’t stay working anywhere where there is also someone that knows about me.”

To his surprise, Biddy reached out and took his hand. Her very long fingernails slightly scratched the back of his had as she grasped it.
He resisted the temptation to not let her hold it.

“As I said before, I can’t tell. You know what the others think of Gay Partnerships.”

“Yeah. I do.”

“So, I’m not going to tell. Let them continue to think you are Gay. Your secret is safe with me besides my Brother thinks you are a good singer.”

‘As if that mattered’, he thought to himself.

While they’d been in the café, it had started to drizzle with rain.
Biddy didn’t have a coat with her, neither did Tristram.

In a moment of possible weakness, he said,
“Let’s get out of this rain. Why don’t you come back to my place? I’ll fix us something to eat.”

“Thanks,” replied Biddy trying not to look too keen.

A few minutes later they were in his small apartment. He found Biddy a towel to wipe her hair both false and real dry.

“Thanks. That is one of the drawbacks of having this lot on my head.”

Tristram just slowly shook his head.

“I’ll open a bottle of wine. Red ok?”

“That’s fine by me,” replied Biddy from underneath the towel.

Tristram was busy chopping vegetables in the tiny kitchen when Biddy walked in.

He turned and almost dropped the knife he was holding.

“Oh!” he exclaimed.

She’d taken out the hair pieces, removed all her make-up and facial jewellery.

She smiled.
“I’m sorry to startle you. I saw the makeup remover in the bathroom and decided you should see me naked so to speak.”

He had to admit to himself that if she lost some weight and started wearing some more normal clothes she would look half decent.

“That’s ok. It was a bit of a shock. I suppose I’d just gotten used to seeing you with all that stuff on for face and hair.”

She smiled back.

“Will I get to meet your other half?”

“No!” he said firmly.

She looked sad.

He realised this and said.
“It is not as easy as all that. I have to get myself right in my mind as well
as looking right.”

She looked disappointed.

“If you will look like you are now but with a little makeup, and a more middle of the road set of clothes I’ll dress up for you and we can go out to a club or something. Deal?”

Biddy still looked disappointed but slowly a smiled formed on her face.
“Ok but only if you will help me buy the clothes and get ready?”

Tristram was busy dishing up the food, a chicken stir-fry.

He sat down and picked up his wine glass and offered it to Biddy.
They chinked glasses.

“Ok, but the others at work must not know anything about it.”

Biddy smiled back.
“It’s a deal but I have to continue to rib you at work. If I didn’t the others would think that there is something going on that they should know about.”

She stuck out her hand.

He shook it. Her grip was solid. This was so unlike most women he’d shaken hands with.

Her next words were,

“This is good. I wish I could cook like this”

---

Tristram poured a slightly drunk biddy into a Taxi just before 10:00pm. He went inside his apartment and collapsed on his bed.

Sleep was difficult to come that night.

The questions that were uppermost on his mind were firstly, had ne made a big mistake even talking to Biddy and even worse, did he actually fancy her in her ‘naked’ form.

By the morning the answers were still ‘Possibly’ and ‘Maybe’.

It was with some nervousness that he went to into work that morning.

He was unsure if Biddy would ‘out’ him or not.

By 09:30, he knew the answer.

“I met this guy in a club. He's really mysterious. A real dish but he certainly has something to hide” she said to the others.

“Did you bed him then?” asked Tracy.

“He’s not that sort of guy, replied Biddy as she shoved her pink hair piece out of the way of her drinking her ‘Americano’ coffee.

“That means a No then?” asserted Tracy.

“Leave the poor girl alone. Can’t you see that she’s embarrassed,” said Juliet.

They both laughed.

Tristram could tell that Biddy was indeed embarrassed but she was keeping her word. She’d hardly been able to look at him since he arrived in the office that morning.

This was the queue for Tracy to turn her attention to Tristram.

“So, what did our Trissy boy get up to this weekend? More Murder Mysteries then?”

She and Juliet laughed. Biddy didn’t, she gave him a sly wink.

He tried to ignore their taunts.

After nearly half an hour, he finally replied.

“What I did at the weekend is really none of your fucking business. If you must know, I met someone who despite what people like you might think about them to begin with, they are quite a nice person.”

“Ohhhhh Trissy’s in Love. Who is he then?”

The office gossip was that he was gay.

“As is said, who they are is none of your frigging business.”

To stop any further immediate conversation, he got up, grabbed a stack of papers from his ‘out’ tray and stormed out of the Office.

As he was shutting the door behind him, he heard Tracy say,

“He has got it bad. What do you say Biddy?”

He didn’t hear the reply.

The baiting continued all week.

On the Thursday Morning, Biddy send him an ‘IM’ asking if they were going shopping that night.

He didn’t reply but gave her a swift nod.

Promptly at 5pm Tristram and Biddy left the Office. The other two had sloped off nearly half an hour earlier as was their norm for a Thursday. They had a date at a Soho Tanning and Nail Salon in order to get ready for the weekend. Then they’d head for Chinatown and a meal before going home to Canvey Island or wherever it was in deepest, darkest Essex that they inhabited.

As they walked down the two flights of stairs Tristram whispered, I’ll see you at Westfield, outside M&S in an hour.

He was referring to the huge shopping mall in Shepherd’s Bush.

“Ok” she whispered.

“It will give me a chance to take this stuff off”, she added fingering her pink hair-piece.

An hour a good bit later, a very different Biddy met Tristram in the appointed spot.

She’d bought a few clothes each lunchtime that week and hidden them in her office desk.¬¬

“Hi Tristram” she said coming up behind him.

He turned and almost jumped out of his skin.

“Hi. You made it then?”

“I’m here and with Credit Cards at the ready. Where shall we start?”

Just like the Café on Sunday, they had to leave the Mall when it closed at 10:00pm but by then Biddy was carrying an armful of brightly coloured bags.

They said goodbye on Shepherd’s Bush Green. Biddy had a flat in East Acton, which was a short bus ride away.

Tristram breathed a sigh of relief as he headed down the Escalator to get a Central Line tube back into Central London.

As he sat in the near deserted carriage of the train as it made its way towards Oxford Circus, he thought to himself,

“Perhaps she’s not such a bad person after all.”

His only concern was that she’d turn up for work as her new naked self the following day.

---

He didn’t have anything to worry about as it turned out. Biddy was her normal extrovert self the following day. The only changes from her normal look were that ‘Pink’ had been turned into ‘Red’. Red and Black hair pieces, a Red Mini Kilt, Red Tights and Black DM’s. Naturally her make-up was very ‘Red’ as well.

“Ooooohhhhhh. It must be a ‘Red-Letter’ day for your mystery man tonight then” joked Tracy when she saw Biddy’s get-up.

“Nice one Trace,” added Juliet.

They both giggled.

“Come on then Biddy. Are you seeing him tonight then?”

She smiled.

“What if I am?”

“She is. 100%,” proclaimed Juliet.

Then she and Tracy ‘high-fived’ each other to celebrate their ‘sleuthing’.

“What about you Trissy baby? Seeing your mysterious ‘friend’ this weekend?”

Tristram just ignored them. He knew it wouldn’t take long for them to stop taunting him. Then they’d outline their plans for the weekend in gory detail.

When Tracy started, Tristram almost had a heart attack.

“Mark and I are going down to the Seaside for the weekend. Off to jolly old Brighton. He wants to go to this club. I think he said it was ‘Charlie’s’.”

This was exactly the same place where he or rather Jessica was going to be performing both on Friday and Saturday that weekend. Biddy was going to ‘dress’ up as well and come down on Saturday as his guest.

Tracy noticed his reaction.

“What’s up Trissy? Going to be in Brighton as well? I might have expected it though. Aren’t there a lot of Gays down there?”

This gave him a chance.

“As you know so much about Brighton and the ‘Gay’ Scene then you should have known that Charlie’s is a LGBT Hangout”

“LGBT?” exclaimed Tracy.

Juliet grinned.

“Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Very much Tranny”

Tracy went very red in the face.

“Bloody Mark. Just wait till I get him alone. I ain’t going nowhere near a place full of Fags.”

“You should go Trace. You will get a chance to see how the other half live”, suggested Juliet.

“Me and Paul went to one once. Everyone was so kind when they realised we were straight. There was this great singer as well. A female Impersonator called Jessica. Wow, what a great voice. You’d never have known that she was a guy.”

Tristram was biting his tongue, clenching his fist underneath his desk. All in a desperate attempt to stop revealing more than he should.

Juliet asked him.

“Trissy, have you heard of this Jessica? You being a Gay and all that?”

“Yes, I have. I’ve not seen her but I hear she’s pretty good.”

“There you have it Trace. Right from the gay horses mouth,” grinned Juliet.

Tristram looked at Biddy for help but she was trying not to laugh.

“Well, I still ain’t going and that’s final”, complained Tracy.

By the end of the day and after several animated phone calls to her boyfriend, Tracy was resigned to going to Brighton that evening.

Tristram IM’d Biddy with his concerns.

“Don’t worry J darling. She’ll never recognise me without all this ‘stuff’ on.”

“What about my song list?”

“She didn’t see them. I was the only one to steal a look at your iPod.”

---

At 7:00pm that Evening Biddy minus her pink/blue/red hair and outrageous clothes met Tristram at Victoria Station. They knew that they were safe from Tracy there as she boasted how she’d be going to Brighton in her Boyfriends new Audi-TT Quattro. Tracy didn’t know what Quattro meant but she knew that it was important to her boyfriend.

“Well, don’t you look different?” said Tristram as Biddy met him.

“I feel kind of naked.”

Tristram couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I think it is a big improvement.”

In reality, Biddy was dressed much the same as many of the other women her age who were using the station but compared to her normal garb, this was almost ‘skinny dipping’ by contrast.

Once they were on the train, Tristram got some nail polish out of his make-up bag.

“Fancy doing my nails on the journey?”

“What about the others on the train?”

He laughed again.

“That was good coming from someone who normally stands out like a sore thumb and that’s on a good day.”

Biddy went red in the face but saw the funny side of what he’d just said.

By the time the train stopped at East Croydon, the first coat of bright Red polish was drying. Tristram decided that he liked having his nails done. Biddy was also pretty good with the polish brush. If truth were to tell, she was far better at it than he was.

Everything was dry, hard and glossy by the time they alighted from the train in Brighton. 10 minutes in a Cab saw them at the club entrance.

A few people were starting to mill about outside. Then Biddy noticed the poster advertising the events to take place that evening.

“You are top of the Bill!” she exclaimed.
“Shh. Not so loud. I want to keep my identity secret,” replied Tristram urgently.

He grabbed her arm and led her inside the club.

“Sorry about that,” said Biddy once they were safely in his Dressing Room.

“It’s ok. I was surprised myself. Remind me to call my Agent on Monday. If I’m topping the bill then I want top of the bill fees,” replied Tristram defiantly.

“Time to get changed I think?”

Biddy sat back and watched Tristram disappear and Jessica replace him. She was in awe of him or was it her. At one point in the operation, his male voice disappeared and was replaced by Jessica’s soft dulcet tones.

“Hey, your Voice?” she exclaimed.

“Yes Bridget. This is Jessica”.

She grinned. Biddy was obviously impressed.

At one point, Jessica had problems with her false eye-lashes.

“Can you help me with these?” she asked Biddy.

Biddy took one look at the lashes and said.

“How long have you had these? They are in terrible condition.”

“A couple of months. Why? Aren’t they ok?”

Biddy shook her head.

She opened her handbag and extracted two new pairs of very long lashes. These were like the ones she wore on a daily basis.

“Here. Let me put these on you. They are my spare pairs.”

“Why two pairs?”

“One on the top, one on the bottom,” came her matter of fact reply.

Biddy set to work. Her 2cm long nails proved very useful for ensuring the corners were properly glued down.

“There how do they feel?”

“A bit strange especially the ones underneath.”

“Well, it you want my opinion, they look pretty brill”, replied Biddy as she finished applying the last of several coats of Mascara.

Jessica had to admit that her eyes looked great.

The final thing was to slip into the first dress of the night. This was a long while silk number. The Halter neck completely covered Jessica’s false breasts.

“How do I look?” said Jessica fluttering her lashes.

“Perfect. Perfect for a top of the bill Starlet.”

They both giggled.

“It’s my turn now. How long do we have?”

“Just over an hour,” said Jessica,

“I do my first set at half ten.”

“That’s more than enough time,” replied Biddy.

“What are you going to wear?” asked Jessica.

“Not very much. There will be people being a bit ‘risqué’ won’t there?”

“Yes, quite a few why?”

“Then my body will be my dress.”

“Eh?”

Biddy smiled.

“You’ll see in a few minutes.”

She went behind the modesty screen and removed her clothes.

“Toss me that scarf,” she asked Jessica from behind the screen.

A few minutes later she said,

“Those shoes please”

Once again Jessica complied. She passed a pair of high heeled sandals over the screen.

“Right, I’m ready as I’ll ever be…”

Then she stepped out.

Jessica was totally surprised by what she was.

Biddy was almost naked. A very short black skirt and the scarf applied in a halter covering her breasts was all she wore.

What startled Jessica the most was the Tattoo that started just above her right knee, wound around her thigh and buttock and went all the way up her back and around to her chest. In place of flowers, there were what appeared to be shiny stones.

“Oh my god Biddy.”

She smiled.

“Do you like it?”

“It is amazing.”

Biddy did a twirl. She was a lot thinner that she appeared in the office.

“Yeah, I hide a lot of things in the office. A lot more than my face.”

“Those stones catch the light nicely.”

“They are real diamonds. Forty-two of them to be precise.”

“How? Where? And more importantly, why?”

“In my gap year, I worked in New York. I hooked up with this guy. He did the artwork. His half brother did the stones.”
“Did the stones?”

“Yeah. They are embedded in my skin on bits of stainless steel. They don’t come out.”

“Don’t they tear your clothes?”

“They would but they are encased in plastic.”

“So?” asked Biddy as she sat down at the makeup table.

“Very nice. Very nice.”

“So, do you really think that Tracy will recognise me then?”

“Ha-ha” I very much doubt it,” replied a much relieved, Jessica.

Half an hour later Biddy was finished with her makeup. Her final touch was to insert a pair of Green and Yellow Cats-Eyes contact lenses in each eye.

“There I’m done,” she said standing up.

“God Biddy, you are bloody gorgeous.”

She laughed.

“Not really but it is nothing that losing 10kilos wouldn’t fix.”

“Why do you hide yourself like that?”

“Some bad History I suppose. It is a long story. Maybe one day, I’ll tell you all about it.”

Jessica sat back and looked at Biddy. It seemed that she was more like him that he’d imagined. Both of them seemed to have some ‘history’.

Any further conversation was cut short by the “Due on Stage” light starting to flash.

“Time for me to go and do my thing,” said Jessica.

“Good Luck,” said Biddy at the edge of the stage.

Jessica smiled back.

“Enjoy the show.”

To some very good applause, Jessica stepped onto the Club’s darkened stage. She launched straight into ‘Cry me a River’.

She’d changed the running order of her songs just in case Tracy had seen the order of the songs on her iPod.

Fifty minutes later, Jessica did an encore of ‘Somebody to Love’ and stepped off stage elated.

The MC came over as she took a welcome drink of water.

“Great Set Jessica.”

He handed her a note.

“Some guy left this for you.”

“Thanks Dave.”

With Biddy struggling to keep up, Jessica headed for the Dressing room.

She sank into the comfortable chair and finished the bottle of water.

“I enjoyed that.”

“Jessica, you were fantastic, brilliant and incredible. Your voice is truly gorgeous.”

“Thanks Biddy. Did you get a good view from where you were sitting?”

“Yeah. The MC and I sat at the table right by the stage.”

“Any problems with your get-up?”

She shook her head.

“The MC kept them at bay,” she giggled.
Jessica shook her long golden hair.

“Biddy, come on admit it, you are an exhibitionist at heart?”

She grinned back.

“I suppose I am really. Perhaps that is why I dress up like I do every day? It certainly gets people looking at me.”

“I challenge you to go into the Office on Monday looking like that?”

“Fat chance. Besides, I’ll be darned if I’ll let Tracy see me like this. She’ll never believe that I’m not a Lezzie.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot about her. Did you see her?”

“No but there again, I wasn’t looking. Like everyone else, I was looking at the star of the show.”

Jessica laughed.

“Moi?”

“Yes you,” she grinned back.

They both laughed.

“So, what does that note say?” she added.

Jessica looked at it. The smile soon disappeared from her face.

“It’s from Mark and Tracy. They’d like to meet me after the show.”

“Oh dear. Does this mean…?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to find out tonight. Monday will be soon enough.”

Biddy smiled.

“That is a long way off.”

“Not long enough if they have sussed me.”

“Still, you have another set to do tonight.”

“And two more tomorrow remember. I can’t afford to dwell on maybe’s.”

Then Jessica did a bit of acting.

“I have to think of my fans.”

They both laughed at her impersonation of Mae West.

Jessica wrote an answer on the back of the note. She handed it to the MC as she prepared to go on stage for her second ‘set’.

The second set was just as well received as the first.
When they returned to the dressing room, there were two bottles of Champagne in coolers on the side of the dressing table.

Jessica picked up the note that was attached to one of the bottles.

“It’s from bloody Mark again. Apparently, he is an agent,” she said handing the card to Biddy.

“Bloody Hell. And there I was thinking that he was a used car salesman in Tilbury or was it Canvey Island?” remarked Biddy as she remembered some things Tracy had said in the office.

Jessica thought for a moment.

“I can’t really avoid him now that he has spent close of £200 quid on this champers. I’ll have to go and meet him.”

“You said ‘I’”

“Yeah. Sorry Biddy but you and your body will really make his eyes pop out of his head. Tracy will get very jealous especially if she realises who she is looking at. Mark will probably try to feel you up right in front of her. Remember the office party last month?”

A disappointed Biddy slowly nodded her head. She understood all right.

“I won’t be long. Then we can get off to the hotel. I don’t know about you but I’m bushed. It’s been a long day.”

Ten Minutes later, Jessica walked up to the table where Mark and Tracy were seated.

“Are you Mark? Did you send me a note?” said Jessica sweetly.

“Hello. Please sit down. This is Tracy my girlfriend.”

Jessica offered her black gloved hand to Tracy. Tracy didn’t know what to do. Eventually, she shook it limply. Jessica sat down.

“What do you want from me? Didn’t you get my reply to your note?” asked Jessica as she arranged herself so that she could see Tracy out the corner of her eye.

“I want to manage you,” he said bluntly.

“Why?”

“Because you are very good.”

Jessica laughed.

“That is not the real reason. You think you can make money out of me. What if I’m happy with my current agent? What about you? Are you any good or are you going to run off with all my money?”

Mark laughed but her ignored her very salient points.

“Look Jessica, I’m talking about the big time. TV. I want can get you bookings at all the top clubs in the UK, the straight clubs. A very long way from this place,” he said despairingly.

“What if I’m happy doing this? Remember there is a man under all this?”

Tracy visibly sank back into her chair. Her views on Transvestites were well known in the office. She didn’t need reminding of that fact.

“You only do this as an act, don’t you?”

Jessica smiled.

“What if I didn’t would that make a difference?”

Jessica’s bluntness surprised him.

Tracy butted in.

“It is obvious that ‘he’ does not want to take advantage of your very generous offer. Let’s get out of this dump!”

Jessica turned to her and said.

“Tracy isn’t it? Well, you might have a point. Mark has not mentioned any figures so just how his offer can be called generous is quite beyond me?”

Then she turned to Mark.

“Let’s try something else. Who else do you represent? What other acts?”

He looked around very embarrassed. He was looking all over the place. Anywhere but at Jessica.

“Dave Chapman and Lennie Francis.”

“And who are they exactly?”

“Two up and coming Stand-up’s.”

“Have they been on TV?”

“Not yet but soon. Soon they will get their big break.”

Jessica studied Mark closely. She could feel Tracy getting anxious.

“Mark, thank you for your time and your interest in me. It is fairly obvious that Tracy here does not like me. I think it is better for everyone concerned to gracefully decline your offer. Thank you once again.”

Without waiting for a reply, she stood up and left them alone. As she walked away swinging her hips, she could feel Tracy’s arrows hitting her in the back.

Back in the dressing room, Biddy was fully clothed once more and just about ready to leave for the Hotel.

“Let me change out of this dress and into something more casual and we’ll be off.”

“No Tristram then?”

Jessica smiled.

“Do you want him back so soon?” she grinned

Biddy saw that she was joking.

“Another Sunday afternoon transformation will be soon enough don’t you think?”

“Oh,” gasped Biddy remembering the previous weekend.

“I’m really sorry for pestering you like that last week but this hasn’t turned out so bad has it?”

Jessica smiled.

She didn’t want to say ‘yes’ as that would betray her feelings. She fancied Biddy and badly wanted to get her into bed.

“At first, I have to admit that I was pretty angry with you. But once I got to see the real you from underneath all that camouflage, I saw a very different person. Just as I have seen a very different person tonight.”

“Jessica, are you coming on to me?”

“No, I’m not coming on to you as you so crudely put it. I thought we agreed that this weekend was to be ourselves and not to try to get into bed with the other one?”

“Yes But…”

“Look Biddy. We are both tired and need some sleep. Let us not do something that we’ll later regret. Ok?”

Even Biddy could see the wisdom in what Jessica was saying.

“Very well.”

“So, let’s get out of here. There should be a cab waiting for us out back.”

Some twenty minutes later, the cab drew up at their Hotel. It was well after 01:00am.

They knocked up the night porter.

“Ah Miss Jessica. I have your room booking here.”
“Rooms, as in the plural,” said Jessica.

He looked at the document.

“There is only one room on this booking confirmation.”

“My friend here needs a room. Do you have one she can use?”

He shook his head.
“Afraid not miss. There is a Star Wars Convention on in town this weekend. The Guy who played R2D2 is here all weekend. We are fully booked as are probably most of the other Hotels in Town.”

“Are you sure?” asked Jessica trying to turn on the charm.

“Sorry Miss. Yours’ is the last room left,” He grinned.

“The bed is King Size you know,” he said grinning from ear to ear.

Jessica looked at Biddy. She looked equally disappointed.

“Ok. Needs Must. Let me have the key.”

They soon found the room. The Porter was true in his description of the bed. It was huge. There was more than enough room for two people who’d on the surface, would rather be sleeping in separate rooms let alone beds.

The pair didn’t say much as they prepared for bed.

“Which side?” asked Jessica

“Eh?”

“Which side of the bed do you want?”

“Oh. It doesn’t matter. You choose.”

“Ok, I’ll take the left side if that’s agreeable to you?”

“Yeah fine.”

Jessica sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Bridget to undress and remove her makeup.

She sat looking at the tattoo. She saw that one branch of the plant wound its way around her body and to her breast. A tendril wound itself around the breast and finished up forming a flower with the nipple at its centre.

She found herself admiring it as a pure piece of art.

Bridget came out of the bathroom and saw Jessica staring at her.

“That artwork is really beautiful” commented Jessica.
She added,

“It is a shame to keep it hidden.”

Bridget smiled.

“I’ve only ever shown it to very special friends until tonight. I’m afraid that it is a wee bit too far out for the people back in the office though.”

Jessica laughed.
“Yeah you are probably right about that. Those two Essex Girls would probably explode on the spot if they saw you and your body art.”

Bridget came and sat on her side of the bed.

“Jessica,” she said hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“Can I trust you?”

“Trust me? Why?”

“Not to… you know try anything with me in the night?”

“Of course. But why?”

She looked down at the bed.

“I’ve never been in bed with a man before. I’ve always said that I wanted keep myself for the right man.”

“Well, at the moment, I’m more of a woman than a man” said Jessica.

She cupped her stick-on breasts in her hands.

They both laughed. A lot of tension had been relieved.

“Can I touch one of those diamonds?” asked Jessica changing the subject.

“Sure,” replied Bridget.

Jessica leaned over and gently touched Biddy’s thigh.

“They certainly stick out a bit but they seem smooth.”

“Yeah. But they sometimes catch on things even so.”

“All in the cause of art?”

“My Private Art Collection,” she replied proudly.

Jessica smiled at Bridget.

“Indeed.”

She settled down into bed and switched out her bedside light.

Bridget was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

She remained there for some time. Eventually, Jessica turned over and asked,
“What’s wrong Biddy?”

“This is not right.”

“What isn’t right? Us sleeping in the same bed together?”

She nodded her head.

With that, she stood up and grabbed the bedspread and settled down in the chair on the other side of the room.

“This will be fine. It’s only for a few hours.”

Jessica knew from her tone that Biddy was set on this. It was only a few hours. The clock showed that the time was well after 3:00am.

With a final,

“Good night Biddy”, she turned over and tried to sleep.

Not for the first time that week, Jessica took some considerable time to drop off to sleep.

She woke just after dawn to answer a call of nature. Her first thought was to look for Bridget.

She wasn’t on the chair.
Slightly worried, she looked around. She found her curled up in a corner with the bedspread wrapped around her. She was sleeping soundly so Jessica tried her best not to disturb her sleeping friend.

---

Any further sleep that night proved impossible for Jessica. Her thoughts kept turning to Bridget. She was one hell of a complicated person. She also felt that there was a lot more to discover about Biddy.

A little before 09:00, Biddy stirred herself.

“What time is it?” she asked groggily.
“Just before nine.”

She leapt up.

“Come on, there is still time for some brekkies.”

Jessica shook her head in disbelief.

“I can’t get ready that quickly you know” she said fingering the stubble on her chin.

Biddy stopped in her tracks and looked at Jessica.

“Sorry”. Then a smiled formed on her face.

“I just plain forgot about you and Tristram. I think I have just accepted that you are a woman.”

Jessica didn’t know what to say.

She smiled.

“A part time one though.”

Bridget was standing in the middle of the room just wrapped in the bed spread. She let it drop to the floor.
“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why just a part time woman?”

Jessica smiled. Then she realised that Biddy was serious.

“You really mean that, don’t you?”

“I do. You are a natural woman. Now that I’ve seen both sides of you, I can see that Tristram is really awkward in his life and body.”

“Wow. I’ve never thought about It. I’m really just a singer”, said Jessica lying through her back teeth.

“Pull the other one Jess. You are far too good for that.”

“Maybe one day,” replied Jessica trying to deflect the situation.

“I’m going to get shaved.”

That effectively ended the conversation but Jessica was sure that it would not be forgotten.

They didn’t make breakfast so they settled for a Brunch at a Sea Front Café. The weather was fine so they walked along the sea-front towards the marina.

“You are so different from the Tristram I see in the office.”

“You mean the one you take the piss out of on a daily basis?”

They both laughed.

“I could say the same about you.”

“You could very well do that. We are both living a lie in the real world and especially at the Office, aren’t we? We are both hiding the real us from the big bad world.”

Jessica was startled by what Bridget had just said. It was very out of character for her.

The longer things went on, the more she felt an attraction forming between them. Part of her was happy with this but part of her was a bit scared. Biddy was a very mixed up person and she was not sure if she wanted to be that deeply involved with her. She put those thoughts aside as they walked through the back streets of Brighton.

Eventually, they found their way back to ‘The Lanes’. Bridget was attracted by a Tattoo and Piercing shop.

Jessica just sighed to herself.

“Don’t you have enough holes in your body or are you thinking of getting another Tattoo?”

“This Tat is enough. No, I’ve been thinking of getting another piercing”

“I really don’t want to ask where” jibed Jessica.

Oblivious to her friend’s concern, Biddy asked.

“I’m going in. Are you coming too?”

“Me? Not likely. I’ll go and get a Coffee. There is a Café just around the corner.”

Biddy looked a bit disappointed.

“I hate needles,” admitted Jessica.

“Ok. See you soon.”

Jessica was left standing outside the shop. She wandered off towards the aforementioned Coffee Shop. Her attention was grabbed by another shop. This was much more to her liking. It was a dress shop.

She had seen a dress she liked in the window.

“Can I help you?” asked the assistant when she’d closed the door.

“Yes. That Green Dress in the window.”

“Ah! Yes. It is on sale at the moment”

Jessica had seen the ‘Sale’ stickers plastered over it.

“Do you have it in a 16 Long?”

“16? I’d have thought that you were a 14 at most,” asked the assistant

“It is for a friend of mine.”

She assistant grinned.

“It must be a special friend. Even in the sale, that dress is £200.00”

“Oh. She is. She is rather special.”

Jessica had answered the question before she’d realised what she’d said.

She thought for a moment and then she smiled back at the Assistant.

“So, do you have it in a size 16?”

“Let me take a look in the back.”

Jessica nodded her agreement. Then she said,

“I’d like to try the size 12 on as well,” she called after the assistant.

Twenty minutes later, a very pleased Jessica was sitting in the Coffee shop. Two large bags with the shop logo on them were sitting on the chair next to her when Bridget walked in.

To her relief, there was no noticeable addition to her piercings.

“Well, was your visit successful?”

“Nah. They were fully booked doing tats today.”

“You could have shown them your tattoo? That would have gotten their interest up.”

Biddy laughed.
“Nah, I wasn’t impressed by their work It was far too heavy. A little more finesse can make a great difference in the outcome.”

Then she noticed the two bags.

“What treats did you get then?”

Jessica looked seriously at Biddy.

“I’m not so sure that I should be giving you yours until later?”

Biddy looked disappointed.

Jessica smiled and handed one of the bags to Biddy.

“You can have this on the condition that that you wear it for me and me only.”

Biddy looked into the bag.

“Oooh. This looks gorgeous.”

She closed up the bag and handed in back to Jessica. She’d seen the price tag and given a little gasp.

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money on me you know. I’m sure they’ll take it back?”

Jessica looked rather hurt.

“Don’t you like it then?”

Biddy realised she’d goofed.

“Yeah. I do but…”

“But what?”

Biddy went rather red in the face.

“No one has ever bought me anything like that before.”
Her eyes moistened.

Jessica reached over the table and took hold of her hand.

“Then please try to accept it as a gift.”

Then Jessica added.

“I got in my size as well.”

This made Biddy feel an awful lot better.

When they’d finished their drinks, once again Jessica took Biddy’s hand and with shopping bags in hand, they left the Café and headed back to their Hotel.

Back in their room, Biddy went into the Bathroom to get changed. Jessica sat down and thought about Biddy.

She had all sorts of mad emotions and thoughts running through her mind. As crazy as it seemed, she was falling for Biddy.

Biddy emerged from the Bathroom wearing the new dress.
She did a twirl.

“How do I look?”

“Pretty good. The colour sets off your Body Art very nicely. Add those green contact lenses and you are all set.”

“It does not leave much to the imagination,” grinned Bridget.

“Isn’t that the general idea?”

“Yes” she replied with a huge smile on her face.

“Are you going to try yours on then?”

“Later. I’ll wear it for my second set tonight.”

Jessica then pulled out another package from her dress bag.

“What’s that?”

Jessica opened the bag to reveal a vivid Auburn wig.

“I think that this will match the dress colour nicely.”

“Do you think Tracy and her so-called Agent boyfriend, Mark will be here again tonight?”

“I doubt it, I would like to think my put down would have been enough to put anyone off but he seemed rather determined to get his own way.”

“If they are, she’ll see your mystery friend Jessica,” knowing full well what that entailed.

Biddy shook her head.

“As I said before, she’s never seen me without my big hair and stuff.”

“Never? How long have you been working at Jenkins?”

“About nine months before you came along.”

Jessica shook her head.

“And in all that time, you have never gone to work without your ‘big hair’ on?”

“Nope. When she interviewed me for the job, I was wearing it too.”

Jessica shook her head once more.

“The delights and free thinking of the Media Industry eh?”

They both laughed at the thought of Tracy meeting Biddy in full war-paint for the first time.

---

Jessica’s first set of the night was much better received than her first one the previous night. The audience seemed a bit more in-tune with the Music.

There was no sign of Tracy, much to Biddy’s relief.

Back in the dressing room, Jessica started to get ready for the final set.

Biddy helped her with the new wig.

The huge smile on her face told Jessica that she liked it a lot.

Jessica stood up and admired herself in the mirror.

The new red wig, green eye shadow and dress made her look very different from
the previous night. She thought she could get used to this look.

All too soon, it was time for the final show of the weekend.

Jessica put everything she had into the performance. She finished it with a delightful rendering of ‘Climb Any Mountain’.

The level of applause she received ensured she would be giving an encore.

When the audience had quietened down, she signalled to the DJ. The music started. It was ‘The Beatles’, ‘Penny Lane’. Instead of references to Liverpool, Jessica used parts of Brighton. The audience soon cottoned on and gave her a standing ovation at the end.

When they got back to the dressing room, Mark and Tracy were waiting for them.

“Have you considered my offer?” he almost demanded as they walked through the door.

Tracy just stared at Biddy.

“Biddy? Is that you?”

Biddy looked startled for half a second.

“Me? My name is Valery. Who is this Biddy?”

“Never mind that Trace. This is far more important.” Interrupted Mark.

Jessica had used the precious seconds of the ‘Biddy diversion’ to gather her thoughts.

“Firstly, Mark whoever you are, don’t you know that it is very rude to enter someone’s dressing room without being asked. Secondly, I think your offer is nothing more than hot air. I called my Agent earlier today. He did some digging about you and your so-called agency work. Need I go on?”

“What’s she on about Mark?” whined Tracy.

“Mark here is nothing more than a used car salesman from Dagenham or is it Tilbury now? Apparently, your last business went bankrupt and you with it. If what I learned was correct, you owed around a hundred grand. Just about the right sort of person to go out with an ‘Essex Girl’. So, get the hell out of my dressing room before I have the pair of you thrown out on your fat backsides.”

Jessica stood aside to let them leave.

“You haven’t heard the end of this”, protested Tracy.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Biddy said,

“Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

“Yeah.”

Then Biddy laughed.

“How is Tracy going to explain spending two nights in a LGBT Club listing to a Tranny Singer on Monday Morning then?”

Jessica smiled.

“I’d love to be a fly on the wall when she does.”

“Eh? Won’t you be there?”

Jess shook her head.

“I’ve had the whole week off booked for a couple of weeks. You obviously didn’t read the leave chart?”

With that, they got changed and headed back to the Hotel.

---

In the cool light of dawn, Jessica found Biddy curled up as before in the corner of the room. She thought that she looked like a sleeping Cat. All she needed was a Cat box and a furry skin.

She lay there looking at Biddy trying unsuccessfully to sort out her feelings for this very complicated woman she’d by accident become involved with.

On one hand, Biddy was one mixed up lady. On the other hand, being with her was certainly fast and furious and most certainly not boring.

When Biddy finally awoke, she kissed Jessica.

“Good morning” she said sleepily.

“Humph.”

“You look like shit?”

“I didn’t get much sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and your craziness.”

Biddy grinned.

“It’s a Mad Mad Mad World out there. Doesn’t a little Craziness help the world go around?” she joked.

“You!”

Jessica couldn’t stay mad with Biddy for long.

She kissed Biddy.

The pair caught a train back to London just after lunch. Both of them were much happier with things. It was too bad that the weekend had to end.

---

Monday dawned and Jessica couldn’t stop thinking about the weekend. Instead of returning to ‘drab’ and Tristram, she was determined to enjoy a few days of being herself for a change.

She picked up her bag and headed out. She went to the same Café where she’d met Bridget just over a week earlier and had some lunch.

Only when she saw herself in a shop window reflection did she stop and stare at herself.

It was then that she started to understand the term ‘camouflage’. With a little wry smile on her face, she carried on with her errands. She was beginning to understand why Biddy wore what she did in the real world.

Next to the small supermarket where Tristram normally shopped was a Tattoo and Piercing shop. Normally, Tristram would ignore the place altogether. Today, she peered inside. There seemed to be no customers there.

She went inside.

A youngish woman was sitting behind the counter.

“Can I help you?”

She’d got quite a few piercings and her arms were covered in ‘Art’.

“I’d like some information.”

“Fire away” said the woman.

“My friend has these piercings. I think she called them Dermal Implants. I was wondering about them. She has over forty of them as part of a Tattoo.”

“Oh. A Serious Modifier then.”

“Why do you say that?”

“We don’t do them. The Implants that is. They need to be done properly and they cost a packet. Do you know where she had hers done?”

“About 4 years ago in New York. By some guy called Isaac I think his name was.”

“I think I’ve heard of him. Let me search online for a minute.”

She hit a few keys on her Computer.

“Ok got him. One of the top BME Artists. He didn’t do the Art though”

“What’s your friends name?”

“Bridget. Why?”

“He has a gallery. Maybe she’s on there?” came the reply as she hit some more keys.
She smiled. Yeah here she is.

She turned the LCD screen so Jessica could see it.

“Is that her?”

The Design was unmistakable. It was Biddy all right.

“Yes. That’s her”

“Cool. She won a prize at the NYC BME Show that year. I’d love to see the work first hand.”

“Are you the Tattooist here?”

“Yep. My old man taught me as his father did to him. Are you looking at getting some work done?”

“Me? No. My Ears were painful enough”

The woman looked sad.

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where I am. Don’t forget, I’d like to see your friend’s art sometime.”

“I’ll tell her. Thanks for your time”

Once back home, she decided to take a bath.

Jessica removed all her makeup and spent a luxurious hour in the bath.

Naturally, her thoughts tuned back to Biddy.

Jessica had an erection just thinking about her.

With that satisfied, she sank back into the water until it got quite cold.

Once dry, she re-attached her false breasts and got dressed.

---

At the Office, Biddy was having some fun.

“How was your visit to the LGBT Club? Did they try to convert you?”

Tracy went red in the face.

“I am so glad that the weekend is over. I never want to go back.”

“How was this singer you were going to see?”

“Oh him? Pretty average really?”

“Did you stay for both shows?”

“Yeah. Mark wanted to sign him.”

“What as a used car salesman?”

“No. Mark has decided that he wants to be his agent. He… Oh, never mind. The weekend was a dead loss. That bloody new car of his broke down on the M25 near Sevenoaks at some ungodly hour on the way home. Cost him close to three hundred quid to get it towed.”

Biddy had a hard time supressing her laughter.

“What about you then Biddy? Spend the weekend untangling all that hair?”

“If you must know, my weekend was very nice.”

“Trace,” said Juliet
“I think that Biddy here is in love. L… O… V… E… She has that dreamy look on her face.”

Tracy looked harder at Biddy.

“Sure, looks like it. Never mind, anyone who sees anything in someone who looks like that won’t last long before the men in white coats come calling.”

“Now, now Tracy, just because your weekend was ruined there is no need to be extra snarkier than usual towards our Biddy now is there.”

“You don’t know the half of it. That singer bloke who was pretending to be a woman had this other woman with him. She was dressed in virtually nothing and that this huge tattoo that wound around her body. Then she had all these stick-on bits of bling. Mark couldn’t keep his eyes off of her the strumpet.”

“How do you know they were stick on?” asked Juliet.

“Why? They’d have to be. How else would they stay in place?”

Juliet laughed.

“When Paul and I were in the Big Apple last year, the weather turned bad so we went into this gallery. There were pictures of all sorts of body modification. Now our sort of thing really but it was that or get soaked. Anyway, one of the women showing people around had these things sticking out of her body. She told me that they were implanted into her skin. They don’t come off.”

Tracy went deathly white. Then she dashed off towards the toilet.

Juliet and Biddy burst out laughing.

---

Bridget was floored at one point on the following Friday evening when Jessica said,

“Tristram is gone. I’m Jessica from now on.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. You made me think long and hard. Sort of tipped me over the edge in a way. I was pussyfooting around with being Jessica at weekends and holidays but now I’m prepared to go all the way. Be Jessica full time. I’ll even get some breasts”

“But that means going into the office… as Jessica?”

Jessica smiled.
“I guess it does. At least one nose will be put right out of joint won’t it?”

“What about us?” asked Biddy.

“Why don’t you do the same. Go in early and remove everything and we can appear together.”

“It is easy for you,” she complained.

“As it is for you. You can let them see the real you and then if needs be, you can revert to the old you. I’m done hiding. Tristram is history if you will have Jessica that is?”

“Eh?”
“Look Biddy. We are both hiding in plain sight. I’m saying that I think we could be good together but no more hiding. Normal clothes and some leggings and no one would notice that you have such a wonderful bit of artwork on your body.”

Then Jessica moved close to Biddy and they really kissed for the first time.

“You have been thinking about this a lot, haven’t you?” asked a fairly breathless Biddy when they came up for air.

“Yes, I have and I don’t want you not in my life.”

After some thought and further discussion, Biddy agreed that it was time to ditch the hair pieces and all the props that made up her old public persona.

There remained the problem of their work. Tracy would probably explode on the spot when she found out about Tristram and Biddy. It presented them with a problem and a challenge. They spent a lot of time in the evenings over the next week working out how they would transition into their new lives.

Biddy’s wardrobe was totally overhauled as was Jessica’s. Biddy was chomping at the bit now that she had the support of someone who cared about her but Jessica was a far more cautious as she had far more to lose.

They had to endure a further week of the banter in the office between Juliet and Tracy. Tracy had put the experience of the club in Brighton out of her mind and was back on form again by the time Friday came around.

“Well Trissy, what are your non-existent plans for the weekend then? Going to get killed off again?”

Tracy high-fived Juliet at her apparent sparkling wit.

“Well, if you must know, I’m going to see my Mother but that is pretty boring really.”

“Taking your boyfriend with you then?” asked Tracy.

“I don’t have a boyfriend but why do you care? Oh sorry, you don’t. I’m just a cheap joke to you two, aren’t I?”

“Ohhhhhh bitchy!” exclaimed Juliet.

The two of them laughed for some time.

---

The following Monday, their plan for revealing who they really were went into action. Biddy arrived for work early and waited for Tracy and Juliet to arrive. Once they were in the office, she sent a text message to Jessica.

Then Biddy announced, “I’m going out for a sandwich.”

“If you see Trissy darling, tell him that we are waiting to find out how his trip to his Mothers went.”

Biddy just smiled and left them alone.

She didn’t leave the building but headed for the Ladies toilet where she started to remove her hairpieces and makeup. With that done, she changed her clothes as well. Her very pink outfit was going in the bin. She felt a bit sad at their demise as they had been part of her life for quite a long time.

She took a deep breath and carried on with her transformation.

When she was done, she sent another text to Jessica. She was waiting in a Coffee shop just around the corner from the office.

A few minutes later, the two of them met up just outside their office. After a brief kiss, Jessica said,
“Ready darling?”

“I think so,” replied Biddy.

“Wish me luck,” said Jessica as she stepped forward.

Biddy squeezed Jessica’s hand.

“Lets’ go then,” said Jessica.
“Into the Lion’s Den with a smile,” added Biddy.

A few seconds later, the pair waltzed into their office holding hands.

It was Tracy that noticed them and let out a huge shriek.

“Hello Tracy,” said Jessica using Tristram’s voice.

“No! Oh Shit! Fuck!” she cried.

“Yes Tracy, you met us in Brighton. Tristram is indeed the singer Jessica and this is the real me,” said Biddy with a grin on her face.

“Tracy?” said a surprised Juliet.

“Juliet, let me introduce myself, I’m Jessica the tranny singer formerly known as Tristram.”

“Oh Fick!” exclaimed Juliet.

“And I’m the one with the body art,” said Biddy as she lifted up her top to reveal the tattoo and implants.”

At that moment, Tracy left the office in a hurry.

“Are you going to say something?” Biddy asked Juliet.

Juliet’s mouth opened but no sound came out.

“Oh, Juliet, I’m not gay. I’m in love with Biddy. Well, this Biddy, not the one who used to work here.”

Eventually, Juliet managed to get her brain and mouth into gear.

“Wow! You both look so different.”

“What, no snarky comments?” asked Jessica.

“I’m gobsmacked.”

Just then Tracy returned looking very pale.

“Come on Juliet, I’m not staying here for another second with these two… two freaks of nature!”

Tracy grabbed her coat and handbag. Juliet didn’t move.

“Juliet! We are leaving!”

“No Tracy, I’m not going. This time you are on your own,” said Tracy as she crossed her arms in defiance.

Tracy tried to say something but failed. Instead, she made a noisy exit.

“Why didn’t you go?” Biddy asked Juliet.

“I… I don’t know but I think Tracy has gone too far with her anti LGBT stance.”
Then she turned to Jessica.

“I’m sorry Trissy… Jessica or whatever your name is. I know we went too far in our teasing of you.”
Then she added,
“Can you forgive me? Both of you?”

Then she managed half a smile.
“Besides, I’d like to hear you sing again. Even Tracy was impressed with it. Yes, she was all bluster on the surface but I know that she liked your voice but… She’s in love with Mark and… well, you know she’ll do anything he tells her to do.”

There was a silence for several seconds. It was Biddy who broke it.

“Ladies, we have work to do and we are one down.”

---

That weekend, Jessica performed in Bristol. Juliet and Biddy were her guests of honour.
As for Tracy, she resigned and went to work for Mark at his used car business on Canvey Island.

Juliet went to visit her a few weeks later but was told to ‘sling your hook’ in no uncertain terms by Tracy. In her opinion, Juliet had gone over to the ‘dark side’.

Jessica got more regular and higher profile bookings. She started to break into the non-LGBT circuit.

Three months after her ‘coming out’ she and Biddy were married.

Jessica’s hidden talent was no longer hidden and gradually, Biddy’s own special artwork was revealed as well.

[The End]