CHAPTER 9 - What aA Tangled Web We Weave, When First We Practice To Deceive

"Please Ellen, let’s not tease about that. There is no way I am interested in some guy."

"How do you know if you haven’t tried?"

George frowned as Ellen gave Heather one last examination then announced, "It looks like you’ll pass girly muster. Tonight, is your first date with a man. I think it’s important you are as attractive as I can make you. We certainly don’t want him questioning your true gender, that means you have to act as feminine as possible. If you play that role to perfection, you won't get caught and no one will find you out without looking under your skirt. So, if you keep your legs closed like a lady, you'll be just fine." she said expectantly.

"Be sure to let your date believe you are excited about being out with a him. If he doubts it, that could raise all kinds of problems. I have told the boys you are excited about tonight. Don’t make me a liar, there will be consequences."

She had seen George presenting as female countless times. For some reason, tonight with him all dolled up it was different. She was becoming strangely aroused by George's metamorphosis, he truly made an attractive woman. For a fleeting minute, she considered staying in and keeping Heather all to herself. But only for a minute. With her hormones raging she was so looking forward to some man trying to seduce her and she might just get lucky tonight like she did back in school. Ever since her pregnancy her body had been experiencing a whirlwind of new feelings, sensations, and emotions. Since she had gotten pregnant, her hormones had fluctuated wildly. Her libido had been running wild. She needed a good fucking in the worst way, if her husband couldn’t give it. She would find someone who could. Consequences be damned. As they were about to leave, Ellen pulled George into her for a deep kiss that he felt lasted for three days.

Ellen grinned and looked deeply into his eyes. She said, "Darling, no matter what happens tonight remember I love you and only you."

Ellen opened his purse and removed her perfume and gave Heather just a spritz. The floral scent surrounded him! It was a glorious way to christen her maiden voyage! Then she withdrew a tube of lip-gloss and sealer before saying, "Honey, let me touch up your lipstick before we go."

@ @ @ @

Ellen was so excited she headed out the door without waiting for her wingman. Heather hesitated, his heart in his throat. Ellen charged off without him. She yelled over her shoulder, "Don’t dawdle we are going to be late."

In no time at all, Ellen was way ahead. Heather was having a hard time trying to catch up in his heels. He found himself mincing a little gingerly at first as he got used to a different balance on the uneven sidewalk. The loud click-clack of the heels sounded just like an announcement for everyone to look at him. The butterflies of excitement and fear were flapping in his tummy as he stood there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the wind on his legs. He felt the gentle breeze move the unfamiliar strands of his borrowed hair against his face and tasted the lipstick on his full lips. Even with the sea breeze blowing he could smell his perfume.

Ellen looked over her shoulder to ensure her husband was actually coming. Ellen never thought the day would come when her husband would not only consent but participate in her having a date with a man. Not just any schmuck off the street but a gorgeous super macho stud. Ellen glanced at George struggling to keep up in his heels, and was in awe. he was either the most trusting husband that ever lived or the most naïve.

Meanwhile, George kept looking around to see if anyone was staring at him. He eventually got to the bar door. He paced back and forth trying to work up the courage to go on. The pain in his feet was the decisive factor in deciding to go inside, anything was better than spending another minute standing in those damn heels. He stepped just inside and entered with trepidation as he scrutinized the room. Frozen like a deer in the headlights, he put some considerable effort into not hyperventilating.

Ellen saw her husband lurking in the dark recesses. A beatific smile flashed across her face. She disengaged herself from Todd and crossed the room over to Heather and took him by the hand and pulled him to the two men leaning on the bar, with drinks in their hands. As a form of greeting, Ellen gave Todd, her date a peck on the lips. Turning toward Heather she introduced the two. "Heather, this fine specimen of a man is my date, Todd."

Who responded, "Nice to meet you Heather. I look forward to getting to know you."

If there was any recognition as to his true gender, neither guy showed it. George momentarily relaxed.

Ellen still holding Heather's hand and blurted out, "Be careful around these two horny guys. They are unscrupulous cads, willing to do anything to get into some girl's nickers. Isn't that right boys?"

Everyone but Heather laughed at her remark. It may have been George’s imagination but Ellen's laugh seemed a tad malicious.

"Hey wait a minute. " said the other guy, presumably Heather's blind date. "You’re going to turn her against me."

Ellen ignored his comment and countered, "This is my friend Heather." George stood frozen. His heart was beating wildly and waited with great fear and trepidation before the two men. Their eyes were slowing taking in his effeminate image and they made George feel like he was being examined by lustful dirty old men.

The man standing next to Todd who had spoken was presumably his date. Stepping around Todd he elbowed his companion aside and moved between Todd and Ellen. He was about 6’ 3’’ and heavily built. His large frame was covered with bulky muscles, he was clean-shaven and his hair was close-cropped in a military style. Everything about him was big, his hands, feet, even his wrists. He was wearing a well-tailored pin-striped suit coat, a pink dress shirt and a floral tie. George couldn't help but feel intimidated. He was the sort of remarkably handsome person you found in a high-priced clothing catalog.

He grinned wolfishly and extended his hand and shook hands with Heather, saying "My friend here has failed to properly introduce me. My name is Philip."

Todd pushed Philip aside and regained his position next to Ellen. He put his arm around Ellen and pulled her into him in a possessive manner then announced. "Watch out for him Heather. He was an All-American linebacker at USC. He’s a bit delusional, too many hits to the head I suspect. He thinks he’s god’s gift to woman."

Ellen was not impressed, to her he was just another of the jock types she dated in school.

Philip added, "I was a great ball player but I am better known for my PHD."

"Wow, I am impressed. What field did you earn it in? Said Ellen.

"The bedroom. My title was awarded to me by the campus sorority houses."

A bewildered Ellen commented, "That makes no sense, sororities can’t award degrees."

"True it was purely an honorary title, almost a nickname. I was known as PHD Philip, the guy with the Pretty Huge Dick."

Ellen snickered at the conceited braggadocious asshole. She merely acknowledged his greeting, with a nod of her head. Glad that he wasn’t her date.

Then Philip turned his attention to Heather, he took Heather's hand and brought it to his lips kissing the back, "Enchanté Mademoiselle, my friends call me Flip."

Heather retrieved her hand as Ellen giggled, "That’s very gallant of you Philip but save the bullshit, your date for tonight doesn’t speak French, in fact she doesn’t speak English either, only a little pigeon Spanish. She was raised on a Cherokee reservation. I hope that isn’t going to be an issue."

"I’m not concerned that she can’t talk. I speak the universal language of love." Flip said with a grin on his face.

Flip went on, "The only word she needs to know is yes." Which prompted laughter all around, except from George.

"If that doesn’t work, we will have to fall back on my secondary specialty, braille."

The way the men were staring at him, George felt like they were undressing him with their eyes. It was very unnerving. His heart raced as he waited to see what would happen next. He felt his underarms begin to sweat. His insides turned to jelly. Ellen failed to notice and seemed in no hurry to do anything. Instead, she turned her attention to the conversation, making small talk about the beach, the heat and such. George waited pensively, not knowing what to expect. Ellen stood in front of her man. Todd's hands snaked around Ellen's waist and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. George waited for her to push him away but; she just smiled and leaned back into him.

Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, Flip extended his hand toward Heather which he mistakenly thought was the universal sign of greeting. With a deep sigh that was designed to muster all of the courage he could find, Heather reached out to shake hello. Flip firmly clasped her hand and refused to let go. George felt small and delicate standing in front of this massive man who was now grasping his hand and showed no signs of letting go. He looked down at Heather with that oh so superior masculine expression. He obviously was accustomed to charming his way with women. George felt a flush of humiliation wash over his psyche. His mouth went dry and it felt like the sweat in his armpits was actually dripping.

Flip led the group to an empty booth. Reaching the booth, Philip finally freed George’s hand. Heather stood passively and waited as Philip slipped into the booth and pulled Heather in behind him. He placed his arm around Heather and rested it on the top of the seat behind her. The booth was cramped and Heather was pushed up against him. It wasn't as big a deal as Ellen’s date did exactly the same to her. Ellen looked at her husband and gave him just the smallest of a smile. Flip leaned in and put his nose almost in Heather's ear, "Yum. Heather, that perfume is heavenly!"

That intimate action made him shiver and gave George goosebumps, the lecherous guy was exhaling into his ear. Heather leaned his head as far away from Flip as he could. It was only a couple of inches but at least it put his ear out of tongue range which is what George thought was coming next.

Ellen leaned across the table and said, "Do you like it. Heather doesn’t have her own. She doesn’t normally wear any fragrance. Lucky for you she insisted on borrowing mine for her date. She has really been looking forward to tonight."

At that, Flip put his hand on Heather's shoulder and pulled her back toward him. The men ordered cocktails, Scotch for themselves and vodka on ice with lemon for the ladies without asking their preference. George forced myself to be ladylike and sip it when he wanted to slam it down to help him relax. Two rounds of drinks were followed by a dinner of surf and turf for everyone. It was the first decent meal in over ten months for George. The lobster and steak were truly delicious. It might have been the long absence from real food, but George couldn’t remember ever having eaten anything better. He savored it, eating it slowly taking small ladylike bites. When the waitress took away his plate it looked like his plate hand been licked clean.

The drinks continued to flow the entire time. George had to slowly sip his drink, having gone so long without alcohol it was having a serious impact on him. Georges date had roaming hands but was easily deflected during the meal. The four were all relaxed and satisfied as the dishes were cleared. That is when things changed, with another round of after dinner drinks being consumed. Both men became more aggressive, Heather found Flip’s hand on her upper thigh inches away from her secret that was threating to make an appearance.

Heather, not used to alcohol, was on the way to being drunk, but the hand under her skirt gave her a shot of adrenalin that sobered her up rather quickly. She crossed her legs sending Flip a very clear message.

The men continued to order drinks as quickly as the glasses were emptied. Ellen rested her head on Todd’s shoulder and frequently whispered something into his ear, while she ran one hand over his chest. All of which generated a huge grin on Todd’s face. Eventually they were so close it was like they were sharing the same space. As the night went on, the snuggling turned to Ellen nibbling on his ear. George’s jealousy wouldn’t let him watch anymore. His date helped draw his attention away from his duplicitous wife. He was forced to fend off Flip’s advances. The Casanova wouldn’t take a hint, so George gave up and focused his attention on his drink, hoping to get blinding drunk so he won’t remember anything about this night. At the moment, he was trying desperately to hold back his bottled-up emotions. Ellen coughed daintily, George looked up and caught Ellen eyeing him as she shook her head no. The message was clear that he needed to stop resisting Flip’s advances. Heather threw down the rest of her drink and leaned up against her date as he played with the hairs of his wig.

The after-dinner drinking was a prolonged affair and eventually Todd got up to go to the bathroom, while Flip went to the bar to get everyone another round of drinks. George was so flushed he was scarlet, he flipped out. He leaned across the table and growled at Ellen, "Just what the hell are you doing?"

"Whoa back that pumpkin up Cinderella!" Ellen snapped. "That is a bit melodramatic, I am just having a little fun. Stop acting like a Vestal Virgin and loosen up and join in. You have a lot to learn about being a woman on a date. Try following my lead and give your guy a good time. You might surprise yourself and find he in turn can make you feel good. Between dinner and the bar tab, these guys have each dropped over a hundred bucks on us. They are going to expect more than a smile and a cheap feel. I am just trying to give Todd his money’s worth. I recommend you do the same for Flip. The last thing ‘you’ want is for him to find out your secret. Even if he doesn’t beat the crap out of you, the local cops could get involved."

Heather could see the logic in Ellen's comments and found himself spiraling downward and into a blind alley. The humiliation of watching his wife throw herself at another man in front of him all came together in a synergy that melted George's inhibitions.

Todd and Flip met up at the bar before heading back to their table. Todd turned to Flip and asked, "Well what do you think?"

"I have to confess I was a little worried. When I asked what Heather looked like all I got was she has a great personality. I admit she is no beauty queen. Of course, let’s be honest most woman wandering the streets of the US are real dogs. Don’t take away my man card, Heather is making me realize there are more important things than looks. Even with the language issue I think she has the potential to be a lot of fun. She has a spectacular body that has the promise of good things to come."

They made their way back to the table with Flip leading the way and they resumed their seats next to their dates. Ellen had one eye open watching her husband’s reaction to this situation. Flip returned with their drinks and scooted into his seat. George thinking about what his wife had said, took the initiative and snuggled up to Flip lowering his head on Flip’s shoulder, pinning his left arm between them. His other hand seemed to have a mind of its own and came to rest on Flip's knee.

When George realized where it was, he slowly moved it off not knowing what to do with his free hand and reached up and ran his nails though Flip's hair. An action Flip seemed to enjoy. His response was to pull Heather onto his lap and held him there. Heather found to keep his balance he put his hand behind Flip’s head. Flip responded by pulling Heather down on his maleness as it hardened. George was embarrassed and humiliated.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellen watched her husband snuggling into a man’s lap and found that she didn't like it, regardless of what she had just said. Between the booze and her raging hormones, she wasn’t thinking clearly. She thought George was going too far. In her mind, he was supposed to flirt with the guy, not get physical. She took the initiative to pay him back and pulled Todd’s head around and kissed him firmly on the lips. She looked at George to gauge his reaction. Todd took her conduct as encouragement. Ellen had lost control of the situation. Things started to get out of hand.

When George next got a look see, Todd had his hand up Ellen’s blouse and was clearly manipulating her tits. As Ellen’s hormones raged, her hand found and massaged the bulge in Todd’s pants.

Their kiss was obviously passionate as George could see there was a lot of tongue action going on. George was hurt that Ellen would do that right in front of him. Her actions were way more than a thank you for dinner. The drinks had loosened everyone up. So far George had resisted his date's advances. The large quantities of alcohol had him start to relax and his will to resist was crumpling fast.

George could only watch his wife making out with her date. Something that had George boiling on the inside. To get even, he snuggled into Philip's lap and just let things happen as he mirrored Ellen’s actions and kissed Flip on the lips. Between his anger, the booze, and the physical stimulation, George found himself actively participating in the kiss. He sucked on Flip's tongue like it was his sex organ. He could feel Flip getting harder just as George’s own little man was straining to make an unwelcome appearance.

The thought his masquerade was good enough to get that response from a man was a source of confused pride for George. He began to relax believing he was safe from discovery. That lasted only until Flip tried to stick his hand up his skirt again. By playfully slapping Flip's hand he managed to disengage himself. He reached across the table and tapped Ellen on the shoulder and motioned he wanted to talk. Ellen broke her kiss and climbed over her date. Standing, she told the table, "Sorry guys, we need to go powder our noses we won’t be long."

Flip slid out to allow Heather to exit. He reached out seemingly to help her from the booth. He reached out and held Heather by the waist and lifted Heather down. Once she was on her feet, he moved in and grabbed her ass with his meaty hands. George was shocked as Flip lifted Heather by his bum cheeks off the ground and pulled him up to meet his lips. The kiss lasted seemingly forever as George was helpless to resist as he was held suspended with his feet several inches off the floor.

An unhappy Ellen coughed, "Get a room you two." Punching Philip in the arm she firmly said, “Excuse me, but we need to go. We’ll be back before you have time to miss us. Why don’t you take this opportunity to get us something more to drink?"

As Flip released Heather, he had that masculine superior look written all over his face, from the obvious pleasures that his woman was giving him. As the girls walked away, Todd gave Philip the thumbs up.

As the ‘ladies’ entered the powder room, George did a quick check to ensure they were alone.

Before he could say anything, Ellen started, "I know when something is troubling you, baby. Why don't you tell me? You always feel better when you get it off your chest."

She watched Heather's puffy bottom lip tremble ever so slightly.

In an inebriated state, George nodded his head like a bobble head doll. Brushing away a tear that hung trembling at the precipice of his chin he said. "Ellen, just what the fuck are you doing acting like a tramp and flaunting it in front of me! And I think you need to take it easy on the booze. It’s not healthy for the baby."

Ellen turned pale for a brief second but quickly regained her composure. "You are right, I will switch to 7up from now on out. Happy now? As far as my conduct goes, I am on a date. What do you want me to do, take up needlepoint?"

"Ellen, please don’t trivialize this. For heaven’s sake, my creepy date has a hard-on. It’s disgusting. What am I supposed to do about that?"

Ellen smiled triumphally, "Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of things. You should be flattered that your impersonation of a girl turns on a worldly man like that."

Back on the offensive George charged, "You are obviously attracted to Todd."

All Ellen could do was try and explain her side of the story. She gave him a look that would curdle milk. Then Ellen’s eyes glazed over briefly as she answered truthfully, "Yes I am. Todd is unquestionably an alpha male."

"Unlike me you mean!" said an angry George.

"I didn’t say that. You need to calm down. Don’t be getting all sanctimonious with me! I saw you throwing yourself at Flip and swapping spit with him! Do I fantasize that Todd will drag me off to his room and ravish me? Hell yes? Any woman would want that. As a woman in her sexual prime I have certain needs, add to that my maternity hormones are raging right now. It is almost impossible to say no to a stud like him. Todd appears more than ready to fill my longings as he will fill my loins. Will I let him; I don’t know? I confess I’m tempted."

Ellen took a deep breath and went on, "I need you to put yourself in my shoes. I have risked everything to help save you. If I didn’t care about you. I could have done nothing and let you rot in jail, and just concentrate on building up my business, or for that matter, my social life. Rather, I came into a foreign country and broke you out of jail, thus risking my livelihood by committing a major crime. According to our lawyer I could be sent to jail for 20 years for what I have done.

"Now our dates are waiting for us."

Ellen ducked into a stall, so George sought refuge in an unoccupied stall. He managed to figure out what parts of his clothing to pull up, and which to push down, and even remembered to sit while he did the deed. He emptied his bladder of all the alcohol he had drunk. He even patted himself dry like a good girl. Pulling himself back together, he exited the stall and found Ellen refreshing her makeup at the mirror, so he joined her.

Ellen insisted, "Repair your face and let’s get back and see where this all leads us. I have put my life and freedom on the line for you. Can’t you give me this one night. Don’t I deserve that?"

George felt like he was losing his wife, but was determined to follow the old wives’ tale, ‘If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.’

He courageously replied, "Have I ever refused you anything? You do what you have to do. Don’t worry about me, I’ll survive."

Ellen gleefully replied, "Thanks, I’ll take that as a yes."