Chapter 26 - The first day at a new job is always stressful

The next morning, Ellen ran a bath for her husband. As he soaked, she laid out his outfit for the day. Stepping out of the bath water, he dried off and went through to the bedroom, being uncomfortable at his nakedness. He rushed to the dresser to get something to cover his nudity. Ellen was there waiting for him. She opened her drawer and naughtily pulled out a black lace thong and panty set then handed them to him.

"Oh, you bitch," he said laughing. "Black lace? You have to be kidding?" The skimpy black panties which Heather found himself holding in his hand were very sexy and a deliberate invitation to dalliance. George wondered what her real motivation was.

"I got it because I find it sexy, I was hoping you would too. I want to make you happy, besides if you are going to be a girl I kind of hoped you would be a girly girl."

"Oui, oui Madame" said Heather sarcastically, hoping Ellen wasn’t being serious. After the blue nightie, he had his doubts.

In the end, he went to her drawer and made a different selection. He opted for more utilitarian undergarments to start the day with, choosing a plain white bra and panty set. As an afterthought, he added a package of Hanes sheer tights. All in pleasing, gray tones. Once he had the underwear on, Ellen handed him what he thought was a woman's tee shirt. She called it a chemise. Heather found it was as comfortable and silky as the panties.

He put on the outfit Ellen had picked out for him. A very businesslike ensemble. It was a charcoal gray polyester pantsuit featuring all over lace details with a crewneck and three-quarter flared sleeves. Once it was on the ever-present feelings of wrongness faded as he fastened the belt.

Ellen handed Heather a pair of white patent leather 3-inch Paco Gil needle heels. Heather gave Ellen a cynical look. Her reply was, "Try them on I believe they will fit perfectly."

"I’m sure they will. I am also sure they will torture my feet. My question is why do I have to wear heels? It’s not like I’ll be interacting with customers."

"Dear, I have a very strict dress code for everyone in my office. I am already making an exception on you not wearing a dress or skirt. My employees must present a stylish appearance no matter their position."

George was not surprised at the strict dress code. She never left the house without being dressed impeccably. Heather pouted as he slipped his feet in the heels. Ones that Ellen was sure would force him to take small ass-wiggling steps like the other girls in her employ.

Ellen then embellished the ensemble with a string of pearls, a sparkly tennis bracelet, and a chic feminine watch. As that wasn’t enough, Ellen sat Heather down and applied press on nails to each finger. Ellen couldn’t help but marvel what a difference long nails made. For the first time, she realized that George had small, slim hands with delicately boned fingers. Ellen was sure with the nails on he could be a hand model for any woman’s magazine. George sat staring as his hands and tried to recover his manly dignity. Ellen interrupted his reflection and told him, "We won’t bother with makeup. I’ve made other arrangements for your first day."

On the way to work, Ellen made a detour to her beauty shop.

George asked, "Why, the girls have already seen me?"

"Dear, I foresaw this possibility. They saw a woman I named Chantelle that looked like a teenager coming straight from a day at the mall. We need to change your appearance enough so they will see a mature woman not a teenybopper. When we leave here, I promise there will be no resemblance to the girl that was there last evening. My intention is they won’t recognize you. If anyone says anything, I will remined them Heather is Chantelle’s big sister."

The shop was waiting for them and Heather was led right to a chair.

When the cosmetologist asked what Heather wanted, Ellen spoke for her and was very clear, "It’s her first day at a new job. She needs to look her best. Heather is a professional businesswoman, so I don’t want anything dramatic, just a very feminine day time look. Just be sure you don’t use any of the long-lasting stuff."

The beautician ignored Heather and talked directly to Ellen, asking if she wanted her to do something with Heather's hair. She was told absolutely no by Ellen who added, "We don’t have time today so we will stick with the ponytail."

Heather was momentarily happy with that pronouncement. After a fast makeover the ladies left to get to work. Once back in the car, Ellen handed him a tube of lipstick in the same shade he was wearing.

"Honey, put this in your purse. To me, lipstick is the most conspicuous symbol of femininity. If you are going to blend in with the other ladies at work, you must mimic their behavior and compulsively check your makeup and frequently reapply it. All my employees are ladylike girls. It is the nature of the beast in this profession. You will need to follow their example to blend in. The last thing we want is a close scrutiny of you."

Heather got into the car with a lump in the pit of his stomach. Ellen patted his knee and tried to console him. "Honey dragging you to a beauty salon is not vindictive. This beauty treatment is for your own good. With the way you look now I am sure our charade will enable you to impersonate a woman so well no one will know you weren't born one. It will only be for a few weeks at most."

George slumped in his seat as he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

Ellen was concerned he was losing it so she tried a different tactic. "Dear, there is no crying over spilled milk. Today you are a pretty lady on the first day of the rest of her professional life. Try to forget about the past. You’ll do fine! I have every confidence in you, you only need to believe in yourself. Besides, this is only for the time you are working in my office. You did say it will only take a few weeks to do my books."

George felt he had to say something about his appearance. "Okay that is all fine. After all of those efforts, in all honesty, I am still not attractive."

Looking into his made-up eyes Ellen spoke from her soul. "Darling, outward attractiveness is nice, but having a beautiful heart is priceless! The old saying that beauty is only skin deep, maybe good folk lore but in the real-world appearances do make a difference. You are attractive enough to pass as a woman. I am not preparing you for a beauty pageant."

George made a scrunchy face. Tired of trying to reason with him, Ellen tried being frank, "My dear husband, I have put my life’s blood into building up my business. I unapologetically demand my staff maintain the highest grooming standards which means for my female employees a dress, heels, and perfect makeup at all times. As of now, you are a representative of my company. As such, whenever Heather is on the premises, she will be as feminine as possible. You will maintain a ladylike demeanor at all times. Is that understood?"

George added, "Fine, I’ll go along with your guidelines inasmuch as it will only be until I get your taxes done."

Pulling into her reserved parking place, Ellen got out and waited on her husband. Walking to the building she advised him, "If you have any problems with your work mates come and get me. I will be in my office most of the day."

She led them to her private entrance. Heather followed in her wake. He could feel a tide of panic rising inside as the blood hammered in his ears. He had been out as a woman before but this felt different. How would Heather be accepted as a business woman in the real world?

"I don’t think I can do this Ellen; I’m feeling sick to my stomach. As a maid, I was inconspicuous. As your accountant, I feel I’ll be in the spotlight. How long can I keep my true identity from your assistant?"

"That is not an issue, she already knows all about you."

"ALL?"

"If you are asking does she know what’s nestled in your pretty panties. The answer is yes."

"Ellen, how could you?" His voice was hoarse with fear.

"Relax, she is not only my business partner but my best girlfriend. Why she, Beth and I have shared many a bottle of wine while discussing your situation before I broke you out of that Mexican penitentiary. She is onboard with your coming to work here. Give her a chance, I bet you two will become friends. In fact, we have a lunch date with her today."

At that, Ellen called for Nancy. She came running, anxious to see this man Ellen had told her so much about. Arriving slightly out of breath, Nancy slid to a stop a few feet away from this tall woman in a classy pantsuit. She studied him like he was a specimen under a microscope.

Turning to Ellen she gushed, "Good heavens Ellen! Your description of Heather didn’t do him justice. You have done a marvelous job. Looking at him I would never suspect his true gender. If he is half as good an accountant as he is a woman, our problems are solved."

"Nancy, will you show Heather her office? Issue her a company phone and tablet and introduce her to the other ladies. For months, I had our wedding pictures on my desk. His face might be familiar to some of the ladies. In case anyone notices a family resemblance, tell them she is my husband’s cousin. She has a lot of work to do so get on with it."

"Sure, thing boss. Heather, follow me. You are lucky your office is right across from the powder room. I am sure you will find out the lighting in there is excellent for makeup touchups."

Kellie, one of the interns, was passing by and overheard the conversation. She added, "There is also a tampon dispenser in there when a girl is surprised by her time of the month."

Heather smiled and nodded thanks at the girl who was attempting to be helpful.

Heather spent the rest of the morning with her nose buried in the books. Most of that time was consumed in organizing the material and laying out a game plan to get the job done. He did fine one major deduction his predecessor had overlooked which would save Ellen a significant amount of money. Surprisingly, all the necessary documents and records were there, just not clearly organized. What he thought was going to be a nightmare turned out to just be a matter of slugging through mountains of paperwork and double checking everything before filling out the appropriate forms. In his old office, he had secretaries to help with that. He guessed in this situation he was going to be his own secretary. He suddenly wished his typing skills were better.

At noon, Ellen stuck her head in to call Heather for lunch. Ellen drove her and Nancy to the country club. She treated her two best girlfriends to lunch at her exclusive club. They all chatted away, discussing their work day. Ellen was delighted to hear Heather's assessment of the situation. It was far better than she could have hoped for. She was buoyant, almost to the point of being giddy. No mention was made of Heather's masquerade, aside from Ellen subtly reminding him to touchup his lips after eating. They were relaxing over glasses of ice tea when the maître’d approached their table and announced, "Mrs. Trousdale, your taxi is here."

Heather looked at his wife, "El, what’s going on?"

Ellen overlooked his familiarity this time. She would take up that matter with her employee, Heather, when they got home.

She faced her hubby and informed him, "I have been thinking this morning. I tend to work late most nights. I don’t feel right leaving Ariel at a babysitter that long. From what you have said, if you concentrate you will have no trouble getting the books in order." Ellen talking to her employee, not her husband went on, "I have decided to cut you back to a part time employee. You will work half days, then pick up Ariel and take her home and watch her until I get there. That will also give you a chance to put your maid training to use. Make sure the house is clean when I get home. Am I making myself clear Heather?"

"Yes ma’am."

A browbeaten Heather stood, checked his purse and wallet to ensure he had sufficient cash to pay for the cab. He went over and kissed Ellen on the check.

Another familiarity she will have to stop dead in its tracks. As her employee, their public status must remain formal.

As he turned to leave Ellen called after him, "Heather, I will be home at 7, I would appreciate it if you had dinner waiting."

A really pissed off George sat in the back of the cab and stewed. ‘So now I am an employee, babysitter, maid and cook. That can’t possibly reflect positively on how Ellen views my manliness. I should probably see if Ellen has a maid’s outfit I can wear.’

During the ride home, the cab driver was flirtatious, but Heather just ignored him. After stopping at the babysitter to pick up Ariel, they arrived at their driveway. The driver rushed to open the door for his fare. He repeatedly called him ma’am. George was having problems with being addressed with the female honorific. He took the money from his bag and handed it to the driver. He felt a bit odd not having pockets.

He unlocked the front door and stepped through. Once the door was closed, before he even put the baby down, he kicked off his heels and sighed in relief.

He took the baby in her carrier with him and looked in the kitchen to see what he had available to put together for dinner. He had no cooking skills so whatever he made it had to be simple. Looking through the refrigerator and freezer. He found enough ingredients to make an omelet. He had eggs, ham, cheese, onions, and green peppers. Even a novice chief couldn’t mess up eggs and toast.

Everything was laid out on the counters. He estimated it would only take 20 minutes to put it all together.

He looked at his watch and realized he had hours to kill. He brought the baby with him into the den where he collapsed on the couch. He put his feet up and relaxed. After a few minutes, he started to feel guilty as it was obvious from his maid training the room needed tiding up. He got up and put the baby in her crib. He discovered the vacuum in a closet and did all the lower floor rooms. He found a rag and dusted, figuring any job worth doing was worth doing well. He emptied the trash and arranged the throw pillows on the couch. Standing back, he was satisfied with what he had accomplished. The windows needed to be washed but not by him, at least not tonight.

He checked on the baby and went to the kitchen to make the meal. Not wanting to soil his suit he found a starched white apron and put it on. Cooking the meal and cleaning the house, wasn’t something he wanted to do. He thought Ellen might be taking advantage of his predicament. But what options did he have? Go back to the motel…Not likely. So in for a penny in for a pound, he was resigned to do the best he could. Be it as a part-time accountant, babysitter, maid, or cook; just so he remained a full-time husband.

He wrestled with the issue; what wine goes with an egg omelet. He was no sommelier, so he just did ‘enie’, ‘minie’, ‘moe’ to select a wine from her wine storage cabinet. Checking his girly watch, he managed to time things perfectly. He opened the wine as he heard Ellen’s car pull into the driveway. He took one of the full wine glasses and planned to great Ellen at the door with it. As he waited for her entrance, he noticed his shoes by the door, which made the room look untidy, thus nullifying all his housework. He slipped them on and waited. She came flying in the room and almost ran over her husband, who just avoided spilling the drink. Ellen took a quick look around and immediately saw the condition of the room. Then she turned her attention to her husband. The sight of him with his makeup, dressed in his pretty suit, and heels and wearing an apron with a cocktail waiting warmed her. It all combined to flood her with a feeling of love for him. The thought he was doing this all for her, spoke volumes of his commitment to her and the baby, maybe even an acceptance of living as a woman, even if his makeup needed a touchup. She had planned to have a word with him about his earlier familiarities with his boss. Because he was trying so hard to please her, she decided that could wait.

She went to the nursery and checked on her daughter, lost her dress and slipped on her silk bathrobe then nestled into her rocking chair and fed Ariel. After that, she changed the baby before putting Ariel down for the night. She turned on the baby monitor and closed the door. Heather joined her and helped dispose of the smelly diaper. Then the maid led Ellen to the dining room table and held a chair for her to sit. He refilled her glass and served the simple repast. As they ate any resentment between them evaporated like the morning mist. The appreciation and gratitude in her eyes were all the motivation he needed.

After dinner without being asked, he ran her a bath. While she was soaking, he cleaned up the dishes. Swallowing his pride, he found her flannel nightdress and slipped it on and then found the sexist housecoats in Ellen’s collection to give her. He then hurried to the laundry and threw a bath towel in the drier to warm it up. Hearing the tub drain he rushed in to greet his wife, he used the warmed towel to dry his wife off. Then he handed her the nighty to put on. Ten minutes later, Ellen came out of the bathroom carrying a hairbrush. George realized her hair was much longer than he remembered. She looked at George and for the first time noticed what he was wearing. She asked her new girlfriend, "Honey, could you see if you can get these damn tangles out?" as she handed him the brush.

They wound up with her sitting on the bed facing away from him as he sat behind her cross-legged. As he worked, he received a tutorial on how to de-tangle hair. Hers was naturally wavy, and he loved running the brush through it. When it was nearly dry and tied back, she asked him if he wanted her to return the favor.

When he nodded, she smiled and soon he was enjoying the soft brushing. He didn't know having one’s hair brushed could be so erotic. He was embarrassed by his reaction, but the nightgown covered it. He hoped. Ellen braided his hair and secured it with a band. "That'll keep it from tangling tonight." She said as they both stood to pull back the covers. They ended up facing each other and without forethought melted into each other's arms and fell down on the bed and slept in each other’s arms.

@ @ @ @

They got up at first light. After Ellen fed the baby, she joined her husband in the kitchen. They ate a breakfast of black coffee, toast and cereal before Ellen drove them to work after a stop at the babysitter. The day was a groundhog repeat of the previous. Except this time, Heather had her taxi stop on the way home at a book store where she bought a thick cookbook. After all, most of the world’s great chefs were men, cooking for his family was not emasculating. He was determined to make himself a good cook for his family. Going to work, hiding his head in the books, lunch with Ellen, then heading home with the baby became their normal routine until the weekend arrived.

On Saturday, Ellen announced they were going to out to eat. Kind of a celebratory dinner party consisting of Nancy, her fiancée Derrick, his sister Beth, who invited her boyfriend Jim, the FBI agent who spent so much time at her house during his sojourn in Mexico and the happy parents of Ariel. Ellen told George how excited she was that he was finally going to meet Derrick.

She tried to talk Heather into wearing a dress as the restaurant was a swank place on Harbor Island in San Diego Bay. He wasn’t hearing any of it. He huffed, "It was pants or he wouldn’t go!"

Ellen gave in without a fight, partly to avoid a potentially embarrassing moment. Despite all of Ellen’s tutoring, Heather had never fully mastered the art of keeping his knees together. In a dress, he would inevitably be flashing the room. She deviously decided to go all out and find the most feminine pantsuit outfit available within a 50-mile radius. She had seen the perfect one in a local boutique. She said she was going shopping and quickly drove to the boutique and bought one in Heather's size. She stealthily brought it in to the house and hid it in the back of her wardrobe.

An hour before they were to leave, she surprised him with the stunning three-piece pantsuit that included a beautifully sequined shell, flowing chiffon jacket with sweeping wide pantlegs. Upon seeing what Ellen had brought home for him, Heather threw a small tantrum and objected saying it was too girly. Ellen was persistent and insisted he at least try it on. Trying it on he noticed it nipped in his waist and, more embarrassingly, it emphasized his modest breasts. Ellen told him it was that or a dress, she held up his other option it was a silk chiffon Barbie doll pink mini dress held up by spaghetti straps. Heather was caught in a conundrum; with the speed of an IBM computer he selected the fancy pantsuit as it was obviously the lesser of two evils.

Ellen took her time doing makeup for them both, using a very dramatic style. She wore her little black dress. After they got their purses, she drove them to dinner. They made a stunning pair as they walked into Tom Ham’s Lighthouse restaurant. They were fashionably late and the last couple to arrive. Ellen, seeing the crowd, rushed to the table. Derrick jumped to his feet and pulled out a chair right next to him for Ellen. He pushed her chair in and left one hand resting on her shoulder. Ellen thanked him and turned to Heather who was standing behind her.

"Derrick, I would like you to meet Heather, I hope you two can become good friends."

Derrick nodded to Heather, "I am sure we will. After all, we both love the same woman."

Ellen looked over her shoulder and gave Derrick a beguiling smile then kissed his hand.

She then said, "Heather, why don’t you sit between your sister and Jim over there," as she pointed to the other end of the table. Heather was so far away from his wife, the only way he could communicate with her was by texting.

They had a lovely meal accompanied by a lot of lively conversation, helped along by the unending flow of cocktails. After the meal, a band set up and the dancing started. Being an uneven pairing of men and women, Heather moved to a seat next to his wife. Ellen sat out the first dance, the second dance started it was a slow number, everyone paired up with their dates. Ellen waited a polite few minutes and stood up and cut in on Nancy and her fiancée. She danced in the arms of Derrick, who she shamelessly clung all over. Nancy didn’t seem to be upset, she came back to her seat and shrugging her shoulders she turned to Heather, "What are you going to do?" She flopped into her seat and ordered another highball.

The night dragged on as far as Heather was concerned. He declined an offer to dance from Jim, although Ellen almost never sat the entire evening. Finally, George had enough, Ellen was again dancing a slow number with Derrick, he mustered his nerve and walked up and taped Ellen on the shoulder and said, "May I cut in?"

Ellen was astonished at her husband’s audacity. Derrick released her and George went to grab Ellen, causing her to laugh and say, "Dear, this is not the type of establishment that two-woman dancing together is appropriated. If you want to dance, I am sure Derrick will be glad to join you. You’ll do that for me won’t you Derrick? I want my two favorite fellows to get to know each other."

Derrick disdainfully said, "I would love to dance with Miss Heather as long as she understands I will be leading."

As Ellen walked away, she said, "Now Derrick you play nice."

Derrick held Heather tight and led her flying around the dance floor until George was dizzy and out of breath. Derrick pulled him in tight and put his mouth against Heathers ear. He bit out in a murderous voice, "Listen to me Missy. You are dead if anything happens to Ellen or the baby."

Derrick was not the kind of man to make idle threats, George had no doubt. At that moment George knew with absolute certainty what he had only suspected before. Derrick was in love with his wife.

George’s mouth went dry but he managed to get out. "Ellen and I are happily married. What’s your game?"

Derrick smugly answered, "Someday Ellen will tire of you and will need a real man. That is when I will be there for her. I will take her and the baby and make them my own."

George knew he must do something. But what could he do against this mountain of muscle? George turned his fury inward. He ground his teeth to keep from screaming at the lothario.

He vaguely recalled that the heroes in his favorite adventure novels always tightened their jaws when faced with a challenge, he now clenched his own. Facing his adversary with resolve, he grunted out. "Listen buddy, you leave my wife alone."

Derrick howled at that. "Missy, from everything I hear you are less her husband and more her wife."

Aside from his jail break, George knew nothing about bravery except what he read in books and saw in movies. The only thing he could think of was the empty threat, "Just leave my wife and baby alone!"

"Or what are you going to do? Hit me with your purse."

"Just leave them alone."

Derrick smiled and replied, "That is Ellen’s decision not yours. Now go powder you nose."

As if Ellen had been eavesdropping, she saved the situation as she walked up to the two of them. "Shame on you Heather, monopolizing Derrick. He still owes me a dance."

George stormed off the dance floor. He had never felt so discouraged, not only did he feel he was about to lose Ellen’s love, but Derrick was going to end up with her. He had to think of some way to prevent that.

He found a quiet corner and stood alone to think and calm down. When young, he remembered his mother told him something that seemed to be appropriate for his hopeless situation. ‘When the night is the gloomiest, don’t curse the darkness, rather be positive and light a candle.’ He couldn’t fight the braggard physically so he decided he would win Ellen’s heart on the field of love.

He wouldn’t take anything for granted, he would woo her all over again. Ellen was obviously taken by Derrick and all his muscles. If he tried to disparage him, it would only backfire and Ellen would think less of George. So, he would kill Derrick with kindness. He would act like he was Derrick's best friend and only talk Derrick up to his wife.

He went to the bar and ordered two rum and cokes. Holding both drinks, he was now a two-fisted drinker. That made him feel virile. He took two swallows of liquid courage one out of each glass. With a drink in each hand, he headed back to their table.

He found Ellen engaged in a lively conversation with their table mates. He put down his glasses and walked up to Ellen and said, "Dear I need to use the powder room will you join me?"

Ellen laughed and said over the clamor of everyone talking, "Sweetie Pie, you’re a big girl now. I am sure you can go potty by yourself. I am having too much fun to leave at the moment. Run along like a good girl."

As the party died down and everyone started to leave. Heather had to half carry, half lead Ellen to the car. Heather went through her purse and was shocked to see birth control pills, before finding the car keys. She was inebriated and in no condition to drive. Heather drove the car home, even though he didn’t have a valid license. During the drive home, Ellen passed out cold in the passenger seat. Once home Heather paid the babysitter and managed to get Ellen undressed and into bed. He decided to sleep on the couch as he didn’t trust himself to sleep next to his wife. Sunday, Ellen spent in bed with the mother of all hangovers. Heather spent the day taking care of the baby and his wife in that order. He nursed Ellen all day with plenty of aspirin and liquids.

After a dinner of soup and tea, George sat down across from Ellen. She looked up and, in all innocence, asked, "What did you think of Derrick, isn’t he the greatest?"

"Actually, he made a big impression on me. Ellen, you do know he loves you."

Ellen seemed surprised by that comment. "Of course, he does. He’s the big brother I never had."

"No dear, he is in love with you."

Ellen snickered, "Don’t be silly he is engaged to my best friend."

George decide not to mention his suspicion that the big brother act was only so he could stay close to Ellen. He also decided to wait until later to ask about the birth control pills. He didn’t want her to think he had been going through her purse.

"Alright dear, you know him better than I do. Now let’s get you into a hot tub then into bed. We have to be at work tomorrow."

Monday, it was back to the old grind. As if by magic, a different pantsuit materialized in his closet. Heather’s wardrobe had taken over the walk-in closet in the guest bedroom.

They fell into a comfortable pattern for Heather, work, lunch with friends, housework, babysitting and cooking. With Ellen still recuperating from the trauma of Ariel’s birth, their sex life consisted only of hugs, sisterly kisses, and lots of cuddling.

@ @ @ @

At work, Heather and Nancy did became friends. Nancy knew he was no longer fully male, and might have a hard time adapting to his new life. She took Heather under her wing. She treated Heather just like one of the girls, even to the point of accompanying her into the bathroom. Heather found there is very little in life more intimate than sitting on the toilet and discussing woman’s fashions with a woman in the next stall.

When Heather was experiencing an emotional low, he found Nancy who became a true confidant always had an ear to listen and often provided him with advice. A real bond developed between them. During slack time at work, they would talk. Heather found he could unburden himself without Nancy being judgmental. Their relationship reached the point Nancy would sometimes borrow Heather's lipstick when he was wearing one that caught her fancy. In return, Nancy lent Heather an extra pair of panty hose when he had a run in his. Heather looked on Nancy as a true girlfriend in the platonic sense. Ellen and Nancy would often have private closed-door meetings in Ellen’s office. Heather often wondered if he was the subject of some of those meetings. He had enough problems that he didn’t need to add to them with conspiracy concerns. He was forced to just let them go.

@ @ @ @

One night at the start of his third week of being Ellen’s accountant, Heather was cleaning up from dinner. He heard the doorbell. Ellen yelled, "I’ll get it."

A few minutes later Ellen stuck her head in the kitchen. "Honey, Mr. Thompson is here he needs to talk to us. You can finish up in here later, come on into the den."

Heather was a little late getting home from the babysitter so after putting the baby in her crib, he had gone directly to the kitchen to start dinner. Still in his work pantsuit, heels and wearing his work makeup. His outfit was covered by a frilly hostess apron. He dried his hands on his apron. Then without thinking about how he was dressed, he hurried to see what the federal prosecutor wanted. He knew Leon and his lackey had been sentenced to Jail. As far as he knew, Leon was out of the way and serving his 15 years in a federal facility in Nevada. He wondered what Fred could want with him?

He pulled up short at the doorway to the den when realized how he was dressed. He saw Fred sitting near his wife in the armchair with his briefcase open between his legs. Ellen sat nervously on the couch wringing her hands.

Fred wasn’t sure what Mr. Trousdale would look like. If George had reverted back to his feminine looking role, he would be wasting his time. Fred had feared the worst. He looked up when he sensed someone was in the room, and intently scrutinized the newcomer. Heather was embarrassed at what he was wearing, he stepped back half of a step to hide behind the doorjamb. He blushed beetroot red that showed through his light makeup.

To Fred’s amazement, standing in the doorway was the personification of a stereotypical 50’s housewife. A smile crossed Fred’s lips as he saw he was in the presence of Heather and not George. He took a chance and said, "Heather have a seat I have something important to discuss with you both."

Heather remained standing and leaned up against the doorframe.

Fred got right to the point, "The man you helped put in jail, Mr. Brown, was in business with the most vicious of the Mexican cartels. As part of his plea agreement, he provided us with enough evidence to generate several indictments against some of the cartel’s main players. As you can imagine, they haven’t taken the news well."

George felt a ‘but’ coming and grabbed the door frame to steady himself.

Ellen asked, "What has that got to do with us."

"That’s exactly why I am here. We have solid intelligence that the cartel has put out a contract hit on both you and Leon.