2 Becoming Dani

“ That is a bit of a shock, I don’t really know what to say. I know that working with the girls that I have picked up some of their habits, but I didn’t think that it was that obvious, and I don’t think that I look and act particularly feminine. I am not sure that I want to do it, I am not a girl, and it is all going to come out sooner or later and then what will happen to me.”

“ This is a wonderful opportunity for you, you said in your interview that you wanted to work with senior people to pick up on their approach to business and how they think, and they don’t come much more senior than Sir Charles. You could learn an awful lot in a short time to help you develop your career. It should only be for a few weeks, and then you can revert back to your normal self, even get your hair cut and wear more obviously masculine clothes. I think that you can get away with it, with a bit of help, the right clothes, makeup and restyled hair, you are about the same size as most of the women you work with, and you should really be able to look the part.”

“ If it all goes wrong is my job here safe, these are difficult times and it will be hard to explain why I left Cunninghams?”

“ If it all goes wrong, and I don’t think it will as I have every confidence in you, it is more likely that my job will be on the line, not yours. Look, this is Friday, you will not be needed by Sir Charles until next Wednesday, we have the whole weekend and a couple of days next week to transform you and train you in all things feminine. I will be willing to help personally, and have you stay at my place, but I think that we will need someone more your own age to help, I am a bit out of touch with the younger styles and attitudes. Is there anybody you know and can trust to help.”

“ I have no family in the area, and even then I don’t think that it would go down too well, I am new to the area so haven’t really built up many close friends. Of the girls I work with, the only one I think will be able to be discreet is Carol Harmsworth, who seem to have started this all off by putting my hair up in a bun, the others really enjoy passing on office gossip. Carol will probably be willing to help.”

Helen called up Carol to join us, and after ensuring that everything was confidential, gave her the full story. I saw Carol’s expression change from disbelief to embarrassment, to amusement and then to serious consideration over what she had been told.

“ I think Ms Cassidy is right, this could work, you have been mistaken for a girl in the pub and cafe and that is without even proper clothes or makeup, and when you are out with us you tend to adopt a voice and way of talking that nearly matches ours and with a bit of coaching could be really passable. I think you should give it a go as Dani and I will be delighted to help. My flatmate, Gemma, is away for a few weeks on a touring holiday around Europe so we should be able to work on transforming Danny into Danielle undisturbed”

“ Ok, the pair of you, take the rest of the day and the start of next week off, I will clear it with your office manager. Here is a company credit card, don’t go mad with it, but get everything you need for Dani to turn up for work on Wednesday, I want to see the pair of you, particularly you Danielle, at my house tomorrow, and we will see what we have to work with.” Here is my address and my phone number if you need to talk more.

We collected our things from our desks and quickly left before there were too many questions.

“ We will go to your flat first to get whatever you think you will need then it is off my flat to do all the basics, and if that looks ok we will see what I have that fits you then we can hit the mall, they are open late tonight.”

Back at Carol’s she quickly took over.

“ Into the shower first, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and remove any body hair where you can reach, I’ll deal with any that is left afterwards. There is one of my bathrobes on the back of the door, just put that on and while you are doing all that, I will sort out something for you to wear.

A half-hour later I came out of the bathroom smelling like a big bowl of flowers from all the scents in the various shampoos and lotions.

“ Next, sit down while i do something with your hair.” She then combed out sections of my hair, fixed it in rollers and give it a spray with setting lotion, While all that was working she started shaping my nails when she suddenly pulled away. “ I see that despite me trying to turn you into a girl, that your body is till reacting as a man’s. Put on these panties and body shaper and tuck yourself out of the way to keep it all under control and we’ll start again.”

Soon I had my eyebrows shaped and, in a mind-boggling sequence of operations, foundation, blusher, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick applied, my hair taken out of the rollers and brushed into style, and from the neck up there was no mistaking that Danny had gone and Dani was now in the room.

“ I have sorted out some things which should fit, the underwear is still new and unused, let’s get you dressed and see how you look.”

I struggled with the bra and the tights, but the short denim skirt and peasant blouse were no problem and were a good fit, particularly after she fitted me with home-made breasts of bags of rice.

“ Go and have a look in the mirror Dani, and see what you think. I was astounded, looking back at me was the image I had seen in photos of my Mum when she was my age. I had to take a deep breath and sit down with the shock..

“ Now we have got you looking the part, you have to start learning how to move and act, flopping down in the chair like that was extremely unfeminine, watch how I do it and copy my actions, be much more graceful and smooth in your movements and brush your skirt under you as you sit. Get up walk across the room and sit down again. Do it again and this time take smaller steps and put one foot in front of the other, don’t waddle with your legs splayed apart, and keeping doing it until I tell you I am happy.”

“Next, one of the delights of being a woman, not, is walking in heels. To start you off Its just a plain pair with 2” chunky heels, the torture of 4”or 5” stilettos can wait until you are used to these. Now practice walking around in them, and keep your back straight and your shoulders back, and push out your chest. Just walk around with me, match your pace, steps, and posture to mine. We are nearly there, get this right and we can get ready for you to face the world.”

After another hour of walking and sitting and getting up again and walking some more, Carol decided that I was becoming more natural and was ready to go out and be seen. Rather than going clothes shopping to the mall, she started me off at the local supermarket, getting in the weekly groceries. To get me to relate to people and practice my voice, rather than just picking stuff off the shelves she made me place orders at the deli and fish counters which went unremarked making me feel more comfortable. Then it was the clothing section where she talked me through the various bra and panty styles and had me select a few sets which I liked and which she thought appropriate, followed by the array of products on the feminine hygiene shelves, both areas of the shop that I previously would have avoided.

“ I can understand teaching me about the underwear, but why do I need to know about sanitary products, I am not going to need them, am I?”

“ As you will find out, women do discuss these matters and occasionally someone in a loo may ask you if you have any spares as they have suddenly come on. You need to get some pads and keep them in your bag, just in case, they are not something to be embarrassed about, they are a fact of life, and living as a woman you need to be able to talk about them and pass opinions as if it is a most natural discussion.”

We stopped at the cafeteria on the way out for a coffee and bun, and again she had me place the order for them. “Don’t pick the whole bun up like that and stuff big chunks into your mouth, it is most unladylike, cut it into smaller pieces and chew them slowly and thoroughly, and pick up your cup by the handle, not wrapping your hand around the body.”

“Have I landed on another planet, is there an end to all these rules and guidelines, my brain is getting fogged.”

“You know the expression ‘Men are from Mars and women are from Venus’, well it’s only partly true, it’s not just different planets it is sometimes a different galaxy, and now we are finished you need to redo your lipstick. Normally I would just do mine sitting here, but until you get more used to it, you will be better going into the Ladies and doing it in front of a mirror.”

“ I don’t think I am ready for that yet, what if somebody reads me as a man in a skirt.”

“ Fat chance of that, you are more feminine than half the women in the shop, walking around in leggings and sloppy jumpers with no makeup and their hair in a mess, just go for it, there has to be a first time, come on with me.”

It was not the ordeal I had expected, when we went in there was no-one else there so I was able to slowly and carefully do my lips, rather than the quick swipe, lip-smack and pout that most women do. Just as I had finished another woman came in on her way to a cubicle, smiled at me saying “ It makes a nice change to see someone your age making an effort to look feminine, too many young women like you are so sloppy nowadays, and only dress up when they are out looking for a man.”

“ I told you Dani, you are perfectly acceptable as you are for casual contact like that, but Helen and I still have a lot of work to do with you before you are fit to spend all day working closely with Sir Charles.” Carol told me as we drove to her home to drop of the groceries. “Lets have a few minutes for you to relax and you can practice walking and sitting a bit more, then we’ll hit the Malls to get you some work outfits, shoes and accessories that you will need for the next few weeks, after all Cunninghams are paying.

To be continued.