Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 19

Emily took my hand again as we met our masseuses who checked our booking and she stepped aside out of my earshot to talk in private with the senior one who had a name badge Charlotte that seemed an old fashioned name for a woman in her mid-twenties. She then said that she would be my masseuse and her assistant Lauren would be taking care of Emily. I was uneasy not knowing what to expect and conscious that my real identity would be disclosed.

There were two beds arranged side by side just a few feet apart and Emily lay down on her stomach whilst Lauren removed her robe exposing her back and cute buttocks and long slim legs. I turned away slightly embarrassed for Emily who didn’t seem concerned at all. Lauren covered her from her shoulders to her ankles with a large towel and then helped her to turn over to lay on her back and raised the top of the bed slightly pulling back her hair and holding it in place with a headband. Then Charlotte turned to me and smiled.

‘Now then Julie Anne I understand this is your first time. I hope you will enjoy.’

I was desperate to keep my lack of bosom and genitals out of sight as I was positioned and then turned over, but Charlotte just smiled and whispered to me not to worry she’d seen it all before. I wasn’t sure what she meant. Did she know?

‘Now then Julie Anne we start with a gentle head massage and then we’ll tackle the remains of yesterdays make-up that you don’t seem to have managed to remove fully. I’ll give you some cleaning pads and make-up remover samples to take home. Most girls have this problem so hence they come here for facial cleaning and massages. I think you’ll enjoy the experience, and you’ll have nice soft skin by the time I’ve finished.’

With such a scrutiny I was relieved that I didn’t have the remnants of beard or moustache growth that had been a problem since my teen years due to the lack of testosterone in my body that had always caused me embarrassment until now. I knew my skin didn’t compare with Emily’s or either of the masseuses. I didn’t expect to be under a light and to have the next comment either from Charlotte.

‘I think you ought to have a chat with our laser treatment specialist, but she only visits twice a week. I think she could get rid of these stray hairs on your chin. I can get rid of these, but they’ll grow back. Still, you are lucky since most of our customers like you have to shave regularly. You have a woman’s skin, almost baby skin, so what treatment do you use?’

Emily looked across and smiled. ‘I did tell them that you were trans and that you were preparing for surgery next year. It’s not a problem is it Charlotte?’

‘No, not if Julie Anne is living as a girl as you explained. We pride ourselves on discretion and I doubt anybody would challenge or complain. Julie Anne is quite beautiful so she must have good genes.’

I decided it was best to stay silent and to talk with Emily after our facials when we were alone. Least said the better. However because I said nothing Emily chipped in. ‘Yes it was my opinion too the first time I met Julie Anne. I could see she needed help. We’ve had a wonderful weekend together and this is the icing on the cake. I wanted her to enjoy what we girls look forward to more than anything. Better even than sex.’

All three of them burst into giggles and I shook my head not believing what I’d just heard. Surely not.

Then Charlotte got to work massaging my temples and scalp then my cheeks and down to my neck. It was so nice that I closed my eyes and kept them closed whilst she applied eye make-up cleansing liquid to my eyelids and then cleansing cream all over my face and neck to remove all traces of make-up from my visit to the salon the day before. It took about 15 minutes with several applications and wiping with soft pads soaked in rose petal water.

Charlotte had massaged my arms then my hands whilst the cleansing cream was doing its work. I hoped it wasn’t removing my surface skin. ‘Julie Anne you will be surprised at the effect. Open your eyes and take a look.’

My skin was smooth and shiny and just like it had been renewed. It was a nice surprised. I managed a smile without any difficulty, so it wasn’t sore. Charlotte then applied some finishing cream massaging my face. ‘All done and ready for a visit to the make-up room later after the next massage and your visit to the hot tub and sauna.’

Emily was ready too and she turned onto her front ready for her body massage. Lauren turned the towel down exposing her shoulders and upper back and commenced. As she worked down to the small of her back she removed her towel and set it aside to apply massage oils. OMG what if she had to turn over?

As Charlotte took hold of my towel I spoke out or should I say I spluttered in panic. ‘Is it just a back massage? Do I have to turn over at all.’

Charlotte smiled. ‘As if. Don’t worry and frowning will spoil my hard work. It’s just your back and I promise to be discreet. We have seen it all you know and lots of customers seem determined to try to embarrass us.’

I could see that Emily was sniggering and trying to hide her face. Until Lauren pressed hard into the small of her back that took the smile off her face.

Massages over we had a fresh fruit drink wrapped in our robes before entering the pool area. Emily suggested that we wear our bikini briefs to avoid me going into shock in the sauna and steam room. We had exclusive use but I still was on guard in case of other guests.

It was a nervous experience, and I was pleased to head to the hot jacuzzi where I sank happily into the water hiding my body away. Two other female guests joined us and I hoped they wouldn’t stay long since I was topless with nothing much to show except some puffiness. Emily seemed oblivious and quite happily displayed her firm breasts in front of the three of us.

We stayed for about 30 minutes, and I did manage to enter the conversation from time to time whilst trying to send a signal to Emily not to encourage them.

All she could do was laugh after they left, and so I said we ought to go shower and get dressed before anybody else appeared.

Emily smiled and nodded her agreement and said that I’d done well and now she was absolutely certain that I could pass undetected whilst dressed since I’d done so well almost naked. I did feel relieved and totally relaxed but now I wanted to know why Emily had said that I was trans and that I was considering surgery.
‘Well surely Julie, it helped you to gain access that clearly worked. They would have soon noticed your lack of breasts and your dangly bits however you tried to hide them. What’s so wrong anyway with a little surgery to help you feel more comfortable. You don’t need to have more than a little boost up top. That would be nice wouldn’t it? Just the feeling of filling out a bra.’

‘I think that’s a step too far just now and it would be too expensive anyway. This look is nice for now and it’s fun. I’m not in a good position with my finances as I’ve explained. Getting old needs to be properly planned and finances protected. I really do appreciate your generosity and help but I feel I need to pay you back as soon as thing settle down and I get on top of my finances. It’s been difficult for me with no one to turn to. Then you appeared out of the blue.’

‘I think George should have been taking more of the load and helping you deal with your problems. Bosses have to do that sometimes but maybe that’s a feminine thing. You have a lot of female traits and forgive me for helping to bring them out. But you were confused. As far as I can see and some men took advantage of your good nature. Maybe George did too. We’ll have to see what we find out when we do more digging.’

‘I don’t think George took advantage of me. He is a really nice guy and he treated me like a son.’

‘Maybe his daughter was jealous and wanted to be treated like a son too. I wonder if she could be part of the problem. Did she ever get involved in the business?’

‘Not that I’m aware of but George kept a lot of things to himself about his home life.’

‘I guess we all do that. Does anybody know my uncle is the Group Chairman and CEO?’

‘I don’t think it’s widespread knowledge but it’s hard for me to say since I’ve lost a lot of contact with staff and employees since becoming your PA.’

‘Well, it’s not really a concern but I just thought it might scare people and have leaked back to George’s daughter, sorry his son, so better if we act quickly and after this weekend, I think you are ready. I’m sure it will knock him off his guard and he will probably be a little confused to see the change in you.’

I didn’t think it was necessary to go to this trouble but since my new image was sure to be fed back to George and I was enjoying the experience, thanks to Emily, I was happy to follow her guidance. If only people would accept me, and I could carry on as her PA I’d be happy. My visit to the spa had been a dream come true and I’d never have dared do it without Emily riding shotgun.

We showered again on adjoining cubicles to remove the chemicals from our skin that were likely to have been added to the hot jacuzzi and shampooed our hair. We dried ourselves using more luxury towels maintaining our privacy. I wasn’t at all comfortable to let Emily see me fully naked even though she’d seen me from behind in the shower. She seemed to have less qualms and maybe she was looking for my reaction. If so she succeeded as I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she gently rubbed herself down. She was still discreet, and I sensed that she was smiling to herself. She took care about exposing her breasts other than side profile. They were rounded and as firm as any model. I was in awe since I had never seen a woman naked, nor had I experienced watching a woman partly undressed having declined many invites to visit girly bars with customers.

We wrapped ourselves in our robes and after brushing through her hair Emily approached me and sat me down in front of the large mirror to help me brush out then blow dry my hair to ensure that I retained the look created the day before. It didn’t seem as difficult as I’d expected and I liked it a lot better than the pony tail I’d always worn for work or the loose shaggy look I often wore at home. My hair looked in much better condition. Then we both sat side by side to apply a little make-up with Emily passing on a few tips to improve my techniques before she eventually took full control. She said that my efforts were those of a teenager starting out and not realising that a little was better than too much.

I kept looking at her in the large mirror. She always smiled back. It took us about half an hour largely because Emily insisted on explaining each stage and she kept emphasising the correct sequence of application. She used the products we’d received after the make-over I’d had in the mall. She took a few photos at each stage using my phone to use as a guide in case I forgot. How could Sally be right about her motive for pushing me to explore my feminine side to embarrass me? Emily was being so nice to me and she’d not talked about work all weekend. It was more like she wanted me as a friend and that she was teaching me to become the sort of PA she wanted but with the experience of the company and its products that she needed from time to time. I was having so much fun and it was taking my mind off the concerns about my family. Who cares if she is on a mission?

By the time we were finished I was desperate for a drink so insisted to buy us coffees in the coffee shop come bar area. We dressed and deposited our robes and towels in the baskets provided and headed to the café. I felt relaxed and my skin was so smooth. We found a spare table and I was totally at ease in the company of other guests who seem to be mainly from the spa and leisure centre rather than the hotel.

Most of us were dressed casually. Looking at the surroundings I was impressed. Nobody pestered us and we could get attention of staff whenever we wanted. I remember feeling that lt it would be a nice place to spend a weekend that I’d keep in mind to try once I s through my current difficulties. I might even treat Emily one day to thank her for her support and for keeping me in employment. She seemed to be enjoying herself too as she chatted to other guests around us. She seemed so relaxed and in her comfort zone around strangers in a nice hotel and I was proud of her.

Since it was already late afternoon Emily looked at her wristwatch and beckoned me to get ready to leave so we did a quick visit to the ladies room before she settled the final bill. I’d never have thought of such a venue or such a nice afternoon if Emily hadn’t suggested it. Men don’t have a clue about pampering experiences so well done Emily.

On the drive home Emily pressed me to continue my look at work the following day and said that she would pick me up if it helped that I finally accepted before we arrived. I remember sighing with relief as she exited the car and opened my door. We kissed lightly and hugged before I turned to wave goodnight as I punched in the security code. What a weekend. Could I carry this on? Emily seemed to be able to twist me around her little finger.

As I entered my apartment, I turned on the light and looked in the hallway mirror. In no time at all I had become Julie and Jules was gone. How on earth was my family going to recognise me and how would work colleagues react?