February Fantasy Fridays: 2

 

A second team-building Friday in February means another couple's costume
for William and Kateri, but a mistake creates a very complicated situation for William.

---

 
Author's Note:If you read this story, please leave a comment or critique? I really would like to hear back from you all at what you think of my characters in this story!~Clara.
 
This version of February Fantasy Fridays: 2 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
 
Chapter 2
 

Kateri kissed his cheek. "Ok... I'll give you a hint. We'll be a couple... we'll both be wearing pants, but I will playing the 'male' role..."

"Kat!"

She didn't stop. She just went on. "... I have everything we'll need to make us both look perfect... Your character is a mischievous cutie from Baghdad and mine is a handsome NASA astronaut."

William gaped at Kateri. "You can't seriously expect me to dress up as Jeannie from that TV show that you watch!?"

Kateri's grin became not just playful, but lustful as well. "Why not? I'll be dressing up as Major Nelson." William opened his mouth to complain, but Kateri's kiss silenced him. "But you won't have to call me 'Major Nelson' all day. You can just call me 'Master.'"

William was shocked. She couldn't be serious, could she?

"Ready to go?" Angela appeared in the doorway, her car keys in her hand.

William just stared at Kateri in shock.

Angela looked from her brother to his girlfriend and asked, "What's going on?"

Kateri pulled her coat up her arms. "I just told Billy about this week's costume."

"Cool," Angela was intrigued. "Which one did you choose?"

"'I Dream of Jeannie,'" Kateri confirmed. "I'm picking up the costumes today, so I'll be over this evening to make sure that everything fits Billy correctly." She walked over to her boyfriend and kissed his forehead. "You are going to look so good! I just hope that I'll be able to keep my hands off of you while we're at your mom's house."

Then she turned and winked at Angela. "I'll see you in a few hours," and she headed for the elevators.

"Ready to go?" Angela asked her brother.

"Angie... did you know what Kat was planning?" William was near panicked at the thought of having to wear the harem girl costume that had been featured in the classic TV show.

Angela smiled. "I knew that she liked those fancy costumes we saw at the shop and that if she rented one, the men's costumes were way too big for you, but that's all. Why?"

"Why!? Why!?" William looked around the office. There were still plenty of people around and he didn't want to cause a scene, but he was really concerned about this situation. He ran his hands through his hair as he felt fear choking him.

"Ok, ok, Willy, calm down." Angela put her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "This is just for fun, Willy. It's not a big deal. Look, look... I'll prove it to you. Come with me."

His sister led him out into 'The Pit,' the area where the ping pong, foosball and air hockey tables were all set up, and she guided him to a young, good looking, bronze skinned guy who was bouncing a ball on the ping ping table while looking at his phone.

"Bruce," she said to the young man, "what are you doing for a costume on Friday?"

The man looked up and smiled. "Hi, Angie. Bill. Friday? Well, I was trying to keep it a bit of a secret, but I know word has gotten around, so... I'm going as Shakira. My wife got me everything I need to dress up like Shakira did in the 'Hips Don't Lie' video. The red tee shirt with the white flowers on it, the tiered skirt, the wig... the whole thing. It's going to be a riot! How about you guys?"

"Well, I'm coming as Supergirl," Angela explained, "but Bill is still trying to make up his mind. Let me ask you, Bruce, if Bill and Kat came as a couple, but reversed the sexes so she was the guy, you know what I mean, that wouldn't be a big deal, would it?"

Bruce looked at William. "So you'd be dressed as the girl? Bill, that would be awesome. Let me tell you, we all have been wondering who you really were since you got here. I mean, you just cloister yourself away in your office all day and don't talk to anyone. Last Friday... well, let's just say that you stole the show and leave it at that, ok? Honest to God, Bill, you have been the talk of this office all week. If you can pull off another great couples costume, but throw that kind of a twist into it... you will own this place, my man!" Bruce held up his hand for a 'high five' which confused William for a moment, but he did, eventually, return it.

"Are we discussing costumes?" They all turned to see Tess, who was buttoning up her coat on the way to the elevator.

"We are," Angela answered for the group. "Do you think that anyone would make fun of Bill if he came dressed as a female character? Like, would people would tease him?"

Tess let out a little laugh. "Honestly, Bill, you'd be the hit of the office. Everyone was pleasantly surprised that you joined in last week. If you jump in with both feet this week, they'll all love you for it. If you're taking a poll, I vote 'yes,' you should do it." Then she seemed to think of something. "Oh, by the way, did Lorraine mention to you that a representative from Bunker Hill Investments is going to be at the meeting tomorrow?"

William shook his head. "No. Is that a problem?"

Tess made a show of thinking for a moment. "Not so much a problem as a concern. They're big investors and I think Lorraine would like them to be more involved with Firefly. They'll probably have a lot of questions for all of us, so the meeting may be a little longer than we anticipated. Typically, they invest in construction and big return projects, so we're just a little blip on their radar, but they do represent nearly eighty two percent of our financial backing, so Lorraine wants to be sure that we can answer any questions that come up."

"Ok. I'll make sure that I'm ready for it." William nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up."

She looked at her watch. "Gotta run, guys. See you tomorrow. Bill, thanks for going through those numbers with me again, today. I'm sure that will be a big help, now that Bunker Hill is coming. Night all!"

Bruce excused himself, too and as William and Angela went back to William's office to grab his coat, Angela asked, "Do you want me to see if anyone else is around and we can ask them, too?"

William shook his head. "No. I guess I was just making a mountain out of a molehill. Sorry."
 

~^~
 

As they drove through downtown, Angela asked her brother, "So... are you going to wear what Kat gets you?"

William sighed and shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, if Bruce and Tess are right, then maybe it's not such a big deal, BUT I'm going to ask Kat if next week we can do something that lets me wear pants."

"You will be wearing pants, Willy, and you wore pants last week, too."

"You know what I mean. I want to wear MEN'S pants. I'm thinking, maybe... Pirates of the Caribbean or something."

Angela nodded. "So, you want to be Elizabeth Swan?"

"Ha ha," William rolled his eyes. "No. I'm thinking I could be Jack Sparrow and Kat could be Elizabeth."

Angela began to say something flippant, but William interrupted. "OOOOOOOORRRRR... if she doesn't want to be Elizabeth, she could be Barbosa or even Davy Jones, something like that."

His sister nodded. "That seems fair, I guess. I bet Kat will be happy with that deal."

After a moment or two of just the sound of the radio, William asked, "When Bruce said I 'stole the show' last Friday... do you think that's true? I mean... do you think I... fit in with the rest of the office after that?"

Angel smiled. Her brother had always been that odd, geeky kid who hid in his room, or, as she had seen over the last few days, hid in his office. She could tell that he wanted to be friends with his coworkers, he just didn't know how. "Look, Willy... I've only been there a few days, but I have talked to people in the break room and stuff and when I tell them that I'm 'Bill's sister,' the reaction is usually, 'Oh, that guy in accounting?' or 'That guy who sang with Kat?' I get the impression that you haven't gone out of your way to be friends with anyone. If you really do want to make friends and fit in, then I'd recommend that you take a chance and show them that you can be a fun guy who enjoys working with them."

William nodded. "Ok. Then... I guess I'm all in then. Whatever it takes to make Kat happy and to make some friends."

Angela had to make two stops on the way home, so by the time they got there, Kateri's car was already in the driveway at their mother's house. The idea that his mother was telling Kateri embarrassing stories about his childhood scared William so much that he was out of the car before Angela had even moved the shift to the park position.

In the house, he found his mother oohing and ahhing over a pile of sheer pink material. "Oh, this is adorable!" She was gushing. "Look at all the detail in these pieces. I'm telling you, Kateri, he is going to be an absolutely beautiful Jeannie in this."

At that moment, she noticed that William was standing to the side of the room staring. She smiled and said, "Willy, come on in, honey, and see what Kateri has brought for you to wear. It's just beautiful!"

Just then, Angela entered and hung William's satchel on his shoulder. "Here, Willy. You jumped out of the car in such a rush that you forgot your bag." She looked to see what was happening across the room and hurried across to her mother and Kateri. "You got it!? Let's see it! Willy, come on over and see!"

William followed his sister across the room. His enthusiasm did not match hers, though. Especially when his mother held the see through harem pants up against him and said, "Look! They'll fit perfectly! Willy, you must try them on right now."

William wanted to just be that fun guy at the office, but this was a big step and he was a bit scared to take it. He took the pants in his hand and said, "I don't know, mom. I mean... these are pretty transparent. I'd be showing less skin in a mini dress."

"No you won't," Kateri said with way too much glee. Then she let out a, "Ta da!" as she produced two folded pieces of flesh colored material.

"What are those?" William asked, trying to make heads or tails of the items.

"A leotard and tights!" Kat smiled as she shook them loose to show them to William.

"See, you put on your bra and panties, then the tights and leotard, then the costume. Yeah, people will see through the harem pants, but they'll only see the tights, the leotard will cover your belly, so that open space between your boobs and your pants will look like skin, but it'll only be the flesh toned leotard. Cool, right?" Kateri was beaming with delight as she explained everything to William. "This is how we used to do it when I took dance class as a girl. You'll look like the actress from the TV show, but you'll be fully dressed and nice and warm."

"That's a great idea, Kat," Angela agreed. "I was a little concerned about being chilly in my Supergirl costume, but now I'm thinking that I should pick up some flesh colored tights for myself. You'll like them, Willy. They're very comfortable and nice and warm, too."

Now, it was his mother's turn to chime in. "That's very true, Willy. In fact, I've heard that a lot of construction workers and policemen - you know, men who work outside, in the cold - I've heard that a lot of them wear tights in the winter because they're more comfortable and warmer than thermal underwear. Once you have them on, you won't even notice that they're there."

William thought back to his conversation with Bruce and Tess about how much they'd enjoyed having him getting involved in last week's activities and he wanted to be someone that they liked having as part of the team, and he really did want to please Kateri, but... he really did not want to be embarrassed. So, he chose his words carefully. "Ok, Kat, look... I'll try everything on and we'll see how it looks, ok? If I don't look like and idiot, then I'll wear it, but if I do look like an idiot, then... promise me that you won't make me wear it, ok?"

"Sure, Billy," Kateri smiled, "but I know that you'll look amazing." She reached into her bags and took out yet another flesh colored piece of clothing. "Here, go put these on first, then come out and I'll get you dressed."

William caught the item, which turned out to be a pair of very small, very stretchy panties. "What are these?"

"They're control panties, of course," His sister laughed. "Women wear them to control their bellies, but cross dressers wear them to control..." she laughed, "... their little Willies."

William shook his head. "Very funny. I'll be right back."

He stepped into the downstairs lavatory and a few minutes later he stepped back out again wearing just the stretchy panties and a white tee shirt.

"Perfect!" Kateri clapped her hands. "You'll probably need to tuck Little Willy a bit, but we won't worry about that tonight. Sit here on the couch and I'll teach you how to put on your tights."

William took the proffered tights and sat, then his eyes nearly bugged out of his head as Kateri raised her skirt and pulled down her pantyhose. She sat next to him, took off her shoes and removed the hose completely. Then bunched up the left leg all the way to the toe. "Just do what I do and never pull too hard or you'll put runs in your tights."

William followed Kateri's lead and in a few moments he was standing and setting the waistband of the tights around his middle.

"Comfy, right?" Kateri asked.

William could not deny that the soft material clinging to his legs and abdomen was not only comfortable, but rather exciting, but rather than explain all that, he said, "I guess."

The women knew better though. They knew that he was enjoying himself.

"Ok, now step into this," Kateri said as she held open the leotard.

William stepped into it and Kat pulled it up tight to his crotch before having him put his arms through the thin, clear plastic straps and settling the garment onto his shoulders. He looked down and noticed that the front of the leotard was gathered between the breasts in order to properly cup a woman's bust. He pointed at that area and said, "I guess I'll need some tissues or something to stuff these?"

"Not at all," Kateri hustled over to her bags and pulled out a very pretty box that resembled a jewelry box and opened it. Inside were two very lifelike breasts. They were shaped and articulated just perfectly. They looked so real that you might have even believed that a woman had just taken them off and forgotten to take them with her. "Aren't they beautiful? Let me find the adhesive and we'll see how they look on you."

While she searched her packages, William's mother admired how her son looked in the tights and leotards. She ran her hands along the soft material and sighed. "Oh, I wanted both of you to take dance classes when you were little. I loved dancing so much as a girl. Just putting on the leotard and knowing that I was going to be with all the other girls was so exciting."

Angela cocked her head to the side in thought and said, "Mom, I can't remember a single time in all of my life that you ever suggested that either of us should take dance classes."

Her mother sighed, again. "Because I couldn't afford them, Angie. I remember what my parents spent on dance costumes, tap shoes, ballet slippers, competition trips, classes and everything else and I knew that I could never come up with all of that money. Being a single mom is tough, honey. I did what I could. You had soccer, volleyball and girl's basketball to keep you busy. I could afford that and you were always a bit of a jock, anyway. Willy, though... you were always locked up in your room with your books and computers... honestly, I think you would have really benefitted from taking dance classes."

That remark really surprised William. "Mom, why would I have wanted to take dance classes? I'm a boy, for crying out loud."

His mother shrugged. "Lots of boys take dance classes, Willy. I think you would have liked it and... well... looking at you dressed like this... it's like I finally have the little ballerina I always wanted."

Before William could form a response to that remark, Kateri blurted out, "Son of a bitch! I didn't buy the adhesive. Argh! What are we going to do, now? I ordered those off of the internet. I could never get the adhesive delivered in time for Friday." She grunted some more, but then a thought struck her. "I wonder if the costume shop has anything that will hold it?"

Angela said, "It's going to have to be a lot stronger than the stuff you used on his mustache, last week. That was falling off all day. You don't want a boob falling off and plopping onto the table during a meeting."

Kateri did chuckle at that, then started fishing around in the bags she'd brought in. "Where's my phone?" She muttered. "I don't know what time they close down at the costume shop. Maybe I can run over and see what they have."

"Don't worry," William's mother said, as she took the breasts and walked towards the kitchen, "I have just the thing."

Angela scowled and called after her mother. "Why on earth would you have breast form adhesive?"

Her mother called back from the kitchen. "Remember when I went on that church retreat last summer? Well, I roomed with Claire O'Mara and she had a mastectomy a few years back. She wore a fake breast when she went swimming and I saw what she used. I have the same thing. I'll be right back."

"Excellent!" Kateri said, happy to be back on schedule. "Here, put on the pants, babe." She held the pants open and he stepped in. They were built like fancy sweat pants. There was an elastic waistband that was covered by the deep red velvet at the top of the pants. Then they bloused out into see through puffs of sheer nylon before being drawn back into his ankles by elastic cuffs.

"And now the shoes!" Kateri giggled as she slipped the very elaborately decorated, satin, kitten heeled pumps onto his feet. The silk was dyed pink to match the harem pants, but the opening where his foot slipped in had two bands of silver sparkles surrounding it, another row of the silver sparkles outlined the bottom of the satin show, and the toe area was beautifully embroidered with sparkling silver thread, creating exotic flowers where he normally just saw the leather tip of his shoes.

"Oh, Willy," Angela gushed, "those are so cute! I don't know about the guys at the office, but the women are going to be all over you on Friday."

Kateri laughed. "Yeah. You'd better watch out for that, Billy. When all those women are telling you how cute you are, remember who made you that cute. I'm your Major Nelson, Jeannie. Don't forget that."

"Yes, Master," William smirked.

"I could get used to that," Kateri laughed.

"Ok, I've applied the adhesive to the breasts," William's mother called from the kitchen. "Pull down his leotard top and have him lay on the couch so we can get them on evenly."

William shrugged the straps down his arms, folded the leotard top down below his chest and laid down as his mother entered, a breast in each hand. She handed one breast to Angela to hold, then she took a long, serious look at her son's flat chest. Then she nodded and carefully placed the right breast on William.

"Hold that in place," she instructed her daughter as she took the left breast, made a few judgements about its placement, then carefully placed that one on him as well. "Hold that one, too," she said as she stepped out of the way.

"For how long?" Angela asked.

Her mother shrugged. "The can says fifteen seconds, but why don't you hold them in place for a minute or so."

"Ok," Angela smiled down at her brother. "You know, when I woke up this morning, I never expected that I'd spend the evening groping my little brother's perky, C cup breasts."

"I'm not you're little..." William began, but then something else occurred to him. "Did you say these are C cup breasts?"

Angela smiled even more broadly. "That's what the box says, Willy."

"And what size cup are you?"

"I'm a B, Billy. Just think, my little brother has bigger boobs than I do."

"Well, if my boobs are bigger than yours," William teased, "then maybe that makes you the LITTLE sister."

Angela's jaw dropped as she laughed. "Oh, my God! I can't believe you're finally getting into the spirit of things!" She released her hold on the silicon breasts and gave them a gentle prodding. "I think you're ready. Stand up and see how they feel."

With his sister's help, William stood. "Wow. They do pull a little."

"That's why we wear bras, Billy," Kateri smiled. "Unfortunately, this costume won't allow you to wear a real supportive bra, but even the top of the leotard will help. Here, let me help you get that back on."

Kateri gently raised the top back up William's arms, then positioned his new breasts in the garment's cups. "Huh," she mused, "they're warm when I touch them. I didn't expect them to feel so real." When the breasts were positioned correctly, she asked, "Does that help at all?"

"Yeah, I guess," William nodded. "They're pulling less, but it's still weird to have them there."

"I bet. Now, let's get the rest of the costume on." Kateri slid a bikini style top up his arms and positioned it over William's breasts. The top was made of the same material as the harem pants, but had a flesh-toned lining. It also had a little tassel hanging between his breasts and another just like it hanging below the bikini top. Then the tiny, red velvet, bolero jacket was run up his arm, covering his shoulders and offering a little protection from side-boob exposure.

The final touch, at least for that Wednesday evening, was the wig. It was a single piece that contained the blonde wig, the little red velvet fez with the blonde ponytail popping out of the top and a pink 'veil' that hung in a casual swag below the wearer's chin.

As Kateri brushed out the wig, Angela tucked William's hair into a wig cap. Eventually, Kateri fitted the wig onto his head and stepped back to judge the whole costume.

"Wow..." she said, honestly impressed. "I mean... wow! Billy, we haven't even done your makeup and... wow! You look soooooo good."

"Yeah?" William asked, feeling a little odd, standing in a very feminine costume and having his girlfriend and sister examine him. "Angie? What do you think?"

Angela's eyebrows raised as she shook her head and smiled. "Honestly, Willy... you look... amazing. You're going to blow everyone away."

Just then, the doorbell rang and William's mother hustled through the room. "That'll be the pizza. It was getting late, so I ordered some from Rovezzi's"

She paid the delivery man and took two boxes of pizza from him. As she headed into the kitchen, she said, "Come on, everyone, let's have some supper. Willy, go grab your robe to cover up that beautiful costume. After we have something to eat, we'll get you out of all that, but Rovezzi's pizza is best when it's good and hot."

"Ok," William nodded. He went up the stairs as quickly as he could, but the odd sensation of the breasts bouncing did slow him down a bit. When he reached his room, he went to his open closet door and pulled his robe off of the hook on the back of it. When he closed the closet door, he came face to face with the person in the mirror that was mounted on the front of the door. Of course, that had happened every time he'd opened that door since they'd moved to that house a decade or more earlier, but the thing that stopped William in his tracks was the fact that the person reflected in the mirror wasn't him. It was a woman. A fairly pretty woman in a very sexy harem girl outfit. "Holy cow," he whispered. "Holy freaking cow."

He ran his fingers over the soft material and marveled at the feelings, and was only a bit troubled by the fact that he felt himself becoming aroused. Why wouldn't he be, after all? I mean, when a guy sees a woman dressed like this with breasts this perfect, he's going to get aroused, right? That's just how guys are built.

He ran his fingers along the curves of the fake breasts and became even more excited. Without even a thought as to how proper it might be, his hand traveled down to the front of his harem pants and began to rub himself through the harem pants, the leotard, the tights, and the control panties. Everything was tight and contained, but just touching it was sending him into an erotic haze.

He thought about what it might be like to be dressed this way and to be with Kat in her bedroom. To have her touch him through these soft, sexy materials. To have her kissing his neck and nibbling his ears. To have her take him. To have her...

"Ahem..." came from the doorway.

William blinked and realized what he was doing. His hands snapped to his sides and his face blushed as he sputtered, "Angie... I... I was... I was just..."

"Yeah, yeah," his sister shook her head. "I know exactly what you were 'just,' but listen, girly girl, your mother and your girlfriend are directly below you and will hear you if you start moaning, and it may be a bit embarrassing if you have to explain why your panties are all gooey when you take them off. So, let's just go down and have some pizza before things get out of hand... so to speak."

William nodded, still embarrassed, and slid his arms into the robe. He started out of the door, but stopped and turned back to Angela and said, "Umm... listen, Angie, you won't... you know... you won't tell mom or Kat about what I was... I mean... what you saw... will you?"

Angela smiled. "Look, Willy, I may not be the most experienced girl in the world, but I know that guys are wired through their penises, so I'm not surprised that you got overly excited. Hell, if I suddenly had C cup boobs, I'd probably be pretty worked up myself."

When she didn't say anything more, William had to ask again. "So...?"

"Your dirty little secret is safe with me, little sister."

William blinked and nodded, nervously, as he tied the belt of his robe around himself. "Thanks, Angie."

"Let's just eat, Willy."
 

~^~
 

"Oh, my God, I've never had pizza this good before," Kateri was saying through a half filled mouth. "Where is this place?"

"Over on Plantation Street," William's mother was explaining. "Past the hospital, near Franklin."

"It's just wonderful!" Kateri continued to compliment.

"Ah! Here are my girls!" Their mother teased as the siblings entered the kitchen. "Come on and eat."

Besides the pizza, their mother had opened a bottle of red wine to accompany the food. William took just a very small portion of wine, then took a piece of pizza, placed it on a plate, then took a knife and fork out of a drawer and began to cut off his slice.

"Have you seen how my anal retentive brother eats his pizza before?" Angela asked Kateri.

Kateri smiled and reached over to touch William's forearm. "I think it's charming. I need that kind of neatness in my life." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, which was adorned with a tiny spit curl from the blonde wig. "You're a treasure, my pretty boy."

"He's always been a pretty boy," his mother said, without any thought that it might offend. "I always thought that Willy would have made a beautiful girl. I would have loved to have had a daughter who was into books and sewing and cooking..."

"Hey, I'm right here, mom!" Angela said, sounding comically insulted.

Her mother smiled back at her daughter's silliness. "You know what I mean, Angie. I tried to get you interested in things like that, but you were always a tomboy. A pretty tomboy, but a tomboy nonetheless."

Angela smiled and looked at Kateri. "Guilty as charged. Until my boobs came in, I was the toughest kid in the neighborhood. She'd try to put me in a dress and I'd scream bloody murder. I don't think I even realized that I was girl until I was sixteen."

"Not me," Kateri wiped her lips on a paper napkin. "I've always been obsessed with pretty things. Flowers, clothes, lace, silk... you name it. The girlier, the better. I didn't even look at a video game until I went to art school."

The conversation went on like this for over an hour. William said very little, as usual, and the women chatted and chatted and got to know each other. The pizza and the wine flowed until Kateri noticed that it was nearly nine o'clock.

"Geez, look at the time! I need to get home and shower soon. Come on, Billy, let's get you out of your pretty clothes."

It only took a few minutes for William to strip down to the control panties. Kateri retrieved his tighty whities from the lavatory and made no pretense of privacy as she lowered his panties and ran his boy undies back up his legs, leaving William standing in the middle of the living room in his drawers and his faux breasts.

"Here you go," His mother said, handing Kateri a bottle of nail polish remover and cotton balls. "Just dab that on his breasts and they should come right off."

Kateri smiled and grabbed a cotton ball and soaked it with acetone and she began applying it to the edges of the fake breasts. "I bet you'll miss these, won't you?" She teased.

William chuckled. "They are impressive, I'll say that. I just never thought I'd see anything like that on my chest."

Kateri laughed as she worked on the edge. "Huh," she muttered.

"What? Is there a problem?" William asked.

"No," Kateri kept working, "it's just that the breast isn't coming loose."

"What?" William was suddenly very concerned. "What do mean? They're not coming off?"

"Relax, babe," she said without making eye contact. She worked some more. "I should have made SOME progress by now, but..." she called out to the kitchen. "Umm... are you sure that this adhesive comes off with nail polish remover?"

Angela and her mother came in to see what the problem was. "That's how Claire took her's off. Isn't working?"

Kateri stood straight and looked at the breasts. "No. It's not working at all."

"Hmm," William's mother said, thoughtfully as she picked up a cotton ball and soaked it with the remover. "Let me try."

She worked for several minutes, but there was no change at all.

When the breasts remained in place, Angela said, "I'll check the adhesive bottle. Where is it, mom?"

"In the pantry, next to the big mixer," Her mother said, still trying to make some progress.

"They will come off, right?" William asked, very concerned.

"Of course they will, Willy," his mother said, shaking her head, but Kateri was not as sure.

"Mom, you didn't use this, did you?" Angela asked as she came back into the living room with a tall, black spray can.

"Yes, that's it," she nodded. "What does it say about removing it?"

Angela read the can, then looked at Kateri and grimaced. She handed the can to William's girlfriend who gasped.

"This isn't breast adhesive," Kateri said as calmly as she could.

"What?" William's mother turned and took the van. "I don't understand. The can looks the same as the adhesive that Claire used."

"Mom," Angela was getting excited, "this is the adhesive I was given to attach the sports team's medallions to the walls in my high school as part of that community service project I did in my senior year. This is permanent, industrial adhesive! You're not even supposed to get this on your fingers! This didn't just adhere the breasts to Willy, it actually bonded them to his skin!"

Her mother looked at her as if she couldn't conceive of what the girl was saying. "So, how do we get them off?"

"That's the point, mom! We can't get them off! They're 'PERMANENTLY' bonded to him. You just gave your son C cup breasts, mom!"

The thud of William's unconscious body hitting the floor was the only thing that stopped Angela from screaming at her mother.
 

~^~
 

They called the police, who told them to call the fire department, who told them to call poison control, who told them to call the hospital who told them to call the manufacturer who's voicemail told them to call back after nine A.M. Eastern Standard Time to talk to a representative. William's mother even called her friend Claire who, although very confused by the question, assured that she had never attached her prosthetic breast with 'Goodman's Industrial Grade Permanent Spray Adhesive' and that she had no idea how to remove a prosthetic breast that had been attached using that substance.

William had been sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, growing more scared, more frustrated and more angry by the minute. Defeated, his mother sat opposite him in a wing backed chair and said, "I guess you'll just have to call in sick tomorrow, Willy. We can call the manufacturer at nine and find out how to get those off."

"If," he corrected his mother. "If we can get them off. There is no guarantee that there is a way to remove them."

"Oh, I'm sure that..." his mother began, but William cut her off.

"And I can't call in sick tomorrow, mom. I'm not a cashier at Walmart. I am the accountant - THE ONLY ACCOUNTANT - for a multimillion dollar business and I have what is probably the biggest meeting of my career at eleven thirty tomorrow morning!" Suddenly he was standing and his voice was increasing in volume. "This is the dumbest, most ridiculous thing you have ever done, mother! Your entire life has been a series of careless, thoughtless, stupid decisions that have always been the wrong goddamned decisions!"

"Hey, come on now, babe," Kateri tried to calm him, but he wouldn't listen.

"No! You don't know what it's like to grow up in a house with a mother that may or may not be home on any given night, Kat. All her little stories about not having the perfect life... All of that is directed at me because, somehow, I am responsible for being conceived in her sophomore year of college and because of that, SHE never finished, SHE never had any breaks, SHE never could find a man that wasn't scared off by her two bastard children."

"Willy, stop," Angela took his hand in hers, but he pulled it loose and went right on.

"Well, that wasn't my fault! That was her fault! Your fault, mom! And this is your fault too! I was hoping to get the heck out of here soon, to put down a deposit on a condo in that new development over off of Salisbury Street next month, mom! Now, I'll be lucky if I still have a job twenty four hours from now! How could you be so stupid? Look at me, mom! Look at me! You weren't even asked to help, but you volunteered to be responsible for one little thing. One tiny, little thing, but just like every other aspect of your life, you screwed this up to! Well, thanks a whole hell of a lot mom! Just... thanks!"

His mother kept her eyes down and stared at the carpet, uncertain of what she could possibly say to calm her son down or rectify the situation.

William shook his head in disgust. Then an idea struck him. "Angie! Do you still have that Exacto knife kit?"

His sister looked up and shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"

"Go see if you can find it. Maybe I can cut these things off."

"No!" Kateri finally had had enough. "Just stop all of this, Billy. Now, I know that you're angry and that because of that, you're lashing out at your mother, but come on, babe... do you really think your mother intended to attach boobs to your chest permanently? And if the silicone is bonded to your chest, then I don't think that hacking at them with a razor knife is a safe idea. No. What we'll have to do is just go to bed, get some sleep and in the morning we'll go to work a little early so no one sees you and call the manufacturer when they open at nine. They'll tell us what to use as a solvent and either Angie or I will run out and get it. We'll get the breasts off safely and without having you stab yourself and you can go to your meeting. Then, everything will be ok. Alright?"

William shook his head. "What if we can't get them off? How will I deal with the meeting then?"

Kateri thought for a moment. "Well... we'll cross that bridge when and if we come to it. If worse comes to worse then maybe you could just participate using Zoom or something. You know, like Lorraine could say, 'Our accountant is not on site today, but he's joining us remotely.' That might work, right?"

William shrugged and shook his head. He had no response. His adrenaline was still running far too high to think straight. He was in no mood to see a positive outcome right now.

"Willy, it's getting late," Angela said. "I know how upset you are, but we all need to get some sleep. Please, just calm down. We'll be able to think more clearly in the morning. I think that Kat's plan is the best one we have right now."

William remained silent.

Kateri hugged him and whispered, "Come on, babe. I'll stay the night, ok? Let's just get to bed. I'll sleep with you. You've already said some things that you can't take back. Let's not make it any worse."

She guided William towards the stairs. Angela stood and looked at her mother. "Are you coming to bed, mom?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, Angie. I think I'll just sit here for a few minutes. I have a lot to think about."

Angela looked at William and opened her eyes wide, then indicated her mother. He took a deep breath and told Kateri to go ahead up and get ready. Then he shook his head and walked back to the couch and sat down.

The two sat there in silence until finally his mother said, "I didn't mean for this to happen, Willy."

"I know, mom, but it did happen and now I have to deal with it. I'm just so tired of having to deal with problems that you create for me."

She shook her head. "I don't mean just that, Willy. Not just the breasts. I mean... this... this hatred of me that you have. I didn't mean for that to happen. I really wanted to be a good mother, I just... didn't know how."

William exhaled and shook his head again. "I never said that I hate you, mom."

"Willy, people who love each other don't treat each other like we do. I don't know why I couldn't love you two more, but... some people are just not good at it, Willy, and I am terrible at it. I hear myself say demeaning things to you, things about your height and appearance, and I hate myself for it, but I do it anyway, and I don't know why. I do the same thing to Angie, but... hell, I've done it to everyone my whole life."

"Mom..." William really did not want to have this conversation, but it seemed like he'd started it, so he needed to continue. "I was... I am... very upset about..." he motioned to his newly acquired bust, "...this... and I just lost my temper. Look... I know that you love me in your own way, that you love Angela like that, too... I never doubted that. I just got really mad and I said things I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry. Please... can we just forget about it and go to bed?"

She looked at him with red rimmed eyes. "Willy... everything you said is true. I've always blamed you and Angie for how hard things always were. Willy... Willy, I... I've always wanted the best for us, but I could never figure out how to do it and... Jesus, I hate to say this, Willy, but I have to clear the air... You've always been so... aloof. So... independent, Willy. Like you never needed me. Like... when you were a toddler. I'd hug you, and you'd squirm away. I may not have known how to give love, Willy, but when I tried... you never seemed to know how to take it, either. I hated that... and I hated how much you looked like your father... and I hated how much smarter than me you were, even as a child... but I tried, Willy, I tried so, so hard to love you. I even thought I did. At least... I thought that you believed I did."

"Mom..."

"Let me finish, Willy. What you just said... all of it... It's all true. I've done terrible things to everyone I've ever been close to. Your father, Angie's father, my sisters, my parents... everyone. I've treated you and Angie as if you were burdens instead of letting you in to my..." she was suddenly sobbing, "... heart. I was a terrible daughter, a terrible sister, then I was a terrible mother and now... my God, Willy, I may have maimed your chest and I was trying to act as if it was no big deal so no one would blame me. What the hell kind of a person am I, Willy?" By this point, she could not hold back everything that she'd kept locked up for so long and she buried her face in her hands and just wept.

William's skin tingled. He didn't know why, but he was feeling so many emotions that his skin was actually tingling with them. The worst part of it all though was that his mother was crying and he had caused it. He'd said things so terrible that he'd mad his mother actually cry.

And he didn't know what to do about it.

He looked about to see if maybe, just maybe, Angie or Kat were nearby and could offer advice, but he was alone with his mother and needed to do something now. He rose and stood by his mother, then he knelt in front of her and raised her head so that he could slip his shoulder under her head, then pull her close to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I don't hate you, mom. I love both you and Angie as much as any son or brother could possibly love his family. I mean that, mom, but this whole... breast thing just has me crazy. Can you forgive me for saying what I said?"

His mother looked up shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive, Willy. Everything you said was true."

"No, it wasn't, mom. I have no right to judge you and I'm sorry that I did. I know that you didn't use the wrong glue on purpose. It was just... a accident."

"A stupid, stupid accident, Willy."

"Yes, but a accident nonetheless. You didn't do it on purpose and I was an ass for thinking that you did. Now... come on. Let's stand up."

William stood and helped his mother to her feet, his naked breasts bouncing with the movement. "Hug me." He requested once they were both standing. He was shorter than his mother, so now his head was resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Willy. I'm so sorry." That was the first time that William ever heard his mother say those words and it made him feel... good, in an odd way, but even more than that, he felt... closer to his mother than he'd ever felt. "I failed. I failed you and Angie and me. I failed everyone."

"Mom," William said, quietly, "I know that you haven't had it easy and that being alone with two kids was a challenge. It wasn't easy for Angie and me, either, but we always knew that you loved us, mom. Even if you doubted it, we knew that you loved us and we don't doubt it now, either."

His mother sniffled back her tears and nodded. "I'm trying to do better, Willy. I really am. I mean, I've been going to church and AA for five years now. I promise, I'm trying to do better."

William loosened his hug and moved back a little so that he could see his mother's tear covered face. "I know, mom. So am I." He smiled a little as he wiped away some of her tears. "We're ok, right?"

She forced a smile, too, as she nodded. "We're better than ok, Willy."she looked at her son's soft face. "We're pretty good, I think."

"And you'll go to bed, now, mom, right? I mean... you're usually ok to just have one glass of wine, but..."

She touched his cheek and smiled. "Willy... the bottle is empty. I only had one small glass, as usual. Wine was never my problem and there's no more alcohol in the house. You can trust me. I'll go to bed and go to sleep. I promise."

"Ok," he kissed her cheek. "I think I should try to get some sleep"

As he stepped away, his mother let out a small laugh. "Those breasts are impressive, Willy. If you'd been born a girl, you never would have gotten breasts that big from me."

William nodded. "I think Angie is actually jealous."

"To tell you the truth, so am I."
 

~^~
 

William got very little sleep that night. His normal anxiety about the upcoming meeting would have made him restless under the best circumstances, but the breasts made it difficult to get comfortable. If he rolled onto a side, the breasts pulled uncomfortably on his chest, sleeping on his stomach was out of the question and he was unused to sleeping on his back.

Kateri was up before six, so the two of them dressed quietly and headed to Kateri's house. The breasts made any of William's dress shirts unwearable, so he wore his normal suit pants and dress shoes, but took his dress shirt, jacket and tie with him and he covered himself with an old, normally loose fitting, sweat shirt, which was kind of tight that morning, to cover his breasts. Even his winter coat was snug when he zipped it up.

He sent his mother and sister a text telling them that they'd left early so Kateri could shower and change and that they were planning on getting to the office by 8:30 so that William could sneak into his office unnoticed.

Before they left Kateri's house, she pulled a box out of her closet and dug through a supply of brown polo shirts, until pulling out one and holding it up to William to check the fit. "What size shirt do you usually wear?" She asked.

"Men's extra small of boy's large. Why?"

"Try this one on," she handed him the shirt. Unlike most of William's polo shirts, this one was made of a silky, moister wicking material and it also had the Firefly logo on the left breast. William removed his old sweat shirt and pulled the shirt over his head. Kateri nodded. "That's a woman's small. It looks better than the sweat shirt."

William shrugged at the shirt. He was fine with it, but hoped to be wearing his dress shirt in a few hours. "Why do you have a box of Firefly shirts in your closet?"

Kateri closed the box and returned it to the closet. "They're from a team building event a few years ago. I was in charge of getting them made and we ended up with more than we needed. I didn't throw them out because I figured that we'd needed them someday. Turns out I was right." She looked him over carefully. The garment was made for a woman's shape and nicely conformed to the shape of his plump breasts and narrow belly and hips. 'It looks nice on you," she let out a little giggle, "but you could use a bra. You're a wee bit nipple-y, young lady."

William looked at his chest and grimaced. Kateri was correct, the nipples on his breasts were noticeably protruding through the shiny fabric.

"Come on, let's get going," Kateri put her arm around him and led him towards the door. "I'll treat you to a scrumptious breakfast at MickeyD' s drive through on the way."
 

~^~
 

"Wow, you guys are in early," Firefly's ever friendly receptionist, Raquel bubbled as Kateri and William entered the company's lobby at eight twenty. The twenty-something girl was busying herself at the reception area snack table, replenishing the K-cups and energy bars. "I'm usually alone here until a few minutes before nine. Today, it's like Grand Central Station around here."

Kateri stopped in her tracks. "Really? Why? Who's here already?"

Raquel was surprised by the question, but always happy to chat. "Oh, well, Lorraine was already in when I got here, but Tess and a few women from her department came in about ten minutes ago, and that new intern, Angela, just showed up."

Kateri let out a long breath. She'd hoped to have William in his office before anyone got there, but there was no way to get to William's office without passing Lorraine's.

"I guess everyone is a little anxious about that meeting today," Raquel continued, undeterred by the fact that no one else was contributing to the conversation. She looked at Kateri and William with her usual big, supportive smile. "I guess it's a big day."

"I guess," Kateri plastered on a big smile and she ushered William towards The Pit.

"Keep your coat zipped up. I thought we'd beat Lorraine into the office today," Kateri whispered as they passed the game tables.

"Let's just pass her door as normally as possible and maybe she won't look up." William offered.

When they passed the CEO's door, no one was in the office. They both let out a sigh of relief just as a voice called from the conference room, "Bill, I'm glad you're here early. Come on in and go through these figures with Tess and me one more time."

When they turned to look, Lorraine had already turned her back to them and reentered the conference room.

William took a deep breath. "Well, so much for stealth. Here goes nothing."

"Hey, guys," Angela said, a bit solemnly. "I brought you coffee. It's in Willy's office.

Kateri rolled her eyes. "It'll have to wait. Billy's been called into the conference room. Come on. You and I will go in for support."

They all entered the room quietly. William went in about ten feet while the women waited by the door.

"Ok, great," Lorraine was talking a mile a minute without looking up, "Bill, these projections that you worked out with Tess are excellent, but they focus on moderate sales figures. Where are the figures that you guys had that mirrored the sales from the previous edition of the game? I think those figures are more encouraging for the investors and since we have a rep from BHI coming in today, I'd like to be as positive..."

Lorraine looked up at that point and saw William's worried expression and then noticed that Kateri and Angela were standing in the doorway with equally worried faces.

"Bill?" She asked, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

William was still searching for the correct words to explain this ridiculous situation to his boss.

When he said nothing, Lorraine looked to the doorway. "Kat? Is there something I can help you with?"

Kateri found herself in the same situation as William, unable to find her voice.

"Well?" Lorraine was in a rush to get back to her prep for the meeting.

"Take off your coat, Willy," Angela finally said.

William sighed and unzipped the coat, pulling it from his shoulders.

"Oh, shit!" Tess laughed as she covered her mouth. "Bill! What the hell?"

Lorraine just stared, slack jawed, for at least twenty seconds, then sat back in her chair. "What, exactly is going on, Bill? Is this a joke of some kind? Because if it is than you picked a hell of day to suddenly develop a sense of humor."

William gave them a synopsis of the events of the previous evening.

Kateri took over, "We're calling the manufacturer at nine to find out how to get them off. Hopefully, we'll have them off in plenty of time for the meeting."

"And if you don't?" Lorraine seemed more angry than Kateri had expected.

"Well... we were thinking that, maybe, Bill could participate remotely on Zoom."

Lorraine tossed the papers she was holding onto the conference table and shook her head. "I don't like that idea. There's always a delay and too much distance between the person asking the question and the person on Zoom. If one of the investors, especially the Bunker Hill rep, asks a question, I'd rather that you were in the room so that you can look them in the eye and give them an honest answer that they feel comfortable with." She glanced at Angela. "What about you, Angie? Are you capable of answering questions at the meeting?"

Angela went pale as she looked around the room. "Oh, no, ma'm, I don't think I am. Not yet. I'm sorry."

Lorraine rubbed her forehead and looked at the table. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph," she muttered. "I don't believe this."

"Whatever we do," Tess said, seemingly still amused by William's predicament, "we need to get Bill a bra, because it's not cold in here, but Bill's nipples are feeling a chill."

"Shut up, Tess and let me think." Lorraine said as she sighed.

Tess seemed to be in no way offended by Lorraine's harsh words and went right on staring at William and shaking her head.

With more sighs and head shakes, Lorraine went into business mode and looked for a solution. "Ok, I want you in the room, that's a given, but I don't want you there looking like that. No offense, Bill, but you look ridiculous. Like a guy with boobs. That would be too distracting. So - if we CAN get the boobs off, then we're good and it's business as usual."

"Yes," Bill said, hopefully.

"And if not?" Lorraine looked at Tess. "Ideas?"

"Well..." Tess looked at William and considered things. "We could say that Bill is transitioning. You know, like he'd been on hormones and got great results quicker than expected. Chances are, the next time that BHI sent a rep, it wouldn't be the same person and by then Bill would be flat chested again."

Lorraine shook her head in disgust. "So, what, he just grew breasts over night and came to an important meeting dressed like that?"

"Maybe they won't even ask," Kateri offered. "I mean, it's not that unusual to see someone who really is transitioning nowadays, right? And it'd be rude to ask... right?"

"They'll ask," Lorraine interrupted. "Bunker Hill doesn't like the toys we have in The Pit, for crying out loud. If they see Bill looking like that, they will definitely ask about it. They are a bunch of old money assholes who will have very firm, very old fashioned opinions about sexual identity, but we can't afford to have them pull their money out of Firefly."

They were quiet for a moment, until Angela spoke with a lot of uncertainty. "He could... or... we could get him..."

"Just say it, Angie," Lorraine instructed.

"A dress..." she said to silence. "We could, you know, dress him up like, well, us, and he could just be, well... just another girl who works here."

Lorraine looked at Angela, then at William and the at Tess. "Well? You're the fashion maven. Could he pass as a women?"

Tess looked at William and considered his size, body shape and face. "It's possible, I guess."

"You're not seriously considering..." William started to protest, but Lorraine held up her hand.

"Bill, according to your story, you're planning on coming to work as a woman tomorrow, anyway, and this is a pretty tenuous position that you put us in, so I don't really want to hear about it. Even if you come across as boyish and you're dressed in a dress or suit and wearing makeup, then they'll just assume that you're a boyish girl, and honestly, I don't think that it would take much to make you pretty." Suddenly, she raised her voice and shouted, "Raquel!"

Seconds later, the girl was in the conference room. "Yes, Lorraine?"

"Raquel, call down to the salon on the first floor and see if Dhaveed is available. If he is, connect him to the phone in here."

"Yes, ma'm" the girl smiled and hurried away.

Kateri spoke when Raquel was gone. "Look, Lorraine, I'm not sure that this is a great idea..."

"Then let's hope that you get those things off of him," Lorraine said without emotion as the phone rang and she picked up the receiver. "Hello?... Ahh, Dhaveed, thank you for taking my call. We may have an emergency here... No, no, not me... See, well, long story short, one of my male employees finds himself in an odd position and I may need for you to do something with his hair and makeup... Yes, that's the point. I'd want him to pass as a woman... No, he's actually rather tiny..." She glanced at her watch. "We'll know in ten minutes or so, but he'd have to be ready to go for a meeting at eleven thirty. I'd like him ready earlier than that if possible... Dhaveed, you are an angel, my dear! Yes, yes, thank you. I'll let you know either way."

She hung up the phone and looked around the room. "Dhaveed is on standby and he is the best stylist I know. Now," she looked at her watch again, "I believe it is nine o'clock. Give me the number. I'll make the call the manufacturer and put it speaker so you can hear."

Kateri handed Lorraine a piece of paper with the number written on it. The numbers were punched and the phone rang several times before someone picked it up.

"Good morning. Goodman Industrial Adhesives. How may I direct your call?"

"Yes, good morning. I need some information regarding one of your adhesives. One of my employees used the product and now has a... foreign substance stuck to his skin and we need to know how to remove it."

"Oh, dear," the person on the other end sounded concerned. "Please hang on for Mister Randolph."

A little light classical music played before someone picked up. "Good morning. This is Frank Randolph. How can I assist you?"

"Good morning, Frank. My name is Lorraine and we're having a problem here. One of my employees used your permanent adhesive last night and accidentally attached something to his skin. How can we get that off of him."

The man grunted before he spoke. "Well, Lorraine, that depends on the material he bonded to himself and where on his body the item is attached."

"Well," Lorraine shook her head as she realized she'd have to explain. "You see, my employee was trying on a costume that would require him to wear artificial breasts, and..."

"So there are two silicone breasts on his chest, then, right," Frank cut to the chase.

"That is correct."

"Honest to God," the man said with disgust. "Ok, Lorraine, so you'll need to use our medium solvent. Once silicone is attached, it's difficult to get off. Our gentle solvent will get the product off of your fingers if you just have a residue, but it won't touch something like this, and our maximum strength solvent will burn his skin, so take your time and keep working the solvent under the breasts. It'll take a few hours, but it'll come off."

"Thank you, Frank. And can we pick that up at Home Depot, then?"

Suddenly, Frank seemed confused. "Well... no, of course not. You need a chemical use permit to use any of our products. Doesn't your business have one?"

"No, Frank. We make video games."

"Where did the original can of adhesive come from, then?"

When Lorraine could not answer that, Angela leaned forward and spoke. "Umm, I'm not sure where the can originally came from, but we used it in a public service project when I was in high school. It just ended up in my mother's closet."

"God Almighty," Frank was suddenly very irritated. "Look, Lorraine, you are going to have to find a company that uses our products, then hope that they are willing to help your guy out. This is a gross misuse of our product and use by an unlicensed person is very problematic."

Lorraine looked at the three of them with a bit of disgust. "I understand, Frank, and I do apologize. How can I find a nearby company that might be able to assist us?"

"According to my phone, you're calling from the 508 area code. That's Massachusetts, right? I'll have my assistant fax you a copy of our customers in your area. Look for it this afternoon."

"Fax it? Couldn't you just email it to me now?"

"Sorry," Frank said. "Emails aren't secure enough. Just give your fax number and I'll get there in a few hours."

Lorraine gave him their fax number, thanked him and hung up. "Raquel!" The girl was there in seconds. "Call Dhaveed and tell him you'll be down there in five minutes with Bill." Then she turned and looked at Angela. "Do you know Bill's sizes?"

"Umm, yeah, I do. I got them when I went with Kat to get his costume for last week."

"Good," she turned to Tess. "You take Angie over to the mall on Rt 20. There's a Talbot's, a J Crew, a Nordstrom's... you should be able to find everything you need there. And Tess - make sure he looks at least as good as a woman as he does as a man. Now, go."

Everyone started to go, including Kateri, but Lorraine stopped her. "Kat, I need you here."

"Oh," Kateri looked at William who was following Raquel out the door. "I was going to go downstairs with Billy."

"I need you to set up the meeting with me. That's usually Raquel's job, but obviously, she's otherwise engaged."

"But, I... Billy's going to be pretty confused by what they're taking about down there. He's never been to a salon before."

"You know what they say, Kat - What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. He'll be fine. Besides, you and I need to talk. First thing, though, let's get the troops together and explain all of this to them. We don't want someone seeing Bill and saying something stupid."
 

~^~
 

"Oh, well this is a nice surprise!" Dhaveed said as he spread an apron across William. "When Lorraine said that she was sending down a man, I was worried. You're still a boy, though. How old are you, sweetie?"

"Twenty four," William replied, petrified of what was going to happen.

"Really," Dhaveed was a very flamboyant man of middle eastern heritage who was obviously wearing makeup and had beautifully sculpted his eyebrows. William had never really encountered a man who took such pains to look good. "I'd have guessed much younger, but that's not why we're here, right? So, we need to send you back upstairs looking like a well groomed female executive, right? Well, you are already cute as a button, so this will be easy. Luckily, you have enough hair to work with. Let's get that hair washed and colored, then we'll figure out the rest."

"Colored?" William asked, even more scared than before. "What color?"

Dhaveed laughed. "Don't worry, honey, nothing drastic. I'm picturing you with something cute and sassy. I think we'll just be lightening you up a bit and adding a few gold highlights, maybe a little red, too. Trust me, girl, you will love it. There's a reason that people say I'm the best."
 

~^~
 

"Hi, Tess!" The saleswoman welcomed them into the large department store's women's department. "It's nine thirty on a work day. Pretty unusual time to see you out shopping."

"It's an emergency, Sue," Tess replied. "This is Angie and we're looking to get a nice, simple suit for a colleague of ours. Long story short, she's a small, thin girl with almost no hips or butt and we need her looking great for a meeting at 11:30. She need everything - Suit, top, shoes, stocking, bra, panties - everything."

"Oh, so the clock's ticking. Follow me. Pants or skirt?"

"She'd prefer pants," Angela said.

"But there's less to worry about with a skirt," Tess said. "Let's go with a skirt, Sue."

"Great, what size?"

Angela ran down the list of sizes she knew. "I know she has a C cup breast, but I'm not sure of her band size."

"That's ok," Sue said. "I can make an educated guess with what you've given me. I take it this girl is fairly short, too, right? So, let's start in petites and see what we have. What does she do at your office?"

"She's an accountant." Tess said, looking at the multitude of selections.

"An accountant," the saleswoman mused. "So nothing garish. Something sensible that says 'trustworthy.' Something dark, maybe. Black or navy blue. Ooh, look at this. It's royal blue but very classy. Nice lapels with a pretty stitching, one button front, hip length hem on the jacket and the pencil skirt comes to just above the knee. We have the skirt in a straight pencil style or a tight, hobble style with a slit in the front. The skirt and jacket are lined in a gold silk and breathe really well. I have the same suit in charcoal and it's one of my favorites."

"Wow, that's perfect, Sue. Don't you think, Angie?" Tess touched the expensive material.

'It's beautiful," Angela agreed.

"You're a miracle worker, Sue. How about a top?"

"Well," Sue considered the suit for a moment. "You say she's a C cup, so she's a little girl with a lot going on. Let's stay away from anything too form fitting." She walked along a row of blouses, the stopped and grabbed something. "This would be perfect. A nice, loose fitting shell. It's sleeveless and has this lovely little key hole opening in the front with a little pearl button in the center of the neck. Perfect, right?"

The soft yellow top was perfect. It would be modest, but kind of sexy on William's contoured chest. It was very, very sheer, but had a silk camisole that was designed to go with it.

"I love it. Do you think that little pearl button is enough decoration or should we get her a necklace?" Tess asked, shocking Angela with her rapid fire approach to getting what was needed.

"When we go to shoes, we'll stop in jewelry. Something simple around the neck might be nice, but if she has pearls to wear as earrings, that would work."

Tess took out her phone and dialed as Sue said, "Let's look at lingerie. We'll get her a nice bra and panty set and when I wear a suit like this, I prefer a nice, comfortable, full length slip under it. Even though the dress has a lining, it just kind of completes the look and feel of the suit."
 

~^~
 

"Hello?" Raquel said into her phone. "Ok. Ok. Ok, Tess. Yes, I'll tell him." She disconnected the call.

"Tell me what?" William asked.

"Not you," Raquel looked to the hairdresser. "Dhaveed, we have an issue. Bill will be wearing a skirt suit and his top will be sleeveless. Can you do his legs and pits?"

"No problem at all," Dhaveed grinned. "He looked at William. Once I get the color in, I'll just use some Nair on your arms, legs and pits. No big deal, honey. Trust me, you'll like it."

"I doubt it," William muttered under his breath.

"Ellie!" Dhaveed called across the salon and a young woman came running. "Look at his fingers, baby. Terrible, right? He's going to need some nails. Nothing long, maybe just past the fingers. A deep color that he can wear everyday to work in an office. A deep red, maybe. We'll do his toes, too, just in case they get him open toed shoes."

"What are we doing here," Ellie asked in a nonjudgmental tone. "Drag queen? Costume party? What?"

"No, he's going full 'girl next door' for a few days. I'll fill you in later. Make sure he can still use his fingers though. I'll have his hair color ready in five minutes, then you can work on him while the color sets."
 

~^~
 

"A folder at every seat, an empty glass for water and a pen above the folder and make sure that each pen works and that our logo is well printed on it. Every now and then there's a smudge from the printers." Lorraine was pointing at each item and giving Kateri very specific instructions.

Kateri shook her head in amazement. She was an artist, for crying out loud, and a damned good one. Now, she was expected to do Raquel's job. To be a receptionist. "Look, Lorraine, I'm willing to help out and all, but I'm an artist, not a receptionist and..."

"You're an artist in a department of fourteen artists, Kat, and you're not even my best artist, and you made my accountant, who is a department of ONE, look like a side show exhibit on a day when I need him to shine. So, would this artist like to do the job of a receptionist for a few hours or would this artist like to become the assistant to the receptionist on a full time basis?"

Kat's stomach became a big knot all of a sudden. "Yeah, I get that, Lorraine, and I apologize, but why don't I go down stairs with Billy and send Raquel back up. She knows how to do all of this."

Lorraine looked at her employee and shook her head. "Look, Kat, I have no problem with employees dating, but it doesn't take a genius to see that you are turned on by getting Bill into women's clothing. That suit and those shoes he wore last week? Come on, you got into that, didn't you? And now, you're dressing him up as woman for Friday? This is a game to you Kat. It's a game of 'How Girly Can I Make My Boyfriend,' and I need that game to stay at home unless we're doing a costume day. Bill is getting a make over in order to make him presentable, not to get you excited. Understood? So let Dhaveed do whatever he needs to do and you can pretend that Bill is your girlfriend afterwards."

Kat was horrified and embarrassed by what Lorraine had said - mostly because a lot of it was true. She tried to explain that Lorraine was wrong, but Lorraine just waved her off. "Honestly, Kat, what you two do is between you two and one hundred percent cool with me, as long as it stays out of the office, but right now... Get the conference room ready or pack up your desk, because I have too much at stake today to have any more conversations about this."

Kateri nodded and headed towards the conference room as quickly as she could.
 

~^~
 

"Thanks, Tess," Raquel said as she disconnected the call and looked at Dhaveed. "A royal blue skirt and jacket and a yellow shell. The shell has a teardrop opening at the neckline with a little pearl button."

"Perfect," Dhaveed smiled. "That will help us coordinate his makeup better. Now, that pearl button... I think we can tie that in, too."

"How?" Raquel asked.

Dhaveed winked. "You'll see."
 

~^~
 

"A simple, classic, black pump goes with everything," Sue said, holding the shoe as if she was a spokesmodel. "Since she's a little girl, you might want to consider a taller heel."

"I wouldn't go too high," Angela said. "She doesn't have a lot of experience with high heels."

"These are beautifully made," Sue pointed out. "They are very easy on the feet and walking in them is a breeze."

Tess looked at the shoe. "I like them, but Angie's right. Let's stick to a simple two inch heel."

"I think that's everything," Angela said, looking at the clothing that Sue had assembled for them.

"I think you're right," Tess agreed. "Can you just charge this to Firefly, Sue?"

"You got it," the saleswoman smiled. "Let me bag these and you can be on your way." She walked away.

"That was fun," Tess smiled. "I've never shopped for a guy before at all and I certainly never shopped got a skirt suit for a guy. He's going to look adorable in this, Angie."

"I really hope this works, Tess. Willy is really sensitive about being embarrassed. He has to look good or we're never going to get him into that conference room."

"Angie, I know Dhaveed and if he says that Bill is going to look great, then he's going to look great."
 

~^~
 

"Ok, Kat, the room looks great. You've done a great job setting it up."

"Thank you, Lorraine," Kateri pushed her hair back from her face and tried to appreciate all the work that she'd done, hauling materials and cases of water and pastries into the conference room. "I'll just go back to my desk, then."

Lorraine stopped her. "Not just yet, Kat. I need you to cover reception until Raquel gets back."

If she didn't have a mortgage and a car payment, that would have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Kateri. But she did have those payments and lots more, so she just nodded and made to head to reception.

"Kat," Lorraine stopped her. "Thank you. You did very good work here and Raquel should be back up pretty soon. I apologize if I was harsh earlier, but... well, to tell you the truth, you and Bill really ticked me off this morning."

Kateri nodded. "Yeah. I figured that out. Look, Lorraine, I love my job, but it is only a job and I don't ever want to have to discuss whatever Bill and I do outside of this office again. That's just between me and him."

Lorraine nodded. "Let's make a deal. If you never bring Bill into work with fake boobs glued to his chest again, then I will never ask you about your personal life again. Does that sound fair?"

Kateri smirked and nodded. "Deal. I'll be in reception if you need me."
 

~^~
 

"Where is he?" Angela asked Dhaveed as she and Tess entered the salon carrying everything they'd purchased.

"In the back room," Dhaveed smiled, devilishly. "I think that our new baby girl got a little overwhelmed when she saw herself. I brought her outback before she lost control out here."

Angela looked towards the door to the back room. "Oh... well... thank you, Dhaveed. I guess I should go get him dressed." She added the bag that Tess was carrying to her pile and headed in that direction, but Dhaveed stopped her with a question.

"Are you the sister?"

Angela stopped and nodded.

"Well, sweetie, I should warn you... there is no 'he' back there. I took all of the 'he' out of that little girl and I'm not sure that it's ever coming back. Be gentle."

The look of confusion that passed over Angela's face made Dhaveed smile. "Just go back there, honey. You'll see what I mean."

The back room was a combination break room, storeroom, kitchenette with a small lavatory attached. Probably due to the fact the business specialized in creating beauty, an inordinate about of wall space in the back room was dedicated to a large, floor to ceiling mirror so that employees could check their appearance before heading out into the salon.

"Oh... excuse me. I was looking for..." Andrea said, as she entered the back room and found a small woman with golden blonde hair and red highlights, cut into an adorable little pixieish hairdo with asymmetrical bangs, spiked shaped 'sideburns' hanging near her ears, each of which was adorned with a small, faux pearl, pierced earring, and an asymmetrical undercut in the rear of the woman's hair gave the impression that this was a perfectly made doll rather than an actual woman. The woman's well sculpted, not overly thin, eyebrows had been shaded to match her hair and her makeup was... extraordinary. Plump, deep red, wet, velvety lips, plump, shaded cheeks, youthful, wide eyes with delicate lashes and just enough color on her eyelids to make anyone, man or woman, take note.

In short, she was a beautiful jewel of woman.

A couple of things were odd about her, though. First was that she was wearing a brown polo shirt with the Firefly logo on her, impressive, left breast. Second was that she was not wearing any pants or a skirt, but rather a pair of men's, white BVD briefs.

As Angela processed all of these things, she also noticed that the woman was crying.

And, something about her looked familiar.

"Willy?" She said, when she finally found her voice. "Willy? Is that you?"

The woman nodded, and then shook. It was a bit of a quiver at first, but then, as she tried to speak, the quiver grew to full blown shaking. She nodded, then gasped through her tears, "Yeah. Yeah, it's me. Or... it was me. Look at me, Angie. I'm gone. I'm not William any more. I'm... I'm not sure who or what I am, but..."

Finally able to move, Angela laid down her packages and ran to hold her brother. As he cried into her shoulder, she tried to calm him "It's ok, Willy. It's just some makeup and hair dye. Your hair will grow out. Don't worry. It'll be ok. Just calm down so we can get you dressed and let's just get through today. Come on, now, Willy. Breathe. Just breathe."

William took deep breaths and tried to calm down. "I can't go up there, Angie. They'll all laugh. I'll be humiliated. Angie, I can't do this."

"Hey, hey, hey, come on, now." Angela soothed. "Willy, everyone at Firefly knows that you had to do this and that you are doing it for them. It's true, Willy. Tess talked to Lorraine and Lorraine told everyone that you needed to do this in order to keep the investors from pulling out. No one will laugh, Willy. Everyone will be very grateful. I promise."

It took a moment, but eventually, William lifted his head from his sister's shoulders and took a breath. "Really? You don't think they'll laugh at me?"

"No, Willy, no, they won't. Everyone understands and everyone is behind you. Honest."

He stepped away from his sister and thought for a moment, catching his reflection in the mirror again. "This is crazy." He muttered.

"But necessary," Angela said, supportively. "Just for today, Willy."

"That's not what I mean," William shook his head. "Look at me. I look ten times better like this than I ever did before. I thought I was a man, but I look better as a woman. I'm not even sure who I am, anymore."

"Hey!" Angela said with more force than he expected. "Look at that girl in the mirror. You know who that is. That girl is my older brother William and he is the smartest man I know. And right now, he's the prettiest girl in my family - me included." Then her voice softened a bit, "Although we do look a lot alike when you wear makeup. Hmm. Maybe I should have Dhaveed do my hair and makeup just like yours."

William let out one tired laugh and cracked just a small smile. "Thanks, Ang. What time is it?"

"Five to eleven."

"I guess I should get dressed, then."

"Atta girl!" Angela smiled and kissed his cheek. "Come on. I'll help you."
 
 
To Be Continued...