Author's Note: This is one of my earliest works and a fun one to follow. I would like to thank all of you for kind reviews and emails that I have received here regarding my writing. Please, let me know what you think about my story, both good and bad.
I honestly read my reviews and am always willing to learn! ~Clara.
This version of Dusty Rose - 1 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.
Prelude
"Thank you!" Chrissie shouted over the roar of the stadium crowd. All the other girls in the band smiled and waved their appreciation. "Thank you! You were great! Good night!" and they left the stage with the roar still loud in their ears.
As they approached the stairs to lower levels of the civic center, there were cowboy-hat-wearing security people and stage hands waiting to help them. There were congratulations coming from everywhere. Gina, the group's drummer was taking the lead, wearing her tight jeans and cowgirl boots, she took the stairs two at a time, leaping for joy. The rest of the girls, except for Chrissie, were wearing elaborate sundresses and cowgirl boots, so they kept their leaping to a minimum for modesty's sake. Grace with her banjo and Margo with her bass joined Gina in a hug at the bottom of the staircase. Terry held back a bit handing her guitar to a crew member, while she turned to help Chrissie down the stairs. Chrissie, wearing the delicate heeled sandals, soft pink, strapless dress with the full, soft pink, tulle petticoat that ended at her midthigh was unable to hurry through the throngs of people who were enthusiastically congratulating the girls.
When she did get to the bottom, the other girls turned and applauded Chrissie's performance. It had been an amazing evening - they're first major show and opening up for Lady Antebellum! They really had made it! But, what a strange road it had been to this point!
Chapter 1
"Hey, I never said I was a singer," Terry said as they finished running through the song that she and Margo had written. Terry and Margo had been best friends since seventh grade when Terry had been promoted from fifth grade to seventh, skipping sixth. Now, as college freshmen, the girls had convinced two other classmates, Grace and Gina, to form a country band. They'd been working on a lot of cover songs by The Dixie Chicks, Sugarland and other country bands for about two weeks now and the instruments were all sounding good. Unfortunately, none of the girls were really 'lead singers,' so they weren't really ready to play out yet.
"Well," laughed Margo as she slipped the heavy bass guitar off of her shoulders, "I think we need a fifth member to our motley crew if we're ever going to make something of this."
"All right. I will put up a sign in the student union tomorrow and see what happens," Terry sighed in agreement. "I don't think we'll be ready for the open mic at the student center next week, though. Oh, well..." The conversation about what kind of a person they needed as a singer continued. A great voice, obviously, a team-player, maybe a song writer, too, etc.
Just then they heard the door at the top of the stairs open and someone coming down from Terry's mother's house. The conversation quieted and the girls all turned to see Terry's twin brother, Chris, coming down to the basement. He smiled at the girls and excused himself.
"Sorry, ladies, I just have to put my guitar away. I didn't mean to interrupt. You guys are sounding great!" He squeezed his slender frame between the drums and an amplifier to put his case in the corner.
Chris and Terry had been born within minutes of each other - Terry was six minutes older - but they had lived very different lives. Both loved and excelled at music, a legacy left to them by their late father, but while most things came very easily to Terry, Chris struggled. When Terry skipped sixth grade, all those years ago, Chris felt left behind and lonely without her. Then, when he was in seventh grade, Chris was diagnosed with a life threatening blood disease that landed him in the hospital for months resulting in him having to repeat that grade. Now, Terry was a college freshman and Chris was still a high school junior.
It wasn't just the academic stuff, though. At five-foot-eight with a 26 inch waist and a C-cup bust-line, Terry was slender and beautiful. At five-foot-six with a 24 inch waist, Chris was very small for a guy and down-right scrawny.
As Chris was squeezing back towards the stairs, Margo, called over to him. "Hey, Chris! Are there any good singers hanging around at your school?"
"Chris is a great singer!" Gina interjected. I heard him at a coffee house I went to at the high school last week.
Chris smiled at the compliment. He wasn't aware that Gina had seen the performance. He was the quintessential quiet kid at school, but he liked to sing and play whenever he could. "Thanks, Gina."
"Well, wait a minute!" Margo said. "No offense, Chris, but we are looking for a girl-singer, but just for rehearsal purposes, would you mind singing a few songs for us? It would be a huge help!"
'Let's see,' Chris thought, 'Go upstairs and veg-out in front of the TV, or hang with my sister's three beautiful college friends.' "Sure, I'll give it a shot," he said with a big grin.
Terry moved away from the mic to give Chris some floor space. She held out a list of songs for Chris to peruse. "Do you know any of these songs?" She asked, honestly wondering if he did. Terry listened almost exclusively to country stations, but Chris was really into his dad's old classic rock CDs. He particularly loved Boston, Journey and Rush - the bands with singers who had insanely high voices. That's how Chris sang, too.
"I think I know some from your iPod in the car. I can try."
Margo was looking through the lyric sheets and found a song she though that he might know, I'll Stand By You, by Carrie Underwood. "Here, you know this, don't you?"
"Sure. It was a Pretenders song before it was a country song."
Margo came over and put the music on the music stand in front of the mic. She was a good 3 inches taller than Chris and he had been doing a lousy job of hiding a crush he had on her for years. She put her arm around his shoulders and explained how they played the song. When she was done, she rumpled his shaggy, slightly long hair and went back to her bass.
"Just relax," encouraged Terry, "and sing. If you need to drop it down an octave, don't worry about it. I just don't sing well enough when I'm playing guitar." Then she started playing the introduction.
Chris listened and closed his eyes as the song began. Then he started to sing. He kept his eyes closed and got into the song as the music continued. He'd never sung with a band before and it was easy to lose himself in the sound that was all around him. He knew the words and just kept singing without opening his eyes. He was truly lost in the music and felt a deep connection to all the sounds around him.
When the last note stooped ringing off the concrete walls, he opened his eyes and looked at the shocked faces on the young women around him.
"Chris, honey," Terry said, "that was astounding! You're amazing!"
All the others agreed.
Grace said, "Maybe we should rethink our 'chick-band' idea. After all, there have been tons of bands made up of men with a girl in the front, but I've never seen an all-girl band with a guy out in front. It could be a great gimmick for us."
"Possibly," Margo said, "but for now, anyway, Chris, will you consider helping us out? Terry and I have written a couple of songs we'd really like to do at the open mic on campus next week. We could tweak it a little for a guy. Would you learn them and sing with us next Thursday?"
"Sure," he said as Margo hugged him and gave him a peck on the check.
"Ok!" Terry said. "I'll teach it to you and, girls, let's get back to this tomorrow and see if we can make this all work! I'm excited about this!"
For the next three hours, Margo, Terry and Chris sat in the living room and worked through the songs the girls had written. Not only did Chris master the song, he came up with some back ground vocals for the girls to sing that made the songs sound much better.
They took a break for dinner with Terry and Chris' mom - just some pizza. All three were excited about the progress they'd made in such a short time.
"You know," their mother said, "it's wonderful to see you guys doing something together for a change. I miss having my twins around. You two used to be inseparable, but you haven't done anything together in years."
"Mom, you should hear him! He is unbelievable! He sings like an angel," Terry gushed as she gave Chris her best 'big-sister' hug.
"It's true, Mrs. Walters. He is great! And he's so creative, too," Margo added.
Chris was surprised that the girls liked what he could do, and he was looking forward to keeping at it. So, after dinner, he asked the girls into the living room again and they started working on writing some new songs.
Chapter 2
"You are not wearing that on stage tonight," Terry was scolding her brother while he was wearing a 'Fitch' tee shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. "We're all wearing our dresses and boots, except Gina because of the drums, but she's all dressed up in a nice top and cute jeans. You can't go on looking like an unmade bed, Chris. Come on."
"Terry, I have no idea what to wear! Tell me what works and I'll wear it."
Terry took a quick look through his closet and drawers and then stood with her hand on her forehead. "Ok, you have nothing to wear, but we're nearly the same size, so let's see what I can find for you."
Within a few minutes, Terry had pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a white cotton shirt. "Here, put these on. It's just a pair of jeans and a loose shirt. It will look nice. Now, get dressed and I'll brush out your hair so you look a little nicer."
Chris was a little hurt that she thought he looked so bad, but, even though Terry was only a few minutes older than him, she really was the older sister when it came to, well, pretty much anything. And she was usually right about things, so, he went to get dressed.
He came back into Terry's room a few minutes later and he did look a lot better.
"Do those feel ok?" Terry asked.
"I guess so," he said, "but they smell like you."
"Like me?"
"Like your perfume, you know? I can smell your perfume on the clothes."
"Oh," she laughed, "that's ok, isn't it? Smelling pretty is a good thing. Now, sit for a minute and let me brush out that mess on your head."
Terry brushed it all out and Chris had to admit it felt great. Then she grabbed a hair iron. "This will just straighten your hair a little so you look a little nicer." When she was done, his hair, which he always kept in a ponytail tied low, at the base of his skull, was a little longer than he had thought it was; just over the collar of his shirt. "Close your eyes while I put a little spray on it," Terry ordered him, so he did and she sprayed an ample amount of hairspray into his hair.
Then Terry grabbed a white cowboy hat with a big blue feather in the brim and placed it carefully on his head. "Ok. Now, you look nice. Margo and the girls will be here in a few minutes. Let's get everything ready."
Within a few minutes, Terry and Chris had everything they needed in the minivan. When the girls pulled up, they threw their equipment in and everyone piled in. Terry was driving with Grace in the shotgun-seat. Gina sat in one of the 2 remaining seats so Margo and Chris shared the last seat together. Margo put her arm around his shoulder to make some extra room. As the minivan backed out of the driveway, Margo took a deep breath and then leaned a little closer to Chris and sniffed again.
"Well, someone smells pretty tonight," she teased Chris. He blushed and smiled in response. She sniffed again, "Vanilla and lavender. Mmm - I like that in a man," Everyone laughed and they headed for the campus.
When they got to the Student Center, things were already in full swing. They signed up for a slot and carried their equipment to the backstage area and then settled in to listen to about 20 acts. There were comics and dancers and singers - some were pretty good.
Just before their slot, there was a senior named John Holden performing. He came back stage with an acoustic guitar and waited nervously alongside the girls and Chris. Terry knew John from music classes and she knew that he played out in clubs around the area, so she was surprised that he looked unnecessarily nervous about a little gig at the college. He nodded as the girls acknowledged him.
"Are you ok?" Margo asked John.
"Yeah. Just nervous. You see that guy sitting alone by the door? He's from a record company and he's here to see me. I guess that I'm just feeling a little pressure to do well."
All five of them peeked out to see the tall, well-dressed man in the audience.
Finally it was John's turn. They wished him luck as he walked out to the microphone and gave a small wave to the smattering of applause. When he sang, it was great. He could have been on American Idol or The Voice. He sounded like a seasoned pro and the audience loved the three songs he played.
"Great! We have to follow, him!?" complained Gina
"Hush, sweetie. We'll do fine. It's just our first gig. Stay confident," Terry replied with a reassuring smile.
Chris just stayed quiet and prepared to sing. This was a real big deal to him - the college campus, the college girls, the college audience - he didn't want to come off looking like some high school kid who didn't know what he was doing. Terry was so smart and so much cooler than him; he couldn't let her down.
Then the student acting as the MC for the evening introduced them. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time on any stage, the Student Union is proud to introduce: Dusty Rose!
Chris and the girls hustled out onto the stage. A few seconds later, they were all plugged in and Gina had adjusted the drums to her liking. Margo smiled out at the audience and took a deep breath and noticed that John was sitting in the corner with the promoter and they both had big grins on their faces. "Good for him,' she thought. Grace started with a smooth banjo lick for a song that Margo and Terry had written about a week ago, Sideways Glances. As the other instruments joined in, Chris took a deep breath, closed his eyes and let loose with his beautiful, high voice.
Within sixteen bars of Chris's first note, everyone was silent and listening to the band. The girls in the band were shocked. What was happening? Everyone was just - well, paying attention to them. Chris' eyes were locked shut as he sang, so he had no idea what was going on, but the girls were all a little thrown by it. They kind of expected to just play their songs while everyone talked, same as the rest of the acts.
Margo glanced towards the corner where John had been talking to the recording company promoter and even they were paying attention. She turned to catch Terry's eyes and shook her head towards the corner so she could see, too. Terry just made a confused face, rolled her eyes and kept on playing.
When the song was over, the place erupted in applause. Everyone was up on their feet clapping, shouting, whistling... Chris opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. At the high school coffee houses, the most he ever got was some polite, "garden-party" applause.
They'd prepared a second song, just in case, so Gina tapped her sticks to count it in. This was a Terry, Margo and Chris song called Whispers and the audience was just as enthralled with it as the first one. Again, huge applause.
They were about to leave the stage, but the MC came on and said, "Dusty Rose! Ladies and Gents! How about another one!?" The crowd cheered for more, but Chris only knew two of their songs and they just played those.
"Dus-ty Rose! Dus-ty Rose!" the audience began a chant. "Dus-ty Rose! Dus-ty Rose!"
"You have to know at least one of the other songs we play!" Gina shouted over the chanting crowd.
"Sorry, girls! I'm a classic rock guy, so..."
"Hey!" Terry said. "How about Janis Joplin? We could do Bobby McGee."
They all nodded and turned back to the audience while Terry started strumming the song.
Busted flat in Ba'n Rouge
Waitin' for a train
When I was feeling nearly faded as my dreams...
Again, Chris's voice floated out to the crowd, not like Janis' with the cigarette and whiskey growl, but smooth and sweet and beautiful.
The song ended and they all left the stage as quickly as they could to avoid getting called back for another song. They threw their instruments into their cases and headed for the door, but a man in a suit jumped between them and the exit and said, "Ladies, you were awesome! Who's in charge of this group?"
They all looked at each other for a moment, then Terry and Margo kind of shrugged and said in unison, "I guess we are."
The man led the two young women aside for a private chat while Chris, Gina and Grace loaded the van.
Chapter 3
"You girls were just... I'm speechless, ladies! What can I say! I want... No, I NEED to record you guys. If we can reach an agreement, then... Hell. Girls, the sky's the limit!"
Terry and Margo were having hot flashes of excitement. This was all too unreal!! First, the audience didn't like them - they loved them. Then, this!!!
"What kind of agreement?" Margo asked.
"Well, the usually money stuff - how the profits are split, etc - but before we get to that. Well, how do I say this nicely... Your singer.... The four of you on the instruments are drop dead gorgeous, but your singer.... She's kind of a dog. Love the voice, but her look isn't going to work."
Both the girls were startled into silence. Then Terry felt a wave of defensive anger wash across her face.
"Chrissie!?" she blurted out a little too loudly. "Chrissie is a dog!? Chrissie is just a kid..."
The man waved at her to calm down. "I know that's a harsh thing to say, but this is a harsh business and I am telling you right now, your friend either has to really work on her look or you'll need a new girl. I don't want to upset you - Just laying out the facts of life in the music business."
Terry was about to let loose, but Margo grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Listen, Mr... What is your name?"
"Sorry. My name is Stewart, Evan Stewart and I represent American Records."
"Ok, Mr Stewart. You see, Chrissie, our singer and Terry here are twins and Terry is a little bit of a mother hen when it comes to Chrissie.
"Oh." Stearns looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Terry, but I stand by what I said."
"Ok," Margo continued, "but Chris has only been our singer for a week, so this stage stuff is new to 'her'. We actually have another singer that we used until last week. His name is Chris, too. Maybe you'd like to hear us with him singing?"
Terry saw where Margo was headed and joined in. "Yes, Mr. Stewart, I think you'd like his voice a lot."
Stewart shook his head. "Absolutely not. My gears are really turning to promote your sound, but I am psyched about a 'chick-group,' not some guy out in front of a band that will become forgettable. I know how to do this right, girls, but you have to cooperate. Tell you what; I will be in town until Tuesday night. Today is Thursday, so take the weekend and talk to Chrissie, that's her name, right? Talk to her - in a nice way - about her look and see if you can come up with a look that she can live with and that will sell units for my company. Ok? I will make arrangements for you guys to open a gig for another of my up and coming artists, Oki Rainbow, at the Windy Ranch Bar down on the main strip. You can use their amps and drums. I will send you a standard recording contract via email tonight and you girls can have a lawyer review it for you. Then, if things go well Tuesday night, you will be headed to Nashville to start recording within ten days. How does that all sound?"
Terry looked at Margo and gave a slight shake of her head indicating, 'no,' but Margo turned back to Stewart and offered her hand as a sign of agreement. "You got a deal, Mr. Stewart. We'll see you on Tuesday!"
They exchanged information with each other, then Margo and Terry headed for the door.
"Are you nuts?" Terry asked. "How are we going to find someone to replace Chris in four or five days?"
"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it, ok? Let's get back to your house and you and me and the girls will meet on campus tomorrow. Let Chris go to school and we'll figure out how to deal with this," Then, suddenly Margo started to bounce up and down on her toes. "Holy shit, Terry! We might have a recording contract on Tuesday!"
Terry stopped dead in her tracks as the reality of that hit her. "Oh, my God, you're right!" and she hugged Margo with all her might. "But not a word to the others until we all meet tomorrow to figure this out. Poor Chris. I'm not sure I can screw him over like this."
"You know, Stewart said he would email those papers to me tonight. When I get his email, I will see if I can persuade him to hear our other singer, again. Maybe it will all work out for Chris, too!"
Chapter 4
"So, that's where we are right now," Margo finished bringing Grace and Gina up to date regarding the opportunities that had come their way last night.
Grace spoke up. "Wait, so, we have a chance, but only with a girl singer and she has to sound just like Chris? Is this even possible?"
"No, it's not and it's not fair to Chris either," said Gina. "It was his voice that turned everything around for us and last night was the proof of that."
"I know, I know, but I talked to this guy via email for almost two hours and it's got to be a "chick-band" and we have to sound like we did last night," Margo said with finality.
They all sat quietly for a few moments and the same thought hung over everyone's head; "This sucks."
"So - do we throw this chance away or do we do the obvious?" Margo rallied
Terry, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Margo, this is stupid."
"No, it's not - it's our only alternative."
The other girls looked from Terry to Margo in confusion. "What?" They asked in unison.
Terry let out a deep, frustrated breath. Margo had brought this up earlier. Terry thought she was kidding at first, Margo was being persistent. "Margo has a crazy idea. She thinks that... well, because Chris is so small and thin... well, she thinks..."
Margo couldn't wait for Terry to get through her sentence, "We have to disguise Chris as Chrissie for Tuesday night and we have to do him up right."
Terry interrupted, "Margo...."
"Listen, he's a skinny guy. He's got longer hair that we could probably make look a little girlier and he's already got the voice. He is our only chance, but he has to be a she! Just for that night and then we'll try to find another solution. We can't let this pass us by and he's our only chance."
Silence.
"I need to talk to my mom before we talk to Chris," Terry said.
Margo nodded "We'll come with."
Chapter 5
"Are you out of your minds?"
"Mom, I know, I agree, but what can it hurt to ask him?"
"What can it hurt? My God, I don't know where to start to answer that question!"
"Mrs. Walters," Margo said trying to calm things down, "this may be our only chance and Chris', too! How can we not try?"
"I know, girls, but you are asking my son to give up his masculinity. I can't imagine how he will react to that? And being a woman isn't just wearing a dress, you know! How do you plan on pulling this all off?"
Gina jumped in, "My mom is a hairdresser, Mrs. Walters. I spoke to her and she'll help and there is a makeup artist at the shop, too. She can help us get him looking good. He looks a lot like Terry already, so it shouldn't take a lot to make him pretty."
"Make him pretty!? Do you hear yourselves!?"
"Mom, I promise we won't push him. Please, just let me ask him. If he says 'no' then the answer is 'no' and we'll look for another option, but what if he thinks it's worth a shot? If we don't at least ask him - well, it will be like we're going behind his back to find someone else. Don't you think we should at least ask his opinion?"
"Please, Mrs. Walters," Margo added.
"Ask him? What do you think he is going to say, Theresa?" Terry knew her mom was revved up when she used her full name. "He worships you?"
"What are you talking about? He doesn't worship me!"
"I know you never see it, but, honey, you have always been healthier, smarter, stronger, better at school, better at sports and, until recently, better at music. He has always worshiped you and I know he's always been a little jealous of how easy the world is for you. This band thing is like a dream come true for him. It's his chance to do something with you - something that he is good at. If you ask him, he will say 'yes' and I just don't know if that's the right answer."
"Mrs. Walters," Margo said after a few seconds of silence had passed, "I know this is a family issue, but Chris is really talented and this is a great opportunity..."
Terry's mom's tone was less excited now as she stopped Margo, "And you, Margo. You have always thought of Chris as Terry's 'Little Brother,' but he is the same age as her and he has been infatuated with you since the first time you walked through my kitchen door. You flirt with him all the time and he melts every time. He'd do anything for you, too. For all of you. He's a shy, insecure young man and you are all bright, self confident, beautiful women. Think about it. How could he say 'no?'"
There was silence as they thought about what Mrs. Walters had said.
Finally Grace, the most quiet of them all, spoke up. "I am sorry, Mrs. Walters. We all are. We just got caught up this. I guess that it just wasn't meant to be. We'll call this guy and explain things and maybe... Well, we're really, very sorry. All of us. We were being selfish."
"Gracie, honey, you aren't being selfish, but..." Mrs. Walters started, but then she noticed the tears running down each of the girls faces. It wasn't a girlish play for attention or phony, crocodile tears. The girls were defeated and sad. Mrs. Walters heart melted. "Arrrg..." she groaned, "I can't believe that I am saying this, but... ok... you can ask him. BUT - his decision is final. Am I understood?"
The girls all started talking as one, but Mrs. Walters continued, "One last thing, girls, and I want to make sure you all understand this. Chris isn't as strong as you might think. Terry, you only ever needed me to stand behind you while you achieved, but Chris, well, Chris needs me - or someone - maybe you - beside him to help him all the time. He's had a rough road up to here and the only thing he's ever really been confident about is his singing and music, so if that boy ends up looking like some ridiculous drag queen or a freak of some kind, I will shut this down myself. He ends up drop dead gorgeous or he is plain, old, male Chris. Ok?"
"Ok!!" they all yelled and ran to the basement to begin making plans.
Chapter 6
"This is awesome! When do we sign the contract?" Chris was jumping out of his skin.
Terry put her hand on his and grabbed his attention again. "Honey, you have to let us finish. It is an awesome opportunity, but let Margo finish."
Slowly Margo walked him through all the details and finally dropped the girl-band-bomb on him. He went pale and looked around at the four faces sitting around the table, then across the room where his mother was leaning against the counter with her arms folded and her head down, not giving Chris any indication of what she was thinking.
"So, we do the audition on Tuesday with me in a dress and then tell him the truth and see if he'll let us make the switch to me being a guy singer in the band? Is that what you're asking?"
"Well, yes and no," Margo said.
"You see, baby," Terry continued. This was the second time since they had all sat down that Terry had used a childish nickname for him and that felt a little weird - a little motherly. "You don't just have to wear a dress. You have to be a beautiful woman. Hair, attitude, clothes, makeup - everything has got to be female and beautiful."
Margo took over when Terry stopped talking. "You have to be the prettiest and most feminine of all of us, Chrissie. Not just a guy in a dress. The beautiful and sexy lead singer for Dusty Rose. We'll help you with it, but you'll have to spend all weekend getting ready. You'll miss school on Monday and Tuesday and be ready for Tuesday night's gig. Gina, tell him about your mom."
Gina leaned in and spoke with an undercurrent of excitement in her voice. "Ok. So, I sent my mom some pictures of you, Chris, and she likes how much hair you have, but she wants to add a weave - you know, extensions, but real hair and sewn into your own hair and she'd like to take your hair just a few shades lighter, too. She can do that today. Then she has an electrolysis lady in her salon who can see you early tomorrow for your body hair and eye brows - believe me! Electrolysis is less painful than waxing. Then we have her makeup lady do your first makeup design."
"Meanwhile," Margo continued Gina's talking, "while you're having all that done, today, Terry and I are meeting with a guy who specializes in transvestite appliances - phony boobs - that should match your skin tone perfectly. We're going to use Terry's skin tone and breast size as a model for you. Tomorrow, after you have your electrolysis visit, we'll attach the breasts so you look like a natural woman."
Chris let out a long sigh. "Mom, what do you think?"
"Honey, I honestly don't know what to think. I mean, I don't care if you're straight or gay or a cross-dresser or a nudist. I just don't know where this will take you, baby. But, whatever you decide, I will support and give you as much help or money as you need to do what needs to be done."
Then Chris looked at Terry. "What do you want me to do?"
Terry looked around the table at the other girls, then reached across and took both of Chris' hands in hers. "Chris, honey, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to do it, of course, but I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do. Now, every day when I wake up, I make clothing decisions. Do I wear pants or a skirt or a dress... So, me dressing up as a guy wouldn't be a big deal, but I know that, for you... for a guy, it's different. If you want to do this, and I truly believe that you can do this, I will thank you forever and ever and I will owe you - big time. But, if you decide you can't do it, that's ok, too, sweetie, and I will understand and I will never bring it up again."
Chris closed his eyes and thought for about 15 seconds then he opened his eyes and a self-conscious smile spread across his face. Then he quietly said, "Ok, I'll do it."
The girls all shrieked and grabbed Chris in a tight group-hug.
Gina was the first to pull out of the hug. "Oh, shoot! Look at the time! Come on Chrissie, we have to run!" She and Grace grabbed Chris and dragged him out the door.
"Come on, Terry, we have to get down town in the next forty-five minutes to see a man about a pair of boobs!" Margo joked as she and Terry headed to the door.
When all the noise had died away, only Terry and Chris' mom was left in the kitchen. "Well," she whispered to herself, "this is definitely one of those days a mother never forgets."
Chapter 7
Chris was laying back in the reclined chair as Marie, Gina's mom, was rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. "This is what we're going to do, Chrissie: First I will color you own hair; make it a little lighter and prettier. Then, we'll rinse it and dry it. After that, we'll make tight, little braids around the sides and back of your head and sew a mesh onto that, luckily you have collar length hair, so I have some good length to work with. Then we'll sew in your new hair, and this is all human hair, onto that mesh. With the coloring and extensions, the whole thing will take five or six hours. It's 3:30 now, so, relax because you're going to be here till about 10:00 tonight. Is that ok with you?"
Chris looked a bit like a deer in the headlights. "Sure, I guess..."
"Great, now you probably don't want to wear your good clothes while you do the coloring, so why don't you go in the changing room and put on your other clothes."
"Other clothes? I don't have any other clothes with me."
Gina said, "Oops. I'm sorry. I meant to mention that, but I was in such a rush, I forgot. Oh, you know what? I have some clean gym clothes in a bag in the car! They'll fit you, I'm sure. I'll be right back." And she ran out the door to grab the clothes while Marie led Chris to the changing room instructing him to start undressing.
When Gina handed the clothes in, Chris let out a sigh of relief - just a tank top with shorts. The shorts were pink and said "Juicy" on the butt, but that wasn't so bad. As he pulled on the clothes, he realized that the shorts were very, very short and grabbed his rear-end a lot more than his gym trunks did. Then, as he pulled on the tank-top, he noticed that there was a built in bra and the material around his belly was very clingy, so it looked like he had a little bit of a bust line. Again - not all that bad. The smock would be covering him most of the time anyway.
When he exited the dressing room, Gina let out a little laugh.
"What? Do I look stupid?" Chris asked.
"Not you, hon, but your boxers are longer than my shorts, so they're sticking out and looking kind of silly. Here," she reached into her gym bag and pulled out a pair of pale blue, nylon panties and handed them to him, "go back in and put these on. They're plain and they're boy-cut, so they should fit ok."
"Isn't this ok?" Chris asked with just a little fear in his voice.
"Well, the shop is open for another couple of hours, so, do you want people to see your boxers sticking out? If everything looks like it should, no one will even notice you, but if your clothes look out of place, people will start looking more closely at you."
"Ok."
When he emerged, he looked much nicer - except a little hair on his legs, but that would be taken care of tomorrow.
"I don't know what boy these 'boy-shorts' were made for, but they sure fit different than all the boy's underwear I've worn my entire life!" Chris joked as he sat in the chair and Marie covered him with a smock. All the women laughed.
Chris sat back in the chair as Marie began the process of putting foils into his hair. As she was beginning the process, an Asian woman pulled a chair up beside Chris placed a rather tall ottoman between her chair and Chris', then placed Chris' right foot on the ottoman.
"Wha... What are you doing?" Chris asked her.
"That's Ginger, my mani/pedi girl. Ginger, this is Chrissie. Chrissie, say hi to Ginger. She'll be doing your toes and fingernails for you."
"Hi, Chrissie."
"Um... Hi, Ginger."
Then tedium set in. It was a sensory overload for Chris, his hair being played with, his toes being massaged, his fingers being caressed and then the braiding began. It was so relaxing that he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 8
Chris felt a kiss on his forehead.
"Come on, sweetie, wake up. I'll take you home, now."
It was Gina. Chris opened his eyes and looked into the mirror. When he saw his reflection, he laughed out loud. "Oh, my God! What the hell am I looking at?"
Grace was picking up Chris' clothes and she joined his laugh. "That's what it takes to be a pretty girl, Chrissie."
In the mirror, Chris saw his face under a hat made from a kerchief which obviously covered hair rollers. When he reached to feel his head, he noticed that his hands were sporting longer fingernails that had been painted a very soft, feminine pink. That made him look at his toes and he saw that they matched and that someone had put bejeweled, pink flipflops on him.
Gina offered him a hand and helped him up. "Leave those rollers in overnight - mom's orders - and be back here tomorrow morning at six..."
"Six!!!"
"Yeah, six, and you'll start your electrolysis. That will take a long time, too, Chris. Five or six hours. Mom will take out the rollers and show you how to do your hair and makeup and then, voila, you'll be one of the girls."
Chris stood and took off the smock he'd been wearing and saw the shorts and the tank top with the hint of a bust and stopped to look in the mirror. "I look kind of stupid, don't I?"
Gina and Grace came over and stood on either side of him and spoke while looking at the reflection as well. Chris noticed that Gina, who he knew was a tall girl, as all the girls in the band were, was a good three inches taller than him when he was standing in the flip-flops. Grace was a little shorter that Gina, but still at least an inch and a half taller than him.
"You're only half-done, sweetie. Wait till you see the rest. You'll be beautiful," Said Grace.
Gina put her arm around his shoulders and said, "Did you ever see a girl the night before a prom or a wedding? It's always darkest just before the dawn and I promise you, my mom will make you the prettiest girl in the band. Honest," Then she kissed him on his cheek. Now, let's get you home. It's after 10:30 and Margo called a while ago. She and Terry have some stuff for you before bed time."
Chapter 9
Margo, Terry, Mrs. Walters and another woman were all seated around the table drinking tea when Chris came through the door at 10:55 that night.
His mother was the first to speak. "Chris! I thought you'd have longer hair when got home. What's all this?"
"I don't really know," he said. "I kinda fell asleep while they were braiding my hair and this is how I woke up. I have to leave it in until Gina's mom takes it out tomorrow. I have to be there at 6:00 in the morning tomorrow, so I guess I'll need a ride."
"I'll take you, Chris," Terry said. "This is Missy. She's an assistant to the makeup artist we met tonight. She does a lot of female impersonator work in the city and she brought some things for you to look at."
Missy stood and shook Chris' hand. "Hi, Chris. Your mom and the girls gave me the whole story. You're a pretty brave guy to do this. I want to make sure that everything is perfect for you. Let me just look you over."
Missy, who was probably not much taller than Chris, but was wearing heels that had to have been at least five or six inches high, took Chris' face in her hands and started looking at every aspect of his features and then started feeling his shoulders and arms and touched his legs and belly before saying anything.
"What do you think?" his mom asked.
"Well," Missy said, "I think this is going to be easier than I thought. You're getting the hair removed tomorrow, right, and the eyebrows done, too?" Chris nodded. "Well, his chin is soft and his skin is clear. Small nose, tiny shoulders for a boy and very slender. If you're going to need to continue this for a long term thing, you'll need a very strict diet to keep that weight in check and you may even want to consider some estrogen pills to keep your facial features nice and soft like they are. Nothing too heavy, just something to block your testosterone."
"I can give you some padded panties so you can make his hips and tush more girly, but, if he's wearing a dress or a skirt, the easiest thing to do is wear a little petticoat underneath to give a nice, feminine curve. I have about a dozen gaffs as well - they're panties that have a little pocket in them so you can tuck in your little boy and get that nice, flat panty front that every little girl wants."
"I'm hoping that I only have to do this until Tuesday, so I don't think I'll need a whole lot of those panty things and those estrogen pills are not for me," Chris explained.
"Well, then... Keep that in mind... just in case. Now, off with your top," Chris started to take off the shirt, but had a little trouble due to his finger nails and the curlers, so Missy took the hem of the shirt and carefully pulled it over his head.
Missy looked carefully at Chris' chest, then compared his skin color to what looked like a paint chart. Then she reached into a gym bag sitting near her seat, sorted through a few items and pulled out a bag with two, very real looking, silicone breasts complete with nipples.
"I know that you're having your electrolysis treatment tomorrow, but I want to get these onto you tonight while I'm here, so sit in this chair for a minute." Missy reached into the bag again and pulled out a bottle of Nair and a pair of surgical gloves which she put on. Then she squirted some of the Nair into her hands and spread it on Chris' chest. After ten minutes, she walked him to the kitchen sink and carefully rinsed off the cream and with it went what very little chest hair he'd had.
"Ok, ladies, please clear the table off. I need it for an operating table. Chrissie, I want you to lay down on your back on the table so I can apply your breasts correctly. I'm using a very powerful surgical glue that will secure them to you for six to eight months. If you want to take them off before then, I have a solvent for that. They will look and feel exactly like real breast. Now, Terry is a 34C, but she's a few inches taller than you and has a few pounds on you, too, so I'm going with a 34B for you, ok?"
Chris was beyond confused and very tired, "Yeah, I guess so."
"Good."
Missy took about fifteen minutes to do everything she needed to do and at exactly 11:30, she helped Chris stand. He looked exactly like a topless young woman.
"Wow!" said both Margo and Terry.
"My God!" said his mom. "They look so real! And I can't see any seams or anything."
"Nope, you shouldn't see anything different on him than you would on Terry. They're even warm to the touch. You can swim with them, shower, hot tube, whatever. They won't come loose. The only thing is, if you're out in the sun, be sure to cover up your chest or wear lots of sun block because your skin will change color, but these won't."
Mom paid Missy and thanked her and Missy packed up and headed out the door.
"Well, it's been a long, strange day and tomorrow should be just as long and promises to be a lot stranger, so we better get to bed. Margo, I don't want you driving home, so you just take the sleep-sofa in the living room. You know where the blankets and sheets are, God knows you've spent more nights on that couch than your bed lately. Now, you two - up to bed and Terry, give your brother a nightie. I don't want him sleeping naked and I am positive that his pjs won't fit over his new equipment."
Terry took Chris by the hand and said, "Come on, sis, I'll give you something comfy to wear to bed."
Ten minutes later, Chris was under the covers wearing a knee length, white, silk night gown that had lace around the breast cups. He tried to find a comfortable way to lay down, but between the new breasts and the rollers in his hair, there just was no way to get completely comfortable, so he just lay flat on his back and, quicker than he expected, he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10
"Come on, Chrissie, wake up. We have to get going," Terry woke him up at 5:15 the next morning. "I have some clothes here for you to wear. Do you need any help?"
Chris was pulling himself up, but struggling. Everything above his waist felt heavy; his chest, his head, everything.
When he pulled himself to the edge of the bed and threw his legs over the side, his nightie rode up just enough for Terry to catch a glimpse of his panties. She also saw that his 'morning wood' was sticking out. She giggled just a little, "Umm. Where did you get those panties?" Chris explained about the shorts and his male underwear. As he was explaining, he raised the hem of the nightie to show her and that's when he saw what Terry was seeing.
"Oh, jeez!!! Sorry Terry! I didn't know it was showing!" He covered up quickly.
"That's ok, sweetie. Here, start with this." She tossed him a fleshcolored gaff. "Missy said that you would need these."
Chris stood and turned his back to his sister, dropped his panties and pulled the gaff up his legs. Instead of turning back to Terry, he was fumbling with the gaff for a few moments.
"Do you need help?" Terry asked.
"I just can't get it into the pocket. Are you sure this works?"
Terry turned him towards her and pulled the front of the gaff towards her and looked down.
"Hey!" Chris cried and tried to push her away, but Terry, with her usual determination, just reached into the garment and deftly tucked his member into the pocket of the gaff, then let the waist band go and looked at the feminizing effect.
"There. All gone!" She said as if she was talking to a child. Then she rubbed the front of the silky thing. "Now, we really are twins!" She smiled.
Chris was embarrassed beyond words and turned blood red.
"Oh, don't be embarrassed, sweetie. Get used to it. You're my little sister now," She pulled Chris into her shoulder and hugged him tightly; not a frequent occurrence. Chris was barefoot while Terry was already in her cowgirl boots, so he was substantially shorter than her. The feeling of the hug from such a tall woman, the curlers in his hair pressing against her, the silky nightie and gaff and then the totally alien feeling of this artificial pair of breasts pressing just below Terry's was all so weird to him. "Now, put on some pretty panties over those." And she held out a pair of yellow panties with a little flowery-lace embroidered over the leg holes. She squatted down so that he could step into them, then pulled them up his legs and, once again looked at the flat front on her brother's crotch and smiled.
Chris slipped off the nightie and Terry pulled a white bra up his arms, then helped him fasten it in the back. Then she pulled a light blue tee shirt over his head and handed him the shorts he had worn home last night.
"This is pretty cool!" she said. "It's like I have a life-sized American Girl doll that looks just like me and I get to dress her up and share her with my friends!"
Chris smiled, still embarrassed, and looked at the scoop neck line of the tee shirt and sucked in a gasp as he saw how revealing the blouse was.
Terry smiled. "If you got it, flaunt it, baby!"
At 6:00 on the dot, Terry and Chris entered Marie's beauty shop. Marie and her electrolysis woman were both drinking coffee and chatting, while, over in the back of the shop, Gina, Grace and Margo were spreading out the breakfast foods they had brought with them.
Everyone said their 'good mornings' and Terry headed to the food. Chris followed, but was stopped by Marie. "Not you, girlie. You jump up into that chair and let me see how those curlers worked out."
As she took off the kerchief and started unrolling his hair, Marie said, "Well, well. Looks like you grew quite a nice little rack overnight, didn't you?" and she smirked at him. He was a bit embarrassed, but Marie just gave a little snicker and continued.
When his hair was all down, she heaved a sigh and said, "Well, the color looks great, but the curlers were a waste of time. The extensions curled pretty well, but your hair is still as straight as a stick." Chris was turned away from the mirrors and couldn't see.
Terry heard Marie and came over to take a look. "He has hair just like mine, Marie. I've been getting perms just for this little bit of body in my hair since I was thirteen."
"Ok, a perm it is, but, I am going to make her's just a little curlier than yours so that she has that 'country-girl' look to it." Chris was blushing more and more as the woman around him used the female pronouns. It was weird and embarrassing, but at the same time, he kind of liked it, too. He'd always been a kind of a loner - not really by choice - just because he was so painfully shy. This new kind of inclusion into this group of women was really nice.
"So," Marie continued while turning her attention to the electrolysis woman, "I'll start the curlers for the perm now. Can you start on her legs from here?"
"Sure, not a problem!" said the woman, who Chris later learned was named Betty.
The two woman set to work, while conversations about Chris swirled around him, but if anyone spoke to him is was just things link, "look down, please," or "turn to the left."
By 7:30, Chris had the horrid smelling perm solution on his head, Marie had said she was using a mild solution like she would use on little girls since this was Chris' first perm and she didn't want to damage the weave, but it still smelled awful, and Betty was burning away his body hair. "This won't be permanently removed after just one treatment, honey. You have to do it a few times over a couple of years to keep it away forever. I'm not hurting you, am I?" Chris shook his head and looked up to see the girls grabbing their stuff and headed out.
Chris felt a stab of fear at being left here alone. "You guys are leaving?"
"Yep!" Margo smiled at him. "We have to go to a shop that sells performance clothing in the city. They open at 9:00, so we're going to get going."
"What about me?" Chris asked, sounding a little whinier than he intended.
"Don't worry, cutie," Margo said as she patted both of Chris' cheeks and smiled at him. "We'll pick out something sexy for you. If it looks nice on Terry in a size two, it will look great on you in a size zero! I'm sure you'll love what we get! Bye, bye, all!"
Of course, Chris wasn't talking about the clothes. He meant that he didn't want to be here alone.
Marie understood and rubbed his shoulders through the smock. "Don't worry, baby girl. They'll be back in a few hours and we'll be done by then. I have my first guests coming in at 8:15, so I'm going to have Betty take you to a room in the back so she can continue her work. I'll bring you out here in a while to take out your curlers. Then, when we're all done with everything else, we'll do your make up, ok?"
Chris nodded and Marie helped him stand up. There really wasn't anything about this child that looked at all boyish, let alone manish and he was really scared without his sister here. 'It's amazing,' Marie thought, 'he seems so young and insecure while Terry, just a few minutes older, is so self-secured and has accomplished so much.' Marie couldn't help herself. She took Chris in her arms and hugged him sympathetically then planted a warm kiss on his smelly forehead. "Don't worry, baby. I'll take good care of you till your sister comes back," Then, she flashed a motherly smile at him and shooed him into the back room as her first appointment of the day came in the front or the shop.
Chapter 11
It was after 2:00 and Chris' mom was pacing back and forth in her house. She'd been out on the patio pacing for the last hour and finally came inside hoping to relax a little. No such luck.
"I never should have allowed this," she muttered to herself. "This is ridiculous. I should call Terry and call this whole thing off right now."
In fact she had called Terry twice already. At 11:00, Terry told her that she and the girls had just come back from shopping, but she hadn't seen Chris yet. At 12:30, Terry said that they were driving home, but she needed to stop and get Chris something to eat along the way because he'd not eaten anything all day.
"How does he look? Is he ok?" her mother had asked.
"Relax, mom. He looks great. You'll love him - or should I say her - when you see her." The laughter of all the girls in the car did nothing to relieve her feelings that she'd set her son up for a terrible experience.
Finally, at 2:30, she heard the car pull into the driveway. She rushed into the kitchen and sat at the table, sipping some soda and turning pages in the daily paper. The girls came through the front door and there was a lot of giggling and hushing going on in the living room, but no one came into the kitchen. Their mom was going crazy waiting for them.
"Hi, everyone!" she shouted from the kitchen. "I'm out here in the kitchen."
Suddenly, dead silence and then some hushed giggles. Then the four girls came into the kitchen.
"Hi, mom!" Terry greeted her mom with a big grin on her face.
"Hi, Mrs. Walters," the other three said as well.
"Hi, girls," she replied, keeping her anxiety in check. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen your brother anywhere today, have you. Small, thin guy with kind of perfect breasts..."
"No," Terry smirked, "I haven't seen my brother anywhere, but I have seen my little sister."
The girls smiles were huge with expectation.
Terry continued, "Would you like to see my twin sister, Chrissie?"
"If you don't mind, yes, I would like to see him.... Um... her. I'd like to see her right now, please."
"Ok! Ladies and gentlemen! For the first time in our very own kitchen - the newest member of Dusty Rose and the Walters family; Christine Elizabeth Walters!"
With that a young woman entered the room. She was breath taking-ly beautiful. Long, softly curled, yellow-blond hair that reached nearly to her waist with sweet little pearl ear-rings showing off her newly pierced ears. A tight fitting, rose colored polo shirt and a short, but blousy, pleated, darker blue skirt that reached to her mid-thigh. Her legs were smooth and perfect and ended with her slightly-heeled-sandal covered feet that had ten, perfectly pedicured, pink toe nails.
Mrs. Walters took in the image and then concentrated on the beautiful face. The delicately arched eyebrows, softly shaded eyes, ever-so-slightly blushed cheeks. And she was even slightly tanned.
Mrs. Walters hands were folded in front or her mouth. Her eyes were wide in shock. How could this perfect young woman be her gawky, little son.
Finally she whispered, "Oh, Chrissie..." and tears flowed down her face.
Chris' smile disappeared and concern spread across his face. "Mom... please don't cry. I'll go take it all off." He ran to his mother. "Mommy, please, just don't cry..."
"My God. I never noticed that you even have a girls voice," she said as a huge smile broke out on her face. She hugged Chris to her and continued crying. "Oh, Chrissie, you are so beautiful. I can't believe that you are the gawky little guy who was sitting at this table just twenty-four hours ago when the girls first brought this whole thing up."
She pulled back and held Chris at arm's length and took him in again. "How is this possible? Do you have a tan? I thought that you weren't supposed to get a tan with those boobs?"
"It's a spray-on tan, Mrs. Walters," Gina said. "My mom thought it would make everything look more natural. All five of us have been well coached on how to do Chris' hair and make-up. We can make her look great on the street, like she is now, or for the stage. We'll take really good care of your little-ist girl."
His mom stood back and had them all come close together so she could take a look at the five of them together. She looked from one to the next to the next and there just wasn't any difference; they were all beautiful young women.
"How do you feel, sweetheart?"
Chris was a bit confused. "I feel fine, mom. Why?"
"No, baby, I mean; how do you feel in the clothes and the makeup? How do you like the long hair? All of it?"
Everyone got quiet to hear his response.
"I don't know. I guess I feel... nice. All the pampering over the last two days was really special for me. I kind of loved being fussed over and Marie was so nice to me. My body is so smooth now, too. It's really sensitive and the clothes that I'm wearing are so much nicer than my boy clothes. I like the softness of this polo shirt a lot. I never felt that in my old ones. And this skirt makes me feel... well, I guess I feel pretty. I can't stop looking at myself in the mirror, mom. No one ever noticed Chris, but, mommy, no one can look at me now and not see something beautiful in me. I really like it, mom! Really!"
"Oh, baby, baby, baby," and she hugged him again. "You are so very, very beautiful."
"Ok, girls!" Margo interrupted. "I hate to be the slave driver, here, but we have a little gig coming up in just a few days and we need to rehearse our new 'chick' singer. She needs to learn a few new songs and get used to moving in her sexy, new clothes," With that she gave Chris' fanny a soft slap and her hand lingered there just a little longer than it should have. "Come on, sweetie pie, let's go down stairs and get this band focused!"
As they all disappeared down the stairs, his mom watched in astonishment. 'He is beautiful!' she thought. 'He is so much smaller than the rest of them. I can't believe that's my shy little boy. I guess that shyness in a boy is odd, but shyness in a girl is somehow attractive.' She couldn't help but have a few more concerns, though, and she still thought, 'I sure hope that we're doing the right thing.'
Then she dialed the number for Gina's mother's cell phone to thank her.
Chapter 12
They worked and they worked. When they weren't practicing, they were watching YouTube videos of Martina MacBride, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Picker and other female country singers. They'd all make notes on movements, gestures, facial expressions, clothing and makeup and then they'd rerun some of their material with Chris adding in the new movements, etc. They were all like a football coaches trying to make a championship team.
On Sunday, they set up a video camera to record Chris' movements so they could take a close look at his movements.
"It's the way you move your hips, Chris," Gina was explaining. "You look like a girl, but your hips don't sway like one. There's still something boyish about you your hips."
They went back to rehearsing, but the movements just didn't improve.
At 2:00 that afternoon, Margo said, "Let's take a lunch break." She pulled some money out of her pocketbook and handed it to Grace. "Why don't you guys run to Subway and get us some lunch. Let me talk to our little lady here for a few minutes. I think I can help her get those movements right."
Chris felt an excited, yet nervous flush pass across him. He was a little nervous about being alone with Margo. He really did have a thing for her and he had fantasized about being with her many times, but in all of those fantasies, he never once was wearing a little yellow dress with a built in petticoat.
When the others were gone, Margo smiled at him and said, "I think I know what's missing, Chrissie. It's just that, even though you're wearing a dress and you look like a knockout, you don't really know how it feels to be a girl." She got up and grabbed her iPod and scrolled through her playlists until she found what she wanted. Then she plugged it into the PA system. The sounds of an older country song came through the speakers.
Don't look so sad I know it's over
But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Chris was sitting and watching Margo adjust the volume. Her tight jeans squeezed her butt perfectly and made him even more nervous. When she turned and walked toward him, he blushed slightly.
"May I have this dance?" She extended her hand to him to help him to his feet.
He rose and Margo pulled him to her. She took his arms and put them around her neck, then she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in tightly.
"Rest your head on my shoulder and just let me lead."
Margo was wearing her boots and Chris, just his flip flops, so his head rested easily on Margo's shoulder. His head was turned away from Margo's chin and he could feel her warm breasts against his neck. Goose bumps popped up all over his body.
The music continued: Take the ribbon from your hair, shake it loose and let it fall...
As Margo led Chris across the limited open space in the basement she whispered to him. "Shh, now, close your eyes and just feel everything. Feel how your dress sways with your hips. Doesn't that feel nice? It slides across your bottom, every time you move, doesn't it? Now, just focus on that for a moment. Feel it sway and swish and sway and swish... shhhhhhhhh"
Chris was almost hypnotized by the feelings and her voice.
"That's so much nicer than feeling pants on you, isn't it? Yes, I know it is. Now, feel how naked your legs are. Isn't that sexy? Can you feel my jeans brush against them? It's so nice. So, nice," she whispered some more. "Think about this, too; the only thing separating my sex from yours is just your silky, little panties. Think how vulnerable that makes you, baby. Just your little panties protecting you from me. You are so vulnerable, but it is soooo worth it to feel this pretty, isn't it? Such a pretty girl, such a pretty girl. Just keep thinking about how that skirt feels, brushing on your legs."
The song ended and another started immediately. This time it was Kenny Rogers singing She Believes in Me. As the lyrics began, Margo leaned forward and kissed the exposed skin on Chris' shoulder. They were, slow, warm, tender kisses and Chris could feel a stirring in his panties. Of course he'd been aroused before, but with the gaff pulling everything so tight, this was different. It was just a longing to offer himself to Margo.
The kisses moved up Chris' neck until they reached his ear.
She sang quietly into his ear.
And she believes in me,
I'll never know just what she sees in me
I told her someday if she was my girl, I could change the world With my little songs, I was wrong
Margo bit at the little pearl ear ring that was nestled on Chris' earlobe. When she softly probed the inside of his ear with her tongue, Chris' knees nearly buckled beneath him. He wasn't even thinking now, just acting on impulse - pure, feminine impulse. With his eyes still closed, his head rolled back and he turned his head toward Margo's while she continued to nuzzle his neck. When Margo pulled her head back, she saw Chris' beautiful face with its perfect makeup turned towards her's and his mouth was just slightly open. His lower lips quivered just a little bit.
Margo leaned in again and this time, she pressed her lips against his - softly at first, then harder and with more passion. When her tongue entered his mouth, his tongue yielded to her and he was soon submitting to her every whim.
Now, he could feel her hands on his rear as she pulled his groin to her's. He moved his right leg to the side and softly wrapped it around the course material of Margo's jean-encased leg. When the kiss ended, Chris's head fell back as if there were no muscles to hold it in place. Margo moved her kisses down to his throat and leaned forward to continue her ministrations.
Margo was as caught up in the passion as Chris, now, but somewhere inside of her, a reminder came into her mind, reminding her that this was not the time for this to go too far. She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she looked at how she and Chris were entangled: She was bent nearly half-way over. One arm was cradling Chris' back while the other was clamped firmly to his buttocks. Chris' head was hanging freely from his shoulders and he had become limp in her arms. She looked at his beautiful, feminine face and she wanted, more than anything, to continue, but she knew that this was the time to stop, so she slowly started to stand upright, taking Chris with her. When, at last he rolled his eyes open, he looked demurely up into her eyes and the both smiled the smallest, most satisfied smiles of their lives at each other.
Margo kissed his forehead. "Now," she kissed his right eye lid, "my" she kissed his left eye lid, "sweet," she kissed his right cheek, "beautiful," she kissed his left check, "baby," she kissed his lips, "when you sing a song," she kissed his lips again, "sing it," she kissed his lips again, "to," she kissed his lips again, "only," this time she kissed his lips long and soft, "me."
Just then, the girls opened the door at the top of the stairs and came bustling down the stairs, laughing and chatting. Chris walked away from Margo and kept his back to the girls.
"Any progress?" Gina smiled and handed both Chris and Margo a drink.
"I think so!" Margo's mood snapped back to her casual norm while Chris took the drink and turned away, again.
Terry handed Margo her sandwich, but as she looked towards Chris, she could see the blush that he was trying to hide - it was even visible on his exposed shoulders.
She whispered to Margo, "Did we interrupt something here?"
Margo smiled back and raised her eyebrows a couple of times, indicating that things had gone a bit further than she'd expected. "You kinda did," She whispered so only Terry could hear.
Terry's eye's grew wide and her jaw fell open as if she were going to let out an excited scream, but, instead, she closed her mouth and grinned a huge, supportive and happy grin back at Margo. Now, Margo blushed a bit, too.
Terry crossed to Chris and handed him his lunch. As he smoothed his dress beneath his bottom and sat in a chair to eat, Terry sat on an amplifier beside him and rubbed both of his arms as he prepared his meal. When Margo glanced in their direction, Terry caught her eye and, once again, opened he mouth as if to scream, but instead, smiled and bounced excitedly in place to show her approval of Margo and Chris.
When lunch was finished, they went back to playing while having the video camera on. Chris was a new person. He was soft and feminine and powerful and sexual and intimate and broad and, above all, connected to the music. His little hips swayed in his skirts and his eyes flashed pure sexuality.
As they finished up for the day and walked up the stairs, Terry wrapped an arm around Chris' shoulders and said, "You are a revelation, baby sister. A revelation!" Chris smiled back, but said nothing.
Grace and Gina were already out the door and getting into their cars, but Margo was waiting in the kitchen. "Ok, then. I'll see you girls tomorrow."
"Ok, hon," Terry said and gave Margo a peck on the cheek.
Chris went to do the same, but Margo caught him off guard and planted another soft kiss on his lips. When they separated, she kissed him again on his forehead. "Good night, beautiful," She whispered as she turned and left - leaving him breathless and strangely unsatisfied.
He watched her leave and stared at the door after it closed. Terry gave him a soft smack on his butt and laughed. "Why, you little tramp!" She laughed. "Come on, lover-girl. Let's get ready for bed. Mom bought you a new nightie that will fit better than one of mine," They were already up to the second floor. "You'll like it. It's pink and frilly and very pretty. Wait until Margo sees you in it," Terry teased, "she'll be all over you." Her smile was huge and his was, too. As she helped him remove his makeup and get into his new nightie, she was singing, "I kissed a girl and I liked it..."
Chapter 13
Monday night was the final rehearsal. Grace's family had access to their church hall and the girls set up on the small stage in the hall. They ran their set three times with the video running, critiqued it in between each run and improved each time. Chris' gestures were perfect and so was his singing.
Finally, it was Tuesday night.
Grace and Gina went to the club, Windy Ranch Bar, where they were to perform early to set everything up for their 9:00 set. Margo showed up at 7:15 to meet the promoter and discuss business. "Schmoozing" she called it.
At the same time, Chris' mom was helping Marie get Chris' makeup and hair just right. They were in mom's bedroom using her vanity to get everything done as methodically as possible. Terry did her hair and makeup in her room, then put on her new outfit - it was still a little, country-style sundress, but it had little sparkles all over it to catch the light when she moved.
Chris had yet to see his outfit, but now was the time.
Terry came in with a garment bag and hung it on the back of the door.
"Are you all set to get dressed?" she asked her brother.
"I guess so!" He stood and opened the front of his robe revealing the undergarments he had been instructed to wear. A strapless bra and blue panties over his skin-tone-colored gaff.
"Let's start with your shoes." She took out the shoes and showed them to everyone. They were two inch heels, open toed, silver shoes that glimmered even in the light of the bedroom. On stage they were bound to be gorgeous. Both mothers gasped in approval.
"Now, close your eyes. I want this on you before you see it so you get the full effect."
Chris started to object, but his mom interrupted. "Come on, Chrissie, don't spoil our fun. I know you worked hard for this day, but so have Terry and Marie. Let Terry have some fun."
He closed his eyes and waited. Terry had him lift one leg and then the other as he stepped into the dress. Then he felt it being drawn up his body and adjusted on him. Then he felt the zipper being pulled up the back of the dress. Then he felt Terry fluffing out the skirt of the dress while he heard the women whispering about how beautiful he looked.
"It feels very short," he said.
"It is, but it is a very "country" outfit and you look amazing in it. Keep those eyes closed and lets move to the mirror. Take my arm. I'll lead you."
They moved a few steps forward then to the right.
"Ok. On the count of three you can open them. One. Two. Three!"
He couldn't believe it. There in the mirror was Terry and her slightly smaller clone, Chris, but Chris was wearing a blue dress with sparkles everywhere. The dress was strapless with a plunging neckline and an empire waistline. Then the dress spread out from just below his bust into a bouncy, wide skirt with a lacy petticoat sticking out underneath. The whole dress barely covered his panties by six inches.
"Oh, my God! It's so short and girly!!" he shouted in a very girly manner.
"I know. Isn't it cute!?" Terry smiled back at him.
"Mommy! Do you like this?"
"Chrissie, I think it's perfect! You look absolutely adorable."
"It's true," Marie reassured him. "You are perfect for this. Just sit down for another minute and let me put some spray on your hair."
Chris looked away from the mirror and headed for the vanity. When he sat, he immediately sprang back up.
"What's the matter, baby?" Mom asked.
"This is so short that when I sit, I sit on my panties. Are you sure this is ok?"
"Chrissie, sweetheart," Terry said, "You are a country girl, remember? It's the 'farmer's daughter' fantasy that you need to fulfill. You look great!"
He nodded and sat again and Marie emptied nearly the entire contents of the hairspray can onto his hair.
Finally, they were ready and all of them piled into mom's minivan and headed to the club.
Chapter 14
It was a great performance!
Chris flirted with the audience like he'd spent his whole life in skirts. They ate it up. The girls had worked out some moves, too. All in all, it was a solid 30 minutes of great entertainment and, when it ended, the crowd was on their feet cheering.
"You girls were UNBELIEVABLE!" The promoter cheered at them as they exited the stage. "Tomorrow morning at 10:00, I want all five of you and whoever represents you to meet me in the restaurant of my hotel, the Hyatt on Grove Street, and we are going to lock this thing up! I want you five in Nashville by next week. This is going to be recorded and released as soon as possible! I am predicting that Dusty Rose is going to own this summer!!!"
The four girls, Chris, his mom and Marie all were cheering and hugging each other and in a big group.
"See you in the morning, girls! You are on your way, sweet hearts! You are on your way!!!" and he left.
Back at the house there was a big meeting; Chris, his mom, the girls, Marie, Margo's father and Grace's mother and father. The discussion was excited and concerned.
"What if this is some kind of scam?"
"I have a lot of concerns about you girls quitting school!"
"Maybe this is the one and only chance! How can we say 'no' to their one and only chance?"
"This is the greatest day of our lives!"
"This is one of the most frightening things that I can think of you girls doing."
"You can't say 'no'! We have to try this!"
It went on this way for about a half-hour until Chris' mom took control of the situation. "I think that we need to each state our positions on this and then hear from the kids. Bill and Maggie; what do you think?"
Bill, Grace's dad, spoke for both of them. "Well, I think I have been very supportive up till this point, but, Gracie, this is something very different. You might be throwing your life away here. Please, just finish college and then pursue this. That's all I am asking."
"Daddy, the opportunity exists tomorrow morning - not in four years. It really is now or never. If things don't go well, I promise I will be back on campus, taking classes in the fall. Ok?"
"I think that's a good way to look at things," Marie jumped in. "Let's let them give it a shot, but with the caveat that, if things are not going well by August, everyone's back at school in September. Can everyone live with that?"
Most of the parents sighed, but everyone agreed that it was worth a half a semester and a summer vacation.
Then, Margo's Dad seemed to notice Chris for the first time. "Where are your parents, sweet heart? I'd like to know how they feel about you missing a semester of college."
Chris looked a little confused and said, "Ummm. I'm only a junior in high school."
Margo's dad seemed very concerned. "This is a big decision, sweet heart. I think that you should have a parent here."
Margo, who was sitting next to Chris, put a reassuring hand on Chris' leg and said, "Daddy, you know Chris. Mrs Walters is Chris' mom."
Chris was still wearing his stage dress, so he was feeling a bit exposed and her hand was very close to his panties.
Margo's dad looked at Mrs. Walters with confusion on his face. "I thought that you only had Terry and Chr..." He slowly turned his head back to Chris and Margo. "Oh, my goodness. Chris... is that really you?"
Chris kept his eyes down and answered, "Yes, sir. It's me."
Margo gave his thigh another reassuring squeeze and a little rub sending very un-lady-like sensations to his gaff-encased member.
Margo's dad stared in disbelief. His eyes came to rest on Chris' very real looking cleavage. "...how? ... why?"
Margo quickly explained everything.
"You can't possibly keep this up forever. When did you plan to tell that promoter about this?"
"Tomorrow morning, daddy. He loves the band. I'm sure he'll understand."
He turned to Mrs. Walters. "I guess you have a lot riding on this, huh?"
It was her turn to look confused this time. "I don't understand? I just want what's best for the kids."
"Really!?" he half laughed. "What's best for the kids? You son is wearing a petticoat and has breasts..."
"Those are artificial breasts!" Marie chimed in.
"... and you say you want what's best for him? Is there really any job worth castrating your son for?"
"I beg your pardon!" Mrs. Walters shouted. "I did no such thing!"
He shook his head; disgusted. "Come on, Margo, we're going home. This is all over, now."
Margo didn't budge. "No, daddy. I'm staying here and I am going to the meeting in the morning. I am nineteen years old. I pay for my own college expenses and I can make my own decisions. If things work out tomorrow morning, I am going to take this chance. We're a very good band, daddy, and we may have the chance to live charmed lives if they offer us the right deal, so... well, you can leave if you want, but I am staying right here."
Her dad nodded, looked around and left quietly. The meeting concluded and Gina and Grace left with their parents.
The next hour was a hustle to get the house cleaned up, get all of their makeup off and get into bed as quickly as possible so they could get some rest before the morning. Then, mom laid in her bed, Terry in hers, Chris in his and Margo on the couch and all of them stared at the ceiling until the sun rose.
Chapter 15
At 9:55 the next morning, Margo, Chris, Terry and mom stepped out of the minivan and met with Marie and Gina, and Grace and her parents in the hotel's parking lot, then headed into the restaurant. Margo was shocked to see her father standing near the door to the restaurant. He was carrying a single pink rose in his hand. The others stayed back while Margo walked to her dad. "Hi," she said.
"Hi. Listen, honey... I gave this a lot of thought and, well, if this is what you want to do, I shouldn't stand in your way." He shifted a little uncomfortably on his feet and held out the flower for Margo. "This is the dustiest rose I could find this early in the day. I won't come in if you don't want me to, but... well, good luck, baby."
Margo jumped into his arms and hugged with all her might. The others mover forward as Margo gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ok, everyone," Margo smiled, "let's go in."
They all filed into the restaurant. Chris found himself walking next to Margo's dad. Chris was wearing a casual dress with a dark blue, spaghetti strapped top with a 'poofy' white, flowered bottom. Chris suddenly felt the man's hand on his shoulder, then he heard him whisper into his ear. "I am sorry, Chris. You are a very beautiful young woman and I shouldn't have said what I did last night. Can you forgive me?"
Chris looked at him and smiled. "Yes, sir. Of course."
They continued to the back of the room and found the promoter sitting at a large table, but not nearly large enough for all of them, so they pulled another table over and ordered breakfast.
The promoter, Evan Stewart, began by explaining that he only represented the recording and distribution company and that the girls should talk to a lawyer about setting up a publishing company to protect their original songs and other details that he could not speak to.
"Now," he said, finally getting to what he had to offer he had to present, "I have to tell you, and this is the truth, I never make an offer like this, but I have so much faith in you girls that I convinced the company that I needed to make this an offer you couldn't refuse. Here's the deal: You each receive a $100,000.00 signing bonus for a total of half-a-million dollars. You are in Nashville by Monday morning of next week, where you work with Billy Coleman - one of country music's best producers - and you have three weeks to record an album of not less than ten songs, at least seven original compositions. This way we can get at least a couple of videos recorded and get everything into circulation by the middle of May and, honest to God, I really think that you girls are going to own the airways this summer! What do you think?"
There was stunned silence around the table.
"Well....?"
Finally, Chris' mom stoke up. "Mr. Stewart, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we are flabbergasted by your generosity and we are very, very excited and very, very scared about this whole thing, but..." she stopped to think, but Evan interrupted.
"But!? Mrs. Walters, this offer is unheard of. I have never made an offer like this before. Take my advice, girls; sign the contracts."
".... No, no," she continued, "they want to sign the contracts, believe me, they do, but there is something we need you to be aware of first."
"Ok," Evan said. "And that something is...?"
She stood and took Chris' hand and walked him over to Evan, "Mr. Stewart... I'd like you to meet Chris Walters."
"Thank you, Mrs. Walters, but we have met and your daughter's voice is at least 60% of the reason we're all here this morning."
"No, Mr. Stewart. Meet Christopher Walters. My son."
First Evan was silent, then he gave a nervous laugh and looked around at everyone to see if this was a joke they were playing on him.
"You're joking. This is a joke, right?"
No one responded.
"This drop-dead beautiful girl is your son?"
"Yes, Mr. Stewart and we thought you needed to know that before you signed them. I assure you that, if you sign them, he can still dazzle you as a male singer. You should hear him when..."
"Stop. Just stop. I just realized that I saw him perform as man - or boy, I guess - and I have to say, I was unimpressed. And I saw him perform as a girl and he was amazing! That's the singer I need in this band," Then he looked more closely at Chris. "I can't believe that you're a dude! What are you, like a pre-op or something?"
Chris, whose eyes had been riveted to the carpet, looked up, "Excuse me? I don't know what you mean."
"I mean," he continued, "do you still have your... well, your man stuff?"
Chris was horribly embarrassed by the question. "Yes, sir."
"So the hormones did this?" he asked indicating Chris' breasts.
"No, sir. Those are fakes."
Evan began thinking. "Ok... ok.... Ok.... Sit down, Chris, Mrs. Walters. Just give me a minute to think."
They all watched as he sat and thought and drummed his fingers on the table.
Finally, he spoke again. "Here's the deal! I can't use this band without Chris and I can't use Chris as a boy, so I need Christine in this band from now on. I never heard what you just told me - clear!?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "I am going to write up another contract, separate from this one, that locks you all, band and parents, into a secrecy agreement for the duration of the original agreement, which is for three albums or seven years. None of you - not any one of you - will be able to speak about Chris' sex during that time and I never - NEVER - want to hear anyone talk to me about this again! No one except the people at this table know anything about this and no one will. From now on, Chris is not Christopher for any reason. Chris is just Chris. That is how you will sign your name at all times. Never, ever use the name Christopher again. Are we all in agreement?"
"Chris," Margo's dad spoke up, "I really want you to consider this. You're seventeen now and, if you agree to this, you will have to live as a girl - as a woman - at least until you are twenty-four. Is this what you want?"
Chris considered everything for a few moments and then he said, "I have thought about this a lot and this is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I've always been alone and, for the last ten days, I've been part of your group. I've never been as free in front of an audience as I have been with you girls and I have never had an audience love me like they have since I started being a girl. I don't know where things may end up, but the idea of giving up Chrissie and going back to plain, old, easy to ignore Christopher - well, I really don't ever want to be 'him' again. So - I guess what I'm trying to say is - Yes - I am really happy to be a part of this band and I really, really want to make something of my life and, if the only way I can do it is in a pretty dress, then, a pretty dress is just fine with me - I like them!"
The other girls rushed to him and hugged him.
Gina, Grace and Margo all signed their contracts. Because Chris and Terry were still only seventeen, their mom signed theirs. Then they finished their breakfasts and headed out to the parking lot.
"Girls," Grace's dad hollered, "let's get a picture over here by the fountain! Line up here and hold up your copies of the contract."
All the girls stood together and posed and all the parents stood and looked at them in amazement. "Our babies are going to be stars!" Marie whispered in amazement. "This is unbelievable."
"I know," Grace's mom whispered back. "Look at them, They're all so beautiful. Especially Chris. She's really perfect."
"I know," whispered Chris' mom back to the others. "My little girls are all grown up!"
To Be Continued...
Comments
Clara
You never stop amazing me. This is a great story I cannot wait for the continuation. Stay well,
I just love Dusty Rose..
I've got the tour T-shirt from when they played the Concert Hall here, and all their CDs.
It must be a decade since I first saw them. Just awesome!
Seriously, this is probably my favourite of all your stories, Clara. I've loved it and reread it so many times. No spoilers, but some of the (yet to appear) supporting cast are some of my favourite literary characters.
I am absolutely delighted to be reading it here at last.
Lucy xx
"Lately it occurs to me..
what a long strange trip its been."
Looking good
I am a sucker for this type of story. Although Wildcats and I'm in the band have already done this sort of thing, I am interested to see your spin on ut.