Gerald and Joan: The Sequel

By Pamela

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Author’s note: This story owes its existence to Pooja Sharma who during the last six years asked me dozens and dozens of times to write a sequel to “Gerald and Joan.”

While Gerald rode home from the mall with Pamela and Debbie he said, “I had an epiphany in the dressing room when we were together!”

“An epiphany!” Debbie exclaimed. “How often does anyone get an epiphany?”

“Tell us,” Pamela said.

“Well, you see, I realized that the time has come to fully commit to being Joan’s wife. I mean I’ve obviously been headed that way. I need to take the complete leap into being her wife. For example, I want to be pretty to make Joan happy. A pretty wife is what she wants and that’s the kind of wife I’m going to be.”

“Joan will be thrilled,” Debbie said.

“I hope so,” Gerald said. “You see, up to this point she set the rules on what I wear. It’s like I’ve been a man that she orders to wear this dress or that dress. The golf fiasco is the perfect example. I was caught in both the man’s and woman’s world. She bought me that pink golfing skirt and I know it’s kind of cute and all but I wasn’t happy by the fact that playing golf as a woman turned out to ruin my game.”

“Your boobs got in the way of your swing.”

“That was a part of it!” Gerald said. “The other thing is that I felt intimidated by the men staring at me.”

“Because you were worried about your masculinity,” Debbie said.

“Yes!” Gerald said. “Worrying about how masculine I am while dressed in a pretty pink outfit caused my concentration to go on vacation! From now on I want to play golf as Joan’s wife with other women and not feel pressure to be a man!”

“This is so nice, Gerald. Debbie and I are thrilled to have you as another woman in our group!”

“I can’t thank you enough. You’re helping me embrace my new reality. I’m now the wife. I have to dive wholeheartedly into that role. I’ve already been learning how to cook and do the laundry. I can make the bed to Joan’s standard and she’s happy with how I clean the bathroom. My grocery shopping needs to be better. Of course, there’s my makeup which has been a problem. Anyway I’m now more than determined to be the best possible wife I can be for Joan. That’s my epiphany!”

“I must admit that since that first dinner party when you showed up in a dress until now you’ve crossed the line from a guy uncomfortably wearing women’s clothing to being a gal who knows something about being pretty and feminine,” Pamela said.

“I agree,” Debbie said. “You’ve got the right instincts to be a fine wife to Joan, but …”

“But what?” Gerald asked.

“It’s just that I hope she fully appreciates all that you do for her. I wonder if part of your epiphany is actually a rationalization of Joan's demands that are not always entirely fair to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“A wife should be a partner to her husband, not a part time hooker, part time maid, part time chef, part time laundress. Isn’t Joan dumping all the drudgery of living onto you?”

“If I don’t do those things who will?”

“Demand that Joan split the housework with you,” Debbie said. She laughed and added, “If Bruce didn’t help me when I wanted his help I’d be doing only my laundry and cooking only for myself!”

Pamela laughed, “I’m the same way. We can’t let men treat us like we’re in prehistoric times!”

“Oh my God, if I did that kind of thing Joan would go ballistic!”

“If she does it only proves that she’s unfair.”

Gerald tried to imagine standing up to Joan. “To be honest I’m terrified of getting Joan mad at me. I can’t deal with her anger.”

“You’re clearly being abused by Joan,” Pamela said. “No wife should ever be afraid of her husband.”

“But I want to be her wife. That’s my epiphany.”

“No one is telling you that being a wife is wrong. I think that’s great because you are such a pretty and feminine girl,” Pamela said. “Debbie’s point is that there’s a big difference between being Joan’s wife and Joan’s servant. We think you need to stick up for yourself and not let her stampede you into the kind of married life you describe.”

“If I assert myself Joan might hurt me. She’s gotten so strong.”

“Gerald dear,” Debbie said. “As we said, it’s not healthy for you to be in a relationship based on fear.”

“Try talking to Joan and see what happens,” Pamela said.

“You’re right. I should at least try and do that much.”

“Remember that Pamela and I have your back. If Joan does something drastic we’ll take care of you until you can get resettled.”

“Gosh, you’re the best two friends a girl ever had!” After a pause Gerald added, “Part of my problem is that I don’t fully know what a wife is supposed to be.”

“We can help you with that,” Debbie said. “It’s not simple being a wife. The reality is that even though housework should be split down the middle it’s never usually like that. Women do tend to do more, but husbands must do some of it – besides other jobs like fixing the car or roof which might be only for them. If you have children it’s also mainly the mom that gets to do most of the tiring and also the fun work of child raising. One constant is that we women have the emotional burden of being the one who nurtures in the marriage. Part of that nurturing is to accept that our husbands are often too immature and self-absorbed to see how inconsiderate they are. Men can be callus and unfeeling. We have little choice except to put up with it.”

“You are describing Joan,” Gerald said. “She treats me as a sex object. It’s always on her terms and she never has concern for how I’m feeling. I can never have a nice conversation with her. I think she sees me as a bimbo. I’ve had no one to share my feelings with about how Joan treats me. Like when she decided I had to wear dresses to our friends’ houses. To whom could I turn? I just had to do what she said. I prayed that maybe in time she’d be more considerate of my feelings.”

“You poor dear. Now you have girlfriends to confide in. We’ll hold your hand and give you a hankie to cry into. That’s what women do for each other!”

“I’m going to cry!” Gerald said.

“You have a lot of company when it comes to women putting up with men,” Debbie said. “Joan has some similarity to Bruce. It’s kind of ironic but the very same muscles that he has that turn me on so much, are the muscles that can easily pin me down to the bed and turn me into a passive receptacle for his sperm.”

“That’s terrible,” Pamela said.

“In all fairness he does make an attempt at foreplay but it’s never really enough. I have to struggle to get my orgasms quickly because I know that as soon as he shoots off his load in me he’ll be going to sleep. Sometimes I do get quick orgasms. Many times I’m left feeling unfulfilled. Then I get out my magic vibrator and give myself a few well-deserved climaxes!”

“Men! You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them!” Pamela said.

“You mentioned how you want to be pretty for Joan,” Debbie said. “That’s another frustrating thing with Bruce. Even though he’s not considerate about my sexual needs, he still wants me to look my best. I’m supposed to be sexy and feminine for him. Bruce has told me a thousand times how much he loves seeing me wearing one of my pretty dresses or one of my fluffy nighties. I’m supposed to be a cute sex doll is the way I see it. He preaches to me that God intended women to tempt their men into fucking them. That’s the crass way he announces how I’m supposed to present myself to him. I think he’s so old fashioned, besides out and out misogynistic.”

“I know that Glen also prefers me to be feminine. He’s a lot more timid than Bruce about expressing his desires, but I can see the pattern in his remarks. He’s very appreciative when I wear dresses that make me look sexy. He even asks me to please put on my sexiest bra and panty if we’re going to make love.”

“You’re lucky that Glen is not as demanding as Bruce,” Debbie said. “I find myself checking my make up more often than I should. I wear my push up bra more than I want to. I spend so much time thinking which of my blouses and dresses show off my boobs the best. All for what? A guy who struts around like he’s God’s gift to women.”

“What is it about men that makes them so shallow?” Pamela asked.

“I never knew that Bruce was so sexist,” Gerald said. “He sounds a lot like the way Joan is with me. She wants me to wear dresses with crinolines like it’s 1950! She says she wants to hear me swishing when I walk. She’s always focused on how I’m displaying my boobs. She says it’s important for me to show off my curves. You might not like to hear this but once Joan told me that I’ll know if I’m sexy enough when Bruce or Glen turn their heads when I walk by!”

Debbie laughed. “That’s crazy.”

“I wish that were crazy,” Pamela said. “I can imagine Glen being turned on by Gerald. Of course I have no idea what he’ll think when he looks inside Gerald’s panties. Maybe he’ll find that exciting.’’

“You’re right, Pamela,” Debbie said. “We don’t know all the sex fantasies our husbands are capable of. It wouldn’t totally surprise me at all to find out that Bruce has some bisexual tendencies.. It’s quite common for people to have secret desires. Human sexuality is complex.”

“Isn’t Joan the perfect example of that?” Gerald said. “When I married her I didn’t know that she was going to make me wear dresses.”

Debbie laughed, “But you wore them which I interpret as meaning that you harbored a hidden desire to wear them.”

“At some subliminal level you were drawn to Joan because she could supply the force that would make you wear dresses,” Pamela said.

“I suppose you’re right. My epiphany is probably just a realization of what I always wanted but didn’t realize.”

***

Earlier that morning, after Gerald left to shop with Debbie and Pamela, Bruce called up Joan.

“There’s been a cancellation at the club. Come join our foursome.”

“Great news. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Joan had been hoping for this ever since her recent golf outing with the men. She played golf as well as any of them – that much she’d proven. She’d developed her strength to rival that of men and she had made a considerable effort to say the kinds of things that men said. Being accepted as a man in every way had been her goal and now it seemed like she might have reached it. Admittedly her boobs were an obstacle that she downplayed by binding them flat against her chest. Her female hips were another weak point that she solved by the style of baggy pants she wore.

When the time was right Joan knew that she’d get her boobs taken off and she’d take some hormones. It’d be cool to deepen her voice and maybe grow a bit of a beard. It was already loads of fun being Gerald’s dominating husband. She laughed to herself knowing how perfectly Gerald had slipped into the role of wife. Not even a peep of protest – she had trained him so well not to contradict her.

At the golf course Joan held her own against the men. She handily beat Mickey and Glen and lost by a couple of strokes to Bruce.

“You must be taking bloody hormones,” Glen complained to Joan after the match. “Most of your tee shots went fifty yards past mine.”

“They’re as far as mine,” Bruce said. “Where did you learn to hit a ball like that?”

“While you duffers chug your beers and scratch your balls, I’ve been working hard on my game. You should try it sometime. Every day I practice using a band to strengthen my backswing by loading my trailing leg. That’s followed by a great exercise in which I explode from my trailing leg to my lead leg. I also do split stance band rotations.”

“All right, all right,” Glen said. “We got the message.”

“Anytime you boys want to arm wrestle …”

“Not today,” Bruce said.

Joan laughed. “I know you’re going to work on your biceps before you try me. I don’t know why you’d feel embarrassed if you lost to me. Some guys are just stronger than others.”

“But …” Bruce said and decided he’d better not say it.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Joan said. “You don’t think I’m totally a man.”

“Are you?” Bruce said. “To be honest I think you have one leg in manhood and one still in womanhood.”

“You mean my tits?”

“Well, I realize you’re mostly hiding them, but I can sort of see something.”

“The tits will be gone eventually.”

“And you don’t have a dick?”

“I can put on a silicon strap on and fuck you senseless,” Joan said. “Do you want me to? Just bend over.”

“It’s not fucking us senseless that we expect. It’s fucking Gerald senseless.”

“I fuck Gerald whenever I feel like it,” Joan said.

“With the strap on?”

“No, not yet. I don’t want to treat my wife like a slut. Gerald’s a delicate woman. Feminine. As it is I’m a bit rough with him. I’d like to be more patient when we’re having sex so that he has an opportunity to orgasm, but so far that’s a work in progress.”

“What I don’t follow, Joan, is that you refer to Gerald with male pronouns when you freely admit he’s your wife. Shouldn’t Gerald be a ‘she’ for you? And what about you? You’re the husband so we should refer to you as a ‘he’ or am I missing something?”

“You make a good point,” Joan said. “It’s true that now that Gerald is my wife he should use female pronouns. We’ve held back because he’s still been going to work as a man. This is getting harder and harder to do as he feminizes. Soon he’ll just have to go to work as a woman, or else I may decide to make him a full-time housewife.”

“And what about you? Shouldn’t we use male pronouns for you?”

“I’ll be pleased if you make the switch. It’s a good idea to do so. As Gerald’s husband it makes complete sense.”

“Regardless of anything, you seem so masculine in many ways. Certainly way more masculine than Gerald ever was. That much is certain,” Bruce said.

“I agree,” Glen said.

“You’ll find that I’m more and more masculine in the coming months and years – and that Gerald will be more and more feminine. It’ll take some time to complete our transformations – but completed they will be one day.”

“What about your name? Joan is a bit disconcerting in a guy,” Bruce said.

“And Gerald is inappropriate for your wife,” Glen said.

“You’re right,” Joan said.

“You should be Joe or Joey and Gerald should be Geraldine,” Bruce said.

“Joey is great but Geraldina is better than Geraldine,” Glen said.

“I can live with Joey. I like that but Geraldina isn’t right for Gerald. Geraldina is a femininization of Gerald, but my Gerald is too feminine to merely take a name like that. She needs a real feminine name. I’ve been thinking that Giselle is the perfect name for Gerald. It reminds me of a beautiful, feminine, ballerina in a tutu. What do you guys think?”

“I think you’re onto something. Giselle is perfect,” Bruce said.

“I agree,” Glen said. “Joey and Giselle instead of Joan and Gerald. Great.”

“Good. So from now on you guys call me Joey. I’ll let Gerald know that he, I mean she, is now Giselle!”

***

Debbie and Pamela dropped Gerald off at his house and they sped away. As soon as they were gone Gerald noticed that a car resembling Bruce’s was in the driveway. Joan hadn’t mentioned that he was coming over. Gerald walked up the walkway into the house. He heard talking in the kitchen and called out, “I’m home Joan.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” Joan called back..

Gerald entered the kitchen and saw Joan, Bruce, and Glen sitting at the table drinking beer.

“Hey Gerald,” Glen said.

“Hey,” Bruce said.

Gerald looked at them quizzically and then at Joan. “Hi,” he said, “you’re all just hanging out together?”

“The three of us got in a round of golf,” Bruce said. “There was a cancellation and we nabbed it.”

“Cool,” Gerald said. He felt uncomfortable. It was plain that Joan had a casualness with Bruce and Glen that she didn’t have with him. Joan and he never shared a beer and conversation together. This was exactly the emotional remoteness that he had been talking about with Debbie and Pamela. The thought that Joan would put her male friends ahead of his wife was disappointing. They were more equal to her than he was. With Bruce and Glen, Joan was one of the guys – three friends together. Gerald was only her outlet for sex and housekeeping. He would have to somehow someway do something about this.

“I’ve invited Bruce and Glen to dinner. You were making your garlic shrimp with pasta – can you expand the recipe?”

“Yeah, sure Joan,” Gerald said, at the same time he thought of how unfair this was. He was tired yet Joan just gave him extra work with not so much as a thank you or any offer to help him. Now he’d have to cook for four instead of two and serve everyone and do all the cleanup.

“That’s my girl.” Joan said to Bruce and Glen. “She’s a ‘yes’ person.”

“And if she said ‘no’?” Bruce asked.

“Gerald knows better than to say ‘no’ to me,” Joan said laughing.

Hearing Joan say that made Gerald want to cry. It was exactly why he was afraid of Joan. How in the world would he ever straighten out his relationship with her. Speak the honest truth to her?

“Debbie and Pamela just dropped me off from shopping,” Gerald said. “They don’t know you’re here.”

“We’ll let them know,” Glen said.

“I mean, you could invite Debbie and Pamela to dinner?” Gerald asked.

“We could, but we’re not going to,” Joan said.

“The six of us should get together soon,” Bruce said, “but tonight after dinner Glen, Joey, and I are going out to play pool.”

“Who’s Joey?” Gerald asked.

“That’s me,” Joan said. “The guys and I decided that seeing as I’m your husband now and you’re my little wifey, I’ll take over the male pronouns and you’ll get the female pronouns. I’ve adopted the name ‘Joey.’ No longer Joan. Remember that. I want you to always refer to me as Joey and use male pronouns.”
.
“Yes, okay,” Gerald said. “I’ll call you he or him.”

“Since you’re my girl, you’ll be a her or she.”

“Do I get to pick my girl name?”

“I’ve already picked it out for you.”

“You have? What did you choose?”

“Giselle.”

“Giselle? Oh, that’s okay I guess. It is a pretty name.” Though Giselle was smiling, she couldn’t stop from thinking of how much more considerate it would be for Joey to get her input as to her name.

“It’s great that you like the name Giselle,” Glen said. “Bruce and I were thinking along the lines of Geraldina.”

“No, I wouldn’t want to be Geraldina. That reminds me too much of Gerald. I’m no longer Gerald.”

“Well, Giselle, the guys and I are hungry after a long round of golf…” Joey said.

“I should start making dinner?” Giselle asked.

“If you don’t mind,” Joey said, sarcastically.

“Can I wash up first?”

“Of course, wash up. After dinner you can show us what you bought with your girlfriends.”

“I got two dresses and some bras …”

“You can show us later.”

“Okay. Joey!” This was better than calling him Joan. Joey had gotten so masculine that Giselle was uncomfortable calling him by a woman’s name. Giselle went to the bedroom to change and wash up. It was a relief to be Giselle. It put her mind at ease so there was no discordance between her name and her new identity as a woman. However, she couldn’t escape the doubts that had crept into her thinking about her role as wife after speaking to Debbie and Pamela. She really needed to have a talk with Joey but she’d save that for later.

Giselle looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. “I’m Giselle and I’m going to remove any vestige of Gerald I find in my mind. Gerald will be exorcized! She changed into a housedress with a crinoline underneath, freshened her makeup and combed her hair. She went to the kitchen and put on a fancy apron that Joey had bought for her. Her cooking was getting better week by week. The garlic shrimp dish was one she knew well and she made a larger batch than normal. She set the table for four and when dinner was ready called Joey, Bruce, and Glen to the table.

The men sat down and Giselle fetched them a bottle of wine. She placed the shrimp with pasta, salad, and bread on the table and sat down.

“This is lovely,” Glen said. “Thank you, Giselle.”

Giselle forced herself to say, “My pleasure.”

“Debbie would bust my balls if I was to come home and ask her to make dinner for me and my buddies!”

“Pamela would be the same way!” Glen said.

“Giselle is a doll,” Bruce said. “You’re lucky to find a gal like her, Joey.”

“She’s an old-fashioned girl,” Joey said. “She likes that her place is in the home. Don’t you Giselle?”

“Yes, Joey.”

“See what I’m saying. I treat her nice and she appreciates it,” Joey said to his friends. “Don’t you, Giselle?”

“Yes, Joey.”

“What am I?”

“You’re my husband?” Giselle asked.

“And you’re my girl.” Joey said. “Come here.”

Giselle walked to Joey and stood in front of him. Joey patted Giselle’s bottom with his hand and said, “See how she obeys. She’s a very good girl.”

“Good luck getting Debbie to do what I want,” Bruce said.

“I guess some women are tough, other women are docile,” Glen said.

“Are you docile?” Joey asked Giselle.

“I guess so, I don’t know.”

“The bottom line, Joey, is that you’re one lucky dude to find a wife like Giselle. Women like her aren’t too common nowadays.”

The men finished eating and Giselle cleared the table and asked if there was anything else she could get them.

“You had a good time shopping with Debbie and Pamela?” Joey asked.

“Yes, it was so much fun,” Giselle said.

“You bought some dresses?”

“Two gorgeous dresses. I’m so happy with them. Debbie and Pamela helped me so much. They’re knowledgeable and have a good eye for style, quality, and value. They taught me so much.”

“For instance?” Joey asked.

“Like, it’s important to get nice fitting dresses,” Giselle said. “Dresses that flatter my figure. The dresses I bought today look really good on me. Debbie and Pamela say they show off my curves.”

“Give us a fashion show,” Joey said.

“I doubt that Bruce and Glen are interested,” Giselle said.

“On the contrary,” Bruce said. “It’ll be fun to see you all dolled up in your new dresses.”

“I agree,” Glen said.

Joey gave Giselle a stern look and she said, “Okay, I’ll get changed.”

Giselle went to the bedroom to change her clothes. Where she might have enjoyed modeling dresses for Joey in the past, his pressuring her to show off her dresses now seemed like another example of his lack of consideration for her feelings. She especially didn’t know the propriety of having his friends leering at her. Giselle stepped out of the house dress, took off her pantyhose. She put on her new bodysuit, found a pair of stockings, and put them on and secured them with the garters. She put the pink dress on over her head and zipped up the back as it slid down her. She put on her pink heels and looked in the mirror to check her makeup and hair. Satisfied, she walked to the living room.

“Oh my, how gorgeous,” Glen exclaimed when Giselle minced into the living room in her new pink dress.

“You’re a knockout, Giselle,” Bruce said. “Honestly, that’s a really sexy look.”

“You really think so?” Giselle said.

“Giselle, you’re very pretty,” Joey said. “The dress shows off your curves. I like it. Debbie and Pamela gave you good advice.”

“I’m glad that you like it.”

“I do,” Joey said. “What underwear did you buy?”

“I bought a bodysuit and a couple of bras. I’m wearing the bodysuit now.”

“I never understood why women buy bodysuits instead of bras and panties,” Glen said.

“My bodysuit holds my shape differently than my bra and panty,” Giselle said. “Pamela and Debbie showed me that the smooth shape from my bodysuit is perfect for my pink dress. A bra, panty, and pantyhose is more appropriate for my other dress, though I can also wear a girdle and stockings with it. But what am I doing going on and on about my underwear. You men don’t want to hear about my bras and foundation garments!”

“That’s partially true,” Bruce said. “I like to see women in their underwear, I don’t enjoy hearing them talk about it.”

“Let’s see under the skirt,” Joey said.

“Really? With Bruce and Glen looking?”

“You heard Bruce. He likes the visuals. Let’s see what he says about your bodysuit. Lift your skirt,” Joey said.

Giselle reluctantly lifted up the skirt of her pink dress to show Joey the lower part of her bodysuit and the garters holding up her stockings.

Bruce laughed, “Nice view!”

“Don’t be crass, Bruce,” Glen said laughing. “You’re going to embarrass her.”

Joey got up and walked to Gerald. He unzipped the back zipper on her dress. “Come take this off. I want to see the whole look.”

“But Joey!”

“Don’t be shy. Bruce and Glen aren’t going to bite you.”

“It’s my underwear!”

“A bodysuit is like a one-piece bathing suit.”

“But it’s got lace and it’s prettier and it has garters holding my stockings.”

Joey frowned and Giselle stepped out of the dress and stood wearing her body suit, stockings, and heels.

“Wow,” Bruce said. “So cute, Giselle. You have a nice shape in the bodysuit. Don’t you think so Joey?”

“You’re right, Bruce,” Joey said.

“This really shows how large Giselle’s boobs are,” Bruce said.

“Do you like having large breasts, Giselle?” Glen asked.

Giselle looked at the men and said, “I don’t think gentlemen should talk about a lady’s bust.” She turned and looked at Joey for his reaction.

“Giselle, Bruce, and Glen are my friends. I’ll decide what is proper or improper.” To Bruce and Glen he said, “Don’t mind Giselle. You can talk about her tits as much as you want.”

Giselle felt a sudden urge to cry and tears flooded her eyes, “But Joey!” Exactly how Joey was mistreating her was becoming more and more evident.

“Jesus, Giselle,” Joey said. “Okay, okay, okay. You cry at the drop of a hat. I guess it’s best if we don’t talk about her tits.”

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said.

“Me too,” Glen said. “I just got a little carried away with how sexy you look.”

“That’s right,” Bruce said. “When guys see a sexy girl they regress to a more primitive state.”

Being a woman in a man’s world isn’t easy, Giselle decided. For the first time she felt a powerlessness descend on her. She didn’t have the strength to defend herself from the three men. Even one man would be too strong for her. Of course, she hoped that Joey would never let anything happen to her – would he? It did seem that Joey was conflicted as to whether he should align with his men friends or with his wife. From now on she would have to live with the knowledge that men could overpower her if they were so inclined. She’d have to buy some pepper spray to keep in her purse. That might make her feel a bit safer.

“Now show us your other dress,” Joey said.

Giselle went back to the bedroom, stepped out of her bodysuit, and put on one of the new bras. Then she put on a white girdle and connected her stockings to the garters. She put on the second dress, changed her shoes to black heels, and returned to the living room.

The three men were chatting when she returned and she waited patiently for them to notice her. Finally Joey saw her and said, “That is a lovely dress.”

“Exquisite,” Bruce said.

“You’re very pretty Giselle,” Glen said.

“Thank you,” Giselle said.

“What are you wearing underneath this time?” Joey asked.

“I put on one of my new bras and a girdle,” Giselle said.

“You know the drill, Giselle. Show us your underwear,” Joey said.

“I’m shy, Joey,” Giselle said.

“Show off your bra and girdle to us. C’mon.”

Giselle stepped out of her new dress. It wasn’t worth fighting Joey just yet.

“See how sexy she is in a bra?” Joey said.

Bruce and Glen were blushing. Giselle could see them staring at her bra and then her girdle. To her surprise she got the distinct impression that a boner had formed in Bruce’s shorts. Her eyes met his and he moved his hands in front of his pants as if to hide what was going on inside.

“I’ll say,” Bruce said.

It was clear Joey was waiting for a response from Glen and he said, “Ditto. She’s hot, Joey.”

Giselle felt like she was a stripper in a strip club. The men gawking over her and imagining what it would be like to screw her. Shame on Joey for doing that to her. She hoped she had the courage to say something about it to Joey later that night!

“I’m glad that you’ve become expert in buying sexy lingerie and pretty dresses,” Joey said. “I like when your pretty! Pretty all day long!”

“You’re amazing Joey,” Bruce said.

“You’re excused, Giselle,” Joey said. “We’re going out to shoot pool. I’ll be back in a few hours. I may or may not want you-know-what.”

Giselle knew exactly what Joey meant. He may want to jump her bones as he sometimes crassly put it. Throw her on the bed and quickly get his rocks off.

***

Giselle relaxed with an after-dinner latte and thought about her day. She was sure she loved Debbie and Pamela. In such a short time they had made such a big difference in her life. Girls really did stick together with other girls. It was wonderful to feel part of the sisterhood.

Giselle cleaned up the kitchen and otherwise straightened up the house. She took a hot bath and put on a nightie when she was done. Of course she wore her bra and breast forms – that was a given until such time as she got her boobs. At least she had gotten to the point of deciding that she would definitely get them. That was a nice goal. Something positive to think about!

The phone rang and it was Debbie. “How are you? Bruce said you cooked him a delicious shrimp dish.”

“Yes. Joey invited him to dinner.”

“Who is Joey?”

“Oh, right, I guess you need to know. Joan is now Joey and I’m now Giselle and not Gerald. That’s what I found out when I came home. The three boys figured that out.”

“Giselle” is a pretty name. I like that. To tell you the truth Pamela and I thought that it was a bit discordant to call you Gerald when you look so pretty and feminine.”

“That makes me happy to hear. So I guess Joey did the right thing. Other than that I’ve been struggling with my new realization of how poorly he treats me.”

“Better late than never I say. When the time is right start a dialogue with him about what kind of wife you want to be.”

“I’ll try that.”

“Remember never hesitate to speak to Pamela or me if you’ve got something you have to talk about.”

“You’re going to make me weepy!”

“You’re one of the girls now and with that comes all the benefits of being a girl!”

After she hung up the phone, Giselle rested comfortably and studied the pretty pink negligee she was wearing. It was a favorite of hers and also Joey’s. She loved the soft fabric and how it made her feel pretty. It was nice to finally end all her strife and be a woman. She had never realized before how pleasurable each wave of femininity was as it passed through her thoughts. She looked around inside her mind to see if she could identify any thoughts of Gerald that might still be in there.

She was pretty certain that she was free of Gerald until she realized that there was still a reflex in her that wanted to insert her penis into Joan. Yes, exactly. The impulse to put a penis inside a vagina was a Gerald thing that had to be removed. She lay back in the bed and spread her legs apart. How was she going to remove the feeling that she wielded a penis? First thing was to imagine she had a vagina.

Giselle closed her eyes and directed her mind into pretending that she had a vagina. In her mind’s eye she saw a slit with pubic hair raised up a bit as if expectant of receiving a penis. Now she imagined what it looked like around the entrance. Then she visualized the soft pink walls of her vaginal tunnel. There would be a clitoris waiting to be caressed. Further in she saw the ovaries that she now accepted as being a part of her biology. The mental exercise cheered her. Far from being superficial, her imagination bore down hard on the imagery to the point where she really did feel that her penis was gone. She had nothing more than a vagina between her legs. A vagina that would welcome the penis that Joey brought to it.

Giselle smiled. This was so much fun. With the image of her vagina fixed in her mind, she allowed herself to have a narrow waist and rounded, feminine, hips. My God this is a delightful fantasy she thought as a rush of euphoria swept through her. Yes, I am so much a girl. I have the hips, waist, and genitalia of a girl. I’m sure my legs are shapely and smooth. Like a fever dream Giselle wrapped herself up in thoughts of her female body. Her mind now leapt to imagine that the large breasts in her bra were real. They had heft and projection so it wasn’t hard at all to feel that her bra was truly containing real breasts within it. A sexual charge ran through Giselle. She felt aroused and horny and she knew that if Joey came to have sex with her she would respond as a woman. A woman giving her womanly body to him.

Joey would stand in front of her. She’d admire his rippling biceps and powerful chest. His thighs would be strong and sexy. She’d see that he had a rigid boner pointing at her. How nice it will be to get that boner inside of her! He’d approach her desiring to fill his wife with his manhood. To have his semen fill her up. To get all the pleasure that he wanted from her lovely pussy and sexy body.
.
Giselle once again focused on having a vagina. A cute slit, nicely formed with slightly puffy pudendum. It quietly waited for Joey’s cock to come and push its way inside. She imagined Joey walking toward her. His erect cock swaying gently from side to side. A strange yet gratifying electric feeling of anticipation arose in her vagina as she imagined Joey coming to take his pleasure from her. Then the end of Joey’s cock landed on the outside of her vagina. Pleasure began shooting through her. She felt a slight push by Joey as his cock began entering her pussy. The lips of her vagina opened up to accommodate the blunt front of Joey’s penis. It was as if her vaginal lips were tasting the end of his hard cock. Very much like the first suck and nibble one has on a creamsicle.

Now Giselle waited expectantly for Joey to push harder into her and sure enough she now felt his penis moving up a bit into her vagina. Her vaginal muscles contracted over Joey’s cock. She imagined how her vaginal wall lay flush against the skin of Joey’s penis. Powerful throbs of pleasure ran up inside Giselle’s imaginary vagina. She grew faint. Yes this was an amazing fantasy. The pleasure was actually happening in her own cock as it stiffened in conjunction with her visualization of her pretend vagina.

A further couple of thrusts by Joey and she imagined his entire cock now impaled in her pussy. Her vagina held his cock in a loving embrace. She imagined the end of his cock with cum leaking slowly sitting at the juncture leading off to her ovaries. If he were to cum then he’d deposit his sperm all over this sacred spot in her body. Then she imagined Joey pulling his cock out as he moved his hips back. Then he thrust back in. A sequence of intense sexual pulses swept along the walls of Giselle’s vagina from the opening up to her ovaries. She realized that the moist skin of Joey’s thick cock pressed up against and slid past her own hard clitoris. Unimaginably great pleasure. She was sure she might faint.

Giselle’s back arched in ecstasy as she allowed Joey to continue plowing into her in this vivid fantasy. Though it was imaginary, the pleasure was real. Pleasure greater than any she remembered except when she had a real orgasm. There was an astonishing connection between thought and physical pleasure that she’d never known about before. Unbelievably, her mind could will pleasure into her imaginary vagina. Disconcertingly she felt her “vagina” getting hard. Then she realized that the sensation she was feeling was what any pussy would feel as a rigid cock forced its way up inside of it.

Giselle breathed rapidly in little pulses as she felt Joey’s cock thrusting in and out rhythmically and with each push inwards there was a jolt of pleasure. She loved the idea that when the end of Joey’s penis pushed all the way in her, his balls would be hovering against the lips of her pussy. Maybe she would even feel them against her skin. What a delight to imagine him cumming within her. His semen would flood her and his little wiggling men would start their mad race to reach one of her eggs. Giselle was nearly swooning with lust now. She could hardly wait for Joey to come home and have his way with her.

***

Giselle must have dozed off. An hour or two later she awakened to Joey coming back from playing pool. He had turned on a dim night light.

“Hi Joey,” Giselle said.

“Sorry to wake you,” Joey said.

“No, I’m glad you did. Did you have fun with the men?”

“Yeah. It was cool. Bruce and Glen are so much fun. Thanks for making dinner. It was delicious and the guys loved it.”

“That’s so sweet of you to say.”

“You look hot. I think I’ll jump your bones now.”

“Actually, I was just dreaming about you putting that big cock of yours inside me.”

“Giselle!”

“Should I not say that?”

“It’s okay. You surprise me.”

A few minutes later Joey returned wearing a tee shirt and boxer shorts. He climbed over Giselle, pulled his boxers off, and made love to her. While in the physical world Giselle had a rock-hard boner, in her mind’s eye the stiffness she felt in her penis was the stiffness of Joey’s ‘cock’ inside her. Each thrust of Joey down onto Giselle felt to her like he was pushing his big cock up her vagina. The feeling of having her vagina swell open to accommodate Joey’s penis each time he moved in gave Giselle a nearly uncontrollably intense pleasure.

Giselle became fixated on the image in her mind of her small pussy being filled by Joey. At the furthest penetration, Joey's balls touched against the skin of her perineum. At no time in the past had their sex been this good. With each of Joey’s thrusts Giselle got closer and closer to orgasm. Finally – unlike the many times Giselle had been denied orgasm – Joey’s steady rhythmic thrusting brought Giselle to a powerful climax. She emitted a bleat of pleasure together with the unmistakable sound of Joey cumming. This was a first for the two of them.

“What in the world was that?” Joey asked.

“What that was, was you putting that big cock of yours so far into me that it was touching my tonsils!”

Joey laughed and Giselle joined him. She felt liberated from her former boy self. Now she was a woman and as such she could fully play the part without worry. A wellspring of newfound confidence poured through her. Confidence she never felt as Gerald.

“I don’t know what you’re doing or thinking, Giselle, but that was the best sex ever! My instincts about you were dead accurate. You are every inch a girl.”

“Thank you, Joey.”

Joey rolled over as if to go to bed and Giselle said, “Joey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, make it quick. I’m tired.”

“I was wondering … I mean I saw you with your friends today … Bruce and Glen … and I was thinking … I mean I was wondering …”

“What in the world are you trying to say?”

“I’m sorry, Joey. It’s just that I’m a little jealous of them. You really seem to be their buddy. You joke with them. You’re so relaxed. Can’t you and I be best friends like you are with them?”

“You’re not a man, Giselle. A man can’t be buddies with a girl. You’re too delicate, too feminine to hang out with men. Your natural friendships are with women like Pamela and Debbie. You had a good time with them didn’t you?

“Yes, I did, but you’re my husband.”

“Isn’t it enough that I find you sexy? That I want to fuck you? You want to talk about girls things while I want to talk about what men talk about.”

“Aren’t there some things we can share together?”

“Apart from sex?” Joey laughed.

“Yes.”

“I’m tired, Giselle. Let’s get to bed. You should allow yourself a victory lap for being so hot tonight. I had a few nice orgasms and I know you had one really big one.”

“Okay, Joey,” Giselle said.

“You’ve got me as your husband. You’ve got a man to protect you and keep you in comfort. That’s a good deal. Don’t worry your pretty little head about fitting into the men’s world. You can’t.”

“Okay, Joey. Can I ask you one more question?”

“Make it super quick.”

“Can we have a party? Now that I’m Giselle and you're Joey I think we should invite all our friends to the house to celebrate.”

“Actually, that’s not such a bad idea, Giselle. Okay, we should do that. I’ll leave it up to you to do the planning.”

“Thank you Joey. I’ll make sure it’s a lot of fun.”

***

The next morning Giselle had no other option than to show up to work as Giselle. It was now emotionally impossible to return to being Gerald even for a minute. The thought of dressing in boy clothes was repugnant. She was not a man and like hell would she dress in men’s clothing. Yuck! Regardless of whether her boss accepted her or not, she had to go into work if for no other reason than to get her personal possession from her desk.

Gerald worked as an insurance examiner with many others in a large room of cubicles. Giselle, using Gerald’s ID entered and made a beeline for her desk. In short order her coworkers noticed the woman sitting at Gerald’s desk and one by one realized that Gerald had shown up as a woman. A crowd gathered around Giselle and she explained to them. “My wife and I switched roles. I’ve become the wife and my wife has become my husband. He’s named me Giselle and I’d appreciate it if you could call me that from now on and not Gerald. I’m no longer Gerald. I’m a woman now.”

The coworkers were too stunned to know what to say. Many of them drifted away back to their cubicles Two women coworkers, Carol and Emily, who had long been friendly to Gerald lingered.

“You’re so brave!” Carol said.

“Courageous even!” Emily said.

Giselle smiled at them. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that!”

“I had no idea that you wanted to be a woman,” Carol said.

Giselle laughed, “I didn’t know myself until my wife gave me no other option.”

“How did she do that?”

“I’ve never been able to assert myself in her presence – so I had no choice except to go along with wearing women’s clothes when she told me to do so and then eventually telling me I was her wife and she was my husband.”

“She or he must be a very dominant person,” Emily said.

“True. It was helped along by an epiphany I had that made me realize I probably have always wanted to be a woman.”

“You’re happy now?”

“Oh yes, though I should say it’s very important to me to have girlfriends. Luckily, I have made some friends but I’m hoping that you two and I can also be friends – girlfriends I mean.”

“Of course,” Carol said.

“Let’s have lunch together today and you can tell us all about your transformation,” Emily said.

“Thank you! Great!” Giselle said.

Just then Gerald’s boss, Mr. Franklin showed up. “Gerald, is that you?”

“Yes, but now I’m Giselle.”

“Okay fine. I’ve got to take you directly to HR to deal with this. I’ve got nothing personally against you coming here as a woman but we need to find out what the company thinks.”

In HR they met with Ms. Fein. “This is Giselle who up until today was Gerald. As you see Gerald is now dressing as a woman. I need to know the company policies.”

Ms. Fein looked Giselle over from head to toe. “She was a man? You’re kidding me.”

“As long as she’s worked here she was Gerald. Definitely a man.”

“You’re a very attractive woman, Giselle,” Ms. Fein said.

“Thank you.”

“Do you have any problem with using the women’s restroom from now on?” Ms. Fein said. “We can’t allow you into the men’s room. It’ll spook the men.”

“I was planning on using the women’s restroom, I mean I couldn’t imagine why I shouldn’t now that I’m a woman.”

“You know it’s politics. Apart from restrooms we’ll have to switch your sex on your employment records. Actually you’ll become eligible to receive prenatal and postnatal services if you should require them.”

“Cool.”

“If you’re planning on joining the women’s softball team let me know. I’ll have to get your estrogen level checked.”

“I’m not an athlete by any means,” Giselle said. “I never learned how to swing a bat.”

“Good. That simplifies things. The last thing is that there’s no hanky panky with your boss or any of the other men or women management.”

“I knew that already,” Giselle said.

“Yeah, but it’s the women that are most often victimized. You have to know that the company will stand behind you in any case of sexual harassment by management.”

“Good to know.”

“Any questions?” Ms. Fein asked.

“None that I can think of,” Giselle said.

“Oh, I forgot. One last thing is remember to not flush your menstrual pads. Put them in the waste container.”

“Sure, I will,” Giselle said.

On their way back to her cubicle, Mr. Franklin said, “So you’re all set. I hope that as Giselle you’ll be as productive as you were as Gerald.”

“I sure hope to be,” Giselle said.

***

Before lunch Giselle had to pee and for the first time at work she entered a woman’s restroom. She marveled at the front anteroom where a few women were checking their makeup. She found a stall and enjoyed lifting up her dress and pulling down her panties and pantyhose so she could sit to pee. She noticed a fancy silver garbage can to one side of the stall. It’s where she’d have to put her used pads and tampons. When she was done peeing she dabbed at her pretend pussy with a few squares of toilet paper and arranged her clothing.

She went to check her makeup. She sat down, put her purse on the counter, opened it, and took out her lipstick and compact. Giselle looked in the mirror and touched up her lipstick, took the shine off of her cheeks and brushed her hair. Recalling Ms. Fein’s surprise that she had once been a man put a smile on her face. It was nice to know that she came across as a woman. It meant the world to her.

***

Now that it had been decided that Joan was now Joey, he sent in his two-weeks’ notice at the high school where he was an industrial arts teacher. He intended to become a foreman at a construction company. He’d be in charge of a team that would be building apartment houses. He was knowledgeable about all aspects of construction from the years he had been teaching students how to do carpentry, drywall, cement footings, plumbing, and electrical work, besides teaching how to read blueprints. After sending his resume to many firms he had a promising interview to attend.

He drove to the Ace Construction Company. A trailer was set up at the location of a new housing development. The owner of the company, Frank Lutz, introduced himself. He had Joey sit across the desk from him and studied his resume. “What am I looking at?” He said after a minute. “Who is Joan?”

“I was Joan, now I’m Joey.”

Mr. Lutz laughed. “You’re serious. You’ve transformed into a man?”

“That’s right. I’m a man.”

“You got a dick?”

“I don’t need a dick to be a man. Having said that I might get one eventually. In the meantime I can use a strapon if I need a dick for this job.”

“No you don’t need a dick to be a foreman. You need the guys in your crew to follow your orders and you have to know what you’re doing when you direct the work to them.”

“As far as following my orders – the men will respect me. If they have a problem with me once being a woman they’ll have to look for work elsewhere.”

“Okay, okay. You will need to give the men some time to adjust to you.”

“Sure, no problem. So I’ve got the job?”

Provisionally, but yes.”

***

When Giselle came home from work, she greeted Joey who was lounging in the living room. “Hi dear,” she said.

“Hey Giselle. What’s for dinner?”

“Chicken tonight.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll get right on it Joey. Sorry.”

Giselle changed out of her work dress and into her housedress and hurried to the kitchen. When dinner was ready she called to Joey and he came to the dining room where she served him.. “I want to hear all about your day,” Giselle said.

“I’ve been hired as foreman on a crew building apartments.”

“Wow, that’s so neat.”

“I’m quite pleased. I get to work with a nice crew of men.”

“That’s what you always wanted.”

“You’re telling me. They introduced me to the guys. I think we’re going to get along great.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

They ate in silence for a little while until Joey said, “What happened at your work today?”

“They were surprised that I showed up as Giselle, but some of the girls there are eager to be my friend. I was so happy!”

“What did your boss say?”

“The company doesn’t mind at all. He took me to HR and they explained what I needed to know about sexual harassment and how I should never use the men’s restroom. Also I should never flush my tampons.”

Joey laughed. “That’s funny but it does show how much of a girl you’ve become. I think this means that we have to accelerate our transitioning.”

“What do you mean?”

“For me, I’m going to get my eggs harvested, then I’ll begin masculinizing hormone therapy. That’ll stop my periods. At the same time we’ll begin IVF with your sperm and use a surrogate to get a baby – if successful. Once that starts you’ll begin feminizing hormone therapy.”

“You’ve thought this through,” Giselle said. She wondered if at any point Joey was going to ask her for her input.

“I have. Once we start hormones, I’ll lose my tits and you’ll get yours.”

Giselle felt like Joey was subjecting her to some major decisions without any regard for her feelings. She was just a doll for Joey to play with.

“What’s the matter, Giselle? Isn’t this what you want?”

“Well, sure, but don’t you think …”

“Think what?”

“Don’t you think we should discuss this together?”

“No, not really. As the man of the family I make the big decisions. If I need your input I’d ask for it.”

“I’m sorry, Joey.”

“What’s for dessert?”

“Key lime pie.”

“Fine.”

Giselle cleared the dishes and brought the pie and coffee to Joey. She would be so happy if just in any tiny way Joey would be considerate to her and her feelings. But that wasn’t going to be happening. It was unfair that she’d work a full-time job while doing all the housework. Perhaps worst of all was that she couldn’t even talk to Joey about it!

The only bright spot for her was having nice girlfriends to whom she could talk. Girlfriends whose shoulders on which she could cry. Like so many other women married to emotionally remote men, she could sing her song of frustration to sympathetic lady friends.

***

Giselle was pleased when her mother called to propose they have lunch together on the weekend. Wondering what dress she should wear for the event Giselle went into a lather of worry. She called Debbie to ask her opinion between a conservative blue skirt and white blouse, or a flowery dress with a wide skirt.

“The thing about you, Giselle, is that you’re a feminine girl. By playing fully to that aspect of yourself you’ll most strongly convince your mom to see you as a girl. Isn’t that the most important thing – being seen as being a real girl? That will get your parents to fully accept your new identity.”

“You’re right. That’s a good point. I’ll wear the floral dress.”

When Giselle arrived at the table where her mother was sitting, her mom said, “What a pretty dress.” She stared at Giselle as if appraising a painting at an auction.

“Thank you Mom. I was so hoping that you’d like it.”

“It is perfect for you. I can see that. You’ve got a feminine sweetness about you that I’m sorry to say that I didn’t notice when you were Gerald.”

“I guess I didn’t see it myself,” Giselle said.

“Of course, your father set the tone and we all played along. You were his son and we dared not ever conceive that you had any kind of feminine side.”

“It makes me happy to hear you say that. I love you mom and it means everything to me to be accepted by you as your daughter.”

“Well, I do accept you as my daughter. It’s too bad that it happened so many years after you left home. Had we known then what we know now, I would have had the pleasure of raising you as a girl. We could have shopped together. Buying you your first bra would have been one of those wonderful moments in the life of a mom and her daughter.” Giselle’s mom laughed. “I would have enjoyed showing you how to use a tampon.”

“You can still teach me!” Giselle said and they laughed.

“On the other hand, I would have liked to have had grandchildren.”

“You still might get one! Joey and I are planning to use IVF and a surrogate to hopefully get a baby.”

“Marvelous. You’ll be the mommy?”

“Definitely. Joey will never be much help in raising our baby.”

“Your father and I will be happy to babysit!”

“I know you will, but are you sure about Dad?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s had some time to get used to the idea that you’re not the man he thought you were.” His mom laughed. “To be really honest, your father and I always wondered how come you accepted Joan’s dominance over you.”

“Dominance?”

“Come on, Giselle. It’s always been obvious that she’s the stronger personality. She made you wear dresses, didn’t she? What kind of married life do you have with her?”

“That’s a problem that I’m trying to solve. It’s true that Joey makes me do all the housework besides working my job. That needs to change.”

“Of course you shouldn’t accept that. I can talk to Joey if you want.”

“No, mom. I need to handle this myself. Anyway, my friends are helping me.”

Giselle’s mom stared at her daughter. “Your father and I just never put two and two together to see just how compromised your masculinity was.”

“So now he accepts me?”

“Yes, sort of. You’ll have to have a father daughter conversation to fully convince him that you’re now his little girl.”

“Then I’ll look forward to seeing him.”

“Wait until he calls you – as a precaution.”

“Okay, sure.”

***

The next weekend on a Saturday night was the party that Giselle had been working on steadily since Joey gave her permission to throw it. She chose a deli to supply the food. She carted home from the liquor store cases of beer and wine. She had a bakery design a cake signifying their new marriage roles.

Most importantly, Giselle treated herself to a new dress. After much fretting about the cost she decided to splurge and bought an Oscar de la Renta strapless cocktail midi-dress with a charming floral print and floral embroidery at the bodice. With her white heels and pantyhose Giselle gazed at herself in the mirror for a full five minutes, transfixed by the lovely vision of a young, superbly sensual feminine woman.

Even Joey was excited. “You’ve outdone yourself!”

“Thank you.”

“Remember, no flirting with the men.”

“Joey, I hope you’re not serious!” Giselle was surprised that Joey would even joke about such a thing. She wondered if that meant that he might flirt with women. She hoped not. There would be plenty to do at the party without also keeping an eye on Joey.

Joey and Giselle greeted the guests as they arrived. In every case Giselle was complimented on her pretty dress. The men showed their delight in their smiles while their wives vocalized their wonder at the beauty, elegance, and sophistication of the stylish dress and the beautiful woman inhabiting it. Debbie and Pamela, when they arrived with Bruce and Glen, were thrilled by Giselle’s astute dress selection.

“You’ve caught on so quickly. It’s a magnificent and flattering choice for your figure,” Debbie said.

“And Joey is so handsome,” Pamela said.

“You like my Swedish suit? It’s a Tiger,” Joey said.

“So debonaire,” Debbie said.

“He makes Glen and I look frumpy,” Bruce said, laughing.

“That wouldn’t take much,” Debbie said.

Giselle and Joey left to attend to other guests arriving. Later, when the party was in full swing, Giselle chatted with Debbie, Pamela, and her other friends Carrie and Janet telling them the story of her dress.

“I’ve always had the thought in the back of my mind to buy a dress like that,” Carrie said.

“It was a splurge, but I couldn’t resist,” Giselle said.

“It’s a situation where you think, ‘I’m only living once,’ so why am I holding back?” Debbie said.

Giselle laughed, “That’s exactly it!”

“That’s what happened to me when I went shopping for heels with a budget of $300 and came home with $600 Christian Louboutins,” Pamela said. The women laughed and told their own stories of seduction by high couture.

“I’ve been meaning to congratulate Janet on getting her book contract,” Giselle said.

“Really? How exciting,” Debbie said.

“Marvelous,” Pamela said.

“Thank you,” Janet said, “it was such an arduous process. I still don’t believe I was successful.”

“Tell us,” Carrie said.

“I queried a hundred agents but luckily found one brave agent who took me seriously. Then they shopped it around for months and finally located a publisher. Not one of the big five, but respectable.”

“Yay,” Pamela said. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about a pretty, young teenage girl, Sara, whose beauty attracts cool guys and intimidates the socially awkward boys. She’s searching for something in boys that she’s not finding in the ones she’s dating. When the boy with the reputation of being the dorkiest and most socially clueless asks her to the junior prom she accepts. She figures she has nothing to lose. She discovers in him everything she’s been looking for.”

“How sweet,” Debbie said.

“But what was she looking for?” Carrie asked.

“Passion for reading. Passion for music and the arts. Passion for learning. Passion for anything other than getting inside her panties!”

While the women were laughing, Pamela asked, “Is Sara you?”

Janet laughed. “Not quite, but there is some similarity. I married Mickey partially for his beauty but also because he’s capable of focusing on things that stimulate me.”

Giselle envied Janet. Joey certainly didn’t supply much mental stimulation to her. He was quite attractive and their recent sex was great but there was a large emotional hole in their marriage that wasn’t being filled by the status quo. To do so would require Joey to make an effort and he made clear on more than one occasion that that wasn’t something he was willing to do.

“You and Mickey are friends?” Giselle asked.

“Yes, I think I can say that,” Janet said.

“You raise a great point, Giselle,” Debbie said. “I think that in an ideal marriage the couple are best friends.”

“What does that mean?” Carrie asked. “What does being a best friend mean?”

“Yeah, as against being a friend,” Janet said.

“Best friends don’t take advantage of each other. Like say I make dinner every night. If my husband were my best friend he’d volunteer to help me. He wouldn’t want his best friend doing all that work alone. That would be taking advantage of his best friend.”

“You mean as against asking your husband to help you?” Carrie asked.

“Yeah, that’s it exactly,” Debbie said. “Can a husband spontaneously ask his wife how he can be helpful. If Bruce said that I’m sure I’d faint dead away.”

The women laughed. “You describe Glen perfectly,” Pamela said, “only that he does offer to help when there’s something that he’s trying to get from me.”

“Sex, for sure,” Janet said.

“In my case, permission to dump the kids on me for a day while he plays golf,” Carrie said.

“How are you and Joey doing together?” Janet asked Giselle.

Giselle flinched from the question. This wasn’t an appropriate occasion to voice her complaints about Joey. “Joey and I are a work in progress. We’re still sorting out how I should fit in as his wife and he should fit in as my husband.”

Debbie and Pamela gave her knowing looks. They knew she was being diplomatic.

“That’s interesting,” Janet said. “Joey has to learn how to be a man – but what kind of man.” Janet laughed and continued, “But we all know what kind of woman you’ve become. There’s no ambiguity in that pretty dress and you always have a positive and empathetic voice.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Giselle said.

“I agree,” Pamela said. “Giselle is the best kind of woman and I love her!”

Across the room Giselle could see that she had to fetch more beer and she excused herself.

***

Joey joined up with his friends in a circle of Adirondack chairs on the lawn in the backyard. A string of white lights between poles lit up the area. A cooler full of Pacificos was in the center between them.

“Congratulations on becoming a husband,” Mickey said to Joey.

Joey laughed, “Thanks. Giselle and I should probably renew our vows in a revised marriage. This time Giselle can wear the wedding gown. I know she’d love to!”

“She’ll be prettier than you were,” Bruce said, teasing Joey.

“I’m not taking the bait, Bruce. You’re right. Giselle is a beauty,” Joey said.

“Damn straight,” Mel said. “Tonight, in that strapless gown she’s downright beautiful.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Joey said laughing.

“Carrie will cut my balls off if I so much as look at another woman,” Mel said.

“If you’re saying that, she must have already cut them off,” Mickey joked.

“Ha, ha, that’s funny,” Mel said. “I’ve tried to explain to Carrie many times that men look at women. It’s reflexive. Our brains are designed to take it in and appreciate what we see. What we do with the information – that’s up to us. If we’re a good husband we keep it to ourselves.”

Joey smiled listening to Mel. What he said was true for him as well. Not only had he reacted so strongly to how pretty Giselle was this night, but if he were honest with himself he’d admit that he was stirred by the other women at the party – especially Debbie. Really, looking at women brought up pleasant, lusty feelings in him.

“At the end of the day we don’t want to antagonize our wives. Make them feel like we’re not supporting them,” Glen said. “Women like having an emotional connection.”

“And it has its obvious rewards, too,” Mickey said.

“Sex!” Bruce said.

“Lately Giselle has been bringing up the idea that she and I need to be best friends,” Joey said. “I think she’s gotten this from Debbie and Pamela.”

“No doubt,” Bruce said. “Let’s face it, Joey, you’re new to being a husband. You’ve got to learn how to thread the needle between getting to do guy stuff …”

“Like sitting here guzzling beer and not having to filter what we say to make sure our wives don’t yell at us,” Mickey said laughing.

“And, as I was trying to say,” Bruce continued, “and being a good friend to your wife.”

“Yeah, the real camaraderie is with the guys but it’s bad politics to make it too evident to our wives,” Glen said.

“It’s an endless dance of satisfying their needs and ours,” Bruce said.

“You’re all modern husbands,” Joey said. “I feel that Giselle and I are in an older, more traditional marriage – the kind where the husband is the lord of his domain.”

“That’s sexist,” Glen said.

“Obviously,” Joey said, “but in my case it works. I mean, Giselle and I are in a marriage where I do the thinking for the two of us. We have a clear dividing line between her domestic chores and my manly chores.”

“What are your manly chores?”

“Mow the grass, though I’m teaching Giselle how to do that,” Joey laughed.

“But how long is that going to last? Best friends don’t take advantage of each other. I bet Giselle is itching to be more than a servant and sex slave.”

“That’s why I have to instruct Giselle to not listen to Debbie and Pamela.”

“You’re trying to stop Giselle from becoming a modern wife? Good luck with that!” Bruce said.

“She might be curious about being a modern wife, but she’ll never become one. Besides the fact that I won’t let her, she’s the kind of girl who really wants a man to be in charge. Believe it or not, she enjoys waiting on me. My comfort is her number one priority.”

“If you say so, but I’m skeptical that Giselle is content with this arrangement – despite the power you believe you have over her,” Bruce said. “Her desire to be your best friend is driven by her contact with all the women she meets.”

“Well right now she’s an old-fashioned wife,” Joey said.

“It would be amusing if we can test that out,” Mel said.

“How could we do that?” Bruce asked.

“We could compare Debbie and Giselle,” Mel said.

“How?” Bruce said.

“Two ways,” Mel said. “Say Bruce kisses Giselle and Joey kisses Debbie. Giselle won’t tell Joey that Bruce kissed her because she’ll be afraid of him. Debbie will tell Bruce that Joey kissed her because she trusts him to be on her side.”

"What's the other way?" Mickey asked.

“When Giselle finds out that Joey kissed Debbie," Mel said, "she’ll be hurt but not leave him. On the other hand, when Debbie finds out that Bruce kissed Giselle she’ll demand a divorce.”

“Mickey’s right. Giselle might be broken hearted and cry a million tears, but she’ll never leave me,” Joey said.

“Will Debbie leave you?” Mickey asked Bruce.

“That’s a pretty good bet,” Bruce said. “Maybe I could convince her to come back, I don’t know. Of course, as soon as I tell her it was only a test I devised with Joey then she’ll laugh and all will be fine.”

“Let’s do it, then,” Joey said.

“Fine with me,” Bruce said.

“You guys are playing with fire,” Glen said.

“I agree,” Mickey said, “but it’s also a real cool experiment.”

“Sometime during this week we’ll sneak kisses on the other’s wife and see what happens,” Bruce said.

“Perfect,” Joey said.

***

A few days later Joey ran into Debbie in the parking lot of the club after a late round of golf. She had been swimming in the pool with some girlfriends. After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Debbie said, “I’ve loved getting to know Giselle. She’s such a wonderful girl. We all love her.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

“There’s just one thing that I’ve been meaning to tell you. This is strictly just between us and it’s nothing that Giselle would approve of me saying to you.”

“What could that be?”

“Just that you and Giselle ought to be best friends.”

“I’m married to her in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Yes, so why don’t you make an effort to be emotionally closer to her? Pamela and I are the recipients of her tears when she feels like you only want her for her body and for housekeeping.”

“I don’t have the bandwidth to give her more than I already do. What I’m giving to Giselle is what I can give. If she wants more she’ll have to find it elsewhere.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

“You make such a big deal about how strong and masculine you’ve become. Yet you don’t have the strength to talk to your wife? Make her feel loved as the beautiful person she is.”

“I like staying as far away as I can from the girly stuff with which she’s preoccupied. That’s her thing and I’ve got my thing and it works really well the way it is now. I’m not interested in getting involved with her female problems. I left that all behind and I’m not going back.”

“So that’s it. Now I understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“You associate caring and being interested in someone as being feminine so you make a point of not being caring and thoughtful.”

“There’s some truth to that.”

“Even if you’re afraid to give Giselle the closeness she craves, you could at least take the love she wants to give you. I know she’d love to nurture you besides cooking, cleaning, and supplying her body to you. That’s the kind of girl she is.”

“She can give me a massage if she wants.”

“Don’t be facetious.”

“I’m sorry Debbie. You may be right but I don’t know how to take nurturing from a woman.”

“Really?”

“Try and nurture me and I’ll see if I can take it.”

Debbie laughed. “You just want me to hold onto you.”

“You mean like this?” Joey took Debbie in his arms and held her.

“What are you doing Joey?”

“Nurture me. Let me see what I’m missing.”

“Joey!”

“C’mon show me what nurturing is like.”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“You’re blushing Debbie. You like me holding you, don’t you?”

“You’re Giselle’s property. Not mine!”

“Apart from that you obviously like me holding you.”

“I never realized how strong you are. Your arms feel like steel.”

Joey laughed. “Imagine that, Debbie. A man with a cunt with arms of steel. That really turns you on, doesn’t it?”

“Stop it, Joey!”

“I could get a strap on and give you a better time than Bruce can.”

“Bullshit, Joey. You should let me go. Someone could see you. I would never hurt Giselle or Bruce like this.”

“Kiss me.”

“No, Joey. Stop that!”

“Just one little kiss to give you something to think about.” Joey moved his lips to Debbie’s and began kissing her. She struggled in vain as Joey inserted his tongue in her mouth. She made a muffled sound of protest. Finally Joey released her.

“You’re horrible, Joey!”

Joey laughed. “You liked kissing me. I bet you’re going to have a wet dream tonight.”

“I don’t see how you can be unfaithful to Giselle, besides overpowering me! Whatever happened to my old friend Joan? She’s turned into a chauvinist pig!”

“I kissed you to prove a point – not to cheat on Giselle.”

“I feel sorry for Giselle.”

“Are you going to tell Bruce that I kissed you?”

“I have no secrets from him. This is so shocking! I’ve got to go!”

Joey laughed as Debbie drove away. He loved being a stud. When Giselle finds out that he kissed Debbie she’ll be crying her eyes out.

***

At the same time that Joey had run into Debbie, Bruce called Giselle asking if she’d be willing to help him pick out a birthday present for Debbie. “I usually fuck up with my presents. This time I’d like to get it right. You’ve shopped with her. You have an idea of what she likes.”

“I’m flattered,” Giselle said. “I’ll be happy to help you.”

Bruce came by and picked up Giselle and they headed to the mall. “What kind of present are you looking for?” Giselle asked.

“I was thinking to get her something sexy. Underwear or a nightie.”

“I’m sure Debbie would like a pretty bra and panty set. When we shopped together I remember her admiring some of the bras.” Giselle laughed. “Actually there was a pretty merry widow that she adored but thought it was too expensive. She also wasn’t sure if you’d like it or not.”

“What’s a merry widow?”

“It’s a … it’s a strapless kind of corset or bustier. A lot of pretty lace and it cinches the waist, supports the bust. Also it’s got garters.”

“Wow. That sounds dynamite!”

“I’m sure Debbie will be very sexy wearing that.”

“You know her size?”

“Yes, I can figure that out.”

They found the merry widow and Giselle held up one for Bruce to examine. “Man, that’s hot,” Bruce said. “Women like wearing clothes like this?”

“Sure,” Giselle said. “I’d love to wear a corset.”

“You’d be really sexy in one. I remember you wearing the bodysuit and the girdle. They gave me a …”

“A what?”

“I shouldn’t say.”

“I saw your boner that day. I didn’t say anything to Joey or you for that matter.”

“I’m sorry but you are a very sexy woman. There’s something about you that really stirs my juices.”

“Shame on you, Bruce. That’s not the kind of talk that Debbie or Joey would like to hear.”

“I know so let’s keep it to ourselves.”

Bruce looked at Giselle as if pondering what else to say. “I know you want to say something,” Giselle said.

“It’s just that you’re not only sexy but … but I’m intrigued by …”

“By what?”

“By what’s inside your panties. I mean it’s the whole package. Such a wonderfully feminine girl but also having you know …”

“A vagina?”

Bruce laughed. “Sure, if you want to call it that.”

“This isn’t a conversation that Debbie would like.”

“Is it so awful that I tell you how sexy you are? Joey is so lucky he’s got such a feminine wife.”

“Debbie is feminine,” Giselle said.

“Yes but not like you. Joey has you dress like a pretty doll. Your skirts and crinolines and the lace. And then buried in the midst of all that is …”

“Okay, okay, Bruce. You’ve made your point. So what about the merry widow?”

“It would be helpful to me if you put it on and then I can judge from that if I’d like to see Debbie wearing it.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“You put it on in the dressing room and then I’ll wait by the entrance. You can step out and I’ll get to see it.”

“I don’t know about that …”

“It’s two hundred dollars. I really need to see it on a woman before I pay that much.”

“Okay, okay.” Giselle took the merry widow in her size and went to the dressing room. She took off her clothes except for her panties and put on the merry widow.

While Giselle was checking how she looked in the mirror, suddenly Bruce entered her dressing room.

“What!” Giselle exclaimed.

“Ssssh,” Bruce said. “I need a little privacy with you.”

“Please leave.”

“I will but first …”

“You need to leave,” Giselle said, worried about what Bruce’s intentions were.

“I’m sorry Giselle. Before I buy the merry widow I have to know what it feels like to kiss a woman who’s wearing it.”

“What in the world? You want to kiss me?” Giselle said.

Bruce encircled her with his arms. “Relax, Giselle. I just need to do a little experiment to make sure this will work for Debbie and me.”

“Bruce!” Giselle exclaimed and then Bruce began kissing her forcefully. She felt his tongue pushing into her mouth. She struggled but Bruce was too strong for her. She went limp and to her consternation felt Bruce’s boner poking into her stomach. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Bruce pulled away.

“Okay, thanks Giselle. That was very helpful. I’ll definitely buy it.”

Giselle fought back tears. “How could you Bruce? You’ve taken advantage of me!”

“Are you going to tell Joey that I kissed you?”

“No! My God, he’d kill me!”

“But I kissed you.”

“He’ll think I seduced you. Guys stick together. Women get blamed for being sexy.’

“Don’t exaggerate, Giselle. This had nothing to do with betraying Debbie or Joey. This was all about making sure I bought a present that Debbie will enjoy and that will also work for me.”

The reality was Bruce knew very well that when Debbie found out that he had kissed Gisselle she’d be furious. Fortunately, once he revealed the joke, she would share a good laugh with him. At least he sure as hell hoped she would!

***

When Giselle got home she avoided Joey as much as she could. It was the easiest way to make sure that she kept quiet about what had happened to her. She hoped that in a few days she’d begin to forget that the incident had happened. Let time erase the memory of Bruce’s kiss. In the future she would keep as far from Bruce as she could!

It weighed on her conscience that Debbie didn’t know about Bruce kissing her. She would have to call her and let her know.

***

When Debbie got home she immediately told Bruce what had happened. “Bruce! Your buddy Joey kissed me! He held me so I couldn’t move and then planted his lips on mine and forced his tongue into my mouth! That’s the last I want to see of him!”

“That’s terrible,” Bruce said. “It’s so wonderful that you told me.’

“Huh?”

“I mean you could have hidden that from me.”

“Why would I have done that? Why is that your first thought? Shouldn’t you be angry? Shouldn’t you go to Joey and punch out his lights? Defend my honor!”

“Yes, of course, I should! I’ll do that now!”

Bruce found a private spot to call up Joey and arranged to meet him and their other friends at a local bar.

After Bruce left, the phone rang and Debbie answered it.

“Joey’s gone to meet Bruce,” Giselle said. “I’ve got some terrible news to tell you!”

“Really? I was going to call you about the terrible news that I have.”

“Oh my God. You go first,” Giselle said.

“No, you called me so you should go first.”

“Okay. Bruce kissed me! I had nothing to do with provoking him!” Giselle explained the scene in the dressing room.

“This is really weird, Giselle, but my terrible news is that Joey kissed me!” She explained to Giselle what had happened in the parking lot.

“What a strange coincidence,” Giselle said.

“This is no coincidence,” Debbie said. “Bruce and Joey are up to something. I told Bruce that Joey kissed me and he acted kind of weird – almost as if it wasn’t a surprise to him. They’re trying to test us don’t you think? They’re doing some ridiculous experiment. I have no idea what the reason could be.”

“Were they testing how faithful we are to our husbands, like in Cosi Fan Tutte?”

“Neither of us has ever shown the slightest hint of cheating so that makes no sense at all.”

“Kissing us was not a nice thing to do!” Giselle said.

“You’re telling me!” Debbie said.

“What should we do?”

“I think we need to tell our husbands that we’re going to divorce them!” Debbie said. “That’ll shake them up!”

“Joey would never think that I’d ever divorce him. I bet he expects that I’d cry a million tears of jealousy and then beg him to be faithful to me. But I would never threaten to leave him.”

“Well, Joey might think that, but you’ll make him wake up to your needs by seeking a divorce.”

“I’m afraid you might be right. I’m not sure I can ever go back again to my subservient relationship with Joey. That’s not fitting me emotionally anymore.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Giselle. It’s been painful for Pamela and me to watch you be dominated by Joey.”

“What do you think Bruce is going to do about divorcing him?”

“Bruce will be devastated. He’ll be in full panic mode. He’ll explain what he and Joey were up to.”

“Will you forgive him?”

“Great question. I really don’t know.”

***

At the bar Bruce said to Joey, Glen, Mel, and Mickey, “Just like Joey predicted, after I kissed Giselle, she said that she would never tell Joey what happened.”

Joey laughed, “And when she came home she avoided me. I knew she didn’t have the nerve to tell me.”

“What about Debbie?” Mel asked.

“As soon as she stepped in the house, she told me that Joey had kissed her. Unfortunately, I didn’t act surprised enough which got her a bit pissed at me. That made me tell her that I was going to meet up with Joey to defend her honor.”

“So we were right about how Debbie and Giselle would react to being kissed,” Mel said.

“Once the girls figure out that they’ve both been kissed, we’ll see if either of them want a divorce,” Glen said.

“Speaking of the devil,” Bruce said, “It’s Debbie … hi Debbie … Yes I’m with Joey … I didn’t punch him yet … No, I’m not intending to … Oh, you spoke to Giselle? …. Yes, it was a little experiment we cooked up to see how you and Giselle differ … it might be a little bit crude but it was for a good cause … there’s no reason to be mad … I’m sorry, I’m not trying to contradict you …what? …. Divorce? … Giselle also? … wait a minute. …:

“Debbie hung up on me. It seems that she and Giselle are really pissed off. They want to divorce us. I tried to explain,” Bruce said.

“Giselle wants to divorce me?” Joey said. “That doesn’t make any sense. Wait, Giselle is calling me.”

Joey answered the phone. “Yes, I’m with Bruce … You know I kissed Debbie? … It was just an experiment, nothing more … You want what? … A divorce? Really? … No, you don’t get to decide. I’m the husband. You do what I say …”

“Giselle hung up on me. Can you believe it!”

***

When Bruce returned home he said to Debbie, “We were just messing around. A test to see how are wives would react.”

“Oh, so you performed a little experiment by tongue kissing Giselle against her will? You also encouraged Joey to grab me and tongue kiss me against my will?”

“You’re making this into a bigger deal than it is. I apologize. It was a dumb idea. Put a bunch of guys together and they come up with dumb ideas!”

“I’m glad that you admit that Bruce. You can dwell upon that with your next wife. I want a divorce. That’s my little experiment on you!”

“But Debbie!”

***

When Joey arrived at home he said to Giselle, “Where do you get off saying you’ll divorce me?”

“I’m sorry Joey but you leave me no other choice!”

“Bullshit. You do as I say!”

“I can’t Joey.”

“I made you. You’re the girl I made. You have to obey me!”

“Yes, you made me into a woman and you encouraged me to have women friends. So I’ve learned that as a woman I shouldn’t spend my life as your housekeeper and sex doll. That’s your fantasy about how I’m supposed to be, but it’s no longer going to be the reality.”

“I could break you in two if I wanted to,” Joey said.

“Go ahead. Hurt me! That’s the kind of man you are!”

“Your mind has been polluted by Debbie and Pamela. You have a great deal with me.”

“No, you’ve had a great deal, but now it’s over. As Gerald you overpowered me and I couldn’t stop being submissive. I loved you and you took advantage of me. But when you turned me into your wife you overlooked the fact that as a woman I’m smarter than I was as a man. As a wife I have too much self-respect to allow myself to be the slave you want!”

“I’m so sick of you, Giselle. I’ll be happy to divorce you!”

“You never loved me.”

“I can’t argue with you about that. Are you going to move in with your mom and dad?”

“I have friends who will help me.”

“Debbie and Pamela? Bruce and Glen won’t let you take refuge there!”

“Debbie is divorcing Bruce, so he’s not going to be in a position to object.”

***

The next day Giselle, Debbie, and Pamela met for coffee. Debbie and Giselle filled Pamela in on the drama with Joey and Bruce.

“How did Joey react?” Debbie asked Giselle.

“He says that now the only way he’ll take me back is if I crawl on my hands and knees and beg him!”

“So, in other words, it’s over between you and Joey.”

“To say the least! It does break my heart but I know that it’s for the best. What about Bruce?”

“He’s devastated but he’s also being histrionic. Our marriage has been in a rut for quite some time. The weird experiment he did with Joey is more a symptom of our declining marriage than it is the reason why I need to part from him.”

The three women sat silently contemplating the future. They sipped their coffees and ate slices of lemon pound cake. Finally, Pamela exclaimed, “There’s one obvious solution to both of your problems. One that should make everyone happy.”

“Tell us!” Giselle said.

“What could that possibly be?” Debbie said.

“Look. You both want to be divorced yet neither of you has a plan for the future. “

“That’s depressing,” Debbie said.

“So what can we do?” Giselle asked.

“That’s simple,” Pamela said. “The two of you make the perfect couple! You can supply each other with the intimacy that you crave. Moreover, the two of you have many things in common – a love of lingerie and pretty dresses. You’re both smart and play golf! You’re both feminine, and yet Giselle can supply the plumbing you need to make babies – if that’s what you want! I’d say the two of you together is a better situation for both of you than you’ve had with your husbands.”

“After we divorce you’re saying that Debbie and I should marry each other?” Giselle asked.

“Yes!”

“Giselle and I getting married. Wow,” Debbie said.

“It’s a perfect plan no matter how you look at it,” Pamela said. “In fact, I would encourage Joey and Bruce to get together also, but I doubt that they would do it.”

“Why’s that?” Giselle asked.

“They both want wives they can control – especially Joey. Together they’d end up fighting all the time.”

“Forget about them! I love this idea,” Debbie said, “I’m all in!”

“I’m blown away that you would marry me,” Giselle said to Debbie.

“In a heartbeat. You’re such an improvement over Bruce. We can even have children,” Debbie said.

“Oh my God this is the greatest day ever!” Giselle said.

“This is wonderful!” Pamela said.

“Debbie and Giselle, Giselle and Debbie!” Giselle said.

“Oh my God,” Debbie said. “If we’re married then we can share each other’s clothes!”

“You’re right,” Giselle said.

“I can wear your Oscar de la Renta gown!” Debbie said.

“Do you want to marry me or my gown?” Giselle asked.

“Do I have to answer that?” Debbie said.

Debbie and Giselle laughed. Then they kissed until Pamela had to remind them that she was there.”

The End