A man is feminized by his wife and his business partner and framed for embezzlement. Can he survive the humiliations his wife intends to subject him to and start a new life?
Thanks go out to Marina Kelly for her very valuable editorial assistance in improving the quality of this story.

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Chapter 19

Once in the car, Jim had convinced Diana that she should ride in the back seat with Sally. To spice up the fun they would have when they arrived. Once Diana was buckled in Jim without comment handcuffed Diana's hands. Diana just assumed it was some prelude to kinky sex, so she accepted it without comment. In response to Sally's frowned question, Jim told Diana, "This is to keep Diana from getting out of hand. Trust me it's safer this way."

Sally nodded her understanding and chimed in, "Yes. If I'm sitting back here with you all helpless, I can have my way with you." Diana responded with a giggle and a smile as she held her hands behind her back. She wanted to make her new playmates happy because they would make her happy as well.

Once Jim had Diana secured in the back seat, Sally climbed into the car with her. She knew that there would be only one way to keep Diana under control for the ride. Jim had already explained that it would not be a very long trip, so she wouldn't need to do much to distract Diana. She also did not object to kissing and petting of her lover, but she found it a bit awkward to be engaging in foreplay with your current lover in the presence of your former lover. Sally knew that Diana wouldn't have a problem; she had already demonstrated that she was an exhibitionist. Sally mentally cringed at how Rob would react when he found out that he started to do a strip tease in front of his senior staff.

Sally's misgivings were really based only upon the fact that she was making out with Diana, not Rob. She was troubled by the thought was she committing sexual assault if your victim was an adult and was actively participating. It was something she would have to discuss with Rob and maybe a priest later. If she ever got Rob back, the thought of losing him sent shivers through her. The thought that Rob might be gone forever and supplanted by his horny alter ego was both sobering and exciting for Sally. While Diana / Rob presented a very erotic and desirable package, Sally really wanted Rob to be the one driving that train and not Diana. There was more to love than the physical body.

Right now, there was only Diana to deal with and to keep quiet for the trip. Sally had to be honest with herself that she was enjoying having Diana actually helpless before her as she rubbed and pinched her legs, thighs and breasts. She mixed in liberal amounts of licks and kisses with her fondling as well. She quickly had Diana reduced to a whimpering, giggling, moaning mass. Jim was considerate enough he turned the radio on high to mask the noise coming from the back seat.

She really hoped that the doctor could rescue Rob's mind from wherever it was trapped because she wanted to get this little one home to her bed. Diana's reactions to Sally's teasing were turning Sally on something fierce as well. Sally wanted Rob to return the favor because her own panties were soaking wet. She thought that she might need to stop somewhere and get her own set of handcuffs for Rob's homecoming.

She was so lost in keeping Diana distracted that she paid no attention to Jim's driving and she had no idea how long the trip had taken. It was a complete surprise to her when Jim touched her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Sally, I hate to interrupt but we're here," he said. He had made an effort to not look at his passengers too closely.

Diana held Sally's tongue with as much suction as the helpless victim could muster; Sally had a hard time extracting her tongue from Diana's mouth. She was mortified to think that she had gotten so lost in foreplay that she had been putting on a show for her old boyfriend. She was coming down from the erotic high she had gotten Diana and herself on. She straightened her clothes and did the same for Diana as Jim got out of the car and came around to help them out.

"Were you watching us on the way here?"

"I was at the very beginning. When I realized what you were doing to keep her from possibly fighting from coming back here, I kept my eyes on the road." He grinned as he added, "But it sounded like fun. I almost pulled over at a rest stop to see if I could join you." At Sally's glare, he defended himself. "Hey, I'm a red-blooded guy. Two gorgeous women necking in the back seat is really hot." He remembered some of the sessions he and Sally had when they were together.

Hearing Jim's comment, Diana said playfully, "You could have joined us, three is twice as good as two."

Sally blushed bright red and said, "It was fun. I'm not sure who had more fun though." She smiled through her embarrassment and said, "I was thinking that I might want to get my own handcuffs…the fuzzy kind." Jim just returned her grin.

The two of them bracketed Diana and helped her walk to the clinic's back door. Before they reached it, an older gentleman stepped out to meet them. Unsure of the reception he might receive from his approaching guests, his smile was tentative but real.

Sally assumed that this was the doctor and any doubt was eliminated when Diana said, "Doctor Winters! I'm not sure if I should be happy to see you or not!" The way Diana spoke was a cross between an accusation and flirting.

Winters nodded and gave Diana a friendly smile. "Hello Diana. I was afraid that this could happen. I guess that I did my job too well. But I believe that we can help you."

Diana's behavior changed from a somewhat standoffish stance to an all-out come hither act.

"That's okay, Doc. I'll bet that you have just what I need." Diana leaned forward to allow her generous breasts to hang forward. Diana rubbed up against the doctor suggestive of a cat looking for attention.

The doctor put his arm around Diana as if to give her a hug as two men in medical garb came out of the building behind him. Winters looked at Jim and Sally and said, "Trust me." In a sleight-of-hand that would have done Houdini proud he uncapped a syringe that he had hidden in his hand and quickly injected the contents into Diana's bicep. Almost immediately, Diana collapsed as if every bone in her body had turned to jelly.

Winters moved quickly to keep his new patient from falling to the concrete as his assistants came forward to help. While they lifted Diana on to a gurney, Winters turned to speak with Jim and Sally. "I wanted to knock her out as completely as possible and I was afraid that she might fight back. It happens sometimes when your patient realizes that you plan to do something to their dominant personality. The less time the Diana persona has to firm itself up, the better for Rob."

Sally looked after the gurney as it vanished through the door. "Can you really help him, doctor?"

"Yes, I can," Winters replied. "I should be able to restore his mind and personality because it was never really gone. What we're seeing is really just a lot of deep-seated behaviors and programmed reactions. The problem will be how much of that may have integrated itself into Rob Turner's personality."

Sally asked, "Will he lose all of his Diana traits?"

The doctor responded, "I don't believe so, I'm afraid some may be so firmly ingrained in his personality they will always be there."

Sally mumbled to herself, "Good! Then she asked "Doctor, can we be selective as to what goes and what stays." She was still tingling from the make-out session in the backseat.

"No, that is beyond my limited capabilities."

She hadn't really been serious about preserving aspects of Diana in Rob, but she hoped that Rob was as good without Diana helping him to make love as had been a few minutes ago. She smiled with relief, knowing that Rob wasn't really gone.

In an effort to lighten her mood even more Jim said," You said that he or she was good at cooking and cleaning. Maybe you'll get lucky and keep the maid part of him."

"As long as it's Rob, that's all I care about. But, if Rob can kiss as well as Diana, that would be okay."

Winters assured them that he would do everything he could to help Rob. He had excellent success in both programming and deprogramming subjects. Rob's case shouldn't present too great a problem. Before he went back inside, he exchanged contact information with them both so that that could check on Rob's condition whenever they wanted. He assured Sally that he would do everything in his power to help Rob.

* * * * *

Sally was quiet as they left the clinic. All she could think about was the fact that Rob's personality had changed from the nice guy that he had always been to the sex-crazed bimbo that he had told her that Geri had planned to make him into. She wasn't repelled by Rob‘s appearance because she knew that his she-male body contained a guy. But now, it was as if he was Dr. Jekyll and he had suddenly morphed into Ms. Hyde. All she could wonder was if she could feel the same way about Diana that she felt about Rob.

She didn't even realize that she was crying until Jim pulled the car over to the curb and moved to put his arm around her. The closeness of a comforting friend broke the stiff upper lip she was keeping and she buried her head in his shoulder. Jim held her, rubbing her back gently until Sally's sobs were under control. She sat back up and opened her purse to take out some tissues. She mopped up the mess caused by her eyes and nose before she noticed that she had smudged her makeup across the front of Jim's shirt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your shirt," she said.

"It's okay, Sally," he answered as he smiled down at her. "I'm surprised that you've been able to hold up this long."

"I wish that I had Evan and Geri here right now! I'd like to make them wish they had never been born! I promise they will suffer as much as they've made Rob and me." She closed her eyes, imagining some of the tortures that she would love to subject them to.

Jim chimed in, "You know there are more kinds of pain then physical, some are deliciously diabolical. But I completely understand your need to watch them suffer."

He had seen enough victims of violent crimes and watched the perps get away with what amounted to a slap on the wrist. They might spend a couple of years in prison while their victims would spend the rest of their lives dealing with the physical and mental damage that had been done to them. Some of those images came back to haunt him in his nightmares.

"If I could take you to them, I would," he said, "but I can't actively become involved in torturing them."

"I know you would," Sally said, smiling a little. "You keep helping my family."

She looked at him sadly and said, "I wish that things could have worked out differently for us, Jim. You're a good man."

He smiled gently at her and said, "It's okay, Sally. You understood why we had to break up. I didn't want to worry about being hurt and having you feel the way you are now. Except that I would have been dead or dying. What has happened to Rob is something that wouldn't and shouldn't happen to anyone, especially a nice guy like Rob. Remember that the doctor said that he can help him."

"I know why you broke up with me, Jim. I'm over it now. I just feel bad that I moved on and I ended up with Rob. You don't have anyone."

Jim smiled at her and said, "That's not true Sally. I've been seeing one of my informants for quite a while now and I think that I've fallen in love with her. I'm sorry."

Sally straightened up a bit, her concern for Jim overriding Rob. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I broke up with you over my concern that I didn't want to leave you a widow at some point and then I take up with someone else." He actually looked ashamed of himself.

"Jim, we broke up over a year ago. I understood why you said that we couldn't continue to see each other. Do you really think that I would be upset with you for having found someone else when I did too? What is she like?"

Jim paused for a minute to think. "She was the bartender at the club where we found Rob. She helped us plan the raid and gave us a lot of information that means that Rob and Sophie won't have to testify against the Mob." He looked at her sharply and continued, "I'm only telling you that because I know that I can trust you. Okay?"

"You know that I won't give anything away, Jim," she said. The last thing she would do would be to share a secret that might put Jim in danger or jeopardize his job. "I'm really glad that you found someone."

Sally lost control again as she realized that she was alone now. The doctor might have been sure that he could help Rob, but what if he was wrong? What if Rob forgot about her or found that he didn't really love her because it wasn't really him who fell in love with her?

She was starting to hyperventilate between her sobs when Jim grabbed her again and held her tightly. That was enough to break her out of her sob-and-gasp cycle and she soon regained her breath. Once she had relaxed again, Jim let her go. It was a few more minutes before she regained her composure and she asked him to drive by her apartment to let her freshen up. If nothing else, she really wanted to change her panties as she didn't want the reminder that she had been so turned on when she had been playing with Diana. She was afraid of what that said about her.

She invited him in to wait while she changed her clothes and he took a seat on the couch. It only took her a couple of minutes to change her clothes, but several more to brush her hair out and touch up her makeup. She felt much better physically when she came back out, but her mood hadn't really improved. She still looked depressed about the whole situation, but she was trying to project a better outlook.

"You have a message on your machine," Jim pointed out, indicating the flashing indicator on her desk. She still preferred to use an actual answering machine instead of using the service available from the phone company. When she pressed the playback button, she was shocked to hear Evan's voice.

"Hello, Sally," he said. His voice seemed to give an oily impression and he still sounded as confident about things as he always had been. "I'm sure that you never expected to hear from me again, but I'm also sure that you had something to do with alerting the authorities to my activities. Now that they are looking for us, we're unable to draw on enough funds to be able to leave the city. The good news and bad news is that you are going to help us with that.

"You might be wondering why that is. When we saw Rob's cute girlie picture in the paper, we were a bit upset and we started looking for him. I was searching on the Web for Diana Phoenix and I just happened to find a fascinating video of Diana doing a strip tease. I recognized the background and knew that you were somehow involved.

"Now…if you don't want me to call the papers and tell them who Diana Phoenix really is, you will have 200,000 dollars ready for me when I call you tomorrow. Remember that even a rumor of Rob being a sex-crazed cross-dresser could destroy your company's reputation and it would collapse. I could do it even if you arranged for the cops to arrest me when you give me my money. I'll call you at the office tomorrow morning for your answer. Don't disappoint me."

Evan's tone as the message ended was threatening and cold. It left no doubt that he would do exactly what he said. Sally didn't what to say or feel at the moment and she just dropped onto the couch. First Rob lost himself because of the machinations of Evan and Geri and now they were demanding money to not tell everyone the horrible things that they had done to him. Her hands began to shake and then her whole body felt like it was vibrating. More frustrated tears began to run down her cheeks at the same time.

Jim had been just as surprised as Sally to hear Evan speaking, but he wasn't surprised at Sally's reaction. It had been very stressful for her these past months, wondering what had happened to Rob, and discovering what had been done to him. While she had gotten him back, she hadn't really gotten the old Rob back but some strange version of him. When Sally began to have her breakdown, he hugged her to him rubbed her back in an effort to relax her.

Sally cried herself out quickly this time as she moved from upset and frustrated to just plain mad. She pushed herself upright and looked up at Jim.

She smiled tightly and said, "Thank you. I'm surprised that I had any tears left."

"It's all right. I know that things have been more than a little strained for you lately. We might want to get you some water, but we can worry about that in a few minutes. Are you okay now?"

"Yes," she said. "It just really pisses me off to know what they did to Rob and that they are going to get away with it."

"Sally, I've had a couple of long conversations with the doctor at that clinic. He was forced to do what he did to Rob, but Rob only told you what Evan and Geri told him. He didn't know everything that was done to him."

Jim proceeded to relate the list of things that they had made the doctor do to their friend. The changes to his body to make him look like a beautiful college co-ed, the permanent changes to his voice and to his legs. Then there were the internal changes that rendered him unable to father children. Mental programming that was intended to make him into a horny, almost unthinking sex machine to make him crave sex, not as a man but as a woman. His sexual persuasion was now to catch rather than pitch. .

Sally's anger level increased as Jim's list grew longer. She did smile when he observed that the doctor could make a living helping girls become models capable of competing in beauty pageants. She had to agree that Rob had ended up being very attractive. She didn't want to admit it to Jim, but the combination of Rob's gentle personality in that body really did something for her.

But it hadn't been done to him willingly and that is what truly angered her. "I wish I had them here right now!' she said. "I'd love to play mad scientist with them!"

Jim smiled and said, "Slow down Doctor Frankenstein, that's something that might be possible to arrange. I'm getting an idea. I need to go back to talk to the doctor and you need to get the money that Evan was demanding." When he saw Sally's frown, he said, "Don't worry. They won't be leaving with the money in any case. Jim rested his hand on the butt of his pistol, "Even if things go wrong, I won't let them go."

"What happens if things go right?" Sally asked with a puzzled look. The threat to destroy their reputation was still hanging in front of them.

"Let's just say that if my plan works, they won't be walking away or talking to anyone without our permission." Jim's smile was contagious and Sally realized that it might just be possible to actually show Evan and Geri the meaning of the 'Golden Rule'.

* * * * *

Sally had originally intended to take the remainder of the day off because of the multiple upsets she had been through, but the fact that Jim promised that he had a plan re-energized her, physically and emotionally. Any chance to nail the bastards who had tried to fuck with her life and that of her friends was worth going after. Besides, Jim needed her to get the cash that Evan and Geri were demanding.

On the drive back to her office, Jim had quickly described the bare bones of his plan which involved getting the two con artistes to a controlled location, getting them off guard and then capturing them. He already had the spot in mind and showing them the money would make them believe that they were in control of the situation. Evan had already told her that he could still do damage if he were arrested, so he would feel confident in his immunity from the police. He would assume that Sally would be afraid to even involve the authorities. As for getting them under control, he needed to work on it.

Jim left Sally at the door to the building and rushed off. He was already calling Doctor Winters at the clinic as he was an important part of Jim's plan. Winters agreed to be waiting for him when Jim arrived and Jim hung up.

Sally hurried to her office and asked Wanda to place calls to the attorney and to the head of the company's bank as she passed her desk. The first call to go through was to the company's lawyer. He had already been made aware of Rob's condition when he had been rescued from the club and had helped Sally with documents necessary to protect Rob and the company.

When Sally explained what had happened to Rob and that Evan had emerged from whatever rock he had been hiding under, he was as outraged as Sally had been. He began to set things in motion to clear the way to help Sally with the money. It would not be difficult as she was the acting executive officer for the company and his assistance would keep many obstacles from blocking the money.

This was helpful when she got on the phone with the bank. The bank director originally balked at Sally's demand for 200,000 dollars in fifty dollar bills, until she explained, "It's a ransom demand in a kidnapping case." When he asked who, Sally merely said it was one of the company's executives, which satisfied the banker. He explained that withdrawing that much in cash would require the bank to notify federal authorities. But he would take care of it. She just had to be prepared to explain it to the federal marshals. She had the authority to draw the money from the corporation, her own account, and from Rob's. She waited until the director had contacted the company's legal offices on his own and then she continued.

She understood the requirement to report a transaction of that size to the authorities and she knew that it could not be avoided. When the Feds came around to interview her, she would just have to come up with a convincing story. Besides, the money should be back in the bank by the following day at the latest, so there would not be much to have to explain. She agreed to a mix of bills larger than ten, as long as it all fit into a single bag that could be carried easily. They agreed that the money would be kept at the bank until Sally came to pick up the money.

Her phone calls took most of the remainder of the day and served to keep her mind occupied so that she did not have time to think much about Rob or Evan. When her part of the plan was ready, she sat back in her chair and gave a satisfied sigh. Then she called Jim to let him know that she had the money. He was pleased to hear her news and he informed her that the doctor was also onboard with the plan. They arranged to meet later away from work and her apartment, but he was on his way to see Julie at the moment. Sally wasn't to answer a phone until after he arrived and talked with her. To make sure that no one could contact her, Sally turned off her phone and left the office for the day.

* * * * *

Sally spent a few hours browsing and window shopping in the mall, waiting for Jim to arrive. Finally, she saw Jim making his way down the concourse, accompanied by a tall pretty blonde girl. She watched the two of them walking together, obviously comfortable with each other as they talked and laughed. As they approached, Sally could see that the two were more than casual friends. It was obvious in how close they were to each other as they walked and even how they held each other's hand. Friends might, just might, hold hands, but 'just friends' wouldn't mesh their fingers. It didn't require much effort on her part to determine that this was the woman that Jim had been talking about.

When they walked up to Sally, Jim had a huge smile on his face in response to Sally's uplifted eyebrows. As if to say, 'look what I've got guys and you can't have her'. At the same time, he was watching her closely. She didn't know what to make of his behavior, so she smiled welcomingly at them.

"Sally, I'd like you to meet Julie," he said with a very large smile on his face. "Julie, this is my ... friend Sally."

"Actually I'm his ex-girlfriend, now we are just good friends." Sally injected with just a hint of jealously.

There was the briefest of flashes across Julie's face that said that she was aware of the history between Jim and Sally and then it was gone. Julie's smile was obviously genuine as she held her hand out to say hello. When Sally returned her smile and stepped forward to exchange a hug, both women knew that they were not competing for the same guy and that they could be friends. Just to get a reaction from Sally, Julie kissed Sally on the ear and stuck just a little tongue into the kiss. When Sally jumped, Julie grinned at her impishly.

Jim watched the two women become friends and relaxed inside. He had been worried that there might be some kind of turf war taking place and he was happy that they appeared to like each other. They were short on time, so he suggested that they get some coffee and find a place to talk. Guiding them over to an isolated table, he got their preferences for coffee and headed over to the nearby Starbucks. While he was gone, the two women quickly got acquainted.

"I was the assistant manager at the club where Rob and Sophie were found," Julie offered.

Sally smiled and nodded. "Jim told me that you were helping him. Rob also told me all about you. We're both very lucky to have you as a friend. But if you're helping Jim, aren't you in danger by being seen with him? Won't someone figure out you're an informant?"

"There is a chance that could happen," Julie answered, waving her hand as if to dismiss the problem. "Most of the Mob is in jail now. The ones who aren't either don't know who I am or are on the run. I doubt if any of them are still in the city and they wouldn't be around here if they were."

"That's good," Sally said. "The stories that Rob told me about the boss at the club make me want to show him what a cattle prod could really do."

Julie returned her angry smile. "That is what made me glad that I called Jim. It was one thing when he mistreated one of his bully boys. When he started torturing Rob and Sophie and then disposed of one of his hookers, I knew that I had to do something."

"Sally, might I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, why not."

"Were you and my Jim lovers?"

Sally looked around to ensure no one could hear and answered truthfully, "Yes, we were for several months. But we haven't been intimate for months. There is nothing going on between us. So you don't have to worry."

Julie blushed crimson, "I'm not jealous, it's just that Jim and I haven't done 'it' yet and I was wondering what kind of lover he is."

Now it was Sally's turn to blush, "Honey, you have no worries there. He is the most giving man I've ever known. He was always more concerned about my pleasure than his own. He has the most magnificent cock I've ever seen. You are in for a treat. Just make sure you have lots of throat lozenges, you will scream yourself hoarse. That much I can guarantee." She grinned at her memories of the lovemaking she and Jim had engaged in.

Julie reached across the table to take her hand. "Thank you." Julie blinked back tears as she said, "I just hope that the doctor can do something for your guy before Evan can tell the world about him."

"Don't worry," Julie said, squeezing her hand. "Rob and I talked a few times and I know what was done to him and who is responsible. Dr. Winters will do whatever he can for Rob. I'm more interested in what we can do about the people who thought this all up."

Jim was walking up at that point and said, "Yes, and I have an idea for that." He handed out the cups of coffee and took a seat.

"Julie is working at another bar across town now. We want to get Evan and Geri there for their payoff."

He smiled and looked at the ladies before he continued. The looks he got from both women told Jim something had gone on in his absence but he decided to let sleeping dogs lie. "As soon as we're done here, I need to go back to the clinic to pick up some things from the doctor. Sally, I'll take you back to work and you will need to be convincing about not wanting to meet them any place of their choosing. We want to get them into Julie's bar where we will have control of the situation."

He sat back and grinned wolfishly. For once, he was going to take the bad guys off the streets permanently.

"We're going to con us a couple of con men." His smile and laughter were contagious.

* * * * *

Sally sat at the table, wishing that Evan and Geri would show up early. Julie was working behind the bar, checking on her every couple of minutes. She knew Jim was outside of the pub, ready to come charging in if Julie called him over the radio. The satchel of money was on the floor under her feet.

The place wasn't really too bad, it wasn't a dive or addict's hideout. It actually had a welcoming feel to it, a place where friends would gather after work. The amount of money she had with her made her nervous, even knowing that she had friends nearby. There were only a couple of other people here at this time of day and they were seated at the bar. She had taken a table near the back of the room, by the end of the bar, where she could watch the front door. She couldn't get any further away from the street door unless she moved into the bathrooms.

She had ordered a glass of wine and she took a sip in the hopes that it would settle her nerves a bit. The whole plan fell to her to make it succeed, but the anger she felt at how Evan and Geri had hurt Rob and tried to destroy the investment firm helped her to override any worries she had. She would do everything in her power to see these monsters pay.

It was with real relief when she saw Evan at the street door. He stood near the entrance, scanning the room. He took note of where Sally was seated and that she had plenty of privacy on her side of the bar. He stepped back out to the street to wave Geri in.

Once she was inside, Geri pushed past Evan and led the way over to where Sally was seated. Her whole attitude said that she thought that she was in charge, not Evan. Having seen Evan's conduct in the office, Sally wondered who really was in charge of their partnership.

Sally couldn't take her eyes off Geri as the woman walked across the room. Rob had described the changes Geri had received, but seeing them was a treat. Sally could tell that Evan had something to do with Geri's new look, because it made Sally think of a swimsuit model. Geri had a long way to go before she could rival Barbie's measurements, but Geri's narrow waist and larger bust and her long brown hair that flowed over her shoulders and cascaded against her sensually swaying hips made Sally think of a caricature, the image of Jessica Rabbit from the film 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' popped into her head. But Sally knew this woman was no cartoon character; she was as dangerous as a rattlesnake as she stalked across the room to Sally's table.

Sally did not stand in greeting; she just looked up at them and said nothing. After a moment, Geri took the seat across from Sally and sat glaring at her. Again, her whole physical bearing seemed to say that she was the queen having an audience with her subjects. Sally wondered how she would be acting in a little while, if the plan worked.

Sally did notice they looked a bit worse for wear, like they had been wearing the same clothes for longer than one day. They appeared clean enough though, so they weren't hiding in some drainage ditch or the back of their car. Evan stood by the table, between herself and Geri and appeared to be trying to use his height to intimidate her by standing over and looking down at her. Sally continued her staring match with Evan, even though she had to lean back some to do so. She maintained her silence, making it so that Evan had to finally say something.

"Did you bring our money?" Sally had expected Geri to be conducting the conversation, but she appeared to be content to allow him to do so.

Sally blatantly ignored him as if he was below contempt for the moment, taking the risk of angering him so that she could tweak the other woman's nose, so to speak.

"You look different somehow Geri. Is that a new dress?"

Sally didn't like to be catty, but she couldn't very well tear Geri's hair out, at least not yet.

"No, it isn't." Geri snapped. She practically snarled as she said, "I didn't come here for small talk. Give us the money so that I can find a decent store to buy one."

Sally actually enjoyed Geri's reaction and just drew things out even longer. At this point, she didn't care if these two were caught here at the table or on the street outside, she was having fun.

She acted hurt as she said, "I was just trying to be polite. But you do look different. Have you lost some weight, you're not as chubby as this last time I saw you."

She let her tone of voice tell Geri know that she saw her changes and that it was amusing to her. Geri's response was to turn red and begin to sputter. Before the whole encounter could collapse into a screaming cat fight, Evan cut Geri off and repeated, "Did you bring our money or not?" His tone said that he was rapidly becoming impatient.

Sally finally answered their question. "Yes. It's on the floor under the table."

"Good," Evan said, his oily voice full of satisfaction. Like most bullies, he loved to make others obey his orders. He sat down and shifted the chair to face her.

Sally took another sip of her wine and shakily set it down again. She used her foot to push the bag further under the table. Her nervousness was not missed by either Evan or Geri. "If I give you the money, what's to stop you from ruining the company anyway?"

"Not a thing," Evan said flatly. Geri was watching the conversation and looking around the room as if she were watching for trouble. Sally was glad that Jim had stayed outside; she suspected that Geri would be able to pick him out as a police officer if he were present.

Evan continued, "Once we have the cash we'll too busy getting out of this shithole of a city to worry about it. It will give you plenty of time to separate Rob's reputation from his company's. You never know if I'll say something in the right ear once we're gone."

His voice hardened as he said," But you can believe that I know who to talk to in this city if you don't give me what I want." The fact that Evan spoke like he was in charge was like an off-note in a piece of music to her. She wondered who really was in charge in this pair or if they both thought that they were in charge.

Geri finally spoke as she practically purred, "Yes…The only way Rob can save his company is to give it up. It's not as good as taking all of his money, but it will have to do."

"What did he ever do to you?" Sally asked her. The woman acted like she had a personal vendetta against Rob and Sally couldn't fathom what he could have possible done to hurt Geri.

"He married me," Geri spat out. "Do you know what it's like to be married to someone like him? Always willing to please, to give in? A real man stands up for himself instead of always being concerned about the other person. Rob is a pathetic wimp."

As she spoke, Sally could practically see the foam around Geri's mouth. She could see that Geri was the dangerous one, she had an axe to grind here and that blinded her to common-sense. Evan seemed to be the typical alpha male and wanted to dominate his targets more systematically. She wondered if this was the first time they had ever had their plans go wrong before.

Geri's statements about Rob were just wrong. Rob's body might have been changed by these two criminals, but she thought that he had always been more of a man than Evan would ever be. Geri was just plain wrong about her opinion of Rob. She couldn't let Geri's venom go unanswered and she spoke up to defend Rob. "Rob is a good man Geri. You just didn't know a good thing when you had him."

"You bitch!" Geri spat. "He may have married me, but he wanted you. He was always thinking about you and the company. The little shit deserves everything that I did to him." She looked around. "Where is he? Did you leave him on some street corner to pick up some cash?" She laughed at her own joke.

"He…he wasn't feeling well. He's resting." Geri's outburst angered her, but she knew that she needed to keep control at this point. If things went right in the next few minutes, it would be a very long time before Geri laughed about anything again.

"Yeah, right. On his knees probably." Geri laughed again.

Sally just sat and looked at her. She was at a complete loss as to why Rob had thought that he was in love with her. It was a good thing for him that he was not here. Sally got the impression that Geri could do serious harm to him if she had the chance.

Evan took control of the conversation, seeing as it had degenerated so badly. "Let me see the money," he demanded.

Sally again ignored Evan and kept her attention on Geri, "So…I just give you the money and you'll go away?"

"That's right. We have places to go where we can be more comfortable than here. This is just some travelling cash."

"I want some kind of assurance that I'll have time to save the company. There are people who would be hurt if the investment firm were to collapse."

Evan folded his arms on the table in front of him and smiled nastily at her.

"I don't give a rat's ass about those sheep. I want our money and you'll just have to believe, and hope, that I won't blab about Rob's delicate condition too soon."

His tone said that he couldn't be trusted and he didn't care what she wanted. Evan knew that he was holding all of the cards, and that Sally had no choice but to give in. He obviously enjoyed this part.

Sally looked forward to seeing what the sadist and the psycho would have to say in a few minutes, if they could speak. She didn't have to fake her frustration and nervousness as she drained her glass and set it down again.

"All right," she conceded. "I can see that I don't have a choice. I'll have to trust you to do the right thing."

"If you want to see the money, it's under the table. Open the damned bag and look for yourself." Evan had to get on his knees to reach the bag. Sally couldn't resist turning to Geri, "Now whose on his knees for a few dollars?"

Evan reached into the satchel and satisfied himself that there appeared to be the proper amount of money by looking at several bundles at random. He looked up at Geri from under the table and nodded. She smiled at him and spat, "Get off your knees you imbecile!"

Geri sat back in satisfaction. They had money they needed to get away and to where they could draw on other resources. Evan closed the bag and crawled out from under the table banging his head on the way to his seat. He also looked relieved. Sally wondered what they had been doing for the past weeks that would make them look like this. Of course, the amount of money they had demanded was nothing to sneeze at, but it wasn't a king's ransom either.

Evan looked at Geri and said, "I think that this calls for a celebration. Why don't we allow Sally to buy us a glass of champagne before we go?"

Sally felt like she must have visibly tensed when Evan made his statement but neither of them noticed.
She had been banking on his macho, dominant behavior to help himself to some of her wine. Jim was outside, prepared to take them down if this trap failed.

Sally played her part and made a token complaint, "Buy your own booze you have the money now."

Evan looked up at the bar and waved to get Julie's attention. She came over to find out what he wanted. Evan brusquely requested to more wine glasses which she quickly brought back to the table. She and Sally carefully avoided eye contact in case they might give something away.

Evan said, "We want a bottle of your best champagne and put it on her tab," pointing to Sally.

Julie quickly returned and handed the bottle to Even, "Would you like me to open it sir?" He closely examined the bottle. Then on the off chance Sally was trying something, said he didn't like the vintage and demanded a different bottle. Julie quickly produced the new bottle and Evan proceeded to pour wine into all three glasses. Sally just looked at him, surprised that he would actually expect her to join them in a drink.

"Come now, Sally," he said. "We tried to steal a billion dollars from you and Rob. You stopped us and it only cost you 200,000 dollars. You should look at it as a victory. This is the first time anyone has ever stopped us.

Geri, the mastermind, and experienced con artist held up her glass and said, "We're not drinking until you do."

Sally knew that they might be suspicious if she refused to drink with them, but she couldn't give in too easily. When neither Evan nor Geri drank from their glasses, she picked hers up.

She lifted her glass in a toast and said, "To Rob Tanner. A good guy in a bad situation." She took a healthy swallow of her wine before setting it on the table.

Her toast was essentially a challenge to Evan who took up the gauntlet. He raised his glass to Geri and said, "To us. We may not have won the war, but we still came out ahead. Anders is the one who lost." He grinned at the thought that Anders had been the one to pay all of the bills going into this project. Geri clinked her glass against Evan's and they both drank.

Once she saw them both swallow their wine, Sally gave a sigh of relief and relaxed back into her chair. It was when she smiled that Evan and Geri looked at her like she was crazy. Then they began to feel the effects of the wine rather quickly.

Evan shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. "The wine couldn't have been that strong to hit me already, it couldn't have been drugged the bitch drank from the same bottle." Across the table, Geri's eyes were looking a bit glazed.

Sally smiled broadly and stood up. Now she really understood the old spider-and-fly saying. She was glad to be the spider sitting with the flies in her parlor.

Evan looked at her drunkenly and slurred, "You drank the wine too. How?" His voice petered out.

Sally looked over at Julie and waved. While Julie picked up her walkie-talkie to call Jim in, Sally looked down at the pair who had just become her prisoners.

Sally got down in Evan's face and said, "True, I drank from the same bottle but not from the same glass. The wine wasn't drugged, your glasses were. Don't worry though. Doctor Winters told us that you would just feel very drunk and unable to move, you will have a world class hangover, sorry about that...NOT. That's why we have a couple of wheelchairs to help us get you to the car. You are going on a little trip, and will be changed persons when you return."

Sally picked up her glass and drained the last of it after a toast, "Here's to a new and improved you."

Julie was pushing one of the chairs over as she spoke and Jim had come out of the back of the bar pushing the other one. The three of them worked to get their prisoners into the chairs and strapped down. Once they were done, Julie returned to the bar to finish her shift, after giving Jim a hug and a lingering kiss. Sally knew that they would be seeing each other later, but that would be after these two had been transferred to Jim's car in the alley and delivered to Doctor Winters.

Once Evan and Geri had been secured in the trunk of Jim's car, they folded up the chairs to return to Winters' clinic and loaded them into Sally's car. The money went into Sally's trunk where it would be safe.

According to Jim, the doctor had been almost enthusiastic when Jim had suggested a plan to grab Evan and Geri in a way that would keep them out of the legal system. If they were arrested like the criminals that they were, they would be able to destroy Rob and his investment firm. On top of that, they would probably be out on the street in less than five years and back to their old tricks. Winters had provided the drugs and the wheelchairs. He was already waiting for them to arrive.

At the clinic, Evan and Geri were deposited in their chairs again, this time with the help of the orderlies. They all moved into the clinic and it was just the five of them that stayed in Winters' office, with the helpers going back to their other duties.

"Mr. Stevens. I have to say that it's good to see you again, even under these conditions. Actually, under these conditions." He smiled and looked at Geri and wiped some drool off her chin and said, "Mrs. Tanner or should I say Mrs. Stevens? Welcome back. You are looking well."

Addressing both Evan and Geri, he said, "I'm sure that you've noticed that the drug we used on you is wearing off. It's something that we developed here for the government. Fortunately, your mobster friends did not delve too deeply into everything we had here."

Evan had been moving a bit, obviously testing how strong the straps on his arms and legs were. Geri had just started to move, but both of them appeared to be alert. The gags that had been strapped into their mouths while they had been helpless stifled all but their grunts and groans.

"We see no point in making you part of our conversation as I doubt that either of you will be in favor of anything we have to say. But...I am very happy to have you as patients though." The smile that Winters focused on them was not intended to comfort them. Instead, it promised terror and pain.

As the implications of Winters' statement sank in, both Evan and Geri renewed their struggles against the straps that held them in place. Their screams were barely any louder than before and no one outside of the room could have heard them. Evan thrashed so wildly he almost tipped over his chair. Jim steadied it saying, "Careful, you don't want to hurt yourself. Leave that to us!"

Jim took up the conversation and stepped into their field of vision. "I know that you had planned to end up in jail if your blackmail scheme fell through. We just couldn't accept the fact that you wouldn't be punished properly in today's legal system. Doctor Winters has consulted with his government contacts and they find our solution to be quite ingenious."

As Sally spoke from behind them, her tone was harsh and vicious, the memory of what they had done to Rob raw in her mind. "Doctor, you were able to turn a well-adjusted man into an out-of-control horny bimbo." At her words, Evan and Geri froze and seemed to hang on her every word. "You turned Rob into something totally opposite to his nature. I want you to do the same thing to these two..."The contempt literally dripped from her words when she said 'these'.

"I want him to become a horny she-male and have to wear high heels like Rob has to do! He needs to have tits that fit in a bushel basket. I want him to only want sex with men and to only be aroused when they are taking him from the rear. She's so proud of her looks. Take them away from her and turn her into a fat hairy guy with a pencil dick and a craving for cum. She should only want men too. The most important thing I want is that they will know what was done to them every time they see each other or look in the mirror!"

Jim and the doctor were both looking at Sally, shocked. Neither of them could have imagined that she could harbor the kind of anger that she had just given voice to. Jim could understand the level of emotion that she felt though. He had already seen how much Sally cared for Rob and he knew that only Rob's death would separate them in the future. He didn't blame her for wanting their prisoners to spend the rest of their lives in the same kind of state that they had forced upon Rob.

She returned their looks and said, "Why do you look so surprised? They tried to reduce someone they were supposed to love into a thing. Don't they deserve the same treatment? If I had my way, they would spend the rest of their lives as farm animals! There is this Great Dane down the block from my apartment, I'm sure I could arrange a meeting between them before we begin. What do you say Geri? Want one last fuck?"

Winters could see that Rob's condition had seriously distressed Sally, maybe more than anyone had anticipated. Trying to avoid offending Sally, he said, "I totally agree with you Sally. They threatened the lives of my family and of my staff. I want to find something for them to do for the rest of their lives where they won't be able to hurt anyone again. I'm not sure that I can do everything that you would like. Mainly, this is because my conscience won't allow me to, no matter how much I would like to. If you will leave everything to me, I'm quite sure that you will be happy with the results. How do a pair of 44 G's sound to you?"

The smile that crossed his face gave no comfort to Evan and Geri. It promised sadness and pain. They knew that they would come to understand what Rob had experienced at their hands. Winters was trained in psychology, as evidenced by the diplomas on his office walls. He knew that anything he and his team did to them was nothing close to what they might imagine. Scaring his patients may have been justice but wasn't necessarily covered by his Hippocratic Oath.

* * * * *

Once they were satisfied that they had sufficiently terrorized their prisoners, Doctor Winters had them injected with a sedative and transported to separate treatment rooms.

"It will take a few weeks to change them physically and mentally, "He told Jim and Sally. "I was forced to rush Mr. Turner's programming and that actually saved him. We will have the time to properly treat the Stevens' though. As time is no longer an issue, they won't be able to break free from their programming."

Sally no longer cared about Evan and Geri. They had been eliminated as a danger to any of them and they were going to get the treatment that they deserved. She intended to enjoy that punishment too. But she wanted to know how Rob was and she said so.

"Rob is fine, Sally," he answered quietly. "I have him sedated and we're working to neutralize the personality that we were forced to create. If you follow me, you can look in on him."

They took an elevator to an area of the clinic that felt more like a hotel than a medical facility. He led them into a room filled with electronics. It made Sally think of a control room or a computer room as she looked about. The lighting in the room was subdued. A window dominated one wall of the room and was much brighter, but still dim. The room on the other side appeared to have a warmer, homier feel than the laboratory room they stood in at the moment.

A standard hospital bed stood where a regular bed would, occupied by an unconscious Rob. If they had known that the person they were looking at was actually a man, they would have been completely fooled. Rob looked for all the world like a young woman sleeping on her back, dressed in a pink negligee. The sheet and blanket were pulled over her chest, lifted well away from her chest by her full breasts. Rob's face was completely at peace, with a slight smile that flickered wider as she dreamed.

Sally questioned the nightie and the doctor said, "Always go slowly in reverse. Soft silk to Rob is like a cocaine addiction, he has to go through withdrawal."

Sally could see the straps the secured his limbs and body to the bed and headphones covered his ears. When she looked at Winters, he said, "I know that it looks like we're treating him like a violent patient. At the moment, we do have to handle him as if he were mentally deranged. We are keeping him just below a conscious level to prevent Diana from becoming stronger in his mind. There is always a risk that he might resist the deprogramming, so we have him secured for our safety and his."

He met Sally's look and held it to speak to the pain that was there. "I promise you Miss Olsen. I can bring him back for you. Detective Strickland has told me how important he is to you. I won't lie to you and tell you that there won't be differences, but he will be Rob Turner again. There isn't much I can do about the physical changes, we can try but some things are hard to undo."

Sally privately hoped a little of Diana's aggressive nature would remain.

Winters looked away when he continued. "I did this to him. Even though I was forced to do it all, I can't begin to tell you how ashamed I am that our procedures were used like this. They have been used on people before, but I had satisfied myself that it was necessary before I allowed it to be done. Rob didn't deserve this."

Sally hugged the doctor and said, "I know you'll do the best you can. I can live with a mix of Rob and Diana."

They stood for several minutes in silence, watching Rob react to the voices or music that he was receiving through his headphones. Finally, Winters escorted them back to their car.

"It will take longer to treat Rob than the other two. They were brainwashing him for months so it will require more work to address that programming. I believe that I will be done with the Stevens' in a little less than a month, but we will need a week or two longer with Rob."

He went on to say that he would be glad to let them know about his condition and progress whenever they wanted, but it would not help him if they actually visited Rob. Sally was not happy to hear it, but she wanted to have him back in control of himself. Whatever the doctor told them had to be done would be the way it would be. All she could do was hope that the doctor would be right and go back to work. The best thing she could do for Rob was manage his business and money the best that she could.