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 20

Rob woke slowly. It felt good to just lie here and relax. His whole body felt like he had been working out at the gym for hours and it was right on the edge of feeling tired and feeling like he was ready to go for a jog. The sheets were soft and warm. He searched his mind for someplace he had to be; but at the moment couldn't think of anything so he just let sleep reclaim him for a few more minutes.

Finally, consciousness wormed it way into his mind and memory, or lack thereof, came with it. His heart raced and adrenalin flowed through his body as the awareness that he didn't know where he was or how he had even gotten here, hit him. His comfortable feeling was replaced with a coldness as he fought to understand what had happened to him. No matter how hard he tried he only touched a blank spot in his memory.

Trying to move around on the bed, he realized that his movements were severely restricted. There were cuffs and straps attached to his ankles and wrists, as well as straps that kept him from even sitting up very far. He was strapped down in a bed in a strange room and had no memory of how he had gotten there. As he tried to pull his arms and legs loose, he began to panic. His heart seemed to be pounding so hard in his chest and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. He felt dizzy because he couldn't breathe and his eyes stung as sweat rolled down his forehead.

His chest felt strange as he moved around, as if it was shifting in a different direction and then it would suddenly catch up with him. It made him think about the girls he used to watch at the pool. The behavior of his chest only barely impacted upon his thoughts though. Feeling trapped in the bed and wanting out drove thoughts of anything else out though.

His thrashing about brought his hand came into contact with the bed control attached to the bedrail. Strangely, its presence served to settle his panic a bit. The fact that he had the ability to raise and lower himself on the bed meant that he had some control over environment and was not an ordinary prisoner. What kind of kidnapper is going to tie you to your bed and then let you make yourself comfortable? He lay still for a few moments, while he panted and got his breath back. Once his heart had slowed a bit, he turned his head to see the bed control.

Raising the head of the bed so that he was sitting, he looked around his prison cell. In another shock to his system, the dark donjon he was expecting actually looked a lot like an upscale hotel room painted in an eggshell white with trim in pastel pinks. The medical equipment cart in the corner told him that this was not an ordinary hotel room. The big window with tinted glass in one was not standard in hotels either. In addition, there were no other windows. He also could not miss the camera that was suspended from the ceiling in one corner. He was pretty sure that he was not in some kind of movie set though.

A fleeting thought caused him to think that this reminded him of a setup for a porn movie of some sort. Once he had checked out his surroundings he turned his attention to himself. He was dressed, if you could use the term, in a hospital gown of some sort that he could tell was open in the back. Wires snaked down over his should to connect to spots on his chest. What was unnerving was that his gown was tented out in front of him, as if to keep it from hitting his skin. The strange thing was that he seemed to feel the gown brushing against him through his undershirt. The shirt felt tight on his shoulders and chest though, almost as if it there were more straps on him. Then the sensations he had noticed on his chest surfaced in his thoughts again. He jiggled his chest and it moved just as if he had breasts of his own. He knew that he should be worried or upset about that possibility, but that emotion almost seemed to refuse to take hold. What was confusing was why he was wearing an undershirt, but no underwear.

Moving his head, it felt top heavy as if he were wearing some sort of hat. Perhaps he had hurt his head or needed surgery of some sort. That would explain whatever it was on his head and why he couldn't remember anything. Maybe the doctor didn't want him disturbing whatever work they had done and damaging himself in some way. That would explain why he was strapped down too.

Finding a possible explanation to his situation was comforting.

Looking around the bed as much as he was able, Rob searched from anything that would be a call button for a nurse. He was obviously in a private room, so a call button would be a necessity. All he could find was the manual control for the bed however.

He had been awake for about fifteen minutes so far, but he could tell that he was hungry and he really, really wanted to use the bathroom. He could feel that he was not wearing a diaper and he was damned if he was going to wet the bed. He hadn't done that since he was a baby.

An increase in the lighting in the adjacent room told him that someone must have been monitoring him, probably through the wires that were attached to him. The light level appeared to be steady in the window, but it was not bright enough to allow him to see through the tinting.

Looking into the blankness of the window, Rob called, "Hello? Is there anyone there? I really need to use the bathroom. Can you help me please?" His voice sounded strange to him, almost as if he had been breathing helium. His throat didn't hurt, so he hadn't hurt his vocal cords. He could only assume that his hearing was off in some way.

There was no answer, but the light in the room grew briefly and there was the remote sound of a door closing. After a few minutes, the door in front of him opened and older gentlemen in the standard white coat came in. Before the door closed, Rob could see that the corridor was not the stark whiteness that was normally associated with a hospital. His brief glimpse again made him think of a hotel again.

With a stab of fear, he realized that this was not a hospital or a hotel at all. He was in a hospice and he had had brain surgery. If he was in a hospice, the surgery wasn't completely successful and he was going to die! His heart started to pound and he began to hyperventilate as he struggled to catch his breath. The doctor was quick to see that Rob was in distress and he crossed the room in a shot. Rather than grab for an oxygen mask and put it over Rob's face, the doctor opened a paper bag and placed it against Rob's mouth. He had obviously seen a panic attack before and knew enough on how to handle them.

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner! Just breathe into the bag and relax." The doctor was looking directly into his eyes, keeping him from looking elsewhere. The eye contact helped him to focus and Rob did what he was told. After a few minutes of breathing from the bag, he began to breathe normally and his heart didn't feel like it was going to explode.

Mopping Rob's forehead of perspiration the doctor asked, "Feeling better?" Seeing Rob's nod, he took the bag away from Rob's face and set it aside. Pulling up a stool he sat down so that Rob could look directly at him instead having to tip his head back and look up at him.

"Can you tell me what happened to cause that reaction, Rob?"

"I figured out that this must be a hospital of some sort and I must have some kind of tumor that was going to kill me."

He started to breathe faster again before the doctor placed his hand on Rob's shoulder to reassure him. Just that little bit of human contact served to distract him for sinking back into his panic attack. It seemed like he hadn't been touched by another person in a very long time.

"This is a type of hospital, but we have not performed surgery on you. The doctor's expression as he made that statement confused Rob. It was a combination of sadness, disgust, and untruth all rolled into one. It was the truth, but not all of it. It wasn't a lie either. Whatever the facts were, the doctor gave him the impression that he was not proud of it.

"Why am I here then?" Rob asked. He was obviously a patient, but what kind?

"You're fine, Rob, healthy as the preverbal horse I'd say" the doctor joked, meeting Rob's eyes. "I'm hoping to be able to release you in a few more days."

The relief that Rob felt was almost like an electric current as it surged through him. Then…"If I haven't had surgery, then why do you have me tied down?" More bad scenarios began to form in his mind, most centering around insanity.

"Rob!" The doctor barked. "Just relax and let me talk. This will go faster if you let me explain everything to you."

Rob took a deep breath, settled back on the bed as best that he could and nodded his agreement. Before he began, he left the room for a moment and came back with a glass of ice water for Rob. He helped Rob drink as he said, "I have someone on the way to help me get you out of this bed."

As he spoke, an orderly came in wearing standard medical scrubs. He was a solidly built man, obviously well able to handle Rob if things got out of hand, but also gave off a friendly vibe and Rob did not feel threatened by him. The two of them made quick work of the straps, cuffs and wires that were attached to Rob and he was free in just moments.

Rob just sat for a moment, rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had held him down. Something about not being held down just felt good.

The doctor took a moment to marshal his thoughts before he began.

"My name is Michael Winters. I am a doctor of psychology and microbiology. When I said that you had not had surgery, I meant on this particular visit." He held up his hand to forestall Rob's questions. "I know that you don't remember being here before and that is okay. I'm going to explain everything to you today and help restore your memory completely.

"First, you haven't done much walking recently Rob and Bill is here to help you over the bathroom and back. You have nothing to worry about." Bill gave Rob a friendly smile, but Rob could see in Bill's eyes that there was a core of hardness that said that he was capable of using force when it was required. Bill seemed to be evaluating Rob's potential behavior to see if force would actually be necessary.

Rob didn't feel like he wanted to fight anyone right now. He wasn't sure if he could even take on a sixth grader, let alone the powerhouse that Bill seemed to be. There was no point in trying to escape when he didn't know where he was or why he was here. He sat at the edge of the bed and lifted his hands in mock surrender to demonstrate that he had no hostile intentions.

When Bill saw Rob's gesture, his smile grew. It was better for everyone when they didn't try to fight back. It wasn't like they could win anyway. In this case, this patient wasn't a standard subject for the clinic, he was a true patient.

"Don't worry, Mr. Tanner. I'm here to help you and to make sure that you don't fall and get hurt. That's all. Now…can you stand and walk? I can help you if you like."

Rob slid forward, the gown riding up his thighs, to stand erect. He found himself standing on his toes, unable to force the heels of his feet into contact with the floor. It was as if his feet were severely cramped.

"I can't straighten my feet!" he said.

"That's okay," Bill replied. "I'm also a physical therapist. If there is some kind of problem, we'll check it out and work on it. Can you walk to the bathroom okay?" Everyone had instructions to help Rob if he needed it, but they were not to volunteer information to him. They had done this many times with patients and prisoners and they had gotten good at handling them.

Bill indicated the bathroom door in the back of the room. Rob nodded and walked over to it. There was no way in the world that he was going let himself have an accident here, he'd fly to the bathroom if that is what he had to do. His stride seemed to be a bit off, almost as if his hips swiveled as he walked. He was distracted by the pain in the arches of his feet, but standing on his toes alleviated that. He felt foolish but walking that way made walking feel more normal.

The bathroom was a small affair with a commode and a sink, this was one place where the room differed from a hotel suite. There also no lock on the door. He saw that there was no mirror and Rob assumed that was just a safety issue because broken glass was a danger to bare feet or could become a weapon.

Lifting the toilet seat of the commode, he lifted his gown to do his business. Taking his cock into his hand, it felt smaller to him. Looking down to confirm what his hand was telling him, he saw that his legs did not look the way they should. They were somehow thinner and completely hairless. Looking at his hands, he could see that they too were hairless and seemed somehow thinner. In addition, his fingernails were longer and looked different somehow. Something was definitely wrong! With his toes beginning to hurt, he pulled off the gown and took a seat on the commode.

While he did his business, he inspected what he was becoming to think of as his new body. Hair around his manhood was gone! He didn't remember having that done! Without the gown hiding anything, Rob saw he HAD changed. The question that ran through his mind was HOW and WHY? His legs were thinner than when he had been in college and his whole body shape was just wrong. Looking down at his chest, he could see that his 'swollen pectoral muscles' were just what they appeared to be. From his perspective, looking down on his chest the thought hit him, 'My God I've got a pair of Whopper sized Tits, hell they're Breasts!' What he thought had been a tight shirt of some sort was actually some sort of bra that held his new breasts in place. He felt no pain when he pressed on them or squeezed them, it actually felt good. But not good enough to distract him from Winters' promise to explain things to him. What had they done to him?

He finished and washed up. There was no mirror in the small room, so he touched his face lightly. He wasn't sure, but he thought that his nose was different. What the hell had happened to him? And why didn't he remember it? Before he pulled the gown back over his head, he made an attempt to survey the rest of his body by twisting and turning. He instinctively ran his fingers throw his long hair and thought 'good heavens it looks like I haven't had a haircut in ages'. From what he could see, he was now the proud owner of a dancer's body…a female dancer at that. If it wasn't for his cock, his body was smooth enough and curvy enough to be a girl completely.

When he looked back along his side, he could see that he now sported a colorful tattoo the size of the palm of his hand. From what he could see of it, it appeared to be some kind of a bird. The word phoenix floated up in his memory, but he had no idea where it came from. The longer he looked at the bird, the stronger the thought of a tall, muscular man got. Other thoughts or impressions accompanied the man. Feelings of being held and being kissed. Those feelings were exciting and made him feel good. There was also the image of a woman. She was smiling at him and he got the impression that she was surrounded by others. Children? These feelings made him feel good too, but they were all so confusing!

Rob finished putting the gown back on and stepped back out into the main room. Now he wasn't sure if it was a bedroom, a hospital room, or a rubber room in a funny farm. Could he trust the evidence of his own eyes? Was he really in a she-male body or was he imagining the whole thing? Where were his friends from work? Could he contact Sally at the company offices? Something had happened to him or had been done to him. He knew that he should be feeling fear or anger, but he just felt numb at the moment.

The orderly was standing by in case Rob needed help, but kept his distance as Rob walked over to where Winters was seated on a couch. The room was set up a bit like a suite with the hospital bed in the forefront to allow people to walk around it. The rest of the room was set up with a small bureau, couch and armchair. Once Rob took a seat in the armchair, Bill left the room again.

"I ordered something for you to eat," Winters offered.

"Eat! How can you expect me to eat? I just discovered I appear to have grown a set of be hooters." Pointing to his chest he said, "I want to know why I'm suddenly built like a woman. Why do I look like this? I want to see a mirror!"

Winters held up his hand in an attempt to forestall Rob's outburst and said, "Let's eat first then questions. It won't be a full meal, but it will be enough for now and we'll bring a full meal when we're done."

Rob responded with a brief nod, his eyes never leaving the doctor. It was obvious to him that he was in trouble and maybe danger. He had no option other than to listen to whatever the doctor had to say. The look on his face must have been enough to tell the doctor that something was wrong, because Winters paused and looked at him closely. Being no slouch, the doctor worked out quickly what must have happened in the bathroom and why Rob was behaving strangely.

Winters leaned forward toward Rob and clasped his hands before him.

"I can see that you've made some discoveries. I should have foreseen that, I'm sorry that I didn't because it just causes you to worry right now. If you will bear with me for a few minutes, I try to put your mind at ease.

"First off, you have been here for almost two months." At Rob's shocked expression, Winters held up his hand. "I promise that I'll tell you everything and help you through it all." Rob settled back, but his agitation was quite obvious.

"The reason that you don't remember much is that we have caused you to block out much of the recent past so that we could deal with other problems you were having."

"Wh…What problems could be so bad that you had to remove my memory?" Rob interrupted. "Is it because of what's been done to my body?"

"I'm getting to that, but it's a bit difficult. Let me try a different approach. You haven't asked about your wife at all. Can you tell me why?"

"Wife? I'm not married!" He looked at the doctor like he was crazy.

Winters opened a folder beside him and took out a photograph, which he handed to Rob. It was a picture of himself standing next to a woman who appeared to be the same height that he was. She was a beautiful woman, with a fair complexion and a wide smile, framed by shoulder length auburn hair. It was obvious that they were very friendly, Rob had his arm around the woman's waist pulling her tight against him; but Rob could not remember ever having met this woman.

"That is Geri Evans...your wife," Winters said. Looking on the back of the picture, he read off a date. But it was months in the future.

"I don't understand," Rob said. "I don't remember having this picture taken and I don't know who she is."

"Rob, this picture was actually taken three years ago," Winters said. "We backed your memories up to before this picture was taken. The woman in the picture is the girl you married a few months after that picture was taken. Because the woman you married was part of the problem, we took you back in time, so to speak, for that length of time."

"Why would you do something like that? What could possibly be wrong that you would take two years away from me?" Rob's voice was starting to rise with this confusion. "Is Sally okay? What about my company? Is it okay?"

"Please, just listen. Everything is fine and I believe that you will be okay. Those two years are not gone permanently; I just want to help you remember them in a different way. To put it simply, you were brainwashed over the past two years and it caused you to develop a complete different identity. This personality was still superficial and I determined that the best way to help you recover yourself was to essentially reset your mind and memory to point before that personality was formed. Think of the foreign personality to be like a computer virus in your mind. We reset your brain to a point before your brain was infected."

Rob nodded, but he only half understood what the doctor was saying. He was still trying to grasp the doctor's claims that he had taken two years of his life away and that it was a good thing! What had happened in those two years that made him want to look like a girl? He wanted to see what he looked like.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and then Bill wheeled in a cart holding water, fruit, and sandwiches.

"Bon Appétit," said the doctor as he pushed the cart so Rob could reach it, "Here is your...let's call it lunch. It isn't a gourmet meal, but is better than your average institutional meal." At the doctor's suggestion, Rob only ate a little to address his hunger. When Rob offered some to the doctor he said he wasn't hungry and sat back and watched Rob nibble on his lunch. Rob found that he was actually more thirsty than hungry and he downed a bottle of water rapidly.

After a few minutes, Rob felt a bit dizzy and sat back in chair with his eyes closed until the spell passed.

"Rob? Can you hear me?" The doctor's voice was calm and it sounded like he was now sitting directly in front of him.

"Yes, I can hear you." Rob's feelings of angst with the doctor seemed to have drained away somehow. Now, he just felt relaxed. Nothing seemed to bother him, even though he knew that he was concerned about the claims that the doctor had been making and what had been done to him. Whether they were true or not didn't matter right now.

"Very good. I'm sorry that I drugged you in this way, but it was necessary," the doctor explained. "I'll apologize to you again when it actually means something to you."

The doctor's words were like overhearing a conversation. The words themselves had meaning, but the overall message seemed to slide away. He wasn't worried about missing the point though.

"I know that what I'm saying to you means something at some level, Rob," Winters said. "I'm going to start telling you things that you have forgotten and you will be able to remember more as you go."

Rob opened his eyes to find that the light level was dimmer now and Winters was seated on his stool in front of him. He didn't look down, but he felt that his hands were restrained against the armrests. Not tightly, but enough to keep him from becoming physically violent.

Winters avoided telling Rob things, but asked him questions and lead him through the last couple of months that he remembered clearly. As he answered, forgotten or missing memories began to appear. These memories pointed to others and they started to fall into place as the interview went on.

As they progressed, Rob's memories of work, Sally, Geri, and Evan began to come back as if emerging from a thick fog bank. The doctor showed him more pictures that Rob was able to look at and study. The pictures seemed to solidify the memories associated with them and he found some of those memories to be rather distressing. He found that viewing the memories rather than feeling them allowed him to see things that he had missed or had intentionally ignored because he couldn't accept the truth at the time.

He came to realize that Geri had been a domineering, conniving bitch from the beginning, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. So when Sally tried to talk to him about it, he had discounted her warnings.

He also saw how Sally looked at him in those memories. He wished that he had been more observant to the things around them back then. Maybe he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. He pulled up short when he thought that. What situation?

The doctor saw Rob's hesitation and the confusion on his face. He misread it as Rob having hit some kind of limit and decided to stop. He really did not want to, but he also did not want to push Rob too far.

"Why don't we finish for the day?" Winters said quietly. He wasn't expecting a response from Rob, but Rob was awake enough to understand him. "We'll make sure that you can get a good night's sleep and we will pick this up tomorrow."

Rob wasn't willing to wait though. There was a major mystery in his life and he sensed that there was a hole in his memory to go along with it.

"Please, doctor," he said, opening his eyes. "There is something important that I need to know. We have to get to the end." Rob was only half seeing Winters as he was still very much inside of his own head.

"I understand," Winters replied. He really wanted to finish this process today as well. He knew that memories were interlocked enough that Rob had already remembered things that he did not know about as yet. If they stopped now, Rob would need to be completely unconscious until their next session. To let him sleep normally at this stage invited dreams and flashbacks that could do damage.

"We'll need to refresh your medication though. The next session will be difficult."

Winters might as well have been explaining things to a doll. Rob sat still, not responding. He had a fair amount of self-control, but the drugs dampened most of his ability to act or even think on his own. It required great effort to get out from under the trance he was in. Once Winters had agreed to continue, Rob had been pulled back into his own world.

Rob's arm never even tensed as Winters slid the needle into the vein and pulled it back out again. This last dose would keep him in the proper state until they were finished. He could sleep off any residual effects. He hoped that Rob was strong enough to deal with everything when he came out of it, but someone would be with Rob continuously until he was out of danger.

Once he was satisfied that the injection had taken hold, they began again. Rob remembered his wedding to Geri and the wonderful two week honeymoon in Cancun. He realized now that Evan had been at both the wedding and reception, and he could swear he saw him briefly in Cancun but that was ridiculous, what possible reason would he have to be on their honeymoon, he just had not noticed it before. There were more pictures that Winters had him look at. They showed Geri and Evan together in Cancun. They could only have been taken when Geri was away from him souvenir hunting.

The greatest revelation came when he recognized that things had changed almost immediately after they returned from Mexico. Geri had started him on vitamins and then on positive reinforcement tapes, supposedly to help him with his self-confidence. Whenever he objected, she had withheld sex. When they did have sex, it was great and that was how Geri had gotten control over him. He could see that he had become more cooperative and obedient with her after he started taking the pills.

"I was responsible for the pills and tapes, Rob." Winters said.

He knew that Rob would not respond to him, but his own self-contempt for his actions still ate at him. "They were already using blackmail and death threats to force me to help them. It was all a plan to turn you into Geri's slave."

Standing on the outside looking in as it were, Rob saw himself changing over the weeks and months. When Geri introduced role playing into their bedroom and started getting him to dress up as a sexy maid, some sort of shiver went through his body.

Winters had been watching for this kind of reaction and spent quite a bit of time talking about the maid, asking for her name, what was she like, what did she like, what did she think about, how did Rob feel about her. Rob made an observation that surprised both of them. He mentioned that doing mundane, routine domestic chores brought him a great deal of personal satisfaction. When the doctor probed this issue deeper, Rob said that, unlike his financial ventures that could take years to come to fruition, household chores were something you could see the immediate end results of your efforts. Seeing it through from beginning to the end was very satisfying.

Some further questioning caused Rob to reluctantly admit that he had found the cross-gender issues kinky and exciting. He had found that he really enjoyed playing the subservient role to his domineering wife. The doctor made a note to examine this issue further. It was possible that Rob was dealing with a transgender issue that would be part of Rob's core personality and not introduced exclusively as part of the brainwashing sessions.

This is where he took an active role in guiding Rob's thoughts. It was necessary to prevent Diana's artificial personality from corrupting Rob's behavior again. Instead of allowing Rob to guess at Diana's attitudes and behaviors to fill them in as how Rob thought they should be, he skillfully got Rob to substitute his own thought processes. This was intended to make sure that any brainwashing that Rob might recall would be overridden by Rob's own personality.

There were episodes in Rob's recall that he felt ashamed of. Things like his reaction to Sally's attempts to show him that she was concerned about him, without stepping over the bounds of marriage. He had met her initial conversation about Geri's behavior with rudeness. Other attempts at conversation had been brushed off. He was thankful that she hadn't taken his responses as the end of their friendship.

Another instance was when Evan had become a managing partner in the business. It had been entirely at Geri's suggestion and then insistence. He had been aware of how Evan treated everyone in the office, but he had done nothing about it. Even in his relaxed state, Rob felt a flush of shame; that kind of behavior in himself had hurt everyone.

A flashback came while looking at a picture of his car; it seemed to come out of nowhere and confused him. It was of some grease monkey that was a stranger, but also familiar. When the mechanic leaned through his car window and kissed him, he recoiled in his chair. When he described the image to the doctor, he was questioned about how he felt.

It took the doctor quite a bit of effort, but Rob eventually admitted that the episode was a happy one. Even under the drug's influence, Rob insisted strongly that he wasn't gay. There was just something about the stranger that made him feel safe and loved.

The next crisis arose when memories surfaced of the episode when Rob and Geri were brought to the clinic and Rob was changed so radically. Winters again took the time to get Rob to relax when he became agitated. There was nothing that could be done to reverse Rob's new physical characteristics and he needed to be prepared when he finally woke up again as Rob Tanner.

As he moved in his seat, the folder in the doctor's lap slipped to the floor. As it struck, papers and pictures fell out and slid across the floor. Looking down, Rob saw a newspaper clipping held in a protective sleeve. Associated with the article was a color picture of an attractive blonde woman in a brief costume. There was something about the face that seemed familiar to him. The clipping in its plastic sleeve was snatched up and returned to its folder, but not before Rob thought he saw a colorful design on the flank of the girl in the picture. The headline over the picture read: "Rising Phoenix Saves People from Fire". He could see the reference to a phoenix; the girl seemed to have been wearing feathers. He knew that this girl was important to him somehow.

When they reached the end of the session, Rob was still under. Winters knew that Rob had seen the picture of Diana coming out of the fire. He would just have to wait to see if it caused any problems for Rob later. The drugs would start to wear off in the next hour. Once Rob was awake, the hard work of getting the real Rob Tanner back on his feet would begin.

Winters decided to take a break while Rob was still asleep and called Bill in to watch over their patient. The standard procedure that they followed meant that he would be called when Rob showed signs of waking up. Rob would be watched continuously now until they were satisfied that he was mentally stable again. The doctor lay down on the cot in the observation room, hoping the Rob wouldn't hurry back to consciousness.

* * * * *

Rob was suddenly awake. At first, he was groggy and confused and all he wanted to do was lay back with his eyes closed. He really wasn't thinking at the moment, he was just there. The feeling passed rapidly and his awareness of his surroundings improved.

His head felt like it weighed a ton and all he could really do was roll it from side to side. His body felt sluggish when he tried to move, but he could tell that he was not restrained like he had been. When he opened his eyes he knew that there was someone in the room with him in the dimly lit room, but his eyes refused to focus properly as yet.

Trying to look around made him dizzy so he closed his eyes to let his head clear. Rob found that closing his eyes only allowed his mind to replay the last few hours to him. The images were almost like dreams and they seemed to move and jump like them.

Being half-asleep meant that he was also half-awake and he watched everything unfold and line up. In a rational corner of his head, he reflected that it was look watching a travelogue about your own life.

All of the things doctor Winters had discussed with him were there and many, many things that they had not talked about. Things started linking together and Rob understood that his memory was coming back. With his birds' eye view and the coaching winters had put him through, rob was now equipped with a powerful tool: 20/20 hindsight.

He had been so hungry for companionship from someone who didn't want anything from him that he had fallen into the clutches of Geri, who wanted to take everything from him. She had almost succeeded too.

The experiences of the past months came back as vivid as they had ever been, but they were no longer seen through Diana's personality. It had been an emotional blow when he had finally discovered that Geri and Evan were manipulating him. But there were happy moments mixed in as well. Discovering Tanya and Jake, who both could be more than friends, if he wanted. The mistreatment at the strip club had been tempered by even more friends, Sophie and Julie. He remembered the erotic highs that he got when had been dancing as Diana Phoenix.

Diana…Thinking about her did not give him a visceral thrill or fill him with any sense of fear. She was a person that he had been, almost like a role in a play. He could feel that everything he had done and felt as Diana was right there, like a pair of gloves or a shirt to be worn. But Diana was like an empty mask now, he felt no desire to want to find someone, anyone, and give himself to them. He could see that Winters had succeeded in his goal of deprogramming him and restoring him to be Rob Tanner.

But he also knew that Diana had been part of him. The memory of saving his fellow prisoners from the fire came back to him. Before he had become Diana, Rob Tanner would not have had the presence of mind to take control of that kind of situation and be able to lead them to safety. Sadly, Rob knew that the loss of Diana had diminished him in some way.

The fogginess was mostly gone now and he actually felt like moving around. His unseen visitor must have been watching him because his movements elicited some conversation.

"Rob?" It was Bill. "How do you feel?" Rob had no idea how long he'd been doped up, but it had to be quite a while.

"Good morning." Rob whispered. "I'm okay." His girlie voice sounded hoarse to him and it hurt to speak or move his lips.

"Hang on a minute," Bill said. Rob hadn't opened his eyes again because it still felt good to just relax. Between his head and his throat, he felt like he'd pulled an all-nighter in college.

"Here," Bill said and a straw threaded its way through Rob's lips. A little bit of suction rewarded him with a mouthful of cool water. It was probably bottled, but it tasted sweet against his lips and throat. He took a couple more swallows before he settled back against the pillow Bill has slipped in there.

When he finally did open his eyes, Rob was glad that the lights were turned down. He still squinted a bit, but the lighting was indirect and his eyes adapted quickly. Bill stood beside the bed, looking down at him.

"I've already called the doctor and he'll be here in a few minutes. I'll bring in some real food and clothes after that. Does that sound okay?"

Rob smiled and said in his unfamiliar girlie voice, "That sounds great. I think that my stomach is starting to wake up too and I could do with some food."

Bill returned his smile. "That's a normal problem. We needed to keep your stomach empty in chase there were any problems. As soon as Doctor Winters gives the okay, I'll bring you something more substantial than a fruit plate."

About that moment, the doctor came in from the hall. He and Bill exchanged notes, with Bill bringing him up to date with Rob's progress in coming out of the anesthesia. Then Bill left the room to leave them alone.

Winters stood by the bed, close enough Rob could have leaned forward to touch him. Rob hadn't noticed until now that he was no longer restrained like he had been in the beginning. The two of them studied each other for a few moments. The doctor apparently trying to assess Rob's progress in his recovery and Rob just looking at the man who could qualify as this century's Doctor Frankenstein. Rob wondered how the man felt about what he had done to him.

Rob finally broke the silence; he grabbed under his breasts and lifted them up and said, "You did this to me." It was not a question and not quite an accusation. It was more like a statement of facts and a resigned acceptance of the situation.

To his credit, there was no pride on the doctor's face when he looked down and away from Rob. When he looked back again, the shame and disgust at himself showed. Before Rob could assume that the doctor's expression was somehow a comment upon Rob, he said, "Yes, I did...I'm sorry but I had no other choice at the time. The safety of my family was at stake. I am not proud of what I did, but I had to make a choice between transforming you or losing my family. I would give you back your old body if I could, but that is not medically possible. All I can do now is give you your mind back and help you to deal with who you are now."

The doctor's statement seemed to strike a chord with Rob. Who was he now and what was he? He wasn't sure. No one would believe his claims that he was Rob Tanner. He only had a resemblance to his old self. He was sure that a DNA test and his fingerprints would prove that he was Rob, but it wouldn't matter. The need to prove his identify would destroy his credibility in the investment industry and he wouldn't be taken seriously again. Never mind what the truth might be.

Underneath the blanket and gown, he knew that he was still a man, but he also suspected that he was a man by definition only. His mind and body told him that he was stuck in the between the sexes now. On top of that, he remembered everything that had happened to him over the past months and what he had done. He couldn't blame Doctor Winters for his situation because he had been just as much a victim as Rob had been.

"Doctor, I don't know what to say," he began. "I've spent most of this past year dressing and acting like Diana, but I'm a guy. I shouldn't like this, but I do." He felt like he was close to tears as he made his confession.

Winters smiled gently at Rob's confession. "And you think that you're some sort of impostor or pervert because you like looking and dressing as Diana?"

"Doctor you don't understand, it's more than that. I am ashamed to admit that I loved BEING Diana; she is more demonstrative and willing to love, something Rob was never able to do. Being her, freed me from my old curmudgeon self. In some ways she is a better person than the old me. If I must keep her body, I hope I can hang onto that part of her soul." Rob's his fear and frustration became too much and he broke down crying. He tried to apologize to the doctor for his lack of control, but it was hard to be understood through his sobs.

Watching Rob breakdown was difficult for Winters. He knew that he had been instrumental in bringing this situation about and he was powerless to fix it. As much as Rob might look like a pretty girl, that was only a shell for his male personality. Trying to hold him and assure him that they would help him would only trigger a stronger rejection of his new circumstances. Instead, Winters put his hand on Rob's should and squeezed just enough to communicate his presence.

"I'm sorry doctor," Rob wept. "I don't know why I'm crying so hard."

"It's all right Rob," Winters said. "Your body is dealing with an imbalance of hormones and it's affecting your ability to deal with things in the manner you're accustomed to."

He dropped his hand from Rob's shoulders and sat down so that they were at eye level.

"I know that you're scared and confused about how to deal with this. I promise you that we will do everything we can to help you."

"Can you undo this?" Rob gestured to himself. As much as he found that he was comfortable, he would transition back to being Rob Tanner. Because that was what he should do and he thought that is what he would be expected to do.

"Yes, we could at least attempt to restore you back to your original appearance, but there are limits. I'm afraid that anything we tried to do for your voice would quite probably destroy your ability to speak at all. Changes to your physical appearance could be close, but you could end up looking like a very effeminate man.

"There are changes we can't fix as well. We used gene therapy in some of your procedures. That means that your fat distribution has been permanently changed, as well as how your body wants to move. In addition, there are hormone packets in several locations in your body. We injected them as slow-release capsules. Removing them surgically would be painful and somewhat dangerous for you.'

His next statement seemed both ominous and horrifying at the same time.

"Even with a double mastectomy you would always have a woman's figure with broad hips and large round buttocks. Right now, you look like an attractive woman. If we attempted to restore you, the result would be a woman trying to look like a man."

Rob listened as the doctor listed off the dangers and drawbacks to trying to reverse his transition. His tears had stopped while the doctor reviewed his case. As each new reason for not putting Rob through the reversal process was detailed, he felt the weight on his shoulders lessen a bit more.

"Your saying that I would be better off staying the way I am, aren't you?" Rob asked. His voice did not even come close to sounding resigned and unhappy.

"Rob, whether you want me as your doctor or not, I am now. I consider it my job to help you and there is nothing that you need to worry about telling me."

"Doc, I've been Diana for so long that I can't remember how to be Rob Tanner. I just don't know what I'm going to do with my life as Diana Tanner. I'm afraid."

Tears were starting flow again, Doctor Winter no longer saw a male patient before him. He hugged the young distraught woman to console her.

"Diana, everything will be okay," he said. His voice was calm and level, it was pitched deeply to get his patients attention. "I can't give you your masculinity back, I'm sorry. I have the resources and the ability to help you build whatever life you want though. I want to remind you of something though. In all of the memories you and I have recovered, ask yourself how Sally fits into your future. Even an old man like me can see that she cares for you. Those are not the normal actions of a secretary concerned for her boss."

Rob stopped himself when his thoughts turned to Sally. In his fear and self-pity, he had forgotten that Sally's treatment of him had never shown any sign of pity or revulsion. Was it possible that Diana's memories of Sally were accurate? Maybe she didn't care about what he looked like and she might actually prefer him like this?

He looked up at the doctor, his expression confused and hopeful at the same time. All that he could say in reply was, "I don't know."

Winters met his eyes and smiled. "Well, I want you to know that I've been talking to her on the phone every day and I don't mean that I have been calling her and making a report. She has been very concerned about helping you recover yourself. She was able to provide me with the pictures that you were looking at by going through your personal effects in your house."

Rob just looked at the doctor, chewing his lower lip and twirling a lock of hair with his finger and acting for all the world like the young woman he appeared to be.

"So what do we do now?"

* * * * *

After work, Sally stopped by the club. The place had not been damaged by the fire as badly as it had seemed and Julie had gotten the idea to reopen it, all she needed was the capital. Jim had come to her with the idea of Sally investing in the club. She had been doing most of the work to run the club anyway and she only needed money to get things restarted. It turned out that the building had only been leased and it was easy to determine that the lease could be assumed or a new one implemented.

Sally and Julie had kept in contact after their first meeting, something that seemed to drive Jim to distraction. He really struggled with the concept that his former girlfriend and his current one were friends and constantly talking with each other. Not that they spent much time comparing notes about Jim, he hoped. Sally had heard from Julie that she was trying to reopen the nightclub and looked at her business plan. Even without the criminal operations that the Mob had been running in the back, the place had been a money maker. Using her personal savings Sally was only too happy to make herself, and by extension, Rob partners in the place. She'd had some bad moments at that point as she worried about whether Rob would actually be able to appreciate the fact that he was part owner in the burlesque cabaret and restaurant, where he had been tortured.

The neighboring businesses had tolerated the presence of the club because of their fear of the crime syndicate. When it became apparent that it would be opening again, there was some resistance. That had been overcome when everyone was assured that the members of the police force who had allowed the prostitution and drubs to operate had been arrested. No one had an issue with the fact that the club catered to the LGBT community. As a group they were much more refined than the average dance club attendee, so a number of the businesses in the area fought for their business. In fact, many of the part-time performers at the club also worked at businesses in the area as well.

In a matter of weeks, 'The Spread Eagle' was opened in the same location as 'The Eagle'. Julie had turned out to be a whiz at organizing and managing operations. She had been helped greatly by the fact that a lot of the legitimate employees of the old club had come flocking to her when rumors of reopening had begun to circulate. Sally's only participation in the whole venture had been to write checks which were drawn on Rob's bank account this time as her own account had been quickly exhausted. Julie and Sally frequently got into squabbles over spending. Julie was more of the get it now and cheap, while Sally insisted on quality over expediency. Everything had worked out in the end and the club opened by their self-imposed deadline. Sally and Jim also helped with the applications for the many permits that were required. Jim was particularly adapt and maneuvering through the landmines of bureaucratic red tape.

When Sally got downtown to the neighborhood of the club, she had to search a bit to find a parking space. She made a note that they might need to look into purchasing a vacant property to use for parking. Valet parking would move them upscale a bit too.

Almost the only thing about the old club that remained were the large oak doors that signaled that the establishment was not an office building or a retail store. Inside, she was confronted by a crowded waiting area that fed into the new restaurant. The servers and chefs were all drawn from the transgender community. No one was a caricature drag queen; the she-males were required to pass Julie's inspection before going on shift. Reverting back to her Catholic school days, each waitress was required to kneel to ensure their skirts touched the floor.

The local food critic gave the restaurant a four-star rating but the service was five-star all the way.

Julie had thought that adding fine dining to the club would set it apart from what the old place had been like as well as help with its popularity. She had been correct, but she hadn't anticipated how right she would be. At first, people had come to check out the new restaurant in the area and then they had started coming back because they liked it. Their first customers had come from the LGBT community, but as word spread the place was packed with a great cross section of people. In fact the local radio station claimed they had the prettiest waitresses in town.

Just so the Tguys weren't left out, the busboys were mostly biologically girls. The local gay newspaper claimed they had the hunkiest busboys and bouncers, this side of muscle beach.

It turned out that Julie knew a lot of people in the service industry and one of them had been a top chef looking for an establishment like what Julie wanted to create. She had given him a free hand in the operation of the kitchen and it had paid off handsomely. Even thought it was only the late afternoon, the waiting area was already half full of guests waiting to be seated. Julie was actually considering a reservation system. Sally was thinking that expansion might be necessary if business stayed this good.

The hostess saw Sally from across the room and smiled as she waved her over. Sally was almost as familiar a face here at the club as she was at the clinic where she would visit a comatose Rob. When Sally got through the crowd, Terri unhooked the velvet rope that closed the cabaret off from the waiting area. The two of them greeted each other with a loving hug and a kiss on the cheek and then Sally went through the door to the other half of the club. The cabaret did not open until late evening, considering that the entertainment that was provided was adult-oriented burlesque.

The cabaret was advertised as being for adults only and LGBT-friendly. This was something that it had in common with the old club. At first there was a special section set aside for their LGBT patrons. But the congenial atmosphere of the club quickly tore down those barriers. All the patrons mingled freely and once the stereotypical barriers were lowered the two groups frequently became great friends.

The entertainment was a mix of female exotic dancers and Tgirl performers. The acts were all risqué, but Las Vegas quality. There was a strict rule that showing your melons was fine, in fact encouraged. But under no circumstance was anyone to display their coconuts. While it was known that the restaurant and cabaret primarily hired members of that community, it wasn't a requirement however. Anyone who could demonstrate the prerequisite qualifications was considered for every opening. They were careful to not make it obvious to the patrons of the restaurant. Any employee who took things too far was summarily dismissed. There was also a zero tolerance for customer misconduct as well. One incident and you were banned for life.

She stopped inside of the door to look around the room. It was a large space, enough to hold a couple of hundred people at tables and the bar. By the new stage that had been installed, she saw Julie giving directions to her bartenders and servers. Of course, all of the servers appeared to be well endowed women who filled out their brief dresses rather well. Two of the waitresses caught her eye. They remained close together, as if they were unsure of themselves and drew strength from each other. Following Julie's instructions to the group, they moved off with the rest to prepare the night's shows.

Julie saw her standing by and hurried over, genuinely happy to see her friend. They exchanged hugs and Julie, rather than let Sally go, pulled her back in for a quick kiss on the lips. A kiss that was more than sisterly but less than passionate. Then she pulled the shocked owner over to a table.

"Did you hear from the doctor today?" Julie asked. Julie's kiss had gotten her motor revved up and she was slowly settling down again.

"Yes, he called about an hour ago," Sally answered. "He spent most of the day with Rob, trying to give his memories back. He says that Rob is progressing well and that he expects to have a final session tomorrow. Then it will just be a matter of getting Rob used to his new normal…again."

"You mentioned that before. Won't he remember everything?"

"He should," Sally nodded. "The thing is that he will remember it more like a book that he has read or a news story on television. It won't be completely real to him for a while." She got quiet when she finished.

Julie was already familiar with Sally's worry, they had discussed it before. "Don't worry Sally," Julie said, trying to make her friend feel better. "He's going to remember you and feel the same way about you that he did before. You told me that all of his memories are still there. You can forget or repress memories, but not feelings. That means that everything that he went through with us will still be there when he comes back to us."

"I really hope so," Sally said quietly. She wanted to cry, not out of sadness, but because she was so unsure about what the next days would bring.

"Let me tell you how our latest additions to the staff are doing," Julie said, trying to distract Sally. She indicated the two waitresses that had tried to remain in the back of the group.

They were moving among the tables, making sure that they were clean and ready for the evening. They both moved well on their five inch heels, not showing any of the difficulty they had displayed only a couple of days before. Sally looked at how their feet seemed to be bent so that they were practically standing on their toes and wondered if the shoes hurt their feet. Her concern was short-lived as she told herself that they were getting the treatment that they deserved.

"They're moving better I see," Sally commented.

"Yes, they are. I had them practicing all day yesterday. In fact they spent 30 minutes doing aerobics in those heels. Based on their whining, it must have been pure hell but I wouldn't let them stop. Toward the end, Evie was even offering advice to his partner. They were told that they would do it again today if they didn't get it right."

The transformed Evan and Geri almost appeared to be sisters now. To compensate for the difference in height Geri was required to wear six and a half in heels which made it appear like she was always on her toes. Evie sported a set of 44EE breasts that would have looked outrageous on a smaller girl, but his height and build made them look right at home. In contrast, Geri's double-D's had been increased to double-E's so that they matched Evie's. She still hated them. With the heels they wore, Evie and Geri towered over all of the other girls and were like lightning rods for attention.

"I let Evie take a break at the bar last night to shill for drinks and he had a new guy hitting on him every three minutes. All he had to do is sit there with his cigarette in his hand and someone would be there offering to light it. Of course, they had to look like they were there to order a drink so we sold alcohol almost non-stop while he was there."

"You allow smoking in here?"

"Just the electric ones. Evie uses this long jeweled cigarette holder an admirer gave her. It's marvelous when he gets into character, you would swear it was a reincarnation of Marlene Dietrich."

Julie smiled happily. "It was almost as good as a floor show Sally! He would shoot one down and another would think that he had a shot and give it a try. What was great were the looks on his face! He would be all flirty and friendly with them, but you could see that he hated every minute of it."

"Have you had any problems with their behavior?" Sally asked. The doctor had assured her that Evan and Geri would do what they were instructed to do and would do it happily. They had been allowed to keep their memories and underlying personalities, so they must be in hell every second of the day.

"No, not at all. They've been model employees so far. I like giving Geri one of her lady cigars and watching her want to act all macho and dominant. Then I tell her to go do something that I know that she will hate. All she says is 'Yes, ma'am' and goes off to do it without any back talk. Without the cigar, she acts like a normal girl."

Julie grinned ear to ear as she continued, "There was an incident with the two of them last night that you will love though. Toward the end of the night, I put Evie at the end of the bar again. There was a tough guy trying to put some moves on Evie, even though he had said no. We'd already cut him off for the night, but he thought that he was irresistible and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I saw that Evie wasn't able to handle him, but I was enjoying it. He propositioned Evie offering to pay him for a quickie, but Evie said he was a lady and didn't do that sort of thing. Before I could send a couple of boys over to convince him to leave, Geri stomped over and decked the guy saying, 'No means no buster, she's mine now move on.' It was fun to watch Geri punch out someone twice her size. All those male hormones she has been gulping like candy are really taking effect."

Sally smiled at images Julie's story conjured. The Evans' has been working as cocktail waitresses for the past few days. She and Jim had reclaimed them from the clinic and brought them directly to the club. The basement cells that Anders had used to hold his special prisoners had been cleared away and replaced with a single bedroom apartment. But, for all of its attractiveness and comfort, it was still a cell that Evie and Geri were locked into every night. Julie felt that it was safer to keep them under lock and key at night, despite the promises from the doctor that they wouldn't even think about leaving.

Julie looked over at the two women and called for Evie. The she-male came hurrying over to stand before Julie. "Yes, ma'am?" Evan's new voice was a smoky contralto that Sally thought was just plain sexy.

Sally sat and admired the new Evan. He had been given large breasts that fit his form perfectly. The shape of his face had been changed in subtle ways. Anyone who knew the old Evan would recognize him as Evie, but his face was definitely female now, high full cheekbones, thin highly arched brows and full kissable lips. His body could not have been farther from a man's shape now. Starting from his shapely legs and going all the way up to his shoulders, Evan presented a figure that would make a centerfold green with envy.

Sally reflected idly that Doctor Winters could make a fortune helping runway models with their form. She was glad that he was on the side of good because someone with his skill could create his own harem or make them to order. It was a chilling thought.

"Get us some soft drinks Evie," Julie ordered. Evie curtseyed briefly before turning and hurrying off to the bar. Julie looked at Sally and said, "Watch this."

Winters had explained that most of what had been done to Evan and Geri had been mental. While they had been made to look alike, with large breasts, long curly hair, hour-glass figures, and dream girl looks, the changes that were intended to punish them were mental.

Neither of them could have an aggressive thought that they could act on, except toward each other. They had been 'taught' to be eager-to-please anyone in authority over them and were almost childishly eager for approval. When confronted with the master or mistress' annoyance or anger their reaction was like watching a child who knows that a spanking is forthcoming.

Evie returned quickly, carrying a tray on which sat two glasses of cola in one hand. Even in his high heels, he seemed to flow across the floor and the soda in the glasses on the tray barely moved. Julie looked at the glass in front of her and then up at Evie.

"I wanted clear soda, not cola, Evie," she said making the tone of her voice sound angry. It actually did not matter to her what kind of soda Evie brought her, Julie was only putting on a show for Sally.

Sally watched the tall she-male before her as he practically dissolved into tears. "I'm sorry ma'am. I'll get it for you right away." Evan had been reduced from a proud, domineering man to a timid, eager-to-please servant.

"Never mind Evie. I'll get it later," Julie snapped at him. She maintained her angry tone, not because she was annoyed, but because of the results it caused in Evie.

"Hello Evan," Sally said. Her use of his name was deliberate. He could answer to it, but he could never use the name as his own again. When he looked at Sally through his tear filled eyes, she saw none of Evan's arrogance and disrespect. Evie knew who was in charge.

"Hello, ma'am, it's good to see you again." he said. When Evan and Geri had been picked up from the clinic, their manner had been more defiant. It was as if they thought their conditions and situations were somehow temporary. The doctor and Sally had quickly disabused them of any hopes of freedom or escape. Winters had even opened the front door of the clinic and stood back. Sally and Winters watched as Evan and Geri stood frozen in front of the door, unable to leave like they wished. When Sally had asked why they didn't try to run away, Winters replied that they did not have permission.

Winters administered a final lesson to them right there in the foyer. It was that they should be very careful of who they pissed off with their behavior. He had produced a paddle and handed it to Geri with the instruction that she use it to make it clear to Evan that his attitude was unacceptable. She had accepted the paddle and had almost literally attacked Evan's behind with glee.

She had reduced Evan to a sobbing heap and he was begging her to stop. Geri's reaction when Winters took the paddle from her and offered it to Evan had been priceless. It was obvious that Geri had forgotten the Golden Rule. Fortunately for her, he had been more reluctant to discipline his wife, though he did deliver several firm swats.

It was two very contrite and tear-stained individuals who were strapped into the back of Sally's car. Sally made sure that they saw that the paddle was going with them to the club. Because Jim had not been able to accompany her, he had made sure that she had restraints with her to keep the couple under control, even though Winters assured her that the restraints were completely unnecessary.

"Are you and your wife settling in okay?" Sally asked. She knew that they were essentially husband and wife in name only now. Probably the cruelest thing that Winters had done was to take away their ability to have sex. They still wanted it mentally, but only with each other. The problem was that neither of them could become aroused.

It was almost enough to make Sally feel sorry for them. The pity went away when she recalled that Evan and Geri had been willing to destroy Rob as a person and quite probably kill him. There was no telling what other damage they had done before they had set their sights on Rob and the investment firm.

"Yes, ma'am," Evie replied. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor so that he did not look at Sally's face.

"I remember how much you liked looking at all of the women in office. I changed the policy that said that all of the women should wear heels and skirts. But...I made sure that you and Geri got your own heels. They certainly make your legs look so nice. And your tits make your blouse look so attractive too.

"How do you like having your own set of breasts Evan? To have everyone here in the club staring at your chest and not your face? Don't you wonder what it would be like to have one of the big manly men that come in her hug and squeeze them?"

Every taunt Sally made was almost like a physical blow to Evan and he shrank a little with each one.

"I heard that Geri beat one of those manly men up last night. Isn't it wonderful to have your wife standing up for you and doing what you can't?"

Now Evan had tears running down his face. Julie beckoned Geri over to stand beside her she-male husband. As much as she wanted to be her old arrogant self, Geri found it increasingly difficult to do so. She stood quietly beside Evan keeping her eyes downcast as well.

Geri's behavior toward everyone in the office had actually been worse than Evan's. She had always acted like a queen surveying her subjects or a rich socialite encountering a homeless person. Everyone she encountered in the office knew exactly how she felt about having to talk to them as well.

"You know," Sally began, "now that the two of you are doing so well here, maybe I should bring the office staff down to meet the new you. I know that they would be thrilled to see how you are."

The looks that crossed their faces was gratifying. Here were two thieves who had conducted themselves with a superior attitude toward everyone they were robbing who had been reduced to involuntary servitude.

"Actually, the reason I stopped in tonight is to tell you that the doctor you blackmailed into brainwashing Rob has been working to undo the damage that you caused. Maybe I'll bring him by tomorrow night. I'm sure that he would be happy to see you both, if you ask nicely he might even be willing to play with his two dearest friends. I bet he has all kind of games for the three of you to take part in. He is very creative after all." Sally's tone let them know that they would suffer greatly at Rob's hands.

At her statement, both of them looked up at Sally. The thought that the man they had tried to destroy would see them and be able to take his revenge upon them filled them with real fear. It almost looked to Sally as if Geri was scared enough to piss on herself. If they could have begged for some kind of mercy they would have, but they knew that Sally would just laugh at them.

"Well! I need to get home and you two have a full night ahead of you making everyone happy," Sally said as she stood up. "Julie do we still have the short time bedrooms set up behind the stage?"

"Why as a matter of fact, we do."

Looking at the two coconspirators she said. "If you're lucky, maybe the two of you will find boyfriends tonight, I would love to see the two of you on your knees before two studs. Julie, if that happens, would you make sure to get pictures? I would love to pass them around the office. Julie, I'll bring Rob by as soon as he's on his feet again." She hoped that Evan and Geri loathed every minute that they had to spend smiling and talking to the customers they loathed.

Julie had watched Sally's conversation from her side of the table with shock at the venom Sally displayed. While she knew that Evan and Geri were cold and unfeeling, they were now trapped in their programmed personalities. They had been put into the same position that they had intended for Rob. It bothered her that she and Sally were now filling the roles that Evan and Geri had intended for themselves. She had to admit that she had some sympathy for them, especially after seeing how Sally treated them.

She resolved that she would back off on how she handled them tonight. She could still punish them, if it was necessary, but constantly torturing them made her no better than Anders or Vargas. It occurred to her that Sally was struggling with more stress and grief over what had been done to Rob than anyone had realized. She decided that she needed to mention her concerns to Jim when she saw him later tonight. Sally needed help.