Positively Glowing - 1
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Author's Note: This story, back when I wrote it, was definitely different from my usual faire. Please, when you read this, please tell me what you think of it: the premise, the characters, and how you felt? ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 1 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 1
"That's quite alright, Ms Kimble." Gerry smiled into the headset microphone he wore as he typed into his large screened, desk top computer, "it's what I do. It was just a little glitch in the coding, but everything should run fine, now. Call me back if you need anything else."
He hung up the phone and glanced at the crib set up against the wall in his home office. The big, blue eyes and gold hair of his niece smile back at him, expectantly. He stood and walked towards the child, bent at her level and smiling. "And that's his Uncle Gerry makes a thousand dollars, honey." They both giggle as he lifted her out of the crib and took her and bounced her on his hip. "That little call earned Uncle Gerry more than he has earned since he started this software consulting business. Yes it did! Yes it did!"
Then Gerry noticed the smell. "Oops! Someone's dirty!" he cooed at the child. "Let's get you changed and then we'll go out on the deck for a little while, till mommy and Aunty Stevie come home."
He smiled down at the child, who smiled back up at him as he opened the bottom of her onesie. "Oh, my goodness," he smiled as he pulled the Huggies disposable away from her bottom, "we are a dirty girl this morning, aren't we?" He used the clean portion of the diaper to dispose of the excess poo, then dropped the folded item into the diaper pail and grabbed a baby wipe to clean his eight month old charge who smiled and blew spit bubbles back at him.
For the past four months, since Gerry's sister had returned to work, little Mila had been his best friend from 8:30 to 5:15 everyday while Taylor, Gerry's older sister, went to work as an investment advisor at their mother's firm downtown. Taylor and Gerry were both gifted at numbers, but where Taylor's talent had led her to her mother's investment company, Gerry's gift had led him to software engineering. Some people could look at Beethoven's music and hear it all in their heads. Gerry could look at a screen of ones and zeroes and he could picture how each command would function. It made him an excellent proofreader for software designers, but sadly, not many software designers knew about him, yet. He'd worked for a local software developer for a little over a year when he'd graduated from college, and he'd done well there, but he really wanted to run his own business.
Luckily, his wife did very well and she agreed to help him get started by working out of the spare bedroom in their townhouse.
In his spare time, he wrote his own programs and tweaked existing programs for small businesses. At twenty five years old, he was doing alright well for himself. A beautiful wife, a nice townhouse with his sister on one side and his mother on the other and, due to his wife's investment acumen, between them they had nearly a million dollars in the bank. Granted, Stevie had earned most of that money, but that's how marriages worked, right?
The one thing that Gerry never thought he wanted, though, was a child in the house, but since Mila had come along, he was infatuated with her and he couldn't wait till he and his wife, Stevie, adopted one of their own. Sadly, they had recently explored having a child the old fashioned way, but found that Gerry's sperm count was very low and the sperm that he did produce were 'underperforming,' whatever that meant. The doctors didn't even recommend artificial insemination saying that the chances of success were too low to warrant the cost.
Gerry fastened the fresh diaper onto Mila and snapped the onesie back together just as the front door opened and within seconds Taylor appeared in the doorway of his office/nursery. "Well, look at you - the perfect little mother." She smiled as she stopped to kiss her brother's cheek. "How was she today?"
"Perfect as always." He smiled as he handed the child to her mother. "Mommy's home, Mila!"
Taylor took the child and kissed her as well. "Hi, baby! How are you?" She cooed. "Did Uncle Gerry take you for a walk today?"
"Only a short one," Gerry offered. "I had a job for Dynatran that took up most of the afternoon. We were just going out onto the back porch to get some fresh air. I have chicken stew in the crock pot. Want to stay for supper?"
"Sure." Taylor smiled, although staying for supper was the norm, lately, and she really appreciated her brother's kindness. "Has she eaten lately?"
"Not since her nap, no." Gerry looked to the door. "Where's Stevie?"
Taylor and Stevie had been friends since they both played on the Women's Basketball Team at George Mason University up in Fairfax, Virginia. Stevie was a business major, too, and when they graduated, Gerry's mom invited both of them to work for her. That was how Stevie and Gerry got together and even that was an improbable scenario.
Like Taylor, Stevie was just about six foot one and just as pretty as Gerry's sister. The very idea that a tall, athletic woman could be interested in a five foot four computer nerd was absurd, but it was also true. Gerry was cute, in a little guy kind or way, and funny and incredibly intelligent. During the summers of Gerry's college career, he worked at his mother's firm doing everything from cleaning, organizing, filing, to acting as a receptionist, answering phones and directing clients to the proper advisors. That was when he and Stevie struck up a friendship and found that they shared a lot of interests - theater, music, travel... they also had their own interests as well. Stevie and Taylor were on a local basketball team in a YWCA league and they both went running a few evenings a week to stay fit. Gerry played video games and watched action movies. They got along great.
"Just as we pulled in, Stevie remembered that she was supposed to bring home some milk, so she dropped me off and went back to get some. She'll only be a few minutes." Taylor reached down and grabbed a clean, cloth diaper and threw it onto her shoulder, both to protect her silk blouse and to offer a little modesty for what she needed to do, right now. "Do you mind if I take her out onto the porch now and feed her? I need to get this milk out and I'd rather not have to pump later."
"No, let's go." Gerry held the screened door open and let his sister through. She sat in one of the tall chairs and prepared herself to nurse the child.
"Could you hold her again for a minute?" Gerry took the baby as Taylor unbuttoned her blouse and and pulled it free of her grey, pencil skit, exposing her nursing bra. Without a moment's thought, she popped the cup open, revealing her left breast. She reached for the child and Gerry handed her back, while looking away from his sister.
"I know that you have no shame in front of me, but we do have neighbors, you know. You may not want to give them quite that much of a view," Gerry teased.
"Oh, for crying out loud, Gerry. It's a completely natural thing to do. Get over it. Besides, the screens are dark. No one can see me." She laid the clean diaper over her left shoulder and the baby's head as Mila latched on and began feeding.
"I'm glad I have you alone for a moment." Gerry looked back towards the front door to be sure that Stevie had not come in. "Look, November tenth is a month away and, for our first anniversary, I was thinking that I'd take Stevie to St Thomas for the Veteran's Day long weekend. What do you think?"
"Sounds great! Can I come?"
Gerry laughed at his sister's joke. "No. Anyway - do you think mom would give her a couple of extra days off so I could stretch the whole thing to a week long vacation?"
"I don't see why not. November isn't usually all that busy. Ask mom. See what she says."
"Yeah, well, that's why I'm talking to you. Would you ask her?"
"Me?" Taylor smiled as she moved the baby to the other breast. Now, both breasts were exposed. "Why me? Can't you talk to your own mother?"
Gerry sighed. "Of course I can, but... she's really been riding me about money and about losing weight and if I mention going to a beach... Could you ask her for me? There's just too many things there for her to criticize."
Their mother had a point, though. Gerry was not earning much money since he'd started this company six months ago and his sedentary lifestyle was catching up with him, recently. Currently he was sporting a noticeable pot belly.
"Well, she's not wrong, Gerry," Taylor laughed. "You live in Florida, for crying out loud. You could be at a beach nearly everyday of the year, but you just sit at that computer..."
"... which is my job..."
"... even when you're not working, and eat trash."
"Trash!?" Gerry was genuinely hurt. "I make a great meal every night!"
"Yeah, and eat chips all day."
"That's not true." He wasn't hurt, now, but still defensive. "Mostly I eat Cheerios and Goldfish, and lately I share them, with Mila."
"It's better junk food, Gerry, but it's still junk food. You should get out and exercise more."
"I take Mila out for a nice walk nearly every day."
"Uh Huh... and where do you go?"
"The park, usually."
"The one at the corner? That's probably a thousand feet there, another thousand feet around, stop for a rest to feed the ducks Cheerios, some of which you eat, then another thousand foot walk back home. That's not exactly marathon training, Honey. You need to do more."
"Now that you mention it," Gerry stole a look at the door, "and please don't say anything to Stevie, I've been considering getting a tummy-tuck. You know, get rid of my belly."
He stood sideways to show his sister.
"Your baby-bump, you mean. Gerry, I was out to here when I was pregnant, just like you. Now, I'm back to my old size. It's just diet and exercise." She moved the baby from here breast to her shoulder to burp her and stood, her blouse hanging freely, both cups of the nursing bra open exposing her entire torso to her brother, who was quite used to being eye level to the breasts of either his wife or sister.
"Ah ha!" he shouted, pointing at her abdomen. "Your old size, huh? Well, what's that, then?"
She looked down and saw the waistband of a foundation garment peaking out above her pencil skirt. "Alright, I admit it, I'm wearing a high waisted panty girdle, but that's just to help everything go back where it belongs." She handed Gerry the baby as she began to reassemble her clothing. "A woman's body goes through a lot when she has a baby. It takes a while to heal."
"I bet," Gerry laughed as he bounced with the infant. "If they made girdles for men, I'd look just fine, too."
"Yeah, ok." Taylor shook her head. "I'm going to go next door and get changed. I'll be right back."
At the front door, Taylor met Stevie who was holding a gallon of milk. "Leaving?"
"No." Taylor gave up on tucking her blouse back in. "Just running next door to change. Gerry's in the kitchen with Mia getting dinner ready. I'll be right back."
Stevie entered the kitchen and saw Gerry standing by the counter, the baby on his hip, swaying back and forth while stirring the contents of the crockpot and singing quietly, "Look for the bear necessities, the simple bear necessities, forget about your worries and your strife..."
He was kind of adorable. His pudgy little rump swaying back and forth just like Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book.
"And how's my little homemaker?" she teased.
Without interrupting his swaying, Gerry turned and smiled. "Hi, Stevie. Taylor just went to change. Why don't you, too and Mila and I will get things onto the table, ok?"
Stevie smiled at him and said, "Ok. You know, you look very natural with Mila."
Not knowing quite how to respond to that, he just smiled as she left to change.
By the time Stevie and Taylor returned, Gerry had professionally plated food on the table and Mila was situated in a high chair, and he was pouring a little white wine into glasses for Stevie and himself. Taylor was still restricted to water due to her breast feeding.
Stevie sat at one end of the table and Gerry on the other, with Mila between Gerry and Taylor on one side, an empty chair on the other. When she took her seat, Taylor hung a beige, plastic bag from the back of her chair.
"I saw mom outside," Taylor mentioned. "She's already eaten dinner, but she has some pastries that she picked up at Cuomo's Bakery that she's going to bring over for dessert, if that's ok."
"That's great!" Gerry smiled.
"Oh, I love Cuomo's pastries," Stevie agreed, "but I usually stay away from them because I don't want to be as big as a house."
"Just a taste won't hurt," Gerry teased as he served his wife and sister their food.
Taylor caught Gerry's eye, then leaned over and whispered, "Mom says that the vacation is fine, but she needs a favor from you, too."
"What?" Gerry scowled.
Taylor shrugged.
"What are you two whispering about?" Stevie asked.
"What?" Gerry looked at her innocently.
"I didn't hear what you two were saying."
"I was telling Gerry that mom needs a favor from him." Taylor smiled.
"Oh?" Stevie was surprised. "What kind of a favor?"
"No idea," Taylor laughed. "Just a favor. I'm sure she'll tell us, later."
"Hence the pastries, I'm sure," Gerry laughed.
"Maybe," Stevie shrugged, "but before she comes over, you'd better brush your hair and redo your ponytail. Your hair looks a little greasy and it's coming out of your scrunchie."
"Really?" Gerry asked concerned.
"Yeah," Taylor nodded as she took a bite of the chicken stew. "I notice when I got here. Whenever you have a challenging job, you run your hand through your hair while you work. It always makes it a little greasy and pulls some hairs free."
"Shoot." Gerry stopped serving before playing his own food. "Should I shower?"
Both women chuckled. Taylor and Gerry's mother, Kate, was a great woman, but being a professional woman, appearances were everything. Everyone needed to always be dressed well, no matter what they were doing. Even casual clothes needed to be 'presentable,' as she put it.
"That's ok, babe," Stevie said, "but after dinner, brush it out, redo the pony tail and put on some clean jeans instead of those sweats. You'll be fine."
"Ok." Gerry nodded and plated his own food.
Dinner converse was mostly shop talk. Gerry proudly told the others about his successful work for Dynatran, which prompted the confused women to congratulate him while not understanding a word of what he'd just said. From there, Stevie and Taylor spoke of the work at their office, leaving Gerry to chat with Mila and give her the occasional Cheerio.
After dinner, Gerry rinsed the plates and loaded the dishwasher while the woman chatted some more, then, when Taylor said, "I'll call mom and tell her to come over for coffee and bring the dessert." Gerry hustled to the bedroom to change.
He pulled his hair free of the scrunchie and let it fall beyond his shoulders as be pulled off his sweat pants and Star Wars tee shirt, replacing them with a pair of clean, chinos and a baby blue polo shirt before giving his hair a quick one hundred strokes and replacing his scrunchie with a white terry cloth one and making sure that it hung perfectly centered at the base of his skull. He looked in the mirror and decided to just run his electric shaver over his face and neck to be sure that he didn't have a stubble before he was satisfied that he was presentable. His mother didn't really approve of his long hair, but as long as it was clean and kept, she tended to just give the occasional 'tsk' rather than a lecture on how unprofessional long hair looked on men. God forbid anyone were to mention getting a tattoo! When he was in college, Gerry had sported two small, gold studs in each of his ear lobes and his mother had never missed an opportunity to berate him for what she considered to be a massive fashion faux-pas. He'd liked them, though. He'd only given up wearing earrings because Stevie didn't like them - and he'd always suspected that her dislike of them was due to his mother's influence.
"Hi, Kate!" Gerry heard Stevie say as he headed back to the kitchen. When he arrived, he found his mother setting a box of pastries on the counter, looking for a platter on which to place the dessert.
"Hi, mom," Gerry said as he kissed her cheek. "Leave the box. I'll get a platter and pour the coffee."
"And how's my beautiful granddaughter?" Kate kissed the baby and took a seat opposite Taylor.
"She's wonderful, as always." Taylor smiled at the child. "I've never seen a happier baby."
"Well, she's well loved." Kate smiled. "Oh, you're a beauty. Just like your mommy."
Taylor blushed. "Thanks, mom."
"And where is daddy this week?"
Now, Taylor sighed. Her boyfriend of four years and father to Mila worked for an international engineering firm. Before Mila's birth, Fred had traveled for the company, but the trips had been brief and infrequent. Since Mila's birth, he seemed to be gone almost continually. Frankly, Taylor was beginning to despair that the relationship was coming to an end. "He's in Frankfurt, mom. I'm not sure when he'll be home."
Kate nodded, a bit too judgementally. "I see." She left it there.
Gerry served the coffee and placed a platter of petit-fours from the box that Kate had brought on the table. When he'd also placed the milk pitcher and sugar bowl in the center of the table, Gerry joined the women, who were once again engaged in shop talk.
Eventually, Kate turned her attention towards her son, who was in the process of eating his fourth petit-four. "I think you may have had enough of those, Gerry," she looked at him with disappointment on her face.
He shrugged. "They're small."
"Yes, THEY'RE small, Gerry, but you've gotten pretty chunky, lately. You should watch that."
Gerry placed the remainder of the small cake on his plate, his taste for dessert ruined.
"So, as I'm sure Taylor told you, I do have a favor to ask of you, Gerry."
"Sure, mom," he said, trying not to let his annoyance show. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, you know Monica, my receptionist?"
Gerry nodded.
"Well, she's going to be taking four days off this week to fly home for a wedding. I need a temporary person to run her desk. A temp would be a waste of time, since whomever they'd send would need to be trained and couldn't possibly learn the job in four days, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to come to work for me - just for four days."
Both Taylor and Stevie looked very pleased at the prospect of having Gerry join them at the office, but Gerry was a bit anxious about the idea.
"Gee, mom, I don't know. What if a job comes in while I'm working there?"
"I've seen you work, Gerry." Kate sipped her coffee. "If a job comes in, you can use Monica's computer to do whatever it is that you do. We don't have that many people walking in without an appointment, so you'll know what to expect as far visitors right from the start of the day. I'm sure it will really only interfere with your video game time."
Gerry looked to his left and saw Mila playing with the Cheerios on her high chair tray. "Well, what about Mila? I have her with me all day."
"There's plenty of room behind Monica's desk to set up a playpen and a travel bed. She's a good girl. She won't be an issue, I'm sure. Both you and Taylor went to work with me many times when you were infants."
Realizing that his mother wasn't about to back down and that he couldn't expect any support from Stevie or Taylor, he finally shrugged. "Alright, I guess, but if I get a call from Dynatran, I'm going to have to leave and deal with it here, ok? Everyone else is easy to deal with, but Dynatran writes some very complicated code and I'll need my equipment to analyze it."
"Then we're all set." Kate smiled, having gotten her way, as usual. "Make sure you're dressed appropriately, dear, and make sure your hair is... well, see what you can do with it, please."
"Of course, mom." He smiled despite his irritation.
"You may have to buy a new sports coat, babe," Stevie said, nibbling on a petit-four. "I think you may have outgrown your old one."
"Oh!" Taylor perked up. "Maybe not." She grabbed the plastic bag on the back of her chair and handed it to Gerry.
He looked inside and saw a beige garment of some kind. "What's this?"
Taylor giggled. "It's a girdle, silly. You said that if men had girdles you'd wear one. Well, now you have a girdle. I bet if you put that one on, your sports coat would fit."
"Haha, very funny." Gerry shook his head and tried to hand the bag back to his sister.
"I didn't give it to you to be funny, Gerry. I think it may be useful for you. Try it on."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Now, wait a minute," Stevie took the bag, "maybe this is a good idea, babe." She was half teasing, but half serious, too. "I mean, you have been packing on the pounds lately. A girdle is designed to help with that kind of thing. Come on. I'll help you try it on."
"No." Gerry wasn't sure if the girls were teasing him or not, but the situation was getting odd. "I'm not wearing a girdle."
"Tell you what," Kate offered. "Try on the girdle and see if your sports coat will fit. If it does, I'll buy you a couple more girdles so that you can wear a clean one everyday until you smarten up and lose some weight. If it doesn't help you into your sports coat, I'll buy you a new coat to wear to work this week."
"Mom, I can buy my own clothes..."
Stevie interrupted him. "That's not the point, babe, and you know it. The point is that your getting pudgy and you need to do something about it. If a girdle helps, it'll be an ongoing reminder that you need to concentrate on diet and exercise. Besides, it'll be fun to see how much it helps. Come on. Don't be a stick in the mud. Let's go try it on."
"Stevie..." he started to argue, but his wife's face suddenly took on a dark look that said 'don't embarrass me in front of your mother.' "... alright, but just to make you all happy."
"Great." Stevie smiled. "We'll be right back."
They adjourned to the bedroom where Stevie sat on the bed. "Take off your pants and boxers. I'll help with the girdle."
She fussed with the bag for a moment as Gerry undressed from the waste down.
When she'd gotten the garment out, Stevie seemed a little perplexed. "Hey, Taylor?" she called putting to the kitchen. "Did you mean to bring a one piece?"
"No," Taylor called back. "I meant to bring a high waisted brief. I grabbed it in a rush, though. Why? Did I bring a one piece?"
"Yep, but we'll give it a try anyway. The result should be the same."
Then she looked at Gerry. "Gotta take of your shirt and tee shirt, too, babe. Sorry."
"Oh, for crying out loud." Gerry pulled off the polo and tee shirt, leaving him naked except for a pair of white socks.
Stevie held the opening of the one piece foundation garment open and motioned for Gerry to come to her. "Step in, babe, and I'll help you pull it up. Then, it'll go over your shoulders, like a bra."
"Wonderful."
Gerry shook his head, steadied himself against his wife's shoulders and stepped into it. Stevie pulled the waist up, but stopped for a moment. "You'd probably be more comfortable if you tucked your little guy into the crotch."
Gerry rolled his eyes and complied.
Stevie continued to work the garment up his body. When the hips, crotch and waist were in place, she slipped each of Gerry's arms into an appropriate arm hole and pulled it up.
When it was all in place, she looked at him for a moment and laughed. "Oh, my goodness."
"What?"
"Wait a minute," she laughed. "Let me check something."
She reached into the cups of the bra portion of the one piece control garment and pulled gently on Gerry's excess body fat, drawing it into the cups. "Jesus, babe, you fill the cups up completely! You really need to start exercising."
"What? Don't be silly," but when Gerry looked down, he found that she was right, but before he could react, Stevie called out again.
"Taylor, I don't think that this particular girdle is going to help Gerry."
"Why not," she called back.
"I'll show you," she stood and adjusted some straps that ran below his belly and fastened to the other side of the garment with Velcro then took Gerry by the hand and led him towards the door.
"What are you doing?" He tried to pull away from her. "I'm nearly naked."
He was, in fact, presenting a fairly modest sight. Everything was covered that needed to be covered, but the skin toned garment made him feel naked, in spite of the flowered side panels and bra cups and the little bit of lace that surrounded his new found cleavage.
"Oh, don't be silly," Stevie chided as she moved him along, through the doorway and back towards the kitchen.
When they'd reached the doorway to the kitchen, Stevie pulled her little husband in front of her and displayed him to her mother and sister in law. "This is why," she said, presenting the obvious.
Both of the woman began laughing hysterically. "Oh, my God, Gerry!" Taylor could barely speak. "When are you due?"
"You'd better put some pads in those bra cups before you start leaking," Kate howled.
"What?" Gerry looked at Stevie, confused.
"Come here." She was laughing too, as she led him to the hall closet, which she opened, revealing a full length mirror. "Look."
Gerry did look, and what he saw was his own face on the body of a very pregnant woman. "What the fuck!?" he yelled.
"Hey!" Stevie was offended by the word. "Watch your mouth! Is that any way for a woman in your condition to talk?"
Suddenly, Taylor and Kate we're beside Gerry, still guffawing at how he looked.
"I'm sorry." Taylor tried to control her breathing. "I really meant to bring a regular, high waisted, panty girdle over. My bad! This is a maternity girdle. A baby-belly-belt they call it. It gave me smooth lines and lots of support, but there's very little firmness in the front to avoid causing the baby any harm. I used to joke that this girdle made me look like a model from the back and ready to burst in the front - and look! It does the same for you. Nice tushy, bro!"
"Very funny." Gerry was growing tired of being the brunt of their jokes. The girdle did left his excess flab on his rear end and on his pecs and pushed it into feminine forms, but what was very odd was the way that his pot belly was pushed forward into an imitation of the belly of a pregnant woman - and not just into a subtle baby-bump, but into the full, round belly of a woman who was six or seven months along.
"I'll tell you what's not funny," Kate said seriously. "How well you fill out that bra! Look at yourself, Gerry. You really need to get a handle on your health. You have a wife and a niece to think about."
As, if on cue, Mila began crying from her high chair. The poor thing felt alone, abandoned and afraid.
"Oops." Taylor hurried down the hallway. "Mommy's coming."
"Your mom's right, babe." Stevie shook her head. "Look at the size of these things." She said this last sentence as she cupped his newly defined breasts in their silk and lace cups, but instead of feeling disgusted, something in Stevie was suddenly titillated and excited. Huh. This was a new sensation! But she snapped back to reality when Taylor and the upset a Mila came back out into the hall.
Taylor was bouncing her baby on her shoulder making shushing sounds, but the baby was upset and wanted comfort. When she saw her uncle, she lurched forward, almost pulling herself from her mother's grasp. Instinctively, Gerry reached out and took the child, laying her across his new, ample breast. Within seconds, she stilled and felt safe and happy again.
"Well, now you look every bit the young, pregnant mother, Gerry," Kate snickered. "Maybe we're on to something, here." She stepped behind her son and pulled the scrunchie from his hair, allowing his hair to fall free. "Hmm. Pluck those messy eyebrows, apply a little make up and no one would ever mistake you for a man."
Stevie snapped her fingers and excitedly shouted, "That's perfect!"
"What's perfect?" Kate was surprised. "That your husband looking like a pregnant, little mommy?"
"Yes." Stevie remained excited. "Well, no... I mean... the party with the other investment firms in our building! The Halloween party! This could be a great costume!"
"It really could be," Taylor laughed. "You could be the husband... or just the baby-daddy... wear a suit, a short wig and a fake mustache. That might even win the grand prize."
"What's the grand prize?" Gerry asked, actually interested in the conversation.
"Just a trophy and, of course, bragging rights," Stevie laughed, "but no one from our firm has ever won. It would be cool to be able to brag about it to the other firms for a few weeks."
By now, Mila was settling in and drifting away on Gerry's breast. Seemingly very happy with this newly designed uncle.
"Well, we can discuss that later," Kate said with a bit of distaste, "but for now, could we cover up my... well... my PREGNANT son... or daughter, or whatever. I don't see any point in trying on a sports coat at this point. Gerry, I'm going to Atlanta tomorrow morning for a seminar and I won't be back till late on Sunday. Monday evening I'll take you out and we'll get you some clothing appropriate for work. Even if we have to spend a few hundred dollars on clothes, it'll be cheaper than hiring and training a temp."
"Yeah, ok. I'll get changed." He started to hand Mila to her mother, but the child immediately started to fuss and another melt down was eminent.
Taylor gently pushed the child back onto Gerry's breast and shoulder. "Wait until she's asleep. Then I'll take her."
Stevie ducked into the bedroom and came out with a short, sheer jacket type piece of clothing and slipped it onto Gerry's free shoulder, then carefully maneuvered it up his arm towards the shoulder on which Mila rested. When it was in place, the jacket covered the baby as well as Gerry.
"Oh, what a pretty bed jacket," Kate gushed. "Where did you get this?"
"It came with my bridal Lingerie. I wore it on our honeymoon and maybe a half dozen times, since."
Suddenly, Gerry realized what he was wearing and glanced into the mirror. "Oh, for crying out loud," he grunted quietly as he saw the chaste-white, nearly transparent garment he wore. The lace and flowers of the all-in-one girdle were clearly visible through the sheer material, which was also trimmed in delicate, feminine lace. On tall, well muscled Stevie, the bed jacket only reached her waist and softened her physique a bit. On little, pudgy, faux-pregnant Gerry, the jacket reached mid thigh and when it's feminine designs hung from his small shoulder, it amplified the girlishness of his small shoulders, largish breasts, distended baby-belly and curved rear end.
Kate took a sniff of the material of the bed jacket. "Oh, that's pretty. What is it?"
Stevie took a whiff. "That's 'Flora' by Gucci. It's my favorite scent."
"Oh, I like it. It's very feminine." Then she smiled at Gerry. "It suits you."
"Hilarious," Gerry shook his head as he took Mila back into the kitchen and began the process of loading the coffee cups and plates onto the dishwasher while the women returned to the table and finished up their shop talk.
"Well, I should get going," Kate announced as the time approached eight o'clock. "I have a car picking me up at five thirty tomorrow morning and I haven't even packed my overnight bag, yet."
She said her goodbyes to her daughter and daughter-in-law, then gently kissed Mila's head, then, "Good night, Gerry." She kissed his cheek. "Honestly, I never thought I'd see my only son barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen with an infant asleep on his breast." She shook her head and laughed.
Gerry refused to be baited into an argument with his mother, so he just smirked and nodded his head. "It's a new world, mom. Have a safe trip."
"I guess it is. I'll see you Monday afternoon. We'll go get you some decent clothes. We'll take Mila with us." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. Not nearly as tall as the other two women, Kate was still five foot nine, very tall for a woman of her generation. As she ran her fingers through his long hair before turning to go, she thought, not for the first time, why wasn't Gerry taller? His father, God rest his soul, had been six foot four and a mass of impressive muscle. As strange as it seemed, seeing Gerry looking the way he did right now, Kate felt as if she was seeing him in his true form for the first time, ever.
When Kate had departed, Taylor stood and took Mila from Gerry's shoulder. The child had been sound asleep for a good long while and didn't even stir more than just a cute little gurgle. "I should get this one to bed, I guess."
She looked at her younger, little brother, hair down, looking more like a pregnant woman than she'd ever have suspected he could, and smiled. "I kind of like you like this, Ger. You're positively glowing!"
He smiled and nodded, resigned to the playful ribbing. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Tomorrow's Saturday, so I'm taking Mila to the park for some fresh air and sunshine. I don't think she'll be back here till Monday."
Gerry sighed and kissed the baby's head. "I'll miss her."
Taylor kissed his cheek, again. "You'll survive."
Stevie walked Taylor and Mila to the door, then waited on the stoop until the mother and child were safely in their own town house before locking the door and coming back into the living area, but Gerry wasn't in the kitchen as she expected. Nor was he in the office/nursery.
"Gerry?" she called out.
"In the bedroom," he called back.
She found him in there rummaging through the drawers of his dresser, a pair of boxer shorts in one hand and pair of pajamas in the other. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Getting ready for bed."
"Gerry, it's only eight o'clock."
"I know, but if I'm going to get changed anyway, I may as well get ready for bed, then I can watch a movie or something with you."
"Actually," Stevie entered the room and looked at her little husband before running her fingers through his hair, "I was wondering if I might be able to have a little fun with you before you got undressed?"
"Fun?" Gerry was suspicious after his rather demeaning evening. "What kind of fun?"
"Dress up fun. I was thinking about the costume party and I was just wondering if you'd let me try a little makeup on your face, maybe curl your hair just a little so I can see if the costume idea might work."
"You're serious about that!?"
"Of course I am, babe. You look almost perfect already. Imagine how perfect you'll be with a little tweaking. Come on. Let me try."
"Stevie... I don't know about this..."
"Oh, come on! Let me have a little fun."
He sighed and was about to argue his case, but Stevie spoke before he could. "I'll make it worth your while."
That got Gerry's attention. "Make it worth my while, how?"
Stevie was surprised she'd need to explain. "I'll make it worth your while as in we'll have sex." She moved closer to him.
"Just sex?" he teased.
"Not JUST sex," she laughed as she caressed his body, soft in the bed jacket and sleek in the girdle. Then she gripped one of his new breasts in its satin, lace and Tricot and Spandex bra cup. "Hot. Passionate. Smoldering sex. I'll screw you so hard that you'll be waddling like a pregnant woman for a month." She bent and nibbled his ear sensuously.
Gerry's eyes opened wide with shock at his wife's dirty talk, but then his knees went weak with the feeling of having her attacking his ear. "Ok, Stevie. I'm all yours."
"That's my girl," she teased as she stood straighter and dragged him to her vanity, plugging in her curling iron as he took a seat.
She began with the makeup. Some base, a little powder, blush, eye makeup, eyeliner, mascara, lip stick and sealant.
"Your mom was right," Stevie said looking at his face critically. "We'll need to do something about your eyebrows before Halloween."
Next, she had him bend over, his breasts between his knees, as she brushed out the underside of his hair. When he sat up again, he looked like a member of a hair-band from the 1980s, but Stevie began curling his hair with the curling iron, then taming all that she'd done with the brush, again. When she was finished, his hair was full and looking far more feminine than he would have liked, but still lacked real style. "This is just to see how it would look," she assured him. "You'll need to visit my stylist if we do this."
Gerry sighed. "Aren't we getting a bit carried away, Stevie?"
"Oh, come on. Let's have some fun with this. I know it's a petty little thing, but I'd really like to win the costume competition this year."
Gerry just shook his head. She was too focused to think right now. He'd talk to her later.
Stevie pulled a garment out of a drawer and handed it to her husband. "Just put this on to see how it all comes together."
Gerry shook out the nightie and shook his head. It was just a plain white, nylon, sleeveless gown that hung loosely from the wearer's shoulders, draping in pleats. On Stevie, it was cute and sexy and hung to the top of her thighs. When Gerry put it on, it hung to just above his knees. Just a little lace accentuating his new found breasts. It could have been a lot worse. Stevie had a lot of sexy nighties. She had been merciful and chosen one of her plainer nighties. She was just being playful.
"Oh, yeah, this could really work!" Stevie laughed as she guided him to the mirrored window on her closet door. "Seriously, Gerry... a more skilled makeup artist, a nice hair cut, get rid of that hair on your legs and armpits... I think you could be a perfect little pregnant mommy. I like it, don't you?"
Gerry just shook his head. "It's fine, if that's what you want to do for Halloween. I guess I can survive one night like this."
"Atta girl!" Stevie laughed and hugged him. "Ohh, you really do have quite a rack there, babe."
"Very funny," he said as their hug ended. "Help me out of this, stuff, will you?"
Stevie held him at arms' length for a moment and smiled sexily. "Hmmm.... What if we kept them on for just a little while, longer?"
With that said, she leaned over and kissed the nape of his neck and gave it just the littlest nibble. She ran her hand along his smooth, baby belly and towards his now-smooth crotch. "Let me spend a little time with my girlfriend. Ooh, just feel how smooth you are down there. Nothing for me to grab and play with. I guess I'll have to be content to suck on these." She squeezed his left breast, causing Gerry to let out a surprisingly feminine gasp. "Feels good, doesn't it?"
It did and it didn't make any sense that it should. Maybe it was just the heightened excitement of this sex game, but suddenly, more than anything, he wanted Stevie to play with his breasts. "It feels great," he whispered.
"And we're just getting started, little girl," Stevie said in a hoarse, wicked whisper. "On the bed with you, my pregnant princess, and let me have my way with you."
Their lips never lost contact as Gerry backed towards the bed. He laid back and Stevie followed him, her lips working down his his neck to the straps that held the bra portion of the belly-belt/girdle. She covered that exposed cleavage with kisses both gentle and forceful as she spread his legs, knees up, and she slide her excited, probing tongue into the cups of his bra. The more she teased his breasts, the faster his breathing became, making his chest rise and fall, making both of them more and more excited.
Stevie pulled the bra cup back, exposing his nipple, which she gave a little bite, causing Gerry to let out a shocked gasp as his hands wrapped around her strong shoulders.
"Feels good to be a girl, doesn't it Gerry? To have someone nibble you like this." She did it again.
"Yes," he whispered, not wanting her to stop.
"I don't know why I never noticed your pretty boobies before. They're so nice and womanly. I love the way that they fit into the lace cups of the bra. So plump and full. You're going to be able to feed a slew of babies with these."
In his excitement, Gerry could barely fathom what Stevie was saying, but he began grinding his crotch against his wife, trying desperately to find some satisfaction for his tool, which was bent backwards in the gusset of his pregnancy girdle.
"That's right, angel." She kissed the nipple and began rubbing his other nipple through the lace covered cup of the bra. "Rut against me like a little whore. You look like a perfect little mommy, but I know there's a wildcat under that façade, isn't there?"
Gerry was lost in too many overwhelming, erotic feelings to say anything beyond a few gasps and grunts.
Stevie pushed her knee hard against Gerry's crotch as he rutted and her lips and tongue worked his nipples. His face was red with exertion when finally his tucked penis fired string after string of cum toward his rear end, and his body spasmed in an attempt to prolong the ecstasy he was feeling. He clenched his wife with his arms and locked his legs around her waist, bucking as much as he could, but soon it subsided and he relaxed, wide-eyed and spent.
Stevie smiled at him. "You just came and I didn't so much as touch your little guy. I think you like being my pretty, pregnant wifey, don't you?" She stood beside the bed and offered him a hand.
When he rose, he headed toward the lavatory, but Stevie pulled him back. "Where do you think you're going, little lady?"
"To the bathroom, to clean up and take these clothes off."
"Uh Uh." She had that smile, again. "You may have climaxed, sweetie, but you need to keep your husband happy, too."
Gerry looked down at his nightie and his breasts contained within and tried to work out how he was going to satisfy his wife with his penis still imprisoned in the girdle/baby-belt.
He looked back up at Stevie who smiled and guided his hand to the waistband of her skirt and pushed three fingers into the space between her blouse and skirt. "Don't worry, baby," she giggled, "I know that a lot of girls lose their sex drive when they're in a family way, so I'm going to let you get away with just giving me a blowjob."
Still confused, since neither of them had ever offered the other any form of oral sex, Stevie took his other hand and, with her help, she guided her skirt to the ground, where she stepped out of it.
"Now what?" he asked.
"Seriously?" She giggled. "What don't you understand? I want a blowjob, so... on your knees, pretty lady." Her smile was intoxicating.
Still aroused and wanting to keep the festivities moving, he knelt tentatively in front of Stevie. She was still wearing the two inch pumps that she wore to work and the skirt of her full slip hung from below her blouse to just above her knees.
"Now, reach under my slip and pull off my panties." She was enjoying this. She'd always been the bigger member of the married couple, but she'd never really been all that aggressive. Now, she still wasn't being all that pushy, but seeing her husband being so submissive... it was just awesome.
Gerry was feeling lost in a wash of submissive feelings. As a small man, he tended to avoid being in situations that made him feel even less tall than he was. He was used to Stevie's modest heels and her natural height, but kneeling before her was different. He was not her equal like this. He was her supplicant and he didn't mind. He pulled the soft, silky panties down and guided them past her shoes.
"Now," she slowly raised her slip to expose her vagina, "suck my dick."
He actually felt scared to try, but right now, she was his mistress, so he leaned in and gently licked her little nub.
"That's it." She shivered. "Keep it up, baby. Make your big man happy."
She looked down and could not believe the scene before her. It was Gerry, but he was on his knees and servicing her. His hair was fluffed out and he was wearing a soft, white nightie - and, when he pulled himself closer to her legs, she felt the most wonderful feeling imaginable! Her husbands big breasts pressed softly against her legs. She had gone to heaven and she remained there for another hour and a half.
Stevie's phone rang. It was still dark out and it was Saturday morning! Who would be calling her at this time of the morning!?
It was from Taylor. Oh, God! Something must have happened to the baby!
"Hello!?" She was sitting up, legs over the side, adrenaline pumping as she spoke.
She listened for a few moments, then said, "Oh, thank God! I thought that something was wrong with Mila or you. Just give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll be right out."
She listened for another moment as she headed to the lavatory.
"Of course. Bring her right over."
She stopped at Gerry's side of the bed and shook him awake. "Gerry," she said. "Babe, wake up."
He shook his head as he looked around. "What? What is it?"
"Your mom's car to the airport didn't show up. She called and it was in an accident, so Taylor's driving her. She wants me to go with her."
"Oh... ok." He started to lay his head back down, but Stevie interrupted him.
"Taylor's bringing Mila over to stay with you while we're gone. Get up!"
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"There she is, babe!" She was sliding a pair of jeans up her legs. "Go get Mila."
Still dazed by sleep, Gerry jumped up and hustled to the door. He turned on the front room's light, partially blinding and disorienting him as he ran to the front of the house, and pulled the door wide, expecting to see his sister. "Hi," he said, breathlessly, as he reached to take the child, but he was surprised to see that it was his mother dropping off the baby.
The baby was grumpy, having been awakened and hustled out the door, so Gerry immediately began to bounce and sway, "Oh, it's ok, Mila. Uncle Gerry has you. You can go right back to sleep."
He smiled at his mother, but she scowled back at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Is this going to be a new lifestyle for you then?" she asked with a bit of disgust in her voice.
He looked confused, then looked down and realized what he was wearing. "Oh, my God! No! This is... This is..."
At that moment, Stevie arrived and broke into laughter. "Oh, my goodness," she chuckled. "No. This is just some harmless, marital fun."
"I see," Kate remained unamused.
"Come on," Stevie continued to laugh as she pushed past Gerry and Mila, kissing each on the cheek, "we should go."
"Yes," his mother scoffed, "perhaps we should." She shook her head as she followed Stevie out the door.
When the door had closed, Gerry continued to gently sway and bounce Mila to sooth her, but he also sighed and shook his head. In a very maternal voice, he cooed to the baby, "I think Uncle Gerry is in some pretty deep poo poo with grandma. Yes, he is. Yes, he is."
It was just past noon when Stevie and Taylor entered quietly through the front door, careful not to be noisy in case Mila was asleep - and she was. They found her nuzzled against her uncle's shoulder as he also slept on the couch. He was upright with the recliner-footrest extended and snoring quietly. He had showered and was wearing a plain tee shirt and brown plaid, flannel, lounge pants.
The women laid their bags on the small bench by the door and moved quietly to look at the baby and uncle.
"Aren't they adorable together?" Taylor smiled. "My baby brother and my baby girl. Maybe it's just my mommy brain playing games with me, but it melts my heart."
Stevie laughed. "That's just because you're still producing all those mommy hormones. They are cute together, though. I think Mila misses his boobies. She seemed to enjoy them last night and this morning."
"Yeah," Taylor sat on a nearby loveseat, "I bet she misses them. I bet he does, too." She chuckled.
Stevie sat next to her, "God knows I do." She shook her head and chuckled, too.
"You're kidding, aren't you?"
Stevie shrugged. "Yes and no. I mean, I'm not a lesbian - I tried that in college with Maryanne Polanski..."
"You didn't!?" Taylor was shocked.
"Just a couple of weeks. We roomed together when the team was on the road in our sophomore year."
"You never told me that."
"Well... She was gorgeous, you know. Taller than me, long black hair and so much confidence. What can I say? She seduced me and I gave it a try."
"Didn't like it?"
"I liked parts of it. Her tongue in my twat... ahh... heaven. My tongue in hers... no thank you! Turned me off from oral sex forever... until last night..."
Taylor waited for more information on that subject, but when nothing came she asked, "What happened last night?"
Stevie blushed. "Well... while I had Gerry in that nightie that mom was talking about... I got him to..." she let out an embarrassed sigh, "to perform conalingus on me."
Taylor smiled, giggled and flushed just a little. "Well, good for you. Fred went down on me a few times. I liked it. Did Gerry complain?"
Stevie shook her head. "No. I think he liked it."
"And did you like it?"
"Are you kidding? Having my husband dressed and made up as a woman and kneeling before me, the lace trim of my slip dripping over his head like a bride's veil...? I've never felt so powerful before. I loved every second of it."
"Powerful of masculine?"
Stevie pondered this for a moment. "Both, I guess."
At that moment, Mila gurgled and lifted her head, causing her uncle to open his eyes too. He looked at the waking child and whispered in a maternal tone, "Oh, we're waking up. Did we have a good sleep? Huh? I bet we did."
When he turned and saw his wife and sister sitting on the loveseat smiling at him, he blushed, just a bit, realizing how his baby-talk must have sounded. "Hi. I didn't hear you come in. How long have you been here?"
"Just a couple of minutes," Taylor said. "We were watching the two of you sleeping. Honestly, Gerry, of the two of us, I think you make a better mommy. You're so good with her. I swear, sometimes I don't think that you really have any 'Y' chromosomes in your whole body. Thank you for being such a good uncle and babysitter."
"Ha." Gerry shook his head as he stood with Mila still happily snuggling his shoulder. "Judging by my sperm-count-and-activity, you may be right about those chromosomes."
When he'd turned his back to them and headed to the kitchen, the women looked each with a 'what was that all about' look.
They heard the refrigerator open and close, then the microwave oven being used for a minute or so. A little bit of fussing and a lot of cooing to the baby and Gerry returned to the living room with Mila cradled in his arms, sucking contentedly on a bottle of breast milk.
"I could have just fed her," Taylor said.
Gerry just sighed and shook his head. "So, what did mom have to say about how I looked this morning?"
"Oh, that's what you're upset about," Taylor smiled. "Nothing much, really. She did compliment your busy line, though."
"I'm sure she did," he shook his head. Gerry loved his mother dearly and she had been very generous towards both of her children, giving them each the down-payment for their condos just after college, helping him start his own business and giving Stevie opportunities that she never expected, but appearances were everything to her. Gerry knew that he'd let himself go of late and that he needed to get his pudgy butt to a gym, but he was now afraid that he'd opened himself up to a whole new avenue of criticism from his mother. The disappointed 'tsk' that she uttered as she left this morning was enough for him to realize that he had not heard the end of the conversation.
"No, really," Stevie said. "Once I explained that we were just trying to see if the pregnant mom look would work as a Halloween costume and that we just got playful, she was fine."
Gerry looked skeptical.
"And after I explained that seeing you like that excited my latent lesbian tendencies and I couldn't help myself, she seemed to understand completely," Stevie said in all seriousness, but it caused Taylor to fall into her friend's shoulder laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, very funny." Gerry shook his head.
"You did look very cute, honey," Stevie said as she stood, crossed to the couch and kissed his cheek.
"And very pregnant." Taylor laughed some more.
Gerry smirked, nodded his head, but remained focused on Mila. "Hilarious."
"Ok," Stevie grabbed a bag, "we stopped at Goodwill on the way home and picked up a couple of maternity dresses for you to try on, so we can see what fits."
Gerry gave a tired shake of his head. "Seriously? After what happened this morning, you expect me to dress up again?"
"Oh, come on, don't be that way," Stevie teased, as she sat beside him on the couch. "We can win this costume party, but we need to make sure that you have properly fitting clothes. Come on! It'll be fun, I promise."
"Stevie," Gerry was obviously not in favor of this game, "my mother will be there. I don't want this to become a 'big thing,' you know?"
Stevie's shoulders shrugged in disappointment. "I know she will, babe, but it's Halloween. Everyone dresses up for Halloween. I guarantee you there will be at least a half dozen other guys there in dress - probably more than one looking pregnant, but you can win the whole thing, babe. Come on. Pleeeeeease? I really want to win."
"Besides," Taylor moved to sit on the other side of him on the couch, "I'll run interference between you and mom. Once she realizes that she could end up getting the better of some of the other business people that attend the Halloween party, she'll get on board. I promise."
Gerry shook his head. He hated conflict and, to be honest, last night was pretty amazing. "Alright, but let me finish feeding Mila, first."
"You know," Taylor watched her brother feeding her daughter, "now that we've discovered that your breasts are big enough to pass as a woman's, maybe we should see if they're up to the task of nursing."
"Alright, that's enough of that," Gerry shook his head, but it did make him wonder. He smiled at the child.
They'd bought him a new belly-belt and a more supportive bra, which was a good thing since he'd had no time to do the laundry and the one-piece he'd worn last night was pretty smelly from their playtime. If anything, though, the new and better fitting belly-belt forced his belly into a more prominent position in front of him and the better fitting, longline bra, lifted his breasts higher.
"No," Taylor said as she inspected him in the new foundation garments. "Too much hair. We need to do something about that."
"Like a hair cut?" Gerry asked sarcastically.
"No," she raised his arm, "like shaving your body. We'll have your hair done when we get closer to the date of the party."
"Oh, for crying out loud," Gerry put his hands on his hips and stomped his foot, "I am not shaving my body."
"No, you don't have to," Stevie hustled into the lavatory and returned with a small, pink and white bottle. "I have Veet."
"Great!" Taylor beamed.
"What's Veet?" Gerry took the bottle from his wife. "Hair Removal Cream!? No thank you."
"Look, Gerry," Stevie smiled, "you can't very well be hairy and pregnant, right? Pregnant women glow. You can't glow through arm and leg hair. We need to get rid of that nasty hair so that your skin can glow through for everyone to see. It don't hurt at all. We just rub it on, wait six minutes and you shower away your hair."
"Forever?"
"Of course not," Taylor laughed. "It starts coming back in ten days or a couple of weeks. You'll have to do it again at least once more before the party, but it should be growing back by Christmas."
"Come on, babe. Be a sport about this. Do this for me, then, after Halloween, I'll help you get back into shape, ok? It's just a little hair. It grows back." Stevie pleaded with her husband, who she knew would cave into her.
"Oh, alright," he muttered, resigned to whatever Stevie wanted to do.
"You're the best, babe!" She hugged him and pulled him into the lavatory.
Fifteen minutes later, Gerry emerged from the lavatory with out a hair on his body below his eyebrows. Stevie had even insisted on using the Veet on his beard, which was not particularly thick, anyway. The girls helped him back into the baby-belt and bra and, this time, when Taylor inspected him, she said, "Yes, that's much better. You should be sure and use skin cream for now, though. It'll even out your skin tone and make your skin look beautiful. Of course, we'll need to get him some maternity panties. Those tightie-whities look pretty silly on a pregnant woman."
"What difference does it make?" Gerry shrugged. "No one's going to see my underwear
The first dress that Stevie pulled out of a bag was mint green with bright red flowers, three quarter sleeves and cinched just under his breasts. It was made of a very soft chiffon and had a modest, scoop neck.
"It's pretty short, isn't it?" Gerry asked when he realized that the hem sat a good three inches above his knees.
"Not at all," Stevie said. "Just because a girl is pregnant doesn't mean that she shouldn't show off her legs."
"And you have great legs, Gerry," Taylor said. "I'm not kidding."
"Here, try these on," Stevie knelt and slipped a pair of white, two inch heeled, open toed pumps on his feet. "Wow, those give your legs some great definition. You're a babe, babe!"
"Come sit at the vanity," Stevie patted the stool. "I'm going to do your hair a little differently than I did yesterday and Taylor's going to do your makeup."
As he sat, Stevie brushed and pulled and used a curling iron on his hair while Taylor applied and brushed and blended. A few eyebrows were plucked and a few clouds of hair spray filled the room and the woman chattered and offered suggestions while Gerry sat still, his head spinning.
"Give me that head band, will you?" Taylor handed Stevie a headband the same mint green color as the dress, but it had a large white bow on it, too. Stevie carefully pulled Gerry's hair through the band and placed it so that the bow was just a bit to the right of the center of Gerry's head.
Finally, the women stepped back and admired their creation.
"Just about perfect, I'd say." Taylor smiled.
"She is, isn't she? You know, some women are just more beautiful when they're expecting." Stevie teased and smiled, then kissed Gerry's cheek.
"Well, she certainly is." Taylor agreed. "Would you like to see how you look?"
"Yeah," Gerry feigned indifference, but with all of the fussing over him that had taken place over the last forty-five minutes, he was curious.
Stevie offered a hand to help him up, which, with all of his belly fat pressed into a ball in front of him, was a bit of a chore.
He looked in the mirror and was very surprised to see what looked like Taylor's smaller, pregnant little sister in a pretty, mint green dress with a matching headband and a floofy white bow just off center of her head. His hair was a little darker, Taylor's was always a bit lighter due to the amount of time she spent in the sun, but the girl in the mirror had a very similar face.
"Not bad, huh?" Stevie smiled. "We can definitely win with you dressed this way, babe. We just need to get you acting more feminine and we're a shoe-in."
Just then, Mila's voice came through the baby monitor. "Oops," Taylor smiled, "her highness is awake. I'm going to take her home, ok? Come on over for lunch, tomorrow. I'll make some spaghetti or something like that. I'll bake some garlic bread and make a good dessert. I owe you guys a nice meal."
"Sounds great!" Stevie smiled, "but do you mind if my hubby comes in his 'Susie Homemaker' clothes? I think we need to keep up our training all weekend if we're going to get this costume just right."
"Seriously?" Gerry complained. "You want me to be dressed like this all weekend?"
"I do, and while we're all up and moving, I'm going to leave with Taylor and Mia and go to the Motherhood store at the mall and grab you a few pairs of panties to complete your ensemble."
"Panties!?"
"Of course, Gerry. Expectant mommies wear panties not men's briefs, but don't worry, I'll get you some very macho maternity panties. I guarantee you'll love them."
The panties were all soft and silky and dripping with lace. They were very comfortable, unsettlingly comfortable in fact, but they didn't stay on very long. Within the first hour after he'd put them on, he'd been on his knees to service Stevie's vagina twice and she'd given him a brief, but exciting, hand job through the soft, feminine material of the panties.
After a rest to reinvigorate the little guy in his panties, Stevie pulled the them off of him, raised his knees and knelt between them. Gently, she guided his penis into her while he remained in the prone position.
"Oh," she breathed.
"What?" Gerry asked from below her.
"It just feels... different this way." She began to thrust her pelvis towards Gerry. Slowly at first "Ahh," she gasped.
"Different good?"
"Different amazing. Oh, God, this just feels so, so awesome."
"It does," Gerry was gasping, now. With his penis bent at this angle, he was feeling friction in places he'd never felt it before.
"Oh, yeah, this is amazing." Stevie would speed up and slow down and take shallow thrusts followed by deep thrusts, but it wasn't just the new position of Gerry's tool, it was her new position. The sensations from her groin were smooth and elegant and exciting, but she was controlling it in a way that she'd never done before. She could control the speed and depth and destination of each thrust. The feelings emanating from her core were feelings that she created, that she controlled, that she could work any way she wanted. This was what it was like to be the dominant partner. This was what it was like to be on top. This was what it was like to be a man.
And she liked it.
"We're here!" Stevie called as she and Gerry entered Taylor's townhouse, just next door to theirs.
"We're in the kitchen," Taylor called back. "Come on in, but be prepared to step over the debris. I've been trying to get Mila to eat and it's a losing battle and Mila is... Oh, my! You look absolutely adorable!"
When Taylor turned around and saw her little brother, hair and makeup done even better than yesterday, wearing a knee length, white Cotton dress covered in red roses with the same under the breast cinch and tiny, cap sleeves, she nearly swooned. With just a little bit of cleavage showing, he was the very picture of expectant motherhood.
“Doen’t she, though?” Stevie teased, but in fact, she was very proud of how she’d gotten her husband to look. “I think that floral patterns make her look even more delicate, don’t you? I think I’ll be keeping her in floral prints for the duration.”
Gerry just chose to ignore the two woman and focused on the condition of his niece. “What on earth is going on here?” He said to Taylor in a scolding voice. “You’re letting her just splash her food all over the place? You can’t do that! Tomorrow she’ll come to my house and do the same thing! I’m not spending all day mopping up my kitchen floor just because you can’t discipline your child!”
He didn’t stop because he’d finished his rant. He stopped because he heard the girls laughing at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing, mother,” Taylor laughed.
He shook his head and grabbed a wash cloth from a drawer and wet it as he set about cleaning up the strained-carrot covered little girl in the high chair.
“She’s right, babe,” Stevie laughed. “You sound just like your mother! Wait, say, ‘A business woman dresses appropriately for the workplace.’ That’s one of her greatest hits!”
He shook his head once more and squatted to wipe up some of the mess on the high chair legs and floor. “Honest to God, you two are absolutely useless with this child.”
The women squealed in laughter at that.
“Wait, wait,” Taylor said as she opened the tall cabinet in the kitchen. “You’ll ruin your pretty dress. Here.” She handed him a full length apron, also floral, but with birds and music notes and staves embroidered onto it as well.
Gerry’s first response was to laugh at the garment, but he knew how messy feeding Mila could be when she was fussy, so he stood, slipped his head through the neck strap and attempted to tie it around his body, which proved to be impossible.
“Here,” Stevie offered, “I’ll tie it in the back for you,” and she tied a big, pretty bow. “It’s very pretty, Taylor, and we wouldn’t want her to get anything on her new dress. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
While Taylor and Stevie busied themselves preparing the spaghetti dinner for the adults, Gerry pulled a chair up beside the high chair, opened up a new jar of baby food and began placing small spoonfuls into the baby’s mouth. Within moments, Mila was happily eating, being the perfect little girl that she always was for her Uncle Gerry.
When they sat for dinner, Mila remained by Gerry who kept her entertained with tastes of tomato sauce and Cheerios.
Dessert was strawberry buckle, Taylor’s specialty, and vanilla ice cream. Taylor and Stevie chatted about work while Gerry cooed to his niece and let her taste the ice cream and strawberry.
“Gerry,” Taylor called to him, rousing him from his conversations with the infant.
“Huh?”
“Do you have any idea how adorable you are like that? I mean, I’m not just talking about the boobs and belly and dress, I mean the way that you are with Mila. I watch you with her and I wonder where this new Gerry came from. As a kid, you were always so isolated in the room with your computers, but you’re amazing with her. You have more maternal instincts than I have. I really envy how wonderful you are with her.”
Gerry blushed a bit. He loved praise of any kind, but in essence, his sister was saying that he was a good mommy and that was a bit embarrassing.
“Thanks, I guess. The truth is, before Mila arrived, I never would have thought that I was any good at this kind of thing either, but from the minute I first saw her... I guess I just wanted to take care of her.”
Taylor nodded, then looked at Stevie. “How’s the adoption process coming?”
Stevie shrugged. “Slow as ever. We’ve filled out the paperwork, had three interviews, talked about age options, sibling options, blah, blah, blah, but in the end, we’re just left waiting and wondering.”
“And you don’t want to pursue artificial insemination or anything like that?”
“There’s no point,” Gerry stood, wiped his hands on the skirt of the apron and pulled Mila from the highchair. “The doctors said that what little sperm I produce isn’t very active. So, to inseminate one of Stevie’s eggs, we’d need a surrogate father. A sperm donor. It wouldn’t be any more our baby than an adopted baby, so why not give a good life to a child that’s already in need, rather than spending all that money?”
Trying to be funny, Taylor said, “Gerry, they’ve checked everything, right? I mean, now that we’ve seen you like this... are they sure that you don’t have a uterus in there somewhere?”
Taylor and Gerry had been verbal sparing partners since Gerry turned seven and Taylor was eleven. They were always playfully harsh and sarcastic, but that remark hit Gerry hard and his face showed his hurt.
“Oh, honey,” Stevie sat forward, “she was only teasing. She didn’t mean anything by that.”
“I know,” Gerry sniffed then handed the baby to Taylor. “Here. You take Mila, please. I’ll do the dishes.”
“No, no, Gerry,” Taylor grabbed his arm, “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was really just complimenting you and trying to be funny. I’m sorry, Gerry. Just sit back down. I’ll do the dishes.”
“No, that’s ok,” he sighed. “I mean, I might as well finish my ‘training’ by doing housework. After all, I’m already wearing the apron.”
“Gerry...” Stevie tried to steer things back to the happy dinner they were having.
“I mean,” Gerry started running water into the sink, “after all, Taylor is the more masculine of my mother’s children. She’s taller than me, a better athlete than me, her hair is shorter and she’s had more living sperm in her body than I ever will.”
“Well, that was kind of gross,” Taylor grimaced, but still amused by what Gerry had said.
“Gerry,” Stevie gathered something dishes together, “let me help you.”
“No, I’m fine,” he insisted. “Look, there are four people in this kitchen and only one of us is wearing a dress.”
“Actually, there’s five people in this room,” a voice spoke from the doorway, surprising everyone. “But you’re correct – only one is wearing a dress.”
“Mom,” Taylor said shocked. “You weren’t supposed to be home till midnight tonight.”
“Yes,” she said, imperiously, “but the seminar was a useless bore, so I came home earlier. I’m sorry if I disrupted some sort of... well, I can’t imagine what this could possibly be. Gerry, is there anything you’d like to tell me?”
“Um,” Stevie gave a nervous laugh as she tried to explain, “you see, Kate, I thought that we’d win that contest for sure if Gerry did a little, well, training on the weekends until the party. So, this was our first time out of our house, coming over here. I figured that, maybe, if Gerry got used to being a feminine little, pregnant woman over the next few weeks, he’d feel better about going out the night of the party. See?”
“Uh Huh,” Kate grunted judgementally. “What I ‘see’ is my daughter and daughter-in-law looking fit and and trim and well kept in casual slacks and blouses, my beautiful granddaughter looking adorable in a Miami Marlin’s onesie and my slovenly son looking better than he has since his wedding, but sadly looking like he’s seven months pregnant. It’s a lot to process.”
“It is really just for the party, mom.” Taylor stood with Mila still on her shoulder and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Nothing more than that. Welcome home.”
“Yes, well, thank you, but I thought I’d drop in and see my children and granddaughter, but this is all too tiring to deal with right now. I will leave all of you ladies to enjoy your evening. Gerry... or Geraldine... or Gerrianne, or whatever you want to be called when you’re dressed this way... don’t forget that I’ll be coming to pick you up tomorrow afternoon to take you shopping for decent clothes for you to wear to the office on Tuesday. Please be ready and have Mila dressed nicely, too. Goodnight.”
She turned abruptly and left as the others uttered a quiet ‘goodnight’ behind her.
“Great,” Gerry muttered as he turned to the sink full of dishes, pots and pans, knowing that his shopping trip tomorrow, which was already going to be filled with comments about his hair and weight, was now going to be filled with uncomfortable conversations about what his mother had just seen.
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 2
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, Gerry's mother gets involved and things get a bit out of hand!
Author's Note: When you read this story, please tell me what you think of it? A good comment goes a long ways! ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 2 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 2
Gerry had showered twice and washed his face a dozen times, but he was pretty sure that a little mascara remained from yesterday's training in the maternity dress and foundation garments. His mother was due to come by in the next half an hour or so to pick up Mila and Gerry to take Gerry shopping for a new blazer and some new shirts and pants to wear while he filled in for the receptionist at his mother's investment firm, where his wife and sister also worked.
A little gurgle came from the bouncy chair in the next room, so Gerry dried his face and went to check on his niece. "How's my little princess." He asked in an excited coo at the child. As he picked her up he continued to speak baby-talk to her. "You look so beautiful today, Princess. Yes you do. Grandma is going to want to show you off to everybody. Yes she is. And why wouldn't she? You're the prettiest and best baby in the world, aren't you?"
Mila smiled and giggled at the attention. She was still developing her concepts of the world, but she knew that Uncle Gerry loved her and that was plenty to make her happy.
Gerry had dressed Mila in his favorite dress. It was a classic, little girl's dress. Pale pink, with a white Peter Pan collar, puffy little sleeves, a smocked bodice with little red hearts embroidered all over it and a puffy little skirt that just covered the disposable diaper and pink plastic panties she wore beneath. He'd prepared the diaper bag for an afternoon of shopping and was ready to go.
He did wish that it was possible to get a diaper bag that looked a little less feminine, though. The bag that Taylor had given him to use was a bright pink checkered affair with a long, white shoulder strap that was covered in lace. Months ago, Gerry had tried to adapt a gym dufflebag to act as a replacement to these feminine accouterments, but there was just no replacement for a well designed diaper bag, so - pink checks and a lace covered shoulder strap would have to do.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Huh," Gerry whispered to his little charge, "that's odd. Grandma usually comes right in."
He walked to the door, Mila happily bouncing along in his arms, and opened door to reveal a thirty-something, attractive woman with a large, rolling suitcase.
"May I help you?" Gerry asked.
"I think so." She smiled down at him. She probably would have been a good couple inches taller than him in bare feet, but she was wearing very high heels. "Is this 1753 Flagler Estates Way?"
"Yes," Gerry answered, expecting an explanation.
""Then you must be Gerry!" She seemed overly happy as she pushed her way past him into his townhouse.
"Yes, I am, but... excuse me, ma'am, but what exactly is going on here?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." She laughed at her lack of protocol as she extended her hand. "I'm Veronica, your mother's hairdresser. I do her hair every Monday afternoon. Usually at the office, but today she asked me to come here."
"Oh, I see." Gerry was a bit relieved. "You're looking for 1755 Flagler Estates Way. That's next door. My mother lives there. I don't think she's home just yet, but..."
The woman smiled and shook her head. "She didn't tell you, did she?"
"Apparently not." Gerry waited for clarification.
"I'm meeting your mother here today to do your hair as well as hers. I understand that you'll be working for her this week and she wants me to neaten you up, as she put it, 'my son's rat's nest of hair' so that you'll look nice at her offices. I'm sorry if you didn't expect me. She asked me to come here early to get started on you before she comes. I'll touch her up while your hair is drying."
"Oh, I see..." Gerry remained nonplused. He shouldn't be surprised that his mother would go this far, but, strangely enough, he was. "Well... I'll need to put Mila down for a bit. Umm... I guess I could set up her playpen and let her watch some Sesame Street. Could you give me just a moment to set that up?"
"Of course." The woman smiled. "Here, let me take that beautiful baby from you while you set things up."
"Oh, ok. Thank you." Gerry handed her to the beautician and hustled to grab the portable playpen. He pushed the kitchen table to the side and set it up there so that he could keep an eye on her.
"You have an absolutely adorable little girl and I love her dress and the way you've done her hair in those pink ribbons."
"Thank you," he huffed with the effort of trying to get everything done at once. "That's Mila. She's actually my niece. I take care of her during the day."
"Oh, how nice! I suppose her mommy picked out this dress, I'd love to know where she got it."
"Actually, no," Gerry said with a great deal of pride. "I bought her that dress. My sister buys her lots of sports team shirts and things like that. I just love to get her all dolled up in something pretty."
As soon as the words left his lips, he knew that he'd sounded silly. Being a doting caregiver to a little girl had required Gerry to explore the feminine side of his personality a bit, but he was still embarrassed to display that side of himself to anyone outside of Mila, Stevie and Taylor. "I bought the dress at 'Little Ones' downtown. I buy most of her dresses there."
"How sweet," Veronica smiled. "Now, I understand why your mother wants to treat you to a nice treatment."
Gerry attached his iPad to the side of the playpen and started an episode of Sesame Street, which immediately got Mila's attention. She leaned back and reached for the playpen, nearly pulling herself free of Veronica's grasp.
"Hey, you!" Veronica held her more tightly and kept her from falling. "Boy, she really loves Sesame Street, doesn't she?"
Gerry laughed. "I don't let her watch TV much and it's only ever Sesame Street, so, yes, she loves it."
"My goodness! No Disney Channel or other cartoons?"
"Nope. It's Sesame Street or I read to her."
"Really!? That's wonderful. What do you read to her?"
Gerry smiled. "Well, she loves the picture books, of course, but sometimes she just wants to hear a voice, so I read her literature. The Brontes or Jane Austin or Louisa May Alcott. Sometimes it's poetry - Dickinson, Browning... whatever. It all makes her happy."
"Hmmm," Veronica smiled. "All women writers. Interesting."
Gerry shrugged. "I'm hoping to inspire her."
"Very nice."
Veronica pulled her roller suitcase into the kitchen and placed it on the floor, opening it to reveal a plethora of bottles, cans and equipment. "We've got a lot to do to get that hair of yours under control, so we should get started." She removed several bottles of hair products and placed them on the counter. "Come on over to the sink so that we can get your hair washed." She began running water, testing it with her hand and making sure the temperature was correct. "Come on. I won't bite." She smiled at the obviously apprehensive little man.
"Ummm..." He hesitated. "I thought you were just trimming the split ends and stuff like that. I don't want to cut it short - regardless of what my mother may have said."
"Oh, don't worry, sweetie." She smiled. "I just need to wash it and condition it before we start. Your hair is obviously starving for nourishment. We may do a hot oil treatment, too. You know how your mom is about appearances in the office!"
"Yes, I do, and that's what worries me."
"Oh, come on. I'm going to shampoo it a couple of times, then put in a conditioner. After that, if I think it needs the hot oil treatment, I'll do that too, then another washout and we'll be ready to start shaping your hair."
"Ok, then."
Gerry went to the sink where Veronica wrapped a pale blue, plastic cape around him. She turned him so she could close the clasps on the cape and pulled his hair through the opening. "This will protect your shirt from the water and the chemicals."
"What chemicals?"
"Whatever chemicals we end up using to make your hair beautiful."
He huffed. "Let's just shoot for 'acceptable' and leave 'beautiful' for someone else."
"Bend over," Veronica laughed.
As she worked the water and then the shampoo into his scalp she complimented him on his house and how well he kept it and how well he took care of a Mila. "You are quite the little homemaker, aren't you?" She teased.
"I guess." Gerry accepted the compliment.
"Is that why you're going to the Halloween party as a woman?"
Gerry froze. "Excuse me?"
"Oh." Veronica felt his unease. "Don't worry, dear. Your secret is safe with me."
He tried to stand upright, but Veronica had her hand on his back. "I don't have a secret."
"Your costume, I mean," she laughed. "I just meant your costume. Listen, Gerry, every October I am inundated with men and boys needing makeovers to look like women and girls. At least you will be able to pass."
"Pass?"
"As a woman. I mean, for a straight guy, you're very cute, in a plump-mommy kind of way. You'll look adorable in a little black dress."
"No, he won't," came a voice from behind. Kate had let herself in. "He will look adorable in a maternity dress."
"Oh, an expectant little mommy," Veronica laughed. "Even better." She wrapped his hair, turban style, then let Gerry stand straight for a few minutes while the conditioner worked.
"Hi, mom," he smiled.
"Hello, Gerry." She kissed his cheek and proceeded past him to kiss Mila as well. "Oh, I love the dress you put her in, Gerry, did you buy that for her."
"Does it say 'Miami Marlins,' or 'Boston Red Sox' on it?" Gerry asked.
"No. It's perfectly lovely," Kate replied.
"Then I bought it for her."
Kate smiled. "I have to admit, Gerry," Kate places a kitchen chair next to the playpen then sat so she could interact with Mila, "that I was very skeptical and a little concerned when I came home last night and found my son looking like a pregnant woman for the second time, but Stevie has convinced me that it was just to try out a few things for the costume party."
Gerry looked from his mother to Veronica and back again. Why would she start talking about this with Veronica here? "Umm, yeah, that's true, mom. I'll do it for you guys to win."
"And that's very sweet of you, Gerry. It's funny - this morning I was at the Starbucks across the street from my offices and I ran into Janice Llewelyn. You know Janice, right? She has a law firm on the third floor of my building. Tall girl. Beautiful eyes. Any way, she immediately started talking about our annual Halloween bash and she was all excited about the costume competition. It seems that, this year, they have added a prize to the traditional trophy."
"Really?" Gerry was genuinely curious. "What's the prize?"
"It's an eight person hot tube, Gerry. Now, I could never rationalize spending tens of thousands of dollars on something as frivolous as a hot tube, but if I were to get one for free... we'll, that would be quite lovely."
"But mom," Gerry pointed out, "if I won, it would be 'my' hot tub, right?"
"Well, yes and no, Gerry. Here's what I was thinking - if I were to help you to look, dress and act like the perfect, pregnant woman so that you could win, then we could all share it right out back here. Wouldn't that
be nice?"
"Yes, mom, it would."
"Ok, then, I'd like to have Veronica give you a complete makeover today. The works, Gerry - hair, nails, eyebrows, makeup, everything. That way you can practice your act and between your sister, Stevie and me, we could have you up to speed by the big day. What do you say?"
Feeling very much on the spot and not wanting to get into a big fight with his mother in front of a stranger, he tried to set a reasonable tone for the conversation. "Umm, mom, I appreciate you wanting to win, but it's still a few weeks away and how would it look if I'm sitting at your reception desk dressed as a guy, but with long nails and women's eyebrows?"
"Pretty foolish, I should think," Kate scoffed, "which is why you'll be covering the reception desk dressed in your maternity clothes."
"What!?" Gerry screamed. "Mom! You can't be serious!"
"I am as serious as a heart attack, Gerry."
"Mom! What if someone recognizes me!? I'd be a laughing stock!"
"Oh, come now, Gerry, who is going to recognize you? Taylor and Stevie already know. You'll be covering for Monica, so she won't know, and that leaves Laura and Erin. Laura started in May and Erin in August. Neither has ever met you. Face it, Gerry, it's the perfect training camp for you. Four days out in public, in disguise as a woman. No one will be any the wiser once Veronica is finished with you, right Veronica?"
"She's right, Gerry. When I'm done, you'll just be another pretty face. I promise."
Gerry shook his head. "Mom... come on... this is nuts."
"Let me up the ante a little, then." Kate folded her arms. "I understand that you intend to take your wife to St Thomas for your first anniversary, is that correct?"
"Yes, but you've already agreed to give her the time off for that."
"Yes, I did, but how do you intend to pay for that trip?"
"We have money, mom."
"What money?"
"The money in our bank accounts."
"That's Stevie's money, Gerry."
"No, mom. It's our money. Stevie always says so."
"So you're planning on taking her on a trip using money that she earned. Wouldn't it be a bit more gallant of you to pay for the trip yourself?"
"Mom, I don't have that kind of money. You know that."
"No, but you could EARN the money."
"By doing this?"
Kate nodded. "You do this for me, Gerry, and I'll pay for the whole trip. Plane tickets, hotel, food, everything. It's just four days work in what I promise will be comfortable, pretty clothing and you can take that tall goddess that you married on a trip to remember. I think that's a much nicer present, don't you?"
Gerry felt a knot in his stomach, but he knew that he was going to have to do this. He'd hate himself if he had a way to pay for the trip, but used Stevie's money instead. He breathed deeply and tried to figure out a way out of this.
There was none. She had him and she knew it.
"Ok. I'll do it, but I don't want to look like a joke or a drag queen. I need to look... right. A regular, everyday, pregnant woman. Ok?"
"Of course, my dear." Kate smiled and stood. "Veronica, I shall leave my new daughter in your capable hands while I run next door to change. I'll
be back and you can touch up my hair while Gerry's new hair color is setting up."
"You want to dye my hair!?" Gerry was frightened.
"Of course, Gerry. It's for your own good. It'll make you look so much different that, even if you should run into someone you knew, they'd never recognize you."
"Don't worry," Veronica smiled. "I'm going to choose a complimentary color for you. Nothing garish or weird. It'll look great. I promise. Now, let's rinse that conditioner out of your hair."
Gerry was in the office changing Mila's diaper when his mother returned. He was wearing a plastic cap to keep the dye on his head and he knew that he looked incredibly foolish. "Grandma is going to make Uncle Gerry into a jackass, Mila. Yes she is," he spoke in his baby voice. "She's going to make me look like an idiot and Uncle Gerry is going to sell his dignity for the chance to maybe, just for once, look like a breadwinner.
He's going to look like a woman just so he can appear to be a man in the eyes of his wife. Life can be pretty silly, Mila. Yes it can. Yes it can!"
"Gerry, can you come out here, please?" Kate called.
Gerry picked up his niece and adjusted the perfect little dress she was wearing. "Oh, aren't you the prettiest girl in the world? Yes, you are!" He cooed some more as he headed back into the kitchen.
"Gerry, Veronica have been speaking and I think, and she agrees, that in order to get you properly made up and your hair properly styled, that you need to be in your costume... or rather, your disguise. So, please put on your maternity undergarments and a nice dress. Once Veronica has seen you in the dress then you can take it off and you can wear this. I picked it up for you on the way home."
She held a simple, satin robe out in front of her. It was a dark rose color with black lace trim along the opening, the bottom and the sleeves, which would only come to his elbows.
"Now?" he said, not wanting to don the pregnancy persona with Veronica there.
"Now, Gerry. Don't dawdle, dear. I'll help you. Come on."
"Mom, I just... I just think it would be silly to put all of that on, right now."
"Gerry," Kate did not like being opposed for any reason. "You are going to put on everything that I request you to wear. You are about to take on a very difficult disguise and Veronica is here to help you. You must work with her. Besides, look at yourself. Your hair is in a dye-cap and your taking care of a baby. Gerry, I'm a woman of average height and I am at least three inches taller than you. Veronica is taller than me in those heels of hers. If you're concerned about losing your masculinity, then don't be - it's long gone, my child. Essentially, you are your sister's nanny and it is high time that you started dressing for your position."
Gerry was shocked at his mother's harsh tone. He knew that she was just saying these things to force him to cooperate, but they really cut him to the bone. Partially because they insulted his male pride, but partially because it was all so goddamned true. For a moment, he looked as if he was going to cry.
"Mom-" He hesitated and sunk his nose into Mila's soft, dark hair for a moment as he chose his words. "I am not my sister's nanny. I am my niece's caregiver and I love her in a way that I never expected to be able to love another human being. Now, I don't expect to be applauded for being a good caregiver to my beautiful niece, but I don't intend to be demeaned because of it, either. Also, if you think that saying that I am less a man than anyone else because of my size, then that's fine. Bullies have done that to me my whole life. But if you think that saying that I act like a woman to take of Mika is some kind of an insult, then you're wrong. Everyone I love is a woman - Stevie, Taylor, Mila and even
you. I act the way I act when I'm taking care of Mila because it's good for Mila. If that seems girlish or womanly, then that's fine, because it's good for Mila. I'm not insulted, but I am hurt that you see me as such a disappointment."
"Oh, Gerry." Kate, who had a great deal of difficulty expressing affection or even giving positive feed back, looked about to cry herself, now. "That's not what I mean." She sighed. "Gerry, you know that I love you and I am as proud of you as I could possibly be. I'm sorry. I guess I was just trying to goad you into doing what I wanted. You are a wonderful uncle and my favorite son. Both Mila and I are lucky to have you. Do you forgive me?"
He nodded. "Sure. I'm sorry, too."
"Thank you," she touched his cheek and smiled. "Now, I hate to be too pushy, but I am paying Veronica by the hour, so... if you wouldn't mind getting dressed..."
Gerry handed his mother her granddaughter. "Yeah. I'll be out in a few minutes."
Stevie was a bit surprised to find the front door locked when she got home. As she turned the key in the lock, Taylor peeked into the side window.
"I don't think they're home, yet," Taylor said. "It's dark in there."
It was nearly eight o'clock at night. Stevie and Taylor had gotten a message from Kate stating that she and Gerry had gotten a late start and she was taking Gerry and Mila for some dinner before coming home. Since Gerry and Kate were going out, Taylor and Stevie decided to go to a lovely East African Cuisine restaurant downtown. It was delicious.
"Gerry!? Honey!?" Stevie called into the twilight of the townhouse. "Nope. They're not home, yet."
"Geez," Taylor grimaced as they turned on lights and walked through the front room, "I hope everything's ok. I mean, they've been gone for hours. Mila must be getting tired and cranky by this time of night. Being caught between a cranky niece and a cranky mother must be getting to Gerry."
Stevie laughed. "Let's go sit on the porch and have a glass of wine."
"I'll have to have some cranberry juice," Taylor smirked and pointed to her breasts. "Until the dairy closes, I need to keep my milk pure."
"Oh, of course. Sorry. I'll have some cranberry juice, too. Do you want some ginger ale mixed with it?"
"Whoa, lady," Taylor teased. "I have a baby, now. I can't be living on the wild side, like you kids."
"Right," Stevie opened the refrigerator, "straight cranberry juice it is."
"Oh, you know what?" Taylor snapped her fingers as if she'd just thought of something.
"What?"
"It would be great if you'd add a little ginger ale to that cranberry juice."
Stevie smiled and chuckled a bit. "Ok, but don't be cursing me when you have a hangover tomorrow morning."
Both women laughed at that. They settled in on the porch and sipped their drinks. They chatted about business and friends until Taylor asked, "How did Gerry deal with the news that he couldn't father children?"
Stevie thought about that. "You know, it's not easy to be Gerry. He's smaller than most men and he's got you for a sister and me for a wife. We're both taller than him, stronger than him..."
"More successful than him," Taylor said what Stevie was avoiding.
"Look, Tay, you and I have been really lucky. Athletic scholarships and then your mom gave us opportunities that most people never get. Gerry works hard."
"I know he does, Stevie, but how much money has he made since he started his own business?"
Stevie shook her head. "Not much, but so what? I make plenty and he's absolutely wonderful doing the cooking and housework. Heck, he even helps you with the laundry sometimes. He cooks for both of us and just look at how good he is with Mila. No, we're not a traditional couple, but we love each other and we're happy. When he found out he'd never be a biological father, I thought that he was going to fall to pieces, and I think he might have when he was alone, but in public, he put on a brave face. Until this weekend, we've hardly talked about it."
Taylor nodded.
"He is amazing with Mila, though." Stevie wiped a tear from her eye.
"Having said that," Taylor became serious, "I need to tell you something. I recently spoke to a lawyer about my will and I named you guys as Mila's guardians."
"Really?" Stevie was surprised. "I assumed that she'd live with Fred if something ever happened to you - or Kate."
Taylor shook her head. "I don't think that Fred's coming back, ever, and mom would still need Gerry to take care of Mila, so... She loves Gerry and if I was gone... well, he's the logical choice. I'm glad that Gerry has you... and that Mila has him, too." Suddenly Taylor was crying.
"Tay?" Stevie was caught off guard. "Tay, what's the matter, honey. You're not sick, are you?"
She shook her head. "No. Everything's just so... fucked up, Stevie. I thought Fred loved me and now don't know where he is or who he's with... I wanted to give my baby a perfect life, Stevie. I didn't want to be a single mom imposing on my brother and sister in law all the time. I love her so much, Stevie, but I'm so lonely and scared all the time. I put her to bed every night, then crawl into my bed, all alone and lonely... all I do is worry and cry and worry and cry."
"About what?"
"About everything, Stevie. Is she ok? Is she developing correctly? Is she going to be smart enough? What if something happens to me? What if something happens to her? Why am I all alone in that bed and where is that son of a bitch that I was so ready to spend my life with? What did I do to drive him away? Everything, Stevie. Everything."
"Oh, Taylor," she took her friend's hand, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I thought that you were... never mind, look, honey, you are not alone. We are right here next door and your mom is just one door beyond that. You did nothing to drive Fred away, Taylor. Fred is a craven little coward who ran out on his wife and new born child. You'll find the right guy eventually, honey, I know you will."
Taylor nodded and tried to calm her nerves. "Stevie, I'm so sorry that I lost it. Oh, God this is embarrassing. These hormones are making me crazy. " She wiped her eyes and laughed at herself. "Oh, God, I need a glass of wine so badly!" This set them both into a bout of sad laughter.
"I'm sorry, Tay, but you know that we're here for you whenever you need us. Both of us. You know that Gerry loves you as much as he loves me or your mom... and as for Mila... well, I don't think I can even compete with Mila."
They both smiled.
"Thanks, Stevie. I love you guys, too."
"We're back!" Kate called as she entered the door. "Where are you?"
"On the porch, mom," Taylor called back. Then to Stevie she asked, "Do I look ok? I don't want her to know I was crying."
"Here," Stevie handed her a napkin. "Just blow your nose and wipe your eyes. You'll look great."
Taylor smirked at that, but wiped her eyes, blew her nose and took a deep breath as she prepared her appearance for her mother.
"Well," Kate smiled as she set a multitude of bags on the floor near the doorway to the porch, "we had a wonderful day."
"Really?" Stevie chuckled in surprise. "Gerry usually hates shopping."
"Yes, well, today was different and I had a wonderful time. I think Gerry did, too."
"Where is Gerry?" Taylor asked.
"He's changing Mila. They'll be in in a minute, I'm sure. Oh, Taylor, that child was a perfect angel today and Gerry had her dressed so preciously... oh, I got so many compliments on my beautiful granddaughter! I was in heaven!"
Taylor smiled at the praise. "I should go help Gerry." She stood to go, but Kate stopped her and said, "Just let Gerry be, now. He knows how to take care her as well or better than you do. I'm sure that he's got everything under control."
Knowing her mother was right, Taylor sat back down.
"Now," Kate clapped her hands, "about the rest of this week. We got a lovely little travel crib and a little playpen that will fit just perfectly behind Monica's desk so Gerry should be able to have my little angel there without any problems. I think we're all set for everything to go off without a hitch."
"What if she gets fussy?" Stevie asked.
"Then Gerry knows how to deal with that. A little crying isn't going to upset anyone."
"Where is he going to be able to change her if he needs to?" Taylor asked.
"There's one of those 'Panda' changing tables in the ladies' room," Kate smiled.
"The ladies' room?" Stevie said surprised. "Won't it be a little odd to have Gerry using the ladies' room?"
"Oh, I don't think that's going to be a problem," Kate smirked.
Stevie and Taylor gave each other confused glances.
"Kate," Stevie asked, "why, exactly, do you think that Gerry will be able to use the ladies' room without any problem?"
Kate smiled like the cat who swallowed the canary and called into the house, "Gerry!? Are you almost done, dear?"
"She's all changed, mom."
When he entered the porch, both Stevie and Taylor let out huge gasps of shock. He was wearing an ankle length, navy blue dress with bright flowers printed on it that Stevie and Taylor had brought home from Goodwill over the weekend. It had short sleeves, a tiny hint of a white collar and showed just a very little cleavage. He also had little Mila held against his breast in her pretty, little dress.
The fact that Gerry was wearing his baby-belt and bra and, assumedly, panties to go out with his mother was surprising enough, but what really shocked them was his long, wavy, chestnut brown hair with subtle red highlights, his delicate, arched eyebrows, the dangling earrings that glittered through his hair and the masterfully applied makeup that changed his face drastically, making him look fresh and plump and fertile.
"Hi," he said in a quiet, tentative and embarrassed voice.
Both woman sat frozen in shock for several seconds before Stevie stood. "Gerry?" she asked, knowing it was him, but needing reassurance. "Is that you? What's going on?"
"I can answer that," Kate smiled and she explained what had transpired throughout the day and her decision to have Gerry working in his disguise in order to properly train him for the contest. "Brilliant, right?"
Stevie's breathing began to increase as she searched, but failed, for a way to approach her mother-in-law/employer in a rational manner.
"Jesus Christ, Kate!" she erupted. "What the hell have you done!? He doesn't even look like himself, anymore!"
"That was the point," Kate replied, calmly.
"Alright, Stevie, calm down," Taylor tried to help.
"Calm down!? My husband looks like a woman. Not like he's in costume, Taylor, he looks like a real woman!"
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Kate smirked.
"Well... yes and no, Kate! This is undoable, for crying out loud! His hair color! His eyebrows! He's a woman for real! It's not a costume any more! It's a lifestyle, for crying out loud!"
Roused be the sounds of shouting, Mila began to cry and look for protection. "Shh," Gerry said as he bounced her and moved away from the noise. "Come on with Uncle Gerry, my love. Everything's ok. Everyone's just upset because Uncle Gerry is messing up everyone's life, as usual. Shh. Shh." They retreated to the bedroom.
"Who do you think you are," Stevie continued, "to do something like this without talking to me about it first!?"
"I didn't need to talk to you, Stevie," Kate was getting a bit annoyed that this conversation was still ongoing, "I spoke to my son. He's an adult. He can make his own decisions."
"Mom, now that's not fair," Taylor offered. "You know that Gerry would never say 'no' to any of us. Especially you. You should have run this past Stevie first."
"Alright, now both of you just sit back down and listen to me for a moment," Kate said with a tone that was commanding enough to make the women comply.
"Now, look," she said as pleasantly as possible. "I am very concerned about my son. He is as bright as anyone, but he is floundering. Stevie, if it wasn't for you, he'd be destitute at this point. This is a golden opportunity to give him the kick in the pants that he so desperately needs. He is entirely capable of doing the receptionist's job at our office and that's what I want him doing for the next four days. Now, at the end of that time, I am hoping that he will be either so embarrassed by being in a dress all week, or feel such a sense of accomplishment by succeeding for a change, that he'll pull his life together and make some sensible decisions about his health and his career."
The women nodded, calmed a bit by the thought that maybe Kate wasn't just being a bossy bitch.
"But," Stevie said, "you still went miles further than I ever would have pushed him, Kate. The makeup looks amazing..."
"And my hairstylist taught him how to do it himself," Kate interrupted.
"... and that can be washed off, but his eyebrows will be months growing back and how long will it take that dye job to grow out?"
"Why would you want to let it grow out?" Kate asked matter of factly. "It's beautiful."
Stevie shook her head in confusion. "Because it's a woman's color, Kate. I wasn't planning on dying his hair, just having it done."
"Tell me it doesn't look nicer than his typical, greasy, dirty blonde hair.”
Stevie thought for a moment. “Well, I’m not saying that... I mean, it looks beautiful, but men don’t typically walk around with beautiful hair.”
“No,” Kate nodded, “because they don’t wear it that long. My feeling is, if he’s going to wear it long, then it should be beautiful, don’t you agree, Taylor?”
“Mom,” Taylor chose her words carefully, “his hair isn’t the issue. It’s... well, did it ever occur to you that Gerry may not be cut out for a nine to five job? That, maybe, he’s happier here, at home.”
“What, just lazing around all day?”
“No, mom. Taking care of the house, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the baby. He hated working for that tech company. He loves doing this.”
“Being a housewife, you mean?”
“In a way, yes, I suppose, but so what. Look, mom, my place was a mess before and so was yours. We both kept talking about hiring a service, but then Gerry started coming by once or twice a week and now our houses are as neat and clean as this one.”
“So, he should just stay home and be a housekeeper.”
“No,” Stevie said. “Not a house keeper, a partner in our marriage. I like coming home to a clean house and a nice hot supper. I like having you two join us, too. I couldn’t do that if Gerry was working full time. I’ll miss it this week.”
“Well, then,” Kate said, suddenly self satisfied, “if he’s meant to be a housewife, then I’ve done you a favor and put him into the correct clothes. In my day, men went out and earned a living for their families. If you want to wear the pants in your marriage, Stevie, then I guess that’s fine, but if that’s the case, then maybe you’ll enjoy coming home to your little homemaker looking pretty in nice dresses.”
“Kate...” Stevie sighed.
“No, I mean it, Stevie. Be honest with yourself for a moment. When you left for work this morning, you were married to an overweight, slovenly man who didn’t smell all that nice. Now, your spouse is dressed well, has beautiful hair and smells absolutely delightful - I’ve seen to all that for you. Now, I suggest that you enjoy those improvements for the next four days and then, at the end of that time, you decide whether you’re better off with your previous spouse or this one. Frankly, I think you’ll either prefer this one or a slightly more boyish version of this one, but either way, I suspect that the pretty hair and perfumed soaps and shampoos are here to stay.”
Stevie sighed and shook her head. “Look, Kate, I’m not going to lie. I was pretty turned on when we put Gerry into that one-piece the other day and we had some fun that night, but I wasn’t looking to turn him into a woman forever. We’ll do these four days since you said that Gerry agreed
to those, but after that, we just do what we need to do to win the contest, ok? No more forcing him into dresses except for what’s needed and we let his eyebrows grow back and his hair color grow out. Understood?”
Kate smiled. “Whatever you say. Now, let’s talk about his office attire.”
Stevie looked at Taylor and they both raised their eyebrows at Kate’s enthusiasm.
“Now, that mint green, chiffon number you bought is fine,” Kate picked up the bags she’d placed on the floor, “and that white cotton one with the roses is good, too, as long as he’s wearing pantyhose,” she dug into a bag and pulled out several plastic envelopes, “which I bought him.” She laid them on the coffee table.
The women nodded. They knew that Kate insisted that all the women working for her wore hosiery, even in the heat of Florida summers.
Kate continued, “That dress he’s wearing today is just too casual, though. Fine for shopping, but not for the office.”
“Of course,” Taylor said when Stevie remained silent.
“I bought him a few more office dresses, too. More than he’ll need, but... just in case. Besides, I’ve never had as much fun buying clothes for Gerry as I did today.”
She smiled as she remembered the afternoon.
“It was nice to have my child and grandchild both dressed so prettily out on a shopping spree with me. Oh, that reminds me,” she handed Taylor a small, but full bag. “These are all for Mila. Gerry picked them out and I bought them. That boy has an amazing eye for little girls’ fashions.”
She handed the bag to Taylor who thanked her mother.
“Now, this bag,” she picked up a bag from a store called ‘A Pea in A Pod,’ “are five more dresses, all of which are perfect for the office. “These two bags have some more casual dresses for her to put on when she comes home.”
“He,” Stevie said.
“I beg your pardon?” Kate said.
“He. Gerry is a ‘he.’ You said you bought ‘casual dresses for her to put on when she comes home.’ Gerry is a ‘he.’ I just want you to remember that.”
Kate smiled, but moved on. “This bag has several very lovely bras and a couple more belly belts. And this last bag has a variety of panties.”
Stevie looked into the bag. “How many pairs of panties did you buy him?”
“Oh, twelve or fifteen or so. Like I said, I was enjoying a lovely afternoon with my child and granddaughter. Maybe I got a little carried away.”
It was an hour or more later after Kate had gone home when Taylor and Stevie opened the bedroom door and found Gerry sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard l asleep with Mila in a blanket sleeper laying on his breast.
Taylor touched his smooth cheek. “Gerry, honey. I’m taking Mila home now, ok?” She spoke quietly.
Gerry opened his eyes and smiled as his sister lifted his niece from his shoulder. When he could he stood and kissed first the baby’s soft hair, then his sister’s cheek. “Goodnight,” he whispered.
Then he looked at Stevie and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I made a deal with mom. I guess I should have talked to you first, but...”
“I know,” Stevie smiled and hugged him, his head nestled sweetly in her neck and shoulder. God, he smelled so good, of lavender, vanilla, roses, hairspray and makeup. “No need to apologize. I know how your mother can be.” She hugged him tighter. Maybe it was just the dress, but he felt so
soft and small in her arms. It was nice. Very nice. “
They walked Taylor and Mila to the door and waited outside until mother and daughter had entered their own townhouse, then Stevie locked up and they headed back to the bedroom.
“Are you ok with all of this, though? The hair and makeup? Everything?” Stevie asked.
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“Were you embarrassed when you went out with your mom?”
“At first I was. I mean, more scared than embarrassed, I guess, but... well as the day went on, I began to notice that no one was taking any real notice of me. As people kept complimenting me on Mila and wishing me luck having a second child so soon, mom pointed out that everyone just thought I was woman. Usually, when I’m out with Mila, I just get funny looks. Today, everyone thought I was a normal person. I kind of enjoyed it.”
There was no doubt that Gerry could pass for a woman, Stevie realized, but she still felt bad that his mother had pushed him so far so quickly. She also felt bad that the more she looked at him and thought about kissing those soft, plump, lipstick cover lips, the more aroused she felt.
“So you liked it?”
“I liked the compliments. I don’t get many, you know. I mean, I know that Mila isn’t really mine, but I’m very proud of how I’ve contributed to raising her so far. The way she’s learning. How happy she is. The way I dress her. All of it. It’s nice to know that it’s appreciated.”
Stevie smiled. “Taylor appreciates it, Gerry.”
“I know, but... you know what mean. Nothing I can do was ever appreciated by guys and women look at me funny when I’m out with Mila. Today, dressed as a woman, women kept complimenting me. They told me how beautiful Mila was and how beautifully I dressed her. It was nice. Even my mom seemed to like me.”
Stevie laughed. “Honey, your mom likes you.”
“No, my mom loves me. Today she actually seemed to like me. Even that was different and nice.”
Gerry pulled a lacy, blue, sleeveless nightie from a bag and laid it on the bed, staring at it.
Stevie stood beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. “You don’t have to wear that tonight if you don’t want to, baby.”
He shrugged. “Yes, I do. The deal is that I dress as woman, completely, twenty-four-seven for the whole four days and whatever else it takes to be ready for the contest.”
“Yeah, but she wouldn’t know...”
“But I would. It’s ok. I’ll be alright, but I am sorry this all got so out of hand.”
“No need, baby.” Stevie smiled and ran her fingers through his beautiful, chestnut brown hair. “If it’s any consolation, you really are beautiful.”
He turned and laid his head on her shoulder and breast. “I’m glad you think so.”
She hugged him tight, closed her eyes and breathed him in, his breasts pressed into her, just below her own. So nice.
She kissed him and drew the zipper of his dress down his back. She slipped her hand inside and felt something silky. “You’re wearing a slip?”
Gerry smiled. “Mom dressed me. A lady always wears a slip, you know.”
She smiled down at him. “They feel nice, though, don’t they?”
“They do when you’re hand is sliding on it... especially when your hand is there.”
Stevie’s hand was on his butt and it was kneading it’s through the flimsy material of his slip and panties
“It does feel nice, doesn’t it?” Stevie whispered, her voice becoming huskier.
She nibbled his earringed lobes and worked her way down his neck.
She lowered the bodice of his dress down, revealing the lace coved cups of his bra. She continued kissing down his neck to his shoulders to his chest to the tops of his breasts. She kissed some more and soon had his dress completely puddled on the floor around his ankles. She liked the slip too much to take it off, though. Silky and lacy... it was so feminine and it made him look plump and pretty.
Suddenly, she stopped.
“What?” Gerry asked.
She stood back for a moment. “Gerry... I was really pissed off at Kate for pushing things so far, and I don’t want to make things harder for you, but... I don’t know why, but I find this all very erotic.”
“I know,” he whispered back. “I do too.”
She smiled. “I’ll change. Put on your nightie.”
Stevie opened a drawer and disappeared into the lavatory. When she emerged, she found Gerry pulling down the bed clothes, wearing the blue nightie. Stevie was wearing dark blue, satin pajamas.
She giggled as she looked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Well, first, you’ll need to take off your makeup before you go to sleep, but I kinda like it for right now. Second, honey, you don’t need to wear a bra and baby belt to bed.”
He sighed. “I do. It’s part of the deal. Does that upset you?”
She smiled. “Actually, it pleases me a great deal.”
Not knowing quite why, Gerry smiled at that.
“Come to bed, baby,” Stevie whispered. “I want to show you something.”
Gerry crawled under the covers, but Stevie pulled them to the foot of the bed. Then she climbed on, spread his legs and knelt between his knees. Slowly, she lowered the waistband of her pajamas and revealed a black panty with a very realistic looking phallus hanging off of the front.
Gerry’s eyes widened as he looked at it. “Where did you get that?”
“Do you remember what my nickname was on my basketball team in college?”
He shook his head that he did not. He really didn’t know Stevie then. She was just Taylor’s friend.
“The called me ‘Stevie, the man’ because of my name and because I was so aggressive on the court. They used to shout at me, ‘Stevie! You’re the man!’ whenever I made a basket. When I played my last game as a senior, the girls gave me this as a joke. I wore it over my shorts that night in the locker room, but it’s been sitting in my drawer ever since. I think tonight’s the night to finally use it.”
Gerry looked from the strap on to his wife’s face and back. Was she serious? What would it feel like? Would it hurt?
Stevie reached under his nightie and undid the baby belt, removing it and his panties. “Don’t worry, you can put them back on when you wash your face.”
She tossed the under garments onto a nearby chair, then she tucked her pillow under Gerry’s lower back and pulled a tube of KY lubricant from her nightstand. She spread the gel on the phallus, then put some on her fingers and began to work it slowly into his bottom, gradually working her fingers deeper and deeper into him.
“It’s warm,” Gerry said.
“It’s got a warming agent,” Stevie smiled. “Feels good, doesn’t it?’
Gerry nodded, then gasped as she pulled her fingers out.
She adjusted herself and guided the penis into his opening. “It’s going to feel tight at first, baby. It might even hurt a little, but once we get past that, you’re going to love it. I promise.”
He nodded, a little scared. “Ok.”
It felt like nothing he’d ever felt before. As soon as the penetration began, it felt tight and full, but as she pushed her manhood forward, he felt himself stretching like he’d never been stretched before.
“Uh!” he gasped.
“Relax,” she whispered. “This is what it’s like for a girl the first time, too.”
She pushed in further and he arched his back trying desperately to create space within himself where none existed. Stevie knew what he was feeling and she leaned down to nibble his nipples through the bra to distract him.
Gerry was overwhelmed, unable to think of anything other than the these new, amazing feelings.
Stevie leaned back and looked at the beautiful, brown haired woman below her wearing a feminine, lace trimmed, silky nightie and she felt a contentment she’d never felt before.
“Ready?” she asked.
Not even comprehending the question, he nodded.
“Here we go,” she smiled and then she pushed. She pushed hard and she pushed deep. She saw the look of pain and fear on his face and she heard his loud, anguished scream, but then she felt him grab her shoulders and
arch his back even more drastically than before. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his face took on a look of ecstasy as he tried to accept more and more of her manhood into him.
“That’s a girl,” Stevie whispered. “It feels good to have your man in you, doesn’t it?”
He couldn’t even speak, he just huffed and puffed and tried to assist her dominance of him in any way that he could.
“What a good little girl you are,” she teased. “are you ready to cum like a girl?”
He didn’t respond, other than to find a way to thrust against her without interfering with her rhythm.
Stevie thrust deep and stayed there, then shook her pelvis, imitating the motions of a male orgasm. She held him impaled on her organ while he grunted and gasped and grabbed until he felt his own, new way of orgasming pass.
Finally, his breathing slowed and their eyes met.
“You liked it, didn’t you?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I’m going to pull out, now. You’re going to miss me, but we’ll do it again another time, ok?”
He nodded, again.
She pushed him back and pulled the dildo from his rear end as he groaned and involuntarily tried to clench the penis and keep it in him.
She smiled at his new expressions of femininity, the expressions expressed by many a satisfied woman after her first intense orgasm. He was lost in new feelings of joy and loss and want. These were feelings that most men ever felt and she had introduced him to them. She hadn’t orgasmed, but she felt a sense of release in herself that was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She was satisfied.
She pulled back the hem of his nightie to find a limp, dry penis. He had definitely experienced several orgasms, but he had not produced any semen. No muss, no fuss, just ecstasy.
“Now,” she smiled, “be a good girl and go wash your face and brush your hair. You’ve got a big day ahead of you, tomorrow.”
It had taken longer to get out of then house than they’d expected due to both spouses needing time for hair and makeup, but they were in the driveway at eight thirty and arrived at the firm at eight fifty, just as Stevie and Taylor did everyday.
They entered the offices with Gerry carrying Mila, who’d been his back seat buddy on the way, and Taylor carrying the diaper bag.
They went directly to the reception area where Gerry would sit behind a high desk.
“Oh, look.” Stevie smiled and pointed to a brass nameplate that read ‘Gerri Morley, Receptionist.’ “Your mom gave you my maiden name. Isn’t that Isn’t that sweet?”
Both Stevie and Taylor chuckled at that, while Gerry rolled his eyes.
Kate, who had been there for more than an hour already, came out to greet them. “Welcome, ladies, welcome!” She smiled. “And where is my little angel?” She asked before Gerry had even set the carrier down. “There she is! Let me have her for a few moments, please. Grandma needs some kisses.”
Gerry bent down, released the child’s restraints and lifted her to hand her to his mother.
Kate huffed and shook her head. “Gerry, I am flattered that you are wearing the lovely panties that I bought you, but there is no need for you to show me. When you need to bend, do so with your knees and maintain your modesty, for heaven’s sake.”
“Alright, mom.” He blushed a bit.
“And do not call me ‘mom’ at the office. You’ll call me Mrs Wentworth. Your wife and sister are both ‘Ms Wentworth,’ is that understood.”
Gerry nodded. “Yes, Mrs Wentworth.”
“Very good, now, may I assume that my oldest daughter dressed this child this morning?” She displayed the child wearing a onesie bearing the logo
of the LA Clippers basketball club.
“Yes,” Taylor said, “and she looks adorable.”
“She looks casual,” Kate scoffed. “Miss Morley, please check your book and tell me when our first appointment is.”
Gerry stood still for a moment before realizing his mother had meant him. “Oh, sorry,” he uttered as he hustled around the desk. He flipped the book open and said, “Ummm, it looks like the first appointment is at nine thirty, a Mr Winslow for you, mo... Mrs Wentworth. Then it gets busier at nine forty five.”
“Excellent, then that gives you some time to run an extra errand when you go to Ruby’s for the Danish.”
“Danish?”
“Yes, Danish. We have a standing order over at Ruby’s. Monica picks it up every morning on her way in. That’s part of your job, now.”
Gerry blinked. “Where’s Ruby’s?”
“It’s down the block near Fast River Road,” Stevie explained. “It’s only been open for a few months.”
“Oh. Ok.” Gerry already felt out of his depth. He started for the door.
“Your purse, sweetheart.” Taylor grabbed his purse and held it up for him.
He retrieved it and headed for the door, again.
“Gerry,” Kate called him back, again. “You’re in charge of the baby. You need to take her with you.”
“I’ll take care of Mila,” Taylor said.
“No, you have work to do,” Kate insisted. “Mila is Gerry’s responsibility.”
“Mom...” Taylor started, but Gerry interrupted.
“No, that’s ok. I’ve got her.”
He took Mila from Kate, squatted down, knees together, and strapped the baby back into the carrier. As he did that, Kate said, “On your way back, please stop at ‘Little Ones’ and find something appropriate for Mila.”
Gerry nodded as Taylor folded her arms, annoyed.
“And before you pick up the carrier, let me take a look at you.”
Gerry finished getting the straps locked then stood and faced his mother for inspection. “Hmm,” she had that judgmental sound to her voice. “Did you do your hair and makeup yourself?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Yes, what?” Kate demanded.
“Yes, Mrs Wentworth.”
Kate nodded. “You did well. I like that dress on you.” He was wearing a loose fitting, bright red, sleeveless, chiffon dress that clung pleasingly you his breasts then flowed beautifully around his baby bump, resting moderately high on his stockinged thigh. “Pantyhose or stockings?”
“Stockings.”
She nodded approvingly. “I don’t love the beige shows with the red dress, though. Stop at Roberts’ and pick up a pair of either black or red pumps. Both if you want.”
Gerry sighed. “Mom... I’m sorry... Mrs Wentworth, I don’t have that kind of money with me...”
Kate waved her hand dismissively. “Just tell everyone that I sent you and they’ll put it all on my account. Now, hurry. We have a business to run here.”
As Gerry hustled out the door carrying Mila’s carrier in his right hand with his purse hanging on his left shoulder, Taylor said, “You’re being pretty hard on him, mom.”
“Nonsense,” Kate shook her head. “For the next few days, Gerry is a young mother trying to make it in the real world. It’s important that he learns how to cope.”
“Mom,” Taylor didn’t agree, “I’m not just a young mother trying to cope, I’m a SINGLE mother and I never have all these things happening at once.”
Kate smiled at her. “You were already well off before having a child, Taylor. Sadly, Gerry is not. Maybe this experience will encourage him to become well off.”
“Gerry is well off, Kate,” Stevie pointed out. “We have plenty of money.”
“You have plenty of money, Stevie. I don’t want my son living off his wife.”
Stevie looked at Taylor and shook her head.
At nine forty, Gerry hurried back into the offices, looking just a bit disheveled from rushing, and carrying the baby carrier and a bag from Little Ones in one hand and a box of pastries from Ruby’s as well as a large bag from Roberts’ in the other. A woman in her early forties was sitting in the receptionist’s desk. She didn’t smile when she saw Gerry.
“You must be Gerri.” She stood.
“Yes,” Gerry put down the pastries and bags in his right hand and extended it to shake the woman’s hand.
“Look,” the woman said without accepting the hand, “I don’t know where Kate found you, but I am not here to cover for a temp. I work on commission and I have better things to do than sit here while you’re out doing whatever you were doing. Understood.”
“Yes,” Gerry said, his hand dropping back to his side. He set about putting Mila down and unloading his packages. “I’m sorry. My mo... Mrs Wentworth send me to do a few things that I didn’t expect to have to do. It won’t happen again.”
“I certainly hope not.” The woman started to walk away, but stopped. “You brought a baby to the office?”
“Yes ma'am.”
“Does Kate know about this?”
“Yes, ma'am. You see...”
“This is highly irregular. I mean, I do not want that child making a fuss while I am speaking to a client.”
“Oh, she’s a wonderful child, ma'am. I promise. You’ll hardly know that she’s here.”
“Well, we shall see about that!”
Just then, Kate appeared with another woman, this one in her mid thirties. “Ah, Laura, I see that you’ve met Gerri. Gerri, this is Laura and this is Erin. You will refer to Laura as Ms Abraham and Erin as Ms O’Hara. Ladies, this is Gerri and she will be covering for Monica for the next few days. Gerri worked here during the summer while she was in college and she has graciously agreed to come back for the next few days.”
Erin said ‘hello’ to Gerry and asked, “When are you due?”
Caught a bit off guard, Gerry looked down, noticed his appearance and smiled back at the woman. “Three months.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Erin gushed. “You’re this big at six months? You must be having octuplets!”
Although Gerry found the remark a bit callous, he laughed along with Erin and his mother.
“Speaking of babies,” Laura interrupted, “could we have a discussion about having an infant in the office, Kate?”
“Well, we certainly can, Laura,” Kate smiled as she looked at Mila in her carrier, “but before we do, I should point out that this infant is Taylor’s daughter, Mila, and my granddaughter.” She reached down to take the child up into her arms.
“Oh!” Erin squealed. “May I hold her for a moment? I just love babies.”
“Of course,” Kate kissed Mila, then passed her off to Erin. “I know that this is unusual, but Gerri has been working as Taylor’s nanny since Mila was born and when Monica asked for the week off, it just made sense to have Gerri come back to fill in.”
“Oh, she’s gorgeous.” Erin bounced Mila who smiled back. “And I just love the Clippers’ onesie.”
“Hmm.” Kate shook her head. “Ms Morely, did you remedy this clothing issue?”
Gerry, who had been watching Mila being bounced and feeling a sense of maternal pride at Erin’s compliments, looked at his mother for a moment before saying, “Oh, yes. I got her a really cute bishop’s dress in purple and white.”
“Very nice,” Kate nodded. “May I see it?”
“Of course.” Gerry dug it out of a bag and held up the tiny purple dress with puffy white sleeve.
“Oh, yes, perfect,” Kate took it and showed the other women. “If Taylor had her way, Mila would be wearing cleats and shoulder pads. Thank goodness Gerri is there to bring a sense of femininity to Mila’s wardrobe. Gerri has such wonderful fashion sense when it comes to Mila.”
Gerry smiled at the compliment, but his contentment was short lived because Kate continued, “Did you have a chance to do anything about those abominable shoes you’re wearing, Gerri?”
“Yes, Mrs Wentworth,” he nodded. “I got a lovely pair fo black pumps and a pair of red heels that match this dress. Which would you prefer I wear?”
The women were a little surprised by the question, but Kate moved right along. “When you say ‘heels’ do you mean that the heel is narrower than a pump’s heel?”
“Yes, Mrs Wentworth.”
“Well, those sound lovely. Wear those. In the future, I’d like you to show me your attire before we open. I think that will be helpful in training you to dress yourself as stylishly as you dress Mila.”
“Yes, Mrs Wentworth.”
“Alright, ladies,” Kate took Mila and handed her back to Gerry, “let’s get back to work. Gerri, please put the pastries out and pick up all of these bags before our clients arrive. Thank you.” They all dispersed, but Kate stopped and said, “Oh, Gerri, did the people at Little Ones add the item I called about?”
“Yes, Mrs Wentworth.”
Kate had called the children’s store and asked that they include a BabyBjorn baby carrier that would allow Gerry to have Mila strapped to his chest. “In pink?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Excellent.”
At one o’clock, after several hours of greeting clients, guiding them to the correct investment councilor, making and delivering coffee and the occasional pastry, two discreet diaper changes in the ladies room, two feedings and a lot of standing and bouncing Mila on his hip, Kate arrived at Gerry’s desk and announced that he would be having lunch with his wife and mother at a soup and salad shop down the block.
“Use the Baby Bjorn,” Kate said without room for discussion, “it’ll make things easier for you.” She went to retrieve her purse.
Gerry pulled the item from its packaging and read enough of the instructions to figure out how to adjust the straps and contain the child safely.
“How’s it going?” Stevie asked as she arrived at the reception area.
Gerry looked up and mustered a smile. “Ok, I guess. No one has complained, at least not to me, so I guess that’s good, right?”
“I suppose so,” Stevie smiled. “Believe me, if any one had complained to Kate, you’d know about it. Mila hasn’t been fussy, has she?”
Gerry smiled at the child. “She’s been great. She likes the fact that she has my undivided attention most of the time.”
“All set?” Kate was already moving past them as she headed to the door.
Stevie hustled to get in front of Kate and held the door for her mother in-law and then her husband, who, besides resembling a very pretty and very pregnant woman, also had Mila strapped to his front.
“Ooh, nice shoes,” Stevie remarked in a not at all teasing way as Gerry passed.
“Oh, thanks,” Gerry smiled.
At the restaurant, Kate ordered a salad, as did Stevie, but Gerry ordered a small ham and Swiss on rye with a little mustard and mayo, and some potato chips on the side. It wasn’t a big meal, but it wasn’t a salad, either.
When he sat, Kate looked at his plate and shook her head. “Would it kill you to eat a salad?”
“Now, Kate,” Stevie smiled and joked, “remember, Gerry is eating for two.”
Gerry struggled to sit in the chair at their table, the awkwardness of his plump silhouette increased by the addition of Mila hanging on his torso. The gentle movement of their walk and the fresh air had sent Mila back to sleep and Gerry didn’t want to chance waking her by taking her out of the papoose-like carrier.
“So, we have a complication,” Kate announced before Gerry had even managed a nibble of his sandwich.
“What kind of complication?” Stevie asked, assuming that there was a new investment regulation that Kate was about to explain.
“I received a couple of emails today that impact both of you.”
“How?” Gerry turned to his left a bit to try to grab the sandwich with his right hand.
“Well, one of the emails lays out the rules for the Halloween Ball and the costume competition. It seems that, although spouses and romantic partners are invited, the only people eligible to win the grand prize are employees of the participating companies.”
Both Gerry and Stevie remained quite as they considered the ramifications of this statement.
“So...” Stevie spoke first, “Gerry would have to remain working for the firm for the next three weeks in order to be eligible to win?”
“Correct.”
Stevie looked at Gerry and shrugged. “Oh, well. We tried, baby. I guess we’ll have to think of something more clever. You can still come in your mother-to-be get up, but you can’t win the prize.”
Gerry shrugged. “Sorry, mom. Do you still want me to dress up for the rest of the work?”
“Of course, Gerry, and there’s no need to be sorry. I’m going to keep you on at least until Halloween.”
“But mom...”
“Gerry, it’s still Mrs Wentworth. You never know who’s going to overhear us, even out of the office.”
“Ok, Mrs Wentworth, but won’t Monica be back on Monday? You don’t need both of us at the reception desk.”
“See, that’s where karma and the fates all seem to have come together. The other email I received was from Monica. It seems that on her flight home last night, her old boyfriend was on the plane with her. They sat together and talked, then, after they landed, went to dinner together. Apparently, they chatted all night and he proposed at breakfast this morning. She’s not coming back.”
When Stevie glanced at Gerry, the color had all left his face.
“Kate, you don’t expect Gerry to go on like this forever, do you?”
“Oh, no, Stevie, of course not,” Kate laughed. “Just until after Halloween. By then, I will have found a replacement and Gerry can train her for me. Everything is working out just perfectly.”
Gerry pushed his plate away from him, his appetite gone.
“Kate,” Stevie said quietly, “I think we need to discuss this before we agree to having Gerry living like this all month.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. He’s fine, aren’t you Gerri?”
Gerry didn’t answer immediately, so Kate continued. “Remember, Gerry, your anniversary is coming up soon. Wouldn’t it be nice to give your beautiful wife something extra special for your first anniversary?”
The threat was clear – do this or forget about St Thomas. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, Mrs Wentworth, that would be very nice.”
“Gerry, you don’t need to...” Stevie started to say, but Gerry interrupted her.
“No, Ms Wentworth, that’s ok. I’ll continue through Halloween. A deal’s a deal.”
Stevie sat back, irritated by Kate’s presumptuousness, and confused by Gerry’s passive acquiescence.
“I will make a concession, though,” Kate smiled. “I will allow Gerri to leave work an hour early every day so that he can get home and get dinner ready. There’s to reason for you to not have a nice dinner in the evening, Stevie and with Taylor still nursing Mila, she needs to eat well, too. So, I have arranged for a car to pick you up every day at four o’clock and take you home, Gerry. If you need to stop at the grocery store on the way, just tell the driver.”
Stevie sighed. “He won’t need a car every day, Kate. We’ll take two cars tomorrow...”
“Oh, don’t be foolish. Imagine what would happen if she got into an accident or was pulled over looking like that and having a license stating that she was a male. Until she’s done with maternity dresses, our little mommy here is not driving herself anywhere.”
At three fifty five, Gerry put Mila into the car-seat style carrier and and gathered all of his bags together, putting everything he could fit into the diaper bag. It had been agreed that the other women would take turns covering the reception desk for the last hour of the day and Taylor agreed to go first. Laura was not pleased about this arrangement at all. When Taylor reached reception, she found her little brother standing by the door, looking out the window for the hired car.
Taylor had heard about Kate’s imposition of a full month of dresses for Gerry and she wasn’t happy about it either, but then she watched her brother with her daughter.
He stood in the window in his pretty red dress and red heels, gorgeous waves of brown hair with red highlights flowing down his back and her daughter in the carrier being held, cradled in his arms as he swayed from side to side to comfort the child. The hem of his dress swayed along with him and when she listened closely she could hear him singing quietly.
“Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white
Clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow
May you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my home-land forever”
And Taylor started thinking, ‘Maybe this wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to her brother. Maybe her mother was actually on to something.’
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 3
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With the encouragement of his wife and sister, Gerry tries on some foundation garments
to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, as things get stressful, Gerry's body starts reacting strangely!
Author's Note: I have noticed comments have dropped to near zero here. Have I lost BigCloset's audience with this story? ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 3 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 3
"You're taking this the wrong way, Stevie," Taylor was riding in the passenger seat and trying to explain what she meant before her best friend and sister-in-law got too angry. "Now, remember, I love Gerry, too and I am not happy that my mom pushed him so far so fast or that she changed the rules of the game after he'd already made a deal with her - BUT - I was watching him before he left today and I didn't see a boy in a dress."
"Jesus, Tay, you're getting to be as bad as your mother. What are you suggesting? That I encourage my husband to get sex reassignment surgery? That I encourage him to get a vagina? What?"
"See, you're overreacting, now. All I'm saying is... well... some people are meant to be mothers and homemakers and some of those people are men. If Gerry is one of those men, I think that's great, but what if he's one of those men who is meant to be a mommy and a homemaker, but he's also meant to be cute, and plump and pretty? Is that so bad? Mom was right about one thing - Gerry looked a hell of a lot better when we got home from work last night than he did when we left for work yesterday morning. His transformation was too much, too quickly, yes, but you can't deny that he looked better."
Stevie pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store a few thousand feet before the turn off to their road. She pulled into a parking space and put the car in park. Stevie rubbed her face with her hands and groaned.
"Look, Tay, my whole life has been a battle to be accepted as a woman. First my mother, a massive Fleetwood Mac fan, gives me this stupid, boy's name, then, through some fluke of nature, I end up growing taller than any of my brothers and, despite my large breasted mother and sister, I end up strong, athletic and small breasted. I was teased unmercifully. When I was in my teens, I wished that I could go to sleep one night and wake up either as a boy so that I'd fit my body in or that I would shrink and be like all those popular girls who laughed at me when I walked by."
"I know, Stevie," Taylor said. "I went through the same things..."
"No, Tay, you didn't. I've seen your high school year book. You were tall, but you were always beautiful. I didn't start getting comfortable with my looks until halfway through college - and that was mostly because of you. I tried being a lesbian and failed miserably, so I made up my mind to just give up any chance of ever finding a man who could ever love me and I was all set to grow old and die alone."
"Then," she continued, "the weirdest thing happened! I met a guy, a little guy, and he got me. He really got me. He'd gone through the exact same things I'd gone through, only in reverse."
Taylor nodded that she understood.
"Now, I find myself turned on by... what? Feminizing him, I guess. It was a fun little bedroom game for a night or two, then Kate made it all so public, which was ok, I guess, as long as it was an open secret between us. Now... how can we keep this a secret for almost a month? I mean, if people found out that our cute little, knocked up receptionist was actually my husband, what would people think about him? Or about me? I can just hear the whispers now - 'See! I told you she was a dyke.' I just don't know if I can face this." She crooked an arm over the steering wheel and buried her head in it, her bobbed hair covering her face.
Taylor just stared at her friend for a few moments before saying anything. What could she say? Everything that Stevie had said was valid, but what about the truth of the matter? Gerry was a natural homemaker and he seemed to be more natural dressed in a pretty dress than a pair of sweat pants.
"Stevie? Do you love Gerry?"
Stevie's head shot back up and Taylor could see the wet marks left behind by tears. "Of course I love Gerry. You know that."
"So, do you think that he looks cleaner and healthier now than he did before my mom took him shopping and got him a makeover?"
Stevie sighed. "Ok. There's no denying that he was a little depressed and letting himself go. I mean, he had seriously immersed himself in every aspect of cooking, cleaning and caring for Mila, but he only showered every few days, his hair was always in a greasy ponytail and I admit I was getting a little fed up with it, but..."
"Hold that thought for a moment.," Taylor interrupted. "I was at your house this morning when you guys were getting ready. Did you notice anything different about Gerry's morning routine?"
Stevie scowled. "Well, yeah, of course. His whole routine was entirely different. He had to do his makeup and his hair and he needed my help zipping up his dress... lots of things were different."
"Was he letting himself go, or making sure his appearance was perfect?"
"Making sure he looked perfect, but that's because he didn't want to stick out."
"Or - maybe he wanted to blend in and look nice for you so you'd be proud of him."
Stevie contemplated this. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that Gerry knows that you love him and you love him because you guys are soulmates who shared similar heartaches growing up, but he also knows that he'll never be a tall stud, like the guys you drool over in the movies - Like Armie Hammer or Chris Hemsworth."
"Those are just fantasies, though."
"Right. Fantasies that he can't live up to, but the other night he was able to fulfill one of your fantasies by being a pretty, submissive wife and you told him how much you enjoyed that fantasy, didn't you?"
Stevie nodded.
"Honestly, as much as I know he'd deny it, I think that Gerry is trying to not just please my mother, but to become your dream girl by being as pretty as he can be."
Stevie mulled that over.
"And," Taylor continued, "he's really trying very hard to give you an amazing anniversary present. I can't tell you what it is, but you'll love it. That's what this is all about."
Stevie smiled. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah. Trust me, this is all going to be worth it."
Stevie leaned back and relaxed for the first time. "So... what? I should just let this all run it's course and see where it takes us?"
Taylor nodded. "And support whatever Gerry chooses to do. I think that mom may have inadvertently opened up a part of him that we hadn't seen before, but we may be seeing a lot of from now on."
Stevie shook her head as she put the car in reverse. "Geez, why couldn't I have a normal life? Everything has become so complicated and scary."
"I think you mean 'exciting.'"
Stevie pulled into traffic. "You're just weird."
When he'd arrived home, Gerry had immediately hung up his red dress, placed it carefully on the rod in the closet, then grabbed the satin robe his mother had given him and wrapped it around himself so that he wasn't just wearing the silk and lace slip.
He hustled to the kitchen and took several boneless chicken breasts from the refrigerator and set them on the counter. Before the process of breading them began, he took Mila from her carrier, checked her diaper, found it dry, pulled the highchair near the counter, placed her in the seat and locked her in, then sprinkled a few Cheerios onto the chair's table top and returned to the counter.
"Did you enjoy yourself today, Mila?" he cooed to the child, who smiled and nibbled on the cereal. "You looked so pretty and you behaved so well! You made me very proud. Yes, you did."
He broke and egg and mixed it with a little milk, placed the breasts into a mixing bow and poured the mixture in on top of it. Then grabbed a bag and poured bread crumbs in. While the chicken soaked in the mixture for a moment, he set the oven for three hundred and fifty degrees, pulled out a cookie sheet that he lined with parchment paper, grabbed a small baby bottle and filled it with water from the refrigerator's dispenser, tightened the nipple and put it on Mila's high chair top so she could grab it, then returned to battering the chicken breasts in breadcrumbs and laying them on the cookie sheet.
"What do you think, Mila? Wild rice pilaf, basmati rice, couscous or little red potatoes for supper?"
The baby bounced and gurgled at her favorite person.
"Basmati rice it is, then. An excellent choice!" He grabbed the rice cooker and plugged it in, added the water and rice, then pushed the button to the 'cook' setting just as the oven's beeper told him that it was appropriately preheated. He put the chicken breasts into the bag with the breadcrumbs, shook the bag, then placed the chicken onto the cookie sheet and slid it into the oven, set the timer for forty five minutes, opened a cabinet, removed a jar of Gerber's puréed garden vegetables, grabbed a small, rubber coated spoon, pulled a chair over to the high chair, opened the jar of food, removed a spoonful and smiled at his beautiful niece. There was a lot to accomplish, but Gerry was completely at home in his kitchen.
"Tada!" he said in a playful tone when he slid into the chair and that made her laugh.
As he fed her, he made loving cooing noises and recited little rhymes that she always enjoyed.
When the jar was empty, he pulled a bottle of breast milk from the refrigerator and warmed it just a little in the microwave, shaking it and making sure it was an acceptable temperature before slipping the nipple into Mila's mouth.
He smiled as she began to drink the nourishing fluid.
"You know what?" He spoke in the sing song voice that Mila loved to hear. "I missed being home with you today. I did. I don't think I realized it until today, but you have become my world, Mila. Taking care of you and talking to you... it's everything to me. I never thought about it until today, but I don't think I want to run a software consulting business, anymore. I don't think I want to do anything else, ever, but take care of you. I would love to have more like you, too. Maybe a little girl of my own to be your best friend - your little cousin who's more like a little sister."
The tone and cooing stayed the same, but Gerry's eyes became watery as he continued to speak to his best and only friend.
"I could dress you up and take you out in a twin stroller and buy you sweet little dresses that matched. When you got older, we could have tea parties when you're even older than that, we could all go together to pick out the perfect dress for your First Communion, or your first school dance..."
The tears flowed now.
"And then, when you got old enough to know that I'm not really the woman I look like, you grow to be embarrassed by me... then you wouldn't want me around and then... you'd hate me."
He held the baby's hand and kissed it, first on the back, then on the front and he held her palm against his cheek. "Please don't ever hate me, Mila. I want to be a good uncle for you, but... things have gone a little off the rails and I'm not sure if they'll ever get back on. Do you like me better like this or looking like a man?"
The child sucked on the bottle and stared lovingly. Her deep blue eyes were so shiny and filled with so much love and promise. She filled him with warmth and love and hope.
"Please don't ever hate me, Mila. Please."
On Thursday afternoon, Kate announced to Laura and Erin that Gerry would be staying on for a couple more weeks until a permanent replacement for Monica could be found. Erin was thrilled because that meant that she had a couple of more weeks spending time with Mila. She constantly complimented Taylor for the beauty of the child and Gerry for the beautiful clothing he provided. Laura was less enthusiastic because this meant she'd be stuck covering the reception area at least two or three more times before a replacement showed up.
"One more day till the weekend," Erin smiled as she arrived back at reception for another dose of Mila. "Have you enjoyed your first week here?"
Gerry shrugged. "I guess. I like everyone and it's nice to get into the stores downtown, but I miss being home with Mila. I can't do everything I'd like to do with her here."
"Like what?"
"Like read, or sing or just be spontaneous with her."
"Aww," Erin smiled. "You're going to make a great mommy."
He smiled. "Thanks."
"So, who's your OBGYN?"
For a moment, the question made no sense to Gerry. "What?"
"Your OBGYN? Who are you going to?"
"Umm..." he searched for a name, then remembered that Taylor had gone to see a doctor named Dr Crenshaw, so that's the name he gave. "I see Dr Crenshaw."
"Crenshaw?" Erin smiled. "Bill or Joseph?"
Just then, Taylor stepped into the reception area to grab a cup of coffee.
"Oh, excuse me, Ms Wentworth?" Gerry called you her, hoping for some help.
"Yes, Gerri?"
"We were just discussing my OBGYN. I go to your doctor. Is Dr Crenshaw's first name Bill or Joseph?"
"Rosalyn," Taylor said without any thought.
Erin looked from Taylor to Gerry. "Rosalyn? You couldn't remember if your female ONGYN was named Joseph or William or Rosalyn?"
"Oh... well..." Gerry sputtered.
"Sorry, Rosalyn is Joseph's daughter," Taylor laughed. "Gerri has seen both Joe and Rosalyn. I only saw Rosalyn."
"Oh," Erin smiled and returned her attention to Mila. "Honest to God, Taylor, I think you have the most beautiful baby who ever lived."
Taylor came close and smiled over Erin's shoulder at her beautiful daughter. "I know. I'm very lucky."
"Is her father as good looking as you?" It was an innocent question and one that wasn't meant to offend, after all, Erin and Taylor were just coworkers. They weren't really friends and Taylor didn't speak about Fred at work.
Taylor gave a sad smile and said, "He is. He's very good looking."
"Excuse me, Miss Morley," Kate was suddenly in reception with them, "may I see you in my office for a few moments?"
"Yes, of course, Mrs Wentworth." Gerry stood with a bit of difficulty and half-walked-half-waddled around the desk.
"Taylor," Kate gave the other two women a judgemental look, "will you please look after reception and Mila for a few minutes. Erin, I believe you owe me some paperwork on the Grossman account. I'd like that before you leave today."
"Of course, Kate." Erin handed the baby to her mother. "I'm sorry. I'll have that to you in less than an hour."
Kate linked her left arm through Gerry's right and led him towards her office. "That is a lovely dress, dear," she whispered, "did Stevie buy that for you?"
Gerry glanced at the soft lavender dress with what looked like lilac blossoms in darker purple tastefully printed on it. Tiny cap sleeves and an unusual, twisted belt emphasized the empire waist. The bodice draped tastefully over his breasts in a manner that reminded him of a Greek goddess' dress. Like most of his office dresses, the hem brushed his stockinged legs just above the knee. The stretchy jersey material breathed well and moved nicely. It was the most comfortable dress he'd worn so far - in fact, it was one of the most articles of clothing he'd ever worn.
"Oh, no." He smiled at the compliment. "I saw it in the window at Kennedy's and I really liked it, so I bought it for myself. According to the saleswoman, it's a style that The Duchess of Cambridge wore when she was pregnant and it's appropriate to be worn after pregnancy, too."
Kate closed the door after they entered her office. She indicated a chair that faced her desk and Gerry took the seat.
"So," Kates' eyes were raised, "you bought yourself a dress that you can wear AFTER you've delivered the baby. How very foresighted of you. When is your due date, again?"
Gerry was embarrassed. "I was just relaying what the saleswoman said..."
Kate waved him off. "It's a lovely dress, Gerry, and I'm glad to see that you've trained that fashion sense that you use so well on Mira to enhance your own appearance. In fact, one of the reasons I asked you in here was to tell you how impressed I am with how well you've integrated yourself into the office this week. I know I'm asking a lot of you, and you're doing very well. Here."
Kate passed a credit card across the table to him.
"What's this?"
"It's my credit card. When you get home tonight, book your vacation and flight and anything else you want for your anniversary trip - massages, boat rides, whatever."
Gerry's eyes opened wide. "Mom... thank you."
"Oh, don't be silly. You've lived up to your part of the deal up to this point. I still expect you to live up to the rest of your agreement, but I can't expect you to wait until a week before your trip to arrange everything. Just return the card when you're through with it. Oh, also attach that card to your reservation so that you can charge anything that comes up while you're there."
"Wow," he whispered. "Mom... I mean, thanks. This is very generous of you."
"A deal's a deal." she stood, which Gerry took to be his cue to stand as well, but he had to maneuver himself up with some care.
"Are you ok?" Kate asked.
As he worked himself upright he sighed, "My back is stiff, probably from sitting all day and using that Baby Bjorn carrier. I'll be ok."
What he didn't tell his mother is that his whole body was feeling aches and pains in new and troubling places. His back pain may well have been from sitting so much or from using the Baby Bjorn or because the babybelt created a very realistic baby belly that put a new strain on his body, but his little bit of a waddle was due to the fact that he and Stevie had been much more sexually adventurous than they had been in the past and most of these adventures involved his bottom and his breasts his nipples in particular. They'd been awake later than usual every night this week with Gerry either on his knees servicing Stevie, or underneath her while she kissed, nibbled or penetrated him. The truth was, his nipples and his bottom both ached a great deal!
"To tell you the truth, it actually helps to make your disguise convincing."
"Thanks... I guess... and thank you for the vacation, mom. That's really means a lot to me."
"Mrs. Wentworth, dear. Always Mrs Wentworth in the office. You're welcome."
Just as he opened the door to leave, Kate said, "Oh, I nearly forgot! Our biggest client, Kirkland-Williams, is sending several of their people in tomorrow to review the investments we've made for their retirement fund. They are also considering moving their entire investment portfolio to our firm. Whenever they show up, we like to put on a bit of a dog and pony show for them. When you go to Ruby's for the pastry order, it'll be three boxes instead of two and the florists will be coming in first thing in the morning with quite a few arrangements to place about the office. I'll trust you to work with them to make everything look lovely before their representatives arrive."
"Oh, of course, Mrs Wentworth." Gerry smiled. "Thank you for trusting me."
"Of course, my dear, however, about the dress you'll be wearing tomorrow..."
"Yes?"
"Well, I know what a limited selection you have in your closet. Hmm, I do wish I knew about this lovely number, it would have been perfect for tomorrow. Do you have anything else this nice?"
Gerry thought for a moment. "No ma'am. I could, maybe, go to Kennedy's again after work."
"No, no, dear, in fact, I'd like to set up a visit from my 'nail girl' for you this afternoon. I'll call her and have her at your house by four thirty. That will give you time to get home, get Mila settled and start dinner for you and the girls."
"What's wrong with my nails?" Gerry looked at the acrylic nails that Veronica had applied on Monday.
"Nothing, dear. It's just that, when presenting the office to very important clients, I want everything and everyone to look perfect. That red polish was lovely with your red dress, but I'd like something more 'classic' looking for tomorrow."
Gerry started at his nails, confused.
"You'll learn, dear, that a truly well turned out woman takes care of every aspect of her appearance. Men should, too, but very few do. Perhaps, at the end of all of this, you'll have learned something beneficial about presenting yourself."
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.
"Well, then," Kate smiled, "back to work, girl. You still have an hour before your car arrives."
"You'll like this color," the sixty-something-year-old, elegant Asian woman explained, holding one completed hand up for Gerry to see. "The soft pink goes with everything and it's just bright enough so that people notice it."
"It is very pretty," Gerry agreed, while keeping an eye on Mila in the playpen with another episode of Sesame Street playing on the iPad.
"Oh, you new mommies are always nervous when you're not holding your babies. Listen, I've raised five children, three girls and two boys, and I'll tell you, they're not as fragile as you think. She'll be fine for a few minutes."
Gerry had barely gotten home before Maelee had arrived. She set up her folding table and accoutrements in the kitchen and Gerry was ordered to stop doing what he was doing and sit. Luckily, Mila wasn't wet and didn't appear hungry, but he'd not had time to start dinner, which he was fretting about - well, that and having Mila in the same room as the harsh fumes from the nail polish. He was always very particular about things like that.
"She is a beautiful baby," Maelee said as she went about her work. "She looks just like you."
Gerry always loved to hear that, even though she really looked just like Taylor.
"Actually," Gerry admitted, "she is my niece, not my daughter."
"Oh, good," the woman laughed.
A bit insulted, Gerry asked, "Why is that good?"
"Oh, I just meant, well, with you being pregnant... well, two that close together and a job... that would be a lot to handle."
As Maelee started the other hand, Stevie and Taylor appeared. Each greeted Gerry with a smile and kiss on the cheek.
"Where's my princess?" Taylor cooed as she danced to the playpen and received giggles of joy from Mila.
"And how's my princess doing?" Stevie teased as she leaned on the counter and smiled at Gerry as he was being pampered.
"Good," he smiled.
"This is pretty," Stevie smiled as she fingered the cotton material of the full length, white, ruffled apron he was wearing to cover the dress he'd worn to the office. "Did you buy it for yourself?"
"No," Gerry was a little surprised by the question. "It was in a box from Amazon on the porch when I got home. It was addressed to me. I thought that you bought it for me."
"Mom strikes again!" Taylor laughed as she bounced Mila on her hip.
"I can take it off if it's not appropriate," Gerry said sincerely.
"No," Stevie smiled. "Keep it on. I like it. It's pretty and it looks pretty on you."
Gerry smiled at the compliment. "I didn't have time to start dinner. We'll be running a little late."
Stevie petted his hair, still fascinated by its beauty and softness. "Don't worry, baby. We'll call for something."
"No we won't," Gerry shook his head, indignantly. "I'll make you something quick and easy. How does lemon pasta and shrimp sound? I know it's not haute cuisine, but it'll be healthier than Chinese takeout."
"Argh," Taylor looked at Maelee and shook her head. "She is such a mother hen!"
Maelee laughed. "It's good that you have someone taking care of you."
"Can I help with anything?" Stevie asked.
"Sure," Gerry nodded. "You can grab that big pot and fill it up about halfway with water, then start the burner so it's boiling when I'm done here."
"You got it!" Stevie kissed the crown of Gerry's head.
Taylor sat beside the table and, in a stage whisper, said, "Oh my God! Stevie is going to touch the stove! I think this is one of the signs of the apocalypse! Watch the windows for four horsemen."
"Yeah, you should talk," Stevie teased back from the stove. "When was the last time you cooked?"
"Sunday, remember."
"And Gerry did most of that, too, so don't throw stones, Miss Glass House."
Dinner was delicious, as usual. Despite his newly lacquered fingers, Gerry managed to make dinner, serve it and clean up after it all while wearing his size small, yellow, Playtex, rubber gloves and his new, ruffled apron.
As Gerry washed the dishes, with Mila in her chair beside him, Stevie and Taylor adjourned to the porch. They loved sitting on the porch in the evening, especially in the autumn when the evenings were cool enough to enjoy the fresh air without sweating profusely.
"What do you think of mom's newest gift?" Taylor asked, referring to the apron.
Stevie looked through the sliding doors to where Gerry was working in the kitchen. "Part of me wants to kill her for making him such a girly little thing, and part of me wants to take that girly little thing to bed and fuck her senseless."
Taylor laughed so hard that she could hardly contain cranberry juice she'd been drinking in her mouth. "Holy cow, Stevie! I've never heard you use that word once in all the time I've known you."
"I'm telling you, Tay, this feminine stuff is playing with my brain. It's not just the dresses - it's everything. When he put on his flats to make dinner - the way that he wiggles his ankle to slide his foot into the flats - it was such a ladylike manouver that I wanted to sweep him up and take him to bed - As if I was Rhett Butler and he was Scarlet O'Hara. I think I'm losing it, I really do."
"Losing it?" Taylor laughed. "It sounds like you're 'getting it,' and in a very good way, too. I'm telling you, Steve-oh, relax, accept that you like him this way and enjoy it. Who knows? It may last a few weeks, or it may last forever, but if it turns you on, enjoy it."
"Hello!" Kate called as she walked in through the front door, a garment bag hanging from her right hand. "I'm just stopping by with a new dress for my youngest daughter to wear to the office tomorrow."
She hung the garment bag she carrier on the kitchen door frame and crossed to the sink, first kissing Mila, then Gerry. "Oh, do you like the apron? I thought it was just darling when I saw it online."
"Well, yes, I do..."
"And it reminded me so much of the maids and nannies in old movies, I just thought it would be such a charming addition to your look, and I was right, don't you think?"
"It is very pretty mom..."
"And you'll need to give it a little extra attention to keep it that way. When you wash it, you'll have to take some time to iron it and remember to use spray starch to keep the ruffles looking fresh. It's just a few extra minutes, but it will make all the difference in the world. A girl has to look her best, especially at home. The breadwinner should always come home to a beautiful, well dressed spouse. Remember that, Gerry."
What was the point in arguing. "Yes, ma'am."
"That's my girl." She kissed his cheek, again.
"Now, everyone come see the dress I found for Gerry to wear to work tomorrow. It's adorable. It's soft and feminine and professional. It's all girl, but with just a touch of boyishness."
"A boyish maternity dress," Stevie snickered as she stood. "I can't wait to see that!"
"Maybe it's culottes," Taylor kidded.
"It is certainly NOT culottes," Kate said, only hearing the end of the conversation and horrified by the very idea.
Kate took the garment bag from its perch on the door frame and turned it towards her as she drew the zipper down. She pulled the dress free of the bag, but left it hanging so that it shielded the dress from her 'audience.' Then she turned it to face them with a 'tada.'
It was truly a lovely dress. A stretchy, plain, black, scooped neck bodice with barely-there cap sleeves, a high, empire waist that was sure to draw attention to Gerry's delicate condition, and a wide-flared, pink skirt and a three inch, baby blue band of satin circumnavigating the skirt six inches from the bottom.
"Ohh," Taylor exclaimed, sincerely impressed. "That's beautiful. I love that fit-and-flare style. Gerry, you'll find this really comfortable."
Gerry thought the dress was lovely, but even though it was
unquestionably a maternity dress, it did seem a bit... young.
Stevie lifted the skirt to reveal the petticoat she suspected was hidden beneath. "A petticoat?"
"They're very stylish, Stevie," Kate waved a hand. "Lots of girls are wearing them."
"Any women?" She asked in retort. "I thought you said that there was something 'boyish' about this dress. I'm looking at a pink skirt with a petticoat. What exactly is 'boyish' about this dress?"
"Well," Kate seemed annoyed that Stevie couldn't see it for herself, "the top is, essentially, a stretchy tee shirt and then there's that blue strip around the skirt near the bottom. Boys like tee shirts and the color blue, don't they?"
"Sure," Stevie shook her head, "that's why there are so many sports teams with BABY blue as their team color."
Kate ignored the sarcasm. "Anyway, Gerry, I won't make you try it on, now, I'm sure it'll fit just beautifully, but I wanted to give you this to wear with it."
She handed him a gift wrapped box, approximately eight inches long, two inches wide and a little more than an inch deep.
"What's this," Gerry asked tentatively, suspecting a trap of some kind.
"Just something that every girl should have. I gave one to your sister on her eighteenth birthday and one to your wife for her wedding day."
The women's eyes opened wide, assuming they knew what was in the box. They looked at the box in shocked expectation as Gerry opened it to reveal a beautiful, three strand, pearl necklace, very similar to ones owned by both Taylor and Stevie.
Gerry looked up at all the women standing over him. "Pearls? They're beautiful, mom, but weren't they expensive?"
"Of course they were expensive, Gerry, but quality costs money. And besides, I think you'll find that these go with nearly anything shy of a tee shirt. You'll get plenty of use out of them. And I know I shouldn't have, but it's just so fun to shop for a girl who has nothing... I got you earrings to match." She handed him a small, unwrapped box with the name of the most prestigious dealer in the area embossed in gold on its green top.
Gerry opened it to see two, large, perfectly round and opulencent pearls mounted on gold studs.
As thoughtful as this gifts were, they seemed to have a message attached that read, 'Gerry, this is all permenant now. The decisions have all been taken away from you. You are now and will always be a pretty, pregnant woman.' The message petrified him, both because he wasn't ready to hear it and because he kind of felt as if taking the decision away from him would be the easiest way to make it all permenant and a very big, and growing part of him really wanted it to be permanent. But he couldn't face that, let alone discuss it right now, so he did the only thing he could think to do.
He cried.
He didn't bawl or weep, he just cried what could have been construed as tears of fear or tears of joy, and he laid his head on Mila's as he hugged her on his hip.
Kate patted his face. "That's ok, baby. I understand. Girls love pretty things." Then she turned to everyone else and said, "Remember to be a little early, tomorrow, girls. It's going to be a big day! Love you all! Good night."
She headed for the door, but stopped and turned, saying, "Tell you what... let's all wear our pearls tomorrow. It'll look lovely and won't it be nice to see all of the Wentworth girls all decked out in their pearls together? Goodnight, and she was out the door and gone.
"Are you ok?" Stevie asked her husband.
He nodded. "Just a little... overwhelmed, I guess."
Stevie moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him and the baby. She offered comfort without saying a word. She wasn't sure what to say, to be honest, but she couldn't deny that she was, at some level, very pleased with the dress and pearls.
"Do you like any of this, Gerry?" Taylor asked.
He sniffles and shrugged. "I mean, the dress is lovely, I guess, and the pearls... they must have cost a fortune. It's just all... a lot, I guess. Do you guys..." he took a deep breath, "... do you even consider me a man any more?"
"Of course we do, Gerry," Taylor reassured him. "How could you even ask us something like that?"
"You'll always be my man, baby," Stevie kissed the back of his head. "You know that."
Gerry nodded and looked at the pearls again. He didn't want them, but he couldn't wait to feel them around his neck. What was wrong with him?
"There are aspects to living like a woman that you enjoy, though, aren't there?" Taylor asked.
He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
"Like what?"
"I don't know... I'm less isolated. Like I've told you, I like talking to other women about Mila and cooking and stuff. I get to spend more time with you two... and..."
"And what?"
"I like..." the last part was muffled.
"What?" Taylor had not heard his words.
"I like... looking... nice. I'm not a handsome guy, but... I'm... kinda... I don't know..."
"You're adorable as a girl," Stevie finished it for him.
He shrugged again.
"Well, you are," Taylor laughed, in a kind way. "And you know it. You were a geeky little brother, but you're a drop dead gorgeous little sister. No matter what, Gerry, I'll always love you. And so will Mila."
"And so will I," Stevie hugged him harder. "You're stuck with me for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health and in trousers or in petticoats."
He laughed at that.
"Look," Taylor smiled and patted his cheek, "you know we didn't start this to turn your life upside down. It was just meant to be some fun at Halloween, but you're pretty good at being a woman - better than me in a lot of ways, actually. It doesn't have to be forever. You've already almost finished one week. Just a few more to go, ok? Enjoy the soft clothes and perfume while you can. Then, come November first, you can make up your mind about how you want to live your life. Ok?"
"Ok," he nodded.
Stevie squeezed him once more, then let go. "Maybe we could do something fun this weekend to get your mind off of all of this, ok?"
"That'd be nice."
Mila laid her head on his breast and snuggled, tiredly.
"I should get her to bed," Taylor said as she reached for the child. "It's been a long day for her."
Gerry kissed the baby as she left his arms. "Goodnight, baby," he whispered.
"You guys finish up in here. I'll let myself out. Love you both." Taylor went out the front door.
The water felt glorious on Gerry's skin as he soaped himself up in the shower. The shower was the only time that he was free of the tight foundation garments he wore day and night. In fact, he was getting quite used to wearing a bra, but the baby-belt could be quite cumbersome as the day wore on. Having a belly residing so prominently in front of him all the time was also tiring. Everything felt different, now, though. The softness of his skin from the creams he applied morning and night, the softness of his hair from the rinses and conditioners he used when he showered. Even the way the water traveled over his hairless skin.
Because they both needed to shower for Friday, Gerri was taking his tonight in order to give Stevie enough time to take hers in the morning. He'd been told to wash and condition his hair as he'd been taught, then just dry his hair with a towel. Stevie's was planning to braid it so that he'd have nice waves in his hair for the next day.
He shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack, he bent over and began toweling his hair dry. It was a longer process than it had been before when he'd just give it a quick brushing and then tie it into a low ponytail. Everything had to be done 'just so,' now.
Finally, his hair was dry enough to wrap turban style, which he did, then he stood, snapping his head back and standing straight up, facing the mirror over the sink.
And then he saw it.
"Shit," he whispered, then looked more closely.
It couldn't really be like that, could it?
"Shit," he whispered.
He ran his fingers over his body, noticing the changes for the first time.
"Shit," he whispered.
He grabbed the sheer robe his mother had given him and quickly wrapped himself in it's protective softness. He tied the the belt that sat right at the empire waist of the robe, but that just accentuated every thing.
"Shit," he whispered.
He sat in the wooden chair in the corner of the bathroom and tried to think clearly, but he couldn't.
"Shit," he whispered.
He gazed into nowhere and tried to think of what he should do. He must have sat there quite a while, because when Stevie knocked and called in, "Is everything alright in there?" it roused him back to reality.
"Umm... yes..." he responded, but he knew that was a lie.
"Then come on out. I'm waiting to braid your hair, then defile your body." He heard her laugh.
"Shit," he whispered, then stood and looked at himself in the mirror once again. Nothing had changed since he'd last looked.
He took a deep breath, then opened the door and entered the bedroom, where Stevie was sitting by her vanity, brushing her own hair.
He moved slowly towards her. Slowly enough to catch her attention.
"What's wrong?" She asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
He took another breath. "I think I might be in trouble, Stevie."
"Trouble?" Stevie stopped brushing. "What kind of trouble? Do you need money? I'll give you whatever you need?"
He shook his head.
"Then what kind of trouble?" She asked.
He opened his robe and let it drop from his shoulders to his elbows, revealing his naked body.
"Oh, shit," Stevie whispered. "How? I mean... how?"
"It must be from wearing the baby belt and bra all the time."
She stood and looked at her husband. The belly that had been pushed forward by the baby belt now, without the belt on, looked much more like a pregnant belly than before, but his breasts were different. They didn't hint at a woman's breasts - the were women's breasts. Well defined, and feminine women's breasts. They sagged a bit, but that just added to the pre-natal look.
"Jesus, Gerry, even your nipples look bigger."
"That's probably your fault, though," he said as he looked at himself In the vanity mirror.
"My fault? How is it my fault?"
He blushed a bit as he said, "You've been nibbling and suckling on them on week. They've gotten very sensitive."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I liked it," he blushed some more.
Now, Stevie blushed as well. "Yeah, well... maybe we should stop, then. We'll just have to tell your mom."
Gerry thought about that and about having to pay back the vacation he'd just charged on her credit card. There was no way he could do that. "No... look, if this all happened because I wore shapewear for four or five days, then when I stop, it should all go back to normal even faster, right? So... let's just keep doing what we're doing. Ok?"
"Are you sure?" Stevie asked, very uncertain, but very aroused as well.
"Yeah. I'm sure. Let me put on my bra and baby-belt and you can show me how to braid my hair."
"Hold on a minute." Stevie went to his dresser and pulled out a black nightie with a thin straps and lace around the breast area. "I thought that your mother was crazy for buying this, since you'd always be wearing a bra underneath, but, just for a little while, wear this. You can put on your bra on later."
She pulled his hair free of the towel-turban, slipped the sheer material over him and settled the nightie in place, the gentle elastic quality of the bodice settling seductively around his breasts, causing them both to shiver, just a little bit.
They kept their eyes looked on each other, each wanting to move to the bed, neither wanting to make the first move. Finally, Gerry moved to sit in the vanity chair, but Stevie, in a sudden and desperately aggressive move, threw her arms under him and swept him up into her arms, nearly throwing him onto the bed.
"My hair..." Gerry began to protest, "... its still wet."
"Fuck your hair, ill do it later," Stevie pulled down her pajama bottoms and stepped out of them. "Better yet," she growled, "I'll fuck you, instead,"
She leapt onto the bed and was immediately tonguing, suckling and nibbling his breasts as her hand pulled the hem of the nightie high enough so she could grad his penis, an organ that had been neglected a lot recently. She was so aggressive and passionate that Gerry didn't know where to put his hands, but long before he reached a male orgasm, he'd experienced many other, less masculine ones due to the manipulation of his nipples and several fingers inserted into his rear end. It was well past eleven before he was back in his bra and baby-belt, a clean, less revealing nightie and having his hair braided.
Knowing how important this day was for Kate, Taylor and Stevie arrived at the office, with Gerry and Mila in tow, at eight o'clock Friday morning, just moments before the florists arrived with more flowers than Gerry had ever seen outside of a flower show.
Gerry worked with the delivery men to create a stunning array of color and scents throughout the outer office, Kate's interior office and the conference room, as well.
It was only eight forty when everything had been set in just the right place.
"Taylor," Kate said, "could you watch the baby for a few moments? Gerri, before you go to Ruby's I'd like a few words in my office, please."
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth," he replied and he followed his mother to her desk.
"You did a lovely job decorating this morning, Geri. Thank you, very much for that."
A bit surprised to receive such an unqualified compliment, Gerri smiled. "Thank you, Mrs Wentworth."
"You've done very well all week, in fact and I am very proud of you..."
Gerry was about to thank her again, but before he could, Kate continued.
"...but today is a very, very, very important day for us and I need you to be even more on the ball than you have been this week."
Gerry nodded. "What would you like me to do?"
"Well, first of all, when speaking to these men, I need you to be more demure than usual. Don't look them directly in the eye. Look up through your lashes at them. They are used to being served by women, they do not view women who work as receptionists as equals. In fact, mom, I am sure that they view all women as inferior - that is, of course, unless you've made them millions in investments as I have, or if you're and Amazon beauty like your wife and sister. I expect you to be what they will perceive you to be - pretty, little, demure Barbie doll who happens to be pregnant. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you like your new dress?" The question seemed like a drastic departure from the conversation.
Gerry looked down and ran his hand over the pink material of the skirt which was a bit inflated by the petticoat beneath. "It's lovely, thank you."
"And the pearls?"
In truth, Gerry adored the pearls. They had an unusual weight to them that he just loved. They moved so perfectly and felt amazing when he touched them. The earrings were the same - just perfect. When he looked in the mirror while wearing them, they seemed to make his face glow.
When he didn't respond, Kate asked again. "Do you like your new pearls, Gerri?"
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth, I love my new pearls. Thank you."
"Well, you're certainly very welcome, but do you know why I chose this particular look for you to wear today?"
"No, Mrs Wentworth, I'm afraid that I don't."
"It's because, like a Barbie doll, it is classic. The black top is simple and emphasizes your breasts. Men love that. The pink skirt just screams of female subservience. The blue strip follows the line of the hem as it raises a bit in the front because of your pregnant belly. Soft, beautiful, little and pregnant. Everything about you reflects a time from before even I was born when women were meant to be seen and not heard, at the beck and call of men and objects of desire. That's what you need to be today, Gerri. Do you understand?"
He felt so diminished by his mother's words. So reduced to a mere object or a servant. Just a useful ornament, but when he looked at his dress, he realized that that was all that he was. The dress was girlish and feminine in the extreme. He looked like a pretty little pregnant girl compared to the professional women surrounding him in the office. He needed to accept what he had become.
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth, I understand."
"Very good. One more thing. Do you know how to curtsy?"
"Curtsy?"
"Yes, Gerri. Curtsy. Like a maid in a manor house. Curtsy. Do you know how?"
He pondered the question for a moment. "No, ma'am, I'm afraid I don't."
"Then stand."
Gerri pushed himself up using the arms of the chair to rise, belly first, and stood before his mother in the petticoated dress she'd chosen for him. He kept his gaze down due to shame, but Kate took it as a display of demureness.
"Place the toe of your right foot, just behind the heel of your left."
He did as he was told.
"Now, bend your knees ever so slightly and nod as you do so."
He did as he was told.
"And back up."
He did as he was told.
Kate had him try it all in one fluid motion a half dozen more times before dismissing him to take charge of Mila once again and retrieve the pastries from Ruby's.
At ten fifteen on the nose, the phone in reception rang. Gerry picked it up, "Good morning. This is Wentworth Investments, Gerri speaking. How may I help you?"
He listened for a moment, then said, "Thank you," and hung up, hurrying to his mother's office with Mila on his hip. He knocked and was given permission to enter.
"Excuse me, Mrs Wentworth, but I just received a call from Angelo at the parking garage valet desk. The men from Kirkland-Williams just dropped off their car. They should be here any second."
"Excellent, Gerri. Please return to reception and prepare to greet our clients."
"Yes, ma'am." He turned to leave.
"Gerri." She stopped him and he turned to face her. "When you have finished your chore, what do you do?"
"I do apologize, Mrs Wentworth," he said as he curtsied and exited. He returned to the reception desk and placed Mila in the playpen, hoping she would remain quiet until he had shown the men into the conference room where his mother had called his sister and wife to prepare for the men.
The five men arrived wearing perfectly fitted suits, each of which must have cost a minimum of thirty five hundred dollars. Gerry stood and came around the desk, eyes diverted slightly so he gazed up through his lashed. "Good morning, gentlemen. Welcome to Wentworth Investments. My name is Gerri. May I help you?"
Four of the men were at least in their fifties, if not older and one was much younger. All were fit and trim, well maintained and handsome.
"You're new," the leader acknowledged as he ran his eyes up and down Gerry's body. "There was a redhead here last quarter."
"Yes, that was Monica, sir. I'm afraid she left us to get married."
The man nodded and looked around. "Please tell Kate that Ben Kirkland and his partners are here to see her."
"Yes, sir, Mr Kirkland. Mrs Wentworth and her partners are waiting for you in the conference room. Please, follow me."
As Gerry led the way to the conference room, he could feel Mr Kirkland's eyes on him the whole way. When he reached the door, he knocked gently before opening and saying, "Mr Kirkland and associates to see you, Mrs Wentworth, Ms Wentworth, Ms Wentworth."
"Please show them in, Gerri," Kate said loud enough to be heard.
"Please go right in, gentlemen," he smiled, still maintaining a demure demeanor, eyes down.
The men passed by, but one stopped - the youngest. He was taller than the rest and he was the only one whose hair had not gone grey.
He stopped as he reached Gerry and looked at him closely. "Do I know you?"
Gerry glanced up, just for a second, then looked back down, terrified. It was Bob Williams. Gerry had attended high school with him. They hadn't exactly been friends, but they'd had a lot of mutual acquaintances and ran into each other quite a bit back then.
"No, I don't think so, sir." He said as convincingly as possible.
"Really? We never dated or anything before?"
"No sir," Gerry blushed and shook his head.
"Really? You seem so familiar to me..."
"Bob," one of the older men said. "Stop flirting and let's get down to business."
"Yeah, sorry, dad," Bob Williams said. Then, looking back at Gerry, he said, "I'll think of it, honey." He winked at him and smiled.
"Please be seated, gentlemen," Kate said, sounding very important. "Gerri, please fetch these gentlemen some coffee and pastries."
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth," he curtsied and left the room, a move that did not go unnoticed by his wife.
Moments later, as the men were opening up portfolios with financial reports held within them, Gerry returned with a large tray of pastries, several thermos-pitchers of coffee and milk, cream and sugar.
"Oh, Geez, let me help you with that," Bob said, leaping to his feet. "A delicate little thing like you shouldn't be carrying something this heavy. Especially in your condition."
"I'm fine, thank you," Gerry insisted, but Bob took the tray and carried it the last few feet for him.
Gerry grabbed several coffee mugs and circled the table, putting a mug by each man and woman. When he returned to the side table to grab the thermos-pitchers, Bob was waiting.
As Kate began her meeting, Bob spoke quietly, "I'm sure I know you. I just can't put my finger on where I know you from."
"Excuse me for just a moment, Kate," Kirkland said. "Bob, if you'd rather chat up this young woman, that's fine, but the rest of us have a business to run."
"I'm sorry, Mr Kirkland," Bob smiled, unabashed.
"Sit down, Bob," Bob's father said, sounding a bit cross. "You're here to learn, not flirt. Besides, if you'd take a second to look at the young lady, you may notice that she's not only wearing another man's ring, she's carrying another man's baby. Now, sit down, shut up and take note of what we're doing."
Throughout Mr Williams' declaration, Gerry had been placing the thermos pitchers as well as containers of milk, cream and sweetener dispensers on the table.
"I am sorry if Gerri is a distraction," Kate said. "She is a lovely little thing, but I'm afraid that young Mr Williams is having a hard time concentrating with her in the room. Gerri, that will be all for now."
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth," Gerry finished laying out the pastry plates and headed to the door where he paused, curtsied and exited, pulling the door closed behind him. Once again, Stevie took note of the gesture of subservience.
Gerry returned to reception where he found Erin holding Mila and cooing quietly to her. "She was getting a little fussy,"
"Oh, thank you," Gerry smiled and took Mila back. "Were you lonely without me, Mila? Huh?"
"He's gorgeous," Erin said.
"Who?" Gerry asked, but he knew the answer.
"The young guy. He's into you, too."
Gerry blushed, embarrassed. "He seems nice, but I'm married."
"Are you?" Erin seemed surprised.
"Yes, of course. Why?"
Erin shrugged and looked apologetic. "I don't know... I just thought that you were single. I guess because you were Taylor's nanny, I just assumed that you were living with her and, well, since she's a single mom..."
"Being a single mom isn't a disease that you catch, Ms O'Hara. I'm not Ms Wentworth's nanny, I just take care of Mila for her at my house. Mila went home at night with Ms Wentworth."
Erin looked confused and embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Gerri. Really, I am. Tell me about yourself. Where did you grow up? Tell me about your husband."
Gerry began to sputter, trying to think of something to say. Luckily, at that moment, the buzzer on Gerry's phone sounded. He leaned over the desk, Mila on his left hip, grabbed the phone receiver, held it to his ear with his right shoulder and said, "Yes, Mrs Wentworth."
He listened for a moment, then said, "Yes, Mrs Wentworth. Right away." He turned back to Erin and said, "Mrs Wentworth says that she wants you to bring her a prospectus on investments in Eastern European Technology Companies and she wants it right away."
Erin nodded. "Oh, ok." She headed to her desk, but stopped for a moment. "I'm sorry if I offended you Gerri. I'm just trying to get to know you."
"I'm not offended, Ms O'Hara," Gerry smiled, relieved that the conversation had been interrupted.
Erin nodded, then hurried back to her desk.
The next four, hectic hours involved rushing to and from the office with beverages, papers, folders, sandwiches, desserts, even toothpicks were requested at one point, forcing Gerry to grab Mila and hurry across the street to the drug store to purchase some.
It was nearly three o'clock when the men filed out of the conference room with Kate walking arm in arm with Mr Kirkland.
"... and we will be sure to include that five year projection in the paperwork we'll be sending you next week."
"Excellent," Kirkland smiled, his hand patted Kate's arm as it entwined his. "Send it by messenger, though, Kate. I don't want this stuff sent as an email - even an encrypted one. It's too easy to hack."
"Of course," she smiled. "You know that your security is our priority, Ben. I'll let you know when it's ready and one of us will drive it over to you."
"Excellent," Ben said as he passed Gerry's desk without any indication that he, or Kate, was aware of the pretty, pregnant girl standing behind the desk holding the baby.
Behind them came another pair of men, who glanced at Gerry and smiled as they passed.
Next came Bob's father with Taylor desire him. He glanced at Gerry with a sense of superiority. Then he glanced back him at the man behind him, who was walking and talking with Stevie. Bob's father raised his eyebrows and flashed a look at Gerry.
The man walking with Stevie, glanced at Gerry and shook his head. Then he said to Stevie, "Looks like you'll need to open a day care center, or maybe an obstetrics ward, pretty soon."
Stevie smirked at the remark, which really hurt Gerry. He knew that the company was important and that it was just a little misogynistic remark, but the fact the Stevie just shrugged it off, bothered him a little bit.
As Gerry watched Stevie and the man pass, his vision was suddenly blocked by the chest of his high school classmate. Gerry looked up into Bob's smiling face as Bob blurted out. "Sarah Lawrence College, right!"
"What?" Gerry asked.
"You go to Sarah Lawrence with my sister Susan, right? Carrie Williams. You went to college with you, right? What happened? Did you drop out or transfer here? Carrie's a junior, now, so what are you, a senior someplace local? Oh, geez, of course, you had to drop out because of the baby, right?" Bob seemed so delighted to have figured out who Gerry was, that he just rambled on.
"No," Gerry said. "I didn't go to Sarah Lawrence and, non, I didn't drop out, I went to... well... never mind. I'm pretty sure we never met, Mr Williams."
"Call me Bob."
"No, I don't think that's a good idea, Mr Williams. I'm married and..."
"I'm not trying to date you, honey," Bob interrupted. "I just want to figure out how I know you."
"Well, I don't think I ever met you before, Mr Williams. It was a pleasure meeting you today, but prior to that, I'm afraid that I never had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
"No, no, no," he insisted. "I never forget a beautiful face..." he glanced at the name plate on the desk, "...Gerri Morely. I will figure it out, I promise."
"Bob!" His father called from the door. "Are you coming?"
He glanced at his father, then turned back to Gerry. "Gotta run, beautiful." He bowed deeply, as if he were a courier. When he stood he reached across the desk and said, "May I kiss your hand, your highness?"
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Gerry said. "I just changed Mila's diaper."
"Bob! Let's go! NOW!" His father called, unamused by his son's flirting.
"Ciao Bellissima," he blew Gerry a kiss and hustled to the door.
"Thank you, again," Kate said as she closed the door behind the men. Then, unexpectedly, at least to Gerry, she locked the door and pulled down the shades on the doors.
The moment that the men left, Gerry felt a stress unwinding in his chest. It was an incredible feeling of relief. Everything had gone well, his mother would be happy and had survived a brush with his past. The stress seemed to release in his shoulders and just fall through his breasts.
Kate turned to the four women and Gerry and said, in an excited voice, "Congratulations, ladies! We are now the sole investment councilor's for Kickland - Williams' retirement account! You will all be receiving very big bonuses after this deal is finalized!"
The women all let out 'woo-hoo' sounds as they burst into clapping and high fives.
"Everyone back into the conference room for a little champagne - with, of course, sparkling apple cider for our mommy and mommy to be."
They all filed into the conference room. Gerry followed Kate's instructions and pulled six, plastic champagne flutes from a cabinet in the corner, while Taylor and Stevie set about opening the champagne and sparkling apple juice. The bottle's popped open and Stevie poured four flutes of Moët & Chandon while Taylor poured two flutes of Marinelli's Sparking Apple Juice.
The plastic glasses were passed around and, just as Kate held up her glass, Mila began to fuss and wanted to be put down. Gerry put down his glass and dealt with the baby as Kate said, "A toast! To the best team at the best investment firm in southern Florida. To us!"
"To us!" The rest called put together as they sipped their drinks. Gerry had also called out the 'to us' toast, but he was busy making sure that Mila didn't get into any trouble.
He followed her for a few minutes until she found her way to Auntie Stevie who picked her up and cooed, "And you were such a big help being such a good girl today! What a good girl."
Since Mila was in good hands, Gerry returned to his glass and picked it up.
"Oh, good heavens, Gerri," Taylor teased, "what did you do, spill your drink on yourself?" She laughed.
"No," Gerry looked at his glass. "I haven't even taken a sip, yet. Why?"
"Well," Taylor laughed, "because your dress is wet."
Gerry bent and looked at the pink skirt of the dress. "Where? I don't see anything wet?"
"No," Taylor was grinning at her little brother's obtuseness. "Right here." She touched the very tip of his breast, then stopped and felt for a moment. Then, in a more serious voice, she said, "Come with me." She took his hand hand led him quickly from the conference room to Kate's office.
Several minutes later, Kate was patting her granddaughter's head as the child's head rested on Stevie's shoulder.
"Is my princess sleepy? Huh? Did she have a big day?"
"She must have if she's falling asleep on me," Stevie laughed.
Kate looked around the room. "Where are Taylor and Gerry?"
Stevie looked around as well, but only Laura and Erin were there and they were partaking of some of the food that had been left untouched during the meeting.
Just then, Taylor appeared in the doorway and said, "Excuse me, Stevie. Could you come here for a moment."
"Sure," Stevie said. She put her plastic champagne flute on the conference table.
"I'll take my girl," Kate said, taking the sleepy child from Stevie and enjoying the feeling of the tiny body snuggling up against her while Stevie made her way around the conference table to the doorway.
Kate was making small talk with Erin and Laura when Taylor appeared, again.
"Mom, I think I need to take Gerri home. I don't think she's feeling well."
"Oh, the poor thing," Kate said. "Let me take a look at her before she leaves. Erin, would you mind holding my little angel?"
"Are you kidding?" Erin beamed and took the baby, very happy to hold her.
Moments later, Taylor and Kate reentered the conference room, obviously in a rush. "I'm sorry, ladies," Kate said. "I hate to leave you with a mess, but could I impose upon you to pick up all of this and lock up for me?"
"Of course," Laura said. "Is everything ok?"
"Oh, I'm sure it is," Kate smiled as Taylor grabbed Mila and headed out the door. "It's just that Gerri isn't feeling at all well and, well, in her condition I just think that it's probably wise to get her to a doctor to be sure everything is ok."
"Oh, my God," Erin stood. "Oh, Kate, please tell her we hope she's ok."
"Yes," Laura stood, too. "Oh, I hope nothing's wrong with the baby." She was genuinely concerned for the welfare of the receptionist and her child.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kate said, obviously nervous, "but we must be going."
Kate moved as quickly and calmly as protocol would allow. Taylor was waiting by the door with Mila in her carrier. "Stevie's pulling around. I'll sit in the back with Gerry and Mila. Should we go to the hospital?"
"No. I'll call my doctor. I'm sure she'll see him"
Stevie pulled up and they got in as quickly as Taylor could secure Mila in the car seat.
Once in the car, Kate turned to looked at Gerry who's face was wet with tears. "Now, don't worry, Gerry. I'm sure that this is nothing serious."
Both Gerry and Stevie were too scared to say anything.
Kate pulled out her phone, pressed a contact and put it on speaker.
"Palm Tree Medical Arts Center. How can I help you?" The voice asked from the phone.
"Good afternoon," Kate said. "This is Kate Wentworth. I need to speak to Annette Falcone, immediately."
"I'm sorry, but Dr Falcone is not in today. May I take a message."
"No. I have her cell number."
"Oh, but Dr Falcone..." Kate disconnected the call and hit another contact button.
After six rings, the call connected. "Kate?" The surprised voice asked. "Is everything ok?"
"Actually, Annette," Kate said, "it's not. I do apologize for calling your cell for a medical matter, but this is a bit of an emergency and it's rather... embarrassing, I guess is an appropriate term."
"Oh?" the doctor was surprised. She knew Kate well and had just seen her at the clinic within the last ten days. "What are your symptoms?"
"Well, you see, Annette, it's not me. It's my son, Gerry."
"Alright, so... what are Gerry's symptoms?"
"Well..." Kate searched for a delicate way to say what needed to be said. "... you see... Gerry has recently gained a good deal of weight and his breasts have begun to sag..."
"I see," The doctor sighed. "Well, male breast development is not all that uncommon and is typically a temporary condition. Just encourage Gerry to start exercising and..."
"No, Annette, that's not the current problem."
"Look, Kate, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just about to play tennis. Just tell me what the issue is, please."
"Well... you see... a few minutes ago, Gerry began... umm..." For a women to whom appearances were very important, this was a very embarrassing situation in which to find herself. Finally, she took a deep breath and just said it. "Gerry began lactating."
There was quiet for a moment.
"Did you say lactating?"
"Yes, Annette, I did."
"Your SON is lactating?"
"Yes."
Again there was silence.
"I'll meet you at the clinic in forty minutes."
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 4
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, his body seems to be adapting to his expectant-mother status in unexpected ways.
Hopefully, the doctor can explain why he is suddenly lactating.
Author's Note: I again apologize for having lost you all with this story and Spit and Image. ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 4 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 4
"It's called 'Galactorrhea,'" Dr Annette Falcone sat at her desk, a file open and test results strewn about her desk. "It is an abnormal development of milk production. Typically, the condition manifests itself in women who are caring for an infant and start lactating spontaneously, but it has been known to happen in men. It is very rare though."
"I did a little research on my phone while Gerry was in the examination room," Stevie said, "and I found a condition called 'gynecomastia.' It said that male breast growth wasn't uncommon."
"'Gynecomastia' is a common problem for many heavy men, but it's just increased mass on their chests. It isn't the development of actual, functioning, female breasts. Gerry almost certainly suffered from gynecomastia, which is why the bra one of you provided created breasts, but that doesn't account for milk production."
"Is this why his sperm count is so low?" Kate asked as Gerry felt himself sink even lower into his seat. This subject was embarrassing when discussed by anyone, but when his mother mentioned it, it seemed to carry a certain amount of judgement.
"Well, yes and no. I'm sure that his low testosterone levels contributed to both issues, but men with low sperm counts do not typically become wet nurses."
Gerry felt the very last vestiges of manhood slip away from him right then an there and his vision blurred as his eye watered.
"Well, at least you're not pregnant," Taylor teased as she squeezed his hand, but no one else found the remark very funny.
"So..." Kate sat bolt upright in her chair, "...is this a common thing?"
"Common?" Annette asked. "Have you ever heard of a man producing mother's milk, Kate? This is a very unusual health issue, but it is also unusual to have a man come into my office dressed the way your son is dressed. Now, it's Friday, it's supposed to be my day off and I need some straight answers to help me understand what is causing your son to lactate."
The family glanced at each other. Taylor spoke first. "This couldn't be caused just by wearing a bra for a few days, could it."
"No," the doctor said, "but I am not fully satisfied with Gerry's explanation as to why he's wearing one. He swears he's not a transgender person, but the evidence suggests otherwise."
"Then what can cause it?" Stevie asked.
"Well," the doctor thought. "Extreme stress with a desperate need to feed a child. The need to provide milk for a child during a war, or during times of deprivation... things like that have been known to cause men's milk to flow."
"Well," Kate cleared her throat, "I admit, I have put a lot of pressure on Gerry this week, but there was no deprivation and Mila was always going to be fed."
The doctor nodded. "It could have been stimulated through nipple suckling. Gerry, have you been trying to breastfeed the baby?"
Gerry looked shocked at the question. "Of course not! Doctor, no matter what you think of me, I would never do anything to harm my niece."
"Alright." The doctor held up her hands to calm him down. "I just needed to ask."
"Umm..." Stevie was tentative. "Would the suckling have to have been done by a baby?"
"No. Why?" the doctor asked.
"Well," Stevie looked around, very embarrassed, "you see... since the weekend, Gerry and I have been... experimenting... in bed."
"Oh, good God," Kate muttered as she turned her head away from Stevie and shook it.
"Lots of nipple play, I assume?" The doctor took a few notes.
"Yes," Stevie nodded. "Lots of nipple play." Kate tsk-ed while Taylor suppressed a smile. Stevie and Gerry were too embarrassed to do anything but blush.
"So, is that what caused all of this?" Kate spat. "A stupid sex game?"
"It may have been a part of it, yes, but I would say that the primary contributing factors would be the stress he was put under combined with the breast stimulation during sex and his new role as the caregiver for his niece." The doctor jotted notes onto her paperwork. "I think that all of these factors combined to make a perfect storm of female stimulation which all resulted in Gerry's body producing milk."
"So, we're all to blame." Taylor shook her head.
"'Blame' is a harsh word, Taylor," the doctor said. "You contributed, yes, but Gerry's reaction is not a typical response to these factors. I can't say exactly why this happened, but it did and now we need to deal with it."
"So," Kate was ready to stop the whining and move on, "how do we treat this... problem." Her hands flailed toward Gerry.
"It's not a problem, Kate," the doctor insisted, "it is a condition that Gerry will need to live with for the foreseeable future."
"Fine," Kate fussed, "how does he cope with this condition, then?"
"In the normal way that anyone producing milk would deal with it - by expressing it on a regular basis."
"How!?" Kate seemed insulted at the idea. "By breast feeding Mila?"
"Well," the doctor nodded, "that is certainly an option. We pumped Gerry's breasts in the examination room and he is certainly producing plenty of milk to sustain a child, but I think a good quality breast pump would be a good investment as well."
"You must be joking?" Kate said. "I'm not buying MY SON a breast pump! Are you insane?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Kate. In the last week, you've bought him dresses and shoes and even a string of pearls, had his hair and nails done and forced him to present himself in public as a pregnant woman." Kate refused to respond. "Now, as a result of that treatment, he needs a breast pump to relive the pressure in his teats and you're drawing a line there?"
"Doctor," Taylor interrupted in order to let her mother cool down, "if Gerry pumps or breast feeds, won't that prolong the amount of time he is lactating?"
"Yes and no, Taylor," the doctor explained. "From everything I've read online in the past few hours, and judging by Gerry's output of milk when we pumped him, he's got ten months to a year of production ahead of him, no matter what. Leaving the milk unexpressed will be painful and may cause even more severe physical problems."
Stevie buried her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees. What had she done to her husband?
"And you say that the quality of Gerry's milk is no different than mine?" Taylor continued.
"No different at all. His milk is just as nourishing as the milk produced by any other young mother."
"Oh, Taylor!" Kate was shocked by where this was headed. "You can't possibly mean that you intend to allow..."
Taylor shrugged. "Why not? If it's the same quality of nourishment of Mila," she glanced down at the sleeping child in the carrier, "then why not? Gerry, you're going to find that nursing is a much more pleasant way to get your milk out than pumping is. I know that pumping will be necessary at times, but would you consider nursing Mila when you can?"
"Oh, this is absurd!" Kate insisted.
"Why, mom? Why is this so absurd. Look at us. I'm in a severely cut business suit, so are you and so is Stevie, while Gerry is wearing a pink dress with a petticoat. Even before all the dresses began last weekend, Gerry was always the most nurturing, supportive and, in many way, feminine influence in Mila's life. Look how he dresses her, how he cares for her, just how he 'is' with her. In many ways, he's more of a woman than any of us. I think his body is just telling him to move one more step in that direction."
That silenced Kate.
"Well, Gerry?" The Doctor prodded.
He'd been very quietly listening to this point. He was uncomfortable in the chair and overwhelmed with embarrassment and fear. There were tear tracks on his cheeks. "I... I just don't know. I need to think about it, I guess."
"Ok, Gerry," Taylor smiled, supportively, as she took his hand in hers, "but you'd be doing both Mila and me a huge favor."
He nodded. "I really need to think about it, Taylor. Ok?"
"Sure, baby." She patted his damp cheek. "I understand."
When she stood, she gripped Stevie's shoulder. "Hey, Steve-O. It's ok. You didn't do anything wrong. It just happened."
"So is that it, then?" Kate fumed. "We're just supposed to leave and buy a breast pump for my son and get on with our lives, then."
"That seems to be the most logical way to proceed, Kate, yes," the doctor closed the file, but held out a business card. "I suggest you call my colleague, though. I think she could be of a great deal of help in this situation."
Stevie stood and took the card. "What is her specialty?"
"She's a lactation specialist."
Kate looked at Gerry and shook her head. "What will people think? A man going to a lactation specialist."
"Sorry, mom," Gerry struggled to get out of the chair.
"You have nothing to be sorry about Gerry," Annette said. "You have no more control over this than any other medical condition."
"Come on, baby," Stevie put her arm around his shoulders. "Let's get home and figure all of this out."
It took some convincing, but Stevie talked Gerry into sleeping without the shareware under his night clothes. He still wore a nightie, though. He tried to wear a tee shirt, but the cotton was rough on his bloated nipples. The nightie was much softer.
"We're ready whenever you are, honey," Stevie called into the bedroom from the kitchen.
Gerry heaved a big sigh, pulled on the emerald green, silk robe his mother had bought him and headed out to face his fate.
And there they were. His wife and his sister and the breast pumping machine set up on the table. The instructions the doctor had sent home with him stated that he should pump before bed and then every three to four hours from then on, for a total of eight to ten times a day - especially if his milk was going to be used for Mila, which already seemed like a decision that had been made.
He sat in the seat that Taylor offered and then she began her instructions. "It's not all that uncomfortable once you get used to it, but it is pretty boring. Make sure you have your iPad or a magazine with you so you're not bored to death."
"Ok," he whispered, embarrassed and scared.
"It's pretty simple," Taylor, the voice of experience went on. "The suction is strong enough to hold the cup onto your breasts, so all you need to do is sit back and let it do it's job for a half an hour or so and it'll be done. I know the doctor said to set your alarm to get up and be milked during the night, but, trust me, after a day or two, you won't need the alarms. The pressure will build up on a pretty regular cycle and you'll know when it's milking time."
"Great," Gerry muttered.
"I'm sorry, babe." Stevie rubbed his shoulders. "If there's anything I can do to help..."
"Could you do this for me?"
Stevie just looked sad.
"Ok, now, just relax," Taylor instructed. "Open your robe and lower the cups on your nightie so that your nipples are exposed."
"Can't I do this on my own?" Gerry was hesitant to show his sister his newest assets.
"Gerry, come on." Taylor was miffed. "I have been doing this for six months and I can help you. I have seen women's breasts before, you know. Besides the fact that I have a pair of my own, I've spent a lot of my life in women's locker rooms. I know what a woman's breasts look like."
"That's the problem, though." Gerry opened his robe. "They aren't a woman's breasts. They're mine." He lowered the straps of the nightie releasing his breasts. He'd never been all that comfortable with his body before, but now he felt more exposed and vulnerable than he'd ever felt before.
Stevie patted his hair as Taylor positioned the cups over his nipples. "Using a double pump will help shorten your milking time and it will also increase your production. It's a little uncomfortable to get used to, but better in the long run."
"Ok," Gerry breathed. "Let's just get it over with."
"Here. Hold them in place and I'll press the start button." She did and the machine began its electronic suckling and milk flowed into the bottles connected to the cups.
"How does that feel?" Taylor asked.
"Very weird," Gerry admitted. He shivered as some primal instinct within him kicked in and he let down his milk.
"Weird, how?" Stevie sat beside him. "Does it hurt?"
"No. I just feel... like a product, I guess. It's like I'm not a man at all. I'm just a means of producing milk."
There wasn't much that the women could say. Taylor had felt similarly and Stevie had grown up assuming that someday she'd have to breast feed a baby. It was a lot to burden a poor, simple man with.
"I guess I'm really not a man any more, now, though, huh?" He looked at Stevie sadly. "I know that this is probably a conversation that we should have in private, but if you want..."
"Now, just stop right there," Stevie was forceful. "We are not even discussing the remotest possibility of going that route."
"Seriously, Stevie," Gerry insisted that she listen, "look at me. I'm not a man at all. I'm a fat little thing in a silk nightgown and robe. I wear makeup and a pearl necklace. I have pink fingernails. My hair has been dyed and styled to be as feminine as possible and now I'm using a breast pump to get my mother's milk out. Christ, Stevie, you make all the money while I keep house and babysit. I'm not a man. I've never been one, but I used to be able to pretend I was."
"That's enough of that talk..." Stevie started to say, but Gerry surprised her by speaking over her.
"Remember earlier in the week when we talked about doing something different this weekend to get our minds off of all the girly stuff? Well, what are you doing tomorrow? You're taking your husband to be fitted for a nursing bra. That's certainly different, but probably won't take our minds off of my girlish problems, now will it."
"No... I guess not." Stevie looked to Taylor who just shrugged. What could they say?
"Look, Stevie, I love you so, so much but you deserve a husband. You don't deserve a girlish little cow like me."
"You're right," Stevie said after a few moments. "I don't deserve you. You're loving and gentle and caring. You make my life sweet and clean and healthy and how did I repay you for that? I screwed up your body. I don't deserve you, Gerry, but you're all that I want. Please... stay with me... forever."
Gerry gave Stevie a sad smile. "I love you."
"I love you, too, baby."
He sniffled back some emotion, then grunted as he looked at the bottles hanging from his engorged breasts. "Argh! I feel so stupid."
"You'll get used to it, Gerry," Taylor assured him, "but I really wish you'd consider trying breastfeeding Mila directly. It'll feel better, I promise. It won't just feel like a biological function. It'll feel soft and tender and... well, maternal is the best way to describe it."
"I just don't know Taylor..."
"Well, then, sleep on it. Maybe, after a night of pumping, you'll feel a little different about it. I better get Mila home and into bed. I love you guys, you know. Steve-O, if you need anything, I'm right next door. Gerry..." she looked at her poor little brother, his green, silk robe barely covering the two pumps attached to his chest and she couldn't think of anything encouraging to say, other than, "...it'll be ok."
He nodded and watched as she picked up Mila's carrier and left.
Stevie took Gerry's hand in hers and smiled at him. "Are we ok?"
He nodded, again.
"As long as you're ok with me, Stevie. I'm just... so sorry and so... ashamed."
Stevie pulled her chair in closer and wrapped an arm around him. "There is nothing to be ashamed of, baby. It's just one of life's curveballs. We'll get through it and be even stronger at the other end. You'll see."
After a moment, Gerry said, "Do you think I'll ever be a man again?"
Stevie sighed, "You're a man now, Gerry. Just a very special one."
"You know what I mean." Gerry shook his head. "Do you think I'll ever... look like, or be able to live like a man again?"
"I don't know, baby." Stevie was trying to be honest. "Would it be so awful if you stayed like this?"
"What? Pregnant forever?"
"No. I can help you get rid of your belly, but... now that your man boobs are actual, functioning breasts... I'm not sure if they're going to go away, shy of surgery, that is. Would looking like a woman be so terrible?"
Gerry glanced at the paraphernalia attached to him, sucking the most feminine of substances from his body, then looked back at Stevie, his eyes wet with tears. "I never wanted anything like this Stevie. I mean, I always wanted to be big, and strong, and tough... like you. I mean... I mean, you're beautiful and feminine, too, but... you know what I mean. You're also strong and confident. I've always been the quiet, little dweeb in the corner. Lately, though..."
"What?"
"This week... I've felt kind of... right. Like I've found my place in the world... as a woman of sorts. I don't want to get, you know... to cut it off or anything, but... people seem to actually accept me when I present myself as a woman."
"And you like that?"
He shrugged. "It's a lot less lonely."
"So..." Stevie approached this next topic gingerly. "Do you want to continue to be you mom's receptionist?"
That made Gerry laugh. "Oh, my God, no!"
Stevie smiled at his laughter. "Then... what?"
He sighed. "Would it be so awful if I... if I stayed here... at home... and raised Mila and, maybe, someday, our own babies?"
Stevie started to speak, but Gerry jumped right back into speaking. "I know, I know, it's not a real job, but I'll take care of the house, too and take care of making dinner and even help Taylor with her house. I know it's not contributing to the house income, but..."
"Gerry, Gerry, Gerry!" Stevie took his hand in hers. "Relax. I think having you at home is a great idea. Let's just finish up your commitment to your mother and we'll go back to having you as the homemaker and me as the breadwinner, ok?"
"Ok. My mother isn't going to like it, though."
"I know, but, to tell you the truth, I think that this whole lactating thing may have scared her a bit. Maybe she'll back off a little."
Gerry snickered. "And maybe the sun will rise in the west tomorrow."
Now Stevie snickered. "I know, she's a force to be reckoned with, but she'll get used to it. Between Taylor and me, we'll get her to see the light... eventually."
Gerry looked down at himself, again. "How do I know when to stop this thing?"
"When you run dry, I guess." Stevie leaned over and looked into the cup where Gerry's distended nipple was being suckled mechanically and she saw a substantial spurt of milk come out of his nipple. "You've got a while to go, yet, I think."
Gerry sighed. "These are going to be long days and nights."
"Do you think that feeding Mila may be helpful?"
"Being a wet nurse, you mean?"
Stevie shrugged. "Being a caretaker - like you always say."
"Maybe. I'll think about it and let you know, tomorrow."
Shelby Ryan was a very prim and proper woman in her late sixties and her entire working life had been dedicated to finding women bras that fit and functioned correctly. She empathized with women who suffered from wearing poorly fitting bras and made it her crusade to save them from their misery. Mothers to be and new mothers were the most challenging and this young thing with the big blue eyes and long brown hair appeared to be both a new and expectant mother. This could be a challenge! Shelby was up to it, though.
"Come right in, ladies." Shelby held open the door to the fitting room in the foundation department of Kennedy's Department Store. "Just relax, dear," she said to Gerry. "I promise, I won't hurt you and you'll be much more comfortable when all is said and done. By the way, you have a lovely little girl there, and you dress her so prettily. Most mothers these days don't take the time to get their daughters all dolled up to go shopping. You've done a lovely job with your little girl. What's her name?"
"Thank you," Gerry smiled, delighted with the compliments. "Her name is Mila, but she's my niece. She's my sister Taylor's daughter. That's Taylor, there."
"Hi," Taylor smiled.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Shelby laughed. "Of course, Taylor! Kate Wentworth's daughter. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I guess I was complimenting the wrong mommy."
"No." Taylor rubbed Gerry's shoulders. "Gerry is the one who gets her all dolled up. I'm more of 'onesie' kind of mom, but Gerry buys her the sweetest clothes."
"On, how nice!" Shelby smiled. "Now, what can I do for you, Gerri, is it?"
"Well..." Gerry didn't know quite how to begin.
"I assume you need some help with a new bra?"
"Yes, but..." He was stumped. He wasn't even sure what size he was wearing, now.
"You see, Shelby," Stevie explained as Gerry sat with Mila in his arms, "Gerry has gone through several bra sizes recently and yesterday, she began to lactate, so... well, I guess she needs a nursing bra so she can pump."
"Oh, my." Shelby looked at Gerry with disbelief. "You're still carrying so high. When are you due?"
"Still a couple of months to go." Gerry smiled, embarrassed.
"And your milk has come in already!? My goodness. Do you think it's because you take care of this little princess?"
"Maybe." Gerry shrugged.
"Well, aren't you just an anxious little mommy to be!? Let's get your sorted, then. Please stand and take off your top so I can see what we've got to work with."
Taylor took the baby and Gerry stood, then stopped, realizing that he was wearing a wrap-dress. It had a dark blue background with a series of geometric patterns in different colors, flutter sleeves and modest neckline. Taylor had given it to him as a hand-me-down because she said it was 'breastfeeding friendly,' so he could pump easily. He could open the dress to reveal his breasts, but that would also reveal his panties, baby-belt and nylons. He wasn't really sure how well camouflaged his genitals under all of that, but he was nervous and hesitated.
"Oh, don't be shy, dear." Shelby smiled a friendly smile. "We're all girls here, after all."
"It's ok, Gerry," Stevie said supportively. "We've all done this. Shelby's the best there is."
"Well thank you." Shelby smiled. "I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name. I know that you're Kate's daughter-in-law and that you have a boy's name, but I am honestly drawing a blank on what your name is."
"Stevie," she said, not thrilled with the 'boy's name' remark.
Gerry untied the belt of the dress and let the sleeves slide down to his elbows where he held it in place, hiding as much of his lower body as possible.
"Oh, that's a lovely bra," Shelby complimented and Gerry would have been flattered if not for the fact that this older woman was suddenly touching his breasts! Running her fingers along the silky undersides of the cup and across his sensitive nipples, causing sensations in him that he'd only ever felt when Stevie played with him in bed.
Inadvertently, he backed up just a little to escape her touch. "Don't worry, sweetheart." Shelby stepped closer. "I just need to do this to see how this bra is fitting you. Please, just relax." Shelby ran a finger under the edges of the bra, sending shivers down his spin.
"So, who bought you this bra?"
"Umm, my mom, I think."
"Well, she has very nice and expensive taste, but we need to adapt things for you. Are you already nursing?"
"Just pumping."
"That still requires a good nursing bra. Let me grab a couple. I'll be right back." She went out the door.
Taylor and Stevie were sitting on the padded bench, with Taylor holding Mila. "How are you holding up, baby?" Stevie asked.
"Fine, I guess. She's pretty touchy, though. She really squeezed me."
Taylor chuckled. "I don't think she was flirting with you, honey. She's just doing her job."
"Do women... you know... touch each other like that?"
The women laughed. "No, baby," Stevie said through her laughter. "Women aren't all as perverted as I am. And I only do it with you."
Gerry blushed.
"Because you're so sexy!" Stevie teased and laughed some more.
As they waited, Mila decided that she wanted to be with Gerry and started reaching for him.
"Do you want Uncle Gerry?" Taylor asked in her sing song voice. "Here, let's go see Uncle Gerry."
She stood to bring the baby to Gerry, but he said, "l can't take her. My dress will be wide open."
"So?" Taylor asked.
"So... I have parts that I don't want her to see."
"Well, let me see if they show."
"No!" Gerry was surprised she'd even suggest this.
"Oh, come on. Mila wants her Uncle Gerry and Uncle Gerry never says 'no' to his Mila."
"'Uncle' Gerry?" Shelby asked from the doorway. She walked slowly to Gerry and looked his body up and down, paying attention to the curve of his belly. "You're not a man, are you?"
Gerry looked around the room for help.
"Listen, Shelby," Stevie said as she stood, "we're not trying to play a game with you or anything, but Gerry, who, yes, is a man and is my husband, does need a nursing bra."
"But...?" Shelby was very confused. "But... how can a man be...? I've sized men before. Men who are transitioning, I mean. I know what they look like - even after surgery. I saw your breasts - they're not implants, they're natural. I felt the damp nursing pads under your bra. You're actually producing milk. You can't be a man."
"He is," Stevie stood and put her arm around his shoulders, "and he's my husband."
Shelby stared, agog.
"And," Taylor handed Mila to Gerry, "he's the best uncle a little girl could ask for." Mila chirped happily as Gerry took her, kissed her soft, chubby cheek and held her close.
"So I see," Shelby nodded. "You can't actually be pregnant though, can you?"
"No." Stevie laughed. "He's just a little chubby and the baby belt does the rest. He is leaking, though, and he does need a few nursing bras."
Still fascinated, she whispered, "You look so real, though," before she clicked back into work mode. This was, indeed, an unusual challenge, just as she'd anticipated - just more unusual than she'd ever faced before.
"Well, based on what you are wearing, which, apparently your mother chose for you - that's story I'd love to hear someday, too - I chose some very pretty, very feminine bras for you. Now, if these are too flowery, or lacy, just tell me. I have plenty of others that are more... well... I was going to say 'manly,' but that would be silly, wouldn't it? Let's just say, less girly."
Stevie picked through the hangers that Shelby had brought in. "Oh, these are lovely, baby," she said. "Oh, I wish I could get away with wearing something this pretty, but I'm just too flat chested. You don't want to draw attention to assets that you don't have, you know?"
Shelby watched Gerry. How he bounced and engaged the baby. How he smiled at her so she'd smile back. How he smoothed the child's dress. Nothing about him seemed at all manly.
"You say that you dressed up this baby?" Shelby asked.
"I did," Gerry answered, although his attention remained on Mila.
"Who brushed the baby's hair and put the bows in?"
Taylor watched Shelby watching Gerry. When Gerry didn't respond, she said, "Gerry did. Gerry always does a beautiful job on her hair - on her clothes, too."
"Amazing," Shelby nodded. Nothing garish or over done. Just perfect, sweet, old fashioned and feminine. "And how long have you been cross dressing yourself?"
"Just this week," Gerry replied quietly.
"Really?" Shelby was amazed. He looked so natural. "And have you had the opportunity to use that wonderful fashion sense you use on your niece to make yourself beautiful?"
He smiled a bit at the odd compliment. "I bought myself a couple of things, but not much."
"Well, here." Shelby handed him several bras. "Try these on and, when I come back, tell me what you like. I have a few dress ideas I'd like to show you." As Shelby headed to the door, she said quietly to a Taylor, "I don't often get to dress up boys, but I've never had one like this before."
"Hi, Mila," Stevie cooed at the baby. "Come see Auntie Stevie so that Uncle Gerry can try on some bras."
Reluctantly, the child let go of Gerry and settled for Stevie - a poor substitute for her favorite person.
"I'll help you, honey." Taylor moved behind Gerry and undid this bra.
"I've noticed," Gerry said as the bra slid down his shoulders, "that you guys and mom have been calling me different names, lately." He slide the first bra on.
"Like what?" Stevie asked while bouncing Mila on her hip.
Taylor confirmed that the bra fit well and looked 'adorable' before moving on to the next one. This process continued as they spoke.
"Like you've been calling me 'baby' a lot," he said to Stevie. Then to Taylor, he said, "And you've been calling me 'honey' and 'sweetie' a lot."
"I've always called you 'baby,'" Stevie said, surprised.
"No. You called be 'babe' sometimes, but now you're calling me 'baby' all the time."
"Guilty," Taylor said. "I used to call you things like 'honey' and 'sweetie' when you were little, but it does seem more natural to say them to you now than they did before. It's like you're my little sister, now. Do you mind?"
"Not really," Gerry admitted. "It's just something I've noticed."
"What does your mom call you?" Gerry asked. Knowing Kate, she was a bit concerned.
"'Sweetheart' and 'darling' and once she just called me 'girl.' Again, I'm not complaining. It's just something I've noticed."
At that moment, Shelby returned with a rolling clothing rack with a minimum of fifteen dresses hanging from it. "Did we like any of those bras?"
"They all fit beautifully, Shelby," Taylor assured her. "I think we'll take these five, though." The ones that she selected were, far and away, the most lacy and decorative of all of them. "I'm afraid that the bras that have prints on them may show through Gerry's work dresses."
"Oh, good heavens!" Shelby gasped. "You work and take care of this little angel?"
Stevie smiled. "He sure does - at least for a couple of more weeks. He's filling in as the receptionist at the investment company where Taylor and I both work. It's his mother's company."
"Wait... what?" Shelby looked around. "Let me understand this. Until a week ago, you were a normal guy wearing slacks and shirts. Now, out of the blue, you're wearing dresses, you've obviously been to a hair and nail stylist and not only is your mother buying you lingerie, you're working as a woman in her company?"
Gerry nodded, while Stevie explained how he came to have tried on the baby-belt and one thing leading to another.
"My goodness," Shelby pretended to fan herself, "what a whirlwind of a week you have had, young lady! Now, let me ask you, after this Halloween event, will you be going back to men's clothing?"
"I don't see how I can," Gerry shrugged, indicating his breasts. "From what the doctor tells me, I should expect to be lactating for ten to sixteen months. So, I don't know how I could pass as a guy until after I stop producing milk."
"I see. Now, tell me... it's not all that bad being woman, is it?"
"No," Gerry said shyly. "I don't like pumping the milk much, but the rest is ok."
"Just ok?" Shelby gave a very sly smile. "Look at you. Your hair is gorgeous, your makeup is fresh and perfect, your legs are smooth and shapely... no one could look that pretty and not be proud of it. So, truthfully... you like being pretty for your wife, don't you."
He blushed a deep red and looked at Stevie, who was smiling at him. "I do," he finally smiled.
"And you like coming home to a pretty wife, don't you?" She said to Stevie.
"I do," she shook her head in wonderment of how things had become. "In fact, I like it an awful lot more than I should."
"And you-" She turned to Taylor. "How do you feel about having a sister?"
Taylor touched Gerry's shoulder. "Gerry knows how much I've always loved him. I would love him in dresses or pants, but I have to admit that he looks a lot better now than he did a week ago and, if we're all being honest, I'm getting a kick out of having a little sister to teach all about being a mommy."
"Good." Shelby was very happy with these answers. "So, let's assume that Auntie Gerri here is going to be a pretty little girl for the foreseeable future and, for the sake of argument, let's say that she's going to need a few more work dresses before Halloween and some pretty dresses to wear at home when her provider comes home from a hard day's work. Can we all agree on that?"
They did.
"Good," Shelby prepared to close the deal, "then let's find our little girl some pretty dresses to make her feel pretty - even after she 'delivers.'"
They smiled at that.
"Let's start with my favorite. Take a look at this," she pulled a dress from the rack. It was a vivid yellow, silk dress, sleeveless, with a front buttoning bodice that would allow for a tasteful amount of cleavage, no collar. A narrow belt separated the bodice from the skirt which had a loose underskirt and a vast and flowing, knee length, silk gauze overskirt.
The simple, feminine beauty of the garment caught in Gerry's throat, but both women let out audible gasps.
"Now," Shelby smiled at the dresses reception, "it is a little pricey, but, Gerry, I guarantee that when you try this on, it will make you feel like the most beautiful princess in the world, and," she looked at Stevie, "you can't tell me that you wouldn't love to come home to find your little homemaker dressed in something this soft and feminine."
Stevie's heart was racing as she touched the soft skirt. She was jealous that Gerry could wear something this soft and feminine when it would just look silly on her, while at the same time, she didn't want to force him to buy something this girly if he wasn't ready, but more than either of these things, Stevie wanted buy this dress for Gerry so that she could take him out, show him off and take him back home to ravish him.
Instead of saying 'we'll take it,' though, she said, "What do you think, baby?"
"It's very beautiful," he said as calmly as he could, but there was a shakiness in his voice.
"Gerry," Taylor, the voice of reason, said, "that would not only look amazing on you, it would be a really easy dress to wear while your pumping or feeding. I really think you should get it."
"How much is it?" Stevie asked.
"One hundred and thirty seven dollars," Shelby said, "but worth every penny."
Stevie nodded, controlling herself. "Do you want it, baby?"
Gerry sighed. "That's a lot of money."
"We have plenty of money, baby. You never need to worry about that. Can I buy it for you?"
He looked at it and pondered the ramifications of trying it on and loving the feel of it.
"Just try it on, Gerry," Taylor encouraged. "If you like it, you can make a decision. If you don't like it, then that's ok, too."
Gerry was silent for a few moments, then said, "Ok." He took the dress and headed into the small changing room.
Shelby smiled. "Oh, my," she whispered to Stevie. "You are the luckiest woman on earth. Imagine having something like that to come home to. I would give anything to have my husband or one of my sons taking this path."
Stevie looked at Shelby, surprised by her statement. "Really?"
"Oh, yes. You got it right. You found someone smaller than you to stay home and take care of you the way that you deserve to be taken care of. You are so, so lucky."
Stevie looked at Taylor who'd heard Shelby. Taylor cocked her head, raised her eyebrows and smiled.
"Thanks," Stevie said.
Stevie headed to the bedroom with the bags of maternity and nursing clothing that she'd purchased for Gerry that day. "I'm going to drop these in the bedroom and take a quick shower. Gerry, after you've pumped, I need you to hang these up."
"Alright," Gerry called back as Stevie closed the bedroom door.
"Oh, my God, this is getting painful," Gerry whined as he sat at the kitchen table and readied things for his eleventh milking since he'd started lactating the previous day. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this every couple of hours for the next year or more."
Taylor put Mila in the playpen with some toys for her safety while she helped to carry some of the bags of bras and dresses that they'd brought home from Kennedy's. As she was passing Gerry, she stopped and kissed the crown of his head. "You'll get used to it, sweetheart. Believe me, I know how tough it is to be a woman." She continued on.
"That's just my point," Gerry called after her. "I'm not really a woman. I'm not built for this kind of thing."
Taylor left the bags near the bedroom then came back into the kitchen and sat next to Gerry. She smirked as she looked at him, her left elbow bent on the table, her chin resting in the palm of her left hand. "I beg to differ."
"Taylor, no matter what I may look like right now, I'm really a guy and men and women are made differ... ow!" He howled as Taylor poked his breast with the index finger of her right hand.
"You were saying that men and women are made differently."
He rubbed his sore breast. "Yeah, I was because we are... OW! STOP IT!" She poked him again.
"Regardless of your lower plumbing, you have a woman's plumbing up here and when it comes to your current problems, you are a woman, little sister. You can't deny that." She went to poke his breast again, but he slapped her hand away.
"Taylor," he took a deep breath as he considered what he wanted to say, "I don't think that you realize how difficult this can be sometimes..."
"Lactating?" She laughed. "Gerry, I started lactating a week before Mila was born. I've been nursing and pumping for more than six months. If anyone understands how frustrating and tiring it is, I do."
"Yeah, but Taylor... you are a woman. When you were a girl, you were prepared to become a mom. You learned about taking care of babies and about how your body would someday nourish another human. It's all beautiful and miraculous for a woman."
"Ok... I get that, but you took health class."
"Yeah, and we learned how NOT to get women pregnant by wearing a condom. Not much more."
Taylor gave a small chuckle at that.
"I was a boy, Taylor. I never thought about the functions of a woman's body. Until Mila was born, I never even thought about what it would be like to have a baby in my life."
Taylor glanced at her beautiful child. When she looked back at Gerry, he was gazing at Mila with great warmth and affection.
"I remember being at the hospital." Gerry went on. "Fred was out in the hall on the phone and he waved Stevie and me into your room. The minute I saw her laying against your chest, my whole world changed."
Taylor laid one of her hands on top of one of his.
"She was so beautiful, Taylor. So tiny and helpless and she looked just like you... and you both looked so happy. It made me feel... not jealous, but it made me want what you had. I didn't want to take Mila or anything like that, I just wanted... a real family... with children and babies and everything that goes with it. All the heartache and all the mess and all the smelly diapers and worrying. It was like, just seeing you and Mila together opened up a part of me... the biggest part of me... and I thought that I knew who I was for the first time."
Taylor remained quiet and waited for Gerry to go on.
"When you handed her to me... oh, my God, Taylor... I was so scared... but... she smelled so good and holding her felt so right. Don't get me wrong... I mean... I know you're her mother and I never wanted to be any more than her uncle, but... I knew right then and there that I was meant to be a parent. A caretaker... you know?l
"I do, darling. I do."
"When I found out that I really wasn't a... well, that I couldn't be a father... well, I left for work the next morning, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't face the world now that I knew I'd never be a dad. I drove to the parking lot at Manatee Bay Beach and... I just sat there. I looked at the water and I cried. I cried for eight hours until it was time to go home. That night, I talked to Stevie about starting my own business because I couldn't face the world knowing that I was... well... knowing what I wasn't."
Taylor's heart was breaking for her brother, but all she knew that the best thing she could do was to just sit and let him talk.
"Then, do you know what happened?"
"What, honey?"
"My sister... my big, strong, beautiful sister, whose life was falling apart because of her asshole boyfriend... she did something that saved my life. She asked me if I'd take care of this perfect little creature that she'd created. She trusted me with the most important thing in the world. She asked me to take care of Mila. Oh, Taylor, I was so scared at first. Scared that I'd hurt her, or do something wrong that could mess her up for the rest of her life... but you told me to just love her and everything would be fine."
"And it has been fine, right, baby? You've been a great uncle."
"I hope so... but like I said, Taylor. I was a guy... Kinda... until last week. I mean... it all started out as a joke, but now... just look at me, Taylor. What the hell am I, really? You're a mother and a rich, successful woman. I'm nothing but a cow, Taylor. I hook myself up to a milking machine and I pump out this... milk that I make. There's no reason for it. It's just a crude, biological function and now I'm going to have to do it ten or twelve times a day for a year or more. And to what end? To pour it down the sink? I don't know who I am or what I am right now and I'm afraid that, at some point, Stevie is going to look at me and see how ridiculous I've become, wake up and just leave me."
"Gerry... just stop for a moment. I think that you might be a little overwhelmed by hormones right now. I've been there. They can make you very emotional, but there is one thing that you need to remember - Stevie loves you. No, that's not right. Stevie adores you, Gerry. No matter what happens, you will always have Stevie. And me. And Mila. You're not alone, Gerry. We all love you and we all need you. Especially Mila. Gerry, we don't care if you wear sweatpants or an evening gown. We'll always love you. Now, we just got back from a shopping spree during which your wife spent nearly a thousand dollars on women's clothing for you to wear, so I'm pretty sure that she is happy with the new you, so what is causing all of these doubts?"
Gerry looked at his breasts. "These... and the milk."
"Well," Taylor sighed, "there's not much we can do about those for a while, Gerry. I'm sorry. And as for the milk, you said it all feels so 'biological.' Well... breast milk is just that, honey. It's biological, but, your also right when you say it's miraculous. It is. It's a bond between mother and child, Gerry. It is a gift."
"For you, I suppose it is, but for me... it's a waste."
Taylor looked at Mila, the smiled at Gerry. "Then, let's make it miraculous."
Gerry followed her gaze as she turned back towards Mila.
"Taylor... it's just not right..."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not a woman."
"Your breasts say you are."
"I'm not her mother."
"Neither would a wet nurse be. So what!?"
"She's your child!"
"And your niece and she loves you because you take care of her and love her. Now, take care of her the way that nature, obviously, intended you to take care of her. Mother my daughter, Gerry. Give her your milk. I guarantee that you'll feel different about your milk when you've done so."
Taylor picked up the baby and smiled at her little, feminine brother who looked back, concerned and fearful.
"Gerry," Taylor kissed Mila's head, "don't make it a gross, biological function. Make it an act of selfless love. Take Mila and feed her."
"Taylor... what if it messes her up? What if it makes her sick? What if it does something to screw her up psychologically? What if...?"
"What if, what if, what if... Gerry! What if it's the most amazing, miraculous thing you've ever done? Because it will be, Gerry. It will be. Trust me."
She looked at Mila and cooed, "Now, go to Uncle Gerry. He has something special for you." She handed the baby to him.
Gerry held the baby the way he'd always held her when feeding her a bottle. "How do I start?"
"Well, open the top of your dress and then pull open the bra cup."
He did as he was instructed and immediately saw Mila's expression change as she seemed to search for something. "Is she ok?"
"Of course she is, Gerry. She just smells your milk. Now, guide her to your nipple. She'll know what to do from there."
He nodded and lifted Mila, who had no problem finding her target. She latched on to his left nipple and began suckling. Her tiny lips were stronger than he expected and she sucked with a surprising amount of strength.
The feeling wasn't sexual at all. It was a feeling of need. Of wanting. Of pure, natural, actual hunger - and thanks and love. It made him shiver. Gerry watched the child, amazed, but Mila quickly seemed to get fussy. It confused Gerry, but Taylor understood and stood, moving behind her brother.
"It's ok, Gerry," she whispered. "Just relax and let it go. You love Mila and she loves you. Just relax and let it go. Mila needs what you have, so just let your milk down and nourish the baby. Take a deep breath and relax. Nature will do the rest."
He took a deep breath and relaxed and he felt himself let his milk down. He felt the same kind of relief that he'd felt the day before in the office when the men had all left. What he'd thought was just relief at his mother having a successful meeting, must actually have been the feeling of his milk being let down for the first time.
"There you go," Taylor cooed to Gerry the same way she would to Mila, as if he were a child, but he didn't mind. He was focused entirely on Mila. As the baby nursed, Taylor continued cooing encouragement. "That's it. Let her lead you. Just support her and let her feed. She'll let you know when the breast runs dry, then you can shift her."
Gerry's breath began to catch and become more shallow. Taylor knew what was coming. She'd experienced it many times, too. As the warmth and excitement built at his core, Taylor whispered, "Its ok, Gerry. Just embrace the feeling. It'll be ok."
His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he gasped and jerked as little as possible to avoid upsetting Mila. There was sweat on his face as he looked at Taylor who was smiling. "Felt nice, didn't it?"
"What was that?" Gerry huffed for breath.
"It was an orgasm," she giggled.
"Not like any orgasm I ever felt." He shook his head and looked at the child still latched to his nipple.
"The way my lactation coach explained it, the same hormone that reacts to the stimulation of your nipples, also stimulates the vagina, so, just occasionally, you have these lovely orgasms."
Gerry steadied his breathing. "But, I don't have a vagina and believe me, that feeling didn't come from my penis. I've never felt anything like that before."
"Well, lucky you, then. Just enjoy them when they happen. You may well be one of the only men to ever have experienced a mom-gasm. Congratulations." She was patting the soft, chestnut brown hair on her brother's head. "Just look at you, Gerry. I never would have believed it, but you are just a natural mommy. I'm so proud of you."
"Proud of me? Why?"
"I just am, baby." She stifled back a tear or two. "It's just that, well... with Fred gone... I just feel better knowing that, if anything should happen... Mila will always have you."
"Of course she will, Taylor." Gerry kept his voice quiet and calm for Mila's sake. "She'll always have me and Stevie and, of course, mom."
Taylor laughed. "Mom? Imagine mom having to deal with a baby at this point in her life."
Gerry shrugged. "She raised us."
"She raised us till daddy died, Gerry. You don't remember what it was like then. That first year... we hardly saw mom while she learned to work as a broker and investor. Then, I took care of you. Mom provided for us. She didn't really raise us. I think you need to change breasts. Open the cup first so you can move her quickly."
Gerry followed Taylor's instructions and in seconds, Mila was settled on the other nipple.
"That's a girl," Gerry encouraged his niece. "That's my girl. You're doing great."
"So are you, apparently," both Taylor and Gerry looked up and smiled at Stevie, who was in a plaid, Terry cloth robe, with her bobbed hair wet and straggly, but still attractive on her handsome, un-made-up face. "I didn't think you were ready to try this."
"I wasn't."
"I talked him into it," Taylor admitted.
"And?" Stevie sat opposite her husband and watched how deftly he maneuvered his niece and held her gently but securely to his nipple.
Gerry blushed as he smiled at his wife. "It's pretty amazing."
Stevie smiled. "Good. I'm happy for you, baby."
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. Taylor and Stevie had a basketball game at a nearby gym and Gerry had been spending the day with Mila, getting caught up on the cleaning and laundry and napping whenever possible. Mila was closing in on the end of her noon feeding, nestled against Gerry's chest as he sat on the couch, while he sat with his feet on an ottoman, enjoying the quiet and the love of his little charge.
"Hello," Kate called as she entered the townhouse. "Gerry?"
"In here, mom," he called back quietly, not wanting to disturb Mila.
Kate spoke as she walked towards the open living area. "I thought that I would find you here, since Taylor and Stevie have a game today. Don't you ever go with them to see them... Oh, my God!" Suddenly, she was riled up and her voice was raised. "What the hell are you doing!?"
Mila let out a cry at the sound of the raised voice, but Gerry shh-ed her and guided her back to his nipple. "I'm feeding Mila, mom. Why?"
"Gerry, get her off of there! You shouldn't be doing that. You're not her mother, for God's sake! Taylor will have a fit if she sees you doing this."
"Shh, Shh, Shh..." Gerry calmed the child. Once she was settled, he looked up at his mother. "Mom, Taylor encouraged this. Not only that, she put Mila on my breast and taught me how to nurse her correctly."
"Really?" Kate looked a bit disgusted. "And have either of you considered the psychological impact this may have on Mila?"
"Taylor says that all Mila will be aware of is being loved, so it's better than feeding her from a bottle."
Kate sat on the edge of the nearby love seat, her back ramrod straight and she crossed her legs tightly at the knees. "Well, I bottle fed both of you and and you both turned out just fine." She glanced at her son, his breast protruding from the his lace trimmed nightie, a beautifully dressed little girl latched onto his breast and couldn't help but remark, "Well, fine for the most part."
Gerry ignored the barbed remark and kissed Mila as she finished up. "Did you have enough? Huh? Did you have enough?" He placed a cloth diaper on his shoulder, then put Mila there as well. He burped her till she brought up some wind and just a little bit of his milk. When he was sure that she was all taken care of, he brought her back to his lap, where she nestled, a little sleepy from the feeding.
"Here," Kate said, "give her to Gramma. Come here, my angel."
Gerry stood as he handed her the child. While he stood, he pulled the top of his nightie back into place. "Can I get you some tea, mom?"
"Tea would be lovely, Gerry, but only if you're having some too. I don't want to put you out."
"It's ok." He smiled. "I need to keep hydrated. I'll just have some water for now. It'll just take a few minutes for the tea."
While the water was heating, Kate came into the kitchen with Mila on her hip. "I've been thinking, Gerry, that we just can't have you dressed as a pregnant woman for the party. I mean, if you're going to be at work for the next few weeks, and you're going to need to pump your milk, or, god help us, breast feed Mila, we certainly can't very well tell everyone that you're my son, now can we. So, if we're going to win this contest, we need to come up with something more dramatic than just a man dressed as pregnant woman."
Gerry sighed at the prospect of his mother upping the ante in this Halloween contest, but rather than argue, he placed a tea bag into a tea cup and poured boiling water onto it. As he handed the cup and a teaspoon to his mother, he asked, "What do you have in mind?"
"Oh, nothing yet, but I have some ideas. I'll talk to Stevie and Taylor about them tomorrow."
Gerry nodded, resigned, but needed to ask anyway, "I won't be involved in the choice?"
"Gerry," she seemed amused by the idea, "you've never attended one of our Halloween parties. You have no idea what the competition is like. Let us make the decisions."
He nodded, again.
Kate looked at her son and seemed to reach a decision. "Come back into the living room, Gerry. We need to talk."
He grabbed a saucer for her teacup as well as a bottle of water for himself and followed her back to the couch and loveseat. Mila reached for Gerry once they'd seated, so he took her from his mother as she retook her rigidly upright seated posture. "Gerry," she began. " When I was growing up back in Indiana, I never expected to have to become a business woman. I took my preparations for being a wife and mother very seriously. I learned to cook and sew and be pretty. I dated the boys who seemed to be the best prospects for a successful spouse and I found one. He was tall, and handsome and he was going to college to study business. He was level headed and came from a good family. When your father and I got married, I knew that I was going to have a good, comfortable life, Gerry. That's all I wanted."
"You loved him, too, though mom, right?"
She sighed. "I really can't say for certain, Gerry. I know that sounds cold, but it's true. I mean, we were a part of each other's lives, we enjoyed each other's company and all, but... did I ever tell you why we moved to Florida?"
"No." Gerry set Mila beside him on the couch and handed her a book made of fabric and filled with pictures of animals.
"Your father was doing very well, working for his father's insurance company. We had a lovely home and I was expecting Taylor when..." she took a deep breath, "... when the indiscretions happened."
For just a moment, Gerry saw his mother look vulnerable. "Dad cheated on you?"
She nodded. "He did... and with more than one woman. Gerry... you have no idea how much something like that hurts. He swore that it was nothing, that he still wanted us to stay married, but I was determined to leave him, until..."
When she didn't continue, Gerry prodded. "Until what, mom."
"Gerry... you've always had a safety net. I've always been here to be sure that you had what you needed to have a good life. I know that I'm not as affectionate as some mothers, but I did what I could. I didn't have that safety net. I was alone, pregnant and I had never held a real job. Do you have any idea how many unmarried or divorced mothers are wandering the streets looking for a job - any job?"
She sniffled, just a little. "I wasn't strong enough to do it, Gerry. I couldn't leave him. There are two kinds of people in this country, Gerry. Those who have money and those who don't. My parents had nothing... your father's family did. I was nobody before I married your father. That changed when I married him. Then I had money, Gerry. I didn't have to go without or do without ever again. I didn't ever want to have to apologize for my clothes, or my car, or my house. Once I'd found out what being well off was like, I could never face being poor again."
She looked at her son and granddaughter for a moment. "I know how shallow that sounds, Gerry, but... if you'd been brought up the way I was... well... then you'd understand."
Then it happened. A tear rolled down her perfectly made up face. Just one, but it told Gerry how hard it was for his mother to talk about these things.
"Mom..."
"Let me finish, Gerry."
He nodded.
"So, at the suggestion of your paternal grandfather, your father took a job with an company here and we started over. It went well for a while - long enough for us to have had you - but then, just after I learned that your father not only had been having an affair, but that he had set his mistress up in a condo in the same development we lived in... Gerry, I could have strangled him. I really could have."
She lowered her head and held her forehead in her right hand for a moment.
"Gerry... we had such a fight that night. I... I asked a neighbor to keep you two so that I could confront him and... he slapped me, Gerry. Not for the first time, but he slapped me harder than I have ever been slapped. And he called me... such awful things, Gerry. I tried to call the police, but he knocked me down. I thought he was going to kill me. I really did, but then..."
Gerry waited.
"Then his face turned blue and he collapsed. He fell onto the floor beside me and he couldn't speak. He couldn't breath. I tried to help, Gerry, I swear I did, but... by the time the ambulance got there, he was gone."
"Mom... I'm so sorry..."
"Gerry," she led up her hand and raised her head, again. She didn't want any sympathy. She was beyond that. "When I said I could have strangled him, I meant it, but... when I saw him dying... I didn't want that anymore. I just wanted everything to end."
Gerry had no response. He didn't know what to say or do.
"Anyway..." she continued, "... I didn't just lay down and let the world take pity on me, Gerry. I became what I needed to become. I set my sights on becoming a breadwinner for you two. To be a mother and a father, Gerry. A man and a woman all at the same time. Do you understand?"
He nodded. "Mom, you did a great job..."
"I know I did, Gerry, and I'm very proud of it, but I so many times I thought, 'This would be so much easier if I were a just man. Why couldn't I be a man?' Maybe that's why I am the way I am, Gerry. I don't know."
She looked at Gerry who looked back at her, dumbfounded. "Gerry... the reason I am telling you this is... well... I know I pushed you to dress and act the way you have all week, but... I never could have expected that your body would... well, that this would happen, but... maybe... maybe... just as I was never really meant to be a REAL woman... maybe you... maybe you just were never REALLY meant to be a man. Maybe this IS the real you. The pretty spouse of a successful person. The mommy. The home maker. Maybe we're both just... made wrong."
Gerry felt a tenseness in his throat. "Mom... I'm sorry if I've been such a disappointment to you..."
Kate sat even taller, if that was possible. "Gerry! Have you even listened to a word that I've said?"
"Yes..." he acknowledged. "You said that maybe I wasn't meant to be a man."
"Yes," Gerry, but I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say. Gerry, Taylor's life has been filled with trophies and award ceremonies that come with her talent and beauty. Until Fred left, she'd lived a charmed life. Gerry... you're more like me than you know. You've struggled and searched to find yourself and... well... I think you may well have done that. What I'm trying to say is... I know that I've pushed hard and, well... the dresses and the curtsying and everything, but... Gerry, I think that it may well have all been for a reason."
She took a deep breath.
"Gerry, I don't say this much, not to anyone, but... Gerry, I am so very proud of you and the woman that you've become. I thought that if I pushed you hard enough, you'd become a better man, but I was wrong. You've become much better than a man, Gerry. You have become what I never could be, Gerry. A good woman. I just... I just thought I should tell you."
Gerry moved to kneel in front of his mother. He took her hands in his and kissed them. Then, for the first time that he could ever remember, he laid his head in her lap. "I love mom. I'm so sorry about everything, but... I love you."
Kate ran her fingers through his soft, brown hair, relieved to have finally gotten all of this off of her chest. "I know, Gerry. I know."
Monday morning got off to a bad start. Mila was fussy and Laura, who appeared to be somewhat hungover, was very vocal about her dislike for the sound of a child in the office.
When lunch time rolled around, Mila was hungry as well, so Gerry was obliged to take her to the ladies' lounge and nurse her, while Stevie and Taylor went down the street to a deli with delicious soup, promising to bring him one as well.
When he returned to the reception desk, there was, indeed, a small bag with a cardboard tub of soup within, but before he could even remove it from the bag, the buzzer on his phone sounded. He pushed the 'reply' button and spoke, "Yes, Mrs Wentworth?"
"Gerri, please come into my office immediately. I have an errand for you to run for me."
He looked longingly at the soup, but realized there was no point in thinking about it. He'd have to heat it up in the microwave later. "Right away, Mrs Wentworth."
Kate smiled when he entered her office. "Gerri, it appears that you made quite the impression on young Mr Williams the other day."
"Oh?" Gerry replied innocently. "He said I looked familiar and was trying to figure out where he knew me from."
"And do you know him?"
"Casually. We went to high school together and had mutual friends, but that's all."
"I see. Why didn't you mention this to me?"
"Well, besides the fact that just a few minutes after he left, my breasts started producing milk, which kind of knocked it put of my mind, I didn't think it mattered. I'll never see him again."
"Well," Kate's smile disappeared, "a certainly don't care for the tone of that response, young lady, especially not at work, but I do understand that Friday was an unusual day. Unfortunately, though, you are going to see young Mr Williams again, I'm afraid. I have some documents to be brought over to their offices and he specifically requested that you deliver them."
"Mom! No, please..." Gerry began to plead, but Kate stood and her look stopped him in his tracks. "... I mean..." he got himself under control, "Please, Mrs Wentworth, couldn't someone else take them over for you?"
Kate huffed. "Certainly not, Gerri. Kirkland-Williams is, by far, our biggest and most important client. If they requested that I brought them their paperwork, I would be on my way there, now, but they requested you. So, take Mila's stroller and this envelope and walk it over there. It's a beautiful day and the fresh air and sunshine will do you both a world of good." She handed him the envelope and shooed him towards the door. "Go on, now."
"Yes, ma'm." He turned to go, but Kate stopped him.
"Oh, and Gerri..."
"Yes, ma'm?"
"Remember what I told you about dealing with Kirkland-Williams men - demure, subservient and always curtsy."
"Yes, ma'm," he replied as he gave a small curtsy and returned to his desk to prepare.
It was only a four block walk, and the weather was lovely. The fresh air seemed to be exactly what Mila had wanted and she giggled at everything that they passed on the way. The slight, autumn breeze played with the above-the-knee hem of Gerry's red, sleeveless, silk dress with the scoop neck, blousy skirt and tiny white polka dots. He even stopped twice in order to chat with women who stopped to tell him how pretty Mila looked in her tiny, apple blossom print dress. He didn't think that he'd ever tire of those kinds of conversations.
Kirkland-Williams took up fifteen floors of very big high rise downtown. Gerry took a crowded elevator to the twenty seventh floor, apologizing to the men who scowled at the inconvenience of having a stroller in the elevator with them.
When the elevator doors opened, Gerry entered their offices through the etched glass doors bearing the name of the firm and several of the officers who worked on this floor. He spotted a woman sitting at the reception area desk and immediately felt a kinship with her. She smiled at him as he approached and she said, "May I help you?"
"Yes," Gerry smiled back, "I have an envelope for Mr Robert Williams. May I just leave it with you?"
The woman looked at the envelope, the smiled broadly. "Oh! You must be Gerri Morely, right?"
"Yes," Gerry smiled and, although the fact that this woman knew his name seemed odd to him, he remained focused on making a hasty departure from this office.
"Just a moment," the woman smiled through brilliantly red lips. "Mr Williams wanted me to tell him when you got here."
Gerry sighed as the woman pushed a button on an unseen intercom system.
"Yes, the is Maureen at reception. Please tell Mr Williams that Gerri Morely is here to see him."
"But, I really don't need to..." Gerry tried to correct the woman, but she held up one finger to indicate that she was listening to the person speaking through her earpiece.
"Thank you," Maureen said to the person on the intercom, then she turned to Gerry and said, "Mr Williams will be right out."
As Gerry was about to try to explain that his schedule was too tight to wait, Maureen said, "Your daughter is beautiful."
"Oh," Gerry's expression changed to sheer joy at the compliment, "thank you. She's actually my niece, but I have her during the days."
"Really?" the receptionist said. "She looks just like you." Another compliment that went right to straight to Gerry's heart.
"Oh, thank you, so much," he smiled and looked at his little charge. "She's a pretty hard not to love."
"I can see that," Maureen smiled.
"Well, well, well," Bob Williams chuckled as he arrived in the reception area with something behind his back. "I told you I recognized you." He had that cat-that-ate-the-canary look on his face that Gerry always found smug.
Gerry immediately became cautious. "Oh, Mr Williams," he gave the man a businesslike smile, "I brought those papers you requested. I need to get back, so..."
"Not so fast, Ms Morely," he smiled, "or should I say... Wentworth."
Gerry froze and looked at Bob Williams with fear and suspicion.
"See," Bob went on, "your married name threw me off, but," he pulled a book out from behind his back and slammed it on the reception desk. It was open to a page with pictures of young people, all of whom Gerry had once known in high school. It was his yearbook - Bob's too. Bob pointed to Gerry's picture and grinned even wider. "I gotcha."
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 5
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, an old acquaintance is causing some issues for our heroine and things keep
steamrolling ahead while Gerry is trying to get a handle on the changes in his life.
Author's Note: I again apologize for having lost you all with this story and Spit and Image. ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 5 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 5
"See," Bob Williams said, "your married name threw me off, but," he pulled a book out from behind his back and slammed it on the reception desk. It was open to a page with pictures of young people, all of whom Gerry had once known in high school. It was his yearbook - Bob's too. Bob pointed to Gerry's picture and grinned even wider. "I gotcha."
Gerry started at the picture from seven years earlier. He still had short hair then, cut in a traditional young man's style and the color was his natural, light, mousy brown. He wore a suit coat and a tie in the picture. Underneath was his name, 'Gerald L. Wentworth, Jr.,' and his senior quote, which he'd taken from a pretentious Song by The Moody Blues, 'Beauty I'd always missed with these eyes before. Just what the truth is, I can't say any more."
Gerry looked up at Bob Williams, uncertain as to what to do or say.
Bob laughed. "See, I thought I knew you, but I couldn't put my finger on just how, but it turns out that I just went to school with a relative of yours. I mean, you are a Wentworth, right?"
Gerry was hardly able to breath, but there was an opening here. Bob hadn't figured out that the boy in the picture was the woman in front of him. "Umm... yes, I am a Wentworth." He was about to say that he was Gerry's sister, but Luckily, Bob spoke first.
"So how is it that Gerry Wentworth has a sister named 'Gerri,' too. Wasn't that confusing growing up."
"Actually," Gerry smiled, "Gerry and Taylor are my cousins. My father and their father were brothers."
"Ahh," Bob smiled. "I get it. Now, tell me about this husband of yours."
"Honestly, Mr Williams..."
"Bob," he interrupted.
Gerry took a breath and began again, "Honestly, MR WILLIAMS, I am in a bit of a rush to get back."
"So, you said that this little girl was your niece, correct."
Gerry sighed and glanced at the receptionist who returned a 'sorry about him' look. "Yes, she is."
"Your sister's child, you said."
"Yes."
"That's funny, because at the meeting, Taylor Wentworth said that this was her child."
"She is."
"But I thought that you and Taylor were cousins."
Gerry froze. Think, Gerry, think. "Well... yes, but we were raised as if we were sisters, so we call each other..."
Bob was shaking his head. "Nope. I'm not buying it, Mrs Morley. Let's have a chat in my office, shall we?"
Gerry looked at the receptionist who seemed thoroughly confused, then at the exit, but ultimately just sighed and followed Bob to his office.
"Take a seat, my dear," he said with great amusement.
Gerry sat and looked at Bob, who seemed to be endlessly patient as he waited for an explanation.
Finally, Gerry spoke. "Look, Mr Williams..."
"Bob."
"I'd really rather stick to Mr Williams."
"Look, Gerry, we've known each other a long time. I know we weren't exactly 'friends' in high school, but we got along ok, didn't we." Gerry nodded. "Then call me Bob."
"Alright... Bob... there isn't a lot to tell you. This all started out as a joke and just steamrolled from there."
Bob nodded. "Are you gay?"
"No," Gerry looked anywhere except at Bob. "I'm married. You know Stevie, right? Well, she's my wife."
"Whoa!?" Bob laughed. "You've done well, then. She's a healthy looking woman."
Gerry nodded, not knowing how to respond.
"How long have you been... like this?"
"Not long. A week or so."
"Really!? What about the breasts? I mean, they look real."
"They are, real."
"Huh. Ok, I'm more confused than ever, but let's move on. Is this going to be a permanent life style for you?"
"I don't know," Gerry sighed, uncomfortable with the conversation. "I think... maybe... yes."
Bob shook his head. "Well, I have to say, you never did anything halfway, Gerry. You look... amazing. But - why the pregnancy thing? Just a kink or something?"
Gerry explained how things developed and hoped he'd be able to leave soon. "Honestly, Mr Williams..."
"Bob."
"... I need to go. Mrs Wentworth will be furious if I'm gone too long."
Bob laughed. "Mrs Wentworth. She's really got you under her thumb, doesn't she, Gerry? Ah, well... if you have to go... but I'd like to continue this conversation." He glanced at the calendar on his desk. "How about lunch on Thursday. Someplace nearby. Nothing fancy. See if someone else can take the baby, though."
"I don't know, Mr Williams. I am married..."
"And I am curious. I'll come by at noon on Thursday and either you and I will be going to lunch together, OR... I'll be telling your mother, I'm sorry, Mrs Wentworth, that Kirkland-Williams will be looking elsewhere for our financial needs. How's that sound?"
Gerry looked at the floor. "Very good, Mr Williams. I'll be ready to go." He stood to go.
"Excellent. Say 'hello' to your mother for me."
"Yes, Mr Williams." Gerry took the stroller in hand backed towards the door. He curtsied as he said, "May I leave now, Mr Williams?"
Bob smiled. "Ohh, I like the curtsy. Nice touch. Have you ever considered becoming a maid?"
Gerry didn't even smile. "Have a good day, Mr Williams." He backed out the door and left.
Gerry pushed the stroller through the office and last reception.
"Have a good day, Ms Morley," the receptionist called, but Gerry was too focused on getting to the elevator to respond.
He pushed the 'down' button and waited impatiently. Just as the doors opened, someone grabbed his arm. It was the receptionist, Maureen.
"Are you ok, Ms Morley?" She could see tears on Gerry's cheeks.
Gerry stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head. "No..., actually, I'm not ok. I feel a bit... dizzy."
Maureen nodded. "Here, come with me for a few minutes. You're too upset to be walking around on your own with a baby."
"Stevie. A moment, please," Kate asked as a sales staff meeting ended and the others were filing out of the conference room.
"Sure, Kate. What can I do for you?"
Kate shut the door and indicated that Stevie should sit. Eventually, Kate took a seat opposite Stevie and cleared her throat. "I assume that Gerry spoke to you about our conversation, yesterday?"
Stevie looked a bit surprised by the question. "No. He did mention that you came by and that you'd had a long talk, but... nothing else, really. Why? Is something wrong?"
"No," Kate relaxed a bit. She'd shown Gerry a side of her that she didn't like to show - a softer, mor vulnerable side - and she really didn't want him telling Stevie or Taylor about the conversation. "The thing is, Stevie... I... well, I gave Gerry my blessing to live as he pleases. To be a househusband or housewife, or whatever works for you and him."
Stevie sat back, crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. "Well... That's very magnanimous of you, Kate, but, respectfully, it wasn't really necessary. How Gerry and I chose to live our life together is nobody's business. And, as much as we love you, that includes you."
Kate smiled flatly. "I understand, Stevie, but - also respectfully - you are mistaken. Obviously, you will make your own decisions, but I know that my opinion weighs heavy on Gerry. I know that he feels as if he has never achieved in the same way that Taylor has and that can be tough on a child, especially one as sensitive as Gerry. Regardless, I just want you to know that, however you and Gerry plan to proceed from here on, it is fine with me."
Stevie eyed her mother-in-law suspiciously. "I don't get it, Kate. What's in this for you? We still don't have a Halloween plan worked out and you've been alternatively overly supportive and then judgmental of Gerry since this whole thing began."
Kate looked hurt for a moment. "There's nothing in it for me, Stevie. What a horrible thing to say."
"Oh, come on, Kate," Stevie laughed, "you see every situation from every angle and you chose the situation that best suits your needs. How does having Gerry in dresses benefit you?"
Kate smirked. "Stevie... you do love my son, right?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"Then let's help him to be happy."
"I'm confused," Stevie said with genuine confusion. "I mean, obviously, Gerry seems to be happier this way than before, but... how does that benefit you."
"Look," Kate took a breath and continued. "I thought that giving Gerry a kick in the pants and making him work here this week would make him wake up and act like a man. I expected that, by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest, he'd confront me and go find another job. But the exact opposite happened. He became more... maternal. So much so that his own body thinks his Mila's mother."
"And you're ok with that?"
Kate sighed. "I shouldn't be, should I? I know that I should be screaming at him to man-up and be a good husband to you, but... I think that I accidentally pushed him into being exactly what he's meant to be. A good wife and mother. As unorthodox as that may be, he is happier than I've ever seen him, healthier looking, cleaner, dressed so much better... he's everything I could ask for in a daughter, Stevie. With Taylor, I have a brilliant business woman to take over my company someday and with Gerry, I have a beautiful, maternal daughter who will provide my grandchildren with love and clean, healthy home. What more could I ask for."
Stevie considered this for a moment. "Ok, Kate... that makes sense." She got up to leave, but stopped at the door. "And... if Gerry goes back to living as a man?"
Kate thought about that for a moment. "Is that something you'd like to happen?"
"I don't know."
"Then let's cross that bridge when we come to it."
Stevie nodded and returned to her desk.
"Here," Maureen, the receptionist, handed Gerry a small bottle of water from the refrigerator in the staff lounge. "Drink this and take a few minutes to calm down."
Sensing that Gerry was upset, Mila began to get anxious and was calling out for her uncle.
"Oh, don't worry, baby," Maureen soothed her. "Your auntie is just having a little rest. She'll be ok."
Gerry took a sip of the water and reached for the baby. "Come here, honey. Everything's ok."
He unstrapped Mila and pulled her onto his lap and 'Shh-ed' her till she calmed down.
"So," Maureen started the conversation, "you've transitioned, right? So why not just admit it and move on. Why try to hide it? You look like a natural woman."
"It's complicated," Gerry said, not looking at Maureen.
"How? I mean it's the twenty-first century, right? People transition one way or another all the time. My oldest brother used to be my sister. It's really not a big deal."
Gerry smiled sadly. "It's not like that. I just started... I mean... this was only supposed to be a temporary thing. Kind of a as a joke, but..."
"It got out of hand?"
"More than that. I don't know if it's permanent or what, but... none of that matters. See your company is my mom's biggest client and if I mess things up between you guys and my mom... well, I just can't let that happen."
"I see," Maureen nodded. "If you're not... well, why are you pretending to be pregnant?"
Gerry sighed and told her a thumbnail version of his last ten days.
"Holy Moses," Maureen shook her head. "You've really had a roller coaster of a week, haven't you!? So... what's the deal with Bob Jr? He definitely thinks that he's got something on you."
"He does," Gerry seemed surprised by the question. "He knows who I really am."
"So?"
"So... he could tell people."
"So?"
"So... it could be an embarrassment to my mother's company."
"Your mother's company?"
"Yes."
"Owned by your mother?"
"Yes."
"Your mother who bought you your first bra, a bunch of dresses, had your hair and nails done and blackmailed you into working as a receptionist while still being a nanny to your niece?"
"I'm not a nanny," Gerry sighed. "I just take care of Mila because I love her, but other than that... yes."
"Look, Gerri," she took Mila's hand in hers as she spoke, "there is no reason for you to hide who you are. You're a beautiful lady with nothing to hide. If you're going to chose to live like a woman, then you're going to have to be prepared to make an explanation about your past every now and then. Don't hide who you were - it diminishes who you are. Look at you! I'd kill to be as cute as you! Be proud of yourself and if Bob Jr. tries anything, tell him to go to Hell. Your mother will understand."
"I doubt that," Gerry shook his head.
"Look, Gerri... woman to woman... Bob Jr is a is handsy creep and you can't let him think that he's got anything on you or he'll own you. Unless you want to find yourself on your knees in a dirty men's room giving him a blowjob, you need to put him in his place right from the start."
Gerry's stomach turned as he considered her words. This was an aspect of being a woman, of being small and pretty and vulnerable, that he'd never considered and one that he was sure his wife and sister didn't deal with on a daily basis due to their size and strength.
"Are you listening to me, Gerri?" She asked him.
"Yes," he answered, a bit breathless.
"A week or so ago, you may he been able to think of the world as a safe place, but it's not anymore. You're not just some guy walking around, anymore. You're a very cute girl in a pretty little dress. You need to always assume that every male you meet, no matter how young or old, is trying to figure out how to get into your panties. Do you understand?"
Gerry hugged Mila close and nodded. "I do, Maureen. Thank you."
Maureen sat back, feeling that she'd made her point and that Gerry might take a stronger position when dealing with Bob Jr. "Are you ok, now?"
He nodded and stood. As he strapped Mila back into the stroller, Maureen said, "If you ever need someone to talk to, or even just to go to lunch with, give me a call. Just call the main number and enter extension 432. It's easy to remember. I'm always here."
"So," Kate was not a happy woman, "you just told him who you were so now the entire Kirkland-Williams account is in jeopardy. I swear, Gerry, you need to make sure that you straighten everything out when you go to lunch with that man on Thursday."
"What do you want him to do, mom?" Taylor was offering a defense. "We have always said that Bob Williams Jr was a creep. If he thinks that he has something on Gerry, then he's going to assert himself to make sure that he gets what he wants."
Kate folded her arms. "Well, Gerry has no money, so there's nothing for him to get there."
"If it's blackmail money he's looking for, mom, he won't be after Gerry," Taylor pointed out. "He'll be after you and the company."
"Oh, good God. We need to figure out how to fix this. Gerry - no matter what he asks, you give it to him."
"Kate!" Stevie was shocked. "What if he's looking for something other than money!"
"Like what?"
"Like sex!"
"Well..." Kate left that hanging for a moment. " I guess that would be inappropriate."
"Inappropriate!?" Taylor was nearly shouting.
"Mom..." Gerry started, but Kate cut him off.
"No, Gerry, I am not 'mom' here. You cannot slip up like that."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Kate!" Stevie strode to the door and called out to Laura and Erin. "Would you two come in here, please."
Everyone waited as the other two women entered the conference room. Kate was trying to figure out just what her daughter-in-law was up to.
"Girls," Stevie started, "we need to tell you the truth about something."
"No, Stevie, there is no need for this," Kate said. "This is a family matter."
"Not anymore, Kate. Ladies... our temporary receptionist, Gerri, is in fact my husband, Gerry. He is not a woman and he is not pregnant. He is however, the caretaker of Taylor's daughter, Mila, a wonderful husband and one of the sweetest human beings I have ever met. Questions?"
There was silence for a few moments until Erin said, "But... wait... I saw her breast feeding the baby this morning."
"Yes, he is lactating, so we, as a family, have encouraged him to breast feed Mila in order to take some of the burden of pumping away and to allow Taylor some freedom."
The women looked at Gerry, wide eyed. "HE'S lactating?" Laura said.
"Yes," Stevie said, matter of factly.
"How!?"
"He has a condition called Galactorrhea. You can look it up on line if you'd like, but it's not something that Gerry brought onto himself. It just happened."
"So..." Erin was deep in thought. "You're a girl on top and a boy on the bottom?"
"In essence," Stevie said, "but, if you don't mind, his condition is what it is and doesn't really require constant comment. If you have a question that can't be answered on the internet please feel free to ask Gerry in a confidential, nonjudgmental manner and he'll be happy to answer it if he can, but we'd like to avoid having this be the overarching subject of conversation in the office. Is that ok with everyone?"
"Oh..." both women snapped back to reality, "of course."
"But..." Laura said, "why is he pretending to be pregnant?"
Taylor gave them a brief recap of their Halloween plan and her one piece baby-belt-bra and the outcome of his trying that on.
The women still seemed surprised by the stories, but they agreed that things were out of Gerry's control and they promised to help him in any way they could and they returned to work.
Throughout Stevie's briefing, both Gerry and Kate had remained silent. Once Stevie had closed the door again, Kate shook her head and asked, "And how is that supposed to help anything?"
"Look, Kate," Stevie said, "if there's no secrets, there's nothing for Bob Williams to use as leverage. From here on out, no matter how Gerry is dressed, he is introduced as my husband and your son. If there are no lies, there's no problem."
"Alright," Kate huffed, "but we need to figure out Bob Jr's motives before Thursday. Now, let's get back to work."
At eight thirty, after dinner had been eaten and the dishes had been washed and put away, Gerry sat on the coach with Mila at his breast while Stevie and Taylor sat on the porch, enjoying the air and an after work drink - one a bubbly moscato, the other a ginger ale.
They could hear Gerry quietly singing to Mila as she nursed.
'Being close and being clever
Ain't like being true
I don't need to, I would never
Hide anything from you
Like some
No one's gonna hurt you
No one's gonna dare
Others can desert you
Not a worry, whistle I'll be there
Demons will charm you with a smile for awhile
But in time
Nothing can harm you
Not while I'm around'
It was a charming, loving sound and they both enjoyed it as much as Mila did.
"You think he's going to be ok?" Taylor asked.
"I think he's going to be great. There's no reason for him to hide anymore. He's happy the way he looks, I LOVE the way he looks, you're fine with it, Mila's happy... no one else has a right to care."
"Except my mother."
"Kate gave me her word that she'd be ok with whatever decisions we make."
"Well, good, then." Taylor held up her glass of ginger ale. "A toast to freedom."
"To freedom," Stevie taped her wine glass against Taylor's tumbler.
They sipped and smiled. Then Taylor said, "You know, as odd as all of this is, it's all kind of a miracle for both of us."
"How so," Stevie sipped.
"Well, according to what you've told me, your sex life has never been better."
Stevie laughed and held up her glass again. "Here, here!"
"For Gerry... well, I think he's really found a purpose in life. He looks so much happier and, well, prettier."
"Again," Stevie smiled, "Here, here!"
"And for me..." Taylor laughed, "... with Gerry producing more milk than Mila can consume, I should be able to put these babies to rest pretty soon."
Stevie laughed. "And what will you do to celebrate your departure from the dairy industry?"
"Well, I'll wear more comfortable and prettier bras, for one thing, and I'll drink wine again, for another."
"Won't you miss nursing her?"
Taylor made a 'you must be kidding' face and shook her head. "Not as much as I miss my glass of wine, Steve-O. Not as much as I miss my glass of wine."
"That's a good girl," they heard from the other room. "What a good, good girl." Then they hear the sound of gentle tapping and, eventually a quiet little burp, followed by Gerry complimenting the child, again, and the sound of Gerry padding softly towards the spare bedroom.
"He'll be changing her, now, then I should take her home and put her to bed." She held up her tumbler in one more mock-toast and downed the rest of her soft drink in one gulp, then stood and grabbed Stevie's glass and said, "you're done with this, right?"
Stevie grabbed Taylor's wrist, laughing, "Oh, no you don't, lady. Not just yet."
"Damn," Taylor snapped her fingers in a 'curses, foiled again, manner.' "I almost got away with it."
Stevie joined Taylor as they walked out into the kitchen, rinsed their glasses and placed them in the strainer to dry.
"Are you a sleepy little girl?" They heard as Gerry walked back towards the kitchen carrying Mila who wore a pink sleeper with tiny, bright white flowers speckled all over the material.
"Oh, Gerry, that sleeper is just adorable! Did you pick that out for her?"
"Yes," he smiled. "I bought it on the way home, today. When I had the driver stop for groceries, there was a new boutique for children that just opened next door. Oh, they have the most beautiful clothes, but I didn't have a lot of money with me, so I only bought her this."
"It's beautiful, Gerry," Taylor smiled as she took her daughter from her brother. "She's so lucky to have you." She kissed his cheek and said her goodnights and headed for the door. As usual, Gerry and Stevie waited outside the front door until Taylor and Mila were safely inside their townhouse next door.
As Stevie locked up, she said, "There are a lot of nice clothes for Mila at that new store?"
"So many," Gerry beamed, fantasizing about dressing Mila in many of the fashions he saw at the boutique.
Stevie saw how badly he wanted to purchase the pretty dresses for their niece. "Why didn't you buy some?"
"Oh," he shrugged. "I only had about eighty dollars with me and, after groceries, that sleeper was all I could afford."
"So..." Stevie was genuinely baffled by this, "... why didn't you use a debit card or a credit card?"
Gerry walked to the strainer and wiped down the glasses his wife and sister had left there. "I don't know. I guess I didn't want to spend your money without talking to you first."
"MY money? Since when is it MY money, Gerry. You know that we're partners. MY money is OUR money, baby. If you want to spend money, especially on Mila, you don't need to ask me. Were did this idea of MY money come from?"
Gerry shrugged, but didn't turn around.
"It came from your mother, didn't it?" She came up behind him and hugged him from behind. "Baby, we're very lucky. We've done well. We don't need to live on a strict budget. Your mother is just playing mind games with you." She kissed his neck and felt him yield to her kisses. "We're partners, baby. Equal partners." She kissed his neck again. "Understand?"
"Uh Huh," he whispered, enjoying the kisses.
Stevie snuck her right hand up to his right breast and teased his nipple. "Equal in all things." She nibbled his earlobe, which still bore the pearl earring he'd worn to work that morning. "Never, ever, ever ask permission again."
She felt his knees buckle as her left hand touched his left breast, so she swept her right hand lower and scooped him up from behind his knees and carried him, Rhett and Scarlet style, into the bedroom, where she gently tossed him onto the bed, his green, silk robe fluttering open, revealing the lace covered, silk slip beneath.
Gerry caught his breath and turned to see Stevie stripping faster than he'd ever seen her strip before. Within seconds, she was on the bed, her hands under his slip, pulling his panties and baby-belt free. She grabbed his legs, spreading them and pushing his heels towards his bottom, his knees up in air.
Just the excitement caused by her animalistic arousal was enough to make Gerry receptive to her powerful, masculine advances, but when she gripped his swollen, extended organ and quickly devoured it into her womanhood, he was already close to erupting.
Stevie began thrusting, pulling his manhood deep into her, but looking as if she were thrusting into him. He may have come right then and there if she had not suddenly, and with equal parts aggression and gentleness, bitten down on his nipple through his bra, nursing pad and slip.
Gerry's attention moved from his groin to his sensitive breasts as his breathing became ragged with desire, but Stevie's attention to his breasts didn't last long. Without warning, she slowed sat back on her heels, careful to keep his penis clenched firmly in her vagina. She kept the slow motion thrusts going as she looked down at the beautiful, womanly man beneath her. She'd always loved having sex with Gerry, but lately, he was such a soft, compliant lover and he smelled so good, and the lace that seemed to always encase his plump, feminine breasts... it was all just so wonderfully exotic and erotic and wonderful.
"You're so beautiful," she whispered.
"So are you," he gasped. "I love you so much."
That made her smile. She kept a soft, firm pumping going. "You're my beautiful, sexy, pregnant boy." That made them both smile. "Will you be my wife?"
Gerry smiled. "I will, if you'll be my husband."
"I will, but," now she smiled, "I'm afraid that my business suits will all have to be skirt suits. Your mother insists on a specific look in the office."
"Do you want me to go back to wearing pants?" He asked, thinking he knew the answer.
"Not on your life, missy," Stevie smiled in a nearly predatory manner. She picked up the momentum of her thrusts as she spoke. "My little wifey is the kind of girl that would never wear pants."
"Really?" Gerry giggled as he felt her core grip even more firmly around his very being. "Why not?"
"Because she lives to be my little woman. My perfect housewife. The perfect, plump nursemaid for my niece and, someday, for our own children. She's a soft, weak, feminine goddess who likes it when I do this." She thrust harder. "And this." She increased her speed and intensity. "She loves it when I make her scream. Scream for me, baby. Scream for me, little girl. Tell me I'm your man."
Gerry was nearly breathing, lost in ecstasy and the all too real fantasy that his strong, powerful, tall wife-now-husband was narrating. "You..." she thrust and took his breath away. "You're my..." she did it again.
"I'm your what, baby girl?"
"You're my man!" He huffed.
"Louder, sweet thing. Say it louder. Scream it for me."
She thrust again, devouring him completely. Not just pulling his penis deep within her, but taking it from him. Stealing it. Nearly tearing it from him as his squealed in a loud, high pitched voice, "You're my man! Oh, God, yes! You're my man!"
And they came in hot, sweaty, loving unison.
"Gerri," Kate caught him as he was returning from changing Mila in the ladies' room, "May I see you in my office for a moment. You can bring the baby with you."
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth." Gerry felt a flush of fear wash over him. Tuesday had gone by without incident and so had the first few hours of Wednesday. What could he have done to have earned a reprimand today!? There had been a half dozen clients so far, but all had gone well with them, as far as he knew.
As he followed his mother, he glanced at his wife, who was with a client, then at his sister, who was on the phone. No support was to be found.
When he entered, his mother held the door for him and told him to take a seat. When she'd closed the door, she took a seat behind her desk and looked very serious. "I've been thinking, Gerri, and I think we need to make a few changes if you're going to be living this way."
Great. It wasn't a work related talk. This could be bad. "What sort of changes, Mrs Wentworth?"
"Well," she glanced at her notebook, "I was thinking this morning. You are planning to to take Stevie to St Thomas in a few weeks, are you not?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And how, exactly do you plan to board a plane looking like that?"
Gerry looked at himself and shrugged. "I don't understand."
"Gerri," Kate shook her head, "you will need some form of ID to board the plane, won't you?"
"Yes, I suppose I will, but I have a license..."
Kate held up his license for him to see. "I hope you don't mind. I took it from your purse while you were dealing with Mila. Look at this picture, Gerri."
He did. The picture was of an unkempt twenty two year old man with dirty blonde, scraggly hair and a lame attempt at a mustache. The personal information read 'Gerald Wentworth, Jr' then his birthdate and a section that read 'Gender' which was followed by the letter 'M.'
"If you were a TSA Agent, would you allow someone who looked like you to pass through airport security with this license as an ID?"
"No, I suppose not."
Kate wrote on a Post-It Note and pulled it free, handing it to Gerry. "You're going to need to take a slightly longer lunch break today to deal with a few things. First, go to the address that I wrote on that sticky note and ask for Marion. She's my lawyer and she has some paperwork for you to sign. She'll take care of getting you an appropriate license as quickly as possible. You should have it within a week or so."
He looked at the note. The address was just a few doors away. "Yes, ma'am. Ask for Marion."
"Good." Kate wrote on another Post-It Note. "After you've done that, I want you to go to this address. Taylor will meet your there at twelve forty-five. She knows what needs to be done."
"What's this all for?" Gerry asked.
"Well, if you must know, it's for your Halloween costume. We have come up with a novel idea and I'd like you to be measured to see if our idea will work. You may need to try on a few things as well."
"What's the costume going to be?"
"Now, don't you worry your pretty little head over it, Gerri. The idea is a hoot, but I don't know if it'll work or how much it'll cost. Just go to that address and let Taylor do all the talking."
"Was it Taylor's idea?"
"No," Kate chuckled, "as a matter of fact, it was Laura's idea. I never would have expected something this creative from her, but... live and learn! Now, off you go."
"Yes, ma'am." As he headed for the door, he stopped and asked. "Mrs Wentworth... since Laura and Erin know who I am, couldn't I call you 'mom,' now?"
"Oh, Gerri, I really don't think that would be appropriate, do you?"
"Well, Taylor calls you 'mom' and Stevie calls you 'Kate,' so..."
"Yes, but Taylor and Kate are junior partners, Gerri. You are just a receptionist. Remember our conversation, Gerri. The world is run by those with money. I have money, Gerri. Taylor and Stevie have money. At home, you can call me 'mom,' but in the workplace, I'm afraid that proper protocol must be observed. While you are here, I will always be Mrs Wentworth. Understood?"
"Yes, Mrs Wentworth," he nodded.
"That is a very lovely dress you're wearing today, Gerri." Kate seemed to sense that she'd crushed his spirit more than she'd intended and was trying to boost his moral a bit. It was a lovely dress, though. A knee length sundress, white, with moderately wide shoulder straps, four tiny, pearlescent buttons on the front of the bodice, eyelets modestly placed on the straps and the belt-region of the empire waist and a wide, soft skirt with a scalloped hem and a band of a baby blue checkerboard pattern that emphasized the pretty scalloping by mimicking it's shape in the checkerboard design. "You really do have a lovely sense of women's fashions, dear. I'm so glad that we've discovered that talent and found a way for you to display it to the world."
Gerry looked at the dress, hiked Mila a little higher on his hip and tried to determine whether his mother's remark was a compliment or not, but decided to just accept it as a positive remark. "Thank you, Mrs Wentworth." He returned to his desk.
"I'm here to see Marion," Gerry told the receptionist. The address was just a few blocks away and he and Mila had both enjoyed the walk.
"And your name?" The very attractive thirty-something woman smiled.
"Gerry Wentworth."
"Oh, yes, Miss Wentworth. Marion told me to show you right into conference room B. She'll be with you in just a moment. Right this way, please."
The receptionist walked beside Gerry as she led the way.
"You have your hands full, don't you?"
Confused by the remark, Gerry asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, one in the stroller and another on the way. They'll be Irish twins, won't they?"
Realizing what she meant, Gerry explained that Mila was his niece.
"Oh, how sweet. Here we are. Marion will be in in a moment."
Gerry unstrapped Mila and pulled her into his lap. Within a minute, a woman in her sixties opened the door, but stopped and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was looking for someone else."
She closed the door again and shouted down the hall to the receptionist. "Anna! Where did you put Ms Wentworth?"
He heard the response, "Conference B."
There was a pause, then the door reopened and the same woman stuck her head in. "Ms Wentworth?"
"Yes," Gerry smiled, but didn't rise because Mila was occupied with the cloth book he'd put on the desk in front of him.
"Oh," the woman looked a bit confused, "you're not quite what I expected. I mean, Kate told me that you were her son, but... are you really a man?"
Gerry shrugged. "I guess. I mean... I was, but now... it's confusing."
"I see..." the woman sat down and opened a folder. "I'm sorry if I was rude, it's just... I've done dozens of things like this for transgender people, but... if you don't mind me saying, you're remarkably attractive for a transgendered woman."
Gerry blushed a bit. "Well... thank you."
"May I ask, who is your surgeon?"
Gerry sighed. "I haven't had any surgery."
She balked at that. "Just hormones?"
"Just the ones that nature gave me," he smiled.
"My goodness..." she shook her head. "Uncanny. It really is. Well, let's get down to business. I understand that you need a new license that reflects your new gender choice and that you need it quickly in order to use it for your ID when traveling. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Gerry smiled, relieved that the topic had changed to his actual reason for being there.
"And when do you plan on leaving on this trip?"
"November ninth."
"Oh," Marion wrote down the date. "That is tight, but not impossible." She handed him several papers. "I'll just need your initials here and here and here and a signature at the bottom."
Gerry followed the instructions.
"Alright," she smiled. "I'll have a judge sign these this afternoon and I'll call my friend at the Department of Motor Vehicles and I'll have a license expedited for you. You'll need to go to a DMV Office either today or tomorrow, depending on when I get the signature, to have a new picture taken. Ok?"
"Oh, that's all there is to it?" Gerry was relieved.
"Yep, and once the judge signs the paperwork, you will be a female in the eyes of the the State of a Florida."
"What!?" Gerry felt a rush of fear in his chest.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're concerned about."
"You said I'd be a female. You mean... legally... I wouldn't be a man any more?"
Marion seemed even more confused than before. "Well... yes, Gerri, that's what the paperwork is for. If you want to travel without being detained or otherwise bothered by the TSA, then this is the only way to handle it. There is no 'Gender X' option on a Florida license. Either you're Gerald Wentworth or you're Gerri-Anne Wentworth. It's your choice."
His heart was racing. He was thrilled to have been able to experiment the way he had, but this was all so legal and permanent. "There's no other choice?"
Marion took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Not unless you want to spend the rest of your life explaining yourself to every police officer and TSA Agent you encounter. Ms Wentworth, you... how should I say this... you present as such a lovely woman... why is this an issue?"
Gerry considered things for a moment. At least a year, maybe more of his breasts producing milk, then the breasts still being a part of him unless he had them surgically removed, which scared him a lot... but he'd never be considered a man again. He'd be, legally, a woman from now on. "How will this impact my marriage? I mean... will my wife and I still be married?"
"Your wife?" This seemed to shock Marion even more. "You mean you're... a lesbian?"
"No." Gerry took a breath. "I'm a man. I mean... I have man parts and I'm married to a beautiful woman."
"Ok," Marion was getting frustrated, "let me get this straight. You're transitioning, you've obviously had some sort of breast augmentation, although you don't seem to want to admit it, and you're afraid that this little, legal process is a problem? Well, rest assured, same sex marriages have been legal in Florida for quite some time, so, legally, nothing will change."
"My breasts..." Gerry looked for the right words. "I'm not taking hormones, but I have a condition and my breasts... well... I'm... I'm lactating, so all of this is very new to me."
Marion sat back down, this time next to Gerry and she patted his cheek. "Oh, you poor thing. You mean, this all just... happened to you?"
He nodded.
"My God, no wonder you're so overwhelmed." She looked at him closely. If this was recent, then he'd adapted remarkably well. "Gerri... did you ever, maybe, consider that this is, perhaps, the universe correcting a mistake? That, maybe, you are meant to be who you are now? I mean, judging by the way you're dressed, your wife must be supportive, and look at your little girl. She's obviously not confused. You can see how much she loves you."
Gerry didn't bother to correct her. Mila may not have been his daughter, but she was definitely his little girl and there was no question that she loved him. So, he just nodded.
"If you want to travel, Gerri, if you want to drive a car, if you want to be able to present your license as an ID for any reason, this is the best choice to make. I'm sure of it."
He nodded, again. "Ok. Go ahead and do it. I guess it doesn't really matter."
"Atta girl," Marion said without any sense of teasing, as she stood up. "Leave it to me. I'll have everything dealt with in about ten days."
"Thank you," Gerry stood, Mila on his shoulder, and he shook her hand.
"You're a beautiful woman, Gerri. Never deny that."
His second stop during lunch hour required him to walk past his mother's office and another two blocks beyond. When he arrived at the address, it was another office building, but he had no indication of what floor he needed to go to. As he looked around, confused, until he spotted Taylor waving from the door of one of the ground floor business. He turned Mila's stroller in that direction and hurried to his sister.
The sign over the door read 'Amanda's Boutique.' When Gerry entered, he was a bit surprised to see that the store was empty. There were no displays of any kind to indicate what the store sold. There was a desk in the corner where an elegantly dressed woman sat and several comfortable looking chairs. The walls were painted a deep rose color and the carpet was a thick-pile, beige that looked and felt very expensive.
"I'm so excited," Taylor nearly bubbled as she bent, unstrapped Mila and put her on her hip.
"What are we doing here?" Gerry asked. "Is there even a business in here?"
"Of course," Taylor smiled. "Come meet Amanda."
She walked over to the elegantly dressed woman and introduced him simply as Gerry. The woman shook his hand then said to Taylor, "Will your brother be here soon, Ms Wentworth? I have someone coming in at two and I'd rather not have them think that my boutique is a costume shop, if you don't mind."
Taylor put her free arm around Gerry's shoulder and stood next to him, pulling him close. "This is my brother, Amanda. This is Gerry."
"This is...?" The woman slowly stood, mouth agape, and she stared at the person beside Taylor. She was much, much smaller than Taylor, the top of her head barely reaching Taylor's shoulder, and she wore a dress that was decidedly feminine. The dress also showed a great deal of shoulder and all of her arms. Her shoulders were narrow and weak looking and her arms were on the pudgy side, but showed no muscle development at all. "YOU'RE the brother? How? I expected to be fitting a boy, not..." Realizing she was babbling, Amanda looked at Gerry and said, "I'm sorry, dear, I'm just very... surprised. Why... you're lovely, my dear. We have a lot of choices. Let's get started."
She stood and pulled a seamstress' tape measure from a draw in the desk and guided Gerry to a small platform in the rear of the store that he had not noticed. "Jump up her, my dear, and we'll get things underway."
For the next few minutes, the woman touched Gerry in ways he'd never been touched before as she ran the tape over his body, while also speaking nonstop to Taylor. "Are we thinking something traditional and full length, or something that shows off these beautiful legs of hers?"
"Well," Taylor thought, "I think we were going the traditional route, but if you have something that had a traditional look while also letting us see his knees and calves, I think that might be adorable." Then, to Mila she said, "Yes, see Auntie Gerri? She's getting fitted for a very pretty dress."
"I have some nice choices, but let's talk about her bust. Do we want to be revealing or is some of that padding?"
"No, that's all him, but we don't want to be too revealing. He's a good little housewife, not a slut."
"Well, you know what they say, 'A good little housewife should be a slut in the bedroom.'"
That made both the women laugh, but Gerry was just concerned about what was planned for him.
"Alright, darling," Amanda smiled, "just have a seat and give me five or six minutes. I think you're going to love what I have for you."
Gerry stepped down from the platform and took Mila, who was stretching to reach him, from Taylor and they both crossed to a coach and took a seat. "She has called me a 'she' every time she referred to me, no matter how many times you said 'he.' Does she understand that I'm your brother."
"Relax. She's used to working with women, that's all. Besides," Taylor indicated Gerry's new body, "come on."
Gerry huffed. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter much. Pretty soon, in the eyes of the State of Florida, I will be a woman. Legally and forever."
"What do you mean?"
He explained what had happened at the lawyer's office.
"Wow." Taylor was surprised he'd agreed to go this far. "And you're ok with this?"
He shrugged. "What choice do I have? I can't use my current license at the airport and I did all of this to take Stevie to St Thomas for our anniversary. It wouldn't make sense to throw it all away for the sake of a little government technicality."
Before Taylor could discuss it any further, Amanda burst back into the waiting area with several dresses hanging from a rack. "Here we go, ladies! Come take a look!"
Taylor Rose, then turned and helped her 'pregnant' brother, who was carrying her daughter, to stand and they went to see what Amanda had for them. When Gerry saw the dresses, he gasped. "Wedding gowns!? That's the plan? A pregnant bride?"
Taylor smiled. "That's part of it, but let's see what we have to choose from."
"Now, this," Amanda smiled as she held up a very heavily beaded dress, "is a very popular style. It's a bit revealing, but she can certainly pull that off, and the dress has a lovely, seven foot train." She held the full length gown out for Taylor to inspect.
"Hmm," she mulled over the gown and its very revealing buts area, "it's a little... trampy isn't it? We're looking for something that's a bit more... classic."
"Oh, then look at this one," Amanda bubbled. "It's a true classic. Tea length, lightly beaded about the bodice, see through, lace straps, modest, but sexy, and this nineteen fifties inspired , flared skirt with built in petticoats and matching, very feminine, lace gloves. The back zips up for a nice, uniform fit, but the zip-track is covered by another flap that is closed with seventy five tiny, pearl buttons so it has the look of a traditional gown, but the comfort of an everyday dress - granted, an everyday dress from the nineteen fifties. Take a look."
Taylor gasped. "Oh, Amanda! It's perfect! Just perfect! Do you like it, sweetheart?" The last part was directed to Gerry.
"Yes," he was surprised by how mesmerized his sister was by the beauty of the dress. Usually, she was more interested in simple sheaths and dress slacks for special occasions.
"Oh, Gerry! Quick, go try it on. I can't wait to see you in it! I'm sure you'll look just perfect."
"This one, right here," Stevie told the salesperson. He was an older man with stark white hair and a finicky little mustache that must have occupied a good amount of his mornings in order to maintain its thinness and neatness.
"Yes, ma'am," he smiled condescendingly as he removed the item from the case. "That's a three carat diamond in a halo setting, designed by Scott Kay. The band is platinum and the ring has a companion wedding ring that compliments it beautifully if you and your fiancé decide you'd like to have that as well."
Stevie smirked at the man's condescension. "Actually, it's for me to give to my husband."
The salesman seemed confused. "Oh, well, Madame, these are women's rings, you see. The men's wedding bands are in the case over here, to your right. If you'll step this way..."
"No, I like this one." Stevie insisted.
"But... madam, I'm not even sure if we could size that to a man's finger."
"I'm sure that won't be an issue. He is a rather... slight man. I know from experience that his ring finger and my little finger are the same size. So, if you could measure my little finger and size this ring accordingly, I would appreciate it."
"Yea, Madame, of course, but... I do want to emphasize that you are choosing a decidedly feminine ring and, since it is priced at forty-two thousand dollars, I would hate for you to make a very costly mistake..."
"Well, perhaps my mistake was to come into this store," Stevie stood taller and made to exit the shop. "If you are willing to lose the commission on a five thousand dollar sale, then far be it from me to stand in your way. Have a good afternoon."
She was nearly to the door when she heard the salesman coming around the counter and chasing after her. "No, no, Madame, please, I believe you misunderstood me and I apologize for my assumptions. I was just trying to be helpful. Please, do come back to the counter and I will check the size of your little finger. I'm sure your husband will adore the ring."
Stevie considered this for a moment, then turned to return to the jewelry case. "Alright... but I expect you to do a bit better on the price of the wedding ring."
"Oh, yes," the man said with a great deal of nervousness, "of course."
"Oh, Gerry, it's just perfect!" Taylor praised.
"I'll need to shorten the hem, just a bit," Amanda explained. "I'll leave a little extra length in the front so her bump doesn't show as much. If the hemline is even when she's wearing it, people won't notice the baby bump."
"No, no," Taylor said with a bit more vehemence than she'd intended. "Let his belly lift it a bit. We want people to see that he's pregnant and that he's carrying correctly and not wearing a pillow under there."
"Alright," Amanda shrugged as she knelt and began pinning the hem of the dress."
"You look beautiful, Gerry," Taylor told her brother. "I wish we'd known how pretty you were before your wedding. You make a delectable bride."
Despite the time he'd spent in dresses, seeing himself reflected back in the three mirrors near the platform, wearing a bridal dress with the lace gloves, a wide petticoated shirt, a virginal veil pinned into the delicate tiara on the crown of his head, made his knees a bit weak.
"Don't you just love it?" Taylor asked.
"It's..." he didn't know quite what to say. "... it's a beautiful dress, but..."
"But what, sweetheart?" Taylor could not imagine why he'd had any reservations about the dress or how he looked in it.
"Taylor, I look... I mean... I don't look anything like a guy in drag as a bride. How is this going to help us win the contest? I just look like... a bride..."
"A precious, pregnant, little bride, Gerry, and, trust me, this is going to be great. I really can't tell you the whole plan, but this is just perfect!"
"Ok," Amanda stood up, again. "She's all set for today. I should have it ready by the end of the week. Do you need anything else? Shoes? Jewelry? Lingerie?"
"Yes!" Taylor said, realizing that there were other things required. "I think some basic, open toed pumps that match would be perfect, and could we see what you have for bridal lingerie? I want him to have everything that a real bride should have - even on his wedding night. He won't need jewelry, though. My mother bought him a gorgeous set of pearl earrings and pearl necklace."
Then she looked at Gerry and said, "I think mom is arranging to have your hair and makeup done that day." Suddenly, she actually bounced like a junior high school girl and giggled as well. "Oh, Gerry, this is so much fun!"
By the time Gerry and Taylor returned to the office, his hired car was waiting to take him home. He knocked on the passenger window of the car and, when the driver had lowered the window, said, "I'll be just a few minutes. I need to just grab a few things and I'll be right out."
"Take your time, ma'am," the driver replied.
When they entered the office, Gerry came to a dead stop when he saw a stranger sitting at his desk. "May I help you?" The pretty girl asked. She was approximately the same age as Gerry, but she looked athletic and, even though she was seated, he could tell that she was taller than he was.
"Umm..." he took a second to evaluate the situation. "This... this is my desk..."
"Dayna!" Taylor shouted happily. "My mom hired you? That's wonderful!"
The girl stood and came around the desk to hug Gerry's sister and he realized that she was even taller than Taylor - AND - she was wearing very tall, very elegant heels.
"Oh, Taylor, thank you so much for putting in a good word for me! Since graduating in May, I haven't been able to find anything but waitressing jobs. This is such a Godsend and your mother said that if I do well at reception, she'd teach me about investing and maybe I could move up to being an investment councilor in a year or so."
"Oh, that's great, Dayna," Taylor enthused. "I think you'll love it here. We're a company of women and we support women. Anything we can do to help you, just let us know. We'll be happy to help."
"Thanks, Taylor. I'm so excited to be here. Look! I still have goosebumps!"
Taylor laughed. "Oh, how could I have forgotten!? Dayna, this is my little brother, Gerry. He'll be training you, I guess. Gerry, this is Dayna. She plays basketball in our women's league."
The girl's eyes searched the reception area for a moment before settling on Gerry, who held out a hand and said, "Hi."
Dayna blinked in confusion. "Gerry? This is your BROTHER, Gerry?"
"Yes," Taylor laughed. "Long story. I'll explain it all later, but Gerry's in a hurry right now. He'll start training you tomorrow morning. Gerry, sweetie, go tell Stevie you're leaving."
"Ok," he said and left the two women to chat.
He found his wife at a filing cabinet, her jacket off, revealing a sleeveless, white, low cut, silk blouse that somehow complimented both her strength and female form perfectly. If she didn't have a jacket on, then Gerry knew that there were no clients anywhere in the offices. If there were, she wouldn't dare appear in just a blouse and skirt. "Hi, Stevie. I just wanted to let you know that I was back, but I'm leaving, now."
"Hi, baby," she beamed at him, "did you find a nice dress?"
"Yes, I guess," he gave out a nervous laugh. Everyone could hear them and he wasn't sure that everyone was a cool with his new form as they let on.
"You guess!? Baby, a bride needs to love her dress. I loved mine!"
"Oh, no, it's beautiful and, yeah, I love it, I just wish I knew what the whole concept was."
Stevie winked at him. "It's a surprise, baby, but trust me - You'll love it!"
"Ok," Gerry sounded dubious, "but I should get going, now. Love you." He stretched to kiss her cheek, but she turned and pulled him into a passionate kiss on his lips. The heat of her lips caused him to close his eyes and submit to her strength. His arms found their way to her neck and he held loosely to her as she leaned him back and continued the kiss.
When, at last, she let him up for air, she asked, "Do you remember how we became engaged?"
Gerry blinked to regain his senses and tried to clear his mind. "Engaged? Yes. We were on the beach and I asked you if you'd ever thought about marrying someone. You said you'd only ever thought about marrying me, so I said, 'let's get married.'"
"Right," she smirked. "Not all that romantic, was it?"
He shrugged. "It seemed to work."
Now, she smiled broadly. "It did, but..." she took him by the hand and led him to the center or the office. "May I have everybody's attention, please!?" She called out, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stand. Even Kate came out of her office.
"Everyone," Stevie continued, "you all know that Gerry and I have been together for a while and, well, things have been going great - especially lately since we've kinda... found ourselves. Well, what you may not know is that this beautiful man is the most wonderful, sensitive, feminine wife a working woman could ever dream of coming home to. He makes my life wonderful and he is the perfect surrogate mommy for our niece, Mila. I cannot imagine my life without Gerry in it and I want to make an honest girl of him, so..." she knelt in front of him, confusing Gerry completely, "Gerry... beautiful Gerry... will you please, do me the honor of officially becoming my wife?"
She held open the box from the jeweler's and presented it to him. The sight of the huge diamond and the ornateness of the setting caused Gerry's breath to get away from him. He gasped and his hand shot to his throat.
"Well...?" Stevie asked.
"Not knowing quite what was happening and wanting nothing more than to please Stevie, Gerry nodded and wept a few tears before the words came out. "Y... yes! Yes, of course, Stevie!" He wrapped his arms around her neck as she stood and carried him up, off of his feet for a moment.
Stevie took his left hand and removed his wedding ring, sliding the ornate engagement ring onto his finger. Immediately, Gerry held the hand at an angle and stared at the ring - a sign of feminine subservience to a husband-to-be. It was gorgeous and it looked gorgeous on his hand and he felt so beautiful, so lucky, so complete to just be wearing it! His heart beat fast and his tears of joy flowed.
Stevie hugged him and whispered, "I'll make you happy, baby. I promise."
Before he could ask what she meant by that, Taylor suddenly pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek, too. "Congratulations, sweetheart." She said.
What was wrong with everybody!? Stevie and he were already married! There was a lot going on that was confusing Gerry.
Erin and Laura both touched his arms and congratulated him, as did the new girl, Dayna. Then, the most shocking thing happened, Kate hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad that you have become the woman you are, Gerry. I know that you'll make Stevie a wonderful wife."
As Kate released Gerry from her hug, a phone was ringing. Realizing that there was no one at the reception desk, Erin picked up the phone and spoke to the caller. "Stevie," she called out, "it's for you! She says it's important!"
"Excuse me," Stevie said as she left Gerry's side. "Probably Mrs Fedderman calling about her IRA. I'll just be a moment."
As she walked away, Taylor began an animated description of Gerry's wedding dress, leaving Gerry to try to figure out why things were becoming so elaborate. The dress, the ring - and the ring sure felt real. It had some heft to it, like a diamond in a platinum setting. Not at all like a hunk of glass with cheap metal. At this point, they must have spent at least the cost of the hot tub that was the costume party contest prize.
"Oh, my God, you're kidding!" Stevie said excitedly into the phone, causing everyone else to stop and listen. "No... I mean... yes, of course we want it. When can we... I mean... I'm sorry, I'm just so excited... what do we need to do?"
"Oh, my God," Taylor whispered. "Gerry...!"
Gerry started at his wife. Was this really happening.
"Yes... uh huh... yes, of course..." Stevie was saying, but her face had a full blown smile on it. "Oh, my God, thank you. Thank you, thank you, so, so, so, so much!" She said as she hung up the phone.
She turned to everyone, a smile exploding on her face.
Gerry held his breath, looking at his wife and hoping against hope that she had wonderful news.
"Well!?" Taylor screamed.
"We're getting a baby," Stevie said with great glee and the applause of everyone. Gerry felt a sense of joy and shock explode at the core of his being. "There's a girl in St Petersburg who just offered her unborn daughter up for adoption. She'd been under a doctor's supervision for the entire pregnancy, no history of drug use or family illness, just a college student who made a mistake and she's due on December twelfth. DECEMBER twelfth, Gerry! We'll have her home in time for Christmas!"
"Gerry!" Taylor shouted as she grabbed her brother. "You're going to be a mommy!"
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 6
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, Gerry must face a creepy high school friend who has figured out his secret and
who may be planning to take advantage of him.
Author's Note: If you read this story, please consider leaving me a review? ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 6 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 6
"Good morning, thank you for calling Wentworth Investments, this is Gerry speaking, how may I help you, today?" The phone rarely rang before nine thirty, so Gerry had a pretty good idea who was calling at nine oh-seven on Thursday morning.
"Well, hello, Miss Morley," the snide voice on the other end of the phone oozed through the receiver. "How are we doing today, sweet cheeks?"
Gerry sighed. "Good morning, Mr Williams. How may I direct your call today."
"Oh, I'd say that my call has been perfectly directed already, Miss Morley. I'm looking at my calendar and I seem to be available from eleven till, hmmm, well, my afternoon looks wide open. Why don't I drop by at, say, eleven forty five and we can go to Anna Maria's Restaurant for lunch, then... who knows."
"Mr Williams," Gerry's voice was nervous and he spoke in hushed tones, "I'm afraid that today just won't work for me, it's very busy around here and..."
"You're not trying to avoid me, are you, Gerry? I mean, I'm just trying to catch up on lost time with an old buddy, right? An old buddy who suddenly seems to have sprouted luscious tits and has killer legs, sure, but an old buddy, nonetheless."
"Not at all, Mr Williams, it's just that..."
"I really like that, Gerry. That submissive, little girl quality you've developed. When I hear you call me 'Mr Williams..." he sighed, "... well, it just makes my day, sweet cheeks. I hope that you're giving me a little curtsy every time you say it, too."
Gerry felt his flesh crawl.
"Tell you what, since you're into this kind of submissive little girl stuff, now, I'll make all the decisions. Eleven forty five. Ditch the baby. Anna Maria's for lunch and make sure that mommy knows that you'll be gone for most of the afternoon."
"Mr Williams, I am married..."
"Who gives a shit? So am I. Eleven forty five. Be ready."
"Mr Williams... please..."
"Ooh, begging. We're off to a good start, sweetheart. I'm hanging up now. Remember, mommy wants our business, so look pretty and be nice to me, or else."
Gerry sighed, again. "Yes, Mr Williams."
"Oh, and one last thing! On your break this morning, you may want to run over to that drug store across the street and get some KY Jelly. I don't usually need it, but... well, I'm sure you understand. Hey, get some with that warming agent in it. I've always wanted to try that. Till later, cutie!" He disconnected the call.
Gerry looked up and made eye contact with his wife, sitting at her desk. He'd never felt so dirty in his life. The very thought of cheating on Stevie was nauseating, but to do so with any man, especially Bob Williams, was absolutely vomit inducing.
"Are you ok?" Dayna asked.
"No, not really." He was on the verge of tears.
Stevie stood and crossed to Gerry, her face looking serious. "You ok, baby?"
"No. I feel awful."
"I know, love, but listen." She pushed a button on her phone and they heard 'Well, hello, Miss Morley. How are we doing today, sweet cheeks?'
"I got the whole thing and I've already transferred it to an MP4 file."
Gerry just nodded.
"Well, good morning, Mr Kirkland," they heard Taylor speaking into her phone, "this is Taylor Wentworth over at Wentworth Investments, how are you today, sir?" - she listened - "Well, I'm very well, thank you for asking. The reason I'm calling is because my associate and sister in-law, Stevie Wentworth..." - "Yes, that's her, the other tall woman, anyway, Mr Kirkland, Stevie and I have some rather important and somewhat, shall we say, sensitive information that we'd like to discuss with you and the older Mr Williams as soon as possible." - "Well, sir, I'm afraid that this is extremely time sensitive. Would you have the time to meet Stevie and me at Anna Maria's Restaurant on Baker St. at, say, noon to discuss it?" - "Yes, I do realize that this is short notice, but I guarantee that this information will be of great interest to both you and Mr Williams." - "No, sir, I'd be very appreciative if we could just keep this between the four of us for now." - "Yes, sir, it is very important." - "Thank you, sir. Stevie and I will meet you in front of the restaurant at noon."- "Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr Kirkland." When she hung up, she looked to the reception area and held up a less than victorious thumbs up.
"God Almighty," Kate said from the door to her office where she'd stood, arms crossed, throughout the previous few minutes, "you two better know what you're doing or we'll all be living on welfare in a month." She shook her head and returned to her office.
Gerry shook his head.
Stevie picked up his soft hand and kissed the back of it. "Don't worry, baby. I won't let anything happen to you."
As she walked back to her desk, Gerry glanced at Dayna who's hands and laced fingers were pressed to the base of the front of her neck, just above her impressive breasts, her eyes glistening. Confused, Gerry asked, "What?"
Dayna sighed. "She loves you, so much."
A sad little smile crossed Gerry's lips. "I know."
Taylor found Gerry in the ladies' room. He was sitting on a padded bench with a small towel covering his left breast, where Mila was latched on, feeding. His eyes were closed and he looked more exhausted than she'd seen him since he'd left his full time computer programming job. He wasn't sleeping well near the end of that period and she had been very worried about him.
"Hey," she said, quietly, as she sat next to him.
"Hey," he whispered back.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
He chuckled a bit, "I hardly slept at all."
"Worried about the adoption?"
He smiled a little. "Are you kidding? I can't wait. A little girl of my own to grow up with Mila? I can't imagine anything better. I spent almost two hours online looking at nursery ideas. I want to set everything up for two so that our baby and Mila can be like sisters. I think I drove Stevie crazy suggesting girl's names."
"Did you pick one?"
"I like Olivia a lot, but Stevie says it's too old fashioned. She likes that you chose a more exotic and modern name for Mila. We have time to figure it out, though. Taylor... I think I can do this. You know... be a good parent. I really do."
"Of course you can, honey," Taylor smiled and put an arm around his narrow shoulders. "You're already a better mommy than I am. So much better, that sometimes I'm actually jealous of you."
He laughed again. "Sure. A girly looking loser. Who wouldn't be jealous of me?"
"Gerry! How can you say that?" Taylor shook her head in disbelief. "Look at you, you're absolutely beautiful and none of us could live without you? Don't ever say something like that again. I'm very proud of you. Be proud of yourself."
"Thanks, Taylor. If I think about it, I'm very proud of how I take care of Mila for you and I'm looking forward to doing it with another baby, too."
"See? That's what I'm talking about, honey. And that's another reason I'm jealous."
"What? Because I'm able to breast feed Mila?"
"No. Because you're going to St Thomas and I'm going to have to keep up the breast feeding until you get back. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I was able to have the bonding time with her that I've had, but I'm not looking forward to being on nursing duty full time, again. Besides, I'm ready to stop the milk-works and move on." She kissed his cheek. "I am DYING for a glass of wine, Gerry. I just can't wait to get back to being myself, again."
Gerry smiled at his sister's silliness, but his smile disappeared quickly and he shook his head. "Taylor... I'm scared."
"Of what, honey?"
"All this... stuff today, you know, with Bob Williams. What if he takes me somewhere and... you know. Taylor, I'm not like you. I'm not strong. Could I even stop him if he..."
"He's not going to, baby. Stevie and I will keep our eyes on you."
"Taylor... I... I don't want to be raped. And he could, you know. He could rape me and I couldn't stop him. He's much bigger and stronger than me. I'm really scared."
"And that's why you were awake all night?"
He nodded as he pulled Mila free and brought her to his shoulder and patted her back.
"That fear, honey..." Taylor watched how delicately he maneuvered the child, "... that's something women deal with everyday. It's part of being a woman. We all learn about that fear when we're little girls. You were never a little girl, so it's all new to you. It's ok to be scared, though, honey, just... well, just never let a man get into a compromising situation. It's hard, I know, but you need to face these things."
He was about to reply when Dayna opened the door. "Oh, here you are. Gerri, there's a woman here to see you. Her name is Maureen... she says she's from Kirkland - Williams and she says it's very important that she speaks to you."
Taylor looked at Gerry with a question on her face. Gerry answered the question. "She's the receptionist on Bob Williams Jr's floor."
"What does she want?" Taylor asked Dayna.
"She just said it was important that she talked to Gerri." Dayna was confused. She only knew a little about what was happening.
"Put her in the conference room," Taylor said. "Tell her we'll be right out and have Mrs Wentworth join her."
"Your mother?" Dayna asked to be sure.
"Jesus Christ, no!" Taylor said, way too loudly. "My sister-in-law - Stevie. We'll be right there."
"I really don't know for sure," the very nervous receptionist explained, "but Mr Williams Jr had me book a room at the Sure Winds Hotel this afternoon and there was this real sketchy guy in the office this morning looking for Mr Williams Jr, too. Maybe I shouldn't say anything, but you seem like such a nice girl..." Maureen stuttered for a moment, "... I mean.... Well, anyway... see... there was this girl named Kay who worked with me for a year or so, and she and Mr Williams Jr went to lunch together once and... well... she told me that she thought he'd used roofies on her and... I guess you get the picture. Anyway, she was never really the same after that and, well... like I said... you seemed like such a nice girl, taking care of your niece and all... I just needed to tell you, I guess."
Gerry say opposite Maureen with Mila nuzzling his shoulder in an attempt to fall asleep and Stevie on his right and Taylor on his left. As Maureen looked at them, the girl she'd meet a few days ago just looked scared, but the two amazons on either side of him looked very angry. Maureen felt like she was on the spot - as if she was being interrogated by the police.
Stevie looked at Taylor and asked, "How far is it to Anna Maria's Restaurant?"
Taylor shrugged. "Two blocks? Three? No more than that, I don't think."
Stevie nodded. "Listen, baby," she said to Gerry, "when Bob gets here, I want you to insist that you guys walk to the restaurant, ok? Under no circumstances are you to get into a car with him."
Gerry nodded, but he was not sure that he could demand that they walk if Bob had other ideas.
"I'm sorry," Stevie said to the receptionist, "I've forgotten your name."
"Maureen," the girl said.
"Thank you... Maureen, I can't tell you how much we appreciate your help and concern for my husband. He is a very special person and... well, suffice it to say, I could never forgive myself if something happened to him."
Maureen nodded and sighed. "I really hope that we can keep all of this between us. You know, there could be, like, repercussions for me if anyone at Kirkland-Williams were to find out that I came here behind their back."
Taylor stood and offered Maureen her hand. "Of course, Maureen. Thank you for your help and if we can ever reciprocate, please let me know."
"I'd better get back before I'm missed," Maureen said as she stood.
"Thank you, Maureen," Gerry said, still a bit stunned. "Listen, maybe over the weekend, or something, would you come and have dinner with us? I'm a really good cook."
"He really is," both Taylor and Stevie said simultaneously.
Maureen slung her purse over her shoulder as she prepared to leave. "Thank you," she smiled, "but I need to take a rain check on that. I've got family commitments all weekend, but I'd love to another time, though."
Gerry stood, with difficulty due to the belly and the infant sleeping on his shoulder. "Thank you, again." He kissed the woman's cheek and smiled.
"Ready to go to lunch, little lady!?" Bob Williams entered the office with a burst of self important bravado.
"Just a minute, please, Mr Williams," Gerry stalled as he strapped Mia into her carrier. "Let me just bring Mila to her mother."
"Yeah. Her mother," he laughed, "your sister. Or cousin. Or total stranger or, whatever."
Gerry took Mila and headed into the offices, leaving Dayna at the reception desk.
"So," Bob oozed as he spoke, "what's your name, beautiful?"
"Dayna, and you can forget about coming on to me, Mr Williams. I know all about you and I'm not interested."
"Really!? Gerry talks about me, huh? All good things, I hope."
"No, actually, I haven't heard a single good thing, to tell the truth."
Bob chuckled. "Well, that's because my old buddy Gerry hasn't met my friend 'Little Bob,' yet. Wait until tomorrow. He'll be daydreaming about me by then."
Dayna scowled at him. "Does this technique work with anyone, Mr Williams? This, 'being a pig' mentality seems awfully nineteen seventies to me."
"Ahh," Bob winked, "a lesbian. I get it."
Dayna shook her head and went back to her work.
"Call me, now," Taylor said, quietly. "Then put the phone into the mesh pouch of the sports-purse I bought you. I'll be able to hear you in my ear pods."
Gerry did as he was told, dialed, set the phone on speaker and Taylor confirmed that she could hear him. "Good, now Stevie is already at Anna Maria's, sitting in the bar. I'll be right behind you while you walk. Be sure that you put your purse on the table and we'll make sure that his bosses know what a creep he is."
"Taylor... what if they don't care? What if they're ok with him behaving the way he does? Isn't there a chance that they'll pat him on the back for being a creep and then mom could lose the account?"
Taylor shrugged. "I suppose it's possible, Gerry, but I certainly hope that Mr Kirkland is a rational man and he'll see how messed up Bob Jr is. I would imagine that Bob Sr might be a tougher guy to convince, but, come on, the guy is blackmailing an employee of a partnering firm. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Right?"
Gerry shrugged, then heard a loud whistle coming from reception. When he looked in that direction, Bob pointed impatiently at his watch. "I gotta go," Gerry whispered to his sister. "Don't leave me alone, ok?"
"Not for a minute, honey." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Be brave. I'll be right behind you."
He nodded and headed to the reception area where he grabbed his unstylish purse, which served their purposes today. He tucked his phone, which was already connected to Taylor's, into the mesh pocket on the side of the sporty purse and headed out with Bob.
As soon as the door closed, Taylor grabbed Mila's carrier and ran into her mother's office. "I'll be back as soon as I can, mom. Gerry just fed her and put her in a fresh diaper. She should be fine for as long as I'm gone."
Kate shook her head at her daughter. "Please, don't be long, Taylor. I have a lot on my schedule this afternoon."
"No, you don't, mom. I checked your calendar. You don't have anything until after four o'clock. I'll be back well before that."
Kate huffed. "This had better go well, Taylor. I don't understand why you're escalating things this way. We should just let Gerry go on his own and see how things play out. He's a grown man, for crying out loud. He can take care of himself."
"No, mom, he can't and you know it. And he's not a grown man, he's... Well... He's going through a lot and he needs help. My help, Stevie's help and it would be really nice if he got your help, too."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Taylor! I've given his wife a wonderful career, I gave them a downpayment on their townhouse as a wedding present and in the past few weeks, I've spent hundreds of dollars on his new... lifestyle. I always support both of you and you know it."
"Alright, mom. I'm sorry if I upset you, but I need to go, right now. Will you watch your granddaughter, or should I ask Erin to watch her for you?"
"Don't be flippant, Taylor. Leave Mila with me and go, but handle those men with kit gloves. I do not want to lose their business. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"
"You are, mom, yes, but I need to run so I can use my kit gloves to keep your only son from being raped by the son of your very wealthy client. See you in an hour or so. Bye." The door slammed a little harder than she'd intended, but she was in too much of a rush to care.
"Reservation for Williams," Bob told the girl at the desk at Anna Maria's Restaurant. "I requested a private table, please." His hand was touching the bright green, silk material at the lower back of Gerry's dress, occasionally grazing the top of his rump.
Gerry looked around, but couldn't see Stevie in the bar. He looked out the window behind him and couldn't see Taylor approaching, either. He felt very alone.
"This way, please," the girl said, grabbing two menus and leading them towards the back of the restaurant.
When they reached a table in the rear, Bob pulled out a chair for Gerry, but Gerry moved to the other side of the table and sat facing the door. He placed his small, unstylish purse on the table and pulled his chair in for himself.
When the waitress had told them the specials and left them alone, Bob said, "You know, a pretty girl like you has got to get used to being pampered by her dates. Something as simple as holding out a chair for a lady shouldn't be viewed as an unwanted advance."
"Mr Williams..."
"Bob."
"... Mr. Williams, this is not a date. I'm not sure why you wanted to have lunch with me, but here we are."
"Of course you know why, sweet cheeks. I made that clear."
As he spoke, Gerry spotted Stevie heading to the door to meet Taylor and Mr Kirkland and Mr Williams Sr. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way," Bob looked Gerry right in the eye, "did you have a chance to get to the drug store before lunch?"
"No," Gerry responded, a flash of hot fear surging through his body.
"Really? Ok. Have it your way. I like it when the girl is tight. I was just thinking of you. See - I'm being a total gentleman, here. Am I your first date with a guy?"
"It's not a date."
"Sure it is. Have you, you know, taken it up the ass before? Another guy, maybe, or does your wife have a dildo that she uses on you? Or has it all just been a fantasy up until this point? Is that it? You're just playing a game? Well, let me tell you, baby, I'm here to make your dreams come true. When I'm done with you, you'll be on your knees, begging for more."
Gerry opened the menu and looked at the selections, trying desperately to ignore the asshole opposite him.
"Or, maybe it's not just a game." Bob reached across and grabbed Gerry's left hand.
"Mr Williams, please..."
"Oh, quiet, sweet cheeks. I just want to see the ring. New, isn't it. From your wife? Certainly not made for a man, and it looks pretty goddamned expensive. You guys are all in on this thing, aren't you. Say, do you suppose that your wife might like to join us in a threesome? I mean, she must wonder what it's like to be fucked by a man, instead of a chick with a dick."
"You're a pig," Gerry whispered.
"I'm a guy, Gerry. I'm a rich, powerful guy and I like women. To tell you the truth, you won't be my first tranny, either."
Gerry recoiled at the ugliness of the word.
"Ever been to Asia? Whoo-eee they know how to make a pretty sissy over there. Those whores in a Thailand... unbelievable! We should go sometime. I'm sure you could learn a lot from them."
Gerry's stomach rolled with fear and disgust.
"Since I mentioned being on your knees, baby, do you have any experience giving blowjobs?"
"Don't be disgusting," Gerry snapped back.
"Well, don't worry," Bob actually laughed at Gerry's reaction, "by the time you go home today, you'll be a pro. I'll teach you all you need to know. I'm an excellent coach."
"May I take your order," the waitress interrupted, mercifully.
"Fillet mignon," Bob smiled, "and the lady will have a Cobb salad. I'll have a beer and the lady will have a good white wine."
"Excellent," the waitress said.
"Actually," Gerry stopped her, "I would rather just have a cup of the Italian Wedding Soup, and I'll just stick to water. Thank you."
The waitress glanced at Bob for confirmation. He just raised his eyes and smirked in a 'women - what can you do' expression.
"You're not being very romantic, Gerry."
"I don't feel very romantic, Mr Williams. I was blackmailed into going to lunch with you, but that's all. Now, what do you want to talk to me about? I am here to do whatever I need to do in order to be sure that my mother's business isn't destroyed because of my... situation."
"Why didn't you take the glass of wine I ordered for you?"
"What?" The question caught Gerry off guard. "Well... if you must know... I can't."
"Why not? Are you an alcoholic? Do you have diabetes? What's wrong with a little wine?"
Gerry sighed. "I'm... I'm lactating, so I can't have any alcohol."
Bob laughed at him. "Lactating. Geez, Gerry, you're taking this all the way, aren't you. Pretty face, nice hair and makeup, a plump, pregnant belly and milky tits. You're the whole fucking package, young lady. I'd love to see you scooting around the kitchen, barefoot and submissive, then take you into the bedroom and fuck you like a whore, just like you want."
"Mr. Williams..." Gerry tried to bring some civility to the conversation, but Bob slammed his hand down on the table to shut him up. He also attracted the attention of several diners.
"You will call me 'Bob,' do you understand?" He hissed in an angry whisper. "I don't know what caused you to turn into this freak, but I gotta tell you, it turns me the fuck on. Now, I'm going to fuck you before the afternoon is over and you're going to enjoy every second of it, you little bitch. You got that? And if I want you to have a little wine to make you relax, then that's what you're going to do. Got it?"
Gerry shivered, but didn't reply. Why weren't Taylor and Stevie coming yo help him? Couldn't they hear this?
Suddenly, Bob's face turned into a knowing smile and he sat back and folded his arms. "Holy shit," he laughed. "I just realized... it's not because you're lactating... you're breastfeeding your niece, aren't you?"
Gerry didn't respond, but Bob took the look of fear on his face as confirmation of his question.
"You are, aren't you? You're a wet nurse for a baby, Gerry. You used to be a man, but now you're just a fucking wet nurse. Oh, this is just too fucking good. I am going to enjoy fucking you, baby. An innocent little wet nurse who used to be a man. You're going to scream my name and beg for more. I guarantee it. Tell, you what," he leaned closer, "pretend to drop your fork and kneel down to get it. Then crawl between my legs and blow me, you little cunt. Go on. You know you want to."
He reached over and knocked the fork off the table and stared hungrily at Gerry. Then, in an angry, forceful whisper, he spat, "Get it, Gerry. Go on. Go get it, then crawl, Gerry. Crawl under the table. No one will see. Crawl under and unzip me. Pull out my big hairy cock and worship it, Gerry. Go on. Do it. It's what you want, you little slut, isn't it? Now, go. On your knees, bitch. Right... fucking... now... " he leaned so far forward that he was nearly nose to nose with Gerry. "...cunt."
Gerry could feel his warm, foul breath and he could see the lustful sweat forming on Bob's face. He wanted to hit him. To spit at him. To throw water in his face. Something. Anything. But all he could do was shiver with fear. He was going to be raped by this man. He knew it. This horrible excuse for a human being was going to take him, hurt him, penetrate him - rape him. There was no place to run. No one would help if he screamed. It was all going to happen. His life was never going to be the same after this. From here on out, he'd be a victim.
"May I join you?" The strong, baritone voice interrupted both of their thoughts. Gerry looked up to see the very perturbed face of Ben Kirkland.
"Ben!" Bob said with a more shaky bravado than earlier. "What a coincidence. Yeah, of course, please join us."
"Good afternoon, young lady," Kirkland gave Gerry a nod and a business smile. "It's Gerri, isn't it? I believe we met at Wentworth a few days ago."
Gerry accepted the offered handshake. "Yes, sir. Very nice to see you, again."
"Yes, I imagine it would be, under the circumstances. I hate to be rude, young lady, but could you excuse us. I need to have a few words with my young associate, and I believe that your wife and sister are waiting for you in the booth closest to the entrance."
Gerry stood, shakily, and Kirkland steadied him. "Do you need some help?"
"No, sir, but,... thank you."
"My apologies, young lady," Kirkland said, quietly. "I will deal with this."
Bob stood and made to embrace Gerry. "I'll call you, Gerry," he smiled. Then to Kirkland, he said, "Nice girl. We went to high school together, you know."
"Sit down, Bob," Kirkland said, forcefully. "Do not touch that woman."
Bob laughed. "Ben. Gerry and I are old friends. In fact, Gerry's not even really..."
"Shut up, Bob. Shut up and sit down. Keep your hands to yourself and do not say a word for the next ten minutes."
"Ben..."
"Shut up, Bob. Now. Or I'll call the police and have you arrested for attempted sexual assault." Then he turned to Gerry and said. "I apologize young lady. I'm sorry you had to hear that. Please excuse us."
"Of... of course," Gerry muttered as he moved away, towards his wife, who he had just realized was standing by the front door.
When he reached her, she said, "I'm sorry it took so long, Gerry. Mr Kirkland wanted to go over earlier, but Mr Williams was arguing with him about it until Mr Kirkland told him to leave. Come on. Have a seat."
"No," he muttered as he shook, "I need to leave. Right now. I need to get away from this place, right now."
"I know, baby, but we need to see how Mr Kirkland is going to handle this..."
"No!" He said it much louder than he'd intended. "I NEED to leave. I NEED to leave now. Right now, Stevie."
"Ok, baby," she hushed him, trying not to make a scene. "Let's just have a drink of water first and give you a minute to calm down, then..."
"No!" Gerry pushed his wife away for the first time, ever, and he bolted out the front door and was already running as fast as his heels and jiggly physiology would allow by the time Stevie had signaled Taylor to grab their purses and follow her.
Stevie's long, athletic stride allowed her to catch up with her husband within twenty long strides and Taylor was right behind her.
"Let me go!" Gerry shouted. "Let me go!"
"Baby, baby, baby," Stevie tried to calm him down, but he was blind with tears and hurt and rage and he fought against her. "Calm down, baby."
"No!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, "You were going to let him do it! You were going to let him put me on my knees! You were going to let him make me take him... I was scared to death and you just sat there! Let me go!"
"Gerry, Gerry, please, listen to me. I wasn't going to, baby! I wasn't. I swear! I was trying to get to you, but Mr Kirkland stopped me and said he'd do it. I know, he took forever getting Mr Williams to leave, but I couldn't get past him, baby. I swear, baby. I never would have let him hurt you."
By now, Taylor had caught up with them and was trying to calm him down as well. "Honest, Gerry. Taylor was on her way when Mr Kirkland said he'd handle it."
"Leave me alone!" Gerry was still struggling to pull free, Stevie pulled him into a tight hug.
"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" suddenly came from behind Stevie. They turned and saw Bob Williams Sr standing there, red in the face with anger. "What kind of a game are you playing, sending this tranny to trap my son and destroy his career and maybe his marriage?"
"Look, Mr Williams," Taylor tried to explain, "Bob created this problem for himself. Didn't you hear what he was saying to my brother? He was the aggressor in all of this."
"Oh, give me a fucking break," Williams scoffed as he pushed past Taylor and tried to pull Gerry from Stevie. "Come with me, you little freak," he spoke in a gruff, threatening voice, "I need to straighten you out."
Without a moment's hesitation, Stevie grabbed the lapel of William's suit coat and pulled him in front of her, then she pulled back her right hand and formed a strong, firm fist.
"Stevie...!" Taylor yelled in an attempt to stop the inevitable from happening, but Stevie was so angry that she could only see Williams' face, surrounded by red fury and could only hear the pumping of blood in her ears. Nothing could have stopped what was about to happen.
"NEVER TOUCH MY HUSBAND, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Stevie growled as she landed a punch directly on the bridge of Williams' nose, causing blood to gush out and Williams to stagger backwards before his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding face.
"Shit!" Taylor gasped as Gerry stared in mute amazement.
"Oh, my God," Stevie uttered in a shocked whisper, not knowing quite what to do.
"Come on!" Taylor shouted as she grabbed her brother and sister-in-law by their hands and moved hurriedly away, down the street and around two corners till they came to Maury's Deli, a place busy with lunch traffic, where they could find a table in the back to gather their thoughts.
"Holy shit, holy shit," Stevie muttered. "I can't believe I did that. I'm done. Your mother is going to fire me, for sure. I've ruined everything. I'm going to have to move. I won't be able to stay living next to your mother. Baby, I'm so sorry. I've messed everything up. I'm going to have to leave. I just punched your mother's biggest client in the nose. I'll probably be arrested for this."
"Alright, alright," Taylor held up her hands to get everyone to slow down, "we need to figure this out. Mom's not going to go crazy. You're her daughter-in-law, Stevie. She's going to understand that you were just trying to protect your husband from being assaulted."
"Really, Tay!? YOUR mother is going to understand that I lost my temper and just lost her an account worth over a billion dollars!? Have you MET your mother!? This is not going to go unpunished. I'm about to be fired - BY MY MOTHER-IN-LAW! I live next door to her, Tay! I just punched the biggest account she's ever had in the nose. I won't be able to look at her ever again, let alone see her every morning and evening! I'm done, Tay. I am done!"
"Now, come on. I'll talk to her..."
"Talk to her as much as you want, Tay, she's going to fire me at best, destroy me at worst. She warned us not to mess things up, and I certainly didn't heed that warning. Oh, my God... baby, I'm so sorry. I've ruined everything. Christ, how could I have done that?"
"Alright, just stop it, Stevie," Taylor grabbed her sister-in-law's hand to get her attention. "My mother may be a bit... cool at times, but she loves you like a daughter. We'll get through this. I promise."
"Oh, please," Stevie chuckled, sardonically, "she was fine with me as long as I did what she wanted. I just ruined her business, Taylor. I just punched one of the partners in her biggest client's firm square in the nose."
"To protect your husband, for Chrissake, Stevie! My mother's son. She will understand that."
"Bullshit," Stevie scoffed. "I've known your mother long enough to know that l'm through, I'm done, I'm out."
She stopped for a breath and looked at Gerry, who was startled and pale.
"Are you ok, baby?" She asked.
He shook his head. "No. I'm not, but... Stevie... thank you. I can't believe you did that for me."
She reached across the table with her free hand and took his in hers. "I will never let anyone hurt you, baby. I mean that. I love you so much..."
Taylor took his free and in hers and smiled at her feminine, little brother. "We both love you, Gerry." She squeezed the hands of both her brother and sister-in-law. "That asshole had it coming." Then she laughed a little. "I wasn't 'man' enough to punch him in the nose," she couldn't help but chuckle at that, "but, Goddamnit, he had it coming!"
They all laughed a bit at that.
"What about mom?" Gerry asked, very concerned. He knew that his relationship with his mother was more complicated than Taylor's, but he hadn't set out to sabotage her biggest account.
"Yeah," Taylor shook her head, "what about mom? That is the question of the day, I suppose. I'm tempted to just not go back to work and let her process everything and cool down a bit, but... she does have Mila, so... what do we tell mom?"
Stevie shook her head. "I'm sorry, guys, I really am, but when I saw that son of a bitch touch Gerry..."
"I know, Stevie," Taylor squeezed her hand. "You only did what I wanted to do."
"But you didn't, did you?" Stevie took a breath and finally began to calm the adrenaline rush that had overtaken her. "I swear, when I saw that son of a bitch touch Gerry... I couldn't even think straight. I just wanted... well, to tell the truth, I wanted to actually kill him. I've never felt such rage in my life."
"Excuse me," a voice from the aisle next to them spoke softly. "I don't mean to interrupt, but are you all ok?"
They all looked up and saw a fit man in his late thirties or early forties, with a little grey in his well groomed hair, wearing a suit that must have cost at least three thousand dollars.
"I saw what happened back on Flagler Ave. Are you all alright? Can I call someone for you, or offer you a ride home?"
"Oh," Stevie smiled as much as she could, "no, thank you, though. You're very kind."
"Are you alright?" He looked directly at Gerry, concern evident in his expression.
"I think so, yes. Thank you," he smiled as best he could.
"Pardon my French," the man laid a large, gentle hand on Gerri's small, feminine shoulder, "but what kind of a jackass treats a pregnant woman that way?" Then he smiled at Stevie, "I was running across the street to intervene when you flattened that S.O.B. with that punch of yours. Very impressive."
Stevie smirked. "Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind when the police are handcuffing me."
"Oh, I doubt that will happen," the man smiled and handed her a business card, "but in case that idiot should decide to file charges, call me."
The card read 'Russell Cahill, Attorney at Law.' The name of one of Florida's most well known defense attorneys was well known to all three of them. They'd heard his name in dozens of news stories. Stevie was the first to read the card before passing it along. Each was duly impressed.
"Thank you, Mr Cahill," Stevie said with genuine gratitude. "I certainly will call if anything comes of all of this."
He nodded. "Do you know who you socked on the nose back there?"
"I do," Stevie felt a bit of shame.
"Then you know that he's one of the most obnoxious sons of bitches in this part of Florida. I doubt that he's going to want any publicity that involves him being flattened by one punch thrown by a beautiful woman, but should he decide to come after you... just give me a call. I'll put him in his place for you."
For the first time, Stevie breathed a bit more easily, the tension unwinding in her chest. "Thank you, Mr Cahill. I'll call if I need to."
He smiled a very friendly, confident smile, and winked at all three of them. "Call me Russ. Have a good day, ladies."
He started to leave, but Taylor thought of something and hustled after him. Stevie and Gerry watched as she spoke to him and gestured back towards the table. Russ Cahill looked back at them and seemed to smile a bit more before he spoke quietly to Taylor, shook her hand and went on his way.
"What did you say to him?" Stevie asked as Taylor returned to the table.
"I explained that Gerry wasn't the woman he appeared to be."
Gerry let out a worried sigh. The friendly glance that the lawyer had given them suddenly seemed more menacing than it had. "What did he say?"
"He said," Taylor smiled, "that, since his attack on you was due to your choice to live an alternative lifestyle, it would actually be considered a hate crime, which is a federal offense. He said that, if he gave us any trouble, he'd enjoy dragging both of the Williams men into court and destroying their reputations."
"Well," Stevie chuckled, "that seems to solve one problem. Now, as for Kate...?
"You know what," Taylor seemed strangely confident all of a sudden, "I don't want think about my mother right now. I want a nice cup of Maury's delicious chicken noodle soup. I think we all need to get a little something into our stomachs and to take a few minutes to get our heads straight before facing 'Mommy Dearest' and explaining that we just lost her her most lucrative client."
She stood and headed to the counter to get soup for all of them.
"Are you ok, baby?" Stevie took one of Gerry's hands in both of hers and rubbed it, tenderly.
"I guess," he took a deep breath and let it out a big sigh. "Mom's going to kill me, isn't she?"
Stevie shrugged. "Who knows. You really didn't do anything, though, baby. It was me that punched Bob Sr. in the nose. Whatever happens, we'll face it together, though. Ok?"
He nodded, then he spoke in a sheepish voice. "I'm sorry about what I said before - when I was upset about no one coming to help me."
She shook her head. "We shouldn't have done what we did, baby. I think that Taylor and I got into being Nancy Drews and we lost track of your safety. To be honest, we never expected him to be as aggressive as he was right there in the restaurant."
Gerry nodded. "Yeah... me neither."
"Forgive me?"
Gerry's eyes watered a bit as he nodded. "Forgive me?"
Stevie kissed his soft, little hand. "There's nothing to forgive, my love. And as for Kate... We'll figure that out together."
Taylor returned to the table with three bowls of hot, delicious smelling chicken soup and placed the tray on the table. "Alright, lets get our stories straight..."
"Where have you been?" Dayna greeted them as they returned. "Mrs Wentworth has been going nuts!" More than the new girl's agitation, what concerned Gerry and Taylor the most was that she was holding a very upset Mila on her hip.
"Here," Gerry moved quickly to his niece, "let me take her."
Nearly instantly, the baby quieted at Gerry's loving touch.
"What has she heard?" Stevie asked.
"God almighty," Erin said as she entered the reception area, "where have you been? Kate's been going crazy!"
"Oh, God," Taylor muttered. "I guess we should go talk to her."
"Not right now," Laura was suddenly there as well. "She's in with Ben Kirkland. What the hell happened?"
Before anyone could explain, Kate's office door opened and she shouted, "Gerry! Taylor! Stevie! In my office! RIGHT NOW!"
Taylor took a deep breath and said, "I think it's safe to say that things didn't go to plan. I'll fill you in after I talk to my mother."
"Here," Erin said as Gerry neared her, "let me take Mila."
More than anything else in the world right now, Gerry wanted to just hold the baby and care for her and forget about the events of the last few hours, but he knew that Mila shouldn't be in the office while tempers were high. So, he kissed the crown of her head and breathed in that beautiful baby smell before handing his niece over to Erin.
"Good luck," Laura whispered as they passed.
"Thanks," Stevie whispered in return.
"What do you think she knows?" Gerry whispered.
"Everything," Taylor shook her head. She'd hoped to have more control over the situation. "She always knows everything. She's omnipotent."
Kate was seated at her desk, once again, by the time Gerry and the girls made it to the office. Opposite her, Ben Kirkland was seated, cross legged and a look of concern on his face.
Taylor shut the door behind her and the moment that Kate heard the latch catch, she started speaking. Her voice was harsh, irritated and she spat out each consonant as she spoke. "Ben Kirkland, here, has been telling me about his interesting lunch meeting at Anna Maria's this noontime. Perhaps you all have something to say for yourselves?"
"Kate," Kirkland held up a hand, "I don't want this to turn into a family spat. I just want to deal with this in a professional manner."
"I understand, Ben, but this is just too much." She looked at her family, daggers shooting from her eyes. "Are you three aware that Bob Williams Sr has been arrested for assault?"
"Good," Taylor said.
"What!?" Kate stood and turned pale. "Because of you, a partner in one of the city's most prestigious companies and one of my biggest clients is going to have his reputation soiled and that's ok with you? Is that what you're telling me!?"
"Mom!" Taylor was trying hard not to let her temper rise, "That jackass attacked your son! If Stevie hadn't intervened, he would have hurt Gerry, badly."
Kate pointed at Stevie, "And you! You PUNCHED one of my biggest clients in the nose! What the hell were you thinking!?"
"I wasn't thinking, Kate, I was protecting my husband from a lunatic who was trying to drag him away from me." Stevie was controlled, but stern. She wasn't going to apologize for what she'd done - at least not right now.
"ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!" Ben stood and held up both hands. "Everyone just stop. I would like to discuss the events of the last few hours in a calm and business-like manner. Kate, please sit back down. Ms Wentworth," he said to Taylor, "please sit there, and Mrs Wentworth," he said to Stevie, "please sit there." Then to Gerry, he said, "And you, young lady... please... take my seat. You should not be standing in your condition."
"Oh, for God's sake, Ben," Kate shook her head in exasperation, "that's Gerry, my son. He is most assuredly NOT a lady and NOT in any condition."
Ben held the back of the chair and indicated that Gerry should sit. "Kate," he spoke patiently, "Gerry may not be a woman, but from my brief encounters with her, I can honestly say that she is certainly a lady and, furthermore, despite the fact that she is not pregnant, my understanding is that she is experiencing a very confusing change in her body, so - she most certainly is experiencing changes in her condition." He indicated the chair, once more. "Please, my dear... take a seat."
Taken aback by the sudden kindness in this hostile meeting, Gerry looked to Stevie, who raised her eyebrows and indicated that he should take the proffered seat as she took her own chair.
"Thank you," Gerry muttered as he sat and Ben Kirkland patted his shoulder.
With everyone quite, Ben rubbed the back of his neck to relieve a bit of the tension and he looked about the room. "Jesus, what a mess," he half chuckled. "Let me start by apologizing for the behavior of both my partner and my employee. I have to admit, young Bob's behavior isn't all that surprising. Although he certainly went much further than I expected he would, I had heard rumors of his sexual appetites before and I am ashamed to say that I turned those accusations over to my partner and let him deal with talking to his son. I realize, now, that I should have taken a more forceful role in those situations."
The three younger people waited to see where this was headed, but, true to her nature, Kate tried to take control, "Listen, Ben, this is certainly not your fault. I'm not sure what my children were thinking, but..."
"Kate," he spoke quietly, but forcefully, "let me continue."
Kate sighed and waited.
"Ladies," he looked from one face to another, "I want you to understand that I am the father of four beautiful, successful daughters. I grew up respecting every woman in my life and I have always tried to treat everyone in my employ, male and female alike, with the same level of respect that I expect in return."
They all nodded.
"However, I also must admit that I am aware that I have, on occasion, turned a blind eye to my colleagues, both male and female, who may have used their positions within my company to take advantage of... shall we say, the less empowered. I apologize for that and I am not going to be understanding of this behavior as I go forward."
No one knew quite what to say, so Ben continued.
"Having said that... I was horrified by what I overheard and witnessed at Anna Maria's today." He looked at Gerry, "My dear... how can I possibly apologize for allowing someone as lovely as you to be in such a horrible situation?"
Gerry was speechless. He had no idea how to respond.
"Mr Kirkland is waiting for a response, Gerry," Kate prodded.
"I don't know what to say," Gerry whispered. "I mean... thank you for understanding, Mr Kirkland."
Kirkland nodded. "Well, we do need to discuss the issue or the Williamses."
"Do you think he'll press charges?" Stevie asked, genuinely concerned that she may be arrested.
Ben shrugged. "He may want to, but I am going to make a proposal to him. I'm going to propose that if Bob Sr is willing to sell me his interests in the company for a reasonable price, and, if he and Bob Jr are willing to leave the company quietly, then, and of course, I'll need your cooperation with this aspect, you all will not press charges, either."
"Oh, Ben," Kate said, "of course you'll have our complete cooperation."
Taylor glanced at Stevie, her eyebrows raised, asking if this was ok with her. For her part, Stevie was relieved that no one would be filing charges against her, but she wasn't the one accosted by Williams. "Is that ok with you, Gerry?" She asked.
Still overwhelmed by the events of the day and intimidated by the presence of both his mother and Mr Kirkland, Gerry shrugged. "If it's ok with you, then I guess it's ok with me."
Stevie nodded. "Alright, then. No charges filed on either side."
Kate gave them all a sour look for not just agreeing immediately to Kirkland's terms, but she smiled as she returned her attention to Ben. "As I said, Ben, you'll have our complete cooperation."
"Excellent," Ben nodded. "Well, I guess that about wraps this all up. Ladies, once again, I apologize for my former partner's behavior. It was inexcusable, and I hope that your opinion of me won't be tarnished by his stupidity."
"Of course not, Ben," Kate stood and smiled as she extended her hand, "and I hope that our business relationship won't be damaged by the behavior of my children."
"Your girls behaved nobly, Kate," he shook her hand. "All three of them." He smiled at Gerry, then gently touched his shoulder. "Take care of yourself, young lady."
"Yes, sir," Gerry was very confused. Were things really going to be ok?
"Then, I'll be going," Kirkland turned to the door. "I'll be in touch, Kate. Bye, girls," and he exited into the office where Laura, Erin and Dayna were all doing their best to pretend that they had not been sitting in silence and trying desperately to hear what had been going on in the office.
"Shut the door, Taylor" Kate said, the anger apparent in her voice.
"No, mom," Taylor said, unexpectedly. "We're done talking for now. Gerry's had a long, hard day and he's taking the baby and going home to get some rest. Gerry, put Mila down and take a nice, hot bath, then relax a bit. We'll bring home dinner."
Kate, unused to being countermanded was angry. "No. We have things to discuss..."
"Yes, we do, mom. Just you and me. Stevie, would you and Gerry excuse my mother and me? We will be a little while."
"Umm... ok," Stevie was not sure quite what was happening, but she knew that she didn't want to be in that office right now. "Come on, baby," she said, offering Gerry a hand, "let's go."
Once Stevie had guided Gerry out the door, Kate steeled herself for a confrontation. "Well, young lady, I'm not sure who you think you are, but..."
"I'm your daughter, mom. I'm not a 'young lady,' I am a fully formed, thirty year old woman who loves her mother and is very thankful to her for everything she's done for her, but, Goddamnit, mom, this nonsense has got to stop."
"Nonsense? Exactly what 'nonsense' are you talking about."
"This puppet master bullshit, mom. Gerry is where he is right now because we all pushed him too far, but Jesus Christ, mom, he was assaulted this morning by a piece of garbage who wanted to rape your youngest child and you were willing to let him do that to your son as long as it served your purposes."
"Oh, that's not true..."
"Yes, mom, it is and you and I are going to sit down, right now - not as boss and employee - not as mother and daughter - but as two grown woman and we're going to work this out. Now, remember, I love you. So, let's sit down, speak calmly and respectfully and make it possible for us all to move forward."
It was nearly three in the morning and Gerry had not even closed his eyes. For the second night in a row, he'd been looking at the shadows on the ceiling for nearly five hours, but the frightening events of the previous day kept coming back to him. There was no sense in continuing to try to sleep. He got up and grabbed the new, sheer, white, lacy robe that matched the short, sexy nightie that he'd worn to bed, and went out into the screened in porch where he sat and breathed in the damp, cool, night air.
The more he thought, the more emasculated he felt, if that was even possible.
He had been about to submit, he knew that he had been about to give up hope of help arriving in time and he had run out of options. He couldn't have run - Bob was between him and the door. He couldn't have screamed - who would have taken pity on a sissy in a dress who'd willingly gone out to lunch with a creep like Bob Williams Jr? The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he had only been seconds away from surrendering everything about himself and crawling under that table and giving...
... he couldn't even imagine how terrible that would have been.
He looked down at himself. His breasts large and beautiful in the soft, lacy cups of the nightie. They were pretty, there was no doubt about that, and they were feminine, and if there was any doubt about that, then that doubt would be laid to rest in an hour and a half or so when he'd need to pump the mother's milk that they produced. His belly was the perfect imitation of a ripe female's distended womb and his legs were smooth and shapely. None of that was really his fault.
What was his fault, though, was the pretty, coconut scented, perfectly dyed and styled hair, the deep red nails on his toes and fingers and the way he chose to dress - soft and sweet and sexy in that 'good girl next door' kind of way that Stevie seemed to like - well - that wasn't fair - he liked it, too.
Maybe he really should have been born a woman. Maybe Taylor and Stevie should have been born men. They were bigger, stronger and more confident. They were driven in their careers. They loved being in charge.
He hated it.
He loved cooking. He loved keeping a beautiful, clean house. He loved taking care of Mila - oh, he loved that SO MUCH and he so longed for being able to nurture his own baby in just a few weeks. In short, he loved being a housewife and mother.
Why was everything so messed up just because he was who he was?
"Can't sleep?" Stevie's voice roused him from his thoughts.
"No," he mumbled as he shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
Stevie knelt in front of him and took his soft, little hand in hers. She smiled at the feminine engagement ring on his third finger. "What's wrong?"
He let out a sad laugh. "What's wrong? Stevie, what's right? I mean... look at me. I'm not a man... I'm not a woman... I don't know what I am and... and I nearly... Stevie... I've never been as scared of anything in my life as I was today. I almost had to... I mean... what could I have done? I couldn't even defend myself, Stevie. I'm nothing but a... a..."
"A woman?"
He shook his head. "A sissy. A fairy. A disgrace."
Stevie leaned forward and took both of his hands in hers. "Hey, now, I am not going to listen to the person I love calling himself a disgrace. Not when he's the most beautiful, miraculous man I've ever met."
He snickered. "Miraculous... yeah, right."
"I mean it, baby. I know, literally, thousands of men and do you know how many of them loved a baby so much that he started producing milk for her? One, baby. Just one. If that's not miraculous, then I don't know what is."
He smirked at that.
"And you can't sit there and tell me that you don't love being able to nurse Mila. I've seen you do it. I've seen the look of contentment on your face. You love it, don't you? Admit it."
He smiled a little. "I do. That's definitely the best part of all of this."
"And you're going to be such a good mommy and daddy to our own baby when she comes."
He smiled a bit more. "But... Stevie... about today... at the restaurant...and on the sidewalk..."
"What about it, baby?"
"Stevie... I've never been so scared in my life. I'd never felt that kind of fear before. The very idea that someone could... violate me the way he almost did... Stevie, I've been small my whole life, but I never felt like that before."
"Listen, baby," Stevie moved a little closer and kissed his nose, "you're new to this whole 'being a woman' thing and there's a lot to it. A lot has changed for you lately, I know. You've become a whole new and more wonderful person, but that person has to learn how to cope with a world that could turn dangerous at any second. You've already allowed yourself fo be penetrated by me, baby, but nearly every man you meet from here on out will have at least a passing thought about penetrating you himself. It's horrible and unfair, but it's a fact of life."
Gerry sniffled back a tear. "How can you live like that?"
"When you're brought up that way, baby, you don't know that there's any other way to live. That's why a girl looks for a big, strong man to love her, to take care of her and to protect her."
He scoffed again. "You didn't find that guy, did you?"
"No, I didn't." She smiled at him. "I found something so much better. See, baby, I grew up and I BECAME big and strong and didn't need a man to protect me anymore, but I never met a man who could accept me as someone who didn't need his protection. See, I don't need a man to protect me, I can do that all by myself. I don't need a man to be a driven businessman to bring home the bacon for me, I can do that all by myself, too. I need a man to just love me. A man who can put up with me being bigger and stronger and more driven. A man who can take care of me and be my life partner and help me raise my children. Someone who's so sweet and loving and maternal that he could actually nourish a child with his own body in a way that I don't think I ever could. I need YOU, baby, and thank God that I found you."
He liked that. It made him feel warm and loved.
"But..." he needed to make sure she understood, "I couldn't even protect myself, Stevie. You had to take care of me. Like... like I was a child or a..."
"Or a woman, baby. A woman. Like I said, there's no shame in being a woman."
"But I'm not..."
"But you kind of are, baby, and I could not love you more if you were seven feet tall and covered in muscles. I punched that son of bitch because he was going to hurt you. That's why I'm here."
He nodded.
"Look, baby, we're not the norm. We're so much better than that. And besides, who wants to be normal? You and I are special. I love being strong and fit and you love being soft and feminine. We're a perfect match. Why fight it. I'll take care of you my way and you take care of me your way and who cares what anyone else says. I love you, baby. Do you love me?"
"Of course I do."
"Then," she slipped her hand under the lacy hem of his nightie and caressed the silky panel on the front of his panties, "let's just be us." The panel was soft and flat. Obviously, Gerry had tucked himself when he'd put them on. She continued to caress the flat, hairless area where his manhood should be and she smiled. She liked this. A man who was not a man. A man who was her little woman. A man she could cuddle and protect and see him dressed in soft, beautiful clothes. A man who needed flowers, and silk, and lace, and perfume, and babies to make him feel like a woman. She loved her girly, little man so much that her heart ached. "Come on, baby. Let's go back to bed. I'll turn on a little, soft, orchestral music and maybe we can get some rest before the sun comes up."
Friday got off to an odd start. For the first time since Dayna had started working at Wentworth Investments, she had not accompanied Gerry to the bakery to pick up the morning order of munchies for the clients. Gerry had to handle the load by himself while also dealing with Mila's stroller. Just before nine, Gerry returned to the office to find that the entire staff, except for him, were in the conference room. He set up the snack area while Mila sat on his hip and played with his soft hair.
When he finished his morning tasks, he was about to knock on the door to the conference room to see if he needed to be part of the meeting, but he was interrupted by the sound of the entrance from the street opening and a man calling, "Hello!?" from the reception area.
"Yes?" Gerry called as he hurried to his desk. "May I help you?" He asked the well tanned, handsome young man in worn denim shorts and a well worn button up shirt who was waiting with several floral arrangements.
"Oh, hi," he smiled. Then he looked at Mila and his smile grew bigger. "And hi to you, too, beautiful. Aren't you a beautiful girl? What's her name?" He asked Gerry.
"This is Mila," he said, thrilled that the man was paying attention to his beautiful niece.
"Mila?" He seemed surprised and impressed as he remained focused on the baby. "Like that actress from 'That Seventies Show?' Or maybe that one from 'The Fifth Element?' Either way," he finally looked at Gerry, "she's got big shoes to fill. But, I suppose if she's half as beautiful as her mother, she'll do just fine."
Gerry smiled at the cheap flattery. "You're right. Her mother is my sister and she is very beautiful."
He smiled. He seemed like an affable kind of guy. The kind of young man you meet up and down the shores of Florida. Content to bask in the sun and do whatever menial jobs they could just to keep a roof over their head. "I have three deliveries for you."
"Oh?" This was a first. No one had sent flowers to the office before - at least not since Gerry had arrived. "Who are they for?"
"Let's see... This one," he pulled a medium sized arrangement of purple flowers out of his box, "is for Mrs. Stevie Wentworth."
Gerry was surprised and a bit jealous. Who would send his wife flowers? Before he could get upset about it, though, the delivery man placed the flowers on the reception desk and then continued, "And this one is for Miss Gerri Wentworth." He handed Gerry an arrangement similar to the one meant for Stevie, but instead of being primarily purple, Gerry's was a blend of baby blues and pinks.
"Really? That's for me? Who would be sending me flowers?"
The young guy smiled and flirted on, "Oh, come on. Who wouldn't be sending a beautiful girl like you flowers. I mean, I see that huge rock on your hand. Maybe it's from your fiancé."
"Maybe," Gerry smiled, but since the previous arrangement was from his wife, he assumed that these were not from Stevie.
"And these," the man held up a beautiful display of five dozen, long stemmed, American Beauty roses in a tall, crystal vase, "are for Miss Taylor Wentworth."
"Holy cow!" Gerry gasped. "Those are gorgeous!"
"And expensive!" The man chortled. "Someone's pretty taken with Miss Taylor Wentworth."
"Oh, my God!" Stevie said as she entered the reception area. "Those are beautiful. Who are they for?"
"Taylor," Gerry smiled, "but these are for you." He handed her the arrangement of purple flowers.
"Really? From who?"
"I don't know, yet. My hands are full." He continued to bounce Mila on his hip as he turned his arrangement to admire the flowers and search for a card.
"Tay!" Stevie called across the office. "You've got flowers, here."
"Really?" Taylor hurried into the reception area and took the huge vase from the delivery man. "From who?"
"There's a note right here," the young man smiled. "Man, are you all sisters?" His grin was huge and sincere.
"More or less," Taylor replied as she placed the vase on Gerry's desk and pulled the little envelope with a card within from the flowers.
By now, Stevie had found her card as well. They opened them together, then both let out surprised chuckles as they looked at each other.
"Who are they from?" Gerry asked.
Stevie looked at Gerry and read the card. "'To the woman with the great right handed jab to the nose. Congratulations on a job well done.' It's signed 'Russ Cahill.'"
"The attorney!?" Gerry was surprised that the man who'd spoken to them at the deli yesterday had sent flowers. "Read mine, please."
She dug into his arrangement and pulled out the envelope, opened it and read, "'To the little lady who put the Williams men in their place. Congratulations, Russ Cahill.'"
"Wow!" Gerry said, surprised. "That was nice of him."
"It sure was!" Stevie agreed. "What does yours say, Tay?"
"Umm," she smiled and, uncharacteristically, she blushed, "it says, 'It was a pleasure to meet you, yesterday. I hope this isn't too forward of me, but I would love to take you for some dinner and dancing this weekend. I'll pick you up Saturday evening at six-thirty and we'll go to The Palms Country Club. Here's my cell number. Please either text regrets or your address. Either way, enjoy the roses. Sincerely, Russ Cahill.'"
By now, everyone was gathered in the reception area to admire and smell the roses.
"Wow," Stevie smiled. "So... are you going?"
"Geez, I don't know..." Taylor was stunned, flattered and confused. The handsome, slightly older man had been very charming and it was obvious that he was a good 'catch,' but Taylor had been holding out hope that Fred would be returning at some point and that they might be able to iron things out. "... I mean... what about Fred?"
"Taylor," Kate had been listening from the side, "in light of our... discussion, yesterday, I am hesitant to give you advice, but - if I WERE to offer some advice, I would say that you should go out with Russ and get to know him. I have met him many times at business events and he is always charming and polite. His wife passed away a few years ago and he has been unattached ever since. What difference would it make to just go out and enjoy his company for an evening. You deserve a night out."
"Yeah?" Taylor looked at the beautiful flowers once again, blushed and giggled and sighed some more. "But... what about... Fred?"
"Tay," Stevie put her arm around her sister-in-law's shoulder, "it's just a date and... well... You haven't heard a word from Fred in almost five months."
"So you think I should go?"
"I do."
Taylor suddenly seemed much more excited. "Gerry, could I impose on you to take Mila for the night?"
"Impose!?" Gerry smiled. "I'd love to, Taylor."
"Well... alright, then! I guess I'm going out with Russ Cahill tomorrow night!"
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 7
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
Now, Gerry prepares for a Halloween party with some pretty high stakes.
Author's Note: If you read this story, please consider leaving me a review? ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 7 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 7
The electric chime sounded as Taylor and Gerry entered Amanda's Boutique during lunch on Friday. "Oh, it's my favorite bride," the proprietress beamed at them. She pulled a garment bag from a rack and handed it to Gerry. "Here you go, sweetheart. Take this out back and try it on. Try on EVERYTHING, though. The panties can go on over what you're wearing for now, but I need to see you in the bra, with the stockings and then the dress. I'll help you with the veil when you come out."
Far more excited by the prospect of wearing the wedding dress than he should be, Gerry smiled as he took the garment bag and headed to the dressing room.
"Listen, Amanda," Taylor said, confidentially, as she checked that Mila was still napping in her stroller, "I have a kinda big date tomorrow night and I need something formal, but... well, not over done, if you know what I mean."
"Oh?" Amanda feigned surprise. "A special guy or a special evening?"
"To tell you the truth," Taylor blushed, something she'd been doing a lot lately, especially when considering her impending date with Russ Cahill, "I'm not really sure. It's a first date with a man I only just met and only spoke to for less than ten minutes, but it's at a fancy country club and I certainly want to be dressed appropriately."
Amanda smiled, knowingly. "Ahh, something beautiful and slinky and sexy, but elegant and not too suggestive, right?"
"Exactly," Taylor smiled.
"Well, Ms Wentworth, I am sure that I have exactly what you're looking for. After we get your sister dealt with, I'll show you some things that I think you'll love."
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. God, I'm so stressed over this date. I mean I hardly know the guy and it shouldn't be a big deal, right? But... it's been a while since I've been on a 'first date.' I mean... well... I was with Mila's father a loooong time and he... I'm sorry. You don't need to hear about that, but... anyway, I do need something nice. Thank you."
Amanda smiled at the very professional woman's uncertain demeanor. Obviously, she wanted to look beautiful for her date. How sweet.
"Umm, Taylor." Gerry stuck his head into the front room. "Can you button me up? I can't reach back there."
"Of course, honey. Just step out here."
Not really wanting to be in the front room with the back of the dress wide open, Gerry took a big sigh and steeled himself before stepping out, keeping his exposed back turned away from the door, lest someone walk in.
"Oh, Gerry," Taylor gushed as she moved behind her little brother, "you just look so perfect. Ahh... I always wanted to be a beautiful bride, but... well, I'll never be the blushing. A perfect little doll walking down the aisle." She sighed. "I guess I just have to live that vicariously through my beautiful, little brother."
Taylor buttoned up all seventy-five, tiny, pearl buttons up his back, then pulled the delicate, narrow zipper up to conceal those. The process tightened the empire waisted bodice around his lush, maternal breasts, decorating them in a snow storm of lace and delicacy and feminine elegance.
Then, she stepped back, but hesitated long enough to fluff out the petticoats and skirts that settled again about the hairless, real silk stocking-clad legs in the submissive fashion of a bygone era.
"Oh, Gerry," she uttered, with a tearful choke in her voice, as one hand moved to cover her quivering lips and the other rested on the skin exposed by the open collar of her silk blouse. "Oh, Gerry," she whispered again, "you're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."
Amanda stepped forward with the veil. "I chose a different veil for her," she said as she secured it to the back of Gerry's head. This new veil was anchored to the hair on the back of his head with a six inch decorative comb that was covered in tiny, white, silk flowers, resembling the edelweiss flowers from the song that Gerry so frequently crooned to Mila. It was soft, and girlish, and delicate, just like Gerry, and the sheer, simple veil fell to the bottom of Gerry's back without being garish, or in anyway detracting from the glorious, feminine beauty of the perfect, petticoated wedding dress.
He was the perfect bride from the mid twentieth century. The classic dress and classic shoes were simple, but just right.
He was Elizabeth Taylor in 'Father of the Bride.' He was Audrey Hepburn in 'Funny Face.' He was Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music.' He was Robin Wright in 'The Princess Bride.' He was Kiera Knightly in 'Love Actually.'
He was chaste and womanly and virginal.
He was every little girl's dream of the bride she wanted to be when her daddy gave her away and every grown man's dream of the bride he wanted to deflower on his wedding night.
"Oh, Gerry, Gerry, Gerry," she just couldn't stop, "you don't even need your hair and makeup done. You're perfect, just the way you are. Stevie isn't going to believe how beautiful you are."
"I take it you're both happy with everything, then?" Amanda asked, certain of the answer. When that answer was confirmed, she said, "Excellent. Then, why don't you," she said to Gerry, "get changed," then she turned to Taylor, "while I pull a few things for you to try on."
Taylor nodded, then said to Gerry, "Come one, honey. I'll help you out of the dress."
"Oh, yes," Amanda gushed at Taylor, "that's just perfect."
"Really? You like it?" Taylor asked as she looked at the clinging, sage green sheath that hugged her tall body and fit curves. It was the fifth dress that she'd tried on and, so far, she thought that all of them were pretty, but none of them were right. "Gerry, what do you think?"
Her brother was back in his pretty, flowered, sun dress, bouncing Mila gently on his hip while watching his sister as she examined herself in the triptych of mirrors. "I don't know, Taylor," he said, critically. "I like it, I do, but... I think it stretches kind of oddly across your breasts."
Taylor examined that area more closely. "You're right. There's something not right here, isn't there. It's stretching like I'm too busty, and let's face it, that has never been my problem. I'm just a 'B' cup. Maybe closer to a 'C' right now, thanks to Miss Mila's arrival." She smiled at her baby, then turned to Amanda. "I'm afraid Gerry's right, again, Amanda. I love everything you've shown me, but... I'm just not seeing 'IT.' You know what I mean?"
Amanda gave a small, frustrated sigh, but her smile never wavered. Rich women were always challenging, so were tall women, and tall-rich women were even more challenging. Gay boys who gave their girlfriends advice were usually catty and petty about clothes, too, so when women asked the opinion of their fairy-friends, that could be challenging, as well, and, typically, Amanda was able to tease and flirt with her customers to guide them towards the expensive purchases. The problem with this woman was that she seemed to have a good sense of how to display her body, but didn't seem to have the vocabulary to express what she wanted to Amanda, and the problem with her girlish little brother was that he actually seemed to have a great eye and he was being tactfully honest with his sister. These two had great taste. That was always a problem.
Taylor adjusted the material around her breasts and shook her head. "No. I don't think so. Maybe, after my boobs go back to their normal size, but Gerry's right. Well, thanks anyway, Amanda. I think that Gerry and I need to get back to the office."
"No!" Amanda said, just a bit too loudly, "I'm sure we have what you need. Let me grab a few things. I'll be right back."
Taylor preened in the mirrors and she sighed at the flaws she notice. "Maybe I should just run into Lord and Taylor and get another little black dress," she uttered sadly, as much to herself as anyone else.
Gerry had wandered to the rack of clothes that Amanda had taken out. It had Taylor's rejected selections as well as several other items tried on by other customers that Amanda still needed to return to stock. "You wear a size eight, right?"
Taylor sighed as she slapped her hip. "I do, but I'm trying to get back to a six." She smiled at her baby. Then, in a playful tone, said, "This is all your fault, young lady."
Mila smiled and chewed on her fingers.
Gerry pulled a royal blue, silk dress from the rack. It was simple. Nearly a slip. The rich color was dark enough to be conservative, but bright enough to be noticed. It had spaghetti straps and not much else to be described. "Try this on," Gerry held up the dress.
"Seriously?" Taylor seemed surprised by the suggestion. "I mean... it just a slip dress. Do you think that's appropriate for a country club?"
"I think it'll look nice on you. Just try it."
"Ok." Taylor shrugged. "I'll give it a try." She entered the changing room.
Moments later, she emerged wearing the royal blue dress. Her bra straps were showing, but other than that, the dress looked lovely on her. The silk material hung beautifully from her curves and was tailored enough to show her fit curves, but loose enough to hide the bits of weight that she hadn't lost since giving birth. The inverted 'V' shapes that formed the top of the dress gave her enough cleavage without being slutty or cheap. It flowed beautifully over her hips, making them appear less boyish and the hem of the narrow skirt fell to just below her knees and had the faintest touch of a flair.
She looked in the mirror and smiled. "I like it, but... do you think it shows too much shoulder?"
"You have beautiful shoulders, Taylor." Gerry looked over the dress with a critical eye. "Seriously, a little gold jewelry and makeup, and you'll be gorgeous, won't she be?" This last question was directed at Mila who let out a noise that sounded shockingly close to 'yes,' causing both Gerry and Taylor to laugh.
Taylor sighed. "I really like it, but I feel a little naked in it."
"Oh!" Amanda reentered with two more choice. "Do you like that one? I wouldn't have chosen it for you, but I must say, you look amazing in it!"
"You think so?" Taylor was intrigued by the slinky dress. "I feel kinda... naked."
"Let me tell you," Amanda smiled, "when you feel that man's hands on your back as you dance..." she let out a knowing sigh. "...you'll be thrilled to feel that naked."
Taylor bit her lower lip, anxious to commit to the dress, but needing a little more convincing. "Gerry? You really like it?"
"I've never seen you look more beautiful, Taylor." Then he looked at Mila and said, "Tell mommy to buy the dress," to which Mila responded with a happy chirp.
"Well, I guess that settles it," Taylor smiled. "I'll take it. Let me just get changed and you can write all of this up for us."
When Taylor had gone back into change, Amanda looked at the pretty, pregnant woman playing so naturally with the infant child and wondered at how such a woman could be a man. "You have a great eye for fashion." She complimented him.
Gerry looked up and smiled. "Oh, thank you. I usually only get to dress Mila. It's fun to help dress my sister."
"And... this is all new to you?"
"What? Dressing Mila? I've been doing that since she came home from the hospital."
Amanda shook her head. "No... I mean... well from what your sister told me, you've only been living as a woman for a few weeks."
He nodded and smiled at Mila. "Yes. I guess that is true."
"But you've been taking care of the baby since she was born?"
He smiled, shyly.
"Not many men would do that for their sister."
"I didn't do it for my sister," he smiled. "I did it for my niece. From the first moment I laid eyes on this angel, all I wanted to do was take care of her. So, maybe I did it for myself. Anyway - who could resist loving this face?" He kissed Mila, making her giggle.
Amanda raised her eyebrows and thought, 'Nearly every other man I ever met,' she said. "How sweet."
Taylor returned and Amanda took the blue dress, hung it in a garment bag and went to her desk to write up the sale.
"You look happy," Taylor said to Gerry as he strapped Mila into her stroller.
"I am happy."
"Why's that?"
"I just had my first shopping trip with my big sister and I really enjoyed it."
"What are you talking about? We were here just a few days ago."
"I know, but I didn't go shopping, then. I just tried on the dress you picked out and that was that. I don't even know what I need for. This was different. I got to dress you in something that I thought was pretty and you liked it. I enjoyed this."
"Oh, how sweet," Taylor smiled and kissed his cheek. "I enjoyed it, too, sweetheart. I guess you're really becoming my little sister."
Gerry stared at the Florida issued driver's license in his hand and mulled over the implications of the letter 'F' that appeared under the word 'Sex' on the laminated face of the state issued document. He might have felt like it had been wrong of him to give up his male-status so easily, but just six inches away from the license, a baby was latched onto his breast, feeding - taking nourishment from the mother's milk that his no-longer-entirely-male body produced. What did it really matter? Mila viewed him as female. His mother and sister viewed him as female. Hell, even his wife viewed him as female. Why shouldn't the State of Florida view him as female, too?
Mila released his left breast and he gently maneuvered her to his right, kissing her temple as he moved her. He watched in loving fascination as she latched on, again, and continued to nourish herself from his breast. Her eyes were closed as she suckled and softly grunted in infantile satisfaction. "All of this is worth it, as long as you're happy and healthy, Mila. I love you. You know that, right? And when we have another little girl here to be your cousin, I'm still going to love you just as much as I do now. I promise."
"The costume party is this week," Taylor said, quietly, to Stevie as they sat in the screened room. She could see Gerry in the living room, seated in the rocking chair, rocking slowly while he murmured to her daughter. "Do you think that he'll be surprised?"
"I do, but I think he'll love it, too. He's such a romantic at heart. He'll adore this."
Taylor smiled. "Have you heard anything about the adoption?"
"As a matter of fact, I spoke to the agency today. Mother and baby are both doing well, everything seems to be on track for the delivery. The mom doesn't want to see the baby, or be involved with her, so as soon as she's born, she's ours. I told them that there are two people lactating in my household, so the baby will be getting plenty of breastmilk."
Taylor laughed. "Well, if I have to continue breasting for awhile longer, I guess I can do that. How about the nursery? Have you figured that out, yet?"
Stevie rolled her eyes. "Gerry has been on every website imaginable. He has picked out a soft, pink paint, with glossy white trim and he's got his heart set on several wall decals with Disney Princesses on them. He's also picked out a couple of really elaborate, white cribs and a matching changing table. It's all very pretty, very feminine. These little girls don't stand a chance, you know. I guarantee you that he'll have them in frilly dresses and puffy sleeves every day of their lives."
Taylor laughed. "I don't think that Kate ever had any delusions that I was going to be a girly-girl. Dresses were for Sunday school and special occasions - that is, until I got into high school and I discovered the power that dresses and skirts with crop-tops had over boys. Then - well, I was never a girly-girl, but I learned how to utilize the tools I had at my disposal."
Stevie chuckled. "I'm still learning about those tools, I guess."
"Oh, come on. Yeah, in college you were a little awkward, but now? Steve-O, you are a stone-cold fox, sweetheart."
Stevie laughed out loud at that. "No. You taught me how to dress well for work and when a special occasion comes along, you help me get all dolled up, but I'd still rather be wearing jeans and tee shirts."
"Well," Taylor looked out at her brother, "I guess that it all worked out for you, anyway. You found a great guy and, as it turned out, he's a girly-girl. Best of both worlds, I guess."
Stevie smiled. "We're doing the right thing, aren't we, Tay? I mean, taking this baby and all while Gerry is... I don't even know how to describe it. 'Transitioning' doesn't seem right. 'Morphing' maybe. I don't know, but... it won't be too weird for the baby, will it?"
"Well," Taylor brought her right hand to her chin in a thoughtful pose, "let's consider what she would have if she stayed with her mom. Mom would have to drop out of college to take care of her, get a dead end job at Walmart or Costco, she'd live in a substandard environment with an overworked, single mom who resents the fact that her life was upended by a mistake that lead to an unwanted pregnancy."
"That's a bit harsh."
"Maybe so, but probably true."
Stevie considered that possibility and took a sip of her moscato.
"Now, if she comes to you. Let's see, two loving parents, not to mention a doting aunt next door and a cold, but well meaning grandmother on the other side."
Stevie laughed.
"One of those parents is a tall, powerful, hard working woman who provides every material need a child could ask for, and the other, a sweet, loving, beautiful, maternal figure who will drown her in live and attention, treat her like a princess and live to make her happy. Oh, yeah, ok, the maternal one is a guy who wears dresses, but so what? He's kind and loving and looks better in a dress than anyone else in this family..."
"Except you," Stevie interrupted.
"... obviously..." Taylor laughed. "Which life do you want for that little girl?"
Stevie nodded. "We'll make her happy, won't we."
"Of course you will, Steve-O. You two are meant to be together and raise beautiful babies."
Taylor watched Gerry for another few minutes. She could just hear him singing softly to her daughter. "I thought that Fred and I would make great parents." She shook her head. "How could he have been such an asshole and I didn't even notice? And PLEASE, don't say it was because I was in love with him. I should have seen it."
Stevie took her hand. "None of us did, Tay. He had us all fooled. Maybe he isn't an asshole. Maybe he's just... a coward."
Taylor shook her head. "What am I going to tell Mila when she asks about her father?"
Stevie shrugged. "I don't know, Tay, but just always let her know that her mommy loves her, and so does her Auntie Stevie and Uncle Gerry, and, in her own way, so does her grandmother."
Taylor took a deep breath to fight back the emotions she felt building up in her. "Uncle Gerry? Maybe, in light of the fact that Uncle Gerry is currently breast feeding her, we may want to consider having Mila call him 'Auntie Gerri.' What do you think?"
Stevie shrugged. "We'll figure that out as Mila starts talking, I guess. Let's let Gerry make that decision, though. I think that getting his new license freaked him out a little."
"Yeah. Now, it's all kind of 'official,' isn't it."
"It is."
Gerry closed the cup of his nursing bra and walked down the hallway as he burped his beautiful niece.
"I was just telling Taylor about your plans for the nursery," Stevie smiled. "Lots or pink and white."
"Soft pink," Gerry smiled. "Not that harsh, amoxicillin-pink that most people slap on their walls. Baby-pink, for Mila and her cousin."
"And what is her cousin's name going to be?" Taylor sipped her cranberry juice and watched Gerry bouncing her daughter gently on his soft little shoulder.
Gerry looked at Stevie, who smiled and said, "I think we have. Tell her, baby."
"What do you think of 'Marni?'" Gerry smiled as he considered the name, even as he spoke it.
"Marni," Taylor said the name and considered it as well. "Marni. I like it. Short, sweet, a little unusual. Marni. Marni Wentworth. That works. Yes. That's a great name. Are you considering a middle name?"
"Well..." Stevie looked at Gerry with a sly grin, "... we thought we'd give her her godmother's name for her middle name."
"Nice," Taylor smiled. "So, what is her godmother's name?"
Now, Gerry smiled. "It's 'Taylor,' of course. Marni Taylor Wentworth."
Taylor's eyes opened wide. "Me? I'm going to be my niece's godmother!? Oh... guys! Thank you, so much!"
"Then you'll do it?" Stevie wanted to be sure. "You'll be our little girl's godmother?"
"Of course, I will! I'm honored! And I'll be a great godmother, too! I'll never miss a birthday or Christmas or anything."
Everyone was smiling as Stevie held up the glass of bubbly wine and said, "To Marni Taylor Wentworth and her marvelous godmother."
"Here! Here!" Taylor giggled. "Marni... I really like that."
The banana clip held back Gerry's hair as he rubbed the moisturizer into his face while inspecting every nook and cranny of his features in the mirror that was mounted over his side of the double vanity in their ensuite lavatory. His beard was gone. Completely gone, as if it never existed. It had never been very full, but his face had become completely smooth and soft. His cheeks were even softer and rounder than before. The face that looked back at him was makeup free and could never possibly be mistaken for a man's face. The strange thing was, though, was that he really liked it better this way.
"Almost ready for bed?" Stevie asked as she entered the lavatory wearing a new set of silk pajamas, grabbed her toothbrush and prepared to brush her teeth.
He nodded, and looked at his tall, powerful wife wearing her manly bed clothes. Her breasts looked nice with the loose fitting, silk pajama top draped across them.
Then he returned his gaze to his own mirror and saw girl looking back at him. That girl's soft, lace covered, cotton nightie hung prettily from her breasts, also, and the apple face, framed in a beautifully sloppy fall of hair, small, fragile shoulders, big eyes and plump lips. The contrast between the two was stark and obvious and would have been perfectly natural were it not for the fact that person in the manly pajamas had a warm, female opening between her legs, while the person in the overtly feminine nightie had a moderately conservative penis tucked between his legs.
"Stevie?" He asked as he released the bright pink banana clip, picked up a brush and began his final task of brushing out his hair before bed.
"Yes, baby?" She spit out the toothpaste and poured a little mouthwash into a small cup.
"Do you love me?"
The mouthwash had barely entered her mouth, but she spit out, nonetheless. "What!? How could you ask me that!? Of course I love you!"
"I know..l but... I mean, now... like I am, now. Do you love me like I am... now?"
Stevie wiped her mouth, then stood behind him, wrapped her arms around his 'expectant' belly and kissed the spot where his slender neck intersected with his narrow shoulders. His skin was soft and both tasted and smelled of vanilla and lavender. "Baby, I would love you, no matter how you looked, but right now, you look more beautiful to me than I could ever have imagined. Of course, I love you. You are the most precious thing in my life, baby. Never doubt that."
He sighed and gave a sad smile to his reflection. "I know we've talked about it, but I still need to know that this is all ok with you. The way I look. The way I dress. They way my body has become. The nursing... all of it. I just need to know that it's all ok with you."
She kissed that spot again. God, he smelled so good! "It is and I do and," she scooped him up in her arms and headed to the bedroom, "I intend to prove it to you."
Gerry squealed a high pitched 'eek' as he was swept off of his feet. "Wait! I'm not done!"
"I don't care," Stevie chuckled as she laid him gently on the bed and pulled the lacy folds of the knee length nightie up, displaying his equally lacy panties. She bent and nibbled the smooth silk panel on the font of his panties, then she gripped the waistband with her teeth and drew it down. He lifted his rump to let the gentle elastic pass and soon she had pulled them past his toes and she dropped them on the floor.
Then she glanced at the semi hard, hairless appendage between his legs and she smiled. "You have the prettiest little penis I've ever seen."
This caused him to giggle. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. Velvety soft, no hair... like a naughty little boy's hoo-hoo. So pretty. If women had penises, they'd look just like that." She bent and kissed his thigh. "Let me see your plump, little tush."
He rolled over and she covered his rump with gentle kisses, while doing something with her hands that he could neither see nor feel, but he knew she was up to something.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm just getting my new toy ready."
Could he have seen her, he would have seen her lubricating a sixteen inch, double headed, blue dildo with large, penis-shaped heads on each end. She kissed his rump once more and said, "Raise your fanny like a good puppy."
Gerry obliged, then let out a breathy gasp as the phallus was worked into his rear.
"Feel good?" Stevie kissed his bottom cheek, again, while working the latex toy deeper.
He gasped again at the sensation of intrusion, but nodded and smiled. "Very good."
She pushed it further in until she knew that she was close to his G-spot. Then she knelt close and slide the other phallus shaped end into her sex and slide in close to him, until the sensation of the tube made her eyes flutter.
"Ready?" She asked and he let out an affirmative whimper. "Here goes."
When she began thrusting, they both let out grunts if surprise at the delight inflicted on them by the toy.
Within minutes, Stevie was thrusting and grunting in excitement. Then, her breath caught as she was wracked by her first orgasm. It caused her to shake so violently that Gerry's arms collapsed, leaving his rear thrust high in the air. This new position created a whole new set of sensations in his backside and he wagged his bottom to make the most of them. His new movement brought new shivers of excitement to Stevie and she, again, slammed against him, forcing the dildo further into both of them.
Within moments, she had grabbed onto his waist as she humped like a rabbit against his raised fanny until both shouted out in unison and both clenched their openings for one last sensation before each of them collapsed and painted as they tried to make their eyes focus once again.
Stevie withdrew the toy from herself, but looked at her little husband for a moment before extracting it from him. She thought about what he'd asked her just a few minutes earlier - Did she still love him like this?
Soft, beautiful, brown hair with soft red highlights, bound up in a white, pearled banana clip, plump, soft cheeks, a slender, soft neck, small, smooth shoulders, the adorable, white cotton, lace trimmed nightie covering lush, milk filled breasts with wide, brown aureoles and plum nipples, the sexy baby-bump that lead to the perfectly plump, hairless rear-end and shapely thighs. The sex toy protruding from his anus was almost as cute as the rest of him, kind of like a little tail sticking out of his playful tush, which had been wagging excitedly just a few moments ago. What was there not to love? Did she miss the fantasy of well muscled, he-man who could carry her to bed and screw her brains out? No. That was never her fantasy. This was definitely different than her teenaged sex fantasies, but it was still amazing and she had someone who loved her unconditionally. No - his devotion for her was beyond unconditional. It wasn't sycophantic or worshipful... it was just a pure, devout, chaste-yet-naughty love. He was hers, heart, body and soul and she was his, too.
"You're beautiful," she muttered, without realizing she was saying it out loud.
He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "I'm a sweaty mess."
"No to me, Gerry. To me, you're the most beautiful woman and the most handsome man I have ever seen. You're my... you're my everything, baby. I know that sounds stupid, but I'm just realized that you're not just my husband - you're everything I've ever wanted, baby. I just want you to know that."
"Harvard and Yale!? That's impressive!" Taylor sipped her Virgin daiquiri and smiled at the handsome, successful man opposite her.
He smiled back, "Not really. My dad went to Yale and was an active alum, so I was kind of a shoe-In for my undergraduate work. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but Yale has a reputation for graduating some pretty piss-poor lawyers. Lawyers who don't practice REAL law, but specialize in saving corporations billions of tax dollars. I went to Harvard because I wanted to be a REAL lawyer. You know, fighting for the underdog... all that bull sh..."
He stopped and looked embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Taylor," he smiled. "I haven't really done this in a long time and I'm not being very polite, am I?"
"Don't be silly," she smiled.
"No," he dabbed at his lips with a napkin, more as a reason to do something than because he had anything on his lips. "I just realized that I've been talking about myself for ten minutes straight and that, not only was I about to say 'shit,' I said 'piss' a few moments ago." He dabbed his lips again as he chuckled. "And... now, I've gone and said both things, again. I'm going to be very honest with you, Taylor... I haven't been on a first date since I was seventeen and, frankly, I'm nervous as hell. I'm sure that you're aware that your are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, and the way you're dressed tonight... Jesus Christ, am I really saying these things out loud!? What the Hell is wrong with me?"
Taylor laughed and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Relax, Russ," she smiled, "it's been awhile for me, too. Let's just get to know each other."
He nodded. "Ok. Thanks."
"Now, May I ask for clarification about something you just said?"
"Of course."
"I believe you said that I am one of the most beautiful women you've ever seen. Could you clarify?" She smiled, temptingly.
He laughed. "You certainly are, Taylor. You are an amazingly beautiful woman and I am truly honored that you've agreed to go out with me tonight. And that dress, Taylor... it's just breathtaking."
She blushed and smiled. "Well, thank you for the compliments, but to tell you the truth, I didn't pick out this dress. My brother picked it out for me."
"Well," he sipped his scotch, "if I ever meet your brother, I will have to thank him for dressing you so well."
"But, you've met my brother, Russ. Gerry. You met him at Maury's Deli. He was the one attacked by Bill Williams."
He shook his head. "Gerri, of course. I'm sorry. It's very hard to think of Gerri as your brother."
"I know. He is a cutie, isn't he. Thank a God I have him. He's got Mila, my daughter, tonight. With Gerry around, I never need to worry about a babysitter."
"Really?" Russ seemed surprised. "He's that... maternal... is he?"
She laughed. "You have no idea."
They were interrupted as, across the room, the big-band began their first set of swing-era music. The soft, pulsing sounds of Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade' filled the room.
"How about we give my brain a few minutes to get itself in order and we dance?" Russ stood and offered his hand.
Taylor smiled as she stood and let him lead her to the dance floor. When Russ placed his right hand against her lower back and pulled her tightly to him, she felt nearly naked in the thin, silk dress, but that was just fine. It was a soft, vulnerable, sexy nakedness and that was just fine. In fact, that was just perfect. As the song continued, she rested her head on his broad chest and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the music, the swaying of the dance, the softness of his hands against the silk, the smell of his aftershave and the beating of his heart take her away.
"Good morning," Kate called as she entered Gerry and Stevie's townhouse at ten thirty Sunday morning, "I have fresh bagels from Weintraub's for you."
As she entered the kitchen, she noticed Stevie and Gerry in the screened in porch and she noticed that Mila was attached to Gerry's left breast.
"Good morning, Kate," Stevie stood and took the bag of bagels. "Can I grill one of these for you?"
"That would be lovely, thank you," she smiled, then sat in the third chair on the porch. "Is Taylor not home, yet?"
"I don't know," Gerry cooed as if talking to a child so that a Mila would remain focused on her feeding. "Maybe she's asleep."
Just then, Taylor entered, still dressed in her blue slip-dress. "Good morning, everyone!" She called from the doorway. "Isn't it a beautiful morning!?"
Gerry looked up and smiled as his sister leaned over and kissed his cheek. "How is my girl doing?"
"She's doing great." He glanced at the baby.
"And how's Mila." She teased, causing Gerry to chuckle.
"Morning, mom," she kissed her mother's cheek, too.
"Taylor, for heaven's sake," Kate shook her head judgmentally, "I told you to date Russ, not throw yourself at him."
"Throw myself?" Taylor laughed. "Are you implying that you think I slept with him on our first date? Mother! What kind of woman do you think I am!?" She smiled the entire time she spoke and showed no sign of being truly offended.
"Well, what am I meant to think, seeing you stumbling in here, still wearing that dress..."
"This dress!" Taylor interrupted. "Oh, Gerry, you were so right about this dress! He adored it and I could not have felt more sexy or romantic. Thank you, so much."
Kate was confused by her daughter's sudden dismissal of what she was saying.
"Taylor Wentworth, are you even listening to me?"
"I am, mother, but do you remember our recent conversation about how you are to treat Gerry and me? No more snap judgements, right?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"And besides, Russ and I had a wonderful night. We danced until the band stopped at two this morning, then we drove down the coast, watched the sunrise, meandered back to town and had breakfast back at the country club before coming back here. We had a lovely time, mom, just talking and getting to know one and other. And I will give you this - you were right about one thing. Russ is a very charming man."
"Well," Kate was calmer, now, mostly due to Taylor's use of three words, 'you were right,' "I guess you two really hit it off, then."
Taylor shrugged. "We shall see. The best part was that he wasn't at all phased by the fact that I had Mila. Turns out he was a six year old girl, himself."
"Really?" Kate seemed surprised. "She must have been born right around the time that his wife passed away. What a tragedy for a little girl to grow up without a mother, BUT - that may be good news for you, Taylor. Maybe he's looking for a good mother for his child."
"Oh, mother, please... I'm not going to marry a man just to be his nanny. We got along very well on our first date. That's all. We'll take it from there and see where it goes. We both have our own child to deal with - separate from whatever may develop between us. Let's not rush things, ok?"
Kate shrugged. "Ok... but..."
"But what, mother?" Taylor sighed, knowing the answer.
"Well... you're not as young as you used to be, dear."
Taylor rolled her eyes and turned the conversation back towards Gerry. "Was she good for you?"
Gerry moved the baby to the cloth diaper that he had draped across his left shoulder, discreetly sliding his breast back into his nighty, and began to burp her. "She was perfect for me. She only got me up once."
"But Gerry was up a half dozen times to check on her," Stevie smiled as she re-entered the room with a few grilled bagels covered in cream cheese. "Here you go, Kate. Have a seat. I made you some tea as well."
She returned to the kitchen to retrieve tea cups for all for of them.
"I wasn't 'checking on her,'" Gerry explained. "I was just watching her sleep. I will never get tired of watching her when she sleeps. She's so beautiful. And it was only like four times."
Stevie handed Kate and Taylor cups of tea, then returned to grab two more.
"Thank you, Stevie. Now," Kate sat and took a petite bite of the bagel, "are we all set for Friday night?"
"About that," Taylor said, "is it ok if I have Russ join us as my date? We're going to have dinner on Tuesday and possibly Thursday, as well, but... well... I didn't want to say 'no' to Friday, so, I invited him."
"I don't see why not," Stevie said, sitting in a chair she'd brought from the kitchen.
"Can we include him in our theme, though?" Kate was a bit concerned.
"Oh, I'm sure we can," Taylor smiled.
"And, would anyone like to share the theme with me?" Gerry asked as Mila let out a mighty, little burp, causing everyone to smile.
"Honestly, baby," Stevie chuckled, "I think you'll get a bigger kick out of it if you just show up and enjoy yourself."
He just shrugged and moved Mila so she could see her family seated around the screened-in room. All three woman smiled and thought the same thing, 'What a wonderful mother he is.'
On Thursday, Gerry said his goodbyes to the women at the office. Friday would be his last day, but he'd been told that he'd be spending it with Taylor at a salon preparing for Friday night.
"Oh, I'm going to miss you," Erin said as she hugged him. Then she bent to touch Mila's cheek before kissing it. "And I'm going to miss you even more." She smiled at Gerry, happy tears in her eyes. "And when you get your own baby, you'd better bring her to the office so I can see her."
Gerry smiled. "I will, I promise."
On Friday morning, when Gerry kissed Stevie goodbye at the door to their townhouse, she was smiling deviously and carrying a garment bag that he'd never seen before with her.
"Is that your costume?" He asked as he stood in his nightie and robe. His own garment bag had been kept at Taylor's since they brought it home the week before.
"It is."
"May I see it?" He smiled like a little girl, excited for Halloween.
"No, you may not," she smiled. "You'll ruin the surprise."
"Oh, come on..."
"No, and stop being a brat. You'll see it tonight."
"A brat!? I'm not being a brat! I just want to know what's going on!"
"And you'll find out tonight," Taylor interrupted as she and Mila appeared in the doorway. "You'd better get going," she smiled and kissed Stevie's cheek. "There's a lot to do here."
"Oh, alright, LADIES," she teased. "You two enjoy your day of feminine bless while I return to the coal mine to earn enough money to keep you in your silk and lace finery." She kissed Gerry again. "Bye, baby. See you tonight."
When the door was closed, Taylor smiled at her little brother. "Alright, young lady, this is the biggest day of your life so far. We've got a lot to do, so let's get you into something pretty and sweet so we can go make you the prettiest bride the world has ever seen."
"Taylor, I haven't even had breakfast, yet, and besides, it's just a Halloween party. That hardly qualifies as 'the biggest day of my life.' You said we weren't due at the salon until noon. What's the rush?"
Taylor smiled. "Alright, listen - I have a surprise for both of you and we need to get to our first appointment at ten. So, let's make you as pretty as we can, then we'll go have breakfast at The Montreaux."
Gerry took a double take at his sister. "The Montreaux!? That's a little pricey, isn't it!? I mean, the last time I was there was to celebrate my graduation from college, and the last time you went there..."
Taylor smiled. "That's right. I took Stevie there the morning of your wedding. I did that because I wanted her day as a bride to be perfect and I'm bringing you today for the same reason today. Today is all about making my baby brother feel like the most important girl in the world." She grinned at the confused look on Gerry's face. "So, come on, my beautiful, little sister, let's get going."
She pushed Gerry into the bedroom, instructed him to take off his nightie. She placed Mila on the floor and hustled to the closet, where she grabbed a pink bag she'd hidden in the back. When she turned, she saw Gerry standing by the bed, wearing just his panties and his arm folded modestly across his breasts.
"Panties, too, honey. I have some delicious undies for you to wear today."
"But, Taylor..."
"No butts, Gerry. We're all girls here and I guarantee that there is nothing you have up above or down below that I haven't seen before. Come on, now. Look at these."
She held up a pair of sheer, lace boy shorts that were obviously cut to expose a great deal of fanny.
"Adorable, aren't they!? And I have the bra to match. Here, I'll start you off with the bra." She pulled out the bra and held it out for Gerry's arms to enter the straps. Then she walked behind him and attached the band in the back. "Nice, isn't it?"
"It is," he smiled. "It's very comfortable, but I won't be able to just open a cup to feed Mila."
"Oh, so what. It's too beautiful not to wear. We can take turns with Mila today. Now, drop your prego-panties and put these on. They're sexy!"
"Umm... could you, maybe, turn around?"
"You're not serious, are you? Gerry, I changed your diapers when you were a baby. I bathed you till you were eight or nine years old. I've seen your breasts grow and even seen them express milk. What difference does it make if I see your penis at this point? Come on, you're my little sister, now. No more silly bashfulness."
"Oh, yeah," Gerry teased, playfully skeptical, "so you'll show me your vagina?"
"Sure, why not?" Taylor said as she pulled the sheath dress she was wearing over her head.
"No, no," Gerry held up his hands, "I was kidding."
"But I wasn't," she smiled as she dropped her rather plain panties and stepped out of them. "Ta da! Look, well trimmed and not looking too bad considering a human being pushed her way out of there not so long ago."
"Oh, Taylor," Gerry laughed, "don't be so graphic."
"Listen, Gerry, being a woman is a miraculous and messy thing. The breasts, the hips, motherhood, the clothes - all wonderful. The periods, the aches and pains, the bloating, the recovering from childbirth- all messy. You're lucky. All the fun parts, none of the mess."
"I have plenty of messes, Taylor. I wake up with wet nipples every night."
"Oh, you poor baby. After you've woken up in a puddle of blood because your period started while you were sleeping, then we'll talk about messes. Now, come on, drop your panties and put these on. No baby belt this morning, but you'll wear it under your dress tonight."
"Ok." Gerry pulled down his panties and stepped out of them.
Taylor felt his leg. "When did you shave last?"
"I used that cream that mom's beautician gave me last night. I've actually used it every night since I got it."
"Hmm, very well done. Your legs are softer than mine. More shapely, too. Step in."
Gerry did as he was told and his sister slid the sheer, lacy panties up his legs. When she reached his crotch, she gingerly tucked his penis back and pulled the garment into place. Gerry flinched just a little at her touch, but she moved right along and stood up. "Let me take a look at those."
The panties were very sheer all around, with just a slightly thicker pattern on the front panel to offer a bit of modesty. They road up high on his fanny cheeks displaying the soft, girlish curve of his rear end.
"Perfect," she smiled. "Now, I have another pretty surprise for you."
She went to Stevie's closet and pulled out a pale yellow, sheer dress that would hang loosely from his shoulder and bloom loosely around the wearer's body. It slid easily over his head and its sleeveless bodice was adorned with a just a few inches of lace before falling loosely around his little body.
"Not really a maternity dress, but that's ok for our first stop today, and the salon won't matter either. We just want them to make you a beautiful bride."
She admired the way that the dress hung down to just above his knees. It looked precious on him. Soft, sweet, feminine and, despite his baby bump, virginal. She smiled as she spoke to him.
"You know, Gerry, back when we were kids, I used to wish I had a kid sister. Not that I ever wanted to lose my wonderful little brother, but... I think every girl wants a little sister. Someone to teach about being a girl. How to dress... do her makeup... her hair... how to behave with boys... you know... everything. Now... it's like my wish came true. Not only do I have a little sister, but I'm even closer to my brother, too."
She smoothed the dress.
"There. My beautiful little brother who is also the best little sister a girl could wish for."
She hugged his head to her breast and shoulder and kissed his forehead. When she let him go, she said, "Ok, just do some light makeup and we'll go have breakfast. You're getting 'The Works' at mom's salon, so there's no point in going crazy this morning.
"Ms Wentworth?" The woman in the lab coat held the door open and waited.
"That's us," Taylor smiled and stood. She was excited and helped Gerry to his feet. "Come on, sweetheart. This is going to be great."
"Right this way," the woman in the lab coat led them down the hallway and into a ten-by-twelve, clinical-looking room and began typing into a computer.
"Gerri Ann Wentworth?" The woman asked.
"Yes," Gerry replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Date of birth?"
Gerry confirmed that and answered several other questions before the woman asked, "Are you currently pregnant?"
He glanced at Taylor who shook her head, 'no.'
"No," Gerry replied.
"Breast feeding?"
He glanced at Taylor again, who nodded.
"Yes."
The woman stopped for a moment and glanced at Mila, sitting on Gerry's lap and gurgling happily. "Your daughter's beautiful." She smiled.
Before Gerry could explain, Taylor said, "Isn't she just?"
"How old is she?"
Gerry answered this time, "Nearly seven months."
"Alright," the woman smiled, "this will take about an hour and a half. I'm going to have you lay back on this table, I'll lay this gel pad on your abdomen, it's just like the gel pads that your OBGYN used when you had your ultrasounds when you were pregnant, and then I'll place the cold-laser on you stomach. We'll do two areas today and each will take about forty-five minutes. Initially, you'll feel just a little heat, but then it'll just feel like you've got an ice pack on your belly. There should be no pain, but you'll probably feel like you did a hundred sit ups for the rest of the day."
Gerry nodded.
She continued, "Now, the cold lasers will freeze your excess fat cells and they should just flush out of your system after that. You should see some improvement even after just one treatment, but it does take several treatments for substantial loss of fat and we do emphasize that diet and exercise are the only way to ensure prolonged body maintenance. Are we all on the same page?"
"Yes," both Gerry and Taylor nodded.
"Now, I see here that you are going to have daily treatments, that is excellent, and provided you react well to the treatment, you should have your pre-mommy body back in ten to twenty days, but, again, exercise is going to be the key to your success. Ok?"
"Ok," Gerry smiled. Was this even possible? He might lose his baby bump this easily?
"Great!" She smiled. "So, let's give that little princess to her auntie and have mommy jump up here on the table and let's get you started!"
When they arrived at the salon, Gerry did feel a bit as if he'd been punched in the stomach, but the technician had assured him that this feeling would pass in a few hours.
"Taylor!" The woman at the reception desk smiled at the sight of her. "I just heard that your little sister is getting married tonight. A Halloween wedding! How exciting! Is this your sister? Oh, my goodness, is this Mila!? I've heard so much about her! Come here, baby! Oh, I love babies, especially baby girls! Come see Auntie Josie!"
Taylor, knowing Josie's enthusiastic conversational pattern, waited until the other woman had finished her explosion of words, before she smiled and said, "Yes, this is my baby sister, Gerri, and she is the bride, and yes, the child that you just abducted from Gerri, is my daughter Mila. I'm sorry that we're a couple of minutes late, but we are here to get Gerri ready for her big day."
"Oh, of course," Josie grinned and bounced the baby. "And we need to get you ready, too, right? I mean, you are the maid-of-honor, right?"
"I am," Taylor said as she placed her hand on the small of Gerry's back and guided him to follow Josie into the salon.
"I don't remember asking you to be my maid-of-honor," Gerry whispered.
"Well, who else would be?" Taylor giggled.
It was true. Who else would be? So, Gerry let it drop.
The curlers pulled his hair in a strangely pleasant way and Josie insisted that Gerry needed at least a little height on top. Nothing ostentatious, but 'a girl needs to be a little fancier than usual on her wedding day.'
"Ok, let's talk makeup," Josie held her hand to her chin as she inspected Gerry's face. "What are going for, today? Is it Halloween themed? I mean, are we looking 'Elvira eyes' or something like that?"
"No, no, no," Taylor laughed, her own hair in curlers, as well. "We're looking for the perfect, virginal bride. Something young and fresh and pretty."
"Ok," Josie smiled. "So... big eyes, round cheeks and plump lips, right?"
"Right. Not a kewpie doll, and not too overdone. Just a perfect, plump, virginal, fresh, girl-next-door look."
Josie winked. "You got it."
"Let me just clean up your eyebrows a little before I do your eyes," she said, almost more to herself than to Gerry. "They're pretty good, but I'll thread them to get rid of the strays."
"Thread them?" Gerry had never heard the term.
Josie smiled as she snapped off a long length of string. "Don't worry, sweetie, it's painless and it won't make your skin puffy around your brows."
Without warning, Josie formed the string into a powerful bow-shape and began snapping around the area over his eyes. As she worked, she babbled, not expecting Gerry to respond. "Halloween weddings are so popular, now, but usually the theme for the wedding is 'goth,' you know what I mean? Like, the groom is dressed as Dracula or Frankenstein and the bride is The Bride of Frankenstein or The Corpse Bride, or Elvira, or Morticia Addams, or something like that. I'm glad you're going with a traditional look, though. You're too pretty to cover yourself up with Comic-Con makeup. Besides, I bet all those Halloween brides regret it later - not that they got married, mind you, but that they wore the silly make up. Imagine, years later, showing your children your wedding pictures and having to explain why you look like a cartoon character at your wedding. It's absolutely stupid, if you ask me..."
Without taking a breath, Josie dropped the thread into a waste basket and picked up a small plastic case of base coat makeup she began brushing that onto his face, but the chatter never stopped.
"And your fiancé, what's his name?"
"Stevie," Gerry managed to mutter as she continued.
"Steven? Oh, that's a nice strong name, isn't it? I like strong, butch names for guys. Steven, Michael, Raymond, William... I hate trendy names for guys. Jamie, or Brandon, or Camden. Oh, my God, I dated a guy named Camden one time and my father kept saying, 'Jesus Christ, Josie, the guy is named after a ball park, for crying out loud! Why not go all the way just date a guy named Fenway!?' He never liked him, just because of his name and couldn't understand why I stayed with him. Of course, I couldn't tell him it was because Camden was hung like a bull. Then he really would have hated him! Anyway..."
Gerry just let himself get lost in the blather that came from Josie and concentrated on the feeling of brushes tickling his face.
"Ok, now, eyelashes..." Josie was suddenly inspecting his face in a new way. "I've curled her lashes, but if you really want her eyes to pop, then I'd go with accent lashes on the top and bottom. What do you think?"
Gerry was about to answer, but he realized that the question had actually been directed at Taylor.
"That's a great idea," Taylor replied, "but she's never worn false lashes before. I don't think that the magnetic ones are a great idea. The first time I wore those, I ended up looking like a crazy-lady."
"Oh, I hate those," Josie scoffed and waved the idea away as she grabbed a box of different length lashes from under her counter. "A little adhesive won't bother her." She pulled a long set of lashes out and opened a small tube of adhesive. Then, to Gerry, she said, "Don't worry, honey, they only hurt a little coming off. Not even as bad as a band aid. Think or it as suffering for your beauty. It's all part of being a woman, right, Taylor?"
"She's right, Gerri. You're going to look so pretty, though. I promise that you'll be glad you did it."
"Ok," Gerry shrugged, pretty sure that his opinion wasn't really going to be part of the decision.
"Ok, sweetie, look up."
"Did your clothing arrive?" Kate asked Stevie as their meeting ended.
"Last night. Everything fit just fine. I'll get changed after work. Erin is going to help me with my wig. She has some experience in theater makeup from working with some regional theaters. I think we're good to go!"
"Good," Kate stood. "I'm going home for a couple of hours to meet my hair dresser and change. I'll be back by five-thirty. You're in charge for the rest of the day."
Stevie smiled and nodded. "Ok. I'll try not to bankrupt the company before the end of the day."
"See that you don't," Kate shook her head and grabbed her purse.
"Well?" Josie smiled as she stood on Gerry's right side facing the mirror.
"Oh, Josie, she's just perfect!" Taylor gushed. "Her eyes are just huge! And those rosy, round cheeks...! Oh, Gerri, you're just perfect!"
For his part, Gerry was speechless. Weeks ago, when he'd first had his hair colored and his brows plucked, he'd been astounded at the transformation, but this was something very different. His hair had been recolored and his brows replucked, but there was more... much more. His hair was wavy and curled on the ends to imply more fullness, and a group of curls was piled prettily on top of his head where his short veil would be pinned later, but even that was not as disconcerting as the face that stared back at him. His apple-shaped face was softer than it had been when he was a child and his cheeks were rosy and plump, like those of a child as well, but his eyes were enormous. They were wide and sparkling and his eyelashes fluttered, huge and childlike.
Even the thin, loose fitting, yellow dress that hung loosely from his shoulders had the result of infantilizing him by downplaying his plump breasts and belly.
All in all, he was looking at a teenager. A little girl done up as a child-bride.
The effect was at once desexualizing and incredibly enticing. A child goddess who could enrapture any man with a glance.
There was no maleness left.
There was no Gerry left.
Just Gerri.
"Is that really me?" He finally managed to mutter.
Taylor giggled. "Well, of course it's you, baby. Who else would it be?"
"I... I don't know, but... that is a child. That's not me... that's a little girl! Stevie won't even know who I am!"
Both women laughed at that. "Of course he will, honey," Josie said. "I just brought out the beautiful bride that was hiding inside of you. I guarantee that when your Steve sees you, he'll want to explode into his boxers. Trust me, honey, you are every man's wet dream, right now. Wait till you see yourself in your wedding dress. You're mother is going to be in tears when she sees you. You're absolutely perfect."
"Really?" Gerry stared at the reflection, still shocked that the reflection was his.
"Are you kidding?" Taylor laughed. "Josie's right. Stevie is going to lose control at the site of you. Come on, baby sister, let's go. We still have to get dressed and get you to your wedding on time."
To Be Continued...
Positively Glowing - 8 Final
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to see if they make him look thinner. Unfortunately, they have the opposite effect.
It's time for the Halloween party and time to see if Gerry can pull off the pregnant
bride persona and win the hot tub.
Author's Note: Please let me know if you enjoy this story? Consider leaving me a review? ~Clara.
This version of Positively Glowing: 8 Final has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 8
"No, wait," Taylor was nearly giddy with excitement, "let's get a picture of us both getting ready. Just like I did with Stevie on your wedding day."
She placed her phone on her dresser, set the timer and hurried back to stand next to Gerry. "Three, two, smile!" she said as the telephone imitated the sound of an SLR camera taking a picture.
"Let's see it!" She grabbed the phone and looked at the photo. "Aww, that's great!"
She showed Gerry the photo of himself and his sister, both in lacy bras, garter belts, panties and shear stockings, Gerry's white with lace around the top and Taylor's shear, flesh toned, and both of them smiling at the camera. Taylor's grin seemed much less forced than Gerry's, though.
"Don't you like it?" Taylor asked, incredibly wound up.
"No, I like it," Gerry smiled. "It's just... I don't know."
"Oh, stop being a spoil-sport. Let me have some fun with you. You look adorable, you know."
Gerry looked in the mirror at the feminized, youth-en-ed image of himself. He knew that he looked lovely, perhaps much more lovely than he should, but...
"I hate to ruin the flow of pretty lingerie, but you do need to wear your baby belt, tonight. I bought you the prettiest one I could find, though." She pulled a new support garment from a bag. It was quite pretty, covered in lace and flowers, but it's functionality did remove some of the romance of the other garments.
Once the last piece of underwear was in place, Taylor removed the bridal dress from its bag and prepared for Gerry to put it on. She bent low and arranged everything just-so and said, "Are you ready? Time for my little brother to become a beautiful, blushing bride."
Gerry chuckled as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder to steady himself as he stepped into the center of the dress and it's built in petticoats. "'Blushing?' Isn't the bride typically 'blushing' because she's about to lose her virginity and everyone attending the event knows it. I look like I'm six or seven months pregnant, so I guess I'm blushing for a whole different reason."
"Oh, stop it. You won't look that way for long.. Six months, tops," Taylor laughed. She turned him away from her as she adjusted the dress around his feminine form and began buttoning the dress.
"You know, Gerry... I'm really very jealous of you." Taylor's tone was suddenly serious.
"Jealous of me?" Gerry scoffed. It was an inconceivable idea. "Why would anyone ever be jealous of me?"
Taylor shook her head. "Why!? Gerry, you have everything. You have a wife who adores you almost as much as your niece does, and look at you... you're gorgeous."
"Taylor... I'm not supposed to be gorgeous... well... I guess I am for this party, but... you know what I mean... I'm not supposed to look like this and... I'm kinda scared that I'm not going to be a good father for my daughter when we get her."
Taylor's heart nearly broke. "Oh, Gerry... baby... your daughter isn't going to need a tough, construction worker type father."
"No?"
"No, baby. Your daughter will need two, loving parents who will care for her and give her the best life possible. You can do that for her, Gerry, can't you?" She hugged him from behind and pressed her cheek to his temple.
"I hope so, Taylor, I really do. I mean... I've messed up so many times... I would never forgive myself if I wasn't a good parent for Marni."
"When have you ever messed up?" Taylor spoke to him in a patient, sisterly tone.
"Don't patronize me, Taylor. What have I ever done right? I mean... I tried out for every sport in high school and never once made a team. You went to a great college, I went to a state college that didn't even allow me to major in computer programming. I quite a good job to start my own business and after, what, six or seven months, what did I earn? Two thousand dollars? Three thousand? Not much that's for sure. I'm not even good at being a man. My own body has betrayed me there."
Taylor turned Gerry to face her. "So? What is a good example of a man?"
"You know... tall, strong, smart, successful, handsome, broad shouldered... stuff like that. Like Russ, I guess."
"Ok," Taylor nodded, "I'll agree that Russ seems to fulfill all of those criteria, but so does Fred, Gerry. Fred is all of those things except he's not much of a man, in my opinion. He's a slimy asshole who walked out on his daughter and her mother. A real man doesn't do that. A real man takes care of his family - like you do. A real man lets his partner know that she, or he, is loved and cherished every moment of every day - like you do. A real man knows how to love - how to love his wife, his mother, his niece, his sister and especially his child, and that's you, Gerry. You're going to love your baby just like you love Mila. You love so well and so fervently that your body made it possible for you to express that love in ways that very few men ever have. Your body didn't betray you, Gerry. Your body elevated you to make you more than a father... more than a mother... you are the embodiment of love, Gerry. Love for me. Love for mom. Love for Mila and, more than anything, love for Stevie and that precious little girl that will be yours to raise. That's what you are, Gerry. Not a failure. You are love."
A tear ran down Gerry's cheek.
"Oh, my god!" Taylor laughed. "Don't you dare cry! I can't fix that makeup for you!" She grabbed a tissue and dabbed carefully. "Now, just stop it." She laughed some more.
"Tay..." Gerry said. It was unusual for him to call his sister by the shortened version of her name. He nearly always called her 'Taylor.'
"Yes, honey?"
"Thank you for being so good to me."
She smiled. "Gerry... I owe you more than I can ever repay. You are everything to all of us, honey. Please remember thank."
She kissed his cheek.
He smiled.
"Now, let's get you into your pearls."
"Russ?" Kate said, genuinely surprised to see the man Taylor had been dating for the last week or so. "Taylor isn't here right now. She's helping her brother get ready for tonight's party. I was just about to leave, myself, but I can give you her address, if you'd like... or I could call her..."
"No, no, Kate," Russ laughed. "I actually came to speak to you, if you can give me five minutes."
"Oh? Well... of course, Russ... I mean... please, take a seat. What can I do for you?"
As he sat, Russ placed a rather thick, Manila folder on Kate's desk. "What's this?" She asked.
"My most recent financial statements." He took out a handkerchief and dabbed a little sweat from his brow. ""Sorry, Kate... I'm just a little nervous. It's been a long, long time since I've done anything like this."
Kate glanced at the folder, confused. "Like what, Russ? You don't need a an investment firm, your firm does that in-house. What do you want me to do with this?"
Russ let out a long, tense sigh. "Kate... It's all there. My most recent bank statements, last years tax returns, last quarter's investment reports. What I want you to do... What I'd LIKE for you to do is review them so that you have a rough idea of my current financial footing."
Still confused, Kate asked, "Why on earth should I do that?"
"Look, Kate, I'm at least eight or ten years older than Taylor and I want everyone involved to be comfortable with this before it goes any further. I know you and I know you're all business. I want you to be one hundred percent comfortable with my finances and if you or Taylor want a prenup drawn up, then that's fine with me, but I don't feel the need. I mean, we can file separate returns..."
"Wait, just a minute, Russ!" Kate was shocked. "Let me get this straight... you intend to propose to my daughter after only a week or so of dating?"
"Umm... well... yes, Kate, that is my intention. I mean, yes, I know that I'm moving quickly, but, well, I'm not as young as I used to be and I am really attracted to Taylor... I mean, she hasn't even met my daughter, yet, but I think that Evelyn would love her..."
"Now, just stop right there, Russ."
He stopped a little stunned by the ferocity of Kate's voice. They sat in silence for a few moments before Kate finally asked, "Do you love my daughter?"
"Had I not made that clear?"
"No, you had not and you still have not. So...?
"So, what?"
"Do you love Taylor?"
"Oh... yes, of course. That's what this is all about. Kate, I thought that my days of being in love were over when my wife died, but Taylor... Kate, she is amazing, and... yes... I love her truly and deeply. I want nothing more than for her to be my wife."
Kate's right hand flew to her mouth as she stood and hustled around the desk. "Oh, Russ, That's wonderful! Of course, I can't speak for Taylor, but... well, it is all just fine with me." Then, unexpectedly, Kate hurried you the office door and called out, "Stevie! Stevie, come in here, immediately!"
Gerry stared at himself in the mirror while Taylor touched up her own makeup. The expectant bride that stared back at him was truly lovely. She looked younger than he was. Seventeen? Eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty? Certainly no older. The bride's hair was piled just high enough on top of her head, with the hair not used in that structure flowing in waves down his back, a petite, pearled hair comb decorating the chestnut brown locks and a subtle, white train falling down his back from the comb to his waist. Beneath that beautiful, brown hair was a pair of enormous green eyes with long, curled lashes and very subtle eye makeup. Plump, apple cheeks, plump, cherry red lips, a soft chin, long neck, small, creamy shoulders, elaborate, lace sleeves that barely covered the tops of his arms, simple, virgin-white silk embraced the brides plump, perky, milky breasts, then gently swelled over his belly and flowed in a feminine arch over the layers of silk and tulle petticoats that supported it, ending just at his knees. Beneath the hem, smooth, shapely legs, adorned with a very subtle frost from the stockings, led to silk, pointed-toed white pumps with a two inch heel.
The bride was him and he was a feminine dream come true.
A mid-twentieth century bride
Even though he'd been wearing soft, beautiful, feminine, wonderful clothing for weeks, now, this was different. He'd grown up as a normal, run of the mill boy. Not athletic. A bit smarter than most. Not artistic. Just a regular, everyday, ignorable boy.
He'd always loved girls.
He loved being with them.
He loved looking at them.
He fantasized about being with them.
But he'd never wanted to be be one.
Yet... here he was. A bride. Yes, it was a costume, but... it wasn't. It was so, so much more than a costume. It was a statement. It said, 'I am a woman.' It said, 'I am a beautiful woman.' It said, 'I am the most beautiful woman in the room.' More than anything else, it said, 'Look at me,' in a way that no other piece of clothing ever could.
Then, in the distance, he could hear something. Someone was saying something, but Gerry couldn't make out who it was or what was being said. All he could do was look at himself, mesmerized.
The sound grew louder and closer, though and he tried to make sense of it, but he just couldn't make his consciousness do anything other than take in the girl who looked back at him, who moved when he moved and breathed when he breathed.
"Gerry!" Taylor's voice broke the spell.
"Huh?"
"Can't you hear the doorbell?"
"What? Doorbell?" Then he heard it. The doorbell was ringing and someone was knocking.
"Can you get that, please? I'm not dressed, yet."
"Oh! Yes. Sure. I'm sorry... I was just..."
"Yeah, I know," Taylor laughed. "Go get the doorbell, please."
"Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry."
Gerry hurried to the door and opened it to reveal the same well tanned, handsome young man in worn denim shorts and a well worn button up shirt who'd delivered flowers from Russ to the office a week or so earlier.
"Oh! Hi!" Gerry smiled, recognizing the man's familiar, smiling face.
"Hi," the delivery man replied. "Oh... hey... I remember you! Little Mila's aunt, right? Wow, look at you! Getting married tonight?"
Gerry looked down at his dress and shrugged. "Kinda, I guess."
"Well, you look beautiful," he chuckled, looking at Gerry from top to bottom and back again.
"Oh... well... thank you," Gerry sputtered, genuinely taken aback by the man's attention and honesty.
After a moment's silence, the man cleared his throat and said, "I... I have a delivery for you." He displayed two clear plastic containers. One a moderately sized pentagonal box with a beautiful, hand held bouquet of flowers, and the larger, coffin shaped box, which also contained a hand held bouquet, but one that had a long hanging array of flowers pouring off of the front of it.
"Thank you," Gerry smiled as he reached for the boxes. "Do I need to sign something, or anything."
"No...no..." the delivery man handed Gerry the boxes, but did not move. "Look... umm... I don't want to come off as weird, or anything, but.... I mean... I see brides all the time, but... I mean... wow! You just look... wow!"
Gerry's smile broadened as he blushed, just a little. "Aww, well... thank you."
The man shrugged and blushed, himself. "Yeah... sure... well... anyway.... Congratulations and... ok... I gotta go."
Gerry waited until the man was in his van and waved once more. The man's reaction to Gerry's beauty had given Gerry butterflies in his stomach. As much as he loved looking the way he did, that feeling threw him off balance.
"Oh, let me see!" Taylor, still in a slip, hurried to Gerry by the door. "Oh, those are beautiful! Mine is the little one. Don't you love yours?"
Gerry looked at the flowers, then back out the door where the delivery van was pulling away. The flowers were beautiful and thrilling. The way the man looked at him was thrilling. The delicate material that encased his body, the rich taste of the lipstick, the pearls on his earlobes and neck, all of it was thrilling and it all was so, so, so feminine. Why was this all so wonderful to him?
"You don't like them?" Taylor asked.
"Hmm?" He shook himself back to reality. "Don't like what?"
"Your flowers."
"Oh," he smiled at the beautiful arrangement he'd be carrying down some kind of an aisle very soon, "no, no, I love the flowers, Taylor. They're beautiful. Did you pick them out?"
"Yes and no. Amanda from the dress shop called the florist for me and explained what kind of a bouquet would go with the dress and they gave me three choices. This one just screamed 'Gerry' to me. I'm glad you like them."
"Just hold that in place until the spirit gum dries. It should stick all night. It only hurts a little coming off." Erin was fussing with Stevie's new facial hair, using a stippling sponge and darker makeup to create the illusion of a five-o'clock-shadow on Stevie's smooth face.
Stevie looked at herself in the round, table mirror beside her. "Hmm. I like it, but it's a bit '70's, isn't it? I mean, a white suit and a black shirt and I'd look like I was headed to the disco."
Erin laughed as she spread the spirit gum onto the back of another hairpiece. "Let's see if this makes you look a bit more contemporary." She placed the small beard on Stevie's chin and told her to hold it in place for thirty seconds.
When the glue had secured the beard, Stevie checked it in the mirror as well. "Ohh, yes, I like that." She lowered the pitch of her voice. "Very macho. I've always thought it would be cool to have a goatee."
"Technically, you have a Van Dyke. The mustache and beard aren't connected. 'The Dude' in 'The Big Lebowski' had a goatee. Tony Stark in 'The Avengers' had a Van Dyke."
"So the name has nothing to do with the guy from Mary Poppins?"
Erin laughed again. 'I guess not. Now, put your hair into the wig cap and I'll get your hair piece ready.
Once Stevie had her hair safely tucked away in the tight cap, Erin busied herself with placing the short, mannish wig on Stevie's head and pinned it into position with Bobby pins that were invisible once in place.
"There," Erin stood straight and smiled. "I think you look great! Go take a look in the big mirror while I get your costume ready."
Stevie stood and moved her lips and jaw around. The spirit gum made her face feel stiff and had a very unnatural aroma to it. Also, the wig and the Bobby pins that secured it pulled on her head uncomfortably. It all seemed a little silly, until she stepped in front of the mirror.
"Oh, my God," she whispered. "Erin, you're a genius. I look just like a guy!"
It was true. The reflection was of a handsome, well kept man with a silk blouse, modest breasts and a pencil skirt. Something about the look of her sent strange tingles down her spine and through her stomach. It seemed dangerous and exciting and strangely empowering. She liked it. A lot.
"Do I sound like a guy?" She asked, lowering her voice substantially, again, "hey, bro... What did you think of the Marlins' game today? Geez, when are they going to get some talent in that bullpen?"
Erin handed Stevie a pair of boxer-briefs. "That's excellent! Have you pretended to be a guy before?"
Stevie shook her head. "No, but, to tell you the truth, sometimes I feel like I'm pretending to be a woman."
Then Stevie thought, 'I wonder if this is how Gerry felt the first time he saw himself in a mirror as a woman.'
"Hi, I'm Debbie, Erin's sister," the twenty-ish year old woman said when Taylor answered the door. "I'm here to babysit Mila tonight."
"Oh, that's great!" Taylor smiled and shook her hand. "Come on in. Gerry! When you're done, bring Mila out to meet the babysitter, please! Gerry's changing her. They'll be right out. Come on into the kitchen and I'll show you where we keep the bottles."
As they walked, Debbie said, "My sister told me how tall and beautiful you are, and I thought she was exaggerating, but I have to say, Ms Wentworth, you are a very stunning woman."
"Oh, well, aren't you sweet!?" Taylor laughed. "It's probably just the dress though." She flounced the peach, silk shirts of the gown.
The dress was very flattering, though. Spaghetti straps that showed off her neck, shoulders and strong arm, an exposed back that reached nearly to her panties, a plunging neckline that showed plenty of cleavage and the firm flesh of her breasts before dropping down into the loose skirt that danced around her as she walked.
"It is a beautiful dress, Ms Wentworth, but..."
"Taylor, please," she smiled as she opened the refrigerator. "Ms Taylor is my mother... and my sister-in law..."
Just then, Gerry entered the kitchen, still in the wedding dress, but with a full length apron on top of that and Mila on his right hip. "Hi," he nodded to Debbie.
"... aaaaannnnnddd...." Taylor smiled, "... my brother, I guess. Gerry, this is Erin's sister, Debbie. She's sitting for Mila, tonight. Debbie, this is my brother, Gerry."
Debbie stared at Gerry, astounded.
"There's plenty of milk in here when she get's hungry," Taylor said, indicating the top shelf of the refrigerator, "Gerry and I both pumped a little extra for her. She'll probably start getting fussy around seven thirty and want to eat around eight. There are Cheerios in the cupboard and there's juice if she wants some, but make sure that you cut the juice with water - fifty-fifty. There's plenty of snacks, if you want some, and there's... Is something wrong?"
Debbie, who had been staring at Gerry, shook herself back to reality. "What?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just..." she looked at Gerry, again. He was at least a few inches smaller than her and, well, there was no other way to describe him, he was just... gorgeous."
"What's the matter?" Taylor asked with a smirk, knowing full well what had the girl fascinated.
"Oh, um," she stuttered. "I'm sorry... I mean, I'm REALLY sorry, but... I mean... my sister told me about you, Mr Wentworth, but... I just never expected... this. You're just so... you know.... You don't look anything like I expected. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but... you're not really a man, are you?"
Gerry blushed, confused as to whether the remark was a compliment or not.
Taylor laughed and put her arm around her brother's small shoulders. "Yes, Debbie, Gerry is my brother and, until a few weeks ago, he was one hundred percent man. Isn't he beautiful, now?"
"He is!" Debbie enthused. "I wouldn't believe it was possible for a man to look like that if I didn't see it with my own eyes. I take that back. I am seeing it with my own eyes and I still don't believe it. I'm sorry, Mr Wentworth, but... WOW!"
"Thank you," Gerry said, confused.
"So, this is Mila," Debbie smiled at the baby and restored some sense of normalcy to the situation. "Hi, Mila. My name is Debbie. Do you want to stay with me tonight?"
She reached for the baby and Gerry surrendered her, reluctantly. "Are you sure you'll be ok with her?"
"Oh, of course," Debbie smiled. "I've taken care of lots of babies. We'll get along just fine."
"Ok," Gerry said, fretfully, "but you have our numbers if you need us, right? She's a very good girl, but she's never been away from one of us before." He indicated Taylor and himself. "She may be a bit fussy without one of us with her. If she is, call me and I'll come right back home..."
"Now, just stop, Gerry," Taylor laughed as she reached behind her brother to undo the bow in the back of his apron. "You will not be running right back home just because she gets fussy and she's plenty old enough to stay with someone else."
Then Taylor looked at Debbie and smiled patiently, "I'm sorry. Mila is nearly seven months old and my brother hasn't been more than a hundred feet away from her since the day she came home from the hospital. I'm afraid that he's being an overly nervous auntie right now. We should be home before one, ok?"
"Of course," Debbie smiled and bounced the baby on her hip.
"One!?" Gerry whined. "I'll be home well before eleven, Debbie, and if Taylor isn't with me, I'll come over take her so you can go home."
Debbie gasped as Gerry pulled the apron off. "Oh, Mr Wentworth! Your dress is just lovely! I love it!"
"Oh..." Gerry checked the way the dress was hanging. "... thank you."
"Yes, Debbie, thank you, and we will be home when we get home, and I will be taking Auntie Gerry's phone away from him so that you're not getting calls from him every five minutes throughout the night."
There was a knock on the door.
"That'll be our car," Taylor looked to the door, then back to Debbie. "Any questions?"
"Nope," the girl smiled. "Have fun and don't worry, Auntie Gerri. I'll take good care of your little girl."
"Oh..." Gerry grabbed his flowers, then kissed Mila's head. "Please be good for Debbie, Mila. We won't be long. We love you very, very, much and we'll check in on you when we get back. Remember, mommy and Auntie love you very much and...."
"Oh, for crying out loud, Gerry, you'll see her in six or seven hours!" Taylor was waiting somewhat impatiently by the door. "Let's go!"
Gerry kissed the baby once more and whispered, "I love you." Then, as he hurried to the door, he called back Debbie, "Remember, we're just a phone call away! Call me if you need ANYTHING!!!"
Taylor gently pushed him out the door. "Go on, now!" Then she turned to Debbie. "Thank you, Debbie. I'm sure that you won't have any issues. We'll be back later."
"Russ! How are you, buddy!?" The slender athletic man with very fancy whiskers smiled and extended his hand.
"Oh... hi," Russ responded, struggling to come up with the man's name. He looked a little familiar, he couldn't come up with a name or figure out from whence they knew each other.
"Looking sharp in that tux," the stranger continued. "Armani?" He spoke in a steady baritone and his eyes were steady and penetrating.
"Versace," Russ said with a shrug. "I'm sorry... I hate to be rude, but... have we met?"
"A few times," the man smiled.
Russ squinted as he thought. "A few times, huh? And you're obviously going to make me sweat as I figure this out, too. Have I ever represented you?"
The stranger smiled. "No, but you did offer to."
Russ shook his head. "Nope, I'm at a loss. I'm sorry... who, exactly, are you?"
The stranger smiled. "I'll give you some hints. We've seen each other very recently. Very recently."
Russ just stared.
"You know members of my family better than you know me."
Still nothing.
"You're dating my sister-in-law."
Russ almost jumped at the realization. "Stevie!? Jesus Christ, Stevie!? Is that really you!? You look great!"
Stevie laughed and patted Russ' shoulder. "Shh. It's just 'Steve' tonight, ok? At least until the unmasking."
"So... what? Are you going to be a guy full time, now?"
"Haha, no, man, I don't think so, but I'm having a good time pretending, tonight. I've been proving that I'm a woman for way too long to give up on it, now."
Russ laughed and raised his eyebrows as he digested what Stevie said. "Well... Steve... thanks for letting me be a part of the wedding party, tonight."
"No problem at all. Besides, I needed a best man and Erin wanted to wear a pretty dress. So, she's my bridesmaid and Taylor is my maid of honor."
"And your mother-in-law."
"Mother of the bride."
"Of course. Isn't there another woman in your office?"
"Yes, Laura. She's got a part to play, too."
"Oh, baby," Kate clapped her hands together in an astonished manner and placed her index fingers to her lips, as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "Baby, baby, baby... you are just... oh, honey... I cannot believe how beautiful you are." She shook her head and pressed her lips together to keep her emotions in check. "Gerry... when this all began, I never could have expected that you'd look like this. You're just the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, and that dress! Ah...Taylor, you out did yourself. It's absolutely perfect."
Taylor kissed her mother's cheek. "Thanks, mom. Shouldn't we be getting into the party, now." They were still standing by the limousine where Kate, wearing a lavender 'mother of the bride' dress, had met them.
"Yes, of course," Kate nodded, but the nod quickly turned to a head shake as she looked at Gerry again and her amazement returned.
The crowded room was filled with men wearing doctors' coats, and pirate hats, accompanied by women wearing nurses uniforms and cheerleader outfits so short that they couldn't even take big steps without exposing their panties, or butt cheeks.
The DJ was playing the typical 'Classic Hits' playlist, Journey, The Bee Gees, The Beatles, Madonna - generic, pop-rock/disco to keep the dance floor filled. As they entered, the twangy guitar of Wild Cherry's 'Play That Funky Music, White Boy,' began. Kate and Taylor went out of their way to hug and air-kiss work associates, all of whom complimented Gerry on his costume, but none even suspected that he was anything other than a pregnant woman in a pretty bridal dress.
Erin met up with them wearing nearly the same dress as Taylor, but hers was slightly less revealing and was a very pale blue.
"You look amazing, Gerry," Erin whispered.
"Thank you," Gerry whispered back. "I wish we could just do this and get it over with. My stomach is nothing but butterflies."
"Really?" Erin smiled. "If I was looking half as pretty as you, I mean, even if I just got to wear that dress for a night, I'd never want that night to end. You must feel amazing in that, am I right."
Gerry looked at the dress and felt the silky petticoats and knew that he couldn't deny the truth. "I do," he nodded.
"Save the 'I do's' for the alter," Erin laughed. She considered her pretty little companion. "When you were growing up - as a boy, I mean, did you ever fantasize about wearing a dress, or being a bride?"
"Never. Not even once," Gerry shook his head.
"How about at your own wedding? Were you jealous of Stevie when you saw her in her gown?"
"Not at all," Gerry thought back to that day. "All I could think about was how lucky I was that someone as beautiful, smart and strong as Stevie could have fallen in love with me."
Erin smiled and touched his cheek. "You're a very sweet little thing, Gerry. Stevie's very lucky to have you."
"No," Gerry said, looking around, "I'm the lucky one. By the way, is Stevie even here?"
Erin, of course, had been with Stevie all afternoon and as she looked across the room, she spotted her bearded colleague chatting with Russ and a few other guests. "I think everything is nearly ready. We'll probably begin in ten of fifteen minutes. Come on. Let's go get some wine."
"Oh... I can't, Erin." He indicated his breasts. "I'm still nursing."
Erin smiled. "Of course. Let's go get you a Shirley Temple, then, and I'll have some wine. Come on."
Ladies and Gentlemen!" A voice called above the hubbub of the party chatter. "Ladies and Gentlemen," the voice called again and the chatter began to subside as partygoers turned to the stage where the DJ was set up. There, they saw a woman in a well tailored, business-style, skirt suit holding a microphone, her hand raised to get everyone's attention. "Thank you, everyone. I know many of you and, those of you who know me, know that my name is Laura Abraham and that I am an investment counselor at Wentworth investments. What you may not know is that I am also a certified Justice of the Peace and I just need to interrupt the festivities for just a few moments. You see, we have a young couple here, this evening, who want to share their wedding vows with you." A murmur of male chuckles and female 'ahhs' rumbled through the hall. "So, if you could just give us about ten or fifteen minutes, they'd like to share their wedding with you. Steven and Russel, if you'd come stand by me, we can begin."
As Stevie and Russ stepped onto the stage, the DJ began playing a recording of JS Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' and Erin began her walk from the back of the room, near the bar, to the stage. She was carrying a bouquet similar to Taylor's, but, like her dress, the color pallet was tilted towards blue shades.
As Erin reached the stage, Taylor prepared to begin her march, but she stopped for a moment and turned to kiss her brother's soft cheek. "You look perfect, Gerry. I'm so proud of you." Then she turned and walked towards the stage.
"Ready?" Kate asked as she took Gerry's arm in hers and prepared to start towards the stage area.
"Mom." Gerry was feeling very overwhelmed with everything going on around him. "What if we don't win? I mean... I could never afford to pay you back for all of this..."
"Gerry," Kate smiled, "you don't owe me a penny, no matter what. When this all started, I was just hoping to shake you out of your sedentary existence - to make you more ambitious - to make a man out of you. How could I have ever foreseen that you'd become such a perfect daughter? Such a perfect aunt to Mila? Such a perfect sister to Taylor and such a perfect wife to Stevie? And very soon, you will be a perfect, little mommy, too. Gerry... I know I'm hard on you kids and that you think of me as cold, but... I truly do love you all. You are the exact opposite of what I expected my son to be and I could not be prouder of you. Who cares about tonight's outcome? I've had a wonderful time with you and the girls as we prepared for this, but - win, lose or draw - the best part of the last few weeks has been spending time with you as you discovered who you really are."
Gerry blinked back tears, desperate not to mess up his makeup. "Thank you, mom. I love you, too."
"I know, baby. I've always known." She kissed his cheek. "Now, are you ready to marry the man of your dreams?"
"I am." Gerry's smile was wide, sincere and beautiful.
"Good." Then, she couldn't help but tease him with a touch of the old Kate. "Then let's go win that hot tube."
As Kate proudly escorted her son through the crowd, women oohed at the dress and how it made the bride look so very, very perfect. Phones recorded the event in photos and videos.
Throughout the sixty foot walk, Gerry's heart was beating with fear, excitement and joy.
"Oh, God," one woman said to her friend, "that dress! She's so beautiful."
"That looks just like my mother's wedding dress!" Another woman said.
"This all so romantic," yet another said, her hand on her heart.
As they reached the front of the stage, Kate stopped and turned Gerry to face her. She placed a hand on each of his silk covered shoulders and smiled at him. "Are you ready to meet your husband?"
Gerry smiled. "I guess."
Kate looked up to the stage and motioned for Stevie to come take Gerry's hand. Kate smiled at her son, then ran her hand down his arm to where she found his tiny, manicured hand nestled in small, sheer, lacy gloves. She took his right hand in hers, then held it out to the tall, bearded man who waited patiently behind the bride. "I know that I don't need to say this, Gerry, but be a good wife and mother for Stevie. She'll take good care of you."
"I will, mom," he smiled as she kissed his cheek one last time.
When Gerry turned and saw the tall, slender, bearded man taking his hand, he nearly lost his breath. "Stevie!? Is that really you?"
"It's me, baby girl," Stevie chuckled. "Just stick with 'Steve' for today, though. Come on. Let's get hitched."
When they reached the alter, they may as well have been all alone. They gazed at each other is awe and wonder. Could this little, beautiful, full breasted woman really be the man that Stevie had fallen in love with years ago? And could this handsome, mustachioed, athletic man really be the woman that Gerry worshipped and adored every day of his life?
They wanted to stare at each other forever.
They wanted to take each other, right there and then.
They wanted to be each other's.
But they were roused from their reverie by Laura's voice.
"Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Steven and Gerri Ann. In a world where people are forever searching to, not only find their soul mates, but to find themselves, Steven and Gerri Ann have managed to do just that. They found each other and then they found themselves within each other. They wake, each day, aware of each other and the needs of each other. They find their happiness in each other and neither can conceive of a life alone, now that they are together."
"When I look at these young lovers before me, I am reminded of the the song 'Love is a Rose.' I think that is true - love is a rose, but it is a living rose, not one made of silk or nylon. Love is a living thing and it must be nourished and fed every day. The beauty of love is its changing nature and how we can evolve and change and still remain happy in the veil that love creates. Gerri Ann... Steven... never forget that you need to nourish your partner. To be there to help and support each other and, above all, to love each other."
"Steven, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to love her and honor her all the days of your life?"
"I do." Stevie spoke in a deep, masculine voice that Gerry found strangely exciting.
"And do you, Gerri Ann, take this man to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to love, honor, and to obey him all the days of your life?"
Gerry noticed the use of the mid-twentieth century vows. That he was giving up more of his manhood by promising to 'obey' Stevie for the rest of his life, but he didn't care. He was Stevie's forever. He would always obey her. He would happily love her and serve her as her wife. Nothing would make him happier. "I do."
"Then, by the power vested in me by the State of Florida, I now pronounce you, Steven, husband, and you you, Gerri Ann, wife. May you find nothing but happiness, all the days of your life. You may kiss the bride."
Stevie bent forward and gently, softly, romantically and commandingly kissed Gerry's soft lips. She tasted the lipstick and smelled the perfume, makeup and hairspray. This little, pretty man was hers. Hers forever. He was, now and forever, her precious, little wife.
And she loved him with all of her heart.
The kiss was so gently, so soft, so loving that Gerry actually swooned. He felt his knees collapsing, but Stevie's strong hands held his back and supported him. She supported him as she always did. As she always would. She would always take care of him.
The applause from the audience interrupted their kiss and they smiled at each other as their lips parted.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Laura called out, "I present Mr and Mrs Steve Wentworth!"
"We're keeping my last name?" Gerry seemed surprised.
"It's my name, too, baby."
As the crowd applauded politely, Stevie bent low and scooped Gerry up into her strong arms in the classic 'carrying the wife across the threshold' manner. This not only caused Gerry to let out a joyous shriek, it caused the assembled partygoers to laugh and increase their applause.
The best man, Russ, took the hand of the maid of honor, Taylor, and they followed the bride and groom down the aisle with Erin, as a bridesmaid, following them. Everyone was smiles and everyone was laughter. What a great treat for everyone at the party!
"Just so you all know," Laura spoke into the microphone, "the bride and groom are going to cut the cake and everyone will get a piece."
That brought even more applause.
"Geez," Russ chuckled as he spoke to Taylor, "you people don't do anything halfway, do you! This must have cost your mother a fortune!"
"It certainly cost a lot more than a hot tub would have," she laughed.
"Then why not just buy the hot tub? Why go through all of this?"
Taylor shrugged. "I don't know, but... something happened when my brother put on my belly belt. He changed and so did my mother. They're both different, now. I mean, obviously, Gerry is physically different, but my mom... she's almost... human. She's found a whole new life as part of our family. It's pretty amazing."
"You do have an amazing family, Taylor." Russ laughed and shook his head.
Taylor looked at him. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," he smiled. "Amazing."
"Yeah," Taylor nodded.
The cake was delicious and there was plenty to go around. Vampires and hookers and anime characters and wizards and superheroes and even the cast of Firefly all ate cake and drank and laughed. The party was a huge success! Everyone was enjoying themselves.
"Before I play the next song," the DJ announced, "I was asked to tell you that the costume judging will take place in about ten minutes. Each company presenting a group costume should send a spokesperson to the stage to give a one minute synopsis of your concept before the ballots are distributed."
Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' began to play. Stevie took Gerry's hand and headed towards the dance floor. "Come on," she whispered to Gerry, "I think I may actually be able to dance to this one."
As they left the table, Taylor stood and took Russ' hand. "Come on. Let's get at least one dance in."
But Russ stayed seated and tugged Taylor back to him. "Maybe in a minute, Taylor, but... I need to speak to you for a minute." His lip was wet with perspiration.
Taylor saw the sweat and grew concerned. "Russ... what's wrong?"
When he didn't respond immediately, she grew sad and said, "Oh... Russ..." she sat and slumped. "... I knew this was too good to last. You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"
"What? Taylor, no..."
"Don't feel bad, Russ. You're a great guy and..."
"Taylor, please, just shut up for a moment, will you. Look... I wanted this to be a romantic moment, but... things just took a weird turn. Look... Taylor... oh, Hell," he reached into his jacket and pulled out a tastefully lovely diamond ring and held it out to Taylor. "Taylor Wentworth... will you marry me?"
"You look amazing tonight, Gerry," Stevie whispered as they swayed to the song. "Or should I say, you look wonderful tonight?"
Gerry smiled. "You certainly make a very handsome groom, Steve," he laughed. "Are the whiskers here to stay?"
"No, I don't think so," she snickered. "I was never all that comfortable trying to find my way as a girl, but as a woman, I think I've done pretty well. That's how I want to stay. This is just for fun."
"Steve... would you mind if I stayed... like this?"
"Mind?" She smiled. "I'm afraid I would have to insist, my darling little wife."
Gerry smiled back, warmed by the response.
"You know, baby," Steve drew closer, "Laura really is a justice of the peace and we really just renewed our vows, but this time, you were pronounced to be the wife - AND - unlike when we were married the first time, the wife promised to 'love, honor and OBEY' her husband. I'm afraid you're mine, now, sweetheart. But don't worry, I'll take care of you forever."
Gerry snuggled in closer to Stevie's bound chest. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Steve, Gerry, look!" Taylor was suddenly beside them and she was wiggling the fingers on her left hand. "Russ asked me to marry him!"
"Oh, my God!" Gerry squealed as he hugged his sister tightly. "Congratulations, Taylor! I'm so happy for you!"
"Congratulations, Russ," Stevie reached out a hand and shook Russ'.
Taylor looked at her sister in law, a bit surprised by her lack of enthusiasm. "Wait a minute... you knew he was going to propose, didn't you!"
Stevie smiled. "Just a little secret between guys, Tay." She kissed Taylor's cheek. "Congratulations. I know you'll be very happy."
"Alright, ladies and gents," the DJ spoke, "can I please have the representatives from each company up here to summarize your costume ideas. We'll do this alphabetically, so AAA Developers, you can go first."
A man dressed as a pudgy version of Captain Malcom Reynolds from 'Firefly' stepped forward and gave a brief synopsis of why his company chose to dress as the crew from that cult TV series. His explanation got laughs and applause and he was followed by a representative from Bentley Engineering, and so it went until Kate stepped forward to represent the last company, Wentworth Investments.
"Hi, everyone, and happy Halloween. I guess I should explain, right? Well, as you know we are a wedding party, but what you probably don't know is that our blushing, pregnant bride is actually my son, Gerald Wentworth and our handsome groom is actually my daughter-in-law, Stevie Wentworth."
Stevie smiled and pulled the beard from her face, then pulled the wig, then the wig cap from her head. "Hi, everyone!" She laughed.
"Unfortunately, Gerry's costume doesn't come off as easily, but trust me, that's my son. Doesn't he make a beautiful bride!"
Everyone applauded.
"Alright, alright! Let's hear it for all of our companies!" The DJ shouted. "Now, the waitresses are passing out the ballots, so please take a moment and cast your vote for the best group costume and your nominations for best individual costumes."
When the ballots were tallied, McQuire Consultants won for best group costume for their 'Guardians of The Galaxy' group, which was a truly impressive collection of costumes feature all of the major and minor characters from the movie.
"Sorry, mom," Taylor whispered.
"Oh, that's fine dear. The bigger companies always win the group costume. They have more people at the party. The hot tube goes to the best individual costume. Let's see who wins that."
The five highest vote getters for individual costume were announced and Gerry and Stevie were both included in the list.
"Ok," the DJ announced, "judging by the number of ballots turned in, there are three hundred and seventy people at tonight's party. I'll start with the number three vote winner. With twenty seven votes, the number three vote winner is Stevie Wentworth of Wentworth Investments."
There was some polite applause as Stevie was handed a bottle of expensive whiskey as a prize. She smiled and waved to the crowd.
"And our number two vote winner with twenty-nine votes is Roselyn Jackson from McQuire Consultants."
There was more applause as a woman dressed as 'Gamora' from Guardians of the Galaxy was handed a bottle of champagne as her prize.
"And our winner," the DJ announced with great flourish, "in a landslide victory, with two hundred and fifty one votes, is 'The Pregnant Bride,' Gerry Wentworth, from Wentworth Investments!"
The room went wild with applause as Gerry felt the excitement of victory course through his body.
"And the prize for tonight's best costume is a full hot-tub-and-spa from Sun Coast Pools. Here is the paperwork for the prize and you can call the company to arrange installation at your convenience. Congratulations Mrs Wentworth!"
The DJ, who obviously knew that Gerry was a man, still referred to him as 'Mrs Wentworth.' That was ok, though. Gerry knew he was going to be hearing a lot of that from now on and that was just fine with him.
"We're out here, in the hot tub!" Taylor called as she heard her husband enter the townhouse through the front door. She could see from the renovated patio which was centrally located between all three of the Wentworth townhouses.
"Hi, ladies," Russ smiled as he caught sight of his wife and her sister in law soaking in the hot water. He loosened his tie and said, "Where are the girls?"
"Out for a girl's day with Auntie Gerri," Taylor smiled. "We've had a lovely Saturday." She took a sip of wine.
"Auntie Gerry seems to find a reason for a 'girl's day' every Saturday, lately." Russ chuckled.
"If Evelyn weren't in school during the week," Taylor said, "Gerri would have 'girl's day' everyday."
Evelyn was Russ' daughter from his first marriage. She was six years old when Taylor entered her life, and she was thrilled to have a new 'mother figure.' Taylor never wanted to take the place of Evelyn's mother, but on the day that Taylor and Russ were married, Evelyn began calling Taylor 'mom,' which could not have made Taylor any happier. Now, three year's later, nine year old Evelyn adored her stepmother almost as much as she did her little step-sister, Mila, her adopted cousin, Marni, and her Auntie Gerri, who, as far as Evelyn was concerned, practically walked on water.
"I thought everyday WAS a 'girl's day' for Gerri and the two little ones." He leaned over and kissed his beautiful wife. "Mommy and Me exercise and swim classes, constant walks around the parks in matching dresses... Heck, Gerri could have a 'Girl's Day' all by herself. I don't think I've ever seen her in anything other than a lovely dress." He smiled at his own joke. "You know, those of us who came along after Gerri 'got pregnant' have a hard time believing he was ever a guy."
"Well, he was, I assure you," Stevie sipped her wine. "And he still is all man where it counts, I promise."
"I'm sure she is," Russ smiled.
"And there's nothing 'pregnant' about my baby sister anymore!" Taylor laughed.
"Nope," Stevie raised her eyebrows. "Between the 'Cool Laser' treatments before we went to the islands for vacation and the exercise regime he's been so loyal to, he's a fit, little thing."
"She is indeed," Russ laughed.
"Hey," Taylor made a lame attempt to splash her husband. "You're not hot for my little brother, are you?"
Russ pulled her wet hand from the warm water and kissed the back of it. "Not at all, my dear. As the old song goes, 'I Only Have Eyes For You.'"
"Good," Taylor smiled. "See that it stays that way."
She took a long sip of wine and let out a satisfied 'Ahh.' "Russell... you are lucky to have been born a man. You'll never know how hard it is to go without wine while you're pregnant or nursing." She held up her glass in a toast. "To wine... and not being pregnant!"
"I'll drink to that!" Russ grabbed the bottle and poured a bit into a nearby glass and took a sip.
"Never say never," Stevie teased.
"Yeah, but two is plenty for me." Taylor laughed. "How about you, though. Have you guys decided about adopting another baby?"
Stevie shrugged. "We haven't made up our minds. Gerry only just stopped lactating. If we bring another baby into the house, he'll be leaking all over again. Not that that's so bad, but... we still need to think it through."
"Well," Russ took another sip, "I am surprised that both of you don't want a baker's dozen each. I mean, with Gerri around, you guys get all the benefits of being moms without having to do a lot of the dirty work."
"And how many dirty diapers have you changed through the years, Russell?" Taylor was enjoying putting Russ on the spot.
"Probably not as many as you, but you have to admit that neither you have changed as many as Gerry has. In fact, I bet that he's changed more diapers than both of you combined."
Stevie and Taylor looked at each other and smiled.
"Truer words have never been spoken," Stevie giggled. She held up her glass. "To Gerry!"
"To Gerry!" Taylor raised her glass.
"To motherhood!" Russ raised his glass and they all took a sip.
"We're home!" Gerry called as he and his daughter and two nieces entered.
"We're out here, baby!" Stevie called.
Before Gerry appeared, a nine year old girl in a flowered dress came running out to the patio. "Daddy!" She yelled as she hugged her father.
"Hi, angel," he smiled as he bent, hugged her and kissed the top of the girl's head. "Did you have a good time with Auntie Gerri?"
"I did, daddy. Auntie bought me this dress. Isn't it pretty?"
Russ shook his head. "Auntie is spoiling you rotten, you know that, right?"
The girl laughed. "Auntie said that you'd say that. She told me to tell you that I'm a princess and princesses need pretty dresses. It's part of the job."
"Oh, dear God, it's worse than I thought!" Russ laughed as he lifted the child and hugged her tightly. Her darker skin and huge, brown eyes were a testament to her late mother's Hispanic heritage, and the child knew just exactly how to use those beautiful eye to manipulate her father.
"Hi, everyone," Gerry said as he stepped out of the screened in room and onto the patio. As usually, his hair and makeup were perfect, and he sported a very Floridian, flowered dress - an adult version of the dress worn by Evelyn. Not so coincidentally, the nearly four year old, Mila, and the just over three year old, Marni, both of whom he carried, one on each hip, wore dressed of the same style and material.
"Oh, wow," Taylor laughed as she and Stevie rose and exited the hot tub. "I forgot that it was National-Mother-Daughter-Auntie-Niece-Day! Of course, such a holiday calls for new dresses all around!"
"Oh, you're just jealous," the now slender and even more beautiful Gerry smiled.
Taylor took the blonde child from Gerry, "Come to momma, Mila." She kissed the child.
"And you come to momma, too, Marni," Stevie smiled and kissed her daughter. "You all look lovely, girls."
"Mommy, do you like my dress?" Mila asked her mother, her voice tiny and happy.
"Yes, I do," Taylor smiles. "It's a very pretty dress."
"Mine too?" Marni asked Stevie. Marnie was even more verbal than her cousin who was seven months her senior.
"Yes," Stevie kissed the little girl's forehead. "Mommy Gerry always picks out such lovely clothes."
Russ put his arm around Evelyn's shoulders and said, "They all look beautiful, Gerri, but you're spoiling them. They don't need new dresses every weekend."
Gerry smiled and sat in a chaise lounge, smoothing his dress beneath him. "Oh, don't be a spoil sport, Russ. I want my girls to be dressed perfectly when we go out. Besides, I love dresses and I want them to love them as well. Do you like your new dress, Evie?"
Evelyn looked at her father and smiled broadly before answering. "I love my new dress, Auntie Gerry. Thank you for buying it for me."
"Alright, alright," Russ kissed his daughter on the top of her head, again. "As long as all my girls are happy." He hugged his daughter a bit tighter. "And that includes Auntie Gerri."
He stepped away from his daughter, bent and kissed Gerry on the cheek.
"Thank you, Russ. I just love dressing the girls... and Evie..." he glanced at the child, "...she's growing into such a beautiful young woman. You should be so proud of her."
"I am," Russ nodded.
"Daddy?" Evelyn asked coyly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Would it be alright if I slept here tonight with my aunties and Marni?"
"Oh... I don't know, baby. Auntie Gerri has had you all day. She needs a break sometimes, too."
"Don't be silly, Russ," Gerry pulled Evelyn close. "You know how much I love to have Evie here. I promised her that, if you let her stay, I'd teach her how to use my sewing machine. Why don't you leave Mila for the night, too. Mila and Marni love you be together. Besides, if you leave them with us, you two can have a nice romantic night."
Russ glanced at Taylor who smiled sexily. "Sound nice to me."
"And you don't mind, Stevie?" Russ asked.
"Like you said, Russ... As long as all my girls are happy." Stevie kissed Marnie, again.
"Well..." Russ acted as if he was still thinking for his daughter's benefit. "... I GUESS it'll be ok. You do know, though, that when you sleep in your own bed, you're only thirty feet away from your Auntie Gerry. It's not like she's miles away."
Evelyn climbed into the chaise lounges beside Gerry. "I know. Thank you, daddy. Auntie Gerri is teaching me a lot."
"That's great, honey."
"Besides sewing, baby, what is Auntie Gerry teaching you?" Taylor smiled at her stepdaughter, encouraging her.
"Auntie is teaching me to be a lady," the child said with pride.
That made both Stevie and Taylor chuckle.
"What?" Stevie said through her chuckles.
"Auntie Gerri is teaching me to be a lady, aren't you, auntie?"
"That's right, Evie." Gerry rubbed the child's shoulder. "Explain to mommy and Auntie Stevie what a lady needs to know."
"Well..." she thought for a moment, "... a lady needs to know how to take care of herself and others."
"Ok," Stevie smiled. "And how does a lady do that?"
Evie thought about that for a moment, too. "Well... first a lady has to be very smart. She needs to have a career that will let her live a happy life and she needs to know how to make time for her family, too."
"Wow..." Taylor looked at Stevie. "I'm impressed."
"Then," Evie continued, "a lady needs to know what she likes. How to look pretty when she has to, how to dress for work and how to find a look that she's comfortable with. To do that she needs to know how to take care of her skin, do her hair and nails and... ex... ex... ex..."
"Externalize," Gerry whispered.
"Externalize," she gave her aunt a smile of thanks, "her inner beauty so the world sees her as she truly is."
The other three adults stared at Evie and Gerry, shocked that the child had been guided with such insightful rhetoric.
"Gerry..." Stevie shook her head and laughed, "I'm kind of shocked."
"I thought you might be," Gerry smiled proudly. "What's our motto, Evie?"
Evie sat up a little straighter and smiled proudly. "Anyone can be born a woman, but it takes hard work to be a lady."
There was a moment of stunned silence before Stevie and Taylor burst into laughter.
"That's quite a motto, Gerry!" Taylor laughed. "Who taught you that?"
Gerry whispered into Evie's ear. "Tell them who taught me to be a lady."
"Oh," Evie smiled and recited, "Grandma Kate taught Auntie Gerri to be pretty, but Auntie Stevie and mommy taught Auntie Gerri how to be a lady."
"Aww," both Stevie and Taylor giggle. "Gerry..."
"What's all the noise about?" Kate stepped out of her townhouse and into the patio area.
"Hi, Grandma!" Evie hustled to Kate to get a hug. "You look very pretty. I like your skirt."
Kate smiled, "Well, aren't you the sweetest thing!? And I love your dress. It looks just like Gerry and the girls! So, pretty."
"Thank you, grandma. Auntie Gerri bought all of us new dresses so we'd all look like we are family."
That little remark shot right to everyone's heart. Evie, who'd lost her mother so young, felt loved and part of a family because Gerry made it all so clear to her.
"Oh, how very sweet, Gerry. What a wonderful gesture." She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you, mom. How are you."
"I'm fine, honey. Now, what was all the laughter about out here?"
Evelyn jumped right in. "We were talking about how you taught Auntie Gerry to be pretty."
That made Kate laugh. "Oh, did I now." She looked at her son and smiled at what a beautiful, generous, happy and contented homemaker he'd become. All of their lives were better since that strange day a few years ago when Gerry pulled that baby belt on. Certainly, that moment had changed Gerry drastically, but, in retrospect, it had changed them all in ways none of them could have expected. They used to be polite to each other and worked together, but now... now... they were truly a happy family and they showered love onto each other without restraint.
Marni became antsy and reached down from Stevie, wanting to go to Gerry, so he reached up as Stevie handed the baby down. "I want auntie," Mila complained, seeing her step-sister and cousin getting Gerry's attention, so Taylor put her down and she ran to Gerry as well. Then Evelyn insinuates herself back onto the chaise lounge next to Gerry and they all snuggled to him.
Kate looked at all of them. It was amazing how all three of the little girls became more and more like Gerry every day. Not just the clothes, but the smiles, the way they raised their eyes to look up, the gentleness, the sweetness. All of it seemed to flow from Gerry to the girls. It was miraculous. The love he exuded for these young ladies, and 'ladies' is definitely what Gerry was guiding them to be, was as natural as breathing to him.
"You know, Evie," Kate's eye sparkled with a few tears of love, "I don't think I really taught Auntie Gerry how to be pretty. Gerry was always pretty. We just didn't see it until he showed us how pretty he could be. I just helped with that. But, I'll tell you something that's a fact - Your Auntie Gerry taught me how to be a good mother."
This confused Evie a little. "But you are a mother. You're auntie's mother... and mom's mother and she's older than Auntie Gerry... So, you were a mom before he was even born."
"That's right, darling, I was a mom, but I wasn't a GOOD mom until Auntie Gerry taught me how to be one and I thank God every day that I paid attention to what Auntie Gerry taught me."
She shook her head as she looked at the children surrounding her boy, his chestnut brown hair perfectly framing his plump, perfectly made-up face, his ample breasts filling out the lovely dress... he was a picture of feminine joy. "You are a wonder Gerry. You truly are."
Gerry smiled and, with a bit of difficulty, freed an arm to take his mother's hand in his. "Thank you, mom."
She smiled at him.
"Ok," Stevie interrupted the moment, "let's lock down a few things. Number one - Russ, call the country club and see if we can have a table for dinner, tonight. Number two - Can I order a pizza for this lot for tonight?"
"That's ok," Stevie waved her off. "We'll take care of the pizza."
"Pizza?" Kate scoffed. "I'll call for some good food to be delivered. My treat."
"No, no, no," Gerry hugged the girls closer. "These princesses need to eat something nutritious. Russ and Taylor, you go have good night. Stevie and Mom, you relax and have another glass of wine. My girls and I will take care of dinner."
Gerry stood, Marni still against his breasts. Once upright, he turned and spoke to Evie. "Come on, Evie. Take Mila's hand. We'll have the little ones help with the vegetables while you and I get the main course ready."
Before he left the patio, Gerry stopped to give both Taylor and Russ pecks on their cheeks and told them to enjoy their evening.
As they headed into the screen room, Evie asked, "Do ladies need to know how to cook, too, auntie?"
"Everyone needs to know how to cook, honey, but... yes... ladies need to know how to take care of their families and that involves knowing how to cook."
The door closed and Taylor and Russ left to dress for their evening, leaving Stevie and Kate to sip their wine.
"I should probably get out of this this swimsuit before dinner," Stevie said. "Gerry will give me the lecture about ladies dressing appropriately for the dinner table. I don't want to be held up as a bad example for the girls." She laughed as she headed for the door.
"Stevie..." Kate asked, but didn't continue.
Stevie stopped and waited until Kate was ready to continue.
Finally, Kate found her words. "Are you happy? I mean... happy about the way things have worked out?"
Stevie leaned against the wall, her strong, slender, well muscled body looking amazing in the Lycra garment. "Honestly, Kate, I could not be happier."
Kate liked the answer, but persisted. "What if Gerry had been like this when you met him. Do you think that you would have ended up with him if he was?"
Stevie shrugged. "Probably not. I'm not a lesbian, so I don't think I would have been attracted to someone as... well, a girl like Gerry."
"Then... I don't want to be too personal, but... I do wonder about these things. So, how can you be happy with him, now? I mean... I see that you are, and I'm very happy that you are, but... you are, essentially, living a lesbian life, aren't you?"
"Maybe... maybe not. I don't analyze it, Kate. All I know is that I fell in love with a wonderful guy who was so unsatisfied with his job that it made him miserable, and that made me sad for him. Then, through some miracle, he found his true calling - first by being Mila's aunt, then being Marni's mom and then helping a little girl who'd lost her mom to find happiness, again. His body actually changed, Kate. It made him able to nourish a child. Talk about a true calling!"
Kate nodded.
Stevie turned and looked through the house where Gerry had the babies busy helping with preparing vegetables while he stood behind Evie, his arms reaching around her to show her how to properly bread a chicken breast. All of them wearing clean, white, pinafore-style aprons - it looked like a photo from an old women's magazine. It was a beautiful sight.
"See, Kate... Gerry found himself as a woman and I found myself in Gerry. I know it sounds crazy, but we complete each other in almost every way. Come take a look at this."
Kate joined her at the door and looked in at the perfect domesticity within.
"He is beautiful, Stevie."
"I know," Stevie smiled. "Who wouldn't be smitten by a woman like that?"
THE END