With his life and family destroyed, Richard finds hope
and salvation in continuing to live life, albeit differently -
by letting Ingrid come out to play!

Admin Note: Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Monday 07-20-2009 at 12:08:51 am, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena

Image Credit: Artwork by Brianna Luna

Part 1

Saturday, November 30, 2007
12:45 AM
Hotel Adlon, Berlin

Richard rolled over and snuggled into the thick blankets, trying hard to clear his mind and get to sleep. It had been a very long day and he was tired to the bone. Richard's father, Mr. Richard Wolfe Jr. (Yes, Richard was Richard the third but that hadn't occurred to him yet) had recently taken the job as an attache to the US Consulate in Berlin and the family had just spent it's second week in the country. Richard could hear his parents milling around in their bedroom right on the other side of the wall in their suite, but thanks to old thick walls he couldn't hear what they were saying. Richard smiled and brushed his long hair out of his face. Much to his chagrin his father had told him he would be cutting his hair soon, so that he would present the right image when they were out in public. But Richard was glad to get out of Washington DC for a fresh start here in Berlin. There had been a little hubbub the previous year when he and another boy at school got caught kissing at a school party. It was just experimentation, Richard thought, nothing to crucify someone over. But now they were in Berlin and things were going to be different. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the huge bed slowly sucking him into sleep.

Richard awoke with a start. There was a loud noise coming from his parent's room. He lept out of the bed and padded across the cold parquet floor towards the door. His heart was pounding, adrenaline surged through him. What's going on, he thought, what hte hell's happening? He froze when he heard a woman's scream from next door. He opened the door and rushed into the suite's living room and noticed that the door to his parent's room was open. There were shadows moving inside. He rushed to the side of the door and peered in.

Two large men were in the room, standing off to the side of the bed. Both men were big with thick necks and low brows. Mean looking fellows in big black leather coats. Richard's heart lept to his throat.

"You should have minded your own business, Mister Wolfe." someone said, someone else in the room. His accent was German, but not so thick that Richard had any trouble understanding him. "We told you it would be better for you if you would...what is the American saying...Played ball?"

The big men laughed. Richard could hear struggling and muffled cries. "But, now we must make a statement, no?" Richard heard footsteps in the room followed by another very muffled cry. His mother's cry. "Such a lovely woman. Pity." There was a loud meaty slap, followed by more muffled screams and the laughter of the goons.

He couldn't take it anymore. Before he knew what he was doing, Richard had thrown himself into the room and was attacking the nearest man. He rushed him, taking the man by surprise. Unfortunately, Richards tall, skinny frame did little but stagger the big man, who quickly had Richard painfully restrained. It wasn't until the man had him in a bear hug, a huge smelly hand clamped over his mouth that Richard realized exactly how bad the situation was. Richard's mother was hogtied on the bed, a makeshift gag shoved in her mouth. HIs father was also tied up and gagged. Both had been severely beaten and his mother's eyes were wide with terror, streaming tears. He father only struggled impotently against his bonds.

The man who had spoken earlier, a tall thin fellow with a shock of platinum blonde hair turned to the other men and yelled at them in German, apparently dressing them down for not checking the rest of the suite. "So...there is a young one." he said, walking over to Richard. He reached out and pushed the hair out of Richard's face where tears had plastered it to his cheeks. "Not much of a man are you." he said, taking in Richard's small, skinny frame as the boy stood their fighting against his captor. "Well...too bad you'll never get a chance to grow into one. " The man tore off another piece of sheet and quickly gagged Richard, talking as he worked. 'You see...you're father thought he was going to be "the new sheriff in town" apparently. Thought he would get in here and clean up Berlin. That...we cannot let happen. The people we work for, Mr. Wolfe....The people you should have worked for, have very important interests that we can't just let be brought into the open. So...." the man stood up, happy with his work. "We've done a little work to ensure that this will not link our cause to you."

The man opened a case and showed it to them all. It contained hundreds of small bags of white powder, neatly arranged. "Heroin. Straight from Afghanistan's fields. About a million Euros worth, give or take a little. We took the liberty of planting some other evidence that will make it look like you've been involved in this trade for quite a while and that you double crossed some of your suppliers since the war started. So...Mr. Wolfe...We are going to make this look like the Russian mob did this to you to send a message. Like I said....You should have played ball."

Richard was unable to tear his eyes away from the horror show that played out in front of him. Soon, but not soon enough, it was over. The blonde man turned to him, knife flashing. Teeth shining. Then a world of pain overtook Richard. He screamed as loud as he could, screamed until he couldn't scream any more. His mind shut down. He was detached. Cold. Bleeding to death, he thought, dying.

Chapter 2.

Bright light. Frantic talking and yelling in German. A feeling of motion. Richard's eyes opened. Lights zipped by, faces came in and out of focus. Eyes closed. Pain. Richard screamed. It was a high pitched wail that hurt his ears and burned his throat. He felt a cold sensation in his arm and looked down. A nurse was injecting something into his IV. The blackness returned.

Richard's eyes finally opened again. He was in a dimly lit room, a rhythmic beeping sounded from the corner of the room. He was tucked in a bed, the covers pulled up to his neck. He couldn't move. Fortunately, there was no pain, only a numbness he couldn't explain. The fear returned. Flashes of unreal horror that he couldn't shake. Tears came. Richard started sobbing uncontrollable. A nurse rushed in and tried to calm him, talking soothingly in German. It didn't help. the more she tried to calm him down, the more inconsolable he became. More staff showed up and eventually, he was sedated.

"Mr. Wolfe." A voice said. A male voice, German accent. Richard opened his eyes. Again, he didn't know where he was. He'd been restrained and struggled against his bonds, face twisting with effort. "Mr. Wolfe. Please, calm down. I'm Dr. Vogler....You are in the Trauma Center Berlin. You've been terribly injured and you are going to injure yourself more if you struggle."

Richard looked around. It a hospital. Sunlight streamed in through the blinds, painting horizontal lines on the walls. Richard opened his mouth to speak. His tongue felt swolen and he could hardly speak. "Water." he croaked. A nurse brought him some water. He nodded thanks then gulped it down. Finally he thought he could speak. "What happened?" his voice sounded alien. It was hoarse and raspy.

The doctor started explaining everything that had happened to him, the litany of injury. Some of it he knew. His hand was broken, so was his nose. His throat was damaged.

"What?" Richard croaked "What did you just say?"

Doctor Vogler looked uncomfortable. "Your genitals were terribly damaged. Your femoral artery was severed...you almost bled to death. If a maid hadn't discovered you, you would be dead now..."

Richard shook his head.

"What happened to my genitals? What are you talking about?" Richard whispered.

"The attacker sliced open your scrotum....the damage was substantial. We had to perform an orchiectomy....we had to remove your testicles. I'm very sorry, Richard." the doctor said quietly.

"Removed my testicles?" Richard said. He was very angry now. He'd never even gotten to use them, and now they were gone. Richard closed his eyes. "Leave me alone." Richard whispered.

The doctor nodded. "I'll check on you in a little while Richard." He got up to leave.

"Doctor....did my parents....did either of my parents....."Richard started.

The doctor shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry Richard."

When the door closed Richard broke down in tears.

****

Richard turned when the door opened. His uncle, Fredrick Blake leaned in.

"Knock, knock." Uncle Fred said tapping on the door.

Richard was staring out the window, watching the snow blow through the trees. He smiled weakly at his uncle and sat down gingerly in the chair at his desk.

"Hey Uncle Fred." Richard said. His voice was still hoarse sounding and high pitched. His voice had never really changed, and now it never would.

"Hey champ...." Fred said, sitting down on the bed. "How're you feeling?"

Richard shrugged. He felt very uncomfortable. Tired. Tired of bad dreams. Tired of feeling alone. Tired of being scared.

"Ok I guess." He whispered.

Uncle Fred looked at him for a minute then nodded. "We haven't talked much about things since you...since the attack. I'm sorry about your folks, Rich....I really am. I can't say anything to make you feel better...I know that. But I can give you one piece of good news."

Richard looked up at him. His eyes were welling with tears.

"My brother...your father. He was innocent of the charges leveled against him. Your testimony, coupled with other information exonerated him. We are going to have to make some decisions soon...about your inheritance. Your parents were well off, Rich. You will be well taken care of. I'm the executor for the will...I'm going to hold out on making any decisions for a while...until you feel ready to give some input, ok?"

Richard nodded. He started crying. Uncle Fred walked over and took him in his arms and let him cry on his shoulder, his own sobs mingling with his nephew's. After a while, both of them could cry no more. Fred lifted his chin. "I'm going to go down and get Betty to make us some dinner ok? Come on down when you are ready."

Fred got up and left, stopping for a moment at the door. Richard and Fred's eyes locked for a moment, then Fred nodded and left. The door clicked behind him.

Richard stood up. He was still somewhat sore. It had been close to three weeks since the attack. His groin itched more than it hurt, though his muscles still seemed stiff all over. His broken hand was in a cast, as was his left leg. He stood and hobbled back to the window. Christmas was next week, he thought. There were no more tears, he didn't have it in him right now. He was spent. Tired. After a little while, he made his way down the stairs to the dining room. His aunt Betty took him in her arms and hugged him tightly, her eyes glistening with tears, reflecting the lights of the Christmas tree.

****

Mr. Harker, the family attorney, leaned forward on his elbows.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking at the documents. His eyes went to Fred first, then to Richard.

Richard nodded."yes." he said.

"Ok...We are going to keep the house exactly as it is now. The housekeeping staff will stay on, though in a diminished capacity. They will keep the house clean and in order. The funds are to be placed in a trust, which you will inherit in two parts. The first on your eighteenth birthday, the second on your twenty first. Your uncle will be your guardian and will be responsible for your upkeep. Auditory oversight will ensure your upkeep in an acceptable manner. Sounds good?"

Fred nodded, then took the pen and signed his name on the forms. Richard signed the other lines. It was done. The men shook hands and left the office.

"Are you ok, Rich?" Fred asked, putting his arm around the young man's small shoulders.

"Yeah....It just seems so final...you know?" Richard said, feeling very small.

"I know....I know. But, it's behind us now Rich. Time for us all to move on. We'll never forget, but we are still alive. Your parents would want it that way." Fred said.

"I know, Uncle Fred. I know." Richard said absently. "I know."

***

The next day school started back. Richard's friends had all heard what had happened in Germany. Everyone had heard about it, it had been big news on all the news channels for several weeks. Richard could feel their eyes on him as he walked through the school's halls. Richard felt distant, unable to connect with the other kids. Even the ones who'd been his friends before were now just people he had to deal with. He felt jealous of the other boys, the older ones who were beginning to turn into men. Something that would never happen to him now. Every time he thought about it, it reminded him of the mutilation he'd suffered and made him feel like crying. The day seemed to drag on forever.

Weeks passed. Richard lost himself in his studies, putting all of his effort into his school work. His grades, which had always been Bs, were now straight A's. His social life was non-existent. Richard withdrew completely from high school society, throwing himself entirely into study. Even Richard wasn't sure why he was studying so hard, trying so hard to learn, but it helped ease the pain and that was all that mattered.

By the end of the semester Richard had let all his friends fall to the wayside. He finished his tenth grade year with a 4,o average and the top of his class. He spent a lot of time studying, or reading. Very little time was spent on frivolous pursuits, though he did enjoy going with his Uncle to the shooting range and had become quite a fine shot with a pistol. Much to his uncle's chagrin, Richard signed up for a full slate of extra classes throughout the summer and threw himself into his studies with just as much gusto as he had during the regular school year.

It was only during the breaks from school, when Richard had nothing to occupy his time, that his depression returned. His sixteenth birthday was in July during the mid summer break from summer school. Richard had been spending an inordinate amount of time in the backyard, reading or just staring at the trees. Fred walked out and stood on the porch. He walked over to Richard and sat down on the chair across from him. Richard looked up at him and smiled wanly.

"Hey Uncle Fred." Richard said, putting down his book.

Uncle Fred looked back at the door then to Richard. He pulled a cigar out of his pocket and lit it with a wooden match.

"Aghhh." Fred said, looking at the cigar then to Richard. "I needed that." he said with a grin.

"Aunt Betty will have your hide if she catches you with that." Richard said with a sideways grin.

"Yeah...If she comes out here I'm gonna act like I snatched it from you and start yelling at you...so get ready." Uncle
Fred said with a smile.

Richard laughed. "Thanks Uncle Fred."

"Hey...What are relatives for." Fred said with a chuckle. "You haven't said anything...but it is your birthday, kiddo."

Richard looked past him then shrugged. "Not feeling very....I dunno...Festive."

"Shit, boy." Richard said. "It's your sixteenth birthday. Special day."

Richard just shrugged. "I guess."

Fred smiled. "Well...I know you did great in driver's ed....and finished your license up right?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah...Just have to go down and get the form signed at the DMV."

Fred smiled around his cigar, then fished a set of keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Richard.

"Happy birthday, Richard." He said.

Richard looked down at the keys, then up to Fred. He recognized the keys. Aside from the car key and alarm fob,there were the keys to Fred and Betty's house, and the keys to His house...his parent's house. "Really?" he said, staring at the Mercedes key.

"Yep...Happy Birthday from me and Betty. You deserve it."

Richard hugged Fred tight, then the two of them climbed into his new Mercedes ML500 crossover SUV. Richard stroked the black leather interior and admired the gleaming black paint job. He beamed at Fred, looking happy for the first time in months.

After the second summer semester Richard got a one week break before the fall semester started. The same old malaise fell on him, pulling him down into depression. His therapist, whom he'd been seeing throughout his recovery, had prescribed him some anti-depressants but he didn't take them. HE wanted to remember. He didn't want the pain numbed, though he wasn't sure why. He never opened up to his therapist, but instead kept his own council. One morning, after leaving for a drive he realized that he had pulled up in front of his old house. He parked in the driveway, his heart in his throat. It was a majestic house, big and stately. An old ivy covered edifice that had been in his family's care for the last ninety years. He opened the door and got out. It was a hot northern Virginia morning. A slight breeze was blowing, flicking his long hair across his face. He walked up to the front door and unlocked it. The inside was just like he'd last seen it. Clean. Tidy, smelling faintly of lavender. He walked through the halls, through the living room and kitchen. Finally, he turned and headed up the stairs.

His room was as he'd left it, well, cleaner than he'd left it. His parent's suite was at the end of the hall, it's door open. He walked into their suite and looked around. The morning sunlight filled the room. Dust motes danced in the beams of light. Richard sat down on the floor and cried. He cried like he hadn't in months, all the old memories coming back. All the pain, all the heartache. That sort of crying can't go on long, so it eventually petered out leaving a dull ache in his heart. He stood up and went in the bathroom. His mother's things were still on the counter, not all of them of course, as many had been with them in Germany, but it looked much like it had all his life. He blew his nose and washed his face. Richard pulled his hair back in a pony tail and walked out of the bathroom.

His eyes stopped on a picture of his mother, Allison Wolfe.. She was beautiful An ex model, ex Miss Virginia. A tall, lean, blonde beauty. He'd always been told he looked like his mother, the same facial structure. The same slight build. Richard had figured he would grow out of it and start to look more like his father, but now that seemed unlikely. He took off his glasses and wiped a tear from his eyes. The sight of his mother brought it all back to him, especially here, months later in a place that still held the slight smell of her perfume, the faintest edge of cigarette smoke. He sat down in a chair next to the bed and cried again, though there was little force in it and it passed quickly. Finally, emotionally drained, he got up, wiped his eyes and put his glasses back on. He walked over and opened his father's closet. All the suits were hanging in their places, wrapped in plastic. He turned out the light and went to his mother's closet. It was much larger, filled with clothes. His mother had never given up her love of designer labels and the closet was full of them. She preferred classically styled clothes, leaning towards mid-nineteen sixty's glamour. Classic elegance, ah la Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O. He ran his fingers across the soft fabrics then stopped himself and turned out the light. He looked back only once as he left the driveway.

Halfway through his Junior year, Richard stopped at a coffee shop right outside of town. There were several other students from his school there, all enjoying the warmer than normal winter afternoon. Richard nodded to them and walked up to the counter.

"One moment, mam," the guy behind the counter had said, then looked at him again. "Sorry, man...What can I get for you?"

Richard looked over at the guys from his school and could feel the blood rushing to his face.

"It's OK...A cappuccino please." He said meekly.

That was happening a lot more recently. Since the orchiectomy, his weight had been redistributing itself at his hips and chest. His form was much more feminine than masculine now and he could hardly blame anyone for the mistake. Even in his school uniform he looked a bit like a girl in trousers and a blazer than he did a boy. He sat down in the corner and opened his computer.

The boys from his school left a little while later, Richard noted, looking up for a moment from his work. He sighed, then returned to his work.

"Richard..." he heard someone say quietly. It was a girls voice. He looked up. Emily Vandiveer was staring down at him, smiling. "I thought you'd left the country?" she said, taking a seat next to him.

Richard blushed. "Hey, Emily." he said, terribly conscious of his voice. "No...something happened, ended up coming back."

Emily grinned at him. They'd known each other forever, since they were kids. She went to Sacred Heart school, a prestigious girls school up the valley. She was still dressed in her school uniform, plaid skirt, blazer, white shirt and tie. She wore it with disdain and a sort of punk flare. The girl was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

"It's so good to see you!" she said, then gave him a big hug. "What have you been up to?"

Richard didn't know what to say. He sat there silently for a minute, then looked into her big blue eyes and something cracked. He started talking. "My parents were killed in Berlin. Right in front of me...part of some international plot that I really don't understand...." his voice was thick with emotion.

Emily didn't know what to say. She stared at him, horrified. Richard wasn't sure what to say. Emily leaned in and hugged him tightly. "Im' so sorry, Rich...I am. I didn't know." Her voice was wavering, like she was on the verge of tears herself.

Richard lay his head on her shoulder and started crying himself. He was trying hard not to completely break down but having a hard time keeping it under control. Eventually, he got it under control and looked up at her. She reached down and brushed hair out of his face. Richard started talking, telling her the whole story.

Emily listened closely, taking in the whole story. She didn't interrupt much, she just listened. After a little while, she fished in her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Do you mind?" she asked, pulling one out. Richard shook his head. She lit the cigarette and nodded for him to continue. He did. The dam had broken and it was all coming out now, the whole story, even parts he hadn't told his therapist.

Emily pulled out another cigarette and lit it. She noticed his story faltered. "Oh...You want one?" she asked, holding the pack out to him. They were Virginia Slims, just like his mother had smoked.

Richard looked at her for a second then shrugged. "Yeah...I think I do." He took the cigarette and her lighter. He'd never smoked before, not even as an experiment. It wasn't that he had anything against smoking, it's just something he'd never tried. He put the cigarette between his lips, careful not to get it too wet but still unsure of what he was doing. He brought the flame up to the tip and sucked in on the cigarette, The smoke flooded into his mouth, acrid. Thick. He inhaled a little bit, entirely by accident, and started coughing. Emily laughed.

"You ok?" she asked as he finished coughing. She took another drag and blew the smoke in a thin stream towards the light fixture. "First time?"

Richard smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah..." he said, then cleared his throat. He looked at the cigarette between his fingers. He realized it made his hand look even more feminine and delicate.

"Why did you take it then?" she asked, her voice tinged with laughter.

"I dunno...I heard they help you deal with stress." he shrugged and took another drag, careful not to inhale. The menthol smoke tasted kind of like a mint this time. "and I sure need help in that department."

Emily laughed. "It does....just takes some getting used to."

The two of them talked for a long time. Both of them had a lot to say. Richard smoked several cigarettes, finally getting the hang of it with a little coaching from Emily. He was starting to see what people got out of smoking, the buzz was great and it did make him feel very good after it receded. It was after eight by the time Richard looked down at his watch.

"Holy shit. Its after eight." Richard said, looking up at her amazed. "I've gotta call my Uncle."

Emily laughed and handed Richard her cell phone. "Uncle Fred...I'm down at Fine Grind...Uh huh. With Emily Vandiveer. Yeah. Uh huh. Thanks. Ok. see you later." he handed the phone back to Emily. "He's cool with it...Glad I'm actually talking to someone.." he laughed out loud. "I don't have any friends any more...since the attack."

Emily shook her head. "That sucks....I can't believe no-one was there for you after that....Well...I'm here. Here's my number." She said, writing the number on a torn piece of paper in big loopy handwriting.. "There. We are going to have to hang out more, dude. I forgot how much we had in common." She stood up and gave him a hug. Richard had just finished packing up his computer. "Well...it's a long walk home...I gotta scoot." she said, putting on her scarf.

"No way...I'll give you a ride. Cmon." Richard said, buttoning his coat.

Richard dropped Emily off at home, a couple of miles from his house. His old house, not his Aunt and Uncle's place.

He drove home with his head crowded, for the first time in months, with thoughts of friendship. Camaraderie. He felt good.

***

The holidays were fast approaching. For Richard it was like a death march, moving inexorably towards the one year anniversary of his parent's murder, and his maiming. He focused in even more on school, striving for perfection in everything. Despite his size, Richard was still doing quite well in Martial Arts classes and put a lot of effort into finally his level 8 in Krav Maga. Other than his two winter extra curricular activity, Krav Maga and USPSA shooting, he spent the rest of the time with his nose in a book. He did talk to Emily a lot, but she was busy with school too so they were little comfort to one another.

School had been particularly hellish that day. Richard had started to feel very uncomfortable undressing in the boys locker room. No one said anything, but he could feel their eyes on him. His body, in the last year, had taken on the shape of a prepubescent girl. The absence of testosterone and the lack of hormone therapy had him in a sort of Limbo. He had only really just begun puberty when his manhood was stripped away. He had grown another inch and a half in the last year and was now 5'9" tall, just one inch taller than his mother. Other than that, he had completely stopped growing, and developing. His weight had shifted a little bit to his hips and butt, Combine that with the slight shift of fatty tissue and he was looking more and more like a teenage girl.

On the way home from school, Richard pulled into a convenience store to get gas. While he was filling up, he was completely zoning out, the intense anxiety he was feeling was driving him crazy. He walked inside, wrapping his black Pea coat around him tight against the cold. He was waiting in line when he noticed the Virginia Slims poster behind the register. That would do it, he thought, that might help. Hell, couldn't hurt, he thought. When he got to the counter, he almost chickened out. What if the guy laughed because a boy was buying girls cigarettes? What if he carded him? He didn't do either and a few minutes later, Richard was getting back in his car with a pack of Virginia Slims luxury light 120 menthols. He put the pack in his pocket and headed towards his old house.

Richard parked in the garage and walked into the kitchen. It was clean, quiet and empty. Just like it always was when he stopped by. The maids did a good job, and Uncle Fred stopped by a lot to make sure everything was in order. He hung up his coat, took off his blazer and tie and deposited them on a chair in the kitchen. The house was a little cool so he turned the heat up. He stood in the kitchen and looked at the pack of cigarettes. He walked through the house, deciding where he would go to indulge his new found vice. His dad's study? No. He'd never liked that room...Too authoritarian. The living room? No..His Mom's sunroom. He trotted up the steps and turned into the sunroom. The walls were glass, floor to ceiling. The room was furnished rather sparsely, with a couple of nice couches and some chairs. Low book shelves lined the walls, filled with his mother's novels and other books. There was an issue of Vogue from last October sitting on the coffee table right next to the big crystal ash tray.

Lighter.

Shit, he thought, I don't have a lighter. He walked into his parent's room and straight to his mom's jewelry box. He knew she kept several lighters in there. He opened the box and sure enough, there were several lighters on the second shelf. He picked up a long, thin silver lighter with a pink enameled casing he had seen his mother carry several times. It was very pretty. He popped the lighter and a flame instantly appeared. And it worked. He read the engraving on the bottom. Givenchy G3609. It didn't mean much to him, but it seemed like a very nice lighter. He closed the box and walked back to the sunroom. Richard kicked off his shoes and curled his legs underneath him. He stripped the cellophane from the cigarette box and balled it up on the table. He lifted the pack to his nose and smelled the strong, raisin smell of the fresh tobacco, a smell he'd always liked, then pulled a cigarette from the package. He looked at it for a moment. The long cigarette made his hand, already small and feminine, look even more graceful. He put the cigarette to his lips and lit it, carefully holding the flame to the tip as he sucked in the smoke. He quickly inhaled, opening his mouth and letting the smoke snap back inside. It hit him right away, the nicotine shooting into his bloodstream. He'd missed that feeling.

Richard sat there on the couch and smoked the whole cigarette, letting the buzzed feeling wash over him, practicing ways of holding it. The only real reference he had was his mother, who was always elegant, and Emily, who was very girly, so the mannerisms were definitely feminine. He also realized that it would be very hard to look masculine with a long, thin cigarette like that anyway. It would be hard for him to look masculine no matter what he did, he thought. He didn't let that thought bother him. Instead, he was going to enjoy the moment.

Richard smoked another cigarette, unwilling to let go of the moment. His mind was all over the place, filled with thoughts he'd long tried to suppress. Eventually, he got up and pulled his phone out of his bag. He dialed his uncle.

"Hello." Fred answered. There was a roar of wind in the background. He was on the beltway driving home.

"Hey Uncle Fred." Richard said.

"Hey Rich, what's up?" Fred said, rolling up the window. The road noise disappeared.

"I'm over at the old house...I'm going to stay here a while. It was a bad day and it helps me to think here." Richard said, feeling really nervous about the whole thing.

"Sure, buddy. I understand. I'll let your Aunt know." Fred said.

"Thanks, Uncle Fred." Richard said, a smile breaking across his face.

They said their good byes and Richard put the phone back in his bag. He stood up and looked around. He had the house all to himself and no reason to hurry home. He walked through the big empty house, taking it all in as the sun began to disappear behind the pine trees. Then he walked back up stairs. He felt like having a bath so he went into his parent's bathroom. The big jacuzzi tub was clean and inviting so he started running water. Richard stripped out of his clothes, throwing them in a pile next to the door. He turned and looked at himself in the full length mirror. His brown hair was long and unruly, hanging past his shoulders. His thin frame looked more like a young girl's body than a 16 year old boy. His penis was tiny, partially from the cold, but mainly from lack of time for puberty to really kick in before having it permanently cut short. He lifted his penis and examined the smooth place where his scrotum used to be. The skin had pulled back a lot during the last year and now it was very smooth. Richard poured some rose scented bath beads into the tub and climbed in. He laid there for a long time, letting the water jets sooth him. His gaze fell on his mother's razor, a little pink one with changeable blades. He picked it up and examined it for a moment. Richard had often wondered what his legs would look like completely shaved. He soaped them up and began shaving them, taking extra care not to cut himself. Finally done, he ran his hands down his smooth legs. They felt so nice and smooth afterwards he just sat there in the jacuzzi feeling them. Eventually, he got out and toweled himself off.

The idea had been forming in his mind for a long time but he'd never let it break the surface. Shaving his legs had opened him up to it. Like taking a plunge. He'd wondered what he'd look like as a woman. He did resemble his mother, even more so now that his testosterone level was so low. Richard had wondered about it before his "accident", but had never given in to the temptation. Today, he thought, must be the devil's day cause temptation is winning out left and right. He smiled at the thought and walked into his mother's walk in closet. Before, when his mother had been alive, it had seemed so wrong to try on her things. But now, they were his things. He could do whatever he wanted with them. He opened one of the lingerie drawers and picked through it. Eventually, he selected a pair of black Victoria's Secret bikini panty's and a matching black VS Angel padded bra. He slipped into the panties, finding that it was pretty easy to present a very girlish front since he didn't have testicles to get in the way. Then he fought his way into the bra, getting it clasped after several frustrating attempts. He turned and looked at himself in the three way mirror.

"Damn." he said out loud, his voice almost scaring him in the quiet house. He looked really good in this. He turned a little so he could see himself from all the angles. What he saw bothered him in a lot of ways, primarily because he felt something stirring inside him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He could feel his penis starting to harden a little bit at the sight. It also bothered him because it confirmed the notion that he'd look better as a female than a male now. Richard looked at himself for a few more seconds, then tore himself away and walked over to the sunroom where he retrieved his cigarettes and lighter. He sat down at his mother's vanity and lit a cigarette. He couldn't help but hold it even more femininely now, holding the cigarette at the very tip of his fingers and cocking his arm vertically at his shoulder. It just seemed the natural thing to do.

While he sat there, his eyes roved across the wide selection of make up neatly arranged on the vanity. His mother always bought new make up, so it didn't surprise him one bit that there was a regular cosmetics counter right there for the plundering. He picked through the bottles and jars, examining the contents. Without real thought, he opened a bottle of MAC foundation and started applying it to his face. After a little work he got it more or less right looking, then stood up and washed his hands. he couldn't help but laugh at the way he looked now, with his face all one color he thought he looked like Data from Star Trek. It was irritating him that his hair kept sticking to his face now, so he scooped a headband off a hook and put his hair up. What next? He thought about it then remembered something about powder to set the make-up. He wasn't sure what to do.

Then it occurred to him and he jumped up and ran in the other room. He grabbed his backpack and pulled out his laptop. He opened it and headed back into the bathroom. His neighbor's network was still unprotected so within minutes he was on the internet. Richard did a couple of quick searches and came up with a bunch of make-up tutorials. He worked carefully, following the instructions to the letter. He'd found instructions on you tube for very glamorous make-up, not the kind of stuff one would wear every day, but the kind of warpaint one would use if attending some sort of function It was really hard to get it right, but ever the perfectionist, Richard worked at it until he thought he'd done his best. Smoky eyes. Lined dark burgundy lips. flawless complexion. He'd been working so hard on getting it to look right that he hadn't really paid attention to how it looked as a whole. Finally, he pulled off the headband and shook out his hair. Staring back at him in the mirror was a beautiful young woman in her underwear with terribly unruly hair. Richard studied himself carefully, looking at his face from all angles. The woman in the mirror smiled at him. He realized he was grinning ear to ear. Richard scooped up a hair brush and carefully brushed out his hair until it looked the best he could muster.

He looked over at the clock and realized that he had to be home in less than an hour.

"Shit" he said, rushing into the bathroom. He felt really sad taking off the make-up he'd worked so hard on but it had to be done. Once he was convinced it was all off he looked in the mirror and sighed. He also realized he didn't look that different with the make up off. He dressed in his own clothes, except for the panties which just felt too good to take off.

Everyday, for the next two weeks, he went to the house right after school and practiced his make up. Richard spent as much of his weekend as he could there too, but spent most of the weekend writing a paper so he didn't have much of a chance to play. He never really got dressed up fully, mainly hanging around in a black silk robe while he played. It was comforting and absorbed him completely, helping him to deal with the dark thoughts that had been dominating his mind recently. Richard had gotten much better at putting his make up on now, and could do it right in about an hour. After getting his make up done, he would lounge around the house and read, or work on his home work. He'd also started smoking a lot more, everytime he was at the house. He knew it was wrong, and that it was bad for him, but he liked it and was feeling a little bit self destructive anyway so it really didn't matter.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, he let himself into the house and went immediately to his parent's room. He put on his make-up, taking extra time since he knew he didn't have to go home any time soon. He finished the make-up and felt it was his best try yet. He slipped into the black bra that matched the panties he was wearing. He'd been wearing panties every day for the last couple of weeks, a different pair of course, and he was pretty sure he'd have to do some laundry soon.

He lit a cigarette and stood up. Richard walked over to the three way mirror and admired his work. It was weird as he watched this very good looking girl pose and smoke, flirting with him in the mirror. Weird because she was him. It was turning him on immensely and the action he'd started to feel down south was now stronger than it had been all year. It still wasn't enough to make him pop out of his panties, but it was a very nice feeling that he'd missed a lot more than he realized. Richard felt the urge to go further today, to dress more than he had before. The lure of the closet was just too strong. He pulled a pair of black, opaque tights out of her drawer and worked his way into them. He'd watched his mom put them on a few times, and had seen women do it in movies so he managed to get them on without ruining them.

Richard walked over to the closet and started looking at the dresses. He selected a simple, little black dress, a Prada number. Very cute, very minimalist, one of the many Prada dresses in that closet. He slipped into it and fought the zipper up. It looked fantastic, the fit was almost perfect. It was a little tight in the chest, but nothing to worry about. He settled on a pair of Marc Jacobs wedge sandles. They were pretty tall, but he liked the look of the open toed shoe. Richard sat down and worked his foot into the sandle. It was a little tight, maybe a half size too small, but it fit.

Richard wobbled across the room, feeling like he was walking on stilts.He walked around for almost an hour, getting a little more confident with each step. Applying his same drive towards perfection to this pursuit as he did to everything else. He had practiced on slightly smaller heels before, wearing them around most days when he hung out at the house, but it was taking some getting used to walking on heels this high. While he practiced walking, he would stop and peruse the jewelry box. He selected several silver bracelets, a couple of rings and a very beautiful silver necklace He was smiling ear to ear as he strutted through the upstairs rooms. He faltered occasionally, but was getting the hang of walking in these heels. His feet killing him, Richard stopped and had a cigarette. He watched himself in the mirror, amazed at the transformation. It felt good to look pretty, he realized. It did a lot to numb the pain he'd been feeling earlier.

The only thing that bugged him was his hair. Even brushed out, it didn't go with the outfit very well, and he had absolutely no idea how to fix it. He decided not to let it bother him as he walked out of the bathroom, but he filed away the thought to research it and practice styling it later. Richard sat down on the divan and flipped through a magazine, smoking another cigarette. It was little over a year old Vogue UK edition. He realized that he had grown up around fashion so much with his mom that he knew more about it than he thought he would. He recognized the names of a lot of the designers, and recognized a lot of the clothes from his mom's wardrobe. Richard's stomach was growling mightily, reminding him that it was past supper time. He looked down at his wrist and realized that he didn't have a watch on. He hopped up and strutted over to the jewelry box. It wasn't until he got there that he realized he had strutted. It was that "predatory" walk women sometimes get in heels, a very catwalk sort of walk that his mother used whenever she was trying to get someone's attention. He laughed out loud at that as he selected a little silver Rolex that went with the other jewelry. He set it, using his computer clock and realized much to his dismay that it was after eight.

"No wonder I'm hungry." he said out loud. Richard's voice still startled him, didn't sound like it belonged to him any more. But for the first time in a year, the voice matched the body. Or at least appeared to. His voice, which was high and a little bit raspy, came across as sexy, throaty and a little deep for a woman, but definitely a woman's voice not the voice of a sixteen year old boy.

What to do about eating? he thought, gnawing on his lip. He could get undressed, go back to being Richard and run through a drive through some where. No...He didn't want to take off the clothes. He wanted this to last as long as possible. He walked over to the mirror and examined his make-up. It looked good. There were no glaring errors, nothing absolutely wrong with it (, though he felt it could be better. It was sure better than a lot of real women he'd seen out and about. Of course, they probably didn't spend an hour and a half working on it either. He was a little disappointed with his hair still, unsure whether it would pass muster. Then he remembered. Hats!

Richard rushed to the closet. After picking through the hat boxes, he selected a simple black, Armani Cloche style hat that looked like something Audrey Hepburne would wear. He pulled his hair up into a bun, following another tutorial on You Tube. It only took three tries to get it right, Then he fitted the hat to his head, adjusting the angle until it looked right. He smiled ear to ear. He realized right then that he didn't look like a underdeveloped 16 year old boy any more, but more like a 19 or 20 year old woman. Sophisticated. Stylish. His smile widened even more. It wasn't until then that he realized he would need a purse. He dug through the purses until he found a simple black prada bag and a wallet, along with a stunning pair of black leather gloves. He loaded some cash, his driver's license and his debit card into the wallet then put it in his purse. He also put the lipstick he'd used and a small compact, just in case he needed it. His cigarettes, lighter, and phone topped it off, filling his purse to the rim.

"Am I really going to do this?" he said out loud. He looked at himself in the mirror, he had to see if he was as convincing as he thought he was. . That smile crept back on to his face. He had to see if he was as convincing as he thought he was. A few minutes later he selected a coat from the downstairs closet. The coat was simple, wool with a flared bell shape and a big rolled collar. The label was Sophia, but he had never heard of it. He put it on and posed in front of the mirror. He liked the look, posing with his hands on his hips. He put on the long black, leather gloves he'd selected and realized that they reached almost to his elbow. With the coat and hat, it just completed the outfit.

"Oh shit." he said, stomping his foot. He realized he needed his glasses to drive, and to see more than about five feet away for that matter. He rushed back up the stairs and picked them up off the vanity. he put them on and was completely let down by how utterly horrible they looked with this outfit. They were sort of chunky torouise from glasses. Very male and dorky, not the thing for a chic little black dress. He crossed his fingers and went to his mother's dresser. He opened her second drawer and their, arrayed on a velvet holder were her glasses. Praying that his prescription was close enough to hers, he took off his glasses and put on hers. For a moment, he was afraid to open his eyes. He did. And he could see! It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good. Maybe one prescription stronger. His eyes adjusted to it quickly and he could see just fine. He put on several pairs, trying to find the ones that best matched the outfit. He settled on a pair of black framed Channel eyeglasses with a slight cat's eye shape to them. They made him look....smart as well as stylish. He couldn't help but laugh at that.

He put a dab of perfume, Channel #5 behind his ears and on his wrists then made his way down stairs again. He stopped in front of the mirror one last time then was out the door. He got in his car and hit the garage door button. His heart was racing one hundred miles per hour as he backed out of the drive way. I'm actually doing it, he thought, I"m going out like this. Once he got on the road, his nerves didn't calm down. He lit a cigarette and it actually calmed his nerves a little. He wasn't sure where he was going to go. Dressed like this, he couldn't just go to some fast food place, and family eateries were definately out. He'd stand out like a sore thumb at Denny's. The thought made him giggle.

He decided to stop somewhere he went on a regular basis to see if anyone would recognize him. It was a gamble, but figured if he was going to be recognized as a boy in a dress he'd rather have it happen at Border's books than at a fancy restaurant. He parked his car and got out. It was a brisk November night. The wind was blowing dead leaves around the parking lot as he walked towards the store. Richard's heart was pounding a thousand miles per hour as he neared the door. He took one last drag from his cigarette, then put it out in the ash tray near the door. A man in his mid twenties opened the door for him and smiled broadly at him.

"After you." the man said politely.

"Thank you." Richard said quietly, stepping inside. He walked quickly towards the magazines, sure that someone was going to yell "BOY IN A DRESS" any second. But it didn't happen. He did notice that a lot of eyes were following him as he went through the store. Men and women. The men he understood, they were checking out the goods, but he wasn't sure whey some of the women were staring at him. Maybe he had something completely wrong and didn't realize it. He hung his bag on his left arm and started looking through the magazines. A young woman, probably just out of college he guessed, was looking through magazines too. He looked up at her and smiled when their eyes met. She smiled back at him, then her eyes flipped down to his bag.

"I love that purse." she said. "Prada?"

Richard nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." He said timidly. "It's last years...but I like it." He wasn't sure why he'd added that, except that his mom had said similar things at times.

"I wish I could afford a year old Prada bag." The girl said, chuckling. "Nice talking to you." the girl said, holding up her magazine. She headed towards the counter. Richard followed close behind, his heart still pounding.

He put his magazine on the counter. The clerk's name was Thomas. He waited on Richard all the time but he looked at him like he'd never laid eyes on him before. Richard looked down at the magazine. He'd picked up the German copy of Vogue, practice reading german and get an idea about this season's fashions at the same time, what a bargain. He smiled at the thought.

"Good evening, miss." Thomas said. "Do you have a discount card?"

Richard was stunned for a moment Everything was different about him except his voice. Yes, it sounded like a girls voice, but Thomas might recognize it. Richard stared at him dumbly...unsure of what to do.

Thomas smiled at her and held up a card. "Discount card," he said slowly, carefully enunciating the words. Richard realized that Thomas, seeing a pretty girl in designer clothes, buying German Vogue had concluded that she was German. Richard smiled and laughed a little.

"No...No card, thank you." Richard said, using a German accent. He was pretty good at imitating one after spending several months going back and forth to Germany with his parents, not to mention attending Miss Grueber's class every day at school.

Richard walked out of the store with his confidence boosted. He could feel all the guys who worked their looking at him as he strode outside. A few minutes later he was back in his car and still had no idea where he was going to go. Then he remembered a nice place he and his parents had gone to several times. La Bergerie. It was a nice French restaurant on North Lee street. Very nice, and if he remembered right, under new management. He pulled up in the parking lot and sat there collecting his wits before getting out of the car. His stomach rumbled one more time and that settled it. Some food was exactly what he needed.

He got out and walked inside. He took off his glasses and put them in his purse as he walked inside, and was met at the door by the maitre de. He looked Richard up and down and smiled.

"Bonsoir, Mlle." the older gentleman said, tipping his head towards her.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur." Richard said, ensuring his pronunciation. He'd taken French all through grade school and remembered it fairly well. Though he wasn't as conversational as he was in German, he was decent and could still get by ok.

"Avez-vous des réservations ?" he said, then started to translate. "Do you..."

"No... Je suis désolé, puis-je recevoir une table ? s'il vous plaát ?" Richard said quickly, enjoying a chance to use his French on someone. The maitre de grinned from ear to ear.

"La table pour un, la Mlle ?" he asked, sounding a little like he couldn't believe it to be true.

Table for one.

Richard grinned. "Oui. Table pour un. Tabagisme s'il vous plaá®t."

The Maitre de picked up a menu. "Cette voie, Mlle."

The Maitre De led Richard through the restaurant. People looked up as he passed. He recognized the look on many of the men's faces, he was pretty sure he'd had that look himself a few times. The look on the women's faces surprised him though, some looked admiring...others looked angry. IT didn't make sense.

"Ici vous átes, Mlle. Le mieux la place dans la maison." the maitre de said, pulling out a chair. It was a good seat. A small table for two near the windows, but not close enough to be cold.

"Oh, votre manteau, la Mlle ?" he helped her out of her coat. "Je le vérifierai pour vous."

"Merci." Richard said, taking off his gloves. He was very aware of people watching him now, and it made him sort of uncomfortable.

The maitre de waited until he was seated, then handed him a menu. He rattled off the specials then added.

"Si vous avez besoin de n'importe quoi du tout, Mlle. Sentez-vous s'il vous plaát libres de me recevoir. Je suis Jean.

Ce n'est pas chaque jour nous recevons le client qui parlent vraiment le français. Vous n'átes pas le français bien que...." (If you need anything at all, Miss. Please feel free to get me. I am Jean. It isn't every day we get customer's who actually speak french. You are not French though....)

Richard laughed. He wasn't intending on continuing the German Charade, but it just came out.

"No...I'm German, Sir." Richard said, laying on the accent for him.

Jean laughed out loud. "Well...neighbors nonetheless. Your waiter will be here in a moment." he bowed to her a little and smiled, then headed towards the coat check with Richard's coat.

Richard took off his gloves while he looked over the menu. He was glad he'd gotten some money out of the ATM earlier, since he would feel very odd about using his debit card. He decided what he wanted very quickly then laid down his menu. He looked around the restaurant. Most of the crowd was far older than him, though some were close to his apparent age. He lit a cigarette and wished suddenly that he'd remembered to paint his fingernails. Well, he thought, at least they are clean and rather ok shaped.

"Good evening. My name is William. What can I get you to drink, miss?" He said, smiling at him.

Richard laughed. "I'd like a glass of water." he said, then added using his German accent with a little bit of a May West growl to it. "What I'd really like is a glass of Cháteau Montrose 1998, but in this country...it's a no no."

William smiled, then looked around. "One glass of ice water and a glass of Chateau Montrose 1998, coming up." he said with a wink and a nod.

Richard sat back in his chair and grinned, then he picked up his magazine and started reading. It felt so strange, sitting in a very nice restaurant, wearing his mother's clothes, smoking a cigarette and reading a copy of German Vogue. It was surreal in a way and Richard could hardly believe it.

"One glass of Chateau Montrose and one glass of ice water." William said, putting the glass in front of him.

He looked up at him and took off his glasses, placing them on the table. "Thank you, William." Richard purred. Richard sat up straight in his chair, his elbow near his hip, his hand holding his cigarette cocked near his shoulder. A pose his mother sat in whenever she smoked. William was looking at her, definite desire in his eyes.

"What can I get you to eat, Miss?" William said, his gaze meeting Richards. Their eyes locked for a moment, then William looked down at his pad.

Richard smiled, then picked up his menu and his glasses. He put them on and quickly found what he was looking for. "I'd like the Le Faux Filet de Chevreuil, sa Sauce aux Chocolat et Café avec un Nem au Choux Vert, please." Richard said, then took off his glasses and handed the menu to William.

"Good choice." William said, jotting it down. "It will be ready in a few minutes." He turned and walked off.

Richard couldn't wipe the dumb smile off his face, so he took one last drag from his cigarette and put it out. He took a sip of the wine and it was very fine. Better than the table wine he was used to getting when his parents gave it to him. While they'd been in Europe he'd had wine with most meals, like everyone else. Since returning to the states, he'd been very lacking in the wine department. He had time to smoke one more cigarette and read an entire article on shoes before his meal arrived. He smiled up at William, again taking off his glasses and putting them in his magazine.

"Here you are miss...Le Faux Filet de Chevreuil, sa Sauce aux Chocolat et Café avec un Nem au Choux Vert. That is a mouthful." he laughed.

Richard laughed too, a good laugh. "Yes...that is a lot to say for Venison with Chocolate coffee sauce." She said smiling at him. "Thank you."

He started to walk away, then turned back to her. "I hope it's not too forward of me to say...but I noticed that you always take off your glasses whenever anyone comes around. They look very good on you, miss...." He said, fishing for a name.

Richard didn't know what to say. But he had to say something, so the first German name he liked just popped out. "Ingrid."

"Ingrid." William said, relishing the word. "Well, they look very fetching on you, Miss Ingrid."

Ingrid, Richard thought. That's who I am right now. I'm Ingrid Wolfe.

Ingrid smiled broadly, placing her napkin in her lap. She put her glasses back on and read another article while she ate, savoring every minute of this vacation away from her real life. She finished eating and lit a cigarette. the food was mostly gone and the wine had long since disappeared. She didn't want to order another glass because she knew William could get in big trouble for serving her. She ordered a cup of coffee and enjoyed her coffee and cigarettes while she put off the inevitable. The going home to her regular life. No, to Richard's life.

Ingrid thought it was pretty funny. She'd walked in here as Richard Wolfe wearing his mother's clothes and somewhere between then and now had become Ingrid Wolfe, very comfortable in her own clothes. That was when it really sank in that he'd been more comfortable for the last two hours than he had been in a whole year. The little smile that thought brought wouldn't fade. Until, that is, she looked up and saw Bradley Worthington staring at her.

Ingrid did her best to stifle the horror that rose up inside her. Bradley Worthington was having dinner with his parents only two tables away. Bradley went to school with Richard and was sure to see right through the disguise. She took a long drag on her cigarette, then looked quickly back down at her magazine, hoping he or she would just disappear. She counted to twenty then looked up. He was still looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment and he smiled at her.

She looked back down at her magazine then sucked nervously on her cigarette. He got up and was walking over to the table. Bradley was a big guy, around 6'2". He played Lacrosse and Soccer and was one of the most popular guys in school. He never spoke to Richard, not since the incident in 9th grade. Was he actually going to confront him here, in this restaurant. Richard stirred back towards the surface trying hard to push Ingrid aside.

"Excuse me...Miss?" He said, stopping at her table. "I couldn't help but...I'm sorry. But, do we know one another?" Bradley said, trying to be on his best behavior.

Ingrid spoke up before Richard could even get his head around the situation. "No. Should we?" she said.

"I thought maybe we did...but I guess I was wrong. I'd like to get to know you though." He said, putting on the smile that drew the high school girls like flies.

"I'm sorry....I know an awful lot of people. Until one of them dies, I couldn't possibly fit in another one." Ingrid said, stressing her German accent. She topped it with a sweet smile.

Bradley laughed. "Charade. I love that movie." he said, grinning at her.

"You know that movie? I"m surprised." Ingrid said, allowing a genuine smile.

"Why?" he said, sitting down. "I like old movies." He held out his hand. "Bradley Worthington."

Ingrid held her hand out limply for him. He took it and squeezed it gently. "Ingrid Wolfe." she said with a slight smile. She took a drag from her cigarette and looked towards his parents. "Don't you think Mutter and Vater will worry.."

He looked over at his parents and actually blushed. "Yeah...it's their anniversary. Well...It was very nice meeting you Ingrid. Are you living here now? In Arlington, I mean?"

Ingrid looked at him for a moment. "Yes."

He smiled broadly. "Well...I hope to see you around then."

He got up and returned to his seat. Ingrid put out her cigarette and called for the check. She paid and asked for her coat. Jean brought the coat to her.

"How was the dinner miss?" He asked, helping her into her coat.

"Very good, Jean. Thank you very much." She buttoned her coat and started pulling on her gloves.

"I hope to see you again soon, Mlle." Jean said.

Ingrid smiled at him. "I'll come back, I promise."

"Auf Wiedersehen," Jean said smiling.

"Auf Wiedersehen." Ingrid said, then slipped out the door. She was floating on air as she walked to her car. She got in and lit a cigarette, then pulled out onto the street. She realized she was happy. For the first time in so long she couldn't remember, she was actually happy. The closer she got to home, the less happy she was. She realized that soon this would all end and she would be Richard again. She pulled into the garage and closed the door. It was a little after eleven now. Ingrid sighed and walked inside the house. She dropped her keys on the counter and turned on the lights.

Ingrid took off her coat and gloves, putting the gloves in her coat pocket and hanging the coat in the closet. She leaned against the kitchen counter for a minute, collecting her thoughts then took off her hat. She shook her hair down and set the barrett and the hat on the counter. She opened her purse and took out her cell phone.

"Uncle Fred." she said

"Hey Rich...You on your way home?" He asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Is it ok if I stay here tonight. I'm really tired. I'll be home in the morning." Ingrid said, crossing her fingers.

"I guess so, Rich. Turn on the alarm and ...You are alone right?" He asked.

"Yeah...I'm alone." Ingrid said.

"Ok. We'll see you in the morning." Fred said.

Ingrid jumped for joy. It was like a reprieve from death row. She didn't have to go back to being drab old Richard yet. She opened the refrigerator, then remembered there would be nothing in it. She got an idea then walked through the utility room and down the steps to the wine cellar. Still there. Ingrid smiled. She looked through the bottles and selected one of the ones near the door. These were the ones that her parents kept around for regular drinking, not fancy bottles for special occasions. She pulled a bottle of red and walked back up the stairs.

Ingrid draped herself over the chase lounge in her mother's sunroom. She took a sip from her wine and closed her eyes. She felt good. For the first time in the last year, she actually felt good. Ingrid couldn't help but smile. She'd gone out to a restaurant and no one there had believed she was anything other than what she seemed, a young lady. Ingrid stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the back yard. She could see her reflection in the glass. So like mother, she thought. The thought brought back some of the sadness, but she shook it off and sat back on the chase.

She took a cigarette out of the pack and put it between her glossy burgundy lips. She flicked the gvinchy lighter and put it to the tip, drawing hard on the cigarette. She inhaled, taking the smoke in deeply. She held it for a few moments, letting the nicotine go to her head, then exhaled. Her lips formed a tight bow, directing the smoke in a neat stream. She lounged back and smoked several cigarettes while she drank three glasses of wine. Finally, very tired, and a little drunk, she got up and walked into the bedroom.

Ingrid took off the clothes and laid them neatly on a chair. She stood and looked at herself in the mirrors for a minute, relishing in her appearance in the bra, panties, stockings, and heels. Sighing, she sat down on the bed and took off her shoes and stockings, dropping them on the floor. Her feet were killing her, so she sat and rubbed them for a minute, like she'd seen her mother do so many times.

She ran her hands through her hair, then stood up and walked over to the dresser. Her mother's brush wasn't on the dresser so she started going through the drawers. She found the brush and started brushing her hair. Finished, she laid the brush on the dresser. She started looking through the drawers, feeling guilty at first, but rationalizing that it was all her stuff now anyway.

She examined the panties and bras in the top drawer. These were her mother's regular underthings, not the nice stuff she kept in the closet. The next drawer was full of tee shirts and other casual tops like the ones she'd worn shopping and to hang around the house. Ingrid was looking through the tee shirt drawer, when she reached back inside and touched a box. She moved the shirts and pulled the box out. It was a shoe box that took up most of the drawer, his mother didn't have that many tee shirts apparently, since most of the drawer was taken up by something else. She sat down on the bed and opened the mysterious box.

Ingrid's mouth opened with surprise. Inside the box were her mother's "toys". There was a very large, realistic looking dildo, complete with balls and a suction cup on the bottom. There was also a small glass dildo, very pretty and expensive looking. There were a couple of other things she didn't recognize, like a little silver egg with a cord and a controller. She picked up the control and pushed the button and the little egg started humming.

Ingrid couldn't help but laugh. "Mom, I had no idea you were so dirty." she shook her head and pulled out the glass dildo. It was very intriguing. There was a tube of lube in the box as well, so Ingrid grabbed it and put down the box. She realized that her penis was hard looking at the toys. It wasn't a rock hard erection, she couldn't get one of those as far as she knew, gut it was the most aroused she'd been in a very long time. She put the items back in the box, then picked them up again, fighting with herself about what she wanted to do. She put the dildo and lube on the bed, then walked over and picked up her cigarettes. She nervously smoked a cigarette, getting up the courage to try out the toys. Eventually, the lure of the pretty glass dildo won out and she put out the cigarette and picked it up.

Ingrid took it into the bathroom and washed it well, the hurried back to the bed. She pulled back the sheets and hopped in, shimmying out of her panties. She put a dab of the cold lube on her finger, turned on her side and touched the finger to her sphincter. She took a deep breath and pushed the finger against it, then slowly, she worked a finger inside. It felt fantastic, but she needed to add more lube. After a little more lube, her finger was sliding in and out of her sphincter cleanly, smoothly. After a couple of minutes, she added more lube to her fingers and started working a second inside. It hurt a little bit at first and she had to stop. Then slowly, she was able to work the finger inside her. Two fingers felt immense. Ingrid couldn't imagine how big the big dildo must feel, but she really wanted to find out. Her ass was still very tight, fighting to close back on her fingers. She pulled her fingers out, got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Her sphincter was stinging a little, but she couldn't wait to get back to work. Ingrid grabbed a towel and jumped back in the bed. Very quickly, she slipped in one finger, then another, pushing them in as far as she could. Her ass spasmed and shot pain through her body, but she lift it there.

Ingrid rolled over and took a cigarette out of her pack, using only her left hand, since the right was busy. She held the cigarette between her teeth, then lit it. As soon as she inhaled, she started working her fingers in and out slowly. She moaned as she exhaled, then quickly took another drag. She started working her fingers in and out faster, now only enjoying the feeling. When she was half finished with the cigarette, she pulled out her fingers. Her ass spasmed with pleasure, like a fish gulping for air. Using her sticky right hand, she picked up the dildo and laid it next to her. She squeezed a good amount of lube onto her hand and rubbed it on her anus.

She took a deep drag, then put out the cigarette. Ingrid held her breath, keeping the smoke in her lungs while she put the tip of the glass dildo against her ass. She pushed slight and felt the tip penetrate her. She cried out, emptying her lungs. It hurt badly, so she pulled it out. Taking another deep breath, she pushed it in again. This time, it went in easier. It felt huge, even though it wasn't that much bigger than her two fingers. She worked in in and out slowly, feeling the glass dildo slide through her sphincters. IN a few minutes, she was getting it deep inside her and her breath was coming ragged and shallow. Panting, she stopped and lit another cigarette. She laid on her back and took a deep drag. Her hand wandered back to the dildo and started slowly pushing it deep inside. It was like an electric shock when the tip touched her prostate. She moaned, then took another drag from her cigarette. Gritting her teeth, she pushed again, pulled out, then thrust it back inside her. She gasped as the tip hit the prostate hard. Soon, she was fucking herself with the dildo, quickly sliding it in and out. Her penis was hard now, harder than it had been since the attack. Then it happened. She was pumping her ass hard now and the tip contacted with her prostate one last time. The orgasm felt like it started at her toes. Her cock convulsed and a thin, white stream of ejaculate shot out of the tip, landing on her thigh. She couldn't help but yell, then moan and lay there unmoving.

She laid there for a long time. Eventually, she lit a cigarette and laid there smoking for a while, still luxuriating in the feeling of the dildo inside her. She was completely relaxed now and gasped as the dildo slipped out of her. The wine was starting to really affect her now and she was very tired. So, she put out the cigarette, wiped up with the towel and headed into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, doing a half-assed job of getting off her make up. Sleep came quickly, filled with sexual dreams starring Ingrid and Bradley Worthington.

Ingrid woke up the next morning to sunlight shining in her face. She blinked a couple of times, then rolled over and tucked her head under the pillow. "Uggghhhh" she said loudly. Within a few minutes, she'd fallen back to sleep. Eventually, around ten, Ingrid crawled out of the bed. She was still wearing her bra, but no panties. She sat down on the toilet and relieved herself then got up and looked in the mirror. Her face and hair were both a wreck. "Yech." she said, then brushed her hands through her hair.

Ingrid smiled. She realized that she wasn't thinking of herself as Richard, but as Ingrid. This made her smile. She washed her face then went through the drawers to find something to wear. She settled on a little black tee shirt that said BEBE across the chest and a pair of low rise jeans from the closet. Ingrid stopped to admire the outfit in the mirror for a second, then bopped down the stairs to get something to eat.

"Shit." she said, looking at the empty fridge. There was absolutely nothing to eat. She walked back upstairs and plopped down in front of the vanity. Though she was feeling like Ingrid, she realized she was looking a bit too much like Richard, and he wasn't ready to go back to being him just yet. She realized she didn't know how to put on make-up that didn't look too formal for going out to get some breakfast. So, back to You Tube for some help. There wasn't a lot on there covering simple make-up, but she did find something simple enough. She put on a little foundation, some pink lipstick, a bit of eye liner and mascara and she though she looked pretty good. Then, of course there was her hair. She lit a cigarette and started looking for something on the internet that could help out.

Ingrid's hair was about shoulder length, mousy red brown, and pretty much formless. She brushed it out, but it still just didn't look good. It was long, but Richard hadn't taken very good care of it. After fiddling around with it for about twenty minutes, she settled on putting it up in a bun, much like she'd done last night. She didn't pull it very tight, because she thought it made her look a little too much like a librarian with the little Channel glasses and all, but it was a very passable up-do and it hid the worst of the problems.

She stood up and walked over to the closet to look for some shoes. She didn't want to wear anything too nice, but knew that it was in style to wear heels with jeans. She picked out a pair of black Prada slingbacks, mainly because they had a closed toe and her toe nails weren't painted. She grabbed her bag, her cigarettes and the German Vogue she bought last night and headed down stairs. She put on black wool Pea coat, her laptop bag and was out the door. She backed out of the driveway and headed out of the neighborhood. Ingrid's stomach was growling now something fierce but she still didn't know where she wanted to eat. She eventually settled on a little diner she'd stopped in before as Richard, but didn't frequent.

The diner wasn't crowded, only a couple of older people finishing up breakfast, and a college guy sitting in the corner reading.

"Hey honey...Sit wherever you like." The waitress said, looking over her shoulder. Ingrid smiled at her, then found a booth. She got herself arranged then lit a cigarette. She was looking out the window when the waitress put a glass of water on the table. "Let me get you an ashtray." the waitress said, then walked over and grabbed one off the counter. "Coffee?"

Ingrid smiled at her. "Yes. Thank you." She laid on the German accent pretty strong. "With cream please."
The waitress smiled at her. "Be right back."

Ingrid nodded and smiled, then started flipping through her magazine. It felt weird, but oddly natural, sitting there wearing girls clothes and make-up, about to have breakfast. Her coffee arrived and she sat there fo a little while drinking her coffee when the door opened. She looked up and her heart dropped into her stomach. Emily walked in. Emily was looking around, like she was looking for someone. She looked right past Ingrid, then frowned. Emily looked over her shoulder out into the parking lot, right at Ingrid's...Richard's, car. She looked back at Ingrid, then recognition slowly started dawning on her.

"Hey honey...Sit wherever you like." The waitress called out, but Emily didn't seem to hear her. She walked over to Ingrid, who was now blushing and felt very much like she was about to cry...or run, she wasn't sure which.

"Hi." Emily said, her voice a little unsure. "This seat taken?" she said, gesturing to the empty bench across from Ingrid.

Ingrid fumbled with her cigarette pack, then gestured for Emily to sit. She looked up and their eyes met. Then, Emily surprised her by smiling broadly. "Richard???" She whispered, still smiling.

"Yeah." Ingrid whispered. "I'm...I don't know what to say.."

Emily rolled her eyes. "...I just want to know what's going on...Spill!" She was still whispering, leaning in conspiratorially.

Ingrid lit a cigarette just before the waitress stopped by to fill her coffee cup and drop off one for Emily.

"Hey Emily," the waitress said, grinning at her. "You're in here early for a Saturday. I didn't know you girls were friends..."

Ingrid looked at Emily, shocked that she knew the waitress, then back her. "I'm Ingrid. Nice to meet you." Ingrid said, holding out her hand. The waitress took it and shook. "Veronica." She said, smiling. "You're German? Exchange student?"

"Yes. I'm exchange student." She said, smiling at her, though inside she felt like she was about to pop.

Veronica headed back behind the counter.

"Ingrid?" Emily whispered. "German?" Emily laughed, then lit a cigarette of her own. "You're totally leading a double life."

Ingrid just smiled at her, then told her the whole story. Emily stopped her occasionally to ask questions, but mainly let her talk. The story took about an hour to tell and when she was finished, Ingrid felt totally drained.

"Wow." Emily said, shaking her head. "Well...You look awesome, and seem completely natural...it's crazy. I would have never figured it out if I wouldn't have seen your car in the parking lot."

Ingrid laughed. " I know...I didn't think about that one." she said, still laughing.

"And..." Emily said, switching to a whisper. "The accent is great, sounds perfect."

Ingrid had completely forgotten she was talking with the accent, but she still was, even talking in the low tones to keep Veronica from hearing the whole story. Ingrid just started laughing again. "I forgot I was using it." she said, which made Emily laugh even harder.

The two of them sat there for a while longer, drinking coffee and eating breakfast. "What are you doing after this?" Ingrid said.

"Nothing. No plans." Emily said, shrugging.

"Want to come back to my house and hang out?" Ingrid said, putting out her cigarette.

"Sure." Emily said, grinning.

They paid and headed outside. Emily was wearing a pair of jeans, a black sweater and a pair of furry topped boots with a leather biker jacket and a long scarf. Ingrid really liked the look and thought she might pick up a pair of those boots. She probably couldn't borrow them from Emily, she thought, because Emily was about three inches shorter than her and had smaller feet. They piled into the car and drove back to Ingrid's house. She parked the car in the garage and the two of them went inside.

"Wow." Emily said, looking around. "I haven't been here since I was a kid...I came to your tenth birthday party here."

Ingrid laughed. 'Yeah...I remember that...we had a pool party." She held up a finger, then trotted down the steps and grabbed a bottle of wine. Ingrid reappeared a couple of seconds later holding up a bottle of red.

Emily grinned at her. "Sounds like a plan."

Ingrid poured them both a glass of wine, then pulled an ashtray out of the cupboard. THe two of them perched on stools at the butcher block table in the center of the kitchen. After a couple of drinks, Emily looked at Ingrid and smiled. "It's funny." she said. "I can't see Richard at all...Just Ingrid."

Ingrid blushed. "Thanks." She took a sip of her wine and smiled at Emily.

Emily got a very serious look on her face, then propped her face up on her hands. "So...What are you going to do?"

Ingrid just shrugged. "I really don't know. I'm not ready to let the world know...Especially because of school...and I don't want to cause trouble for my Aunt and Uncle...So, I'm going to just coast for the next year I guess....I'm stuck being Richard, even though I think Ingrid...or a facsimile of Ingrid is more the real me." She took a last drag from her cigarette then put it out.

"Yeah, that's probably a good way to handle it...You would get SOOOO much shit at school. Maybe even kicked out." She said gravely. "It's an all boys school."

Ingrid laughed. "Funny, huh? I'm really only half a boy now anyway." There was little humor in her voice though.

"That's not true...." Emily said, not sounding like she was totally convinced of that either, with what her eyes were showing her.

"No, it is...And I'm cool with it now." Ingrid said. "I've got, like no testosterone to speak of...I'm like a prepubescent girl...And will be until I do something about it." She shrugged. "But it's ok...If it wasn't for that, I'd never be able to pull this off." she said, gesturing to herself. "And that, I do like."

And that was true. For the first time ever, she liked the way she looked. Her body image was positive. Yes, she thought it would be nice to be able to develop, but that would come. She could easily get a prescription for the hormones and since she already had an orchiectomy she was already one step closer than most M to F transsexuals. She laughed out loud.

"What?" Emily said over the rim of her wine glass.

"I'm a transsexual." Ingrid said, grinning. "That just actually occurred to me."

Emily thought about it. "Yeah...I guess you are." They both laughed.

Once the fit of laughter subsided, Emily got a wicked look on her face. "Hey.... I have to see the clothes you've got. I know there is some great stuff up there."

Ingrid grinned back at her. "Oh, yeah...Come on." she scooped up her wine glass and her cigarettes and Emily followed her up the stairs.

They went into Ingrid's bedroom. She realized that's what she thought of her parent's room as now, since she'd been spending so much time there. Her carelessness dawned on her as soon as she stepped in the room, but there was no going back now. She just blushed bright red.

Emily saw the glass dildo sitting on the bedside table next to a tube of lube. She looked over at Ingrid and gave her a mock scolding. "Someone's been naughty." she said, then busted out laughing.

Ingrid blushed down to her toes. "I'm sorry...I thought I put that stuff up." she started over to pick it up, but Emily got there first. Emily held it up.

"This is nice." She said, admiring the pretty glass tool. It was 7 inches long and about 11/4 inch in diameter, rose tinted glass. It was penis shaped, but had pretty hearts worked into the side of it. The box that it came in called it a heartbreaker. "Very nice." she admired the length and girth. "Feel good?"

Ingrid blushed again, then leaned against the vanity and lit a cigarette. After stalling for a few more seconds she finally just nodded. Emily burst out laughing. Ingrid noticed then that Emily was looking at her with a predatory gleam. "What?" Ingrid said, feeling really self conscious and embarrassed.

Emily set the dildo down on the bed and walked over to Ingrid. She took Ingrid in her arms and before she knew what was happening, Emily was kissing her. Ingrid had never kissed a girl before. She'd kissed one boy, and since she was Richard at the time, that had caused quite a bit of trouble. Kissing Emily was soft, sweet, and gentle. They kissed for about a minute, holding each other tight. Finally, they parted and looked into one another's eyes for a few moments.

"You're beautiful, Ingrid." Emily said, reaching up and taking off her glasses and setting them on the vanity. Ingrid started to look away, embarrassed, but Emily just kissed her again. Ingrid had dreamed about kissing girls before, albeit not as often as she had dreamed of kissing boys, and this was even better than she had imagined. Desire was starting to stir her, just a little bit and she could feel the arousal. It would take a lot more than that to get her hard, but it was causing a reaction. Ingrid broke the kiss just long enough to put her cigarette out in the crystal ashtray on the vanity.

Neither of them said anything after that, they just both started pulling the clothes off the other. Soon they were both naked from the waist up, wearing only their bras, which Emily shed quickly, but she left Ingrid's on. They fell back onto the bed, still entwined, kissing one another deeply, their hands roaming. After a few minutes of that, Emily sat up and started taking off her boots. Ingrid propped her head up on her hand and looked at Emily as she doffed her boots. "Are you sure about this?" Ingrid asked, trepidation making her voice weak.

Emily just looked back at her, stood up and slithered out of her jeans and panties. She reached down and helped Ingrid out of her pants, then pulled her panties aside. Her penis was small and she had the slightest start of an erection. Emily's eyes met hers. "Can you get hard?"

Ingrid nodded. "Sort of...But it takes work." She said, feeling ashamed.

Emily smiled and took the little cock in her mouth. It felt phenomenal. She was sucking hard on it, taking it all the way in her mouth easily. Ingrid didn't know what to do, so she just laid back and enjoyed it. After a couple of minutes, it was starting to get hard, though Emily was still able to take the whole thing in her mouth and put her lips against Ingrid's pubic mound. Ingrid moaned with pleasure then said, "Can I do something for you?"

Emily climbed up on the bed and straddled Ingrid's chest. "You can try to eat me out..." she said, stroking Ingrid's cock with her right hand. "Just separate the lips a little. See the clit? Just lick it. You've seen the movies, right?" She said, then took Ingrid's cock back in her mouth and started sucking with renewed vigor as Ingrid started tentatively licking her clit.

Ingrid didn't know what to think of this. It was neat, but she wasn't sure about the taste. She pushed on though, striving to give Emily pleasure despite her feelings about it. Emily was going to town on her cock now, and it was the closest to truly hard it had been in a long time. Then, while Ingrid was just lost in the sensation, and trying to get the hang of eating her out, Emily stopped sucking. She kept stroking, then looked back over her shoulders. "Yeah..That's good." she said, then reached over and grabbed the tube of lube from the nightstand. She squeezed some onto her fingers then took Ingrid's cock back in her mouth and started sucking. She rubbed the cool lube on Ingrid's sphincter, which made her jump a little. It felt good, the slickness and the feeling of her fingers. Then, Emily slipped one finger inside her just as she took her whole cock into her mouth. Ingrid moaned loudly and redoubled her efforts on Emily's clit. Emily's finger was slipping in and out of her slowly, then she began going a little faster.

Ingrid was enjoying that immensely as Emily slipped a second finger inside her. She bucked a little withe surprise, then settled into it. She came up for air and looked at the ceiling for a second. When she looked back she could see Emily's tight little balloon knot of a sphincter. She smiled, then began licking it. IT was very bitter, but not altogether unpleasant. She began licking it a little faster, then started trying to slide her tongue inside it. Emily looked back at her, two fingers still deep inside her. "No one's ever done that before...It feels good...keep doing it...I'll tell you if I don't like it, ok?" Emily said, panting a little from all the pleasure and effort. Ingrid nodded, then thrust her tongue all the way inside Emily's now wet sphincter. This drew a huge moan of pleasure from Emily, who then took her fingers out of Ingrid's lovely little backside. She leaned over further and put the tip of her tongue to Ingrid's sphincter. The lube had a vague strawberry taste, so she began licking it harder.

Ingrid was really getting into this now, deeply tongue kissing Emily's sphincter. She reached over and grabbed the lube and put a little bit on her finger, then massaged it around Emily's hole before slipping in a finger. Emily's back arched. "Holy shit....What did you put in there?" she said, looking back. "Only one finger?" Emily asked, incredulously

"Sorry...I got carried away." Ingrid said apologetically. Emily shook her head. "no...If I can do it to you, I guess turnabout is fair play."

Ingrid laughed, then kissed Emily's sphincter, thrusting her tongue in deep before putting her finger back inside. Emily squirmed against it, then took Ingrid's now softening cock back into her mouth and began sucking it like crazy while placing two fingers inside Ingrid. Ingrid squirmed against the intrusion for a second, then settled into the finger fucking. "Can I do another finger?" Ingrid asked, while slipping her finger in and out of Emily's tight backside.

Emily let Ingrid's cock pop out of her mouth. "Sure...Just go slow. I'll tell you if I need you to stop."

Ingrid added more lube, then slowly worked her finger inside. Emily moaned, jerked, then grabbed Ingrid's wrist and stopped her. After a few moments, she relaxed her grip and let her finish inserting the finger. Now, Ingrid started licking Emily's clit, with two fingers deep in her nice round butt. Emily moaned loudly, then bucked a little. "I'm cumming." Emily cried out, then bucked against Ingrid's fingers a little bit, gasping for breath. "Yes...Yes....Oh....." Emily said. "shit!" She cried out. Then she took Ingrid's cock back into her mouth and started sucking like crazy. Ingrid's cock was pretty much hard now so Emily quit sucking and extricated herself from Ingrid's fingers and straddled her hips. Emily was biting her lip, looking down at Ingrid.

Ingrid smiled up at her, not sure what she was going to do. Emily surprised her then as she took the lube and squirted a lot of it into her palm, then rubbed it roughly on Ingrid's already softening cock. Emily took the it and placed the tip against her sphincter and took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" Ingrid said, looking surprised.

"It's a day of firsts." Emily said, smiling. She lowered herself onto Ingrid's cock a little bit, taking in the tip. It was really tight, but Ingrid's cock wasn't bigger than her two fingers, so it did fit without much more stretching, though it did feel more full. Emily gasped, then let it slide out. She bit her lip, then guided herself back onto it, grimacing as she took it all the way inside. Ingrid gasped from the sensation. It was so much better than masturbation, so tight, so warm. Emily sat there for a second, Ingrid's cock all the way inside her, then she started riding her. She came up too high a few times, apparently Ingrid thought, used to a little more length, but finally settled into it nicely. "Feels good now." Emily said panting. Ingrid had to agree, though she only moaned.

After about five minutes, Emily got up and turned around so her back was to Ingrid. She lowered herself onto Ingrid's cock again, taking it in easily this time and started riding her. After a few seconds, Ingrid realized why she did this as she felt a finger enter her backside. Ingrid spread her legs to allow access as Emily put in another finger. She was working her out good while she rode her cock. Ingrid wasn't ready for what happened next as she felt the cool tip of the dildo slip into her sphincter. She cried out as Emily pulled it out and slowly pushed it back inside. It felt incredible. Ingrid moaned loudly. "Yes....Yeah...Fuck.." She managed, as Emily started pushing the dildo in and out in rhythm with her own strokes. Emily was totally into it now, and amazingly had figured out the rhythm very well. She was riding Ingrid's cock, fucking her with the dildo and managing to rub her own clit like crazy in the process. Talk about multitasking. This lasted for about one minute, then Emily cried out, orgasming.

Ingrid was going crazy with ecstasy, and could feel it building. Right after Emily came Ingrid felt like she couldn't hold out any more. "I'm going to cum..." Ingrid said, gasping.

"Go ahead." Emily said, then began fucking her harder. So, Ingrid did. She relaxed, convulsed and shot her load into Emily's tight backside. Emily stopped when she felt Ingrid quit convulsing and looked back over her shoulder. "Wow." she said, gasping.

Ingrid opened her eyes and looked up at her. "Yeah...Holy shit." Ingrid said, barely able to speak. Emily pulled up and let Ingrid's cock pop out of her. Cum ran out and she queefed, which made both of them giggle. "Sorry." Emily said. The cum pooled on Ingrid's stomach. There wasn't a whole lot of it though. Ingrid grabbed a towel she had dropped next to the bed and wiped it off, then handed the towel to Emily, who cleaned herself up a little too. Ingrid realized the dildo was still inside her, but was reluctant to let it out. She squeezed her buttocks and it slid out, also with a slight queef. "See, you aren't the only one." Ingrid said, and they both laughed.

The two girls laid there for a little while and smoked a cigarette. Ingrid looked at her. Their eyes locked for a moment, then Ingrid smiled. "Thanks, Emm." She said, exhaling a thin plume of smoke. "You are awesome."

Emily smiled back at her and gave her a kiss. "Thanks. You are too."

Ingrid started laughing. "What?" Emm said.

"You are a horrible influence on me, Emily Vandiveer." she panted. "First you get me smoking...now, you've made me into your whore." She grinned.

"Oh, you know it." Emily said. "I'm a horrible influence. You just wait." She said smugly.

They both laughed. "I never thought I would let someone fuck me in my ass." Emily said flatly. "But, I never anticipated it being a pretty girl either." Emily looked at her thoughtfully. "Wait...was that gay sex or straight sex?"

Ingrid just shrugged. "I think that was just dirty sex." She grinned ear to ear, unable to really answer that question herself.

"Well..It was fucking cool is what it was." Emily said then kissed her on the lips. "Now..lets go take a shower...I have cum dripping out of my butt."

They laughed again, then got up and took a shower together.

Thanksgiving was a terrible drain on Richard. He had dreaded it more than anything else, since it marked a year since his parent's death. He talked to Emm a lot during the week, the two of them now a little more than friends, but not really lovers. He realized that both of them didn't really want a relationship, especially since it was very clear that Emily was attracted to Ingrid, and not Richard. Since Richard was unable to be Ingrid all the time, he resigned himself to be happy with that arrangement. He honestly was just happy to have a friend again after so long in his self imposed exile. Their relationship was that of girlfriends, even though Richard spent 90% of their time together as a boy.

Thanksgiving day with the family was very bad. No one pushed him to be happy about it though, which he didn't think he'd be able to muster anyway. His uncle took pity on him late in the afternoon, while the rest of the family was gathered around watching football.

"Hey Rich." he said, sitting down next to him on the couch. "You hanging in there?"

Richard sighed and nodded. "Yeah...I'm full."

Uncle Fred frowned. "That's not what I meant. Do you have something you'd rather do? You don't have to stick around here if you don't want to. I know you aren't into football, and you look horribly bored." Fred said smiling. The smile turned wry and he leaned in and said quietly. "And I know you are dying for a cigarette after that big meal."

Richard looked at him terrified. He'd been caught. "Ummm..." Richard said, dumbly.

"It's ok. You are busted, but..." Fred smiled. "Fuck it. You've been through a lot, and I can't say a whole hell of a lot about it either. I was doing it at your age too. We'll talk about it later."

Richard felt relieved, but still wanted to deny it. Fred just patted him on the shoulder. "Go out for a while. See you later tonight. Go have fun. See if your friend Emily can hang out with you." With that, Fred returned to watching the game just in time to see a touchdown. Richard meekly got up and gave his Aunt a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going out for a while." he said. She nodded.

"Be careful. See you tonight." She said, then kissed him back. "You gonna be ok?"

He nodded, then grabbed his coat and his keys and headed out. Richard pulled up in the garage of his house a little while later. HE closed the garage door and let himself in. The cleaning crew had been in. That's how he'd been busted. They ratted him out. He dropped his keys on the counter and headed up stairs. Thirty minutes later, make-up applied and clothes changed, he was Ingrid. He instantly felt better the moment he started putting on his make-up. He was once again, a she.

Ingrid sat at the vanity and smoked a cigarette while painting her nails. She knew she'd have to take the polish off in a few hours, but it felt nice anyway. She selected a nice deep red. It was a little more tarty than she normally did, but it looked really cool. She had done her make up in a nice, daytime look using earth tones and a mineral powder that gave her a no make up look. When she finished it up, it actually looked like she wasn't wearing any make up but mascara and eyeliner. The make up made a big difference though, transforming her from Richard into Ingrid. She waited for her nails to dry, watching C-span, then got up and went to the closet.

She looked through the clothes, not even sure what kind of outfit she wanted to put on, but knew she wanted to wear some clothes today, not just a robe or casual clothes. It was a holiday, and she wanted to dress up a little. She really liked little black dresses, and so had her mother. Since her mother had liked them so much, the hardest thing to do was to decide on which little black dress to wear. Ingrid settled on a classic black cocktail dress by Tadishi that fell to right above the knees, had long sleeves, a V neck and a really cute pleated texture.. It hugged her thin frame nicely and looked great on her. Ingrid stood in front of the mirror for a minute, checking herself out from all angles, then selected a pair of black tights and a pair of Bruno Magli high heel boots. She stopped and smoked another cigarette while she played with her hair in the mirror.

"I'm really going to have to do something about this hair," she said out loud. She got up and went into the bathroom. Her mother had left some hair care products in there, but she hadn't bothered to look through but one of the drawers where she had found the brushes, barrets and clips. She opened the drawer right below it and was surprised to find hair. Ingrid grinned ear to ear as she started pulling the hair pieces out of the drawer. She knew that her mother had worn them, but hadn't thought to look for them before now Since her mother had changed her hair color rather regularly, she had brown and blonde hair extensions in the drawer. Ingrid pulled out on of them that she had seen her mother wear a few years ago. It was a rear hair extension with a bunch of little comb clips on it. Most of her extensions were the kind you glued on, but Ingrid had no idea how to put those on and knew she couldn't waste all her time messing with them today. So, she followed the instructions on the package for the rear extension.

She put her hair up on top of her head with a clip and attached the nape extension right above the nape of her neck. Once she had it firmly in her hair, she let the rest of it fall down. Presto, she now had flowing brown hair to her mid back. Ingrid wasn't sure what to do with the front, so she looked through the drawer and found another 8 inch extension with clips that was intended for the crown. She brushed her hair into a side part then attached the extension, giving her a very long bang in the right part which she secured with a silver barret.

Ingrid stopped and had a cigarette, while she thought about what she wanted to do with her hair after that. She grabbed her computer and looked for an article she'd read a while back. She smiled when she got to the article that said, Beehives are back and how to make a pony bump hairdo. She pulled out her brush and hairspray and started to work, teasing up the crown of her hair to make that classic beehive bump. Very pleased with it, but now feeling that her make-up wasn't what she wanted, Ingrid sat back down at the Vanity.

She pulled up the cat's eyes tutorial she'd used a few times before and started to work with her liquid eyeliner. After twenty minutes, and a few tries she had some pretty groovy cat's eyes, which she topped off with some cool blue and white eye shadow. A touch of true red lipstick and she thought she looked pretty fierce. After admiring the look for a couple of minutes she leaned back in the chair and lit a cigarette. She put on her black framed Channel glasses and realized that they didn't take away from the look, they kind of added to it, since they were very much like the glasses Audrey Hepburn had worn in Charade. That made her think of Bradley. She smiled.

"All dressed up and no place to go." She sighed, then posed in front of the mirror with for a minute while she smoked. "Well...I'm going to go somewhere." she said. "Mainly so I can stop talking to myself." she said then laughed.

Ingrid grabbed the silver Rolex, which she realized was actually platinum, and put on a string of pearls. She thought they just looked right with the outfit. She lingered looking at the earrings that matched the pears and was really sad that her ears weren't pierced. She made a mental note to fix that situation as soon as possible as she hunted for some clip-ons in her mothers stuff. Unfortunately, like most women who have had their ears pierced multiple times, her mother didn't have any clip-ons. So She shrugged and started loading her ID, Money and stuff into the little Gucci wallet, then put everything else into the same Prada bag she'd been carrying. It was still pretty cold outside, so she grabbed the same Sophia coat and gloves from the other night and headed down stairs.

Ingrid drove towards the shopping area near her house. The roads weren't crowded, since it was a holiday and most people were with their families. She noticed that the Barnes and Nobles was open and pulled in. IT wasn't very crowded though, so she got out of the car and went inside. She stepped inside and looked around. Thomas, the clerk she'd seen in here the other night was behind the counter. He saw her too and still didn't twig on to the fact that it was Richard, who he'd seen in here yesterday. Thomas smiled at Ingrid, who smiled back politely and headed into the store. She took off her gloves and was happy to see the red painted nails. It finished off her look so much more, and made her hands look even more dainty. She looked through some fashion magazines, then headed over to the register.

"Hi again," Thomas said, grinning at her. "I know you don't have a discount card, so I won't ask." he said. She laughed and smiled at him then handed her magazines to him. It was a copy of American Vogue and Elle. He rang her up, still smiling at her. Such better service as Ingrid, She thought as she took her change. "Can I ask you a question, miss..." He said expectantly.

"Ingrid." she said, smiling at him. "You are..." she feigned looking at his badge. "Thomas. Yes Thomas, I guess you can ask me a question" She laid on the accent thickly.

"Are you a model?" He asked, leaning in towards her.

She looked at him, a little shocked. Her eyes widened. 'No...Why?"

He shook his head. "Come on...You look like a model...You are so...Fashionable. You just look classy. Like royalty or an old time movie star. You don't look like most of the teenage girls who come in here, that's all."

Ingrid took in the complement, and blushed. She didn't dress like them. She had never really thought about it, she wore what she liked, and fortunately, had access to a massive collection of very nice, expensive clothes, even if they were last year's or the year before's fashions. She was also fairly sure that there was a good deal of older things in the attic that his mother had meant to send to the charity shops but never got around to. "Is this bad?" She asked. "Do I look...Funny?"

He shook his head, and a look of terror crossed his face as if he suddenly thought he'd totally offended her. "No! you look great. I mean, that's why I asked if you were a model. Because I thought asking if you were a princess or something would just sound strange." He smiled at her.

Ingrid couldn't help but laugh. Thomas was always friendly to Richard, suggesting books he might like and seemed pretty cool. He was really tall, about six foot four, so he towered over Ingrid even in her four inch heels. He was cute, in that unkempt, college aged smart guy kind of way. She smiled. "You are nice, Thomas." She pronounced the name like Toe Mas. "Thank you."

Thomas chewed at his lip for a second. "Ingrid. I'm getting off work in ten minutes. Would you like to go for a drink?"

Ingrid looked at him stunned. "Ummm..." she said, unsure of how to answer. "I'm...Well, I'm not old enough to drink in this country." she said. "sorry."

He laughed. "Ok...Coffee then?" He smiled at her. "I'll buy."

Ingrid was waiting outside smoking a cigarette when Thomas came out. He smiled at her and walked over to her, fishing pack of Camel lights out of his pocket. He lit one up and put the pack back in his leather coat's pocket. "I've been waiting three hours for that." he said, grinning. "So...It's cold out here. Want to go over to the Grind and get some coffee?"

Ingrid nodded. "Sure. You have a car?" She said, then noticed he was holding a motorcycle helmet. She smiled at him and feigned knocking herself in the forehead with the heel of her leather gloved hand. "No. You have motorbike."

He pointed over to a slightly older Red Ducati. "Yep. So, I suppose you don't want to ride with me, since you are not dressed for it. I'll meet you over there?"

She shrugged. "Or you could ride with me and I bring you back when we are done?" She said.

He thought for a second and said, "Ok. Sounds good. Where's your car."

Ingrid pushed the unlock button and her Mercedes SUV beeped. "Right here." she said, leading him over. He rushed around and opened her door for her. Ingrid blushed and got inside. He closed her door and went around and got in.

"Nice ride." he said, looking around. "Is this an Oh eight?"

She nodded and started the car. "Yes. I got it for my six..." she started, then said, "Birthday."

He caught the slip and smiled. "You are sixteen?" he said, incredulously.

Ingrid blushed again. "Yes." she looked over at him. "Do you still want to go have coffee?" She asked timidly.

He grinned. "Hey. It's just coffee. No harm. No foul. I was going to meet some friends there anyway."

Ingrid pulled out of the parking lot. "How old are you, Thomas?"

He flicked his cigarette out the window and let it up. "I'm 21. Just turned 21 actually, in October."

Ingrid looked back at the road. "Ah." She said, then smiled. Her mind was racing. She was going to coffee with a 21 year old man. Not a high school boy. It was freaking her out a little bit. "So, you are in University?"

"Yeah. I'm a Senior at GWU." he said. "George Washington University."

Ingrid laughed. "I know that much, Thomas. I have lived here a year."

He laughed and held up his hands. "Ok. Sorry."

They pulled into the parking lot and she shut off the car. The two of them went inside, happy to be inside where it was warm. There were some other college aged kids in there as well as a couple of kids from Richard's school. Ingrid almost panicked, thinking she'd be discovered when they all stared at her, then she quickly realized that some of the college boys were staring too. She smiled and followed Thomas to the counter. He ordered a mocha, she ordered an Espresso and a water. The two of them sat down in a booth and waited for their drinks. Thomas took off his leather coat and threw it on the bench, then helped her out of her coat.

"Thank you. Such a gentleman." She said, then laid her coat on the bench. She took off the leather gloves and placed them on the table under her handbag then she sat down on the bench and crossed her ankles.

"That's a very pretty dress." he said, looking her up and down. "Are you sure you're sixteen?" he said, incredulously.

Ingrid laughed. "Yes. I'm very sure." Her voice, always a little husky and rough edged though high, sounded even more sexy when she purred it out like that. Thomas shook his head, but refrained from saying anything else.

Ingrid pulled out a cigarette and was looking for her lighter when Thomas produced a zippo and lit it for her. "Danke." she said. "Thank you."

"Welcome." He said,then lit his own cigarette.

"Hey Thomas." someone said. Ingrid looked up into the face of another college boy. This guy was a little shorter than Thomas, with unruly blonde hair and a wide grin. "We were going to invite you over to sit with us, but I see you've found much better company. I'm Jeff." the boy said, offering his hand.

"Ingrid." She said, shaking his hand lightly. "Thomas. If you would rather join your friend, It is ok with me." She said, hoping he would say no and stay with her anyway. She really didn't want to be alone today.

"Bah." Thomas said. "I see these losers every day at school. But, Jeff can join us if you don't mind. For a minute." he said, stressing the for a minute for Jeff's benefit.

"Ok." Jeff said, pulling over a chair. "I get the hint, and won't over stay my welcome. I just had to come over and be sure that my eyes weren't fooling me. And, they apparently were not. Thomas is sitting in the Fine Grind, on Thanksgiving day with a model."

"See." Thomas said, gesturing to Jeff. "He thinks so too."

Ingrid blushed. She had never thought she was that good looking, pretty yes, but model? No. Her mother had been a total knock out, and a model and a beauty queen, but Ingrid had always thought the comparisons to her were always overstated.

"It is just the clothing, no?" Ingrid said, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"Nope." Jeff said brashly. "Not just the clothes, though you are making all of us feel quite underdressed." Jeff smiled and held up his hands. "It is thanksgiving, and I understand that most people dress up and do stuff with their families then if they are lucky, they escape and do something fun." He looked over at Thomas as Ingrid giggled. "Or, in your case come with Thomas to this little joint for some espresso."

"I am happy to meet you Jeff." Ingrid said. "You are funny." She took a drag from her cigarette, then gently flicked the ashes in the ashtray. "You have known Jeff long?" she asked Thomas.

"Unfortunately." he said Both the boys laughed. "No. Seriously. I've known Jeff since fifth grade."

"Wow." Ingrid said. "Long time." She took a sip of her espresso.

"Yep. Where do you go to school, Ingrid?" Jeff asked. "What college?"

Ingrid blushed, not sure how to answer the question, but fortunately was saved by the bell. Literally. Her phone was ringing. "Hold on a moment." Ingrid said.

"GráŸ dich!" Ingrid purred into the phone.

"Ingrid?" Emily said.

"Hey." Ingrid said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Fine." Emily said. "Whatcha doin?"

"I'm at the Fine Grind. YOU?" Ingrid said, pulling out another cigarette, which Thomas lit for her, despite the fact that she was going for her own lighter. She smiled graciously.

"Cool. Want company?" Emily said.

"Yes" Ingrid said emphatically. "I do. Come here and meet my new friends, Thomas and Jeff."

"Thomas and Jeff huh?" Ingrid said. "Cute?"

"Yes." Ingrid said, eyeing Thomas. She smiled as she took a drag from her cigarette. "Come here."

"Ok. I'll be there in just a minute. I got the car and am not far from there anyway." Emily said. "Toodles."

"Tscháus!" Ingrid said, then hung up the phone.

They both looked at her expectantly. She smiled and put her iPhone back in her handbag. "My friend Emm is coming here."

They both looked at one another. "Cool," Thomas said, "Another model?" Then both guys laughed. Ingrid laughed with them.

"No. We are neither models. She is very pretty though. Far prettier than me." Ingrid said, playing up the choppy english, but with complete sincerity.

"That's hard to believe." Thomas said, trying hard not to sound like too much of a suck up.

Ingrid realized she needed to go to the bathroom. "Excuse me." she said, then put out her cigarette and picked up her hand bag. "I will be right back." she said, then walked to the bathroom. She'd used the ladies before but it still made her nervous. She went in and did her business with no problems, then stopped and refreshed her lipstick before heading back out. Just as she walked out of the bathroom, Emily walked in.

She smiled at Emily, who looked her up and down and smiled back. Emily was also dressed up, thank fully, since she'd been with her family all afternoon too. She was wearing a very nice little black dress of her own, and boots along with her black pea coat. Her hair was in a nice up do, with wisps framing her face. "You look great." Ingrid said, giving her a hug.

"You too." Emily said, returning the hug. "I love the hair. YOU have to show me how to do that." Emily said kissing her on the cheek.

Ingrid turned and presented her to her new friends, who were also very appreciative of her outfit...or what was under it. "Thomas, Jeff....This is my friend Emily. Emily, Thomas and Jeff."

They shook hands with her then she sat down with Ingrid. Jeff made room for her. "I was about to get a refill. Can I get you anything?" Jeff asked.

"Ummm...A coffee. Regular coffee." Emily said smiling. "Thank you."

"Could you get me another espresso, Thomas?" Ingrid said, batting her lashes at him.

"Sure." Thomas said, getting up and following Jeff to the counter.

"You are right. They are cute. And older...College guys?" Emily said, giving Ingrid the eye.

Ingrid laughed. "Yeah. They go to GWU."

"Do they realize we are both total jail bait...not to mention..." Emily started, grinning.

"No. and No." Ingrid said. "Well...Thomas knows I'm only sixteen, but Jeff doesn't. I'm trying to avoid the whole conversation. And now, maybe we can both steer that conversation around it."

"Gotcha." Emily said, lighting a cigarette. "I recognize Thomas now...he works at the bookstore at the plaza."

Ingrid nodded. "Bingo." She said,then looked up smiling at Thomas who had returned with her espresso. Jeff was right behind him with Emily's coffee.

"Here you are." Jeff said, presenting the coffee to her. Emily smiled graciously and accepted the cup.

Thomas just smiled at Ingrid and slid her the cup.

The four of them sat and talked for another hour, and Ingrid was having a great time. Then, Thomas looked down at his watch. "Crap. I gotta go. Dinner with the parents at six." Jeff looked surprised, then looked at his watch.

"Me too." Jeff said. "Sorry ladies."

Ingrid looked up at Thomas. "I will give you a ride back to your motorbike." She said, standing up. Ingrid turned and gave a hug to Emily. "See you soon, honey. Call me?"

Emily gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye hon. Be careful."

Thomas and Ingrid exited together, and once again Thomas opened the door for her. Ingrid climbed in and let Thomas shut the door. "You are such a gentleman, Thomas." She said, smiling at him.

"Thank you." Thomas said. " I try."

The ride was oh, so short, Ingrid thought. Thomas really surprised her when he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the ride. You'll come see me soon, right?"

Ingrid nodded. "I will. Be careful on that motorbike, ok?" Thomas nodded. "Can do. Bye."

Ingrid went back to the house and parked her car in the garage. She wandered up stairs and laid down on the bed, not wanting to change clothes and change back into Richard. She watched the minutes roll by and decided to have one last cigarette before changing. She had a lot of conflicting emotions right now, sadness over her parents, happiness over meeting Thomas, the thrill of her and Emily's encounter. It was a lot to take in. She finished her cigarette, then got up and took a shower.

Half an hour later, she was Richard again. Or was she?

She looked in the mirror and realized that Ingrid never really went away. She just hid her beauty. The face was exactly the same, his complexion was just as pretty, the nose and high cheekbones still there. The pouty lips that had always belonged to Richard just looked so much better with lipstick, than plain. The eyes were a big difference, they didn't POP the same without the mascara and eye liner. Without his glasses on, he still looked like Ingrid, he thought, studying himself in the mirror. He put on his glasses, and he was definitely Richard. He took them off and put on Ingrid's Channel glasses, and he was definitely Ingrid, sans make-up. Richard laughed out loud.

"Like Clark Kent." Richard said, laughing. He took off the Channel glasses and put them back in their holder on the vanity, putting his tortoise shell men's glasses back on. Richard was about to get up to leave, when he noticed that his fingernails were still painted. He shook his head, then sat down and took the polish off. Finally, around seven, he was ready to go back to his Aunt's and Uncle's house.

It was cold out on the range this morning. The annual Black Friday shoot was well under way. Richard's uncle had already shot his match and done fairly well, so he had come back to sit with Richard to wait for his age class. Finally, it was Richard's turn. He walked up to the starting point, butterfly's in his stomach. Nervous. He stopped and adjusted his ear protection, then made sure his shooting glasses were settled properly. He took a deep breath and let it out, then adjusted his pistol in it's holster. The Kimber 1911 was fine tuned and ready to rock. There was no way he could blame any problems in his shooting on the gun, since it's capabilities far outweighed his own. He finally stepped up onto the starting point.

"Shooter ready?" the starter said. Richard nodded, not taking his eyes off the first group of targets.

BEEEEEPPPP!

The buzzer sounded. Richard drew and fired. Sight, acquire, fire. Sight, acquire, fire. Lather, rinse, repeat. He knocked down the first targets fast and was reloading on the move. He rolled under a beam and came up in a kneeling position then knocked down the next targets. The rest of the match was a blur. Richard was moving fast and was on his game. He didn't miss a single target, get a safety violation, or trip up in any way. When he was finished, he was out of breath and smiling ear to ear.

"Good shooting." The timekeeper said, patting him on the back. "Make your weapons safe, range flag in. Collect your stuff"

Richard nodded. He hadn't dropped anything, that he knew of, but he backtracked though the course anyway. Uncle Fred was grinning at him when he approached.

"That was the best shooting in the Juniors division I've seen all season. And in this cold!" he gave Richard a big hug, then helped him out of his pistol belt. Uncle Fred took the Kimber 1911 and put it in it's case. "I think you've got it wrapped up. Damn, that means we have to wait until they give out awards." Fred said, giving him a look of definitely mock anger.

"You don't think you won anything?" Richard said, changing out his shooting glasses for his real ones.

"Nope. My time was poor. Knees bothering me today. I did fine on my targets, it's the movement that gives me trouble some times now." Fred said, perching himself back up on the bench.

Sure enough, Richard did win first place in the Juniors division. And, Fred came in sixth in regular competition.

They loaded everything in Uncle Fred's Expedition then climbed in, very glad it had such a good heater. As they were leaving the range, Fred looked over at Richard. "Good shooting, Richard." he said in German. "Thanks. " Richard replied, slipping into German himself. Fred smiled. Fred had been, in his younger days with the CIA, an actual field operative. He'd worked in Germany throughout most of his career, back during the Cold War. He was pleased Richard had picked up German so well, and often spoke German with him to keep him in practice. "I wanted to talk to you about your new habit." Fred continued, still speaking German.

Oh, shit. Richard thought. Here's where I get in trouble. "Ya." Richard said, meekly. "I knew this was coming eventually." he said, instictively speaking German himself now.

"I'm not going to read you the riot act over this. But, it is dangerous, Richard. Bad for you. But, you know that." Fred said, his German accented towards Berlin, while Richard's carried more of a Bon accent.

"I know, Uncle." Richard said quietly. "I know." Richard looked at him. "Did the cleaning crew rat me out?" Richard asked, wondering how he was caught.

Uncle Fred laughed. "Richard, I was a CIA Operative for 25 years. I know I'm an analyst now, but the day I need a cleaning crew to provide me with intelligence I can get for myself, is the day I need to retire."

Richard laughed. He had actually not really put it together, that Fred would be far more observant than most people just from his line of work. "Ok. So, what's my punishment?" Richard said calmly.

"None." Fred said, giving him a sideways look. "As long as your Aunt Betty doesn't find out, then there isn't going to be any. If she finds out, then you're all hers and I will deny all knowledge."

Richard nodded. "Ok. Deal. I'll be careful."

"I did notice a few other things. Anything you want to talk about, Rich?" Fred said. He did sound very understanding, compassionate, but Richard didn't know what to say.

"No. Not right now, if that's ok." Richard said, hoping Fred wouldn't push it.

"Ok. When you are ready to talk, we'll talk." Fred said as they pulled into the drive way.

Richard started to get out of the car but Fred reached over and put his hand on Richard's arm. In English he said, "Hey...and I know how many bottles of wine there are in the cellar. The rats have been running off with them at an alarming rate in the last few weeks. Please make sure they slow down a little, ok?"

Richard blushed and nodded, then jumped out of the car. He could hear Fred's chuckle as he climbed out his door.

School started back the following week. For Richard, school was a double edged sword. He loved school during class, but the time between was horrible. He felt horribly alone there, for one thing. It was an all boys school and he hardly felt like a boy any more. He was small and very skinny, at 5'9 and 115 lbs, he stood out like a sore thumb among them. His voice was high, but rough edged, making him sound more like a young Cathleen Turner than a 16 year old boy. None of these things worked in his favor for popularity. Add to all this his 4.0 average and he's socially doomed in American High school, even one this prestigious.

Gym class was the worst. He never felt like he could compete with the other boys in most areas, and his Gym Teacher did understand why because of what had happened to him, but that still didn't make it any easier. The locker room was the worst though. He dreaded it every time, just waiting for something to happen. The second week after Thanksgiving, the week before they got out for Christmas break, something fnally did.

Richard was changing clothes, putting his school uniform back on, trying his best to get it done quickly.

"Damn. Richard looks like a fucking girl from behind." Lawrence Fincher said, laughing The other boys joined in, especially Todd Caldwell- one of the biggest dickheads in Richard's class. "Yeah, " Todd said. "Not enough that he was already the biggest fruit in the school...now he's starting to look like a girl."

Richard turned around to face them. He was wearing his slacks and his shirt was still unbuttoned. "Leave me alone. It's not my fault I...." Richard started.

"Shut up, Faggot." Lawrence said. "I know you love coming in the locker room so you can look at all of us getting undressed."

Richard was furious. "Fuck you." Richard said. His voice was calm, but seething with pent up anger.

"What kind of language is that for a young lady." Todd said, which made everyone else bust out laughing. "I think I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap." He started towards Richard.

There was really no thought in the action, Richard realized later when he thought about it. He'd been taking Krav Maga for a long time and had practiced these moves so many times that his muscle memory just did it without his mind having to tell his body what to do.

Todd reached for him, so Richard grabbed him by the wrist and twisted him into an arm bar, then threw several hard punched to Todd's groin. Todd cried out and hit the ground. Lawrence was coming for him now, swinging for his head. Richard blocked by counter punching, punching Lawrence's arm out of the way, following it up with a nasty knee to the stomach. Lawrence fell back a little, and Richard just pressed. He threw a couple of hard elbows, one blocked, the other catching Lawrence in the nose.

Richard was in it now, not thinking about anything except taking Lawrence down. Then, strong hands had him by the shoulders and someone was yelling. Richard started to fight him too, but realized that it was Bradley Worthington, and that he was breaking up the fight.

"Hey, Lawrence. Get the fuck away from him!" Bradley yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lawrence just looked at him stunned. Todd was getting up now, still in obvious pain. "If you touch him again, you'll have to deal with me." Bradley said, his eyes burning into Lawrence.

Bradley turned him around. "Are you ok? Rich?" He asked, then noticed that Richard didn't have any obvious injuries. He looked puzzled, then looked over at Lawrence, who's nose was bleeding and at Todd who was having a little trouble walking. "You fucked them up." Bradley said, barely above a whisper. "Serves them right...but you need to watch your back now, ok?"

Richard just nodded, still kinda stunned by the whole thing. Those guys outweighed him by at least 60 lbs each, and were much stronger. Richard had just known where to hit and how to use his opponent's weight against them. "Thanks Bradley." Richard said, looking up at him. It was really hard not to look at him like a love-struck teenage girl, which is what Richard felt like whenever he saw him. "I'll get dressed and get out of here." he said, then turned back to his locker and quickly got dressed. Bradley was looking at him kind of funny. "Yeah. Go on." Bradley said, then he turned and left.

Richard was completely busy with school work for the next couple of weeks, getting ready for exams and stuff. He was going to the house everyday after school and actually studying. He would get comfortable, which meant dressing as Ingrid and doing his make-up and hair, before studying. Right after Thanksgiving, he had taken the Channel glasses over to the one hour glasses place in the mall and had his prescription lenses put in, so now he could wear the glasses longer without getting a headache. He'd also ordered a pair of really nice breast forms from the internet. These were really expensive forms and had cost his entire allowance for the week, but it had been worth it. They were really nice ultra soft forms that matched his skin tone really well and looked very natural. They were B cups and looked fantastic attached. He'd ordered several tubes of adhesive and remover, but hadn't had a chance to attach them yet, so he just inserted them into his bras. They looked fantastic attached, though he really wanted to attach them so he could wear them without a bra.

"Soon." He said out loud. Only after saying it did he realize he'd used Ingrid's voice, not his own. He smiled at that and finished dressing for his study time. He put on matching red bra and panty set, complete with his new breasts. Then he put on a pair of black leggings and a long black sweatshirt. He brushed out his hair and did his make-up, which only took him about ten minutes to do now. Finally, he put on the glasses and he was no longer Richard. He was definitely Ingrid.

Ingrid sat down at the desk in the sunroom and lit a cigarette. She finished her homework quickly, but still had a lot of studying to do. Unfortunately, she was feeling really restless and having a hard time concentrating. She realized that she wasn't going to get anything done when she caught herself just sitting there smoking and staring out the window. "I'm not going to get anything done like this." she said in German. So, she stood up and stretched, then walked into the bedroom. Ingrid wasn't really sure why she was so restless, then she realized that she hadn't done anything except study for the last two weeks. Yes, she'd played around on the computer and watched some teevee, but she hadn't gone anywhere and actually talked to anyone. It was starting to get to her. So, she put her books back in her book satchel, one she'd taken from her mother's closet not the one she carried as Richard, and transferred her stuff to her favorite Prada handbag. It was really cold out now, so she went through the closet and found a heavier coat. She found a lovely Prada Fur trimmed puffer jacket, black with black fur. It was so soft it was sinful, and it still held the lingering smell of her mother's perfume in the fur. After a quick rummage in the closet, she found a pair of Christian Louboutin platform boots that went great with the outfit and ten minutes later she was backing out of the driveway.

Ingrid made a quick stop at a convenience store and picked up a pack of cigarettes. The guy behind the counter was looking at her sort of funny, she thought, then she realized he was checking her out. She smiled at him and flirted a little with her smile as she took her change. "Danke." She said, then smiled at him and walked out. As Richard, she never had gotten much attention at all. As Ingrid, she was constantly having guys flirt with her, or just stare unabashedly. It made her feel good, and weird at the same time.

She was getting in her car when another car pulled up next to her. She was busy putting her purse in the car, not paying attention to who it was when she heard someone call her name.

"Ingrid?" A male voice said behind her. She looked over her shoulder, not sure who it was and really worried, actually that someone had recognized her. When she saw who it was, she almost lost it.

"Ummm...Hello, Bradley." She said, putting on the accent thickly. "How are you?"

He was leaning on the roof of his car, well truck actually. It was an old 1960s Landcruiser, lovingly restored but currently muddy and in serious need of a wash. "I thought that was you. You stand out, you know." He said, flashing his winning smile.

She cocked her head at him and gave him a questioning look. All the while she was opening her cigarette pack. "How so?" she said, wondering what she was doing wrong.

"Well...." he said, hopping down from his car and walking around the front. He leaned against the front quarter panel. "You always look very chic...Dressed like you just came out off a movie set. Like.." he smiled, remembering her first comment to him when they'd met at the restaurant. "Like Audrey Hepburn or something. Not like these other chicks who try to look like Paris Hilton or whatever."

She felt relieved. "Should I try to look like...Paris Hilton?" She said, then lit her cigarette. "Would that make me seem more..." She groped for a word in her mind, then exhaled her smoke. "Normal?"

Bradley laughed. "No. Definitely not. I don't know much about fashion, mind you. But I think your clothes are far nicer than theirs and they certainly look better on you."

Ingrid blushed. They were very nice, very expensive clothes. Her mother had very good and very expensive taste. So did she, she realized at that instant. "Thank you. What are you doing here?" she asked, unconsciously striking a pose next to her car. She stood with her leg angled, her left arm across her front and her right arm up, cigarette held daintily at her fingertips. It was a classic pose, and one she'd seen her mother adopt countless times in conversation.

"I was stopping by to get a snack. What are you up to?" He said.

"I was buying cigarettes, then going to get some coffee." She said, then took another drag, doing a quick snap inhale, her eyes never leaving his.

"Smoking is bad for you, ya know?" he said smiling.

"Yes. Everything fun is bad for you, Bradley." She said, giving him a smug little smile back.

"I know." he said. "Where are you going for coffee?"

"I'm going to the Fine Grind." She said, then accidentally said. "You want to come?"

His face lit up. "Sure. I'll meet you there."

Shit she thought. I didn't mean to do that. Now I will never get any studying done. "Ok." she said.

A few minutes later she was sitting at the Fine Grind. She had her book open on the table, next to her coffee cup and hadn't even taken a look at it. She was very nervously smoking a cigarette, flicking the ashes way too often and generally being fiddly. Then Bradley walked in. She melted every time she saw him, and had a very hard time not showing it when dressed as Richard.

"Hello, Bradley." she said, her face lighting up.

He said hello then went to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate. A minute or so later, he was back at the table.

"You do not like coffee, Bradley?" She asked, then took a drag from her cigarette. She'd been practicing french inhales since Emily had shown her how to do it, and managed a pretty good one. She always thought women looked really sexy doing it.

He shook his head. She could see that he thought it looked really sexy too, which made her very happy. "No...I don't like coffee, and I don't smoke." he said. "Actually, I usually don't like girls who smoke, but....I dunno...It makes you seem like an old time movie star, not like a teenage girl trying too hard to be cool." he quit trying to explain and shrugged, unable to express what he actually was feeling.

"Thank you, Bradley. I understand though. A lot of American's don't smoke now..they all lead long, dull, healthy lives." she said, flicking her cigarette over the ashtray. She smiled at him.

Bradley took a sip of his cocoa. "Blackhawk down." he said “You like to quote movies, Miss Ingrid. That's what the dude who captured the helicopter pilot said to him, Bradley said, smiling triumphantly.

Ingrid laughed. “Guilty as charged. I quote movies constantly. And you are one of the few people who always catches on.”

He smiled at her. "So...Where do you go to school?"

Ingrid looked up at him. She tried to keep her face passive, but inside she was totally panicking. She took a drag from her cigarette, buying herself some time. "I have tutors. I do not go to school." she said finally.

He nodded. "Cool." he said, looking her up and down. "That must be awesome. I would love to get my school done quick and get on with the day."

"Ja." she said, then shook her head. 'Yes. It is nice. But my tutors do carry on."

Bradley laughed, then got serious looking. "It's funny. It seems like I know you....It has since the moment we met at that restaurant." he said.

"I just have one of those faces....Like everyone else or something. Makes you think you know me." She said, trying to cover up.

"No. That's not it at all. You are very pretty. Strikingly pretty. That's the other thing. I can't think of how I could think I knew you without actually...I dunno. I'm still convinced we've met before and knew one another. Maybe in another life or something." he said, trying to make light of it.

"Yes." she said in all seriousness, "In another life." And she meant it.

A group of girls who were standing over at the counter talking to one another approached the table. One was tall and blonde, very cheerleader looking. Another had dirty blonde hair, cut short in a more sporty do. While the third was brunette with a straight bob. All of them were wearing long wool coats with scarves. Ingrid was eyeing them, trying to figure out what designer they were when they actually stopped at the table.

"Hi Bradley." the tall blonde said. "Who's your friend?"

Ingrid looked up at her and tapped her cigarette ash in the ashtray. Bradley smiled up at the girl. "Hi Britney. This is Ingrid. She's German."

"Hello." Ingrid said, giving her a little smile. "Nice to meet you."

The girl held out her hand. "Britney. And this is Carol and Sheila. Are you new in town?"

Ingrid took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Yes. I've only live here a few months." she said, then took a drag from her cigarette. "You may join us if you like."

The girls all pulled up chairs. Ingrid looked over at Bradley, who looked rather disappointed at them spoiling their intimate discussion, which made Ingrid feel quite good actually. That he cared, not that he was disappointed.

"I had to ask...Is that a Prada coat?" Sheila, the Brunette said, eyeing the coat.

Ingrid looked down at it. "Ya..Why?"

"I've never seen one of those in person, just in magazines. That's fox fur on the collar right?" Sheila said, eyeing the coat.

"Yes." Ingrid said, nodding. "I believe it is. It is very soft."

Sheila nodded, and kept looking at the coat. "Where do you go to school?" Britney said, interrupting Sheila.

"I do not. I have tutor." Ingrid said, taking a last drag from her cigarette and stubbing it out in the ashtray. "You go to school where?"

Britney smiled. "Sacred Heart. Do you know it?"

Ingrid smiled back at her. "Yes. My friend Emily goes to that school. Do you know her?"

Britney smiled. "Yeah. I know Emily. Emily Vandiveer. She's one grade below us. Nice girl. Weird, but in a cool way."

Ingrid looked at her, confused, playing up the language barrier. "I do not understand weird, but in a cool way?"

The other girls laughed. "She's just odd...like a rocker chick or something. Doesn't fit in at the school very well...but we don't dislike her. She's just not one of us really." Britney said, trying hard to explain it, and not offend Ingrid.

"Ah." Ingrid said, understanding that completely. "She is not part of your crowd."

"Right." Britney said. Ingrid nodded, then took a sip of her coffee. She looked at her watch. It was quarter to six.

"Bradley, dear." Ingrid said. It was an accidental slip, but it sounded right, so she just pushed on. "I must go. I have to be home for dinner in a little while." She turned to the girls. "It was very nice to meeting you." She said, standing.

Bradley stood up. "It was really good to see you again." he said shyly. He'd caught the "dear" part of that last exchange too and apparently liked it. "See you soon?"

"Yes." she said, then walked around the table and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hopefully."

She picked up the little Prada handbag and put her cigarettes and lighter back inside. "Good bye." she said to the girls, then exited quickly. She got in the car and lit a cigarette. She waited a few seconds for her nerves to settle, then started it up and headed back to the house to get changed for dinner.

Bradley sat back down and stared out the window for a minute, ignoring the girls conversation. He watched Ingrid sit in her car and light a cigarette, then couldn't take his eyes off her while she sat there smoking. Finally, she put her Mercedes SUV in reverse and pulled out, disappearing from view.

“That girl is seriously rich.” Sheila said to the other girls. “I mean seriously.”

This brought back Bradley's attention.

“Huh?” he said, picking up his cocoa. “Why do you say that?”

Sheila looked at him like he was from Mars. “Are you kidding?” The other girls knew she was wearing some expensive clothes, but still didn't quite get it. “Look. You both know I want to go into fashion, right?”

Britney and Carol nodded. Bradley hadn't known, but he nodded to. “So, I keep up with such things. That coat...That's a two thousand dollar jacket. Those retro looking glasses, are Chanel...They are at least five hundred. And those boots, probably cost somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand bucks too. And we aren't even going to get into the watch or the lighter.” Sheila said, sounding really superior since she actually knew something the others didn't.

“Really?” Bradley said, unconvinced. “Who would pay two grand for a coat?”

The other girls laughed. “I would...if I had it.” Sheila said. “And she did.” Gesturing with her head towards the door.

“That was a Rolex watch, wasn't it?” Britney said, certain of that. “But you said the lighter was expensive? I didn't think lighters were expensive, I thought you just threw them away.”

Sheila laughed. “Poor people throw them away.” She said, pulling out her own cigarettes and her little pink bic. She lit her cigarette by way of punctuation. “Rich people have lighters like that. That's, I believe, A gvinchy...Probably about three hundred dollars.” She put her lighter back in her purse and took a long drag from her Marlboro light. “I saw them at Tiffany's.”

Britney eyed Bradley. “Hanging out in some different circles, are we Bradley?”

The other girls laughed. “And she's really tall and thin...Pretty...Do you think she's a model?”

Sheila nodded. “ I think she might be. She's German. Living here for a short while. Has tutors. Either she's a model, or she might be royalty or something, a lot of dignitaries live up here in Arlington.”

Britney laughed. “Maybe. Remember the girl who lived her a few years ago. She was some kind of Duchess or something.”

“Countessa.” Carol said, piping in.

Bradley just looked out the window. Something was odd here, and he wasn't sure what it was. It was something about the car, and that familiar feeling he had when he saw her.

“Do you know, Bradley?” Britney said, taking Sheila's cigarette from her and taking a drag before handing it back. “Is she a model or a Princess?”

Bradley just shook his head. “I don't know.” he said. “But I really do want to find out.”

The last week of school before winter break was horribly long, and it seemed, troublesome. Richard was sitting in the lunchroom reading when he looked up and noticed that Bradley was staring at him. He pretended not to notice, but realized that he had not been paying attention to his mannerisms. Shit, Richard thought, was Bradley starting to put two and two together. Richard scooped up his tray and headed outside.

Mrs. Middleton, his guidance counselor, passed him in the hall. “Richard.” she said, stopping. “I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?”

Richard nodded, then followed her to her office. “What's up?” he asked.

She shut the door and gestured for him to sit. She sat behind the desk and put on her glasses. “I was looking at your record, and discovered something interesting.” she said, tapping on the keyboard. “It seems that with all your summer school...You will have enough credits to graduate in the spring.”

Richard was stunned. He knew he had really loaded up in the summer, but was completely unaware that he was that close to graduation. “Are you sure?” he asked, dubiously.

“Yes. I was surprised myself.” she said frankly. “I was looking at the student's bound for graduation report, and your name was on it. You don't have to graduate this Spring, mind you, you are just eligible.”

“I'd like to graduate this spring, Mrs. Middleton. That would be great.” he said, feeling excited. “What would I need to do?”

“Well, you'd need to take your graduation tests, which will probably be quite easy for a smart boy like you. Your grades will put you close to the top of the class, though a few points shy of Valedictorian or Salutatorian because of a few B's in your Freshman year.” She said.

“Ok...What else would I need?” he said.

“Well, you would need a letter signed by your parents...I mean, your guardians. Sorry.” she said, catching herself.

“That's ok.” he said, feeling suddenly sad. It wasn't her fault though.

“That's it.” She said, hitting print. “Here is the letter. Get this signed and we'll get your tests going. You would probably need to start looking at schools as well.” she said handing him the print out.

“Thank you.” Richard said, getting up. “I'll bring this back after Christmas break.” He grinned at her. “See you next year!”

Richard was excited. He hadn't really realized that he had enough credits to graduate. It all seemed worth it now, all the extra studying and long hours of summer school. He'd done it mainly as a way to get out of the house and to have something to do. Now, it was paying off in spades.

Richard was mostly excited because, if he was no longer in school, he could be Ingrid all the time. This made him more excited than he cared to admit. The rest of the day went by in a blur. As he was leaving school, he was climbing into his car when he noticed Bradley getting into his Land-cruiser a few spaces down. Bradley was staring at him. Richard waved quickly, then got in his car and backed out. He watched Bradley get into his car in his rear view mirror.

Richard went straight home, which was unusual, since he normally went to the old house right after school to have some time to himself as Ingrid before going home for dinner. Aunt Betty was home, which was also unusual, since she was normally at her office until after five. “Hi Aunt Betty.” he said, dropping his satchel next to the door. He stomped the snow off his boots and walked over to her. “You're home early.” he said, sitting down at the kitchen table with her.

“I was about to say the same thing to you.” Betty said, taking off her glasses and setting them on the table. “I had a few briefs to work on, and thought I would do it from home. What brings you home so early?”

Richard shrugged. “ I just wanted to drop off my books and stuff here. I was going to head over to the house in a bit.”

“You really like being over there all by yourself, huh?” Betty said, taking a sip of her tea.

“Yeah. I do. I can think there.” he said quietly.

“I understand.” Betty said. “Want some tea?”

Richard nodded. She got up to get him a cup. He leaned over and looked at the briefs she was working on. She was a Family Law Lawyer at a practice in DC. She rarely brought work home, so it was hard for him to actually think of her as a Lawyer. “Where's Uncle Fred?” he asked.

“He's working late tonight. Some kind of a situation at Langley.” She said, putting the cup down near Richard. “He'll probably be really late.”

“Want me to stay home with you?” Richard asked, picking up his tea cup.

She shook her head. “Why don't you go out with your friend Emily.”

“I might. I dunno what she's doing. We haven't talked much this week. Exams and all.” He said.

“I understand completely. But, it's the first night of Christmas break” Betty said, “I'm sure you'll want to go have some fun.” smiling at him. Her smile faltered a little and she looked like she wanted to ask him something.

“What?” Richard said.

“I wanted to ask you something.” Betty said. “I was looking over some of the paperwork your doctor sent over.”

Richard nodded. He'd looked at it.

“He says that he thinks you should start on hormone therapy, to get your testosterone levels up so you can develop properly.” She said, sounding concerned. “What do you think?”

Richard dreaded this conversation. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to start hormone therapy, but he wanted to start estrogen therapy, not testosterone. “I dunno, Aunt Betty.” He said. “Let me think about it.”

Betty nodded. “Ok, honey. I want you to do what you want.” she shook her head. “It's terrible that you should have to be making such a decision anyway.”

He sighed. “Yeah.” he said. “I'm gonna head over to the house for a while, ok?”

“Sure hon. You be home for dinner?” She asked.

“I don't know.” he said, standing up. “I'll call you in a little while.”

An hour later, Ingrid was putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She'd gone for a more dramatic, evening look. Smoky eyes, red lipstick, false eyelashes. She thought she was looking pretty fierce as she posed in front of the mirror. Ingrid took out her brush and started brushing out her hair. she'd picked up a new hair clip called a bump it. She'd played with it a little bit earlier, but this was her first time seriously putting it on. After following the instructions, she had the thing on and it looked great. It was so much easier getting a high bump with this. She'd been teasing out her hair for for a while now, and this thing was so cool. With her hair piled up high, she put in her eight inch extensions and it looked awesome.

Ingrid opened the drawer and pulled out the new breast forms. She eyed the tube of adhesive. She picked up the instructions, put on her glasses, and started reading. With a sigh, she started following the instructions to attach the forms. She added the glue and settled the forms in place. It didn't take long for them to set up and finally, she let go of them. They were hanging there. She stood up and posed in front of the mirror. It was amazing how much they transformed her. She turned and posed, smiling ear to ear. Finally, she selected a bra to match her panties and put it on. It was so nice to fill out the bra without having to stuff it with socks. The breast forms looked really natural, and the color matched her skin so well they looked like part of her. She actually jumped up and down with joy, then started laughing because of how the breasts jiggled.

Her phone rang. She dug into Richards coat and pulled it out. It was Emily.

“Hello, Girly.” She said, Ingrid's German accent coming on unbidden.

“Hey Ingrid.” Emily said. “I was expecting Richard.”

“Nope. Richard's not here. What's going on?” Ingrid said, sitting down at the Vanity. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, her eyes never leaving the beautiful new breasts affixed to her chest.

“I was wondering what you are doing this weekend.” Emily said. “Got any plans?”

Ingrid took a long drag, then exhaled while she talked. “No. No plans. Why?”

“I wanted to go skiing. You game?” Emily said.

“Where?” Ingrid asked. Her parents had kept a condo at Whitetail. She wasn't sure if they still owned it. IF they did, it meant she owned it now. “I think I might have a condo at Whitetail.”

“Really?” Emily said, sounding really excited. “That's where I was thinking. It's the closest one....won't spend all day driving there.”

“No.” Ingrid said. “We could get there in a couple of hours. Let me call my uncle and ask. Come on over, I have to show you something cool.”

“Ok. See you in about twenty minutes.” Emily said, then made a kissing noise and hung up.

She quickly dialed her uncle. He picked up on the second ring. “Hello.” Uncle Fred said. “What's up Richard?”

Ingrid smiled. “Hello Uncle Fred. Would it be ok if I went skiing this weekend?”

“I don't see why not.” Fred said. Ingrid could hear papers being shuffled around in the background.

“Cool. Do we still have the condo up there?” Ingrid asked, crossing her fingers.

“Yeah. You want to stay there?” Fred asked. “Are you up to something?”

“No, Uncle Fred. I'm not. I just want to go skiing.” Ingrid said, crossing her other fingers too.

“I'm not going to ask any other questions, I just expect you to behave. Understand?” Fred said.

Ingrid's smile widened. “Yes. I understand.”

“When?” Fred asked.

“Ummm...Tomorrow?” Ingrid said, keeping the fingers crossed.

“You just drive up there and stop at the offices and check in. I'll call them and tell them that you will be there and to have to place readied for you, ok?” Fred said. “Who's going with you? Emily?”

“What?” Ingrid said, trying to sound innocent.

Fred laughed. “It's ok. I figured it was her. Just be careful, ok.”

Ingrid shook her head. “Is there anything I can get past you?”

“Nope.” Fred said. “Remember that.”

“Thanks Uncle Fred, bye.” She said and hung up.

That last little exchange brought back something Uncle Fred had said right after Thanksgiving. He'd told her, well, had told Richard, that he'd found some things and if he wanted to talk about them. Ingrid was pretty sure that Fred knew about her and wasn't quite sure what to do about that.

She sighed, then lit a cigarette. She walked over and picked up the dress she'd picked out. It was a Dior Black sheath dress, very cute. She slipped into it and struggled with the zip. With the new breast forms, she could finally wear something with a slightly lower neck and not give away her secret. She posed in front of the mirror for a minute, then started digging for shoes. She picked out a pair of black Fendi Slingbacks. She put them on and the doorbell rang.

She rushed down the stairs and opened the door, striking a pose for Emily. “Hello, dear.” Ingrid said.

“Well, don't you look sexy.” Emily said, walking in. She gave her a hug. “I love the dress. And the hair.”

Ingrid took a drag off her cigarette. “Thank you. The hair is what I wanted to show you. It's a bump it. The pack came with two of them, you can borrow one if you want.”

“Cool. I saw the commercial for those. Are you sure I can borrow the extra one?.” Emily said. Ingrid nodded. “no problem.” She said. Emily dug in her purse and pulled out a cigarette. “So...What did your uncle say?”

The two of them went into the living room.

“He said...We can use the condo.” She said, then the two girls actually squealed with glee. Emily picked up Ingrid's lighter and lit her cigarette. Emily took a long drag and eyed Ingrid.

“Something different...Other than the hair.” Emily said.

Ingrid grinned at her, then straightened up and wiggled her chest at her.

“Oh, wow!” Emily said, leaning over. She reached out and touched the breast forms. “Those look so real.”

“I know!” Ingrid gushed. “I paid a lot for them, but they are so great.”

Emily looked at Ingrid, confusion obvious on her face. “Ok. How are you getting all this money? You are still sixteen, so you haven't gotten your trust fund yet...what gives?”

Ingrid grinned at her. “Oh, yeah...I didn't tell you. Well...I found this store in the city (Washington, DC) that buys used designer clothes. I went through all the stuff my Mom had...All the stuff that was too “old” looking for me, or was too fancy...Along with a few dozen pairs of shoes that were too small for me. Anyway, I took that stuff down there and sold it. Even at the percentage they paid, I made a killing. Now, I can start picking up stuff from this season.” Ingrid laughed. “I also found a place where I can sell my Dad's suits. I have an appointment there next week, actually.”

Emily frowned. “Are you sure you want to be selling their stuff?”

Ingrid sat down on the edge of the bed. “I'm just selling old clothes. I'm never going to need my dad's old suits, and my mom would totally understand selling her old clothes to get new ones.” She shrugged. “It's not like I'm pawning everything in the house. Hell, girl. They talked about doing an estate sale and getting rid of all this stuff...Luckily I talked them out of all that last year.”

Emily nodded, then looked her up and down. “Well..You are dressed to go out, but I'm only wearing this.” She gestured to the Jeans and Sweater she was wearing. “I'll go home and get changed, then we can go out and celebrate your new endowments.”

Ingrid grinned. “You could borrow something from me.” She took a drag off her cigarette, then rounded out her cherry on the ashtray. “You are a little shorter, but should be able to wear some of my dresses no problem.”

Emily's face lit up. “Are you sure?” Ingrid nodded enthusiastically, then stood up and took Emily's hand and led her upstairs.

The girls looked through the closet for about ten minutes, pulling out several dresses and holding them up to Emily. Then Emily tried on the best contenders. After three tries, she had a winner. She put on an Armani Collezioni wool crepe black dress. It was a cocktail length with a keyhole collar and showed off Emily's assets quite well. Emily twirled in front of the mirror, looking like Cinderella before the ball. “I love it.” She said, then gave Ingrid a big hug.

“Lets find you some shoes.” Ingrid said, then they started looking through the shoe shelves. A pair of Dolce and Gabbana black slingbacks fit the bill perfectly. Ingrid watched as Emily strutted around the bedroom, getting the feel for the slightly higher than she was used to heels. “Awesome.” Ingrid said, leaning back against the vanity, lighting a cigarette. Emily grinned at her then came over and joined her for a cigarette. “Make-up time.” Ingrid said, ushering her to the chair. “And hair.”

Emily looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing only eyeliner and lip gloss. “I'm not too great with make-up, Ingrid.” she said. “I don't wear much of it.”

Ingrid leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I'll do it. I've been practicing a lot. It's kind of my hobby. I think we need to do your hair first though, since that will probably take me longer.” She took one last drag then put out her cigarette.

Ingrid scooped up her brush and hairspray and started working on Emily's hair. Her long golden locks were in really good shape, clean and conditioned, so brushing them was like a dream. “Wow. With all your hair, I could go really high with this.” Ingrid said, marveling at all Emily's hair.

Emily smiled up at her. “Go for it.”

Ingrid worked furiously, combing and spraying. Teasing her hair like crazy. After about twenty minutes she was done. Emily's bangs were brushed slightly to the left. Her hair was teased up very high with a long tail hanging down the back. She looked like a Hollywood starlet ready for a night on the town.

“I love it.” Emily said, grinning ear to ear.

Then Ingrid started on her make up. She gave her some serious smoky cat's eyes, using browns and golds that really made Emily's eyes pop. Then a dark burgundy lipstick set it off beautifully.

“Tada” Ingrid said, stepping back to let Emily see. “You look beautiful.”

Emily couldn't believe it. “Wow.” she said standing up. “Thank you, Ingrid, this is incredible.” She preened in front of the mirror for a second then turned back to her. “Oh, we have to go out now.”

Ingrid laughed, then lit a congratulatory cigarette. She felt really good about the work she'd done. Emily looked absolutely glamorous. “Ok...Where are we going?” Ingrid asked.

“I dunno.” Emily said, looking at the clock. It was almost five now. “We could go shopping, then grab a bite to eat?”

Ingrid nodded. “Sounds good to me. I could handle a walk through Tyson's Galleria.”

Emily laughed. 'You do have expensive tastes.” she said. “You know...You caused a bit of a stir around Sacred Heart.”

Ingrid smiled. “What?” she said, incredulously.

“Yeah.” Emily said, grinning. “The other night when you had coffee with Bradley Worthington. A few of the girls met you there.”

Ingrid nodded. 'Yeah...Um, Britney, Carol and Sheila, right?” She said, tapping her cigarette on the ashtray. “They were ok, I guess.”

Emily laughed out loud. “They are the “It” girls at school. They were trying to figure out whether you were a model, or get this, royalty.”

Ingrid busted out laughing. “You're kidding!” she said.

“Nope. They came and talked to me about it, giving me the third degree. It's the most they've talked to me in five years.” She laughed as she talked, taking a few seconds to get the story out.

“So, what did you tell them?” Ingrid asked, leaning against the vanity.

“Well...I told them that you're a model.” Emily said, grinning evilly.

“You what?” Ingrid asked. “No way!”

Emily nodded. “It was the only thing they were going to believe. Look at the way you dress...The way you behave. You just scream “model”. “ she said.

“Well...I'm not a model.” Ingrid said. “And...Do I really?” She added, sounding puzzled.

“Good lord, girl.” Emily said. “You dress more chic than any sixteen year old I know...Except me, that is.” She said, then did a little spin. “Oh yeah.”

“I'm still not sure if I believe you. Maybe they were pulling your leg?” Ingrid said, then took a last drag from her cigarette before putting it out.

Emily just shook her head again. “They fully believe it. Hey...You want to mess with their heads? Please?” Emily said, her eyes wide with excitement.

“How?” Ingrid said, crossing her arms.

“Well...Sheila works at the Galleria in a little clothing boutique. We could run by there and say hello. I heard the other girls saying they were going to be stopping by there before closing so they could all go out afterwards. Whatcha think?” Emily asked.

“Sure. How will this mess with them?” Ingrid asked.

“Well, they will see how I'm dressed, and how you are dressed and be SOOOO jealous. It will just make me feel good to see it.” Emily said, grinning. “They are so...Mean Girls, at school.”

Ingrid laughed. “Ok. Deal.”

The girls grabbed their coats, Ingrid loaned Emily the Sophia coat, while she wore her Prada Puffer coat that had been such a hit with the girls the other night. They piled into Ingrid's Mercedes and headed out, listening to Blondie very loud on the radio.

It took about half an hour to get to Tyson's Galleria. The mall was packed, but this was Ingrid's favorite mall, so it was worth the trip. It hadn't really been Richard's favorite, but it had been her mother's, since Neiman Marcus was here. That was where Ingrid planned on visiting, to indulge a little of her newfound love of designer labels.

The girls got out of the car and headed in. Ingrid looked over at Emily and thought she looked very beautiful, and was walking like she knew it. Ingrid put on a good strut herself, and the girls turned a few heads as they walked inside. A guy in his mid twenties almost tripped over himself opening the door for them, much to the chagrin of his plainly dressed girlfriend. Ingrid could hardly suppress a giggle over that.

They walked through the mall, window shopping, as they made their way to Neiman Marcus. As soon as they were inside, they headed straight to the women's department. A sales woman was on them in a flash, noting their designer clothes and not marking them as idle gawkers.

“Hello ladies.” the woman said, smiling at them. “Can I help you with anything today.

Before Emily could say anything, Ingrid spoke up. “No. Thank you. I will call you if I need your service.” She said, playing up her accent a little more than normal.

The woman smiled, then nodded and took a step back. “Take your time.” The woman said, but didn't fade far, ready to respond quickly if called.

Emily followed Ingrid into the racks, then giggled quietly. “That's hilarious. I normally hate coming in here. The sales people either ignore you or watch you like a hawk. But she was almost...needy sounding with you.”

Ingrid smiled at her, then leaned in. “She recognized our clothes, Emm. She sees these labels all day, and can probably hardly afford any of them.” Ingrid grinned at her. “Our combined outfits, my dear, cost almost as much as a new Toyota Corrolla. Enjoy.” Ingrid giggled herself now.

They looked through the racks. Ingrid was drawn to the Prada section. I guess the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree, she thought. She found a dress she had to try on. She didn't call for the sales lady, she just turned and caught her eye, then raised her hand a little and the woman was coming. Emily thought this was really funny, and tried hard to suppress a laugh while she looked through the racks.

“I need to try this in a two please.” Ingrid said, not bothering to make eye contact with her again. The sales woman looked through the racks and came out with a size two. Ingrid took it and smiled. “Dressing room?” she said.

The woman led her to the dressing room. She put on the dress and thought it fit wonderfully. She twirled a little, then stepped out to see what Emily thought. “Emm. What do you think?” Ingrid said, striking a few poses in the mirror.

“That's great, Ingrid.” Emily said. “It suits you. Just your style.”

Ingrid nodded. “I think so.” She said.

“Yes. It is lovely on you, it hangs just right.” The sales woman said.

“Thank you, miss.” Ingrid said, giving her a smile. Then she headed into the dressing room. Ingrid looked at the price. It was pretty expensive, $750 dollars. She stood looking at the price tag, then shrugged. She changed back into her clothes and headed back out.

The sales woman was standing there waiting on her. Ingrid handed the dress to her. “I will take it.” she said, following the lady to the counter. Emily walked up behind her.

“Will you be using your store card, Mam?” The woman said, smiling.

“Cash.” Ingrid said, then pulled a stack of hundreds out of her wallet.

“Thank you.” Ingrid said, taking the bag. “Bye.” she waved and strutted off. Emily followed close behind, laughing .

“Wow.” Emily said. “That was cool."

They both laughed, then did some more shopping. At eight thirty five, laden down with bags, they headed up to Fashion Front, the store Sheila worked in. Both of them strutted in, totally working the designer heels. Sheila looked up and saw Ingrid and smiled. Then Emily stepped out from behind her and her smile dropped. You could almost see her calculating the outfit and trying to reconcile that with the Emily she knew.

“Hi.” Sheila said, shaking off the surprise. “How are you Ingrid? Emily?”

Ingrid was looking around. “Fine. How are you, Sheila?” This place sold trendy casual fashion. Lots of retro 80s designs from second rate designers. Ingrid wasn't interested.

“Good. See anything you like?” Sheila said, hoping for a sale.

Ingrid looked back at her and gave a smile. “Sorry. This is very nice...but, not. My style clothing.” she said, giving almost a pitying look.

“Right.” Sheila said, smiling. “I figured. That's a great outfit, Emily...Is that Armani?” Sheila whispered.

Emily nodded. “Yes. I'm glad you like it.”

Sheila nodded. “So what are y'all up to?”

“We just did a little shopping, now we're going for a bite to eat.” Emily said.

Britney and Carol walked in. Ingrid saw them and gave them a little smile.
Both girls looked stunned when they saw Ingrid and Emily. You could almost see them shrink in the presence of that glamour.

“HI Britney, Carol.” Emily said. “How are you?”

They both said hi and gave her little hugs, both still eyeing the ever glamorous Ingrid, and the suddenly glamorous Emily.

“We really must be going, Emm...I am famished.” Ingrid said, looking at her watch.

“Ok. Ciao girls.” Emily said. Ingrid hoisted her bags, gave them one last smile and out they went, leaving the girls staring.

Ingrid and Emily laughed all the way to the car. “Thank you, Ingrid. Those looks were priceless.” Emily said. “They were so jealous, you could feel it.”

Ingrid grinned. “It is funny. They have always been the cool ones, haven't they?”

Emily nodded then helped Ingrid put the bags in the back of the car. “Yeah, they spend a lot of their time bagging on people. You know, making fun of their clothes or their hair. They wear expensive, nice stuff you know, but nothing like this.” Emily said. “Its crazy. ”

Ingrid hopped in the drivers seat, then lit a cigarette. “I know. I never thought much of clothes, growing up. I thought this was just how women dressed. I realize that is very naive, but it's true.”

Emily lit her own cigarette and laughed. “Ingrid, darling. You were a sheltered child. But thank you. It was very nice to knock them down a peg or two.”

Ingrid nodded. “You are welcome, honey.” She said, laughing as they pulled out of the parking lot.

As they were driving, Emily looked over at Ingrid. “The way you dealt with that sales woman...Was that how your mother did it?” She asked, then flicked her ashes out the window.

“Yes.” Ingrid said laughing. “She always did it that way. Ignore them a little, give them the cold shoulder, then reel them in with a smile afterwards. It keeps them from fawning over you and makes them back off a little. yeah, it's a little bitchy. I know they don't like it, but it works.” Ingrid said with a shrug. “Now. I am starving.”

Emily giggled. “So, where to now?”

Ingrid looked at her watch. “Well, it's ten after nine. Friday night. What is there to do?” Ingrid shrugged. “I literally have no idea.”

Emily thought about it for a second. 'We could go down by the college...there are a bunch of cool little bars and restaurants...scope out the boys.”

Ingrid frowned. “Ok...maybe.”

“Oh, come on!!” Emily said. “Lets do it.”

Ingrid chewed on her lip for a second. “Ok.” She turned onto the interstate and headed towards the college.

Emily did a little happy dance in her seat. “Oh yeah!!!”

They both laughed as she gunned it towards the college.

They found a parking space on the street less than a block from the little restaurant. Ingrid checked her face in the mirror. She thought it still looked fine, but she touched up her lipstick anyway.

“Ready, girl?” Emily said.

Ingrid stared at herself for a second longer, trying to see Richard through the make-up. She could still see it, but apparently others couldn't.

“Ready.” She said, putting on the German accent. “Lets go.”

They walked down the sidewalk, their heels clacking loudly as they walked. It was pretty busy, lots of college students and hipsters out for a good time. The girls looked at each other, suppressing giggles at the stares (and comments) they were getting from the guys on the street.

Heaven was crowded, with people waiting to get in. Emily stopped and touched Ingrid on the arm. “Look at all the people, it's going to take us forever to get in here.” she whispered. “If they let us in at all.”

Ingrid looked down the line of people waiting, then at the bouncer. He was in his mid-20's, attractive and well muscled. She could tell he was scoping out the line, looking for people he would let in, and those he wouldn't. She turned to Emily.

“I have an idea.” Ingrid whispered. “You don't speak English, Ok?” Just stand there and look sexy and aloof, right?”

Emily looked puzzled. “Huh?”

Ingrid smiled. “I'm going to try and bluff us in there, ok? If it works, good...If it doesn't, then we leave in a huff.”

Emily nodded. Ingrid took a deep breath then lit a cigarette and started strutting towards the door. Emily followed a few steps behind her, using the same strut. The bouncer looked over at her, a slight look of confusion on his face. Ingrid stopped right in front of him, her hand on her hip, looking for all the world like she was expecting him to let her in right now.

The bouncer looked at her for a second. “Ummm, mam...”

She just looked at him. “Yes.” she said, putting the German accent on thick.

The bouncer looked her up and down, then looked Emily up and down.

“Are you on the guest list.” he said, picking up the clip board.

She just gave him a look that practically said “duh”.

He looked at her again, then smiled, putting the clip board back down on the podium.

“Of course, Miss??” he said, unclipping the red rope.

“Wolfe. Ingrid Wolfe.” She said, holding her hand out in the classic kiss my hand greeting.

He took it and actually kissed the back of her hand.

“Enchanted.” he said, then gestured them in.

Ingrid turned to Emily. “gekommen auf Emily, sind wir schlieáŸlich nach innen.”

To Be Continued...

Unfinished Business Part 2

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

Adult Oriented (r21/a)

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Transitioning

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

A big thanks to Don for the editing! I couldn't have done it without you!
Unfinished Business Part 2
Artwork by Brianna Luna
Continued...

Ingrid stepped inside the Club, pausing for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the low light. The techno was so loud it almost seemed to have physical substance. She looked back at Emily and smiled. Emily grinned back at her, then took her arm and led her further inside. The place was packed. This was a much nicer place than most of the others on the strip, and wasn't nearly as packed with frat boys and sorority girls.

Emily leaned in close and whispered, well, talked quietly enough not to be heard, “That was awesome! How did you know that would work?” She giggled, putting her hand to her mouth.

Ingrid shrugged. “I didn't. I just figured we had nothing to lose?” Ingrid beamed at her.

Emily gave her a big hug. “Now what? We have no ID..They won't sell to us.”

Ingrid cast her eyes around the bar and smiled. She could see at least five guys looking at her and Emily, all of them trying hard not to look like they were looking. “We wait.” Ingrid said, putting the accent on thick. “They'll swoop in soon.”

Ingrid opened her handbag and pulled out a cigarette. She held it in between her fingers and continued to rifle through the bag, hoping to lure one of them in. She cast her glance upwards to see two men approaching. They were both in their early 20's and dressed pretty hip. Good looking. They had already scoped us out and knew who they were going to talk to. The taller one produced a zippo and flicked it. Ingrid leaned in and lit her cigarette then smiled at him.

“Danke.” Ingrid said, inhaling.

His smile widened. His wing-man was already chatting up Emily, or trying to over the din. Ingrid looked at the tall one again and smiled at him.

“Hi.” he said, giving her another grin. “I'm Patrick.” It was very hard to hear over the music, but Ingrid heard the introduction.

“I'm Ingrid. Nice to meet you.” Ingrid said, holding out her hand.

Patrick took her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Ingrid gave him her sweetest smile. “A martini..Stoli, two olives. Please.”

He grinned at her and held up a finger. “Be back in a sec, Ingrid.”

Ingrid looked over at Emily. Her man had already headed over to the bar too. Ingrid moved over to her and put her arm around her. “See...no problem getting a drink.” Ingrid said, then kissed her softly on the lips. She could see the two guys at the bar out of the corner of her eye, the expression on their face was just priceless. Emily noticed it too, then the two of them made the kiss a little hotter, swapping just a tiny bit of tongue. “That'll get their blood up.” Ingrid whispered. The two girls were still giggling when the guys showed up.

“Thank you for the drink.” Ingrid said, leaning in close to his ear. He smelled good, but he was nowhere near as much of a looker as Brad.

“You're welcome.” Patrick said. “You want to go talk outside? So we can hear?”

Ingrid nodded, then took Patrick's arm and started to follow. She squeezed his arm and he stopped, then she turned to Emily. “'Outside.” Ingrid mouthed to Emily.

Emily nodded, then the two of them started following. The stepped out onto the back porch and it was actually fairly quiet, almost peaceful. There were some other small groups of people gathered around talking, enjoying the cool evening and the fresh air.

“Hi.” Patrick said, flashing her another smile. He took a sip from his gin and tonic. “How's your drink?”

Ingrid took another sip. “Very good. Thank you.” she said.

“What part of Germany are you from?” He asked while he absently played with the stirrer in his drink.

“I'm from Bonn.” she said. “Are you from here..Washington?”

He shook his head. “No...I'm from New York. Upstate...Near Albany.”

She smiled. “Are you going to school here?” She asked.

“No...I moved down here to go to school, then got a job as a DJ and kind of let school slide.” He said, laughing. “How bout you?”

Ingrid shook her head. “No...I am not going to University right now.” She said, not actually lying. “Maybe next fall.” She took a last drag from her cigarette and put it out in the ashtray on the picnic table, then took a seat.

“Cool.” he said, sitting next to her.

They talked for about fifteen more minutes, then Patrick got up to get her another drink. His friend, who she now knew was Mike, got up to get another drink for Emily. Emily walked over and joined Ingrid at the table. She sat down next to her grinning, ear to ear.

“Having fun?” Emily said. She took a drag from her cigarette. “I am.”

Ingrid laughed. “Yeah, I am, I guess. I'm not particularly into him, but he is nice enough.”

Emily giggled. “Yeah, you are all hung up on Brad.”

Ingrid put her finger to her lips to hush her. “Shhhhh....”

The two of them were laughing when the guys came out with their drinks.

“You two are always laughing.” Patrick said.

He handed the drink to her then sat down next to her. Mike sat next to Emily.

“We enjoy each others company.” Ingrid said, then leaned over and kissed Emily on the lips. Emily smiled when she kissed her.

“Yes we do.” Emily said.

The boys were both grinning now. They cast glances at each other, then looked back to the girls.

“Wow.” Mike said. “That's hot.” He tried to say it quietly enough that only Patrick would hear, but Ingrid heard it.

Both girls started laughing again. “We are just messing with you.” Ingrid said, grinning at them. “We are glad you enjoy.” She pulled a cigarette out of her purse and waited for Patrick to light it for her. “Thank you.” she said after a languorous French inhale.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Patrick said. “Believe me.”

The four of them chatted until both of the girls had finished their drinks. “Another drink?” Patrick asked Ingrid as she was eating the olives off the pick in her drink.

She looked down at her watch. “I”m sorry honey...We have to go. I have to be up early in the morning. We are to go skiing.” Ingrid said.

Patrick looked crestfallen. “Damn.”

Ingrid laughed. She reached in her purse and pulled out a sharpie, then took patrick's hand and turned it over. She wrote her name and cell phone number on his hand in big, loopy, girly writing. “Call me. We will go out on a proper date.” Ingrid said, then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled, and Ingrid was sure that he was blushing. Emily reached over and took the sharpie and wrote her number on Mike's hand.

The girls said their goodbyes then took each other's hands and headed back through the club. When they walked out the front door, the bouncer turned and looked at them. Ingrid winked at him. Emily noticed the look then leaned over and gave her a good long kiss. The bouncer's grin widened, along with all the guys standing near the front of the line.

The two of them walked down the street and around the corner before they busted out laughing. “That was awesome.” Emily said, trying to stifle a laugh.

Ingrid managed to stifle her own laughter. “Yes...It was.” she said, putting her arm around Emily's waist. “And, I think I might not be ready to drive, honey.”

Emily laughed. “I don't think I can drive either, girl.”

Ingrid pushed the unlock button on her remote. Emily climbed in the passenger door and Ingrid got in the driver's seat. She didn't put the key in the ignition though. “Nope. Not able to drive just yet. God I'm a lightweight.” Ingrid said, giggling.

Emily nodded. “Well, I'm not much better.”

Ingrid shook her head. “I know.” she said, then lit a cigarette. She cracked the window and turned back to Emily. “So...What do you want to do to kill time until we can go home?” She took a drag then exhaled out the window.

Emily scooted across the seat up close to her. “All that kissing got me thinking of something we could do.” Emily said quietly.

Ingrid smiled at her. “Really?” She said, then leaned towards her.

Emily kissed her on the lips. Their tongues met and they kissed each other deeply. They broke their kiss and looked at each other for a moment. Ingrid took a drag from her cigarette, then Emily took it away from her and took a drag herself before throwing it out the window. They smiled at each other, then leaned in and started kissing again.

Time seemed to stop for Ingrid as they kissed. They pulled in closer to each other, melting into one another, feeling nothing but the sensual pleasure of each others mouths and bodies.

“Yeah, go for it!” someone yelled from outside.

Ingrid and Emily pulled apart and looked up, surprised. There were a couple of frat boys and their dates standing on the sidewalk watching them. Emily got a really pissed off look on her face and flipped them off. Ingrid just started laughing.

“Fuckers.” Emily said, seething with anger. Then, suddenly she started laughing.

Ingrid leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“Lets go....I think I can make it now.” she said. “I'll just be careful.”

She started the car, lit another cigarette and pulled out. Ingrid saw Emily's lighter flash as she lit her own.

“I had a lot of fun tonight, Emily.” Ingrid said, casting a sidelong glance at the leggy blonde in her passenger seat.

“Me too baby...It was awesome. I actually don't remember the last time I had so much fun.” Emily said, grinning ear to ear.

“I do have a question though...” Ingrid said, then took a nervous drag off her cigarette.

“Go ahead..Hon.” Emily said, a concerned look on her face.

“I've never been...I've never been popular, or hell...I've never had a girl look twice at me. Never had much luck with guys either,except once I got to make out with Mark Hagan.” Ingrid said, with a short laugh. She looked over at Emily. She took another drag, trying to work out what she was going to say.

“Go on baby.” Emily said, putting her hand on Ingrid's knee.

“I don't know, hon. I love you Emm...You are my best friend. I don't want us fooling around to ruin our relationship. I love fooling around with you, don't get me wrong...But I'm really carrying a torch for Brad.” Ingrid said, blurting it out quickly.

Emily smiled at her then leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I won't ever let anything come between us, baby.” She said. “If you don't want to mess around any more, I'm not going to press you...”

Ingrid laughed. “No, that's not it...I really like messing around with you, it's...” She laughed harder. “It's fucking great.” She turned and looked at Emily and smiled, then looked back at the road. “I just didn't want to screw things up.”
Emily ran her hand up Ingrid's thigh. “Baby, you have nothing to worry about there.” she said. “We're just friends...with benefits.”

The drive home flew by, but getting back to the house was a huge relief for Ingrid who was absolutely terrified she was going to get pulled over. The girls got out of the car as the garage door was closing. They walked hand in hand into the house and dropped their purses on the kitchen island. “Want to keep this party going?” Emm said, opening the cupboard and pulling out a bottle of vodka.

Ingrid leaned against the counter and chewed on her fingernail for a second. “We have to get up pretty early to go skiing, don't we?”

Emily shrugged. “As long as we are on the road by noon we can make it there in time to do a little skiing tomorrow and have all day Sunday before we have to come back home.” She said, opening the bottle and pulling glasses out of the cabinet.

Ingrid smiled, then pulled the orange juice out of the fridge. “Ok...You are a horrible influence on me, Emily Vandiveer.” She said as she poured the orange juice. “But I love you for it.”

Emily topped off the glasses with vodka. “I know it, baby.” They clinked glasses, then walked hand in hand up the stairs.

Ingrid woke up with the sun streaming into her eyes. She turned her head and buried it back in the covers. Something warm brushed against her leg so she opened her eyes to see what it was and was quite surprised to see that it was Emily's foot. Emily was lying next to her, naked, covered only by a little bit of sheet. Ingrid looked down to see that she too was naked. That was when the headache that had been tapping on the back of her eyes pulled out a hammer.

“Uggghhhhh.” Ingrid said, putting her hand to her forehead. Her mouth tasted like a toxic waste dump, her lungs actually seemed to ache, and her bottom was more than a little sore. She tried to sit up but only managed to get up on one elbow. Last night was slowly coming back to her, but only in small, flashes.

She remembered getting home from the bar and going upstairs. She also remembered the two of them sitting on the floor of the bedroom doing shots of vodka. After that, it gets a little vague. She looked over at the place on the floor where they were hanging out and saw the big crystal ashtray, nearly overflowing and she knew she had cleaned it out yesterday. There were a few glasses on the floor and two empty vodka bottles, bottles which she knew yesterday were each half full. Ingrid's eyes actually seemed to creak in her skull as she looked at the devastation they had wrought on the room. Their clothes were scattered everywhere. There were sex toys and towels here and there. It looked like a Hunter S. Thompson party had spilled into suburban Virginia. Ingrid tried really hard to focus on the clock, and finally had to get her glasses on to see what time it was. Eight AM. She let her head fall back onto the pillow and closed her eyes.

“Ughhhhh.” She moaned as her headache continued to pound. Emily rolled over and pulled more covers over her. Ingrid opened her eyes and sat up again. Ingrid started coughing and felt like someone had poured oatmeal in her chest. It took a couple of seconds to get it clear feeling. She shook her head trying to clear it, realized that it wasn't a good idea to do that when you are as hung over as she was, then held her head in her hands for a couple of minutes.

She couldn't help but smile at Emily, who looked so peaceful sleeping there. Her mouth was turned up in a little smile, her ample breasts were rising and falling with her breath. Ingrid suppresses a laugh at the horrible state of Emily's makeup and hair though, fearing that hers wouldn't be much better. At least she's not dying of a hangover yet, Ingrid thought, then climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

The image that greeted her in the mirror gave her quite a start. Her hair was all over the place, sticking up like a strange halo where the artfully sculpted up do had turned into an avant guard horror show. Her raccoon eyes and smeared lipstick added to the look. Ingrid started the shower and climbed in, letting the water flow over her for quite a while, trying to wash the hangover away. She washed her face and then her hair, taking a lot longer than normal because of the sluggishness in her limbs, and the pounding in her head.

She ran a razor over her legs and pits then climbed out and wrapped a towel around her, covering her breast-forms like they were real breasts. She considered taking them off but didn't feel like it right now. She'd read that she could wear them for up to four days without any problems and decided she was going to wear them all weekend. She wrapped her hair in a towel, forming it into a turban, then walked out into the bedroom.

“Oh, shit.” She head Emily mutter from the bed. “Uhhhhhh”. Emily moaned then clutched her on head, like she was trying to keep her skull from splitting open. “What did we do last night?”, Emily said, rolling onto her side and propping her head on her hand.

Ingrid sat down on the end of the bed. “I don't remember all of it...But it was a hell of a fun night.” She purred. “Get in there and take a shower, it will make you feel a lot better.”

Emily sat up and coughed, then steadied herself on the bed. “I have never drunk, or smoked as much as we did last night, girl.” She coughed again.

“I know. We partied like rock stars last night, Emm...And we are paying for it this morning.” Ingrid said, then patted her on the knee. “Get dressed, I'll clean up in here.”

Emily padded into the bathroom and hopped in the shower. Ingrid started picking up the bedroom and had everything pretty much neat and tidy by the time Emily came out.

Emily had a towel wrapped around her, but didn't bother with putting her long blonde locks up in a towel, she just let the wet hair hang down around her shoulders. She sat down on the chase lounge and lit a cigarette. “What time do you want to head up to Whitetail?” Emily said, leaning back in the chase.

Ingrid shrugged, then walked over and sat down next to Emily. She took one of Emily's cigarettes and lit it. She coughed a little bit as her lungs protested the horrible abuse she'd put them through last night. She had never smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in a day, much less almost a pack and a half. She'd heard that people smoked a lot more when they were drinking heavily, and now she understood why. “I dunno. Want to head up there around eleven?” Ingrid said, laying her head on Emily's thigh.

“Sure.” Emily said. “That sounds good to me. Gives us a little time to recover before heading out...besides, I think I'm actually still a little drunk.” She started laughing, then clutched her head and moaned.

Ingrid nodded. “I think I might be too.” Ingrid stood up, letting her cigarette dangle from the corner of her lips. “I'll get us some aspirin.”

After both of the girls took their aspirin, washing it down with cups of coffee, they were feeling almost human. Then it was off to the bathroom to finish getting ready. They chatted and laughed, remembering stuff from last night as they dried their hair. Ingrid finished blow drying her hair first and stood there looking at it for a minute, running her hands through its length.

“What's wrong, Ingrid?” Emily asked, setting down the hair dryer.

“My hair...It looks ok when I put it up, but it is not styled at all, and since it's basically all one length, there is like nothing I can do with it except put it up, or let it hang.” She looked really frustrated and her frown deepened.

Emily stepped over and put her arms around her, peering over her shoulder. “I'm sorry Hon...I don't know what we could do about it that wouldn't get you TOTALLY busted when you are dressed as Richard.”

Ingrid's frown, which she didn't think could get any worse, surprised her and deepened more. “I know...It just sucks.” Ingrid said, throwing down her brush. Tears started rolling down her cheeks now, unbidden, but unstoppable. “I don't want to have to hide anymore, Emm.” She said, then turned and buried her face in Emily's shoulder, great sobs wracking her body.

Emily ran her hand through her Ingrid's hair and patted her on the back, shushing her quietly. “I know baby...I'm sorry.” Eventually, the tears stopped and Ingrid stood up, wiping her eyes.

“I just don't know what to do about it.” She said, sitting down in the little princess wrought iron chair at the bathroom counter. “I don't know how to tell them the truth.” That much was true. She didn't know how to tell them, though she assumed that Uncle Fred already had more than a little suspicion.

Emily perched on the counter, her face a mask of total compassion. “I don't know what to tell you, Ingrid. If you do completely come out now, it will totally screw you up at school and who knows what will happen with your Aunt and Uncle.”

Ingrid let her head drop. “I know...It's the school part that worries me the most. I think my Aunt and Uncle will be cool with it...I mean, if he was going to get really pissed, he would have already let the bomb drop. He knows what's going on, Emm...He's good.” Ingrid couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. “What do you think? Honestly?”

Emily thought about it for a second. “Well...I think you should go ahead and come out to them....Then at least you don't have to hide who you are at home. Then, maybe you can start female hormones like you talked about, even before schools out. You only have a couple of months, hon.' She said, then put her hand on Ingrid's leg. “You are tough as nails, girl...You can do a couple of months standing on your head.”

Ingrid laughed, then wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Thanks honey.” ingrid said, then stood up and gave her a hug. “I do want to do something with my hair though...And I need to do something about these eyebrows..I mean, they are fine, not too thick, but they are not what I want.” Ingrid said, running her index finger across her left brow. It was not bushy, which had helped her get by all this time, but it wasn't shaped very well. Most people would just assume she was going all European and natural about it, but she wanted cute little arched eyebrows like Emily's and she know that it just wasn't going to happen till she got out of school.

“Well...” Emily said, then stopped and nibbled on her fingernail while she formed the thought. “We could take you to the salon and get them shaped up a bit...They will do a much better job than I could...And you can show them pretty much exactly how much to take off. Most people wont notice as Richard anyway.”

Ingrid smiled. “You think it will work?” She asked, her eyes brightening.

Emily nodded. “I need to get mine done anyway. There is a great salon in the mall that takes walk ins no problem.”

Ingrid looked in the mirror and fluffed her hair. “What do you think I can do about this mess?” she asked.

Emily shrugged. “You could get it cut short...”

Ingrid looked at her, then looked in the mirror. “Do you think I could pull off short without looking like a boy?”

Emily laughed, almost guffawing. “Ingrid, you would look like a girl if you shaved your head.” She said, shaking her head. “No, you would look really hot with short hair, and could get a really fem style, then slick it back at school.”

Ingrid had never thought about that. She could do that. In a flash she was up and had her notebook open doing a search for hairstyles. After a quick google search for short women's hairstyles she had found her winner. Victoria Beckham's bob was the hairstyle for her. It was posh (pun intended) and would look great with a cocktail dress, or with jeans and a cami. “That's the one.” Ingrid said, pointing to it. Emily turned off the hairdryer and came to look.

“Are you sure?” Emily said, not sounding convinced. “It looks awesome, and would be super cute but could you carry it off as Richard?”

Ingrid shrugged. “I could say I'm going for a skater hair do...But in all honesty, I don't think it matters. I already get made fun of at school. I don't talk to any of them anyway, so who cares.” She had made up her mind. “The only thing that worries me is that I might not be able to put it in a good up-do.”

Emily laughed. “You are such a girl.” She said, reaching across her to get a cigarette. Emily lit one and gave it to Ingrid, then lit one for herself.

“Danke.” Ingrid said, while she searched for the answer to the up-do question. And there was the answer, Posh herself with some fantastic up-dos. “Yes.” Ingrid said, beaming ear to ear. “That's definitely it.”

“Awesome.” Emily said. “You Want to throw on some clothes and head down to the mall?” Emily looked at her watch. “It's been open for half an hour now.”

Ingrid glanced at the clock. Nine Thirty. “Cool. Lets go. I need to stop at the ski shop over by the mall, and I also need to get some shades.”

Emily, who was slipping into her jeans, stopped. “Shades?”

“Yeah...I need some shades for skiing. I don't have any that I want to wear.” Ingrid said, then took a last drag from her cigarette and exhaled as she spoke. “I saw some fantastic little Dior shades that I have to have.”

Emily shook her head. “Girl, once you actually have your trust fund, the malls of the world are going to be in trouble!”

Ingrid laughed, then stood up and started actually dressing herself. “You know it, girl.”

They both dressed in Jeans and sweaters, Emily in the clothes she wore over last night, and Ingrid in a pair of Old Navy (yes, I know, appalling) low rise Flirt cut jeans and a black cashmere sweater. The girls did their make-up, nothing dramatic, just a bit of eyeliner, mascara and lippy for both of them. It was amazing to Ingrid that she didn't need more make-up to appear female, and her skin was still looking flawless, even after sleeping in her make up last night.
Ingrid put on the black Fendi slingbacks she'd worn with the jeans a few weeks ago, the Prada puffer coat and a pair of D&G shades and she was ready to go.

The girls headed back down to Tyson's Galleria. It was very cold and the girls rushed to get inside. Ingrid's stomach was doing flip-flops as she walked into the salon. The woman at the counter looked up and smiled. “HI girls...Do you have appointments?”

Ingrid shook her head. Emily spoke up. “No, maam...Can we get in this morning, we are heading out skiing this afternoon.”

The woman smiled, and looked at the computer screen for a second. “Well, I can get one of you in in about fifteen minutes, and the other in half an hour.” She said, looking back up at them.

“Awesome.” Emily said, looking over at Ingrid.” Ingrid, since you have to get a cut and eyebrows done, you go first. I just need my eyebrows waxed.”

“Danke.” Ingrid said smiling back at her. “Ok..That sounds great. Fifteen minutes then?”

“Your name?” he woman said, her hands perched over the keyboard.

“Ingrid Wolfe.” She said smiling at her. “And this is Emily Vandiveer.”

“Good, ladies.” See you in fifteen minutes.

The girls had just enough time to walk to the Starbucks and buy some coffee before it was time for Ingrid's appointment.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Emily said, tugging at the sleeve of Ingrid's Prada coat.

Ingrid nodded and smiled. “I am sure.” She said. Her hand was in her pocket, clutching the printed photo of Victoria Beckham with the hairstyle she wanted.

Emily gave her a big hug. “I'm here for you.”

The two of them held hands and went inside.

Ingrid sat down in the chair, feeling more nervous than she ever had in her life. She wanted to get up and run, but instead, took a deep breath and looked up at the stylist.

“Hi. I'm Cindy.” The stylist said, running her and through Ingrid's hair to get an idea of the texture. “What can I do for you today, hon?”

Ingrid swallowed hard. “Well...I want to get my hair cut.” She stopped. “scheisse...I left it in my jacket.” Ingrid said, looking over at the coat rack.

“I’]ll get it.” Emily said, then hopped up and got the picture. She unfolded it and handed it to Cindy.

“Yeah, that is going to look great on you, Ingrid. Show off that fantastic neck of yours.” Cindy said, studying the picture and Ingrid. “You are almost as thin as Posh, here, so it will look fierce....Want to do the color too?”

Ingrid looked over at Emily, who shook her head “no”. “I guess not today, Miss.” Ingrid said. “I do not have time, we are going skiing.”

Cindy smiled. “I understand. It would look great blonde, though.” She said, putting down the picture.

Everything else Cindy said was completely lost on Ingrid, who was so intently watching her hair being cut that she was barely even aware of the talking. It didn't take too long and it was done. It looked fantastic, just like the picture. Ingrid tried hard to see Richard peering out from under those long eyelashes and just couldn't see him. Ingrid picked up the picture and compared her hair to the one in the pic and the match was perfect. She smiled and looked over at Emily, who was grinning back at her. “It is great, Cindy.” Ingrid said.

“I'm glad you like it. I was worried you weren't digging it for a second there, the look you had on your face.” She said. “Now, eyebrows?”

Ingrid nodded, then took off her glasses and handed them to Emily. “I just want them neatened up.” Ingrid said, handing her back the picture of Victoria Beckham.

“Emily Vandiveer?” A voice said from across the room.
“Right here.” Emily said, standing up. “Ingrid, your glasses are on the counter.” Emily said, then bopped over to get her brows done.

“OK. I gotcha.” Cindy said, then she started working. The wax was hot and it kind of startled Ingrid when she first put it on. “Sorry. It's hot wax, not much can be done to soften that blow.”

Ingrid laughed. She winced when the first strip came off, and again with the second It seemed like a long time and a lot more hair than she thought should be coming off, but it was too late now. In for a penny, in for a pound, Ingrid thought.

“There.” Cindy said, moving out of the way.

Ingrid leaned forward and still couldn't see. Then she remembered her glasses. She put them on and her mouth fell open. Her brows, which she meant to just get neatened up, were now nothing but thin, beautifully curved arches. Very much like Victoria's in the picture.

“What‘s wrong honey, I did them just like the picture?” Cindy said, sounding very worried.

Ingrid looked over at her, then back to her reflection. Maybe my Richard glasses will hide them...Maybe no one will look. I'm fucked. She thought.

“They...They are beautiful.” Ingrid said, admitting what she really thought. “They are less than I expected, but lovely. Thank you.” Ingrid said, gulping hard.

Now there is no way to hide it, she thought, I will have to tell my Aunt and Uncle. I will be able to hide it at school, but there is no way I can hide it all the time.

“Whew.” Cindy said. “I thought I'd messed up. You handed me the picture and I thought it was how you wanted it.”

Ingrid shook her head. “No...they are fine.” She said.

“I'm sorry, you still look upset. How bout I give you a free manicure to make up for it, since I can‘t put them back on?” Cindy said, trying to make light of it. Ingrid could tell she didn't want a complaint. And, Ingrid thought, I wasn't very clear on what I wanted.

“Yes, that sounds good.” Ingrid said, smiling at her.

“They do look very nice, so much better than the bushy look. That look is so last year anyway.” Cindy said, rolling over them manicure table.

When Emily came back over, her mouth flopped open like a fish. “Ingrid.” she said, looking at the brows and the hair. “Your brows.”

Ingrid smiled and shrugged. “Cindy felt bad for doing them too sparse so she gives me free manicure. I am almost done.” she said.

Half an hour later, a new Ingrid walked out of the Salon. Her hair, now cut in a Beckham “Pob”, her brows and fingernails neatly manicured. She felt beautiful, even if she did feel a sense of impending doom. The girls looked at each other and started laughing.

“I am so fucked.” Ingrid said, shaking her hair. She really liked the way her hair shook in front of her face. “Oh, well.”

Emily put her arm around her. “I know. I'm sorry.” She said, stifling her laughter.

“Don't be. I look good. I feel good. Fuck it.” Ingrid said with a shrug. “C'est La vie. I need a cigarette.”

Emily laughed. “Amen.” she said, then the two of them headed out the main doors.

Ingrid perched on a planter and lit a cigarette. The sun was bright now, as it was almost eleven. “We are not going to get on the road by noon, Emm.” She said, looking over at her best friend, who was lighting her own cigarette.

“I know. We are on girl time anyway.” Emm said while she exhaled. “You do look awesome, Ingrid. Even better than before.”

Ingrid felt herself blush. “Thanks, Emm. Your brows look fantastic too, and I always envy all that blonde hair.”

Emily reached up and touched her hair. “Yeah, Seeing that do on you makes me want to get mine cut like that. Would it bother you if I got mine done similar?” Emily asked.

“Hell no.” Ingrid said, grinning at her. “We can find an awesome short bob for you...your hair is sort of curly so we'll have to find the perfect one for curly hair...this one is for stick straight hair like mine.” Ingrid said, laughing.

The girls finished their cigarettes and went inside, heading straight to Nieman Marcus. Ingrid knew exactly where she was heading and in minutes they were standing in front of the sunglasses. “There they are.” she said, scooping a pair of
white opal framed Dior Airspeed 1's off the shelf. She put them on and posed in front of the mirror. They looked fantastic with her new hair do. “What do you think, Emm?” She said, turning and giving her a pout.

Emm laughed. “Love them. Jealous.” She said, putting her hand on her hip.

Ingrid giggled. “Here.” she said, looking over the rack and pulling off a pair of
black framed Dior 60's 1's from the shelf. “Try these.”

Emily put them on. They looked great on her, the classic big, black framed 1960‘s styled glasses set her light complexion off perfectly. “Perfect.” Ingrid said.

The sales woman, who had been standing near by asked. “Can I help you girls?”

Ingrid turned and looked at her, pushing the glasses on top of her head. “We'll take them.” She said, then winked at Emily.

Emily looked surprised. “I can't let you buy these for me.” She said, looking at the price tag. “These are almost two hundred dollars!”

Ingrid just shrugged and waved her off. “You're my best friend. We'll take them.”
She took the glasses from the still stunned Emily and walked over to the counter. Five minutes later, and $450 dollars lighter, both girls walked out with new sunglasses.

“Thank you, Ingrid. I don't know what to say.” Emily said, fiddling with the glasses.

“It's the least I can do, Emm. Like I said, you are my best friend.” Ingrid said, smiling at her.

Next stop was the ski shop. Ingrid rushed in and bought herself a new pair of ski boots, a pair of clear Technica Attiva Pro's, the first women's ski boots she had ever owned. They were much nicer than her old ones, and way cooler. She had already gone through her mom's ski stuff and found the things she would be wearing on the slopes, the only thing that didn't work were her mom's boots. They were a little too snug in the toes and she didn't feel like suffering all weekend. She also made a quick stop at the drug store and picked up some contact solution, then put on her contacts in the women's restroom. She had new sunglasses to wear and couldn't do that on top of her glasses.

By one o'clock the girls were on the road, finally, headed out to the slopes. Ingrid felt fantastic, having shaken the feeling that she was on death row, she decided to just enjoy the weekend and let the chips fall where they may. About thirty minutes into the drive, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Uncle Fred. Ingrid held up a finger to Emily, cleared her throat and tried to conjure up Richard's voice. All that really meant was dropping the accent.

“Hello.” Richard said, through Ingrid's mouth.

“Hey Rich.” Fred said. “Are you and Emily on your way to Whitetail yet?”

“Yeah, Uncle Fred. We got a late start.” Rich said, smiling over at Emily. “What's up?”

“I just wanted to remind you that you need to pick up the keys from the office before you go to the Condo.” He said. Rich could tell he was driving too. “Just tell the girl at the counter you are there to pick up the keys for number 331, she knows you are coming in today.” Fred said.

Richard swallowed hard. “Ok...” he said, feeling an edge of panic. “OK. Can do. Do I have to sign anything or something?”

“Nope.” Just tell them you want the keys to 331 and that's it.” Fred said. “have fun and be careful. I'll see you Monday when you get home.”

“Right. Thanks Uncle Fred.” Richard said. “Bye.”

He hung up the phone and looked over at Emily. “Uh oh.” He said, not switching to the Ingrid voice. “I totally forgot I had to pick up the keys.”

Emily started laughing. “oh, shit.” She bit her lower lip. “What are you going to do?”

He looked at the road stretching out in front of him, then looked in the mirror. Ingrid stared back at him. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked over at her, letting Ingrid take over so to speak. He was always so much more confident in that persona anyway.

“I'm going to walk in and get the keys.” Ingrid said, the accent returning. “If they question me, I'll tell them who I really am. Fuck them if they don't like it. It's my condo now.”

Emily giggled, then gave her a high five. “I doubt they will ask. Fred told them you are picking up the key and they are expecting you.”

Ingrid shrugged. “We'll see.” She said.

They stopped at a gas station, filled up the tank and picked up some cigarettes and Red Bull. In another hour, they were pulling in to the management office of the condos.

Ingrid took a deep breath, then perched the new Dior sunglasses on her head. “Ok. Here I go.” She said.

“You want me to go with you?” Emily said, flicking her ashes out the window.

“No. Watch the car. I'll be right back.” She said.
Ingrid got out and walked up to the door, the snow crunching under her boots. A bell tinkled as she entered. A middle aged man looked up from a magazine behind the counter and smiled. “Good afternoon, Miss. What can I do for you?” He said, standing up.

She swallowed hard, then smiled at him. “Yes. I need to pick up the key to 331. Fred called ahead to tell you I was coming?” She said, leaning against the counter. Her enhanced bosom looked fantastic in the tight, cashmere sweater and the man's eyes went instantly to it.

“Um...Well, he called and said his nephew was coming to pick it up.” The man said, smiling up at her.

“I am picking it up.” She said. “His niece, not his nephew.”

Just then, an older woman, probably fifty or so came out from the back office. “Is there a problem?” she asked the man, then smiled at Ingrid.

“Well, Fred Blake called yesterday and said his nephew would be coming to pick up the keys to 331, the Wolfe place.” He started.

The woman looked at Ingrid then opened her mouth a little in surprise. “You are Allison's daughter, aren't you?”

Ingrid nodded. “Yes. My mother is...was, Allison Wolfe.” The words were heavy in her mouth.

“Tom, she is the spitting image of her mother. Except she got Richard's brown hair.” She said. “I'm Lisa Byrum...I've managed this complex for years and know , knew, your parents very well. I don't remember them having such a beautiful daughter, but you are just the spitting image of your mother...I'm sorry, I said that already. I just can't get over it.” Lisa said, putting the keys on the counter. “If there is anything you need, you just call ok?”

Ingrid nodded. “Thank you, Ms Byrum.” she said, feeling very awkward and very busted.

She waved and headed back out to the SUV. “Well, Emm. I got the key but I am SOOOOO busted.” She said, laughing. “She is going to put two and two together and I'm going to be so fried.”

Ms. Byrum, or Tom had already turned the heat on in the condo so it was nice and toasty. The girls unloaded all their ski stuff and their baggage then went over by the fireplace to warm up. It was almost 3 now, so they would only have a couple of hours of skiing today if they hit the mountain right now, which meant they needed to really get a move on.

They decided to each take a bedroom, rather than share the master, but they both ended up in the master bedroom getting ready. Ingrid put on a pair of white Baby Slim pants, made by Killy. They were tight, satiny and super sexy as well as warm. She left on her black cashmere sweater and topped it off with her white Tasmin jacket from Emmegi. She stopped and posed in front of the mirror for a second. The outfit looked awesome, but for the first time in ages when she put on one of her mom's outfits, she felt a tinge of sadness. She remembered the last time they had gone skiing. Her mom had just bought this outfit and was so happy she would get to wear it skiing in the Alps.

“You OK?” Emily said, looking over at Ingrid. She was dressed in a very sporty, Pink Spyder coat and bib.

“Yeah...I just was remembering the last time my mom wore this outfit.” Ingrid said, running her hand over the fox fur around the hood. “Made me a little sad.”

Emily walked over and hugged her. “She would be glad it's getting worn by someone who looks so awesome in it. Now lets get out there and break some hearts, and hopefully not bones.” Emily said, grinning madly.

Ingrid laughed, then nodded her head. She stopped at the vanity and put on a new coat of pink lip-gloss then followed Emm downstairs. She put her cigarettes in her pocket along with her lighter and her wallet. The management had laid out their ski lift tickets for them on the counter, so the attached the lift tickets to their jackets. Both of them grabbed their gloves and the rest of their ski stuff and they were out the door.

Ingrid was carving down the slopes, enjoying the feel of the cold wind against her face. Emily on the other hand, was tearing it up, using her short freestyle skis she was an absolute madwoman. Ingrid couldn't help but smile at her as she zoomed past, hopping moguls and jumping anything she could. Ingrid on the other hand, was just happy not to be falling down. She was a pretty good skier, but nothing of Emm's caliber. They made four runs in forty five minutes and Ingrid was ready for a break. Her new boots weren't broken in and her calf muscles were killing her. They skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill near the lodge and Ingrid held up her hand.

“Emm, honey. I'm going to sit the next few runs out. I'm bushed, and I need to get these ski's off for a minute. she said, grinning at her. “You go ahead.”

Emily smiled back at her. “you sure? I can wait with you.” Emily said, but her eyes were back up the mountain.

“No. Go. Have fun. I'll be right here with a cup of coffee when you get back.” Ingrid said, waving her off. She didn't have to tell her twice and Emily was skiing towards the lifts.

Ingrid took off her K3's and leaned them an the poles against the railing. She walked over to the snack bar and ordered a large cup of coffee. She took the coffee and wandered back over by the railing to look up at the slopes. A couple moved from a table nearby, close enough she could keep an eye on her skis, so she took it. She lit a cigarette then leaned back and closed her eyes, wiggling her toes in her ski boots.

“Hello again.” someone said. A man's voice. “We keep bumping into each other.”

It was Brad. Ingrid's eyes popped open and she fought to keep from grinning at him like an idiot. Instead of grinning, she took a drag from her cigarette then cooly gave him a smile. “Yes we do, Bradley. How nice to see you.” she said, gesturing for him to sit down.

He was dressed in a blue, North Face jacket and bib. His shaggy blonde hair was blowing in the breeze. He looked absolutely dreamy.

“You know, the first time I met you, you made a Charade Comment...Now I think its very funny that I run into you on the porch at a ski resort...Very much like in the movie, don't you think?” He said, taking off his gloves and setting them on the table.

“Uncanny.” She said, laughing. “You are not a treasury agent, I hope?”

He shook his head. “No. I'm a high school senior.” He laughed. “You look great, by the way. I love the new hair cut.”

Her hand went to her hair, then she smiled at him. “Thank you, Bradley. I'm glad you like it.”

She took a nervous drag from her cigarette. She was now fairly certain he would catch on to the fact that Ingrid was actually Richard. This very carefully crafted charade would all fall down around her ears.

“You ok?” he said, his voice full of concern.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Certainly. I am fine. Are you here alone?” She asked.

“No. I'm here with Mark, a friend from school. He ran into your friend Emily and she told me you were over here. So, it's really not exactly chance that I ran into you.” he said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“It is ok. Where is he now?” Ingrid asked over the rim of her coffee cup.

“He went up the mountain with Emily. Don't tell her, but he's had the hots for her for years.” Brad said conspiratorially.

“Oh, I won‘t tell her.” Ingrid said, smirking.

“Of course you will...you girls don't keep any secrets from each other, even I know that.” Brad said, laughing.

“You are right. I will tell her first thing.” she said, unable to keep herself from laughing.

Brad realized he was staring at her, then looked away. “Are you staying up here?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. We are in the condos. You?” She asked.

“Yeah...We're staying in the lodge. Mark's parents are here with us.” he said, sounding very unhappy about that situation.

“Emily and I have the condo all to ourselves.” Ingrid said, grinning. Hoping beyond hope that she might get to see more of Bradley later.

“Really? How did you swing that?” He asked, laughing. “My parents would never go for that.”

She shrugged. “It is my condo.”

“You mean, it belongs to your family?” he asked.

“No. It's mine.” She said, then did a french inhale.

“Wow.” he said. His eyes were fixed on her lips as she exhaled. “I mean, that's cool.”

Ingrid couldn't help but smile. “Would you boys like to come by tonight and visit?” She asked, hoping he would say yes.

“Sure. What time?” He asked, sounding more than a little excited.

“Say, eight oclock. We do not have much to drink, so if you want something, please bring it.” She said.
“Cool. I think we can arrange something.” he said.

Ingrid finished her cigarette while the two of them made small talk, mainly about the skiing and the weather. She put it out, then looked up the mountain. It was starting to get dark. “Maybe time for one more run before the night skiing?” she asked.

He nodded. “Sure. Want some company?” Bradley asked, standing up and offering his hand.

The two of them rode the lift up together, then skied down, horsing around the whole way. Ingrid couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun with anyone except Emily. She was grinning ear to ear as she followed Brad down the slopes.

Bradley watched as Ingrid walked skied off towards her condo and realized he was smiling like an idiot. He turned and wiped the grin off his face, then popped off his skis and started towards his room. He knew that Mark and Emily wouldn't be down for quite a while, they would go until they absolutely had to get off the slopes. He was just not that committed today.

He dropped his stuff in his room and stripped out of his ski gear. Something was bothering him, that nagging feeling that something about Ingrid was both familiar and not quite right at the same time. He had a theory about it, one that was causing him more than a little distress. He thought that Ingrid might be Richard Wolfe. He actually laughed out loud at the thought.

Bradley walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The steam started clouding the room as he climbed inside. His mind was going over the facts as he knew them. They drove exactly the same model car. They were the same height and build, except for the obvious breasts on Ingrid but those could be some sort of appliance. They looked very similar. He'd been caught by Richard studying him in the lunch room, a fact that made him very embarrassed. He secretly didn't want to admit that he thought Richard was very pretty, because he reminded him so much of Ingrid. That thought, the first time it surfaced, caused him a lot of anguish.

Bradley wasn't sure what to think right now. He thought Ingrid was gorgeous, stylish, and really cool. Trying to temper that by the fact that she might actually be a sixteen year old guy was making his head hurt. He put his head under the water and let the scalding jets pound against his head for a while. What will I do if I'm right? He thought, trying to work it out. Will that actually change how I feel? Will it make me happy that I'm right, or sad that I'm wrong? His imagination suddenly shifted to thinking of what Ingrid would look like naked. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of that, he had to admit, but it was the first time he was thinking of it objectively. And the thought that came to mind was how Richard looked in the locker room that day he got in a fight. Bradley hadn't wanted to admit how much he thought Richard looked like a girl from behind, a very skinny, string bean of a girl, but not bad by any stretch. He shook his head, trying to get that thought to go away. Then the camera of his mind's eye began to rotate around Ingrid's body. She was standing in front of him, naked, her pert round breasts standing out from her thin frame, her flat belly gleaming, her small penis. His mind screeched to a halt. That thought should have completely disgusted him, but looking down at his now very hard cock, he could see that it was not having that effect at all. He sighed loudly, then took matters into his own hands, unable to shake the image of a nude Ingrid/Richard from his mind.

Ingrid dropped her keys on the counter and opened the fridge. It was completely empty. She sighed, then closed the door, realizing that she was going to need to run to the grocery store. There was a small grocer up on the mountain, so, she changed out of her ski boots into her Uggs, grabbed her purse and headed for her car.

The grocery store was sort of crowded, but it felt nice to be somewhere you could be completely anonymous. She did notice a lot of the boys, and men, watching her walk by in her tight, white, sateen pants, which made her smile. She picked up a twelve pack of sodas, a meat and cheese tray, some grapes, crackers, and a box of pop tarts for the morning. She was eyeing the alcohol in the corner, but was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to get away with that without being carded. sighing, she headed up to the front to pay.

She loaded the groceries in the back of the SUV then headed back to the condo. She was unloading them into the fridge when Emily, grinning ear to ear, walked in.

“Hi Emm.” Ingrid said, looking over her shoulder. “My, you look happy.”

Emily dropped her stuff by the door and hung up her coat. “I had the best time. Mark is an awesome skier, and so damn cute to bat!” She said, perching on one of the bar stools at the counter.

“Coffee?” Ingrid said, pulling a cup out of the cabinet.

“Oh, yes. Please.” Emily said, blowing into her hands. “Cool, you picked up food.”

Ingrid handed her the coffee cup. “Yeah, Brad and Mark are coming over tonight.” Ingrid said, giving her a little smile, then perching on the other bar stool.

Emily's eyes got as big as saucers. “They are? Awesome!” She said, then dug her cigarettes out of her jacket pocket. She offered one to Ingrid, who took one, then got one for herself.

“Are you sure that's a good idea though, spending that much time with Brad? Aren't you worried he's going to twig on to who you really are?” Emily said, then exhaled a thin plume of smoke towards the kitchen light.

Ingrid shrugged. “I don't care anymore. I like Bradley. I like him a lot. If he likes me, then so be it. If he doesn't, I guess he'll tell everyone at school and make my life a living hell.” Ingrid said, sounding like she had made up her mind.

“Are you sure you want to trust him like that, baby?” Emily said.

“I trusted you and it's been the best thing that ever happened to me.” Ingrid said sincerely. “I think he's a good person. And even if nothing romantic comes out of it, which would be a real stretch if he knew the truth, then at least I really don't think he's going to try to have me socially crucified. But, there is only one way to know for sure.” Ingrid said, trying to sound more brave then she was feeling.

“Ok.” Emily said, then added. “I'm here for you if things go bad. But I am really glad they are coming over. I really do like Mark.” She was practically bubbling.

“Well, they are going to be here in about an hour. So, I'm going to fix my hair and do my face.” Ingrid said, getting up. “I'll use the master bath, you use the one off your room, OK?”

Emily nodded, then got up and gave Ingrid a hug. “Thanks hon. I'm going to hit the shower. I worked up quite a sweat out there.”

“I know. You were ripping it up, girl.” Ingrid said.

Then headed upstairs to get ready. She didn't need to shower, so she just washed her face, getting her make-up off to start with a clean slate. She patted her face dry and looked at herself in the mirror. Without any make up, and with her new ultra girly brows and hair, she looked like Ingrid without make-up. Not, as she had thought before, like Richard Wolfe. She looked really hard, trying to see the boy she had been, but couldn't for the life of her see it. Sure, she looked the same, but those little changes were enough that it was very obvious. She wetted her hair and slicked it back, trying to figure out how she was going to style it to go back to being Richard at school. It seemed like a lost cause, so she gave up and dried her hair.

She pulled her hair up into a headband and started on her make-up She decided she was going to go for straight 60s glamour tonight, so she out on some mineral foundation, then started to work with her liquid eyeliner. She did some really impressive cats eyes, topped off with a slight line of white eye-shadow, then added some ultra-length mascara that made her eyelashes look a mile long. She stopped and admired her handiwork for a second. Feeling really pleased with her work, she put on her lipstick, going for a white frosted look. She'd always loved the “Mod” look and with the white pants and tight black sweater, she was rocking the Emma Peel look tonight.

Ingrid leaned in and examined her face. The make-up did make a big difference in her appearance, making her look a lot older than 16, more like 19 or 20, which she really liked. But under the make-up, she could see things that as a woman, she would really like to change. Her lips weren't as plump as her mother's, which made her sad, but she knew that could be fixed with 15 minutes in a doctors office. She also wasn't terribly happy with the shape of her face, it seemed a little boyish to her she had to admit, but that would change once she started taking female hormones. The thought of that brightened her face. She would be able to grow into a woman, not completely, but more so that she was right now. With that thought, she pulled her hair down and started styling it. She brushed it out good, then used the hot iron to put some flip on the ends. She topped it off with a bump it, and a white vinyl headband to complete the 60's mod look. She looked at herself in the mirror and realized what she was missing.

“Duh.” she said, digging through her jewelry box. She found the dangly, earrings she was looking for. They were silver, with large, white upside down triangles on them. She had found them in her mother's jewelry box and thought they were great. She pulled the small silver hoops she'd always worn, both as Richard and as Ingrid, out and put them in. They were really heavy, but she liked how they hung down as long as her hair. She shook her head a little, watching the earrings and her hair sway.

Ingrid scooped up her sunglasses and perched them on top of her head, knowing that cool sunglasses were just as cool over your headband as they were on your face. She walked out into the living room. She could still hear the shower running in the extra bedroom and knew that Emily would still be quite a while getting ready. Ingrid looked at her watch and saw that the guys should be here in around thirty minutes. She poured herself another cup of coffee, put on her coat and walked out onto the balcony.

The ski resort was lit up for night skiing. It was beautiful, the way the lights shone against the snow. She leaned against the railing on her elbows and lit a cigarette. She was lost in thought, wondering what tonight, and next week would bring, when she heard the door bell ring.

“Hi.” Ingrid said, opening the door. Bradley was standing closest to the door, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a big, black, leather coat. Mark was behind him wearing a pair of tan cargo's and a Wedgeworth Lacrosse sweatshirt. “Come in.” She said, stepping aside.

“Hi Ingrid.” Bradley said, looking her up and down. She was holding the door open with one hand and the other was cast daintily out to the side with a cigarette held near the tip of her fingers. His eyes finally finished climbing all the way up her and stopped on her face. She was made up very classy, and in that outfit she looked like a Bond girl or something. “Wow, you look great.” he said, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He immediately regretted doing it, because he started blushing.

Ingrid was taken off guard by the kiss on the cheek, which set her to blushing. She smiled. “Hello...You must be Mark.” She said, after the boys stepped inside. I'm Ingrid.

“I know, Brad's told me a lot about you. And he wasn't lying.” Mark said, grinning. “Very nice to meet you.” He shook her hand.

Ingrid then noticed that Bradley was holding a very large, paper sack. “Would you like to put that down?” She asked, guiding him towards the kitchen. She took a final drag from her cigarette, then put it out in the ashtray on the counter.

“Thanks.” he said, putting on the counter. “We brought some beer and some Smirnoff Ice.” he said, pulling a couple of six packs out of the bag. “Mark has a pretty good fake ID.” he said with a grin.

“Ah, yes, it pays to have illicit connections.” Mark said, leaning against the bar and looking around. “Where is Emily?” he asked.

Ingrid smiled. “She's still getting ready. She'll be down in a few minutes.” Ingrid opened the refrigerator and pulled out the snack tray and the grapes. Brad jumped right in and helped her lay out the snacks.

“Quite the hostess.” Bradley said. He was standing right next to her as she worked. She gave him a little bump with her butt and smiled.

“I would love one of those Ice drinks, Bradley.” Ingrid said as she washed off the grapes.

“Sure.” he said, opening the fridge. He unscrewed the cap and waited for her to take the bottle. “Enjoy.” he said, then pulled out a beer for him and handed one to Mark.

“Make yourself at home Mark. The television is over there, and we have cable.” Ingrid said, then took a sip from her drink. It was pretty good. “Sweet.” she said out loud, more to herself than anything.

“I thought you would like it. Most girls seem to like those better than beer.” He said, then popped a grape in his mouth.
“I do like it.” she said with a smile. “I am surprised that you are drinking, Bradley. I thought you had no vices.”

He laughed. “Nah, I have plenty. Just not the same ones as you.” he said. “My tastes are not so sophisticated. My vices are beer, junk food, and video games. All things that will rot you one way or another.”

Ingrid laughed. “See, then we are not so different, you and I.” she said, pulling a cigarette out of her pack. She started to reach for her lighter, but Bradley picked it up first.

“Allow me.” he said, then flicked the Givinche for her. She leaned in and put her hand on top of his to steady it, then lit her cigarette. She was very conscious of what she was doing as she took a deep, cheek hollowing drag, then did a snap inhale.

“Thank you.” she said, then exhaled the smoke skyward.

“You are welcome.” He said, unable to take his eyes off her.

“Sorry it took me so long.” Emily said, walking into the living room. She was wearing a very cute black skirt, with leggings and a hot pink Joan Jett T shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a very punky looking Updo and her make-up was straight 80s rock star. She looked awesome, and very Emily.

“Hi Emily.” Mark said, standing up. His eyes were glued to her as she walked into the room.

“Hello Emm.” Ingrid said. “The boys were kind enough to bring drinks.” She said, holding up her glass.

“After last night, I'm not sure if that's a good idea.” she said, laughing, but took one of the beers anyway. “But since when have I been one to worry about good ideas. Hey Brad.” She said, bopping him with her hip.

Ingrid laughed. “I know.” Ingrid purred.

The obligatory group conversation started, all of them gathered around the bar nibbling on food and drinking while they talked about their day skiing. It was pretty obvious that both couples wanted to go off by themselves and get to know one another better so it didn't last too long. After an hour, that seemed to Ingrid like three days, they were finally able to make their break. She walked over and put her Ipod in the dock on the stereo and selected random. The song “Call Me” by Blondie came on, which was one of her favorite songs so she took that as a good omen.

The condo wasn't huge, but it was plenty big for two couples to find places to talk alone. Ingrid and Brad settled on the leather sofa near the fireplace, while Emily and Mark seemed quite content to stay at the bar and nibble while they talked.

Ingrid pulled out a cigarette, then looked over at Brad. “This will not bother you, sitting so close to me will it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Normally, I would say yes. But now. No.” he said, smiling, then picked her lighter up off the table and lit her cigarette for her. He watched her take a drag, then french inhale. She must know I like that, he thought as he watched her. “Are you sure you aren't a time traveler, sent here from the 1960s to torment high school boys?” he asked, laughing.

She laughed, then nodded, a serious look on her face. “Yes. It is all part of an insidious East German plot to destroy the future.” She said, cocking her arm up near her shoulder so her cigarette was pointed towards the ceiling “It is very smart, no?”

Ingrid finished her first Smirnoff Ice and Bradley got up to get her another one, and to grab a beer for himself. She finished her cigarette and put it out. She could tell he was thinking something, and she wanted to ask what it was but she was scared that he was thinking the truth about her. Her mouth was faster than her brain, and before she could stop herself, the terrible question had spilled out over her frosted lipstick. “What's wrong, Bradley?” she bit her lip, but it was too late. She'd asked.

He didn't sit down. He stood there, holding both drinks, then looked over towards the kitchen. “Umm...You want to go out on the balcony? Get some fresh air?” he asked.

She looked over towards the kitchen, then nodded. She stood up and grabbed her coat, which he helped her put on. Ingrid picked up her cigarettes and lighter and put them in her pocket, then took the drink from Brad. He shrugged into his coat.

“Where are y'all going?” Emily asked.

“We are going to get some air. It’s ok.” Ingrid said, giving her the best reassuring smile she could.

They stepped outside into the dark silence. Ingrid could hear music playing at one of the other condos, something jazzy, and could hear people talking in one of the other hot tubs somewhere nearby. The wind was blowing a little, so she zipped up her jacket. She turned to Brad, who had a puzzled, almost grave expression on his face. Scheisse, she thought, he knows. She didn't speak, but couldn't handle just standing there, so she lit a cigarette.

Brad took stood there for a moment watching Ingrid as she zipped up her coat and lit a cigarette. He had to know whether his suspicions were true, but what if they weren't? He didn't know what to say, so he took another drink of his beer and just watched her for a moment, enjoying how the light played across her skin and how much she looked like some sort of ghost standing there in all white against the night.

“What?” Ingrid finally asked, unable to contain her self anymore and feeling terribly self conscious.

He couldn't help but smile. “You look beautiful.” he said, meaning every word. “I just...” he started, then said.” I have to ask you something. But I really don't know how to ask it.” he said.

Her heart fell. Was he playing with her, giving her a compliment like that, just to bash her hopes once he knew the truth? “go ahead.” she said quietly, then took a nervous drag.

“I...” He started, then laughed. “I felt like I knew you from the first time I saw you. But I could not for the life of me figure out how.” He moved over and leaned against the hot tub next to her. She looked very small, and frail next to him, and he swore she had a frightened expression on her face. “It really bugged me after we hung out at the coffee shop. I just KNEW that I had met you before. I knew it.” He took another drink, then played with the snow with the toe of his boot for a second.

Ingrid gulped. Here it comes. He knows and he's going to out me in front of everyone, she thought.

“I started paying close attention to things. At school. At home. You made quite an impression, I realized.” he said, smiling at her. His teeth gleaming in the light from a neighbor's porch. “But then I started putting two and two together and came up with a result that wasn't quite four.”

Ingrid looked down at the snow, feeling like tears were coming. She was busted. This was far worse than she'd imagined. She took a final, deep drag from her cigarette and dropped it on the deck, grinding it out with the toe of her boot.

“I...I think you have a secret, Ingrid.” he said finally. “I think I know what that secret is. So rather than ask straight out...I'm going to ask you a simple question.”

She looked up at him. Her eyes were wide with fright, and bright with tears.

“Is Richard Wolfe going to come back to school after Christmas with a new, shorter hairstyle?” he asked. There was no malice in his voice, but the inflection told her that he did know.

She nodded, then a tear rolled down her cheek. “I'm sorry.” Ingrid said, dropping the German accent.

He reached out and lifted her chin so he could look in her eyes. They were so wide and hurt. She, well he, his mind tried to correct. She, he firmly thought has been through so much. “I...” he started, then watched as another tear rolled down her cheek. Then, he did something he would have never expected. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Ingrid was looking into his eyes, terrified that he was going to hit her, or call her a freak. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her. Her body went rigid. Her lips felt like rigor mortis had set in. Then, after a brief instant, she melted. Her mouth opened and accepted his tongue, hers seeking his out. The tears kept rolling down her cheeks and she sobbed, despite herself as they kissed.

Bradley was almost as surprised as she was. He was a little taken aback when he kissed her. He had never kissed a girl who smoked before, he had only actually kissed two girls in his life and they were both very sporty types. The taste was odd, and not terribly pleasant. An ashy taste, mingled with the sweetness of the Smirnoff Ice, but as they kissed, he accepted it and took her into a strong embrace. They kissed for a long time. He could feel the pain in her as she sobbed, with happiness or release he wasn't sure. Eventually, they broke the kiss. She looked up at him, her cheeks still wet with tears. Strangely, he thought, her make-up isn't running.

She looked down. “I'm sorry...I must look a mess.” she said, the German accent coming back. She laughed, then said with her regular voice. “sorry.”

“No. You look fine, Ingrid.” he said, not having a tissue or a hanky, he offered her a napkin he had in his pocket. “that eyeliner must be waterproof.”

She laughed. “It is.” she dabbed at her eyes.”I'm sorry for lying to you Bradley...But I couldn't very well tell you the truth either.” She said, her lips falling into a pout. “I tried to avoid anyone I knew, but you kept popping up everywhere!” she said, sounding exasperated.

“Why...Why do you do it?” he asked. Very unsure of himself right now. He was very turned on by Ingrid, which excited him and sickened him at the same time. She was still a boy, a little voice in his head kept screaming.

“I...just sort of fell into it.” She said, shrugging. She picked up a cigarette and started to reach for her lighter, but again, Bradley got to it first and lit it for her. “You like doing that, don't you?” She asked, nodding thanks.

“Yeah...Makes me feel like one of the guys in all those old movies you know we both love.” He said, setting the lighter down on top of her pack. “Go on.”

She started telling him the whole story. He was aghast at her description of the horrors those gangsters inflicted on him and his family, though she didn't describe it in complete detail, he got the picture. She told him about the first year after the incident, and how Ingrid was just sort of born. She broke down in tears a couple of times and he held her close, letting the crying fit subside. It took close to thirty minutes, another drink, and three cigarettes to get him up to date.

“So, that's it.” My whole story. Leaving out the bits about her and Emm, of course, she thought. “I understand if you think I'm too damaged to even worry about.” Ingrid said, choking back a sob.

He pulled her close and held her for a second before speaking. “I...don't think you are too damaged. I think you are way stronger than anyone I know. After all that happened to you, you found a way to cope.” He said quietly.

She pulled back from him and threw her cigarette over the balcony into the snow. “So. What now, Bradley?” she asked.

He reached up and touched her cheek. She winced and shied away, so he moved in and kissed her again. They kissed for a little while, exploring each others mouths, holding each other tight in the chill winter night.

“That was nice.” she said, looking into his eyes. “But I mean. What now?” She asked, pressing him.

“I don't know.” he said, smiling at her. “I know all about you now, and for some strange reason, it doesn't bother me. I’m still very attracted to you.” He reached up and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

“You know I'm not a girl, Bradley.” she said quietly. “I look like one, for the most part. But I'm not wholly a girl.”

“I know.” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

“I'm going to be starting hormone therapy, which will bring on changes that will make me chemically, a woman. But physically, and genetically, I'll be male.” She said, hoping she was bringing the point home.

“I know that too.” he said, then laughed. “So, that means you will be growing breasts of your own?” he said, a lascivious look in his eyes.

Ingrid giggled. “Boys. All you think about are boobs.” she said, slapping him on the leg. “But, yes. I will. Since I only barely started male puberty before the accident, I should, according to my research, transition really well. I won’t ever gain any of the distinctly male traits, like jutting brow and big bone structure. I should grow my own breasts, but they will most likely be smallish, like my mother's were before she had them augmented.” She said with a shrug.

“That's ok.” He said, smiling. “I don't mind.”

She hugged up against him. She had been so enraptured in their conversation that she hadn't realized how cold she was. “Bradley, I'm freezing.” she said, shivering even under her warm clothes.

“Ok.” he said, helping her up. “Let’s go back inside.”

The two of them went inside, but Emily and Mark were nowhere to be seen. Ingrid smiled and shook her head. That bad girl, she thought, but she knew she'd been thinking the same thing. Ingrid sat down on the hearth and warmed her hands in front of the fire. Bradley sat down next to her and handed her another drink.

“Thank you.” she said, putting the German accent back on in case Mark heard.

“I like the accent, Ingrid. It adds to the mystique.” he said into her ear, then kissed her on the neck.

She smiled and moaned softly as his lips touched her neck. “So...how are we going to handle things?” she asked, hoping he had some idea, cause she had not thought that far ahead.

“Well...” he said between kisses on her neck. “I figure we'll do exactly like we've been doing I’ll watch out for Richard at school, and see Ingrid afterwards.” he said, then nibbled on her neck a little bit.

“You think that will work? Do you think anyone else will get suspicions?” she said, finding it very hard to concentrate with him doing that.

“Nope. I don't think anyone will. I hardly believe it myself, Ingrid, and I know for sure. We will just have to be careful, that's all.” he said.

“Ok.” she said, then took another sip of her drink. “I'm really glad I bumped into you, Bradley Worthington.” she said, kissing him softly on the lips.

“I'm very glad I ran into you, Ingrid Wolfe.” he said. “You have altered my perception forever.” Then the two of them fell into a tight embrace, kissing each other with only the passion that two teenagers can muster.

Ingrid's sex drive, which was not incredibly strong thanks to a lack of proper sex hormones, was not non existent. Usually, her thoughts about sex had more to do with curiosity, and thought than wanton desire, but now, she was feeling that desire more strongly than she ever had before. She felt her penis twitch in her panties as it tried to harden. Then she ran her hand down Bradley's back, slipped it around his hip and rested it in his lap. She could feel an immense hardness there as they kissed. Throwing caution to the wind, she reached over and slipped her hand down the waistband of his jeans. They were pretty tight, so she couldn't get her hand all the way in there, but she could touch the end of his penis, which was straining against his underwear. He started at the touch.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked, sounding concerned.

Ingrid just smiled and ran her finger across the tip of his penis. It was slightly slick from pre-cum. She nodded, then the two of them were kissing again. It was irritating her that she couldn't' get her hand down his jeans so she stopped and put her hand against his chest. He stopped kissing her. “Lets go in the bedroom, Bradley.” she said, standing up. He looked scared now. “don't worry...I will not do anything you don't want to do.” she said with a smirk. He laughed and looked down at his feet, then stood up. “Get me another drink?” she said, gesturing towards the kitchen. He nodded and headed that way.

She walked down the hall to the bedroom. Her heart was pounding so hard if felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. She took off her coat and dropped it in the easy chair, then lit a cigarette, hoping it would calm her down. She laid down on the bed and was reclined there, smoking when he walked in. He smiled at her and shut the door.

His eyes took in her whole body. The tight, shiny white pants, the form hugging black sweater. She had taken off her shoes and socks and his eyes were drawn right to her blue painted toe nails. “God, you are sexy.” he said, leaning against the door frame.

Ingrid smiled at him, then patted the bed next to her. She took the sunglasses off the top of her head and laid them on the table next to her cigarettes. She took one last, deep drag, then put the cigarette out. Bradley sat down next to her and handed her the drink. She took a long pull from the bottle, soothing her throat. Then the two of them were kissing again. They laid on the bed kissing for quite a while, their hands feeling each others bodies through their clothes. Then, Ingrid finally decided to make the move she'd wanted to for so long. She slid her hand down the front of his jeans and took hold of his cock. It was massive, she thought, so much bigger hard than she'd imagined. She smiled up at him.

“You sure?” he said, sounding very unsure himself.

She didn't answer, but instead, unbuttoned his pants and let the monster out of its cage. It was big, over seven inches long and thick. She smiled at his penis, then up at him. “Wow.” she said with a chuckle.

“What?” he asked, defensively.

“Its huge.” she said, then leaned down and kissed the tip. Bradley moaned and leaned his head back as she took the tip into her mouth. She sucked on the tip for a second, then took more of it into her mouth. She was very careful not to touch her teeth to it, since she'd heard that guys didn't' like that. She sucked on it for a second, bobbing up and down, then came up and let it pop out of her mouth. Breathing a little heavy, she took the base of it in her hand and stroked it up and down a few times. “I'm new at this, so if I do something you don't like...tell me.” she said. Bradley just nodded.

She smiled, then went down on him again. Bradley couldn't help but watch her as she took his cock into her mouth. The way her pink lips looked around his shaft turned him on. And the way she was looking up at him, with those big wide eyes, made even more sexy by the cat's eye make up. For a second, all that was going through his head was “A guy is sucking your cock, you faggot.”. Then he looked into her eyes and that thought was gone. No, another voice in his head said, fighting for coherency through the pleasure. “She's a girl, just a different kind of girl”, and she was learning fast.

“That's good.” He said, or muttered, he wasn't sure.

Ingrid was really getting into it now. She had dreamed of this for years. Not specifically with Bradley, though she had thought of him specifically several times. She had always been attracted to boys, though at the time she thought it was just some sort of phase that would pass, but it didn't. It just got stronger with the years. She did like girls, she thought they were beautiful, and graceful. She did really enjoy making out with Emm, but it wasn't the same. It didn't' light a fire in her like it did here with Brad. She was going down on him vigorously now, taking him deeper into her mouth with each stroke, working the base of his shaft with her hand. She went too far a couple of times and gagged, then had to take a breath before going back down, but she was loving every minute of it. After what seemed like hours, but was really no more than ten minutes, of worshiping his cock, he moaned, then said. “I'm going to cum.”, he moved like he was expecting Ingrid to back off then, but she was having none of that. She was going to do this all the way, and do it right. Instead, she doubled her efforts, working him so hard her jaw started aching. She felt the muscles tighten up in his abdomen, then he cam, moaning loudly and shooting a huge amount of hot cum into her mouth. She thought she was ready for it, but it still took her by surprise, making her flinch. She let his cock come out of her mouth, and one more spurt hit her on the lips. She fought to swallow, the cum was thicker than she expected, but got it down.

Bradley looked up into Ingrid's face. She was panting, hovering over his cock, a little bit of cum on her lips. She licked them clean, then used the tip of her finger to get the rest off his penis. She licked her finger clean then, as well and smiled at him.

“Yummy.” she said, lying, but only a little lie. She thought that she could actually come to really like that taste. It made the effort seem worthwhile.

“Wow.” he said, panting, laying back on the bed. Ingrid rolled over and lit a cigarette. “That was amazing.” he said.

“Really? So I did good?” she asked, genuinely wanting to know.

“Yeah...that was awesome. You...You weren't scared of it. The only other girl who did that for me seemed like she was scared of my, my penis. It made it awkward.” He said, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Thank you, Bradley.” she said, then did a snap inhale. “I enjoyed that immensely myself.”

“It's still hard for me to believe.” Bradley said, shaking his head.

“What?” Ingrid said, a confused look on her face.

“That you are a boy.” he said quietly. “You are beautiful.”

Ingrid blushed. It didn't bother her for him to say that, it actually made her feel good that he was accepting her for what she was. “I'm a girl..with a little extra.” she said with a chuckle.

He laughed at that too. “Is...Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.

“Hold me.” she said, then cuddled up against him. He held her, her back against his chest while she finished her cigarette.

He enjoyed holding her close like this. Her smoking, which would normally bother him, didn't bother him at all. In fact, he thought it was sexy. He'd heard of smoking fetishes before but had never given it any thought. Now, he understood it. As he laid there, holding her tight, Bradley realized that his life had changed forever. His horizons, which had been rather narrow before, had been drastically widened. She finished her cigarette and put it out, then took a drink from her bottle and rolled over to face him. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, taking in the smoky taste of her mouth, the cool spot on her lips where the bottle had touched.

They kissed for a little while, holding one another. Then, Bradley's hand, almost acting without guidance from his brain, slid down the front of her body and cupped her groin through the tight ski pants.

She started at his touch. “No...You don't want to do that. It'll ruin it for you.” she said, meaning it but still actually wanting him to touch her.

“No it wont.” he said. “Take them off.” he said, fighting with the buckle on her belt.

She took a deep breath then undid the pants, arched up on her back and slithered out of them. He watched her slide the pants down those long smooth legs and felt himself hardening again. She was wearing tight black panties, with a slight bulge in the front. HE reached down, a look of fascination on his face and slid the cloth aside. Her penis, semi hard and about five inches long, popped out of its tuck and stood sort of at attention. He looked up at her face, and smiled incredulously. “It is true.” he said, shaking his head. “It was like I was imagining it, even after you told me.”

She started to cover herself up, but he stopped her. “No.” he said, then took it in his hand. It seemed familiar to him, while at the same time utterly alien and wrong. He lifted it up with his fingers and looked at the smooth place where her testicles would have been. “Smooth.” he said, smiling at her. “I like the fact it’s all shaved.” he said.

Ingrid smiled nervously. “Can I smoke? You are making me a nervous wreck here.” she said, reaching for her cigarettes.

“Sure. It'll be sexy. Slide over and prop up on the pillows.” he said, helping her slide over. She laid her head on the pillows and lit a cigarette. He watched in fascination as she exhaled a thick cone of stark white smoke, then turned his attention back down south. Brad played with her cock for a little while, running his hand up and down its shaft. He smiled up at her as it started to harden even more. Brad swallowed hard, working up courage to do what he really wanted, then leaned over and took the tip of her penis in his mouth. Ingrid moaned and writhed a little when he did that, then she took a long, cheek hollowing drag from her cigarette. Bradley took more of her little cock into his mouth, sucking gently as he bobbed up and down. He was able to take the whole thing into his mouth with no problem, which caused Ingrid to shiver underneath him. Ingrid reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.

“That feels so good, baby.” Ingrid purred. Her fingers were intertwined in his hair how, holding on as he took her whole. It wasn't very long before she felt like she was going to cum. “I'm going to cum baby.” she said, tightening her grip on his head.

Bradley let her cock pop out of his mouth, but kept pumping it with his free hand. He pumped it about five times, then she came, spurting on his chin and into his open mouth. Ingrid cried out as she came. It was a good orgasm, but as usual there was hardly any ejaculate. She looked down at Bradley smiled as he licked his lips. Ingrid let her head fall back on the pillows for a second, then took another deep drag, snap inhaled, then sat up. Bradley moved up to kiss her before she had exhaled. He wasn't sure why he did it, he knew he was going to get a mouth full of her smoke, but he didn't care. She kissed him for about fifteen seconds before she tried to pull away to exhale. “No. Keep kissing me.” He said, then kissed her again. She smiled against his lips, then exhaled into his mouth. He inhaled it greedily, but had to pull away before she had finished. He blew the smoke out and coughed a little. The taste was horrid, he thought, then the nicotine washed over him and he actually understood a little bit why people smoke.

Ingrid laughed. “You are letting your freak flag fly, honey.” she said, then took another drag. “thank you very much. That was so awesome.” She said.

Bradley blushed. “I guess I am...and you are very welcome. Thank you.” he said, laughing a little. “That was something I thought I would never do...two things I thought I would never do.” he laughed harder.

Ingrid exhaled a thin stream of smoke off to her right. “Want another hot kiss?” she said, exhaling while she talked.

Bradley got up on his knees and waited while she took another drag. He leaned in and kissed her. This time, she only held it in for a few seconds before she started letting it out. He didn't breathe in as much this time, but still managed to inhale quite a bit. He fought the cough that he felt coming, then exhaled. That feeling washed over him again, right down to his toes. “Wow...Does it feel like that every time you smoke?” He asked, leaning back on his elbows.

“No. Only the first one of the day, or after not smoking for a long time. Once it's in your system, it doesn't feel as good.” she said. “That buzz is a very special thing that doesn't last if you actually start smoking.” she said with a shrug. “But it still makes me feel good, and I have a definite fetishist’s view of smoking.

Bradley chuckled. “I think I do too, now.”

She glanced over at the clock. It was almost midnight. “Almost midnight, Bradley.” she said standing up. Ingrid pulled on her pants. “I don't want you getting into any trouble.”

Brad laid on his back and stared at the ceiling for a minute. “I know. I don't want to go back yet.” he said, rolling over to watch her as she went in the bathroom.

Ingrid looked back over her shoulder and smiled. “I wish you could stay too.” she said. “But, I'm not that kind of girl.” She grinned at him.

“What kind of girl are you, Miss Ingrid?” He asked, returning the grin.

“I'm the kind of girl who goes down on the first date, but doesn't give it up till later.” she said, then leaned towards the mirror and started fixing her make-up.

“Good to know. When is later?” he asked with a chuckle. “I want to make sure I'm here.”

She looked over her shoulder an stuck her tongue out at him. “You never know, so you'll just have to make sure you are around a lot.” she said, then puckered her lips and put on more frosted pink lipstick. “How do I look?” she asked, then fluffed her hair a little more.

“Perfect.” he said, hopping off the bed. He slid back into his jeans and put his boots on. “I could stay, you know?” he said.

Ingrid shook her head. “Nope. then I would never get to do any skiing tomorrow. You must buy me lunch tomorrow.” she said, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Deal.” He said, turning his head and kissing her on the cheek.

The two of them walked out of the bedroom hand in hand. Emm and Mark were still in her bedroom, though the interesting noises had died down. Ingrid went into the kitchen and grabbed the last Ice for herself and a beer for Bradley. She set it down on the counter for him, then perched on one of the stools. Bradley sat across from her, took the beer and nodded thanks.

“Life's funny.” Brad said, looking into Ingrid's eyes. “If you would have told me what I was going to do tonight, before tonight, I would have told you that you were insane. “ he said laughing.

Ingrid shrugged. “I have learned that life is crazy.” she said, pulling a cigarette from her pack. She put it to her lips and Bradley lit it for her. She took a deep drag then french inhaled. “I have decided just to roll with it.” she said, exhaling the smoke as she talked.

“Hear. Hear.” Bradley said, holding up his bottle. They clinked bottles, then drank.

The door to the bedroom opened and Emily and Mark came walking out, hand in hand. They had both taken the time to put themselves back together, just like Ingrid and Bradley had, so nothing looked amiss except the Cheshire cat expressions both of them were wearing. Hell, Ingrid thought, Everyone in this house is wearing that expression tonight.

Plans were made to hook up the following morning. Goodbyes were said, and goodbye kisses were shared. Then the boys left. Ingrid waved goodbye, and could see Emily doing the same from over her shoulder, then she closed the door and leaned her back against it.

“That was an awesome evening, Ingrid.” Emily said, walking over to the bar. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “How was yours?”

Ingrid smiled. “I told him everything.” she said.

Emily literally jumped like the words hurt her. “You did what?” She asked, incredulously.

“I told him the truth.” she said dreamily.

“And what makes you think he isn't going to tell everyone?” Emily asked.

“Because...He would have a hard time explaining why he gave me head if he didn't like me.” She said, perching back on her stool.

“Holy shit! He didn't!” Emm said, shaking her head.

“He did.” Ingrid said, her eyes going all dreamy. She rested her chin on her hand then took a drag. “It was awesome. I went down on him first, of course, which was also great.” she said.

“That is kick ass.” Emily said, flicking her ashes in the ashtray. “Did you go, like all the way?”

Ingrid shook her head. “No. How bout you?” She asked, grinning at Emily.

“Well...Yes and no.” She said.

“Ok, you are going to have to explain that one to me.” Ingrid said with a chuckle.

“Have you ever heard of a technical virgin?” Emily asked, her eyes glittering with mischief.

“Um...No.” Ingrid said.

“I have never had vaginal sex.” Emm said with a nod. “So, technically” she held her fingers up to make the quotation marks. “I'm a virgin.”

Ingrid laughed. “Wait. You said when we did it that you had never done anal either. So...” Ingrid stopped. Struck by the revelation.

“Yep. You were my first. I'd had oral and played with fingers and stuff. But no penis had been anywhere in my...” she gestured to her groin and butt, “Southern Region before yours.”

Ingrid actually felt flattered. “And you let me screw you in the butt? Wait...” Ingrid said, thinking back to it. She had just been playing with fingers in there, it was Emily who lowered herself onto Ingrid's cock. “No...You fucked me, using your butt.” Ingrid said, laughing.

Emily joined in laughing with her. “I liked it a lot. So...Tonight, I tried it again.” She said. “But, I made him wear a condom and it was a lot harder...Literally. But GOD it was awesome once we got it going.” she said, then shook her head and whistled.

Ingrid giggled. “So, he was big?” She asked.

Emily nodded. “How bout Brad?”

“Big.” Ingrid said. “Scary big.”

Emily laughed again. “Would you let him stick that in you?” She asked, making a little fucking motion with her hands.

Ingrid scoffed. “I had to really fight not to jump on that thing and ride like my life depended on it. But it's more complicated, you know. I was so surprised when he went down on me I couldn't' believe it. I thought he was just touching it to show he wasn't grossed out.” Ingrid said. “I still can't believe it.”

The girls talked for a little while longer, then after one thirty they headed off to their rooms to get ready for bed.

The next morning, the girls were up and out on the slopes fairly early. They managed to get three good runs before hooking up with the boys. Ingrid and Bradley had a lot of fun skiing until lunch time, when they finally decided to take a break. They sat down in an outdoor cafe, which was cool because they had these tall, gas burning heaters that made the porch pretty warm. Ingrid ordered a cup of coffee, Brad a cup of cocoa.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ingrid purred, looking at him over the rim of her coffee cup.

Bradley grinned and looked down at the table. “I was just thinking how weird all this is.” he said, looking up at her. “You look beautiful.” he said. She hadn't gotten all glammed up today, just wearing a little eyeliner and the same frosted pink lipstick.

Ingrid blushed and looked down at the table. She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and was surprised when Bradley produced a little blue bic lighter and lit it for her. “Thank you.” she said, laughing. “When did you get that?”

He grinned at her. “This morning.” he said. “I figured it would be the gentlemanly thing to do. So don't have to borrow your lighter to light your cigarettes.”

She laughed. It was actually very sweet. “Bradley, my dear. You are a gentleman, and born too late it seems. As was I.” She said, smiling at him.

“I guess I was.” he said, smiling. “So...” he said, pausing to try to get his thoughts in order. “What are you going to do about school?” he whispered.

Ingrid didn't speak right away. She was trying to figure out exactly what to say. they had touched on it last night, but didn't really go into the subject very deeply. “I don't know. I think you are right about no one really paying attention to whether Richard got a hair cut or not.” she said with a little smile. She fiddled with her cigarette for a second, rounding the cherry on the edge of the ashtray, gathering her thoughts. “But, it's going to be very difficult not being...” she frowned. “Not being me.” she looked up at him. “Not being able to talk to you...”

She looked down.

Bradley frowned. “I know.” he said, then looked up at the sky and watched the clouds roll by for a few seconds. “It will be really hard not to talk, not to be with you...” he said, sounding genuinely sad about it. “I'll have to fight to not smile like an idiot every time I see you.”

Ingrid laughed. “Well, I have been fighting staring at you like a lovestruck puppy for the last four months.” she said, returning his grin. “I've seen you staring at me at school too, you know?”

He looked down, embarrassed. “I know. At first I was trying to figure it out, you know. But...” he started, not wanting to admit it. “But, I was staring at you because I thought you were pretty.” He said the words quickly, like pulling off a band aid.

“Really?” Ingrid said with a chuckle. “You thought I was pretty as Richard?” She said, not believing it.

“Shut up.” he said, then gave her a feigned mean look. “It was hard enough to admit without you making fun of me for it.” he said, sounding half way between hurt and joking.

“No, I'm flattered as hell.” Ingrid said, holding her hands up in surrender. “I just didn't expect it.”

He laughed. “Ingrid...even without make up, you are pretty. It was very hard not to look at you and think it. It was fascinating, and it made me crazy. I couldn't understand it...Now I do. You're a girl. Plain and simple.” he said quite confidently.

Ingrid smiled at him. “Thank you. That is a very nice thing to say.” she said, putting her hand on his. “I did think of something that you need to consider, Bradley.” she said, quite seriously. “I'm going to start transitioning soon. I'm going to come out to my Aunt and Uncle on Monday. I will still be attending school as Richard, there's only a few months left until I graduate. But I will be on hormones, finally, and there will be changes. I will hide them as best I can, but it will happen.” she said, then took a final drag and put out her cigarette. “After school is out, I will be Ingrid full time. I'll be me completely. You have a decision to make. If you keep seeing me, not at school mind you, but after school and people know about it, once I transition it is going to come out. People will know that I was a guy, people who know me anyway, and they are going to know about you being with me. You have to consider what that will mean for you and your reputation. It hurts me so much to have to bring this up, but I don't want you to get into something that could hurt you later.” she said, squeezing his hand tightly, like she was holding on for dear life. “If you get out now, people will think you found out and left me alone. If not, who knows what people will think.”

Bradley's face dropped. He hadn't thought of that at all. What would people think? What would his parents think? He felt like a bomb had been dropped on him. “I hadn't thought of that.” he said quietly.

Ingrid felt so very sad right then. She felt that she might actually love Bradley, and that she had to tell him her fears because she didn't want anything bad to happen to him on her account. “Hey...” she said, then reached out and put her finger under his chin to bring his face up so she could look in his eyes. Her voice was thick, like she was going to cry as she spoke. “I understand, baby. I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of me. If this weekend is all we get, then it's all we get. I understand.” she said. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and was so thankful she had on the big Dior shades. His eyes were huge, and sad. Doe eyes, she thought. “I need to use the ladies.” she said, standing up.

She rushed to the restroom, barely making it in the door before the waterworks started. Ingrid put her sunglasses up on top of her head and grabbed a wad of tissues. She hugged herself tight across the chest to try and keep the sobbing from getting too bad but nothing was helping. She knew from their first kiss that it was all doomed, but she couldn't bring herself to face the reality. It had been nagging at her since last night but she didn't want to say anything because she was scared it was true. A women came out of one of the stalls. She looked at Ingrid and saw a beautiful young girl crying her eyes out and her face instantly became compassionate and sad.

“Are you ok, miss?” the woman said, grabbing some more tissues and bringing them over to her.

Ingrid looked up at her and tried to stop crying. “I'm sorry.” Ingrid said. She didn't want to talk to the woman and couldn't think of anything to say to get out of having to talk to her so she started telling her what happened, only she was telling her in rapid fire German. The woman looked horrified, unable to understand what his poor girl was saying.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand you.” the woman said, feeling awful about it. “Do you need help?” the woman said slowly.

Ingrid shook her head. “No.” she said. “I ok.” she said, playing up the bad English completely. “Go...I fine.” she said, finally bringing it under control. It was funny because baring her soul to the woman, even if she didn't understand, helped a lot. “Thank you.”

The woman nodded and gave her a weak smile as she left. That woman will have a funny story about a sad, German girl crying in a bathroom, Ingrid thought. She turned to the mirror. Her face was a wreck, so she washed her face and tidied up her make up before going back to the patio. Bradley was sitting there, staring up at the mountain. He looked over at her and the sadness in his eyes made her almost want to burst into tears again.

“You were crying.” Bradley said, taking her hand. “I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you cry.”

She shook her head. “You didn't do anything, honey.” she said, then fumbled a cigarette out of her pack. Bradley, always the gentleman, lit it for her. “I just brought a little too much reality to our fantastic weekend.” she said sadly.

“Yeah...” he said quietly, barely a whisper. “I hate to admit it, but I really don't know what to do now. It all seemed so clear before, but now...” he trailed off.

Ingrid bit her lip, then leaned across the table and kissed him on the lips. “I know.” she whispered. “We still have the rest of today. Lets not talk about it again. We will let things happen the way they happen.” she said. “I will not hold it against you if we never see one another again...Romantically, I mean.”

He looked scared by that thought. “No, I didn't say that...” he started, but Ingrid leaned in and kissed him on the lips again, silencing him.

“Shhhhh.” she said. “enough talk.” She leaned back and took a nice, cheek hollowing drag then french inhaled. “We will get nowhere talking about it now. Lets just enjoy the day.”

Bradley looked like he really wanted to talk more, but instead, leaned back in his chair. Neither spoke for a while. Ingrid smoked her cigarette in silence while Bradley watched her. “You are beautiful.” he said finally. “And you are the sexiest sixteen year old girl I've ever met.”

Ingrid laughed. “Thank you, my love.” She said. “And you my dear, are the loveliest man I know.” She meant every word of it.

The rest of the afternoon skiing was good, but was clouded by their discussion of the realities that both of them faced when they got back to the real world. This snowy fairy land was not the reality of Arlington, where they had families and friends and reputations to worry about. This was a magic place where they were able to be themselves with no worries other than each other. At about five O'clock, both tired, they decided to call it a day.

“Come see me tonight...Around eight?” Ingrid said, snuggling up against Bradley's chest. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. They kissed for a long time, finally parting.

“Ok.” He said, smiling. “It's a date.”

“Good.” she said “Tonight then.” She pecked him on the cheek then turned and skied away.

Unfinished Business Part 3

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

EXPLICIT CONTENT

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Transitioning

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Unfinished Business Part 3
Thanks again to Don for the editing genius!

Ingrid dropped her keys on the counter, then sat down on one of the bar stools. She shrugged out of her coat, pulling her cigarettes and lighter out of the pocket and dropping them next to the keys. Ingrid put her head in her hands and rubbed her forehead. She didn't know exactly what she was going to do about anything right now. She sat there for a little while, listening to the gentle hum of the refrigerator. Finally she got up, grabbed her cigarettes and the last Smirnoff Ice from the fridge and headed to the bathroom.

She set the stuff on the counter and started running a bath. She felt like she was in a daze as she stripped out of her clothes. Once she settled into the bath, the hot water and aroma-therapy bath beads relaxed her and made her feel quite better. her mind, which had been racing, slowed down to a crawl. Closing her eyes, she thought about the last few days. It had been wonderful. She thought about Friday night, about yesterday with Bradley, and about this morning before she'd let reality creep in and ruin everything.

Ingrid sighed and laid her head back on the edge of the tub. She lit a cigarette and laid there, trying hard to sort out her thoughts. She put out her cigarette and smiled. Ingrid had a plan.

She picked up her phone and dialed Emily. Emily picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, hon." Emily said. "What's up?"

"Hi darling. Is there any way that I can have the house to myself until about eleven? Please?" Ingrid said.

"Ok. Are you ok?" She asked.

"I'm ok...I'll tell you about it later. I don't want to talk about it on the phone, honey." Ingrid said.

"Ok hon...See you tonight." Emily said. "I'll find something to do."

"Bye hon." Ingrid said, then made kissing noises.

At a couple of minutes after eight, the doorbell rang. Ingrid walked over and opened the door. Bradley was standing on the porch, holding a shopping bag. "Hi." Ingrid said.

"Hi." Bradley croaked.

Ingrid was standing in the doorway, wearing only a robe. She took a cheek hollowing drag from her cigarette, then slowly exhaled. "Come on in." she said, then turned and walked through the kitchen.

Bradley closed the door and followed her inside. She let the robe drop as she entered the living room. Bradley stopped and watched her walk.

"The view is very nice from back here." he said, taking off his coat and dropping it on a chair.

The living room was lit by a few candles and a roaring fire was burning in the fireplace. Ingrid laid down on the floor in front of the hearth. She looked down at her body. She was wearing only a bra and panties. In the firelight, it was impossible to tell that her silicone breasts didn't exactly match her skin tone. She stubbed out her cigarette and looked over at him.

"Come here." she said, patting the floor next to her.

Bradley sat down next to her and started to speak. She put her finger to his lips. "Lets not talk right now, Bradley." she said, then pulled him down and started kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her and the two of them laid there, kissing and grinding on one another for quite a while. Finally, They pulled apart and took a break for a minute. Bradley reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a couple of beers, opening one for himself and one for Ingrid. The clinked the bottles together then both drank.

"Danke." Ingrid said, sitting up. "I was parched." She pulled a cigarette out of her pack. Bradley had his lighter lit before she even had it to her lips. She put her hand on his to steady his hand and lit her cigarette. "Always the gentleman." she said, smiling.

He smiled at her. It hurt Ingrid to see the sadness in his eyes, though. He'd been thinking about their conversation this afternoon as much as she had and had more than likely come to the same decision.

"You are beautiful." he said, more as an affirmation than a compliment.

Ingrid cast her eyes downward. "Thank you, Bradley. So are you." she said, raising her gaze to meet his. The two lovers kissed again, a sweet kiss, but one tinged with longing.

They finished their beers and Ingrid finished her cigarette, then they started kissing once more. The kissing got more serious and they started exploring one another bodies again, touching, fondling and caressing. Finally, they were both naked, entwined in one another's arms. Ingrid looked into his eyes, then kissed him.

"I want you to make love to me, Bradley." she said quietly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding a little scared. "But, what if..." he started. She kissed him again and cut it off.

"No...Not yet." she said, then took his huge erection in her hand. "Will you?" she asked, stroking him lightly.

Bradley closed his eyes. His libido was at war with his conscience. He didn't answer, he just kissed her again and wrapped his arms around her. Ingrid reached up onto the coffee table and grabbed the tube of lube. She squeezed some onto her hand then rubbed it onto his shaft, wiping what was left on her anus.

She guided the tip up to touch her tightly puckered hole, then slowly pushed onto it. Bradley gasped as the tip of his penis passed her sphincter. Ingrid sharply took in breath, then rocked up to let it come out. It felt immense, even after she had pleasured herself earlier with the dildo to make it easier. But she was committed to this course of action and lowered herself again onto his cock, taking it in deeper this time. Bradley moaned.

"Wow..." he said. "That feels fantastic."

Ingrid smiled at him, then kissed him deeply, impaling herself fully on him. It took a lot of effort, but finally he was inside her. It hurt, but she knew that would pass. After a few seconds of kissing, she started rocking back and forth, letting him slide in and out, just a little bit. It took about five minutes of that before she was ready to really give it a go. Ingrid gritted her teeth and started taking longer strokes, letting him slide almost all the way out before thrusting her hips back down on him until her ass slapped against his thighs. It felt amazing. She felt more like a woman than she ever had before as she rode him. He penis was hard now, bobbing up and down as she rode. She reached down and took hold of it, stroking it a couple of times. The sensation was electric.

Bradley was really getting into it now and started matching her rhythm, thrusting on her downstroke. He put one hand on her hip, then moved her hand off her penis with his other hand. He took it in his grip and started gently working it as she rode, letting go of all his inhibitions and living in the moment.

The sensation was too much for Ingrid, who took one more thrust and came on his belly. It was a thin stream but the release was fantastic. She moaned through ragged breaths, stopping for a moment. Bradley let her rest for a second, pausing to catch his own breath and let his excitement drop so he could keep going. Ingrid extricated herself from his cock, which caused her to moan with pleasure and quiff at the same time. She got on all fours, then reached back and stroked his leg. It didn't take a formal invitation for Bradley. He got up on his knees and worked his cock slowly back into her. Ingrid moaned loudly as he slipped it in. Then he started fucking her, slowly at first, taking long deliberate strokes.

"Harder." Ingrid said through gritted teeth.

Bradley started fucking her hard, his thighs slapping loudly against her ass.

"I'm going to cum!" he said, after a couple of minutes.

Ingrid reached back and wrapped her hand behind him, pushing him on. He got the idea and started going with renewed vigor. "uggghhhh." he yelled as he came.

Ingrid felt him thrust, then hesitate. Then she felt the warm semen splashing into her. She smiled and looked back at him. She could still feel his penis quivering as he emptied his load into her. She laid down on her belly, and he laid down next to her, letting his penis slide out. Ingrid was breathing heavy and sweating. She could feel a trickle of cum running out of her now gaping sphincter.

"Thank you, Bradley." she purred. "Now, you have made a woman out of me."

He was panting hard, laying on his side. Bradley laughed. "No...Thank you." he said. then exhaled loudly through pursed lips.

Ingrid grabbed the towel she had put next to the chair and laid it on her butt, then rolled onto her side. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The nicotine rush, combined with the after sex feeling was quite potent. She also felt relief. She had been worried that she would feel guilty, or wrong after having sex, but she didn't. She just felt good. Relieved. Happy.

"Wow." Bradley said, staring at the ceiling. He looked troubled, but still was basking in the afterglow.

"I know." Ingrid said, smiling at him. She crawled over to him and lay on his chest. She could feel the sweat on his body and hear his heartbeat as she laid there smoking her cigarette. After a while Ingrid finally spoke.

"Thank you for doing that for me." she said quietly. "I knew it was my only chance."

Bradley lifted his head up and looked at her. "What?" he sounded puzzled.

"I knew it was my only chance. That's why I wanted to do it." She said, then propped herself up on her elbow. "I know that you are not going to see me any more after this weekend, Bradley. You have a future that getting mixed up with me could ruin. I understand that fully."

He shook his head. "No..." he started, but she cut him off.

"Bradley. It's ok." she said, showing her open palm to him in a classic talk to the hand gesture. "It is best for you. If it gets found out that you and I had relations...It would ruin you. I'm already ruined so I have nothing to lose." she said, her voice thick with sadness.

"But, what if I want to see you?" he said, sounding hurt.

"You may want to...But you won't." she said, smiling at him. "I know you have thought this through, Bradley. You are very smart. I told you I am going to come out and live as a woman full time as soon as I graduate. People will talk. I cannot put you through that!" she said, and she meant it.

"I don't care what they say!" he said defensively. "I'm my own man, Ingrid!"

"I know, Bradley. I know. But it would not be accepted." she said, sitting up. She put out her cigarette and lit another. Bradley sat up, and always the gentleman, grabbed a beer for himself, but handed her one first.

"Bradley...Darling. What do you see when you look at me?" She said.

"I see a beautiful woman." he said resolutely.

She smiled. "yes. But what I am, right now at least, is a boy with a woman's haircut and make up." she said, stressing boy. "They..." she said, gesturing towards they outside world. "Will only think that when it all comes out. They will say you are gay, Bradley. That will ruin your college soccer career, honey!" She shook her head. "I will not be responsible for that. Now, if it comes out that we went out, you can deny knowing. It will not hurt me if you do." she said.

"But, I ...." he said, then fell silent. He knew she was telling the truth.

"We had something wonderful, Bradley. Truly wonderful. But, it is a dream." she said, then leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "A beautiful dream." she said, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Bradley held her for a while. "I think I love you, Ingrid." he said softly.

"I love you too Bradley" she whispered back.

They didn't speak again. Bradley got up and dressed. Ingrid pulled on her robe an walked with him to the door. He stopped and turned. Ingrid looked into his eyes, then shook her head. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Ingrid was sure she was. She flew into his arms and kissed him deeply, one last time. Then she broke the kiss, tears cascading down her cheeks. She put her hand on his chest and pushed slightly. He nodded, then opened the door and walked out. When the door closed, Ingrid collapsed on the floor in tears.

Emily opened the door quietly. The house was dark, so she thought Ingrid was asleep. She put her keys on the counter and laid her coat on the stool. She noticed the low glow of firelight coming from the living room and peered in, not wanting to disturb Ingrid. She saw Ingrid then, sitting on the floor naked. She was smoking a cigarette and staring into the fire.

"Ingrid." Emily said, stepping into the room.

Ingrid looked up at her, and she could see by the firelight that her makeup was a mess and that she had been crying.

"Ingrid...What did he do to you?" She said, dropping to her knees next to her. "Did he hurt you?" Emily asked.

"No." Ingrid said quietly. She told the whole story to Emily. She broke down and cried, which made Emily cry with her. It took several hours to get the whole thing out.

"I'm so sorry." Emily said, feeling somehow responsible for the whole thing.

"Why?" Ingrid said. "I had a wonderful weekend with one of the most popular and handsome guys at the school. I lost my virginity, well, as a woman anyway, in a fantastic, romantic way..." she shrugged and wiped her eyes. "It just doesn't have a happy ending."

Emily hugged her tight. "I'm sorry baby. You've had so many bad things happen in your life." she kissed Ingrid on the hair.

"I have had bad things happen, Emm...True. But I'm blessed in so many ways. I have a friend like you. And is the best thing that could happen to me." Ingrid said, breaking down into tears again and dragging Emily with her.

It was a long night, and neither of the girls got much sleep. They ended up sleeping together in the master bedroom, holding one another all night long. In the morning, they got up and dressed then cleaned up the Condo. Neither of them spoke much, they just let things be. Finally, They had the SUV loaded and were ready to leave. Ingrid stopped and dropped the keys off in the box at the office and they were on the road.

They stopped and grabbed some breakfast at a diner. Both of them were famished and the food and coffee did them a lot of good. Within a few minutes they were both laughing and Ingrid realized, were having fun. Emily told her about her date with Mark and she was very happy that the two of them hit it off. They would be seeing each other once they got back to Arlington, unlike her and Bradley.

The ride back was pleasant enough, as they left the snow of the mountains behind for the gray, rainy sky of Arlington. Ingrid dropped off Emily around ten o'clock in the morning.

"Alright hon." Ingrid said. "Thanks for this weekend...It was fantastic. Like dream."

"Thank you baby." Emily said, then leaned over and gave her a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Ingrid nodded. "Barring any crisis..yes. I"m going to tell my Aunt and Uncle about me today...I''ll let you know how it goes." she said, attemtping a smile. "It will be nice to not have to lie any more."

Emily squeezed her tight. "I' m here if you need me."

Ingrid drove to her house and dropped off her ski stuff. She dialed Uncle Frank's number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hi Rich." he said. "I was just thinking about calling you."

Ingrid smiled. She could hardly think of herself as Richard right now. "Hi Uncle Frank." he said in German, not even bothering to try to sound masculine.

Frank paused for a second,then continued in German. "What's up?"

Ingrid took a deep breath. "Can you meet me for lunch?" she asked. "At that bar and grill you took me too last time we had lunch?"

Uncle Frank paused. She heard keys tap. "Yes, I can now. Noon?" he said. "You ok?"

She nodded, then realized she had to speak. "Yeah. I just need to talk to you alone." Ingrid said.

"Noon then." Uncle Frank said. "Bye sport." he said in English.

"Bye." Ingrid said in English, then hung up the phone.

She dropped her bags on the floor next to the bed. She had time to change clothes and get on the road if she was going to get there by noon. She stripped out of her jeans and changed into a dress. She'd given a lot of thought into what she was going to wear and settled on a black, Prada shift dress she'd picked up last week with her trade ins. It had a fine jewel neckline and little cap sleeves. It was elegant but simple, coupled with a pair of black tights and her Prada tall, black leather boots. She liked the heel on them, but they weren't too tall.

Ingrid did her make up, going for sophisticated, not tarty. She did smoky eyes in shades of brown and cream then topped the look off with a rich, burgundy lipstick. She brushed her hair out, really liking the fact that all it took was a little brushing to make this style work. She put on her little Channel glasses, grabbed her black puffer coat and purse and was out the door.

She got to the Bar and Grill at about ten minutes after twelve. She didn't want to get their early, plus she had to stop at a store and pick up a pack of cigarettes anyway. She checked her make-up, then got out of the car. Ingrid was terrified as she walked up to the door of that restaurant. She took a deep breath and opened the door. It was dimly lit inside, and not terribly crowded. She looked around, trying to spot Uncle Fred. He was sitting at a table in the back of the bar looking at his menu. Ingrid started walking towards him, painfully aware of how loud her heels sounded in the quiet restaurant.

Uncle Fred looked up at her. His eyes met with hers and she thought, for a moment, that she saw fear there. He looked at her then blinked hard. She stopped at his table, using all her courage not to just run away. Fred stood up, a very puzzled, strange expression on his face.

Ingrid set her purse down, then sat on the bench.

"Hello Uncle Fred." Ingrid said quietly. She didn't use the German accent, but even without it Ingrid sounded like a woman. A woman older than sixteen, but a woman nonetheless.

Fred looked at her for a second then spoke. "You must be my niece, Ingrid. " he said.

"Ms. Byrum?" Ingrid said, raising a finely manicured eyebrow.

Fred nodded. "You hungry?" He said calmly.

"That's it?" She asked incredulously. "

Fred chuckled. "No. That's not it. But it's a good place to start." he said.

Ingrid blushed and felt saved by the bell as a waiter came over to the table.

"Ok." he said, putting a glass down on the table for Fred. "One Jamison on the rocks for you, and what can I get you miss?" he said, handing her the wine list.

"My niece isn't twenty one yet." Fred said firmly.

Ingrid smiled. "I'll have a glass of water and a coffee, please?"

"Sure thing, miss." he said, his eyes lingering on her for a second before he turned to get the drinks.

Fred sipped his whisky and water, collecting his thoughts. Ingrid took the moment to reach into her handbag. She pulled out a cigar and placed it in front of Uncle Fred, then laid her cigarettes and lighter on the table. "I figured you might need that." she said, then pulled out a cigarette of her own and lit it.

He picked up the cigar. It was a Cohiba Gigantes, a fine cigar. He looked at Ingrid. She was resting her elbow on the table, with her wrist cocked, her cigarette held loosely in her fingers. With the black Prada dress, and the glasses it was like seeing his little sister again. Like seeing a ghost.

"Well..." he said, unwrapping the cigar. "I can't fault your taste, Ingrid...In cigars, or clothes. You..." he started. "You look so much like your mother. It scared me when you walked in. I thought I was seeing a ghost." he said, a slight smile on his lips.

"Danke." she said, blushing.

The waiter came and took their order. Ingrid ordered a club sandwich, Fred ordered a steak. As soon as he was gone, Fred leaned back and took a puff of his cigar. He looked over at her and said in German. "So...Tell me the whole story. Everything." he said calmly.

Ingrid paused for a moment to take a nervous drag. She was collecting her thoughts, trying to think of how to start. She decided, to just start at the beginning. She left out the more sordid bits of her tale, but in essence, she told him everything. Their food showed up while she was talking, so they talked and ate. Eventually ,with lunch finished, Fred re-lit his cigar. Ingrid lit a cigarette and took a sip of her coffee. Fred hadn't said much, only asking questions for clarification here and there.

"So..." she finally said in English. "How much trouble am I in?"

Fred chuckled. "Well...You aren't in trouble, per se.But there are going to be some consequences. One. You will not be spending as much time alone at the old house. Two, we are going to have to tell your Aunt about this. And three, well...You are grounded until after Christmas." he said calmly.

"That's it?" she said, relief washing over her. "I thought for sure I'd be dead."

"What?" he said. 'Do I seem that unreasonable to you?" he said, sounding quite indignant. "No. Your aunt and I love you no matter what. You are playing the hand you were dealt. I can't fault you there." he said, then looked at his watch. "I am going to head back to the office and finish up some work. I want you at the house tonight at six o'clock. sharp. We are all going to sit down and talk this out. Wear what you are wearing, you look very nice." Fred said standing up. He put money on the table. Ingrid stood up. Fred looked her in the eyes, without having to look down thanks to her heels. He gave her a hug, then kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight then." he said then started to break their embrace.

Ingrid pulled him back in hugging him tightly. "Thank you Uncle Fred. I love you so much." she said.

"I love you too." he said, then kissed her on the cheek again.

She watched as he went out to his car, then she sat back down in the booth. She noticed he left a little of his Jamison and water in the glass so she picked it up and downed it quickly. She grimaced, then looked up to see the attractive, college age waiter looking at her. Ingrid couldn't help but laugh.

"Busted." She said, laughing.

He laughed and waved it off. "There is no rule in here about finishing your Uncle's drink after he leaves." he walked over and picked up the glass. "Can I get you anything else?"

She looked down at her coffee cup. "Could I get one more refill of coffee?" she asked sweetly. She realized that for the first time, she was dressed as Ingrid and not using the German accent.

"Sure." he said, picking up the cup. "Be right back."

Ingrid settled back into the booth and lit another cigarette. Her mind was still racing, coming up with all the worst case scenarios about tonight's talk with Aunt Janet. She shook her head to clear the crazy thoughts, then chuckled. Ingrid pulled out her phone and fired off a quick text to Emily telling her that the meeting was done and she was only in mild trouble. She looked up to see the waiter standing there with her coffee.

"Danke." she said, taking the cup. "This is good coffee." she said, blowing on the steaming mug.

"It's our Christmas roast..we get it every year." He said, leaning against the support beam next to the booth. "It's really dead in here today, huh?" he said, taking in the sparse crowd. "You appear to be the last hold out of the lunch crowd."

Ingrid looked around. She was indeed the last hold out. "I guess I am." she said, smiling at him.

He looked at her for a second. She was taking a drag from her cigarette, then gracefully flicking the ashes in the ashtray. "Twenty, right?" He said.

Ingrid looked puzzled. "Excuse me?" she said, exhaling smoke as she spoke.

He laughed. 'Your uncle said you were "Not yet twenty one" when you first came in. You're twenty, right?"

Ingrid laughed, then shook her head. "No, I'm not." she said, grinning at him. "It's the clothes and make-up." she said.

"Ok...Nineteen?" he asked, looking her up and down.

Ingrid laughed. "Nope." she said, grinning ear to ear. "I'll save you the pain. I'm...." she said, taking a drag. It gave her time to think about what she was going to say. Lie or tell the truth. Lie, she thought. "...I'm 17." she said. "Ingrid." she said holding out her hand.

He took it, shaking his head. "I never would have thought it. I would have sold you liquor without carding you, Ingrid." he said, laughing. "Burke."

"Nice to meet you, Burke." Ingrid said, giving him a little smirk. "Too bad my Uncle was here then." she said with a laugh.

He chuckled. "Seventeen huh?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Guilty as charged." she said.

"Damn. Well, you certainly don't look it." he said. "You have a...You don't look older, physically." he said. "It's comportment. Demeanor."

"Thank you. I try to be a lady." she said with a smile.

"You are." he said, then looked up as a couple of people came in. "Well...take your time, Miss Ingrid. Merry Christmas" he said, then walked off to greet the new customers.

Ingrid was still smiling a few minutes later after that exchange. He had made her feel much better this afternoon. She had still never been "clocked" as a transsexual, except by Emily of course, and Bradley had his suspicions, but they both knew her as Richard so it wasn't exactly a fair test. She'd read a lot of stuff on the Internet about young boys who transitioned to females and most of the time they were just as successful as her. Since Richard had only just started puberty, the gross physical changes hadn't occurred at the time of his "accident." Then a year and a half after an orchiectomy, his body began to take Ingrid's shape naturally. She knew that once she started female hormones, the changes would be far more radical. That thought made her smile. She could do that now. Start female hormones. Start down the path towards woman hood in earnest.

Ingrid took a last sip of coffee, then got up and put on her coat. She picked up her purse, checked to be sure everything was there, then headed out. Burke waved to her as she walked outside. She returned the wave and got into her car. Snow was beginning to fall and It was a peaceful drive back to the house, where she killed some time until she had to go meet her Aunt and Uncle for dinner.

At ten minutes until six Ingrid pulled onto the street where she lived with her Aunt and Uncle. It was hard to think of it as home, since she spent so much time at her real home, but it was home after all. She stopped the car a block away to finish her cigarette. She was ready to drop the biggest bombshell in her life on her aunt, but not ready to let her know she was smoking. Just the thought made her laugh. She finished her cigarette, popped a couple of pieces of gum in her mouth and gave herself a quick shot of L'Eau Ambree. Yes, she thought, her Prada addiction knew no bounds. She laughed, then put the car in drive and turned into their driveway.

Ingrid took a deep breath. She felt like she was on the verge of hyperventilating so she closed her eyes. She was fine, she thought, she'd come out to her Uncle. That should have been harder than this. She looked up at the house. The Christmas lights were up, Uncle Fred must have done that over the weekend. The Tree was shining from the living room window. It all looked so inviting. Ingrid steeled herself, and opened the car door. She walked up to the house, her boots crunching in the new fallen snow. She stopped in front of the door, unlocked it with her key and stepped inside. It was nice and warm in the house. She shook the show off the fox fur of her hood and pulled it down. Aunt Janet was standing in the entry way looking at her. Ingrid swallowed hard. She was trying to gauge the look on Aunt Janet's face and couldn't read it. A long moment passed with Ingrid frozen.

"Hi." Ingrid said finally.

Aunt Janet seemed to snap out of her daze. "Hi...ummm...Ingrid." She said.

Ingrid took off her coat and hung it up on the coat rack. Janet was taking it all in, looking for some sign that this was a her nephew and not some niece she had never seen before. Ingrid's movement's were all so female, her mannerisms so like her mother's. She was tall, lean, and elegant. Janet took a step forward and hugged her. Ingrid melted into her embrace, tears popping instantly into her eyes. "Thank you, Aunt Janet. I was so scared." she said, her voice thickening with tears.

Janet just hugged her tighter. "I know baby. It must have been so hard for you to do this." she said, tears of her own rolling down her cheeks. She looked up at Ingrid, since she was not wearing shoes and Ingrid was already five inches taller, she practically towered over her Aunt in those three inch heels. "You look beautiful." Aunt Janet finally said. "So elegant, so like your mother."

That did it. Ingrid broke down completely then. She sobbed mightily in the light of the Christmas tree. Just like she had last year when she'd first come here. Janet led her over to the couch and sat down with her. Janet held her tightly, letting her cry it out. Uncle Fred walked into the room and stopped, dead in his tracks, unsure what was going on. Janet shooed him off, for which he was gratefuland he left quickly.

It took a few minutes for Ingrid to calm down, but finally, she had cried herself out. She stopped, took off her glasses and wiped at her eyes then looked up at Aunt Janet, who's eyes were also wet with tears. "I'm sorry..." Ingrid said quietly.

"No apologies." Janet said, squeezing her arm. "Not now." she said.

Ingrid sniffed, then chuckled. "I must look a mess." she said, wiping at her eyes again.

Janet smiled at her. "Go ahead and use the bathroom. We'll wait for you in the dining room." Janet said, patting her on the leg.

Ingrid went in the bathroom. She laughed, because at least the waterproof mascara and eyeliner worked. there was hardly any damage to her make up, but her eyes were red and puffy. She neatened everything up and applied some more lipstick, then decided to go ahead and use the toilet while she was there. She finished and washed her hands. After a quick fluffing of her hair, she took a deep breath then headed into the dining room.

Fred was seated at the end of the table, with Janet on his right. The food was already on the table, as were some bottles of wine. Ingrid took her seat, careful to sweep her skirt under her and sit down gently. She crossed her ankles and smiled up at her aunt. Aunt Janet was smiling back at her. Fred took Janet's plate and gave her some of the Prime Rib, then took Ingrid's then made his own. He only gave Ingrid a little prime rib, since he knew she hardly ate enough for a fly.

Janet poured each of them a glass of wine and served out the vegetables. Finally, they were all ready to eat. Fred took a bite of the prime rib.
"Very good." he said, nodding. "My compliments to the chef."

Janet laughed. "I'll make sure I tell him you liked it." she said, taking a bite of her own.

Ingrid tried the meat and it was very good. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but no one brought it up during dinner. They did ask her about skiing, but nothing else. When everyone was finished eating, Janet topped everyone's wine glass.

"Ingrid...That is a very pretty name, by the way." Janet said, then took a drink of her wine. "I think I'm ready to hear the whole story now." she said. "I know you've told Fred already, but he only gave me the most basic brief on it."

Ingrid took a sip of her wine. "Ok." she said. Then she told the same story to Aunt Janet she had to Uncle Fred.

When she finished, she felt drained again. She also felt a little better, since the truth was now on the table. Janet asked questions, but they were different types of questions than Fred had asked, maybe the difference between a man and a woman, but more likely the difference between an attorney and a CIA agent.

"So.." Janet said, smiling. "Now I understand why you always changed the subject whenever I brought up the testosterone therapy. God, It would have been horrible for you if we'd forced you to do it. " she said, reaching across the table to take Ingrid's hand.

"Thank you for being so understanding." Ingrid said. "I as so scared. I was scared you would kick me out, or worse. " she said, feeling ashamed. "I'd read so many horror stories on the internet..."

Janet scoffed. "Ingrid...This is a different case altogether. You are a brilliant...person. You had a situation thrust upon you and dealt with it in the best way you could. I only hope I would be so smart." she said.

Ingrid smiled and took a drink of her wine. She was still unused to compliments and found them hard to take.

"You said you had these feelings well before the attack though." Fred said, finally chiming in.

Ingrid nodded. "I did, but I didn't want to admit them. And...I guess, you might have figured it out. While I'm in a talking mood...I ..." she started, then gulped. "I'm gay." she said finally.

Both of them laughed. "We knew that honey." Janet said, squeezing her hand. "We knew that before this ever came up."

Ingrid was stunned. She was only partly sure that she was gay when she'd been Richard all the time. Now they said they had known all along.

"Really?" she asked, incredulously.

"Yes dear." Janet said, "You paid a lot of attention to men and none to women, except as friends. I could see the look in your eyes and knew what it meant. Now..." she smiled. "Now, it's like you aren't gay...you are a girl who likes boys. That's perfectly natural, don't you think?" Janet said with a chuckle.

"I guess so...But I am so far from perfectly normal it's not even funny." Ingrid said, smiling.

"That leads me to the next question." Janet said. "where do we go from here?"

Ingrid took a deep breath. "I need to start estrogen therapy if I'm to develop..." she started, then went into her plan for transitioning. She'd done a lot of research, and knew what it would take but couldn't say for sure what medications because the doctors would make that decision.

"Are you wanting to get a full..Full sex change operation?" Fred finally said, putting it as clearly as he could instead of dancing around the situation.

Ingrid shrugged. "I don't know." she said. "I might. I might not need to. I have a while to make that call anyway. That surgery can't be done until I'm eighteen anyway." she said with a little smile. "So you'll have a half niece for at least that long, maybe longer."

They were quiet for a few minutes, letting it all sink in. "What are we going to do about school?" Janet said, finally.

Ingrid gulped. "I want to graduate. I'm going to suck it up and continue being Richard at school." She said resolutely.

"Are you sure?" Janet asked. "That will be so hard on you."

"It will be no worse than it's been for the last year...At least now, I can be ....I can be "Me" when I get home. If that's ok with you." Ingrid said.

"I think that would be acceptable. We were prepared to let you take your GED." Fred said.

"No...I don't want that. I'm attending one of the best Prep schools on the East Coast. It will look far better on my college application than a GED." She said.

"But it is a boy's school." Fred said. "After you....after you change, won't that look odd?"

Ingrid shrugged. "Uncle Fred, it's not like my history will magically disappear. People will know that I was once a boy anyway. It doesn't matter to me. I want to go to a good university." she said.

"What are you wanting to study?" Janet said.

"I want to be a buyer...Hopefully for one of the big fashion houses. That, or start my own boutique....I don't know." She said with a shrug.

"That sounds fine." Janet said.

"You know, your mother always wanted to start her own store. She was going to call it..." Fred started.

"Runway." Ingrid said.

Fred smiled. "Yes." he said. "She was going to open it as soon as you all moved back from Germany."

Ingrid nodded. "I know. We talked about it a lot." she said sadly.

"Well, we will support you all the way." Janet said, cutting off the sad moment. "You have an appointment with your therapist tomorrow, your normal Tuesday appointment. I think you should go fully dressed and finally come clean with him. He has told me so many times that you are holding a lot back..Now I know what it was." she said.

Ingrid nodded shyly. "I didn't want to tell him. The only person who really knows about me is Emm...And lots of people know Ingrid, but don't know my secret." she said.

"It's almost a new year." Janet said, raising her glass. "Lets hope it's a good one." she said finally.

"Hear, hear." Fred said, raising his glass.

"Cheers." Ingrid said, then clinked glasses with them.

They all laughed and drank. Ingrid helped them clear the table then they all went into the living room and had coffee. It was so nice, Ingrid thought, sitting here dressed the way she wanted to look with her family. She felt more whole than she had since the accident. More connected. At about ten o'clock, Ingrid looked at her watch.

"I need to go back to the house. I didn't bring anything with me to wash my face, and I don't have any clothes for tomorrow." she said, finally.

Fred looked up at her and nodded. "Be back by twelve. Remember, you are grounded after today until after Christmas" He said firmly.

"I know." she said, grinning at him. "I know."

Janet walked with her to the door.

"One more thing." Janet said as she put on her coat. "I know you've been smoking."

Ingrid's smile dropped.

"I can smell it on you. This isn't the first time. I don't like you smoking any more than I like your uncle doing it. Even more so with you." she said sternly. "I'm not going to give you a lecture, Ingrid, you are smarter than that. I'm not going to make you stop, you'll just resent me for it. I can't make you stop. But I can tell you that you are too young and I'm not going to condone it. Understand?"

Ingrid nodded. "I understand." She leaned over and kissed Janet on the cheek. "You are like a mother to me, Aunt Janet. I just didn't want to hurt you."

Janet smiled at her. "I know. Now get, you don't have long."

Ingrid got in her Mercedes SUV and started towards the house. She finally got to have a cigarette, which made her feel much more at ease. She also realized that she was going to be spending a lot of time at home the next week and it was going to be very hard not smoking. "Oh, well." she said aloud. "It will be good for me anyway."

She pulled into the garage then ran upstairs and gathered up her make-up and hygiene products. She packed a suitcase and a hanging bag with some of her favorite outfits and under-things. Then she picked through the jewelry to find the accessories to go with the outfits. Picking shoes was the hardest part, so she settled on eight pairs, plus the boots she had on. It was like she was going on a trip, she thought, as she took a break to have a cigarette. This house had become her home again in the last year. Alone mostly, she'd made peace with it. Granted, she rarely left this suite, but it was still her home. She put out her cigarette and picked up her bag. She took one look back into the room, then turned out the lights and left.

Ingrid got back to Fred and Janet's house at five minutes to midnight. She struggled her luggage up to the house and let herself in. Uncle Fred helped her carry her things up to her room. She laid the suitcases next to the bed. Fred gave her a hug, then headed back down the hall to his room. Janet knocked on the door a few minutes later.

"Good night, honey." she said. "I'll see you in the morning, bright and early. Your appointment is at ten." she gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Night." Ingrid said, then sat down on the end of the bed.

She looked around the room. There was no sign that anyone actually lived here, and Richard had for the last year. Sure, there were a few of his things around. Books on the book case, a few knicknacks on the shelves. But it didn't look lived in. She started unpacking her things, putting her perfume bottles and jewelry box on the dresser. She went in the closet and made room for her hanging items, then made room in the drawers for her other clothes. She lined her shoes up along the wall by type, then stepped back to inspect her work. finished, she stripped out of her dress and hung it up, then took off her tights and put them in the hamper.

She changed panties and took off her bra. It was funny, she had gotten so used to the weight of the breast-forms that she'd forgotten she was wearing them. She smiled then put on her nightgown. While she was washing her face, she thought of the future. There was something nagging at her, the same thoughts that had been with her since that horrible night. She pushed that night out of her mind. There would be time for that later, she thought.

She looked in the mirror once her face was completely clean. It was a girl's face. Without make up, it was the face of a sixteen year old girl, not the face of a young man at all. He looked for some trace of masculinity, and found little. His jaw was a little squarer than some women, but with his lean physique it just looked sculptural. His lips were too thin, he thought, critiquing his face, and his nose was a little wide, like his father's. But these were problems that many real girls saw in their appearance, so all in all he was not unhappy about his situation. He took off his headband and headed to bed.

Ingrid woke up the next morning to her phone alarm. She rolled over and covered her head with a pillow. It was the first time she'd slept well in weeks, and she just wanted to stay in bed. She laid there another minute, then dragged herself to the shower. She washed her hair and ran a razor over her underarms and legs. Ingrid stood there for a moment, trying to decide on glasses or contacts, decided contacts were the way to go and put them in. After her hair was dry, she picked through her closet and decided on a white Dior shift dress. She loved the fabric, and it was without a doubt the most expensive, non-formal dress she owned. Her mother had picked it up two weeks before they left for Germany and had never even gotten to wear it. It was like a Christmas present for Ingrid, still wrapped in its Neiman Marcus bag when she found it.

She put it on with her black Prada boots and checked her reflection in the mirror. It was so chic, and it hugged her body really well. It was a little loose in the hips and butt, but that was because she had the figure of a stick, she thought. That would all work itself out, she thought, as she stepped up to the vanity to do her make-up. She kept it simple, a little mineral powder, simple eyeliner and mascara and a frosted pink lipstick. It was almost a no make-up look, but not quite. She brushed out her hair and hit it with a little hairspray to keep it from getting out of hand then put on her dangly white earrings and a her favorite silver necklace. A couple of bangles and her watch and she felt ready to face the day.

Ingrid went back into her room and heard a knock on the door. "Come in." she said, as she was pulling her white Prada clutch out of the closet. "I'm almost ready."

Janet stopped and leaned against the door frame. "You look gorgeous." she said, smiling. "So much like your mother."

"Thank you." Ingrid said, smiling at her. Janet was around fifty, quite thin and still very attractive. She had blonde hair, cut short, but not boyish. Her face was smooth and inviting, and she always wore minimal but stylish makeup. She was dressed in a Calvin Klein pant suit, black, with a lovely purple silk blouse. "You look lovely." Ingrid said, grinning at her.

Janet laughed and looked down. "Well, after what you were wearing last night, I figured you would look very nice...I couldn't be shown up by my niece too much." she said, "But, you managed to do it."

Ingrid waved her off. "Pish posh." Ingrid said. "You look lovely."

Janet smiled at her. "Come down and have some coffee before we go." She said, then turned and walked off.

Ingrid finished transferring her stuff to her clutch. She held her pack of cigarettes for a moment, chewing on her lip. She really wanted one right now, but didn't think she would have time and really didn't feel like getting hassled from Aunt Janet, so she just put them in the bottom of her purse and headed down stairs.

Janet poured her a cup of coffee and put it down in front of her. "You know who you look like, Ingrid." she said, sitting down. "other than your mother, of course."

Ingrid laughed. "No, who?" she said, blowing on her coffee.

"Anne Hathaway." Janet said. "The young lady in those Princess diary movies."

Ingrid beamed at her. "And, she was in 'The Devil Wears Prada'...That's one of my favorite movies...and books." she said.

"I haven't seen that one. But you do look like her, sort of."

"Thank you, Aunt Janet." Ingrid said. "I was told that I look like Audrey Hepburn." Ingrid added, smiling broadly.

"You do. But, so does Anne Hathaway. I'd say you look more like her than Audrey Hepburn. You have stronger features....a larger mouth." She said, analyzing her for a moment.

"Well..either is fine with me." Ingrid said, laughing.

They made it to the doctor's office with a few minutes to spare. Ingrid felt really nervous as he walked in. All these people knew him as Richard and this was going to be a big shock to them. She just hoped they would take it without making a big deal out of it. She hung up her Puffer Jacket on the rack then walked up to the receptionist, who was talking on the phone. She smiled up at her and held up a finger while she finished her call. The waiting room was empty, thank God, Ingrid thought.

"Yes maam." Betty, the receptionist said, smiling up at her. "May I help you." she looked past Ingrid and saw Janet sitting down. "Excuse me." she said, looking past Ingrid. "Mrs. Burke...Where is Richard? His appointment is at Ten. The doctor is ready for him." Betty said, smiling.

Janet just gestured towards Ingrid with a grin.

"Hi." Ingrid said, not trying to raise the pitch of her voice at all. It still sounded for all intents and purposes like a young, Cathleen Turner, but it was Richard's voice.

Betty froze, then looked up at Ingrid. It was almost comical watching her trying to figure it out. "Richard?" she said, finally. "Is that you?" She sounded incredulous.

Ingrid looked down at the floor, blushing. "Yes. But, please...call me Ingrid." she said, looking back up at her through her hair.

Betty's mouth opened and closed a little bit, then she nodded. "Ok...Ingrid.. The doctor will see you now." she said.

Ingrid nodded at her and smiled, then walked through the door. She could feel Betty's eyes on her as she left, and was quite sure that Betty was out of her seat questioning Janet as soon as she left. She was grinning when she looked up and saw the doctor standing behind his desk. His back was to her.

"Hi Richard. " Doctor Brown said, not turning around. "Be with you in a moment."

Ingrid started walking across the office, her prada boots clacking on the hardwood. Doctor Brown turned, recognizing the sound of high heels.

"I'm sorry, miss. I thought you were my next patient." Doctor Brown said, sounding painfully embarrassed.

"I am." Ingrid said softly.

He stared for a moment, his mouth slightly open in astonishment. "Richard?" he said, stepping around the desk.

"Yes, Doctor. It's me." Ingrid said, holding her arms up a little in TA DA sort of pose. "the real me."

Doctor Brown stopped. He smiled at her. "Well...good." he said, finally. "Now we are getting somewhere. Would you like something to drink Richard...Coffee...Water?"

"Ingrid." she said softly. "I prefer Ingrid."

Doctor Brown stopped. "Certainly. It suits you better than Richard."

"Coffee. Black." She said, gracefully sitting in the chair across from his desk. She set down her purse on the other chair and crossed her ankles.

He put a mug of steaming coffee on the desk for her and sat down with his own.

"So...Start at the beginning." He said.

Ingrid opened up to him for the first time. This time, there were no tears. She'd cried so much for it already that there were few, if any tears left for her past. While she was talking, she looked around the room. She had noticed the ionic air purifier and the humidor in previous visits. There was a large crystal ashtray on the desk. She stopped talking.

"Doctor...I'm so stressed out right now. Do you mind if I smoke?" She said, picking up her purse.

He was a little taken aback. "Aren't you a little young for that?" he asked, but slid the ashtray across to her. "It's not my place to judge though, but can you tell me about why you started smoking?"

She lit her cigarette and instantly felt better. She smoked in silence for a second, enjoying the feeling of the first cigarette of the day. "Ok." she said, then told him all about how she'd started smoking. How she associated it with femininity, probably through associations with her mother. She understood that much about psychology.

"Well, it is a dangerous habit. I can tell you that as a physician, but as with many things therapists say, it's a case of 'do as I say and not as I do'. But, we'll address that later." he said. "continue"

She really opened up, telling him the whole story. It took her two cigarettes to get through the hour session, but finally it was over. "I like the air purifier you have in her here...you can hardly even tell anyone smoked in here." she said once she'd finished.

"Yes. It was well worth the investment. Keeps it comfortable for all my clients." he said, looking down at his notes. "Ok...Well, I think I know what path we need to take. You've told me that you do wish to start estrogen therapy, and I concur. I'm not sure about your plan to continue 'acting' as Richard for the rest of the school year, but that is your call. You should be able to begin transition without it being impossible to hide, though I can tell you it is going to be VERY difficult for you to do."

Ingrid looked stunned. "Why doctor? Don't most transgender people transition slowly, like this?" she asked, sounding confused. "The ones that don't just come right out anyway."

"Yes...It is common, Ingrid." He said, then smiled. "But you are sort of unique. Because of the orchiectomy, you have been halted as a male for the last year. You have already experienced some classic eunuch effects, coupled with a natural feminine quality. You look entirely female, now. I can see that you would look just as pretty even without make up. And with that hair cut, the eyebrows and your mannerisms, you are asking for trouble at school." he said bluntly.

Ingrid nodded. "I know. But I have to try. I'm so close to graduation now, graduating a whole year early. I have to try." She said.

He nodded. "Ok." he said. "We'll give it a go. I'm going to write you a prescription for your hormone therapy. We'll put you on patches right now. I don't have the capabilities to give you a shot right now, or I would go with injection. I'll have some for next time. I'm also going to refer you to an endocrinologist before we continue your therapy, ok?"

He went over all the side effects and warnings, then handed her the scrip. "I'll see you after Christmas, Ingrid." he said, standing up. He shook her hand. "You look lovely, and should do just fine transitioning, better than most I'd say." he smiled. "Merry Christmas. Can you send in your Aunt please?"

"Thank you. Merry Christmas." she said, putting her things in her bag. She walked into the lobby and asked Aunt Janet to go in.

"Would you like a sucker?" Betty said, holding up a jar of Christmas suckers.

Ingrid smiled at her broadly. "I would. Thank you." she took a sucker, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. She walked over and sat down on the couch, waiting for Aunt Janet to come out.

"Ok." Aunt Janet said, coming out of the office. "You ready?" she asked, smiling at Ingrid.

Ingrid nodded, then stood up. "Merry Christmas, Betty." she said.

"Merry Christmas, Ingrid." Betty said. "Merry Christmas, Janet."

"Merry Christmas to you too." Janet said, then opened the door for Ingrid.

They got in Janet's BMW and pulled out of the office complex.

"Well..." Janet said. "We will go right over to the pharmacy and pick up your prescription." she said. "Time to start...well, time to start puberty." Janet said with a laugh. "God, I wish I could have controlled when I started....Not that I would wish your situation on anyone, but you have way more control over this than most people."

"I know.." Ingrid said, taking the sucker out of her mouth. "It is sort of a blessing in disguise I guess...Though one I could have done without."

"I know." Janet said, patting her knee. Janet looked over at her. "I know you were smoking in the doctor's office." she said sternly.

Ingrid looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I...I needed it to get through that session."

Janet finally shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it, Ingrid." she said, not looking over at her. "I'm..." she laughed. "I'm a militant ex-smoker I guess, like many of us. I was doing the same thing at your age."

Ingrid laughed. "I know." she said. "I'll try to be better about it."

Janet looked over at her. "Just be careful. Anything, in moderation, is not going to do too much damage. Just try to moderate what you do. That's all." Janet said.

"Ok." Ingrid said, popping the sucker back in her mouth.

"And, it's like talking to a wall...Or to a teenage girl." Janet said with a chuckle. "There are far worse things a girl could be getting into these days, I guess."

Ingrid laughed. "I'm glad you are accepting me as a girl, Aunt Janet. I thought it would be harder for y'all to accept." she said, holding the sucker just outside her lips.

"No...Its not hard. You look so...Right as a female. It's easier to think of you as a real girl, than as Richard in a dress." Janet said.

They pulled into the pharmacy. "Ok." Janet said. "I'm going to go in and get your prescription. You can wait in the car, or outside. Doesn't matter to me."

Janet got out, so did Ingrid. Ingrid put on her New white Dior sunglasses and zipped up her coat. Janet turned and started walking off. "Oh, just finish your cigarette before I come out so I don't have to bitch you out about it." Janet said over her shoulder.

Ingrid laughed, then quickly lit a cigarette. She leaned against the hood of the BMW while Janet went inside. It was a crisp, cold morning. The snow was hanging in the trees, and the parking lot was full of brown slush as Christmas shoppers went about their business. Several men, and quite a few teenage boys were scoping her out as they walked or drove by. A big Ford explorer stopped in behind the BMW and it's passenger window rolled down. She glanced over and saw Thomas, the very cute college guy, smiling at her.

"Hi, Ingrid." he said. "Merry Christmas!"

Ingrid smiled, then gracefully flicked her cigarette before walking over to his truck. "Merry Christmas to you, Thomas." she said. She didn't put the accent on thick, just a hint of it. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine." he said, grinning at her. "You look great. I love the new hair cut."

She instinctively reached up and touched her hair, then smiled at him. "Thank you." she purred.

"Your accent is getting...less pronounced. You've been working on your English, I see." he said.

"Yes." she said. "I have. It is working, no?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah...it sounds really good. Are you waiting for someone...'" he said, looking around, "or just lurking in a parking lot looking sexy?" He chuckled.

Ingrid smiled, then took a last drag from her cigarette. "No. I am waiting for my aunt. She is inside." She said, then dropped the cigarette and ground it under her heel.

"Ok. I was going to offer you a ride, if you needed one." He said.

"Not on the motorbike, I see." She said, looking at the truck.

"No. Too nasty out." he said. "So, I'm in my truck till spring, probably."

Ingrid smiled. She noticed her aunt coming out of the store. "Well...There is my Aunt. I will see you soon?" she said, tapping the window frame. "Merry Christmas, Thomas." she gave him a little smile, then turned and walked back to the car.

He drove off just as Aunt Janet was walking up. She hit the remote and unlocked the door. Ingrid got in, suddenly aware of how cold her legs were. "Who was that? Or do I need to give you a talk about talking to strangers?" Janet said, deadpan.

Ingrid laughed. "No. That is Thomas. He works at the bookstore and goes to GW." she said, warming her hands in front of the vent.

"Ok." Janet said, backing out. "You have many friends as Ingrid?"

Ingrid smiled. "Yes. Way more than I ever did as Richard." she said.

"Good." Janet said quietly. "Your prescription is in the bag." she said.

Ingrid opened the bag. Her prescription was in there, but so was a pack of gum and a couple of 'Stop Smoking' pamphlets. Ingrid looked at them and sighed, then looked at Janet. "These just fell in there?" she said.

"Your mother would do the same thing." Janet said, cracking a smile.

Ingrid went straight up to her room to change when they got home. She took off her dress and hung it up, thinking she could get another wear out of it before sending it to the cleaners. She stripped out of her clothes then sat down on the bed in her underwear to read the package and instructions for her estrogen patches. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Ingrid said.

Janet stepped inside, noticed she wasn't clothed and hesitated. Then she realized that Ingrid thought of herself as a woman and saw no need to cover up when a woman entered. "Hi. I wanted to take your measurements. We can do a transition journal for you, so you can see your progress, if you want." She said, setting down her digital camera and a notepad.

Ingrid looked up and smiled. "That sounds really good, actually. Thanks." she said.

Janet beamed at her. "Ok. Take off the bra and lets get those breast-forms off." she started helping her with them after Ingrid grabbed her remover. "Darn, these things are realistic." she said once she had them in her hands.

"I know." Ingrid said, smiling. It feels weird having them off.

She stood up and let her aunt measure her. "Ok....34chest, 25 waist, and 31 hips. Very nice." Janet said. "Those are close to model measurements, Ingrid. Your hips area little small, but hormones will fix that." she said. "And, 5'9" inches tall.

Ingrid smiled at her. "Thanks." she said, looking down at her body.

"Now, lets get a picture. Go over by the wall." she said. Ingrid walked over and Janet took a picture of her with her arms out to the side, then a profile, then from the back. Now, you will be able to see your progress as we go through this. It will supposedly help your self esteem." Janet said, handing her a tee shirt off the bed.

Ingrid put on the tee shirt and sat down next to her to look at the pictures. She smiled at her aunt and gave her a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Janet said. "Margarite is making lunch right now. See you down there in a few minutes."

"Ok." Ingrid said, then got up and walked into the bathroom. She took a deep breath then peeled the back off the patch and stuck it firmly on her left buttock. There, she thought, it's official. She smiled and walked back into the bedroom. She pulled on a pair of Capri pants, but left on the boys tee shirt she was wearing. After a quick check of her hair, she headed down stairs.

Ingrid walked into the kitchen. Margarite had her back to her cooking then glanced over her shoulder. She turned back, then spun in a hilarious double take. "Richard?" she said, incredulously.

Ingrid laughed. "Hi Margarite. Yes, its me." She said.

Margarite wiped her hands on her apron then turned to look at her. "Santa Maria. You are gorgeous...You look just like your mother." she said, putting her hand to her mouth. Margarite had worked for Ingrid's aunt and uncle for fifteen years, every since coming here from Brazil. She walked over and gave Ingrid a hug. "You are so pretty....Not what I was expecting at all." she said proudly. "So...Your name is Ingrid, now?" she said, looking at her.

"Yes." Ingrid said, blushing. "It is."

"Well...good. Ingrid...lunch will be ready in a few minutes." she said, shooing her out of the kitchen.

Ingrid laughed, then poured herself a cup of coffee. "Ok. Going." she said, then padded into the living room to wait for lunch.

Ingrid curled up on the couch and turned on the television. She clicked through a few channels, then settled on the style channel. She was intently watching when Janet came in. "Want to eat in here?" Janet asked.

"Yeah, if I can." she said, smiling.

"Ok. I'm going to eat in my office. I have work to do...." she said, turning around. She stopped and turned back. "Did you put on your patch?"

Ingrid nodded, not turning from the television.

"Ok." Janet said, leaving the room. A few minutes later, Margarite showed up with a chef's salad and half a turkey sandwich on a tray, along with a bottle of water. "Thanks." Ingrid said, sitting up.

"Welcome." Margarite said. "Do not get anything on the couch."

Ingrid stuck her tongue out at her and she laughed. Then Ingrid poured light vinaigrette on the salad. Her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said, stabbing a bit of lettuce with her fork.

"Hey bitch." Emm said. "How'd it go?"

Ingrid burst out laughing. "That was a nice hello." she said. "It went great. I can hardly believe it, actually. I went to my therapist today and have officially started transitioning." Ingrid said proudly.

"Awesome..so we are going out tonight?" Emily asked. Ingrid could hear her taking a drag from a cigarette and felt quite jealous suddenly.

"No." Ingrid said flatly. "I'm grounded for all the shenanigans I was doing."

"What?" Emm said, sounding really disappointed. "No way."

"Yeah." Ingrid said around a bite of salad. "I'm grounded until the day after Christmas, so one week of house arrest."

"Shit." Emily said. "Well, at least it's not long."

"Yeah." Ingrid said. "I know. But it does suck."

''Well, I'll call you and see if I can stop by and visit at least." Emily said.

"Ok. I gotta eat, I'm starving." Ingrid said.

"Ciao." Emily said. "Later babe."

Ingrid hung up the phone, laughing. Then ate her lunch watching television. All in all, she thought, it's been a very good day.

The rest of the day passed by with Ingrid hardly moving from the spot in front of the TV. Eventually, Janet finished up her work and came in to join her. They were watching "What not to wear" when Ingrid spoke up.

"Aunt Janet." she said. "I kind of had something planned that I need to do tomorrow. It's an errand, really...So can I have a pass for a few hours to get it done?"

"Well..."Janet said. "It depends on what this errand is, doesn't it."

"I'm going to sell all of dad's old suits. There is a great store that buys used designer clothing for a great price...They will give me more before Christmas than after." she said..

Janet thought about it. "Is that how you got the money to buy yourself new clothes, selling some of your mothers stuff?" she asked, sounding a little upset.

"Yes...But I was only selling things that were either too small for me, or were too...well too old or too formal for me." she said defensively.

Janet calmed a little, thinking. "Ok. Well, we were going to sell all of it in an estate sale if you wouldn't have stopped us, so I guess there is no harm in it." she said.

Ingrid jumped up and hugged her. "Thank you." she said, gushing with enthusiasm. "Awesome."

"You have a couple of hours tomorrow to get it done, but straight home afterwards. You are still being punished until the day after Christmas" Janet said.

"I know. I know." Ingrid said, still beaming.

The next morning she was at the house bright and early. It took her more than an hour to cart all the suits to her car. She was dressed stylishly, but casual, in a pair of black leggings, her tall boots and the Prada slip dress she'd worn the other night. She'd topped it off with a silver ring belt for an '80s glam kind of look. She put on a pair of huge silver hoops and messed her hair up a little to give it more of a punky flair.

Ingrid pulled up to the store a few minutes after they opened. She went inside and was instantly greeted by a sales person. "May I help you, miss?" She asked.

"Yes." Ingrid said, smiling back at her. She reached up and perched her sunglasses on top of her head. "I have some men's suits to sell."

The sales girl smiled. "Ok...Let me get Josh to help you." she said, walking over to a man in a nice suit. The sales girl spoke to him for a moment, then he came over to Ingrid, smiling.

"Hi...I'm Josh Martin." he said, holding out his hand. She took it and gave it a little squeeze. "You have a few suits to sell?"

Ingrid laughed. "I have more than a few, Josh." She said, gesturing out towards her car. "I have a truckload."

He looked out at the Mercedes SUV. "Alright then." he said, smiling. "I'll get them for you. It will take us a little while to look them over, OK?"

She nodded then waited while he went and got a rolling rack, then followed him outside. she popped the hatch and he looked inside. "You do have a truck load." he said, then started getting them out.

"Would you like to wait inside?" He asked.

"No." she said, smiling. "It is fairly nice outside. I'll stay out here for a bit."

"Ok." he said, pushing the rack inside.

Ingrid lit a cigarette and perched herself on the edge of a planter. It was a very nice morning, if a little on the cold side. The sun was shining and it was a nice day to be alive. She was almost finished with her cigarette when she looked inside. She saw Josh talking with another man and then looking in her direction. Uh oh, she thought, problem. She stood up and walked over to the ash receptacle and put out her cigarette, then walked inside.

"Miss...I'd like to ask you some questions about these clothes." The older man said. "I'm Joshua Martin. Senior." he looked over at his son. "Josh noticed that all these were from the same man, and most of them are bespoke suits, very expensive. I'm going to have to ask where you got them, miss?" he said, very politely.

"Wolfe." she said.

"Nice to meet you Miss Wolfe. You don't look like a thief, mind you...but we have to be sure." He said, smiling at her.

"Of course." she said. She knew she was going to have to show them ID. She Smiled at him then took him by the arm and led him aside. "Mr. Martin..." she started, unsure of exactly what she was going to say. "...Those suits belonged to my father. He was killed last Christmas." she said, hoping that would be enough.

"I'm sorry, Miss Wolfe. I still need to see some ID, though." he said. " Most of the suits have monogram labels inside and all say Richard Wolf Junior. I just need to see some proof that you are his daughter, like you say, then we will have no problems. I do want to buy these suits, but it is a considerable amount of money to risk on buying stolen goods." he said, trying to sound as empathetic as possible.

"Very well." she said, digging in her Prada bag. She looked at him and smiled. "I look quite a bit different than I did in my ID picture." she said, pulling out her drivers license and handing it to him.

He looked at the picture, then at her, then at the picture. "Um, mam..I think you might have picked up your brother's license by mistake." he said.

Ingrid smiled and shook her head. "No, My name 'Legally' is Richard Wolfe the third. I prefer Ingrid, though." she said quietly.

He looked terribly embarrassed. "I'm..." he started, completely on foreign ground here. "I don't know what to say..."

She waved it off. 'You were very civil about it, sir. Thank you." She said, taking back her driver's license. "I will be getting my name changed, officially, in the future...it should make things less...awkward."

He laughed nervously. "Yes. Well...." he said, turning back to Josh. "Josh, go ahead and help Miss Ingrid Wolfe, here, I agree to the sale." he said, then shook her hand, still looking like he was unable to believe his eyes.

"Thank you." Ingrid said, then walked over to join Josh at the counter.

"We went through everything and priced it out. Here is what we are willing to give you for all these suits." he said, showing her a ticket. A huge smile spread across her face. Thank you Daddy, she thought. The figure was enough to buy a nice used Lexus.

"It looks good to me. Thank you." She said, beaming at him.

"Very well...would you like to credit this to your account, or cut you a check, Miss Wolfe?" He asked.

She thought about it for a second. She bit at her lip, thinking. Fuck it, she thought, I need to do this. "Check" she said.

"Good." He said readying himself at the keyboard. "I need your full name for the check." he said.

Ingrid cleared her throat. "Richard Wolfe the third." she said resolutely, then smiled at him..

He looked at her, confused. "No, maam...Your name." he said, smiling nervously.

"That is my legal name. I prefer Ingrid though." she said in a low, conspiratorial voice.

"Ummm..." he said, looking over at his father, who nodded. "Ok." he said, still looking very confused.

He tapped the information in the computer and printed the check, then tore it off and handed it to her. "Merry Christmas." he said.

"Merry Christmas to you too." she said, slipping the check into her bag. She waved at the senior Mr. Martin as she left and he was still looking dumbfounded. They would be talking about this for quite a while, she thought, laughing all the way to her car.

She got in her car and lit a cigarette, unable to wipe the silly grin off her face. She almost followed her Aunts wished to a tee, but she had to stop at Starbucks and get a Venti Latte or she was just going to die.

The rest of the week went by quickly. She did get out of the house, to help her Aunt Christmas shop. which was really nice. Ingrid was starting to feel the effects of the Estrogen. It had a calming effect on her, and gave her a feeling that things were right with the world, where she had been in a hormonal void for the last year. She did find that it her emotions, which she had never been too much in control of anyway, were more intense, but she found that she liked the intensity. It was different, but it felt good.

On Christmas morning, she woke up early, but wasn't the first one up in the house. She put on her robe and wandered down stairs, following the smell of the coffee brewing. Christmas music was playing on the stereo. Ingrid walked into the kitchen. Janet was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and Uncle Fred was making pancakes.

"Yum....Pancakes." Ingrid said. "Good morning." she yawned and grabbed herself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning." Fred asked without turning around. "You still like bacon?"

"I do." Ingrid said.

They ate breakfast together before heading into the living room to open presents.

Ingrid bought her aunt a new blackberry, and bought Uncle Fred a new Safariland holster for his 1911.

She grinned as they opened them. Both of them loved their presents and were excited for her to open the ones from them.

Ingrid opened her gifts. She got a beautiful Tiffany tennis bracelet and a very lovely pair of dangly silver earrings. She also got a couple of DVD's and a new flat iron hair straightener she'd admired.

She gave them both hugs. Uncle Fred took hold of her arm as she started to go back and look at her stuff. "I got you something else...something I bought..before. " he said.

Ingrid sat down on the edge of the chair. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well, are you still interested in shooting?" He said.

Ingrid laughed, then hugged him. "Of course I am, silly." she said.

He smiled at her. "I wasn't sure. There are two boxes behind the tree, he said gesturing towards them.

She crawled back and pulled them out. The first was a TAD Gear Raptor hard-shell jacket in Foliage green. She looked it over. "This is awesome." she said, giving him a hug.

"I knew you were eyeing those last time we went to the range." He said. "I wasn't sure if it would fit with your style now."

She laughed. "Its not a fashion item...Well...It is actually. This jacket is swank, Uncle Fred."he laughed. "Open the other one."

She opened it. It was a Tactical Tailor range bag with a strap. "Nice!" she said. "I can sure use this." she said, looking it over.

She put on the hard-shell coat and sat back down to look at her gifts, happy as she could remember.

Ingrid looked over at her Aunt and Uncle sitting there together and couldn't help but smile.

The day after Christmas, Uncle Fred took Ingrid to the range. They had a great morning of shooting, though Ingrid got frustrated more than once by her long fingernails. That night, Ingrid and Emily went out and grabbed a bite to eat and saw a movie. It was nice to be out and about after a week of being stuck in the house.

The rest of Christmas break flew by. Ingrid ended up still spending a lot of time at home, but got together with Emily at least for a little while every day. Two days before New Years Eve, Emily and Ingrid were over at the old house, sitting in the living room watching television. Emily leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "So...What are we doing for New Years Eve?" She asked.

Ingrid looked over at her and shrugged. "I dunno." she said. "You got any plans with Mark?"

Emily sighed. "No. He's out of town with his parents until the fourth." she said. "So it's up to us to find some entertainment."

Ingrid had no idea. She'd assumed that Mark and Emily would go out and she would just hang out at home. "I have no idea." Ingrid said.

"You're the genius." Emily said, leaning back on the couch and lighting a cigarette.

Ingrid laughed. "Let me think." she said, following Emily's example and lighting a cigarette of her own. She listened to The Ting Tings for a minute, then the idea hit her. "I have an idea." she said, reaching over and getting her phone. She flipped through her contacts list and pushed call. Ingrid grinned at Emily. "it's ringing." she said. "Hello, Thomas..." Ingrid said, winking at Emily.

Ingrid hung up the phone and beamed at Emily. "Well..." she said, looking very smug. "There is a New Year's Eve party over at one of his friends houses. He said to meet him in two hours at the bookstore and we'll talk about it." she said, leaning back.

"Cool." Emily said. "sounds like a plan to me."

"Well...I think I need to go shopping. I don't have a lot of clothes that will...blend in at a college party." Ingrid said. "You help me?"

Emily smiled. "Ok. Helping you blend in at a college party, I can do." She said.

The girls took off and headed to the mall. They stormed the stores, trying on lots of clothes as quickly as possible. Ingrid found a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a blue top at Charlotte Russe, then topped the outfit off with a black blazer she picked up at Macy's. Loaded with bags, Emm and Ingrid made it to the bookstore only fifteen minutes late. Thomas was sitting outside at one of the picnic tables smoking a cigarette.

"Hi." he said, standing up. He looked Ingrid up and down. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a shiny silver top under her black fur trimmed coat. "You look great." he said, giving her a hug.

They all sat down at a the table. "Want me to get y'all some coffee?" he said after they sat down.

"Sure." Emily said as she dug through her purse for her cigarettes.

"Thank you darling." Ingrid said.

"Ok...An espresso for Ingrid and A latte with a shot of vanilla for Emily?" Thomas said.

They both nodded and Thomas headed back inside.

They spent a couple of hours chatting and laughing. Ingrid really liked Thomas. He was genuinely friendly, attractive and fun. He also was a gentleman, which Ingrid really appreciated. Plans made, they parted. "See you on New Year's Eve." Ingrid said, kissing him on the cheek.

On New Year's Eve, Ingrid and Emily met up with Thomas at the Fine Grind. They left Ingrid's car there and rode with him into the city. When they pulled up to the house, the party was already bumping. The music was pumping and the place was very crowded. Ingrid and Emily stayed with Thomas as he introduced them to people, more than they would ever remember. They got some drinks and moved through the crowd. Ingrid realized she was getting a lot of looks from guys, and so was Emily. She was very glad Thomas was there with her to protect them.

They hung around and talked with Thomas's friends and laughed a lot. Ingrid was really enjoying herself. Thomas was sitting next to her, his arm draped over her shoulder. He lit her cigarettes for her and treated her like a lady, getting her drinks and standing whenever she walked up.

At midnight, the two of them kissed. It was a great kiss, passionate. Hot. He was a better kisser than Bradley, she had to admit, but he was older and probably more experienced. When they broke their embrace, she saw that Emily was kissing a very pretty college girl they had been talking with and a whole mob of guys were just staring in awe. Ingrid actually started laughing.

It was the best New Year's Eve Ingrid had ever had. She was actually quite sad when Thomas dropped them back off at her car. She kissed him again, then finally, reluctantly broke her kiss and got into her car. It was a good start to 2009, Ingrid thought as she curled up in the bed with Emily. A very good start.

The day before school was supposed to start back, Ingrid was sitting on the chase in the sunroom reading a cheesy romance novel. She put out her cigarette and laid back on the chair. She sighed and stood up. She knew it was going to be a nightmare going back to school. "Why the hell did I decide to do this...why didn't I get my damn GED?" she said aloud, looking into the mirror.

"Hello?" Ingrid yelled as she walked into the house.

No answer. She sighed, then ran up the stairs. She went into her room and removed her breast-forms. She was very sore under there. "Ouch." she said, kneading the flesh under her fingers. She smiled. She'd read that she would feel a small lump there, breast buds, which would be sore as they started to grow. There really was no lump to speak of, but it was sore.

She jumped in the shower and washed her hair. She waited for the fog to subside then started playing with her hair. She played with it for about half an hour, mousing it and gelling it into somewhat of a male style. It looked OK, she thought. Then she took an eyebrow pencil and thickened her brows up a little bit. She put on her Richard glasses. They hid her brows pretty well, making it less obvious at least. She sighed then went into the bedroom and put on her school uniform. Fifteen minutes later she was dressed in Khaki pants, a blue oxford shirt, tie and blazer. Ingrid walked over to the mirror. She sighed. Richard was staring back at her. Well, almost Richard, she said, then laughed and looked at her fingernails. She was suddenly quite sad that she was going to have to cut off the extensions and go back to her boring old fingernails.

Richard walked over to the closet and took off his school uniform. He hung it up, then stood there for a moment, wearing only his panties. He was not going to wear his boxer briefs. No one was going to see the panties, so it didn't matter. He put on a pair of Levis, an Old Navy sweatshirt and a pair of tennis shoes. He grabbed a baseball cap and checked out his reflection. He couldn't help but laugh. He looked like Ingrid wearing boys clothes now, more than he looked like the old Richard. Forty five minutes later, he'd removed all the fingernail polish and clipped his nails short. He realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks as he cut them.

That evening, he was sitting in the living room watching television when Janet came in. "Ingrid. I'm home" she yelled. She walked into the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. "Hi..Richard." she said, setting down her briefcase.

"Hi." Richard said. The voice was more like a combination of Richard's normal voice and Ingrid's sexy drawl. It was like he'd forgotten how to talk like a boy.

"You look..." Janet started.

"I'm not passing for a boy very well." Richard said, laughing.

Janet busted out laughing. "That is funny." She said.

Richard looked at her, confused. "What?" he asked.

"You are a boy...but you can hardly pass for one, while you have no problem whatsoever passing as a girl." she said, hugging him tightly. "Take off the hat."

He took off the hat and looked over at her.

Janet looked at her. Him, Janet corrected. It was not convincing. "That hair do is not going to work for Richard." she said.

"I know." Richard said. "How am I going to do this?"

"Well..." She said. "We are going to have to cut it."

Richard's face dropped. He was afraid of that. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Hey....I've got a plan." Janet said. "Let's go...Oh, go change clothes and get some make-up on. You've got twenty minutes to get ready."

Ingrid smiled at her, then jumped up and ran up the stairs. Fifteen minutes later, clothes changed minimal make up on and her hair brushed out, Ingrid bounded down the steps.

"Good." Janet said, then they headed out to the salon in the mall.

They walked into the salon. Janet turned to Ingrid. "I'll do the talking." she said, stepping up.

"Hello" she said, smiling at the receptionist. "My niece needs a haircut very badly." she said.

The receptionist smiled at her. "Yes. we can get her in right now." Janet said.

Ingrid looked terrified. Janet reached in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Ingrid. She looked at it, then looked up at Aunt Janet and smiled. "I think this might work." she said, then looked back down at the picture of Kiera Knightly with her short, spiky pixie cut.

An hour later, Ingrid walked out of the salon sporting a hair cut that would work quite well as Ingrid, or as Richard. It would look better done up, but would work for a boy's haircut if she just left it messy.

Once they got home, Ingrid ran up and took off her make up again, then dressed back up in the school uniform. She thickened up her brows and messed up her hair before putting on the boys glasses. She looked in the mirror. Now she did see Richard staring back at her. It had taken some work, but now he should be able to pass for a boy at school. At least as long as no one looked too hard, he thought.

Unfinished Business Part 4

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

Restricted Audience (r)

Publication:

7,500 < Novelette < 17,500 words

Genre:

Transitioning

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Smoking Fetish

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

UNFINISHED BUSINESS PART 4
Thanks to Don for the great editing!

Richard pulled into the school parking lot fifteen minutes before home-room. He looked down and realized his hands were white knuckled on the steering wheel. He was very close to putting the car in reverse and getting the hell out of there while he still could. He took a deep breath, then popped a piece of gum in his mouth. It was a poor substitute for the cigarette he really wanted, but it would have to do.

He looked in the mirror. He reached up and messed with his hair for a second, then examined his eyebrows. He looked right, he thought, like Richard. Actually, with the new short hair cut, he looked more boyish than he had in years. That thought made him laugh out loud, since he could feel the estrogen patch on his rump that was slowly feminizing him even more. He turned off the car, grabbed his book bag and headed for the door.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bradley's car parked in the senior parking area. Richard's heart sank and he felt like he was going to burst into tears at the sight. He had been able to keep it out of his head, for the most part, during Christmas break, but now it all came flooding back. After a long moment, his feet finally started moving and he made it inside.

Richard stopped at his locker to put up his stuff. He peered around at all the other boys as the hallways started getting crowded. He was taking in how they were all acting. They greeted one another with high fives, and those chest bumping hugs he had always thought were so silly. Richard felt like an alien in their midst, and suddenly felt very exposed. He took a deep breath then closed his locker and headed to home room. A couple of guys said hi as he walked by, but like usual, Richard Wolfe was little more than a ghost in the hallways.

School dragged by. By lunch time Richard decided he was quite ready to go home. Instead, he got some lunch and found a spot to sit and eat. He sat by himself, like always, and started reading. I used to like sitting alone, he thought. No, he corrected, I didn't like sitting alone. I just did it. He looked up from his book and saw Bradley sitting down at his usual table with his soccer friends. Bradley looked over at him. Their eyes met for a moment. Richard steeled himself, not changing expressions. Bradley looked scared, terrified, as he sat down at the table. Their eyes were locked on one another's for what seemed like eternity, but it was really only a few seconds. Then, with a pained look on his face, Bradley turned to his friend and started talking. Richard sighed, trying to remain calm, and looked back down at his book. This is not going to be easy, he thought.

Mercifully, the day finally ended. Richard climbed in his truck and got into the line of cars waiting to get out of the parking lot. He glanced over and saw Bradley and Mark walking out of the doors. He could feel Bradley's eyes on him as he passed. Richard did his best not to look, it was just too painful. As soon as he got on the road, he dug in his book bag and pulled out his cigarettes. On the way to school, he had picked up a pack of Camel Turkish Jade 100s. He tore off the plastic and quickly lit one with his new black Bic lighter. He took a long drag, letting the nicotine hit and calm down his frazzled nerves. One day down, he thought.

Richard pulled into the parking lot of the Fine Grind. He had told Emily he would meet her there after school. She was waiting for him in their favorite corner table, still dressed in her school uniform.

“Hello, Richard.” she said, standing up and giving him a bug hug. “How was the first day back in hell?” She asked, sitting back down at the table. Richard smiled when he noticed the cup of coffee she'd bought for him.

“It was hellish.” he said, shaking his head. “It is going to be very hard. Very hard.”

Emily nodded. “I'm sorry, hon.” she said. “Well, one day down.”

Richard laughed. “I know. That's exactly what I thought as I pulled out of the lot today.”

They both laughed. Richard was having a hard time not slipping into Ingrid's mannerisms. He realized, for the first time, that his normal mannerisms were very feminine and that it was Richard, not Ingrid, that was a disguise. He struggled with it, trying to keep his actions masculine and realized it was a losing battle.

“What's wrong, Rich?” Emily said, snapping her new Zippo closed. “Something's bugging you.”

Richard laughed. “I'm not very good at this being a boy thing, Emm.” He whispered, then picked up a cigarette of his own. “I need to work on it so I can pull this off.”

Emily laughed. “I wasn't going to say anything...but you are right.”

Richard shook his head. “I don't really know how.” he said quietly. “I'm trying, but it's just not natural for me.”

They finished their coffee then gathered their things to leave. Just as they were leaving they saw Bradley's truck pull into the parking lot, followed by Sheila's Jetta. Richard swallowed hard. He turned to Emily. “Bye girl...I gotta go.” he said, then she took his hand for a second before he walked off, a look of understanding on her face.

Richard glanced over at Bradley. He had gotten out of his truck and was standing there talking to Sheila. Bradley glanced over at him and for the second time today, their eyes met. Bradley quickly looked down, then nodded and looked back at Sheila, smiling. Richard climbed in his truck and started the engine. He could see the two of them in his rear view mirror. Sheila pulled a cigarette out of her purse, and Bradley produced his lighter and lit it for her. Richard felt a tear roll down his cheek as he put the car in reverse and pulled out of the spot.

He choked back sobs for several blocks before the dam finally broke. He pulled over and parked, then let the crying rack through his body. He was unable to control it. It was like a tsunami of tears, unstoppable. He realized, somewhere in his subconscious, that it was the hormones intensifying his emotions. It didn't matter. These were real tears, and the pain was no less painful because of the chemical reasons.

Finally, he cried himself out. The tears stopped. He felt drained. Hurt. He lit a cigarette and headed for home, still letting out an occasional sob as he drove.

He let himself in and found that Margarite had made him a snack, some fruit and yogurt. He left it in the fridge where he found it and headed up stairs. Richard shed his school uniform, hanging it up neatly since he planned on wearing the same one again tomorrow. He put on his khaki capri pants and a black tank top, then went over to the mirror.

He took off the tortoise shell men's glasses and put them on the counter. Richard popped in a pair of earrings and the Chanel glasses and was happy to see Ingrid staring back at him from the mirror. I've missed you, he thought sadly.

Ingrid couldn't resist putting on a touch of pink lip gloss before heading back down stairs. She ate her yogurt and fruit while she did her homework, then settled down on the couch to watch some television. Right at five, Aunt Janet walked in the door.

“Hello?” She called out, setting down her briefcase.

“In here.” Ingrid yelled. “Watching TV.”

Janet stepped into the living room and smiled at Ingrid. “Hello, Ingrid. How was school?” Janet said, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

“Horrid.” Ingrid said, making quite a face. “About like I thought it would be. But, no one said anything, or suspected anything unusual.” She shrugged. “So, my cover held.”

Janet laughed. “Cover, huh?” Janet shook her head. “Well, I'm going to get dinner in the oven. Have you done your homework?”

Ingrid nodded. “All done.” she said.

Janet headed into the kitchen. At Six, Fred came home. He went into the kitchen first, then a few minutes later emerged into the living room. “Well, hello, Miss Ingrid.” he said, sitting down in his chair. “How was school?”

She laughed. “Like I told Aunt Janet...It was hellish. How as your day?”

He chuckled. “Just another day at The Farm, hon.”

Ingrid let him be for a few minutes, then turned to him. “Uncle Fred...I need help.” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “Help? In what way?”

She gnawed on her lip. “Trade-craft.” she said, smiling at him. “I need help with my cover as Richard.”

He laughed uproariously. “Your cover as Richard?” he said, finally.

“Yes. That's what it is, right?” She said indignantly.

He thought about it for a moment. “I guess it is. Ok, then...What kind of help do you need?” He asked, sounding quite puzzled.

“I...” she started, realizing just how ludicrous the whole thing sounded. “...I don't know how to act like a guy.” she said finally.

Fred laughed again. He nodded. “Well...No, Ingrid. You don't.” he said, sounding rather serious. “What do you want to do about it?”

“I need lessons. It didn't take anything for me to act like...well, to act like a girl. But I can't figure out how to act like a guy. It is very difficult for me.” she said finally.

Fred shook his head. “Ok. We will work on your guy skills.” He took a sip from the whisky and soda he'd been holding. “We can't do it with you dressed like that, thought...it wouldn't work.” he said finally.

Ingrid giggled. “I guess not. I'll change after dinner, ok?” she said.

He nodded. “Good. Now, be quiet and let an old man watch the news before dinner.” he said.

Ingrid smiled and turned back to watch the news with her Uncle.

After dinner, Ingrid rushed upstairs and changed clothes. She put on a pair of guy's jeans and a polo shirt. She was just about to walk out when she realized she was still wearing the glasses and her earrings. She removed the overtly girlish items, put on her men's glasses and wiped off the lip gloss. Richard was now staring back at her from the mirror. With a sigh, Richard headed down stairs.

He stopped in the living room and waited for Uncle Fred to turn around. Fred looked over his shoulder at Richard and smiled. “Ok...That looks about right.” he said, standing up. “It is funny. I still see Ingrid, even when you are dressed as Richard. But, most people wouldn't, I think.” he said, still appraising him. “So, lets get started. Grab your Jacket.” he said, picking up his own coat from the coat rack.

Richard grabbed his Raptor coat and followed Fred outside. They walked across the back yard to the gazebo. Fred sat down on the bench. “First thing is posture..” he started.

Richard listened closely to what Uncle Fred was telling him and did his best to mimic his actions. They worked for a little while on his posture and gestures. Fred seemed pleased and let his pleasure show in his smile. “I think you are doing quite well, actually. If you can remember what I've shown you, you should be ok in comportment.” he sat back down and pulled a cigar out of his pocket. “Got a light, Rich?”

Richard dug in his coat pocket and pulled out the little black Bic.

“What happened to the Givenchy?” he said, sounding concerned.

“I decided it was not a proper lighter for Richard.” Richard said, pulling out one of his Camels. “I also decided that these were somewhat more appropriate.”

Fred nodded, then handed Richard the lighter. “Good. Props are important for a cover.” he said, then took a puff from his cigar. “knowing how to use them is also very important. You smoke like a girl, Rich.”

Richard laughed. “I know.” he said.

Fred repositioned him, showed him how to stand, how to hold his cigarette. He instructed him on how to take a drag and how to exhale. It was frustrating for Richard, and all seemed very alien to him.

“I'm worried...” Richard said, finally. “...I'm worried that if I learn all this guy stuff that I won't be able to be myself again...as Ingrid, I mean.”

Fred laughed. “I doubt it.” he said, flicking his cigar. “I'm going to let you in on something. In the nineteen seventies, I was in deep cover in East Germany for almost three years.” he leaned back against the bench. “It was very difficult...” he said, trying to frame his thought. “...I had a very difficult cover. I 'was' Gerhard Shrolenger for all that time.”

Richard was impressed. He knew that Fred had been in the Clandestine Service, but really didn't know anything about what he'd done. “Really?” Richard said.

“Yes.” Fred said, laughing. “I had to do a lot of things that I never thought I would do...But, when it was over, I was able to return to being Fred. There were a few scars, mental and physical, but I was able to return to being me afterwards.” Fred smiled at Richard. “You are lucky that you have a place where you can return and become...well, yourself again every day if you wish. Thought it will be easier if you stay in cover as long as possible.”

Richard thought about it for a second. “I see your point. It will be easier on me if I stay 'Richard' more during the week. I always find it hard to go back to being Richard after a lot of...well, a lot of girl time, but it is always easy to go back to being Ingrid.” he said with a laugh.

Fred nodded. “Right. Ingrid is the real you, even though you created the persona. Richard is the disguise now.” Fred stood up. “and, I think it's a serviceable disguise, even if it is a little thin right now.” Fred laughed.

Richard couldn't help but laugh, and was surprised that it was Ingrid's laugh that escaped his lips. He lowered the pitch a little, which made Fred laugh harder.

“Very thin, actually.” he said, shaking his head. “We'll work more on it.”

The first week of school went much like the first day. Quiet and Lonely. The Richard identity was holding well, and with more practice, Richard actually felt like he was pulling it off without a hitch. He wasn't getting bullied, and no one had put two and two together. He stayed, mostly, in his Richard identity after school as well. It was hard at first, but became easier after the first couple of days and Richard couldn't help but laugh to himself that as he was actually starting to transition, he was being more of a boy than he had for most of the last year.

This time was also giving him some perspective on things, though, which he thought was quite useful. He realized that a lot of Ingrid's personality was artifice. Built from the ground up to be a disguise. Spending time without the artifice was helping Richard cope with the changes that were being wrought on his body, and the changes that had already happened in his mind. It was like he was becoming whole again, not a fractured spirit.

School work was tough, he was in a lot of advanced classes, and it kept him busy. He also decided that he had been a little too sedentary recently and that he was going to do something about it, so he started running again. It was tough getting back into the groove, though, and the first couple of days were a test of willpower just to make it a mile. Richard also realized that he had been smoking way too much recently, and made a conscious effort to cut back. It was a lot easier, since he was living with Fred and Janet all the time now, and only able to spend a little time at home. He remembered a quote from Audrey Hepburn that her mother had told her to never smoke more than two cigarettes a day, and she wouldn't have any problems Audrey wasn't able to keep her end of the bargain, but Ingrid and Richard would give it a shot. Well, two a day if nothing is going on, Richard thought to himself. He knew better than to think he'd be able to stick to his bargain while out partying, and was ok with that.

That thursday afternoon, Richard was laying on the floor in the living room, reading an assignment when his phone rang. “Hello, Emm.” he said.

“Hi Rich! “ Emily purred. “What's shakin?”

“Homework. Just got back from running. How bout you?” He said, rolling onto his back.

“Uggghhh...Same here. I have a ton of homework too...I'm ready for the weekend.” she said flatly.

Richard laughed. “I'm with you.” He said, rolling back over and propping his head on his hands.

“What do you want to do this Friday? I'm reserving the evening for my bestest friend.” She said in a silly sort of country sounding voice.

“No plans yet, baby.” Richard said. “Lets hook up tomorrow night around five at my house. I need some girl time.”

“You got it.” Emily said.

They talked for a while, catching up on the week. Emily and Mark had a date for Saturday night, which Richard was quite glad to hear, though it did bring a slight pang of heartbreak because it made him think of Bradley.

Friday dragged on at school. Richard could have sworn that Bradley was staring at him again in lunch, so he made a break for the courtyard just to clear his head. He stepped out into the crisp, January afternoon then stood for a moment in the winter sunlight. There was a hint of warmth, here in the sun, until a gust of wind came along and tore it away. Richard looked around the courtyard. There was one other kid sitting out here, perched on a bench playing with his cell phone, so Richard strolled over to another bench and sat down. He pulled out a book and started reading, but couldn't keep his mind on it, so he closed it and put it back in his bag. When he looked up, Bradley was coming out of the lunchroom. He was alone. Richard swallowed hard.

Bradley and Richard looked at one another for a moment. Richard was frozen, unable to come up with the right reaction, so he gave him a little smile.

“Hi. Bradley.” Richard said, finally.

Bradley looked down at his shoes, then walked over towards Richard. “Hey...Rich.” He said, quietly. “How...How've you been...since...Christmas.”

Richard smiled. “Fine...How was your break?” He asked. Richard wanted nothing more than to jump into Bradley's arms, and it took every bit of willpower he had to not just do it.

“Good. I had a great time.” he said, looking into Richard's eyes. “I...I like your new haircut.” He said.

Richard reached up and touched it, then quickly put his hand down, that was such a girl reaction. “Thanks...I..” He said, then smiled. “I needed a change.”

Bradley chuckled. It was odd. Richard could see the pain on his face. He wanted to say something, but couldn't, that much was obvious. Finally, Bradley sat down on the bench, not close to Richard, not even facing him.

“I miss you.” Bradley whispered. “I can't stop thinking about you.”

The words actually stung. They made Richard's heart swell and almost brought tears to his eyes.

“I miss you too.” Richard whispered back, not looking at him.

The doors to the school opened and Mark and Ryan came out, laughing loudly. “Hey Brad!”

Brad looked up, then without a word got up and joined his friends. Richard closed his eyes to keep the tears from bursting out.

That afternoon, Richard went straight home after school. He dropped his keys on the counter and bounded up the stairs. The maids had been in and gotten the place spotless again since he'd last been here. The familiar smells of the suite made him feel at home. The slight tinge of cigarette smoke and Prada perfume welcomed him. He shed the boy's school uniform on the floor, then scooped it up and threw it on a chair as he made a bee line to the bathroom.

Richard ran a bath in the big Jacuzzi tub and studied himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure, but he thought the hormones were starting to have an effect on him. His skin, he'd noticed, was starting to feel softer and his nipples were absolutely killing him from rubbing against his undershirt. He put his hands on his hips, trying to determine if they were filling out. He decided that they weren't as he climbed in the bath. He let his mind go blank as he soaked in the fragrant bath. Richard ran a razor over his legs and underarms, then Ingrid got out of the bath.

It was funny, she thought, like flipping a switch. He let the artifice fall, and just moved naturally for the first time in a week. It felt good to let the boy be washed down the drain, if only for the weekend. Ingrid wrapped herself in a towel and sat down at the vanity. She dried her hair, blowing it out and teasing it into the spiky, pixie style the cut was actually designed for. She got up and went into the bedroom. It was cool in the house and her whole body erupted in goosebumps as she left the warmth of the bathroom. She picked out a black Victoria's Secret Angel bra and a pair of black Boy shorts, then grabbed her backpack and took it all back in the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, breastforms attached, bra and clean panties on, she felt like a new woman. She sat down on the chaise lounge and lit a cigarette. It was the first one she'd had today, and the nicotine hit her like a hammer. She laid back on the couch and enjoyed the sensation she so associated with being a woman. She finished her cigarette then got up and selected an outfit. She decided on a pair of Skinny jeans and a black, Prada scoop neck shirt. Shoes, as usual were a tougher choice, but a pair of black Manolo pumps won out in the end.

She sat back down at the vanity and lit another cigarette, realizing the she was going to break her own rules about smoking today. It was Friday and she needed a break, she thought, as she started brushing mineral powder on her cheeks. She went wild with her make-up, going for a very dramatic look, that made her look well over her real age of sixteen. Ingrid had gotten very good at make-up in the last year. Then again, she had spent many blissful hours doing nothing but trying out different make-up techniques she'd gotten from the internet. With the smoky eyes and deep burgundy lipstick, she could easily pass for twenty one, she thought as she admired her handiwork. She topped her outfit off with several silver bangles, the tennis bracelet her Aunt Janet had given her, her favorite necklace, and a couple of rings. She decided on a pair of silver, chandelier earrings that looked great and felt really cool as they jiggled against her neck.

Ingrid was selecting some nail polish when her phone rang. “Hello.” she said, immediately taking on the new, toned down German accent that was Ingrid's signature.

“Hey girlfriend.” Emily said. “We still on for tonight?”

Ingrid grinned. “You bet. I'm almost ready. You?” she said, selecting some burgundy nail polish and sitting down on the chaise.

“Yep...Be there in fifteen minutes.” She said.

“Good. See you then.” Ingrid said, smiling ear to ear. She painted her nails and waited for Emily to show up. Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Ingrid opened the door, careful not to mess up her nails. “Hello, darling.” Ingrid purred.

“looking hot!” Emily said, taking her in. Emily was dressed in a pair of very tight jeans and a cool, tight fitting black top, with her leather jacket and chunky heeled boots. It gave her a sort of rockstar vibe. Her hair was pulled up into a really cool, messy up-do that topped off the look perfectly.

“You too girl!” Ingrid said, giving her a hug. “Come on up.” she said, closing the door and leading her upstairs.

“I like the hair.” Emily said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “It works for you...But, any hairstyle would work for you...you are very pretty, Ingrid.”

Ingrid felt herself blush. “Thanks...I like what you've done with yours, too.”

Emily reached up and touched her hair. “Yeah...I've been thinking of getting it cut.” she said sheepishly.

Ingrid looked surprised. “No.” she said, sitting down at the chase and scooping up her cigarettes.

“Yeah...If you don't mind...I'd kind of like to steal the hairstyle you had before...the bob. You mind?” Emily said, taking Ingrid's lead and lighting a cigarette of her own.

Ingrid thought for a moment, then smiled. “That would look really good on you.” she said, finally. “want to do it tonight?”

Emily grinned. “You don't waste any time, do you?” she said.

Ingrid did a quick snap inhale, then shook her head. “No use wasting time if you know what you want.” she said, speaking as she exhaled.

An hour later, Emily was in the chair where Ingrid had gotten her hair cut two weeks earlier. Emily was right, it did look very sexy. She had a gorgeous neck, which deserved to be seen, Ingrid told her later.

The girls walked through the mall, cutting up and shopping for a while before heading out to get something to eat. They headed out the main doors, both stopping out side to light cigarettes, still laughing and talking as the walked. Ingrid looked up after putting her lighter away to see Sheila standing by one of the columns, talking on the phone taking a smoke break herself.

She felt anger rise in side her. The last time she'd seen her was when her and Bradley had been together, right after Christmas. Ingrid could feel the jealously bubbling up inside. Sheila looked up at them and smiled. She got off the phone and walked over to meet them.

“Hey, Emily. Ingrid. How are y'all doing tonight?” She asked. “Are y'all going to Wilson's party?”

Ingrid swallowed hard. She took a drag from her cigarette, trying to delay having to answer.

“No...Girls night.” Emily said resolutely. “We are going to hang out together.”

Sheila smiled, and Ingrid could swear that smile was nothing but evil. “Oh...Well, Mark's going to be there. I was just on the phone with Brad and he said he was picking me up right after work.”

Ingrid just kept silent. She wasn't entirely sure she could talk to Sheila without saying something mean. She knew Wilson was having a party. His folks were out of town for the weekend and he was throwing a major shindig in their absence. Ingrid was also sure that Mark had asked Emily to go, and she'd said no to hang out with her.

“We are going...Just later.” Ingrid said finally, then took a last drag from her cigarette and ground it under her shoe. “We are getting bite first.”

Sheila put on a happy look. “Good...Well...We'll see you there.” She bubbled. “Ooh, are those Manolos”” she said, pointing at Ingrid's shoes.

Ingrid smiled and nodded. “Yes. The spring collection. Just got them.” She felt a wave of satisfaction pass through her as she noted the jealousy in Sheila's eyes.

“Nice.” Sheila said. “Well...We'll see you at the party.” Sheila said, and headed inside.

“We're going?” Emily said, as they started walking to the car.

“Yes. I figured Mark asked you, did he not?” Ingrid said.

“Well, yeah. but...” Emily started.

“Then we go...No big deal. It will be fun.” Ingrid said.

Emily looked worried as they got into the car. “But...You will be at a party with tons of guys from your school...what if they recognize you?” She said, finally.

Ingrid laughed. “They won't.” She started the car. “And...I won't be going without a date.” she said, a devilish gleam in her eyes.

“You won't?” Emily said, sounding surprised.

“You have a date...I should too. Call Mark and tell him you are coming after all.” Ingrid said.

“Hello, Thomas.” Ingrid said, leaning against the counter at the bookstore.

Thomas looked up at her. A huge smile broke on his face. “Well, hi there, Miss Wolfe.” he said. “I haven't seen you since New Years.”

Ingrid smiled. “I know...I've been very busy.” she said, giving him a big smile.

“Well...I'm glad to see you...I like the hair, by the way...Very cool.” he said, propping himself on his elbows.

“Danke.” she said, grinning. “So..You get off work at nine, right?”

He nodded. “I do.” He said.

“So, you will escort me to a party.” she said, not asking, telling.

“A party, huh?” He said. “I guess I could.” He said, grinning at her.

“Good.” she said, feeling victorious. “I will give you ride?”

He smiled and chuckled. “I love it when you talk like that.” he said.

Ingrid blushed. “I meant in my car, silly boy.”

“I know...I still love it when you talk like that.” he said. “You sounded like a villain from a James Bond movie.”

She laughed. “I guess I did.” Ingrid looked down at her feet for a second, then looked up at him from under her bangs. “But it is a date?”

Thomas grinned. “It sounds like a date to me...despite my reservations.”

Ingrid looked confused. “You have reservations somewhere? I do not want to keep you from your plans.” She said earnestly.

Thomas laughed. “No...reservations about going out with a girl who I could get in a lot of trouble with. You are not eighteen yet, Ms. Wolfe.” he said.

“It is not against the law for you to date me, as long as we don't do anything illegal.” Ingrid said. She looked around to make sure no one was looking, then leaned in and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

Ingrid popped outside, smiling ear to ear.

“So?” Emily asked as Ingrid got in the car.

“I have a date for tonight. We just have to kill a few minutes before he gets off work.” Ingrid said, feeling quite proud of herself.

“Cool. Mark is really stoked I'm getting to go with him. He was really disappointed I couldn't go. Thank you so much for agreeing to go!” Emily said, then gave Ingrid a huge hug.

“You're welcome. I really didn't want to go...” Ingrid said. She lit a cigarette and opened the window. “Until I found out Sheila was going with Bradley. Then...” she smiled. “I had to.”

Emily laughed. “Awesome.” she was quiet for a second. “Are you sure you want to go though? There are a lot of guys from your school there. Are you worried you'll get caught?” Emily said.

Ingrid shrugged. “I doubt I will. People say what they want to see. And, like so many people have said already, I look way more like a girl than a guy anyway. Fuck it...Who dares, wins.” Ingrid said.

Emily laughed. “Well...No one can say you aren't brave.”

The girls sat in the car, talking and laughing until right before nine, then decided to run inside and pick up some coffees for the road. Thomas perked up when Ingrid and Emily came in. Ingrid gave him a coy smile and headed back to the coffee bar. By nine, they had their lattes and were waiting for him by the door.

“It will take me about ten minutes to get changed. “ he said, stopping by them on his way to lock the door. “y'all wait in your car for me. Ok?”

Ingrid smiled and took a sip of her drink. “Ok, Thomas. We will see you in fifteen minutes.”

A cold wind was blowing up and tiny snowflakes were dancing in the light of the streetlights as the girls climbed into Ingrid's Mercedes SUV. The time flew by, and before they knew it, Thomas was walking up to the car.

“Hi ladies.” he said, as Ingrid rolled down the window. “I see both of you got your hair cut. Very nice, Emm.” he said, giving her a big grin.

“Thank you Thomas.” Emily said, blushing and hiding behind her bangs.

“So...I was thinking. I should drive.” Thomas said. “It would be the gentlemanly thing to do. Should I follow you to your house, or bring you back here after the party?”

Ingrid thought about it for a second. It would be safer to go in his car. Less chance of someone putting together Richard's SUV with Ingrid. “That is a lovely idea, Thomas.” ingrid said.

She rolled up her window and grabbed her stuff then got out. It was getting cold, so she zipped up the puffer coat and put on her tight leather gloves. Emily pulled her coat tight and buttoned it then the two of them accompanied Thomas to his 4x4. He helped them both in and there was room for both girls in the front seat, with Ingrid in the middle an Emily in the passenger seat.

Wilson lived in a very high end neighborhood, similar to Ingrid's, but these houses were even bigger and most had walls. There was no parking in the driveway, since they were a little late to arrive, so they parked on the street. They could hear the loud music as soon as they got on the grounds. This was a huge party.

“Damn.” Thomas said, laughing. “This is a massive party. There is no way he's not going to get busted for this.”

“I know. He doesn't care though. Wilson's a senior and he wants to leave his mark.” Emily said. “I don't think he cares if he's grounded till graduation.”

The three of them were laughing when they got to the front door. It was open and the party was raging inside. They weaved through the crowd. Emily asked a few people if they'd seen Mark and she was told he was out back. ON the way through the dining room, they stopped and got beers from the keg, then proceeded outside. There were a ton of people out on the back deck, but Mark spotted Emily and Ingrid right off. He came running over and took Emily in his arms.

“Wow. I like the hair.” he said, then kissed her on the neck. “Hi Ingrid.” he said, smiling at her as he held Emily close. “I'm glad you could come.”

“Thank you, Mark. This is my date. Thomas.” she said, gesturing to the tall, college guy she'd brought with her.

The two shook hands. Thomas was obviously much older, which seemed to impress Mark.

Emily winked at Ingrid, then went off with Mark to be alone for a few minutes.

“Emily is a trip.” Thomas said, then took a drink of his beer. He made a face. “Yeah, it's a high school party.” he said, laughing.

Ingrid smacked him on the arm and gave him a mock scolding face, then took a drink of her beer. She made a similar face. “I take that back. Yes. I am in agreement.” She laughed. “Why did we not bring some real alcohol to this party?”

He laughed. 'I was only half expecting this anyway.” he said. “Besides. I can't drink much. I have to drive us all home. But you have however much you want.” he said.

“I will not be having much, if this is the fare they are offering.” Ingrid said with a giggle.

While they were talking, Thomas noticed that Ingrid looked cold, so he pulled her close to him and held her to share body warmth while they talked. Ingrid sort of melted into him, enjoying the closeness, and the body heat.

She reached in her purse and pulled out a cigarette, then dug around for her lighter.

“I got it.” Thomas said, producing his zippo.

Ingrid smiled at him, then put the cigarette to her glossy lips, holding it loosely between her leather gloved fingers. “Danke.” she said, after he'd lit it.

“Bitte.” he said, then lit his own.

She took a drag from her cigarette, then exhaled up towards the stars. She looked up at Thomas and smiled.

He laughed. “Are you sure you're only sixteen?” he said, shaking his head.

“I am sure.” she said, smiling. “I will be seventeen in July.”

“Damn.” he said, shaking his head.

Ingrid couldn't help but laugh. She laid her head against his chest. Then, Bradley and Sheila walked out onto the deck. Neither of them saw Thomas and Ingrid, so they walked over to the other side of the deck. Sheila swayed against Bradley, apparently already at least semi drunk. She pulled a cigarette out of her purse and held it while Bradley lit it for her. Ingrid was watching Bradley intently. His body language said he was happy. Sheila's body language said, other than drunk, that she was happy too. She felt that tinge of jealousy again, but she knew it wasn't meant to be. So, she turned to Thomas and put her arms around him.

“Thank you for accompanying me.” she said, looking up into his eyes. “I know a high school party wouldn't have been your first choice for a Friday night.”

“You're welcome.” he said, smiling down at her. “and anytime I get to go out with you, it is where I'd like to be, Ms. Wolfe.”

She smiled at him then, gave got on her tiptoes and kissed him. There lips touched for a moment, then her lips parted and they began kissing each other more earnestly. They were lost in each other for a little while, exploring one another's mouths, holding each other tight.

“Ingrid?” She heard someone say. Ingrid and Thomas broke their kiss and looked over at who was interrupting them. It was Bradley. Sheila was standing next to him, holding his hand and looking a little annoyed.

“Hi, Bradley.” Ingrid purred. She wiped her mouth and smiled. “This is my date, Thomas.” She said, introducing them.

“Hi.” Thomas said, extending a hand. Bradley took it, but his eyes never left Ingrid.

“I'm Bradley. This is my date, Sheila.” he said, shaking his eyes off Ingrid. “I've never seen you at school...” he said to Thomas.

“Oh...” Thomas said, smiling. “I'm a senior at GW...Pre-Law. I'm graduating in the fall and I'm going on to law school there.”

Bradley nodded. “Cool.” he didn't look like he thought it was cool. “Ingrid...Can I talk to you for a second. alone?” He said.

Sheila looked really pissed off at that. Ingrid looked up at Thomas. “Sure. Be right back, Thomas.” she said. He nodded and she followed Bradley over out of earshot.

“Yes, Bradley?” she asked quietly, then took a final drag of her cigarette before grinding it out under her shoe.

He looked rather annoyed, or bothered by her being here. “What are you doing here? With...with some college guy?” HE said, sounding really irritated, but managing to keep it to a whisper.

Ingrid cocked her head and put her hand on her hip. “He is my date, Bradley.” she whispered.

“But, what if he finds out? I mean...” he started.

“That is my business, Bradley. I am not here to make trouble for you and Sheila. I just came with Emm.” She said.

“I know..” he said, then looked around. “I just don't want you to have any trouble.”

Ingrid smiled at him. “That is very sweet. Now. You better get back to your date before she gets very angry with you. We will leave.” Ingrid said.

“You don't have to.” He said, sounding like he really didn't want her to.

“It's ok.” Ingrid said, squeezing his arm. “We will go so there is no chance of trouble. Thomas isn't having much fun anyway.” She said, then winked at Thomas, who smiled at her.

“Where did you meet this guy, anyway?” Bradley said, looking back at him. “Isn't he a little old for you?”

Ingrid laughed. “I went out with him before you and I ever hooked up, Bradley.” she said, smiling at him. “Thomas is great. Now, bye.” she said, then kissed him on the cheek. She regretted it as soon as she'd done it, but it was done.

Ingrid walked back over and put her arms around Thomas. She looked over at Sheila and smiled. “It is cold out here, Thomas. Lets go.” she said.

He nodded. “Are you sure?” He said.

“Yes. Lets find Emm.” She said, then the two of them headed into the house. They looked around for a bit, then found Emm and Mark making out on one of the couches in the study.

“Hey girl.” Emm said as they walked in.

Ingrid leaned in close and whispered, “We are getting out of here. Can Mark get you home?” She said.

Emily leaned over and asked Mark, who smiled and nodded. “Sure.” He said, getting a twinkle in his eye.

“Good.” Ingrid said, then kissed Emily on the lips. “Be careful.” Then Ingrid looked at Mark. “Make sure she gets home at a decent hour.”

“Yes mam.” Mark said, then laughed and put his arms around Emm.

Thomas and Ingrid walked out to his truck, his arm around her the whole way.

“So...” Ingrid said, smiling up at him. “Would you like to come to my house...for a nightcap?”

He looked at her. She could tell he was warring with himself about the whole situation. Finally he said. “Ok. For a nightcap.” Then he laughed. “You know...I have never been asked to go anywhere for a nightcap, and never thought a sixteen year old girl would be the one to ask me that.” he said. “It's like a line from the “Thinman” or something.”

Ingrid laughed. “I am older than my years, as they say.” Ingrid said.

“Yes.” he said, opening the door for her. “And born in the wrong time.”

He drove her to her car, then followed her back to the house. She parked in the garage, while he parked in the driveway. Thomas walked up behind her in the garage, looking around.

“Wow. Nice place.” He said. He looked at the other car in the garage, with the cover over it. “What kind of car is that?”

“That?” she looked over at the car. She hadn't even looked at her mother's car in months. She'd wanted to, but had never done it. Technically, it was her car now, she guessed. “That is a 1955 Mercedes Benz sport coupe.” she said, smiling at him.

“Cool.” he said, running his hand on the cover. “With the gullwing doors?”

Ingrid nodded. “Yes.”

“Holy shit. I used to have a model of that when I was a kid. Loved it. Whose is it?” he asked, looking at her.

“Mine.” she said, shrugging. “Used to be my mother's.”

“Awesome. Why don't you drive it?” He asked.

“It's a summer car, Thomas.” She said. “Doesn't like the winter.”

He nodded. “Yeah...Probably so.” he said, then followed her inside.

“So...are your parent's out of town?” he asked, leaning against the bar.

“No.” Ingrid said, taking off her gloves. “My parents are both dead, Thomas.” she said quietly.

“Oh.” he said, barely a whisper. “So...Do you live here, like alone?”

Ingrid shook her head, then shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up. “No. I live with my Aunt and Uncle most of the time. But this is my house.” she said looking around.

He nodded. “Cool.” he said, not sure of what to say.

“A drink.” she said, then headed through the dining room. She took him to her father's study and walked over to the liquor cabinet.

She opened it up and pulled out a bottle of Aberfeldy 21, Single malt scotch. “This should do nicely.” she said, setting it on the bar. She poured a couple of fingers of scotch in their glasses then handed him one. “Slainte'” she said, then took a sip. It burned nice, but had a touch of carmel and licorice taste to it. “Good.” she purred.

Thomas took a sip of his and smiled. “This is good stuff.” he said. “I'm usually not a neat scotch kind of guy, but this is very good. How did I know you would want your scotch neat?” he said to her, sitting down on the couch.

“It is how it is supposed to be served, is it not?” she said, joining him on the couch.

“So I've been told.” he said, looking at her.

She took another sip. “It is cold in the house. I will get the fireplace going.” she said, putting down her drink.

“You want me to do it?” He said, standing up.

“It is gas...No problem.” Ingrid said,then turned on the gas fireplace. She sat down on the hearth and let the warmth of the gas fire embrace her. Thomas got up after a minute or so and brought her drink to her then joined her next to the fire.

“It is warm.” he said, smiling at her.

“Yes.” she said, then leaned over and kissed him. The taste of whisky and cigarettes mixed together in their mouths as they kissed. Ingrid transitioned over and sat in his lap in front of the fire. They kissed for a long time, enjoying getting to know one another better in this most intimate way. Finally, Ingrid broke their kiss.

“I need a cigarette.” she said, laughing. She stood up and retrieved her cigarettes and lighter, then sat back down with him in front of the fire. She'd only just pulled out a cigarette when he produced his zippo. “Thanks.” she said, letting him light it.

Thomas patted the spot next to him so she cuddled up against him. They didn't talk for a long time, then finally Ingrid looked over at him. “Thank you Thomas.” she said.

“What for?” he asked, looking surprised.

“For being so kind to me.” she said, then gave him a kiss on the lips. “Would you like one more drink?”

He nodded and handed her the glass. She got up and gave him another two fingers of scotch, then topped off her glass as well. She smiled at him, then sashayed back over and handed him the glass. They clinked glasses then drank. Ingrid could feel the warmth of the scotch spreading through her.

“So..You said you were graduating in the spring.” Thomas said.

Ingrid nodded, then curled her legs underneath her as she sat down next to him. “I am. A whole year early.”

He smiled. “Good for you. Beauty and brains too.” he said.

Ingrid waved off the compliment. “Thanks. I've worked really hard on it. Lots of summer classes.” she said, making a blech face, which made them both laugh.

“Are you going to college right off?” He asked, looking at her over the rim of his glass.

Ingrid shrugged. “Next fall, yes. I'm taking the summer off from school.”

“Cool. You know where you are going yet?” he asked.

“I haven't decided yet. I have several possibilities. I've narrowed it down to a few but haven't decided.” she said, shrugging.

“Well...I'll still be at GW. Starting Law school next year. I'm so ready to graduate, but that just means more school.” he said, shaking his head.

“Never ending, dear. School or work is what we have in our future.” she said, smiling at him.

“I know. Sad, huh?” he said, laughing.

“So...Now, we are young. We enjoy it.” she said, holding up her glass. He toasted with her.

“It is getting late, Thomas. If you stay here, we will end up doing something we regret.” She said to him with a little grin.

“You are sure of that, are you?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. We would do illegal things.” she said, laughing.

“Well...That sounds so inviting, but it sounds like you are showing me the door.” He said, standing up.

“As much as I hate too. I must.” she said, putting on a big pout.

“You invited me for a nightcap, and a nightcap we had. It was fun tonight, Ingrid.” he said, holding her close. Ingrid got on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. She folded into his arms and they kissed for a long time at the door.

“Goodnight Ingrid. It was fun.” he said.

“Drive safe. Thanks you for a great night, Thomas.” she said, leaning against the door frame.

He got in his car and pulled out, giving the horn a little honk at the bottom of the drive way. Ingrid waved to him, then closed the door and fell back against the door-frame.

I wasn't kidding, she thought as she turned off the fire. She wanted nothing more than to have sex with him right there in front of the fireplace, but she knew that was a bad idea. He didn't know her secret, and she wasn't ready to tell him that. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready to tell him, actually. But as long as they didn't go any further than making out, she felt she would be pretty safe. Ingrid sighed, then finished the last of her neat scotch, turned out the lights and headed upstairs.

Ingrid had quite a little buzz going on and was not even slightly tired. She watched some television, or tried to at least. Her thoughts kept going back to Thomas, and how badly she wanted him. It must be the hormones, she thought, because she had always been able to turn off her desires really well before, but now she just felt wanton. After a half an hour, she finally gave in and opened her toy box. she took out the larger, lifelike dildo and the tube of lube and headed off to the bathroom.

Ingrid heard a song playing. She liked that song, she thought.

“Shit! Cellphone!” Ingrid said, sitting up. She crawled over and pulled her phone out of her purse then struggled with the touch screen on the iphone for a second. “Hello?” she said finally.

“Rich?” Someone said. The voice was deep, with a hint of a Texas drawl. It took her a second to figure out who it was.

“Uncle Red?” She said finally. Red wasn't really her Uncle, not like Uncle Fred, but he was good friends with her father, and her real Uncle. She'd called him Uncle Red since she was a little boy, and her family always joked about the dynamic duo, Fred and Red. That always brought a laugh.

“None other. How are you...You sound like you have a cold.” He said.

“No...I just woke up.” she said, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock. It was after ten.

“Late night?” he said, laughing.

“Yeah.” she said dryly.

“Well..Get up and out. I'm in town for a couple of days and I need to take you to lunch.” he said. She could hear wind rushing by. He was driving.

“Where are you?” She asked.

“On the fucking beltway. I'll be at your house in twenty minutes.” He said.

Shit, she thought. There is no time for me to get ready.

“Oh yeah...Rich.” He said.

“yeah?” she said.

“I talked to Fred. Should I call you Ingrid, or Rich right now?” he asked

Ingrid sighed. “Ingrid.” she said quietly.

“Cool. See you in twenty, Ingrid.” he said.

She laughed. “Ok...See you in twenty.” she said then hung up and swung into action. Ingrid jumped out of bed. She was glad she had taken the time to get her make-up off and brush her hair before bed. She practically jumped into her jeans, then grabbed a tight, black baby-tee and shimmied into it. Ingrid put on some quick make-up, just eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss. She put some mouse in her hair and spiked it up nice, then messed it up some to get that look just right. She admired her work in the mirror as she put on a pair of large hoop earrings.

Ingrid put on her Prada tall boots, then grabbed her purse and headed down the stairs. She'd just gotten downstairs when the doorbell rang. Ingrid glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes exactly. She shook her head, then opened the door.

“You are nothing, if not prompt.” Ingrid said. She didn't use the German accent, no need for it, but she sounded every bit the lady.

“Good God, Ingrid. You...” he shook his head. “You look just like your mother.” he said, then gave her a big hug.

“I'm so glad you aren't mad.” she said, her voice muffled a little by his shoulder.

“Why would I be mad?” he said. “Get your coat.” he said.

Ingrid squeezed him one last time, then rushed in and grabbed her TAD-gear Raptor hardshell. She locked the door, then put on her sunglasses and smiled at him. “Ready.” she said.

They climbed in his bronco and soon were roaring off down the road.

Ingrid leaned back in her seat, enjoying the familiar sensation of racing down the road with Uncle Red. Ingrid looked over at Red. He looked pretty much the same, she thought. Same dark tan, same mustache. He still looked a lot like a cowboy, she thought. She laughed.

“What?” he said, cocking his head.

“Nothin. You just look exactly the same.” she said.

“Nah...Less hair, and more of what I have left is turning gray.” he said, giving her a cockeyed smile.

“Nope. You look the same.” She said. He still looked a lot like Sam Elliot, the actor, and the guy who did the beef commercials.

“Well..” he said, then laughed. “you look nothing like you did last time I saw you. You look good though. Very pretty. Like your mom.” he said.

Ingrid blushed. For some reason it made her sad hearing that from Red.

“Thanks.” she said. “I...I thought you would be upset with me. You are such a...manly guy. I thought you'd think I was some kind of fairy.”

He scoffed. “Now. Why would you think that would make me some kind of asshole.” he said.

Ingrid shrugged. “ I dunno. Its the kind of reaction I expect, I guess.” she said.

“Well...You'll get that reaction a lot, girly, but not from me. I've known you since you were little. I wouldn't think any less of you no matter what you did.” He said, smiling. “Anyway...YOu look natural like this. You look...Happy.” he said.

She smiled. “I am happy, Uncle Red.” she said. “For the first time...I think.”

“Then how could I be against it?” He said. “Fred and Janet told me all about what you've been going through, and I think it just proves something I've always thought about you.”

“What's that?” she said

“You're brave. Bold. Just like I always thought.” He said.

Ingrid smiled and looked out the window. She could see Red's reflection as he smiled at her and looked back at the road.

The Bronco pulled into the parking lot of Betty Lou's Barbecue. The truck crunched across the gravel and came to a stop in a parking space under a tree.

“I haven't been here in ages.” Ingrid said, smiling at him.

“Not since the last time I brought you here, I bet.” He said.

She hopped out of the car and followed him across the parking lot. He was wearing a pair of jeans, cowboy boots, and a brown coat very similar to her TAD-gear. The inside of Betty Lou's hadn't changed. It was still dark and kinda squalid, but the food was great.

“Hi y'all.” the lady behind the counter said. “Sit wherever you like.”

Red grinned at her, then led Ingrid to a seat in the back, next to the jukebox. Led Zeppelin was playing on the Jukebox serenading the empty restaurant. Red took the seat with his back against the wall and dropped his cell phone on the table.

Ingrid dropped her purse on the bench and slid in. “You got the good seat.” she said, smiling at him. She took off her sunglasses and dropped them on the table.

“Yep.” he said, drawing out the word. “There's a reason I've lived this long.” he said, winking at her.

Ingrid laughed. The waitress showed up and took there order, a Miller High Life for Red and a cup of coffee for Ingrid. Red leaned forward on his elbows. Ingrid couldn't help but think he was sizing her up.

“What?” she asked, shaking her head at him.

He shook his head. “It's pretty crazy...There are no tells to say you are a boy.” he said.

Ingrid smiled and looked down at the scarred formica table. “Well...there were mitigating factors. You know all about that.” she said.

His face darkened and he nodded. “Yeah...that contributed. But, Ingrid, I think you may have done this sooner or later anyway. Its just too natural for you.”

She shrugged. “I guess.” she said. She chewed on her lip for a second. “Do you mind if I smoke?” she said.

“What?” he asked, looking surprised.

“I really need a cigarette.” She said, sounding exasperated.

He laughed. “Yeah, Fred mentioned that too. Shit, go ahead. I don't care, You're close enough to grown in my book. I quit, myself, but hell I'm getting old.” he said.

Ingrid shook her head. “Thick as thieves you two are.” she said, pulling out her cigarettes and her lighter. She lit a cigarette and relished the feeling of the nicotine hitting her system. She exhaled and sighed.

Red chuckled. His beer showed up, along with Ingrid's coffee. “That stuff will stunt your growth, you know?” he said.

“I hope. I'm tall enough.” she said, laughing. She picked up her coffee and blew on it. “It's weird how accepting you all have been...I frankly wasn't expecting it.” she said shaking her head.

Red smiled. “Well...We've seen a lot of the world. More than most folks. And...” he drew on his cigarette. “There's another reason as well. And you're old enough to know about it.”

Ingrid cocked her head inquisitively, then took a drag from her cigarette. “What?” she said, exhaling as she spoke. She neatened up her cherry on the ashtray.

He looked like he was gathering his thoughts, then took another drink of his beer. “You remember Tola?” he said. It sounded like he was having a little trouble saying it.

Ingrid nodded. Tola and Red had been married when she was a kid. She didn't know much about it, But she knew Tola had been killed when she was eight. Red had been pretty torn up about it. Tola, Ingrid remembered, was a beautiful asian woman with long black hair, perfect skin, and an infectious laugh. “Yeah, of course. Your wife.” she said.

“Well...She wasn't really my wife, Ingrid. Tola was a lot like you.” he said.

Ingrid was smart enough to put it together. “No.” Ingrid said, not believing it. “No way!” she said.

He chuckled and nodded. “It's true. She was lovely, and she was the love of my life. We met when I was stationed in Thailand. She wasn't a hooker, so don't even get that in your head. She worked as a translator for foreign businessmen. Now, she was no saint mind you, but she wasn't bad either. She did what she had to. Fred and I were there, part of a pretty major intelligence operation that I still can't talk about. Anyway, I met her and was in love instantly. I didn't know about Katoeys then...So imagine my surprise.” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Katoey?” Ingrid said.

“Ladyboys...Transsexuals. IT's what they call them there. It's a bit more common, and a bit more accepted there.” he said, then took a drink of his beer.

“She was great. She worked for the company too.” he said. The Company being the CIA. “Not at first, but she was a great resource. Eventually we were together and she came back to the states with me. She went home to see her family...and was killed in a robbery.” he shook his head. “I wasn't there to protect her.” he said. His voice sounded thick with emotion. He cleared his throat. “Anyway. Now you know the truth. Fred and Janet Loved Tola. Fred's my best friend...so You kind of had a lucky situation I guess.” he said, smiling at her.

“Wow.” She said, feeling very sad for Red. “I had no idea, Red. I'm sorry.” she said.

“It's ok, honey.” he said.

The waitress came up just then and took their orders, refilled Ingrid's coffee and dropped off another beer for Red.

“Thanks, Darlin.” he said. She smiled at him.

“This your daughter?” The waitress, who's nametag read 'Rose', said.

“Sure is honey.” Red said. Ingrid didn't react except to smile.

“Well, she's just beautiful. You must drive all the boys crazy.” Rose said, smiling.

Ingrid shrugged. “I get my share.' She said.

“She's a heartbreaker.” Red said.

Rose laughed. “You get em for me girl.” She said, then headed off to turn in their order.

Red was grinning at Ingrid and Ingrid couldn't' help but laugh.

“Thanks Dad.” Ingrid said, exaggerating the word.

He shrugged. “I just like to fuck with people.” he said, smiling.

Ingrid lit another cigarette, then took a moment to line up her lighter on top of her pack, a little OCD habit she had when she was thinking.

“So...IS that why you asked me to lunch this morning. To tell me about Tola?” She said.

He nodded. “That's one reason. I wanted to see you while I was in town. And, I had one other matter I wanted to discuss with you.” he said, then took a long drink from his beer.

“What's that?” She said.

“Fred told me what you were thinking of doing...for school I mean.” he said.

“Yeah. I was thinking about being a buyer.” She said, but didn't sound very excited about it.

“Really?” He said, sounding incredulous.

“What?” Ingrid said.

“I think I have a better offer for you.” he said, smiling.

“What's that?” she said, scoffing.

“I think you should come work for the company.” he said. The look on his face said he wasn't joking.

“They wouldn't take me.” she said.

“Why the hell would you say that?” he said.

“Well...I'm a transsexual.” she whispered.

“So?” He said quietly. “You are also a born operator. You are sixteen years old...You already speak two languages, fluently.” he said.

“One fluent, one semi fluent.” she said.

“I doubt that. What does that mean, your French is accented?” he said.

Ingrid blushed. “Yeah.”

“That don't mean you aren't fluent, girl. It just means you need immersion.” he said. “Anyway. You are also a good shooter, you're smooth. Apparently you pulled off leading a double life under the nose of one of the best field operatives I've ever worked with for a couple of months before he caught on to you. That's smooth.”

Ingrid felt proud. 'He wasn't on to me for a few months?” She said.

“Nope. He was in the dark. That surprised me more than anything. Apparently, you are also able to carry off being Richard fairly well...Could do better with some work I guess, but those are all assets, not liabilities.” he said.

“I dunno.” She said, unsure of what to think. “I would have to still go to college.” she said.

“Damn right you would.” he said. “And you are going to have to make good fucking grades too, if you want to get in.”

Ingrid laughed. “What if I want to do it. What then?” She said.

“Well...You go to school. You make good grades. You don't tell anyone what your career goals are. No one outside your family needs to know that. If you fuck up and tell some boyfriend, or girlfriend, whatever...It will ruin it for you.” He said.

Ingrid nodded. She knew you weren't supposed to talk about working for the company. “Ok. Then what.” she said.

“Then, you come and work for my team in special Projects.” he said.

Ingrid raised an eyebrow. “Your team?”

Rose showed up with their food. The BBQ smelled great and they both dug in, letting the question hang for a while. The BBQ was as good as she remembered, though she wasn't as hungry as she used to be so half her sandwich sat untouched.

“You not gonna eat that?” Red said, pointing to the sandwich.

Ingrid shook her head and took a sip of water. “No. Full.” She said.

He scooped up the half sandwich. “I just got back from a very hot place where they don't eat pork. This is like heaven right now.” he said wiping sauce from his chin.

Ingrid laughed then pulled out a cigarette. She held it up and raised her eyebrows. Red nodded to her, so she went ahead and lit it. Special Projects, she thought. Sounds interesting.

“I might do that, Red.” she said.

He stopped eating and looked up at her. “Good.” he said. “That's what I was hoping for.”

“What's the first step?” she asked, then took a drag from her cigarette.

“First. College. If it were me, and I was as smart as you, I'd clep out of as much as possible before going to Georgetown.” He said.

“Really?” She said.

“Yeah. You can cut a lot of time off if you can get a lot of your basic classes out of the way. With the AP credits you already have, plus the CLEPS, you could almost be a sophomore when you step through the doors. That is if you are willing to work hard on it.” he said, putting down his sandwich.

Ingrid thought about it. She'd had visions of a fun summer with no cares, but this seemed like a good offer, and good advice. “Ok. What else do you suggest?” she said.

“I...” he stopped and took a drink of his beer. “I think you should get your GED and get out of that high school.” He said.

“Really?” She said. “I thought that would look bad for Georgetown and they wouldn't accept me.”

He scoffed and waved the thought off. “No, Geniuses like you do that all the time so they can go ahead and get into college. Your Aunt can get it all arranged. Besides, you have some extenuating circumstances. Unless, you really want to go there for the rest of the year.” HE said, giving her a little grin.

She shook her head. “No. I just didn't want to mess up my chances with college.” she said.

“OK. If you go ahead and test out, then you can start getting those CLEPS knocked out too. If you work really hard, you can finish school by the time you are nineteen, Ingrid.” He said.

She did the math in her head. That would be a crazy course load. Was it worth it? she thought.

Red saw the indecision on her face. “Look. Is college your goal, or is what comes after college your goal?” He said.

“After...For the most part.” she said, answering honestly.

“I gotcha. Hell, you've had a shitty high school experience, and you want to enjoy college. So Enjoy it a bit, but finish in three years and you will be out by twenty. Still a big improvement over the twenty two most people have to put up with. Slow folks like me have to live with that, but you are way smarter.” he said, smiling.

“You aren't slow, Red. You graduated from the Naval Academy, just like Uncle Fred.” Ingrid said, giving him a stern look.

“Yeah, they let us Marines in there too.” he said, grinning. “You know what I mean. YOU are a quick study Ingrid. IN everything you do. A born operator. That's why I want you on my team.”

Ingrid felt proud. She had always been the last person picked in ball games, but she knew all that was more of a popularity contest than anything, and Richard had never been popular. When it came to individual sports, she had excelled. Shooting. Martial Arts. Horseback Riding. All those things she could do.

“Ok. What else?” She said, letting all that roll around in her head for a minute.

He wiped his mouth and put down his napkin. “The next part might be the hardest for you, actually.” He said.

Ingrid frowned. “What?” She said.

“I want you to put off the surgeries you've been contemplating.” he said.

Her frown deepened. She had been looking at eighteen as the time when she was going to get breast implants and get her lips done, just like she wanted. “Why?” She asked.

“Simple. You will need to look like a guy when you try out for special Projects. I'm not saying stop the hormones. Don't. You need those, I understand that. I just mean you need to be able to put on the Richard Cover then. I can't tell you much else but I can hint. You need to be in tip top shape for it and there are no women on the team. If you can't “Pass” as a guy for that, this whole plan won't work. As soon as you are on the team, then you can get the breast augmentation and whatever.” he said.

Ingrid didn't like the answer, but she could tell he was earnest and that this wasn't some plot. She was quick though and immediately figured out what the deal was. “This team is paramilitary. There are no women allowed because of the nature of the missions. But, technically, I'm male. Its the ultimate technicality. You get a woman on the team who can stand right there with the guys.” She said.

Red leaned back and held up his beer. “Yep.” he took a swig. “See. I told you you were smart. Think about it.”

She nodded. “So...why did we come all the way out here to eat? The BBQ is good, but damn it's a long way from Arlington.” she said.

He laughed then stood up. “Lets go.” he said. “We need to go see my friend Maynard about your Christmas Present.”

Ingrid grinned. “Maynard? His name is Maynard?” She said, laughing. Red nodded.

He paid cash, then opened the door for her. A few minutes later, they were cruising down the highway in the Bronco. Ingrid was thinking about the offer. It would be weird, trying out for a Special Unit in the CIA as a Richard, then becoming Ingrid again right afterwards. This made her think.

“Wait.” she said. “I was going to change my name legally to Ingrid Wolfe for college, so my transcripts would be correct. If I go with your plan, I have to be Richard...I don't want that.” she said, getting suddenly very sad.

“Nope. Everyone in the program, during the tryouts is giving a number. You don't have a name then, so no one would ever know your name is Ingrid. I expected you to change your name legally. Less of a hassle.” he said.

Ingrid relaxed. They pulled off onto a gravel road that cut along a tree line. The road was completely shaded and snow was still collected in the ditches. They passed a sign that said “Federal Government Property. No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed.”

“Maynard's house?” Ingrid said, raising an eyebrow.

“I never said house.” Red said, grinning.

They stopped at a gate house. Red showed an ID and the guard pushed a button that rolled back the gate in the ten foot chain link fence. Ingrid grinned back at him, giddy with anticipation. They pulled up to a very ugly, metal building that looked like a garage. It had seen better days. They rolled to a stop and Red hopped out of the car. Ingrid got out of the bronco and lit a cigarette. She could see a row of very nice cars parked near the end of the building. There was a VW Passat, A couple of BMW's of various types, a few Mercedes, and a Mercedes SUV just like hers, only silver.

A tall, obese man came out of the garage, still putting on a green, surplus parka. He was balding, and not very attractive, but he had a huge grin on his jowly face. “Red. Glad you could make it.” he said, walking over and shaking his hand. His accent was like a parody a comedian would use to make fun of people from Maine. Hence the nickname.

Ingrid took a drag off her cigarette, then gracefully flicked the ashes off to her side. She looked up at the man and smiled.

“This must be your lovely Niece you told me about. Very nice to meet you.” he said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you.” Ingrid said. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Merry Christmas Ingrid. Maynard here is probably the best High Risk Executive Protection Driver around. And he is going to teach you this afternoon.” Red said.

Ingrid was astonished. “Really?” she said, looking at Maynard, who was smiling and nodding, then back to Red. She jumped into Red's arms and gave him a big hug. “Awesome!” she said.

A few minutes later, she was sitting behind the wheel of the Mercedes SUV, strapped into a four point racing harness and wearing a helmet. This is the coolest thing I've ever done, she thought as she started the car.

Ingrid screeched around the track for a couple of hours, learning how to really drive fast. She hadn't realized how much there was to learn about this kind of driving, but she soaked it up well. After she'd gone through the lessons in the SUV, they moved to one of the BMW's for another wild ride. She learned how to drift around corners and everything. Ingrid thought it was almost better than sex. Almost.

When she finished up she gave Maynard a big hug in the parking lot. “Thank you very much, that was so awesome!” She said, and kissed him on the cheek.

The big guy actually blushed. “Well thank you. You are a great student and you handle pressure better than any young woman I've ever taught. I look forward to working with you again in the future, Ingrid.” he said.

Ingrid beamed at him. She looked over at Red, who had a big, knowing smile on his face. She gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek too. “Thanks Red.” she said.

“Don't mention it.” he said, opening her door. “We gotta get you home.”

One the drive back to Arlington, Ingrid was lost in thought. She was still coming down from the adrenaline high of the driving course, and was thinking about the offer she'd gotten from Red. They pulled up into her driveway, not saying a word to one another the whole drive. They didn't have to.

Ingrid turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks again Red.” she said. “That was the coolest present ever.”

He nodded. “I'm glad you had fun, darlin’.” he said and smiled at her from under his big mustache.

“I'll think about what you said. I'll call you about it soon.” she said.

He just smiled. “Good. Tell Fred I'll see him monday.” he said. She shut the door and headed in the house.

No one was home. There was a note saying that Uncle Fred and Aunt Janet had gone to a party for one of her clients. She read it then headed into the living room. Just as she was sitting down on the couch, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. Thomas.

“Hello, Thomas.” she purred, putting on the slight German accent.

“Hi Ingrid. I was just calling to see how you were doing.” he said. Thomas sounded nervous.

“Good. I had a bit of a headache this morning, then went and spent the afternoon with my Uncle Red. How are you?” She said, flipping through the channels on TV.

“Good. I was wondering. Would you like to go to a dance with me? Its a formal....I mean, if you don't want to, I'd under...” he said.

“I'd love to.” she said, interrupting him. “When?”

“End of the month?” he said, then rattled off a date and time. He sounded so relieved

“Sounds like a date.” she said.

“Well...Speaking of dates. Do you want to go out Friday night. Dinner, maybe a movie?” he said.

“Sure. That sounds fun. And we can talk about the formal then, so I can know what I need to wear.” she said. Ingrid was smiling ear to ear. She'd never been to a dance as boy, and was really looking forward to the chance to go as a woman.

“See you Friday then, Ingrid.” he said.

“See you then, Thomas.” she said.

Unfinished Business Part 5

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

Restricted Audience (r)

Publication:

Novel Chapter

Character Age:

College / Twenties

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Unfinished Business Part 5

Ingrid hung up the phone and ran upstairs. Her mind was racing with the thought of going to a dance with Thomas. She looked at her watch and realized she only had twenty minutes before Emily was supposed to come and pick her up, so she had to get a move on.

Ingrid washed her face with foaming cleanser, took care of bathroom issues, then neatened up her make-up. She grabbed her coat and was ready to go when Emily arrived. Emily was of course ten minutes late, so she kicked herself for rushing so much.

“Hey Chicky.” Ingrid said, getting into Emily's car. “How was last night?”

Emily was smiling ear to ear. “We had a REALLY good time.” She said as she put the car in drive.

“Slut.” Ingrid said grinning.

Emily laughed and smacked her on the leg. “None of that from you missy.” Emm said.

Ingrid giggled then lit a cigarette.

“How was your night, then?” Emily said.

“Good. We went back to the house and had a drink.” Ingrid said, then took a drag from her cigarette. “Nothing else happened. Well, we kissed a little, but that's it.”

Emily shook her head. “You kill me, Ingrid.”

Ingrid raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”

“You have only been...well, you have only been a girl for a little while and you have already gone on dates with one of the cutest guys in school and you have a college senior on a string. If you weren't my best friend...I'd be jealous.” Emily said, then laughed.

Ingrid thought about it for a second. It was true. She had been very lucky with guys since she'd decided to become Ingrid. “I'll take that as a compliment, Emm.” she said, “And guess what...”

Emily glanced at her for a second, taking her eyes off the road. 'What?”

“Thomas asked me to go to a formal with him.” Ingrid said, grinning ear to ear.

“No way!” Emily said. “That is awesome!”

They pulled into the parking lot of the diner, still chatting as they walked up to the door. Emily walked in first, followed by Ingrid. There were several empty tables so they took one furthest from the door. The girls drank coffee, smoked cigarettes and laughed a lot. Finally they ate some dinner. Ingrid looked down at her watch. “Hey Emm...I need you to run me by my house. I gotta pick up my car, then I've got Krav Maga tonight.” she said, putting her stuff back in her purse.

“Kay.” Emily said, grabbing her purse off the bench. “Let’s motor.”

Ingrid really had to rush when she got home. It was already after six, so she was going to have to really jam if she was going to make it to class on time. She jumped in the shower and cleaned up, then washed her face and took off her make-up. She dried her hair with a towel, then ran into the bedroom and put on her workout clothes. Well, Richard's workout clothes. Ingrid ran into the bathroom and took out her contacts, then put on Richard's glasses. Richard, stared back at her from the mirror. She took a deep breath, then adjusted her posture and tried to slip back into the Richard identity. It was tight, but Richard made it to class on time.

Krav Maga is a great martial art. It isn't all about flashy moves, or sport fighting. It is down and dirty fighting. Period. The classes are very tough, especially when you've reached Richard's level. He was having a little trouble tonight, though. He hadn't been practicing in his free time very much, and it was showing. Not showing to anyone else, but definitely to him. His body was already getting sore and it was much harder to do some of the moves. He would have to remedy that by spending a little more time on the heavy bag at home.

After class, his instructor, Bob Jenkins called him over. “Hey Rich...Can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked, gesturing for Richardto come into his office.

“Sure.” Richard said, following him in. Richard was exhausted, so he plopped down into the chair. His forearms and shins were all beat up from sparring, and his cheeks were killing him where he'd taken a couple of pretty solid punches from a really big guy. “What's up, Mr. Jenkins?”

“Rich....I wanted to ask you something. It seems like you've been going through a lot of changes recently. Is there anything I need to know?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Richard froze. Shit, he thought, he's noticed something different. “Ummm...Like what?” Richard asked, hoping that it was something else he was noticing.

Mr. Jenkins was silent for a minute, like he was gathering his thoughts. “I don't want to offend you, Rich...But...Well...You are looking..” he stopped. Regrouped his thoughts. “Well, you have a little bit of eye make-up on. I can't help but notice that you are...well...Your chest seems to be growing a little bit. I'm not judging you or anything...I just need you to be straight with me. Is there something I need to know?”

Richard was mortified. He hadn't noticed his chest, and certainly thought he got off the eye make-up. “Ok.” Richard said. His cover was blown. “I was going to tell you anyway.” he said, “I'm a...” he had to force the words out. He'd never said it to anyone other than his closest friends and his therapist. “I'm a transsexual. I'm transitioning to be a woman. I was trying to hide it for now, but you would have found out soon enough anyway.” Richard said.

Jenkins was quiet for a second. “Ok.” he said. “That clears a lot up. OK. ”, he said.

“Ummm...Are we good?” Richard asked.

Bob said. “ I was just trying to figure out if I was imagining it. So, this isn't common knowledge, I take it?” He said.
Richard shook his head. “No. Not yet. Some people know. But a lot of people don’t know it's me when I'm dressed as Ingrid.” Richard said. He realized that he had let his voice slip up higher into Ingrid's voice and that his speech pattern had returned to its normal, feminine style.

“Ingrid. That's your girl’s name?” Bob said.

Ingrid nodded. She realized that since she'd dropped her cover that it was her talking now, not the Richard identity. “Yes.” she said sheepishly. “So what does this mean for my classes here?”

Bob leaned back. “That depends. It's really no one’s business, actually, like I said. I'll be blunt though. Everyone figured you were gay anyway, so it's not a stretch to think that you are going to be a girl. I know, the two aren't really related, but I don't think it will change anyone's reactions to you. If they had trouble with you as a gay boy, they'll have trouble with you as a woman. I myself don't care either way. You are a good kid and a good student.” Bob said. He smiled. “Even if you haven't been practicing much recently.”

Ingrid laughed. “I'm sorry. I've been very busy.” she said, shaking her head. 'I realized tonight that I needed more practice, because I am really hurting right now.”

Bob laughed. “Ok. Then you've punished yourself. No need for me to do anything. Do you want to be called Ingrid in class from now on?” he asked, toying with an envelope on his desk.

Ingrid thought about it for a second. “Umm...Not yet. I am still in school. I am going to be getting my GED soon, then heading out to college at Georgetown. I'm going to be Ingrid full time then. I wanted to talk to you about that anyway, you just beat me to the punch.” she said, then smiled. “As usual.”

Bob laughed. “Georgetown, huh?” he said. “So will you want to start coming to my Sunday night class at the studio closer to the school?”

She nodded. “Yes. I would like that. If it would be ok, Ingrid will be attending there. Not Richard. I'm getting my name legally changed as soon as school is out.”

“Sounds good to me.” He stood up. “Then Richard will be on time for class and will not wear make-up to class. You should also get something to bind your chest. I would suggest getting a sports bra. I don't want you getting hurt from a punch there either, that was my main concern.”

Ingrid nodded. “Thanks Mr. Jenkins.” she said.

“Now, get. I need to lock up and get home. Be careful.” he said.

“Bye. See you next Saturday.” she said.

When Ingrid got home, Fred and Janet were sitting in the living room watching the news. They looked up and smiled at her as she walked in, dropped her bag, and collapsed onto the couch with a wince.

“Tough class?” Fred said with a chuckle.

Ingrid nodded. “Yes.” she said, forcing a grin. “I feel like I got hit by a truck. How was your party?”

Janet piped up. “It was fun, I guess. I drank a little too much so I'm exhausted. Fred did a number on the buffet table so he hasn't moved since we got home.” she said, poking him in the belly. Fred batted her hand and chuckled.

“Yeah...I tied one on. That stuff was good.” he said, grinning at Ingrid. “Oh, yeah...How was your morning with Red?” he asked.

Ingrid perked up. “Great. I had a fantastic time.” she said.

“Good.” Janet said. “I'm so glad he was able to take you out for a late Christmas present.”

Ingrid grinned. “I also wanted to talk to y'all about something important...Before I go upstairs and pass out.” she said.

“Shoot.” Fred said, hitting mute on the remote.

“Well, two things actually. First, Uncle Red talked to me for a long time about my future. School. Career. He put a lot in perspective for me. He also made me an offer. He told me that he would help me get into the company and that he wanted me to be on his team.”

Fred didn't look surprised, but Aunt Janet did. “His team.” She said flatly. “Is this the same team that sends him off to all the corners of the globe doing who knows what?”

Ingrid nodded. Janet didn't sound too happy about it.

“That's dangerous, Ingrid. Are you sure you've thought about this?” She said, sounding very worried, they type of worry that can only come from many sleepless nights spent waiting for a dreaded phone call that thankfully never came.

Ingrid shrugged. “Life is dangerous, Aunt Janet. The idea really appeals to me.” she said.

“So, what's your plan Ingrid?” Fred said.

“I'm going to get my GED.” Ingrid said. She could see a look of mild relief wash over Fred. “He told me he'd looked into it and that it wouldn't be a problem for me to get into Georgetown, even with a GED, based on my situation and my GPA.” she said.

They both nodded. “Ok. When do you want to do it?” Fred asked.

“As soon as possible. I've heard the test is really super easy.” she said. She'd read about it online a while back and couldn't believe how simple it all sounded.

“Well, you are a very smart girl.” Janet said smiling. It sounded really good, her calling Ingrid a girl so naturally.

“I'd like to go ahead and do it quickly, then get my name legally changed so I can enroll in Georgetown as Ingrid.” she said, wincing as she adjusted on the couch.

Janet nodded. “I've already drawn up all the papers and started getting everything together. It shouldn't take very long to make it happen. I will talk with the judge once I get the case on the docket and find out who's on the case. It should be easy enough. Then we get you a new driver's license, get your social security card changed and you'll be good. There will be some legal stuff on the back end, transferring all your documents but I'll take care of that free of charge.” Aunt Janet said.

Ingrid laughed. “Thanks, I didn't want to have to worry about your bill.”

“You said there was a second thing.” Uncle Fred said.

“Oh yeah...Thomas asked me to a formal at GW.” she said, grinning.

“Thomas. The College boy who works at the bookstore?” Fred said.

“Yes.” She said.

“Are you sure that's a good idea. He doesn't know your true status. It could be ugly if he finds out.” Fred said. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

She smiled. “He's a gentleman. No worries there.” she said.

“We will have to go shopping for a dress.” Janet said, grinning.

“I know.” Ingrid said, then the two of them got into a ten minute conversation about dresses and what she was going to wear.

“I'm exhausted.” Ingrid said finally. “I'm going up to hit the sack.”

She walked over and gave each of them a kiss then headed upstairs. Within minutes, she was dead to the world.

Sunday blurred by. Richard talked at length with Fred and Janet about what they were going to do, and finally, late in the afternoon, they had hammered out a plan. Aunt Janet took him to school on Monday and they sat down with his guidance counselor, Ms. Willis. Ms. Willis was a very nice woman, who genuinely cared about all the boys under her care. She knew all about Richard's case and had been very sympathetic. She also knew that Richard had been accepted to Georgetown as well as several other schools.

“Good morning, Mrs. Blake.” Ms. Willis said as they sat down. “Would you like some coffee.”

“I'd love some.” Janet said, setting her purse in her lap. Richard sat down next to her, very nervous. They were going to come clean with Ms. Willis. She was going to be instrumental in getting his records transferred, as well as getting letters of recommendation written for Ingrid. Not Richard.

“I would too, if that's ok.” Richard said quietly.

“Sure.” Ms. Willis said. “Then would you mind getting them?”

“Sure.” Richard said, then got up and fixed two cups of coffee. The mug he chose said 'worlds greatest grandma'. He thought that was funny. He handed a cup to Janet, one cream, two sugars. His was black.

“Ms. Willis. There is something important we needed to talk to you about this morning. I'm going to be very frank with you, and I hope that you understand the discretion required with our situation.” She said.

“Certainly. What's wrong?” Ms. Willis said, sounding very concerned.

“You know about Richard's situation, so that makes at least part of this easier.” Janet said. She turned to Richard and smiled, then took his hand. He squeezed it like he was holding on for dear life. “Richard's unique situation has given rise to some other issues.” Janet said, then took a drink of coffee.

Ms. Willis looked very distraught. “Is it a medical condition?” she asked.

“Yes. In a way.” Janet said. She steeled herself and took a deep breath. “Richard has been diagnosed with GID. Gender Identity Disorder. The effects were compounded by the loss of male sexual organs, but his condition was most probably pre-existing. The effects of his...maiming, just exacerbated the problem.”

Ms. Willis looked shocked. She had known Richard was a very effeminate boy, everyone had, but she thought he would grow out of it. “I've heard of that. In school, I mean. I have a masters in Psychology, but I’ve never dealt with it with a student. That is going to cause a problem, Ms. Blake. This is an all boys school.” She said apologetically.

'We know. That's why I'm pulling Richard out of school. He is going to get his GED. With his GPA, he should still have no problem getting into Georgetown, especially with the mitigating circumstances.” Janet said.

Ms. Willis nodded. “Yes. I can see that. I'm so sorry you won't be able to finish school with us, Richard.” she said, sounding truly saddened by the fact.

'”It's ok, Ms. Willis. It's very hard for me here anyway.” he said.

She looked at him and nodded. “I'm sure it is, honey.” she said. “Ok, what do you need from me?” She asked.

Janet went over everything and gave her the paperwork required for the letters of recommendation for Georgetown. It took less than an hour to get everything done.

“We will miss you Richard. You are such a bright child. I hope everything at Georgetown goes well for you.” she said.

“Thank you ma’am.” Richard said.

Janet and Ms. Willis shook hands, then Richard went by his locker and got the rest of his books. They turned them in at the office then with a box full of junk out of his locker, he left the school for the last time. As they were leaving, class was letting out. He was walking with his Aunt down the halls as the boys poured out of the classrooms. He saw Bradley leaving his first period class. Their eyes met for a second. He could see Bradley was very curious as to what he was doing here with his Aunt. Bradley excused himself from Mark then walked up to Richard.

“Hi...Rich.” he said. “What's going on?” he said, gesturing to the box.

“I'm leaving school.” he said quietly. It was very hard not to fall into Ingrid's mannerisms when talking to Bradley. “I can't do this anymore.” he said.

Bradley looked worried. He looked at Janet, then back to Richard. “But, what about college?” he asked.

“I'm starting in the fall. I'm getting my GED. It's ok.” he said.

“I’m...glad for you, Richard.” he said. “I know it's been hard here for you.”

“Thanks.” Richard said. “For everything.”

Janet watched the exchange between the two boys, then touched Richard on the arm. Richard seemed startled by her touch. “We need to get going. We have to get to my office.” she said. “Good to see you, Bradley.”

“Bye.” Richard said. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he walked into the cold sunlight.

“You ok?” Janet asked, handing him a tissue. He took it, then dabbed at his eyes the way you would if you were wearing make-up.

“Yeah.” He said quietly. The tears wouldn't stop.

“Something you want to tell me?” She asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“ He...He's the only person other than you guys and Emm who knows my secret.”

Janet looked surprised. “Bradley knows?” She asked. “How did you know he wouldn't tell anyone? I mean, that was really dangerous, Ingrid.” She said, accidentally addressing Richard as Ingrid.

“No. Not with him.” she said.

“Why not?” She asked incredulously.

“Because he loves me.” Ingrid said. Richard realized that it was Ingrid’s voice. She had come out during the conversation.

“How do you know?” Janet asked, sounding a little angry.

“Because...We made love. He was my first....” Ingrid said, then burst into tears.

Janet was silent. She didn't know what to say really. She looked angry, and concerned at the same time. She was also completely dumbfounded.

Ingrid sobbed. She threw the tortoise shell glasses on the seat and cried into her hands. Janet pulled the car over into a parking lot and did the only thing she could think of, which was to pull Ingrid to her and let her cry on her shoulder. She remembered being a teenage girl. She remembered first love. She remembered being seventeen and giving up her virginity. She also remembered all the pain that went along with it. Janet stroked Ingrid’s hair and kissed her on the cheek. Soon the tears subsided. Janet waited a few minutes for her to calm down.

“Ok.” Janet said. “We won't talk about this right now. Lets get you home and let you change out of those clothes and get more comfortable.”

Richard went upstairs and threw the clothes into the hamper. He jumped in the shower and let the water run over his head until he had washed the Richard identity away, slipping back into his real self as Ingrid. She affixed the breast forms and put on her panties and bra. Ingrid dressed in a Prada shirt dress and leggings and topped it off with her black boots, then selected her jewelry. She was going for really girly and accessories to make herself feel better.

She did her make up, nothing too extreme, just eye make-up and lipstick, then fixed her hair. She had gotten pretty good at spiking up her pixie cut. I really need to get highlights in this, she thought as she fiddled with her bangs.

She loaded all her stuff from her boys wallet to her Prada wallet and shoved it all in her purse. She bopped down the stairs to find Aunt Janet drinking a cup of coffee at the table and talking on her cell phone.

“It’s a client. I won't be long.” Janet said.

Ingrid nodded then grabbed a cup of coffee for herself. She went out on the back porch and to the gazebo. She didn't care if Aunt Janet didn't like it, she really needed a cigarette. She lit one of the Virginia Slims 120s and sat down on the bench. She did love Bradley, she realized. He was her first love. A doomed romance to be sure, but she still loved him. Thomas, she wasn't sure about. She liked him a lot, but didn't think she loved him. She did lust for him. but that wasn't the same thing. She enjoyed his company and they had a lot of fun together. Maybe something else would come of it, maybe not.

Ingrid finished her cigarette an went inside. Janet was hanging up the phone. “You smell like an ashtray, Ingrid.” Janet said, sounding perturbed.

“Ok...Be right back.” Ingrid said. She rushed upstairs and put on a touch of perfume then headed back down.

“Better. But I can still smell it.” Janet said with all the bitterness of an ex-smoker who secretly missed it, so they took it out on everyone else.

“Sorry” Ingrid said, grabbing her purse.

They went up to Janet's office. There was a ton of paperwork required to get your name changed, but Janet had already done most of it. While Ingrid filled out paperwork, Janet was on the phone getting the case scheduled.

“OK. I got a case number and found out who the judge will be. This should be a no notice change, since you are a minor and Fred and I are your guardians. This also falls into the 'health and well being category' so we shouldn't have to post notice and wait. IF I can get the judge to sign off on it, it's just a matter of paperwork.” she said. “I know you are bored. Come back here by lunch so we can go eat.” Janet said, shooing Ingrid off.

Ingrid was relieved. She kissed Janet on the cheek and headed out. She walked across the parking lot to a shopping center. She was walking on clouds, she realized. She was officially going to be Ingrid Wolfe very soon. Richard would be a memory.

Ingrid lit a cigarette then walked along the sidewalk, window shopping. She was wearing her big sunglasses and her puffer coat, since it was very sunny but still quite cold. After she finished her cigarettes she went into the Kohls and did a little shopping. She found a cute pair of earrings and a bracelet that she just had to have. Then she stopped by a bookstore with a little coffee shop, bought a magazine and some coffee and sat down to kill time until Janet was ready for lunch.

At ten til eleven, She got up and headed back to Janet's office. Janet was still on the phone, though she assumed it was not the same call. Janet smiled at her and hung up the phone. “Alright. Good news. That was actually quite easy. I'd already gotten all the forms filled out. The ones you signed earlier. I have an affidavit from your doctor and notarized copies of all the forms Fred and I have to sign. I talked to the judge and she is willing to sign the order. We are going to run by her office and get it signed. Then...” Janet smiled. “You will officially be Ingrid Allison Wolfe.”

Ingrid grinned at her then gave her a big hug. “Thank you!” Ingrid said, overjoyed. “Lets go!”

“Ok...Lunch first.” Janet said. The two of them went to a nice little place for lunch. Ingrid had a chef's salad, while Janet went for the tuna. It was nice and the two of them talked a lot about what they had to do. Ingrid listened with rapt attention to every word. Name change. Driver's license. GED test. Appointment with the college counselor to explain to them the name change and her status.

“It's all happening pretty fast.” Ingrid said. “Not that I'm complaining, but I thought this stuff would take a while.”

“Well..I'm a lawyer. I have connections. That makes it a lot easier. I've known Gloria since before she became a judge. She knew your mother too. Your father served on her election committee a few years ago. It's all who you know, dear.” Janet said.

By one o’clock that afternoon, Richard Wolfe was officially history. Ingrid looked at the documents and felt like she was going to cry. It was probably the happiest moment of her life. That moment was then spoiled by the wait at the DMV to get a new license. She was glad she had glammed up for today, since this was going to be on her drivers license. Ingrid neatened up her make-up and thought it looked really good. Finally they were at the counter.

“Miss. You have a mistake on your paperwork. You marked male.” The surly attendant said.

“No. It's right.” she said. “This is a legal name change from Richard to Ingrid.”

The attendant looked at her, then compared the documents. He looked disgusted. “Ok, sir. This way.” he said. Ingrid was irritated at his attitude, but wasn't going to let it ruin her good day. She answered the questions, then had her picture taken. Half an hour later she was holding a new driver’s license in her hand. The picture was pretty good too. The attendant didn't even say good bye as she rushed out to her Aunt. Ingrid showed her the picture and smiled proudly.
“Now I don’t have to be scared to show my ID anymore!” Ingrid said, giggling.

“That is a good picture. You are so photogenic, Ingrid.” Janet said.

That night, Fred and Janet took Ingrid out for a celebrator dinner. It was interrupted half way though by an important call for Fred, but both of them were used to that happening.

The rest of the week blurred by. Ingrid and Janet did a lot of paperwork, sending stuff off all over the place. Ingrid had to sign papers for the house and all her estate stuff, which was about as fun as watching paint dry. Friday finally came. She was scheduled to take her GED that afternoon and was determined to take them all in one day.. She dressed comfortably, in a baby tee and jeans and drove herself to the testing center. The test was way easier than she thought it would be and she blazed through it.

That night, Ingrid had to rush home to get ready for her date with Thomas. Ingrid looked through her closet and decided on a her favorite black Prada mini-dress over tights with her Prada tall boots. She fluffed her hair up, spiking the top, then put on her make-up. Ingrid decided to go with a very 1960's mod look, with extreme cat eyes and false eyelashes, topped off with a very pale pink lipstick. A pair of really big silver hoops and some bangles finished off the outfit. She put on her Chanel cat's eye glasses and posed in the mirror. She thought she looked really good, like she'd just stepped out of a magazine ad. The thought made her grin as she shoved everything into her purse.

Thomas was at there to pick her up at seven o'clock on the dot. Very punctual. Uncle Fred answered the door. Ingrid got down stairs just in time to see Fred leading a very nervous, and very cute looking Thomas into the living room. Thomas was wearing a pair a very nice black suit with a definite '60s cut, a white shirt, and a thin black tie. His normally unruly hair was nicely combed, and his face was shaved to a very sexy five o'clock shadow. He looked like a character from reservoir Dogs. Ingrid liked it a lot.

“Hi, Thomas.” she said, putting on the Ingrid accent. “You look very nice.”

He could hardly take his eyes off her. He actually sort of shook his head before he spoke. “You look fantastic, Ingrid.” he said.

“So...” Fred started. “I expect my niece home by midnight, Thomas.” he said firmly.

“Certainly, Mr. Blake.” Thomas said. “No problem.”

“Good. Ingrid. You look lovely.” Fred said, “Be good.”

Ingrid grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Aunt Janet came in and Fred introduced her to Thomas. They chatted for a minute, then Thomas took Ingrid's arm and led her out to his truck. He opened her door for her and waited for her to get inside.

He jumped in his side and started the truck. He looked over at her and grinned. 'You really do look fantastic, Ingrid. “ he said, smiling.

They pulled out and headed out to the restaurant. Ingrid pulled a cigarette out of her purse and lit it, taking a long, languorous drag before snap inhaling. She noticed Thomas was watching her, so she turned to him and smiled before exhaling. “Thanks for asking me out, Thomas.” she purred.

“You are welcome. I hope you don't mind, but my friend Jeff and his girlfriend Shelly are meeting us at the restaurant. I couldn't get out of it...it sort of just became a double date.” he said apologetically.

Ingrid shrugged, then smiled. “Your friend Jeff is quite nice, if I remember correctly. It is no problem.” she said.

They arrived at the restaurant. It was a little Pac Rim place called, originally enough “PAC RIM”. The decor was nice, lots of pale wood and Japanese influence. Jeff and Shelly were waiting for them in the bar when they arrived.

Jeff stood up when they walked in and gestured for them to come over. Thomas and Jeff shook hands.

“Jeff. You remember Ingrid.” he said. Ingrid stepped forward and took Jeff's hand.

“Jeff. Nice to see you again.” Ingrid said, playing up her German accent a little bit.

“Nice to see you too. Ingrid, this is Shelly.” he said, introducing his date. She stood up and extended a hand, which Ingrid shook.

“Hi Ingrid, nice to meet you.” She said.

“Charmed.” Ingrid said with a smile.

They had a table in the bar area so they all sat down. Ingrid sat across from Shelly, the guys across from each other. They all chatted for a little while as they looked at the menu. Ingrid noticed Shelly was giving her some odd looks and it made her uncomfortable.

Shelly was a cute girl, with long blonde hair. She sort of looked like a cheerleader, or a sorority girl, which she probably was. She was dressed nicely, but far more casually than Ingrid. Ingrid smiled at her and she returned the smile, but it was a tight obviously fake smile.

“...Ingrid is a model.” She heard Jeff say. Ingrid looked up, her eyes wide. She saw Shelly had a similar expression. Ingrid just smiled, not wanting to correct him here.

“You are?” Shelly said.

Ingrid wasn't sure what to say. Then, she just decided to go with it and play the cover. She looked at Thomas and smiled, then back to Shelly.

“Yes. I am model.” she said, playing up the accent even more. She could see Thomas grinning out of the corner of her eye.

“Wow. Like a runway model?” She said.

“Yes.” Ingrid said. She pulled her cigarettes out of her purse and set the pack and her lighter on the table. “I have worn Prada, Chanel, and Tadishi.” she said, not really lying since she actually had worn clothes from all those designers on more than one occaision. She was now starting to enjoy playing the Ingrid persona to the hilt.

Shelly smiled at her. “I thought you looked like a model. Your clothes are very pretty, and the way they hang on you...it's just like the models in the magazines.” she said.

“Danke.” Ingrid said. “Mind if I smoke?” she said, holding up a cigarette. Everyone shook their head and Thomas produced his zippor and lit her cigarette. This opened the floodgate and Thomas and Shelly were soon producing cigarettes of their own. Jeff was the only one at the table who didn't smoke, but he didn't mind.

“Jeff...You should see Ingrid's car, man.” Thomas said.

“I saw it. Mercedes SUV, black one right?” he said.

Thomas shook his head. “No. Her car, not her truck. She's got a 1955 Mercedes Benz sport coupe.” he said.

“No way.” Jeff said. “I love that car. Never seen one in person, but remember that model you used to have, Thomas?” he said, definitely impressed. “That's awesome. Why don't you drive it?” he asked.

Ingrid shrugged. “I don't drive it in the winter. The weather is too hard on my baby.” she purred. “I will drive it in the spring time.”

She now realized why Shelly was looking at her that way. She was jealous. She knew that girls sometimes treated other girls they were jealous of coldly. Like they couldn't contain the irritation at no longer being the center of attention, and that was exactly the look Shelly had on her face right then. Shelly was a pretty girl and probably normally was the hot one in a group. Being the “other girl” was pissing her off. Ingrid decided that maybe she could talk to her and get her to loosen up a bit.

“So, do you go to GW, Shelley?” Ingrid asked.

“Yeah. I'm a Junior. How bout you?” Shelly asked.

“I am not currently in school. I am going to be starting in the fall at Georgetown. I will be sophomore.” Ingrid lied.

The waiter showed up and took drink orders. Ingrid just ordered a water, while everyone else ordered beers. Everyone was carded, so she didn't dare try to order an alcoholic beverage.

“You don't drink?” Shelly asked.

Ingrid ignored the little smirk and the tone of her voice. “No. Not right now. I am under contract and my size cannot change. So, no drinks for me.” she said, smiling.

Thomas looked at her, then smiled. “Yeah. Ingrid normally just drinks coffee and looks at food.”

Ingrid hit him on the arm. That was almost true. She laid her head on his shoulder for a second. “That is not true Thomas. I ate a cracker last week.” she said, then winked at him.

The dinner was good. Ingrid ate some sashimi tuna and a tiny bit of some rice. She really dug into the edamame, which was awesome. She finished eating first and ordered a cup of coffee, which made Thomas giggle. She poked him in the side for his trouble.

Ingrid didn't say much for the rest of the meal, instead she just listened and let everyone else talk. After dinner, they all said their goodbyes and Thomas led her out to the truck.

“Thanks for putting up with that.” Thomas said as he started the car. “She wasn't being very nice.”

Ingrid shrugged. “It is ok, Thomas.” she said, going back to the slight German accent she now favored as Ingrid. “I made the best of it.” she grinned at him.

“Yeah, That was cool. I like the exaggerated accent. It was cute.” He said as they pulled out into traffic. “So. Would you tell me the truth, Ingrid?” he asked.

Ingrid was mortified. Oh, no, what does he want to know. Which secret does he want me to reveal? She thought. “What?” She said.

“Are you really a model?” He said. Sounding very serious.

She felt so relieved. “No, Thomas. I am not a model. My mother was, though.” She said.

“Really? Well, you got her looks. You could be a model you know, like if you needed a job to work through college.” He said.

“I am flattered.” She said. “Thank you Thomas.”

They went to a movie and saw a very cute romantic comedy. Thomas put his arm around her and she felt very small up against him. Thomas was an attractive guy. She had been trying to figure out who she thought he looked like, but it had been escaping her. She finally realized that he looked quite a bit like James Marsden, the guy who played Corny Collins in the new version of Hairspray. It was the suit and the actually brushed hair that made her think of that. He looked over at her and noticed she was looking at him instead of watching the movie. She looked back to the screen. He reached over and put his finger under her chin, gently turning it towards his face. He leaned over and kissed her. It was a very sweet kiss that made Ingrid feel butterflies in her stomach.

“Thank you for a very good time, Thomas.” Ingrid said. They were parked a couple of blocks from Uncle Fred and Aunt Janet's house while Ingrid finished her last cigarette of the night.

“You are very welcome.” he said, smiling at her. “I'm glad you are going with me to the dance, Ingrid. I'm not much of a dancer, though.” he said.

“I'm not either.” Ingrid said with a giggle. “So we will be a pair. Seriously, though, what color dress should I wear?”

Thomas shrugged. “It's a formal. I was going to wear a classic, black tux.” he said.
Ingrid smiled. “So, it's a real formal?”

“Bonafide formal, yes indeedy.” He said with a laugh.

“That is great. I have many great dresses that I have not been able to wear.” she said, sounding very excited. “I will wear something very nice. Would you like me to wear something not to attract attention?” She said.

Thomas laughed so hard he was almost crying.

“What?” Ingrid said, slightly offended.

“No...” He wiped at a tear. “...Don't be offended. But, Ingrid. You can't help but attract attention. You are gorgeous. So, if you don't mind. Flaunt it. Make me look good in front of my frat brothers.” he said.

Ingrid felt better about that, but she could feel herself blushing. “Ok. Then I know the perfect, dress. I saw it at Nieman Marcus the other day” she said.

“Sounds perfect.” Thomas said, then leaned in and gave her a kiss. She kissed him back and felt like she was melting under the heat from his kiss.

Thomas walked her to the door like a perfect gentleman. He gave her a little kiss on the lips. She liked kissing him when they were standing up because he was so tall that even in her three inch heeled boots, she had to stand on her tip toes to kiss him. It made her feel tiny, even though with those heels she was five foot eleven.

“Good night, Thomas.” She whispered.

“Good night, Ingrid.” Thomas said.

Ingrid went into the house, looking back over her shoulder at Thomas and smiling before closing the door.

Ingrid woke up late Saturday morning. She rolled over and looked at her clock and was surprised that it was already after ten. She stretched and got out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom. She put on her robe and headed down the stairs to get a cup of coffee. Aunt Janet was sitting at the dining room table reading the paper when she walked in. Ingrid gave her a little smile, then poured herself a cup.

“Mornin’, sleepy head.” Aunt Janet said, peering at Ingrid over the top of her glasses. “Thought you were never going to get up.'

Ingrid laughed and sat down. “I didn't set my alarm.” she said, then blew on her coffee.

“Fred had to run some errands this morning, so I've been all by my lonesome. It's been nice.” she said, grinning. “what are you up to this afternoon?”

Ingrid yawned. “Well...I'm going to get dressed, then I'm going to run out and get a manicure. After that, I'm going to Nieman Marcus to shop for a dress for that formal.” she said. Ingrid took a sip of her coffee. “Ummm. Good coffee, Aunt Janet.”

Janet smiled. “I know. I love the new stuff Margarite has been buying. So....” Janet said. “...how was the date with Thomas?”

Ingrid smiled. “Good. We had fun. We went to Pac Rim, then we saw a movie. It was really fun.”

“Good. That Thomas is cute. He's too old for you, but he's very attractive. And apparently smart, since he's pre-law.” Janet said.

Ingrid blushed. “Yeah, he's very cute. and very smart.” Ingrid said. “And not too old for me. Last time I checked, Fred is eight years older than you...” Ingrid said with a smirk.

“That's different. We got married much older.” Janet said defensively.

“Ok. I'll be the pot, you can be the kettle.” Ingrid said, then laughed. Aunt Janet tried to put on an angry face, but couldn't manage it and started laughing too.

“Touche'” Aunt Janet said. “Now go get dressed before you waste half the day.”

Ingrid laughed then went upstairs and took a shower.

Ingrid put on a black Milly ruffle sleeved sweater and a pair of black D&G wool, narrow leg pants. Shoes were a much harder proposition, but she finally decided on a pair of Prada slingbacks. Ingrid went with simple make-up, just a eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss, not too much for an afternoon shopping. She clasped on her silver Rolex, grabbed her purse and was out the door. Ingrid held her head high as she strutted across the parking lot of Tyson's Galleria.

Just before she got inside the mall, her phone rang. Ingrid glanced at the screen and saw it was Emily. “Hi, Emm.” Ingrid said. Ingrid walked over and leaned against one of the columns outside the entry way. “What's up?”

“Nothin’ girlfriend.” Emily said. “How was your date with Thomas?”

Ingrid smiled. She was rooting around in her bag for her cigarettes. “It was really nice. We had a great time. Did you go out with Mark last night?” Ingrid found her cigarettes, pulled one out then searched for her lighter.

“I did. We played pool.” Emily said. “Where are you?”

“I'm at the Galleria. I'm shopping for a dress and getting a manicure. Want to join me for lunch?” Ingrid said.

“It's a date. See you at noon. I'll call you when I get there.” Emily said. “Ciao.”

“Ciao Bella.” Ingrid said, then hung up the phone. She still hadn't found her lighter. It had migrated to the lowest part of her purse, of course.

“Need a light?” She heard some one say. A male voice. Ingrid looked up and saw Bradley standing there. She swallowed hard.

“Yes. Thank you.” Ingrid said, smiling at him. She put the cigarette to her lips while he lit it for her. She inhaled deeply, hoping the nicotine would settle her now frazzled nerves.

“You look great, Ingrid.” Bradley said. “How've you been?”

Ingrid nodded. “Good. I've been good. How are you?” It was very awkward. Despite all the fun she'd been having with Thomas, she wanted very badly to kiss Bradley right then and there.

“I'm glad.” he said. Bradley sounded a little bit sad, actually. “So...You are out of school now, huh?” Bradley said.

“Yes. I took my GED on Friday.” Ingrid said proudly. “Should get my results back soon, so I can get enrolled in Georgetown.”

Bradley nodded. “Awesome.” he said. “That's great. Are you still seeing that college guy?”

Ingrid smiled and nodded. “Thomas. Yes. I am going to a formal with him later this month.”

Bradley tried to keep from showing his displeasure at that by smiling. “Good. Good to hear. Sheila and I are still together.” he said.

“I'm glad.” Ingrid said. She wasn't, but she was better at hiding her emotions. Ingrid took a last drag from her cigarette. She noticed how Bradley's gaze was locked on her mouth as she snap inhaled. She couldnt' help but sexy it up a little, tilting her head back and forming her mouth into a perfect bow as she exhaled. She took a step over and put the cigarette out in the ashtray. Bradley still hadn't spoken.
“Well..I have a manicure appointment, honey. IT was great seeing you.” She said, then gave him a hug. He was very tense at first, then hugged her tightly.

“Bye, Ingrid. It was great seeing you.” he said. It hurt her how sad he sounded.

“Bye.” Ingrid said, then rushed inside. The clack of her heels seemed very loud to her as she walked towards the nail salon. Almost as loud as the beating of her heart.

Ingrid had just finished having her nails done, manicure, extensions, and paint, when Emily called. They met up in the food court a few minutes later and had lunch. After they ate, Ingrid and Emily went to Nieman Marcus to shop. Ingrid knew what she was looking for so she quickly zoomed in on the dresses she was interested in. She had it narrowed down to three dresses, which she had to try on. The last dress she put on, a plum colored, Strapless, organza ruffled gown by Marchesa Couture. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, she thought, as she looked at herself in the mirror. She walked out of the dressing room with the biggest smile ever on her face. Emily actually stood up out of her chair and gasped.

“That is gorgeous!” Emily said, grinning.

“I know. It's perfect.” Ingrid said, smoothing it out.

The sales woman was smiling broadly at her. “That is lovely, Ms. Wolfe.” She said nodding. “It suits you perfectly. And we do have alterations, so you can get it fitted.”

Ingrid spun around, letting the skirts rise a little with the motion. “Good.” she said. “It is a little loose in the waist.” She said, putting her hands on her hips and looking in the mirror.

Emily stood behind her, then looked at the tag. Emily's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of her head. “Ingrid.” she hissed. “This dress is like, $6800 dollars!”

Ingrid shrugged. “Yes. Isn't it wonderful!” Ingrid said, feeling like Cinderella getting ready for the ball. “I need matching gloves and shoes, don't you think?” Ingrid said.

“You are literally going to spend that on this dress?” Emily said, incredulously.

“Sure. It's fantastic.” Ingrid said, grinning at her.

Emily just shook her head. “It does look great on you. I just can't see spending that kind of money. Can't we just look at one of the formal shops...” Emily said.

Ingrid's look cut her off. “I've never been to a formal, Emm. I want it to be perfect. I don't want some kind of knock-off.” She said.

Emily grimaced. “Ok. It's just a lot of money.”

“Pish, Posh. Ingrid said, flouncing the dress a little. “This dress is worth it.”

Ingrid had the sales woman take the dress to have it sent down to alterations for her. Ingrid found a pair of matching gloves and a pair of Christian Louboutin patent leather peep toe pumps with a four inch heel.

“These shoes are great, and they are on sale. Only $700 dollars.” Ingrid said, admiring her shoe in the mirror.

Emily just shook her head. 'You are fashion crazy, Ingrid.”

“I know. I know.” Ingrid said. “At least I come by it honestly.”

Emily laughed. The girls walked down to Alterations, where Ingrid had the dress fitted. It didn't take very long, and soon they were walking out of the store. Ingrid was carrying her bag with the shoes and gloves in it. Emily looked down.

“You ok?” Ingrid said, looking over at Emily.

“Yeah. I”m fine.” Emily said. She shrugged. “I wish I had money to buy all the cool clothes I wanted, that's all. I'm so jealous.”

Ingrid frowned. “I'm sorry, Emm.” she said, not sure what to say. “I didn't mean to make you unhappy...I just wanted your opinion on my dress.”

Emily shook her head. “I”m not unhappy....I”m jealous. Not the same thing.” Emily said with a smirk. “No, it's cool. You have a lot more money than me, and I'm ok with that. Usually, I see the cool clothes you have and it doesn't occur to me that your outfits usually cost as much as my car.” Emily said.

Ingrid laughed. It was true. Emily's car was not a showpiece. “I'm sorry, hon. Well, most of my stuff was my mom's. And, I buy most of my clothes from selling off my father's old clothes. The money is somewhat finite, I guess.” Ingrid said.

“Yeah, but you can just sell more of the 'last season' stuff to get more money later.” Emily said.

Ingrid smiled. “True.” She said. “I did have something I wanted to tell you, though. Speaking of clothes.

“What?” Emm said, as they were walking out the mall front doors.

“Well, there are several items I have in my closet that don't fit me. I wanted to see if you wanted them.” Ingrid said.

“Why don't they fit?” Emm asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don't have much for hips, honey. You do. I have some clothes that are really cute, but they don't work for me because I just don't fill them out right. My mother had bigger hips than me, and things that are cut to accentuate them just don't work. Want to come by and try them on...Before I sell them to sate my clothes fetish?”

Emily laughed. “Of course I do, silly.”

They drove back to Ingrid's house and spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the closet. Emily went home with five dress, two pairs of pants, and at Ingrid's insistence, a pair of shoes. Emily looked happy as could be as she got into her car to head home. Ingrid waved to her from the front porch as she headed out.

The rest of the month dragged by. With no school, Ingrid found herself terribly bored. After lounging around the house for a week, Aunt Janet issued an ultimatum...”Get out and do something, other than shop, or I will find something for you to do.” That was enough for Ingrid.

She realized that she had been spending too little time on Krav Maga, and physical training in general, so that became her outlet for the next two weeks. She ran, worked out at the studio, and even signed up for a Pilates class at the gym. She was quite pleased that she was even able to (mostly) keep to her no more than two cigarettes a day policy.

Ingrid and Emm hung out a lot, when Emm had the time, just talking and drinking coffee, or watching a movie. Emm's relationship with Mark was going very well, they were seeing each other exclusively now, going steady or whatever. Ingrid wished her and Thomas had more time together, but with his work schedule and school his time was limited. Ingrid went to see him at the bookstore a couple of times, and they managed to go out and have dinner once, she was a little bit jealous of the time Mark and Emm got to spend together.

The morning of the formal, Ingrid was worn out after a long session of Pilates as she emerged into the cold, January sunlight. She snuggled into her puffer coat, the black yoga pants and sweatshirt she wore were definitely not winter wear. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed towards her car, grimacing against the cold wind. She pulled her keys out of her purse and lost her grip on the bag. Its whole contents tumbled out onto the pavement.

“Scheisse!!” she said, a little louder than she intended, then stooped to start gathering her stuff.

“Let me help you with that.” A familiar voice said over her shoulder. The shadow fell across her and she looked up into the face of Ryan Baker, a guy Richard went to school with, and one of Bradley's good friends.

“Danke. I mean, thank you.” Ingrid said, falling into the German accent naturally. “I'm so klutzy sometimes.” Ingrid said nervously.
“Its ok.” he said, handing her the last couple of things. Ingrid was very worried that he might somehow recognize her as Richard, since she wasn't wearing any make-up. Hopefully, the big sunglasses would help shield her identity. He looked at her, then smiled. “Hey...You're Ingrid, right?”

Ingrid swallowed hard, then smiled. “Yes. I'm Ingrid. You are?” She said, standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder.
“Oh, sorry. I'm Ryan. Ryan Baker.” HE said, holding out his hand.

Ingrid took his hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Nice to meet you, Ryan.” She said, then rummaged in her purse and pulled out her cigarettes. She lit it then smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't twig on to her identity.

“Yeah...I saw you at Wilson's party. I didn't actually get introduced to you, but you made quite an impression with the guys from school. I didn't know you lived around here.” He said, stumbling with the words a little, like he was nervous.

Ingrid's unease dissipated. He wasn't on to her, he was hot for her. “Oh,” Ingrid said, laughing. “Yes, I did see you at the party. My boyfriend and I just came for a little while, but I think I remember seeing you there.” She gave him a big smile, and he seemed to blush.

“Cool. umm, boyfriend huh? The big tall guy you were with?” HE said sheepishly.

“Yes, Thomas. He is Senior at GW.” She smiled, then took a drag from her cigarette.

“A senior.” he sounded kind of deflated when he realized she was dating a 21 or 22 year old man. “Well, I'll tell Brad I ran into you.”

Ingrid smiled. “Thank you for helping me.” she said, then gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned bright red, which made her smile widen. She couldn't help but chuckle.

He was still standing there, with a sort of dumb look on his face as she climbed into her truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

She looked down at her watch. Six hours until my first formal, she thought. Just the thought of it actually made her giddy. She was going to a formal with her boyfriend. He mental train skidded to a halt. Boyfriend. She'd said it before, but that was sort of a cover, a way to get out of having to talk to Ryan very long. But she'd thought it then, unbidden it had come to her. Naturally. The thought was strange, actually. She'd had an intense couple of months. All the stuff that had happened with Brad, the crush, the weekend, everything. But that was not meant to be. Then she'd gone to Thomas, because he'd always been so sweet to her. HE was the first person Ingrid had met, and was very special to her. Her feelings for him weren't the boy-crush, first love swooning she felt for Brad, but a tender friendship that she'd never felt with any other boy.

“Boyfriend.” She said aloud, then shook her head. She looked in the mirror. I hope I'm not setting myself up for a fall, she thought, as she turned into her driveway.

Unfinished Business Part 6

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Novel Chapter

Genre:

Transgender

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Edited by Don (Thanks Hon)

Part 6 -

Ingrid rushed into the kitchen. She dropped her keys on the counter as she walked, not breaking stride as she headed for the stairs. She bounced up the steps and into the suite, slinging her purse onto the bed as she headed for the bathroom. After a quick stop at the toilet, she cranked up some music and turned on the shower.

She took a long time in the shower, shaving everything and giving her hair a good wash and conditioning. It was stifling hot in the bathroom when she got out, so she put her hair up in a towel, wrapped another towel around her chest and headed out into the bedroom to let the steam dissipate. It was cool in the bedroom and goose-bumps erupted all over her body from the sudden chill. Ingrid sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed moisturizing lotion all over. She enjoyed the feeling of the smooth skin of her legs as she rubbed the lotion in, luxuriating in the sensation. Once the moisturizing was done, she got up and put on her silk robe before sitting down at the vanity to dry her hair. Luckily, her hair was very short, and took little time to dry.

Ingrid studied herself in the mirror. She did look quite a bit like her mother, but there was a touch of her father there as well. The only person she really had a hard time seeing was Richard, who seemed to have disappeared completely somewhere along the way. She tucked her legs up, sitting on her calves in that oh so girlish way and lit a cigarette. She sat there for a little while, just listening to the music and enjoying the moment of calm before she had to seriously start getting ready. Ingrid glanced up at the clock. Five hours until Thomas is supposed to pick me up, she thought, then put out her cigarette and got up to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, she was walking out to her car. She had chosen a pair of Stella McCartney Skinny jeans and a black turtleneck, topped off with a D&G suede jacket. Since the weather was cooperating for January, she was actually able to wear a pair of Brian Atwood leopard print pumps that she had wanted to wear for the last three weeks. It was cold outside, not bitter cold like it had been, but cold enough she was thankful she only had to walk from her car to the mall in this outfit.

Ingrid, it appeared, had underestimated the cold, and found herself shivering as she walked into the galleria. It was crowded, like most Saturday afternoons, but she didn't have time to worry about the crowds. She had an appointment at the salon, and some heavy pampering planned. Despite being on an important mission, she couldn't help but notice the looks she was getting as she strutted through the mall. Her heels clacked loudly as she slipped into a catwalk sort of strut. It was impossible to keep from smiling.

“Ah, Miss Wolfe. So good to see you again.” The receptionist said. “Katrina will be with you in just a second.”

Ingrid smiled as she signed in. “Thanks.” She said cheerily, then settled down in the waiting area. She pulled out this month's German Vogue and started reading about the spring fashions. She was so absorbed in her reading, she didn't notice the two girls sitting across from her staring at her.

“Excuse me.” the blonde girl said.

Ingrid looked up, instantly putting on a smile. “Yes.” she said, slipping immediately into character, complete with the lighter accent she'd perfected. Second nature.

“Do you speak English?” The girl said.

Ingrid chuckled. “Yes. Good English.” She replied earnestly.

“We were wondering. Are you a model?” The girl said.

Ingrid didn't miss a beat. “Yes.” She looked at the girl. She was pretty, but not tall enough to be a runway model, and was probably asking because she had aspirations of her own. “Why do you ask?”

The blonde turned to her friend, who had pretty, long auburn hair. “I told you.” The blonde turned back to Ingrid. “You just look like a model. And you're reading, like, German Vogue. I knew you had to be! I want to be a model when I get out of high school.”

“You are very pretty girl. I think you would do fine as a model.” Ingrid said smiling at her. “And you.” She looked at the other girl. “Have lovely hair. I am getting auburn and extensions today.”

Both girls blushed. Ingrid smiled.

“Miss Wolfe, Katrina is ready for you.” The receptionist said.

Ingrid smiled at the girls as she put her magazine back in her bag and stood up. “Nice talking to you.” She said, then headed into the salon proper.

Katrina was standing next to her chair. “Hello again. So....” She said as she took Ingrid's bag and coat and hung them up. “What are we doing today?”

Ingrid sat down and waited until she had the cape over her clothes before she spoke. “I am going to a formal with my boyfriend. It is special night.”

“Well, then. Lets get started.” Katrina said, smiling.

While she washed Ingrid's hair, Ingrid couldn't help but think about the comments the girls had made about her being a model. Combined with all the other times she'd been told the same thing, it made her think that maybe there was something to it. She decided that she would call Uncle Red and ask him if previously being a model would be a bad thing or a good thing if she did take up his offer at the agency. Ingrid still didn’t know what to think about Red’s offer. It seemed like something she wanted to do, but she felt torn in so many directions right now that it was hard to make a choice one way or another. She looked up at Katrina and smiled, letting the simple pleasure of having her hair washed take her mind off such complex and difficult decisions.

“You look beautiful.” Aunt Janet said, then gave Ingrid a hug. Ingrid held onto her tight. She had never been happier, or felt more beautiful.

Ingrid beamed at her. “Thank you.” She turned and looked in the mirror. Katrina had worked wonders. Her hair, which was a short pixie cut this morning, was now long enough that she had it up in an elaborate up-do, complete with pearl hair clips. The plum organza gown set off her alabaster skin perfectly. She adjusted the over the elbow gloves and looked down to admire the pearl bracelet that had belonged to her mother.

Aunt Janet helped her put on the matching pearl necklace. “Lovely.” Janet said, smiling at her.

Ingrid checked her make-up, the plum lipstick was a perfect match for the dress. She had put on just a little pale, mineral powder to completely smooth out her already beautiful complexion. The false eyelashes were the hardest part, difficult to put on, but worth it. She looked more like her mother, and more like a model than she had ever thought possible. The most striking thing about her appearance, even beyond the dress, was her hair. The auburn with highlights looked near perfect with her complexion.

She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

“I'm so happy. I’m worried Thomas won’t like it.” she said, touching her hair.

“I don't think there's a chance of that, dear.” Uncle Fred said. He had been standing at the door for a just long enough to take her in. The look in his eyes spoke volumes.

“You really think so, Uncle Fred.” Ingrid said, then looked at herself in the mirror one more time.

“I think he'd be fool if he doesn't. And the young man doesn't seem like a fool to me.” He said, cracking a smile.

Ingrid laughed. She turned and walked over to Fred and gave him a kiss on the cheek. With the tall heels she'd bought for the night, she was 6' tall, as tall as Fred, so she didn't even have to get on her tiptoes.

“You be careful tonight, dear.” He said. Fred smiled, a sort of lopsided little grin. “Now, I'm agreeing to let you go, despite the fact that this boy is several years older than you. But there is a catch. I have a car and driver for you two.”

Ingrid leveled her gaze on him and her eyes narrowed. “A babysitter?”

Fred chuckled. “Whatever you want to call it. Warren will ensure you get home safe. He's not there to keep you kids from having fun, and won't even report back to me unless there is trouble.”

Ingrid shook her head. “Ok. I don't have a choice, do I?”

The look in Fred's eyes answered that question.

“Thank you.” she said.

He just gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The doorbell rang. Ingrid looked towards the door and she could swear her heart leapt in her chest. “He's here.”

Fred gave her a little squeeze then went down stairs to get the door. Ingrid picked up her clutch bag and quickly checked the contents. Phone. Wallet. Cigarettes. Lighter. Lipstick. Tissues. Compact. She looked at Janet, who gave her a little nod and a smile. Ingrid walked out of her bedroom. She had never been more excited in her entire life. She could hear Thomas and Fred talking in the foyer. She took a deep breath, then walked down the stairs.

She walked down slowly, taking each step carefully and it seemed to her for all the world like one of those slow motion intros women get in movies. Thomas was staring at her in awe. He looked great, she thought. His tux was well fitting, and stylish. His hair was groomed impeccably and he was wearing what looked like a new pair of tortoise shell glasses. Ingrid smiled at him and he beamed back at her.

“You look lovely.” he said, his voice low, almost reverent.

Ingrid felt herself blush. She looked down for a moment, then her eyes met his. “Thank you, Thomas.” She said, falling into the german accent. She descended the last few steps. “I see you have met my Uncle Fred. This is my Aunt Janet.” Ingrid said, gesturing to her aunt and uncle. Thomas shook hands with Aunt Janet.

“Yes. Your uncle told me he hired us a car for the evening. And with the way you look.” He hesitated, then grinned at her. “It's totally appropriate. You riding in my truck in that outfit would be a travesty.”

All of them laughed. His self deprecating humor was one of the things Ingrid loved most about him.

“Shall we?” He said, gesturing to the door. Ingrid walked over to the chair in the foyer and picked up her mink coat, a beautiful three quarter mink stroller with a sable collar and cuffs. It had belonged to her mother, and Ingrid had always thought it was the most gorgeous thing in her closet, political correctness be damned. Thomas, always the gentleman, helped her into the coat. He took Ingrid by the arm and led her to the door. “And Yes, I will have her home by two AM, as promised.”

Fred nodded, then put his arm around Janet and the two of them watched as the couple walked out to the waiting town car. The driver was standing next to the rear, passenger side door, waiting for them. He stepped over and opened the door for them. “Good evening. My name is Warren. I'll be your driver tonight.” He said.

Ingrid looked him over. He was tall, but not too tall, around 6'1”. He had a sturdy build, but not so large that he would look out of place in a suit. His hair was short, but not military. Her eyes met his for a moment and she saw a hardness there that she was quite familiar with. Ingrid smiled at him, and he easily returned the smile and gave her a little nod.

As soon as they were in the car, Thomas put his arm around her. “I can't believe how gorgeous you look.” he said, then gave her a kiss on the lips. It was intended to be a quick kiss, but their lips lingered and soon they were kissing passionately. They broke the kiss and looked at one another.

“Thank you, Thomas.” She said, smiling at him. “I am glad you like.”

He nodded. “I like. I like a lot.” He said, laughing. “Is that a real fur coat?” He said, running his hand across the mink.

She nodded, then wrapped it around her tightly. “Yes it is. It belonged to my mother.”

“Lovely. But it pales in your beauty.” He said.

Ingrid laughed. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” She said, then gave him a quick kiss. “So, where to, first?”

He looked at her, then realized that they hadn't started moving. He felt embarrassed, then smiled and told the driver where they were going. “We have reservations at Ruth's Chris Steak House. I figured I'd splurge.”

“You are so thoughtful.” Ingrid said.

“I hope you don't mind, but we are supposed to be meeting Jeff and Shelly.” he said, sounding a little nervous, like she might not be pleased at the thought.

“I figured we would have company at dinner. It is what you do before formals, no?” She said, batting her eyelashes at him.

He laughed. “I suppose it is.” he said, then gave her a kiss. Ingrid cuddled up against his shoulder and enjoyed the ride.

“Warren.” Thomas said, a few blocks before they got to the restaurant. “Can we stop at a convenience store or something before we get to the restaurant?”

“Sure thing.” he said, then pulled into a Circle K. “This one do?”

“Thanks.” Thomas said. “I”m going to run in real quick. Do you need anything?”

Ingrid shook her head. “Hurry back.”

Thomas jumped out and headed inside. Ingrid watched him until her got to the door, then turned her gaze to meet Warren's in the rear view mirror. “Force Recon right?” Ingrid said. Warren gave her a double take. “Before you joined the company.” She said, then smiled.

He looked down for a second then looked up. She could see the smile in his eyes. “Yes maam. Force Recon. And now I work...”

“For Red.” Ingrid said. “I figured.” She looked at the store and saw that Thomas was standing at the checkout counter, and was the next customer.

“He said you were sharp.” Warren said. “He didn't say how gorgeous you were.”

Ingrid blushed, but didn't let it affect her body language. “Sweet talker.” She said. “Well, I'm glad you're one of Red's boys. I feel safer already.” She paused for a beat as she noticed Thomas approaching the car. “Even if you are a jar-head.”

Warren laughed, but did his best to cut it off as Thomas opened the door.

Thomas looked at Ingrid, and couldn't help notice the amused smile. “Looks like I missed something funny.” he said, sounding a little self conscious.

“It was nothing, sir.” Warren said. “I merely complimented her on her dress and she made a witty remark that made me laugh.”

“Sounds like her.” Thomas said.

They pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and right up to the front door. Warren got out and opened the door for them. Thomas got out, then took ingrid's hand as she got out of the car. She felt like a million bucks as they walked inside, and she could tell Thomas felt the same way with her on his arm.

Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be watching as they walked through, back towards their table. Ingrid felt like a movie star, or a princess. She saw Jeff and Shelly sitting at a table in the back, near a window. Jeff was wearing a nice, black tux and Shelly was in a blue, off the shoulders dress. Her hair was also in an up-do, that was really quite flattering. Jeff stood up as they approached the table. Shelly just sat there like the wind had been knocked out of her sails.

“Thomas.” Jeff said, shaking his hand. “Ingrid. You look fantastic.”

“Hi Jeff. Shelly, you are looking quite beautiful tonight.” Thomas said.

Ingrid smiled at Jeff. “Hello, Jeff. You and Shelly are both looking superb. I love your hair, Shelly.” Ingrid said. Jeff helped her shrug out of her coat and hung it up.

Shelly looked at her, a frown on her face, then tried hard to smile. “Thank you, Ingrid.”

Ingrid felt bad for Shelly. She had wanted to be the center of attention and Ingrid had swept in and stolen it from her. But, it was Ingrid's night too, and she vowed to be nothing but nice to Shelly, even if Ingrid's gloves cost more than that dress she was wearing. Ingrid chided herself mentally for such a catty thought.

Ingrid was just taking in the restaurant, when a waiter approached the table. “Good evening.” he said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Shelly ordered a fresh berry martini, Jeff ordered a gin and tonic as did Thomas. Ingrid was looking at the wine list, trying to determine whether she could get away with ordering one and not get carded. She looked at the waiter and smiled. He returned the smile quickly, and actually seemed to blush a little. Yes, she thought, I can.

“I would like a glass of the Belle Glos Pinot noir.” Ingrid said, playing up her accent for him.

“Of course, maam.” he said. “I'll be right back with your drinks.”

Ingrid turned to Thomas and winked. She sat and listened to the three of them talk for a minute, then reached in her purse and pulled out her cigarettes and lighter, placing them on the table. She pulled off her right glove, just like she'd seen her mother do every time she'd worn gloves like these. A lady never drinks wearing her gloves, she had said to Richard once, and she should remove her glove if she intends to shake hands upon first meeting someone. Richard had no idea why she had told him that, but maybe it was a message for Ingrid that she just wouldn't receive for several years. She smiled then pulled a cigarette out of her pack.

Thomas glanced over and picked up her lighter, then clicked the Givenchy while she leaned in to light her cigarette. Thank you, she mouthed, then exhaled a thin stream of smoke towards the ceiling. Their drinks arrived a few minutes later. Ingrid just sat, enjoying the feeling of being there with Thomas. She wasn't paying attention to what they were talking about.

Ingrid was looking around the restaurant, taking in the atmosphere and mainly, wondering what she would eat. She had forgotten to eat anything all day and it was really starting to get to her. The half glass of wine didn’t help. She pulled her attention back to the table and looked over at Shelly. Shelly noticed Ingrid looking at her and seemed irritated. Ingrid smiled.

“How have you been, Shelly?” Ingrid said. “It has been a while since we have spoken.”

Shelly seemed to warm up a bit. “Fine. School was a nightmare for a while, exams and all. Then Christmas break and the holidays. I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things at school.” Shelly laughed. “How was your Christmas?”

Ingrid smiled at her, then rounded the cherry of her cigarette on the edge of the ashtray. “Good. I spent Christmas with my Aunt and Uncle. It was lovely.”

“Where are your parents?” Shelly asked over the rim of her martini glass. “Germany?”

Ingrid froze for a moment. She was not expecting a question about her parents. It was like cold water being poured on her. “My parents are dead. They were killed a couple of years ago.” She said quietly.

Shelly froze. She hadn’t expected that answer and it rattled her. She seemed to be a girl untouched by heartache, and the idea that others have suffered completely alien to her. “I’m...I’m sorry.” She said. Then the inevitable. “How did it happen?”

Ingrid took a drag from her cigarette, holding the smoke in for a little while, letting the nicotine surge through her. As she exhaled, she noticed that everyone was listening, waiting for an answer. “My parents were murdered...” She wanted to continue, but couldn’t. She could feel tears beginning to well up in the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to ruin her evening by bursting into tears, but could feel it coming. “I’m sorry, it happened at Christmas time...This is hard for me.”

Thomas put his arm around her. He hugged her tightly while she attempted to regain composure. A single tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek.

“Come on, Ingrid. Let’s go to the powder room.” Shelly said, standing and holding out her hand. Ingrid looked up at her, then smiled and took her hand. “we won’t be long, boys.” Shelly said.

Ingrid followed her to the restroom. Once inside, Ingrid checked her make-up in the mirror, using a tissue from her purse to dab at the corner of her eye.

“I’m sorry for bringing that up...I didn’t mean to upset you Ingrid.” Shelly said, sounding genuinely sorry.

Ingrid smiled at her. “I know. It is my fault for being too sensitive about it. It is hard time of year for me.” Ingrid said, slipping into the thicker accent, which was easier to maintain. “You had no way of knowing.”

Shelly leaned in and looked in the mirror. “I was trying to...I don’t know. “ Shelly frowned, then looked over at Ingrid. “I was being catty and I know it. I wanted you to be a bitch...” she laughed. “So I could hate you and feel vindicated for it...But you are always so damned...gracious. It sucks.”

Ingrid didn’t know what to say, so she said the first thing that came to mind. “Sorry. I think.”

Shelly shook her head and chuckled. “See what I mean? It’s my baggage, not yours. I want to start over. I’m Shelly. I was a cheerleader in high school. My family is pretty normal, we’re well off and I’m used to being the center of attention.” She smiled at Ingrid. “But, I’m twenty one now, and I haven’t managed to lose my freshman fifteen. I saw you, a model, and was instantly pissed off. See, my baggage, not yours. “

Ingrid was taken aback. She really didn’t know how to deal with this conversation, which truly struck her as odd. “Ok...” Ingrid laughed nervously. “I really don’t know what to say here.”

Shelly laughed with her. “I’m a psych major, Ingrid. I know what I’m doing, and why...but that doesn’t always stop me from behaving like a complete prat. What I’m really trying to say is....Let’s be friends.” Shelly said, blurting it out in one long breath.

Ingrid took a second to process what she was saying, then smiled. “I would like that very much, Shelly. And, to set the record straight, I don’t think the freshman 15 look bad on you. I have no hips....And look at this butt.” Ingrid said, looking down at her small derriere.

Shelly smiled. “Thank you. But if you ever dog on yourself in front of me, I will only assume you are fishing for compliments...And I will have to burn you on it out of pure jealous spite.”

Ingrid laughed. “You know what. I wish everyone was as honest as you. It would make life so much easier.”

Shelly giggled. “Yes. I like it when I get to say what I mean. It pisses some people off, but to hell with them.”

Ingrid put her lipstick back in her bag. “Well, I think we have left the men long enough. They will worry about us if we don’t return, no?”

Shellly opened the door and the two of them emerged into the restaurant, smiling.

Their dates both stood up and helped them into their chairs.

“Are you ok?” Thomas whispered. “You were gone a while.”

Ingrid smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes darling. I am good. Shelly and I were only talking.”

“Good.” Thomas said. “I”m glad you are getting along.”

They ordered dinner, Steaks all around. Ingrid drank another two glasses of wine with dinner and was feeling a little tipsy by the time Thomas got the check. The two couples walked together to the door of the restaurant. Thomas looked out the door for Warren.

“I don’t see Warren and the car outside.” He said, poking his head out the door.

“I’m sure he has seen you now. We walk outside. He will pick us up.” Ingrid said, pulling her glove back on. She turned to Shelly and gave her a hug. “See you at the dance?”

Shelly smiled and nodded. “See you there.”

Thomas and Ingrid stepped outside. Sure enough, within thirty seconds, the black town car was pulling up in front of the door. Warren got out of the drivers seat and opened the door for them. They waved to Jeff and Shelly then got inside. The heat was on and it felt really good inside. Ingrid nestled up against Thomas, the alcohol making her very relaxed.

“Where to, now?” Warren said, looking at Thomas in the rear view mirror.

“To the hotel. The formal should be going strong about now.” He said, then leaned down and kissed Ingrid on the cheek. The car started moving.

The kiss on the cheek became a kiss on the lips. Ingrid was lost in Thomas’ embrace. All thoughts swept away while they kissed. She could feel the warmth of her sexual desire spreading through her. Suddenly, she stopped. She realized, and was very embarrassed by the fact that she was getting an erection. It happened so infrequently that she had forgotten that it was possible, and yet here she was straining against her gaff. Normally, it took a lot of manipulation to get it hard but here it had happened on its own. She could feel the blood flushing her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Thomas whispered. “You got all....tense. I didn’t do anything did I?”

Ingrid looked down at his lap and noticed that he was also quite hard, bulging in his pants actually. At least she wasn’t alone in getting excited, only there was only supposed to be one of them with an erection here, and it wasn’t supposed to be her.

“No...Nothing. I just remembered that Warren is in the front seat.” She said, flicking her eyes towards the front of the car.

Thomas smiled. “Ok. sorry.” he said, laughing. “We’ll cool it.” he embraced her and held her tight. She wanted so badly for him to take her right then, but didn’t want her secret revealed tonight. It could, and probably would, end in tragedy and she didn’t want to ruin his night, or hers. So she resolved herself to play it cool, and keep her secret safe.

They pulled up in front of the hotel. Warren got out and opened the door. He helped Ingrid out of the car and smiled at her. “Text me when you are ready to go.” He said, then nodded to Thomas and got back in the car. He drove off in search of a parking place.

Thomas took Ingrid’s arm and, floating on cloud nine, the two of them entered the hotel. The Council had rented the large ballroom for the formal and the lobby was clogged with dressed up college kids. Everywhere Ingrid looked, there was a sea of floaty dresses and men in tuxedos. She was grinning ear to ear as they approached the door.

The Winter formal was, apparently, a big event. It wasn’t just Thomas’s fraternity that sponsored it, but the Inter Fraternity Council at GWU. Ingrid felt a little self conscious as she noticed people watching her and Thomas as they walked. She smiled, like a princess or a celebrity walking on the red carpet.

The ballroom was packed. The music was loud, but not deafening. They were playing good music, big band era stuff at the moment, that Ingrid really liked. She had been worried they would be playing hip-hop or some such rubbish that would totally deflate her mood. You don’t wear a dress like this to a place that plays music like that, she thought.

Thomas was, it turned out, quite a popular fellow. A near endless stream of friends approached him and said hello. He in turn, being ever the gentleman, introduced Ingrid. She had forgotten nearly everyone’s name right after they were introduced. Thomas didn’t spend much time talking with anyone, instead he tried his best to pay attention to Ingrid.

“You aren’t bored are you?” Thomas said, leaning in so close that Ingrid could feel his breath on her ear.

“Heavens no.” Ingrid said. “This is very nice. I am having good time.” she said, smiling at him broadly.

“Good. You are stunning. Every one of those guys has only come over here so they can get a closer look at you. I guarantee it. “ He said, then took her hand and kissed it.
Ingrid looked away, blushing.

“Hi, Thomas. I haven’t met your friend.” a woman’s voice said from over Ingrid’s shoulder.

Ingrid looked over. A woman was standing a few feet away. She was wearing a beautiful, black, one-shoulder, floor length gown. Her platinum blonde hair was in an elegant, up do, decorated with small crystals that made her hair shimmer in the lights. Her face was gorgeous, with a slightly upturned pixyish nose and twinkling blue eyes. Ingrid couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Hi, I’m Nina Webb.” the woman said, holding out her hand to Ingrid. “President of Alpha Phi. You look fabulous! Is that a Marchesa Couture gown?”

Ingrid blushed. “Ja. I mean, yes. It is. That Valentino gown looks lovely on you.” ingrid said sincerely.

Nina looked impressed. “Thank you very much. You know your clothes. Are you new at GW?”

Thomas interrupted before I could speak. “Ingrid is attending Georgetown. She agreed to slum it over here with me as my date.” he said proudly.

Nina laughed. “Well, damn. I was hoping to get you to come over and check out the house. We are always on the lookout for new members. Have you pledged at Georgetown?”

Ingrid shook her head. “No. I am too busy for much other than school and work.”

“Ingrid is a model.” Thomas said proudly.

Nina looked suitably impressed. “That is so cool. Well, my date is starting to look lost without me. It was good meeting you. See you at school, Thomas.” She said, waving.

Ingrid smiled and waved to her, then looked at Thomas. “Wow. It is hard to get a word in edgewise isn’t it.”

Thomas nodded. “Yes. It sure is, but she is nice enough.” He held his hand out to her. “Dance?”

Ingrid smiled and nodded, then followed him out on the dance floor. They slow danced to several songs before deciding they both needed a break.

There was a restaurant and bar on the roof of the hotel, with a large terrace that overlooked DC. They tried to be good while riding in the elevator, but ended up making out most of the ride to the roof. The doors opened and the two of them had guilty expressions on their faces as they walked into the crowded restaurant.

“would you like a drink?” Thomas asked.

“Sure.” Ingrid said. “A Cosmo, I guess?”

Thomas grinned at her. “Coming right up.” he said, squeezing her hand before he left. The bar had some of the college kids scattered around, but it was mostly an older crowd. Ingrid stood near a wall, waiting for Thomas to return. Several of the men in the bar were looking at her and that made her feel a little uncomfortable. Luckily, Thomas returned with drinks.

“Your drink, milady.” he said, proffering the glass. Ingrid removed her right glove and tucked it into her purse before taking the drink.

“Danke, liebling.” she said, then took a sip. “yummy.”

He took her by the elbow and led her out onto the terrace. The view of the city was lovely, and luckily it wasn’t too terribly cold. Ingrid was glad for the mink stroller, though her legs were instantly covered with goose-bumps. She pulled out a cigarette and let Thomas light it for her.

“I’m having a lovely time, Thomas. Thank you.” she said.

He beamed at her. “I’m very glad. I was hoping you weren’t bored.” he said.

She scoffed. “No, Thomas. This is very much like fairy tale. And you are my Prince.” She said, then kissed him on the cheek. He took that kiss as an invitation and kissed her on the lips. Ingrid slid into his embrace and they kissed for a long time. When they broke their kiss she looked into his eyes. “Thank you.”

He blushed. “No...Thank you.” he said. Thomas took a drag from his cigarette, then looked down at her. “It is so hard to remember you are only seventeen.”

Ingrid grinned at him. “Sixteen.”

“Ugghhh” Thomas said playfully, though Ingrid could hear real frustration in his voice. “Its so hard not to think of you as 21...You look the part, and god knows you don’t act sixteen.”

“I am good actress, no?” Ingrid purred. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. “It is cold out here. Let’s go inside.”

Thomas smiled and led her back inside. The two of them walked hand in hand through the bar. Ingrid finished her drink and handed the glass to Thomas, who deposited them on a table as they passed. She was now officially drunk, she thought, and wobbling a little on her heels. The alcohol coursing through her system was making her feel a little reckless, and more than a little horny. She knew she couldn’t fully give herself to Thomas, for a number of reasons, but she couldn’t help but think there was something she really wanted to do.

Ingrid led Thomas to the elevator. He pressed one, the floor where the ballroom was, but Ingrid pushed another button.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

The elevator dinged, stopping on the twenty first floor. Ingrid grinned at him and led him out of the elevator. The floor was very quiet, it being after eleven o’clock. Ingrid put a finger to her lips, urging him to be quiet, then led him down the hall. She led him to the stairwell and opened the door.

“You want to take the stairs?” he asked, still not sure what she was doing. Ingrid giggled, then shushed him again, gesturing for him to come in. She looked around the stairwell. There were no cameras on this level, which is what she was hoping. The threw herself into his arms and kissed him. He was rigid for a moment, surprised by her action, then took her into his embrace and they kissed for a long time. His hands slid down her back, cupping her bottom. Ingrid sighed, enjoying the sensation. Even in her inebriated state, she knew she couldn’t allow him to grope around too much, so she took the initiative. She reached down and cupped his, now very rigid, erection through his pants. He moaned a little when she took hold of it. She rubbed it for a second, then broke the kiss and smiled at him while she started unbuckling his belt.

“What are you doing? We’re going to get caught.” he said, sounding frustrated.

“No. We will be fine.” she said, unzipping his pants. He reached down and tried to stop her, but she would have none of it. She knelt down in front of him as she pulled his straining cock out of his boxers. It was big, as big or bigger than Bradley's. She smiled up at him and stroked it a couple of times. “Nice.” she said, then licked the tip.

The look on Thomas’s face was conflicted. She could tell he was worried they would get caught, but didn’t want her to stop. She had no intention of stopping, so she took the tip of his cock into her mouth. Swallowing, she took more of it into her mouth, as much as she could until the tip touched the back of her throat, which made her gag a little bit . Thomas moaned.

Ingrid started bobbing back and forth on his cock, taking it as deep as she dared. She got a little over zealous a few times and gagged, but was able to relax and enjoy the act. She wrapped her fingers around the base of his shaft and worked it while she sucked. She was incredibly turned on and felt completely like a woman as she pleasured him. It didn’t take long until she felt him tensing up.

“I’m going to cum.” he said through ragged breath.

Ingrid kept working his cock with her hand, gently sucking on the tip until he came in her mouth. This time she was prepared for it and managed to get almost all of it in her mouth, with only a little dribbling down her chin. It tasted different than Bradley's, but not in a bad way. It did take a little effort to swallow it all, but she felt quite pleased that she managed it. She licked the little bit that was still left on the tip off, the way you would an ice cream cone, then looked up into Thomas’s eyes.

“Wow.” he said, in almost a stage whisper. “That was fantastic.”

Ingrid retrieved her purse and stood up. “Thank you, darling. I wanted to make this night a little more memorable for you.” She pulled out a tissue and her compact, then checked her lipstick. She giggled when she noticed the cum on her chin, then wiped it off. She was smiling at him as she reapplied her lipstick.

“You definitely did. I feel bad though...isn’t there something I can do for you?” he said, stepping in and embracing her.

“No, dear. The only thing I can think of, wouldn’t entirely be legal...or prudent to do in a stairwell.” she purred.

“I suppose not...even though technically, what you just did to me isn’t legal. That’s not even including the fact that you are a minor. Hell, I’m wracking up all kinds of charges this evening. Providing alcohol to a minor, statutory rape.”

“Technically, I raped you, I think...If that’s the line of reasoning.” Ingrid said, leading him out into the hall.

“That’s not how the court would see it, I’m afraid.” Thomas said with a laugh. “And it’s not how I see it either. I was definitely willing.” He put his arm around her as they got on the elevator.

They returned to the dance and stayed for another hour and a half, dancing and enjoying each others company. Ingrid, almost unwillingly, had to text Warren to come pick them up. The two of them walked hand in hand out to the lobby. Thomas said his goodbyes, and they walked outside where Warren had the car waiting.

He opened the door for them. “Good evening. I hope you both had a good time.” he said, holding the door.

“Fabulous. Thank you, Warren.” Ingrid said as she climbed into the car.

Ingrid leaned on Thomas’s shoulder as they drove. She was still quite tipsy, and very, very tired. She fell asleep before they even got on the expressway and was awakened with a gentle kiss.

Thomas was looking into her eyes when they opened. “We’re here.” he said.

Ingrid looked up, a little disoriented. Sure enough, they were in front of her Aunt and Uncle’s house. She frowned. This meant the evening was over.

“I had a lovely time, Thomas.” she said, then kissed him. The kiss became a long passionate one, but eventually they had to part.

“I did to, Ingrid. Thank you for coming.” He squeezed her hand. “I will call you tomorrow, ok?”

Ingrid nodded. Warren opened the door and the two of them got out. Good night, Thomas. Ingrid.”

Ingrid smiled at him. “It’s been a pleasure, Warren. Thank you.”

Thomas walked her to the door where they shared one last kiss before she went inside.

Ingrid was floating on a cloud as she made her way up the stairs. She took off her clothes then went into the bathroom to remove her make-up. The worst part about being a girl, she thought, is the clean-up. God it was so much easier just to strip down and throw myself into bed.

Finally, make up removed, false eyelashes stored, face washed and moisturized, teeth brushed, and exhausted, she collapsed into bed.

***

“Miss Wolfe?”

Ingrid looked up at the counter where the receptionist had called her name. She walked across the room, her heels clacking soundly on the Pergo floor.

“Yes, maam?” Ingrid said. She ran her fingers through her hair, which thanks to the extensions she’d gotten for the formal back in January was now hanging down to her mid back.

“Mr. Conners will see you now.” The receptionist said, smiling up at Ingrid. “Third door on the right.”

“Danke.” Ingrid smiled, feigning embarrassment. “Thank you.”

Ingrid slung her Prada tote over her shoulder and walked down the hall, her heels clicking loudly. She stopped outside Mr. Conner’s door and knocked on the frame. Mr. Conner was sitting behind his desk studying something on his computer screen. He looked to be in his late thirties, with a slightly receding hairline, but seemed to be a fairly hip guy, if his clothing and office decor said anything about his personality.

“Miss Wolfe. Come in.” He said, rising. He held out his hand to her, which she shook. His grip was firm, his hands dry. Ingrid was glad of that, she hated sweaty palms. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the office chair across his desk.

Ingrid sat down in the chair, crossing her ankles. She had worn a pair of black Kaufman Franco leather and twill stretch pants and a black satin cami, with her black Prada high heeled riding style boots. It was high fashion that, in basic black, downplayed itself at least a little.

“My name is Ben Conners. I am the Examinations Registrar.” he said with a smile. “But don’t let that fool you, I’m really a nice guy.”

Anyone who says that, Ingrid thought, is either not a really nice guy or is just so used to pissing people off that he feels the need to preface a conversation with that. That thought made her smile.

“Well, I’ve been reviewing your results. You have been a busy young lady. I see here that you have managed to CLEP out of all your General Education requirements.” he scanned the sheet then looked up at Ingrid. “That’s very good. I’m actually quite impressed that you managed to do all of them in a two month period. “ he looked at the sheet again. “I also see that back in January, you took the Foreign Language Skill Battery test and received full credit for German, French, and English.”

Ingrid blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Conners. I have been studying very hard.”

“I can see that.” he said. “Now, there are a few formalities we have to take care of. You will still have to take the Math and English placement battery, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you. After that, you will be enrolled at Georgetown University.”

Ingrid grinned from ear to ear. Ever since the Formal, back in January, she had been taking one or two tests a week. She was stunned at how easy the tests actually were, but then again, being as big a nerd as she was seriously helped, she thought. She’d also gotten a job, which had made life a little interesting, not to mention cutting down on the amount of time she and Thomas had been spending together. That, Ingrid thought, was not all together a bad thing, since she was having a hard time keeping her hands off him when they were together and that was just dangerous.

“When can I take the entrance exams, then, Mr. Conner?” She asked, adjusting her Chanel glasses on her nose.

“We offer the test every Thursday morning at eight A.M..” he said, glancing at the schedule.

Ingrid thought about it for a moment. Thursday mornings was when she saw her therapist, but she could afford to miss a week to get this done. “Can I take it this Thursday?”

He looked surprised. “Well, most students want a chance to study before they take it. But I see no reason we can’t get you in. It costs two hundred dollars to take the test.”

Ingrid rummaged through her Prada tote and pulled out her checkbook. She took the top off her pen. “Whom do I make the check out to?” she purred, thickening her accent a little unconsciously.

Mr. Conners rattled off the name of the office. Ingrid filled out the check and handed it to him. “Thank you Mr. Conners. Now, if you will excuse me, I must get to work.” She said, tossing her checkbook into her bag and standing.

“Oh, no problem. Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I am a model.” She said proudly, and this time, it wasn’t just a cover story.

“Oh. I would have guessed that, but thought it would have sounded like a line.” he said, blushing a little.

Ingrid grinned at him. “Thank you, Mr. Conners. I will see you Thursday, no?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Eight AM.” he said.

Ingrid gave him a little finger wave, then strutted out of the office. She was grinning ear to ear as her heels clattered down the hallway.

Ingrid pulled up in front of the warehouse at ten minutes until eleven. March was dry, but unfortunately still cold. She checked her make-up. She had intentionally worn very little since she knew she would be seen to by a professional. Scooping up her bag, she hopped out of her car and headed towards the door.

Natasha, a beautiful model originally from Belarus, smiled at her as she walked up. Natasha was about the same height as Ingrid, tall for a girl at 5’9” but not inordinately tall for a model.

“Hello, Natasha, I see you had the same idea I did.” Ingrid said as she pulled a cigarette out of her purse. She lit it, then leaned against the wall next to Natasha.

Natasha grinned at her then took another drag from her cigarette. “We will not be getting break for many hours, no?”

“Antoine is a slave driver, no?” Both girls erupted in a fit of laughter. Antoine was a fantastic photographer, but he could drive the girls completely crazy.

They finished their cigarettes and headed inside. Ingrid hadn’t realized how cold it was outside until she stepped in the warehouse.

***

Things progressed quickly the next couple of months. It all became a blur of work and studying, with very little time to do much else. Ingrid was having to make the choice between pilates and Krav Maga and Krav Maga was currently losing. She had showed up for work, a photo shoot for Macy’s, with a big bruise on her shoulder. The photographer had gone completely apeshit, and Ingrid had gotten a long lecture from her agent about being more careful. So, reluctantly, she was sticking to Pilates for toning. She couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to do some sparring after a long day at work though.

The most frustrating thing about being so busy was how hard it was to get time with Thomas. With all the spring lines out, Ingrid’s life had become a blur of photo shoots and fashion shows. In the six months since the formal, she had only managed to go on three dates with Thomas. Much to her chagrin, she realized that the only time they connected now was on Facebook.

Late on a Friday night in May, Ingrid was up late reading in bed at her house. She was staying at the house more often now, usually three days a week. Her aunt and uncle were ok with it, since her hours weren’t the same as theirs and it actually caused fewer conflicts if she had a little autonomy. She was startled when her phone rang. She looked at the screen. Uncle Red.

“Hello.” Ingrid said, sounding way more asleep than she actually was.

“Hey Darlin’.” Red said. She could hear the smile in his voice. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No. I was reading actually.” She said.

“Good. Get dressed. I’ll be there in fifteen.” He said.

“Where are we going? “ Ingrid said, sitting up in bed.

“Just dress casual. Fourteen minutes now, hon.” he said. She could hear road noise in the background.

“Ok. See you in a few.” Ingrid said, then pressed end call.

She hopped out of bed and started getting ready. She put her hair up in a pony tail then started rooting through her closet. She grabbed a pair of boot cut jeans and her brown Ariat cowboy boots out of the closet. While she was shimmying into the jeans, she made her way to her dresser where she grabbed a black baby tee. Smiling, she pulled on her boots.

“Dressed in ten minutes. New world record.” She said with a laugh, then hurried into the bathroom to check her make-up. She had washed her face earlier so she had to start over. A little mascara and some lip gloss was all she bothered with, going for a very natural look. With her pony tail, glasses and the little bit of make-up, she looked like a sixteen year old girl. On her way down the stair she grabbed her leather jacket and purse just in time to answer the door when Uncle Red rang.

Red was standing on the step, looking the same as always. Jeans, boots and a tee shirt. Same droopy mustache, still looking for all the world like Sam Elliot.

“Hi, Ingrid.” he said, holding his arms out for a hug. Ingrid gave him a big hug, squeezing tight. “How are ya?”

“I’m good. This is a surprise.” She said, looking up at him.

“Yep...Let’s go.” he said.

He had gotten a new truck, a black Toyota Tacoma, since their last visit. He opened the door for her then got into the drivers seat and started the car.

“Where are we going at twelve thirty in the morning?” Ingrid said, grinning at him.

“Well, our first stop is Crazy Mary’s. I need a beer.” he said, smiling at her from under his mustache.

“Will they let me in?” She said, realizing how young she actually looked in this outfit.

“They won’t ask any questions.” he said as they pulled out of the driveway.

Crazy Mary’s is a little dive bar on the outskirts of Arlington. Ingrid had never been there before, but she’d overheard Uncle Fred talking about it once or twice. The place lived up to its reputation as a dive, Ingrid thought as they pulled into the gravel parking lot. There were several trucks, a few muscle cars, and several bikes in the parking lot. Red parked and turned off the car.

Ingrid slung her purse over her shoulder and followed him into the bar. The place was more crowded than she expected, but no less grimy. A haze of smoke hung in the air and Johnny Cash blared on the the jukebox.

“Red!!” The bartender exclaimed as they walked in. Several other men and women in the bar chimed in, then rushed over to shake his hand or give him a hug. “Welcome back.” The bartender said from across the bar as he pulled out an ice cold bottle of Bud.

Red walked over to the bar and shook the bartender’s hand. “Fish, this is Ingrid. My niece.”

“Nice to meet you, Ingrid.” Fish said. “Hey Red...Ain’t she a little young to be in here?”

“Yeah.” Red said, deadpan.

Fish looked at him for a minute. Ingrid felt really uncomfortable. It looked like there might be trouble. Then, Fish broke into a smile and after a second Red followed suit. The two men burst into laughter then Red picked up his beer.

Ingrid looked from Red to Fish, realizing she’d been duped. “Fuck you.” she said, smiling at Red.

That got both of them going again and their laughter kicked up a notch. Ingrid shook her head and grimaced. “Can I get a beer then?”

Fish shook his head and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Sorry.” he said, choking back the laughter. “No problem.” He put an ice cold Bud on the bar and twisted off the top.
Ingrid took the beer and held it up to him, chuckling. “Danke.”

She turned to Red then punched him in the arm. Still laughing, he gestured for her to lead towards the table by the jukebox. Ingrid dropped her purse on the table and sat down. Red sat across from her.

“That was mean.” she said, then took a sip of her beer.

“Shit. Fish and I have known each other for years. We can’t help but fuck with one another.” he said before turning up his beer.

Ingrid just shook her head then pulled out a cigarette. “So, what are we doing here, other than contributing to the delinquency of a minor?” She punctuated that with the click of her lighter as she lit her cigarette.

Red smiled under his mustache. “Well, darlin’. I was back in town for a few days and wanted to spend some time with my favorite niece.”

Ingrid looked at him for a second then narrowed her eyes. “And?”

Red’s smile widened. “Ok. There’s been some talk at the Farm about you.”

Ingrid was taken aback. “What? Why?” She said, leaning in closer.

“Since you started at International Modeling it’s caused quite a stir.” Red said, smiling.

She looked confused. “Have I done something wrong?”

Red chuckled and shook his head. “No. Nothing wrong. International is owned by the company, hon. You might have figured that out already, but I wanted to lay it down for you. International is there to provide covers, Ingrid. It’s not supposed to be a break out agency. Too much profile will fuck up the whole thing.”

She looked really puzzled now. “I’m not following, Uncle Red.” She said, then took a drag from her cigarette.

“You are causing a stir because you are making waves in their little pond. Several of the girls at International are there under company covers besides you. Some people at the Farm feel like it might be time for you to move on.” Red said seriously.

“I’m still not following...Wait, are they firing me? Cover? What the fuck Red?” Ingrid said, trying not to raise her voice too much.

“Settle down, girl.” Red said, holding up his hands. “No you aren’t being fired. What I’m trying to say is you are getting too much attention to stay at International. You’ll find out in the next couple of days but you’ve been picked up by Elite up in New York City.”

She looked at him, dumbfounded then drained the rest of her beer. “Maybe I’m just slow or something but...What?”

Red couldn’t help but smile. “I think our plan worked a little too well, Ingrid.”

It finally dawned on her what Red was saying. International existed to provide a start for young models and for models who were working under agency cover to establish themselves and start a resume. This allowed the girls to graduate to a larger agency, or to establish being a prior model as part of their back story. Either way, International Agency stayed more or less under the radar. Ingrid had been getting a lot of success recently and it was worrying the big wigs at the Farm. A transgender model was too hot a property for them. She realized that it would come out, and soon. News like that was very hard to keep under wraps. If she was represented by Elite, they would handle it and International would be protected.

“Too well?” Ingrid said. She lit another cigarette then took a long drag. her nerves were absolutely shot.

“Yeah. Too well.” Red said. “Darlin’, I knew you were beautiful. I told you that the first time I saw you as Ingrid.” Ingrid couldn’t help but blush. “But I had no idea how god damn photogenic you were. We knew you wanted to try your hand at modeling, so we hooked you up with International. The idea was just to get you on board and start getting you some back story. Well, shit. It blew up in our damn faces.” he shook his head.

“There’s fall out.” He said gravely.

Ingrid looked terrified. “Uh huh.” she said, then nervously dragged on her cigarette.

“The Director informed me this morning, in no uncertain terms, that you were not going to be in Special Projects. Your profile has just gotten too high. I’m sorry darlin’.”

Ingrid felt like she was going to cry. She’d really had her heart set on working for the CIA. “Oh.” she said softly.

Red frowned, then reached out and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “But that’s the bad news. Want the good news now?”

Ingrid nodded. She was doing all she could to keep from bursting into tears right there. Despite her best effort, a single tear slid down her cheek.

“The good news is....Brady has been on the phone with Allison Parks up at Elite New York. You’ve officially been turned over to them for management after all the calls started coming. That’s done what it’s supposed to and deflected the heat away from the agency. Ms. Parks has already gotten you a series of contracts lined up that top a million dollars, all told.”

Ingrid’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

Red nodded. “I talked with Fred about this earlier this evening. It was hard as hell to get him to agree to letting me give you the news.” Red smiled. “All you have to do is agree to them and you are on your way.”

She looked concerned for a moment. “Will....Will I have to move to New York?”

He shook his head. “Not right away. She has stressed that you are enrolled in Georgetown and that you want to finish college. They are quite understanding about that. Besides, until you are eighteen in July you can’t move up there anyway.”

Ingrid’s head was reeling. Holy shit, she thought, This is like some kind of fairy tale. “Umm, can I get another beer?” she said, holding up the bottle.

“Yeah. Be right back.” Red got up and walked over to the bar.

Ingrid was stunned. She had never expected the modeling to be anything except a side gig. Now it looked like it was going to ruin her only chance of having the career she’d gotten her heart set on. On the other hand, she was going to get be a real professional model. Big league. It made her stomach uneasy to think of all the scrutiny, and press that was going to come up about her and her past. Being a transgender model was nothing to hide these days. A finalist on America’s Top Model was a Transgender girl last year. It had caused quite a stir, but she had gone on to get a lot of contracts. It worried her how all the press might affect the people she loved. Luckily, Red came back with another beer before she could ruminate much more on that thought.

“Here you go darlin’.” Red said sitting down across from her. “I figure it’s had a little time to sink in now.” He said, then took a swig from his beer. “Aghhh. That’s good.” he said, smiling.

Ingrid took a long drag off her cigarette, then slowly exhaled before taking a drink from her beer. “Yeah.” she said finally. “I think it has. So. No Company work for me. I can’t complain though. I get to model...I get to go to school. I get to be..well....me. There are worse fates.”

Fred laughed. “Honey, you still might be able to come work for the Company. We’ll have to see how things pan out. “

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you, Uncle Red.”

Unfinished Business Part 7

Author:

Brianna Luna

Audience Rating:

Restricted Audience (r)

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Transgender

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Unfinished Business Part 7
Edited By Don (thanks Honey)

Ingrid parked her Mercedes SUV in a spot, thankfully close to the Church. She stepped out of the truck, her Christian Louboutin round toe pump clacking on the blacktop, into a bright, warm, June afternoon. She reached back into the truck to grab her bag and the red wrapped package sitting on her passenger seat. She was dressed in a Black Giambattista Valli Rope Detail Sheath Dress. Its super form hugging design was set off perfectly by the rope tie details around the collar. She looked every big the high fashion model as she strutted across the parking lot. Ingrid took a last drag from her cigarette, then dropped it and ground it under the toe of her shoe. She exhaled and looked up at the small crowd gathering before the doors. She put a smile on her face and started towards them.

Ingrid felt a pang of jealously for the girls. They were graduating from high school today, something she would never get to do. Her best friend Emily was among them and she was determined to make this day the best it could be for her. Several of the girls looked in her direction. Some gave her little smiles, others had a look tinged with what she now knew was jealously. She just widened her smile and kept walking.

Ingrid stepped into the church and took off her sunglasses. Tucking them into her purse, she marched up the center aisle, her heels clacking loudly on the stones. Sacred Heart cathedral was very old and beautiful. As Ingrid took a seat, she saw the knot of girls that had been outside skirt their way up to join the rest of their class just in time to be seated. Ingrid was disappointed she didn’t get to see Emily before the ceremony.

The Graduation ceremony commenced with all the pomp and circumstance expected. Emily looked gorgeous, and extremely happy as she crossed the stage to get her diploma. Ingrid had to dab tears from her eyes as she watched. As soon as the ceremony was over, Ingrid got up and went outside.

She walked off to the side in a small garden and sat on a bench. She knew it would be a little while before Emily got outside and the day was far too nice to stay inside. Ingrid felt uneasy inside. Not because of anything she could quantify, at least not at first. She lit a cigarette and leaned back letting the sun shine on her face. As she was putting her Givenchy lighter back in her purse it dawned on her why she felt so uneasy. She was jealous. The slight feeling of jealousy she had felt before had grown as she watched the ceremony. As she watched the joyous girls run into the loving arms of their parents after they had cheered with their friends. Tears were now threatening, like storm clouds. Luckily a familiar voice broke her from her dark thoughts.

“Ingrid!!” Emily yelled. Ingrid barely had time to get on her feet before Emily had plowed into her arms. Ingrid hugged her tightly. The tears of despair Ingrid was about to spill turned into tears of joy as she embraced her best friend.

“Emily. I am so happy for you.” Ingrid said, barely able to get the words out. “So Proud. Salutatorian! Fucking awesome.”

Emily looked at Ingrid, her eyes wet with tears, then gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Ingrid took off her sunglasses and dabbed at her eyes, then chuckled. “Look at me. I’m crying like a little girl.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Emm said, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her robe. Just then, Emily’s parents exited the church. Ingrid noticed them and realized it was too late to do anything about her cigarette without it being completely obvious and, frankly, silly.

Dr. Martin Vandiveer and his wife Amanda were all smiles. Emily was their youngest daughter and this was a very proud day for them. Emily stepped back and Ingrid could see them clearly now. Apparently, they saw her as well. She felt quite strange standing here in front of them like this. Despite hanging out with Emily all the time for the last two years, Ingrid had managed to avoid seeing them in person. Ingrid swallowed, then tried to put on a smile. Emily, who was grinning ear to ear was completely oblivious to the bit of drama unfolding next to her. Ingrid hadn’t seen the Emm’s parents since she was a little boy. She didn’t know how much they knew about her, but from the change in their body language, they knew enough. And they didn’t seem to approve.

“Mom, Dad. This is Ingrid. You remember my Mom and Dad, right?” Emily said, still smiling ear to ear. Yes, Ingrid thought. They know.
“Hello, Dr. And Mrs. Vandiveer. So very nice to see you again.” Ingrid said, extending a hand. Amanda hesitated for a moment, then smiled and took her hand. Afterwards, Martin did the same.

“Hello Ingrid. You are looking quite. Frankly, surprising.” Amanda said, trying hard to find the words. “lovely, I mean. It’s quite a shock.” She added, floundering.

“Yes.” Dr. Vandiveer said. “And I see you have picked up the same nasty habit as our daughter.” His eyes went to the cigarette perched daintily in Ingrid’s fingers.

“Oh.” Ingrid said, unable to stop from blushing, she could also feel her face warming with anger at the comment Amanda vandiveer had made about her appearance. She dropped the cigarette and put it out under her shoe. “sorry.” Ingrid said quietly.

“Umm.” Emily said, sensing for the first time the unease her parents had at seeing Ingrid for the first time. They remembered her as a little boy and it was quite a shock seeing her as a woman. “Can I talk to Ingrid alone for a second?”

“Good to meet you, Ingrid.” Dr. Vandiveer said, then led his wife back towards the parking lot.

“I’m sorry.” Emily said, barely above a whisper. “They...are not coming to terms with it well.”

Ingrid nodded. “It’s Ok, darling. They aren’t the first and they won’t be the last.” She said, conjuring a smile in spite of how she actually felt. “Anyway. I have a gift for you.” She turned and picked up the shiny red package from the bench and handed it to Emily. “Happy Graduation, Sweety.”

Emily looked at the package then up to Ingrid. She sat down on the bench and tore into the shiny wrapping. Emily looked up at Ingrid with a huge smile on her face when she saw what was in the box. “No way.”

Ingrid just beamed at her and nodded.

Emily jumped up and hugged Ingrid. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She looked back at the package. “it’s exactly what I wanted!”

“I know.” Ingrid said. “you told me last month when we were at the mall remember. We walked in the Apple store and you salivated over the Macbook Pro. It looked like you wanted to make love to it.” Ingrid grinned. “You deserve it.”

Emily stopped. It dawned on her what an expensive gift this was. “Wait. I can’t take this. It’s too expensive. I...”

“Stop, baby. Look. It’s a present. Accept it.” Ingrid said, then pulled Emily into a hug.

Emily sighed, then hugged Ingrid tighter. “Thank you.” She broke the hug and looked at her. “You’re coming to the party tonight, right?” Emily said wiping a tear from her eye.

Ingrid nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Emily beamed at her. “I can’t believe I finally graduated.” She shook her head. “Ok. Eight o’clock. My house. Be there or be square.” She made a little square in the air, just like Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction, then grinned hugely at Ingrid. And with that, she scooped up her package and rushed to meet her parents.

Ingrid watched as the Vandiveers got into their car then picked up her purse and got ready to leave. Sheila walked out of the church, followed closely by Brittany. She looked right at Ingrid and waved. With a slight sigh, Ingrid walked over to talk to them, immediately putting on a big smile.

“Hello, Sheila. Brittany. Congratulations.” Ingrid said, trying to be gracious, even though it still ate her up inside that Sheila was dating Brad.

“Hi Ingrid. Thank you so much.” Sheila said. “Oh, I saw your ad yesterday! That’s so cool!”

Ingrid looked stunned for a second. “Ad?” She said, not sure which ad Sheila was talking about.

“Oh, yeah. The one on the billboard off the beltway. Gaultier. It looks awesome!”

It finally clicked with Ingrid what she was talking about. It was the first big name designer campaign she’d done since going over to Elite. She was modeling a Gaultier Printed cone-top dress with a lovely purple flower pattern. The dress had a sort of old fashioned little house on the prairie look to it, but with a Gaultier twist. She’d been standing in front of a wind machines out in a grassy field, dress and hair streaming behind her. Coupled with a pair of distressed brown cowboy boots, the effect had been very nice. She’d actually gotten a call from Mr. Gaultier saying how happy he’d been with the whole shoot.

“Danke. I mean, thank you, Sheila. You are the first person to recognize me...Outside of my family anyway.” Ingrid said, fighting back a blush.

Sheila looked pleased as punch. “Brad and I saw it yesterday when we were going into the city. He almost wrecked when I pointed it out to him. He’s so silly, he kept arguing it wasn’t you. But I knew.”

Ingrid paused for a moment. “How is Bradley? He graduated yesterday, did he not?”

“Yeah. We went and had dinner last night after his graduation. It was really cool. Oh, are you coming to the party tonight?” Sheila said.

“Yes. Emily invited me. Thank you for being so kind. Since I had tutors for school, I didn’t get a real graduation.” Ingrid said, feeling a pang of sadness.

“Yeah, but you get to be a model. I’d trade with you in a heartbeat.” Sheila gushed.

Ingrid wondered if she would really want her life then shook off the thought.
“Well, I must get going. It was very nice seeing you all. Congratulations.” Ingrid said, then quickly extricated herself from the situation. It felt like she was holding her breath all the way to her truck.

She drove out of the parking lot. Ingrid wasn’t exactly sure what she was feeling, whether she was happy or sad. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and could do little to stop them from cascading over her eyelashes. Her emotions had been totally screwed up for the last month. Since the night she’d spoken with Red, there had been a few changes. Since she was going to be modeling now, professionally, and it didn’t matter if she couldn’t pass for a boy in the future, she had gone to her doctor and gotten the doses of hormones increased up to the level he’d initially suggested. The changes were dramatic. The low doses she’d been taking were almost a placeholder. They’d caused a very small amount of breast development, putting her firmly in an A cup, and had done wonders for her complexion. The higher dose had sent her body fully into puberty. In one month she’d grown almost a full cup size. The noticed that her thighs had thickened a little and the weight, which had already naturally done some redistribution had started rearranging her body with a vengeance. Her figure was finally filling out, which made her very happy. Unfortunately, it had thrown her emotions into a tailspin. Things she would have just shrugged off before now set her off in a crying jag. Eventually she would get it under control but right now, it was like a runaway train.

Ingrid pulled over into a parking lot and let the tears come. She cried harder than she ever had, sobbing into her elbow. It seemed that the tears would never stop as the emotions just kept building. Everything hit her at once. The way her life, Richard’s life, had been destroyed in that hotel in Berlin. The way her parents had been slaughtered in front of her. Her childhood stolen. The fact that she missed out on graduation. Gone were the happy days of high school Richard had once looked forward to. The unfairness of it all, despite the fantastic luck she was having as Ingrid, crashed down on her at once and she crashed.

Finally, unable to cry any more, out of tears, she was able to bring herself somewhat under control. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, then lit a cigarette and laid her head back against the seat. The nicotine calmed her nerves a little, but she was still an absolute wreck. She worked up the courage to look in the mirror and actually laughed at what she saw. Her eyes were puffy, her cheeks stained with tears and mascara. Huge raccoon eyes staring back at her. So, she put on her sunglasses, started the truck and headed back to her house.

Things seemed better after a bath. She soaked for a long time, letting the lavender scented water and jacuzzi jets soothe away her troubles. The glass of single malt she poured for herself helped, as well as the three cigarettes she smoked while she soaked, but she chalked it all up to the bath anyway.

After drying off, she laid down on the bed and took a short nap. The day had done a number on her and she needed a rest. The last few months had been non-stop for her, between studying and work. She needed a short respite from it all.

Ingrid woke to her phone alarm at five-o’clock. Luckily, she’d had the foresight to set it before falling asleep or she would have easily slept right through the party. Ingrid got up and sleepily wandered into the bathroom. after taking care of her bladder, she sat down at the vanity and started on her hair. She brushed it out then started styling. She used her curling iron to put some wave in it, but left it long and flowing. For make-up, she went for a simple, minimalistic approach. A mineral powder base, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. It accentuated her youthfulness, and her natural good looks perfectly as well as being a very “in” look right now.

She got up and changed her undergarments, changing into a pair of white Victoria’s Secret boy shorts, and a white VS Angel strapless push up bra. Undergarments in place, she put on the Gaultier print dress she’d worn in the ad. Her absolute favorite fringe benefit of being a model was that after the shoot she got to keep most of the clothes she wore. After twirling in front of the mirror for a minute, she walked back into the bedroom to find a pair of socks to wear with her cowboy boots. Minutes later, she was fully dressed.

Picking through the jewelry box, she grabbed her Rolex and silver tennis bracelet. A pair of Tiffany chandelier ear rings in her ears, and now to find a necklace, she thought. The choice was actually fairly easy. She put on the silver chain with half a heart that Emily had given her. It was her best friends forever necklace and even though it had come from Claire’s boutique, it was Ingrid’s favorite piece of jewelry.

With still two hours before the party, Ingrid decided to paint her fingernails while she waited. A coat of funky purple nail polish, to match the purple in her dress worked out just perfectly. By the time she was finished with her nails, well twenty minutes of nail polishing followed by forty minutes of smoking cigarettes and reading a magazine, it was one hour until the party.

Ingrid headed down stairs. She loaded up her purse and headed out, running through a drive through on the way. She picked up a chef’s salad, which she ate in the restaurant parking lot before heading off to the party. Just as she got on the highway, her phone rang. Uncle Fred.

“Hello.” She said sweetly.

“Hey, Honey.” Fred said. “Are you heading to that graduation party?”

“Yes sir, I am. What’s up?” Ingrid said.

“Oh, nothing. I was just checking on you. What time you going to be home?” He said.

“I should be in by two...If that’s ok?” Ingrid said.

Fred hesitated for a moment. “Ok. Two o’clock. No later.”

“Gotcha. No Later than Two.” Ingrid said. “Love you Uncle Fred.”

“Love you too. Be careful.” Fred said. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She hung up and dropped the phone in her bag.

Ingrid pulled up to Becky Tisdale’s house at Eight fifteen. There were already tons of cars parked up and down the street. This was going to be a raging party, Ingrid thought as she gathered up her stuff. Becky’s house was huge, far larger than Ingrid’s, an estate really. Her parents were old money, well older than the Wolfe’s. Political money. Nuff said. Ingrid, well, Richard, had known Becky since she was a kid. They had never attended the same school since Richard went to an all boys school and she an all girls, but the schools had always combined for events. As Ingrid, she had never met Becky so she’d have to remember that when they were talking. The only reason Ingrid was invited was because of Emm.

Ingrid got out of the car and walked up to the house. The front door was open and people were already milling around. Ingrid immediately noticed the red plastic cups in everyone’s hands and surmised that this party wasn’t chaperoned. Once inside, that thought was immediately confirmed. It was a madhouse. Music was blaring, kids were dancing and acting crazy.

Several people smiled at Ingrid as she walked through the house, boys and girls. She also got some catty looks from girls that she had come to expect, as well as some lascivious looks from boys that she had likewise become well acquainted with. She made her way through a huge dining room to the bar. A big teenager named Walt, who had played football at Wentworth, was manning the keg.

“Can I get one of those?” She asked, exaggerating her accent a bit and pointing to an empty cup.

“Sure.” He said, smiling at her. “Coming up.” He poured her off a beer and handed it to her.

“Danke.” She said, smiling at him. “I mean, thank you.”

“No problem.” He said. “I’ve never met you. I’m Walt.” He said, holding out a hand.

Yes you have, she thought. You tormented me for years. “Ingrid.” She said, taking his hand. “Please to meet you.”
“You don’t go to Sacred Heart.” he said.

“No. I don’t. Thank you for the beer, Walt.” She said, then turned and walked away with a smile.

She made her way through the house, checking out the scene. Several people said hello, but no one she really knew was here yet. Ingrid noticed that several people were smoking in the house, which was probably a bad idea and would get Becky into even more trouble, so Ingrid decided to find a place to sit and have a cigarette. She wandered through several rooms looking for a place she could chill for a bit. The study turned out to be just the place. It was a cozy room with a large fireplace and leather furniture. She sat down on the huge brown, leather couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.

She had just lit her cigarette when a guy walked into the room. He seemed to be looking for someone so he popped in and looked around, not seeing them, he started to leave then stopped. He noticed Ingrid sitting there.

“Hey...I didn’t see you at first.” he walked over towards her. “I’m Lawrence. Lawrence Fincher.”

Ingrid froze for a moment, a cold chill ran down her spine. Lawrence Fincher. She steeled herself, then looked in up at him. Lawrence was one of the boys who had attacked Richard in the locker room at school a few years ago. Ingrid couldn’t help but smile when she noticed his nose, which she had broken, had never quite healed back properly and was now sort of crooked.

“Hello.” Ingrid said coolly, then took a long drag from her cigarette.

Lawrence stood there for a second, unsure how to proceed. He was apparently, in Ingrid’s estimation, used to girls gushing at him when he introduced himself. He was definitely not going to get that reaction from her.

“Are you waiting on someone?” He asked, not sure how to deal with the icy German girl.

Ingrid shook her head no then took a sip from her beer.

“Oh.” he said uncomfortably. “Ummm...Ok. Do you go to Sacred Heart. I mean, did you?”

Ingrid just shook her head again. She kept her eyes locked on his while she took a long drag from her cigarette.

“Oh. Well. Alright. See ya.” he said, then left the room. Ingrid thought she heard him mutter “dyke.” under his breath. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face.

Ingrid eventually headed back into the dining room to get a refill on beer. Her timing was good because as she was walking in, Emily and Mark were at the keg. Emm didn’t see her, so she snuck up behind her and blew in her ear. Emily spun, a surprised look on her face, which quickly turned into a grin when she saw Ingrid. The two girls embraced.

“Hi Mark.” Ingrid said. “Congratulations on graduating.”

“Thank you, Ingrid. Oh, and Congrats on your new gig. That’s really fuckin’ cool.” he said, accepting a hug from her.

Ingrid laughed. “Thanks. I’m thinking so too...Fuckin’ cool.” she said.

The three of them hung out for a while, dancing and drinking. Enjoying one another’s company. It got Ingrid’s mind off things and started to pull her out of the horrible mood she’d been in all day long. The three of them wandered out into the back yard and sat down at a picnic table under a white gazebo.

“So...” Emily said, then paused to light her cigarette. “What are your plans for the summer, Ingrid?”

Ingrid paused for a second before responding. “Well...I have some more classes to finish. I have to get done by July. By my birthday. My manager wants me in New York the week after my birthday and it looks like I’m going to be busy all the way through Fashion Week at least. Aunt Janet has started the paperwork so I can become emancipated and live there alone. That was such a nightmare to get her to put together for me.” Ingrid drained the rest of her beer and sighed. “How ‘bout you?”

Emm looked at Ingrid’s empty cup, then finished what was left in hers. “Mark, hon. Could you get us some refills?” She batted her eyelashes at him in exaggerated sweetness.

Mark laughed, then picked up the cups. “How can I resist.” He said then headed into the house.

“I was wanting to talk to you about that.” Emily said, leaning in conspiratorially. “I want to come up to New York with you...Just for a couple of weeks. Please!!!”

Ingrid laughed. “I was hoping you would! Shit, I thought you were going to drop a bomb on me like you were marrying Mark or something.”

Emily hooted with laughter. “No, girl. I just wanted to ask you while we were alone then break it to him later.” She shook her head and laughed again. “Me marry Mark. Hilarious!”

Mark came back with beers and the three of them sat around talking, laughing and drinking for the next hour without any interruption. Then, like a bad penny, Brad walked out onto the deck. Ingrid noticed him first. Her blood froze. He stood in the doorway, the porch lights bathing him in a golden glow. Ingrid still, even after seven months, couldn’t keep her knees from getting weak when she saw him.

Brad looked over and saw the three of them under the gazebo. He smiled and walked over. “Hey, y’all.” He said, shaking Mark’s hand. He turned to Emily and gave her a hug, then looked at Ingrid. He looked torn. Ingrid stood up and hugged him, pulling him in a little tighter than she intended. The hug lasted longer than either of them wanted, or wanted to admit they wanted.

Sheila stepped out onto the porch. She wobbled a little, obviously she’d had a few too many already, then rushed over into Brad’s arms. “I can’t believe it. We actually made it!!!” she yelled, then gave Emily a hug. Before Ingrid could stop her, she was caught up in her rogue embrace as well. “I love you guys.” Sheila said, her words horribly slurred.

“You better sit down, baby.” Brad said, guiding her to take a seat. Ingrid felt terribly uncomfortable, sitting at a table with Brad and his girlfriend, when all she really wanted to do was rip his clothes off right there on the picnic table. She drained the last of her beer, then looked into the glass.

“I...I need to refill my glass.” She said then started to turn towards the door.

“I’ll get it.” Brad said, starting to stand up.

Ingrid put her hand on his shoulder. “No, thank you hon. You must tend to your girlfriend.” She tried to put on a warm smile, but it was cold as ice. “I have it.”

“Want me to come?” Emily said, raising an eyebrow.

Ingrid shook her head. “I’m big girl. I can handle it.” She said, with a wink.

Ingrid walked back into the chaos of the party. Kids were dancing, and generally going insane. She walked back up to the keg where Walt was still on duty.

“Hello again, Mr. Walt.” Ingrid said, handing him her cup. “Bier Bitte.” She said, smiling.

Walt chuckled, then expertly filled her cup. “Dance with me.” He said, holding her cup out to her.

Ingrid looked at him for a second. He is kind of cute, she thought. “One dance.” she said. He grinned at her, then grabbed another guy by the shirt and pulled him over.

“You’re on the keg till I get back.” he said, then guided Ingrid out on the dance floor. Much to her chagrin, a slow song came on just as they got there. “Good timing.” he said, smiling down at her.
“Ya. Great.” Ingrid said, then stepped into his embrace. He was big, far bigger than Brad or Thomas, though not nearly as tall as the latter.

“So, are you still in school, or did you graduate?” Walt said, leaning in close enough for her to feel his breath on her ear.

“I am Freshman at Georgetown.” she said, looking up at him.

“Really. I’m dancing with an older woman.” he said, grinning ear to ear.

If you only knew, Ingrid thought, which brought a smile to her face.

“Ah, a couger, I see.” he said with a chuckle.

Ingrid shook her head. “No. I’m same age as you. I graduated early from secondary school.”

He nodded. “A brain, then. I heard a rumor that you are a model. Is that true?”

Ingrid felt herself blush a little. “Yes. I am.” It felt good to tell the truth about something.

“Cool.” He said. “that must be awesome.”

Ingrid thought about it for a second. “It is...Awesome.”

Thankfully, the song ended. Walt pleaded for another dance, but INgrid reminded him of her one dance agreement. They walked back over to the keg where he dutifully gave her back her beer.

“Danke.” She said, taking a sip. Ingrid pulled out a cigarette, then dug through her purse for her lighter. “Shitze.”

A flame clicked on near her. She turned to see Brad standing there holding out his lighter. Ingrid steadied his hand with hers, then leaned in and lit her cigarette. “Thank you Bradley.” she said, then exhaled.

Brad looked at her for a second. Their eyes locked and she knew for sure that he still felt the same way about her that she felt about him. It hurt almost too much to bear. Not thinking about it, running on instinct, she took him by the hand and led him into the study.

“Ingrid, I don’t thin...” he started. She shut him up by kissing him on the lips. It was a simple kiss, but quickly turned passionate. She was swept into his arms. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds. Ingrid pulled away then whispered in his ear. “I couldn’t help myself. Goodbye, Bradley.” she said, then kissed him on the cheek and started out of the room. She didn’t glance back, because she knew she would run back to him. He didn’t follow, but just stood there in stunned silence.

Ingrid walked out the front door, dropping her cup in the bushes. She strode down the driveway and to her truck. Once inside, the surge of emotion finally erupted in tears. After a couple of minutes, she started the truck and pulled out. As she passed the house, she saw Bradley step out onto the front porch.

She stopped in front of her Aunt and Uncle’s house. Her tears had subsided, so she dried her eyes and fixed her make-up. She didn’t want to let on that she’d had anything but a good time. Ingrid lit a cigarette, then pulled out her phone. She sent a quick text to Emily telling her she had to leave and she’d tell her about it tomorrow.
When she finished her cigarette, she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and headed inside to face the music. Hopefully the song wouldn’t suck.

Three Years Later
Saturday, Dec 21st, 2013

Ingrid sat on the edge of her bed and stretched. She looked around her apartment at the general state of disarray her bedroom had fallen into and sighed. She stood up and padded across the hardwood to her bathroom to take care of her morning requirements.

Ingrid was proud of her apartment. She had every right to be proud actually, since she was responsible for its very existence. After working out her emancipation on her 17th birthday, Ingrid has studied all the investments that now were her responsibility. One of them had been an empty warehouse space in SOHO, in New York. The space had been purchased by her father to be used once he got back from Germany. He’d planned on using it to set up Ingrid’s mother’s business, Catwalk. It was supposed to be a surprise. Ingrid checked out the building and found that it was commercial/residential. It cost a pretty penny to fix up, but the results were worth it. Ingrid divided the two story building into one huge apartment upstairs, with a small portion of the downstairs turned into a two car garage. She had the bottom floor subdivided into three large studio apartments and had a hot tub installed on the roof.

After finishing her freshman year at Georgetown, she’d wanted to move to New York full time, since her modeling career was going so well and she was spending way too much time traveling back and forth. So, she transferred to NYU to continue her studies in the city. Ingrid loved and hated New York, like most people who live there, but she loved her little part of it.

The bathroom was huge, almost as large as the bedroom in her house in Arlington. Her closet was massive, a room unto itself, with an attached salon. When she finished with the toilet she stopped to look at herself in the mirror.

She shook her head and smiled. Richard, where have you gone? She thought. Ingrid, not Richard smiled at her from the mirror. Ingrid had finished growing, topping out at 5’10” tall. She’d filled out, her measurements were now 34-24-34, which happened to be near perfect for a runway model. Her breasts had not come in past a large A cup, so she’d gotten implants bringing them up to a smallish C. She turned and admired her bottom for a second before turning back.

She jumped in the shower, tucking her hair into a shower cap because she didn’t feel like washing it this morning. she soaped herself up, glad she and Katrina had splurged and gotten laser hair removal done last year, it saved so much time. Not to mention the fact that with HD cameras, stubble showed up so fast. She ran her hands over the smooth skin where her scrotum used to be. She couldn’t help but look at it, even though she knew very well what it looked like. Smooth, soft skin, broken only by the jagged scar directly below her penis. She started washing her penis and felt it start to harden a little. She smiled and worked her cock a little with the soap. It had been a while since she’d masturbated in the shower, so it was sort of a novelty. She moaned softly as she stroked, feeling her cock hardem more in her hand. Ingrid had continued to masturbate since she’d been castrated, so her penis hadn’t suffered atrophy. Luckily, she thought, there wasn’t a whole lot there to begin with. She couldn’t maintain an erection very long, and had a very hard time climaxing from penile stimulation, but it still felt very, very good.

Ingrid’s Therapist had wondered why she didn’t want to get SRS. Ingrid felt like her penis was a link to her past, a past that had been taken away from her. She also couldn’t help but admit she found it erotic, and to her it was beautiful. The doctor had confirmed that a lot of transwomen don’t go any further than an Orchiectomy unless they just can’t bear to have the incongruity of their penis on their female body. It didn’t bother Ingrid one bit.

She masturbated for a little while, enjoying the sensation, but knew she wasn’t going to actually get any release that way alone. So, now wanting that orgasm, she opened the shower door, leaned out and opened the cupboard. She pulled out her dildo and popped back into the shower. She stuck the suction cup on the wall and lubed it up, then slowly pushed against it with her sphincter. The dildo popped inside a little bit, making her gasp. She moaned again and increased the speed of her masturbating as she started gyrating her hips against the dildo, sliding it in and out of her anus. It didn’t take long before she orgasmed. There was very little discharge, but the orgasm as usual was very intense. Sated, she finished washing then got out of the shower and dried off.

Ingrid grabbed a brush and started brushing out her long blonde hair. She’d had her hair bleached and dyed a year before for a campaign and it had been a huge hit. Something about her ivory coloring with the blonde hair set her looks off perfectly. She didn’t look like a Barbie, like some models who dye their hair, she looked like a valkyrie. It suited her so she’d kept it. It took she brushed her hair out then walked into her closet to get dressed. She put on a pair of boy shorts and a matching bra, then picked a pair of black Prada stretch pants, Christian Laboutin knee high boots with a three inch heel, and a black turtleneck sweater. Looking in the mirror, she decided to forgo make-up, since she would just be driving. Dressed she headed out to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

“Hey sleepyhead. I thought you were never going to come out.” Katrina said, smiling at her from the couch.

“Hey. I was beat.” Ingrid said, grinning. “Is that coffee I smell?”

“Yep. Fresh pot.” Katrina said cheerfully.

Katrina Patrick had been Ingrid’s roommate for the last two years. Katrina Patrick, of course, needs no introduction. She started out as a child star and parlayed it into a successful teen career before taking a break to go to college. Who hadn’t seen her hit TV show “Nerds”, right? It was like John Hughes movies for the 21st century. Katrina was the red-hot, red-head who used to be a nerd herself, but had blossomed. Classic show. Katrina had enrolled at NYU. She was hating it because, being famous, everyone wanted to “bag her” either as a friend or a lover. It was the same nightmare she’d experienced everywhere as a celebrity, not knowing who to trust.

Ingrid was enjoying a bit of fame, or maybe infamy, at that time as well. It had come out that she was a transexual. She still didn’t know who leaked it, but it was inevitable. Paparazzi were hounding her day and night. Leno was making jokes about her on the late night talk shows and she made David Letterman’s top ten list (number 1. Sexiest man...woman...well, damn just sexiest. She actually thought it was flattering, even though it did hurt her feelings a little.) Ingrid had then gone on several talk shows, including David Letterman and Leno, to talk about herself and her career. She’d done really well on all the talk shows, coming off as charming and gorgeous, just like she was in real life. She served as a guest judge on Rue Paul’s Drag Race, which had been one hell of a good time.

Ingrid met Katrina at a party hosted by Rue Paul. The two girls hit it off immediately. They became instant and fast friends. Katrina was renting a little place by herself. Despite her stardom, she wasn’t super rich and she was frugal. Ingrid had just finished the apartment and was living there alone, which she had to admit sort of scared her. It was a match made in heaven. So, Katrina moved in. The girls studied together, ate together and partied together. It was the closest Ingrid ever had to a sister, even more so than Emily because of the feeling of sexual attraction, and experimentation, they had initially shared which made the whole sister feeling very creepy. Best to stick with BFF for Emily.

Ingrid took a sip of her coffee then plopped down on the couch next to Katrina. “Well, I’m packed and ready to go...I think.” Ingrid said, shaking cigarette packs, on the coffee table looking for one that wasn’t empty. Katrina scooped one up and tossed it to her.

“You think?” Katrina laughed. “You don’t sound too positive.” Katrina said, punctuating it with by snapping shut her zippo. She took a long drag from her cigarette. “Come on, you’re going to be the Maid of Honor at Emm’s wedding, that’s awesome!”

Yes. Emily was getting married. To Mark. They had stuck it out through two and a half years of college. Well, Emily had been to two and a half, Mark had not been so academically inclined and had dropped out after a horrible year. Mark joined the Army and had been gone for the last year. He’d asked Emm to marry him because he was getting stationed in California and couldn’t bear being without her. So, they’d set their date for December 23d. Ingrid had, of course, been talked into being the Maid of Honor. Her one shining contributing thus far, other than a fantastic bachelorette party last weekend, were the dresses. Ingrid had worked her contacts and gotten Emily a one of a kind Vera Wang wedding dress, and scored herself and the two other brides maids, Sheila and Brittany, Prada dresses. If she was going to have to wear the same dress as another woman at a party, it had to be Prada.

“I know. Its just going to be such a fucking nightmare.” Ingrid said. She took a drag off her cigarette and shook her head. “Not the wedding...All the drama.”

Sheila and Bradley. That was the drama. They had broken up two weeks ago, but Bradley was Mark’s best friend. In the vacuum Ingrid created when she went to school, amazingly enough Sheila and Emily became inseparable. Funny how that sort of thing works. Now, Bradley was to be best man and Sheila a bridesmaid. Throw Ingrid into the mix, not only is she a rival for Bradley but she got to be the maid of honor, and there is going to be fireworks. Ingrid only hoped that they would wait until after the wedding.

Katrina narrowed her eyes at Ingrid. “Look girl. Emm is counting on you to be there for her. She knows it’s going to be tough. You can do it. Besides...” She leaned forward and put her hand on Ingrid’s knee. “I’ll be there to help keep you sane.”

Ingrid took Katrina’s hand and kissed it. “Thank you darling. I don’t think I can make it through this without you.”

Ingrid took a final drag from her cigarette, then stubbed it out in the ashtray on the coffee table. She laid her head back on the couch for a second, then groaned. “Ok. I’m going to get rolling. Your flight is coming in first thing in the morning. Do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to take a cab to my house?”

“I’ll take a cab hon, I know you will be tired after the rehearsal dinner.” Katrina said. She stretched like a cat, then smiled up at Ingrid. “Maybe we can get some breakfast before Mia shows up to get us ready.”

Ingrid smiled. “Ok. Sounds like a plan.” She hopped up and kissed Katrina on the cheek. “Ciao, baby. See you in the morning.”

Ingrid walked into her suite and put on her coat. It was a long, gray wool Gaultier coat, with military styling and a fantastic faux gray fox fur collar and cuffs. Coupled with the gray, Russian fur hat she’d picked up when she visited Moscow, she thought she looked like a villain in a 1960’s James Bond movie.

She’d loaded most of her stuff into the car the night before, so all she had was her toiletries and her purse to carry. “Alright hon, I’m out.”

“Drive careful, hon.” Katrina said, waving.

Ingrid walked down the spiral staircase into the game-room. God, this place is a mess, she thought. They had done some serious partying last weekend when Emm had come up to visit. The aftermath was still apparent. The three of them had gone out to a party in the East Village. The party was great and they had a fantastic time. Around midnight, they had wandered over to a trendy bar that Katrina had heard about. Despite the fact that Emm and Ingrid were both under 21, they had no problem getting alcohol. They were wrecked when they got back to the apartment. Ingrid woke up on the pool table, cuddled up to a famous musician, luckily both were clothed and pretty sure nothing had happened. Katrina was passed out on the floor in the living room with Keith Winslow, yeah, the Keith Winslow- the star of Nowheresville. Emily, much to her credit, was simply passed out alone in the bedroom.

It was a great night, what Ingrid remembered anyway. Unfortunately, the trio and friends ended up on Page Six the next morning, much to Ingrid’s chagrin. The caption under the picture read, “Gal pals Katrina Patrick and Transexual Supermodel Ingrid Wolfe hit the town Last night, partying with an unknown girlfriend at “Drink” in the East Village.” The picture was flattering, at least, Ingrid thought.

Ingrid sighed, then grabbed her keys off the counter and headed into the garage. She had traded in her Mercedes SUV for a Champagne colored 2013 Porsche Cayenne Hydrogen Hybrid. Ingrid threw her bag in the back, on top of the other bags, and climbed into the drivers seat. After getting situated, she pushed the garage door opener. She pulled into the Saturday morning New York traffic.

The three hour drive back to Arlington gave her a lot of time to think. She hadn’t been home in six months. Usually, when she went home, all she did was visit her aunt and uncle, check on the house and hang out with Emm. It was strange facing people, now that they all knew the truth about her. It made her feel like a fraud sometimes, and in many ways, they were right. She had fabricated Ingrid. Her shrink described it as a defense mechanism. Ingrid knew better. It was a legend, a cover. She’d gone deep into the cover and become Ingrid in the process. It didn’t make it any less real, it just wasn’t exactly the truth. The thought made Ingrid laugh.

She looked up at the tassel hanging from her rearview mirror. She had hung it up there after graduation in September. Aunt Janet and Uncle Fred had come up for the commencement, and she’d been so happy to see them. Uncle Red had surprised her and shown up too, and he’d even worn a suit. Just thinking about their love and support made her smile. Emm had come up, of course, and Katrina and Ingrid had taken her out to party after the ceremony. Ingrid finally had her graduation, making up for her lack of a high school graduation ceremony.

The last three years had been so hectic Ingrid rarely had time to relax. She took a full course load at NYU on top of working like a dog as a model. The hours were so crazy she rarely had time to rest. If she wasn’t working, studying, or going to class, she was working out. Ingrid’s schedule on a typical work/school day had looked something like this (as Ingrid notes it in her journal):

0500 Wake up
0515 Run 3 miles (30 minutes max)
0620 Breakfast (Egg white omelet, Fruit, coffee)
0730-1130 Class
1130 Lunch (Salad, Water, coffee)
1230 Photo shoot at Vogue.
1345 Interview with Maxim magazine
1500-1745 Class
1830 Dinner (Chicken breast, Green beans, Salad, water, strawberries)
1900 Homework
2130 Pilates
2300 bed

Yep, that was how it worked most weekdays, with little reprieve on weekends. She barely had time to think, much less have a social life. Rare weekends and days off were precious. Unfortunately, she usually just ended up spending time sleeping whenever she had down time. Katrina always did a good job of getting her out of the house, though honestly, Katrina’s schedule was little better.

Since graduation, Ingrid had felt incredibly relaxed. With only work to worry about, and of course training, she had more free time than she’d had in years. The anniversary of her parents’ death, and her maiming, had hit her very hard this year. Without the distraction of school she’d gone a little crazy.

Katrina was in Los Angeles, finishing principal photography on her new movie. Ingrid decided to go out on her own. She started drinking at “Drink” (their favorite bar), and ended up at Stonewall, yes, the Stonewall. Ingrid was really depressed, and a little drunk. She couldn’t seem to break the funk she was in with any of the usual methods and it was starting to get to her. She always had a good time at Stonewall and they treated her like royalty. She was sitting at the bar, chatting with a waitress when a super hot guy approached her. It took a lot of guts, she realized to do that, so she didn’t shoot him down right away. Instead, she ended up in his bed. He had a very big cock and knew how to use it, was how Ingrid described the experience of her one and only one night stand to Katrina and Emm. She’d felt horrible the next day, guilty, slutty. But she did have to admit that she was terribly in need of a good fucking, and that is certainly what she got.

The time leading up to Christmas was so busy with modeling jobs and personal appearances that Ingrid was able to plow under the feelings of depression. Katrina came back in town a few days ago, about the time Ingrid’s schedule was clearing up, and just in time for her to attend Emm’s wedding before scooting home to Ohio for Christmas with her folks.

Ingrid stopped by her house first, to drop off her bags. She stepped inside and felt instantly at home. She also felt strangely uneasy. While this house was full of great memories, it was also full of pain. Uncle Fred had set up the Christmas tree and put out a lot of decorations. The rest of them were in boxes in the study waiting to be put out by Ingrid. The memories warmed her heart, but she had no time to bask in them. She ran upstairs and dropped off her bags. Since she was going to be making an appearance at the rehearsal dinner in less than two hours, she went into the bathroom to put her face on. She set a foundation of mineral powder and did her eyes up in dramatic cat’s eyes (all the rage this season). She topped it off with some powder pink lipstick. She put her contacts in, leaving her glasses sitting on the vanity. The make-up made her ice blue eyes pop and seem even larger than they were, giving her that innocent look that photographers loved.

Ingrid jumped in her car and headed over to her aunt and uncle’s house. The house was warm and inviting. She caught up with them for a few minutes and was sad to have to leave to make it to the rehersal dinner on time. But, she knew she was going to be spending the next few days with them so parting again wasn’t awful.

Ingrid drove over to the Cathedral. The last time she was here was for Emm’s graduation. The church looked gorgeous with the snowy lawn and the trees glistening with ice. Ingrid got out and picked her way across the parking lot, her boots crunching in the show. She shivered from the cold, it seemed actually colder here than it had in New York. She stepped into the entry hall and stomped the snow off her boots on the mat. No one was around, but she could hear the sounds of talking and laughter from the fellowship hall.

Ingrid walked into the hall. The wedding party was gathered around the large table, but no one had sat down yet. They were milling, talking and socializing. Apparently the rehearsal came before dinner. Emm saw her walk in and launched over to her, wrapping Ingrid in a big hug. “I’m so glad you made it!” She said.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Ingrid said, smiling.

Mark walked over and gave Ingrid a hug. “Hey girl. I’m so glad you could make it.” he said. Her and Mark’s relationship had changed a little after he found out the truth. The two of them had a beer together on her roof last summer and talked it all out. Afterwards, they became far closer than they had ever been before. She felt good that her best friend was getting such a good man.

“Thanks baby.” Ingrid said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Ingrid looked around while she was shucking off her coat and hat. She could feel eyes boring into her, which made her very uncomfortable. It wasn’t the sort of attention she was used to and it was making her a little paranoid. She made the rounds and was introduced to a lot of family members, Mark’s and Emm’s, that she had never met. After an uncomfortable fifteen minutes, Sheila walked into the hall. She and Emm hugged each other warmly and talked for a minute before Sheila walked over and stood near Ingrid.
“Hey.” Ingrid said, flashing her a smile. “You are looking good, girl. I like those boots.” She genuinely did like them.

Sheila looked at her for a moment before replying. Ingrid couldn’t decipher the look, but it didn’t look good. “Thanks.” Sheila said, sounding annoyed, then turned and walked off to talk to someone else.

Ok, Ingrid thought, that’s how it’s going to be. She shook her head. “For Emm.” she muttered. “I’m doing this for Emm.”

Father Wallace came out at that point and called for everyone to head into the Sanctuary. When Ingrid followed the crowd in, she saw Bradley for the first time. He’d aged very well. His hair was grown out and a little shaggy. He had a few days growth of beard, which made him look sexy and a little rough. He was dressed sort of casual, with jeans, a button down shirt with the collar open, and a blazer. He looked great. Ingrid couldn’t help but flash him a smile. The look on his face told her he thought the same about her.

The party took their positions. They ran through the service, and let me tell you, it was seriously uncomfortable for Ingrid. Being stuck between Shelly and Brad was not pleasant. Finally, mercifully, it was over. Ingrid made a bee line out the back door. She needed a cigarette, and she needed it now.

She found her cigarettes in her overstuffed purse right off the bat, but she was digging around in vain to find her lighter. Next to her head, a flame flicked on. She turned and looked and saw Brad standing there holding a Zippo. She smiled, put her hand on his to steady the flame and lit her cigarette. She exhaled towards the ceiling of the gazebo. “Thanks hon.” she said.

“You’re welcome.” he said, grinning. “No more Virginia Slims?”

Ingrid chuckled. “No. Camel Number 9’s. The Virginia Slims are impractical if you are in a hurry...Too long. Plus, they made me seem old.” She laughed again. “I”m surprised you remember that.”

He shook his head. “I remember everything.” He reached in his leather coat and pulled out a pack of Camel Blues and lit one.

Ingrid looked at him, shocked. “Bradley. I”m surprised at you.” she said.

He laughed. “Yeah. I suppose you would be.” He shook his head. “I started after I lost my scholarship. In case you didn’t hear, I blew out my leg. It’s ok though. I had no future in pro soccer anyway. I was hanging with Sheila all the time, drinking....and other stuff.” he gave her a little sideways smile. “I just kinda picked up another bad habit.”

Ingrid took a drag from her cigarette and nodded. “It happens.” she said, then smiled at him. “We all get bad habits.”

“It’s your fault, you know?” he said, grinning.

“What?” She said, her eyes wide.

“Yep. If it wasn’t for you igniting this odd, latent smoking fetish, I would have never gone out with a girl that smoked, and would have never been tempted. Hence, your fault.” He said playfully.

She laughed. “Well, I guess I can’t argue with logic.” she said sarcastically. She looked at him seriously for a second. “You are looking good, Bradley.”

He smiled at her, that same smile that had won her over so many years ago. “You too. I love the blonde hair. I was floored when I saw you on the cover of Maxim with it.”

She unconsciously touched her hair, then smiled. “Thanks hon.” She took a last drag from her cigarette and put it out. “I”m freezing.” she said.

He nodded. “me too.” he said, laughing. then tossed his cigarette in the butt can and followed her back inside.

They all sat down at the table. Ingrid was close to Emm, while Brad was further down the table. They exchanged a few glances, but didn’t speak during the meal. Ingrid wanted a drink really bad, but since she wasn’t 21 it wasn’t allowed.

Despite some mean looks from strangers, the dinner went very well. One function down, Ingrid thought as she finished her desert. One to go.

After dinner, her and Emm went out to have a cigarette. They were laughing and smoking when Sheila came outside. Ingrid could feel the tension in the air. Emm seemed oblivious to it, but Ingrid could tell. The tension was almost unbearable as Ingrid waited for the shoe to drop, and she knew from the look on Sheila’s face as she nervously, angrily, smoked her cigarette.

Ingrid finally couldn’t take it anymore. “What?” She said.

Sheila’s eyes burned holes in Ingrid. She stared at her for a few seconds, then looked at Emm, then turned back to Ingrid. “It’s your fault.” She said flatly.

Emm piped up. “Sheila. It’s not...”

“No, Emm. You are always defending him.” Sheila said, intentionally mixing pronouns, stressing him while addressing Ingrid.

“What?” Ingrid said, seriously put off by her statement. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Sheila crossed her arms and smirked at Ingrid. “I can’t believe it. I was actually impressed with you when I first met your lying ass. You were just a little boy dressed in his mother’s clothes.” she made a quiet spitting sound with her lips. “And you seduced Brad. Yeah, I know he fucked you. He admitted it to me. UGGGGGHHHH” she got so frustrated she couldn’t even speak.

Emm looked floored by this outburst. Her mouth was flapping like a fish out of water. Ingrid was just staring at Sheila coldly.
“Stop.” Emily said, trying to calm everything down.

“Yeah. Right, Emm. Ingrid...Richard, is a FREAK.” she said, actually yelling the last part at Ingrid. “And you made my boyfriend gay. I fucking hate you!” She said, then whirled on Emm. “I can’t believe you made this fucking boy your maid of honor, that makes me goddamn sick.”

“Your drunk, Sheila.” Emm said. Emm Turned to Ingrid. “I’m so sorry.” Tears were streaming down her face.

“No, Sheila should be sorry.” Ingrid said. “Couldn’t you have shown some class and waited til tomorrow to have this little come apart?”

“Fuck you.” Sheila said, slightly bowing up on Ingrid, trying to intimidate her.

Ingrid smirked at her. “Don’t.” She shook her head. “You don’t want to go there.”

Mark came out just then and seeing Sheila’s belligerent movements, rushed in to restrain her. He clearly remembered what happened to a 190 pound football player who messed with little old Richard, and didn’t want to see what would happen to 120 pound girl who crossed paths with a much taller, stronger, Ingrid.

“Sheila, settle down.” Mark said, pulling her back.

“Thank you, Mark.” Ingrid said, relaxing a little. She didn’t want to get involved in any of this, but Sheila wasn’t giving her a choice.

Mark dragged her inside, her kicking and fighting him the whole way. Emm looked over at Ingrid and broke down into tears. “I”m so sorry, Ingrid.” she said.

Ingrid wrapped her in her arms and kissed her head. “It’s ok. I’m sorry I provoked it.”

“You didn’t do anything tonight. She...She’s being such a bitch.” Emm said, “On the night before my fucking wedding she has to lose her goddam mind.”

Ingrid couldn’t help but laugh. “I know. I could tell by the way she was acting she had a beef with me, but I didn’t know it was...hatred.”

“I didn’t either. She’s never been so...vocal about it. Something recent must have happened. I mean...” Emm wiped her eyes. “She was really angry when she found out you used to be Richard. I mean really angry, but we talked her through it and she seemed ok. Something must have triggered this.”

Ingrid was trying to think of something. Then she remembered what Sheila had said. ‘You made my boyfriend gay.” It had something to do with Brad, and she was going to find out what it was.

It took a little while for all the hubbub to die down. Ingrid was getting ready to leave when she finally caught Brad alone. “Brad. I need to talk to you. In private.” She said.

He nodded, then looked back towards the hall. “Yeah. Want to get some coffee?”

She smiled. “My weakness.”

“Remember the diner over by the Automat?” He said, looking at his watch.

“Yeah. I love that place.” She said. That was the place where Emm had first met Ingrid. “When?”

“Half an hour? I need to talk to Mark, then I”ll be there.” He said.

“Ok.” He reached out and touched her hand, then walked into the other room. Ingrid walked over to Emm.

“Hey hon, I’m gonna go” She said. “I”m still so sorry about all the mess.”

Emm shook her head. “I don’t care about that, I’m sorry she hurt you.”

Ingrid smiled at Emm and kissed her on the head. “She didn’t hurt me. I’ve got thick skin. People have said worse...Hell, Westboro Baptist Church picketed my agency for a week.” Ingrid smiled at her. “I just don’t want it to ruin your wedding.”

Emm shook her head. “Nothing is going to ruin my wedding. I’ll see you in the morning at nine. My house. Mimosas and make-up.” She said, smiling.

“OK. Kat’s flight comes in at 7. Mia’s flight gets in at 735. They are going to get a cab together and head to my place, so we’ll head your way right after.” Ingrid said. She smiled at Emm. “I’m going to go meet Brad at the diner.” Ingrid whispered.

Emm smiled at her. “Ok...Don’t stay out so late you can’t make it in the morning.” she said, giving her a cockeyed grin.

“I won’t, mother.” Ingrid said.

Ingrid pulled into the diner. It looked exactly the same as it did three years ago, the last time she’d been here. She threw her bag over her shoulder and went inside. After living in New York City for the last few years, now it was a total novelty to be in a diner you could smoke in. Ah, she thought, a place that remembers what goes best with coffee. The waitress behind the counter smiled at her. “Hey darlin, sit wherever you like.”

“Danke.” Ingrid said, then took a back corner booth where she and Emm used to come after school. Ingrid got a cup of coffee and was just lighting a cigarette when Brad came in. He smiled at her.

“Coffee please.” He said to the waitress as he sat down.

“Coffee too? My, you have been corrupted.” She said, smiling at him.

“I know. My depravity knows no bounds.” He said as he shrugged out of his coat.

Ingrid took a drag off her cigarette. “It’s good to see you, Bradley.” she said.

He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “Same here. God you are beautiful.” It actually made Ingrid blush. “No, I mean it Ingrid. Shit, no wonder I was totally spoiled after you.” He said, dropping his cigarettes and lighter on the table.
Ingrid looked up at him. “Spoiled?” She said, then slid the ashtray over so he could use it. “What do you mean, spoiled?”

He smiled at her, then whispered. “You don’t have to use the accent with me, Ingrid.”

Ingrid laughed. “I don’t even realize I’m using it any more...it’s just how I talk. It’s requires conscious effort to not do it these days.” She said. “Don’t change the subject. Spoiled?”

He looked into her big blue eyes for a second. “Spoiled. Damn Ingrid. Look at you. After you, everything else seemed...bland. I...I loved everything about you.”

She narrowed her eyes. Things were clicking into place a little more. “Everything?” she asked.

“Yes. Everything. Sheila...” He stopped and lit a cigarette. He seemed like he was trying to figure out how to say it. “Sheila was great...A rebound that lasted a lot longer than was truly healthy. She was fun...But, honestly, she wasn’t you. She didn’t have what you have.”

Ingrid wanted to be crystal clear on everything. “I have...several things that make me different from her, Brad.” Ingrid said over the rim of her coffee cup. “Which ones are you referring to?”

He smiled. “Your style. Your wit. Your...” He looked down at the table for a second and seemed to be blushing. “cock.” he whispered.

Ingrid grinned. That was what she meant, something must have come up about this recently. “Well. I knew she didn’t have any of those things, dear.” Ingrid said, trying not to sound too catty. “But I thought you liked her more for not having the latter.”

Brad took a sip of his coffee. He swallowed, then set his jaw bravely. “No.” He said. “At first I did, then I started realizing I liked your...Arrangement.” he laughed quietly. “It caused me a lot of heartache, Ingrid. Trying to come to terms with it.”

Ingrid rested her chin in her hand and listened. “Go on.” she said.

“I was really confused after our...our time in the mountains. Seeing you with that Thomas guy really got to me.” he said. “I was able to hide my...desires, even from myself, for about a year. About that time, you started blowing up...I saw you everywhere. It re-awakened some feelings. I started having fantasies...You know what I mean.” He said, sounding really nervous about talking like this. “Anyway. When the stuff came out about you, publicly, last year. Sheila got really pissed. I was able to smooth it all under, claiming I didn’t know and all that. She bought it, so it was all good. Anyway, about three weeks ago, I fucked up. I left the web browser open on the computer after I’d been enjoying my favorite porn sites. And yes, they were transsexuals...she--males.” he blushed. “Sheila found it...She also found the dildo I’d bought. Yeah, it was a very bad scene. She left me that day.” He shrugged. “You kinda ruined me on regular girls, Ingrid.”

Ingrid was floored. “Really?” She said. “You mean...You prefer me this way?” Her mind was racing, trying to keep up with the curve balls he was throwing.

He smiled. “Yeah. I guess I do.” he said. “I’ve been carrying a torch for you for years.”

Ingrid looked down at the table, then back up at him. “Me too.” she said. “I’ve been in...I’ve been in love with you since before you even knew I existed.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then leaned in and gently kissed each other on the lips. That same old electric spark was still there.

“So...Where do we go from here?” Ingrid asked, hoping he would say bed.

“I don’t know. It’s up to you really. You still have that big house? I live in the dorms now.” He said, smiling at her.

Ingrid put her cigarettes and lighter in her purse. “My house then.” she said. “Meet you there?”

They stood up and embraced. They kissed for a few seconds, exploring each others mouths. “Yes.” he said, “Good idea.”

Ingrid pulled into her garage. She was nervous as a school girl as she got out and rushed into the house. She tossed her keys on the island, and rushed into the living room.

She needed a drink, and fast. swinging open the liquor cabinet, she grabbed a bottle of single malt and poured herself a couple of fingers. She’d only taken a sip when the door bell rang.

Ingrid’s heart was pounding as she opened the door. Bradley stood, framed in the light reflecting off the snow, looking as gorgeous as ever.

“Hi.” Ingrid said, then bit her lip. “Come on in.”

Bradley stepped in and stomped the snow off his boots on the mat.

“Sorry ‘bout the snow.” He said.

“It’s ok, I haven’t gotten to shovel the walk yet.” She said, closing the door. “Go ahead and take them off if you want.”

She walked over towards the bar. “Want a drink?” she asked, then took a sip of her scotch. “Its good.”

He chuckled as he pulled off his boots. “Sure. I’ll have what you’re having.”

She poured him some Scotch then set it on the coffee table. Ingrid walked over and turned on the gas fireplace before sitting down on the brown leather sofa.
Brad walked over and sat next to her. He picked up his glass and held it up in toast.

“To honesty.” he said, smiling.

“To honesty.” She said, then they clinked glasses and drank. “I’m so glad you...I’m glad you’re here.”

He reached out and touched her hand. “Me too.”

They looked at each other for a moment, neither wanting to speak for fear of ruining the moment. Ingrid was the first to look away. She pulled out her silver cigarette case and removed a cigarette. Brad, ever the gentleman, lit it for her. She smiled and mouthed thank you.

“It’s weird.” Brad said, then lit his own cigarette. “I’ve wanted to be here with you for so long. Now, I have to admit, you are a little intimidating.” he said with a little smile.

“Why, honey?” She said, her eyes wide with surprise.

He laughed and shook his head. “Ingrid...You are a famous model, and so amazing looking. Any guy would be intimidated by you. If I hadn’t had a history with you, I would have been scared shitless to talk to you.”

Ingrid waved him off like he was crazy. “Untrue.”

“No, it really is true. Most guys are super intimidated by beautiful women...Especially tall supermodels.” He said.

“I’m not a supermodel.” Ingrid said, indignantly.

“That’s not what the press is saying. Remember, I pay attention to such things, girly.” Brad said, grinning at her. “Sure, the age of the old supermodels is over, but you and Felicia Stewart are being called the new wave of supermodels.”

She blushed. Ingrid had heard that before, but didn’t like the title. It seemed like a complete fabrication to her, since she didn’t get paid anything like the million dollars a show that the old supermodels like Cindy Crawford got, though she had gotten close to that a few times last year. “Ok. Ok. But, I don’t get hit on that often, really. Most people, if they know who I am, know that I’m transgendered...A lot of them look down on me, or at least don’t want to admit that they are into me.” She said, meaning every word of it. “I’m a beautiful freak...see the boy who turned into a girl.” she said, playing the last bit up like a carnival barker. She shrugged.

“You aren’t a freak, Ingrid.” He said, then leaned in and kissed her. “no more of a freak than the rest of us.”

She practically melted from his kiss. “Thanks, baby.” She said, then took a last drag from her cigarette before standing up and taking his hand. “Come on.” she said, then scooped her purse off the table and led Bradley upstairs.

“Wow.” He said, looking around the master suite. “This is really nice.”

She smiled at him, then tossed her purse next to the bed. “Thanks. I left it just like my parents had it. I love this room.” She said, then sat on the bed and pulled off her boots.

Brad sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked nervous. His leg was shaking with anticipation. Ingrid thought it was cute. She leaned in and kissed him. Gently at first, then they wrapped in one another’s arms and the kiss became passionate. Consuming.

They kissed for a long time, exploring each others mouths, rubbing one another’s backs, feeling their bodies against one another. Ingrid broke the kiss and stopped to catch her breath. She leaned back on the bed for a moment, then pulled off her sweater. Brad got the hint and stripped off his shirt. They stared at each other for a second, taking in the changes time had wrought on them both. Brad’s chest and abs, which had been nice in high school, were great now. Ingrid had gone from a skinny teenage boy with breast forms, to a full grown woman with her own, implanted, C cup breasts. She reached back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to her lap, exposing her engorged nipples to him for the first time. He looked at her breasts, then his eyes slid down her hard abdomen to the small silver ring and charm hanging from her belly button.

“Wow.” he said softly. Ingrid blushed. The two of them kissed again, feeling their bare skin against one another. Ingrid could feel a hardness beginning in her panties as her penis strained against her panties. It was starting to get uncomfortable. She reached down and felt Brad’s raging erection through his pants. He moaned when she touched it for the first time.

“I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.” Ingrid said playfully.

Brad didn’t need to be invited twice. He laughed and started pulling off his pants. Ingrid did the same. Then they both got out of their underwear and were completely naked.

“Wow.” Ingrid said. It was her turn to be impressed. He looked bigger than he had before. Her cock was sticking straight out, though it was not completely hard. Bradley looked at it for a moment, then up to her face.

They were kissing again, entwined in one another’s embrace. Bradley surprised her when he reached down and took hold of her cock. He wasn’t tentative about it, not embarrassed like the first time. He wanted to touch it and wasn’t ashamed. Ingrid smiled into his mouth as they kissed. His touch felt good. His hands were rough, manly. She reached down and reciprocated, running her soft fingertips up and down his rock hard erection.

“You can still get hard.” he said, still gently stroking her penis.

She nodded. “I can. Sometimes I can’t, but when I’m really turned on it still rises to the occasion.” she said with a giggle.

His eyes veered from her cock to her hip. He looked up at her and smiled. “you have a tattoo.” he said.

Ingrid nodded. “Yep, I do. I got it three weeks ago.” she said, looking down at the small tattoo on her left hip. It was in black ink, depicting two small angels embracing. Below it were the numbers 112807.
“For your parents?” Brad asked.

Ingrid nodded then kissed him again, not wanting to talk about it. They kissed for a minute, then Brad broke the kiss. He kissed his way down her chest, giving each nipple a bit of attention, then down her abs, finally he got to her cock. He took the tip in his mouth and sucked on it gently. Ingrid moaned. He took it deep into his mouth, taking it almost all the way in on the first go. He backed off, then went back down taking it all the way inside his mouth. Ingrid clawed at the sheets, writhing with pleasure as he went down on her.

“Yes, baby.” she purred. “that’s so good.”

He sucked on her for a little while, occaisionally stopping to let his mouth rest and licking up and down her shaft. She turned herself where she could get to his cock then took it in her hand. It was huge, dripping pre-cum. She licked it up and down like a lollipop. Brad intensified his efforts as she took the tip of his cock into her mouth and sucked gently on its head. Ingrid started going down on him, taking a little more in her mouth each time she bobbed back down. She couldn’t quite get all eight inches in without gagging, but she kept trying. Eventually, she got herself positioned right, swallowed first, then thrust her mouth down until the tip of his cock entered her throat. Brad stopped sucking her for a minute and moaned, then as she was coming back up, he came, shooting a massive load into her mouth.

Ingrid swallowed most of it, but some still dribbled out of her mouth onto the sheets. She ran her hand through his hair as he continued sucking her cock. Then, Ingrid pulled on his shoulder gently to get him to sit up. She kissed him deeply, pulling him tight.

“I don’t want to cum that way.” she said finally. “I want to cum with you inside me, Bradley.” she looked down at his cock. “And it’s going to take a little while for you to be ready to go. So, we have a cigarette and a drink...then we get back to business.” She said, smiling.

Ingrid hopped out of the bed and grabbed the bottle of scotch and their glasses. She poured some out for both of them. They clinked glasses then drank. They laid there for a while, cuddled together, enjoying the closeness. Ingrid rolled over after a bit and grabbed her cigarettes, Brad followed suit. They smoked in silence for a bit, basking in one another’s company. Brad rolled onto his side and smiled. “Hey, you have another tattoo.” he said, pointing to the small black tattoo on the underside of her right arm, just above her armpit.

She smiled sheepishly. “I do.” she said, then held her arm up so he could see. The words were tiny, sized like a twelve point font. She’d had it done in LA by an artist who was famous for making perfect font style writing and had done work on actresses like Meagan Fox and Angelina Jolie. It a simple, yet chilling phrase, “Forget Nothing, Forgive No One”.

Bradley looked at it for a moment, then looked back in her eyes. “Not quite a happy butterfly sort of tattoo.” he said, trying to act like it didn’t sort of bother him.

She shrugged. “I wasn’t in a happy butterfly sort of place when I got it.” She leaned over, grabbed an ashtray and put it between them. “I use some tattoo cover when I do shows, unless the designer doesn’t care. Gaultier doesn’t mind, he actually likes the tattoos and he’s been my sugar daddy.” She said, then took a long, cheek hollowing drag off her cigarette. “I covered it for the Maxim shoot.”

“Aghhh, that’s why I hadn’t seen it before.” He said. “Why?”

“Why’d I cover it?” She shrugged. “I dunno...It’s private and has meaning for me, and me alone.” she said. Ingrid took a last drag from her cigarette then put it out. Brad followed suit. She drained the last of her scotch. “Now, where were we?”

They kissed. “Oh, yeah. That’s where we were.” She said. They both laughed, then kissed again. Ingrid crawled on top of him. She could feel his erection beginning to grow against her. Her own cock was hardening, though without direct stimulation it wouldn’t get fully erect. She was more interested in a different kind of stimulation right now though. Ingrid reached into the drawer and pulled out a tube of lube then squeezed some into her hand. She rubbed it around her sphincter then slowly started working her fingers inside herself while she kissed Brad. After a little stretching, she decided she was ready to go so she lifted herself up on her knees and took his cock in her hand. She placed the tip against her sphincter and slowly lowered herself onto his throbbing member. The tip slid though her sphincter, making her gasp. It felt huge, even after stretching herself out a bit with her fingers. She pulled off and did it again, this time getting a little further down. Once more and she was able to get it half way in. She grimaced with pain as she pushed herself further down onto his huge cock. Slowly she slid up the shaft, then plunged down again. Now the initial pain turned to pure pleasure as she began to ride him. Her cock bounced up and down, and was just about as erect as it got. She fucked him like that for about fifteen minutes. Brad, pushed to the limit, finally came unable to stop himself. Ingrid kept going, fucking him harder now. She reached down and stroked her cock as she rode him. It only took a couple of minutes of that and she was pushed to the edge. Finally, she came, shooting a small dollop of cum onto his belly. Despite the small amount of ejaculate, her orgasm was spectacular. Ingrid collapsed onto his chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

She lay there on top of him, his hard cock still in her ass, trying to catch her breath. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Ingrid looked at Brad and saw he shared the exact same look. She kissed him again, happier than she had been in a very long time.

Ingrid opened her eyes to the harsh light of a winter morning. The white light was streaming in through the huge picture window falling right across the bed.

Ding Dong. That damn bell again, Ingrid thought, covering her head with the covers.

“Shit. Doorbell.” She said, throwing off the covers. She threw on her robe and rushed down stairs just as the doorbell rang again. She opened the door and saw Katrina and Mia shivering on the steps.

“Bout time, sleepy head.” Katrina said, then gave her a hug. Katrina was wearing a blue, North Face Parka and a toboggan that barely held in her shockingly red hair. Mia was wearing a leather biker jacket with a striped scarf that looked like something off Harry Potter.

“Hey, hon.” Ingrid said, squeezing her tight. “Come on in, it’s really fucking cold out here.” Katrina walked past her and Ingrid took Mia into a hug.

“Hey Girl.” Mia said. “You look like shit.”

Ingrid laughed. “That’s why you’re here.”

She ushered them inside where it was warm. They dropped their rolling bags next to the door and stomped the snow off their boots.

“Nice house.” Mia said as she shrugged out of her biker jacket.

“Thanks. Coffee?” Ingrid said, heading towards the kitchen.

“Please.” Both girls said at the same time, which brought a laugh from all three.

“Cool. Make yourself at home, I’ll be right out.” Ingrid said, heading into the kitchen.

Katrina hung up her coat and sat down on the couch. “I’m glad it’s warm in here...It’s colder here than in New York.” She said.

Mia laughed, then plopped on the couch next to her. “Yeah. I’m a California girl, this weather is for the birds.” Mia said, then dug a cigarette out of her purse and lit it.

Mia had been Ingrid’s stylist for the last year, and she’d worked with Katrina for two years before that. Mia was a beautiful, tall, half-Japanese girl with full sleeve tat’s and nearly waist length fire engine red hair. She was also transgendered, a fact she didn’t even tell Katrina about until after she’d met Ingrid. Mia played bass in a really hard rocking band, but worked as a stylist and make-up artist to pay the bills. She was very good, and the three girls enjoyed hanging out as well as working together.

“I hope you two are happy, I had to miss a gig for this weekend.” Mia said, loud enough for Ingrid to hear in the kitchen.

“I know, and you are a goddess.” Ingrid yelled. “Coffee coming up.” she said as she walked into the living room with three steaming mugs. She passed them out then opened the liquor cabinet. “Whisky?”

The girls both smiled. “You read my mind.” Katrina said, holding out her mug.

Ingrid sat down on the couch next to Mia and took one of her cigarettes without asking.

“Yes, you can have one.” Mia said, then poked Ingrid in the side.

“Thanks.” Ingrid said, lighting her cigarette. “We have about two hours before we have to hook up over at Emm’s house.”

“So, sleepy beauty...” Katrina said, grinning devilishly, “Did you have company last night, or did you just get shit-faced at the rehearsal dinner.”

Ingrid grinned sheepishly, then filled them in on everything that happened. Well, almost everything, she didn’t give them a blow by blow of her encounter with Brad, she just told them they’d spent the night together.

“So, that bitch made a scene at the rehearsal dinner?” Mia asked over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Well, outside. I don’t know how much of it spilled inside. I’m dreading finding out, too.” Ingrid said, shaking her head.

“Fuck it. We can’t let this ruin Emm’s wedding.” Katrina said resolutely.

“Right.” Ingrid said firmly. She looked at the two of them. “Thanks for being her for me, y’all.” She said, smiling at them.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Katrina said.

“I just wanted to see if they wore shoes were you came from.” Mia said devilishly.
Ingrid flipped her off and the three of them laughed.

After a little while, they unloaded the rest of the stuff from the girl’s rental car. Ingrid then excused herself and ran upstairs to take a shower. Soon enough though, it was time to head over to the Vandiveer’s house to get ready for the wedding.

They were only running a few minutes behind, unlike everyone it seemed at the Vandiveer’s house. Amanda, Emm’s mother, answered the door. She smiled broadly at the three girls. “Hi girls. We are running behind.” she gave Ingrid a hug, then turned to the other two. “Hi Katrina. I’m so glad to finally get to meet you. I loved your show, we watched it every week.” She said.

Katrina smiled, then accepted her hug. “It’s good to meet you too. I’m glad I could come.” She said.

Amanda turned to Mia. “Hi, I’m Amanda Vandiveer.” she said, holding out her hand.

Mia took her hand. “Mia.” she said with a little smile.

“Well, come on in. Mia, you can set up in here.” She said, gesturing to the dining room. Mia carried her cases in and set them on the floor. “Girls, Emm is up in here room. If you want to carry your dresses up there now you can. We have coffee on, and breakfast is on the buffet.”

Emm apparently heard them and came rushing down the stairs. She was wearing her pajamas. She flew into Ingrid’s arms. “Ingrid.” she said, then gave here a quick peck on the lips. “I’m so freaking out.” she said, her voice dripping with anxiety. She turned and hugged Katrina. “Hey honey, I”m so glad you are here.” Emm looked around. “Where’s Mia?”

Mia piped up from the dining room. “I”m in here.” She said, then poked her head around the corner. “Hello, bride to be.”

Emm rushed over and gave Mia a hug. “Thank you so much for coming.” She said. “I can’t believe you volunteered to do this for free.”

Mia smirked. “Well, its not exactly free. Ingrid paid for the first class tickets, is putting me up at her place...” She grinned at Ingrid. “...And promised me a raging after party.”

Emm hugged her tight. “Thank you.” She said, then turned and smiled at Ingrid.

People were milling around all through the house, in various stages of wakefulness and the atmosphere was crazy.

Emm turned to the girls and stage whispered. “I would kill for a cigarette right now.”

Mia laughed. “Well, I want one too before I get started. And after we do your make-up and hair you are not going to get another chance for a several hours, so let’s do it.” She said.

Katrina piped up. “I’m in.” She looked at Ingrid with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m good.” Ingrid said, smiling.

The three girls headed outside, so Mia made her way into the kitchen.
“I heard there was coffee?”

Amanda was standing at the buffet, sipping her own cup. “That there is.” she said, then poured a cup for Ingrid. “Black right?”

Ingrid nodded then took the cup. “Danke.” she said.

Amanda looked at her for a moment, then put down her cup. She walked over and placed her hand on Ingrid’s. “Ingrid honey.” she started. “I...I know when I first met you. After you...” She struggled for words.

“Transitioned.” Ingrid said over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Right. Transitioned.” Amanda said, smiling with relief at being rescued. “I was a little harsh. I didn’t mean to be, I just didn’t understand, I guess.” She looked embarrassed. “I was being judgemental and not taking things into account. So much of your story came out in the media, and you were so brave. I don’t think I could have gone through that. And look at you.” she said, smiling at her. “You turned out so beautiful. I can’t even imagine you being a man.”

Ingrid chuckled. “I know. I can’t either.”

Amanda looked like she was fighting back tears. “You have been so good to Emily. You’ve given her so much and never asked anything in return.” Amanda said, her eyes going to the simple Claire’s Boutique silver BFF heart Ingrid wore around her neck. “I mean, we could never hope to afford that wedding dress you got for her.”

“I couldn’t either.” Ingrid said laughing. “Vera owed me a favor.”
Ingrid took her hand. “Emm means the world to me, Ms. Vandiveer. She saved my life. I owe everything I am to her.”

The tears that Amanda had been fighting finally broke free. She smiled at Ingrid then gave her a hug. She broke the embrace, then looked around wiping her eyes. “Where is Emily? Smoking I bet.” she said, sounding disgusted. “You kids know that is horrible for you.”

Ingrid laughed. “Spoken like a true mom.”

Amanda smiled at her. “We need to look out for you girls.”

Ingrid nodded. “I know.”

As soon as Mia, Katrina and Emm came back into the house, Mia started getting her stuff ready to work on everyone. She arranged all the tools of her trade around the dining room table. “Alright, Emm. You are up first.” She said, gestruing to the chair.

Emm sat down. Amanda, Katrina and Ingrid were standing near the door watching. Mia pulled off her sweater and tossed it on a chair, revealing her full sleeve tattoos. Amanda got a really worried look on her face, which made Ingrid giggle.

Mia got to work on Emm’s hair. She put in curlers first, lots of small one to add even more ringlets to Emily’s long blonde hair. When she was finished she stood back and admired the work. “Ok. Now, make-up.” she said.

The Emm’s phone rang. Emily pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Sheila.” she said. “Hello.”

Emily listened for a minute. Her facial expression changed. “What?”
She said, sounding flabbergasted. “No. I”m not going to do that.”

The tension in the room shot up a notch. Everyone looked at each other.

“NO. That is such bullshit!” Emily said, her face turning bright red, tears began to detatch from her eyelashes and run down her cheeks. “Why are you waiting...” She started. She looked like she was going to scream. “No. Ok, fuck you.” Emily said, then hung up the phone. She sat there for a second, everyone stunned. Then put her face in her hands and started to cry.

Amanda rushed to her. “What’s going on, baby?”

Ingrid rushed to her other side. Mia just stepped back and stood next to Katrina.

“She...” Emily started. “She said she was not going to be a bridesmaid if some boy was going to be my maid of honor.” She struggled to get the words out around her tears.

Ingrid’s blood turned to ice. She could see Mia’s expression harden. Ingrid felt horrible, like she’d ruined everything. “I’m so sorry, honey.” Ingrid said.

Emily shook her head. “No. It’s not your fault. She’s being a bitch.” She turned to her mom. “Sorry mom, but it’s true.”

Amanda shook her head. “No, I fully agree.” She rubbed Emily’s back. “Well, we will just have to be one bridesmaid short.”

Emily tried to straighten up, but it took a while. Her sobs shook her body. Eventually, she was able to calm down. She looked at Ingrid. “I’m so sorry, Ingrid. That bridesmaid dress cost a fortune.” She said.

Ingrid just shrugged. “It’s ok.”

“No...It’s not ok. She didn’t need to do this crap. Now I’m one bridesmaid short and...” She looked over at Katrina, then a little smile crossed her face. “Unless...Could you wear that dress, Katrina?”

Katrina looked flabbergasted. “Me?”

Everyone looked at her. She was about the same height as Sheila, 5’6”, and roughly the same build.

“It won’t fit.” Katrina said.

“I can make it fit.” Mia said, smiling.

Katrina looked at them all, then grinned. “always a bridesmaid...”

They all laughed.

“Ok. Emm. Let’s go have a cigarette and get you calmed down. Mrs. Vandiveer, can you make some tea? I need the tea bags for her eyes, since she’s gone and gotten them all puffy.” Mia said, pulling Emm outside.

A few minutes later, Mia was working on Emm again, pulling her hair out of the curlers. Emm had the tea bags on her eyes, and it seemed to be working. Mia pulled them off and appraised them. “Alright, a little caffeine has done the trick, lets get going.” She said, grinning. She pulled out her airbrush and got to work. “Airbrush make-up is the shit, Emm. It’s the best thing since sliced bread.”
Half an hour later, Emm was done. She looked stunning. “There. You look fantastic, if I don’t say so myself.” Mia said, handing her the mirror.

Emm looked at herself and was floored. Her skin looked flawless. Mia had given her these fantastic eyes, using shades of brown, and had applied false eyelashes about a mile long. She looked like she’d stepped off the cover of Modern Bride magazine. “Wow.” she said. “Thank you so much.” she gave Mia a hug.

“Yeah, yeah. Next.” Mia said with a grin. “Now, go get dressed.”

Emm rushed upstairs.

“Alright Ingrid, you’re up.” she said. “And Mrs. Vandiveer. After you help Emm, get back down here.”

“Me?” She said. “I was going to do my own make-up.” She said, surprised.

“Mrs. Vandiveer. You have a top make-up artist in your house offering to do it for you for free. I’d take her up on the offer.” Ingrid said, grinning.

It didn’t take long to do Ingrid or Katrina’s make up. They were going for a natural look, using the same pallette as Emm, but played down. They weren’t trying to overshadow the bride.

Brittany showed up just as Katrina was finished. She seemed a little star-struck meeting Katrina for the first time, and was really surprised by Sheila backing out like she had. She was also a little intimidated, it seemed, by Mia. The intimidation passed quickly and she was under her ministrations. Mia did the same make-up on her she’d done on the other girls while Katrina and Ingrid stepped outside to get a cigarette.

“So.” Brittany said. “Are you friends with Emm...Or did they hire you for today?”

Mia smiled. “Well, I’ve hung out with Emm a few times when she came to New York. I’m friends with Katrina and Ingrid, so I know her by association.”

“Oh. Ok.” Brittany said. “Are you a professional make-up artist?”

Mia nodded. “I am. Have been for about three years now. Dropped out of college and headed to New York. The rest is history.”

The girls came back in, then headed upstairs to get dressed. Amanda came down stairs to get her make-up done, driven out by the girls giggling and silliness.

Ingrid looked at Emm in the mirror. “You look stunning.” She said, leaning over her shoulder. “I can’t believe you are getting married. I”m so jealous.”

Emm leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you baby. I can hardly believe it myself. And this dress...I feel like a princess.” She said. Emm craned her neck to look at Katrina, who was on the other side of the room getting dressed. “And I have a movie star as a bridesmaid.” She smiled. “It’s crazy.”

“I”m sorry about Sheila. I didn’t want any of this to happen.” Ingrid said, truly sorry about the whole thing.

“Not your problem. Fuck her. She can be such a bitch sometimes. She could have waited for all this until later.” Emm said angrily.

They hugged. “Ok. Well, we need to get downstairs.”

The four girls descended the stairs. Dr. Vandiveer was standing at the bottom of the stairs, wearing his dapper tuxedo, looking up at them. “Well, that is a vision of beauty.” he said, taking Emily into an embrace. “And you girls...Stunning.” he said, hugging each of them.

Amanda came out of the dining room. Emily’s smile widened. The make-up job Mia had done took ten years off her. Dr. Vandiveer looked over and had to do a double take.

“Wow.” he said. “You must be Emily’s big sister.”

Amanda blushed then gave him a hug.

“Who did your make-up?” He asked.

Mia was walking out of the dining room then. Dr. Vandiveer looked at her for a moment, not sure what to make of the tall, tattooed girl with fire engine red hair.

“Mia, this is my husband. Dr. Martin Vandiveer.” Amanda said, introducing them. “Mia is Katrina and Ingrid’s personal stylist. She came down and did all our make-up, and Emily’s hair.”

He smiled, chiding himself internally for snapping to judgement. “Well, she is truly a professional.” he said, holding out his hand.

She shook it. “Thank you Doctor. I had good canvasses to work on.” She said, then scooped up her biker jacket and purse. “And if you excuse me, I’m going to step outside for a minute.”

“Well.” He said. “It’s almost show time. Emily, you are riding with us. Girls, are you riding together?”

Ingrid nodded. “I drove my car. Katrina and Brittany are going to ride with me. Mia is going to load up her stuff in the rental car and take it back to the house. She’ll change clothes there, then come to the wedding since she’s not part of the wedding party and doesn’t have to be so early.” Ingrid said.

“Ok. Sounds like a plan.” He said, “I’ll help Mia load her things.”

The scene at the church was frantic. The whole wedding party was being rushed around, all the while trying to keep the bride and groom from seeing one another. Ingrid came out of the bathroom and ran into Bradley. He’d shaved and was looking very good in his black Tux.

“Hi.” he said, hugging her.

“Hello, darling.” Ingrid said, squeezing him tight. Memories of last night flooding back. “You are looking good this morning for someone who got very little sleep.”

He grinned at her. “So are you. You look stunning.” he said, then kissed her on the lips.

“Careful with my lipstick. Mia will kill me if I mess it up.” She said, grinning. They walked together around the corner. Mark was standing in the doorway to one of the Sunday school classrooms. He looked sharp in his uniform. The Army had been good for him. He stood up straighter, carried himself more confidently. The tan beret and Ranger tab on his shoulder showed he had definitely adapted to the Army way. The Combat Rifleman medal and Purple Heart showed that he was walking the walk, so to speak.

“Mark.” Ingrid said. “I am tempted to steal you away from Emily.” she said with a grin. He gave her a hug. His chest felt like it was made of stone.

“Thanks, Ingrid.” He smiled at her. “I”m sorry about the whole mess with that girl.” He said, referring to Sheila the way he usually did, preferring not to say her name.

Ingrid smiled. “No worries, love.”

She squeezed Brad’s hand. “I gotta go. See you out there.”

The service was beautiful. Emily made a beautiful bride. Ingrid felt so special standing there as her Maid of honor. She looked out across the crowd and recognized so many people from school, it was a little strange, but she didn’t let it get to her. She gave a little wave to Uncle Fred and Aunt Janet, who were sitting a few rows back. Mia had slipped in and was sitting near the back of the church.

The reception was being held next door to the church in the Knights of Columbus hall. After getting pictures made for what seemed like a thousand years, Ingrid and the girls made a bee line for the gazebo to get a cigarette. It was really cold outside, and even in their coats, it was too cold to smoke so they headed into the hall.
The reception went well. No one got so drunk they made fools of themselves, which counted in Ingrid’s book as a major victory. The only thing of real note, that all of them would laugh about for years, happened to Mia.

Mia was standing near the bar enjoying a glass of champagne. Lawrence Fincher, I know that guy keeps turning up like a bad penny, walked up to her and started trying to chat her up. He told her she looked like Katt Von Dee or something, and thought that was really sexy. She smiled and tried to be polite, but was giving him the brush off. He didn’t get the message though, since he was sure that all girls loved him. After all, he was the captain of the football team in high school, so all girls must love him. She gave him the silent treatment after his initial attempts, so he tried another tack. He noticed Ingrid standing over by Emily talking. He pointed her out.

“She’s not really a girl, you know. I went to school with him. Crazy, huh?” Lawrence said.
Mia looked at him. “Of course I know.” she said.

He looked soft of taken back. “Well, yeah. I guess most people know that now. It’s just hard to believe anyone would want to do that, you know?”

Mia smirked at him. “I completely understand.” she said.

“I don’t. I mean, I can totally tell though. He never fooled me. I can spot a tranny from a mile off.” He said, sounding full of bravado and very proud of himself. “Anyway, I didn’t catch your name, baby.” he said, throwing Mia that smile that had made the prom queen wet.

“Jeremiah.” she said, holding out her hand. “But you can call me Mia.”

He too her hand and started to respond before it sunk in. “You mean...” he started.

Mia nodded and grinned.

He turned and walked off, looking very, very confused.

Brittany caught the bouquet, which made her incredibly happy. The lovebirds left, off for their honeymoon, in Mark’s truck, which had been severely desecrated by Brad and his friends, covered in shaving cream and festooned with cans.

Ingrid stopped to talk to Brad before she headed home. “Hey honey. My house, one hour. Be there or be square.” she purred, then kissed him on the lips.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” he said, then kissed her again.

The girls went back to Ingrid’s place and changed into more comfortable clothes to get ready for the party. Twenty or so people showed up within the hour and the party was in full swing by eight o’clock. By ten, the old folks had left and the young people started partying in earnest. Ingrid was very drunk by eleven. Several guys tried to hit on Katrina and Mia, but they deflected all their advanced. Finally, around one in the morning, the party was breaking up. The girls headed off to their bedrooms, and Ingrid dragged Bradley upstairs to her suite. She was pretty wasted, but it had made her horny. She could hardly wait until they were in the room to start making out with him.

Ingrid and Brad made out for a while, enjoying the spark of their new relationship. They went through every permutation of oral sex, taking their time, not rushing it. Ingrid was aching to be fucked, after having her cock sucked and her ass rimmed. She’d done the same to him, and was hoping that he would give it to her soon.

“I want you to fuck me.” Brad said, grinning at her.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Ingrid said, then started to straddle him.

“No, baby. I mean. I want you to fuck me.” He said, then stroked her cock a few times.

“Oh.” she said, then grinned. She’d only had sex twice when she was doing the fucking, and both those times had been years ago with Emily. “I think I can.” she said.

She lubed him up good, then lubed up her cock. It was about as hard as it could get, but it was still not rigid. It took some work to get it inside him, but once she did, it felt very good. She pumped away while he moaned and gritted his teeth. It didn’t take very long before he came, a couple of minutes really. Ingrid was still a long way from cumming herself.

Bradley, being young and virile, didn’t lose his hard on because he came. So he rolled her over and gave her a good, hard fuck. She was screaming and tearing at the sheets with her fingernails before he was done.

Later, sated, they curled up together and fell asleep in one another’s arms. This time, he didn’t have to leave in the middle of the night.

Ingrid woke up in Bradley’s arms the next morning. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was already after eleven. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep, hoping the pounding in her head would go away. Bradley woke up around the same time and managed to actually drag himself out of bed. She heard him stumble into the bathroom, which made her realize just how much she had to go. So, her head protesting, she got out of bed and wandered over to the bathroom. Bradley was standing up urinating when she walked into the bathroom. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. Ingrid shifted from foot to foot, doing a very sedate version of the pee pee dance. When Brad was done, she zipped over, pulled down her panties and sat down. Brad chuckled.

“You never pee standing up, do you?” he asked, leaning against the vanity.

Ingrid grinned at him. “I do sometimes.” she said. “Rarely, but sometimes. It doesn’t seem natural though.” She laughed.

Brad walked out into the bedroom. Ingrid stood up and checked her reflection in the mirror. It was hard to see, and she realized she didn’t have her contacts in and wasn’t wearing her glasses. She pulled her glasses off the counter and put them on. She was, as she suspected, a wreck. Her hair was sticking up all over and her make-up was smeared.
“I look like a supermodel, don’t I dear.” She said, then struck a pose next to the door.

Brad laughed. “Actually. Yes. A bit dishevelled, but still amazing.” he said.

She grinned at him, then walked over and gave him a kiss. “Thank you. You are very sweet.” she said, then took a brush to her hair. “Go downstairs and put on coffee, honey. Please.” she said.

“Ok.” he said, pulling on his pants. “On my way.”

She walked into the bathroom and washed her face, getting off the make-up she left on last night, then headed back into the bedroom to get on some clothes. She settled on a pair of fleece pants and a tee shirt, then went down to the kitchen.

Katrina and Mia were sitting at the kitchen table with Brad when she got down there. “Good morning.” she said, taking a seat. Brad had already poured her a cup of coffee. “How are you all this morning?”

Katrina smiled, but it looked painful. “My head is killing me. I think Mia was trying to induce alcohol poisoning on me last night.”

Mia laughed, then clutched her own head. “I think we all had a little too much last night.”

“I feel fine.” Brad said, smirking at them. If looks could kill, Bradley Worthington would have been dead on the spot. “And on that note...I should scoot. I need to go back to my dorm and grab my bag. Then I’m supposed to be at the parent’s house by two.” He stood up and kissed Ingrid. “Thanks for a great time, hon.”

“I’’ll walk you out.” She said.

“No need.” He said. “You have coffee with the girls. I know they are flying out today. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ok, darling.” She said, smiling at him. “Call me later?”

“Sure thing. It was really nice meeting you both.” He said to Mia and Katrina. “Hope to see you again soon.”

They said their goodbyes and Brad was out the door.

Ingrid lit a cigarette and leaned back in her chair, smiling.

“Look at her. That girl’s in love.” Mia said, grinning.

“Yep.” Katrina said. “And we could hear all the love coming out of that room last night.”

Ingrid blushed. “Shit, we were that loud?”

Both girls laughed. “Sure where.” Mia said. “I thought you had a porn playing in there at first, then realized it was you two.”

Ingrid hid her face in her hands. “Sorry.” she said.

“Nothing to be sorry for. I wouldn’t kick him out of bed either.” Katrina said.

“Well...” Ingrid said, changing the subject. “We all need to get motivated. You guys have planes to catch.”

The girls finished their coffee then went about getting their stuff packed and cleaning up. Ingrid was sad to have to say goodbye. She hugged Katrina tight. “See you in a week, hon.” she said.

“Yes maam. I’ll see you at home. I’ll send you pictures from sunny California.” she said, then stuck out her tongue.

“Thanks Mia.” Ingrid said. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“It was great.” she said. “I’m going to be in LA for the next month, so I won’t see you before you head out to Berlin. So, I guess next time we see each other will be once I get there.”

“Yep. I’ll see you in Berlin in January. Have fun in LA LA land.” Ingrid said, then gave her a hug.

The girls walked out and loaded their bags in the rental car. Then, with a last wave, they drove off. Ingrid stood in the doorway for a minute, then turned and walked back into the house. She strolled through the living room, noting that it was a horrible mess and she would have to get the maid to come in early, since she had no intention of cleaning this up.

“Well, it will have to wait until after Christmas.” she said, then mounted the stairs up to her bedroom where she intended to get a few more hours of sleep before getting ready to head over to her Aunt and Uncle’s house for Christmas Eve.