Rene Auclair stared at the card.

The last two years were difficult. The pandemic triggered a new business model for the company. Working from home, there is little work related human interaction. Some enjoy these changes. For me, having replaced Darren Rogers as Networking Director in the middle of the pandemic has been hard. I’ve never met in person with some of my subordinates.

Jan Michel

His boss, who he never met, thought he was a girl. Rene avoided video meetings with excuses. People did not need to see him or his home.

After working at home for a month or two, zoom requests dwindled to none. As a network engineer, he programmed routers, switches and firewalls. With attrition and new employees, he was the most senior traffic cop in the company. Intimate knowledge made him a key resource whenever things failed. He kept the bad guys out while locking out idiots who brought their laptops to a company location to try to infect his network. People did not need to see him. Define the problem and let him work.

Kimberly asked, “Rene, did you get Ms. Michel’s Christmas card?”

“Oh god, her name is Jan. At work you refer to people by their name.”

“Fine. Did you get the card?”

“Yes.”

Kim gushed, “Mind and Body is the best salon. Rich socialites go there. Salon days cost 600 to 800 dollars.”

Rene questioned, “800 dollars?”

“It’s an all-day adventure. Brides go for wedding day preparation. Walking out, you’ll be beautiful. We should meet for a drink that night.”

Staring at his computer, Kim thinks he is a girl? Rene realized that since Jan arrived, he was the only male left in networking. Was Jan only hiring females? What happens when she finds out I’m male?

Kim said, “I’m scheduled at the Franklin location.”

“I’m at Raytown.”

“I went to Franklin when my cousin got married. They pamper you and really make you feel special.”

A salon day, an entire day immersed in femininity.

Rene looked in his top dresser drawer deep in thought. The drawer was full of bright colored panties. In the next drawer were camisoles and a few bras. Wearing these things satisfied an inner need.

He dreamed of looking feminine, but he didn’t want to be a girl. He wanted to be beautiful, mostly for himself.

In early high school, his sister Marie practiced makeup skills on him to see how things looked. She said the mirror was misleading. Both knew he enjoyed the game and it was a special time. A year older than Rene, once she started dating, their games stopped.

Rene never stopped. In high school, he had a small chest with a lock where he kept one of Marie’s old bras along with two pair of panties. They were his most precious possessions.

In his closet now, he had a skirt and white blouse that made him look like a secretary or office worker. He had a cotton dress which was fun to wear.

Staring at the ceiling while holding his favorite silk nightgown, he asked himself why he had these feelings. Like Kim, a salon day and makeover was Rene’s dream gift. What was he going to do?”

With a shaggy mop of hair that hadn’t been cut since before the pandemic began, the truth was, he needed a haircut.

Christmas dinner with mother, Marie, her husband Gary, and their two daughters was wonderful. Mom’s sweater seemed like a nice gift for a 29 year old man. His sister gave him homemade candy to satisfy his sweet tooth.

Marie asked, “Are you going to fix up that small house or move to something more in keeping with your financial situation?”

“I think I’ll fix it up. I’m putting money away for a rainy day or my retirement. I’ve actually done pretty well in the market.”

His mother said, “Without a girl, you must be saving a lot. I’d like more grandchildren.” She smirked as Marie laughed.

“Please mom. The pandemic put a dent in my dating.”

Marie said, “You weren’t dating before the pandemic.”

“It didn’t help.” Change topics.

Luckily, Gary stepped in. “How did the upgrades after Thanksgiving work out?”

Thank you Gary. “It went well. We swapped out antiquated switches and redistributed traffic. We locked up external access and installed detection software to identify unapproved equipment hooked to the network. Several higher ups got upset when personal laptops were locked out. My boss was pissed off until I told her that the President’s laptop had four viruses and a major hack that would have taken down our entire network. He didn’t have virus software and wasn’t following any of the required protocols he approved.”

With a glazed look, his mother said, “Sounds really important.” She looked towards Marie with a questioning look. Marie raised her shoulders and shook her head to let her mother know she was lost.

Gary said, “Sounds like you have the right tools. A lady in human resources let her kids try to hook their computers to the work network. It was a nightmare and they almost fired her. Eventually, everyone will realize you are the one keeping them safe.”

After dinner, Marie said, “Gary and I are getting in shape for New Year. We joined a local gym and plan to work on yoga four days a week.”

Gary said, “I’ll be working on the weights.”

Marie asked, “What are your New Year resolutions?”

“I’m thinking about cleaning up my image. I may get my hair cut. I want to be comfortable with myself.”

His mother asked, “What does that mean? Comfortable with yourself?”

“I’ve spent two years only talking to people on the phone. I don’t dress up or worry about what I wear.”

Marie suggested, “You could upgrade your wardrobe. There are great sales after Christmas.”

Laughing, Rene said, “I’ll think about it. We still have upgrades to implement before New Year’s.”

Over the next couple of days, Rene considered his boss’s gift. Kim kept calling and asking what he was doing on New Year’s Eve. “We should make a night of it.”

While Rene thought that would be fun, he doubted that Kim would feel that way once she realized that Rene was a man.

No real woman would want to be with him once they found out his secrets. Where was his life going? It was a lonely existence.

When in public, he expected someone to yell, “That guy has on panties.” Or, “He’s wearing a bra.”

Tuesday, Rene went to the mall where every store was having a sale. Marie was right. He wore a bra which hugged his chest under a dark shirt and winter coat.

In Macy’s, there were skirt suits, pant suits, and dress suits. Wandering through the suits, he was astounded by the clearance prices. A skirt suit in his size in black with miniscule pink pinstripes was 75% off. He found a dark blue dress suit. Two blouses, one in ivory and the other in light pink silk completed his shopping and everything was 75 or 80% off. It was close to five hundred dollars in clothing for less than a hundred. Rene hadn’t bought anything for himself for Christmas. At checkout, no one said anything.

His black patent pumps would match either suit.

Wednesday, Rene stared at his new suits. He had no one in his life to upset. His co-workers lived in other parts of the city and would be going to different salons. Rene decided. For New Year’s, I’m going to change my image. No one sees me working at home. I can wear what I want and no one will see me if I get a new haircut. I can wear my clothes and no one will be the wiser.

He would accept his boss’s Christmas gift and enjoy a day of pampering. He’d be alone, but it would be a dream come true.

His phone rang on Thursday. “Is this Rene Auclair?”

“Yes.”

“I’m from the salon confirming tomorrow’s appointment.”

Feeling trapped, Rene found himself saying, “Oh, yes. That’s me.”

“Kurt from our car service will pick you up at 7:45 tomorrow morning. I have advice.”

Advice? “Go ahead.”

“First, don’t shave your body. It’s part of the service and if you shave ahead of time it actually makes it harder to give you the full treatment. If you notice a few longer hairs, you can trim them but not to less than a quarter inch. Dress for comfort. You’ll be taking it off. No jewelry. That way we avoid issues with lost items.”

“Thank you,” Rene said.

“Any questions?” she asked.

“No.”

“We’ll see you around eight o’clock.”

Staring at the phone, no one knew he decided to go except him, until now. He was committed.

With little body hair due to his heritage, Rene used an electric shaver with the shortest guard on his legs.

He hardly slept. Dressed in Santa panties and yoga pants, his bra gave the impression of small breasts under a camisole and a women’s polo shirt. After trying to do something with his hair, he applied lipstick.

Kurt knocked at 7:45 and did not scream, “You’re not a girl.”

The receptionist explained, “The first thing is body cleanup. We want to deal with body hair issues and get your skin ready for the next phase. There is a robe inside the cubicle. You will lock your things in a locker. The only thing you should have on under the robe is the pair of panties in the new packaging. I will warn you it is a thong, but we want to have access to your skin. No one will see it except you.”

Not being well endowed, the thong stretched to control his male attributes, squeezing them almost flat.

The technician explained, “We wax your legs. If you want a full Brazilian, we will do that and remove hair anywhere in the groin area front and back. The second part of the treatment is an epi-wash to remove any remaining hair below the neck. If you wear the special panties, the process will not affect your groin area or the buttocks. You can just do the epi-wash, but regrowth on legs can return pretty quickly.”

Turmoil showed on Rene’s face. He asked, “Can I get the waxing done only up to mid-thigh? I’m very private.”

“Absolutely. The epi-wash will take care of everything else.”

It was painful, but Rene had dreamed of getting his legs waxed. He controlled the first few screeches and after that became numb to the pain.

To get the full effect, Rene removed the panties for the Epi-wash. Rene stepped into the machine nude with no one in the room and closed the cover around his neck. The technician operated things and soon, a hairless Rene was being rinsed off with warm water.

A mud bath and facial followed. “These processes will open your pores and ensure your skin is totally clean. A shower followed. He retrieved his bra.

A forty-five minute body massage never went near his privates and worked around the bra. It felt like every muscle in his body had been loosened up. He lay on the bench for fifteen minutes in a semi-sleep to recover. The masseuse said nothing about his body.

After the massage and a half an hour in a sauna, Rene was given a shower cap and rinsed off in a special shower.

In bra and panties, Rene put on a smock which hung to his knees. In a small lounge, he consumed a fresh salad with lobster chunks and a small glass of white wine. Several tables were occupied by individuals who all seemed subdued, but terribly relaxed. Everyone was in their own world.

Moving into the salon, a bubbly woman slightly older than himself introduced herself. “I’m Kennedy. How was your morning?”

“Wonderful. My entire body seems alive.”

Kennedy said, “It’s been a while since you had your hair styled?”

Chuckling to himself, he said, “Forever. I work from home. We’ve continued, since the pandemic. No reason to worry about how I look.”

“Do you have a specific style or look you wanted?”

Smiling, Rene answered, “I don’t. I am open to suggestions. I’d like something easy to care for and I don’t want something edgy. I’m just your everyday worker bee.”

Kennedy was running her fingers through Rene’s hair and looking him in the face. “Have you ever thought about curls? Not tight curls but wavy curls. Your hair isn’t that long, but I think I can bring out a look that will compliment your face. It will be easy to care for and certainly different than what you’ve been doing? Let me show you a picture.”

Opening a magazine, Kennedy showed a beautiful woman with large wavy curls. Rene thought, if I need to, I can just put on a hat to flatten it out. This was certainly going to be a new image. “I never considered that, but let’s do it.” He wondered, have I lost my mind?

Kennedy took a quick picture for before and after comparison.

After a scalp massage along with shampoo and conditioner, he was back in her chair. Kennedy said, “I’ll cover the mirror so you’re surprised by the result?”

For Rene, it was probably better to be surprised. “Sure. That will be fun.”

Kennedy talked as she worked. Two women worked on his hands and feet. The foot massage was just a bonus after his earlier massage. The women chattered and Rene kind of zoned out as he enjoyed this once in a lifetime adventure.

The nail technician suggested, “Pearl is a great New Year’s color.”

Rene nodded.

Kennedy asked, “What kind of work do you do?”

“Networking. Information technology. I’m on a computer all day long, typing away, keeping the company safe from the outside world.”

“Interesting,” she said.

After a short amount of snipping, Kennedy put his hair in curlers. Rene had never been to a salon and everything was new. This was what women of leisure did to get pretty.

There were curlers, liquid, waiting, rinsing, drying, liquid, waiting, rinsing and drying.

While he waited, Kennedy stated, “It looks like you had your ears pierced but the holes closed up.”

Thinking fast Rene said, “I haven’t had a lot of need for earrings while working at home.”

Kennedy declared, “We’ll remedy that problem.”

A machine was moved over to the side of his chair. He had used a needle and ice cube to pierce his ears during the pandemic. Why would they need a machine?

Kennedy instructed, “Hold still.”

She pulled his ear, rubbed some liquid, and there was a quick sting. She rubbed some more liquid and the stinging subsided. Then, she was on the other side.

Rene asked, “Why the big machine? Don’t they just poke a hole and insert starters?”

Shaking her head, Kennedy explained, “We don’t do that anymore. This laser creates a hole and cauterizes it immediately. There no scarring and the hole never closes up. It’s the newest thing.”

Holes in my ears forever. That’s a new image. Lots of guys have earrings. Now, I’m one of them.

Kennedy asked silly questions which distracted him from what was happening as she removed curlers and began additional shaping his hair.

The nail technician said, “All done. What do you think?”

Rene had not been focused and saw his toes separated by some foamy material. His toes were a shimmering pearly color with a stark white tip across each. He smiled to himself. Glancing at his hands, his face showed surprise. They had been manipulating his hands and he had all but ignored them. Looking at his fingers, the nails seemed a little longer than normal. They extended just past the tips of his fingers. The nails were the same pearly color with white tips. He had French tipped nails.

The technicians were worried, “Do they look okay?” she asked.

“They are beautiful,” he said. “Thank you.” He had no idea what else to say. This was certainly a new image.

Kennedy said, “Your eyebrows have gone a little feral. I’m going to clean them up.”

Concerned, Rene said, “I’m not into thin brows.” He’d never be able to cover that up.

“I’ll clean up the edges, trim the length and give it a professional look. You’ll love it.”

While he didn’t have much facial hair, Kennedy used small wax strips to cleanup his upper lip and chin along with a few stragglers on his face.

A light foundation was used and Kennedy began applying makeup. Rene tried to pay attention to learn to do things himself.

“How will I replicate what you do when I get home?” Rene asked.

“Your package includes all makeup used today.”

Finishing the lipstick, Kennedy stepped back and smiled. “I was worried at first because you didn’t seem to use a lot of product, but I didn’t use that much and you are beautiful.”

As he looked to the covered mirror, Kennedy placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hold on, one more surprise.” Kennedy handed Rene an envelope.

The card read,

It occurred to me that all my girls were getting beautiful for New Year’s Eve and maybe they hadn’t planned anything. In the envelope are two tickets for the Burlington Arms Annual New Year’s Eve party at the penthouse restaurant. Come alone or bring a friend. I have reserved tables for our department. I want to get to know you all better or in some cases finally meet you.

Jan

Rene tried to absorb the note.

Kennedy smiled. “I’m going to show you what you look like and then we’ll visit the boutique.”

“Close your eyes.”

Rene closed his eyes. His new image, if only for the weekend. Ever since those sessions with his sister, he wanted to be beautiful. Would he still see the boy, Rene?

Kennedy said, “Open your eyes.”

Rene sucked in his breath with eyes wide. There was a knockout woman in the mirror. Rene looked right and left to make sure there was not someone else in the area before looking back at the mirror. A perfect face with eyes that pulled you in. Luscious lips and her hair was curly and beautiful. His hand came up to his mouth and he saw the nails in the mirror. Exquisite.

“Don’t you start crying,” Kennedy said in a kidding tone.

Rene looked to Kennedy and back to the mirror.

There were shiny earrings that looked like diamonds in his ears. In his wildest dreams, he had never considered that he would be this beautiful, this feminine.

The boutique featured fancy dresses appropriate for high-end parties or dinners.

Rene, Kennedy and Caroline, the saleswoman, were alone in the store. Rene fingered dresses and dreamed of what it would be like to wear them. This was getting out of hand. He couldn’t go to a fancy dinner party with co-workers.

Caroline asked, “Is there something which catches your fancy?”

Rene answered in a shaky voice, “Everything catches my fancy. I’ve never worn clothes like these. I won’t look right in these dresses.”

Caroline laughed. “Girl, I could make you look wonderful in almost any dress. You have great legs. Why don’t we look for something knee length? You look like a twelve or fourteen.”

“Yes, probably fourteen. I haven’t been keeping in shape.”

“Hogwash,” Caroline said. “What do you think of this black dress?”

Rene stared at the dress. He didn’t have the figure to wear it.

Caroline said, “We’re going to try things on. We’ll take pictures and you can see how a third person might perceive you.”

Rene was in a dressing room wearing a bra, panties and a salon smock. He couldn’t run and these two women wanted him to try on a dress. It was another dream, but he was still trying to absorb how he looked after the makeover.

The black dress fit in the body but was loose up top.

Caroline said, “Step out here so we can see it.”

They would know he had no chest.

Kennedy was at the door. “Do you need help?”

Rene sucked in a breath and opened the door.

Kennedy smiled. “Cute.”

Caroline had him stand in front of a three mirror panel. She had him turn left and right as she tugged on the dress and felt around the shoulders and sides of the chest.

Smiling, Caroline said, “This isn’t right for you. I have a better choice.”

The next choice was a wrap dress. It fit differently and his chest was not as much of an issue. Rene found himself going in and out of the dressing room. Each time a picture or two was taken. It started to get fun. Time flew by.

Eventually, Caroline returned with a huge smile on her face. In her arms was a silver dress with sequins. It was knee length on the left and dropped to mid-calf on the right. It hugged his figure but did not highlight the lack of chest.

Exiting the dressing room, both women smiled. Caroline stated, “This is the dress. Let’s try something.” She asked, “What size bra do you wear?”

“38A,” Rene answered.

On her return, Caroline handed Rene two nude pieces of material. Smiling, she said, “A woman’s best friends. Spanx and a silky slip. Try them on and then put the dress back on. First replace your bra with this.

‘This’ was the most feminine white bra encrusted with lace that Rene had ever seen. Included was a matching panty. They seemed like something a bride would wear for her wedding.

The panties were heavenly and seemed to cover and control his special parts. The padded bra made him feel very feminine while giving him more of a chest.

The Spanx fit from high thigh to just below the bra and smoothed out his bumps while creating a smaller waist. The slip slid easily on his now smooth body.

The silver dress seemed to float. It was luxurious.

Looking at shoes, everyone agreed on a pair of silver gladiator sandals that highlighted his toes and wrapped around his calves. The heel was slight and Rene did not feel like he would break a leg.

Kennedy handed Rene a silver clutch that matched the dress.

Rene posed in front of a display, a wall and on a couch as several pictures were taken.

With hair, the dress, shoes and everything, Rene felt totally feminine. This was not an image he could have ever imagined. Caroline forwarded all the pictures to him.

Kennedy escorted him to his locker.

Rene asked, “Should I change?”

Kennedy was perplexed. “Rene, your ride is here. You don’t have time to change clothes.”

Rene and Kennedy placed his clothes in a bag with the salon’s name on it. He emptied his personal items into the purse. Kennedy laughed at his money clip. She placed purse versions of his makeup in the clutch along with a silk handkerchief. A second bag held the cosmetics.

Kennedy suggested, “Don’t forget to touch up your lipstick. You’ve been holed up at home and may be out of practice.”

Rene laughed.

At reception, Kurt took Rene’s bags.

Kurt asked about his day. Rene said, “It was wonderful.” Other questions were asked before the car came to a stop.

Rene looked out the windows. “This isn’t my house.”

“No mam. This is the Burlington Arms. It’s just before eight o’clock and the party is starting. There is dinner and dancing before midnight. I came to the party last year. It is great. You’ll have a wonderful time. Here is my card. Call me. I’ll be waiting to take you home.”

“You’re here for me all night?” Rene asked.

“Yes mam. You’ll be one of the most beautiful women there. Enjoy.”

A doorman opened the car door, offering Rene a hand. Cars were lining up behind them. Rene took the hand, swung his legs together and stood from the car.

Operating on instinct, Rene walked slowly.

The doorman said, “Elevator is on your right mam. Have a nice evening?”

He showed his ticket. “Your group is along the windows facing downtown. Have a nice night.”

Rene had no intention of going near people from work. He needed a drink.

What would happen if he ran into anyone he knew? His eyes drifted to the mirror behind the bar. Hell, he didn’t recognize himself.

He sipped white wine.

The women at the company tables were all beautiful. Due to many new hires, he had never worked with any of them in person.

Rene needed a restroom. Would women see through his disguise? It didn’t matter.

At the mirror, Rene stared at himself. It was unbelievable. He touched up his lipstick, more for the experience than a need.

A blonde wearing a little black dress that highlighted her generous chest refreshed her own lipstick.

Rene said, “I love your dress.”

“Thank you. It was a gift.”

Rene chuckled, “Lucky girl. He’ll want a special reward.”

She shook her head. “It’s not like that. It was a gift from work.”

Rene was on alert. “Work?”

“My boss paid for a spa day and bought the evening dress for tonight’s party. I didn’t have a date for tonight and my only friend from work, I can’t find.”

Rene needed to get out of here. He felt horrible. “I hope you find them.”

She said, “I appreciate your compliment of my dress, but girl, you look like a supermodel.”

“Thank you.” Rene nodded and left.

Wandering aimlessly towards the bar, he bumped into a woman and they both stumbled. Picking up the woman’s purse, he handed it to her. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“No problem. I wasn’t paying attention. Your dress is beautiful. I wish I could pull off that look. You’re a knockout.”

“Why thank you,” Rene responded with a laugh and a smirk. “Where’s Gary?”

“He’s with Max and Laura.” Suddenly, Marie stopped and stared.

Rene realized his mistake and turned to escape. “Rene? What the hell?”

Stepping close, he whispered in a pleading tone, “Please, Marie. Don’t.”

Staring at this beautiful woman, where was her brother? Seeing fear in her eyes, Marie took a deep breath and nodded. “When you said change your image for the New Year, this is not what I expected.”

“I know,” he whispered.

“Rene, are you here with a date?”

“No. It’s complicated.”

Rene’s phone rang. Holding up a finger, he answered.

“Someone called your name. Why didn’t you come to our tables?” Rene glanced around.

“Kim, I’m leaving.”

“Where are you?”

Leaning close, Marie said, “The main bar.”

Rene exclaimed, “Marie?”

With the phone back at his ear, the call was dead.

“No way!”

Looking left, Rene saw the blonde from earlier. His eyes closed as his shoulders sagged.

With a smirk, Marie said, “Rene, introduce me.”

“I’m Kim. Rene and I work together.”

“Marie, I’m Rene’s older sister. We ran into each other unexpectedly.”

Kim embraced Rene. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t come.”

Rene hugged back. “Why?”

“You’re my best friend. I’ve been dying to see you in person.”

“I feel the same way. I was scared when I met you earlier.”

The two of them were staring into each other’s eyes.

Marie said, “Well ladies, I’ve got to get back to my husband. Rene, we’ll talk tomorrow.”

Kim said, “Let’s get a drink.”

“I don’t know other employees like I know you,” Kim stated.

Rene said, “I don’t know any of them other than on the phone. You’re the only one I talk to every day.”

“There is something special about you, Rene.” Kim seemed to be leaning into Rene and constantly touching his hand.

When a popular song came on, Kim said, “Let’s dance.”

After five songs, Rene said, “I need a break.” Chatting, Kim told about her family and asked about Marie.

Grabbing food, they ate away from the work group. Conversation came easily, just like on the phone. Rene wished he could have this relationship with a girl. Well, with a girl when he was a man instead of a girl. His mind was turning to mush. Kim brought more drinks. He needed to be careful.

As a slow song started, Kim wrapped her arms around his neck and they danced. Rene loved holding her. More dancing and drinking followed with more slow dances.

At midnight, they drank champagne toasting the New Year. All around, couples were kissing.

Kim inched close, staring him in the eye and wrapped her arm around his head as she kissed him. Rene’s arms encircled Kim and pulled her into himself, kissing her back.

Separating for a second, he stared into her sparkling eyes before diving back in for a long intimate kiss.

Kim whispered, “Hey beautiful, you’re coming home with me.” Fear of exposure and ridicule rose. Feeling him tense, her arms pulled him tight. Her tongue explored his ear. “As your friend, I felt comfortable kidding you about the salon day gift, but I love your new image. Of course, we should probably update your LinkedIn picture.”

Kissing again, Rene felt a tear of happiness.

Portia, Virtual Princess
by Daring Diane

Finally logging off, removing the virtual headset, and setting the handset aside, Andy Porter realized how thirsty he was and drained the large water bottle on the table. Taking a deep breath and leaning back in the lounger, he became aware that it was totally dark outside and he searched for his phone to check the time. 1:30 in the morning. He gasped, realizing that he had wasted the entire evening since dinner and none of his homework was done. He had to get up for school in just a little over six hours. After reviewing a few class notes, he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Andy was a gamer and Unreal Earth was his game. When Larry and he originally set up their accounts, as a joke, Andy selected a female avatar with full confidence he could change it at any time in the future. Larry and he spent every waking hour over Labor Day weekend learning the game and playing to understand the strategy and goals. On Monday night, Larry and he joined with several other new players and defeated a huge game boss. All of the people in their group received huge rewards and promotions on the server. Larry was Lars the conqueror and Andy had manipulated his last name Porter to name his female character Portia. It was after their characters had earned a huge reward they learned that changing the character’s gender or type would send it back to the start. Andy laughed and figuring he was stuck with the character in the game. So, he and Larry continued on.

Both of them made significant advances in their characters and they were promoted to land owner positions in a hierarchy similar to the British royalty structure. Once you owned a certain amount of land, you gained titles and when you took over or conquered a titled land you acquired the associated title(s).

The character paths were slightly different since one character was male and the other female. Lars became a land owner and then a knight’s apprentice who worked himself up to being a knight. When Lars’ knight had been defeated in a battle, he was given the opportunity to defend the honor of their master, a Duke. Lars had upended the opponent in three jousts in a row. Lars had ignored many of the other apprentices and taken time out to do in game research which cost time and gold to learn tactics and to practice with the different weapons. It was this research which had given him the strength points and strategy to beat a clearly superior opponent.

At times, Andy found it frustrating to have to follow the path designed for the female characters, but it was clear that as they gained power, they would end up on similar paths to the male characters. Portia had to learn through the research function to perform certain female skills such as cooking or sewing but could use free time to research other skills. While Lars had to spend precious gold won in small challenges, Portia earned gold as gifts for accomplishing tasks in whatever land the character was living. Having talked to Lars and watched some of his success, Portia had researched tactics and learned skills. In the game, these skills were often learned because the female character wooed or convinced a male character to help train them. These teachers were mostly non-player in game characters designed to teach these functions. Portia would repair a garment or feed one of the non-player characters and then learn a skill. At its essence, Lars and Portia spent similar times reaching different levels which appeared to be equivalent.

As with Lars side of the game, opportunities arose. Portia could wear a disguise and learn things by observing the knights and their apprentices. During a research quest, Portia found a full set of armor that surprisingly fit her character. Over the next week, while continuing small quests, Portia earned money and used it to repair and paint the armor red and gold. This along with the research Portia participated in elevated the character to the point that during a weekly joust, the system alerted Andy that Portia would periodically be given opportunities to elevate. If the Duke whose kingdom Portia lived within had his champion lose a competitive joust, other characters who had the qualifications, uniforms, and skills could anonymously challenge the winner to defend the Duke’s honor.

When given the opportunity, Andy had one minute to have Portia don the red armor and offer to defend the Duke’s honor. Portia disguised herself as a red knight and challenged the knight who had defeated the Duke’s champion. When asked her name, Portia said she was the “Red Knight” here to defend the Duke’s honor. Portia successfully defended the Duke and was named the Duke’s champion. Portia continued to protect her identity as the game suggested.

In the cafeteria, Andy joined Larry and opened his milk. Larry asked, “Where did you get that Red Armor? I think it’s stronger than mine.”

“I found it in an abandoned stable. I was on an assist quest where I was helping a stable boy and a knight’s apprentice cleanout a stable they said had been abandoned by a knight who left the kingdom. We could keep anything we found. I found the armor and hid it in my room. Then I used gold to pay to have it repaired. I had to tell the blacksmith character it was a gift for a knight because he said females couldn’t have armor. I paid to have it upgraded by the blacksmith before I had my first battle. The armor kind of looks like a lower grade but it has hidden upgrades which make it much more powerful.” Andy explained.

“When did you have time to do all that?” Larry asked.

“I stayed up until almost 4:30 in the morning on Friday night and then till 3:00 on Saturday night/Sunday morning. My mom barely got me up this morning. I’ve been putting in a lot of hours trying to make sure I keep up with Lars.” Andy said laughing.

Each of them were constantly faced with challenges and tests to ensure they knew the lessons they had learned in quests and research. Lars was tested on weapons and tactics. Basic tests like geography of the game space and people of ranks above and below who he interacted with. Likewise, Portia was tested. Since the Portia character did extra research on weapons and tactics and had now participated in formal duels, Portia was tested on many of the same things Lars was tested on. However, this was only a portion of the test. Portia was also tested on character specific lessons. Recipes and methods for cooking had to be known off the cuff since tests were timed. Sewing and knitting required knowledge of different techniques. A picture would be shown and Andy had to know whether the needle position was for a specific knitting method or used to hem a garment. Andy often found himself holding two pencils with a string or wire tie wrapped around them for each of the different knitting methods. It was stupid, but Lars had to memorize a bunch of things about how to build fires, identifying flint in a bunch of rocks or other useless information.

Portia was gaining fighting experience as well as power from the female character side of the house. Portia was a lady in waiting to the Duchess with much freedom to roam the property. This freedom allowed Portia to learn and participate in more battles. Portia gathered non-player characters with helpful skills as supporters which allowed Portia to have them help with any injuries instead of dealing with doctors.

Lars had to earn a living and go on long quests to maintain his rank. Portia did not have to go anywhere but was constantly presented with household related tasks to learn and memorize. Andy found he knew how to make bread from the recipe through the blending and working the dough as well as time to cook. As Portia added more recipes and more garments to her repertoire, Portia was elevated within the female hierarchy.

These side tasks and memorization for both characters were designed to slow down progress and allow the characters to gather power and money in the game to then further their power. Lars learned how to blacksmith and design different weapons and needed items like wheels or wagons. He could design and build a plow and knew how to plant, manage and harvest a crop. Lars was required to maintain a minimum size farm to sustain his character. Andy often felt like he was in a 200 year old home economics class. Like Lars’ Farm, Portia had to do a certain amount of baking, cleaning, and sewing.

Dinner over, Andy grabbed his plate and several serving pieces to take them into the kitchen.

“Thanks honey. I appreciate that you’ve been helping more around the house. It’s a sign of maturity when you own up to doing your share of the work.” His mother said.

“I just thought I should help clear the table.” Andy said.

“You should. Many young boys act like the food should just show up in front of their face and someone else should prepare and cleanup after them. Then they get an apartment and find out that the kitchen doesn’t provide food without someone in there working on the cooking.” She laughed. “Your father admitted to me that he ate out for the first three weeks after moving into an apartment following college. You are growing up. I’m very excited.”

Andy thought it was silly for his mother to get all excited about helping cleanup the dishes.

The second tier of the system required players to interact using an audio interface. Questions or tests were done using an artificial intelligence system. Lars was expected to use manly phrases and work to deepen his voice. On the other hand, Portia was expected to use certain phrases or terms that the women used. One of the hardest things for Andy was when the system kept telling him to repeat answers or he would lose points for not sounding enough like a lady. If he expected his character to be advanced to the duchess, princess or queen levels, his character had to have certain knowledge and speak a certain way. Slower speech and a breathy voice which sounded kind of sexy were clearly what the system wanted. If the system did not like how something was said, it would replay his statements to allow him to practice until the system found it acceptable. He would not pass the test question, but it told him what was required to pass the next time. The tests cost him money, time and research credits.

Many of the challenge quests allowed Lars and Portia, The Red Knight, to work together. Their characters met and worked with several other players to complete challenges and find hidden treasures. None of them knew that the Red Knight was a woman in the game. It wasn’t important.

On weekends or school days, Larry and Andy would quickly dispense with any homework and spend every free moment playing Unreal Earth.

Andy’s mom called from the kitchen, “Andy, you need to get out and do something with friends. You’ve been locked in your room all weekend.” After staying up until two in the morning Friday night, his mother woke him at nine on Saturday telling him to get the grass cut early before things heated up outside. Pulling on shorts and a t-shirt, Andy polished off a bowl of Cheerios and an hour later the grass was cut. Following a quick shower, he was back in front of his game console with the room darkening shades drawn by 11:30. He texted Larry.

Moments later, Larry joined him and they began questing. Their armor was upgraded and they kept building skills. Larry had to get offline a little after three because his family had to go somewhere. Andy remained with a group they were working with.

The game required Andy to use his character’s voice when talking in-game. His character was awarded a voice changer which gave his character a deep baritone. It seemed silly that Andy had to fake his voice to meet the princess requirements and was then given a voice changer to change his voice back so other characters didn’t know his character was a female. Stupid roundabout challenges like this were the heart of many games. Andy was committed.

At seven thirty, Andy’s mother called him for dinner. After promising to be back shortly, Andy inhaled his dinner and asked to be excused. When asked, “What’s the rush?” Andy answered, “Dad, Larry and I are in the middle of a big challenge and if I’m gone too long, I’ll have to restart and lose several hours of work.”

While it made no sense to his parents, Andy was a good kid who maintained a B-plus grade point average. His father relented, “Take your dishes to the kitchen.”

Andy sprinted back to the computer and he was Portia again. Several of his online friends had taken the pause to get their own dinners and have bathroom breaks. They were in the process of defeating a cave boss inside a huge mountain. Andy noticed Larry had not rejoined them. The group of five attacked the mountain, defeating minions and minor bosses as they made their way to the top. The challenge had been characterized as a major game key and everyone wanted to be there at the end to get the spoils. These were victories that yielded new powers, monetary rewards, enhancements to armor and skills that were found in less than one percent of the challenges. Certain challenges opened limited access to even greater challenges.

Andy lost track of time as he and his team fought one battle after another. If they left, they had to restart the challenge. After what seemed like forever, only Andy and two other team members were still online as Andy dealt the fatal blow to the boss. The screen exploded in light and fireworks. The rewards were more than Andy had seen anywhere in the game. His bank account had more money than he had ever seen in the game and his skills were advanced to a new plateau. Portia gained new powers and he was given a limited time challenge key to super-epic rewards. Andy laughed wondering how they kept creating a new more successful term for everything. Checking his main character statistics, he realized that Portia needed to perform some of her basic maintenance to avoid losing power. He took a deep breath and Portia stepped back from the fight to start baking and sewing. As his basic systems were re-established, Andy realized that he needed to do the super-epic challenge in the next day.

Exhausted, Andy decided he needed a break. “Maybe, I’ll have some ice cream and watch some TV before bed.”

After getting his character safe and secure, Andy logged out of the game. Taking off the headphones and leaning back in his chair, he reached for the curtains and looked out the window. It was totally dark outside, but it was after dinner. Standing, he was walking to the door when he spied the red numbers on his clock, 4:17. Andy stopped moving. It was the middle of the night. How was that possible? He ate dinner about eight hours ago. His mom usually told him to get off the system when she went to bed.

Andy undressed and put on pajamas before quietly using the bathroom and slipping under the covers.

His mother’s knocking and then pulling at the covers dragged him from sleep at 9:30. Apparently, he needed to get dressed for church. By the time they arrived at church, Andy was awake. As services were dismissed, Andy saw Larry in the parking lot.

“Larry, what happened to you?” Andy asked.

“My parents dragged us to a birthday party for my aunt. I had no idea. All these older relatives were there and my mom took Sara and my phones away so we wouldn’t be distracted with our relatives. I had a good time, but we didn’t get home till almost ten o’clock. I talked to Ralph and he said his dad turned off the system and he had to abandon the quest at around 11. I tried to text you but got no response. When did you guys give up the quest?”

Andy’s eyes got brighter, “I didn’t abandon it. Farhan, Quibill, and I beat the boss. You wouldn’t believe all the rewards, it was the biggest haul I’ve ever won. I also got a key to a one on one challenge that I have a limited time to do. Depending on my score, my rewards could go way up.

Dumbfounded, Larry stared at me, “The mountain challenge must be the elusive first level super-boss. Only a few people have won that level. I can’t believe you got there without me. I was in a chat with some other guys and they said the single person challenge is huge. If you beat the challenge, the rewards can include game enhancements or better equipment direct from the company. One guy told me he has a friend that got the Platinum controller set with micro earbuds and microphone. Now, I have to conquer it on my own unless you fail at the challenge. I’ll wait and see how you do.”

Andy was full of himself having beaten the mountain first. “I’m going to try it later today. Don’t plan on me coming back down the mountain a loser.” Andy stated with a laugh.

Larry asked all kinds of questions about the mountain so he would be prepared when he made another assault.

After lunch as his mother watched, Andy cleared the table while chatting with her and loaded the dishwasher before quickly finishing his homework. He explained to his mother” Larry and I have gotten to a major threshold in our new game. We have to work on a challenge which will take several hours. If I stop, I’ll lose all my work. Can you just give me a sandwich or some carrots and celery to munch on for dinner? I won’t be hungry and if I stop, I’ll lose everything.”

Remembering that he helped cleanup after lunch, his mother smiled and agreed to deliver a couple of snacks and a sandwich. These children think their games are more important than the real world. She said, “You have to promise me that tomorrow, you’ll go for a bike ride after school and spend at least an hour outside doing some physical exercise.”

Andy agreed, filled up two water bottles and ran for his room. It was three in the afternoon when he sat down at the game system.

Upon entering the game, Portia had to do some of the domestic dribble that drove Andy nuts. It was easy, but pretending to fold laundry, knitting or sewing seemed more a waste of time. After helping to clean the kitchen, he set the master dining room for a big formal celebration dinner and then told a non-person character he felt under the weather and would be napping for the rest of the day. This allowed Portia to change clothes, sneak out of the castle, and become the Red Knight.

Portia’s character warped to the mountain, no explanation how warping existed in a seemingly feudal time.

After checking that the Red Knight had all the best armor, plenty of food, tools, weapons and enchantments, Andy used the key to begin the solo challenge. Time limit to completion was eight hours. If he didn’t complete the mission in eight hours, he would have to complete the mountain challenge again. The second time around, the rewards would not be as good since he already had them. On the other hand, with the upgrades he earned, defeating the mountain challenge a second time would be a bit easier since he would be a stronger team member.

As with all such games, there seemed to be hundreds of minor bad guys that needed to be killed. When moving from segment to segment, Portia would have to interact with a non-player entity. The game would tell him what to ask, but he had to talk to the entity using his breathy delicate speech otherwise the character did not seem to understand him. Four hours in and Andy’s concentration was broken. He had just conquered another segment and was talking to the non-player entity when something touched his shoulder and he heard giggling.

After ensuring his character was not at risk, he turned to see his mother giggling while trying to pass him a small plate with a sandwich and carrots on it.

“Mom,” he drew it out in a whine using the breathy voice he had been using non-stop for four hours.

Suddenly she was giggling harder, “Why are you talking like that?” she asked.

He shook his head and said, “It is part of some in game thing. I have to talk like that or it won’t acknowledge my voice. It’s stupid, but it is one of the challenges. I have to concentrate. Thanks for the food,” he said as he pushed the sandwich to the side and turned back to the game.

His Mom asked, “How long are you going to do this? You have school tomorrow.”

“The timer on the challenge will run out before midnight. I’ll go right to bed.”

“Okay, no later,” she said as she moved towards the door.

Taking a breath he finished his conversation with the entity and heard his bedroom door close behind him with his mother still giggling. His mind was back in the game and he was immersed. Andy and Larry had played multiple games over the years and it took all his skills to overcome one challenge after the other. When a warning told him that he had only thirty minutes to finish the challenge, Portia pulled out all the stops, risking every weapon and armor in her toolbox.

The super boss was a giant and it seemed that he could only shoot arrows and attack the lower portions of the boss’s body. With ten minutes left, Portia realized time would run out. The boss was down to less than ten percent health, but Portia simply did not have time to overcome the boss.

Something triggered Andy to review the things he had won when they conquered the mountain. He remembered that he had been given a sling and two small rocks. It seemed useless, but in games like Unreal Earth, that usually meant there was a secret. Portia pulled out the sling and the rocks. The boss had an injury on the side of the head from arrow attacks. Maybe, a rock could topple the giant like in the bible. Portia aimed the rock and slung it. The rock struck home but only did 2% damage. Andy checked his potions, pulled out a poison, combined it with the last rock and slung it at the giant. The wound suddenly turned redder, then green and black as the giant collapsed with less than a minute left.

The Red Knight stood there not believing she had beaten the boss. Andy looked around the screen as the timer ran out. Nothing. Suddenly the screen and sound system went totally berserk. Thank God he was wearing headphones. Non-player characters were dancing around on the screen and a message went out to the player world heralding the victory of the Portia over the super boss.

Andy’s money bank jumped, armor and weapon levels jumped. New weapons and storage capabilities were added. A message popped up on the screen, “Portia, please check your in game e-mail for your epic rewards from the developers at Unreal Earth. Congratulations. Take this power, complete your character training for minor royalty and you will now be able to begin gathering land and titles.”

In Portia’s e-mail, was a message, “Dear Portia, Congratulations! You have earned a hardware upgrade from the developers at Unreal Earth. Less than 1 in 100,000 players will ever earn this reward. You are on track to be a world leader. Please confirm your information so we can mail your prize. Part of the prize includes new technology for your torso. You will need to be measured by a local tailor contracted by the company. Once your measurements are delivered, your prize will be completed and sent to your address. ”

Andy verified the address. The system notified him of a store in the business district that he needed to visit. Andy printed out the information, noted that it was now after 12:30 in the morning. He had not eaten his sandwich. After munching on the carrots, he shut things down and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t want to depress Larry, so he avoided discussing the challenge further. Larry assumed Andy had failed. Larry and friends worked on the challenge all of Sunday and never got to the mountaintop.

Monday after school, Andy abandoned his friends and walked into the business district. At the address, he found himself in front of “Frills and Secrets” a store clearly targeted to women. Standing outside staring at the address and down at his piece of paper, Andy had no idea what to do.

“Can I help you? You look lost,” a soft voice asked.

Jogged from his trance, Andy saw a nice young woman holding the glass door open and looking at him with a worried look.

Andy stammered, “I think I got the wrong directions.”

Noticing the piece of paper in his hand, the woman abandoned the door and walked over to his side. She reached for the paper saying, “May I?”

Andy pushed it towards her and she took it.

“Oh,” she laughed. “No, you’re in the right place. I’m Nancy. This company contracts with us to measure people and answer a couple of questions. It’s pretty common. Sometimes guys getting married in another state, get sent to us to get measured and it scares the crap out of them. Come on in side and I’ll get Carla, she’s our tailor/seamstress.”

The store smelled pretty and the lace and white frills were everywhere. It felt like he was entering forbidden land. Nancy led him straight to the back. Near the cash register, she said, “Wait here, while I make sure she isn’t helping someone else.”

Staring at the curtain she had passed through, he was surprised when her head popped out saying come on back.”

She held the curtain and Andy passed into a well-lit room with lots of mirrors and a circular pedestal in the middle of the room.

While Nancy had shoulder length brown hair and was dressed in a form-fitting blue dress highlighting her perfect figure, Carla was short and in her late forties. With more weight than she should be carrying, Carla was also dressed in pants and a flowered blouse. Clearly, Nancy was front of house and Carla was dealing with people who already bought things.

“Hi, I’m Carla. I understand you’re here to be measured. Do you have the sheet they told you to print out?” Carla asked in a confident but no nonsense voice.

Andy handed her the sheet of paper.

Carla said, “Give me a minute to get the form off the computer.”

Andy just stood there while Carla exited and he heard typing and then a moment later a printer shooting out some paper.

She had a smile on her face as she returned. “Listen, I understand that boys are always put out by coming here, but all I’m going to do is take a few measurement. Can you step over here onto this scale?”

Andy put down his backpack and stepped onto the scale.

“138 pounds,” Carla noted. “Slip off your shoes and back against this wall, please”

Andy noted the markings on the wall and kicked off his shoes.

“Five foot, seven inches,” Carla said. “Can you please step up onto the platform? What size shoes do you wear?”

“Size eight,” Andy answered.

Carla noted it and asked, “Do you have any shoes in a European size, like 40, 41, something like that?

“My sandals are a 41,” Andy answered.

“Shoe width,” she asked.

“Regular or medium,” he answered.

Starting at his legs, she measured his inseam, out-seam, waist, hips, rise from bellybutton to crotch, circumference of his ankles, calves, thighs at two points, several torso measurements and similar detail for arms, neck and head.

“This seems very detailed,” Andy said. “For my cousin’s wedding, they only measured my waist, inseam and a couple on my arms and shoulders.”

“I have no idea what or why they need it. I just measure it and they pay us.” She had him create a hand print for both hands, not to get fingerprints but to get size and shape of his hands. She took a front and side picture of him saying, “They don’t get the picture. The photo is processed and they get torso shape and head shape. These are helpful for costume design or certain kinds of head pieces. With our measurements, they can create a computer version of your body to use in manufacturing.”

It was fascinating as he fantasized about working for a high tech company like she was described.

**********

At school, Larry kept complaining that he attempted the mountain and failed time and again. “Why don’t you get online and help me? You have to do it again anyway and with your loot, you should be able to get me over the hump much easier. Both Farhan and Quibel failed that key task and they have been trying to climb the mountain again. Neither one of them seem to know how they got past the last few challenges and keep suggesting you were the one who got them through. Buck up and accept it. Hell, beating the mountain was a huge accomplishment in itself. Let’s do it again.”

Having put his character into private mode, other players could not see when Andy was online. Portia had new tasks to complete. With the new advancements, Portia needed to learn more of the basic tasks about being a lady. Such training was necessary to take on a major title in the game. Several of the modules would not even unlock until he received his prize from the company.

Worn out from several long days over the weekend, Andy had not gotten all of his homework done and spent time trying to get back in his teacher’s good graces. The game time he had was spent learning what was needed for his advancement.

“Larry,” Andy explained, “I blew off school work and had to catch up. My parents were upset I was huddled in the room all weekend. Heck, my mom made me go bike riding for an hour and a half Monday after school because I stayed in all weekend. She threw me out again on Wednesday. I’ll try to get time this weekend to hook up with you.”

Meanwhile, each evening Portia was learning about sewing and crochet. He had to learn the history and be able to report on it in audible interviews with the artificial intelligence modules. Identification of different stitches and methods were reviewed and the system seemed to expect him to perform some manual demonstration at a later time.

There were lessons on the behavior of ladies. Again, Portia had to know that as a low level untitled woman, not quite a lady, she was expected to curtsey to almost anyone. Anytime, she sat down, her skirts needed to be smoothed under her and she had to sit with her knees together while sometimes ankles might be crossed. Perfect presentation was assumed and forgetting to dress appropriately, fix one’s hair or apply makeup was unacceptable. Hands were expected to be clasped in the lap when sitting. It was all a lot of silliness, but Andy had always liked history.

Apparently, every time Portia got promoted, there would be more lessons on behavior and other ladylike behavior. Andy pondered whether the mundane lessons were any better or worse than the male oriented lessons Lars would need to learn as he progressed up the male side of the Unreal Earth hierarchy. While different, he concluded it was probably the same amount of work.

By Friday, caught up in all his classes, Andy felt like he was on top of everything. While spending time each evening on Portia’s new lessons, as the school week ended, he felt the urge to kill some bad guys and bosses. “Larry, I want to work on some of the other challenges and not focus on the mountain. I need more fighting experience to round out my character.”

Larry was clearly disappointed, “I really want to find out what the mountain prizes are. It’s so hard, they must be great. Imagine what you would get if you beat the individual quest.” He acted all pouty like a little kid denied his favorite food. Finally, he said, “Maybe, you’re right. I need to get rid of some of this pent up frustration. Let’s kill some bag guys and beat some quests.” They agreed on a time to meet online.

While many high school juniors were looking for a party on a Friday, both Andy and Larry were caught up in the excitement of their new game. For them, the game was an online party.

Lars was already on when Portia joined the game. Portia, changed into the Red Knight, turned off private mode and transported to Lars location. Lars was waiting with three other players ready to begin a quest. Lars introduced the Red Knight to Jerry0327, Killer Carl, and Viktor the Dark. Andy immediately discounted any help from a player who lacked the creativity to select a name based upon his own name and his birthday.

They selected a serial set of quests that increased in difficulty and rewards the more levels the players completed. Jerry turned out to have more skills than Andy expected, Killer Carl got killed a lot while Jerry was a moving target. This let Portia, Lars and Viktor target and kill the mobs and allowed the group to move on. They were on the seventh level when Killer Carl reported that he had to go to bed and disconnected before the others could demean him. Jerry lasted about another 45 minutes. Between levels, Viktor, Lars and the Red Knight all reported that they were good to go without the dreaded parents sending them to bed. The longer the game progressed, the more impressed Andy was with Viktor.

The trio conquered the entire quest and were well rewarded. Lars mentioned that the Red Knight had only required resurrection once or twice. Portia said it was just dumb luck, but knew it was because of stronger armor that took more hits. The three of them chatted and it turned out Viktor had started the game around the same time as Larry and Andy. Having worked well together, Viktor asked if they could get together the next day, Saturday. A time in the early afternoon was agreed upon.

Before their Saturday session, Portia had to continue training on her menial tasks and lessons before changing into the Red Knight.

As they waited for Lars to join the game, Viktor and the Red Knight chatted about things they liked and did not like about the game. It was an easy conversation and Andy was enjoying simply talking to Viktor. Viktor had no idea that the Red Knight was a female character. As a rule, Andy seldom spent a lot of time talking to gamers other than Lars, because he found he had little in common with them. Most were very juvenile in their attitudes or were only interested in fighting immediately or they needed to move on. If there was no fight within a few minutes, these typical gamers would go somewhere else in the game seeking the battles they wanted.

Viktor and the Red Knight, talked about strategy and pitfalls in the game. Andy concluded Viktor was a really experienced player and he wanted to maintain communication to be able to work together in the future. They exchanged in-game contact information and Viktor suggested that they needed to work together a bit longer before exploring any real-world contact or other information. Interestingly, this wariness raised Andy’s perception of Viktor. Like Larry, Viktor was the kind of person Andy would like to have as a friend.

Lars joined them, they gathered a few random players and took off on another serial quest. Before they began, Viktor let them know a hard end time for the early evening when he would have to get off the system. Andy appreciated that much more than the kids from the previous day who just evaporated mid-quest.

As with the previous day, the three experienced players quickly conquered the easy portions of the quest. It was simply a time delay to get to the main levels and bigger prizes. Again, their hangers on mysteriously disappeared mid-quest leaving the three of them to complete the higher levels.

Using their microphones, the three players could all talk to one another

In the final stage of the quest, Viktor said, “Red, we need to kill this dragon. Time is running out. Lars, position yourself behind that big rock. I will attack alone but while he is focused on me, you two need to unload everything you have. Then one of you has to revive me so that I get the rewards if we kill him.”

Red Knight said, “I’ll revive you. Lars, get your best weapons. I’ll use my enchanted bow and cursed arrows. Aim for the inside of the mouth as it roars. Lars shoot a series of water buckets into its mouth so it can’t burn up Viktor.”

Viktor charged the dragon, impaling his enchanted sword in the belly of the dragon. The dragon stretched its neck and opened its mouth to burn up Viktor who was sinking a second strike. Lars extinguished the Dragon’s fiery breath and the Red Knight delivered three cursed arrows into the roof of the dragon’s mouth. The flailing dragon swiped razor sharp claws across Viktor, killing his character. Red, ran across the valley and clicked on Viktor to revive him. Halfway through, the dragon managed to hit the Red Knight with a swing of those claws. It stole over half of the Red Knight’s health, but did not kill him.

Lars had emerged from hiding and was stabbing the dragon with a lance. Revived, Viktor and Red attacked the gut of the dragon with swords and depleted the final health. It had taken all three of them and their skills to defeat the dragon.

The money, skills, experience and loot were impressive. All three of them benefited from rewards.

They chatted while evaluating the booty. Viktor said, “Red, I was killed in one swipe of the dragon’s claws and you only last around half of your health. What do you have that I don’t?”

Red Knight did not want to admit having beaten the mountain. “I had a special potion from another quest which claimed to give me extraordinary health. I had been saving it, but decided we needed the boost. Thank goodness I used it.”

Lars asked, “What was it called? I need to find one of those.”

“I think it was just super health brew. I didn’t really pay close enough attention. Sorry.” Red explained.

Viktor explained that he had to go.

Lars and the Red Knight took on several smaller quests.

Lars said, “Hey, I have to go eat dinner with my family. Call me in a while.” Lars logged off.

Andy heard his own mother calling and logged out.

After dinner, Andy called Larry. “Hey, great day of questing. Viktor is great.”

Larry answered, “He was just standing around spawn looking for higher ranked people to go questing with. Thank goodness, I got him to join us.”

Andy agreed.

Larry asked, “I know it’s not our normal, but its Saturday night and there is a party at Mark Barker’s house. What say we drop in and see if the in-crowd revolts when two nerds show up?”

“Mark was a good friend until high school.” Andy mentioned. “We should go.”

“He hasn’t done anything with us in a few years.” Larry complained.

“Larry, Mark is a friend. Pick me up in 45 minutes.” Andy stated.

Deciding he needed a shower, Andy disrobed and climbed into the shower. After shampooing his shoulder-length hair, he reached for the hair conditioner his mother always chided him about. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice reminded him that conditioner should always be used after shampooing to ensure hair had body and shine. He read the directions and applied the product to his hair.

In the mirror over the sink, Andy smiled at his hair as he patted it dry. Another voice told him not to just rough up his hair with a towel. He ran a wide tooth brush through his hair and plugged in the hair dryer. Slowly, he blew warm air on his head and ran the comb and a wide tooth brush to ensure his hair did not get knotted up. He would have to practice more to get this process correct.

Examining his face in the mirror, he shaved all the peach fuzz he often ignored from his face and even eliminated the fuzz he had thought of as sideburns. His face looked nice.

After slipping on clean jeans, socks and trainers, he looked at his options for on top. He had school t-shirts, band t-shirts, t-shirts from trips, Polo shirts, and a couple of button down shirts. Normally, he would just throw on a t-shirt, but this was a party. While a polo seemed fine, he felt like he needed something underneath to give it a more finished look. He wasn’t sure why. He pulled on a white t-shirt from school and topped it off with a wine red polo. He looked better, but the t-shirt was visible in the neckline of the polo. In addition, the sleeves were almost as long as the sleeves on the polo which meant they would show.

He found his mother in the kitchen and explained his problem. She looked at him and smiled because her little boy was growing up and finally worried about his appearance.

“Nothing of your father’s will fit you. You want something to give the shirt a finished look without the sleeves hanging out. Hmm.” she said. “Go to your room and take those off. I might have a solution.”

Moments later she showed up with something in her hand. “Hands over your head,” she ordered. As he raised his arms, she slid a white tank top over his head. It had two inch wide straps on the shoulder and was made of a thinner fabric than his regular t-shirts.

Before he could ask any questions, she was pulling his polo back into place.

Staring into the mirror, Andy liked the look. The Polo slipped on his body when he moved, but the t-shirt was not visible. His grin said it all. “Thanks mom. This is perfect.”

“Did you finally use the conditioner on your hair? It looks really nice and not dead like usual.” She asked.

“I did. It really feels nice.” he admitted.

“You keep sweeping it out of your face,” she noted. “Let me see if I have something to hold your hair.”

Moments later, she returned with a silver clip. It seemed kind of western themed but he took little note of it. His mother swept his hair up and using a brush smoothed it together in back. She closed the clasp on the clip securing his hair at his neckline. Only a couple of inches hung out of the clip.

“How does that feel?” she asked.

“Great,” he answered. “Is it too girlish to have a clip in my hair?”

She laughed, “No more than long hair on a boy. It’s not like I used two pink barrettes with flowers on them. You look nice.”

The doorbell rang.

“Larry’s here.” he said. “We’re going to a party at Mark Barker’s house.”

“That’s nice. I always liked Mark. I haven’t heard you mention him a lot in the last year or so.” She said

“He hangs with the jocks a lot of the time. Larry and I are going to go check it out.”

“Have fun,” she called after him. “Don’t get in trouble.”

**********

Larry reached to open the front door and Andy grabbed his arm. “Larry, you don’t just walk into people’s homes.

Larry waved at the street, “Dude, the streets are full and people are everywhere. No one is answering the door.”

Andy rang the doorbell as Larry glared at him.

“Andy, Larry, thanks for coming,” Mark welcomed them with a smile.

As they stepped inside, both of them remembered the house from when they were younger.

Mark said, “I know we haven’t hung out in a while, but we shared a lot of memories when we were younger. Larry, do you still have that scar from the skateboard accident?”

Relaxing, Larry laughed and pulled his arm around to show the scar on the back of his left arm. “I doubt it will ever go away.”

Mark slapped him on the shoulder, “Other than you bleeding all over us, that was a great day. Drinks are in the kitchen and food is in the dining room. Mingle and have fun.”

Andy smirked, “Showing off your scar, shouldn’t you be doing that for one of the girls?”

They both laughed as they made their way to the kitchen. Larry stopped to answer a question and Andy grabbed a Coke from the cooler.

A soft voice asked, “Andy, is there another Coke in there?”

Andy looked up to see Sandy, the head cheerleader. Blonde hair, beautiful face and a figure every boy dreamed about. She was smiling at him like he was her best friend. He looked back at the cooler and extracted a Coke. “Here you go.” He said with a smile.

“Is there a sprite?” she asked.

“Yes, yes there is,” he answered as he pulled the green can from the cooler and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said while twiddling her fingers and turning to head into the family room.

Why was Sandy talking to him as if they were friends? How did she even know his name? Andy and Larry were clearly categorized in the nerd, quiet, studious group of students. Sandy was a senior and one of the leaders of the popular, perfect people crowd.

He shook his head and went towards the dining room. There were some little sandwiches on dollar rolls and he grabbed two. Then he saw the chocolate chip cookies. Mark’s mom made the best cookies with some secret ingredient. He hurried towards the buffet and ran smack into two girls clearly with the same destination in mind. While managing to hold onto the sandwiches, the coke skittered across the floor. Luckily, he had not opened it yet and now, that would be delayed for a long time unless he ran into someone who needed a Coke shower.

“Sorry, my fault,” Andy said as he looked up. Toni and Tori the T girls, not gender challenged, just girls with a name starting in T, were giggling as he tried to regain his composure.

Toni asked, “How could it be your fault if we were running full speed? Now, I admit, you should have known I would be entering this area and cleared a path, but I’m willing to forgive you if you let me have one of those cookies you were clearly heading for.” Both girls were giggling again.

Andy looked at the plate and saw two cookies left. He snatched them up, took a longing look at them and handed one to each of the girls. Toni snatched hers and took a big bite.

Tori smiled, stating, “Seems unfair since you would have gotten here first. Here.” She broke her cookie in two and handed him half.

“Thank you,” Andy said sheepishly. As he quickly devoured the cookie, he rolled his eyes remembering them from his youth.

While nibbling on her own piece of the cookie, Tori was laughing as she watched him. “You act like you’ve never eaten a cookie.”

“When we were little, his mom would make these cookies for us and they were always heavenly. I was immediately struck by memories of being here as a little kid. They were really good memories.” Andy said.

Tori glanced down at the small piece of cookie in her hand and mumbled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine. Enjoy it. I got my memory kick. I was afraid I wouldn’t get any of them, but you girls were going for them too.” Andy explained.

“Thank you,” Tori said, “That was very gentlemanly of you. I better get back.”

Andy watched Tori join Toni and Tanya, another of the T-girls. All three of them looked back at Andy before he went in search of Larry. The last of the T-girls, Tammy Davoli had not been seen yet. All four of them were juniors and cheerleaders. None of them were in Andy’s league and he was surprised again that they talked to him like a regular person. Sandy had done the same thing.

Larry saw him coming, “Where have you been?”

Andy shook his head, “I was talking to the T-girls. We all made a mad dash for the last two of Mrs. Barker’s chocolate chip cookies.”

“Aw come on. That’s not fair.” Larry was clearly upset he had missed out.

Andy suggested, “I’ll ask Mark if there are some in hiding.”

They talked to a couple of other people until Andy saw Mark across the room.

“Mark,” Andy said getting his attention, “Any chance your mom has some more of her secret recipe chocolate chip cookies hidden around here?”

Laughing, Mark turned towards the kitchen, “Follow me. If there aren’t any, how did you know we had some earlier?”

“I raced a couple of the T-girls for the last two, but I gave them to the girls. It seemed like the nice thing to do. Tori gave me half of one and it instantly reminded me of all the times we had here when we were kids. We must have driven your mom nuts.”

“My mom was in heaven when you guys were all here. She loved having a house full of kids.” Mark pulled a container of cookies from a cabinet and handed it to Andy.

Andy looked at him, “Can I grab a couple for Larry and maybe for the T-girls, too?”

“Take as many as you want and put it back afterwards. I can’t wait to tell my mom you were searching for her cookies. She may come down in a while. They’re upstairs.” Mark headed off to the front of the house.

Andy quickly ate a cookie and took 8 more. In the hall, he handed three to Larry as he ate a second cookie and arrived at the T-girls with six left. He tapped Tori on the shoulder.

Tori was surprised to see Andy, but more surprised to see the cookies. Andy handed her two and as the other girls looked he handed two more to Toni. Looking at Tori, he said, “I found a hidden stash.”

Tori smiled, “Thank you. That was really nice.” Toni added, “Extra nice. Thanks.”

Andy blushed, said, “No problem.”

Tammy added, “You did something with your hair. Instead of the lifeless look, it looks nice.”

Andy blushed more. Not knowing exactly what to say, he walked away in search of Larry.

Tammy and Tanya were staring at their two friends, when Toni realized they felt left out. Toni gave one of her cookies to Tanya and Tori gave one to Tammy. The four of them giggled as they ate the cookies.

Tammy said, “Andy doesn’t usually come to parties. Kind of a nerd, but he’s a nice boy.” The other three nodded in agreement. Tanya added, “His hair did look better. He didn’t think anyone would notice.

Andy found Larry and the two of them talked to several classmates about different things. Later, in the family room, Larry was discussing the new game Unreal Earth. Several friends of Andy and Larry were sitting around. Larry talked about the graphics, the bosses and the different challenges. Andy quietly sat to the side answering prompts from Larry, but allowing Larry to talk like the experienced professional everyone should rely on. Larry was in his element and several nearby students were listening in.

“Juniors in high school and they’re still playing kids video games.” Tammy said with a chuckle.

Tanya stated, “My dad plays some of the major shooter games. They seem more adult than kid’s games.”

“It takes good decision making, strategy and brains to actually reach the upper levels of some of those games. I’m surprised Larry is that good. I would have expected Andy to be better at something like that.” Tori suggested.

The girls continued to marvel at the detail these boys could talk about regarding a video game and yet, they were clueless on meeting women.

Toni said, “It’s all they talk about here or at school. They may as well be back home isolated from humanity in their special game world.”

**********

Later that evening, Andy lay in bed reviewing the evening. He talked to five cheerleaders and four of them were juniors. Never having dated, this was a big deal for Andy. Larry was full of advice on how to talk to girls, yet never seemed to talk to any. There were six or seven girls in his class that he might like to date. Knowing little about any of them, he didn’t want to waste his time with someone with whom he had nothing in common. Till earlier in the evening, he only observed them from afar. Most of them went to grade school together, but their personalities had changed a lot in the last few years.

Andy resolved, “If I’m friendly with the girls, eventually I’ll know which one is the right girl for me.”

At church on Sunday, Andy saw several boys and girls from the party.

Larry said, “Can you finish up your chores and homework so we can go questing at about three?”

“Sure,” Andy responded.

Toni said to Tori, “Listen to that, we’re at church, twelve hours after the party and they’re still talking video games. They’ll probably spend the rest of the day in a dark room staring at big screen TVs. They’re little kids in big boy bodies.”

Tori was still listening to Toni and the boys, “I’m not so sure.”

Toni dragged her away laughing.

End Part 1
Entry for 2020 Reluctant Princess Contest
Hope to have the remaining portion up in just a couple of days. DD

It was near the end of sophomore year in high school. Terry sat down at the lunch table next to Marcy. Soon, Lily and Susan joined them. They chatted about classes and the latest gossip. The boys from their class were envious. They all wanted to spend time with Marcy, Lily and Susan. Terry did not look that out of place at the table. But, there seemed to be some disagreement lately.

You see, Terry was a boy. He had longer hair and unlike most of the boys, he took good care of his hair. His mom required him to take good care of his hair or she would get his hair cut. Terry was one of the brighter students in the class and he had been friends with the girls since they were in first or second grade. They all lived within a block of each other and they had been playmates throughout the years.

As school became more difficult, Terry was clearly one of the smarter kids in the class. He and the girls started studying together. The girls knew that Terry was helping their grades and they were all old friends. And, as many girls pushed the boys away Marcy, Lilly and Susan discussed Terry. They decided that Terry was their friend and they saw no reason to push him away.

Thus developed a strange exception to the separation of the genders attitude in the class. Terry was the only boy who had a friendly non-sexual, non-dating relationship with girls in the class. Some of the boys were envious. Others assumed Terry was strange. But the girls made it clear that anyone badmouthing or picking on Terry was persona non grata. They held sway with many other girls in the class.

Terry had few male friends. He spent much of his free time reading and studying. Since most of his conversations were with the girls, Terry found that he was pretty much up to date on a variety of topics most of the boys knew nothing about. He knew a lot about hair care, skin care, and which traits and personal characteristics the girls liked about boys. He knew about fashion and style and the girls had come to rely on him for advice on matching certain outfits and how to avoid some bad looks. Hanging out with the girls, Terry found he expressed himself much like the girls did. Terry was animated when talking and he used his hands and his body when telling stories or discussing things.

Terry tried to incorporate some of this knowledge in his own personal presentation. In addition to taking care of his hair, Terry had adopted a nightly ritual of skin care. While he had little body hair, Terry had a razor that he used to eliminate any hair on his legs that tried to grow. He liked the smooth legs he and the other girls had. He brushed his hair nightly before bed.

At Christmas over their freshman year, Susan gave everyone the same present. Marcy and Lily loved their present. Terry was unsure. Susan had bought them all three pair of matching panties. Susan said this would allow them all to have a secret way to match that no one would know about. The panties were simple cotton spandex hipsters with no lace. Just three brightly colored pair of panties.

Terry stared at the underwear. Susan told Terry the panties were made of the same material as his own regular underwear and that this could be their little secret. No one would ever tell. When they were going to have a matching day they would plan it ahead of time.

Terry’s mom thought it was a strange gift. But she agreed, that Terry had other underwear with no fly that was essentially the same. She told Terry to do whatever he wanted. He should not feel bullied and she was sure the girls would understand if he did not want to wear the panties.

Terry took his gift to his room and decided to try the underwear on. Terry was amazed by how comfortable he found the panties. They stretched and fit him like a glove. The spandex tended to compress his male appendage. But, he found it surprisingly comfortable. He decided to keep them on for the rest of the evening. Terry had taken to sleeping in long oversized t-shirts. That night, Terry slept in his new panties and he fell asleep with a secret smile on his face.

The day after Christmas, Terry donned the royal blue panties Susan had asked everyone to wear. He loved the feel and he slipped his jeans on. Terry and the girls had decided to go to the mall to see a movie. At the multiplex they got drinks and popcorn before moving to their theater. The group sat down with Marcy on the left, then Terry, Susan and Lily. There were not people near them. Susan asked Lily if she was wearing he blue gift. Lily nodded and thanked Susan telling her she really like her gift. Susan said, “What about you Marcy?” Marcy said she agreed with Lily. She thought it was really a cool idea for them to have a kind of secret pact between them.

At that point, all eyes came to rest on Terry. Terry felt cornered and he began to blush. In the lower light, his blushing was less noticeable. The girls could not tell how to interpret his looking at the floor.

Marcy bumped his shoulder, whispered in his ear and asked whether he thought the blue ones were tighter than the others. In his tense state he didn’t realize his mistake until he said, “No.” with a questioning look on his face.

Suddenly, all the girls dove on him in a group hug. Terry wanted to cry because he was embarrassed. But, the girls were laughing and started tickling him. Soon they were shushed by some theater employee. With the tension released, they knew their little group was still holding together. And they all had a secret. As the movie began, they all had big smiles on their faces and they held hands.

Over the next few months, Lily and then Marcy each added their own contribution to the secret panty club. Marcy’s contribution in February were red panties with hearts on them. Terry’s mom thought it was cute but maybe a little girly. Terry was embarrassed by the hearts and he wondered if the girls were trying to push him out of his comfort zone. Terry and the girls would coordinate their underwear a couple of days a week and especially if they were going somewhere together. No one but his mother ever saw his underwear so Terry became more comfortable with his new treasures.

In March, Terry told his mother he wanted to make his own contribution to the panty club. He asked her to help him. Terry and his mom went to the mall and Terry was very embarrassed when they entered the lingerie section of the store. Of course, he had been there with his mother before. But today he knew he was there to buy something for himself and his friends.

Terry had told his mom that he wanted to get something in a Kelly green for St. Patrick’s Day. Terry was astounded by the number of choices and options. They found a bunch of different styles and designs for his holiday panties. Once they started looking at the choices in green, Terry all but forgot everyone around him. He and his mother sorted through several choices before deciding on some hipsters with a white base and really realistic green shamrocks in different sizes printed all over. As he and his mother gathered up the four pair he needed for his panty club contribution, he spied a simple green pair of panties. He picked them up and sort of pushed them to the side. He fingered several other pair before sliding a baby blue pair to the same place.

Terry’s mom had stepped to the side and was pretending to be interested in something else. She asked over her shoulder if Terry was ready to check out. Terry seemed enthralled. His mother had to ask the question a second time. Terry seemed unsure how to answer. Terry’s mom stepped up next to him and said, let’s get checked out. As Terry turned he kept staring at his little pile until his mom reached down and scooped up his extra two pair of panties. No words were spoken, but Terry looked like he was going to cry.

Terry’s mom was excited to buy him something he really wanted. They checked out and she handed the bag to Terry to carry out of the store. Terry held his mother’s hand and they strutted out of the mall.

The girls exploded in glee when Terry presented his contribution to the panty club. Terry was more excited because he had worn his new baby blue panties that his mother had bought for him. It was his little secret. The girls knew Terry was a full-fledged member of the panty club and over time, each of them would periodically make a new donation to the club. It got to the point where the group wore their club panties on 3 or 4 days a week.

With his mom, Terry acquired some simple white panties that were very similar to men’s white briefs with no fly. Of course, they were a little tighter. But Terry virtually gave up on men’s underwear.

During afternoon study sessions the group would take breaks. By sophomore year, during some of these breaks, the girls started discussing different ways to enhance their looks. They often practiced on each other. This included testing different makeup and plucking stray hairs from their partner’s eyebrows. Terry had been reluctant at first. But, he allowed the girls to clean up his eyebrows which they insisted was something many men did. When the girls wanted to try different techniques for makeup, Terry offered his opinion. Then the girls tried different things on him once in a while so he wasn’t left out. Terry enjoyed these sessions because he felt like he belonged to the group.

To tell the truth, Terry was fascinated by how much the girls were able to change a person's appearance with careful application of makeup. He was intrigued that with changes in makeup, a person could totally change their looks.

Terry and the girls all had hair that was longer than shoulder length. Terry had let his hair grow and he was able to do a lot of different things with his hair. Unluckily, he could only experiment at home or with the girls during their time together. He had to be careful at school. He didn’t want to be picked on or ostracized. Terry kept his hair in a simple ponytail most of the time.

Terry’s fascination fueled his curiosity and he often found himself participating in their sessions of makeup experimentation, as well as their hair styling sessions and Terry found he enjoyed himself. Secretly, Terry often thought about these sessions with the girls when he was home at night. He tried not to let the girls know how much he really enjoyed their study breaks.

The girls were fascinated with the boys in their classes. But most interaction was in the form of groups of people hanging out with other groups. Sometimes people would pair off within the group. Yet, none of them were committed to any individuals. Terry sometimes went with the groups and there were always extra people around. Terry had not found a person he wanted to date. But, he wanted to be part of the group. The group would go to movies or local activities as well as school sports and after school activities. Marcy’s older brother Brad would often accompany the group when they went out. Terry liked talking to Brad. Brad always seemed to enjoy talking to Terry and the girls. He had a really good relationship with his sister.

The parents, including Terry’s parents, kept a close eye on the kids and their relationships. They were fascinated by the close friendship the kids had developed, but they were wary of a potential intimate relationship developing. As long as they were all just friends, the parents were happy to allow them to work together and spend their time as a group.

The four kids constantly moved from house to house and all the parents had become good friends. Terry’s parents were a little worried about his adoption of certain feminine habits. But they constantly talked to him and they were comfortable that Terry was happy and reasonably well adjusted. Terry’s mom was proud that he took care of his appearance. Terry’s dad was worried that he did not seem to be the bull in a china shop that many of his classmates had evolved into as they entered puberty. But, Terry’s happiness and his close friends made them comfortable that he was a good kid.

Terry and the girls were all about the same size physically. The girls had all developed breasts and were actually a little taller than Terry. But, Terry’s parents were not tall and in the end they would probably all be about the same height. Since the kids were all pretty skinny and with their long hair, they all looked like little clones. They had individual characteristics, with slightly different hair colors, and the girls obviously had breasts. They could even wear each other’s clothes.

For years, the kids would have sleep overs and they would take turns staying at everyone’s house. Marcy’s mom always baked fresh cookies when they slept over. Lily’s mom and dad always had a huge breakfast including waffles. Terry’s parents had a theater room in their house and the kids would watch movies and play video games while his parents provided fresh popcorn and pizza. Susan’s parents were laid back and let the kids raid the snacks and provided enough oversight to ensure there was nothing bad happening.

Terry’s mom was taken aback when he returned from one of their overnights freshman year and sheepishly asked if she had some nail polish remover. Terry’s mom sat with her son and while she helped him clean up his bright red toes, Terry regaled her with stories of the fun they all had the night before. She was surprised he let the girls polish his toe nails. She was more surprised to find that having spent a long time on their technique, the group decided that Terry was the best at doing their toes.

Terry seemed quite proud that the girls thought he was the best. Terry’s mom asked questions and delved into their relationships to determine if he felt out of place. Terry explained that they were all just friends and while these activities may not be what most of the boys in his class were doing, he was having innocent fun with his close friends. He begged his mother not to blow things out of proportion. He said, it wasn’t like nail polish was going to do something to him.

Terry’s mom suggested that if he was going to experiment with nail polish, he might consider clear polish since no one would notice it. His nails would look nice but it would not be as obvious as some bright color on a boy. Terry thought that was a great idea.

In the warmer weather, when the kids were dressed casually, they all often wore shorts and t-shirts with sandals or tennis shoes with shorty socks. The girls now wore a bra under their shirts or they would wear a camisole or tank top with a built-in bra. Terry had taken to wearing a tank style t-shirt with a racer-back under most of his shirts. Even when he wore a tank top, he usually paired it with another tank top.

People who did not know them often assumed they were just four girls out for the day.

A couple of the mothers had enrolled their girls in dance classes when they were younger. However, none of them really stuck with it. Terry had been fascinated with the Olympics and during seventh grade he convinced his mom to enroll him in a local class that taught gymnastics. Terry was not good enough to ever compete in the Olympics. But he enjoyed the classes and eventually he convinced the girls to join him. The classes were made up predominantly of girls but there were other boys in the classes. The kids had taken up walking and running during their freshman year. They participated in local charity walks and they always went as a team.

During their first two years in high school, Marcy had periodically brought up the idea of trying out for the cheerleading squad. Her mother had been a cheerleader and she thought it might be fun. During their early high school, the group believed that it was not worth it since the squad was mostly seniors and juniors.

However, in the early summer between sophomore and junior year, the girls began to more seriously consider trying out for the cheerleading squad. Terry encouraged his friends telling them that with their gymnastic experience and the constant running they all did that they would be shoo-ins for the squad.

The girls decided to consider trying out and Marcy’s mom got examples of the cheers the school wanted them to demonstrate to try out for the cheerleading squad. The girls and Terry decided to try and spend a few hours every other day practicing the different cheers and tumbles. They would practice in one of their back yards. Terry watched the first day and offered advice. After an hour of Terry’s healthy criticism, the girls demanded Terry demonstrate their failures.

Terry worked through several aspects of the routine and showed them what he perceived as errors in their transitions. He showed them how he thought the existing squad did different cheers. The girls were surprised with Terry’s observations and his demonstration. Terry became the teacher helping them all to understand the routines and perfect their performances. The parents at whoever’s home they were practicing would stare out the window as Terry helped the group perfect their routines. Terry was clearly in his element.

The school had tryouts for football and cheerleading before the fall semester started. Marcy’s mom scheduled them to try out for the squad and arranged to drive everyone over on the day of tryouts. Two days before the tryouts, Marcy’s mom went by Terry’s house and talked to his mom. All of the parents agreed that Terry was really good at the cheerleading routines and Marcy’s mom wanted Terry to try out for the cheerleading squad with the girls. Marcy’s mom explained that there were lots of schools with boy cheerleaders and she thought it would be fun for all four of them to have something else they could succeed at.

Terry’s mom talked to him about trying out for the cheerleading squad. Terry didn’t know that boys could be cheerleaders. Terry’s mom pointed out that several presidents of the US had been cheerleaders. Terry found himself getting excited about trying out for the cheerleaders and called Marcy and the girls to get their opinions. The girls let him know they thought he was the best at the routines and they joked that they were worried he would make the squad and they might not.

The group gathered at Marcy’s house that night and they decided that they should all dress in similar outfits for the tryouts. It would be sort of like they were their own little squad. They agreed to wear black bike shorts and they all wore the same school t-shirt. The girls wore black sports bras under their shirts and Terry wore a black racer back tank top with a styling that looked similar to the sports bras the girls were wearing. Marcy’s mom had them all wear their hair in a ponytail to keep their hair under control.

Marcy’s mom watched several other groups of girls trying out for the cheerleading squad and it was clear before Terry and his group began that they were going to outshine most all of the new applicants. Terry and the girls performed their routines flawlessly and did it in sync with each other. The coach and the senior girls were clearly astounded. Marcy’s brother Brad and a few of his fellow football players who had been working out nearby stopped to stare at the tryouts.

At the end of the tryouts, the coach said they would meet and contact everyone to let them know who was accepted for the squad. Marcy’s mom was overly confident that their performance was the highlight of the morning. Brad ran over and congratulated Terry and the girls on their performance before returning to practice. Marcy’s mom took them all out to lunch to celebrate.

Marcy’s mom called all the other parents to let them know how well the tryouts had gone. She was not surprised to get a call from the cheerleading coach telling her Marcy had made the team. She quickly confirmed that all four had made the squad.

Terry and the girls were all at Lily’s house and Lily’s mom reported excitement and yelling when they found out they had all made the squad. Terry had not been sure he wanted to make the squad. But, he was overwhelmed with happiness and accomplishment when he found out he had made the squad. Lily’s mom reported that Terry seemed more excited than the girls if that was even possible.

About a week later, Marcy’s mom took Terry and the girls to school to pick up their new cheerleading uniforms. The girls couldn’t wait to get back to Marcy's house to try on their new outfits. Everyone ran up to Marcy’s room. Terry could not wait to see what his uniform looked like. He paused as Marcy ripped the bag off her uniform and tossed everything on the bed.

Everyone paused and watched to see what was there. Marcy grabbed a sheet of paper and read it as she checked things out. There were the gold Cheerleading panties and a short pleated skirt in the school’s blue. When the pleats opened up there was a gold stipe inside the pleats. The top was a white sleeveless top with the school mascot on the front. Marcy’s name was on the front of the top just above her left breast. There was a gold sports bra along with two pom poms in blue and gold and a scrunchie for long hair.

Marcy read the sheet out loud. “Cheerleaders must wear a sports bra supplied by the school as part of the uniform. There are no exceptions. In previous years, squad members wore revealing clothing and this rule was adopted to maintain consistency and decency.”

Lily and Susan dove into their uniform bags. Marcy’s mom guided Terry across the hall to the bathroom so he could change in privacy. However, she helped Terry open up his uniform before he closed the door. Terry did not understand. He had the exact same uniform as Marcy including the sports bra. There was a note from the coach that said, “Terry did not provide a bra size. I assume Terry does not wear a bra but since it is required, I provided one with an A cup in Terry’s chest size.”

Terry looked at Marcy’s mom. Marcy’s mom chuckled. She looked at Terry and he had a really concerned look on his face. She said, “Terry, the coach ignored the form and didn’t realize you are a boy.”

Terry was upset but saw some of the humor. Marcy's mom got a conspiratorial look on her face.

“Terry, you should put it on and surprise the girls. You guys can go out in the back yard and practice your cheers. We’ll get this worked out with the coach tomorrow. Let’s have some fun.”

Terry was reluctant. But it did sound like fun. And, the uniform had his name above the left breast.

Terry closed the door and pulled off his clothes. He pulled the sports bra over his head and slipped on the cheer panties. He donned the top and admired his name. He pulled on the skirt and everything fit perfectly. Terry really liked his outfit. He looked in the mirror and could hardly take his eyes off himself.

Terry heard the girls calling him. They wanted to go out in the back yard and get some pictures in their new uniforms. Terry told them he would be down in a few minutes.

The girls were waiting in the back yard practicing cheers. Marcy’s mom was waiting in the hall. When Terry opened the door, she was floored. He looked great. Even without breasts, Terry looked all girl and he was going to be a heartbreaker. She quickly combed his hair and pulled the cheerleader scrunchie onto his ponytail.

When Terry walked out into the back yard with his pomp oms, the girls stopped dead. Their eyes went wide. Lily screamed, “Terry, you look great.” All the girls ran over and there was a group hug.

Marcy’s mom took several pictures. The group practiced their cheers and tumbled around in the yard. Marcy’s mom videotaped some of it while taking pictures.

Soon the group needed a break. Marcy’s mom invited everyone in for a snack. Terry had forgotten about his clothing. Marcy and Susan were helping Marcy’s mom prepare a snack. Terry and Lily were in the family room. Lily excused herself to use the facilities.

Terry was looking at a magazine when Brad appeared from upstairs. Brad sat down next to Terry.

“Hey, Terry I was watching you guys doing your cheers from upstairs. You really look great in your new uniform.”

Terry was suddenly aware he was wearing a skirt and sitting next to a boy from school. He started to get up. Brad pulled him back down onto the couch.

Terry looked up at Brad. Brad said, “Terry, you are like a flower and I have been waiting for you to bloom. You’re beautiful you know.”

Terry didn’t know what to say. He just stared at Brad.

Brad said, “Terry, since you are now the prettiest cheerleader at our school, I was wondering …”

Terry cut him off but asked in a quiet voice, “Did you say I was the prettiest cheerleader at the school?”

Brad smiled. “Well in my opinion and that of any sane person you are.”

Terry was speechless again.

Brad continued, “As I was saying, do you think you might go out with me sometime?”

Terry was confused again, “On a date?”

Brad smiled broader, “Of course, on a date. I’m sick of us just hanging with the group. I want to spend some time with just you and me.”

Terry asked, “Did you say I was beautiful?”

Brad nodded, “I did. Beautiful and the prettiest.”

Terry sputtered, “But, but …”

Brad had slipped one of his hands behind Terry’s head.

Brad said, “Terry I always knew you were beautiful. I have trouble thinking of anyone else. I dream about you. Most importantly, I have yearned to do this.”

And with that, Brad supported Terry's head, leaned over and kissed Terry on the lips.”

Terry’s mind was on overload. But all Terry could think about was how soft Brad’s lips were and how Terry hoped this kiss would last forever.

What am I doing?
By Daring Diane

“Billy, I let you move in, because I needed someone to cover half the rent and utilities. It’s been months and I’m running out of savings.”

“I spent everything completing my degree.”

“Great. You have a college degree. It’s time to get a job.”

“I apply every day. No one is hiring.”

“You need a job. Work at Starbucks or some restaurant.”

“I’m not working fast food. I checked out 10 restaurants, but they only want waitresses and buff guys.”

“That’s certainly not you,” she said chuckling.

Shaking his head, he sunk back into the couch. A nerd most of his life, he avoided high school sports since he was the smallest boy in the school. Most of the girls were bigger. With good grades, he earned a good scholarship. School loans filled in the rest. Soon, he’d have to start paying on those loans.

Relatives said, he was a late bloomer. 4 years later, the height, body hair and muscles had not shown up. A business degree with emphasis on marketing and art should get me into sales, marketing or advertising. All evidence to the contrary.

“What happened at that sports company?”

Staring at his lap, he shook his head, trying to avoid tears. “Every other candidate looked like a football player. The interviewer appeared shaking the hand of another giant. Glancing at me and laughing, he said that secretary interviews were tomorrow and to come back. As everyone laughed, the secretary called me over. Scanning the office at other women, she quietly recommended a new hairstyle and better makeup or they wouldn’t hire me.”

Mad, Suzy declared, “They can’t do that.” With a sly grin, she added, “Although, your long hair could use a new cut.”

“Sales and marketing job interviewer are all over six feet tall and seem disappointed interviewing me.”

“You need different companies.”

As we scanned job boards, Suzy said, “What about this? Entry level marketing position. Open interviews Monday. They want marketing and art in their background. It’s three blocks away in the business park.”

“What company?”

“AA-Perfection. Let’s pull up the website.”

“Is that a bra?” he exclaimed.

Suzy said, “Interesting. They are focused on selling intimates for the less endowed market. Bras, matching panties and slips. This is a great niche.”

“Bras? You want me selling bras? And panties? They are not going to hire a guy for their marketing?”

“They are not allowed to be biased based on gender. It’s the law.”

“Yeah, just like the men’s companies aren’t allowed to only hire big guys.”

As they perused the website, Billy giggled, muttering under his breath, “They should market to all the crossdressers. Guys certainly aren’t well-endowed.”

Eyes wide, Suzy’s head turned until she was staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

“That is a great idea. It would have to be done carefully so they didn’t alienate female clients. You have to apply.”

They sat there, staring at the website.

Suzy finally said, “You’re qualified and it’s entry level so they don’t expect work experience. You already have unique ideas.”

“Suzy, they don’t have a guy fitting you for a new bra at your favorite store. I assume that if they did, you would avoid him like the plague.”

“That’s true, but historically, bra companies were owned and run by men. Therefore, marketing for bras was done my men.”

The two of them sat in silence.

“You need a job and this job is perfect. You have to distinguish yourself from other candidates.”

“How do I do that?”

“What if you showed up and said you liked their products and you were a customer?”

“I don’t use their products.”

In a drawn out response, Suzy said. “You could. You could wear them to the interview.”

“Right. I already have inferiority issues. You think the solution is for me to wear panties to interview?”

“Yes.”

He stared at his sister.

“If you won’t work with me and apply for this job, then you can move out.”

“You’re not serious.”

“As a heart attack. I can’t be on the street because you are stupid. It’s Friday night. You can move out by Sunday. A girl at work is willing to move in.”

“Fine. I’ll interview on Monday, but they won’t hire me.”

“This is an emergency. I need you to pay part of the rent. A few weeks on the streets might motivate you. We can ensure you get this job. Man up!”

“What do I have to do?”

“Stand up.”

Suzy measured his chest, waist and hips.

“Why would you waste your time? Last week, you said it was too bad I was a boy since all my clothes fit you perfectly. We’re the same size. I told you to borrow anything you wanted.”

“Good point.” Suzy answered with a snicker. “I have to run to the store. I’ll bring back pizza.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“I thought you were only getting pizza.”

“Hardly,” Suzy responded. Besides pizza, in her other hand were bags from the department store.

As they ate, Suzy ignored Billy’s stares at the shopping bags.

Sitting across from Billy, Suzy said, “You’re applying at AA-Perfection?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Presenting a pink bottle, she said, “Put your hair in this hair net. Apply this everywhere below your neck, wait 15 minutes and shower off.”

“That’s hair remover.”

“Yes. You can’t convince someone you seriously wear panties and a bra if you have body hair.”

“It’s an interview. No one will be disrobing.”

“Get your head in the game. You don’t know what they will ask. Wearing a bra with body hair will chafe your skin and be annoying. Same thing with panties. Girls like to be smooth. Nice panties and bras feel wonderful on smooth skin. You’ll see.”

“With no late growth spurt or manly muscles, a few body hairs felt like a small step confirming that I was a man.”

“With shoulder length hair and no facial hair, I don’t think it’s that big of a step. I love you bro, but you will never be a studly man.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Standing in the dry shower, he applied the cream. With cream everywhere, he got some near his crotch. Unsure how to wipe it off, he stood there.

Suzy knocked and said, “Turn towards the wall,” before entering the bathroom.

“You didn’t do your back.” she stated.

Shaking his head, Suzy spread the cream down his back to his buttocks. “Wait 15 minutes before showering. Use my shampoo and conditioner.”

The burning was irritating as he turned the water on. What little body hair he possessed, rinsed away.

Climbing from the shower, his skin felt alive. He could feel the air brushing along his smooth skin.

From outside, Suzy said, “Use the lotion on the sink. Apply it from the neck down.”

At first, his skin seemed oily, but it was absorbed and enhanced the smooth feeling of being hairless. Considering his hairless situation, Suzy knocked, encouraging him to “hurry up.”

After a knock, the door cracked open and Suzy’s hand appeared with something white. “Put this on and come out.”

‘This’ was a white pair of panties made of cotton with something stretchy. Sliding up his legs almost tickled as his male attributes were engulfed and sucked in. The panties were surprisingly comfortable.

Unluckily, the panties highlighted his underendowed manhood. High school had been a nightmare in the locker room. Any time he played sports or worked out in college, he changed in the private.

He wouldn’t admit it to his sister, but he had never been intimate with a woman.

In the mirror of the bathroom, his skinny undeveloped body wearing panties looked more like a young girl than a boy, even without the bra which Suzy surely held outside the door.

Opening the door slowly, there it was. A white bra dangled from Suzy’s hand.

“Let me help you,” she said.

A moment later, she clasped the bra around his torso.

Glancing down, the bra hugged his body giving the impression of small perfectly formed breasts. What a nightmare? Returning to the bathroom, his worst fears were confirmed when he saw the young girl with wet hair staring back at him.

He heard Suzy say, “It fits perfectly.”

Not what he wanted to hear.

She added, “This is going to work.”

Did he want it to work? Their parents were gone and he had no friends who would put him up. Unable to live on the streets, he needed this job, but this wasn’t a guy wearing a bra and panties. He looked like a girl. How was that supposed to work? He thought they were going to suggest he was a guy who liked to wear girls’ underwear. The girl in the mirror needed this underwear. His mind was in turmoil.

Suzy pulled him away from the mirror and sat him at the vanity in her room. Running a wide-toothed comb through his hair, even she was re-evaluating their strategy. His hair was damp, full and hung to his shoulders. Long hair would be a benefit for this plan.

Using her hair dryer, she worked with his hair.

“I want to test something. Just go with me.”

He did not like the sound of that.

Exiting her closet, she held out a light blue blouse. It looked a lot like a men’s shirt with a collar, but he knew his sister did not have men’s shirts.

“Why are the buttons on the wrong side?”

“I have no idea. It’s just a thing with some girls’ shirts.

Moments later, she returned with what looked like a wad of fabric across her arm. It was a skirt. “Don’t give me that look. Just try it on.”

Stepping into the circle of fabric Suzy arranged on the floor, she pulled it up settling the stretchy waist around his torso. Hanging below the knee, material was light, flowy, and amazingly comfortable.

Pulling the closet door closed, exposed the mirror covering the entire closet door.

Bobbing his head up and noticing the reflection in the mirror, Billy’s body froze as his stare took in the girl in the mirror.

Observing the entirely female presentation, Suzy couldn’t determine Billy’s reaction. Wonder seemed to describe the facial presentation, but she wasn’t sure if there would be an explosion or breakdown. A tear escaped his left eye indicating a breakdown was imminent.

Moving to his side, she embraced him. Tears flowed as she squeezed his body tightly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not!” Tears continued to flow. “My worst fears came to life in that mirror.”

“What do you mean?”

Shaking his head, he pushed into the crook of her neck and cried.

“Billy, tell me?”

Recovered from crying, he regained control of his breathing.

“Tell me. I love you.”

Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “I wanted so much to date in college. Sophomore year, girls laughed at me when I asked. Junior year, my chemistry teacher assigned a girl named Sherry as my lab partner. Cute, with a wonderful personality, I had a crush by the third class. She wasn’t dumb and pulled her weight. I proposed studying together for a test. We met at the library and both did well on the test. After that, we got together a couple of days a week to study science and math. We kidded casually and had fun. It was the first time I had a relationship like that with a girl. Going for ice cream after a long night studying, we each paid our way. Another night, we went for a pizza. I tried to pay, but she insisted on paying her half.

“For a campus Halloween party, she suggested we go as doctor and nurse. I was thrilled. She asked my sizes and arranged costumes. I gave her money. It thought we’d be wearing scrubs or something simple. She told me I needed white trainers.

“The night of the party, I opened my door to find Sherry wearing a white form-fitting dress that stopped at her knees with a stethoscope around her neck and a lab coat. Taller than me, she looked perfect. She seemed happy and excited as she handed me a bag.

“In my bathroom, I opened the bag. On top was a bra. I didn’t understand. White tights, white panties, a white dress, and a nurse’s hat. I couldn’t breathe. I stared for a few moments. The short-sleeved dress was stark white with buttons up the front and it wasn’t going to reach anywhere near my knees.

“Holding the dress, I walked into my room to ask about the costume. I noticed two things; her dress wasn’t white like the lab coat, it was a cream color and a name badge said, Dr. Sherry.

“I asked, her why I had a dress. She said, because that’s what nurses wore. I asked why I couldn’t be the doctor and she said the dress would be too big for me. I asked, why she wanted me to wear a dress. She said, I was her best friend and she wanted to share the evening with me like girlfriends. She insisted that with my face and hair, I’d be beautiful.

“She had destroyed all my dreams. Shoving her out, I slammed the door in her face. She was crying and kept trying to talk to me as I just cried on my bed. She left. I demanded a different lab partner and the teacher agreed. I ignored her. If I saw her coming, I ran away. She was in a class the next semester and I changed sections. I never asked another girl out. I still haven’t.”

Suzy bundled him into her arms. “I understand why you are upset.”

Taking a breath, Billy looked up. “The scary thing is, in the mirror, I realized she was right. I look pretty. I don’t want to look pretty, but I do.”

“Honey, I haven’t styled your hair or applied makeup. You will be gorgeous.”

“I don’t know how I am supposed to deal with this.”

Suzy looked him in the eye. “You need a job and this one is perfect. Do you think that if we practice all day Saturday and Sunday that you could take a chance and apply for this one job? For me, for you, for us?”

He’d leached off of her for too long. He needed to man up and do what was needed to get a job. “If you think I can pull this off, I’ll try, but you have to tell me if I’m going to fail. I’m trusting you. I don’t want to be a joke.”

“We’re going to have girl boot camp for the next two days. I’ll tell you on Sunday.”

“I’ll do it.”

After applying light makeup and styling his hair to not hang in his eyes, they looked in the mirror.

“Where is the man I want to be?”

“Billy, appearances don’t make you a man. It’s in your heart. Think of this as a costume needed to get a job.”

“Ok.”

“We’re going for a walk in the neighborhood.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, we are. If you can’t walk outside the door, we’re wasting our time. You have to be comfortable being seen by other people. Tomorrow, we’re going to the mall.”

He shook his head.

Suzy placed her hands on the sides of his face and stared into his eyes. “Everyone will think you are a beautiful girl. I won’t let you get hurt.”

Wearing trainers with no-show socks, he took a breath before Suzy opened the door.

Suzy held his hand and chatted about nonsense as they walked. Sitting on a bench in the park, Suzy reminded him to cross his legs.

Eventually, she had Billy laughing and he relaxed. Some elderly ladies chatted with them and he seemed fine.

At home, he admitted, “I had fun.”

Saturday morning, Suzy knocked on his door. As he stretched to wake up, he remembered his legs sliding between the covers. It felt wonderful.

She handed him a new pair of pink panties and matching bra along with a t-shirt and a soft stretchy skirt.

The panties and bra fit perfectly, like the previous day. The soft t-shirt was pink with a V-neck and small cap sleeves. The skirt was like a soft pair of shorts that only went a few inches below his panties. In the mirror, he was disturbingly turned on by his own image.

Dressed similarly, the two added trainers because they would be walking at the mall.

Suzy hung a white purse with a long strap around Billy’s neck and left arm. It draped to rest at his hip. “You have to get used to carrying a purse if you will be in public.”

‘Do I have to?’ he thought.

“Yes. I scheduled you for a 10:30 appointment Monday and sent your resume with the name Billie with an i-e.”

At the mall, Suzy dragged him into store after store. She forced him to try things on all day, while only buying a few things. After a quick lunch in the food court, he found himself sitting in a kiosk as some young girl popped holes in his ears. Suzy insisted, “It’s necessary and free with the purchase of a pair of earrings.”

All day long, Suzy corrected him on how to sit and use his hands. Suzy forced him to use the girl’s room several times. He had settled into the young female personality as the day progressed. He was tired at the end of a long day, but Suzy thought his presentation was acceptable for the Monday interview.

Sunday was more lessons. They walked in the park and went to a fast food restaurant for lunch. He used his purse, took money from his new female wallet and they visited the girl’s room to use the facilities and freshen up.

Over Sunday dinner, Suzy assured him, “You’re perfect and no one will suspect you.”

They went to bed early.

* * * * * * * * * *

After a shower, Suzy dressed him in another white bra and panty set along with matching camisole. She instructed him in pulling on white pantyhose. A white blouse with a tie at the neck was complimented by a black above the knee pencil skirt. Suzy fashioned his hair to hang straight surrounding his face and did his makeup.

With patent leather kitten heels, he donned a jacket that matched the skirt and was ready to go.

“I’ll drop you off. Since it is only three blocks, you can walk home afterward.”

She wished him, “Good Luck. Get that job,” as she drove away.

Taking a breath, Billy entered the office building.

* * * * * * * * * *

The receptionist’s nameplate said Leslie Moore. “Hi Leslie, I’m Billy Bennet.”

“Right on time. We like that.”

“I thought there would be more people applying for this job?” he stated as a question.

“There were hundreds of applicants. I thought we’d be interviewing for the next two weeks, but the project lead rescheduled all today’s interviews until Friday.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Billy said as he turned to leave. Disappointment was clear in his voice. He thought, ‘All of this was a waste of time.’

“No, you don’t understand.” He turned back. “After reviewing your resume, the project lead said that if your interview went well, we wouldn’t need to interview anyone else.”

Still standing, Billy muttered, “Now, I really don’t understand.”

Leslie said, “Apparently, you were perfect and she just wanted to talk to you in person.” Stepping closer, she whispered, “I think the job is yours. Welcome aboard. I’ll alert her that you are here. Take a seat and I’m sure it will just be a minute.”

In an uncertain haze, Billy sat against the wall wondering, ‘The job was his?’

* * * * * * * * * *

Being led down a hall, Leslie knocked on a door and as she opened it, she said, “Miss Jones, I have your 10:30, Billie Bennet.”

Sucking in his breath, Billy walked into the room, smiled and stared at the beautiful blonde woman who met his gaze with a 100-watt smile.

Totally unaware, Leslie departed, closing the door as Miss Jones moved around the desk.

Not breathing, Billy could not move as his eyes tracked her movement.

In less than 5 seconds, she had wrapped him in her arms and like a dream, she was kissing him.

Billy’s legs gave way, but she held him to her. All his late night dreams were not as nice as the reality of her soft lips. He could die happy right now

Breaking the kiss, Sherry whispered in his ear, “I knew fate would bring us back together. I’ve missed you so much.”

Staring at her questioningly, she said, “I saw your resume and knew it was my Billie. You’re beautiful and you’re hired. We’re a team again and this time, you’re not getting away.”

Who wanted to get away?

The End?

Thanks for Reading