The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Authors note: This is a novel in 25 chapters. Some, but not all chapters, contain graphic sexual content which I hope readers feel is pertinent to the story and not gratuitous in nature. I appreciate that this might not appeal to all readers. Please take notice of the warning at the head of each chapter which contains sexual content. As the whole story is already written, I will follow other authors and publish a new chapter every three or four days.

Jamie lay in the hospital bed watching some flecks of dust in the beam of sunlight streaming through the window. At least she had an alternative to daytime television on the set suspended from the ceiling at the foot of the bed, since she'd had the foresight to bring along her tablet and could use the hospital's wifi to access the internet.

Recently while surfing the 'net, quite by accident, she had come across a website called 'A Girl's Lingerie Drawer' . She had clicked on it expecting to find a catalogue of pretty underthings, but instead, it was full of stories about transwomen and crossdressers. There was so much choice that Jamie picked stories at random, read a few paragraphs, and depending on whether she liked it or not, went on reading or chose something else. Sometimes she even gave them the 'click of approval', and in rare instances a comment which appeared at the end of the story.

She double-clicked a title at random, and saw that there was a warning of 'explicit content' at the start. Jamie was no prude and certainly not a virgin. She'd had sex with more men than she could remember, and often for money, but that was in the past. Now, she found himself preferring romantic stories with a happy ending. Nevertheless, she started to read the story, and the more she read the more interesting she found it. The hero/heroine of the story could almost have been her.

After about half an hour of reading, she found her eyes drooping, and before she fell asleep, she was starting to think that maybe she could write her own story, a true autobiography, and send it into the site, but she wondered if they would print it. Just as in everyone's life there were good times, and times which, to be honest, she was rather ashamed of, but what would be the point of writing her own story if she left parts of it out? Where should she begin? She half-remembered a quote – was it from 'Alice in Wonderland' about 'begin at the beginning and go on to the end and then stop.'? Her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

Jamie was born to John and Marie Brown, three years after her older sister, Edna. They lived in a working-class suburb of North London called Enfield. In the early years of her life she enjoyed playing with Edna and especially her dolls and dolls' house. Her father discouraged this and tried to get his young son interested in toys more appropriate to a boy, tanks and trucks, but when his father was absent, Jamie still returned to the dolls' house. That was where he felt most comfortable. His mother noticed of course but left him alone.

When he was five, his father went to work one day and never returned. At the same time, a pretty barmaid from the local pub disappeared too, and the gossip was that they had run away together. Whatever had happened, John was never heard of again. His mother, Marie, found a job in a local factory. It was hard work, and barely brought in enough money to keep the household going, but somehow she managed. Fortunately, Jamie was now at school, so she arranged for a neighbour to look after him and Edna until she came home from work.

It was in the early nineteen sixties that Jamie, on the point of leaving school in London, realised two things; he wanted to go on the stage, and also that he was not like the other boys at school. He was hopeless at sport, in fact, more than once he was told that he played 'like a girl', the ultimate insult. Since it was an all-boys school, he was always chosen to play girls' parts in the annual school play and he did it very well, far better than the other boys who only pretended to be girls under duress from the master who directed the plays, usually as a form of punishment for misbehaviour in class. He began to wonder if he really should have been born a girl. He felt sure that he must be unique in having these thoughts, and there was no-one with whom he could share them since this was before the days of the internet

Once or twice when the opportunity arose, he tried on his older sister Edna's clothes. Being the sixties, this was a time when young women wore dresses and skirts almost as a matter of course. They wore slips, petticoats, suspender belts and stockings under their dresses, and also high heels – those were very different times.. Nowadays, young men don't have the excitement of exploring under a girl's dress (if she lets him!), and finding warm soft nubile flesh encased in satin, lace, and nylon. When Jamie dressed in these feminine clothes he felt even surer that he should have been born a girl because it just felt so 'right'. He wished so much there was someone he could talk to about his feelings, but he didn't dare.

While Jamie was intelligent, there was no hope of any further education once he left school. His mother needed helping out financially, so he took the first position he was offered, delivering groceries, but it was poorly-paid back-breaking work and he hated it. Edna contributed to the family income but unfortunately only for a limited time. She had started going out with a young man and the inevitable happened. Unfortunately, the young man in question was not keen on the idea of fatherhood and a hurried enlistment in the army took him far away from Enfield. Edna was staying at work as long as she was able but the time was coming when she would have to stop and the family's income would drop just at the time when more money was needed. All attempts to find her baby's father and ask him for support were fruitless.

Jamie was now eighteen, and it was about this time that he became aware of the famous comedian and drag artist Danny La Rue, then at the height of his fame. Danny had taken drag out of night clubs and onto television and that's where Jamie saw him first on a little black and white hand-me-down television set which a sympathetic workmate of his sister's had handed over when they upgraded to a larger set. He was fascinated by Danny. Was this something he could do, a combination of his love of dressing as a girl and being on stage? It had to be better than his present job.

Drag troups were very popular at that time. Jamie began to make enquiries, as discretely as he could, by checking the entertainment advertisements in the daily papers. He discovered a group called 'Les Femmes' who performed in one of the lesser-known London night clubs. Then by chance, while looking for a better job in the 'Situations Vacant' columns of one of the tabloid newspapers his mother bought daily, Jamie noticed an advertisement from the 'Les Femmes' management. They were looking for 'new talent'. He took it as a sign that this was meant to be. Heart beating fast, he walked down the street to the telephone box, called the number on the advertisement and spoke to someone who invited him to 'come in next Tuesday and show us what you can do'.

The following Tuesday when his mother and sister were at work, Jamie called in sick at the grocer's and set about making himself look as feminine as possible, using his sister's makeup, lingerie, stockings, heels, petticoats, and the prettiest frock she possessed, which currently was much too tight for her but fitted Jamie perfectly. Fortunately, Edna also owned a wig which she had bought a couple of years earlier to hide a badly miss-judged new hairstyle which she hated. Travelling into Soho on the London Underground, the closer he came to his destination, the more rapid was his heartbeat. In fact, it was beating so loudly that he was sure the other passengers could hear it, but strangely, no-one seemed to notice the young man in their midst who was dressed as a woman. Maybe it was that peculiarly English tradition of completely ignoring everyone else on the train, and burying your head in a newspaper.

Soho at that time was not only the centre of London entertainment but also its 'red-light' district, and so was quite a magnet for those seeking 'alternative entertainment'. Drag shows certainly came into this category. Jamie arrived at Lewy's Night Club which in daylight had none of the glamour it exuded after dark when the coloured lights were switched on. No-one seemed to be around so he pushed open the door and stepped into the semi-gloom inside. Somewhere a piano was tinkling, so he followed the sound and found himself in a large room with many tables and chairs and a small stage. On this stage was a young man in not very convincing drag who was trying to sing a popular tune of the time, and to be honest, making a hash of it.

He was finally put out of his misery by a man sitting at a table in front of the stage who said: “Thank you, darling, we'll let you know.” Jamie knew, as did the auditioner that it would not be good news.

Jamie coughed politely to draw attention to his presence and the man turned around. “Well, what have we here? Come to audition, darling?”

“Err, yes,” replied Jamie, fighting to get control of his nerves and thinking to himself 'What am I doing here?'

The man's eyes swept him from head to toe. “Very nice,” he said. “Well up on the stage you go, dearie. You can sing I take it?”

“Yes sir,” said Jamie and the man replied, “Don't call me 'sir', call me Donny. What's your name and what are you going to sing?”

“It's Jamie and I'll sing 'Make Love to Me' if that's alright?”

Donny looked at the pianist who nodded. It had been a popular song some years earlier, so he knew it well. He played a few opening chords and Jamie started to sing. Funnily enough, as he sang so his nerves began to leave him. What's more, he stayed in tune. It was the raunchiest song he knew, although very mild by today's standards, and when he finished, Donny actually clapped him.

“Not bad darling, not bad at all. You need polishing up of course, but when can you start?”

Jamie was shocked. “I need to give the store where I work two weeks notice,” he said.

Donny shook his head. “When I said 'when can you start' I meant today or tomorrow? If you're interested, go back and tell them you're quitting today. If not, then it's 'sayonara' honey.”

Jamie swallowed hard. “Ok, I'll start tomorrow,” he said.

“See you at ten in the morning. You don't need to be in full drag, just wear panties and a bra; we'll supply the costumes, wig and makeup,” said Donny.

All the way home on the train, Jamie could hardly believe what he'd just done. He realised with a start that he didn't even know what the pay would be, but surely it couldn't be worse than the grocer's, speaking of which he'd better go home and change, then go there right away and resign.

As Jamie undressed and put his sister's clothes back where he found them, his heart starting to race again. Once he quit his job at the grocer's, that was it, no turning back. He stared at himself in the full-length mirror and said out loud: “Jamie, this is something you've wanted your whole life. If you don't do it you'll regret it forever.”

Quickly dressing in his own clothes, he left the house and walked the two blocks to the grocery shop. As he arrived, the owner, Fred Green, saw him and walked to the doorway.

“I thought you said you was sick,” he said angrily and ungrammatically.

“I am; sick of this dead-end job with no prospects,” blurted out Jamie, surprising himself with his boldness. He caught sight of Eve, one of the other young assistants, watching the scene through the window, and it boosted his confidence. He had been at school with her and they were great friends.

“W-what did you say?” spluttered Fred Green, his voice rising several octaves, scarcely believing what he was hearing.

“You heard; I quit,” said Jamie.

“You can't. You gotta give two week's notice.”

“Too bad, I start my new job tomorrow, so, 'sayonara', Mr Green,” said Jamie, and he turned on his heel and started to walk up the street. He had only walked about thirty yards when he heard the rapid tapping of heels on the pavement behind him. He turned to see Eve rapidly approaching him.

“Jamie! Mr Green sent me to say that if you apologise he'll take you back,” She scrutinised Jamie's face. “You're not going to come back are you.” It was more a statement than a question. Jamie shook his head.

“I've got another job, a much better job,” he said.

Eve smiled. “Good for you. Are you going to tell me what it is?”

Jamie hesitated. He'd always got on very well with Eve. She wasn't his girlfriend, but she was a girl and a friend. He decided to trust her.

“Promise you won't tell anyone?” She nodded. “I'm going to work in a Soho nightclub.”

Eve gasped. “You're going to be a barman?”

Jamie hesitated again, then took the plunge. “No, not a barman. They have entertainment there where boys dress as girls and sing and dance.”

Eve's jaw dropped. “And you're going to be one of them boys?”

“I went for an audition today,” said Jamie. “Donny, I think he's the manager, offered me a job, but I have to start no later than tomorrow. That's why I quit my job today.”

Eve's face broke into a smile. “Good for you. I always thought you was a bit different to other boys I know; not in a bad way, you're actually more sensitive. Being friends with you is like being friends with other girls if you know what I mean? Please let me know how you get on, and ... good luck.” With that, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Jamie smiled too. “Thank you Eve. Thanks for being so understanding.”

They parted company and Jamie walked home. Now for the difficult part, telling his mother and sister.

Jamie told his sister first and she took the news remarkably calmly. Jamie began to wonder if it was so obvious that he wasn't like other boys.

“Well you've had plenty of practice dressing as a girl,” said Edna with a smile.

Jamie flushed. “You mean you...” His voice trailed off.

“Knew you were dressing in my clothes, Jamie? Of course I did. You weren't very good at putting things back the way you found them,” she laughed.

Jamie felt mortified. He thought he'd been so careful, and yet Edna knew all along.

“Well, now you can dress as a girl and even get paid for it. By the way, how much will you be paid?”

Jamie felt like a fool. “I forgot to ask,” he replied after a long pause. “I hope it's more than I got delivering groceries. Edna, I don't know how to tell Mum, would you tell her for me?”

“I don't think she'll be really surprised, Jamie. Mothers are very smart at picking up things you know?”

And that's how it turned out. Jamie's Mum was quite understanding. Her main worry was the thought of Jamie wandering the streets of Soho in the wee small hours.

“Promise me you'll always have company when you walk through those streets,” she said, “I've heard there's a lot of bad characters hanging around there.” Jamie promised he'd be careful.

That evening before he went to bed, Edna knocked on Jamie's bedroom door. “Here,” she said, offering him some panties and a padded bra. “You'd better wear these when you go to work tomorrow. I think they'll expect it. Make sure your chest and legs are shaved too. I'm sure they'll provide everything else you need to wear.”

“Thanks, sis,” said Jamie. It was something he'd forgotten about. Thank goodness for sisters.

To be continued

Next time, Jamie;s first day in a strange new world.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

The following morning, Jamie took the train back to Soho. He was due at the nightclub at ten o'clock, but he arrived about nine-thirty. He stood around on the pavement for a few minutes, then decided to try the door, and it swung open. He walked into the gloom inside.

“Can I help you?” said a voice, and Jamie jumped. “Sorry love, didn't mean to startle you.”

A middle-aged woman appeared out of the darkness, holding a broom. “I'm the cleaner, can I help you love?”

“Err yes. I'm starting work here today.”

“Well no-one's here yet, They work until about two in the morning, so they don't arrive until ten. Why don't you wait in the restaurant?”

Following her advice, Jamie walked into the club's main room where he had auditioned. He sat there until, just before ten, Donny walked in.

“Hi Jamie isn't it? So you decided to come back.”

Jamie started to worry. “You did offer me a job didn't you?”

“Of course I did, but some people change their minds,” Donny said with a smile. Just then two young men walked into the room, said 'Hi Donny' and exited through a door at the side of the stage. They were followed by two very pretty young women in beautiful dresses, stockings and heels, who were animatedly chatting with each other.

“Hi Donny,” they trilled as they passed him, and Jamie's jaw nearly dropped as he realised that they were part of the troup. For some reason it had never occurred to him that some of the 'girls' might chose to dress full-time.

The next arrival was dressed as a young man and he looked decidedly nervous.

“Ah, Frankie isn't it? Come and meet Jamie, he's new today too,” said Donny, and the young man walked over and shook hands with Jamie. “Hi, I'm Frankie Vaughan, not the Frankie Vaughan you understand.”

Jamie grinned as he shook Frankie's hand.

“Uh,uh,” said Donny. “Women hardly ever shake hands with other women, remember that when you're dressed. Speaking of which, I'm going to take you down to Wardrobe and Makeup so that they can dress you in something to make you feel more at home.”

So saying, he got up and led them through a door and down a corridor to a room which he entered without knocking. When they walked in they saw a person of about sixty years and indeterminate gender, sorting through some costumes on a rack. He or she turned to look at the new arrivals.

“Eddie, here's two new cast members; can you fix them up with something so they don't stand out in the crowd?” he said. Eddie nodded and Donny left the room.

“Well darlings, welcome to Paradise,” Eddie said in a deep voice, and both Jamie and Frankie realised at the same time that despite the rouged cheeks, red lips, curly hair dyed an improbably shade of red, women's trousers and blouse, Eddie was certainly not born a girl. “This is Patsy, she does makeup and hair, while I do the costumes,” she said, pointing out a young woman who stood in the corner of the room brushing a wig. In this place of gender fluidity, neither Jamie nor Frankie knew if Patsy really was a genuine female, and it didn't seem polite to ask.

“Right, I want you to strip down to your bra and pants,” said Eddie. “Don't be shy, we're all girls here.” They both did as she asked and stood there feeling a bit awkward despite Eddie's reassurances.

“Do you know your dress size?” she asked.

“I'm size ten,” Jamie replied in answer to her query, and flushed. In response to her raised eyebrow he confessed that he knew because that was his sister's size. The implication was obvious.

It seemed that Frankie didn't know his size, but Eddie's expert eye suggested that he would be a twelve. She handed them both a suspender belt and a pair of nylons and said to put them on while she looked for something suitable.

Jamie could hardly believe that he was putting on stockings, not in secret, but right in front of three other people. The sensuous feel of the nylon against his newly-shaved legs was as thrilling as ever.

After rummaging through the racks of clothes, Eddie, produced two half slips and two cotton dresses which they could easily wear in the street, and they were told to put them on. “Here's some padding for your bras,” she said, handing over some 'enhancers'. Next Patsy took over, wiping over their faces with a damp cloth to remove any oil, and then sitting them down one at a time in her chair, while she applied some makeup.

“I'm just giving you some foundation, blusher and lippy for now,” she said' “I'll do a proper job on you this evening.”

Patsy looked like a young woman and even sounded like one, but both Jamie and Frankie wondered, if this was true, what was she doing in this club where all the women were really men?

Next, she produced two wigs, one blonde which she expertly adjusted on Jamie's head, and one brunette with long curly hair for Frankie

By now, Eddie had appeared with a selection of shoes, all of which had three inch heels.

“Try these now,” she said. “You can graduate to six inch heels later.”

Both girls (well you could hardly call them boys now) stared in amazement at themselves in the full length mirror. Two pretty girls were looking back at them and smiling.

Eddie sighed: “And to think that I once looked like that too,” she said. “Alright, take yourselves off to Donny and see what he thinks.”

Both Jamie and Freddie now looked serious. Suppose Donny was disappointed with the result of their makeover. Would they get the sack instantly? They needn't have worried. Donny actually gave them a low wolf whistle when he saw them.

“We're not going to throw you in at the deep end. You'll act as drinks waitresses for a couple of weeks, and graduate to doing an act later. All you have to do is take the patrons' orders, relay them to the barman and bring them back to the tables. Remember to smile at all times and if anyone pulls you onto their lap, go with it, even if he puts his hand under your skirt, that way you get extra tips. Speaking of tips, you hand them in to the barman as you get them and they're pooled and divided equally amongst all the girls.”

Talk of money reminded Jamie that he hadn't asked what they would be paid.

“What did you get at your last job?” asked Donny.

“Eight pounds a week,” said Jamie, promptly, nervously blushing. This wasn't true, he had been paid five pounds but thought if he inflated it a bit, he might get more from the club. It seemed to work.

“Alright, I'll give you both ten pounds plus tips while you're waitressing and you'll get more once you start performing. Now sit down and watch the rehearsal.”

Both Jaimie and Frankie sat down and crossed their legs, feeling really feminine. As it was a rehearsal, not all the cast on stage were in costume, although the two Jamie had seen previously in skirts, stockings and heels, revealed a glimpse of their stocking tops and panties when they spun round, and their skirts flared out as they went through all the moves as they sang. After a solid ninety minutes of rehearsing, Donny told them they could have their lunch break.

“Before you go, girls, I want to introduce two new members, Jamie and Frankie. I hope you'll look after them.”

The troup came down off the stage and all said 'Hi' to the newcomers as they passed, but only two stopped, the pair wearing dresses..

“Hi, I'm Cheryl, and this is Tina,” said.one. “Would you like to come to lunch with us? We usually go to Lou's Café just down the street. She knows all the girls and looks out for us.”

Jamie and Frankie were only too happy to go along with girls who 'knew the ropes'. Ironically, Soho was one of the safest places in London for 'trannies' to walk abroad as it was a very cosmopolitan area and the inhabitants and most of the passers-by were very tolerant of diversity. Just going out dressed as women was a novelty for them both, especially Frankie, who, it turned out had never walked the streets in a dress before.

“I can't believe I'm doing this,” Frankie whispered to Jamie as they walked behind Cheryl and Tina to the café. They were duly introduced to Lou, a woman in her sixties, who looked the type who could keep order just with a glance. The food was basic but nutricious, and after a meat pie, chips and a cup of tea, they returned to the nightclub where they were introduced to Antonio the chief barman who instructed them in their duties for the night.

The nightclub had a number of small bedrooms up a broad flight of stairs, the chief purpose of which was not explained but could be guessed at, but they also provided somewhere for the girls to rest after rehearsals since the club didn't open to customers until eight in the evening and really didn't start to fill up until about ten when the first of the shows took place. There was a second performance at midnight, and the club didn't close until at least two o'clock, sometimes later. Jamie and Frankie as newcomers were naturally drawn to each other, so they shared a bedroom and after taking off their dresses, lay on the bed and after the excitement of the day so far, were soon asleep.

They were woken up at six o'clock for a sandwich and coffee, and after that went to see Eddie and Patsy once more, to change into their costumes for the evening. This time, Eddie introduced them into the art of 'tucking and taping' in order to get a smooth, more feminine profile 'down there', after suggesting they go to the 'little boys' room' first.

“It's all about fantasy, darlings. The customers know you're not really women but they like you to look like one and a bulge in your panties rather spoils the illusion.”

Their costumes turned out to be classic 'French Maid' outfits with short black satin skirts trimmed with white lace, worn over white ruffled knickers, black suspenders and fishnet stockings. Eddie provided four inch heel black pumps this time, as a trial with six inches had seen both girls nearly fall on their faces.

Now it was their turn with Patsy, who cranked up the makeup, with eyeshadow, mascara and deep red lipstick. Both girls were fitted with long blonde wigs, and when everything was complete they could hardly tear their eyes away from the mirror.

“Right girls, go out and slay 'em,” said Eddie with a smile. They presented themselves to Donny who gave them a nod of approval.

“Ok, go and join the other waitresses. Estelle is the senior waitress, she'll look after you. Oh, one other thing. Some of the clients may want to spend private time with you in one of the bedrooms. If you are ok with that, check with Rudi the barman and he'll tell you which room is free. He'll handle the money side too, and remember 'it's not on if it's not on'.”

Jamie blushed scarlet on hearing this. She'd had no idea that they might be called upon to provide other services and wasn't sure what was expected and if she could handle it. Frankie seemed surprisingly calm about the idea.

The club's clientele started to arrive after nine o'clock, and when the regulars saw two new faces, both Jamie and Frankie were soon rushed off their feet with drinks orders. As the alcohol flowed, so did the familiarity of the customers and more than once each was slapped on their bottoms to encourage swifter service. They had been told to accept this without protest, and did as they were told.. Donny had been right, they started receiving a number of tips in bank notes which the patrons generally tucked into their cleavage. All the money was handed over to the barman to put in the tips jar.

As Donny had predicted, eventually one of the patrons who was very drunk, pulled Jamie onto his lap and started stroking her thigh and eventually feeling under her skirt. She resisted the temptation to slap his face and kept on smiling even when it became obvious that he was becoming aroused. Eventually, catching Donny's eye, she slipped off his lap, saying in an atrocious French accent. “Monsieur, I 'ave to go and serve zee ozzer customers.”

“I'd love to give you a serve, love,” was his slurred response, but he did give her a ten pound tip.

The evening wore on and Jamie began to wonder what the time was because there was no clock on the wall which might make customers aware of the passing hours and encourage them to leave. The midnight show finished, and eventually, some people did get up to leave, and just like at a party, once one person leaves it tends to generate a general exodus. A few of the patrons waited at the back of the room, and some of the girls from the show and still in dresses, left with them.

When the last customers had left, the rest of the girls came out to sit at the tables, chat, have a coffee, and in some cases a cigarette before leaving for home. Jamie noticed that some were still dressed as women whereas some were now dressed as men again, including Jamie and Frankie. Obviously it was a matter of individual choice.

Even though it was past two o'clock in the morning, the street outside the club was still quite busy. One of the club bouncers accompanied Jamie and Frank to the underground station. Frankie got off the train a few stations before Jamie who fortunately had only a short walk to his home. He went straight up to his bedroom, trying not to make too much noise, undressed, and in a few minutes was fast asleep. It had been an exhausting day.

To be continued

Next time: Jamie's steep learning curve

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

The rest of the week passed in much the same manner and it seemed that Donny was happy with his new recruits. One thing that surprised Jamie was the change in Frankie. He still came to work dressed as a young man and a rather shy one at that, but once he was dressed and made up, the change in him was astounding. He was already wearing six-inch heels, and he flirted outrageously with the patrons, being quite happy to sit on their knees and stroke their hair as they ran their hands up his legs and under his skirt.

One evening the club was crowded and the girls were run off their feet serving the customers. There was a brief lull and Jamie and Frankie were sipping on a glass of mineral water when Jamie suddenly stared across the room in astonishment.

“What's wrong, honey? You've gone pale,” said Frankie.

“You see that man over on table 8? That's my old boss Fred Green the grocer. The rat still owes me five pounds for my last week's work. He kept it back in lieu of notice. I bet Olive, his wife, doesn't know he's here.”

“Really? This could be fun,” said Frankie, and before Jamie could stop him, he was making his way across to the table where Fred Green sat with his friends. Pausing beside Fred, Frankie ruffled his hair saying “Hi, honey, would you like to buy me a drink?”, and sat on Fred's lap. Fred turned red as his friends all laughed.

“She knows a big spender when she sees one, Fred,” laughed one man, obviously referring to the fact that Fred was notoriously tight with his money.

“How about a bottle of champagne? It'll only cost you a tenner,” purred Frankie.

Fred was spluttering: “I've got a beer, that'll do me.”

Frankie leaned over and whispered in his ear. Fred turned from red to purple, but when Frankie got to his feet, Fred pulled out his wallet and reluctantly extracted a ten-pound note. His friends roared with laughter.

“Anyone got a camera? Never seen Fred spend that much before,” laughed one.

Frankie took the note and sashayed over to the bar, returning to the table with the bottle and enough glasses for all the men. It wasn't real champagne of course, but the men had already had plenty to drink and wouldn't notice the difference.

Jamie had watched the whole episode with his mouth open, and when Frankie produced a five pound note and gave it to him, he whispered, “How did you do that?”

“The champagne is only a fiver a bottle but Fred doesn't need to know that. When he was reluctant to buy it I whispered in his ear that I must mention to Olive that I'd seen her husband in the club, the next time I saw her. That convinced him,” Frankie said with a smile. “So now you've got the money he owes you. I'd stay away from his table if I were you. He probably won't recognise you, but it's best not to take chances. I don't think he'll ever come here again!”

Another evening which was particularly busy, Jamie noticed that Frankie wasn't around which seemed strange until he finally saw him coming down the stairs from the bedroom area, with an overweight man in his fifties who was wearing an expensive suit. The man had his arm around Frankie's waist and partway down the stairs they stopped to exchange a kiss. Later, during a break, Jamie asked him about the man and what Frankie had been doing with him.

“Oh just the usual, you know?” said Frankie carelessly. Jamie didn't know but felt it would be prying to ask.

“They all want it and their wives won't give it to them which is why they are willing to pay so well for it,” Frankie added by way of explanation. Then he looked at Jamie: “You don't have a clue what I'm talking about do you?” he asked. Jamie shook his head, and Frankie moved closer to him and whispered in his ear.

Jamie sat back shocked: “And you're happy to do that with them?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Frankie. “Wouldn't you for ten pounds?”

“I'm not sure I could,” said Jamie.

“Well, most women are happy to do it for their man. You should try it, you might enjoy it,” said Frankie.

When it came time to divide up the tips, the takings were up for the week and when Jamie and Frankie received their portions, Donny said quietly to them that he put it down to them being a novelty and looking so sexy.

“Don't tell the other girls I said so, “ he said with a grin. “Some of them can be real bitches, even if they aren't really, if you know what I mean.”

Going home with sixteen pounds each, paid in cash, plus the ten-pound bonus for Frankie, both of the new recruits decided that they had made the right move in going to work at Lewy's.

The following week was much the same as the first one and Jamie was now getting quite used to being a part-time girl, and really enjoying it. Several more times he noticed that Frankie disappeared upstairs with a client, but so far no-one had asked him to do so. Frankie had given him some tuition on how to really give a man his money's worth and inevitably the day came when a slightly overweight businessman in an expensive suit suggested that they go upstairs for a while. Obviously it wasn't his first time, but it would be Jamie's..

Jamie told the man it was twenty pounds which he willingly handed over to the barman, who told him the number of the room to use. With that they both walked up the stairs, the man putting his arm around Jamie's waist. Jamie's heart was beating fast. Could he go through with what he was expected to do?

The room was lit only with a single bedside lamp with a red shade. As soon as they entered the room, the man grabbed Jamie, and pulling him close began to kiss him, pushing his tongue down Jamie's throat. Jamie could taste the alcohol on his tongue and feel the man getting aroused, so he reached down and stroked him through his trousers and then, sinking to his knees, he unzipped the man, extracting his thick hard manhood which was already oozing pre-seminal fluid. It quivered as he began to stroke it and take it in his mouth just as Frankie had instructed him, licking and flicking his tongue beneath the swollen head. The man groaned with pleasure.

Jamie actually found it surprisingly pleasant and when the man finally orgasmed, he had no trouble in swallowing everything the man produced and licking him clean of all traces of semen. As the client became limp, Jamie stood up and helped the man zip up his trousers. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a wallet and gave Jamie ten pounds, saying “That was just what I needed doll, here's a bonus just for you.” Then they left the room and went downstairs. Frankie saw them coming and gave Jamie a big grin as if to say 'That wasn't so bad was it?'

Going to the bar, Jamie handed over his ten-pound bonus.

Later, during their break, Frankie couldn't wait to ask Jamie about his encounter.

“How did you find it?” he asked, and when Jamie hesitated, he said
“You little tart, you loved it didn't you”

Jamie decided to come clean: “OK, yes I did. I never felt so much like a woman as when I was on my knees in front of him. It's what they must feel like when they give themselves to a man, total submission but still being in control. It felt very erotic.”

“And you can't wait to do it again, can you?”

“Well the money is good,” admitted Jamie.

“Speaking of which, there's something I want to talk to you about. You must have seen how much I change when I'm dressed like this. The thing is I'd like to dress like a girl all the time, just like Cheryl and Tina do. You do know they live together don't you?” Frankie said, referring to two of the girls in the show.

“So why don't you?” said Jamie.

“I can't, not while I'm living at home. All my parents know is that I work as a waiter at a restaurant that stays open late, but they have no idea that I do it dressed like this, and as for going upstairs...well they'd probably faint if they knew. I'd like to rent my own place but I can't really afford it, so what I'm wondering is, would you be interested in sharing a flat with me? You don't have to dress as a girl all the time if you don't want to, the choice is yours.”

Jamie's heart began to pound. The thought of being a girl twenty-four seven was certainly appealing. He'd have to buy some clothes of course, but he was now earning a lot more money than at his first job delivering groceries.

“Let me sleep on it,” he said. “I'll let you know tomorrow.”

Of course, there was really no doubt in Jamie's mind, the chance of dressing as a girl any time he wanted was too tempting and when he saw Frankie the next day he agreed that they should look for a two-bedroom flat in the Soho area, preferably within walking distance of the club.

They used their time off to call at the local estate agents and look for flats. The agents probably thought two young men with unusually long hair wanting to take a flat together were gay, but it didn't bother them. It was probably an advantage, since they had found from experience that gay men were a lot more houseproud than straight men, and would keep the flat clean and in good condition.

It only took a few weeks until they found a furnished flat with two smallish bedrooms, a kitchenette, lounge/dining area, bathroom and toilet, and a tiny laundry which already included a washing machine. Frankie had been right, individually they could never have afforded it, but sharing the rent and running expenses was no problem. A bonus was that it was only ten minutes' walk from the nightclub so that was ideal. A bonus was that they would each save a lot of money and time on train travel.

Jamie had already bought some women's clothes for daywear which he kept in his bedroom at his mother's home. She was quite comfortable with the fact that her only son now made his living dressed as a woman, and wasn't surprised to learn that he sometimes chose to wear women's clothing when not at work, although she'd never actually seen him dressed that way. When he broke the news that he and Frankie were going to share a flat in Soho, she was a little sad but realised that it was far more practical than living at home with the long trip to and from work every day. Jamie promised that he would come to see her on a regular basis.

Until they rented the flat, Frankie had only a few items of lingerie of his own, but now that he had somewhere to keep his clothes, he went on a spending spree and soon the wardrobe in his room was almost full with the wide variety of skirts, dresses and shoes. His dressing table drawers were also filling up with satin and lace lingerie in a variety of colours.

In the next few days, two more men invited Jamie to join them in one of the bedrooms for the same purpose as before. Jamie was really enjoying this extra activity, plus the bonus money. Then one day something different happened. A tall slim man of about twenty-five with long fair hair came to the club and after sneaking glances for a while, he asked if Jamie would go with him to a bedroom. When they were alone, and the door bolted to make sure there were no accidental interruptions, Jamie was about to get on his knees when the young man stopped him.

“Do you mind if I give you head instead?” he asked.

Jamie said 'You're paying for my time. Within reason, anything you want to do is up to you.' It would actually be the first time Jamie had received rather than given, so the thought excited him.

“So you're ok with it?” said the young man.

“Sure,” Jamie said. “Be my guest.”

“My name's Michaela,” said the young man as he started to remove his coat and tie. With an effort, Jamie stopped himself from raising his eyebrows. He fully expected Michaela to strip naked but he had a surprise as all was revealed. As Michaela removed his shirt, he revealed that he was wearing a black lace camisole. Removal of his trousers revealed black panties, suspender belt, and sheer black nylons. Reaching into a bag he had been carrying, he produced a pair of black pumps with three-inch heels and slipped them on.

Jamie had an idea. “Would you like some lipstick?” he asked.

“May I? That would be wonderful,” said Michaela. Jaimie led him to the dressing table and after he sat down in front of the mirror, Jamie sat beside him and applied lipstick to his lips. With his long blonde wavy hair, he looked quite feminine.

“Do you ever kiss clients?” Michaela asked. On all previous occasions men had wanted Jamie to use his lips for something else entirely, and the ones who did kiss him on the lips didn't do it in a sensuous manner, but he suspected this young man would be different.

“Sure,” Jamie replied. He leaned forward and they started to kiss. At first, it was gentle, but it gradually intensified as their mouths opened, tongues began to circling and teeth grinding. Standing up, and with their arms around each other and bodies pressed tightly together, it was obvious to themselves and each other that they were both becoming very aroused.

“I need to do this,” groaned Michaela as she sank to her knees in front of Jamie who by now had removed her gaff and was totally erect. Michaela reached up under Jamie's skirt to pull her panties down and started to suck her. Jamie could feel herself quivering at the sensations that Michaela's lips and tongue were generating. For the first time, she realised the effect she had on men.

“Do you want me to come in your mouth?” she gasped. Michaela's mouth was too full to answer, but she nodded vigorously. Jamie enjoyed the delicious sensation of holding back as long as she could, but finally, there came a point where she could wait no longer, and she released jets of pent-up semen into Michaela's mouth. She half expected Michaela to spit it out, but instead, it was obvious that she was greedily swallowing every last drop.

As Jamie's tumescence gradually subsided, Michaela reluctantly let her slip out of his mouth.

“That was awesome,” he said, still panting. “For me too,” replied Jamie. He had another idea.

Waiting until they were descending the stairs, he said quietly: “I couldn't ask you in the room as there's a camera and microphone there for the girls' security, but would you like to meet up again outside the club? Frankie and I have a flat nearby.”

“Could I?” said Michaela. “That would be amazing.”

“I'll slip you my phone number when I bring you a drink after we go downstairs. Don't let anyone see it or I may lose my job,” replied Jamie, realising that he was taking a risk.

As he and Michaela shared a final kiss and walked down the stairs, they passed Frankie and a customer going up. Frankie winked at Jamie. As promised, Jamie slipped Michaela his phone number as he delivered him a drink

“Leave me a message if I'm not home and we can arrange to meet up again,” he whispered.

To be continued

Next time – Jamie finds it's not all smooth sailing at the club.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Most Friday nights, the girls got together after work for a coffee and a chat. It was at one of these informal meetings that Jamie asked the room in general about breast forms. Up until now she had been stuffing her bra cups with so-called 'chicken fillets', but decided it was time for something a bit more convincing, especially as several of the customers had tried to fondle her and she had turned their hands away, knowing that her breast area just didn't feel right.

When she asked for advice about buying breast forms, one of the girls, Margie, spoke up.

“I've got a pair of falsies sitting in a drawer at home. I don't need 'em ever since I got me Bristols done. Want me to bring 'em in and you can try 'em for size?”

“Sure Margie, that would be great” said Jamie. Obviously Margie had had breast enhancement surgery, although Jamie had no idea what the reference to 'Bristols' meant.

The following day, Margie brought in the 'Eve' breast forms, still in their original box, complete with adhesive and skin wipes. In the dressing room, looking at Jamie's bare chest she said: “I think these would be great for you, they almost exactly match your skin colour and they will be just the right size. I see you've got no chest hair, which is most important, since you do have to take them off from time to time.”

She told Jamie to attach her bra and then flip the cups down inside out. Then she showed her how to mark where each form would go, cleanse the skin with wipes to make sure it was free of any oil or soap residue, then spraying the back of each breast form with adhesive spray, before placing them in position and flipping up the bra cups to hold them in position.

“After about twenty minutes, they'll be firmly fixed in position. Then you can use a little makeup to disguise the joins of the form with your skin and you're set to go. No man is going to realise that they're not real. Try 'em for a few days and if you like 'em then we can do a deal.”

“Thank you so much Margie,” said Jamie. “There's just one thing I wanted to ask you; you said something about 'Bristols' the other night. I knew you were talking about your breasts but I didn't see the connection.”

Margie burst out laughing: “Sorry love, it's Cockney rhyming slang, “Bristol City' after the football team, and 'city' rhymes with 'tittie'. You must have heard some of 'em like 'I've got to scarper, from Scapa flow, meaning 'go'. Gettit?”

Jamie felt herself flushing with embarrassment: “I gettit,” she replied.

After twenty minutes, she gingerly slipped her bra straps off her shoulders and released the cups from her new breasts, afraid they would fall on the floor but they stayed in position and looked amazingly life-like. She was thrilled. One thing she did notice was the extra weight on her chest but she was sure she'd get used to it, and of course, that's what real women felt all the time

Margie came back to check them. “How do they feel?” she said. “Give them a squeeze”

“Wow, that's amazing,” said Jamie. “But do real breasts feel like that?”

“Haven't you ever squeezed a woman's tits?” said Margie and when Jamie confessed she hadn't, Margie pulled up her top to expose her breasts. “Here, have a feel. Give them a good squeeze, they won't bite,” she said.

Jamie blushed, but did as she was told and agreed that the feeling was quite similar to the breast forms.

“Of course, mine aren't original either, but they feel like my girlfriend's and hers are home grown,” laughed Margie. Jamie felt herself blushing again. So Margie had a real girlfriend even though she lived as a woman, or at least one with a penis – amazing! She seemed to learn something new every day.

The next day she was sitting on a customer's lap and he wanted to feel her breasts. This time she let him and let out a squeal of pleasure even though she couldn't actually feel what he was doing. It was certainly enough to convince him that they were real, and resulted in a twenty pound note being pushed into her cleavage.

She saw Margie the following day and they came to an agreement that Jamie would buy the breast forms for half the price that Margie had paid for them.

As the weeks passed, Jamie took increasing numbers of men to the bedrooms to fellate them. Some asked her to take off her bra and let them masturbate between her breasts. Almost all the men were married and were getting what their wives refused to give them, or only did so reluctantly, so they were grateful for Jamie's increasingly expert technique and the fact that she was prepared to swallow their semen. Some gave Jamie some extra money as a tip, but she always turned it into the barman Rudi. There was a reason for this; each room had a camera and microphone for security, just in case a client turned violent, and there were also several alarm buttons dotted around the room. Donny took good care of his girls.

One day a client was less than pleasant. Jamie had a bad feeling about him from the start, but knew that without definite evidence, she still had to take him upstairs. The man, who said to call him Gary was rough, putting his hands on Jamie's shoulders and forcing her to her knees before she had a chance to do it herself. As Jamie leaned forward to unzip Gary and release his obviously erect penis, he pushed Jamei's hands aside, unzipped himself and pulled down his own underpants saying: “Get sucking, bitch. That's what I'm paying you for.”

Jamie obliged although she'd never wanted to do it less. She hoped to get Gary to orgasm as quickly as possible so that session would be over, but Gary was alert to this.

“Slow down, bitch, I want my money's worth,” he growled.

Jamie obeyed , and soon Gary was moaning as Jamie ran her tongue up and down his shaft and over the head, licking the pre-cum that was oozing from Gary's slit.

“Fuck! Yeah that's good, bitch. Keep doing that,” he muttered as Jamie fondled his sack and squeezed his testicles. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and shot his load into Jamie's mouth, who obligingly swallowed it and licked the last traces from the rapidly deflating penis.

He looked down at Jamie with contempt: “What sort of man sucks other men's cocks for a living? A fucking nancy-boy, that's what you are.”

“Yes sir,” said Jamie, humbly. “I only do it to earn money for my poor widowed mother.”

She was tempted to say 'What sort of man gets a nancy boy to suck his cock?' but knew that wouldn't go over very well.

“I bet she doesn't know what you do to earn your money,” Gary said with a sneer.

“Oh no sir, it would kill her if she found out,” replied Jamie humbly.

“You're a fucking queer, that's what you are. I'm getting out of here, I need a drink,” Gary said, pulling his trousers up and flinging open the bedroom door, walked down the stairs to the bar. Jamie looked after him with a faint smile on his lips. When Gary had roughly pulled down his underpants, the material had brushed against Jamie's mouth leaving a small smear of lipstick behind. Normally Jamie would have alerted him, but not this time.

'When his wife washes his y-fronts, she's bound to see it,' thought Jamie. 'There's either going to be hell to pay right then and there, or she'll make a mental note of it to add to every other reason why she wants to divorce him. What's that saying? “Revenge is a dish best served cold”.'

With that, Jamie walked back down the stairs, purposely ignoring Gary.

Jamie thought that was that, but a few days later, Donny called the staff together: “I've had a complaint from one of the customers who was entertained in bedroom seven. He says he was insulted and short-changed. Whoever it was, please see me in my office and we'll sort this out.”

Jamie's heart sank. Obviously there had been a blow-up when Gary's wife saw the lipstick and he was looking for revenge. As the rehearsals started, he walked to Donny's office and knocked on the door. Donny looked surprised when he was it was Jamie. There was a pile of video tapes on his desk and it was obvious that he was going to check through what happened if no-one came forward.

“I was with a bloke who called himself Gary,” said Jamie. “He was rough and rude; I serviced him as usual and then he called me queer and a 'nancy-boy'. I think he was trying to get me to answer back, but I wouldn't; I called him 'sir' and that seemed to make him more angry. I just couldn't win. Then he left the bedroom.”

Jamie had already decided he wouldn't mention the lipstick unless Donny knew about it but it seemed he didn't.

Donny leaned back in his chair. “OK, some blokes are like that. He obviously wants you sacked, but I'm not going to do that; instead I'm going to bar him from the club. You're a good worker Jamie, and it's about time we got you on the stage.”

“Thank you very much, Donny,” said Jamie. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and didn't want Donny to see that.

Jamie really thought that was the end of the matter, but she was wrong. A few nights later, she left the club on her own to walk home. This was unusual, and she'd promised her mother she wouldn't do it, but Frankie had left earlier with an admirer. As she walked down the street she passed the entrance to a dark alleyway, and suddenly she felt an arm around her neck and felt the prick of a knifepoint on her throat. Jamie froze.

“Alright you fucking bitch, don't scream and you won't get hurt. Just walk nice and slowly back to the alley,” the man hissed. Jamie had no doubt it was Gary. “Make a fool of me by smearing your lipstick on my y-fronts, you bitch. Thought you were being smart did you? Well my wife's got a black eye for asking me about it and I don't see why you should get off scot-free.”

“I didn't do it, well not deliberately,” Jamie gasped in desperation. She had no doubt that the man's 'promise' not to hurt her meant nothing. Most likely she was going to have her face slashed. Her heart sank as they walked back and into the alley.

Then suddenly a hand came from nowhere and grasped Gary's arm that held the knife. It was pulled away from Jamie's throat and he squealed and dropped the blade which clattered on the roadway.

“Let go, you're breaking me bleedin' arm!” Gary gasped. His demand was ignored.

“Take your arm from around the lady's neck, nice and gently,” said a deep voice and Jamie's heart leapt. It was Mick, one of the club bouncers. Gary did as he was told and Jamie leapt forward out of his reach.

The trouble with some men like Gary is that they're not very bright. With both arms now free he turned around and swung wildly at Mick's head. Mick easily avoided the swinging arm and drove his large fist into Gary's stomach, making him double over and gasp for air. Mick strode forward and grabbed a handful of Gary's hair, pulling him upright. Then he leaned in until his face was inches from Gary's.

“Listen up you, and listen good,” he growled. “Don't ever come here or attack our staff again or you'll be taking your meals through a straw. Do you understand?”

Still trying to get his breath back, Gary finally gasped: “Understood.”

“Good, now fuck off and don't let me see you again,” said Mick.

Gary turned and was going to stoop to retrieve his knife until a snarl from Mick made him change his mind. Mick stepped forward, put a foot on the blade and twisted the handle, snapping the knife in two, then he threw the pieces after the retreating Gary yelling: “And take your rubbish with you.”

Gary quickened his walk to a run and soon disappeared into the darkness. Jamie ran to Mick and put her arms around him saying “Thank you so much, Mick. He was going to cut me up, I'm sure of it.”

“That's alright Jamie, it's part of my job to look after the staff. You really shouldn't be walking the streets on your own at this time of the morning. Promise me that if you're on your own again you'll take a cab, o.k?”

They walked back to the club and Jamie took a cab home.

Two days later, when Mick came into work, there was a gift-wrapped box waiting for him. When he undid the wrapping he found a large bottle of his favourite brand single malt scotch, together with a note saying:

'To Mick, my saviour. Thank you so much for being there for me.
Love, Jamie'

Jamie had thought long and hard about whether she should write 'Love'. She discussed her problem with Frankie, who said: “Of course you should. Mick looks on you as a girl and girls can write 'love' on a note without it meaning more than expressing gratitude.” So, that's what Jamie wrote, and from then on Mick always nodded when he saw her.

There's one more chapter to this incident. Did I say that some people aren't very bright? A week after Mick rescued Jamie, Gary came back again, but this time with two of his cronies, and all three were carrying baseball bats. It seems they had transferred their anger from Jamie to Mick. They hid in the alleyway where Gary had intended to take Jamie, and they waited for Mick to finish work for the night.

Fortunately for Mick, this night he left the club with the other bouncer, Alf. As they passed the entrance to the alleyway, the three thugs leapt out with baseball bats swinging. It hadn't occurred to them that they were amateurs tackling professionals, as both bouncers were retired boxers. Alf tripped up one of the men and he fell flat on his face on the hard pavement. That was enough for him; he stood up sobbing, his nose broken and streaming blood, and immediately ran off. That evened up the numbers but it was really no contest.

Three minutes later. Mick and Alf emerged from the alleyway and casually strolled down the street. Slumped against the wall of the alley were two very sad and sorry figures; Gary's friend was nursing a broken arm and Gary's jaw was broken in two places and he was missing several teeth. As Mick had warned him, he was feeding through a straw for quite a few weeks. This time it seems the message did get through and he and his friends never came near the club again. It's not known how Gary explained his injuries to his wife; nor the policemen who found them after a tipoff from Mick who was good friends with the local constabulary; you don't break a jaw like that by walking into a door. They couldn't explain the baseball bats either, and were lucky to get off without being charged.

Yo be continued

Next time: Not just flatmates any more

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Chapter 5 Very explicit material

The following week Donny told Jamie and Frankie that he wanted to see them in his office. As tends to be the case, they wondered what they had done wrong and were quite worried when they knocked on his door.

“Come in girls and take a seat,” said Donny. Both the girls did so, automatically smoothing their skirts and crossing their legs. Donny hid a grin, he had seen many young men transform into most convincing women while working at the club and these two were no different. They behaved like women now without even thinking about it.

“When you started here I said that you could perform on stage and the time has come for that. You've both worked very well as waitresses and takings have gone up ten percent, so well done. If you sing well, you'll still get tips to go in the pot, so you'll still be entitled to a cut of the earnings. Now go and see Eddie – she's been asked to make you up a couple of costumes.”

“Thank you, Donny,” said the two simultaneously, and headed down to Eddie's workshop. By now they knew that she was a brilliant seamstress and it seemed she was going to make their new dresses herself.

“Have you seen the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Russell?” asked Eddie. Both girls nodded. “Well, I'm going to make you two gowns a bit like they wore in the film, one red and one blue, floor-length with slits up the sides going up to your thighs. Men will love them.”

After Eddie checked their measurements, both girls headed up to see the club pianist to rehearse. He was called Archie, having been named after his grandfather, who his parents hoped might leave him some money, although in that they were disappointed. When he played for the girls in the evenings, he was dressed in a sparkling whilte suit and was introduced as 'Liber-Archie'. He even had a small electric candelabra on the top of the upright piano. He was an excellent player and it was never explained what he was doing playing at a nightclub instead of somewhere more salubrious like a concert hall. Like a number of people at the club, it was a case of 'Don't ask, don't tell'.

Having been told about the costumes the girls were to wear he rehearsed with them two songs from the film, 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend” and “A Little Girl From Little Rock”.

“Patsy who does the makeup is our choreographer and she'll put together a routine for you once you're comfortable with the songs,” he said. “I've got one more song for you if you're asked for an encore. It's a little number I wrote myself called 'Let me Come for You'. I'll play the tune through while you have a look at the words.”

The two girls took the sheets with the words on while Archie played the tune. It was actually a very sweet tune, but the words were guaranteed to make a sailor blush, so perfectly suited to their nightclub. After a couple of run-throughs, the girls were getting the hang of it, but it was time for Archie to rehearse some of the other singers, so it was arranged that Jamie and Frankie would come in early the following day to go through their songs again.

A week later it was Jamie and Frankie's first night onstage. Patsy had choreographed some simple steps for them and Eddie had completed their gowns. When they put them on, the side splits revealed a stockinged leg right up to the welt and beyond to their bare thighs, only just covering their panties which matched the gowns in colour. Both girls had now graduated to six-inch heels and they were to wear blonde wigs, even though they were now both growing their own hair long enough to stop wearing wigs on a regular basis.

They appeared on stage for the 10pm show to cheers and wolf-whistles of appreciation, and the cheers grew louder as their routine exposed their legs. Both songs were a great success, so Archie's encore song was required and the words provoked many cheers and whistles of approval. After they stepped down off the stage and walked amongst the tables, the customers showed their appreciation by tucking banknotes into the garter that each wore on her exposed leg. There was another show at midnight and their reception was equally good. Donny stood in the back of the room nodding his approval.

When Jamie and Frankie arrived back at their flat it was nearly three o'clock in the morning but they were still on a high after their performances, so instead of going straight to bed, they took off their gowns and left their stockings and lingerie on under satin robes. Frankie made them both coffee and they sat for a while and watched an old movie on the television. Jamie normally restricted herself to one drink an evening, but after their success, Donny had opened a bottle of real champagne, so she was feeling slightly tipsy. She noticed that Frankie's robe had fallen open, revealing her lithe body in black satin lingerie. Frankie noticed her looking and said: “You like what you see don't you darling?”

Jamie blushed but she didn't try to stop Frankie opening her own robe to expose her too.

“Tell me something,” aid Frankie. “I know you've gone down on plenty of blokes by now, but have any of them actually fucked you?”

Jamie was surprised: “No of course not, they're all straight married guys, so why would they do that?”

Frankie laughed: “Because sometimes 'straight married guys' want to try something different, and their wives are not keen. There's a good reason for that of course, they're not built like us so it's not so pleasant for them.”

“How do you mean?” asked Jamie.

“Well, they don't have a prostate to stimulate. Look, instead of telling you, why don't I show you? After all, sooner or later a guy will want to fuck you and it's better you lose your virginity with someone you know.”

If Jamie had been sober, he might have refused the offer, but he wasn't and it made sense to him for his first time to be with a friend. Of course, if he did it with Frankie then they would no longer be friends but lovers too, but at that moment it seemed alright.

He noticed that Frankie was already getting hard; he felt the same stirrings himself, so when Frankie turned to him and started to kiss him, first gently, but then with mouths open and tongues intertwining, he reached over and started to fondle Frankie's penis through the satin of his panties. It wasn't long before Frankie was doing the same to him and they were both becoming very aroused.

As they broke the kiss to breathe, Frankie said: “Let's go to my bedroom,” and standing up he took Jamie's hand and led him there. Jamie felt a little nervous but also excited. He'd heard that the first time for men might hurt, just as it did for women, but he wanted to know what it felt like, and he wanted Frankie.

Frankie sat Jamie down on the bed while he went to a bedside cabinet and returned with a condom in a packet, a tube of lubricant and a small bottle with a brightly coloured label.

“The first rule of sex at the club, or with anyone you don't one hundred percent trust, is using a condom is non-negotiable. 'If it's not on, it's not on', o.k.? Most guys like you to put the johnny on them, so would you like to have a practice?”

Jamie nodded and Frankie moved closer to the bed to allow him to reach forward and slide his panties down. Then Jamie leaned forward and took Frankie's penis in his mouth and started to lick and suck it, flicking the tip of his tongue on the frenulum. Frankie groaned: “Oh fuck, you really know how to do this.”

Jamie smiled and leaned back. He tore the cover off the condom packet and placing the end over the bulging head which glistened with pre-ejaculate, rolled it down the shaft of Frankie's quivering penis.

Frankie moaned: “Oh yes, now the lube and use plenty of it.”

Jamie squeezed the tube onto his fingers and spread generous amounts of lubricant over the condom with his fingers. He could feel the rock-hard shaft quiver under his fingers.

“Mmmm. Now get ready to take a sniff of this,” Frankie said, holding out the small bottle.

“What is it?” asked Jamie.

“It's amyl nitrite, commonly known as 'poppers'. It gives you a rush and also makes your anal sphincter relax, so you'll enjoy being fucked more. Now get on your hands and knees on the bed, facing away from me and with your ass near the edge. Then spread your legs, so I can lube you,” said Frankie.

Jamie did as he was told. He felt Frankie's fingers spreading lube all around his anal bud and then gently probe inside him with one finger. At Frankie's command, he sniffed the bottle and started to feel light-headed. His heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement at what was to come. Now he felt the tip of Frankie's penis pressing against him and concentrated on relaxing his anal sphincter. It felt enormous against him and he didn't know how he could take it. The pressure increased as Frankie said in a soothing voice: “You're doing so well. Just relax.”

The pressure increased and Jamie was just on the point of crying out for Frankie to stop when he felt something give and realised that Frankie was inside him.

“That's it. Well done. I'm in you now,” said Frankie and he began to move his penis in and out, pushing a little further in with each thrust. Jamie found that it didn't hurt anymore, in fact, he was starting to enjoy it. Frankie increased the speed and depth of his thrusts and Jamie realised that the sensations were making him start to build towards an orgasm. This must be the prostate stimulation that Frankie had talked about. He moaned and started to push back against Frankie, trying to take in every inch of him and enjoy the amazing sensations.

Frankie laughed: “You're feeling it now aren't you?”

Jamie groaned: “Oh yes! Fuck me Frankie.”

Frankie responded: “Now I'm going to take off the johnny so that you can feel the difference. You've got nothing to fear, I have regular tests just like you.”

Jamie felt him slip out and then ten seconds later he slid in again. “Oh yes! That feels so good,” he moaned as Frankie began to thrust hard and fast. He also reached around Jamie's body and began to fondle his penis. Jamie was squealing with pleasure. “Fuck me, Frankie, fuck me hard. Make me come,” he gasped.

Frankie's thrusts were now like a piston. He was beyond the point of no return and suddenly gasped: “I'm gonna come!” Jamie felt the penis inside him quivering and clamped his anal sphincter tightly around it as Frankie's body shuddered and hot streams of semen jetted out, filling him. At the same moment, he orgasmed and filled his panties with semen.

For two or three minutes they stayed locked together. Then Jamie felt Frankie's penis softening and finally sliding out of him. “That was amazing,” he said, still gasping for air.

Frankie laughed: “It was amazing for me too,” he replied. “Why don't you lie down now, I think we both need some sleep.” They curled up together in Frankie's bed and within minutes were asleep.

Jamie awoke at dawn. He could feel something pressing against him and for a moment didn't know where he was. Then he remembered the events of the previous night and smiled. He was no longer a virgin; in fact he wanted more. He reached behind him and felt Frankie's stiff penis.

“Frankie, let's do it again,” he said quietly.

Frankie laughed: “Are you sure?” he asked.

“I've never been surer of anything,” said Jamie. This time he lay on his stomach, his legs apart as Frankie climbed on top and entered him. It was even better than before, and when it was over, and both of them had orgasmed, Frankie reached for his watch to check the time. “It's nine o'clock. We'd better get our showers or we'll be late for work,” he said.

That night, Frankie explained to Jamie how to douche. “It's not much fun, but when you start letting the customers fuck you, they'll expect you to be nice and clean inside, so you'll need to do it before they start to arrive at the club.

Frankie and Jamie now only used one bed, and almost every night they had sex before going to sleep. Frankie even introduced Jamie to the pleasures of having sex in the shower, and also occasionally being the 'top'. He enjoyed the feeling of his penis sliding deep inside Frankie's velvety tunnel which gripped him tightly as the two of them moaned and grunted with pleasure, their bodies locked together until Jamie filled Frankie with his seed.

When they finally slid apart, Frankie laughed and asked Jamie which way he preferred and when Jamie couldn't really say, he said “That means you are versatile, either top or bottom, so twice as many chances to have fun. You know we really should try a threesome sometime.”

One night after a most satisfying fuck, as they lay on the bed catching their breath, Jamie asked Frankie how old he was when he first had sex.

“I was just fifteen, his name was Geoff and he was in the year above me at school. We usually kept to our own class level, but the goalkeeper of the football team had broken an arm and they called me in to replace him. I remember we won the match but I don't know which school we were playing against, but I think it was a competition final. Anyway, Geoff invited the whole team to his place afterwards to celebrate. His parents were away and while his older sister, Maxine was officially keeping order she didn't want to stay at home with eleven randy boys and went out with a girlfriend, telling Geoff that everyone had to leave by midnight, and not to make too much noise.”

“The team had smuggled in some beer and I had one for the first time. I didn't like the taste much but felt I had to drink it not to look like a kid. I saw Geoff looking at me. I'd seen him before in the schoolyard but he'd never taken any notice of me as far as I knew. Now I was getting a strange feeling in my stomach looking at him looking at me. I didn't know what it meant but it felt thrilling and scary at the same time.”.

“Someone help me with the food?” he asked and I got up and walked into the kitchen with him. He had sausage rolls in the oven and when he took them out I helped arrange them on plates. All the time this strange feeling didn't go away, and the nearer I stood to him the worse it got.”

“He laughed and said “You'd make someone a good wife.” I blushed of course but somehow I wasn't offended. 'I'd like to be your wife,' I thought. When we took the sausage rolls into the other room, all the team fell on them like they were starving. Geoff looked at them for a moment and then quietly said to me “Meet me at the bottom of the garden in five minutes.” I stared at him and then nodded. I didn't know what it was about, but I wasn't going to say no.”

“Five minutes later I was walking over the lawn to the bottom of the garden where there were a number of trees. It was quite dark but I could see Geoff standing there. When I came up to him, to my surprise he took me in his arms and started to kiss me. Now I had never kissed anyone before, your mum and aunties don't count. This was a full-on French kiss, Geoff forced his tongue into my mouth and pulled my body hard against his. To my embarrassment, I could feel that I was starting to get an erection, so I tried to ease back but he was having none of it. He pulled me closer and I could feel that he had an erection too.”

“I've been wanting to do this for the longest time, haven't you?” he said. I hadn't of course because I never thought such a thing possible, but I nodded and said 'yes'. Geoff reached down and started fondling me through my trousers. My cock was quivering at his touch even though it was through two layers of clothing.”

“We've got to do this again,” he said and his voice was strange. I know now that he was gasping to fuck me . “We've got to get back before the other guys miss us, but let's get together soon, ok?” I nodded and then he kissed me again, hard but just for a minute. Then he told me to go back in the house and he'd follow in a few minutes.”

“None of the other team members seem to have missed us, or if they did they said nothing. Looking back I suppose they knew that Geoff was gay and that I was going to be his latest plaything.”

“Anyway, all the guys kept the house tidy. I helped Geoff wash up and put the plates away, and he put the beer bottles in the dustbin. Everyone left before his sister came home. I was the last to leave and was rewarded with another kiss for my work. When I got home, Mum, who had stayed up, asked if I'd had a good time and I said 'yes I had' If only she knew just how good a time it was! That night I couldn't get to sleep thinking about what had happened and when I did finally sleep I had strange dreams in which Geoff appeared but when I woke up I couldn't remember exactly what they had been about.

I could hardly wait to meet up with Geoff again. Both his parents and his older sister worked, so when he invited me to his house again, we had about three hours before any of them returned home. I sort of guessed what might happen but didn't know what we would do or indeed how far we would go.”

“When we went into his house we chucked our satchels into the corner and Geoff invited me to sit on the couch with him. We looked at each other and in a moment we were kissing again. Of course I got hard again and Geoff began to feel me, bu t this time he reached for the zip of my trousers and pulled it down. In a second he had my cock in his hands and was stroking it. Then he took my hand and moved it to his crotch and placed it on his erection. He stopped kissing me long enough to tell me to unzip him too.and guided my hand to his erection which was much bigger than mine. It felt amazing, hot and quivering at my touch. Geoff looked at me and said, “This is your first time isn't it?” I nodded and he said “I thought so. Well, when you're with someone you really like, you want to give them pleasure, and the way you do that with another man is to take their cock in your mouth and suck it.”

“I really did want to give him pleasure, so I bent down and opened my lips and took the tip of his cock inside.my mouth. I could taste him and it wasn't unpleasant. He began to groan and say 'More, more', so I let more of his cock into my mouth and ran the tip of my tongue around the shaft. I knew about male orgasms, of course, I'd been masturbating for a few years. I'd even tasted my own semen just to find out what it was like. Geoff was groaning louder and louder and suddenly he said “I'm gonna come” and I felt the jets of semen come out of his cock and into my mouth. My first instinct was to pull back, but Geoff was holding my head on his cock, so instead, I swallowed it. He waited until I'd finished then released my head. As I looked up at him he said “Now kiss me again.” He wanted to taste his semen in my mouth.”.

“After we'd finished kissing and our lips parted, Geoff said “So how did you enjoy your first time?” and I told him it was amazing. Then he said that now I'd experienced receiving, we should reverse sides and he would suck me off which he then did. I must say I didn't last long in his mouth before I shot my load down his throat. That was my first time and I couldn't believe what we had just done.”

“I visited Geroff's house about once a week. Now I wonder if he was seeing other boys in between, but then I thought it was just him and me and I was in love. Once he had me really hooked on oral sex he introduced me to the pleasures of anal sex. When he first asked if I knew how men had sex with women, I said yes and Geoff explained that men could do the same but use a different hole. Looking back I must say that he was a very gentle teacher. The first time he fucked me, he went about it so slowly and used plenty of lube. He warned me it would hurt a bit but soon stop and he was right of course. I was just about on the point of telling him I couldn't bear it anymore when he finally stretched me enough to slide inside me. The feelings after that, well I don't have to tell you but for someone losing their virginity it was truly amazing.”

“There was one more thing. One day he asked me if I'd like to be more like his woman and wear some of his sister's underclothes. “Have you ever tried that before?” he asked and the way I went red as a beetroot was all the answer he needed. We went into her bedroom and he rummaged through her used underwear in a corner of her closet and produced some panties, suspender belt, stockings, and a bra. We went back to Geoff's bedroom and I stripped off and put everything on. The ease with which I did it showed I'd had plenty of practice with my own sister's lingerie. There was just one thing he pointed out, I should wear the panties over the suspender belt straps so he could easily pull them down.”

“I have to say that wearing lingerie made sex even more erotic. From then on I wore his sister's lingerie every time I went to Geoff's house. It was just great while it lasted.”

“How do you mean, 'while it lasted'?” said Jamie.

Frankie laughed. I guess it's what always happens. Did I say we had about three hours before his parents got home? One day I was lying on my back on Geoff's bed, in his sister's underwear as usual.and he was humping me. We made quite a lot of noise, as usual, he grunting away as he thrust deep inside me, and me squealing like a bitch in heat.. The bedroom door was closed and I suddenly saw it swing slowly open and his mother's face appeared. I'll never forget the look on her face, pure shock, and horror.” We had been making so much noise we never heard her come home early.

“What did she do?” asked Jamie.

“That's the funny thing, she didn't do anything, just quietly disappeared around the door again and quietly closed it. Geoff didn't know what happened since he was facing away from the door and I think his eyes were shut anyway. There was no point in me saying anything just then so we carried on fucking. After it was all over and we were lying on the bed getting our breath back, I said casually to him “By the way, your mother's home.”

“Oh shit!” he said. “Did she hear us?”

“More than that, she saw us,” I replied.

“Oh shit, shit, shit,” he said. “That's fucked up everything. Why didn't you tell me?”

“It was far too late by then,” I replied.”

There seemed nothing else for me to do but get dressed and go home.

The next time I saw Geoff I asked him what his mother had said.

“That's the funny thing, she didn't say anything,” he said. “But I guess you'd better not come around to the house again”

That's not totally the end of the story, we did have sex again, but it was mostly rushed and standing up doggy in cupboards or in the woods outside the school. We gradually drifted apart.”

“So you had to be celibate then?” asked Jamie.

“Not for long as it turned out. One day while we were in the yard at school one of the top footballers, a real hunk came over and said to me 'I hear we have a mutual interest in model planes'.” Seeing the confusion in Jamie's face he laughed and said “That was the code Geoff used when he was inviting me over to his house for sex. I never would have picked Mike as being gay, he was so macho. Perhaps he was bi as I later heard he got married. Anyway, it wasn't long before I did go to his house to 'fly model planes'. He had a great package – longer and thicker than Geoff. It was just as well Geoff broke me in or I'd never have been able to take all of Mike.”

“And the sex was good?” asked Jamie

“It was awesome. He regularly fucked my brains out. Unlike Geoff, he was totally a 'top' but I loved sucking him and being fucked by him. The only thing I missed was that he was an only child so there was no sister's lingerie for me to borrow. Most of the time we were naked. So that's the story of how I first started having sex.”

“What an amazing story, Thanks for sharing it,” said Jamie before rolling over and going to sleep, spooning Frankie.

To be continued

Next time: Meeting up with Michaela

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

It had been a few weeks since Michaela had gone down on Jamie at the club, and Jamie had given him her telephone number. After a while she decided that Michaela must have had second thoughts or maybe had cold feet. Anyway, now that she and Frankie were regular lovers, it didn't really matter. Then one day when she was at home before going to work the telephone rang; it was Michaela. He sounded nervous, just like he had been at the club, starting off by apologising for not ringing earlier.

“I had to travel overseas but I'm back now and I wondered if I could take you up on your kind offer?” he said.

Jamie paused to think about it. What would Frankie think now that they were regular lovers? He had already gone out early to do some shopping first, so couldn't be asked, but then Jamie remembered what Frankie has said about having a threesome..

“The club is open seven nights a week, and Frankie and I work six of those nights. We'd have to work out a suitable time for us to get together. I get next month's rota in two days, could you ring back then and we'll fix a date?”

Michaela sounded disappointed. “Look, if you don't want to meet up, I'll undertand...” his voice trailed off.

“No, I'm happy to meet, it's just a question of fitting in with my rota,” said Jamie. He was really buying time, but Michaela didn't have to know that.

When he had a chance to chat with Frankie later at the nightclub, he told him about Michaela.

“How do you feel about me meeting up with him? I'm guessing he'll want to go down on me again.”

Frankie laughed. “Why should that be a problem? You do plenty more than that with the customers here.”

“Well, that's business, and since we started sleeping together, I thought, you know?”

Frankie smiled. “We're not married, Jamie, we can fuck who we like and still fuck each other. No, you go for it. In fact, if you can fix a time when we're both home, maybe we can make that threesome we talked about, with Michaela if he wants; you know, a bit of 'spit-roasting'.”

“OK, I'll ask him,” said Jamie, but he wondered if that was a step too far for Michaela at this stage. Jamie hadn't tried threesomes yet but he knew that Frankie had entertained two men at once in the bedrooms at the club. With that in mind, he organised a meeting day with Michaela when Frankie was working and he had a day off.

An opportunity came the following week and Jamie prepared to receive Michaela in the early evening. She dressed in sexy black lingerie, stockings and six-inch heels, and wore a silk dressing gown. The doorbell rang at precisely the arranged time of six o'clock, and after checking through the security window, Jamie let Michaela into the flat. Michaela still looked a bit nervous.

“I'm not too early am I?” he said, as he followed Jamie into the lounge room. Jamie sat on the couch letting her robe fall open, revealing her lingerie and stocking-clad legs.

“Wow, you look amazing!” gasped Michaela.

“Thank you,” said Jamie with a smile.

Michaela looked around the flat, admiring it. “Are you on your own?” he said.

“Yes, Frankie's working at the club tonight. He'll get back about two in the morning, assuming he comes home.”

Michaela blushed slightly at the implication of Jamie's words and Jamie changed the subject.

“So what are you wearing today under those boy clothes?

“I've only got one set of lingerie, I'm afraid. I bought it by mail order as I couldn't bring myself to go into one of those shops.”

Jamie laughed. “I guess they can be intimidating places. Before I started dressing fulltime I used to say I was buying lingerie for my wife. There's no problem now of course and even if the women there know I'm a tranny, my money is as good as anyone else's. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to put on some makeup this evening?”

Michaela's face brightened: “Oh yes!” he exclaimed. “I have to warn you I'm not much good at applying it.”

“That's alright, every girl has to learn how to apply makeup. How about I give you a lesson? Let's go into my bedroom and you can get undressed.”

Michaela followed Jamie into the bedroom and following Jamie's suggestion that he remove his outer garments to avoid getting makeup on them, he stripped down to reveal the lingerie he was wearing the last time Jamie had met him, a black lace bra and camisole, black satin panties, a suspender belt, and sheer black stockings. Reaching into a bag, he produced a black full slip with French lace on the bust and hem. Smiling shyly at Jamie he slipped it over his head and let it flow down his body.

“I brought some heels with me too,” he said, reaching into the bag and drawing out a pair of pumps with three-inch heels which he slipped on. “I bought them from a charity shop. I told the woman there it was for a fancy dress party. It was hard to find a pair my size but I did eventually.”

“You look gorgeous,” said Jamie. “Now I want you to go into the bathroom and give your face a good wash with soap and water. That way you remove any oils on your skin and it gives us a nice blank canvas to work on.”

Michaela did as she was told, and when she returned to the bedroom, Jamie told her to sit in front of the dressing table mirror and watch the process so she could do it herself next time.

“I'm only going to do basic makeup this time and we'll go on to more exotic looks next time,” Jamie said.

Michaela watched intently as Jamie applied foundation and concealer, followed by a little eye shadow, explaining that she wouldn't do mascara and eyeliner this time. She added some blusher to Michaela's cheeks, and the final stages were to apply lipstick and then setting powder. After that, Jamie set about brushing Michaela's hair which was now noticeably longer than it had been the last time Jamie had seen her.

“There! What do you think?” said Jamie. Michaela was speechless as she stared into the mirror. When she finally found her voice, she said: “I can hardly believe that's me.”

Jamie laughed. “I felt the same way the first time Frankie did my makeup. One of these days you'll be passing on your skills to someone else; that's how it goes.”

“Thank you so much,” said Michaela. “I feel like crying.”

“Don't do that, it'll ruin your makeup,” said Jamie with a laugh. “Now why don't you stand up? Did you know, you have very kissable lips?.”

Michaela stood up and faced Jamie. Her heart was pounding as she knew what was coming next. Jamie drew her closer and they began to kiss, gently at first and then their lips parted and their tongues began to play, curling over and under and their teeth grinding against each other's.. Their bodies were now pressed against each other, and both could feel their erections growing.

“Let''s get on the bed,” murmured Jamie. As they lay there, enjoying the feeling of two bodies clad in silky lingerie sliding against each other, Jamie reached down and began to fondle Michaela's erection through her panties, and taking the hint, Michaela responded in kind.

“Oh my! It's like we're two women enjoying each other,” she whispered. “It's lovely.”

“Why don't we 'sixty-nine'? Then it will be even more like two women do,” said Jamie.

“Oh yes please,” responded Michaela, and Jamie quickly turned around. They both started to suck each other through their panties and then Jamie freed Michaela from the satin and began to lick and suck her. Michaela followed suit and they both set to work to bring each other to a climax. Jamie, being more experienced, held back until she knew that Michaela was about to erupt into her mouth and as it happened, so she let go and filled Michaela's eager mouth. They both swallowed the warm semen and licked each other clean before Jamie reversed her position once more and they lay together kissing and tasting the traces of their own semen in each other's mouths.

“That was so lovely,” murmured Michaela.

They lay there together for a while but it wasn't too long before they began to get aroused again.

“Have you ever been fucked?” said Jamie, already knowing the answer.

“No, I'd like to but I've heard that it hurts, so I'm afraid to try it,” said Michaela.

“Well that's not necessarily so; have you ever heard of something called 'poppers'?” said Jamie. Michaela hadn't, so Jamie explained how it relaxes the anal sphincter.

“Frankie got me to use it when she took my virginity, and it didn't hurt at all. If you'd like to try it, I promise I'll stop if you ask me to. What do you think?”

Michaela stared at Jamie. “I trust you Jamie, and if there's anyone I'd like to take my virginity, it's you,” she said.

“Since you trust me, I suggest that I don't use a condom since I am regularly tested and I'm certain you will enjoy it more when I come inside you. Now get on your hands and knees on the bed with your head facing away from me, and we'll begin.”

Michaela did as she was told. Jamie raised her slip and pulled down her panties to expose the twin orbs of her bottom, all the while explaining what she was doing. Michaela's bottom quivered but whether from fear or excitement or maybe both, it was impossible to tell. Jamie explained that she was putting plenty of lube on her own organ, and then started to fill Michaela's crack with plenty more. As her fingers explored Michaela, her bottom quivered even more and she let out a quiet groan.

Jamie told her to take a few deep sniffs from the 'poppers' bottle and say how she felt.

“Oh, I feel like I'm floating,” gasped Michaela as she settled down on her hands and knees once more. Jamie smiled as she moved forward. That was what she wanted to hear. “Now relax and enjoy,” she said as she pressed the tip of her erection against Michaela's anal bud and as she expected, the pressure caused it to give way. As she slid inside Michaela, she heard her gasp. “Oh my! That feels so good, Jamie.”

Jamie held Michaela's thighs and slid the whole length of her shaft deep inside her and slowly started to pump. Michaela was moaning with pleasure.

“Oh Jamie, that feels incredible. You're going to make me come.”

“Not yet, Michaela, let's just enjoy it,” said Jamie as she slid her organ in deep and then withdrew it most of the way before burying her shaft deep into Michaela once more. Michaela continued to moan and gasp.

“Fuck me, Jamie, I'm yours! Oh, it feels so good,” she cried between moans.
Jamie reached around and finding Michaela's erection wrapped her fingers around it and began to milk her which made Michaela's squeals of pleasure even louder. They continued this way for a few more minutes until Jamie sensed that Michaela was not far off climaxing. She increased the speed of her thrusts, feeling Michaela press back against her to take her whole shaft inside. Jamie was now moaning too as she enjoyed the feeling of Michaela's velvet tunnel wrapped around her erection. She was no longer trying to hold back, and as she felt Michaela's erection convulsing and the sticky semen on her fingers, she climaxed too and poured herself in hot jets deep inside Michaela whose squeals of pleasure were probably audible in the street.

For a few moments, they stayed locked together, panting and gasping for breath before Michaela slowly collapsed on the bed, with Jamie on top of her. They lay in that position for some minutes until Jamie softened and slipped out of Michaela. Then they curled up against each other and gradually dropped off to sleep.

When they awake, Michaela asked Jamie what had happened. “When you first entered me I felt full. Then when you went in deeper I suddenly began to feel something incredible. I know I was going to come and I couldn't stop it, in fact, I didn't want to stop it. What happened?”

Jamie smiled. “That's why males enjoy anal sex in a way women can't. I was stimulating your prostate with the tip of my penis and that made you want to come.”

“Well it was much better than masturbating,” She paused. “Can we do it again please?”

“It will be my pleasure,” said Jamie, “And yours too.”

Frankie arrived back at the flat at about three o'clock. She'd had a tiring but lucrative night at the club. She was already getting a small group of admirers whose wives refused to do what they wanted, and as a consequence, she had had oral sex with two men and anal sex with three others. She certainly had no desire for more sex that night but felt she should check on Jamie, so she tapped lightly on her door, and when there was no answer, quietly opened it. Seeing the two figures spooning on the bed and the smell of semen in the air, she smiled to herself and quietly closed the door again. Going to her room she undressed, took off her makeup and putting on a nightdress, got into bed and in a few minutes was fast asleep.

To be continued

Next time: Michaela's education continues

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Michaela visited Jamie twice in the next couple of weeks and they fucked each other's brains out before curling up and going to sleep. While Michaela was a natural 'bottom', Jamie persuaded her to feel what it was like to be a 'top'. One evening she licked and sucked Michaela, giving her a 'master-class' (or should that be 'mistress-class'?) in the art of fellatio. Michaela was so excited she would have said 'yes' to anything Jamie suggested, so when Jamie said she wanted Michaela inside her, she instantly agreed.

Jamie got on her hands and knees, presenting her bottom to Michaela, who commenced by licking her cleft which soon had Jamie moaning with pleasure. Michaela applied lube to Jamie and herself and then pressed her organ against Jamie's sphincter which instantly relaxed and gave her access. As she slid deep into Jamie's velvet canal, she realised what pleasure it was for a partner when they fucked her. Jamie gripped her as she began to slide in and out, enjoying the sensations. Her organ was about eight inches long and quite thick which gave Jamie instant pleasure which she expressed in a series of groans.

“Oh yes Michaela, fuck me, you're so good at this. Oh yes, in as deep as you can go, Mmmm, oh yes that feels so good. Harder Michaela, harder.”

Jamie's groans switched to squeals of delight as Michaela pounded her, and when she finally shot jets of semen deep into Jamie, Jamie orgasmed at the same time, soaking her panties. As they lay together hearts pounding and gasping for air, Michaela realised that she enjoyed being a 'top' almost as much as having her own bottom fucked.

Although the money was good, Frankie and Jamie worked hard for it and the hours were long. Most nights when they arrived back at the flat after their stage shows and also servicing a number of customers each, once they had undressed, taken off their makeup,had a shower and slipped into a silk nightie, even though they slept in the same bed, they usually just went to sleep. One night though, Jamie felt restless. The sensuous feel of Frankie's silk-clad body against hers as they lay face to face, gave her an erection and she couldn't help reaching down and fondling Frankie through her nightie.

Frankie opened her eyes and mumured “That's nice darling.” She reached down and began to respond to Jamie in a similar manner. Soon they were both feeling very excited and pulled up their nighties above their waists.

“I'd like to try something new, darling,” said Frankie, and she wrapped her hand around the two penises, holding the shafts together and masturbating them simultaneously. Jamie gasped with pleasure at the feel of another organ pressed agaist the length of her own as Frankie worked away at them.

“Oh fuck, that feels good,” she said, and surrendered herself to the erotic feeling of the two cocks, or 'clits' as they usually referred to them when dressed, rubbing against each other. Neither tried to hold back and soon it was clear from the mutual gasps and squeals that they were both close to orgasm.

“Darling, I'm going to come,” gasped Jamie and seconds later her semen spewed out over Frankie's hand at the same time that Frankie shed her own load.

“I want to taste you,” whispered Jamie, and when Frankie brought her hand up to Jamie's mouth, both she and Frankie licked and swallowed the warm semen from her fingers.

“That was delicious,” said Jamie. “Is there a name for what we just did?”

“The girl who taught me called it 'frotting',” said Frankie. “A lot of gay guys do it if they're not sure about how safe it is to have anal sex with guy, and it's a good substitute don't you think?”

“Oh yes, that's for sure,” said Jamie. Soon afterwards they drifted off to sleep.

It was a couple of weeks before Frankie and Jamie had a Saturday night off together and one that Michaela had free to visit them at the flat. They both dressed in their sexiest lingerie and put on robes as they waited for Michaela to arrive. They were both sipping a gin and tonic when the doorbell rang.

“You'd better answer it darling, I don't want to scare her away,” said Frankie, so Jamie got up from the couch and answered the door. Michaela stood there in male clothing, looking very nervous and holding a small suitcase in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other.

“Michaela! Are those for us? How thoughtful!” said Jamie taking the flowers. “Why don't I show you into my bedroom and you can get ready. Then I'll introduce you to Frankie.”

Michaela seemed grateful that Jamie was taking charge, and followed her into her bedroom which was already quite familiar to her.

“I'll leave you to get ready if you like, while I put the flowers in a vase. When you're ready, come into the lounge room,” said Jamie.

When the door shut behind Jamie, Michaela stared at himself in the dressing table mirror, and a tall thin nervous young man stared back. 'What am I doing here?” he asked himself and immediately answered himself, ” You're here because you want to be, because this is what you dreamed of doing, so don't be a silly cow and get yourself ready."

He deliberately ignored the mirror and started to undress. Once his shoes, shirt, and trousers were removed he felt better. Underneath he was wearing the same black satin panties with a matching suspender belt, sheer black nylons, and a black lace bra. 'I must ask Jamie if she can buy me some more lingerie,' she thought. Placing her small suitcase on the bed and opening it, she took out her carefully folded black silk full slip with French lace at the bust and hem. She held it over her head and enjoyed the sensation as the material flow down over her body. Already she felt better. Taking out a small makeup case, she sat at the dressing table and carefully applied her makeup. Jamie had been a good teacher, and Michaela now felt confident in applying it. Finishing with lipstick, she reached into the suitcase and brought out a long blonde wig. Carefully placing it on her head she looked at the mirror once more. Michaela smiled at herself, the transformation was complete. She now looked all woman.

The final items to apply were a pair of clip-on earings. She was envious of the girls with pierced ears but she could never have explained them away at work or home. The very last item was a pair of black pumps with six-inch heels, which she slipped onto her stockinged feet. She couldn't resist running her hands up her nylon-clad legs. Mmm, it was such a sensuous feeling, she already felt some stirrings in her groin. She stood up, smoothed her slip against her body and smiled at Michaela in the mirror. What a difference from the Michael who had walked through the front door!

When Michaela made her entrance into the lounge, the two women on the couch stared at her.

“Michaela! It's so good to meet you at last. Please come and sit between us on the couch. Would you like a drink?” said Frankie.

“What are you having?” asked Michaela, looking at their glasses.

“A gin and tonic?” asked Jamie.

“That will be fine,” said Michaela. She sat on the couch next to Frankie who had now shed her gown and was wearing red lingerie. Frankie turned to her and smiled.

“Jamie told me you are gorgeous and she's right.”

Michaela blushed slightly. “You look amazing,” she replied.

Jamie returned with her drink, and sat on the other side of Michaela. All three women were seated close to each other and the silky lingerie they were wearing rubbed against each other. Michaela took a sip from the glass, she knew she was getting an erection but she didn't care.

“What have we here?” said Frankie mischievously, and she reached out and ran her finger lightly over the tenting of Michaela's slip. Michaela gasped. “Oh that feels good,” she said.

Jamie leaned forward towards Michaela who was facing Frankie, and began to lick her ear, as Frankie now started to fondle her in earnest. Michaela let out a moan of pleasure.

“Oh yes! Please don't stop,” she murmured. Frankie had no intention of stopping. She bent down and began to suck Michaela through the layers of silk and satin. Jamie turned Michaela's head around and started to kiss her, thrusting her tongue deep into Michaela's mouth. The two women knew that Michaela would soon be begging them to do everything they wanted with her. Within minutes she was moaning “I want you both, take me”

Frankie told her to get on her hands and knees on the couch and Michaela instantly obeyed. Her body was quivering with excitement mixed with a little fear, but all her reticence had gone. Jamie stood in front of her, pulling up her slip and sliding her panties down to reveal and erect clit, which Michaela eagerly took in her mouth, Frankie positioned herself behind her, slid down her panties and applied a generous amount of lube to herself and Michaela's anal bud. She looked at Jamie and nodded. Jamie instantly produced a small bottle of 'poppers' and said to Michaela: “Here darling, take a couple of deep sniffs.”

Michaela did so and she began to moan. She took Jamie's clit back in her mouth and Frankie slid deep down the velvet passage of her anus. Jamie ran her tongue over Michaela's clit and Frankie started to pound her. Her squeals were muffled by the fact that Jamie's clit was deep in her throat but there was no doubt that she was in ecstasy. This went on for some minutes, the two women who were fucking her at either end were too experienced to let her come quickly and spoil their enjoyment of her. However, there came a time when Frankie could hold back no longer. She was masturbating Michaela's clit and stepping up the tempo. Watching her face, Jamie knew she was about to explode and she let her own orgasm build until with a final thrust, Frankie emptied all her semen deep in Michaela's bottom, and jets of Jamie's sweet cream-filled Michaela's mouth where she greedily swallowed it. At the same moment, she orgasmed herself, and spilled her seed through her panties and onto Frankie's hands. They stayed like that for several minutes more, gasping for air, before both Jamie and Frankie slowly withdrew their softening members.

“How was that?” said Jamie.

“It's beyond words. I thought I was going to die. I never had an orgasm like that before,” gasped Michaela.

Frankie laughed. The French call it 'La petite mort', the 'little death' she said.

“If death really is like that then it holds no fears for me,” said Michaela and she smiled.

Later that evening the three went to bed together. Michaela lay on her side facing Frankie who gripped both their members and introduced her to frotting, while Jamie lay behind Michaela and fucked her with long slow strokes. This time, without a full mouth, Michaela was able to express her pleasure with moans and squeals as she was slowly brought to another intense orgasm.

“Have you ever thought of coming to work at the club?” said Frankie. “You could get all the fucking you want and get paid for it too.”

Michaela smiled. “It's a very tempting offer, but in my 'other life' I have a very responsible and well-paid job in the City, so I think I'll have to stay as an amateur. I do hope we get an opportunity to do this again, it's been the most amazing night of my life.”

“Well it's not over yet,” laughed Frankie. “My record was six fucks in a night, so if you are game, so am I!”

To be continued

Next time: Visiting Mum

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Jamie and Frankie's stage shows were a huge success, which caused some jealousy among the other singers. Archie taught them more songs, and Eddie produced more glamorous and sexy costumes for them.to wear It was after the second show one night that a tall and distinguished-looking man pulled Jamie onto his knee and began to run his hands up under her skirt.

“You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen,” he said. “How about we go somewhere a little more private?”

Jamie checked with the bar staff to find an empty bedroom and soon she and the man who called himself Steve were upstairs and kissing as he pulled her hard against his body and she could feel his erection growing. She reached down and started to fondle him through his trousers, and then turned around and asked Steve to unzip her dress. As it slid to the floor and she stepped out of it, Steve let out a low whistle when he saw her black lacy lingerie and sheer black stockings. Jamie sank to her knees and unzipped him, releasing his erection which had been pressing hard against his clothing. Then she leaned forward, and licking her red lips, took him in her mouth and started to lick and suck him. His penis quivered in her mouth and he moaned: “You are so damn hot, I need to fuck you.”

“Of course, it will be my pleasure,” said Jamie. “But I need to put a johnny on you first, house rules.”

Steve quickly stripped off his clothes. He had a great body, toned and muscular and his large penis stood out proudly. Jamie fetched a condom and lube from the cabinet and turning to Steve, stooped down slid the condom over his erection and them applied the lube. Steve was groaning at her touch.

“One moment please,” said Jamie and she went into the ensuite bathroom, slid down her panties and liberally applied lube to herself, before pulling up her panties and returning to the bedroom.

“How do you want me?” she asked Steve. “On your back,” he replied, so Jamie did as he asked and spread her legs. As Steve moved between them, she raised her legs over his shoulders, giving him easy access to her anal bud. He slid her panties down far enough to give him access and then pressed against her and thrust deep into her anus. After all her practice with Frankie, Jamie had no trouble accommodating him and responding to his thrusts. She moaned and wiggled her bottom against him as she felt his ball-sack slap against her. Steve was a practiced lover and she enjoyed his thrusts stimulating her prostate, but managed to hold off until his groans and gasps signalled his approaching orgasm and then she let herself go so that they came simultaneously.

“That was so good!” gasped Steve. “You girls are amazing. My wife hates me doing this and she just lies there and waits for it to be over, but you girls actually come with me.”

As he left the bedroom, he gave Jamie a twenty-pound tip on top of the usual fee for sex and promised to come back again and ask for her.

Jamie was a good son or daughter, depending on how you wish to view him or her; she visited her mum regularly on Sundays and gave her an envelope of cash to top up her pension. They enjoyed sitting and chatting. Jamie told her how she was now a singer at the club, having graduated from being a drinks waitress. Naturally, she did not mention the other services she provided.

Jamie was now wearing women's clothing twenty-four-seven, with only two exceptions, one being the visits to mum, when as a mark of respect, she dressed as a young man in the few remaining items of male clothing that she still possessed. Used to the soft touch of lingerie against her skin, she found herself disliking the coarser feel of male clothing material, and did her best to avoid this by wearing satin panties, a camisole and sheer tights under her trousers, shirt, sports coat, and shoes.

' I must be careful never to have an accident or they'll get quite a shock at the hospital, she said to herself with a secret smile.

The problem was that now she was growing her hair longer to avoid always having to wear a wig, and with her carefully shaped eyebrows and expertly manicured nails, she presented a distinctly androgynous appearance. This caused some stares on the underground train and giggles, especially from teenage girls. Jamie ignored them of course, and no longer blushed at such attention. Fortunately, most people had their noses buried in books or newspapers or deliberately avoided looking at her.

One afternoon while sitting with her mother and enjoying a cup of tea and a piece of cake, Mum looked at her and said: “Darling, I'm sure you know that you don't look like other young men anymore. Would I be wrong in thinking that you are dressing as a young woman most of the time now?”

Jamie blushed at this query from her mother and nodded.

“I thought so,” said her Mum. “So next time you visit, why don't you dress the way you want to? I promise I won't be shocked and I'd rather like to see how you usually look now.”

Jamie spent a lot of time during the next week trying to decide what she should wear. It depended on the notoriously fickle English weather of course, but she was pleased when the forecast for the following Sunday was fine and warm. Jamie had a really pretty summer dress in her wardrobe, which, thanks to the aforesaid weather, she'd had very little chance to wear. Now would be the perfect time to give it an outing. She decided on bare legs and strappy sandals with a low heel, since it was going to be warm. Under the dress, in addition to a white bra and panties, she would wear a white full slip with extravagant French lace on the hem and bust, and also a bouffant half petticoat which would give body to the skirt. The lacy hems of the slip and petticoat would probably peep out from under the skirt, looking deliciously feminine.

On Sunday morning she styled her real hair, applied minimal makeup and lipstick and after getting dressed, set off for the tube station. This time there were no curious stares although there were a few admiring ones from young and older men in the carriage. Jamie now blended in as a young woman, albeit a very pretty one. As usual, the other passengers were mainly concentrating on their newspapers or books; however she did catch a rather handsome but studious-looking young man looking at her, but when she caught his eye, he hurriedly looked down at the book on his lap. By looking out of the corner of her eye, she caught him looking at her several times more, but pretended to ignore him; she did, however, cross her legs, giving him a generous view of her stocking-clad legs and lingerie. Secretly Jamie was very pleased that she had attracted his attention and was slightly disappointed when she stood up to leave the train and he remained seated. She could feel his eyes on her back as she alighted from the train, and she deliberately swung her hips as she walked down the platform to the exit.

Arriving at her Mum's house she knocked on the door and found that her heart was beating faster than usual as she wondered what Mum would think of the 'new' Jamie. Her Mum opened the door and for a second stared at her blankly, as though she didn't recognise who it was. Then the penny dropped: “Jamie darling! You look amazing. Come on in.”

Jamie entered the house and followed her mother down the hall to the sitting room, her heels tapping on the wooden floor. Her mum turned and said: “Let me look at you! Goodness me Jamie, you are such a pretty girl that for a second I didn't recognise you!”

Jamie blushed: “Well you asked me to come dressed in what was most comfortable for me. I'm glad you're not disappointed.”

“Disappointed? I'm flabbergasted. I bet you caused a stir on the train. I've noticed a lot of youngsters are starting to wear stirrup pants and jeans, but in my mind, nothing beats a pretty dress and heels.”

“Well no-one took much notice of me because I blended in more than when I was wearing men's clothes,” said Jamie.

“I can understand that my dear. Before, you didn't really look like a young man or a girl, but something in-between. Now you look 'all-girl', and you even sound like one.”

Jamie laughed. “Well, there was one young man on the train who seemed to take notice of me.”

“I hope you batted your eyelashes at him!”

“Hardly, Mum. Anyway, it's no good me looking for a boyfriend. They'd run a mile when they found out what I really am.”

From then on, Jamie dressed as a girl when she visited her mother, and she never failed to compliment her on how nice she looked. By now she was experienced in acting like a girl and was quite confident that no-one would 'clock' her. One day, her sister Edna, who had now moved out of home and was living with her boyfriend, called in to see her mum when Jamie happened to be there. She did a double-take.

“Jamie! It really is you!””

Jamie blushed, something she rarely did anymore.

“Yes, it's me, sis. How do I look?”

“You look amazing!” gasped Edna. “Mum said you looked good, but I never thought you would look this good!”

Now that Jamie was able to visit her mum dressed as a young woman, that left only one other place where she had felt obliged to dress as a young man, the estate agent's office when she went to pay the rent. This was very inconvenient, since it involved removing her breast forms which she was so used to wearing that when she took them off she felt unbalanced. Combining this with wearing men's shoes with a one-inch heel when she was used to routinely wearing three to six-inch heels and she felt like she was falling over backwards.

'Bugger it,' she thought. 'Why am I worried about what they think? Our money is as good as anyone's.'

The next time the rent was due, Jamie decided that she would go to the office dressed as a young woman and she wouldn't hold back on expressing her femininity. Before having a shower, she laid out on the bed the clothes she would wear; white satin panties and matching suspender belt, sheer taupe stockings, and a knee-length green jersey crepe skirt to be worn over a white half slip with French lace trim. She chose a white silk top to wear over a white lacy bra. It was just thin enough so that the lace of her bra could be seen, but not too obviously. There is a fine line between 'sexy' and 'slutty', and Jamie was determined not to cross it. The shoes she chose were black pumps with a four-inch stiletto heel. After her shower and getting dressed, she took particular care with her hair and makeup; after all, all the staff she had seen at the agent's were older men.

When she walked into the estate agent's office, her heels clicking on the hard floor, she knew at once that her luck was in. The young man standing behind the counter was new, at least, she had never seen him before. As she crossed to the counter, his reaction was most gratifying. If this had been a cartoon, his eyes would have been out on stalks.

With some effort, he managed to raise them from her chest to her face and stammered: “C-Can I help you miss?” as his cheeks began to burn.

Jamie flashed him a million-watt smile. “Good morning. My name is Jamie Brown and I've come to pay the rent.” She gave him the address.

“Err, yes Miss Brown. Would you like to take a seat while I get out the paperwork?” he said.

Jamie sat on the chair he indicated and crossed her legs, well aware that she was displaying a lot of stocking-clad leg, and probably a glimpse of her slip as her skirt rode up. There was a delay of a few moments before she pulled it down, plenty of time for Jeremy to see almost to her stocking-tops. While this was going on, one of the senior staff walked into the room.

“Everything alright, Jeremy?” he enquired of the young man who was looking so flustered.

“Oh yes, Mr Fothergill. I'm just attending to Miss Brown's rental payment.

Jamie flashed Mr Fothergill a smile but turned down the wattage somewhat. He smiled in return and disappeared back into his cubicle.

As Jeremy sorted out the paperwork, not easy as his hands were shaking, Jamie observed him and wondered what it would be like to be lying on a bed, him naked and her in her black satin lingerie as she licked and sucked his erection. Jeremy was probably imagining the same thing because his cheeks were still flushed, whereas Jamie's were not.

Finally, the paperwork was sorted out and the payment made. Picking up the receipt and thanking Jeremy, Jamie turned and walked out of the door, deliberately swinging her hips and well aware that Jeremy's eyes were glued to them. After she left, Mr Fothergill left his cubicle and came out into the office.

“Who did you say that was, Jeremy?” he enquired.

“Miss Jamie Brown, come to pay her rent,” was the reply.

“Oh yes. Funny, I thought...” started Mr Fothergill, and then stopped as the penny dropped.

“What was that, Mr Fothergill?” asked Jeremy.

“Oh nothing,” replied his boss, as he walked back to his cubicle, thinking to himself 'This is Soho after all. I've been here long enough, I shouldn't be surprised at anything.' Something was nagging at his brain though, he couldn't help feeling he had seen Miss Brown somewhere before.

To be continued

Next time: An offer too good to refuse.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

A couple of weeks later when Jamie and Frankie were relaxing back at the flat after their shift at the nightclub, Frankie said: “There's something I want to talk to you about. I'm sure you've noticed how some Sunday nights I get really dressed up to go out and don't come back until about four or five o'clock in the morning, looking really wasted?”

“Well I think that's your business,” said Jamie. “I'm guessing you go out to dinner with a man and then go back to his place for some fun.”

“Actually it's not like that at all,” said Frankie. “I go to a very posh mansion in Mayfair where I and a dozen other girls like us, meet up with about a dozen men for group sex. I guess you could call it an orgy. They call us hostesses. It pays very well, and the thing is, a couple of the girls have left and they are looking to recruit some more. I thought you might be interested.”

“How well does it pay?” asked Jamie.

“Would you believe five hundred pounds each night?” said Frankie.

Jamie gasped. “You can't be serious!”

“Yes I am. These men are all millionaires; they're bankers, businessmen, some are politicians, even judges, and senior clergymen; it's small change to them. What's important though is they're not just buying our bodies, they're buying our silence. The newspapers would love to get hold of information about what happens at these meetings and they'd pay well for it, but I say 'what's the good of all the money in the world if you're not around to spend it?'.”

“Are you saying what I think you're saying?” said Jamie. He'd turned pale and stopped smiling.

“Don't look so serious, Jamie. So long as you keep your mouth shut, although obviously not at the meeting,” said Frankie with a snigger, “You'll be fine.”

“Well, I don't know, Frankie. Can I have a think about it?”

“Sure Jamie, take your time,” said Frankie.

Jamie did think about it and eventually, the lure of all that money for one night's work became too much for him and he agreed to participate. After all, by now he'd had plenty of sex with Frankie and also men at the night club, so he was experienced in every combination of sex with men, singly or in pairs...

Frankie made the necessary phone calls, and a few days later, Jamie's pass arrived by special courier. It bore a photo of him, obviously taken at the nightclub, although who took it he didn't know.

“Look after this pass,” said Frankie. “You won't get through the door without it”

A couple of Sundays later, Frankie and Jamie dressed ready for their night out. Frankie had advised that the men liked to see their companions in expensive sexy lingerie including crotchless panties, either black or red being the preferred colours. A suspender belt and sheer black nylons being mandatory of course since tights would only get in the way. They both dressed in elegant evening gowns, which Jamie had no doubt would be dispensed with once they reached the club.

“It's called the 'New Hellfire Club',” said Frankie as they were getting ready. “Have you heard that name before?”

“Wasn't that a club for rich dissolute men about a century ago?” said Jamie.

“That's right – they dressed as monks and employed whores dressed as nuns and held orgies and Satanic rituals. At least we don't have to pretend to be nuns; I suppose that was one of the wickedest things they could think of in those days.”

At eight o'clock a black limousine drew up outside their flat and the two women stepped inside. They had taken great care with their hair and makeup and looked fabulous. The chauffeur didn't say a word and the ride was silky-smooth and almost soundless. A short time later it drew up outside a magnificent mansion in the upmarket suburb of Mayfair. The chauffeur opened the door for them and touched his peak cap, still without saying a word.

The two young women opened a wrought iron gate and walked up a path towards the front door. It was guarded by a 'gorilla' in a dinner suit. Jamie thought of the expression 'putting lipstick on a pig' but judged it best to say nothing. She and Frankie handed over their passes and the man scanned them carefully and referred to a list before wordlessly opening the front door to let them it. Jamie was getting a bit freaked out by these men who didn't speak, but she relaxed as Frankie led the way down a hallway to a beautifully decorated room with a bar at one end. A dozen men dressed in dinner suits stood chatting with drinks in their hands, and two young women in elegant evening gowns walked around carrying trays of more drinks. Two more young women similarly dressed and beautifully made up, walked over and introduced themselves to Jamie as Cherie and Elaine, saying they hoped Jamie would have a pleasant evening.

Jamie whispered to Frankie: “Are you sure we're in the right place?”

Frankie smiled: “Oh yes. I've been here before, remember? They're as much women as we are.”

One of the men, tall and handsome, with hair greying at the temples detached himself from the other men and walked over to Jamie and Frankie, while Cherie and Elaine discretely moved away.

“Good evening, ladies, who do we have here? Our new hostess? You look charming, my dear,” he said and taking Jamie's hand he kissed it.

“This is Jamie, Paul,” said Frankie, and Jamie thought she sounded a little nervous as though seeking his approval.

“Welcome to our little soiree, Jamie; I do hope you enjoy yourself this evening. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to,” said Paul, and bowing slightly he left them.

Frankie said: “That's Paul, well at least that's the name he goes by here. He's the chief organiser of these gatherings and it seems he approves of you. I should mention that once things get underway, he'll probably want to be the first with you, a sort of 'right of the master' if you know what I mean?”

Jamie had heard the expression before, so she nodded. One of the women acting as a drinks waitress walked over and Jamie and Frankie took a glass each.

“Remember, one alcoholic drink only,” warned Frankie. “The last thing you want to do is get drunk here.”

Jamie nodded as she sipped her drink and wondered when things would get underway. A few minutes later there was the gentle sound of a gong striking once and Frankie said that was the signal for the women to get ready. They all moved to a door at the side of the room and entered it. Once inside, all the women introduced themselves to each other and then helped each other take off their gowns. As Frankie had predicted they were all wearing either black or red lingerie and sheer black nylons,together with six-inch black heels. Mostly in twos, they walked into an ensuite bathroom next to the room, and Frankie and Jamie went there in their turn to freshen up their makeup and also to apply lubrication.

Once all the women had been to the bathroom, another gong sounded. It was almost as if they were being watched, and perhaps they were.

“They're ready for us,” murmured Frankie. One woman opened another door at the opposite side of the room to the one where they had entered and they stepped out into another large room, dimly lit. Jamie could see that it contained half a dozen low beds with mattresses covered with fitted sheets. All the men she had seen before were there, but they were no longer wearing dinner suits, in fact, they were stark naked and all sporting erections. 'They must have taken those little blue pills', she said to herself.

As Frankie had predicted, Paul smiled at Jamie and held out his hand. Now he was naked, she could see that he had a magnificent body, toned and muscled and that included his penis which was around eight inches in length and very thick. She smiled in return and walked up to him.

“My dear, you look even more alluring than you did before,” he said, and Jamie responded by saying: “And you look amazing Paul; what a body you have, I can't wait to explore it!”

He smiled in response to the compliment and said: “Shall we find a bed and get to know each other better?” With that he led her to the nearest bed and they both lay down on it and began to kiss, first gently and then with increasing intensity, their tongues playing and teeth grinding against each other.. Jamie reached down and took Paul's penis in her hand and started to stroke it. He groaned softly at her touch, and murmured: “Oh yes.”

After several minutes, Jamie disengaged her mouth from his and began to work her way down his body, planting kisses every few inches. Finally, she reached her goal, his amazing erection. The swollen head was already glistening with pre-ejaculate and she began to expertly work on it, using her lips and tongue while fondling his ballsack. His moans of pleasure were getting louder.

“Oh fuck! I should get you to give my wife lessons,” he said. Jamie almost felt like laughing; here was a man casually talking about his wife's failings while being fellated by, to be honest, a transvestite wearing lingerie. She continued to work on him, flicking her tongue against his frenulum, which she had found from experience was a particularly arousing technique on a man.

Paul lifted her head away from his penis: “If you keep doing that I'm going to come and it's too soon for that. I need to fuck you; there's lube in the drawer beside the bed.”

Jamie slid open the drawer and saw a tube of K-Y jelly, but nothing else.

“I'm sorry, Paul,” she said. “Someone's forgotten to supply condoms.”

Paul looked puzzled: “Weren't you told? This is a condom-free party; that's why you are paid so well. Don't worry, we've all been tested, just like you.”

Jamie was shocked. Either Frankie has forgotten to tell her or had deliberately neglected to mention it. Either way, Jamie was trapped. She knew there was no way of refusing to continue without things getting very unpleasant indeed. There was nothing else for it but to continue to service Paul, and all the other men in the room who might want her.

She smiled at Paul and said:”I must have forgotten, please forgive me.” She squeezed a plentiful amount of the jelly onto her hand and began to slather it over Paul's erection, hoping that the awkward moment had passed. She sensed that Paul had tensed up, but now he seemed to relax again, well some of him did! He was lying on his back with his penis sticking straight up in the air. Jamie straddled his thighs, reached behind her for his penis and guiding it to her anal bud, slowly impaled herself on his erection.

Paul moaned as he felt himself slide deep inside Jamie. He began to thrust upwards slowly while drawing her face down onto his so that they could kiss again. Then he released her so that she could raise her body and allow him to totally enter her as the speed of his thrusts increased. She now had the opportunity to glance around the room and saw Frankie on the bed next to them being 'spit-roasted' by two men. The muffled squeals seemed to indicate she was enjoying it very much indeed. More grunts, groans, and moans emanated from other beds and Jamie caught glimpses of naked flesh thrashing around and the distinctive musty odour of semen was already filling the air. She took all this in in a matter of seconds before returning her attention to Paul, afraid that he might be displeased if she seemed to be distracted.

Jamie wasn't sure if Paul intended to orgasm inside her or save himself to enjoy some of the other women in the room, but he gave no sign of stopping and his thrusts grew faster and deeper. She was getting aroused herself by the feel of his penis as it reached her prostate and stretched her anal sphincter. She had practice in faking orgasms at the club if customers used her services in quick succession and she didn't have time to 'recharge', but in this case she could feel herself getting ready to come and hoped that Paul would not mind her coming too. Paul grunted with every thrust and it was apparent that he had reached the point of no return as with one final thrust she felt his body convulsing and jets of his semen starting to fill her. At the same moment, she started to ejaculate semen over his stomach, as the head of her penis had escaped from her panties.

They remained in that position for several minutes, Paul still deep inside Jamie as their heart-rate gradually slowed.

“You're an awesome fuck, my dear,” he said as he slid his penis out of Jamie. She leaned down and licked up and swallowed all her semen which was splattered over his stomach.

“And now I must attend to some of our other guests,” he said, “But Mark here is waiting to enjoy the delights of your body.”

Jamie suddenly realised that another man was standing close to the bed, slowly masturbating as he had been watching them. As Paul slid off the bed, Jamie swung around and waiting for the man to approach so that she could start to work her magic on his phallus, which had the same effect as she'd had on Paul. After some minutes he politely asked her to get on her hands and knees on the bed so that he could fuck her doggy-style. This she did, parting her legs to expose her anal cleft. Jamie was well lubricated by Paul's semen and had no trouble taking Mark's equally thick penis deep inside her. A few minutes later another man climbed onto the bed and presented his erection for Jamie to suck. Even though it had not been long since her orgasm, she started to get hard again, and to her surprise, another man got on the bed and worked his way under her on his back so that he could start to suck her growing erection.

She let herself go with it, enjoying the feeling of being sucked herself while Mark jack-hammered his erection into her. She could already feel another orgasm building and she ejaculated into the mouth of man under her almost at the same time as she felt her anus being filled with more semen and the man she was sucking filled her mouth. This was a first for Jamie; she had been 'spit-roasted' before, but three men at one time was a novelty!

A few more men impaled her before there was the discreet sound of a gong. To her surprise the man inside her slid out and said: “Tea break time. I'll see you afterwards, darling.”

All around the room, men were getting off the beds and walking towards one door, while the hostesses were walking back to the door by which they had entered the room, so Jamie followed them. There was no clock present, but she realised that it must be about two hours since she had first entered the room and Paul must have decided that some breaks in the action were needed.

Inside the room, women were queuing to use the ensuite bathrooms. A striking blonde who introduced herself as Cindy said “I really needed this, and so do the men I'm sure. Even Superman couldn't screw for seven hours straight.”

Jamie smiled: “No-one told me we get a break but it makes sense.”

“More than one break honey, we get one every two hours. Once you've been to the bathroom, come and have a drink.”

It was finally Jamie's turn and she cleaned herself up and changed into fresh panties, putting the semen-stained ones into a plastic bag. Her stockings had survived unscathed so far, but she had a spare pair if they were needed. Returning to the change room she sat down and sipped mineral water. Having sex with so many men was thirsty work, but if she was honest with herself, she was enjoying it despite her initial concern about the lack of condoms.

The gong sounding after twenty minutes indicated that it was time to get back to work. Jamie was a little surprised that the man who had been fucking her returned to the bed and continued as if there hadn't been a break.

By the end of the night, Jamie was sure that she'd had every man's penis in her mouth and anus at least once. A double striking of the gong indicated that the session was finishing in fifteen minutes and some of the more insatiable men seemed to be hurrying to get in one more fuck before the final gong.

To Jamie's surprise, Paul appeared in front of her as she sat on the side of the bed. He was still as erect as when she had seen him previously. Those little blue pills must have been really working.

“I couldn't let the night end without one more fuck with the sexiest hostess here,” he said and moved closer to Jamie. She took the hint and reached forward to stroke his phallus and then start to lick and suck it. Paul moaned softly: “So what did you think of our little get-together?” he said.

“I've really enjoyed it,” said Jamie, thinking that's what she was expected to say, but in truth, she had enjoyed herself. “All the men were great.”

“And me? How did you find me?” said Paul.

“Oh you are exceptional,” said Jamie.

Paul smiled: “Lie back on the bed please.”

Jamie did as he requested, spreading her legs for him and raising her knees. Paul came between her legs and being young and quite athletic, Jamie lifted her legs in the air and rested them on Paul's shoulders. This tilted her pelvis so that Paul could slide deep inside her. She moaned softly as she felt his thick hard rod fill her. He started to thrust, slowly at first, with the tip of his penis starting to stimulate her prostate. She clenched her anal sphincter to grip him as tightly as she could. He started to thrust more quickly. “Fuck, Jamie, you are the hottest arse here tonight. I'm glad I came back to you one more time.”

Jamie moved with Paul as he fucked her harder and harder. She could feel her orgasm building and her sighs and moans were genuine. Eventually, she felt Paul give one final deep thrust and hold his penis deep inside her as his body shook and hot sperm jetted out, filling Jamie's canal. She came at almost the same moment, and her semen soaked into her satin panties. They lay there for about a minute, still locked together. Finally, Paul said:”Thank you, my dear, that was incredible, but now I have things I must do.”. He slid off the bed, leaving Jamie lying there as her breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

Finally, it was over, with another sound of the double gong striking. The men trooped off to their change room and the hostesses to theirs. There was another queue for the bathrooms, although some of the hostesses didn't bother and just put on their gowns ready to go home. On a small table in the corner of the room were unsealed envelopes with each of the hostesses' names on them. Jamie picked up hers and flipped through the contents. It was crammed with used banknotes. She didn't bother to count them as she was sure the amount would be correct.

Putting on her watch, Jamie saw that the time was just past four o'clock, and when she and Frankie walked out into the cool morning air, the sky was starting to lighten. What a night it had been! She was rather sore, but the amount of money that she had received more than made up for it.

The hostesses stepped into the waiting limousines, three into each. The driver asked for their addresses and set off without checking a street directory. Jamie assumed that he had taken the legendary London taxi drivers' test known as 'The Knowledge'. Perhaps he was a taxi driver earning some extra money. He certainly knew his way around London and dropped off one of the other hostesses before arriving at Jamie and Frankie's flat. He politely opened the car door for them and said 'Goodnight ladies' while waiting until they entered the flat.

To be continued

Next time: A blazing row and aftermath.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

“Well, what did you think of it?” said Frankie. She, Jamie and the other hostess at the orgy had only made polite small-talk during their journey to their respective homes. Now she seemed nervous, perhaps guessing that Jamie was not happy.

“Why didn't you tell me that they wouldn't be using condoms?” she asked. “Do you remember when we first had sex? You told me never to have sex with a man I didn't know unless they were wearing a condom, yet you persuaded me to go to that place knowing they wouldn't be wearing any! Was it because you knew I'd refuse to go if I'd known that in advance?”

Frankie's face was bright red. “I'm sorry Jamie; yes I did know about the condoms of course, but I really needed you to go with me.”

“Alright Frankie, tell it to me straight. What was going on here?”

Frankie looked like she wanted to cry: “I'm so sorry Jamie, I shouldn't have got involved with them but the money was too much of a temptation.”

“Oh well, it's over now,” said Jamie, and then, seeing the look on Frankie's face, she said “What?”

“Oh Jamie, I'm so sorry, but I promised you would go to two of the meetings. That's all, I promise.”

“Two? Are you crazy? And what if I refuse to go?” said Jamie, her voice rising a couple of octaves.

“I don't honestly know,” said Frankie. She was openly crying now. “All I was told was that it wouldn't be a good career move for either of us if you didn't go.”

Jamie felt her heart pounding, she was so furious: “Are you saying we could be attacked or worse?”

“Maybe,” replied Frankie in a small voice.

“But you've already been to the house quite a few times, why would they settle for me only going twice? Are you telling me the truth, Frankie? I need to know.”

“They like to have a few regulars, but the men like a turnover too. There'll be someone new to take your place after the next meeting.”

Jamie was nearly speechless. She stared at Frankie. “I need some sleep,” she snapped. With that, she turned and walked into her bedroom, shut the door firmly behind her and turned the lock. She undressed, put on her nightdress and got into bed, but she couldn't sleep for quite some time thinking about what had happened. At one point she heard Frankie knocking softly at the door.

“Please let me in Jamie,” Frankie said and it sounded like she was still crying. Jamie ignored her. One thing she had decided on was that she wouldn't be sharing a bed with Frankie anymore. Eventually, she fell into a troubled sleep and finally woke up about nine o'clock in the morning.

When she walked into the kitchen in her dressing gown, Frankie was there similarly dressed. She looked at Jamie through eyes which still looked red from crying or lack of sleep.

“Alright, this is what I'm going to do,” said Jamie. “I'll do the second meeting since I think it would be too dangerous not to. You'd better not have been lying to me because this really will be the last time. As far as we go, we can still work together at the club, but we're not going to be lovers anymore. I'm sleeping in my own bedroom from now on.”

A thought crossed Jamie's mind: “Did they pay you anything for recruiting me?”

Frankie's face turned bright scarlet. “Two hundred pounds,” she said. “I'll give it to you.”

“Keep it!” snarled Jamie. “I don't want your dirty money. Anyway, you're going to need it. I can't share a flat with you now. It's your choice, either you leave or I will, and stop bloody crying! she screamed. “You brought this on yourself by being greedy. We have a good thing going at the club, but you wanted more. Well now you can see where it's got you. Anyway, I've got to get dressed. I've got a job to go to; the way you're going I don't think you'll have yours much longer.”

Without getting any breakfast Jamie stormed out of the room, had a shower and got dressed. When she picked up her bag and walked out of her bedroom, Frankie was still sitting at the table in her dressing gown. Jamie glared at her but said nothing and walked out of the flat.

When she arrived at the club, Donny said to her 'Where's Frankie?”, since he was so used to seeing them arrive together.

“She's still getting ready,” said Jamie. “She'll be here soon. We've got a rehearsal.”

She walked down to the front of the room where Archie was playing a new song on the piano. “Where's Frankie?” he said.

“She'll be here soon, we had a row this morning, she's probably sulking.”

“O.k.,” he said, used to occasional fights between the girls. He and Donny used to jokingly say it must be the wrong time of the month.

Jamie and Archie ran through a couple of songs and Frankie still hadn't turned up.

“I'll ring her,” said Jamie and went to the phone in the hall. She dialed the number of the flat and it rang out with no answer. “What's the silly bitch playing at?” she muttered to herself. She suddenly had a bad feeling about it. What if...?

Jamie hurried to find Donny: “I need to go back to the flat,” she said. “I think something's happened to Frankie. Can you call me a taxi please?”

While he did so, Jamie walked out of the front door of the club and waited impatiently for the taxi to arrive. She jumped in and gave him the address; a sense of dread was building up in her mind. When they arrived there she almost threw money at the driver and said “Keep the change” before rushing into the flat calling out Frankie's name.

Frankie was lying on her bed, still in her nightdress, her eyes closed. Jamie rushed up and shook her but there was no response. She held her wrist and felt a faint pulse. Looking at the bedside cabinet she saw an empty pill bottle.

“Oh shit, shit, shit! What have you done Frankie?' she screamed. She rushed to the phone and dialed 999, asked for an ambulance and gave them the details and address. She opened the front door and then returned to Frankie and patted her cheek. It felt cold to her touch.

Now it was Jamie who was crying: “I'm sorry Frankie, I shouldn't have said the things I did. Please don't die. Where's that fucking ambulance? Don't they know someone's really sick here?”

The ambulance arrived in five minutes but it seemed like five hours to Jamie. Two paramedics ran in through the door and Jamie called to them from the bedroom. No doubt they had seen plenty of things in Soho, so the sight of a male in a nightdress didn't bother them.

“Do you know what she's taken?” said one. Jamie handed him the empty pill bottle and he showed it to his partner. “Sleeping pills! Right, we need to get her to hospital right away,” he said. While his partner ran back to the ambulance to fetch a trolley he checked Frankie's pulse and in less than two minutes Frankie was loaded into the back of the ambulance with an oxygen mask covering her face.

“Can I come along?” said Jamie and when the paramedic nodded, she jumped into the back, the doors slammed, and the ambulance headed off to University College Hospital, its sirens blaring and lights flashing. The journey only took a few minutes and Frankie was raced into the Accident and Emergency Department and straight into a cubicle.

One of the nurses said to Jamie: “I'll show you where you can wait, miss. She's in good hands now.”

Jamie sat in a large waiting area for what seemed like an age. There were plenty of other people there, a large television was sitting in the corner, showing a programme but with the sound turned down, and there were piles of old magazines, but Jamie just sat there, thinking to herself 'This is all my fault. What if she dies? I'll be responsible'

Eventually, a nurse appeared and asked Jamie to come to the desk and provide some details about Frankie, including whether she had family to be notified.

“She's never mentioned any. I think she's estranged from them. You understand she lives a rather Bohemiam lifestyle, like me.”

The triage nurse permitted herself a slight smile: “We don't bother about such matters here; we treat everyone, regardless of age, race or gender-presentation.”

Jamie explained that they were flatmates and had had a terrible row that morning.

“But I never thought she'd try and kill herself,” she wailed, her eyes filling with tears.

“I suggest you go back and sit down; she's being well looked after,” said the nurse in a soothing voice.

Jamie sat down again for about an hour until a young man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck arrived in the waiting room and called her name. Seeing the look on Jamie's face he hurriedly said: “Frankie's ok. Come into this side room and I'll explain.”

Once they had some privacy, he continued: “As you know, she took a large dose of sleeping tablets, so we had to pump her stomach out and give her some other treatment, and she's coming round now. We'll have to keep her in overnight for observation but she should be right to go home tomorrow.”

Jamie started to cry again, but it was tears of relief: “Thank you so much doctor.”

“She'll need to rest for a few days. No more sleeping tablets in the house, alright?”

“Oh yes, I'll make sure of that,” said Jamie. There was nothing more that she could do, but she realised that Donny still had no idea what had happened, so she found a public phone and rang him.

“The silly cow!” said Donny. “What did she want to do that for? I should sack her.”

“Please don't do that, Donny. It was probably my fault. We had a terrible row this morning but I never thought she'd take all those pills.”

“What was the row about?” asked Donny.

“It's a private matter. I'm sure we'll sort it out,” said Jamie.

“This 'private matter' wouldn't have anything to do with the Hellfire Club I suppose?” said Donny.

Jamie gasped: “How do you know about that?”

“There's not much goes on that I don't know about,” said Donny. “I was approached to see if any of my girls were interested, but I managed to fend them off. But when one of your singers comes to work every fourth Monday, looking like she hasn't slept a wink all night, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to work out what's going on. By the way, you didn't look too hot yourself this morning.” He snorted: “So that's it, she recruited you didn't she, and now you want out?”

Jamie was so glad Donny couldn't see her bright red face.

“So how many more times are you contracted for?” said Donny.

“One more time, well that's what Frankie told me and she swore it was the truth.”

“Well, I suggest you don't try to get out of it. These are powerful people and it doesn't pay to get on the wrong side of them. As for Frankie, she'll have to choose between Hellfire and Lewy's, she can't do both. Anyhow, what time can you get here? You've got a show to do this evening.”

“I can come now,” said Jamie. “They're keeping her in overnight and I think she might have to rest for a few days.”

This news was met with another snort. It sounded like Frankie was skating on very thin ice.

“I'll see you soon then,” said Donny and hung up the phone.

Jamie took a taxi to the club and when she arrived, Donny took one look at her and said “You look like death warmed up. Go and get yourself something to eat and be back in time to change for the show.”

Jamie toyed with the idea of asking him if she could have a night off, but knew the answer to that before she asked, so she did as she was told and went for a meal at the local café.

Lou, the owner took one look at her and said “My God girl, what's happened to you? You look like...”

“Death warmed up,” Jamie finished for her, and went on to explain about their row and what happened to Frankie, but without mentioning the Hellfire Club. The less said about that the better it seemed.

Once she had a meat pie, chips and a cup of tea inside her, she began to feel better, and returned to the club looking more like her usual self. Donny was unusually kind.

“I need you to sing tonight, and I think it will do you good too,” he said. “Stay in your dressing room between shows and you can go home after the second one. I don't imagine you feel like entertaining the customers tonight.”

“Thank you, Donny,” said Jamie, feeling tears start to sting her eyes.

“You're a good singer and I don't want to lose you. Remember what I said, do the Hellfire one last time and then steer well clear of them. It's up to Frankie what she does, but if it affects her work here, and I think it's started to, then I won't have any more use for her, and you can tell her that from me.”

Jamie sang in the two shows and then took a taxi back to the flat. She felt totally exhausted and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The buzz of the alarm clock dragged Jamie from the depths of sleep. She peered at it with bleary eyes and silently cursed under her breath, finally staggering out of bed and going to the bathroom. After that she walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil and put two slices of bread in the toaster. Then she rang the hospital to check on Frankie. Jamie was put through to the ward and spoke to a nurse who informed her that the doctor hadn't been to see Frankie yet, but she was almost sure that she would be sent home.

“She's awake now and ate some breakfast. Discharge time is ten o'clock,” she said. “I suggest you bring some clothes for her as she was wearing a nightdress when she came in.”

Jamie had no doubt that the nurse knew Frankie's true gender, but was pleased that she chose to use the female pronoun. That was kind. She ate her toast and drank a cup of coffee before going into Frankie's room and sorting through the drawers and wardrobe to assemble some underwear, stockings, shoes and a plain dress. She also put some basic makeup items into a plastic bag to take to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital information desk she found out the ward where Frankie had been taken and presenting herself at the nurses' desk, was given the room number of the single room where she would find Frankie.

“Hello Jamie,” said Frankie. She was sitting up in bed looking a great deal better than when Jamie had last seen her. She also looked embarrassed which had brought colour to her cheeks. “I'm sorry to have been such a nuisance yesterday,” she said. “I'll find somewhere else to live as soon as I can and then you won't have to worry about me anymore.”

“Let's not talk about that now,” said Jamie. “I'm sorry I got so mad at you. I said things I shouldn't have said. Can we put it behind us and carry on as before?”

Frankie burst into tears: “I'm so sorry for getting you into that mess at the...”

“For heaven's sake, Frankie, save that 'til later,” Jamie cut in, afraid that people might overhear Frankie. “Best not to talk about it here. Have they said you can go home?”

“Yes, the doctor's been and he says I'm alright to go.”

“Good. I've brought you some clothes to put on, do you want some help?”

Frankie managed her first smile: “I think I can manage alright,” she said, so Jamie pulled the curtains around the bed and went to sit by the door to the ward. After Frankie was dressed, she rang the buzzer and a nurse came to escort them down to the front door of the hospital where taxis were waiting, and they were driven back to the flat.

“I haven't thanked you for saving my life,” said Frankie once they were indoors.

“Well I think it was my fault that you nearly lost it, so I suppose that makes us even,” said Jamie. “Promise me you won't give me a scare like that ever again.”

Over a cup of tea, they discussed the Hellfire Club and Lewy's and Jamie asked Frankie if she really wanted to keep going to the Hellfire Club meetings.

“I know the money is good but is it really worth it? They'll get tired of you eventually and by then you will probably have lost your job at Lewy's. Donny knows what you're doing and he's not happy about it, especially the way you look after one of those nights.”

“You're right, Jamie, I'll ask them to let me stop coming. The men like a change in the girls, so they're probably getting tired of me anyway. I'll have to do one or two more and then I'd like to call it quits.”

Jamie felt enormous relief: “I don't really want you to leave the flat,” she said, “I've got used to having your ugly mug around.” Frankie managed a laugh at that and promised to behave herself while Jamie went to work that evening.

“Donny's a good boss, but you can only push him so far. Tell him what you intend to do and I'm sure he'll be alright with it,” Jamie said.

Frankie took two more days off and then returned to work. The story was that she had accidentally taken an overdose of sleeping pills, and everyone appeared to accept that. Whether they believed her or not is another matter.

To be continued

Next time: Bad times at the Hellfire Club

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Jamie became aware that the Sunday night at the Hellfire Club was rapidly approaching. She would have done anything not to go but realised that short of a broken limb she really had no excuse not to attend. Then salvation came in the form of a severe cold a few days beforehand.

“I can't go there like this,” she said to Frankie. “I'll be coughing and sneezing all over the men. Even with Viagra, that's enough to put anyone off sex with me, but how can I get a message to Paul?”

Frankie hesitated: “I've got a number to ring in case of emergencies,” she said.

“Well please ring it,” said Jamie, so Frankie went off to do that. She came back in a couple of minutes: “They want tto speak to you,” she said. She looked scared.

Jamie picked up the phone and said “Hello”

“I'm told you've got a cold,” said a rough voice at the other end. It certainly wasn't Paul.

“Yes I have,” said Jamie and by good fortune she sneezed at that moment.

“OK, get a doctor's certificate and send it with Frankie and be at the next one,” he said and hung up before Jamie could reply. Jamie told Frankie what had been said and then rang her doctor to get an appointment.

The doctor seemed a bit surprised that anyone would need a medical certificate just for a cold, but nevertheless he gave her one. The day of the orgy arrived and Frankie set about getting ready. She did look amazing when she was dressed up and Jamie told her so to lift her spirits. “Remember, there's only going to be one of two more,” she said.

Jamie went to bed early, hugging a hot water bottle, after dosing herself with aspirin and was soon asleep. She got up about seven o'clock and wandered into the kitchen to make herself a coffee and some toast. It was then that she noticed the door to Frankie's bedroom was open. This was unusual as Jamie expected her to be catching up on sleep and wanting to keep the room quiet. She looked in and saw the bed was made but not slept in. She started to worry. She had no way of contacting the house where the meeting was held.

It was then that she heard the key turn in the front door and Frankie walked in.

“Good heavens! What happened Frankie? You look terrible,” Jamie exclaimed.

“I've been in gaol,” said Frankie. She looked like she was about to faint. Jamie sprang to her feet and guided Frankie to a chair. “Stay there and I'll get you some coffee and you can tell me what happened,” she said.

Nursing the hot cup of coffee, Frankie told her story.

“It was about one o'clock in the morning. I don't know the exact time, you know there's no clock there. Anyway, things were in full swing and suddenly the lights were turned full on and the room was full of policemen. Someone shouted out “Stay where you are!” Well, I ask you; I had one bloke's cock in my mouth and another's in my arse and we literally froze. If it wasn't so serious, I think I would have laughed. Anyway, everyone disentangled themselves and we were led into our rooms to get dressed. Then we were led outside and loaded into the paddy wagons, us girls in one and the men in another, and we were driven down to the local police station.

“They put us into a cell and I suppose the men went into another one since we didn't see them again. It was so cold in our flimsy evening wear, that one of the girls called out and asked for blankets and eventually, someone brought a few and pushed them through the bars. We only had wooden benches to sit on and we all huddled together to try to keep warm. We were there for hours and it was after six o'clock when a big burly sergeant came along and opened the cell door.

“'Alright ladies' he said, 'You're all receiving a caution and you can go home, orders from above. If it was up to me I'd throw the book at you, but it isn't. Go on, get the hell out of here'. I can tell you we didn't have to be told twice. There was a taxi cruising down the street, so we hailed it and asked him to radio for some more, and here I am.”

“That's quite a story,” said Jamie. “Someone must have blown the whistle.”

“It wasn't you was it?” said Frankie.

“Hell, no! If it hadn't been for my cold I'd have been there too. What happened to the men?”

“I've no idea, we didn't see them after they were put in the wagon. I bet it hits the tabloids tomorrow,” said Frankie.

She wasn't wrong; there were screaming headlines on the front page of the next day's papers. One said 'HOUSE OF SIN' in the biggest font they had, and another said 'HELLFIRE MANSION'.

Jamie bought the latter paper. It had a front-page photo of the mansion and another of the girls being loaded into the police wagon. Fortunately, their faces were blurred out, but Jamie recognised Frankie from the gown she had worn. What surprised her about the accompanying article wasn't so much what it said but what it didn't say.

'Police officers acting on a tipoff raided a mansion in Mayfair, London and discovered twenty men and women engaged in intimacy for which money had been exchanged. All the participants were arrested and later bailed. The owner of the premises is expected to be charged with running a brothel.

'Local police commander William Sykes-Forsyth commented that further charges might well be laid. He said that the gathering was named the New Hellfire Club after the infamous club founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in the eighteenth century and frequented by high society rakes.'

There was no mention of the fact that the women involved were not actually women, and since homosexuality between men was illegal at that time, it seemed odd to overlook that. No mention was made of the social status of the men involved, and no names were mentioned either.

What concerned Jamie was the reference to a tipoff. She questioned Frankie closely about whether her medical certificate had been handed to Paul. Frankie assured her that it had.

“I don't want him thinking that I was the one who tipped off the police,” said Jamie. 'That wouldn't be good for my health. By the way, I suppose you weren't paid. I wonder what happened to the money?”

It seemed that was to forever be an unanswered question. Jamie thought she wouldn't be surprised if all the police involved in the raid received a bonus payment they never declared to the tax office.

There was the usual response in the letters published in the papers in the following days, with outrage from some senior clergy and 'concerned mother of five'. Jamie smiled to herself thinking of a senior clergyman she had recognised the one time she had been at the club. Wouldn't his brother clergy have been shocked to learn he was there?

Two days after the original sensational headlines, the story had completely dropped out of the news. Jamie thought that was the end of it, but that was not to be. A couple of weeks later, Jamie and Frankie had just left the club and were walking home, which, you will recall, was against the advice of their friendly club bouncer, Mike. The streets were empty until suddenly two large figures loomed out of the darkness.

“Which one of youse two ladies is Jamie?” one of them growled. Jamie thought she recognised him as the bouncer at the door of the Hellfire Mansion.

“I am,” said Jamie, and felt a cold chill.

The man grunted: “I've gotta message for you from Mr Paul. He doesn't like people who snitch.”

“You mean about the police raid?” said Jamie. “That wasn't me, anyway I was sick. I sent a medical certificate with Frankie. You did give it to Paul didn't you Frankie?”

Even in the dim light, Jamie could see the look on Frankie's face.

“Oh no! You promised me Frankie. What happened?”

Frankie was close to crying: “I meant to give it to him, truly I did, but I was running a bit late and I thought I'd give it to him later. I didn't get to speak to him before the police raid and we had to change.”

Suddenly, Jamie realised that the thug was holding a knife. Its blade glinted in the light from the streetlamp. He ignored what they had been saying and said: “Here comes your message, slag. No-one will want you once I've fixed your pretty face.””

“No!” screamed Frankie and leaped between them. Then she let out a gasp and staggered backwards into Jamie's arms.

“Fuck, Nick! What have you done? Let's get out of here!” shouted the second thug and they turned and ran off.

“Oh Frankie, what has he done to you?” cried Jamie as she gently lowered Frankie to the ground. Frankie was gasping and clutching her stomach. Jamie could see blood oozing from around her fingers.

“Help!” she screamed. “Is there anyone who can help us?”

Heavy footsteps ran towards them – it was Mike!

“Hells bells, what happened here?”

“Mike! Frankie's been stabbed in the stomach. Get an ambulance, please!”

“There's a phone box at the corner. I'll go and ring for one. Keep pressing on her stomach. Try and stop the bleeding.”

Jamie did as Mike ordered. Frankie was staring up at her, her face white: “Am I going to die, Jamie?” she gasped in a faint voice.

“Not if I can help it, Frankie. Mike's getting an ambulance. Just stay with me, alright?”

There was too much of a sense of 'déjà vu' about this, but would there be a different outcome this time? Jamie's tears dripped on Frankie as she pressed hard on her stomach, but Frankie seemed to be drifting away.

Suddenly the red and blue lights of the ambulance illuminated the scene. Jamie stepped back as the two paramedics took over. Mike had arrived back and put his arms around Jamie as she clung to him and cried: “I think she's going to die, Mike”

Mke tried to soothe her: “They're doing all they can for her, Jamie.”

Working by torchlight, the paramedics cut away Jamie's clothing to assess the extent of her injury. They quickly applied bandages and said they were taking her to University College Hospital.

“Tell them she's been there before a few weeks back,” called Jamies, as Frankie was loaded into the back of the ambulance with one of the paramedics, while the other jumped into the driver's seat and the ambulance drove off, lights flashing.

“Oh Mike, what am I going to do?” cried Jamie.

“Let's walk back to the club. We'll ring the police and you can have a cup of coffee while you wait for them.”

Donny was still at the club about to lock up when the two arrived. He took one look at Jamie's blood-stained dress and said: “What the hell's happened?”

Mike said: “Two thugs stabbed Frankie and she's been taken to hospital.”

“They were going to stab me and Frankie jumped in front of me,” cried Jamie.

“Is this all about that Hellfire business?” said Donny.

“Yes. They thought I snitched on them, but I didn't,” said Jamie.

Donny picked up the phone: “I'm calling the local police,” he said. “They know me and I know them. You can tell them everything. Don't hold anything back.”

Two policemen arrived ten minutes later and they and Donny greeted each other by their first names. Then they were introduced to Jamie, who told them the whole story.

“The man who stabbed Frankie was called Nick by the other one. He didn't mean to stab her, he was going to cut my face, but she jumped in front of me,” said Jamie.

The two policemen looked at each other at the mention of Nick's name, but said nothing. One said to Jamie: “You'll have to come down to the station to make a statement. I'll show you some pictures too. Maybe you can pick him out.”

“Can I ring the hospital first to find out what's happened to Frankie?” said Jamie. The two police officers nodded, and Donny rang the hospital number and gave Jamie privacy while she made the call in case it was bad news.

The hospital Casualty Department said that Frankie had been taken straight to the operating theatre and was expected to be there for a couple of hours at least.

As Jamie was driven to the police station to look through a book of 'mugshots', she had plenty of time to consider the implications of identifying Nick and his accomplice and decided it just wasn't worth it. While Nick deserved to be punished for what he intended to do to her and what he had done to Frankie, even if it was an accident, if it came to a trial there could be really bad consequences. Inevitably it would be revealed that she and Frankie weren't 'real' women and Lewy's nightclub might also be dragged into it. The tabloids would have a field day, without the restraints which they seemed to have been under over the 'Hellfire Club' incident. She just couldn't allow that to happen to her friends at the club.

Looking through the books of pictures, Jamie thought that she had never seen so many ugly mugs in her life. She saw Nick's picture and his accomplice, but passed over them and pretended to concentrate on another picture entirely. Finally she gave up and said she didn't recognise anyone in the books.

“Are you sure you don't recognise anyone?” said one of the policemen.

“Well it was dark and it all happened so quickly,” said Jamie

The policeman looked hard at her, but what could he do? Jamie was sure she had made the right decision, she wanted to put the whole event behind her. If she had identified Nick, perhaps someone else would have been sent after her. The thought of those rich and powerful people who could arrange an assault or worse without any consequences to themselves really scared her. Anyway, if that was Nick's chosen lifestyle, he'd probably get arrested for some other crime.

Frankie didn't die, although it was a close thing. She was given six pints of blood and ended up with no spleen and a large abdominal scar. She had been very lucky. She stayed in hospital for four weeks before she was allowed to return to the flat after the doctors realised that there would be no-one there to look after her most evenings until very late. She had been estranged from her family for many years and resisted Jamie's suggestion that she contact them and tell them what had happened.

Jamie actually proved to be a good nurse and really looked after her all the time that she wasn't at work. Donny was very kind and let Jamie go home immediately after she sang in the last show. Frankie returned to work at the club two weeks after she was discharged from the hospital, but strictly only to sing.

Jamie finally retrieved her doctor's certificate and carried it with her for several months in case there were any more nasty encounters, but nothing happened. Was that her reward for not 'fingering' Nick? She would never know.

Jamie never saw any report of the person, presumably Paul, who was being charged with running a brothel, and if found guilty, what happened to him. Ironically, the only time she ever saw his face again, and incidentally learned his real name, was some years later when he appeared with his wife and daughter walking into the Palace to receive a knighthood for services to the arts. How ironic was that?

It may well have occurred to the reader that if the owner of the Hellfire Club could be charged with keeping a brothel, what about Donny at Lewy's nightclub? Yes, he could have been, but Donny kept up a very cordial relationship going with the local constabulary, who took the view that they already had enough real crime to keep them busy and didn't need to bother themselves with what consenting adults did in private whether or not they were the same sex.

To be continued

Next time: A wedding invitation

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

As previously mentioned, Jamie was now visiting her mother almost every Sunday, sometimes for lunch and sometimes for the afternoon, and always dressed as a female. The first time she had dressed as a girl, while she had worn a dress, she wore minimal makeup as she didn't want to shock her mum too much by the change in her appearance. Now that her mum was quite used to her appearance, she wore normal daytime makeup. She had grown her hair to shoulder length and visited a hairdresser fortnightly to have it styled. Her confidence in presenting as a female in public was such that she had no concerns at all that she would be 'clocked'.

One particular afternoon, she had just left her mother's house and was walking down the street towards the train station. She suddenly realised that the young woman walking up the street towards her was Eve, whom she had been friends with when she worked at the grocer's shop. It was too late to turn around or cross the road, and as Eve came closer, it seemed she did not recognise Jamie, but then, just as they were about to pass each other, she suddenly stopped, gasped and said: “Jamie? It is Jamie isn't it?”

“Hello Eve,” said Jamie. “Yes, it's me.”

“My goodness,” said Eve. “You look amazing. I almost didn't recognise you. How have you been? Are you still at the nightclub? I've got so many questions. Why don't we go round to Mary-Lou's cafe and have a cup of tea and chat, if you've got time?”

Jamie had meant to contact Eve and tell her how she was going, but somehow time had passed, so now it would have seemed churlish to refuse. At the cafe, Jamie insisted on paying and asked what Eve would like. She was surprised when Eve chose a large cream bun as well as her cup of tea. Eve had always been very aware of her figure and staying slim, although she did seem to have put on a little weight.

They sat down at a table together and Eve started her questions again. Jamie told her everything except for her upstairs encounters. She spoke about dressing as a French maid and also now being a singer, and having to be nice to the patrons.

“They make you sit on their laps?” said Eve. “Doesn't that make them, err?”

Jamie laughed: “Yes it does.” She decided to change the subject.

“What about you? Are you still at the grocer's shop?”

“Yes, but only for another couple of weeks. I'm engaged and Tommy and I are getting married in a month. Actually, I've got you to thank for me meeting Tommy. After you left, Mr Green did his own deliveries for a while but he soon got sick of it and advertised for someone to do it. Tommy had just been laid off as a driver and was looking for a job. He didn't stay long, but long enough for us to go out together and, err, well you might as well know, I'm pregnant.”

'So that explains the cream bun,' thought Jamie but aloud she said “Congratulations, that's wonderful news. So what does Tommy do now?”

“He's a bus driver. He quite likes it,” said Eve. “Look, I know this is a bit sudden, but would you like to come to our wedding? We've had to pay for the number of guests at the pub where we're having the reception in a private room, and now someone can't come. Oh, I now that sounds terrible, but I always thought I would like to invite you if I ever got married, but then we sort of lost touch.” Her cheeks were pink and Jamie wanted to stop her embarrassment.

“I'd love to come,” said Jamie. “I'll have to think of a wedding present for you. In fact, with the baby coming, would you like some money towards all the things you have to buy?”

She'd obviously said the right thing because Eve only made a token resistance of the 'Are you sure?' sort.

“Of course I'm sure,” said Jamie. “In fact I have some money on me now. I normally give some to Mum but she insisted that she had plenty and told me to save it. Here.”

She opened her handbag and took out thirty pounds and handed them to Eve, whose eyes widened at the sight of so much money.

“Thank you so much Jamie; it's very generous of you,” Eve hesitated and then went on “Would you do something for me? Don't mention the money when you meet Tommy. He's a good man but he does like a flutter on the horses. I'll hide this in my underwear drawer, he'll never think to look there.”

Jamie said: “Of course I won't mention it. Look, I'll give you an actual present on the day. Do you have a toaster promised to you yet?”

“No we don't, but this is far too generous Jamie.”

“Nonsense,” said Jamie. “We've been friends for a long time and I hope we will be for years to come.” Jamie was already having doubts about Tommy, but she couldn't say anything. Maybe Eve was hoping for the best too.

They both finished their tea, and then parted ways, with Jamie continuing her walk down to the tube station.

Since the wedding was on a Saturday, Jamie had to ask Donny for the night off. He pretended to frown and her heart sank, but then he smiled because he had been teasing her and said that since it was a friend's wedding, he'd let her take the day off, but 'just this once'. Jamie was so happy she could have kissed him, but she didn't.

During the following week, Jamie thought about what she should wear to the wedding. In a local dress shop, she had seen a gorgeous dress in sky blue satin with a flared skirt, and she went in one morning to try it on. It fitted her perfectly, but there was something lacking.

“You'll need a can-can petticoat to make the skirt flare,” said the assistant. They spent some time choosing the right petticoat, after all, Jamie didn't want to look like a square dancer. Finally, they decided on the perfect one – it was white and flared the skirt just enough to make the dress look amazing. Jamie decided on the spot to buy it. She phoned her mother about the wedding and Mum agreed that Jamie could stay there overnight after the wedding, rather than travel back to Soho. It also meant that she could change there before the wedding. The following Sunday she took the dress and petticoat, carefully wrapped, to her mother's house. Her Mum wanted to see her wear it straight away, but Jamie asked her to wait until the day of the wedding when she could see the whole package, makeup, hair and shoes as well as the dress.

The day of the wedding arrived and Jamie took an early train out to her mother's house. She carried her makeup case and also another small case containing three pairs of sheer stockings and her best set of silk lingerie trimmed with French lace; bra, full-cut panties, suspender belt, and a full slip.

After a chat and an early lunch, her Mum said: “I'd better let you start getting ready, darling. I remember when I went out with your Dad and while he always grumbled about the length of time I took to get ready, he was always impressed when he finally saw me.”

Jamie kissed her on the cheek: “I've seen some pictures of you dressed for a night out and you looked amazing. What a pity they didn't have colour photos then.”

Jamie went upstairs, undressed and had a short bath, not wanting her skin to get wrinkled. After she dried herself she went back to the bedroom to dress. She had decided to wear a gaff. While she was totally confident in passing as a young woman even closeup, there would probably be dancing at the reception and the only possible thing that could give her away would be if she danced with an especially attractive young man, or an older one for that matter and her body decided to react in the traditional manner.

Then she stepped into the suspender belt and adjusted it around her waist before sitting down and very carefully drawing sheer stockings with lacy welts up her legs. The feel of the nylons against her freshly shaved skin was as sensual as ever. After attaching the suspenders to the stockings, she stepped into a pair of full-cut silk panties with lace trim, and then put on her bra which was similarly adorned with French lace. The final item was a full silk slip. The feel of the cool silk against her skin was very stimulating, but strangely, Jamie no longer had an erection since it made her feel so feminine, and women don't have that sort of reaction, although of course, they have others!

Now she sat down at the dressing table and set about applying her makeup. The wedding was taking place at six o'clock while it was still light, so it wasn't appropriate to apply evening makeup, but nevertheless Jamie still applied some eye shadow and mascara in addition to foundation, blusher and lipstick. She put a few makeup essentials into her clutch bag to take to the wedding, along with two spare pairs of stockings in case the others had a ladder, after all they were ultra-sheer at only fifteen denier.

With her makeup applied and hair brushed, now it was time for her dress, but first Jamie stepped into the petticoat she had bought and fastened it around her waist. Then she stepped into the dress and carefully drew it up her body. Once it was properly adjusted over her bra and her arms slid through the short sleeves, she reached around her back and drew up the zip. Women can always zip up their dresses and men have never thought to ask why she needs help to unzip it when with a particularly attractive man!

Now for the finishing touches, slipping on the four-inch heels in the same colour as the dress, drop earings (Jamie had pierced ears by now), a necklace to match, and as a final touch, a spritz of her favourite perfume. While at work, she could never wear perfume for obvious reasons, so this was a special treat. She viewed herself in the full-length mirror and was very pleased with what she saw. It was time now to present herself to her Mum and see what she thought.

As Jamie carefully negotiated the stairs in her heels, her Mum walked ot the foot of the stairs, carrying her camera and stared up at her.

“Oh my darling, just stand there for a moment, you look absolutely incredible,” she said and it sounded as if she was on the verge of crying. “I was going to take a picture of you out in the garden, but I'd like one of you on the stairs too. From here your petticoat is showing and you look so amazingly feminine. Why don't all young women dress like that anymore?”

Jamie posed on the stairs and even lifted up her dress a little to show off the petticoat even more.

Jamie had bought a sweet little hat to complete her outfit, having seen from televised royal weddings that women should wear hats to church, even if the custom had waned in recent years. Her mum helped her to fasten it in place with a hatpin as there was a breeze blowing that day. Then she had to walk outside with her Mum, down the garden path to pose in front of the old oak tree which her Dad had planted and where his ashes were buried.

Mum now had tears in her eyes: “I wish so much that your Dad was here to see you, he would have been so proud. You look so feminine I can scarcely remember...” and she stopped, looking embarrassed.

“How I used to look before?” finished Jamie for her.

“Yes darling, but it's not just the pretty clothes you are wearing, it's the way you talk and your gestures, they're all so feminine.”

Jamie smiled: “Thank you, Mum. Coming from you that means a lot to me. I think you know now why I was always a bit different from the other boys. Speaking of clothes, you don't think I'm overdressed for the wedding?”

“No, darling. I know that young women mostly make no effort to look feminine nowadays, but the one time they do so is attending something like a wedding, so I'm sure that there will be other girls in pretty dresses there, although I'm sure you will outshine them all.” She hesitated and then said: “Tell me, darling, do you think you'll live the rest of your life as a woman? I've heard that people can take hormones now and even have surgery. Is that what you're thinking of doing?”

Jamie was surprised that her mum was so knowledgeable about such matters.

“Yes, Mum, I think I will live as a woman permanently from now on. As for hormones and surgery, well it seems you have to live a year or two as your preferred gender before you can get treatment, so I suppose I'm serving my apprenticeship as a woman at present and eventually I'll make a decision on what I'll do.”

She didn't mention that the nightclub only wanted her while she was still outwardly male, but she never thought of the work there as a long-term thing.

The sound of a car horn in the street made them both start, and Jamie said:”That must be my taxi. I'd better be going. Don't wait up, Mum, I might be a bit late”

Her Mum came with her to the door and fondly waved as the taxi drew away from the kerb. Her little boy had become a beautiful young woman. Even she had never thought that would happen.

One advantage of a London taxi is the interior height, which means that a woman can alight without showing too much leg; maybe too much petticoat, but that's alright.

The church that Eve and Tommy were to marry in was several hundred years old and was originally surrounded by a graveyard. Now the remaining gravestones had been laid on the ground to form the paths leading up to and around the church. As Jamie stepped onto the pavement, turned and walked towards the lych gate, she realised something that Eve and she had not allowed for when Eve promised that none of the guests would know her. A number of women of varying ages, some holding onto children, were lining the path up to the church door, attracted by the sight of a wedding. Some of them knew Eve from shopping at the grocer's where she had worked, and some were just curious to see what the bride and guests were wearing.

For a second, Jamie hesitated. Supposing some of the women recognised her from the time she had worked in the shop? Realising that she would only draw attention to herself if she turned and walked away when she was so obviously dressed as a guest, Jamie took a deep breath and advance towards the church. Fortunately, her timing has been just right , as other guests were arriving, so she did her best to mingle with them. As she passed the women, some of them looked vaguely familiar, but fortunately, there were no cries of “What's that nancy-boy doing going to the wedding dressed like that?” and she reached the church door unscathed.

In the porch was a young man, offering prayer books for the service and an older man dressed in some sort of clerical robe but no 'dog collar', who greeted everyone with 'bride or groom?' and directed them to the appropriate side of the central aisle, saying “please sit near the front”.

Jamie followed his direction, and sat in the third pew from the front, on the left-hand side of the aisle. The organist was playing quietly as the guests arrived. As Eve had said, there weren't too many of them. Then a door on the right side of the transept opened and the minister emerged, followed by two young men in suits. The first was obviously the groom, Tommy, whom Jamie had never seen before, but the second man-made her catch her breath.

To be continued

Next time: Casablanca

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

The young man accompanying Tommy as his Best Man was the same one she had seen on the train, that first time she had visited her mother while dressed as a young woman. He glanced around the sparse congregation, and immediately caught Jamie's eye and smiled. Jamie couldn't help but smile back, although she was painfully aware that her face was glowing like a beacon. Fortunately, the rest of the people present were all looking forward and didn't see her.

The organist cranked up the volume and launched into Wagner's 'Bridal Chorus', and everyone turned to watch the bride come up the aisle. She was preceded by a bridesmaid, a pretty young woman in a yellow dress who bore a striking resemblance to Eve. Jamie remembered that she had a younger sister. Eve was wearing a white dress and veil which Jamie thought was rather a strange decision but presumably was aimed at sparing embarrassment all round before the 'premature' baby arrived. Eve was holding the arm of an elderly man and Jamie wondered who it was, having been told that Eve's parents being Roman Catholic, would not attend a Protestant church service. That's how things were in those days.

Eve gave Jamie a half-smile as she passed, arrived at the chancel steps and stood beside Tommy. The minister started off the service, but Jamie was hardly aware of what was going on, finding it hard to tear her eyes away from the back of the young man from the train. This surprised even herself, and she could hardly wait for him to turn so that she could see his profile, which happened when he handed over the wedding ring.

Jamie later found out that there was supposed to be two rings, but Tommy, being under some pressure from his 'turf accountant' after a series of ill-judged bets, had been forced to pawn it in order to pay off some of the credit he owed. From time to time Eve brought up the subject of when the ring would finally appear, but having mentioned it once too often and received a black eye for her pains, she finally decided to let sleeping dogs lie, and Tommy never did wear a ring. Fortunately she could not see into the future; after all, every bride deserves to be happy on her wedding day.

Finally, it was time for the 'Wedding March' and the happy couple to walk down the aisle, greeting family and friends. Jamie walked out after them, along with the other guests. It was while she was watching the wedding photographs being taken that she heard a voice in her ear saying: “Of all the carriages in all the trains in all the world, she walks into mine.”

Jamie loved the film 'Casablanca' and recognised the adapted quote immediately. She turned to the handsome young man standing beside her and said “Are you going to play it again, Sam?”

He laughed: “'Bogie' never actually said that you know, and anyway, how do you know my name?”

Jamie laughed too. “Well, it seems I do now, Sam.”

He gave a slight bow, “Samuel Johnson at your service ma'am; my friends, whom I hope will include you, call me Sam. Now you have me at a disadvantage.”

Jamie laughed and told him her name, and then, glancing around; “I don't see Miss Boswell,” she said.

Sam appeared impressed: “And have you ever read the 'Life'?” he said. Jamie confessed it was on her 'to do' list. Just then, Sam was called to participate in a wedding party photo.

“Don't run away,” Sam said as he walked over to where the photographer was posing the groups.

'As if I would, thought Jamie, although a voice in her head said 'What are you thinking? There can be no future in it, you know?', but immediately Jamie answered the voice 'I don't care if it's a day, a week or a month, I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts.'

A few minutes later, Sam was released from posing, but as he walked back toward her, flashing her that devastating smile, she felt her heart thumping and a funny quivering feeling in her stomach. Jamie had been as intimate as it was possible to be with so many men and had never felt this way before. What was it about this man whom she had only just met and never even kissed? Was this what falling in love felt like?

Before she could think more about this conundrum, there was a call for all the guests to gather around the bride and groom for a group photo. Somehow Jamie and Sam found themselves standing together. As they did so, Jamie felt Sam's hand brush against hers. She was willing him to hold it but he didn't; perhaps it was too soon or too public a place.

Once all the photos outside the church had been taken, the whole group walked down the road to the 'Dog and Duck', the pub where the reception would be held in an upstairs room. The atmosphere became more relaxed than at the church, especially when the beer and spirits began to flow. Jamie had a small glass of champagne and was delighted when Sam came up to talk to her again, although she knew she had to be careful what she said, another good reason for watching how much she drank.

“So tell me, Jamie, what you do for a living; a top model perhaps?”

Jamie laughed. She was enjoying flirting with Sam: “Nothing so glamorous, I work as a singer in a night club.” The moment she said it, she regretted being so open. What if he asked her what club and wanted to come and see her perform? She hurriedly carried on speaking: “And what do you do, Sam?”

“Nothing so exciting, I work as a barman in a pub, six days a week.”

“So like me you had to ask for Saturday off?”

“Yes, my normal day off is Sunday, just like you I suspect?” said Sam. “So tell me, how did you get an invitation to the wedding?”

Jamie was more cautious now: “Eve is a friend, but we lost touch and then bumped into each other by chance. She told me that one of the guests had dropped out and as she'd already paid for a set number of guests, would I like to come along? I've always liked Eve so I said 'yes'. Now it's your turn. How did you get to be Best Man?”

Sam laughed: “I wasn't really supposed to be here either. Eve told me in confidence that the original Best Man had to pull out, and Tommy was ringing every person he had in his address book to find a replacement. Somehow he had my details, probably because we went to school together, although I never thought of him as a friend. Anyway, it seems I was the first person to pick up the phone, and so, here I am. You could say that the fates conspired to bring us together.”

Jamie smiled, there certainly seemed to be something in that. Just then a man in a dinner suit picked up a microphone and announced himself as Paul, the M.C. He invited everyone to take their seats prior to the arrival of the wedding party. Sam excused himself as he had to escort Chrissie the bridesmaid, Eve's young sister into the room. A couple of minutes later, a recording of the 'Bridal Chorus' began to play and following introductions, Chrissie and Sam, followed by Eve and Tommy walked into the room as the guests stood and applauded. They took their seats at the Bridal Table. The M.C. also announced that Eve and Tommy's parents were seated at the table nearby. Jamie realised that it was Tommy's father who had escorted Eve down the aisle at the church since her parents had not been present. At least they were present now, and Jamie tried not to be too judgmental about that.

Jamie had taken her allocated place at a table amongst some of Eve's younger friends. She was grateful for that as she had been wondering how she would make conversation with the older relatives that were present. This time she was more cautious when asked what she did for a living. It had seemed important to tell Sam the truth, but this time she said she was a receptionist at a legal firm. Looking at how elegantly she presented herself, the other people at the table accepted what she said as true. She was hoping that they didn't want to know what firm it was and had decided to say that they did not like their name being used in public, but no-one asked her.

She was doing her best not to keep looking at Sam as he sat at the Bridal Table, but every so often her eyes strayed in his direction, and usually, it was to find that he was looking at her. Soon the entrée was served which at least provided a distraction. This was followed by the main course. It wasn't fancy food, just good honest 'pub grub' and very well cooked. The others seated at the table seemed to be taking advantage of the free alcoholic drinks, but Jamie had switched to mineral water.

Now it was time for the speeches and toasts, and when it came to the turn of the Best Man, Jamie didn't need an excuse to concentrate her gaze on him. Sam was surprisingly skilled at public speaking. Jamie had wondered what he would find to say about Tommy and Eve since he didn't really know them, but he managed to say nice things and avoided the usual Best Man's embarrassing stories about the groom. The embarrassment came with the usual messages and telegrams which Sam as Best Man was obliged to read since they were provided by many of the guests present. One in particular which those in the know would have said was far too late was: 'If you don't want the stork to come, shoot in the air.' That was mild compared to some of them and Sam looked so embarrassed as he read them that Jamie felt sorry for him. Eventually, his ordeal was over, and the cutting of the wedding cake and the bridal waltz was announced.

As tradition demanded, the waltz started with the bride and groom, followed by the Best Man and bridesmaid, then the parents of the groom and bride and finally the guests joining in. Having no partner, Jamie sat there, until one of Eve's uncles came up and asked her to dance. This she accepted, knowing that it was also the tradition that people changed partners during the dance and of course she was hoping that Sam would be able to dance with her soon. The uncle wasn't exactly light on his feet, but Jamie managed to keep her own feet away from getting crushed by him.

Much to Jamie's disappointment, the person who changed with Eve's uncle was Tommy the groom. She already had a low opinion of him after hearing Eve mention his gambling problem and his actions now only reinforced that opinion. For a start, for someone who had never met her before he danced much too closely, and after enquiring her name, he followed by complimenting her on her appearance.

“I didn't know Eve had such a glamorous friend,” Tommy said, pressing his groin against her. One thing that Jamie had learned from working at the night club was how to handle men. She increased the distance between them as much as she could.

“All women love an opportunity to dress up, and a wedding is certainly such an occasion. I hope you don't think that I dress like this every day,” she responded with a smile she didn't feel. “Your wife looks amazing today,” she continued, with just the slightest emphasis on the word 'wife'.

“Yes she does,” Tommy replied in a rather careless manner. “But since she got a bun in the oven, which everyone seems to know about, she hasn't been great company if you know what I mean. You know, you and I should have a drink someday.”

Jamie was shocked. Tommy has only been married for a few hours and here he was propositioning another woman in a very unsubtle way. Jamie didn't want to cause a scene, so she just said: “Yes, someday.”

Fortunately, at that moment she saw Sam dancing nearby with one of the guests, and threw him a glance which said: “Please rescue me!”

He received the message and it was a great relief when a familiar voice said: ”May I?” and she found herself in Sam's arms.

“Thank you, 'my knight in shining armour',” she said.

“What was wrong?” said Sam.

“I'll tell you later,” said Jamie, afraid that if she told him, he might confront Tommy and an ugly scene would develop. “You're a very good dancer, you know?”

He laughed: “I learned ballroom dancing at school. Like all the other boys, I realised that it was the only way to get close to those fascinating and mysterious creatures called girls, without getting into trouble.”

Jamie laughed: “Did it ever occur to you that the girls wanted to get close to boys too? The only difference was that we were more subtle about it.”

“Girls have a certain advantage over boys. We found it very difficult to control the obvious signs of excitement at being so close to a girl, whereas you know that a girl does not have that same problem.”

Little did he know that Jamie would have had great trouble if she hadn't had the foresight to wear a gaff! Just the closeness of this fascinating man was having the inevitable effect that she certainly didn't want him to know about.

It was fortunate that no-one else seemed to want to swap partners and they were able to continue dancing and conversing. Whether it was the remembrance of things past when he was a teenager or the nearness of Jamie, and she certainly had no reservations about their bodies touching, but it soon became evident that Sam was becoming aroused.

“Sorry,” he murmured and moved slightly away, but Jamie immediately closed the distance between them.

“Don't be; that answers a couple of questions for me,” she said and smiled as Sam gave her a quizzical look. “It tells me that you're not gay, and you find me attractive.”

Sam laughed: “Why would you think I was gay?”

“
Well you didn't bring along a girlfriend or wife, and excuse me if this sounds like flattery, but it seemed unlikely that a man as handsome as you wouldn't have one or the other.”

“I'll tell you the truth, with all my studying, I just don't have time for a girlfriend,” he said and the look on his face showed that he had said more than he intended.

“What does a barman study, how to make cocktails?” asked Jamie teasingly.

“Alright, the truth is that I am studying at university,” admitted Sam.

“I always thought the 'barman story' seemed a bit dodgy,” said Jamie.

“Oh no, it's quite true. I work as a barman to earn money to live on, and working at night it doesn't interfere with lectures.”

“So what are you studying, or is it a secret?” asked Jamie.

“Well it's medicine actually,” replied Sam and he seemed a bit embarrassed.

“Well that's wonderful!” exclaimed Jamie. “If I was studying medicine I'd want everyone to know about it.”

Sam smiled: “I come from a working-class family and I suppose I always thought that it wasn't something that my class of people did.”

“Isn't that sort of 'reverse snobbery'? You know, 'me dad's a bus conductor so I shouldn't 'ave ideas above me station'?” she said.

Sam smiled at Jamie's attempt at a Cockney accent, but then he looked serious: “You know I've never thought of it like that before, but I think you're right. I was so glad I'd met you Miss Brown, but now I'm even gladder, or whatever it is,” They both burst out laughing, oblivious to the stares of people around them.

All too soon the music stopped and Sam escorted Jamie to her table where unfortunately all the seats were full as she was hoping he would sit beside her. A few of the guests glanced at her but said nothing. However, when Eve stopped by their table it was obvious that she had noticed Sam and Jamie dancing.

“I think you've snared an admirer with Sam,” said Eve with a smile. “I've never seen him with a girl before but maybe he was saving himself until the right one came along?” She laughed as Jamie blushed.

“He's a very nice young man,” said Jamie. “But I think he's far to busy with his work and study to get involved with a girl.”

Later, as Jamie and Sam were dancing again with the lights now dimmed and their bodies pressed close together, Sam murmured in her ear: “I notice you're not wearing an engagement or wedding ring but surely you must have a steady boyfriend. If you didn't, I'd love to ask you out.”

This was another moment where Jamie could have cooled the situation by saying that she had a boyfriend but he couldn't come because there was only room for one person at the wedding, but she didn't.

“No, there's no-one special. It's probably because of the hours I work.”

Sam smiled. “In that case, would you like to come out with me? You mentioned that, like me, you only have Sundays free. I suppose tomorrow is too soon?”

“No it isn't,” said Jamie. “But I'll only go out with you on condition that if there's expenses involved, we go 'Dutch'. That's only fair.”

Sam grinned at her. “I'm sure I could afford a ticket if we went to the movies. As it happens, the University Film Society is showing 'Casablanca' tomorrow evening. Would you like to see it again?”

“I'd love to,” she said.

“It starts at eight o'clock. Can I pick you up somewhere?” Sam asked.

“Can I meet you at the college?” Jamie replied. She didn't want Sam to know where she lived.

“Well it's shown in one of the lecture theatres and it's a bit of a rabbit warren. Maybe if you wait by the gatehouses at the Gower Street entrance at seven-thirty?” suggested Sam. “They're all students, so maybe dress down a bit?”

Jamie laughed. “I don't usually dress like this. Perhaps if I wear jeans and a top?”

“Perfect! We don't want all the students unable to tear their eyes off you instead of watching the film,” laughed Sam. “Although they might do that no matter what you wear.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” laughed Jamie.

The rest of the evening passed too quickly, and when Jamie finally rang for a taxi to take her back to the flat, she and Sam shared a long 'good-night' kiss.

That night Jamie dreamed that she and Sam were in bed together. She was now a 'real' woman and they made passionate love. When she woke up she realised that she'd had an orgasm.

To be continued.

Next time: Living two lives

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

That evening, wearing jeans, boots with a three-inch heel and a woollen jumper over a silk camisole, Jamie was waiting by the gates to University College at seven-fifteen. Sam arrived a few minutes later and seemed surprised to see her already there.

“I hope I haven't kept you waiting,” he said.

“No, I've only been here a couple of minutes. I hate being late,” said Jamie.

Sam smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and led her into the main buildings. He was right, it was a rabbit warren, and Jamie would never have found the theatre on her own. She had never been to a teaching theatre before and was surprised how steep the raking of the seating was. Sam suggested the back row at the very top, and Jamie could guess why. Other students were already there and Sam introduced her to some of them. Soon the theatre was full, the lights were dimmed and the film started.

As they watched it, Sam first took her hand, and later put his arm around her as she snuggled up to him. After her previous encounters with men which were all on a commercial basis of 'money for sex', Jamie was in seventh heaven. She realised that playing the virgin was the only way in which she could hide her secret from Sam, knowing that he would take his cue from her and would ask nothing of her that she wasn't willing to give. Inevitably they began to kiss, gently at first and when Jamie's lips parted and Sam's tongue tentatively explored and found hers, she found it a thrilling sensation, far better than anything she had previously experienced with a man. The irony of that was not lost on her.

All too quickly came the sounds of the French National Anthem, 'The End' title on the screen and the lights came up. It was probably just as well that they had both seen the film before since there were significant portions that they missed this time around.

“That was wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me,” said Jamie.

“It was my pleasure,” said Sam. “There is a cup of tea and some biscuits if you're not in a hurry to go.”

Jamie thought it very unlikely that any of the students would have been to Lewy's nightclub so she agreed. Sam introduced her to some of his friends and they greeted her cordially.

One of the women students said, “We're so glad to see that Sam has a girlfriend at last.”

Jamie blushed at the thought of being Sam's girl, and in her mind offered a silent prayer to the gods that it would last, at least for a while.

Thus began one the happiest periods of Jamie's life, although she had to admit to herself that she was leading a double life. It might seem curious, but she expressed her two 'selves' by the way she presented herself. When she was being Sam's girlfriend, she always wore white underwear, mostly cotton with the exception of a white full slip because she loved the feel of it against her skin. Sam never saw her underwear since the most they did was kiss with a little tongue, although he might have caught a glimpse of the lace of her bra through her cotton blouses. She also wore pale tan tights or bare legs, flat shoes, or at most three-inch heels Her clothing was simple, mostly cotton or woollen skirts or dresses, cotton tops or blouses, very basic makeup, and her hair either parted or worn in a bun.

In total contrast, when she was working at Lewy's Club, she wore black or red satin lingerie, including crotchless panties, matching suspender belts, sheer stockings with lacy welts, six-inch heels, gowns with a slit up the side which exposed her legs to the bare creamy skin above her stockings. Her makeup was heavy with plenty of eye shadow and mascara and intense-coloured lipstick, and her hair was mainly piled high on her head and styled in an exotic manner. If you had put photos of the two Jamies side by side, it would have been hard to tell that it was the same person.

The ironic thing was that Jamie felt more like a woman when she was dressed for Sam. At the club, the whole point of all the 'girls' was that they were really males dressed to look like women and all the customers knew that's exactly what they were. Jamie began to wonder how much longer she would stay at the club. She was in a quandary as the money was very good and she wasn't trained for any other occupation. She was now an expert at giving men pleasure and she also enjoyed singing on the tiny stage, accompanied by Archie on the piano or the small band consisting of trumpet, saxophone, bass, and drums, with Archie sitting in sometimes.

Sam had asked a couple of times where was the club where she worked and she had always fobbed him off. Instead, if she had time off, she sometimes visited the pub where he worked, although always in 'girlfriend' mode of course. She knew she was falling in love with him and suspected he was getting similar feelings for her. She preferred not to think about the impossibility of it all.

Their birthdays were quite close together. Jamie knew that Sam loved jazz although she had little interest in it herself. Nevertheless, they managed an evening out together and she paid for them to go to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club as a birthday treat. That's where her feelings about jazz changed. Being in a room with live musicians as they improvised solos on the spot, completely unrehearsed but based on jazz standards, was a revelation to her.

“How on earth do they do that?” she asked Sam.

“It just takes practice,” he replied. “I'm trying to learn jazz guitar myself so I know how complicated it really is, even though they make it look easy.”

That was new to Jamie, although Sam refused to let he listen to him play saying he just wasn't good enough yet - “Maybe in a year's time,” was all he would say. Jamie hoped that they would still be together in a year.

They celebrated Jamie's birthday with a picnic on Primrose Hill in North London. It was a warm sunny day and after laying out a blanket on the grass, Jamie sat down with her cotton skirt spread around her so that she looked like a flower, well that's what Sam said. After eating their picnic accompanied by a bottle of soft drink, Sam lay back on the blanket, and Jamie lay on her side beside him. Soon she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He responded and soon they were locked in an embrace and she could feel his erection growing against her.

“I'm sorry,” Sam apologised, knowing that she could feel him, little knowing that her body was responding the same way and it was only the gaff that stopped him from feeling her.

Don't be sorry, I take it as a compliment,” smiled Jamie.

Suddenly Sam said: “I almost forgot, I have your birthday present and I'd like to give it to you now since I'm working on the actual day.”

He produced a small gift-wrapped box and Jamie caught her breath, afraid for a moment that it contained a ring. Then she realised that it was an elongated package, not a cube and she almost audibly sighed with relief. She carefully opened the package and stared at the contents. A gold heart-shaped locket with a matching chain nestled in the purple velvet interior. Tears filled Jamie's eyes. It wasn't as bad as being offered a ring, but nearly so.

Sam looked at her with concern: “What's the matter? Don't you like it?”

“Like it? It's beautiful and I love it, but I can't accept it,” Jamie whispered.

“I don't understand,” responded Sam, looking puzzled.

“Oh Sam, I haven't told you the truth about me,” said Jamie and she started to cry. “I'm not what you think I am.” She hesitated, then took the plunge. “The truth is that I was born a boy even though I've always felt I was a girl and nature played a cruel trick on me.”

Sam smiled. “I realised that a long time ago, but that doesn't alter how I feel about you,” he said.

“You knew?” exclaimed Jamie.

“Oh don't worry; almost anyone else would see a very pretty and feminine young lady, which is what you are, but don't forget, I'm a medical student. I've seen many bodies, male, female, and also some people like you who wish to present themselves and live as the opposite gender to the one they were given at birth. It doesn't matter in the least to me; you are a very special person in my life and that is why I would love you to accept my present.”

Jamie felt stunned and made no protest when Sam took the locket and chain out of the box, unclipped it and fastened it around her neck.

“Oh, Sam!” she gasped.hugging and kissing him. “Thank you so much. It's a beautiful gift and I will treasure it all my life.” From that day on, she wore it constantly when she was with Sam.

Jamie felt more and more guilty that while she had confessed one big secret to Sam, there were others that remained hidden. Still, what could she do? She wasn't trained for a career; her only talents were a good singing voice and the ability to please men in the most basic of ways. If she left the club, what would she do? She couldn't go back to delivering groceries. Perhaps she could be a shop assistant and work long hours for a fraction of the money she was currently getting. Like many of us when we have a major problem in our lives, Jamie put it to the back of her mind and hoped it would go away.

Jamie loved the times that she spent with Sam, but it was getting increasingly frustrating for both of them that they could not be more intimate. One evening when they had the flat to themselves and were snuggled up in the couch, they had had a few drinks, not enough to make them drunk, but enough to loosen inhibitions.

“Oh Sam, I wish I could be more of a woman for you,” sighed Jamie.

Sam was quiet for a moment as though making up his mind. Finally, he spoke. “Jamie, we can be intimate without having penetrative sex you know?”

He didn't expect Jamie to know what he was talking about, but she realised instantly what he meant. Nevertheless, she had to play the virgin.

“How do you mean?” she asked.

“I never told you before but for a while, I had a girlfriend and she was much more experienced than me.” He paused. “She...did things ... with her hands, things that were very exciting for me.”

Jamie considered her reply. Sam would know that as a teenage boy she would have masturbated, so to pretend too much ignorance would be absurd.

“You mean ... down there?” she asked, her eyes indicating his crotch where it was very obvious that he had an erection caused by his closeness to her.

“That's right,” he whispered. Jamie let her hand move gently over the bulge in Sam's trousers, all the while looking at him. Sam closed his eyes and groaned. “Oh yes,” he said. “But she did more than that.”

Jamie decided to take a risk. It would have to be obvious to the most innocent of modern young women what he was hinting at. She made a show of trying to undo his trousers and Sam finally helped her by unfastening his belt and sliding down the zip of his trousers. This partially freed his tumescence which now tented his underpants. Jamie squeezed and fondled him through the cotton material and finally slipped them down, releasing his penis which stood bolt upright and glistening in the lamplight.

Jamie has seen plenty of penises in her time and was impressed with Jamie's. It was a good eight inches long and very thick. ' You're going to make some woman very happy one day, she thought. Out loud she let out a little gasp and then curled her fingers around his girth. Sam had his eyes closed and moaned at her touch. Jamie had to remember not to seem too practiced after all this was supposed to be the first time she had ever touched another man. Her own penis strained against the gaff which held it in position, avoiding an unsightly bulge, but it had to stay confined.

Sam's penis was leaking fluid from the tip, and Jamie was very tempted to lower her mouth onto it, but it was too soon. Instead, she milked Sam's penis which was quivering at her touch and if anything seeming to grow bigger.

“Oh God, I'm coming, Jamie,” Sam cried, and his milky semen ejaculated in long silky ropes, landing on his stomach and Jamie's hands. Again she had to restrain herself from licking it up, and instead reached for a tissue and wiped her hands and Sam's stomach clean.

“That was amazing. You are very talented to do that the first time,” said Sam without a trace of irony in his voice.

“You're right, it was lovely for me and I know it was for you,” said Jamie.

That was the first of many times they were intimate. Eventually, Jamie started to use her mouth on Sam's penis when he was on the point of ejaculation, and she took his semen into her mouth and was happy to swallow it.

“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Sam and Jamie was afraid she had gone too far.

“A girlfriend told me about it. Women do talk to each other about such things, you know? She does it with her boyfriend. They don't dare have sex in case she becomes pregnant.”

“Can't they use a condom?” said Sam.

“They don't think they are totally reliable, and it would cause so much trouble if she had a baby before they are married,” replied Jamie, innocently. This seemed to satisfy Sam, and anyway, he was enjoying what Jamie was doing to him too much to say anything. She had now reached the stage of fondling his testicles and even taking them in her mouth before running her tongue up and down his shaft. She even flicked the tip of her tongue against his frenulum, driving him wild. All these techniques were said to come from the mythical girlfriend.

Late one evening when both of them were really aroused, Jamie started to undress Sam and didn't stop until he was completely naked. He had a magnificent body, she likened it to the famous statue of David, with the added attraction of his wonderful erection. She made her way from his chest down towards his groin and the object of her desire which she set about working on with her fingers, lips, and tongue. Soon Sam was writhing and groaning as his penis pulsed and quivered under her manipulations and after he had erupted into her mouth and she had swallowed his issue, she suggested he stay the night. She had already removed her dress, so stayed in her underwear as they cuddled in bed. To give Sam his due, he never touched her groin area, although he did stroke her legs still clad in silky stockings and the feel of her body clad in silk lingerie served to arouse him once more. Like many young men, it did not take him long before he was ready to orgasm again and did so twice more during the night as Jamie worked her magic on him.

Three months passed and Jamie was tempted to think that perhaps the current situation with her twin lives could go on for a long time to come. Sam has accepted that she worked in a night club as a hostess and singer but he never pressed her to know exactly which night club it was where she worked and she was happy for him to remain in ignorance even though he now knew that she was trans and could assume that she wasn't the only one in the club.

One evening it was rather quiet at the club. Jamie has just finished her first set of songs when she noticed that Roger, one of her regulars was present. He was very pleasant, always the perfect gentleman. She didn't know much about him as it was a club rule never to enquire about customers' private lives. One of the other girls had told her that he 'had a cow of a wife' and when she said 'How do you know?', it seemed that one night he got quite drunk and poured his heart out.

“Why doesn't he get divorced?” Jamie had asked and was told that Roger was a Roman Catholic and they don't allow divorce. She couldn't help thinking that the Church wouldn't approve of what she did for him each time he visited the club, but that wasn't her decision to make. Seeing her, Roger has smiled and by a turn of his head he obviously wanted some time with her in one of the bedrooms, so she checked at the bar and they both went up together.

Roger never asked for intercourse, he was happy for Jamie to demonstrate her skills at fellatio and she was happy to oblige. When they left the room and started walking down the stairs together, Roger's arm was around her waist, a sensible precaution since she was wearing six-inch heels. Halfway down the stairs, they paused for a kiss, and then Jamie glance down the stairs to the room below her before taking the next step. Suddenly the room seemed to be spinning, she felt herself falling and then blackness.

To be continued:

Next time: Hard decisions

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Bright lights; too bright. Jamie closed her eyes again. “She's coming round.” The voice sounded far away, as if in a tunnel. She cautiously opened her eyes again and realised she was staring up at a ceiling. A head appeared, out of focus.

“Jamie? It's Frankie. What happened?”

“I don't know,” Jamie croaked. “What did happen?”

“You were coming down the stairs with Roger when you suddenly fainted. It was lucky he had his arm around you and caught you before you fell down the stairs. He carried you back to the bedroom. That's where you are now,” said Frankie.

”Oh,” was all Jamie could manage. It was slowly coming back to her; carefully walking down the stairs in her heels and then glancing down and seeing Sam standing there. She would never forget the look on his face, a mixture of shock and horror. She closed her eyes again. She couldn't tell Frankie, she couldn't tell anyone.

“Is Roger still here?” she said faintly.

“Yes, he's waiting downstairs. He's very worried about you.”

“Please tell him I'm alright now and thank him for saving me from taking a tumble, I might have broken a bone or even worse.”

“I'll do that. You just lie there and rest,” said Frankie.

Jamie lay there but she couldn't rest. All she could do was think how stupid she had been. She had known that her relationship with Sam couldn't last, but to end like this! 'You stupid stupid cow,' she thought.

A few minutes after there was a knock on the door; it was Donny.

“How are you feeling Jamie? Do you want me to send for a doctor?” he said.

“I'm fine, thank you, Donny. I just need to rest for a bit.”

“Frankie can take you home after she's finished the floor show. See how you feel in the morning and if you want to take tomorrow off, please do so.”

Frankie took Jamie home in a taxi. They said nothing while in the cab, but after they arrived back in the flat and she helped Jamie undress, she asked what had really happened. Jamie's eyes filled with tears as she explained about seeing Sam at the foot of the stairs.

“I have no idea how he found out where I worked. Oh, Frankie, I've been such a fool; I should have let him down gently and stopped seeing him, then he would have had good memories of me, but I enjoyed seeing him so much. Now he'll hate me forever. I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw me with Roger.”

“Didn't you say he was a doctor? He should have offered to help when you fainted,” said Frankie indignantly.

“I'm sure he would have if I had fallen and injured myself. I can't blame him for leaving, anyway he's still a medical student,” Jamie responded. She couldn't put any blame on him when it was all her fault.

“You really love him don't you?” said Frankie softly.

“Yes, I do, even though I knew there was no future for us. Now I have to send his locket back, I can't possibly keep it.”

“I'll let you get some sleep,” said Frankie. “You look dead beat.”

Jamie was exhausted, but it was a long time before she managed to sleep. When she awoke the next morning, it was already ten o'clock and she still felt terrible, so she phoned Donny and took the day off. Her first job was to send Sam's locket back to him. She took it out of its little box where it nestled in a bed of blue velvet, and held it for a long time, pressing it to her breast before finally replacing it. She couldn't send it without some sort of note, so she sat down to write one. It was very difficult, and she tore up five attempts before deciding the next one would have to be the last, no matter how bad it was.

'Dear Sam,' she wrote. She thought hard about the 'Dear', just 'Sam' sounded abrupt, and she couldn't write 'Dearest' or 'Darling' or he would probably tear it up in disgust. She decided to leave it at 'Dear' and go on.

' I am so sorry that you found out about me the way you did. I should have ended our friendship long ago while you still liked me, but I was weak and stupid and enjoyed your company too much to let go. Now that it is too late, I am going to leave the club and find another job. I may become a shop assistant as I'm not qualified for anything else.

'I am returning your locket and chain. I treasured them while I could, but I deceived you and don't deserve them when I hurt you so much. Please forget about me. I know you will become a great doctor and do wonderful things. You will also meet a real woman who deserves you and have a happy married life with her.

Yours sincerely,

Jamie

She was crying as she wrote it, and although she frequently dabbed at her eyes, a single teardrop fell on the paper and smudged her name. She couldn't face writing the letter again, so left it as it was. After wrapping the letter around the little box which held the locket and chain, she dressed and walked down to the local post office. She sent the package by registered post to Sam Johnson, care of the Medical School where he was studying.

It was a wrench to say goodbye to the locket but it had to be done. The woman behind the counter looked at her curiously as she paid the fee.

“I hope you don't mind me saying so, my dear, but you look dreadful. Are you feeling ill?” she said.

Jamie managed a weak smile. “I haven't been well but I'm gradually getting over it,” she said. It was a lie of course, but what else could she say?

The following morning she pulled herself together, showered and dressed and did her best with makeup to disguise the redness in her eyes. She went to the club and having found out that Donny was in his office she went there and knocked on the door.

“Jamie! How are you feeling? I have to say you still don't look too well. Would you like more time off?” he said.

Jamie was touched by his kindness which nearly started her crying again. She drew a deep breath.

“Donny, I've decided that I can't go on at the club, so I've come to resign.”

Donny motioned for her to sit down. “Do you want to tell me what happened? It's not like you to faint.” Jamie couldn't hold back any longer. Between sobs, she told him about Sam and the shock of seeing him in the club.

“I see. Would it make a difference if I said you could just be one of our singers and not be a hostess?” he asked,

Jamie shook her head. “I'm sorry Donny, but I just can't stay here, and it's too late now, Sam and I are finished.”

Donny paused for a moment. He like Jamie and was sorry to see her going.

“May I suggest something, Jamie? You are feeling very emotional at present, understandably so. I suggest you take a week off, and if you still feel the same way then, come back and see me.”

Jamie nodded. Donny was being so kind, tears started running down her cheeks.

“Thank you, Donny, that is so kind of you,” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

She did as Donny suggested, but sitting at home doing nothing only made her think even more about Sam and how she had lost him. Frankie did her best. They slept together, and that's all they did. Often Frankie had to hold her while she cried herself to sleep.

'If this is what being in love with someone and losing them is like, I'm going to make darn sure I never fall in love,' thought Frankie.

One day, Frankie brought home a small package addressed to Miss Jamie Brown, care of Lewey's Nightclub, and sent by registered post. She went to her room, opened it carefully and was shocked when the familiar small oblong box appeared. She opened it and there was the gold locket and chain together with a note.

Dear Jamie,
I am sorry I startled you so much that you fainted at the club and I am grateful to the young man you were with that he caught you and prevented you from falling. I am returning your locket. It isn't mine to keep. I hope you will keep it and remember the happy times we had together. I am glad to hear you are leaving the club since you are better than that. I wish you well in your future career, maybe as a singer since you have a great voice.
With Best Wishes always,
Sam

With trembling fingers, Jamie lifted the locket and chain out of the box and held them to her breast as she lay on her bed and sobbed as if her heart was broken, which indeed it was. When she finally recovered, she sat up and put the locket on its gold chain around her neck, promising herself that she would wear it for the rest of her life.

At the end of the week, Jamie returned to see Donny.

“I'm sorry, Donny, I've taken the week off and it hasn't made a difference, I still have to leave. I'm sure you'll easily find someone to replace me,” she said.

“I don't know about that,” said Donny. “What will you do?” he asked

“I don't know. I'm not trained for anything, maybe I'll be a shop assistant.”

But Donny had an idea. “Jamie, I know the managers of other clubs, not ones that offer the sort of services we do. I can't promise anything but if one of them wanted a singer, just a singer, would you be interested?”

Jamie looked up; there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes and Donny saw it. It was more than she could hope for but if it happened that would be wonderful.

“Alright, take another day off and rest. I'll ring you if I have any news,” said Donny.

The following day, Jamie was mooching around the flat in her nightdress and robe. Every so often she glanced at the telephone, willing it to ring, but it remained stubbornly silent. She knew that Frankie was quite worried about her, but she had promised not to do anything silly. Then suddenly the phone rang and Jamie's heart began to pound. She picked up the receiver and it was Donny.

“Jamie, I've got you an audition with my friend Ronnie Irish at the 'Blue Note Club', just around the corner from us; you must have seen it? It's a jazz club, but I've heard you sing jazz numbers in the club and do them very well. Ronnie says he can see you there at three o'clock this afternoon, can you make it?”

“Yes I can!” Jamie gasped. “Thank you so much Donny.”

“Break a leg, honey,” said Donny as he hung up.

To be continued.

Next time: A new start

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Jamie was galvanised into action. She hurried to the shower and afterwards spent precious minutes deciding on what to wear. Presumably, Donny had told Ronnie that she was one of his 'girls', so the last thing she wanted was to look like a drag queen. She finally decided on a grey pencil skirt and white silk blouse, tan stockings and three-inch heels. She styled her hair and put on her makeup and after dressing, examined herself critically in the mirror. Yes, she looked feminine and sophisticated, Ronnie's customers would never know the truth about her. She really needed this job, not just for the money, but to restore her self-confidence.

Jamie rang a taxi and as it was driving her to the club she suddenly realised that she hadn't decided on what to sing. Presumably, there would be a pianist on hand who would be familiar with all the jazz classics. How about 'Love for Sale', a favourite at Lewey's? No, that would not be right at all. Then she had an inspiration; one of her favourite records was Ella Fitzgerald singing 'April in Paris', yes that would be perfect.

The taxi dropped her off outside the club and she paid the fare and added the obligatory tip. The club was in a basement and she carefully negotiated the steps,, thankful that she had rejected the idea of six-inch heels. She pushed open the door to the club and walked into the semi-gloom inside, wondering why night clubs always seemed to economise on electricity in the daytime. A young woman came out of a door and Jamie told her why she was there and asked to speak to 'Mr Irish', saying she had an appointment. If the young woman had been told about her, she gave no indication.

“Sure honey, come this way,” she said, leading Jamie to the main clubroom. It was not unlike Lewey's, with square tables and chairs in the main area, and a stage where a small band consisting of piano, bass, drums and tenor saxophone was playing an upbeat jazz version of 'Tea for Two'. In front of the stage, a man was sitting at a table, tapping his foot in time to the beat. The young woman walked up and whispered in his ear. He looked up, smiled and Jamie and indicated that she should take a seat, which she did, crossing her legs and being careful not to let her skirt ride up too much. She certainly didn't want to give the impression that she was prepared to do anything to get the job.

The band finished, and Ronnie leaned over and said “I'm Ronnie, and I'm guessing you are Jamie? Donny told me all about you. I understand you are a good singer; what would you like to perform for us?”

“Could I sing 'April in Paris'?” asked Jamie.

“Sure,” said Ronnie. “Hey boys, Jamie here wants to sing 'April in Paris' Can you accompany her?”

The man sitting at the piano laughed. “Sure, Ronnie, I think we remember that one.”

Jamie blushed at his remark, but stood and walked the couple of steps onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone.

“What key would you like?” said the pianist.

“C major please,” said Jamie. The pianist nodded to the other band members and played an introduction. Jamie began to sing and suddenly realised that the nerves had left her. When the song came to an end, Ronnie applauded.

“Not bad, not bad at all. Now, how about something more upbeat? You heard the boys playing 'Tea for Two' when you came in, can you do that for us?”

Jamie couldn't believe her luck. She had sung that very song along with Anita O'Day's recording from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 many times; it was one of her favourite records.

“I'd be happy to give it a try, Mr Irish,” she said.

The band looked at each other and started to play at a furious pace. Jamie realised what was happening, they were trying her out to see if she could keep up with them. She nearly missed her entry but after that everything was fine and when the number finished, they actually applauded her.

When she came down off the stage, Ronnie said.

“That wasn't at all bad. Why don't you come to the club this evening and see if you like it? About nine o'clock?”

“Thank you, Mr Irish, I'll do that, and thank you for taking the time to hear me.”

“My pleasure Jamie, I'll see you this evening.”

As Jamie returned to the flat, she dared to hope that she would get the job. She realised that the invitation to the club that evening was part of the audition. Ronnie wanted to see how she 'glammed up'.

When she arrived home Frankie was still out, so she went to her room, opened her wardrobe door and looked through her evening gowns. Finally, she selected one in pale yellow silk with threads of gold running through it which she knew would shimmer in the club lighting. She laid it on the bed and then opened her underwear drawers and chose a lingerie set in white silk with generous French lace on the bra and panties. No-one else would see it of course, but it made her feel glamorous and feminine. The final choices were fifteen denier stockings and shoes with six-inch heels that matched the colour of the gown.

After a sandwich for tea, she had a bath and then styled her hair into a chignon. She took extra care with her makeup, before getting dressed. When she had finished she looked at herself critically in the mirror. If Ronnie didn't like what he saw, well it wasn't her fault, she'd done her best.

She picked up her clutch bag and walked out of her bedroom. Frankie was seated on the couch.

“Wow, girl, you look amazing. What's the occasion?”

Jamie smiled for the first time in weeks. “Ronnie Irish heard me sing this morning and invited me to visit the club this evening. I think I have a real chance of getting a job there if I don't blow it.”

“Well, you'll knock him out looking like that,” said Frankie with a smile.

Jamie smiled in return. “I certainly hope so.”

She checked the clock. It was already eight o'clock; she hadn't realised she'd spent so much time getting ready.

“I'll ring for a cab, I want him to know that I'm punctual.”

She arrived at the club at ten minutes to nine. There was a queue outside the door, always a good sign. Jamie walked straight up to the doorman and introduced herself.

“My name is Jamie Brown and Mr Irish has requested that I come tonight.”

It was fairly obvious from the way she was dressed that she wasn't a typical jazz club patron. The man consulted his clipboard and smiled.

“Yes, Miss Brown. Please go inside, you'll find Mr Irish at a table near the stage.”

Jamie smiled at him and entered the club. Just like Lewy's, the “Blue Note' looked a lot better at night, with subdued lighting which gave an intimate feel. She could hear music coming from the door leading into the main club area, and she opened it and stepped inside. As she walked between the tables to where she could see Ronnie Irish sitting at a table by himself, she could feel other patrons' eyes on her. In fact, it would be fair to say a lot of the men were oogling this tall willowy blonde in the striking dress and heels, and more than once received a swift kick under the table from his unimpressed partner or wife!

The band finished their bracket as she neared the table and there was applause as they walked offstage for a break. Ronnie looked up as she arrived at his table, and then stood up. From the look on his face she could see that he was impressed.

“Good evening, Jamie, please take a seat.” He pulled out a chair for her. “Can I get you a drink?”

Jamie glanced at the drink before him and decided to follow suit. “Thank you, I'll have a gin and tonic.”

Ronnie signalled to one of the waitresses and ordered the drink. When it arrived, Jamie took a small sip, she didn't want to look like a heavy drinker.

“I must say you look amazing tonight. In fact, I've just had an idea; when the band comes back, how would you feel about singing those two numbers you sang this morning?”

This was not entirely unexpected and Jamie agreed “Although I'd prefer it if they took 'Tea for Two' a little slower.” she smiled.

Ronnie smiled. “Yes, they were trying you out but you kept up very well. I'll have a word with them. In fact I might just get my horn and sit in with them for the next bracket. Let's go backstage; I'll introduce you and tell them what we're going to do.

Jamie resisted the temptation to take another sip of her drink before following Ronnie to the door leading behind the stage. The band were sitting in their rest area and all stood up when she arrived with Ronnie. She realised that they hadn't immediately recognised her as the young woman from the morning. Ronnie introduced her and told them what he proposed to do. “And guys, take 'Tea for Two' a little slower, o.k.? I'm going to do a solo and I don't want to get left behind.” They laughed and agreed to do what the boss ordered.

He let them walk onto the stage first, and as the applause died down, walked on himself, carrying his trumpet. The applause immediately increased in anticipation of him playing.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. As you know, Cleo, my wife is currently taking leave after presenting me with a bouncing baby boy.” There was cheering at this announcement. “However, I have a treat for you, a singer making her first appearance at the 'Blue Note'. Please give a warm welcome to Miss Jamie Brown.”

There was applause and a few wolf whistles as Jamie walked on stage. She stood in front of the microphone, her heart pounding. Ronnie stood to one side and signalled to the band who played the introduction to 'April in Paris' and Jamie started to sing. She sang it in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, one of the all-time great women jazz singers. As arranged, Ronnie played a solo halfway through, and when the song ended there was cheering and applause. Some of those present even stood. Jamie smiled, partly with relief but there was no time to think about what she had just done, the band was already playing the introduction to 'Tea for Two', and yes, they were taking it more slowly.

Again. Ronnie played a solo part-way through the song, to great applause, and when it was finally finished, they received a standing ovation and cries for an encore. Over the applause, Ronnie said in Jamie's ear “They want more, can you suggest anything?”

“Maybe 'Sweet Georgia Brown'? I sang that at the other club and it went down well. I've sung it to an Anita O'Day recording at Newport.”

“The boys will know that one,” said Ronnie and he walked over and spoke to them, and a few seconds later the drummer started the beat in the Newport recording, Jamie gave it a few seconds and then started to sing. This time Ronnie didn't do a solo, he just let her go, and at the conclusion of the song, the crowd went wild. This time Jamie wasn't prepared for anything more and after many bows, she walked offstage and took her seat at the table once more.

Ronnie walked up to the microphone. “What did I tell you? This young lady is going places, but before she does, I hope she'll be spending some time at the 'Blue Note'.”

There were more cheers and Jamie felt obliged to stand and bow once more. Then the band continued with their bracket and the crowd settled down

Ronnie grinned “That was the best impersonation of Anita O'Day that I ever heard.”

Jamie blushed slightly. “I'll never be as good as her of course, but I tried my best.”

“Well Jamie, your best is good enough for me. Would you like to come in tomorrow morning at ten and rehearse some numbers with the band? Then, if you're ready you can do your first set tomorrow night.”

Jamie was shocked, she expected 'We'll let you know', but it seemed she had a job.

“Yes, and thank you Mr Irish,”

“Call me Ronnie, everyone else does. Now, can I get you another drink? The ice has melted in that one.”

To be continued

Next time: The house singer

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

So began the next phase of Jamie's life as she took on the rôle of the regular singer with the house band at the 'Blue Note' club. She was happy no longer having to be intimate with men that she didn't know, and as a bonus, she met some very famous musicians and singers when they visited England on tour and were guest artists at the club. Some made a point of being very complimentary about her singing and even asked her to sing with their bands. It was something she couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams, such as singing with a New Orleans born trumpeter known universally by his nickname.

For the first time, she was able to invite her mother and sister to the place where she worked, so they could see her perform. They were seated at a table near the stage and she could see from the look on their faces that they were impressed with her talent, and also the way she 'glammed up' in a gorgeous gown with a side split (but nothing like the ones she wore at Lewy's Club). As she sang, her mum leaned over to her other daughter, Edna and said: “I can hardly believe what I'm seeing”.

At the end of the bracket, Jamie carefully negotiated the steps down from the stage in her six-inch heels, inevitably showing a shapely stocking-clad leg, and came over to the table to sit with them and sip on some mineral water. Jamie's mum had been warned before she visited the club to say nothing about Jamie's past. Ronnie knew about her of course, but as far as all the other staff and patrons were concerned, she was a genuine 'cis-woman'.

When her mother started to say “I was just saying about you to Edna....” Jamie cut in with an alarmed “Mum!”

Her mum looked at her calmly and said “As I was saying, to Edna, I never thought you would grow up to be such a glamorous young woman. That's alright to say isn't it?”

Jamie relaxed and said with a smile “Yes, that's alright to say, Mum.”

As time passed, so Jamie discovered that the old saying about 'Time heals all wounds' is indeed true. From time to time a vision of Sam came into her mind, especially when she fingered the locket, but she was able to think of him without the hurt of the first few weeks after that horrible moment at Lewy's.

One day she had a phone call from Michaela asking if she could come round to the flat when it was convenient. “I've got something to show you,” she said.

Jamie was intrigued and suggested a time when she would be home in the afternoon before going to work at the jazz club since she knew that Michaela had the occasional rostered day off. At the appointed day, there was a knock on the door and Jamie opened it. Her jaw dropped; standing on the doorstep was a very glamorous woman in a blue silk dress, stockings and high heels, perfectly made up and with an amazing hair styling.

“Michaela! Is that really you?” she gasped.hugging her.

Michaela giggled. “Yes, it really is me. May I come in please?”

Jamie closed her mouth. “Yes of course. I was just a bit stunned for a moment. When you said you had something to show me, I really didn't expect this.”

She ushered Michaela into the lounge room and offered her a drink. They sat together on the couch.

“So what happened?” said Jamie. Every previous time that Michaela had called by, she was dressed, outwardly at least, in male mode, and changed when she arrived at the flat.

“It's simple; I've got my own flat now, and I thought I would treat myself to a makeover,” said Michaela. “I still have to dress as a man to go to work, although I don't suppose many of the other men are wearing panties,” she added with another giggle, “Although you never know!”.

Jamie laughed. “I don't suppose there are, either, but then there's always a chance! Please stand up and let me take another look at you.”

Michaela was happy to oblige. She even gave a twirl which made her silk dress flare out, giving a momentary glimpse of the lace on her slip.

“That dress is fabulous, and you look amazing wearing it,” said Jamie.

“Thank you. I bought it a few days back. I saw it in the shop window and just had to have it. I was in male mode, but suddenly I didn't care. The shop assistant was very nice. I guess men wearing dresses is not as rare as it used to be. It was a perfect fit, apart from in the chest area of course, but I knew that once I was wearing my bra with fillers, it would be fine, and you can see I was right.”

Jamie beamed. “I have to say you look nothing like the person I first met at Lewy's. You're almost too glamorous. I bet you created a stir amongst the men you passed on the way here!”

“Well, there were a couple of wolf whistles when I passed the building site on the corner, but I think that was because there was a gust of wind and they might have seen my lacy stocking-tops.”

Jamie could hardly believe just how feminine Michaela had become. “I don't blame them one bit,” she said. “Are you going to show me what they saw?”

Michaela smiled and lifted up her dress. The stocking welts were wonderfully lacy and the suspenders had little bows on them. It had probably been years since the workmen had seen anything so feminine.

“It's a wonder you didn't give them all heart attacks,” laughed Jamie.

They sat down on the couch again and enjoyed their drinks. Michaela suddenly looked serious.

“Jamie, I don't know if I should even mention this, but I heard what happened. Are you alright now?”

Jamie's smile left her face. “I'm not totally there but I'm getting better. It was all my fault. Sam knew I wasn't a born female but he could have coped with that I'm sure. It was just that he saw how I earned my living at the club, and that was too much for him to take. I don't blame him one bit; I deceived him and I paid the price.”

“But you're still wearing the locket he gave you,” blurted out Michaela.

“I returned it to him of course, but he sent it back. That's the sort of person he is. My mistake was I fell in love with him. I'm never going to do that again as long as I live.”

Michaela's face fell.. “No, of course not,” she replied, quietly.

“But that doesn't mean that I can't have friends, even great friends like you,” said Jamie, and she impulsively leaned over and gave Michaela a brief kiss on the lips. When she moved back, she looked at Michaela intently, and then she started to kiss her again, and this time it wasn't a friendly kiss, but far more than that. Their mouths were open and glued together as their arms went around each other.

“Oh Jamie,” moaned Michaela. Without a word being said, they stood up and holding hands, walked into Jamie's bedroom. They helped each other take off their dresses. They were both wearing silk slips over their other lingerie, and when they lay on the bed together, the feeling of their two silken bodies moving against each other was incredibly erotic. Neither was wearing a gaff and it became quickly obvious that they were both incredibly aroused. Soon the tongues which had been curling around each other were otherwise occupied and their moans of pleasure were muffled as they set about driving each other wild with pleasure to the point where they simultaneously orgasmed and swallowed the sweet nectar each one produced.

As they lay together on the bed afterwards, Jamie said quietly. “Thank you, Michaela, I really needed that. You are a wonderful lover.”

“So are you,” whispered Michaela, and she wondered if Jamie's resolve never to fall in love again could possibly be broken because she had absolutely no doubts about her own feelings towards the gorgeous creature she was currently embracing.

Before Michaela left, she invited Jamie to come and see her own apartment soon, and Jamie was only too happy to accept the invitation. In return, Jamie invited Michaela to come to the jazz club to hear her sing.

“I'm nothing like the great women jazz singers, but I do my best,” she said.

“I'm sure your best is very good indeed,” said Michaela, giving Jamie a kiss on the cheek before she left the flat.

A couple of weeks later, Michaela did come to the jazz club. Once more she was dressed to impress and caused quite a stir when she arrived. Jamie had arranged for her to have a seat at a table near the stage. The house band started to play their first tune to warm up the crowd just after she arrived and after the number finished, the trumpet player, who happened to be the club owner Ronnie Irish, approached the microphone and said “Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our star vocalist, the one, the only, Miss Sweet Jamie Brown!”

Jamie walked onto the stage in her glamorous gown and the drummer began the introduction to her signature tune 'Sweet Georgia Brown' in the arrangement as sung by Anita O'Day at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.* At the conclusion, the audience erupted into loud and sustained applause, Michaela amongst them. She had no idea Jamie was such a good jazz singer.

After Jamie finished her bracket of sings, she came down from the stage and sat at the table with Michaela.

“I'm speechless,” began Michaela.” You are totally amazing, I had no idea.”

Jamie smiled. “Thank you, Michaela, but if you put me up against someone like Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan, even Anita, you'd see just how far I am behind them.”

“Well, Ronnie Irish thinks you are good enough to sing with his band, so that's good enough for me,” replied Michaela. Jamie reached across and squeezed her hand. “Thanks, darling,” she said.

To be continued

Next time: Mostly about Eve and Michaela.

* You can hear Anito O'day at Newport on Youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcMmVGrzpy8 and if you want to see the whole film of 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' featuring such jazz giants as Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, etc, etc, you can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUk8kZ2FiU

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Jamie wondered how her friend Eve from the grocery store was going. Her pregnancy had to be well advanced by now, and she also wondered how Eve was finding married life with Tommy. Jamie still remembered with horror how he had propositioned her on his wedding day. Unfortunately, she didn't know where Eva lived now that she was married. After thinking about it she decided to go to the grocery store. Surely one of the other assistants could put her in touch with Eva. There was a chance that she would come face to face with Fred Green the owner. Once upon a time, this would have been really scary, but now she realised that she didn't care, even if he recognised her which was unlikely.

The next time she went to visit her mother, she called in at the grocery store. Fred Green was nowhere to be seen, but there was a young woman assistant that she'd never seen before, so she decided to ask her if she knew how Jamie could contact Eve.

“You can ask her yourself in a minute, she's just having a tea break,” said the young woman.

That surprised Jamie, who assumed that by now Eve would be on maternity leave or had left, but there were more surprises to come. For a second she didn't recognise the young woman who came through the door. Heavily pregnant, she looked dog-tired and her hair of which she had always been proud, now hung listlessly around her face. For a second, she didn't recognise the glamorous young woman standing in front of her and then her face broke into the ghost of a smile.

“Jamie! It's so good to see you, how are you?”

“I'm fine Eve, but how are you? I wanted to contact you but I had no idea you were still working.”

As Eve came closer, Jamie could tell, even through the makeup that Eve had a black eye. Things were worse than she thought. Eve touched her face self-consciously, aware of how she looked. Jamie decided to say nothing as Eve would probably give the old excuse of 'walking into a door' which obviously wasn't the case.

“I have to work as long as I can, we need the money,” said Eve.

“Isn't Tommy working?” asked Jamie.

“Oh yes, he's still driving buses, but....” she left the sentence unfinished but Jamie knew where it was going. No doubt a sizeable proportion of Tommy's income was going on booze, gambling and maybe, who knew, other women?

“I can't talk to you here,” said Jamie. “I'm just going to visit Mum. Can I see you for a cup of tea when you finish work?”

“I'd like that. I finish at five and Tommy will be late home, he always is, so we could meet up for a chat at the café where we met last time.”

As Jamie was leaving the shop, she passed Fred Green coming in. He glanced curiously at her and said to Eve “Who was that?”

“Oh, no-one you know,” said Eve, and in a way she was right.

At her Mum's, Jamie told her about the brief meeting with Eve.

“I'm worried about her Mum. She should have stopped work by now and she's got a black eye. I didn't like her husband from the time he propositioned me at their wedding. I think he's blowing most of the money he earns on betting and booze, so she still has to work. I feel guilty in a way; I know it's not really my fault but if I hadn't left the shop, they never would have employed him and Eve might have met someone really nice.”

“Darling, it's not your fault,” said her Mum. “I really don't know what you can do about it since she's married now.”

“I can give her some money, I bet he doesn't allow her enough to prepare for the baby.”

“You're a good girl, Jamie. Do what you want, but be careful, and tell Eve to be careful too if you give her money. If Tommy gets wind of it, he'll be after it.”

“I'll be careful Mum,” Jamie promised.

She was waiting at the café when Eve arrived and sat down.

“What can I get you?” asked Jamie.

“Just a cup of tea, please. It's just nice to get the weight off my feet.”

“Are you sure? Perhaps you'd like a cake? I'm going to have one,” said Jamie, so Eve agreed.
Jamie wasn't really hungry, but she thought Eve looked like she could do with something to eat.

When Jamie saw how Eve wolfed the cake down, she realised that the poor girl was starving. This was not good, for her nor the baby.

“Excuse me asking, but when will you stop work?” asked Jamie.

“Well, I'm eight months now, so in the next week or two, but I told you, we need the money.”

“I'd like to help out if you'll let me,” said Jamie. She felt awkward, and Eve could see that, so she smiled and said “Jamie, you are so kind. Yes, I'll let you help for the sake of the baby.”

Jamie opened her handbag and took out an envelope. It contained fifty pounds, but she didn't want Eve to know or she might refuse it.

“It's in small notes and I know you will know how to keep it hidden. Women are smarter than men, we have to be.”

There were tears in Eve's eyes. “Oh Jamie, I've been such a fool, but all that matters now is the baby. I'll manage somehow.”

“Eve, it may not come to this and I really hope it doesn't, but if you ever need somewhere to stay, my phone number is on the envelope. Please don't hesitate to give me a call, I really mean it, o.k.?”

By now, Eve was openly weeping, although she did her best to dab the tears away. “Jamie, you are so kind,” she whispered. “But tell me about yourself, are you still at the same club?”

Jamie managed a brief laugh. “No, I left there some months back. I'm the singer with the house band at the 'Blue Note Jazz Club now, and I love it.”

“Good for you,” said Eve. “I don't imagine anyone there knows about your past? You look so amazing. I'm so glad things worked out so well for you.”

Jamie smiled. “Thank you, Eve. We must stay in touch. Please give me a call even if it's just for a chat. I work most evenings, of course, so apart from rehearsals, I have most of the day off. I'm always up by ten, but ring me any time.”

It was about a month later that Jamie received a phone call from her Mum.

“I was going shopping and I saw Eve. She's had a sweet little boy and she asked me to pass on her best wishes to you and thank you for your help. I'm guessing you gave her some money?”

“Yes I did, Mum. I could tell she really needed it. I just hope Tommy didn't get his hands on it.”

“I'm sure she was careful not to let him know she had it. She called the baby James by the way.”

“That's a nice name,” said Jamie

“Yes, I'm wondering where she got it from,” said her Mum in a deadpan manner.

A few weeks later, Jamie took up Michaela's invitation to visit her flat, which was on the ground floor of a block of six units. She wore a pretty flowered dress as it was a warm day, with stockings and heels as she always did. She didn't know if they would be having sex, but she prepared, just in case.

When Michaela opened the door, she looked stunning. She was wearing a beautiful frock with a slightly flared skirt. Those were the days when women still wore very feminine clothes. She wore stockings, and Jamie had no doubt that they were genuine stockings held up by suspenders, also four-inch heel court shoes. To complete the ensemble, she wore a pretty pinafore, and looked the complete 'fifties housewife'.

The moment Jamie was inside the flat and the door closed she took Michaela in her arms and kissed her on the lips. “Darling, you look amazing,” she said as she held Michaela at arm's length.

“Really? I've been slaving over a hot stove all morning making us lunch,” said Michaela with a giggle and blush, “I thought I looked terrible, all hot and bothered.”

“Not at all. You look wonderfully feminine. Did you want to start with lunch?”

Michaela laughed. “I'm starving but I'd rather eat you first.” She couldn't help blushing as she said it.

“In that case, you'd better show me where the bedroom is,” said Jamie with a grin. She was already feeling a stirring in her groin area.

“Well, I've just turned the stove off so lunch won't burn, and the bedroom is through here,” said Michaela, taking Jamie by the hand and leading her there.

They kissed again and both could feel the other getting aroused. Michaela unzipped Jamie's dress and she slid it down and stepped out of it. Then Jamie did the same for Michaela, and as she suspected, Michaela was wearing a stiffened petticoat under her dress to give it a slightly flared shape. She stepped out of her dress and petticoat, laying them over the back of a chair, next to Jamie's dress. Both stood there for a moment in their full slips with lavish French lace trimming on the bust and hem, then they were in each other's arms once more, their lips pressed together and opening as their tongues sought and found the others.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, they ran their hands up and down each other's silk-clad bodies, feeling their mutually growing arousal. When they finally broke apart for some air, Michaela said “Darling, would you like to lie on the bed?”

The room contained a double bed with a pretty floral duvet cover. Standing on either side of the bed, their hearts already pounding, they quickly folded up the cover and duvet and placed them on another chair, leaving just sheets on the bed. Jamie lay on her back on the bed, pulling the hem of her slip up to her waist and exposing her panties, suspender belt, and stockings. Her panties were already tented by her erection which had created a damp spot, and she lifted her thighs off the bed so that Michaela could ease down her panties which she wore over the straps of her suspender belt for easy removal without having to unclip her stockings.

In femme mode, it was common for the girls to refer to their organ as a 'clitty' or clitoris, not that any cis-woman ever has one so large, and so it was that Michaela now said “Darling, your clitty is so ready!. I want to kiss her.” Without further ado, she bent over the bed and began to lick and suck Jamie who was already leaking clear fluid from the tip of her organ. Michaela eagerly licked it up, murmuring “Mmmmm, it's delicious.”

Jamie loved the feel of the warm wet tongue on her and her clitty quivered at every touch of Michaela's tongue. It was positively rigid and a red to purple colour as blood-filled arteries blew it up like a balloon. Michaela continued to lick and suck as she gently massaged Jamie's testicles. When she was finally convinced that the organ couldn't get any stiffer or longer, she quickly pulled up her own slip and slipped off her panties. Then she straddled Jamie's thighs and guiding herself to the right position, she very slowly lowered herself onto the tip of Jamie's clit, letting it stretch her sphincter muscle and penetrate her. Deeper and deeper Jamie sank inside Michaela, as she lowered herself still further until there was nowhere more for Jamie to go.

Now totally impaled on Jamie, Michaela began to slowly move up and down as Jamie grasped her milky-white thighs. They both began to moan as the pleasure of their intercourse began to increase. There was no rush, so they took their time, Jamie enjoying the feeling of her erection inside Michaela's velvety tunnel, and Michaela loving the feel of being filled and the stimulation the tip of Jamie's clit was doing to her prostate. For the first time, she was glad she wasn't a biological woman without a prostate to stimulate, and relying on a man to stimulate her clitoris if he knew how.

As their movements gradually increased in speed, their moans of pleasure became louder. Michaela gripped Jamie tightly inside her and Jamie felt her orgasm starting to build as Michaela's sphincter closed more tightly around her erection. Both had their eyes closed, their minds totally focussed on the sensations which seemed to spread from the source through their entire bodies, making all their nerve-endings tingle like electric shocks. Jamie knew that despite her many experiences of sex, she had never felt anything as intense as this before. Michaela's experience was a lot less but she too knew that the intensity of her feelings was greater than anything she had felt.

Jamie's thrusts were increasing in speed and intensity and Michaela matched her by gripping her tightly Their moans of pleasure were increasing in volume but they no longer cared if those living in the neighbouring flats could hear them, although most were at work. There comes a time in sexual intercourse when the body takes over and the mind is no longer in control. Both Jamie and Michaela had reached this point and there was no turning back. Both lovers cried out in that agony of ecstasy which is beyond description as Michaela ejaculated her semen all over Jamie's bare stomach. At the same moment, Jamie's body began to shudder and shake as, with one final thrust she filled Michaela with jet upon jet of her spend.

“Oh Jamie, I love you, I love you!” cried out Michaela and then instantly she put her hands over her mouth. “Oh no! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it! I toldwe did just now was different. We were making love and what we did was to give pleasure to each other and in doing so we were repaid ten times over. Do you understand the difference?”

Michaela slowly nodded her head. “It was wonderful. I haven't had much experience but it was definitely the best I've ever had.”

Jamie smiled. “I can't pretend I haven't had a lot of experience and for me, that was definitely the best I've ever had.”

By now she had softened and slipped out of Michaela.

“Why don't we have a shower and then eat that delicious meal you've cooked?” said Jamie.

They slipped out of bed, carefully removing their clothes to avoid the semen which Michaela had sprayed all over Jamie's stomach and smeared on her own when they embraced.

“We could save water by sharing the shower,” said Jamie. In fact, there was probably no water saved because as they stood in the shower, soaping every inch of each other's bodies and then kissing deeply again, they took twice as long as if each had taken an individual shower.

As they dressed Michaela said, “I do love your breasts; they look and feel so real.”

Jamie explained that she had bought them second-hand from one of the girls at Lewy's who had decided to have surgical augmentation of her breasts.

“It felt really strange, having the weight on my chest when I first wore them like they were pulling me forward to topple over. Wearing heels made it even harder to stay upright. Now when I take them off, as I must from time to time to let the skin underneath breathe, it feels really strange the other way, like I want to fall backwards.”

Picking up on Michaela's remark, she said: “Have you ever felt a woman's breasts?”

To be continued.

Next time: More about Michaela

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

In answer to Jamies' enquiry as to whether Michaela had ever felt a woman's breasts, she replied as follows:

“Just once. It's a long story. My parents were worried that I wasn't manly enough, especially my father who thought he had somehow failed in siring such a boy. I'm sure my mother arranged it because one day she asked me to take a package over to her friend's house, a woman about her age. When I arrived, there was a group of about four women there, drinking alcohol and chatting. They didn't seem surprised to see me so they must have been in on the ruse too. They persuaded me to have a couple of drinks. They were very strong and soon my head was spinning.

“I suddenly realised that the other women had left and I was alone on the couch with Sibella, mum's friend. She was running her hands over me and then pulled me to her and started to French kiss me, tongues and all, but it didn't stop there, she started to undress me – completely, and somehow I couldn't resist her. Then she slipped off the dress she was wearing and she was naked underneath. She put my hand on her breast and it felt so soft and she reached down with her hand and tried to get me to have an erection, but nothing was happening, so then she put her head down there and tried with her tongue and lips but still no reaction. She moved my hand down to her little bush and told me to explore with my fingers, and when I did she began to moan and wiggle her hips, telling me to put my fingers deep inside her, but still nothing happened to me.

“I think she must have had an orgasm, but finally she gave up on me and said 'Well, that settles it, you just aren't into women are you?' I began to cry and she folded me in her arms and rested my head against her breasts which were big and so soft. She soothed me and told me she would speak to my mum and explain things to her. After that time, my parents seem to accept me for who I am, although my father became very distant, he still is. I still go to see them from time to time, but they never ask me about my friends, especially not if I have a boyfriend, and they would really freak out if they knew about me dressing as a woman. I know they couldn't cope with that so I will never tell them.”

By now they were dressed and walked into the kitchen area where Michaela warmed up the casserole that she had cooked, and they sat down to eat.

“This is delicious,” said Jamie. “You are such a good cook.”

Michaela blushed. “Thank you. It's something I really enjoy doing, but there doesn't seem much point when I'm just preparing food for one person.”

“Would you like to be living with someone?” asked Jamie.

“With the right person, yes; someone like you, but I know that's not possible,” said Michaela, sadly..

“Never say 'never',” said Jamie. “If you really mean that, it might just be possible.”

Michaela's face lit up. She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it.

After their meal which finished with a home-made tiramisu, they sat on the couch together and chatted.

“If I could come and live with you, is there room here or would we need to get another flat?” asked Jamie.

“Well we could try this place and see how it works out. Actually, you haven't seen it properly, we were in too much of a hurry to get to the bedroom,” Michaela said, blushing again.

When they walked back into the bedroom, Jamie helped her to make the bed again. It was a lovely room, decorated in such a feminine manner with the walls painted pink, and floral curtains on the window. Michaela showed her the closet which ran the full length of one wall and had full-length mirrors on the sliding doors, She slid two of them open and Jamie was confronted with a riot of color. Suspended from the hanging rail were dresses, skirts, full slips, half slips and a few petticoats in a wide variety of materials and colours.

“Wow! You have been busy shopping!” Jamie exclaimed.

Michaela looked embarrassed. “I think I went a bit overboard once I had a place of my own to store clothes. My lingerie drawers are rather full too.”

Jamie turned and hugged Michaela. “A girl can never have too many clothes,” she said.

She pulled over the third door and was confronted by some men's clothing in regulation, grey, brown and navy blue. Compared to the women's clothes they looked very drab.

“Those are Michael's clothes. I have to dress as a man for work,” explained Michaela. This was the first time she had given a name to her 'alter-ego'. “I have to do it, they would never understand or accept me as Michaela, and it's a good job with good pay, so that's the price I have to pay. One thing they don't know is that I wear satin panties and a camisole under my guy clothes and if it's cold, I were tights as well. It's amazing how such a thin layer of nylon can keep out the cold.”

“What about those beautifully shaped eyebrows and carefully manicured fingernails?” asked Jamie.

Michaela laughed. “I'm sure they think I'm gay, but that's alright, so long as they don't know the real truth about me. No-one has ever said anything nasty to me. They like me because my work is good.”

They continued the tour of the flat which was small but very neat, with 'a place for everything and everything in its place' as the saying goes. Jamie was sure that Michaela hadn't cleaned up especially for her visit, she hadn't needed to.

Somehow they found themselves back in the bedroom and inevitably back on the bed. This time their lovemaking was slow and sensual, two gorgeous creatures in silk-clad bodies caressing each other as they kissed. This time, Michaela lay on her back, her legs over Jamie's shoulders, who sank deep inside her velvet canal. The air was once more filled with sighs and moans of pleasure which increased in intensity until once more Jamie's body convulsed and she filled her lover with her semen.

“Oh Jamie, that was so beautiful,” sighed Michaela as they lay together in a close embrace afterwards.

“My darling, I love you so much, I can't get enough of you,” murmured Jamie.

They lay there locked together for a long time, neither wanting to break their embrace, but finally, Jamie said that she had to go to work, so she had to go home to change.

“If we live together, I hope you realise that our work patterns will be very different?” she said. “You will be nine to five in the day, and I will be working seven in the evening until about two in the morning. We will only have evenings together on my days off, and daytime at the weekends.”

Michaela smiled. “I'm sure I can cope with that,” she replied.”I'll have time to get ready to seduce you when you come home!”

“Mmmm, I'll enjoy that,” replied Jamie. “It might take a little time before I can leave the flat I share with Frankie. The last time I threatened to do that, she took an overdose, but it was after we had a terrible row.”

“I can't imagine anyone as sweet as you having a terrible row with anyone,” said Michaela.

“Believe me, it was bad, but justified. I'll tell you all about it one day. One thing I will promise you is that Frankie and I will be strictly friends from now on, no 'benefits'.”

After that, the two lovers dressed again and after a lingering kiss, Jamie took her leave. She was thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to leave the flat and Frankie, but she didn't want to raise Michaela's hopes that it would happen soon, only to dash them.

To be continued

Next time: An unwanted complication

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

In recent weeks, Frankie had mentioned in an overly casual fashion, a girl called Cherie who had just joined Lewy's club. It soon became clear to Jamie that Frankie had more than a passing interest in her, so when Frankie, again, very casually brought up Cherie's name, Jamie said, “Why don't you bring her to the flat? I'd like to meet her. She might even like to stay over for the night.”

“Really? You wouldn't mind?” said Frankie. She sounded genuinely astonished.

“Of course not. We always agreed that we are friends but we can see anyone we like and do anything we like.”

Frankie took her at her word. A few nights later, Jamie was arriving back from the club at about 3 am. It was very quiet inside the flat, all except for smothered moans and giggles coming from Frankie's room. Jamie smiled to herself, things were going according to plan.

With both of them working so late, it was the usual practice for Frankie and Jamie to get up around ten o'clock in the morning after their seven hours' sleep, so it was around that time the following morning that Jamie arrived in the kitchen wrapped in her dressing gown, to see Frankie sitting at the table chatting with a pretty blonde as they both had breakfast.

“Jamie! I'd like you to meet Cherie,” said Frankie.

“Pleased to meet you, I'm sure,” said Cherie, holding out her hand.

“Jamie used to work at Lewy's but now she's a jazz singer in another club,” said Frankie.

“Cool!” was the response.

'This one's an airhead,' thought Jamie. 'Still, Lewy's doesn't hire girls for their I.Q., just their looks and particular talents'

“I love your tits. Are they real?” said Cherie.

“Er, no. I bought them from a girl at Lewy's who had had breast enhancement surgery and didn't need them any more.”

“They look so real,” said Cherie.

“They look and feel real,” said Jamie, not offering Cherie the chance to do either.

“Cool,” said Cherie again, obviously a girl with a limited vocabulary.

“I can give you the brand name if you like, said Jamie, thinking that perhaps she was being a bit abrupt and not wanting to put Frankie offside. “Here, have a feel if you want to.”

She slipped the spaghetti straps of her silk nightdress off her shoulders and lowered it so that the breast forms were exposed.

Cherie did have a feel most enthusiastically. “Wow, they really feel like real ones.”

“They take a bit of getting used to, having the weight on your chest, but you soon get used to them. When I take them off from time to time, that feels odd now.”

“Why would you take them off?” asked Cherie.

“You need to let your skin underneath breathe every two weeks or so. I usually take them off at night and sleep without them; that way I don't feel unbalanced like I would standing up.”

Cherie laughed. “These I've got to have. You don't have them Frankie, but I guess your tits are big enough?” It was true that Frankie had small natural breasts, the results of taking hormones she had bought on the black market, something Jamie has considered but decided against.

Frankie laughed. “Nothing like the real things, especially when someone is feeling them. I love having my nipples grow hard.” She changed the subject. “Cherie was talking to me about threesomes and I was telling her that you and I have done that with other girls.”

Jamie didn't like the way the conversation was heading and responded, less than enthusiastically “Yes, we could do that sometime.”

“No time like the present,” responded Frankie. “How about it Cherie, we've got time enough before work.”

Jamie's heart sank. After promising Michaela there would be no more 'benefits', surely she wasn't going to have to break her promise so soon? Sadly, Cherie responded with very definite enthusiasm “That would be so cool!”Jamie realised that if she wanted to move things along, she would have to co-operate.

So it was that Jamie found herself in Frankie's bedroom with the other two girls. The distinctive odour of seminal fluid was still present, showing how the girls had spent most of the night. Cherie slipped off her robe and dressed in a bra, suspender belt, and stockings but no panties turned to Jamie and began to kiss her deeply while her hand drifted down to Jamie's groin and she began to explore through the silk of the nightgown. She was very talented and Jamie soon found herself getting an erection. Frankie had also slipped off her robe and was dressed in the same fashion as Cherie, who was now kneeling down and working on Jamie with her lips and tongue.

Jamie groaned with pleasure. She hadn't intended for this to happen but now there was no stopping it. The three got onto the bed, Cherie on her hands and knees, and sucking Jamie who knelt before her. She was a very talented exponent of the 'deep throat' technique and soon was taking Jamie entirely down her throat. Behind her, Frankie slid in deep and began to thrust with increasing speed. Jamie could feel her orgasm developing as Cherie emitted muffled cries and moans.

Jamie knew Frankie so well that she could tell when her orgasm was approaching, and she held back until she felt Frankie's final thrust transmitted through Cherie's body as she ejaculated deep into Cherie. At that same moment, Jamie let go and jets of her semen entered Cherie's throat where she eagerly swallowed all she was given. Within seconds the room was filled with the odour of semen as Cherie released her spend. For a couple of minutes, the three were locked together until Jamie, followed by Frankie, gradually softened and withdrew.

“Girls, that was amazing!” gasped Cherie. “So cool!”

“Only one thing would make it better,” Frankie grinned. “We needed a fourth person to lie under you and suck your clit and swallow your cum.”

“A foursome!” cried Cherie. “Wow! When can we try that?”

“Well we need someone from the club to come over,” responded Frankie.

'You'll need two,' thought Jamie. She felt ashamed of what she had just done, and even more ashamed that she had enjoyed it. She could never tell Michaela, but it would be on her conscience for a long time. She knew she had to find a way of leaving the flat and moving in with Michaela, but how? She didn't want to risk Frankie taking another overdose.

As it turned out, luck was on her side. Jamie was now spending several nights a week at Michaela's flat, only coming home to change or pick up clothes. She had done her best to make up for being unfaithful. Michaela had noticed a change in her and Jamie had said it was due to being tired.

“You haven't changed your mind about us living together have you?” said Michaela. She sounded worried.

“Of course not,” protested Jamie. She had explained about what happened the last time she was going to part company with Frankie, so Michaela understood that it was a delicate situation.

“I'm not sleeping with her, I promise. No more 'benefits',” said Jamie, feeling guilty as she said it.

Jamie noticed that Cherie didn't seem to be coming to the flat and wondered why. She didn't want to ask, but the next day, Frankie told her.

“Poor Cherie's got the flu. She's off work and might be for a week or so. Actually, there's something I want to discuss with you.”

“There's something I want to discuss with you too,” replied Jamie. Then followed a “You first, no you first,” until Jamie solved the problem by going to her handbag, extracting a coin and slapping it down on the kitchen bench. “Call!” she said. “Tails,” said Frankie, and tails it was so she went first.

“I didn't know how to tell you about this, so I've been putting it off. You know Cherie has a little one-bedroom flat? Well, the renewal of the lease is coming up but the owner wants it for himself so she has to find somewhere else to live. She's tried everywhere but there's nothing decent at a price she can afford. I hope you don't mind but I told her she can stay here until she finds something. She'll sleep in my room and put in for the expenses, so you won't be out of pocket. Are you alright with that?”

Jamie laughed. “Well, it's my turn now and I might just have a solution to Cherie's problem. You know I've been seeing a lot of Michaela recently? That's where I've been staying overnight. The fact is we've fallen in love and we'd like to live together. I didn't want to leave you in the lurch, but now I'm thinking, how would Cherie feel about taking over my room?”

Jamie was watching Frankie's face closely. For a moment nothing changed, and then she broke out into a big smile. “I think that would be perfect. I'll have to run it past her of course, but I don't see why she would refuse. I'll go over to see her before work today and let you know what she says.”

Of course, Cherie was thrilled with the idea. It would actually cost her less than she was paying for her present flat, and she knew what a nice place it was, and so handy to Lewy's Club. Jamie was able to tell Michaela that the problem was solved and she could move in with her as soon as convenient. For Michaela, and Jamie too, that day couldn't come soon enough.

Because Michaela's flat was on the ground floor, she had a small garage as a bonus, and because of that, she had a small car. She never used it to travel around London of course, but it was handy for visiting her parents and for weekends away. She offered Jamie the use of a large suitcase to help with the moving and said that if it happened the following weekend, she could drive over to pick up Jamie and all her belongings.

Jamie was a bit concerned about where to put all her clothes since she now had quite a collection. In Michaela's bedroom, there was a built-in wardrobe that stretched the width of one wall. Michaela's clothes and shoes had been spread out over the full width, but the next time she was there, after telling Michaela she could come to live, she was beckoned to the wardrobe, and to her surprise, both Michaela's and Michaels clothes and shoes had been confined to half the hanging space.

“I'm also giving you the three drawers on one side of the dressing table for your lingerie, stockings, and makeup, and you can use one half of the top for anything you want easy access to,” said Michaela.

Jamie hugged her. “You've thought of everything!” she exclaimed.

The following Saturday, Michaela drove over to the flat Jamie and Frankie had shared and they loaded up all of Jamie's clothes plus all the little knickknacks she had acquired. As they drove to Michaela's flat she told Jamie that she had a surprise for her. Jamie was curious of course, but Michaela wouldn't say what it was. When they arrived at the flat and Michaela opened the garage door, all was revealed. A newly constructed wardrobe lined one side of the garage wall.

“So long as I keep a small car, I'll be able to get into it with no problem at all, and we will have plenty of room for our clothes,” she said.

“I'm guessing a carpenter came and built it to order?” said Jamie, and when Michaela nodded, she added: “You must let me pay half the cost.” Michaela was at first reluctant but she finally agreed. Jamie knew she had found someone and somewhere where she would be very happy. The cost of half a wardrobe was a small price to pay.

To be continued.

Next time: All about Eve.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

44

Now began another very happy time in Jamie's life. She was sleeping with another young woman that she loved dearly. They didn't have sex every night, but it was wonderful just feeling Michaela's warm silk-clad body next to hers that she could snuggle up to. She was happy working at the jazz club too and was earning almost as much money as she had a Lewy's and without having to sell her body to get it.

One day while she was relaxing in the flat before heading off to the jazz club, her mobile phone rang. It was a woman's voice but at first, she was crying so hard Jamie couldn't make out her words or who she was. Finally, she realised that it was Eve.

In between sobs, Eve told her that Tommy had suspected she had money he wasn't told about and searching everywhere he had come across twenty pounds in her lingerie drawer. He accused her of being a whore and after giving her a vicious beating had thrown her and young James out on the street.

“I'm sorry to ring you Jamie but you told me once that I could if there was an emergency and I don't know where else to go. Otherwise, I've got no option but to beg Tommy to take me back because he's taken all the money I had.”

Jamie was shocked. “No, don't do that Eve. Have you got any clothes with you?”

“Yes. I hid around the corner until I saw Tommy go out, probably to the betting shop or pub. Then I went back into the house and filled a suitcase with clothes and other things for me and James. I was so frightened he'd come back that I'm sure I've left things behind. I'm at the underground station now.”

“You can't manage a suitcase and James,” said Jamie. “Take a taxi and I'll pay him when he arrives here.” She gave Eve the address, and after she hung up, she rang Michaela and work and explained the situation.

“I hope you don't mind if she sleeps on the couch for a couple of nights until I can find somewhere for her to go.”

Michaela was very understanding. “Of course not. Make her feel at home and I'll get home as soon as I can before you have to leave for work.”

When the doorbell rang and Jamie answered it she was shocked at Eve's appearance. She had a black eye again and a livid bruise on her cheek. Jamie suspected that there would be other bruises too. She took her purse and went out to the taxi driver. “It may not happen, but if you hear of someone called Tommy trying to find out where his wife is, no-one knows, o.k.?”

“Is he the bastard who gave her those bruises?” asked the cabbie.

“Yes he is and he'll do worse if he finds her.”

“Leave it to me, love; nobody knows anything about her.” Jamie thanked him, paid the fare and added a generous tip. To her surprise, the cabbie handed the tip back. “Give it to your friend, I imagine she'll need it,” he said.

Jamie asked for his card. “Anytime I need a cab, I'll call you first,” she said.

She went back inside and saw Eve standing there in the loungeroom looking lost.

“You're safe now, Eve. He won't find you here.” She hesitated. “Look I'll be straight with you, Michaela and I sleep together so we only have one bed, and the flat only has one bedroom. I'm afraid you'll have to sleep on the couch. Did you have a cot for James?”

“Yes, but it was too big to bring as well as the suitcase,” said Eve, and her eyes filled with tears again.

“No matter, we'll see about getting one tomorrow,” said Jamie. “Michaela will be home before I have to go to work, so you won't be on your own. I should explain that she dresses as Michael for work and then changes when she gets home.”.

If Eve was surprised to hear of Jamie and Michaela's sleeping arrangements, she didn't show it. “Please don't worry about a bed,” she said. “This couch is fine. I'm just so grateful to you and Michaela for taking me in. I'm sorry to put you to all this trouble, but I had no idea where else to go. Tommy knows where my parents and friends live, so I couldn't go there and get them in trouble too.”

“You mustn't keep worrying about it, Eve. This is what friends are for. We'll find you somewhere to live. London's a big place, and if we find somewhere well away from Tommy, he won't find you.”

Before Jamie had to leave for the club, Michaela arrived home in Michael mode as Jamie had explained. She had never met Eve before, although Jamie had already told her about her low opinion of Tommy, and she too welcomed Eve with a hug for her and a kiss on top of his head for her little boy.

“Well now, you must be hungry, I know I am,” she said and set about making a tea of chops and vegetables. When they sat down to the table, Jamie ate sparingly as she always did, determined to keep her slim figure, but Eve wolfed down everything she was served. It was obvious from how thin she was that she hadn't been eating properly for some time, no doubt to make sure that James was properly fed. Both Jamie and Michaela did their best to look like they weren't noticing how hungry Eve was.

When she'd finally had her fill, Eve looked at Jamie and Michaela. “I have to tell you something, you're probably wondering why I didn't ring my parents first and ask them to take me in, well I did.”

“So they weren't home?” said Jamie

“Yes Mum was, and she told me to go back to Tommy and beg him to take me back. Her exact words were “You've made your bed, now you must lie in it.'

She looked at the two shocked faces. “You have to understand something about my parents; they are very strict churchgoers, and Mum, in particular, has not been slow in making her feelings known when someone in the congregation makes a mistake. Now, having a daughter who got pregnant without being married, and somehow the news got around very quickly, the people she had been quick to criticize lost no time in spreading the news to everyone they knew. Mum was furious.

“Jamie, you know my parents didn't come to the marriage ceremony because it wasn't in the right church, although she didn't want it in her church anyway, They felt they were being very generous in even coming to the reception.
So that's why I rang you because I couldn't think of anyone who might help me and I know you are good people.

“I don't know about that, but we are glad to help you. Now I must get ready for work,” said Jamie as she left the room. When she returned in about forty-five minutes, Eve stared in astonishment at the woman in a fabulous gown, perfect makeup and sophisticated hairstyle who had just appeared. Even though she'd seen Jamie in a dress before, it was so hard to compare this glamorous woman to the Jamie she had worked with not so many years ago when he delivered groceries.

“How do I look?” said Jamie, Eve was lost for words but finally came out with “You look amazing!”

Jamie smiled. “Thank you, Eve. It's always good to get a second opinion. Tomorrow we must get you a camp bed and a cot for James. Then we must find you somewhere permanent to live.”

Eve's face crumpled. “But I've got no money, Tommy took every last penny. He even emptied my purse. I can't go back to work at the grocer's, he'd find me”

“Don't worry about that,” said Michaela. “We can help you out for now. Call it a loan if you like.”

“We can go to an Oxfam shop if you like,” said Jamie. “We might find suitable things there and at a fraction of the price of new. Well, I'm off to work now, wish me luck.”

Around two o'clock in the morning, Jamie quietly closed the front door of the flat, slipped off her heels and tiptoed quietly through the flat in her stockinged feet. She looked in on the lounge and saw Eve, fast asleep on the couch. Next to her in a nest of pillows, James was fast asleep too.

She smiled to herself as she walked into the bedroom and undressed, slipping into a silk nightdress. As she got into bed, Michaela stirred. “Everything go alright?” said Jamie.

“Fine,” whispered Michaela. “She's such a sweet girl. Why do so many of them marry total bastards?”

“I'm not sure,” replied Jamie. “Maybe they're afraid of being left on the shelf and end up marrying the men every other woman rejects.”

The following morning, Jamie awoke early for her and by eight o'clock she was in the kitchen where Eve was busy.

“Are you ready for some scrambled eggs?” said Eve. She was already looking better than the previous day even with the black eye and cheek bruise. She had had a shower, brushed her hair and added a little makeup which made a huge difference to her both physically and psychologically.

As they ate their breakfast, Eve looked like she wanted to ask something but didn't know how. When Jamie finally persuaded her to speak up, she said:

“Well, I understood you were living with someone called Michaela who chooses to live as a woman, but the person who came home last night and left this morning was a man called Michael.”

Jamie laughed. “Michaela has a very responsible job in an old-fashioned City firm. There's no way she can go to work as Michaela, so she goes as Michael and usually changes once she gets home. She didn't do that last night out of respect for you.”

“Oh, but she mustn't do that. I'm a guest in your home and she must do whatever she usually does. I'm a big girl, I'm sure I can cope with her changing.”

“Very well, I'll tell her,” said Jamie.

After breakfast, they drove in Michaela's car which she had kindly loaned them, to the nearest Oxfam shop, and spent a couple of happy hours rummaging through the stock. They found a suitable cot for James, complete with a mattress at a bargain price, and also a pushchair. They didn't find a camp bed, but Eve said she was perfectly comfortable on the couch. They also found a few more useful items like blankets and clothes for James. Eve had left in such a hurry that she only had a chance to grab s]as many items as would fit into a suitcase. Then they went to a local cafe for lunch.

It was while they were eating that Eve's mobile phone rang. It was her mother. Jamie watched Eve's face as the call progressed and was saddened to see that Eve was looking more and more worried. She had phoned her mother the previous evening but didn't tell her where she was so that if Tommy asked, she couldn't tell him how to find her. Now it seemed that Tommy had been around to her mother's house making threats.

“He's told Mum that if I'm not back home in forty-eight hours, there'll be a brick through her window and it will get worse the longer I take to come back.”

'That would serve her right,; thought Jamie, but aloud she said: “But I thought he threw you out.”

“Yes he did, but now he wants the money I bring in so that he can gamble it away. Oh, Jamie, I've got no choice but to go back or he won't leave Mum alone! I know she treated me badly, but she is my Mum. It's no good ringing the police; they'll just treat it as a 'domestic'” With that Eve burst into tears.

Jamie was furious. Just when things were starting to look up for Eve, this had to happen. Then she had an idea.

“Eve, if you don't want to go back, there is another way. Tommy is a bully and bullies are usually cowards. I can arrange to frighten him so badly he won't bother you or your Mum again. Just tell me the address where you lived.”

Eve complied with Jamie's request, but she stared at her with an expression of wonder mixed with a little fear: “You, you're not going to get him hurt are you?”

Jamie smiled, but it was a smile without humour. “Not unless he tries to be violent first. Will you excuse me while I make a phone call?”

When Jamie had returned to the table, she told Eve that she had phoned a friend. “I don't think you'll have any more trouble from Tommy,” she said. Eve stared at her in awe. This was Jamie as she had never seen her before.

That evening there was a knock on Tommy's door. When he opened it swaying slightly and carrying a half-empty bottle of cheap scotch, there was a man-mountain standing outside. “Tommy Harris?” he growled

“Who wants to know?” said Tommy with an unnecessarily aggressive tone.

“ I want to know,” said Mike, the bouncer from Lewy's nightclub. He was actually quite a gentle giant, but something of an actor and Tommy was already starting to think that he should have been more polite.

“I've heard that you kicked your wife out and now you're giving her mother a hard time.”

“She's my wife and she belongs here,” said Tommy truculently.

Mike stepped forward and grabbed Tommy by his shirt collar. His face was inches from Tommy's as he growled. “If so much as a pebble hits her mother's window, or anything bad happens to Eve or her family, you'll be eating through a straw for a few weeks. Do we understand each other?”

Tommy was starting to shake, and he dropped the bottle which smashed on the floor. He wanted to say that he'd call the police but he didn't dare. This stranger was seriously scary. Where on earth had Eve found him? She didn't have any money because he'd taken it all, although most of it had already disappeared at the betting shop and the pub.

“Understood,” he mumbled.

“Good,” said Mike, releasing Tommy and shoving him back into the hallway. “And one more thing, don't try to find her or the same thing applies, o.k.?”

When Tommy had shut the door on his visitor, he walked down to the kitchen and with a shaking hand, poured himself a generous tumbler from another bottle of scotch and took a deep swig. He had no wife, almost no money and he didn't doubt that the stranger meant every word he said.

A week later, Jamie called in at Lewy's club on her way to work. She wanted to thank Donny for lining up her audition at the Blue Note club, and tell him she had a job there. Donny was pleased to see her, and when she produced a gift-wrapped bottle of single malt scotch from a carry bag, he was even more pleased.

“I really didn't do anything Jamie; it was your talent that saw you through. I'm so pleased for you,” he said. Jamie wasn't finished. She produced a second bottle and asked Donny to pass it on to Mike.

“What's Mike been up to?” asked Donny.

“Nothing much. He just put the frighteners on the shitty husband of a friend of mine. Mike didn't have to do anything but talk to him and that was enough. She won't be having any more trouble from that quarter.”

Donny smiled. “I can imagine. I don't think I'd like to get on the wrong side of Mike myself.”

To be continued

Next time: Miss Wilshire

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

Two evenings later when Michaela, in Michael mode came home from work, he was looking very cheerful and whistling as he came through the front door.

“Eve, I've got some good news for you, well I hope it's good news.”

Eve was busy cooking tea, having told both her hostesses that the least she could do was help out while she was there.

“That's lovely, Michaela, “ she said, “But why don't you get changed first and then you can tell me over a pre-dinner drink?”

“Bless you, Eve,” said Michaela, “I won't be long.” True to her word she was back in full Michaela mode in twenty minutes. The three of them sat on the big couch.

“To start with Eve, I work for a company that helps very rich people handle their money. They're not all greedy and some of them are very good at giving to charitable causes and do it anonymously. That's the case with an elderly lady called Miss Agnes Wilshire. She was the lady I saw this afternoon.

One thing we give our customers is time. If they want to talk then we let them talk, we don't push them out of the door. I knew already that she lives in a very large house in Wimbledon, on her own, apart from a live-in lady companion and a part-time cook and cleaner. It was where she was born and she's lived there all her life. Each Christmas she invites people to a cocktail party, and as her regular advisor, I've been there several times. What she had to tell me made me prick up my ears.

It seems that her live-in companion, Mrs Westmore has an elderly brother living in Scotland and his wife died recently. He needs someone to look after him and she feels obliged to go but she doesn't want to leave Miss Wilshire in the lurch. Miss Wilshire said to me “I don't suppose you know anyone who might like to take the position?” I don't think she expected me to reply that I possibly did. It's not terribly well paid, only thirty thousand pounds a year, but it comes with accommodation in a self-contained unit in one wing of the house with two bedrooms, a lounge/dining room, a small kitchen, laundry, bathroom, and toilet. There is a grocery allowance too.”

Eve's eyebrows had shot up at the mention of thirty thousand a year. Her opinion was that that was a generous amount indeed and added to free accommodation it was something she was very interested in and she immediately made her feelings known to Michaela and Jamie. Then her face fell.

“But what about James? How would an old lady feel about hearing a baby crying, perhaps in the middle of the night?”

“I mentioned James and her response was very positive. She remarked that when she was a girl, the house resounded to the noise and cries of young children playing, and she would be very happy to hear the sounds of a child once again. “Besides, I am a very sound sleeper,” she added.

“I promised to phone with your reaction this evening and set up an appointment to meet her if you are interested.”

“Oh yes! I am very interested,” said Eve, so Michaela phoned the house, spoke to Miss Wilshire and confirmed that eleven o'clock in the morning would be a convenient time.

“You must borrow my car again to get there,” said Michaela.

The following morning Eve and Jamie dressed for the interview. They both went for the 'smart businesswoman' look, silk blouses, grey knee-length pencil skirts, taupe stockings, and three-inch heels. They both wore their hair up and looked almost like twins. James was going too and wore his best outfit.

Jamie stopped the car outside the impressive mansion at ten minutes to the hour, enough time for Eve to touch up her makeup.

“Will you come in with me, Jamie?” she asked.

“I think it might be better if you go in by yourself, it shows confidence,” Jamie replied. “If Miss Wilshire asks to see me and James, then, of course, I'll come in.”

“Wish me luck,” said Eve as she stepped out of the car, opened the iron gate and walked up the long gravel path to the front door. Jamie had her fingers crossed for Eve as the door opened and she stepped inside. Half an hour passed, and Jamie took that as a good sign. If Miss Wilshire hadn't liked the look of her, surely she would have returned in the first five minutes.

The time stretched to forty minutes, during which time Jamie put James into his pushchair and walked him up and down in front of the house, as well as changing his nappy. Then the front door opened and Eve walked down the path wearing a broad smile.

“I think I've got the job, Jamie.” Mis Wilshire wants to meet James, and you of course. She said she was sorry to keep you so long, she didn't realise you were waiting out here.”

When Jamie walked through the front door of the house and saw the central passage which seemed to stretch for ever into the distance, she was very impressed. Some older houses look very run down, but this house had been kept in great condition. Mrs Westmore, who had opened the door, led them all to a pleasant sunny room towards the back of the house where Niss Wilshire was sitting in an armchair before a roaring fire, even though it was quite a warm day.

“Miss Brown, I'm pleased to meet you and please accept my apologies for keeping you waiting so long, It was only when I asked Eve how she travelled her that I realised you were outside. Please excuse me getting up, my rheumatism is playing up again; I'm not normally chairbound. So this is James, what a pleasant little chap he is, and I can see he has your eyes, Eve.”

Eve beamed. Miss Wilshire picked up a small bell and rang it, and Mrs Westmore appeared carrying a tray of tea things which she placed on a round table. She served everyone tea according to their preferences and offered some small teacakes. Jamie took one to be polite, and so did Eve.

“Mrs Westmore has already shown Eve around the house including the unit in which she will live with James,” sais Miss Wilshire. “It only remains for me to ask when she can start.”

Eve flushed. It seemed that up until that moment she was not totally sure that she had the job; now there was no doubt about it.”

“I can start as soon as you wish, Miss Wilshire,” she said. “Jamie and her friend Michaela have kindly accommodated James and me in their unit, but I'm sure they would like their own space again.”

Miss Wilshire smiled. “Mrs Westmore has indicated that she would like to leave at the weekend if that was convenient, but she would be happy to spend a couple of days showing you how everything works here, Eve.”

Eve looked at Jamie. “I hate to put you on the spot Jamie but would it be possible for you to look after James for a couple of days?”

“It would be my pleasure,” replied Jamie.

“Eve has told me all about you Jamie; I understand that you sing in a jazz club?” said Miss Wilshire.

“Yes, Miss Wilshire, it's the 'Blue Note' club in Soho,” said Jamie, wondering what Miss Wilshire's reaction would be.

“Really? I love jazz. When I was younger, my friends and I used to go to a number of jazz clubs in London. There was one, I can't quite remember the name, something like a tent?”

“That might be the 'Marquee Club'?” Jamie suggested.

“Yes, that's right. We had some wonderful times there, and at Ronnie Scott's too,” said Miss Wilshire.

“Well please accept an invitation to be my guest at the 'Blue Note Club' any time you'd like to attend,” said Jamie. “I sing with the house band, but we sometimes have very famous artists from Britain and overseas.”

“Thank you, my dear. I might just take you up on that,” said Miss Wilshire.

After conferring with Mrs Westmore, it was agreed that Eve would present herself for orientation on Thursday and Friday, and then move in on Saturday and take over the position. It was just as well that she was a quick learner.

As they drove back to Jamie and Michaela's flat, Eve began to cry. When Jamie looked at her with a worried expression she said “I'm sorry Jamie, but I'm so happy. You and Michaela are my guardian angels. A week ago I was so miserable that if it hadn't been for James, I might have stuck my head in the gas oven. Now I'm free of Tommy, I've got a new job earning more money than I could imagine, and somewhere to live as well! I can hardly believe it.”

“Well Eve, sometimes good things happen to good people,” said Jamie.

To be continued

Nrxt time: The best of times

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

The next five years were very happy ones for Jamie and Michaela. For Jamie, it was the second time she had been in love, and this time there was no need for deception. Even though their working hours were so different, they loved their time together, and never more so than when they went away for holidays together for a fortnight twice a year. For Michaela, it was a very special time since she didn't have to 'crossdress as Michael, five days a week' as she put it, laughing.

At each hotel or bed and breakfast where they stayed while touring the countryside, they had a room with two single beds, and while they only slept in one, they took care to make the other bed look like it had been slept in. For Jamie, it was a chance to get out into the pure country air for a while. She loved her job singing at the Blue Note Club; besides singing with the house band, jazz royalty often visited, and sometimes she was invited to sing a bracket of songs with them, and that was very special. There was only one downside to the job, and that was working in a smoky atmosphere for eight hours a night.

Eve had settled in very well as Miss Wilshire's companion and couldn't be happier. From time to time Jamie and Michaela visited her there and they were always made very welcome. If Miss Wilshire noticed that Michaela bore a resemblance to the Michael who managed her financial affairs, she never said anything. Eve wanted to get divorced from Tommy but was afraid that this would mean revealing where she now lived. In the end, Tommy solved the problem for her, or perhaps it was solved for him. His gambling had driven him deeper and deeper into debt and he owed money to some very frightening people. One day his body was found floating in the Thames. A lot of alcohol was found in his bloodstream at the post mortem, and his liver wasn't in great shape.

The official finding was 'death by misadventure', meaning he had probably got drunk and fallen in the water, but Jamie couldn't help wondering if he had been pushed rather than fallen. Whatever the reason, Eve was now a widow and very happy to be so. She had little contact with her parents and none with Tommy's and that was the way she liked it, although as the years passed her relationship with her parents gradually improved.

Miss Wilshire did take up Jamie's invitation to visit the Blue Note Club on several occasions and sat there tapping her foot in time to the music while sipping a gin and tonic. When Jamie came to sit with her after performing a bracket of songs, she was complimented on her singing.

“You're our own Ella Fitzgerald, my dear,” said Miss Wilshire. “I had the pleasure of hearing her perform live once, and was even introduced to her. Believe me, you are a worthy successor.”

Jamie blushed at such extravagant praise, but secretly she was very pleased.

She still saw Frankie from time to time. Frankie was still working at Lewy's Club and Jamie couldn't help noticing that she seemed to be aging rather quickly. Frankie had confided in her that she was still very busy in the upstairs bedrooms, and Jamie wondered if it was starting to catch up with her. Jamie certainly didn't miss all that sex with countless men. She had a wonderful lover now and while they were still very active in bed together, it was 'making love', rather than having sex, and that was the way Jamie liked it.

Jamie and Michaela had a wonderful relationship. That's not to say that they didn't have occasional disagreements, they wouldn't have been human if they hadn't. Jamie felt that Michaela lacked ambition.

“You should be a senior manager by now,” she said to Michaela one day, and Michaela just smiled and said she was sure it would happen one day.

“Just before you retire?” asked Jamie.

There was another minor bone of contention. Jamie still wore the gold locket and chain that Sam had given her, almost every day. She saw Michaela looking at it one day and asked if she minded. Michaela, ever the diplomat said 'Of course she didn't' but this wasn't strictly true. She knew that Jamie genuinely loved her, and wondered why she insisted on wearing something that constantly reminded her of a failed and impossible relationship from years before. For one birthday, Michaela bought Jamie a wonderful gold bracelet. Jamie was overwhelmed by the gift and often wore it, but she still wore the locket too.

Eve's little boy James was growing up and spent a lot of time playing in the garden of the mansion. When his fifth birthday came around, Miss Wilshire suggested he invite his school friends to the house for a birthday party. It was a wonderfully warm summer's day and Miss Wilshire sat on the verandah, enjoying the noise of twenty excited children racing around the lawns. When Eve came out to see all was well, Miss Wilshire took her hand.

“Thank you, my dear. The sound of those children in the garden takes me back so many years. You've given me a gift that money couldn't buy. I'll remember this until the day I die.”

When Eve looked at her, Miss Wilshire laughed. “Don't worry my dear, I've still got a lot of living to do.”

There is a saying “Man proposes but God disposes”, and six months later, Eve went to Miss Wilshire's bedroom to give her her morning cup of tea, only to find that she had passed away during the night. It must have been peaceful as she still had a slight smile on her lips. Perhaps she was remembering the sound of the children in the garden.

When she had recovered sufficiently to talk coherently, Eve phoned Michael at work and he came around to the house immediately. Eve was still shaking and tears were running down her cheeks. She was genuinely fond of the old lady and it had been such a shock to find her dead when she had apparently been in good health. Michael took charge, phoning the doctor who said there had to be an inquest in the case of sudden unexpected death. A funeral director was contacted who took charge of all the necessary things that needed to be done.

Miss Wilshire's will was already with Michael's company and one of the partners was her executor. A couple of days later, Eve had another shock. Miss Wilshire had no living relatives and after some bequests to favourite charities, and a beautiful diamond ring each to Jamie and Michaela, the residue of the estate was divided in two with half each to Eve and Mrs Westmore. Eve was suddenly a very wealthy woman.

“There! You see? Good things do happen to good people sometimes,” said Jamie to Michaela.

Jamie attended the funeral with Michaela who was necessarily in Michael mode since that was how he had been dealing with everyone since Miss Wilshire's death. There were some people from Michael's firm and some from various charities that she had supported, but the number present barely added up to twenty.

The funeral was held in a Church of England, and there were an organist and a boy's choir from a local school. It seemed that Miss Wilshire was so impressed with Jamie's voice that she had requested her to sing “The Lord is my Shepherd” at the service. It was very different from the songs Jamie normally sang but she had persuaded a pianist at the club to rehearse it with her before the club opened on the day before the funeral.

“You sang that so well, darling,” whispered Michaela when she returned to her seat next to him in the pew.

“It seems a waste to have such a lovely service heard by so few people,” whispered Jamie back.

Miss Wilshire had attended the church, but very infrequently and the vicar had never met her, so he gleaned what he could of her life from Eve and more from Mrs Westmore who was as shocked as Eve when she learned of Miss Willshire's death. She managed to get someone to look after her brother for a couple of days and came to the funeral. The angelic voices of the young boys rose to the church rafters with one final hymn and it was all over.

There was a morning tea with plenty of sandwiches and cake in the parish hall after the service and the choir boys were invited to attend to their great delight. There was very little left after they had finished!

Another five years passed. After Miss Wilshire's mansion was sold, it was, alas, demolished to make way for a small estate of townhouses. In memory of the family, the road that circled the estate was called 'Wilshire Boulevard', and off it ran three small courts name 'Agnes', 'Eve' and 'Edna'.

“I never thought I'd get a road named after me,” said Eve during one of her visits to Jamie and Michaela. She now lived in a house near to her parents which she had bought outright with still plenty of money left in the bank and managed by Michael.

Jamie still enjoyed singing at the club but was finding that she was getting slightly short of breath towards the end of a bracket of songs. 'I must be getting old,' she said to herself. Then one day partway through a song she had a tremendous coughing fit and had to abandon the song and leave the stage. The band, being professionals, completed the song without her.

Ronnie came around to see her in her dressing room and ask if she was alright.

“Yes thank you, Ronnie, I think I might be coming down with flu,” Jamie replied. Ronnie suggested she see a doctor and take a few days off.

It was the following evening when Michaela came home from work and she was very excited.

“Jamie, I've had the most tremendous offer, but it comes with a problem. I was called into a meeting of the Board today. After years of discussion, they have decided to open a branch in Edinburgh, and they've asked me to manage it. This would be a big step up for me but I asked them for a day to consider it because I wanted to know how you would feel about it?”

Jamie smiled. “But of course you must take it, darling. This is the big promotion you've been waiting years for.”

“But what about you, about us?” said Michaela.

“Well I'm sure there are jazz clubs in Edinburgh, it's not all bagpipes there. I'll get a reference from Ronnie, check out what's up there and see if there's an opening for an experienced woman singer who knows all the standards,” said Jamie.

“I'm sorry,” said Michaela. “In the excitement of my offer, I forgot to ask you, what did the doctor say about your coughing fit and shortness of breath?”

“It's nothing serious, just a slight infection. I'll be fine in a few days. Now promise you'll accept that job tomorrow. When will you have to go up there?”

“In a week, they said. I know it's a bit of a rush, but now they've finally made the decision, they want to get things up and running as soon as possible and there's a lot to do starting up a branch from scratch.”

“I know you'll be a great success,” said Jamie. The truth was, she hadn't been to the doctor yet. She was feeling a bit better, and she didn't want anything to stop Michaela from accepting the position she so richly deserved.

The following day, Jamie did go to her doctor, who knew all about her background. Before going, she removed her attached breast forms and instead put some forms into her bra to give it shape. The doctor gave her a thorough examination and after listening to her lungs, said that she would send Jamie for a chest x-ray and a CT scan.

“Is it a chest infection, doctor?” said Jamie.

“Perhaps, but I'd like to be certain before putting you on antibiotics. After you've had the tests done, come back and see me.”

Jamie should have had the tests done the following day, but she had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps it was more than a chest infection. Besides, she was feeling better, so she waited until Michaela had left for Edinburgh before attending the Radiology Clinic. The first night after Michaela left, she had another coughing fit and this time she brought up blood. At the clinic, she did her best to get information from the technicians but was unsuccessful. All they would say is that she should go back to see her doctor for the results as soon as possible.

To be continued: The worst of times.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

“Lung cancer? Are you sure? But I've never smoked.” Jamie was in denial, a not uncommon reaction to bad news.

“Ninety-nine percent sure. I suspected it, but I didn't want to say anything until you'd had the tests. You said you've been working in clubs for years; do the patrons smoke?” When Jamie said they did, she continued. “There is such a thing as 'passive smoking', where people who are non-smokers inhale smoke from other people, and this can lead to cancer.”

“How long have I got, doctor?” said Jamie. Now that the initial shock was over, she wanted to put things in order rather than leave a mess for Michaela to clean up. Michaela! How was she going to break the news to her? She'd be devastated. This couldn't have come at a worse time.

“I honestly don't know how long you've got, it could be a few months or a year. What I want to do is have you admitted to a hospital with a specialist respiratory unit who can decide on what is the best treatment for you. They will probably want to do something called a lung biopsy, where they insert a needle into your lung and remove some of the cells to be examined under the microscope.”

“So it can be treated?” asked Jamie with a sudden flash of hope.

“I'm a G.P. You need to see a specialist who can answer that question.”

Two days later, after contacting the club to say that she had to go to hospital and wouldn't be back for a while, Jamie found herself in a hospital bed in a single room, waiting for the specialist whom she was assured would be coming to see her soon. She felt uncomfortable with the fact that she couldn't wear her normal breast forms and had to fill her bra with some 'chicken fillet' forms to give the shape to the cups instead. The nursing staff had been very understanding about her presenting as a female, but what would the specialist think?

She was dozing when she heard a familiar voice say “Of all the hospitals, in all the towns, in all the world ...”

“And she walks into mine,” Jamie opened her eyes and finished the quote. “Hello, Sam.”

He looked older of course and his once black hair was speckled with grey, but his piercing blue eyes and his smile and voice were the same.

“Hello Jamie, what brings you here?”

Jamie managed a smile. “Sometimes a girl has to go to great lengths to catch up with old friends.” She noticed that he was wearing a wedding ring; he noticed the gold locket on a chain around her neck. Aware of his glance, without thinking she reached up to gently touch it.

“I don't even know if I should be examining you,” he said softly.

“Of course you can, but call in a nurse as a chaperone if you like.”

“Perhaps I should for proprieties sake,” Sam said and disappeared for a few moments, returning with a junior nurse.

“Miss Brown and I are old friends,” he said to the nurse. “She thought I might feel more comfortable with another female in the room.” He drew the curtains around the bed and Jamie slipped her nightdress down to her waist and removed her bra. The nurse's eyes widened at her lack of breasts. She sat forward on the bed and took the required 'big breaths' as Sam moved the stethoscope around her body. When he had finished, Jamie pulled up her nightdress again and Sam opened the curtains, he told the nurse she was no longer required but to please leave the door open.

“Well?” said Jamie. “What's the verdict?”

“I'm afraid there's little doubt about it, but I'd like to do a biopsy to complete the diagnosis. It will be done under a local anaesthetic, so you can go home tomorrow. Are you alright for us to do it this afternoon?”

“Of course,” replied Jamie. That afternoon she was wheeled into the operating theatre for the procedure as it was a more aseptic place than the ward. She had had a sedative which made her feel a bit sleepy. After an injection in her chest which stung a little, the actual procedure was only slightly uncomfortable.”

“We're sending the sample off to the pathology lab now for examination. They can do a quick test on it and I should have the result in an hour or so,” said Sam.

After the puncture site had a dressing applied, Jamie was wheeled back to her room to recover from the sedative and wait for Sam's return.

“I'm sorry to say it's not good,” said Sam. “The biopsy confirms it's something called an adenocarcinoma. I've looked at your X-rays and CT scan. The tumours are large and it appears that the cancer has spread to other parts of your body.” His face contorted into a scowl. “Damn smoking,” he growled. “Why does the government allow a poisonous product to be freely available, all because they get tax money from it? I know it's not your fault, but passive or active smoking, the result is the same.”

“So there's nothing you can do for me?” said Jamie, quietly.

“We can give you palliative care, make sure you're not in pain. I'm afraid the cancer is too far advanced for chemotherapy and anyway the treatments have severe side effects. We can try if you like, but if you were my wife I'd advise against it.”

“Speaking of which, I see you're wearing a wedding ring,” said Jamie.

“Yes, Clara and I have been married twelve years now. We have three children, two boys, Aaron and Thomas, and a girl Susan. I have a picture of them if you'd like to see it?”

“Yes please,” said Jamie, and reaching into his wallet, Sam produced a small colour photo of a pretty woman and three handsome children.”

“I'm so glad for you, they're lovely,” said Jamie in almost a whisper.

“Thank you,” said Sam. He felt so sorry for Jamie. The sight of the locket he had given her, still worn around her neck had shocked him and brought back old memories.

“I have a partner, Michaela; well at least that's when she's with me, when she's at work, she has to be Michael. We joke that she crossdresses to go to work. I guess you could say that things worked out well for both of us,” said Jamie, and then she paused and caught her breath. “Oh Michaela, how am I going to break the news to her?”

Sam sat on the chair beside the bed. Jamie reached out to him and he took her hand. “In my experience, it's best to come straight out with it, don't try and sugar-coat it.”

“How long do I have Sam?”

“It's an educated guess but I'm thinking about three months, maybe a little more.”

“It couldn't have happened at a worse time. As Michael, she has just been promoted to head a new branch of the company in Edinburgh. She's up there now but comes back at the weekend. I haven't told her I'm in hospital. Can I be discharged now?”

“Of course,” said Sam. If he was surprised at Jamie's domestic arrangements, his expression didn't show it. “I'll give you a script for painkillers. You don't need them now, but the time will come when you will. Please don't be a Stoic and put up with pain. Take them when you need them, it will improve your quality of life. I'll let the charge nurse know that you are alright to go home, and I'll write to your G.P..”

“Thanks, Sam. I'm so glad you will be looking after me.”

“You can count on it,” said Sam.

Jamie returned home and prepared for Michaela's return. On Friday evening, she cooked dinner and took great care with her makeup and hair and to wear a pretty dress. She didn't want to look sick when Michaela arrived. Instead, she wanted to choose the moment when she broke the news to her.

When Michaela arrived, she put her suitcase down and swept Jamie into her arms.

“It's so good to be home,” she exclaimed.

“Tea's nearly ready. Why don't you change and then you can tell me all about Edinburgh over tea,” said Jamie.

“When Michaela reappeared, now with her hair styled, makeup applied and in a dress and heels, Jamie served the meal and they chatted as they ate it. Michaela reported that she was making good progress in setting up the new branch. She had already interviewed a number of potential staff members and found some good people.

“I can hardly believe I've finally got the promotion I've wanted for so long,” she said.

After dinner, Janie made coffee and they sat on the couch together.

“What's your news for me?” asked Michaela. “I knew you had something to tell me as soon as I arrived, but I went along with your suggestions of changing and tea first. Now it is your turn.”

“Was I so obvious?” said Jamie. “Yes, I do have something to tell you, but if I had spoken as soon as you arrived, we would never have had tea. I went to the doctor about my shortness of breath and cough and after examining me he sent me for a chest X-ray and CT scan. I'm afraid it's bad news; I have cancer. It's in both lungs but it's also spread.”

The shock silenced Michaela for a moment. “You've never been a smoker, how did it happen?”

“I've worked in clubs for years. Some people are more sensitive to the smoky atmosphere than others,” replied Jamie.

“Oh Jamie!” said Michaela. Her face was white with shock. Jamie reached for her and they hugged. She could feel Michaela's body shaking.

“It's alright Michaela. It was a shock for me too but I've accepted it now. There's nothing can be done but take pain killers later.

“Well, there's only one thing to do; on Monday I'll contact our CEO, and tell him to find someone else to set up the Edinburgh branch.”

“Please don't do that Michaela. You've wanted this for so long and you deserve it so much. If you do, then sometime in the future there will be a little voice in your ear that says 'If only I hadn't got mixed up with Jamie, I'd be in Edinburgh now, not stuck here in London'. I'd never forgive myself if that happened.

“I have another suggestion; I have to resign from the jazz club straight away and after that, there will be nothing to stop me coming to Edinburgh. I don't suppose you've had a chance to find a flat yet, so I could do that while you are setting up the office. How does that sound?”

Michaela stared at Jamie. “Would you do that for me?”

“Of course, it will give me something positive to do, and then we can live together and see much more of each other for a while. Sam says I've got at least three months.” His name had slipped out before she realised

“Sam?” said Michaela, and Jamie wondered if she'd said the right thing but there could be no secrets from each other now.

“Yes. I was in hospital for a couple of days to see a respiratory specialist and have a biopsy to check on the type of cancer I have. Well, that specialist turned out to be Sam Johnson, whom I met when he was a medical student.”

“The Sam who gave you the locket,” said Michaela. It wasn't really a question.

“Yes, that Sam. When the time comes and I have to go into hospital again, I'd like to come back to London again. Sam said he'd look after me. You wouldn't mind that would you?”

“Of course not,” said Michaela.

Jamie hugged her. “Thank you, darling. What would I do without you?”

“I feel the same way,” whispered Michaela. What she was thinking was 'What will I do without you?'

That night they hugged as they laid in bed, and at some point, they both cried and perhaps that was for the best because it's always better to release emotion rather than hold it in.

They enjoyed the weekend together and discussed what sort of flat Jamie should look for in Edinburgh. Michaela was currently staying in a hotel room which happened to have a double bed, so there would be no problem in Jamie staying with her for a few days. On Sunday evening Michaela took the train back to Edinburgh and on Monday morning, Jamie rang the Blue Note club and asked when Ronnie would have time to see her.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, she was sitting in Ronnie's office and telling him about her cancer, the probable cause, and the prognosis. Ronnie's face was white.

“I can hardly believe it,” he said. “We have quite a good airconditioning unit which turns over the air in the club. It's much better than it used to be.”

“I know that, Ronnie. I'm not blaming you, but some people are more sensitive to cigarette smoke than others.”

Ronnie was deep in thought for a minute. “I hate to think of you just disappearing from the club; you have a lot of fans here. Can I run an idea past you? How would it be if we held a farewell night for you in a couple of weeks? You wouldn't have to sing if you didn't wish to. Another thing, we would make it a smoke-free night. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great, Ronnie. I'd really like that. I'm going up to Edinburgh for a while. My partner is setting up a new branch of his company there, but we'd certainly come down for a night like that. Thank you for thinking of it.”

“No, thank you Jamie. It's been wonderful having you sing at the club.” Ronnie stood up and kissed Jamie on the cheek. “Let's make it Friday week, alright?”

“I'll look forward to it,” said Jamie. When she left Ronnie's office, he sat there for a while, just staring at the wall. “Bugger,” he muttered to himself. “Bugger, bugger, bugger.”

Leaving the club, Jamie went on another errand. Despite telling Michaela that there would be no secrets between them, this was something she wanted to deal with on her own. When the time came, she would tell her.

Her final destination was a shop where she could buy a relatively large suitcase, one of the modern ones with four wheels on the bottom which are so much easier to move. At home, she sorted out some clothes for herself and Michaela, who at present was forced to wear men's clothes all the time. She couldn't even wear a nightdress in case the hotel staff saw it and wondered what was going on. Fortunately, Jamie and Michaela could wear the same size clothes, so the staff would have no idea that they belonged to two different people. As she packed the suitcase she thought how fortunate it was that women's clothes are so much lighter than men's and properly packed, took up less room.

Jamie went to bed early and was up at six o'clock the next morning to have a light breakfast and take the train to Edinburgh. Arriving there she took a taxi to the hotel where Michaela had informed the hotel staff that her partner was coming to stay for a few days, so she was shown up to their room where she could unpack the suitcase. She had already phoned Michaela to tell her that she had arrived, and then she went out again to start flat hunting.

She entered the first estate agent's office she found, and quickly realised that the flats in the inner city area were almost without exception not only expensive but lacking a garage, and they would need that to park Michaela's little car. The only alternative was to look for somewhere in the outer suburbs of Edinburgh where newer flats were available. One of the staff members was having a quiet day and was only too happy to devote the afternoon to showing this glamorous woman around Edinburgh. He even offered to buy her a coffee. Jamie took pains to point out that she would be living there with her partner but was careful to only give vague answers to the agent's probing questions.

They visited two flats which were totally unsuitable, but then John the agent suggested visiting Leith, the port of Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth. The small block of flats was near the Water of Leith, the main river of Edinburgh which flows into the Firth. The moment she saw it, Jamie felt sure this would be the one, but she suppressed her excitement. The building was not new but the interior had been totally renovated, and what's more, it came with a single garage.

Unlike their flat in London, this one was unfurnished and Jamie wondered what Michaela would think of her choosing the furnishings. She told John that she was definitely interested and would like her partner to view it before a decision was made. John gave her the usual agent talk about 'other people being interested', and that 'it wouldn't last long', in the hope of getting her to sign up right away, but she insisted that Michael, as she had to call him, should see it first. She rang him in his new office in Princes Street and asked if he could get away for an hour to view the flat.

When Michaela saw the flat she was as enthusiastic as Jamie, and as a result, they were driven back to the agents' office and signed up on the spot. Since the flat was unoccupied, this meant they could move in as soon as they had some furnishings. Michaela suggested that Jamie come back to see the new office and meet the staff who had been appointed. This included a charming young woman, most appropriately named Heather who was the typist/receptionist and happened to be wearing a tartan skirt. There's something about the Scottish accent which is most beguiling, whether it comes from the mouth of a man or woman. Michael's assistant was called Ian and was a tall handsome redheaded man with a fine beard. Jamie resisted the temptation to say that the office was starting to look like 'Brigadoon'. Thank goodness Ian wasn't wearing a kilt, although Jamie wondered if Michaela would be tempted to wear one when she settled in. After all, Scotland must be one of the few places in the world where a man can wear something resembling a skirt without anyone giving him a second glance.

Jamie was shown around the office which was bright and airy and situated on the third floor of the building with a wonderful view of the castle.

“Did you have to pay extra for the view?” asked Jamie, and Michaela laughed.

“No, but it is rather splendid isn't it?”

“Well, I should leave you to it I've taken up enough of your time today. Perhaps I should go and look at some furniture?”

“Please do,” said Michaela. “The sooner we have furniture the sooner we can move in.”

That evening, Jamie and Michaela discussed how they would furnish the flat, and made some lists. The priorities were a bed, dressing table, kitchen table and chairs, a refrigerator, washing machine, and dryer. They already had their own cutlery, crockery and kitchen utensils in London, but would buy enough to see them through until they could pick up the rest. Everything else could be bought later. One thing Michaela had already realised was that it rains a lot in Scotland and although the small backyard contained a clothesline, the days of the year it could be used were limited, so a clothes dryer was almost essential. Fortunately, a dishwasher and stove were already installed.

Michaela gave Jamie 'carte blanche' to purchase the furniture and she really enjoyed herself except when the thought came into her head that she only had a limited time to enjoy the items. Nevertheless, she did purchase all that they initially needed in a couple of days, and now that she had the key to the flat, she arranged for all the items to be delivered before the end of the week. They could spend the weekend setting up everything and moved out of the hotel and into the flat on Sunday.

As they settled in, Michaela said “Darling, this would have taken me months to do on my own. Thank you so much for coming up here to help me.”

“There's nowhere else I would rather be,” replied Jamie.

They didn't talk much about Jamie's future; they didn't avoid it but it seemed that all that needed to be said had already been said.

“I can't get over how calm you are about the future,” said Michaela one day.

“I'm not afraid,” said Jamie. “If all the churches are right, there's a wonderful new existence on the other side, something we can't possibly imagine. If they are wrong and there's nothing, well I won't know about it, will I? Another thing, I think most people are afraid of being in pain as they die and Sam has assured me that won't happen to me.”

Michaela said nothing, she just hugged Jamie, so that Jamie couldn't see the tears in her eyes..

Once they had moved into the flat it became obvious that more things were needed. Jamie was buying things with a view to the fact that Michaela would eventually be in the flat on her own. She didn't mind if Michaela found someone to replace her eventually, but she knew it wouldn't be for a while at least.

To be concluded.

Next time: The final wish.

The Final Wish
by Theresa Black

After a week enjoying seeing Michaela more than she had for some time due to their differing working hours, Jamie returned to London to pack up the rest of their belongings and arrange a carrier to take them to Scotland. Her mother was in aged care accommodation. Sadly she had developed Alzheimer's Disease at a relatively early age. Sometimes when Jamie visited her Mum knew her, but other times she stared vacantly at her. It was heartbreaking.

Now Jamie visited her for what might be the last time. She spoke quietly to her mother and held her hand but her mother seemed asleep. Finally, as it was time to go, Jamie whispered; “I'm going now Mum and I might not see you again here. I'll make a deal with you, whoever arrives first at the Pearly Gates waits there for the other one, agreed?” To her surprise, it felt like her Mum gave her hand a faint squeeze.

In addition, Jamie visited her sister Edna who was married with four children, three of whom had now left home. Edna was shocked to hear about her younger sister's cancer and asked if there was anything she could do.

“Perhaps visit me in hospital?” said Jamie. “I've been told that I will have to be admitted eventually and I'll make sure you know when and where I am.”

She also visited Eve, who thanks to her inheritance was now living in a very nice house, not far from where she grew up. James, her son was now quite grown up. Eve had chosen not to marry again after her first experience.

“The only person I would marry is a millionaire, or I'd be afraid he was only after my money,” she told Jamie. She too was shocked to learn that Jamie had a terminal illness and said that if there was anything she could do, Jamie must let her know.

Jamie enjoyed being a housewife in Edinburgh. She was determined to leave Michaela in as comfortable a home as possible when she was finally on her own.

The day arrived when Ronnie was hosting her farewell at the Blue Note Jazz Club. Michael took a day off from work. The office was coming together nicely and he felt that it was safe to leave the staff on their own. After discussion with Jamie, they decided that it would be best for him to attend the jazz club as Michael.

When they entered the building, Michael in a dinner suit and Jamie in a beautiful blue floor-length gown, they were surprised to see a big sign above the stage saying “Thank You Jamie and Good Luck” Jamie had discussed it with Ronnie and said she didn't want to announce about her cancer. The club patrons would just think that she was moving to Edinburgh. As promised, there was no smoking that night.

During the evening, Jamie took the opportunity to see Ronnie in his office and make certain arrangements

The house band was in attendance and there was a constant stream of patrons coming to Jamie's table to thank her and wish her luck. She did feel well enough to get up and sing two of her favourite songs, 'April in Paris' and her signature tune 'Sweet Georgia Brown', and she received a standing ovation. She was feeling better than she had for a while when she and Michael left to go to the hotel where they were staying for the night since they had now given up the London flat.

They returned to Edinburgh and it was in the middle of the following night that Jamie woke up with a stabbing pain in her chest. Her gasps of pain awoke Michaela. Fortunately, she had followed Sam's advice and collected the pain killers from the pharmacy. She took two tablets as directed and the pain soon started to diminish to a dull ache.

“I think you should go back to the hospital in London,” said Michaela.

“Oh, not yet,” said Jamie, knowing that when she went into hospital, that would be the beginning of the end. She also knew that the new branch was due to open soon and the Board would be making the trip from London for the official opening. She had several more episodes of pain but none as bad as the first time, and the tablets kept it to a manageable level. She was getting more and more short of breath but pacing herself each day, she was managing.

It was the day before the official opening that Jamie finally realised she couldn't possibly attend it. The pain was constant now and she was too reliant on the pain killers trying to keep it under control. Even they seemed to be losing their potency. It was time for her to return to London. Michaela wanted to go to London with her, but Jamie insisted that she stay and host the opening.

“This is your big day and you need to be here. I'll be alright. Come down after they've left, or even the following day.”.

Jamie rang Sam on his private number and he said he would reserve a bed for her the following day. When she arrived, he had been as good as his word. She was settled into a bed in a private room, and one of the nurses inserted a drip into her arm. Sam explained that this was the easiest way to administer morphine as needed. She soon felt much more comfortable.

Jamie rang her sister, Edna, to tell her she was in hospital, but Edna and her family were in Spain on holiday. “I'll visit you when I get back,” she said. Jamie didn't like to say that it might be too late. Anyway, she had said her goodbyes to Edna already.

She lay in bed reading some stories on her tablet and occasionally dozing. She wasn't really hungry but ate a sandwich and had a cup of tea. She slept well that night, undisturbed by any pain, thanks to the morphine infused in the drip.

It was the day of the official opening of the office in Edinburgh and she hoped everything went alright. She would like to have been there but it had been impossible. To her surprise, at about six o'clock Michael walked into the room and bent over to kiss her.

“Hello, darling. I didn't expect you until much later, maybe even tomorrow morning,” she said. “I've been imagining how the grand opening went; Mr Bristow officially opening the office and complimenting you and the staff on how well it is already going. Then you replied, thanking Mr Bristow for the opportunity to head the branch, and praising your staff before you all had tea and sandwiches. Was it like that?”

Michael smiled. “You missed out one thing, the part where I thanked you for your support without which it would have been very hard to get everything set up so quickly. Then Mr Bristow said you should have been present and I explained that you were not well and in a London hospital. I think that he realised that your illness was serious because he asked me to go into an office away from the others and asked me exactly what was happening with you.

“I was close to tears when I told him and he did an unexpected thing; he put his arm around my shoulder and said 'Son, when I was your age, work took priority over everything else. I missed the births of both my children because of it. Now I realise that family is the most important thing and I wish I could go back and rewrite history but I can't. Go home, pack a suitcase and head straight to London. Take as long as you like, your job will still be waiting when you come back'.”

As he spoke, tears formed in Michael's eyes. Jamie reached out her hand and Michael grasped it. “Did you book into a hotel?” asked Jamie. “I can do that later,” said Michael. The truth was he had bumped into Sam in the corridor and had been told that for Jamie it was a matter of days, possibly hours, so it was best that he stayed at the hospital.

“I'm so glad you are here,” said Jamie. “I have something to tell you. Could you give me my handbag please?” Michael did as he was asked and Jamie extracted an envelope which she gave to him. “Don't open it now, wait until … later,” she said. “When I was last down here, I arranged and paid for everything when I'm gone because I didn't want you to be bothered with all the stress when you are grieving. There's a number to ring and a list of everything, where the memorial service will be held, where I will be buried, and the wake which will be at the Blue Note Club. I would like to be wearing the beautiful bracelet that you bought me, I hope you don't mind?”

“Of course not,” said Michael, frankly stunned by the matter-of-fact way in which Jamie was describing her funeral, and doing his best to hold back tears.

“I've booked a celebrant,” continued Jamie. “I never was a churchgoer and it seems a bit cynical to ask a minister to officiate at the end, even though I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I've even written out a brief CV which you can imagine is heavily censored, so that the celebrant will know what to say.”

Michael managed a ghost of s smile at that and Jamie smiled in return.

“That's better, I haven't seen you smile properly in days and there's nothing to be sad about. I've lived a full life and I was lucky enough to meet you so the last part has been wonderful. Sam is looking after me so well, and I'm in no pain.”

The mention of Sam made Michael realise that Jamie was not wearing the gold locket around her neck. She saw the direction of his eyes and said “The locket is in its box in my handbag. Would you take it with you now, please? I didn't want to embarrass Sam by wearing it. Perhaps you'd like to sell it and give the money to the Lost Dogs' Home? I always fancied having a dog but my lifestyle and yours didn't really make it practical. You can't have everything you want in life, but I've done better than most.” She gave Michaela's hand a squeeze and then she yawned and smiled. “I'm just tired now and I want to go to sleep for a while. Will you stay with me? Please?.”

Michael gulped. It was hard to control his emotions in the face of Jamie's bravery. “Of course I will darling, I'll be here when you wake up,” he said.

He sat by her bed, holding her hand, as the light outside the building gradually faded away and the lights of the city buildings started to glow. Jamie slept. Sam came in to check her from time to time. At one point she stirred and murmured quietly “I love you”. Her eyes were shut and it could have been said to Michael or Sam, or maybe to both of them.

The hours slipped slowly by and Jamie's breathing became more and more shallow, and eventually, it stopped altogether. Michael gazed at her face, pale in the lamplight. He hadn't realised that Sam was in the room until he stepped forward and checked Jamie's other wrist for a pulse. “She's gone,” he said quietly. “I'll leave you for a while. Come out and see me when you are ready.”

Michael nodded, grateful for Sam's sensitivity. He looked at Jamie's face and she looked so peaceful. “Jamie my darling, you can't hear me now but I love you with all my heart. Thank you for the years we spent together; what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality. Goodbye, my love. I hope it's just 'au revoir'.”

He stood up, and leaning over, kissed her gently on the lips. They were still warm and for a moment he could almost imagine that she was only asleep. Then he walked out into the corridor and up to the nurses' station where Sam was sitting together with the night nurse. He glanced at the clock. It was three o'clock in the morning.

“Thank you so much for all you've done for her, Sam; you and all your staff. I'm so grateful that she wasn't in pain at the end,” he said, and offering his hand, shook Sam's.

“We'll take great care of her,” said Sam. That reminded Michael and he reached into his pocket and pulling out the envelope, opened it. It contained a business card for an undertaker, and a folded piece of paper with a list of all that Jamie had organised.

Michael managed a smile. “She's thought of everything,” he said, showing the paper to Sam. “We just have to follow her instructions.”

A day later, Michael visited a jeweller and showed him the gold locket.

“I think it's probably gold plated as the person who bought it for her was a student at the time,” he said.

The jeweller examined it. “No, it's genuine solid gold,” he replied. “It's worth quite a bit.” He gave Michael an estimate of its value.

“Thank you,” said Michael. He had already decided that he couldn't bear to think of it around another woman's neck, but he would give a donation of the value to the Lost Dogs' Home as Jamie had requested.

Four days later, on the morning of the funeral, Michael visited the funeral parlour to see Jamie for the last time. She was lying in a white satin-lined casket, wearing a beautiful white silk nightgown. At her request, her face had been made up to appear as if she was only asleep. The bracelet Michael had given her was on her wrist. There was only one thing missing.

Michael reached into his pocket and brought out a small box. Opening it, he showed the staff member the gold locket and chain.

“Would you please make sure that this is placed around her neck?” he said. “It was her final wish.”

The End

Author's note: So ends the story. Achieving approximately 500 readers per chapter I count as a success, also the number of 'kudos' garnered. I wish there had been more comments, but I must thank those who took the trouble, especially Dorothy Colleen, who never missed a chapter, The Copredy Kid, and others. Your comments were greatly appreciated. If anyone else wants to message me directly, rather than make their views publically visible, please feel free to do so. Your remarks will be held in confidence.

I did wonder if the sex episodes were too much although I hope they were not gratuitous. This is a story of redemption as I'm sure you understand, so it wouldn't have meant so much if Jamie hadn't fallen so low at one point in her life. There's hope for us all.

Theresa