Sitting Pretty

Sitting Pretty by Paul1954

London : Tuesday June 16th 1998

Colin Peterson sat in his office with his feet resting on his mahogany desk. It was 7:30pm and it had been another hectic and stress packed day that had started, for him, at 8:00am. His sales team had just clinched another deal for Birchington Enterprises, one of the fastest rising new breed of advertising agencies, in a company that now boasted seventy five employees - this time last year they had only had twenty - and Colin was relaxing for five minutes and reflecting on his life so far .

He thought back to his childhood and upbringing.

He had always been a smallish child with a slim build and was the youngest child of four having three older sisters. His family had doted on him, his father and mother had always wanted a son and his sisters played with, and pampered him, almost like he was a doll ! He grew up a spoilt child never really wanting for anything. As he grew older his build remained slight and he always seemed to be that little bit smaller than the other boys at his school.

With all the pampering and cosseting he received from his family, along with the bullying he experienced in his early school days, he could easily have turned out to become the atypical mummy's boy and a wimp. Instead he had turned his diminutive physical appearance to his advantage by using it to push him into developing his drive and determination as compensation. He always stood up to threatening behaviour by refusing to back down and had frequently suffered a pasting as a result of this but this merely served to toughen him up and strengthen his resolve. In time he found that his aggressors did not bother him anymore - there was no fun in bullying and tormenting people who never gave in - he had earned their grudging respect - he was known as one tough cookie!

He was now twenty five years old and still possessed the same physical characteristics of his youth. His body had never really caught up with his peers and he had remained small and still had a very slight build for a man. He was now 5'7" and weighed in at 130lbs and his features could almost be described as androgynous. He sported a light beard to disguise this aspect and it successfully hid a weak jaw line.

All through his education, and the early days of his career, he had adopted a pushy and driven attitude and had confidence in spades. He gave the impression of being able to achieve anything and projected a very powerful and intimidating self image - this had taken him a long way very quickly.

He had joined Birchington's as an Account Executive in Sales eighteen months ago. A number of major deals swiftly came his way and he was soon on a fast track career progression which had resulted in him sitting very pretty right now. He hoped that this time next year he would be sitting even prettier!

It was one of Colin's favourite phrases and annoyed the hell out of his co-workers. It was a phrase that he would one day regret.

He had high hopes of getting a seat on the board of directors in the near future. One of the company founders was due to retire in the next month and his only real competition for this vacancy was Susan Davies the Head of Resource Management and Finance.

He figured that he was favourite for getting the seat as he had far greater potential for pulling off another big deal and of keeping himself in the limelight - he was also aware that there was another deal coming, hopefully, next week. Human Resource and Finance was far less glamorous than Sales and this was borne out by the fact that Susan had been here since the company had started five years ago and he was already viewed as her equal.

He was not aware that Sue Davies, 42 , had made the same assessment of the situation and she was looking for something to give her an edge. She didn't like Colin - he was far too flash and cocky in her opinion. She especially did not like the demeaning way that he treated his secretary Karen - someone who had joined Birchington at the same time as herself - and she thought he could really do with taking down a peg or two. If she didn't get the seat on the board this time around it was unlikely she ever would - people like Colin Peterson would see to that!

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Colin pressed the autodial on his telephone to call up John Freeman who, despite being five years his senior, was his assistant. He was sure that John resented his high flying boss and he knew that John considered himself

chiefly responsible for the deals they had pulled off but what the hell - John was a good solid and reliable second in command - he would never make the top echelon's at this company and Colin thought that he would have to do something to motivate him further. This was the secret to being a good leader in his opinion.

He waited until he heard five rings and when he had no answer he cursed "shit, has he gone home already ?". He tried his secretary Karen Shipley's number but she had also gone. He tended to forget that other people do have a life. He had wanted to go through the preparation for next weeks visit by that Japanese Motor Company, Shikano's. Their order could well put the seal on his promotion and he was annoyed that, in his opinion, not all of his workers shared the same drive and commitment as himself and he determined to have words with John about bucking his ideas up a little.

"What the hell" he thought. "If everyone else has gone home I might as well do the same - there's not much more I can achieve tonight" as he packed up his papers and put them in his attache case. He took the lift down to the underground car park and pressed the remote key to unlock the door on his BMW. "Next year" he thought grinning " it'll be a Porsche". He gunned the engine and set off into the last remnants of the rush hour traffic and back to his flat in Battersea.

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Susan had left her office early for her at 5:00pm, and went to the local wine bar for a meeting with some old school friends. There were only four of them that now kept in touch and it was no co-incidence that all of these had been successful in their careers. Apart from Susan they consisted of Dr. Anne Lawrence - one of the few top grade female surgeons, Dr. Hilary Clark - psychiatrist, and Maureen O'Donnell - lawyer. The other thing they all had in common was the fact that they were all single, none of them had managed to establish a stable relationship with a man and Dr's Lawrence and Clark actually held a profound distaste for the male of the species, both of them having suffered career setbacks as a result of discrimination.

It was a measure of their strength and determination that they had risen to the top of their profession despite these setbacks! They had all made a pledge to each other that no man would spoil their lives, or cause their careers to suffer, ever again - they would all be there for each other.

It was within this context that Susan was relaying her hopes that she could clinch a seat on the board but was concerned that her main rival - a man none the less - would beat her to it. She had to admit that his drive was impressive and he had achieved fantastic results since he joined the company. The trouble was, she had seen his like before - trample over everyone to get to the top and then disappear to a more exciting job after trading on the sweat of those that had performed and helped put him there. She had worked hard and remained loyal - she was DUE a reward!

"Wow honey" said Hilary, "he has really got under your skin hasn't he !" as they all loosened up over the second bottle of Pinot Blanc. "You know, I reckon your assessment of this jerk sounds just about right to me, he's going to get this job and that's your career stalled. I may be sounding a little indelicate here but, at your age, you are unlikely to get a second bite at this - what are you going to do about it?".

"That's the trouble, I just don't know what to do. I have been given the task of organising the Shikano visit which increases my profile but Colin gets to give the keynote speech and presentation. One good performance from him and that'll clinch it" Susan said as she fumbled inside her leather suitcase. She found a copy of Birchington's message to shareholders which carried a picture of the top team on the front cover and placed it on the table.

"That's him" she said pointing to the picture of Colin at the end, "that's the little weasel".

"What ....!" they all exclaimed laughing together. "You mean to say that this is the little creep who's causing you all this grief" Anne Lawrence continued. "For goodness sake, he looks no taller than you and his physique looks no different than most young girls. Look, you can't let him get away with this - remember our pledge - she said as she turned to Hilary and Maureen!".

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It had taken Colin 40 minutes to cover the four mile drive - the traffic was murder tonight - and Colin finally entered his apartment to take a refreshing shower. As he got out of the shower he looked at himself in the mirror and considered his reflection favourably - despite his lack of physical stature it had never impacted on his ability to woo the ladies - his presence and sense of power could be a powerful attraction to women.

He had a TV dinner and opened a bottle of Chardonay to help wash it down. He still couldn't wind down properly and went over to his PC and logged into his company network remotely. He would use this time to catch up on the email that he hadn't had time to address today. He was grateful for the fact that Karen had sorted his email into priority order so that he wouldn't have to waste any time ploughing through the ever increasing amount of dross he seemed to get.

"Shit" he said out aloud when he opened up an email from the MD. It had only been posted 30 minutes ago, "he must have been working late" he thought to himself. It was a reminder about the company's "Rewards and Recognition" event to be held on the Friday of this week. Today was Tuesday. One of the things that had made Birchington's so successful during the last year had been the exceptional feeling of team spirit and camaraderie that the board of directors had fostered. They ensured that each employee shared in the success of the company by having a direct stake in the profits. They also held an annual event where everyone who had made a telling contribution would receive some public recognition and the chance of winning a substantial prize that could be shared with their partners or family.

Each year the event would have a particular style to it, last years event was held at a theme park. The previous years event, although Colin wasn't with the firm at the time, had seen the management team waiting and serving on their staff at a restaurant that had been hired for the evening. Colin thought that this years event seemed a little strange but didn't really question it - the company's year-on-year results bore testimony to the success of the company's attitude in motivating it's employees. Last year had seen a 60% increase in profits.

According to the email this years theme was going to be that of role reversal with the management team donning fancy dress. The MD's message continued on, reminding the management team that these events were good for morale and ALL the management team would be expected to participate. It also stated that the chosen costumes were to be kept a close secret, even from management colleagues, to enhance the spontaneity and fun of the event.

Team spirit aligned with the work ethic were extremely important at Birchington's.

"Shit" repeated Colin. "I've got no idea where to start on this but I've got to make an effort - it could ruin my chances of promotion if I don't!" and then dismissed it from his mind while he went through the rest of his emails.

London : Wednesday June 17th 1998

The next day Colin became subsumed in his work and all thoughts of the R & R event left his mind. Susan Davies had been left with organising the visit from Shikano's and was arranging both the running order of the presentations and also the hospitality and Colin wanted to make sure that he made a big impact on both his clients and the board members.

It was now 5:00pm and he was well ahead of the game now and would have his presentation completed by mid-afternoon tomorrow and all ready for a dry run. Susan Davies was walking past his office and decided to pop in for a moment to see how he was doing.

"Hello Colin, still working hard I see. How's your preparation going for the visit?" she asked in a friendly, but transparently false, manner.

"Fine Sue fine - I should have this all finished by mid-afternoon tomorrow and I think it's all looking good" Colin said smugly.

"God how he annoys me with his superior attitude and supercilious manner - and I hate being called SUE !" she thought to herself while she waited to drop the first bombshell on him. She was really looking forward to this.

"That's good Colin, and - oh by the way - I was just wondering how your preparations for tomorrow night are coming along. I can't wait to see your outfit" she grinned through gritted teeth.

Colin looked puzzled. "Tomorrow night ! What on earth's happening tomorrow night" he said as he continued to focus on his presentation.

"Well I am surprised at you Colin, you mean to say that you've forgotten Birchington's key social event of the year - I am talking about the R & R event you know - very career limiting if you don't join in the fun!" she said calmly as Colin spun round to face her.

"But that's not tomorrow night, I saw the message yesterday that said it was on Friday" Colin said with just a hint of panic creeping into his voice as he switched back to his mailbox searching for the message.

"No no Colin - it's always been this Thursday. I don't know why you thought it was Friday" she smiled graciously.

"Oh shit" he thought to himself as he failed to find the message. He must have deleted it straight after reading it. "Why hasn't Karen been keeping me informed" he wailed. "That stupid bimbo will have to go".

"Well never mind Colin, I'm sure that you will still be a star performer whether it's a Thursday or a Friday night! I'll bet you're glad you got your costume sorted out well in advance aren't you!" she said maintaining an evil looking smile.

"Costume! COSTUME ! What bloody costume" he said with his panic mounting. "Oh shit - I haven't sorted out a costume - what am I going to do ?" he wailed.

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Susan took a seat on the other side of Colin's desk and bathed in the sweet triumph of Colin's discomfort. She was having such fun !

She had deliberately mislead Colin into thinking the R & R event was on Thursday just to see his reaction and to see if Mr. Cool's feathers could be ruffled for short while. She had been sure that he would have re-read his email and seen that it was still on Friday and she was really pleased that she had anticipated this and arranged for Karen to delete it this morning.

"Stage 1 complete!" she thought.

The reaction she had elicited was everything that she had anticipated and she started to move into stage 2 of her plan to get Colin out of the running once and for all - with every utterance he made he increased her determination to see this through to it's ultimate conclusion - he was such a rude man!

"Well if you haven't got a costume now then I am sure that you can arrange to get one tomorrow" she said knowing full well that he wouldn't have the time. "I wouldn't leave it too late though - you know the MD takes these things really seriously and will be expecting us all to put on a good show".

Colin's voice got higher as he started to lose control of the situation - this was completely unfamiliar territory for him!

"But I can't - I'll have no time tomorrow - I've still got a morning's work to do on the presentation - Christ!, I don't believe this - what am I going to do ? " he wailed.

Oh this was glorious - he was losing it, she just couldn't believe it, he was actually losing it!

"Well Colin, I really think you should learn the art of delegation. John Freeman's a good man and has largely contributed to your material anyway. Let him finish it off and give yourself a break" she said.

There was no way that Colin was going to let John loose on finishing this work. He just couldn't let go of it. "No, I'll just have to get a costume at the last minute. What's the theme for this bash again - some sort of reversal or something wasn't it? What are you going as Sue ?".

"Now, now Colin, we are supposed to be keeping this a secret from each other - MD's wishes remember ! And anyway, as you've forgotten, the theme is Role reversal".

"What's that supposed to mean anyway - that doesn't give us much of a clue" Colin said angrily. He really didn't need all of this team building shit with so much at stake right now.

"Oh well that's easy. The board members decided that our hard working team could really do with some fun and thought that poking a little fun at ourselves that's the senior management team, you and me Colin as well as the board members, would help keep morale high and also stop ourselves from feeling too important" Susan said continuing to smile. "You really haven't been keeping up with the news have you!".

"Oh give me a break please - I really don't need this crap right now - anyway - how far are we supposed to take this reversal rubbish and what does it mean, you still haven't told me ?" he said banging his hand on the desk in increasing frustration.

"Well I've got to say Colin that I'm surprised at you - senior management should really know how to control themselves better - I'm only trying to help you" she said sweetly knowing full well that she was really starting to burrow deep under his skin. "The reversal should be job related as much as possible and has to be entirely convincing else it will be frowned upon from on high. Oh, the type of thing being suggested is MD to tea lady, Director to typist, Delivery Manager to Post Boy, Boss to Secretary - you know, that type of thing - all complete, of course, with the appropriate garb. It's all going to be a lot of fun".

The appropriate garb - Oh brother, Colin was fearing the worst.

"Oh Christ, this sounds awful" knowing only too well that he would have to make an effort to be convincing if he was to maintain his position let alone manoeuvre for promotion. He had to come up with something and do it fast. He would be expected to be all ready for the evening and that meant getting prepared in the afternoon. All this on top of the presentation!

"Look Colin, I know we are supposed to be keeping our form of dress secret from each other but I really can't see how you are going to get through tomorrow without a little help - I am more than happy to help if that's what you want ?" she said baiting the hook.

Would he bite ?

Colin thought for a moment. There was no way that he wanted to take help from this woman but he couldn't see that he had much choice.

"All right then Sue - I'll go for it, what do you suggest".

"Well I think the simplest thing would be to go as your own secretary. That

would show a great sense of fun and would impress everyone I'm sure" she said and waited for his response.

Colin greeted this idea with a snort of derision "Ha! You have got to be joking - go as that bimbo ! - if you think you're getting me all dolled up like some secretary you've got another think coming - I've got an image here to consider".

Susan stood up ready to leave the room "Well you've also got a job here to consider. If you're not interested in my ideas then I'll be going" she said making to the door.

This was awful. Colin couldn't prepare the presentation AND find a convincing costume without Sue's help! He decided to swallow his pride and said "WAIT, Susan, come back. Look I'm really sorry about that little outburst". He looked up to heaven, "after all I know you're only trying to help!".

Susan paused and turned back "well OK then. Look, it doesn't have to be too bad - after all, girls wear trousers too you know. If you're going to wimp out I'm sure we can find some slacks or something. I'll have a rummage round when I get home tonight - I've got a twenty year old daughter, Carol,

who moved out into her own flat last year, she left plenty of her old clothes and I'm sure that there'll be something to fit you".

"Thanks Sue, I owe you one. I'm just going to tidy this stuff away from here" he said as he cleared his desk. "Where am I going to get changed - I'm going to have to get ready straight after the presentation run-through ?".

"Well you can use the Ladie's Executive washroom - I'm the only female senior manager amongst this group of misogynist's and nobody else uses it. You can change there completely undisturbed".

"That's great - thanks Sue - see you tomorrow then". he said as he searched for his car keys.

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Sue left and returned to her office. She gave a little chuckle as she put his car keys in her handbag and sat down to wait. This was almost too easy!

It had been her that sent the email using the MD's terminal following her re-union drink. She had sent out a special version of the message to Colin knowing that he would never query a message from the MD. There was no fancy dress or Role Reversal theme. She had only sent this message to Colin to set the springs for her trap.

She knew Colin was an arch professional and would not let anything get in the way of the presentation - this had to, quite rightly, come first, for him. This would leave him vulnerable and allow her to take control of the situation.

All she had to do was wait until he came calling on her for help.

Sure enough, he came almost running into the office "Sue, Sue - you haven't seen my car keys anywhere have you ?".

"Why no Colin. Isn't that the second set of keys you've lost this week" she said knowing full well that Karen had mentioned he had lost a set on Monday. "Still, I am sure that you must have had a duplicate set made up by now. If you want to I can give you a lift home to get them. You're sure to need them to get in here early tomorrow".

Colin sunk into a chair and put his head in his hands. "Oh bloody hell, I just can't believe this - what is happening to me - everything's fallen apart". Susan sat there not saying a word.

"I haven't had time yet to get copies and haven't got any car keys at all now. It will take day's to get another set from the manufacturer. What on earth am I going to do now" he moaned.

"You could just get a taxi you know. The only thing is that you'll also have to get a taxi back home tomorrow evening and, by then, you'll be in drag" said Susan enjoying his discomfort.

"No, no - I can't do that. If I go by taxi then I'll have to go back to my flat through the front entrance - the porter will be bound to see me" he said as his panic rose.

"Look calm down a little Colin - maybe I can help - I've got a suggestion to make" she said reeling him in bit by bit.

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It was 6:00pm by the time they had set off to Susan's home. It only took an hour to get there and Susan was the genial host as she entered the house and, pointing to a door in the far corner of her living room, said "put your things in there, Colin, and make yourself comfortable - I'll put on something to eat while you freshen yourself up".

She had suggested to Colin that he spend the night at her house and she could drive him in first thing tomorrow taking some of the pressure off of himself. It would also allow Colin to try on some of the clothes she was going to bring in for him for the R & R event and see what he felt most comfortable in saving him a lot of time tomorrow. At first Colin appeared hesitant but he had to admit that it would get him out of the hole he seemed to have dug for himself.

She took a pre-cooked pack of chilli out of the freezer and put on the hot plate to boil some rice. "Chilli Con Carne OK for you ?" she called out. "It's some I froze last week and it's very good!".

"Yeah, OK , that'll do fine. I think I'd like to take a shower first though" Colin replied.

"Oh, don't bother with that now - I'll help you get prepared later, you'll most probably need a shower then anyway" she replied.

"Prepared, prepared for what ?" he called out.

"Oh Colin, you HAVE got such a short memory - no wonder you get yourself in these scrapes! I meant getting prepared for getting dressed up - remember, you were going to find and try out a costume for tomorrow".

"Oh yeah - right" Colin said a little awkwardly - he really wasn't looking forward to this at all.

Susan defrosted the chilli and they enjoyed a reasonable meal together along with a bottle of red wine. By the time they had finished the bottle Colin had started to relax a little.

"You know Sue, I'm really very grateful for this - I wouldn't have expected you to put yourself out for me like this. I would have been in trouble if it wasn't for you".

"Not at all Colin, not at all. I know that we are rivals for the board vacancy but I will feel much happier if I succeed on my own merits, I wouldn't want to take that position due to you making an unplanned mistake" she said a little ambiguously.

"Anyway, we've spent long enough over this, time is getting on now and we've got to get you sorted out for tomorrow. I'll go and get a selection of my daughter's clothes while you get yourself prepared. Go and take a shower - you'll find some shower gel already in there. Make sure that you wash all over with it, it's quite invigorating if you leave it on for a minute or so. Don't get dressed when you've finished - you'll find a bathrobe hanging up behind the door".

Colin thought Susan's advice was strange but thought he would try it anyway - he could certainly do with washing away the grime from the city.

He went to his bedroom, removed his clothes, and then went to the bathroom and straight into the shower cubicle. He saw what must be the shower gel on the shower rack and slowly lathered it all over his body enjoying the rich pine scent. "This certainly is invigorating" he thought as the gel tingled all over his body. He continued working the gel into his hair where the tingling continued - "this certainly feels good" he thought as he left it for five minutes.

As he started to rinse off the gel he felt clumps of hair come away in his hands. He stared down in shock as all of his hair ended up, with the remainder of his body hair, on the shower floor. He stepped quickly out of the shower and rubbed down the steamed up mirror - he was totally bald - every hair on his head had disappeared, including his beard.

"Shit, shit, shit" he said as he stared down at his perfectly smooth body. Everything had gone ! The hair on his arms, legs, chest - even his pubic hairs. "What the hell's happened" he screamed in panic as he made for the bathroom door stark naked.

On hearing his screams Susan came running. She fought hard to stifle her laughter at the sight of the naked man leaving her bathroom. This was going like a dream!

"Colin, whatever have you done to yourself. Well I'm impressed at your dedication to making your costume look authentic - this will certainly help you pass" she said looking at his smooth body as he just stared dumbfounded. "You had better put the bathrobe on, or do you intend to stay like that?"

He stopped when he realised what he must look like and ran back into the bathroom to put on Susan's pink bathrobe. He left the bathroom without looking at himself any further which was just as well - with his lack of hair and a pink bathrobe he almost looked like a giant baby girl.

"Wh ... what was that stuff I showered with - look what it's done to me" he cried.

Susan walked into the bathroom and picked up the pot of gel that Colin had used as she had known he would!

"Oh no, you didn't use this one did you" she said holding out the pot to him.

"Well yes, I thought you said to use the shower gel in here" he replied angrily.

"Yes I did - I did say use the shower gel" she said walking over to the bathroom cabinet and taking out the real shower gel where it had been left out of sight.

"Then what's that then - what's in that jar ?" he said desperately pointing to the pot in her hand.

"Well come and sit down for a moment - I don't know quite how to tell you" she said as Colin's heart sunk - this did not sound like good news. "What you've used was a trial jar of depilatory gel I've been beta testing for a friend who works at a pharmaceutical laboratory. It's strictly to be used sparingly on parts of the body where you don't want any hair at all - if put on too lavishly the effects can be permanent" she said trying to stop giggling at his look of horror. She held up a leg and ran a finger along it, "look at this - I used the gel on my legs six weeks ago and they're still as smooth as a baby's bottom - it's really great stuff".

"My God - what am I going to do" Colin said in a daze. He was absolutely dumbfounded and looked in a total daze.

"Oh don't take on so - we'll sort something out. Come on then, there's no good crying over spilt milk - there's nothing you can do about it now - rub this cream on you, we don't want you getting a rash and then we can go and see if any of Carol's clothes fit you" she said handing a bottle of peach smelling lotion. This was all going so well.

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Colin's mind was in turmoil. He had rubbed the lotion into his body and that had soothed the last remains of the tingling sensation he lad experienced. The only trouble was the smell of peach it had left - it was very strong and gave him a feminine aroma.

He walked into what had been Carol's bedroom to see an array of clothes spread out of the large single bed. He couldn't believe the variety that was available to him.

"Well what do you think Colin, I think that there's bound to be something here that will appeal to you. What would you like to try first ?" she said pointing to the bed.

Colin had a buzzing in his ears. He found it hard to concentrate and stammered "L ... look, there is nothing whatsoever here that will APPEAL to me. I do not like this situation at all. I don't know what to do" he said staring at the bed. There was everything a young girl could wish for from frothy and floaty dresses, smart business suits and blouses, to jeans and slacks. There was even women's UNDERWEAR. He couldn't be expected to wear these as well surely!

"I suggest starting from the bottom and working your way up" Susan said as she held out a white lacy pair of panties and a matching bra.

"You cannot be serious - why on earth should I have to wear these" he said incredulously.

"A girl will always feel more attractive and confident with a decent set of underwear on. Here put them on, it will help you get into the feel of things" she said refusing to take no for an answer.

"Yes well I'm not a girl am I and I won't wear them" he whined almost sounding like a petulant child.

This delighted Susan. She certainly knew how to handle petulant children having a number of nephews and nieces. She gave him a playful slap on his rear and started to pull off his robe.

"Oh come on for goodness sake, we haven't got all night. If you're not even going to take this seriously then I'll call a taxi and you can go home now. I'm not putting myself to all this trouble to help you if this is going to be your attitude" she said in mock indignation.

Colin felt foolish and took the bra and panty set to help cover his modesty as the robe fell to the ground. He pulled the panties on quick and shivered slightly at the way they hugged his hairless crotch. He even managed to put the bra on first time without difficulty much to his embarrassment and Susan's amusement.

"You managed that easily Colin" she said, "one would almost think you've done this before" she said raising an eyebrow and enjoying his squirming.

With his bald head, hairless body and standing there in girls underwear it would have been easy to imagine Colin as a female mannequin if only he had something to fill the bra cups. To his surprise that came next.

Susan left the room for a minute and Colin looked at himself and wondered what could be next. He had lost control of the situation and was being carried along on a tide of Susan's helpfulness whether he wanted it or not. He had just started to think that it was time to start asserting his masculinity when Susan walked back into the room holding two round, what appeared to be, bags.

"Here. lets put these in here" she said while inserting two balloons filled with wallpaper paste into his (!) bra cups. He just stood there and let her, all fleeting thoughts of rebellion gone.

They felt cold at first but Susan reassured him that they would become more comfortable once his natural body heat had warmed them.

He moved around a little and felt them wobbling both with, and against, his body.

The next thing he knew Susan had started to pull a dress over his head when he finally snapped, "No, no - stop this. I am NOT putting on a dress for anything whether it means I lose my job or what!" he stated defiantly as everything but his pure male instinct fled from him.

"Fine, OK fine then - you just get on with it 'cause I've had just about enough of this. I invited you round here tonight as an act of charity and this is all the thanks I get !" she shouted as she walked out of the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Colin just stood there - he didn't know what to do!

He felt very uncomfortable with wearing these clothes and the sight of his hairless and slender body caused a shiver to run down his spine. The problem for him was that he really didn't look that bad. Apart from the lack of and hips and backside he didn't look like a man at all. It was this fact that upset him as much as anything.

He sat down, with all this girlie paraphernalia around him, and thought hard.

If he didn't go through with this then he would lose all chances at promotion - if he did then he would mentally have to lay a few ghosts of his past and re-build both his self-image and that which he presented to the world.

There was really no contest, besides, it would all be over tomorrow! He was tough enough to get through this not only intact but better placed, he told himself. The trouble was, every time he looked in the mirror at his bra and panty clad reflection the image slowly chipped away at this confidence.

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He finally called Susan back in the room and they continued, for another two hours, trying on various combinations of Carol's clothes until they were reasonably happy that Colin's body could pass as a female. This was finally achieved by Colin managing to fit into a white basque that pulled in what waist he had and shaped him somewhat. It gave the illusion of slim hips and raised his buttocks to give him a slight, but convincing female profile.

He had still refused to wear either a dress or a skirt but fitted into feminine off-white blouse and a skin-tight pair of slacks. He had managed to fit into a pair of Carol's 2" heeled white sandals which surprised him - he had thought that his feet would be too delicate to fit into girl's shoes -he was wrong!

He had relented and let Susan apply make-up to his smooth face - the removal of his beard had left his skin baby soft - and when he was finished Susan turned him around to face himself in the full length mirror.

Colin's - it was Colin wasn't it! - jaw dropped. He could not believe the vision of femininity that was staring at him and the fact that this vision moved as he moved! The slim graceful neck, the slender and frail looking shoulders, the slim and sexy legs - the shape clearly visible through the skin-tight slacks - enhanced by the heels.

He looked all girl !

His legs started to buckle as Susan moved behind him and put on some silver dangly clip-on earrings and an auburn coloured, page boy style, wig to complete the illusion. This final act of emasculation nearly caused him to faint.

"Oh my God" he said aghast forgetting where he was for a moment, "I look just like my sister" he said as all his past insecurities about his build and size came flooding back to haunt him. He had fought so hard, literally, to maintain his masculinity and to stand his own against any man. This image before him belied all those years of hard work and had reduced him to looking like what he had always subconsciously feared he should have really been - the fourth sister.

In the past he had refused to acknowledge that his build was more girl than boy - the reflection in the mirror had brought this to the surface.

Susan smiled sweetly as she saw Colin's reaction to this transformation - she had done a splendid job and was now ready to press home her advantage.

"Why Colin, you look absolutely gorgeous. Any man would be proud to have a babe like you on his arm".

She saw Colin's flustered look and continued to twist the knife.

"I never really expected you to be so convincing - you know, you really should have been a girl - it's seems such a waste to have such a sexy body like yours on a man. I bet your own Mother wouldn't know you".

"She's wrong there" thought Colin, in a moment of lucidity, "she would recognise me easily, I look just like Amy" he thought referring to his youngest sister.

Susan continued "it's a shame we've got to get up so early tomorrow, we could have gone clubbing".

"There is absolutely no way I'm leaving this flat like this - I'm getting out of this" he said as he started to remove his attire. He had needed Susan's help in removing the basque -he couldn't undo the small eyelet's than ran all the way down the back on his own. "How on earth do girls manage" he thought wondrously.

"Well at least we've got you sorted for tomorrow now - you looked absolutely stunning" Susan said in mock admiration. "Come on, let's have a night-cap - it's getting late and we need our beauty sleep".

Colin didn't like this conspirital line of banter at - she was talking to him like he was another female!

He followed her into the kitchen and drank eagerly at the large whiskey Susan poured him. He idly wondered what brand it was as he yawned - it tasted rather bitter.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Susan held Colin by his elbow and, pulling him up, said "come on now Colin, big day ahead tomorrow - you've got to go to bed now" and led him into the bedroom. She could tell that he was struggling to keep awake now as he slurred "go to bed ... got to go to bed" as staggered into the bedroom. She removed the pink bathrobe that he had put on after changing out of Carol's clothes and tucked him up comfortably under the duvet.

She left the room and waited five minutes to ensure that he was fast asleep. The strong tranquilliser she had mixed in with his wine should be enough to keep anyone out for a while! She returned carrying a portable stereo with auto reverse facilities and fixed a set of headphones over his ears. "Thanks Hilary - I owe you" she said to herself as the next piece of the jigsaw fell into place.

For the remainder of the night Colin would listen to subliminal messages that would bury deep within his psyche and would shape and mould his behaviour over the coming weeks.

London : Thursday June 18th 1998

Colin woke the next morning feeling refreshed and quite cheerful. He could see the sun trying to creep round the curtains and could smell freshly brewed coffee outside. He thought that this must have been the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time and felt ready to tackle the world.

He walked over to the mirror to examine himself, remembering last night, and was still mildly shocked to see a hairless face peering back at him. "Oh God, how I am going to face the office today looking like this" he said to himself as he rubbed his hand over his smooth pate. He still couldn't get over how child like his face appeared without his beard, quite feminine in fact, and was a little perturbed to discover the total lack of a five o'clock shadow. He hoped and prayed that all his hair would return soon as he looked down to see an equally hairless groin.

"God, that bitch friend of Sue's is going to clean up with that depiloraty gel" he said as he cupped his hand around his testicles marvelling at their smoothness.

With his investigations over he decided to follow his nose and, slipping on the pink bathrobe, walked out to the kitchen to get a cup of much needed Java. Pouring himself a cup from the coffee pot he sat down and, sipping it slowly, savoured it's taste. He wasn't yet aware that sipping coffee was a new habit for him, he usually gulped it down quickly as he always had too much too do! He was also unaware that he was sitting with one leg draped over the other and bent at the knee.

He had never felt so relaxed and good about himself.

He could hear the shower running from Sue's room and this snapped him out of his reverie. He suddenly remembered the presentation and today's agenda and in a panic ran back into the bedroom to find his watch.

His eyes nearly shot out of his head as saw the time and ran back into the kitchen shouting "Sue, Sue - have you seen the time - it's almost ten o'clock!" he said in blind panic as he could see his career disappearing before his very eyes.

"Relax a little Col, I can have you in the office in just over an hour. You'll have plenty of time for all that you'll need to do" she said with a smirk on her face that Colin missed completely as she turned away.

"B ... but I've got the presentation to finish - I'll never get it done now! What am I going to do?" he stuttered.

"It's all sorted so just calm down" she said in a patronising (matronising !) tone. "I rang the office and spoke to John - he's finishing the presentation as we speak and has already organised a dry run for this afternoon for the whole team. I gave you some good advice yesterday, delegate - learn to delegate. You'll be burnt out in a year if you carry on trying to do everything yourself. You've got a good team - it can cause resentment if you don't trust them".

"Finish your coffee and have some toast. We can get your things ready for later and then drive in".

He rubbed his hand over his smooth head again and said "What am I going to do about my hair - I can't have everyone see me like this, I'll be a laughing stock".

"We can worry about that when we get there. If we go to the office through the car park then nobody will be able to see you" she said decisively as she left the room to get dressed.

She came out of the bedroom twenty minutes later and appeared her usual businesslike self. She held out a large holdall to Colin and told him to carry it to her car.

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They arrived at the car park approximately thirty minutes later and went through the rear entrance to the executive offices. As they entered Susan's office, he still didn't want anyone to see him until he had arranged some covering for his head, Colin looked up at the clock.

"Oh my God!" he yelled, "how the hell has this happened, it's nearly half past one! There must be something wrong with the clocks in your house - it's at least an hour later than what we had planned. I must have missed the dry run of the presentation by now!" he said despairingly.

Susan smiled. "I guess there must be - still there's nothing we can do about it now - I'll check how it went for you if you like" she said as she went to pick up the phone.

"That's not the point" Colin wailed, "I'm supposed to be presenting this to Shikano's and I'll have to do it without a rehearsal. I don't like that, it's not my style".

"Well I think I know exactly what your style is Colin, and also what it's going to be" Susan stated as Colin looked a little puzzled at her choice of words.

She spoke into the phone and, after hanging up, came back to Colin. "John has managed to lead the dry run through and it went very well apparently".

"Huh - John would say that wouldn't he" Colin snorted in irritation.

"No that wasn't John, that was the MD I just talked to. He sat through it and was most impressed at John's performance. You should be very pleased that your team can cover and manage without you leading everything all the time" Susan said smugly.

"Anyway, don't you worry about it Colin, I am sure that the presentation will go very well and there is nothing more that you can do about it now so we might as well spend the afternoon getting you ready for this evenings event - I am sure that John has everything under control and it will take us a couple of hours - at least - to make you presentable. A girl's got to look to make an effort if she is going to make an impact" Susan said as she started to lead a confused Colin to the executive suite.

She pulled him back quickly for a second. "Oh I nearly forgot" she said handing him some documents, "I need your signature on the bottom of these to wind up the accruals and to authorise your teams bonuses. He signed them without a second glance and Susan led him to the executive suite.

He was beginning to feel like everything was running away from him. He mind was in a whirl as a new sense of insecurity started to take root as he worried about his position being undermined by John and the fact that he seemed, ever since last night, to be taken along on a tide of events that seemed to be beyond his control.

Colin felt strange as he entered the Ladie's Executive restroom. He felt a little guilty, and also like an interloper, and he was amazed at how clean and fresh everything looked.

"Why do we need to start this so early - I don't need to be ready until this evening and why are you referring to me a 'a girl' and what are you talking about making an impact?" he babbled nervously as he felt a deep shiver run down the length of his spine.

"Oh don't you like worrying about everything! Just relax a little and let me deal with it all. I would have thought that you, being such a ladies man, would understand just how long a girl takes to get ready for a night out - maybe this will prove just how much of a ladies man you really are" she said to a perplexed Colin. "Besides, I do have to get ready myself and I can't arrange for both you and me to get prepared at the same time".

"But what will I do the rest of the time - I have so much work to do and I can't go back out into the office dressed like a girl" he said.

"Let's just get you ready for now. If it'll make you feel better I am sure that you can cover some work - I'll arrange it for you so that you won't feel you're wasting your time. Now start getting undressed" she said walking into a cubicle to relieve herself.

He started unbuttoning his shirt and, removing it, hung it in a hanger on the wall. He could hear the toilet flushing in Susan's cubicle as he removed his trousers and socks and was left standing in his boxer shorts as Susan walked out to wash her hands.

He felt so embarrassed as Susan dried her hands and looking over to him said "Well that's a good start, now remove those shorts and we can get started on you".

Colin hesitated for a moment. He saw Susan look towards him and thought "I'd better do this before she starts on at me again" feeling totally intimidated and almost like a little boy again.

It amazed Susan that Colin was going along with this so easily. True, she had hardly given him time to protest as she led him from one feminine addition to another but it had still surprised her that this pushy and cocky sales manager would let her do this to him.

"Thank's Hilary" she acknowledged once again.

Susan smiled wryly as she saw him remove his shorts - she couldn't believe he was doing this - the tapes, that had been designed to make the listener submissive, had obviously been working their magic. He was following her lead without realising it! This was wonderful !

She went to a room at the back and wheeled in a padded trolley.

"Now Colin" she said leading him towards it - it was hard to resist when you were standing there naked - "lie down here and wait for a moment"

He did as he was told and just as his mind again started concentrating on his predicament he felt a pair of hands start to rub his back. This caused him to jump slightly.

"Susan ... Susan, what's going on - what's going on now" he said nervously.

"It's all right Colin, I've arranged a little treat for you - a little something to help you relax" he heard her voice say. The strange thing was her voice seemed to be coming from in front of him.

He looked up to see her standing there although he could still feel the hands working his shoulders. He couldn't turn his head around enough to see who was doing this to him and said nervously "Who ... what ... I thought that nobody else was supposed to know about this - what will everyone say".

"Relax Colin", she said "this is Hilary, a good friend of mine who has your best interests at heart - she would do nothing that I wouldn't. I have arranged this to help relax you and loosen you up a bit. You've had such a hard and tense time recently that I thought a massage and some aromatherapy would do wonders for you and help ease you into tonight's role". Oh!" she sounded excited, "you are going to be so convincing you can't imagine!".

Colin's head slumped back down as the strong and gentle hands kneaded into his shoulders and around his back. He hadn't realised how stiff and tensed up he had become as the kneading and pulling caused all of his tension and resistance to leave him.

"Mmmm, this is good" he thought as he felt his buttocks receiving the same treatment and felt himself being turned over. He also noticed a powerful and sweet, but pungent, smell assail his nostrils and assumed that this was the aromatherapy stuff that Susan referred to. He couldn't see anything due to the eye mask that Hilary had put on him, "for your own protection" she had said. He also felt the soft and hypnotic music from the earphones she had put on him insinuate itself into his subconcious - "to help ease your mind and achieve total relaxation" she had said as he slipped into an almost trance like state. "Strange" he thought, "I could swear I can hear voices" but couldn't make out anything tangible.

Along with the massage, the music was having a hypnotic effect on him and he found himself responding to Hilary's commands to lift an arm, spread a leg or whatever without a thought. He hadn't even realised that he shouldn't be able to hear her voice over the soft music and in fact it was coming from the tape.

It actually took him a full minute to realise that Hilary had moved her hands down to his groin now and was sensually massaging his cock to the point of climax. He was beyond the ability to control himself as he heard a subliminal voice tell him to cum.

This he did in a beautifully prolonged and explosive orgasm that seemed to spread throughout his whole body - he had never experienced anything like this before ! He drifted into a blissful sleep as a post orgasmic bliss overtook him.

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It was one and a half hours later when Colin was called awake by a soft voice. It seemed almost heavenly and he came fully awake feeling great in himself. "That massage Susan suggested was amazing, she was right - I feel so much better in myself" he thought as he sat up to take in his surroundings. He was on his own and still completely naked apart from a strange G-string device that pushed his cock and balls out of sight between his legs. It never even occurred to him that this felt strange.

He got off up from the table to walk over to the mirror in the washroom and licked his lips tasting, what he knew to be from last night, lipstick. Even this didn't phase him as he examined himself.

He looked in the mirror to see a beautiful young woman whose face moved in time to his own movements as he moved his head to examine his profile. Susan had worked her magic and it was impossible to see Colin within this vision of beauty. He had everything on - foundation, eye liner and shadow, mascara lip gloss - the works. His hands now sported plum red fingernails with matching toenails and the only thing that looked incongruous were the lack of breasts, hair and his male genitals. He tugged at the earrings that dangled from his ears and looked for the clasp so he could unclip them.

As he tugged he realised there was no clasp. Closer examination showed there to be small holes where the earrings had been threaded through. He gasped as he realised his ears had been pierced and the two inch long earrings didn't appear to have anything which would allow him to remove them - it was almost as if they had been welded!

His normal senses started to return to him as a sense of panic snapped him out of the trance like acceptance of his condition. He looked at his hands to see long nails covered in a plum coloured varnish. the nails seemed to be a part of him. He looked down past his flat chest to see similarly attired toenails.

"What have they done to me - what have I let them do to me" he almost cried in desperation. "I never wanted to go this far, what will everyone think tomorrow when this is all over" he wailed as he looked at the permanent disfigurement that had been made in his earlobes.

"Ah ! Emma, I'm glad you're awake I was just coming to wake you. We are going to need you soon and we've got to finish preparing you - how do you find yourself?" she asked watching him examine himself in the mirror.

"I ... I don't find myself at all" he said in a trembling voice. He suddenly realised that he had responded to the name of Emma without thinking and it hadn't felt strange to do so!

"Why are you calling me Emma" he asked plaintively.

Just then Hilary walked in holding Colin's new clothes and Susan led him back to the restroom and started to put on the basque he wore last night leaving it undone around his smooth chest.

"Well you don't much look like a Colin to me and I've always liked the name Emma so that's who you are when you're dressed like a girl" she said decisively.

Colin was confused as this sounded like a longer term arrangement or was he just mis-interpreting her words?

Hilary applied some substance to his chest and told him to look to the ceiling. He did so immediately without delay and wondered why he was going along with all of this - he seemed to follow every suggestion without hesitation!

All of a sudden he felt something being pressed to his chest and looked down to see two very realistic and flesh coloured breast forms hanging from his chest. Susan pulled the basque up to cover them and he felt an immediate lessening of the unfamiliar weight as the support the basque provided took effect.

"There, now that won't take more than a couple of minutes until they set properly now lift up your leg" Susan said as she sat him down on the table and raised Colin's left leg.

She started to unroll a sheer black stocking over his leg and, as she attached it to clasps on the bottom of the basque, she saw him shudder at the sheer sensuous pleasure it gave him. She repeated this with his second leg and she looked at him with admiration. He really did make quite a fetching girl with the shaping his basque and breastforms gave him.

While she was doing this Hilary applied some more lotion to his head and quickly attached, before the lotion set, the same page-boy style wig he had worn yesterday.

The speed of his transformation left Colin stunned as he was led to a full length mirror. He stared at himself, although it was getting hard to think of this creature as a him, and saw his reflection move it's hands to his false breasts. He tried to move them to see if they would come loose and was horrified as he felt his own chest skin pulling with the movement. They were stuck fast !

His hand went to his head and he tried to raise the wig only to find this stuck fast also.

With his smooth crotch and shaped waist and hips he looked totally female - more than he could possibly have imagined this time yesterday when Susan first suggested this!

"Tell me, Susan, that this will all come off easily?" he questioned with more than a hint of desperation. "How am I going to get by tomorrow looking like this?".

"Come with me Emma" she said leading back to the table, "and let's just finish you off" she said as she held out a mid-thigh length dog-tooth check skirt for him to step into. He did so with barely a whimper. A tight and stretchy ribbed beige top and a pair of 2" slingback sandals finished off his costume. "You will get by just fine".

"Now I've just been called back to the office - you wait here and I'll find out what for".

As Susan left the room Colin returned to the mirror. He looked every inch the attractive young female and, as he turned to the left and the right to get a good look at this profile, found he was quite aroused at the sight of himself. He looked just like the type of girl he would have made a play for.

Strangest of all was the feeling of vulnerability that Colin felt as he tottered about on his heels. He had never imagined that he would find himself feeling so helpless and vulnerable - after all, he had spent all of his life creating a strong and tough image to compensate for his lack of stature. Even stranger was the hidden thought that there was an element of this that he quite liked, he found that letting others make these decisions for him was a relief from having to do everything himself.

Susan came back into the restroom to see Colin in deep thought. She smiled to herself knowing that the subliminal messages that had been played to Colin in his sleep last night, and also during his massage, were taking hold. She was starting to disassemble him bit by bit. Soon it would be time to rebuild him or, by that time, her.

Now was the time to prepare the next killer blow.

"Right Emma, sit down in that chair - I need your help".

Colin let her lead him to a chair in the corner and sat down - "God ! I'd wish she'd stop calling me Emma, this is no longer funny" he thought as his developed macho-ness rose, again, to the fore. This was to be short lived. He hadn't realised that he was sitting with his knees together like any other natural female would and that his right wrist was hanging rather foppishly.

Susan sat down next to him and spoke authoritatively. "Now Colin, we have a minor crisis outside in the main office. Our Shikano clients have arrived today and are expecting to see the presentation in thirty minutes".

"What !!!!" Colin stood up looking a little ridiculous in his short skirt and heels as he assumed a masculine pose. "B...b .... but who is ... . how can I ... " he stuttered in blind panic. "I've got to get changed - I've got to get ready" he said as he tried pulling his wig off. It didn't budge.

Susan grabbed him by his slender shoulders and pushed him back down onto the chair.

"Now just shut up Emma - you are acting just like a hysterical woman" she said as his eyes started to get all watery. "I have got it all sorted - John will give the presentation and will be backed by Karen who has been helping him prepare it. This could be a good opportunity for her - she has been under utilised for a long time now and has been waiting for the chance to impress".

"I don't understand" Colin said with his anger rising to the surface. "It must be at least four o'clock now - why are they here today, they were supposed to be coming tomorrow - it must be too late now - you'll never have time to get changed for whatever costume you've got ready for this evening" he stuttered in utter confusion.

Susan had been looking forward to this moment. This was where all her plans and schemes finally paid off - she hoped Colin would react as she had anticipated.

"Now I do not know where you get these ideas from - you must surely be aware that the celebration event is tomorrow and always has been - and I also don't need a costume. What ever gave you that idea - tomorrow is just a celebratory meal? Anyway, it's only three o'clock. My office clock must have been fast I suppose" she chuckled.

Colin looked stunned as she continued.

"You must have know that the presentation was for this afternoon surely. Everybody has been working so hard on this - don't tell me you have been concentrating on your own work so hard that you didn't realise" she asked feigning puzzlement and enjoying every minute of his agony.

Colin felt he was going mad!

"B ... b ... but why have you got me all dressed up like this then ... . ... unless" he said as the realisation hit him, "you have set me up for this haven't you - you are trying to get me out of the way so you will get the promotion I've worked so hard for".

Susan just smiled not giving him a direct answer. Time to twist the knife a little further.

"Right then Colin, oops sorry I mean Emma !. I have got a little job that I need you to do. Karen is going to be so busy helping John get ready in these last few minutes, and also preparing herself, that I've offered to lend her a temp to act as a team secretary for the visit. You know the Japanese like to see a strong team working and they need somebody to take minutes and record the actions".

Colin felt like somebody was walking over his grave as he feared the worst. Susan continued, "You have two minutes to get your mind in shape Emma my dear, I have told John and Karen you will be joining them to carry out those duties at any minute. Now don't be too long, I believe they need some tea and coffee prepared".

Colin was devastated. She was trying to ruin him - there was no way he was going to go along with this!

"You must be joking, I'm not going to let you get away with this you crazy bitch. There is no way I'm going to play at being some Girl Friday to the likes of my own secretary !" he said looking very feminine as he stamped his high heeled foot on the floor.

Susan smiled as she relished the end game that was approaching.

"No I'm not joking at all. Oh by the way, I've heard the MD is concerned that you haven't shown today - this is a really key account for the company and he's really pissed off at your none appearance. He's been asking everyone if they've seen you. Would you like me to give him a message for you - I can arrange for him to come and talk to you in here if you like?" she said inquiringly, "or I could even take you outside" she said pulling him towards the door easily as he struggled to maintain his balance.

While Colin was struggling Susan forced his mouth open and squirted a small spray into it. Colin felt contractions and a general tightening feeling as the spray made it's way down his throat.

Colin nearly collapsed from despair - he knew that she held all the cards "No, no please don't do that. You know that will be the end of me if anyone finds out about this. Wha ... what do you want me to do?" he said totally defeated and further shocked at the high pitched soprano voice that came from his mouth. She had even managed to change his voice - this was the most devastating blow so far!

Susan had to bite her lip to stop herself cheering - she couldn't believe it - she had him, she actually had him! She relished the continuation of the hold on him that she now had both for today and also in the future - she was going to have such fun with her Emma!.

"Right then Emma, now dry your eyes and make yourself presentable. If you let Birchington's down or don't behave just like a good little secretary then I will expose you for all your superiors and colleagues to see. Now take this" she said pushing a handbag onto him, "report to Karen and go and make the refreshments - we have a busy and important afternoon ahead of us. And if you don't behave yourself then I will not let you have the antidote to neutralise the coating that I've given to your vocal chords. It would take an operation and laser surgery to remove it otherwise.

"Who else knows about this - do Karen and John know?" he asked as she led him out of the restroom.

"No this is just our little secret. If you play your part well there is never any need for them to know" she said as she led Colin out into the office.

Susan clapped her hands and called for attention. "Listen everybody" she said as all heads turned towards her. "This is Emma. She has come here to help out - I'd like everybody to make her feel at home".

She took 'Emma' to meet Karen who showed her where all the refreshments were and let 'Emma' get to it.

Colin was nearly in tears as he contemplated his fate. He knew that this would ruin any chances he had of a seat on the board. Without Colin, Susan would be unoppposed. After today he would be lucky if he didn't get fired - how on earth was he going to get out of this? God! he even sounded like girl - there was no way he could hide that.

He took the drinks into the presentation room marvelling at the ease at which he negotiated walking in these heels. He was even aware, for the first time, that he was swinging his girlish hips in a very feminine fashion without effort. How was he managing to look so feminine ?

The next thing he was aware of was of being introduced to the Japanese clients as one of the team. He sat and watched John give HIS presentation and felt totally humiliated when asked to take a note or to get further refreshments. Worst of all was seeing Karen answering detailed questions that he should have been answering and of giving him orders - how would he ever recover from this !

At the end of the meeting the clients were shown out and Colin was asked to leave the presentation room while the team, including the MD and Susan, held a post mortem on the afternoons proceedings.

He had to sit outside at Karen's desk and watch them congratulating them selves on a good performance - it was obvious they thought they had been successful.

When this had finished Susan came over to Colin and took him back into the Executive restroom. "Well Emma, you did a good job there, I'm very pleased with you". Colin felt relieved, maybe he could end this awful situation! Susan continued "Karen has asked if she could borrow you to substitute for her. Apparently the MD was most impressed with her and has offered her promotion as John's assistant.

John's assistant ! There was no position as John's assistant ? That could only mean !!!

Susan continued "All the indications are that we have won the contract and the MD was so impressed with John that he has promoted him to your old position once he has seen you to ascertain you explanation of why you weren't here".

"My old position !" Colin said aloud this time.

"Yes - I told the MD that you were likely to resign as you had been so unhappy that he hadn't made up his mind about the board vacancy and that I thought you had been looking for a new job" Susan said smiling as she brought out a sheet of paper. "Oh, and by the way, you signed a resignation statement earlier today" she said showing one of the documents she had put in front of him earlier when he had signed that batch of papers.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he saw his signature on the bottom of the statement. It must have been one of the documents that she had asked him to sign before she had got him ready. He had been in such a state of confusion at the time that he never read the contents. What a mistake that had proven to be! He couldn't recall how many other papers he had signed and wondered what was going to happen next.

He tried to regain some ground.

"OK so you've tricked me into resigning and you'll get the job that I wanted but there is no way that I am coming back her tomorrow to be that bimbo's secretary - I have some dignity left!" he stated firmly.

"Quite honestly, Emma my dear, I do not think you are in any position to refuse anything" she said as she showed him an additional document that he had signed at the same time as the original.

"This one here shows you confirming that all the finance statements for your team balance out. Well I can tell you sweetheart that they are about £60k short. If this is shown to the authorities then I think you may be looking at a custodial sentence for fraud.

Colin could feel the noose tightening. He screamed at her "You bitch, you evil evil bitch" in a high pitched girlish squeal that reminded him that she was the only one who could cure this affliction without expensive surgery. God knows how he could afford that now after losing his job! The only choice he had was to go along with this for tomorrow. Maybe he had better calm down a little!

As she stared at him he composed himself the best he could. "Look, I'm sorry - I didn't mean to blow up like that. I'll do what you want tomorrow" he said.

"I'll show you that I'm not all bad - here, take this £20 and get a taxi home. Oh, and by the way, you had better take this bag - it contains a change of clothes" she said handing him the holdall he had helped her bring in earlier - it seemed a lifetime ago!

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He returned home and eventually slept a dream filled night. His dreams took him back to his childhood and he relived some of the pivotal moments from his life, usually those where he had ended up in fights attempting to prove how tough he was. This time the dreams were different - he seemed to be an onlooker who was viewing the scene from another perspective.

He was very upset at first to see the suffering he initially went through until he was left alone by the bully's. He saw scene after scene of him getting beaten up and, after the third or fourth beating, he started to become detached from this boy's suffering. He was quite glad that he wasn't that boy and also that he was safe from all of this male posturing that he was observing.

Throughout this he had felt almost disembodied. As his last dream came to a close he was able to look down at himself. He was disturbed to see long auburn hair cascading down past his shoulders and felt the cool air whispering around his legs as he ran into the school toilets to see who he was. He found a mirror in the girls toilets, after initially being thrown out of the boys that he originally went to, and despite this surreal environment was not surprised when he saw a ten year old girl peering back at him with a look of surprise on her face.

As the dream finally faded he realised that it was nobody that he recognised but held a very close resemblance to his sisters.

He finally awoke feeling very uneasy but also less stressed than he had anticipated.

London : Friday June 19th 1998

The next day was every bit the ordeal he had anticipated, he had toyed with the idea of refusing to go in today and showing Susan that he wouldn't be dominated but one movement from the breast forms that swung free as he rose brought home his reality very quickly. He had managed to get the basque off somehow last night and this was the first time he had not enjoyed any form of support for them.

He walked over to the mirror and, as he examined his reflection, he realised he still looked very girlish if he could manage to ignore the hard-on that he was rapidly developing. His face still felt extremely smooth, no need to shave at all, and his auburn hair was still firmly attached to his head. His earrings were still attached - he wouldn't be able to remove these by his own devices - and when he tested his voice he still heard the smooth womanly high pitched soprano tone he had been given yesterday. He was really stuck like this until Susan set him free - he would just have to do what she said for the time being.

It was a good job that he had woken early - he found that preparing himself to look like a convincing female without Susan's help, was harder than he had anticipated.

He had managed, after performing contortions his body was never designed for, to get the basque back on and immediately gave a sigh of relief as the weight from his breasts eased. He found a clean pair of stockings in the holdall, as he emptied the bag on top of his bed, and rolled them up his silky smooth legs. As with the basque, this was a real challenge to him - his long finger nails got in the way of everything.

He also found a sleeveless yellow shift dress that highlighted his auburn hair perfectly. He knew that he would have to wear it if Susan had given it to him - she certainly hadn't included any trousers in the holdall!

Before slipping it on he attempted to put some make-up on and made a real hash of it. His first attempt made him look like a cheap tart and his second like a drunk starlet. He finally managed to achieve an acceptable face by developing an understated look which was perfect for an office environment.

After brushing his hair - how strange this felt - he set off to catch the tube to the office. He hadn't got a new set of keys sorted for his car yet and it was still in the office car park, besides, he did not fancy driving in heels just yet. This proved to be a new experience for him as, despite taking the tube countless times, he had never ridden a packed tube train as a female before.

He hadn't realised how intimidating such an everyday task might be for a girl. As was usual, the train was packed and he had to stand, nobody gave up a seat for him - equality had taken women a long way ! He found from his new perspective that men would seem to take every opportunity to press against him and he had felt, at least twice in the ten stops he rode, what felt like an erect penis pushing against his rear.

On finally making it into the office he was given a set of menial tasks to perform by Karen who seemed to be taking to her new position like a duck to water. His humiliation found new depths as he could see Susan smiling whenever she went past his new position outside of his old office.

He also found a new sense of shame and self revelation following a visit to the ladies toilet. By mid-morning the combination of coffee and nerves meant that he had needed to go pretty badly and he took himself off to the 'ladies'.

The general office toilet was nowhere near as plush as the executive version and Colin found a cubicle and raised the skirt of his dress and lowered his panties. After relieving himself, and securing his cock back between his legs, he went back outside to see Karen touching up her make-up. On seeing 'Emma' standing beside her washing her hands she said "Hi Emma, how are you finding it here them".

"Oh fine, just fine" Colin replied still a little startled at the sound of his voice. "I hear that you just got promoted - you must be doing very well for yourself".

"Yes, well I was a secretary in your position until yesterday when my boss failed to turn up for work on one of the most important days ever for Birchington's. The MD was furious and John, my bosses stand in, and I had to do the key presentation as you saw. Apparently the MD fired him by proxy and promoted both John and I as it looked like we had won the contract. This was confirmed this morning" Colin's heart sank as he realised the world went on without him!

"What was he like, your old boss" Colin asked and then wished he hadn't.

"Well actually he was a bit if a bastard. He wasn't very manly and seemed to want to compensate for this by being pushy and brash. It got him some success with some of the girls but I found it a big turn-off. Everything I seemed to do was completely taken for granted and my career was going nowhere fast. No, I'm pleased to see the back of him. He was not popular around here and everyone's spirits seem to have risen as a result of his departure".

Colin was shattered as he dried his hands, gave Karen a false smile, and returned to his desk. He finished a stack of filing and was starting to get hungry when Susan came out into the main office and called out "Listen here everyone - I want all of John's team to meet in the boardroom in ten minutes - I've got some good news for you" she said as people started chattering and speculating as to what this could be.

She walked over to Karen and said "Oh, I would also like Emma here to come along. She needs to hear this too. How is she managing now".

"Not too bad, a little subdued but I've been grateful for the help she's provided and will miss her next week" Karen said.

"Well maybe there's no need for that - if you think she'll shape up you can employ her permanently - don't tell her yet, I want to surprise her at the meeting".

They all assembled in the boardroom, a rare event for them, and they were excited. Susan called the meeting to order.

"OK now everyone, listen closely. Congratulations, I know you have already heard that we have won the Shikano's account and very well done. Shikano's were delighted at the way we espouse team working and our non-gradist management hierarchy. They want us to start work immediately and have invited the team out to their main base in Dallas to spend a month in developing the promotional campaigns - that is how they like to operate".

"All six of you here will be going at the end of next week so start making preparations. I also want to make another announcement - Emma here is going to be joining the team as the new permanent secretary. Karen and John will need assistance and both are happy with her work to date. I'd like you to welcome her aboard and start preparing for next week right away".

There was much excited murmuring as Colin took in the full impact of this statement. He had assumed that his life would be returned to him after today and he felt the blood pounding in his head as realised that he would have to be Emma for an unspecified period of time. There was no way ! He would tell Susan to fuck herself !

His eyes strayed to see Susan standing there and smiling at him. He saw her lips move in a sort of haze and heard her say "Welcome aboard Emma" as everything started spinning and he made his best move of the day - he fainted.

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He came round lying on a table in, what he recognised, was the Executive restroom. He looked up to see Susan standing over him and bathing his forehead.

"W ... what the hell do you think you are doing" he said angrily as his heart pumped ten to the dozen. "What on earth makes you think that I'll go along with this - you can't force me to take a job here - there is no way I'm going to be staying like this" he indicated to his breasts "for one more day".

"Emma, Emma my dear" Susan said patronisingly. "You have absolutely no choice or say in the matter at all. Unless you have forgotten, I have in my possession papers signed by yourself that prove you have been embezzling the firms money and that means jail for you unless you do as I say" she smiled like a cat who's got the cream.

"There are a few other little things. You will not be able to remove those breasts, without my help, for some months. Your hair is not removable in the same way and you now sport a lovely pair of feminine earrings. What chance do you think you have of getting a job, or doing anything else, as a man again. None at all I'd say - what do you think "Colin", and that will be the last time you hear that name from me!".

Colin was completely defeated. He could see that everything she said was true - he would have to go along with whatever she wanted. Oh, how had he allowed himself to fall into this trap? For a few precious seconds he did not know that the trap was getting tighter.

"OK, if I do along with this" he said still trying to maintain a modicum of dignity, "how am I going to get to the States looking like this? My passport show me as male and the picture will never tally - I'll never be allowed in - you know how tough their immigration laws are" he said thinking he had found a flaw in her plans.

"Now don't you worry your pretty little head about that dear" she said as she pulled out a portfolio and removed some papers.

"Look at these - we have arranged a new passport that shows a more up to date picture of you" she said as he looked at a new passport containing his new face from yesterday. He hadn't been aware of anybody taking a picture - it must have been whilst he slept through his massage and make-over.

"But I'm still registered as a male - this will look ridiculous! " he stated in shock.

"It's OK Emma, don't fret" said Susan as she pulled out another document. "I have a letter here from a psychologist friend of mine that states you are a registered transsexual receiving treatment. We couldn't have a passport that states that you are female - an physical examination at immigration may have put paid to that charade instantly and you would have been deported. This document states that you have been treated for this condition for the last two years and will be enough to get you into the country without problems".

Colin was flabbergasted at the lengths that Susan had gone too. She had even threatened to expose him, and this document, to his colleagues and family if he caused any problems. He couldn't believe that he was now officially registered - yes she assured him it was completely official and that historic documents proving this had been inserted in a file now residing in Dr. Hilary Clark's office - as some sort of deviant pervert!

He had also hardly taken in the details when Susan showed him a further document, witnessed by top lawyer Anne Lawrence and two witnesses, that gave Susan power of attorney over all of his affairs. The implications of this only sunk in when she had told him that she was selling his flat and his car - there was no way that he would be able to afford his current mortgage and car payments on a secretary's salary.

Not only had Susan stripped away his identity and his future, she had also taken everything that he had earned and left him with nothing.

"Don't worry Emma, my daughter Carol will put you up in her spare room until you can find something you can afford. I will give you an advance on the money I'll get from the sale of your car so that you can get yourself a new wardrobe. I've already had you old one destroyed while you have working here today. I've also taken the liberty of coming with you tomorrow to help you choose it - I am sure that you need a women's touch right now until you develop this yourself".

"Now get yourself up and get on with your work. The previous manager Colin introduced a performance pay scheme so that you only earn if you constantly meet performance criteria. I feel that you are slipping in yours today and you need every penny you can get".

Colin sat down and cried for a full ten minutes until he composed himself and returned to the office to complete the days work.

He didn't attend the event that evening - he had been invited but cried off due to a prior engagement. He returned to his flat that evening for the last time. His clothes had been removed, as Susan had told him, and he spent a depressed evening pondering his uncertain future.

London : Saturday June 20th 1998 - Thursday June 25th 1998

Susan took Colin shopping that morning and helped him choose a complete new wardrobe. The spending for that day totalled £950 and, after their spree had finished, Susan drove Colin to Carol's flat and, introducing them, showed Colin his new room.

He found out that Carol knew about his past and was happy to let him stay there as long as he needed to. he hoped this wouldn't be for too long - he still expected to find some way of getting back his identity and a life as a man again.

Carol knew far more than Colin realised and he wasn't aware that she was actively helping her Mother is his ultimate transformation. Every morning and every evening, he was always there - Susan gave him no opportunity for contact with anybody outside the office, Carol dissolved excessive doses of female hormones that Dr. Lawrence had acquired for Susan into various drinks and food she had prepared for him. These hormones were currently on trial, being tested for the possibility of side-effects, with the promise of rapid results for either menopausal women or, as an interesting by-product that was discovered by accident, for male to female gender reassignment treatment.

She also made sure that Colin had a tranquilliser before going to bed where she then played the tapes supplied by Dr. Hilary Clarke that slowly implanted female mannerisms and characteristics into Colin's personality. He still went through the same sequence of dreams each night but this time he was the little girl from the very beginning - he had no doubt who he was now. The Colin character he dreamt slowly became less and less real to him until, in his dream state, he could no longer associate himself with it.

These mannerisms and feelings started to impinge on his reality and he soon found himself unconsciously acting like the young female he appeared to be. Keeping his legs together demurely when he sat was now second nature, the quick glance in the mirror to check make-up and hair was performed without a thought. By Friday he was having lunch with some of the other secretaries and, although he felt awkward at first, he was joining in their discussions about their bosses and colleagues giving him a whole new insight into the office underground that makes most businesses tick.

The drugs were slowly redefining his body while the tapes were redefining his thoughts.

Dallas : Friday 26th June 1998 - Friday 10th July 1998

He managed to get through the week and on Friday he joined his ex-team, as it's most junior member, on the flight to Dallas. On landing in the USA he suffered the humiliation of customs, it was a good job that Susan had provided the Doctor's letter as proof of his transsexuality, he had been given a strip search by the eagle eyed immigration officer's and this was the only thing that saved him from being deported. Even then it was touch and go!

For the first two weeks Emma operated as one of the team and had started to settle into the female role almost happily. By now he had been out on a few 'girls night out' and by the end of the two weeks he had found himself enjoying these outings and found himself giggling along with the other girls.

They had all finished work early on their second Friday when Colin was asked by Susan if he would join her for a pre-dinner drink at the cocktail bar. Colin agreed reluctantly, he still had a deep mistrust for anything Susan suggested, and said he wanted to shower and get a change of clothes first.

He went upstairs to his room, he still thought if himself as a 'he' despite his ever increasing ascent into womanhood, and turned on the shower. He pulled off his dress and removed his pantyhose before undoing his bra. He hadn't had to wear the basque to shape his body for the last week. He noticed that he appeared to be more shapely without the aid of shaped undergarments. His waist seemed a little slimmer and his hips and backside seemed a little bulkier. He had assumed that it was the prolonged wearing of the basque which had subtly altered his body and hadn't made any connection with the itching he felt underneath his breastforms - he had assumed that the adhesive was causing irritation.

He removed his panties and felt relief as his penis sprang free. He momentarily thought it looked a little smaller than usual but assumed that being pushed back between his legs for days on end must have given it that illusion.

The shower was a mildly sensuous experience and he noticed that his skin seemed much more sensitive these days. Again he rationalised this by assuming it must have been the result of losing his body hair.

After drying and dressing he put on a little black dress, he owned no trousers at all, and went to the bar. Susan was waiting for him and greeted him warmly.

"Why hello Emma, can I get you a drink ?" she said.

"A whiskey sour would be nice" he replied in his high pitched voice.

Susan smiled to herself as the waiter brought over their drinks. She looked at Emma and would never have believed it was possible to convert that pushy bearded sales manager into this attractive and demure secretary. All this in just over three weeks!

As Colin bent down to adjust his sandal strap Susan took two small tablets that disappeared almost instantly as she dropped them in Colin's drink.

"Well Emma" she said, "I'm really impressed by how easily you seem to have settled into your new role - it's almost like you should always have been like this".

Colin said sharply "Let's just get one thing straight - you may have taken my money, my identity and my life away from me but I will get it back. There is nothing that you have done that can't be undone, I can rebuild my career as soon as I get away from you".

He started to look a little more conciliatory as felt his eyes welling with tears as he continued "Please Susan please - you'll get your promotion and you have humiliated me beyond endurance. Why are you doing this to me - please let me be Colin again" he pleaded.

Susan took a long slow drink and stared straight at his eyes.

"Look darling, I have not stolen your money. Everything you have earned will be repaid back to you one way or the other". She could see Colin's eyes starting to drop as she went on "I have improved you no end. You were a pig headed bore with no time or thought for others. Since removing you your erstwhile subordinates have flourished and are succeeding with this account on their own merits".

"I am sitting here now looking at a beautiful young lady who has a place, and fits in well, in society - you have friends now - how many did you have before ?".

Colin was fighting hard to keep consciousness as he heard Susan continue "You are wrong you know, you will never get your old life back, what I have started will now be completed and you will never be able to undo this" she finished as Colin slipped into unconsciousness with these words echoing in his head.

Dallas : Saturday 25th July 1998

The black nurse was sitting watching her patient to see whether there was any sign of recovery yet. She was due to wake at any time now! "My" she thought, "She looks so pretty lying there" as the young girl's chest raised and fell slowly along with her breathing.

Slowly the young girls eyes started to flicker and a groan escaped from her full and naturally pouting lips.

"Ooooh ... G .. G ... God. Wha .. what - where am I" she said trying to raise herself.

The nurse pressed a buzzer and quickly walked to her side. She removed the tubes surrounding the girl and took the catheter out of her bladder before she hurt herself by moving.

"There, there honey - don't try to move just yet. That's a big operation you've just been through and you shouldn't try to do anything just yet".

The girl's mind was struggling to make sense of what the nurse said. "Operation, what operation ?" she thought to herself.

The last thing Colin could remember was sitting down at the bar and being told by Susan that he would never return to his old life. Ha ! What did she know anyway !

Colin sat up and felt a strange burning pain from his abdomen and the urgent need to relieve himself. He called out "Nurse, please - could you help me up - I need to go to the bathroom".

"Now you shouldn't be doing that honey - you just relax until the doctor say's it's OK" the nurse said firmly.

Colin was not in the mood for this. He stared at the nurse with his wide blue eyes and said angrily "Look I really NEED to go to the toilet and I want your help to get out of this bed. Now PLEASE help me - NOW!" he said in his girlish voice.

The nurse was about to argue when a female doctor walked into the room, She turned to the doctor and said "Dr. Lawrence, this young lady insists on going to the bathroom and I think it is much too soon".

Dr. Lawrence smiled wickedly and mentally savoured the moment of Colin's revelation. "No nurse, I think the patient can go to the bathroom all right. We can just wait here while she goes. Now don't lock that door - we need to be able to get to you should you have an accident".

Colin was relieved and managed to raise himself to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. As he moved slowly across the floor to the bathroom his whole body movement felt wrong. It was indefinable but somehow felt wrong!. He also felt an intense irritation around his nipples, a little like what he had experienced under the breast forms but this sensation was about four inches further out in front of what he had come to expect

He managed to get to the bathroom and removed the nightie he had been wearing. The seat was already lowered and Colin felt for his panties and the gaffe, as he had found it had been called, so he could lower them and perform his ablutions.

Looking back on this moment Colin felt like he was watching a slow motion action shot in a movie. What actually happened took only about thirty seconds in the real world.

First he fumbled around his groin trying to find his panties and realised that he wasn't wearing any. As soon as he realised this he searched for the thong like sides of the gaffe that held his penis back - he felt a muddled confusion as it didn't seem to be there either!

He thought that he must be still suffering the after effects of the anaesthetic that he must have been given when he couldn't understand how he was not wearing any underwear at all yet his penis was somehow held back between his legs!

It's strange the little details that you notice in moments of crisis! To this day, the thing that remains vividly in Colin's mind was the sight of his hands as they felt down below his very slim waistline. He still had the plum nail varnish on but he noted that his hands seemed so delicate and refined - just like a real girls hands.

The hands slipped into the auburn pubic hair, he again noted that they had been a dark brown before, and groped for what he knew must be there. As his fingers probed beneath his legs looking for his male equipment he found a gaping emptiness - it took him a few seconds to realise what this meant and at this point he screamed and fainted yet again.

The nurse and Doctor Lawrence ran into the bathroom and lifted the young girl upright and sitting her on the side of the bed lowered her head. As she slowly regained consciousness her memories of a few seconds ago came flooding back.

"No no NO" she cried, "this can't be real - what have they done to me - they've made me into a real girl" she cried hysterically. At the doctors command the nurse injected a sedative into Colin and he settled quickly into a deep sleep.

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The girl woke alone this time. As her eyes opened she scanned the room and, seeing nobody there, tried to raise herself. She was aching all over but wanted desperately to disprove what she had found last night.

She lifted the bedcovers and raised her nightie. This time around she knew what to expect and only felt dumb acceptance of what her fingers found on their explorations around her groin. She was fascinated at the sensations she received from her vaginal lips and her gentle stroking prompted a warm dampness to seep between her nether lips.

As her finger went to the top of her vagina she felt a pea sized nub which felt deliciously sensitive from the rubbing of her fingers that were wet with her natural lubrication. She stopped this activity immediately as the reality of her situation hit her.

She raised her nightie further to explore the tingling sensations she had experienced from her breasts in response to her earlier probing. She knew before she even examined them that these breasts were real. All traces of the breast forms were now gone - she had real tits!

She felt acutely embarrassed as the nurse and doctor entered her bedroom along with a visitor to catch her examining herself. She noticed that the visitor was none other than Susan - here to gloat no doubt!

She turned to the visitor and said "You bitch, you have gone much too far this time - I am going to sue you for every penny that you've got and then see you go to jail - you had no right to do this to me".

Susan walked over and sat beside Colin on the bed.

"I've got every right Emma" she said brandishing yet another two documents. Colin's heart sunk at the sight of this. Every time she pulled out a document it was bad news!

Susan continued "This document that you signed, remember, gave methe power of attorney over all your financial and medical affairs. I decided to exercise that right quite legally. You seem to forget that you are a registered transsexual with two years history stating that you have been a women living in a mans body. I decided to help you correct this little accident of birth by arranging for Sexual Reassignment Surgery whilst you were in America. This will allow you some privacy over here to help you adapt".

Colin just sat there stunned with his pretty mouth hanging open.

"You have been unconscious for the last two weeks whilst some of the best doctors in the world have performed a minor miracle. You have received a vaginal implant - yes that's right, a real living and genuine girls vagina - from a lovely young donor who had suffered brain death. You have had your developing breasts enhanced to a lovely 34C size, and I must say that they have turned out very well" she said as Colin looked down at them.

"In fact, from where I'm standing you can certainly sit pretty from now on, literally".

"You have also received some minor plastic surgery to shape and reduce your nose, to remove your Adams apple and to widen and enhance your eyes. You have had real hair woven into your scalp and doctors assure me that it should grow as thick and luxuriant as any other healthy young female. Your lips have been injected with collagen and, all in all dear girl, you are quite the young beauty. You have also had sealant applied to the spray that coated your vocal chords - that is now bonded permanently - the voice you now possess will remain yours for the rest of your life".

"The hormones we have been giving you have left you with lovely shaped hips and a well padded rear. You'll have to beat men off with a stick to protect your virtue. Oh and that reminds me, by the way, you are again technically a virgin - the doctors have even been able to provide you with that gift!".

Colin's eyes filled with tears as he knew that he was now trapped.

"Well I must say that you have got your moneys worth, you should be pleased with the results. I have sold you flat and your car to pay for all this after all" she said as she stood to leave. Before leaving she showed just one more document.

"Oh, and this here is the proof that you have changed your name to Emma Richardson. I arranged for that whilst you were being operated on - I thought you would appreciate that as you will look a little incongruous with your face and body having a name like Colin. I have other documentation to give you when you leave. You know, drivers license, passport etc.etc. They are all in your new name".

Emma sat and watched Susan leave with tears running down her face. It had appeared that Colin Peterson had effectively been neutralised. Susan had gone on to tell him that the papers he had signed, that proved he had committed fraud, were now in the hands of the Police and that a warrant was out for his arrest. With his disappearance from Birchington's they had assumed that this was an admission of guilt and that he was now on the run.

There was no way now that he could possibly return to being Colin again - ever.

Thinking this through further he realised that, recently, his sexual orientation and perspective on the world had been changing. Whenever he dreamed now he was always playing the female role and he realised that he now felt comfortable with this. He still wasn't aware of the subliminal messages he had been receiving via Hilary Clarke's tapes or the fact that they had continued while he had been in hospital. They had been very effective.

He had also felt less drive since arriving in America and seemed to be quite happy to be a part of a successful team - he would never have accepted this in the past - he always had to lead.

This self analysis completed and fulfilled the inevitable. He, "No I must start thinking of myself as She now" thought Colin, must forget what had happened - anything else was beyond her control.

She WAS Emma now and nothing could possibly change that - she had to accept this. She briefly thought that she had better try and get back to work as soon as possible - she had no money or possessions other than that she brought with her, and could not afford to lose her job. She just hoped that, if she worked hard, she might get the same opportunities that Karen had earnt and start moving up the career ladder again.

There was still a glass ceiling even if people like Susan and Karen could make it, the fact that Susan had taken so long to earn her promotion underlined this fact, but she might make head secretary to the MD if she really tried. She may have to accept that was the best she could aim for and get comfortable with it.

A bit of the old Colin rose to the surface briefly as she thought :

"It might take a while but there is more than one way to be sitting pretty" as she examined her new face in the compact mirror that Susan had thoughtfully left for her.

The End