by Louise Anne Smithson

Chapter 1

'What shall we do about Denis?’

‘Where are you planning to take us for your hen night next week Jane?’ asked Susan as they both arrived at work and were taking off their coats and changing their shoes.

‘There's a club near Covent Garden that has a ‘girls only’ evening with a male strip show every Friday. That would be both convenient for everyone at work and would also suit several of my other friends. I thought I'd book a table there,’ she replied.

‘How many are you expecting to come?’

‘There'll be the five of us from work, and I've four other girl friends living in London, and then my sister of course.’

‘Is she younger or older than you?'

‘She's just twenty, she was born eighteen months after me. We share a flat together, that is until next week of course, as I’ll be moving in to Simon’s flat once we get back from the honeymoon,’ she said, taking her seat at her computer and waiting for it to boot up. She then changed the subject.

‘The only problem is I'm worried about what to do about Denis next week.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Whether I should ask him or not?’

‘It's supposed to be a 'hen night'; he won’t expect to be asked,’ answered Sue.

‘I know’, said Jane, ‘but he'll be the only one from the office who will be left out, and I don’t think he goes out very much.’

‘Yes he is rather shy, and has never mentioned having a girl friend, or indeed a boyfriend for that matter. It's a pity because he's such a helpful young man, and seeks to get on with us all,’ said Sue.

‘He's rather an ugly duckling,’ continued Jane.

‘He's not ugly, I like him and think he’s rather sweet.’

‘Alright he's not ugly, but is rather underdeveloped for his age. Most eighteen year old guys that I know are taller than me, have broad shoulders and deep voices. You may think he's sweet but I bet you don’t fancy him.’

‘No, he's too young and too short for my tastes, but I 'd be happy to have him as a kid brother.’

‘Me too, that is why I was wondering if we could invite him along to my hen night,’ continued Jane.

‘But I thought you said it was a 'girls only' night at the club?’

‘I was wondering whether we could disguise him as a girl and smuggle him in with us. What do you think?’ asked Jane.

‘I'm not sure,’ said Sue, intrigued by the idea. ‘We'd have to make a pretty convincing job of it otherwise he would be kicked out of the club and that would be worse than not inviting him in the first place.’

After a moment’s thought, Jane enlarged upon her idea.

‘His build isn't exactly macho is it and now I think about it, his looks are a little feminine. Helen could probably loan him some suitable clothes for the evening. Sarah does a great job with hair extensions, and perhaps you could give him a makeover.’

Sue tried to picture their colleague dressed as a young woman.

‘Jane, I think you're probably right. The main thing would be to make him look convincing without going over the top and make him look like a drag queen. But, but do you think he would agree to come out with us all dressed as a girl?’

‘I've no idea,’ answered Jane, ‘but if we all agree to help with the transition, and promise to look after him on the night, then we might be able to talk him into coming. At least then I'd have tried my best to include him in my hen night.’

‘Alright, he's not due in to work until this afternoon, let’s discuss it with the others over coffee. If they're agreeable we can draw up an action plan,’ said Sue.

Helen Armstrong’s wholesale clothing business had been set up by her twenty years earlier, and dealt with ladies’ fashions. It marketed a range of clothes to independent dress shops on behalf of several smaller fashion houses and manufacturers. She now employed five staff in addition to herself. These were Sarah and Mary, who were both in their early thirties, Jane and Sue, who were ten years younger, and Denis Simons, who was just eighteen. Helen had previously always recruited attractive well-dressed, and fashion conscious young ladies who would make the right impression on buyers and indeed occasionally might actually model the goods for her. However her plan had come adrift when she needed someone with well-developed computer-skills to help them automate the production of her catalogue and set up a web site. The only suitable candidate who would accept the salary she was offering was a gentle, slightly-built young man with a rather high-pitched voice. Despite his being so young and the office junior he soon proved himself to be popular because of his hard work and helpfulness, and because of his useful knowledge of how to automate some of the routine clerical and bookkeeping tasks.

Much of the talk in the office during the last few weeks had centred on Jane’s impending wedding in a fortnight’s time. She came from a wealthy family in the Midlands, but had no mother, and so was organising the wedding by herself, with the advice of her workmates and with the help of her younger sister. She was marrying a barrister who was a few years older than her and so money was no particular problem. Everything about the wedding had to be just right, however.

Jane raised the issue of their young male colleague during the coffee break later that morning.

‘Sue and I were considering whether there was something we might do to include Denis next Friday evening when I have my hen night,’ she announced to everyone in the office except her subject.

‘What do you suggest?’ asked Mary.

‘We were wondering if, between us, we could successfully disguise him as a young woman so that he could come along with us. I believe we've the necessary skills to do quite a good conversion job, if he were agreeable’.

‘I'd happily provide the necessary clothes,’ said Helen, ‘I feel guilty because he never gets any of the free samples. I asked him once if he had a girlfriend or a sister, but he said that he didn't have a girlfriend, rarely saw his sister and didn't know her dress size.’

‘I could even provide some medical silicone breast forms,’ said Jane. ‘I bought them a couple of years ago when my mother had breast cancer, but she died before she had a chance to wear them.’

‘We already have the necessary hair pieces and so I could easily extend his hair, if Helen doesn't mind my doing it at work,’ said Sarah.

‘That’ll be fine, I won’t mind since I owe you both some time.’

‘Would the same apply to my doing his make-up and manicure?’ asked Sue.

‘Yes, alright then, as it is for a special occasion,’ said Helen smiling.

‘Great that only leaves me to sort out some jewellery,’ said Mary. ‘I wonder if he'll let us pierce his ears?’

‘He hasn’t agreed to anything yet but it's now up to us to talk him into the idea,’ said Jane.

That afternoon Jane and Sue asked Denis to come and help them in the store room above the office, where they could put to him their proposition.

‘Denis, as you know, I'm planning to have my hen night next Friday, and as things stand, you'll be my only workmate who isn't there. I would really like you to come but there's a small problem.’

‘Don’t tell me … I'm the wrong sex!’ he said smiling.

Jane smiled in return.

‘As far as I'm concerned I'd be happy for you to be treated as an honorary woman for the evening, but the club where we're planning to go is open to women only on Friday nights.’

‘Don’t worry Jane,’ he said cheerfully, ‘I won't take it as a personal affront.’

‘Actually, we've been talking to the others, and between us we think that we could do a convincing job in transforming you into a young woman for the evening - if you're agreeable that is. We think that we'll at least do a good enough job to get you in through the front door. Thereafter it'll be up to you to ensure that you're not discovered.’

‘Oh!’ he said somewhat surprised by the proposition. ‘So what will be happening inside the club?’

‘I'll be reserving a table for group of my friends and workmates, and there will be all the usual things that happen during a hen night - drinking, dancing, and a floor show. You don't have to do anything that might attract attention to yourself. Half of those present will know your true sex, anyway so between us we'll be able to keep an eye on you. Your task will be to avoid raising the suspicions of the others.’

He thought for a moment, taking in what she had just said.

‘I've never done anything like that before. I don’t think I'd be able to get away with the deception​ in front of so many girls.’

‘We think youd be alright as long as you were willing to co-operate with us and do whatever you are told,’ she answered. ‘Between us at work we could do quite a professional job on your appearance and you already have a fairly high-pitched voice. It will be just a question of acting the part.'

He blushed.

‘What would I have to wear?’

‘Helen will find you something quite smart to wear, she's been anxious to give you some clothes for some time.’

He smiled, continuing to think through the implications, and Jane was relieved that he was not rejecting the plan out of hand.

‘If I agreed, when and where would I get changed?’

‘Helen has agreed that we can transform you at work on Friday afternoon,’ said Jane.

‘That's fine, but what about afterwards, there's no way that I could return to my flat in the early hours dressed as a woman?’

Jane hadn't thought through this aspect of her plan. If they were going to do the job of transforming him well then it would inevitably take him some time to change back into Denis afterwards and he'd also probably need some help. They wouldn't be able to come back to the office in the middle of the night. However, Sue now came to the rescue.

‘My flat mate will be going away for the weekend on Friday night. If you like you can come home with me and stay the night, and then we can both come into work first thing on Saturday morning to change you back into Denis.’

‘Wouldn’t it be simpler still if I were to change at your flat?’ he asked.

Sue thought for a moment before answering.

‘No I'm afraid not, we're going to need the facilities at work and the different skills of your colleagues to get you ready. You'll also need to leave Denis’s clothes in your locker. In any event, I'd prefer that my neighbours didn't think I had a young man staying with me overnight.’

‘Alright, but then I will have to traipse through London on Saturday morning wearing a glamorous party-dress,’ he said.

‘Okay then’, said Jane ‘I've an idea. Suppose we ask Helen to loan you two outfits; one suitable for the office, and the other for going out to the hen night. That way we can complete most of your transformation at work, and change you into a typical female office worker. If Sue is agreeable, you would then go home with her taking your party frock and both get ready and arrive at the hen night together. Afterwards you'll stay the night with Sue, changing back into your more sober office outfit on the Saturday morning until you get back to work and then change back into Denis. Would that suit you Sue?’

‘Yes, that would be fine by me, if Denis is agreeable’.

She turned to the subject of their conversation.

‘What do you think about Jane’s plan Denis?’

He hesitated before answering looking for some potential problem, but couldn't think of any reason why it would not work.

‘Please say yes Denis, I'd really like you to come and it would be great fun if we could get away with it,’ said Jane.

Denis thought about it for a while longer, and then smiled.

‘Alright then, I'll give it a go as long as you both promise to stay with me at the club.’

Jane gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

‘Thanks Denis I'm sure you'll look lovely, and you won't need to worry about someone trying to chat you up as it is all girls.’

The three of them went downstairs and after first checking with Helen that he could borrow two outfits, Sue announced the news to the others. Everyone in the office seemed genuinely pleased that he would now be going.

Jane was a natural organiser. She now saw it as her role to co-ordinate all the tasks involved in Denis’s transformation, and was negotiating with her workmates to sort out a schedule for the following Friday. Denis began to wonder what he'd let himself in for as she went through her list with him, but she brushed aside all his questions in a firm but friendly manner, implying that the matter was now settled and it was too late for him to back out. Clearly he would have little time to do any work on Friday, but this was not a problem since he was already owed several days from the previous leave year and so he arranged with Helen that he would treat the whole day as annual leave. Helen took his measurements and the following day came in to work carrying a suitcase containing two complete outfits for him to try on. These were a dark red silk dress which could be worn during the evening, and a dark blue skirt suit with white cotton blouse for travel to and from the office. Each outfit had matching shoes, and also a complete set of underwear. During the lunch break she asked him to try on the dress and the skirt and top in her office in front of herself and Mary. She helped him put them on and zip them up.

‘Have you ever worn a dress or skirt before Denis?’ she asked in a matter-of-fact way.

‘No, never, why should I?’ he answered, blushing a little.

‘No reason, I only wondered as you have a fairly slight figure for a guy and ought to look quite good wearing a dress. However, you'll need to be careful how you move if you're not going to give yourself away.’

He wasn't sure what to make of this comment and so stayed quiet whilst the two of them discussed how he looked.

‘The dress is a little low cut at the front and will show a bit of cleavage, we'll have to be careful how we fix the boobs,’ commented Mary. ‘Also he'll need a little padding around the hips, but otherwise they both seem to fit him fine and the colouring also suits him.’

‘He'll have to shave those legs and armpits,’ said Helen, ‘but with long hair some judicious use of make up, we should be able to turn him into a convincing and attractive young woman.’

Denis stood by feeling slightly bemused, as they discussed his appearance as if he wasn't there.

Once he'd changed back, nothing more was said about Friday’s project for the next two days but Denis was aware that plans were being made, and negotiations entered into, by his workmates. At last as the office was closing on Thursday afternoon, Jane and Sue approached him.

‘Denis, there are a couple of things we'd like to do this evening, so that your body has plenty of time to recover?’ said Sue.

‘What are they?’ he asked a little anxiously.

‘Firstly we have to remove the hair from your arms, legs and armpits, I doubt if you've done it before, would you like us to help you?’

‘Do you mean now?’ he asked.

‘Yes, it'll save us some time tomorrow morning, and it is just in case the depilatory cream makes your skin a little red, there'll be plenty of time for it to recover.’

‘What else?’ he asked.

‘Mary has got you some rather nice earrings for you to wear tomorrow, but we'll need to pierce your ears first. If we do it now and put in some plastic sleepers, then any soreness will have gone by tomorrow’.

‘Is it really necessary to go into such detail?’

‘Absolutely!’ said Jane decisively. ‘Tomorrow evening things must be right in every detail if you're not going to be discovered. So please don’t argue, just go into the shower room and to strip down to your underpants’.

There seemed to be no point in arguing so he did as he was instructed. Sue spread some white cream over those areas where he had unfeminine bodily hair, and he was told to keep still for twenty minutes. Jane then came in with a black felt-tip pen, a broad needle, and some ice cubes. She began by marking a point on each lobe and then proceeded to freeze each one in turn and pierce them. Next she inserted some two tiny plastic tubes in the holes and sprayed on some antiseptic.

‘I doubt if anyone will notice those tonight, and we can replace them with the earrings first thing tomorrow. The holes should heal up once you take out the earrings on Saturday’ she added.

By then Sue was ready to scrape off the cream, taking with it all traces of hair. Eventually Denis showered and his skin felt silky smooth. Once he put on his pants again Sue ran her fingers over his leg inspecting her work.

‘Many girls would love to have those legs Den…,’ she stopped without finishing her sentence. ‘We won’t be able to call you Denis tomorrow, have you thought of a suitable name for yourself?’

He thought for a moment.

‘I suppose the obvious one would be Denise,’ he said. ‘How about Denise Anne? That way I get to keep the same initials and would be able to use my ATM card without attracting any attention.’

‘OK then Denis, make sure that you arrive at work bright and early tomorrow so that we can begin to transform you into Denise.’

He went home from work that evening wondering what adventure the following day would bring.

(Next time - Denis finds that there is more to being a girl than he had previously imagined.)