Synopsis:

Justin Carter agrees to let the women of his office dress him as a woman for Halloween; that, along with an unusual new drink, leads to strange happenings.

Story:

Chapter 1

Justin Carter worked in the research department at Freyr Industries. He had been hired upon graduation from college and had immediately found out why the company had such tremendous employee loyalty. It never quite felt like he was working, as he enjoyed his job so much.

The company had flexible hours and allowed its employees to set their own hours. Justin often worked a four day work week, which allowed him to have long weekends.

They also had a relaxed dress code, although most people dressed in business casual. It was as if they had such a good thing that they didn’t want to push it too far. Justin usually wore Dockers and a collared shirt to work, although he did wear jeans and a t-shirt when he was working late.

These weren’t the only good things about work; there were also many company benefits. Justin was surprised to find that all employees got full health care. In fact, he was given a complete physical upon being hired. At first he was worried about this, until one of his co-workers said it was standard practice.

“They just want to make sure that you’re healthy and happy,” said Terri McNabb, a pretty blonde who worked a few desks down from him. “The owners are originally from Sweden or Norway, and I guess this is standard practice for companies back there.”

Justin nodded. He had researched the company as soon their recruiter contacted him. Freyr Industries was a multinational corporation that had its hands in a variety of industries from pharmaceuticals to computer programs. It was true that they focused on the medical industry, but they also produced many homeopathic products.

The company was owned by the Johansson family, and many of the departments were headed by members of the family. While this sort of nepotism would cause problems in many companies, there was little complaint in Freyr Industries.

The reason for this was that the CEO, Nils Johansson had all his relatives start at the bottom. If they showed initiative and were competent, they moved up; if not, they were moved to other positions. And it wasn’t as if you had to be a Johansson to succeed in the company, four of the six major departments were headed by non-Johanssons.

Justin’s boss was Thomas Johansson. Like most of the men in his family, Thomas was a tall thin, but muscular blond. Actually, his hair color was closer to white than the traditional yellow blonde. All the Johanssons had the most stunning icy blue eyes. Justin snickered when one of the other women in his department noted that all they needed was pointy ears, and they could be elves from Lord of the Rings.

While Thomas didn’t socialize with the others after work, he was far from being a snob. Everyone knew he was being groomed for higher positions, and he had an image he had to uphold. At work, he was very friendly and possessed natural leadership.

Thomas remembered everyone’s birthday and threw the office a pizza party in their honor. He also took them out for company outings, such as cruise on the sound or to a Mariner’s game. There was always one event per quarter.

Justin liked his boss; in fact, he liked all his co-workers. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were all nice, or many it was because he was the only other male in the department.

There were seven women in the department, and of these, three were single and all were very attractive. Besides Terri, there were Jess Maxwell, a redhead and Jade Chen, a Chinese-American.

Justin had been hired in June, and he waited until August before he first tried to ask Terri out. She smiled and said that while she liked Justin, she didn’t date co-workers.

“Don’t take it personally, Justin. You’re a cute guy, but it just makes things too complicated at work. However, if you just want to hang out, that’s cool,” said Terri.

Justin smiled back. “You mean that?”

“Sure, we often get together for a drink after work, and you’d be more than welcome, just as long as you don’t mind all the girl talk,” said Terri.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, that sounds cool.” He figured he could bide his time and see if anyone was interested in taking it a bit further than just being friends. The other girls in the office also had the same attitude as Terri.

Deep down, what Justin wanted was a family. Maybe it was because he’d had such a rotten upbringing. His parents fought about just about everything as he grew up. At first he was afraid that they would get a divorce, and then he wished that they would, just to stop the fighting. His father was afraid that a divorce would clean him out, and his mother didn’t want the stigma of “failing” in her marriage.

For the most part, Justin was raised by a series of maids who worked in his house; most only lasted a few years until the constant fighting drove them away. Naturally, Justin couldn’t wait to get out of the house and go to college. All his family lived on the East Coast, so he’d chosen to go to San Diego State. Upon graduation he had no intention of returning home. The fact that Freyr’s main office was north of Seattle was even better.

He usually had no problem in dating women. While he didn’t consider himself to be a stud, he knew he was attractive. Justin was six-one and had a runner’s build. He had found an apartment five miles from the office, and he often rode his bike to work to stay in shape. His wavy brown hair was a bit long, but he liked it that way; it made up for the fact that he had little to no facial hair. It was a family curse, and even though he’d tried to grow a moustache in college, he could never get more than peach fuzz.

In college he’d had several long-term girl friends, but none wanted to get married. While he was disappointed by Terri’s refusal to date, he figured that if he became friends with her, he might get a “referral” The one thing that the company didn’t lack was attractive women.

Chapter 2

It was early October, and Justin was working at his computer when Terri came up to him.

“We’re heading out for a drink, you want to join us?” she asked.

“Give me ten minutes,” he said. “I’m just about done with this report.” Over the last few months, he’d often gone out for a drink or two with the women of his office. It was a time when they could talk openly about their lives. Justin had told them of his less than wonderful family upbringing.

“What are you working on?” asked Terri, looking over his shoulder.

“Thomas wants some info on some plant found in Costa Rica; He says the medical department thinks it might have properties that will prevent miscarriages.”

“Cool. That’s what I love about working here; you never know what you’ll be working on next,” said Terri.

Justin nodded.

“Well, don’t get too lost in your computer,” said Terri.

He turned around and smiled. “I won’t.”

Twenty minutes later he was walking into a local watering hole that was frequented by company employees. As he walked in, he saw Terri waving to him from a table in the back. There were three other women from the department sitting at the table, sharing a pitcher of Red Hook ale.

There was Jade, who had recently announced her engagement to a guy named Russell, who worked in R&D. Next to her was Jess, and then there was Elena.

Elena was thirty-five, a very busty blonde, and was married to a distant cousin of Thomas. However, she had earned her position at Freyr based on her own hard work. She had been working for Freyr for ten years, and most people expected her to move up to Department Head as soon as Thomas was promoted. She had a very loud personality, so that it was impossible to ignore her. She was also the person in the office who always organized things ranging from bridal showers to office parties. Like most people, Justin immediately liked her.

“Beer?” asked Justin as he sat down.

“Hey, it’s not just for men,” said Jade as she poured him a glass. “Besides, it’s ale.”

“I’m not complaining, it’s just that my last girl friend wouldn’t touch the stuff,” said Justin as he lifted up his glass.

“Her loss,” said Elena as she lifted her glass. “By the way, Justin, have you thought about what you’re going to wear for Halloween? We have a tradition of wearing costumes at work and then heading right over to the big company party at the Johansson’s mansion.”

Justin drank his beer and shrugged his shoulders. He set his glass down. “I have no idea.”

“May I offer a suggestion?” asked Elena with a wink.

Justin looked at her sly smile and felt a slight chill run up his spine. Nervously he nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Well, we’d like to dress you up as a woman,” said Elena.

“We?” asked Justin as he scanned the faces of the other women.

They all nodded.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. You’re almost like one of the girls now anyway,” said Jade.

“Thanks!” replied Justin.

“Seriously, Justin, what’ll be the harm?” asked Terri.

“What sort of outfit are you talking about?” he asked as he refilled his glass.

“Professional, a business suit, stockings, high heels — give you an idea what it’s like to be a working woman,” said Elena.

Justin laughed. “Since when do any of you dress like that at work?”

“That’s true, but most women who work in offices dress like that,” said Jess. “My last job I almost got fired for wearing slacks, and it was frigging winter!”

Justin and the others laughed.

“Come on, it won’t cost you a dime,” said Elena.

“We’re picking up all the costs,” added Jade.

“We also promise not to laugh at you,” said Terri.

Elena nodded. “Think of it as your initiation.”

Justin sighed. “I’m not going to talk you all out of this, am I?”

The woman all shook their heads in unison.

“Oh, hell, it’s only one day, why not?” said Justin.

The women all lifted their glasses into the air.

“That’s the spirit, Janet,” said Elena.

Justin groaned and reluctantly held up his glass and joined the toast. “Janet?”

“How about Justine?” suggested Jade.

“Or maybe Joyce?” added Terri.

“Joyce, that’s nice,” said Elena.

Justin shook his head in mock disgust. Actually, he was pleased that the women were teasing him in a good natured way. It made him feel accepted. “Okay, but keep the Joyce crap down until Halloween.”

“We’re going to make you gorgeous!” said Terri.

“You might not want to go back to being a guy,” said Jade as she laughed.

“That’s very unlikely,” said Justin as he playfully leered at Terri. “So what are the rest of you going to wear?”

“I’m going to be a cowgirl,” said Terri, ignoring Justin.

“I’m dressing up as a vampire,” said Jade.

“So what’s your costume going to be?” asked Justin.

Jade made a biting motion at Justin’s neck and snapped her teeth.

“I have a cool costume; I’m dressing like a pirate, so you won’t be the only crossdresser at work that day,” said Jess.

“What about you, Elena?” asked Justin.

“I wanted pick out something matching my personality, like Queen Elizabeth I, but I didn’t think it would be practical. So I’m going as a Viking maiden; I figure it fits in with our company name.”

Freyr was the name of a Norse God. He was considered the Ecology God or the Green God.

“Do you think that the Johanssons will like that?” asked Jade.

“My husband is the one who suggested it,” said Elena. “I think he’s had a fantasy of seeing me as a Viking warrior maiden.”

They all laughed.

“So, you’re not going to get cold feet and pull out of this, Justin?” asked Terri.

“No, what’s the harm? Just as long as no one pinches my ass,” he said.

“If they do, then I’ll help you fill out the sexual harassment paperwork,” stated Elena.

Chapter 3

In the days approaching Halloween, the women took all of Justin’s measurements. Elena noted that his hair was long enough that she could style it, so he wouldn’t have to wear a wig.

“Trust me, Joyce, you don’t want to have to wear a hair helmet all day; they’re very uncomfortable,” said Elena.

“You’ve worn a wig?” he asked.

Elena nodded. “Back in my younger days, I wanted long hair and picked out a wig. I wore it only once, as it was too hot.”

“Okay, I trust you,” said Justin.

“All kidding aside, I appreciate your good humor in this. You’re a good sport, and that goes a long way in this company. Just so you know, Thomas is very impressed with you, and I think you have a bright future here.”

Justin was slightly taken back. He hadn’t really done anything spectacular in his short time at the company.

Seeing his disbelief in his face, Elena put her hand on his shoulder. “Thomas has talked to me about you several times. It hasn’t been announced yet, but Thomas will be leaving our department in a few weeks. He’s going to be promoted and moved up to be an assistant VP in the biological pharmaceuticals division. He’s sharp and will be the head of that division in a few years. I think he plans on taking you with him.”

“Why me? I’m just a researcher; besides there are people in our office far more deserving of a promotion,” said Justin.

“Well, if they do move you up, they’ll train you for your new position; they always do that. Did you know that they sent my last supervisor to grad school as part of his promotion?”

“Really?”

“Yes. They sent him immediately to the University of Washington and enrolled him in a graduate program, and not only did they pay all his expenses, but he was still on full salary.”

Justin shook his head in disbelief. It did sound pretty sweet. “So are you replacing Thomas?”

“Yes, but again that’s not official,” replied Elena. “They’ll make the official announcement soon.”

“I’m happy for you, you deserve it,” said Justin. “I know it will make everyone in the office happy. So when will this big change take place?”

“After Halloween,” replied Elena.

“That seems appropriate,” said Justin.

“Now back to your hair, I would like to do something with the color. How do you feel about highlights?” asked Elena, as she reached up and ran her fingers through Justin’s hair.

“Isn’t that a bit much?” he asked.

“Hey, you want to look good. Besides, if we do a good job with you, you might win one of the prizes at the Johansson’s party. Trust me; they have some pretty cool prizes. Last year the grand prize was a skiing vacation in British Columbia.”

“Really?” asked Justin.

“Oh, yes; so we want you looking very feminine. I’ve already made an appointment for you to get your body waxed and your nails done.”

“You want to wax my legs?” asked Justin with a shocked look on his face. “Can’t we just shave them?”

Elena shook her head. “You don’t want to shave. You’ll get stubble in a few days, and that itches. Waxing is much better, and it doesn’t really hurt. The sound of the hair being ripped out sounds worse that it actually feels.”

Justin laughed. “Oh, that sounds much better!”

“Besides, you’ll get to see how that other side lives. I know you’re looking for a girlfriend; well, this experience will give you insight into what women go through to look good for their man.”

“Is it that obvious?” he asked.

Elena nodded. “You were a little obnoxious about it when you first came into the office, but we’ve humanized you with our after work get-togethers.”

“Obnoxious?” asked Justin with a grin.

“Okay, that’s maybe too harsh, but you were annoying. But then as we got to know you and your background, we understood your quest,” said Elena.

“It hasn’t gotten me any dates,” added Justin with a smile.

“No, but I happen to know that Terri and the others have been looking for someone for you. In some ways, they’ve adopted you and want you to find the right mate.”

Justin stared back speechless. “I… I didn’t know.”

Elena smiled back. “It’s okay; I just wanted you to know that we all like you, and that we’re not goofing on you with the costume.”

Chapter 4

It was the day before Halloween, and Justin and the others would be leaving work early that day.

“Your appointment for your waxing is at two,” said Terri.

“Then we need to get you to the beauty salon for your hair and nails,” added Jade.

“My hair?” asked Justin.

“We decided that it would be better if a professional did it instead of us,” said Elena, as she put on her coat. It was raining outside.

“I don’t know, this is just for one day. I don’t want to walk around for the next couple of weeks looking like a chick,” said Justin.

“Don’t worry, my stylist will be able to undo everything later on,” said Elena.

Terri, Justin, and Jade all got into Elena’s sedan.

“I thought Jess was joining us,” said Justin.

“We’ll meet with her later. She’s getting your wardrobe ready,” said Terri. “I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to do your makeup.”

Justin nodded nervously. He was starting to have some second and third thoughts about this. It seemed like it was going beyond a simple Halloween costume.

They arrived at the esthetician’s salon. Thankfully, there were no other clients there when Justin and his co-workers arrived.

A smiling woman with short black hair greeted them.

“I’m Stephie, and I assume that you’re Justin,” she asked.

Justin smiled back.

“Okay, why don’t you follow me and we’ll get started,” she said.

“Do you get many men here?” he asked as he followed her.

“I get men, women, drag queens, transgendered, and everything else in between. It doesn’t matter to me,” she replied. “Hell, if dogs had Visas, I’d wax them too.”

Justin laughed. “This is for a Halloween costume.” He went to explain his costume.

Stephie shrugged her shoulders. “That’s fine. Have you ever been waxed before?”

Justin shook his head.

They walked into a small room. There was a bench in the middle of the room. It looked like a massage table.

“Well, why don’t you strip down, and I’ll take a look,” said Stephie.

Justin took off his clothes down to his underwear.

Stephie looked at his legs and the rest of his body. “Okay, we’ll start with the legs and then do the chest and arms. You don’t have a lot of hair, but it needs to come out if you want to look really fem. Do you want a bikini wax?”

It took Justin a second to realize what she was asking. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

“It’s no charge, I’m throwing it in free,” said Stephie.

“I’m not sure I’d like those hairs pulled out,” confessed Justin.

“Hey, it’s not that bad and will give you a more complete idea of what women go through,” said Stephie as she put on a pair of latex gloves. “Well, why don’t you climb up on the bench, and we’ll get started. Start by lying on your back. If you change your mind, let me know about the bikini wax.”

Justin did as she said, and soon he was feeling warm wax being spread on his legs.

“Okay, this will sound worse than it feels,” said Stephie, as she pressed a strip of material over the wax.

Just as Justin was about to reply, she pulled off the first strip of wax. He jumped slightly, but she was right: it didn’t hurt that much, and the sound was worse than the pain.

His legs took nearly an hour to wax. Another hour and the rest of his body was done.

“Do you want the bikini wax?” asked Stephie.

“Okay, why not?” he replied.

“Cool. Now, I’m going to use a different wax for this area. It’s thicker and works better.”

In a few minutes she had given his pubic area a nice clean appearance.

“If you want, I have a special electric razor to trim the rest of your hair,” said Stephie. “It’s on the house.”

Justin laughed. “Why not?”

Stephie retrieved the razor and moved Justin’s underwear down so she could trim his pubic hair.

It only took a few minutes, and she was done.

“I have a shower for you to use if you want. Just watch the temperature, as you don’t want the water too hot; your skin is rather sensitive right now,” said Stephie.

Justin looked at his body. “It is a little red.”

“That’s normal and will fade away. It’ll look great tomorrow.”

Justin didn’t reply and took a shower. He had to admit that he was fascinated by the way his body felt. He felt so smooth. He looked down at his pubic area and had to admit that Stephie had done a pretty good job. Thankfully, it would grow back, he thought.

By the time he dressed and returned to the waiting area, Terri had already paid the bill and was giving Stephie a tip.

“You have very nice skin, Justin. If you decide to stay hairless, let me know; I’d love to have you as a customer.”

Justin laughed. “It does feel nice, but I think I’ll return to being hairy.”

“Too bad,” said Stephie with a wink.

Chapter 5

A short time later they were walking into a hair salon.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” said a short woman with bleached blonde hair.

“Please, I would never stand you up, Vicky,” said Elena.

“You’d better not,” said Vicky. “You must be Justin. Oh, yes; I can do wonders with your hair.”

“I think we should go with some highlights,” said Elena.

Vicky nodded. “I agree, and you also talked about a permanent; that would look great.”

“Elena said that you can fix it before I go back to work on Monday,” said Justin.

“Sure, I can make you look sufficiently butch again,” said Vicky. “I’ll give you my cell number, and you can call me over the weekend.”

“Okay,” said Justin.

“He sounds nervous,” said Vicky, turning to Elena.

Elena laughed.

“Come on, sweetie; I promise that you’ll love the way you look when I’m done with you,” said Vicky as she took Justin by the hand.

Over the next couple of hours she worked on his hair. Additionally, she waxed his eyebrows and did his nails.

“I’m just putting small extensions on your nails, as a professional woman can’t have really long nails and still use a keyboard,” said Vicky.

“When are you going to let me see what I look like?” asked Justin.

“Not until I’m done, sweetie,” she replied. “I’m going to do your makeup before I let you see yourself.”

“Why? I’m not dressing up until tomorrow,” said Justin.

“Sweetie, like it or not, you look like a woman now. Don’t worry, your friend Jess just arrived with your outfit for tonight,” said Vicky.

Justin sighed and figured, what’s the worst that could happen; besides, his being a good sport could only make him look better to Terri and the others.

“Now I’m going put on your polish. Elena picked out this color, and I agree that it’ll look wonderful on you,” said Vicky.

The color was a dark red, almost maroon. Justin remembered that it was a color that several of the women used in the office. He was amazed at how feminine his hands looked with his newly painted and sculptured nails.

“Okay, I’m going to do your makeup now. I think the girls want to take you out for a drink. I think it’s so cool that you’re going along with all this,” said Vicky.

Soon she was applying base and eye shadow to Justin’s face.

“Okay, now make your lips look like this,” said Vicky as she demonstrated for Justin.

He followed her example and puckered his lips, as she applied lipstick.

“Okay, I’ve done all I can do, and, sweetie, you look great!”

She then swung Justin’s chair around, and he saw his reflection in the mirror. He was stunned. While he wasn’t a beauty queen, he was shocked at how womanly he looked. His hair was no longer its uniform brown, rather it was slightly red and had highlights in his curls. The curls would take some time to get used to. They made his hair much fuller and very feminine.

Combined with the makeup, he couldn’t believe that he was looking at himself.

Just then Elena, Terri, Jess, and Jade walked in. They were carrying several bags of clothes.

“Oh, Joyce, you look fabulous!” exclaimed Elena.

“Joyce? I love it, great choice for a name,” said Vickie.

Justin shook his head in disbelief.

“Okay, we thought you could use a drink, and we brought you something appropriate to wear,” said Jess, as she began to sort through the bags.

“You really expect me to go out like this?’ asked Justin.

“No. But that’s because you’re not properly dressed,” said Jade.

Justin watched as they laid out a bra, panties, pantyhose, a red sweater, a long black skirt, and a pair of black boots.

“This, combined with the jewelry we have for you, will let you blend in with us,” said Elena.

“Oh, don’t forget the breast pads!” said Jess, as she held up a box.

“Okay, I’ll go out for a drink with you maniacs,” said Justin.

“Do you need any help? Or can you figure it all out on your own?” asked Terri.

“It doesn’t look that difficult,” said Justin.

“Just be careful not to mess up your makeup,” said Terri.

Chapter 6

Twenty minutes later Justin stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the outfit.

“I had a little trouble with the bra,” confessed Justin.

“You look great,” said Terri. “Now let’s finish it.”

Jade handed her a bag of jewelry, including clip-on gold hoop earrings, a watch, several rings, several bracelets, and a necklace. Between them, they helped Justin finish his new look.

“Okay, let’s see how you look,” said Terri.

“I think she looks great,” said Elena.

Justin looked in the mirror; he did look feminine. “No one will think that I’m really a woman. I’m too tall.”

“Bull, no one will make you,” said Terri. “Here, let me add the last step.” She took out a small bottle of perfume and put a dab behind each of Justin’s ears.

“Here’s your coat and purse. We took the liberty of putting your wallet in it, Joyce,” said Jade.

“So, I’m now Joyce?’ asked Justin.

“Would rather we call you Justin?” asked Jess.

“Point taken,” said Joyce reluctantly. “Okay, I’ll play along… for now.”

Terri smiled and leaned over and gave Joyce a kiss on the cheek. “I knew you were cool.”

“Just do me a favor, and let’s not go to one of regular places,” asked Joyce.

“Oh, there’s a nice new bistro just down the street; they have a great happy hour and wonderful appetizers,” said Vicky.

“Sounds good, what’s it called?” asked Terri.

“Trinidad’s. The owner was born down there,” said Vicky.

“You want to join us?” asked Elena, as she put on her coat.

“I’d love to, but I have to clean up. Joyce, it was a pleasure helping you tonight,” said Vicky.

“Thanks,” replied Joyce.

“Not so loud, tone down your voice,” suggested Vicky.

“Okay,” replied Joyce in a softer tone.

“Good, now here’s a raincoat we bought for you; put it on, and let’s go have a drink,” said Terri.

Chapter 7

The bistro was filling up as Joyce and the others arrived. Joyce felt as if everyone was staring at her as they were shown to their table.

“Relax,” whispered Terri.

“Sorry, but I’m a little nervous,” replied Joyce.

“Only a little?” asked Jade.

“Okay, I’m very nervous,” replied Joyce.

“I know what to do about that,” said Jade as she motioned for a waitress.

“Hi, I’m Linda, can I get you ladies something to drink?” asked the waitress.

“Yes, we’d like a round of cosmopolitans please,” said Jade.

Her order was met by a round of nods by the others.

“Great, you’ll love them; it’s the best drink on the menu,” said Linda. “I’ll be back with your drinks in a few minutes.”

“There, how does that sound, Joyce?” asked Jade.

“A round of cosmopolitans sounds good, but what is everyone else going to drink?” asked Joyce.

The others laughed.

“That’s the spirit,” said Jade.

“Is everyone looking at me?” asked Joyce leaning over the table.

“No,” replied Elena. “You drew some attention as we walked in, but that was more because of your height. I seriously doubt that anyone made you.”

Joyce nodded and eagerly awaited her drink.

Linda returned with the drinks and took an order for some appetizers.

“Here’s to Joyce being a good sport,” said Terri, as she held up her drink.

They touched their glasses together and even Joyce managed to smile.

After taking a long sip, Joyce let out a sigh. “Oh, that tastes good.”

“Easy, Joyce, the last thing you want to do is get drunk tonight,” warned Jess.

“Yes, you might go home with someone new,” added Terri with a giggle.

“Been there, done that,” said Jade.

“Hey, you’re engaged,” said Terri.

“I’ve had my wild times,” said Jade, who began to tell a story about one of her sexual adventures.

Joyce sat there, sipping her drink and thinking that she’d just walked into the set of Sex in the City as they women talked about some of their past sexual adventures.

They were on their third round of drinks when Jess’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, my god, look who just walked in.” She then pointed to the entrance of the bistro.

The others turned around and saw Thomas and his father, Nils, walking in.

“Shit,” whispered Joyce as she began to slump down in her seat.

“Relax, they might not even see us,” said Terri.

“Nope, he’s walking this way,” said Jess.

Thomas walked over and greeted his co-workers. He looked at Joyce with a confused look on his face.

“Excuse me, have we met before?” he asked.

Joyce was about to speak when Elena interrupted.

“Thomas, you don’t recognize one of your hardest working researchers?” she asked.

Thomas looked slightly confused, and then it hit him. “Justin?”

Joyce nodded meekly.

“This is for Halloween,” explained Terri. “Coming here was our idea. We just wanted to see how well she looked.”

Thomas smiled and shook his head in disbelief. “Well, you sure fooled me. I never would have suspected! Well done, Justin; you should be a prize winner tomorrow.”

“Excuse me, but it’s not Justin, it’s Joyce,” corrected Elena.

Joyce glanced over and glared at her.

Thomas smiled. “Excuse me, Joyce. You are coming to the company party tomorrow?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it,” replied Joyce.

Thomas nodded. “That’s great. Well, I need to get back to my father. See you all tomorrow at work. Good night, ladies.”

Joyce cringed slightly but just smiled back.

As Thomas walked away, Terri leaned over. “You made some big points just now. You showed that you have a sense of humor.”

“Uh huh,” said Joyce, as she watched Thomas rejoin his father. He noticed that Thomas then pointed in their direction. Joyce watched as Nils smiled in her direction. Great, she thought, my first contact with the CEO, and I’m in a dress!

A few minutes later, Linda brought over another round of drinks.

“We didn’t order these,” said Elena.

“They’re from the gentleman at the table over there,” said Linda, motioning towards Thomas’s table. She set the tray down on the table and passed out the drinks. She gave Joyce a drink. “He said this one was for the tall one; I assume he meant you.”

The drink was a reddish orange color and was in a tall glass over ice.

“What is it?” asked Joyce.

“Let me see… that’s funny, it’s not on the order,” said Linda. “But you must have impressed him, that’s one of the Johanssons.”

“We know, he’s our boss,” said Joyce as she picked up the drink and sniffed it, it had the aroma of citrus, but it wasn’t exactly orange.

“Well, here’s to our boss,” said Elena, and they all lifted their glasses.

Joyce took a sip and smiled. “Whatever it is, it’s good.”

“Can I taste it?” asked Terri.

Joyce passed the drink over, and Terri took a sip. “It’s rather sweet, but I agree with you; it is good. I wonder what it is.”

“I just think it’s cool that he bought us a round,” said Jess. “He’s such a nice guy; I wonder why he’s not taken yet.”

“He’s too busy with work,” said Jade.

“No, I hear that he’s engaged, but that she lives in California. My husband says that she’s going to move here by Christmas,” said Elena.

“What a lucky girl; Thomas is handsome, rich, and has a great personality,” said Jess. “Why can’t I meet someone like that?”

Joyce was about to say that he was still available, but considering he was in drag, it didn’t seem appropriate.

“Well, I think that we’d better get going, we have a busy day ahead of all us tomorrow,” said Elena.

“I’ll be at your place tomorrow morning at seven-thirty to help you get dressed,” said Terri, as they got up to walk out.

“Okay,” said Joyce.

“Is your car still at work?” asked Terri.

“I rode my bike to work, and it’s still in the office,” said Joyce.

“Great, so you can ride to work with me tomorrow,” said Terri.

Elena dropped Joyce off at her apartment.

“Don’t forget to take the bags of clothes in the trunk,” said Jess.

“There’s some cold cream in the bag; use it to remove your makeup,” added Jade.

“I will,” said Joyce. “All kidding aside, I had fun tonight.”

“You’re a good sport, Joyce,” said Terri. “See you tomorrow.”

Chapter 8

Joyce slipped into her apartment and took the bags of clothes into her room. She looked at the forest green suit. It had a skirt and matching jacket. There was also a white silk blouse. She hung the items up on the hook on the back of the closet door.

She went through the rest of the contents of the bags and pulled out a pair of green three inch pumps, panties, bra, stockings and a garter belt. There was also a purse, and some costume jewelry.

The last bag held a surprise. It contained a black lace night gown. There was a note in the bag from the girls.

Dear Joyce,
This will get you in the right mood for tomorrow.

Joyce held it up and laughed as she tossed in on his bed. There was no way he would wear that thing. She got up and walked into his bathroom. She was about to take a shower, when she decided to take a bath instead. As the water filled the tub, she undressed and then cleaned the makeup off her face.

She looked in the mirror and found that, even without her makeup, she looked like a woman thanks to her new hairstyle.

“You’ve definitely had too much to drink tonight,” she said to herself as she stepped into the hot and steamy bath. The hot water felt wonderful as she slowly lowered herself in.

The warm water felt wonderful against her smooth skin. Elena and the others were right; this was a great opportunity to see what the other side goes through. She stretched out in the tub and wondered why she didn’t take more baths, as they felt so good.

After a long soaking, she stepped out and after drying off, walked into her bedroom. She was about to slip on one of the t-shirts that she slept in, but then she looked at the black nightgown.

She picked it up and immediately noticed how smooth it felt.

“What the hell, why not?” she said, and she slipped it on. The sensation of silk against her smooth body was fantastic, and she found herself caressing her body through the material.

“Hmm, I’d better stop this now, before I go too far,” she said with a laugh. She then climbed into bed and fell immediately asleep.

Chapter 9

Joyce woke to the sound of her doorbell.

“Crap,” she exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and ran to the door. “I’m coming.”

Joyce looked through the peephole and saw that it was Terri. She immediately opened the door.

“Good morning,” said Terri as she walked in. She took off her raincoat and hung it by the door. “You wore it! Marvelous!”

Joyce then realized that Terri was talking about the nightgown.

“I think it’s great that you wore it,” continued Terri. “Well, come on; we need to get you dressed and ready for work.”

Joyce looked at Terri as they walked back to her bedroom. Terri was wearing a short denim skirt, cowboy boots, a western shirt, a pair of toy six-shooters, and a Stetson.

“You make a cute cowgirl,” said Joyce.

Terri tipped her hat. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Joyce laughed. “I’m not going to live this down for a while, am I?”

“Don’t knock it, you’re one of the girls now,” said Terri. “Now, why don’t you shave, and when you’re done, I’ll do your make up and hair.”

“Okay,” said Joyce.

Chapter 10

“Now, be careful putting your blouse on, we don’t want to get any makeup on it,” said Terri.

She had just finished doing Joyce’s makeup and hair. Actually, all she’d had to do with Joyce’s hair was brush it out. Secretly, she wondered if Vicky could undo her work before Monday, but she didn’t share these thoughts with Joyce; there was no reason to make her worry.

“Okay, I’ll be careful,” said Joyce. “Why do they put the buttons on the opposite side?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing about men’s shirts,” said Terri with a laugh.

“Point taken,” said Joyce. “Okay, how do I look?”

“We need to pick out your jewelry. Those gold hoops you had last night are perfect. You’re a business woman, and you don’t want to be too flashy.”

“I can understand why women get their ears pierced, these clip-on earrings really hurt by the end of the day,” said Joyce.

“I know,” said Terri, as she put makeup into Joyce’s purse. “You’ll need to touch up your makeup a few times today. Don’t be afraid to ask one of us for help.”

“I won’t. I know you, Jade, Jess, and Elena will be cool; what about the others?”

“They’ll be fine; after all, they all chipped in for the Joyce Fund,” said Terri.

“The Joyce Fund?” asked Joyce.

“Yes, where do you think the money came for your transformation?” said Terri.

“That’s cool. I’ll have to find a way to thank all of you,” said Joyce.

“I’m happy you’ve gone through with this; it makes me one hundred dollars richer,” said Terri.

“How?” asked Joyce as she put on her jacket.

“I made a bet with Carol, who said that you’d never go through with it.”

Carol was one of the married women in the office.

“She actually bet you one hundred?”

Terri nodded. “Come on; let’s go and help me win my money.”

Joyce laughed and put on her raincoat. “Okay, let’s go before I get cold feet.”

Chapter 11

Terri and Joyce walked into the office together. The only ones there were Jade and Elena.

“There she is,” said Elena. “We were just talking about you, Joyce.”

“Why? Didn’t you think I’d show up today?” asked Joyce as she took off her raincoat.

“No, I knew you’d show up,” replied Elena, who was dressed as a Viking. She had a short leather skirt on and a fake metal breastplate. She was wearing a blonde wig with two braided pigtails and a helmet with wings on the side. Around her waist was a belt with a broadsword attached to it.

Jade was dressed as a very sexy looking vampire. She had a red corset on with red fishnet stockings and high heel thigh-high boots. Her hair had flame red streaks in it. Her makeup was also very dramatic and made her look very exotic.

“I thought you were going to wear a costume today, Jade,” said Joyce.

Jade opened her mouth to show off her fangs. “Be careful, maiden, or I’ll bite you!”

Joyce laughed.

“No, we were talking about how well you handled yourself last night,” said Elena.

“Thanks. The only regret I have from last night was not finding out what that drink was; it was pretty good,” said Joyce, as she filled her coffee mug.

Two more women walked into the office. One was dressed as a pirate, and the other was a cat.

“I love your costume, Jess,” said Terri. “You even have a parrot on your shoulder — how cute!”

“Arrrr,” replied Jess.

The person dressed as a cat was Carol. She had cat ears styled into her hair, a long tail out the back of her dress, her nails were painted black and were long and pointy like claws, and her face was made up to look like a cat.

“Good morning, Carol. Would you like some coffee or a saucer of milk?” asked Elena.

“Meow,” Carol replied. “I like your costumes too.” She then looked at Joyce and did a double take.

“That’s right, Carol, that’s Justin,” said Terri, as she held out her hand, palm up.

“Hell, it was worth it,” she replied. “Is that really you, Justin?”

“Today… and only today, I’m Joyce,” she replied with a grin.

“I’m stunned, you look great,” said Carol.

“Where’s everyone else today?” asked Jade.

“Stephanie took the day off; she’s helping at her kid’s school party,” said Elena. “Nancy’s still in Chicago, and that just leaves Olivia.”

“I’m here, I wouldn’t miss Halloween,” said a woman who was dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein.

“What a great costume, Olivia, did you make it yourself?” asked Jade.

Olive nodded. “I cheated and bought the wig, but I made the dress myself. Oh, I’m sorry, are you new here?” she asked as she faced Joyce.

The others started to laugh.

“You don’t recognize me?” asked Joyce.

“Justin? Oh my god, you look fabulous!” exclaimed Olivia.

“Thanks,” replied Joyce.

Terri then told Olivia that Justin was Joyce for the day. She then told them about the bar and how Thomas had bought them a round.

“Speaking of the devil, where is he?” asked Jess. “I can’t imagine that he’d not be in costume.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon, so in the meantime let’s get to work,” said Elena.

“Better listen to her, she’s armed,” said Jess.

Chapter 12

An hour later Thomas walked into the office. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit with a fedora on his head, a Tommy gun in his hands and a cigar in his mouth.

“Hey, Thomas, the stockholders meeting isn’t until next week,” said Jade.

“I brought this to make sure that you actually get some work done today,” replied Thomas as he held up the gun. He then walked around like he did every morning and checked on the progress of his workers.

He stopped at Joyce’s station and after seeing what she was working on, he smiled at her. “My father couldn’t believe that was you last night.”

Joyce rolled her eyes. “Some great first impression.”

“Actually, it was. Dad has always been a huge fan of Halloween, and he loves it when his employees go all out to win the prizes at the party,” said Thomas.

“Oh, what was in that drink you bought me last night? It was delicious,” said Joyce.

“The juice comes from a plant we discovered years ago in Brazil. They ferment the sap from the plant into a very fine liqueur. I happen to keep a bottle there as part of my private stock. I thought you might like it.”

“Oh, so it’s not available in any store?” asked Joyce.

“Not yet,” replied Thomas with a smile. “Well, I need to see what Terri’s working on. See you tonight, Joyce.”

Joyce felt a strange feeling as Thomas walked away. For a second, she felt that he was actually interested in her, and not in a work sense. She chuckled to herself, quickly putting that out of her head and going back to work.

Chapter 13

Joyce was surprised at how fast the workday flew by. She did get a kick out of the stunned looks of her co-workers when they recognized her. The funniest moment was when Joyce had to use the bathroom. While the women in her office said it would be okay if she used the women’s room, Joyce decided to use the men’s room. Everything went fine, until she was walking out. Two men from the department next to Joyce’s walked in. They both did a double take and offered confused apologies.

“It’s okay,” said Joyce in her normal voice.

“Holy shit! Is that you Justin?” asked the first man.

Joyce nodded with a large grin on her face.

“Damn, I’m glad I didn’t meet you in a bar; I would have felt silly making a pass at you!” said the second man.

“And I would have felt sillier about hitting you back,” replied Justin with a smile.

The girls in the office got a big laugh out of that.

“What time does the party start at the Johansson’s?” asked Jess.

“Five,” replied Elena. “Remember, there’s no need to get something to eat along the way; they always have a huge buffet of food.”

“You can ride with me, Joyce,” said Terri.

“Thanks,” she replied.

Chapter 14

“My God, look at the size of that place,” exclaimed Joyce, as they pulled up the long driveway leading into Nils Johansson’s property. There was a huge mansion sitting on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound.

“I know; I’ve always thought that it looks like Wayne Mansion,” said Terri.

“So, is Thomas Batman?” asked Joyce.

Terri laughed. “I doubt that; he’s way too nice.”

A valet waved them over to a curb. They got out and handed the keys to the valet.

“I’m impressed; this party is starting out first rate,’ said Joyce.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” said Terri.

They walked in the main entrance and stopped as they absorbed what they saw. In front of them was a large curving staircase. Black and orange streamers were wrapped around the banister. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging above the entrance.

“Believe it or not, that’s a real Waterford,” said Terri pointing upward.

“Wow,” replied Joyce.

They followed the others into what looked like a ballroom. It was decorated for Halloween, with pumpkins, cobwebs, streamers, coffins, and all the other symbols of the holiday. At one end of the ballroom a DJ was playing music, and at the other end was a huge buffet. There were also several bars set up.

Everyone was in costume, including the serving staff. They were all dressed as zombies.

“This is beyond cool,” said Joyce.

“I know. What’s also cool is that the Johanssons also throw another party for the kids of the employees,” said Terri. “I hear that it’s even more elaborate that this.”

Joyce just nodded. “Come on; let’s go see what’s at the buffet.”

As they reached the buffet, they were met by Nils Johansson and his wife. The woman was a tall blonde with blue eyes, although her eyes weren’t as vividly blue as her husband’s. They were dressed as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. To make their costumes ghoulish, both had what looked like scars around their necks with the stitches still intact and fake blood dripping from the wounds.

“Happy Halloween! Ms. McNabb, it’s good to see you again. I believe you’ve met my wife, Sonja, before,” greeted Nils. He then turned to Joyce. “Oh, yes, I remember you from last night. I’ve heard good things about you, Justin, or is it Joyce right now?”

Joyce laughed and smiled. The last thing she wanted to do was look nervous in front of the CEO, even if she was in drag. “It seemed to cause less confusion in the office.”

“Well, I appreciate the fact that my employees share my family’s love for Halloween and dressing up,” continued Nils. “This is my favorite event of the year.”

“It’s fantastic,” said Joyce.

“Thank you. Well, I don’t want to keep you too long. Have a great time this evening,” said Nils and he as his wife began to greet the next couple.

Terri and Joyce got into line and began to select items from the buffet. “That was pretty cool. I can’t believe he knows both of us,” said Joyce.

“They say he’s got a photographic memory and knows every employee, even the cleaning staff,” said Terri. “Oooh, look at the smoked salmon!”

The party was fantastic, and Joyce made the rounds. She was introduced to Jade’s fiancé, and he seemed a little uneasy when he found that Joyce was actually Justin.

“It’s just a costume, silly,” said Jade. “Justin’s a real man.”

“That’s not what caught me off guard,” he said. He turned to Joyce. “When I was getting our drinks, I overheard two men talking about how they would love to get a tall woman like you into bed. I don’t think they knew that you’re in costume.”

Joyce laughed. “It’s okay, but just so you know, I don’t go that way.”

Chapter 15

The party was still going strong four hours later. Joyce was standing in line to get a drink when Thomas walked up next to her.

“Believe it or not, I’ve been looking for you all night,” he said. “There’s something I want to show you.”

“Can I get my drink first?” she asked.

“No, I have something better,” he said.

He walked her out of the ballroom and into a private study. He then poured her a drink, it was the same as the one he had given her the night before.

“Unfortunately, we don’t produce enough of this to put it out to the whole crowd,” he said as he handed her the drink.

“Thank you, it is very good,” she replied as she took a long drink.

“We’re trying to find a way to speed up production, but it takes ten years to age properly,” he said.

“I met your father this evening; he’s a very nice man,” said Joyce.

“Thank you. He loves throwing this party. Believe it or not, he’ll start planning next year’s party tomorrow,” said Thomas.

Joyce started to giggle, but stopped, feeling she was starting to lose control, and she took another sip of her drink.

“Did you grow up here?” asked Joyce, trying to change the subject.

Thomas nodded. “Our family bought the property in 1892, and have built several houses here. This one was built in the 1930’s. My grandfather lived here for many years and passed it down to my father when I was three.”

“Your grandfather is still alive?” asked Joyce.

“Yes, he’s 89 and lives in Alaska, he hates warm weather,” said Thomas. “No, it’s a family tradition to pass the house down to the eldest son as soon as he has a family. My father would have moved here sooner, but he was in the middle of a big project in Finland.”

“So this will be yours one day?” asked Joyce.

“Yes, some day,” he replied. “Would you like a refill?”

Joyce looked down and suddenly realized her glass was empty. She hadn’t realized that she had drunk it all. “Um, sure, thank you.”

Thomas smiled and made her another drink. “Let me show you the rest of the house.”

They walked from room to room. In spite of its huge size, it had a comfortable feeling of home.

They then walked into a large greenhouse.

“This is my father’s hobby. He doesn’t raise flowers or anything like that; he raises plants that have medical uses.”

He walked Joyce through the greenhouse. To her surprise, there even some very large and old trees. There was almost the feel that they were in a forest.

“Wow, this is incredible,” said Joyce as she sat down on a bench under a large tree.

“I know, it’s my favorite part of the house,” said Thomas as he sat down next to her. He casually slipped his arm behind Joyce.

Joyce noticed the move and, instead of feeling uneasy, she felt a wave of anticipation sweep through her. She was actually feeling attraction to Thomas, and instead of being shook by it, she was excited that he was interested in her.

Thomas looked into Joyce’s eyes. “This is a very special place, and I knew you’d like it.” He leaned over and took her glass from her hand and set it down.

Joyce began to tremble slightly, not from fear, but excitement. Something strange was happening, and she was unable to stop it; it was like a snowball rolling down a hill. She tried to regain control, but it was impossible.

Thomas moved closer and then kissed her gently on the lips. Joyce offered no resistance and surrendered to his caress. He pulled her next to him and kissed her with more passion. Soon they were kissing each other deeply.

Any resistance that Joyce had evaporated as she was enveloped in lust; all she wanted was to be his woman.

It seemed like a dream as she moved down to her knees in front of him and began to open his belt and unzip his pants. She moved as if she was controlled by some outside force. She pulled his hardening cock out of his pants. Joyce was surprised at how much bigger it was than her cock, but that didn’t stop her from starting to kiss and lick it.

Thomas gently guided her head to the top of his cock and let her slowly take it in. When Joyce could focus, she couldn’t believe that was giving her boss oral sex, but it was hard to think logically, and she was soon lost in the lust of the moment.

It was like being in the ocean in a storm, as soon as she reached the surface, she was submerged again by another huge wave, and it was harder and harder to swim back to the surface.

Joyce worked his cock faster and faster, taking him all the way into her mouth. She eagerly awaited his climax — no, that wasn’t right — she began to crave his seed; she wanted it so badly, and this only increased her action.

She felt Thomas tense up and instinctively sensed that he was about to cum. Suddenly, her mouth was filled with his seed, which she eagerly swallowed; this was followed by another long shot of cum, followed by several more. Joyce eagerly swallowed every drop. She then gently licked Thomas’s cock clean. She looked up at him from her knees and saw that he was very satisfied and happy.

“That was wonderful, my sweet,” he said, as he pulled his cock back into his pants.

Joyce felt so subdued, very submissive, and just smiled back at him.

He helped her up. “Now, I have something very special to show you.”

He led her to an opening in the trees and he pressed a button on a control panel next to a railing.

Joyce heard a noise and looked up and saw what looked like a large vine being lowered. It stopped at face level. The vine was thick and looked ancient. It was thicker than Thomas’s torso. There were branches extending from the main body of the vine. At the end of each vine was a large orange colored bulb. Buckets were mounted under each bulb, collecting the sap that was slowly dripping out of the bulbs.

“This is where the sap comes from for the drink. This particular vine is over five hundred years old and has been in our family for most of that time,” said Thomas, as he removed the bucket from the bulb nearest Joyce.

Joyce just nodded.

“Try it, it’s even more powerful than the drink,” said Thomas.

Joyce reached up and let a drop of the sap drip on her finger. She brought it down and licked it. She immediately let out a moan of delight.

Thomas just stepped back and watched as Joyce reached up and got another drop.

Joyce had no control, and without hesitation she bean to lick the bulb, and then she took the bulb into her mouth. She began to suck on the bulb, filling her mouth with the sap. All other thought vanished from her mind as she swallowed the sap.

She was so lost in what she doing that she didn’t even notice that Thomas was undressing her.

Thomas folded her clothes and set them on the bench. He looked at Joyce and noticed how her body was starting to slowly swell up.

Joyce didn’t initially notice the changes in her body as the bulb began to swell in her mouth, until it was almost attached to her. It had swollen to the point that she couldn’t get it out of her mouth even if she’d wanted to. Her body felt weak, and when she tried to raise her arms she couldn’t. Her eyes were closed, and she found that she couldn’t open them. However, she didn’t care, all she wanted was the sap.

Thomas pressed the button and began to raise her off the ground. She was soon three feet off the ground, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Thomas watched as her body grew. Her legs began to meld together and her arms seemed to be absorbed into her body. Soon she barely looked like a person. Instead, she looked like a large chrysalis. The outside of the structure was now a uniform creamy white.

Thomas gently pulled several additional bulbs down and attached them to the chrysalis.

“Very good,” said Nils, as he joined his son. “I see that it went very smoothly.”

Thomas nodded. “I feel really bad about it, I don’t like the idea of doing this to her without her permission.”

“Trust me, son, she’ll understand,” said Nils.

“How long will she be in there?” asked Thomas.

“A month, maybe longer. As soon as the outside is light blue, she’ll be completely transformed,” said Nils.

“Is everything else taken care of?” asked Thomas.

“Yes, Justin Carter will be killed by a drunk driver this weekend. His body will be burned beyond recognition; our medical department will aid in the identification of the remains,” explained Nils.

“I know it’s something that we have to do, but I still have issues about doing this,” said Thomas.

“This is bigger than all of us; it’s necessary for the continuation of our race, son,” said Nils. “I wish there was another way.”

Thomas looked up at the chrysalis containing Joyce. “I know, but that still doesn’t make it any better.”

“Son, Joyce is an excellent candidate, and so far everything looks normal,” said Nils.

Chapter 16

Thomas visited the greenhouse every day after work. The color of the chrysalis was still white, but it was starting to turn blue. When the entire chrysalis was the color of a robin’s egg, then the transformation would be complete, and Joyce would be physically female.

Thomas sat down on the bench and stared up at Joyce. “We had a memorial service for Justin today. Everyone showed up, we tried to keep it upbeat, but it was hard. Terri and Jess are really hurting.”

He wasn’t sure if she could hear him, but it gave him something to do. Silently, he cursed his family heritage. He also didn’t talk about the fact that neither of Justin’s parents came out for the service. They seemed to be more interested in Justin’s life insurance.

“I know you’re going to angry with me when you come out, and I can’t blame you, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain why we did this to you,” continued Thomas. He let out a long sigh. “I knew that this would happen one day, I just think it would be so hard on both of us. I know that it was necessary, but I don’t like the idea of hurting you.”

Sonja walked in and sat down next to her son.

“She can’t hear you,” she said.

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “It makes me feel better.”

“Your father was the same way. As much as we’re in love, there are still days when he apologizes for what was done to me,” said Sonja.

“Did you remember anything about your time… in there?” he asked pointing to the chrysalis.

“No, it was like a long deep sleep,” she said.

“How do I talk to her when this is over?”

“Well, as you know, when the time is right, we’ll help her out and get her cleaned up and into bed. Elena and several other of your aunts and cousins will be here to help. Then she’ll be awake enough to talk to you. Give her time to adjust and be honest with her,” said Sonja.

“Mom, what will happen if she doesn’t accept what happened?”

“Well, we’ll help her adjust and get her a new life, but total rejection is very rare,” she said.

“Why does it have to be this way?”

Sonja put her arm around her son. “I don’t know, dear; now why not join us for dinner?”

Thomas nodded. “Thanks for listening to me.”

Sonja smiled back. “It’s my job, dear. I love you.”

Chapter 17

The days flew by and the color of Joyce’s chrysalis slowly changed color until it was a bright blue. Sonja, Elena, and several other wives checked it out and decided it was time. Carefully, they cut it down and began to pry it open.

They gently pulled the still unconscious Joyce out of her cocoon and carried her to her room. She was placed in a large bathtub and cleaned.

“She looks so different,” said Elena.

“I know,” replied Sonja.

Joyce was the same height, but now had light blonde hair. Her body was curvaceous, with large breasts and hips.

“She’s beautiful,” remarked Elena. “She almost looks like the paintings of the old ones.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Sonja hopefully.

“Do you think that she might be… complete?” asked another woman, whose name was Karin. She was the wife of Nils’ brother Rolf.

“Time will tell, only time will tell,” answered Sonja. “For now, we need to get her into bed. Help me get her into a nightgown. She should sleep for the next two days. I’ll stay here, so when she wakes up she won’t be alone.”

“I know I was glad that someone was there for me,” said Elena.

“We all were,” added Sonja. “We’ll need to get her measurements before we leave, so she’ll have something to wear when she awakes.”

“”We can do that,” remarked Elena as she looked at Karin.

Chapter 18

Joyce stretched as she woke up; she couldn’t believe how stiff she felt. Her eyes were still closed as she slowly awoke. Suddenly it hit her — the last thing she remembered doing was giving Thomas oral sex. She sat up suddenly in bed and frantically looked around. She had no idea where she was, and then she noticed that her body had changed.

Her hands reached up and cupped her breasts and felt that they were real. With great trepidation, she reached down between her legs and found that she was no longer male.

Up to this point, she hadn’t even noticed Sonja sitting in a chair across from her bed. Joyce stepped out of her bed and almost collapsed as she tried to stand.

“Be careful, dear,” warned Sonja.

“What’s happen to me?” asked Joyce. She stopped and reached up to touch her throat. “This can’t be happening…. How can this happen? I can’t be a woman.”

Sonja got up and walked over to Joyce. “It did happen, my dear.”

Joyce stared at the woman. “Wait a minute, you’re Thomas’s mother.”

“That’s right,” replied Sonja softly. “Please sit down; I don’t want you to fall.”

Joyce sat down on the bed. “This can’t be real.”

Sonja sat down next to her. “I’m afraid it is real. You’re a woman now.”

Joyce stared at her reflection in the mirror. She reached up and touched her face. “Is that really me?”

Sonja nodded.

“Why?” asked Joyce. “Tell me why this was done to me.”

“All in due time, my dear. Do you feel like eating?”

Joyce turned and looked again at herself in the mirror. “Eat? How can I think of eating?”

“Because you need to,” replied Sonja. “You must be famished.”

Joyce let out a long breath and tried to stay calm. She then looked down at her body. This can’t be happening, she thought. She then wrapped her arms around her stomach and began to slowly rock. “This is only a dream; it has to be a dream.”

“It’s not a dream, Joyce,” said Sonja. “You’re a woman. Now, it takes a little time to adjust, but your sense of disorientation will fade.”

“I doubt that,” answered Joyce in a soft voice. “I don’t want this… please…. turn me back.” She looked up and wiped a tear that was running down her right cheek.

“That’s not possible, Joyce.”

Joyce began to cry, and Sonja pulled her close to comfort her. Sonja ran her hand through Joyce’s hair. “It’s okay, my dear; crying is good.”

After a long cry, Joyce sat up and wiped her eyes.

“Are you hungry now?” asked Sonja.

“I guess so,” said Joyce. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in a while. Wait a second, what’s today’s date?”

“It’s December fifth,” replied Sonja.

“December?” asked Joyce.

“Yes, the process that changed you takes a while to complete,” replied Sonja. “Why don’t we talk about it after you eat something? You feel like breakfast?”

Joyce shrugged her shoulders.

“Okay, I’ll have the staff send up something for you.”

“So I can’t leave? Am I a prisoner here?” asked Joyce.

“You’re not a prisoner, but for now it would be best if you stayed here. I just ask that you keep your mind open,” explained Sonja.

“Okay, but I want answers,” replied Joyce.

“And I promise you’ll get them in due time,” answered Sonja. She got up and picked up the phone and called the kitchen.

Joyce looked at herself in the mirror again and shook her head in disbelief.

Chapter 19

Sonja was pleased to see that, in spite of her denials, Joyce had a healthy appetite and ate everything that was on her plate. There were rare times when the transformation left the person with internal problems.

“So how long do I have to stay here?” asked Joyce.

“That depends on you,” said Sonja. “Now, tell me how you feel, my dear.”

“How do I feel? I’m furious,” replied Joyce.

“That’s not what I mean, how do you feel physically?”

Joyce stared back. “I guess I feel okay. Everything seems to be working. There is one strange thing; I feel normal. I mean, when I first woke up I couldn’t believe that I was a woman, but now it doesn’t seem that bad. Why is that?”

“It’s all part of the process. After a while, you’ll feel as if you’ve always been female,” answered Sonja.

“Are you going to tell me why I was changed?” asked Joyce.

“No, that will be someone else’s job,” replied Sonja.

“Why someone else?” asked Joyce.

“Because that’s the way it’s always been done,” replied Sonja.

“I want to… rather make that, I need to know why this was done to me,” said Joyce. “Please.”

Sonja nodded and got up and picked up the phone. “She’s ready to see you.” She then hung up the phone. “I’ll see you later.”

“Are you leaving?” asked Joyce.

“Yes. Don’t worry, we’ll talk more later,” she remarked as she walked out of the bedroom.

Joyce heard the door close and got up. To her surprise the door opened up into a second room. This was more of a sitting room, and it had a large fireplace. There was a door on the opposite wall. She walked over to the door and found this one was locked. Next, she went over to the windows and looked out. She had a nice view of Puget Sound. She also noticed that she was on the third floor of the mansion and that the windows were locked. She tapped on the thick glass and wondered if it was security glass. Even if she could break the glass, there was no way that she could get down to the ground.

Joyce picked up the phone and tried to dial out, but it was just an internal circuit. So there was no way out, and she tried to accept the fact that she was in a prison — a very nice prison, but a prison nevertheless.

While she waited for her visitor, she explored the rest of her rooms. In the sitting room there was a stereo and a TV. For furniture there was a large leather couch, several plush chairs, also a dining area with a table and chairs. There was also a small, well stocked refrigerator and a microwave. On one side of the room, the entire wall was one large bookshelf. The titles ranged from history to the classics.

She then returned to the bedroom. The bed was a large king-sized canopy bed. She opened the dresser next to the bed and found it was filled with women’s clothing. The closet was also filled with women’s clothing. Everything was very nice and from the top stores. Many of the items still had their tags on them.

The bathroom was huge. There was a large bathtub, which even had water jets in it. There was also a makeup table stocked with a huge supply of cosmetics.

She debated getting dressed, but decided to just slip on a large plush terrycloth robe as she waited for whoever was coming.

She didn’t have to wait long. She heard the outside door in the sitting room open, and a familiar voice called out to her.

Chapter 20

“Joyce?” asked Thomas.

Oh my god, she thought; it would have to be Thomas. She fought back her growing anger and walked back into the sitting room.

“Hi,” he said.

She just nodded and glared at him. It was hard to hold back her rage.

“I suppose you’re angry with me,” he said.

“No, I’ve moved beyond anger and well into being furious,” replied Joyce.

“That’s understandable. I really don’t blame you,” he replied. “Would it help if I told you it wasn’t my idea?”

Joyce shook her head. “Why did you do this to me?”

Thomas stared back. “That’s what I’ve always liked about you; you’re direct and to the point. Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead,” replied Joyce as she continued to glare at him.

He sat down on the couch. “Before I explain to you why you were changed, I just ask that you promise to hear me out completely and to keep an open mind.”

Joyce walked over and sat down in one of the chairs. “Okay, I promise.”

“Before we start, do you mind if I start a fire? This room has always been cold.”

Joyce shook her head, she was cold, but didn’t want to admit it.

A few minutes later, a fire was roaring away in the fireplace.

“This all started twelve hundred years ago in Scandinavia,” Thomas began.

“I don’t care what happened back then; I want to know why I’m now a woman,” interrupted Joyce.

“I need to go to the past first,” said Thomas.

Chapter 21

“I suppose you’ve heard the jokes that the people in my family are really elves, minus the pointy ears?” said Thomas.

Joyce nodded.

“Well, they’re not that far off. We’re a race separate from humans. We’re similar in many ways, but we have a longer lifespan… among other differences.”

“How much longer?” asked Joyce.

“Three to four times longer,” said Thomas.

“So that means that you’re in your sixties?”

“No, the aging doesn’t slow down until we’re in our thirties,” he replied. “Anyway, we’ve lived alongside humans peaceably, even though we were much more advanced. Our race isn’t warlike, and we traded our services for protection.”

“What sorts of services?” asked Joyce.

“We’ve always been healers: man, animals, plants, it doesn’t matter. Our different clans lived with man and helped when we could. The only problem was that we couldn’t save ourselves.”

“Were you attacked?” she asked.

“In a matter of speaking, that’s a good answer. A plague hit us. It killed many of the humans, but it looked like we were immune. We were so wrong. The plague began to slowly kill off our females. It also affected those women who were pregnant. They stopped producing female babies. It took us a while to figure out what was happening. The clans got together and tried to solve the mystery.”

Joyce just sat there listening.

Thomas cleared his throat. He got up and opened a bottle of red wine. “You want some?”

Joyce hesitated.

“It’s okay, it’s just wine,” he said.

“Okay.”

He poured two glasses and walked over to Joyce. She took one of the glasses and sniffed it before drinking it.

“So our people tried to solve the problem. Soon we had too many men and not enough women. We sent out men all over the world to try to find a cure. Some clans broke up, and others began to intermarry with humans. The number of pure females continued to decrease.”

Joyce sipped her wine; it was very good, and its warmth felt good as it spread through her body.

“Even with our longer lifespan, we realized that we faced extinction unless we found a solution. A temporary one was found by one of our race in South America. That was the wine that was used to transform you.”

“When did you first find the vine? I mean, it had to have been in the 1500s,” said Joyce.

“No, it was much earlier. Our race had been traveling to what history calls the New World for hundreds of years before the Spanish and Portuguese started their plundering. We found the vine in a village in the Amazon River basin. They used it for religious ceremonies. It was brought back to Sweden and studied. Soon we had a procedure to change males into females capable of mating with us, and producing children that had most of our DNA. The problem was finding males that could survive the procedure.”

“But you couldn’t know about DNA until recently,” interrupted Joyce.

“I’ll get to that in a moment,” replied Thomas.

“Okay, but why use humans? Couldn’t you just use some of your excess men?” asked Joyce.

“We tried, but it wouldn’t work. The best candidates were humans who’d been born of or descended from a mixed marriage with our stock,” continued Thomas. “Initially, we did that by checking people’s genealogy, but that didn’t always work. So were resorted to science. That’s why all of our employees get a full physical. We check their DNA, and those who show a mixed genome become candidates for the transformation.”

“So that’s why I was hired? Because I could be transformed into a brood mare for your people?” asked Joyce, the anger in her voice rising.

“No, you were hired because you were the best candidate for the job. However, you far exceeded the amount of DNA of our people in any human we’ve seen in centuries.”

Joyce didn’t know what to say.

“Even with the transformation, we’re still dying out. There hasn’t been a female baby born in any of the clans in over a hundred years.”

Joyce absorbed this fact, and then it hit her. “Does that mean that every wife in your family was once a man?”

Thomas nodded. “Yes.”

“Sonja?”

“Yes, my mother was once a man.”

“Elena too?” asked Joyce.

“Yes,” replied Thomas.

“And were they forced into marriage too?”

Thomas looked confused for a moment. “They weren’t forced. They chose to stay.”

“And if I choose NOT to stay, what will happen to me?”

“We’ll set you up with a new life and job,” replied Thomas. “I told you, we’re a peaceful race.”

Joyce sighed. She wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth.

“Look, in our research to find a cure for this, we’ve made some fantastic medical discoveries. We don’t always take credit for them either. We taught Crick and Watson everything they learned about DNA. We had been doing genetics for centuries.”

Joyce wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. “Aren’t you afraid of humans learning your secret?”

“We have many humans who know all about us and are working to find a way to reverse the effects of the plague,” replied Thomas.

“Oh,” replied Joyce. She then looked him straight in the eyes. “Am I… still human?”

“No, you’re a hybrid. You have parts of both races. You’ll live almost as long as one of us.”

This was something that Joyce hadn’t expected. “How do you hide this? I mean don’t people notice that your kind live really long?”

Thomas shook his head. “No one has noticed yet.”

Joyce held out her empty glass. “I need a refill, please.”

Thomas smiled and poured some more wine into her glass.

“I need to think about this,” said Joyce. “It may take a while.”

“That’s understandable. I do want to say that I really care about you.”

Joyce looked over and stared in his eyes. She could see that he truly cared about her, and then it hit her. “Oh my god, I was transformed to be your wife!”

“That’s right,” he replied. “I’ll fully understand if you don’t want to be with me, but please don’t let this make you give up on us completely.”

“This is just more to think about,” she replied as she emptied the glass of wine.

Chapter 22

Over the next few weeks, Joyce talked to Sonja, Elena, and several other women in the clan. They all claimed that they loved their new lives. They also helped her adjust to her new life as a woman. They taught her how to do her makeup and how to dress. To her initial surprise, Joyce found it all very normal.

Even though she was still unsure about Thomas and his clan, she did accept herself as female. Just as Sonja said, she had no desire to be a male again.

Joyce was allowed out of her room and was even allowed to walk the grounds of the estate. She gave them her word that she wouldn’t try to escape.

She had also sat down with Sonja, and together they’d created a new biography. Joyce was most pleased that she had a say in her new history

Joyce now had a legal background that would pass even the most through background check. She had been born Joyce Christina Olson in New York City, and she was a graduate of Rutgers. Her degree was the same as Justin’s.

Both her parents were deceased, and she had been raised by her grandmother, who was also deceased. It didn’t matter to Joyce, as she was now accepting the clan as her family.

She also was given books to read about the clans. She was amazed at how they were able to live alongside man for eons undetected. Even as their race decreased, they continued to help mankind. This was surprising, as she doubted that man would do the same thing should the roles be reversed.

Still, it was hard to accept that she had been transformed against her will. But her anger began to decrease over time. In some ways, it has an honor that she had been selected.

Sonja updated her on her real parents and how Justin’s death was just something new to fight over. Joyce wondered and hoped that she could be a better parent than either of her own.

Elena was one of the first of the clan to come visit her. Joyce found that she couldn’t be angry at her friend. They were now close friends, and Joyce eagerly awaited Elena’s arrival.

“I wish we could have told you before it happened, but we couldn’t take the chance,” said Elena.

“But don’t you miss your old life?” asked Joyce.

“What was there to miss? I wasn’t doing anything important with my life at the time,” replied Elena. “I have a loving husband and three wonderful boys. I truly love being a mom. It’s made my life whole.”

“Still, why couldn’t they have told me? I might have said yes,” asked Joyce.

“No, you wouldn’t have. Joyce, did they tell you what’s happening to the clans? They could be extinct in a generation or two. The number of births have been decreasing with each generation,” stated Elena. “It would a crime to let them fade away.”

“I didn’t know it was that critical. Still what difference does one person make?”

“That I can’t tell you. I know that if they can get just one of us to have a baby girl, they might find a way to reverse the damage done by the plague.”

“By reverse engineering the genetics,” said Joyce.

“That’s right,” said Elena. “Look, we talked many times about how you wanted to be part of a real family. Well, sister, you can’t do any better than the Johanssons. Thomas will be a wonderful husband and father for your children. You’ll have a large extended family that will shower you with love. You know what they say about be careful what you wish for.”

“I see. Thanks, Elena, you’ve given me a lot to think about,” replied Joyce. She then hugged her best friend.

Chapter 23

Joyce was sitting across from Thomas on the couch. It was early evening, and the only light in the room was from the fire. A bottle of red wine was open, and they each had a glass in their hands.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few weeks,” stated Joyce. “I understand why I was changed. I know the urgency that the clans have. I also have been told many times that you truly love me.”

“I do, Joyce.”

“Your mother told me how you sat and talked to me every night while I was in that cocoon. That means a lot to me. However, if we’re going to be a couple, I need something from you,” continued Joyce.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Promise… no, make that swear that you’ll never deceive me again. I trusted you before and was deceived. That’s the one thing that hurts about all this. I understand why you did it, but you must tell me that you’ll never do it again. If you can’t do that, I want nothing to do with you,” stated Joyce. Her voice was close to breaking at the end.

Thomas reached out and took her hands in his. “I vow on my clan’s sacred honor that I will never lie to you again. I want to grow old with you and raise a family. I promise that I will love and protect you and our family.”

Joyce looked into his eyes and felt the tears running down her face.

“I love you, Joyce, and want you to my wife and partner. Will you marry me?”

Joyce had trouble replying but was able to answer. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He leaned over and kissed her.

“When do you want to get married?” she asked as she snuggled close to him.

“Is tomorrow too soon?” he answered.

“Why so soon? Don’t you want to plan it out?” she asked.

“Tomorrow is the winter solstice. It’s always been considered a lucky day by the clans to get married on. In the old days, the ceremony would be held by a bonfire in the evening, and the celebration would go on to dawn. My parents got married on the solstice.”

“That sounds breathtaking,” replied Joyce. “I’d love to do it.”

Thomas leaned over and kissed her again. “Come with me; we’ll let the rest of the clan know.”

Chapter 24

Elena and Sonja were helping Joyce dress in her wedding gown. Her dress was a simple long white gown. A circle of flowers had been woven into her now braided hair. A matching white cape was added to the outfit to keep her warm.

“You look stunning, just like the images of the women of the old days,” said Sonja.

“I agree,” added Elena. “So beautiful, it reminds me of my own wedding evening.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” replied Joyce, who began to giggle from joy.

“Come on, we can’t afford to be late. The ceremony has to held right on the solstice. Legend is that you’ll be blessed with an exceptionally happy marriage,” explained Sonja.

“Well, let’s not be late then,” said Joyce.

The bonfire was burning strongly on the bluff overlooking the sound. The local members of the clan were all gathered for the ceremony. Many had planned solstice parties, but those plans had been cancelled when word of the marriage came out.

Nils, Thomas, and the other men of the clan were on the right hand side of the fire. Thomas was also dressed all in white. Sonja and the women gathered on the other side. All but Thomas were holding torches.

A ram’s horn was blown to signal Joyce’s arrival, and she walked alone towards the fire. The ceremony would mark both her marriage to Thomas and her acceptance into the Johansson clan.

When she arrived in front of the fire, Nils and Sonja walked out and met her. Thomas then walked out and joined them.

“Thomas, do you pledge to love and protect Joyce?” asked Nils.

“I do,” replied Thomas.

“Do you also pledge to accept Joyce as your equal partner?” asked Sonja.

“I do,” he replied.

“Joyce, do pledge to be Thomas’s loving mate?” asked Nils.

“I do,” replied Joyce.

“Joyce, do you promise to love Thomas and all children you raise?” asked Sonja.

“I do,” replied Joyce.

Nils and Sonja then made Joyce and Thomas hold hands. A simple linen cord was tied symbolically around their wrists.

“You are now life partners. May you live long and fruitful lives and raise many children,” declared Nils.

Thomas then kissed Joyce. There was a large cheer from the two sides of the fire, and they moved to envelop the new couple.

Nils gave Joyce a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome to the clan, my dear.”

As promised, the celebration ran until the sun rose the next morning.

Chapter 25

Joyce cuddled up next to her husband in their bed.

“I’ll get you a traditional wedding ring,” whispered Thomas into her ear. “This all happened so quickly.”

“It’s okay,” replied Joyce, as she looked up into his eyes.

“No, you should have a ring,” stated Thomas. “I want everyone to know that you’re my wife.”

“What about the other legalities?” asked Joyce.

“Don’t worry about those, that’s one of the benefits of being rich and powerful; we’ll have all the necessary documents,” he replied.

“I loved how pure and simple our wedding was,” remarked Joyce.

“I could have done without the all night party. My head is going to be killing me tomorrow,” moaned Thomas.

“It is tomorrow,” corrected Joyce.

He kissed her. “I promise that I’ll be the best husband possible.”

“I know,” replied Joyce. “I also know that I’m going to be a much better parent than the ones who raised me.”

Chapter 26

It was spring when Joyce walked into Freyr Industries. She walked up to her husband’s office.

Thomas’s secretary, Nancy, smiled as she saw Joyce walk in.

“How’re you doing, Mrs. Johansson?” she asked.

“I’m doing really well. We’re going to the doctor today for an ultrasound,” she stated.

“I know, Mr. Johansson hasn’t stopped talking about it. I swear men are ten times worse than women when it comes to these things,” said Nancy.

Joyce laughed as she sat down.

“I’ll let him know you’re here,” said Nancy as she picked up the phone.

“Thank you, Nancy,” replied Joyce. She had been tempted several times to go down to her old office, but never got the nerve. Deep down, she wished she could tell Jess, Jade, and Terri the truth. Maybe someday she could.

Thomas stepped out and walked over to Joyce. He leaned down and kissed her. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes, and could you help me get up?” Joyce replied.

A short time later they were at the doctor’s office. Dr. Kara Swenson was married to a member of another clan and was the obstetrician for all the clans in the Seattle area.

“Well, let’s get you into the examination room, Joyce. You look a little big,” she noted.

“Is that a problem?” asked Joyce.

“I doubt it, but we’ll know more after the test,” replied Kara.

A few minutes later, Joyce was lying on the table.

“Did you refrigerate the gel like the last time?” asked Joyce.

“No, we just keep it in the freezer now,” replied Kara teasingly.

The exam started a few minutes later. Kara’s eyes opened wide as she made the scan.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Joyce.

Kara shook her head. “No, nothing is wrong. But let me double-check first before I tell you.”

Kara did a second scan which confirmed the first one.

“Well, what is it?” asked Joyce as she looked up at Thomas.

“It’s wonderful news; you’re going to have twins,” said Kara.

Joyce broke out in a huge smile and looked up at Thomas who was also beaming.

“Joyce, Thomas, that’s not the best news — from what I can tell, both babies are girls!”

The word was passed from clan to clan and within hours Thomas and Joyce were getting congratulations from all over.

That night they cuddled together in front of a fire. Joyce’s head was resting on Thomas’s lap. His right hand was gently caressing her extended belly.

“I suppose this means that we’re not going to have a simple pregnancy,” remarked Joyce, looking up at her husband.

“No, that’s very unlikely.”

“I still want Kara as our doctor. I trust her,” stated Joyce.

“So do I,” said Thomas. “You look so happy.”

“I am. I have you and soon we’ll have a family. I’m sorry for doubting your intentions.”

“There’s no need for that. I wish I had done it differently, but that’s in the past; we need to plan for the future.”

Joyce let out a sigh of contentment.

Epilog

It was in early September that Joyce successfully gave birth to two healthy baby girls after nearly eighteen hours of labor. As she held her daughters, she apologized to Thomas for the curses she had uttered at him during the prolonged labor.

“They’re so beautiful,” stated Joyce as she looked down at her girls.

Thomas took out his camera and took a few photos. “The grandparents are already clambering for photos.”

“Okay, but that’s enough for now. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” asked Joyce.

As Thomas lovingly looked down at his wife and daughters, he shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

The End

Notes:

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