The Office Swap
Belladonna
[Author's Note: Based on an idea suggested by Jennifer]
Simon Harris opened up the doors to his office one early October
morning. He checked the office's answering machine for messages. Finding
that none had been left overnight, Simon walked into his office to look
over the application he had received for his company's new position one
last time.
Simon's business was small in size. He only employed three workers. One
was a low wage office girl who handled the company's tedious tasks,
while the other two worked with clients.
Most of the company's clients were domestically located, however, a few
were found outside of the country. The client's had all been English
speaking until a recent opportunity emerged for the company.
Simon had been contacted by a South Korean company that was interested
in doing business with Simon's company. The company's English speaking
representative hammered out a deal with Simon. The two companies were
going to start what Simon believed would be a very fruitful professional
relationship.
The contract was the largest one that Simon's company had ever received.
The contract provided that the client's representatives could make
regular inquires with Simon's company. Simon was told by the
representative that there might be a need for future negotiations in
Korean and that inquires might be made by its CEO. While the CEO had
some knowledge of the English language, he was not fluent in it and did
not like to give up the advantages of speaking in his native language.
Thus, Simon found himself suddenly in need of a Korean speaking employee
to deal with the new client.
The office girl posted the opening online, specifying the requirements
of the position. Several people applied, but Simon felt that there was
only one well-qualified applicant.
The woman applicant had extensive sales experience and claimed to be
fluent in Korean. Simon arranged for an interview and hired a Korean
translator to come down and test her fluency.
Simon prepared for the 10 A.M. interview as the office staff filed in
for another day of work. The office girl came in and made coffee after
she settled into her chair. Kim then brought a cup of coffee into
Simon's office. He thanked her, and she got back to work handling phone
calls and copying documents.
Simon's two salespeople settled into their cubicles and got to work as
well. Simon looked over at them periodically through his office window.
He was not a particularly hands on leader with the two of them because
William and Jackie had never required such direction. They were
diligent, disciplined and self-starters. Both of them prospered without
his intervention so he saw no reason to get on them.
The office was largely harmonious. While there was a bit of competition
between William and Jackie to out do the other, the two were cordial
with each other. They both enjoyed their jobs and never complained.
Kim Gallup got along with everyone in the office. She was an
unobjectionable girl in her mid twenties. She was thin and stood 5'3"
with plain features, light skin and dull brown hair. While it was clear
to all that she was not happy with her lot in life and bored of the
monotony of her employment, it never resulted in discipline issues. She
knew that she had to do her work because it was the best job she could
get.
Worries about disturbing the harmony of the office were on Simon's mind
as he pondered the effect that a new employee would have on the office.
At 9:30, a knock was heard on the front door. An Asian man then entered
and announced he was hired by Simon for the morning.
Kim sent him into Simon's office and the two struck up a conversation
while they waited for the applicant. She arrived 15 minutes early. Simon
looked her over through his window for a moment before he signaled for
Kim to show her in.
Simon stood up and introduced himself and the translator as the
applicant entered the room. She shook both their hands and introduced
herself as Jennifer Riedel.
Simon asked her a few questions about business in general as well as her
resume. After hearing satisfactory responses, he asked, "Where did you
learn to speak Korean?"
"My father was a serviceman. He was stationed all over the world and
spent some time in Korea. After he got out, he moved my family there
when I was four because of a business opportunity he got because of his
ability to speak the language. I lived there for over ten years and was
surrounded by the language every time I left my house. I couldn't help
but pick it up."
"Do you mind if we test you?" Simon asked.
"Of course not", Jennifer answered.
The translator proceeded to speak with her in Korean. He smiled at Simon
during the conversation. When it finished, he turned to Simon and said,
"This girl is fluent."
Simon nodded and asked her a few more questions. After he concluded that
she was an agreeable woman with considerable talents, he offered her the
job. Jennifer quickly accepted the offer. Simon then showed the
translator out and brought Jennifer around the office to meet her new
coworkers.
"Jennifer, this is Jackie Wire and William Andriano. They're the
salespeople you will be joining. William and Jackie, this is, obviously,
our new saleswoman, Jennifer Riedel."
Jennifer exchanged pleasantries with William and Jackie before she was
shown her cubicle, which was next to theirs'. She was then taken over to
meet Kim. After that, Simon showed her out of the office and went back
to work.
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Jennifer began working in the office shortly after she was hired. Her
personality blended in with the other workers, and she quickly began to
perform at a slightly higher level than William and Jackie.
While William and Jackie were frustrated by this development, they did
not harbor any ill will towards Jennifer. They knew that she possessed a
particular natural talent for sales that they could not match.
Simon noticed that Jennifer seemed to be the middle ground between
Jackie and William in everyway. Jennifer's personality and sales
strategy alternated between aggressive and cordial. William's were
purely aggressive, while Jackie was affable and frequently sweet talked
her clients into deals. Simon noticed that Jennifer seemed to realize
that she did not have the luxury to operate the way Jackie did.
Jennifer was well aware of that. Jackie was in her late twenties and
quite beautiful. She was 5'7" and possessed a body that was a lean
everywhere except her breasts and rear. To Jennifer, Jackie seemed to be
a girl straight out of a gentleman's magazine. Jackie could do in person
sales with the best of them because men practically fell over themselves
to please her.
Jennifer knew that she was different. While she was also tall, her body
was thick and her features were broad and masculine. Jennifer always
resented her face as well as her 5'8" height that made her stand out
among other women. In addition, nothing she had tried had enabled her to
lose weight. While she was by no means fat, she was never able to attain
the slim body that she saw popularized in magazines.
Girls like Jackie had been Jennifer's idols in her youth. She tried
desperately to recreate their beauty. She only wore skirts and dresses
to play up her femininity, but it was never quite enough to make her
desirable. While she had boyfriends over the years, the pickings were
slim. The men frequently had perversions for her height or large hands
and feet.
The passage of time made Jennifer grow comfortable with herself. She
accepted her limitations and began to dress like other girls her age.
Her office attire was a mixture of skirt suits and dresses as well as
pantsuits, which she would have avoided in her younger days. The long
black hair of her youth had been cut short. Her sales strategy was
patterned on her male peers', but she blunted the negativity that
accompanied a woman using such a strategy with her natural friendliness.
She knew that men like William could get away with pure aggressiveness,
but she could not. It was expected of large men like William, but it was
considered improper negotiation etiquette for a woman to act that way
regardless of her size or appearance.
As Halloween came, the company had its annual costume contest. Simon had
always felt that it helped boost morale to let the employees dress up
for a day. It was understood that no one would invite clients down to
the office that day. The contest had never posed a problem in the past.
The contest had low stakes, but they prompted competition. While the
winners did not get anything, the lowest vote getters had to pick up
lunch that day.
The day came, and Simon stared out of his office window, sure that he
was wearing the winning costume for once. He watched his employees file
into the office in their costumes.
Jackie walked in dressed as a sexy, black cat, in an obvious attempt at
trying to sway the votes of William and Simon. William came in next,
dressed as a male member of the Jersey Shore, a television show that he
frequently liked to mock. Simon smirked at their costumes, sure that he
would pick up the votes of his female employees.
Then Kim walked in. She was dressed as a she-devil. The short,
glittering, red dress, fishnet stockings and shinny, patent leather, red
pumps all shouted that she was trying to seriously challenge Jackie for
the male votes that year. Simon felt even more confident that he was
going to win as he looked at her.
Jennifer then walked through the door and prompted amazed stares from
the workers. Simon's own jaw dropped a little. She walked towards her
cubicle with a smile on her face. The girl in her mid-thirties looked
like a man of the same age. Jennifer coworkers fawned over her
transformation. Simon knew that he had likely lost the entire female
vote to Jennifer.
Jennifer took it all in stride. She loved being praised over her
appearance. It taken her a long time to come to terms with her masculine
appearance, and she felt the costume was the final statement that she
needed to make to prove to herself that she could handle it.
Simon felt that Jennifer had one upped him. He cast his head down and
stood up. He straightened out his grey pencil skirt before he headed for
his office door in short, constricted steps.
He looked down at the blouse and jacket held off his chest by the
stuffed bra he was wearing and cursed himself. During a recent phone
call, his sister had assured him that going as a woman was the sure fire
way of getting female votes. He was told he would get sympathy from the
girls for putting on three-inch pumps and black tights just like them,
but, now, he knew that they were fawning over the transformation that
Jennifer had undertaken.
Simon opened up his office door, and the office workers' heads turned
towards it. Looks of shock quickly turned into amusement as he walked
out. Kim and Jackie smiled and called him pretty, but they were only
half joking. Simon smiled as he touched the jeweled barrettes he had
placed in his short hair that he had styled in a feminine fashion.
Jackie and Kim were shocked by how feminine he appeared. They concluded
that he could as easily pass for a woman as Jennifer could pass for a
man.
William had reached the same conclusion. It made him a little
uncomfortable because he found Simon slightly attractive en femme, not
that he would ever admit that. Jackie seemed to pick up on it, and
elbowed him saying, "Hands off her. You couldn't even plead ignorance
when you got that surprise."
Feeling his masculinity had been impugned, William retorted defensively,
"Don't be stupid, Kim. I don't find him attractive. I'm a man. I'm a
real man. There's no Crying Game thing going on with me."
Jackie and Kim smiled at each other over the telling forcefulness of
William's denial. Jennifer never smiled though. She could not bring
herself to as she stared at Simon.
The unfairness of what she was seeing was too much for her. Jennifer
could not understand how such a feminine face could be wasted on a man
while she had been burdened with such a masculine one. The only thing
that stopped her from crying was a line from a Cure song that helped get
her through puberty.
She reluctantly exchanged complements with Simon regarding each others'
outfits and how they must think a like in some ways. A secret vote was
then taken on the costumes. When the counting was finished there were
two votes for Simon, two votes for Jennifer and one vote for Kim.
Jackie sneered at William, sure that he was the one who voted for Kim
over her. With the vote counted, the office went back to work. Simon
went into his office and did his work while his employees went back to
their stations to begin their workdays.
Kim ordered lunch for the office as usual, but she was happy enough not
to have to pick it up that day. That task fell to William and Jackie as
the office's co-lowest vote getters in the costume contest.
Shortly after they exited, Kim saw two people walking towards the door.
"Mr. Harris, there's people coming towards our door", she called out.
Simon headed out of his office and saw Jennifer emerging from the
bathroom at the same time. He saw the two men's Asian faces and began to
wonder if they were from his new client.
Kim hastily pulled off her black head band with two red horns on it and
stuffed it in her desk drawer. The two men walked into the office and up
to Simon and told him where they were from.
Simon's heart started to race as he saw his biggest client's CEO
standing next to his interpreter and asking to see, "Mr. Harris."
Simon wondered how he was going to explain himself when he turned and
saw Jennifer walking towards him. Simon smiled at the men, and turned to
Jennifer and said, "This is Mr. Harris."
Simon explained to Jennifer who the men were without letting on that she
was not who he claimed she was. Jennifer nodded and smiled at the men.
She introduced herself and said hello and took them towards Simon's
office. The interpreter looked down at the garish clothing that Kim was
wearing and asked, "Do you employee prostitutes, Mr. Harris?"
Jennifer quickly answered, "No. No. She's just prettying up the office."
Kim blushed overhearing the remarks from both of them. Jennifer went
into Simon's office and took a seat behind the desk. The two businessmen
sat down in front of it, while Simon stood.
The men asked who Simon was. Jennifer replied, "That's Jennifer Riedel.
She's our top salesperson."
The CEO said something to the interpreter that Simon did not understand.
Before the interpreter could speak, Jennifer responded in Korean, "No.
She doesn't need to be here, sir."
She then continued in English, "Jennifer, could you please run along?
Mr. Kim doesn't want to talk business with a woman in the room."
Simon was a little taken aback by the statement, but he knew he could
not risk losing his client. So, he complied with the man's request. He
walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.
Kim looked at him and mouthed, "What's going on in there?"
Simon explained what was happening. Kim was a little amused by the
farcical situation playing out in front of her. However, she was still a
little bothered by the interpreter's comment about her and the CEO's
regard for women.
As the meeting continued to go on for a while, Simon decided to head
towards his desk to wait for it to end. While he played around on her
computer, Jackie and William reentered the building carrying the
office's lunch.
They gave him a strange look that he caught as they walked in. He put
his right pointer finger to his lips and motioned them towards him.
William and Jackie placed the food down on an unused table and asked
what was going on. Simon explained everything to them. They gave him
concerned and shocked looks. While losing the account would not put
their jobs in jeopardy, they knew it could negatively impact future
revenue streams for them coming out of South Korea.
They then took hold of the food and brought it into the conference room
to eat. They all spoke in whispers about what was going on in Simon's
office as they ate. When they finished eating lunch, the men were still
in the office with Jennifer. Simon had no choice but to go back to work
at Jennifer's desk. He saw that she was trying to recruit some new
clients. He called one of them and convinced them over the phone to
become a client of the company.
A few minutes after he finished the deal, Jennifer emerged from his
office with a smile on her face as Mr. Kim and his interpreter were
laughing and walking towards the door. As she walked out of the office
door, she said, "Just one second, Mr. Kim, please. I'll meet you outside
in a little bit. Jennifer, can I speak with you?"
Simon hurried over to her, nearly tripping in his heels. "What happened
in there?" Simon asked.
"Now's not the time. I'll tell when I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"That's what I called you over here for. You told the representative who
you negotiated with about your car."
"Yes, so."
"Well, he told Mr. Kim about it. He has a thing for American muscle
cars. I need your keys. He wants to take it for a spin."
Simon hurried into his office and retrieved the keys to his Mustang from
the small pocketbook he had placed under his desk. He handed them to
Jennifer and said, "Be careful with it."
She nodded before she headed for the door. Simon walked slowly towards
it and looked out the glass as the interpreter climbed into the cramped
backseat while Mr. Kim slipped into the driver's seat, and Jennifer
situated herself in the passenger's seat.
He watched them speed out of the parking lot. Kim walked over and put
her arm around him and led him away from the window. She knew he was
worried about what was going on. She knew she had to distract him. So,
she told him that he had work to do.
Simon nodded and went into his office. He closed the door behind him and
started to do his work. As much as he tried to focus on it, he found
that he could not. His mind would inevitably drift back to how he was
seen by Mr. Kim. The man had no trouble believing that he was a woman
and that Jennifer was his male boss. It seemed too bizarre to be true.
He could not fathom the odds that both he and Jennifer would dress in
drag the same day that their biggest client would stop by unannounced.
While Simon felt that he was not the worst looking man in drag he had
ever seen, he had failed to realize how convincing he was. He never
would have guessed that Jennifer would make a convincing man either. He
felt that fate had somehow conspired against him.
As if that was not enough, Simon's feet began to hurt from the heels he
was unaccustomed to wearing. Simon took off his shoes at his desk and
began to rub his feet as he read one of Jackie's expense reports. He
felt a few leg hairs poking his forearm through his opaque tights while
he massaged his ankles.
Suddenly, Simon heard a car door slam. He jumped up and looked outside.
Mr. Kim was smiling at Jennifer and chatting. Simon realized that they
were getting ready to walk back through the office's front door. Simon
hurried to put on his grey, peep toed pumps and picked up his pocket
book. He rushed across the floor in short steps that amused both Kim and
Jackie while William looked on, unsure of why Simon was taking such
small, mincing steps.
Simon began to take deep breaths and wince as he sat down in Jennifer's
cubicle. Jackie and William both looked at him as Mr. Kim and his
interpreter reentered the building with Jennifer. They ignored the
office staff and walked right back into Simon's office.
Jackie looked at William for a moment before she turned to Simon and
asked, "Mr. Harris, are you all right?"
"I'm not used to running in heels. I think I might have turned an
ankle."
"Let me see", Jackie replied.
Simon showed her his left ankle. She took it in her hand as she told him
to cross his legs. Simon liked the feeling of the pretty girl's soft
hands on his legs. It amplified the strangely blissful feeling the
tights were giving him.
Jackie shook her head and said, "I think you're fine. The only thing is,
if you're going to wear a skirt, you've got to shave your legs, dear."
Simon glanced up at her and saw her smile as well as William's. "Thanks
for the tip, I'll keep that in mind", Simon retorted before a smile came
upon his face.
Simon then went back to doing some of Jennifer's work to kill time. He
made an unsuccessful sales pitch before he saw his office door open
again. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Jennifer showed the
two happy looking men out the door.
Shortly after they walked out of the building, Simon stood up. He headed
towards Jennifer and asked, "What happened?"
Jennifer shook her head and said, "Talk with me in the conference room.
I'm really hungry. I've got to get something to eat."
Simon nodded and followed her into the conference room. Jennifer walked
over to the refrigerator and took out the food that Kim had left in
there for her.
As Jennifer finished taking her first bite, Simon asked, "Well, what
happened?"
Jennifer finished chewing and said, "Mr. Kim and I talked a bit about
the contract and our business with him. He's happy so far, but he wants
to make sure that we can continue providing such good services. Anyway,
he was in the neighborhood and wanted to check out our business..."
"In the neighborhood? He lives on the other side of the world. Why he's
even here?" Simon interjected.
"Yes, he told me that. His company has whole bunch of contracts with
companies and firms in the city. He's checking each one of them out
personally. He just got in yesterday, and he's got a sixty day trip
planned."
"Sixty days? How many places does he have to visit?" Simon asked.
"Quite a few. He says he'll pop by here again. He was a little bit
concerned about Kim's clothing and later when he saw William's and
Jackie's, but I told him what was going on."
"So he knows it's Halloween and this is not how we usually look?"
"Yes, that's what I told him about them. I told him that it was a one
day thing and that they're all very professional."
"About them? Well, what about us?"
"Well, I couldn't backtrack on the lie you told them. I just told them
that I don't dress up because I'm the boss, and you abstained because
you're a prude. He bought it."
"Okay, I understand why you did it, but did you tell him to at least
schedule appointments with us if he wants to see us?"
"I suggested it, but it didn't go over well. Given how we looked today,
he doesn't want us to know when he's coming by. He wants to make sure we
run this place in a respectable manner."
"So, he's going to be popping by here periodically for the next 60
days?"
"Yes", Jennifer responded with a grim face.
Simon's expression became similarly glum. They both knew what it meant.
While portraying a member of the opposite sex was fun for one day,
neither one of them wanted to maintain the ruse. Simon was well aware
that they would have to shift their workspaces in the office as well.
Mr. Kim believed that Jennifer was Simon so she needed his manager's
office.
Simon resigned himself to having to sit out in the general office area
at cubicle beside his two salespeople. While he knew he would still be
able to do his job out there, he could not help but feel that the simple
shift in his physical workspace in the office was a demotion.
Jennifer asked, "You know what this means right?"
Simon nodded and said, "We have to switch our desks."
Jennifer nodded and walked out of the conference room after she finished
eating. She helped Simon and Kim transfer all of Simon's belongings to
Jennifer's desk and vice versa.
Neither William nor Jackie was happy about the new office arrangement.
They liked being out of Simon's earshot even though they did not say bad
things about him. They felt that they were losing some of their freedom
in the office by having to sit next to their boss like bad children
forced to sit next to the teacher's desk.
As Simon went to sit at Jennifer's desk, Jennifer put her hand on his
shoulder and said, "We have something else to talk about."
Simon wondered what she was going on about. He walked behind her and
into the office that Jennifer now called her own. She motioned for Simon
to take a seat while she went and sat behind the desk.
Simon was a little peeved by what Jennifer was doing. He knew that she
was supposed to have the appearance of being the boss, but he was still
the company's sole real boss.
Jennifer cleared her throat and said, "You know what has to be done,
right, Mr. Harris?"
"Yes, we already did it, Jennifer."
"No. There's more to it than that, sir."
"Like what?"
"Well, Mr. Kim knows you drive the Mustang."
"So?"
"Well, what would he think if he showed up here and saw you pull into
the lot in it? It would seem odd right?"
"Yes, it would", Simon replied, aware of where Jennifer was going. He
knew she was right. Maintaining the ruse required a lot more than he
initially thought.
"So, you know we have to switch cars, right?"
Simon nodded and responded, "Let me grab my keys."
Simon stood up and went to his new desk and picked up his pocketbook. He
carried it back into Jennifer's new office and took a seat. He opened it
and took out the keys. As he began to separate the house keys from it,
Jennifer interjected, "Oh, Mr. Harris, there's more."
Simon froze, aware of where she was going. Jennifer scratched the side
of her head and said, "You gave Mr. Kim your home phone number. He told
me that. He said he was going to give you a call there some time in the
future."
"You're kidding me?" Simon replied as all expression was drained from
his face.
"I'm afraid not."
Simon swallowed hard and nodded. He knew there was no escaping it. He
had to trade residences with Jennifer as well. He handed over his keys
and received hers in return. They both then wrote down directions to the
other's residences.
Jennifer pulled down her tie and said, "How do you I say this without
offending you?"
"What?"
"Well, I have nothing to hide in my place; do you have any place you
don't want me to look?"
"Not as far as I know. There are no drugs or anything like that, if
that's what you're thinking."
"No. I wasn't. It's just that we're about the same size."
"So?" Simon asked, not understanding where she was going.
"Well, we can save a lot of money, if we wear each others' clothes."
"Yes, I have to agree with you on that. I don't want you spending money
pretending to be me. Yes, okay. Yes, we'll have to do this", Simon
replied.
Jennifer nodded and stood up. "What are you doing?" Simon asked.
"We have to talk about this with the others."
Simon nodded his head and followed her out of the office's doors. Simon
called Jackie and William over to Kim's desk by the front door. Simon
explained to them what had happened again and the repercussions.
Jennifer then interjected, "This has some further consequences in the
office."
"Like what?" Kim asked.
"For starters, you can't call me Jennifer anymore. I'm Mr. Harris, and
Mr. Harris is Jennifer. We can't have any slipping when Mr. Kim is
here."
The office staff nodded, accepting her reasoning. Simon was not happy
about the turn of events, but he felt he was powerless to stop it. Simon
then let the staff get back to work. However, Simon suddenly realized a
potential problem with the clients he had brought in and Jennifer's.
Simon went into Jennifer's office and explained that they would both
have to tell their clients that they were not going to be in the office
the next two months, but they would be reachable by cell-phone. Jennifer
nodded and agreed to this arrangement, but she added that they needed to
designate employees to deal with the clients if they needed to meet with
a representative of the company in person. Simon agreed with her and
said that he would meet with her clients and she should meet with his.
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The workday ended, and Simon headed to Jennifer's car. It was a silver,
Toyota Prius. Simon started the vehicle and heard its quiet engine that
sounded so different from that of his Red Mustang. The masculine
roughness of his own car had given way to the meekness of his temporary
one.
Simon felt emasculated by the change of his position for the first time
as he put the car in drive. The loud sounds and powerful feel he felt
when he drove were gone. He pressed the breaks as the car came to a stop
before the roadway. He looked in the mirror and saw the feminine face he
would be forced to see five days a week. It was a girlish face that
seemed better befitting the car he was driving out of the lot than the
one had driven into it.
He turned onto the road and felt the distinct lack of pickup the car had
by comparison to his own. Simon drove the car towards his temporary home
at a speed that was considerably slower than he was used to. He pulled
up at the address and found that Jennifer did not live in a home. She
lived in an apartment. While this should have been no great surprise to
Simon given the giant letter "C" on the address that she gave him, he
could not help but feel let down about his new accommodations.
Simon parked the car in the building's lot and walked towards the
apartment building. He opened the door and headed for apartment C. He
unlocked the heavy metal door and pushed it in.
He walked into the small apartment and looked around. There was a large
closet along the hallway that led to the living room and eating area.
Simon was struck by how small it all felt to him. His home was quite
spacious while Jennifer's place felt cramped and crowded despite the
apartment's sparse furnishings.
He walked into the small walk-in kitchen. He turned on the florescent
overheard light that promptly emitted a humming noise. He shook his head
as he realized that while his work had not changed that much at all, the
change in his life made it feel as if he had some how been demoted even
though he still owned his own company.
Simon walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. He looked inside
and saw that it was fully stocked with condiments, milk, soda, ice tea,
yogurt and some cold cuts.
Simon went through her freezer and saw some frozen meat and fish. He
then went into her cabinets and found cereals, oatmeal, spices, bread
and canned foods.
Simon then took a look at the oven. The oven door nearly hit the
refrigerator when it was fully opened.
The reality of the situation set in for Simon. The life he was
accustomed to was gone for the next sixty days. He closed the oven door
and walked out of the kitchen. He saw another closet door and then saw
the small bathroom.
The bathroom had a medicine cabinet stocked with the makeup he would now
be regularly using as well as feminine products that Simon was happy he
would not have to concern himself with. He looked over the tiled floor
and walls as well as the dilapidated looking porcelain tub and toilet.
Simon walked out of the bathroom and into the apartment's sole bedroom.
It was sparsely decorated as well. Simon went over to the dresser and
opened up the drawers one by one to take inventory of Jennifer's
clothing. He found Jennifer's intimates as well as her around the house
clothes. He also found a few photographs of her when she was young. He
smiled at a picture capturing Jennifer during the period of her life
when she made futile attempts to be a girly girl. Simon thought that the
all pink outfit and silver headband looked cute.
That thought prompted Simon to put the picture away. It was not the kind
of thought that Simon usually entertained, and he did not want his
temporary appearance to influence his thoughts and behavior.
A single shoe on the floor caught Simon's eye. It was in front of the
bedroom closet's doors. He walked over and picked it up. He then opened
up her closet and looked inside. He found the clothing that he expected
to find. It was the same mixture of pantsuits, skirt suits, blouses and
dresses that Jennifer wore to work.
Simon was only surprised by the fact that Jennifer owned so much
clothing as well as a large number of shoes. He counted over seventy
pairs of shoes in addition to five pairs of sneakers.
As Simon looked over her clothing, he knew that he had to try some of it
on to see if it fit him. He hoped that it would because he did not want
to have to buy feminine clothing of his own, which he was sure he would
never wear again after the sixty days were over.
Simon pulled out some of Jennifer's pantsuits and skirt suits and tried
on the bottoms. He was happy to find that they fit him perfectly. Simon
realized that Jennifer was right; they had nearly identical waistlines.
Simon was only an inch taller than Jennifer so the skirts and dresses
did not show a prohibitive amount of leg. Her pants were also not that
short on him.
Satisfied that her clothes fit, Simon tried on her shoes next. While he
found that a few pairs were too tight for him, he found that Jennifer's
opened back and adjustable sling-back heels fit him well enough.
Simon then took off Jennifer's clothes and put everything back away. He
took out the barrettes from his hair and placed them next to Jennifer's
jewelry box, which contained very little jewelry as he expected.
Jennifer had large hands that she did not like to draw attention to with
rings and bracelets. While she had a few pairs of earrings, they were of
no use to Simon because he lacked pierced ears. She also had a necklace,
but Simon did not want to wear it because he was afraid he would lose
it.
He closed the box and headed into the bathroom wearing only his tights.
He pulled them off when he entered the bathroom and placed them in the
sink to soak before he stepped into the shower.
As the powerful shower spray hit Simon, he caught sight of Jennifer's
lady razor. He remembered that most of her hosiery was sheer and not
opaque. He knew that to maximize what she owned he would have to shave
his legs.
Simon felt a powerful urge inside him that told him that it was okay for
him to shave his legs. Although it was a decidedly feminine act, he knew
that in the eyes of the world he was a girl for the next two months.
Simon lathered up his legs and began the lengthy process of removing
every short black hair from his legs.
With his legs rendered hairless, Simon looked over the rest of his
largely hairless body. The only other potentially visible hairs rested
in his armpits. While he knew he could easily avoid having them seen by
wearing any of Jennifer's sleeved tops, Simon saw no reason to hold back
after he shaved his legs. He knew that with one part of his body already
evidencing his feminine look there was no reason to not take it a little
farther.
When he finished shaving, Simon washed off his body and washed his hair
before he stepped out of the shower. He blow-dried his hair before he
started washing his tights by hand like he had seen his ex-girlfriends
wash theirs'. When he finished, he hung them over the shower curtain rod
and walked into Jennifer's bedroom wearing only a towel. As he selected
a pair of panties, he realized that he was holding the towel over his
chest. He blushed about his subconscious act and dropped the towel to
the ground while he put on the plain, purple, cotton panties.
He then put on a pair of socks and dressed himself in one of Jennifer's
black, velour tracksuits before he walked into the kitchen and made
himself dinner. After dinner, he watched Jennifer's 32 inch television
that seemed small to him because he was used to watching a 55 inch
television at home. As 10 P.M. arrived, Simon decided to turn in for the
night.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The following sixty days seemed to hurry by for Simon. The downtime at
home that he had become used to was gone. Everything seemed to take more
time for him now that he was living as a woman.
Part of it was that his feet and calves hurt everyday he came home.
Although they increasingly hurt him less as the weeks went on, he still
looked forward to taking his shoes off when he reached his apartment. As
a result of his foot pain, Simon found that he was moving slower at
home. This only served to increase the amount of time it took him to do
chores he never did in his own home.
Simon found out quickly that Jennifer did not have a weekly cleaning
lady like he did. Instead, she cleaned her own apartment. While Simon
considered getting a cleaning lady, he did not want to give a stranger a
key to what he partly felt was still someone else's apartment.
Simon had not cleaned his own living space since he was in college. It
became a ritual for him to try clean as much of the apartment as
possible after work, but his foot pain regularly limited his ability to
do it. As such, he frequently found himself spending his entire Saturday
morning and afternoon cleaning up the apartment. Eventually, he
designated his weekends as the time to do such chores.
As the weeks went on, Simon increasingly spent his weekday nights taking
care of his errands instead of cleaning. He would shop then because he
found that it was less crowded than it was on the weekends. He shopped
for food and drinks primarily, but he occasionally splurged on
replacements for items necessary to maintain his girlish appearance like
razors, makeup and hosiery.
Simon's errands also included going to the laundromat. He had not been
in one since college since he always had a washer and dryer in his home.
It was at the laundromat that Simon first experienced an aggressive man.
He had seen the young man several times at the laundromat. He had a few
words with the man who clearly found Simon attractive.
Simon did not reciprocate those feelings, but it never stopped the man
from leering. Finally, one day, the man introduced himself as Aaron.
Simon told Aaron his name was Jennifer and went back to doing his
laundry. Aaron then said, "You have very pretty legs."
"Thanks", Simon replied slowly as he felt a surge of arousal about the
complement.
"You've got a great body too."
Simon smiled and said, "Thanks again." He laughed to himself about what
Aaron would think if he found out his largest apparent assets were just
socks resting in a bra.
Aaron read Simon's smile and moved closer to him. Simon tried to move
away, but he was up against a washing machine as Aaron smiled down at
him. Aaron asked, "Would you like to go out sometime?"
"No. I'm kind of in a relationship", Simon lied.
Aaron said, "I'm sure he doesn't measure up."
"It's pretty serious", Simon retorted.
Aaron slumped and said, "All right, baby, but you know where I am when
you drop that zero."
Simon smiled. He then went back to finish doing his laundry.
Aaron was not the only person to notice Simon in his feminine garb.
Jennifer's neighbors also noticed the new face living in her apartment.
Simon explained to them that he was subletting it from her temporarily.
He found that quickly extinguished their interest in him.
At first, Simon's weekends were usually quiet outside of his errands. He
had no male clothes in the apartment, and he saw no reason to retrieve
them from his house. While he knew that he could go out as a man outside
of his workplace, he was uncomfortable with the thought of living two
separate lives. He was initially afraid that it would cause him to slip
up at work when Mr. Kim came by, however, that quickly gave way to a
different reason. Simon found himself comfortable being Jennifer. He
loved the feel of her clothing, especially her tights and pantyhose.
Simon wore them under his clothing all the time. He always wore them to
work and when he went out outside of work. He slept in them and hung
around his apartment with them beneath Jennifer's sweats and tracksuits.
He wore them under every piece of clothing at his disposal. The silky
feeling they provided on his shaved legs was the most blissful feeling
he ever felt. He knew that even when he returned to being a man, he
would still wear them and shave his legs to enhance their feeling.
In addition to the clothing, Simon also found himself comfortable living
as a woman. While he did not appreciate the occasional glances and
comments he received from men, he found himself smiling at them. Simon
knew that he enjoyed being desirable even if it was by people he had no
attraction to.
The swap was also having an effect of Jennifer. Jennifer was overwhelmed
the first time she walked into Simon's home. It was so much larger than
hers and was on an isolated stretch of land. She never once saw Simon's
neighbors. While the seclusion of the area had to do with the fact that
it was more rural than upscale, the house was far larger and nicer than
any she had ever resided in. She knew that she would probably never be
able to afford a house like it. So, since Simon was paying the bills for
it just as she was with her own apartment, she figured that she would
make the best of her two month stay. She went out of her way to utilize
every room daily.
Despite the size of the house, Jennifer found herself with more time to
herself because the cleaning was done by a maid's service that Simon
employed. He kept the service going at the house because he figured that
he did not want to disrupt since he would be returning in two months.
The presence of a washer and dryer on the premises also cut down on the
time it took her to do laundry.
Jennifer found her increased idle time permitted her to go out more.
While she was initially worried about her masculine appearance, she
quickly found that it enabled to walk down streets with less stares than
she was used to from those who gawked at the tall, masculine looking
woman she was. It seemed that the change of apparent sex made her more
invisible. She had long wanted to fit in more, and, now, she did.
As much as she had come to terms with her appearance, she had never
stopped wanting to stick out less. She realized that presenting herself
as a man had given her that. She found it enjoyable. She found other
benefits to being a man as well. She had long hated having to wear
heeled shoes. She was happy to be able to walk in flat shoes without it
being an issue. She felt that she was able to enjoy being a man in a way
that a man could not because she believed that men simply did not
appreciate all that went into being a woman.
Jennifer was not so ignorant of what being a member of the fairer sex
entailed. She reveled in not having to shave her body anymore, not
having to pluck her eyebrows and not having to put on makeup. The time
it took her to complete her morning routine was cut drastically. All it
took was showering, eating and dressing in clothes that were not easily
ruined.
Dressing in Simon's clothing made Jennifer feel rough at times. The
clothing was courser than her own, which initially bothered her. However
as her leg hairs grew in, the feeling of the clothing became more
comfortable for her. She also found that she enjoyed the warmth that
accompanied wearing pants everyday. She knew that when she went back to
being a woman, she would never wear a skirt or dress again unless it was
absolutely necessary.
Driving Simon's car also made Jennifer feel powerful in a way that was
alien to her. She had never driven a car capable of high speeds, and she
took full advantage of it. She enjoyed being aggressive in it as she
drove at high speeds and viciously cut off slow drivers.
The changes that affected Simon and Jennifer continued at the workplace.
The first day was the strangest for the two of them as they watched the
other walk around dressed in each other's clothes. Jennifer and Simon
grimaced when they saw each other as he stood before her in one of her
wrap dresses while she looked back at him as she wore one of his suits.
Jennifer's work was constrained by her appearance. She could no longer
meet clients in person because her appearance did not match the name she
continued to formally work under. Jennifer was thus constrained to using
the telephone. She found that her sales did not drop significantly,
however, since she adopted a more aggressive manner that continued to
complement her continuing natural affableness.
The whole office staff had a hard time adjusting to calling Jennifer Mr.
Harris, but after two weeks, the slipups ceased. The staff was able to
maintain the ruse, and Mr. Kim did not suspect a thing when he would
stop by unannounced.
The first few times he came by were the strangest for Simon. He would
watch this important man walk in and said hello to Jennifer as if she
was him. He was watching somebody talk to someone else they thought was
him. He found the whole thing strange as he watched it happen from
Jennifer's cubicle.
The whole office found it strange at first as well. William and Jackie
would snicker to themselves about the whole thing, and they eventually
shared their views on it with Simon. Simon agreed with their viewpoint.
He knew that it was a ridiculous situation that resulted from a stupid
holiday contest and a single lie to cover it up. However, Simon was well
aware of how lies could snowball into bigger lies, and he was living
with the result of one.
Since Mr. Kim favored discipline and assertiveness, Jennifer frequently
found herself giving Simon and the others orders when he was around.
While none of them appreciated it much since she possessed no actual
supervisory powers over any of them, they complied because they knew it
would make the company look bad to Mr. Kim if they did not.
Jennifer felt uncomfortable when she gave the orders. She knew in her
heart that she was not the boss. While she had no problem pretending to
be one when Mr. Kim was around, it still bothered her to bring others
into the ruse. She would always find herself apologizing to the office
staff whenever Mr. Kim left.
Simon and the others all understood why she had to say what she said.
They told her not to worry about it and that she did not have to
apologize. Their words failed to make Jennifer feel much better about
what she had to do though.
Simon's own work situation changed as well. As a result of the shift of
his physical workspace, Simon was finding himself spending more time
with Jackie and William since they sat in the adjacent cubicles.
While they initially did not like having their boss within earshot all
day, Jackie and William eventually realized that Simon really did not
care about what they said to each other. They began to include him in
their conversations and started up an office friendship with him. They
understood that if they did their work well, Simon would have problem
with whatever else they did with their time.
While he spent more time near Jackie and William, the most drastic
relationship change he had was with Kim. Simon had long viewed Kim as a
tool to take care of the office's unimportant work. He never really gave
her the time of day.
Simon came to realize that Kim was among the nicest people he had ever
met. As a result, he found himself talking to her like she was her own
woman and not his serf. A friendly office relationship blossomed into a
real friendship that continued outside of the workplace.
Going out with Kim on the weekend became the only social activity that
Simon engaged in besides work. They would go to the movies together, as
well as to lunch. Sometimes they would get dinner together or going
shopping. More than anyone, Kim came to view Simon as solely Jennifer as
the 60 days drew on.
The passage of time also resulted in Simon having marginally longer
hair. He refused to have it cut during the two months, and it grew an
inch over that time. It was not much, but Simon liked the slightly
longer look that he felt he could do more with. He also began painting
his fingernails and toenails after Kim suggested it. She taught him how
to do it, and Simon found that it helped to further emphasize his
femininity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the final day Mr. Kim was in the country, he stopped by the office
one last time to say goodbye to Jennifer. Jennifer met him and wished
him a good trip. Simon and the others did as well before he exited the
building.
As he left, Simon and Jennifer began to plot how they would swap their
lives back. They walked into the office Jennifer had been calling her
own for two months. Jennifer took her now customary placed behind the
desk while Simon sat in one of the guests' chairs.
Simon smiled at Jennifer and said, "Are you ready to go back to your old
life?"
"Sure am", Jennifer lied.
"Good", Simon replied as the smile left his face.
"What's wrong?" Jennifer asked.
Simon shrugged and said, "It's just going to be strange around here."
"I know", Jennifer replied with a grimace.
Simon realized that Jennifer was as torn about the whole thing as he
was. He leaned onto the desk in front of her and asked, "What do you say
we spend one more day as each other?"
Jennifer smiled and nodded, happy for the one day reprieve.
"Well, I guess we should plan how we're going to do this", Simon said.
Jennifer nodded.
"I was thinking we'll swap back our desks tomorrow morning."
As Jennifer nodded slowly, Simon noticed the vacant look in her eyes. He
asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's like you said. Things are just going to be weird. I've been this
man for two months. I'm just so comfortable, I don't if I..."
"I understand", Simon replied. He knew too well what she was feeling. He
too was accustomed to living as someone else.
Jennifer blinked tears out of her eyes as she came to realize that Simon
felt just like she did. She put her large hand onto Simon's and said,
"Thank you for you understanding. I'm happy I'm not going through this
alone."
"It's a shame. It really is. We both should have been different...",
Simon replied before his voice trailed off.
Jennifer smiled, knowing full well what Simon was talking about. Their
appearances and preferences screamed it. Both of them had their
frustrations with their bodies over the years, and, now, they each knew
the real reason why. They both knew that they were born wrong.
Jennifer had spent her youth trying to escape it. She tried to be like
all the other girls, but her appearance thwarted her attempts. Her
eventual acceptance of her manly feminine appearance was gone now. She
knew that she was not a girly girl or even a girl at heart. Everything
was easier for her as a man. She had been content with being a woman,
but what she had experienced eliminated that. She knew that she would
never feel right again as a woman in the world.
Simon looked at her and said, "We'll trade back cars tomorrow after
work."
Jennifer nodded again. Simon put his hand on her shoulder as he stood up
and walked out of the office. He went over to Kim and told her of his
plans with Jennifer. He then asked, "Would you like to go out to one
last dinner with me?"
Kim nodded and said, "I'd love to, Jennifer."
Simon was elated and walked back to the cubicle he would be free from
the next day. Jackie and William looked at him as he sat down. Jackie
smiled and asked, "Well, should we start calling you Mr. Harris yet?"
Simon shook his head as he replied, "No. Not until I'm back in his
clothes."
Jackie and William gave each other knowing looks. Jackie leaned towards
Simon and said, "You know you just referred to Mr. Harris as if he was
someone else?"
Simon blushed and nodded. He did not want to bring himself to admit that
he no longer thought of himself as Simon. He considered himself
Jennifer, but he was sure that he could acclimate himself to being Mr.
Harris once again.
As the workday ended, Simon and Kim drove to a restaurant in different
cars. They walked in and ordered their dinners and began to talk.
Kim asked, "How are you going to handle the switch back?"
Simon shrugged while he answered, "I'll manage."
"Are you sure you even remember how to be who you used to be?" Kim asked
with a smile.
Simon tilted his head and said, "I'm sure it's just like a bicycle", as
he crossed his legs and smoothed out his skirt beneath him.
Kim noticed his actions and felt secure in the fact that Simon was going
to remain one of her best girlfriends. As they ate their dinners, they
talked about work and what they were eating before they finished up.
After paying for dinner, Simon gave Kim a goodbye hug and went back to
Jennifer's apartment for the last night. He went inside and undressed.
He stepped into the shower and took hold of his ladies razor.
He knew that there was no reason to shave his armpits any longer.
However, he did not want to feel even a bit masculine at the moment. He
shaved them along with his legs. After he toweled off, he dressed in
pantyhose and a light dress and watched television before he went to
bed.
As he lay in bed, Simon's mind drifted to what being a man would mean to
him. He could not bear to think that he was spending his last night
fully en femme. As he thought about going to work in a male suit and
tie, he started to cry a little.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, Simon showed up dressed in a black skirt suit, black
sheer pantyhose and black pumps. He started to box up his belongings in
anticipation of his return to his former office.
"Mourning your femininity a bit early, I see", Kim said as she walked
into the building and saw Simon.
Simon smiled faintly and responded, "A little bit."
Jennifer walked in not long after that. She began to pack up her stuff
as well while Jackie and William began working at their cubicles.
Kim helped Simon and Jennifer swap the items on and in their desks.
After 15 minutes, the transition was complete. Simon placed his
pocketbook on his desk after he closed his office's door. He stared at
the office's window onto the floor and saw Jennifer looking
uncomfortable as Jackie and William talked to each other next to her.
Simon had felt so comfortable next to them, but Jennifer seemed to be
out of place there. They seemed uncomfortable with her as well. She had
a good relationship with them before the swap occurred, but it seemed to
be a distant memory to all parties now. It seemed, to all of them, that
Jennifer was no longer the cordial woman she once was.
Simon put his head down and wondered if it was all too late. He wondered
if she could go back to being a man. It hit him then that there might be
anyway for him to return to being the man he once was. He had learned
too much about himself. He had enjoyed his time too much. He was just
like Jennifer, except in reverse.
A tear came into Simon's eye. He pushed it away because he feared that
he would start blubbering like the woman he felt he truly was.
Simon sat down and put his head in his hands. He wondered if he could
embrace any part of his masculinity again. He had already decided to
continue to shave his legs and wear hosiery beneath his clothes at all
times. He needed the feel of them to feel good about himself. He looked
at his reflection in the mirror that hung on his office's wall. The mere
thought of not looking as feminine as he did at that moment made him
feel distraught. Simon knew then that his masculinity was dead and
buried. He realized that there was no resurrection of it coming. The
only thing that separated him from total femininity was his biology.
Simon tried to put it out of his mind as he began to do his work. He
quickly felt lonesome as he did it. He was become accustomed to the
occasional conversations he had with William and Jackie to break up the
monotony of his work, but they were too far away now.
Simon decided to go pay them a visit. He walked over to them and chatted
with them while Jennifer tried her best to ignore them and focus on her
work.
Jennifer's actions spoke loudly to Simon. He decided then he needed to
take action. He told her to come see him in his office.
She walked in, and Simon said, "We have to make some changes."
"Yes, I understand. You can't keep me on like this", Jennifer replied.
"No, that's not it all", Simon responded.
Jennifer looked at him and waited for him to continue. Simon responded,
"I want to swap back desks. I can't be secluded like this. I need to be
around by the others. I see you're uncomfortable out there, so I will
give you this office to do your work in."
Jennifer smiled and said, "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Now, we have to talk about the rest of the stuff."
Jennifer nodded before Simon continued, "I want my house back. So we're
trading back on that, but maybe we can keep each other's clothes."
"That would be great", Jennifer replied as a smile came across her face
as she realized that Simon intended to make parts of their ruse
permanent.
"You're okay with this?" Simon asked to be sure.
"More than okay. I need this. I'm not sure if I can go back to being a
woman now. I have too many masculine habits. I think I think like a man.
I don't feel like a woman, I'm not sure I ever really did."
Simon nodded and said, "I understand. I feel the same way about myself."
Jennifer smiled and said, "I can't see why. Who would want to parade
around in heels as eye candy?"
Simon smirked back at her and replied, "Well, it's inconceivable to me
that anyone would not want to wear clothes as soft to the touch as
mine."
Jennifer nodded and laughed.
"We're going to be trading cars back too", Simon added.
Jennifer nodded once more; she resigned herself to driving a less
masculine car. Although Simon felt that the Mustang no longer fit his
image, he knew it had a higher trade in value. He had already decided to
trade it in for a Chrysler Sebring convertible.
Jennifer pulled out the keys and handed them over to Simon. Simon then
returned her keys, but not until he pulled off the house keys.
"Why are you doing that?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, I was thinking we could swap back houses tomorrow. You know,
it'll be the weekend then, so it'll be easier to transport our stuff
back and forth from place to place. We'll have more time."
Jennifer nodded, happy to have his place to herself for yet another
night. She then asked, "Do you think we should tell the others now?"
"I suppose", Simon replied.
They walked out of the office together and called for the office
workers' attention. Simon then announced the terms of his agreement with
Jennifer.
Jackie and William gave looks of mild surprise. The prospect of this
occurring had dawned on them by the start of the second month. Both
found it odd how easily Simon and Jennifer had taken to behaving like a
member of the opposite sex. They sometimes wondered if Simon and
Jennifer had somehow planned the swap in advance.
Kim was not surprised at all. She knew that Simon was now firmly
Jennifer, her friend and boss. She never thought that he was serious
about returning to his former gender. He seemed to simply enjoy being a
woman too much.
With the office informed, Jennifer and Simon informed the customers that
they had met in person of their departure and who their replacement was.
Simon gave his customers Jennifer's number and vice versa. Each
developed a new alias to work under. Simon became Jennifer Lee, while
Jennifer became Simon Ermes. Kim, Simon and Jennifer then swapped the
items on and in Jennifer and Simon's desk once more.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Simon and Jennifer moved their belongings from the others'
residence to their own with Kim's help. They swapped keys before
Jennifer left Simon and Kim to set up Simon's house.
Kim helped unpack the boxes of Jennifer's clothes. She assisted Simon as
he put them in his dresser drawers and closet
After they finished, Simon walked around the house with Kim. He looked
at the house that was no longer cleaned to his standards, and he decided
to fire his maid service. He had come to realizes that cleaning was not
the major undertaking he thought it was.
Simon then placed his cosmetics in his bathroom and headed into the
kitchen to talk to Kim. He offered to make her lunch. She accepted and
watched with a smile as the man who had she once been felt was
intimidating made her a sandwich.
She took it from him when he was done and looked at her friend with a
smile.
"What?" Simon asked as he looked at her.
Kim laughed and said, "Did you ever think you'd grow up to be such a
great woman when you were a kid?"
A smile came upon the new Jennifer's face as she said, "No. But if I
knew that it was like this, I would have made the transition a long time
ago."