Flat Nates - Part 2 - Chapter 14 - Time To Grow Up free porn video

FLAT MATES - Part 3 Chapter 14 - "Time to Grow Up" Three years; where had they gone? It seemed only Yesterday that I as a callow youth of 19 had left the family home in Scarborough to travel to Manchester to start my engineering course at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. I arrived in Manchester a straight, horny teenager keen to get amongst all the beautiful girls that would, inevitably, be around every corner. Within weeks I had discovered I was a latent cross-dresser and then, some months further on, that I was gay. It was all a bit of a shock for a young lad! Not that I would have changed anything. Now, three years later, having graduated from university, I was in the process of setting up home ready for the man I loved to return from a year's post-graduate study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America. And, what is more, both us were about to start work with the same employer; a prestigious technology supplier, Robotic Solutions. My partner, Gavin, is a brilliant engineer and had been recruited to work in one of their Research and Development teams. I am a less distinguished engineer, although I had gained a very respectable 2:1 degree, but have very positive "people" skills. As a result of a research project I had taken part in during my third year at Uni, I had been offered a junior position in Customer Services as part of an experimental team looking into ways of developing closer relationships with the company's clients so that we could meet their technological needs in a smoother, more integrated way, to the mutual benefit of both organisations. Heady stuff and a big challenge that I was relishing; I was due to start with Robotic Solutions in a month's time and had just received my contract for signing. As with most large organisation, whilst the contract was relatively short and simple, if was hedged round with complex terms and conditions. I read these carefully; particularly those relating to Equal Opportunities. The reason I was so interested in this part of my contract is because I am, as I have already said, both gay and a cross- dresser. I wanted to make sure, before signing the contract and committing myself to anything, that nothing in my appearance or behaviour would be likely to cause me to run foul of any regulation. The section on Equal Opportunities appeared to present the company as an enlightened employer, committed to developing as diverse a workforce as possible. Unfortunately the language used was so legalistic that I couldn't be sure I was interpreting it correctly. There was only one thing to do, as I saw it, and that was to take the bull by the horns and go and talk to someone face to face. Accordingly I rang the office of an Ms B Hopkins, the Human Resources Manager who had sent me the contract and arranged to go and see her the following day. Now, it so happens that ever since I discovered that I was a cross- dresser, my male wardrobe has diminished as my female one grew! In fact, by the end of my third year at Uni I was wearing female clothes nearly all the time - even when I wasn't actively presenting as a woman. When I had been asked to an interview with Robotic Solutions, I possessed so few masculine clothes that I has to go out and buy a new suit, shirt, socks, and shoes - just for the interview! I donned the same outfit for my meeting with Ms Hopkins. The following morning, prompt to my time of 11:30, I presented myself outside Ms Hopkins' door. To any passing stranger I must have looked a most peculiar individual. My clothes were boringly conventional - charcoal grey suit, white shirt, nondescript tie, and well polished black shoes - but the rest of me distinctly was not! Starting from the top; my naturally mid-brown hair was dyed a rich warm blonde, with high and low-light streaks running through it. My hair hung down to my shoulders and was styled in such a way that I could either brush it up into a feminine style or down into a more androgynous look. (Currently it was severely brushed "down"!) Moving down to my face; extensive use of depilatory creams had left my cheeks smooth and with a much reduced beard growth. My ears were pierced - granted not too unusual for males of my generation - but I was wearing pretty little studs in an obviously feminine design. Continuing on down my body; my torso was slim and willowy - I can't have weighed much over 11 stone - and my body language was definitely effeminate, with lots of hand gestures; use of eye contact; and smiles. It wasn't that I was naturally camp, I wasn't, but rather that months of presenting as a woman had resulted in my developing serious female mannerisms. Ms Hopkins ushered me into her office and asked me to take a seat. To her credit, I couldn't detect any visual sign that she was startled by my appearance. Ms Hopkins was perhaps three or four years older than me. "Please sit down Kerris," she started. "I understand you have questions about our Equal Opportunities policy that you wish to have resolved." "That's right Ms Hopkins," I replied, "as you might deduce from my appearance; I am not your conventional new employee! And I want to ensure that I am acceptable to Robotic Solutions before committing myself to a contract." Ms Hopkins smiled, "I've seen more outlandish people sitting where you are, and we wouldn't have offered you a job if we weren't prepared to accept you as you are. Oh, and by the way, my name is Barbara. If we are going to talk frankly together, it will be easier if we are on first name terms. How would you prefer me to address you?" "Nowadays most people know me as "Katy"," I responded. "Well Katy, please tell me what it is that concerns you?" I explained that, as she had probably surmised, I was gay; in a relationship with another of their employees; and that we were both, in addition, cross-dressers. "Well, none of that would cause any problem in-house" Barbara commented, when I had finished speaking. "But I can see why you might be concerned. Your role with Robotic Solutions will regularly bring you into contact with our customers and some of them may not be as open and accepting of diversity as we are. Can I make a suggestion?" I hastened to assure Barbara that I would welcome any ideas which might avoid potential conflict. "The one contractual condition that I think you might fall foul of is the one that requires you not to behave in any way that brings Robotic Solutions into disrepute." Barbara mussed. "Now no company with which we deal would be stupid enough to risk falling foul of equality legislation, but first impressions are important and prejudices can creep in insidiously. If I can speak frankly; as you appear at the moment, you look neither man nor woman but some strange amalgam of both. I suspect our customers would be more comfortable if your outward appearance was more definite. I'm not suggesting that, were you to dress as a woman, you try to fool people into believing that to be your true gender, but that you are consistent in the visual messages you give out." This all made sense to me and we continued to discuss the ramifications of such an approach for some time. Finally Barbara came up with a positive suggestion. "I've seen you in "half and half" mode," she said, "and clearly you could, if necessary, revert to male appearance and behaviour - after all you have had eighteen years of practice in that area! What I don't know is how well you present as a woman. Why don't we stop now and you come back and see me again tomorrow as a full female. I will then be better placed to advise you as to what might be your best course of action." I eagerly accepted her suggestion and we arranged to meet at the same time the following day. Needless to say I took extreme care over my appearance the next morning. I rose early and spent a long time making sure my make-up was feminine but discrete - just as a professional woman would wish to look. My choice of clothes was more difficult. I didn't want to appear as a female version of a professional man. (i.e. no grey or navy skirt suits; something smart and appropriate but definitely feminine was called for.) I finally settled on a black velvet dress; cut high in the neck and falling to just above my knees. Over this I wore a grey and white stripped, linen jacket with three-quarter length sleeves; barely-black nylons and black court shoes with a four inch silver heel completed the ensemble. My jewellery was silver and grey - including a pretty belt with a bow-clasp; and I wore my hair up with wispy tendrils framing my face. I painted my nails a pretty shade of deep pink. Over all, when I had finished, I was very pleased with the final effect. I put my keys, money, etc in a black shoulder bag and set off in my little car for the Robotic Solutions' offices. At 11:30 I was, once again, being shown into Barbara's office. "Welcome Katy" she greeted me. "I love your shoes; you must tell me where you got them." This was a good start; a typical "woman to woman" opening to the conversation. Today, rather than seat me across her desk, Barbara indicated I should take an easy chair in the "soft" part of her office. As I sat I naturally smoothed my skirt underneath me and crossed my legs at the knee. Barbara smiled and I realised I had just passed her first test! "I can see that you have no trouble presenting as a woman and your voice is well modulated into a female speech pattern" she said. "My recommendation would be that you undertake your "on the road" work in female mode. I wouldn't advocate you're trying to disguise your true gender from those with whom you are working, but casual passers-by will almost certainly take you to be the woman you appear. How you dress back here at base is of no concern; just dress how you feel most comfortable." I was overjoyed by Barbara's comments and had to fight back my tears. Without saying anything, Barbara passed me a tissue. "Now, if you have nothing else to do this afternoon," she continued, "why don't I buy you lunch and then I can introduce you to some of the members of the team with whom you will be working." This was a fantastic suggestion and I accepted with alacrity. "I think you will now feel able to sign your contract" Barbara said with a smile. "Why don't we complete the formalities and then we can go to lunch." I signed on the dotted line without any further hesitation. Lunch was a relaxed affair. Barbara laid aside her "professional hat" and started asking me about how I first got into cross-dressing. She was fascinated by the story I told her and time flashed by. Eventually Barbara said, "Well I could sit here chatting for hours, but I guess we ought to get on." So saying she led me from the canteen and across to another building, which she told me was where Customer Services were based. Although excited to be meeting some of my new colleagues, I was, at the same time, a bit apprehensive as to how they might react to the way I was dressed. I need not have worried. First of all Barbara introduced me to Mark, our new team leader and my boss. To my amazement - and I think his - he turned out to be the same "Mark" I had first met months ago at Giovanni's - a gay nightclub in Manchester! I had danced and kissed him that first evening, but, although I had occasionally seen him around The Village, we hadn't really got to know each other any better since then. I quickly decided to make no reference to the fact I had met Mark previously and to leave the initiative with him. "Hallo Katy," he said with a smile, "long time no see. I hadn't realised that you were the new member of our team. I don't think I ever learned your male name." So my boss was cool with my cross-dressing; that was a big step forward! "If you two know each other already" Barbara interjected "I guess my job is done. Mark can look after you now Katy. Feel free to drop in and see me if you have any more questions or worries about your employment." With that she left us and returned to her office. Mark turned to me with a smile. "I was expecting a male as my new junior engineer; what's with the dress; I thought that was only a social thing for you?" I explained the background to my conversation with Barbara and Mark nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see the sense in that" he mussed. "Well you will add another layer of diversity to our little team. As you already know, I am gay; my deputy, and the person you will be teamed with, is a lesbian - her name is Moira by the way and I will introduce you to her in a minute. So far only the two of us and our Admin Assistant, Anne, have started working in the new Unit. In a few weeks time, when we are up and running, we will be joined by another four consultant engineers, so we can run three teams in the field concurrently." Mark led me through to another office where an attractive woman of about 35 or so was sitting at a desk working her way through a pile of papers and reports. "Moira" Mark said, "Can I introduce to Katy who will be your number two. I know you were expecting a bloke called Kerris, but he and Katy are one and the same person. I know Katy slightly already and am sure the two of you will work well together." Moira rose and shook my hand. "Welcome to the sweat shop" she joked, "Mark is a real slave driver and I will have my work cut out to get everything he wants ready in time for when you guys arrive in a few weeks time. "Hey, "Kerris Wright"; aren't you the guy who wrote that undergrad research paper I've just been reading?" She scrabbled around in the pile of papers in front of her and pulled out a copy of my thesis. "Yes I am," I confessed. "Well, it's a very good piece of work," Moira continued, "I have already noted one or two points that hadn't previously occurred to me. I want to pick you brains some time soon." Mark looked thoughtful; "That's an idea" he said. "Katy; do you have any commitments over the next month that you couldn't rearrange?" I told him I hadn't; I was just killing time waiting for my contract to start. "How would you feel if I asked Barbara to advance your start date?" he continued. "It would be a great help to Moira and me to have another pair of hands helping us get set up; and you would learn more about the unit and how we are planning to work, so that by the time the rest of the team join us you won't be the new boy - sorry "girl"!" This was fantastic; I could be in at the very beginnings of this new unit - and start earning a salary sooner than I had expected! So, of course, I said I would be delighted - if he could swing it with Barbara. The upshot was my start date was advanced to that very day and Mark told me he would expect me in the office at 08:30 the following morning. As yet I had relatively few clothes that were suitable for a "professional woman" but I guessed - (rightly as it transpired) - that the dress code during this setting up phase would be fairly relaxed. Still I wanted to get off on the right foot and took care selecting what I was going to wear for my first day as a working woman. In the end I settled for a pair of beige, wide-cut slacks, cream silk blouse, and a taupe wool cardigan/jacket. I wore my hair down; brown moccasin shoes with a two-inch heel; simple jewellery and a light make-up. Before leaving Robotic Solutions the previous day, Barbara had sorted me out with all the necessary passes; ID photos etc, so I was able to drive straight in and park my car in the area allotted to customer services. "I'll need to think about getting a new car", I mussed. "This old banger has been fine for Gloria and me when we were just pottering around Manchester with only the occasional longer run to Shrewsbury or Scarborough. However, if I am going to be on the road a lot visiting clients, I will need something newer and more reliable." Moira was already at her desk when I arrived at the office. "My, aren't you the pretty little thing?" she greeted me with a smile. "If it wasn't for that little extra piece of meat you hide in your knickers, I think I might make a pass at you! As it is I'll just have to settle for being good friends. Love your outfit by the way; where did you get that fabulous cardigan?" I told her and we spent a few minutes swapping thoughts about favourite designers and shops we liked. I took the opportunity to quiz Moira about the dress code we would be expected to adopt. "I'm going to have to buy a "working wardrobe"" I explained and I don't want to waste money buying the wrong things." Moira ran through the different clothes I would need. "When we are on the road visiting clients, the company expects us to look smart and professional; dress/skirt/pants suits are best and with judicious buying you can usually manage to make up a number of different outfits by careful combination of accessories. You will also need a couple of smart dresses for those evenings when we are either entertaining or being entertained by clients. Back here in the office, you can pretty well wear what you like. What you have on today, for example, is fine." (That morning Moira had chosen to wear back trousers and a royal blue cashmere sweater which made me feel comfortable about what I had chosen.) We wasted no more time and settled down to work. Moira gave me a list of jobs that needed doing and suggested I spend the day working through these with Anne, our Admin Assistant. The next three weeks whizzed by as we all raced to get the office ready for the arrival of the rest of the team and our official launch. Eventually the big day came and I was introduced to my fellow engineers; Peter and Philip were the two seniors, along with Moira, and my two colleague juniors were Andrew and Phyllis. Mark sat us all down together in a meeting room and we spent the next couple of days getting to know each other and working on a variety of case studies in different pairings. At the end of this process Mark confirmed that, initially, I would be paired with Moira; Andrew with Peter and Phyllis with Philip. "I think that this combination maximises our skill and experience mix" he concluded. "Now I have here the first assignments for each team. First thing tomorrow morning get on the case and start setting up appointments for initial visits." Now I won't bore you with long exposition about my work at Robotic Solutions - or RS as we came to call it. Suffice it to say that our new Unit was very successful from the word go. Customers valued our input into their strategic planning and investment in new technology products. For our part, RS landed several new, valuable orders and, after a six month trial, our Unit was made permanent. I got on really well with Moira. She was a very experienced consultant engineer and I learned much from her approach to the issues we were asked to explore. We also became good friends. Spending days at a time on the road, working and living together in hotels, it was just as well that we hit it off! Moira told me about her long-term partner, Sylvia, and I told her about Gavin/Gloria and how we had met, fallen in love, and discovered that we were gay. "And, of course, it was Gloria who introduced me to cross-dressing" I confided. "Wearing women's clothing would never have occurred to me on my own and think what I would have missed!" We laughed. "You really are very convincing as a woman" Gloria said. "I have noticed that until you tell them, many of our clients initially take you to be a slightly masculine looking woman and never guess that you are actually a man." "I have been thinking about that" I confessed "and am wondering whether I dare talk to a doctor about starting on a course of female hormones and possibly undergoing some cosmetic surgery. What do you think?" "Well, of course, it is up to you" replied Moira "and I imagine Gavin will have a view on that, but from my perspective, it makes a lot of sense. You are already living as a woman 24/7 and anything that make that easier for you must be a good idea." Of course I knew I would have to share my thinking with Gavin and my sounding out Moira was a way of airing my thoughts and getting them straight before talking to him. Fortunately I didn't have long to wait. Gavin's time at MIT was coming to an end and he was due back in England the following weekend. I hadn't seen him since Easter and whilst we had chatted on the phone and via Skype, it wasn't the same as seeing him face to face. Needles to say I was at Manchester Airport in good time to meet him off the plane. It was so exciting to see him walk through the doors into the Arrivals Hall and I threw myself into his arms. A lingering kiss later and I was walking him to where I had parked the car. We had so much to tell each other and we both gabbled away without really communicating at all! It didn't matter; it was just so wonderful to walk through the airport hand in hand. Once we arrived back at our new flat and I had shown Gavin round - (fortunately he loved it as much as I did) - I busied myself in the kitchen making him a proper English breakfast. "Steady on" Gavin laughed as I staggered in carrying a tray laden with eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, marmalade, and coffee, "you will remember that when I was over at Easter, you chided me for having put on weight and no longer fitting into my dresses? Well I took your remarks to heart and have been on a strict diet ever since. I am now back to a size 12 in dresses and you are in danger of throwing all my good work away by stuffing me with rich food!" My face must have fallen because he swept me up in his arms and kissed me. "I'm sorry" he continued, "I know it is just your way of showing how happy you are to have me home. So, just this once..." and he set to and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. At last he sat back with a sigh; "It is wonderful to be able to enjoy your home cooking again. The Americans make a big thing about food, but the quality of ingredients just isn't the same and they so many different ways of cooking eggs. You just give me a couple of simple fried eggs and they taste wonderful!" I just beamed with joy and pride. "Now tell me how things are going at the Purple Python and for our friends from The Village? Gavin continued. I had to confess I hadn't been to The Village for a couple of months. "I've been so busy at work" I grumbled. "Tell me about it" Gavin continued. "At least you are able to cross-dress whenever you like - and I love that outfit by the way - (I was wearing a new dress I had bought especially for his homecoming) - whereas the only time I have been able to wear a skirt during the last year was that short time I spent over here at Easter." I had to own up to the fact that I was now dressing as a woman 24/7, "...and I have been having laser treatment to remove body and facial hair" I confessed. "Um" Gavin purred, "in that case I look forward to exploring your newly hairless body!" And that was that; the next few hours were devoted to getting reacquainted in a very intimate manner! As we lay in bed, cuddled in each others arms, I broached the subject I had been cogitating about. "How do you feel about me living full-time as a woman?" I asked. "If you are happy, it's fine with me" he responded. "Why, are you thinking of going the whole way and having reassignment surgery?" I hastened to assure him I wasn't. "I enjoy fucking you too much to consider having my cock cut off" I exclaimed, "but, with the one proviso that I don't want to do anything that might interfere with that, I would like to feminise my body as much as possible. I guess I am settling into the role of a She-Male." I then went on to explain my thinking about hormone therapy and cosmetic surgery. "Well if it's what you want; go ahead and explore the options" Gavin said. "It won't commit us to anything for you to do the research. Having got out of the habit, I think that for me, in future, cross-dressing will remain a social thing, but I have to confess that I find the idea that you might take it further, rather exciting!" So we agreed I would make an appointment to see a Gender Consultant as soon as possible. Our conversation had turned us both on again and we didn't get out of bed until quite late in the afternoon! "Let's drop by The Village and see who is a round" suggested Gavin, "I can't wait to see if all my efforts to diet have paid off and whether I can fit into my dresses again." We hurriedly showered and set about getting ready. I had been wearing "professional, grown-up" clothes now for several weeks and it was fun to rummage through my wardrobe to find something short and girly again. I settled on a tight, purple mini-dress that, whilst quite demure at the top, showed my legs off extremely well. I teamed it with a new pair of burgundy, peep-toe heels and gold jewellery. Gloria chose a low- cut, leopard skin pattern dress in a grey and brown print that showed off quite a deep cleavage - (she clearly hadn't forgotten how to tape her chest to create an illusion of breasts!) To her evident delight, Gloria fitted into her old dress with ease; she looked stunning in her long, reddish-blonde wig. We had a fine old time in The Village. Obviously the Purple Python was our first port of call and Suzie and the other girls were clearly delighted to see us. I got chided by Sol, the owner, for not having been to seem them for so long. "And where were your during Sparkle" he demanded, "How should I do so well without my star Entertainments Manager?" (I had been so busy working that I hadn't had time to come into town over the Sparkle weekend, let alone take part in running events!) After we had enjoyed a few drinks at the Python, Gloria suggested we take a walk round some of our other old haunts. To my delight, in Giovanni's who should we bump into but Mark, so I was able to introduce Gloria to my new boss. He was charming; he had, of course, met Gloria ages ago when we both made our initial, nervous visit to Giovanni's, but this time it was different; no longer just someone we met in a bar, Mark was now my boss and team leader. I blushed with embarrassment as Mark told Gloria what a great job I was doing in my new role. He was also interested to learn that Gloria was one of RS's research engineers and would be working on the same site as his Customer Services Unit. "Who knows" he said, "it might not be too long before Katy is briefing you about designing a modification to one of our products to meet a customers specific needs." Mark was with a boyfriend so we didn't chat too long but before leaving he insisted that the two of us must go out to dinner with him soon. That evening, and a few other subsequent ones, sped past all too swiftly and before long the day came when Gloria's leave was over and she had to start work. "I've become so accustomed to being back in the male role" she said "that I don't think I will follow your example. I'm going into work in a sports jacket and trousers." So we drove to the factory with Gavin in male mode with me wearing one of my new skirt suits and heels as I had an appointment with a client that morning. I just seemed natural for Gavin to drive and for me to slip demurely into the passenger seat. The next few months both of us were extremely busy with our work. I was often away from home, staying in an hotel with Moira, working with one or other of our customers, so Gavin and I could really only be sure of seeing each other at weekends. However, we quickly slipped back into our familiar, cosy relationship and things were very good between us. Gavin did recover some of his enthusiasm for cross-dressing and "Gloria" was in evidence for most of each weekend. He even started wearing fairly androgynous clothes into work, but he was never tempted to go as far as me and present as a woman full-time. As for me; soon after Gloria's return to the UK, I made an appointment to see a Gender Consultant. I hit it off with her immediately and was able to explain my situation and ideas without any embarrassment or difficulty. Helen, for that was her name, understood perfectly my desire to appear as feminine as possible whilst retaining my ability to function sexually as a man. "This is quite a common desire" she explained, "I have had several patients who wanted something similar. I can prescribe you a regime of female hormones that will soften and modify your body but, with careful monitoring of the dosage, it will be possible for you to continue to function as a man in bed. The hormones will enhance your feminine attributes, but we can consider some surgical procedures if you want ot take it further. The issue with surgery, of course, is that, in the main, it is irreversible should you change your mind at a later date." We agreed to take things one step at a time and to only consider surgery once I had been on the hormone treatment for a while. Helen wrote out a prescription for me and I made an appointment to see her again in a month's time so that she could carry out a blood test and check to see that the dosage was correct. Just to be on the safe side, she encouraged me to produce some sperm samples which could be frozen as"insurance" in case I became infertile as a result of the treatment. One sample was taken there and then and, with some embarrassment, I tucked a few more test-tubes into my handbag with instructions to bring them back full at my next appointment. For the next month I religiously took one of the prescribed tablets first thing in the morning and last thing at night. To be honest at the end of the month I couldn't detect and difference in my appearance and was, I must confess, a bit disappointed. I knew my body wouldn't change dramatically overnight, but I had hoped that I might have seen some slight alteration in my appearance. The good news, however, was that there seemed to be no diminution in my ability to perform in bed. I went to my appointment with Helen with several full sample tubes in my bag and handed them over to the nurse before going into Helen's consulting room. Helen seemed pleased to see me and asked how I had been getting on with the hormone tablets. I told her that I was disappointed not to be able to detect any changes but she reassured me that this was quite common with many of her patients. Once the changes did start to kick in, they should become apparent very quickly. In the meantime, Helen asked me to strip off and lie down on her couch. She took a sample of my blood for analysis of my hormone balance and then proceeded to give me a thorough physical examination. "You may not be able to see any changes with the naked eye" she informed me, "but I can detect noticeable developments in your body structure." She took my hand and placed it on my chest. "Feel here" she instructed, "Can you sense a slight hardness under the nipple? That is the first stage of breast development. In a few weeks you will need to wear a bra to support your own breasts, not to contain silicon forms!" I could feel the small lump under my fingers and became very excited - even to the point of getting an erection! Helen smiled gently as she took my penis inn her gloved hand. "I can see you like the thought of having your own breasts" she remarked wryly. She measured the length and circumference of my penis and weighed my testicles in her hand. "Compared to a month ago, you have shrunk a bit in this area" she told me. "Nothing to worry about as I gather from the samples you bought in that you are still able to ejaculate." I reassured her that on that point, Gavin had no complaints! "Well I should have the results of your blood test and sperm count in a couple of days" said Helen. "Call me and I'll tell you whether we need to adjust your prescription." I did as she said and was relieved to be told that there were no adverse side-effects to my medication; indeed Helen suggested I take a third pill mid-day to supplement the two I was already taking. Another month went by and on my next visit to Helen the changes to my body were really starting to show through. The bumps under my nipples were now definitely the start of small, but darling, little breasts; my facial skin was much less rough; and I was starting to put on a layer of fat over my hips, thighs and bottom. My waist measurement had shrunk by two inches and my arms showed much less musculature. Of particular pleasure was the fact that my hair was growing faster and thicker than ever before. I still wasn't "womanly", but had definitely started down a path in that direction. Gloria said she had fallen in love with my smooth, rounded bottom all over again! Helen was pleased with the results of my hormone treatment. "Another six months of this and we will have you looking very feminine" she enthused. "Clearly you respond well to this sort of treatment and I think, if you are still of the same mind, that we could think about a programme of surgery. She outlined a range of options. I stressed that I did not want to go the whole way to the removal of my penis and the creation of a vagina; anything short of that I was willing to discuss. In the end I decided to go ahead with the following: breast augmentation though silicon implants - (however, we would wait and see what size my hormone-triggered breast growth settled at before having that operation); some liposuction around my waist; and a shaving of my Adams apple and a slight shortening of my vocal cords to raise the pitch of my voice. Facially, Helen would shave a little off my chin; trim my nose a bit; and puff out my lips with collagen. There were further, more extreme procedures Helen mentioned but I decided to leave those to one side for the present. Helen booked me into a private clinic for all the procedures we had agreed upon - with the exception of the breast augmentation that would have to wait until my body had stabilised following the hormone regimen. I took two weeks leave from Robotic Solutions and, with some trepidation went under the knife. Gavin drove me into the clinic and was there at my bedside when I came round from the anaesthetic. "Don't try and speak" were the first words he said to me, "In fact you won't be able to speak for a few days until things settle down in your throat. I managed a weak nod in acknowledgement that I understood his message. In fact my recovery was quite swift and in a few days my bandages were off and I was able to admire the bruised and puffy face I saw in the mirror. I was even able to croak out a few words. I was kept in the clinic for seven days before being allowed home. After another week at home under Gavin's nursing care, I was fit enough to return to work, although it would clearly be a bit longer before I could inflict my beaten-up visage on clients! Fortunately I had plenty of report writing to catch up on, so my time in purdah was spent reasonably profitably. Eventually my wounds healed and the bruising faded. I was very pleased with the results of Helen's surgery. My face was now definitely feminine with a cute little nose, slim chin, and eminently kissable lips - which Gavin wasted no time in road -testing! My waist was some four inches slimmer, which, of course, had the effect of making my hips appear broader. As it is virtually impossible to hear one's own speaking voice, Gavin recorded me talking and, on playback, I discovered I was now the possessor of a sexy, slightly husky mezzo voice. A few months later Helen told me, following an examination of my perky new breasts that they seemed to have stabilised at a size 36A. She said that, if I liked, it would now be feasible to carry out the breast augmentation procedure and so, once again, I was booked into the clinic; leaving a few days later the proud possessor of a pair of 36C boobs! By now I was so enmeshed in a female lifestyle that my self-image was of a woman with a "little something extra". Everybody I met treated me as a woman and I had creased, unless asked, to volunteer my true anatomical gender. "Gloria" still dressed on a regular basis and we enjoyed many good times out together as girlfriends. However, on other occasions "Gavin" made his appearance and we went out to all intents and purpose as a boy and girl. Neither of us was in the least worried about the image we were presenting to others. We knew who and what we were and were very happy in our own skins. After we had both been working for Robotic Solutions for something over a year, one evening Gavin looked up from the table where he had been wrestling with a pile of bank statements. "You know" he said "we have saved enough money to be able to put down a very respectable deposit on a place of our own. I knew we were both earning good money but this news came as a shock to me. I tended to leave the money side of things to Gavin. It wasn't that we deliberate aped the traditional "male role/female role" in our relationship, but Gavin was undoubtedly better with figures than I was, whilst I was the better cook. So we each assumed responsibility for different areas of our shared life. "Are you sure" I exclaimed. "If you are right that is great news. I love our flat but we will never be able to stamp our own mark on a rented place. If we can afford to buy, let's start looking at once." And so we did, and after many trials and tribulations that will be familiar to all those who set off down this path, we found a lovely late Victorian house in a good street on the edge of Wimlslow. It was much larger than the terrace house we had shared as students in Manchester; probably built for the factory managerial class rather than for the workers. It was in need of modernisation, but that suited us and, as a result, we were able to buy it for a very reasonable price - (still an eye-wateringly large sum of money, but a good investment never the less!) We moved our few sticks of furniture into the new house and on the first night we owned it sat down to a take-away Indian meal. As we lifted cans of beer in toast, I made a proposal to Gavin that I had been mulling over for some time. "Now that we are grown up enough to be able to own our own house, isn't about time we thought about making our relationship legal? Come on; it's about time you made an honest woman of me; will you marry me?" Gavin gasped. "Of course I will" he shouted. "I have been thinking the same thing and have been working myself up to asking you." "Ha, too late" I responded, "I got in first! But seriously, do you think it is a good idea?" "Of course I do Katy" Gavin responded, taking both my hands in his. "We love each other and are both committed to making our relationship work, so why not get married. When shall we do it?" "Steady on" I protested. "I've only just proposed to you and already you are rushing me up the aisle. I want us to have a proper "wedding" and that needs planning. Oh I know we can't get married in a church - in fact we can't get married at all; we will have to go through a Civil Partnership ceremony - but that's no excuse for not doing things properly." Having just moved into our new house, we had no money left to splash out on an expensive wedding - even a relatively modest affair can easily cost in excess of ?15,000 - but we still wanted a stylish ceremony. "This is going to take some thinking through" Gavin mussed, "I suggest we discuss it with our families - we are going to have to tell them about our engagement anyway - and maybe, between us, we can come up with a workable idea." Good suggestion; we had already accepted an invitation to go to Scarborough the following weekend to celebrate my father's 50th birthday, so Gavin rang his parents and arranged that we would visit them in two weeks time. We did not tell them our news over the phone! The following Friday we drove over to Scarborough. As it was my father's birthday both my sisters, Madeleine and Fiona, were coming home as well, so we would be able to tell everyone our news at the same time. We didn't want to up-stage my father's celebrations, which were taking place on the Saturday evening, so we waited until we were all sitting round the table Sunday lunchtime before coming out with it. "Mum, Dad, everyone" I started. "Gloria and I have something to tell you - (she was in female mode for the weekend) - We have decided to get married!" Squeals of delight burst from Mum and my sisters. Dad walked around the table and shook Gloria vigorously by the hand, obviously get confused about gender, until he realised what he was doing and, with a laugh, gave her a big hug and kiss! We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, crying, laughing and planning. Madeleine made the sensible suggestion that, as she assumed I would wish to get married as a bride, I might look on ebay to see whether I could find a second-hand wedding dress that I liked. "A new wedding dress can cost thousands" she told me "and those advertised on ebay will only have been worn the once. If you aren't set on having a new dress this could save you a lot of money." It was a brilliant suggestion and we immediately switched on the computer and logged onto ebay. There was a wide range of dresses available; many of them at ridiculously low prices. I told Madeleine that I would certainly pursue this idea. Gloria gave a moue of disappointment; "What about me" she said "don't I get to wear a dress? Just because I'm not female 24/7 like Katy doesn't mean I don't want my moment in the lime-light. Do I have to be the "man" at this wedding?" We all hastened to comfort and reassure her. There was no need for either of us to play the "groom" role; we could marry as two brides. Gloria's mood brightened immediately and she eagerly joined in the trawl through ebay. "Mum chipped in; "If you are going to both be brides, you are each going to have to choose you dress without the other knowing. It is unlucky for the partner to see the bride's dress until they meet for the ceremony!" Very true; so I asked Madeleine and Fiona if they would help me choose my dress - and quickly added Mum in when I saw she too wanted to take part. (What mother would not want to help choose her daughter's wedding dress, even if that "daughter" is her "son"!") The next weekend we drove to Shrewsbury to Gloria's parent's house. As ever Maureen and Robert made me very welcome. They too were delighted to learn that we were planning to get married and immediately insisted that we log onto Skype so that we could tell Gloria's sister, Sonia, the great news. She was ever so excited, particularly when Gloria asked her to be his bridesmaid. We carried on our discussion about the wedding with Sonia joining in via her video link. Maureen came up with lots of good ideas about ways in which we could cut the costs of the wedding without lowering standards. "I've got lots of friends who enjoy cooking and baking" she said. "If you are happy to have a self-service buffet meal, rather than a sit-down, waitress service one, I'm sure that I can rope in enough really good cooks to lay on a really stylish wedding breakfast. We can hire the Church Hall for the Reception; it's a nice building and will look lovely if we decorate it appropriately." This was an excellent suggestion because it is often the cost of the Wedding Breakfast that makes the biggest dent in a budget. I moved onto something else that was bothering me. "Neither Gloria nor I are regular churchgoers" I started, but we both have a faith and we would like to commit to each other in church. I know that as two genetic men we cannot get married in a church and will have use the services of the Registrar, but we were wondering whether the Vicar at your church might be prepared to give us a blessing? She has never seemed phased when we have joined her congregation "en femme" and had always been very welcoming when we have chatted to her after the service." "I'm sure Rev Lorna won't object" said Maureen. "I'll have a word with her if you like and, if she is agreeable, you can pop down again and talk things through with her"; another good idea, which we accepted with alacrity. Gloria and I chatted excitedly on the drive back to Wilmslow. We now had the basis of a working plan for our marriage and would be able to get stuck in and sort out all the details. Before that, however, we had all our tranny and gay friends from The Village to tell about our engagement. I had a quiet word with Sol, the owner of the Purple Python nightclub where our group tended to congregate, and arranged for him to rope off an area of the club for the following Friday night. We then rang all our friends; apologised for not having been to the Python for a while; and asked them to join us there on Friday. (We did not tell them why!) A good crowd pitched up on the Friday night. Gloria and I wore pretty party frocks - mine was burgundy coloured with a velvet bodice held up by spaghetti straps and a taffeta, above the knee, tulip skirt. Gloria chose a fabulous cream number; tight fitting with sequins down the front and a complicated bustle-like arrangement at the back of the skirt. She wore a dark wig and looked fantastic. I wanted to ravish her on the spot - but restrained myself! Our friends were overjoyed at our news and a great party developed. Suzy insisted that we had to have a proper hen party before the wedding and that she would arrange it. We had no choice but to accept graciously, although I was a bit nervous; Suzy has a reputation for being somewhat outrageous! At some point in the evening when I was enjoying a quiet moment on my own, my gay friend Alec came over to talk to me. Now, as I have explained previously, Alec has had a serious crush on me ever since we first met. He gave me a gentle hug and kiss as he offered me his congratulations. "I guess this means that I have finally lucked out as far as you are concerned" he smiled ruefully. "But, seriously, I do wish you and Gloria all the happiness in the world. You are a lovely couple and I hope we can remain friends and keep in touch." I hastened to reassure him that although I too valued our friendship and that, of course, we would keep in touch. "You must come to the wedding" I insisted; an invitation he graciously accepted. Maureen rang a few days later to tell us that she had spoken to the Reverend Lorna Symonds, who would be delighted to bless our union in her church following the Civil Partnership ceremony. This was great news and I thanked Maureen profusely. She then went on to tell me that she had spoken with some of her friends and that she was now certain that she could recruit sufficient help to organise the Wedding Breakfast "in house" at the Church Hall. Now that we had all the important elements in place, Gloria and I were anxious to get on with it and have the wedding as soon as we possibly could. We drove down to Shrewsbury one Friday after work a couple of weeks later, having arranged to meet with Rev Lorna over supper at her house. Lorna was a charming hostess; putting us both at our ease by explaining that we weren't the first gay couple she had dealt with during her ministry. "I have to confess though" she laughed "that you will the first pair of "brides" that I have blessed!" She explained the options that were open to us in terms of the sort of service we wanted. In the end we settled on a pattern that replicated the traditional marriage service as closely as possible whilst omitting the legal bits. We would still be able to make vows of commitment to each other, which was important to me - and I think, Gloria. Lorna consulted her diary and told us she could conduct the blessing on a Saturday three months hence. "You are in luck" she said, "The church gets booked for weddings over a year ahead and I did have one scheduled for that day. However, the couple concerned have just broken up so you can have their slot." This was fantastic news and, having thanked Lorna for all her help and advice, we hurried back to Maureen and Robert's house to tell that it was "all systems go" for Saturday 17th June! I was going to be a "June Bride"; I could hardly believe it. There was so much to do in the few weeks remaining before our wedding. My priority was to find the perfect wedding dress on ebay. I spent ages searching and agonising over what I wanted. In my masculine ignorance I had never realised just how many designs of wedding dress there were. Then I found just the perfect one. It was a darling dress and I hurried to email Mum, Madeleine, and Fiona to ask their opinion before buying it. However in my own mind there was never a doubt that this was the dress meant for me. Fortunately the others agreed and enthused about my choice. The particular dress I wanted had a "buy now" button, so I hurriedly entered my details and clicked on the button to commit to the purchase. When the confirmatory email came through I breathed a sigh of relief; the wonderful dress was mine - and at an amazingly reasonable price! Well I guess all you girls out there are agog to know all about the design of my wedding dress and I don't want to disappoint you! I did try to copy a photograph of it from the web, but wasn't allowed to do so; sorry. So a description will have to suffice: The dress was made of a heavy white silk; strapless with a corset built into the bodice and with decorative lacing at the back. The skirt fell in a simple A-line to the floor, culminating in a long train. The bodice was embroidered with swags of flowers which continued in a sweep down the left-hand side of the skirt to just below the knee-line. It was absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!! The model wearing the dress in the ebay photograph wore her hair up, with a few purple flowers pushed into her curls. I loved the look and decided I would dress my hair in a similar manner on the big day. I was on tenterhooks until; finally, the large box containing my dress was delivered. Fortunately it fitted perfectly! The dress came with a fitted waist-petticoat; tight-fitting to the knee and then flaring out in a froth of net to give the dress structure and ensure that if swirled around my feet as I walked down the aisle. Whilst I was busy finding my dress, Gloria was, of course, similarly occupied in finding hers. Both of us respected tradition and gave nothing away about the design of our dresses to the other. However the day Gloria's dress arrived at home and she tried it on - in secret whilst I was banned from our bedroom - I could see that she was as thrilled as I was. Having solved the major problem of our dresses, we then had to decide on what our bridesmaids were going to wear. We both agreed on purple for the colour of their dresses and were very fortunate to find matching ones on ebay that were in their size. These dresses were strapless, close-fitting with a little flair below the knee. One good thing was that they were not too obviously "bridesmaid" and could be worn afterwards as evening gowns. There were, of course, one hundred and more other details to resolve: the Registry Office to be booked for the Civil Partnership ceremony; cars to be hired; decorations designed for the Reception; a cake to be ordered - (one of Maureen's friends kindly made it as her wedding present to us); drinks purchased; and so on....and on and on! Finally we had things just about under control. Suzy had announced that the weekend before the wedding was to be when our "hen night" was going to be held. Gloria and I splashed out and booked a room at the Manchester Crowne Plaza, one of the best hotels in town. Shortly after we checked in on the Friday afternoon, Suzy and a few of our other friends pitched up help us get ready for the night's celebrations. They were wearing outlandishly short dresses and very high-heeled shoes. I could sense we were in for a wild time! Suzy soon had Gloria and I organised. She handed us each a set of undies and sent us into the bathroom to change. Mine were bright red; bra, lacy panties, suspender belt, and matching seamed stockings. Gloria had a similar set but hers were black. Once reasonably decent we went back to the bedroom where we were presented with our outfits for the evening. Once again Gloria and I were handing almost similar things. We each had a parody wedding dress; short - barely covering the welts of our stocking tops - with net underskirts that would undoubtedly flair out exposing our suspenders and knickers if we bent over or sat down injudiciously. As with our undies, one dress was black and the other red. This time, however, I was given the black one and Gloria the red. The spaghetti ties of the dresses in no way hid our bra straps, so we both looked incredibly slutty; particularly after the girls had finished putting on our "over the top" make up and dressing our hair. I had never had such "big hair" before; the girls had primped and teased my long hair into a veritable mane of blonde glory! A "beauty queen" sash was slipped over my shoulder with "Trainee Bride; Running In" printed on it and a leaner L-plate was pinned to the back of my dress. My feet were forced into black, patent, platform heels with a six inch heel. I didn't think I would be able to stand in them, let alone walk! Finally a red bridal-veil was clipped to my hair. The tiara holding it in place sported a pair of black devil's-horns! When I finally managed to turn round, I saw Gloria was similarly attired except for where I wore red; she had black, and visa-versa. Once we were fully attired, Suzy produced a bottle of vodka and some cans of Red Bull and we downed a couple of quick drinks to get us all in the mood for a riotous night! As it wasn't far, we walked to the Purple Python. (I say "walked" but in my case it was more "tottered" as I learned to cope with my unaccustomedly high heels!) At the Python more of our friends were waiting to join us. From the look of them some had started in drinking early! I was delighted to see Alec and Mark, my boss, in the crowd just before I was swamped by a gaggle of girls enthusing over my costume. When I eventually disentangle myself, I discovered amongst them to Sonia, Fiona, and Madeleine all of whom had travelled especially to Manchester to be with us for this momentous evening. I knew Fiona had a dramatic side to her, so I wasn't too surprised to see her wearing a dress that would have made our mother blush; but Madeleine! My big sister had always been the quiet one in the family; tonight she was definitely "out on the town". I had trouble recognising her under her bee-hive auburn hair; thick, tarty make-up; and skimpy green, spangled dress that was cut so low I couldn't quite work out how it contained her bosom! "Wow Sis, you look different!" I exclaimed. Madeleine blushed and said that as she hadn't want to appear out of place among the rest of us, she had asked Fiona's advice and had been taken to Frankie's Dressing Service where she had been fitted out with the wig and dress - along with teeteringly high heels. "You don't think it's too much, do you?" she enquired anxiously. I told her she was perfectly dressed for a Hen Party and that this was one night she could let her hair down. (This latter was metaphorical because her wig was so heavily lacquered that there was no way she could have "let it down"!) The party got underway with several strong drinks all round, before Suzy called everyone to order. "Now, we are going to split into two groups, one with Gloria, the other with Katy and they each have a number of tasks to perform before we meet back here at 11:30pm. The one who has completed the most tasks on her list will be crowned Queen of the Evening!" We were hurriedly split into two groups and I was hustled out into the streets of Manchester with a piece of paper in my hand listing all the things I had to do in the next couple of hours. As we emerged from the club, Gloria's group hustled her off to the left, whilst my "friends" turned me to the right. I paused under the first available street lamp to read the list of ten tasks I was expected to perform. They were the sort of things you would expect at any hen party; get of photograph of me kissing a policeman, collect various items of male underwear, pose on top of a prominent statue, swap knickers with one of girls in my party whilst standing in the middle of St Anne's Square - and so on. I assumed Gloria would have the same list. Taking a deep breath I headed into the centre of town. Fiona informed me that she had a video camera and had been charged with the task capturing all my tasks on a movie so that in the event of any dispute over how well I had achieved them, there would be a record - (thanks Sis!!!) As we hit Piccadilly, I spotted a statue of some Victorian General seated on a horse. I immediately climbed up onto the plinth and, with a bit of assistance - namely friendly hands pushing my backside! - I managed to scramble up onto the horse, where I sat with my arms around the General's waist. Fiona was just in the process of recording this event when an unmistakable voice was heard to say; "Now then ladies, what exactly do you think you are doing?" Yes, it was a policeman! I clambered down and explained that this was a hen party and that I had been set a series of tasks to achieve. This clearly was something the constable was used to of a weekend! "Yes dear" he announced in a weary tone, "but we can't have you climbing all over the City's statuary; Health and safety don't like it!" I hastened to assure him that no more climbing on statues was on the cards for the rest of the night. (I neglected to tell him that I suspected Gloria was at that very moment looking for a statue of her own!) "However Officer" I continued, in a wheedling voice; "There is something else you could help me with." "Go on, tell me" he responded with a smile. "Well, would you mind being photographed kissing me?" I asked gingerly. "OK; just for you!" he agreed. (I don't think that at this point he had clocked that I was actually a cross-dressed male!) Bravely he puckered up and I gave him a warm kiss on the lips. (I have to say he responded with apparent pleasure and I am not sure my tonsils will ever recover!) Two tasks down and eight to go! My next port of call was St Anne's Square. I wanted to get this most embarrassing task over as soon as possible. It was pay-back time; "OK Fiona" I said, "get your kickers off and swap them for mine." With a resigned grimace, Fiona handed her camera to one of the others and, whilst trying to retain her modesty, started to wriggle her knickers off under her skirt. I did the same; it is surprisingly difficult to get your pants off without displaying anything intimate to casual passersby! But we managed it and donning each other's underwear proved to be somewhat more straightforward. (In the process, I noticed that Fiona's knickers were particularly fetching and made a note that I needed to ask her where she purchased her underwear!) The next stop was at a pub where there were clearly a lot of tanked up blokes. It didn't take much - beyond a few kisses and then odd caressed crutch - to convince several blokes to donate their vests, socks, and underpants to a good cause. Task seven was to down a pint of bitter in less than fifteen seconds - something I achieved without difficulty. Number eight was to eat a bowl of Chinese noodles, blindfold - with chopsticks! By the time I had finished this task there was a fair amount of food staining the front of my frock! Nearly there; only two tasks left. Number nine was particularly embarrassing; had to be filmed putting my hand down some chap's trousers and giving him a good squeeze. I eventually spotted a man who looked sufficiently drunk, but still relatively unthreatening, to approach. I asked him whether he felt like an intimate fondle and, whilst he was still trying to get his head around my proposition, I hurriedly shoved my hand down the front of his trousers and gave him a quick fondle. He was still trying to work out what was happening as I thanking him and scurried away. My final task was, at one and the same time, easy and extremely difficult. All I had to do was strip off my dress at the end of Canal Street and walk back into the Purple Python in my underwear. It was awfully embarrassing, but after everything else I had had to go through that evening, I managed to do it and entered the club to loud cheers from everyone at the bar, all of whom had been briefed what to expect. We were the first group back and I hurriedly put my dress back on as one of the party bought me much needed drink. Gloria and her group arrived back a few minutes after us. By now I had my dress on and was able to appreciate, by observing Gloria, just how I must have appeared as I walked through the door in my bra, suspenders and (Fiona's) panties a few moments earlier! To the sounds of wild hilarity, both groups compared notes. It appeared that both Gloria and I had achieved everything on our lists and so Fiona and Suzy, Gloria's "recorder", went into a huddle to determine the overall winner. Finally they both agree that, whilst we had both done everything asked of us, Gloria had managed one or two of the tasks more stylishly; she was therefore declared the overall winner and was immediately crowned with a small tiara and sash. "But they both did so well" shouted Alec "that they both deserved to be rewarded; outside with the two of them!" We were both immediately seized and, once again, hustled out of the club. Before I knew what was happening, I was hoisted in the air and, suddenly, I was flying through the air heading for the canal! I landed with an almighty splash. I just had enough time to take a deep breath - I had no intention of swallowing any of that water! - before disappearing into the depths. As I went down I was conscious of Gloria in the water beside me. Fortunately they had chosen to throw us into a lock, so there was plenty of water to cushion our fall. (I dread to think what we might have ended up hitting in a shallower part of the canal.) Both Gloria and I surfaced at the same time and, turning saw we were both OK. I have to confess that this was a great relief to me. Being thrown into the canal in the middle of Manchester wasn't something I had planned on doing and I realised things were in danger of getting out of hand. This could have been seriously dangerous. We both swam to the side and Gloria climbed up the ladder set in the wall before me. I was treated to the lovely sight of her soaked, panty clad bottom wriggling up the steps in front of me as I awaited my turn to ascend. When, in turn, I clambered out of the lock, I had to join in the general laughter. Both of us looked so ridiculous; with our dresses clinging damply to our bodies; our hair plastered around our faces; and, in my case, minus one shoe. My missing shoe was quickly spotted floating in the lock and Alec, as the principle initiator of our dunking, was despatched to retrieve it. To my amusement, to achieve this he had to climb down the ladder until he was waist deep in water. He soon managed to get hold of my shoe and, climbing out of the lock, knelt to slip it back on my foot. As he did so I leaned over and whispered in his ear; "I know you have been wetting yourself for me all evening" I murmured, "and now you have proved it in front of everyone here; he had the grace to laugh! Someone produced another bottle of champagne and we downed another couple of glasses. By then it was obvious that the party had come to an end - if for no other reason than the fact that both Gloria and I were shivering in our wet clothes. Even in June it doesn't do to stand around soaked to the skin - at least, not in England. We all said our thanks and farewells and then Gloria and I were hurried, by our closest friends, back to our hotel. Fiona went on ahead and explained to the Receptionist at the Crowne Plaza that two of their guests were about to return in a very damp condition. The Receptionist understood immediately and explained where the goods lift was so that we could all get to our floor with having to go through the public areas of the hotel. It was two very soggy figures who were ultimately ushered into our room. We wasted no time in getting out of our wet things and into warm, soft bathrobes. One final bottle of vodka emerged from som