SCARLET by Jessica Drew
Part 1
The street lights of Monte Carlo streaked past in a haze as the dying
embers of the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Excitement was in the
air as tourists began to flood the streets, ready to take in Monaco's
vibrant Mediterranean nightlife.
The balmy evening heat drifted in through the open window of Mike
Rivers' pristine white Lamborghini Gallardo. He breathed deeply,
letting the ambience fill his senses. This was how he liked it --
immersing himself in the environment, literally feeling the city. He
could already feel his pulse beginning to quicken as it always did on
the eve of a mission. He thrived on the jeopardy, toeing the line
between life and death.
Rivers let his gaze drift upwards as he casually rolled the Lamborghini
into the forecourt of "Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo", Monaco's
premiere, high rolling casino. The brand new tires gave a short, sharp
squeal as he brought the high performance vehicle to a halt outside the
main entrance. Immediately he was attended to by a valet who opened
the wing-door for him. Rivers stepped out onto the concourse, smoothed
his dinner jacket and fastened a button. He reached back into the car
to retrieve a briefcase, almost as an after-thought. He gave a nod of
acknowledgement to the young valet and passed him the keys to the car.
"Drive carefully."
The young man nodded and slipped into the driver's seat to park the
car. The engine hummed as it pulled away.
Although a top of the range sports car and expensive designer suit were
not exactly out of the ordinary at "Le Grand", Rivers still drew a few
stares. He didn't mind. An advantage to being undercover was that you
could hide in plain sight. He smiled at two young ladies in shimmering
dresses as they walked past, drinking in their slender tanned bodies.
Tonight's mission was purely reconnaissance. There would be time
enough to indulge a little.
Rivers checked his watch and gave one last look out to the bay. The
Mediterranean Sea shone gold with the last few rays of the setting sun.
Expensive yachts were lined up in Monaco's bay, each of them owned by
some big fish wanting to prove that they were the biggest. Rivers knew
which one he had to catch. He turned, adjusted his tie and strode
confidently into the lobby of the casino.
* * * * * * * * * *
Special Agent Third-Class Samuel Fields drove the Lamborghini the short
distance round to the back of the casino. He had watched Rivers from
the rear view mirror as he pulled away. Not for the first time, Sam
envied Special Agent First-Class Mike Rivers.
"That's it. You go chase the girls again while I do all the work," Sam
muttered to himself. He revved the engine a few times as he pulled
into a parking bay, imagining what it might really be like to put the
car through its paces.
Sam turned the ignition off and sighed. He tugged uncomfortably at his
valet's uniform. It itched and proved a little too hot given it was
the height of summer. He quickly retrieved a case of equipment from a
hidden storage compartment behind the passenger seat and stepped out of
the vehicle, locking it behind him with a remote.
Sam did not attract too much attention. Staff turnaround was high at
"Le Grand" and the other valets and porters just accepted him as the
"new guy", offering a pleasant smile or a bonjour at the most. He
hurried through the lobby with the case. The hum of the social elite
in conversation filled the air, punctuated by the constant rush of
water from the fountain that served as a centrepiece. He could feel
his nerves getting the better of him as he jabbed at the lift call
button.
Sam exhaled noisily once the lift doors had shut behind him and he took
several more deep breaths to help calm himself.
"This is why you're only Third Class."
Sam wondered how Rivers could always be so calm, no matter what the
situation. Even with a gun pressed to his head. Maybe the confidence
came with the physicality. Rivers was tall, imposing and well versed
in martial arts and shooting. As a tech-support, Sam did not have to
fulfil the same requirements. His slender, pale frame revealed too
many hours spent behind a computer.
The lift doors chimed open at the tenth floor and Sam exited into a
brightly lit corridor, which led to a number of hotel suites. He could
only imagine what they each must cost. Fortunately the Agency didn't
seem to be running short on money any time soon, as Rivers' latest
sports car would attest.
Sam found suite 1006 and let himself in with a key card. The room was
large, with twin double beds dominating the main room and a bathroom
off to the side. It was tastefully decorated and lit, matching the
luxurious interiors of the main casino. He hefted his case onto one of
the beds, glad to be rid of its weight, and walked over to the balcony
doors. He slid the glass door open and stepped onto the balcony, the
dry Mediterranean heat hitting him hard after the air-conditioned
coolness of the hotel room. Sam stared up at the stars which had begun
to reveal themselves in the darkening sky.
Monaco.
Sam wished he were there on pleasure and not business. His girlfriend
Lenore would have loved it there. As it was, the good old "U.S. of A"
had never felt so far away.
Sam went back into the room, pulled the door shut and drew the blinds.
He turned his attention to the case. It was jet black, reinforced
Kevlar casing, next-generation security lock encryption. He keyed in
his security code, swiped his thumb over the fingerprint sensor and
popped the lock. Inside were Sam's two laptops, along with micro-
cameras, motion sensors, pin-microphones... Everything a good agent
could need. He cleared the hotel room's table and began setting up.
"First things first."
Sam activated his "security blanket", a tailored EMP device that killed
all Wi-Fi and network communications within a twenty-metre radius.
Everything that was, except his own equipment. It ensured no-one could
listen in to his communications. Even if someone managed to latch on
to a remote monitor on the casino floor, they wouldn't be able to trace
it back to him.
As he continued setting up, Sam remembered the case that Rivers had
gone in with. It was a level-one access case, same technology as his
larger version, but made up to look like a normal briefcase. Sam
smiled inwardly. Level-one access meant that it was for First-Class
agents only and was coded appropriately. But since Sam had helped
design the encryption algorithms, along with half the security systems
at the Agency HQ, it seemed a bit of a joke. He could pop the lock if
he needed to. Most likely it was a case load of money to trade up for
chips on the casino floor, though occasionally the Agency would come up
with some new gadget that they wanted Rivers to field test. Most of
the time they didn't work, but that was engineers for you. Sam was
happy to be left to his computers.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mike Rivers sat at the poker table, both arms resting casually on the
green baize. He carefully checked his cards. A full-house. His
opponent eyed him cautiously from the opposite end of the table.
Rivers stared back, meeting his gaze defiantly.
It had been four hours since he and Fields had arrived. Whilst Sam had
set up base in one of the hotel rooms, Rivers had scoped out the casino
floor. He'd played some blackjack, some roulette, won some money, lost
some money, but all the time getting a feel for the room. Casinos
ebbed and flowed and you had to know when to come to a table and when
to walk away. Rivers could have won a lot by now, but he purposely
restrained himself. The last thing he wanted was for the pit bosses to
start keeping tabs on him.
He'd finally approached his quarry at one of the prestigious private
poker tables. He'd talked his way in, flashing a healthy bag of chips
to make it worth his while. Carlos Ramirez had already won big and
Rivers had taken the place of his one remaining opponent, an
unfortunate Egyptian tycoon who had just been cleaned out.
Carlos Ramirez was a South American drug baron, for want of a better
description. He was now classed by the Agency as a "significant
threat" to the world's socio-economic stability, owning as he did
companies and operations all over the world, fuelled by his drug
operations and sex-trafficking.
"He has three of a kind. I would fold. Let him get some chips back."
Sam's voice came small and tinny to Rivers' concealed ear receiver.
Now that the stakes were bigger, he needed a little help to tip the
scales in his favor.
"Fold."
Ramirez laughed heartily as Rivers threw his cards down. He gleefully
raked in the pile of chips that had accumulated in the middle of the
table. To his right-hand side stood an immensely tall, well-built man
with a shaved head and dark sunglasses - Ramirez's personal bodyguard
known only as Gaul.
"A little too hot for you this time round I think, eh?" Ramirez
quipped in his thick Spanish accent, "You win some you lose some." His
black moustache bristled as he took a puff of his Cuban cigar.
It had gone on like this for the last couple of hours with Rivers and
Ramirez neck and neck. Neither one coming out in front, at least not
for long before the other caught up again. But that was all part of
the plan.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam tilted his chair back onto two legs as he surveyed his laptop
screens. His network was fully set up now and he had tapped into the
casino's entire CCTV grid. On one screen he had feeds displayed from
the private poker suite where Rivers was playing against Carlos
Ramirez. He could literally hear and see everything, including a full
view of both players' cards.
On the other screen was Rivers' contact lens feed showing his viewpoint
in both standard and thermo-image views.
For the past couple of hours Rivers had been wooing Ramirez. Psych
intel on Ramirez revealed that if he won too easily in poker, he would
get disinterested and bored, and start to lose respect for his
opponent. Even worse was if he was beaten too quickly. His opponent
would invariably meet an unfortunate accident on the way home.
Rivers and Sam used a combination of the knowledge of the cards, plus a
gauge of Ramirez's emotional state using the thermo-image, to determine
how Rivers should play, to keep Ramirez in the sweet spot of being both
interested and respectful of Rivers. Hence why Sam had instructed
Rivers to fold, despite holding a winning hand. Ramirez needed to be
pulled back in a little. Sam watched as the false coloring of the
thermo-image began to pick up a change in hue in Ramirez, as he settled
back into his comfort zone. The angry violets and blues in his face
subsiding to gentler oranges and yellows. His ever present cigar was
visible on the thermo-image as a spot of pure white light.
"And we've got him back." Sam's headset relayed his voice to Rivers'
in-ear monitor, a small electronic implant that was imperceptible to
anyone except for Rivers.
Just then, something made Sam lean forward, his chair clattering back
onto its four legs.
"Hang on a second Rivers, we've got someone else coming in."
Sam watched the camera feeds as the door to the private room opened and
a vision in scarlet walked in.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mike Rivers turned in his seat as the door behind him opened and a
figure walked in through the smoky gloom of the poker den.
She had to be about 5'4", though add to that another four inches from
her high heeled sandals which clicked across the floor as she made her
way around the poker table. Long, wavy blonde hair trailed behind an
elfin face beset with hypnotic eyes and full pouty lips. Her breasts,
which surely had to be at least a D-cup, spilled out of a dynamite red
cocktail dress, which hugged her trim body, flaring out at her feminine
hips. Her legs, accentuated by the heels and the short hem of the
dress were slender and toned. Rivers' gaze followed her peachy
backside as it twitched its way past him.
"Eyes ahead Rivers, eyes ahead."
Sam's voice entered Rivers' ear reminding him of the contact lenses he
wore, feeding his field of vision direct to Sam's laptop. He wished he
could answer back, telling him to get lost, but instead he let his gaze
linger on the woman's shapely breasts as she took her position next to
Ramirez. Rivers smiled to himself.
Let's see what Fields makes of that.
"Very funny, yes they're outstanding breasts, we get the picture," Sam
chided through the in-ear speaker.
Carlos Ramirez grinned as Rivers took in the vision before him.
"Ha ha, you like, huh?" Ramirez's left arm encircled the young woman's
waist pulling her into him. She had so far said nothing. "I purchased
her two nights ago from an Algerian trafficker. I haven't even had a
chance to try her out yet, if you know what I mean?" Ramirez gave a
throaty smoker's cough as he squeezed the woman's backside in his large
hand. She didn't react, but just kept smiling serenely and staring at
Rivers. "I like you Mister Rivers, and I can tell you are a man of
good business and good taste. So what do you want to offer me for
her?"
This was it, Rivers thought. After drip-feeding Ramirez his cover
story of being a less than honorable businessman himself, the bastard
had finally let him in. He just had to keep the conversation going.
If Rivers could get a handle on Ramirez's sex-trafficking it would
prove instrumental in taking him down once and for all. Rivers met the
woman's doe-eyed gaze as he replied.
"I'm not looking to buy. In fact, I'm looking for a buyer myself."
"You have women? Girls? Boys?" Ramirez took a fresh cigar from a
case, ran it under his nose.
Rivers nodded. "I need to get rid of them. Do you have any idea what
it's like trafficking and being a United States citizen? I can't even
take a shit without some government agency breathing down my neck."
"Ha ha ha! I understand your predicament. Lucky for you old Carlos
might be in a position to help you." Ramirez's face lit up in the
gloom as he lit the cigar. He took the smoke down into his lungs,
looking up at the woman at his side. "Antoinette! You heard the man,
you are not needed here. Go back to the yacht and await my return.
Make yourself... available..." Ramirez chuckled as he looked at Rivers.
Rivers played along, smirking as best he could. Ramirez gave the woman
a hard swat on her backside sending her cluttering forward a few steps.
She straightened herself and smoothed her dress, before making her way
back outside.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam tapped at his laptop, taking a freeze capture of the woman,
enlarging her face into crystal HD resolution. She was beautiful. It
was hard to believe she was just another sex-slave. She was healthy,
toned, her eyes were bright. No needle marks on her arms, so she
wasn't hooked on drugs like most were. Sam had heard of some children
that were born into sex-slave rings, after all pregnancy was common
place among female slaves. They would be born and raised to service
and pleasure, kept away from civilization and the media so that they
never knew that life could be anything else. They fetched handsome
prices on the black market and it made sense that Ramirez would choose
one such girl for himself.
"Antoinette," Sam mused to himself, typing in her name and uploading
her image to the Agency search database. He found himself transfixed
by her image. He felt like there was something going on behind those
blue eyes.
Suddenly there was a hard knock at the hotel room door. Sam was
startled and instantly felt his heart beat hammering in his chest. It
was probably just Rivers, but he couldn't help but picture Carlos
Ramirez out there, a gun in his hand, ready to blow him away. The
knock came again, more forcefully this time and Sam jumped. He quickly
tapped into his laptop and brought up the CCTV camera to the corridor
outside. He exhaled slowly. It was Rivers. He and Ramirez had
adjourned their game until later so that they could take a break.
"What took you so long?" Rivers strode into the room, loosening his
tie.
"Sorry, I just had to check. There are criminals in this building you
know," Sam said as he checked that the lock to the room was secure
again.
"Criminals? That's a polite way of putting it," Rivers laughed,
flopping down onto one of the beds, exhausted from the concentration
needed over the last few hours. He looked over, seeing the image of
the blonde woman from earlier still displayed on Sam's laptop. "Pretty
little thing, isn't she? I almost wish I had bought her. I sure
wouldn't mind a few rounds with her."
Sam screwed up his face. Rivers' humor was in bad taste.
"You're incorrigible. Who knows what this woman has been through?"
"Has the search turned up anything yet?"
"No, nothing."
"I didn't think so. You're wasting your time with her. We need to
focus on Ramirez."
Sam thought that Rivers seemed to be overly dismissive. He knew as
well as he did to pursue any avenue or lead. He sat back down onto his
chair and glanced at the laptop screen.
Search results: 0
"So far we've got him eating out of our palm," Rivers continued,
"Another session and I'm sure we'll be able to get out of him where his
sex-trafficking operation is located." Rivers laced his fingers behind
his head as he lay back on the bed. Again Sam envied how calm and
controlled he seemed.
* * * * * * * * * *
Rivers emerged from the bathroom having freshened up and pulled on a
fresh shirt that he'd laid out on the bed. He checked himself in the
mirror, as he often did, smoothing his dark hair.
"I've got an hour before I'm due back at the table. How about we head
downstairs to the bar, see if we can't line up some sexy Mediterranean
ass for later."
Sam sighed. Rivers' appetite for danger was matched only by his
appetite for women. He'd literally jeopardized missions before by
allowing himself to get distracted by the fairer sex.
"No I'm fine, you go ahead."
Rivers turned from the mirror, still buttoning his shirt. He looked at
Sam despairingly.
"Oh yes, that's right your girlfriend. Lenore right?"
"Yeah."
Sam watched as Rivers patted some aftershave to his cheeks. He looked
back at Sam from the mirror.
"How's that working out for you? Did the Agency check go through
okay?"
"Well, ah..." Sam hesitated.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't check her in! Come on, you know
the rules."
As an agent Sam was required to submit any new partner's details to the
Agency for a thorough background check. A full report would then come
back detailing where she went to school, ex-boyfriends, hobbies, what
she liked to eat... Ultimately killing the whole getting-to-know-you
part of the relationship. He did understand the security behind it all
given they were part of the country's most covert intelligence agency.
But still...
"I'll get round to it. I will..."
Rivers raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Make sure you do. I don't know
why you want to tie yourself down to one person anyway. You're young
and there's a whole menu out there to order from. Wouldn't you prefer
to dine on something different every night?"
"You know, one day your womanizing is gonna turn around and bite you on
the ass."
"Hmm, sounds kinky, I look forward to it." Rivers slipped his jacket
back on and patted Sam on the shoulder. "See you in sixty."
* * * * * * * * * *
After the hotel room door had clicked shut, Sam settled back into his
chair. He clicked through some of the CCTV channels but decided he
would take a break. He tore open a cereal bar and bit into it.
His conversation with Rivers had just made him miss home even more.
Lenore had recently moved into his apartment, and he could really use
her company right now. It was easy enough for Rivers to play the
field, but Sam counted himself lucky if a woman even looked twice at
him. Lenore was so stunning that he couldn't believe his luck when
they had met in a bar and begun to hit it off.
Sam ran his right hand through his sandy-colored hair, which hung loose
and wavy over his forehead.
He needed a haircut.
A knock at the door roused him from his thoughts. Sam swallowed his
mouthful of cereal bar as he got up and unlatched the door.
"What did you forget this time?"
Sam stopped. What he saw made him take a step back.
* * * * * * * * * *
A hand thrust forward squarely onto Sam's chest with surprising force,
pushing him backwards until he hit the nearest bed, falling back onto
it.
Two high-heeled feet clipped slowly inside, legs walking one in front
of the other. Sam's gaze drifted up over feminine curves to a bright
red dress and a familiar face.
"Antoinette?" he whispered in shock, as she closed the door behind
them.
"Mister Fields," she began, her soft voice revealing a French accent,
"You and I are about to take a little trip together."
A smile formed at her ruby red lips as she pointed a gun straight at
Sam. Sam's heartbeat hammered through his skull. He held up his hands
as if it would protect him from a bullet.
Antoinette stalked over to him in her heels, a sly look on her face.
She grabbed his wrist.
"Get up!"
Sam got to his feet, his legs trembling. The silencer barrel of her
small handgun jabbed into his ribs. A voice then came from the
doorway making them both look up.
"Not so fast, honey!"
Rivers stood in the doorway, tall, confident, in control. He aimed his
own silenced pistol squarely back at Antoinette. Sam felt her quickly
shift position behind him, using him as a human shield, the gun still
sharp against his side.
"Rivers! Back off man, she's got a gun!" Sam found himself wailing
desperately.
Rivers slowly stepped through into the room, holding up a finger to
silence him. He kicked the door shut behind him to keep the situation
contained.
"Back off! I will put him down! Lower your gun American!" Antoinette
threatened.
Sam watched as Rivers raised his gun and took aim.
"Not if I put your down first."
The last thing Sam heard was a shot being fired.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness, catching
fleeting glimpses of the room around him. A sudden sense of urgency
overcame him, as if he was underwater and he knew he had to get to the
surface or else drown.
Sam's back arched as he inhaled sharply, his eyes snapping open. The
world coalesced around him and he found himself lying on one of the
beds of the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. He slowly turned
his head. The street lights filtered in through the blinds of the
window on the far wall. A car horn howled as it sought its way through
the traffic outside.
Sam's head slumped back to the soft comfort of the pillow, sending long
hair trailing across his face. He absently brushed it aside as he
gathered his thoughts.
Antoinette... The gun... Rivers...
His mind recalled snapshots of what had happened, like pages in a flick
book. Sam quickly turned to face the bed beside his to find Rivers
lying there unconscious. He could just make out his partner's shallow
chest movements. Sam rubbed at his throbbing head.
Tranquilizer.
With effort, Sam raised his body from the bed, swinging his legs to the
side so he could sit up. His long blonde hair trailed after him,
falling across his bare shoulders and back.
What?
Sam grasped at the hair, tracing it along its full, long length, right
down to its tip. He felt it tug sharply at his scalp as it pulled
taught. He let it go, his attention now drawn to his hands. He held
them both out in front of him, flexing foreign slender digits. Most
noticeable however, were his long fingernails, each painted a bright
scarlet color.
Sam crossed his hands over one another, feeling his small wrists with
each, then sliding up to feel his bare arms and shoulders. He
shuddered as his mind rebelled against what he was both seeing and
feeling. It was then that he looked down.
Down at his body...
And yet not his body...
Sam's vision blazed with red - the bright red of the garment that he
wore. A garment that moulded itself to his body, following the inward
curve of his small waist, the outward curve of his hips and...
His breasts.
Sam watched as his breasts heaved with his breathing, swelling and
rising beneath his low cut dress.
His breasts...
Sam began to hyper-ventilate, the room beginning to fold around him as
he grew dizzy. He pushed himself from the bed, trying to stand. He
stumbled as he missed his footing, his legs feeling like they were
mismatched and not of the same length. He groped at his right ankle,
unclipping a shoe, discarding it. Barefoot now, he struggled to make
it over to the mirror on the far wall, which seemed to spiral away from
him the closer he got.
His small hands gripped the edge of the table and he felt his way
around it, finally making it to the mirror. Stars appeared at the edge
of his vision, closing in. His head grew light and he fell, but not
before he saw her.
There, deep in the mirror, looking back at him.
Antoinette.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Hey. Wake up."
Sam felt himself returning to the world, hearing a familiar voice. He
subconsciously used it as a life-line, focusing on the words as he came
to.
"Open your eyes, that's it."
Sam's head nodded a few times and he woke. Mike Rivers stood over him,
awake now, but dishevelled, as if he had been in a struggle.
Only he was pointing a gun straight at Sam.
Sam breathed in, his eyes opening wide. He found himself lying on his
side where he had fallen, just in front of the mirror. He recoiled
from the gun, sliding over into the corner, his pulse quickening.
"Stay where you are!" Rivers spoke forcefully.
Sam looked up, shaking, finally managing to utter something.
"I'm going to be sick."
Rivers flexed his grip on the gun and shifted his weight from foot to
foot. He glanced over to the bathroom and back.
"Ah, okay... go. But don't try anything."
Sam bolted past Rivers, a migraine searing through his skull. As he
moved his body responded in unfamiliar ways, in particular a heavy
slapping against his chest. He skidded into the bathroom, pulled up
the toilet seat and wretched, holding his long hair to one side.
His hair...
It all came back to him. His body. The mirror. Sam coughed a few
times and pushed himself away from the toilet. He was kneeling, his
bare legs cold against the tiled bathroom floor. His dress had ridden
up a little and he tugged it down as much as he could. His cleavage
swelled with his quick shallow breaths. He looked up to see Rivers had
followed him in, a gun still trained on him, though he looked awkward,
not knowing whether to be concerned or not.
"Alright, you can start talking now. Where's Fields? What have you
done with him?"
"What are you talking about?" Sam's voice came dry and raspy to his
throat. It was pitched higher than he was used to.
"Sam Fields, the agent I was with! Where is he?"
Sam looked down despairingly again at his feminine body, his hair
falling past his shoulders to drape around his face.
"Rivers... Mike... Listen... It's me... I'm Sam!" As Sam spoke with his
unfamiliar vocal chords, he detected a strange nuance to his speech
which he couldn't yet place.
"Oh, the lady likes jokes huh? Well believe me, this gun pointed at
you is no joke." Rivers renewed his aim for emphasis. Sam gripped the
sides of the bathroom sink and pulled himself to his feet. "Easy,"
Rivers warned, following his movements carefully with the gun.
Sam came face to face with his reflection once more as he stood up.
Bright blue eyes looked back at him, long mascaraed eye lashes
fluttering as he blinked. His red-lipstick covered lips hung open in
disbelief as he took in the image of his heart shaped face, framed by
waves of blonde hair.
"I don't know how it happened... or why... but somehow... I'm in her body!"
Sam stammered. He fully expected Rivers to laugh in his face and
pistol-whip him, or whatever it was called. Instead he seemed willing
to hear him out.
"Prove it."
Sam closed his eyes and concentrated, shutting himself away from the
surrealism of the world around him.
"Three years ago, when I was first assigned to you," Sam began, "Your
first words to me. Do you remember? I do. You said keep up".
Sam kept his eyes closed as he searched his memory. "Two years ago, we
were playing basketball at the Agency gymnasium. We ran into each
other and you knocked me out cold."
"One year ago, that mission in Germany. You had to seduce that 67-year
old countess. You made me swear never to tell anyone about what you
had to do to her that night."
"Okay," Rivers piped up at last.
"Two months ago, you gave me a watch for my birthday. You didn't tell
me when you gave it to me, but you'd had it inscribed on the back. It
said, stay lucky."
"Sam."
Sam opened his eyes to his name. He looked at the reflection of Rivers
behind him in the mirror. He had lowered his gun.
"Some luck, huh?" Rivers said.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam stood alone in the bathroom, facing off once more against the ever
present reflection of Antoinette that stared back at him from the
mirror. After Rivers had finally believed what had happened to him, he
had asked for some privacy. He had rinsed his mouth out and splashed
water over his face, feeling the softness of his cheeks, devoid of any
hint of the stubble that he had felt there since adolescence.
He had looked at himself from all angles, beholding the graceful curves
of his female figure - the swell of his hip and buttocks, the line of
his smooth hairless legs. He had looked down at his cleavage, pulling
out his dress until he was able to see the two thick nipples of each
naked breast. He had even raised the hem of his dress up over his
hips, briefly catching sight of a red thong stretched tight over a
perfectly flat crotch.
He was female.
He was Antoinette.
But where was Antoinette? Where was his body?
* * * * * * * * * *
"I keep expecting to wake up any minute." Sam shook his head as he
made his way back into the room. His wide hips rolled as he walked and
his heavy breasts bobbed under his dress, constantly reminding him of
his predicament. Rivers was lying back on one of the beds and sat up
with a start as Sam walked in. Sam stopped and rubbed at his throat.
It was smooth with no sign of his usual Adam's apple. "My voice," he
began.
"I know, it didn't seem the right time to point it out earlier, but I
noticed it too," Rivers said, his eyes drifting over Sam's body.
"French? I have a fucking French accent?"
Rivers laughed, but quickly apologised, "Sorry, but it's pretty funny
hearing you swear sounding like that."
"Fuck you," Sam retorted without malice, "I don't even know any
French." He stretched his jaw, wondering why he couldn't shake off the
accent.
"Are you sure? Try. Maybe you can now."
Sam closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Bonjour, Je m'appelle
Sam." He paused and then shrugged his bare shoulders. "That's all
I've got."
Rivers smiled, "Well that sounded convincing at least. It looks like
your body is just used to talking that way."
"This isn't my body!" Sam gestured to himself, irritated with the sound
of his voice, "My body is out there! Somewhere..." He pointed to the
door.
"Yes, we have to assume that Antoinette is in possession of your body."
Sam shuddered at the thought. He couldn't imagine why she would want
to take his body. Hell, he would take a good old fashioned kidnap over
this. He walked over to the table where his laptops had been set up.
Aside from some left over loose cables, the equipment had all been
taken. He ran his manicured hand over the table's surface. So much
for any chance of checking the CCTV footage.
"What happened earlier? The last I remember you were pointing a gun."
Sam recalled the fear he had felt when Antoinette had jabbed the gun
into his side. He closed his eyes. "Then... there was a shot."
"She fired," Rivers began, "Put you down with a tranq. I... kind of
didn't see that coming... I hesitated."
Sam detected a small amount of uncertainty in Rivers' voice. Maybe he
was human after all.
"She was fast. Real fast," Rivers continued, "She got off another shot
and I went down." He rubbed at his shoulder.
Sam sat down on the edge of the bed, his wide hips splaying beneath his
tight red dress. He went quiet. He could feel Rivers watching him
closely as he struggled to take it all in. Finally, he spoke, "How has
she done this? I mean, I wouldn't have thought something like this was
possible."
"Actually, and I probably shouldn't even be saying this, the Agency has
been researching into something similar. Last I heard was that
transference of consciousness was theoretically possible. It looks
like someone has beaten us to it and actually developed the
technology."
Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why is the Agency
researching something like that?"
"Think about it Sam, it's the ultimate in espionage - literally
becoming someone else."
"Rivers, when Antoinette came in the room. She... she called me by name.
She knew who I was. She must know about the Agency." Sam could feel
his long hair tickling the slope of his breasts. He flicked it back
over his shoulders.
"I know." Rivers rubbed his eyes and sighed, "I think we're going to
have to call this one in. I'm going to have to contact HQ."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam looked out over the balcony of the tenth floor hotel room. It was
now around 1.30 in the morning and the moon was out in full, reflecting
off of the waters of the Mediterranean. The lights of Monte Carlo
twinkled below and in the distance he could hear music and laughter.
The air was still warm enough, but he rubbed at his shoulders anyway,
more from the exposure of his current state of dress than anything
else. What faint breeze there was wafted coolly about his thighs,
reaching up under his dress.
Sam could hear Rivers' voice as a murmur coming from the hotel room.
Any call to Agency HQ had to be made by a First-Class agent in private,
and then only from their own Agency-supplied encrypted cell phone.
Rivers had told Sam to wait outside and had slid the balcony door shut
behind him.
The fresh air had done him good, and his aching head had all but
subsided, but he felt exhausted. He didn't know whether it was his own
tiredness or Antoinette's that he was feeling. Probably both, he
reflected. Body and soul.
Sam looked out once more to the bay and its fleet of expensive yachts.
One of them belonged to Carlos Ramirez. Perhaps he was on board right
now, with Antoinette and his stolen body, clinking their beer bottles
together and laughing. Sam tightened his fists, his fingernails
digging into his palms. He looked back, eager for Rivers to finish so
that they could get going and find his missing body.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam sat perched on the edge of the hotel room table, folding his arms
under his large breasts as he listened to what Rivers had to say.
Rivers paced as he spoke and Sam found himself having to crane his neck
to look up at him. Even standing up straight, Sam had to be a good ten
inches shorter than Rivers now.
"Okay, here's the thing," Rivers began, "HQ have given the go ahead for
me to pursue Antoinette and to bring her in. They're understandably
concerned about the body of one of their agents falling into enemy
hands."
"That's great!" Sam interrupted, "We should leave now, before she gets
too far."
"Hold on. I said 'me'..."
"What do you mean? Don't tell me I'm being side-lined!" Sam could
hear his French accent coming through thicker with his exasperation.
"That's my body she's got out there. I can still help... I mean, I may
be a woman now, but I'm not useless!"
Rivers held up his hands, "Nobody's saying you're useless. In fact,
you've been given a mission of your own."
Sam paused, "Mission? What mission?" He knew that Third-Class agents
didn't just get given their own assignment like that. They were always
seconded to a First or Second-class agent. Even a Second-Class would
only be given an objective of his own if the Agency thought they were
ready to take the next step up the ladder.
Rivers continued, "They want us to use your... situation... to our
advantage." Sam noticed Rivers drop his gaze to Sam's chest as he
spoke, making it clear which situation he was referring to. Sam
instinctively draped a protective arm across his cleavage. "They want
you to infiltrate Carlos Ramirez's yacht."
Sam was confused, "But isn't that where we both should be looking
anyway? Antoinette is working for Ramirez isn't she?"
Rivers shook his head, "HQ believe she's working for another
organization..."
"How do they know that? When I ran a database search earlier, it came
up with nothing."
Rivers sighed, "Fields, believe it or not there are some things that a
Third-Class agent is not privy to."
Sam felt his cheeks flush red at Rivers' condescension.
"You're going to have to trust me in this. Ramirez is probably as much
in the dark about Antoinette as we are."
"Probably?"
"If we can get you onto his yacht, he won't know any different. You
can travel with him, spend some time gaining his trust, see what you
can learn about his operations. Antoinette has spent the last two days
with Ramirez. She may have left some clues behind as to what she had
planned as well."
Sam felt his shoulders drop at what Rivers was suggesting. "Rivers...
Even if you're right about her... I can't do this! I... I'm not ready.
I can't do something like that on my own." Sam could feel his voice
wavering, his eyes beginning to glisten. Rivers clasped his feminine
shoulders and looked into his eyes.
"Yes you can, you just need to take a breath and relax. You can do
this." Rivers brought Sam forward from the table, slowly turning him
until he faced the mirror. "Look at you," Rivers said from over his
shoulder, "Ramirez would never guess you weren't really Antoinette. I
mean, I'm having trouble enough myself."
Sam gazed into his blue eyed reflection, then down at the contours of
his feminine body. Rivers was right. Ramirez would totally believe
that he was Antoinette.
And that was exactly what he was afraid of.
* * * * * * * * * *
Rivers dropped the four inch high heeled sandals at Sam's feet. "Here,
put these on." He watched as Sam picked them up, holding them slightly
away from himself like they were a pair of dead rats.
"You cannot be serious," Sam protested as he sat on the edge of one of
the beds. Rivers smiled at his sexy French accent, as he reached into
the wardrobe and pulled a crisp new suit from its shrink-wrap.
"Fields, you just said so yourself, we need to get out there quick so
that Antoinette doesn't have too much of a head start. Plus we don't
know whether Ramirez will hang around now that I've stood him up for
the next round of our poker game."
"I'm not going to be able to stand up in these, let alone walk!"
"What are you going to do, wear my shoes?" Rivers watched as Sam
looked down at his small feet, flexing his toes with their scarlet nail
polish.
"I guess not," Sam decided, arranging the feminine foot wear on the
floor beside him.
As Rivers changed into his suit, he could not take his eyes off of Sam.
He was leant right over as he slipped each of his feet into
Antoinette's red sandals, affording Rivers an unrestricted view of his
breasts beneath his low cut cocktail dress.
"He has absolutely no idea," Rivers mused to himself. He still
couldn't get used to the idea that it was actually his partner trapped
inside that gorgeous blonde's body. The body that he'd longed to fuck
ever since he'd first caught eyes of her in the poker den. Even now,
with all that had happened, he couldn't eliminate the urges he felt.
He had tried hard not to make it obvious, but he knew that Sam had
caught him looking a few times. He turned away as he felt his boxer
shorts twitch, and quickly slipped into his new suit pants.
"How do I look?"
Rivers turned back around at the sound of Sam's voice to see him
standing there, ringing his hands nervously, his smooth slender legs
now perfectly accentuated by his four-inch high-heeled sandals. A
gruff murmur of appreciation escaped Rivers' lips.
"Can you walk?"
Rivers watched as Sam took a couple of bambi-steps forward and then
toppled. Rivers caught him just in time, feeling Sam's large breasts
crushing between their bodies. Rivers looked down. Sam's face looked
beautifully innocent, like a little girl lost in the woods. He coughed
to break the silence and helped Sam back to his feet. He watched as he
took a couple more steps and managed this time not to fall.
"Ready?" Rivers asked, pulling on his jacket. Rivers was afraid that
Sam had been right earlier when he said he wasn't ready for the
mission. Given what had just happened to him, and what would be
expected of him now, it was a lot to ask.
Sam walked uneasily to the far side of the room, then back again,
holding his arms wide beside him. Rivers noticed that Sam's backside
was also more pleasingly accentuated in the heels. "Ready," Sam said
at last, unconvincingly.
Rivers had between now and the time it took to drive to the waterfront
to get Sam "ready". He knew that he was about to make himself very
unpopular.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam eased his way down the brightly lit corridor outside the hotel
room. His hands felt along the wall for support as he walked, in what
felt like, a towering pair of red high-heeled sandals. Rivers walked
slowly a couple of steps behind, presumably to catch him if he fell
again.
"Here, take my arm, you look like a blind woman." Rivers offered Sam
the crook of his elbow. Sam looked up, weighed up his options, and
decided to take him up on the offer.
Sam felt dwarfed next to Rivers, even in his heels. He held Rivers'
arm with both hands as he was escorted to the elevators. He felt
enormously self-conscious away from the relative privacy of the hotel
room.
The wait for the elevator was excruciating. Sam could feel his tummy
turning itself in knots and he wondered if he was going to be sick
again. When it finally arrived, he hurried inside ahead of Rivers, his
heels clicking on the metallic floor.
The elevator hummed as it made its slow descent. "Okay Sam, when we
get downstairs, people are going to see you. Men are going to look at
you. Act natural and hold onto me. We're just a couple going out for
a walk okay?"
Sam felt Rivers' arm slip around his small waist, pulling him closer.
Sam immediately felt uncomfortable and wriggled free. Rivers held up
his hands innocently. "Relax! Fields, listen, you need to calm down.
You can do this. Just play along." This time when Rivers' arm slipped
round, Sam let it stay there, though he'd never felt so uncomfortable.
* * * * * * * * * *
The elevator doors parted with a chime and Sam and Rivers were greeted
by a wall of noise. The foyer bustled with people enjoying the late
night gambling that would run on throughout the early hours. Sam felt
like a rabbit caught in the headlights, instantly losing his bearings
and forgetting which way it was to the parking bays. He felt Rivers'
arm pushing against his lower back, ushering him out. Immediately
Sam's heels echoed out across the marble floor.
He heard Rivers' voice close to his ear, "Stay calm. Keep focused."
They walked together swiftly, Sam wanting to spend as little time in
the large, brightly lit lobby as was possible. It seemed everywhere he
looked men were walking past, some with a woman on their arm, others on
their own, some in groups. All of them looked over at him with that
same look, like he was a food parcel that had just been parachuted into
a starving village. He felt humiliated. He lowered his head, letting
his long blonde hair curtain around his face.
Sam finally recognised the door to the parking bay and quickened his
pace. He left the safety of Rivers' arm and clacked on ahead.
When Sam realised that Rivers had not followed, he stopped and
swivelled round. Rivers stood there, hands casually resting in his
pants pockets.
"Let's go get a drink."
"What?" Sam whispered incredulously, hurrying back over, his breasts
bobbing merrily under his dress. "What are you playing at? Let's just
get in the car and go, before I change my mind about this whole thing."
"Trust me, let's go get a drink. It'll be good for you, I promise."
Rivers turned and headed towards the lobby bar. Sam was forced to take
small hurried steps to keep up. "You're doing pretty good in those
heels now, don't you think?"
Sam looked down suddenly, realising that he'd been walking unassisted,
his bare legs slipping confidently one in front of the other. He
hadn't even thought anything of it! He'd just... walked. Sam winced
with pain as his left ankle suddenly buckled beneath him.
"Woah, there we go," Rivers grinned as he caught Sam's arm.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam sat on a stool at the bar; nervously toying with the hem of his red
dress, wishing it was longer. He clamped his legs tightly together,
feeling the predatory eyes about him. The hum of people in
conversation surrounded him.
"Here we go, two Vodka Martinis." Sam watched as Rivers set the drinks
down beside them and took up a stool next to his.
"Oh, we think we're James Bond now do we?" Sam quipped, taking a quick
sip of his drink. "You know, this isn't exactly what I'd call hurrying
out the door. Can't we just go?"
"In a moment, just... have a drink." Rivers motioned with his glass.
Sam took another gulp, drinking quickly with his nerves, his eyes
darting left and right. Rivers seemed to sense this and tried to keep
the conversation going.
"So, what's with those heels, huh? There was no stopping you back
there!" Rivers smiled.
"I don't know," Sam answered, giving some thought to the matter. "It's
like, when I stopped thinking about it, my body seemed to know what to
do and took over." Sam crossed his legs as he spoke, smoothing his
dress back over them.
"Like your accent as well, perhaps? It looks like there are some
things that your body is just used to doing. Parts of the brain that
instinctively know all this stuff."
"Maybe." Sam took another nervous drink. Looking around, he
accidently met the gaze of a young bartender who smiled back at him.
He quickly looked away, feeling himself blush.
"You know, Sam. There's going to be other things that your body is
used to doing. Things that you won't be so used to."
Sam felt Rivers' left hand rest on his thigh. He flinched, uncrossing
his legs again, looking around for who might be looking at them.
Glasses clinked as they were set down on the bar counter.
"Shhh, don't draw attention to yourself. You're just having a quiet
drink with your boyfriend. There's nothing wrong with his hand being
on your leg."
"Mike, please..." Sam squirmed on his barstool, but Rivers' hand
remained on his thigh. A roar of laughter came from a group of men in
the corner, who were sharing a private joke.
"Smile."
"What?"
"You're having a drink with your boyfriend. You're enjoying yourself!
Smile!"
Sam's lipstick covered lips quivered. He bit his lip.
"Close your eyes."
Sam could feel his eyes beginning to glisten.
"Close them," Rivers said more deliberately.
Sam nervously swallowed and closed his eyes.
It was then that Sam felt Rivers' lips covering his own, kissing him.
It lasted only a second but it felt like an eternity. At the same time
Rivers' left hand squeezed his thigh.
The bar stool scraped against the polished floor as Sam pushed away and
got up. He fought the urge to sob as he ran to the nearest bathroom,
his high heels clicking loudly. Nearly everyone at the bar turned to
watch.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam pulled the lid down on the toilet and locked the cubicle door
behind him. He slumped down holding his head in his hands. His long
blonde hair hung down around him. He gripped it in his hands, pulling
it harshly out of frustration.
He looked down again at his body; his breasts, his tiny waist, his
hips, his legs. Throughout it all, he'd tried his best to hold it
together, but he couldn't keep it in anymore. He'd had enough. He
growled through gritted teeth as he hammered his fists against the
walls of the cubicle, stamping his heels on the floor.
Why him? Why hadn't this happen to Rivers? Surely, he would have been
a better choice for Antoinette to swap with? Sam rubbed at his hands
which now hurt.
And the Agency, acting like nothing had happened, putting him on a
mission straight into the lion's den. What did they expect from him?
He drew a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes. Sam unlatched the
cubicle and walked over to the sinks, running the taps to splash water
into his face.
"You know why I did that don't you?" Sam looked up at the mirror to
see Rivers leaning against the far wall behind him. Sam didn't answer,
and busied himself with washing his hands. He knew full well that
Rivers had been testing him.
"Carlos Ramirez bought Antoinette two days ago," Rivers continued, "You
get that don't you? As far as he is concerned, you're his property.
If you behave the way you just did with him? He'll kill you. Do you
understand?"
Sam looked deep into the sink, losing himself as he watched the water
swirl into the plug hole. He felt Rivers grasp his wrist, turning him
around to look at him.
"Fields... Sam. The Agency needs you to do this, and that means I need
you to do this. Do you realise how many people out there are suffering
right now because of what Ramirez is doing? How many women? How many
children? What you find out on that yacht could bring him down once
and for all."
Sam raised his head, looking Rivers in the eye as he continued, "I need
you to reach inside yourself. Meditate, medicate, masturbate... do
whatever you need to do to cope with this. And if it ever gets too
much? Just think of me with that 67 year-old countess."
Sam blustered a quick laugh out, his lips parting in a smile as he
rubbed at a moist eye.
"Hey, there's that smile I was looking for earlier! Huh?"
Sam did smile. He had felt embarrassed at showing weakness in front of
Rivers. He stood up straight, sniffing as he straightened his scarlet
dress. He would try and be strong. He was still an agent. He would
survive it.
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. A
small old man with glasses and a boot lace tie looked up at them both.
"Excuse me lady, but this is the men's room."
* * * * * * * * * *
The street lights blurred into one as Rivers expertly wound the
Lamborghini through the steep streets of Monaco. He glanced over
occasionally to Sam who was staring blankly out of the passenger
window. He hadn't said anything since getting in the car, but Rivers
had left him alone. He could sense that some soul searching was going
on.
Rivers took the car for a slow drive past the waterfront before turning
up a side road. He pulled the car up by the kerb and killed the
engine. Rivers set the variable-tint windows to blackout and the
interior of the car lit up with a ghostly red glow.
"Okay you're looking for the 'Oro del Diablo'," Rivers rolled his eyes,
"Devil's Gold. Original." He handed a picture of the yacht to Sam.
It should be moored on pier nine. It's a Jennings-Class personal
super-yacht, so you'll definitely be travelling in style. Efficient
engine, long range. He could probably get halfway round the world in
that thing. It's not too big either, so crew compliment should be
small."
Rivers sorted through some more photographs. "Carlos Ramirez,
obviously," he said handing over the first picture. He glanced over at
Sam, watching as he silently studied it, stroking his blonde hair away
from his feminine face.
"This is Maria Ramirez, his wife," Rivers continued, handing the next
picture over.
"He's married?" Sam asked, breaking his silence at last.
"Which means she's probably just as devious as he is, so watch
yourself." Rivers handed a final photograph to Sam. "And this meat-
head is their personal bodyguard, Gaul, who we saw back at the casino."
"I'm sure he's charming," Sam said, handing all the pictures back to
Rivers.
Rivers looked at Sam for a moment, studied his flawless, elfin face,
his expressive blue eyes, his bee-stung ruby red lips.
"Let's do this."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam Fields would never have been ready. Not for this. He just had to
do it, before he thought about it too much and ran off to find another
corner to hide in. He watched as Rivers came round to his side of the
car and opened the door, swinging it upwards. The salty sea air swept
into the car.
The Lamborghini was sat so low to the sidewalk that Sam had to use
Rivers' help to get out, especially in his tight dress and heels. Once
he was pulled out, he tugged once more at the hem of his dress, which
scarcely covered his rounded buttocks.
"Nice thong," Rivers commented, "You need to watch how you get out of
cars in the future."
Sam felt his face flush red. He had been aware of his underwear
constantly, its string riding up between his buttocks, but he had tried
his best to avoid thinking too much of what was done there now.
Sam drew a deep breath, looking up at Rivers. His long hair picked up
in the breeze. "Mike... My body..."
"I'll find her. I'll get your body back."
"Okay... Well, I guess this is it then," Sam turned and began to walk
away, his high heels clicking on the sidewalk, his legs gracefully
swinging one in front of the other. He heard Rivers call after him and
turned.
"Sam... Stay lucky."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam made his way across the street, his arms folded in front of him to
ward off the breeze which had begun to pick up force the closer he got
to the bay. Some late night revellers were staggering back to their
hotel in the distance. Somewhere he heard a bottle smash.
The wooden deck of pier nine thudded under his feet as he made his way
up. He could already see the "Oro del Diablo" up ahead, its white hull
reflecting the lamp lights that ran along the pier. There was no
turning back now. He wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop.
His fingers found the railing of the yacht's gangway, and he carefully
stepped across. Below him, the inky blackness of the sea lapped at the
underside of the ship. A light appeared before him, dazzling him. He
held his hand across his face as he heard footsteps approach.
As the torch was lowered, Sam blinked a few times, his vision gradually
adjusting. A shadow loomed before him, threatening even to block out
the Moon, so it seemed. A huge, hulk of a figure, a sentinel, stood
between him and the yacht's deck.
It was Gaul, Ramirez's bodyguard. He stood seven foot tall, his
tailor-made suit straining with his muscular build. Even in the
darkness, he wore his sunglasses so as to betray as little emotion as
possible.
Sam swallowed hard, then gasped, as Gaul suddenly and forcefully
gripped his arm. Gaul's hand was large and his thick fingers encircled
his entire arm with ease. He turned, silently heading back in to the
boat, and Sam had little choice but to mince after him in rapid small
steps to match the man's larger strides.
Gaul's grip was strong and hurt his arm. Sam heard his feminine voice
groaning with the pain. He was dragged into the bowels of the boat,
deep below the deck, down a narrow corridor. Sam tried to recall as
much as he could about his surroundings, remembering the way back out
and up to the deck if needed.
A door was opened and Gaul, silently and impassively, threw Sam in. He
fell to the floor with a cry, watching as Gaul slammed the door shut.
He heard the sound of a heavy bolt sliding and then Gaul's heavy
footsteps disappearing back up the corridor.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sam brought himself back to his feet and rubbed at his painful right
calf.
"Some welcome that was."
He looked around at his surroundings. He was in a bedroom. A king-
sized bed dominated the room, the covers immaculately made up with a
plush white duvet. Large pine wardrobes and drawer units were set into
the walls and recessed ceiling lights cast a muted glow down into the
room. There were no windows and off to one side it looked like there
was an en suite bathroom. The gentle sway of the yacht on the water
created a disconcerting sensation. He went to the door, working the
handle and pushing with his shoulder, but it didn't budge.
He opened a couple of the wardrobes. In one there hung various
expensive dresses, tops and skirts. In another were racks upon racks
of women's shoes, most of them with heels as tall as the ones he was
wearing. It looked as though this was Antoinette's personal room. He
was a little relieved. He'd feared that he might be expected to share
a room with Ramirez. He still wasn't quite sure what the arrangement
was with Antoinette, given that Ramirez's wife was on board.
Sam sat on the edge of the bed, and reached down to his ankles,
unstrapping each of his high heels and pulling them off with a sigh of
relief. Despite his rapid adjustment to high-heeled walking, his feet
were still very sore and he rubbed at the soles of each of his small
feet.
Sam was exhausted and yearned for the soft comfort of the bed. He
didn't know if anyone would be coming for him tonight, or if he would
be able to get away with a few hours of sleep, but it no longer felt
like he had a choice in the matter. His borrowed body had finally
given up.
With effort, Sam pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to the
free-standing full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room.
The carpet felt soft and deep under his bare feet. He looked at his
reflection. He looked a lot more dishevelled than he'd realised. His
long hair was now straggly and he had lost much of his makeup from
washing his face earlier. His dress was crumpled and a spaghetti strap
had slipped from his shoulder. Despite all this, Antoinette had an
alluring natural beauty that shone through.
Sam turned and looked over his shoulder into the mirror, looking for
the zip at the back of his dress. He saw just how rounded and feminine
his buttocks were now. He struggled with the combination of his long
fingernails and the tiny zipper, but managed to pull it all the way
down. The figure hugging cocktail dress had cups built into the bust,
to support a woman's breasts without the need for an additional bra.
The sudden release of pressure on his chest felt good.
Sam watched his reflection as the dress slid down his body, needing a
little persuading to clear his wide hips. He gasped as the dress
puddled at his feet.
In the mirror, his breasts rose and fell with his breathing. They
seemed very large for his size, but still firm and pert. His nipples
were thick and pink with large aureole. He instinctively cupped them,
feeling their weight in his small hands. He pinched at his nipples and
instantly regretted it as he misjudged their sensitivity. His hands
left his breasts and traced the outline if his small waist and his
perfectly flat stomach. He felt the way his waist flared out to join
the curve of his hips. Between his legs was the small triangle of his
lacy thong. It was stretched tight and snug against a disturbingly
flat crotch.
His manhood.
Gone.
Sam would have left the underwear on if it hadn't been for the
irritation of the thong between his buttocks. He hooked his thumbs
into the elasticated waist band and slid them down. They peeled off of
him, like a second layer of skin. He shook them off of his ankles and
looked back at himself in the mirror. A small, neatly trimmed strip of
blonde hair sat above the beginnings of a vertical slit that
disappeared further between his legs.
His womanhood.
Sam did not know if he was a man with the body of a woman, or a woman
with the mind of a man. His whole being, his whole identity was in
turmoil.
But the turmoil belonged to another day. Not now. Sam peeled back the
bed covers and slid naked between the sheets. He fell asleep almost
immediately.