Of Paths To Take, The Path To The Mall free porn video

Introduction This is one of five possible continuations of the story Path to the Crossroads. It is necessary to have traveled in the mind on the path to the crossroads before choosing in which direction to continue. May the reader find adventure, pleasure, and maybe even peace of mind, down the path he or she has chosen to travel. Of Paths to Take The Path to the Mall By: Zylux In the display window were many stunningly beautiful things to look at, and I quickly scanned over all, coming to rest on five mini skirts laid out across the floor at the front of the display window. Each was expertly tailored using high quality fabrics in a variety of different designs, stimulating a different vision of the type of woman who would wear such an expensive skirt and the radically different men she would be surrounded by. That something inside me not only wanted to slip into those skirts, but an appropriate daydream as well. One skirt in particular was quick to grab my attention. It was a slim fitting, beige, wool mini skirt with a wide waist band and two button, side zip closure that wanted to pair up with a matching fitted jacket. It had a cut and an overall impression of being very expensive and would be worn by a sexy, sophisticated, intelligent woman of means in a boardroom filled with powerful men, each competing for the wearer's attention. Now there was a dream I could spend some time in. But that was not to be, for a very different type of skirt caught the attention of that something inside me. It was a flared, rube red sequined, mini skirt that shouted sex. It was the kind of skirt a woman looking for a fun night would wear to the top night club. She would thrill at all the men jostling with each other, trying to be the one to dance with her and hoping to be the one she would go home with. It was a dream that my inner something wanted to slip into, but I didn't, and I forced my gaze to move on. My attention focused on a pleated, turquoise and gray plaid, mini skirt that invoked an image of a school girl with a pixie haircut. My mind dressed her in a white, long sleeve, turtleneck pullover sweater with a thin black belt around the waist. I smiled at the sweet, innocent picture as she headed for an exclusive private school. That something inside me did NOT like it and quickly changed the girl to a young woman by adding an ample chest. It then slipped her feet into black, high heeled pumps. Her hair became long and wavy. College was on her agenda. The sweet innocent look was fast eroding away when suddenly; a breeze momentarily shifted a broken metal sign dangling from a poll on the outer edge of the parking area, briefly reflecting a ray of sunlight into the display window. The bright flash of light lasted just long enough to light up a straight, pure white mini skirt. My attention was completely captured by the nearly blinding light reflected off the skirt. My thoughts were instantly transported to the deck of a cruse ship, littered with wealthy people, all dressed in white suits, engaged in social activities of the day. I wanted to dwell on all the possible continuations of that day dream, but that something inside me forced me to move on. My attention then came to rest on the last skirt, a blue denim mini skirt with a two inch wide, turned up hem instead of the normal turned under hem. I followed my inner something as it slipped deep into a day dream in which I was pulling that skirt up my legs, securing it in place with the front button and zipper fly. An unbuttoned blue and white checkered shirt materialized around my upper body. I slowly tied the bottom of the shirt into a knot, leaving the upper part unbuttoned. I had in my mind an image of raw sex appeal that needed a place to go, but where? The rodeo? Logical but no, for the skirt was high end and it demanded a classer venue. Like, a horse breeding farm where the wearer would be the owner ... no, the daughter of the owner, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, swinging side to side as she sashayed out to the stables, seeking out the beefy hired ... Once again my daydream was shattered, this time by a car in a hurry, coming from my right that quickly decelerated to a stop directly behind me, its engine throbbing with the sound of pure muscle. I heard the driver side door open followed by the sound of first one boot hitting the pavement quickly followed by the other. "You there! Turn around with you hands out to the side, now!" I did as commanded and found myself being confronted by a woman police officer staring at me over the roof of her cruiser. She stared at me as she slammed the door closed and came around the front of the car. The intensity of her stare caused me to glance away. My attention refocused on her name tag, which read: Sergeant Lynn J____. From what I had seen of her, I could tell that she was a striking woman with a tough, hardness about her. She wore her hair up in a tight bun at the lower back of her head that stuck out from under her cap. As she approached me, I could see that she was at least six feet three, a couple of inches taller than me, giving her the tactical advantage of holding the high ground. She came to stand close in front of me as if to intimidate me. She then peered around me and stared down at the floor of the display window. A smile appeared on her face as she caught sight of the mini skirts. Her smile intensified as she looked back at me, and then took a step back in order to give me a good looking over from head to toe. But the smile turned more into a leer as her visual inspection came to focus on my right arm. She grabbed my right wrist, raising it up and turning it to expose a small tattoo on my right inner forearm. The look on her face told me that I was deep in that brown stuff. "What do we have here, a gang tattoo?" "Um, no no, it's a symbol of a karate dojo I used to belong to." "You expect me to believe that YOU are some kind of marshal arts expert?" "Hardly, but I was really into it in my high school and early college days." "Well, I'm not buying that and I was just going to cite you for that little sprint of yours across the boulevard, but this ups the ante. I'm going to run you through the system. Show me your ID." I slowly, deliberately, took out my wallet and extracted my driver's license. With a slightly shaking hand, I handed my license to the officer. She took it back to her cruiser, opened the passenger door and slipped in with her legs outside the vehicle. She reached over and snatched the hand mike from it's holder on the police radio and jerked it up close to her mouth. She said something and then read my license number into the mike. She dropped her hand with the mike into her lap and waited for a reply. It wasn't long in coming. She got back out of the car, leaving the door open, and strutted up to me with a look of disappointment. "Alright, you came back clean, but I'm still going to issue a citation for jaywalking." "Do you have too? Look, I didn't mean to do that, it's just that I got seduced by the smell of coffee..." "Coffee? That's the shop down on the end." "Yeah I know, it's ... Okay, look, I was on a walk around in the mall, but started feeling kind of depressed after looking at the new, um... Well, I needed some air and stepped outside, and then I caught the smell of coffee, but I got distracted ... It's complicated, can you just give me a warning instead? My jobs not much more than minimum wage... "Hurting for money are we? Alright, you've got your warning, but with a condition, or two. For now, you can show up at the dojo on Linux just north of Pascal at eight o'clock tonight." "Whoa, wait a minute, what for?" "If I read you correctly, I think you will fit in with a program the department has created, and rather well I should think." "What kind of program?" "Never mind. I just have to check you out on a couple of things. All you need to worry about, for now, is being there on time. Got that?" "Yes ma'am, I'll be there." "Excellent. Now then, you're a ways from home, how did you get here?" "By car, it's parked at the far end of the mall." "Makes sense. Well, I have a few personal questions best asked in private. I can do it here in the car or, if you are done fantasizing about wearing those mini skirts and have no further interest in coffee, I can do it while giving you a lift back to your car." Wow! Where did that come from? I know that the police have a heightened sense of observation, but that just shocked me to the core. I froze, unable to move. All I could do was wonder just how much of my daydream was obvious to her. Sergeant J____ leered with pleasure at my surprise as she turned away and headed for the front of her car. With her no longer leering at me, I was able to override my shock and got in the police car through the open passenger side door just as she opened the driver side door and slipped in behind the wheel. I indicated my accepting a lift by closing the door and buckling up the seat belt. Sergeant J____ shot me a sly smile then shifted into drive and drove on to the end of the mini mall where there was an exit. Almost directly across the boulevard was an entrance to the malls parking lot. After waiting for a break in traffic in both directions, she gunned the engine and speed across the busy street. Once in the parking lot, Sergeant J____ maneuvered onto the main artery that ran in front of the side of the mall I had exited on. That's when she engaged me in a conversation about my personal life, work, and family or more accurately, lack of family ties, having alienated my family by dropping out of collage and becoming a common laborer. But it wasn't a friendly conversation. It felt more like I was being interrogated, but for what I couldn't tell. We rounded the end of the mall, and with the parking lot still sparsely used, I was able to point out my aging VW bug. Sergeant J____ abruptly stopped on the main road near my car. I thanked her for the lift and got out of the car. As soon as the car door closed, she sped off in the direction of the mini mall. I stood there and watched her car disappear in the distance before getting into my own car and making for home. Once back at home, my mind was free to dwell on the officer's demand that I meet her at a dojo later that night, the reason for which escaped me. What could a female police officer, karate, and a lack of money add up to? And there was my fantasizing over mini skirts that didn't escape her attention, was that a piece in the puzzle or something for her pleasure? Not knowing what lay in store for me at the dojo, I figured it would be best to have an early dinner so as to meet what ever waited for me with an empty stomach and a fueled up body. A can of soup fit the bill nicely and was consumed about an hour before I had to get ready. As the appointed hour drew near, I retreated to my bedroom to change clothes. My old karategi was retrieved from a forgotten corner of the closet and laid out on the bed. I stripped to my shorts and then put on the white trousers and white jacket. The blue belt denoting my mid kyu ranking was lifted off the hanger and secured around my waist. An old pair of sandals was pulled from the closet and I slipped my feet into them. I grabbed my keys and my wallet, and then headed for, and out, the front door. I made my way to my assigned parking spot without running into anyone that I might have to explain my appearance to. Upon getting into my car, I leaned over to stuff my wallet in the glove box. Straightening up, I put the key in the ignition and turned it on. The engine of my aging VW bug finally fired up after the usual protests. I backed out and headed off to my appointment with Sergeant J____. The trip to the dojo was uneventful and I had no trouble finding the place. Finding parking was a different matter. I ended up parking on the opposite side of the street and up from the dojo. The key was removed from the ignition and transferred to my left hand as I got out of my car. I surveyed the street looking for a break in traffic intending to sprint across, but I didn't; after all, it was jaywalking that got me into whatever mess I was in. Reluctantly, I walked down to the intersection with Pascal and crossed. I worked my way up to the dojo, hoping that I was on time. Entering the dojo, I was greeted by a typical scene of students stretching and warming up on the mat. They were adults, mostly white belts with a few yellow belts mixed in. Sergeant J____ was easy to spot, although she was not in uniform. Instead, she was wearing a white pants suit with the jacket off and draped over her arm, revealing a black, long sleeve shirt, the top button of which was undone. She was standing at the edge of the training area in white pumps with a low, wide heel, engaged in conversation with a man dressed in his karategi and a black belt with two yellow stripes on one end indicating a second dan ranking. As I came up to them, the officer noticed me and turned to greet me. "You have arrived and slightly ahead of time, excellent. Master K____, this is Jeff, the person of interest. Jeff, meet Master K____. He will be assessing your physical and defensive skills." "Nice to meet you Jeff. Come join my students in some calisthenics and then I'll put you through the test." As the students moved into formation before Master K____, I moved down to the back edge of the mat and turned to face it. I slipped out of my sandals, bent down to put my car key in one of them and straightened up. I made a partial bow before stepping onto the mat. Master K____ took note and gave a slight nod of approval with his head as I took a position at the end of the first row of students and made ready. We were really put to it. It was beyond any doubt, the most intense workout I had experienced since my quitting karate when I dropped out of collage to explore South America. I would be feeling it in the morning. With calisthenics out of the way, the students sat down on the edges of the mat. Master K____ had me take a position at the center of the mat facing the students. He then called up the largest of his students, wearing a yellow belt. While my adversary was a few inches shorter than me, he was at least twice my weight and definitely stronger than me. Master K____ had him attack me from the front, than the side, and finally from behind. I fended off all attacks, broke all holds, and, as if to put an exclamation point on my performance, put my opponent on the mat. I couldn't help feeling a bit proud of myself; after all, it had been years since I last engaged someone in combat. Master K____ did not seem to be impressed. Instead he called up two other students of average height and build, and then had both of them attack me together. We were put through several more scenarios, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Master K____ had the students retake their seats on the mat and then turned to face me. He issued a roaring one word challenge in Japanese. I responded by assuming the standard tee formation and we engaged in combat. Master K____ was clearly my better, but in the end, I had given a good account of myself. We bowed to each other and then shook hands. He gave me some words of praise, and then motioned for his students to rise. As the students paired up for the day's lesson, I exited the back of the mat pausing to pick up my key and slip my feet into my sandals. Master K____ had moved to engage in a brief conversation with Sergeant J____. As he turned to rejoin his students, the officer looked at me and smiled, but it wasn't entirely a friendly one, it was more along the lines of someone about to make an advantageous deal. The officer watched me come up the side of the mat to her. "How'd I do Officer?" "Let's talk proposition, but not here. There's a coffee shop just around the corner. And you can call me Lynn." Coffee shop? Oh great, that's what lured me into this mess in the first place. We walked to the coffee shop for the most part in silence. As we came up to the shop I noticed a police car parked in front. Two officers were seated at a table for four just inside the front door enjoying a cup of coffee, the immediate area around them was clear. As we joined them, I noticed a couple of empty cups in front of the empty chairs and a half filled pot of coffee. "Jeff, this is Captain Larry S____, and Lieutenant Frank Y____. Gentlemen, this is Jeff D____, the man I told you about." "Have a seat Jeff, and help yourself to the coffee." Lynn took a seat next to the Captain, leaving me to seat myself next to the other officer. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then set the pot in front of Lynn. I started to savor it as Lynn briefed the two officers on the results of the test. "Master K____ has just checked him out and has signed off on him. He's a little tall, but otherwise perfect for Operation Drag-net. He's got the defensive skills, no close social ties, and the right mind set. I say we give him a try." "Whoa, what's this Operation Drag-net, Captain?" "We have a problem concerning a recent rise in muggings and rape. We have had to pull to many officers off other assignments to patrol and catch the perp in any given hot spot. That leaves too much of the city without adequate protection for an unknown length of time. And with the budget cutbacks we just don't have the money for additional officers. What we do have, is enough money from drug property seizures for bounties. That's where you come in. We send you into a trouble spot, dressed appropriately, to draw out the suspect. When successful, you signal Lynn and her partner, who will come in and make the arrest. When the suspect is convicted and in jail, you will collect the bounty. "Um, what do you mean 'dressed appropriately'?" "Usually that means dressed and made up as, a woman." "Wait, isn't that something the police are already doing?" "Yes, but only a few have proven suitable enough to be effective, and they have been used so often that they are being spotted. We need fresh faces. So, are you in?" "I'd have to think about it. And just out of curiosity, what kind of numbers are we talking about?" "It depends on the case. The more difficult and dangerous the suspect and the more urgent it is to get him off the street, the bigger the bounty. But you can figure on this range, with some reaching this level." The Captain wrote some numbers on a napkin and slid it across the table to me. I looked at it in a state of astonishment having instantly compared it to what little my job paid. I folded the napkin in half and stuffed it into my left back pocket. And with that, the meeting was over. Everyone got up and headed out the door. Outside the shop, Lynn pulled me off to the side out of hearing of the Captain and Lieutenant who were engaged in conversation. "What's to think about? You will actually get to wear skirts similar to the ones you were daydreaming about. And the makeup artist we hire on an as needed bases, will make sure you look like you should be wearing a skirt." Once again Lynn shocked me and all I could do was stare at her. My inner something seized the moment to force upon my thoughts the idea of being made up to actually look like a woman. For some reason, I seemed to thrill at the idea and started to drift off into a daydream. But I was instantly brought back to reality by Lynn. She was intently smiling at me, but again, it wasn't entirely friendly. No, it was more along the lines of someone who had stumbled upon some forbidden secret she could use to advantage. "Look, you have the opportunity to make a difference, to make life a little less worrisome for the women of this city. Besides you still 'owe' me, so come in to the station tomorrow when you can, and ask for the Captain. There's some paperwork to fill out and you will need to be briefed on procedures." "What you are asking of me is far more than waving some jaywalking fine." "True enough, but that's no longer a factor. There's more at play here and you know it. It's obvious to me that deep down inside, you want to do it. I dare say that you relish the idea of not only dressing the part, but looking the part." Lynn smiled at me a friendly reassuring way, but the thought of her possibly knowing my secret, was to embarrassing and I couldn't look at her. Instead, I just looked down and gave an affirmative nod of my head. "Excellent. It's just as I thought earlier. You ARE perfect for Operation Drag-net. Now, are you working tomorrow? Yes? Then I'll inform the Captain that you will be in directly after work." Lynn reached out, placing her fingers under my chin. She gently coaxed me to lift up my head and look her in the eyes. She was smiling, but it quickly changed into a leer. Lynn turned away and headed for the Captain, leaving me to stare at her in shock. I slipped into a daze as I headed off to cross Linux and turned up street to my car. I remained in a daze as I drove home, walked to my apartment, and eventually made ready for bed. Sleep didn't come easy as there was just too much running through my mind and all of it was overshadowed by the potential of some sort of extortion if I tried to back out. Would Lynn, a police officer, actually resort to that? It was not a thought one could drift off to sleep on. Things didn't improve much the next day. I headed off to work, sore, restless, and still in a daze, and stayed that way to the end of my shift. It wasn't until well after work, with me staring at the entrance to the police station, that the reality of what I was about to commit to, managed to bring me back to the conscious world and I froze, unable to move. I stared at the entrance for what seemed like an eternity but was actually less than ten seconds. My hesitation wasn't due so much as to the danger involved, but more to being dress in women's clothing in public and surrounded by many who would know I was a man. I was at an impasse until that something inside me rose up and took control. Suddenly, the entrance became closer and larger. I watched my hand reach for, and seize, the door handle. The door was pulled open and my inner something dragged me through. One of two officers behind the front desk looked up at me. "Can I help you sir?" "Yeah, um, I'm Jeff D____, here to see Captain S____. He's expecting me." "Yes sir. I'll need to see some ID and you will need to fill out this security form." I pulled my wallet from my back pocket, took out my driver's license, and handed it to the officer. He looked it over and handed it back to me. It was put back into my wallet which was returned to my back pocket. As I filled out the form, the officer called the Captain and informed him that I had arrived. Just as I finished the paperwork, a security door just to the right of the front desk buzzed and opened. It was the Captain carrying a folder with some papers in it. The desk officer took the form from me and issued me a visitor's badge, noting its number on the security form. As I clipped it to the front pocket of my shirt, the Captain ushered me through the security door. The door closed behind us with the sound of a massive deadbolt being electronically thrust into a locking receptacle. A feeling that there was no turning back swept over me. The Captain led me to the briefing room with floor to ceiling windows along the front. Inside, there were rows of tables with chairs, all facing to the left end of the room. At that end were a podium, an overhead projector, and a view screen. The Captain handed me the folder and ushered me through the door. "Have a seat Jeff; you have some paperwork to fill out. Now, even though you are not a police officer, or even an employee of the police department, there are rules and regulations that govern our actions that you will need to be aware of, as well as procedures you will have to follow in the course of drawing out and apprehending a suspect. An instructor from the academy will join you shortly and will fill you in. I'll see you at the end. Welcome aboard." Great, more paperwork. It took no small amount of time to fill out all the forms, with each one being more invasive of my personal life than the one before. The last one was a questionnaire that delved into my psychic. I had yet to finish when the instructor entered the room. We exchanged greetings before he laid another stack of papers in a binder, in front of me. He setup a few papers of his own as I finished off the questionnaire. As soon as I finished with my paperwork, we started on the instructor's. There was a lot to cover and it quickly became apparent that I was getting a general overview of something that a police cadet would have to spend days, if not weeks, learning. Some of it made sense, while some of it seemed to be handicaps imposed by the courts. It all came down to officer safety verses the suspect's rights and the documentation of all that transpired and how much of it would apply to me even though I was an outside consultant, of sorts. When all was said and done the instructor led me from the room to the Captains office which was close by. "All done? Thanks for coming in Tom. Okay, Jeff, I'll be reviewing the paperwork and Tom's assessment. The questionnaire will be reviewed by the department psychologist. If he signs off on you, then everything goes to the Commissioner. When he signs off, Lynn will then be able to call you in when needed. She is the primary field officer for this operation and has the final say on who, when, where, and so on. You should hear from me one way or the other within a week. I'll see you to the front desk." We walked back the way we had come with the Captain pointing out different departments and other things. The impromptu tour ended when we reached the front security door. The Captain nodded to an officer in a glass booth off to the side. A buzzing sound came from the door as well as the heavy thud of a dead bolt being electronically pulled back. The captain opened the door for me and I slipped through. We wished each other a good night before the door once again closed with the ominous sounds imposed by a needed security. I checked out with the same officer at the front desk and then departed the station, got in my car and headed for home to wait out the decision on my fate. Four days later, the Captain called me after work. I was in. My first case came in the late afternoon of the very next day. It had been a miserably boring and physically exhausting day at work. I had thankfully made it home in one piece and had just collapsed onto the sofa to try and recover, when the phone rang, annoying me to no end. "Yeah?" "Jeff? It's Lynn." "Hey Lynn, what's up?" "An urgent case. It's low risk and should be perfect for you to start out with. The university over on the west side has experienced three rapes on campus in the last five weeks. Needless to say, they don't want there to be a fourth." "Understandable, but can the police afford to get involved when the attacks occur so infrequently? Surely campus security can increase patrols where the rapes have occurred." "A pattern has emerged that makes the attacks predictable but that knowledge comes with a couple of manpower problems for campus security. First, the attacks have only occurred during well attended, on campus, sporting events in virtually deserted areas of the campus. During these events, security is so swamped with traffic and crowd control that it doesn't have sufficient personal or budget to adequately patrol the deserted areas, where no one has any business being alone in the first place. It's likely that the suspect has observed what patrols there are long enough to know when he has a safe window to operate in." "Hasn't the administration issued a warning to avoid that area?" "They have, and that brings up the second problem. The corridor where the attacks have occurred is a convent route between the southern apartments and the commercial part of the campus. Normally, there is enough security personal as well as student traffic to ward off any trouble, so the students have pretty much ignored the warning." "So, prevention has failed and it's time to ferret out and remove the problem. I'm in." "Excellent. I'll call in Elaine, our makeup artist. On your way in, you are going to have to pickup a suitable outfit. There's an open mall close to the station with a couple of stores that work with the department. Have you got a pen and paper handy? I'll give you their names, who to see, and a code for billing the department." "Um, jus' a sec... Okay, ready." Lynn dictated the info as I wrote it down. "Got it?" "Yeah, I got it." "Excellent. Oh, and not to worry, the stores personal are used to helping officers who have drawn mugging duty. They are very supportive of the work our officers do. You can rest assured that there will be no jokes or laughter during or after your visit. Their professional mannerism should lessen any embarrassment you may develop from having to select and try on women's clothing. Of course, that's assuming you don't have something suitable in your closet you can press into service. Be at the station by six." Once again, Lynn had shocked me speechless, but before I could recover and give protest she had hung up. An image of her sitting at her desk, looking at her phone, and chuckling to herself filled my mind. There was nothing I could do about it, so I shifted my thoughts to what I needed to do before leaving for the station. Considering the day I had, a shower was in order and I would need to shave, and not just my face but my legs as well. Of course I could wear thigh length opaque stockings instead, but that was something a male officer would do. The suspect might consider that in his selection of a target. I wanted him to choose me and that meant eliminating anything that would hint of my being a decoy. With a game plan in mind, I forced my self up off the couch and headed for the bathroom. As I entered the bathroom, I started to strip off my clothes, hanging them on a hook on the back of the door. Shaving my face was first on the list and was done at the sink as usual. Next were my legs, something best done in the shower. I lathered up, grabbed the razor and got in the shower. I turned on the hot water valve just enough for a trickle to come from the shower head and got to work. It wasn't long before my legs were silky smooth. All that was left was to clean the rest of me. I was about to turn up the shower when another potential of blowing my cover came to mind. It concerned the soap. The soap was grabbed from its holder and brought to my nose. It had a slight masculine fragrance. This was the one time when smelling like a man in public would not be a good thing. Fortunately, there was an alternative at my disposal. About a year earlier, I had purchased a "luxurious pampering home spa" soap that has the fragrance of baby powder and flowers. I used it on dress up nights when I had the desire to feel extra feminine. The soap was retrieved from a small sealed container under the sink. Upon opening the container I was immediately hit by the fragrance and my thoughts turned to it being too feminine for a man, after all, I still had shopping to do. That something inside me didn't care and it willed me to put it in the showers soap holder. I complied, but resolved to use it sparingly. The shower was turned up and I stepped in. As I lathered up and rubbed the soap across my skin, the fragrance filled my nose. The purely feminine scent turned my thoughts to what I would wear on the assignment. An image of the clothing store display window where I was first confronted by Lynn materialized in front of me. In my mind, I again looked down at the five mini skirts on the floor. The turquoise and gray plaid pleated mini skirt jumped up at me and filled my field of vision. As I slipped back into the same daydream I had back then, I came to realize that it was the perfect outfit for the assignment, not my version, but that of my inner something. It wanted that outfit, and I wanted it too, as soon as possible. A new energy surged through me and I quickly finished up all I had to do in the bathroom. I got dressed in fresh clothes and headed off for the kitchen. Once again, soup was the sensible choice. A large bowl was pulled from a drawer and set on the counter. A stale half loaf of French bread was retrieved from under a cover at the back of the counter. A thick slice was sawed off using a serrated knife and placed in the bottom of the bowl. I selected a can of chicken and vegetable soup from the overhead cabinet. It was opened by the pull tab on the top of the can and the contents were pored over the bread in the bowl. The soup was warmed up in my microwave oven and then quickly consumed while standing at the counter. I didn't bother to clean up; I just left everything where it was and headed for the door, grabbing the list I made, still by the phone, in passing. Getting to my car and then to the mall was uneventful and made without any delays. At the mall, I started to drive along the front of the stores trying to spot the ones on my list when I noticed a couple of college aged girls excitedly entering a store displaying a youthful look in the front windows. It was on my list and I quickly parked in front of it. I sat there, staring at the entrance knowing what I had to do, but quickly realized that if I started to think about it, I probably couldn't do it. So, I took a deep breath and opened the car door, slipped out, shut the door and made a beeline for the store entrance, all in one non stop motion. I was determined to enter the store and head straight for a saleswoman. A good plan, that went out the window the moment I stepped inside. That's when I noticed it was a women's wear only store and I instantly stopped dead in my tracks. Needless to say, I did not fit in with the few customers that were browsing through racks of clothing. That didn't go unnoticed and a saleswoman quickly approached me. She came up close to me and addressed me in a low voice. "I'm Gwen, may I help you sir?" "Um, yeah, um, I'm on assignment with the police department, and I ah..." "Oh, I see. Forgive my saying, but you don't exactly fit the profile of a police officer." "I'm not. I'm more of a bounty hunter that the police have brought in for a particular case." "Well, this is different, and we certainly want to help. What type of look are you in need of?" "A female college student." "Oh yes, I have heard that there has been a couple of incidents at the university. We get quite a few students and have dedicated a sizable area to them filled with the latest fashions for a young woman. It's right over here. " One look in the direction she was moving in with me following slightly behind her, said it all; there was nothing that would come anywhere close to the image in my mind. I started to look around as I followed her, slowly falling further behind as I did so. "These have just arrived. This section down here is geared to the college ... um, sir..." "Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, nice, but someone wearing the latest in fashion would be someplace where she could show it off to the most people. The suspect is prowling the more deserted areas of the campus. I'm thinking something more dated but still attention grabbing." "I see. With those criteria, your choices are going to be limited. I think that the best chance of finding the right look will be in our closeout section. It's over this way." I followed Gwen around circular racks of clothing to the other side of the store. Projecting out from the wall were hanging bars for all of the outgoing fashions. Gwen went straight for a section near one end. She pushed some clothing to the end of the rack and some more to the center isolating a group of clothes that were styled to appeal to the tastes of a college aged girl. As she started to spread out the isolated group of clothes, I spotted it, it being a pleated mini skirt in a red and pink plaid. "There! Um, I believe this one should fit in with the current campus atmosphere." "Quite right, and as I recall, this style was rather popular early in the school year and should still carry some favor with a sizable portion of the student body. Now, given your height, I would suggest an athletic look. We do have sweat shirts in the school colors with graphics that would imply that you are a member of one of the women's teams." "A good idea, except there's a game on tonight. Anyone involved with school sports would definitely show support by being at the game. I'm going to be in an area about as far as one can get from the game and still be on campus. Do you have a pullover turtleneck sweater in white?" "Yes, but I think pink will be more your color with this skirt. We have that in stock. It's over this way." Gwen had lifted the hanger with my skirt choice off the bar and was already heading off for parts unknown. I followed her to another part of the store to a table display where she grabbed, in passing, a pink turtleneck sweater. She then headed for a changing area in the back of the store. I instantly became apprehensive at the thought of having to try on women's clothes in public. I knew I had to, I just didn't think I could, after all, the other customers had probably seen me pick out the skirt as well as being led to the dressing rooms. It would be easy to assume that they had put two and two together. Gwen passed a row of stalls down to what looked like an aisle way at the end. It turned out to be another stall but it was recessed back about ten feet creating a very private changing area. That feature and the realization that there was no one else in the changing area, yet, eased my anxiety. As I turned the corner, Gwen leaned in to whisper something to me as she handed me the clothes. "I'll stand guard here, and if it won't embarrass you, I can offer my opinion as to how close you've come to the look you require and make any need suggestions." I gave her a slight affirmative nod of my head and headed down to the changing stall. My inner something wanted to sprint down to the changing room and it took all I had to keep from doing so. Still, once safely in the room, I hung the clothes on a wall hook and then stripped to my shorts as fast as I could. I looked at the skirt hanging up on the wall. It began to call to me, willing me to wear it. I obliged. The sweater quickly followed. Turning to a full length mirror that was on the wall opposite of the wall I had hung the clothes on, I gave myself a good looking over. That something inside me wasn't satisfied with my just standing there. It quickly took over and I found myself striking pinup girl type poses. One was quickly followed by another until I remembered that the saleswoman was waiting for me and I reined in my inner something as best I could. Still, I couldn't resist one last look. It was a youthful, sexy look, but it was falling short of my vision. It needed a belt and I quickly thought of a reason for one. With a deep breath and a visibly shaking hand I opened the door and stepped out. Gwen, upon hearing the door open, turned to face me. She looked me over from head to toe and back. She then had me turn around and continued her inspection. I began to feel like a freak on display. As I came to again face her, she gave an affirmative nod of her head and then started to walk toward me. She came up to me, leaned in, and addressed me in a low voice. "This outfit works for the look you want and you wear it well, you should be a most appealing target. The only addition I would recommend would be tennis shoes. They will make any confrontations with an assailant easier to handle." "Good idea. I would also like a thin belt, so an assailant coming from behind can't pull the bottom of the sweater up above my head, restraining my arms and blinding me." "A precaution I would not have thought of. You are quite the professional; I can see why the police have called you in. I'll get the shoes and belt while you change back into your clothes." Gwen looked at my feet before heading back to the display area. I backed into the changing room and proceeded to change back into my clothes despite my inner something's wishes to the contrary. Gwen soon returned with three pairs of white tennis shoes and a thin red belt. I tried on the shoes and selected a pair that fit perfectly. Gwen gathered up everything as I put my own shoes on. It was on to the register. Gwen rang up each item and then brought up the total. She keyed in a discount before asking me for the billing code. I showed her the paper I had written it on. She copied it onto the stores copy of the receipt and placed it in a special drawer under the register. She placed the clothes and my copy of the receipt in a large bag with the stores name and logo on it. As she handed the bag to me, she leaned slightly towards me. "Good luck and may your hunt be successful." I gave Gwen a quick nod of my head as I took the bag from her. I made for the front entrance in as manly a gate as I could, in anticipation of drawing stares from some, if not all, of the people in the store. I got to my car in short order and as I slipped into the driver's seat, dropped the bag onto the passenger seat. It was off to the station. At the station, I checked in at the front desk as before, but was issued a slightly different badge. It read: Unescorted Visitor. The officer informed me that I was to proceed to the briefing room. He pushed a button and the security door was unlocked, allowing me to enter. I knew the way, and it wasn't long before I arrived at the briefing room. The Captain, Lynn and another officer were looking over a map of the campus and discussing a tactical plan with the head of campus security by phone. "Hi Captain, Lynn, Officer." "Jeff, you're early, excellent. Meet my partner, Pete. Pete, this is Jeff, he's tonight's decoy." "Welcome to the team Jeff, I've heard about your karate prowess from Lynn. Looking forward to working with you. I see you've done some shopping. Come on, I'll show you to the locker room where you can change. Pete ushered me out of the room and turned up the hallway with me along side of him. We engaged in some more welcoming small talk before the conversation turned to the job at hand. "So, have you done anything like this before?" "Nope, this is definitely a first." "Not to worry, Lynn says that you can handle it. Besides, this is a really low risk case. There're no weapons or other paraphernalia being used by the suspect, at least, not so far anyway. Here we are." We entered a large square room near the right side wall. Directly opposite in the far wall was an opening to what looked like the bathrooms, and showers beyond that. To our left were the lockers. There was a row of them against the front and far walls with a double row down the center of the room stopping short of the left hand wall leaving a gap wide enough to allow the passage of a person. There was a long, narrow, continuous bench in front of each row. Up against the left side wall between the first two rows of lockers, was a tall double door cabinet. There were a couple of officers changing clothes and Pete introduced me to them. They had heard about a new decoy joining the Operation Drag-net team, saw my shopping bag with the stores name prominently displayed and put two and two together. They started in on some good natured ribbing. I tried to laugh it off, but inside my anxiety level was going ballistic. Thoughts of having to put on women's clothing in front of these guys, (and anyone else that should come into the room) were quickly turning into a hellish nightmare. I felt like a freak being forced to perform for the amusement of others. Pete led me down to the cabinet at the far end of the first aisle. "This is our general supply and mugging duty accessory cabinet. In here you will find breast prosthesis, wigs, purses, and a few other things we have accumulated over the years. You are free to make use of anything in there you think will aid in the capture of the suspect. And, over here, is your locker." Peat had slightly turned from me and was indicating with an open left hand, a locker near the end of the center row. There was a brass plate pop riveted to the door at average eye level, just like all of the other lockers in the room with one little exception: my name was engraved on the plate. I cannot begin to describe the feelings that welled up inside me. May it be sufficient to say, that for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like an unwanted outsider, or a freak, that didn't fit in. Instead, I felt like I was part of a team, a member with a special skill, and would be using that skill in unison with the other team members, each employing there special skill, for some greater good. The trauma of dressing in women's clothes in a room full of men evaporated. I could do it, and the ribbing that would surely come, would be nothing more than an initiation rite into an elite group. "I'll leave you to it. Elaine will be waiting for you in the little room directly across the hall. See you back in the briefing room." "Thanks Pete, I'll rejoin you as soon as I can." I opened up my locker and spotted a couple of hangers, hooks, and a small metal tray attached to the right side wall. I put the bag on the floor and started to strip to my shorts. Silence, so far so good. After hanging up my clothes and placing my shoes on the locker floor, I reached into the bag and pulled out the mini skirt. That's when the ribbing picked up again. I shall skip over what was said, as well as my less than witty comebacks. The ribbing didn't last long and I turned my attention to getting dressed. I took a deep breath, and as I exhaled, stepped into the skirt, drawing it up my legs and fastened it around my waist with the side button and zipper. Turning to the cabinet, I opened the doors and had a look see. My immediate need was something that would give me a woman's chest. I spotted the breast prosthesis on one of the middle shelves. I picked it up and examined it. It looked similar to a strapless bra except instead of cups, it had hollow, breast shaped, hard plastic forms. I was about to put it on like I would with any bra when the thought that, that might not be such a good idea in front of the guys. After all, I didn't want anyone to know that I actually had considerable experience in putting on a bra. Instead, I put it on backwards, fastening the two hook strap in front of me, then twisting it back around and up into place. The turtleneck sweater was pulled from the bag. I held it by the bottom hem, shaking it open before slipping my arms inside and into the long sleeves. I ducked my head down, and as I raised my arms upward, slipped the sweater over my head. I pulled it down into place, straightening the bottom over my skirt. The belt was retrieved from the bag and fastened around my waist. I picked up the bag and dumped the shoes out in front of me, folded up the bag and stuffed it in the locker. I put on the shoes before turning back to the cabinet. I looked through the wigs that occupied one of the upper shelves, grabbing one with long wavy hair that came close to the look of the girl in my inner something's version of the daydream. There was a small mirror on the inside of the locker door and I made use of it to set the wig on my head. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I checked the effect it had on my appearance. I was far from looking like a desirable woman. My chances of being an effective decoy were not good, unless Elaine could work some kind of magic. It was time to find out if she could. I reached into my locker and took my badge from my shirt. It was clipped to the turned down collar of my turtleneck sweater. The locker door was closed as I turned to the cabinet once more. I spotted a black clutch purse on a middle shelf and grabbed it. Of course, a red one would have been more suitable, it just wasn't an option. The door was closed and I turned to face the guys, expecting all kinds of whistles and crude comments. I was in for a surprise. "Sexy with a touch of trash, that'll work." "If the perp is out tonight, you won't have any trouble luring him into action." "Definitely, but hey, don't take any unnecessary risks. Your primary goal is to make it home alive, bring in the suspect is a bonus. Remember that." "You've got a great team to back you up, just keep in mind that it will take time for them to come to your aid." "Thanks guys, but unless it's a really dark night, the suspect's liable to pass on me, I look more like a man than a woman." "So, do you think I would make a decent looking woman?" "Wow, you've done this?" "I was doing it back in the early days, when we did our own makeup. I wasn't very good at it, but I was still able to fool my share of suspects. But eventually the suspects wised up and we had to take things up more than a notch or two. That's when the decision to bring in a professional makeup artist was made. Elaine has worked wonders with many an officer." "I guess there's a chance for me then. If you will excuse me, I have a date with Elaine." "Luck and success." My confidence level shot up, at least among the officers, the general station populace was another matter, one that made its presence known as I made ready to leave the shelter of the locker room and enter a public area. Wanting to minimize my exposure to anyone in the hall, I made as dignified of a dash across the hall as I could, surprising Elaine in the process who was seated at a small desk filling out some paper work. "Oh! Well, you must be Jeff. Hmmm, I have said that I do like a challenge." Elaine put down the pen and rose up out of her chair. She pointed to a small table with a chair sitting parallel to it, tucked into a corner of the room that was out of sight from the hallway. Sitting on one end of the table was Elaine's makeup kit; a large tool box with a hinged lid and assorted drawers down the front. "Have a seat at the table and get comfortable, this will take awhile." "I'm kinda curious as to how you can make ME look like a woman. Men and women have different facial structures and I find it hard to believe that you can alter masculine features to appear feminine with just makeup." "I can't really, but I can minimize male characteristics by using light to dark shades of a foundation that matches your facial skin tone to alter the way light reflects off of your face. It's more of a matter of creating an overall look and feel and not letting the eye dwell on any particular part of the face long enough to see that something isn't quite right." "Sounds fascinating, and if it's alright, I would like to somehow watch you work." "You know, you're the first one who has wanted to watch. What the heck, sure you can watch. Let's see, I've got a hand mirror in one of these drawers, ah, here it is. Here you go. Hey, if you are really interested, I can do a play-by-play as I go." "Yeah, that would be cool." Curiosity wasn't the only reason I wanted to watch. I wanted to learn how to properly apply makeup, something that has haunted me from my earliest childhood attempts. I also wanted to find out just what types of makeup I would need to achieve a convincing feminine look. Such knowledge could transport my dress up sessions to a whole new level and who knows where beyond that. I took the mirror by the handle and sat down in the chair. Elaine pulled open the top drawer and took out a few bottles of flesh colored liquid makeup. She held each individual bottle up to my cheek in succession before eliminating and returning all but two bottles back to the drawer. The last two bottles were held up to my cheek together. She moved them around to other parts of my face before returning one to its place in the drawer. I tried to spot the name of the color she had selected, but it eluded me. Having decided on the base foundation color, Elaine got to work applying it to most of my face. She then started to apply lighter and darker shades to various features of my face, explaining what she wanted to accomplish and, more importantly, how she would do it. I watched her work intently from beginning to end, committing everything to memory. The end result was astonishing. I was far more feminine in appearance than I thought I could ever be. The male features I had developed over the years were still there, but my eyes refused to focus on them. As amazing as that was, the best was yet to come. Elaine started to apply details to various parts of my face, starting with my eyes. Her explaining the reasons behind the type of makeup, the color selection, and the technique of application were invaluable. I watched intently as Elaine added details to the parts of my face that people would take note of. The end result was that of a young woman with minimal makeup, but with a couple of accents to attract the attention of young men. "You're all set. Good luck out there." "Wow, this is the perfect look for the assignment. You are a master of your profession. The suspect isn't going to have a clue until it's all over, thanks." Either forgetting (or may be not caring) that I was wearing women's clothing; I strutted out of the room and into the hall where the realization of where I was hit me. But luck was with me as that section only had a few people moving about and I made it back to the briefing room without incident. That's when my luck ran out as the Captain and Pete razzed me but good. Lynn didn't say anything; she just stared at me lustfully, slightly biting her lower lip. She then picked up an object that was on the table in front of her and reached out to hand it to me. "Here, slip this over your left hand and close it around your wrist." The object turned out to be a thicker than normal chrome bracelet that was about an inch wide. It had a flat oval shape and I realized that it was in the open position. I slipped it over my left hand, positioning it over my left wrist. Pressure applied to the two halves forced them to slid together and close with a click. "The bracelet contains a transmitter. You will be required to wear it on each assignment and is to be kept in your locker when not in use. It's activated by placing your fingers outside both edges and squeezing. I, Pete, and the head of campus security, will have a receiver and will come on the run when you signal. Give it a try." I squeezed the bracelet as instructed and the room was instantly filled with multiple beeping sounds from Lynn and Pete's receivers. The both reset their receivers before Lynn continued the briefing. "Now, as to tonight's game plan, I'll drop you and Pete off in the campus commercial area. You will proceed as if you had just finished eating at one of the restaurants and are returning to your apartment on the other side of the campus. As you enter the first trouble zone, Pete will hold back out of sight of anyone in the zone until you reach the central lawn. He will then start following you. Campus security will be stationed at the bottom edge of the lawn between the two trouble zones and will join Pete in following you. I will have driven on to the opposite side of the campus and will be out of sight at the far end of the second trouble zone. Any questions?" "None." "Excellent. Let's saddle up." "The three of you be careful out there, you especially Jeff. This isn't a friendly match at a karate dojo. This is for real and the suspect won't be following any rules of engagement." It was a sobering reminder of the potentially lethal dangers I could be facing. My mind quickly filled with all of the possible outcomes of the night's activities to the point where the only response I could make to the Captain was to nod my head in acknowledgement. The three of us exited the briefing room and headed down the long hallway that would eventually end at the station's back entrance. Looking ahead I could see that the hallway was filled with people who were coming, going, crossing, or standing around engaged in conversation. I quickly became intimidated and the hallway turned into a gauntlet of torment that stretched to infinity. But as we moved down the hall, nothing happened. Either no one knew I was a man or they were so used to men in the guise of a female decoy that it had become a non event. What ever the case, it was a welcome relief. Eventually we made it to the back entrance and strolled out into the night. Lynn's cruiser was close by and we piled in with me in the back. The trip to the university was, for the most part, uneventful, although I did get some stares from passing motorists. Perhaps they thought I was some bad girl under arrest. It was a thought my inner something seemed to like and my mind started to fill with scenarios along those lines. For reasons unknown, I was powerless to resist. Oh well, It was a way to pass the time. As we arrived at the campus commercial area, I removed my badge and put it in my purse, then looked out at a sparsely populated scene. Lynn dropped Pete and me off at a spot out of sight of the few students who were moving about. As she drove off, I headed for the first target area with Pete holding back until there was enough distance between us that no one would think we were together. The route I took was virtually deserted, making things easier on my mind. I made it through the commercial area without incident and came to the start of the southern academic part of the campus. I entered the first problem area and strutted down the path, imitating the walk of a woman as best I could, while at the same time, trying to be observant of my surroundings. It wasn't long before I came to a spot where on my left was a knee high block wall with a bench like top. There was a lawn between the wall and empty classrooms on the left. No place for an attacker to hide. The right side was a different matter. There was a line of chest high bushes with a narrow lawn between them and more empty classrooms on the right. There were gaps in the bushes at regular intervals. A tailor made spot for any assailant, and I shifted the bulk of my attention accordingly, but I passed through without incident. A less problematic area about twice as long as the previous then presented its self. This too was negotiated without incident. As I came to the southwest quadrant of the central lawn, I had to pause. The openness of the central lawn was intimidating and there I was, a man dressed in women's clothes, makeup, and a wig, for all of the world to see, with no place to hide or take cover. But I wasn't going to collect a bounty by standing there, so I mustered up the courage and strolled into the open. As I nervously crossed the central lawn, I became aware of the cool night air caressing my exposed legs. A mild breeze kicked up sending the coolness up my skirt and onto my shorts. A shiver spread through my body but not from the cold. It was from the shock of a totally new sensation, the likes of which I had never come close to experiencing before in any of my dress up sessions within the confines of my apartment. That something inside me thrilled at the new experience and wanted more. It started to take over my actions and thoughts. I surrendered to it and let go of all inhibitions, allowed my movements to be even more feminine, if not mildly exaggerated, and quickly forgot that I was in a wide open public space. I willingly slipped into a dream world. But it was not to last as I was jolted back to reality by voices. A small group of young men and women had emerged from the darkness coming down from the top half of the lawn. Their path put them on an intercept course with me at the mid point of my path. Panic took hold, I wanted to turn and retreat to the relative safety of where I had come from. My inner something said that wasn't going to happen and willed me to continue on. My confidence was all but gone as I meet the group of young people. They crossed in front me without taking any adverse notice and continued on to the southern edge of the lawn where campus security would be. My mind looked on the event as having passed for a woman (whether I actually had or not) and my confidence level shot upward. I continued on in the unmistakable gate and air of a young woman. Having crossed the lawn, I entered the second problem area trying to act like I was unaware of any hidden danger. The area appeared to be a mirror image of the first problem area. The fairly secure part didn't present any problems and I was soon faced with having to pass through the much more hazardous portion. If the suspect was out and about, this is where he most likely was. Once again, I dismissed the left side with its knee high block wall and directed my attention to the right side focusing on the first gap in the bushes when suddenly, from behind the short wall to my left front, up popped a muscular young man of average height. He wore an executioner's mask that covered everything but his mouth and lower jaw. Grinning at me with pure malice in mind, he placed his right hand on the wall and hopped over it with his left hand reaching out towards my face. It was clear that he intended to rush me, cover my mouth with his left hand, and as he slipped behind me, wrap his other arm around me to facilitate dragging me through the gap in the bushes to do as he wished with me. I wasn't about to give him the chance. Before his feet could hit the sidewalk, I had dropped my purse and turned to face my attacker, stepping back with my right foot into the standard tee formation. Bringing my hands up in a karate defense posture, I gave voice to a loud kiai. My, would be assailant, pulled up short staring at me wide eyed and in shock. Having turned the tables, I fixated his attention on my eyes by staring back at him with malice of my own, and then delivered a right front kick to his groin. He didn't see it coming. The young man grabbed his crotch with both hands and slumped to the sidewalk on his knees. I squeezed the sides of the bracelet and then stared down at the suspected rapist and watched him roll onto his side as I retrieved my purse. Lynn came on the run from the east end, with Pete and another man coming in from the central lawn. Lynn, having the shorter distance to cover, arrived first with the glaring look of a lioness protecting her cub. She relaxed upon seeing the suspect laying on the sidewalk in a fetal position. She bent down and, with some difficulty, pried the suspect's hands from his crotch and cuffed them behind his back. She was reading the suspect his rights as Pete and the other man arrived. Pete gave Lynn a hand in lifting the suspect to his feet before removing his mask. The unknown man reached out to shake my hand, which I readily took. "You all right? I'm Lance, campus security. This is definitely our guy; he matches the victims' descriptions. It doesn't look like he gave you any trouble. Nice work." "Thanks. No trouble, although he did surprise me and that brings up a change in landscaping I'd like to suggest. This, and an identical spot in the first problem area, is the perfect setup for a mugger or rapist. Anyone walking through here on alert to danger is going to be concentrating on these gaps in the bushes, and not peering over this wall, as it's doesn't appear to provide enough cover for any would be assailant. That was exactly what I was doing when this guy sprang up from behind the wall. His mistake was coming at me from in front of me and not from behind me. My guess is that he gets some kind of thrill at seeing terror on his victims' face. With my defensive training, that gave me the edge and, well, you can see the results. Anyway, to make this area safe, most of these bushes have got to go." "I'll include that in my report to the dean." "And you have a report of your own to make, Jeff." "JEFF?! You telling me that's a dude? That can't be, I watched her walk in from the lawn, just like a