The Contract - Continued free porn video

Summary: This is a continuation of a story called "The Contract" written and posted here by Belladonna. She has read and approved this continuation. She also encouraged me to publish. Please read the original first as this story picks up with the same characters exactly where the original left off. Brad was still too stunned to completely comprehend the situation. He handed Christiana, his former secretary now the company CEO, a tumbler from Jordan's office so she and the two Vice Presidents, Jordan Gavalas and Melanie Hubble could enjoy a celebration drink. Three months ago Jordan and Melanie looked up to him and admired his work ethic and business prowess. If the three of them had sealed a deal like this back then, Brad would have done the exact same thing. Treated them to drinks in the office at 10:15 in the morning! It would have been cause for him to celebrate with his two closest prot?g?s! Instead he wasn't involved in the proposal, the negotiations, or closing the deal. Well.... that's not exactly correct he did answer the phone when Kurt Gilmore called. However, that was the extent of his involvement. He answered Christiana Stone's phone. As he had been doing for the past three months. Three months ago he had purposefully demoted himself. He was supposedly enjoying "a vacation from himself." It seemed like an exciting idea at the time. He would hand over the company he built to his secretary for three months and during that time, while she was "running his company" he would work as her secretary. The idea served his cross dressing fantasies 10 fold. He was so confident in his stature that he believed he could become a classic secretary, complete with high heels and low pay and then at the end of the three months he believed he could step right back in where he left off. He was so arrogant, he actually allowed his secretary to write a provision into the job swap contract that allowed her to stay in the role of CEO if she could increase the bottom line of the company, for every incremental percentage she increase sales she would earn an additional month as CEO, and similarly Brad would be forced to remain her secretary for another month. When she asked for the provision he never believed she could impact the bottom line. He was so full of hubris, when he signed the contract he also actually never believed she'd treat him like a secretary, nor would she behave like the CEO. He imagined he'd still run the company from the secretarial desk while she served as his "beard" to the outside world. The sales for his company came from large contracts that often took years to cultivate. So in his mind she didn't really stand a chance to expand the bottom line significantly. Of course when he was younger he built the company quickly by accumulating a series of major multi- million dollar contracts, but now that the company was mature with significant annual revenues. Big contracts took much longer, and the company had long ago saturated the market. It seemed so outlandish the he actually thought it was exciting to imagine she might get a new small contract and force him to stay a secretary for an extra month or two. However here he was on the last day of the three months, the end of the temporary job swap. It was difficult, but he had lived through it. He missed his luxuries and he missed the power and confidence that came from being a CEO. He also realized he missed the stature that came from being a man! So although the cross dressing fantasy was fun, he had his fill of the real life version. He was very much looking forward to his last day as Bailey Field, secretary. That's exactly what he was thinking when Kurt Gilmore called 15 minutes ago. He answered Christiana's phone as he had been trained - according to the manual he wrote! "Hello, thank you for calling Cong-O-Industries, desk of Miss Christiana Stone, I'm Bailey. How may I help you?" when the man on the other end said his name he knew it meant trouble. 15 minutes later he was handing his former secretary a tumbler from is past lieutenant's office so the three top manger's could celebrate their victory. He maintained his poise, although his face was ashen and he was still in shock. The sale was so large he wouldn't be stuck as Bailey for another month or two, he would remain a secretary for the next 69 months! The extension when added to the three months he already spent as a woman that would be 6 full years! That reality was ringing in his mind he handed Christiana the glass. "This is for you Miss Stone." he heard his feminine voice say as if it was an out of body experience. Christiana answered "Thanks so much, Bailey, I'm going to celebrate with the management team in my private office for a moment and then we'll bring the party out into the main room. Why don't you be a doll and order a nice lunch for the whole executive suite. This is a great day for my company," and then she learned in close to his ear and whispered "and an exciting day for you, sweet Bailey." With that she shut the door to the office he used to occupy, completely denying him access to the exclusive celebration for the company he built, and signaling the finality of his dream to return to being a man for almost 6 years! As he heard the toast and cheers of celebration through the door, Brad turned on his heels and collapsed at his secretary desk. Although the news was just announced moments before, the energy in the outer office space was already celebratory. People in the executive floor were already milling about wondering what this meant for the company, what it meant for their bottom line. As the energy spilled from cubicle to cubicle and ultimately down to the two floors below that the company occupied, Brad could do nothing but stare at the memo on his screen, and the math that trapped him in 6 years of his self-created feminine secretarial prison. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - The next morning Brad found himself still in a bit of a daze. He couldn't sleep the night before. Yet in the morning he went through his feminine ritual, he went through his beauty routine, brushed out his hair, attached his breast forms, picked out matching lingerie, slid sheer pantyhose up his legs, zipped his cobalt skirt up the back, draped a taupe blouse over his shoulders, put on the matching jacket, slide his feet into his black flats, grabbed his 3 inch heels and clasped his purse as we walked out the door of his small apartment. He took the subway to work with all the other working class folks who worked in the financial district. The subway car was filled with secretaries, maintenance workers, janitors and interns. Each had their uniform of their job /gender and station in life - overalls, khakis, and skirts. Brad used to be one of the lucky ones who drove to work - heck he had a limo driver who drove him in from the suburbs! For a brief moment he wondered about Charlie, his old driver. He wondered what he must think of the situation. At that very moment he was likely driving Christiana away from Brad's old lovely contemporary seaside home in the suburbs. He recalled a brief conversation he had with Charlie the day before the job swap was finalized. He had told Charlie about his crossdressing and job swap adventure. He had to share the story since Charlie would be driving Christiana for the next three months. Charlie was shocked but remained professional. He had wished Brad a happy vacation as he dropped him at his temporary apartment. Brad remembered turning to Charlie and said with a wink "Oh I'll enjoy it. I might like it so much I won't want to leave!" The irony of that comment rung in his memory as he now suspected Charlie was likely chatting with Christiana at that very moment. He was sure Christiana would play it up, talking about her success as CEO and Brad's acceptance as a secretary. When he arrived at work he opened his computer which yesterday brought him the worst news imaginable, yet among his list of tasks provided by Christiana today she sent Brad an interesting email. "Bailey, I'm sure it broke your heart to hear the news about the contract with Kurt Gilmore, and his International conglomerate. I'm sure by now you've compared the size of the contract with his company with the contingencies we wrote into our agreement three months ago. I'm confident you've done the math. As I understand our contract Brad Simms is contractually obligated to serve as my secretary known as Bailey Field for an additional 69 months. I noticed the irony that the call and confirmation about the deal came during the final day of the original contract. I anticipate that you may want to meet about your role and any future options. I wanted you to know that I've carved out some time for that precise conversation. Although this is a personal discussion it does have great impact on the company so I'd like us to discuss this matter away from the office. If I recall Brad always enjoyed business lunches at Davio's on 3rd street. So I took the liberty to make the reservations myself. You'll see the appointment in your calendar set for next Tuesday. Warmest Regards Miss Stone PS - you won't have to file any PTO time with Emily for the lunch. It'll certainly go longer than your allotted 30 minute lunch break, but under the circumstances we will not deduct it from your pay. Brad read the e-mail three times. He wanted so badly to see a glimmer of hope in the text. The line "your role and any future options" gave him such hope! Had Christiana softened, and now that she proved her point she would let him out of the contract? He held out hope! Conversely he looked around at the absolute giddy state of enthusiasm that encompassed the fifth floor executive offices. Everyone was so proud of Christiana and her ability to land the account. In all the celebration yesterday afternoon, Jordan, who once considered Brad a mentor, after several drinks actually said "Good thing Brad is no longer in charge - he was trying to get this deal for years and Christiana sealed in three months!" How could Christiana give up that type of loyalty from Brad's previous employees. So back and forth Brad went in his mind between optimism and pessimism regarding the opportunity the lunch could bring. He decided he would have to prepare for the meeting, and that thought got his old competitive business juices flowing for the first time since he gave the leadership of his significant company to Christiana and agreed to serve as her secretary. He knew he'd never have time to do research while he was busy in the office. The whole place was a flurry of activity in preparation for the big contract. With that in mind he replied to Christiana's e-mail. Dear Miss Stone Thank you so much for the opportunity to discuss my personal and professional situation. I'm always honored to spend one on one time with you. I'm looking forward to the meeting and yes, you have a great memory, Davio's was Brad's favorite. Kindest regards Bailey At the end of the day Brad made a copy of the original contract, when he pulled it from the file cabinet his thoughts drifted back to that fateful day. His hubris was such that he welcomed the challenge that Christiana could increase the bottom line. He now stood in his 3 inch heels and flower print summer skirt suit, his manicured hands holding the document that he gleefully signed three months ago. He thought with shame that this document was the last item Christiana filed for him when he was the CEO and she was the secretary. He stared at his signature, it was bold and manly, he remembered being proud of his confident signature when he was a new young executive. Since then he signed it a million times on documents, contracts, million dollar checks, loans and countless other business deals. That signature was found throughout all these filing cabinets. Yet, in the past three months he mastered a new dainty signature. His new signature was found on very few documents, proving just how much power of authority he had and gave up, now his graceful signature was found only on his monthly rent and utility checks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - When Brad arrived home he went through the document and thought about several loop holes. 1. He was still the founder and majority shareholder in the company and as such he had a seat on the board. Of course, he didn't use that voting privilege in the past three months as he didn't want to disclose the situation to the board for fear of embarrassment. He and Christiana had opted to tell the board Brad was on a sabbatical. But as a board member if he could show the other board members that the document was signed under false pretense - he could have it voted null and void. It would be a challenge, especially in light of Christiana's recent success. But those board members have been his friends and peers for years. Surely he could persuade enough of them to sympathize with him. Even if she countered it would end up in court - potentially for years, but he'd surely get a legal stay while the case went to court. 2. Maybe he could sunset the extension through a retirement. They hadn't written anything about that possibility, the only similar clauses involved him liquidating the company or her terminating Bailey, neither of those clauses provided any potential loophole, in fact they are designed to keep him as the secretary. 3. He also believed a contract like this without a fixed conclusion could be seen as indentured servitude, and could get the entire contract thrown out on those grounds. He knew he had to get some legal advice on these theories. He thought he'd take some money out of his savings to pay for an attorney. He also suspected Christiana would ask Rachel McGovern the company's head corporate lawyer to prepare counter arguments. Rachel is a great attorney. He hired her last year when his previous corporate attorney retired, he found her to be shrewd, ruthless and a fierce competitor. Just what a company needs in a lawyer. But she too was loyal to Brad and he hoped she might have some sympathy for Brad's foolish shortsightedness. This situation would likely be settled out of court as the company and Brad would not want any undue attention paid to this matter. He knew if he and his lawyer took the position that a little publicity would be welcome - that could be used as leverage. In fact, in that case, the recent deal would work against Christiana. the board wouldn't want negative "femmi-nazi press" around its new CEO. What if Kurt decided he didn't like the publicity and pulled out the contract. Brad felt great about that twist. He knew how corporate boards thoughts - especially his own! He also knew how lawyers thought - they wanted to stay out of civil or corporate trials as much as the participants. They'll want to strike a deal he reluctantly thought about several back up scenarios, "as a back-up plan I'll look to negotiate a reduced sentence in skirts, or possibly if it seems they are totally enamored with Christiana, and don't want to budge on her as CEO I could return to pants and serve as one of her vice presidents, or last ditch effort I'd settle for a simple buy out." Feeling good and hopeful about his upcoming meeting with Christiana, he put his notes back in the folder and put his neatly written notes on the top, just as he would as a secretary. He shut off the little overhead at his small kitchenette table. Walked to his small bathroom and used cold cream to remove his makeup, moisturized his face, and slathered his recently purchased body butter on his feet, spring was approaching and he didn't want chapped feet with his cute sandals. He brushed his teeth and ran the brush 200 strokes through his longish hair. He put on his lavender flowered nightie, and climbed into the not too comfortable double bed with a smile. As he slept he was unaware how his feminine evening beauty ritual contrasted with his current optimism about his ability to return to pants. His beauty ritual has simply become his unconscious habit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Brad prepared to go to work on Tuesday, he took special care to look is feminine best. He was excited to be discussing the possibility of returning to pants. Yet he thought the element of surprise, and the innocence of a simple secretary might give a slight advantage. "After all," he thought, "that was clearly part of Christiana's original trap." He showered and moisturized his whole body, removed all his hair, applied floral scented body spray, as was now his everyday routine. He picked out his lingerie, he chose his favorite grape colored satin panties and matching bra. He chose black sheer pantyhose, and a deep violet skirt and a taupe colored rayon crossover sleeveless top that was adorned with cute violet flowers and butterflies, and topped the look with a multicolored form fitting business jacket He wore his four inch black pumps and grabbed his black bag with the folder and left his little apartment full of hope that he could get back much of what he lost! The morning seemed to pass slowly. He was on pins and needles as he thought about putting some of his negotiation skills back in play. But he didn't have time for that really, he was too busy with his secretarial duties for the day. He answered Christiana's phone a dozen times "Hello, thank you for calling Congl-O-Industries, desk of Miss Christiana Stone, I'm Bailey. How may I help you?" he would say in his rehearsed chipper feminine voice. He sometimes knew the person on the other end. The account representative for the company's Health Care Plan called. "Of course Mr Gallo I'll put you right through." The corporate attorney for the board, the PR firm, the head of the Human Resources and dozens of others people Brad knew from years of working with him, yet they just passed through him without a thought. Others like sales representatives, or an occasional disgruntled client, Brad would not pass through and instead it was his job to stall, transfer and otherwise pacify if he could. He knew the value of being the final gate keeper between the non-critical concerns and the CEO. It was the only vestige of power that remained. Of course it was a trivial amount of power whenever he stopped to think he used to control all the decisions in his 275 employee firm. At 12:15 Christiana came out of her office and put her hand on Brad's shoulder as he was typing an email for her. Christiana looked down at him and said, "Hey doll, ready for the big girl lunch?" Brad looked up at her, she was 5 minutes early, he saved the document he was working on, grabbed his file and replied. "Of course Miss Stone, thank you." Christiana squinted as she noted Brad pick up the folder and steno pad, she calculated that he was prepared to negotiate. "Good for him," she thought, "that'll add an interesting element to the lunch." As they walked through the halls people quickly took note that Christiana was taking Bailey to lunch. This was very unusual and the rumor around the office was that Brad's time as a secretary had expired and that somehow Christiana had kept him in skirts even longer. No one seemed to mind or give much thought to this rumor, as people had come to like Bailey and respect Christiana. As they walked through the halls, Brad remained two steps behind the powerful Christiana. She handed a file to Jordan as they walked by, she looked him in the eye and said - "Nice job with this, have Becky clean it up and send the proposal by 2PM." Jordan confirmed her instructions while he looked them both up and down with surprise. Then Christiana turned to Emily and said, "Emily, I'm taking Bailey her to lunch, please have my calls forwarded to one of the other girls. We'll be a little while, please allow for the excess time and don't count it against Bailey's PTO bank." Emily replied "of course" and as Brad turned and looked back at the girls he noticed Sasha's hopeful look as she raised her hand to show him her crossed fingers. Other than the encouragement from Sasha, Brad suddenly evaluated the situation with a little less optimism. Christiana marched through the halls with so much more confidence since the deal was brokered. Meanwhile he minced along behind her in his straight skirt. He had been so busy the past few days, he hadn't slowed down enough to notice her increased command presence. A few minutes later they arrived a Davio's. Davio's is a downtown upscale restaurant that catered to many of the city's business elite. Deals were often brokered at their quiet booths and tables. Brad had been there too many times to mention and as they surveyed the room, he saw many of his old friends. He had played golf, or supported charity causes with more than a dozen people in the room. He smiled as he thought, I'm going to cut the biggest deal in the room today and no one here will ever know. They'll just see the return of Brad Simms someday soon, and they'll never know the catalyst for the return was brokered in this restaurant. Instead they'd just see two business women out to lunch. Brad assumed Christiana has only been on the job 3 months, and hadn't had time to network among the big boys yet. Brad thought people would probably assume we were doing the whole "women-in-business- networking-thing." However, because they were a few minutes early they had to wait for their table to open up and while standing in the area by the hostess, Jack O'Connell one of the largest real estate developers in town called out to Christiana. Brad was surprised. He knew him well, but he was surprised he knew Christiana. Of course, he knew Jack would never recognize him today. Christiana smiled so brightly, took his hand and reached in to give him a peck on the cheek. She opened with simple small talk, she referenced his summer house and asked if he put the boat in the water yet. He replied with similar pleasantries. And then Christiana said, "Oh where are my manners, Jack this is my secretary, Bailey. I'm taking her out to lunch to celebrate her first three months as my personal assistant." Jack looked Brad up and down noticing his legs, and form fitting skirt suit and four inch heels, gave Brad a polite handshake and said "Nice to meet you sweetheart, congratulations working for this stunning dynamo. You should hook your star to her, I've never seen such a turnaround for a company." Brad was stunned. His company didn't need a turn-a-round! Jack was a friend, he thought for sure, even if he had met Christiana somewhere, that he'd ask about Brad. Then he turned back to Christiana and as if on cue, "By the way do you ever hear from Brad? Is there any time table on his return?" She replied "Funny you should ask; I've got a scheduled conversation with him later today. There is no time table for his return, could be 6 months - maybe 6 years. I'll tell him you asked about him." Jack replied, "Well, I suspect we won't see him around for a while, He'd be best served to take an early retirement and let you run the show!" She smiled, glanced at Brad, returned her eye contact with Jack and said "That's what I keep telling him!" They both had a laugh about that and Brad felt obligated to join in the laughter at his own expense! With that they parted and Jack turned as he walked out the door to the busy streets, he closed the conversation by saying. "Keep up the good work Christiana, the city needs leaders like you," then he turned to Brad, "Stay with her young lady, she'll teach you everything you need to know." Brad was red faced when Christiana turned to him with a Cheshire cat grin. Brad maintained his role as the innocent secretary allowing her to build up false confidence and arrogance. Brad replied to her smile by saying "Miss Stone, he seemed to genuinely appreciate your business leadership." She replied "Yes, Bailey, he does, I made his acquaintance a few weeks back on the golf course. You remember that unusually nice Saturday in early Spring. As it turns out we are both members of the same country club - oh I think you know it, Winchester Country Club? Anyway, we got to talking and he introduced me to Kurt Gilmore." Brad couldn't believe his bad luck, he hadn't really played golf there for years, but he kept his membership. The details of the job swap included rights to his country club membership. Turns out Christiana understood the value of networking and took advantage of Brad's membership and capitalized on his missed opportunity! Soon they were seated and Brad noticed that while he smoothed his skirt under his bottom, Christiana didn't as she was wearing a stylish pant suit. Brad wondered if there was an unwritten code among female executives about when to wear pants and when to wear skirts and dresses. He made an unconsciousness mental note to look up that question up in his fashion sites or magazines. He made note of how Jack checked out his legs and figure but didn't seem to do the same with Christiana, yet he did slip in that compliment calling her a 'stunning dynamo.' Brad realized that to Jack he was a secretary and as such simply eye candy, yet Christiana was seen as a formidable peer who happened to also be an attractive woman. He concluded Christiana knew all about these little nuanced differences from her years as his secretary, yet to him these subtle differences in the woman's world were all new to him. The waiter pushed both their chairs in for them, referred to them both as ladies, went through the specials and then turned to Christiana and addressed her "Miss Stone, would you like your usual cocktail?" Brad quickly went through his mental calendar to think about how many times a month he went to Davio's for a business lunch, he guessed once or twice a quarter and then he thought about Christiana's calendar, she came to lunch here once a week! How had he not noticed that fact as he was the one making reservations for her! How had he missed the business opportunities that were right under his nose when he was CEO. After they ordered their lunch Christiana opened a more serious conversation. "Bailey dear, how are you enjoying your new role? Is it everything you dreamed it would be?" Brad remained calm and replied "Well, it's certainly not everything I thought it would be when you first proposed our role reversal three months ago, and the vacation from myself has certainly run its course." Brad replied. Christiana looked sincerely sorry and said so. Brad changed tacks a bit, "But I must say, Miss Stone, I was very impressed with your work on the Kurt Gilmore account. Congratulations, everyone is so excited! It seems the whole compa ---" Christiana cut him off "Bailey sweetie. Please don't feel obligated to flatter me or play the innocent secretary. We both know the complete story. I'm sure you are done living in my old apartment, I'm sure you are done living on the meager salary I pay you, I'm sure you are done crafting emails that others claim authorship and get the credit and financial reward. I'm sure the thrill of panties, nylons, heels, and tight skirts has worn off. I'm sure you were counting down the days to your return to power. I'm sure you'd like your old life back. Your old life where you can wear high heels on your schedule and only fantasize about the life of pretty working women. Am I right?" Brad was a bit surprised by her bluntness. But he countered with some complimentary force. "Yes, that's right, But I am serious about your impressive work, and I have learned a lot about the life of women, and your business acumen in particular." "I see" she replied "So, in your imagination, this is where we discuss a partnership. You've learned a deeper respect for women, and you admit my leadership skills are undeniable. Yet, you believe you are entitled to a return. In your imagination, you admit you underestimated me, but you still have things you can teach me? This is you laying the ground work for a compromise? One where you return, yet I stay. You envision that the compromise involves you offering me a long term leadership role in the company, rather than a return to being your secretary? Maybe you propose a chairman of the board role for you and CEO role for me?" Brad was so excited and hopeful "Well, Miss Stone, I wouldn't presume to put details to it at this point, but yes, I'd hope we could find a mutually beneficial compromise to our current contract." "Let me address your thoughts, BRAD." She replied catching Brad off guard by using his old male name. No one had referred to him using that name for 3 months. "Provided I maintain my performance; I am contracted to serve as the CEO for the next 6 years. Correct?" Brad nodded and agreed. "So as CEO for the foreseeable future, I also have years to add additional contracts, and increase the company's bottom line. Also correct?" Brad again sheepishly agreed. "With each success I would add to the stability of my position. While simultaneously increasing the duration of your role as my secretary. In short every day that passes, I become more and more authentically the CEO and you become more and more destined to remain the secretary. I'd point out that we've already passed the point of no return for both of us. I no longer view this situation as a 'temporary job swap' but as a 'permanent reassignment of stature and power'." She smiled warmly at him as if she was inviting him a dinner party, but in truth she was condemning him to a lifetime as her subordinate. Brad blushed with his embarrassment as he knew she was right and that truthfully he understood he had very little leverage. "To compound that point, if a CEO peer, say Jack O'Connell or George Pierce, or Susan Landry turned out to have a gambling habit and lost their spouse, personal fortune and/or professional position at the race track. Would you, the old Brad, stand by them and blame the race track? " Brad remained quiet. "or a drinking problem and killed someone in a drunk driving accident, and subsequently lost it all, would the business community rally behind that person against the bars and alcohol companies?" Brad was still quiet. Dumbfounded by her logic, ruthlessness and her pointed analogy. Brad was grateful that the waiter came by just at that moment. "Here you go ladies. Is there anything I can get either of you?" Christiana smiled up at him and "Looks great! Thanks" Brad looked at his chef's salad, and thought about her words, the room was spinning, he thought he had a reasonable case, but now she was even convincing him! However, he muscled up his old CEO instincts and dismissed the waiter and turned his full attention to Christiana. "That maybe so," he said as he sat up straighter as good posture was always important in negotiations began. He noticed how good posture really improved his and accentuated his figure. He thought for a moment about another simple casual tactic that women in business must employ often without men even knowing they are doing it. He took a deep breath and continued. "But your logic and the analogy doesn't hold true in this situation. I've reviewed the contract and I'm confident there is wiggle room in there. Neither of us ever believed this was a permanent or semi- permanent contract. While there are contingencies and extensions, those extensions where never intended to exceed years. The contract is titled "temporary job swap." And there are many other fallible aspects contained within our brief contract. A contract we worked up as two friends intending to provide a unique yet temporary experience." Brad concluded, proud of himself for standing up to her. Christiana took a delicate bite and when she stopped chewing she continued. "Well, sweet Bailey, and I'm not without sympathy." Brad couldn't contain his smile. She continued. "I did review the original contract as well. Like all contracts, certain things cannot be anticipated, However, when you reference intent, you cannot suppose what was in my mind. From the very beginning I fully intended to meet the growth provision. I intended to meet and exceed that provision to keep you in skirts, and subservient to me. But more importantly, I knew I could run the business better. I'll give Brad all the credit in the world for building the company. He must have been a sight to behold in his heyday. He amassed significant wealth and clout. However, as he reached his late 30s he began to slow down and take the company and his life style for granted. He also took his employees for granted. He got cocky and lazy, growth by a few percentage points was fine with him. I knew all that, when we discussed his pressure filled job. So yes, make no mistake about I took advantage of your fondness for high heels and skirts to better my position." Brad was stunned when she referenced his male life like that, of course after the brief exchange between her and Jack as well as the new clients he quickly changed course and redirected back to something she said. "I understand Miss Stone, but you mentioned earlier that you have some sympathy for my position." "Ah yes." she smiled and immediately changed her posture. "Bailey, I really do like you and I always liked Mr. Simms too. I realize we are likely to have a conflict between us which I don't want to effect the workplace. As you so clearly pointed out, our conflict will revolve around the contract and any loop holes either of us might find or tie up. That type of work is really something for lawyers deal with - not CEOs and secretaries." Brad was giddy, "This is it!" He thought, as he sipped from his water glass. His thought continued "We are developing the framework of the negotiations!" "Please continue" he said softly as he glanced at the lipstick stain on his glass. "I propose our attorneys meet and evaluate the implications for civil and corporate law. From there we could set up a series of potential litigation or settlements. However, since Mr. Simms drafted the document and their maybe corporate legalities that could negatively impact the firm. If those proposed arguments are deemed not valid, the company would deserve to be compensated for frivolous legal work to appease it's former CEO." She concluded "Miss Stone!" Brad squeaked, "You can't hold me, the person, responsible for the shortcomings of a corporate document?" "Oh, Bailey," Christiana sympathetically responded "You personally drafted the document. I imagine you were excited about every key stroke. You were the CEO, if you bring forward a legal challenge you would be the one costing us valuable legal expenses to counteract your potential litigation. Since you wrote the contract and then you propose to sue the company over that contract, how can you not be held accountable?" Brad stomach fell again. "But as I said, I have sympathy, we won't ask you to compensate the company for their time financially, rather we will propose extensions and other contingencies that'll expand the original intent of the contract." "The original intent of the contract?" Brad questioned. "Of course sweetie," Christiana responded "Your personal desire to live the full and authentic life of a secretary." She said bluntly before continuing "But more importantly, I don't want our work and friendly relationship to change. Let's just allow the lawyers to bang out the details and we can be two sisters who rise above our legal disagreement. After all, I like you, you are becoming a good secretary and more importantly, I can't fire you, and you can't quit" "What would those extensions and provisions entail?" Brad asked incredulously. "Oh doll, I'm sure I don't know," She continued as she stood up "but we'll figure something out as you and your lawyer put together your case. I know this must be stressful and you haven't taken a single sick day since you became my secretary. I need to get back to the office, I am planning to call a board conference call for early next week and I need to get my thoughts together. But you feel free to stay here. The bill is paid, and you can have the rest of the day off. Maybe splurge and buy yourself something nice, I think Macy's is having a one-day sale this afternoon." With that, she bent down and gave Brad a little sisterly kiss, turned on her heel and left the restaurant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The first thing Brad had to do was get some of his money. He hadn't touched his accounts for 3 months, as he chose to live on his secretary pay to help really experience the life. He decided to take the opportunity with a half day off to go and withdraw some money, so he would have the resources needed for a potentially prolonged legal battle. He went to his brokers office and asked to see his financial manager. He wanted to transfer $100,000 into Bailey's checking account. He didn't have an appointment and he knew he'd have to admit his situation to his broker and financial adviser. He went to the receptionist's desk and said, "Hi, oh my gosh, I just love that top." Brad opened. The receptionist's smiled and said, "Thanks, I get a lot of compliments on this blouse." the she whispered "I wear it on days, when I think I need a little good luck." "I know exactly what you mean, I think I should have worn a blouse like that today!" Brad replied thinking about the good luck he was trying to create for himself. The receptionist replied, "Sweetie, you look great, no need for a lucky blouse today. How can I help you?" "Thank you," Brad smiled sincerely, He truly had grown to love these types of little interactions with other girls in the service industry. "My name is Bailey Field and I'm here representing Brad Simms, I don't have an appointment but could I have a few minutes with Barry Stern or James Connolly." "Oh, I know Jim is out this week, I think he's fishing in Florida, but I'll see if I can reach Barry." after a moment on the phone, she replied to Brad, "Barry is here and he says he's very excited to see you. He says it'll be a while, maybe 20 minutes can you wait?" "Sure, I'll just wait here in the reception area, if that's OK?" "Of course, can I get you anything?" "Oh no thanks, don't feel you have to put yourself out for me." Over the next 20 minutes Brad and the receptionist chatted a bit. He learned her name was Joanne, and he liked her spunky attitude, great for a receptionist. She wore a similar professional skirt suit as he was wearing, although her scalloped neckline showed off much more cleavage. he wondered if that was policy that the receptionists here had to wear lower necklines. He liked chatting with her quite a bit. In between glancing through magazines and chatting with Joanne, Brad settled into a couch while he waited, he was so nervous and wondered what he'd actually say to Barry. He visualized several scenarios, none of them were comfortable. Eventually Barry's secretary came out to greet Brad, Brad recognized her, but couldn't for the life of him remember her name. He recognized her as she emerged from behind the glass doors. She was about his age and wore a deep cranberry skirt suit with a hemline that stopped just above the knee. She extended her hand, "Hi you must be Bailey, I'm Susan, I know your boss well." Brad was startled, and choked out "How do you know Miss Stone?" "Miss Stone?" Susan replied quizzically, turning to Joanna and then back to Brad, "I thought Joanne mentioned you were representing Brad Simms?" "Oh yes," Brad tried to recover quickly, "Christiana took on Brad's role as CEO while he is on sabbatical. Yes, I am here representing Mr. Simms personal accounts." "Sabbatical huh?" Susan replied as she led Brad down the hall, "Those guys with all the money get all the breaks, where is his sabbatical? Egypt? the Caribbean? Someplace exotic and unusual I bet." "More unusual than people would guess," Brad replied honestly. As they walked toward Barry's office. Brad wanted to change the subject away from the sabbatical, he asked about Barry's island summer home just off the coast. Susan answered and they both exchanged sympathetic sentiments about how hard it must be for these important and wealthy men that they need such extravagant vacations. As they approached Barry's office Brad asked "How busy in Mr. Stern today? I have some complicated concerns I need to share and I want to be respectful of his time." "Oh, Mr. Sterns always speaks so favorably about Mr. Simms I'm sure he'll make time, I can move a few things if you think it'll take longer than 30 minutes?" As the two secretaries walked along the tile floor, Brad enjoyed the conversation and the sound of both their high heels as they delicately swayed down the hall talking about the men they represented. It was interesting now that Brad saw a glimmer of hope to return aspects of his former life he could again appreciate some of those little experiences that got him in the situation in the first place. Susan knocked at Barry's open door, and when Barry looked up she introduced Bailey. "Come right in." Barry said excitedly. Barry stood and Brad took in his distinguished look. Barry always wore cufflinks, shoes well-polished and crisp suits. He was in the twilight of his career, Brad found himself challenged to recall exactly how old his friend must be, but he figured he must be close to retirement. When Brad was young and starting to accumulate his wealth Barry was already well established. Brad guessed that his friend must be about 20 years older than him. "Where is my old friend Brad and more importantly where has he been hiding you?" Brad, was not surprised by Barry's false compliments, but he took in nonetheless. Brad replied, "He is away and actually in a bit of trouble. He needs a small sum of money to help move a few legal concerns along. But of course he's not available for any in person signatures, so he sent me to you to see if there is anything that can be done. I have all his passwords, and account numbers." "Well," Barry seemed to respect my urgency and asked "What's a small sum for Brad?" Brad replied, "Mr. Simms is thinking probably between $100,000 - $250,000." "Well that's certainly not a problem he has several accounts that perform at or close to cash exchanges, so there wouldn't be much lost there." Barry stated while looking at his ipad at Brad's account. Can he sign electronically? It's the easiest option if he still has access to his corporate email? Lots of companies maintain an email account for retired top level managers." "I'm not sure, that could be tricky what are our other options? And what's needed for each one?" Barry went through several options, however, without access to Barry's corporate email account, Brad couldn't sign anything electronically. After Barry summed up the options he concluded by saying "Well these options are easy if we could just get Mr. Simms' back on the email service for the company, or have him stop by in person." "Yes" Brad began to respond, then hesitated thinking about how best to relay some of the situation, without divulging the whole embarrassing truth. "I'll have to tell you Mr. Stern, the problem Mr. Simms' is having is related to the company. He wants to keep it quiet, but he might have to bring litigation against the new CEO. So it's very difficult to get him back on the server while this problem persists, and he needs the funds to help make the problem go away." "That's what they call is a classic catch 22 isn't it Miss." Barry sympathetically replied. "Yes" Brad replied, "but he really needs the funds." "I understand, yet the reason he has invested so much of his significant wealth with us is BECAUSE of our security protocols. I simply can't waive those." Barry concluded. Brad was crushed, he couldn't gain access to his funds without coming out to his old friend and sharing this impossible tale. Brad finally asked "Do you have voice recognition software? The type like in the movies that works like a fingerprint?" "As a matter of fact we do, but it doesn't work over the phone, only in person. I'm sure we have a copy of Brad's voice on file somewhere, but the technology is still too new and still too susceptible to fraud, to conduct over the phone." Barry replied. Brad took a deep breath "Mr. Sterns, I feel compelled to share Mr. Simms' complete story with you as I'm sure once you understand, you'll be able to verify and we will find a solution." "OK, Bailey, your boss is a large client and a good friend. I've always taken great pride in my small role in his success, I'm happy to afford you some additional time. Just one moment" he said as he quickly texted Susan to clear another 30 minutes from his calendar. Then turning his attention back to Brad, "Go on Bailey." Brad elaborated on the entire story, from the very beginning. He told the story from Bailey's point of view, referring to himself as Mr. Simms the entire time. He shared the aspects of Mr. Simms private cross dressing habit, and how Mr. Simms came to realize many in the office already knew about it. He shared Mr. Simms stress levels, and Christiana's persuasive tactics. He attempted to build sympathy by expressing, how Mr. Simms believed he'd still be "running the company," but from the secretary's chair rather than the CEOs office. He shared how humiliated Mr. Simms was when he was excluded from his old office, his previous prot?g?s started requesting coffee and other simple office favors more and more often, corporate decisions were made without his input. He shared the provision about the bottom line growth incentive, and how Mr. Simms miscalculated Miss Stone's business acumen. He shared the details about the housing swap, how he gave up his corporate limousine and now took the subway every day. Then of course he shared Mr. Simms excitement as the temporary swap was about to come to an end, yet how Miss Stone on the final day, secured a BLOCKBUSTER deal, which was great for the company but caused the growth incentive provision to kick in and trapped Mr. Simms as a secretary for the next 69 months. As Brad concluded his story, Barry was sitting with rapt attention, He could tell by Barry's body language throughout the time Brad told the story that Barry kept going back and forth in his mind as to whether this girl Bailey was actually Brad. the next moment Brad could see Barry dismiss the thought. As he concluded his story he reached into his bag and produced the file with the original contract and placed it face up, on top of the file he placed his driver's license with Brad's photo. With those two items on the desk, Brad turned the items to orient them toward Barry's eyes, then he looked into Barry's eyes and said pleadingly, with his dejected masculine voice "Please help me Barry. I'm trapped." Barry was stunned. he looked down at the documents and saw the "Job Swap Contract" heading with the two signatures at the bottom and Brad's masculine driver's license. He then looked deeply into Brad's tastefully made up eyes, he could see his mascara and pretty shadow, he tried to see his younger masculine friend behind those pretty eyes. Then he finally said, "Your bet your masculinity and your company to your secretary as a vacation and lost them both?" Brad nodded affirmative. Barry was lost between great compassion, shock and the desire to call his old friend a fool and telling him he got what he deserved. Just then Susan knocked at the door and interrupted, "Mr. Stearns, I've held everyone off as long as I could but you really need to get on with your day." Barry replied without looking up or taking his eyes off Brad, "Yes Susan, two more minutes. Please stall for another 2 minutes." When she closed the door, Barry turned his attention back to Brad. "Well, well this certainly is a sticky situation. Thank you for sharing it with me." He said professionally. "I'll have to think about how to reconcile this story with our security measures, But I don't see a significant problem." Brad let out a huge sigh of relief at Barry's optimism and then quickly fell back into his role as Bailey. "Mr. Simms will be so happy!" He said while clapping his hands together. Barry shook his head in disbelief, but remained professional. He walked Brad to the door and motioned for Susan to escort him back to the lobby and main entrance. "Susan before Miss Field leaves, please make a copy of the license and documents she has with her." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brad was elated, he knew Barry would come through for him, after all it was his money. He left the downtown office at 2:30PM. It was a beautiful spring day and it so nice to suddenly have time of his own. He walked among the crowded downtown streets confident that soon his meager bank account could swell from the earnings of his previous life. With that he'd work his way back to his former stature. He did have to admit that Christiana had a point, apparently he had allowed his young success to morph into a middle age mediocrity. That disappointed him a bit about himself, but he certainly didn't think an inadvertent self-created prison of being a secretary was a fair price to pay for slowing down in his 30's. Brad decided he might take advantage of Christiana's idea. He had been so sequestered by his own embarrassment these past few months that he rarely got out. When cross dressing was a part time stress relieving secret activity, he would love those moments when he could get away and go shopping for a pair of high heels or a new dress. Now that high heels where a fixture to his wardrobe he hadn't gone shopping at all. In fact, he had bought a few articles of men's clothing in the past three months, but whenever he tried to go out on the weekends as a man, he didn't feel right, nor did he have any friends to spend time with. He no longer had friendships with business leaders to enjoy golfing or boating as he once did. And he never allowed himself the chance to appreciate his femininity after the first week or so when the novelty wore off. Now he thought was a good time to start and enjoy Bailey's life before she went into the background again. By the time 4:30 rolled around he was enjoying the spring weather, at an outdoor cafe. He had three shopping bags at his feet. Two from Macy's and one from Victoria's Secret. He sipped his white wine and watched busy people pass him by, he appreciated that as a man, he would be intimated to even hold a Victoria Secret shopping bag, much less sit at an outdoor cafe, sipping a white wine with the distinctive pink bag advertising to the world he just purchased some sexy lingerie. He imagined people thinking of him as a secretary who likely wanted to spice up her tired marriage, or a divorced woman who wanted to feel sexy again. For the first time since the novelty of being a secretary wore off Brad was enjoying his femininity. Tomorrow he would go back to work refreshed, he would do his job efficiently proud of his secretarial skills, and all the while he'd be plotting to return to pants and corporate leadership! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A week later, on a sunny late spring day, Brad chose to wear his new intimates and dress. He wore his new yellow panties and bra under his new yellow sateen sheath dress. Just a touch of matching accessories and three inch yellow pumps. It was the first time he's wear something new to the office since he first rotated through his 15 or so skirt suits and dresses. Of course the other office girls all took note of his new ensemble. He received a lot of compliments from everyone. Melanie who was a Vice President of the company and a past prot?g? who typically avoided him out of sympathy was very generous and sincere with her compliments of his shoes and matching bag. Christiana entered the office at about 9:30 with her signature strut that commanded attention. People who were a bit freer to chat while she was away from the office immediately returned their attention to their computer monitors. The upwardly mobile employees always stopped to appreciate her entrance. As she passed Brad's small secretary desk he stood up to greet her as he always did. She brushed right past him and said "Bailey, coffee. Now" "Yes Miss Stone," was his immediate reply. A few minutes later he scuttled to her office as quickly as he could in his heels and tight skirt. He knocked and asked for permission to enter his former office. She was on the phone but motioned for him to come inside. Once she granted permission, he came in and put the coffee in its usual spot. Christiana again motioned for him to wait. He stood silently by as she wrapped up her conversation. "Ok, I think that seems fair and achievable." She said into the phone, then a moment later. "Well, no it's not what I want but it is a serviceable agreement." Finally, "ok, thank you. Yes. I'll be sure everyone signs the document. Today. Thanks again Rachel, take care." And with that she hung up, took a sip of her coffee and then looked up at Brad and smiled. "I see you took my advice and went to Macy's last week. Great choice it looks lovely on you, Bailey." "Thank you Miss Stone, it was great advice. what can I do for you?" Brad responded sincerely. "Type up a full staff memo, we'll be holding a brief full staff meeting in the auditorium next Thursday at 2:30. Please make the arrangements with the janitorial staff. We will formally announce the staffing changes related to the new account." Brad's painted nails went immediately to his mouth as sequel escaped his lips. "Bailey, it's not about you - well not much anyway, we'll be bringing on 70 new positions over the next several months to accommodate our recent growth. We had to buy out leases for another two floors in this building." "Oh my," Brad replied, truly impressed. "Will that be all then, Miss Stone?" "Yes thank you Bailey." She replied and immediately put her head down to concentrate on a few documents. Brad drafted, checked, made corrections and sent the memo. Spoke with the janitorial service to make sure they were ready and took it upon himself to contact HR for a list of people who were out that day so he could follow up with them with notes after the fact. The next Thursday, at 2:30PM everyone was seated in the auditorium. It felt very much like a high school assembly. The jocks (sales people) all sat together. The student government people (management) all sat together, the facility staff, accounting, legal, acquisitions and of course secretaries all voluntarily sat together without anyone having to coordinate the masses. People, it seems just flock together with like- minded people, this did not escape Brad's observation as he looked over at the management cluster. He had hired just about all of them. Many of them considered him a mentor. Yet now because of his voluntary demotion he was no longer socially accepted in that circle. He knew their conversations were about the intricacies of the business and the forecasts caused by the new growth. Similarly, he knew the sales team conversations centered around boasting and bragging about their roles or future stature in the company. As he surveyed all that just three months ago made up his work force, he could easily visualize the tenor of each groups conversation. Jordan and Melanie we clearly excited about the news. He knew them well and could recognize their body language from his vantage point among the rest of the secretaries and office managers. With that he turned his attention to his group of peers, the secretaries. Brad did not know many of the secretaries from the other two floors but they knew of him. Not his past, just that he was the "new girl" who came out of nowhere when Christiana unexpectedly became the interim CEO. He noticed their conversations about the upcoming changes sounded more like gossip. He thought it was interesting that each social group put their own spin on the upcoming news. There was a lot of chatter in the room, speculation that Brad would be coming back, even rumors that he was somewhere in the building, or that Christiana had bought him out, or the big deal was just a smoke screen for a corporate take-over, or everyone would be getting bonuses. Of course all the secretaries from the other floors assumed Brad or Allison had the inside track. So everyone kept asking, He realized they were all looking to him to fill them in on the corporate gossip. He shared what he could and made a few reasonable educated guesses but then had to admit his knowledge was limited as he was just a secretary like them and as such wasn't privy to the inner working of the company. Emily caught his eye when he made the comment about the corporate policy that denied secretaries detailed information about company specifics and she smiled. Brad didn't quite understand why she smiled at that comment, other than possibly recognizing the irony. Brad's assumption was correct. At that moment Emily was taking note of the irony that as CEO, Brad had placed restrictions regarding the flow of information, and now as secretary he set himself into a situation where he was completely unaware what was happening to his own company. So the girls kept asking and probing yet, he truly had nothing of substance to report. Brad enjoyed being the center of attention among the "hens." But missed the role of being head of the entire team! Eventually Christiana took the microphone and made several announcements. She put fears about mergers to bed, thanked everyone for their support of her leadership, braced everyone for change - she found Brad's eye and looked right at him as she made those comments. As she continued she discussed adding the 75 new positions and a slightly new staff structure. The larger size company would require a few new Vice Presidents, several mid-level managers and of course a much larger work force. Everyone clapped and people wondered who would be selected for promotions. Brad secretly wondered if she would offer him a Vice President role as part of a settlement. If so, he knew he'd take it! But then she immediately went on to announce the three new Vice Presidents and they would be moving to our space in a newly renovated executive offices on the top floor of the building! In fact, she said, immediately following this assembly the senior team and their support staff would meet in the current executive space to welcome the three new Vice Presidents. One of the girls sitting behind Brad was the secretary for Donald McLaughlin the man chosen as VP of Finance. A boring stuffy bastard if Brad remembered properly. I can't imagine that poor girl who had to work for him. He turned around to see her, she was almost in tears of joy hoping he would choose her so she could move up to the promising top floor executive suite! Brad reached out and held her hand wishing her good luck! She seemed to very sweet and a bit vulnerable, maybe she helped offset some of Donald's lesser qualities. The other two Vice Presidents where Sharon Gittleman, in charge of marketing and Gary Rodgers, in charge of human resources. Now the executive team was established Christiana, Jordan, Melanie, Donald, Sharon and Gary. Soon their secretaries would be chosen and the new team would assemble on the top floor later in the year. Christiana gave the microphone to Gary to talk about new benefits from the insurance plan no one listened to him. Instead everyone was gossiping again, he was a poor public speaker. Christiana took the stage again and made a few more mundane comments. The final announcement was about Brad Simms. The girls from the executive suite all looked at Brad! He shrugged and immediately started to sweat a little. She announced that his return was still uncertain and that the board had a resolution crafted by the nominating committee to eliminate the title "interim" from her position. The hall erupted with applause! Brad was heart-broken. He thought he was well liked and took the applause as a negative comment to his leadership. The girls all around Brad put their delicate manicured fingers on his shoulders to sooth him. They gently caressed his back while he attempted to hold it together. Allison explained to a few other girls nearby that Bailey was close with Brad. Christiana went on to explain with Brad away during the delicate transition the board fells we needed a strong hand. She added nothing is official yet, so she admitted she seemed a bit premature, but she encouraged everyone to take that as a sign of her confidence and the company's commitment to excellence. Then she closed with inspirational comments and dismissed the entire staff. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brad was experiencing rapid mix of emotions as everyone filled out of the auditorium. Christiana had essentially just told everyone Brad would never return and everyone applauded. His company was expanding faster than ever and he was so glad to have been at the center of the secretary's attention throughout such an important event. His mind shifted between his observation of his new female stature and self-pity as to why he continued to be outdone by his past secretary. It seemed everywhere he looked he received different visual signals that overwhelmed him. One moment he looked at Melanie across the crowded auditorium and he was proud of her accomplishments, he recalled fondly hiring her and encouraging her to stretch. Now she had a powerful senior position in an even larger company! The next moment he looked down the row at all the pretty skirted woman, high heels and manicured nails, he found himself appalled that he allowed himself to be placed permanently among their ranks. He was now equal parts eye candy and errand girl and Christiana had essentially just told the entire company that Brad was unlikely to return. As everyone filled out Jordan cut across the crowd and made a bee line for Becky and Allison. They were chattering away excitedly with Brad and Emily. Jordan caught up to Allison and said, "Melanie asked me to make my way over here, she said you've been working with the facilities staff on the 17th floor presentation? It's time to break out the refreshments and drinks, in at the new executive suite." Allison excitedly confirmed. "Great!" Jordan continued, "Why don't you and Bailey run ahead and set up the refreshments." As soon as he said it he glanced at Brad with a brief expression of sadness and regret, It was brief but Brad caught it and was glad for the flash of sympathy. He didn't really blame Jordan. Then Jordan turned to Emily the office manager for the executive suite and the overall supervisor for the executive secretary pool. "Is it ok if Bailey helps?" "Of course," she replied "I can't imagine Christiana is going to need her urgently for the next 20 minutes. She is currently swamped by her other 175 employees. I imagine everyone will just be milling around here excitedly for a while." Allison and Brad stopped chatting and started making their way through the crowd. They were on a mission. 175 employees all excited and nervous about the changes to come, talking with each other taking the opportunity to catch up with co-workers they don't see every day. Meanwhile Allison and Brad politely tapping people in the shoulder, "excuse me" delicately spoken by both of them as they gently attempted to push their way through the crowd. Allison would call back to Brad occasionally about how exciting the 17th floor would be! Allison and Brad were trying to travel against the tide, and were not forceful enough or effective to make any headway. Suddenly Brad felt a heavy beefy hand on his shoulder. "Hey girls, where is the fire?" Brad turned and looked up Kevin Dolce, Brad remembered hiring his facility director a few years ago. Kevin is a bit unforgettable, he's a large man, over 6'6" and easily 250 pounds with a booming voice, his appearance was in contrast to his demeanor. He is giant but very kind man. He supervised about 25 facility staff that ranged from janitors, to cleaning, landscaping