Welcome To Saturn Beta - Part 26 free porn video

Lunch was great. Dinner that night was, too, as Tyler donned the housewife act again and fixed up some pork chops, which Ben devoured with rave reviews. They spent the evening cuddled up on the sofa, watching a movie and part of a baseball game. They fucked on the sofa when Tyler got bored during the eighth inning, then showered together before bed. The dinner dishes lay dirty in the sink. The next morning, Tyler made coffee and breakfast - making sure to include a glass of pineapple juice on Ben's side of the table. Ben stayed for breakfast but rushed out immediately after his last bite, and Tyler was left by himself once again in the big, empty condo. He sat out on the balcony for an hour or so, sipping coffee and enjoying the motion of the waves. He tried to determine if there was anything he still needed to do before the investors dinner on Saturday night, just two days from now.. "Shit," Tyler said to himself as realization dawned on him. He went to the closet in the guest room to look through his clothes, trying to find something appropriate for the event. Dress after dress, he went through his entire wardrobe - the tea-length, sea-foam green dress he wore on his first date with Connie; a white, floral sundress; the ravishing, sapphire-blue, sequined evening gown that he had worn to the symphony (and kept on later, kneeling on the bed, as Connie fucked him from behind with her nanosurgically-created penis); the red gingham dress he'd grown so fond of; his baby-blue nightgown; the boring, knee-length brown dress he'd worn when he visited Ozzie's electronics shop for the second - and thankfully final - time; the little black dress he wore to the jazz club with Ben; his bubblegum-pink bridesmaid gown, complete with the long sash in the back and the butterfly bow over the rear. These, plus many other outfits that he'd procured from the Ringed Amusements wardrobe, the shopping spree at Incantevole, and other places.. There were a lot of good memories in this closet, but also a lot of problems. Tyler suddenly felt a kinship with women who look at a closet full of clothing and then complain that they have nothing to wear. None of this stuff would work for Saturday night. He had items in here that were appropriate cocktail attire, but none of them seemed just right. The investors dinner was a special occasion for more than one reason. It meant a lot to Ben, of course, but it also meant a lot to Tyler. Saturday was his last day in the body of Violet Taylor. He wanted to go out with a bang. He quickly zipped himself into one of his casual sundresses, did a quick makeup job, fixed his hair, and took the elevator to the bottom floor of Ben's building. Outside, he hailed a self-driving taxi and headed to a nearby high-end shopping district. Tyler vowed to scour every last store until he found something perfect to wear for his last night as a woman. After the first hour, Tyler hadn't found anything that satisfied him. By noon, after combing through the racks of three entire stores, he was starting to lose hope.. and then his phone buzzed. It was Ben. CAN I TAKE YOU TO DINNER TONIGHT? ONE OF MY DAD'S PARTNERS GAVE ME HIS RESERVATION. IT'S A NICE PLACE. DO YOU LIKE SEAFOOD? Tyler sighed. Now he needed two outfits instead of just one. Such were the burdens of beauty, and of temporarily being on the arm of a handsome young man from a wealthy family with a successful business. Tyler laughed it off and replied to Ben: SOUNDS GREAT. At the next store, Tyler found a fantastic dress for tonight's dinner - a sleeveless, belted jacquard dress in a flowery pastel pattern with a hem that stopped at his shins. He picked up a pair of four inch pumps to go with it before heading out to the next store, and the next one.. and finally, at the seventh women's clothing store he visited over the course of the day, he found what he was looking for. It was a knee-length dress, made of pleated foil fabric, rich gold in color. It had spaghetti straps and a low neckline that showed off the tops of Tyler's breasts without becoming improper. The bodice hugged his chest tightly, but the skirt flared out from his waist in attractive pleats that caught attention as he walked and twirled. From certain angles in the mirror, it almost looked as though liquid gold had been poured over Tyler's exquisite torso, splashing out over his hips and halfway down his long, flawless legs. Tyler stared at himself in a dressing room for several minutes, coming to terms with how this would look on Saturday.. how he would look... during his final soiree as a female. He held back tears and leaned against the dressing room wall as the emotional weight of Saturday gripped him. He felt excitement, anxiety, joy, sadness.. there was so much going on that night, so many balls to juggle, so much shit he'd be dealing with from the moment he woke up in the morning until the time when Jackson gave the nanobots the command to revert his body. Tyler had a hard time keeping himself together when he thought about it.. so he tried to stop thinking about it. He simply admired his attractive reflection in the mirror for a while longer before unzipping the dress, placing it on its hanger, and exiting the dressing room to find a stunning pair of strappy, heeled sandals in a matching deep gold. By the time the self-driving taxi dropped him off in front of Ben's condominium building, Tyler had received another message from his current employer, roommate, and sex partner: I'LL SEND A TOWN CAR TO PICK YOU UP. CAN YOU BE READY BY 6? Boarding the elevator, Tyler looked at the clock on his phone, shook his head at how embarrassingly long he had been out shopping, and replied to Ben: THAT SHOULD WORK. Upon arriving on Ben's floor, he walked briskly to the condo, where he took a quick shower and got himself prettied up for dinner. At twenty past six, the town car dropped Tyler off in front of the seafood restaurant. By eight, he and Ben were finished with dinner, holding hands outside, waiting for the town car to pick them up again. Ten minutes later, the central bench seat of the town car had been lowered and converted into a makeshift mattress, and Tyler's pastel jacquard dress was laying in a heap in the back of the car. Ben was six inches deep inside Tyler, fulfilling a fantasy he said he'd always had - making love to a beautiful woman in a moving vehicle. Later on they opened the sunroof, lay on the converted seat, and looked up at the stars as the town car drove in a wide loop around the city. They were both completely nude, and Tyler had his arm draped over Ben's chest, enjoying the afterglow. Ben finally recovered from the rogering he had given Tyler and was able to speak again. "I wanted to do this tonight," he explained, "because I might have to work a bit after I get home tomorrow night. Preparing for the investors dinner." He turned his head to look at Tyler. "Normally, I wouldn't pick Thursday night to take my favorite girl out for a nice meal, but the circumstances are what they are." "I don't mind," Tyler said, still staring at the stars. "You do what you need to do tomorrow night. I'll make dinner." Ben leaned in and gave Tyler a long kiss on the cheek. "That sounds great." "I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Tyler said, rotating his head and kissing Ben back. In fact, Tyler had no plans to do any major cooking. On Friday afternoon, he merely went to the grocery store, bought a quart of soup and some dinner rolls, stopped into a nearby kitchen supply store, returned to the condo, and waited until half past five. Only then did Tyler start preparing dinner, the kitchen, and himself. When Ben arrived home, Tyler was standing in front of the stove, stirring the soup... and wearing nothing but a frilly white apron. He turned his head without turning the rest of his body, meeting Ben's gaze while also providing a full view of his bare shoulders, back, and ass. "The soup's almost done," Tyler said, in his most sultry voice. He padded over to Ben in bare feet as the door to the hallway closed. "Oh," Ben said, finding it hard to form words. "Um.. yeah. It smells good." "Good. I spent all day slaving over it." Tyler lightly brushed Ben's chest, then walked past him toward the breakfast table, where he had something hanging over the side of a chair. Something he didn't think he'd ever have use for again. They would come in handy tonight, though. "I'm not quite dressed for dinner," Tyler said, sitting down in one of the chairs. "I can see that." "It should only take me a minute." He reached for the rest of his evening attire - his knee-high white boots, the ones Renee had convinced him to keep after the convention ended. Tyler stared directly into Ben's eyes as he unzipped a boot, slipped his dainty foot into it, wrapped the leather around his lower leg, and pulled the zip up. The very bottom of the apron just barely covered Tyler's pussy from view as he finished with the first boot and got to work on the second. Ben stood perfectly still and happily watched the show Tyler was putting on for him. "There," Tyler said, rising from the table. The boots' stiletto heels clicked as Tyler crossed Ben's floor, back to the stove, where he resumed his soup-stirring from several inches higher than before. His hips and the countertop were now at roughly the same height. This was not a coincidence. Tyler continued pretending to give a damn about the soup, looking straight down at the stove. And he waited, with agonizing patience, for whatever Ben was going to do next. Tyler heard a phone being placed on a table, then a wallet, then a keycard; he heard the metallic clinking of a belt being undone, then the rustle of slacks being dropped to the floor. Shoes were kicked off carelessly. Then there were footsteps, purposeful footsteps, coming from behind at a rapid pace. Tyler's cunt warmed and wetted in anticipation. Then he heard breathing, and felt warmth on the back of his naked neck. An arm appeared on Tyler's left side and turned the stove off. The other gripped Tyler's hair. Tyler was pulled, gently but firmly, a couple feet to the side of the stove. In front of him now was the cold granite countertop. "We don't want you to burn yourself," Ben grunted, steadying his grip of Tyler's long auburn locks. "No," agreed Tyler, turning his head a perfect ninety degrees to the right. "We certainly don't." Ben slowly pulled Tyler's head down and forward, and Tyler's cheek met with the countertop. Ben held Tyler in this prone position as he poked at the entrance to Tyler's pussy with his erect cock. It went in effortlessly. Tyler gasped from the welcome penetration, and Ben began pounding him relentlessly. This, like the under-desk blowjob in Ben's office, had been another of Tyler's longtime fantasies: a girl in the kitchen, clothed only in a tiny apron, bent over the countertop, roughly taking it from behind. He'd never been able to act it out as Tyler Hillman, but he was more than willing to give it a shot as Violet Taylor. The minor pain Tyler felt in his scalp and his pussy accentuated the thrill of the moment, the wonderful sensation of being filled with a rock-hard dick, the excitement of being railed while in such a prone, helpless position by someone he trusted completely. Ben continued his ministrations from behind Tyler, and both began grunting and gasping and moaning as the sex continued. Ben only let go of Tyler's hair when orgasm was near, placing both hands on Tyler's hips. Ben gripped Tyler from both sides and buried himself as far as he could go, prompting a pleasurable scream from Tyler as Ben's rod began blasting its load. Tyler's pussy became filled with semen, a feeling he had grown to enjoy after the past few days in Miami, and he tried to flex his vaginal muscles and milk Ben of every drop. Ben shuddered from Tyler's efforts, and he didn't pull out until his prick had softened too much to stay upright. They didn't speak to each other afterward - they knew each other too well by now, and they knew nothing needed to be said. Ben cleaned off with some paper towels, and Tyler just turned the stove back on while Ben's jizz trickled downward and outward from his feminine depths. Streaks formed on the inside of his thighs. Tyler ignored it, stirring the soup. Ben began setting the table. Both of them had big, carnal grins plastered on their faces when they finally sat down to eat. ***** They slept in late on Saturday morning. Tyler awoke in the comforting embrace of Ben spooning him from behind, and as much as Tyler wanted to stay like this all day, he needed to get to work. The vacation was almost over. This was his final day as a woman.. soon enough, he'd be himself again. By the end of the night, he would have started his transition from Violet Taylor to Tyler Hillman. And he had a shitload of things to do in order to make sure everything went smoothly between now and then. He eased out of Ben's arms and left the master bedroom. First, he found his Ringed Amusements tablet and sent a message to Jackson, asking when she'd be back in Miami and when she planned on programming Tyler's nanobots to revert his body to its previous form. Keeping things cordial, he also asked how her trip to Phoenix was going, and how her daughter was doing. He made a pot of coffee, poured himself a cup, and dialed up the hotel to make sure everything would be perfect for tonight. He made damn sure, a million percent sure, that there would be two podiums available at the conference room tonight - one up on the stage, and one outside the doors. The receptionist on the other end swore up and down that Tyler would have everything he'd asked for. He gulped down the rest of the coffee, grabbed his pink GammaNow QX7, and went into the guest room. He closed and locked the door, just in case Ben woke up. And from the suitcase in the closet, he retrieved his black phone, the one associated with his old body and old name. He composed a new message to Dennis: MAKE SURE YOU'RE THERE WHEN SHE DELIVERS THE PACKAGE TONIGHT. Tyler read the message over, hoping his plausibly-deniable language wasn't too vague. Dennis would understand it - he'd been in the game long enough, and he'd always been able to extract meaning from Tyler's messages. Dennis was practically a mindreader in that way. Tyler sighed, knowing that it was time to stop avoiding the most agonizing thing he had to do today. He grabbed his pink phone again, sat down on the guest bed, and dialed Amber's number. The other end rang all the way to voicemail. "Amber. Hey," Tyler said, trying to keep his emotions level. He took a deep breath. "Hey. It's.. Violet. So, look, you're probably on your honeymoon still, and you don't need to be bothered with me, but.. well.. I'm done. I took on a job this week. A big job. It's worth a lot of money. My debt to Jackson's going to be paid off after tonight, and then I'll be free to do whatever I want. So.. I might not.. what I'm trying to say is..." Tyler put a hand over his eyes and choked back tears. He continued his message: "I'm leaving the company. And, um, I'm not sure where I'll go. And.. and.. I don't know when I'll get to see you again. It.. it might not be for a while." Tyler's nose began to run, and his face soon became a wet mess. He had to stop talking for a while to gather himself.. and he tried to encourage himself, giving himself a mental pep talk, reminding himself that all this blubbering was just his female hormones going into overdrive. He wouldn't have been so emotional if he'd been in his regular body. He'd never get this choked up over a simple goodbye. "But, um," Tyler said once his sobbing was under control, "I just.. if I don't see you again, I want you to know something, okay? You're one of my favorite people. You helped me so much. You made me less scared of everything when we were back on the station. You're the nicest, kindest, friendliest person I've ever met. I'm so lucky that you were around that day when I first came to the station. Thank you for.. everything. For teaching me how to cook, and dress well, and.. and.. and sit down while wearing a skirt, and walk in high heels. Oh, God.. I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry, Amber! I.. I hope you have a really, really great life with Isaac. I hope you have a hundred kids!" He hung up the phone before he completely lost control of himself, lunged into the guest room closet, buried his face in an armful of the dresses he'd amassed over the last few months, and muffled his hysterical crying so Ben wouldn't hear. He hated himself in this moment - he hated how he was just going to walk away from Amber, Zoe, Renee, Paul.. even people like Noah, the nice older man from AG&M who had hired Tyler to be a booth babe. Even people like Pierre, the disgruntled salon employee who, because of Tyler's glowing recommendation, now had a job with Ringed Amusements as an in-house hair and makeup stylist.. And Connie. Even if she said no when Tyler asked her to be her wedding date, he still had a hard time accepting the fact that he'd never see her again. And Ben. Who Tyler swore he would only get close to in order to run his scam, who he would never have a genuine enjoyable relationship with, who he would never in a trillion years have sex with.. who he would never develop feelings for.. There was a knock on the guest room door. "Violet?" Ben said. Tyler pulled his face away from his tear-soaked dresses. "Um.. yeah..." he quavered. "Hang on." "Is everything okay?" "I'm fine," Tyler said. He stood up and wiped his face off as best he could, checked himself in the nearest mirror, then went to the door and unlocked it. Ben looked at Tyler with a concerned face. "You were crying." "Oh," Tyler said dumbly. "Well.. yeah. I was." "Whoa, whoa," Ben said. He put his hands on the sides of Tyler's shoulders comfortingly. "What's wrong?" Tyler shook his head, steadied his emotions.. and realized this was a perfect opportunity to tell his final lie. Ben looked deeply troubled by whatever was bothering Tyler so much. Tyler was sure Ben would believe whatever came out of Tyler's mouth. "I was talking to the security outfit just now," Tyler said. "The ones who were going to run security for you at the investors dinner tonight. They just called and.. and.." Tyler summoned up some fresh tears with ease. "And they're double-booked. They were already scheduled to work a party tonight. They.. can't make it." "Oh," Ben said. "Hmm. That's inconvenient." "I wanted everything to be perfect," Tyler grumbled. He slapped his hands against his knees childishly, for added effect. "And now it's all messed up." Ben rubbed Tyler's upper arms. "Whoa, whoa, hang on. It's not all messed up. Everything else is ready to go, right? The conference room and the catering and all that?" "Yeah," Tyler sniffled. "But I called every security outfit in town the other day. The one I booked was the only one that had availability for tonight. And now even they aren't available." "Okay. Well, look, don't get too upset about it. I'm sure everything will be fine. We'll figure something out." Tyler shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'll figure something out. You have enough on your mind today.. you don't need to take my problems on too. I'll take care of it. It's what you're paying me for." Ben looked at Tyler closely, and could see the seriousness on his beautiful face. "Okay," Ben said. "Okay, Violet. Good. Thanks. And.. yeah, you're right. I have a lot on my mind. This is basically the most important night of my entire career so far. I need to practice my presentation, for one thing. And lay my suit out.. and I'd better call my dad, just in case he has any last-minute stuff he wants to go over..." Tyler nodded, and off Ben went into his home office. Perfect. Ben was completely distracted, which Tyler hoped would carry over into the evening. This was going great so far.. though Tyler had to maintain the appearance that he was slightly upset and overwhelmed. He put on his best flustered face as he whipped up a quick breakfast for himself, eating it silently over Ben's sink. As he finished eating, he heard a buzzing and beeping coming from the guest room. He quickly walked in and dug around in his purse for his Ringed Amusements tablet. There was a new message from Jackson. I WILL BE BACK LATE TONIGHT. PHOENIX HAS BEEN NICE, THANK YOU. HOLLY IS DOING FINE. I CAN PROGRAM YOUR NANOBOTS TO START WORKING WHENEVER YOU WANT, SO LONG AS MR. ROSENTHAL IS SATISFIED WITH YOUR EFFORTS. "Good," Tyler said. He was about to type out a reply, but then another message from Jackson interrupted his train of thought. YOU'LL NEED A BIOMECHANICAL CANISTER, TOO. YOU HAVE TO FLUSH OUT YOUR NANOBOTS AND RETURN THEM TO ME ONCE THE SURGERY IS OVER. Tyler remembered - Connie and Amber both had expelled their nanobots before leaving Saturn Beta.. they had peed them out into those cylindrical beige containers. Tyler would need to do that, too. Easy enough. He typed out a reply: OKAY. HOW ABOUT YOU JUST COME TO THE HOTEL WHERE THE EVENT IS TAKING PLACE? WE CAN MEET UP AND GO OVER WHAT I NEED TO DO NEXT. I'LL SEND YOU THE ADDRESS. Jackson responded almost instantly: THAT SHOULD BE FINE. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I'M ON THE WAY. Tyler sent her the hotel address, exhaled, and looked at the nearest clock. Time for the next thing on his to-do list. He left the guest room, crossed through the condo, and let himself into Ben's office. Ben sat behind his desk, thumbing around on a tablet computer, going over his presentation. Tyler walked around the desk and got behind Ben's chair, then leaned over and hugged Ben's shoulders from behind. "Hi," Tyler said, before kissing the side of Ben's neck. "Hey," Ben said. He nodded at his computer. "I'm feeling pretty good about this. I think it's going to go well." "Good. I sorted out the security thing. We're all good to go." Ben turned his chair around to look at Tyler directly. "Great! That was fast." "Yeah," Tyler said, sitting down on Ben's lap. The blue satin nightie Tyler wore rode up his legs. "There's something I want to do before we leave for the hotel tonight, if you think you'll have enough time." "I should be done in a couple hours. I don't want to over-prepare." Tyler smiled. "Okay. Well, so.. I got to act out two of my fantasies this week with you - the naked apron thing last night, and the blowjob under your desk. But we've only done one of yours." "Sex in the town car." "Right," said Tyler. "So I figure I owe you one. Whatever floats your boat. Anything at all." Ben tilted his head, obviously surprised at Tyler's offer. Tyler, for his part, was a bit surprised to be making the offer in the first place. He did want to have sex as a woman one last time before Jackson ordered the nanobots to change Tyler back, though. And he wanted Ben to be involved. Most importantly, he wanted it to be as special and memorable for Ben as possible.. because Ben had no idea who Tyler really was, and he had no idea that he would never see Violet Taylor again after tonight. Tyler couldn't help feel bad for the poor guy. He cared for Ben. Tyler wanted Ben to be happy, and Tyler had no problem with being the cause of that happiness. It was a good way to spend his limited remaining time as a stunning young female. There was nobody else in the world Tyler would have offered this to. "Wow," Ben said. "That sounds.. really, really great. You're the best event planner ever." Tyler laughed and playfully slapped Ben's chest. "Come on," he said, giving Ben a fun but serious look. "Anything you want. Hurry up and decide before I change my mind." "Okay. Well, it's an easy one. Honestly, it's pretty vanilla, but I've always wanted to do it." "Tell me." Ben told him. And Tyler awkwardly squirmed a bit on Ben's lap. ***** It was funny, how things changed. Months ago, Tyler was at the most uncomfortable state he had ever experienced in his entire life. His discomfort was brought on not just by the body he possessed, but by the clothing he had been wearing. And now, after a quick trip to a nearby costume shop, makeup store, shoe parlor, and lingerie boutique, Tyler had come full-circle. He had opted for the most come-hither makeup job he'd ever applied to himself, with smoky eyeshadow and the reddest lipstick he could find. His neck was encased in a black satin choker with white detailing on the edges. He wore a sleeveless, short black dress with a plunging neckline that displayed his breasts and the first hints of his areolae. Under the dress was a heavily-starched petticoat that held the skirt outward, exposing Tyler's upper thighs while just barely hiding the ruffled black panties he wore over his ass and pussy. Fishnet thigh-high stockings encased his long legs, which looked even longer due the four-inch black pumps he wore on his feet. A tiny white apron hung down from his waist, and he held a feather duster in his hands. He was dressed in this insane costume once again.. except this time, he wasn't forced into it by his boss. He wore it gladly for the benefit of Ben, the young man who had treated him so well since the first time they met. Tyler had broken Ben's heart before, and he was about to break it again later tonight upon his departure, but he wanted Ben to have everything his heart desired in the meantime. And what he desired was to see Tyler in a French maid outfit. Tyler walked into Ben's office quietly while Ben was still tapping away on his computer. Tyler began half-heartedly dusting things in the office - a bookshelf, a clock hanging on the wall, a lounge chair in the corner. He made a point of bending over to dust the coffee table, allowing the hem of his skirt to rise several inches thanks to the stiff petticoat underneath. Tyler kept dusting the table until he was sure Ben had gotten his fill of seeing the new maid's panties, stocking tops, and underskirts. Then he came over to dust Ben's desk. "Pardon me, monsieur," Tyler said as he flickered the feather duster along the desk surface. Ben moved his chair backward and allowed Tyler space to do whatever he wanted. Ben put his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair, and just enjoyed the show. While staying on the other side of the desk, Tyler leaned forward unnecessarily, just so Ben would have a good view of the amazing tits behind the dress. Three months ago, Tyler wouldn't have done this for anyone, for any reason. The first time he'd worn a French maid costume, he had felt sleazy, humiliated, slutty, low-class, threatened, awkward, and exploited. Now he felt none of that; instead, he felt sexy, confident, safe, valued, and completely at ease. He was glad to be here, as a female, in the house of an eligible bachelor, wearing an outfit designed specifically to arouse the interest of men, playing the part. It was fun. It was empowering, too - Tyler still enjoyed the novelty of being able to control the gazes and interest of people around him, and he especially enjoyed the effect he had on Ben. A lot had changed in three months, Tyler thought wistfully, as he finished dusting Ben's desk. "Have you cleaned the bedroom yet?" Ben asked, standing up from his desk chair. He brought his hand up and brushed the skin on Tyler's neck, just under the choker Tyler wore. Ben's fingers drifted down Tyler's sternum, stopping between his cleavage, purposefully avoiding the fleshy globes of Tyler's breasts. Tyler felt sufficiently teased by this. "Yes, sir," he replied, playing along. "Would you like to inspect it?" "I most certainly would," Ben said, eyes glimmering with lust. Tyler left the office with Ben trailing behind. Halfway to the master bedroom, Tyler felt Ben's fingers under his skirt, flicking along the individual ruffles of his black panties. Ben's index finger hooked into the elastic band around Tyler's waist, causing Tyler to shiver in arousal as he opened the door and brought Ben inside for a thorough, long-lasting, fulfilling inspection that left the master bedroom much messier than it had been before. ***** Ben strengthened his reputation as a passionate, selfless lover, eating Tyler to orgasm once before penetration and once more after. To his credit, Ben wasn't remotely grossed out by performing oral sex on a woman who had a load of spunk dribbling out of her cunt. His enthusiasm for cunnilingus wavered not at all, and Tyler had happily writhed around on the bed throughout their entire lovemaking session. And that was it, Tyler mused, as he took a shower afterwards. That was his last time having sex as a woman, with a man. It was a high note to go out on. Every inch of his body, inside and out, was completely satisfied. He stayed in high spirits as he dried off and put on his makeup for the evening - shimmery eyeshadow, curled lashes punctuated with dramatic mascara, and lip gloss that had subtle gold flecking which matched his cocktail dress. He let his hair hang naturally after taming it with a brush.. his auburn locks had a waviness that he wanted to be on display tonight. He merely gave it a quick dusting of hairspray and let it be. Once his makeup and hair were done to his satisfaction, he went to the guest bedroom to get dressed for the evening. He put on a nude-colored padded bra, which held his breasts proudly and comfortably, then slipped into a filmy pair of black G-string panties. He retrieved his gold foil dress and put it on. It looked even better on him now than it did the other day when he first tried it on - the makeup on his face complimented it well. "Violet?" Ben said loudly from the kitchen. "Are you about ready to leave?" "Just a minute!" Tyler shouted back. He just needed the final touch of jewelry - diamond chandelier earrings, a bracelet on his left wrist, an anklet over his right foot - and then his gold high-heeled sandals. He examined himself in the full-length mirror and was immensely proud of what he saw. He had gotten so good with applying makeup and doing his hair... It was almost a shame that he'd be back to his close-cropped haircut soon enough.. and he sure as hell wouldn't be doing his makeup anymore. Or his nails... He remembered his nails. They were still polished purple from the day at the Este Golfo salon, still sporting the tiny diamonds inside the incredibly detailed paintings of tiny flowers. This was the real shame - his nails, as they looked now, were works of art that had taken much longer to complete than hair and makeup ever could. Tyler would have to scrape it all off after tonight. What a waste.. but that's how it was. He couldn't walk around Miami in his pudgy middle-aged male body wearing gemstone-laden, vibrant purple fingernails. Or toenails, he realized, while looking down at his strappy gold sandals. He wiggled his toes and sighed. Putting his hands on his hips, Tyler looked around the guest room and tried to remember everything he needed for the night.. and realized he'd nearly forgotten the most important thing of all. He lunged for the closet, retrieved his champagne crystal-studded clutch purse, and put his pink phone inside it, along with his Ringed Amusements tablet. He reached further into the closet until he got to the smallest suitcase, the one in the far back corner. He unzipped the interior pocket and took out his old black phone and the five anti-static bags.. the bags that held the disassembled puller. The bags and phone went into the clutch purse, which Tyler zipped shut. He checked his hair, makeup, posture, and overall appearance one more time before opening the guest room door. Ben stood near the kitchen island, looking sharp in a pressed suit and diagonally striped tie. He looked over when he heard Tyler's heels clicking on the floor. "Wow," Ben said, casually placing his hand on the countertop. "You.. Violet, every time I see you, it's just.. I'm at a loss for words." "So you like the dress, then?" Tyler asked with a smile, giving his admirer a flirtatious little twirl. "I do. I like what's under the dress even more." Tyler giggled girlishly and pecked Ben on the cheek. "We should get moving." Ben agreed. He ushered Tyler out of the condo, down the hall toward the elevator. By the time they were in the building's lobby, a jet-black town car was waiting for them by the curb. Ben opened the door for Tyler, who stepped in carefully, keeping his knees together and hands under the swirling foil skirt. They soon arrived at the hotel, a skyscraper in the heart of the city. Tyler took charge from here, and Ben followed along, as the two navigated through the hotel, following signage to their assigned conference room. Various hotel employees were setting things up - tables, chairs, the bar off to the side, audiovisual equipment - and Tyler was relieved to find a podium in front of the conference room doors, just like he'd been promised. "Looking good," Tyler said, examining everything before him. He turned to Ben. "What do you think?" "Looks perfect to me," Ben replied. "Do I need to be doing anything? Setting things up?" Tyler shook his head. "Nope. The hotel does everything for us." "Except security, of course." Ben said. "I see your backup plan hasn't showed up yet..." Mustering himself, Tyler put his hands in front of his body, folding them around his clutch purse. It was time to get into business mode. He took a deep breath and looked Ben squarely in the eyes. "Actually, it has," Tyler said. Ben looked at him crosswise. "Hmm?" "Security's here. It's.. me. I'm taking care of it." "You're.. what do you mean?" "Take a look," Tyler said. He took his pink phone out of his clutch - careful to keep the puller parts and his old black phone hidden from Ben's vision - and opened up an application he'd downloaded on Tuesday. He turned his phone to show Ben the screen. "Here. This app is networked in with the hotel to control the conference room's doors. Remember those emails I had you send to everyone earlier, with the unique codes attached to each one? I can scan those codes with my phone's camera, and if the code is good, it'll disengage the doors. Watch." Tyler went to the conference room doors, which were currently propped open by doorstops. He nudged the doorstops away with his exposed, sparkling toes. The doors shut loudly. "Try to open it," Tyler told Ben. Ben complied, yanking on the door handles, but the doors held firm. Tyler continued the demonstration: "Now, get out your phone. Pull up that email you received.. yup. Now scroll down and find the.. yup, there's the code. Okay. Hold it right there..." Tyler pointed his phone's camera at Ben's screen. A couple seconds passed, and then Tyler's phone beeped merrily as the conference room doors gave off a sharp mechanical noise. Ben narrowed his eyes and tried the door again.. and it opened easily. "Huh," Ben said. "That's cool." "Defintely," Tyler said. He thumbed around on his pink phone until he found the schedule for the investors dinner. "Okay. Your bar opens in fifteen minutes, dinner in an hour. I'm expecting a slow trickle of people to start showing up anytime now, so I'll stick around out here if you want to make sure everything's kosher inside." Ben sheathed his own phone. "Not a bad idea." "Let me know if anything's wrong. I'll give the hotel staff an earful." "I'm sure you will," Ben said, smiling. He leaned down for a good-luck kiss and then turned away. Tyler stayed behind the podium while Ben entered the conference room. The door closed behind him, and the locks re-engaged. Tyler immediately went back into his clutch purse for the five anti- static bags he stashed there earlier. He worked quickly at unbagging everything and sliding the tiny pieces of the puller together until it was whole again. Quickly, he found a trash can a short walk down the hallway, and threw the anti-static bags away. He'd never need them again. Ten minutes went by, with Tyler rocking on his sandal heels, idly twisting his waist, feeling the fluttery fabric of his dress tickling his thighs, waiting for something to happen. He mentally went over his master plan, again and again. And he hoped like hell that Ozzie had told the truth about what the puller was capable of when plugged into an unlocked phone. Tyler's pulse quickened when a middle-aged man with a middle-aged woman on his arm came down the hallway. The man had a nice suit on; the woman wore a form-fitting dress shorter than the one Tyler wore, red in color, with heavy jewelry hanging all over her face, neck, wrists, and fingers. Tyler straightened his posture and slid the puller into the rear of the podium's shelf. He smiled brightly as the well-off couple approached. "Hello," he said. "Here for the dinner?" "Depends on what we're eating," the man said. Tyler chuckled girlishly at the humor - the man's wife glared daggers at Tyler over the podium. "I'm sure it'll be good," Tyler said. "May I have your invitation, please?" The man reached into his jacket. "Of course," he said. He took out his phone, typed in his passcode, tapped around on the screen until he found the relevant email, and handed the phone over. "Thank you," Tyler said. He scrolled through the email with one hand, while his other hand slyly retrieved the puller and plugged it into the phone. Then he picked up his own pink phone, tapped around pointlessly, and counted down in his head. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.. The guest's phone screen flashed for a split-second. Once the screen returned to its normal behavior, Tyler pointed his camera at it and scanned the code in the email. The doors of the conference room made their mechanical unlocking noise, covering up the sound of Tyler unplugging the puller and sliding it back under the shelf. Tyler held the phone out to the middle-aged man. "You two are all set! Go on in and have a good time." "Thank you," the woman snarled as her husband took back his phone. The two of them entered the conference room, the door shut behind, and the locks click back into place. Tyler exhaled. He smoothed his dress, gathered his wits, and smirked. So far, so good. ***** Ozzie, the slimeball at the electronics store who had sucked sloppily on Tyler's tits, then forced Tyler to give him a blowjob and deepthroat his cock when he came, had made mention of something while describing the puller: on locked phones, where a numerical code or other password was required to access the homescreen, the puller needed thirty seconds to break through the top-level security and copy all the data. With unlocked phones, however, that time requirement plummeted to five seconds. Most people were willing to let their unsecured phones out of their sight for five seconds. Especially older people.. such as the people who would be attending the investors dinner tonight.. who just so happened to be some of the most wealthy and well-connected people in the southeastern United States. Tyler drummed his pretty purple fingernails on the podium as he waited for the next guest to arrive. He went over the plan again in his head.. Pull the data from the phones of all Ben Rosenthal's guests.. Wait for Jackson to arrive here at the hotel.. Convince Ben to come outside for a moment.. Bring him out of the conference room, have him meet Jackson, and nudge him into telling her that he's "satisfied with your efforts," as Jackson put it.. Let Ben know that you and Jackson need to go talk business.. Have Jackson give the nanobots the command to revert you to your old body.. Leave the hotel, go to Dennis' office, and drop off the puller.. Then head back to your old apartment and wait for the nanobots to finish their work. And that would be that. The heist would be made, Tyler's debt to Jackson settled, the ties cut. Tyler Hillman would be back to being Tyler Hillman again, and he and Dennis would be resting on the biggest payday of their lives. More investors arrived intermittently at the conference room, all of them perfectly fine with handing their unlocked phones over to the beautiful young woman in the gold foil dress. Tyler became deft with the puller, swapping the adapter when necessary, holding the investors' phones behind the podium for no longer than ten seconds. That was all the time he needed to pull their data and scan their invitations. As dinnertime grew closer, the trickle of guests slowed. Soon everyone on the guest list had been accounted for.. and ripped off. As the last guests entered the conference room, Tyler felt no guilt or shame whatsoever. His lack of remorse made him feel good - it meant that he was back to his old self again, that he hadn't turned soft during his time spent as a member of the fairer sex. He squinted craftily at the puller between his manicured hands, trying to estimate the value of all the data it now contained, knowing this was his and Dennis' ticket to never needing to work again. Tyler would be able to walk away from the data brokering game forever, and spend the rest of his days doing whatever he wanted to do.. ...though at the moment, he wasn't sure what he actually wanted to do.. But no matter: he'd figure out the plan for the remainder of his life later. For now, he needed to get through the rest of the night. Something inside his clutch purse began rumbling and beeping. He unzipped the clutch and extracted his Ringed Amusements employee tablet. A message was waiting for him. ON MY WAY, it said. Jackson. Well, she was arriving sooner than Tyler had hoped.. Jackson would be here at the hotel before the investors had even finished their dinner. "Perfect," Tyler said. He sent Jackson the location of the conference room, slipped the tablet back into his clutch, and deactivated the door locks with his phone. It was dinnertime, after all, and just because he was almost finished pulling off the biggest scam of his life didn't mean he wasn't hungry. ***** Ben Rosenthal, ever the thoughtful gentleman, saved Tyler a seat. The dinner was tasty, and nobody had to get up to leave the room during the meal, which meant Tyler didn't have to man the doors. Instead he was allowed to relax, listening to Ben and the investors as they chatted back and forth. They talked about all manner of businessy things - high finance, interplanetary industry, whatnot. Ben discussed all topics enthusiastically. Many of his wealthy invited guests hung on his words and were impressed when Ben answered the questions they posed to him. Tyler was impressed, as well. Ben had a good tongue on him.. in more ways than one, as Tyler intimately knew. He spoke captivatingly. With his social skills, and his way of getting people to trust what he had to say, he would have made a hell of an info broker... Tyler's clutch purse began buzzing in his lap. He unzipped it under the tablecloth and took out his tablet. AT THE HOTEL NOW, Jackson wrote. HEADED YOUR WAY. His heart hammered under his voluminous chest. This was it. This was fucking it.. after three goddamn months in the life and body of a beautiful young woman, he was finally about to start changing back. He put his tablet back into the clutch and zipped it shut. Tyler waited for a break in the conversation and leaned into Ben's ear. "Ben," Tyler said, just above a whisper. "Hey," Ben said. "Everything okay?" "Can I borrow you for a minute? Out front. There's someone I want you to meet." "Oh, sure," Ben replied. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and rose from his seat, then held his hand out for Tyler to take. Tyler obliged, and the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder toward the conference room doors. "You're doing great, by the way," Tyler said, rubbing Ben's arm encouragingly. "They love you." Ben chuckled quietly. "I hope so. I'm about to beg them for money." "Oh, don't worry about that. They'll be throwing their wallets at you by the time the night's over." Ben smiled as they reached the doors. Upon opening them, Tyler immediately saw Jackson coming down the hallway, back in the body he was used to seeing her in, wearing one of her trademark skirt suits. It was her forest-green one.. the exact same outfit she'd been wearing when Tyler met her on Saturn Beta the first time. She dragged a rolling suitcase behind her, and strapped to the top of that suitcase was her faded canvas duffel bag. The one she kept her private server in.. the server that could control her army of nanobots, including the ones currently swimming around in Tyler's beautiful female body. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and she waved weakly as she approached. Tyler waved back. "So, Ben," Tyler said, as Jackson came within earshot. "This is Jackson. She's my boss." "Ah, yeah, right," Ben said. He extended his hand to Jackson for a shake. "I remember. You were at the thing.. back on the station.. when Amber and Isaac got engaged.. with the saloon girl dresses..." "Indeed," Jackson said, shaking Ben's hand. "I was also a bridesmaid in Amber's wedding, if you recall." Ben flushed a bit. "Err.. right. Well, nothing personal, but I wasn't really paying attention to you at the wedding. Someone else had my eye that night." Tyler laughed brightly. Jackson tilted her head and gave Ben an odd look. "I see," she said, in that unamused way of hers. "Well, this 'someone else' you speak of.. did her efforts live up to your expectations this week? Are you satisfied with how everything turned out?" "Very satisfied," Ben said, without hesitation, nodding enthusiastically. "Beyond satisfied. Violet is an excellent event planner.. and she's, well.. Honestly, this has been one of the greatest weeks of my..." "Anyway," Tyler interrupted, not wanting Ben to continue down this path of conversation, lest he spill too many sordid details of the previous week. "Jackson and I need to talk shop. Can you make it through the rest of dinner without me?" Tyler smiled cutely at Ben, hoping to soften him on the idea. Ben, however, descended from content to crestfallen in a matter of seconds. He exhaled forlornly, put his hands in his pants pockets, and looked at Tyler with disbelief. As if he had figured everything out.. as if he knew this was the last time he'd ever see Violet Taylor. Tyler had never seen someone looking so disappointed. Ben looked over at Jackson. "Can you give us a minute?" he said. Jackson looked between Ben and Tyler a couple times. "I suppose. I'll be over by the elevators when you're ready, Miss Taylor." Jackson walked off. Ben and Tyler stood outside the conference room doors, silently. Tension filled the air, so thick that Tyler found himself starting to mist up. He looked down at the floor, ashamedly, and put one hand on his hip as the other held onto his clutch purse for dear life. "That's the end of it, isn't it?" Ben said, taking a slow step toward Tyler. "You're not just going to talk shop with your boss.. you're leaving with her." A tear escaped from Tyler's right eye. "The job's over," he mumbled at the floor. "I have to go." "Bullshit! Bullshit you have to go. You can't stick around until the end of the night? You can't stay for my presentation? Christ, Violet, you can't even finish dinner with me? Bullshit." "Ben..." "Tell me this was just a job for you, Violet," Ben said, moving closer, placing his hands on Tyler's bare arms, firmly but not roughly. "Tell me you were just in it for the money. Tell me you would've taken on this job for anyone else in the world. Can you tell me that? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that with a straight face?" Tyler raised his head as more tears streaked down his face. He did as Ben asked - he looked him in the face. And what Tyler saw there wasn't mere disappointment. It was warm, inviting, and hopeful. It was love. Love, and all the ache that came with it. Tyler's heart cratered as he wiped his eyes. "Ben," he said, mustering himself and blubbering his words. "I feel awful. I'm sorry. You're a great guy." Ben let go of Tyler's arms. "I'm a great guy? That's the kind of thing a girl says when she's about to break up with you." "I can't stay, Ben. I'm sorry. I really, really am sorry. I have a life that I need to get back to. I can't be who you want me to be." "Why the fuck not?" Tyler closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's complicated." Ben put his hands on his hips, looking like he was just barely keeping himself together. Tyler's last words were true: it was complicated. But it was also very simple - Tyler needed to leave in order to deliver the puller to Dennis, and he needed Jackson to order her nanobots to return his old body and his old life. That was the end of the story. And Tyler needed to hurry up and leave, before the hormones in his feminine body and the yearning in his feminine heart made him do something irresponsible, stupid, and typically feminine. Tyler walked forward on his heels, wrapped his arms around Ben, crushed his breasts against Ben's firm chest, and looked up. Ben looked back with those wistful hazel eyes of his, then wrapped his own arms around Tyler's waist. "Violet," Ben said, his voice wavering on the precipice of tears. "You're going to do fine," Tyler said. He eased his lips into Ben's, planting a sweet but sorrowful kiss. "I know you will." They let go of each other, and Tyler walked quickly away towards the elevators, the pleated skirt of his gold foil dress swirling with every step. It took all of his willpower to not turn around.. and to not start crying again. He knew Ben was watching him leave. He knew Ben was going to keep on watching until Violet Taylor had completely disappeared. He wished Ben would just forget about him, get on with the rest of the evening, get on with the rest of his life.. because Tyler meant what he said: Ben would do fine, during his presentation and everything that followed after, with or without Tyler by his side. ***** Jackson was waiting by the elevators when Tyler arrived to meet her. She smiled halfheartedly. "Looking lovely as always, Mr. Hillman," she said. "That is one stunner of a cocktail dress." Tyler ignored the compliment. "Do you have.. your thing? Your private server?" he said, trying to stay on-task. "Always," Jackson said. She patted the canvas duffel bag slung atop her rolling case, adjusted her glasses and looked at Tyler as the elevator arrived. "Should I ask what Mr. Rosenthal wanted to discuss with you?" Tyler folded his arms under his breasts. "He wants something he can't have." "Don't we all." The elevator arrived, and they stepped in. Tyler pressed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed. "Where should we do this?" he asked. "Somewhere private would be best, I think," Jackson replied as the elevator descended. "How about you hail a car for us?" Tyler unzipped his clutch purse and took out his pink phone.. his alter- ego's GammaNow QX7, which he would never use again after tonight. He would have to get rid of it as soon as possible, lest he be inundated with messages and calls from Ben Rosenthal.. Or Amber.. Tyler hurriedly refocused, booking a taxi with his phone. He tapped in his desired destination: RAMONA'S COFFEE SHOP, MIAMI FL. The car was booked by the time Tyler and Jackson walked off the elevator. Both of them walked purposefully atop their high heels toward the exit, with serious looks on their faces.. faces that masked the emotional turmoil underneath, in Tyler's case. "Is it here?" Jackson asked as they exited the hotel. She looked left and right in the darkness of the late evening, searching for the car. Tyler gazed south at a sedan, hologramatically painted yellow, that was approaching from the hotel's roundabout driveway. "That should be it," he said, pointing. Jackson picked up her pace and nearly jogged to the curb. Tyler wondered why she was so eager to leave the hotel as she opened the taxi's door, placed her bags in the back seat, and eased herself inside the front. Tyler followed her in, holding his shimmering skirt as he sat down on the plush leather seat and placing his clutch purse next to him. He pulled the door closed, the taxi's paint job turned red, and they were off. Immediately, Jackson covered her face in her hands. And she began doing something Tyler didn't even think she was capable of. She started crying, loudly, her body wracking with every sob. "Jackson?" Tyler said, out of concern and disbelief. "Oh, god.. Jackson? What is it?" Tyler never, ever would have expected this.. he thought the rest of the night would go off without any surprises - dropping the puller off at Dennis' office, returning to his old apartment, and waiting for Jackson's nanobots to make good on her promise to change him back. Maybe Jackson would try to get his goat one more time - make some snide double-entendre remark about how he passed the time over the past week in Ben Rosenthal's presence, perhaps - but he could handle that. He'd been handling it ever since she turned him into a woman in the first place. But he couldn't handle this. Jackson's wailing filled the taxi as makeup-tinged tears spilled through the cracks between her fingers. "Jackson?" Tyler repeated. "I'm sorry," Jackson said at last, between gasps. "I just.. I can't take it anymore. It's too much. It's too.. too much..." "What's too much? What is it?" Jackson leaned back against her headrest. "My daughter. Holly. She's so smart, and so kind, and so pretty, and.. I've missed too much of her life. God.. Raj would be so disappointed in me..." "What? No.. Jackson.. no..." "Oh, don't disagree with me, Mr. Hillman," she snapped. "I know my husband. He worked hard, he took his career seriously.. but he put family first. I haven't." "You.. but..." Tyler stammered, struggling to respond in a way that wasn't too patronizing. "You did everything you could for her after Raj died. Didn't you? What, you feel guilty for sending her off to boarding school on Earth? Saturn Beta's no place to raise a young girl. You said so yourself." Jackson shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't know. I'm.. I'm exhausted. I can't live like this anymore. And yet I have to. I have no choice." Tyler kept his mouth shut as the taxi drove along. They were halfway to Ramona's now.. "How funny is it," Jackson blubbered, with mascara flowing down her cheeks, "that you're the only one I can talk to about this? Ironic, isn't it, Mr. Hillman? You're the only person I can comfortably cry in front of. Even though you despise me." Tyler's face soured. "I don't despise you!" "Sure." "God dammit, Jackson! I don't.. I mean.. I hated you at first, but..." Tyler paused, cleared his head, and tried to speak honestly. "It's been an interesting few months. You were right about what you said, the morning after the wedding - temporarily being a woman isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Some of it was awful... especially the first day. But some of it was really great. I got to meet Amber, and Connie, and Renee.. Paul, Zoe, Pierre. And I got to do a lot of things.. things I'd never do as a man." Jackson looked at him sideways. "Yeah," Tyler said, finally ready to admit it out loud. "And you know exactly what I mean by that." "I have an inkling," Jackson said, in her most smartass tone. "Well, I'm glad to hear you don't hate me, Mr. Hillman. I don't like to end business arrangements on bad terms." She sighed and looked out the window, holding her chin in her palm. "That doesn't solve the problem with my daughter, though. It's tearing me apart. If it were up to me, I'd stay on Earth.. keep on being Raj Williams.. stay with Holly from now on..." Tyler leaned forward. "What's stopping you?" "Well, gee," Jackson said sarcastically. "There's the little matter of that company I operate on Saturn Beta. I can't just walk away from that." "Why the fuck not?" Tyler caught himself. Why the fuck not.. those were Ben's words, coming out of Tyler's mouth. "Excuse me?" said Jackson. "Um..." Tyler said, pulling down on his shimmery gold skirt. "Well, why not? You don't have to be on Beta all the time. Didn't you put Renee in charge of everything after you left for Amber's wedding? I'll bet you she's handling everything just fine. She probably takes it more seriously than you do." Jackson looked at the floor by her feet, deep in thought. "So let Renee keep doing it," Tyler continued. "Just send her a message, tell her something came up, that you won't be able to come back to the station for a while. Put Raj's body on again and go back to Phoenix. What do you mean, 'if it were up to me'? It IS up to you, Jackson. You're the boss, remember? You know what smart bosses do? They play golf while other people do all the work." Jackson laughed at this. "Raj loved golf." "Well, there you go." The taxi slowed, pulling up to the curb next to Ramona's Coffee Shop. Tyler was startled by the arrival.. that drive from the hotel had gone by quick. So quick that he hadn't had time to formulate a lie to explain why he had brought Jackson here. "What is this place?" Jackson said, looking out the window at the patio furniture and the Ramona's patrons. "Oh," Tyler replied, looking out his own window, at the boring gray building across the street that housed Dennis' office. His pulse jumped as he hurried to come up with a story. "Uh.. you said I needed a biomechanical canister, right? For peeing out all my nanobots." Jackson tapped her faded canvas duffel bag with the toe of her pump. "That's true." "Yeah. So, there's a guy in that building over there who's hooking me up with one." "I see," Jackson said, peering at Tyler over the rims of her glasses. "I'll stay in the car, if you don't mind. Don't take it personally if I've fallen asleep by the time you get back. I've had a hell of a day." Tyler grabbed his clutch purse. "Join the club," he said, opening the car door and easing his legs out, careful to keep his knees together. He stood on the curb and closed the taxi door, then crossed to the other side of the street, heels clicking on the pavement with every step. He loved that clicking sound... and he loved being able to produce it. Soon enough, he'd be back in boring old men's shoes, ones that could only make a heavy thump-thump sound. Oh well. Just one of the perks of femininity that he'd have to give up after tonight. He reached the gray building and let himself in through the plastiglass security door. Then he began walking down the long hallway toward Dennis' office. He took long strides, which made his breasts bounce pleasantly under his dramatic gold foil dress. The skirt of the dress swished over his thighs and knees. The way women's clothing made him feel - both physically and emotionally - that was one more thing he'd miss.. Tyler slowed his walk. He realized something - that he wanted to savor this, for as much time as he had left. He began taking much shorter steps, enjoying the feeling of his dress, his shoes, his bracelet and anklet, his breasts encased in the bra that supported them.. his pubic mound, the smoothness of it, the way his G-string nestled between his buttocks. No more of that, starting tomorrow. Just normal shirts and pants. Boxer shorts. Socks and shoes. Tyler thought about the guest room closet in Ben's condo, the one that held all of Tyler's feminine clothing. All the skirts and dresses, all the high heels and underwear and jewelry, and all the warm memories associated with everything he'd been wearing for the past several months... He passed a reflective tinted window as he paced down the hall. He turned and looked at himself in the window.. his long auburn tresses cascading over his exposed shoulders, the heavy chandelier earrings tugging enticingly on his lobes, his beautiful face made more beautiful by his improved makeup skills - eyeshadow, mascara, lip gloss, all of it. This face, and everything around it, was impossible to ignore. It demanded attention from men and women alike. Part of the reason he'd gotten into info brokering in the first place was because it was so easy for him to blend in. Apart from his goofy- looking ears, the memory of which had become so distant, Tyler Hillman had no defining features and was entirely unremarkable. Violet Taylor, however, was a living, breathing defining feature. She was the physical embodiment of remarkable. Anyone who would willingly give up a body like this was an idiot of the highest caliber.. "Stop it," Tyler said, to the reflected image of Violet Taylor in the tinted window. He looked to his left and his right. He was now halfway down the hall. All he had to do was keep walking.. Not right away, though. He could enjoy himself for a while longer. He could enjoy his body, his dress, his makeup, his manicure and pedicure, his lovely long hair, his shoes, his jewelry.. his life as Violet Taylor, the glamorous young woman from the Martian mining colony, for just a little while longer. He stared at himself in the reflective glass, twisting his hips, looking at himself from every angle.. remembering all the strange, enjoyable, weird, wonderful things that he'd experienced over the past few months.. He ran his hands around his neck, over his shoulders, across his breasts, down the bodice of the gold foil dress, along the skirt.. Just a little while longer... No. He couldn't linger. Jackson was still waiting for him in the taxi. It would be weird if he didn't get back there soon. And the sooner he got back, the sooner she could send the command for the nanobots to start giving him his old body back. The sooner, the better. Right? "Right," Tyler Hillman said to Violet Taylor, without any conviction in his voice. He took a tentative, slow, tiny, almost imperceptible step toward Dennis' office, away from the reflective glass.. His clutch purse began buzzing and ringing. He looked down at it, and at the meticulously-manicured fingers that held it. He'd have to scrape all that beautiful purple nail polish off, and the diamonds too.. He opened his clutch and took out his pink GammaNow phone. The caller ID flared up in the center of the touchscreen. Amber. "God..." Tyler grumbled, letting his arms go slack. "God dammit, Amber..." The phone kept ringing. Tyler tried to take another step towards Dennis' office, and couldn't. "Not now, Amber.. not fucking now..." The phone rang a fourth time. After seven rings, it would go to voicemail. Tyler shook his head. His thumb hovered over the Ignore button on the touchscreen.. Fifth ring. Sixth ring. Tyler hit the Accept button. He couldn't bear to do anything else. "Hello," he said, with a wavy voice. "Violet?" Amber said from the other end. "God almighty, are you okay? What the hell was that voicemail you left for me earlier? You were talkin' crazy. Might not see me again? What's that all about? And then you kept sayin' you're sorry, you're sorry, you're sorry. What's got into you? Have you been drinkin'?" "Amber..." "Are you okay? C'mon. Tell me what's up." "I.." His phone buzzed again. He pulled it away from his ear. It was a new message. Ben. "No..." Tyler moaned, as his eyes began rapidly tearing up. "No, Ben.. no.." "What about Ben?" Amber shouted from the phone's earpiece. "Hey! Has he done somethin' to you, Violet? Swear to God, I'll come out to Miami and fuck him up!" "No, Amber, hang on.. just.." Tyler flipped through his phone and opened Ben's message. He read it once, over Amber's continued shouting. Then he read it again. Then a third time, with his eyes getting heavier and wetter with every reading. He dabbed at the tears, not wanting to ruin his mascara, and read the message one more time. YOU ARE THE GREATEST GIRL I HAVE EVER MET. I DON'T REGRET A SINGLE MINUTE I SPENT WITH YOU. SATURN BETA, ESTE GOLFO, MIAMI, ALL OF IT. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING. EVEN IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, IT WAS ALL AMAZING. I HOPE YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY. Tyler's legs weakened. He leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, until his shapely ass hit the carpet. He began sobbing.. sobbing li