Miss Pink Part 7: The Christmas Party free porn video

ONE Over the next couple of weeks, I lost track of the days. At first I would return home and breathe a deep sigh of relief. Grateful I had tolerated any torment, that I had survived all I had been subjected to. And as I relaxed and wound down, I found solace in the many happy moments my day would bring; which I then used to spurn me on. Something as simple as an understanding smile from a customer would keep me on a high for hours. It gave me something to hold on to as another might sneer or joke and laugh. Luckily Claire and Jo were quick to watch out for me; and slowly, others, too. I held on to such thoughts when Kat would ask to see me in the ladies rest rooms to perform her routine checks. They were random and unpredictable, at different times of the day, checking for different things. Some days it was a brief inspection of my make-up or my outfit. Some genuine tips on how I might improve my appearance. Other times she would have me strip and took delight in watching me change my pantie-liner or tampon. After her success with spanking in the office, she would sometimes give me several stinging smacks, making me cum in my fresh pantie-liner. "No time to change again now," she would say with a final strike on my skin. And she would send me back to the sales floor, squirming in massive discomfort. I was grateful when the period finally ended and her inspections became less intrusive, however she did alarm me with this: "We'll keep things simple for your first few cycles, but menstruation isn't just about tampons. Soon we'll also track your fertile times." She was nuts. A real whack job. All this because when we were barely out of our teenage years I'd spread a few rumors that we'd been together. After, I might add, she'd made fun of my small penis and desire to dress as a woman. Who knew a decade or so later our worlds, and the world of Lyn, would collide in the worst possible way. For me, at least. Lyn was another kettle of nut-juice entirely. Even though I had worked under her and knew she managed with fear and an emphasis on failings instead of strengths, I never knew until now what a dominant personality she was. Not just dominant, but.........I had to admit it, preying on my submissiveness and willingness to concede to her and do as she asked in regard to sexuality. She knew what she was capable of doing to me. All because she felt I had beat her in some kind of contest she had conjured up in her imagination. I wasn't about popularity. I just wanted the best for people. Whether in work or their private life. I tried to lead a good life and expected others to as well. But then Kat met Lyn after my cheer-leading routine, and I knew not everybody thought the same as me. There were brighter spots. Jenny was surprisingly kind to me. Each day, even if she wasn't working, she would stop by with one of her boyfriend's special yogurts. She said they were good for my figure, and that since I loved them so much she would bring me one every lunch-time. After the cruelty she had displayed on my day out with herself and Kat, I was always surprised by her offering, and always with a little smile. And the yogurts were delicious. I saw Isabella, the woman I had met in the casino, a few times. We had a great time together and she took my breath away. One day she called and said she'd like breakfast with me. She asked if she could come over. It was seven in the evening. She stayed the night. I guess she really did want to have breakfast with me. We were good for each other. I was disappointed in Abbie, even though I would never say. She was obviously torn between her career and looking after me. And time and again, her career won out, as I had feared it would when I first offered her my job. Our friendship was doomed. She was an infrequent callaborator with Kat, but a callaborator all the same. Being sure to score points with Lyn to protect her career. Whereas Claire and Jo continued to cultivate positive relations within the store on my behalf. They worked tirelessly to promote understanding amongst our colleagues, and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly most people started to accept me. Novelty and confusion, fear and apprehension, all began to pass. Typically, I would wear something sexy to give me a thrill. Stockings with a basque or suspender belt. I had to keep practising my basque for when I returned to the casino. Despite her collusion with Lyn, Cassandra seemed much nicer than her sister. But, then............Somewhere deep, just the first seed of an idea being planted and waiting to blossom............. why did I have to work for either of them? So, for my underwear, I kept it sexy. No Grannie panties or work briefs for me. Only satin and lace hugging my smooth figure. If I wore a skirt it was usually just above the knee - the same with dresses. I loved showing off my legs and calfs in my heels, despite the snow. The cold nipping at me, teasing me. The breeze snaking around my legs. A constant reminder of what I was wearing. When I was wearing a blouse I'd sometimes slip a cardigan or jumper over it, my pert breasts pushing out. Obviously I wore a woman's coat. I had a gorgeous cold season one from Next. Mauve, with a flattering cut and several zipped pockets that gleamed in the Winter sun. The morning after the day out with Kat and Jenny was the scariest. I over-slept after the casino, and had to get ready quickly despite my obvious new look. I chose a pencil skirt and a cute, sheer blouse. A lilac cardigan over my shoulders; with eye make-up to match, of course. Foundation, bronzer, blush and mascara all at high speed, and finally a soft tone of lipstick that complimented the lilac. I gave my hair a cute tousled look, running gel through it with my fingers. Heels.......They thought four inches was torturing me, but I loved my heels. Walking to work that morning, heels in the snow, I turned a few heads. And for the right reasons. I looked good. Confident and working the look I had created. Innocent with a hint of playful sexiness. I didn't just look good. I felt good. And despite Lyn and Kat's games, that creeping euphoria was thrilling. I wanted this. To be this way. Somewhere, deep down, I always had. When I entered the store that morning, heels clipping along the polished floor, colleagues stopped what they were doing. Actually froze, taking in my new image. It might have been the unexpected blonde hair and nails, or the ultra-feminine way I was dressing after a week of trousers and blouses and sensible shoes. It might have been because I looked hot. But they couldn't take their eyes off me.......And I loved it. I put a little magic in my hips just for them. It was how I was born to look. Jo greeted me, opening the low gate near the tills. "Good to see you, Lauren," she said with a warm smile. It must have looked like I had blossomed before her. She actually seemed happy and proud. I tried to brush it off with an 'aw shucks' attitude. "You too, Jo. Bloody freezing out." "Fancy a cup of tea?" she asked. "I'd like that. Thank you." Others slowly approached, telling me how good I looked. I considered Jo as she took a few more morning drink orders. I caught her eye. "Thank you," I repeated, meaning for all the help and kindness she had shown me. "Don't go getting all mushy on me," she said with a wave of her hand. "Now, run along to the cash office and get the tills done. I'll bring you your drink and we can have a gossip before the rush starts." I found my routine starting to change after work. When I used to wear male clothing, once I got in I couldn't wait to decide what to wear that evening. When I undressed and changed I wasn't just removing clothes, I was removing my manhood. I was vanquishing all that held me back in the light of day. But dressing as I was now, when I got home I just.............continued. It wasn't about the thrill of dressing, it was about the thrill of being. I was alive. And I had Lyn and Kat to thank, despite what they were doing. Sometimes I even finished work and just wandered the shops, wanted the days to last a little longer as the nights drew in close and cold. A couple of times I stayed out late for a bite to eat, once on my own, once with Claire. Without pressureon myself, or fear or nerves........It was just something I could do now. Confidence growing with each and every step. Claire was great. Our friendship was closer than ever. She asked how I was doing as we snuck bites of each other's food and I reassured her I was okay. She apologised for not doing more to protect me from Lyn and Kat's torment, suggested we go to HR, or even the police. I reassured her that she should not worry and explained that their cruel game had actually helped me to come out. Without them, how many more years would I have spent hiding from who I was, feeling guilty as I dressed privately. If I could handle their petty clothes checks and.......... I stopped short of telling Claire about my period. Maybe it would be too much for her. But if the period had been handled less brutally I might have even accepted that. If I was to enjoy being a woman, I had to also accept the downsides. It was all becoming a part of my life. I reached across the table to my friend. Held her hands. Just two girl friends out having dinner.....It was all so worthwhile. So, some evenings I stayed out. I enjoyed the Christmas lights, the glowing decorations, shopping at the seasonal market. I was heckled a couple of times. Occasionally somebody would laugh or point. But this was me. It was who I was. And if they couldn't handle it, that was their small-mindedness and blinkered attitudes holding them back. Their problem. Not mine. Sometimes when I got home I would change into comfortable sweats, other times I would just kick my heels off and remove my tights before relaxing. It didn't matter........Larry was pretty much gone and I loved being Lauren. It might have seemed quick, but I had been dressing since I was a child. All through my life. Hiding my feminine desires all my life as I spent my private time living as a woman. Bottling those desires up from the world and sometimes myself as I fought about who I was......But now it all seemed like it was preparation for this sweet Christmas. TWO I was wearing the dress and heels Kat and Jenny had chosen for me, the bag they had picked over my shoulder. Make-up and hair as they wished and heels really setting me off.............But my confidence of the last couple of weeks started to wane as I considered the crowded pub I was about to enter. Kat had arranged the Christmas party, and she had chosen the very same location where our young friendship had dissolved amidst humiliation and false claims of passion and sex. Lyn and Kat had talked a lot about how they were going to create a reputation for me. This had to be their endgame. It was too big a coincidence. I considered not going inside, but I had to keep moving forward. I would not let them beat me or dictate who I spent time with. My friends were inside waiting for me. I was nervous when I entered the pub. Not about being read - few people noticed me these days, and those that did had tired of the joking that I didn't respond to - but about what might happen to me. They couldn't really hurt me in such a crowded location, but I'm sure they had some tricks up their sleeves. I crossed the floor, keeping my guard up, and found our group scattered over several tables. I got a few wolf whistles and blushed a little. Even blew a kiss to one admirer and really set them off. Claire waved me over and patted a seat next to her. "You look fantastic," she said over the din of music and conversation. "Really?" "Gorgeous," she reassured me. "It took ages. I had to start over several times." Claire slurred a few words. "Feel good about yourself. You're one of the hottest chicks here, that's for sure. And undoubtedly the kindest. You've got a heart of gold and I love you for it." "Your drunk already?" "No," she said, nodding her head. "Come on. Let's dance, as David Bowie once sang." "I don't-" "Jo! Jo! Help me get Lauren out there," she said, struggling to get me up. As Jo took one hand and Claire the other, I gave up. Just one of the girls in my heels. We danced and laughed and slowly, ever so slowly, I started to forget to be vigilant. I had been keeping a close eye on Lyn and Kat through the night. Occasionally Jenny had popped onto my radar. But I was having too good a time with my friends. Could feel myself getting looser and looser with each drink. I excused myself and headed for the ladies. Inside the cubicle I sat to pee, listening to the pounding music against the walls. I dabbed a little with a tissue and tucked my.......my disappointing penis away. Why had I even been born with it? It was something I never wanted or needed. It had always felt wrong. Still, tonight was fantastic and I wasn't going to get down on myself. I emerged from the cubicle and stopped short. Lyn was stood before the mirror, a little flustered, freshening her make- up. The cruel phrase 'you can put perfume on a pig' came to mind, but I dismissed it. I was about to duck back inside the cubicle but she caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. "Lauren," she said, turning. "So good to see you." THREE I wanted to run, but she was between me and the door. "Please," she began. "Let's talk." "What-what do you want me to do?" I asked, all my confidence and happiness lost at the mere sight of her. "I'm sorry? Is that what you think of me?" "You've hardly proven otherwise," I said, taking the time to run lipstick over my lips, trying to find some strength. "You were.....You were a bitch to me, and our staff, even when I was a man and now I-" She held up her hand with a laugh. "Sugar, you were never a man," she told me. She looked me up and down. "But look at how you've flowered, the beautiful woman you are. I could never have expected this. If I'd known how you truly desire this, I'd never have done the things I did." She dabbed a tissue at her eyes. "Shit," she whispered. "I was hoping to see you here tonight so I could apologise." I started to relax. Either this was the performance of a life-time or she truly felt some remorse. "Can you ever forgive me?" she asked. Her behaviour had caught me off guard. And, truthfully, without her actions I might never have revealed myself to the world and allowed myself to......well, live. Lauren was alive because of Lyn. I nodded slightly. "I think so." She hugged me. Tight. Warm. Tears welled in my eyes. It was over. She was big and her embrace was difficult to escape. "Come on, Lyn - people will even start talking about us if you're not careful." She let go of me. "Thank you for being so kind," she said. I shook my head. After all they had done, it came to this. A drunken encounter in the women's rest room. I guess peace treaties have been drawn up in more unusual places...........But I couldn't think of one. "You're probably just drunk," I told her. "I'll be expecting the worst, but if you are anything else, it will be a delightful surprise." I washed my hands and reached the door. "Please, surprise me, Lyn." FOUR I headed out of the rest room for the bar, but Kat caught up with me. "I've got you one," she said, handing me a colorful cocktail. "Lyn said we've been bitches to you. That tonight should be about making friends again. I'm sorry for what we did." I took the drink and sipped from it. Tasted good. I considered Kat. She sounded sincere. Looked great. I always had a thing for her when we were kids and for the first time in a long while I remembered why. "Look at you!" she called, giddy as she considered my girlie appearance. "I'm so happy you've found yourself after all these years." She led me across the dance floor and we danced a little just to move around people. On the far side we were near the large, ornate Christmas tree and the elaborate patio doors. "Can we go outside?" she asked. "I don't know," I said, a little tipsy. I took another sip of the drink. It was strong stuff. I felt woozy. I looked around. Couldn't see Claire or Jo. "I just want to put things right between us," Kat assured me. She took me outside, led me across the gardens to the decorated spruces and ferns. A secret forest, gorgeous in the starlight. We lost ourselves there, as we had years ago when all this began.......... FIVE I was on a beach. Why was I on a beach? I could feel waves lapping at my ankles...... What was I doing on a beach? My eyes hadn't opened yet, but I heard my voice, and I wasn't even talking. I giggled slightly. What was I talking about? "..........My wet, excited lips form around his cock and I slowly take him in. Not fully. Still working with my fingers and my tongue as I suck, his moistness and pre-cum in my mouth. I move up and down, occasionally releasing him, teasing him, and he's begging for more, crying out before I take him in my mouth again. Deeper this time. Deeper and deeper......." Where was the voice coming from? It didn't matter. Inside of my head. Outside of it. What it was describing was so hot. "...........and moving up and down on him, his mighty shaft beginning to thrust. I can feel him bucking in my mouth, that first load of delicious, hot cum pouring down my throat. I drink him up, and even after he's withdrawn I hold him in place, hungry, devouring every last drop, licking his shaft clean............" I felt my penis getting hard. Tried to move, wanted to hold myself, take myself and play, but- I couldn't move my hands. They were bound. And then the fantasy began again. "..........He stands before me. Already hard and stiff with anticipation. My hands snake down his chest and find the base of his shaft. One hand cups gently around his balls and with the other I snake a finger to his tip, sensing a shiver as I lean in to kiss him right there. My wet, excited lips form around his cock and I slowly take him in. Not fully. Still working with my fingers and my tongue as I suck, his moistness and pre-cum in my mouth.........." My fantasy, I realise, my eyes slowly opening. It was what I had described to Kat and Jenny on the morning they came to take me out. At their interrogation about if I had ever thought about being with a man I had closed my eyes, tried to take myself away from them and found a secluded beach for this. "...........I move up and down, occasionally releasing him, teasing him, and he's begging for more, crying out before I take him in my mouth again.........." I tried to focus. Figures suddenly forming amongst the trees that glittered with Christmas lights. I couldn't make them out but people, about six, were watching me wake.....and watching me on a cell that somebody was holding. Kat had recorded it. My eyes were closed and I hadn't known. As I described my sexy fantasy, they had filmed me starting to massage myself. I tried to speak, but my words were a mumbled slur. Was I drunk? What had they done to me? I struggled against my bonds. They were narrow and tight. Ribbon, I guessed. But tight. Unbreakable. My butt was numb and I realised I was sitting in the snow. How long had I been here? Somewhere I could hear music. It was distant, but........the party was still alive with revellers. "Look, he's waking," somebody pointed. "Larry.....Lauren......I don't know what the hell you are. She's waking." "Lyn?" I croaked as a figure lumbered to me. "Kat spiked your cocktail," she said simply. I was dizzy and light-headed. Remembered apologies, remorse. It had all been a lullabye-lie. Lullabye-bye........Kat handing a drink to me......... I drifted off and then snapped back. A little sharper this time. But how long had I been gone? I couldn't hear the music. My heart pounded and I started to panic. I was alone out here and............the next song began. It had just been a moment between tunes. More people. Maybe ten now. Coming out for the Lauren show. I tried to scream, but didn't have my voice proper yet. It hurt my throat. "Don't," Lyn warned. "Things will go a lot worse for you if you do. Besides, we're just here to have some fun. It's a party, right?" The onlookers cheered. Kat and Jenny, for sure. I thought I saw her boyfriend. "Yogurt....." I managed, still not thinking straight, and they all laughed. I didn't know why. Maybe yogurt was a funny word. "Yogurt. Yogurt." It didn't make me laugh. I focussed on a couple of the.......delivery guys. Bruce the neanderthal. Probably a couple of local drunks looking for a good time. I struggled again. "Don't fight it," Lyn said. "Try to enjoy yourself, Goodtime Girl." "But in the rest room......" I began, beginning to think coherently, but not realising the world had become skewered and it was off-kilter. Coherence didn't matter here. "I hugged you and said we had to be careful because people might talk about us. No chance of that. I like a real, solid, big hard man." "I can......" "I did say one day a while back that you would entertain me, though." She stood directly over me and I saw up her dress. Even in the dark I could see she wasn't wearing underwear. I could smell her as she lowered herself onto my face. "Your little clittie........No. Your tiny, tiny dick can't satisfy me. Maybe your tongue can." I didn't open my mouth, but could feel hot juices on my face, dripping onto me. She was so turned on. I was suffocating as she writhed. I had to breath. Opened my mouth and- She nestled on me, my tongue involuntarily slipping inside. She began to moan, cried out. People began to cheer. I couldn't help but devour her. It was the only way she was going to get off me. But there was something more inside her......It wasn't just Lyn I was tasting........ I tried to gag. "Just before you entered the rest room I'd had the greatest fuck. One of your delivery assistants." Somebody whistled. "That's him. How does he taste, Miss Pink?" she groaned. "How does he taste, you slutty, slutty Goodtime Girl?" I swallowed her juices and his cum, the flavors mixing to create a different kind of cocktail. God, I hated it and craved it at the same time. When she was done getting off, she had me lick her thighs and legs clean of any mess. "Please," I cried. "That has to be enough. Stop this now." Lyn looked to Kat. They both smiled. "Oh, Hon. We're only just getting started," Lyn promised me. SIX "Even before tonight you were earning your new reputation, Goodtime Girl," Kat told me. "I don't understand," I said. "Well, you've been eating Brad's cum for weeks and-" "Don't be ridiculous. I haven't been near him," I protested. "Damn right, bitch!" Jenny exclaimed. "He's not gay like you." Brad was Jenny's boyfriend. The bottom fell out of my world, and my stomach twisted into a tight knot. The special diet yogurts. They had tasted so nice. They were delicious and good for me, too, Jenny had promised. No wonder I had craved what I found spilling from Lyn's vagina. I was a junkie addict and couldn't get enough. I pictured him masturbating into the tubs she brought to me each lunchtime. Mixing his cum with fruit and a little cream. Just enough so that I had no idea what I had been eating. I tried to be sick, but because I had eaten nothing all day, nerves because of the party, it was just dry heaving. A little bit of alcohol. Traces of cum......... I screamed, but no-one heard. The party was over at the pub. And every time I shouted, the onlookers cheered to drown me out. Kat and Lyn beamed at how well their little soiree was going. "Bitches!" I hissed. Kat shrugged. "If the high heel fits." "Lots of people have heard and seen your blow job fantasy," Lyn told me. "Not just here, but all over the company. Everybody talks about you behind your back. There goes the Goodtime Girl." Somewhere, someone was still playing the fantasy. I could hear my voice, felt my penis stirring. Thank God they couldn't see. "Please don't do this........Please let me go...........I'll do anything for you..........." "Oh, I know you will, Miss Pink," Lyn assured me. "This is just a little fun between friends. Hijinks for the high kicks. Next year you're going to work at the casino full time. Then you'll really begin to live up to the reputation we're creating for you here." I screamed again, but it was no good. "Now, we're going to play a game I call......" Lyn began. "Odd Cock Out." I shook my head. "This is insane. Leave me alone.........." Kat stepped closer. I begged her: "Don't do this. Let me go.........." She blindfolded me. "No peekaboo," she instructed. "No!" I screamed. I pulled at the ties that bound me, but they wouldn't break. I tipped over, tried to crawl blindly through the snow. But strong hands suddenly held me in place. "No!" I screamed. "No! No!" But the crowd cheered, covering my cries for help. "Listen to the rules," Lyn began, "because if you play the game wrong, we'll just have to start over." "Get off me!" I struggled. A sudden, sharp strike - a biting slap in the cold. My cheek bristled in pain and I stopped struggling. "The rules," she whispered harshly. "You've already tasted two special flavors of cum. Finger lickin' good. Brad and my secret lover. But who is he, by the way? You'll see these people every day in work and wonder which ones were a very special part of tonight." "I don't want this," I sobbed and wept. "Please stop......" "Nonsense, Goodtime," Lyn said. "This is the night we've all been waiting for." "Can we get our first contender?" Kat shouted out, and I heard somebody moving forward. "You're going to give three blow jobs," Lyn elaborated as I started to shake my head. "One for Brad, Jenny's boyfriend-" "And you better not like it," Jenny chided her lover. "-whose flavor you have such a taste for. One for my mystery lover, who you thought was so, so delicious when you cleaned me. And one from another member of your store team. These last two......You'll never know who they are. It will drive you mad wondering who you sucked off." I bowed my head. There was no way to stop this. "All you have to do is guess the unique taste. The Odd Cock Out. The one you haven't enjoyed yet. If you get it right, we'll let you go. You win. If you get it wrong, you lose. But don't worry. You get another chance to play, and another.......Until you get it right. Everybody is a winner!" Lyn declared. I heard a zipper. A man's laughter as I craned my head away. "Hold her still. I want to enjoy this." I felt something on my lips. Big and hard and pushing against my mouth. "Open up, Goodtime," Lyn whispered near my ear. "this could be the odd cock out and I'll let you go for now." Fingers gripped my nose. I couldn't breathe. God, no. My mouth opened for air and the penis slipped inside- SEVEN "Get away from her, you fuckers!" It sounded like Claire. "What the hell is this?" That was Jo, for sure. Thank God. I was going to be saved. People screamed and panicked. Footsteps faded away as they ran. "Shit, my cell," somebody cried out. "Grab it! Grab it!" That was Claire. Sounded like a struggle. "Get the fuck out of here!" Jo screamed angrily. Then I heard them close. "It's just us," Claire said. "We've got you." I was still blind-folded. "Did you see who it was?" Claire asked Jo. "Only a couple," Jo said, and I felt soft hands on my cheeks. Then the blind-fold was removed. I blinked, focussing on them. "Come on, Hon," Jo said. "Let's get you up." "Shit," Claire whispered seeing they had bound my hands. My wrists were chaffed and bleeding. "I'm going to fucking kill them!" She tugged and struggled with the bonds, finally getting my hands free. "I saw a few of them," Claire said, and then looked at me, adrenaline and alcohol creating a potent thought process. "Are you okay? Can you I.D them? They're done for when I get in work tomorrow. Fuck that. Jo, call the police. I've got this. I got it from one of the bastards." She held up the cell she must have struggled for. "No," I managed. Jo soothed me, but Claire, my best friend, was so angry. In life she was bad-ass, but fair. But my rape had driven her into a protective fury like nothing I had seen. "I'll kill these fuckers for what they've done here. I'll fucking skin them alive and feed them to alley cats." "Claire," I said, in her arms. "Please......I get it, but......but......." I started to cry. "It's okay," Jo comforted me. "It's okay. We've got you." "I just want to go home........." Claire held me. "You're safe now, Lauren." EIGHT They drove me home and I thanked them. Asked them to leave me alone. But they came in with me and I didn't fight them. "We're not going anywhere," Claire promised me. They helped me undress and I showered while they left me upstairs. I scrubbed and scrubbed, washing what had happened away, naked in the steaming water. I sat, scrubbing and scrubbing at my bare, raw skin. Bleeding.......... Claire and Jo were suddenly with me, under the water in their clothes, cradling me. NINE Later that night, after they had changed into some of my clothes and I had put something on, Jo held my hand. "Tell me from the beginning," Claire said. "From the beginning........" My body trembled in their comforting embraces. I told them about my childhood. The dreams I had. The ones where I woke up still believing for precious seconds that I was a girl. I told them about the confusion and fear I felt because I was trapped in a boy's body and I didn't know how it had happened or how I could get free. Who I could talk to. I told them about all the different clothes I loved wearing because they were mine. But my fear of being discovered. I told them about how I dreamed of telling my parents. But I would wake, unsure if it had happened, and wondering if they knew about me. I blamed them. How could they let this happen to me? I told them I preferred the friendships and company of girls all my life, that it had caused me some ostracization with my male peers, but I didn't care as I got older and dressed more. I listened more to female teachers, relating better to them than male figures. "Before we came up to you in the shower," Claire said softly, "we saw your books. Look at your house. Your beautiful home. How long have you lived like this?" "Most of my adult life," I said, fresh tears slipping out. "Hiding. Living a lie for the world. I was never strong enough.......I made a mess of-" I sobbed. "No," Jo said sharply. "No way. We start now. This is your first step. It doesn't matter how you got here, but you've got friends now who know your truth." "I want to change," I cried, starting to sob again. "This is who I am. I want to be free of this stupid cage!" "I've got you," Claire said. "But you can't do it here. Not in your current job. The way things are. Lauren, we need to get you a fresh start." She stood and turned on my desktop. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Looking for something. Start thinking of a personal statement. Something honest. Something about you." "If you're going to do this, let's start now," Jo said. "No more lying to yourself. You've done so well. Be kind and true to yourself." Claire was tapping at the keyboard. Stopped. "This will do it," she said. Jo stood first. Eased me over to the table where the desktop computer was. "Tesco store manager?" I said, reading the job advertisement. "You can do it," Jo told me. "I don't know-" I began, but Claire cut me off. "When I was AWOL during my divorce you covered for me. Probably ran the place better than I ever could. You saved my ass back then. You do it every day. Even when Lyn started this shit and you began dressing more openly.........Look how quickly the team started to come around to you. You have a way about you and-" "And you should write Hallmark cards," I smiled quietly. They sat me at the computer. The first box on the screen was for a personal message. The cursor blinked. "You're the one good thing that came out of all they did," Jo said. "We found you. The real you." I stared at that empty box and decided to fill it: To Whom It May Concern, My name is Lauren Pink. I have a lot of work experiences I'd love to share with you because I believe I'd make an excellent addition to your store management team. But first I'd like to tell you that Soft tears fell from my cheeks. "Go on," Claire said softly. "We won't let you fall." I returned to the screen: But first I'd like to tell you that I am transgender, and that when we meet I will be moving into the first stages of transition. Into my female body.