Joe_bates_saga

30 Joe_Bates_Saga________________________________________________________

1. Chapter

Joe lay on the bed waiting for the knock at the door that would be Jay ready to workout downstairs. With his head propped on doubled up pillows, Joe gazed down at the curves his body was still developing. Though the bra he wore pressed his new breasts closely against his chest, the development there was still very noticeable, even under the little crop top. He pulled the top away and examined the amazingly soft mounds of flesh. By now he was becoming somewhat accustomed to the kind of "added-on" feel of this new part of him. They weren't new actually, everything there was probably always there, but it certainly didn't look the way it used to look, that was certain. And along with the different shape, well, everything felt different too, sometimes more different from other times.

With his right hand, Joe rubbed the bulge that was his left breast through the royal blue leotard. Below that softness, he felt the stretchy cotton-spandex under bust band of the supportive sport bra.

It surprised him how easily he had adopted the idea of wearing a brassiere. Actually, it really felt quite natural, he considered, and it made having breasts almost tolerable. Without one, his average sized, (B but still developing) tits bounced uncontrollably. He remembered that before he always thought such movement to be sexy, especially when the subject didn't realize she was being ogled. Now that the bouncing boobs in question were part of his own flesh, and it was quite another matter. He found going bra-less to be somewhat uncomfortable, and he just couldn't help feeling self-conscious with his chest bouncing all over the place, especially when his bigger, more sensitive pink nipples showed through his outer clothes. To Joe, it just seemed his new chest felt best packed in like this.

Speaking of packed in, Joe looked down to the wispy nylon shorts. When he lay back on the bed, he had slipped down a little, and doing that had pulled the shorts up between his legs, defining his crotch and absent male organs.

In some ways, this other change in his anatomy was significantly more difficult to get accustomed to. To be sure, it wasn't nearly as obvious as the curves on top, but he knew it would probably have more effect on his life style than the little protuberances on his chest.

It seemed every time he saw himself, what he looked like down there, it was still hard to accept all that had happened to his body. When nothing touched him, tight clothing, or something brushing against his crotch area, he really couldn't tell anything had changed. All the nerves were the same, and all were obviously still there. It really felt to Joe as if his penis was still there too, it seemed he could still reach down and wrap his fingers around it. But, if he tried, as he did out of habit the first time he needed to urinate, he found that his manhood had been reduced to a nub of flesh slightly smaller than the tip of his little finger. It was now slightly below the more prominent pubic bone of his widening pelvis. The majority of what was there seemed to be drawn up into his body, with only the tremendously sensitive head able to peek from some sensitive folds of skin. Those skin folds, which looked exactly like the female labia minora, had sensation like a combination of the shaft of his penis and his scrotum. Of course, all of this was practically out of his view. Without the aid of a mirror, he could barely see his transformed organ.

Although his genital still felt like a penis sometimes, it certainly didn't function like one. It often seemed like he was getting an erection, but now Joe didn't even bother looking down when he felt the sensation of a hard-on. No matter how it felt, there was never anything externally visible. He could still sense his "penis" swelling up, as if it would soon be ripping out of the close fitting underpants he now wore, but since the shape of the erectile tissue had changed, it was now more internal, and positioned along the sides of this newly formed genital cleft, the only visible evidence would be a wet crotch in his drawers. At first, Joe still habitually felt these urges as desire to be with a woman. Indeed, the sight of a female body could still cause it to occur, but lately, as he gradually became accustomed to the idea of appearing to be female himself, he was finding men more and more interesting.

As he waited for Jay, Joe gently stroked the new softness between his legs, exciting the same nerve endings which had previously been part of his penis, but could better now be described as his clitoris. The pleasant sensations were different, and yet familiar. Joe absently tensed the muscles in his groin and considered the sensation. It was a feeling a normal male couldn't possibly know, but it too was quite enjoyable. He could sense his body becoming aroused, he knew what caused that to happen, and he was doing it, but his finger tips felt only softness under the slick nylon shorts, lycra leotard, shiny light blue "Gilda Marx" Capri pants, and, under all that, a white sport panty. He reluctantly drew his hand away. If he continued touching himself, he knew he would soon feel wet. No need to mess up the terry crotch of this new underwear and be uncomfortable, he considered. He thought about what Jay had told Mr. Peterson, as how he had been rendered "impotent." Impotent. Perhaps it was hard to define his affliction, but impotent surely wasn't an apt description. He wondered if the sexual sensation he felt was the same as for a "real" woman.

There was a quick knock at the door between rooms and Jay walked into the room. He saw Joe lying on the bed and his eyes lit up. "You look spectacular, as usual," Jay said, as he gawked at Joe's form on the bed.

Joe pulled the terry cover-up around him as he got up from the bed. It was hard to not be embarrassed when Jay stared at him like that.

Jay realized that his wide eyed gaze was bothering Joe. "I'm sorry. It's just that you're just so perfect."

Joe looked at his pal and frowned, then smiled. "Just don't forget it's still me. And besides, I'm far from perfect."

"Close enough," Jay said simply.

"Are you ready to play?" Joe asked, trying to change the subject.

"Of course. Are you ready, that's the question, isn't it?"

Joe knew what he meant. In the past, before this had happened to him, Joe was always more than a match for his pal Jay. Now, if the other day was any indication, Joe had lost all strength advantage. Indeed, Joe could tell that with the continuing metamorphosis, he probably had even less muscle mass now than that first day. The only improvement might be that he was becoming somewhat accustomed to this new body shape with its slightly different center of gravity. "I'm ready," he said. "I might not be as strong as before, but I'll still give you a run for your money."

"OK, let's find out."

Joe grabbed the bag with his towel and racquet. They went down the staircase, avoiding the elevator and using the five floors to the workout area as an excellent warmup. There were few other people there in the afternoon, and there were two courts available. They went into one and when they assembled their gear and put on their gloves and safety glasses, Jay tossed a blue ball to Joe.

Joe went to the corner and fired the ball against the wall using the same stance and method he had used for years. The ball went were he intended, but at a much lower velocity than he hoped. He just didn't have the same oomph anymore. Jay returned it easily. Joe rushed to the other side and was able to return the ball, ricocheting it off the side wall. It became immediately obvious he was now totally outclassed.

The game continued, with Jay able to dominate every play. Joe did his level best, but he could tell that Jay wasn't even playing as well as he could. It was a blow to his ego to be defeated so easily, but at the same time, he realized that he didn't have nearly the competitive urge of before. Even the last time he had played, on that first day after the change, something, perhaps the greatly reduced testosterone levels, something was causing him to tolerate defeat with much more grace than he used to. But it still wasn't easy.

They played for more than a half hour, and Jay watched his friend struggle to compete with a body that was very different from it once was. "Are you getting tired?"

"Yeah, I am, a little," Joe answered. "But I can play as long as you want to." He added defiantly.

"Well, I'm getting pooped, too," Jay said diplomatically. "Why don't we see what else they have around here?"

They removed the safety glasses and put their equipment into their duffel bags and left the court. The hotel workout complex was very well equipped and had a sauna, hot tub, and a good sized swimming pool, all below the huge building.

"How about a swim?" Jay asked.

"I brought my suit along, but I left it upstairs."

"I have my trunks in my bag." Jay said. "It would only take a minute to go up and get yours."

"Well, OK." Joe agreed. "I'll get it, if that's what you want."

Joe put the terry cloth cover-up back on and started upstairs. When he came to the elevator, he decided to use it. He was tired and figured that ten floors of stairs would leave him exhausted. In moments, he was on the fifth floor and at the door to his room.

Inside he went to his bag and found his suit, a hand-me-down from Linda. He picked up the bra top and looked at it. The suit was designed by Body Glove and was last year's day-glow lime green. The top had a black zip closure between the cups. It was actually made for swimming, and not particularly revealing, but it was still the least amount of clothing Joe had ever worn in public, since he was like this, anyway.

Joe put the top to his nose and inhaled deeply. Mixed with the pool chlorine odor and rubbery smell of lycra-spandex, he detected Linda's scent. Actually he had been the last to wear the suit, and the flowery smell was probably from the perfume that they both wore. But to Joe, that smell would always remind him of Linda.

Should he put it on here in his room, he wondered? If he did, he'd then need to go down the elevator wearing it. He wasn't looking forward to that, even with the terry cloth cover-up. No, he'd put it on downstairs, in the dressing room.

Putting the two piece suit into his duffel bag, Joe went back out and down the elevator to the basement. When he got there, he went to the ladies' locker room. He hoped there wouldn't be anyone else in there and was relieved to find the room empty.

Joe quickly removed his sportswear and then went to the showers to rinse off. Walking down the aisle to the showers he looked around the room. Women's locker rooms are always nicer and better smelling than men's, he concluded. He wondered why that was. Men's locker rooms always smelled like a mix of moldy towels and smelly sweat socks. It wasn't particularly fresh smelling in this room either, but it certainly didn't smell like that. Didn't women sweat? Or was it that they just didn't smell bad when they did. He put his nose to his clean-shaven underarm. He was sweaty, that was sure, but the only odor he could detect was that of deodorant, and maybe a faint trace of perfume. Perhaps he wasn't a real woman, but it was probably true, women didn't smell like men. And now he didn't either, not anymore.

As he stood in the shower, Joe was careful to keep from getting his hair wet. Then he considered, he was going to be jumping in the pool in a few minutes, his hair would surely get wet then. He hoped that he could get it back the way it was after he did that. It was still short, but the hairstylist had given it a cut and shape that looked fairly feminine, and he would never go back to wearing the wig in any case.

Using his large bath towel, he dried off and then grabbed the suit bottom. With his thumbs in the waist band, Joe held the little bottom out in front of him. It was lime green inside and out, except for the flesh-toned nylon lining the front and the narrow crotch, there to keep the pubic hair from showing through when the suit was wet.

Joe stepped into the suit bottom and pulled it to his hips. Unlike any men's trunks he had ever worn, the little green suit bottom fit snug as second skin. He ran his palm along the front all the way down to his crotch, and then adjusted the snug elastic leg openings around his buttocks. When he was satisfied with the fit and feel, he picked up the top and slipped his arms into the straps. He attached the zipper and pulled it up to the top, then reconsidered and opened it about an inch. He knew that was the way Linda had worn it, and thought it looked better that way.

Finally he was ready. Joe screwed up his courage and picking up his bath towel, walked to the locker room door. Stepping out, he realized the temperature was much cooler there than back in the locker room. He could feel goose-bumps forming on his arms and legs, and felt a slight shiver. This newly sensitive skin was not as tolerant of temperature than before, he thought to himself.

He stood there, outside the door to the dressing rooms, and wondered where Jay was. He didn't want to poke his head in the men's locker room, but he didn't know where else to look. Maybe he was already in the pool, Joe thought.

Joe decided to go down the short hallway to the pool. As he turned the corner, he saw that Jay was indeed in the pool, swimming laps.

Joe silently watched his friend for a moment, and then Jay spotted him standing at the end of the pool and swam over to him.

"Come on in," Jay said. "It's warm, and real nice."

Joe stood there shivering a moment and looked at the water. He was standing near the shallow end, the water was four or five feet deep. He touched the water with his toe. It felt comfortably warm. Joe dropped the towel and dove into the pool, aiming for the middle. It was the first time he dove in since the change had occurred and immediately he felt the drag caused by his breasts, or perhaps it was just the partially open zipper of the suit top.

When he stopped moving, Joe tread water as he snugged the zipper all the way up. Jay saw him do it and wondered what he was doing. "Yeah, take it off," Jay teased.

"Not hardly." Joe said. "I'm just zipping it up all the way. You'd be amazed how much drag these things create."

"Sure, you wish."

"No, really," Joe continued. "I can actually feel the water pulling against them."

"OK then, I guess I'll give you a handicap if you want to race the length of the pool," Jay continued sarcastically.

"No, I don't want to race, I don't want to compete, I just want to swim around a little. Can I just do that?"

"Sure, let's just swim," Jay agreed.

As they watched each other treading water, Joe again noticed another difference. It was hardly perceptible, but he found it was somehow a little easier to remain afloat. Was it the breasts? Hardly, he thought, they just weren't that big. His hips? They weren't that much bigger either. It must be a combination of everything. He was a little lighter now, and his body had gotten a detectable new buoyancy.

They frolicked in the water for maybe ten minutes when they were joined by some other hotel guests. Three older women, maybe in their late forties or fifties, went to the shallow end and sat along the edge. They were talking and laughing with each other. Without being obvious, Joe examined each of them carefully. HE didn't actually realize it, but he still retained the young man's tendency to consider unfamiliar women as sexual prey. These women happened to be a little older than him and Jay, but they weren't ancient, and two of them were actually quite attractive. The remaining one, though not ugly, was a little homely and quite overweight. They just sat there, and suddenly Joe realized that the women were intently watching Jay, who was still swimming around paying little or no attention to the three women. With that, Joe again realized that his peer group had changed. The women were watching a physically attractive young man, but they were paying little or no attention to the young woman accompanying him. Joe was now considered one of them.

Joe swam over to his pal, and with his head facing away from the women, he spoke softly to Jay, so that the women would not hear. "Hey, Jay, there are three pairs of eyes over there watching your every move." It was Joe's turn to tease.

"Those women? They're all old enough to be our mothers."

"Maybe so. But trust me, they aren't thinking of you as a son right now."

His masculinity flattered, Jay looked at Joe. "Do women that age still think about stuff like that?" he asked, only partly in jest.

"Hey, I'm learning about them myself, but you do have a nice tan. Even I noticed your back."

"What about it?" Jay asked.

"Well, I guess I never noticed it before, but you've really got nice shoulders in back, real muscular. Women notice things like that, I think."

"Do you?" Jay asked, grinning.

"I'm starting to," Joe said, sheepishly. "I don't know why, I admit, but I am starting to like stuff like that. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Well, I notice you, too. Maybe it's good that you're starting to feel things like that."

"Yeah, maybe it is, but it sure is hard on the shreds of male ego I have left," Joe admitted. "You wouldn't believe the stuff my screwed up brain is thinking sometimes."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Jay asked curiously.

Joe just grinned at his pal. There was no way he could tell Jay what he was thinking. It even embarrassed him to realize that these women ogling his pal caused him to feel a possessive pride from just being with him. Of course he had never felt that way about a MAN before. He could tell he was starting to like men, but more in the way he had liked women before, not the way he figured "real" women liked men. It seemed to him that real women always wanted to be considered "desirable" to the man in their lives. Joe hadn't really fully developed that need yet. But the feelings he was experiencing did seem very "female." It concerned him that he felt that way, but there seemed to be no way to change the physical or mental processes that were occurring.

Jay took Joe's demure grin to be seductive flirting. Just like Joe, he had difficulty with new, very different feelings for his old pal. But Joe was now just so physically attractive, and yet he could still easily talk to him, just like before. Unfortunately, Jay often tended to treat him like the attractive woman he appeared to be. This sometimes flattered but usually confused Joe, who was still struggling with the whole idea of acting and being considered female, regardless of his appearance.

Jay dove below the surface, and grabbed Joe's legs, pulling them from under him. Joe countered by grabbing one of Jay's legs, trying to pull him over too. Jay grabbed for his pal and was able to get his arm around his slim waist. Formerly, Joe had outweighed Jay by maybe five to ten pounds, but now Jay had a very noticeable strength and weight advantage. He could manipulate Joe pretty much as he chose.

In an attempt to break away from Jay's hold around his waist, Joe squirmed around and tried to wriggle free. In the process, Jay's hand slipped to Joe's right breast. Jay didn't move his hand away either, and in fact, to Joe it seemed that his friend began feeling him up. He didn't really mind that much, but he didn't like the fact that he was now so helpless that someone could even fondle him while he was actively trying to break free. It made him realize how vulnerable a female body really was. The thought sobered him a little.

But, men have weak spots too, Joe remembered. Maybe he didn't have balls anymore, but Jay still did. He reached down and grabbed for his pal's crotch. He avoided the penis, and went straight for his scrotum. When he got a handful, Joe gave Jay's family jewels a squeeze, being careful not to do it too hard. He didn't want to really hurt Jay. The maneuver had the desired effect and Jay let go immediately.

"Hey, that's not fair," Jay protested, massaging the injured area.

"Why not? I wasn't squeezing YOUR boob."

"But, that's different," Jay whined, acting offended. "I didn't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Joe asked. It was his turn to tease, and he tried to sound as hurt, but seductive, as he could.

Joe quickly swam away from Jay, who immediately followed. They swam around the pool, playing around, teasing and generally enjoying each other's company. The next time Joe happened to look over there, the three women were gone from their spot at the far end of the pool.

"I guess they already got tired of watching you," Joe teased Jay.

"Speaking of tired," Jay said. "I'm beat. And I could eat a horse."

"I think I know where you can get some great horse meat," Joe teased. He was starting to enjoy this flirting with Jay.

"Do you want to get out?" Jay asked.

"I'm ready any time you are." Joe wouldn't admit it, but he was becoming exhausted and sore.

Jay went to the edge of the pool and, using the muscles of his shoulders, lifted himself from the water. Joe watched, now strangely interested in his buddy's physique.

Joe knew better than to even attempt something like that right now, and waded over to the stainless steel ladder. He retrieved the towel from where he had dropped it and followed Jay down the hallway to the locker rooms.

As Joe entered the locker room, he heard voices in conversation. When he went to the aisle where his locker was located, he saw the three women from the pool were on that aisle too. Oh great, he thought, now I have to undress in front of these women.

The women themselves were in various stages of undress. Joe opened his locker just as, four feet away, the overweight woman pulled her suit down. He had never seen a nude overweight female before, and simply couldn't help watching the woman out of the corner of his eye.

Unlike Joe, who still had his Arizona tan, the woman's skin was a very pale white. Though she had large breasts, they were practically lost in the fat ripples of her belly. Only very large areola defined them as mammary glands. A sagging roll of fat and skin almost completely covered her pubic area. Joe was sure she couldn't even see her pubic hair. He certainly couldn't see any evidence of her sex until she sat on the bench, and then just barely. He had to intentionally look away and concentrate on the things in his own locker to avoid being caught staring.

He took his bag out and placed it on the bench. His workout clothes and underwear were still damp with perspiration. No way was he going to put this stuff back on. He looked down at himself. He didn't want to go upstairs wearing the two-piece swimsuit, but he had no other clothes with him. He looked at the running shorts and decided to pull them over the suit bottom. With that, and the terry cloth cover-up, he figured he was modest enough. He placed the wet things into the duffel bag and was zipping the bag when one of the other women spoke to him. "Just married, dear?" the woman asked. She was easily the best looking of the three and stood there wearing only white nylon panties, casually brushing her hair as she spoke.

Joe looked over at her, and when he saw she was practically naked, he politely looked away, then realized that she didn't mind him looking, he was a woman too. He smiled at her and shook his head. "No. We're just old friends." At least it was the truth. It was still hard to concentrate on what you were doing when surrounded by naked women, but he was slowly getting used to it. At least he didn't have to worry about his erection showing.

"I like your suit," the woman continued. "I wish I could still wear things like that."

"I couldn't wear it either, until recently," Joe said, smiling. Another truth.

"Well, you look like you're keeping yourself in good shape now," the woman said. "But I'll tell you, it does get a lot harder as the years go by."

Joe wondered if it would be proper for him to compliment the woman on her appearance too. He didn't know how to interact with strange women, but it seemed she wanted to talk so he figured he might as well.

"You're looking pretty good, yourself." Joe said awkwardly. It sounded more like a young man's words than something one woman would say to another.

The woman looked strangely at Joe, who was slipping Reeboks on his bare feet. Joe just smiled at her, picked up the duffel bag, and walked down the aisle toward the door. He passed the toilet stalls and was reminded that he really needed to pee. Too much work, he decided. In a couple of minutes he'd be back in his room, where he could remove the damp swimsuit. He could hold it that long.

Joe went to the elevator and pressed the button. The door opened immediately and a middle-aged man wearing shorts and a T-shirt came out. He gave Joe the once over as he brushed past. Joe tried to not notice the man ogling him, and pressed the button for the fifth floor. Soon the door closed and he was alone again. The elevator made no stops, and in a moment the door opened and Joe was in the hallway to his room. He unlocked the door and went inside.

Joe closed the door between rooms and was undecided if he should lock it from his side. He didn't want to be impolite to Jay, but he wanted to be alone while he showered again and changed clothes. He was getting used to his new body, but Jay sometimes treated him like a new toy. He understood why his pal acted like that, but sometimes his fawning and lustful stares simply tried his patience. Maybe he did look and feel like a woman, but he sure wasn't used to being treated like one by his old buddy. Why couldn't Jay just treat him like before, at least once in a while? He closed the door and latched it.

Joe dropped the duffel bag on the bed and went into the bathroom. He removed the cover-up and hung it on a hook on the door. He slipped the shorts off and then quickly pulled the swimsuit bottom down and kicked it off. He raised the lid, then sat and relieved himself, taking a deep breath as the pressure on his bladder subsided. Sometimes, Joe mused, a simple act like peeing just felt so good. The mechanics may have changed now, but it still felt pretty much the same.

Joe flushed the toilet, then unzipped the suit top, took it off, and dropped it on the floor next to the bottom. He examined his breasts in the mirror. Their shape was so firm, his nipples so pink, especially when compared to those women downstairs. He wondered if he was destined to look like that too? Highly likely, he decided. Each of those women probably once looked a lot like he did, probably only a few years ago. Beauty, if this is what it was, was only skin deep, and very temporary.

He started the water running in the shower and then, when he saw the complimentary bath beads, be decided to take a tub bath instead. Linda had taught him the pleasure of soaking in the warm fragrant bubbles. He was starting to feel sorry for himself, and needed a little time to himself. Jay could wait for him.

When the tub was full of water of a comfortable temperature, Joe eased his tired body into the suds. Sometimes, especially at times like this, he really enjoyed the heightened sensitivity the change had given his body. There was no doubt that there were pros and cons of being female, but this was definitely one of the pluses. He simply couldn't have imagined that a simple bubble bath felt so good to a girl. He leaned back and closed his eyes. It really wasn't so bad to be like this,

Joe soaked for maybe ten minutes, massaging muscles which probably hadn't been this sore in years. When he touched his crotch, he thought of what was might be in store tonight. He and Jay had already been intimate once before, when he had been visiting the clinic in San Diego. Then, he had been the one who had initiated the affair. Curiosity over what sex, as he was now, might feel like had simply been more than he could tolerate. So he had asked Jay, and Jay had enthusiastically agreed. The experience had been good. Very good. Once he overcame the fear that Jay's penis might hurt as it entered his new, virgin opening, Joe found that intercourse as a female could be very satisfying.

Instead of centering almost entirely in his penis, the sensation was now felt all over his changed body. Actually, the sensation of having the penis inside him was almost anti-climatic. It felt great sliding in (at least the second time it did), but there was not all that much feeling once it was there unless Jay was moving around. The best sensation was when he was able to rub the skin which could now be called his clitoris along the firm shaft of Jay's penis. That feeling was not so unlike sex as a male, but maybe amplified by ten. And when you climaxed, there was no waiting to go again. Like this, it seemed you could keep going as long as your partner was able. That was a real limitation, however. Jay's nervousness over engaging in intimacy with his pal Joe had made his maintaining a functional erection unreliable at best.

Joe was hoping everything would be different tonight. Jay now knew what to expect, indeed, it seemed that he had wanted to jump Joe's bones all day long. He would give Jay his chance again tonight, Joe decided.

It was now a week since he woke up to find his body changed like this. What a week. He looked at his breasts, just visible above the white bubbles. Last week, he had hair on his chest, hair which had just recently been turning a darker brown. It had been dark blond since he started to get it at puberty. Now, the hair was gone, and his body was slowly continuing to develop the contours of a mature female. He still couldn't fully accept what was happening to him. But here it was, in all its splendor. Maybe it really wasn't so bad, he thought, closing his eyes, luxuriating in the warm scented suds. Maybe life had dealt him a strange hand, but it was still fun to play the game.

Joe had started to fall asleep in the water when he heard a knock at the door. It was hard to tell for sure, but it sounded like it might be the interconnecting door. Jay. Joe called out. "I'm in the tub. I'll be out in a little while."

"OK," he could hear Jay answer. "Do you want to go somewhere to eat?"

"Yeah, sure." Joe answered. "I'll be out shortly." Damn it, Joe thought. He can't leave me alone for a minute.

The magic spell broken, Joe rubbed himself with a wash cloth. The soft cloth felt like sandpaper on his sensitive skin. He finished quickly and then pulled the tub plug. Noticing shampoo on the counter, he decided that he probably should wash the chlorine from his hair. He got out of the tub and turned on the shower head. While adjusting the temperature and aim of the nozzle, Joe realized that the shower was one of those hand-held, massaging spray types.

This will be good for rinsing the soap from my hair, he thought. He stood under the warm water, wet his hair, and massaged some of the shampoo in. The smell of the shampoo reminded him of wild cherry cough drops. He rinsed the shampoo out and then applied some conditioner. He rinsed that out and ran his fingers through his hair. His hair felt so soft. Since the change, it seemed that his hair had become finer and softer. He didn't know how or why that would have happened. It applied to all his remaining hair, even the now narrow triangle at his crotch. The shampoo seemed to make his hair even softer. I wonder of it will make this even softer, too, he wondered, rubbing across the short but slightly curly hair on his pubic mound.

He squirted some of the cherry scented shampoo on his palm and rubbed it into his bush. If nothing else, it'll smell good down there, he mused, a smile coming to his face. His soapy fingers felt great as they massaged the softness between his legs. Joe had always figured the male had an advantage when it came to masturbation, but since the change, he realized that was probably not the case. What you touched, and how you touched it may have changed, but the increased sensitivity certainly left nothing to be desired.

Joe finished shampooing and started to rinse off the soap. He removed the shower head from the clip and aimed the spray directly at his crotch. The direct spray was very effective at removing the shampoo suds, but Joe quickly found another use for the hand held shower. When the spray touched his penis/clitoris, at first it felt like a little tickle, but then almost immediately caused a wonderful sensation. Following the foreplay with the shampoo, Joe almost immediately experienced sexual release. His legs tensed, and he had to put a free hand against the wall to keep from falling over. He closed his eyes and continued with the spray until he experienced a second explosion of "intense feeling." Joe was again amazed at how quickly he could climax and rebound. His response cycle had certainly changed. Indeed, Joe couldn't even think of any women he knew who responded like this, at least not with him anyway.

Joe inspected the hand held spray head. It was made by a company he recognized, but not for designing stuff like this. He decided he would have to get one of these for his shower at home. Maybe get Linda one, too. No reason not to let her in on his little discovery.

After a little while, the new thrill began to wear thin. The spray was beginning to irritate rather than excite the delicate tissues. The increased sensitivity in his changed genitalia had created a very fine line between pleasure and pain. It took a little longer to get excited, but the excitement could last until the sensitive skin started to get sore. That was very different from before, when desire rose and fell, and ability was predicated on maintaining an erection.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a bath towel, Joe slowly dried off, basking in the afterglow of his experience in the shower. When he was dry, Joe looked at his hair in the mirror. He picked up his brush, and removed the hair drier from the wall bracket. His short hair dried quickly and he found that he could almost get the style the way it was before.

Still naked, he went out into the main room. He looked in his bag and tried to decide what to wear. If they went out to eat, should he dress formally, or casually? If he was at home, it would be easy. He didn't want to wear a dress, or put makeup on, and that was completely acceptable at home in the southwest. But here, he didn't know.

"So what?" he decided. He would wear what he felt like wearing. He dug out his new denim jeans and held up the new sweatshirt that he had just purchased. The shirt was a rather large, white, heavy, high neck, fashion sweatshirt he thought might come in handy and Jay said he liked, so he bought it. Yeah, a sweatshirt and pants, that's exactly what he felt like wearing.

Underwear. What should he wear underneath? He thought about what they might do later. He grinned at the possibilities, and knew he should probably plan for it. His personal favorite was the black thong back panty and the matching bra. It made him look so sexy, and somehow made him feel good even when he was feeling down about what had happened. He wanted Jay to see him wearing them; he knew he looked good wearing them. Yeah... When he pulled his jeans off and Jay saw this...

Joe pulled the stretchy wisp of black cloth over his hips. It felt so strange the way it rode into the crack of his butt, but he knew he would soon overcome the almost irrepressible urge to want to pull it out. He rubbed his hand over his pubic mound and grinned. Yeah...

Joe strapped on the little black bra, then examined himself in the dresser mirror. He looked and felt absolutely wicked.

Joe went over to the bed, picked up the sweatshirt, and pulled it over his head. He took the Levis and slipped them up his smooth legs. He buttoned the fly, and arranged the sweatshirt around his hips.

Whenever he moved, he could feel his bra covered breasts rubbing the heavy cloth of the sweatshirt. It made him constantly aware of them, and it felt so sexy. Joe rubbed his chest with both hands. He looked at himself in the mirror over the dresser. The heavy top totally concealed his new shape, and with the denim jeans, he sort of looked like a guy again. Well, not really. Joe examined his face. The feminization process had made his lips look thinner, his features a little finer, and his eyes a little larger. He was still himself, but his face probably looked as it would have if he had been born female. It was an eerie feeling, to look in the mirror, and see the twin sister you never had staring back.

Joe went back to the bathroom and rescued a tiny bottle of perfume from his shaving kit. He put some behind each ear and, pulling up the heavy top, he daubed some in the cleavage of his breasts. Again, the scent reminded him of Linda, and the thought made him a little sad. But what the heck, he thought, this whole thing wasn't my idea, I'm just learning to live with what happened.

Still barefoot, Joe wondered what shoes to wear. He didn't have much to choose from. The two inch heels, the black flats, and the Reeboks. The heels were out, and he didn't really want to wear the flats. He liked the Reeboks, but thought it might be just a little too casual. My god, he thought to himself, I'm wearing blue jeans and a sweatshirt, how much less casual than that can I get? He retrieved the Reeboks and rummaged through his bag to find clean socks.

When Joe thought he was ready, he looked for his purse, found it, and retrieved his wallet. Tonight, he didn't want to carry even a little handbag, but when he tried to put the wallet into the hip pocket of the jeans, he found that the snug fit of his butt in the woman's Levis didn't make that a priority. If he was going to carry a wallet, he would need at least a little purse. He opened the wallet and withdrew the folding money, then his license, Visa, and American Express. He slipped them into his pockets. He would be able to go without a purse after all.

With his jacket in one hand, Joe knocked on the interconnecting door. "I'm ready," he called to Jay.

Jay opened the door. "Well it's about time. I thought you fell asleep," Jay said as he came into the room.

Jay was wearing casual slacks, a sport shirt, and a jacket. He was perhaps a little less casually than Joe, but they would look ok together.

"Well, are we slumming tonight?" Jay teased when he saw what Joe was wearing.

"I just wanted to wear this. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No, No, absolutely not," Jay said. "You look great, really."

"Well, it feels good. I really need to get out of those girl clothes once in a while."

"I agree," Jay said, a big grin showing on his face. "You should get out of those clothes once in a while."

Joe eyed his friend with mock suspicion. "Just keep your pants on," he teased. "We'll see what happens later, maybe."

"Where do we want to eat?" Jay changed the conversation like he was actually as nervous as Joe about what might take place later.

"I don't know, what are you hungry for? You're the one who said he could eat a horse. Are you thinking steak?"

"That would be good," Jay answered, "if that's what you want. About anything is fine with me."

"I think there are some pretty good places within walking distance. We could stay in the area, or if you like, we can drive over to Minneapolis."

"I don't need to go anywhere. If there's a reasonable place nearby, let's go to there."

"It's about forty degrees outside. You won't need more than that jacket," Joe told Jay. After he said it, he wondered why he did. He had never worried about his pal's clothes before. He WAS changing.

They went out and down the elevator. When they reached the ground floor, they picked up a little brochure which detailed some of the attractions of downtown St. Paul. Joe was right, there were a few excellent restaurants within a few blocks. Some of them could be reached without ever going outdoors. The buildings were cleverly connected with a series of sky walks.

They decided on a steak house with the atmosphere of an English pub. It was a nice place, but they didn't look out of place with their casual dress.

The waiter, thinking he had two young lovers, sat them in a dimly lit, cozy, out of the way spot. Joe was a little embarrassed at first, then decided that the table was excellent. They could talk about anything without having to be concerned about being overheard. There were now some strange conversations possible between him and Jay.

When they were seated, Jay ordered a bottle of wine. Joe decided that he would be careful. His changed metabolism made him very intolerant of alcohol. These days, he was a very cheap drunk.

The waiter brought the wine, they ordered, and then they were alone.

"It's so strange," Jay said. "Here we are, two... guys. I still do think of you as a guy sometimes. Here we are, and everyone we meet thinks we're a couple. What do you think about that?"

"I don't know. You're right though, I'm still having trouble thinking of myself as a girl, a female, a woman. It's really hard to accept that I might have to stay this way the rest of my life."

"But you're so beautiful now," Jay countered. "Don't you like looking like that?"

"How do you think you'd feel if you woke up one morning and discovered you had turned into a girl? Forget about what I look like. I've changed inside and out. You know what I mean. Sometimes it's fun, but other times it's kind of frightening. I don't know what I should do."

"You're doing great. Sometimes I forget that you aren't a 'real woman.'"

"Well, I never forget," Joe said, grinning at his pal. Jay was so understanding. Although it seemed he incessantly teased Joe, his light spirit about the whole accident made it easier for Joe to adapt to what was happening to him. In the candlelight, Jay looked into Joe's eyes. He didn't speak, but a lot was said.

Jay grinned. "I think we're the only people in town with suntans, and you look absolutely fantastic in the candle glow."

"You should have seen that fat woman at the pool," Joe said, with a grin growing on his face too.

"I did," Jay countered. "I was there, remember."

"I mean later, in the locker room," Joe chuckled. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. She had more rolls of fat than the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and just as white."

"The other two weren't that bad." Jay said critically.

"Yeah, I know. The prettiest one changed clothes right next to me," Joe said, trying to create a little jealousy in his friend.

"What's that like? To have to sit there with naked women all around you like that?"

Joe smiled deviously. "Actually, they were not all around. There were only three."

"Yeah, but to have women undressing in front of you. How on earth can you stand it?"

"I guess it helps to be a girl," Joe said dryly. "They can't see your hard-on." He grinned.

Jay looked at Joe and returned the grin. "I love it when you talk dirty," he said sarcastically.

"It's the truth. It's a little different, sure, but not as much as you probably think. You can't imagine how it feels; the things I have to be concerned about. They told me the other day, at the clinic, that if my hormone levels continued to change I'd probably experience changes in desire, things like that. It's one thing to have them tell you what might happen. In reality, it's a whole other thing to realize that you are beginning to notice men's rear ends, the strong shoulders, I don't even know how to explain it to you," Joe stammered. "Do you know that today I got a hard-on, if I dare call it that, while I watched you swimming around?"

Jay looked into Joe's eyes and winked slightly. "I don't have to tell you that you've been doing that to me all week."

"I know what I look like. I can understand you reacting like that when you see me, I guess. But, for me... How would you feel if suddenly you found yourself wanting to have sex with a man?"

"I guess maybe I could handle it if I had a body like yours."

"Damn it Jay, forget what I look like! Don't you see all this is only skin and muscle?" Joe retorted. "And not too much muscle, that's for sure."

"Yeah, but the skin... I..."

Joe interrupted him. "You can't believe what it's like not to even know what your brain will think about the next thing you see. To not to know till you try, whether you still have the strength to lift something or not?" Joe said, trying to restrain himself from raising his voice.

"What do you want me to do? I'm trying to help you with this. Don't get pissed at me. I didn't do this to you."

Joe looked across the table at Jay. A smile replaced the scowl that had formed there. "Hey, I know. I'm sorry. Of course I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at anybody. I just get so frustrated about what has happened to me that when I start to think about it, sometimes it all just starts to overwhelm me."

"You're doing a lot better than I would," Jay complimented. "I can't believe how well you've been adjusting to all this, How patient you've been to all the questions and the examinations. I'm as guilty as anybody. But what happened to you is so unique, it sounds like something out of the Inquirer. But here you are, alive and well."

"Yeah, alive and well," Joe repeated. "You know, until a few days ago, I was thinking that the best thing that could happen would be for the doctors to find a way to get us back. To make me normal again. But the longer I stay this way, the longer this 'femaleness' thing changes me: the way I look, the way I feel, the way I THINK. When I really ask myself what I want to happen, I don't even know if I want to be changed back anymore."

"You want to stay female? You do make a good one, I think. And that's not meant as an insult."

Joe grinned. "Thanks. I don't know, I really don't know anything about being a woman. I mean periods... maybe even having babies... It's a lot more than just learning to wear a skirt."

"You might not have a choice," Jay reminded him.

"Yeah. I know. It's so scary. I'm glad everybody has been so good and so helpful with this. Even your teasing makes it easier. It helps me take all it with a grain of salt."

"We've been best friends for a long time. It's going to take more than you sprouting boobs to change that." Jay winked.

The conversation was interrupted by the waiter bringing salads. The conversation continued as they ate, and when they finished their steaks and refused dessert, Jay asked the question. "Will we be sleeping together tonight?"

From across the table, Joe looked at him in the dim candle light. "Do you want to?"

"Sure. But only if you do."

"Let's go back to the room and see what happens," Joe said shyly.

Playing a demure young woman did not come naturally to Joe. He was now as interested in Jay as he had ever been with a woman. But he didn't want to sound as horny as he felt.

Jay paid the tab and they walked back to the hotel, with Jay taking Joe's hand, and Joe letting him. They walked slowly, not saying much, but anxious and nervous about what was likely to take place.