PYGMALION

By DocPaul

Chapter Twenty-four: Pretty Baby…

Day Thirty-six: Tuesday, 1:02 am

“So what was with the early morning call?” Max asked as he entered the loft.

“Nothing much, partner. Thought it would be nice to have a ride to work, that’s all.” Michael was hopping around the loft on one foot while trying to find his other shoe. The Boo was staring at him with deadly intent. “B, I swear if you ate my shoe, I will decrease your daily kibble in half.”

The fat black cat turned his back on the man, and resumed cleaning a dirty paw. Ms. Fluffy had been returned to her own part of Roswell, and now without his new mate, he was finding life on a diet even more intolerable.

“Where is Maria?”

“Sleeping.” Michael looked up from where he was on his knees looking under the sofa. Ah ha! Eureka! His damn shoe. Pulling it out he swore at the obvious imprints of teeth in the leather. Looking at the rotund feline, he wasn’t surprised to only see the roundness of his incredibly bodacious behind. “Why?”

Max leaned back against a chair and crossed his legs at the ankle. “I just wanted to tell her about how I think I might have gotten engaged.”

Michael paused in tying his shoe. “Jonathan?”

“Who else have I been seeing?”

Michael stood up and shook his head. “He’s a man, Max. Same sex marriages aren’t…”

“I was thinking Hawaii.”

“Jesus!” Michael rubbed his face. “Okay, time out on the Michael freak-a-thon. Sit the fuck down and listen to me.” Michael paced a little running his hands through his hair. “Maxwell, you’ve got to take this a damn bit slower. I mean a full-stop pacing here. It’s only been weeks since you agreed to an exclusive relationship. Dammit, you refused to move in with the man. Now you’re engaged?”

“I thought you would recommend marriage.”

“For me, yeah. For you? No.” Michael sighed. “Look, okay I don’t know what the hell is in the fucking water lately. Zeke in love with Margo. Margo touching Zeke. Mr. Booboo doing the kitty mambo with Ms. Fluffy. Sean licking every inch of Julia he can find. Isabel and Alex lost in ‘stare in my eyes and spank me land’ together, Parker in love with every fucking body, and now this! Shit, what the fuck happened to normal?”

Max looked at the floor. “Why not me? Why only you, Michael?”

Michael swore and looked at his partner. “It’s not you, Maxwell, it’s the pace. I lived with Maria at least a year before I knocked her up, longer than that to get engaged, and just now got married. Don’t you think you’re rushing things? Taking on more than you can handle at once?” Michael hated this crap. All this relationship shit was wearing real thin. “I am saying that in under a month or so you’ll be a father for the first time. Over four months ago you decided to change your perception of the world, and pitch hit for the other side. You discovered you’re alien, and that we aren’t alone. This is a lot of shit! I’m just saying maybe you should stay engaged for a while, tell Jonathan the truth, and see how that goes down first before you go putting out announcements and booking wedding chapels in Maui.”

Max nodded. So maybe it was a lot at once. There were things in him. Feelings. It was hard to describe or even explain. He had made mistakes. Not just in this life, but in his last. Of that, he was positive. Jonathan was the one thing that felt right. Real. True. It was hard not to want to grab it before some bitch like Vanessa or someone else could come and destroy what they had. It was okay that he wasn’t perfect, but the mistakes he made today, he wanted them to not be because he was a fool, conceited, or too busy ignoring everyone but his own self-interest. He wanted to make Jonathan happy.

“His bitch of an ex-wife showed up.”

Michael made a sound under his breath. Oh, he would hate that if some ex-boyfriend of Maria’s was to walk back in her life. Michael would fry his ass.

“What’s she like?”

“Scary. Silly. Trouble. Man, too many adjectives to name.”

Michael punched his partner on the arm. “Great tell me about it on the way to work, and I’ll tell you about the nightmare I walked into just by coming home.”

Max stopped and looked at his partner. “You’re serious about working, right? Not just for four hours?”

“Maria feels good. We’re both are in desperate need of time and space, and she’s starting the renovations on the loft today. What the hell do you think?”

Max snickered in a tone that suddenly had Michael worried. “Great! I have the assignment of a lifetime for us tonight! All week if not more. You’re going to love this.”

“Is it bloody?”

“Oh, I am positive it will be. Positive.”

Michael considered the options. He felt ready for about anything. Maria was healthy. His kids were healthy. By the next two weeks he would have an official playroom with poker table included and large screen television. Hell, he was ready for some fun. “Lead on, McDuff.”

~~~

“No way!” Kyle sat back closing his eyes. “No fucking way! Why do we always get these assignments?”

Sean seemed more amused than upset. “I always wanted to try out those real silk stockings. Not the synthetic crap. The real silk. Julia has a pair that really feel great and look great on her legs. Just last week, I…”

Kyle looked at his partner in disdain. “Shut up!”

Valenti looked at his son and felt a little bad. The kid did really pull the worst assignments, and add in the fact that he was teamed with Sean DeLuca, maybe they should consider giving him a raise. “People, this is not open for discussion. The sooner we close this case, the sooner you can go back to normal.” Jim looked over at Michael and smiled. Oh, good. Guerin was back. Already that morning Michael had harassed three departments, made two secretaries file complaints about his bad attitude, made a rookie cry, and scared a confession out of a witness. Life was almost looking normal. “Max, how many are we short?”

Max read the list. “DeLuca, Valenti, Hanson, Rogers, and Petrowski. We need one more.”

Jim nodded and looked at Michael, sharing a look with the larger man, he chuckled at the amused twinkle in Michael’s eyes. “Add Evans to the list.” Max suddenly went still.

“Cap, I was on team coordination. I think that…”

“Sorry, Max. I’m afraid I’m going to need you in the mix.” Max glared at both Kyle and Sean snickering. “Michael is back. What about him?”

Michael’s eyebrow went up at that. Jim seemed to be considering it, but then he shook his head no. “Sorry, Max, but I can’t see Michael passing as a woman. There isn’t a dark enough club or corner on the street to hide the fact that Michael is a man, or else the ugliest woman on the face of the earth.”

“Hey!” Michael took offense. He wasn’t ugly! Max looked at his partner’s larger frame and wide shoulders. Damn him. Both Sean and Kyle were pushing it. Both had pretty wide shoulders, but their frames were at a reasonable height. In flats they might pass for women.

“How long on this operation, Cap?” Petrowski wasn’t too pleased. He used to be a Vice Cop in Albuquerque. It took over six months after he left for his legs to grow hair again.

“Soon, we hope. The department pulled all the female officers they have, both uniforms and detectives. We don’t have enough to cover all the clubs as it is. The streets are going to be left pretty open. We can’t place people among the hookers. We’re already spread thin, even with some of you going undercover.” Jim motioned for Max to pass out the assignments. “Every team has five ‘women’ and three male escorts to cover. Evans, Valenti, DeLuca, Hanson and Banks you are teamed with Guerin, Philips and Waters. As a personal favor, your area is Club Hell and Calypso when it’s up and running. I want you rotating to three minor clubs in the same strip. Teams of Petrowski, Jenkins, Roberts, Fletcher, and Rogers are covered with Argento, Peterson and Harris. They are covering Area 51, the Closet, and the Café de Palms...” Jim continued to name off the other teams and their assigned area of Roswell’s night club area that was being covered.

“We’ve got to get more females in our department,” said Kyle to his partner. The last assignment had him in tight clothing dancing with men. This one was going to have him wearing a dress and shaving his legs.

Jim dismissed his teams and sat back as Henry came in with Simon. Max and Michael both remained.  Simon seemed genuinely happy to see Michael. “Guerin! How was the honeymoon? Man, you look brown and healthy.”

“Good, Simon. Maria loved the present you gave us.” Simon smiled even larger. He had no idea what his wife picked out, but he would tell her anyway how much the Guerins loved it.

Jim nodded at the other two Captains. “Simon, what’ve you got for me? You seemed to think it was important.”

Simon nodded and sat his ass on the side of the large conference table in the room. He looked at Henry with a discreet apology. He was going to make their negotiator and Department Liaison Officer’s life a little miserable. “Your teams have been picking up violent murders over the last few weeks, three to be exact. About the time that Vice hit snags on their runs and Narcotics was overrun with cases, this rapist thing came up. Thing is, Cap that our serial rapist is in fact your murderer too.”

Jim cussed and shut his eyes. “Hanson and Banks’ case from the other night? DeLuca and Valenti? All of them?”

Simon nodded. “I’m almost sure, yes. In some cases no semen was left behind, but the last few were pretty violent, and the perpetrator left his calling card. Full deposits. They matched the last few rapes. Of the eight rapes we’ve got, only three have survived. The last victim is still in critical condition. They’re not expecting her to make it.”

Michael was listening as he read the case files on the rash of violent crimes that had occurred since he left on his honeymoon. The cruelty and viciousness of the crimes were apparent from all the reports from crime scene photos to the actual doctor reports. The times of the attacks were all after ten at night and early morning. Nothing in the daylight. The bombing had stopped as the rapes started. What the hell was going on?

“Michael, anything?” Simon asked hopefully.

“There was a full moon on the three nights with no attacks. The perpetrator is living in the shadows. He wants to make his work known, but he’s careful to keep his face hidden. The semen only showed up in the last three cases. Before that, he was keeping the scene clean. Something happened recently or was on the verge of happening. Something that blew his calm. This is not a new crime for this man. He is too methodical. He knows he can get away with it. I’d run the MO through the national databases. This is no student.”

Max sat back drinking his coffee as Michael continued to talk and read the report almost absentmindedly, telling them more than they already knew, even after two weeks working on the case.

“He works an area in a pattern. There is something about it that reminds me of something.” Michael frowned. “The pattern is deceptively random, but there’s a pattern of rotation on top of a counterspin.”

Simon came to stand next to Michael. “What do you mean?”

Michael pointed out to three main clubs. “He rotated to each of these moving in a north by northeastern direction, but then he moved to three smaller clubs in the same area, just shifted over by two blocks and in a reverse pattern of south by southwest. The spin is moving in overlapping concentric circles, altering in a shift of two to three blocks. It’s a movement in classic battle strategy to cover an attacking area in a pattern of random cover that isn’t random.”

Jim sat on the edge of the table. “Then where would the next target be, Michael?”

Michael looked at the area. Two clubs in a major triad already hit, that left only one other club in the network. “Two Tone. It will be the Two Tone. That’s the largest club in the area fitting the pattern.”

Jim looked over at the sheet Max was holding. “That’s Bunco’s crew.” Jim looked at Henry and Simon. “How sure are you, Michael?”

Michael shrugged. “It’s a pattern. Like most patterns it can shift, but this looks pretty consistent. It’s the shift from major to minor clubs that made it appear random. I can’t guarantee you anything, but I would give it a greater than ninety percent chance.”

Jim stood up. Damn. This was a problem. If he increased the cover around the Two Tone, it left other areas uncovered. “Shit.” Jim rubbed his face. “Max, move your team to the Two Tone.”

“That will leave Club Hell unprotected and that area.” Max said looking at his partner.

Michael nodded and stood up. “Club Hell has protection. I’ll call Whitman. He’ll take care of it tonight. If the pattern holds, we might end this now.”

Jim looked at his men and nodded. “Make the call.” The two headed for the door. “Michael, tell Alex we appreciate it.” Michael went to make the arrangements.

“It’s good to have Guerin back.” Simon poured himself some coffee. “We ran the locations through the computer twice. It couldn’t pick up a pattern.”

Jim didn’t say anything. Michael was a very old soldier, living an entirely different life than they knew of, but his human side seemed to have equally been reborn again and again. He saw things that a computer couldn’t understand. He saw the methodical attack method of a true predator because it was what he was too. “Henry, you better get to work. No leaks on a serial rapist. Tonight we shut him down, or we need to alert the media to get these women off the streets. This has already gone on too long.”

Henry nodded and looked at the other two men. Strange breed. They stood silent, but their bodies were at alert. Simon was the more unassuming of the two, but it was hard to miss his intensity. “I’ll talk to the DA. He’ll tell me what we need to make this a clean bust. This one doesn’t slide through.”

“Better contact the Chief’s office. He’s going to be upset.”

“That is understood.” Henry waved and went out the door.

“Things are getting worse, Jim.” Jim just nodded and stood looking out his window at the streets of Roswell. Yeah, things were getting worse.

~~~

Rath entered the cavern. It was quiet. The combined lump of Zan and Lonnie was all he could find.  Ava was nowhere to be seen. He was late getting back. Roswell was too small a town to be walking around in the daylight. People here would notice him and that wasn’t what he wanted. Not yet.

Maria.

She had held his attention for a good three hours. He watched her from afar through the open windows of the loft. Her body was starting to show her pregnancy, and it was exciting in a strange way. The Commander’s babies. His Dupe. His brother. His clone. His.

She strangely didn’t look fat. Not like the King’s brood cow, waddling on her two pegs. Stupid bitch. Looking at the one they called Tess made him want to kill her. Kill Ava. Too bad Ava wasn’t near.

Maria. Closing his eyes he sank back in the worn sofa, and moved to the side to lie down for some shut eye. Maria. His wife. His kids. His. Rath frowned as he slowly succumbed to sleep. He couldn’t feel them. None of them. Not her. Not the children. They were his Dupe’s. He wanted to rip them from her body, and replace them with his. It was his Destiny. His and hers, not the Other’s.

He was the real Royal. Him, not this Michael Guerin dude. His life had been stolen from him. That imposter was walking around in his skin, had stolen his wife, his children, and no one was the wiser. He knew long ago that his destiny with Lonnie was a sham. How could he have this destiny with a human woman, if he was tied to Lonnie? Lonnie was sterile. Worthless junk DNA. Now she was banging her brother. Nothing new there.

There was light in his dream. The sun was shining brightly. Maria was laughing at him, holding out her ice cream for him to try. He was lying on the grass watching the clouds across the sky with his head in her lap, her hands carding through his hair. She leaned down and her perfect lips moving gently across his cheek to touch his mouth. A whisper. She breathed softly in his mouth.

I love you. Rest. I’ll watch over you.

Rath opened his eyes to look in the crystal pure clarity of the green emeralds staring at him. The clear prism rose before his sight. It was brilliant. Pure. White and clear. A sparkling gem in a sea of darkness. The bands of lights ran though the prism and separated into the purest bands of raw energy. Lust. Want. Need. His internal power longed to push through the prism, to pull into visible strands of light and energy, to find a focus.

Tell me you love me.

Maria smiled softly, her body melded next to his. I love you. Only you. You are my true match. Let me show you how much I want you.

Yes. Show me. Rath couldn’t wait. He overwhelmed her. Pushed her back holding her smaller body prison under his as his mouth found her breasts. Pulling a nipple into the furnace, he sucked until she was panting like a bitch in heat under him.

"...liking this....." she breathed out.

"I hope so. I’m not going to stop. Ever...." Rath said breathlessly, his lips having already left her nipple to travel up her neck, pausing at that sweet spot to the left of the hollow of her throat where he suckled roughly, as he positioned his body over Maria's, straddling her, knees on either side, hands flat on each side of her head.....and he continued to slide....raining kisses on that gorgeous skin to her breasts again, watching with half opened eyes as the muscles rippled for him....and he commanded, "Grab the rail, Maria. Hold it tight with both hands and keep them there."

Maria raised her arms and did as instructed....and he felt a rush of heat directly to his groin at the idea of it, of the command, of the desire in her eyes, desire for him......

“What if I disobey?”

Rath’s eyes became deadly and intense. “That would be a mistake. I would be forced to punish you. Tie you up. Beat you. Rape you.” His heart stopped as her intense stare tore through him, her tongue coming out to lick her lips as desire flared in her eyes.

“Do it,” she whispered hotly.

Rath kissed every inch of skin, tongue licking, spending valued time with Maria's armpits, delighting in the writhing, the moans and giggles she tried so hard to suppress.....then Rath traveled down to Maria's side, where he lavished attention to her hip, to the curve between waist and hip, dipping in and licking, kissing and biting as Maria jerked up, eyes wide, wondering how the hell Rath knew.....how he knew every spot.....

By the time Rath reached the junction of her legs pushing rough fingers into her against her vaginal walls, Maria was jello - runny, wiggly jello. And when Rath took her into his mouth.....Maria did something Rath was pushing her to do - she screamed. Bloody murder. And could have killed when she saw through slits that were her eyes as she laid panting, the wicked, satisfied grin of her torturer.

But of course, Rath wasn't done. Even as he teased and tortured her with his mouth, licking, nipping, humming around her swollen clit, his tongue lapping at the juices his finger liberated, his one hand was lifting Maria's hips and a finger was teasing her ass.....so Maria spread her legs wider, lifted her hips higher and felt like a schoolgirl who'd been good......so very good.... this was so very good....so much more, so much for him, all for him.....

"God, please.....more..."

Rath let his mouth slide from Maria, but he stayed down, brought his finger back up and teased it along her mouth then said, "Suck for me, baby."

Maria took it in, tasted herself on the fingers, loved the finger and with a moan, lost it as Rath removed it, put it in his own mouth, sucked deliciously, eyes glittering as he watched the naked need in her eyes.....

The mouth closed around her again, and the finger moved inside, in and out, in and out, the rhythm matched by Rath's mouth.....in and out, up and down, and Maria's eyes closed, her body surrendering, her fingers clenching the rails, knuckles white.....hips thrusting up, down, up, down.....her body was awash in sensation, all controlled by him.......and she wanted to come, now, was close, and then she was almost there when the mouth left her, but because the fingers were still there, she barely registered Rath lifting her legs, spreading them, one hooked over his shoulder......and the fingers were gone, lips were on a nipple, something hard entered her.....then Rath....god, Rath, inside her.....

"Open your eyes, Maria, want to see you....."

Her eyes flew open, to connect with the nearly black orbs of Rath's darkened brown eyes and they were making love. Rath thrusting in, Maria thrusting back, eyes never leaving each other, even when Rath leaned down to kiss her......their eyes remained open, locked, loving, one of Rath’s hands was on her shoulder, bracing himself with Maria's body, as he pounded, as he took each of Maria's thrusts back....and his other hand dropped to the junction of their bodies finding that small bundle of nerves, and he began a frantic pumping, and they were both close now....so wonderfully close.....

"Now, now, harder....now, my love, now...." Maria voice rose, demanding.

"Yes, now...." and he pumped and pounded and Maria came with him, hot semen spurting in her, and Rath paused and then came again moments later, shooting deep, his climax loud......then falling forward - into Maria's arms. His body shuddering in the release, but her smell, the feel was still with him, and he wasn’t done yet. Twice wasn’t enough. More.

The Primitive inside raised itself up, as Rath went on his hands trapping her between them. He gave his love a look which froze the laughter, stilled the body and quickened the breath. Slowly he lowered himself back onto Maria, his love, his soulmate and his focus. Capturing the beautiful mouth below him he demanded entry as Maria pulled his tongue inside and the kiss deepened and became their world. Rath's right arm curled around the top of Maria's head, his hand buried in the silky golden strands and pulling the head back as his left arm began to worm it's way through the tangled sheets until it found skin and then wound itself around her waist.

Rath began to thrust with his hips, short thrusts, pushing Maria's body down, deep into the mattress, than pulling her up with the arm around her waist and his tongue began to mimic the movement of his body and all that Maria could do was accept it all, her arms still imprisoned as  she held the railing hard. Rath’s hand left her hair for a moment to reach down, he forced her to spread her thighs further apart, letting his body settle in and now his cock was directly rubbing on her clit at such an angle, rubbing, raping…making it raw. The delicious heat traveling from toe tips to heads and still the kiss went on, as his tongue continue to do to her mouth what his cock was doing to her cunt.

Scream. He whispered to her. Scream. She shook her head no, and moaned softly. Scream. She still refused, and her hands released the railing. Rath pulled out of her, at her protest. His harsh hands ripping the sheet that was tangled between them away, tearing it into strips. He looked down at the bruising on her inner thighs from knee upward to her swollen sex dripping with his release. She smelt like sex and candy. Spicy. Sweet. Grabbing her, he turned her and pushed her to her knees placing her hand back on the railing, he used the sheets to bind her, taking a piece to gag her mouth. His legs moved her legs apart and he stared at her upturn ass as his bare hand came down hard on the flesh. Spanking her, as her ass turned a vermilion red. Pink and hot to the touch. He could see the tears squeezing through her tightly shut eyelids. Taking the gag from her mouth, he leaned in and whispered, “Scream for me. Scream as I rape you.”

He shoved his engorged penis into her tight cunt from behind pushing hard and deep in one full thrust, slapping hard against the red abused flesh in a primal grunt. She screamed. And screamed. It made him harder and more violent in his thrusts as his bruising hands found her breasts and held them tight in his hands, squeezing them until she screamed again. Her thin arms pushing hard against the railing as he pushed her into it again and again.

Maria was now thrusting back and into Rath, hard frantic thrusts, low, soft whimpers begging him to rape her harder, to punish her more. His hand came down on her red ass in a loud resounding smack, and she screamed coming. Rath moved back down, to her neck now and suckling there, biting, leaving his mark and his body settled deeper still and Maria's moans grew. Rath could "hear" them through Maria's skin, the groans more insistent now. He felt himself going over the edge, this "possession" of Maria sending waves of such intense pleasure through his body that he seriously doubted he would live. Then Maria rasped out a plead, "Bite me! Harder!" and he quickly brought his mouth back to Maria's shoulder and bite until blood flooded his mouth. He moved to the side and joined their mouths, pulled her up and into his body, thrust deeply with his tongue and felt Maria surrender her orgasm in one, long, deep shudder, arched into Rath as he screamed Maria's name as he climaxed deep in her.

Maria’s voice rose as he floated into oblivion. Her voice was soft and full of love. “I love you, Michael.”

“What the hell is wrong with him?” Zan asked Lonnie.

“You’ve gotta week or two?” She watched Rath’s muscles move under his skin. Jealousy hit her hard. He was dreaming again about her. The look on his face gentled and became concentrating on his inner thoughts.

Zan watched in amazement. The reaction of Rath’s body to his dream was interesting. He was more than a little aroused, and the sounds of passion was unlike any Zan had heard from his second in command before. They had spent a lifetime sharing close space, and none of them were very caring of the others’ privacy or even regarding whether or not they could be heard. It wasn’t unheard of the four of them all sharing a bed, and recently Rath had refused to play with any of the others. This coincided with their coming to Roswell, actually more since he learned that the Commander actually lived and had found his mate.

“He’s dreamin’ about the Commander’s wife.”

Lonnie’s eyes narrowed and she made a nasty noise under her breath as she reached out to end Rath’s dream. Placing a hand on his shoulder she gave him a hard shove. When he didn’t respond, she smiled with evil intent and slapped him.

It was the low release of energy that shocked both her and Zan. Lonnie at one moment was leaning over Rath, and the next moment, she was almost in a suspended animation followed by a burst of power. Her entire body flew across the room hitting the concrete wall hard. An angry Rath was standing, his body dripping in sweat while his chest heaved struggling to calm his breath.

Lonnie had chosen the moment he heard Maria calling him "Michael" to wake him. The rage and anger tore through his body in a moment of unmitigated pain. Michael. She had called him Michael.

“Do not touch me!” His voice was hard and cold in its deadly intent. “Never touch me again!” He turned and stomped off down a corridor of the sewage system.

Zan watched him disappear, ignoring the downed Lonnie as she painfully struggled to her feet. “He’s becomin' a liability. We’re gonna hafta to kill him sooner than we expected.”

Lonnie came to stand beside Zan, sharing a smile with him. “Might as well take out Ava too while we’re at it.”

“Bitch can’t produce children, then what use is she anyway?”

“Word.”

Ava slowly moved along the shadows, out of view, away from her would-be assassins. There was no loyalty among them. There was nothing to bind them together, but some warped idea of a Destiny that none of them wanted on a planet they could barely live on. Whatever they were taught by their protector at an early age proved to be bogus, a ploy to keep them isolated and together. Their past lives had slipped away, and there was nothing but this life. The Royals of Antar were brought back for one purpose, and one purpose only, and it was all tied to this one planet. Antar was a dream.

~~~

“I don’t have time for this.”

“Don’t pout. Who knew going gay would turn you into such a sap?” Jonathan sighed as Vanessa shoved another package at him. “You were here anyway.”

“That was for something I needed to pick up, not shopping.” Jonathan spied a clock and groaned. Time was wasting. Any amount of time spent with his ex-wife was time lost forever. “Though I guess I do owe you something.”

“Now we’re talking, Jonnie. Sweetie, you can repay me with a nice afternoon of luxury at the Towers, a full body rub, and that thing you use to do with your tongue and whipped cream. Did wonders for my skin.”

Jonathan just made a face. That was yet another reference to past sexual escapades. He wasn’t interested in reminiscing or remembering. “I think not. I’ve got more on my plate than I can handle, Plus,” Jonathan moved closer to Congresswoman Whitaker and played with a strand of her hair. “I’m finding I like things you aren’t equipped to provide.” Sighing in exaggerated boredom he pointedly looked at his watch. Time to get going. “So where do I deposit these packages? You’ve got a few moments to decide or I will do the choosing.”

Vanessa struggled to find a way to distract him. She needed him dammit! He was her outlet to find a way into the inner circles of the Royals. “Why do you owe me?”

Jonathan laughed and kissed the woman on the cheek shoving her shopping into her hands not caring as some of it dropped. “Max said yes to a marriage proposal. Congratulate me, Van. I’m engaged.” Jonathan left his astounded ex-wife in the middle of the stores. Snugly in his pant’s pocket was a jeweler’s case with two matching masculine rings.

Rings. Groom. All that was left was for him to finally sit down and talk with Max about “things.”

~~~

“Maria!”

Michael slammed the door and stood looking down at their disgruntled cat, who was meowing plaintively in his intent to make Michael understand that things were fucked.

“Sorry, pal. The sweet lady you worship has declared you rotund. The diet sticks.” Michael looked around quickly and then added in a hushed voice, “I did bring you this, though.” He slipped the cat a little chicken saved from a sandwich. The exaggerated pouncing and eating as if he was starved didn’t impress Michael in the least bit. “Buck up, Boo. The ladies love a slim trim sex machine. Think the Fluff liked you before? Well, drop the extra tonnage and she will be one hot pussy after you. Promise.”

Maria shook her head and rolled her eyes at the male-cat bonding ritual. Hot pussy? Men.

Mr. B. wasn’t through. His cries were nothing if not insistent and annoying. His haven and refuge had been destroyed by interlopers with loud machines and dust-making apparatuses. He was not pleased.

“I know. I saw them. Hard to miss the racket. Now our fair Lady tells me that the new open space will be a wonder to behold, so we’ll just have to deal and hope she’s right. By the way, thanks for your new policy on no dead birds and rodents. Keep up the work and there’s some fresh turkey in it for you.”

“Bribery, Detective?”

Michael looked up at his wife from where she was watching on the steps. “How long have you been there, Professor?”

“Since you bellowed, my Lord.”

Michael chuckled at the title, knowing she was paying him back for the ‘our Lady’ comment.

“Home already? Did they toss you out?”

Michael stepped over the cat, wincing at the loud construction sounds coming from the other side of the back wall. The construction crews were in the adjacent loft area. “Not exactly,” Michael rubbed his neck. “Look, I’ve got an assignment tonight, and the boys need a little help. Now Parker is strangely missing, and I suspect no help from that area. Isabel’s at school and she hung up on Max twice. Tess is on her way over, and then there is you.”

Maria came down the steps and sat on the edge the sofa with her arms crossed protectively across the gentle swell of her stomach. “Sounds like I’m the last alternative.”

Michael sat next to her and kissed her softly, then deeper, and with a groan, harder still. “Nope, you were the first, but I tried to distract them away from our house. They’re always invading the loft.”

Panting softly in his mouth, her hand ran up his arm. “Tell me what it is, and I’ll tell you if I can help.”

“Oh, this is definitely in one of your areas of expertise. I’m just not sure I want to involve you in it.” Michael’s eyes gleamed on the perfect skin along her neck, the soft silky dew of her skin drew his mouth, made him want to taste, bite and mark it. The healing powers of the twins in her system made most of the marks he left on her just a memory by the next morning, but one mark remained constant. The spiral above her breasts.

“Bloody?” Maria moved into his arms pushing him over the back of the sofa until they both tumbled onto the other side, with her on top. “Tell me!”

There was a loud ruckus at the door, and Sean’s nappy head appeared. He saw Mr. Boo and gave a small frightened yelp.

“Fag!” Maria sat up a little on Michael, barely missing his groin, ignoring his curse as she heard Kyle’s voice reprimand Sean on his sissy-boy scream.

“Fuck that! It’s that damn cat, Kyle. You go in first!” There was a pause and more noise and then finally Maria heard someone call Max’s name, demanding he go first.

“What’s going on, Detective?” Michael forgot and forgave his near emasculation when he noticed that Maria’s top only had two major buttons, and from this angle he had a nice view of her lovely round breasts. God, he loved her pregnant! So much more to love and touch. It was a fucking miracle. Maria moaned as his mouth found her skin and his tongue traced the design marring her skin. “Michael!” Her soft moan just increased his ardor.

“Hello! Peeps on board! Watching. Making notes. Someone get a damn camera!” Maria looked over at her cousin, and a room full of people. All from the PD. Struggling to sit up, Michael quickly did it for her shoving her behind him.

“I told you people to wait until I asked her!”

Sean snorted. “Yeah, tonight, Guerin. Not next week. I’ve seen how you persuade Maria in the past, and we don’t have that much time!”

“Someone explain?” Maria demanded, straightening her clothes. Mostly men. Kyle. Max. Sean. Hanson. A young woman, blonde with some height. Maria frowned. The girl looked familiar, but the name was eluding her. Smiling at both Philips and Waters, Maria invited everyone into the loft. “Max?”

Sean made a noise under his breath. Figured she would pick Max. He was helpless to resist the Maria DeLuca charm.

“We have an assignment.” Max said in a rush, ignoring Sean and Kyle’s snorts. “It’s on for tonight and we need to dress for it.”

“Gay bar again?” Maria said helpfully.

“Drag,” said Kyle mournfully.

Maria looked at the motley crew including her husband and her hand went over her mouth trying to suppress a laugh. “Drag? All of you?” Michael smirked. Nope. Not all of them! “Not Michael?”

“Hey,” Michael’s brows furrowed. Maria wasn’t going to claim him ugly too? “I…”

Maria leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Would look good enough to fuck. Totally!”

“Really?” Michael leaned his hip against the sofa and beside his wife. “You think so? The guys said I would be fugly.”

Maria ran a knowing hand up her husband’s leg and sighed into his mouth. “Jealousy.”

“I knew it!” Michael said smugly. He suspected the same. Kissing his wife, he whispered promises that he would dress for her later, just her…private party. His eyes darkened when she licked her lips and slowly looked down his front. The clearing of throats had him standing up straighter, along with other parts of his anatomy. “So, you helping, Professor?”

Maria laughed and looked at that crew. “Sure. This could be fun! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

The seven guys and one female unloaded all the stuff they picked up from the undercover wardrobe area to transform four men into four women sexy enough to attract a rapist. Maria went over and slowly picked through the piles of clothing, shoes, undergarments and makeup. Her body was shaking.

“Is she having a seizure?” Courtney asked. She was extremely quiet. This was her first time in the Commander’s home, and seeing him and his wife so close together. It wasn’t an assignment she would’ve personally picked herself.

Michael shook his head. “Maria has a poor reaction to ugly shoes and polyester. Give her a moment.”

Maria’s red face looked over the offerings again hoping it was nightmare upon which a sane human could emerge. No. No, it was still there. Sacrilege.

“We picked the best stuff before the other teams could beat us,” Kyle offered helpfully. Maria just stared at him like he was an alien with two heads. This was the best stuff?

“Um, do you actually want someone to try to pick any of you up? I mean...wearing this stuff?” Maria looked at the young woman. She had potential if you could tone down the heavy makeup, trash the 70’s blue eye shadow, and maybe find her real clothes and not something from dumpster dipping outside ‘Skanks-R-Us’. Damn, this was a chore. “How long do we have?”

Michael looked at his watch. “Six hours, maybe seven.”

Maria swore under her breath grabbing her phone. “We’re going to need some help. Where’s Tess?”

“En route. She stopped to pick up a few things from her mom’s house. She has a cousin that’s a little large in the hips, tall and she thinks her stuff might fit a few of us.”

“Good. Well, I guess we’ll have to start with hair detail first. Everything has to go!” Kyle instinctually crossed his groin with his hands. “Not there! Legs. Underarms. Definitely eyebrows. Tweezers are your friend.” Maria’s hands were shaking in anticipation. “We are going to need the troops. Isabel and Julia definitely.”

Maria sized up the men critically and advanced on them with a feral look in her eyes. They all stepped back in fear...

~~~

Suddenly Maria snickered. Michael looked up, just wanting to take a swig of his beer. He saw that Maria was laughing at him. They had been supervising baths, the removal of hair and the sorting of clothing. Isabel left school at Maria’s request. Once she heard that she was turning her brother into a woman, she was in her car in two minutes flat. Tess arrived with waxing materials, a few new dresses, large shoes and accessories. They couldn’t find Parker. The forensics lab thought she had to give testimony or depositions in a case, but they were uncertain. Julia was easier to find. She was at the office going over briefs. It only took a little convincing to get her to come, bringing Ms. Fluffy to distract Mr. Booboo from the festivities.

"What's so funny, Professor?" Michael asked, annoyed.

"I was wondering how you'd look in a dress." Maria explained, grinning.

Michael's eyes went round and he rolled them expressively. "Awful! I can promise you that." He took a quick swig of beer. "What the... where the heck did this come from? Is this a new kink? Muscular guys in drag?"

Maria laughed. “Maybe a little mock lesbian sex thrill? More like getting it on with a transvestite. Sound so very kinky. You said you would…”

Michael kissed her quickly. “Later. I’ll let you shave my legs.” Maria giggled and snuggled closer to her mate as Kyle’s bitching grew in geometric proportions.

"Do we have to?" Kyle asked, his eyes large with trepidation. "This isn't exactly what I signed up for. I thought all that was involved was a little makeup and a dress."

"Honey, you've got the hairiest legs I've had to work with in a while." Tess said to her poor husband as she applied another layer of hot wax to Kyle's leg, in preparation for ripping every hair out by its follicle.

"I'm not woman! I’m supposed to be hairy." Kyle's voice hitched up a notch as he hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm a man, and I don't have to put up with this shit if I don't want to. I could quit my day job!"

"Nothing personal, Sweet Cakes," Tess smiled. "But we've come this far. You're not going to back out now, are you?" With a quick pull, Kyle's leg was stripped clean.

"Ow, dammit! That hurts! Hey! Owwww!" the poor detective yelled in protest. "You bet your sweet ass! I'm outta here!" Kyle stood up and grabbed his pants, hopping from one foot to the other as he pulled them back on. Charging through the door, he made his way towards the loft door.

Tess felt bad. It was cruel to take a slight pleasure from seeing her husband so abused, but then she remembered his pregnancy tactics and hardened her heart. He wasn’t suffering any more than a large portion of female population in America who did this all the time in the name of beauty. Their rewards didn’t come with a paycheck, so he could stop whining.

“That was it, Kyle. I swear! Your legs are hair free.”

Kyle looked over at his partner who had his hair pulled off his face with a head band and a facial plastered on his face, while he was ripping the hair from his legs happily with an unlit cigarette hanging off his lip. Masochistic bastard was enjoying himself while Julia was waxing off the worst of his eyebrows.

"Oh, seeing Max in drag is going to be worth it!" snickered Sean, tipping back a club soda. He'd had no alcohol for the evening being that he was on duty tonight. “I’ve got fifty in the pot that he makes the prettiest woman.”

"Yeah. This should be a real hoot!" Kyle agreed. Shaking his head, he looked over at Hanson who was deep in a discussion with Isabel about bikini waxing. That man was just a little strange.

Maria was looking through the makeup. “Where did you get these brands? I swear, they’re like play makeup, not the real thing!”

“It standard issue, Professor.”

Maria snorted and dumped the entire supply into the bag it came in. Leaving Michael with a peck on his cheek, she went upstairs to find something more suitable. Her hand lingered long enough to make him want to follow her upstairs.

Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat, cocking his head slightly in a listening pose. No more screams of pain were issuing from the spare room, so he felt relatively confident things were going smoothly. If only Maria would come back and play with him.

Michael looked on in amazement as his partner stormed out of the room. "What's up, Maxwell?

"I agreed to get dressed up, not tortured!" Max spat, tossing himself down in a chair. Picking up the drink in front of him, he tossed back the rest of Maria’s drink in one quick draught, slamming the empty glass back down on the table. Coughing, he rubbed his eyes as tears welled. “What the hell is that?”

“Maria’s special mixture. One part chocolate milk, one part orange juice, and one part Tabasco.” Max’s face turned red and he continued to cough.

"I didn't think you'd go through with it," Michael teased checking his partner’s now hairless legs.

"Yeah, it takes a real man to dress up like a woman!" Sean laughed from the door. "Guess you just don't have it in you, Evans."

Max turned to scowl at the pair. It wasn't often he lost his temper. The look on his face was enough to silence the two detectives. Max wasn’t happy. They made him shave three times because his beard was too thick and he was prone to an afternoon shadow. The legs were bad enough, but he found having his eyebrows tweezed was a little beyond his limit.

A soft voice issued from somewhere off to his left. "Come on, Max, you're not going to let them win this, are you?" Maria turned her most charming smile on Max. "They'll never let you live this down if you give in now."

"They'll never let me live it down if I go through with it," Max argued. At least Courtney could try to look better. If he was turned into a sexy woman he would never live it down. The bastards would take pictures.

"Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Why don't you show them what you're made of?"

Max sighed and looked at the two smirks flashed at him from across the room. Sighing, he shrugged and made his way back to the crowded dressing room. Someone was going to pay for this. Someone.

“Where are you going tonight, Detective?” Maria asked as she rejoined Waters, Philips, Michael and Sean. “Sean, shouldn’t you be in there?”

“Yeah. In a few. Julia and Isabel were trying to decide how to fix Hanson’s goofy grin.” He didn’t bother to add that Courtney was flashing everyone in sight, trying to get Michael’s attention who firmly stayed away from her in the other room next to Maria. Michael was far from happy having the woman in his home after seeing her shrine and the crossed out pictures of Maria.

“Two Tone.”

Maria stared at him. “Two Tone? Damn. I’ve always wanted to go there.” Maria looked at the three men that were going as is and shook her head. “Oh, well the three of you will need to get dressed too then.”

“We’re going in as men, Maria. We have to cover the others and keep a lookout. Our clothes are fine.”

Maria shook her head. “No, they aren’t, Detective. Two Tone is a ska bar with ska music. Actually really good live music. That means a punker bar, with punk rockers and reggae music. You have to punk it up a little to fit in.” Maria looked at Philips. He really was a good looking tall black man with nice features. “I don’t know why you’re not being dressed as a female. You would’ve made a lovely one.”

Philips smiled and was grateful that the Saints of Fate smiled on him in that regard. “Rapist hunt within their own race groups. White females are being attacked. Not black. I wouldn’t have been a target.”

“Hmm, well either way, we need to fix your hair and get you in leather with dangling cuffs. I’m thinking a tight leather vest, nothing underneath, and some piercings. You need colored glasses, and everything tight.”

Philips smiled. “I can accommodate. I’ll go raid my brother’s closets. He’s in his early twenties and too hip for words.”

“It’ll work,” said Maria. She smiled as Philips took off to fix himself. Waters was a problem. He looked exactly what he was. Middle class white man with a family. He was thinning a little on top. “Michael, get that pair of black slacks and a nice button down white shirt. Not silk. Twill or cotton. A thin black tie, and black glasses.”

“You turning him into a business man?”

“Urban punk. White collar-banger. Yeah. Make sure the tie is really long. Solid black. We really need a hat though to paint the full picture. I’ll make a call to a store.”

Isabel came out of the room and saw the bag of cosmetics. Stealing them, she took them back into the dressing room. Maria was looking Michael over. He was too straight and tall to tone down and ignore. His attitude was a second skin to him. “Heavy black boots. Anti-establishment. Jeans. Old and worn. Cut and with strategic holes. A black tee, with no sleeves to show your tattoos, and it has to be tight. Real tight. At least two sizes too small. Too bad your hair is long. Short we could punk it up, but long will work too. Shades. Bad attitude. Park it in the dark and cross your arms across your chest. No reaction.”

Michael smiled. “That I can do.” He rushed off to find his clothes. He knew just what she had in mind.

“My man.” Maria smiled as he went upstairs. It was the feeling of eyes that had her turn to see Courtney staring at her. She was all ready to go in a short tight dress. Her makeup was still overstated, but then she was going for trashy so it worked. “The guys ready?”

She snorted unattractively. “Hardly. They’re trying to decide on the dresses and fighting over the wigs. Seems blonde and red is the most popular.”

“Max should be a brunette or black hair.”

“He wants blonde because ‘they have more fun’ or something like that.” Courtney took a few moments to really look at the smaller woman. She was lovely. That was hard to admit, but it was true. Her mouth drew attention, but her eyes kept it focused on her. Her body, even pregnant, had legs that were undeniably some of the best Courtney had see in her long life. It was the skin. Clear and soft looking. All taken together, she truly hated Maria DeLuca-Guerin.

Hanson came out of the room, and Maria gasped. Oh, this wasn’t good. He walked like a man. Really like a man, with an extreme bowlegged gait. The only thing she could think of was Opie. “Sam, I think you’re going to have to work on the walk.”

“Show him, Maria.” Isabel said as she came out of the room with the boys following her.

Maria shook her head no. “I can’t. You want him to waddle like a seven month pregnant woman with twins pushing on his bladder? And Tess is definitely out.”

“Where the heck is Liz?” Isabel wondered.

“Liz wouldn’t help. She has the Meg Ryan boyish gait. We need sexy. It’s going to have to be you, Julia, or…” Maria looked at the female detective. “I’m sorry, what was your name?”

Hanson quickly answered for Courtney. “Sorry Maria, forgot to introduce you. This is Courtney Banks, my partner. Courtney, Detective Guerin’s wife, Maria DeLuca-Guerin.”

“Maria is fine. Courtney, walk for the boys.” Courtney rolled her eyes but followed instructions. They were all talking about the finer points. “Gentlemen, observe! Discussion isn’t necessary. Just practice small steps, to the inside, not a wide gait. Isabel what’s wrong with their makeup?”

“What’s not wrong? This stuff is crap. Pancake.”

Maria looked at the stuff Isabel had and shuddered. “Oh, I had tossed that to the side. I think we better let them use my stuff. The shades won’t be right, but if you go get yours, we might be able to improvise.”

Isabel looked at her brother and shook her head. "Here," she said, handing him a razor. "We need a nice, close shave."

“Iz, I already shaved! Three times.”

“Lemon juice. Max, coat your face in lemon juice first. Let it set for five minutes then a hot press, and then shave again.”

Tess sat next to Maria. “Lemon juice?”

“It lightens the beard and helps to make the pores tighten so he can get a closer shave. Friend of mine had the dreaded mustache that she was always bleaching. She finally started shaving it. Mistake. It came back darker and thicker. I told her electrolysis, but she finally went to waxing. Lemon juice was a trick she found.”

Reluctantly, Max took the instrument and walked back into the room with a bottle of lemon juice. Isabel started working on the other men’s shadows. Julia came through the door with Ms. Fluffy under one arm and take out in the other. They had sent her to pick up the food, and our of protection, she took her cat with her. Mr. Booboo was trying to stare her down when Sean waved at her as Isabel started working on his face. Sean had surprisingly good skin. She began by applying a foundation of stage makeup to cover the heavy shadow left by the man's beard, despite shaving. At least it wasn’t as bad as Max’s.

“Maria, this crap is too thick. It won’t spread and looks really artificial.” Maria read the label and frowned. She never heard of this brand.

“Try some loose powder. Moisturize first. Try the T. LeClerc Loose Powder, but I think there is some concealer in there. Don’t use the Clé de Peau Beauté, that’s my favorite. Try the Laura Mercier, it has two shades so you can match the undertones.”

"Now, look up and don't blink," Tess instructed, as she began applying a thick coat of black mascara to Kyle's already generous lashes. L’ Oreal Lash Out. It coated without clumping. A touch of eyeliner and a dash of pearl eyeshadow accentuated the color of Kyle's eyes. Lipstick and blush followed.

Isabel pulled out scarlet acrylic nails and adhesive. Hanson looked at them resignedly, and a sigh issued from between his lips. "Is that really necessary?"

Sean looked over and smiled. Julia was feeding him and applying some to his hand. Cool. She was choosing a nice bright red. Courtney was trying to coat her nails, but the Julia had the color she wanted.

"You clip your nails too short. If you're going to doll up, might as well go all the way." Isabel said kindly.

"I suppose." Hanson held out a hand with an air of resignation. Max came out of the room and saw what they were doing, he quickly turned to flee. No one was super gluing nails to his hands. Nope. No way.

While Isabel worked on Hanson’s nails, Maria began working on the wig for Sam. It was an unruly mane of curls in a soft brunette coloring. When she was finished, Sam sported a stylish French roll with a few soft ringlets falling delicately around his face.

“What do you think, Iz?” Maria asked stepping back to view her handiwork.

“Nice. Classic. Now fix it!” Maria made a face and took out the nice style and went to work on a looser, wilder curl that would be more fitting for the club scene. Pity. Hanson was shaping up with a nice classic style.

Face and hair finally completed on Hanson, Maria pulled Max over to a pile of dresses. "Let's find you something pretty to wear, Max." Sorting through the mass of clothing, she pulled out and rejected outfit after outfit. Finally, she settled on a sapphire blue slip of sequins and satin. "This will bring out the twinkle of your eyes, Sugar." Her own eyes twinkled with amusement at the look on Max's face. She handed him the gown, which was designed for a very buxom woman. It was a tight slip of a dress that would fit tight. Real tight. Too short. Way too frickin’ short. If he stretched or bent over…

"Ah . . . I dunno," Max said, eyeing the dress doubtfully. In direct contrast to the fullness of the bustline, the slinky dress was form-fitting, with a slit up the side that went to mid-thigh.

Maria held the dress in front of Max, sizing him up. "You'll need to be a bit taller," she decided. Tossing the gown over the back of a chair, she began rummaging through a bag of shoes making rude comments about the wrongness of vinyl. With a crow of triumph, she held out her prize--a pair of platform shoes with six-inch heels. The clear acrylic shoes looked like a Frankenstein's monster version of Cinderella's glass slippers. “These are too ugly to be true! Perfect.”

“Maria, I don’t think…”

"Don’t think, Max. Here, take this and go strip," Maria ordered. When Max hesitated, she smiled cajolingly at him. "Believe me, it’ll all come together." Maria quickly found the short sassy black wig that would be an A-symmetical bob on Max coming to the line of his jaw. “Here, and try this color.”

“I wanted to wear the blonde. It has more body.” Max glared at the others as they chuckled.

Sean, who was less shy and reserved than Max, began to disrobe at Julia’s request, as Isabel brought over a small, beige garment.

"What's that?" Max looked suspiciously at what appeared to be a not-very-large elastic band. He had one like that in the pile that Maria gave him.

"It's a girdle, Max. With that dress, you won't want any unsightly bulges spoiling the effect. Sean’s is also formfitting, so best to strap in the bumps.” The women in the room laughed in delight at their expressions. All except Courtney, who was obviously bored. That was until Michael slowly descended the stairs. Oh, fuck me now!  He looked totally hot. Too hot. Maria noticed her property and smiled. Exactly the look she was going for. He looked like a Rebel and totally untouchable.

“Besides,” said Maria turning back to Max, “it'll do wonders for that tight little butt of yours." She handed the torture device to the reluctant Max as he tried to shove it at her in protest.

Sean tugged along the edges of the waistband after he put his on. "No way I'm fitting into this!" He shook his head in dismay.

"Look, Sean, we all wear them from time to time depending on the dress.” Julia looked over at Maria. Okay, maybe not Maria. She was way too thin right now to use a strapping band to smooth the lines of a dress. “It is standard fare for drag queens, I swear. If you're going to impersonate a female, you have to hide your male assets. This is one way of doing it. There's an alternative, but I don't think you'd like it."

"Yeah, what makes you think I wouldn't like something better than this?" he asked sarcastically, holding up the girdle and shaking it passionately.

"Well," Maria continued with a sly look on her face, "some of the men tie their genitals between their legs." She watched as all the men’s faces blanched, and Sean immediately made a genuine effort to struggle into the girdle. "Thought that might be your choice," she chuckled.

"I can't breathe!" Sean gasped, once the restrictive garment was in place.

“Perfect!” said Tess. “Then it’s exactly the right size.” Tess winked at Maria as Julia smothered a laugh and Isabel went to harass Max in the other room. Men never could completely understand how much a woman went through to turn out a well-coifed look.

"Take shallow breaths, from the upper half of your lungs. It's more feminine looking, anyway. You'll survive. Now these," Maria said, tossing a pair of stockings his way.

Sean felt them and shook his head tossing them back to his cousin. “Uh uh. I want real silk ones like Julia wears with that cute little belt.”

Maria shook her head no and tossed them back. “Sorry, Sean, but real silk stockings are hard to come by, and I can’t see Julia or me…or any of us willing to let you ruin a pair for this. Believe me, most silk stockings today have lycra anyway. There are only two manufacturers that still make 100% real silk or 100% nylon stockings. So this is your only alternative.”

Deft fingers snatched the hosiery out of mid-air. "How, exactly, do I get these things on?"

Shaking her head, Isabel pushed Sean into the nearest chair. "Haven't you ever undressed a lady before?" Rolling one leg of the hose up until only the toe was exposed, she bent over. "Point," she commanded. When the bewildered Hanson who was watching and copying the procedure looked at her in confusion, she clarified. "Your toes, Sam. Point your toes. Like this." She stuck out a foot to demonstrate.

The view from where Max was sitting suddenly became dizzying. He needed a damn raise. As Isabel reached for Sean’s reluctant foot, she shoved her ample bosom in his face. Eyes glazing over, his right hand lifted of its own volition to cup a breast. He was batted back to reality when Isabel slapped his hand away. Her sultry voice suddenly took on the proportions of full-blown bass. "Hands off, or Julia will kick your ass." Sean swallowed hard. Damn, he was liking this too much and now a threat of a beating from Julia.

“Sorry, involuntary reaction.” Anxious to end this and get out quickly, he cooperated fully as Isabel rolled the hose up his freshly-waxed leg, fastening the top of the stocking to little clips that hung from the girdle. She repeated the process with the other stocking and stood up.

“I don’t know why I have to do Sean. Julia, you finish him. I’ll do Max.”

Picking the gown off the chair, Isabel helped Max slide it over his head, tugging it into place. Before zipping it closed, she stuffed two "D" cup falsies into the bustline of the dress. The high collar dusted his chin while long sleeves reached to his wrists, ending in little points over the backs of his hands, renaissance-style. The slit up the side showed off a shapely leg, while the tight fit accented Max's assets. Isabel urged him into the shoes and told him to wiggle.

“Wiggle?”

The women in the room laughed. Julia demonstrated. “That dress Max is supposed to have a bunched up look. It is tight and alluring, but you have to wiggle to get it to fit in the right places.”

Michael sneered close to his partner. “C’mon, partner, give us a wiggle.”

“Bastard,” Max swore under his breath turning a shade of red unbecoming to his makeup job at the groups chuckles. “I was supposed to get to sit in the damn van this time!”

Teetering on the platforms, Kyle saw the world from the lofty height of six feet two-and-a-half inches. He smiled at the thought of finally being able to look Michael Guerin in the eye without getting a crick in his neck.

Jewelry and last minute accessories were added. Rhinestone drop earrings were clipped to Max’s lobes before Isabel led the tottering man around the room. With a few whispered suggestions, she coaxed her reluctant brother to practice walking naturally. But not like a man.

Maria sat back on the sofa in Michael’s arms and smiled as she shared a takeout order of Chinese pork with him. “You all look so pretty!”

Sean was trying to see his ass with a hand held mirror. “Does this dress make my ass look huge or what?”