STRAY CATS

by Guy Winters

Copyright © 2013 Guy Winters
All rights reserved.

All the places and characters in this book have no existence outside of the imagination of the author and have no relationship whatsoever to anyone or any place bearing the same name or names. All incidents are purely fiction and the resemblance to any person, place, or thing is purely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

-ONE-

Alex Wells walked out of his bathroom wearing a well-worn t-shirt and boxers. He glanced out the window at the street in front of the house as he brushed his teeth silently. It was a chilly and rainy night outside. The streets were slick with rain and a mist hung in the air from all the traffic that whizzed by the house.

Even though it was chilly outside it was rather cozy inside his tiny apartment. Living on the third floor in this ancient Victorian mansion meant that heat in the wintertime was never an issue. Some days he even had to open his window when his neighbors on the floors below decided to really crank up the thermostat. The creaky old relic that housed his apartment and a dozen more had been cut up into mostly small efficiency apartments during Wilmington's urban expansion period in the nineteen-seventies.

Alex walked back into his bathroom and spit into the sink. He looked up into the mirror and felt his beard. He hadn’t shaved today but from the looks of things he wouldn’t have to. He noticed that his beard was getting thinner and a little finer. It seemed to coincide with the rest of the transformations that have been happening to his body. They all started about three years ago. Alex studied his face a moment. His features were becoming softer and actually looking a bit androgynous. His hips have grown wider and his skin softer, his slender frame, which at one time looked boyish, was noticeably feminine.

Damn it, why couldn’t he be just like everybody else? Why couldn’t he be just a normal guy?

Alex pushed back his light brown wavy hair and sighed, a gift from his mother he mused with a wry smile. His hair was getting finer and softer too. He brushed the tangles out of his damp hair and pulled the long strands into a ponytail then wrapped it with an elastic hair tie.

He took off his t-shirt and checked the ace bandages wrapped tightly around his chest. None of them had slipped so everything was fine. Well as fine as things could be wrapped up like a mummy so no one would notice his secret. He sighed once again and pulled on a clean t-shirt with a flannel shirt over that and then some well-worn jeans. He had to dress in layers, even on hot summer days just to keep his secret well hidden.

Alex sat down at a thrift store desk and looked at his computer screen. The cursor was flashing near the end of a story he was assigned to write. It was for a graduate seminar course and it was due this coming Saturday. He sighed and hit the save key. Maybe he would have time to finish it tomorrow. He was tired of staring at it. Besides, he had to go to class and if he didn’t hurry he was going to be late…again.

Five minutes later Alex closed his apartment door and glanced both ways down the hall. There were three other apartments on this floor and he knew from the landlord that two of them had been filled recently. Yet in the three months that he had lived there, he rarely saw any of them and never the person who lived across from him. Alex considered that a moment then he shrugged his shoulders and wandered down the stairs at the end of the hallway.

On the way out of the apartment house Tom Reilly, the landlord, poked his head out of his apartment door. A towel partially covered a head full of auburn hair, still dripping wet from a recent shower. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days but that didn't seem to matter. Reilly changed his facial hair the way women changed their nail color. It helped that he had a thick beard to match his unruly hair.

Tom was shorter than Alex. But what he lacked in height he made up for it in personality. “Hey Wells,” he shouted, “I got a little pot-luck thingy happening this weekend in the backyard. You coming?” Tom winked a watery blue eye at Alex.

“That depends, what time is it?”

“It starts at six so you should be able to make it for a while before you have to work.”

“What should I bring?”

“Beer would be nice and maybe some chips.“ Reilly’s words became garbled as he shoved a toothbrush in his mouth and began to scrub.

“Okay, I'll see what I can do.”

Tom shrugged and walked back into his apartment.

“Hey, Tom.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I borrow your bicycle? I’m out of gas money and I’m going to be late for class.”

“Sure, it’s around back.”

Alex turned and walked out the back door of the building. Leaning up against the porch railing was Tom’s bike. It was a rickety old thing, a throwback to the sixties with wide tires and no gears. Even though it wasn’t much to look at it sure beat walking. He rolled the bike around the house and pushed off pedaling down the street. No matter how he looked at it he was going to be late again.

He hadn’t traveled more than five blocks when he approached a busy street corner. The light turned green as he came up to the intersection and he kept pedaling to pass through it quickly. Suddenly a car sped up to the intersection and did a soft stop on the red light. Then it turned and clipped his rear tire sending him flying across the street narrowly missing the back end of a parked car. He landed on his back and skidded several more feet tearing the back of his coat and shirt to shreds on the rough asphalt.

The ace bandage on his back managed to save him from getting any serious road rash but his jacket and the shirt and undershirt were completely ruined. The bicycle, twisted into a pretzel, lay across the intersection, its front wheel still spinning. After his head stopped spinning he sat up yelling. “What the hell! Son of a bitch! Did you even look asshole! Damn it!”

Alex felt the cool damp air against his back then he felt the bandages loosen their grip on his chest. Suddenly he knew everyone would see him, naked and exposed. The thought frightened him. “Fuck!”

Alex started to get up when a middle-aged woman came out of her car shouting for him to lie still as she ran towards him.

“Don’t move! You could have hurt your spine! I’ve called an ambulance, they’ll be here any minute.” The woman was kneeling in the street nearly beside herself in tears.

“Are you hurt? I don’t see any bleeding.”

“I’m late for class lady,” he said trying to get up again but her hands held his shoulders and pushed him back down again.

“Please, just wait for the ambulance, they’ll be here any second.”

Alex clutched his tattered coat and shirt around his body trying to keep his secret hidden. The ace bandages hung loose across his chest and he pulled at the fabric in a futile attempt to protect his chest.

His mind began to reel with the thought that people would see him, that they would know his secret. He imagined that they would all point and laugh. A freak, a pervert, something to see on the six-o’clock news, his mind was spinning with fear. He couldn’t stand them looking at him, this was a nightmare, his worst nightmare. He had to keep his chest covered no matter what.

The woman ran back to her car and pulled a coat from the back seat. While she was gone Alex managed to stand up. He started to walk away but his legs were still a bit wobbly and his head continued to spin so he stumbled over to the curb and sat down. The woman returned and wrapped her coat around his shoulders.

“I said you shouldn’t move young man. What if you broke your back or something.”

Alex just glared at her then he shook his head and looked away.

The ambulance arrived a moment later. They pulled off her coat and wrapped him in a blanket then they loaded him into the ambulance as a police car pulled into the intersection and switched on their flashing lights.

All this time Alex was still clutching his coat and shirt to protect his chest.

“Hey lady, I can’t pay for this!”

“Don’t worry. It was my fault, I’ll handle everything.” She handed him her business card. Then she handed her card to the ambulance driver as well. It read Margaret Cummings of ‘Dresher, Cummings, and Sanford – Investments and Securities’. “All my contact information was on the card.”

Alex stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans. A police officer asked Alex a few questions, mostly routine, about what had happened and was he hurt, then they released him to the EMT’s to take him to the hospital.

In route, one of the medical technicians checked his blood pressure and used a penlight to see if there were signs of a concussion or shock.

The technician wanted to make him more comfortable but Alex refused to let go of his shirt and the remnants of his coat. Instead he pulled the blanket around him like a life jacket.

Once in the receiving area of the hospital he was wheeled into area cordoned off from other beds by a privacy curtain. Several nurses came in and attempt to remove his garments but he refused to let them. Eventually a doctor arrived and seeing the frantic look on Alex’s face he asked the rest of the medical team to leave. Alex looked at the name badge on the doctor’s coat. It read Dr. Alan Phillips, M.D.

Once they were alone, the doctor asked Alex, “What’s going on?”

“Look Doctor Phillips, I don’t have insurance, okay? Some lady hit me while I was on my bike and knocked me across the street. I’m okay, all right? I just need to get to class. I can’t afford to be late again.”

“Don’t worry about that, the duty nurse will call your college and tell them what happened. In the meantime let me do a routine examination.”

Alex sat patiently waiting for Dr. Phillips to complete his checkup.

“Why won’t you let them remove your clothes?”

“I just don’t want them to, okay?”

“Whatever, aside from a couple of scrapes and bruises, I don’t see any signs of trauma. But I would like to keep you here for observation for at least twenty-four hours to...”

Alex interrupted. “Sorry doctor, no can do. I’ve got to get to class, then I have to go to my part-time job. You can treat the scrapes on my arm and the cut on my forehead but I keep my clothes on, okay?”

The doctor threw up his hands and scowled at Alex then he turned and left the room. A moment later a nurse came in and dressed the scrapes and bruises on his arms and forehead.

About then Margaret Cummings arrived at the emergency room. She was ushered back to see Alex who was still sitting on his gurney wrapped in a blanket along with his tattered shirt and coat. The nurse finished bandaging his wounds and scrapes as Margaret Cummings entered the room.

“Why are you refusing treatment? I pay a handsome fee each month to make sure that my insurance will cover everything.”

“I’m fine, look I’m as good as new. See?” He waved a free hand, “No broken bones. I just need to go. I’ll be fine.”

“At least let me drive you someplace.”

Alex lowered his head and sighed. Then he glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Okay, it’s too late to go to class so you can drive me home.”

Alex followed her out of the emergency room and got into the passenger seat of her car.

“Which way?”

“Turn left at the light, I live on Park Street near 18th.”

They sit in silence for most of the way to the apartment house.

She slowed down for a stoplight “What are you going to school for?”

“I’m working on a graduate degree in writing.”

“Have you published anything?”

“Mostly small stuff, a few short stories. Nothing much. Here it is. That’s where I live. This will be fine. Thank you. I’ll be all right.

“Please, call me tomorrow. I’m so sorry this had to happen.”

“Rainy days, Mrs. Cummings. Shitty things happen on rainy days.”

Alex climbed the three flights of stairs to his third floor apartment. He walked into the bathroom and slowly removed the shirt and coat that he’s been clutching against his chest this whole time.

The elastic bandages fell away and Alex sighed.

“Shitty things happen on rainy days.”

=TWO=

It was well known in the neighborhood that Tom Reilly liked to party. That became apparent when Alex attended his first ‘full house back yard bash’ as Reilly liked to call them. Only the tenants were invited, and one or two of their friends, begrudgingly. The beer flowed freely and the usual fare of burgers and dogs was welcome on Alex’s meager salary.

Oddly enough, the one person who didn’t attend these little backyard gatherings was the person who lived in the apartment directly across from Alex. Reilly told him it was a girl. Her name was Rachel Thompson.

Reilly nudged Alex in the ribcage and winked at him when he told Alex that his neighbor was a real hottie. Alex grinned sheepishly and nodded. He decided he would judge that for himself. He was never quite sure of Reilly's taste or his intentions, however friendly.

Later that evening, in a moment of sobriety, Reilly went on to say that Alex's neighbor often worked late hours, was quiet, and wasn’t much of a party person.

“Which was too bad, if you know what I mean,” Reilly said with a bleary-eyed wink. The alcohol was beginning to have an effect on his landlord again.

Alex shrugged his shoulders and chalked it up to fate. If they were going to meet it would happen regardless of any desire on his part. Not that desire had anything to do with it. Perhaps curiosity was more to the point. Rachel Thompson was the one person who lived in the apartment house that he hadn't met. It made him curious, but only to a point.

Alex turned around and nearly ran into Amanda Simpson, a girl who had an apartment on the first floor near the back of the house. Her cute face was framed with silky dark brown hair that fell straight down to her waist. She had a cute nose and eyes that sparkled delightfully.

Alex glanced down at her hand as it braced against his arm. Her skin glowed with that soft creamy tan quality that so many girls envied. She laughed brightly as she tried to keep her balance. “Hey Alex, you almost ran me over.”

Alex fell back against a tree to keep from knocking her down. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you behind me. Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. Have you settled into your apartment?”

“I’m okay but you look a little banged up. What happened?” she asked still holding onto his arm, now more for the contact than the need for support.

“A car decided to share the ride on the back of Reilly’s bicycle the other day. I took a nosedive, did a mid-air pirouette and pancaked in the middle of the intersection. Bet you didn’t know I was such a gymnast. The bystanders gave me 2.5 points with a 5% degree of difficulty.”

“Ha!” She laughed out loud, it was a delightful laugh that made Alex smile. “No broken bones?”

“None that have shown up yet. So how’s work?”

“The market has been going haywire lately so I’ve been tied up at work a lot.”

Amanda told Alex a week ago that she worked part-time as a stock analyst for a brokerage house downtown. She told him that she like the fast paced craziness of it all.

She wore a mischievous grin. “How about you? Still doing the graduate student shuffle?”

“Yeah, pretty much the same, classes, work, sleep, and more classes."

The small talked continued for a while. Alex always liked to talk to Amanda. She was bright and bubbly with a beautiful smile and dazzling eyes. It didn’t hurt that she was down right gorgeous either. She obviously worked out from time to time which kept her slim and shapely.

A couple of other tenants stumbled across some tree roots as they walked by talking. They fell against Amanda and she leaned against Alex to keep from falling. Alex smiled sheepishly as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her balanced.

He thought about how much he enjoyed her company. He remembered the first day he met her. She was standing in the front yard of the apartment house staring at a large pile of boxes and furniture that were unceremoniously dumped on Reilly's front lawn. He was walking up the front steps of the apartment house as she stood there with a perplexed look on her face.

"Hi, you look a little troubled," he said with a wry grin.

"They just dumped my stuff on the lawn without even as much as a sorry, or an offer to help me carry it inside," Amanda growled contemptuously.

He offered to lend her a hand and she’s been thanking him ever since.

The partygoers lingered in Reilly’s back yard for the rest of the evening. By nine o’clock, when Alex had to go to work, things had finally quieted down. He said good night to Amanda and headed off to work.

As for his neighbor across the hall, fate finally dealt Alex the right cards two nights later. Rachel Thompson, the mysterious reclusive neighbor from across the hall, was climbing the stairs ahead of him. He was coming home from his part-time gig at a nearby convenience store. It was nearly two in the morning and he was exhausted. He had spent most of the night restocking the back room.

Rachel Thompson was tall, maybe five-foot ten in stocking feet. As Alex gazed up at her the first thing he noticed about her were her beautiful legs. They were slender, nicely shaped, and they finished in a cute round butt that sashayed nicely in a tiny skirt as she climbed the stairs ahead of him. He was slowly trudging up the stairs when he turned a corner on the landing and noticed her. He stopped a moment to admire her beauty. Half way up the last flight of steps she paused and glanced back at Alex. Her long hair had amber streaks running through it as it fell in gentle curls down her back.

From where he stood it looked to Alex like she had a runner’s body, tall and graceful without being skinny or awkward. But even taking in all those other features the part of her that captivated Alex’s attention the most was her beautiful green eyes. They shimmered in the soft light that illuminated the hallway. There was a sparkle in them that was totally mesmerizing.

She smiled subtly and then turned to finish the last steps on that flight of stairs when she suddenly broke a heel. Alex climbed the stairs quickly and caught her as she started to fall. They both managed to stay upright and when she took a step towards her apartment it became apparent that she had twisted her ankle.

He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her into her apartment. Then he walked across the hall and retrieved some ice in a bag for her ankle. It was bit swollen but fortunately it didn’t look too bad.

Once he got her settled in on her couch he decided that it was late and he really needed to get some sleep so he offered her his cell number if she needed anything. She smiled shyly and thanked him before he closed her apartment door.

The next day after classes, Amanda saw Alex walking up the front steps holding a bag of Chinese carry out as she was coming out of the front door with a shopping bag in her hand.

She offered an impish grin. “Hey, your turn to cook tonight?”

“Sort of. My hallway neighbor sprained her ankle last night when she was climbing the stairs in heels that are dangerous enough on level ground. I thought I’d help her out with a ‘meals on wheels’ for the night.”

Amanda smiled as she touched his arm. “That’s really sweet of you Alex. I‘ll be sure to ring your delivery service when I get sick too.” She added a couple of fake coughs and a big grin for good measure. Then she skipped down the front steps, waved and was off down the sidewalk with a, “See you,” and a smile.

What started out that evening to be a bit awkward between Alex and Rachel eventually turned into a lovely dinner. They talked clear past midnight. She had a marvelous smile and a delightful laugh.

Alex didn’t see her again for almost a week after that. He remembered that she mentioned once that she worked part time at a bar downtown. Tuesday was one of his nights off so he thought he’d check it out.

Moulin Rouge is a bar on the east side of downtown, and he realized, after he got there, that it was mostly a gay bar. That didn’t bother him but still, it did come as a surprise.

Rachel spotted him the moment he sat down at the bar and suggested that he sit at a table near the back. He followed her to the table, which as it turned out, was part of her section. They flirted a bit for the better part of the evening. It wasn’t too busy that night so they spent a lot of time talking, mostly about her work at the accounting firm downtown and his classes at the university.

Just after one in the morning she told him that she was going to get off work soon and she wondered if Alex could give her a lift back to the apartment house. She told him the other day that riding the bus home late at night can sometimes be dangerous and waiting for a cab can take hours once all the bars close.

They got back to the house a half hour later and he walked her to her door. She turned and looked at him a moment. Alex didn’t know if she expected him to try something or not so he just stood there, his cheeks flushed and feeling awkward.

He broke the awkward silence with a simple “Good night.” Then he turned to cross the hallway to his door.

“Good night.” She paused as she watched him fiddle with his lock. “Hey, I just want you to know that I’m not exactly what I seem to be.”

"Okay." Alex shrugged his shoulders and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“I wanted you to know that before anything might happen between us, that’s all.”

“That’s cool. I wasn’t expecting anything. Except perhaps that it would be nice if we could get together over coffee sometime.”

Rachel tilted her head slightly and smiled. “I’d like that.” Then she opened her apartment door. She stood silently watching as he opened his door and went inside. Then she closed her door and the third floor hallway fell silent once again.

The following Saturday afternoon Alex walked into the house laden with plastic bags filled with groceries. They hung off of him like an over-eager delivery boy. As he closed the front door he saw Amanda walk quickly from her apartment towards the back door of the building. It looked like she was crying.

Alex dashed quickly upstairs and dropped of his groceries in his apartment. He grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and bounded down the stairs quickly heading for the backyard. He walked out onto the porch and saw her sitting alone in a tree swing under an old oak tree that shaded most of the backyard. It was clear from her posture that she was upset.

Alex stood quietly a moment and watched her shift back and forth in the swing. She held her cellphone in one hand and wiped her eyes with the palm of her other hand. He came off the back porch and walked across the yard to lean against the tree.

Amanda looked up after a moment and smiled meekly. Alex waited silently.

“Hi,” she said softly looking back down at the ground.

“You okay?” He handed her a soda.

“Thanks. My mom just called. My cousin Susan is getting married next month.”

Alex walked over and sat in a chair near the firepit. Amanda continued to sway in the swing. Her eyes glistened and her cheeks were still moist.

“That’s a good thing isn’t it?”

“It is.” She wiped her eyes again. “Susan was the one bright spot in my otherwise fucked up childhood in Vancouver. These are happy tears.” Her tears continued to trail down her cheeks. “Well, maybe happy mixed with a little melancholy.”

“Why?”

“Because my life continues to be fucked up.” For the first time since he sat down, she finally looked at Alex. “Part of me is incredibly happy for her but the other part of me is a little sad that my life has turned out the way it has. Kicked out of town with a one-way ticket to no-where’s-ville.”

Alex sat silent for a moment and watched her sway gently in the swing. He figured that something or someone was behind the rough way she was treated, landing like she did on Reilly's doorstep. But he didn't believe in chance or coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. The interesting part is discovering the secret to the puzzle.

He smiled and leaned forward to look her in the eyes. “I think you live a very charmed life, Amanda Simpson. ” He wore a big grin as he stood up and opened his arms wide.

She looked up skeptically.

“You got a ‘do-over’," he announced broadly.

“A what?”

“A ‘do-over’." He dropped his hands to his hips. "It’s what happens when the universe deals you a hand that is so terribly wrong that in one fell swoop things are reset and you get to start again fresh. You are truly blessed Amanda Simpson, and that is nothing to be sad about." He finished his announcement with a flourish and a bow. Then he looked up to see her reaction.

Amanda paused a moment and considered his words. Suddenly a smile began to grow on her face. She looked up at him and grinned. Then she rushed over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Alex, you’re wonderful! Thank you so much! Of course I’m blessed. I just needed you to point that out to me!” She squealed with delight as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

“No problem Amanda.” Alex returned her hug. “Tell your cousin ‘best of luck’ from me and call me if you need anything.”

She gave him one more squeeze and kissed him on the cheek then she released him. "I will, thanks.”

He walked over and stood on the porch a moment as he watched her flip open her cellphone and dial a number with flair. Her cousin must have answered because it seemed like she was quickly back to her bubbly self. Alex smiled and walked back into the house.

The next day Alex saw Rachel coming out of her apartment. They chatted for a moment in the hallway. It wasn’t much, just small talk. The sort of ‘how’s your day’ sort of stuff that often passes between two people who live in the same apartment house.

Then out of the blue Rachel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Alex blinked a moment and stood motionless, looking a bit stunned. I must have a ‘kiss me’ button on my shirt, he thought.

When Rachel opened her eyes she blushed.

“I’m so sorry.”

“What for? That was very nice. Unexpected, but nice.”

“I don’t know what came over me. I just had this sudden urge to kiss you. Maybe it was a thank you for the time when you helped me after I turned my ankle.”

“You’re welcome, anytime.”

Alex turned towards his apartment and pulled out his keys.

“Hey.” She glanced down the hallway from side to side. “Can we talk?”

Alex looked at her quizzically.

“I mean in private. I have something I want to tell you but I don't want others to," she shrugged her shoulders, "you know.”

“Of course.”

Rachel opened her door and led him into her apartment. It was much bigger than his, perhaps twice the size. She had a small kitchen with an island counter off to one side and a living room area to the other side of the room. Next to this was a door that led to a separate bedroom with a small bathroom attached.

Alex walked over to the two windows that looked out onto the back yard of the house. He could see the firepit and the old swings that Reilly built for the last ‘back yard bash’ down below. Then he turned to survey her apartment.

“Wow, this is really nice.” There were pictures on the dresser and a couple of nice paintings on the wall. “Who’s this in the photo?” Alex pointed to a man and a woman. They looked like husband and wife, maybe her parents.

“That’s my uncle Fred and his wife Abby. They let me stay with them one summer after my father kicked me out of his house when I was seventeen.”

“Shit, why?”

“Because of who I was at the time and what I was becoming.”

“Huh?”

Rachel walked over to the couch and sat down.

“Sit here Alex. Please. I want to tell you a little about me. But first you have to promise that you’ll not share this with anyone.”

“Of course. If you ask me I’ll keep whatever you tell me a secret forever.”

“Thank you.”

She paused a moment, as if gathering the courage to start with her story.

“When I was little, I was always frail as a child. I didn’t develop physically like other kids my age. I always felt that there was something different about me, like I was not normal. At least not normal according to what I saw around me, the way normal boys and girls were growing up. When I was ten I had this crush on a boy. His name was Johnny. He was one of the kids in the neighborhood. We went to school together, we were in different classrooms but we saw each other a lot. We often played together when all of the kids in the neighborhood gathered outside for a game or something.”

“One night we were playing hide and seek. It was getting dark and Johnny and I were hiding in a bunch of bushes near my house. It was old man Spangler’s house. He was widowed and lived alone. I think he worked at the car plant or something because he left early each day and didn’t come home sometimes until after dark."

"Anyway, we were hiding in some bushes in his front yard. I guess I couldn’t resist my urges any longer and I reached over and kissed Johnny hard on the lips. Johnny pulled away in shock but that wasn’t the worst of it. Old man Spangler was standing right behind us and he shouted, ‘Get the hell out of my yard you little faggots!’"

Rachel lowered her eyes and glanced away for a moment. She turned back and looked Alex in the eyes.

"You see, Alex, I was born a boy.”

“Huh? You’re so beautiful,” Alex whispered. “I never would have guessed.” Alex’s voice trailed off as he watched her reaction.

Rachel looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes began to tear up. She drew a big breath and shuddered as she let her breath out slowly. She dabbed her eyes gently then continued.

“I hid the fact that I was different from my parents for a long time, but eventually my mother found out. She caught me going through her underwear drawer one day when I pretended to be sick from school.”

“I skipped school a lot after that night with Johnny in front of old man Spangler’s house. The boys at school were merciless, especially Johnny. That made the whole thing so much harder to take. They would punch me or trip me or push me against a wall and try to choke me. I tried my best to stay away from them but middle school is a difficult place to hide.”

“After my mother found out about me she tried her best to ‘cure me’ as she put it. I went to a bunch of child psychologists who poked and prodded and scratched their heads. They were all a bunch of pill pushing quacks.”

“Finally my mother took me to this one family physician and he and I had a long chat. Apparently he had a niece who was born the same way as me so he understood the struggle I was dealing with. He told me that there was really nothing wrong with me. I was shocked that someone actually said that.

He said that there are people who are born genetically with one gender and psychologically identify with another gender. He talked to my mother and told her that he thought she should support my situation any way she could. After that I started hormone therapy. I began it on my twelfth birthday.”

“After I started to identify with being a girl things went from bad to worse at school. It wasn’t the boys that were the worst. It was the girls. Boys can be mean but girls are vicious. They saw me as competition because I dressed nice and looked pretty. Even though I continued to dress like a boy. I guess they saw it as a challenge and took it the wrong way. I was just trying to figure out who I was at the time. I barely had time to think about chasing boys.”

And not all the boys rejected me. There was this one boy who transferred in during the tenth grade. His family had just moved to the city and he was new to the area. He was also very cute and all the girls set their sights on him. It wasn’t my fault that he liked me but there was no explaining that to the girls. I can’t begin to explain the wicked things they did to me.”

“Finally, after the fifth time I came home from high school with bruises and a black eye, my mother pulled me out of the school. I was too ashamed to admit that I had been beaten by a bunch of girls. She home-schooled me until I was seventeen. I got my GED and went on to community college to study accounting.”

“When I was still going to high school I always dressed as a boy. When I was at home I loved to dress up in girls clothes, I bought all sorts of frilly things, the softer the better.

But I had to be careful how I dressed when my dad was around. He wouldn't stand for any of it. One day he caught me dressed in a frilly dress and an apron. I was baking some cookies for my mom and he came home early from work. I had to think fast. I explained to him that I was practicing for a school play. He bought it that time but when he caught me dressed in a nightgown and panties one night it was everything my mother could do to keeping him from beating me and throwing me out of the house that very moment. I left the next day and never looked back. I was seventeen and homeless.”

“My father was a brute of a man. I never understood what my mother saw in him. She told me one day that the only gift she was ever grateful for from my father was ‘me’ and that made me cry.” She dabbed her eyes again. “I guess it still does.”

“She finally got fed up with the bastard because a year after he kicked me out of his house she left him. She lives in Springfield now and I see her from time to time. She’s much happier and she has a new boyfriend. I’ve met him and he’s really nice.”

“I see why you like to keep to yourself,” Alex said softly.

“It’s not that I want to hide from anybody, Alex. I’m no longer ashamed of who or what I am. I just find it difficult to open up to people I live around because of everything that’s happened in my past. I’ve had a lot of experience with people judging me and I prefer not to put myself in those kinds of situations again if I can help it. Besides, most people don’t understand who I am and prefer not to get involved.” She glanced sideways at Alex briefly. “But somehow I felt you would be someone who would accept me and could be my friend.”

Alex sat for a moment and looked at Rachel. His eyes began to tear up.

My god, could he tell her? What would she think? That he’s some sort of freak? He realized that she had just shared something incredibly intimate.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? I said that I’m okay with who I am.” She reached over and took his hand to gently squeeze it. “When I think back on all of it I like to believe that it’s made me a better person. They say whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger,” she added with a cheery smile.

Alex wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands then drew a big breath and blew it out quickly. He knew he had to tell her; he just wasn’t sure how to start.

He slowly began to unbutton his shirt as he whispered softly. “I want to show you something.”

Rachel watched him intently. She had no idea what could be so upsetting to cause such a reaction in Alex.

As the last button was undone, Alex pulled his shirttails from his pants to reveal an elastic bandage wrapped tightly around his chest. Beneath the bandage it was clear to her that two sizable bumps were evident. Did he have breasts? She looked up into Alex’s eyes. He has breasts? Was he a girl trying to be a boy?

Her voice quavered. “I don’t understand.” She reached forward and gently touched the bandage. Beneath it she could feel the firmness of a full breast. She could see that Alex was trembling.

“The term is ‘intersex’.” His voice shuddered nervously. “You can look it up on the internet. It’s apparently a medical condition. It doesn’t always manifest early in life. They began to develop when I was twenty. At first they were very sensitive and then they began to swell and grow. I went from a flat chest to a “C” cup in eighteen months. They haven’t grown much since then. I suppose if I went on hormone therapy like you did my body would grow even more feminine. I’m still a fully functioning male,” he added sheepishly, “everything still seems to work. But I have no idea who I am up here anymore.” He pointed to his forehead.

Rachel pulled Alex into a hug. She took a big breath and squeezed him tightly. “Oh my god, thank you,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You can not imagine how scared I was to tell you all of this. Somehow deep inside I knew that you would understand me. I had no idea that you were like me!”

“I’m nowhere near as brave as you are Rachel,” he replied as she continued to hold him tightly. “This all came on much later in my life. I never had to endure the kind of crap that you did when you were in high school. I don’t think I could have done it. Your so much stronger than I am.”

“Maybe,” she said releasing him and gently rubbing his back. “But I’m so glad I said something today.”

“Why?”

“Because not only do I have a new friend,” she leaned back with a huge grin, “I have a new girl friend!” She hugged him again and Alex groaned as she held him tightly.

“Does anybody else know about you?”

“Nobody, you’re the first one I’ve ever told, outside of a few specialists in Colorado and my mom, of course.”

“Not even Amanda?”

“No, why would Amanda know anything?”

“I’m sorry,” Rachel suddenly changed her tone. She moved to sit beside Alex and looked down and away from him. “I just thought.” Her voice trailed off.

Alex smiled at her. “We’re friends, Rachel, that’s all. I only just met her a month ago. I helped her bring some of her boxes into her apartment when she moved in. We talk in the hallway from time to time but that’s about it.”

“I saw you both yesterday in the backyard.” Rachel was embarrassed to admit that she watched them out her window. “You looked like you were very close so I guess I assumed.”

“I saw her go out to the backyard yesterday when I came home from school. She looked a little upset. Her cousin is getting married next month; apparently they’re very close. She was feeling a little homesick, that’s all. I tried to cheer her up.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I misread everything. I was a little jealous. You two always seemed so happy together. It made me want to open up to you because, well, I wanted you as a friend too.”

“Well, I’m flattered, and I’m glad you were a little jealous because if you weren’t we would never have made this connection. You can imagine how much of a burden this has been for me.” He placed his hands on his chest.

Her tears began to trail down her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t cry.” He wiped away her tears.

“Thanks, they’re happy tears not sad ones.”

“Good. But you really should get to know Amanda.” He turned and settled back on her couch. “She’s bright and cheery and I think she’s really smart too. I think you might really like her.”

“Alex, girls frighten the hell out of me. I know on the outside they appear all soft and frilly but inside they can be monsters.”

“Those high school girls really did a number on you didn’t they?”

“I guess.” She sighed. “I still have the jitters when I’m around a bunch of them at my day job.”

They both sat in silence on the couch for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Rachel glanced sideways at Alex then she closed her eyes and willed her mouth to open.

“Alex?”

“Huh?”

“Are you sure you’re okay with who I am? You’re not freaked out or anything?”

“After what I just showed you I should ask you the same thing.”

“Would you, ah, would you show them to me?”

“You mean without the bandage?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, okay.” He sat up and took off his shirt then he pulled off the hooks that bound the bandages in place and slowly unwrapped the elastic bands. A moment later his breasts were released and they swelled to their true form. There were red marks where the bandages pulled tightly across his chest and a few stray hairs that interrupted his otherwise smooth and creamy chest. His aureoles were modest in size and his nipples stood out prominently from each breast. He started to cover himself with his hands but Rachel placed her hands on his wrists and gently moved them away from his body.

“Oh, they look lovely.”

Alex watched in amazement as Rachel lowered her mouth to one of his breasts and, using her tongue, she lightly touched his nipple. He closed his eyes and relished the velvet touch of her tongue on his breast. It sent chills down his spine.

Rachel closed her mouth over his breast and began to suckle. She drew in a breath and savored his smell as she sucked and nibbled at his breast. Then she moved to the other breast and did the same thing while she brought up her hand and pinched the first nipple, pulling it out between her thumb and forefinger.

“Oh.”

It shocked her a moment and she pulled away abruptly. “God, I’m so sorry.” Her face flushed with crimson. “I don’t know what’s come over me.” Rachel’s heart was pounding as she buried her face in her hands.

“Hey,” Alex murmured as he took her hands from her face and kissed her on the forehead, “it felt lovely.” He reached up and put his hands besides her face and drew her face down between his breasts.

She kissed Alex there lightly as she nuzzled his breasts then she moved up his body trailing kisses up his neck until she kissed him on the lips.

“Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes.

Alex smiled shyly as Rachel released him then moved over and leaned back against the couch. She reached across and took his hand then kissed it and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“They really are beautiful, Alex. I wish mine were that soft.” Her heart was still racing but it was beginning to slow down a little.

Alex sighed a little and looked over at Rachel.

“You have no reason to be envious Rachel, you are simply stunning. If I wasn’t so awkward around women I would have been stalking you a long time ago.” He grinned sheepishly and then blushed bright crimson.

“Wouldn’t that have been a surprise,” she added with a chuckle.

“All the way around.”

They both laughed a bit then settled back into the couch with a smile and a sigh.

Rachel looked at the bulge that was growing in the front of Alex’s pants. She reached over and with a tender touch she placed her hand on him. Rachel rubbed her hand against his jeans and looked over to watch his reaction.

He closed his eyes to savor her touch.

Then she got bolder and opened up the zipper on his jeans.

Alex simply smiled and kept his eyes closed.

Rachel pulled out his cock, leaned across, and began to lick it. Alex moaned in response to the velvet touch of her tongue. His pants were tight so he reached down and unbuckled his belt to remove them. Rachel helped him slide them down and out of the way. She paused a moment to admire him lying there while she stroked him gently. His beautiful breasts heaved with each breath he took. His cock became rigid in her hand and pre-cum was forming at the tip.

Alex looked up at her with a blissful smile then he closed his eyes again.

Rachel brought her face towards his cock and began to draw him into her mouth.

“My god you’re amazing,” he whispered to her as his body arched off the sofa. She slipped her hand beneath him and let her fingers play with his ass. A moment later her thumb began to press against his rosebud. He moaned again and she brought her thumb up to her face. She released his cock a moment and licked her thumb. Then she took him back into her mouth and brought her thumb back to his ass. She pressed again, still with gentle pressure and her thumb slipped inside.

“Oh,” he cried as she entered him.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, I guess it was more of a surprise than anything else. Your mouth is amazing. I’ve never had this happen before.”

“This can happen as often as you want from now on,” she said with a wicked grin. Then she took him back inside her mouth and continued to swirl her tongue around his shaft. Her thumb continued to move in and out of his ass slowly loosening his muscle.

“My god you’re tight.”

“You’ve entered virgin territory.”

Alex’s breathing became more erratic and he started to buck and grind his pelvis into her face. Rachel knew he was close. She started to suck harder as she rammed her thumb into his rectum several more times. She was reaching for his prostate. Her movements were massaging him there. Suddenly he sucked in his breath and the first shot of his cum hit the back of her mouth. It was followed by several more. She continued to suck and swirl her tongue around the head as he shot another stream of his seed into her eager mouth.

As the waves of his orgasm subsided he relaxed against the sofa and Rachel pulled her thumb from his ass. She moved up his body towards his face planting kisses along the way until she found his mouth. Her tongue dove into his mouth exploring ever part of him passionately.

He could taste his seed on her lips.

Finally, Rachel relaxed and resting her head on his chest she nuzzled his breast and kissed him there again.

“Wow, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and believe me when I tell you that I enjoyed that as much as you did.”

They stayed there a moment holding each other in a lover’s embrace.

Alex closed his eyes and hugged her tightly.

That was truly amazing. He wondered what she looked like? How would he react when he saw her naked? Would he be able to take her into his mouth and suck her like she just did now? He’d never had this happen before and he worried that he might do it wrong.

“Rachel, I’m completely out of my depth here. I don’t know how to act and I don’t want to hurt you but."

“Shush.” She placed a finger across his lips. “Don’t worry about it. Just follow your instincts and you’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

She looked at her watch. “Hey, you want to go out for dinner before work? It’ll be my treat.”

“Sure but we can go ‘Dutch’ if you want, I just got paid.”

“I’m asking you out, okay? I just got paid too so don’t argue with me.” She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “You can buy next time.”

Alex grinned sheepishly and nodded. “Okay.” Then he pulled up his pants and began to put on his shirt.

"I need to change before I go to work." She picked up her coat and walked towards her bedroom then she paused and turned at her bedroom door to watched him dress.

He picked up his bandage and rolled it into a tiny bundle.

“What about your bandage?”

“I just don’t have the will to put it back on right now. I breathe so much better without it. Besides it’s cold out so my coat will cover me up until I get to work. I'll put it on when I get there.”

“Okay.” She walked into her bedroom. “I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”

“No problem. I‘m going across the hall to use my bathroom. I’ll wait for you by the stairs.”

“I’ll be there in just a sec,” she said from behind her bedroom door.

Alex took a minute or two longer to finish buttoning his shirt then he opened Rachel’s apartment door and crossed the hallway to his place. As he was opening his door Amanda appeared on the stair landing below. “Hey Alex, there you are. You want to go eat somewhere before you have to work?”

“I'd love to but I already promised to go with Rachel.” Alex quickly covered up his chest with his coat.

“Oh. Ah. Er, can I go too?”

At that moment Rachel opened her apartment door and stepped out into the hallway. Alex turned to her and smiled.

“Amanda wants to know if she can join us. Is that okay with you?”

“Huh?” Rachel glanced at Alex and then at Amanda. She studied her face a moment then she smiled meekly and nodded. “Oh, okay, sure.” She looked down a moment and blushed slightly.

Amanda grinned broadly. “I just need to grab my wallet and I’ll be ready. I'll meet you both in the foyer." She dashed down the stairs towards her apartment.

Alex ducked into his place quickly, went to the bathroom, and then grabbed his coat, stuffed the elastic bandage in his pocket and joined Rachel at the top of the stairs.

“She’s not a monster, Rachel.” Alex gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

She wore a worried frown. “If you say so. But old wounds heal slowly.”

They meet Amanda in the foyer and headed out the front door of the house. Down the street, a couple of blocks away, were several small mom and pop restaurants that catered to the locals in this part of town. They settled on a little Chinese place near Twentieth Street.

Amanda dropped her napkin onto her plate. “Oh, that hit the spot, good pick Rachel.” She grinned broadly and downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. “So when do you have to go to work, Alex?”

“I’m on at nine tonight.”

“Me too,” said Rachel.

“I thought Alex mentioned that you worked at an accounting firm downtown Rachel.”

“It’s only part-time so I need to supplement it. I wait tables at Moulin Rouge a couple of nights a week.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I’ve been in there a couple of times, that place is fantastic.”

Alex looked at her skeptically. “You do know about their clientele don’t you?”

“What? You mean it’s a gay bar? Sure,” Amanda added with a smirk, “I got that the first night I was there. It’s sort of hard to miss. But that doesn’t matter. It’s just a fun place and I like the atmosphere.”

“Are you?” asked Alex softly. Rachel darted a quick glance at him.

“What? Into girls? Nah, I’m just into people. I’m not hung up on labels. If they’re cool, I’m cool.”

Rachel smiled at her and snuck a sideways glance at Alex.

Alex set his chopsticks down and looked at Amanda with renewed curiosity. “Where are you from Amanda?”

“Uh-oh, life story time, huh?” She quipped with a sarcastic grin. Then she raised her hands and replied. “Okay, okay. I’ll go first then it’ll be your turn.” Alex filled her glass up half full from the bottle of wine and then replaced the cork.

“Thanks,” she said with a wry smile. “I’m originally from Seattle by way of Vancouver. Then I got sidetracked in Salt Lake City and eventually I landed here. My ex-boyfriend/lover/husband dumped me on a bus in Salt Lake with a one-way ticket for the east coast. He told me that I’d find more like-minded people out here than I would out west and he was probably right. I met you guys after the first month I was here. Life is already much better here than it ever was in Utah.”

Alex glanced quickly to Rachel and then to Amanda. “Husband? Are you still married?”

“Nope. After a month of playing the role of the blushing bride he decided that the liberal side of me in the bedroom was too much for him to handle and he had the whole thing annulled. He was a dyed in the wool Mormon and his ideas about bedroom behavior didn’t coincide with mine.”

“Long johns in the summer and all, huh?”

“Yup, you got it,” she added with an ironic smile.

Rachel sipped from her water glass then set it down. “So how do you pay the bills?”

“Mostly with a trust fund that my grandmother left me. But I do like to keep busy so I work downtown as a stock analyst in a brokerage house part time. I'm pretty good at it and it keeps me out of trouble. What about you Alex?”

Amanda looked back over to Alex and in doing so she gestured with her wine glass a little too quickly and spilled several drops on his jacket.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” She dipped a cloth napkin in her water glass and dabbing his chest where the wine was soaking in. “Here let me. If you don’t do it quickly the stain will set.” Her voice trailed off as she continued to dab the wine spots and felt something she hadn't expected.

Alex sat there stunned, unable to move as he glanced across to Rachel with a frightened look on his face. He quickly tried to brush Amanda’s hands away but it was too late. From the blank expression on her face it was clear that his secret was out.

Amanda blushed brightly and turned away briefly. Then she turned back with a meek smile on her face.

“I’m sorry, that was way too forward of me. I should have asked first.”

“It’s okay. It’s an old jacket anyway. I got it months ago at the Salvation Army. Between the pasta sauce and ketchup stains, a few wine spots will never be noticed.” He grinned sheepishly and moved his hand to touch her arm gently.

Trying to recover a sense of balance between everyone, Rachel pushed back from the table. “We should probably be going. I have to take the bus across town and it takes forever.”

“Yeah, my shift starts in less than an hour so I need to head out too.”

Amanda smiled sweetly. “Rachel, thanks so much for taking me out for dinner. I know I sort of barged in on you guys.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Rachel replied. “Life’s too short to be hung up on formalities.”

“Hey, don’t forget your fortune cookie.” Alex handed each of them a cookie and took one himself. He cracked the cookie and pulled the slip of paper out.

“Sudden love takes the longest time to be cured.” Alex read his fortune out loud then he looked up at Rachel and Amanda with an awkward smile.

Rachel pulled her fortune slip out and read it out loud.

“Your future is found in your past.” She nodded her head with a chuckle. “Sounds appropriate.”

“Mine is ‘of the three things that last: faith, hope, and love. Love is the strongest.’ I like that,” Amanda added.

They got up from the table and Amanda followed Rachel and Alex out of the restaurant. Once outside Rachel parted from them with a wave. She walked down the block towards the bus stop and Alex walked with Amanda back towards their apartment house.

She avoided his eyes as they walked along the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry Alex.”

“Don’t be.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You were probably going to find out sooner or later anyway. It’s hard to hide things like that from your friends.”

Amanda looked up and beamed at Alex. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Care to explain?” She gestured towards his chest.

“I can’t now, I’ve got to go to work.” He walked up to his car parked on the street. “Maybe tomorrow if you're not freaked out about it.”

Amanda stood a moment and looked at Alex. A huge smile grew on her face. She ran over, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

“Actually I’m a little jealous,” she whispered in his ear. “I think they’re bigger than mine.” Then she kissed him on the cheek and let him go. She ran towards the apartment house and turned back towards him once she reached the steps. She smiled impishly and gave him a little wave.

Alex smiled and waved back then walked around his car, got in and drove off.

Later that night, or actually early the following morning, Alex trudged slowly up the stairs towards his apartment. He was exhausted and although he faced a mountain of homework due later that day, he was clearly uncertain if he was ever going to get through it the way he felt at the moment.

At the top of the stairs he met Rachel standing outside of her apartment, waiting.

“Hey, did you just get back?” He leaned against the wall for support.

“Yeah.”

“This climb is bad enough in the daytime let alone at two in the morning.”

“And in heels,” Rachel replied with a wry smile.

“I haven’t tried that yet.”

“Don’t, it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Alex paused a moment and stood by his door. He shook his head gently and smiled at Rachel. My god, she’s beautiful. She stood there in a tight mini skirt and sequined blouse under her long coat. At the moment, her spiked heels made her considerably taller than Alex.

“So, what happened after I left? Did she figure it out?”

“Pretty much, I mean come on, they’re sort of hard to miss when I’m not wrapped up like a package.” Rachel broke into a broad grin. Her eyes began to sparkle. But before she could open her mouth Alex gave her ‘the look.’

“Don’t even go there Rachel, I know what you’re thinking.”

Rachel covered her mouth in a feeble attempt to fight back a snicker. “Okay, sorry. Did she ask you how it happened?”

“Sort of, yes.” He turned his key in the lock on his door. “I had to go to work so I told her I would tell her tomorrow. I mean today if I see her.”

“What are you going to say?”

“What else, I’ll tell her the truth. If you can’t be honest with your friends what can you be?”

“Cool.” Rachel nodded with a wry smile as she turned back to open her door.

“I think she’ll be okay with it Rachel. I know you have big issues with women but really, they’re not all monsters. Some of them are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.”

“I hope you right. Maybe I’ll find that out someday.” She paused a moment as she watched Alex open his door. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Alex shut his door softly.

Amanda heard Alex come in the back door from work. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. It was two-fifteen in the morning. She must have dozed off waiting for him to return. She grabbed her robe and threw it over her shoulders as she dashed for her door.

She was anxious to talk to him even if it was late. She ran out of her apartment pulling her arms through the sleeves of her robe. If she hurried she might be able to catch him before he went into his apartment. She padded softly up the stairs but stopped suddenly when she heard voices.

It was Alex and Rachel. She didn’t want to eavesdrop but she couldn’t help but listen. Tears began to run down her cheeks and across a gentle smile. When they left she waited until she heard Alex’s door click shut. Then she turned and tiptoed softly back down the stairs.

As she soon as she stood in front of her apartment door she paused a moment and wiped her eyes. Then she turned the key to open her door. She took in a big breath and let it out slowly.

“Today is going to be a really great day,” she whispered softly to herself. She smiled sweetly as she walked into her apartment and quietly closed her door.

=THREE=

It was the middle of the afternoon before Alex walked back into the apartment house. He had just finished his last class for the day and he was truly beat. Between working at the convenience store and trying to carry a full graduate load things were beginning to pile up.

At least the weekend was coming up so maybe he could get caught up. He started to ascend the stairs. As he looked up he saw Amanda sitting alone on the top step.

“Hi.” She smiled meekly. “You look tired.”

“I am. Between work and school it seems that there’s little time for sleep.”

Alex continued to climb the stairs until he reached Amanda. He turned and joined her on the top step.

“What have you been up to?”

“Work, mostly. I just got back a half hour ago. The markets still have the jitters. It makes everybody downtown act like they just gulped down fifteen pots of coffee."

She leaned over and nudged his shoulder.

"When I got home I thought I’d look and see if you were around.”

Alex stood up and offered her his hand. “Come on, I’ll put the kettle on for tea. But you have to climb all these stairs to get some.”

“It’s like daily aerobics isn’t it?”

“Definitely. Can you imagine what life was like during the summers for the house servants when this house was built? Up and down these stairs a hundred times a day and if you don’t know by now, mid-Atlantic summers can be brutal. Thank God for air conditioners.”

Amanda followed him up the stairs and into his apartment. She flopped down on an old battered couch across from his desk and looked around his room. It was Spartan by comparison to hers even though she only moved in a month ago.

“You live like a monk up here don’t you?”

“I suppose so.” He plunked down two cups of tea on the table in front of her. “All my money goes to paying for classes at the university. I’m sort of living from hand to mouth and that doesn’t offer a lot of wiggle room.”

“I might have an old Grateful Dead poster laying around. If you want you can use it to cover up some of these cracks.”

“Ha! I’ll think about it.” He shook his head as he chuckled.

“Where’s your bed?”

“Your sitting on it.”

"Oh," she said meekly, blushing.

Amanda sipped her tea a moment and they both sat in silence. She glanced sideways at Alex a couple of times and looked up once when he cleared his throat but otherwise the atmosphere was rather awkward. Finally Alex decided to break the ice.

“So, here I am sitting in my apartment with a beautiful girl and all we can think about is what I’ve got under my shirt. Weird isn’t it?”

“Not so much weird as it is awkward Alex. I mean the last thing I want to do is ruin a friendship by saying something stupid. But I have to admit, it was a bit of a shock yesterday.”

Alex pulled out an iPad from his backpack and opened it up. He opened his browser and typed in the word ‘intersex’ in the search window. Then he clicked on the first link and the browser opened up a Wikipedia page.

“Here,” he said handing Amanda his iPad, “maybe this will help.”

Alex sat back and sipped his tea while Amanda quickly scanned the page. “So, this is what you have?”

“It’s not so much what I have as what I am.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, there’s a lot of misunderstanding in general about things like this. Everybody likes to lump us all into one category and then call us all deviants and perverts. It’s ignorant and convenient for them but horribly wrong for the rest of us.”

Alex went on to tell Amanda most of what he told Rachel the day before. He added in the fact that up until three years ago he always thought of himself as an average guy. He wasn’t much into sports but he didn’t dislike them either. He’d dated women before and he would again if he could find a woman whose head wasn’t filled with a twisted sense of morality or she wasn’t hung up on gender identity issues.

“But those girls can be hard to find.” He glanced out his window with a sigh.

“Are you and Rachel dating?”

“Not yet, but maybe.” He turned back from the window to look at her.

“Oh,” she almost whispered.

Alex watched a wave of emotions pay across her face and as she began to tear up. He walked over and sat down next to her then reached out and took her hand.

He leaned in and kissed her on her cheek.

“Amanda, you’re my friend. Nothing will ever change that.” Tears continued to well up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face on his shoulder.

“I know she hates girls and I’m afraid that once you two start dating that you’ll stop talking to me and everything,” she sniffled. “I don’t know if I can take that right now.”

Alex wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back then he leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head.

“Not going to happen. I like you too much. Besides, who else is going to spill wine on me on a regular basis?”

Amanda choked back a laugh and hugged him tighter. She tilted her head up and kissed him on the cheek. “By the way, most people think I’m a bit twisted and I certainly don’t have any gender hang ups,” she added with an impish smile.

“I already figured that out from yesterday. But hanging with me and Rachel could be a challenge for you.”

“I’m up for it,” she leaned back grinning at him. Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I figured you would be, but I had to say it."

“Can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure.” He pointed across the room. “It’s over there.”

Amanda got up and walked towards the bathroom as they heard a knock on the apartment door. Alex walked over and opened the door and Rachel walked in with a large pizza box.

“Breakfast,” she sang as she struck a pose with a twinkle in her eye. But once she spotted Amanda she began to balk and she quickly changed her posture. “What?! Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I - I.” Rachel started to back out of the apartment.

“Rachel, wait,” they both said simultaneously. Rachel stopped then glanced back and forth between them. She looked confused.

“Rachel, don't leave. I’m not trying to come between you and Alex.” Amanda stood looking downcast. “I’m just his friend, that’s all.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was just surprised and I didn’t think before." Her voice trailed off. "I should have asked.”

They all stood a moment in an awkward silence.

“Rachel, I get the impression that you don’t like me and I’m sorry if that’s true. I know you’re close to Alex but I really want to be your friend too if you have room for one more in your life.”

“I - I,” Rachel stammered a moment then she stood motionless for several minutes studying Amanda’s face. The room was silent, even the clock seemed to stop ticking.

She remembered Alex’s words. “She’s not a monster.” And his words continued to repeat inside her head as she stood watching Amanda closely. She figured that there was only one way to find out.

Rachel set the pizza box on the table in front of the couch and walked towards Amanda with a determined look on her face. Amanda stood near the bathroom looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights as Rachel bore down on her.

Rachel took Amanda’s face in her hands then she planted a passionate almost rough kiss on her lips. She took Amanda’s hand and lowered it down to her crotch and pressed it between her legs. Amanda’s eyes began to expand as she felt something she hadn’t expected. Rachel nodded to her slowly then released her hand.

“Still want to be my friend?” She starred at her intently.

Now over the initial shock of Rachel’s sudden revelation, Amanda’s lips rose into a broad sweet smile and her eyes began to sparkle. She looked up into Rachel’s face. “Yes, I do,” she whispered back to Rachel and then she glanced at Alex beaming.

Alex broke the silence between them. “Hey, the pizza is getting cold. Looks like the rich girl bought again. You know one of these days you are going to have to let me buy.”

Rachel paused a moment and considered Amanda's response then she turned towards Alex with a grin and wrapped her arm around Amanda’s shoulders. Amanda stood blinking at the sudden turn of events. “Oh I’ll let you buy all right. But you’re not going to get off easy. I’ve got my eye on a nice little French restaurant downtown. You’re going to take us both on a date tomorrow night.”

“I am? Both of you?”

“Yup, it’ll be just us girls. We’re celebrating the fact that I have a new friend,” she said hugging Amanda. “So wear something nice because we are.” Then she gave Amanda another hug.

Amanda wrapped her arms around Rachel and squeezed.

Alex chuckled; it was a sight to see Amanda, dwarfed by Rachel’s height, squeezing her tightly. “Careful Rachel, that one will squeeze the stuffing out of you.”

“That’s okay,” Rachel replied sweetly, “I’ve come up short on hugs in my life. So I’ll take all I can get.” Amanda closed her eyes and hugged her again. Alex beamed and Rachel sighed then returned Amanda's hug.

=FOUR=

The following night Amanda asked Rachel if she wanted to finish getting ready down in her apartment. Rachel thought that was a good idea and told Alex that he should meet them there at a quarter past seven.

Alex showed up in clean slacks and a slightly rumpled tie beneath his well-worn sports jacket that covered up his tightly bandaged chest. When he opened Amanda’s door his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Rachel and Amanda stood there with radiant smiles on their faces. They were both, in a word, stunning.

He stood there with a foolish grin on his face. “I can’t believe it. I’m going out to dinner with two of the most beautiful women in the world.”

Rachel and Amanda blushed a bit when they saw the look on Alex's face. Their eyes sparkled with delight as they slowly turned to give Alex the full effect. Rachel wore a soft pink silk dress that clung to her like an evening glove. It finished well above her knees and the neck swooped down daringly to revealed her ample breasts. Her makeup and hair was amazing and it looked like she even redid her nails to match her lipstick. Finally, she finished it all off with a pair of incredibly high stiletto heels.

Amanda was equally captivating. Her red gown flowed around her body to finish mid-calf. It gently hugged every curve. It was the first time Alex noticed makeup on her and it only enhanced her dazzling eyes. Her nails were painted to match her gown and her shoes were equally as high as Rachel’s. Together they both looked amazing.

“I’m going to have to fight off every male in the restaurant tonight.”

Rachel and Amanda smiled coyly. They blushed again and then said “thank you," as they walked out the back door of the apartment house arm in arm with Alex.

They headed for his car in the parking area around the side of the building. Alex, acting the gallant escort, opened the doors for them and helped them into his car.

Twenty minutes later they sat at an elegant table near the center of the restaurant and every male eye in the place was glued to their every move.

"I'm living every guy's fantasy right now, you both know that don't you?”

Rachel and Amanda smiled demurely. They buried their noses in their menus and giggled.

Rachel looked across the table at Alex and smiled. “That was simply lovely. And you don’t really have to pay for this Alex; we both know how much it costs to go to school. I was just teasing you.”

“No, no. I said I wanted to buy and I meant it. Besides, the real treat for me is being able to spend the evening on a date with two beautiful women. In case you haven’t noticed you two are the center of attention here tonight.”

Amanda reached across and squeezed Alex’s hand then smiled at Rachel.

Amanda had a thoughtful look on her face. "Alex, do you think you have a spare five hundred dollars laying around? I want to invest it for you."

Amanda winked at Rachel and squeezed Alex's hand again. "I don’t have any insider information if that’s what you’re thinking but I am pretty good at what I do. I bet you I can turn that five hundred into a couple of thousand in six months if you’re willing to let me play."

Alex dropped his mouth open and she gently moved her fingers over to close it for him.

"I know it’s a risk and I know that there are no guarantees, but hell if you could even do half of that I could breathe a whole lot easier this fall when tuition is due."

“When are you planning to finish up?"

“Next spring if all goes well."

Rachel set down her fork and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Cool. Then what?"

“I have no idea. Full time at seven-eleven?”

Amanda had a slightly pained expression on her face but Alex just shrugged.

“Let’s go,” she whispered, “I’m not used to wearing heels this high and my feet are killing me.” She grinned sheepishly and turned to Alex. “I suppose that I just spoiled the illusion, didn’t I?”

He smirked a little at her candor. “Not in the least, I will admit that I find high heels incredibly sexy but you two would look good in anything, even bare feet.”

The waiter brought the bill and Amanda offered to handle the tip, which Alex objected to at first. But he didn’t put up much of a fight. Then they headed back to Alex’s car for the return trip home.

A few minutes later Alex pulled his car into the apartment house parking lot.

“Oh, I don’t want this night to end,” Amanda lamented as she walked into the foyer of the apartment house arm in arm with Alex and Rachel.

“Hey, I have a new bottle of pinot noir in my apartment. Let’s grab some glasses and take this party to the back porch.”

Rachel and Alex looked at each other then smiled. A couple of minutes later Alex managed to pull the cork out of the bottle and poured them each a glassful.

“Wine is like truth serum for me.” Amanda sat holding her wine glass up and gazing at in the moonlight. “Its beauty is irresistible.”

“So are you, both of you.” Alex murmured softly then he blushed. “That was corny wasn't it?”

"Sweet, but totally cornball,” Rachel replied.

Amanda sighed and took their hands in hers. “I’m so glad I met you guys. I haven’t had this much fun in forever. Leaving Salt Lake City was the best thing that ever happened to me even though I didn’t think so at the time.”

Alex glanced at Rachel then he turned to Amanda. “So what was the real reason why you were so upset about your cousin’s wedding?”

"Uh-oh, truth or dare time is it?" Amanda looked over at Alex and Rachel. Her smile faded into melancholy. Perhaps it was the wine or finally having friends that she felt she could really trust. Whatever it was, she decided to open up to Alex and Rachel. She was glad to have friends that would accept her for who she was.

She told them that her stepfather abused her when she was younger. It started off with a pinch and a cuddle but it got progressively worse. She told them that her real father passed away when she was nine and when she was thirteen her mother remarried.

“It took a while for me to notice, I was still trying to adjust to a new family arrangement, but over the months that we were together my stepfather was gradually becoming more aggressive around me. I did some research and found out that he was actually a convicted pedophile although my mother never knew that little detail about him until much later."

“My stepfather was an informant for the FBI and while he was in the witness protection program he met my mother. They started dating. One thing led to another and they got married. My mom knew he was under some sort of protection by the feds but they never told her everything. That and a lot of other things were what probably fucked me up so badly when I was a kid.”

"Did he?" asked Rachel.

“No, thank god, he never managed to rape me, but he came close one night. I was a senior in middle school at the time. My mother caught him in my room while I was sleeping. She finally worked out what kind of a bastard he was. The twisted little fucker couldn’t keep his hands off of me.”

“She clocked him with my field hockey stick. He never knew what hit him. My mom told me afterwards that the next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital bed with restraints and a cop standing outside of his door. That was the last I saw of him.”

“After that things settled down a bit but I never looked at life the same way again. I finished high school and went on to college,” said Amanda draining her glass. “I dated a lot through those years with boys as well as girls. But I never felt really close to any of them. I was running with a rough crowd in those days. My rebellious youth I guess.”

“I sort of held them all at arms length, so to speak. I finally met this guy from Salt Lake City. I had just broken up with a girlfriend after six months of arguing and I was sort of on the rebound. He was nice and he had good manners, which was a refreshing change from the usual crowd I had been hanging with up until then.”

“So as the story goes, one thing led to another,” she said with a shrug.

“Did you know he was that uptight before you married him?” asked Alex.

“Kind of,” Amanda replied. “I mean we weren’t doing it but I just thought he respected me so I went along with it. Of course, this all culminated in quite a shock for him on our wedding night. I got a little drunk and started playing with his ass. He went ballistic; he started quoting the bible and everything. I tried to calm him down but he was beyond calm, he was nearly frothing at the mouth," she said with a chuckle.

Amanda stood up and walked to the end of the porch. She looked out at the back yard and sighed.

“He spent the rest of the night in the bathroom behind a locked door,” she added with a chuckle.

“I finally had to pee so bad I had to use the restroom in the hotel lobby. After that, the whole 'barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen thing' reared its ugly head," she said sarcastically.

Then she turned and faced Alex and Rachel.

“So, less than a month later he had the marriage annulled and shoved me on a bus with a one-way ticket for here. And that, was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Amanda walked over behind Alex and Rachel and wrapped her arms around them both. Then she kissed each one of them on the cheek.

“Because that’s when I met you two. Believe me when I say this, you both are a wonderful breath of fresh air." She walked around the table and emptied the rest of the bottle into her glass. "Well, you’ve heard my story, what’s yours Rachel?”

Rachel sat back and began to retell her story. Alex decided to replenish the empty wine bottle on the table with a fresh one he had on reserve in his apartment. He ducked back into the house and retrieved it along with a plate of cheese and some crackers. By the time he returned Rachel was telling Amanda about the first part of her transformation into becoming a woman.

“It was painful I will admit it,” Rachel continued softly. “The mind plays tricks on you when you’re in pain and alone. There were times when I felt like I had done something terribly wrong to my body. But I have never looked back with regret. When it’s complete I believe that I will finally have the body that god intended me to have.”

“So you’re going to complete the reassignment surgery?” Alex stood behind her.

“Next spring, I hope.”

“Well this time you won’t have to do it alone,” Amanda added with a warm smile.

“Absolutely,” said Alex walking around and setting the wine and cheese on the table in front of them. “You can count on us to raid your refrigerator the whole time your gone.”

Rachel’s eyes glistened as she looked at Amanda and Alex. “You’re an asshole Alex.” She smacked his butt lightly. “But I love you, babe. Amanda it will be your responsibility to make him behave while I'm gone."

“Absolutely, okay, no more waterworks. College boy is back with the wine. Oh, and he brought snacks too. You’re just in time to fill us in on your life story, sweetheart.”

“There’s not much to tell.” Alex sat down across from Amanda and Rachel. “I think that I had a normal life growing up, at least I always thought I did. We moved around a lot when I was little. My dad had a hard time finding steady work. He was a mechanic. But from what my mother told me before she died, Dad wasn't a very good one.”

“Most of my later years were spent growing up in Denver. It was where my mom had most of her family. I didn’t play any sports and I sort of hung out with the nerd kids and surfed the web. I used to write short stories and post them as real life experiences under a false name on Internet websites. After a while I got bored with that and started to write longer stories. An English teacher of mine in the eleventh grade saw one of my stories and encouraged me to submit it to a contest. I won that one and a few more. That, plus a few scholarships, helped me get through college. After college I ended up taking graduate classes here in Wilmington. And that's the end of the story.”

“But what about those?” Amanda pointed to his breasts encased behind elastic bandages.

“There’s not much I haven't told you already. Three years ago they started to grow. My body has slowly changed bit by bit, my hair and skin is softer and most of my body hair has disappeared. I went to a couple of specialists and eventually the family doctor. The conclusion was that all of this is a natural maturation of my body and I was categorized as intersex.” Alex shrugged his shoulders and looked away from Rachel and Amanda, blushing slightly.

Rachel sliced a piece of cheese and she placed it on a cracker. “So, what now? Are you going to get breast reduction surgery or are you going to let things go and see what happens?”

“Well, I can’t afford that even if I wanted it right now. Mostly, I’m not even sure what I want. I mean these are only the tip of the iceberg,” he said as he pointed to his chest. He looked around then leaned forward to whisper.

“My gender identity concepts are all out of whack, my hormones are all over the place, and because of that and everything else, I have these urges and desires that completely fly in the face of all I ever thought was ‘normal’ in the world.”

“Like what?” Amanda asked as she moved to the edge of her seat. She propped her elbows on the table in order to rest her chin in her hands and her eyes twinkled in the light.

“Like clothes and shoes and boys and girls and sex. Even what stories I want to write and how I want to write them,” he replied with a hint of exasperation. “My head is a total mess right now.”

“I don’t understand,” said Rachel. “Do you want to dress as a woman? I can help you with that, you know.”

“I can too,” chirped Amanda with a grin.

“Yes and no.” He paused a moment and studied their faces. He took a big breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t believe I’m telling you guys this. I’ve held this inside of me for such a long time.”

Alex looked around again to make sure no one else was near enough to hear him. He turned to Rachel and Amanda and smiled sheepishly. “Okay, here goes,” he said in a whisper.

“There are times when I want to be as frilly and sexy as any woman can be. I even bought a pair of high heels last month from a website on a whim.”

Alex began to blush as Rachel and Amanda’s eyes shone with excitement. The girls both wore an ironic smile and they each reached over to take one of Alex’s hands.

“Then, it’s as if my mind rebels against all of that and I want to be totally macho. I feel like I need to kick or punch something. Sometimes I want to stand on a street corner and spit and scratch my balls or any other part of my body that needs scratching. And other times I want to curl into someone’s arms just to snuggle up and feel safe.”

“I feel like there are two different people living inside my head at any given moment and I don’t know which one is coming out today. I’m not violent or anything so you don’t need to worry, it’s really just my own personal struggle. But there are days when I really feel like sitting on the floor and crying out of sheer frustration. But then I have to go to work or school or whatever. I put on my happy face and I try to stuff it all back down deep inside and hope I can deal with it later.”

"Wow," murmured Amanda softly.

“You do know the solution to all of this, don’t you?” Rachel asked as she rubbed his hand gently.

“What?” he asked glumly.

“Shopping,” she said softly with a lilt in her voice.

“Huh?”

“Oh, yes, absolutely!” shouted Amanda then she quickly covered her mouth. She looked around a moment and then whispered “absolutely” again with a big grin.

“What you need is a complete makeover, dresses, shoes and underwear, makeup, the works.”

“Victoria's Secret.” Amanda cooed softly like it was some sort of magical incantation.

“Why?” Alex was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Because wearing a pretty dress and dangerously high heels won't solve everything, but it might at least let you understand on a deeper level who you are,” replied Amanda. “When a girl feels pretty nothing else matters in the world.”

“How will that solve anything?”

Rachel leaned forward and squeezed Alex’s hand. “Because I know what it means to try and stuff things down inside you. I also know that it will come back to you a hundred fold if you don’t learn to handle it now. At least exploring that side of you will get it out in the open so that you can learn to deal with it. You may decide that once is enough. You may never wear another bra or slip on another set of heels for the rest of your life but at least you’ve confronted it.”

“I’m still not convinced.”

“And you never will be until we’re done,” replied Amanda. “Thursday, after your last class, we three are going shopping. You have to let the inner goddess ascend sweetheart. Let life take you where you should go. This will totally be my treat. And Rachel is absolutely right, stuffing these feelings back down inside means that it’ll all blow up someday and that can get ugly.”

Amanda leaned in and kissed Alex on the cheek. “You were there for us, Alex,” she added softly, “and we are here for you.”

Amanda and Rachel hugged Alex together. Alex sat perplexed a moment with an awkward smile. He wrapped his arms around both women and sighed. "Isn’t that just how fate likes to fuck with your life.”

“What do you mean?” Rachel leaned back to look him quizzically.

“I spent the last ten years of my life looking for the perfect woman and now I find two. I don’t want to hurt either one of you but I don’t know what to do. I really like you both a lot.” He sat for a moment and glanced sideways at Rachel and Amanda.

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “Fuck. I need to go to sleep.” He got up and walked into the house.

After Alex left Amanda sat looking confused. She turned to Rachel looking troubled. “What was all that about? Did I say something wrong?”

Rachel leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “No. I think the issue is that he likes both of us. And he doesn’t want to hurt either of us or be hurt.”

“What do you mean?" Amanda paused a moment.

“Oh.”

She considered the situation further. “So, what are you going to do?"

“I don’t know,” Rachel leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. “We both really just met him. If we trip now we could screw up the whole thing. What do you think we should do?”

Amanda sat a moment longer and thought about everything he said. Then her eyes began to sparkle with a mischievous gleam. She stood up and leaned across the table to Rachel.

“I’m going to take your hand and we’re both going to march up those stairs. Then we are both going to fuck his brains out.” Amanda added with a wicked grin. “That’s what I think we both should do.”

Rachel’s eyes gleamed with delight as Amanda grabbed her hand and tugged her through the back door. They took off their heels and scampered up three flights of stairs like it was a foot race. Amanda laughed and giggled all the way to the third floor.

“Shush.” Rachel placed her hand over Amanda’s mouth when they finally reached the third floor. “If we don’t quiet down we’ll have Reilly up her in a heartbeat.” She reached over and gently knocked on Alex’s door.

The door opened slowly and Alex poked his head out.

“What are you two up to?”

Amanda wiggled around Rachel and pushed Alex back as she entered his apartment. Rachel entered behind her and both girls grabbed Alex and pulled him across the hall towards Rachel’s apartment.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Alex whispered urgently.

“What we should have done days ago,” Rachel whispered in reply as she wrapped her hand across Alex’s mouth.

“And what we’re going to continue to do until you finally understand that we’re all in this together,” Amanda added as she helped Rachel pull Alex into her bedroom.

Rachel pushed Alex onto her bed as Amanda stepped behind her and unzipped her dress. Then Rachel did the same for Amanda. In a moment both girls were standing in front of Alex with nothing on but their panties.

“Wait a minute!” Amanda stood looking at Rachel’s breasts. “Why do I have to be the one with the smallest tits? That’s totally unfair.”

Rachel laughed. She grabbed Amanda and pushed her onto the bed next to Alex. She followed behind her and her mouth found one of Amanda’s nipples. Rachel looked at Alex and motioned to him towards the other nipple and both of them began to lick and nibble at her breasts. He quickly caught on to the game and threw his inhibitions to the winds.

“Oh my God this feels wonderful,” she cooed as she squirmed beneath them. She moved her arms around and gently pressed her hands against the back of their heads, pulling them closer to her breasts.

Alex began to work his way down her body trailing kisses as he went. He lowered himself down between her legs and pulled her panties off. Then he sucked and licked her body into submission.

As Alex was sending Amanda into orbit, Rachel slipped off the bed and closer to Alex. She moved her hand over and began to caress his cock. She wiggled around beneath him and took him in her mouth, gently sucking and nibbling on the head.

Alex began to writhe and moan under Rachel's attention, the vibrations of his moans sent Amanda over the moon.

As Amanda came down from her third orgasm she shifted around and pulled Alex up onto the bed. Rachel pulled her mouth off of Alex's cock and helped Amanda maneuver Alex onto his back. As Amanda pushed him over onto his back Rachel moved to kneel above his head. When Amanda straddled him, Rachel removed her panties and began to rub her cock.

As Amanda straddled Alex, she bent over to thrust her tongue in his mouth while reaching above him to stroke Rachel’s cock. Then she reached down and lifted Alex’s cock away from his body. She lowered herself down and took him inside her in one swift motion. “Oh god,” Amanda gasped, “this feels marvelous!”

Rachel watched Amanda ride Alex as she took this opportunity to push her cock into his mouth. Then she leaned forward and began to tongue wrestle with Amanda as she rode Alex hard, slamming her body against his. In a matter of moments Alex arched his back and shot several loads of his seed into Amanda as Rachel’s orgasm overflowed into Alex’s mouth. Amanda clenched Alex's cock in a vice like grip throbbing several times until she came down from her orgasm.

They collapsed around Alex panting.

Alex was nearly out of breath. “That was the best! You girls are so beautifully amazing. I’m the luckiest guy on the planet!”

“We all are,” whispered Amanda as she leaned over and began to suck on one of Alex’s breasts. She nibbled and tongued his nipple then sucked on him hard followed by gentle kisses. Rachel offered similar attention to his other breast. Alex was in nirvana.

He kissed them both on the head and hugged them tightly as the three of them snuggled in Rachel's bed.

“Mmm,” Amanda moaned as Alex hugged her. “I need a shower. Can I use your bathroom Rachel?”

“Sure, towels are in the cabinet by the tub. Help yourself, I’ll follow in after you.”

Alex attempted to get up. “I’ll go use mine across the hall.”

Rachel pulled him back down into a bear hug. “No you don’t,” she said with a giggle, “you’re not going anywhere, buster. We’re all in this together, right Amanda?”

“Absolutely,” Amanda chirped as she leaned back out the bathroom door. “Bring him in here. He needs a shave anyway.”

"What?"

"Come on, babe, it’s time to begin your transformation.”

Rachel pulled Alex up and, grabbing his shoulders, she steered him towards the bathroom. Once inside Amanda stood waiting with razors, shaving cream, and a huge grin.

“Stand still sweetie, this will just take a second,” Amanda said as she lathered up his legs and balls. “Here you go,” she said handing Rachel another razor. “I’ll do the back and you do the front. You have a lot more experience in that area than I do,” she added with a sheepish grin.

In no time at all both girls, working in tandem, managed to remove most of Alex’s body hair from his legs, butt, chest, and balls. Rachel left a small patch above his cock just to tickle her nose.

Amanda stepped into the shower while Rachel touched up the area around his ass. Once Amanda was done Rachel stepped into the shower and Alex used a spare towel to dry off Amanda. She turned around and threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately.

“You are the most wonderful person I have ever met,” she whispered in his ear. “I want you to know that Alex Wells. I’m so happy I met you.”

Alex lifted her head from his chest and looked into her glistening eyes.

“Thank you, so are you.”

The shower curtain opened briefly and Rachel stepped out. Amanda and Alex both began to towel her dry. She turned around and kissed Alex on the lips then turned him around and swatted his butt as he stepped into the shower. Rachel turned back and wrapped her arms around Amanda.

“Girls can be monsters,” she whispered into Amanda’s ears, “but Alex was right about you. Your as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.”

Amanda hugged Rachel as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Both girls walked out of the bathroom hand in hand and got into Rachel’s bed to wait for Alex. A moment later he opened the bathroom door and stepped into the Rachel’s bedroom. “Is there room for me?”

“Always,” said Rachel.

“Right in the middle where you belong,” Amanda replied.

“You know, we three are like stray cats aren't we," he sighed thoughtfully. "We've each wandered through our lives looking for love and tenderness. We are who we are because of what has happened in the past. You both have taught me so much about myself and what it's like to be loved," he said with a sigh. Alex kissed them both. "Thank you."

"We love you too, sweetheart," murmured Amanda as she snuggled up under his arm.

"Yup," murmured Rachel, "now go to sleep."

Continue the Story!

Stray Cats 2 on Smashwords.com and other fine eBook distributors.

Check out my sequel to this story and find out what happens when they go shopping for Alex and then there is the office party that Amanda forgot to mention to Alex. There’s also a trip to Seattle, and new friends to join the family. Don’t miss it, it’s quiet the adventure, filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Stray Cats 2 by Guy Winters

Alex, now dressed as April, Amanda, and Rachel walked towards a nearby diner. "I'm famished," he said.

The three girls walked into the restaurant and a hostess led them towards a booth by the windows. The hostess continued to glance at Alex as they walked back to their booth. She had a coy smile on her face and after she placed the menus on the table she brushed against Alex’s arm and glanced back at him as she left.

“Did you see that Rachel?” asked Amanda.

Rachel nodded and smirked at Alex.

“That hostess totally stroked April as she left. I think we’ve created a monster,” Amanda said with a wicked grin.

“Hush, both of you,” Alex whispered blushing bright pink.

A few minutes later their food was ordered and they sat sipping on sodas while they waited.

"This has been quite a day," said Alex with a sigh.

"Hey," whispered Rachel, "don't look yet but those guys over there are totally checking us out."

"Where," asked Amanda looking up at Rachel?

"Don't look," said Rachel quickly. "Three booths down on the opposite side, the redhead is mine I could totally do him," she murmured softly. "Okay, now look."

Amanda and Alex slowly turned around and glanced back several booths to see three guys sitting in a booth all leaning forward and whispering to one another.

"You think they'll come over," asked Amanda?

"God, I hope not," replied Alex quickly turning back to look at Rachel.

About then all three of the young men got up and walked towards the girls. They stopped in the aisle in front of their booth.

"Hey," said the older looking of the three. He was tall and lanky with a shock of unkempt red hair that fell across blue eyes. His eyes sparkled with a mischievous twinkle.

"My name is Ted, this is Bryan, and Taylor," he said pointing to the other two as he named them. "You girls want some company?"

"We'd love to but not tonight, Ted," replied Rachel. "I'm Rachel, and this is April and Amanda. We've just spent the day shopping and we're exhausted. Perhaps some other time?"

"Sure," said Ted holding out a business card to Rachel, "our numbers are on the back. Call us, okay?" The three boys walked back to the table, turned and waved as they sat in their booth.

"You are one cool chic," murmured Amanda as she waved back to the boys. "You handled that so well. You brushed them off and still gave them hope. You are a goddess."

"You have much to learn, grasshopper," Rachel replied with a grin then she turned to Alex. "Taylor was totally checking you out, April, I think you could have wrapped him around your little finger if you wanted to."

"Shush," whispered Alex blushing again. "He's not my type."

"Oh, and who is your type?" Asked Amanda with a wicked grin.

"You two," said Alex softly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

GUY WINTERS is a writer, playwright, artist, who spends his days working in

Virginia, and his evenings he spends writing.

Checkout the newly release novel,

The Girl on the Bench in the Rain available on Smashmouth.com and other fine eBook distributors.

Other erotic novellas by GUY WINTERS:

Once Upon A Bite So Sweet

Sleeping on the Terrace

Table of Contents

Stray Cats

Midpoint