48 Hours Ch. 16

Chapter 16 -- An Engagement and a Funeral

Another slow burner with more story telling setting the scene as Chrissy and her friends develop and adapt to their new lives. Two hot sections in the middle and at the end.

Several weeks had passed, although to Chris and Lynn it seemed like only a few days. Jason had received great reviews from the communications department of his firm for the photo shoot and they had even decided to use the pictures in some targetted social media advertising, so Jason was quite flattered, as were Lynn and Chris when he told them and asked their permission.

Lynn was still working for Alan who was getting increasingly irritable about his wife's distant and uncaring behaviour. She had gone on some new medication and was now seeing an even more expensive councillor, but nothing was getting any better. He was also fed up with his boss who was playing some promotion game and had upped everyone's targets without any discussion on whether they were realistic or not. Against his own wishes he had agreed to reduced Lynn's hours so she could also focus on getting to grips with her stake in Sonja's.

With his unused holiday allowance, Chris had managed to wrap things up at his job in two weeks and was now spending all his time working on getting to know the whole Sonja's organisation. He now referred to himself as she, and had decided from the outset that, just as in his old job she had always been Chris, in her new job she would always be Chrissy, as over time she had begun to realise that not only did she much prefer dressing and being treated as a woman, she also thought better as a woman.

Practice does make perfect, and all women are different, but those born as a woman have had their whole lives to practice, where as those who only later in life realise that they are less fulfilled as a man have a lot of catching up to do. We are all naturally very self-critical and Chrissy was no different, still worrying all the time that people would make assumptions about her gender and it would cause problems. Having said that, there was no-one who saw her who had any doubts about her looking and behaving exactly like the completely feminine creature she was. Mentally too, she no longer saw herself as simply convincing, she saw herself as a woman, behaving like a woman, feeling like a woman, and even her voice had attained a level of husky ambiguity as she had slowed down and become more thoughtful in what she said.

Virtually everyday she woke up and got ready as Chrissy, but she did have to do some things, like mowing the lawn, taking out the rubbish, washing the car, and social events with the neighbours as her male persona. It wasn't a problem, it was that it was these times that now felt unnatural. One thing she had noticed during her male appearances was that somehow, as a man, she was now much more attractive to women. Maybe it was because she was fitter, maybe happier, or maybe just better company. At one neighbourhood event one of the wives had even made a pass at her in the kitchen and given her a long drunken kiss! Fortunately she was too drunk to remember much.

As for work, she had already spent several days at the big glass fronted head office where she had been introduced to everyone by Jason along with Aaron, Lynn and Belinda. As always, the four had to introduce themselves in the boardroom, but before that, Jason had brought up a video on screen which the comms team had put together from the photo-shoot showing the final copy shots mingled in with some background footage and culminating in the whirling dance of Lynn and Chrissy in the Chiffon dresses, made unbelievably atmospheric by some soft focus effects that the production team had added.

When the applause died down Jason introduced the new owners, Aaron first, who he said was his 'special friend', then Belinda, another great friend and business woman. He then turned and introduced Lynn.

"So this is Lynn, one of the two dancers as I'm sure you can see. She has a strong background in finance as well as being a keen amateur dramatist. And finally, this is Chrissy, the other star of the video, extremely experienced in sales and also Lynn's husband."

There was a bit of a pause before the applause. Chrissy had known that Jason was going to say this, but his face still burned as he felt the thinly disguised and inquisitive looks penetrating his makeup, and more than that he sensed the quiet disbelief around the room. It was flattering that there was surprise, but it also drove home the reality that being LBGT did make him different in so many peoples eyes. He wondered how many thought he was transgender and how many thought he was a Lesbian. Then he thought about how much society loves putting everyone in a box with a label.

When the applause died down, Jason continued.

"Chrissy is going to be my main point of contact with the firm. As you all know in our one to one conversations, I am going to be taking a back seat from now on and Chrissy will be acting for me on all matters related to the running of the business. She is your new go-to person for any issues that you would have previously brought to me."

"Let me also make it clear, so that there is absolutely no confusion, Chrissy is legally male, but as I think we can all agree, the person before you, both here and from the video, is most definitely all woman, and as far as this company is concerned and every employee of this company, she is female. We are now one of very few firms that have a transgender board member, and a senior board member too. Our company now embodies all that is positive about inclusivity and we have just become a leading example of it in practice. I do want to make sure that you are aware that we are not going public with this story until Chrissy is ready and expect you to respect that. Finally, and I know I do not need to say this, but Chrissy has a right to privacy, as do we all. This is not too be leaked or discussed outside this company without her permission and anyone who does so will be in breach of their employment contracts."

This time there was a standing ovation and Chrissy's blushes were now for a very different reason. It was much as she could do to stop her watering eyes sending an emotional tear running down her cheek.

On her several return trips to head office she was shown around by the management team and also attended several training courses. She was made so welcome that she looked forward to every visit. Not everyone treated the her the same. Many treated her completely professionally just like she was any other woman, some asked her inquisitive questions about being transgender, some seemed to avoid her if at all possible, and in others you could sense a feeling that they just didn't know how to react. Some even flirted with her. It seemed the same approach for both women and men in equal measure, but the important thing was that everyone treated her with respect, and since Chrissy was not so arrogant or selfish as to believe that it was her right to expect everyone to agree with her life choice, she was very happy with that.

The management team also completely gender neutralised the building, ripping out the urinals and replacing them with additional cubicles so the building now just had toilets, and, even better, large signs making it clear that anyone using a toilet should leave it clean and tidy for the next person.

On one of her training sessions, Chrissy had even spent a day anonymously serving in a shop a few miles away as a trainee assistant and found it extremely hard work. By the end of the day her feet were killing her and she really did appreciate how much effort it was to keep that sale winning special smile available for every customer. Karl Kovaks, who was the new graduate manager of the shop, had had really strong reservations about taking her on for the day after head-office had put her forward as he wasn't sure that a more mature person was appropriate for this particular mall based store which tended to get a lot of younger customers. The day went well and Chrissy learnt a lot. She observed how the customers moved around the store, what they looked at, what advice they seemed to like, and what they were less keen on.

The manager was very polite and even took her to lunch, on expenses of course. Chrissy was really made up when, as they were closing up the shop, he heaped compliments on her, especially about her knowledge, ability to make the customers feel at ease and frank but complimentary advise on suitable styles. As the shutters went down, he asked her if she fancied a quick drink and since he was both charming and handsome she agreed. They had obviously had a good chance to get to know each other over lunch, but over a drink he asked her all sorts of probing questions, but they did get on very well. Chrissy suddenly realised it was sounding a bit like an interview, and then, almost on cue, he asked if she would be available to start anytime soon. Chrissy confessed who she was, showing the shocked manager her head-office pass. He was mortified and apologised, feeling that he had not been very PC when he asked her out for a drink, but Chrissy soon put him at ease.

"Young man," she smiled, "the most important thing about managing people is the ability to built a strong relationship with them and earn their trust. However, you also need to make sure they are the best people you can get. I can see that you have already mastered both those key points. I will keep an eye out for you, and I want to say thank you to you for making me so welcome today, it really has been a most enjoyable day."

She kissed him on both his very red cheeks and bid him farewell. She was now acting in her professional capacity and much as her panties said one thing, she knew that her brain, quite rightly, had to say another. Anyway, she didn't really want him to know that she packed a surprise down there.

Jason and Aaron were very much a happy if eccentric couple and getting on really well, but Jason had decided quite quickly that the only way he could cut down his stress level was to move away from the area and spend much more time in Lanzarote where he already owned a small white villa. It nestled in an old lava flow by the beach that had a lovely view and an amazing pool that caught the evening sun and had sunsets to die for. He had already announced to Chrissy, who he had observed was the most organised of his partners, that he and Aaron would no longer be able to run the shop. When Chrissy mentioned this to Lynn she immediately remembered that Sara had managed a shop before she had had to move and wondered if she would be interested. From what she remembered in conversations, she was quite experienced and it was only the fact that she was transgender that was preventing her getting a role, not that any of the big chains would admit to that.

Aware that with all the other things going on they had not really been in touch with their friend for a while and keen to find out how things were progressing with Grahame, Lynn called Sara and was soon bubbling with excitement as she discovered that not only would Sara absolutely love the role if they thought she was suitable, but that she and Grahame were so in love, so happy, and so relieved at having found a partner that loved them for who they were, that they had decided to get married, and it was set for just twelve weeks away!

Chrissy was most excited about the fact that Sara could manage the shop as that was one less thing on her mind, whereas Lynn was just obsessing about the wedding! Chrissy wondered a bit about that and sighed. She realised that she still had some way to go to before her brain had adapted to really thinking like a woman and setting the right priorities! Although she knew that men and women had exactly the same brains anatomically, years of social conditioning and the pressure to conform to stereotypical behaviours did change the way you think and it was very hard to undo.

She did realise that she was actually very excited about the wedding, it was just that she was also a woman running a business and it was not unreasonable to be excited about finding someone for an important position that she knew and trusted! She then allowed herself a few moments to imagine what she might wear to the event. Plenty of choices these days, in fact far too many, she laughed!

Chrissy and Lynn invited Sara and Grahame round for dinner to discuss the job and naturally get as much detail of their relationship and the wedding as possible. Sara was so overwhelmed and excited about getting back into retail that she threw herself at Chrissy and smothered her with kisses before realising that Grahame was watching slightly embarrassed. After a few drinks they all relaxed and as their inhibitions slowly melted away they fell into each others arms and piled onto the king size bed in the master bedroom to relax and celebrate. It was slightly difficult for Grahame as he knew Lynn, Chrissy and Sara were so close, but the love that Sara and he felt for each other was so strong that just seeing her so happy made him feel amazing. So as Sara went down on Chrissy, he followed suit with Lynn. As much as he loved Sara's cockette, and he absolutely adored it, it was really nice to enjoy the taste and smell of Lynn's hungry pussy, and she was delighted at the tender and tireless way he brought her to orgasm before giving her a good hard fucking, something that Chrissy was doing less and less of these days as she was so busy. It was a fabulous night where they explored each other and rekindled all those lustful feelings that had taken second fiddle for so long.

A few days later it was another eventful day. Firstly one of the managers at head office that oversaw the production facilities in the far east had handed in his notice and the General Manager had warned Chrissy that they would need to get a replacement urgently as it was coming up to their busiest period in the run up to Christmas, plus there was a lot of concern about how imports would be impacted by some proposed changes to the law.

When he got home, Lynn seemed a bit concerned about something and explained to Chrissy that with her now hardly ever being Chris, she worried that this double life was very likely to be exposed soon unless they moved somewhere more private. She explained that there had already been some questioning comments made to her as there really was only so much wool they could pull over their neighbours eyes. The fact that Chris's sister Christine was apparently always round the house was one thing, but she also never seemed to be available for any social activities. Then there was the fact that if a neighbour ever knocked during the day, Chrissy would often not answer. All this would soon allow someone to put two and two together she suggested, looking a bit down.

"I really think we should move darling, find a nice place in the countryside where we are not overlooked and can be ourselves." Lynn suggested, sad at the thought of leaving the home she loved, but conscious that they had outgrown it.

Chrissy also felt a strong bond to the house, but agreed that they would need to do something as concealing his new life was simply going to be impossible and not something they really wanted public. So they began to look for places on-line and were impressed by what was available. It was fortunate that the first dividend from Sonja's had been bigger than expected due to a large jump in lingerie sales following the announcement of the new range.

"Well Lynn, we deserve somewhere nice, and after all we partially earned it!" said Chrissy, giving her a massive hug!

Another very sad piece of news had occurred during this time. One day while Chrissy was at head office, Lynn received a distraught call from Alan on her mobile phone. She had wondered where he had disappeared to that day as it was not like him not let her know if he was going to be out of the office. He was in tears and could barely speak. Through his garbled sobs, she managed to make out that his wife, Elizabeth, had crashed the car and was dead. The police suspected suicide as she had crashed into a tree on a straight stretch of road at very high speed and there were no skid marks or anything to suggest that anyone else was involved, or that his wife had tried to brake. Naturally Lynn rushed round to see him and give him some comfort. As much as he had found his wife difficult, he still loved her, and although he had sought some sexual solace with Lynn and Chrissy, he had always put his wife first.

For the next few days Lynn, Chrissy or both of them made the effort to call in on Alan to check he was OK. Although he was very down, he was sorting through things and beginning to come to terms with the situation. Being an 'unexplained' death meant there was a lot more to sort out than usual and the police, although always friendly, always seemed to be on the look out for something.

It was a difficult time for Alan, and when his boss was particularly insensitive with a comment about how his targets were slipping while he was away from work and that if he returned to work it would take his mind off things, he immediately wrote and handed in his resignation. He really didn't need that, but he did feel bad for Lynn as he knew she would feel exposed with him gone, so let her know immediately. She was worried that he was overreacting, but fully understood his position and gave him all the support he needed.

He had already engaged a solicitor to deal with everything to do with his wife's estate and they had already put in a claim on his wife's life insurance which fortunately was not one that had an issue with suicides as long as the police report was clear, which in this case it was. Everything else was in order, and at least financially things would be sorted quite quickly. He got his solicitor to write to his company complaining about his manager, and was soon informed that the company realised that they had breached their employment code and would like to either reinstate his job or settle out of court. He was pretty fed up so decided on the latter and instructed his solicitor accordingly.

A couple of weeks later he was reflecting on the shock he had felt when the policeman and policewoman had turned up at the office and broken the terrible news. Now it was another traumatic day, the day of her funeral. It was not very well attended as his wife had very much been a recluse, but her family was there and so were Alan's closest friends, including Lynn and Chrissy. Lynn and Chrissy had both attended looking suitably modest and sombre in matching figure hugging black dresses and black wide brimmed hats with a black veil. However, their black patent court shoes with five inch heels and the sheer fully fashioned stockings that were perfectly aligned gave away the fact that beneath their plain and respectful exterior lay some smouldering sexuality. They supported him with their presence from an appropriate distance.

Being so exquisitely dressed, the two of them did cause a bit of a stir and they observed many stolen glances during the service. At the wake Alan found himself forever having to explain that Lynn and Chrissy were colleagues and close friends. No one dared ask him if they meant anything else to him, but one of his friends did make his feelings known and asked if either of his lovely colleagues were single. Alan smiled as he was quite truthfully able to say that they were actually both married. At the end of the wake Chrissy and Lynn offered to stay with Alan, but he really was so overcome with grief that he thanked them, but said he really needed to be on his own.

The funeral had finally brought some closure and Alan felt able to start dealing with all her clothes and personal affects. However, he could not help wondering how much he was responsible for his wife taking her own life and whether he could and should have done more to help her. Maybe he could have made her happier some how. But he consoled himself with the truth that she was forever pushing him away despite his efforts. It was all so difficult!