Ann: A Love Story Ch. 89

Thelma moved about the front of the house before moving into the kitchen, trying to clean and straighten up as she went along.

"What are you doing here?"

"Feeding your cats," I said as I glanced down at the two of them gorging themselves on the meal Thelma had just cooked.

"Neil! That was my last of the bread!"

Grabbing the fresh loaf of the French variety from the bag, I smiled. "No it's not." Opening the ground beef, I threw it into the skillet that had cooked the grilled cheese and put it on the heated burner.

"Really Neil...why are you –"

"Can you get the phone for me?"

She shook her head in confusion, her mind swarming with conflicting thoughts and even more questions. Still, she grabbed the phone and handed it to me as I opened the cupboards searching for a pot. I filled the one I found with water as I dialed.

"Hey babe. Yeah, I'm here. No, I haven't told her yet. I thought I'd just let you...yeah. Thanks for doing this; I love you." Handing the phone to Thelma, I nodded, "Here you go."

"What? Who is it?"

"It's Ann. She's going to ask you some questions, and you're going to give her honest answers, okay?"

She took the phone and put her hand over the mouthpiece. "I don't understand."

"Just talk to her Thelma. She'll explain. Go into the living room and relax. Talk to her, and I'll take care of everything in here."

~*~*~*~*~*~ As we made our way to our office from the meeting, Thelma moved closer to me. It was an interesting reaction, because she was responding to the looks and glances from the employees as we made our way across the production floor. It was like she was startled and she was looking to me for some kind of protection.

"You okay?" I laughed.

"I'm just not used to this. I'm not sure I can do this, Neil. I...I'm not –"

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah. I feel like I'm drawing attention to myself," she said bashfully.

"You are."

"That can't be good," she snorted.

"You drew attention to yourself before too, just in all the wrong ways."

Shaking her head, she stared at the concrete floor in front of her. "I'm not sure about that."

"I've been with you most of the day, Thelma. I haven't heard anyone say anything negative at all. Have you?"

"Well no. Everyone's been really nice. I've even gotten a lot of compliments."

"Then hold your head up and act normal. In a week, everyone will be used to the new you and you can go back to acting like a bitch if you want."

She slugged me playfully on the arm as we made our way to our office. Catching her reflection in the windows as we passed, she stopped and looked at herself.

"I can't believe Ann did all of this," she mused as she twisted back and forth in front of the glass like she were standing in front of a mirror in a dressing room.

"I say that all the time," I answered under my breath.

What Ann had done was give her a wardrobe makeover. The night I'd gone over to her house I spent my time in the kitchen making dinner, while Ann talked to her on the phone. I was making spaghetti and a fresh salad; Ann was busy convincing her that she could indeed help, even though she was five hundred miles away.

Ann asked her lots of questions. She covered the basics, like size, weight, height, and such. But she also asked her personal questions, trying to get a feel for who she was and what style might suit her best. Thelma knew what Ann had done for a living, so she wasn't questioning her credentials. But she doubted that she would be able to do anything from where she was. She also doubted that it would help.

Ann took it as yet another challenge. She hadn't been gone from her store that long and with it being national, most of the clothes they had on the West Coast would be on the East Coast as well. She even knew about clothes that her particular store didn't carry from the literature she'd receive on new things coming out.

She answered Ann's questions, albeit reluctantly at first. But as she got to know my fiancée over the phone, she warmed to her personality. Ann was her usual self, upbeat and enthusiastic, telling her ways she could transform her image without compromising who she was as a woman. And the longer they talked, the more she began to believe.

As we sat down to eat, Thelma opened up. She let down her guard and told me some things about herself. She was just like she'd been that night we'd danced. She was funny and smart, with a pleasant smile when she'd decide to show it. And I was doing everything I could to make her laugh.

Still, I knew the change I was seeing in her wasn't because I was her shift partner, or that I'd told her I was her friend. It wasn't even that I'd shown up out of the blue to cook her dinner so she'd be spared having to eat another grilled cheese sandwich. While all of those things were true, I knew she felt closer to me because she'd talked to Ann.

Part of that had to do with me being engaged. It was hard for Thelma to feel comfortable because she didn't know Ann. That I'd shown up at her home like I had could have been disastrous for our working relationship. She was single, and my work partner. I was engaged, and here I was at her house. Ann made all of those potential tensions go away.

The truth was, I wasn't attracted to her, but it wasn't because she was a large woman. While she wasn't a model, she certainly had some nice features. Yet she made herself out to be an ogre. She'd even called herself that in one of her many self-deprecating moments. It was hard to find someone attractive if they didn't like the way they looked. And with Thelma, it had a lot more to do with what was going on inside, rather than her outward appearance.

But I'd seen a change in that, and it started with that night at her house. Still, she wasn't convinced with what Ann had in mind. In the weeks that followed, she still wore her drab dresses, although she did change her hairstyle. She went away from the heavy perm, changing her long blond hair to a straighter style with more layers. It looked so much better than the one she had been wearing; the one that she said made her look like Big Bird. And it was a great start.

While that change had sent a little ripple running through the plant as they saw her, it wasn't until after Thanksgiving that she decided to make the big splash. She came into work wearing a business suit of sorts. It was a sharp burgundy blazer with a white silk button down blouse underneath. Below, she was wearing a tasteful tan skirt that came to just above her knees. She even had foregone her traditional sneakers, wearing a pair of flats to go along with her hose. The outfit showed more of her form, which while tall, was certainly anything but fat. She was curvy, and she was now letting those womanly charms show.

She had been sitting behind her desk when I'd arrived, but I knew as soon as I'd walked in that she'd made a dramatic change just from the sheepish look on her face. She'd gotten in early to avoid making a scene walking through the plant the first time. By the way she was tucked in behind her desk with her seat lowered I wondered if she'd ever leave the shelter it provided. She might as well have been in a bunker the way she was sitting.

Setting down my things, I turned, looking at her from my vantage point from the back of the office where we both sat. Her wary eyes darted in my direction, shying away from my gaze.

"Stand up, Thelma," I directed, motioning with my fingers.

"I...I can't" she replied nervously.

"You also said you couldn't dance, and we both know that's not true either. Come on, let me see you."

Slowly pushing her chair back from her desk, she rose up, the apprehension in her face coming close to all out fear. Stepping back away from her desk, she stood there waiting for me to say something.

"Say something," she pleaded, my silence tormenting her as my eyes drank in her charms. Staring into her eyes, the corners of my mouth rose, a wry grin appearing at first, quickly followed by a full on smile. "What!" she exclaimed, her nerves fraying as she started tapping a foot, folding her arms in front of her.

"If you would have looked like that the night of the party, I would have had to stand in line for my turn to dance with you."

"Stop it," she said defiantly.

"I'm serious, Thelma. You look –"

"Beautiful," Jeff, our boss called out as he stood in the doorway, a stunned look on his face.

"Enough. I'm not –"

"Yes, you are," I nodded. "You look amazing."

"Neil's right. I might just ask you to dance right now," he laughed. I supposed by some standards, that was a bad statement to make what with him being her boss. But he wasn't going down some unknown path on the way to a sexual harassment charge. He and Thelma had worked together for years and from the look on his face, he was thrilled she was coming out of her cocoon.

After the shock of the initial reveal wore off, she explained that she wasn't sure about transforming her entire image at first. But, she kept thinking about her conversation with Ann. It wasn't until she went shopping the day after Thanksgiving that she made the bold decision to follow through with what she suggested. She had walked through the mall, passing the store of the company Ann had used to work for. There in the window was a mannequin dressed up in an outfit that had been described over the phone as one that would be perfect for her.

Not only did Ann describe it verbally, unbeknownst to me she had sent her a package with a couple of catalogs, with various outfits circled for her to consider. She told us that she spent three hours in that store, trying on different combinations.

"The sales girl was trying to help me, but Ann had already done most of the work. So, instead of helping come up with outfits, she ran back and forth bringing me things to the dressing room. I never really liked shopping for clothes before, because...well. Anyway, it was so much fun."

She said she bought an entire new wardrobe, forcing herself to make a change for good instead of doing a little at a time. She said it had been forever since she'd splurged on herself and once she got started, she had trouble stopping. She said she bought enough outfits for two weeks, and by being able to mix and match things, she could go almost two months without wearing the same exact outfit twice.

"Until Spring," Jeff kidded.

"Yeah, but I'll deal with that then. Right now, I'm not sure I even want to do this. I don't think I can take the people staring at me."

I chided her, saying, "Okay, so you can't blend into the plant like you once did. But they're not going to be staring at you. They're going to be admiring you."

"Maybe even leering," Jeff laughed.

"Great. That's exactly the look I was going for, being ogled," she whined. He walked over, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her. He said nothing, just looking at her and grinning. Finally, she blushed and let out a giggle. "Stop it Jeff."

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me that way."

"Is it that bad, being admired?"

"W...what if they're really staring at me because I look foolish?"

He smiled sweetly and said, "Then they're idiots, Thelma, because you look incredible. You are going to get looks, but try to enjoy them."

As she stood looking at herself in the window late in the afternoon, I stopped to watch her. She was still being a bit of a nudge when it came to the reaction she was getting. But the smile on her face told me she loved the newfound attention, and she loved the way she looked even more. Doing one last little pirouette, she turned and ran into me.

Startled as she fell forward into my arms, she yelled, "Oh my God! Neil, I thought you went into the office!"

Helping her back to her feet, I chuckled. "Nope. I'm still right here."

"Why?"

"Just doing what everyone else has been doing...admiring you. Hell, now you're even doing it."

She put a hand over her smile as she giggled. "I know. I still can't believe this is me. Ann is so amazing Neil. I don't know how to thank her."

"Does that mean you're okay with the new you now?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her entire body seeming as if it were smiling at me. "Yes. I really am."

"Then that will be thanks enough for Ann...I'm sure."

As we walked into the office, we both noticed the red indicator lights on our phones blinking. She sat down and punched in her security code, listening to her message while I was still accessing mine. Before mine started, she was laughing.

"It's Ann! She found out about what I'm wearing," she cackled.

"Really? I didn't tell her," I replied as my message started playing. "Huh...this is Ann too. That's funny."

Actually, mine wasn't that funny. It was erotic, and sexually explicit. As Thelma was listening to Ann, it seemed that Anna was the one that had left my message. Thelma was giggling over whatever was on her machine. Meanwhile, I was getting hard under my desk as I listened to my fiancée describe what she had in store for me once I got off of work.

As I pressed the button to delete the message, Thelma was on cloud nine and then some. "Can you believe that Ann called just to tell me she's proud of me?"

Staring at the receiver in my hand, I grinned as I set it back on the base. "Yes, I can."

"She said she heard I've been walking around today showing myself off. Can you believe...well, I guess you can! Where would she get that from?"

"Carol."

"Carol? Really?"

"Other than you, she's only other person Ann knows from the plant. They talk a couple times a week."

"Wow, they're that close?"

A quick flash of Carol and Ann flashed through my mind, their naked bodies intertwined as they engaged in an incredible cock-hardening 69 on the very day they actually met each other for the first time. "Yeah, they're pretty close. They got together when Ann came out," I nodded.

"That's so nice. I think it's great that she already has a friend here."

"I never thought of it that way, but yeah. It is pretty cool."

"So what was your message all about?"

"Oh, she just has something she wants me to do after work."

"Let me guess...she wants you pick up a gallon of milk on the way home?" she kidded.

"HA...yeah, it's something like that."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe I'm doing this again," I said as I looked in the mirror while brushing my teeth.

I shifted back and forth on my feet, trying to get comfortable. But I knew it wasn't going to happen. I had that familiar feeling in my gut, one that made my crotch burn. Putting the toothbrush away, I rinsed my mouth. Drying off my face, I stood back and looked in the mirror again.

"Okay, you stupid looking Ken doll...let's go before you change your mind." Grabbing my keys and a coat, I headed out the door. Standing in the hallway, I looked down toward the elevators. Recalling Ann's message once again, I thought about her phrasing. "She said I had to walk out of the hotel like this. She never said I had to use the lobby again."

Turning to my left, I headed down the stairwell.

Making it safely to my car unnoticed, I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed my door and started the engine. Looking in the rearview mirror to back out, I caught a glimpse of the baby blue T-shirt in was wearing, causing me to starting laughing hysterically.

"God I love you, Ann," I said as I shook my head with a smile in my face as I put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot. My chest swelled as I made my way to the interstate. Of course I loved her. Why else would I be doing what I was doing?

The message she had left on my phone at work was sexually explicit. At least, it involved sex and the instructions she'd left were explicit, just like all the other times she'd set up something adventurous for me to do while we were apart.

So, I found myself driving, once again dressed in the odd getup she'd asked me to wear on my drive back to West Virginia. Not only was I wearing the tight blue T-shirt and Tina's white spandex shorts, she also had me put the cock ring and ball strap back on. She wanted me just like I'd been the day before, because as she put it, I had unfinished business to attend to.

I'd been so late getting to the hotel the night before, it had ruined the surprise she had waiting for me...Heather. To make up for that, I was making my way over to Heather's place. What I was making up wasn't actually for me, although I wasn't going to complain. The adventure she had originally set up was for Heather, as a way of thanking her for all the things she'd done to make my stay at the hotel so incredible.

Ann confessed that she'd reconsidered her statement that she wanted our relationship to slow down a little. We'd agreed that the only other people we were going to be involved with sexually were Carol and Tina, at least for the time being. But she'd had a change of heart because of Heather and what she'd done. So, for the lack of a better way to put it, she wanted to include her on that short list of potential sexual partners.

I thought of all the times I'd eaten Heather during the game that Ann had made up. Not to mention all the blowjobs I'd gotten as part of it. I never bothered to keep track of the total, but I figured between Heather and I, we'd come out fairly even between giving and receiving. Yet that was the extent of what we'd done together. Sure, Heather had some fun with Carol too, just like I did. But unlike Carol, the one thing that Heather never got to do was fuck me, because Ann had forbidden it. Fucking wasn't part of the game.

She didn't say it in the message. In fact, I couldn't remember Ann ever mentioning it. Yet I could tell in her voice that she felt guilty that she never let Heather and I fuck. Not guilty about me being denied Heather's charms in that way. She simply felt bad that she'd asked Heather to do all of the things she had, getting turned on in the process and never giving her the opportunity to have what Carol had.

It's true that Carol was a special circumstance. Even though she didn't get to fuck me as part of the game, we had since I'd started calling the Sheraton home. That only happened once Ann arrived, with her being there as part of a threesome. But that didn't change the fact that Carol got to feel my cock inside her, while Heather could only wonder what it might be like.

To her credit, Heather never complained, at least to me. I couldn't remember her ever whining or pouting that we didn't get to go that far. Like me, she was happy with the sexual experiences we did get to share. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't win in the game the way it was set up. She'd gotten to explore her sexual boundaries in ways she never imagined, and she'd certainly had more than her fair share of orgasms in the time we'd been playing.

Still, Ann must have felt that Heather had somehow been shortchanged, and she was sending me on a mission to rectify that. With her working at the hotel, Ann said she didn't think it would be appropriate to have her stay late after work a second day in a row. In fact, she didn't want her to have to sneak into my room again, fearing that she'd already done it so many times she might get in trouble with the hotel.

Instead, Ann asked her if it were possible to change the venue altogether. Heather not only did that, she decided she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to. Taking one of her personal days, she called a friend to cover her shift, spending the day getting her apartment and herself ready for my arrival, wanting me to show up right after I got off work.

The apartment complex was rather new. It was an upscale one in a tasteful area of town. The buildings were all three stories high, the grounds around them well manicured; a huge community building with an empty pool near the entrance. Reading the numbers as I cruised slowly through the parking lot, I quickly realized that Heather was in the farthest building and her apartment appeared to be on the top floor.