Nothing But Knit

Stella stepped to the side then said to Stephanie, "Come on in, hun."

Barry looked up, looked back at his desk, then looked again.

"She's a walk in?" Barry asked as he looked at this prospective employee.

"Yeah, and she's pretty freakin' goy-juss, don't yuh think?"

Barry got up and came around the desk then said, "She's...beautiful. But I can't use another woman right now. There's just no money in budget for it."

Stella whispered something in Stephanie's ear then said, "Introduce yourself to Mr. Gunduhsun just like we practiced."

Stephanie, who'd been smiling the entire time, said, "Hey. How's it goin'," in a deep, baritone voice that caught Barry so off guard he actually flinched.

"What the..."

"Yeah. This is the kid. This is little Stevie who is now Stephanie. So have I got it goin' on or what?" Stella asked, loving the shocked look on her employer's face.

"Jesus...Christ. Is this...is this really him?" Barry asked as he tried to see 'Steve' underneath the hair and makeup.

"Go ahead. Tell him," Stella said.

"It's me, Mr. Gunderson. I'm Steve."

Barry walked around Stephanie in a circle then went back to his desk and sat down without having said a word.

And then, without warning, he hit the intercom button and said, "Get legal in here right now. I need a contract!"

Stella whispered to Stephanie, "Congratulations. You're in! I'll be outside whenev-uh you're through to help yuh get off all the makeup, okay?"

Now even more shocked than Barry had been, Stephanie said, "Wait. What? I'm...I'm hired?"

"Yes, you're hired. You got the job," Stella said. "Now just do whatevuh Barry tells you do, and you're on yuh way, hun!"

Stephanie was so confused she'd forgotten about the rush she was feeling from finally looking the way she'd dreamed of looking for so long. Had that been her only experience, it would have been the best moment of her life. But to learn she was the one Mr. Gunderson was hiring as a model—a model who would be wearing pretty female clothing—on TV—was almost enough to make her faint.

"Sit down, sit down," Barry ordered as he waited for his attorney to walk in.

Stephanie did her best to smooth the long, knit dress, sit down while remaining straight, and keep her knees together. But within two minutes her back hurt, and her legs were quivering, so she pushed her back against the chair then crossed her legs, relieving some of the strain on muscles she rarely ever used.

When the attorney came in, he saw Stephanie first and did a double take. Pretty women were nothing new at the business, but Barry's executive assistant had given him a heads up that the 'girl' inside wasn't exactly a girl.

"Fuck me," the middle-aged man said as Stephanie smiled at him. "That's a guy?"

Barry laughed now that someone else was as confused as he'd been.

"Tell Mitch here hello, Steve," Barry said, not caring that 'Steve' had been introduced as Stephanie.

"Hey. How's it goin' Mitch," she said in her male voice.

The attorney started smiling then looked at Barry and said, "Oh, my God! Talk about nailing it."

"No kidding, right? This guy's perfect!" Barry replied as they both stared at Stephanie.

"I'm not kiddin', Barry. If you hadn't told me this was a guy, I'd never have guessed it."

Stephanie's mouth was the next thing to hurt. Steve had never smiled this much at one time in his entire life, and her face was now killing her even more than her back and legs which weren't used to sitting with one leg over the other. And not being able to slouch at all was just downright cruel.

"Let's talk numbers, kid," Barry said, "And Mitch. Take some pics with your phone and send 'em to my sister, would ya?"

Stephanie hadn't given a thought to money or other forms of compensation, so when Barry casually threw out a number like $2,500 a month plus expenses—and the clothes," she immediately agreed, unaware she was worth ten times that much to the company.

Then again, she hadn't even mentioned coming here to her father, and she knew he'd never approve. Even her very supportive, late mother would agree with her husband and condemn this kind of behavior as perverse. After all, they were very strict Roman Catholics, and his father had been an altar boy. The notion of his son being an 'altar girl' would send him into a tizzy.

But his son was 19, and this was what he wanted, even if it meant being unable to continue living at home. The amount of money being offered wasn't anywhere near what one needed to live on in the Seattle area, let alone be able to enjoy life, but Stephanie had made her decision, and there was no turning back.

An hour later, Stephanie was under contract and had received a thousand-dollar bonus upfront as well as the clothes she was wearing. She had nowhere to put them, so Stella was happy to keep them for her as she figured out how to make this all work.

Once the makeup was off and the hair pulled back into a ponytail, Steve had never felt such a letdown before in his life. It was almost as bad as the experience of being Stephanie had been good. He was once again just a drab, skinny 19-year old boy wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, and that realization caused a wave of depression to wash over him.

Stella noticed and said, "Hey. Cheer up, already! You'll be back here on Friday, and I'll doll you all up again."

Barry had told his newly-signed transgendered model there was a party at his home just three days hence, and that was where he was going to introduce 'Stephanie' to the world. Or at least to the staff of his company, and especially to the managers of his three new stores, and to his sister, Ada.

So with the knowledge that Stephanie would soon 'live again', Steve was able to leave a thousand dollars richer and with real hope that he would finally be able to live the life he'd dreamed of living for so long.

To his great relief, Steve's father didn't ask any questions about where his son had been or what he'd doing. But he did start in on him again about getting a job. And going to mass.

Telling his dad he had a job was, for the moment, out of the question. And he didn't think it would be any smarter to say he'd gladly go to church, but only if he could wear makeup, heels, and a dress. Instead, he did what he usually did which was nod, say 'uh-huh' then go upstairs.

The three days until the party were the longest year of Steve's young life as he continually fantasized about the event and what he'd wear. He couldn't wear anything feminine until then, but that didn't mean he couldn't practice walking, talking, sitting, and gesturing. So that's exactly what he did hour after hour for each of those three, endlessly-long days whenever his father wasn't around.

The party started at 8pm, so Steve showed up to begin his transformation at 7 o'clock. He'd have shown up earlier, but Stella assured him Stephanie needed to make a splash, and that doing so meant being fashionably late.

There was a car waiting for Stephanie downstairs, and Stella would be riding with her, so the makeup artist already looked as 'goy-juss' as she could. Stella wasn't an unattractive woman, she just wasn't what anyone would call beautiful, and she'd long ago made her peace with that. She loved her job, and this particular new 'project' of hers had fully captured her interest.

By 7:30, Steve had disappeared, and in his place was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Well, at least in the last three days.

By the time Stella finished working her magic, Stephanie could find no trace of the young man with whom she shared her existence. This evening, Stella had another beautiful knit dress set aside for the company's first-ever transgendered model, and it every bit as beautiful as the one she'd worn to get the job.

This dress was short, silver, and shimmery. It was definitely a knit, but it had the look and feel of being much heavier, and it was most definitely glamorous. Another pair of four-inch heels, shoes which matched the silver-colored dress, looked amazing and made Stephanie's calves look full and shapely, something she'd never noticed before.

Stella caught her looking and explained what heels did in that regard, and Stephanie found the way her calves looked, along with everything else, to be unbelievably pleasant and even mesmerizing.

She loved the look of her long, shapely legs below the hem of the dress which was fell to about six inches above her knees. The pantyhose she was wearing gave her legs a bit of shimmer, too, but it was subtle in contrast with the boldness of the silvery dress.

Her makeup and hair complete, the only thing left to do was select some jewelry, and because of the more formal nature of the party, Stella selected a pair of dangling silver earrings and three matching silver bangles for her right wrist.

"No necklace?" Stephanie asked, the disappointment in her voice coming through.

"No. Sorry, sweetie. That's just too busy. You got plenty goin' on already, okay?" Stella assured her. "And you look byoo-tee-ful!"

Stephanie quietly cleared her throat then tried out her feminine voice for the first time.

"Thank you so much," she replied.

It still needed a lot of work, but it the difference was enough to cause Stella to stop, smile, then put her hands on Stephanie's shoulders and say, "That's my goyl!"

She took one more look at herself and then at her charge then asked if Stephanie was ready to do.

"Yes. I can't wait!" she said as femininely as she could.

Stella offered her a silver wrap, then, after showing her how to wear it said, "Okay. Let's go knock their socks off, shall we?"

The limousine dropped them in front of Barry's large, beautiful home which was located in Redmond, the city that was home to MicroSoft.

Stella got out first then offered a hand to make sure Stephanie could stand up.

"How you feelin', hun?" she asked.

"Like...like I died and went to heaven?" Stephanie asked back.

Stella laughed then said, "You're gonna do fine, okay? Just remembuh everything we talked about, and you'll wow the hell out of 'em."

Stella looped her arm through Stephanie's, mostly to again offer support in the heels, then headed inside where a very large group of people were all mingling.

Stephanie's brain was on overload as she tried to recall everything she'd been taught or practiced. She was so caught up in her internal dialogue she had no idea how many men—and women—turned to look as they walked in. Nor did she notice how many of the men who did smiled at her.

A very attractive, younger man carrying a tray of drinks asked if they'd like a glass of champagne.

"Yes, please," Stephanie quietly said.

But just as she reached for it, Stella stopped her.

"Uh-uh. The last thing you need to do is belch from them bubbles, sweetie! And it'll mess up yuh lipstick."

"Yes. Of course," Stephanie quietly replied, feeling foolish for not having thought of it herself.

"Look. Ovuh they-uh," Stella said as she pointed.

Stephanie looked and saw Barry who was surrounded by what was essentially an entourage, to include his sister, Ada.

"Let's go make a splash, shall we?" Stella suggested.

Stephanie's courage waned, but there was no other choice, so she replied, "Okay. Sure."

Barry glanced their way as they approached then said rather loudly, "Folks? Please excuse me. There's someone I'd like you all to meet."

He stepped out from the group of fawning sycophants and extending a hand to Stephanie before remembering his manners.

"I'm sorry. I should know better than to offer my hand to a lady," he said before hugging Stella and then taking Stephanie's hand and kissing it. "Ladies? Shall we?"

The group fell silent with the exception of some quiet murmuring and a handful of 'oohs' and 'aahs'.

Barry stood on a chair then called for everyone's attention, and the entire room fell silent.

"Everyone? Please gather around. There's someone I'd like to introduce to you."

He reached down for Stephanie's hand, and when she offered it, Barry placed her to his immediate right but on the floor, of course. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, and as a result, she'd forgotten to smile. In fact, she was barely even breathing as Barry continued.

"Folks, as you know, we're opening three new stores, and as a part of the grand opening strategy, we're expanding our advertising and marketing base. We've had models on staff before, but this time around we're trying something completely new. Now this isn't the kind of thing one could pull off in other parts of the country, but the area from Portland to Vancouver, BC, is the perfect place for it."

He paused to look to see how many people were looking at him and how many were looking at the incredibly beautiful woman standing next to him.

"In an effort to reach a wider clientele, my sister and I have made what I believe is not only a bold move but the right one for our company."

He paused again for effect then finished his remarks.

"Standing next to me is our latest addition to the Gunderson team. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our latest new model, Miss Stephanie..."

Barry realized he didn't know her last name, but the moment he paused, Stella called out, "Moran!" causing a round of laughter in the room.

Two of the other genetically female models were also there, and Barry asked them to come up and stand on either side of Stephanie. Once they were in place, Barry asked for a round of applause. When it died down, he made the big announcement.

"All three of these models are beautiful, right?" he asked, knowing everyone would agree.

To no one's surprise there was more applause and quite a few replies like 'yes' and a few that were a little more...coarse...coming from a guy who'd already had one too many.

"But what's new is well, what's new," Barry said as he looked down at Stephanie.

There were a few puzzled looks as people looked around trying to figure out what that meant when Barry leaned down and quietly said, "Use that voice of yours, okay?" to Stephanie.

He stood up straight again then smiled and said, "If you're confused, I think this will help. Stephanie? Would you say 'hello' to our guests?"

She looked at Stella who smiled and nodded, so in her best Steve voice, she boomed out, "Hey there, everyone!"

The disconnect between what people were seeing and hearing was so strong there were many gasps of disbelief and sounds along the lines of 'what?' or 'you've gotta be kidding!'

"No. We're not kidding!" Barry said, his upbeat tone back. "Stephanie is our first-ever transgendered model', and if I do say so myself, she makes a pretty darned convincing woman, wouldn't you say?"

The next comments were more like, "Oh, my God!" or, "No way!" as people began staring.

"What work have you had done, Stephanie?" a woman asked.

"Work?" she replied, still using her male voice and still not smiling.

"Yes. You know. Electrolysis. A trachea shave. Hormones."

"None!" Stella called out as she moved in front of one of the other models.

There was more 'oohing and ahhing' so Barry held up his hands and asked for quiet.

"This girl is the real deal, folks. She's 100% male, but thanks to the magic of hair, makeup, and Nothing But Knit clothing, she looks 100% female."

Stella waited for the next round of noise to die down then called out, "That's her real hair, too, people!" which brought more looks and shakes of the head.

Barry took charge again and said, "So come on up and introduce yourself to the newest member of our family!"

Thirty minutes later, Stephanie had met roughly half of the people who wanted to talk to her, and her feet were killing her. Getting used to heels was going to take time, and that was something she hadn't had enough of, so she asked for understanding when she finally took a seat to give her aching back and legs a rest.

As she answered many of the same questions again and again, Stephanie noticed someone staring at her off and on. She had no idea who he was, and had he not smiled at her several times, she might not have paid attention.

After all, there was no reason to as Steve had always known he was straight. Men had never held any interest to him. He wasn't the least bit homophobic and didn't care what consenting adults did together. He just didn't like guys. And yet, each time this very attractive man smiled at her, Stephanie's tummy flip-flopped and once it felt like her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't explain the reason why. All she knew was it had happened, and once the last of the curious went away, she found herself not only looking at him but also wishing he would come and say hello.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Stella said, "You did SO good, sweetie! I'm really proud of you!"

"Thank you," Stephanie replied, feeling happier and more feminine than she ever had.

Stella could tell something was wrong and asked what was going on.

"Oh, nothing," Stephanie insisted even as she continued looking around for the handsome man she'd seen several times.

"Are you lookin' fuh Barry?"

"Huh? Oh. No. I...I just saw someone earlier. That's all."

"Ah, okay," Stella replied with a smile. "Male or female? Not that I care, mind you."

"Male," Stephanie admitted. "Is that...weird?"

"Don't ask me, baby. Only you can ans-uh that."

Stephanie tried explaining how she felt, and after a minute or so, Stella said, "Ah, okay. I think I un-duh-stand. My take on this is that you're straight. When you're Steve you like women. But Stephanie likes men. Maybe it ain't no mo-uh complicated than that."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right," Stephanie replied, remembering to use her best female voice again and smile.

"So come on. Let's go mingle, and maybe you'll see yuh hot guy again!"

Stella forced her new friend to stand up, and when she did, Stephanie winced and said, "Being a girl isn't easy."

Stella laughed and told her, "Especially when you're tryin' to be one that's glamorous, right!"

The party was in full swing, and the alcohol was flowing freely. Many of the same people who'd talked to her earlier were dying to ask Stephanie more questions; questions she graciously answered as best she could.

It was close to midnight when she saw him again. This time he looked right at her, smiled warmly, then headed her direction. Stephanie's heart raced and she grabbed Stella's arm so hard it make her cry out.

"What the hell, sweetie? What's with the vice grip..."

When she saw the reason why, Stella got quiet and said, "Oh...my...gawd! He is freakin' goy-juss!"

The man walked up, smiled again, then said, "Good evening, ladies."

"Good evenin' yuh-self," Stella said as she drooled over him.

"Hi," Stephanie shyly said.

"Hello," the man replied. "I know your name is Stephanie, but please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Josh Allen."

Stephanie was experiencing a rush of emotions the likes of which she'd never felt before as she smiled and told Josh it was nice to meet him. Among the many new things she was feeling was a kind of feminine confidence as she intuitively realized the way he was relating to her was fundamentally different than the way Steve had ever interacted with any man before in his life. It wasn't as though she was just pretending to be a woman. In Josh's mind, and now in hers—she was. Or at least close enough to it that it made no real difference.

No, she wasn't delusional. She was still fully aware she was genetically male, but another kind of awareness trumped that fact. What mattered, indeed ALL that mattered, was how she saw herself and how Josh saw her.

"I wanted to talk to you earlier," he began, "but you were surrounded by well wishers, so I decided to wait in the hopes of having some time to talk to you alone."

"I'm...I'm glad you did," Stephanie told him, also aware that her feminine voice still wasn't very convincing.