Ready For Love

She went to pick up her purse when she felt a gentle hand on her arm.

"No. Please don't leave," David said.

"David, this won't work," Brandi said as politely as she could.

He slowly moved his hand away then managed to look at her before he spoke.

"Listen, I don't know exactly how I feel, but I know I've enjoyed your company. And while I'm no expert on...."

The way he looked at her told Brandi he meant 'gender issues' without actually using that term as he continued talking.

"On...this kind of thing, but I do know I haven't met anyone since Paula died I found as interesting—or attractive—as you."

"David, I think you might well be projecting your wife's beauty onto me. There is a mild resemblance, and that's what's confusing you."

Brandi knew the resemblance was more than mild, but modesty was very much a part of who she was.

"You do look like her, but you're also very kind and gentle and sweet like she was."

"Well, that's very...sweet...of you to say, but now that you know the truth, where could this go? Unless you're attracted to men as well as to women."

"I don't have the answer to that," he told her. "I've never been attracted to men, but when I look at you, I most definitely don't see one."

He looked down for a moment then looked back at her before saying, "All I know is...I like you. And well, I also know that at this point anyway, I don't really care about what kind of...plumbing...you have, as long as you see me as someone you'd like to get to know."

"I would," she said with a smile. "Very much."

"Then maybe we could try getting better acquainted. I have no idea how things might go, but I do know I want to find out."

"In that case, I'd very much like to get to know you better, David," Brandi told him.

He smiled at her then asked, "Wow, this isn't easy to ask but since you mentioned it...you do like...men, right?"

Brandi laughed politely and said, "Yes. I like men. I've never been out with one before, but I'm very interested in meeting someone special. And...I like you very much, David."

"Okay. Then as long as there's a chance things could...progress, whatever 'progress' might mean...."

"From my perspective, at least, there's a very good chance of that," Brandi told him, a bright smile on her pretty face.

"You'll just have to kind of help me along the way, because this is definitely uncharted territory to me," he told her.

"Sorry. It is for me, too," Brandi let him know. "I've actually been waiting to meet someone I really liked to ask me out, and until today, that's never happened. But I'm very willing to learn along with you as we go."

"That's very hard to imagine. That you've never dated anyone before. Well, any man, that is," David told her as his brain looked for any trace of masculinity in this person sitting right next to him. The fact that it could find none was both a relief and a bit unnerving.

"Daddy! Come play with me!" Sophie called out.

"I'll be right there, sweetie pie, okay?"

"Okay!" she called back.

"May I call you?" David asked.

"I'd like that," she told him. "Can you hand me your phone again?"

She tapped in her information then handed it back.

"Okay. Cool," he said before feeling silly for using a word he rarely ever spoke.

"Sorry. I'm a little nervous," he told her.

"It's okay. I'm kind of nervous, too. But in a good way, I think," Brandi said.

"Well, I should um, you know, go over and...."

"No, please. By all means!" Brandi said with genuine sincerity.

"I'd ask you to join us, but you look so beautiful," he told her before standing up.

"Maybe next time I'll wear something less dressy," she said with a smile.

"For what it's worth, I very much like what you're wearing. It's quite flattering on you."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as he stood up.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll just head over there now," he said, his jitteriness showing through.

Brandi stood up, and when she did, she was just inches away from David, who had to be at least 6' 2" or possible 6' 3" as he was still taller than her even in three-inch heels, yet one more thing she liked about him.

He started to raise his arms to hug her then offered a hand to shake.

Brandi smiled and ignored his hand as she put her arms around his neck and quickly hugged him. David slowly raised his arms back up and held her around her very narrow waist for a moment before letting go.

"That was awkward!" he said as they let go of each other.

"No, that was very nice," Brandi told him with a smile.

David smiled at her then said, "Yes, it was."

"Okay. Now go! Go play! Miss Sophie awaits!" she told him.

"I'll definitely call you!" he said as he walked away.

"I'll look forward to it, David!" she called back as he smiled and waved.

Once he turned around, Brandi was left alone with her thoughts, and a flood of them rushed through her mind. Chief among them was that for the first time in her life, she'd just been treated exactly the way a woman would be treated by a man who liked and respected her. Right behind it was the fact that David hadn't rejected her out of hand because she wasn't genetically female.

All in all, it was by far the most pleasant experience of her life, and as she picked up her things, she found herself barely able to wait for him to call when she noticed David running back toward her.

"Brandi?" he called out as he approached.

She still hadn't sat down so she waited for him to get there.

"Hi. Long time no see," she teased.

David smiled nervously then looked down again for a moment before looking at her and asking, "Would it be too strange to invite you have a cup of coffee with me? With us?"

"Now?" she asked. Her tone indicated it wasn't an inconvenience, she was just trying to clarify if he really meant at that moment.

"Well, yes. I mean, if you're free, and if you'd care to, of course. Or we could...."

"I'd love to, David," she said before he could continue yammering on.

"Really? Great. Okay. Um...let me just get Sophie and we can head back to the parking lot. Stay right there, okay?" he said, pointing to the bench as though Brandi might run away in her heels.

"I'll be right here," she teased as he ran off.

"Sophie? Come on, honey. Time to go ho...get something to eat!"

He knew saying 'home' would give his daughter reason to stall, but going out to do anything would bring her running.

Sophie stopped immediately and said, "Where are we going?" as she ran to her father.

"Well, I asked the nice lady that sat with us if she'd like to have a cup of coffee with us."

Sophie took her father's hand then said, "Daddy, I don't like coffee!"

"I know, honey. You can have something else, okay?"

Satisfied, the little girl let go of his hand and skipped over to Brandi.

"Are you coming with us?"

Brandi bent down and said, "Well, I'm going to follow you in my car and meet you there. Is that okay?"

"Can I go in your car?" Sophie asked just as her dad caught up.

"Honey? You need to ride with me, okay?"

"Why I can't go with her?" Sophie asked.

"Maybe some other time, okay? he said.

"Okay," she said, letting her father know she didn't much care for the answer.

Then she said to Brandi, "We can take turns. This time, I'll ride with my daddy. Next time I'll go with you, okay?"

"That sounds wonderful, sweetie," Brandi told her.

"Come on. We can walk together," Sophie said as she reached for Brandi's finger.

The three of them slowly walked side by side back to the parking lot, and Sophie chattered non-stop about anything and everything that came to her mind.

"She's kind of a talker," David said almost apologetically. "In case you hadn't noticed."

"She's sweet. And very smart," Brandi said in reply.

All Sophie heard was, "She's smart."

"Yes, I am," she said causing the adults to laugh.

"Precocious is the better word," David told Brandi with a smile.

"Well, I think she's perfect," Brandi said as she leaned down close to Sophie who laughed.

"You're funny!" she said.

Brandi laughed, too, then said, "Funny or funny looking?"

Sophie went stone-cold serious and said, "You're not funny looking. You're pretty."

Before she could thank her, David said, "She's right, you know."

"Ahh! You two are so sweet," Brandi told them both.

"My mommy was pretty, too. I don't know her 'cuz she died when I was a little baby. She's in heaven now. She's a anjul and she watches over Daddy and me every day."

"Yes, I'm sure she does," Brandi said, touched by the little girl's level of trust in what she'd been told.

As they got to the lot, David moved closer then said quietly, "I thought that was a harmless white lie and easier for her to understand."

"No, it makes perfect sense. There's nothing wrong with believing in the Easter Bunny until you're old enough that the truth matters," Brandi replied.

"We're um...right over there," he said. "I guess you want to follow us, right?"

Brandi wasn't into cars, but David drove a very nice-looking, four-door Mercedes Benz.

"I was going to, but if you wouldn't mind bringing me back, I could...."

"Of course. Yes. We'd be glad to," David told her without hesitation.

"Are you riding with us?" Sophie asked.

"I think I am. Is that okay?"

"Yay! You can sit in back with me, and we can watch a movie on the DVD player. Come on!"

"Whoa! Hold on there, Sugar Plum. Brandi needs to ride up front with Daddy, okay?"

"I don't mind, David. I like spending time with this sweet little girl," Brandi said to him while looking at Sophie.

"For reals?" Sophie said before her father could reply.

"Well, yeah! Of course I do," Brandi told her.

"You really don't mind?" David asked.

"Not at all. I'm enjoying being with both of you."

He smiled then said, "This is probably way too forward of me after first asking you to sit with us then to have coffee somewhere...but if you'd like, we could have coffee at my house."

Brandi smiled happily and said, "I'm okay with either one, as long as it's with you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, even as he felt himself growing hard.

"Yes. I'm sure," she said sweetly.

David was barely able to think let alone analyze the situation, but he knew he liked this...person...and that Brandi enjoyed being with Sophie. He also knew he enjoyed being with Brandi, in spite of this 'bombshell' revelation she...he...Brandi...had just sprung on him. He couldn't yet answer 'why', but he was certain that he did.

He went around and opened the door for the 'ladies', and both of them thanked him. Brandi had never had a man do that for her, and she loved the way it made her feel.

She got in and could tell everything was very high end. The leather, the dashboard, the stereo system. It was a clearly very, very nice car.

"Okay. Seat belts on?" David asked for Sophie's benefits.

"Yes. All buckled up!" she called out.

"Okay. Here we go!" her father said.

During the 15-minute drive to David's home, Brandi experienced many new things as well as many new feelings. Not being born female and never wanting to be a woman, she couldn't realistically claim what she was feeling was one of the joys of being a woman. All she knew was she loved being with Sophie and not having to put on a social mask of masculinity as she laughed and played with her was a wonderful thing. She also loved the numerous approving looks she got from David who glanced at her as often as safety allowed during the short ride.

For his part, David was still trying to understand the attraction. Not being gay, he'd never been attracted to men. He wasn't homophobic and fully supported gay marriage, he just didn't get turned on by the sight of men, no matter how attractive they were.

So why then was he not only attracted to the man dressed like a woman in his back seat but feeling things for her he hadn't felt for anyone in years? Clearly it had something to do with the power of illusion as Brandi was perfectly convincing as a female. He hadn't heard the term 'passable' so it never entered his mind, and 'convincing' seemed an apt description because Brandi was convincing in every possible way.

Additionally, the way his brain was interpreting what it was seeing was quite pleasant, regardless of what it was seeing. And while the resemblance to his late wife was there, it was much more than that. David just couldn't yet put into words what that meant.

Like Brandi, he didn't have a logical answer to his very real questions. All he knew was Brandi was the first...person...he'd been strongly attracted to since losing his beloved wife. Stranger still was the way she interacted with his daughter that caused the attraction to grow even stronger.

Neither of them had yet thought about how the other was struggling to deal with so many new and unusual feelings. It wasn't a matter of selfishness. They simply hadn't been 'down this road' before, and until they had some 'miles on the car' they would only be able to focus on what was going on internally. That said, both of them were very aware of the other's presence, and the kind of unspoken romantic tension that was building between them.

Brandi wasn't surprised to find that David lived in a gated community where every house was a thing of beauty. Real estate costs were through the roof in the entire Seattle/King County area where modest homes often went for over well over a half-million dollars. David's had to be worth several million with it's two stories, huge plate-glass windows, and three-car garage.

He pulled into a stall, and Brandi noticed the middle one was empty, but that there was a very nice car in the third, one that may have belonged to his late wife, as David came around to open her door. He offered her a hand which Brandi took, then thanked him as she helped her stand. She then turned around and reached for Sophie who happily jumped into her arms.

As she turned to follow David inside with Sophie in her arms, the little girl said excitedly, "Come on! I'll show you my room, and you can play with me!"

"How about this?" Brandi said. "How about since I played with you in the car, you let your daddy and I talk for a while?"

"And then you'll come play with me?" Sophie asked with the saddest eyes ever.

"Yes. I'll come play with you. I promise."

"Okay," she said as they walked inside.

Brandi let her down, and the little girl scampered upstairs to her room.

"That was very nicely done," David told her.

"Well, thank you," she said with a smile.

"May I get you something to drink?" he asked.

"Water is fine," she told him.

"I have iced tea."

"Okay. If it's unsweetened, that would nice."

"Coming right up!"

David led her into the living room, a very large, very-tastefully decorated area of the house, and invited her to sit down on a beautiful, teal-blue sofa.

"Your home is lovely, David," Brandi said.

It was so nice to be able to say words like 'lovely' or 'adorable' and not feel like she might hear a snide remark about being a 'pussy' or some other pejorative term.

"Thank you. Most of the decorating was Paula's idea. I had the house built for us after she agreed to marry me, and she decorated each of the rooms."

He quickly apologized for bringing up his late wife yet again, and Brandi assured him—again—it was fine.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked to change the subject.

"Oh, well. It's extremely exciting," he told her.

Brandi took a small sip of tea but didn't respond.

"I sell insurance. Life insurance."

"Do you enjoy it?" she asked with genuine interest.

"Hmmm. It pays the bills rather well, but as far as me enjoying it, I don't really think about that. I have Sophie to take care of, and it's what I know how to do, so I guess I mostly just do it."

"I admire people who stick with something whether it's a job or a relationship or most other things. Of course, that doesn't mean staying in a toxic relationship or a job one hates."

"I don't hate my job by any means," David told her. "But I also don't get excited about it."

Brandi smiled and said, "Maybe that's why it's called 'work', right?"

David laughed and told her he agreed.

"How about you, Brandi? What do you do for a living?"

"Well, I'm a senior in college and will graduate in June with a degree in computer science," she told him.

"Impressive! Beautiful and smart."

"Thank you, David," she said sweetly.

"Do you have any plans yet as far as work goes?"

"I have hopes and dreams, but so far, no actual plan."

"With a degree like that you shouldn't have any trouble finding work."

"I agree. I have some leads, but I haven't started really working on them yet," she said.

"Do you have family in the area? You mentioned your mother."

"Yes. I actually live with my mom. It's just so practical for me, and the GI Bill covers pretty much all of my tuition so I'll be graduating debt free."

"Oh, so you served in the military. Which branch?"

"I was an Army Ranger," Brandi said without emotion.

"Geez. Talk about hard to believe."

"Well, you did see my 'before' photo. Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal," she said very modestly.

"So...you've been in combat?" he asked, now feeling a little bit intimidated.

"Yes. One tour for a year."

"Wow. The biggest danger I face is a paper cut at work."

Brandi smiled and said, "Those can be very painful."

"You're just such an enigma to me," David said as he sat there trying to add these new pieces to the growing puzzle.

Brandi laughed politely and told him, "I haven't even figured myself out yet."

"Well, this is all completely new to me," David said.

"Other than dressing like this, it's new to me, too."

"You mean in the sense of...what? Dating...a man?"

"Well, yes. I've been asked out a few times, but never by anyone I was interested in."

Brandi smiled then said, "Until you asked me to join you today."

"I'm just so glad you agreed. I know it'll take some times to figure this all out, but I find myself very much wanting to do that."

"Me, too," Brandi said very sweetly.

"Oh, before I forget again, may I ask you what your last name is?" Brandi said with a bright, happy smile.

"Sommers. David Sommers. And you?"

"Taylor," Brandi told him.

There was a brief moment of silence before David asked her a question. After that, they spent quite a while talking about Brandon and covered things from his first time crossdressing to how it progressed, his guilt and shame, his mother 'catching' him, her valiant efforts to try and understand, the Army and the hope it would all go away, and it's sudden return the year before. They compared and contrasted it to being a transsexual, and David found himself utterly captivated by this beautiful, younger woman.

"That's fascinating to me," David said. "And even more so is that you aren't taking hormones. I have no experience at all with any of this, but my sense is there can't be very many men who are as 'passable' as you who aren't getting some extra...help...from estrogen."

He'd just learned the word 'passable' and enjoyed using it.

"Part of it is pure luck," Brandi explained. "I'm fortunate to have a very androgynous-looking face. Another part is a lot of hard work between dieting and exercise. And then there's an artistic side that involves really understanding how makeup works and what it can and can't do along with wearing clothes that don't stand out wherever I go or whatever I'm doing. Oh, and being able to grow my own hair long is huge. Wigs can be convincingly styled, but they're still wigs, and most people can tell."

David shook his head in admiration and said, "I still marvel when I look at you, Brandi. Even after telling me, I can't see the 'boy' in you anywhere."

Brandi smiled, looked down at that 'special place' then said, "I promise you it would be very visible were you to see me...without the pretty clothes."