Sam Spade 04: Case of the Missing Heiress

I looked at her confused and then back at Angela, "I am," I said.

Shaking her head, Angela replied, "No you are not." She went back and sat down on the ground before me, "You know the old line, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Let us talk about James. Tell me you are doing this to him for his own best interests."

"He betrayed me. Took my love and stabbed me in the back twisting the knife as he laughed." I said feeling the anger rising.

"Just because he did what he thought was right. You took his manhood, turned him into a woman. Never able to let anyone know how he really feels." She spat back.

I remembered some of the debates Angela and I had back when she was alive. This followed the same course. "I gave him the option to walk away love. It was his choice, his, not mine."

"Some choice," Cindy said. "You knew he could not leave you. You knew he had to say he wanted it. You had commanded him to beg Angela for the change." She shook her head.

Angela jumped in, "Did you give him the chance to say no, alone with you? By your command he could not say let me leave." She looked away, "I am so ashamed of you Samantha."

"The changes are not reversible, you know that Angela," I said, the weight of her words had drained the anger from me. I had forgotten that he had to beg for the change. "It's out of my hands; there is nothing I can do." I said realizing I had gone power crazy.

Cindy spoke up once more, "Mistress, you are wrong, you can fix things. We," she looked at the ghostly figure of Angela, "will help you." She paused and looked at me once more, "If you want it, that is."

Sliding of the bench I sat on the ground before them, "Please help me," I said softly. "I have made a mess of things."

Angela's ghostly hand reached out to caress my cheek, "No matter what else, I do love you so much Woody." She looked at Cindy and got a nod in reply, "We will help you."

I moved into her ghostly touch and smiled. Angela's pet name for me was Woody. It was because of my flaming red hair and the old cartoon character called Woody Woodpecker. More than anything I knew this was Angela's ghost talking to me. The artificial Angela did not know the pet name. "Tell me what I must do."

Again, they shared a look and then Cindy spoke up, "First you must take all the moneys turned in to you and deposit it into a group account." She paused, "You cannot change the feelings you have made about your slaves worshiping you. Therefore, you will have to live up to their expectations. You must be both lover and goddess to all."

As Cindy talked, Angela watched her and then turned to me, "As for James, you must change him so he loves the being a woman." She looked at Cindy and added, "You also must get everyone's forgiveness."

I heard a voice behind me, "When are pain and pleasure the same?" Tuning my head, I saw Cynthia sitting on the bench. I looked back at the ghosts but they were no longer there. Turning I saw that Cynthia was still sitting on the bench. Reaching out a hand, I touched her leg. "Yes Samantha I am real," She said with a slight smile. Turning her head towards the path she said, "You can come out now Angela."

I looked at the path and saw Angela walk out looking at me strangely and then at Cynthia. "It is a pleasure to meet you Cynthia." She said bowing slightly.

I looked back at Cynthia, "Pain and pleasure are the same when someone else's pain gives you pleasure. This allows you to hide your own pain and direct it towards someone else. A good example is James. My guilt feelings were transferred to his punishment. Knowing he would lose his manhood brought me pleasure."

"Very good Samantha, you are learning." She replied with a smile.

"Thank you," I said, "Who are you really? You must know we have been searching but have not found anything about you." Angela moved and sat down beside me as if to protect me.

She smiled, "I am who I said I was, you just have to look back a few years," Cynthia laughed. "When you are ready we will address the final question. But for now, good night." She stood and started walking away.

Angela stood and was going to follow her when I stopped her. "Let her go love." I said softly. She looked towards the path Cynthia had taken and then back at me before nodding.

She reached down and helped me to my feet. Hugging me tight, she said softly, "I love you. What a cute pet name, Woody" I broke from the hug and looked at her, "Yes love I heard your visitors," she said. Looking down Angela paused before looking back up at me, "May I have permission to speak freely mistress?"

"Yes Angel, please do."

"I think the advice they gave you was very good. But I must ask your forgiveness also," She said looking at me. I cocked my head not understanding. After a moment, she added, "For this," and backhanded me so hard I fell to her feet. It felt as if someone had hit me with a glove filled with horseshoes. "You BITCH," she yelled down at me. "How dare you do that to James? He loved you, worships the ground you walk on...and you repay him by neutering him. Damnit Samantha how could you?" She stood there over me, her hands on her hips and said coldly, "If I were flesh and blood I would walk out that door and you would never see me again. Even if it meant my death, I would rather die."

I lay there stunned. The hit hurt but not as much as her words. I knew I was wrong but to hear Angela say she would rather be dead then with me killed me inside. Sobbing I curled into a ball wishing I could crawl into a hole and burry myself said, "I'm sorry," over and over.

I felt Angela's hand on my shoulder, I looked up, and she pulled me into a hug. I clung to her crying as she talked. "You are lucky I am not flesh and blood, I cannot leave you Samantha. I love you. I will help you if you wish it. Or you can have me destroyed for striking you, my mistress and goddess."

I looked at her, "No punishment, you were right as always. Will you forgive me?" I hugged her once more hoping for the best. "Will Jimmy be able to hear and respond to me while he is changing?"

"Yes I forgive you Samantha, you are only human. You and I had a wonderful talk while you were having your makeup done. I do not know if he will remember it though, you did not." She replied as she stroked my hair.

"Good, I need to talk with him." I said standing and walking with her towards his room.

Chapter 11

Walking into the bedroom Angela had placed Jimmy in I could not help but smile. The bedroom was done all in a soft pastel pink and reminded me of my bedroom when I was a child. As we moved forward in the darkened room, I could see a figure-laying nude on top of the comforter. Sitting down on the edge of the bed I turned on the bedside lamp, what I saw shocked and yet delighted me. Jimmy/Jasmine lay there sleeping peacefully. Already, his face was that of a beautiful woman, with perfect makeup, his hair, which was cut short, lay flowing around him. The most striking feature was that his body was slimming down and I could see little breasts forming.

"Jimmy, Jimmy, wake up dear." I said softly as I caressed his cheek. I looked up at Angela, "Are you sure it is ok to wake him?" She nodded in reply. By the time I turned and looked back down at him, he has his eyes, brilliant blue, open and looking up at me. "How do you feel dear?" I asked him caressing his cheek.

His voice in the process of changing, it sounded deep and at the same time sexy, "I feel..." He raised his hands before his face and marveled at the long red fingernails. "I feel it happening," His fingers traced over his breasts and down between his legs, "I'm becoming Jasmine, thank you, mistress." He looked up at Angela, "Thank you so much Angela for helping me become my heart's desire."

Angela turned away and said softly, "Your welcome." Without turning back, she added, "I must go make my rounds." She walked over to the darkened doorway, opened and closed it without slipping through.

I stroked Jimmy's face and hair before taking his hand in mine. "James," I said and looked down, "I have come to beg for your forgiveness." I touched his perfect lips with my fingertips, "Shhh, let me finish first." I looked down at his hands, they were even more feminine then they were when I had walked in a few minutes earlier. "I didn't think, when I gave you the option to leave, I meant it Jimmy. I forgot that you could not say no because of Angela in the room. I'm sorry."

"Mistress, may I speak as if I were just a friend and not your pet?" He asked looking up at me.

With each passing moment, I had to remind myself I was talking to Jimmy and not Jasmine. "As long as you don't slap me, even if I do deserve it."

"Samantha, I would never hit you, no matter what," He said with love and devotion in his voice. "Do you remember back in high school and the costume party where we went dressed as each other?"

I had to think back and then I remembered, "I went dressed as you and you as me," I laughed. The memory of me wearing bandages to strap my breasts flat, thick glasses held with tape, pants that were too short, a white shirt with a million pens in a pocket protector and my hair slicked back, came floating up. "I do remember you griped about it all night," I added sobering up.

He looked down, "I pitched a fit because I loved the feel of the silk and nylon against my skin Red." His fingernails dug into my palm as he talked. "I was scared, it felt too good," He said not looking at me. He looked up at me, "Then all this mess, your punishment, and the command that I will hate it but be unable to say anything other than to beg for it." Looking towards the darkness where Angela stood unmoving, he said, "But, you see, I wanted this, if I knew you had the ability I would have begged for it long ago."

I was floored, Jimmy, a closet transvestite? "You wanted it?" I asked not sure, I was hearing what I thought he said.

"Sam, my sweet Samantha, sometimes you are such a chump," he said, his hand stroking my cheek tenderly. "If you do not believe me now, then tell me to speak freely without any commands controlling me. Ask me your questions and I will tell you anything and everything you wish." He looked over in the corner, "You also Angela, trying to hide in the corner as if you were a floor lamp."

Not looking I knew Angela was coming forward, "James, I want you to feel free to say anything to me, anything you want to without fear or worry. If Angela's presence affects you in any way, then just close your eyes and pretend she is not here. If my presence affects you in any way, then do the same thing." I glanced at Angela as she sat on the other side of the bed and took Jimmy's other hand.

"First off let me say, I love you both, more than anyone in the world." He said looking at Angela and then me. "And yet, at times I hate the day I ever laid eyes on you Red, and you Angela." He rested his head back and closed his eyes, "Do you realize what you have done to me Samantha? You have opened Pandora's Box in me. I had buried the feelings I had back in high school." His eyes squeezed shut hard and his hand gripped hard in mine. "A part of me wants to forever be Jasmine. But, you programmed me to hate it."

His eyes opened and he looked at Angela, "Will you still love me if I am Jasmine?" Looking at me he said, "My punishment was not the change, my punishment is knowing deep down I wanted it." He sighed, "If I could have one request, one boon you could grant me Samantha, do you know what it would be?"

I looked at Angela, "James," I started to say but he shook his head. "What would you ask for Jasmine?"

He closed his eyes and I could see he was crying, "I wish, I wish," He stuttered. Taking a deep breath, his eyes still closed, "I want to be Jasmine always, and I want to be able to embrace my feelings of cross dressing. I want to be able to serve you, both of you." His eyes opened and he looked up at the ceiling, "That's what I would wish for."

My eyes met Angela's across the bed. I knew what I must do now, "Jasmine, close your eyes and relax for me dear." I paused as I felt her hand relaxing in mine, "I want you to find that part that hated the change and erase it. Imagine a huge eraser wiping away the words and any misgivings you had about following your dream of becoming Jasmine." I paused a while, let her mind do the command.

I looked back at Angela and received a nod and smile in return. It felt as if a great weight was lifted from my shoulders. Looking back down at Jasmine, "That you still have a male appendage will not bother you at all. That everyone else does not just mean that you are special. Not only do you have a penis, you also have two mistresses who love you, Angela and me." I looked at Angela, "Don't you agree Angela?"

Angela looked at me for a moment and then down at Jasmine, "Yes my sweet pet, two mistresses." She looked at me again and tilted her head. Nodding in return, I was not sure what she wanted to add but I did trust her logic even if I disagreed with it, "Look back at your life, you have always been Jasmine." She paused, "The name Jimmy will lose any meaning to you, he is a dream and fade into the mist over time."

When she had finished I leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Sleep well Jasmine and when you wake everything will be all right."

Standing I watched as Angela kissed her other cheek and said, "Good night pet."

We met at the foot of the bed and walked out together. Once we had closed the door behind us, I realized that the night had past and the other girls were up. "Angela, will you have everyone meet me at the pool please." I asked her and gave her a kiss.

"Yes mistress," she replied with a loving smile.

"Oh and Angela," I said. When she turned around I added, "Thank you for knocking some sense into me."

She smiled, "Your welcome Woody."

I went to the pool and slipping off my panties crawled in. As I lay relaxing with my eyes closed I could hear others coming up and talking softly among themselves. The gentle sloshing of water now and then let me know they were entering the pool around me. I did not move or look up until I heard Angela say, "Everyone's here mistress."

I looked around at the happy faces. "Good morning my sweets, I trust you are happy with your changes." The thank you and yes mistress words overflowed each other as 11 women all talked at once. Holding up my hands, "I get the point." I looked at Angela and then at the others, "First order of business, as money comes in I want it all deposited into a corporate account under the name of Hidden Mask Inc."

I paused and looked at each one getting a nod in return. "Each and every one of you will have full access to this account as will I." I could see the looks of confusion on their faces, "Just because you are my pets, my good girls, does not make you an animal with no rights or feelings. I am sorry if I gave the impression otherwise, please forgive me."

One by one, they stood and gave me their forgiveness starting with Angela. Once they had all spoken, I said softly, "Thank you." I waited a moment and then said, "The next order of business, I have had a long talk with James. He has requested to be called Jasmine and be treated as one of the girls from now on. I expect each and every one of you to help her in every way possible."

"Once Jasmine wakes up and you can see the changes that have been made, I give you permission to go to Angela to make changes to yourself. She will come to me for final approval if she thinks I need to approve it, but you are to go to her for help in making any changes you wish," I said calmly.

It was as if a bomb had gone off, the silence was deafening. Finally, Angela spoke up, "Mistress? Are you sure you want me in charge of this?"

Instead of answering her directly I looked around at my pets, "Each one of you have special skills and are better at it then I will ever be. I expect you," I paused and looked around, "Every one of you to step forward and use those skills." Looking at Heather I said, "First thing this morning, please deal with your servants and give them fair severance pay."

When she had nodded I said, "Ok everyone knows what must be done today. I expect everyone moved in by five this evening." I turned to Angela, "Please see that my stuff is moved and installed into the Mistress's bedroom today. As I stood I added, "Everything else other than my easy chair, sell or destroy."

Angela said, "Yes mistress" As I walked away I could hear her saying, "You heard our mistress, we only have eleven hours."

After dressing, I was heading out the door when Angela stopped me, "Mistress? Is there somewhere we can reach you in case of an emergency?"

I looked at her, "I have to go say thank you to someone."

She nodded, "Tell her I, tell both of them, I said thank you for giving me back the woman I fell in love with."

Chapter 12

Sitting in the graveyard, I mused to myself, in all my years I had never come here in the daylight. Looking at Cindy's grave, I said softly, "Thank you." I glanced at Angela's grave beside hers, "I miss you so much love, though, the replica that Jimmy and Alvin built is so close that until last night, I kept forgetting she is not you." I looked down at my feet, "I love her Angela, and she is my soul mate." I said softly, "I'm sorry I found another, she looks like you, acts like you, talks like you, however she is not you." Looking up at Angela's grave once more, "Forgive me for not being true to you."

I hoped she would give me a sign, come to me or something and tell me it was going to be ok. However, as much as I wished for the sign it did not come. Even though Angela had not answered me, I felt better that I had unloaded my true feelings, both to her and to myself. It was not until last night that I realized that my Angela now, was not the same as the Angela from my past. I thought about going back home, but instead turned and drove the other direction. I needed time to come to grips with my words to Angela's grave.

Sometimes, when I want to clear my head I would walk through some of the old shops and look at items from yesteryear. Today was one such day; I parked the car in the heart of the historical district. While I could never afford the items, I enjoyed looking. Walking through old town, I walked into one of my favorite shops. It dealt with consignment sells from overseas and you could find most anything in it. In the past, I had seen stools made from feet of elephants, to beautiful restoration furniture made in Germany. Once, I had even found something called a compact disk.

As always George, a little wizened man who looked and acted as if he were over a hundred years old greeted me like his long lost child. "Samantha, you grace me with your presence. How are you my dear, I have tea ready, come sit." He always never did let me get a word in edgewise until I had sat and drank a cup of black tea with him. As he puttered around in the back of his shop, I looked around. It seemed he had a new shipment in. One that included a fair number of paintings stacked together of to one side.

Standing I started flipping through the old musty smelling paintings, not really looking at them. About half way, back something caught my eyes and I had to flip back. Pulling the painting out, I lifted it up to the light. "What the hell was my mother doing in an old painting?" I asked myself. The woman was reclining forward on a couch dressed up as a belly dancer in blue. I flipped it over and found just the consignment number listed. Sometimes you could find some information on a sheet on the back of items telling where from and how old they were.

Looking at the front again, I stared at the woman, feelings of longing for her face and warm sunny smile filled me. I had to have this painting no matter the cost. While I realized the woman was not my mother, she could have been her twin sister. I carried it up to the counter and set it off to the side. I would have to drink the tea, chat a while before George would talk business. Sitting down on one of the chairs, he had set off to the side I waited for him to come out. When I saw him coming out with a silver serving set I jumped up to help him. On the service were the silver tea set, and little plates with cake slices on them. When he had sat, I served him and then myself before sitting.