Shipping Clerk Ch. 01

But now he was "one of the girls", and, hopefully, that changes things?

"Yes, Ma'am," he responded while bowing his head. He had orders.

"Excellent," Ms. Stotts replied with a fond smile, "we leave at 11:45. You will be riding with me."

Andy quickly scuttled off to his desk, pausing and frowning when he remembered that he hadn't had a chance to discuss the Carmel Corp paperwork. No matter, he could write up an impressive email delineating the steps needed to get the SNAFU fixed. That made him smile again.

During Girls' Lunch Out, which always took place at a local Italian restaurant called La Pasta Garden, work-talk is forbidden, and everyone gets a chance to share personal anecdotes and interesting events from the weekend. Ms. Stotts called it a "team-building exercise", but it was really a chance to gossip and have fun.

At 11:30, the noise level in the department began to pick up as people stepped away from their desks and began to gather their things. Usually, at this time, Andy would get his sandwich out and put it on his desk so that he could have something to point out when declining the invitations. Instead, Andy could take it home with him and have peanut butter and jelly and instant noodles for dinner. Andy smiled at the thought. It was going to be great!

"Are you ready to go, Andy?"

Startled, Andy turned to see Ms. Stotts Herself standing behind him. Andy always thought that she looked so elegant in her tailored skirt suits. Most employees, like Andy, wore the office uniform of khakis and company polo shirts. But Ms. Stotts and the other senior executives always wore formal business attire. He also noticed that she had replaced the comfortable track shoes that she wore around the office with elegant leather pumps that matched her purse and belt. "Maybe I really am becoming one of the girls," he thought, "I'm starting to notice women's outfits."

He picked up his bag and accompanied her down the hall, joining the gaggle of chatting women. Andy suddenly felt very out of place walking next to his tall, well-dressed boss. Now wearing heels, she was probably 3-4 inches taller than he was. He glanced over his shoulder at the cheerful women behind him. Marjorie gave him an encouraging smile. Everyone else was chatting, so maybe he should too.

"So, err, did you get my email about the Carmel Corp issue?"

"I did, but that's a work topic. We don't talk business or politics at Girls' Luncheon. It's a team-building exercise, so we talk about ourselves and our lives so that we can get to know one another better."

Oops. Andy didn't know that. He hated not knowing the rules. One of the reasons he was good at his job was because he was a compulsive rule-follower. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Quite all right, sweetie, I'm just bringing you up to speed," Ms. Stotts informed him as she quietly placed her hand possessively on his bottom, ushering him through the outer office doors. Andy was a man, brought up in the uncompromisingly chivalric framework of modern feminist theory. He was supposed to open doors and guide women through them. Yet Ms. Stotts, without permission or consultation, did that very thing to him. Andy was suddenly a bit discombobulated. He needed to think about this. It had never happened before, and it was very strange.

Outside, the group was met by a large van and a long, dark sedan, both of which pulled smoothly up to the curb as they approached. "Andy, Jill, you're riding with me. Everyone else, we'll meet you there."

Andy hadn't realized that he would be riding alone with both the CFO and the HR Manager, but he tried to stay calm. After all, Ms. Stotts had been so supportive this morning. He probably had nothing to worry about. Probably.

Mrs. Moskowitz was a stout woman with short dark hair and, seemingly, a perpetual smile. As Ms. Stotts approached her with Andy in tow, she turned that brilliant smile on him. "Oh, Andy!" she exclaimed, "I absolutely love that hair, it's so beautiful! Does that hair color run in your family?"

Andy's cheeks pinked a little bit at the enthusiastic compliment. Guys almost never did that to each other. He found he really liked the attention, which was very different from his usual reaction to things. He reflexively reached up and stroked his ponytail. "Umm, yeah, thanks. I was a little bit surprised to wake up on Sunday morning and see my mom's hair in my face."

"Well," she continued as they entered Ms. Stotts' vehicle, "if you need any help with styling it, just let someone know. I think that the basic ponytail is a cute look on you, but I think you'll probably want to experiment with other hairstyles once you feel comfortable enough to start going out in your female form. Transitioning is a big step, and it's going to be very confusing for you for a while until you can adapt to it. I'm not pressuring you or anything, it's entirely up to you when you want to start, but all the literature put out by the health authorities says that it's best to make the change as soon as you are in a supportive environment. We all support you and are willing to help. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say this, too. Think about it this way, you're a girl now. You may still be able to shift into a male form when you need it for something, but you really should consider transitioning to female full-time. You're not giving anything up, you're just exploring something new, does that make sense?"

It... did make sense, Andy thought to himself. He had been so nervous this morning that he almost called in sick. But since then, everyone had been very supportive. And now Mrs. Moskovitz, the HR manager for the entire company, was telling him that everything was going to be okay. He looked at Ms. Stotts and she smiled back at him encouragingly. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'll think about it."

"Good," Mrs. Moskovitz told him as she patted his knee in a satisfied manner, "you can do that when you're ready. Marilyn, can we see about getting Andy some new uniforms? There's a generous tax credit available for transition-related wardrobe expenses, and I think we should take advantage of that."

"Agreed. Order three sets of new uniforms for her," she said, "make sure you include underwear, nightgowns, and anything else you think she might need. Use your best judgement; I'm prepared to be generous. Andy is a valuable employee and we want her to be happy."

Andy felt like events were moving rather quickly. He had only tentatively agreed to start coming to work in his female form, and now they were already sweeping him forward by changing his pronouns right in front of him, as though it was a done deal. But he was also intrigued by the offer of an entire new wardrobe at company expense. Last night, he, well she at the time, had gone to bed in her usual tatty t-shirt and gym shorts. So, a new nightgown would be nice! Perhaps one of the soft flannel ones like his mother had worn around the house under her house robe... that would be nice. Mom gave the best hugs and the memories of her soft flannel nightgowns were precious to him. It meant "comfort and home" to Andy. He was warming up to the idea, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"Excellent," Mrs. Moskowitz exclaimed as the car pulled up to the door of the restaurant, "this is going to be so much fun! When you get home tonight, dear, I want you to immediately shift into your female form and then give me a call. I'll show you how to take some measurements and we'll prepare the order right then and there. I'll even make it overnight shipping so you can have it tomorrow at work, Okay? Okay then, that's settled, let's get some food!"

Inside the restaurant, the large group was ushered to a private room. Ms. Stotts had Andy sit next to her, with Mrs. Moskowitz on the other side. Being seated at the head of the table made Andy very self-conscious again, but Mrs. Moskowitz put him at ease by telling him that they were doing it because he was the "new girl" and they wanted to show him their support.

After they ordered drinks, Ms. Stotts called for everyone's attention. "I want everyone to know that Andy here has agreed to start attending Girls Lunch Out from now on and will no longer be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches alone at his desk while we're all here having fun."

Everyone cheered, "Yay, Andy! Way to go!"

"Also, as I'm sure you have all noticed, Andy's gender changed over the weekend. He is now an active female shifter. What that means is that he can switch back and forth between genders at will, but female is his base form. I know this shifter virus is a new thing, so this may still be confusing to some of you. The convention is that when Andy is in his male form, as he is now, he will use he/him pronouns. When she is in her female form, she will use she/her pronouns. Is that all right, Andy, or do you have a different preference?"

"Umm, yeah, I guess? I hadn't given it any thought. It does seem a bit confusing, though."

"Everyone supports your transition, Andy, no matter what. I hereby designate everyone at this table as "Team Andy", and we're all on your side."

Everyone cheered and Andy felt terribly embarrassed, but also very warm inside. These people were his friends now and they were going to support him. It wasn't just Andrew Lavois Grumman against a cold and lonely world anymore. Team Andy was on his side!

After the food arrived, everyone had a turn to talk about their lives as they went around in a circle. Some of the women didn't have much to say, others spoke quite a bit. When it was Andy's turn, everyone clamored to hear about the music concert and the tryst afterwards that made him a shifter. But he didn't want to talk about it just yet and instead, he told them about his recent trip to the Air & Space Museum with his daughter. It was clear from the way he spoke about Abby that she was the light of his life, and it made the other women smile. The post-pandemic fertility crisis made young children a precious gift, and it was clear that this was a man who truly loved his daughter with all of his heart.

As the group was collecting their things to go, Andy quickly looked around, then snatched the last two breadsticks and hid them in his bag. They were really good, and free is free.

After lunch, Andy rode with Mrs. Markowitz and Ms. Stotts again.

"Andy," Ms. Stotts began, "now that lunch is over, we can discuss business. Your decision on when to start coming to work in your female form is a personal decision and we'll support you when you do. That's why we talked about it on the way to the restaurant, but now we need to talk business. You raised a very serious matter during our discussion this morning and I'm putting my "senior executive hat" on right now, do you understand?"

Andy nodded, finally, he was going to get to talk about the Carmel Corp invoices, and...

"Just wait, Andy. I'm still talking. I had to do my research first, and Jill is here as a witness to this discussion..."

Andy looked at her in alarm. That didn't sound good.

Ms. Moskowitz put her hand on his knee reassuringly, "Don't worry, honey. You're not in trouble. Everyone here is on the Team Andy train. Okay?"

"Andy, this morning you informed me that you couldn't afford to have a $15 lunch once per week. I looked into it, and I see that your entire salary has been going into the account of Lina Grumman, who is one of your senior spouses, is that correct?"

Of course it was, Marilyn has researched the issue thoroughly. Andy nodded apprehensively. He really didn't like where this was going.

"You have two spouses. Lina and Rochelle Grumman are your senior spouses. You are separated from them, as is your right, and you live alone. And yet they are still receiving all of your weekly paycheck. Not to mention the Universal Basic Income checks, I am sure. I'll bet you've never seen a single dollar of that during your entire marriage. It is obvious to me that they keep the lion's share of the family income for themselves and give you only a very small portion of it so you don't embarrass them by starving to death or something. Just wait until I'm finished, Andy. As your employer, I am a mandatory reporter under the Employee Welfare Act. Therefore, it is my legal duty to investigate thoroughly whenever I suspect junior spousal abuse and report it to Women's Protective Services if I can't rule it out."

Andy didn't want to admit to anything. He stayed silent, staring at the floor. All he needed to do was get back to the office, and the interrogation would end. Then he could go back to his desk. Where it was safe. From people trying to help him.

It didn't work out that way. As they pulled into the parking lot, Marilyn ordered the car to "park under the tree and wait until we're done." Realizing that he wasn't going to get away with anything, Andy's resistance broke.

"Ma'am, the truth is that I do have an allowance, and it's not very much. I tried to get divorced, but I can't. I just turned 25 and I'm no longer a minor adult. I'm a senior adult now, so I can sign a lease and get a bank account on my own, but if I file for divorce, they'll cut me off. It's not the money, I don't care about that, but they'll cut me off from contact with my daughter. I don't think I can handle that.

"I may not be Abby's biological father, but that doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that I'm her dad. I've been her dad her whole life and I just can't walk away from that. I accept now that Lina never truly loved me... no, I take that back. I accept now that Lina may have loved something about me at one point, but she doesn't know. I'm just a way for her to pad her UBI check and get free childcare. What I can't accept is losing contact with my daughter. I've been Abby's primary caregiver for her whole life, and I just can't rip that away from her. I just can't. I'm not a weakling or a pushover, I'm not. What I am is a man who has no other options. If I'm to stay in contact with my daughter - who knows me and loves me - then I need to put up with Rochelle and Lina's shenanigans."

The two women looked at him gravely. This was serious business. WPS needed to be informed. One of the many post-pandemic reforms of marriage law had legalized and encouraged group marriages. For a society that had lost over 15% of the population, and with only 40% of the survivors able to have children, it just made sense. Most marriages were still old-fashioned heterosexual couples, but the practical benefits of group marriage had made it more popular each year. In order for most group marriages to work, especially the larger ones, junior and senior spousal contracts were common, with the senior spouse or spouses having greater control over marital assets. Although the power differential was necessary for group marriages to function properly, it also created the potential for abuse. They didn't have a copy of Andy's marriage contract, but they were certain that if they did, it would not be pleasant to read.

"Andy, here's what I'm going to do. Tomorrow you will be having a meeting with a family law attorney. You are entitled to a divorce. You are entitled to a fair share of the marital assets, you are entitled to your own income, and you are entitled to a relationship with your daughter. By the way your daughter is also entitled to a relationship with you. The fact that your spouses have put you in this situation is not acceptable to me, and it's not going to be acceptable to the WPS."

"The attorney's name is Deshonte Davis. I've already contacted him. He will be your attorney, not mine. You do not need to pay him. He will represent you pro bono. He has made it his life's work assisting exploited and abused spouses. If he is also able to recover your share of the marital assets, then he'll get a percentage of that. Otherwise, you don't need to pay him at all. I know that both Rochelle and Lina are lawyers, so it might take some time, but we will win your freedom and your parental rights. Do you understand?"

Andy nodded, hopeful tears springing to his eyes. These women were taking his side! They wanted to help him, and he wasn't struggling alone anymore. "Yes, Ma'am, thank you," he managed to choke out in a hoarse whisper as Mrs. Moskovitz slipped a tissue into his hand.

"Are you seeing Abby tonight?"

"No Ma'am, usually it's only on weekends. Rochelle and Lina usually spend them doing social activities and networking events."

"Hmm," Marilyn nodded thoughtfully. For the corporate elite, "social activities and networking events" usually involved orgies of some sort. Getting Abby out of the house on the weekend was probably a good idea. It was obvious that they were keeping Andy on a tight leash so they could benefit from free childcare as well. That would be something to discuss with Andy's lawyer in the morning. "Good," she continued, "I recommend that you do not speak to Lina or Rochelle until you have spoken with your lawyer. He'll be able to advise you what to say, you got that?"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"No phone calls, no text messages, nothing. You just go dark, all right? We'll present this to Mr. Davis in the morning and see what he says."

"Right, that's settled. One other thing, and then we'll go inside. How did you get a weekend off from childcare duties and a free concert ticket?"

Andy stared at her in surprise. What did that have to do with anything? "I, umm, Lina wanted to do some sort of family weekend at the beach with Rochelle and Abby and stuff. She had this free ticket and gave it to me. She even gave me an extra fifty bucks in case I wanted to buy snacks or something."

"I see. And did that not raise any alarm bells?"

"Should it?"

"It should. Answer this one question; the woman who gave you the S-virus, did you meet her at the concert?"

"Yeah! I met her at the concert, she had the seat next to me and... oh, shit."

"'Oh shit' is right. They engineered the whole thing. I guarantee that she was planted there on purpose in order to seduce you and "convert" you. There are corporate agents for hire that do that. Did you get any pictures of her?"

"No, but why would they do that?"

"Why? Because they were obviously hoping that you would become a female shifter, which is exactly what happened. So far, their plan is working perfectly. The next step is to recruit you for an executive assistant job. I'm betting that in the next day or two, you will receive exactly such a job offer. Whatever you do, do not sign it and do not verbally accept it, do you understand? Given the way they treated you during your marriage, do you think that Lina and Rochelle have any intention of not exploiting you that way, as well?"

Andy sighed and nodded thoughtfully. Sexual access to one's executive assistant was often used as a bargaining chip during business negotiations. There was a reason why they were often referred to as "sexretaries". Legally, consent is still required, but "consent" can have many meanings. Especially if one is a lawyer. During his six-year marriage to Lina, Andy learned that facts are just obstacles in Lina's path, not truths to be respected. Rochelle was very much the same way. Manipulating and gaslighting were their forte. They were very, very good lawyers. They would find a way to turn the screws on Andy until he submitted to their will. And apparently, their will was to turn Andy into a sex toy. It was all making sense now.

Also, many executives expect their sexretaries to move in with them in order to provide sexual services to their boss at any time during the day or night. It was also a common practice for executives to share or swap their assistants during social events or work functions, and concluding a meeting with sexretaries providing oral sex to everyone in the room was a widespread business practice.

Andy's heart froze in his chest as he absorbed this information. Lina wanted to make him into a sex slave. There really was no other word for it. In a way, he was already a slave, even if he had managed to break away and regain a small amount of independence. Lina and Rochelle were all about control, and they probably didn't view Andy as anything more than an escaped slave boy. And they had turned him into an escaped slave girl. If that really was their evil plan, they wouldn't give up easily.