The Emasculation of Henry Smith

"Go ahead," Bonnie offered, "Who's going to know but you and me."

"I smiled back at her and retrieved the gaff from my suitcase. Putting my 'friend' where Jerry had shown me and pulled the panties back on, running my hands along the lace trim caressing my butt cheeks.

"I think we may need to go shopping this afternoon." Bonnie laughed as she closed her suitcase, "Now finish getting dressed so we can go find some lunch."

I glanced at my new skirt, smiled and grabbed my jeans.

Bonnie drove and I directed her to one of my local favorites, a place called Shady Grove. The weather was perfect to sit outside under the canopy of old pecan trees, enjoying our lunch. Bonnie had decided that she wanted to stay with me instead of with her brother, so our next stop was the apartment I was renting while I looked for a new house. The house April and I shared had been sold as part of the divorce. The apartment was simple and clean, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attached garage that held my Jeep and my Harley, with a balcony overlooking a large greenbelt with excellent hiking trails.

We unpacked our stuff, Bonnie claiming space in my bathroom, closet, and dresser. Putting what we could in the wash, we would drop the rest at the dry cleaners down the street. Bonnie texted my address to her ex and told me the rest of her things would be here in a few days. We spent the afternoon shopping for things we needed, or Bonnie wanted, mostly for the kitchen. I was about to learn that Bonnie was an excellent cook. Victoria's Secret was on our list of stops where Bonnie helped me pick out a collection of panties for daily wear. A stop at the local grocery store to stock up my empty pantry and refrigerator and we headed home to set up house.

Dinner was simple and delicious. I did the dishes and we finished our bottle of wine together on the balcony, listening to a family of racoons chitter about in the darkness.

"I think I'm really going to like it here, Henry." Bonnie reached over and took my hand.

"I don't think words can do justice to happy it makes me to hear you say that. These have been the best two days of my entire life," I squeezed her hand.

"Then I guess you'll have to think of another way to show me." Bonnie led me to our bedroom, and I did my very best to do just that.

The real world crashed in on my fairytale at 6:30 sharp the next morning when my alarm sounded and I awoke to the realization that for the first time since we had met, I would be away from Bonnie. She was already up. I could hear her singing to herself in the kitchen and could smell a wonderful blend of aromas wafting through the apartment. My clothes for the day were already laid out, including a pair of panties we had picked out the day before. Bonnie had excellent taste. I dressed quickly realizing that my coworkers were going to know immediately that something had changed, not only because of my smile and attitude, but because I never dressed this stylishly. I found Bonnie just where I knew she would be, putting the finishing touches on our breakfast. She handed me a cup of coffee and kissed me sweetly, "Just in time. You look nice. So, I guess you approve with what I laid out for you."

"That I do, Thank you." I took the plate she handed me and followed her to the table. We ate in silence.

"Henry, what's on your mind? I can feel something bothering you," she finally asked.

"I don't know Bonnie. I mean we haven't been apart since we met, and it's all been so perfect. I guess I'm just afraid you'll be gone when I get home, or something. I don't even really understand why you're here in the first place. I'm not good enough for someone like you. You deserve so much better."

"Damn you Henry Smith, don't you ever say anything like that again." Her eyes were such a dark green, they were almost black, "April obviously couldn't appreciate what a wonderful man you are. You are everything I have been looking for. This, this, right here, right now, this is the ONLY place I want to be, and don't you forget it! Ever! Got it?"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I just got a little scared, is all. I guess I'm just not really over the whole April thing. I don't know what I'd do if you left me, too."

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to worry about that, isn't it," Her eyes slowly returned to their normal hazel. She got up from the table and kissed me on her way to the kitchen, "Besides, I still have lots of surprises for you, remember. That is if you still want them," She laughed.

I finished my coffee and took the last bite of my breakfast and joined her in the kitchen, I set my plate in the sink and wrapped my arms around her waist. Burying my face in her hair, I whispered, "All of them, whatever they are."

She turned in my arms, looking up at me, kissing me again, more deeply this time, "I'm glad to hear that. Now go to work and I'll get the dishes this time, but you owe me one."

"Yes, ma'am," I stole another kiss as I pulled away.

To say my boss and coworkers were surprised at what walked in the door would be an understatement. Several openly commented about how nice it was to have the 'Old Henry' back. I, of course, told them all about Bonnie and gave her all the credit for finding 'Old Henry' and reviving him. I didn't think it was a good idea to tell them about the 'New Henry" that had been found, just yet.

The first day back from a holiday break is pretty much worthless, mostly taken up with getting back up to speed and trying to remember what the hell you had been doing before you left. That combined with the hundreds of emails that had to be gone through to fine the five or six you actually cared about and the catching up with what everybody did over the break and what exciting news they had, yeah, pretty much nothing of any importance got done. For most of the morning, due to the dramatic change from the past year of April hell, I was the center of attention.

I didn't mind telling and retelling the story at all. Everybody wanted to meet this mystery woman that had brought me back from the brink. At 11:30, she walked in the door. The whole office froze as she walked across the room to my desk.

"Um, I don't have your phone number, or I would have called. Is it Ok, for me to be here?"

I stood up took her hands in mine and kissed her, "Absolutely. Everybody, this is Bonnie." Clapping and a few cheers and one or two catcalls; "Yeah, Henry," "You go Henry", that sort of thing filled the room, "So, is something wrong?"

"Not really, I'm meeting Ben and Mike for lunch. I need to get their car back to them. I just thought you might be able to join us and then I could take the Jeep home and pick you up after work. Is that Ok?"

"Yes, absolutely. How did you find me anyway?"

"Easy, Google," she smiled at me.

I laughed and hugged her tightly. "Oh, before I forget, 512-555-6879, my phone number. I can't believe we didn't think about that." Bonnie called my number and we added each other as contacts.

"Yeah, it just might come in handy some time," Bonnies eyes sparkled as she laughed, "So, you ready to go eat?"

Lunch was fun. I really liked Ben and Mike; they made a good couple. Mike liked the 'other Henry' better but decided the 'drab' one was kind of cute, too. Bonnie and Ben laughed, I had to ask what 'drab' meant before I got the joke.

Bonnie dropped me back at the office and then picked me up from work at 5:30. Over the next few weeks, we settled into a routine; Bonnie cooked, and I was happy she did because it was always excellent, and I did the dishes. Bonnie was almost always up before me and greeted me with a big smile, a kiss, and a fresh cup of coffee. On Saturday mornings we cleaned the apartment and did laundry and took a hike in the greenbelt. With Bonnies encouragement, I usually dressed to some extent on weekends, either full blown, or just wearing my breast forms and maybe my wig with whatever else I was going to wear. On Sundays we did brunch with Ben and Mike at their country club, just to catch up.

Bonnie had commandeered my Jeep and took me to and from work most days, when she didn't, I rode my bike. She was slowly augmenting my wardrobe with items that were designed for women but that I could wear every day like jeans and blouses that would pass casual inspection. The panties were the new normal, as my boxers had disappeared, and Bonnie had begun to find matching bras to go with them. New skirts, more feminine tops, and shoes started to fill my side of the closet and I found I was looking forward to weekends in a whole new way.

Our sex life stayed the same with us finding new and innovative ways to spice it up. I didn't even ask anymore. Bonnie found a vibrator that we could use to hit my prostate instead of her fingers, a change that I enjoyed immensely. She had also gotten very inventive on where she wanted me to cum; the inside of her thigh, her face once or twice, her feet, which of course meant sucking on her toes, and even her ass, encouraging me to explore deeply, which I did. Like everything else she had taught me, it wasn't as bad as I first imagined, and I even found myself enjoying it. More surprises.

With the 'old Henry' back, my work exploded. I even got promoted to team lead, a change that had been put on hold while I was dealing with the divorce. It came with a nice little bump in pay. Bonnie spent her days exploring Austin and looking for a house and a job. As February rolled around, she found both. The house was a nice ranch style on a big lot with a pool. The job was with Mike who was going into partnership with a small group of plastic surgeons. They hired Bonnie to run the business office. We were scheduled to close on the house on the morning of the 13^th and would move in that weekend. Bonnies new job started the next Monday. There would be lots to celebrate on Valentine's Day.

I caught myself thinking, "What would April think about all of this?" and then laughed at myself for even considering it, "Why the fuck would I care what that harpy thinks about anything"?

The next few weeks were a flurry of packing and getting ready. The 13^th fell on a Thursday. I took both Thursday and Friday off for the closing, and to be there to supervise as the movers loaded everything onto the truck that afternoon and to watch again as they unloaded it Friday morning. We were having dinner at the club with Ben and Mike for Valentine's Day and were going to spend Thursday and Friday night at their house as well. At least that was the plan, I had decided to surprise Bonnie with a nice hotel room overlooking downtown Austin for just the two of us on Friday night and was secretly looking forward to any surprises she might have in store for me.

Bonnie was the model of organization and efficiency. When Thursday morning came, all that was left was to get dressed, pack the linens from our bed, and go to the closing. Of course, Bonnie woke me up with a fresh cup of coffee, I guess some things you just shouldn't mess with and I wasn't about to complain about the little things she did to pamper me. The closing came off without a hitch and the movers were waiting for us when we got back to the apartment. Bonnie did most of the supervising while I just watched and admired her in action, she really was amazing. The movers would meet us at the house in the morning to unload.

We dropped my bike off at the house and took a quick look around to see if there was anything that needed immediate attention. The previous owners had done an exceptional job of getting the house ready for us and even left a bottle of wine, a wine opener, and two glasses on the counter with a hand written note saying that they hoped we would fill the house with as much love as they had.

I picked up the bottle and grinned at Bonnie. She smiled back and I opened it and filled both glasses. We sat down on the floor in the family room and toasted our new beginning, looking out the glass doors over the pool and catching two squirrels chasing each other around the big oak tree against the back fence. The bigger squirrel caught the smaller one and it became evident what the chase had been about.

I looked at Bonnie, her eyes blazed emerald green. We christened our new home right there. We sat quietly finishing our wine and enjoying the afterglow of our tryst, Bonnie running her fingers through my hair as I lay my head in her lap. "I think you should grow it out. What do you think? I mean, I know you like the wig. Wouldn't it just be easier?"

My hair was deep brown with subtle amber highlights, just a few shades darker than my wig, and already longer than most men, just over my ears and almost to my collar. I sported a proper man bun when I felt like it, "You know, I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess it would. It would save on haircuts, too," I joked.

"Yeah, you just think that. Do you have any idea how much more it costs me to get my hair done than it does you," she retorted?

"Well, you do have a lot more of it than most people," we both laughed?

"We should probably get going, Mike and Ben are going to be looking for us." Bonnie gently pushed me out of her lap and got up to get dressed. I looked at my phone and realized it was after five, we had spent the entire afternoon sitting naked in our new house, drinking wine, and watching horny squirrels in the back yard. Well, we had had our fun, too. I laughed to myself and got up to get dressed.

I rinsed the glasses and left them on the counter with the bottle and cork, right next to the note, where we had found them, "I'll take proper care of those when we get moved in," I promised, smiling to myself and feeling pretty confident that what I had planned would have special meaning to the two of us, and perhaps the squirrels outside. I knew a fame shop that would do an excellent job with the labels and the note, and just where to hang it in the new house.

6.

April's loft was incredible, and immaculate; I discovered that April was very particular about keeping things neat and picked up. It was one of the things that had driven her crazy about her ex. I figured it wasn't much of an ask and I really did like things picked up, too, so I made the extra effort. I did ask about the kitchen and if it was ok, to change things up a bit. She wanted to know why, and I let her know that I loved to cook, and it was easier if things were organized where I was used to finding them. She agreed, if it stayed neat.

I cooked her breakfast the next morning and she was sold. She also liked the healthy choices I made in my recipes.

Over the next month, I found our first location, which made my dad happy. He asked again about Tony coming to assist, and I told him I could handle it. He said, ok. I started crying again after he hung up.

April found me in the bathroom, in tears, and sat down next to me, wrapping me in her arms, "Bonnie, what happened, did someone hurt you," she kissed me sweetly on the top of my head?

Why was she so nice to me? I was a horrible person, I had sex with my own uncle, I didn't deserve this.

April, just sat with me and let me cry," Whenever you're ready, I'm here," she kissed my head again and I broke. Between sobs, I told her the entire story, how he tied me up and used me, and used me again and again, what he did to me when he was finished and how I didn't have anybody I could tell and how alone I was and, and , and...

She took my face in her hands, wiped my tears with the thumbs, smiled at me, "Bonnie, it's ok. It wasn't your fault. He's just liked my ex. He did this to you. You didn't do anything wrong. He's the monster, not you," she smiled at me, and she kissed me. I was confused for a moment, not understanding what was happening, I thought about what she had said, that it wasn't me, it was him. She understood. She didn't hate me for what I had done. She was here for me, when no one else that supposedly loved me was. I kissed her back. A few days later, I moved into the master bedroom with her.

April was patient with me and taught me how to please another woman. She said it was so much better than being with a man because a woman just knows what another woman wants. Sure, we had our moments, what couple doesn't. April would get angry if I left my coffee cup in the sink, but it was my fault because she had told me how important it was to keep things clean and I had let her down. Besides, after the argument, we would kiss and make up and everything would be fine again. She always reminded me that she was there for me and no one else was.

I found our second location, which made my dad very happy. Renovations had already begun on store number one and excitement was growing. There was no mention of Tony this time and I decided not to tell my dad about April, just yet.

April had given me a list of errands she needed me to run and I ran into Jerry. I filled him in on how exciting it was that we had our second location and that we were close on the third and that meant that perhaps by the end of the year, Spencer's would be in full force in New York City and it would be my baby. He was as excited as I was and gave me a big hug. When I told him about moving in with April and how our relationship was progressing, he paused and looked at me, "Bonnie, you need to take things slow. You've got a lot going on right now; are you sure you want to make that kind of decision right now," he looked genuinely concerned?

I smiled at him," Jerry, April is there for me, she helps me keep things in focus. Yeah, we have our moments, but I'll bet you and Víctor do too. Everybody does, right," I kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him,' April's good for me. I need her right now, Ok?"

We said our goodbyes, and I got the feeling I had left him with a burden he didn't want to carry. But "April was good for me," I thought to myself.

I found store number three and April and I went out to dinner to celebrate. I was so excited but all she wanted to talk about was how her ex was being so unreasonable. He had finally been served with the divorce papers and was making all kinds of unreasonable demands. I spent the entire dinner, listening to her, as she described what a horrible person he was, to not just give her everything she asked for. It was all so unfair. Didn't he realize everything she had done for him, everything she had given up for him and now he wanted to keep it all for himself. Asshole. "Just like Tony. All men are the same, "she said. I just agreed.

The next several months were chaotic, we had closed on all three location and I was buried in meetings with architects and contractors and city inspectors as well as planning logistics for stocking and prepping all three stores for our opening just after the first of the year. April had been promoted and was balancing her new responsibilities. Dealing with her ex and going through the divorce was putting her new position at risk. We spent long hours at night, drinking wine and talking about how, even from Texas, he was ruining her life, just like Tony had tried to ruin mine.

The revenges we planned together for Henry and Tony were justified and excruciating. It was too bad we couldn't do anything about either one of them.

Out of the blue, I got a call from Victor. He was just checking in on me and wanted to know how everything was going. I filled him in an all of it, the new locations, how infuriating the construction process was and how exciting it was going to be when it all came together. He asked about April and I assured him we were fine. We had settled into a routine and, while there were moments, it was all good and that I was happy.

I told him that she was good for me and I was good for her, "Victor, thanks for the call, but I really need to go, I have to fix dinner for April and I don't want to upset her by being late."