The Rarest Treasure

Lawrence felt as he had been yanked from reality; his reality, at least. He could not envision that such an alluring woman could stand being seen in public with him, much less consider another outing.

"Then you will have to give me fashion advice, Zooey, because I feel totally... inadequate."

"Oh, nonsense! You look just great!!!" Zooey then got much closer to his ear and whispered. "But my first fashion advice, from a woman's perspective: start with the shoes. Do you always wear these big safety shoes?"

Lawrence was embarrassed. "Well... yes... they're black when I clean them, they protect my feet and they're extra-wide; you would be surprised how comfortable they are!" Zooey had a disbelieving look. "That's another wrong answer, is it?"

That made her laugh, and Lawrence felt giddy. "You have large feet... how interesting!" She winked lecherously and took him by the arm. "Come, my hero, our evening awaits!"

They both hugely enjoyed the show and Lawrence could tell that Zooey had both absorbed the musical experience and scrutinized the performances of the artists with professional interest. He felt a little envious, as he knew that such a musical drive was not in him.

They were walking out of the concert hall, still arm-in-arm. "Zooey, THAT was an inspired idea! Thank you very, very much! Do you listen to Saga often?" They were walking slowly and perusing the brightly illuminated rows of slot machines.

"I had never heard them play before tonight, Larry..."

"Really? And you can get all juiced up from the music anyway? Wow!"

"Larry, when you go to a classical concert..." she saw an empty gaze. "You don't go to concerts..."

"Not true! When the NAC Orchestra played the music from Star Wars last year, I went... and I loved it! But still, I had heard the music before..."

Zooey let him off the hook. "I hear you."

Lawrence was all charged up. He had had a marvelous time and he wanted to please her, if he could. "So! Do you want to play baccarat? To keep up the James Bond spirit, of course..."

"Not here, Larry... Loto-Quebec has its own version of baccarat and even the casinos in the States mostly have Punto Banco. The game played in Casino Royale and Thunderball - the books - is Chemin de Fer. You have to go to Europe to play that... and I will, eventually."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's already all booked and planned. Next February, for my 30th birthday, I will go to Sanremo, Italy. I will listen to the Sanremo music festival and I have requested an invitation to the Sala Dorata, in the Casino Municipale..." she then whispered in merry guilt "... to play Chemin de Fer with some high rollers."

"Wow... that sounds amazing..." the envy in Lawrence's voice was palpable. "All right, then... do you want to play something else? Black jack? Roulette, maybe..."

Zooey was marveling at his earnest, hopeful look. He - who knows about her - is wanting nothing more than to make her happy.

"Actually, you know what, Larry? Considering there is a conversation that we are supposed to have and that I am hungry, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, Zooey..." again, his puppy eyes were full of hope and glee.

"Have a nightcap with me, Larry..." his heart skipped a beat. "Let's go order some room service... please?"

"Yes, YES! Of course! Sorry if I look dopey... I feel like I'm... living a dream... you... me..."

"I did warn you, didn't I? I'm not casting you back... come on." She led him to her room.

Lawrence was awed by the view of Lac Leamy from Zooey's executive suite. "What a view! You sure travel in style!!!"

Zooey sneered. "Mom prefers the suite with a smaller bed and a workable living room. I just want the king size bed. Touring from city to city can be quite tiresome..."

"I never thought of it that way... but you like it, right?"

"Like it? No, Larry, I LOVE it... I love the kids and their wide-eyed wonder... I don't know what I'll do when I have to stop; for now, I'm just riding the wave as long as it lasts." She let out a tired sigh and, after sitting on the bed, Zooey realized that she was much more exhausted than she thought, but she felt a pang of regret at the thought of disappointing Lawrence and she soldiered on.

"That's a rather glum outlook... why do you feel such finality?"

"Remember the song On The Loose, during the concert tonight?"

"Yes..."

"It's obviously a big hit for this band. You had heard it before and we joined in when the lead singer waved us to do so..."

"And yet few people did." Zooey was thrilled to see that Lawrence always treated what she said with utmost respect and was also fully focused on understanding her point of view.

"Right. Kids become teenagers... fans grow old. Just like Duchess..."

"Duchess?"

"I love music, Larry - as you have so rightfully noticed - but, to me, the acme remains Genesis. Especially their mid-period." Zooey seemed ready to begin another expose, only to change her mind at the last second once again. "Anyway, one song, Duchess, is about a singer, the effect of passing time on her fame and her nostalgia for better days. Ever since I began this journey, I feel that this song is my anthem."

"So... you're a Duchess..."

Zooey fought the urge to slump on the bed, fully dressed; but she did push away her shoes and she forced a tired smile. "Yup... I'm a Duchess, with sore feet... I had not worn those shoes in ages." She sighed in relief, as she waved her feet in mid-air.

Lawrence did not hesitate. "Let me, please... I got this." And he sat on the floor, in front of her feet, and began to massage them very softly. "Are you still on heparin or anything similar? Should I worry about bruising... or worse?"

Zooey was floating on cloud nine and cooing in satisfaction. "Lawrence Linney, the only thing you should be worried about is me locking you up in here forever... hoooo, that feels soooo good." A palpable and very peaceful silence ensued. "Larry?"

"Yes, Zooey?"

"Is something happening between us?"

"I certainly hope so... I told you when we were walking: I am living a dream, Zooey..."

"Aren't you afraid of what will happen when you look at the real me... at reality?"

"Ha! Zooey, you're a nymph! I couldn't stop looking even if you warned me that I would turn blind! Why do you put yourself down so much? Because I supposedly know something about you? Ever since I crossed your path, last Saturday, you keep blowing me away! Your beauty, your talent, your love of kids, your love of life, your universe in music... I mean, you always amaze me! You keep holding back... like you did about James Bond and Genesis... and, I swear, I would just listen! Everything about you is pretty, is art, is fantastic!!! I'm the one who should return the question... me, your supposedly great catch..."

Zooey let herself go and dropped on the bed like falling timber; she even slightly bounced. "This is going to be complicated." She sighed and her eyes almost closed. "Larry, life is not just about me... I would bore you in less than a day..."

"Oh no... I would listen on and drink it all up, like a Fountain of Youth... so, in fact, I could do it forever."

"That's some very serious wooing, Mister Linney... I hope you don't have a girlfriend waiting for you at home!"

Lawrence chuckled and, stunned, briefly stopped caring for her feet. "No, Zooey. I was engaged last year, though... but ever since that fell through, it's been me, my folks and the minerals."

Zooey was sorry to hear that, but not really sorry. "What happened?"

"My folks and the minerals happened. You are right: if something is happening between us, it could get complicated. Your tour, my time in the wild - sometimes incommunicado - and our completely different... orbits, as you called them yesterday. I am afraid, Zooey, but at the same time I keep being drawn to you... how about you?"

Zooey was, in fact, almost snoozing. "I'm torn, Larry..." she was looking for words, and also for some inner courage.

"Between what and what, Zooey?" Lawrence kept doting on her feet and looking at her with nothing but love in his eyes.

"I want to eat... I NEED to sleep... and you... I mean, you saved my life... you're an obviously great guy... but... it's more than that... you care about Zooey Nummi... I don't have to keep up the image... I didn't expect this. I'm afraid too, Larry, very afraid... but I want to get out of this dress and I want you to spend the night with me."

He had stopped everything.

"Larry?"

Then he realized Zooey was expecting an answer. "Yes, Zooey. I will spend the night here. I will be the happiest and luckiest person in the universe." He got up in a single motion, like an uncoiled spring. "So... I should order room service right away before it closes for the night, while you go change. What are you having?"

His burst of energy carried on to her and Zooey opened her eyes; she was happy. "Anything on the Eat Right menu is fine with me, Larry."

He perused it quickly. "It's a lot of fruits and veggies, Zooey..."

The conversation was carried out at a distance, as Zooey was now busy removing and carefully storing her dress and accessories.

"I know... once in a while, I do get tired of it. But eating right and light is a must..."

"For being Zooey Zephyr?"

"For being Zooey Nummi. In fact, that's how my transition took root. Keeping fit in arctic Norway is not difficult, Larry. But I didn't want to be fit, I wanted to be THIN."

"I see..."

"So I started smoking, and tried to stop eating. Mom intervened before this all devolved into anorexia and, during counseling, the blatant truth... MY truth... sort of came out."

"Will you want a cigar tonight? I forgot to ask..."

"You're cute. No, thank you. I quit smoking shortly after I began HRT. But you will find out, when we FINALLY have our conversation, that my life has a lot of rules... and one of my rules is to cheat on all other rules, once or twice a year."

"And tonight is not a cheating night?"

She had walked back near him, clad in a plush Hilton bathrobe. Her blonde hair was loose and cascading down. For the first time, Lawrence felt Zooey was offering intimacy. "The jury's still out on that one..." but, as much as Zooey was obviously pushing herself to end their first date on a high note, a loud yawn reminded her that it was a check her body couldn't cash.

"I'm so sorry, Larry..."

"Why, because you were in the hospital with a life-threatening condition yesterday morning? Yea, REALLY, Zooey!!!"

His jest had made its point but Zooey still felt disappointed. In any case, she now had to greet the delivery of their meals and the aroma of Lawrence's steak proved irresistible. When Lawrence realized she had switched meals on him, Zooey winced in guilt. "Cheating night..."

Lawrence laughed out loud and, out of a caged impulse that could no longer be denied, spontaneously kissed Zooey. A big fat smooch on her cheek. She did not recoil or resist; he, however, was taken aback by the enormity of this first.

Zooey felt Lawrence's anguish and immediately replied, in her most soothing tone. "This felt very nice, Larry. Thank you and bon appetit."

And, while sharing their first meal, Lawrence and Zooey finally had THE conversation. It all gushed out: their youths, their mishaps and mistakes, their families, his solitary streaks and failed relationships, her gender reassignment that began almost by accident, when she was first asked to be publicly seen as Zooey Zephyr, six years ago. Glad to have a confidante other than her mother, Zooey spared no gruesome detail in relating the pain and gross anatomy of her many feminization processes.

"Wow... I may not wholly agree with your decision at the hospital, yesterday morning, but at least I get it."

"Thank you, Larry... for everything, for ALL of this, in fact... for us. How long can you stay with me?"

This time, seeing the pure need in her majestic blue-grey eyes, Lawrence softly kissed Zooey on her lips, barely a touch that made them both shiver. "I have to leave in the early morning - I traded shifts to be free tonight - but from 2h PM on, I'm all yours until Sunday afternoon, if you want."

"Oh, you're mine all right, mister Linney. And we both should get some sleep. Come..." Zooey was in the process of disrobing and pointed to Lawrence which side of the bed was his half.

"You want me in..." Lawrence gasped; he had evidently not expected this must intimacy so quickly.

"Of course, silly... just tuck me in and keep taking care of me like you've been doing since we met... everything will be just perfect."

And yet, even while granting her wish, Lawrence traced a mental line he dared not cross and only stroked her hair. Zooey quickly and quietly drifted to some much-needed slumber.

"Good night Zooey... sweet dreams." A soft snore was his only reply. It was also the only sound wishing Lawrence a good morning when he left for work.

---

"Larry... this is... truly, a wild ride..." Lawrence was not exactly sure if Zooey was referring to their budding relationship or his cluttered and mud-caked Subaru Forester but, owing to her embarrassed and pained tone while sitting down, he figured she meant the latter.

"Sorry, Zooey... I only drive for field work and Montreal trips... I really should clean the Sub more often..."

She laughed it off. "It's all good! Besides, I'm the one who texted you and asked that you drive us around this afternoon." She had finally managed to sit and tie her seat belt.

Lawrence remained wonderstruck at the wheel. "Zooey, you look amazing."

"Yea, right! Larry, this is winter wear, not a fashion statement..."

"Huh huh... So, where do you want to go?"

"Do you know where is located Le Phoenix du Vietnam?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good... I'm dying for some of their lemongrass beef, so that's our first stop."

And off they went. After a late lunch, Zooey asked to go to Rideau Centre, in Ottawa, and then practically dragged Lawrence to Harry Rosen. After much quibbling and several fittings, she bought him a pair of loafers and a Canali ready-to-wear ensemble. When Lawrence overheard the price, he became visibly uneasy.

Zooey had feigned not noticing and made sure they were walking in the mall before asking. "What's wrong, Larry?"

"This... that was waaaay too much. You didn't have to do this."

Zooey stopped walking, took both of Lawrence's hands in hers and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I know, Larry... I want to. And it's not a handout or me playing dress up: it's an investment. Didn't you say, yesterday, that your final seminars are coming up and that you will defend your thesis soon?"

"Yes, but..."

Zooey hushed him, with a finger on his lips, and softly sang "Getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show."

He smiled shyly and kissed her finger. "Is that from one of your songs?" Lawrence was puzzled.

"No, silly... Genesis, 1973, I Know What I Like. And what I would like, right now, is to cuddle my hero before we revisit the casino floor. Can we go back to my room, please?"

Lawrence became a bundle of nerves again. "S... Sure."

Once back in her suite and after putting away their purchases, Zooey's self-confidence seemingly evaporated and Lawrence could barely hear her. "Larry... would you please sit near me? I... we... need to talk."

To say Lawrence was perplexed would be an understatement. "Sure, Zooey... what's on your mind?"

She collected her thoughts and took a deep breath. "Larry... we've been wooing each other since your visit, and I've been flirting with you a little even before that, when we first met. You say you're drawn to me, and I believe you, and... I like you Larry... A LOT... maybe it's love even... but we also said this will be complicated... and... and..."

Lawrence tried to calm her down. He took her hand. "Yes, Zooey, I feel very strongly about you... about us... and maybe it is love. You can do no wrong by me. Take your time."

Zooey was blushing. "Larry... will you make love to me, please?" And, in a single breath, Zooey was suddenly speed-talking. "I know you'll have a ton of questions and... you'll be my first since... you know... and..."

Lawrence chuckled, blushed, and was now looking at Zooey with moist eyes. "Zooey, shht... of course I will! I don't know why you're worried about this... just a kiss from you and I feel like I have died and gone to heaven... you're the most amazing woman in the universe..."

"No, I'm not..."

"Yes, you ARE. And I'm so blessed just for having this talk with you. That being said... you're right, I do have questions."

"Such as?"

It was Lawrence's turn to take a deep breath. "Sorry if it's not very romantic..." he then rubbed his hands nervously and dove in. "Does your vagina have a... cavity?"

Surprisingly, Zooey was not put off by the question; she seemed relieved, even. "Yes, Larry, I have a vaginal cavity." She felt more questions were coming and she seemed ready for them. She tightened her grip on his hand to urge him on.

"Is it sensitive... and will we require... huh... a lubricant?"

"I'm not sure about any of that... I've just started... you know... touching it... recently."

Lawrence looked surprised. "How long ago was the surgery?"

Zooey was visibly performing a mental countdown. "The last one... betweeeen... eight and nine weeks ago."

This did not equate with his readings on the subject. "That's early, Zooey... maybe..."

Zooey cut him off and there was anxiety in her voice. "I know, Larry! But, we can't wait... who knows where we'll both be in a month or two... and I want it to be you... take care of me, Larry... now... please..."

Lawrence dared, for the first time, to put his hand on her cheek. She leaned on it with evident need. "I promise, Zooey."

Zooey's heart skipped a beat. She gently grabbed Lawrence's neck in order to bring his lips to hers and, just before the kiss she desperately wanted, her feelings just had to vent, like a fumarole. "I love you..."

Their lips touched, and then their lips seemingly merged, never wanting to part. Lawrence's breathing was running out of control and he hummed all of his pent up passion in their kiss. His hands were caressing her face and running all along her hair.

By the time their tongues were playfully mingling, Zooey was completely overwhelmed by Lawrence's emotions. Both of them were now lying down on the bed and his hands were now discovering all the perfection of her back, right down to her firm tushy. Neither was trying to undress the other, quite content to connect with the flesh already at their disposal.

And connect they did. Zooey got into their loving scuffle and rolled over to be on top. Both were moaning their pleasure and Lawrence giggled for a second, pleasantly surprised by the size of the bed. They were now all over each other, their hands frantically caressing, groping, kneading, their tongues seeking, probing, twirling, their hearts at unison.

When Zooey felt the bulge in his pants rub against her Venus Mons, she screamed inside their kiss and pushed Lawrence away from her. Both pairs of eyes were locked in pure want and, as soon as their hands were free, both of them undressed like there was no tomorrow. Only when Zooey was dressed with nothing but her socks did she pause, and Lawrence, by then in his underwear, did the same.

She had a timid and nervous smile. "Well, Larry... this is the real me..." her eyes asked the question she dared not.

Lawrence was fearless. "And I still can't believe I'm the one chosen to see... Zooey, you're more beautiful than the vision in my dreams." He was now daring to caress her breasts for the first time, ever so gently. He felt her shiver and she now had goose bumps. "You asked me to take care of you... I want to... what do you need? What do you want?"

"Right now, baby... I'm so nervous... go see my pussy, please... tell me... is it pretty? Is it... real?" Saying that, she was slowly lying down on her back and timidly spreading her legs. She was surrendering herself to him.