The View From the 23rd Floor Pt. 05

Of course, it was when he bumped into Mandi, that he got the reaction he had dreaded. She immediately pounced, and began peppering him with comments and questions.

"Wow, Daniel. I never expected you to go all hip, like that." She said, chuckling and actually reaching up to grab his ear, so she could study it more closely. He tried to back away, but she held on tightly.

"Well, I..."

"Or was it your girlfriend, again? I bet you did it for her, right?" Mandi asked, cutting him off and chuckling.

Feeling trapped, she was still holding onto his earlobe, and making a scene in the middle of the office space, Daniel mumbled, "it was," with a sheepish smile.

Mandi laughed, and let go, finally. "I just have to meet her. Have you told her I'd like to?"

"Well, no."

"Hum. Well, I'll just have to take things into my own hands, then." And she turned and walked away, clearly peeved.

Great, he mumbled to himself, what the hell did she mean by that?

He had no other major incidents after that, although he did have to field a few more comments and questions from men and women, alike.

Once again, things settled back down and the two of them returned to their normal routine.

Audrie did help Danni make sure her ears didn't get infected, while they waited, impatiently for them to sufficiently heal so they could upgrade her jewelry.

A couple of times Audrie brought home gifts of new earrings. All of them were larger and more eye-catching. Including pairs of two-inch hoops, and some dangly chandelier types.

Danni started looking forward to wearing them.

They went out, often, visiting restaurants and clubs. Danni was becoming more comfortable, being out in public. No one ever seemed to realize that she wasn't born a woman.

Several times, Danni's new ring came in handy, to ward off potential suitors.

They were both more comfortable at gay clubs, where they fit in easily and Danni didn't have to worry about being hit on by guys. Although she found that being hit on by girls almost as nerve wracking.

She was usually able to gracefully extricate herself by simply waving her ring at them, and explaining that she was taken.

One quiet Friday, Audrie was lounging on the couch, watching the TV, relaxing when the doorbell rang.

Danni was in the bathroom, so she got up and wandered over to the door. Looking through the spy-hole, she saw a petite and cute young woman, well dressed in a work suit standing outside.

Curious, Audrie opened the door.

For a moment the girl looked confused, when she saw Audrie, standing in the doorway.

"Um, is this Daniel Jenkins' home?"

"Yes. It is."

"Oh, great, I have some papers that he needs to sign, so we can get them out for delivery."

Oh damn! Audrie though. She had no intention of allowing Daniel to be outed, like this. She knew how upset he'd be, and how it might affect his career, so she had to cover for him.

"Well, I'm afraid he's out running some errands. I don't expect him home for an hour, or more."

The girl looked disappointed. "Oh, that won't work. I guess it will just have to wait until Monday."

Audrie breathed a quiet little sigh of relief, and prepared to close the door, but the girl didn't turn to leave.

"I'm Mandi, by the way. Are you Daniel's girlfriend, by any chance? He's told me a lot about you, and I always wanted to meet you." And she reached out to shake hands, with a friendly smile.

Out of habit, Audrie smiled and shook Mandi's hand, even though she just wanted her to go away.

"Yes, I'm Audrie. Pleased to meet you. So, you work with Daniel?"

"I do. And I love his new studs. I imagine that was your doing? He looks much better with them, and with his nails, I can really see his feminine side coming out. It's really nice."

Audrie was surprised, and a bit concerned. Mandi seemed to be hinting that she suspected something of their non-standard relationship. That wasn't good.

"Thank you. But I really must go, so if you don't mind, I'll say goodnight." And she started closing the door.

"Oh, alight," Mandi said, clearly disappointed. "But before I go, I've told Daniel a couple of times that I'd really like to get together with the two of you. I think we have a lot in common."

Audrie paused and looked at her. "I'll talk to him about it. It's really his decision."

"But he told me it was yours to make. Please?"

"Mandi. I'll talk to him. Goodnight." And she gently closed the door, as the girl backed away.

When she came out of the bathroom, Danni joined Audrie on the couch and laid her head on her lover's lap.

"Did I hear the doorbell?" sha asked casually.

Audrie chuckled, "yes, Mandi stopped by to get Daniel to sign some papers."

"Mandi? Here?" Danni cried, sitting up, hastily. "That would have been a disaster!"

"Why, she seemed cute and she likes you, and your new studs, too."

"Oh, now you're just teasing. You know I can't allow anyone at work to see me like this. Even Mandi."

"Even Mandi? You like her, don't you?"

Danni blushed and got very anxious. "Well, I do like her."

"And clearly she likes you too."

"I guess." She admitted, hesitantly.

"Hmm, I'll have to think about this." Audrie said.

"What?" Danni groaned, truly horrified about the implications.

"Oh, don't worry. I'd never do anything to ruin you. Now forget it. I'm ready for bed."

Danni spent quite a while, that night wondering about Mandi's visit. What the hell was she doing at his front door? He was certain that the 'I need his signature' routine was a ploy; there were no papers that needed signing that badly, and even if there were, she wouldn't have been the one to hand-carry them. She had to be plotting something. He actually hoped that she just wanted a date. But he was deathly afraid that she suspected something about his life away from work. She had somehow figured out about Danni. Oh God!

Over breakfast he mentioned his concerns to Audrie.

"How could she possibly know?"

"She might have seen us while we were out, somewhere."

"Oh, come on, honey. No one would ever recognize you, when you're Danni. You look too good. You know that. Just relax. She just has a crush on Daniel. She's stalking him, the little minx."

"It could be the earrings, and the nail polish, you know."

"Oh, nonsense. Relax. And get going or you'll be late for work."

Daniel arrived at work and with no sign of Mandi, settled into his office and began scanning the documentation for his current project. It was a mind-numbing collection of data, and he was soon lost in the details.

Sometime later there was a preemptive knock, and his door opened.

"Sorry about swinging by your place, the other night." Mandi said as she stuck her head in.

"What was so important, anyway?" He asked, crossly.

"Oh, it turned out to be nothing, really. I got Johnathon to sign the authorization."

"Uh, huh." He said skeptically.

She knew that she was caught. "Okay, I'll fess up. I just wanted an excuse to get together and meet your mysterious girlfriend."

"Not so mysterious. She's just a private person."

"I liked her. Audrie was nice, and seems to be a good match for you. I think she's doing a good job bringing out your feminine side."

"What do you mean by that?" Daniel was getting sick of Mandi's prying, and he was also getting a bit nervous about her comments about 'feminine side'.

"Oh, nothing really. Your polished nails and pierced ears, and your eyebrows seem to have changed. But they're hidden by your glasses, that you only just started wearing all of the time."

She paused to stare intently at him for a moment, then chuckled. "It reminds me of games I used to play with an old boyfriend of mine. He had a very well-developed feminine side. I loved it, and helped him grow into it."

"Um, well, I'll tell Audrie that you liked her, now if you don't mind, I have some things I have to take care of."

"Okay, but please let her know that I'd love to get together sometime to compare notes." And with that she was gone.

Daniel sat quietly for a long time, replaying the things Mandi had said. The things about him and her X boyfriend, really had him worried.

Danni was waiting impatiently, at home, when Audrie came in her door. Danni immediately bombarded her with a panicky description of the day's events.

"Oh, really?" she said, thinking hard about what Danni had described.

Danni expected more than that. But she calmed a bit, and continued on. "Yes, really. I think she suspects. Audrie, I'm really worried about this. If Mandi starts spreading rumors about me, it could ruin my position at the firm and my entire career, too."

"Well, you could always become a female attorney."

And then she laughed at Danni's reaction. She looked like she'd just seen Godzilla walk around the corner!

"Relax sweetie. I was just joking. Don't get your panties in an uproar. We'll handle it."

Audrie spent the rest of the evening calming Danni down. Convincing her that Mandi wasn't as big a threat a she appeared, and assuring her that she'd find a way to talk to her about it.

Despite Audrie's assurances, Daniel was a wreck for the next few days, but began to relax as time passed. Although he bumped into Mandi a couple of times, she showed no further interest in him, and made no further mention of her suspicions, or her request to meet with Audrie.

After a week of silence, Daniel, and Danni had begun to move on, and live their life. Audrie continued to provide support and counselling, and between them they began to assume that Mandi had given up.

It was a Tuesday, and Daniel had arrived at work a bit later than usual. The lobby was crowded with people headed up to their offices. He wound up, one of the first ones into the elevator, so he stepped back to the rear wall and zoned out, contemplating his tasks for the day. He didn't even notice that Mandi had flowed in along with the rest of the crowd, until she was standing in front of him. "Hi Daniel, how are you today? Any new polish?" She asked quietly, but with a giggle.

Daniel immediately got nervous, and blushed. There was enough background noise that he didn't think anyone else would notice, but still...

He had become paranoid whenever he was around the pretty, but nosey girl, and he began sweating as she stood close and stared up at him.

"I'm fine, thanks." He mumbled. Hoping that she'd leave him be, he dug out his phone and focused on its screen, trying to discourage further conversation.

And it worked. Mandi seemed to get the hint. She shrugged and turned her back to him and stood like everyone else, facing the doors, as they opened and closed at various floors, letting people shuffle out.

But then she casually took a half step back and bumped into him. A she did, her hand, down by her hip came in contact with his crotch. And he felt her touch his privates, and his cage!

He heard her giggle, and then she grabbed him through his pants, getting a handful, before he dropped one of his arms and swatted her away.

As he looked around to make sure no one else had reacted, or seen anything, Mandi half turned, smiling broadly. "We'll have to talk about that, later." She said, before stepping up toward the door, as they were just arriving at their floor.

As the door opened, she walked out into the hallway, and turned to look at him. He was still standing in shock against the back wall.

"Are you coming, Daniel?" She said with a playful smile.

Snapping out of his stunned trance, he stepped out past a few remaining passengers, and right past Mandi, who was chuckling as they headed their different ways into the office space.

Daniel was blushing and sweating as he walked into his office. He quickly closed the door, and collapsed into his chair. There he put his head in his hands and sat with his elbows on top of his desk as he tried to figure out what to do. Mandi knew he was wearing a chastity cage!

Daniel did his best, the rest of the day, to avoid any interaction with Mandi, and anyone else for that matter. He was scared to death that she might tell everyone in the company about his cage. And he couldn't even strip the thing off.

Eventually he pulled himself together and got some work done, but not all that much. He was too distracted by what he feared would be a career-ending disaster.

He stayed late, hiding in his office, hoping that she'd be gone by the time he left.

Just starting to pack up and head home, he jumped when there was a knock on his door, and when he looked up, there she was.

Smiling, she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

She walked right up to his desk. "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone, and I won't. This is just between you and me. Oh, and your girlfriend, I imagine."

He just sat there staring at her. He was relieved when he heard that she hadn't ratted him out. Hopefully that was true. But then he wondered, am I going to be blackmailed by Mandi now? He had actually stopped worrying about that aspect of his predicament with Audrie. He was confident that she would never expose him, or Danni, but now here was Mandi. Shit!

"Relax Daniel. We all have our kinks, and I like you, you're one of the few guys around here who treat me nicely. All of the other asshole attorneys, with their big heads and macho attitudes piss me off."

As she was calming him, she walked around his desk and perched on the corner facing him as he sat in his chair. She smiled down at him, looking cute and sexy. And he felt a stirring in his cock.

"All I want is to hear your story. But not from you. I want to hear it from your girlfriend. Um, Audrie, is it?".

"Yes, it's Audrie." He mumbled, still frightened by the situation. He had worried from the beginning that he'd be caught out, someday. But he still wasn't prepared for it. Especially with the way it was playing out.

"Good. Please have her call me. I want to meet her, just her, for diner one of these nights."

Danni, still anxious, took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll have her call you. But..."

"Don't worry. I promise, your secret is safe with me. No one around here will ever know." And she got up and walked over to the door.

There, though she turned, "as long as you're a good boy." She said before opening the door and slipping out.

As soon as she'd left, closing the door behind her, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Oh, God, I'm so screwed." He mumbled.

It took him twenty minutes to compose himself and head out for drive home.

There, he changed into Danni and made himself a quick, tasteless meal, all the while contemplating his deteriorating future.

He didn't even hear Audrie come in.

"What's wrong? You were home late, an accident?" was the first thing he heard.

"Oh, hi. No." he said startled, as he looked up at her.

"You look terrible. Your make-up sucks, and if I didn't know better, I'd suspect that your dog died." Audrie said as she sat down next to her, with a concerned look on her pretty face. God, he loved her!

She took a deep breath and then launched into her story, telling her about the elevator encounter and Mandi's request for a dinner meeting.

Finishing her tale of woe, Danni then sat quietly, her eyes watering. "I'm so screwed." She mumbled.

"Well, my dear. We knew it would happen sometime. It's a shame that it was someone at your work, who figured it out, but it sounds like she's neither shocked, nor going to be mean about it. I'll call her and meet up with her, and see what she has in mind. Okay?"

Audrie then pulled her lover over and into a big hug, and kissed her consolingly.

They carried on, like that for the rest of the evening, and night. Danni frightened and overwrought, and Audrie doing the best she could to calm her, while she prepared herself for Mandi.

The next day, Danni was in part relieved when he received a text from Audrie telling him that she'd be meeting with Mandi that night, for drinks. He was hoping that his lover would be able to resolve things, so he could stop worrying so.

But he also dreaded the whole idea of Mandi getting all of the details of his life as Danni. How in the hell would he be able to face her around the office, assuming that Audrie and her made peace, somehow?

He saw it as a recurring humiliation, that he'd have to deal with forever. Shit!

That evening, as Audrie was getting ready to leave, to go meet Mandi, Danni stopped her. "How much are you going to tell her?" Danni asked.

She looked a wreck, and Audrie felt bad for her. "As much as I have to. No more than I have to."

"Oh please, Audrie. It could ruin me." Danni cried. Clearly terrified over the potential for disaster.

"I understand, my love, but I have to talk to her. You know that. Now try and relax. I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm sure we can work this out. I don't think she's being mean. Just curious."

She gave her a kiss and headed out. The agreed to bar was not too far away, and would be a comfortable and quite place for the two of them to meet.

As she drove, Audrie worried. She didn't want anything to ruin their relationship, or her fun games with Danni. She did love Danni, and was truly enjoying herself, and she was fairly certain that Danni was too.

And she sure as shit didn't want it to be spoiled by this Mandi chick.

To be continued...

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