R - RATED
Sneaking over to Granny’s house, Jeannie waits for her to leave for her daily walk. Once she is out of sight, Jeannie goes into the house and to her apothecary. Pulling the ingredient list from her pocket, Jeannie gets the required items together in small plastic baggies. There is barely enough of one ingredient, wolf’s claw, to do the spell twice, and the duration of its effects might not be adequate. But Jeannie has no choice.
The potion, if mixed properly and generated with the proper wording, would give her about an hour of restored beauty. After that hour, the beauty would fade and she would become abscheulich, as the potion description says in German, for twenty-four hours. In other words, in English, Jeannie would be hideous for a full day.
Seeing Granny tonight at six in the evening, Jeannie would have to take the potion, meet with her, get her out before an hour, and then hide in her room until seven the next night. It was risky, but it was the only possible solution she had. Jeannie again repeated her mantra, just gotta make it to Saturday.
The prison van arrives at the municipal courthouse shared by the county and city for low-level court proceedings. There is a city judge and a county judge in each of two separate courtrooms.
Karli is led with the other male prisoners into a holding room for the county judge, and they are each handcuffed to a rail attached to a long bench on one side of the room. Luckily, Clete is not handcuffed near Karli, though he is in the room with her. The prostitute from last night is brought in later and sits on one side of her, while an older man who reeks of puke and whiskey is on the other.
A disinterested city policeman guards them as they wait for their hearings. Karli was not able to eat her prison-issued peanut butter sandwich, the breakfast given to them in the van. She has no appetite. Now, inhaling the aroma of the drunk beside her, she is glad she didn’t eat. Looking at the clock above them on the wall, Karli knows the time for the first time since yesterday. It is nine fifteen in the morning.
Starting about nine thirty, a bailiff comes into the room and reads a name. The prisoner called answers, and the policeman unlocks the handcuffs so the bailiff can escort them into the courtroom. About a third of the prisoners are later brought back to the holding room. The rest, presumably, are released on bail, paid fines, or had their charges dismissed. Clete is one of those brought back to the holding room, red-faced and angry, cursing and yelling about the mother fucking judge.
Karli is called about ten fifteen in the morning. The bailiff calls out Karl Terry Simmons. As she is unlocked, the prostitute looks up and wishes her good luck, sugah. Karli smiles weakly at her, and they step out. Karli is taken to a very small conference room where a tired-looking young woman in a cheap gray skirt suit is sitting.
The woman introduces herself as Amanda Carmichael, reaching out to shake Karli’s slim hand, and asks if she has an attorney. Karli shakes her head no. Amanda continues, then I’ll be your public defender for this bail setting. You are free to get a lawyer if this goes to trial, but until you do, I’ll represent you.
Karli nods. Amanda looks at Karli, seeing the fatigue and fear on her cute face. She asks, are you transitioning, dear? Karli shakes her head no again. Well, you certainly are cute, Amanda says. Can you tell me what happened at the jewelry store? We only have about ten minutes, so please keep it brief.
Karli looks at Amanda and says in a quiet, almost inaudible voice that she doesn’t know. I don’t remember being there until yesterday when I was shopping with a friend. Amanda looks at the file and sees snapshots from the video feeds of five different security cameras, both inside the store and on the sidewalk outside. Showing Karli the photos, she asks, this looks like you, doesn’t it?
Seeing the photos for the first time, Karli’s heart sinks. It’s her, there is no doubt. There is a photo of her walking into the store with an older woman. Two different photo angles show her dropping the earrings into her purse. Another of her leaving the store, phone pressed to her ear. There is a final one of her bending over to get her car key from the valet stand. Karli murmurs, yeah, that’s me. Looking up into the public defender’s eyes, she says, I’m sorry. I don’t remember it, really. Trying to keep it together, she looks at Amanda with a desperate expression and asks, what should I do?
Amanda takes a deep breath and looks through the file again. She says, well, you have no record, not even a traffic ticket. I’m sure the judge will go easy on you if you plead guilty. Looking at the evidence, though, I don’t see a way to get you cleared of these charges. Placing a hand on Karli’s arm, she adds in a comforting tone, however, I do know the DA on this case. He’s aggressive, but this is such a small matter. Let me see if we can work something out. Give me just a minute.
Amanda leaves the room, and a bailiff steps in. Karli picks up the photos again, staring at them through bleary eyes. She wonders, how did I do this? What happened to me? Why can’t I remember? Am I going completely crazy?
Minutes later, the public defender steps back into the room smiling and says, he’s agreed to drop this down to petit larceny, a misdemeanor. You will have to pay a fine, but you will be able to go home, and this will not create a criminal record as long as you don’t violate the law in the next five years. The judge will set the fine. It could be the value of the jewelry or some other higher amount. We just need to step into the courtroom. This should not take even five minutes.
Karli, getting the first good news in this nightmare, suddenly overcomes her malaise and jumps up from the table, hugging Amanda tightly. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Inhaling Amanda’s scent, something unexpected happens. Karli’s cock jumps to life and her nipples again harden. Her breathing gets ragged. It’s like a switch was flipped inside Karli.
Amanda feels Karli’s excitement begin pressing into her and tries to break the embrace. Karli hangs on, her nose flaring as she continues to inhale the young woman’s cologne and natural musk. Finally, Amanda says, please stop! I’m glad you are happy, but this is inappropriate.
Karli snaps back to reality and, realizing what just happened, starts apologizing profusely. Her erection is still present, and she asks, can I have a minute before we go before the judge? Amanda agrees, looking decidedly less sympathetic, and Karli sits down and starts thinking about baseball and broccoli and bad hairstyles, anything to get her mind off the cute attorney she is suddenly set on pleasing in every way possible. After a minute has passed, Karli is calm enough to go into the courtroom, though she does walk a little bent over to keep things from being noticed.
The judge hears the statements from the prosecutor and Amanda and then pronounces that Karli would have to pay a one-thousand-dollar fine and time served. Gavel down, Karli is led to the clerk to pay her fine. As she is being led that way, she sees Tank and Vicky and then her father all there. Oh my god! They all know! A new nightmare is starting.
Making it to the court clerk, she reads the judge’s decision to Karli and says in a tone that indicates she has said this daily for years, that will be one thousand dollars. You can pay the fine now or you will be taken back to the holding room. If it’s not paid by the end of today’s court proceedings, you will be taken back to the county jail until you are able to pay it. Karli winces, realizing she doesn’t have her wallet or any money. As she starts to ask the clerk what she should do, her father speaks over her shoulder. I’ll pay the fine.
The fine paid, the clerk returns Karli’s possessions and asks her to go through them to confirm everything is accounted for. Karli starts pulling the items out, her father, Tank, and Vicky all standing behind her. Pulling out the envelope containing her jewelry, everything is there. As she feels into the bag for more, her hand touches the gaff. Mortified that her father or even Tank and Vicky would see the garment, she just tells the clerk, it’s all there. The clerk looks at her suspiciously but then says, okay, sign here. Karli signs the form and puts the jewelry envelope back into the bag.
The clerk points her in the direction of the prisoner restrooms and says, you can change in there. Just put the jumpsuit, shoes, and underwear in the same bag and bring it back to me once you’ve changed.
Karli starts toward the restroom when Vicky calls out, wait! Then, handing her the small suitcase, she says in a low voice, I brought you a change of clothes. Karli thanks her and takes the case toward the restroom. Arriving, she turns toward the women’s room without thinking. As she is pushing on the door, it comes to her that this might be a mistake. Looking back, Vicky, Tank, and her father can all see her. Well, I’m here now. Entering the women’s room, she finds an empty stall. Setting the overnight suitcase on the toilet lid, she opens it, wondering what Vicky has brought her to wear.
Returning home from Granny’s house just after noon, Jeannie is alarmed to see that Lisa arrived moments before and is unlocking the door as she pulls up. Banging her palm on her steering wheel, she exclaims, crap! I really just can’t catch a break!
Parking her car, she thinks through Lisa’s routine. Okay, she just got home from the gym. She will grab a smart water from the fridge, turn on the TV, drink the water, and then go take a shower. Since I’m not at home, she may strip by the hamper in the hall and then put her clothes in before going to her bathroom. Probably ten minutes should be safe.
Waiting nine minutes, Jeannie gets out of her car and starts up the stairs. Slowly opening the door, she listens. The TV is on at low volume. Faintly, she hears Lisa humming and then the sound of her bathroom door closing. Tiptoeing in, she hears water running and thinks, I’m safe.
Stepping into her bedroom, she puts the ingredients in her dresser and sits down on her bed. Opening her laptop, she logs into the company site so she can go back to work. Looking at her work email, she has five emails from her boss: the first asking a question, the second a meeting invite, the third a where are you, and the fourth and fifth you better call me.
Crap! Seriously? A break cannot be caught! I was only gone for an hour. Pulling out her phone, she sees she has three missed calls and two texts. Shouldn’t have put it on silent. Calling in to work, Jeannie is thinking of an excuse. Hey, yeah, just got your messages. I had to step out to help my roommate with something personal. Yes, I know I was on the clock. Yes, I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve... okay, okay. I understand. It won’t happen again. Yes, I’ll come in Sunday to make up my time.
Lisa hears the muffled conversation from outside the door and notices the tone. She asks, Jeannie, is everything okay? Jeannie looks at the closed door and says, I guess. I went for coffee and my boss started looking for me while I was out. Now I have to work on Sunday again to make up my time. I wasn’t even gone an hour.
Lisa, standing just on the other side of the door, says, boy, you cannot catch a break, can you? Do you need a hug? Smiling sadly, Jeannie shakes her head. Maybe Sunday after I get home from work.
Karli looks through the clothes and says to herself, I’m so lucky to have a friend like Vicky. Inside the suitcase are two sets of clothes. One set is a pair of shorts from Karl’s old stash of Karli clothes. They are plain blue lounging shorts. They do have a six on the left butt cheek and a nine on the right butt cheek, but otherwise, they are pretty gender-neutral. Along with the shorts is a baseball jersey from the local baseball team. It’s too large for her, but that’s okay. There is an old pair of powder blue running shoes and white athletic socks as well.
The other outfit contains a pair of Karl’s light wool slacks. They are cut in a feminine style but are men’s pants with adequate room in the front. Along with the slacks are a matching plaid shirt and a pair of oxblood loafers with a low heel. The plaid shirt is actually a women’s cut with darts tapering it in, but it is a shirt Karl wore to work occasionally when he wore a jacket over it. With the clothes are a fresh pair of white nylon panties, a black lycra sports bra, and a pair of thin black socks.
If it was just Vicky, any of the outfits, including the one from yesterday, would be fine. For Tank, both of the ones that Vicky had packed would work. But for Daddy, which one to pick? They hadn’t seen each other in months, and Karl had never worn women’s clothes around him. Finally deciding, Karli puts on the fresh panties and tight sports bra and then the slacks, plaid shirt, dark socks, and loafers. Dressed, Karli walks over to look in the mirror. She has to laugh. Her breasts were apparent but not obvious, and Karli would have looked similar to how she had looked the last time she saw her dad as Karl, except for the eyes and hair. The new eyebrows and the hair are so different and overtly feminine. Even with her hair in its prison bed-head condition, it is still clearly a feminine style. On top of that, the mascara that had run down her face the previous night is still there and still obviously mascara. There really was no getting around it; Karli has some explaining to do to her father about her look.
Dumping the items from the prison bag into the suitcase, she stuffs the prison clothes and shoes into the bag. As she is packing up, the prostitute comes in carrying her own clothes bag. She asks, how’d it go, hun?
Karli looks at her and, with a sardonic smile, says, we’ll see. Facing the judge was easy. Facing Daddy is the hard part.
Stepping out into the hall, Karli walks back toward the clerk and hands her the bag. Turning toward the exit, Vicky, Tank, and her dad are standing in a circle talking. Her dad sees her first. He looks very upset, but it is hard to know what forms the upset takes.
As Karli apprehensively approaches them, they all turn to look at her. Her dad speaks first. Hi, son. Are you okay? At these words, Karli runs to her father, hugging him and weeping. He returns the hug, patting her on the top of her head. Pushing her back so he could look down into her face, he winks and says, let’s get out of here.
It wasn’t all comfortable. Karli rides with her father while Vicky and Tank drive separately. The ride is mostly in silence. Neither Karli nor her dad know where to start. When they arrive at Karli’s apartment, all four go inside together. Vicky had picked up and straightened the apartment before she left the night before. Dishes are clean and put away. There are tracks on the rug indicating the vacuum had been run. Except for the clothes left on the bed, the place looks great.
Finally, it is Karli who breaks the silence, something both funny and true coming into her head. Well, it’s wonderful having my three favorite people in the whole world together in my apartment. To what do I owe the pleasure? They all laugh, and Karli invites them to sit down in the den.
Unable to sit herself, Karli stands in front of the TV facing them. First, I am so grateful that you were at the court today.
Karli then proceeds to tell them, mostly, about what had happened on Sunday. Basically, she tells them that she went out and had a couple of drinks with a friend and woke up back at her apartment not remembering what had happened. It was close to the truth. She told them that she didn’t remember the earrings or the salon trip. She implies that someone might have slipped her something, and she really didn’t know.
All three listen intently. They are treating her with kid gloves, not asking too many questions, and trying to make sure they don’t upset her. As they go along, Karli figures out that they had already discussed how they would behave around her. She couldn’t have asked for a sweeter trio to be there for her, unconditionally.
After Karli finishes her story, she asks Tank and Vicky to keep the details to themselves. They immediately agree, with Tank saying, yeah, there are a few nights while in the Marines that I don’t remember, either. What happens in Fortis stays in Fortis. Tank, shaking hands with Karli’s father, leaves shortly after saying he had to get with Juan at the Sunfish Hotel site to check on progress.
Karli’s dad also begs off, saying he needs to get back to Tampa to get ready for a meeting the next day. I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you, and I’ll see you Saturday for the race. Maybe you and I can have a daddy-son dinner after the race. I do want to catch up and have a long talk about your new promotion and anything else going on. I promise I won’t give you the third degree about anything.
Karli smiles. Thanks, Daddy Bear. You’ve been great. I so appreciate what you’ve done today, well, always. And I especially love you for giving me a pass about what happened Sunday. Oh, and not to mention paying my fine. I will repay you.
Her father smiles. It’s okay. And, while I’m thinking about it, I’m so glad you dropped that whole southern belle thing. I know you love your mother and admired her growing up, but it always bothered me that my son sounded just like my bitchy Georgia peach ex-wife.
Karli thinks, I hadn’t even thought about her way of speaking. I guess I did drop the accent. It wasn’t a conscious intention, but given my new job, it’s probably a good thing.
Karli reaches out to her dad and gives him a hug, burying her head in his broad chest. I love you, Daddy Bear. Talk to you tomorrow. Her dad leaves, giving a brief hug to Vicky on the way out and saying in her ear, thank you for taking such good care of him. He’s a special boy. It is great to see that Karl has such supportive friends in his life.
After the door closes behind her dad, Vicky looks at Karli. You okay, kid? Karli, shaking her head, says, no. I feel like I’m losing control of my life. With a gentle smile and a hand on Karli’s cheek, Vicky says, you are not. You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks. I know. I’ve been through some stuff, too.
Looking up, Vicky’s hand still touching her cheek, Karli says, you have, haven’t you? Deciding to leave the company is a big move. What does Steve think? What is he going to do in Jacksonville?
Realizing that Karli still doesn’t know that she and Steve had split, Vicky replies, he isn’t going to Jacksonville. We, we are not together anymore.
Guilt washing over Karli, she reaches for Vicky’s hand saying, when? I didn’t know. Here you’ve been taking care of me, and yet you’ve been going through your own turmoil. I feel terrible for burdening you this way.
Stroking Karli’s cheek, Vicky tilts her head affectionately. Karli, as sorry as I am about what’s happening with you, helping you has been good for me. It’s given me something to do, something to distract me from Steve and his boy toy. With that last statement, Karli says, oh! I didn’t see that coming.
Vicky continues, with a wry chuckle, neither did I. It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s just over, and I’m moving on. And you need to move on, too. I’m sorry that Lisa broke things off, and I can see how sad and lonely you are. I don’t know what happened Sunday, but none of it would have happened if Lisa, well, you know. Karli nods in acknowledgment.
Continuing, Vicky says, look, kid, I need to go. I’ll check on you later, but someone’s got to do our job. By the way, the Frankels don’t know the details of what happened, and I won’t tell them. I only told them that you needed me as part of your adjustment to the new job. Tank won’t say anything, either.
Karli, still holding Vicky’s hand, looks into her eyes. Thank you for that, but please, do you have to go? I’d like you to stay. Let me get a shower and wash the jail off my body, and we’ll go to lunch.
Vicky, shaking her head, says, you’ll be okay. Get a shower and take a long nap, and don’t drink any wine, okay? I’ll come by after work and check on you. A peck on Karli’s cheek, and Vicky leaves.
Karli, alone again but at least at home, looks around her bedroom. The new clothes that she was so excited to buy yesterday are still hanging in the closet and laid out on her dresser, just as they were when the sheriff arrived. It’s almost like the last sixteen hours didn’t happen, but they did. Yesterday’s meeting, the promotion, the shopping, and good time with Vicky seem like an eternity ago.
Catching the smell of disinfectant still on her skin, Karli shakes the troubling memory and decides to rid herself of the smell of incarceration. Before leaving the bedroom, she kicks off the loafers and pulls off the socks. She then strips off the Karl pants and her plaid blouse.
Tossing the pants onto the bed with the other male clothes she plans to donate, she walks into the bathroom in her panties and sports bra. Her reflection in the bathroom mirror shows the signs of the last day. Her still-bronzed skin shows some redness, and there are bags under her eyes. Karli’s hair is still recognizable as the inverted bob that it is, but it looks disheveled and loose.
Despite the wear and tear and stress, though, her reflection is still that of a young attractive girl. Karli has never embraced her girl-like features, as they were always at odds with her Karl persona.
Now, though, looking at herself in a most stripped-down form, she has to admit that maybe it’s time to fully embrace her femininity. Being attractive as Karli intentionally, like she tried to achieve yesterday, carries with it the idea that effort is required to be accepted as a woman. Now, though, seeing herself at her proverbial worst but still looking quite pretty, the idea of living as a woman seems much less scary, much closer to who she really is.
Tearing herself away from the mirror, Karli starts her bath water running. This is a day for a bath. I need to soak the last day out of my skin and bones. As the water warms, she puts in the drain plug and then drops in eucalyptus and fruity bath balms. Removing her underwear and sports bra, she lights candles around the tub.
Climbing into the steamy tub, her nipples harden in excitement, and despite the steamy water temperature, chill bumps pop out on her arms. Sinking into the soothing and sensual bath, her cares begin to escape with the steam. The smell of industrial soap disappears, replaced with the effervescent smell of perfume and botanicals.
Soaking there, Karli relaxes almost to the point of falling asleep. Before dozing off, she decides she better go ahead and wash and condition her hair. Though she knows she should use the new salon shampoo, Karli decides that she needs the comforting smell of the Just for Blonds, and as she wets her hair with the handheld shower, she reaches for the bottle. Sudsing up her hair, the remaining tension disappears, replaced by a calmness and acceptance. It’s like being in the eye of a Gulf Coast hurricane. While the world outside blows around her, it is calm here in the eye.
Karli pulls the plug, and the water slowly starts to drain out. Standing up, totally relaxed and at peace, she reaches for her soft fluffy towel and begins patting dry her skin. With the calm, Karli starts to think of Vicky. She has been such a great friend. Even while going through a breakup with her fiancé, she took care of me. Karli’s gratitude for Vicky’s support and patience slowly evolves into adoration and a sense of obligation.
I need to do something tangible to show her my appreciation. Thinking about what she might do, Karli’s cock begins to stir, and her nipples stiffen again in anticipation. Yes, I can make her feel loved. I can make her feel like she is in control of her life again, in control of me, too.
Karli is getting hot again, her breathing uneven and quickening. The relaxation she felt as she stood up from the tub is pushed aside and replaced by growing lust mixed with an intense desire to please Vicky. Her petite hand reaches for her engorged manhood and starts to stroke slowly. Stopping herself, she thinks, no. I need to wait. I need to save myself till Vicky gets here.