Caught between a rock and a high heel 06

Shaking as he scanned up and down his feminised reflection for the tenth time, a wide-eyed Kieron inhaled deeply through his nose before exhaling loudly through his mouth. It was a calming technique; he had learned many years ago, but, on this occasion, it wasn’t doing much to calm his nerves. The sight of himself completely dressed and looking surprisingly passable, was a disturbing one and one that made everything suddenly feel a lot more real.

Taking another deep breath, he knew it was almost time to step out onto the streets of London. And the thought of him, Kieron Walsh, clicking along while dressed up like some tarty little office girl was enough to make him feel nauseous. People were surely going to see through his disguise! And when they did, the humiliation he’d feel would be too much to bear!

“Here,” Becca announced while placing a black leather handbag across Kieron’s left shoulder. “I’ve put some things you might need inside. Oh, and take this old phone. You probably won’t need it as I’ll be right there with you, but hey, you never know, right?”

Biting his tacky lower lip and tasting cherries, Kieron turned. “I don’t think I can do this,” he announced with a terrified look in his big brown eyes.

“Which part?” Becca replied while adjusting the strap of the Italian leather purse.

“All of it!” Cried Kieron as his frustration finally got the better of him. “Christ alive, I’m wearing a dress! I can’t go outside wearing a dress!”

“Why not?” Becca calmly replied. “You did the other night.”

“That was Halloween and not by choice,” Kieron shot back as he swept a few strands of synthetic hair out of his made-up face.

“Well, why don’t you just imagine it’s Halloween today,” said Becca as she took down a fur coat from a hook.

“That’s stupid,” huffed Kieron. “No one else will be dressed up!”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Becca shot back. “Look at me, I’m dressed very similarly to you, and I’m sure many other people will be too.”

“But you’re a girl!" Kieron sighed. "You’re allowed to dress like this!"

Becca snorted while shaking her head. “And who says you’re not allowed? Is it against the law? Are they going to arrest you and throw away the key?”

“Well… no,” Kieron stuttered. “But… I... Err...” Becca interrupted. “No buts. You’re doing nothing wrong. Wearing a dress is not a crime, and this will all be over in a few hours. Keep that in mind because it’s time to go,” she added as she thrust the coat into Kieron’s hands.

Seeing the young man hesitate, Becca reached over to pick up a pair of her sunglasses from a ledge. “Wear these,” she said while carefully placing them over Kieron’s ears without resistance. Then, before the young man protested further, she opened the front door and gave the skirted man a light nudge. "Come on, Kiera. Let's go."

Knowing that he was in too deep to back out now, Kieron shook his head and sighed before gingerly stepping out the front door to be greeted by the wind’s cold caress on his slick, nylon-clad legs.

(See image 11)

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After the challenge of hoisting himself onto a bar stool while wearing a tight skirt, Kieron looked up to see Becca at a table on the far wall. Seeing her grinning with her thumb in the air, Kieron flashed her a smile before catching a glimpse of his skirted legs pressed tightly together in the most feminine of fashions and cringed.

In Kieron’s confused mind, choosing a bar to conduct the interview was a strange choice, but as Becca had explained, the meeting was more of a favour than a job opportunity, and Mr Watkins was a busy man. Not that the location mattered to Kieron as he would have been equally petrified wherever he was.

Examining the array of exotic dusty bottles sitting along the top shelf, Kieron took a sip of the red wine and sighed. He was freaking out! Could he really follow Becca's instructions? Which would be more embarrassing, being found out as a man in drag or actually fooling this man into believing he was a scatter-brained, fashion-mad young woman? Either way, he would feel utterly humiliated.

No! he couldn't be discovered as a man! Messing up was not an option! If Becca left him there dressed like he was! Well, entertaining the thought was too awful to even contemplate.

“Kiera?” A man suddenly announced, snapping Kieron out of his thoughts.

Turning, the crossdressed young Irish man came face to face with an older, smartly dressed man. “Yes,” Kieron squeaked as he hopped to his feet and stumbled slightly. “How did you know?” He added, oblivious to the fact that he was already coming across as a ditz without even trying.

The man chuckled. “A lucky guess, I suppose” he answered while looking around the mostly empty bar. “Please, take a seat, Keira. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, Mr Watkins. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir?” Kieron replied, feeling silly hearing the words come out of his mouth in a high-pitched voice before turning to start the awkward ascent back to the top of his bar stool.

“There’s no need to be so formal,” the man replied. “Please call me Tom. What are you drinking, by the way?”

“Oh! Ok,” Kieron stuttered as he smoothed his skirt along his slippery pantyhosed thighs. “It’s wine.”

“Well, I can see that,” Tom said before chuckling again. “I was wondering what type, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon?”

“Erm… I’m not really sure,” Kieron replied while fidgeting with his top. “The first one, I think.”

Tom Watkins opened his mouth to say something before stopping himself. Turning towards the bar, he signalled over the barmaid and ordered a Merlot. After paying, he took a seat next to a nervous-looking Kieron and asked him if he had travelled far that day. A minute or two of chit-chat ensued before it was time to get down to business.

“So, tell me about yourself, Kiera,” Tom asked before taking a sip of his drink. “What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your passions?”

Kieron smiled, that was a question he and Becca had rehearsed, and as a result, he knew exactly what to say. “Shopping,” he answered while playing with his hair. I think it’s important to look good. In fact, I can’t think of anything more important,” he added before giggling loudly.

Nodding, Tom looked puzzled for a moment before chuckling along. “Ok, an interesting answer. One I wasn’t expecting,” he said as he looked Kieron up and down.

Seeing the man’s eyes scan up his pantyhosed legs, Kieron fought the urge to show the disgust he felt on his prettily made-up face. But at the same time, part of him felt relieved. If Tom was checking him out, the plan was working.

“So, if I was to like... work for you, would I like...have my own office and stuff?” Said Kieron said, doubling down on the image of a brainless bimbo as he slowly grew in confidence.

“No,” Tom replied after a slight pause. “To be honest, if I was to hire you, I’m not sure what your role would be, but it wouldn’t come with an office.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Kieron said while pouting. “What about a company car?”

Tom laughed. “Your funny," he” replied with a smile, “Maybe down the line, but how about first, you convince me that you’re the type of girl worthy of hiring? What skills are you going to bring to my company?”

Sensing it was time, Kieron got ready to hammer home the notion that Keira was not the type of girl this man should be hiring. Opening his mouth slightly, he pressed his finger into his bottom lip and hummed loudly, making it appear as if he was thinking deeply. “Well… I can read. And… I guess I can write a little,” he said while batting his eyelashes and giggling.

“Have you written before?” Tom asked while leaning in. “Tell me about a piece you’ve written.”

Not expecting the response, Kieron paused, making him look even ditzier. With his mind blank, he started to panic before, suddenly, something popped into his head. “Well, in school, I once wrote a story about… a… a woman who turned her miserable life around with a simple idea. I got an A-star,” he said before nodding his head triumphantly, dislodging his wig slightly as his fringe moved down to cover a little more of his eyes. The story, as it happens, was a true one, albeit with the gender of the main character switched.

“Really?” replied Tom with a smile. “Tell me about this idea?”

“She began to say yes to everything and forced herself to try new things, no matter how scary they were,” Kieron replied while staring into Tom's dark eyes. “You see, when she changed her mentality, people treated her differently, and this led to…” Sadly Kieron never got to finish his sentence as Tom’s phone, ringing loudly from its position on the bar, cut him off.

Tom apologised for the interruption but said he needed to take the call. And that’s where things took an unexpected turn. From the moment he answered the call, Kieron could tell from the look on Tom’s face that it wasn’t good news. Grunting and nodding, Tom’s relaxed body language quickly changed to appear much more anxious and closed off. For thirty seconds or so, Kieron watched Tom grunt down the line while nodding before the older man placed his hand over the receiver and stood up. “I’m sorry, Kiera, but I have to go. But why don't you come to my office in the morning,” he announced while plucking a business card from his top pocket. “The address is on the back," he added while passing the crisp white card across.

“Err… I’ve got the job?” Kieron stuttered as the card fell from his grasp and fluttered towards the ground.

“Let’s call it a trial,” Tom replied with a nod. “Something you said gave me an interesting idea and given that Robert thinks so highly of your sister, I’m prepared to give it a shot. Nine O’clock sharp, ok? I’ll see you there.”

Shaken by the unexpected turn of events, Kieron opened his mouth to protest, but before he got the chance to formulate a sentence, Tom re-joined his call, turned, and strode across the room. Powerless to intervene, Kieron watched as the man disappeared out the front door, leaving him to an uncertain fate. And as terrible in that moment, knowing that he had messed up, that feeling was about to be increased tenfold as he turned his head to see Becca glaring at him from across the room.

Seeing her stand up with a confused look written across her face, Kieron leaned against the bar and looked away.

(See image 12)

"This is not how things were supposed to go. This was not my fault!" He angrily thought as he prepared himself for the imminent arrival of Becca, who was striding towards him with purpose.

“What happened?” Becca cried as she sat down. Not sure himself, Kieron looked over and shrugged.

Annoyed, Becca continued to fire questions until she eventually prised some information from the bewildered Irish man. When she’d heard enough, she tutted loudly and folded her arms. “You overdid it! She cried with an angry look on her face. “You didn’t have to come on to the man!”

“I didn’t!” Kieron shouted back. “I did just as we practised. If anyone is to blame, It’s you! It was your idea to act stupid!”

With her eyes wide, Becca snorted. “I’ve had enough of this,” she said as she motioned to get up from her seat.

“Wait!” Kieron cried. “Don’t go, please! Let’s talk about this?” He had suddenly realised that if Becca walked out, he would be alone in the bar dressed as a slutty office girl with no money and nowhere to go!

“What’s there to talk about?” Said Becca as she turned. “You were right all along. This was a stupid idea that had no chance of actually working. I’ll call Mr Watkins in the morning and tell him that Kiera is ill or something. Perhaps, if I’m lucky, this incident won’t tarnish my reputation too much.”

“But it did work!” yelled Kieron in a panic. “I fooled him! He thought I was Kiera! And I’m sorry for blaming you. This is my fault. Let me make it up to you?”

“What are you going to do? Becca replied while snorting. “Go and work there as Kiera?” The outburst left Kieron lost for words.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Becca announced after a short pause before stepping down from her stool.

“I could try it?” Kieron blurted out without considering the consequences.

With the comment catching Becca by surprise, she paused. “You want to work there?” She asked while squinting.

“No, of course not. But I could do it for a few days if it helps you out,” Answered Kieron as he desperately tried to convince Becca not to leave. “It’s a trial, right? I just need to do a bad job, and the guy will end it.”

“No, that will look bad on me!” Becca replied with a shake of her head. “The only way this works is if you complete the trail. And that means being the perfect version of my sister. Can you do that?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Kieron stammered while looking down at his feminine-looking legs.

“Well, you need to be,” Becca shot back. “Things are a mess right now, but they will be ten times worse if you mess up in a week’s time! If you really want to do this, it's not going to be easy, and I'm not going to listen to you complaining every day. So, how about this? I'm going home now, and if Kiera wants to join me, she can!"