The role of a lifetime 08

4 days later

After a morning of primping and preening, where Jim had taken extra care to get his hair and makeup looking just right, the feminized man sat on the sofa of his living room feeling very apprehensive about what he was about to do.

“Are you ready”? asked Victoria setting up the recording equipment.

“Ready as I’ll ever be”, Jim replied, looking down at his shiny black legs pressed tightly together in a very feminine pose.

“You’ll be fine”, Victoria replied reassuringly, “you’ve been practising for weeks, you could play the song blindfolded”.

It was true, Jim had practised Moonlight sonata by Beethoven so many times at this point, he even heard it in his dreams but even so, with today being the day he was to record his audition video for the casting people, he was filled with doubt and couldn't help but worry that he hadn’t done enough.

“What if I don’t get chosen, Vic”? Jim blurted out, “what if I haven’t got the look they want, or what if I’m not good enough on the piano”?

Victoria stopped what she was doing and came over to sit next to him, “where is this all coming from now”? she asked concerned.

“It’s just… well... do you really think, honestly, I have a chance?  I’m just going to end up humiliating myself”, he replied frightened.

Victoria smiled, “come on now, Jem, you saw yourself earlier, you know how good you look in that dress, honestly, I’m jealous, with the amount of weight you’ve managed to lose recently, you wear it much better than I ever did”.

Jim didn’t know whether to take the comment as a compliment or an insult as shifted a little in his seat feeling the long sleeve velvet dress slide along his smooth skin, “but what happens when they find out I only know how to play one song”? he asked looking over at her with pleading eyes.

Victoria reached over and gave him a comforting pat on his nylon covered knee, “you only need to know one song for the audition video, remember, you just need to get chosen for the next round and if Britt doesn’t make it, we win and everything goes back to normal, right”? She said looking him in the eyes and nodding her head.

“Right”, Jim agreed, nodding along, "I just need to play it one time without mistakes and if Britt doesn't make it, this will all be over”.

“Exactly”, Victoria replied standing up and walking back over towards the piano, “so are you ready to perform you little diva, or have you got a wish list of requests for me to fulfil before you begin”?

Jim looked over at Victoria and smiled feeling much more relaxed and confident, he knew he looked good with his subtle but sexy makeup look and his extended hair curled and teased to perfection. It was show time and the sooner he got started the sooner this whole thing would be over.

(See image 8.1)

He stood up, now used to standing on tall heels, smoothed out the skirt of his dress, and strode across the room, before taking his position on the stool in front of the piano.

“Ok, the camera’s rolling”, Victoria announced, “when you’re ready, babe”.

Jim cracked his knuckles, took a deep breath, and turned towards the camera, “Hi, I’m Jem Stevens and I'll be auditioning for the part of Gabriella. today I’ll be playing Moonlight sonata by Beethoven for you, I hope you enjoy”, Jim said in a perfectly practised, cheerful, high pitched voice.

Placing his long-nailed hands on the piano, and remembering to smile, he pressed the first key and began. 

For the next 15 minutes, Jim’s mind was devoid of thought and distractions as he played, muscle memory taking over from the hours upon hours of practice. He watched on in autopilot as his nimble manicured fingers danced around the keys, and he held the smile on his plump red lips.

As he finished the song, a wave of euphoria spread over him, knowing he had nailed it in one take, having played the song better than he had ever done before. He closed the lid on the piano, gracefully stood up and took a few steps forward. 

Looking down the lens of the camera, he bowed his head, just like Victoria had told him to, before smiling once more, “thank, you for your consideration, I look forward to receiving your reply”. He announced, brushing a strand of long hair out of his face and tilting his head slightly to the side.

“And cut”, Victoria announced, bounding over to embrace him while almost knocking him of his high heeled feet.

“That was amazing”, she cooed, “you were perfect, let's see Britt and Natalia compete with that”.

Jim looked over at the camera set up in front of him, struggling to breathe from the tight hug, and had a moment of clarity, “god, I hope I get picked, so this nightmare can end”, he thought to himself as he swayed back and forward awkwardly, teetering on his sky-high pumps.

2 weeks later, Jim was once again sat in his living room relaxing, this time, much more casually dressed by his recent standards when Victoria flew into the room like a tornado, “Jem, you did it! I can’t believe it, you clever girl”, she said jumping up and down with joy.

“You mean the audition “? Jim asked, surprised by the sudden interruption.

“Yes, of course, the audition, you made it through”, she replied, running across the room before leaping on top of him and kissing him multiple times, “they want you down at the studio in a month, this is so exciting", she said ecstatically, "we’ll have to think carefully about your look and outfit, but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, all that can wait, my god, you actually did it”, she said kissing him again.

Smothered by kisses and winded by Victoria sitting on top of him, Jim didn’t know how to feel about the announcement, on one hand, the news came as a hammer blow to his masculinity, it meant that a room full of strangers had believed him to be feminine enough to consider for the part, but on the other hand, he was kind of happy and proud, having worked so hard practising for the audition, “hold your horses, Vic, I’m not actually going to go, am I”? He asked in a worried voice.

Victoria paused and looked at him from her position on top of his lap, “I don’t know”, she said thinking, “I guess it depends on whether Britt made it through, where’s my phone? I’ll text Natalia and find out”. she said and without waiting for a reply, she jumped off of Jim and ran over to her bag to fish out her phone.

Watching her typing furiously on the screen, Jim sat dreading the answer as he hoped with all his heart, that it was over, and he had won.

“There, done”, Victoria announced sending the message, “now we wait”.

The next few hours were hell for Jim as he waited anxiously for Natalia to reply, and as the morning turned into the afternoon, and the afternoon turned into the evening, Jim had become a nervous wreck as the anticipation of not knowing was killing him.

“Why doesn’t she reply”? Jim said pacing the room for the hundredth time, “do you think he lost, and they don’t want to speak to us”?

Victoria looked up from the sofa, “will you sit down already, you’re going to wear out the floor”, she replied shaking her head, “but yeah, perhaps, that would make sense, knowing Natalia, she would definitely ignore us if Britt didn’t make it through”.

Jim walked over to the sofa and sat down, “So, it’s over, I can get rid of these clothes, this hair, and these ridiculous nails”? He asked hopefully.

“Just cool it down a bit, will you”? We don’t know anything yet”, She announced, “it sure does look that way, but we need to know for sure before we celebrate”.

“Can you text her again”,? Jim asked anxiously, “I don’t think I’ll sleep a wink tonight without knowing”.

Victoria smiled, “sure, why not”, she replied, picking up her phone and sending another message.

10 minutes past as Jim tried to watch a little television, but finding it impossible to focus, when suddenly, his wait was over as Victoria’s phone pinged and both their heads shot over to look at the phone.

“Is it her”? Jim asked frantically.

Victoria picked up her phone and nodded, “yeah, she’s sent a message”.

“Read it, read it”, Jim said impatiently.

“Ok, just calm down, please”, Victoria said, opening the message and reading it aloud, “Vicky, sorry for not getting back to you earlier, you must have had quite the afternoon, wondering what had happened, hey? Well, it’s great news, Britt made it through to the next round and one step closer to victory. Pass on my congratulation to Jim for making it this far, you guys must be delighted, why don't you come to join us to celebrate at the Hyatt hotel,? it’s cocktail hour and Britt’s new puppies are finally free from their bandages and out to play, kisses”.

Victoria lowered her phoned with a confused look on her face, “puppies”? she said aloud as she turned to see the devastated look on Jim’s face, “it’s not over”? Jim muttered to himself, his face showing no emotion.

She reached over and rubbed his back gently, “sorry, babe, I know you were hoping that, but you knew this was a possibility, try to forget about it for tonight, ok? I’ll do some research about the next round, tomorrow, then we can make a plan, ok”?

Jim nodded in agreement, a blank expression on his face, and feeling absolutely devasted by the news.

 Victoria returned her phone to re-read the message, “bandages? What the hell is she talking abo…”? she was saying before she was cut off mid-sentence by her phone pinging once again, followed by a picture appearing on her screen.

“Oh, wow”, she shrieked, “shit, no way, he couldn’t have”?

Victoria’s sudden outburst, brought Jim out of his stupor, as he looked over to see what all the fuss was about, “what? What is”? He asked.

“You should take a look for yourself”, Victoria replied, passing over the phone.

Jim reached out to take the phone with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he knew he wasn’t going to like what he saw, but even knowing that he couldn’t have prepared himself for the utterly mindboggling sight of his friend sat cross-legged in an outdoor seating area, looking like a blonde barbie doll.

"urggg", was the unintelligible sound that left his lips as Jim shook his head in horror, as he stared at the image wanting to look away but not able too, as his eyes scanned up past the towering heels on his friend's feet, up and along his long sexy legs before stopping on his chest area, staring the tiny sheer top he was wearing and the mounds beneath. 

His mouth fell open in disbelief as he had a moment of realisation, “puppies”, “bandages, “No fucking way, those are real”? He announced knowing at that moment Britt was not going to give up, he was going to try to win at all costs, and seeing the perky little fun bags hanging from Britt's chest, Jim knew his friend was willing to go to unthinkable lengths to do so.

(See image 8.2)