Erica Johnson stood up from the boardroom table. The three men across from her remained seated but Adams said “Thank you for your time today Ms. Johnson…as you know; it down to you or Mr. Murdock to become the newest partner in our firm. We will discuss this amongst ourselves and let both of you know by the end of the day”
“Thank You for your consideration…I am honored to be one of the last up for this and I look forward to hearing from you soon.” Erica said as she gathered up her folder and turned to leave. As she was walking out she heard the ancient Mr. Griffith say under his breath “Like I’d turn my firm over to a woman.”
Erica pretended not to hear but she felt her cheeks flush in anger as she closed the door behind her. And before she could make her way back to her office she saw Richard Murdock striding towards her.
“Hey Erica; good luck today with the announcement: You know what they say, May the best man win.”
“Thanks Richard” Erica said with sarcasm dripping from her words “I guess they just want the right…man…for the job”
He turned and gave her a smirk and a slimy wink then walked down the hall.
Erica’s eyes narrowed down to slits and she exhaled nosily as she walked as fast as she could into her office.
She shut the door and stood with her back against the door; screaming silently with her hands held to her temples. Finally she took a few long slow breathes and stomped to her desk to sit down. “God Damn Good Old Boy network” she mumbled to herself. “Murdock is such a douche…he’s an idiot…and if he makes partner…I am so out of here.” She spun around in her chair to get a bottle of water out of the mini fridge in the back. Slouched down in her chair, she sipped her water and seethed. She put her feet out straight in front of her and crossed her ankles; her black heels slowly drumming up and down. She shook her head “Just because he’s a guy and I’m a woman…” she took a sip of water and choked a bit. She sat up straight in the chair and coughed a few times to clear her throat, but she had still spilled water down the front of her white blouse. She stood up and grabbed a handful of tissues from her desk and started to pat down the front of her shirt.
“Dumbass” she said to herself “What else can happen today?”
She threw the tissues towards her waste basket, but one fluttered to the floor at her feet. Erica bent down and grabbed it but as she stood back up she said “Whoa”
Erica felt dizzy all of a sudden and she placed her hand on her desk to steady herself. She stared down at her hand with a feeling of confusion building up in her. “My hand…” she scrunched her nose up and furrowed her brow “…what is going on with my hand?”
She balled her right hand into a fist and squeezed tightly. As she released and spread her fingers out she mumbled “What the fuck?” with wonder in her voice. Erica slowly raised her hands up. Her nails were cut shorter than she ever cut them. Her fingers seemed to be stockier and wider, as were the backs of her hands. She turned them over to reveal deeply creased palms.
Erica stretched her arms out and watched as the sleeves of her white blouse rode up past her wrists. “My watch?!” she said. Her small gold wristwatch wasn’t there but a larger gold watch with a black face was.
Erica felt a pressure in her shoulders and she hunched forward, stretching out her back. She felt her shoulders broadening and her bra straps dig into her skin. She reached up to adjust the strap but instead she simply rubbed her finger on fabric. “What the hell?” she said as she grabbed her shirt, realizing that her bra was gone. Her eyes opened wide as her hands went to her chest. Sure enough, she could feel her breasts beneath her blouse and what appeared to be a plain white undershirt. Mortified and shocked, her breasts bounced freely as she had always been big on top. But as her hands held her large breasts, Erica felt a shudder reverberate her chest. She readjusted her hands, but even more confusion sprung into her mind: Her boobs no longer filled her hands. They were shrinking.
“Mmmmmmmmmm” she hummed through her tightly pursed lips “Oh my God what is going on here?” she said trying not to panic. “AH! They’re even smaller!” she said to herself as another shudder took them back even farther. Her hands easily covered them and with a third shudder; they were gone.
“Where’d they go?!” Erica thought as she patted her flat chest. “Shit” was all she managed to say as she felt her stomach and waist contract. She felt a pull along her side as her hips began to narrow and her shirt became untucked. Her hand went to her waistband and she realized that her skirt no longer fit.
But it wasn’t just her skirt; her shoes were getting tight and it felt like she was about to tear out her stockings as well.
Erica looked down and saw her skirt rising up her thighs, but even her thighs looked different to her eyes. They were heavier, more muscled than ever. Her calves also appeared knobby and bulky under her black hose. Her toes felt jammed into her heels and as she watched, her heels popped out of her shoes and she awkwardly stepped out of them. “My legs! What’s happening to my body?!”
As she bent forward looking at her legs, she felt a pulling sensation in her abdomen. Her hands went to just below the waistline of her skirt and she pressed down. Her eyes shifted back and forth and then she felt a very odd sensation. With a slight popping sensation, then another, then a definite tugging and stretching feeling filled her. “Oh” was all she said. Her hand went out and gripped tightly.
Erica’s other hand went under her skirt and upward “Shorts…” she thought as she tugged on her underwear which had turned into a pair of men’s boxers. Then as her hand brushed her thigh, she realized that her stockings were sliding down her legs where they stopped at mid-calf and became a pair of men’s black dress socks. Her skirt was now reforming itself into a pair of dress pants and she kicked at her black pumps as they turned into a pair of black wingtips. She looked further up and noticed that her white blouse was now a men’s white dress shirt over the undershirt she had felt when she lost her breasts. Her black hair tie had come undone spilling her long brown hair over her shoulders, but the tie itself had turned into a man’s black and silver necktie.
Erica now noticed her hair was pulling upward, shrinking back by an inch a second. It came off her shoulders and receded back into a short style. She reached for her purse to pull out a mirror, but it was gone as her keys went into one pocket, her phone into another, and her wallet into her back pocket. Erica turned to the window and watched as her face changed. Her large brown eyes narrowed and her eyelashes nearly disappeared. Her brow thickened, her nose broadened and her lips thinned. She ran a hand over her jaw and chin as they pulled out and her formerly soft cheek felt rough against her fingers.
Staring at the window there was a knock on his office door. He turned to see it opening and Jeanette, Mr. Adams assistant standing in his door. “Mr. Johnson?” she said as if she had said it for years.
He coughed “Yes” he said in a deep voice.
“Mr. Adams would like to see you in his office right away.”
“Oh…okay” He said as he slipped into the wingtips. He followed Jeanette down the hall. As he turned to step into the open office Mr. Adams was already standing up from his chair.
“Congratulations Eric” he said as he offered his hand. “I welcome you as our new partner”
Eric Johnson gave it a good hearty shake in return.