Presto-Chango
by Czologlz
[email protected]

A stage magician gets a chance to take his act to Las Vegas, right when his gorgeous assistant quits. Unfortunately Ray, the young stagehand, is the only other person who knows the act...

Copyright 1998. This is the first thing I ever wrote.

For a beautifully illustrated version of this story, go to: tgcomics.com/tgc/stories/prest…

Chapter One

The audience watched silently, every eye transfixed to the stage.  They were sitting in the lounge of a rather low-grade hotel/casino in Dead Springs, Nevada.  Dead Springs had tried for years, unsuccessfully, to promote itself as the next Las Vegas.  Unfortunately its name, its frightening proximity to several old nuclear test sites, and its general lack of redeeming qualities had left it little more than a sparsely visited tourist trap.  The aforementioned casino was "Nero's Palace," the largest one in town.

What the audience was paying so close attention to were the two people on the stage.  The first one was a tuxedoed man of about twenty-three.  He was good looking, though not spectacularly so.  Average height, with black hair and more muscular that most guys his age.  At the moment he was being shackled to a very large drill press.  He was known as Brian the Great, Master of Illusion, Escape Artist Extraordinaire.  His driver's license said "Brian Howard."  He loved magic and hated his job.

The person who was shackling Brian (the Great) to the drill press had often been told that she could have made a good living as a model. Unfortunately the people who told her this were usually drunken businessmen who were trying unsuccessfully to get her into bed, so she had never taken them seriously.  Actually, she was extremely good looking.  She had very long, platinum blonde hair, great legs, and an ample chest.  She also had a very attractive face that looked good, even without makeup.  She appeared to be about twenty, though she was actually slightly older than Brian.  She was wearing a bikini top, a leather mini-skirt, and fishnet stockings (the
management insisted on this outfit because it drew customers).  Her name was Tracy and she'd been Brian's assistant and friend almost as long as he'd been a magician.  She liked her job more than Brian did, though she always
felt there was more to life.


"And now, ladies and gentlemen," said the magician "as the lovely
Tracy finishes shackling me down, I shall begin the most dangerous trick of
the night.  When I give the word, Tracy will start this machine of death and
dismemberment."  He motioned to the drill press with his head.  "If I cannot
free myself from these fetters about my wrists and ankles in precisely thirty
seconds, I will be impaled by this skewer of doom.  Anyone who is not
prepared to witness my gory demise, please leave now.  But don't worry,
I've studied with the master sorcerers of Tibet and India.” Actually, except
from a brief trip to Tijuana, he had never been out of the country. “I have
learned things that prevent me from being bound by material objects."

With that, Tracy pulled the lever that started the machine.  Brian
struggled against his bonds.  The drill moved closer and closer to his body.  
Twenty-five seconds later, Brian was standing next to the drill press bowing
to the audience.  He could have gotten out in around ten seconds, but he had
the keep up the suspense.  He then made some blatant plugs for the casino
and thanked the audience.  He and Tracy linked arms, bowed, and the curtain
fell.

Tracy and Brian walked silently back to Brian's cluttered dressing
room.  As soon as they were alone, Brian fixed her with an unfriendly stare.

"How can you do this to me?"  he barked.  "This is the break I've been
waiting for all my life!  I'll never have another opportunity like this again!"

A couple of days ago, a man from the audience had approached Brian
and Tracy.  He turned out to be a talent scout from a major casino in Las
Vegas.  He had be so impressed by their act that he offered them a year-long
contract to perform at the casino.  It had been Brian's dream come true.  He
had always wanted to perform in front of a sizable audience in a classy place.  
Instead, Nero's was the best he could manage.  The contract paid more for a
year than he and Tracy made in three.  It looked as if he had finally realized
his goal.  Unfortunately there was a major problem.  Tracy didn't want to go
to Las Vegas.

Tracy looked Brian in the eye.  "I'm sorry," she said.  "I wish I could
help you.  I know how much this means to you.  But the fact is, I am in love.  
I'm getting married in a couple of months, and Las Vegas isn't in the cards
for me."

A few months ago, Brian had called an audience member up on stage
to test and make sure that the chains he was tied up in were real.  The
volunteer was a man named David Stepstone.  He was an Australian
businessman whose company's travel agent had unfortunately believed the
claims made by the Dead Springs chamber of commerce and had sent him
there on a businesses trip.  When David and Tracy met up there on stage,
something had clicked.  David took Tracy out to dinner that night.  Every
weekend after that David flew out to the States to see her (he was quite
wealthy).  Tracy nearly drove Brian nuts talking about him.  About a week
ago he popped the question.  Tracy said yes.  They would be married in the
states, and then move to Australia together.  Which was bad news for Brian.

"Isn't there any way you could postpone the wedding for a while?" he
asked, knowing the answer already.

"No, of course not.  Look, you're making too big a deal about this.  
I'm not the magician, I'm just the assistant.  I'm sure you can find another
pretty face in Las Vegas."

Brian lost it.  "Another pretty face!  Another pretty face!  Do you
think that's all you are to me?  Tracy, if it wasn't for you, I couldn't do half
my routine!"

While most pretty magician's assistants were simply there to look
good, this was not the case with Tracy.  Tracy actually helped Brian perform
his tricks.  She could easily palm things that he had made "disappear."  She
slipped him lock picks and skeleton keys when he needed them for escapes.  
She distracted the audience when Brian needed their attention to be
elsewhere.  She knew all the cues; where to stand, what to say, when to
smile, when to look scared, what to do.  They had developed the act together.

"Look Tracy," Brian went on, more calmly, "It would take me at least
three months to train another assistant from scratch, and until then I could
only do my most basic tricks.  I couldn't do anything too complicated without
you, and I wouldn't dare do any dangerous escapes."  Dangerous escapes
were the highlight of his act.

Tracy sighed.  "Brian, if I had never met Dave I'd be as excited as
you are right now.  But we can't chance facts.  I'm not as young as I used to
be.  I want to have children.  I'm tired of wearing next to nothing, getting
leered at by every drunk in town.  I want to settle down and have a normal
life.  I'm in love with David, and I can't put everything on hold now.  I'm
sorry Brian.  You're my best friend, but this is something you'll have to do
on you own."

"I see."

"This will all work out for you," she said unconvincingly.

"I'm sure it will.  Heck, there'll be other good job offers.  Something
will come up," he replied, even less sincerely.

Tracy patted his hand, got up, and returned to her dressing room.

As soon as Tracy left, Brian got out a bottle of Scotch from his desk
and poured himself a belt.  He wasn't fooling himself.  This Vegas job was
a one time shot and without Tracy it wouldn't happen.

He took a drink and thought back to when he and Tracy had first met.  
It was years ago.  He had been a street magician in Dead Springs.  She was a
waitress.  She had stopped to watch his act.  Afterwards, she stayed to talk
and offer some suggestions.  They became friends immediately.  When Brian
was offered the job at Nero's he asked Tracy to be his assistant.

Tracy and Brian had been through a lot together.  They had even been
lovers, briefly.  It happened after Brian's girlfriend and Tracy's boyfriend
had both dumped them within two days of each other.  Tracy and Brian were
emotional wrecks after that, and found comfort in each others arms.  Their
romance had been fulfilling and had helped them both emotionally, but it
hadn't lasted.  They both knew that while their friendship would always be
there, and that they enjoyed the time they spent making love to each other,
they weren't meant to be together.  After about a month they decided to just
be good friends, and unlike most ex-couples, they did just that.

Brian groaned and poured himself another drink.  Tracy was right, she
needed to get on with her life.  He knew she'd be happy with David, and he
wanted that.

He turned and faced the other inhabitant of the room, Harvey, his pet
rabbit.  "Looks like it's just you and me again, Harv."  Harvey had no
comment.  "I just had hoped that this Vegas thing would work out somehow.  
I guess it's not going to be.  Too bad lovely assistants are so hard to come
by."

Brian stretched back in his chair.  In a little while he'd go apologize to
Tracy and wish her well.  For now, he was going to sulk, something he
was rather good at.

Brian wasn't the only one thinking.  Tracy had been staring at her
reflection in her dressing room mirror and worrying for the past half-hour.  
She felt horrible.  She had been so excited about getting married that she
hadn't thought how this would hurt Brian.  He had been right; it would be
impossible to go to Las Vegas without a skilled assistant.  Unfortunately, she
was the only one besides Brian who knew the act very well.

She then had a thought.  She wasn't the only one who knew the act.  
There was one other.  Ray.  Ray was a hotel employee whose main job it was
to help out with the magic act.  He was eighteen.  He knew the act almost as
well as they did.  He was a friend of both Brian and Tracy.  With some
serious training he could be a competent assistant...

No, that would never work.  No magician had a male assistant.  They
were always good looking women.  Ray would never work.  Unless...

Unless Ray could somehow become a beautiful woman!  The idea
wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed.  Tracy started thinking very hard.  Ray
was not very masculine.  He was shorter than she was.  He didn't have much
of a beard and no chest hair.  He was slender and non-muscular.  He had a
fair complexion with a lot of freckles.  Most fortunately, he had long, red
hair, which could easily be made up to be feminine.

Tracy formed a picture of Ray in her mind.  Add a form-fitting dress.  
Add a lot a makeup and a manicure.  Add some high heels and a female hair
cut.  Add some earrings and some generous padding in the chest and hips.  Add
shaved legs and plucked eyebrows.  With a little coaching on the fine points
of being a woman, Ray could pass a young lady, at least as seen from the
audience!  Ray could be Brian's assistant, and a lovely one at that!

There were just two big problems.  The first one was that Brian
would almost certainly veto the idea.  The second one was even bigger.  How
could Ray be convinced to work as "Rhea" for an entire year?

Tracy figured she could convince Brian to at least consider the idea.  
But Ray?  What would he think?  Still, it was the only solution as she could
see it.  She got up and walked back to Brian's dressing room.

Chapter Two

Brian was still stretched out in his chair when Tracy came back.  
Before he could apologize for yelling at her earlier, she told him that she had
come up with a wonderful solution to the dilemma.

"Really?" asked Brian, hoping that it really was something that would
work.

"We get Ray to be your assistant!" Tracy replied with a big smile.  
"He knows our act, with a little training he could be ready to take over for
me..."

"Nope," Brian cut her off "Nothing doing.  Thanks for the
suggestion, but it won't work.  I need a female assistant.  Ray wouldn't look
right.  The only magicians I've known who've had male assistants were
women."

"Just hear me out.  I know Ray wouldn't work as a man.  But what if
he wasn't a man?  What if he was a woman?"

"Then that would be a great answer to my problem.  Unfortunately,
Ray is not a woman."

"I think I could change that."

That shocked Brian.  "What do you mean?"

"Look, with a new wardrobe, a haircut, a makeover by yours truly,
and some other 'improvements,' I think I could make Ray into a passable
female.  It's worth a shot."

Brian thought about it.  Tracy was quite good when it came to
makeup.  During the off season at the casino she often made extra money by
doing makeovers for other female performers.

Ray really wasn't a macho man.  He was more, well, delicate.  He
could also learn the role of Brian's assistant before the Vegas job was to start.  
And from an audience member's point of view no one would really be able to tell he was a guy.  
This would solve the problem at hand.  It was quite tempting.

"So Ray actually told you he'd be willing to do this?  I never would
have thought he'd agree."

"Well..." said Tracy nervously, "he hasn't exactly agreed to do it.  In
fact, I haven't even asked him yet.  I wanted to get the okay from you first."

Brian was brought joltingly back to reality.  "You haven't asked him?  
Why in God's name would you think he'd want to do this in the first place?  
If you ask him he'll laugh in your face!  No male would be willing to become
a girl for a year!"

"Calm down Brian.  It would only be for a couple of shows a night.  
He could be himself for the rest of the time."

"No, he couldn't!  Don't you see, if the casino hires him a woman,
then they can never see him as a man!  This means he'd have to dress as a
girl, not only for every show, but for every rehearsal, every staff meeting,
every time he might be around anyone from work!  Hell, he'd have to show
up for work already dressed like a girl, which means he would have to get
dressed up at home!  And what would his neighbors think if they saw him in
a dress?  Not to mention that his paychecks would be made out to his
"female side."  No bank would cash them to anyone except Ray in drag!"

The smile quickly left Tracy's face.  "I hadn't thought about all that."

"That's not even the main problem.  If word ever got out that Ray
wasn't really a girl, it would be a major embarrassment to the casino.  We'd
both be fired, probably sued, and rest assured that we'd never work the
entertainment circuit again!  My career would be over and Ray would
probably be humiliated for the rest of his life!"

"I guess it was a dumb idea."

Brian stopped.  He realized he'd been yelling at Tracy again.  "No, it
wasn't a dumb idea.  It was actually a pretty clever solution, but I don't think
it will work.  The only way I'd consider it is if we could somehow to
convince Ray to live as a woman, twenty-four hours a day, for twelve months."

"You don't suppose there's any way to get him to do it?  Any way at
all?"

Brian was about to say no, but stopped.  Wasn't there anything that
would make the offer attractive to Ray?  

Well, for starters, there was the money.  The job of Brian's assistant
paid a lot.  Tracy didn't know it, but Ray was poor.  Really poor.  Brian
wasn’t sure where his parents were, all he knew is they weren't around.  
Even though Ray was only seventeen, he had dropped out of school two
years ago to support himself.  Though Ray would never admit it, Brian knew
he was in serious financial trouble.  Besides the casino work Ray had two
other jobs.  He never had enough cash for lunch, so Brian always bought
him some.  Once Brian had driven him home after work and was shocked at
how run down Ray's apartment building was, even by Dead Springs
standards.

For Brian this new job meant recognition, a chance to do what he
enjoyed, and maybe a new car.  For Ray, it might mean a chance to escape
the grinding poverty he had known all his life.

Then there was something else.  Ray had once told him that it was his
lifelong dream to become an actor.  Ray wasn't fooling himself, he knew
what the odds of that were, especially for a scrawny kid who had
never had any sort of training.  Still, he often thought about it and hoped,
futilely, that it might someday happen.

Maybe they could convince Ray that becoming a woman was just an
acting role.  A somewhat unorthodox role, granted, but a role nonetheless.

Brian looked a Tracy.  "Maybe we can convince him.  But it's a big
maybe.  I'll tell you what."  Brian stood up. "Go run your idea by him and
see what he thinks.  I can almost guarantee that he'll say no.
But later, after he's had a chance to think about it, we'll sit down with him
and try to talk him into it.  Maybe he'll agree, though I wouldn't bet on it."

Tracy smiled.  "I sure hope so.  I want this to work out for you."  
She gave him a quick hug and turned to leave.

"Hey Tracy," Brian called after her.

"Yes?"

"I never congratulated you on your engagement.  Good luck.  I'm
glad you're happy."

Tracy smiled at him again and left.

Brian watched her leave.  He didn't think that another scotch would
go down well,  so he settled on a beer.  He hoped to God that this job would
work out for him.  On top of everything else his best friend was moving to
Australia.  And Harvey was poor company.

Twenty minutes later, Ray burst into Brian's dressing room.  He was
quite angry.

"Do think I'm some kind of a pervert?" he practically screamed at
Brian.

Brian Couldn't answer.  His mouth was full.  What his mouth, and in
fact most of his esophagus, was full with was a two and a half foot long,
genuine replica of a Japanese samurai sword.  He had won it in a poker game
at magicians' convention in Reno last summer.  Brian had an odd hobby of
swallowing swords and knives to help himself relax.  Though lots of people,
Ray and Tracy included, found it quite odd, he couldn't think of an easier
way to relieve stress.  Since sword swallowing required absolute, 100%
concentration, there was little room left for worrying about other things.

"Ist jagga ungthoth," mumbled Brian, and he began to withdraw the
weapon.  While he was doing this, he ventured a look in Ray's direction.  
Ray was mad, all right.  Apparently being asked to become a cross-dresser
didn't sit well.  Brian studied Ray for a couple of seconds.  He
definitely had a latent feminine quality about him.  Nothing too obvious, he
certainly didn't look like a total sissy, but it didn't take a lot of imagination for
"Rhea" to come into view.  Full lips, high cheek bones, not much of an adam's apple...
this could really work.

Brian finished with the sword and placed it back in its sheath.  "I
take it this is about my job offer?"

"Job offer!  Do you think I'm some kinda queer?  Do you think I like
dressing as a woman?  Do I look like some kind of sicko?"  Ray really was
screaming now.

"Calm down Ray!  No, of course I don't think you're a pervert.  
Look, just listen to me a minute."  He motioned to his other chair.  "Would
you like a beer?"

"Uh, no thanks."

Brian opened one for himself.  He rarely drank this much, but he
figured he needed something to boost his confidence for the pitch he was
about to make.  "Now listen, Ray.  I wouldn't ask you to do this if I had any
other options.  Now I don't think that you are a transvestite, or gay or
anything.  I'm just asking because you know the act better than anyone other
than me and Tracy, and without an assistant I can't accept this job."

This seemed to mollify Ray.  "Okay, but that's a lot to ask someone,
to change their sex for twelve months.  I wish I could help, but it's not worth
it."

"Are you sure it's not?  Do you know how much it pays?"

Ray shook his head.  Brian named a figure.  Ray tried to cover his
surprise and failed badly.  "That much?" he asked in disbelief.

"Plus expenses.  If you do this job for the whole time you can save
up quite a nest egg."

Ray thought about it.  He really needed the money.  Working three
jobs meant that he had no life outside of work.  He never had enough to eat.  
Yesterday his landlord had told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't get
his rent paid soon he would no longer have a place to live.  Still, he wasn't
convinced that taking this job was the way out.

"But if I dress as a woman all that time, what will people think?"

"Do you know anyone in Las Vegas?"

"No."

"Then no one will ever know but me and Tracy, and we'd never think
anything was strange.  Hell, it was our idea."

"But being a girl full time?  What kind of life would that be for me?"

"You told me yourself you wanted to be an actor.  This is just a role.  
If you wanted a chance to do some serious acting, this is it!"

"I want to be an actor, not an actress!"

"C'mon, lots of famous actors wore dresses for movie roles.  Take
Tim Curry in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," or Anthony Perkins in
"Psycho."  They dressed as women, but no one thought they were strange.  
People knew they were just doing it for the movie, not for any other reason."

"But this isn't like a movie role.  I'd have to stay "in character" all the time!  
Actors' roles don't affect the way they live off camera!"

"Ah, but you are mistaken!  Tom Hanks gained thirty pounds for his
role in "A League of Their Own."  Sigourney Weaver shaved her head for
"Aliens 3. Jackie Chan wound up in intensive care on no less than three occasions
(Brian was an avid reader of celebrity gossip magazines).  If you ask me, you'd be
getting off pretty easy, only having to wear dresses and high heels for a while.  
After a year you go back to being Ray, richer, and no one's the wiser."

He could tell Ray was almost convinced.  But not quite.  "Look,"
Brian continued, "when's my next performance here?"

"Uh...one week from today."

"Really?  Why such a long time from now?"

"Fumigating.  Hotel guest have been complaining about scorpions."

Scorpions? though Brian.  God, I need a new job!

"Listen Ray.  I have three more magic acts to do before I have to
make a final decision about the Las Vegas job.  I'll tell you what.  For the
next week, let Tracy turn you into a woman on a trial basis.  New makeup,
clothes, hair, etc.  Have her coach you on how to act.  No one will know.  
When it's time for the next act, both you and Tracy can be my assistants.  If
all goes well, think about coming to Vegas with me.  If you don't like it, or
you think it won't work, then we'll all forget it ever happened.  C'mon,
you've got nothing to lose!"

Ray thought about it.  He knew that it was a bad idea, and it was
probably doomed from the start.  But it could be his only chance for a decent
life.

"Okay.  I know I'm going to regret this, but if you promise not to
make any smart aleck comments, and SWEAR not to tell any one, I'll be your
assistant next week."

Both men stood up and shook hands.

Chapter Three

Ray took a deep breath and knocked on the apartment door.  He
couldn't remember the last time he had been this nervous.  It was the day
after he had agreed to become "Rhea."  Tracy had told him to come by her
place today so she could start "making a woman out of him”.

The door opened.  "Hi!" said Tracy.  "C'mon in.  Sorry about the
mess, I've just been getting my stuff packed for Australia."

Ray looked around the apartment.  There were boxes everywhere.  
Books, pictures, clothes, and about twenty copies of "Bride's" magazine
were strewn everywhere.

He sat down on an empty chair.  Tracy sat opposite him, on the edge
of her coffee table.  "Ray, thanks for coming today.  I can only imagine how
hard this must be for you.  I'm very proud of you for doing this.  I have a
feeling that this is going to work out great for you and Brian.  And who
knows, it may not be a painful as you think."

"I sure hope not.  I'm only doing this for the money.  And to help
Brian, I guess."

"Believe me, Brian appreciates it."  Tracy had talked to Brian last
night after Ray had gone home, and she was amazed at how relieved he
seemed.  "Now what I'm going to do today is change your physical
appearance.  I'm going to use make-up, clothes, and a new hairstyle.  When
I'm done with you, you probably won't even recognize your face in the
mirror.  You'll have the face of a young woman, the body of a young
woman, and you'll be expected to act like a young woman.  If a stranger
were to see you, it would never occur to them that you were anything but
female.  But Ray, remember, none of this is real.  It's just a costume.  You're
just acting.  Make-up washes off, clothes can be changed, and you can go
back to being a guy.  So don't be so nervous.  In a year everything will be
over."

"Hey, I only agreed to do the last three shows here!  I haven't agreed
to go to Vegas yet!"

"All right, all right!  Settle down, Ray!  Now are you ready to let me
work my magic?"

"I suppose."

"Wonderful.  Now I'd like to get some measurements first."

Tracy measured everything about Ray: height, weight, shoe size,
waist, hips, inseam, bust (bust?), etc.  When she was done, she smiled.

"Perfect.  You're almost my size.  With a little alteration, you could
wear any of my old things.  Since I'm moving so far away I can't take
everything, so I can just give them to you!"

"Y-your clothes?"

"Of course silly!  How do you expect to live like a girl if you have
nothing but T-shirts and jeans?  I don't think you'd like to go shopping for
dresses just yet."

"I see your point.  But don't you think your clothes would look silly
on me?"

"No, not at all.  Like I said, I'll have you so made up that your best
friend wouldn't recognize you.  I have dresses, blouses, sweaters, skirts, I
even think you'd look good in this one-piece swimsuit, though I don't think
you're ready for a bikini just yet.  I don't think my shoes will fit you,
so I'll pick you up some of your own.  Also, you'll need to have your own intimate
things: panties, slip, nylons, bra..."

"Wait a minute!  No one will see that stuff!  Why should I dress like I
woman underneath?"

"Because I don't like turning out a half-finished product.  I'm
supposed to make you into a lady, and ladies don't wear men's briefs!"

"Well if I'm going to be prancing around in a dress, I guess my
choice of underwear doesn't make that much more of a difference, does it?"

"Good attitude.  Shall we begin?"  Ray nodded in agreement.  
"Wonderful.  Now first, I'd like for you to go take a shower.  
While you're in there, I need you to shave."

"But I shaved right before I came over here," Ray protested, running
his hand along his smooth cheek.  He had shaved, but his beard was so light
it probably wasn't necessary.

"No dear, I mean your legs, chest, and armpits."  She handed him a
towel and a feminine looking razor.

"I was afraid you meant that."

"Now take your time in there, do a thorough job.  You can use my
soap and shampoo.  I'll be getting things ready for the next stage in your
"transformation."

Ray shuddered and walked into the bathroom.

Ray stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade over his
body.  All night long he had secretly hoped that Tracy would decide that there
was no way he could ever pass as a woman, but apparently this was not to
be.  For the next few shows he was going to be "Rhea."

He wondered what his parents would think of his transformation.  He
really didn't care.  His mother had died when he was two.  He and his father
were never what you'd call close.  His dad was the macho, jock type and
didn't do much to hide his disappointment in his non-athletic, long-haired,
weak-looking son.  When Ray was sixteen he woke up one morning to find
that his father had left during the night.  He didn't really miss him,
but he did miss the income that his father provided.  Ray already was working full time
then.  He had to drop out of school and get two more jobs just to pay the rent
and buy food.

Ray looked down at his slender, pale, freckled body.  Despite several
attempts at working out he never really gained any muscle tone.  He had no
chest hair, and only a few strands of hair on his face, not enough to really
qualify as a "beard."  He had let his hair grow long, not so much a fashion
statement, but because he never had enough money for a haircut and was
afraid what it would look like if he tried to do it himself.  

He had never had much luck with women.  Despite his efforts, he
rarely had a girlfriend.  He could never afford to take them anywhere nice.  
Also, he spent most of his time working so he couldn't spend very much time
with them on the rare occasions when someone was attracted to him.  He
tried to tell himself that it was no big deal, but in reality he was lonely.  

Ray lathered himself with Tracy's soap.  It was perfumed and had a
distinct feminine odor to it that he feared would stick with him after the
shower.  The same with the shampoo.  He finally decided not to put off the
inevitable and shaved.  It wasn't as difficult as he thought, and he only
nicked himself twice.  He hated to admit it to himself, but he rather liked the
feel of hairless armpits.  He was worried about his smooth legs though.  It
was almost always hot in Nevada, so he usually wore shorts.  What if
someone noticed?  What would they think?

Ray stepped out of the shower and dried himself off.  He put on a
little deodorant he found on the sink.  He was mildly amused that it was the
kind that billed itself as being "strong enough for a man, but made for a
woman."

"You finished in there?"  Yelled Tracy through the door.

"Yeah, all done," replied Ray, wondering with fear what the next
indignation would be.  He soon found out.

"Good.  Slip this on."  Tracy opened the door a crack and threw a
rubber-like contraption in to the bathroom.  Ray held it up and studied it.  It
looked like the bottom half of a bikini made out of very sturdy rubber.  It
seemed way too small for him.  There was practically no room up front!

"What the heck is this?  I can't wear this.  It's too small.  You forget
that I, uh, have parts you don't!"

"That's the whole point, silly."  She replied again through the
bathroom door.  "In case you haven't noticed, the costume I wear on stage
doesn't leave much to the imagination.  We can't really have you hanging out
everywhere.  That garment is designed to, shall we say, "conceal" anything
that we don't want the audience to know about.  That is actually one of the
larger models I could find.  If you decide to go on to Vegas we'll have to find
something a lot smaller.  Now it may be uncomfortable at first, but you'll get
used to it."

Ray opened his mouth to protest, then shut it.  What was the point of
arguing?  Tracy would never change her mind.  Besides, she knew what she
was talking about.  He'd much rather bear the humiliation of wearing that
"thing" than to having his real sex found out.  He'd never live that down!

He grunted, groaned, and bit back curses until he had it on.  Tracy
was right, it was quite uncomfortable.  He testicles were jammed back into
their recesses as if he had been in extremely cold water.  His penis was
squashed flat between his legs.  He regarded his  new profile in the mirror.  
There was only a slight bump where his maleness used to be.  Ray couldn't
think of a worse embarrassment.  But at least he hadn't agreed to anything
long-term yet.  After he finished the Nero shows he could always go back to
what he did before.  Then again, working three jobs wasn't exactly what he
wanted to do for the rest of his life.  Being a magician's assistant, even a
female one, would be considerably easier.  He wished there was some simple
answer to his crisis.

"All right, what now?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"C'mon out!  Let's see how you look."

"Come out dressed like this?  But I'm only wearing..."

"I know, but I have to dress you from the skin out.  Don't worry,
you're a girl today so there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Ray growled to himself and came out into the living room.

Tracy appraised Ray with a critical eye.  She walked around him and
studied him as if she was examining a used car.  "I can definitely make you
into a woman," she decided finally, much to Ray's embarrassment.

The first thing she did was put a girdle on Ray.  "Is this really
necessary?" asked Ray for the umpteenth time, as Tracy pulled it tighter and
tighter.

"Well, we want you to have an alluring hourglass figure, don't we?  
Of course, this wouldn't be necessary if you lost a few pounds.  I think we'll
put you on a diet for a few weeks.  Nothing too serious, just more vegetables
and less junk foods and red meat."

Ray was getting more depressed by the minute.  On top of everything,
it looked like he would have to give up the cheeseburger he usually ate with
Brian for lunch every day.

Tracy pulled something out of a bag.  "This is something I picked last
night."  She held up something that looked like a padded bra.  "It was
designed for women who have had mastectomies.  It's a bra with silicone
inserts.  They feel realistic and from outside your clothes it's impossible to
tell the difference.  These will give you a very ladylike chest."  Ray blushed
down to his shoulders.

He tried it on, with some assistance from Tracy.  Next came some
lacy panties.  Ray took a quick look in the mirror.  He looked as silly as he
felt.

"That's it for underwear.  Here, no need for you to stand around
shivering."  Tracy handed him a bathrobe.  It was, of course, pink and
feminine.  Ray slipped it on.

"Now for your hair and makeup.  You'll eventually have to learn to
do this on your own, but for now I'll do it, so you can just sit back
and relax."  She gestured to a recliner.

Ray sat down.  Tracy took out a large make-up kit, shone a bright desk lamp over his face,
and got to work.  Her expert hands treated Ray's face to a parade of moisturizers, creams, rouge,
lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara.

"The trick," muttered Tracy, half to herself, "is not to use too much.  
A lot of young girls starting out with makeup use way too much and end up
looking like sluts.  No, just a little bit goes a long way..."

Ray sat for what seemed like hours.  Still, he had to admit it was
relaxing just sitting back and having someone minister to you, even if they
were giving you a makeover.  Especially if they were a pretty woman like
Tracy.  Ray had never told anyone, but he had always had a bit of a crush on
her.  He found that the feel of her hands gently caressing his face aroused
him slightly.

At one point, he felt several sharp pains at the lower part of his
forehead.  "Hey, are you plucking my eyebrows?"

"Yes, yours are too bushy too be feminine."

"Well cut it out!  You never asked me if you could do that!"

"Too late.  I've already done one.  If I stopped now, you'd be
lopsided."

Eventually, she finished.  She leaned back and looked a him with a
satisfied grin.  Ray made a move to look in the mirror, but Tracy restrained
him.  "Not till I'm all done."

Next, she went to work on his hair.  She looked at him disapprovingly.  
"You men never take care of your hair.  Yours is so long and red any woman would be jealous,
but you've let it go to pot.  Untreated split ends.  What kind of shampoo and conditioners do you use?"

"Uh, supermarket brand shampoo, no conditioner."

"That does it.  I'm giving you some of mine.  And before the shows
next week I'm taking you to a beauty salon, no ifs, ands or buts.  I can't sit
back and let you destroy this great hair of yours.  For now I'll see what I can
do."

Ray was too tired to argue but he knew he'd never be caught dead in a
salon.

Tracy went to work on his hair.  First she trimmed the ends to even
them out and get rid of the split ends, over Ray's protests.  Then she
endlessly combed and teased his locks till he thought he'd go crazy.  Finally
she sprayed on some hairspray.

"That'll do for now.  Let me see your nails."  Ray held them up for
inspection.  "Just as I thought.  You bite them don't you?"  He nodded
guiltily.  "You'll have to use the press-on kind until they grow out.  In the
mean time don't bite them!  Also, no more heavy lifting at work.  Your hands
have to stay soft and feminine and lugging around heavy boxes doesn't
help."  Tracy smiled.  "We also don't want you developing muscles in the
wrong places."  Ray managed a thin smile.  He had never really enjoyed all
that manual labor and now he had an excuse to get out of it.  He watched as
Tracy neatly filed down the jagged ends of his nails.  She then applied the
plastic nails.  They were very red and rather long.  Ray wondered how he
was supposed to manage to do anything with his hands with the silly artificial
nails stuck to his fingers.  He figured it would be simpler once his own grew
out.

Tracy turned her attention from Ray to the large stacks of clothes that
littered her apartment.

"I suppose you don't want anything too flashy.  I'll try to find you
something conservative.  Ah, I think this will do the trick."

Tracy held up a light pink cotton sweater and instructed Ray to put in
on.  It fit surprisingly well, Ray admitted to himself.  He then pulled on some
very tight denim shorts that Tracy handed to him.  The outfit was completed
by a denim blazer.  While the mirror was still forbidden to him, Ray regarded
what he could see of his body.  Everything was wrong.  The sweater was far
too girlish; the color would never look right on a man, and the neckline,
while conservative, was much lower than it would have been on a man's
sweater.  To make things worse, the ridiculous bumps from the silicone
inserts gave him a large swelling in the front.  The shorts came up to the
middle of his thighs when he sat down, which accentuated his already
feminine looking legs.  The blazer was a woman's, clear and simple.  It even
buttoned the "wrong" way.  While Tracy had instructed him to wear it
unbuttoned, he knew it was only a matter of time before he'd have to get used
to the buttons being on the left.

Tracy stood back and took in the sight of he creation.  The smile on
her face showed that she thought much more highly of Ray's appearance than
he did.  The ordeal ended when Tracy clipped some earrings on his lobes and
a bracelet on his wrist.  She then looked him over once last time.

"Now this isn't perfect.  We still don't have shoes for you, and this
outfit doesn't match your coloring perfectly, but I think that this is pretty
good for the first time.  Tomorrow, after we get you some of your own
things and treat you to a day at the beauty parlor, you'll look like you've been
a woman all your life."  Noticing Ray's unhappy look she continued:
"Remember, none of this is permanent.  This is just a costume and it doesn't
make you any less of a man.  Now take a look at yourself...Rhea."

Ray braced himself and took a look in the mirror.  The
image took a moment to register.  He had been so convinced he would see an
ridiculous young man in drag that the reflection came as a total shock.  The
clothes, the make-up, the jewelry...even the shaved legs and new hairdo.  He
was looking at the image of a young woman!  An awkward, nervous young
woman, but a young woman nonetheless.  The smooth legs.  The subtle,
yet obvious chest.  The lips crimson from lipstick.  The thin eyebrows and
the long red hair.  The cheeks slightly reddened with blush.  The women's
clothes.  One might even say he looked pretty!

Tracy chuckled.  "Surprising isn't it?  I guess Brian isn't
the only magician in these parts."

Ray was quite speechless.  Almost dreading the answer he asked "So
do you think I'll make it as a lovely assistant?"

Tracy didn't pause.  "Well, you're going to need a lot of coaching in
the art of being a woman, not to mention a lot of new clothes.  But I have
faith in your acting abilities.  If you are willing to try your hardest and
approach this is a mature way, then I guarantee that you'll do fine.  Will you
give it a shot?"

Ray looked at himself in the mirror again.  Well, at least he didn't
have to worry about not passing as a woman.  If Tracy could teach him about
makeup and he kept pretty much to himself, then there was no reason anyone
would have to know.  Still, he felt very apprehensive.

"All right.  I'll do the next three shows.  But I haven't agreed to
anything else.  If anything goes wrong, if I get found out or if I can't cut
it as a woman, then the deal is off.  Okay?"

Tracy winked at him.  "You got it.  Now lets go over to Brian's and
tell him the good news."

"OK, let me just get changed back..."

"Hold on Ray.  Brian said he'd have to see you dressed up before he
gave his final okay, and now is as good a time as any.  We'll take my car, no
one else will see you."

Ray was beginning to realize that all arguing was futile.  "Fine.  Can I
at least take my wallet?"

"Women don't carry wallets, but I guess you need to take it with you.  
Here, put it in this."  Tracy handed him a purse that had seen better days.  
"It's not much, but it will do for now."

Ray put his wallet into the purse and followed Tracy out the door.  He
had never felt so vulnerable in all his life.  He wondered when he had begun
to lose control.

Chapter Four

Tracy pulled up into Brian's driveway.  Brian lived in a low-grade
suburb of Dead Springs.  Tracy regarded the run down house: peeling paint,
a yard overtaken by weeds, the Ford Pinto up on blocks, the garish plastic
flamingos...Tracy sighed.  She hoped that Brian would hurry up and get
married; he was one of those bachelors in dire need of a woman's care.

Ray looked like he was going to his own execution.  The entire ride
there he had stayed hunched down in the seat and cringed whenever a car
pulled up near.  Despite Tracy's assurance that no one could see him, he felt
as if the entire state of Nevada was looking at him and snickering.  He
wanted to hurry up and get the meeting with Brian over with and get back
into his own clothes.  Ray and Tracy wordlessly walked up to the front door
and knocked.

Brian had been watching his tape of Penn and Teller and eating a
microwave burrito.  He wasn't expecting any guests.  He figured it was it
was just Herb, his neighbor, coming to borrow something, so he shouted
"Come on in!"

He was pleasantly surprised to see Tracy.  "Hey, didn't expect to see
you tonight!"  He said with a smile.  "Who's your friend..."  He suddenly
did a double take when he realized who the young lady with Tracy was.  
There was an awkward pause.

It was the normally quiet Ray who broke the silence.  "So...what do
you think?"  He looked intently at Brian.

Brian was suddenly at a loss.  If he told Ray he looked like a girl it
might upset him and make him feel unmanly.  On the other hand, if he said
the costume was unconvincing, Ray would probably back out of the deal.  
Brian decided to tell the truth.

"Tracy did a wonderful job on you, Ray.  If I didn't know you I
never would have thought anything was out of the ordinary.  With all that
makeup and the clothes you look like a woman."

This seemed to relieve Ray.  "I guess that's the best I could hope for.  
I've been so nervous that someone will realize I'm not a girl."

"So will you be my assistant for the next few shows?"

"You really don't think anyone will recognize me?  Anyone I know, I
mean."

Tracy cut in.  "Ray, or should I say, Rhea, no one will have a chance
to.  You'll get into costume at my place, and will keep out of everyone's
sight.  None of the casino employees will see you up close and no one in the
audience would recognize you if they saw you as Ray.  I wouldn't have
suggested this if I thought you'd be discovered."

Ray sighed.  Brian noticed with silent amusement that this made his
chest stick out even more.  

"I guess the world won't end if I agree to go along with this.  Okay,
for the next three shows you've got yourself a new assistant."

Tracy and Brian smiled.

(continued)