Katrina was pacing.  Again.  She hated the waiting worst of all.  James had sent a note ahead to say that the master of the house was returning from his stay at the lodge, and Katrina was eager to see her husband once more.

She tried not to think of what he’d been up to at the lodge.  She was quite sure he took lovers there, but had never managed to pry details from him.  It was not that she was concerned over their marriage vows – they’d established a standard for just how open their relationship would be in the early days.  Both could take lovers, just as long as the affair stayed out of the public eye.

Katrina had found William’s refined manners in approaching the subject endearing, and the idea had tickled her fancy at the time.  But she’d never been able to bring herself to take advantage of it.  William was rich, handsome, and most importantly a demon in bed.  She’d never truly felt the need, even when he spent a week away at the lodge he always returned with renewed vigour that made the wait worthwhile.

Except for the last hour or so of the wait, which was always torture.

When she heard the butler answer the door with genial familiarity, she knew her wait was over.  Still, she had appearances to maintain.  She strolled to the front room, posing artfully by the base of the grand staircase.  “Hello, William.  Did you miss me?”

William’s smile brightened in a most gratifying way as he turned to Katrina.  “More than I can say.”

He strode up to her and scooped her into a ferocious hug, lifting her off her feet and making her squeal like a schoolgirl.  After a kiss that left her out of breath he set her down on the second stair so their heads would be on the same level.

Katrina panted to catch her breath, then straightened and tried to put on a dignified look.  It was spoiled by her giddy smile.  “That was quite the greeting, my dear.  What has gotten into you?”

Eyes alight with mischief, he danced up the steps, taking her hand and drawing her along to follow.  To Katrina’s great surprise, he scooped her up again once they were in the hallway to the master suite, and carried her inside.

Once the door closed, Kat dropped the facade with her dress.  “God, Bill, you better be ready.  What happened to you?”

Bill laughed, taking a silver disc out of his jacket pocket before tossing jacket, tie, and shirt onto his clothing rack.  “I found the most improbable thing.”

“Do tell,” requested Kat, tugging at his belt.

Bill followed her to the bed, kicking off his pants.  “I bought a woman.”

“WHAT?  Like, a slave?”  Katrina’s green eyes flashed with fury.

Bill looked away.  “That is what I’d thought at the time.  She had the most fascinating curse, and I needed to...”

“You needed a pet for your remote mountain lair?  Something to keep in chains?”  Katrina’s volume was rising, making Bill glad of how much money he’d spent thoroughly soundproofing the master suite.

“In silk, if you must know.  It turned out she wasn’t for sale, and I had quite the words with her purported owner after that.  I’ve left her with James, and instructions to take her wherever she wants.  She’s free.”

“So you bought her to free her?” asked Kat more softly.  “I suppose that’s different.”

“I bought her because I couldn’t not.  She had a curse on her that transformed her match the desires of whoever touched her.”

Kat’s eyes went wide.  “Oh.  Oh!  You have a deep dark fantasy that you’ve never told me about!  Mister straight-laced master of the boardroom has a kink.  And here I thought I knew you.  Tell!”

“I...”  Bill ducked his head, looking down at the silver disc still clutched in his hand.  “Understand that I’ve locked this desire away for most of my life.  I was determined not to let it control me.  Not to let others see the darkness in my soul.  I was... am terrified of what people would think of me should they know.”

“So that’s why you hide at the lodge?”

Bill shook his head.  “Most trips it really is what I claim.  To get away from being the businessman, and just be me.  James and Gustav won’t judge me... and yet I never told them.”  He chuckled softly.  “Though James knows, now.  He said nothing.  Hardly unexpected.”

“He does seem the sort to carry his master’s secrets to his grave,” said Kat solemnly.  “But someone else knows now.  Did they hate you for it?”

Bill shook his head.  “Two others know.  James, and the woman herself.  I thought she’d hate what I wanted.  Instead... she seemed...”  His voice trailed off, eyes fogged with memory.

“Honey?  Bill?  Tell me.”

“Eager.  Enchanted.  And she told me something important.  Told me to ask.”

“Ask what?”

“Ask who,” corrected Bill.  “Ask you.  You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, strong enough to stand up to me, bright, fiery and wonderful.”

Kat grinned.  “All true.”

“So I could never imagine that you might accept...”  He touched a button on the side of the disc, and one surface turned shimmering black.

“What is that?” asked Katrina in the silence that followed.

“Magic.  It erases things, or parts of things.”  Bill picked up the bra that Kat had tossed to the bed while he was undressing.  He brushed one cup with the disc, and suddenly the bra only had room for one breast.

Kat took it from him, staring at it in wonder.  “How peculiar.  Can your toy restore it, too?”

“Ah... no,” said Bill uncomfortably.  “But it will go back to normal in six hours.”

“I see.  And you want to use this on me.”

“Yes,” said Bill.  “I had it thoroughly tested before I bought it.  It’s comprehensively safe.”

Katrina studied the tension in her husband’s body.  “You want this more than you’ve ever wanted anything.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me.  Tell me why you’d want to erase me.  Are there... parts you don’t like?”

Bill closed the disc again, and set it down on the bed.  “Everything about you is perfect.  It is no flaw of yours I’d erase.  It is not truly about taking parts away, but taking...”  He closed his eyes.  “Freedom.”

“So you do want a pet!”

“No!”

“A toy?”

“No.  I want a woman.”  More softly he added, “Helpless.  Incapable of even token resistance.  And somehow... perfect because of it.”

“Have I ever resisted you?” asked Kat, curiously.  “I mean here.  In bed.”

Bill shook his head.

“Is that part of it, though?  You want to break a spirited woman by... reducing her?”

“I thought so,” whispered Bill.  “For the longest time.  But Regina was willing.  Encouraged me.”

“Then why come back at all?” asked Kat.  “Why are you here, and not with her at the lodge right now?”

“Because she wasn’t you.  I saw it the moment I touched her.  She became your twin, even as I was erasing her legs.  I knew then that I wouldn’t be able to keep her.”

Kat smiled radiantly.  “You love me so much your deepest fantasy is of me?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

He blinked at her.  “What?”

“Yes, you can use your toy on me.  Wait, why did you need a fantasy woman if you have that?  You’ve only been gone a few days, you can’t have found and tested it so quickly.”

“I’ve had it for years,” admitted Bill.  “I always carry it with me, as a touchstone.  I’d never dared use it on a person, because the intensity of my desire was terrifying.”

“Was terrifying?”

“Now... that you might...”  Bill flopped to the side, lying beside his wife.  “It’s positively dizzying.”

Kat sat up and picked up the silver disc.  It looked much like a makeup compact, with a button on one side that would pop it open.  She pressed the button, and the jet black surface was revealed once more.  “You’ve tested it.  But...  May I?”

“I suppose it’s only fair.  But anything you erase is gone for six hours, so we’d have to wait for you to be sure.”

Kat grinned wickedly.  “Oh, I wasn’t planning to wait that long.  I have a test in mind that will make me quite sure you trust it.”

“Oh?”

“I’m going to erase your favourite part,” said Kat, reaching toward him with the disc.

“My... wait!”  He covered his family jewels with his hands.

“Tut.  I thought you trusted it,” chided Kat, grinning playfully.  “Oh well, I suppose we can put it away until my bra is restored.”

“I...”  He looked up at her, leaning over him the way he’d done earlier.  “Oh.  Does the idea...”

“I want to see it first.  Taking away your manhood is...  Is...  There’s a temptation there.  To have that kind of power over you.  Please?”  Kat fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Slowly, Bill’s hands moved aside.  “Do it.”

Kat leaned down to kiss his member.  “See you later, little buddy.”  Then before Bill could think twice, she touched the disc to it.  It vanished, leaving smooth flesh between his legs.

Bill twitched, then blinked.  “Oh.  How peculiar.”

Kat looked up at him.  “Oh?”

“I feel...  Oddly free.  Not unaroused, but...  It’s diffuse, rather than intense.”

Kat brushed her free hand over the blankness the disk had left behind.  “Does this feel nice?”

Bill groaned and bucked his hips.

Kat swore, and backed away.  “Oh bloody hell.  I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

Bill leaned up on his arms and started to laugh.  “I thought you liked my legs.”  He wiggled his left hip and its empty socket.

“It was an accident!  I didn’t mean to touch it.  Are you mad?”

Bill shook his head.  “Relieved.  It’s fine, kitty.  Really.  It didn’t hurt.  It tickled.”

“Oh.  Uh...  Woah.”  Kat sat up, careful not to set the disc against anything else.  “Can I...”

“What?”

“Even you up?”

Bill laughed again.  “I was supposed to be doing this to you.  This is my fantasy.”

“And as your wife, I should share everything with you,” sait Kat with an impish grin.  “So...”

“Are you getting aroused by this?”

Kat nodded eagerly.  “I think it’s because you’re turned on by it too.”

“I am not!”

Kat slowly lowered the disc toward Bill’s remaining leg.  He watched with wide eyes and short breath.  She pulled away at the last moment.  “You are.  You’re as excited to be erased as you would be to erase.”

Bill panted softly.  “What are you doing to me?”

“Turning the tables.”  Kat brushed the disc against Bill’s thigh, and between one heartbeat and the next it was gone.  He was legless.

Bill bucked his hips curiously, then giggled.  “This is so peculiar.  One thing to read test reports, but it’s...  It’s like it turns my worry into hilarity.  I look so funny like this, I can’t help but laugh.”

“Weird.  You don’t miss them?”

He shrugged.  “I mean, I can see how inconvenient it’ll be intellectually.  But any attempt to worry about it sort of dissolves into laughter.”  He touched his hips, traced a hand over where his legs should be.  “So no.  I don’t mind their absence at all.”

Kat clicked the disc to turn off the blackness.  She set it aside carefully.  “I do.  A little.”  She scooped Bill up so he was balanced on his hips, and wrapped her legs around him to stabilize him.  “But this has perks.  I wish I hadn’t erased your man-tackle, now.”

Bill wriggled in her grasp, bucking his hips against Kat’s and making her moan softly.  “I think we can have fun even so.”

And they did.

*** *** ***

Later that night, William and Katrina had a lovely dinner in the main dining room.  Katrina sighed happily when she was done.  “I may miss you when you’re gone... but taking Gustav with you is just plain criminal.”

William laughed.  “He is a master of the culinary arts.  Perhaps I should bring you to the lodge next time.”

“Oh?”  Katrina perked up and studied her husband’s expression.  “You mean it?”

“Yes.  Perhaps I can bring you along in my luggage.”

Katrina’s eyes flashed dangerously.  “Do you really think I’d accept that?”  She slipped a foot out of her shoe, and rubbed her stockinged toes up William’s leg.  His eyes widened.

“I...”  The foot went higher.  “I think dinner is over.”

They raced for the bedroom, giggling like children.  Gustav shook his head but smiled as he put the dessert away in the cold-room for later.

Once the door was closed behind them, Kat spun around.  “Were you serious about the luggage thing?  Would that even be safe?”

William nodded.  “If there isn’t space for you to grow back, you won’t.  And if you don’t have a head, you don’t need to breathe.”

“My... my head?” gasped Kat.  “You could erase my head?  Why would you do that?”

“Imagine a world of only touch.  No sight, no sound to distract you from my fingertips.”

“Or other bits,” mused Kat.  “Is that part of your fantasy?”

“Not at first,” he admitted.  “My fantasy was mostly about the legs.”

“Show me,” challenged Katrina.  “Take my legs, you fiend.”  She winked at him to show she was playing, then flopped back to the bed.

Bill had the disc in his hand and active in a flash, and before he could think of stopping Kat’s legs and stockings were gone.

“My legs!” cried Katrina in mock horror.  “What have you done to my beautiful legs?”

Bill brushed her dress with the disc, once to vanish the skirt and again to remove the top.  Underneath she was naked.  “Look for yourself,” he said with a smirk.

Katrina’s eyes widened as she examined her nude body, and she had to work to keep the giggles from bubbling up.  It just looked so funny to be truncated.  Once she’d suppressed them, she glared up at her husband with smouldering eyes.  “Is that all you’ve got, monster?”

Bill growled at her, and in a flash her arms were gone as well.  He laughed, almost drawing a giggle from Kat, then twisted it into a villainous chuckle by the end.  “You are helpless before me.  Where’s your fire now, hmmm?”

Katrina’s eyes blazed.  “You will pay for this insolence!  Ravish my body if you must, but know I will have my revenge.”

Bill reached for her head, but Kat gave it a little shake and he stopped.  He nodded imperceptibly, then closed the disc and set it aside.  “Then I had best make good use of you now.”

Kat licked her lips.  “Do that, you fiend.”  Her sultry voice belied the insult.  “I cannot stop you.”

Bill laughed then, and leaned down to kiss her.  “That was wonderful.  Thank you, love.”

“Get your clothes off and do what you came here to do, mister,” growled Kat.  “I can see the strain you’re putting on your pants, and the fact I can’t pull them off you is killing me!”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Bill laughed as he did as ordered.  “And you were wrong, you know.  As long as you can still speak, you can stop me.”

Kat’s breath caught.  “I...  Oh.  You’re right.  I... want to say ‘do it’, but I’m not ready for that.  Not yet.”

Bill scooped her body into his arms, and kissed her fiercely.  When they broke for air she was dizzy with desire.  “I’d miss your lips,” he husked.

“Stop talking.”

*** *** ***

In the morning, Kat gasped as she sat up, giddy to have limbs once more.  Her first order of business was a trip to the ensuite bathroom to relieve herself, thankful she could do so without assistance.  When she returned to the bedroom, Bill was watching her.

“How do you feel?  No ill effects?”

Kat grinned at him.  “Nope.  My arms and legs feel perfectly normal.  My pussy’s still sore, though.  You were a beast.”

Bill grinned at her.  “Just the way you like it.”

Kat growled, and prowled toward him.  “I will have my revenge.”

Bill glanced toward the side table where the silver disc lay.  “I have the day off, I suppose...”

“I’m not talking about that.  I want something else for my prize.  You’re rich enough to buy more magic, right?”

Bill nodded.  “Easily.  I still get catalogs from the broker that got me the disc.”

Kat clapped her hands eagerly.  “Can I see?”

“We’ll have to get dressed first, I don’t keep them here.”

Kat slitted her eyes at him.  “And it’d be a shame to waste all this nudity, hmm?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

*** *** ***

A few hours later, after they were clean and breakfasted, Katrina sat in the library perusing a slim, glossy magazine.  “Why aren’t there any prices in here?”

William chuckled softly.  “You know why.”

“If you have to ask, you can’t afford it?  Really?”

“Pretty much.  There’s a lot of haggling involved, too.  Gringoblin’s isn’t the only supplier, just the most enthusiastic.  What are you looking for?”

Kat turned another page, eyes bright with wonder.  “Right now my mind’s awhirl with possibilities.  Tentacles, shrinking, petrification...  There was even a knife that let you cut off limbs.”  She tapped the page she was on.  “This merging belt looks fascinating.  But the fine print is worrisome, they all seem to risk causing permanent changes.”

“Magic is like that,” said Bill with a shrug.  “Most temporary changes are anything but, especially if you leave it too long, or block the reversal.  It took a lot of hunting to find something I felt was safe enough.”

Kat sighed, and her gaze returned to the catalog.  “That’s... inconvenient.  Worse, none of this really scratches the itch.”

“Tell me what you want, and I’ll ask the broker that got me the disc.  They’re good at hunting up specific things.”

Kat bit her lip, and looked around.  The maid dusting the bookshelves caught Kat’s look, curtsied, and made herself scarce.

“When I took your bits, I...  Wanted to see something else there.”

“Oh, you want to turn me into a girl?” asked William.  “That’s the back half of the catalog.”

Kat flipped forward a few pages.  “Oh!  Well.  So it is.”  She frowned.  “Many of these are permanent.”

“Yeah, that’s a big seller.  Most of them are reversible, in that they just swap you to the woman you would have been if you were born female, and vice versa.”

Kat frowned, and flipped a few more pages.  “I was hoping for something a little more... piecemeal.”

“I’ll see what they can turn up.”

*** *** ***

The week after a trip to the lodge was always busy with postponed meetings.  Katrina saw little of her husband until the following weekend.  Saturday morning found them both in a limousine and heading for an appointment that William was being infuriatingly mysterious about.

No amount of cajoling or pleading broke through his stony reserve.  “We’re here,” he said at last.

Katrina looked up at the gargoyle-guarded facade of the building as they got out.  “What is this place?  It look solid as an old bank.”

William ushered her through the heavy oaken doors of the entrance.  He grinned at her put-upon expression.  “Not much further.”

“Hmf.”  Despite her petulance, Kat found her interest caught by the amazingly lifelike statues in the foyer.

They descended via a swift, modern elevator into a large chamber hewn out of raw stone.  Katrina looked around curiously.  “What is this place?”

A man in a well-tailored suit answered her question.  “A thick layer of natural stone is the best insulator we know against magic.  Welcome to the testing room.”

Katrina’s eyes went very wide.  “A testing room for magic?”

“Just so.  Mr. Brooke-Haven has arranged for you to try out a selection of items to see which would most suit your needs.”

Katrina turned to William.  “Oh, honey.  This is wonderful.”

He smiled back at her.  “You’re welcome.  Worth the secrecy?”

“And then some.”

The store’s agent guided them to a pedestal with what looked like a steampunk pistol atop it.  “This is one of our newer items, the commercially produced ‘Zappy 2000X’.”  The disdain for the name was clear in his voice.  “They sell several variants, lasting from two to eight hours.  This version has an effect lasting seven to eleven hours.  We’ve done some testing on this particular instance, and it runs close to eight quite consistently.”

“What does it do?” asked Katrina.

“Pretty much what you’d think.  Point it at a person, pull the trigger, and it changes them to someone who looks like their twin, but of the opposite gender.  Same build, same height, just tweak a couple bits of anatomy.  I wouldn’t even show it to you, this is very much a mass-market item.  But because of that it has a flaw that might work for your purposes.  Its effects are blocked by even a small amount of metal.  Joanna, are you ready?”

A slim woman in grey shorts and a tank top nodded.  “Yes sir.”  She held up a sheet of aluminum.  “What part would you like me to block, Mrs. Brooke-Haven?”

Katrina looked alarmed as the agent handed her the Zappy 2000X.  “Me?”

“We are here to purchase something for you, so yes,” said William.  “Try it out.”

“And you’re okay with spending the next eight hours parti-gendered?” Katrina asked Joanna.

Joanna grinned.  “I volunteer here all the time.  Best job ever!”

Katrina chuckled.  “I see.  So...  Block off whichever part you prefer.  Oh, and could you block one hand while exposing the other?”

“Of course.”  Joanna held the sheet so it covered her chest, putting one arm in front of it, and one behind.  “Fire when ready.”

Katrina pointed the crystal core of the zapper carefully at Joanna’s center of mass.  “Is there a safety switch?”

The agent sighed and shook his head.  “You’d think so, but no.  All the other switches are for show.  The light display on the side does at least give some indication of the charge level.  This model regenerates four charges per day, and has a two shot buffer.”

Katrina nodded and pulled the trigger.  If it wasn’t for half of the crystals mounted on the side of the device going dim, she wouldn’t have been sure anything had happened at all.  She put it back carefully, then moved closer to Joanna.  “Did it work?”

Joanna set down the sheet and held out her hands.  The difference was slight, but growing.  It appeared the zapper did nothing to her painted and shaped nails, but her affected hand did become ever so slightly more muscular, and her stretchy shorts showed a widening of the waist and a modest bulge.  Her chest was unchanged.  After a minute, Joanna announced that the tingling had stopped.

“Interesting,” mused Katrina.  “I’d hoped for something producing a more dramatic effect, but... this does have potential.  Are you happy, Joanna?”

Joanna bobbed her head.  “May I go?  I’d like to go surprise my girlfriend.”

“We have other volunteers for the other items, you’re free to go Joanna,” said the agent.  “Thank you for coming in on your day off.”

Joanna flashed Katrina a bright smile.  “Thank you for letting me pick.”

Katrina grinned as she watched Joanna dash off.  “She’s cute.  Are all your volunteers like that?”

“Eager?  Yes.  As chipper as her?  It depends on the test.  Our volunteers have limited say as to what they change into, and some of our items have long-lasting effects.  Two of the statues in the lobby are volunteers, for example.  Our client wanted to be sure that a month’s change would not produce lasting harm.  Shall we move along?”

The next item was a crystal-tipped wand that only grew breasts, but could place them anywhere on the body.  Sadly, it couldn’t actually make existing breasts larger, producing C-cup breasts wherever it was aimed.

Katrina got carried away with it, and volunteer Gareth ended up with several extra breasts, one of which replaced his left hand.  Fortunately the effects of the wand were short-lived, and he’d only be stuck for a few hours.  He looked slightly disappointed when told that the breasts would be gone so soon.

There were two other similar wands, one each for male and female primary sex organs.  They worked much the same, and Katrina elected not to test either, though she did shoot William a wicked look while holding the female wand.  He laughed.  When she turned away, he whispered a few words to the agent.

The next item was a braided copper hoop about two feet in diameter.  Giving it a sharp tap made it glow, and the volunteer demonstrated that passing a body-part through the hoop transformed it to a female version, and moving back did the reverse.  He concluded the demonstration by lifting it up his body, converting himself bit by bit from male to a voluptuous female figure with flowing blonde hair and an empty-eyed look.

With some cajoling, the agent got Norman to lower the ring again, exposing his head.  Norman blinked a few times.  “Sorry.  She’s easily distracted.”

The ring could produce partial changes because its power only lasted for a few minutes.  When it ran out, Norman was stuck with a male head atop a very female body.  He seemed more than content with the result, as he didn’t care for the mindset that came with the form.  He was even more enthused to hear that the change would last for sixteen hours.

“The downside to this item is that it always produces that body, no matter who uses it.  She’s pretty enough, if your tastes run that way,” said the agent.

Katrina’s look was speculative, but William shook his head.  “Very much no, I’m afraid.”

“It’s hard to find someone willing to be mentally reduced.”

“Not even temporarily?” asked Katrina.  “It might be fun once.”

The agent studied her for a moment.  “You think so?  We do have a lease program, perhaps it will move better there.  I’ll talk to marketing.”

They moved on to several other devices, each with a willing volunteer.  None felt right, and Katrina asked the agent why the devices were all so limited.

“Unfortunately, we have to work with what we can find,” he explained.  “Gender-changing devices are one of the more common types, but you’d like something usable on others, temporary, and capable of creating partial changes.  That really narrows it down.  Devices capable of reading your mind to find out what you want are vanishingly rare, and are effectively never on the market.  They’re even rarer still if they can be used on others.  I know of a handful of such items, and every single one is bloodline locked, and cannot be sold.”

Katrina sighed, and looked back toward the pedestal they’d started at.  “Is there nothing better?”

The agent smiled, and moved to the final pedestal. “I have saved the best for last.”  He picked up a crystal the size and shape of a chicken egg, holding it carefully at the middle.  It looked like it was carved from amethyst, but the soft glow it emitted made it clear it was no normal crystal.  “Be careful, it is touch activated and the primary effect has a range of just under two feet.  Amy here has been briefed on its use.  Ready?”

Amy held out her hand in reply, and the agent carefully set the egg in her palm.  She took a step back and started her spiel.  “The Egg of Tiresias can be activated by touching either end.  The longer the touch, the more pronounced the effect.  The narrow end,” she demonstrated by touching one end of the egg, causing the glow to shift there, “enhances femininity.”

She held the egg to her chest, but little happened.  “A longer touch produces a more pronounced effect.”  As the egg’s glow increased, so did her bust.  Katrina clapped eagerly.

“The effect is localized to the vicinity of the egg, and as you can see, quite rapid.”  Amy touched the fat end of the egg, and as its glow shifted her chest flattened.  Holding the touch for a few seconds maximized the brightness, and her chest, shoulders, and the arm holding the egg all became quite muscular.  She’d held her other hand out to the side, and it retained the feminine look.

Amy then touched both ends of the egg at once, and the glow dimmed.  “Now it is safely inert.  Any questions?”

“Is there any way of protecting oneself from the egg?  For example, how could I give my husband breasts without changing myself?”

Amy shook her head.  “Holding it at arm’s length is enough to prevent changes to one’s body.  Once you move away from your subject, you can revert back to normal easily by tapping the appropriate gender’s end briefly.  And in the specific case you mention, if you were female you wouldn’t need to change back.”

Katrina smiled.  “That sounds easy enough.  How long does the change last?”

Amy looked to the agent, who answered, “It’s a persistent but leashed effect.  If you stay within forty feet of the egg, the change lasts indefinitely.  Pass beyond that range, and you will return to normal swiftly.  Amy, would you care to demonstrate?”

Amy nodded, and set the egg on the pedestal.  A short jog to the other side of the room and back proved the agent’s assertion – her torso and right arm were now back to normal.

“That’s remarkable.  So if I were to carry the egg with me, I could stay changed for as long as I felt like?”

The agent smiled at Katrina’s eagerness.  “Just so.  Do keep in mind this is a valuable magic item, and you should take the same precautions you do with jewelry.  It is not irreplaceable, the group who makes these produces them in limited but regular quantities.”

“How curious,” said Katrina.  “Do you know why?”

He nodded.  “The Tiresians are a religious sect that feels the world would be a better place if everyone spent time as the opposite gender.  One of their founders uncovered a larger version of these eggs in an ancient crypt somewhere in Greece, and things grew from there.  Visiting their main chapel in Salt Lake City is very literally a transformative experience.  That egg affects anyone within the building, it was designed specifically to match the egg’s radius of influence.  The effect lasts until you get well outside city limits.  They post the schedule of masculinity and femininity exclusively inside the building.”

Katrina giggled.  “Wouldn’t that make it a bit late to find out?”

“I believe that is the point,” the agent agreed amiably.  “It does allow one to know when to return to go back to normal.  As you can imagine, it is a very popular tourist destination, and their congregation is growing rapidly.”

Katrina smiled prettily at William.  “Perhaps we’ll be aiding that growth in the near future.”

He chuckled.  “I’m sure the price they get for the Egg will help, too.  Will this make you happy?”

Katrina grinned at him wickedly.  “It’s perfect.”

“Then I think we’re done,” William said with a matching grin.  He turned to the agent.  “How long will it take to do the enhanced testing?”

“To your standard?  We can have it done by mid-week.”

Katrina looked puzzled.  “Testing?”

“I want to be sure there are no unfortunate interactions between the disc and the egg.  We wouldn’t want either of us getting stuck if erasing a part means the restoration of the egg no longer works, yes?”

“And you’re going to check for that on volunteers?” asked Katrina, worriedly.

“Simulacra, first,” reassured the agent.  “Magical test dummies, if you will.  Their aura reacts like a human, but they’re constructs.  Anything really bad shows up there.  We only go on to the volunteers after that.  We have many people quite eager to play with magical toys, and none mind if they’re stuck as this or that for a time.  We have the tools and skills to reverse unfortunate side effects, and our success rate in doing so has been 100% for the past twelve years.”

“And before that?” asked Katrina.

The agent winced.  “One case of a cursed item we didn’t catch.  Danielle is still stuck as a statue, but we have been able to communicate with her.  She claims she’d rather stay that way.  Be assured, the tests we’re doing for you have no such risks.  We will make sure that whatever you do with the devices can, like with the disc, be undone with it as well.  We’ll provide you with a full report, including volunteer statements.  Just like last time.”

Katrina nodded, mollified.  “Please do.”

On the way out she asked her husband if she could see the report on the disc.  He promised to deliver it to her once they got home.

The next week while William was busy Katrina found the time to read through the entire report. The test documentation itself was very dry, though the volunteer statements often made her grin.  Apparently finding one’s missing parts hilarious was a common reaction to this particular device.  One included a rather dim comparison to another test the volunteer had been part of, where the horror of a lost limb had instead been enhanced.  The name of the other item was redacted, and Katrina found herself with no interest whatsoever in digging after that fact.  If giggling was the price to be paid to not dread the change, it seemed small enough.

Then she got to the enhanced interaction testing at the end, and one part made her eyes go very wide.

When William got home that evening Katrina met him at the base of the stairs as usual, but her expression was thunderous instead of flirty.  He winced to see it, but covered up quickly.  “Perhaps we can discuss this somewhere private?  I believe I can make it worth your while.”

Once the master suite door was closed, and Katrina was sure there were no maids about, she hissed at her husband, “When were you going to tell me that the baggage trick would make the change permanent?”

“It’s not permanent,” disagreed William. “If you read that, you also read that the disc can repair the issue.”

“By erasing the person entirely!”

“And did the volunteers hate the experience of complete erasure?”

“No,” admitted Katrina sullenly.  “They said it was restful, and time passed quickly.  That doesn’t change the fact that you could turn me into an executive desk toy and keep me that way as long as you liked.”

Bill’s eyes lit up.  “Would you like that?”

“No!” shouted Katrina.  “It’s one thing to let you play out your fantasy, especially when you get so excited.  That was incredible.  But being completely dependent on you for my very existence?”  Kat’s face was flushed with emotion.  “That’s…  That’s…”

“Against everything you believe, I know.  And yet…”  Bill smirked.

“No!” shouted Kat again.  “I’m not going to be just some vulgar… thing.”

“A breast, I think.  Dressed up a bit, so not obviously such.  I’d look over from time to time, brush my fingers against you, smile at your nipple getting hard where only I can see it.  You would not be vulgar at all.  You would be beautiful.”

“I would?” breathed Katrina, then she shook her head.  “No!  Why are you pursuing this?”

“You brought up the idea of becoming my ‘executive toy’.  We could start with just a few days, to see what you think.  It would be better than waiting here, bored.”

“I’d still be waiting.  I hate the idea.”

Bill brushed a fingertip over Katrina’s breast, feeling the nipple strain against her bra.  “Your barometer says otherwise.”

Kat moaned, moving up to press against her husband.  “Why won’t you take no for an answer?”

“Because I never do.  What would it take to get you to ‘yes’?”  Bill pulled a gaily wrapped package out of his pocket.  “Might this help?”

Kat’s eyes couldn’t tear themselves away.  The package was just about the right size…  “The egg?”

Bill just grinned.  Kat had the wrapping torn away in a flash.  Moments later the egg was glowing in her hands and her breasts were getting larger.  “Ooooh.  It feels nice.”

“I’ll have to make more space on my desk, I guess.”  Bill leaned in to kiss Kat on the breast, teasing her growing nipple with a tongue made delicate by his facial transformation.  

As she felt his stubble smooth away, Kat gasped and took a step back.  “Your head!”

Bill put a hand to his hair, which had grown out to shoulder length.  He blinked pretty blue eyes at his wife.  “Do I look nice?  Oh, my voice!”  His voice had become soft and lilting.

“You sound as pretty as you look.  Can I please…”  Kat paused, eyes going wide.  “Oh.”

Bill chuckled softly.  “Yes.  You can use your new toy on me however you like.  Dress me up and take me out, or stay in and have fun.”

“Or both?” grinned Kat.

“You drive a hard bargain,” chuckled Bill.  “Done.”

“Did I just agree to become your desk toy?” asked Kat, getting flushed once more.

“I believe you just did.  I’ve got two more days in the office this week, that seems like a good start.”

Kat closed with her husband once more.  She felt his body change against hers in the hug, as the Egg’s effect enhanced his chest to match her own.  “I better make tonight extra special, then.  So you don’t forget the rest of me.”

“I could never forget you.”

Kat purred as she slid the egg down the smooth skin of her husband’s side, over burgeoning hips, then down to his – now her – feet.  “There.”  She set the Egg on the table by the bedroom door, then dragged her willing husband to the mirrors of the suite’s enormous bathroom.  “What do you think of the new you?”

“We’re the sexiest damn things I’ve ever laid eyes on,” was Bill’s earnest reply.  “Do you have any really stretchy dresses?”

“I’m sure.  But to do the job right, we’ll need them custom made.  Think you can arrange for some to show up in time for a late dinner and dancing?”

“Certain.”

One of the maids was a skilled seamstress, and took their measurements without comment as to Bill’s new stature.  She did give Kat a wink as she left, though, and promised to use the master’s account to make a miracle happen.

Kat dragged ‘Billie’ to the bed, and proceeded to put their Egg-transformed bodies through a rigorous and vigorous workout.

Billie looked more than a little stunned when Kat was done.  “Damn,” she breathed once she could do something other than just pant.  “Where did… that… come from?” she gasped between breaths.

“Every girl has her secrets.  Mine was a torrid affair with my roommate at university.  She very nearly convinced me to stay on the distaff side of the fence.”

“I can see why,” sighed Billie happily.

“Oh, that was just the warmup,” giggled Kat.  “I’m out of practice.”

“Heaven help me,” laughed Billie.  A little more seriously, she asked, “Wouldn’t you miss Bill?”

Kat giggled, and put a finger to Billie’s lips.  She returned to bed a minute later with the Egg, and used it briefly near Billie’s middle.  “Mmmm.  Best of both worlds.”

Billie looked down at what was now growing between her legs.  “That looks ridiculous.”

“I could change you back and put it on me instead.”

Billie licked her lips, and looked up at her giddily happy wife.  “Are you really going to be my desk toy?”

Kat nodded.  “If you let me do this?  I’ll be anything you like.”

Billie extended her hand, and Kat shook it.  “Deal.”

*** *** ***

When the dresses arrived, Kat reluctantly used the Egg to change herself back to fully female.  “It does grow on you.  Happy with your deal?” she asked with a giggle.

“Deliriously,” agreed a dazed-looking Billie.  Then she got a look at the bits of fabric that had been delivered.  “Are these clothes?”

Kat wriggled into the sparkly red one, and posed.  “What do you think?”

“I think you’re going to get arrested for indecent exposure.”

Kat laughed, and tossed Billie her blue dress.  “Come on.  It’ll take at least an hour to get our makeup to a passable standard.”

Marie, the maid who’d arranged for the dresses, asked eagerly if she could help.  Kat looked to Billie, who nodded.  “It’s late, and I have no clue what I’m doing.”

With Marie’s highly capable assistance, both women were ready to go in just under an hour.  Marie asked if they’d be needing help other nights, as several of the other maids would be more than willing to assist.

“You just want to get another chance to play with the boss like this,” accused Kat with a teasing smile.

“Oui, madame,” giggled Marie, who was starting to get used to Kat’s private persona.

Kat glanced over at where Billie was staring transfixed at the beautifully made-up woman in her mirror.  “I’m pretty sure I can get you that chance.  I bet you’ll have a lot of chances.  I’ll pay for a professional set of manicure gear if you know a staff member with a talent for it.  I think an at-home spa day would be lovely.”

Marie agreed, and said she knew just the person to ask.

Billie and Kat went out to dinner at an exclusive restaurant that Kat favoured when William wasn’t around.  Even enhanced, the staff recognized her and seated the two of them at her usual booth.  Billie watched, fascinated, as Kat took the lead, ordering fruity drinks and light meals for both of them.

“Penny for your thoughts,” said Kat when Billie’s staring went on.

Billie chuckled.  “You make a good man.”

Kat giggled back at her.  “Maybe next time.”

“Next time?”  Billie raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

“You’re more relaxed than I’ve seen you in weeks.  You like this.  Being cared for.”

“It’s surprisingly nice to let go of William for a while.  I don’t have to deal with anyone looking to take ‘just a minute of my time’ for a business proposal.  They don’t even know who I am!”  She grinned.  “The anonymity is better than the...”  Billie blushed.  “You know.”

Kat saluted Billie with her glass.  “I do indeed.  So... you’re having a lovely time.  Do I still have to honour our deal?”

Billie smirked at her and licked her lips avariciously.  “Oh, yes.  Made all the more delicious by the memories of tonight.”

The dancing afterward was frenzied, carried away by the attention their Egg-enhanced bodies drew.  On the limousine ride home Billie enthused about how many guys had been staring at them.  “Were you tempted to take one home?”

“Flattered by the attention, yes.  Wanting someone other than you in bed...”  Kat teased Billie with her speculative expression.  “I’ve never taken a lover since we got married.  I’m not going to start now.  Not with all this to play with.”  She gestured to Billie’s body, then held up the Egg.

Billie smiled languidly, and slipped out of her dress.  “Then play.  Timothy has seen many things, and told no tales.”

They gave Timothy more memories to treasure on the way back to the estate.

Kat and Billie supported each other on the way to the master suite.  “Long night,” purred Kat happily.  “I’m ready.”

Billie giggled.  “To be my toy?  I can wrap you up tight tonight, and by morning you’ll be stuck.”

Kat flushed at the hungry look Billie was giving her.  “Tell me how badly you want this.”

Billie picked up the disc and closed the gap between them.  “More than anything I have ever desired,” she husked into Kat’s ear.  She pushed Kat to the bed, and in a moment Kat’s legs were gone.  Then her hips.  Her free hand roamed over Kat’s remaining curves, delighting in the new ones the disc created from absences.

As the disc and Billie hungrily devoured her body, Kat shuddered and moaned, bucking what little was left of her body against Billie’s touch.  She looked up into her husband’s beautiful eyes.  “Do it.”

Kat lost herself in darkness.  She tried to panic about her inability to breathe, but after a moment she was laughing internally over her concerns.  She tried to be at least a little angry over the way the disc stole her worries, but that made her silent giggles worse.  Then she felt Bill’s lips on her remaining nipple, and every worry she’d ever had fled.

Absent any other parts to feel with, every touch inflamed her.  She felt her husband’s strong hands caress her, other body parts tease at her, felt his release, and was more than content.

When she felt herself swaddled in bands of silk, she knew he would be true to his word.  This was her world now, for as long as he might wish it to be so.

*** *** ***

Kat woke to pressure and strain.  She could feel herself growing, pushing at the silken bands that constricted against her.  Her body – her breast pulsed against the bands one more time, and then it stopped.  She could feel the magic leach away, and knew without the slightest doubt that she was stuck.

The magic’s departure also took away the happy, giggly feeling that had kept her from panic over her reduction.  Kat could feel how small she was.  Her mind did not shy back from considering that she was completely and utterly helpless.  And yet...

Kat reviewed the day.  She had agreed.  Willingly, in the end.  And the memories she’d made with Billie sustained her until she could sleep once more.

Kat woke again to the kiss of her lover on her nipple, and responded the only way she could.  When he patted her softly and unwound the silk covering the rest of her, she accepted that she would not grow back.  She was a breast now.  Then he caressed her, and his touch filled her world.

Something cold and tingly brushed against her skin, and she felt different once it had passed.  Bill left her alone for a time, and she could feel a slight chill as whatever it was dried and hardened.  Later, she felt herself tucked into what felt like a velvet-lined case, and carried.

After the vibration of a car ride lulled her to sleep, the clunk of her case being set down on a hard surface woke her.  Fingers brushed over her surface, oddly muted by her coating but even so they meant the world to her.  The fingers left, and returned.  
Each possessive fondle made two things clear.  She was loved.  And she was owned.  She tried to resent the second.  Tried to recall fiery, independent Katrina, queen of all she surveyed.  Then the fingers swept it all away on a wave of pleasure.
When she gave up on resentment, she tried thinking back to the testing report on the disc.  Something caught at her memory.  About what it was like to be headless for long spans.  It was hard to recall, as just when she’d gotten her thoughts organized, the touch would return, scattering her mind once more and making it hard to recall why she was bothering.

Her world compressed to those touches.  Without them, she felt nothing, thought nothing, was nothing.  With them... everything.

Anticipation of touch.  Touch.  Anticipation...

Breast felt the soft, safe confines of its carrying case close around it, and the swaying of being carried.  The thrum of an engine stirred memories.  Home.  Time.  Twenty-four hours!

Kat woke on the trip home, without touches to scatter her.  Her thoughts were sluggish, but she remembered the report.  Remembered that her mind would not... not...  She was going to lose her humanity.  The concern seemed ridiculous.  She already had.  Fighting it wouldn’t change anything.  She let go of her concerns.  Let go of everything, trusting that Owner would... would...  Breast couldn’t quite recall.

Then Breast felt the fingers again, and a lovely warm bath, and mmmm...