Altered Fates: The Wife

by Ellie Dauber

© 2003

 

"Santiago Airlines Flight 2 is now arriving at Gate A. Santiago Airlines Flight 2 from Guatemala City and Mexico City now arriving at Gate A." The amplified voice echoed through the small rural airport.

Edward Lassiter ran towards the gate. A large man, dressed in the new blue and gold Federal Airline Security Agency uniform, stopped him at the outer glass door. "I'm sorry, sir," the guard said. "You'll have to wait until the passengers have cleared customs."

"But... my wife," Edward blurted in Spanish.

The guard stared at Edward, who was dressed in an Armani suit that looked like it cost more than the guard's car. The wife of this rich Anglo was coming into the country on this broken down, backwater airline? It didn't make any sense. He shrugged. What did? "I'm sorry, sir," he said, switching to Spanish, "but since September 11..." He let the rest go unsaid and gestured to a row of chairs along the wall. "You might as well sit, señor. It can take a half an hour, sometimes longer, before they come out."

Edward sighed. "I have waited this long." He took a seat and was soon joined by several other people, most of whom kept staring at the norte-americano sitting with them. 'If you only knew,' he thought, smiling wryly. 'Two weeks ago, I was a... peasant just like all of you. Now, thanks to that medallion and a _very_ trusting woman, I have a rich, rich life. All I need is..."

A tall, athletic-looking woman came though the glass door. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, which complimented her coppery skin, even as it clung to her lush figure. It was cut low to show off her pillowy breasts. Her thick black hair framed her face and hung straight down to the small of her back. Her legs had a delightfully feminine curve to them, even in the one-inch heeled sandals she was wearing.

"Serafina," Edward shouted her name as he stood and ran towards her.

She frowned as the strange man approached her. She stepped back and held up her hand to keep him away, she asked, "Do I know you, señor?" she asked in Spanish.

"I am..." How to explain? "Your husband, Julio, señora, he... he asked me to meet your flight." He spoke Spanish; Serafina didn't speak a word of English.

Serafina smiled, and it seemed to Edward as if the entire building was lit by that smile. "Julio... my Julio? Where is he? Is he all right?"

Edward tensed. He could barely keep from taking her in his arms. She was hardly a prudish woman, but she would never accept such behavior from a man she had just met. 'Soon,' he promised himself.

"He is fine," he told her, "and closer, much closer than you could believe."

"There is already so much I do not believe. Long letters that say nothing, then a letter that comes in the middle of the night. 'Come now... bring only what you must,' it says, but there is a ticket, and I am here. It all seems impossible."

"And yet, you came."

"He is my husband." She said it as if it the fact explained everything. For her, it did.

"Let me take that," Edward said, pointing to the cardboard suitcase she was carrying. She nodded, and he took it gently from her. "My car is this way."

He led her through the small airport and out to the parking lot. A slate gray Mercedes was parked near the door. It straddled the space divider, so that it took up two parking spaces. "You did not park very well," Serafina chided him, as he opened the trunk and put her suitcase inside.

"Look around you." He gestured broadly. "This car costs more than any other five cars in this parking lot. I parked this way to protect it." He slammed the trunk lid closed for emphasis.

Edward walked over and opened the front passenger door. He watched her dress rise up as she slid in, exposing her long, supple legs. She frowned again, but before she could say anything, he shut the door.

"Just take me to Julio," Serafina said as he climbed in behind the wheel. She crossed her arms under her high, proud breasts and leaned back in the seat. Her eyes closed, signaling the end of the conversation.

"I suppose it is just as well," Edward said as he drove out of the airport lot.

* * * * *

"Mi Paloma... my dove, wake up; we are here," Edward said, guiding the car towards the curb.

Serafina felt the car come to a stop as he spoke. She frowned in anger. "Paloma" was Julio's pet name for her. "I call you 'Paloma'," Julio had said, "because you coo so sweetly when we make love." Who was this man to call her by that name?

She sat up in her seat and looked around. They were parked in front of a small cottage with the number 207 painted on the door. It was one of a row of near identical cottages on the block. The yard of this one was full of tall grass that badly needed cutting. A narrow concrete walkway led to the cottage. "Where are we?" she asked.

"This is where... Julio lives."

"Is he there... inside?" She could hardly contain herself. She jumped out of the car and ran up the walk. She pulled at the door. Locked.

"Hurry, hurry <in Spanish>," she yelled. Edward smiled at her eagerness. He brought her suitcase with him to the door. He used a key to unlock it, then stood aside as Serafina ran into the cottage.

"Julio! Julio!" she called. When there was no answer, she looked around. The cottage was as he had described it. A large room with very little furniture: an overstuffed yellow sofa and a plain wooden table with two chairs. A small TV sat on the table. The window behind the sofa had a pale green curtain.

There was a kitchenette along the back wall: a stove, a sink with a few dishes and a pan waiting to be cleaned, and an old refrigerator whose motor was running too loudly. A second, pale green curtain covered the smaller window above the sink. A large color map of Guatemala hung on one wall, the village she and Julio had lived in was circled in red.

The fourth wall had two doors. The cross she had gotten Father Martin to bless and then given him for luck hung on the wall between them. The one on the right, the bathroom door, was partly opened; she could see part of the sink.

Serafina walked over and opened the other. The bedroom was small, with a single curtained window on the back wall. She saw an unpainted wooden dresser, the top drawer open and a shirtsleeve dangling out. A pair of pants were folded over a chair. The bed was covered by a green and blue blanket. It was empty.

The man... Edward was standing in the doorway watching her. He had an odd smile on his face.

"When do you think Julio will be here?" She wasn't comfortable being alone in the house, especially in the bedroom, with this stranger. So what if he had a key; she didn't know him. Julio had never mentioned such a man. She brushed past him and walked back into the living room.

"Very, very soon," he said. He walked over to the table and took something, a plastic bag, from his pocket. He opened the seal and let the contents, a white cloth, fall onto the table. Then he took of his jacket and carefully draped it over one of the chairs.

A blue work shirt was hanging on a hook on the back door. The man put it onto the table. "Now watch this, mi Paloma."

Serafina bristled. Again, the name that he had no right to use. She held back from saying anything. She would wait for Julio and tell him.

The man smiled and moved slowly, as if he were performing some miraculous feat. All he did was to lift the cloth, a handkerchief, by a corner. A brass necklace fell out, landing on the table. There was some kind of medallion attached. It had an image -- an angel, perhaps -- on one side. Serafina's father had been a tinker, and, to her practiced eye, the thing looked very poorly made.

The man put the necklace on. "Yes, Julio will be here in just moments." He smiled as he picked up the shirt and touched it to the medallion.

"Are you all right, señor?" Was he mad? He just stood there holding the shirt and staring at her. Then she noticed something. His brown hair... it was growing darker, straighter. His skin was changing, too, becoming a coppery color much like her own. His jaw was becoming more square in shape, and there... there was a thin mustache growing under his nose.

"Madre de Dios!" She crossed herself and turned to run. "Diabolo... devil!"

"No, Serafina... please!" His voice was different, more familiar. He sounded a bit like...

"Julio? Como... how... how is this possible?"

He... Julio took off the medallion. "Magic, mi Paloma. I put this on and touch it to a piece of clothing, and I become the person who last wore that clothing." He held it in his hand a moment longer, before he put it down.

Yes, he was looking more and more like her Julio with every breath. The shirt he wore stretched as Julio's broader shoulders and more muscular arms formed beneath it. He slowly unbuttoned it. He almost had to _peel_ it off; it had become that tight. He tossed it on the floor. He wore no undershirt.

Serafina saw a dark blur appear on his upper right arm. As she watched, it came into focus to become the tattoo of her name. Julio had gotten the tattoo on a trip to the city when he was sixteen.

Julio saw her looking at the tattoo. "Now, do you believe me?"

"Si, I-I must believe the proof of my own eyes, but I do not understand. Why did you do this? Why did you become this other man?"

"Corinne... Mrs. Lassiter paid me to do it. She is the wife of the man I... was. She became angry with him. She turned him into a woman, a maid. That is why I asked you to send me one of your cousin, Inez' uniforms. Edward Lassiter is now the double of Inez."

"That is _him_. Why did _you_ change?"

"Mr. Lassiter is a business man. He had to be seen, had to do things for his company. Mrs. Lassiter could not do take on his body. She hated him too much. Besides, there were times when they _both_ had to be seen. So she hired me."

"But I sent you Inez's dress weeks ago. Have you been this... this... Edward all that time?"

"Si, I have been Edward Lassiter for almost two weeks. After the Medallion changes a person, it will not work again on him for twelve hours. It was easier to be Edward all the time."

"All the time?" Her eyes narrowed. "Even in private? Have you slept with this Mrs. Lassiter?"

"I will not lie, mi Paloma. I have. They have servants. There would be talk if they suddenly stopped sharing a bed. Let me say one thing, though."

"What? Are you going to tell me that it was all right?"

"I will say _two_ things, then. First, I was not growing rich working as a gardener. Just look at where... at how I lived. " He motioned in the air with his arm to show his displeasure with the cottage. "Mrs. Lassiter's money is the reason -- the only reason -- that I could bring you here to me."

"And the other?"

"When I slept with Corinne Lassiter, I was having sex, nothing more. When I sleep with you, we have always been... making love." He smiled. "Besides, _I_ did not sleep with Corinne. Her husband did. I just happened to be in his body at the time."

Serafina chuckled at the absurdity of the argument. "You 'just happened to be in his body'. Does she mean nothing to you then?"

"She is only a means to an end, a tool, nothing more." He took a step closer.

"This 'means to an end'; to what end, señor?"

"To this end." He took her in his arms. "To be here... with you."

Serafina resisted for a moment, still angry at his infidelity, but it had been over two years since she had seen her husband. She had not been with -- had not even _thought_ of being with any other man. Her hands reached up around his neck. She thrilled at the touch of their bodies.

Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Serafina moaned slightly and opened her mouth just a bit. Julio's tongue darted in to play with her own. She felt him pull her close, felt her breasts pushed up against his bare chest. Her arms tightened around his neck.

Without ending the kiss, Julio lifted Serafina in his arms. He kicked the door opened and walked into the bedroom. Serafina giggled at being carried and at the kick to the door. Edward put her gently down onto the bed and stood back to stare at her.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, I have just dreamed of you for so long; imagined you here... in my bed."

Serafina reached behind herself to unbutton her dress. "How odd," she said, a lascivious smile on her lips. "I have dreamed of just the same thing." She stood up. The dress was unbuttoned most of the way down her back. She pushed the straps from the shoulders. They fell, taking the top of the dress with them. Except for a thin, lacy blue bra that was really too small for her, Serafina was nude to the waist.

She smiled and gently pulled the dress past her wide hips. It fell to the floor, pooling around her. All she wore from the waist down were a pair of matching blue cotton panties and her sandals. She stepped out of the dress and out of her sandals at the same time and posed for Julio, watching him smile back in delight. Then her eyes traced down his muscular body. "Madre de Dios!" She crossed herself. "You... you look... bigger than I remember."

He grinned as he unzipped his pants. They fell away. He was wearing green boxers, boxers that seemed impossibly tight from his erection. "I am, mi Paloma. Mrs. Lassiter used the medallion to..."

He stopped, as he saw her expression change, her eyes grow wide. Was it fear, fear of the magic or just of his new size? He'd measured it once, just after he'd changed, at 11 inches erect. "Do not be afraid, mi Paloma, please. I... I promise that I will be gentle with you, very gentle."

Now she grinned and took a step towards him. Serafina reached down and ran a finger over the fabric that covered what she was beginning to think of as "El Monstro." She yanked the boxers down, freeing it. It stood full erect, pointing up at her, and she giggled at the sight. "It has been so long." She giggled again. "And now you... _you_ are so long. I do not need 'gentle.' Just take me."

As if to show her need, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. In a single motion, she freed herself and tossed it to the floor. She bent over then and yanked at Julio's boxers, pulling them down past his knees. They fell to his ankles. As he stepped out of them, she did the same to her own panties. In a moment, they were both naked.

"Now... now we are ready." There was a huskiness in her voice. She laid back down on the bed, sliding over to make room for him.

He climbed on the bed and lay on his side facing her, bracing himself on one arm. He reached over with the other and put his hand behind her head. He pulled her close and kissed her. He felt her arms around him, pulling him closer, while her hands explored the muscles of his back.

He reached down now and began to slide a fingernail slowly across her breast. When he touched her nipple, he began to pluck it like a guitar string. She moaned, and the motions of her hands became more frantic. Her mouth opened wide, allowing his tongue to enter and play with hers.

He rolled her onto her back and began to use both hands on her breasts, caressing, kneading them. He pushed himself away from her and shifted down. His tongue darted in and out of her navel. He could smell her arousal. He ran his tongue along her labia, tasting her juices and making her moan even more. Her body writhed, her arms pounded the bed. He felt one hand grab his hair, her fingers twisting it into knots.

His tongue slid in between her lips and explored. It found her clitoris and began the same sort of plucking motion his finger had done.

"Si... si... muy..." her moans grew louder. Suddenly, she let out a sharp, high pitched scream. Her back arched and her entire body shook as her orgasm ran its course through her. When it ended -- much too soon for her -- she lay almost motionless on the bed. Her breathing was slow and deep, and her body glistened from sweat. There was a glazed look in her eyes and a most happy, sated smile on her face.

"Did you like that?" Julio couldn't help but grin as she nodded her head enthusiastically. "Then you will surely love this." He positioned himself over her, letting his erection rub against her leg.

She reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around him. "We shall see." She guided it to her. She felt its head touching her lips and took her hand away. "Now," she said.

He pushed in, slowly, very slowly. Her eyes grew wide at the sensations. "So big... ai, so _very_ big."

He was as far in as he could be; she felt his groin pushing against hers. He moved his hips then and began an equally slow withdrawal. She raised he own hips, trying to match his motion, to keep him inside her. He stopped for a heartbeat, then began moving quickly in and out.

It seemed to Serafina that he was pumping pure sexual energy to every part of her body. Her arms flailed in the air. She clawed at his back, trying to pull him to her. Her hips rocked, matching his own rhythm. "Ai... ai... ai...," she gasped. Her eyes closed. Her head rocked back and forth.

Her body stiffened and arched as the flood of a second orgasm hit her. She screamed, a long, high piecing wail. Her body rocked so violently that she almost threw them both off the bed.

Julio kept going. He was biting her now, tiny nips that left a trail of small red marks down her throat and across her breasts. Serafina's orgasm had barely subsided, when she felt another building inside her.

It hit like the spring flood roaring down from the mountains and sweeping her away. Her eyes opened wide as she screamed again. Her body was pulsing and writhing from the sexual electricity that ran through it.

She looked up at Julio through half-glazed eyes, her body glistening from her own sweat. He smiled back at her, his own eyes wild as a jungle animal. Then he froze suddenly in mid-stroke. He raised his head and... howled. Serafina felt a flood of liquid shoot into her. Julio's essence set her off one last time. Their voices joined in a single triumphant yell as he pumped more frantically than ever into her.

But as he continued to pump, she could fee him growing smaller and softer within her. Finally, even he realized that it was over. He pulled out of her with a low grunt and rolled over onto his back next to her. 'Just like a man,' Serafina thought.

To her surprise, he reached an arm under her back and around her hip. He pulled her closer, so she could put her head on his chest. "You were wonderful," he said, raising his head to kiss her lightly on the cheek."

'Perhaps his time with this Mrs. Lassiter was not all for the bad,' she thought. They cuddled for a while before they both fell into a deep, sated sleep.

* * * * *

"Mrs. Lassiter to see you, Mr. Dietrick."

"Thanks, Meghan. Ask her to come right in. Oh... and, Meghan, hold all calls while we're meeting, please." Matt Dietrick, Chief Operating Officer of Lassiter Enterprises, clicked off the intercom on his desk. Matt had the same family good looks as his cousin Edward: curly, chestnut brown hair, rugged, masculine features, and a slender, athletic body. "Now to see if it worked," he said, as he leaned back in his overstuffed chair.

Corinne Lassiter came in a moment later. She wore a sleeveless green dress that hugged her lush body and complimented her long, auburn hair. She was a very desirable woman, and Matt had thought about sleeping with her more than once. He hadn't.

Matt had no problem with having sex with his cousin's wife. He just didn't like the idea of sleeping with a "business partner."

The cute little chica that came in with Corinne was another story, though. She was short, with jet black hair done up in two braids that hung down to her breasts. Her dress was obviously a maid's uniform, dark blue with white collar and cuffs. It was loose, so she could work in it, but not loose enough to hide the curves underneath. Her legs were long, and Matt was sorry that her flat work shoes didn't show them off better.

She walked in slowly, two steps behind Corinne. She was nervous, her dark eyes looking around franticly for some way to escape. The phrase "virgin sacrifice" came to Matt almost immediately.

He wanted her.

He stood up and walked around the desk. "Hello, Corrine." He took her hand and gave her the perfunctory kiss that passed for a greeting. "I don't believe that I know your friend here."

Corinne smiled and kissed him back, just as quickly and with as little meaning. "This is Inez, my new live-in maid." She turned to the young woman. "Say hello to Mr. Dietrick, Inez -- and do it the way I told you to."

The Latina nodded. "Si, señora." She curtsied. "Hola, Mr. Dietrick."

"A pleasure to meet you, Inez," Matt said. The girl was most certainly Corinne's latest "toy", which suggested some _very_ interesting possibilities.

"Oh, you aren't meeting her, Matt," Corinne said. "You've known her for years. It's just that she looked quite different when you two were playing tennis at the house last month."

Matt's eyes widened. "Edward?" He laughed. "I must say, Eddie, you clean up very well. That medallion certainly does good work." He leered openly at his transformed cousin.

"Say 'thank you', Inez," Corinne said firmly.

Inez had a pained looked on her face for just a moment, then she bowed her head and said in a low voice, "Th-thank you, Ma--"

"Inez!" Corinne interrupted. "I will not tolerate such uncalled for familiarity between my cousin and a _servant_ such as yourself."

Inez' face reddened. She trembled, as if she were fighting something. "I... I am sorry, señora."

"Perfectly all right," Matt said. He took Inez' hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it gently. "Perhaps sometime we can get together -- just the two of us, of course -- and get _very_ familiar."

"Señor!" Inez looked like a deer that was suddenly in someone's headlights.

"Why, Matt, I think that's a wonderful idea," Corinne said with a wicked laugh. "I only came in to tell you to get those papers ready, the ones we discussed a few weeks ago. Inez and I are down here for some shopping. Why don't you drive up to the house with the papers Thursday morning? Inez has the day off, and I _know_ that she has no other plans. You two can spend the whole day together." She paused, just a moment, for effect. "Won't that be nice, Inez?"

"No... no... I... please, señora. Do not make me do this."

"What's the matter, Inez?" Corinne asked. "It can't be shyness. You two have known each other since you were children. You're no virgin either, so it can't be that."

"Maybe she's just not much of a party person." Matt was enjoying watching his cousin squirm.

"She certainly wasn't when she was Edward." Corinne shook her head. "If I'd known what a stodgy workaholic he really was, I'd have never let you play matchmaker for us."

"To tell the truth," Matt said. "I was hoping that you'd get him away from that, distract him enough so I could run the business _my_ way. It did work for a while. The first few months you two were married, he hardly checked in with the office at all."

"Those were fun time." Corrine smiled at the memory. "But then he got all serious again. He actually called off our trip to Spain because of that dumb inspection you failed."

"Those building inspectors almost ruined us when they found that substandard... Oh, the hell with it. We... I fixed it, but Ed had gotten real interested in the business again." He looked hard at Inez. "Only he's not around to be interested in such things now, and I'm sure that I can find a whole bunch of new interests for Inez here."

"I'm sure that you can," Corinne said, "and the new Edward isn't interested either -- not in the business, that is. _I'm_ his main interest."

"Just so he signs those papers on Thursday. Then _he'll_ be the silent partner. You two will get more than enough money to keep yourselves amused, and Lassiter Enterprises will be mine."

"No poor little cousin sucking up to the rich relatives anymore, huhn."

"Damn straight. I'll be the rich relative, and Ed... Inez can do the... sucking."

They were talking as if Inez wasn't even there. She trembled with an inner rage. The small part of her that was still Edward Lassiter wanted to yell, to scream, to beat the living shit out of the pair of them.

But _something_ kept repeating, "No, you are Inez now, a poor peasant girl, nothing more. You must not, you can not do anything to these people. They are your masters and you must accept and obey."

* * * * *

"Mr. Pizza."

Julio opened the door. He was wearing his boxers and a faded green robe. A round-faced Latino boy, barely sixteen and dressed in a red and blue uniform looked up at him. "You Mr. Ramirez?" Julio nodded. "That'll be $12.47 for the pizza and coke."

Julio handed him a five and a ten. "Keep the change, kid."

The boy handed him the food. "Thanks, sir, and thanks for calling Mr. Pizza."

Julio closed the door and carried the food over to the table, putting it in the middle. He'd put out plates, cups, and napkins after he phoned in the order.

"Mmmm, something smells good." Serafina was standing in the bedroom doorway, posing for him. She wore one of his work shirts, unbuttoned so he could see the curve of her breasts, and her blue panties.

"I... I had ordered some dinner, but it can wait." He took a step towards her. He could already feel himself growing hard at the sight of her.

She smiled and walked over to the table. As she passed him, she gently ran her fingers across his bare chest. "I think that we need to build up our strength first. Besides, I have not eaten since I left Guatemala."

"I am sorry. I did not realize, did not think to ask. I could have stopped for something on the way from the airport."

She shook her head. "I was being taken to my husband, who I had not seen in over two years. I had other things on my mind besides... food." She sat down.

"And now, mi Paloma?"

"The fires of one appetite are sated... for now. It is time to deal with another." She opened the box. "I see that you remembered my favorite."

"Si, ground beef, peppers, and extra cheese." He took a slice, put it in a plate, and handed it to her. "I wanted everything today to be to your liking."

Serafina raised an eyebrow and smiled wickedly at him. "So far today, everything has been very much to my liking."

Before Julio had gone north to make his fortune, their custom had been to talk of minor matters over the evening meal. They revived the custom, now. Serafina told him what had happened to family and friends since her last letter a few weeks before. She had sent Inez' uniform along with that same letter. Julio spoke of a few friends he had made. He realized as he spoke that he hadn't talked to any of them since the change. How could he? They knew Julio, the gardener, not Mr. Lassiter, his employer. He missed them, though maybe not as much as he might have expected.

Finally, they both caught themselves staring at the last slice. Julio took a plastic knife and cut it in two. He let Serafina pick her piece first, taking what she left. He took a bite, then had a swallow of soda.

"So," Serafina said. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you stay Mr. Lassiter? If so, what am I to do? Do I live here as his... as _your_ mistress? I am your wife. I have a right to expect better than that."

"Of course, you do, mi Paloma. You will not live here. You will live with me on the--"

"A live-in mistress, oh _that_ is much better. Do I get to be your maid, too?"

"No. You get to be _Mrs._ Lassiter."

"What!"

"If the Medallion can make me him, it can transform you into her."

"And she gets to be the mistress, or do you have some fantasy about twins that you never spoke of to me before?"

"No, no, nothing like that. She... they will become us."

"They will agree to this? They will let us be them; let us live in their house and spend their money?"

"I think Mr. Lassiter will. He hates being Inez -- that is what Mrs. Lassiter calls him. He will trade his real life to get his manhood back. Besides, I think that the idea of making his wife become the wife of a poor man will appeal to his sense of justice."

"And how will this happen?"

"Mrs. Lassiter and Inez are in Los Angeles today. Tomorrow, we will go to the house and wait for them to return. I will speak to Inez then."

"And if she... he... she does not take your offer?"

Julio shrugged. "I hope that he will. I like the man, and he was always fair and honest with me. But if he will not accept what I offer him... well, the Lassiters have a large house. Two maids could do the work easier than one."

"You do not mean..."

"Si, if the husband can be a maid, so can the wife." He sighed. "But, I do hope that it will not come to that."

"I hope so, as well. In your letters, he always sounded like a good man, even if she did not." She paused a beat; not sure that she liked the second idea. "Well, we shall see tomorrow." She took a last bite of pizza and stood up.

"Is something wrong?" He stood as well.

"No, my husband. It is just that, now that my appetite for food is dealt with, I find that the other appetite returns." She took his hand and led him back to the bedroom.

* * * * *

"Inez, come over here." Corinne stood next to a display of silk panties in _Selkies_, an upscale lingerie store.

"Sir, señora." Inez walked over. She was carrying a lilac colored negligee that Corinne had already decided on for herself.

"What do you think of these?" Corinne held up a pair of rose colored panties, the front and back attached by a narrow strap and with ornate lace embroidery across the narrow front.

"They are very nice, señora. I am sure that Señor Lassiter would enjoy seeing you in such clothes." It galled her to address her wife as a superior; even more, she hated calling that upstart bastard of a gardener by her own real name. But the magic forced her to behave as the obedient servant she appeared to be.

"I'm sure he would," Corinne said, "but I'm talking about buying these for you to wear on your... date Thursday with Matt."

"M-me? Oh, no, señora, please no."

"Oh, but I insist. Matt seemed so taken with you, and I _do_ want him to have a good time. In fact, I think that this very pair will do." She reached for a swatch of pink on a nearby shelf. "And here's the bra to go with it." She held up the brassiere by the shoulder straps for Inez to see.

The bra was a match of the panties, a rose-colored demi-bra with fine lace embroidered swirls and small roses on both cups. There was just one problem.

"Señora, that one, it is much too big for me." She hesitantly touched her 36 C-cup breasts.

Oh, it is now," Corinne said. "But after you put it on, and we use the Medallion..." She watched Inez eyes widen in panic. "Matt's always been a breast man, bless his raunchy little heart, and you showing up with a pair of 40-DDs should just make his day."

"Please, do not do this to me now, Cor... Señora Lassiter." Oh, Lord, don't let her get mad for my calling her that. She will do even worse.

Corinne didn't seem to notice, or, maybe she decided that what she was already doing was more than enough. "I won't. I can't do it _now_. I left the Medallion back at the house. You'll just have to wait; it'll give you something to think about on the _long_ trip home tomorrow morning."

* * * * *

Serafina's eyes fluttered open. She raised her head and looked at the clock on the bedstead. 'Just after 5 AM,' she thought. 'Same as back home.' She smiled, feeling Julio's body next to hers. 'No, this is my home now.' She closed her eyes and snuggled up against him and tried to go back to sleep.

It was no use. 'All my life, I get up this early, she finally decided. 'I cannot break the habit in one night.' She sighed and sat up, being careful not to wake Julio. 'After all, he needs his rest.' She giggled softly. 'So does el Monstro.'

She went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A bath seemed too luxurious a way to start the day, and the noise of a shower might wake Julio. She ran warm water in the sink and used a washcloth to clean herself. Her breasts were still a bit tender, and she winced at the feel of the rough cloth. Her pubic mound was tender, as well, and it was sticky from the dried juices, hers and Julio's. She moved the washcloth slowly, enjoying the sensations, until her hips began to move in a match to her motions.

She tossed the washcloth in the sink. "Mmm," she whispered, "Perhaps it is time that I _did_ wake Julio." She shook her head as she patted herself dry. "No, I will let him sleep a bit longer. We will want to eat... after." She was with Julio again, and she want to take on the role of housewife as well as lover.

She walked into the main room. The empty pizza box and the dirty paper plates and cups were still on the table. She tossed them all into a small trash can by the back door. She shivered at a draft from the door. The man... Edward's jacket was draped over a chair. She put it on. It was much too big, coming down almost to her knees. She had to roll up the sleeves to see her fingers.

There was some soda left in the bottle. "Better to put this in the fridge." She put the bottle on the rack on the door and looked around inside to see what she might use to make a breakfast. There was milk, but it had a slight sourness that said it was beginning to turn. "Best to use it now." She also found three, no, four usable eggs and two apples. She could whip the eggs and milk together, slice the fruit, and put them back in fridge until needed. "Now if there is only coffee."

There was a coffeepot, mercifully empty and clean, on the stove, but no sign of the coffee. "In the shelf above the sink, maybe?" As she opened a cupboard drawer, Serafina's eye caught a glint of metal, the medallion -- it had fallen into the sink.

Without thinking, she fished it out, grabbing the closest part, the disk itself, and put it on. She felt a sort of tingle when the metal touched the jacket, but she ignored it. She was too busy thinking about the breakfast she was going to make and, even more, about how she and Julio were going to work up the appetite for it.

The can of coffee was in the second cupboard. She reached for it and saw a strange hand coming out of the sleeve of the jacket she wore. The hand was pale, almost pink by comparison to her normal coloring. It was larger, as well, with shorter, thicker fingers, a man's hand.

Trembling, she pulled the medallion from her pocket. "What have you..." The voice she heard wasn't her own. It was a masculine tenor that seemed to be getting even deeper as she spoke. The realization that she was changing was the final shock. She fell to the floor in a faint. Her hand still held the medallion, which now lay atop a jacket that was becoming a much better fit.

* * * * *

The radio alarm clock went off at 7:20. Julio reached out for Serafina. Nothing. He opened his eyes and sat up. Was it a dream? No, he could see the impression her head had left on the pillow and the way she had thrown the blanket aside to climb out the other side of the bed.

He slid around and stood up. His bathrobe was on the floor where he had thrown it. So were his boxers and the work shirt Serafina had worn. Her panties were a few feet away from the rest. He grabbed the robe and put it on, smiling as her remembered what they had done after supper. There was no sign of Serafina herself there in the bedroom.

He glanced out into the main room; still no sign of her. He gently opened the bathroom door. "Serafina?" There was no reply, and he didn't see her when he looked in.

'Where is she?" he thought. He took a second, much better look in the main room. A foot was visible on the floor by the table. It seemed like the person was lying down, but the table and chairs blocked the view.

"Are you hiding from me," he said as he walked towards the table. There was still time for some special fun before they had to leave for the Lassiter house, even counting the time for him to change back. As he reached the table, he got a clear look.

A very male Edward Lassiter, naked except for his jacket, lay seemingly unconscious on the floor.

He was holding the Medallion in his left hand.

"Serafina," Julio screamed. He grabbed a paper cup and filled it with water. Then he knelt down and splashed some in the unconscious man's face.

Edward moaned, and his eyes fluttered opened. "Oh, man, what happened to me?"

"Serafina, you... how is it that you can speak English?"

"Of course, I can... wait!" Edward put a hand to his forehead. "I don't speak English." He said the words in perfect English with only a very slight trace of an accent. "I... I am speaking English. I... the Medallion." He looked down at his body and screamed. "No, no, I cannot be a man." He began to pull himself to his feet.

"You can, mi Paloma," Julio said wryly in much more heavily accented English. "The evidence is... well, it is obvious." He pointed down at Edward's manhood which was almost pointing back up at him.

Edward looked down. Somehow, the sight of his new male member gave him a sense of confidence. "I-I suppose I am." Being a man -- for just a while -- might not be such a bad thing after all.

"Here, drink this and tell me what happened."

Edward took the cup and swallowed some water. He sounded calmer than Julio would have expected. "I came in the kitchen to make some breakfast. It was cold, so I put on the jacket. I saw the Medallion in the sink. I was afraid that it might get lost, so I put it on." He paused and took another sip. "I must have set off the magic because I began to change. Then, I got scared and fainted... just like a silly woman."

"Like a woman? Mi Paloma, you _are_ a woman."

"Not right now," he said. It was interesting being a man, and it was even beginning to feel natural.

"Si, and that is a problem. It will be hours before we can change you back. How can there be two Edward Lassiters?"

"Perhaps... perhaps you should stay Julio for a while."

"Hmmm, perhaps. I will think about this." He sat down at the table.

"I'll think about it, too."

"You have other things to think about... our breakfast for instance."

Edward stiffened. Just because Julio had been Serafina's husband, it didn't give the peasant the right to order _him_ around. "Just a minute. I'd like to go put on some more clothes. It's cold in just this jacket.

"All right, but hurry back. I am hungry." He watched Edward walk into the bedroom. It was hardly the same as watching the sway of Serafina's ass as she walked. 'Now how can I sneak her into the place when she looks like Edward?' He thought.

Julio tried a few ideas, but none seemed likely to work. Could he teach her enough to be believed as Edward Lassiter?

Edward came out of the bedroom wearing a clean pair of boxers and the work shirt Serafina had worn the day before. He carried something behind his back in left hand. He stopped next to the table. "Julio, you're so concerned about the Medallion, why don't you take it?" He leaned over and put the chain of the Medallion around his neck.

Before Julio could say anything, Edward yelled, "think fast." He waited until Julio looked up then dropped something onto the Medallion. It stayed there for a moment; then fell free.

Julio caught it without thinking. As he did, he felt an odd tingle run through his body. Slowly, knowing what he would see, he looked down at what he had caught, Serafina's panties. "Do you know what have you done!"

"I've solved your problem, Julio. You must have had a way to get me... to get Edward and Serafina into the Lassiter's house. You couldn't use it with two Edwards, could you? Well, now you have -- or you will have Edward and Serafina.

"But..." Julio could feel himself growing smaller. The fabric of the now oversized robe tickled his hairless, more sensitive skin. "Que... what have you done this to me?" His voice was higher now, and his accent was getting stronger. Was he going to lose his English?

"Because _I_ wanted to. You had not right to order me around... _Serafina_." Edward could see her breasts expanding, pushing out the front of her robe. One nipple was even peeking out at him. He wondered what it would be like to play with it. He was getting hard... down there, and he was enjoying the feeling of it. A small voice in the back of his mind began to whisper about the wonderful possibilities of having sex as a man.

The transformation was almost complete. Julio -- no, Serafina. 'Keep it straight,' his mind told him. '_You_ are Edward, and _she_ is Serafina.'

The new woman adjusted her robe and retied it, ignoring the vaguely pleasant feel of the rough cloth against her nipples. She couldn't quite ignore the sight of Sera... of Edward's erection tenting his boxers. Somehow, it made her feel a tingle in her breasts. It was a soft, warm feeling that seemed to spread down to her crotch.

"We had better get dressed," she said, trying to get her mind off the messages her new body was sending.

Edward bowed and made a gesture towards the bedroom. "After you, my dear."

Serafina walked towards the bedroom door. She could hear Edward a few steps behind her. As she got to the door, she looked back at him. One glance at his face, and she knew that being in the bedroom with him, even worse, taking off her robes while he was there, would not be a good idea.

She slipped inside the room and quickly locked it behind her. Then she took off the Medallion and tossed it and the panties onto the bed.

"What..." She heard him through the door. "Serafina, what are you doing? Why did you lock the door?"

"I... I wanted privacy when I get dressed." It was the truth.

"Privacy? Why you little... What makes you think that you even know how to dress as a woman?" His voice was louder now and even more arrogant. He pounded on the door twice to emphasize his words.

"Maybe not, but I have got plenty of time to learn." She stepped away from the door and slipped out of the robe. Serafina's bra was on the floor near her foot. She picked it up and, without thinking put it on. As she caught the clasp behind her, she realized what she'd done. "Madre de Dios." She said, crossing herself.

She picked up Sera... _her_ panties. She stepped into them and pulled them up around her waist, marveling at the feel of the cool cotton against her skin. It was so different, especially the sensation of the panty lying flat against her woman's crotch. She reached inside the panty and ran a finger against her new labia, shivering at how good it felt. She wanted to explore further, but her mind told her that it was wrong. 'I am a man,' she thought as if trying to convince herself of the idea.

She reluctantly pulled her hand out and looked around for her dress. She found it and quickly stepped into it. She pulled it up onto her body and reached behind to button it. It didn't surprise her that she had no more trouble with the dress than with the bra.

Her sandals were under the dress. She wasn't sure that she could walk in shoes with a heel, even the low heel that these had. She stepped into them and took a step. She expected to fall, but she didn't. She walked as naturally in them as Julio had ever walked in a pair of man's shoes. She did notice that she walked with a more feminine stride, her hips swiveling as she walked.

Something seemed to be missing. She wondered for a moment before she realized that she was looking for her purse. Her purse? How much had that Medallion changed her? She sighed. The purse was in the main room. "I have to go out sometime," she said, reaching for the knob.

Edward was waiting by the door. He smiled -- no, leered. "You look very beautiful, my dear. Perhaps we could go back in there." He let the suggestion hang in the air.

Serafina shook her head. "I do not think so." Her accent was heavy, but she still had English.

"Maybe later?" He said hopefully. "You'll be that way till early this evening, you know."

Serafina thought about how feminine she had already begun to act. She shook her head, maybe a little too quickly. "I do not think so." Better to change the subject. "I will make breakfast, and we will go to the Lassiters. There is work to be done before Corinne comes back this evening."

* * * * *

"A penny for your thoughts, Inez." Corinne said. They were in the limo Corinne had hired for the trip to L.A. The privacy window was up. The limo driver couldn't hear a word either of them said.

Inez sat at the far edge of the seat from Corinne. She was staring out the window, silently watching the scenery speed by as they headed home. "Is... is nothing, señora."

"Oh, you must be thinking of something." She pursed her chin. "I know! I'll bet you're all excited about your big date with Matt tomorrow."

Inez shuddered. "I... am I really going to have to... to... please, señora, do not make me do that."

"Why, of course, you're going out with Matt. Why do you think I..." She stopped as a thought occurred to her.

"Señora, is something wrong? Have you maybe changed your mind, no?"

"My mind is made up," she said firmly. "I just happened to think that after we... fix your breasts--"

"Please, I-I do not want such enormous breasts as you would give me. I... I will go out with Matt. Just do not change me any more."

Corinne began to enjoy Inez's protests. "As I was saying, after we _fix_ your breasts, you won't be able to fit into that uniform of yours anymore." She giggled. "You'll be much too... top heavy. You'll need some blouses, too, I expect, but we can manage on that score." She leaned forward and pressed the intercom button.

"Yes, Ms. Lassiter," the driver said.

"Pritchart, take the exit when we get to Wind Gap." She looked at her watch. "It should be almost 2 PM by then. We can all have some lunch. And then I want to do a little shopping. Estelle Snyder told me about a shop there that sells the sweetest old-fashioned uniforms; all of them hand-sewn in... Mexico, I think she said." She looked at Inez, imagining how her former husband would look with the 40-DD breasts the Medallion would be giving him. "Inez here is going to be needing some new uniforms _very_ soon."

* * * * *

After they had breakfast, Edward grudgingly did the dishes. "Even being a man doesn't get me out of doing house work," he said with a small smile.

Then, Serafina spent well over two hours coaching Edward on the details of his life. "Now, this is Corinne," she said at one point, pulling a picture from Edward's wallet.

Edward took the picture, a photo of a very attractive redhead in a rather skimpy emerald bikini. Edward studied the photo. 'Not bad,' he thought. 'Not bad at all.' He had expected to be jealous. This was the woman who had been sleeping with her... with his husband. A part of him was, but he also felt a heat in his loins. He wondered what it would be like to sleep with her.

He looked over at Serafina, who was watching him closely, and wondered again what it would be like to sleep with _her_. 'Either is possible,' he thought, delighted at his prospects.

Serafina felt a pang of jealousy as he studied the picture. It puzzled her. Was it because he might want to sleep with Corinne, the woman _she_ had been sleeping with and whom she might sleep with again once she was a man again? Or because -- Madre de Dios, please, no -- because _she_ wanted to sleep with him.

* * * * *

Serafina described the people that they were likely to see: the groundskeepers that had been hired after Julio "disappeared," neighbors, other servants who might be in the house.

"You know what Inez looks like."

"Of course, from what you told me, she's the twin of my cousin in Guatemala." He smiled. picturing his cousin. Inez was shorter than Serafina and had a more slender figure, but she was still a damned pretty woman. He felt himself get hard again. Damn, didn't that man-thing of his ever get tired?

"All right, the last of the servants is the cook, Odetta. She is a negra... a Black woman, short and stocky, about 50, I think."

"Fine... fine... Odetta. I'll remember her; I'll remember them all." He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. "Can we go now?"

"I suppose we will have to. Madre de Dios, can you drive the Lassiter's car?"

"I drove a truck back... home." He frowned. The village in Guatemala didn't quite seem like home now. "Of course I can drive my car."

"Then let us go. Already it is after 1." She looked at the clock. "At this time of day, it will take us close to an hour to get to the house."

"Then I'll certainly be meeting Odetta when we get there. I'll have her prepare a late lunch for us.

"There is a Mexican restaurant about halfway to the house from here. The food is muy delicioso, even if it is not quite what we ate back home. Could we not have lunch there?" She was hungry. She was also still nervous and needed some more time to steel herself for what might happen at the house.

Edward bowed. "Delighted to, my dear." He bowed low and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed it gently.

"What are you doing?" Serafina quickly pulled her hand away. It wasn't right for him to kiss her like that. Besides, the tingling sensation she felt when he had kissed her was dangerously pleasant.

"Let us go, then." She picked up her purse. It was heavier with the weight of the Medallion in it. Whatever happened, _she_ was going to be the one holding the damned thing.

* * * * *

"Not so fast," Serafina all but screamed. "Madre de Dios, not so fast."

"You've been complaining about my driving the whole way here." It was presumptuous of her.

"You have been driving like a loco -- turn here." She pointed to a small driveway opening off to the right. Edward took the turn on two wheels. The car grounded and sped the two blocks up the hill to the house. "I... you usually park there in the garage, over there not too far from the door." She didn't want to point in case anyone was looking.

"Then that's where I'll park." Edward skidded into the usual parking place. "The car handles like a dream," he said, as he turned off the engine. As he did, an automatic switch shut the garage door behind them.

"And you drive like a nightmare." She couldn't wait to change back. It would be a long time before he... she drove a car again; at least, while she... he was a passenger in it.

Edward stepped out of the car and walked around to help her out. He opened the door and offered his hand. As he did, he glanced down. The bumpy, high-speed ride had caused her dress to hike up, exposing her legs well up on her thighs.

She saw him looking down. She frowned and pulled at her dress. "Did you get a good view, señor?" she asked as she stepped out.

"Why, yes, I did," he smiled. "Thank you."

They walked through a door in a corner of the garage and stepped into the foyer just inside the front door of the house. Edward stopped for a moment just to stare. This was all his as far as the world knew. "Amazing," he said, smiling very broadly.

"Stop staring," Serafina warned in a whisper. "Edward Lassiter _knows_ what his house looks like."

"Mr. Lassiter." Edward and Serafina both turned. The speaker was a Black woman wearing a dark blue dress covered with a broad white apron.

Edward took a chance. "Odetta, I... ah... I didn't hear you come in."

"Seems like you walked in on me." She looked critically at Serafina. "The both of you did."

"Yes. This... this is Serafina. She... ah... she may be joining the staff. I'm showing her around the house just now."

"Will she be staying for dinner?" Odetta had no doubt just _what_ Edward and the pretty young woman would be doing until dinner.

"Yes, I expect she will." He stopped, as a nasty thought occurred to him. "Is... is Mrs. Lassiter here?"

Odetta smiled. She was right; Mr. Edward was planning to do "the nasty" with this little chica. "No, sir. She still down in L.A. as far as I know. I don't espect her home till tomorrow maybe."

"All right, then," Edward said. "I'll tell you what. I don't know how long we'll be... working upstairs. Why don't you just throw together something that can keep warm, and we'll serve ourselves when we come down."

"Umm hmmm," Odetta said. "There'll be roast beef, gravy, and potatoes waiting in the dining room. Is that okay?"

Edward looked quickly at Serafina who nodded her head.

She was surprised at how well Edward was doing; impressed, too. It felt oddly comforting to have him taking care of her like that, even if having dinner set out like that had been her idea.

"Sounds perfect," Edward said. "After you put out the food, you can just head home. We'll put the dishes in the dish washer for you."

"Thank you, sir," Odetta said. Lassiter must be thinking with his johnson; he usually wasn't this considerate. She wasn't about to argue with the prospect of getting home to her own family hours earlier than usual. Besides, if she sliced the roast for them, she could take some it home with her.

She just hoped he didn't get caught. Mrs. Lassiter was as nasty as she was pretty, and she was one of the prettiest women Odetta had ever seen. She shrugged and headed back to her kitchen.

* * * * *

"You handled Odetta very well," Serafina said, as they walked up the stairs.

"Thank you," Edward said. "I just did as you suggested."

They reached the top. Serafina started down the hall to the right. "The master bedroom is down this way."

Edward let her get a half-step ahead of him. The sight of her body swaying excited him. If she would just cooperate, they could have a very pleasant time waiting till the Medallion would work on them again.

Serafina could almost feel Edward's eyes on her body as she walked. She wasn't sure how good an idea this was, but the master bedroom was the room in the house where they were least likely to be disturbed. They could watch TV and wait until the twelve hours was over, and the Medallion would work on them again.

Edward stepped around her as they reached the door. "After you, mi Paloma," he said, opening it wide.

She ignored the leer he gave her and walked in. "Let's put the Medallion where it's safe."

She walked over to Corinne's make-up table, while Edward looked at the room. "This bedroom is bigger than your house," he said.

Serafina nodded, as she put the Medallion in the drawer. She straightened up and walked over to the bed, picking up the TV remote. She pointed it at a large screen built into a wall. "We get over cien... a hundred channels on la televisión; almost fifty more are movie channels." She sat on the bed and motioned for him to sit on a nearby chair. "What shall we watch?"

He sat down, but it was on the bed next to her. "I don't know, but I'm sure that the view -- of the screen, I mean -- will be better from here." He gently took the remote from her. "Let's just see what's on."

Edward turned the set on and began to surf through the channels. "News... no; business report... definitely no; cartoons... worse." He stopped at one channel, but it turned out to be a soap opera. The third -- no, the fourth movie channel was showing a very pretty blonde unbuttoning her dress. All she wore under it was a thong panty. The woman turned and a dark-haired man, naked to the waist, took her in his arms. Edward felt a tightness in his pants. He smiled, savoring the feeling. "This looks interesting."

Serafina could hear the suggestion -- the _leer_ -- in his voice. She was tempted; she had to admit it to herself. The part of her that was still Julio was attracted to the blonde. The rest of her was... intrigued. The man was now kissing the woman, even as he fondled her breast. Serafina's own breasts began to tingle, and she wondered... "N-no, that is...is _not_ what we will watch," she said as firmly as she could.

Edward chuckled and hit the remote again. ESPN2 was just two clicks down. They were showing an international football match, the Honduran national team against an Italian team. Julio had been on his village team from the time he was old enough to play on it until he left for the States. He'd gotten his tattoo when the team went to play in the regional championships. Serafina had been the co-captain of her school's varsity team. They both leaned back against the headboard to watch.

It was a good game. The lead went back and forth three times. Late in the second half, the Italian team managed to score twice. It was in the lead now and looked to be the winner.

All through the game, Edward had taken advantage of the excitement. He brushed against Serafina when he moved, sometimes quickly touching her breast or thigh. When she raised a hand to root on a player, he took her hand to root with her. And he moved closer to her on the bed, so that their hips touched.

Now a Honduran player rushed the ball downcourt. An Italian tackled him, but in his haste, he kicked the Honduran. The fouled player made a successful free kick, and the game was tied.

Serafina shook her hands in excitement as she cheered the Hondurans. "Calm yourself," Edward said, putting his arm around her waist. "The game isn't over yet." Serafina stopped yelling. Edward took his hand away, but not before he had gently squeezed her thigh.

Both teams pressed hard. The ball stayed down near the Honduran goal. Edward and Serafina strained to see what would happen. Edward was holding her hand again. She noticed, but she told herself that she was too interested in the game to pull away. A part of her liked the feeling of his holding her hand.

The goalie made three amazing saves. He kicked the ball far downfield with the last one. One of the Hondurans captured it. The team made a rush for the Italian goal, passing the ball between them as they ran. Edward and Serafina leaned forward, and Edward put his arm back around Serafina's waist.

Serafina's eyes glanced down towards his arm. It felt... natural for it to be there. She went back to watching the game without saying anything.

A Honduran player feinted right and kicked the ball high and to the left. A teammate stopped it with his chest. When it fell, he kicked it directly past the goalie's head and into the net. Score! The crowd went wild.

"We won!" Serafina yelled. Edward waved his arms and yelled the cheer from his old school team. They embraced, almost without thinking and kissed.

"This... this is wrong," Serafina said, breaking the kiss. She didn't sound very sure of what she was saying.

"Says who?" Edward kissed her again. Hard. He was determined now, and he knew Serafina's body intimately -- it had been his own, after all, until this morning. He started kissing her neck, gently taking love nips between kisses. At the same time, one hand reached down and began to knead her breast.

Serafina's arms lifted. She pushed at Edward's chest for a bit, trying to push him away. Then her arms lifted further and wrapped themselves around his neck. She shifted her body and began to kiss him.

Edward's hands quickly went behind her back. He unbuttoned her dress down to her waist. Then one hand reached in and began working on the clasp on her bra. When it opened, he gently pushed the straps of her dress down off her shoulders.

Serafina smiled shyly as she reached back to take off her bra. She knew what was happening. The Julio part of her was screaming not to do it, but she felt so good, so filled with pleasure and excitement and curiosity. And pleasure.

Yes, yes, she was really a man, but the man making love to her was really a woman, and her wife besides.

She tossed the bra away and began to unbutton Edward's shirt. She almost pulled it off him. Her hands reached out and touched him, running her fingers over his muscled back. She felt her breasts flatten against his chest. His hair tickled her nipples as they rubbed against it.

"The touching like this is fun," Edward said, "but there's much more we can try... mi paloma." He stood up and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. He guided her dress down past her hips. "This is my best dress, and I don't want it ruined." He chuckled at the way that sounded as he said it. Then his eyes grew wide as it fell to the floor.

"You are so beautiful," he said. It was true. This was his old body, but it seemed as if he was seeing for the first time. The curve of the bosom, the wide hips, they... excited him as they never had before. 'You are a man, now,' he thought. 'This is how a _man_ feels when he looks at a woman, a woman that he _wants_. A woman that he _will_ have sex with.'

Serafina stepped out of the dress. She left it on the floor, as she posed, one hand on her hip, in just her panties and sandals. The male voice in the back of her mind was getting softer and softer. It felt right to be doing this, even if she knew that it shouldn't.

Edward grinned in anticipation. 'Imagine Julio... no, this wasn't Julio. This was a woman, a beautiful woman, whom he loved very much. _His_ woman.' The thought surprised him, even as he realized that it was true.

Edward's hands tore at his pants. His fumbling hands undid his belt and opened the clasp. He pulled at his pants, taking his boxers down with them. They bunched at his knees.

Serafina giggled at the sight of Edward almost falling as he pushed his pants lower. He tried to step out of the mess. One leg came out; the other caught the trouser leg, pulling it inside out. Edward cursed and threw the pants against a wall. He stood there, his face red, wearing only his socks. His erection pointed almost straight up, or so it seemed to him. It was almost purple and felt like it weighed 20 pounds.

Edward remembered an old joke about a king whose erection could lift an anvil. How did the punchline go? Oh, yes: "Children cheered; women swooned, and the band played... 'God Save the Queen'."

Serafina lay down on the bed. She raised a hip and slid her panty down past her hips, past her knees. She bent one knee and lifted her leg out of the panty. It just hung there on her other ankle until she kicked it off with a quick jerk of the leg. "I think we are ready for more than touching," she said.

"For _much_ more," Edward said. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge just long enough to pull off his socks. He lay next to her and put his arms around her, pulling her close. They kissed.

Serafina ran her tongue across Edward's lips in invitation. She opened her own mouth slightly, as his tongue followed hers. As they kissed, they pulled each other close, and their hands caressed each other's bodies.

Edward broke the kiss. He nuzzled and kissed Serafina's throat before moving on to her breast. He suckled at her breast, even as his fingers played with her other nipple. Serafina moaned with pleasure, as Edward knew she would. He switched breasts and began to suck again.

His free hand moved downward, his fingernail tracing a line on her skin. He played at her navel for a moment, making her shudder -- and giggle -- at the sensation of it. He continued down, then, until he reached her pubic region.

He kneaded it, and she shivered. Her hips began to match his actions. He ran his nail across his nether lips, then, suddenly, pushed a finger inside. She shivered again, and gasped in surprise. She was loose and wet and very ready.

Edward shifted on the bed, so that he was between her legs. He took his member in one hand and pressed it against the slit between her legs.

Serafina was breathing hard. She knew what she was feeling down there. Was she ready to do something so... _female_? "Yes!" She almost hissed the word. She braced herself as she felt him slide into her.

Edward lay atop her. She felt him moving in and out. It seemed like a great engine filling her with an incredible sexual energy. Waves of pleasure radiated out from her groin to every part of her body. Even her hair seemed to be tingling.

As Edward pumped he was kissing her, nipping at her breasts. Suddenly, he stopped in mid-stroke. His eyes narrowed as he screamed out. Serafina felt a rush of liquid flood into her womb. The sensation set off her own orgasm. She shuddered and bucked and clawed at the bedspread with her fingers.

* * * * *

"Mmm," Corinne said, sniffing at the air as she walked in the front door. "Smells like Odetta was expecting us, Inez. Go tell her we're hone, and she should be ready to serve dinner in..." She looked at her watch. "... about 15 minutes."

"Si, señora," Inez said. She pit down the packages she was carrying and hurried off towards the kitchen.

She came back almost at once. "Odetta is not here, señora. The food is in the warmers. She leave this note, too." She handed Corinne a scrap of paper.

"Mr. Lassiter," Corinne read aloud. "'_Mr._ Lassiter', that means he's around here someplace. Mr. Lassiter, supper is in these chafing dishes. I put up coffee in case you didn't want wine. There's dessert, ice cream cake, in the freezer. Hope you and your friend enjoy it. See you tomorrow, Odetta."

Corinne's eyebrows narrowed. "'Friend'? What sort of... he wouldn't _dare_!" She ran for the stairs. Not knowing what else to do, Inez grabbed for the packages and hurried after her.

Corinne took the stairs two at a time, muttering under her breath. "He'd damned well better not have... _nobody_ pulls something like that on Corrine DePeau Lassiter... after all I've done for that little greaser..." She ran down the hall, then stopped at the door to the master bedroom. She took a breath and threw the door opened.

Edward and Serafina were asleep. They were naked; Serafina's head rested on Edward's chest.

"Why that dirty..." Corinne said in a still breathless whisper. "How would he like it if I..." A though occurred to her. That Medallion was supposed to be able to swap bodies. It might be... interesting to be a man, especially with Edward in _her_ body. Not to mention that little slut in bed with him; she looked like she'd be lots of fun. And Inez... yes, doing him... her would be really sweet. Maybe she'd even do Odetta after the Medallion knocked a few pounds and a few years off her.

Corinne smiled and tiptoed over to the dressing table where she'd left the Medallion. She pulled out the drawer a little too quickly. Bottles and jars clinked together. Something even fell on the floor with a thud. "Damn!" she said loudly.

The couple in her bed woke up. "Corinne," Serafina said, sitting up.

Edward rubbed his eyes. "Mrs. Lassiter."

Corinne grabbed the Medallion and put it on. "Yes, you Spic bastard. How dare you bring another woman to _my_ house... to _my_ bed? Let's see how you like it when _you're_ the woman." She took a step towards the bed, holding the Medallion in one hand.

"No!" Serafina said. "You will not hurt her." She launched herself from the bed and grabbed for the Medallion.

"No!" Corinne screamed as the tingle went through her. "This can't happen to me. Not to _me_!" She sank to her knees in defeat even as her hair began to lengthen and grow darker. "I'm... I'm Corinne Lassiter!"

"Not for the next twelve hours, you are not," Serafina said triumphantly. Her hair was shorter now, with reddish streaks. Her coppery skin was lightening to Corinne's peaches and cream. Serafina grabbed a couple of Edward's ties from the rack in the closet and used them to bind Corinne's wrists behind her back. She put a third one in her mouth as a gag.

"That'll hold her for now," Edward said, as he stood up. "But what do we do after that, when she can use the Medallion to change back?"

Inez only been a few steps behind Corinne, and she had watched most of what happened from the doorway. The magic made her obedient to Corinne and Edward, but they were at odds now. Corinne wasn't even Corinne anymore -- not that the other woman was... yet. For the first time since her own transformation, Inez felt almost free to speak her mind.

"May _I_ make a suggestion?" she asked softly. Edward nodded, curious. Inez took the new maid's uniform, that Corinne had just bought, out of its package. Being careful not to touch either the Medallion or its chain, she tied the uniform's sleeves around Corinne's neck and twisted it around, so that the uniform itself hung down the front. It covered -- it lay directly on -- the Medallion. "That should make her muy... much easier to deal with."

Corinne's eyes grew wide with fear. She shook her head "No," and tried to speak, though only garbled sounds came through the improvised gag.

"I like it," Edward said, feeling much relieved. "Inez, why don't you join us downstairs for dinner. We'll just leave Cori... excuse me, _Serafina_. We'll just leave her up here to... think about the error of her ways."

Inez smiled. "Thank you, señor, but I would suggest that you and... Corinne..." She pointed to the woman who had been Serafina. "... might want to dress before you go downstairs.

* * * * *

They came back to the bedroom about an hour later. Serafina was still tied up. She lay on the floor, exhausted from trying to get free. Or, at least, to separate the Medallion and the uniform. Nothing had worked.

Edward and Inez helped Serafina to her feet. Corinne, dressed in only a bathrobe and panties sat on the bed and watched. "Nothing like a taste of your own medicine, is there?" Edward asked.

Serafina's eye widened in horror. She shook her head and tried to speak.

"Not so easy, is it?" Corinne asked.

"She will do better without the gag," Inez said. She reached up and untied the gag. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, _chica_?"

"Inglés!" The woman screamed. "Yo no entenda inglés!" She put her head in her hands and began to cry.

"She can't understand English anymore," Corinne said. "Oh, this _is_ rich."

"I will take her back to her room in the servants' wing," Inez said, switching to Spanish. She will need a good night's sleep before she starts cleaning the house tomorrow."

She took Serafina by the arm. The newly transformed woman offered no resistance and let herself be led away, still sobbing softly.

"Good night... buenas noches, Serafina," Edward and Corinne said, almost in unison.

Instinctively, Serafina curtsied and bowed her head. "Buenas noches, señor... señora." When she realized what she had just done and said, she began to cry loudly again and tried to run from the room.

Inez still held her arm. Tightly, so she couldn't run. "Do not be ashamed, little one. There is no shame in showing respect for your... superiors."

* * * * *

Matt Dietrick smiled broadly when he saw who was opening the front door. "Good morning, Inez. Are Edward and Corinne up and about yet?"

"S-si, Señor Dietrick. They are having breakfast on the patio." She frowned, clearly unhappy to see him.

"Fine, I'll just head out there." He picked up his briefcase and started walking through the foyer. Inez fell in next to him. Edward turned his head and looked her over as they walked. "I see that you're in your uniform. I thought you had today off."

Inez's relatively plain, blue-black uniform and sensible shoes were a contrast to the off-white Izod shirt and light brown Dockers Matt wore.

"I have some things that I must do first, señor. I will be changing muy pronto... very soon."

"Good, because we have a date today, you and I, remember?"

"Oh, I remember, señor. I remember." She had an odd sort of look in her eyes.

"Now, don't be angry, Inez. I know that you didn't like the idea when Corinne first suggested it, but I promise you that we'll have all sorts of fun." He put his arm around her waist, as if to show the sort of fun he had in mind.

"_Please_, señor. I am working now." She took a step ahead of him. He stayed behind as they walked on, watching the sway of her hips. She stopped at a sliding screen door that lead back outside. "Señor Dietrick," She announced.

"Have him come out, Inez," Edward called. "You come out, too."

"I'm right here, Edward." Matt slid the door open and walked out onto the patio. "Good morning."

Edward and Corinne were seated at a white, wrought iron table, just finishing breakfast. They were both in fluffy, blue robes that were wrapped tightly enough that Matt couldn't tell what, if anything, they had on underneath. A maid that Matt had never seen before was pouring Corinne a cup of coffee.

Matt studied the new maid for a moment. She was tall, with high cheekbones, coppery skin, and straight black hair. A Latina with a lot of Indian blood, he guessed. She wore a uniform that looked like something out of the 30s, high collar, hem far down below her knee. There was even a small, starched white apron. Still, the uniform could hardly hide the lush curves underneath: pillowy breasts, narrow waist, and wide, childbearing hips.

He wasn't about to blow off the date with Inez, but this woman was definitely going onto his "To Do" list.

Edward looked up from his coffee and saw Matt's obvious... interest. He frowned for a moment. 'You'd think I insulted him,' Matt thought.

"Before you try anything with Serafina here, you'd better brush up on your Spanish. She doesn't speak a word of English."

"Hey, I speak pretty good Spanish," Matt said. He looked at... Serafina again. She seemed to be trying to understand what was being said. She also seemed to be very unhappy about something.

Corinne took a sip of coffee. Then, in Spanish much better than Matt thought she had, she said, "Serafina, take the dishes and all, everything but the coffee back to the kitchen. Oh, and stay out there and help Odetta." Serafina hesitated. "_Ahora_... _now_!" Corinne added firmly.

Si, S-señora," Serafina said meekly. She curtsied and began to load the remains of the breakfast onto a serving cart. Her hands trembled slightly as she worked. As soon as she finished, she curtsied again and wheeled it around towards the kitchen.

"Can I offer you some coffee?" Edward asked, lifting the pot.

Matt sat down, putting his briefcase near him on the table. "Please. Black with two sugar." He opened the case and took out a manila folder. "Here's the papers. You just sign this, _Edward_, and Inez and I will be on our way." He put the folder on the table halfway between himself and Edward.

Edward looked at the folder. He opened it and lifted out three stapled sets of papers. "These papers give you control of the company, right?"

"Just like Corinne and I discussed; in fact, you'll both have to sign it. You stay on as a figurehead. You get the same share of the money, but _I_ make all the decisions."

"Maybe we should have somebody else look at it first," Corinne said. "Just to make sure that we're not being cheated."

Matt's eyebrows narrowed. "I thought we trusted each other. What's going on here anyway?"

"Just being careful," Edward said with a broad smile. "Inez, why don't you sit down here next to Matt. After all, considering who you were originally, I think that this involves you as much as any of us."

Inez nodded and took the chair next to Matt. She smiled at him, almost as if she had some secret, and began to unbutton her uniform's blouse.

Matt watched her for a moment, happily noticing that she wasn't wearing a bra. She did have some kind of necklace on under her blouse, though. 'I'll be sure to get a good look at it later,' he thought.

He turned and looked Edward straight in the eye. "What the hell are you two trying to pull? Do you think you -- Ow!" He felt an odd jolt, like a big spark, against his bare arm.

He looked to see what had happened. Inez was holding his arm back against the chair in a way that gave him very little leverage to move it away. In her other hand, she was holding something, a part of the necklace that was still wore, against his arm.

His eyes went wide a heartbeat later, when he recognized what it was. "The Medallion! No!"

Matt struggled, but it was hard to pull free. Edward walked around and grabbed his wrist, being careful, of course, not to touch the Medallion or Inez.

Matt finally threw himself off the chair and onto the ground. The chair fell over behind him. He put out his arms to help him stand. His hands were smaller, with longer, slimmer fingers. His arms seemed thinner, too, and not as strong. His skin was darkening, and the hair on his arms was vanishing even as he looked.

Edward put the chair back on its legs. "Let me help you up," he said, as he reached down and lifted a smaller Matt back onto the chair. Corinne handed Edward some rope. Edward looped it two or three times around Matt's waist and the chair, then tied it off behind the chair and out of Matt's reach.

"You wanted to go as soon as I changed," Inez said. Her voice was deeper now, and it seemed to have less of an accent. "I don't think that this was the change you had in mind." She took the blouse from her uniform and draped it around Matt's neck. "I'm not sure if this part will work. We'll see when I get back." She turned and hurried into the house.

"Corinne," Matt moaned. "We had a deal. You... you cannot do this thing to me." His voice was higher now, and _he_ was the one with the accent. He groaned and looked down at his body.

He was slimmer now. Shorter, too, judging from the way his slacks were pooling at his ankles. His shoes felt impossibly loose. He felt a tightness in his chest, and as he looked, he saw two round shapes growing out beneath it.

Matt was disgusted at the thought of having breasts. Then he remembered what else he was going to have. His pants felt tight against his hip and ass. His ass... it felt like it was getting bigger.

The ropes kept his hands from reaching into his pants. He could feel a "sparky" sensation in his groin. It was kind of like the way your arms feels after it's gone to sleep and now the circulation is starting to flow back into it. The feeling seemed to be fading away. When it was gone, he knew that his maleness was gone with it.

Matt shook his... no, her head. She felt her longer hair move against her neck. "Why did you do this to me... Julio... Corinne?" It took Matt a moment of mental struggle to call them by their first names.

"I'm not the Corinne you made a deal with," Corinne said. "_That_ Corinne is in the kitchen now helping Odetta."

"Serafina?" Matt said. "Señora, Corinne is Serafina?"

"She sure is," a familiar voice said from behind Matt. "Just like you're Inez."

Matt strained to see. She saw... she saw her old body standing next to Edward wearing an identical blue robe.

The man smiled and walked around so that Matt could get a better view. "And just like _I'm_ Matt Dietrick."

"No, no!" It was too much for Matt's, now Inez', new female emotions. She lowered her head and began to sob softly.

Corinne came around and untied her. "I think that we need to get you and Matt into the proper clothes." She stood Inez up and guided her into the house.

The new Matt picked up the papers and looked through them briefly. "He... she..." He laughed. "I guess it's _I_ did a good job. These papers do just what he said. Ed Lassiter more or less retires to the job of Board Chair with a fancy title and no responsibilities. Matt Dietrick will be CEO, running things however he wants to run them."

"And this is what you want?" Edward said.

"DO you think you can run the company, cousin Edward?"

Edward shook his head no. "I don't think so. I was raised to be a wife and mother. I'm finding a lot of new things that I can do." He paused and looked down at his male body, especially down _there_, and remembered the pleasures he had shared with the new Corinne. "But I don't think that I've got the interest or the talent to run your company."

"And I do," Matt said. "I'm a workaholic; I always was. But now, thanks to Corinne -- _my_ Corrine -- I'm a younger and wiser man. I can do 24/7 for Lassiter and still have myself a real life."

"Then I'll sign the papers," Edward said. "My husband came here to be a servant of the rich, idle Americans, and now she and I get to _be_ rich, idle Americans." He took a pen from a pocket of the robe and signed all three copies. Thanks to the magic, the signature was exactly as Edward Lassiter's signature had always been.

"I'll sign, too," Corinne said from the doorway. She walked out, followed by Inez, the new Inez, now dressed in her maid's uniform and walking an obedient step behind her.

"I would like to swap bodies with Edward, though," Corinne said. "After all, I was the husband originally."

"Edward and I talked about that last night," Matt said. "She thought that she wanted to be a man for a little while, just to see what it was like, and for you to be the woman."

"What?" Corinne said, looking up from signing the papers. "For how long?"

"A few days," Edward said with a laugh. "My... time of the month is due in three or four days. Maybe you will be more sympathetic about it, if _you_ suffer through it once." She paused. "Besides, what you did to this man was wrong. A short punishment is only fair."

Corinne put the papers back in the folder and handed it to Matt. "Somehow, I don't think that I have a choice in this." She sighed. "Very well, but not more than ten days."

"Agreed," Matt said. "I'll bring the Medallion back a week from Saturday. I'll even take you two out to dinner after you've changed as a sort of 'Welcome Back to Your Own Gender' party, okay?"

"Why do you have to take the Medallion?" Corinne said suspiciously.

"Because I think I may still have a bit of an accent to get rid of, and because you don't leave a key around a jail where the prisoners can find it -- and I'm thinking of Serafina and Inez, not either of you."

He _was_ thinking of them, of course, and they all knew it, but Edward and Corinne appreciated his tact in denying the fact.

"Well..." Matt said, "since I don't think that I'll be spending the day with your charming maid, I think I'm going to head back to the office and turn these papers over to our lawyers."

"Your clothes are all in the living room," Corinne said. "You can chan... put them on in there."

"Fine," Matt said. "I'll see you both a week Saturday." He put the papers in the briefcase and walked away.

Corinne sat in a chair and sighed. "A week, no ten more days like this, and a period, no less."

Edward pulled a chair around and sat next to her. "It is only fair." He put a hand on her arm and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "And I am sure that we can find ways to make the time pass pleasurably.

* * * * *

Matt was very happy to discover that his new identity included a lime green BMW. He sped along listening to CDs -- the old Matt had shared his love of late 60s rock -- it was one of the few things that they had in common. Life was wonderful, and he was enjoying the ride as he hadn't in... it seemed like years. He decided to take the day off after all. The papers would wait until tomorrow.

He stopped for lunch at a small winery with an on-site restaurant. He only sampled the wine, since he was driving, but he ordered several bottles to take back to Matt's... to his condo.

While he was finishing the meal, an old, dark gray van pulled up next to him in the parking lot. Two men, dressed in black slacks and shirts, hopped out from the back. They opened Matt's car and then the trunk with professional skill, not leaving a mark.

The Medallion was in the briefcase, wrapped in a towel. One of the men quickly unwrapped the Medallion and put it in a red and green silk bag. The other contents of the briefcase were dumped on the floor of the trunk, along with the towel. A toolbox, worth about $75, was also taken. It looked like just an ordinary robbery.

The Medallion, safe in the silken bag and guarded by members of the Brotherhood of Zulo, was over twenty miles away by the time Matt left the restaurant.

Matt discovered his loss that night. He spent over an hour searching the trunk of the car before he called Edward and Corinne. He was amazed at the amount of Spanish profanity he learned during the course of that phone call.

Edward and Corinne fretted and fumed about what had happened to them for several weeks. By then, they had a new problem. Neither of them had given any thought to "protection". Corinne was pregnant.

After Edward Lassiter, Jr. was born, his parents had their home landscaped, and a formal garden and a small, artificial lake put in. One of the workers was attracted by the Lassiter's shy, old-fashioned maid. They were married for over a year, when Serafina became pregnant with her first child. She still worked as the Lassiter's maid once the baby was old enough. The same was true after her three other children were born. Corinne and Edward are godparents to all four of the children.

Inez saved her money as best she could for several years. The Lassiters had to pay her. Matt even used a few connections to arrange green cards and all the proper documents for Inez and Serafina. Inez quit to open her own home cleaning service. She has thirty people working for her now, and she's dating one of her customers, a Latino contractor.

Matt expanded the business, enjoying the challenge of working hands on again. He met and married a lady lawyer two years ago. They're expecting their first child in June.

The whereabouts of the Medallion -- and the Brotherhood -- are unknown.

  

  

  

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