Temporary Woman

by Vicki Richardson

 

WEEK 1

My stomach was a little queasy as I pulled into the parking lot; it was the same feeling that I got every time I was about to start a new temp job. Not knowing anyone at this company, having to prove myself and my abilities to everyone, being thought of as "less" than a regular employee – those were the typical feelings I had at the start of the job and they didn't bother me much. Today was different, and the reason for my upset tummy was different as well.

My name is C. Robert Lindstrom nine months out of the year – Robert to my friends. I teach Business at a local high school and live a normal "guy's" life during the school year. But today I was starting this job as Christie. I am a crossdresser.

But during the summer, I am Christie (a takeoff on my given first name of Christopher). I've been dressing as a woman for close to 10 years now. I first did it for a Halloween party, and had fooled a lot of people into thinking I was a girl. At first, I was fascinated by the texture of the clothes, the scent of the perfume and makeup, and the way that people had reacted and related to me as a woman. Over the years since, I had dressed more, learned about crossdressing and transvestism, expanded my female wardrobe, and perfected my feminine ego.

One could say that I was fated to this. I was 5 feet, 7 inches tall at 16 (and hadn't grown any since) and thanks to a rigorous diet and exercise regimen, I still have a very trim shape and (I have to admit) long shapely legs. I've got a thin face with somewhat soft features, crystal blue eyes, and thick blond hair that all lend themselves to my transformation into an attractive woman. During the school year, I dress up about once a month, and go to the local TV club or to a movie as Christie.

I keep my secret out of the school. Even on Halloween, I don't dress as a woman, even in a campy, totally non-serious vein. I don't want to risk losing the teaching position I enjoy very much.

But when summer rolled around, Robert was packed away for the summer and Christie emerged, free to enjoy her life as a woman. And she was now about to start her first job of the summer.

I swung my stocking clad legs out of the car and let my feet, shod in navy blue pumps with 2 ½ inch heels, rest on the asphalt. I got out of the car and locked the door, and took a moment to look at my reflection in the car window. My makeup was tasteful and attractive, and I pushed back an errant hair with my maroon tipped fingers. Satisfied that everything was in place, I headed towards the main entrance.

I was thrilled by the rhythmic tapping of my heels striking the pavement as I walked towards the main entrance. My legs, smooth and hairless, were clad in a pair of sheer, nude pantyhose. My navy pleated skirt came to just above my knees and swung gently as my hips shifted as I strode towards the entrance. My short sleeved, pale yellow blouse clung to my slender torso with the full breasts. My blond hair blew in the slight wind, and I could taste my lipstick as I daintily wet my lips. My right hand had a firm grip on my navy blue purse, while my left hand reached out to pull open the door. I took a moment to get my bearings and then made my way to the receptionist.

"Hello, I'm Christie Lindstrom. I'm here to see Debra Watkins."

She nodded and told me to have a seat as she placed a phone call. My heels tapped on the tile floor as I went to one of the chairs and sat down and crossed my legs and waited, hands in my lap. It took just a few moments.

"Christie? Hi there, I'm Debra". We shook hands and I followed her down the hall to her office. We went inside and as she sat in the leather chair behind her desk, I swept my skirt under my legs and sat down across from her.

"Well Christie, it is nice to meet you. You were highly recommended by Richardson Staffing, and although this is not the greatest assignment, we do need your help. We have a lot of client and vendor files that need to be reviewed, organized, put into a database, and filed. We need this done in the next 6 weeks, and since the regular staff was busy with their normal job functions, we have brought you and one other person in to help us with the project."

"Vicki over at Richardson provided us with your background – you are majoring in business at the state university, and have worked on a number of assignments for their clients during your school breaks. She says your knowledge of database software and organization skills are top notch. That's what we need here."

My mind drifted back for a moment and thought about Vicki Richardson, President of Richardson Staffing. I had met her right after I had started teaching at the high school. She gave me some valuable insights into what skills employers were looking for in prospective hires. This enabled to gear my classes towards that, and in fact, some of my students had found work through Vicki's firm.

Vicki and I had dated some, and in the course of a romantic evening, she had found out about Christie. At first shocked and surprised, she listened to me explain my feelings and why I did this. After a few weeks separation, Vicki came back and asked to meet Christie, which I anxiously allowed. We had a good long talk together, and eventually reached a solid understanding of my needs and desires about Christie.

Vicki was very good in critiquing Christie and providing advice, and it was she who first suggested that Christie go on a temporary assignment. She had confidence in my ability to be a woman and was sure that I would not embarrass her or her firm. We came up with the story of me attending college and armed with that, I was now sitting across from Debra, responding to her comment.

"Vicki is very kind in her praise. I am sure that that my skills and abilities will prove to be what is needed for this project. When do we get started?"

Debra replied, "Actually, why don't we go to the conference room where you will be working over the next six weeks. You will be able to meet the other person we've brought in for this job." She stood up and I followed her down the hall to the conference room. Debra opened the door and introduced me to my co-worker,

"Christie Lindstrom, this is Matt Jenkins. You two will be responsible for this project. Matt, this is Christie."

Matt Jenkins! Of all the luck! I had taught him in my first year at the High School, when he was a senior and on the school basketball team. He was 6' 4" and about 210 pounds in high school and didn't seem like he had changed all that much. I knew he had gone on to the local community college but I had really lost track of him. I hope he didn't recognize me.

I said "Hello Matt" as I extended my arm to shake hands with him. We shook hands and he rumbled out a "Hello" in response, a slight smile on his face. There was no hint of recognition on his face.

Debra stayed with us for an hour, explaining what we were to do, what data in the files needed to be saved and what could be discarded, and how the database was to be used. The work did not appear to be too difficult. All through her overview, I stole sideways glances at Matt to see if he recognized me, but there was no indication that he did.

Debra ended her overview. "Are there any questions? Okay then let's get you started."

Boxes were piled high along the walls and on a number of tables. A computer and printer were set up on one table. They wanted all this reviewed in 6 weeks? It seemed like an impossible task!! Matt and I looked at each other and just shook our heads in wonderment.

Debra pulled out one of the files to walk Matt and me through it. It was pretty self-explanatory once we understood what to look for. She then showed us the database program they had developed and what data was required to be input. In all, it seemed fairly straightforward work, but was rather onerous in terms of volume.

"Any questions?" No words came forth from Matt or me in response to Debra's query. "Okay then, why don't you get started? Here's my extension if you need anything; I'll be back later today to check on your progress."

Debra left the conference room, leaving Matt and I to get started. "Matt, how do you think we should divide the work?"

His brow furrowed for a minute as he looked at the boxes along the wall. "How about this? Why don't we each take a box and begin looking through the files and winnow the unnecessary data? We'll do that until lunchtime, and then after lunch, one of us can start the input while the other keeps reviewing the files."

"Matt, that sounds pretty good – that way the person doing the input won't have to pause to review the files. Let's get started."

We both took one of the boxes and started reviewing files. There was a lot of excess paper in them, and slowly but surely our trashcans were filling up. We made good headway through the first box of folders. Occasionally, Matt and I checked with each other as to what a document was and whether we needed to retain it. Anything we weren't sure about we placed aside to follow up with Debra.

Throughout this process, I stole an occasional glance at Matt. There seemed to be no recognition in is eyes, and he appeared to be focused on the task at hand. It looked like my secret was safe.

We made steady progress through lunch and our eyes and bodies were aching as we decided to take a break. We walked down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I steeled myself for the questions from him that I knew were inevitable.

"So Christie, where do you go to school?"

"I attend State. I'm in my third year."

"Really? I am transferring there next fall from the junior college I'm attending. What are you majoring in?"

"I'm an Accounting major. I'm in the middle of the upper division classes now."

"I'll be majoring in Business myself. What are the classes like? Who are the good profs to take?"

Our lunchtime conversation continued like that, as Matt made a lot of inquiries about State, the classes, and what professors to avoid. There was no recognition in his eyes, voice or questions to indicate that he knew who I was. I began to relax and enjoy his company, and answered the questions as best I could, based on my college experience years ago.

Our lunch break flew by and we went back to the work. We spent a few more hours reviewing the files and soon had a good pile of data for input.

"Okay, do you want to do the input Matt?"

"You go ahead Christie – I'll keep looking through the files and feeding you more data. That okay?"

"That's fine by me." I powered up the PC and pulled up the database program. After a few minutes, I had settled into a nice rhythm as I began inputting the data. Keying with my long fingernails was a little awkward at first, but I reveled in their maroon color as they flashed over the keyboard!

Matt and I were making good progress, and about 4 PM, Debra came in the conference room.

"So, how's it going?"

I responded to her query. "So far so good, Debra. We've decided to spend all morning and part of the afternoon reviewing the files and doing the winnowing, and in the afternoon one of us will do the input. We think that will make the input go faster as we won't be going back and forth between file reviews and input. We also have some questions on a few specific items."

"Okay, that sounds good. We'll go over the questions in a minute. But what I'd like the two of you to do over the next few days is really track how much you get through every day. We need to ensure that we get this project completed over the next six weeks, and we need to evaluate our resource requirements."

Matt and I both nodded and worked with Debra on the specific questions. We had plowed through a fair amount of the files today, and she was impressed with our progress today. After the questions were answered, Matt and I spent another 30 minutes or so straightening up, wrapping up a few loose ends, and preparing for tomorrow's work.

Matt and I left our conference room and walked to the main lobby, my heels tapping on the tile floor and my skirt swirling slightly as my hips shifted as I walked. I bid Matt a pleasant good evening and got in my car and headed for home.

As I pulled into the garage, I realized that I was exhausted!! As I entered the house and kicked off my pumps (and my feet and calves breathed a sigh of relief for that!), I began wondering why I was so tired. It must have been the combination of the work that I was doing plus the fact that I was immersed into Christie so intently and thoroughly coupled with the fact that I was stressed out about Matt discovering who I really was. Those three things had taken their toll on me.

I decided to re-energize myself with some exercise. I went into the bedroom and removed my skirt, blouse, slip, pantyhose, and bra. I changed into a sports bra, t-shirt, and a pair of running shorts, and after stretching, I went for a run through the neighborhood. As the perspiration emerged from my pores, I could feel the tension dissipate from my body. I felt better as I progressed through my three mile trek. I walked an extra couple of blocks to cool down, and then headed inside for a nice hot shower.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful – I had some dinner, opened the mail, read a little bit, and eventually headed to bed in my pale blue babydoll nightgown for a deep, fitful sleep.

Tuesday and Wednesday were repeats of Monday. Matt and I made good progress in reviewing and winnowing the files, and we switched off days for doing the input. We went to lunch together both days and talked about college and our studies, as well as our past. I just embellished on Robert's past by substituting Christie's name where appropriate.

Thursday came and started off much like the rest of the week. At the end of the day, Debra came in to discuss our progress and evaluate the resource.

"Well, Matt, Christie, what do you think? Can this be done within the next five weeks?"

Matt and I exchanged glances. I nodded at Matt, and let him answer.

"Debra, Christie and I have looked at what we need to do and the way we do it. Given the number of files to look at and the average amount of time needed, there is no way the two of us can finish the job in 5 weeks by working a standard 8 hour day. We have looked at our process, and have come up with the following analysis.

There is minimal data that is input, so that can't be done any faster. We could cut down on the file review time by making more blanket assumptions about their contents, but we could miss something and inadvertently destroy it."

Debra interrupted. "We can't do that – the files must be carefully reviewed."

I spoke up. "Given that, we think the only way to meet the deadline is to increase the amount of time used to review the files – either by bringing in another person to help or by having Matt and I work 10 hour days, 5 days a week. Either one should be adequate to get the job done."

Debra nodded her head. "That is what I thought you might say. As we've met this week, I've seen that you've made good progress on the review – it's just that there are too many of them to go through. I told my boss we needed three people for this job, but he overruled me and went with two."

Matt handed Debra a spreadsheet. "Here's a summary I put together, showing the number of files reviewed, time spent doing that, average per file, etc, as well as a projection of hours needed to complete the job. It should help you make your case."

"Thanks Matt – that is perfect! I will present this to my boss tomorrow and get him to buy into the facts. What do you think – should we bring in another body or just have you two work overtime?"

I fielded that question. "Debra, either one would work, but Matt and I lean towards working the overtime. We both know the process of what we are doing, and are equally adept at doing the data input. The tricky thing is identifying what data in the files is important and what isn't, and we have gotten over that hurdle. Bringing someone new in means we would have to slow down and teach them – it would impede our progress.

And lastly, and perhaps a bit selfishly, we both could use the overtime money." I said that with a slight smile on my red lips.

Debra laughed out loud! "That is about the most honest reason I have ever heard anyone give. I will go with having you two work OT for the rest of the project. I will let you know tomorrow what the decision is. Thanks for all your hard work so far, and keep it up, no matter what happens!"

Debra left us, and Matt and I began packing up for the night.

"Christie, do you think we will get the OT?"

"I don't know Matt – OT is more expensive per hour, but adding 8 hours from an extra person is more expensive than the 6 hours of OT they would be billed. I think there is a good chance we will get it."

Matt nodded his assent and we left for the evening. My first week as Christie here was almost over.

Mid-afternoon Friday came and Debra popped in.

"Good news. The boss finally bought into your proposal. We won't be bringing in anyone else – you two will finish the job up for us by working 10 hours a day. Your wish came true!"

Matt and I glanced at each other and smiled and nodded. We certainly would be busy for the next 5 weeks. Looking around the conference room, I had a moment of doubt as if we had taken on too much!

WEEK 2

The next week flew by as Matt and I dug plowed our way through enormous quantity of documents in all the boxes. Slowly but surely, you could see that a dent was being made in the pyramid of boxes. The database file was being filled as thousands and thousands of bytes had been added. Each day, Matt and I had lunch together; getting away from the room was a big help. We even began going outside for an afternoon break just to take in some fresh air and clear our minds.

During lunch and break, Matt and I did a lot of talking. We started out by talking about State and college in general, but we could only discuss that for so long. Soon we were talking about movies, books, how we spent our spare time. Matt even reveled in his glory days back in high school on the basketball team. His eyes really lit up as he talked about the team and its accomplishments.

WEEK 3

On Thursday morning of our third week on the assignment, I had just stepped out of my car as Matt was pulling in. I stood there, wearing a red, knee-length dress and matching pumps, waiting for him to get out. I bid him good morning as he exited his car, and we headed into the building.

"Uh, Christie, I was wondering something." Matt's voice tapered off a little.

I turned and looked at him. "Yes, Matt, what is it?"

"Well, I know this is kind of late notice, but I just scored some tickets to this Saturday's baseball game and I was wondering if you would like to go

"Sure Matt, that would be great. I would love to go with you." The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about it – I had just accepted a date with Matt for this Saturday night!!

"That's great Christie. I am sure we will have a good time – it looks like a good matchup."

My mind was occupied as we went into the building and to our conference room – I was going on a date, with one of my former male students!!! It took quite an effort for me to pull out of my reverie and focus on the task at had. I dove into work and began reviewing files with an abandon.

During break, my mind wandered to the baseball game, and I tried to talk my self out of going out. But every time I came up with a reason not to go, I came up with reasons to go. The thoughts that I am a man and I like women, were overwhelmed by the ideas that I enjoy baseball, even more so live than on TV; that I am an attractive woman, and why wouldn't Matt be attracted to me; and Matt is a great guy, and I enjoyed spending time with him. Why shouldn't I go out with him?

With that settled in my mind, I was able to focus more easily on the work ahead of me, and I flew through the work. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that Matt had to touch my shoulder to let me know that it was time for lunch.

"Oh sorry. I was just focused on what I was doing there." I got up and grabbed my purse and we headed for the lunch room. We got our meals and sat down.

"So Matt, who is pitching Saturday?"

"Calvert is going against Lyman. They both have good records and good earned run averages, so it should be a good pitchers' duel. And both teams are hitting the stink out of the ball lately, so who knows what will happen."

"That sounds great; I haven't been to a game in a long time. It was so nice of you to ask me".

"You're welcome, Christie. I just happened to get the tickets, and since we have been working so hard and so long, I figured that we both could use something fun to help us relax. We're only halfway through the project, so I thought this would be good."

"Well, I am really looking forward to it. What time is the game?"

"It starts at 7, so I figured I could pick you up at about 5:30 or so. That way we could get there about half hour before the game starts, get to our seats, grab a dog to eat, and be there before the opening pitch. That is, if you want to eat at the park. If you don't, we can get something to eat someplace else beforehand."

"No no, that is fine. Eating at the ball park is great – it isn't really a baseball game if you don't have a hot dog at the park. It will be great. And the time is fine. Here is my address – I will see you at 5:30 PM on Saturday."

The rest of Thursday flew by as we approached the halfway mark on the files to be reviewed. It didn't seem that we had made a lot of progress, but the number of boxes had diminished, and we could definitely see the dent that was made. I said good night to Matt and drove out of the parking lot, our date on Saturday definitely on my mind.

I picked up the mail and checked the answering machine when I got home. I tossed the junk mail, filed the stuff that mattered, and deleted three messages from telemarketers. I went upstairs and slipped off my heels. I unzipped my dress and hung it up in the closet and removed my slip, pantyhose, and bra. I changed into a sports bra, t-shirt, and a pair of running shorts, and after stretching, I went for a run, just as I had all through out the project. As I made my way through the neighborhood, the sweat poured from my pores in the summer heat. My mind reflected back on the events of the day and wondered what Saturday would be like. A number of ideas and questions ran through my mind as I completed my run.

I walked a few blocks to cool down, and then went inside for a nice shower to refresh myself again. Afterwards, I had a nice salad for dinner and looked around the house. I wanted to be sure that evidence of Robert was not visible in the house for Matt to see. I put a few things away and then spent the evening relaxing, thinking about the date, and what this meant to me.

Friday came and went with no major differences from any day of the past three work weeks. Well, there was one change – as we left for the evening, Matt said "Pick you up tomorrow at 5:30." That was definitely different. That phrase played over and over in my mind all the way home until I went to sleep that night.

I awoke later than usual on Saturday. I slipped on my leotard and aerobic shoes, and went into the garage. I started up the VCR and went through a one hour Tai Bo workout, my slender, lithe body stretching and moving in a fast rhythm as I went through the tapes paces. Soon, the sweat poured from my pores and my body worked out the tension that had built over the past week, especially as I took into account tonight's date.

After a quick shower, I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon taking care of things around the house, dealing with my bills, cleaning up, and just taking it easy. Throughout this activity, I kept thinking about tonight's events, and slowly but surely liking the idea more and more.

Finally 4 PM rolled around and it was time to get ready. I jumped in the shower again, and made sure that my legs, arms, and body were smooth and hairless. I shampooed and conditioned my thick blond hair as well. I turned off the faucet and began toweling off, wrapping my hair in a towel turban as I went the bedroom to get ready.

I sat at my vanity and applied my makeup. The foundation was applied over my smooth skin, followed by a light dusting of powder. A little rouge highlighted my cheekbones as I was going for a very natural look. I quickly applied some brown eyeshadow to my lids, spreading and blending it expertly. The mascara wand then worked its magic, making my lashes just a bit fuller and more luxurious than they were.

I removed the towel from my hair and dried it quickly, using the blow drier and brush to dry and style my long, full, pageboy cut. The blonde hair famed my face quire nicely.

Time to get dressed. I pulled a pair of white cotton panties from my dresser and stepped into them, pulling them up over my legs, and resting them nicely on my waist, hips, and butt. I slipped the white bra over my arms and shoulders, hooking it to give me the right support.

I unfolded the yellow, scoop necked, short-sleeved t-shirt and pulled it over my head, being careful not to muss my hair or makeup in the process. From another drawer I pulled out my denim shorts. I pulled them up my legs and buttoned the waist, zipping them and tightening them across my shapely rear end. I slipped my feet into my little white sneakers.

Jewelry. A watch and bracelet, small hoop earrings, and a simple necklace finished my outfit. I made sure that my purse had everything in it I would need for the evening. I picked up my sunglasses and headed to the living room, stopping to pick up my purse from the table in the entry way.

The final touch. I picked up my lipstick and applied the rich pink color, then blotted them with a tissue. I checked my appearance in the mirror and was satisfied with my look – an attractive, college coed ready for a fun evening at a baseball game with a handsome young man.

At 5:35, Matt's car pulled up, and I waved to him as I shut and locked the front door. He hopped out of the car, and opened my door. I got in the car and settled for the drive to the ballpark.

"Matt, thanks again for inviting to the game. This is going to be great!!"

"You're welcome, Christie. It should be a great game."

"I am sure of it. But one promise – no talk about work!"

Matt threw his head back and laughed. "Sure Christie – that is a promise. If I say anything, you get to smack me, okay?"

I laughed and nodded in agreement. For the rest of the drive, we talked about the game, music, sports, and movies. Soon, we were in pulling into the parking lot at the stadium. Matt opened my door and offered me his hand as I exited the car. I placed my pink tipped fingers in his hand and exited the car. We had parked pretty close to the ballpark entrance – these must be pretty good seats!

We entered the stadium and made our way to our seats. We stopped at a concession stand and picked up hot dog and soda before we headed to our seats. And what seats they were – about 10 rows up from the field, halfway between third base and the left field foul pole!! We had a great view of the field and the action.

And what a game – a pitcher's duel to start, Calvert and Lyman were unhittable for the first few innings, but eventually the batters chipped away at them. A few foul balls came our way, but they were just out of Matt's reach. By the sixth inning, the visitor's were ahead 2-1 in a very tight and exciting game. On a few occasions, when the action was tight and things were tense, I found that my hands were on Matt's forearm, my fingernails digging into his skin as the tension mounted.

The seventh inning stretch came, and we stood to sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". The organ played the opening bars, and Matt slipped his arm around my shoulders. Without thinking, my arm went around his waist, and we swayed side to side with the enthusiastic crowd, singing the traditional song. We were even one of the couples whose images were flashed on the jumbo screen.

The bottom of the ninth came and we were still behind 2-1. The opposing pitcher got the first two outs easily, and then gave up a double to the third batter. Our best hitter came to the plate and the crowd got to its feet and began screaming. It was a classic pitcher/batter duel, and the count was full. The pitcher released the ball, the batter swung and connected, and drove it all the way over the center field fence for a game winning home run!! Matt and I jumped up and down and cheered with the rest of the crowd as our team eked out a tough 3-2 victory. In the frenzy of the moment, Matt and I were exchanging high fives with all the fans around us.

We left with the rest of the crowd and made our way to the parking lot; Matt held onto my hand to make sure that we didn't get separated. I almost had to run to keep up with him, but it was comforting to know that I was holding his hand. We got to the car, and joined the mass of vehicles making their way from the lot to the freeway. After a nice evening drive, Matt pulled up in front of my house. He got out and opened my door, helping me from the car, and walked me to my door.

"I had a wonderful time at the game tonight, Matt. They were great seats and a great game. It was so nice of you to do this."

"You're welcome Christie. I am glad you had a good time." It almost looked like he was blushing!!

"I had a great time, Matt. Thank you again. Good night."

I stepped forward and stood on my tip toes, placed my hands on his shoulders, and gave him a quick hug. I smiled at him and then went into my front door, my mind reeling in the events of the evening. It took a while for me to get ready for bed, which gave me enough time to wind down from the events of the day before I fell asleep. Sunday was a day of relaxation and preparation for another week at work.

WEEK 4

Monday came and I went to work again – a white sheath dress and pumps the attire for the day. I managed to beat Matt into the office and was hard at work when he arrived.

"Morning Matt"

"Hi Christie"

"I just wanted to thank you again for taking me to the ballgame – I had a wonderful time."

"You're welcome, Christie. I had a great time too."

I gave him a smile and we both set to work. We were slightly less than halfway finished, which was attributable to the fact that we weren't working overtime that first week. Matt and I were confident that we would be finished within the next three weeks.

Lunch time came, and Matt and I ate together in the lunchroom as usual. We talked about the game, the performances on the field, and laughed how Matt had spilled his beer on his pants in his efforts to catch foul ball. He turned quite red at that memory!!

We plowed our way through the files for the rest of Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. The overtime hours were long, but we did all right – switching off between reviewing files, preparing input, doing the input, and verifying it. Every day it seemed like we wouldn't finish in the 2 plus weeks we had left, but every day we knew we were making headway.

Thursday came and we went to lunch at a burger place around the corner. I was kind of casual that day (for me at least) – green blouse, black slacks, black pumps. We were on the patio, eating our burgers and sharing some fries when Matt got distracted – he just started staring off into space.

I watched him for a few seconds, and couldn't understand what was happening. So I had to ask. "Matt, is something the matter?"

Matt shook his head to bring himself out of his reverie. He grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry Christie. I just happened to glance up and see the movie theater marquee across the way there. A new movie is opening there tomorrow – the new James Bond ™ movie. I can't remember seeing any ads for it - I guess we've been working so much that I forgot it was coming out."

I laughed at that statement. "You are right Matt – once you said that I realized it was true! We have been working a lot. And I do remember seeing the previews for that film this past spring – it looked really really good!!"

"We should go see it Christie – Saturday evening. It'll be fun!"

His enthusiasm was infectious. "Sure Matt, that will be great. And we can get something to eat before hand."

I did it again – another date with Matt. Not that that was a bad thing. But it was something that the logical side of me might not have done. But Christie was operating on an automatic, almost subconscious level. And all in all, that was good.

We finished our lunch and walked back to the office – this midday walk helped energize us for the afternoon's work load. We made good progress towards getting through another 100 files – good production for an afternoon.

Friday was kind of like every other day – work, input, validate. It was almost routine to us. The only thing that was different was that on Friday, we had an end of day status meeting with Debra Watkins, our contact and boss.

As was her style, Debra got straight to the point. "Okay, tell me how are doing."

I fielded that question by handing over a spreadsheet. "As you can see Debra, we are at the end of week 4 of this 6 week project - 2/3 of the way through in time. And our analysis shows that we've gone through a shade over 70% of the files. And that 70% are those files that have been reviewed, double checked, input and the input has been validated. There is probably another 1% or so of the files that are ready to be input."

"That is great Christie!! You and Matt have been really hustling. So it looks like you will be done on time?"

Matt handled that one. "Yes Debra. At this pace, we should be finished by the middle of week 6. That will even give us time to run the reports, validate that data, and make sure everything is captured correctly."

Debra just nodded her head. "That is great – my boss will be really happy with this status. You two have been a godsend. I hope we haven't been working you too hard."

"Well Debra, the hours have been long and we've worked a lot. But Matt and I have a good system set up, and we get along pretty well, so it works out okay."

"That is good – very good." Debra glanced at her watch. "It is about 6 now – I think it is time for all of us to get out of here. Shoooo!!"

Matt and I laughed as Debra left the conference room we were using. We packed up the files and made sure everything was taken care of before we headed out. We had turned the corner towards the exit and saw Debra just ahead of us. She opened the door for us as we exited the building. We all were walking towards the parking lot and were saying our goodbyes when Matt said "See you tomorrow Christie."

Debra heard that and said with a conspiratorial tone to her voice, "Oh, and what are you two doing tomorrow?"

The question surprised me and I must have blushed at it. "Debra, Matt and I are going to dinner tomorrow and then see the new James Bond ™ movie tomorrow night."

Surprise appeared on Debra's face. "Is that movie out already? I must have been working so much I haven't realized it."

"Debra, Christie and I said the same thing!!" Matt said.

Debra laughed and told us to give her a review on Monday. We said we would and headed to our cars.

I awoke Saturday and went through my normal routine – exercise, followed by a quick shower. Then I puttered around the house and did the things I needed to do. I even went and made a quick run to the grocery store, getting the few things I needed for the upcoming week.

Eventually it was time to get ready for my date. I hopped in the shower, got all clean with my lilac scented body wash, shampooed and conditioned my hair, and made sure there were no unwarranted hairs on my body. I toweled off and went to the bedroom to get dressed.

I sat at my vanity and applied my makeup. Foundation, powder, rouge, eye shadow, and mascara found their way to the appropriate layers with the right level of contrast and application. I dried and styled my hair, making sure the blonde hair was just so before I got dressed.

I pulled a pair of beige nylon panties from my dresser and stepped into them. The matching bra was slipped on and fastened, giving me the support I needed. I reached into my closet and pulled the light blue summer dress out. I stepped into it and pulled it on, buttoning it from the waist to just above my cleavage, giving me a nice vee there. The dress was clingy, hugging my curves; the sleeveless dress exposed my slender, lithe arms. It came to just above my knees, and I smiled with approval at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked at the floor of my closet to find my shoes – there they were. I slipped on the platform mules with the 3 inch heels. I slid my toes under the straps over my instep and made sure everything was in place. I checked my reflection in the mirror - very very good.

Some basic jewelry, my sunglasses and my purse and was almost ready to go. I stopped to apply the rich maroon lipstick and blotted my lips with a tissue. I checked my appearance one final time in the mirror and was satisfied with my look.

Matt knocked at the door and I smiled to him when I saw him. I locked my door, and we walked to the car. As he did last week, Matt opened my door. I got in the car and settled for the drive to the restaurant.

We pulled into a popular diner type place for dinner – a lot of fun, good music playing, good food, and good prices. We were seated and had a delightful meal. We talked a lot about the previous Bond movies – Matt's knowledge of the plots, gadgets, and girls was encyclopedic!!!

Matt paid for dinner and we headed to the theater. I paid for the tickets, over Matt's protestations, saying it was the least I could do since he bought dinner. We entered the theater and managed to score some seats near the back and in the center.

As the lights dimmed and the movie started, Matt was on my right, his arm on the arm rest. The movie started and the action was non-stop – car chases, gun battles, the gadgets, the jokes were absolutely perfect.

I don't know when it happened (the way the movie unfolded, it must have been in the bit right before the opening credits), but I grabbed Matt's hand at a particularly tense moment. I startled him – he jumped a bit in his seat!!! I glanced at him and said "Sorry." "No problem" was his reply, and for the rest of the movie, my hand stayed on his. At some points, our fingers intertwined and tightened as the tension mounted, other times my hand just rested gently on his. The final sexual innuendo was made and the lights came up as the movie ended.

I turned to Matt. "Excellent. Terrific. That was great."

Matt agreed. "Absolutely. The car chases, jokes, gadgets, everything."

We continued talking about the movie, walking hand in hand as we exited the theater. Before I knew it, we were at the car, and Matt was driving me home. All the way home we talked about the movie, reliving the scenes, comparing it to past films in the series, discussing and clarifying plot points.

Matt pulled into my driveway and opened my door. He offered me his large hand to help me out, and I put my dainty hand (with the long painted fingernails) in his. We again held hands as we walked to my door.

I got there and retrieved my key from my purse. I unlocked my door and turned to Matt. He was standing there quietly.

"Good night Matt." I stepped forward and placed my right hand on his shoulder. I stood on my tiptoes and pulled slightly on his shoulder. My lips reached up and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. My heels returned to earth as Matt smiled at me.

"Good night Christie."

I smiled at him as I entered my house.

WEEK 5

A new week was starting, leaving only two more to go in this project. Matt and I arrived at the office and began working. We hardly ever talked about what we were doing – we were so in tune with each other on this project that things just automatically happened. As Matt and I reviewed the files, we talked about the movie we saw on Saturday, reliving the most memorable scenes.

At about 10 AM, Debra stopped in for a few minutes. "Hey guys, how goes it? I just wanted to tell you that I just spoke with Carl Somerset, my boss, and he is impressed with the progress you have made. Because this start of the last two weeks, we will want to have updates from you on Wednesday and Friday of this week, and at least twice in the last week. Will that be a problem?"

"No Debra that should be fine. Christie and I have a report set up to run and give us counts of data that has been input. We will just run it before our meeting Wednesday afternoon."

"Great! That should work just fine. I'll let you get back into it. But tell me, how was the movie?"

We both laughed and I said, "It was great Debra – a lot of action, great humor, and great stunts!! It was one of the best in the series!"

"I agree with Christie, Debra – it was very good. All I can hope is that I can get the circulation back in my hand." Matt glanced and winked at me as he said this.

"What's that?" Debra asked.

I must have been blushing as I told her "It seems that I grabbed onto Matt's hand with a little bit too much force at one of the more exciting junctures of the movie."

Debra just laughed at that. "That must have been quite a scene to elicit that reaction."

"It was pretty intense Debra, but it just goes to show how different people react to different things."

"Although", Matt said, "it seems that Christie's reaction to tense situations is to dig her fingernails into my skin, just as she did at the baseball game last weekend!"

Oops!! I had forgotten about that.

Debra looked at the both of us. "It seems like you two are getting along very well. That is good – it will help keep the work flowing. And I know we, I mean I, haven't been by here to visit with you all that much. I guess I better get back to my office and do the things I need to do. Talk to you two later." She left the conference room and after a brief smile and shaking of our heads, Matt and I got back to work.

Monday flew by pretty quickly – the mid-week update meeting was on our minds, and we both made a concerted effort to get ahead of the curve. By the time 6:30 rolled around and we called it a day, I was drained. I drove home, almost in a stupor.

I changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and prepared a light salad for dinner. As I ate, I took a look at the Community Events section of Sunday's paper. I always liked to know what was going on in and around town. As I paged through the paper, there it was – a free jazz concert put on by the Parks Department. The concert started at 8 PM on Saturday. It was perfect. I could pack a picnic dinner for us and then we could enjoy the concert.

I broached the subject with Matt at lunch on Tuesday.

"Matt, I was wondering. Do you like jazz music?"

"Well, I've never really listened to it, so I couldn't really say." He paused a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, there is a free jazz concert at Municipal Park this Saturday evening, and I thought it would be fun if we went. I could make a picnic dinner for us and then we could listen to the concert."

"That sounds great Christie. I would really like to go with you."

"Then it's a date. I'll pick you up at 6:00, and we will head to the park from there."

And so there I was – my third date with Matt. Butterflies flitted in my stomach the rest of the week whenever I thought about it. But it didn't interfere with the task at hand – Matt and I continued to make progress towards the files. Our Wednesday afternoon update with Debra was very positive – when we should have been a shade over 75% done, we were actually at 82% - 10% ahead of schedule. We should have room to spare in the last week.

Our update on Friday was equally reassuring - By the end of that 5^th week, we were on track to finish ahead of schedule.

We left work on Friday night, and I stopped at the supermarket to pick up the food for tomorrow's picnic supper. I got home and changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top and got busy preparing the fried chicken for tomorrow night's main course. I cleaned up around the house as I finished the cooking, and put everything in the fridge for the evening.

I awoke Saturday and did my Pilates workout and then took a short run around the neighborhood. The tension in my body from the past week and the anticipation of tonight's date dissipated as a result of this physical exertion.

After a quick shower, I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon taking care of things around the house, dealing with my bills, cleaning up, and just taking it easy. I also ran tonight through my mind dozens of times to be sure that I had everything we needed.

It was time to get ready, so I hopped in the shower once again. I made sure that my skin was smooth and hair free. After drying off, I headed to the bedroom to get ready. Makeup was applied – foundation, powder, rouge, eye shadow, mascara and lipstick. I dried my hair and styled it into my normal pageboy cut.

I pulled a pair of white cotton panties from my dresser and stepped into them, pulling them up over my legs, and resting them nicely on my waist, hips, and butt. I slipped the white bra over my arms and shoulders, hooking it to give me the right support.

I went to my closet and took the white, sleeveless, button down blouse from its hangar, and pulled it up over my arms. I buttoned it up and reached into the closet and got my long denim skirt. The loose skirt reached just below my knees, and the buttons up the front gave it a bit of a slit. I stepped into the skirt and pulled it up, settling it properly at my waist. I stepped into a pair of sandals and went over to my dresser.

I got my watch and bracelet, and slipped them on. I put the earrings in the proper holes, and placed a simple necklace around my neck. I spritzed on a little perfume, and gathered up my purse and sunglasses and headed to the kitchen.

I had already retrieved my picnic basket and small cooler from the garage earlier in the day and had them in the house. The picnic basket was packed with silverware, glasses, napkins, a tablecloth, and some citronella candles (to keep the bugs away). It rested on top of the blanket Matt and I would be sitting on.

I opened the cooler and got the ice packs from the freezer. I retrieved the containers of fried chicken, coleslaw, and fruit salad from the fridge, as well as a couple of bottles of soda and water. I packed the cooler, making sure everything fit nice and snug and was covered with ice to stay cool. I took the cooler, basket and blanket and put them in my car and left to pick up Matt.

I drove across town and pulled up in front of Matt's house. I was just getting out when he began walking towards the car – looking nicely casual in a pair of khaki shorts and a red polo shirt. He got in, buckled up, and we headed to the park. We talked about the concert, jazz music in general, and music.

We were lucky to get a decent parking space, and Matt carried the cooler and picnic basket as we made our way to the concert venue. The park was not too full as we made our way forward, so we were able to get a seat very close to the stage that was in the shade of a large tree so it wouldn't be too warm during dinner, and it wouldn't be too cool during the concert.

As we stopped, I took the blanket and spread it on the ground. Matt placed the basket and cooler down, and we both sat down and set everything up. The tablecloth was spread out, the plates and cups laid out, the napkins and silverware laid out. I popped open the cooler and brought out the containers of our dinner. I prepared plates for Matt and myself, and we sat back and began to eat.

"What was that Matt?" He mumbled something to me, but his mouth was full of chicken, so I didn't understand a word he said.

Matt washed down what he was eating with a swig of water. "I am sorry Christie. This dinner is delicious! This chicken is terrific!!"

I smiled in delight at his reaction. "Thank you Matt, I am glad you like it."

We continued to eat our dinner as we observed the other folks coming into the park and getting settled. Matt and I talked about the evening's program and listened to the musicians arrive and tune up. Matt even had a second helping of chicken and slaw - he must really like my cooking!!

We finished our dinner and cleaned up. While Matt got up to toss out the trash, I took the opportunity to freshen my lipstick. Matt returned and sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back. I lit the candles to keep the bugs away (and to add a little atmosphere to the evening) and placed them on the ground. Then, after a moment's hesitation, I sat down next to Matt, curling up my legs and resting against Matt's torso. His body stiffened for a moment and then his arm shifted, so that I was resting against him cradled in the crook of his arm, his hand on the ground next to my hip.

The lights dimmed and the crowd grew silent as the music started. Soon, cool soft jazz was wafting through the night sky to the audience. You could hear the folks there snapping their fingers, clapping lightly with the rhythm of the music. Soloists would do their parts, and applause came in waves to the stage.

And they played everything – slow contemporary jazz, Dixieland, the entire spectrum of jazz. Fast and slow, light and airy, deep haunting melodies – the concert was moving, entertaining, delightful. As it progressed, I snuggled in closer to Matt, enjoying the music with him.

After too short of a time, the concert was over. The lights came on in the park, and the audience got to its collective feet, applauding, cheering and whistling. Matt and I joined in our praise of the musicians, clapping so much our hands hurt. As the applause died down, Matt and I folded up our blanket, extinguished the candles, and walked back to the car hand in hand. It took a while to get out of the parking lot, but in a few minutes we were on our way, talking about the concert and our appreciation of the different pieces that were played,

I pulled into Matt's driveway and turned off the ignition. I took a little breath.

"Christie, I had a great time tonight. The concert was a great idea, and the dinner was absolutely delicious. I am so glad that you thought of it and asked me to go with you." He smiled very broadly at me.

"You're welcome Matt. I am so glad you had a good time. I just kind of figured that we have been working so hard these last few weeks, we need a little break, especially since we have so much to do next week."

"You are right about that. I guess I better get going – you don't need to walk me to the door. Good night and thank you again." He unbuckled his seat belt and began to open the door.

"Matt." He turned to look at me, and I caught his hand in mine. I leaned forward and gave him a quick soft kiss on the lips. "Good night."

"Night Christie." Matt got out of the car and entered his house. I watched him enter the house, a slight smile on my lips, and then I headed home.

WEEK 6

We were in the home stretch. Matt and I, without having discussed it, both came in an hour early on Monday morning. I was a bit surprised to see Matt's car in the lot when I pulled in. I stepped out of the car, smoothed my tan skirt, brushed a way an imaginary wrinkle in my maroon blouse, and headed into the office. My tan 3 inch heels tapped on the pavement rhythmically as headed inside, swinging my purse and smiling slightly as I recalled the events from my date on Saturday with Matt. Matt looked up as I walked in. '

"Morning Matt."

"Hey Christie." He smiled broadly at me as I sat down. "Thank you again for Saturday evening. I had a wonderful time. It was a great concert, and the dinner…well, the dinner was great."

"You're welcome Matt – I am really glad you enjoyed yourself. I had a great time too, and I am so glad you were able to come with me."

"It was fun. Now I am going to have to go out and get some jazz CD's to add to my music collection."

I shook my head and laughed. "At last!! Another convert!!!" I pulled the next file from the top of the pile and opened it up and got to work. Matt just shook his head and went back to the file he had already started on.

We were kind of in a different zone this morning. We were highly focused, concentrating on the work at hand. We knew we had a limited amount of time to complete the project and our personal pride wanted to get it done right and fast. We didn't talk much that morning as we worked. We exchanged a few words whenever we came across something unusual in the files.

Lunch was brief, partly because we were energized by the deadlines and partly because we wanted to get this done. We plowed through a lot of the files and by 3 PM, I was sitting in front of the terminal, inputting the required data that was culled from the files. My maroon tipped fingers were flashing wildly as they flew over the keyboard. Every so often I glanced at Matt, but he was focused on the file in front of him at that moment.

At about 6 PM, I stopped inputting and stretched my arms and shoulders. They were knotted with tension from the work and from not moving for 3 hours. I glanced over at Matt and saw that he had a glazed look on his face. I could tell that he had hit the wall.

"Matt – let's get out of here."

"Christie – I was just thinking the same thing. My brain is mush."

All I could do was nod my head in agreement. We packed up and headed out the door. But before we left, we took a good long look at the pile of files to review. We weren't sure, but it seemed like we had gotten over a bit more than half of them today.

We got to our cars and said good night. I drove home, kicked off my heels and padded to my room. I took a few minutes to get out of my work clothes, put on my jammies, remove my makeup, and then I collapsed on the bed. I fell into the deepest sleep I had had in a long long time.

I woke up Tuesday morning (thankfully I had set my alarm before falling asleep; otherwise I might have slept the day away). I showered, did my hair and makeup, and got dressed. Today's attire – a pale pink bra and matching panties, nude pantyhose, and a slip went on first. I removed a short sleeved, pink blouse from its hangar and put it on, buttoning it up over my slender torso and around my full perky breasts. I next took a charcoal gray skirt and stepped into it, pulling it up over my smooth slender calves and shapely thighs, up past my hips and to my waist. I buttoned it and zipped it up in the back, the wool material closing around my butt and hips. A pair of black pumps completed the outfit, and after putting on my jewelry, I gathered up my purse and sunglasses and headed to the office.

I got into the conference room ahead of Matt and began looking through the first file in the pile. I had made some progress through a few of them when Matt arrived. "Good morning Matt. How are you doing?"

"Hi Christie. I am doing okay. I got home last night and pretty much went to bed. I didn't realize I was that tired."

"Matt, I did the same thing. I was so tired I just about collapsed. I am sort of glad that it wasn't just me feeling that way."

"Yep Christie, we have been working pretty hard. I am just glad it is almost over."

"I totally agree with you there, Matt. Just 4 more days."

With that we got to work. We started in the same zone type of mentality and began plowing through the files. Useless data was culled and disposed of, relevant data was retained and organized for input. Matt and I worked quickly and quietly, making our way through the files. Soon it was plain to see that we were over the hump - the pile of files that we had to still review was smaller than the pile that had been reviewed and was ready for input.

After a quick break for lunch, Matt and I returned to work with a vengeance. We were all set to start our input at 3 PM, as we usually were, when Debra walked in.

"I know I am early for today's update meeting, but I need to give my boss a full update in about an hour. So, let me know how you are doing."

Matt led off. "Debra, as you know we usually run you the report of where we are. We haven't done that yet, but as you can see from the piles we definitely will be done reviewing and inputting them by end of day tomorrow – probably earlier than that."

"That soon?" Debra's face had a look of sheer disbelief.

"I agree with Matt, Debra. We've gone through at least 90% of the files so far, maybe more, so the amount of files to review is not all that much. We do have to do the input though, but that won't be too bad to do."

"So you will be finished tomorrow?" Debra was still having trouble believing it.

"Debra, the review of the files and data input will be done tomorrow. That will give us all day Thursday and Friday, and maybe part of Wednesday, to test the reports. We will be able to do a very thorough job on that." Matt was very firm and confident as he made this statement.

Debra stood up. "Great. I will let Carl know the good news. Keep up the good work." With that bit of encouragement, Debra left us to our files.

"So Matt, you think we will be done by end of day tomorrow?"

"Christie, I am certain we will be done by lunch. All we have to do is keep reviewing the files tonight, since we are on such a roll with that. Then tomorrow morning, I'll start the input while you finish off what is left and we should finish off by noon."

I looked over what we had left to do. Call it woman's intuition, but I knew Matt was right. "I agree – we are on a good pace and the incentive to get it done will certainly motivate us tomorrow. Let's get back to it."

We both sat back down, energized about the prospects of finishing. We continued to work through the files and made significant progress. By the time 6:30 PM rolled around, we had reviewed all but 40 of them. I could take care of those easily tomorrow morning while Matt did the input.

We put everything away and made sure we were set to go tomorrow morning. We walked out the building, into our cars, and with a quick good night, we were on our way to our respective homes for the night.

Nothing much awaited me at home that night – some mail (bills as well as other commercial junk mail) was quickly disposed of and since it was still light out and I felt tense, I decided to go for a quick jog. I changed from my work clothes into my running clothes, and after a brief stretch, I loosed up by walking through the neighborhood, then picking up the pace and having a good, well paced run. The sweat that came out of my pores, and some of the tension in my body from work, dissipated from this physical exertion. As I slowed down to a walk to cool down, I felt 100% better.

I returned home for a quick shower. A light dinner, followed by some reading and watching a great classic movie, kept me occupied until I turned in a few hours later.

Wednesday came like any other day as I arose and got ready for work. Making sure my hair and make up were in good order, and that my clothes (a purple silk dress and black patent leather pumps) were neat, I left the house and headed for the office. As was typical for this project, Matt pulled up about the same time I did so we walked into the building together.

"Home stretch today, Matt."

"Yep Christie. This is it. It should work pretty smoothly."

Matt fired up the computer and made sure the data was ready for input. I sat down, crossed my legs, and took the first of the files for review.

As Matt worked away, I could hear a subtle difference in our keying styles. Matt had a heavy down stroke as he input data, almost as if he was trying to punch a hole in the keyboard. I recalled that my data entry was a bit softer. Perhaps it was because I had to be wary of breaking a nail if I didn't use the pads of my finger tips as I did the input.

9 and 10 AM rolled around without much of a break in the silence. Aside from getting up and going to the restroom, neither Matt nor I had moved from where we sat. In fact, we hadn't said anything at all.

By 11 AM I had reviewed 32 of the 40 files. They were ready for input, all in a nice neat pile. I reached for the 33^rd one when Matt spoke up.

"All right, that is all done. Now we've just got to do today's review. Christie, where are the files that are ready for input?"

I scooped them up and brought them to Matt. I deliberately put them on the table with a sizeable THUMP. "Here you go Matt – think you can get these done in an hour? And don't forget the ones I still have to do." I gave him a wink and big smile.

"No sweat Christie – watch and learn." Matt interlocked his fingers and pushed his palms outwards to crack his knuckles like we had seen in countless cartoons. He looked at me and gave me a very goofy grin and wink. I just laughed and returned to my seat.

Matt's fingers were flying over the keyboard as I sat down and began reviewing the remaining files. Every time I completed 2 files, I gave them to Matt. And every time I gave him those files, there was a noticeable dent in the data to be input. When I was in the middle of reviewing the last file, Matt came over and got the 7^th one to input. I finished culling out the last piece of data for the last file and walked over to hand it to Matt. At that moment he saved the next to last one that he had just finished inputting.

"Last one Matt – go to town!"

"Alrighty then Christie – here we go."

Matt began to input the data, and I stood behind him to watch. He typed quickly and accurately. I leaned over his shoulder to get a better look to ensure that it was going right. He turned his head slightly at that and smiled, and I smiled back at him. I pointed at the screen, indicating him to get back to work. He did so, and the data was input. Hmm – that is a very nice cologne Matt was wearing today.

"Christie?" Matt's voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Yes?"

"Go ahead and click on the "Save" button – it is the last one."

"Matt, you certainly have a dramatic flair to you. Thank you." I took the mouse and clicked on Save, the computer made some whirring noises, and then the notice "File was Successfully Saved" appeared on the screen. There – it was all done!!

Matt stood up and raised his palm. I automatically high-fived him and he bent down and picked me up in a bear hug, twirling me around the room. My skirt flew as I twirled and I wrapped my arms around his neck from the suddenness of his action. Matt let me down gently after 1 and a half revolutions.

"Sorry about that Christie – got a little carried away there."

"Matt that was a totally understandable reaction. I'll call Debra and give her the good news." I rang Debra and let her know we were finished. I had to hold the phone away from my ear so I wouldn't go deaf from her screaming.

Within 5 minutes, Debra was in the conference room, her face flushed with excitement. "You did it!! Great!!" She hugged both of us and then asked to see it.

Matt and I just pointed to the file cabinet with all the completed files in it – luckily I filed away the last two in the few minutes it took Debra to come down here. We also showed her that the area for files still to be input was empty.

"Wonderful – this is absolutely wonderful. You two make a great pair. This is better than we expected and what you predicted yesterday. And now we've just got to do the reports, right?"

"That's right Debra. Matt and I will begin running the reports after lunch and we will be able to give them a good going over."

Debra was still a bit flummoxed. "This is amazing! And I want to talk to you about it, but I was in the middle of something that I have got to get back to. You two go to lunch and start the reports, and I will be back later today to talk with you." Debra practically ran out of our office after that statement.

Matt and I just stared at each other over Debra's reaction. With a shrug of our shoulders Matt and I headed out for lunch. Although it was as nice of a day as it had been these past few weeks, today just seemed perfect. Matt and I were way less tense than before and with the bulk of the pressure off us, lunch was particularly relaxed. We ate and talked about nothing and just enjoyed our time together.

We headed back to the office and tackled the reports. While Matt filed away the last of the paperwork, I ran the input edit report, which would tell us if anything was input that didn't meet the formatting parameters. That report found about 50 items we had to re-input, so Matt and I retrieved those files and corrected our errors. With that done, we began running the various summary and detail reports off the database. As we reviewed each one, we would run the next report to be reviewed. We cross checked the report to the files to make sure things were either properly included or excluded.

At 4:45, we were in the middle of our review when Debra came into our office, accompanied by a man. Matt and I looked up as they entered and then he spoke to us.

"Christie, Matt, I am Carl Somerset, Debra's boss. I had to come in and meet you two." He shook our hands and gestured for us to sit down. "Debra has been informing me of your progress over these past 6 weeks, and I would like to thank you for all the time and effort that you have put into this. I am sure that this was a mind numbing project, but we needed it done. The extra effort you undertook to work overtime and complete it is most appreciated. We are going to send a glowing letter of commendation to the agency letting them know how pleased we are with what you have done here.

I know that you both are going to college, and I wish you the best of luck with your studies. When you graduate, we would love for you to consider working here. You know us already, we know you, and you have the right attitude and work ethic we like to see here.

Again, thank you again for everything. I am going to leave you with Debra now." He smiled and shook our hands again before he left.

As Matt and I sat there in a stunned silence, Debra just looked at us. After a moment she broke the silence. "I want to echo Carl's words – you two have made a tremendous effort these past weeks, and we really appreciate what you have done. And as a way of saying thanks, I am taking you two to lunch tomorrow. Now you've had a long day, so go on and get out of here. And I don't want to see you two working more than 8 hours on Thursday and Friday."

Matt and I looked at each other and exchanged wide grins. I stood up, got my purse from the desk drawer I kept it in, and followed Matt and Debra out of the office. Debra went down the hall back to her office, saying good night to us as Matt and I headed out the door.

"Christie, I am glad that is done – well, almost done."

"I totally agree Matt. And what Mr. Somerset said to us, that is great. It really was reassuring to hear that our work is valuable to them."

"Yeah, and knowing we have an inside track on a job after college is a good thing." I nodded my head in agreement with Matt's statement.

"I think we've been pretty lucky to have had this experience, Christie."

"I couldn't agree with you more Matt. Have a good evening." I got into my car and pulled out, waving good bye to Matt as I headed home.

Thursday morning Matt and I continued to work on the reports, making sure they ran properly and validating the output. We were humming along pretty well and had barely noticed the time when Debra walked in, ready to take us to lunch.

I was wearing a navy blue suit today, with a high necked white blouse. At Debra's arrival, I stood up, slipped on my jacket, grabbed my purse, and joined her and Matt. We walked out to Debra's car and we drove off to lunch at a nice seafood restaurant. We were seated and placed our orders.

Debra led off the conversation. "You two have done quite a job for us. As Carl said yesterday, we really appreciate what you have done. Not only did you complete the work earlier and more accurately than we had hoped for, but you two seem to have gotten along very well personally. I mean, we had no personality issues between you two that slowed the project down."

"Debra, that is true, Matt is pretty easy to get along with, so it worked out well for us".

"The same holds true for Christie" Matt chimed in.

"But you two also got along well outside of the office didn't you? I mean you did go to see that movie a few weeks back, right?"

"That's right, Debra, and we went to the baseball game the week before that."

"And then, Debra, last week Matt and I went to a jazz concert at the park."

"Well" Debra said "you two have been busy. That will make this a bit easier for me." Debra reached into her purse and pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me. I accepted it and looked at it quizzically, and then at Debra. Matt just sat there quietly,

Debra told us what was going on. "As an extra way to thank you, we have gotten you the two of you a gift certificate for dinner at Chez Maurice, the hottest French restaurant in town. We've made a reservation for you for Saturday night."

I swallowed and said "Debra, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much."

Debra continued. "There is more. There are also two tickets for Saturday evening for the big Broadway musical that has been playing in town the last 3 months. Carl thought that an evening of dining and entertainment would help compensate you for the all the effort you were put through."

"Thank you Debra" Matt said. "I am speechless."

"You two deserve it after what you've done." She raised her glass in toast to us. "Thank you." Our glasses clinked and we sipped to our good fortune. The rest of the lunch the three of us talked about the restaurant and the musical. After a delightful lunch, we returned to the office and back to work.

As Matt and I continued our work that afternoon, the thought of dinner and the musical kept wandering in my mind. After mulling it in my head, I broached the subject with Matt.

"Matt, I have an idea I'd like to run by you."

"Sure Christie, what is it?" Matt looked up from what he is doing.

"Well, since we have the dinner reservation and the tickets, why don't we make it a really special date? Get all dressed up and have a really really good time?"

"That sounds great Christie – I would like that a lot. It sounds like a lot of fun."

"It is settled then. You pick me up at 4:30, we will go to dinner, then the theater. It will be a delightful evening."

Matt then smiled the nicest, broadest smile I had ever seen from him. "That'll work, Christie. 4:30 it is."

I nodded and then we went back to work. The prospect of another date with Matt lifted my spirits (it seemed like Matt was in a better mood) and we made our way through the reports we were looking through.

We left at 5 PM that afternoon, just as Debra had ordered as and we went home. I spent some of that evening looking through my closet for an outfit for Saturday night, and I must have pulled out every garment I owned about 5 times trying to decide what to wear. I went to sleep that night with my mind made up (well, almost made up).

Friday came and went. Matt and I got through all the reports and made a few changes as needed. We burned the programs and data onto cds for backup, and we printed out hardcopy reports for use. Debra came in at 4:30 to collect all that, and made sure to get our security passes.

"Thank you both again for an outstanding job. We so appreciate what you have done here."

"You're welcome Debra. Matt and I appreciate the opportunity to have worked here, and we really appreciate the dinner certificate and play tickets the company gave us."

Debra just smiled at us. "That was the least we could do. Thank you again and good luck." She walked over to us to shake our hands, and then gave us a hug. She walked us out to the main lobby for the last time. "Have a great time Saturday night. Bye bye."

Matt and I walked across the lot for the last time. We were silent until we reached our cars.

"4:30 tomorrow, right Christie?"

"That's right Matt. I'll see you then. Good night."

"Good night Christie." We got in our cars and drove away.

I headed home and did my usual. Mail, dinner, and an evening run (not necessarily in that order). Before I went to bed, I looked through my closet and looked at everything 4 or 5 times, trying to reassure myself on the selection of my outfit for tomorrow night. Finally I went to bed, and after tossing and turning, I went to bed.

I woke up that morning with a tingle of anticipation - I was very excited about my upcoming evening with Matt. We had become quite close over the past few weeks, and our previous dates had brought out feelings in me that I had never experienced before. I went through my daily workout and had a quick breakfast, and then I showered and slipped into a short terrycloth robe. I picked up a basket with my nail care supplies and proceeded to work on my nails. Polish was removed and then an orange stick was used to push the cuticles back. I took an emery board and filed down a few rough edges on my nails.

Then came the polish. I searched through the basket and selected a bottle in a deep red color. I unscrewed the lid and pulled the applicator out of the bottle, drawing the brush across my left index finger, coloring the oval in the brilliant color. The color was spread smoothly and evenly across the entire nail, and was then expertly repeated the process on the other fingers and my toes. After the first coat dried, I repeated the process two more times, accenting my fingers and toes in the dazzling color, and finishing off with a clear top coat. The red gleamed as the sunlight streamed in through the window and I dozed on the couch in the warmth of the day.

After a fitful sleep, I stirred awake and saw that it was time to get ready. I went to the bathroom and began running my bath. I sprinkled some lavender bath salts into the water and the air was soon filled with the relaxing aroma. Before I stepped in, I took some solvent and removed my breasts forms and placed them on the counter. I removed my vaginal panty and placed it on the bathroom counter as well. I placed my feet apart on the floor and loosened my penis from its cramped placement. Robert was once again free for a while.

With that action, Robert (I almost think of him as a different individual) stepped into the tub and eased into the water, settling in and letting the warm water and bubbles envelope his body. He ran a bath sponge over his smooth hairless skin, luxuriating in the sensations radiating up his body. Here and there he found a stray hair on his legs, arms, or torso; he picked up Christie's razor and quickly removed them.

After a leisurely soak, Robert began draining the tub and rinsed off quickly. He shampooed and conditioned his thick blond hair and enjoyed the spray of the water as it cascade down his lithe, hairless body. After a few minutes in the shower, he turned off the water and began toweling off.

A comb worked its way through the thick blond hair, removing the tangles. The hair still wet, Robert put on the vaginal panty and hid his penis, returning Christie to the present and creating my smooth, flat front. Red tipped fingers ran over the rear and hips, making sure the panty fit properly.

I quickly attached the breasts to my torso. When the adhesive had cured enough, I went to the closet, hips swaying and breasts jiggling as I moved across the room. I wanted to be in the most feminine I could be tonight, both mentally and physically, for this special evening. I put on the two articles of clothing that helped me get in the mindset to be the most feminine that I could.

I removed a sheer, short white robe from her closet and trembled in delight as the lace on the lapels and short sleeves slid across my smooth skin. I tied the sash loosely, and the satin material clung loosely to my full breasts. I slipped into the white, high-heeled mule slippers, stretching my shapely legs and thrusting my breasts forward and pushing my rear end out.

I sashayed across the room, the heels slapping against my feet as I made my way to the vanity. The satin robe slid against my skin as I sat down to do my makeup.

I took more time this evening to create the dramatic, seductive look I wanted. I applied the foundation over my smooth, creamy skin. A light dusting of powder went over that. My dainty hands, with their red tipped nails, took hold of the brush and applied the rouge. Tonight I used a richer shade than normal, highlighting my cheekbones in a beautiful rosy shade.

I worked on my eyes next. Using darker colors, I applied the shadow in various shades of gray, spreading and blending the powder over my eyelids. I took an eyeliner pencil and lightly highlighted underneath my lashes. I coated my lashes with the mascara, drawing them out and curling them with the applicator. I blinked several times and silently approved of the exotic and seductive appearance my bright, almost crystal blue eyes had taken.

I picked up the blow drier and my hairbrush and addressed my hair, brushing and styling it as I dried it, adding volume to the blond tresses. After several minutes of this, the blond hair had been styled into my cute pageboy, curling all around my head and framing my face.

With my hair done, I rose to get dressed. I removed the white robe and slippers and removed the black bustier from my lingerie drawer. I steeped into the garment and pulled it up my body. When it was in position, I tightened the laces that flattened my already flat tummy and pulled my waist in another inch or so, enhancing an already shapely figure. I leaned forward to allow my breasts to settle into the bra cups.

I reached into the dresser and removed the stockings, returning to the vanity. I rolled up one of them, and with my right foot resting daintily on the vanity bench, I slowly unrolled the sheer, nude material over the bright red toenails and up my shapely leg, my red fingernails moving the fabric gingerly so as not to cause a run. When I reached the top of the stocking, I ran my hands over my leg, smoothing the stocking over my shapely leg. I stretched the black garters hanging at the bottom of the bustier and attached them to the stocking. It pulled firm and taut when in place, and I soon repeated the process with my left leg.

I returned to the dresser and removed a pair of panties. I stepped into the black satin material and pulled it up my legs and over the stockings, until it reached my waist. I ran my red tipped index fingers under the panties and made sure that the thong was comfortably in place.

Next, I took the shoebox from the closet and returned to the vanity and sat down, the garters and stockings pulling tightly as they stretched over my bent legs. I removed the delicate black sling back pump with a 4-inch stiletto heel from the box, and slipped my stocking clad, red toenailed right foot into the pointed toe of the shoe. I slipped the shoe's delicate strap around my heel. I did the same with my left foot, then swung my legs under the vanity.

I looked in the mirror and addressed my lips, using a red lip pencil to outline them. I then applied the lipstick, coloring my lips the same brilliant red as my fingernails. I blotted them with a tissue and my full, red, kissable lips smiled back at me from the reflection in the mirror.

A quick glance at the clock told me that Matt would be arriving to pick her up shortly. I slipped a pair of simple diamond stud earrings into my earlobes, and fastened a simple silver necklace around my neck. I slipped two rings onto my fingers (one on each hand) and a delicate silver bangle bracelet onto my right wrist.

I stepped over to the closet and removed my dress for the evening. I unzipped and gently slid my high-heel clad feet into the dress. I moved the dress up my smooth shapely legs and torso. I pulled the dress into position and settled the bust line at my breasts. I pulled up the side zipper, tightening the material and encasing my shapely figure. I took a moment to make sure that the spaghetti straps were properly in place.

I looked at my reflection in full length mirror with great satisfaction. My blond hair framed my attractive face; my eyes were alluring, my lips full and red. The black mini-dress was form fitting, showing off my attractive and shapely body, the plunging neckline showing off my cleavage quite nicely, the low back showing off my smooth shoulder blades. The tight short skirt showed off my long, shapely legs and shaped my tight butt, and combined with the high-heeled pumps, my legs looked as if they could go on forever.

The doorbell rang as I gazed at my reflection. I spritzed some Chanel No. 5 on my neck and placed the perfume and lipstick into my black clutch purse. I draped my black wrap over my shoulders and moved down the hall to answer the door and meet my date for the evening. I paused, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

There was Matt, looking exceptionally handsome. He was wearing a dazzling white shirt, a red tie with a collar pin, and a black pinstriped suit. We at least his vest and pants were black pinstriped – I am sure his coat was in the car. I gave him a big smile.

"Hi Christie. Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. Wow!" Matt smiled broadly at me, flashing his teeth in that big grin of his.

"Why thank you Matt. And I have to return the compliment to you - you are looking extremely handsome."

"Er..um..thanks Christie. Are you ready to go?" He was actually blushing!

I nodded and stepped outside, shutting and locking the door behind me. I slipped my arm in Matt's as we walked to the car, where Matt opened the door for me. He extended his hand and I took at as I sat down, and then swung my legs inside. He shut the door and walked around to his side and got it. We drove off towards the destination.

Our conversation was light and covered so many topics – the job we just finished, going back to school, sports, music, the play we were about to see. We bounced from one to another, laughing and talking animatedly and just having a good time. The time flew by quickly as we drove, and I was startled when Matt pulled into the parking structure at the theatrical center.

Matt pulled into a parking space and got out of the car, grabbing his coat. He pulled it on as he walked around to my door, and after buttoning it, he opened my door. He extended his hand, and I placed my red tipped fingers in his hand. I swung my legs out of the car, and placed my stiletto clad feet on the ground. Matt lifted my hand as I stood and exited the car. I took a few steps and took a moment to adjust my dress and smooth it. I looked and smiled at him – he was absolutely dashing in his double breasted black pinstripe suit.

Matt smiled back and offered me his arm. I eagerly slipped my arm in his and we walked towards the exit. The rhythmic tap of my stilettos echoed in the structure, and my hips swayed as we walked. The late afternoon sun was setting and it was not overly hot. We made our way to the escalator and began riding up, and I realized how much taller Matt was than I. Even though I was one step higher than he, we were still seeing eye to eye.

We reached the final landing and walked arm in arm to the restaurant. Matt, the gentleman, opened the door for me and we entered. We gave our name to the hostess and she led us to a table. Matt held my chair out for me and helped me get seated before he sat down.

We opened the menu and were amazed at the variety of foods to choose from. We tried to limit our choice but we couldn't. We finally decide to get the appetizer sampler, two different entrees so we could share and taste, and different desserts. The ambience was delightful – moderately dim lighting cast a romantic mood, candles on the table casting a soft glow on our faces, the soft muted chatter of the patrons. Matt and I enjoyed an absolutely wonderful meal – the food was out of this world, the atmosphere perfect, and our conversation was light and easy. At several times during the meal, our hands touched and we kept them together for a few moments. It was an entrancing situation.

We finished our meal and left the restaurant. We had about 30 minutes before the play started, so Matt and I decided to walk around the complex. I gathered my wrap around my arms as we strolled the promenade. We walked hand in hand and gazed in the shop windows, looking at the art on display in the galleries, and watching the people walking around. I leaned on Matt as we walked, my stiletto heels tapping on the tiled floor, the last vestiges of the day peeping through the atrium glass in the form of muted beams of sunlight.

With 10 minutes to go, we arrived at the theater. Matt pulled the tickets from his pocket and presented them to the usher. We were handed our programs and we made our way to our seats – 10 rows from the orchestra pit, exactly on center. We sidled our way into our seats – the view was going to be magnificent. I removed my wrap, give my dress a little tug, and then I sat down. I crossed my legs and got settled into my seat. Matt and I shared a whisper as to the seats, and then we looked over the program as the orchestra members began to settle in and get ready for the performance.

The house lights dimmed and the stage lights rose with the overture and as a lyrical mood was set by the orchestra's playing, the curtains rose and the play started. And it was magnificent – the music, the singing, the story, the setting and staging all combined to envelope the audience in the fabric of the story. Aside from applause at the end of the songs, the theater was silent as the audience was rapt with attention.

I was moved by drama between the heroine and the leading man, their tragic story overcoming me. I used a tissue to wipe my eyes, and my fingers interlocked with Matt's at the emotional climax of the production. As the curtain fell, the audience rose as one, applauding with such force that the theater rocked. As each cast member took their bows, the applause grew louder and the leading man and woman returned for 3 curtain calls.

As the house lights rose, Matt and I made our way out of the theater. I had a lump in my throat as Matt and I walked hand in hand to the car.

"Oh, Matt, that was so good. I can't express it any better, but I am just amazed."

"Christie, I agree, that was some performance." Matt's voice quavered huskily as he said that.

"Matt, I see that you were moved by the story and the music."

"No denying it Christie, I did get a bit teary eyed at the end there."

We arrived at the car and Matt opened my door, helping me into the car. Matt got in the car and started up the car. He slipped in a CD of the play that we had bought on our way out. Matt drove off, the music wafting over us once again as we made or way out of the lot and onto the highway. My hand rested on Matt's as we wound our way through the streets.

The tragic love song had just finished playing when Matt pulled into my driveway. He got out of the car and opened my door, offering his hand to me as I exited the car. I swiveled my hips and swung my long legs out the door, placing my stiletto heels on the ground, and rising from my seat, my hand in Matt's. I held his hand lightly as he walked me to the door.

I took my keys and unlocked the door. I turned around and smiled at Matt, bathed in the soft glow of my porch light.

"This was a wonderful evening Matt, I am so glad we could share it together."

"I am too Christie. I am very glad we've gotten to know each other this summer."

"Me too"

I took a step towards Matt and slid my arms up his chest and around his neck. I pulled him down towards me as I tilted my head back. As my eyes were closing, I could feel his arms slipping around my back and pulling me closer to him.

Our lips met in a deep soft kiss, meshing together and apart with amazing tenderness. They briefly separated and then came together, with more force, more passion, expressing more emotion. I felt Matt's tongue press against my lips, and I parted them to let him penetrate me. His tongue probed and flicked and flitted inside me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck even tighter. I pushed my tongue daintily between his lips and felt him inhale it. We were moaning softly and breathing heavily, our bodies meshing together as our tongues and lips moved and caressed each other.

We broke apart and I slid my hands from around Matt's neck and down his chest. He loosened his grip from around my waist. Our hands met together and we stood there.

"Good night Matt."

"Good night Christie."

I stepped back and entered the house, shutting and locking the door behind me. I made my way upstairs, thinking about this evening and this past summer.

  

  

  

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