And that was really sad.
But it was getting late and it was time to pack Belinda away and return to being Ben. I still had some college work to do before I went to bed and I had to be up in time to get to the gym for six in the morning.
By Thursday afternoon I had practiced and practiced and practiced. I ended up using so much makeup had to go and buy some more foundation much to Kaylee’s surprise. What is more, my crash course in femininity was bearing fruit; I had become quite proficient and felt pretty confident. A wicked thought came to me, one that would prove to Tracy that I didn’t need her on Friday. I put on the makeup one more time and, this time, I included nail varnish and the wig. The next bit was the crucial bit. I hadn’t got a dress, I’m not sure I could have got away with a dress, but I could compromise. I put on my skinniest jeans and a tee shirt and covered it off with a loose jacket. I looked in the mirror. The jeans weren’t that feminine but my painted toe nails, peeking out of the open toes of my shoes certainly were. Of course, my upper body shape was all wrong but the loose jacket covered that up. As long as nobody looked too closely, as long as I remembered to act as a woman, I was ready to put my plan into action.
As quietly as I could I slipped out of the house and into my car where I hit an immediate problem. Driving in heels is a nightmare. If I were going to do this again then I would need to buy myself some slip-on flats. Still, I wasn’t going back into the house now. In the end I found that driving barefoot was the easiest option. I drove down to town, parked up around the corner from Mr H’s office, put my shoes back on, and stepped out of the car. Putting everything I had learnt into practice I held my head high and swung my hips as I walked down the road. My heart was pumping but nobody seemed to notice, well, not until a white van drove past and I got a wolf whistle. The adrenalin rush was fantastic. That was the validation I needed. I almost wished it were further to walk as, all too soon, I was climbing the stairs to Mr H’s office.
“Good afternoon, how can I help… well, look who it isn’t. Hello Belinda, you’re looking good.”
“Thanks. It seemed to fool you for a moment so it can’t be all bad.”
“Take your jacket off and let’s have a proper look.”
I took my jacket off and, under her instruction, strutted around a bit.
“Fancy a drink?” she said after a while.
“What!”
“Come on, a quick glass of wine in the pub over the road. I’m buying.”
“I’m not sure….”
“Then maybe you’re not ready.”
I looked at her and she looked at me. If she was prepared to risk it then, why not?
“As long as I can wear my jacket. It’s too obvious otherwise.”
“Belinda, dearest, I’d insist on it.”
She locked up and we made our way down the stairs and across the road. She went straight into the pub and up to the bar with me following on behind.
“Hello, Tracy, glass of pinot grigio, is it?”
“Yes please, Jack.”
“And what about your friend?” He looked straight at me. Had I fooled him? Surely not at this range. I had never felt so nervous in my life. Pony racing, post meet parties, assignations with strange men in London hotels, none of these had anything compared to ordering a drink in a completely normal London pub.
“I’ll… I’ll have the same please,” I replied, trying to keep my voice high but not falsetto.
“Coming right up.”
While Jack poured two glasses of pinot grigio Tracy perched herself on a bar stool and I had to do the same. We were right there out in the open, not tucked away in a quiet corner. Tracy paid for the drinks and, for a while, Jack stayed to chat. I just kept my head down until, thank heavens, some other customers came in and he had to go and serve them.
“Don’t you want to go to the loo?” Tracy asked after a while.
“No.”
“Oh, I think you do. Off you go.”
I stood up and looked around for the toilets. It was only when I did so that I was struck by the full implication of what she wanted me to do. If I went to the gents then I would be admitting I had failed. If I went to the ladies and got found out…. Still, I had no choice and, keeping in role, I made my way over to the ladies.
Once I was actually inside it wasn’t quite as scary as it might have been. I mean, it wasn’t as if I were going to stand at a urinal or anything. I locked myself in one of the stalls, did my business, and, remembering to wash my hands afterwards, returned to the bar.
“Ooh, you pervert,” Tracy joked. “I bet you enjoyed that.”
I just sat back down beside her and sipped my drink.
“Seriously, you’re fine. You can look after yourself on Saturday but it’s not just about the makeup. You’ll have to manage your own extras.”
“Extras?”
“Yeah, lube, baby wipes, a towel or two and, above all, condoms. Mr H gets them wholesale so I can let you have them at cost. Len Phillips is running the show and he doesn’t stand for any nonsense so you shouldn’t get into too much trouble. Just try to make sure you don’t upset anyone.”
“Do as I’m told, in other words.”
“That’s the best way,” she replied after a long, thoughtful pause. “Do as you’re told and no one gets hurt.”
“Thanks, Tracy, I owe you one.”
“Round here everybody owes me one. Now, drink up, I’m late for my supper and you need to get ready for tonight. Pick up is at seven thirty, remember.”
We drained our glasses and, with a cheery wave to Jack, Tracy led me back out of the pub.
As I returned to my car I thought over what Tracy had just put me through. The thing was, after the initial shock of ‘going public’ it wasn’t that bad. I wondered if I had really fooled Jack, or any of the other pub patrons, but no one had batted an eyelid when I had gone to the ladies. That must count for something.
I went back home, cleaned off the make up and grabbed a bite to eat. I didn’t have time to remove the nail varnish so I decided I’d have to just to go for it. After all, by the time you shave all over, a little scarlet nail varnish isn’t going to make that much difference. As it was I barely had time to get to the meeting point before seven thirty. I wasn’t the first to arrive and we chatted while we waited for the minibus to arrive. It seemed that I was beginning to get accepted.
The start of the race meeting was exactly the same as the other two. We were driven to the warehouse and, after a certain amount of milling around, we were herded into the showers before being lined up for inspection. I did note that one of the ponies seemed to be in a bad way, shaking and shivering and when he was, inevitably, rejected he pleaded with Mr H to be allowed to race, arguing that he desperately needed the money. He was led away, somewhat roughly, and I didn’t see him again. It was an image I wasn’t going to forget in a hurry.
Pete was, once again, my jockey and I quite enjoyed getting prepared. There’s something quite delicious about having posing oil rubbed all over you, and I don’t just mean my prick. And then, when it was time for the harness, I guess I was getting a little more stretched back there because the plug that held the tail slipped in easily and, once there, was nicely snug and gave me that wonderful full feeling. By the time Pete got round to fastening the straps around my prick I was already good and hard.