New Year, New Me Ch. 02

And then I froze. Down the at the end of the hallway, I heard laughter. "Shit!", I thought. Someone was going to see me and know that I'm a guy pretending to be a girl.

"It's okay, Krista", Alix said softly as if reading my mind. "You look great!"

I still couldn't move. Alix gave a small giggle and pushed me across the threshold. I stumbled in my heels as I heard the deafening "THUD" of the door closing and locking behind us. I glanced at Alix. She smiled.

"Come on girl. Let's go!" She encouraged as she took me by the arm and led me down the hall in the direction of the laughter.

We made our way down the hall and soon saw the source of the noises: Frat guys. They must of rented three rooms and had a huge party going between them. I mustered all the confidence I could as we walked past the drunken crowd. I must of been too confident because we caught the attention of a drunk athlete. He gave a catcall and shouted our way-

"Hey ladies! Care to join us?"

Alix came to my aid - "Maybe later. We have to meet our boyfriends."

I had to smile at her quick thinking as she ushered us past and toward the elevator.

"When you tire of them, you know where to find me!", the drunk shouted.

"Okay!", Alix yelled back before turning to me. "Eck. Men." Then, realizing that I'm new to this world, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Get used to what?, I thought. I actually liked the attention, not to mention that I "passed" the first time. It was exhilarating!

Soon, we arrived at the elevator and we lucked out as it was only a floor above us. The doors opened and there stood the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. Wait - did I just think a man is attractive? What did that mean?

He was tall and lean, dark hair, piercing eyes. A slight stubble covered his chin. Then there was his clothes - nice slacks, black shoes, and a wine red dress shirt that hugged him nicely.

"Going down?", the man asked with a slight confident smile.

I nodded and we entered the elevator car. We turned around in front of the man and faced the doors. I could feel his eyes on my ass, probably imagining me naked. If only he knew.

I looked at Alix and she looked at me, gesturing to him with her eyes.

"Stop it!", I mouthed and bit my lower lip.

"What are you girls up to tonight?", the man asked.

"We're headed to Nyne", Alix responded. "You?"

"I'm meeting up with some colleagues, maybe I'll stop by and join you for a drink later?"

The doors opened at ground level.

"Maybe we'll see you there", said Alix.

We exited the elevator and headed to the front doors of the hotel.

"Oh my gosh! You're impossible!", I exclaimed to her.

"What? You thought he was cute, right?"

"Obviously. I've never felt that way towards men before, but wow!"

"You're a woman now, Krista. It's okay to like guys."

Somehow, hearing her call me a woman, it was validating and exciting. It was like I was seeing everything through fresh eyes. Everything seemed new.

As we exited the doors, I shivered as the light wind hit my nylon covered legs. Adrenaline was pumping through my system. I just looked around at the city and had to smile.

"Taking it in?" She asked?

"I feel so free!"

"You're cute. Let's go!"

We started walking down the sidewalk, our heels making that satisfying click sound with every step. I let myself relax a little and found my body swaying gently with each step. The heels actually helped me walk with a more feminine gait.

Alix took notice of my new comfort. "Look at you, girl!"

I beamed. This was fun, and I was becoming more comfortable. It just felt "right". As we walked down the sidewalk, we passed a tattoo and piercing parlor. Suddenly, and idea came to me.

"Hey Alix, hold on." I dragged her inside with me.

"What are we doing?" She asked.

The guy working the parlor greeted us. "Happy New Year. What brings you in?"

"Do you do navel piercings?" I asked.

He nodded. "You bet. Both of you?"

I looked to Alix. "What do you say?"

"Girl, you're crazy. Are you sure about this?"

I nodded.

"Then hell yes, let's do it!"

The guy took us into the back where there was a little more privacy.

"Who's first?" he asked.

"I'll do it", I said.

"I don't mean to be forward, but I need you to lift up your dress."

I blushed as I lifted up my dress to reveal my abdomen. He snapped on his black gloves and knelt down in front of me with a Sharpie. The guy reached out and tenderly adjusted my position by placing his hands on my waist and I felt a tinge of excitement ripple through my body. Never would I of guessed I'd enjoy the touch of man.

"I'm just going to roll down the top of these", he said as he started to roll down my pantyhose to expose my bellybutton.

I flashed a smile at Alix who raised her eyebrows in approval.

The guy studied my belly button for a moment and then made two dots with his Sharpie. It tickled a little. Satisfied, he stood up and gestured toward a mirror.

"Take a look", he said.

I looked in the mirror and tried to imagine what it would look like. The placement looked good, so I told him I liked it.

"This is going to look so good on you", he replied. I blushed again.

Then he had me lay on a table as he got the jewelry and needle ready. I grabbed Alix's hand and squeezed tight as he took hold of my flesh with forceps.

"I need you to take a big breath in."

I did.

"And exhale..."

As I emptied my lungs, I felt the prick of the needle and just like that, it was done. After a moment, he released the forceps and helped me stand up. I looked in the mirror and there it was - a little silver barbell with pink stones embedded in my bellybutton.

"I love it, thank you!"

He smiled and then it was Alix's turn as I pulled up my pantyhose and let my dress back down. In a few minutes she was done. We paid, thanked him and left.

"I can't believe you did that!" Alix said. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Enjoying what?"

"Being yourself. Your real, true self."

I had to think for a moment about what she meant, and realized it was true. This was who I'm meant to be.

We continued to stroll down the street, so many things going through my mind. This was turning out to be the best night of my life, and it was only getting started.