Meeting a New Friend

MEETING A NEW FRIEND

By Donna Lynn Cooper

I'm a mechanical engineer who's been working as a consultant for the past eight years. I do pretty well financially, which allowed me to buy and renovate a nice two story office unit in an upscale business park. The renovations included the usual reception area, two private office suites, a pair of conference rooms (a large one on the first level with a somewhat smaller one on the second level), two visitor restrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen space. The renovations also included equipment such as large format printers, ultra-fast internet setup, and cutting edge video conference equipment, so it was not only functional, but also very easy to conduct even the most data intensive work that my clients or I could ever need.

I should explain that the bedroom was never intended to be some kind of seedy love nest for me or anyone else, but was actually something one of my original partners had done while he was in the midst of a messy divorce. The conference room was only rarely needed, and his need for a convenient and cheap place to stay gained our sympathies to let him do it. Since he'd paid all of the costs for the conversion and its furnishing, neither me nor my other partner minded.

An unexpected bonus was the private bath with shower attached to the larger office suite which the architect had designed when one of my original partners who was an avid runner had complained about having no place to shower after his daily run. Not having to share such a personal space with anyone else was a modest luxury I gladly kept for myself even after both partners decided to rejoin their previous employer. While the burden of the office expenses now fell entirely upon me, I adjusted very well to being a solo practice and was able to absorb the increased expenses, especially with two of my current clients who were more than willing to pay whatever it took to keep me available for their needs.

My reputation and portfolio of regular clients allowed me the freedom to be very selective about taking on projects involving new customer. Most of my new clients were ones that found themselves buried with too much work for short periods of time, but had no need to bring on additional permanent staff. One of those new customers, Taylor Johnson, was an old acquaintance who had also decided to escape the corporate jungle and go into consulting.

Taylor was about the same age as me, but while I was divorced for a few years without any kids, he was married with three kids. He usually worked from his own home office, but would sometimes need a break from the interruptions that happen with three young kids at home, or need to use my video conference set up. I also knew he was feeling a lot of stress trying to build up his client base, so I regularly referred business his way, and said he could use my office space any time he needed to, since my own work was drawing me out of town several times a month for a week or more to be on site with my clients.

While I never asked him to reimburse me for use of the office, he took responsibility for keeping things neat and tidy, plus even kept the office kitchen stocked with food, drink, and spirits. I imagined that in a past life he must have been a Starbucks barista, as his coffee making skills were absolutely amazing. For me, a splash of half-n-half was as exotic as it could get, but he never stopped amazing me with his creative foam patterns, let alone being the best tasting coffee I've ever had.

One time he caught me off guard when a cup of coffee he'd prepared for me had a foam pattern that appeared like a heart. When I looked at him, I think he almost choked as he mumbled something about practicing foam designs for when he made coffee for his wife. I accepted the explanation, but that moment was also forever etched into my mind as being the point when I really noticed that although he wore his hair a bit long for a guy, how easy it would be for him to look just like the waitress who had served me coffee earlier that day. I guess I blushed a bit, too, because it wasn't until Taylor walked away that my mind returned to passing it all off as me simply being in the midst of a long dry streak between feminine companionship.

Thus, I thought nothing of it when my business trip ended a few days earlier than planned and arrived at my office and noticed Taylor's car parked in front. I figured he must have needed some privacy or was having a video conference. So I was particularly careful to not make any noise as I entered the office suite.

Closing the door behind me, I didn't see Taylor, but heard noise from the kitchen area and could smell the aroma of fresh coffee and even warmed pastries. Never one to pass up a chance to have a cup of his amazing coffee, I set my bag aside and walked toward the open kitchen entry.

The figure presented in front of my eyes was the shape of a very stylish woman facing away from me as she was pouring coffee into a cup. Taylor had never had anyone else accompany him to the office, but it didn't strike me as being all that unusual, since our occupations were increasingly being filled with women engineers and professionals.

"Wow that smells delicious," I said in a friendly voice, but the reaction was completely unexpected as the woman squealed with surprise as the cup of coffee was knocked to the floor as she spun around.

We both looked at each other with shocked expressions. I couldn't shake myself from the fact that the woman looked a lot like Taylor, but was beautiful in a way that suggested she could have been his twin sister. But it wasn't his twin sister or any other woman who was looking at me with real fear in her eyes. It was Taylor, and I couldn't keep myself from staring.

"Oh my god, you scared me!" Flustered he turned and placed the coffee carafe on the counter before glancing down at the spilled coffee and shards of the broken ceramic coffee cup.

"No, I should've let you know I was here soon as I came in."

Taylor shook his head, "No, it's my fault. I overreacted," and while he seemed a bit steadier, he was still clearly shaken by my appearance.

We stood wordlessly for a moment, an unexpected tension in the air. I couldn't help but look at Taylor in the way I'd regard any attractive woman. I also couldn't help but notice his makeup was flawless, and even the frames of his glasses had a very tasteful and feminine style. Clearly, Taylor was much more than a casual cross dresser, but was certainly not a drag queen in any way.

Even as my mind was trying to process all of this, Taylor had assumed an almost relaxed feminine stance with his, I mean her, arms crossed under her bosom. At that moment, I guess I was so overwhelmed by the discovery of Taylor's secret, as well as how completely and naturally he looked as a woman, that I had no reason to continue attaching his male identity to this situation.

Maybe it was because I had already subconsciously attached the image of a feminine side to him after how much he had previously reminded me of the Starbucks barista. So it was the movement and presence of a woman as Taylor moved one of her hands to briefly reach up and sweep a strand of hair back behind her ear, both ears adorned with modest golden hoop earrings. Still silent, she shifted her hips a bit and I couldn't help but notice the very feminine shape she had managed to create.

As I looked at Taylor, whose hair, while long for most men but never noticed as being an obviously feminine style, was no longer pulled back in its regular loose and pulled back modern Viking style, but, instead, now was undone in a way that nicely framed her face and fell to just below her collar. The pale mauve loose sleeveless cowl neck top she was wearing complimented her trim soft gray pencil skirt, nude stockings, and black closed toe high heel shoes. All in all a very attractive styling that would be normal for any woman working in a professional office environment. However, I wasn't yet fully processing the fact that this was Taylor.

Taylor broke the silence as she softly asked, "You okay?"

Recovering as best I could, I nodded my head, "Sure, I'm fine."

Taylor nodded her own head very slightly, "Guess I surprised you, too."

Breaking from my stupor, I half smiled as I pointed to a dish towel on the counter. "Stay where you are. I'll clean this up so you don't slip or... you know."

Taylor handed me the dish towel, but remained motionless as I knelt down and used the towel to soak up the coffee and move the broken pieces of the cup away from her feet, her femininely high heel clad feet. The dish towel was almost fully soaked as I glanced up to find Taylor smiling as she held out a fresh towel. I reached for it and was surprised when she didn't immediately release it until after I had gently pulled twice in a very subtle tug of war way. In my mind, I couldn't help thinking Taylor was toying or at least teasing me a bit, but the biggest surprise was that I didn't mind it in the least.

Taylor continued watching as I finished clearing the mess. I had even delicately brushed the towel across the glossy surface of her black high heels, and thought I heard a soft sigh as I did so. The reason I couldn't be sure of what I heard was that my own heart was beating so loudly that I was worried she must have heard it, too.

Finished with cleaning up the spilled coffee and broken coffee mug, I stood up to find Taylor was eyeing me with a bit of concern.

"We're okay, right?" she asked quietly.

"What? Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, it's not like you've ever seen me like this before."

As I looked at Taylor, I found myself feeling slightly aroused, which made me feel pretty strange, as I knew this amazing woman was actually my friend, Taylor, and I had never had thoughts in the way I was experiencing at that moment. While she was doing nothing to justify any kind of male reaction, she was also doing nothing to detract from the image she was presenting of herself as a very attractive and stylish woman.

Being a guy, I was obviously assessing how feminine she looked and wondering how the heck she looked so shapely in the bust and hips areas. Of course, I also picked up the scent of her perfume, which was subtle, but still very noticeable without being overwhelming. Wearing a fragrance to the office is something most women do, and it just seemed right for Taylor to be wearing a nice perfume, and she had obviously taken the time to find a scent that worked for her, while also being a soft and inoffensive scent, as the last thing you want to do is drown your co-workers in your scent. However, since it was just the two of us, any perfume scent or intensity would have been fine with me. Yes, she smelled good. In fact, she smelled great! Later on I would learn her perfume was Christian Dior Gris Dior, which created a breathtaking scent of fresh rose and woody hints that combined with her own body chemistry to form a definitely classy and absolutely feminine scent.

I regained my senses only to realize Taylor giving me a bit of a quizzical look. "You okay?"

Blinking my eyes only confirmed what was going on in my mind. What I saw was that Taylor was a woman in every way, at least it seemed that way to me. She was stylish, attractive, smelled great, and I already like her as a friend, but in a different way that at that moment wasn't making sense to me.

Clearly understanding my dilemma, Taylor went into full female mode and directed me to go wait for her in the main conference room. She said she'd finish tidying up what I had missed and would bring some fresh coffee and the pastries with her once she was done. (Did I mention how amazing I was starting to think she was?)

I seated myself on the far side of the table with a view back towards the kitchen, while reasoning to myself that I shouldn't make it seem like I'd be placing Taylor where she might feel trapped. I also realized I never would've considered where I was sitting if I was meeting with Taylor or anyone else before this day. My sensitivity to Taylor's feelings as a woman was as much a surprise to me as was the discovery of her secret.

It didn't take long before Taylor stepped into the room carrying a tray with our coffees and a few pastries. She seemed to appreciate the fact I had given her wide berth within the room, and she smiled as she set the tray down and then seated herself. Although I didn't say anything I couldn't help but notice how ladylike she was as she sat, using one hand to sweep under her skirt before settling in.

Taylor didn't say anything as she slowly slid one of the cups of coffee across the table to me. As I glanced down, I noticed the foam had been styled into a perfect heart shape. My mind went into overdrive and I was feeling flustered until Taylor giggled, "I knew that might bring up a memory or two."

I smiled in response before taking an appreciative sip of the coffee. For some reason, the coffee tasted better than any other one I could remember. I set my cup down and looked over at Taylor, who was still smiling. One thing I noticed was the light touch of lipstick on the rim of her cup, which only reinforced my feelings that the Taylor I once knew was forever gone.

"So, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, or do you want me to explain all this?" as one of her hands waved in front of her face.

"I guess maybe you go first, if you don't mind."

Taylor continued smiling as she leaned forward a bit and placed her hands delicately on the table in front of herself. I noticed with a mixture of surprise and interest that her nails were painted and shaped very femininely. Taylor noticed and wiggled her fingers in response, "When I know I have time, I wear faux nails when I'm dressed like this. It makes me feel more complete as Katie."

"Katie?"

"Yes, my female name's Katie. Katie Adams. Adams is my mom's maiden name."

"That's nice. It works for you."

"Really, why do you say that?"

I wasn't expecting that, and it made me fluster a bit, which only set Katie into a gigglish state. Before I could say anything, Katie reached and placed a hand lightly over mine. "Sorry. Guess I'm being too cute by half, but I don't mean to be." She paused to assess my expression and then continued, "I think you're great, and thanks for not freaking out."

"You're welcome. I just never expected anything like this."

"Finding a friend dressed as a woman in your office... or, you know, how it makes you feel?"

I realized she'd noticed my partial erection pressing against my pants, and that made me feel embarrassed beyond belief. But the revelation also made me want to give Katie the most honest answer possible, and she seemed to understand what my mind was processing at that moment. Her hand still rested lightly on mine, but I noticed her expression was now more serious. I realized her gigglishness from just a moment ago was totally gone, and this was the critical point for whatever happened next.

"Tay... I mean Katie, I'm going to share something very personal with you... so please let me just say it and then hopefully you'll want to continue our friendship. Okay?"

Katie nodded ever so slightly, and I could see the emotions in her eyes, which were now clearly moistening to the point where I thought she might start crying. So I was very mindful of how delicate the situation was before I continued.

"At this point, I don't want there to be any secrets between us, so I'll be blunt... when I was younger, I used to cross dress, too... a lot."

Katie remained silent, but her hand squeezed mine as she breathed deeply.

"Nothing close to how you look, but it was something that meant a lot to me. Probably also why I haven't been able to keep a serious relationship with anyone."

The first tear trickled across Katie's cheek, but she was otherwise holding herself together, silent and receptive to my own confession.

"For some reason, I always felt more comfortable being with the girls as I grew up. I loved books, art, and would even watch the soap operas when I was home alone. Every time I did it, I felt like I wanted to be one of them... to be a girl. Pretty soon, I was dressing up as often as I could in my mother's things, trying to look like her. Unfortunately, my mother found out... don't mothers always know, right? Anyway, she threatened to tell my dad and made me promise to never do it again."

Katie continued listening to me, and I felt a deeper connection with her... I was about to tell her that I had once wanted to be just like her, too, and I was pretty sure she sensed that.

"Of course, I couldn't quit... but the guilt made me cut back. After college I felt finally free to start again, but I was also trying to establish a long term relationship with one woman after another, but none of them wanted to be with someone like me."

Katie clutched my hand with both of hers, before she pushed back in her chair, stood up and walked over to my side of the table. She pulled me against her, and I felt her body sobbing as she held me... my own arms reaching around her waist. It was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened in my life. I had confessed my deepest secret to a friend, and she didn't push me away.

I heard whispers from Katie as she held me against her stomach, and I finally felt freed from a burden that had held me down for so long. I don't even remember standing up, but I realized we were now in each other's arms and hugging. It wasn't sexual, but it felt amazing to know she understood me, and I sensed she was relieved to know I accepted and understood her.

"I've been lonely, too," she whispered.

I turned my face to hers and our eyes locked. She leaned toward me and our lips touched, brushing briefly before we pulled back. Not because of any revulsion for what we did, but more to look at each other and sense whether the other was feeling the same emotions. From the look in her eyes, she felt exactly the same way I did.

We kissed again very tenderly. It was the most romantic connection I had ever felt. Even as our lips parted and I felt Katie's hands resting lightly against my chest, I knew our friendship had changed forever. Although I would have been able to resist my desire to embrace her as a lover if she had made even the slightest sexually tinged contact, the kiss was all that I needed to know in my heart that it would've been wrong to have given in to the desire. I wanted to romance her, not take her in any way as a sexual conquest.

Katie's gentle touch across my cheek as she traced a finger delicately across my face brought me back to the immediate world. "A lot to think about, isn't it?" She leaned in and kissed me lightly on my cheek before she took a step backward.

"That's the understatement of the year."

"You okay?"

I nodded, and also took a small step backward. "I don't know what to say or do right now other than I can't imagine this never happening."

"I understand." She paused a moment before speaking very softly again, "You're probably worried to say it, so I will. I know our friendship's changed in a big way and who knows how we're going to handle that, but I'd like to see where it brings us."

"So, I'll be seeing Katie coming around more often?"

She smiled, "I think that's a real possibility... as long as you're cool with it."

"I'm totally cool with it."

We fell into another tight hug, and I realized how great she smelled.

"I like how you smell," I whispered.

"It's Gris Dior, plus I think you can smell a bit of my Dove Ultimate, it's got a really nice Jasmine and vanilla scent."

"You have it all, don't you?"

I noticed a sudden sadness come across her face and was about to say something before she lightly pressed her finger on my lips.

"Let's just say it's complicated."

"I understand. I hope I didn't ruin the moment."

Katie's face brightened and she smiled, "Trust me, you didn't ruin anything. In fact, I haven't felt this happy for years."

We broke from our hug, and I sensed this was the moment I needed to gently disengage from, so she could think through what we'd just shared. I knew I wanted to move our friendship forward and get to know her better, and I was relieved to see she was still smiling.

"So, I guess I should let you finish what you were doing."

Katie shrugged. "You're not gonna ask anything else?"

I smiled, "I think we both learned a lot today, and I loved meeting you."

Katie smiled and couldn't have looked more beautiful than she did at that moment. "Sharon and the kids are at her parent's for the next three days."

"Really? So you don't have to leave right away?"

"Nothing and I mean nothing's going to cut short this Katie time."

"Katie time... I like that."

"I'm glad. So, I have one more conference call in about twenty minutes. That'll take about an hour, sooooooo... maybe you could get some take out and a bottle of wine for when I'm done."

"Have dinner here?"

"Don't see why not. I think we have a lot to talk about, and that couch in your office is pretty comfy."

Katie winked, before her hands shooed me away. "Now, I need to get ready, okay?"

I smiled as I slowly stepped backward towards the door. "Any preference... for dinner?"

Katie giggled, "Surprise me, but I think you should get two bottles of wine."

I turned and made my way to my office, where I settled into my chair and my mind immediately started to whirl. I had met a new friend, and I was looking forward to where this would bring us.

The end (for now)