Chapter Three – A Long Day

The ride home from the clinic was awkward, to say the least. Looking through the rearview mirror, sitting in the passenger seat of his wife’s sedan, Jack saw the image of what looked like a sulking, petulant teenager and her mother. It took a few moments for Jack to realize that the petulant girl in the mirror was him. Instantly, he folded his arms and averted his eyes from the mirror, staring out the window. His life over the next six months is going to suck.

Jack had some serious decisions to make as soon as he got home. How was he going to explain this to everyone? Would he hide away for half a year or continue like nothing had happened? Oh god, his poker buddies could never see him like this; they would never let him live it down long after he was back in his rightful clone body. Was he going just to allow David to run their firm in his absence? That buffoon could drive the company directly into the ground if he had free reign of the business decisions.

Regina, for her part, tried to keep a straight face the entire way home. It was clear that Jack was not ready to talk, and while she very much would have liked to tease him about his predicament, she knew now was not the time. A large part of Regina felt sympathetic empathy for her chauvinistic husband as she watched him battle with his very different feminine body. Still, then she remembered how he had treated her over the years, and another part of her was satisfied with the punishment he was now receiving, albeit accidentally. She noticed Jack folding his arms and staring out of the window; he had no idea how cute his face looked when he pouts like that. Regina may have to ask her daughter, Emma, to give him some pointers before every man in town propositions him, she thought. With her feminized husband unwilling to engage in conversation, Regina silently drove them home.

❖

The front door slammed closed as Jack returned home for the first time since his accident. Jack started heading for the staircase, intending to throw off this ultra-feminine garb as soon as he returned to the master bedroom. His stiletto heels clicked audibly on the hardwood floor of their grand hallway. Just as he approached the base of the staircase, he heard a familiar high-pitched shriek.

“Oh my gawd, you look so adorable!” Jack grimaced at the sound of his 24-year-old stepdaughter, Emma, coming from the entrance to the kitchen. Before he could react, the tall, athletic brunette ran up to her transformed stepfather and embraced him in a big hug, almost picking him up in the process. It felt surreal for Jack to observe Emma from this angle, usually standing 6” above her; he was now looking up at her eyes, even perched on the 4” pink stilettos on his feet.

Eventually, Emma released her grip on the transformed redhead and took a step back, taking in the appearance of her once so macho stepfather, humiliating the man further. “Wow. When Mom told me what had happened, I thought she was playing some kind of April Fools joke on me. But it really is you, that scowl on your pretty face, the way you walk, your slouched shoulders when you stand. Someone really needs to teac-“

“Fuck this, I’m getting change.” Jack interrupted before marching up the staircase, stumbling in his heels when he climbed the first step. “…and that language. Yep, it’s still Jack in there.” Emma giggled before returning to the kitchen.

❖

“That dumb fucking bitch!” Jack was irate at his wife, although his new, youthful, feminine voice failed to carry the same authoritative pitch he was used to. He had just discovered that his wife had moved him into the spare bedroom because she felt uncomfortable sharing a bed with a woman who looked half her age, even if it was truly Jack inside. Moreover, she had decided that all his clothes wouldn’t fit his new frame anymore, so she had them packed up and stored in the attic to free up space.

He stared through the open doors of the closet in the spare bedroom with a despondent expression; it was empty. His missing male clothes, combined with the empty closet, meant that the slutty little outfit he currently wore were the only items of clothing he owned. Jack slumped down on the end of the single bed, not noticing how cute his face looked when he pouted in frustration. He heard a soft knock on the bedroom door, and Emma let herself in without waiting for permission.

“Hey Jack, how are you feeling?” Her tone was far more empathetic than their earlier interaction. When the feminized man refused to answer, Emma stepped forward and sat down beside him on the bed. “Look, Jack. I know it is a lot to take in, and adjusting will take some time. But do you remember what you told me when you refused to give me that intern position? ‘You have to look at the bigger picture.’ I think those words ring true right now, too.”

Jack narrowed his eyes, turning his head toward his stepdaughter. “Is that meant to be a joke?” He snapped back. A couple of years ago, after completing college, Emma had applied for the intern role in Jack’s company, Thorne & Miller, but Jack had rejected the application outright. He told her that hiring from inside his family would look bad and that it would hang over her head for her entire career. In truth, Jack just doesn’t believe Emma has the ruthless aggression needed to become a successful lawyer in this city. In fact, Jack didn’t think that many women had that kind of aggression.

“What do you want, Emma?” Jack said in his soft soprano, which prompted Emma to smile. Emma couldn’t believe how much this stunning young woman acted like her stepfather, but it really was him. “Well, as you can see, your closet is empty, and you can’t walk around in that getup you’re wearing every day. At least if you don’t want all the boys sniffing around you.” Emma giggled, causing Jack to glare at her.

Jack didn’t respond to her immediately, but he knew that she was right. He wanted to be rid of this slutty outfit, and even if Regina didn’t pack away his male clothes, he would have looked ridiculous in those outfits now that he had such a small feminine body. He sighed before turning his redheaded face toward his stepdaughter, “If I go out, I am not wearing this!”

Emma’s smile stretched from ear to ear when she heard her macho stepdad’s response. She didn’t think he would go for it, but this was just the opening she needed to take him out. “Ohh, don’t worry, Jack. I’m sure I will have something that will fit you.” She responded excitedly, patting him on the knee and standing up. “Come on, let's go get dressed.” She followed up, with Jack rolling his beautiful blue eyes in response. This long day was about to get longer.

❖

Jack sat opposite Emma as he looked glumly at his strawberry milkshake in the mall diner, stirring the bright pink drink on the table in front of him. It was turning into a long day indeed. From the moment the pair left the house, things were going from bad to worse for the transformed redhead.

Firstly, Jack wanted to drive. He had always had an issue with women drivers and would only let Regina drive him somewhere if it was absolutely necessary. The fact that Regina was a terrible driver didn't improve Jack's opinion. However, when Emma pointed out that Jack still had no ID or driver's license and that he was also a woman to the outside world, Jack had no choice but to allow Emma to drive.

Then there was the outfit he was wearing. Emma gave him several choices, but most outfits she laid out were far too humiliating and feminine for Jack to be seen in public. Jack had settled for what he believed was by far the best of a bad bunch. The plain white sneakers he wore were miles better than the pink stilettos he was sent home in. He had picked out a dull red hoodie and a simple pair of blue jeans. The outfit looked conservative and modest enough when laid out on the bed, but wearing it at the mall felt like an entirely different experience. The jeans were so tight that Jack thought they were made for a child. When Emma told him that this was the style, he persevered until he stretched the denim all the way up to his hips. The tight-fitted jeans looked like they were painted on his legs, and they really made his ass pop. The hoodie was no better. While it looked long enough at first glance, he didn't account for his new breasts, and when he tried it on, he found the hem of the top stopped just above his navel, leaving his waist exposed.

Then, there were the constant stares from strangers around him. Since he stepped out of that car in the parking lot, it felt like he was being watched. It made Jack nervous, and he thought that somehow they all knew that he was a man trapped in this bombshell body; perhaps they even knew that he was stuck inside the body of a love doll. When Emma noticed his discomfort, she giggled and explained that he was being stared at because they all saw an attractive woman, even if she walked like an oaf. Emma told Jack that it would be one of many things he would start needing to get used to, and perhaps this experience would give him a new sympathetic perspective on what women have to tolerate daily.

Worst of all was the entire experience itself. Jack hated shopping with a passion. If he needed anything picked up, he would ask his wife or assistant to fetch it. Still, today, with Emma in control of The New U Clinic provided unlimited credit card, he had visited almost a dozen stores in the last 3 hours, being 'forced' to try on outfit after outfit. Emma had started off easy, giving Jack gender-neutral t-shirts and pants to try on before slowly getting bolder with her requests. Jack managed to draw the line at dresses and skirts, although Emma had slipped a couple of miniskirts into the basket in the last store. Jack was too mortified to challenge her at the checkout counter.

"So I think it's about time to get your bra size measured…" Emma's voice snapped Jack back to reality. His eyebrow arched at her statement, and he parted his lips to respond, but she continued before he got the chance…" It's not what you want to hear, but you have breasts now, at least for six months, and those things need a bra." Emma chuckled, glancing down at the protrusions from Jack's chest. "Then we can do some underwear shopping, oh and you need some shoes, and makeup of course."

"Em, Em, slow the hell down." It was still amusing to Emma, watching this cute bombshell in front of her enact the same mannerisms as her stepfather, and she stopped even pretending to hide her smile when he spoke. "It's almost closing time and has been a long day. I think it's time to go home."

Emma watched Jack as if she was examining his every move. Jack had always been an asshole to her, but she was starting to think that this experience would be good for her mom's husband. "OK, Jack, I guess you're right. We will buy you some underwear, and then we can head home."

An hour later, with the trunk filled up, Emma and Jack headed home. This was the most time Jack had bothered to spend with Emma since they met, and he had to admit that it wasn't all terrible. Jack still disliked her overtly optimistic outlook, and he still believed that she was too 'nice' to make it in the law arena, but she made the trip tolerable and felt nice spending some time with her. He turned his head toward her as she focused on the road. "Hey, Em. If you tell your mother this, I will deny it, but thank you." Emma grinned when she heard the words escape his pretty lips, pausing momentarily, "It's our little secret, Jack; you're welcome."

❖

Jack & Emma walked through the front door, and the smell of freshly baked meatloaf attacked their nostrils as they entered. "Mom, we're back!" Emma shouted through to the kitchen as Jack headed for the staircase, half a dozen shopping bags on each arm.

"Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes. Can you set the table, Em?" Regina called back. Emma headed for the dining room, and Jack trudged up the stairs. Once he dropped the bags off in his new room, he took a detour into the bathroom. The master bedroom that Jack used to occupy with his wife included a large en-suite bathroom, which meant Jack had not spent much time here. Emma also had her own en-suite, so this room was shared between Regina's son, Billy, and the occupants of the spare bedroom. With Billy having recently moved halfway across the country for college, this room was practically Jack's new private bathroom. Placing his well-manicured hands on the sink, Jack looked in the mirror. He attempted to look for remnants of the man he used to be, but he couldn't stop staring at the confused college-aged girl watching him. Finally, he slammed his fist down on the counter and got to work on removing all remnants of femininity.

Regina and Emma exchanged worried looks as they ate next to each other at the large dining table. Jack had locked himself in the bathroom for 45 minutes since Regina called him to dinner. "Maybe I will try again," Emma said, breaking the silence. She was preparing to stand up when she heard her mother gasp toward the open doorway where Jack now stood.

Jack wordlessly approached the table and sat down, Emma and Regina still watching him in awe. Where his long, flowing, fiery red mane had proudly sat was now replaced by a low-grade buzz cut, still as fiery red as before. His lips still looked as pouty as ever but now showed no trace of makeup, along with the rest of his face, giving him a more innocent appearance. His long pink fingernails were also a thing of the past, with each nail finely cut and removed of all polish. "I see you've been busy, Jack," Regina responded to the tomboy transformation.

Jack ignored his wife's comment and started tucking into the meal before him. The doctor had informed Jack that he no longer required food to survive in this body, but this love doll model could digest real food without any ill side effects. He continued to silently savor his first meal since the transformation when he noticed a plate set up next to him. "Table for four?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, Billy should be joining us shortly," Regina responded with a smile, cutting her meatloaf as she spoke. "Billy? Why is Billy joining?" Jack questioned again. Billy had only left for college two weeks ago, and it was a five-hour flight back home. There was no reason for Billy to return home so soon. "Of course. When I told him about your accident, he was horrified and booked a flight back home. Isn't that sweet?"

Jack rolled his pretty blue eyes. He always had a low regard for Billy and did not attempt to hide it. Jack had a very traditional depiction of how masculinity should be portrayed, and Billy didn't fit that bill. Thinking back at all the moments Jack had chastised Billy for not being 'man enough,' there was only one reason why Billy would be hopping on a plane so quickly.

"Oh my god, is that really him?!" Jack's heart sank when he heard the nasally voice of his stepson. He closed his eyes and sighed, refusing to look up at the 18-year-old college student. "Yes, dear. Now eat your dinner and be nice. Jack has had an awfully long day." Regina wasn't wrong; Jack had started feeling like this day would never end.

Billy sat in the empty spot next to Jack, not taking his eyes off the feminized man. Jack could feel the eyes staring at him, much like he felt all those eyes on him at the mall. However, this time, it didn't feel like he was being watched out of lust but more like genuine curiosity. Regina started clearing her and Emma's plates from the table. "Em, why don't you help me wash up? Leave these two to finish their dinner."

When the two women left the room, Billy's smile got slightly wider. "So, is it true? Are you really stuck like that for months? Macho man Jack looking like a little girl?" Jack clenched his fists at Billy's antagonizing words. Was this the type of torture he was going to have to put up with for the next half year?

Jack didn't give Billy the satisfaction of an answer but rather shook his head in annoyance and went back to silently eating the meal on his plate. He continued to feel Billy's constant gaze until he heard the 18-year-old say something that made him stop on a dime. "Candi Doll, smile and answer my questions."

Without a word, Jack lifted his right hand and slapped Billy across the face, clearly a response the college nerd wasn't expecting, knocking him off his chair and onto the floor. Jack immediately stood up and looked down at his bewildered stepson, "If you ever try something like that again, I will have you thrown out on your ass and your college funding withdrawn. I am still the man around here. don't you forget it." Jack barked before storming out of the room towards his modestly sized bedroom.

Jack couldn't believe what Billy had just attempted. How did the boy know he was inside a Candi Doll model? Did Regina tell him? Had his loser of a stepson spent so much time around sex dolls that he could just tell? Jack shook his head. His stepson would pay for that attempt. Laying down on his bed, wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of comfortable gray jogging pants that he purchased at the mall, Jack closed his eyes and instantly fell into a dreamless sleep.

❖

Jack's eyes opened, and he immediately sat up straight on the bed. Usually, there wouldn't be any alarm, but Jack had never intended to open his eyes, nor had he intended to sit up, and his body appeared to be stuck in that position. His bright blue eyes widened when he saw the large mirror at the end of the bed before him.

His long, flowing, bright red hair had returned, more voluminous than ever, perhaps even longer than before. Those neutral-colored pouty lips were now bright red, highly glossed, and made his lips look even larger and more kissable. His eyes had been carefully traced and colored, leaving a seductive cat-eye appearance with red eyeshadow. His makeup looked ready for a night out. The fingernails he had only just cut off were now 2 inches long past his fingertips, colored a sexy tone of glossy red. How was this possible?

"Candi Doll, smile." Jack gasped inside when he witnessed the woman's shocked, confused expression in the mirror transformed into a pleasant smile. The eyes still had a look of perplexity in them, but the lower half of the face showed nothing but a pleasing contentment.

Jack's mind began to race when the mirror at the end of the bed was wheeled away, and Billy showed his smug, victorious face. "That damn firewall took longer to crack than usual, but I have been hacking Candi Dolls for years now, Jack. I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered you were trapped inside one." Billy spoke, with Jack struggling to make a move of his own accord, but his body stayed frozen, smiling.

"This unit is such an upgrade on the previous model. I'm sure you are dying to figure out all the options, and you will save so much time on getting now that you can change your makeup instantly." Billy started entering something on the small cell phone in his hand, and Jack felt a ticklish tingle on his lips. He couldn't see what was happening to his lips, but Billy smirked as they changed to a jet-black gothic appearance before reverting back to glossy red.

"Now, I have a lot of work to do to get you where I want you, but you don't need to be awake for that. Candi Doll, lie down and power off for six hours." Jack wanted to scream at him, to punch his stepson in his chubby, smug face, but he was helpless when he felt his body lie back down and his heavily made-up eyes close. As soon as his eyes closed, Jack's mind turned off into a mindless sleep.