Undercover Chapters 16-20 (Patreon)

Chapter 16

Ethan couldn't get to sleep the night before, which worked well for him in the morning as he was so tired that the alarm had to wake him up.  But still, he had a couple of hours before his appointment with Dr. Morris.  This might be his last day undercover.

"Good Morning, Lily-Rose."

"Good morning, Joanna."

"Lily, I wanted to thank you.  You have really been great.  I couldn't ask for a better friend than you."

"Awe, Joanna.  You're making me blush.  It's no big deal.  What brought this on?"

Ethan wanted to let Lily-Rose know how he felt in case this would be their last day  Before Lily-Rose knew the truth.  "Nothing, I just wanted you to know.  I've been thinking about it a lot.  I didn't want you to not know how I felt about you."

"Don't be silly.  I know how you feel.  I'm just trying to help."

"You have been.  I couldn't have done this without you."

"No problem."

Lily-Rose left the house early.  Ethan spent the time he had before seeing Dr. Morris picking out an outfit and putting on his makeup.  He found both procedures distracting.  

Since this might be his last day en femme, Ethan took extra time looking for an outfit to wear.  He wanted to wear a combination of his garments that he had never worn before. Ethan had learned how mixing and matching tops and bottoms with accessories and shoes could make an entirely new outfit on its own.  Sometimes the lingerie he wanted to wear dictated the outfit, more often it was the outfit that determined his lingerie.  This was one of those occasions.  

He started with a godet-type skirt.  He rarely wore one of those.  He had seen them before on women, but he had never known they were called 'godet.'   Then he found a top that was not only contrasting but complementary to the skirt.  It of course had to have some sort of sleeves, in his case slightly puffy ones,  His arms still have to be disguised from their masculine shape.  That necessitated the right panties/bra combination and he completed the apparel part of his outfit with a hose.

He found the proper shoes and purse and then went to work on his makeup.  He used everything he knew to make his face up correctly.  He was in full makeup which wasn't needed for the occasion.  Despite that, he enjoyed doing it.  This might be his last opportunity.  He couldn't imagine getting all dressed up when he was back at home with Fiona.

Getting dressed, kept his mind from the problem at hand: the extortionist.  Ethan never realized how the act of getting dressed could relieve so much tension.  Sometimes having to get dressed correctly could increase tension when one is late, but if there is plenty of time, it could be relaxing.

Chapter 17

When Ethan exited the elevator that led to Dr. Morris's office, there was an older Hindi woman and her son waiting to get in.  They were both dressed in traditional Hindi apparel: the woman in a sari and scarf that partially hid her face,  and the boy, who Ethan estimated to be about 14-years-old, in a dhoti kurta.  Not that Ethan knew what the style was called.  Tears were streaming down the boy's cheeks.

As the pair entered the elevator and the doors started to close, Ethan realized that the boy had been throwing a tantrum.  

"Mom, I don't want to wear them!"

"I'm sorry Dwij, you have to."

Ethan assumed that Dwij meant the Hindi apparel since he was in America.

"I'm not a baby.  I'm too old for diapers."

"Maybe soon, but you aren't ready for big boy un......"  The sound disappeared as the elevator's door shut.

Ethan didn't know that he had seen these people before.  They were the married couple Ethan had first met when he came here with their two girls.  Now the husband was an elderly Hindi woman and his wife was a boy.  Ethan might have suspected something if he knew that the dhoti kurta was in a style that toddlers wear.  An older Hindi boy almost would never wear anything like that.  

When the boy would get home, he would be put down for a nap.

Ethan arrived at the doctor's office promptly at 10:30.

"Ethan," Dr. Morris's receptionist said cheerily as she bid Ethan enter the doctor's office with a wave of her left hand.  "You are right on time.  Go right in."   The receptionist didn't bother to get up.

"What's wrong?"

Ethan didn't explain what happened, he just gave the doctor the letter.

"Oh, I see.  Hmm, don't go to the meeting.  I'll handle it."

"You will?  But he said..."

"Don't worry about it.  It'll be taken care of.  Just go about your day like you always have."

"He'll expose me."

"It'll be fine.  If we can't handle it, we'll contact you.  I'm sure there won't be a problem.  This isn't our first undercover."

"I'm nervous."

"You should be.  But you have lots of people to back you up.  More than you will ever know."

"I didn't realize you were watching me."

"If you can't tell then no one else would."

Dr. Morris calmed Ethan's fears.  He left the office feeling much better than when he entered.

Relieved, Ethan went to have a leisurely lunch and then have a day of shopping.  Ethan liked the look of his godet skirt.  He decided he had to buy some more.  At 3:00, instead of meeting with the extortionist, Ethan was happily shopping for some new godet-style skirts and some tops that would go well with them.

Ethan almost forgot all about the letter until the mail came the next day.  He looked through the letters looking for one with his name.  He didn't see any.  Then he worried someone would tell his friends more directly about his undercover.  But that didn't happen either.  

The next time, Ethan saw Dr. Morris she assured him that, "all was taken care of."

"He was arrested?" Ethan questioned.

"Not exactly, but he wouldn't bothering you or anyone else," Dr. Morris assured him.

Ethan didn't know what that meant, but Dr. Morris wouldn't elaborate on the matter any further.

Chapter 18

Both Lily-Rose and Dr. Morris recognized the change in persona that Ethan was projecting.  He had rounded the corner from being a person who was holding back his masculine side from the world, to a person who was letting people see his feminine side.  His feminine side was actually growing inside him.  Ethan didn't see anything wrong with this.  He didn't find anything wrong with growing as a person or embracing all parts of himself.

When Ethan was at Dr. Morris's office, she didn't comment on Ethan's change in attitude.  Instead she tried to enhance it.

"Ethan," Dr. Morris said seriously, "I think it's time you took the initiative?"

"You mean about asking about the trans-women being assaulted?"

"No, you have to let the people around you trust you enough to talk about that in front of you."

"Then what?"

"You have been letting Lily-Rose teach you about hair, make-up and fashion and all those things."

"Yeah."

"Well I think she'll get suspicious if you don't try and develop your own style?"

"My own style?"

"Everyone has a style of their own.  You need to find yours."

"But how do I do that?"

"Just like everyone else, you buy magazines and watch videos and decide what you like.  Do you have any fashion magazines?"

"No."

"You should get some.  You have to let Lily-Rose see you are serious."

"I'll do that right away."

"Oh, and don't shove it in her face.  Get them but don't make a big deal about them.  When you read them, it has to look like you are doing it for fun and no other reason."

"Got it!"

Ethan left Dr. Morris's office and walked a few steps into the street.  Then he remembered something and returned to the office.  He entered the office without knocking and surprised the doctor.  She was sitting in the corner of the office right by the window with a thin cigarette in one hand and a can of air freshener in the other.  She was stunned to see Ethan.

""Oh, I'm sorry doctor."

"It's not a big deal.  I just didn't want my patients to know I smoked.  I know it's so unhealthy, but I just can't quit.  I want to be a good role model for my patients, but even I have one flaw.  I have more than that, but I won't admit to them."

"I understand completely."

"Why did you return?"

"I finally got my credit card bill for my shopping spree.  I was wondering when I'll get reimbursed."

"Oh, don't worry about it.  Just pay it.  Everything will be made right when it's all over.  You can keep the receipts if you like though."

"OK, I'll see you at our next session."

"Bye," Dr. Morris said as she took a puff of her cigarette.

Chapter 19

Ethan left the doctor's office and went straight to a newsstand and bought some fashion magazines.  But they only had this month's stuff.  There weren't enough magazines to develop a style of his own.  He needed more.

Next, he checked out many old issues from the library.  He got home and read the magazines immediately.  Many of the tips in the magazines he already knew.  Lily-Rose had taught him.  But there was also some new tips that he hadn't thought of.

Ethan looked through and found looks he really liked.  This was supposed to be his style, he should like his own style.  Besides, now that he was immersed in a feminine lifestyle he had gained an interest in the subject.

Ethan also started to watch videos on how to put on make-up.  He went to YouTube and typed 'eye makeup' in the search box.    He found a beginner's tutorial first.  But he had already learned the basic stuff.  He scrolled down.  He found three listings down, "Searches related to eye makeup."  In the list, he found one called "eye shadow tutorial smokey eyes."  He clicked on that.  This led him to a video called  "Soft Rosy Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial."   He clicked on that.  It was a seven-minute video.  But with the starting, stopping, and re-watching it took him over a half hour to finish it.  Then he tried it on himself.

When Ethan had had enough of working on his make-up he decided to relax by reading some fashion magazines.  He wanted to see what they had to say.  In the first one he picked up, Vogue, there was an article on the crisscross-denim trend.  "What is that?" Ethan wondered.

It seems that jeans that have an asymmetrical look with overlapping waists from high-rise to low-slung is called crisscross-denim.  Ethan didn't know if he had ever seen such a thing on women?  Men certainly never would do that.  Ethan liked the look, but he knew he could never pull it off since he didn't have the hips for it.  But just because he couldn't wear it himself, didn't mean he shouldn't know about such things.  He decided if he ever saw a woman wearing crisscross-denim he would compliment her on the look.

Lily-Rose had told Ethan a while back that talking about what a woman is wearing without adding any sexual innuendo is girl talk and should be encouraged.  This was hard for Ethan since he didn't know much about the subject.  But he was determined to learn.

Next in the Street Style section of InStyle magazine Ethan saw an article entitled, "The Summer-3 Fashion Rule Is the Easy Yet Smart Outfit Trick You Have to Try."  He turned to that page immediately.    The article said that for the Summer-3 rule "  All you need are three key items in order to nail the Summer-3 fashion formula: a dress of your choice, statement earrings, and a pair of sandals. That's it!"

Ethan wondered why it had to be sandals?  Must be a summer thing he thought.  He read the rest of the article to find out.

He spent hours over the coming days watching videos and reading magazines.  He was indeed developing his own sense of style.  He smiled at himself for a second.  He thought after this assignment is over, Fiona and himself would have interesting conversations on the finer points of hair, makeup and apparel.  Now that he had a practiced eye, he could help Fiona with some of her 'fashion mistakes.'  "She could look so much better with just some slight tweaks here and there," Ethan said to himself.

Chapter 20

Ethan was being introduced to more and more of Lily-Rose's friends.  She introduced him as, "Her best friend and roommate, Joanna."  The first time this happened, Ethan was taken aback, but after a few times, it became natural.  It was just his alias like any other person undercover.

Ethan used his 'new voice' when he phoned the voice therapist.

"Hello is this Ms. Murdoch?  I need a vocal coach," Ethan stated.

The therapist knew right away that Ethan was correct.  There were many things wrong with his voice, but she didn't want to upset it.  "Great, I think I can help you.  When do you want to come in?

"I don't know.  How many times a week do you suggest?"

I suppose twice a week to start and then as we progress, we can drop it down to once a week."

"When can I start?"

"Tomorrow if you like."

It was moving very quickly for Ethan, but he threw himself into the assignment.  They scheduled a time.

Ethan decided to apply his newly learned  Summer-3 rule.  He had dresses and sandals, but his ears hadn't been pierced.   Early before the appointment,  Ethan visited the mall to pierce his ears and buy several pairs of statement earrings.  He was already in his dress and sandals so he wouldn't have to return home.

Before he got there, Ethan had to look up, what are statement earrings in Google.  Statement earrings it seems are earrings that are anything bigger than the norm, thus anything that is bigger than a few centimeters.  It seems that works for any other type of jewelry, as in statement necklaces, rings or bracelets.

"I'm looking for statement earrings to go with my dress," Ethan told the sales associate.

"Sure they are right over here."

It took almost and hour before Ethan was done, he left with six pairs of statement earrings. Five pair he had in a bag and one pair he wore out of the store.

Ethan planned ahead and arrived at the voice coach early despite his early morning shopping trip.

The voice coach welcomed Ethan in and had him relax immediately.  "I'm Mindy," the voice coach told him, "it's time to start.  First I want you to speak in your natural voice.  Don't try to make your voice sound like a woman's voice at all.  Don't make it sound like a male voice either.  I want you to be natural."

Ethan asked, "What should I say?"

"Anything as long as it is natural."

Ethan didn't know what to say, so he told Mindy his cover story that he had worked out with Dr. Morris.  "Hi, my name is Joanna.  For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a girl.  It all started..."

"That is fine, now I want you to say that again, but this time say it with your voice coming from higher  up your body."

"What do you mean?"

"Put your hand over here and say 'My name is Joanna.'"

"My name is Joanna," Ethan said he could feel the vibrations from his chest.

"Can you feel that?"

"Yes."

"Now try and raise where your voice is coming from,  Move it up a bit not as high as it can go."

"My name is Joanna," Ethan said he could feel the vibrations from his chest but not as much.  He could hear his voice getting naturally higher in pitch.

"Now go a little higher, remember we aren't making your voice go higher, just where it is projected from."

"My name is Joanna."

"Good, again, higher."

"My name is Joanna."

Ethan repeated saying 'My name is Joanna,' several more times.

"I think that is too high, bring it back a little bit."

"My name is Joanna."

"There we go."

Say it again and again from right there.

"My name is Joanna.  My name is Joanna.  My name is Joanna.  My name is Joanna."

"Can you keep your voice there?"

"I think so.  But I don't sound like a girl."

"This is your first lesson, there is much more to it than this.  But you need to master each aspect before you move on to the next.  When you get home, I want you to practice.  You should say 'My name is Joanna,' a hundred times every hour.  You have to learn to naturally keep your voice there.  Try and do all your talking from this place, but a special effort should be done when you can concentrate.  Don't worry if it fails when talking to people, just try again."

"I will."

"There are so many techniques and many things to work upon.  The point is to make this your natural voice.  When we are done, with some luck, it'll be the male voice that will be hard for you to maintain."

"Thank you.  I can feel the change already.”

“I know it’s working because my throat is hurting.”

“Want something for that?”

"Sure."

“Try this spray.”

"What's it for."

"Since you‘re changing from where your voice comes in your body.  The muscles in your throat could get strained.  This will help relieve the tension in your muscles and voice box.  Spray it into your mouth before and after you practice.  You can use it as often as you like.  It's better to use it more than less, especially when you are first starting out."

"OK."

Ethan took the spray bottle and sprayed his throat immediately.  "Hmm, cherry-flavored," he stated with a smile.

Mindy didn't explain that the spray would help to make speaking this way permanent.  It tightened the vocal cords allowing Joanne to speak at a higher frequency.  It would only work if one was purposefully trying to speak higher.  Once it worked, there wasn't another spray that would undo the process.  No one who saw her wanted that anyway.

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