Manhattan Miracle

by Dawning, Dee

  He smiled. "By all means Brad and please, call me Milt. Have her take my card and give it personally to the Director of Human Resources. What's her name?"

  "Ginger Allen."

  "Ginger?" He raised his head and took a deep breath. "I like that. It's a bit exotic." He winked.

  I waggled my thick brow. "And spicy."

  We laughed. He scribbled something on the back, stood, handed me the card and offered his hand. "Again, congratulations on your promotion. Keep up the good work."

  I shook his hand. "You can count on it, Milt."

  "I'll be anxious to see your new secretary."

  "And I'll be anxious to show her off."

  I grinned as I rode the elevator down from the 40th floor to the lobby. The meeting had gone perfect. I was going to be playing with the big boys. I would get the chance to show what a determined woman could do in a man's world. The only trouble was, only I and Brad would know I was really a woman and we couldn't tell anyone. I was tickled and looked forward to proving myself, however I had this nagging feeling. This was the first time I'd met President Milton Grimes and there was something about our meeting that bothered me. Something, I couldn't put my finger on. Oh well.

  With a bounce in my gait, I headed across the street to the Libation Station. Ginger sat at the bar, looking gorgeous as usual. I veered up to her.

  She turned and smiled. "That was quick. How'd it go?"

  I kissed her. She tasted like bourbon. I picked up the mostly empty glass and tasted it. I scrunched my nose and shook my head. "What're you drinking?"

  "Maker's Mark on the rocks. Why?"

  I slipped onto the empty stool next to her. "Women don't order straight bourbon on the rocks."

  She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh."

  "No. You're a lady now. You should order something more ladylike."

  "Such as?"

  "Pina Colada, Daiquiri, Flirtini, Victoria's Secret, Mimosa, white wine or if you want something different, ask the bartender for a recommendation."

  She pursed her lips. "I'll keep that in mind. So, how did your meeting go?"

  I held her hands. "Perfect! The only problem I can see—and it's a big one—is that I don't know anyone. I'm an outsider. I don't know a single one of your co-workers. I can't hide in my office and never talk to anyone."

  "Don't worry darling, I've collected plenty photos over the years. We'll go over them and I'll tell you who everyone is and what they do."

  I kissed her again. "You're a lifesaver. This is going to be so much fun. Thank you."

  She shrugged. "Hey, I didn't do anything. Actually, you're saving my bacon."

  "And with your help, we'll pull it off." I pulled out the card Milt gave me. "We need to get you hired as my personal secretary. Take this card across the street and hand it directly to the Human Resources Director, in the Employment department." I kissed her cheek. "Good luck. I'll wait here for you."

  The new Ginger took the card, looked it over and read the note on the back aloud, "Steve, I'm authorizing you to hire, Ginger Allen as Brad Fairchild's secretary, for now." She gazed at me. "For now? What does he mean by for now?"

  I shrugged. "Don't know."

  She scrunched her lips and nose. "Don't know? He's your boss."

  "He is now, but he was your boss before."

  ~ * * ~

  Ginger frowned. "Sorry, I don't know, either. While I've been in meetings with him, I'd never spoken to him." I drank the rest of my drink, and straightened. "Well, I have a sure-thing job waiting for me. I better get going. " I kissed Brad goodbye, grabbed my handbag, and sashayed out the door and down the street.

  I purposely swayed my hips as I sauntered across the intersection. I dug being an attention grabbing female. I may be dubious about Ginger's occupation, but I thrilled in the appreciative glances men and even some women gave me.

  Standing in front of the Human Resource Department, I took a deep breath and stepped up to the receptionist, like I owned the place.

  "May I help you?"

  "Yes. Is Steve in?"

  "Steve Boyd?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you have an appointment?"

  "Not really, but Mr. Grimes said Steve would hire me." I handed her his card.

  She gulped. "Mr. Milton Grimes, the President?"

  "Ah-huh."

  The receptionist smiled. "Please have a seat, Ms.—"

  "Allen. Ginger Allen."

  "Have a seat Ms. Allen. I'll get him for you." She rose and walked into the office behind her.

  I sat straight with my long legs twinned under a chrome and leather chair. As Steve Boyd, a man I'd occasionally played poker with, followed the receptionist out of his office, I lifted my chin and pushed my chest out.

  "Ms. Allen…" glancing up, he stopped cold and his mouth dropped open.

  "Yes."

  "Hi. Ah…please come in my office."

  I rose and smiled as I waltzed past the director. "With pleasure."

  Taking a chair fronting Mr. Boyd's desk, he followed me, and stepped up to introduce himself. "Good afternoon, Ms. Allen, I'm Steven Boyd."

  I shook his offered hand. "Mr. Boyd."

  He took a seat behind his desk and held up the president's card. "I'm curious. Did Mr. Grimes give this card to you?"

  "No, I got it from Mr. Fairchild, who got it from Mr. Grimes."

  "I see. Would you mind if I verified that with Mr. Grimes?"

  I shrugged. "Verify away."

  "Thank you."

  Using his speakerphone, Boyd dialed, leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on the back of his head. Shortly, I heard a man's voice. "Grimes."

  "Milt, it's Steve Boyd."

  "Hi Steve. What can I do for you?"

  "I have a young lady, a Ginger Allen sitting in front of me."

  "Ah yes, Brad Fairchild's young lady. Is she as fetching as he claimed?”

  Boyd, quickly leaned forward, cut the speakerphone off and picked up the handset. Covering his mouth, he spoke softly, "Oh, yeah. In fact I'd say more like bitchin'."

  I overheard him, and bit my lip to keep from smiling.

  Removing his hand he began to speak normally, "The reason I'm calling is she gave me one of your cards, with instructions written on the back asking me to hire her. I just wanted to verify that you wrote it.”

  He glanced my way and smiled as the president responded.

  His attention suddenly drew back to the phone. "Yes sir. I'll do that. Thank you." He glanced at me. "You're hired. You'll start Monday." He rose. "If you will step back outside, Mary will process your application for employment.

  Getting hired took a half hour, but I had to wait another fifteen minutes while Sharon finished the file.

  As I left Bayside Securities employment office, I received a phone call. Thinking it was Brad, I answered. "Hello."

  "I just got back and found your note. What's going on?"

  At first I didn't know who it was. Then I remembered Ginger's roommate, Amber."

  "Hi Amber. I'm sorry but I can't talk right now. I'm in the employment office of Bayside Securities."

  "What are you—"

  "Can't talk now. I'll call you back. I promise."

  I didn't know what to do about original Ginger's roommate. Hopefully, Brad would.

  I left the Bayside Securities high rise and returned to the Libation Station. Brad's back was to me, so I snuck up to him and put my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?"

  "Hmm. Let me think. Are you blonde?"

  "Ah-huh."

  "About five-seven with beautiful blue eyes."

  "More like five eight, but yep, my eyes are blue."

  "You wouldn't be my gorgeous new secretary would you?"

  "Good guess." I slid onto the empty stool next to Brad. "Hi, sweetheart."

  "How'd it go?"

  I waved my company photo identity, which hung around my neck. "Like you guessed, I'm your new secretary."

  He kissed me, "Good girl."

  I showed
him the manila folder. "And I got a bonus for you."

  "Oh, what's in there?"

  "Photos and bios of all your fellow workers."

  He hugged me. "Fantastic. That will come in very handy. Good job."

  "Thanks. I have to admit. I'm really getting into this woman thing—the clothes, make-up, flirting, stares from men, even some women."

  "Yeah, I miss that a little, but the attention really is shallow."

  "What do you mean?" I took a sip of his drink. "Yuck, what is that?"

  His eyebrows dipped. "A Brandy Alexander. It's what I always get."

  "It tastes like something you'd get at Starbucks with booze."

  "Yeah, maybe a little. So what?"

  I flared my nostrils at his obtuseness. "An hour ago you chastised me for drinking men's drinks and now you're drinking what is obviously a woman's drink."

  Realization crept into his/her eyes. "Oh, you're right. Sorry."

  Wrapping an arm around him, I reassured him, "I know old habits are hard to break. That's why we have to watch each other's back."

  "But, I don't really like beer and hard liquor."

  "Drink wine. Most men drink wine…especially red wine." Also, in a pinch, men and women both drink whiskey sours, martinis and gimlets."

  "I'll keep that in mind."

  "Good. Now, what were you saying about liking attention, being shallow?"

  "Not that, though wanting attention is shallow, too. I was talking about the people who shower accolades and reverence on you. It's for one reason and one reason only—you are beautiful. It's that simple. If you were an average woman, you wouldn't get a second glance."

  I laughed. "I already knew that. I was a man, remember—and you were so hot, I couldn't take my eyes off you. I even paid thirty-five hundred to bed you."

  Brad smiled. "Thank you. That was my last trick and a memorable one. And now I want you again. I should be your first customer."

  "You mean where you pay me? You don't have to do that."

  "No, it's only fair. You enriched me when I was the courtesan. Now, through some bizarre cosmic event, I'm you and you're the courtesan. I'm dying to find out how sex feels as a man."

  Chapter Six

  I studied Brad. "So how would you like to do this?"

  He laughed. "Well, you take off your clothes and I take off my clothes—"

  I frowned and punched his shoulder, playfully. "I know that, silly. Are we just going to go to your place and do it, or are we going to warm up to it, like we did last night?"

  "We could do something first. Are you hungry?"

  With all the excitement, food had slipped my mind. "A little."

  "Would you like to go someplace nice to eat?"

  "Or, if you feel like living dangerous, we could go back to the townhouse and I could rustle something up for us."

  Brad waggled his brow. "I like that idea because of the proximity of the kitchen to the bedroom."

  I giggled. "My sentiments exactly."

  "What do you have in mind—to eat that is?"

  "Do you like Mexican? I could make steak fajitas. I have the ingredients marinating in the refrigerator, all ready to go."

  "I can't wait for either." Brad offered his forearm. "Shall we?"

  I rested my hand halfway above his wrist. We both slid off our stools and embraced. "This is going to be so much fun. It'll be like we were both virgins.

  I grinned and arched my brows. "Except I'll know every inch of your body and you'll know every inch of mine."

  ~ * * ~

  As Ginger wet then warmed up tortillas on low in a toaster oven then turned to the business of frying up the marinated chicken, beef, peppers and onions, she suggested, "While I'm doing this, why don't you open a bottle of wine and set the table."

  "Sure." I chuckled. "Where do we keep the wine?"

  Smiling, she blinked her eyelashes. "We keep some chilled white in the refrigerator and red in the pantry."

  I scratched my head. "Which goes better with fajitas?"

  She shrugged. "Macht nichts, since we're having chicken and beef."

  I glanced around. "I know I inherited this place by virtue of body swapping, but where's the pantry?"

  She laughed. "I don't know if I'm ready to give up ownership of my condo so easily, but what you seek is behind the first door you come to around the corner."

  After retrieving a bottle of Bardolino, I poured a glass for both of us. I rubbed my tummy. "Mmm, the food smells scrumptious."

  "Thanks." She leaned over and kissed me on the lips long enough that I felt it in my lower region. I liked that, but when I wrapped my arms around her, she pulled away. "Not yet, I'm cooking. Now, be a good boy, girl, whatever you are and set the table. This'll be ready in five minutes and we have the whole night ahead of us for this." She reached down, patted my manhood and I almost went through the roof.

  Though I wasn't hard before she touched me, her caress, and the knowledge of what we were going to do after dinner, really affected me. The initial tension in my lower regions was not unlike what a woman feels in her sex if someone similarly brushes against her genitals. But that feeling was just the beginning. The edginess turned into pressure as blood literally raced into my appendage, and though I didn't want to get hard yet, there didn't seem to be anything I could do to stop it.

  Finally, after receiving no more stimulation and my mind concentrated on setting the table, it started to go down. But when my beautiful date sashayed in a couple of minutes later with the fajitas and tortillas, and announced, "Dinner's ready," Still half erect, it didn't help when instead of sitting across the table from me, Ginger sat next to me, rested her hand on my lap and kissed me.

  "I hope you like it."

  Actually, dinner was quite good, but my appetite had switched from gastronomic to carnal. I actually couldn't wait to dine on myself—well, my former self—despite the fact the idea of dining on another woman was something that had never interested me. The view was sure different from the other side of the fence.

  ~ * * ~

  Brad, poked around on his plate, took an occasional bite and followed it with a sip of wine. Apparently, Brad didn't like my cooking. What he did like, I realized as his gaze scanned every inch of my figure, was my body and I gloried in it. I adored being admired and by extension I had to admit, I loved being Ginger.

  I sipped my wine. "Baby?"

  "Yes."

  "Now that we've had almost a day to think about what happened, do you have any ideas how such a bizarre thing could've happened."

  He sighed. "No, it defies comprehension. Other than when we first noticed this morning at the hotel, I've been too busy getting used to being a man, getting ready for your meeting, seeing my new home, etc. I haven't had time to think about it."

  "I know. I tried to think about how it happened, but it's so mind boggling, I don't know where to start. Baby?"

  Brad's gaze rose from my breasts. "What, honey?"

  "I got a call from Amber this afternoon."

  "Oh? What did you say to her?"

  "What could I say? I put her off."

  "Are you going to call her back?"

  I pursed my lips. "Of course not. I don't know her. You need to talk to her."

  He looked at the ceiling and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like she'd never notice my new masculine voice. Just keep texting her."

  "I can't do that. Besides, I told her I'd call her back. She's your friend, what do you want to do about her?"

  "Hmm, good question. I doubt if we'll ever change back and we can't hide what happened from those closest to us, like Amber. Maybe we should tell her."

  "She'd think we lost our minds."

  "No doubt she would at first, but Amber and I go back to college. I could tell her enough about you and her that she'd have no choice but to believe us."

  I set my fork down and blotted my mouth with the napkin. "I believe you said something about dining on my you know what for dessert?"

  A wall to wall gri
n formed on Brad's, sexy face. "Yeah, and other things. I've been waiting."

  I rose. "I'm going to go in the bathroom and get ready. When I come out, I'd like it if you were in bed naked and waiting for me."

  ~ * * ~

  At first I sat and watched those long elegant legs and sexy swinging ass retreat. As soon as she was out of sight, I stood, drank the rest of my wine and pranced into the bedroom.

  In two minutes or less I lay naked in the middle of my king sized bed, waiting for my sexy secretary.

  Truthfully, in my new masculine countenance, I rapidly assumed a masculine persona and relegated those feminine traits I'd held my whole life to another place. The most evident sign of this was the way I felt about Ginger. I was beguiled by this girl and the fact that I had been her until providence saw fit to switch us, didn't seem to make any difference. True, my fabulous looking body was now occupied by a new tenant, but that tenant seemed to fit in my body as well as I did, maybe even better.

  For the single night we spent together as the original Brad and Ginger, I really liked Brad. I found him to be smart, funny, charming, as close to lovable as any john I'd ever been with. What's more he didn't look down on me. Our time together was more like a date—a real date—than a job. He was so much fun, I looked forward to having sex with him and did he deliver.

  My reverie was disturbed when a sudden weight on the mattress bounced me around and I glanced at my beautiful alternate self. "I'm ready." Her long curvy frame rested on its side, her head propped up by her arm. "This is going to be a totally new experience for me. I'm really looking forward to it, what do you want me to do?"

  I snickered. "Just lie on your back and enjoy it. I'll take care of everything.

  Chapter Seven

  After I managed to calm down from my first climax as a woman, Brad eased up beside me for an embrace and a long, passionate, tongue filled kiss.

  "My God, baby, that was a mind blower."

  He snickered. "I'm tickled I pleased you.

  "Where did you learn to do that?"

  "Never did it before. Remember, I was the original inhabitant of your body. I just did what I thought would feel good to me. Apparently it works."

  I snuggled in tight and fidgeted until everything lined up for maximum titillation. Are we going to make love now?"