The Trans Ultra Collection Vol 2

by Ursula Lovelace

  If the clothes made the woman, then my sister had picked out a wide selection to try out. We were the same height and build so I could wear many of her dresses with ease. As for shoes, we had different feet, so she ordered some heels and pumps from an online store.

  Pantyhose was another story. I never got the hang of it. We decided that thigh-highs were the thing for me. I also didn’t mind the garter and stockings we experimented with.

  A set of understated jewelry finished off the look. After putting on some perfume, I looked at myself in the mirror. I hadn’t just changed my appearance.

  I had transformed myself.

  Casey Holloway the newbie actress looked like a completely different person from Casey Harris the boring, underachieving actor. She looked comfortable in her feminine clothing which clung to her curves. Her red lipstick gave her a regal look.

  Even Amelia looked awestruck. “Wow, you look amazing!”

  I smiled at her. “You think so?”

  “I’m your sister and I can barely tell that it’s you,” she answered, proud of her handiwork. I was just glad the idea wasn’t a complete failure. “I knew you were a gifted actor but this is some next level stuff, Casey.”

  That reminded me that my appearance was only half the battle. “I still have to work on my voice, Amelia. One slip up and it’s all over.”

  My sister smiled. “You sound as girlish as I do.”

  Amelia was right about my voice. Ever since we were young, our voices could be mistaken for each other’s. As an actor, I had learned a number of accents and pitches.

  I thought about adopting a foreign accent and raising my voice a few octaves. However, it would be too straining to do that all the time. People would ask questions about my background if my accent was too foreign. It would be easier to avoid slip ups if I ever so slightly modified my speaking voice. I spoke to my sister with a bit of weight in my throat. “How about this, Amelia?”

  My sister whistled in amazement. “Between that and your new look, you’re completely different person, Casey.”

  I looked back at the mirror again. The woman looking back at me was utterly gorgeous. Her silky hair flowed across her slender shoulders. Her eyes were sharp and accentuated with her rounded face. Her high cheek bones and plump lips gave her an aristocratic flair.

  I smiled at the woman and she smiled back at me.

  More than that, Casey Holloway was sexy. She had all the right curves. The bra and fake padding had worked marvelously.

  I wondered out loud. “I can’t believe that this is me…”

  My sister stood next to me. “Me neither. You look like a movie star, Casey.”

  I sucked in my lower lip. “Do you think I’ll be able to get away with this long enough to meet Gerald? I mean, these guys are experts at casting people. What if they see that something is off about me?”

  “They’ll be too stunned to tell,” Amelia replied. I felt more comfortable in a dress than in a three piece suit. “However, that doesn’t mean we can’t make sure that your cover story is iron tight.”

  I put a hand to my chin. “I never thought too much about that. I figured I’d just fib a little on my application and hope they liked it.”

  My sister asked. “How long do you have to prepare, Casey?”

  “The casting process will go on for a few weeks,” I explained. Gerald could push the casting process on and on but the production company would pressure him to make a choice if it went for too long. In fact, they would insist on a famous actress over an unknown. “They’re keeping it small for now so that they can attract unknowns. Although, it’s been slipping out that this is a Gerald Blanc production. We’re on clock to land a spot on the audition before they go wide. Or in case someone else wins the role and they end the search.”

  “So we’re on a clock,” Amelia replied. “Let’s get to work before someone else wins them over.”

  I nodded. “I know what they’re looking for in their female lead. One of the casting directors practically spelled it out for me. I should be able to get through the initial interview without any issues. It’s just meeting Gerald and not making a fool of myself that’s the problem.”

  Winning the role was a long shot. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure I would be able to continue the charade without the production team from finding out. I’d be satisfied with just meeting with my idol.

  Chapter 3

  Despite my new look, I’d have to buckle down and practice if I wanted this plan to go off without a hitch. Casting and film directors had an eye for small details. I may have spellbound my sister but that was no guarantee it would work on a man like Gerald.

  This was my best chance at meeting my idol. More importantly, I would have to use every drop of my acting ability to pull it off. I wouldn’t just be acting as Sarah during the audition. I would be a man acting as a woman who would be acting as Sarah. It was pretty damn metaphysical once you thought about it.

  I was equal parts excited and terrified. One mistake could land me in the nuthouse. It was a much better plan than moping around for the next few weeks and getting rejected from more auditions.

  Sitting in front of a mirror, I admired my new look. It was pretty damn convincing. Scanning my reflection, Amelia replied. “It’s a good look, Casey but we can do better.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  She gave a teasing smile. “A set of plucked eyebrows wouldn’t hurt. That’s the difference between a drag queen and the genuine article!”

  I groaned at the image before relenting. “Okay, you would know best.”

  Over the next couple of weeks, I began training my new persona, Casey Holloway. Whenever Amelia and I didn’t have to work, we sat down and developed my doppelgänger. It was like method acting dialed up to eleven.

  My sister had the critical eye needed for me to transform into a woman. She critiqued everything about me from the way I walked to the way I sat. I found it easier to just stay as in character as a woman rather than slip back to being a man.

  The more enjoyable aspect of the experience was my makeover. Amelia redid my hair and nails. Even my toenails got trimmed and painted with nail polish. I already had pierced ears from my wild days as a teenager. I could easily wear anything from hoops to studs.

  I was thankful for the fact that my body hair didn’t grow fast. I wouldn’t have to constantly wax myself. I didn’t know some women could do it once a week.

  Day by day, Casey Holloway came to life. She looked stunning in even the most mundane dress. My natural build worked perfectly with the feminine attire. My skin was naturally soft and felt at home against soft fabrics.

  More importantly, my acting ability as her had improved as well. I could speak flawlessly with Ms. Holloway’s voice. Sometimes, I even forgot I was even acting. Being a woman was second nature to me.

  When we finished one of my practice sessions, Amelia whistled at me. “You look so sexy, Casey. I’m dead jealous.”

  I blushed at the compliment. I was used to being teased for my looks. “You really think so?”

  My sister laughed as she kissed me on the cheek. “Babe, you’re a stunner. You’ll win this audition hands-on down.”

  “I’m not trying to win it,” I sighed. My eye was on the real prize. “I just want to meet Gerald. If by some off chance I do win, then I’ll have to turn it down. There’s no way I can keep this act up.”

  “Casey, you’re a shoe-in for the role,” she replied. “You know the part from the demo script. I’m sure you’ll win Gerald over.”

  I hugged my sister for the kind words. It was a great feeling to be appreciated for my acting talents. She had supported me through this crazy, borderline illegal idea. “I knew I could count on you, Amelia.”

  She smiled. “Don’t forget me when you’re a rich and famous Hollywood starlet!”

  Nevertheless, the days leading up to the next casting session were stressful. Amelia and I touched up everything about my appearance. I seemed to get lovelier d
ay by day.

  I also brushed up on my performance. I had Ms. Holloway’s girl next door voice down to the pitch. She was charming without being pretentious. I could strut around like a diva in high heels until my feet hurt which I learned was normal.

  Sometimes, Amelia brought her paralegal work home so we couldn’t practice.

  Or so I thought.

  My sister had the crazy idea of letting me talk to some of her firm’s clients as a receptionist. It was more brilliant of a plan than I initially had given her credit for. It allowed me to practice my new voice and get comfortable speaking to other people with it. None of them suspected that I was a man.

  One day when I finished putting on a dress, my sister declared. “Casey Holloway, let’s go shopping! You’re going to need more than some old hand-me-downs from your big sister.”

  “Wait!” I gasped, grabbing fistful of my skirt. “I can’t go out looking like this.”

  “You’ll have to do it eventually,” she replied, folding her arms like a stern mother. “Besides, you can’t do it wearing my spare clothing. You’re going to have to choose your own personal look.”

  She had a point. “Okay…”

  Wearing an understated shirt and skirt combo, I gingerly made my way outside with my sister. To my surprised, I was comfortable walking around as a woman. There was a spring in my step as I walked the familiar streets. People smiled at me as I passed by. I never got that kind of attention as a man.

  When we arrived at the shopping mall, Amelia and I headed to a popular women’s clothing chain. I saw a man following us as we checked out clothing. I tugged at my sister’s arm and whispered. “Amelia, do you see that guy? I think he knows that I’m a man.”

  As I began to panic, Amelia giggled. “Relax, that guy has been ogling you ever since we got here.”

  I bit down on my lips and glanced at the man. He was smiling like an idiot at me. “You sure?”

  “You’re new to this,” she replied with a grin. “Get used to men mentally undressing you, especially after we buy you a new low-cut dress.”

  It was a real treat to shop for clothes. Amelia made up for my lack of experience with her honed shopping instincts. I didn’t plan on buying an entire wardrobe’s worth of clothing. I just needed enough to get me through the audition.

  It made me wonder what would happen after the audition. I wasn’t crazy enough to think that I would win the role. Meeting Gerald Blanc would be more than worth the trouble. However, I was beginning to enjoy dressing as a woman.

  It felt so right being a woman. Sure, it sometimes hurt to walk around in heels but I had never been happier. Being Casey Holloway was as natural as breathing. I didn’t think I could stop being her after the audition. It was a weird thought but it was something I could worry about later.

  I chalked it off on the acting aspect of it. I was creating a character and filling out every detail about her. I had to use every fiber of my acting talent to bring her to life. I was putting on a show every minute I was outside. It was rewarding as much as it was exhausting.

  At the same time, I enjoyed the attention I received as Ms. Holloway. Men smiled at me and opened the door as if I were a proper lady. Women eyed me with envy.

  Nonetheless, we got down to business when we reached home. I started to make a cover story for Casey Holloway. I had made sure to check all the right boxes with her background as an amateur actress. She was the girl Gerald Blanc was looking for.

  I had sent out my application for the lead female role in ‘Winter Rain.’ In addition, I sent some demo tapes to showcase my talent. Amelia had filmed me reading mock scripts. Without an agency to represent me, I had to make the best application I could without anyone to vouch for me.

  However, less was more in this scenario. Gerald and the casting directors were looking for a fresh-faced actress. Casey Holloway had been engineered to be the perfect match for the character of Sarah.

  Thankfully, they took the bait. I got a call from the production that they wanted to talk to me. More than that, they dying to see me. I had never experienced such an enthusiastic response to my demo tapes. They even let slip that Gerald Blanc would be involved in the auditioning process.

  I squealed when I got accepted into the audition. I was practically hyperventilating. “Oh my God! I’m going to meet him. What if he sees through me, Amelia?”

  My sister took it better than me. “Relax, Ms. Holloway. You can get anything you want with those charms of yours. Didn’t you see how men were gawking at you this past week?”

  I thought about it for a moment. “They were just being polite…”

  Amelia laughed and brushed my hair with her hand. “You have no idea, do you? You’re a born star. It’s like there’s a spotlight on you whenever we go outside. Believe me, it’s not that easy.”

  I was flabbergasted at the revelation. I had thought all women got that kind of attention. “Wow, I never thought I’d come off that way. This was just a way for me to stretch my acting muscle and meet Gerald. I never thought I’d end up like this.”

  “Good, you’ll have something to fall back on if this acting gig doesn’t work out!”

  I took a deep breath. “Amelia is it wrong if I enjoy dressing up like this? I mean, for me instead of the audition.”

  My sister was surprised at the question. Nonetheless, she smiled and said. “It’s not wrong if you love what you’re doing, Casey. But you really feel this way?”

  “It’s not just the acting part of being her,” I answered, feeling a rush throughout my body. “I feel like I’ve been freed after a prison sentence. I’ve never felt so happy!”

  Amelia kissed me on the cheek. “Welcome to the home team!”

  I laughed. “Thanks, I always knew I could count on you.”

  “Like I said, just don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous,” she replied with a giggle. “Come on, let’s get you ready for the audition.”

  By the time the audition approached, I had become a pro at being a woman. I could do my hair and makeup without any help. It was a ritual that I knew by heart.

  Better yet, I spent most of my time as Ms. Holloway. Her voice was more familiar than my regular one. If anything, it was hard returning to my masculine side.

  I still went out to shop or to eat as her. Both men and women believed my disguise. It filled me with confidence for the coming audition.

  Amelia agreed with the progress I had made. “Casey, you’ve got that model strut down.”

  I smirked at her. “I learned from the best.”

  My sister laughed. “Save some energy for the audition tomorrow.”

  That was easier said than done.

  Chapter 4

  I felt butterflies in my stomach over the thought of auditioning. I wasn’t nervous about the audition itself. By now, I had fooled everyone into thinking I was a dyed in the wool woman. Instead, I worried about this whole charade ending after the audition.

  I didn’t want to go back to being regular old Casey Harris. I had started to think of myself as a woman. My sister didn’t judge me for being more in touch with my feminine side.

  Regardless, it was a question for another day. I had to focus on the audition. I had already fooled several people but Gerald Blanc and the casting directors would be the true test. They had an eye for detail and could see through my disguise if I made the slightest slip up. I needed to get my story straight for the audition.

  As an actor, I had been to countless auditions. I always felt like a sardine trapped in a can with other sardines. I was just another actor who everyone would ignore.

  I had never experienced an audition like this.

  “Who is she?” one of the actresses asked in the lobby. She glared at me like I was her personal enemy. “I knew some supermodels were auditioning but I’ve never seen her before.”

  There were about a half dozen actresses in the small lobby. It was a far cry from the crowded audition for the male role. The other actresses attending the audit
ion all looked like divas. I thought there would be more. I guessed many applied but only a few had made the cut.

  “I bet she’s some beauty queen’s daughter,” another grumbled. Neither of the two women tried to hide their jealousy of me. “She probably has a leg up on all of us. It’s unfair the casting company lets them in.”

  I never had auditioned for a role and ended up as the favorite. The role called for someone who was unknown but had confidence. I knew what the casting director was looking for but I felt like a shoo-in for the role. All the other actresses were staring daggers at me.

  As Casey Harris, I had to accept whatever role came my way. Like I said before, I wasn’t leading man material. Most casting companies tossed my resume straight into the recycling bin.