4 comments

Fiction Romance

Denny’s Closet

Chapter 1

By Jame Michaels

She came right over, when I entered the office, and shook my hand. “Are you Dave?”, she asked with a nice smile. “Margie told us last Friday, the home office had hired a new person for the opening.

“Yes, I’m Dave. And you are?”

“I’m Denise, but everyone calls me Denny. I’ll be your sidekick for the first week or two to get you settled in and train you on Jeepers.”

Two weeks? Only two weeks, I thought to myself. I could see myself spending a lot more than two weeks with her. “What is Jeepers”, I enquired.

“Jeepers is the automation software we use for onboarding, our CRM, job postings, and lots of other tasks, here at Westward. If you are sharp, it will take you about a week to learn it. If you’re not sharp, figure three weeks. Let me give you a hint, can I? You’re the third person we’ve brought in for the position. The first two could not learn Jeepers in three weeks. So, you have three weeks.” She smiled as she watched Dave’s facial expression. “You’ll be sitting at the desk next to mine. I’ll show you where it is. Do you like blue? We have another chair that’s brown, but I figured you for a blue chair. Was I correct?” Denny flashed her arctic blue eyes at me.

I was taken with her right then and there. The arctic blue eyes flashing at me, the long brown, shoulder length hair, the skirt showing off her legs; it fit her nicely. I followed her, to her desk, watching her body move, looking at her booty. “The blue chair is fine. It’s kind of a cornflower blue, isn’t it?”, I asked as I twirled it in a circle.

“Oh,” Denny said suddenly, “let me show you the coat closet. It’s right over here. I keep my lunch, my purse and my umbrella in here. Do you go out for lunch or do you eat in? “She kept talking, not giving me a chance to answer. “I usually bring my lunch, except for Fridays when we all go down to Mario’s for drinks and tapas. You know about tapas, correct?” She kept right on going. “Tapas are traditionally small dishes, snacks or appetizers of Italian cuisine. It might be breads and meat, or a selection of dishes from ham, stuffed mussels, fried squid, to olives, sautéed mushroom and other vegies. Mario makes his own Italian bread, and his garlic bread is to die for! Did you answer my question about eating in or going out for lunch?”

I thought she’s never come up for air.  I must have had a puzzled look on my face. Denny asked, “Is there something wrong? You look like you forgot something.”

“No,” I told her. “It is just that you look like someone I used to know.”

“Oh?” Denny asked. “Maybe an old girl friend?”

I thought about that for a minute. That was one thing I never had. An old girlfriend. There were girls in high school and girls in college, but I never dated. I always had a part time job in high school, and also had one in college. I figured I had plenty of time for girls later. “I like to bring my lunch and read a book. I saw a cubby hole in the hall way that overlooks the square and the bus station. I thought I saw a table there too. That would be perfect.”

“You might have to share that spot. Nina sits there every day at lunch.” Denny said.

I started to speak, “That brings up a good point, I forgot to ask. What time do I start, what time is lunch and is there a flex schedule for every other Friday off? What about casual day – jeans, polo shirts?”

Denny smiled at him. Dave was good looking and well dressed. He had on a blue oxford shirt, with a button-down collar. You didn’t see those very often these days. His tie had sail boats on it and the knot at the neck was hand tied. It wasn’t one of those clip-on ties like so many guys wore. He had on a pair of brown wing tips and brown dress slacks. He was a good package and would fit right in at the home office. “We don’t do 9-80 here. It’s a forty-hour work week. We’re flexible about start and end time, just so long as you put in your forty hours each week. We usually skip lunch on Fridays and Margie lets us off at 3:30 so we can beat the rush to Mario’s for Happy Hour.” Denny smiled at me. “Do you drink? Like at Happy Hour? My mother said you are probably a red wine kind of guy.”

“Do I know your mother?” I asked awkwardly. 

“You put her name down as a reference on your resume; don’t you remember?” Denny asked, with a smirk.

“Dr. Stafford is your mother? I thought your last name was Stevens?”

“My father’s name is Stevens. My mother never took his name when they got married, since all of her professional degrees, etc. were in her maiden name. So, she’s Stafford and the rest of us are Stevens.” They both had a laugh about that.

Chapter Two

The week flew by and it was Friday before I knew it. We ate lunch together every day. I liked salami and sharp cheddar cheese on rye, pumpernickel or wheat bread. She had a fruit yoghurt, a different flavor or fruit every day of course, half an apple or an orange and an energy bar. I had an exercise routine I did each morning before work and I drank volumes of water. She had a coffee – sometimes two, with half and half or milk, depending on what was at the coffee bar.

“You are a natural at Maxa, I can’t believe you are handling it with ease. I didn’t see Maxa skills in your resume. You’ve set up short cuts on your dashboard I have never seen before. Where did you learn how to do all of that?” Denny asked.

I smiled and looked over at her. Her eyes - God her eyes were gorgeous! I wanted to pat her arm, but thought better of it. “The creator of Maxa was a friend of my father. His name was Jack Goodwin. He didn’t live far from us and the older folks got together every Friday night to shoot the shit and have a few beers together. My father made his own beer – IPAs and Porters mostly. Jack’s wife and my mother would have a glass of wine while the men laughed and told stories. Jack told everybody a child could use his software and I was in some of his early print ads. Jack taught me how to use the software and showed me a lot of short cuts on how to do repetitive tasks with a Control T or a Control W plus some software code. I use it on my PC at home.”

Denny looked at him and shook her head slightly. “Can you show and teach me what you know?”

“Your copy of the software, here at the office, is locked.” I explained. “And given how expensive it is, you probably don’t have it installed on your PC at home. Each time you log into the PC here, you have to put in your card for access. I know how to get around that, but I can’t show you. I can show you some things on my copy of the software on my personal laptop. I could bring the laptop over to your place on the weekend if you want a lesson or two.”

Denny smiled and said, “That’s perfect!”

I looked at her with a surprise look on my face. “It is?”

“Yes,” Denny replied. “Mom is taking us shopping on Saturday and she wants you to come shopping too and stay for dinner.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who is us?” I asked.

“Mom, you, me, and my sisters Carol, Diane and Marion. My other sister Dorothy works every Saturday, so Mom will take her on Dorothy’s day off – Wednesday.”

“Wow! Your mother had five girls! And it’s going to be me and five women – all of us going shopping?”

Denny smiled at Dave. “You have suits, don’t you? What color are they?”

I thought for a minute, “I have an old brown suit that I don’t wear anymore and I have a black suit.”

“Perfect!” Denny shouted. “Mom wants to buy you a blue suit with a couple of shirts. We are going to Howard’s Men’s Clothing.” Frankly, I was perplexed. “Why is your mother buying me a suit? Suits for men can be pretty expensive. She doesn’t even know me that well.”

“Yes, she does! She’s told me a couple of stories from the restaurant days.” Denny responded. “You’ll know her when you see her on Saturday.”

Uh oh, I thought. The restaurant days. And I wondered what stories. “And where is she taking you guys?”

“She’s taking us to Rita’s Evening Wear.”

“Is that the women’s underwear place?” I asked nervously.

“Yes. Girls have to get new underwear every year. Things wear out, styles change, there are new colors, you know? They have a waiting room for men. You’ll be fine.”

Chapter Three

I woke up with a splitting headache. Saturday was a total blur. Too much wine. I always drank too much when I was nervous.

I remembered Dr. Stafford. When I was in college she came into the restaurant where I worked as a waiter and always asked for my table. She always gave big tips and told me when I wrote up my resume, I could use her name as a reference. When she came into the restaurant, she never had a bra on and her blouse was always loose fitting and had the two buttons undone at the top. When she was sitting at the table, she would hold her menu open and have me look over her shoulder, while she pointed at dishes on the menu and asked how the food was prepared. She always made sure I got a good look at “the goods”.

I remembered going to Howard’s. I was clear headed getting fitted for the blue suit. I didn’t get a look at the price tag, but I knew the suits there were expensive.

Then it was on to Rita’s. Denny showed me where the men’s waiting room was. It was a closet with one chair. Rita came in and offered me a glass of wine. “Sure. Why not?”

Diane came in first. She had on a thong and matching brassiere. She asked if I thought it was too tight? “No. It looks like it fits just right.” The lady with the wine came back in and asked if I needed a refill. “Yes! Please!” Diane came back three or four more times. “How about this set? Did I like how she looked?” Then Carol came in three or four times. Then Marion. In between Diane and Marion was the wine lady and more wine and then Carol came in for my opinion. Of course, the wine lady was there. Then Dr. Stafford. Dr. Stafford liked the bra panty garter sets. She asked me to feel the material. I reached up high. “Lower”, she said. “Come on, lower!” she spoke with some urgency. “Put you hand on my upper thigh. You know where my thigh is, correct?” The wine lady was back. Denny was last. As far as I was concerned, they saved the best for last. Denny liked bodysuits. They didn’t leave much to the imagination. Her nipples were hard and poking through the material. “My mother says you have really soft hands. Feel the material. Do you like it? Feel the material between my legs. Does it feel nice?” It was bound to happen. The wine, Dr. Stafford and her four daughters, prancing around in their underwear, feeling legs, booty, the perfume . . . I sprung an erection right there in the chair. The wine lady came back. “More?”

“No thanks. I’ve had it.” Denny came back, in yet another body suit. “Mom is paying for our stuff. We’ll be leaving soon. I have to go change. Can you stand?”

I grabbed on to the arm of the chair. I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the bulge in my pants that was making it hard to walk. I have to say I don’t remember much about the drive to Dr. Stafford’s house. She lived in the ritzy area of town. The place must have had seven or eight bedrooms. It had a good-sized living room and dining room. I remember a library. We had more wine with dinner; not that I needed any more, but I had two glasses.

I remember someone helping me upstairs to the bedroom. I also remember some women’s perfume. Then I remember hands; lots of hands, helping me off with my clothes. Then those hands were putting clothes back on me and laughter. I vaguely remember hearing a camera or maybe a phone or two with a camera and more laughing. Then nothing.

When I woke up my mouth tasted like saw dust. I looked around the room and saw a lamp next to the bed. I reached for it and turned it on. I swung my legs out of the covers and stood up. My GOD!! I WAS WEARING A DRESS!! What the hell! I went to the mirror on the wall. I was all decked out in women’s clothing. I looked around for my stuff and saw nothing. I reached behind me and found the zipper. I unzipped the dress and stood in front of the mirror. My boxers and tee shirt were gone and I was wearing women’s underwear. WHAT IS GOING ON!! I immediately grabbed between my legs and was glad to feel that my goods were still intact. Thank God! Now I have to find my stuff! I reached for the dress and put it back on. I couldn’t go parading around in this underwear. Not that it would have mattered, since I was the only man in the house. Well, I hoped I was the only man in the house.

Under the dress, I was wearing a lace chemise. I recognized it from Rita’s. The bra fit me so well, I wasn’t even aware I was wearing it. The thing fit like a glove. I lifted up the front of the dress and felt the thong. I wonder if Rita has any of these for men. Wearing it, I felt a little sexy. I let the dress fall in the front and headed for the door. I turned the handle and it was locked! SHIT! I thought. Am I locked in here? I tried again and the door swung open. Whew! Damn! I was worried there for a minute. I went out the door and looked around. To the right were more bedrooms and to the left, was a staircase. I smelled breakfast and coffee. I headed that way. I started down the stairs and looked at myself in the mirror on the staircase wall. My hair was all messed up like I had taken a shower and slept on it funny. The dress was a little tight in the chest, but at least my chest was flat. When I reached the last step, I heard Dr. Stafford say,

“Good morning sunshine! How did you sleep. Like a rock I would imagine!” Then laughter from several women. I went around the corner and Marion, Carol and Dr. Stafford were sitting at the dining room table, having breakfast. “You look really pretty”, Marion said softly. It got a few laughs.  

“I’d really like to get my own clothes on, if you don’t mind.”

“There’s plenty of time for that,” Dr. Stafford said. “Sit down dear. And be careful to smooth your dress out and sit properly like a woman.”

I did what I was told; reached behind me and smoothed the dress out before sitting, like I had seen women do a million times.

“You would understand if you had to iron the folds out of that dress as many times as I have. Would you like to wear dresses like this all the time? That’s what my practice does, you know. We have men walk in the front door and women walk out on the other side. We could make this permanent if you’d like.” Dr. Stafford was explaining.

“No thank you, Dr. I like all my parts just where they are now.”

“O.K. Denny will be happy to hear that. What do you think about some coffee and a sweet roll?

“I think I’d like to get out of this dress and get my own clothes back on!” I answered nervously. “Where are my things?”

“All of your things are in Denny’s closet.” Dr. Stafford replied.

“And where is Denny bedroom?” I asked, getting a little irritated.

“Go upstairs and go two doors past the room you came out of.”

“Thank you”, I replied as I started to stand. I took the stairs two at a time. I walked past my room and opened the door to Denny’s room. I looked around but didn’t see the closet. Denny was just waking up. She was wearing a sheer baby doll sleep set. I learned more than I thought at Rita’s. Quite a bit actually. She rubbed her eyes and looked at me. “Recognize me in the outfit?”

“Come sit here.”  As she tapped the edge of the bed. She unzipped the dress I was wearing and pulled me into her bed. “I want to get a closer look at that bulge that I saw in your pants when we were at Rita’s.” she laughed. 

May 09, 2022 20:20

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

4 comments

16:53 May 19, 2022

Jame :) if I had to describe this story in one word, it would be "tease" You definitely tease the reader as much as Dave and Denny tease at each other. The ending was a hilarious twist, but I almost wonder if it would have been an even better hook to START with the frightful "wake up" and then have the narrator back-track in an attempt to figure things out. good job!

Reply

Jame Michaels
17:43 Jul 14, 2022

Thank you! Good suggestion about starting in reverse and going back around to help the reader figure things out. I liked it and will try it in the future.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
J.C. Lovero
00:00 May 19, 2022

Hi Jame, Fun story you have here. The meet cute between Dave and Denny had a good bit of tension with the whole 3-week thing. And the twist at the end with the dress was like it came out of a from com. Keep on writing!

Reply

Jame Michaels
17:43 Jul 14, 2022

Thank you!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.