Acting Up - Female Role - Part - 5

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"Honey, remember the night six weeks ago when you came home with your new pillows?" Seeing the blank look on Leigh's face, Nikki pantomimed cupping two humongous breasts. Leigh laughed, "I remember. What about it?"

"Remember my comment about wanting to make sure 'my balls' were still functional?" Leigh laughed again.

"I think we proved they were."

"You don't know the half of it.

Not only were they functional, they were extremely potent! It seems your birth control pills, didn't work, I'm pregnant!"

"What? That's wonderful! Let's get a sitter for Patty, put on our LBD's, and celebrate! No booze for you though."

Although they drew some stares when they danced together, they enjoyed their night out. When they returned home, Leigh proved once again that "Nikki's balls" were working just fine!

"Twins?" Nikki showed him the print image of a sonogram. "And," Nikki continued excitedly, "two new members of your team, honey. We're having boys!" Leigh was initially ecstatic.

His joy slowly cooled as he began to wonder what his boys would think when they were old enough to tell the difference between boys and girls.

It wasn't every father who dressed and lived full-time as a woman.

He decided that he had a few years before it would become a problem.

He wasn't worried about what his daughter Patricia thought about his dressing, he already knew.

As far as she was concerned, her Daddy was special. He got to wear pretty dresses every day.

The emergency room nurses had thought nothing strange about a tall woman pushing a very pregnant woman in a wheelchair toward them at a dead run.

They weren't even surprised when the tall woman exclaimed, "My husband is having twins, right now! Please help her!" Women having a baby was a major part of the hospital business.

Unless there were extenuating circumstances, like bleeding, every step of the way had been horned into a fine science.

A nurse took the wheelchair from Leigh and disappeared onto an elevator. Leigh wanted to follow but was stopped by the admissions nurse.

"Miss, you can go up to the maternity ward shortly. But first, we need to have you fill out some paperwork,"

Leigh flinched when the word paperwork was mentioned. Leigh sighed; he had been here and had done that before with the birth of Patricia.

He decided that he would not go down that rabbit hole again. "My name is not Miss! It's Mrs. Leigh Williamson, and that is my husband that just went up the elevator! Now, what paperwork do you need in order for me to go up to the maternity ward?"

The Admissions nurse looked up, startled by the brisk tone of voice of the woman standing in front of the counter.

"Uh, yes ma'am. Uh, Mrs. Williamson, I need your insurer..."

She was startled when Leigh dropped a copy onto her desk.

"Yes, well, I need to know the father's name for the birth certificates."

"The father's name is Leigh Renee Williamson," Leigh stated. The nurse looked up again. "That's spelled L. E. E. and R.E.N.E. correct?"

"No, that's spelled L. E. I. G. H and R.E.N.E.E.! I am the father, and that's how I spell my name." The nurse looked up again, obviously confused. How could this attractive woman be the father of the baby? She wondered.

Sighing mentally to herself, she carefully wrote Leigh's name on the certificate.

"Anything else? If not I'll go up and see my husband." The nurse nodded. As she watched Leigh walk to the elevator she shook her head. She wondered if there had been a medical discovery that allowed a woman to impregnate another woman. If there had been she certainly hadn't heard of it.

Of course, after same-sex marriages became legal, anything was possible, she supposed. She shook her head again; I'm getting too old for this, she decided.

When Leigh reached the third floor and the maternity ward, Nikki was almost ready to go to the delivery room. The nurse who was assisting Nikki saw Leigh exit the elevator.

"Mrs. Williamson?" Leigh nodded.

"Would you care to accompany your, uh, husband to the delivery room? If so, you'll need to put some scrubs on before you can go in."

The nurse, who was much younger than the admissions nurse, was not fazed by same-sex marriages.

It wasn't the first lesbian couple that had resorted to artificial insemination to have a child. She was wrong of course, but she didn't know that. She waited while Leigh pulled on a pair of scrub pants and top.

The nurse smiled and beckoned Leigh to follow her to the delivery room.

"I see you made it this time," a sweaty and haggard-looking Nikki said, looking up at Leigh. He smiled and took her hand in his, he began rubbing it reassuringly.

"I knew how to beat the system this time," he chuckled, then winced when Nikki tried to squeeze his hand into a pulp.

"It's coming!" Nikki grunted through clenched teeth.

The attending doctor confirmed Nikki's pronouncement. "They sure are! Nurse get ready.

One more push Nikki, and the first one will be out!" Nikki voiced something between a wordless groan and a screaming grunt! Leigh who had been standing where he could witness the birth directly, suddenly felt everything go black.

The doctor who literally had his hands full of a baby, glanced down at Leigh laying on the floor out like a light.

"Would someone check her? I think she hit her head pretty hard when she fell." Later the doctor wondered about the incident. It was extremely rare that a woman would faint while watching a birth.

This younger generation of women has gotten just too soft, he decided. Not like women of his day!

"How are you feeling?" Nikki asked, looking up at Leigh's bandage on his forehead. Leigh looked at his "husband" lying in the hospital bed. "That should be the question I ask you.

How are you feeling?"

"Like I just gave birth to a couple of watermelons." Nikki smiled. She reached out and Leigh took her hand.

"I'm glad you were with me this time; I don't know how I could have gone through that without you being there."

"I wish I could have been a bigger help instead of laying on the floor out cold."

"One of the nurses told me that passing out isn't uncommon for the fathers. Don't worry about it. Just knowing you were there was enough." "Nikki," Leigh began slowly. "I really didn't want to tell you this but I can't think of any time that would be easier." "Is this about my Grandfather dying? I knew about it two days ago."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be. I quit caring about the old bastard the day we received all that terrible paperwork."

"Remember Miss Jones? The woman who witnessed and notarized the paperwork?"

"I remember her. What about her?" "She asked if she could stop by and talk. She said she had some important information she wanted to share," Leigh said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But she sounded sincere."

"Call her back and let her know we'll be available next Monday."

Miss Jones looked much the same as she had six years earlier. The only difference this time was that she was smiling.

"Miss Jones, please come in," Leigh said. "Nikki is in the living room. Would you care for something to drink? Coffee, tea or,..."

"I'll have a scotch with a dash of water if you have it," she interrupted Leigh abruptly.

"You do have scotch, don't you Mrs. Williamson?"

Taken by surprise, Leigh stuttered a bit before he said, "Uh, yes. Well, okay, I think I'll join you. It's been a stressful week."

A few minutes later Leigh and Nikki were sitting on the couch across from Miss Jones. She took a sip of her scotch and water and smiled. "Good drink, good scotch, and just a dash of water, just the way I like them." She smiled and raised her glass.

"I didn't have a chance to say this while your Grandfather was alive, so, please forgive me for the lateness of this.

Congratulations on your wedding Ms. And Mrs. Nikki Williamson! May your marriage be a long and happy one." Miss Jones downed her drink, smiled, and put the empty glass on the coffee table. Nikki and Leigh waited while she settled back in her chair.

"The first thing I want, no I need to say, is that I'm so sorry I played even a small role in that despicable trick your grandfather played on you.

I wanted no part of it and I told Ted so when he told me what he was going to do. But, I regret to say that I would have lost my job and more, if I hadn't caved."

"Miss Jones, if Grandpa told you what he was going to do, did he tell you why?"

"Yes, and that's part of why I'm here."

Miss Jones reached into her purse and pulled out a large envelope.

The first thought that crossed Leigh's mind, was here we go again. "Before I go into the why, Nikki, you should know that he left you very little in his last will.

Most of his fortune and the bulk of his estate, with the exception of the groundskeeper's house, went to charity.

You are to have the groundskeeper's house and the land it sits on if you wish. If not, it too will go to charity. His law firm wasn't entirely his own. A couple of months before he died he signed over controlling interest of the firm to the senior partners."

Nikki, having received inside information from some friends in the firm, had known the general provisions of the will and that he had liquidated his interest in the firm.

The informant either hadn't known or couldn't share the information about the groundskeeper's house. She wasn't disappointed that the only thing her grandfather left her was the house and grounds.

Even as a child she had loved the large 20's craftsman style bungalow. Because it was the groundskeeper's home, the three acres it sat on, were the most beautiful part of the estate.

"I know for a fact that initially, he planned on leaving the firm to you. However, when he found out Leigh was dressing in women's clothing he was extremely upset.

He was convinced that Leigh was going in the same direction as an old childhood friend had gone some twenty years earlier. The friend's name was, well his real name isn't important anymore.

Your grandfather never got over it when he had a sex change.

The name she chose, is one you should be familiar with, was Elliana."

Leigh and Nikki looked at each other in surprise.

"Grandpa said he'd known Elliana, but he never said how," Nikki said.

"His intention, however misguided by his fears for you and the firm may have been, was to protect you from what he felt was a selfish person that cared nothing for you, even less about the firm, because of his,"

Miss Jones glanced at Leigh, "desire to become a woman as Elliana had."

"When he asked you two if you loved each other, he did not believe you, thinking that you were merely trying to protect your baby's future.

I think that he felt that he had to act to separate the two of you. Consequently, he went forward with his efforts to destroy you, Leigh."

Miss Jones laughed softly. "I have to admit I, and a lot of other people were delighted when you married again as a same-sex couple. Your marriage completely railroaded your grandfather's plan."

"He was devastated when he attended a performance of 'Elliana' and saw that he had been wrong about the character of the 'real' Elliana.

He finally saw, through your wonderful performance, the Elliana he thought he knew, wasn't the selfish person who didn't care about others."

"Serves him right. But the damage he did to both Leigh and me is inexcusable. I don't think that anything he could have done would have made me feel any worse." Nikki leaned over to Leigh and placed her hand on his hairless leg.

She gently stroked it for a moment, bringing a smile to Leigh. "However, in spite of what that old bastard did, I think our marriage, has become stronger because of it."

"Of that, I have no doubt.

But, I'm not here to make amends for your grandfather's intolerance and ignorance. I know nothing could excuse that.

What I'm here for is something entirely different. The partners of your grandfather's law firm asked me to represent them in this."

Miss Jones handed Nikki the envelope. Nikki slowly opened the envelope, dreading what it contained.

She looked inside, then looked up at Miss Jones, confused.

"All the partners knew what your grandfather did to you and Leigh.

But they, like myself, were powerless to stop him, even though they tried. They felt guilty and wished to make amends for their failure to stop it. They got together earlier this month and agreed to give you 10% of the value of each of the partnerships.

The letters are individual apologies from each of the partners. The check represents the equivalent value of a full partnership for a year."

Nikki looked again at the check; it was for six million dollars. The second document was the deed to the groundskeeper's house.

"Again, I hope that your marriage will be long and happy."

Miss Jones smiled, excused herself, and left Nikki and Leigh sitting on the couch in stunned silence.

A week later, they moved from their cramped apartment to the spacious groundskeeper's house on her Grandfather's old estate.

The play was closing after five years and 1470 performances. Leigh's salary and profit sharing during the production was over $9 million, making him one of the highest-paid actors in the legitimate theater.

The corporation was making money beyond Leigh and Nikki's expectations. Patricia was 6 and had just entered first grade.

The twins, William and Steven, had just turned three. The children were in their beds, sound asleep. Leigh and Nikki in their night clothes, were having a quiet glass of wine and discussing the closing of the play. "Well, are you sorry the play has closed?"

Nikki asked. Leigh regarded his wine glass for a moment. He glanced up at Nikki. "Not in the least. We've made a good living while it was in production, but we've made even more money with the corporation. I will miss the work, but I won't miss some of my fellow actors."

"Now what are you going to do?" Leigh looked down at his breasts under his nightgown.

"I'm going to follow the doctor's suggestion, and have these removed. Then, I'm going on a shopping spree.

Boxers and ties from now on." Nikki laughed, "You've been living as a woman every day for what, six and a half years. Think you can just flip a switch and poof, you're a man again?" Leigh continued to look down at his breasts.

"To be truthful, I don't know. But you know, I think I'll miss these." Nikki smiled and patted his smooth hairless leg poking out from the hem of his waltz-length nightgown.

"You know, as much as I was against you getting the implants, I've grown to like how they look on you, even if they are bigger than mine!" "You're not jealous are you?" Leigh laughed.

"More wine?" Nikki asked, ignoring the question. She poured some into her glass. Leigh held out his. When she filled Leigh's glass half full, she started. "Oh, I almost forgot, you received a package today." "What was it?"

"I don't know. Let me get it and we'll both find out." Nikki got up and disappeared into the kitchen.

A moment later she returned with a cardboard box about the same size as a ream of standard letter-size paper and half as thick. Leigh leaned back. "I'm not sure I want to open that, not after the last time we had a package that size." Nikki looked at the return address.

"I think we're safe, the return address is from some production company in Studio City."

"What? A production company?" Leigh asked puzzled.

"Let's open it and see what it is."

Nikki got a letter opener from her desk. Leigh carefully slit the tape sealing the box. He worked the lid of the box off and stared at the contents.

"What is it, honey?" Leigh flipped the box over and allowed the contents to slide out on to the table. He turned everything upright.

"It's a script! Wait, there's a letter too."

Leigh took a moment to skim the first page of the two-page letter. "I'll be damned! They want me to read the script and let them know if I'd be interested in auditioning for a part in a movie!" He picked up the script and began reading it Nikki held out her hand.

"Let me read the letter."

Leigh picked it up and handed it to Nikki, his eyes never left the script. Nikki who was far more detail-orientated than Leigh, took the time to read both pages, not once, but twice.

She laid the letter on the table and watched Leigh with interest as he skimmed the script.

He had learned years ago how to "read between the lines" of a script by ignoring everything but the dialog.

Eventually, he put the script down, having read less than a quarter. "Well, it looks interesting. It's a political mystery story. From what I've read so far, it has some strong characters.

I think I'd like to audition for the part of Sam. That seems to be one of the key characters, I'll give them a call tomorrow and let them know that I'll be available next Friday."

"Why next Friday?" "That should give me enough time to have these removed and have some recovery time," he said cupping his breasts.

"Leigh, darling. I think that you should read the letter."

Leigh looked at Nikki, sensing that something he had assumed was wrong.

"What?" "I don't think you really want the part of Sam." "Why not, that seems to be the best role."

"That may be. But there's one thing you need to know." "What?"

"Sam's full name is Samantha. They want you to read for the female lead."

"Oh, fuck!" Leigh swore and tossed the script on to the table. "And it was looking like a good part too."

He quickly drained his wine glass. "I'm going to bed. Care to join me?" Leigh asked as he held his hand out to Nikki. Nikki smiled and allowed him to help her off the couch. Moments later they were in bed doing what young couples do when they've had a long day and a few glasses of wine. They were sound asleep within minutes.

Nikki was cleaning up after the children's breakfast when Leigh walked into the kitchen. "Well, I see you finally got up.

Sit down and I'll fix you some bacon and eggs." Nikki, who had eaten with the children earlier, sat down next to Leigh and took a sip of coffee as he ate his breakfast. She regarded him for a moment.

"What time did you get up to finish the script?" Leigh took a sip of coffee and thought for a moment. "Around midnight. I finished it about 4:30 AM."

"Well?" "It's a wonderful part, Sam is a strong no-nonsense character. In fact, she's the main character and appears in 75% of the movie. Nikki, I really want this part!"

"Oh, honey, you realize what it means if you get the part don't you?" "Yeah, I know," he said softly. He looked at Nikki searching her eyes for a reaction. He only saw sadness. He quickly tried to reassure her that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"Nikki, it's not like the play. The letter says that they're anticipating a shooting schedule of less than three months. It's a low-budget movie, only 4.5 million.

However, if I get the part they've guaranteed me a salary of $1 million and 3% of the gross. Potentially, another $5 million or more." Nikki just smiled, knowing that her husband would be a woman for another five or six months. She would just have to grin and bear it a little longer.

"There's one thing, though," Leigh said slowly. Nikki sighed. "What do you need to do this time?" "Well, there are a lot of extreme closeup scenes. Ordinary theatrical makeup isn't good enough to hide my whiskers, no matter how close I shave."

"So, your beard goes away forever!" Nikki sighed. "I'm sorry, honey, but considering the money they're offering..."

Nikki stroked Leigh's facial stubble. "Well, I can't say I'll miss it much. Okay, make your appointments with Annie."

That had been twenty-one years ago. That first movie led to another, then a cinema epic that became a trilogy.

Another twenty-five movies, mostly action flicks, followed. They were in addition to a couple of stage plays, one of which was a revival of "Elliana!".

It ran for almost a year. Once Leigh came to the attention of the paparazzi, he found it necessary to wear his hip and butt padding nearly full-time, even while he was at home.

There were numerous guest appearances on late-night TV and a small, but notable, part in a TV series.

All of the performances featured Ms. Leigh Wilson, an accomplished and versatile actress.

The only odd thing about any of her contracts, reviewed and approved beforehand by Nikki of course, was that there would be no nude scenes.

 If a full nude scene was absolutely essential to the plot, a body double was to be used, No exception! When asked why, the reply was always the same.

It was a matter of privacy, her body was hers, and not something to be shared with anyone. The reality was, of course, that it would have been impossible to hide his hip and rear padding. At least it would have been in the beginning.

About 7 years after Leigh had his implants and being on a nearly daily dosage of birth control pills since then, he realized that his hip and butt padding had become increasingly tighter as if they had shrunk in the wash. Almost uncomfortably so, When he complained to Nikki she just smiled.

"That's because you've gained weight, dear."

"I have? Where?"

"In your hips and butt. If you don't believe me, try on the shorts I bought you last week.

They're on your dresser" Out of sheer habit before putting on a pair of panties, he adjusted his penis between his legs and pushed his testicles up into his lower abdomen. Twelve years ago, when he first started adjusting himself, it was uncomfortable.

Now, after concealing his genitals nearly every day for up to 18 hours a day, it was far from uncomfortable. It just was.

What was even odder, was that when the constant pressure of the hip/butt padding was removed, they no longer returned to their normal position without some "prompting". Leigh found the khaki Bermuda-length shorts on top of his dresser.

He held them up and looked closely at them.

They were unquestionably women's shorts. The waist looked about what he would normally wear without the hip padding.

They also looked too large to fit without the padding. Shrugging his shoulders, he unzipped the fly and pulled them on. Much to his surprise, they fit like they were made for him.

 Nikki looked up as Leigh came into the living room.

"Turn around, honey, let me see the back." There was a moment of silence, and then Nikki spoke softly.

"Leigh, honey, I,... I'm sorry, but you look just like a woman from the back. Even better than when you're wearing your padding," she hesitated for a second, "and to be truthful, you look like a woman in front as well.' Leigh looked at her in confusion.

"Well, I've been living and working as a woman for the last twelve years, I should look like one."

"No, dear. Until about six months ago there were 'tells' that hinted you were really a male.

Of course, most of that was because I've seen you naked every day. One day, it suddenly dawned on me that the 'tells' were gone.

It bothered me for a month or so before I realized that you were becoming more feminine both in your figure and, believe it or not, your personality. My God, Leigh, you even smell like a woman!"

"I smell like a woman? What do you mean, I smell like a woman?"

"Your body and urine odor have changed. The only way I can describe it is you used to have a 'cheesy' odor, now it's fruitier. Let me ask you a question or two. Have you noticed that you don't sweat as much as you use to?

Or that you're not as strong as you used to be?

 Or, your muscles have become smoother?" Leigh looked at his arms, then down at his legs. They did appear to be sleeker, and the muscles less well defined.

"Okay, I see what you mean.

What's causing it?" "I think it's obvious. It's the result of those dammed birth control pills you've been taking!"

"But Dr. Johnson said that they were low dosage, and not the 'change your sex' potency! There shouldn't have been any adverse effects."

Nikki sighed.

"You've been taking them for years. Leigh, even low doses will eventually have some effect on your body. Haven't you noticed that we haven't had sex lately?

Or when we do, you have problems remaining erect?" Leigh looked down in embarrassment and nodded.

He started to say something when Nikki continued. "You know I love you. I don't mean to embarrass you, but we need to face the truth about what's going on with your body.

Do you know when you ejaculate in me, what drains out is thin and nearly clear. Honey, something is seriously wrong with you." Leigh, who was normally a decisive individual didn't know what to say.

"Honey, you haven't seen a doctor in years. I think we need to see one today."