A Girl's Best Friend

The party was in full swing when Ryanna and her friends arrived. Of course, they were an hour late, since Glenys had gotten lost on the way. The house was out in the back woods; the owners didn't exactly go out of their way to make it easy to find. Their fellow townspeople probably would have frowned on their having a bi-weekly swingers' house party.

Glenys and the others visited the party on a regular basis. They'd raved to Ryanna about the hot men there and how much fun it was to play and watch others play. She'd finally given in and gone with them mainly because she knew how persistent they could be. Though she had to admit to some curiosity as well, since she'd never been to a house party before.

The party literally took up the entire house. The dance floor, with one of the hosts as DJ, was in the basement, with couches, beanbags, and comfy chairs around the perimeter. Upstairs, snacks covered the kitchen counters and island, porn showed on the big screen TV in the living room, and the three bedrooms were available for sign-up by any couples who wanted privacy. "No intercourse anywhere but in the public room and the private rooms," the hosts told the women when they came in. "Anything else is okay wherever, but there'd better not be any cum stains when you're done or you'll stay after the party to clean it up."

"Don't worry," Glenys said to Ryanna as the group headed down to the dance floor. "Most people don't do much more than groping outside the rooms."

"Public room?" Ryanna asked.

Kelly, another of the group, pointed to a room at the bottom of the stairs. Although there was a door on it, a large rectangle the size of a picture window was cut in the wall. "For exhibitionists, group play, that kind of thing. Some people like to let others join in, and some people like to be watched. The only rule about that room is ask before you touch."

"That's the rule for the whole place," Glenys added. "Ask before you touch, and no means no."

"If anyone gives you a hard time, just tell the DJ," Kelly said. "He'll kick them out. They run a tight ship here, and they want everyone to be comfortable."

The dance floor was almost filled with moving bodies, except around one of the two posts that ran floor to ceiling at either side. At one of the posts, a woman was doing the most erotic pole dance Ryanna had ever seen, not that she'd seen many. The woman, in a tight, strapless dress and boots with three-inch heels, hugged the post and shimmied down to a crouch, then turned to face the other dancers and ran her hands over her breasts. She wriggled her way back to standing, then put one foot so far up the post she looked like she was doing a vertical split. Even though she had no interest in women sexually, Ryanna had to admit what she saw aroused her. And made her feel more than a little inadequate in her tank top and tight jeans. "Who's that?" she asked. "She's a good dancer."

"That's Luscious." Glenys giggled. "She's a he."

"What?" Ryanna stared at the dancer, whose body looked extremely feminine, including a pair of round, full breasts. "That can't be a man."

"Haven't you ever heard of drag queens?" Kelly shook her head. "You're so innocent. It's cute. Luscious is a pro drag queen; she performs at a club in the city, but she's here every party. She's friends with the hosts." She lowered her voice slightly. "I think she's lovers with both of them, too, but I don't know for sure."

The song ended and people on and around the dance floor burst into applause as Luscious bowed, then curtsied. She gave the post a hug, to the laughter of the others, and strode off the dance floor. Right over to Ryanna and her friends. "Hi, honey." Her voice was deeper than that of most women, but not so deep that it would give her away as a man. "You're new here, right?" She nodded to Glenys and Kelly. "Good to see you again."

"You too," Kelly said. Glenys covered another giggle with her hand and nodded.

Luscious smiled at Ryanna and held out her hand. "I'm Luscious J. And you are?"

"Ryanna."

"Nice to meet you. First time here, obviously. First time at any house party?"

"Yeah. These guys thought it would be fun."

"Well, they'd know. They're here almost as often as I am." She took Ryanna's hand and kissed it. "Don't let them pressure you, honey. Just dance and have fun. I owe dances to a few people, but later on we can dance if you want."

"Sure." Ryanna wasn't sure about dancing, but she was embarrassed by Glenys's stifled laughter and didn't want Luscious to notice it. "I'll be here."

"Sure you will. Some handsome stud's going to snap you right up." She winked. "No means no, that's the rule. New meat's pretty fascinating to some of these guys, but just do what you're comfortable with, okay, honey?"

"Okay."

"Love your outfit. Very cute." She waved at someone coming down the stairs. "Talk to you later, hon."

She wiggled away, and Glenys stopped trying to cover her laughing fit. "I can't believe it. Guess you've got a girlfriend, Ry."

Kelly elbowed her. "Shut up. If you'd just get past the whole she's a he thing, you might find out that Luscious is a pretty nice person."

"Yes, but what kind of person?" Glenys's laughter turned into coughing. "Excuse me. I need a drink."

She threaded her way through the crowd to the room behind the DJ booth. "There are sodas and beers up for grabs back there," Kelly explained. "Don't let Glenys get to you. She's open-minded about most things, but she's a little weird about CDs."

The only kinds of CD Ryanna had heard of were the kind with music on them and the ones the bank issued. "CD?"

"Very innocent. Crossdresser, sweetie." Kelly's eyes lit up. "Ooh, there's Graham. I was hoping he'd be here. He has an absolutely fabulous, um, personality." She waved, and a man across the dance floor waved back. "Be back in a bit, Ry. Don't worry, Glenys should be right over as soon as she gets her drink."

Kelly hurried away. Uncertain, Ryanna stayed where she was. After several minutes, neither of her friends had returned, and she was at a loss. A couple guys came over to talk to her, but apparently realized she wasn't interested and wandered away after saying hello. Finally, Ryanna found a seat in one of the chairs along the edge of the dance floor and sat, wishing she'd brought her own car so she could leave.

That was where Luscious found her about half an hour later. "Honey, why are you all alone?"

"Because no one's with me." Ryanna swallowed to keep from crying. "I guess both of my friends hooked up, and I don't know anyone else here."

"So you're hiding in a corner? Uh uh, doesn't work that way. You know me, and I'll introduce you around. What are you looking for tonight, by the way? You want to hook up with anyone, or are you just visiting?"

"Just visiting."

"Then stick with me, and I'll make sure no one bothers you."

"I don't want to cramp your style."

"Oh, honey, you won't. I'm just here to dance. I do my hooking up a little more privately most of the time."

She took Ryanna's hands and pulled her to her feet, then led her through the crowd to a small group in the middle of the dance floor. "Folks, this is Ryanna." Luscious raised her voice to be heard over the music. "She's new, and she's my friend, so be kind to her."

"Your friend, huh?" one of the men said. "You got a dick too, honey?"

Luscious jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Ryanna's all woman, so shut up. Ry, you'll want to stay away from guys like this. They think with their pricks and it doesn't leave them any brain cells for anything else."

The rest of the group laughed. The guy Luscious had insulted just stood there for a moment, then shrugged. "Guess a drag queen's like a woman. Always has to have the last word."

For the rest of the night, Ryanna hung around with Luscious and her friends, and even let them drag her onto the dance floor a few times. The party wasn't scheduled to end till morning, but at about one a.m. Glenys grabbed Ryanna's arm. She looked furious. "We're getting out of here."

"Hang on, let me say goodbye."

Glenys turned her glare on Luscious and the others. "Make it fast." She stalked to the stairs.

"Uh oh, looks like someone had a nasty time, and not in a good way." Luscious hugged Ryanna. "Honey, you and I should go shopping sometime. If you're planning to come back here, and I hope you are, you'll need to dress the part."

"I don't know if I'll be back, but shopping would be fun."

"Well, then, give me your number and I'll call you to set it up. Hang on." Luscious scurried over to the DJ booth and wheedled a pen and pad of paper, then came back and handed them to Ryanna. "Cell number, home number, whatever will be easiest to get hold of you."

Ryanna wrote down her cell and handed back the paper and pen. "Can I have your number?"

"Better to let me get hold of you. I have roommates who sometimes don't deliver messages, and I don't give out my cell often. I'll call, I promise."

"Okay." Ryanna hid her disappointment. She wanted to believe Luscious would call; she'd had fun with her, and it would be nice to hang out somewhere more neutral. But people always said, "I'll call you" and then didn't.

* * * *

Luscious did.

Midweek, when Ryanna was thanking heaven that there were only two days left before the weekend, her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but since it was local she answered anyway. "Hey, girlfriend." Luscious's voice was immediately recognizable. "Know who this is?"

"Luscious. How are you?"

"Good guess, honey. I'm dandy, thanks. How about you?"

"It's been a hell of a long week."

"Yeah? Poor baby. Maybe we can get manis and pedis this weekend while we're out shopping. That is, if you'd like to go."

"Absolutely." A little retail therapy would definitely improve her mood. "When and where?"

"Meet me at the mall food court at one Saturday afternoon. You remember what I look like, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I assume you'll be wearing a different outfit."

Luscious laughed. "Honey, I won't even be wearing a wig. Just look for my face. Oh, and call me Jimmy when you see me."

"You're going shopping with me as a man?"

"Luscious J only comes out for performances and parties, usually. I know what you're thinking. How can we clothes shop together if I'm a dude? But we'll only be at the mall long enough to get something to eat and get those manis and pedis. There's a store in the city that sells the kind of clothes you'll want for the house party, and the owner knows me very well."

"Um, okay." She'd been counting on shopping with a woman; it would feel strange to go with a guy. But Luscious wasn't the average guy. Even knowing that the shopping trip would be with "Jimmy", Ryanna couldn't help thinking of her new friend as female.

"Don't worry, honey, it'll be fun. You'll get the best of both worlds; a man who knows what men like to see on women, and a chick with awesome fashion sense. See you Saturday. I'll call you before I leave to make sure nothing's changed."

"Okay, sounds good."

She struggled through the rest of the week at work, and Saturday morning woke up early so she could decide what to wear on her shopping trip. Casual, but nice, which wasn't easy given that her choices were mostly work clothes or jeans and T-shirts. She finally decided on a slightly tamer version of the outfit she'd worn to the party, with looser jeans and a tank top that left a little more to the imagination.

Her roommate didn't stagger out of her room until just before Ryanna planned to leave. Charlene was a partier. On weekends if she came home at all, it was usually in the early hours of the morning and she was usually quite drunk. At least she was quiet about it; otherwise, Ryanna would have thrown her out within the first month. They'd shared the apartment for a year now and rarely saw each other, since when Charlene wasn't partying she worked second shift. It suited both of them.

"Where are you going?" Charlene asked. "You aren't in your bum-around clothes."

"Going shopping with a friend." Ryanna's cell rang. "And that's probably her checking to make sure I'm coming."

"Cool. Have fun. Get some decent clothes for a change." Charlene rummaged in a cupboard. "And quit hiding the coffee on me."

Ryanna looked at her phone; the number was the same one Luscious had called from before. She answered. "On my way."

"See you there, honey." Luscious disconnected.

When Ryanna got to the mall, it took her a few minutes to spot Luscious—or rather, Jimmy—in the crowd. He looked like any other guy, except for the brown eyes and snub nose Ryanna remembered from the party. She would have hesitated to approach him in case she was wrong, but he saw her and called, "Girlfriend, over here!"

Ryanna went over to him. He wore men's jeans and a tight T-shirt that accentuated his chest. A chest that had no sign of female breasts. "You look, um, different."

"Wig, falsies, and a little hide and seek in the lower region can really change a guy." Jimmy winked. "Come on, honey, I got here early and made sure the nail place would be able to get us right in. They're waiting."

Ryanna had never had a manicure or pedicure before, but quickly decided she wanted another as soon as possible. It was relaxing having someone work on her feet and hands while she just sat, chatting with Jimmy. She was surprised that none of the workers found it odd for a man to have his nails done, but apparently in the age of metrosexuality, nothing was unusual.

When they left the salon, she and Jimmy knew much more about each other, and she had matching dark red fingernails and toenails. Jimmy's fingernails had only clear polish, but his toenails, hidden in socks and shoes, were bright purple. "I can't believe you got your toenails done that color," Ryanna said.

"They'll show up great on stage. Ready for clothes shopping? I'll drive; I'll bring you back afterward for your car."

"Okay. Where do you perform?"

They headed for the exit near the food court. "There are a few clubs I'm at regularly," Jimmy said. "I'm a bit limited in where I can go because I don't do impersonations. Several of the places around here only want drag queens who do celebs. But there are two or three that take me as I am, and one of them books me in as a solo act once in a while. I've gotten some interest from a couple places further south, too. I'm still negotiating with them."

"That's cool. Maybe I can come watch you sometime."

"We'll see. The clubs I'm in aren't exactly tame."

Neither was the clothing store he took her to. When they walked through the door, Ryanna was immediately confronted with a rack of crotchless panties, garter belts, and strapless bustiers. She gulped. She'd been in a couple lingerie stores before, but usually she bought her basics at department stores and didn't bother with anything fancy. She didn't date anyone steadily enough to have a reason for the fancy stuff.

A woman with long blonde hair teetered over on a pair of three-inch spike heels. She wore a tight miniskirt that barely covered her ass and showed clearly that she wore either a thong or nothing underneath, and a bustier that looked like it had come from the rack by the door. She embraced Jimmy and pecked his cheek. "Darling, it's been a while! Come to get some new show clothes?" She winked at Ryanna. "Who's this?"

"This is Ryanna, and she needs some party clothes. Ryanna, this is Helga, queen of the sexpots."

"Flatterer." Helga turned to Ryanna. "So what kind of parties and what kind of clothes?" She scrutinized her. "All female, I take it. Makes it a bit easier to fit."

"Yes, I'm completely female," Ryanna said. "I don't know what kind of clothes, though."

"House party," Jimmy said. "Jack and Millie's."

"Ah, the fun one. Okay, darling, are you looking to lure the men into bed or just into watching you?"

"Um, neither."

"Watching her," Jimmy said. "She's a cute little dancer, and we want them to see her shaking her stuff. Don't think she'll be dragging anyone into bed, though at that party you can't ever tell, right, Helga?"

"Absolutely. What happens at Jack and Millie's stays at Jack and Millie's, though. Do you know what you want for your shows?"

"Yes, but I'd like to help Ryanna pick out a few things first. What have you got for her to try on?"

"Hmm. Give me a minute." Helga minced away.

Ryanna looked at the tag on one of the bustiers and gasped. "Jimmy, I'm not going to be able to buy anything here. Just this is more than my clothing budget for a month."

"Don't worry about a thing, honey. Those are Helga's special items; the clothes she'll show you won't be quite so much. And if you spot something you must have and don't feel like you can afford it, I'll help you out and you can pay me back."

Quite an offer. Despite their conversation at the nail salon, they hadn't known each other very long, and in Ryanna's experience people didn't like to loan money to people they didn't know well. Then again, Jimmy had paid for the nail salon and had seemed to enjoy watching her be pampered. He wouldn't have offered to buy her clothes if he didn't mean it. "Thanks. We'll see how much things are."

"Sure. Just speak up if you do want something. I don't mind helping a girlfriend find her fashion sense."

Helga came back with an armful of skirts, tops, and dresses. "Come with me, sweetie, and let's see what we can find. Fitting rooms are right this way."

Ryanna and Jimmy followed her to a few stalls with half-doors at the back of the store. Helga set the clothes on a chair. "Take a look at them first and see what you want to try on. Some of them may not be your style."

None of them looked like her style. Ryanna dressed either casually or conservatively, rarely anything else. Where on earth would she wear a black dress with horizontal slits all the way up both sides? Or a cropped tank top with a hole that would rest between her breasts?

Jimmy picked up the dress and held it beside her. "This one would look hot on you, honey. Try it on."

"Are you serious? There's more air than fabric."

"Yep. That's the point." He handed her the dress and picked up a white denim skirt that looked just long enough to be legal. "This is good too."

"You're crazy."

"Trust me, girl. You have the assets; accentuate them."

After a few minutes, Ryanna had an armload of clothes Jimmy insisted she try on. She went into one of the stalls and stripped out of her own clothes, then tried on each of the outfits. A few looked as horrible as she'd predicted, but she had to admit, the rest made her look damn hot.

"So which ones do you want?" Jimmy asked after she'd tried all of them.

"Tough decision. I don't think I'll wear them very often, so it doesn't make sense to buy more than one."

"Honey, it makes sense to buy whatever makes you happy. If you want more than one outfit, get more than one. Who cares if you don't wear it every day? You'll probably go to Jack and Millie's again, and maybe you'll end up going out clubbing some night. If it looks good on you and you feel good in it, get it." He grinned. "Whatever you don't get, I probably will. Some of these outfits are smokin'!"

"Now, you know those wouldn't fit you, baby," Helga said. "But no worries, I've got the perfect things for you. Maybe I'll even help you fit them."

"Not today. Wouldn't be polite to my guest."

An hour later, Ryanna and Jimmy left the store carrying bags of clothing, including the three outfits he'd insisted she get. The total price of everything had made her cringe, but it hadn't fazed Jimmy in the least. "Gotta pay good to look good."

He drove her back to the mall to get her car. "I had a great day," she said. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime, girlfriend." He patted her knee. "You're fun. We'll definitely do it again sometime." He pulled to a stop beside her car and leaned over to peck her lips. "I'll call you. See you soon."