Chapter 2 - we meet Jordan, the non-binary twin and learn about their life (romantic and otherwise)
——-
Jordan walked around the jobsite, looking for the electrical subcontractor. They were getting tired of this, to be honest. Every day, they’d find him placing bets on his phone while his guys were busy bullshitting or jerking off or doing anything but what they were paid to do - which was wire the fifth floor.

If they had their way, the guy and his crew would’ve been out the door three days ago, but…

This is the story of three siblings: Emily, a 23 year old transwoman estranged from her parents; her non-binary twin Jordan (they/them); and their older sister Stephanie, a cishet woman.
------
“Hey Matt. I'm gonna head out early,” Emily told her boss, “if that's OK.”

The next morning, I woke up earlier than my wife. I had freshened up, put my hair in a messy high ponytail and then made us a pot of coffee. I sat on the couch, sipping from a cup. Waiting.

She eventually woke up and sauntered over to where I was sitting, "Last night was something magical. I didn't know we could do that"

"Mm-mmm, yes, it was great", I said, giving her a side ways glance. She was in her night wear, with bed head, hair tousled this way and that. She gave a yawn.

It was the weekend after our agreed on week was over. Every day of the next seven days and more, the cage on on me.

It was easy to clean, while still on. It wasn't visible from my trousers. It helped me tuck and get a smooth front. Best of all, it wasn't uncomfortable or painful during normal wear. It actually felt very secure.

But, every morning, it felt like my dick was in a very tight tube. I never could sleep in with the cage on. Every morning, I took a cold shower.

The next day she teased me relentlessly.

I did not dignify her teasing my a reply, but the memory of last night bought an unexpected feeling of acceptance. It felt like for the first time I was in my body.

"Look at you squirm. Your face is all red. Looks like your face enjoyed it more than you did!", she teased.

I kept my focus on the coffee cup. It was an interesting cup. Plain, but interesting.

"You looked really feminine in pigtails. They suit you. You should wear pigtails more often than that boring ponytail"

Diva Dismayed: Chapter 3 – Out of the frying pan
It took some time and the application of several tissues before I regained any kind of composure. Rachel stood back to look me up and down and her conclusion was no doubt warranted “You’re a sight for sore eyes and no mistake.”

Next day was our weekly off.

After breakfast, we were getting ready to go shopping for weekly groceries.

Just as we got into the mall, she said, "Maybe you should have your ears pierced here at the shop, since we are here anyways"

I replied, "What's on your mind?"

"Like I said, I wouldn't mind if you wore earrings and had long hair. Come on, let's get it done already"

She grabbed me by my arm and led me to the piercing shop in the mall. The artist approached my wife, thinking she was the one who wanted the piercing.

"What does being transgender mean for you?". That was how we began our way through all of this.

I responded, "It means that I have a feminine side to me which feels more authentic than the male side I present to the world. It means there is a constant expectation from myself to express my feminity".

The next morning, I woke to find the bedroom door still locked from the inside. My wife usually woke up around the same time and we did the chores around the house. But not today, after the revelation last night.

Diva Dismayed: Chapter 2 - Out of the Frying Pan

Tom, Dick and I, Harry had been best friends since primary school. How we had been teased for our names over the years. We stuck together through middle and high school. We hung out together. Got into trouble together. Somehow Tom always managed to extricate himself and I managed to shield Dick from the worst consequences. In high school we usually triple dated. We also stood together against the bullies. We were unfortunate in that we were considered to be “cute” in a girly way. Unfortunately that also invited some unwanted attention from the gay community. We weren’t. Gay that is.

Raquel looks at her reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the back of her bedroom door. It finally took her eighteen years to become how she felt inside herself. A smile appears on her cute youthful face.

“Are you ready to go yet, Raquel?” Larry comes walking out of the main bathroom, fully dressed.

“Yeah, I’m ready, sweetie.” Raquel turns around to look at her boyfriend.

Chapter Four – Toast and Marmalade

The Professor knows that Valerie is sitting on secret but remains infatuated with her. What will he do now that he has the tools to blackmail her? At the same time the FBI and MI6 are closing in our beautiful ingénue and Soviet spy. Can Yuri save Valerie and will he have to sacrifice himself to do so? Please heed the cautions.

One too Many
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Even with the curtains drawn in a vain attempt to help me cope, it seemed that the room was in direct sunlight, or that I was in a Nazi interrogation room facing a searchlight I kept my eyes open as only slits, or was it the one ton block sitting on my head that was keeping them mainly closed?

Orpheus Ascending
By Ellie Dauber
Copyright 2000

Author’s Note: Except for the TG element near the end, this is a straightforward retelling of the Greek myth.

* * * * *

Now would I tell the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, a sad tale of death and longing and of a fate most strange and yet most fitting.

Mark and Mary
A Short Story from Times Past
By Maryanne Peters

It came from one of those misunderstandings that you hear about, but it was to shape our family in a most unusual way.

Widower Marek Janski stood in the queue in Ellis Island, and with him were his two sons Pavel and Radek. His English had been improved on the trip over, but he was still feeling his way. He knew to say his surname first.

A Coy Pond and a Couple of Trees Part 4 (The End)
By Sabrina G. Langton

***

Author's Note: Thank you for making it to the end. One door closes and another one opens, and we find Bryson's plan all coming together. I hope YOU like it...

***

Friday

Bryson was lying on the bed watching me get dressed. The 'Personal Shopper' found me a beautiful dark blue dress with polka dots. It had a little black belt and it went perfectly with my heels. I hadn't worn my own clothes all week. I was thinking everyone had better taste than me.

Parker looks at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. She couldn’t believe her parents had accepted that she had wanted to be a girl since she was little. True, she has to see a counselor about how she feels. But she didn’t mind.

The counselor she has been seeing wants to see how she looked as a girl today. Her friend Tony was coming to pick her up to take her. He stood by her when she came to him about how she was.

“Parker, Tony is here to pick you up.” Mary sticks her head into her daughter’s bedroom.

Chapter Four – Just Another Comfort Woman

The experiment has produced a surprising result: the four strongest men have feminised the two weakest who now live full time as Comfort Women. But Colonel Flagg wants to introduce a new dynamic into the study which is likely to cause catastrophic results. Will Bill Brody defend the honour of his personal Comfort Woman Samantha Steele when the other men demand their fair share of her charms?

The Matchmaker 3000 is known to have the perfect matchmaking algorithm. Sam should have read the terms and conditions more carefully….