Bound Ch. 08: Bound and Confused

The next morning I awoke remembering I had a new job, one I was none too thrilled about, starting soon. Determined to find another, better option, I pulled out the cards I got from the party and started making some calls. Maybe another opportunity would present itself and I could put that brief chapter behind me. Call after call I made, always getting the same answer. 'Sorry, that position has been filled.' It appeared the window had closed and I had lost the opportunity for any of the other jobs. As I ended the last call, I hung my head in despair.

"Well at least I have something." I said aloud to myself, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

Waking up early the day of my new job I quickly made breakfast for Jennifer and I before jumping in the shower. It seemed like a well choreographed dance how we moved around the bathroom, somehow never getting in the others way as we showered, dressed, and put on our makeup.

After donning my lingerie, bra, thong panties, garter belt and stockings, I pulled on my form fitting black pencil skirt along with a satiny purple blouse. Setting on my bed I slipped my toes into my platform slingbacks while putting my diamond earrings on.

"Jennifer!" I called as I was putting on those final touches.

"Yeah Hun!" I heard her respond from the other room.

"Could you help me put my hair up in a French braid?" I asked

"Sure but don't you know how?" she inquired.

"I do but it always looks better when you do it." I replied as she began brushing my hair. "I want to look good on my first day."

"Sweetheart! You look good on a bad day." she teased as her fingers began working the hairs into position. Just relax. You'll be just fine." she reassured me.

Ten minute later I left after a brief kiss and a pet on the cheek. On the surface I was cool, calm, and collected, inside my stomach churned with nervousness.

I quickly discovered my nervousness on the first day was completely unfounded. I should have saved it for my third day because the first two days were solid orientation. That Wednesday when I got to work Mr. Pierce had me go home and pack my bags for a 4 day trip to 'get my feet wet.'

Well, my feet weren't the ONLY things getting wet. My additional 'responsibilities' became apparent immediately when I walked into the room Mr. Pierce had booked. It's single King sized bed dominating the room.

Laid out on the bed there was also lingerie, clothes, and platform stiletto high heels in my size. That became a going theme from then on. Well, not necessarily the shoes but always the clothes and lingerie. The new clothes were always tailored and the lingerie was always of a high quality and generally elegant, though sometimes it was quite trashy. Thankfully it was usually only once sometimes twice a month where I had to travel.

A few months went by and I settled into my new routine at the office and everything it entailed, including keeping Mr. Pierce 'satisfied.' Doing so without my Co-workers suspecting, THAT was the hard part. He even had me start taking pole and erotic dance lessons to help with my 'negotiating skills'. Thankfully those were during the day and I never had to explain them to Jennifer. I would just disappear on 'errands' for Mr. Pierce and come back afterward.

When I wasn't traveling, I spent a lot of time with Jennifer and a few of the girls from the office with whom I had become friends. I also found myself splitting time between both Chris and Justin. That was the awkward part. I enjoyed spending time with both of them. They were both sweet guys who treated me well, just in completely different ways. Whenever I was with them, whichever one it was, everything felt wonderful. When I would leave though, my heart would sink with guilt and I always questioned what I was doing. I tried to justify it by telling myself that Jennifer was my True Love and they were just fillers but I knew that wasn't right either. Like Jennifer said 'I was thinking with my dick!' I was ashamed of that fact but I knew it to be true.

Safe to say that between Jennifer, Chris, Justin, Mr. Pierce and my work 'responsibilities' I was feeling a bit stretched thin. The traveling was nice, and I got the opportunity to see many places I never would have any other way, but I felt like I was fucking my way around the world. The way things were going within 6 months I would have gotten laid on every Continent except Antarctica.

'Hmm! I wonder if I could arrange a trip to McMurdo?' I thought jokingly, as I pulled into my parking space, jet lag affecting my sense on humor, after returning home from another over seas trip.

It was about midday and the Jet lag was really starting to get to me especially considering I was no longer being stimulated by the drive home. Knowing I needed to make a few calls I pushed my fatigue aside and called Cindy at the office. Next, I gave Jennifer a buzz to let her know I was home and was going to bed. The next call was to Chris. I was surprised when he picked up considering he didn't usually do that when he was at work.

"Hey!" He answered cheerfully. "You finally home?"

"I am." I replied with a yawn.

"You sound tired."

"Jet lag." I responded, stifling another yawn, the warmth of my welcoming apartment lulling me.

"Gotcha!" he said sympathetically. "Well I was going to see if you wanted to do something tonight but it sounds like you need sleep more."

"I do." I responded. "In fact ... I am going to bed as soon as I hang up. I just wanted to let you know I was home safe."

"What about tomorrow? I could take a half day and we could go do something." Chris suggested.

"Tomorrows Friday right?"

"All day!" he answered with a chuckle.

"That would be nice." I said, wondering what he had in mind while stifling another yawn.

"I'll call when I get off work." He said, the smile apparent in his voice. "Bye!"

"See you tomorrow. Bye!" I mumbled before hanging up the phone.

On the way to my bedroom I turned off the ringer and stripped out of my clothes. The bed Jennifer and I shared was more comfortable but the room also faced south and was hard to make dark, especially in the middle of the day. Walking into my room I pulled the blinds and the curtains and soon it might as well have been midnight. Slipping my naked body into bed (I was too lazy to put anything on) I drifted into the welcome embrace of my dreams.

I must have been more tired than I thought because I only woke briefly when Jennifer got home, ate and then went back to bed, this time in our bed, and didn't wake up til the next morning to find Jennifer already gone.

Looking out the window I could see the day was going to be gorgeous! There was a bright blue sky with only a few big puffy clouds and the sun was shining brightly, definitely a good day to play Hooky. Slipping on a flirty summery dress I gave Cindy a call at the office, wondering what Chris had in mind.

"Hey Danielle!" she answered with her usual cheerfulness. "You coming in today?"

"After that last trip? No, I think I'm gonna to take a day today." I answered. "Is Pierce there?"

"NOPE! And its like an extra vacation day for me." she responded. "You have a good weekend OK, and if you and Jen go out, CALL ME!"

'Cindy is such a sweetheart.' I thought as I hung up the phone. She and I got along almost immediately and after introducing her to Jennifer, we would all hang out together sometimes.

I was nearly finished cleaning around the apartment when the phone rang just after noon.

"Hey baby!" I answered the phone seeing on the caller ID it was Chris.

"Hey sweetheart!" he responded. "Just wanted to let you know I'll be there in a bit to pick you up."

"So were are we going?" I asked

"Can't say!" he teased.

"Well, hopefully I'm properly dressed?" I told him, as I stood lazily twirling my skirt back and forth, watching it rise and fall with the twisting of my hips.

"Actually, Yeah! About that." Chris said knowing from our time together I would be wearing a dress or skirt. "I can't believe I'm going to say this but ... could you wear pants? Probably jeans would be best."

"Oh!" I stopped twisting my hips, my twirling skirt falling to my knees in disbelief. "Anything else?"

"If you have something leather you might want to wear that as well."

"OK." I said, struck with disbelief, still unable to get over the request for pants. "What about shoes? Anything special?" I asked.

"No, Yes! Could you wear the shoes from the night we met?" he asked.

"My saddle shoes?" I asked

"The high heeled ones, yeah!" he responded. "See you in a bit."

'He's up to something!' I thought as I retreated to my bedroom.

I only owned 3 pairs of pants and only two of them were jeans so my decision was pretty easy. Stripping my clothes off til I was wearing nothing but my lacy cobalt blue bra and cheeky tanga panties, I walked to my closet and pulled out my one pair of Levis. Hanging those over my arm, I continued perusing a bit before grabbing my black, semi shear, peasant blouse. Setting those both on the bed I returned to the closet and pulled down the hard leather case of the corset that started everything.

It seemed like forever since I had last worn it, while it had really only been a month or so. I caressed the box thinking about the corset inside and how it had changed my life. It hadn't just changed my body, it had changed me. It had awakened something within me. Was it cursed? Was it benevolent? Or was it just a tool? All these things went through my head in an instant as I pressed my fingers to the hidden button, releasing the lid.

My breath caught as I saw it. It seemed so plain, so ordinary, fine craftsmanship sure but nothing outward to indicate what it was capable of doing.

Picking up my Levis I pulled them up my long legs and after a few practice bends in front of the mirror confirmed there would be no panty peek. Slipping my peasant blouse over my head I wondered again what Chris had planned. He had said repeatedly how much he liked me wearing dresses and skirts, stockings and garter belts, so then why the request for jeans ... and leather?

I was stalling and I knew it. It's crazy really, it had already turned me into a woman! Was I afraid it would somehow turn me back? Never mind the fact I had worn it numerous times since my transformation without incident. Heck even Jennifer had worn it on at least one occasion.

That got me to thinking, WAS I scared it would turn me back? Was I SCARED to become Daniel again? If I was given the choice to BE Daniel again like I had during Chinese New Year, except permanently, would I take it? No I realized, as I slipped the halter strap of the corset over my head. 'This is who I am now!' and I meant it. I liked Danielle, I enjoyed being Danielle. Sure I was confused oftentimes but I wouldn't want anything to change. Nevertheless, my hands trembled a bit as I pushed my reservations aside and secured the busk. Reaching behind I drew in the laces, tighter and tighter as I worked my way to the center. I could have laughed at my trepidation to secure the laces when I had it tightened to where I wanted. 'No Danielle!' I thought as I began securing the laces. 'Any change will occur when you take it off!'

With the laces tied, I rested by hands on my whittled down waist and looked at myself in the mirror. I liked the way the corset framed and accented my breasts, especially when I pulled the sleeves of the peasant blouse down for the off the shoulder look. Of course that left my bra straps on display but since the blue of the cups were slightly visible through the thin material I wasn't worried. Combing my hair back, I was actually able to put it up in a couple of small pig tails.

Sitting down at the breakfast bar, I occupied my time painting my nails, a bright, almost neon pink, until Chris rang the bell. I buzzed him up and waited.

"Hey sweetie!" he said giving me a kiss when I opened the door. "I have something for you." he said and handed me a box, wrapped in paper with ribbons and a bow.

"What's this?" I asked with a smile.

"Open it and find out."

Setting it on the table, I tore the paper off to reveal a plain brown box, so no clues there, before opening the box itself. The unmistakable scent of leather permeated the area. Reaching in the box I removed the tissue paper to reveal a gorgeous black leather jacket. Pulling it out I saw it had fringe on the sleeves and a built in wide leather belt at the waist. Judging by the looks of it, I knew it would fit perfectly. My mouth was open and I must have been taking too long because Chris interrupted the silence.

"Why don't you go ahead and try it on?" he urged.

I was mostly on autopilot as I followed his suggestion, slipping my arms into the sleeves before settling it on my shoulders. Like I thought, it was a PERFECT fit. Zipping it up and buckling the belt at the waist, it accentuated my curves even more, thanks to the corset.

"I checked the size of your other jacket when you weren't looking." he explained.

"Chris! I can't accept this!" I whispered. "it's too much!"

"It's a gift sweetheart." he said. "And you're probably going to want it in a little bit. Besides, you look incredible! Now, you ready to go?"

Yes, I was ready to go but I seriously felt guilty about the jacket because I knew it couldn't have been cheap. I could also tell he wouldn't take it back no matter what I said, and if I pushed it any more I might offend him.

"Thank you Chris." I said caving in. "It's beautiful but you really shouldn't have."

He didn't say anything, he just held out his hand for mine. Lacing my fingers with his, we walked to the lobby.

Walking out of the building, I scanned for his truck.

"So where's your truck?" I asked more than a bit confused when I didn't see it anywhere.

"I didn't come in my truck today." he said, laughing. "I came on that!" he said indicating a gorgeous, all black Harley Davidson. Unlike most Harley's there was no chrome anywhere. The entire thing, including the motor, was blacked out.

"Oh!" I said, finally understanding why he said to wear pants, and the leather, AND the jacket! "Very NICE! No chrome?"

"I prefer to spend my time riding rather than polishing." He explained. "You ready?"

Hopping on behind him I sat down on the bike as he pulled it up and started it. I had heard Harley's before and had even lusted over them in my 'previous life.' What I didn't know was how good it would feel in my nethers when he revved the engine. My button was practically on the seat and that vibration transferred directly to my soul as he pulled out of the parking space.

At first it was just a random ride toward the outskirts of town. It wasn't possible to carry a conversation but he would ask with his hands or a nod of his head which way to go. I would answer by pointing a direction and off we would go. The scenery was beautiful and I felt so free as I focused on leaning into the corners and and just enjoyed the view, especially when we crested hills. And then the randomness ended, he stopped asking for suggestions and just drove. It was soon apparent Chris was taking me somewhere.

About15 minutes later he pulled onto a short 2 rut path and turned the bike off, setting the kickstand on a flat rock that was not there by coincidence.

"Come on." he said, holding out his hand as he dismounted. "There's something I want to show you."

"Chris! I'm wearing heels." I protested.

"It's OK, we're not going far and the ground is hard enough." he countered, holding out his arm. "especially with the wider heels. That's part of the reason why I had you wear those."

Chris grabbed a blanket from the saddle bags and led me a short way off. Spreading out the blanket we sat down in the grass not to far from the bike and watched while the Sun went down.

"I love coming here, its so quiet and peaceful." Chris said watching the sunset.

"It's so pretty." I said, reaching for his hand. "How did you find it?"

"Thanks. I found it after Va..." he started saying before he caught himself. "I was going through a rough patch and being home usually made it worse." he explained. "And you know, NOTHING spells freedom like a motorcycle so I, on an impulse, went out and bought the bike." he continued, his eyes lighting up a bit as he continued. "The first time I took it out I just rode, you know. No map, no destination, just a full tank of gas and a head full of thoughts. I figured I would just ride until one or both of them were empty, then I found this place." he said pointing around. "It was getting close to sunset and it just seemed to be calling me, so I stopped, sat down and watched the sun set. It was the first time in a long time I was finally able to clear my head." He finished with a smile. "At least for a little while."

"Thank you so much for showing me this." I thanked him, understanding what he had gone through and what this place must mean to him. "It's a special place!" I said turning back to see the bottom of the sun kiss the horizon.

"It is a special place." he said turning to look at the setting sun. "and now it's mine."

"It's yours?" I asked but he just continued like he hadn't heard me.

"Danielle, I have never met a woman like you before. You are such a beautiful, wonderful, and amazing woman." he said turning to me. The look in his eyes suddenly made me feel butterflies in my tummy. "This was where I would come whenever I needed to think, or relax or just get away for a bit. And I came here A LOT! Until I met you." The butterflies were positively churning right now as his eyes seemed to pierce me all the way to my soul! "Danielle." he said, rolling to the side and coming up to one knee, pulling a small box from his jacket. "I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you." He paused I suspect for dramatic effect as it sunk in what was happening. "Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

It was such perfect timing, the setting sun casting the most amazing colors across the landscape, refracting off the Princess cut diamond in its classic gold band. My hands were on my face, slick with tears that I didn't remember shedding.

"YES!!" I said in an instant, caught up in the moment. "Yes!" I said again holding out my shaking hand.

His breath was shaking nearly as bad as my mine as he slid that ring up my finger, a sense on finality came over me when it settled in its place. Holding my hand with the other, I inspected the ring and how it fit. It was a bit loose, maybe half a size, and would need to be taken in but other than that it was perfect. Looking up to his eyes I know he saw my approval and excitement even before I threw myself on him.

Down on to the blanket we tumbled as I kissed his face and mouth. A tangle of arms and legs we wrestled for a bit but I didn't want to be dominant right then and soon found myself flat on my back with Chris between my legs and my arms pinned above my head his face hovering right in front of mine. A smile split his face with the playfulness of my nature as nipped his nose lightly with my teeth before giving it a kiss to 'make it all better'.

"I love you too Chris!" I said with my words as well as my eyes as I looked deep into his.

His breath shuddered a bit as he heard the words, and I also felt a stirring between my legs that wasn't coming from me.

'Damn pants!' I thought to myself as I felt his erection poking me through a layer of cotton, 2 layers of denim, and a layer of lace.

He wasn't holding my down with all his weight anymore so I started sitting up, silently indicating for him to lie back. Straddling his muscular thighs I pinned his arms above his head while softly kissing his lips, my tongue darting in and out playfully. I watched the amused expression on his face and in his eyes as I teased him.