Maid to Watch

Kate's response was swift and bruising. "This was your choice not mine. Didn't you listen to anything I said, when you came out to me? I made it perfectly clear that if you wanted to become Georgia that is who you would be to me. My marriage to George would be over. How could you think I was ever going to make love to Georgia?"

"I know you said all of that but I didn't really believe you would go through with it. I don't know what I believed would happen but I had hoped ... I mean; I thought, with time you'd mellow. I know now that you find the thought of sex with me repulsive. Shit Kate, I'm lonely. I didn't realise how lonely it could be to love someone who no longer loves you back. Now I know, and I can tell you, it's lonelier than living alone. I didn't expect this. I am sorry."

Kate glared at her maid. "I don't want to hear you say you're sorry again."

Georgia fiddled with her short, pink satin robe. "But I am, Kate. I'm sorry for so many things."

"Don't. Please." Kate's voice was harsh but unruffled. "I heard you say that a lot in the last year. I don't know what to do with those words any more. So let's just forget about the being sorry part for right now, okay?" She paused and watched as Georgia bit her lip nervously. "Maybe you can help me make some sense of where we go from here, because I've no idea what the hell we're going to do right now. May be you'd be better off living alone."

Georgia looked around the bedroom, her eyes coming to rest on Kate's naked groin. "Kate if you left me, I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm so pissed. How could you lay there and play with yourself while another man was fucking me. I thought for sure watching that would ignite some semblance of manhood in you. A part of me was still trying to win back my husband but I can see now that he's vanished without trace. Do you know what it does to a woman, to know that her husband is insulting eager to sit and watch her cheat on him? I've a mind to punish you the way I've been punished, to make you clean up Michael's mess."

The maid blinked several times. "I beg your pardon," she said.

Kate looked down and spread her thighs. "Go on, you heard me, lick my pussy clean! I took pity on you once and all it got me was a broken heart. I'll be damned if I'll make the same mistake again. You are my maid and cleaning is your job."

Georgia watched on numbed by shock. The slight narrowing of Kate's eyes told of her determination. Georgia dropped to her knees. Sliding slowly along the bed her head settled between Kate's thighs. Her mouth hovered over Kate's mound, each warm breath stirring the downy red pubic hair and ripening the sensitive skin. The musky scent of Michael's cologne still lingered upon Kate's body, driving Georgia to hunger for a taste.

Kate closed her eyes as Georgia's tongue found her succulent lips. A slow, rising tickle began to build as her tongue moved back and forth with rhythmic persistence. "Georgia," Kate cried, reaching for and grasping the maid's fine, soft blonde hair. "Oh God, yes." The mistress moaned, pulling her tormentor closer and wiggling her hips in search of the perfect position. "Don't stop." Kate begged, spreading her legs that little bit wider, more fully exposing her feverish core to the rasping of Georgia's tongue. The storm within rumbled toward a thunderous crescendo and when the lightning bolt of pleasure finally struck, the shock waves shattered all self-control leaving Kate's body to shudder as if in the grip of SaintVitus Dance.

Chapter Three

It was well past midday by the time Kate stirred from her slumber. Groggy, she headed for the on suite. As she washed her face, the cold water brought her back to life. She wished for a hot tub and a good night's sleep. She ran a comb through her hair, rinsed her mouth and applied a touch of lipstick. The dark circles under her eyes and her blanched face gave her a drawn look. She wasn't ready to confront the world of problems that awaited her. Nervously, she slipped into a light pink summer dress and headed out of the bedroom and down the hall. She entered the kitchen to find Georgia busy with mop in hand.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" the maid enquired.

Georgia knew something other than coffee was brewing, that much was written in the lines on Kate's face.

Georgia swallowed hard, wiped her sweaty palms on her apron and waited. Her heart pounded the words "You're and idiot Georgia, she's going to leave you." When Kate failed to respond, the maid panicked. "I'm an idiot, I'm sorry."

Kate bristled at the word 'sorry'. She shook her head.

Mortified, Georgia clasped her hand over her mouth.

Kate chewed her lip, her heart beating faster. "I'm the one who should apologise. Last night I said some things that ... well, that went too far. I allowed some awful feelings, that have been building up in me, explode and I'm not proud of that. But for weeks now I've been sitting on top of a volcano and I couldn't hold things in anymore."

"You've every right to be angry with me. I know that there are times when living with me must feel like a prison term."

'Yes I've been angry with you and I've felt punished but a big slice of the problem was being angry with myself. I was wrong to think I was strong enough to handle this situation. I was weak, desperate and wracked by guilt. I've cheated on you and let you down and while the lord knows I deserved some happiness, I couldn't pardon my crimes. So I cast the blame on you. That was unfair. You are entitled to live your life as a woman." Kate wiped away a tear before continuing. "I'm not going to let those feelings trap me anymore. I've had time to reflect and to calm down. I've made some decisions about us and as a result you have a serious decision to make."

Georgia edged toward the kitchen table and the support it offered her trembling knees.

"You remember two years ago, when we went to Paris, we each signed an enduring power of attorney, in case the worst happened? You appointed me as your attorney, in case you lost the capacity to make decisions."

Puzzled, Georgia replied "Yes but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Well first thing on Monday, I'm going to have Dr Williams provide a certificate declaring you incompetent. I've had a brief chat to him on the phone and he will diagnose a nervous breakdown due to stress. His certificate will let me take control of the business and all of our finances. We can tell the client's that the situation is temporary and we expect you back. That will give me time to show that even without you the business can carry-on as usual."

Georgia was surprised by Kate's words and startled by the matter of fact manner in which they were delivered.

"I don't want to be hurtful but I need to be frank. Your behaviour has become a serious risk to the future I want. Even when you are George, Georgia is never far away. You wear a suit and tie to the office but underneath it is her lingerie. If you were found out, where would that leave the business? Where would that leave me? I can't that that risk anymore. The business can survive without you. Your role has changed. You no longer run a large portfolio of clients. We have a good team of finders and minders who can do that for us and with my background in HR, I can handle the CEO role. If you knuckle under, I promise to provide the financial and emotional support you will need while you complete your transition to Georgia."

The sudden chill in Kate's voice foretold her exasperation at the alternative. "If you choose to resist, you'd better prepare for a dirty and embarrassing legal battle. It isn't what I want but, if I have to, I will make you a laughingstock. As you know, the court process of charges and counter charges will hamstring the business. There'll be no winners, unless you count the lawyers. Just to make my point crystal clear, you're not the only one who can use a camera."

Georgia remained silent, methodically reviewing Kate's plan, searching, without success, for a more palatable solution. George had built the financial planning business from the ground up but exposing Georgia to the client's would destroy everything he had worked for. If she wasn't bluffing and she had footage of Georgia, Kate held a powerful hand in any court room. George should never have entered this world. Georgia's had always known this life was hers to lead and she was trapped in a body that was all wrong.

Kate frowned as Georgia pondered the next move in a game of chess where her mistress seemed to hold all the pieces.

"What about the future? What happens once the last of George has been killed off? What's to become of me?"

Kate closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "You can stay on as my maid for as long as you want. I give you my word. But you will be my maid. I don't want any misunderstanding about what is on offer. What I'd really like is for us to remain friends; after all, we did once love each other. Once client's get used to the new order, we can create a trust structure to ensure that you've got financial independence." Kate found a chair and sat at the kitchen table. "I still have feelings for you but they aren't the feelings I had when we married. Just like I don't want to make love to you but I enjoyed what you did for me last night." She smiled briefly at Georgia. "I think, with a bit of tuition and practice, you could do some really wild things with that tongue of yours. There may be some room in our future for that. But my private life is my private life. There will be no more cameras in my bedroom and no more jealous phone calls."

Georgia nodded and backed away, returning to her mop and bucket. She continued to contemplate Kate's ultimatum. Her stomach somersaulted with excitement and trepidation. She was finally coming out from the dark isolation of the closet. For the first time she would be free to spread her wings and to experience the world as a real woman. While Georgia rejoiced, what little remained of George thrashed around looking for the helm to his mind. George and Georgia had, over time, become quite separate entities. Initially, they had fought pitched battles over the reins to the body they occupied together.

George mustered all the resources at his disposal and made one final assault on Georgia's command. Having squeezed his way through to the surface, he did his best to hide the tears but his sniffling betrayed the gravity of his wounds. "Kate, I love and I always will, but you don't understand me and you probably never will. Even after all this time, you still think this life is my choice. If you understood half of the hell I've been through you would know that no one would choose to live a life like this."

Before he could finish, Georgia asserted herself once more, smothering George beneath the thick blanket of her control, stifling his plea. It had been more than a year since George had triumphed in a skirmish of significance. There was no way Georgia was going to allow him victory of this occasion. He would fuck up everything she had always wanted.

Kate bowed her head, embarrassed that she had nothing more to offer the maid. "I have done my best to love you. Even with all the hurt I'm carrying I still have feelings for you. I was wrong when I let you bring Georgia into our lives. I believed love could conquer all. It can't. When I needed my husband, when stretched out to touch him he was always out of reach and now I can't find him at all. I couldn't go on loving someone that no longer exists."

Chapter Four

As the long shadows of evening drew closer, Kate decided to take a long hot bath and to relax. Slowly she removed the straps of her dress from her shoulders, allowing it to puddle at her feet. There was a dull ache in her mid-back, right between the shoulder blades. She rolled her shoulders before cautiously bending to open the bathtub faucets. A thin mist gently rose from the tub as it slowly filled. Kate turned her attention to the bathroom cabinet. Searching through it, she located a smallish box of bath salts. She sprinkled half its content into the water. Kate sank into the tub, allowing the warm, froth to envelop her tired body. The scent of lavender began to dissolve the headache gnawing at her temples.

She was drained but had no need of sleep. The tension of her discussion with Georgia had unnerved her and she needed reassurance. She knew Michael would be waiting for her call. She had mixed emotions about the events of that morning and they still churned within her. Visions of making love to Michael kept popping into her mind as she gazed at the bathroom ceiling.

She grabbed her cell phone from atop the wicker laundry hamper and dialled Michael's number. It rang only once before he answered.

"You caught the phone on the first ring, that's very impressive."

She could hear the excitement in his voice. "Thanks, I've been doing my best to impress; in case you haven't noticed."

Kate's retort was deliberately provocative. "Good, men are supposed to do the chasing. I could use some company, if you're up to it. If you haven't changed you mind?"

"You know I'd love to see you."

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "There you go again; using that four letter word you're so fond of. Honestly, Michael, before you say that word again, we need to get a few things straight. I've thought about you a lot lately and especially since this morning. You said you love me and I love you. But, my life is so bloody complicated. I won't desert Georgia. She needs me. I've spoken to her about last night and about a host of other issues as well. I believe she understands that she has no right to interfere in my love life. I've been honest with her and now I want to be completely honest with you."

In spite of the warm waters surrounding Kate's exposed flesh, icy thoughts frosted her soul and a thick layer of Goosebumps formed on her skin. "I shouldn't have betrayed Georgia's secret but then I guess I've been betraying her all my married life. I've always loved you. Even when I made love to my husband, it was you I was thinking of. You were a breathtaking lover... Such a wonderful person to go to bed with, you never had any anxiety about it, did it naturally, easily, slowly, with absolute confidence and perfect calm. And so whenever I made love, I'd dream it was you. Yes, yes, yes! Truth, truth! The truth is I feel so awful about it. The truth is, life isn't a damn romance novel; life isn't just a bunch of highs. My truth has been pain and sweat...paying bills and making love to a man I couldn't love the way I loved you. For me the truth has been dreams that didn't come true..."

Michael interjected; his response firm and deliberate. "Kate, I can't change the past and to be frank I don't care about the past, I said I love you and I meant it. I want to look to the future, a future with you by my side."

Kate's mood warmed, a ray of sunshine pierced the thick grey clouds. Her heart pounded excitement shattering the heavy stone weighing upon her chest. She allowed herself a cheeky smirk, before replying in on a soft, seductive tone. "Are you at home? I'm coming over. I have a transparent little peignoir I'm dying to have ripped from my body."

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