:=: Brendan :=:

Tanya paid the cover charge at the door, then led him inside the club.

The interior was a bit dark, and very loud. There were lots of reflective chrome surfaces, and the dance floor area had some moving multicoloured lights on the ceiling. The DJ was in an open booth in the corner, and one entire wall was screens, showing different swirling and flashing patterns of colour and random images.

It wasn't packed, but there was a good crowd of people here, talking, drinking, dancing. The music at the moment was electronic dance, and Brendan had a feeling that would be the theme for the night. Between the music, and the talking and dancing, there was a constant din of sound. All in all, it was a very overstimulating environment.

They made their way through to the bar, and Tanya leaned in close and asked him, "What do you want to drink?"

Brendan shrugged, "I dunno? Not beer, and not wine."

Tanya nodded, then when the bartender came over to them, Tanya leaned forward and told him their order. Brendan couldn't hear what she was ordering, so he just watched as the bartender prepared the drinks. Tanya was just having a glass of white wine, but he realized she'd ordered him a strawberry daiquiri.

Tanya left money for the drinks and a tip, then she and Brendan moved away.

He followed her to a small table on the far side of the place. It was a little darker, but also a little quieter, so they could hear each other better.

The two of them sat down beside each other and Tanya asked, "So what do you think?"

Brendan shrugged, "It's loud?" He wasn't really into this kind of music, and found the accompanying lights and the wall of screens distracting.

Tanya just smiled at him as she sipped her wine, then asked "Do you like the drink?"

He brought the straw to his lips and took a deep sip. He'd never had a daiquiri before, but found it was actually pretty good. He liked the sweet taste of the strawberries, and they did a good job of masking the harshness of the rum.

"Yeah it's pretty good." he replied. He had another sip, then asked, "So what do we do here?"

Tanya smiled, "It's a dance club, what do you think we do here?"

He looked towards the dance floor again, watching the way everyone was moving there.

While he was still sort of looking around and taking it all in, Tanya quickly finished her wine. Then she leaned in close and asked, "Ready to hit the dance floor, cutie?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. He hesitated, then lied "I don't think I could manage it in these shoes."

He knew he couldn't do anything fancy, but he was pretty sure he was familiar enough with the low heels now he could probably dance a little. Except he really didn't want to. This place was a little too much. Too loud, too overstimulating, and he felt too far out of his comfort zone already.

Tanya nodded, "Ok Brandi." She didn't try to push him any further, and he was glad for that. Then Tanya said, "I'm gonna dance a bit, I'll be back."

He watched as she stood up then she made her way towards the dance floor. He felt a little torn. Sitting off to the side felt a little safer, but being alone felt a little vulnerable. He didn't want to dance, but he did want to stay close to Tanya.

After a few moments, Brendan got up and followed. He brought his drink with him, he was only about halfway through it and it gave him something to do with his hands.

Around the dance floor there was a sort of railing, that also served as a place to rest your drink. He stopped there, just outside the dance floor, and stood next to the rail. He was near enough to Tanya that he felt a little less alone, and he also had a good view of her as she danced.

Brendan watched quietly, his eyes on Tanya's body as she joined the other people on the floor and started dancing. He idly sipped some more of his drink, as he began to feel some growing arrousal again as he watched how she was moving. He finally finished his daiquiri and left the glass on the railing, as he continued watching his date on the dance floor.

His focus was still on Tanya a few minutes later, when he suddenly realized he was no longer alone. A tall man was suddenly standing right next to him, and Brendan felt the man's arm around him, the stranger's hand on his shoulder.

Brendan immediately stiffened a little, as he turned and tilted his head up to get a look at the person next to him.

"Hey baby, you look lonely. Don't worry, I'll keep you company." The guy had a little moustache and short black hair, and his skin was sort of pale. He was about the same height as Tanya, but probably fifty or sixty pounds heavier. He was wearing a white sports jacket over a t-shirt, and had dark pants on.

Brendan could smell the beer on the guy's breath, and it turned his stomach a little. He seemed sleazy to Brendan, but that might have just been his natural reaction to having some strange guy getting over-familiar and hitting on him. The guy also seemed a little old to be hitting on someone Brendan's age. He looked like he was close to thirty, which just added to the creep factor.

Brendan frowned and shouted up at the guy, "I'm fine. I'm here with my girlfriend."

The stranger smiled a little, "Oh yeah? I don't see her around. I'll just keep you company till she gets back."

He pulled Brendan a little closer to him, as if he was trying to pull him into a hug.

Brendan tried to pull away but realized with a little panic that he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to get out of this creep's grip. He put a hand up and pushed at the guy's chest, trying to force himself away from the guy but he just held on tighter.

"Let go of me!" Brendan tried not to let the fear into his voice, he tried to sound angry, but he wasn't sure if that came across.

The guy just pulled him closer again as he smiled, "What's wrong, baby? Come on, I know you like this. I can tell."

Brendan's heart was pounding more now as he struggled to pull away. He glanced around left and right, and that's when he saw Tanya by his side.

The tall blonde put a hand on Brendan's shoulder, while her other hand grabbed the creep's arm. She forced the guy to let go, and pulled Brendan back against herself.

"Hey asshole!" Tanya shouted at him, "Keep your hands off my girlfriend!"

Brendan was standing close up against Tanya's side now, trying to calm himself down, as he stared up at the creep.

Adrenaline had brought everything into sharp focus, and he was now hyperaware of everything going on around him, though most of his focus was still on the creep infront of him and Tanya next to him.

"Hey, no need to be a bitch." the guy protested. "Couldn't you see we were having a good time?"

Tanya kept an arm around Brendan and guided him away from the dance floor, back towards the table where they'd been sitting before. Fortunately the creep didn't follow them.

Before sitting down, Tanya looked at him and asked, "Are you ok Brandi? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone like that."

Brendan just nodded to her, but he didn't trust his voice right now. He could feel his hands starting to shake a little though, as the adrenaline was starting to leave while his mind was still trying to process the encounter.

Tanya was still looking at him, watching him closely.

He was struggling, and he was sure she could see it. He'd just been getting used to the noise and the people and the lights and everything else, when all that stuff happened with that creep. He'd lost his confidence, and the din of the club was starting to overwhelm him again.

After watching him for a few moments, Tanya made a decision and said "I think thats enough for tonight, Brandi. Let's get you home."

He nodded quietly again, and let her guide him back through the people and to the door, then out.

Stepping out into the autumn night air was a bit of a shock. The noise and lights and movement and chest-pounding bass beat of the club were all suddenly gone, and the night felt very quiet and dark.

Brendan stumbled a bit. It was the first time since putting the heels on, but Tanya already had an arm around him. It wasn't the heels fault, either. He trembled once more, but then he got control of himself. He pushed all the emotions down and forced himself to be calm and quiet.

Tanya still kept him close, as they walked back to her place.

He remained quiet through the trip home, maintaining his enforced sense of calmness. He was silent on the way up to her apartment, and stayed silent as they stepped inside.

Then he quietly excused himself, and made his way into the washroom, closing the door behind him.

He picked up a towel, sat down on the toilet, then buried his face in the towel as the grip he had on his emotions crumbled away, and Brendan started to cry. He was hoping the towel would keep Tanya from hearing, as he let the tears out.

It was past ten o'clock. He was probably halfway through the forty-eight hours now, and as he sobbed into the towel, he let himself feel a little proud of the fact that he'd survived a full day as a girl before finally breaking down in tears.

As he sobbed, his mind kept replaying those moments in the club. He'd felt so weak, so helpless. He didn't know what to do, how to react or respond...

And then Tanya had come to his rescue. He'd literally been the damsel in distress, and Tanya had been the knight who rescued him. Perhaps the most baffling thing was that part didn't actually bother him.

His tears were finally starting to taper off, as he thought about how it felt when Tanya was holding him. When she had an arm around him and he was standing close against her side. He'd felt safe, protected. She was telling off that creep, she was strong and confident and she was keeping him safe, looking after him.

He knew as a guy he was supposed to want to be the one doing that. He was supposed to want to be the knight, the protector, the strong brave confident one. So why did it feel so much nicer having someone else doing that for him instead?

Brendan finally sighed and stood up. He was surprised to find that he felt better now. It seemed like letting the tears out had also let the emotions go as well, and the tension and everything else along with them.

He went to splash some cold water on his face, but froze at his reflection. The crying had messed up his make-up. There was no way to hide that from Tanya, she'd know he was crying as soon as she saw him.

As he was wondering what to do, there was a light knock at the bathroom door. "Are you ok Brandi?" Tanya's voice was soft and full of concern.

He sighed, and took a few deep breaths, hoping he could keep his voice level. Then he opened the door and asked, "I uh...need help getting the make-up off? Does it just wash off, or...?"

Tanya gave him a warm smile and came into the washroom with him, and got out a jar of cleansing cream. She showed him how to do it, and he nodded and got to work. While he was doing that, Tanya went into her bedroom.

By the time he was done and his face was clean, she'd emerged wearing her nightshirt. She was holding a second nightshirt which she offered to him.

Brendan took it and thanked her. He was grateful she hadn't said anything about him crying, and hoped that would be something that just got forgotten completely.

While Tanya was in the washroom taking care of her own make-up and getting ready for bed, he tried to get undressed.

He slipped off his shoes, but he found he couldn't get the dress's zipper undone. He struggled with it for a bit, and at one point he thought about just tearing the dress off him as he got frustrated.

He didn't though, he didn't want to damage it since Tanya had paid for it. It also crossed his mind that he was probably too weak now to rip it open anyways.

So he waited till she finally emerged from the washroom, then asked, "Tanya... Could you give me a hand with this dress, please?"

Tanya didn't tease or joke, she just nodded and moved up behind him. She pulled the zipper down, and said "There you go."

"Thanks." he said quietly, then went back into the washroom again to get ready for bed.

He slipped out of the dress, then took off the bra. He kept the panties on, and pulled the nightshirt on. It was much softer and more comfortable than the t-shirt and underwear he'd woken up in.

He also finally picked up his old t-shirt and underwear from the floor where he'd left them this morning. That almost felt like a lifetime ago now. After he exited the washroom, he added his old clothes to the pile with his jeans and shoes. Then he held up the dress and bra as he asked Tanya, "What should I do with these?"

Tanya took them and put them in her laundry hamper. She then got a couple bottles of water out of the fridge. She opened one then handed it to him, then opened the other.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked quietly.

He thanked her for the water, and asked "Do you always open bottles for your dates?"

Tanya sat down on the sofa and motioned him to sit with her. She replied, "Sorry. You're about the same size as one of my best friends, and she always struggled with bottles and jars and things, so I got in the habit of opening things for her."

Brendan sat down and sighed a little, "Good instincts. I was having a hard time getting these bottles open this morning..."

Tanya nodded, "It's a huge adjustment, going from a big strong muscular guy, to... being Brandi."

He didn't respond to that, just quietly drinking some water.

Tanya did the same, having some of her water and looking thoughtful.

Finally she took a deep breath, then said "Brandi, I'm really sorry I left you alone in the club. It was irresponsible of me, and I'm sorry you had to deal with that guy creeping on you." She sounded genuinely upset.

Brendan sighed, then nodded. "Apology accepted. I wasn't thinking either. I've never had to worry about that sort of thing before... But with Corey and Doug at dinner, and then that guy at the club... It's made me realize what that stuff's really like for women. I don't think I'll ever act like that kind of guy again, knowing now what it's like on the other side of the fence."

Tanya put an arm around him and pulled him into a gentle hug. "I promise I didn't set out to try and teach you a lesson or anything like that. And even though you and me weren't exactly friendly, I never really took you for that kind of guy, Brandi." She added, "The only times I saw you act like that, was when you'd had a few drinks, and your friends were there to egg you on."

Brendan just nodded slowly, and drank some more water.

Eventually he said, "So, I'm just going to crash on the sofa again tonight... I think today has been enough of an adventure for me."

Tanya still had an arm around him, as she offered "You don't have to sleep on the sofa. My bed's big enough to share..."

He slowly looked up at her, his eyes widening. "I don't know if that's a good idea..."

"I'm not insisting or anything, you can sleep on the sofa if you want. But... I'm offering." Tanya said softly. "And it'll definitely be nicer than the sofa."

She finally let go of him and stood up, stretching a little infront of him.

He looked up at her, taking in her long shapely arms and legs, the outline of her body. While her arms were up in the air as she stretched, it raised the hem of her nightshirt just enough for him to see she wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

If she'd meant to get his attention, it certainly worked. He gulped a little as he watched her, and then stood up as well. "Ok... I'll give it a try... The sofa wasn't all that comfy after all..."

Tanya smiled as she led him into her bedroom. She hadn't lied, her bed was large, and it looked comfortable. It was a queen-size, with a soft mattress, and a big soft warm duvet on top. There were two pillows on each side.

Tanya turned out most of the lights, just leaving one small dim light on in the hall. She guided him to one side of the bed, then she moved around onto the other.

He nervously slipped into bed under the duvet, and watched as she did the same.

Tanya turned on her side to face him, and whispered "We don't have to do anything. We can just sleep. Or cuddle. Or talk, if you want."

Brendan was laying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He nodded slightly, then turned onto his side looking at her. For now he was just looking into her eyes, but he didn't really know what to say.

He was starting to feel a lot of those confusing emotions again, but he could at least identify excitement and arrousal among them. And also a bit more anxiety again... He wanted to do this, but he was afraid of how he'd feel about it in the morning.

Tanya watched him for a bit, then she moved a little closer and pulled him into a cuddle.

Brendan sighed softly, and let himself relax into her strong embrace.

:=: Tanya :=:

Tanya drifted awake. There was sunlight coming in around the curtains, and a mess of red hair in her face.

She and Brandi had slept spooning together. Tanya's naked breasts were pressed against Brandi's bare back. Her arms were wrapped around the small redhead's waist, and their legs were intertwined.

Tanya lifted her head slightly to look around. It was about a quarter past eleven Sunday morning, according to her bedside clock. She could also see her nightshirt on the floor near the bed, and the one she'd loaned Brandi was down at the foot of the bed, hanging half off the side.

Tanya smiled to herself. Last night Brandi had started off very slow and timid, but once she got past her initial nervousness she'd been quite enthusiastic.

She let her head rest on the pillow again, and just relaxed some more with the cute redhead curled up against her.

Ten or fifteen minutes later, Brandi started to stir as well, eventually waking with a yawn.

"Good morning, cutie." Tanya whispered.

Brandi froze for a few seconds. Then she slowly shifted under the duvet, pulling away, moving to the other side of the bed. Finally she turned over to her other side so she was facing Tanya. Her cheeks were bright red.

Tanya asked softly, "Are you ok?"

Brandi gulped but nodded. "Yeah. Yesterday morning I told myself I wasn't going to do that... But last night I really wanted to..."

Tanya hesitated, then asked, "How do you feel about it now?"

She watched as the redhead's blush grew a little brighter. She lowered her eyes and admitted, "Now... I kind of want to do it again... But we probably shouldn't... Right?"

"Whatever you like, cutie." Tanya smiled.

Brandi hesitated, then her expression shifted to a frown. "I mean... This is just temporary. We shouldn't get too used to me being like this." She added after a moment, "It's almost noon... We should probably get up?"

"Ok." Tanya nodded, hiding her disappointment. "I'll put on the coffee."

She slipped out of bed and picked up her nightshirt, and pulled it on as she walked out of the bedroom. She could feel Brandi's eyes on her every step of the way, till she was out of sight in the hall. Tanya grinned to herself. The club had been a big mistake, but the rest of the evening had been a lot of fun.

She visited the washroom first, then made her way to the kitchen. As she got the coffee maker started, as she found herself hoping Brandi enjoyed last night too. She hoped she hadn't made things too weird for her temporary-girlfriend.

Tanya got out a couple clean mugs, and brought out the milk and the sugar again as she waited for the coffee.

Meanwhile, Brandi had gotten up and gone into the washroom.

And a few minutes later, when the coffee was ready, Brandi joined Tanya in the kitchen. The redhead had her nightshirt on again now too, and she quietly thanked Tanya for the coffee.

The two of them sat together on the sofa. Not just next to each other, but practically cuddling, as they both enjoyed their first coffee of the day.

They wound up drinking their first cup in silence as they cuddled. After they'd both got their second cup, Tanya finally asked, "What would you like to do today?"

Brandi sipped her coffee and thought for a bit. "I'm feeling lazy. I don't really want to do much of anything, to be honest..."

Tanya smiled, "I can relate to that. How about we just stay in today? I'll make us some breakfast, we can take turns in the shower, put on something comfy, and just chill..." She added, "I'm kind of fuzzy on when the forty-eight hours will be up, but I figure around nine or ten at night? Let's say nine."

She was watching the redhead as she said this, looking for some sort of reaction or response, but Brandi just nodded quietly as she stared at her coffee.

"I have to say, You've been a real champ about honouring the bet, Brandi." Tanya smiled. Then with some respect in her voice she added, "Honestly, you're a lot braver and tougher than I ever was."

Brandi shrugged a little. "I guess. It's been an adventure, anyways..."

Tanya finally checked the time, then said, "Anyways, we've got just under nine hours left as 'girlfriends'. Then I'll dispell the magic, and you'll be free."

Brandi just nodded, turning to look at the clock as well. She stared at it for a few seconds, looking a little thoughtful. Then just focused on her coffee again, having another sip.