Ready For Love

David laughed and told her again how nice she looked.

"You have this very appealing, professional look about you. You look like you're ready to either go to dinner at a very nice restaurant or back to work at some corporate firm."

"That's so kind of you to say, David," Brandi told him. "That's kind of the look I strive for. Maybe one day I'll be comfortable enough to 'grow out' of this stage I'm in and enjoy wearing casual clothes. For now, half the fun is looking as feminine and as pretty as I can."

"Well, you've definitely attained your goal," David assured her with another approving look and a warm smile.

Both of them sat there quietly for a moment before David asked another question.

"I guess I'm wondering what you're looking for, Brandi. In terms of a relationship in general and with me specifically."

The question was asked with gentleness, and Brandi understood what David was asking and why.

"I've never been in love before," she said. "I'd very much like to fall in love, and in turn, be loved. I don't think it's any more complicated than that."

David smiled wistfully and said, "Being in love is wonderful. And being loved is amazing."

"I can only imagine," Brandi told him.

"I'm sorry for asking so many direct, poignant questions. It's just that this is a rather...unusual...relationship," he said with a warm smile.

"True. And no offense taken. You really can ask me anything."

"Well, since you don't want to become a woman, how often would you want to, you know, dress like this?"

"That would depend on the nature of any future relationship," she explained. "I could see being Brandi on occasion or even every day. It would be driven by what the person...the man...I love wanted."

"And is...intimacy...something you want in a relationship?" David asked very gingerly.

Brandi smiled and said, "Yes. Very much so."

"But you've never been with a man, right?"

"No. Never," Brandi told him truthfully.

"So...would you also be dating women when you're...."

"Brandon?"

"Sorry. Yes."

"Not if I was with someone who wanted to be exclusive with me. I'm a very traditional person, David. Whether as Brandon or Brandi, I would never fool around or cheat on someone I love."

"Me, either," he said. "It's just not in my DNA. Once I met Paula, that was it. I never even looked after that. Not in the sense of anything more than acknowledging other women were beautiful. But that was it."

"We have a lot in common then," Brandi said with another warm smile.

"One more question?" David asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of course."

"Would you even consider marrying someone? As Brandi, of course."

"I would," she told him without hesitation.

"Even if that meant living as Brandi all of the time?"

"Yes. Were a man I fell in love with to ask me to marry him, I could only say 'yes' if he wanted me to live with him as his wife. I know that doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but when I'm dressed as Brandi, I am Brandi. And although I've never tried living as her for any length of time, I would happily do so for a man I truly loved."

"Would you want others to know you're...gosh, I don't even know how to say it," David told her rather apologetically.

"That I'm really a boy?" she offered.

"Well, okay. I think that's what I was asking," he said, a bit embarrassed by it all.

"I couldn't deceive you today, David, and I would never do that to anyone who needed to know. I wouldn't go around with a sign that says, 'Hey, everyone. I'm actually a guy in women's clothing!' but I also wouldn't try and hide it, and I would want my husband to be okay with that."

"Oh, sure. Of course," David agreed immediately. "Anything else would indicate he was embarrassed or felt ashamed by it. No, I totally agree. You don't flaunt it, but you also never hide it."

"You are so amazing, David," Brandi told him, her eyes full of sincerity.

"I think you're amazing, Brandi," he said right back to her. "You're smart, pleasant, friendly, warm, and...very beautiful."

"Thank you," she said sweetly. "And I also think you're all of those things except I'd substitute very handsome for beautiful."

"So...the physical attraction is mutual?" he asked hopefully.

Brandi smiled and said, "Oh, very much so."

"Then I'd like to take our friendship to the next level," he said in a way that didn't sound crass. "I'm just not sure how to do that."

"You've been doing wonderfully so far," Brandi told him. "Just continue treating me like any other woman you like, and things will go quite well, I'm sure."

"Is there anything you want to ask me?" David said.

"It's very personal, but yes, there is one thing."

"Ask me," he said with a smile.

"May I know your age?" she asked.

"I'm 35," David said without hesitation. "Is that enough to scare you away?"

"No. Not at all. I don't think 35 is too old by any means. And I'm 26 in case you were wondering."

David sat up, smiled, then asked, "Brandi? Do you like to dance?"

"I'm not very good at it, but yes, I do like to dance."

"Nothing formal. Not ballroom or anything. I just wondered if maybe I could turn on some jazz and if you'd care to dance with me, we could try and...."

"I'd love to, David," Brandi said before he could finish the sentence.

He got up, and walked over to where his iPod was docked, pushed a couple of buttons, and moments later the room was filled with the sounds of sweet jazz.

David walked over to Brandi who was looking up and him and smiling then held a hand and said, "Would you dance with me?"

She gave him hers and said, "I'd love to dance with you."

He helped her stand, then took her right hand in his left while placing his right in the small of her back. Brandi placed her left hand on his shoulder then did her best to follow David's lead.

Their dancing quickly turned into making small circles as both of them let go of the other's hand and put their arms around their partner.

Brandi loved being held for the first time by a man she found attractive both inside and out, and she particularly liked the way he gently ran his fingers up and down the middle of her back.

"This is very nice," Brandi whispered as they held one another close.

"Yes, it is," David agreed.

Neither of them let go when the first song ended. In fact, they only held one another closer. The smell of Brandi's shampoo mixed with her perfume was intoxicating, and David felt an old familiar stirring as he pulled her slender body even closer.

"Mmmm," Brandi moaned softly when he did.

She was gently running a hand through the thick hair on the back of his head while he ran a hand all the way up and down her back, doing the same with hers.

"You are so beautiful," David whispered.

Brandi's heart was beating fast, and she desperately wanted to kissed for the first time, but asking would ruin the experience, so she waited for David to make the first move.

As they danced, David pulled Brandi's lower back in close, and when he did, she pushed forward with her hips. Doing so brought her body into contact with something she'd never felt before, but about which she'd fantasized many times.

"Sorry," David whispered. His erection was very full and very hard, and evident through the material on his pants.

"Don't be," Brandi said quietly. "You feel wonderful."

Knowing she didn't mind, David pushed against her and Brandi immediately pushed back. In less than a second, David pulled his head back slightly and waited for Brandi to do the same.

When she did, their eyes met, and he slowly leaned in and softly kissed her glossy lips. It wasn't a passionate kiss nor was it a quick peck. It was a very nice first kiss that Brandi would remember for the rest of her life. She would have preferred it last longer, but she loved that David had kissed her, and when it ended she smiled at him before moving her head closer to him and dancing cheek to cheek.

A minute or so passed, and Brandi was dying to be kissed again. She pulled her head back gently, and waited for David this time. He knew why she'd done it, and without hesitation kissed her again, only this time the kiss lasted for quite some time as tongues gently touched then grew more bold before intertwining.

Brandi's soft moans were pushing David to his limits. He knew if they didn't stop soon, it might not be possible to stop at all.

He slowly ended the kiss then said, "I think maybe we should go check on Sophie."

Brandi also knew she wasn't a genetic female, and once her motor was running, turning it off wasn't easy. And yet she knew they weren't alone, so the only thing they could do was stop while they still could.

"Oh, right. Yes, we...we should do that," she said as they slowly let go of one another.

"Thank you for the dance...or rather—dance-es," David said.

"It was my pleasure, David," she said as they stood apart again.

"Come on. I'll show you where her room is," he said.

"I just need to touch up my lipstick," Brandi said as she reached for her purse.

"Right. Good call," David told her with a smile.

They stopped by one of the four bathrooms in the house, and Brandi smoothed over the minor mess the kissing had caused.

"Okay. All better!" she said when she walked out.

"No. All....beautiful," David corrected her as he took her hand and let her upstairs.

"Sophie?" he called out.

"In here, Daddy!" she called back from her room.

David let go of her hand before they walked in, and Sophie was none the wiser.

"Hi, Sophie!" she said to the little girl.

"Can you play with me now?" Sophie asked immediately.

"I would love to!" Brandi told her. "What are we playing?"

"Well, this is my dollhouse, and we can do all kinds of things. Like this!"

Sophie began showing Brandi how it was done, and for the first time in her life, she played with dolls, and found herself loving every minute of it. David played, too, but mostly he sat back and watched his daughter and his...girlfriend?

Again he marveled how it was impossible to tell this...new person in his life...was anything other than a beautiful young woman as she played and shared with his daughter who was thoroughly enjoying having a woman in the house who wasn't her aunt.

They played for nearly an hour before David said, "Okay, ladies. I think it's time to give Brandi a break."

"But we only played a few minutes, Daddy," Sophia tried saying.

"Well, unless she'd like to stay for dinner...or maybe go out for dinner with us, I'm sure Miss Brandi needs to get home."

Brandi had been sitting on the floor, her legs pulled under her while she played.

"Are you asking me out, Mr. Sommers?" she said with a smile.

"Well...I suppose I am," David told her.

"Then...I accept."

"That's fantastic!" he said.

"Is Brandi going to eat with us, Daddy?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, she is, honey. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh. She's my best friend," Sophie announced.

"Ahhh! Come give me a hug!" Brandi said, touched with emotion.

Sophie not only hugged her, she kissed her right on the lips.

"Come here, stinker!" Brandi said. "You have lipstick on you."

"That's okay. I'm a girl, too," Sophie informed her.

"Well, you got me there," Brandi said with a happy smile just before she carefully wiped it off anyway.

"We're going back downstairs, Punkin'. We'll let you know when we're ready to go eat, okay?"

"Okay. I'll play with my other toys and when you call me, I'll come downstairs," Sophie told him as though her father might not otherwise understand.

"That sounds like a plan, kiddo," he told her.

Brandi took his hand the moment the were outside the room.

"She is...a doll," Brandi said.

"I'm kind of fond of her," David replied.

He squeezed her hand then said, "Of you, too, by the way."

"Hmmm. I was just thinking the same thing about you," she said before stopping and facing him.

David pulled her close and kissed her again. This time it wasn't as long or as passionate as before, but it was still a very nice, very romantic kiss.

When it ended, David asked, "Is this moving too fast for you?"

"No. Not at all," Brandi told him. She moved close and said very quietly, "Remember. I'm not really a girl so I have the same kinds of needs and desires as you do."

"Oh, really?" David said with mock surprise.

"Uh-huh. And to the same degree you do."

"Then this could be very dangerous," he told her.

"Or...very fun," she said before pulling back and laughing happily.

When they got back downstairs Brandi told David she needed to give her mom a quick call to let her know she wouldn't be home.

"I may have spent a year in combat, but my mother still worries about me," she said with a smile.

"I'm just trying to imagine you carrying an M-16," he said with a shake of his head.

"Oh, no one uses those anymore. It's all about the M4 these days which is basically a shorter M16 and...."

Brandi realized Brandon was about to surface and caught herself.

"Sorry," she said demurely. "I almost forgot who I am."

"You better not," David told her. "I like who you are. A lot."

She kissed him playfully then got out her phone and called home.

"I'm fine, Mom," she said in her Brandi voice.

"I was getting worried," her mom told her.

"No. Don't be worried. I...I actually met someone. Someone...."

She looked at David then said, "Very nice."

"Oh. I see," her mom said. "Would this someone be...a man?"

"Yesss," Brandi said, dragging out her reply as she smiled at David again. "He is a man. A very...handsome...man."

"Oh. Well, I...I suppose that's very nice then," her mom said trying to sound convincing.

"We're actually going out to dinner, so I wanted to let you know I'll be even later."

"Uh-huh. Well, okay then," her mom said. "Um...have a nice time, honey, okay?"

"I will, Mom. Bye!"

She ended the call and saw David looking at her.

"Your mom isn't wild about you dating men, is she?" David said as much as asked.

"No, but she's trying. She's really, really trying."

"Well, I can understand that. She's probably thinking about, you know, grandchildren, and how that might work."

"No, you're right. And while I care deeply about her feelings, I have to live my own life," Brandi said. "She just needs some more time to adjust. Even though I used to crossdress, it's been a long time, and she's only had a short while to try and readjust."

"She seems very supportive."

"Um...yes and no," Brandi said. "But I believe in my heart of hearts she'll come around."

"She obviously loves you very much," he said.

"That part is true, and I love her, too," Brandi told him before changing the subject.

"I could go home and change into a dress if you'd like," she told him after just indicating she'd be staying.

"That's completely up to you. You look amazing in that, but if you'd feel more comfortable in a dress, by all means."

"How fancy is the restaurant you're taking me to?" she asked as she put her arms around him again.

"Four stars?" he offered. "Not formal but...nice."

"Then I think I'd like to look even nicer for you," she said.

"It's hard to imagine you looking nicer, but I'm happy to take you back to get your car. It's probably smart to move it anyway."

David grabbed Sophie who thought it was time to eat and let her know they were taking Brandi back to the park.

"But she has to eat dinner with us!" Sophie told her father.

"She will, honey. She just wants to go home and change."

"I want to wear a pretty dress for your daddy," Brandi explained.

"I wanna wear a pretty dress, too!" she announced.

"Okay. We can do that when we get back home," her father said.

At the park, David walked Brandi to her car which was right next to where he pulled in so Sophie wouldn't have to get out.

"I don't want you to go," David told her as she unlocked her door.

"Me, either, but I think it will be worth the wait," she teased. "Oh. Do you have a favorite color?"

He smiled and told her, "You're wearing it. I love black."

He tilted his head then said, "But I really like white, too. Oh, and pink is great. But so is light blue and...."

"Okay. I'll surprise you," she said before kissing him again.

"Daddy? Why are you kissing Brandi?" Sophie called out.

"Uh-oh. We're busted," David said.

"Totally," Brandi agreed with a smile. "Is that okay?"

"I've never brought a woman around my daughter before. I don't date all that much, but I made the decision never to bring anyone around until I was at least reasonably confident she would be someone who would love my daughter."

"Well, you waited for the right girl then," Brandi told him. "I definitely love Miss Sophia."

David touched her face and said, "You're trying to make me fall in love with you, aren't you?"

Brandi smiled sweetly and asked, "Is it working?"

"And then some," David told her.

"I'll see you around seven then, okay?" she suggested.

"That's perfect. I'll see you then."

They kissed one more time before David helped her get in and closed her door. He stood there like a lovesick boy in high school and watched her drive away as he waved the entire time not caring how silly it looked.

When he got back in the car, Sophie asked, "Daddy? Are you in love with Brandi?"

"Um, I don't know, honey. I do really like her, though."

"Me, too!" she said as her father backed out. They made one quick stop on the way home, and David barely heard a word of his daughter's non-stop chatter the entire way.

Kathy was very surprised when her beautiful 'daughter' came home a few minutes later.

"I wanted to change into something nicer for dinner," Brandi explained.

Her mom was staring again and said, "I still cannot believe that's you."

She paused then said, "Or maybe it would be better to say I can't believe you're a boy."

"I'm taking that as a compliment, Mom," she said before heading to her room.

She knew exactly which dress she wanted to wear and couldn't wait to see David's reaction.

She'd found it online at Sexy Dresses and it was definitely sexy and unbelievably, less than $40. It was a black, ribbed jersey cap-sleeved body con tunic dress with a notched hem that exposed her long, thin legs on both sides nearly to her hips while falling a good seven inches above her knee in the front and the back. It had a crew neck that was lower than most crew necks but not low enough to be called a scoop neck. The top was ribbed and the rest of the dress was made with a light, stretchy fabric that hugged her body like a glove.

Brandi swapped her three-inch heels for a pair of four-inch stilettos, and replaced the gold jewelry with a single strand of pearls and matching earrings. She then moved everything from her purse into a smaller clutch, and lastly she added some darker shading to her eyes for a more sultry evening look.

The lipstick she'd been wearing was still perfect with the dress, and all that was required was another quick touchup. She then grabbed a black shrug just in case it got chilly, and felt like she was ready to go out.

She still had some time before leaving for David's, and this was a perfect opportunity to discuss her date with her mom, who would undoubtedly have several questions.

After some hemming and hawing, her mom's primary concern was about...sex.

"So...he was married to a woman. He has an almost-four-year old daughter, and he knows you're...."

"A boy?" Brandi said with a smile. "Yes. He knows."

"And that doesn't bother him or even concern him?" her mother asked, barely able to believe what she was hearing.

"Mom? I know all of this is very new to you. It is to me, too. All I know is I really, really like this guy, and that I love Sophie. The rest will sort itself out, so try not to worry."

"I...I really don't know what else to say," Kathy told her. "I just wonder how things will work if you two get..."