E is for Erica

"Hello, I'm Erica. Thanks."

I was amazed. The general impression, absolutely everything about him, the look, the makeup, the mannerisms, the voice, everything was - or seemed - very female.

The voice - wow! It was low-ish in tone, true, but the effect was sexy, even seductive. And looking at him, I could see this was a guy dressed up but he really had done an incredibly good job of impersonating a woman. He held out a hand towards me, long thin fingers, well-manicured nails, bright red and glossy and really nice-looking, with several rings decorating his hand. I took the hand gently and 'shook' it, not hard, just the sort of handshake a man would give to an attractive woman.

I shivered a little with excitement. 'Erica' thanked me for my comments, we fell into conversation about his act, the fact he'd done this 'gig' for the past three years, other places he worked. I told him why I was there, the interview and so on. I was enjoying myself, looking at his makeup, his 'breasts', his legs, and listening to that sultry voice. After a few minutes I offered him another drink, somehow it seemed that as the 'male' there I should be the one doing the buying.

'Erica' put his hand on mine, gently squeezing.

"Give me a few minutes, Ben. This dress is rather uncomfortable. Let me go and change. OK? Back in ten minutes or so?"

I was disappointed. I really had been having fun, just chatting and admiring. I didn't really want to be there with just another guy, Eric maybe, or Edward, or even Paul or Freddie, just talking about cars or football or something. But talking with Erica had been so enticingly different. I smiled a rather weak acceptance and did go to get myself a scotch-and-soda, and a gin-and tonic for him. The barman looked oddly at me. Not surprisingly, really. But he didn't say anything.

About fifteen minutes later 'Erica' hadn't returned, I was just about ready to give up, to head off to bed and get the good night's sleep I was really there for. I stood up and turned. And Erica came in the door. I mean Erica. A woman. There was, to my eyes, absolutely no way this could be a man.