The Dance Of Changes - Part 13

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'How did you get on at Houghton this morning, Michelle?' asked Sarah as I entered her office and took the offered seat.

'Alright, I think. I did my best, but we'll have to see what they decide to do.'

'That's all we can ask of you, but don't be too disappointed if it comes to nothing; there are lots of unsold properties on the market around here at present.'

'I know. I don't think that they've decided against the house, but they'll need a little time to talk it over between themselves and come to a decision. I didn't want to pressurize them but tried to get them to see the property's potential. They have promised to let me know their decision early next week,' I replied.

'Well, thanks for your efforts. That property has been on the books of several agencies in the area for some time, and it's high time that it was sold by somebody. It would be a boost to the office if we were the ones to do so.'

I smiled and was about to get up return to my desk, but she hadn't finished.

'There are two other things I need to discuss with you. First of all, Joan rang this morning to ask whether it would be possible for you to call into her salon at five o'clock this evening to be fitted with your new boobs. I said that as far as I was concerned, it would be alright, but you would let her know if you were unable to make it.'

'I'll need to leave work an hour early to get over to Luton for 5.00pm. Would it be alright with you and Rob if I work through my lunch hour to make up the time?'

'You can take a short lunch break, and we'll let you have the remaining time as it is for a good cause.'

'Thanks, Sarah. What was the other thing that you wanted to discuss?'

'I've had a phone call from your mother this morning; she's been looking through her dance costumes and thinks that she has a number of outfits that would be suitable for you to wear, including a dress and shoes for your Quickstep routine for the next demonstration. She has invited me round to your house tomorrow afternoon to see what I think of them,' said Sarah.

'Mum's dresses are quite old; she was dancing in the 1980s and 1990s. Also, some of them are in styles dating from the nineteen twenties and thirties.'

'As long as they are in good condition, that needn't be a problem. As a rule, ballroom costumes don't go out of fashion in the same way that ordinary clothes do. In fact, sometimes it can be better to have a range of styles dating from different decades to match the period of the dance or music that has been chosen.'

'So, are you planning to come round to our place tomorrow afternoon?' I asked.

'Yes, if I can get a lift. Rob and I were supposed to see his parents this weekend, but I honestly couldn't face the prospect of a four-hour car journey with my leg in plaster, so he will be going alone. I was wondering whether you would mind taking the office car again after work tonight and then collecting me and taking me home again tomorrow?'

'Won't the office car be needed over the weekend?'

'No, I don't think so; Richard will be working together with the weekend staff, and he has his own car.'

'In that case, I should be happy to do so. In fact, if I can take the car tonight, I won't need to leave work until 4.30pm.'

'From what your mother said, it sounds as if we will be able to sort out all your costumes for the next few weeks.'

'OK, but I trust that I'll be given a say in what I wear?'

'Yes, of course, and I hope you will be present when we decide tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, it is up to the dancer herself to choose her costume, but as you're still something of a novice in this respect, it might be sensible for you to take the advice of those with a little more experience, at least for the first few weeks.'

'I'll be happy to leave it to the two of you as long as you don't choose anything too outrageous for me to wear; some of your dresses are a little revealing.'

Sarah smiled.

'Nobody is going to force you to wear something that you really hate or doesn't feel right for you, but it will take you a little time to get to know what looks good on you.'

'I suppose I'll have enough to do with learning new dance routines and how to live as Michelle without having to worry about choosing my dance costumes as well.'

'Good, but you should now begin to take an interest in what you are wearing as it is an important part of the ballroom dancing experience for any girl.'

Yet the afternoon at work seemed to drag as I was looking forward to leaving early to be fitted with my new breast forms. I had to deal with several clients who called in during the course of the afternoon and arranged for a couple of viewings of properties, while Sarah and Helen interviewed other clients now wishing to put their houses on the market. Eventually, just before 4.30pm, I began to clear my desk.

'If it is alright with you, Sarah, I'm off to get my new boobs.'

She nodded to say that it was OK for me to leave. Richard, who had recently arrived back in the office, at first rolled his eyes in disbelief but then thought better of it and gave me a nice smile.

'Good luck, Michelle, see you next week,' he said.

'Don't come back with a pair that put the rest of us girls to shame,' said Helen, laughing.

'I hope not; big breasts are not a good idea for ballroom dancing,' I replied.

This time there were no awkward looks from the staff when I arrived at the salon. I was addressed as 'Madame' and politely asked to wait for a few minutes while Joan finished off her last customer. I actually quite enjoyed reading one of the beauty and hairdressing magazines that they left out for their waiting customers.

'I'm glad to see that you've been making trouble with your grooming, Michelle; you look very smart today,' said Joan as she invited me through to the back room.

'Thanks, I'm doing my best,' I said, aware that the compliment was coming from an expert.

'Have you been doing your hair and makeup by yourself?'

'Mum helped me with them on Tuesday morning, but ever since, I've been managing on my own.'

'Good, but I expect that you'll still need my help again next weekend as the makeup needed when you are dancing under spotlights is different from that used for everyday wear.'

'So I understand.'

'However, we can worry about that at the appropriate time; the main thing is that you will be able to look smart at other times without the help of others. Now, come through to the back, and we'll see how you get on with these new breast forms.'

An hour later, I had two realistic-looking breasts securely attached to me by surgical glue, comfortably supported by my bra, which had to be adjusted to suit my new shape. The joins between the breasts and my own skin were well disguised with skin-colored makeup, and in any event, would not be visible with a normal bra. I even had a hint of cleavage visual as the weight of the appendage pulled down on my own skin. Joan showed me how to enhance this effect by brushing on a darker powder in two arcs from my breast bone. By the time she'd finished, nobody looking at me who had dressed in my bra and panties would have realized that they were not the genuine article.

'So, how do they feel, Michelle?'

'It's as if my center of gravity has moved slightly forward, but they seem to be quite comfortable and secure.'

'They should be alright as they are for the next week, but I'll check that they are all still alright after your two dances on Saturday week.'

'Thanks again, Joan, for all your help. What about the cost of these?'

'I haven't had the bill yet, but when I do, I'll be discussing it with Sarah; you don't need to worry.'

'Thanks again; I'd better go home now and show off my new endowments to my Mum.'

'Well, I hope she appreciates them,' said Joan laughing.

Mum would sometimes go out with a couple of her former workmates to the Friday afternoon session at the Mecca Bingo on Skimpot Road and wasn't usually home until six-thirty. She had arranged to do so on this occasion, so I hadn't bothered to warn her that I would be late home from work. In fact, due to my having used the office car, I was home before she was. I just had time to change out of my work clothes and put on a dark red dress which Louise had given me, and refresh my lipstick when she came in. I chose the dress as it had a low neckline which would show off my newly acquired cleavage to perfection, and I wanted to see whether she would notice,

'Hi Mum, how did you get on at bingo?' I asked casually as she came in the front door.

'Hi Michelle, actually, I had a small win - not a fortune, but enough for us to be able to celebrate tonight,' she replied as she hung up her outdoor coat.

'Well done!' I replied. 'Shall I make a start on cooking us some dinner?'

'No, I put something in the slow cooker before I left,' she said, turning towards me. 'I've not seen you wear that dress before,' she said.

'No, it is the first time I've felt able to wear it.'

'Good heavens, you've grown breasts!'

I smiled.

'Not exactly; it's the effect created by my new breast forms which were fitted earlier this afternoon.'

'But your cleavage looks just like the real thing.'

'So you approve of them, then?' I asked.

'Well, they certainly give you a nice figure, but will they stay in place while you are dancing?'

'I think so; they seem to be stuck on quite securely.' I said, jiggling them up and down to prove the point.

She smiled and proceeded to examine them more closely.

'That's good; there were one or two of my dance costumes which I'd rejected as they seemed to be too low cut for you to be able to use, but it now looks as if you'll now be able to wear them. We'll have a good range to choose from when Sarah comes round tomorrow.'

'I guess so,' I replied.

'Hold on a minute, Michelle, I have just the right pendant to go with that dress. It will tend to draw the eye to your latest assets,' she said laughing.

She disappeared into her room and came back with a ruby pendant on a thin gold chain, which she placed around my neck.

'Once your ear piercings have settled down, I also have a pair of matching earrings which you may use as well.'

Over dinner, we discussed the arrangements for the following day.

'I'll be collecting Sarah at 2.00pm and also taking her home afterward, but I'm going to need to do some laundry in the morning.

'Yes, I noticed that you're going to need some more underclothes; as far as I could see, you have only one clean bra and pant set left. Maybe we should also go out shopping together tomorrow morning before Sarah comes.'

'I'm afraid I haven't got much spare cash until I get paid at the end of next week,' I warned. I'll have to go into the bank and withdraw some money from my savings account.

(Ever since I'd passed the driving test, I'd been saving as much as I could afford towards the purchase of a second-hand car.)

'That's alright; as I told you, I was lucky at bingo today, and so I should be happy to treat my daughter to some new lingerie.'

As she said this, she was looking into my eyes and seemed really pleased with the prospect. In fact, I hadn't seen her so enthusiastic about life for many years.

'In that case, thank you very much, Mum,' I replied.

Going out with Mum on Saturday morning to buy myself some underwear proved a novel and enjoyable experience for us both. Whereas I'd hung back and let Sarah decide for me when we went shopping the previous week, on this occasion, I took a full part in the proceedings, discussing colors, fabrics, and styles and not being afraid to give my own opinions. I'd assumed that Mum would want us to go to one of the larger and more impersonal department stores in town, but she suggested that we went to a specialist shop called Lingerie 2 Go in the appropriately named Stockingstone Road. The assistant there offered to give me a proper bra fitting, which gave rise to some anxiety on my part, but Mum came to my rescue, saying that I'd only recently been measured and that we knew what we were looking for.

We soon agreed on a light blue lacy bra and pants set for everyday wear, but then Mum pointed to a pale pink lingerie set in my size. It consisted of a bra, pants, suspender, and camisole.

'What do you think of these?' asked Mum.

'They are very nice but quite pricey.'

'As this is the first occasion we've been out together as mother and daughter, I think I can afford to treat you.'

'But when would I get to wear them? I certainly couldn't dance in them.'

'No, they wouldn't be suitable for dancing, but every girl ought to have at least one nice set of lingerie for special occasions,'

I couldn't envisage any special occasions other than the dance demonstrations, but before I could say so, Mum added:

'In fact, you could wear them this afternoon when your boss comes as you'll want to be wearing something nice when you model the various dresses for us.'

'I'll leave it up to you to decide, Mum, but they are very pretty,' I replied.

Mum went ahead and purchased both sets of underwear and also a pair of stockings for me to wear with the suspenders.

After collecting Sarah and driving her to our home, the remainder of my afternoon was spent trying on Mum's different dance costumes and then modeling them in front of the two of them. Virtually everything fitted me, and most of them I liked, although one or two were a little skimpy and provocative for someone in my particular situation. On one occasion, Sarah pointed out that my stocking tops were visible through the slit up the side of a skirt, and I had to reassure her that another time, I would have no intention of wearing both items together.

'You don't need to worry about underwear for Michelle to wear when she's dancing; I've several skin-colored body stockings and leotards that she can use, so there'll be no danger of treating the audience to unforeseen displays. The main thing is what you think of the dresses?' asked Mum.

'That ankle-length cream gown with the embroidered bodice should be ideal for the Viennese Waltz on Saturday. It has short-sleeves but includes two pairs of matching armbands for the floats,' said Sarah addressing Mum.

Mum nodded in agreement. I didn't comment but had to agree with her assessment. The dress looked and felt really lovely to wear as I executed a turn in front of them. The bodice and waist seemed to fit me, and the full skirt disguised my lack of more pronounced hips.

'What do you think, Michelle?' Sarah asked.

'I like it, and it feels good to dance in, but don't you think that it has rather a low neckline?'

'Yes, but that's no longer such a problem now that you have been fitted with those new breast forms,' commented Sarah.

'Good! So we're agreed on the cream dress for the first dance, then perhaps Michelle could execute a quick change into the dark blue outfit, for the Quickstep, as both the dress and shoes are better suited to the dance?' continued Mum.

'Yes, I agree. That dress is both practical and also looks very smart. So that seems to be the next demonstration sorted.'

Mum seemed to be pleased that I was going to be wearing her costumes the following week.

'By the looks of things, we have everything here that Michelle is likely to need over the next few weeks,' she replied.

'Are you quite happy with the choice, Michelle?' asked Sarah.

'I'm in your hands for the next few weeks and will be happy to take any advice from you both,' I said, smiling.

Turning to Mum, Sarah said: 'I'd really no idea that you had been so much involved in ballroom dancing at the end of the last century.'

'Yes, it has been a waste to have all these lovely clothes stored away in the attic for so long, but I've never been able to face the task of looking through them until now.'

'I'm glad that you now feel able to do so,' said Sarah.

Mum smiled and looked at me.

'It is nice to have someone who will be able to use them at last,' she said.

As I drove Sarah home later that evening, we continued to discuss the arrangements for my forthcoming dances.