Dressed for Disaster: The Prequel

Pat Summers put his suitcases on the bed, and made a quick survey of his room. He noted with approval the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door, and he poked his head into the bathroom to inspect the bathtub and vanity. Not overly luxurious, but they would do.

First things first. He opened his computer case and turned on his laptop computer, plugging the modem cord into the data port on the desk telephone. It was just past six o'clock, five o'clock in Chicago, and he waded through his e-mail messages before making a perfunctory call to his wife, who was preoccupied with fixing dinner. After he rang off, he pulled the blackout curtains tightly shut, turned on every light in the room, and began his preparations.

Pat took off his blazer and slacks, and stripped down to his shorts. His body was smooth and lean, a swimmer's physique, which explained his lack of body hair. Hours in the gym and in the pool had given him a flat stomach, and he shaved down at least twice a month. Perfect cover for a closet crossdresser.

He removed his blue dress from the smaller of his two suitcases, and hung it in the closet. The material was wrinkle-free, ideal for traveling. Two-inch black pumps and a belt for the dress came next, then Pat selected his lingerie for tomorrow: white satin panties and padded bra, a white slip with a pretty lace hem, and tan control-top pantyhose were placed in one of the dresser drawers. One look at his bunched up wig sent him into the bathroom, where he soaked and rinsed it in one of the two sinks before blotting it with a bath towel and hanging it on the shower head to dry. It looked like a dead rat, but Pat knew it would brush out beautifully in the morning.

Next, he took his makeup bag into the bathroom and set out its contents. He brought a bottle of coral nail polish back into the bedroom and sat down in front of the TV. Pat had surreptitiously filed his longish nails into feminine shapes during the two hour flight from Chicago, and as he watched the evening news, he applied a single coat of polish to each nail, blowing on them occasionally. When they were dry, he returned to the bathroom and started to fill the tub, pouring a few ounces of scented bubble bath into the swirling water.