Chapter 2

Because of Warren's vasectomy, Dottie had not worried about pregnancy for twenty years. In her mid forties, she was not yet menopausal, but her cycle had become very erratic and the doctor had not thought it worthwhile to put her on birth control to regulate it. The chance of pregnancy had occurred to her a few times on her weekends with Court, but had never occupied much of her attention. Since the last trip, she had noticed some morning problems, and had begun to fear the truth. When the bleeding started, she knew instantly what it was. She also knew the truth would come out.

As Warren stood in front of the puzzled doctor who had just told him about the miscarriage, he had to call on every last ounce of self-control. He had cried on only a few occasions in his adult life, and he had never fallen into a towering rage. He felt himself on the brink of one or both of them. Barely able to speak, he asked the doctor if she could be admitted, and she said it was probably the best thing.

When the doctor told Warren he could see his wife, Warren just shook his head and walked away. The ER resident was young, but she was paying attention. Not sure exactly what the problem was, she sensed that Dottie would be needing psychiatric help, and personally wrote a note and took it to the proper office. That action quite possibly saved Dottie's life, although she later would not thank the doctor for it.

Stopping at a park on the way home, Warren just sat for the rest of the night, staring sightlessly out over a small lake. Over and over, the memories of the years with Dottie marched through his mind. All he could see was himself giving everything he had to make their marriage work. It had been worth it when Dottie was appreciative and tried to give back. Lately, it was all him, and there was nothing left.

In his mind, he felt he had never been able to relax and be himself, and he was tired - no, exhausted. The loyal husband part of him knew he should be strong for her now, forgive her, and help her get well. There was no question in his mind that she was a disturbed woman and had been for some time. She should not be held responsible for what she had done.

The Warren of two years before would have done just that. He would have been the usual rock, the anchor, the unfailing support. But loyalty, faithfulness, and trust were enormously important concepts to Warren, foundational concepts. Even if he had found the strength to see it through, her breach of trust took away his will to do it. Seemingly on purpose, Dottie had mocked his trust in her, and he could not live with that.

He could have been called cowardly, and Andi later leveled that accusation many times. But for the first time in his life, Warren fled. He fled to save his own sanity.

Matt and Andi, both of whom were out of school for the summer, had wakened during the commotion of the night, but Warren had not allowed them to go to the hospital. When they heard him return in the dim light of early dawn, he simply told them she would be all right, he was going away for a while, and they should bring her home from the hospital. They watched in total shock as he packed a bag and drove off.

Andi and Matt arrived at the hospital about eight, but were told to get some breakfast in the cafeteria and were kept waiting until nearly ten o'clock. Then, they were not taken to Dottie, but were ushered into the office of the staff psychiatrist.

When Matt asked what was going on, the shrink told them about their mother's miscarriage. When he asked why the shrink was involved, she told told them about their father's vasectomy. Andi sat in numb disbelief, but Matt stormed from the office in anger. The doctor tried to get him to come back and talk, but he angrily shook her off and left the hospital.

From that moment, Andi ended up on opposite sides from her father and her beloved brother. Not that she condoned her mother's actions, but she refused to abandon her in anger as the men were doing. Andi understood enough of the dynamics of her family to understand how hard her father had worked at the relationship. But she could not understand why he gave up at the most crucial point.

Rather than an overnight stay, Dottie was hospitalized for three more days, much of it under heavy sedation. Andi stayed with her almost non-stop, but Warren and Matt never returned to the hospital. By the time Dottie was able to go home, both men had moved their things from the house. Matt did come back to talk a few times, but Warren never spoke to his wife again.

Andi tried with all her might to be a go-between. She pled with her Dad, telling him that her mother was not well and needed help, not punishment. Warren assured her he knew that, but that he had nothing left to give. Matt was just as implacable as his father, but without the excuse of having given his all for decades.

There was no negotiation, no marriage counseling, and no conversation. Dottie had changed when the drinking and gambling increased, but Warren had completely collapsed when her infidelity was uncovered. He gave her a car, all her personal possessions, and enough support to survive at a modest level. He assumed responsibility for the kids' education. Before she attended her first college class, Andi's foundation of a happy home was gone, with even the house sold because Warren could no longer live in it.

In all her living memories, Andi had reveled in her mother's effervescence and playfulness. They had the kind of mother-daughter relationship that allowed them to share anything. She was definitely her mother's child, although her needs and impulses were muted in comparison to Dottie's.

At the same time, Andi had basked in her father's open adoration and his devoted protection. Add to that her love for her brother, and she had been blessed with support from home that few teens enjoyed. But it all crumbled because of Dottie's actions and her father's and brother's reactions.

On top of the trauma of the marriage dissolution and the loss of the only home she had known, Andi was further haunted by unwarranted guilt. She had been the one who tried to bring them back together, but she had failed. It was unjustified, but she carried a feeling of responsibility for the breakup.

After the discovery and Warren's reaction, Dottie realized what she had done, and what she had lost. She could not believe she had done it, and could not understand why. She wanted to plead with Warren for forgiveness and pledge future faithfulness, but he would not speak to her. Total deterioration quickly overtook her. Her life became a nightmare of constant depression, weight loss, illness, and inability to function in any normal circumstance. In a strange twist, she could no longer tolerate alcohol at all. It represented her loss, and she became nauseous at even the smell of it. A deck of cards triggered almost the same reaction.

Andi loved both parents, and thought she understood them. But she was not able to accept what she considered Warren's over-reaction to his wife's dalliance, particularly as she saw her mother disintegrate before her eyes. She completely broke off communications with him. It was even worse when Matt sided with his father, leaving Andi with no one to lean on. Because of her own condition, Dottie was absolutely no support for the daughter she had once been so close to.

At a time in her life when a support system is crucial to a young person, especially one as connected to her family as Andi was, she was suddenly completely on her own. In an all-too-familiar scenario, someone introduced her to a little pill that, for a while, made the world seem so much better.

Her relief at the easing of her anguish turned Andi into an addict in a very short time. She never registered for her second year, but took a series of menial jobs, most of which she lost because of her pills. Her friends saw her going downhill and tried their best, but they could not stop her slide. She was left vulnerable to any opportunist who came along. Hector was ready for the opportunity.

Barbara Ventri (she had discarded her married name shortly after the divorce) was wondering what she had been thinking when she agreed to be Transformations' first resident. Her daughters, nineteen and sixteen, were all provided for so she could spend the next few months there.

Now, she was supposed to check in the next day, Saturday, and she had serious doubts whether she could do it. If it wasn't for her brother Paul, his wife Norma, and their son Mark being employees at the place, she would have given up the whole idea. Or course, it was only because Paul got her the scholarship that she considered it anyway. Long into that Friday night, she lay in bed remembering and worrying.

Barbara had always been large - tall, broad-shouldered, and wide-hipped. Her hands and feet were at the high end of women's sizes. She had always put on weight easily, and up through her pre-teens, she was pudgy at best.

With puberty came interest in boys and massive depression that she was totally unappealing to them. It was at that point that Paul, even though two years younger, became her savior. He got her focused on sports, and the two of them played one game or another constantly. She was very coordinated, and her size became an advantage, for once. The excess weight stayed with her through junior high, but at least she had a group to belong to. Her athletic accomplishments would eventually outstrip her brother's by far, but he would remain her most ardent fan.

In high school, the level of competition was much higher, but Barbara was up to the challenge. More strenuous training started melting away the pounds, and within a year, she was as slim as she was ever to be. She was definitely in the lady jock crowd, and dressed accordingly. An observer would have guessed she was into the lesbian scene, though she had no such leanings at all.

In her junior year, Paul came to the same school, and he began to prod her to add some sex appeal to her grooming. Largely as a defense, she had just shut boys out of her thinking, and was not at all sure she wanted to reopen that painful subject.

Paul was relentless, convincing her that she really was attractive and desirable. She did not know if he had engineered it, or even how he could have, but when she started to dress better, she started to get dates. None of the guys were 'A' list, but they were nice guys and they all had fun. For a high school boy, her breasts, which were at least proportional to her size if not larger, were enough of an attraction to get invitations. After that, her personality made them all glad they had asked.

Seeing the pleasant results of her brother's campaign, Barbara became something of a fitness fanatic, remaining in absolutely the best shape she could be in until the divorce. She continued her athletic career at a small college, and it was there that she met her husband. He was brilliant, not athletic at all, and totally unconcerned about fitness. But he was a nice guy, and he loved and respected Barbara.

After seventeen good years together, Barbara's husband was given an ultimatum by the doctor: 'either change your whole lifestyle, or make sure your will is current, because it is unlikely you will reach fifty the way you are going.'

Barbara had always been extremely careful not to pressure him to exercise. In fact she went out of her way to be inconspicuous about her own strict regimen. Nevertheless, he had always viewed the simple fact of her discipline as a rebuke against him. When he had to get into it himself, he held it against her. Not rational, from a very rational person, but it was there.

Wanting to help him, Barbara accompanied him to the health club as he got started. That turned out to be another mistake, though there was no way she could have anticipated the problem. He had never had much of an eye for the women, but now he was in an environment where some of the most appealing women were displayed to their best advantage. After a while, he began to feel that Barbara did not compare very well to some of the slender beauties strutting their stuff for his enticement.

He began scheduling his workouts so it was inconvenient for her to join him. While he was not ready to admit it to himself, he was becoming embarrassed about his wife. Over the course of six to eight months, as he developed muscles that he never had in his life, and as his improving condition increased his testosterone production, he began openly lusting after some of his workout companions, and became less and less interested in Barbara's attentions.

It made no sense. They had a good marriage up until then. Barbara had a strong sex drive, and easily gave him all the sex he could handle. The girls were good students and well behaved. Barbara's therapist later reasoned that it was a late-onset flood of testosterone from the new fitness regimen that triggered his dissatisfaction. Having never been particularly in demand from girls when younger, he was knocked totally off balance when his new body started to draw attention.

She would have stuck with it, but he wanted out, and her life was turned upside down. The fact that he did not have another woman yet, but just did not want her any more made it incredibly painful. It was small consolation to her that she was well provided for. His career had gone well, including several lucrative patents. He had no desire to hurt her or the girls, and he was quite generous in the settlement.

No amount of money could compensate for the damage to her self-worth, though. It took less than two years to add forty-five pounds and to lose all her muscle tone. Her depression was serious enough to cause genuine worry to her family.

The pain of divorce was still as sharp as from a fresh wound to Barbara. His rejection had hit her in her most vulnerable spot - concern about her too-large body. Now, she was going to expose it to all those people, maybe for three months! She was a modest person. Except for many lockers rooms, she had never been naked with anyone but her family. Well, except for that one time in college. That one crazy, unbelievable time: never told to anyone, but the true stuff of Playboy Forum...

They say college is the time to get the craziness out of one's system. Barabara was never afflicted with a large dose of craziness, but she ended up with an experience that she had never told a single person about - no one.

Early in her sophomore year, her basketball coach called her into the office and shut the door. Barbara had played quite a bit her first year and was slated to be a starter, so she did not think it was anything negative about her team status.

"Barbara," the coach told her, "I'm not sure you realize it, but our boosters are absolutely critical to women's athletics here - all athletics, in fact. If it weren't for them, we might not have some of the sports, and would certainly have to scrimp on travel, equipment, and coaches."

"The reason I am telling you this is that I have a request from the wife of the biggest booster. Her name is Virginia. She is a former athlete here, and she wants your help - she asked for you specifically. I don't know what she wants, but I will say one thing. What ever she asks, do it. 'No' is not an option, understood?"

With that stern admonition, the coach handed her a card with instructions to call. When Barbara got in touch with Virginia, the woman asked her to plan to spend the night of Homecoming at her house. Arrangements were made for her to be picked up at her room a little while after the game ended.

In the limo that picked her up that Saturday, Barbara found Derek Strom, a tight end on the football team, and a guy she knew slightly. She congratulated him on the game, and they chatted as they rode. Derek was an enigma. He was a fanatical player, a top student, and an impeccable gentleman, but almost nothing was known about his background.

"Do you have any idea what she wants us to do?" Derek asked.

"Not a clue. All I know is I had better do whatever she asks. Coach was really strong on that," Barbara answered him.

"Same here," Derek told her. "I won't repeat what he said would happen if I said no."

When they arrived at Virginia's home, they were stunned at the size and opulence of the place. The greeting from the vivacious woman was extremely warm, almost giddy. She showed them to two bedrooms that were separated by a shared bath. They had been instructed to bring only the casual clothes they wore and nightwear and toiletries. Stowing their gear took only moments. Then she led them to a sitting room on the main floor and started her explanation.

"We are going to have a get-together of a special group of boosters tonight," Virginia told Barbara. "This is not an official boosters function, just a private, informal gathering of some key givers. They are all our close friends, and we party together all the time."

"The party will be here, and it will be decorated to the hilt in a Warrior theme (that was the team name for their college). We want a male and a female dressed as warriors to be the focal point of our decorations. Barbara, you have the most impressive body of any woman in our athletic program, and I want you to be the female warrior. Derek, you have a great build for our male warrior." Derek was 6'3" and very muscular. He was too slender to be an offensive lineman, but the ripples of his chest, shoulders, and arms could be seen through his shirt.

"Will we, uh, have to say anything, or act, or anything," Barbara asked.

"It will be very simple," Virginia assured them. "When everyone has arrived, there will be a fanfare, and you will march down that stairway. You will mount the two stands out in the main hall, and just pose there. You will have to stand there for perhaps forty-five minutes until dinner is served, and that may be hard. At dinner time, there will be an announcement, and you will march in a circle through the dining area, and then you will be done. We will practice the entrance and the exit a few times."

"That sounds like something I can do," Barbara told her, and Derek agreed. The compliment about her body was ringing through her head. At college, she had not had as much dating success as in high school, and it bothered her. She was in fantastic shape, having trained fanatically over the summer. Too bad not enough guys appreciated her body.

"There are some more things you need to know before you should answer," the woman told her, with an unreadable smirk on her face. She led Barbara to the front hall and showed her where the two warriors would stand on raised platforms about two feet high, facing each other about eight feet apart. She then took them up to a third bedroom where some costumes were laid out.

"You will be standing very boldly, legs apart. One hand will be holding a spear, and the other will rest on top of a shield, which is standing on the ground."

"You will have these sandals on your feet. See how the wrappings go around your legs all the way to your knees? These studded leather bands go on your wrists and these go above both elbows. On your chest will be these criss-crossed leather straps with metal studs. The straps will meet at the center of your chest and go under both arms and over both shoulders. You will have on a helmet that covers your entire face."

After thinking for a moment, Barbara asked "Uh, what will we wear for clothes under all that."

Virginia paused dramatically and looked hard into each of their faces. "Nothing," was the unbelievable reply. Seeing the predictable shock on their faces, she went on. "The twenty-five people in this little group are all quite, um, sophisticated. We like to spice things up with some fun, some titillation. These parties get into some one-upmanship, and I am going to win the all-time prize tonight."

"You... you w... want me to stand there naked!!?" Barbara could hardly speak from the shock. Derek stood motionless, his jaw hanging slackly.

"Well, technically, no. But yes, everything will be exposed."

"Ohhhhh," Barbara said with a strangled sound in her throat. "I... I've never... I... I couldn't..." Barbara stammered.

"Um... ah... that's... I... God! You're kidding, right?" This from Derek.

The woman just waited for the shock to subside a little more, and for the two to remember their coaches' stern admonitions. "E... e... even with the h... helmet, they'll kn... know who I am!" Barbara managed to say.

"Certainly. But these people are very discrete and very classy. They admire you, and would never do anything to embarrass or hurt you. Remember, if word of this got out, I could be in trouble, not you." Virginia said this with great sincerity, making both of them believe her.

"They would all be very grateful for your willingness to participate. I am sure you can expect some good things to come out of this. And please don't even think about being ashamed. You are both magnificent physical specimens. You should be proud to show yourselves off, just as the guests will be thrilled to look at you."

"I'm sure your coaches have told you in no uncertain terms that you MUST do what I ask. Let me assure you, we would never force you into something like this. If you feel you cannot do it, there will be no repercussions or hard feelings. I'm going to leave the two of you to discuss it together for a few minutes."

When Virginia left the room, neither of the athletes could look at the other for quite a while, and neither spoke. Finally, Derek said "I'm sorry they put you in this position."

Pleased at his thoughtfulness, she responded "Thanks for thinking about me. That's very gallant of you. But what about yourself? It would be just as hard for you, wouldn't it?"

She had not intended a double entendre, but he caught it, and chuckled as he quipped "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Huh?" she grunted, too upset to catch his humor.

"I'm afraid it will be hard for me. That would be deadly embarrassing," he explained.

Still not catching on, she gave him a puzzled look for a moment, then caught on and blushed bright red. "I... I'm sorry! I d... didn't mean to..."

"Hey, it's OK," he assured her. "We're not kids any more, you know. Besides, it's the truth. If I have to stand and look at you for that long, I will be as hard as stone."

"Me? With my big butt and thunder thighs?" she asked in genuine amazement.

"... and those really awesome tits?" he shot back. "You bet! Hey, I've watched you play. Sure, you're big, but everything fits, and you're in such great shape. I have to confess, I fantasized about watching your ass muscles flex without those basketball shorts in the way."

He said as a compliment, not coarsely, and she understood it that way. She almost told him how she had watched his ass, as well, and wondered what was protected by the cup he wore in the crotch of his uniform pants. Instead, she just looked at him, trying to read his thoughts. "It sounds like you want to do it," she commented.

"I'm not anxious to hang my dick out in public. No. But my coach didn't leave any doubt, and I do what I have to. And besides, I've met several of these people, and they are really good to us athletes. I don't think I have a choice, so I'm damned well going to have fun with it."

"Of course," he continued, "if you don't want to do it, it's off. I don't mean to sound like I'm deciding for you." She was silent for quite a while, just looking at the floor. She thought about what her coach had said, and got a little angry that she was put in this spot. She was a modest person at heart. This just wasn't fair.

Then, he was talking again. "Look, Barbara, I don't know if it makes any difference, but I'm going to level with you. I get hard just thinking about seeing you naked. Your body really is incredible. You should be proud. This is a chance to display yourself in safety. It's a group of people that will appreciate you, and won't make rude comments or talk about you anywhere else. Haven't you ever fantasized about stripping on amateur night, or entering a wet T-shirt contest?"

Still wrestling within herself, she kept her gaze down and stayed quiet. Just then, Virginia came back into the room. Quickly assessing the situation, she asked Derek to go to his room, and took Barbara by the hand and led her to the room she was staying in.

Once in Barbara's room, Virginia astonished her by quickly undressing. She was tall and rangy, not nearly as solid as Barbara. She had large hands and feet like Barbara, but her hips, waist, and breasts were noticeably smaller. All in all, she presented a somewhat ungainly appearance when naked, something she had masked skillfully with her clothes.

"Barbara, as you can see, I'm no beauty contest winner. When I was playing, I didn't think guys would be attracted to me. But I worked hard to be in the best shape I could, just as you have. If I had been given a chance like this, I would have jumped at it. I would have stood there naked, even with my face bare. And I would have said 'This is what God gave me. I'm thankful for it, I've done my best with it, and I think I'm beautiful.'"

"Now, you have a lot better body than I had on my best day. Wouldn't you like a chance to flaunt it?" Virginia asked. Barbara could not decide if this was just a snow job. Of course, Virginia's nakedness added a strong dose of sincerity. And what the woman said struck a chord within her. She could not count the times she had felt an urge to just throw off her clothes and make people look at her. She wanted to be proud of her big body. She wanted people to be impressed by her.

"Honestly, Barbara, if you won't do it, I'm tempted to do it myself. I'm not afraid to, and that would be the ultimate one-up on our friends," and she laughed as she said it. "But this old bod wouldn't be the best symbol of a Lady Warrior, would it? You're perfect, you know?"

With Barbara, decisions took time, and Virginia seemed to understand that. She waited, just standing there naked and unconcerned. Finally, all the factors fit together in Barbara's mind, and she nodded her head quickly.

"Good, then get undressed right away before you start thinking about it too much," Virginia said, almost bouncing with excitement. Barbara sensed that she was right, and hurriedly took off her clothes, tossing them on the side chair. "My God, Girl, you are a gift. If I had a body like yours, I would be arrested daily for public nudity. Wait just a moment."

Walking through the bathroom that connected the two bedrooms, Virginia yelled out "Derek, get undressed and come in her, please." At those words, Barbara almost panicked, then was able to laugh at herself.

"Are... aren't you going to get dressed?" Barbara asked Virginia in amazement.

"Well, maybe Derek needs the psychological reinforcement, too. Besides, when he walks in here and springs a hardon, I can pretend it's partly because of me. Good for my ego." Barbara even managed to laugh at that.

After several minutes, Derek had not appeared, so Virginia walked into the bathroom again. This time she kept right on going, and returned towing a rock-hard Derek who was grinning apologetically, but did not look embarrassed.

"He got hard just thinking about your naked body. He was trying to get it to go down, but we can't wait for that. So, Barbara, take a good look at it and get it over with so he can stop worrying about it." Virginia may have been either nervous or aroused, because she was talking a lot at that point.

"Well, Derek, I checked with the Coach and he told me you were nicely hung. He wasn't lying. It's gorgeous hard, and I'll have to assume it'll be impressive soft, too."

"If I can ever get it to go soft again," Derek commented with a chuckle. Barbara was constantly amazed at his cool. He seemed to be treating this as a game. He was intent on doing what was needed, and seemed to just rule out fear or shame.

"I assume you can take care of that before the big processional. You know, I thought of having you wear a cock ring, so if it gets hard, it's not a big deal. Hummmph! Of course it's a big deal, a nice big one. What I mean is, no one will be upset. The men will be too busy looking at Barbara to notice, and the women will want to eat it up." That brought a groan from Derek.

"Now, I don't want to sound like I'm sandbagging you guys, but there's one more requirement. I need you both to shave your crotches bare. Leave a patch of hair above, but everything below should be smooth." This stunned Barbara. She had never had bare labia since she grew hair.

"Uh, Virginia, that's uh... I don't think..."

"Barbara, my guess is your pussy lips are as impressive as the rest of you. I want our guests to see every wonderful inch of you two."

"But my clit... uh..." Barbara looked at Derek in a minor panic as she said that.

"Oh, goody!" Virginia exclaimed. "You mean it's always out? That's perfect. I'd love to see all the men fighting hardons. An eager clit should really do it." Barbara almost collapsed on the bed after that comment.

"Oh, and be sure to get all the hair all the way to your anus, too. I want completely clean crotches."

"Um, I've never shaved... how do I get it back there?" Barbara asked.