PART 47
Precisely at noon, Josh stood nervously in front of Smyth’s Clothing and Bridal… Bespoke Fashion for Ladies and Children since 1955. He didn’t have to stand long, as he immediately found himself being ushered through the door of the shop by his mother. Her eager anticipation was apparent as she draped an arm around her feminized son’s narrow shoulders and guided him gently but firmly inside. Kathy followed right behind them carrying a garment bag with the dress their mother would wear to the tea. A soft chime sounded as the door swung closed behind them.
As Josh gaped at the old-timey décor and all the colorful racks of fancy, frilly clothing he felt almost swallowed up by the overwhelming femininity of the place. The feel of the shop’s cool air on his bare legs made him very aware of his frilly rhumba panties under his darling pink skirt. He squirmed in dreadful anticipation when he saw Mrs. Smyth approaching with a happy smile. He shifted his sandal-clad feet uncomfortably, and he felt his little man futilely struggling again inside his new “Total Security Hygienic Chastity Device, Extra Small, Pink.” He let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
“Well hello again Gwendolyn, Kathy and of course Josh!” Mrs. Smyth said genially. “I’ve been so looking forward to this,” she added enthusiastically, “And don’t you children look smart!” She complimented Kathy on the purple polo and “trendy” denim skirt she was wearing before turning to Josh. “And Josh, that is the cutest little embroidered blouse you have on. It just goes swimmingly with that adorable skirt!” she said approvingly. “It’s understated but sweet, and it just suits you so well!” she added.
“Th-Thank you, Mrs. Smyth,” Josh replied sheepishly.
“And I just have to say again your curls are just precious! Andrea did a wonderful job on your hair. So feminine and youthful!” she went on. “And what was the name of your nail polish again? Wasn’t it Sparkly Pink or something like that? she asked.
Reflexively, Josh held out his delicate hand and looked again at his beautiful pink gel nails in a very girlish way. He remembered that he now sported “permanent” nail polish, and he couldn't help but see how it glistened prettily in the light. Reddening slightly, he replied after a moment, “It’s uhh, Baby Pink Sparkle, Mrs. Smyth.” Catching his mother’s expectant eye, he added, “I just love how shiny and sparkly it is!”
Kathy flashed her nails again too excitedly, “See Mrs. Smyth, we match just like real sisters!”
“Baby Pink Sparkle, yes that’s it, very nice,” Mrs. Smyth nodded appreciatively with a smile. “So nice to have things that sisters can share,” she added warmly.
Then, she got down to business. First, she asked to see what Gwendolyn planned to wear. After inspecting the Victorian-inspired blue dress in the garment bag, she nodded approvingly. “Mrs. Meriweather always dressed so elegantly… I think that will be splendid for you my dear.”
Turning to Kathy and Josh, she continued, “And I think I have some lovely options for the children as well!” She whipped out a tape measure and said, “First, though, I’ll need to confirm your measurements. I am usually fairly accurate with my eyeballs, but we need to double check.” With practiced ease, she took Kathy’s measurements and nodded as she finished. “Wonderful, I have a couple of dresses to choose from which will fit you perfectly my dear.”
Next it was Josh’s turn. His nerves were on edge as he held his arms out obediently while Mrs. Smyth measured around his neck and chest (or his "bust" as she called it). She measured the length of his arms, and then looped her tape measure about his narrow waist. As she took his waist measurement, her eyebrow arched slightly and she seemed to pause. Stepping back for a moment, she brought her hand to her chin in thought while she studied him carefully. Josh fidgeted awkwardly under her gaze as he wondered what she was thinking about. “Hmmm…” she said almost to herself, “I wonder…” Then, as if reaching a decision, she said, “let me just check once more.”
Putting her tape measure around him again, she remeasured his waist and this time also measured around his hips. As she took the last measurement, Josh could have sworn she brushed against his chastity cage. His face flushed again. As if in confirmation, Mrs. Smyth’s eyebrow arched in surprise and she gave him a funny look. She didn’t say anything, but she smiled at him curiously. She went on to measure around his underdeveloped thighs which for some reason mortified Josh to no end. This all seemed now very intimate and embarrassing to him. Finally, apparently having reached some sort of conclusion, she nodded silently and again stepped back.
After another moment, she turned to Gwendolyn. “I have several nice things to choose from, but there is one option in particular that I think would be just splendid for tea,” she said cheerily. “I have a beautiful matching set in my vintage collection that belonged to Mrs. Meriweather’s daughters, and no one has worn either outfit since they were donated years ago,” she said expectantly. “She had two girls, Ellen and Cindy, and Ellen was a year older,” she continued. Mrs. Smyth explained further, “They both had lovely figures, but Cindy especially was always on the slender side. Kathy can easily wear Ellen’s old dress, and I believe that young Josh here is just petite enough to fit nicely into Cindy’s outfit.”
Before Gwendolyn could respond, Kathy said excitedly, “Oh that sounds wonderful! We will get to be in matching outfits Josh!”
Josh grinned weakly at his sister and said, “That sounds… great.” The fifteen year old boy had just taken another blow to his rapidly dwindling manhood as he realized that he was more “petite” than his younger sister.
Gwendolyn nodded, “That does sound lovely Mrs. Smyth.”
“Now I must warn you, Josh’s outfit will be a bit more… boyish… but the matching pair together is exquisite,” Mrs. Smyth said. “That’s not going to bother you is it Josh, dear?” she asked hopefully, “to be dressed more like a boy for this afternoon?”
“Boyish?” Josh thought in surprise. He was completely startled. For the first time in days, he detected a faint ray of light… a path out of this mess he had put himself in! Perking up, he said eagerly, “Oh no Mrs. Smyth, that would be… I don’t mind at all something… boyish.” He had no illusions. He was certain he would still be dressed very fancily, but as least it would be in a boy’s outfit! His thoughts raced as he thought about how he might use this opportunity to find a lasting way out of skirts and dresses.
Gwendolyn, on the other hand, felt a shadow of concern. She had thought Mrs. Smyth was her ally in Josh’s journey. This was an unwelcome surprise. She had taken heed of Josh’s reaction. “Boyish?...” she asked hesitantly.
Mrs. Smyth immediately seemed to understand Gwendolyn’s apprehension, and at once she sought to put her at ease. “Oh I think you’ll approve when you see it. It’s very appropriate for High Tea. Your children will be just lovely!” Then she asked almost conspiratorially, “will you trust me?”
The two ladies locked eyes and seemed to communicate silently for a moment. Then, Gwendolyn’s expression softened, and she said, “Oh of course Dolores.” The twinkle returned to her eye and she said, “after all you’re the expert!”
Josh was oblivious to this exchange. At the word “boyish,” his imagination had practically taken flight and he’d scarcely paid attention to anything after that. He had already almost convinced himself that “boyish” meant normal boy’s clothes. Whatever outfit Mrs. Smyth had for him, he would cheerfully go along with it.
He was eagerly looking forward to taking off this skirt and getting back into a pair of pants. He’d get rid of his awful pink hairbow and try to comb his hair back into something approaching a boy’s style. Maybe they could even go back to Miss Andrea’s and take off his nail polish. He could already picture himself in a dapper sport coat and slacks… perhaps with a bow tie or something like that. He would still be dressed up, of course, but at least he’d be dressed as a boy! For the first time since he slipped on that first set of panties, things were looking up. Surely Mrs. Smyth had some boys underwear in her shop too!
“Well come along then,” Mrs. Smyth said cheerily, “Let’s get started on your outfits!” Looking at Josh, she said somewhat forebodingly, “for you especially, my special little boy, we have a lot of work to do!”
Josh, still distracted by his increasingly vivid thoughts of dressing as a boy again, completely missed the subtext in her words. Almost reflexively, he replied “Of course Mrs. Smyth… I can’t wait!” There was real enthusiasm in his voice now.
With every passing second, he envisioned himself in more and more masculine outfits. He would be on his best behavior for the High Tea and show his mother he could change his ways without dressing as a sissy girl. He decided he had to be a perfect gentleman today. Once she saw how nice he looked and how well he could behave, she would realize that he had learned his lesson! By this point, he was already mentally celebrating his return to boyhood.
Mrs. Smyth had a mental picture too. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was nothing like Josh’s.
Topic: New Arrangements for Josh (Read 119070 times)
