RANSVESTIA

Marty flushed and glanced at David Rennick beside him. Rennick immediately looked away, not daring to look into his friend's feminized face.

"You'll have to, you know," said Marty in a low voice. "She won't pay you if you don't--and you won't be able to do anything about it."

"Oo! Listen to 'er!" Ace made a limpwristed gesture at Marty. His voice was highpitched, but there was a touch of hysteria in it.

"Knock it off, Ace," said David quietly. Beside him, Marty had opened up a makeup kit and was beginning to work on his eyes.

Ace seemed about to make a furious reply, but Nadine came suddenly bursting back into the tense, crowded dressing room. “Ace," she said conversationally as if nothing else was going on, "I need you as a man tonight to make five pairs. Your costumes are in the other room. So, you can go there to dress."

Ace stood and gave the other guys a look of scorn. "See you, girlies," he said softly as he went out, bowing and leering, after Nadine.

"Damn it! I'm ..." Farrell stood and hurled a large jar of cold cream against the door. It shattered and cream spread out in a great star- burst before trickling down the wood in greasy rivulets.

"You can't do anything, can you?" Marty was touching up his eye- shadow. Then he stood, undid the zip at his waist and took off his pleated skirt. Beneath was the lower half of a white slip, gathered at the hem into little embroidered flowers. Marty began to undo his blouse. "I feel sorry for you all. But dressing as a woman isn't all tha t bad, really. In fact, it can even be lovely, if you're a transvestite like me." He nodded as he took off his blouse, showing the upper part of the slip and the bra straps beneath. He flicked his long hair behind his earrings. "You'll be able to stand it for a few performances, until the novelty wears off."

"And what will Nadine have for us then?" asked David fearfully.

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