audience in various stages of a woman's undress. The heavy ap- plause didn't help at all nor did the snide remarks from Ace and some of the stage hands as they swished, wiggled or tiptoed back to the dressing room.

"Never again!" snarled Farrell Prior, throwing his Afro-wig onto the table in front of his makeup mirror. He sat down in the loose- fitting gown he had ended in, the light-colored panti-hose and dark high heels making the most of his shapely legs.

Marty Salter took off his gown first and hung it on the rack. In bra, panties, nylons and garters, he looked disturbingly feminine as he sauntered to his table, a slight wiggle of his backside, a bounce at his chest. He took off the extra false eyelashes beneath his eyes, but left on his wig.

"Come on Marty," said David Rennick awkwardly. He was sit- ting in slip and nylons, panties underneath. "At least, take your wig off."

Marty gave him a quizzical smile. David looked at himself in his mirror and could see why. His own hair was naturally long, and even though it was a mess, with long earrings and heavy makeup, he still looked like a

woman.

Farrell was ripping the loose dress away from himself in frus- tration. A string of beads popped and beads cascaded all over the floor. In the white bikini panties, white stockings, garters and bra, Farrell looked just like a sexy, 'foxy' black girl. Again, the lack of wig didn't hurt as the makeup changed his sexual orientation completely.

Babe Corbin was still in wig and long white evening gown, dabbing at his glossy, red lipstick

He made no effort to change his dress nor to take off his wig or makeup. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he whispered to Clinton Hart, the sixth male dancer, a quiet, fair-haired man, who was hurrying to change into his usual denim shirt and faded jeans. With his thick eyelashes, soft, powdered skin and lipstick, his naturally long hair pushed to one side, Clinton resembled a thin, well-endowed young

not

girl.

David was the first to start work with the cold cream. With- out makeup and still in women's underclothes, he looked very odd but he changed quickly slipping off the clinging hose. He felt so much better out of the tiny male bikini that Millie had given him to disguise his true sex to the audience. He felt somehow freer even in his tight-fitting jeans. But beside him, Marty Salter had just exchanged his black panties for a pair of white ones. Marty was also adjusting his bra, and in front of him were panti-hose and a white slip.

"I don't know how you can do it all the time," said David Rennick carefully, eyeing Mar- ty's shapely legs as he manouvred the hose over his painted toe nails.

"I feel at home," said Marty in the feminine voice that David was now getting used to. "I've crossdressed ever since I can re- member."

"Nadine did you a big favor!" David was sarcastic, but he could see Babe Corbin standing, still in wig and evening gown, turning this way and that, looking with pleasure at his feminine silhou- ette in the mirror.

Marty shrugged. "She knew about me all right," he said hesi-

-11-

tantly." "But if you all treat me as if I was queer .

"You

""

mean you're not!" David was incredulous.

There was pain in Marty's eyes. "Of course not!" he snap- ped in a very low voice. He fluff- ed out the dark wig and stared at his reflection in the mirror, dress- ed in the white, flowered slip and dark panti-hose. "Sally and I get along great. I just have this thing about cross-dressing."

David was astonished by the revelation. He wasn't able to say much then for Nadine Boorman came in, a number of envelopes in her hand. She handed the top one to Farrell, dressed now in his dark suit, who snatched it, gave her a terrible grimace and then left hurriedly.

Nadine looked after him, a cool, amused smile on her care- fully madeup features. David took his envelope without look- ing at her, while Clinton, traces of eyeliner still about his eyes, shot away without a word. His wife, an ex-dancer, was expecting at any time which explained much of his harried look lately. He really needed the money.

Marty's envelope was a little thicker than the others. He took it and put it in a lettle red hand- bag that David didn't remember seeing when he came in.

"Babe!" Nadine turned to the last of them. "I'm so glad you haven't changed. Our backers want to do the town tonight, and you can come with us and make a foursome!"

The look of pleasure on Babe Corbin's face was couteracted by the disgust shown by David Ren- nick and the relief on Marty's madeup face.

"I'd love to, Nadine," Babe said in a high-pitched voice that