Contrast in the office Mary Cody was not a woman to be trifled with. At 51 years of age, she had been widowed 10 years and had learned to provide for herself after a life of dependence on Mr. Cody. Though small in stature, only 4'11" and 84 pounds, she was nevertheless a commanding presence. As a supervisor in a state office, she was not your typical civil service worker. When a job was to be done, it was to be done right. No excuses. That was the standard she applied to herself, as well as to those around her. While she was never mean to her co-workers and had never even raised her voice at them, she commanded and demanded complete respect. If Mrs. Cody told someone to do something, it was done quickly and properly. She also dressed differently than those around her. While the dress code in the office was somewhat casual, Mrs. Cody always looked the part of a big city corporate executive. Her suits were of the finest materials and looked as though they had been custom tailored. One day at the begining of the summer, a young girl fresh out of high school was assigned to work under Mrs. Cody. Her name was also Mary, but that was where the similarity between the two ended. Mary Smith was the tallest woman Mrs. Cody had ever met. She didn't even know how tall Mary was, but she found herself having to crane her neck up to talk to her. There was not even a man in the office as tall as Mary. She was pretty also, and had an engaging personality that put people at ease after they got over their initial surprise at her sheer size. Mary was a smart kid, but this was her first office job. Mrs Cody liked her personality and felt it would be the right thing to take her under her wing and help her out. She had seen too many new people made miserable by petty office politics and knew that Mary would not realize when she was being taken advantage of. When word spread that Mary was in the protective custody, so to speak, of Mrs. Cody, she would be spared the usual b.s. Noone played office politics with Mrs. Cody, or with anyone close enough to her that Mrs. Cody might intervene. Noone could remember any specific incident where ofice politics had backfired when used with her, but everyone seemed to instinctively know that it would be an unwise battle to fight. On Mary's first day on the job, she was dressed in jeans and sneakers. Mrs. Cody felt that that was inappropriate for the office. It didn't technically violate work rules, but it just wasn't right. Mrs. Cody took her aside that first day and told her she should not wear jeans and sneakers to the office if she wanted to be regarded seriously by others. "I'm sorry, Mam, I know you're right", said Mary, "but I have to." "What do you mean you have to?" "I'm just too big for normal women's clothes and shoes, and I can't afford tailoring and oversized shoes." Mrs. Cody looked up at the big girl and saw her lip quivering as if she were about to cry. "I have.........I have........to wear mens clothes and shoes most of the time. Does this mean I can't work here?" Mrs. Cody felt awful. She just hadn't even considered that big women have just as hard a time finding appropriate clothes as do small women. Now she had this poor girl on the verge of tears from having revealed something she was obviously embarrassed about as well as fearing she was going to lose her first real job before she even started. She took the big girl's hand in hers and told her she was sorry and of course she wouldnt lose her job. "You can wear jeans and sneakers, honey. Just use common sense and dress as appropriately as you can. O.K.? Now. take a couple minutes in the ladies room to compose yourself. Don't let the others see you upset on your first day." "Oh, Thank you so much , Mrs Cody. I'll repay you for your kindness. I'll be the best trainee you've ever seen. I promise" "You' re welcome. Now, scat! I've got work to do." As the young girl left, Mrs. Cody found herself pondering the unusual sensation she had just experienced when she took Mary's's one hand in her two hands. She was a bit taken aback by the sheer size of the girl's hand. It seemed twice the size of hers and she sensed enourmous power in this great big girl. But she also sensed much tenderness and gentleness in her. It was a very odd feeling she had, one that she couldn't put a finger on, one she couldn't remember experiencing before. It was a bit scary actually, but all in all, not unpleasant. Stop daydreaming and get back to work, she said to herself silently. And so she did. Weeks passed without incident and Mary was exactly as she had promised to be, the best trainee Mrs. Cody ever had. She geninely liked the girl. Occasionally, when they would stand close to one another, Mrs. Cody would feel somewhat intimidated by Mary's size, and she felt uncomfortable. She had been intimidated by big people in the past (thoough she never allowed it to show), but her feelings when she was near Mary were somehow different. She thought about that now and then, but couldn't quite get a grip on just what the feeling was. About a month after she started to work, Mary came to work one morning in a dress. Her hair was done up and she was wearing those chunky platform heels the kids wear these days, adding another 4 inches to her already statuesque form. The dress was a bright floral print, with the hem just above the knee. As she walked through the office that morning, she created quite a stir. One man spilled his coffee as she walked past him and poor old Dave , who's only 5 ft. 2 and a known lecher, walked himself straight into the copier . Mary didn't seem to notice any of them. She came straight to Mrs. Cody and asked to speak with her in private. They went into a room and closed the door and Mary just squealed with delight as she twirled around, displaying her new look. "Now that I'm making money I could afford to buy this. It's from a tall gals' catolog and it cost a hundred dollars, but its worth it. I've never felt so pretty and feminine, and I never would have done it if you hadn't talked to me about the way I was dressing. Thank you so much!" "Oh, im sure you would have gotten something pretty with or without me Mary", replied Mrs. Cody, getting that uncomfortable feeling again. Mary twirled around again, and asked , "Well, what do you think?" "You're....... I mean it's..........uh............very beautiful" She was stammering and for the life of her she didn't know why. She felt like she just had to get out of that room, but on the other hand, she wanted very much to stay. Before she could say another word, she found herself high in the air in the grips of a huge bear hug, courtesy of Mary. She squeezed her so hard she couldn't breathe for a second and Mary just whispered in her ear, "Thank you." Before she knew what hit her, Mrs. Cody was back on the ground looking up, way up, at the pretty young girl who had just handled her like a bag of groceries. "Oh geez, Mrs Cody. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. Am I in trouble?" Taking a moment to re-adjust her clothing, Mrs. Cody stepped back and was about to lay into Mary for acting very inappropriately in the office, to her own boss no less. People just do not go around picking up their bosses. She tried, but the words just wouldn't come out. "No, thats ok honey,. Nobody saw it, I hope. And i'll just forget it ever happened. Now get to work" "Yes , mam" , Mary said as she turned and left. As she watched Mary walk out the door and down the hall it occured to her that she would likely never forget that it happened. She also felt that uncomfortable feeling again, more intense than ever, but it didn't seem at all uncomfortable anymore. Just then she remembered when she had felt it before. It was when she was 14 years old and had a crush on the 17 year old captain of the football team. Whenever he was near her she would get the same feeling she was getting around Mary. "Ridiculous", she mumbled to herself, "I must need a vacation." Mrs. Cody got very little work done that day. The feeling of Mary's powerful arms around her and the sweet smell of her hair kept intruding into her thoughts. By day's end, she was finally able to shut those thoughts out and she decided would never allow herself to think about it again. That night, Mary picked Mrs.Cody up again, but Mrs. Cody was dreaming this time. As the next few weeks passed, Mary still wore her men's jeans and sneakers to work, but about once a week she showed up with a new blouse or skirt, and even a suit one day. Mrs. Cody was very pleased with her. She was not only doing a wondeful job, she was develpoing into a woman with class and confidence. She was proud of her. That "feeling" kept rearing its head inside Mrs. Cody, however. She would quickly dismiss it when she recognized it, but she had no power to prevent its sudden emergence. Some of Mary's new outfits prominently displayed what had been somewhat hidden in her casual mens' clothes. She had a very full bustline and certain outfits made no secret of it. She never flaunted it, never showed cleavage, but Mrs. Cody noticed. She had always been somewhat self conscious about her own very small chest. She had always worn padded bras, just to bring her bust line to an apparent A cup. In reality, what she needed was a training bra, but she refused to consider such a thing. When she found herself near Mary when Mary wore a form revealing outfit, she felt very uneasy. She was intimidated by the young girl's big breasts and felt like a little girl with her big sister. It aggravated her to feel this way, but again she could not prevent the feeling, she could only banish it when it appeared. One day Mary appeared at work wearing a proffessional looking pair of slacks and a pretty yellow cotton sweater, which accented her every curve. Mrs. Cody said good morning and watched the young girl head to her desk. Something was different about her, but Mrs. Cody couldn't put a finger on it. Then, as Mary sat down at her desk, Mrs. Cody noticed the movement of her breasts and it hit her. "She has no bra on!" she thought to herself. She was angry. She sharply called Mary's name and just pointed to the inner office. She walked in and Mary followed, closing the door behind her. "Yes, Mrs. Cody?" "Do you think it's appropriate to come to work without your underwear, young lady?" "I'm sorry, mam. I was hoping no one would notice. You see, I almost never wear a bra unless I'm coming to work. I overslept this morning and just plumb forgot to put one on. I realized it in the car on the way here, but if I went back home I would have been late. I thought it would be more important for me to be on time. Do you want me to go home and get one?" "Not right now, but at lunch time. And don't be a minute late returning. I know you live close by. " "Yes, mam. I'm so sorry I keep letting you down. It won't happen again." "Good. Now get to work." "Yes, mam", she said as she turned to leave. Mrs. Cody started to follow her but, just before they reached the door, Mary stopped and turned around, causing Mrs. Cody to bump face first into her big left breast. "Oh, geez, I'm sorry Mrs. Cody. I didnt mean to bump into you. I just wanted to say..." Mrs. Cody stepped back three full steps so she could look up at Mary's face without craning her neck. She was a bit flustered but composed herself in a split second and asked, with a touch of annoyance in her voice, "Yes?....What?" "I just .........I just.........wanted to say that......well.........I'm glad it was you who noticed." And she winked. She didn't wait for a response. She just turned on her heels and went to her desk, leaving Mrs. Cody momentarily speechless and unsure what to make of the girl's statement. What she didn't realize as she left the room was that her face had errupted into a beet red blush. Mary noticed. That night, Mrs. Cody dreamt of being held in Susan's arms, her face pressed up against the warm soft mass of her left breast, wondering what it would feel like without that damn yellow sweater. When Mrs. Cody awoke the next morning, she had a vague memory of her dream about Mary. She couldn't remember the details, but she recalled a warm. Safe feeling being with Mary. She didn't identify it as sexual at all. Rather, the feeling was more akin to laying in her mother's arms. She chuckled to herself and thought it was a crazy dream. She was 51 years old and Mary was 19. Her own children were older than Mary. It was just silly. She dressed and went to work. When she arrived, Mary was there early making coffee. It would be fifteen minutes before anyone else arrived. Mary was dressed in a new outfit again. This time it was a short but professional looking skirt, high heeled pumps, a scooped neck top and a jacket to match her skirt. She was stunning, Mrs. Cody thought. Her tastes in clothes were maturing already and she did not look at all like a 19 year old. She looked like a polished executive woman in her late twenties, ready to take on the world. "I'll bring you your coffee Mrs. Cody," Mary volunteered immediately. "Thank you dear, that would be nice." A few minutes later, Mary walked into Mrs. Cody's office and placed a Styrofoam cup of coffee on her desk. Mrs. Cody was looking the other way pulling some files from a drawer. When she turned around, she dint see the coffee and tossed the files right on top of it, spilling coffee all over her desk. "Oh, my God!" shouted Mary, "I'm so sorry. I should have warned you that was there. I'll get some paper towels. Don't let it get on you now." Mary returned immediately with a roll of paper towels and started to wipe down the desk. Mrs. Cody just sat in her chair , pulled back from the desk a bit, watching. She knew she should have gotten up and done something, but something made her just sit right where she was. As Mary leaned over the desk, her full bosom came into view. Mrs. Cody could see her pale soft breasts almost to the nipples, which were barely covered by the top of a lacy white bra. She tried to look away, but was transfixed. She was snapped back to the real world with Mary's cheerful announcement that all was done and that she'd get her another cup of coffee now. When she returned, Mrs. Cody was standing and Mary brought the coffee to her, but again set it on the desk rather than handing it to Mrs. Cody. Mary's mood was different than it had been just moments earlier. "Mrs. Cody, something just happened that I think we need to discuss. I wasn't going to say anything at first, but you've been so helpful to me explaining when I've been unprofessional, I think I should do the same with you." Mrs. Cody was perplexed and hoped Mary wasn't talking about what she thought she was talking about. "What happened, Dear?" Mary stepped closer so that she was only inches from Mrs. Cody, who tried to back up, but found the desk in her way. She craned her neck up and started to fear the young girl. "You were just staring down my blouse at my breasts. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Do you think that's very professional? If it were anyone but you I'd be filing sexual harassment charges right now. I think you owe me an apology Mrs. Cody." "But...but.. No, I wasn't..... You're mistaken..." She was caught red handed and didn't know what to say. She felt like crying. At that moment, she felt Mary's hands grab her under her armpits and she was lifted to the height of Mary's face, her little feet dangling below her. She squirmed in protest, succeeding only in losing her shoes. Mary looked her dead in the eye and said "I gave you more credit than I should have I guess. I never expected you to lie about it like a naughty little girl to her mother. Now acknowledge what you did and apologize. I will accept your apology and this will be over. If you continue to lie, you will be punished. Now what will it be?" Mrs. Cody started to cry. She did feel like a naughty little girl who'd been caught by her mother. She didn't know what to do. Mary started counting backwards from 5. By the time she got to one, Mrs. Cody broke down and cried , "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I looked down your blouse." "That's better little one", Mary said with a kind tone as she set the now stocking footed Mrs. Cody on her feet again. Without the additional 2 1/2 inches her shoes gave her, she was truly dwarfed by Mary now. She felt five years old. Mary chuckled. "My, my. You really are tiny, aren't you? I think you're adorable. By the way, If you wanted to see my breasts, all you had to do was ask." With that, Mary kissed Mrs. Cody on top of her head and walked out the door. As she left, she said over her shoulder, "Better freshen up, little one. You don't want the others to see that you've been upset." Mary chuckled to herself as she watched the tiny Mrs. Cody scramble to the ladies room before 50 other workers saw her crying. A few days passed during which Mrs. Cody consciously avoided Mary. She simply didn't know how to face her. On Friday, at the end of the day, Mrs. Cody thought she was the last one in the office, as she usually is, and went to retruieve her purse from her desk. When she entered her private office, she was surprised to find Mary sitting in her chair, with her legs up on the desk. She had on yet another new outfit, a very professional looking navy suit with a faIrly short skirt, white blouse and high heeled pumps. With her legs on the desk, the skirt had ridden way up on her thigh and Mrs. Cody was amazed that anyone's legs could be that long. Her initial shock wore off and she decided she better put up a good front. "Mary Smith! Get your legs off my desk and your butt out of my chair this instant!" The young girl didn't move. She did not even acknowledge the command. "You've been avoiding me all week Mrs. Cody. Otter people have noticed also. I can understand why, but it has to stop. Since our last ...er...discussion, I think you'll agree the nature of our relationship has changed, am I right?" Mrs. Cody was too dumbfounded to answer. Mary waited a few seconds and then stood up and walked to a point directly in front of Mrs. Cody. Mrs. Cody felt so tiny and vulnerable, she was afraid to look up. Mary put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so they were looking in each other's eyes. "Answer me." "Yyyes", stammered Mrs. Cody. "Good, I'm glad we're on the same wave length. Now here's how it's going to be from now on." Still holding her finger under her chin, Mary continued. "I plan on being the youngest supervisor this office has ever had. I will have you to thank in large part for that. I was sitting in your chair because it will be mine in 6 months. I was flirting with that old fool Murphy yesterday and let him take me to lunch. He's retiring in 6 months and you will be his replacement. Congratulations! He said only the Commissioner knows that and that I should keep it under my hat, but I'm sure you would want to know. Anyway, the first thing you will do after your promotion is to promote your own successor to this job.. I've already researched it and it will be entirely within your discretion to choose anyone you deem fit. Do you know who you will pick?" Mrs. Cody was still afraid of Mary, but she was happy at the news of the promotion. It sounded just like Murphy to try to show off to a girl a third his age by giving her confidential information in the hopes of getting a little, but he had no idea everyone thought he was just an old fool. She was thinking about that and didn't respond quickly to the question. "ANSWER ME MARY!". That was the first time the girl had ever addressed her by her first name. The fear returned as strong as ever. "But you don't have the experience to do this job. You don't know what I know. Maybe someday you will, but not yet." "You have six months to teach me. I will know what I need to know by then. And if I need help from above after I'm in, you will give it to me. In the meantime, I will continue to treat you with all the respect your position commands when we are in the presence of others from the office. However, when we are alone, I will be in charge. You will do as I tell you to do and you will address me either as Miss Smith or Mam. Is that understood Mary?" Mrs. Cody felt all her will leaving her and was shocked when she heard herself say "Yes, Mam." "Good girl. Now as a reward I'm going to help you learn to dress in a way that suits the real you, just as you helped me. Dressing like an executive has really helped me express and project what I really am, a very tall, strong, intelligent and dominant woman. When I dress the part, people react to me that way. You do it yourself, but its not the real you. My aunt owns a little boutique downtown that has just what you need to express the real you when you're not at work. I work the counter on Saturdays. I told my aunt about you and she said I could bring you in after closing and buy anything you want at her cost. It's called Sheila's Boutique. Its on the corner of Main and Second. We close at 6 o'clock. You be there at 615. Understand?" To her utter amazement, Mrs. Cody simply nodded and said "Yes, Mam." "Good girl" Before she knew what was happening, Mrs. Cody's feet were leaving the floor again, Mary's huge hands wrapped around her rib cage, her thumbs on her breasts. Mary kissed her on the forehead and then squeezed her breasts with her thumbs. "HHHMM, padded bra. That what I thought. We'll have just the right things for you. See you tomorrow." With that, she put her back on the floor and walked out the door. Mrs. Cody noticed that she had to duck a little to pass under the door opening as she left. She promptly went home and cried herself to sleep. The whole next day, Mrs. Cody tried to piece together what had happened. Had she really just let this girl take over her life? It must have been a dream. Even if it was real, it certainly couldn't continue. She was certainly not going to install her in a position that took her years of hard work to achieve. She had no intention of going to that boutique or doing anything else that big bully told her to do. She kept telling herself that all afternoon as she changed clothes 5 times, not knowing what to wear when she went. She couldn't explain it, but she couldn't resist it either. She settled on a simple blue skirt and white blouse with pantyhose and her highest heeled pumps. She drove downtown and found the boutique. As she saw the store sign, her heart sank. SHEILA'S BOUTIQUE FINE CLOTHES FOR CHILDREN Mrs. Cody's first instinct was to hit the gas and drive right by. She couldn't do it though. As she sat there realizing that Mary intended to have her wear children's clothes, a flood of memories came back to her. She grew up in a strict, austere family, where frivolity was simply not tolerated. As a teenager and even until she was 21, when she got married, she was never allowed to wear adult clothes. Her first adult dress was her wedding gown. Her mother very simply reasoned that it was foolish to spend a lot of money for adult clothes and then more money to have them altered, when children's clothes were far cheaper and fit her right off the rack. Her frustrations at wanting to feel like an adult were of no consequence. She remembered vividly going shopping for clothes with her mother and younger sister Debbie, when she was 18 years old and Debbie was 12. Debbie was already head and shoulders taller than her and 50 pounds heavier. After spending hours shopping for a school wardrobe for Debbie in the women's department, they trotted off to the little girls department for her things. She was humiliated as her baby sister picked out things for her to try on and treated her like she was the child, rather than vice-versa. Their relationship permanently changed that day and Debbie always acted like the older sister thereafter. She then remembered her husband, a stern man from the other side and 10 years her senior, picked for her by her father, agreeing with her mother that children's clothes were the way to go. During the whole marriage, which lasted 20 years until his death, he regarded her as little more than a child in every way imaginable. By the time she was 40 years old, she didn't own 3 pieces of adult clothing. She never had any authority over anyone, including her own two daughters, who started treating her like a child, just like their father did, once they reached 12 years old and outgrew her. She had never known any other way and had just learned to accept her lot in life. She felt like the perpetual child everyone seemed to think she was and derived comfort from the security that came with accepting that role. When her husband died, however, she knew things had to change. She vowed never to allow anyone to view her as a child again and never to wear children's clothes again. If she was going to succeed in the world as a woman on her own, she would have to put her childlike image away forever. The first thing she did when she got the insurance money was to spend over two thousand dollars on fine women's clothes, altered to fit her perfectly. She literally burned every piece of children's clothes she owned in a barrel in the backyard. Never again, she swore. She was about to learn the lesson of never saying never. For a reason still unknown to her, she knew she was about to submit herself to the will of a girl younger than her own children, who wanted to make a child out of her again. She strained against it, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she did miss the feeling of security and peacefulness she had when she allowed herself to be treated like a child for her first 40 years. Perhaps the younger Mary was even smarter than she realized. Perhaps the real Mary Cody was a child after all and allowing that side of her to come ut when she wasn't at work would ease the conflicts she had inside her. As she thought about all this, she also found it odd that while she knew that this would lead to a sexual encounter with another woman, something she had never even thought about before in her whole life, she was strangely at peace with the idea. In fact, the thought made her tingle with goose bumps. Well, she thought to herself, its now or never. Her watch said 615 exactly. She got out of her car and walked across the street to the store. As she approached the door, it opened and out walked a beautiful woman who filled the space of the door entirely. Reflexively looking down, she saw that this enormous woman was wearing flat soled shoes. After almost knocking Mrs. Cody over, she apologized and said "Why you must be Mary, the little lady my Mary has been telling me about. I'm Sheila. Welcome. Feel free to buy anything you want and Mary will give you the discount she discussed with you." Looking over her shoulder into the store, Sheila shouted into the back, "Mary, your little friend is here. And hey, I agree, she is simply adorable!" With that, she stepped past Mrs. Cody, patted her on the head and winked good bye. As the door closed behind her, Mary came out from the back room, wearing short cut off denims, a tank top that left her belly exposed and chunky platform shoes that had to be 6 inches high. There was no turning back now.