This action turned out to be the straw that broke the back of his marriage. His wife, Martha, filed for divorce feeling that she had been duped into a marriage with a homosexual, who had used her to cover his true sexual nature. The very conservative judge that heard the case gave the house, car and a substantial monthly payment of child support and alimony to Martha. As an added insult Christine was given only limited supervised visitation with her children. As bad as that was, the fact that Christine was not accepted by the children and was blamed for the breakup of the family, by both his son and daughter made visiting them to maintain parental contact a failed effort.

At work, once Christine came out and started to come to work as a woman, she was transferred from her position in sales, where she had been the leading salesman, to a position in administration and training. Her client accounts were given to Ron, a young go-getter that had always come in second to Chris in total sales and adding new customer accounts. Although the new job paid the same base salary that the job in sales did, there was no opportunity for Christine to earn the lucrative sales commissions and bonuses she gotten before in sales. After paying Martha her monthly blood money there wasn’t a lot left for Christine.

The low income and lack of a car forced her to find a place in the city where she could use mass transit to get to work. This meant a one bedroom basement apartment in an older brownstone. The once prosperous neighborhood had long passed its prime. A few people now to old to consider moving lived with a mix of the poor working class, newly arrived immigrants searching for the American dream and some less desirables folks that made their living from being on the wrong side of the law.

The entrance to Christine’s apartment was tucked behind the large concrete stoup on the front of the old building, it protected her from the sights and sounds of the street but also meant her windowless apartment was always a silent, dark, gloomy space.

Away from family and old friends, with no social life outside of work, she sought comfort in food. The fit and slim man became a squat and heavy woman. Gone were the day dreams about shopping for pretty clothes and sexy lingerie, instead buying practical clothes for work from the plus size shops and catalogs. The disappointment just sent her back to the refrigerator for more ice cream to sooth her hurt feelings.

Her only true friend was Sandra, a young black girl assigned to the Admin. department as a clerk typist, the lowest paying position in the department. Sandra was the only person of color on this floor of the company building. She often remarked that she was only there as a token to prove the company wasn’t prejudice. Knowing Christine faced similar obstacles Sandra made herself a friend and steadfast ally.

At work Christine suspected Ron was entertaining co-workers with jokes about her. The sudden silence when nearing a laughing group centered around Ron. Strange looks and Ron’s insistence on calling Christine, “Chris” when processing his travel claims and sales documents through the Admin. department. There had been several instances of gay and transgender cartoons anonymously posted with hand written references to Christine on them. Sandra passed along email she received, of other jokes made at Christine’s expense and sent anonymously to all on the Sales and Admin floor. Ron was always the main suspect but Christine could not afford to make any accusations without definite proof, so she continued to suffer the verbal slings and arrows silently.

Trudging along day by day Christine worked her way through a long year. At last finding herself at the holidays and the big office Christmas party. This party would be the last opportunity for everyone on the floor to get together and celebrate. All of the sales staff and most of the support personnel would take time off from now until after the start of the New Year. Only Admin and accounting people would spend any time at work, closing out records and accounts for the year. The company had a record year in Sales so there was plenty to celebrate. The big holiday bonus checks were being passed out to the most successful salesmen.

For the party, several desks had been shoved back to make space and a boom box was playing, so those that wanted could dance. There was plenty of alcohol; a heavily spiked bowl of egg nog, bottles of champagne, wine and liquor stretched across two desks tops for everyone to use.

Christine and Sandra stood on the sidelines watching.

“Will you be taking any time off during the holidays?” Sandra asks after draining her cup of egg nog.

“No, I need the money so I’ll be working every day I can. “Christine replied.

“Well hanging around here isn’t getting me on the bus home” Sandra lamented “I still have Christmas shopping to finish. You have a Merry Christmas and I’ll see you next year.”

Christine started to return the holiday wishes when Sandra grabbed her arm and interrupted “Here comes your favorite red haired step son of a salesman” pointing out Ron crossing the floor carrying two glasses of champagne “and he looks like he’s head straight for us.” Sandra quickly gathers her purse and coat “I don’t need this, I’m out of here.”

Sandra exchanged a quick holiday greeting as she passed Ron on the way out, leaving Christine to face her antagonist alone.

He was wearing a Christmas tie that must have had a battery, because the gawty tree light’s blinked off and on randomly. Ron smiled and extended one of the tall fluted plastic glasses of bubbly. “Merry Christmas” Christine accepted the fake stem ware as Ron continued “And thank you.”

“For what?” Christine asked

“This has been my biggest sales year ever” Ron gloated “It wouldn’t have been possible without those big accounts I got from you, when you transferred to Admin.”

Christine fumed knowing that would mean a big Christmas bonus check for Ron while she struggled to make ends meet. Trying to remain civil she replied “Good for you, Ron.”

Ron drew closer and spoke in a soft voice “I know we’ve had some friction in the past and I haven’t always shown an understanding for your special situation, I just hoped we could put that behind us and start next year as friends.”

Christine was taken back and totally disarmed by this unexpected apology and offer of friendship. “Thank you, this is very unexpected, I don’t know what to say.”

“Let’s drink to it” Ron extended his glass tapping Christine’s “A Merry Christmas and to an even better New Year.” Ron toasted before turning up his glass and draining it.

Christine raised her glass “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” and took a lady like sip of the champagne.

Ron turned and faced the group dancing “I love that song, let’s dance.”

Christine very unsure of herself “No, no I don’t think so.”

“Come on” Ron pleaded “It will be fun.”

Christine relenting a little, still unsure “I don’t know its been a long time.”

“Give it a chance” Ron encouraged “finish that drink and let your hair down, girl it’s party time!”

Feeling a little giddy, Christine drained her drink and took Ron’s out stretched hand and followed him to the dance floor. The music had a strong beat and the couples on the dance floor were all gyrating to it with animal like passion. Christine a little to heavy and out of shape was soon gasping for air and a little unsteady on her feet. She extended her hand to Ron indicating she was in need of a break. Ron took her arm and lead her off the dance floor.

“That champagne really went to my head” Christine admitted as she became more shaky by the second.

“We’d better get you some place to rest for a moment” Ron replied as he guided Christine to the nearby private conference room.

Ron pushed the door open and helped Christine into one of the many large leather chairs surrounding the table in the center of the room. The sound of the party grew muffled as the conference room door automatically pulled itself closed.

Ron bent down and studied Christine’s face “How are you feeling now?”

“Not good, the room is spinning and I am having trouble focusing my eyes.” Christine closed her eyes trying to calm the spinning sensation. She felt as if she was riding a roller coaster in slow motion..

In the distance she heard Ron speaking to someone “Come on in, she’s completely out and has no idea what’s going on.”

She fought to open her eyes but seemed powerless to do so. There were sounds of men’s laugher from all around, the flashing of a bright white light that faded to red and blue stars. All the while she felt herself being pushed and tugged at, from first one side then the other before all went black.

Christine awoke chilled in a darken room. It took several seconds for her to realize she was still in the conference room. She felt the hard surface of the oak table against her back and her legs dangling over the edge. She extend her arms and gripped the tables edge for support as she forced herself upright into a sitting position. Perched on the edge of the table she looked down in the grey filtered light to see that all her clothes were gone except for her garter belt and hose. She instinctively attempted to cover herself, with her hands, as she glanced around the room to reassure herself she was alone. Her head pounded with the worst hangover she had ever experienced as she tried to understand what had happened.

As she slowly eases herself down to the floor she felt her bare skin stick to some unknown cold sticky goo on the table top. She touched her finger to the large pool and brought the small sample to her nose. Oh no! It was a pool of seaman and it was all over her buttock and down the back of her thighs.

In the darken room, she carefully edged her way toward the light that leaked in around the door frame. She felt along the wall until she found the switches and turned on the lights. The recessed fluorescent lights flashed to life, the bright light forcing her eyes shut briefly as her head ached from the brilliant assault. After her eyes adjusted she scanned the room and found the remainder of her clothes piled haphazardly in one of the chairs. She bundled the clothes under her arm and cautiously cracked the door to peek out into the main office floor. The room was dimly lite by only a few security lights, she carefully search the room but saw no one only the mess that remained from the long ended Christmas party. A clock on the wall showed her it was after 3 AM. She scurried naked across the office room floor, clutching her bundle of clothes to her chest, to the lady’s restroom.

In the restroom she stripped off her garter belt and hose, throwing the disgustingly sticky garments into the trash. Using damp paper towels she scrubbed herself clean before putting back on her clothes. Checking her face in the mirror she was so sickened, she wretched in the sink, after realizing what the dry white crusted residue was in the corners of her mouth. She splashed cold water on her face until she felt she had regained control.

She left the restroom and returned to her desk to retrieve her purse and coat before going home. There she found a sheet of paper taped to her computer monitor with large letters scrawled across it “READ YOUR EMAIL NOW!!!!”

Sitting down, she logged into her account, finding only one new message titled “Christine Does Christmas”. A large Power Point Presentation was attached to the text less message. Clicking on the attachment started the automatic download and opening of the presentation. As jolly Christmas music played in the background picture after picture appeared and dissolved into the next image as she watched stunned and motionless.

The first picture showed her slumped in the conference room chair, her bloused unbuttoned and pulled opened her bra pushed up on her chest breast exposed. Her skirt and panty pulled down around her ankles, her last vestige of male flesh pulled from its hiding place and exposed for all to see.

The slide show continues with a picture of Christine, clothes now gone, bent face down across the conference room table. A man, pants down, stood behind her his stiff penis in hand, ready to penetrate her defenseless bottom. All the images were carefully cropped to eliminate all the faces except Christine’s.

The next pictured had her held bent over as she was assaulted from behind, while another man with a handful of her hair held her head as he forced himself deep into her mouth and throat.

Image after image flashed across the screen as her body was explored and penetrated over and over and over again. She was surrounded by a sea of headless dress shirts and ties, pants down with their stiff organ’s head peering out from beneath the shirt tails. It was if the entire male population of the office had each taken a turn at Christine’s expense. From picture to picture one thing remained the same, the constant presence of a man wearing an ugly tie with a gawty Christmas tree who’s light’s blinked off and on randomly. RON!

Now over the shock of her violation, her only thought was making Ron pay. He would feel her pain, know her humiliation, lose as she had lost and suffer as she had suffered. She would have plenty of time to plan, it was to late to catch a bus and she couldn’t afford a cab. It would be a long lonely walk home, down darken streets in the winter cold with only the burning hatred of Ron and her thoughts of revenge to warm her.

“Merry Christmas Christine” she said to herself in disgust as she trudged home.