I kept busy for about a month grinding on closing the deal. The appointed day came and went without incident and then work dried up. I kept trying to find the next project but the work just wasn't there. I was chasing my tail and it was starting to wear on the people below me and the people above me. After a couple of weeks of that, one of the partners gave me a friendly reminder that I hadn't used a vacation day since joining the firm.
Message received. And he had a point: I had long ago capped out the number of vacation days that I could accumulate, might as well burn some of them. But where to go? I had the time and money that I could go pretty much anywhere: tour Europe, fly to New Zealand, cruise the Caribbean. I was investigating that last option with some late night googling when a pop-up ad caught my eye.
Resort X: A Vacation from Yourself!
The official resort experience of the X-Change Corporation.
For the first time in a month I thought back to my night on the pill. Imagine cutting loose at a tropical resort in that body! A vacation from myself. That sounds amazing. Not that I'm unhappy, but escaping the stress and worries of everyday life: who doesn't identify with that? I rubbed my tired eyes before running my hands through my dark mane. Well, mostly dark. Some salt had started to creep in lately.
No such problems for female Ashley. The way she looked and felt, compared to my 36 years, hell, she was probably half my age. Vacationing as her, it would be like getting to do college spring break all over again. That settled it. For the first time in my life I clicked on a pop-up ad intentionally.
The website sold it well, the resort looked amazing. This would be better than college spring break. This was spring break if I had somehow had money back in college.
There was a dizzying array of packages available. In addition to the various room options, guests could bundle in various pill subscriptions for the length of their stay rather than purchasing a la carte upon arrival.
Some of the bundles were targeted to couples, providing a blue pill and a pink pill in a matched set for those who wanted to engage in a little role reversal. The most straight forward of these were the "Good Night" package, which featured 4 hour Lite pills like the one I had taken, and the "Day and Night" package which feature 24 hour Basic pills.
But there were more exotic flavors as well, such as the Bimbo pill that promised to turn the user into "the ultimate sex goddess with a mind and body built for pleasure." That sounded like a little too much escape from myself. A babymoon package included a Breeder pill that guaranteed conception. I shuddered as I scrolled the mouse wheel furiously. Not really looking to bring a souvenir back from this trip.
Just as the glut of options was about to force me into analysis paralysis, I scrolled back up to the perfect answer. How did I miss it before? The "Xtended Xscape package: a 28 night stay at the resort matched with the 28 day X-Tra Strength pill. Take one pill at the start and then focus on pleasure." Despite rolling my eyes at the brand-centric spelling, it seemed like just the ticket for someone looking to burn through a backlog of vacation days. And not having to worry about the awkwardness of my pill running out mid-encounter was pretty nice. A few minutes later I was confirming my credit card information, pleasantly surprised at the nice discount I received for booking an extended stay.
As the buying rush wore off, I leaned back in my chair and began thinking through logistics. Damn, 28 days, that's a long time. I guess I'm going to have to buy some new clothes!
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A few days later my sneakers squeaked across the hotel lobby, my luggage wheeling behind me as I navigated the crowds. The scene was chaos as bellmen ran about and guests waited in line to check-in or check-out. The vaulted ceiling was striking and impressive but did little to soften the crowd noise echoing off the marble floor and supporting pillars.
Despite the hubbub, the front desk clerk dazzled me with her smile as I approached the desk. She was distractingly beautiful, her pearly whites contrasted by her raven hair and large, expressive brown eyes that seemed to smile at me as well. She began to walk me through the check-in process with a natural chipperness and friendliness that made it seem like some mad scientist had set out to design the perfect customer service rep. Actually, given the nature of the place, I couldn't rule out a little artificial aid. As she explained the resort map to me, circling my room location and showing where the various amenities were, I nodded along as I studied her perfect features. She was certainly blessed, whether by birth or pill. Maybe she would have a drink with me? No stupid, don't hit on the staff, she's just getting paid to be nice to you.
"Our records show that you have requested a Pink X-Tra Strength for your stay Mr. Marion, is that correct?"
Oh right. Hitting on her was about to be a moot point. "Um, that's right." That's right babe, about to lose my dick for a month so: wait for me?
She continued on with her spiel, either oblivious to or kindly ignoring my identity crisis. "As I am sure you are aware, Pink X-Tra users will remain female long enough to experience a full female cycle and while it is a much lower risk during the first month, there is a chance of pregnancy. It is important for you to understand that any conception will result in a permanent transformation. We encourage our customers to practice safe sex and we ask that you sign a release."
"Got it, don't get pregnant" I chuckled as I read over the liability release.
"Oh we would never presume to tell our customers what to do with their new bodies Mr. Marion, we just want to ensure your choices are fully informed." That same dazzling smile.