An Unexpected Proposal

Horror gave way to disgust, and to a very upset stomach. Armando rushed to the bathroom, emptying his guts, spitting and screeching in tandem. He wanted so desperately for that to be a nasty dream, but every second reminded him this was unfortunately reality.

He dreaded to return, but he steeled up for an explanation. As he returned, the lump of flesh and hair that was half of the woman he had just met laid on the floor, and the other half – the man that came off it – sat on the bed, covering up with sheets and deeply pensive. The man said nothing as Armando dressed up, waiting for the interrogation and confrontation that would eventually follow.

Neither of them said a word to each other, but as time passed, Armando’s anger subsided, as he noticed Evelyn’s regretful look. His confusion, however, demanded an explanation from the older man. “Alright”, he said, breaking the ice. “How?”

Evelyn looked at the lump of flesh that comprised his female persona, speaking in a broken, high-pitched tone. “The ‘how’ will take a long time to explain, Mr. Armando, but you deserve an explanation. Obviously, I achieved it with this”, he said as he pointed at the lump of flesh.

“And that is...?”

The older man grabbed the flesh, tenderly laying it face-up upon his lap. It was disturbing for Armando to see the face of the luscious woman fully deflated, her eye holes showing a disturbing layer of flesh, its mouth open askew and its body squashed save for its breasts, which remained as soft and large as before. He brushed its hair with his fingers, staring at its face longingly. “This is what you’d call a ‘skin-suit’. Think of it as a full-body jumpsuit, but meant to simulate skin.”

“Then, that’s supposed to be...fake skin?”

“That’s why I said it will take a long time to explain, Mr. Armando. It is my life's work; the result of years of research and development. Again, I apologize for deceiving you this way, but I was driven by curiosity. I needed to fully experience what was to be in it, to experience its realism.”

“Realism...” Armando shuddered. “It’s disturbingly real. I mean...” He retched, covering his mouth. “It feels like real flesh.”

“That is”, the doctor confirmed, “because it is real flesh. In a manner of speaking.”

The young man stepped back, recoiling in horror. “R-real flesh!?”

“To be precise; real, living human tissue within a collagen matrix sheath, taken from cloned cells and given this shape.”

Even though the explanation didn’t seem as disturbing as he thought it was, Armando could easily understand why it was so difficult to explain. “No wonder why you said it’d take a long time to explain. Still... You said it’s real, living flesh. Is it still alive now?”

“For a moment”, Evelyn pointed out. “I have a device that will keep the cells active for an hour – a sort of bio-engine – but in order to preserve the cells any further, I need to take it to its containment tank or...well, wear it. Any further and the tissue will start to decompose.”

“You said something about ‘collagen matrix sheath’. What’s that?”

“Think of your tissue as a structure. Cells are lumped within that tissue, forming all the necessary organs – brain, heart, lungs, and of course, flesh. If you were to remove all cells from that tissue, what’s left would be shaped as the organ, but wouldn’t have any purpose whatsoever. It’d be essentially a structure made of collagen. What I did was to replicate that structure, allowing me to create the body I want. From there, I simply injected the cell samples and allowed them to grow, until the sheath became the tissue I wanted."

“I see... But you said it needed to be on a ‘containment tank’ or worn in order to remain alive. How?”

“The suit has minuscule cilia on the other side. You may have noticed my skin a bit rosy, didn’t you?”

“I... did.”

“That is the effect of the cilia attaching to my flesh. That allows it to remain in place, but also to extract the necessary nutrients. I’ll spare the details of the process, but rest assured it allows the skin to live for as long as you wear it. Of course, the cilia also have neural receptors--”

“Which I suppose must allow you to feel”, the young man finished his older counterpart’s explanation.

“Indeed. Very insightful, Mr. Armando.”

“So... That suit clings into you, feeding off you, but giving you a new appearance. That sounds so unrealistic.”

“To someone fifty years ago, the idea of miniature computers – say, your typical smartphone - would be considered unrealistic, yet you and I have one and they’re very easy to acquire. Science has advanced leaps and bounds, though I must admit that...” Evelyn snorted, smiling while staring blankly at the distance. “...perhaps not all of my achievements are due to science.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“In simple terms, that I cheated a bit with magic.” Evelyn interpreted Armando’s shocked silence as confusion. “Indeed, it may seem odd for me to say that magic had something to do with it, but any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic and viceversa. There is a fine boundary where the laws of physics and biology can be warped, provided the end result still conforms to them.”

“So... You’re a magician of sorts.”

“In a way. I have dabbled in the magical arts, yes, but as a complement to my scientific background.”

“Yeah... You said you’re a doctor. I’m assuming you’re not a medical doctor.”

“You’d be both right and wrong, Mr. Armando. I have several doctorates, and one of them is indeed in medicine. However, my true passion is genetics and bioengineering, and thus I have doctorates in both.”

“You’re a genius!”

“I’m appalled, but my knowledge is very focused. I’ve had time to study human interaction – psychology, in part, of which I don’t have a doctorate but instead am self-taught – but my knowledge about other things is limited. You and I study very different branches of mathematics, and though there may be some overlap, I wouldn’t be able to understand your applications, or you capable of understanding mine. And I have no patience for pure mathematics, Mr. Armando.” Evelyn finally looked at the young man, showing a rare smile. “Or to do my taxes. I assume that may be easy to you.”

“I guess, but still! Three doctorates!”

“Four, in fact, but that doesn’t make me any less or more of a genius than you. You were studying two disciplines, no?”

“Yeah, but they’re Business Administration.”

“Accounting alone is a daunting yet rewarding degree. And the logistics of management are beyond me. Regardless, you were able to study at a very good university with a scholarship, which means you must have a certain degree of genius that I lack.”

“Thanks for flatterin’ me, sir.” Armando rubbed his lip, still confused. “You said your name’s Evelyn? Isn’t that a woman’s name?”

“It’s also a very obscure male name, which is why I often went with my second name. My thesis is actually attributed to one ‘E. Renaud de Thiel’. However, as a woman, it is a very practical name to use.”

“I’d say convenient...”

Evelyn noticed as Armando appeared flustered. He saw the skinsuit, biting his lip. “It must make you feel uncomfortable seeing me as this, no?”

“This whole thing is uncomfortable, sir. Think about it. What would you do if... If someone you just slept with revealed to you that he’s a man?”

“Nothing. Then again, I wouldn’t mind if a man I just slept with revealed that she’s a woman.”

“So... You’re gay?”

“If that gives you peace of mind, then yes. Truth is, after discovering the possibilities of skinsuits, I find the concept of gender pointless. I mentioned I’m not a trans woman, but something along the lines.” Evelyn grasped the skinsuit firmly, smiling as he saw her deflated face. “I feel extremely comfortable as her, after all.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Perhaps in time, you will.” The doctor embraced his skinsuit, placing it upon his chest. “I profoundly apologize for the confusion I caused you. That’s why I insisted to forgive me; I suspected this would be the case.”

“Can’t say you didn’t warn me.”

“I didn’t. And I apologize for taking advantage of you, but I desired the experience. I didn’t lie about having a proposal for you, though. I stand by it.”

“I just want to go.” Armando turned his back on Evelyn, still feeling disgust. “I just want to think this is a horrible nightmare.”

“It isn’t. And it doesn’t have to be.”

“How it isn’t!? I just slept with a man pretending to be a woman! This isn’t right!”

“To me”, Evelyn lamented, “it felt right. Don’t condemn me for my deception, Mr. Armando. I dearly wish to repay you for that, however.”

Armando was confused. He wanted to hate Evelyn – the man behind the sultry woman’s skin – but despite his disgust, he felt the doctor’s words were genuine. They felt less like gloating and more like a confession. His question aimed straight at Evelyn’s purpose. “What did you feel when... When we did it?”

“Satisfaction”, he replied with a delighted tone. “Realization. I yearned for more, and despite your awkwardness at first, I felt a connection I’ve only felt for someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“Someone I can’t speak of right now. Someone that I’ll speak of in due time, if you’re interested. But... not now.”

“What kind of satisfaction, then? What kind of realization?”

“I felt satisfied for having the best sex of my life, with someone who really cares for their partner. And a realization that this, what I spent years of my life for, was what I truly desired.”

“So...” Armando retched, grabbing his forehead. “You really want to become a woman.”

“After these few hours? More than ever.”

The young man remained still in the doorframe, still unwilling to face the doctor. Evelyn allowed him the silence he needed, but after seeing his silent turmoil, he provided what little aid he could. “If it helps... You were magnificent. Any woman would enjoy being with you.”

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up”, the young man finally replied, “but that’s not true. Every time I have relations with someone, something bad happens. And here I thought...” He grasped the doorframe tightly, his contained anger and despair sending a barely audible tremor. “...Here I thought things would change. I didn’t want to at first, but after we did it... I wanted more.”

“It felt magical, didn’t it?”

“That’s what makes me so disgusted. I never had an experience like this with anyone else but you. And then, you tell me this...” Armando hissed, trying to hold his tears. “I wish you never told me this.”

“You’d have known sooner or later, Mr. Armando. Better to suffer this now than--”

“At least you were kind enough to tell me. No one else had the decency to do so.”

Evelyn felt a connection with his young companion. He touched his lip, undecided on whether to smile. “Thanks for opening yourself to me. I’ll leave you to absorb and digest all this. My proposal still stands, though.”

“Your proposal...” Armando scoffed. “That’s not related to having sex in any way.”

“I was honest with that as well. What we had was just... unrelated.”

“Well...” Armando finally turned, seeing how Evelyn covered himself – and the skinsuit – with the sheets. “Thanks for the time. And for listening.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Armando. I imposed myself on you, when I shouldn’t have. Rest assured, I will repay you one way or another.”

“I know. Good day...” The young man was conflicted. “How should I call you? Miss, Mister...?”

“Perhaps ‘Doctor’ is more suitable.”

“It’s more formal as well. Good day and good night, Dr. Evelyn.”

Armando left the apartment, leaving Evelyn to his loneliness. He took a deep breath, and setting the sheets once again, he slid his leg deep into the empty sleeve of the skinsuit, eyes closed to enjoy the experience once more...

--

A week passed since their fated meeting. Armando was desperate – fate seemed to be against him, as people insisted on asking him for papers, and what few places were friendly to immigrants were too far away from his ramshackle apartment.

Then, after paying the landlord for last month, he received the news that rent would increase – a tough hit, as he wasn’t sure whether he could pay this month at all. Without money and without hope, he gave a long and serious thought to Evelyn’s proposal.

And thus, it was after that week that Armando drove his car into Evelyn’s apartment complex, parking it on the sideroad. He was dressed casually, dropping his worn business suit for a polo and khakis, but still with the same pair of leather shoes. He pinged on the intercom, on the one apartment he knew was occupied.

The response couldn’t come faster. “Yes?” It was her voice - the voice of the woman that deceived him. “Who is it?”

“It’s me”, he replied. “Armando de la Guerra.”

“Mr. Armando!”, she exclaimed in delight. “I thought you wouldn’t return!”

“I came here to talk about business”, he demanded, “and nothing more.”

He noticed she must have felt his serious tone, as her response was downtrodden. “I see.” He felt the buzz on the gated door, allowing him to pass. He moved straight into the stairs, and into her apartment, announcing his presence with a knock.

He blushed when he saw her again. She had no makeup – or perhaps a very light layer – and she wore a very revealing negligee, causing his cheeks to blush. She covered, however, grabbing a robe from a coat hanger behind the door. “Mr. Armando...”

“Dr. Evelyn.”

“Please, come in.” She led him into her sofa, nervous about his appearance. “Do you want anything to drink? Orange juice, coffee, tea...?”

“It’s alright.”

She sighed, fearing the worst. She sat on her couch, crossing her leg effortlessly. “You said you came her to speak about business....”

“Yes. You said you had a proposal for me.”

“Yes, that...” Evelyn chewed on her nail, straying her look. “I promised you several things. I’m not sure if you’ll agree to my proposal after...my revelation, but I will insist my intentions aren’t to take advantage of you. I was looking for a partner, after all, and not of the sexual kind.”

“What kind of partnership do you offer?”

“A partnership that will benefit both of us, but will require... opening yourself to possibilities.”

The way Evelyn stressed her tone gave Armando a hint to what she ultimately wanted to propose. “Then... It has to do something with these... ‘skinsuits’, right?”

“Yes”, she said plainly.

“I’m already starting to regret coming here. Perhaps it’ll sound less troublesome if you explain.”

“That’s positive.” Evelyn relaxed on her couch, her pose causing Armando some distress. “The reason why I said as part of the proposal that I needed a partner is because this will be a long-term project, which will require some commitment to it. To put it simply; I need someone who could work as a servant for a rich family.”

Armando’s face turned sour very quickly. “You do know we Mexicans always get shoehorned as servants, right?”

“I’m painfully aware of that, Mr. Armando, but I promise the outcome will be extremely beneficial in the end. And though I dabble in deception, you know my stance regarding honesty.”

“So”, he responded as he tried to connect the strands. “You want me to do service work, but it relates to skinsuits... Correct me if I’m wrong, but... You want me to work as a servant while wearing a skinsuit?” He waggled his finger, revealing what he thought was the hidden context. “And that work has to be done as a woman, which means... You want me to work as a maid?”

“Very perceptive, Mr. Armando.”

“And... for what? I’ve worked at many places, but never as a servant – let alone a maid...!”

“As I said, it will be a long-term project. But since you must know the reason... I want you to work for these people and keep an eye on them. More specifically, on two people.”

“Alright...” Armando scoffed. “You want me to be a spy?”

“An interesting way to put it, Mr. Armando. Indeed, your work will be related to espionage, but it will extend a bit farther.” Evelyn handled a magazine to the young man, open at a page with a couple circled out. “Do you know them?”

He saw the couple and nodded. Pierre de León, after all, is one of the richest men in the world, owing his fortune to founding one of the leading bioengineering companies in the world – BioForma, a Canadian company who had since moved its headquarters to the United States, particularly to California. At his fifties, Pierre was known as a philanthropist, with his Lion Foundation assisting poor people with live-saving operations, as well as a pioneer in transplant operations. And, while his work had yet to earn him a Nobel Prize in Biology, he has been acclaimed as one of the sexiest billionaires on the planet, with his toned upper body, his lantern jaw and very masculine facial features, his spiky hair mixing strands of deep black and gray which extended to his permanent stubble, and his perfect set of teeth which he proudly showed in every photo, making him look at least five years younger.

And of course, wherever Pierre was, Sylvia de León had to be there. Younger than her husband, Sylvia was the definition of a prize wife, with her long curly platinum hair, her elfin nose and lips and green eyes contrasting Pierre’s baby blues, a carefully toned body that suggested an age of under thirty when she was already on her forties, and an unmistakable air of elegance. Very little is known about her, except that she directs the Lion Foundation ever since its creation, and that she has borne Pierre a single daughter – the socialité Angelica de León.

Armando observed the couple, forming ideas on his mind. “You want me to spy on Pierre and Sylvia de León...”

“Indeed. Now...” As Armando turned the pages, he noticed a photo of Evelyn – the one standing before him, and not the scraggly doctor he met a week ago – standing alongside Sylvia, though the caption didn’t identify her as “Evelyn de Thiel”. Instead, a deeper look revealed a different name attributed to her, a “Martha Baumgardner”. “...I already have an established friendship with Madame de León, but I need someone to be my eyes and ears in their house. And, since she has asked us for help on a suitable maid for their home--”

“I noticed you’re not using your real name.”

“Indeed. I introduced myself to you under my real name, but the world knows me as Martha Baumgardner.”

“Why?”

“That is something I cannot tell you just yet. Know that, in due time, you’ll learn everything.”

Armando sensed foul play, shaking his head. “No. Something’s wrong in here. You’ve been honest thus far, and all of a sudden, you don’t want to come clean on this. What are you hiding, Dr. Evelyn?”

“If you insist...” Evelyn took another magazine, sighing deeply. “Martha Baumgardner is the widow of Rudolf Baumgardner, a prestigious lawyer and former senior partner of the Murray, Cohen and Goldman law firm – which, back then, was known as the Murray, Baumgardner, Cohen and Goldman firm.”

“That law firm’s familiar...”

“Indeed. Andrew Murray is Pierre de León’s personal lawyer. They’re a very important group of lawyers specializing in Corporate Law. Mr. Baumgardner happened to have investments in certain companies he represented, which he left to the late Mrs. Baumgardner. Few people knew of this, but Mrs. Baumgardner was a shrewd investor, rapidly multiplying their personal fortune until they shared tables with the elite.”

“You’re suggesting Mrs. Baumgardner’s no longer with us, then...” Armando’s eyes opened wide. “You killed her.”

“I wouldn’t”, Evelyn claimed fiercely. “Martha was my friend, and the loss of Rudolf was a hard blow to her. Her heart couldn’t resist, and despite my medical and bioengineering knowledge, I couldn’t do anything. However, because they had no children, their fortune would be spurned, so I did something I have yet to regret.”

“And that probably involves the skinsuit you wear.”

“Indeed. I’m very surprised that you didn’t recognize me before – you seem to recognize Pierre and Sylvie.”

“They’re known for the Lion Foundation, after all.”

“True. Martha was never one to engage in charity. After her death, I decided to pass off as her. I was her personal physician, and by those means, I acquired some samples of her tissue. I molded a matrix sheath from her body to suit mine, and cloned it in order to form her tissue upon the matrix. From there, I developed the first of the suits that I wore to replace the late Mrs. Baumgardner. This would be the sixth – and thus far, the longest lasting one, not to mention the most effective.”

“How long have you lived as Mrs. Baumgardner?”

“Ten years, thus far.” Evelyn smiled, touching her supple face and rubbing her hair. “Many people wonder why I look so young, when I should be at my sixties. You may understand why now.”

“Cloned tissue and that collagen sheath.”

“I extracted stem cells from her body during her autopsy, which allow me to replicate them with little information loss. And of course, her fortune allows me to continue my experiments without issue. I have a luxury apartment, of course – Rudolf and Martha were never very ostentatious – but I’ve taken to rent it and reside here, in this very inconspicuous place.”

“And I assume you’re...well, assuming her identity while continuing your research.”

“Once again, very perceptive.”

“What I don’t understand is, why do you want me to keep an eye on Mr. and Mrs. de León?”

“As much as you deserve to know, now’s not the time.”

“If you don’t tell me, I don’t have to accept this proposal.”

“And you know very much, indeed, but I truly cannot reveal that to you. Perhaps you’ll recognize it in due time, but as for now, I must remain silent on the matter. All I ask is that you don’t insist on questioning me.”

“You’re asking me to do something that could be illegal.”

“If we’re to speak about being law-abiding, allow me to remind you that you’re here illegally.”

“I was trying to legalize my status here, Dr. Evelyn! That was a very low blow.”

“True, and I apologize for that. But, trust me when I tell you that you won’t commit anything illegal. Indeed, you’ll keep an eye on them, but only as far as your new patrons will allow you. And I expect you to do actual work for them.”

“As a maid.”

Evelyn chuckled at Armando’s attempt at dry humor. “Indeed, as a maid. They have no need for a gardener, and maids can get closer to them, which is what I need. Of course, that identity will have a set of secondary benefits that will resolve your current situation.”

“Like?”

“Well, the identity you’ll assume is that of a United States citizen. That means you’ll be able to live here, without fear of ICE. And, of course, you’ll need a place to stay, which I’m more than willing to offer. You’ll also have a better car, of course, and a reasonable salary.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“Which is why I asked for an open mind and commitment. I feel you’re the only one I can trust, Mr. Armando."

“Not like you haven’t given me a reason to trust you.”

“Perhaps that’ll change in due time. Now, I have something to show you...”