Free Be Careful What You Wish For (A Cupcake Goddess Novelette) by Shéa MacLeod Page B

stared in the mirror for what seemed like the longest time. Horror warred with delight.
    Ryan Roberts was a girl.
    ***
    After getting over the initial shock (and figuring out how to pee sitting down), Ryan decided it was time for a real shopping trip. Bras, panties, the whole nine yards. He had no idea how long this … whatever it was, was going to last, but he was damn well going to make the most of it.
    She. She was damn well going to make the most of it.
    Almost giddy with glee, Ryan went and knocked on her neighbor’s door. The door flew open to reveal the short, round blonde woman from the night before, still dressed in her pink fuzzy robe, cupcake in one hand.
    “Whaddya want?” the blonde said around a mouth full of cupcake. Pink to match her robe.
    “What did you do to me?” Ryan clasped her hands in front of her breasts in a decidedly feminine manner.
    The blonde peered at Ryan through narrowed blue eyes. “Who the hell are you?”
    “I’m your next door neighbor. You know, from last night? Ryan Roberts. Well,” Ryan waved a hand at her new body. “Rayanne, now, I guess. What did you do?”
    The blonde snorted. “I turned you into a woman, obviously.”
    “But how?”
    “I’m Branwen.”
    Rayanne just stared at her blankly. “So?”
    Branwen rolled her eyes. “The goddess Branwen. Obviously. I was sick and tired of your whining, so I gave you what you wanted.”
    Rayanne welled up. “Oh, thank you. Thank you so much! You don’t know what a blessing this is.”
    A look crossed Branwen’s face. A look that gave Rayanne sudden pause. “Oh, this isn’t a blessing,” the goddess said. “Not at all.”
    ***
    Rayanne emailed in sick and spent the entire morning shopping. It was beyond wonderful. Nobody stared at her. Nobody laughed at her. Clothes and shoes and pretty lingerie actually fit like it was supposed to.
    Even her driver’s license and credit cards magically had her new name and photo. It was a miracle.
    She sat happily at one of the tables in Cuppa Joe sipping at an iced soy latte and admiring her newly painted cotton-candy-pink nails. Ah, bliss. Women just had no idea how lucky they were.
    “Heya, sweet cheeks.”
    Rayanne glanced up, startled as a young man plopped into the seat opposite her. The man stared pointedly down Rayanne’s blouse at her now-ample cleavage.
    “Nice rack.”
    “Excuse me?” Rayanne felt her cheeks pinken in fury.
    “You and me should hang. Bet I could teach you a thing or two.” The young man leaned back in his chair, flexing his muscles under his too-tight t-shirt and licking his lips like she was dessert and he wanted to dive in. Frankly, it was…icky.
    “Thank you, no.”
    The boy’s features hardened. “Think you’re too good for me, do ya bitch?”
    Rayanne had no idea what to do. The only men who’d ever come on to Ryan had been gay, and most of them had been perfectly fine once he’d explained he was straight. If they did have a problem, well, Ryan was, after all, a straight man who was well over six feet tall with the build to match. When he said no, people listened. Even if he was a cross-dresser.
    Rayanne, on the other hand, was all of 5’4” and built like a … well, a very short Victoria’s Secret model. Rayanne was everything Ryan had often dreamed of being. Unfortunately, Rayanne was also about as intimidating as a kitten. If things got physical, she didn’t stand a chance.
    She glanced around for a knight in shining armor, but if anyone else had noticed what was going on, they were studiously avoiding the issue. She was on her own.
    “Not at all. It’s simply that my husband wouldn’t be too happy about me spending time with another man.”
    The kid’s eyes narrowed. “You ain’t wearing a ring.”
    Rayanne shrugged. “It’s being resized. I’m pregnant so I’ve been putting on a lot of weight recently … ”
    “Whoa. Whoa. Pregnant? Um … ” The young man scrambled out of his chair. “I gotta go.” And just like