Settling In (Complete!)

[diaperpt]

7 minutes ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Well Sam seems to be taking this a lot better than most human beings would. But then, I guess a fat paycheck on top of room & board... hell, I would wear a corset! XD

I suspect there's been some quiet threats/intimidation going on. But then I'm almost always wrong with my thoughts..

[AbyMatt]

I think as things progress Sam may not envy Natalie so much.

[kerry]

I really like this story. (Big surprise.) I'm trying to read it as you post it here, but I'm having a hard time not going to Patreon and indulging myself on the whole thing. ?

[Sophie ♥]

12 hours ago, kerry said:

I really like this story. (Big surprise.) I'm trying to read it as you post it here, but I'm having a hard time not going to Patreon and indulging myself on the whole thing. ?

Well then I'll have to keep a good posting schedule!  

Speaking of which.. I'll try to get Ch. 5 up later today.  I'm extremely tired and overworked atm.

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter V

Work was great.  The outfits I picked out with Cora were a total hit.  Everyone was so friendly and sweet and complimenting.  I was happy to be working again.  I was happy to be helping.  And I was happy that my boss trusted me.  Or I thought he did.  The following Monday, when I got back from the bathroom, he was waiting in my office for a short meeting.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, the same thing.  I didn't think anything of it, but Thursday was a different story.  When I came back from the restroom, Mr. Gladstone was standing in the center of my room looking extremely irritated.  "Hello sir," I said as kindly as I could.  I was wearing a soft summer dress with a collar and puffy sleeves.

"Hello, Natalie." He didn't sound mad, but he didn't sound warm and charming the way he usually did, either. He sounded... on the fence. Like there was definitely something bothering him, or like he had something serious to talk about. For a girl like Natalie, that was probably more concerning than anything else could have been.

I took a seat at my desk, but he didn't sit.  Every other time, when I came in here, he was sitting or he took a seat as I entered.  This time, he stood.  Though I was on the dominant side of the desk, he was imposing with his height.  I felt myself shrink into my chair. "Um... is there something you need?  A progress report?  So far we're on schedule with--"

"Actually, Natalie, I'm a little worried about your productivity. I've come to see you a number of times recently and found you not here at your desk - I understand a reasonable amount of time each day for bathroom use, but this can't be coincidence that you're never here when I need you." What an awkward topic.

"I... um..." I looked up at him in disbelief.  He was upset that I was using the bathroom?  No, he just thought I was always in the bathroom just because he came at inopportune times. "I'm getting everything done.  We're ahead of schedule.  I don't take a lot of breaks, I swear.  It's just bad timing."

"Once or twice I can accept as bad timing, Natalie. This has been several times more than that. Now if there were a medical condition I needed to know about, I could understand the need. Is there something you're not telling me? A bladder infection maybe?" He was just so overt about her health and body, like he was her father and not her boss.

He was so candid; I was bewildered.  I answered before thinking. "No!  I'm not... I'm fine.” He raised an eyebrow as I raised my voice.  I crossed my arms in frustration.  But if I lost my cool, he'd see hiring me as a mistake.  I'd get fired again.  So I settled myself before speaking again. "I swear, I only use the restroom once or twice a workday.  It's just a coincidence."

He listened, he nodded his head, and he waited for her to be finished before he concluded his statement. "I'm afraid I've given you plenty of opportunity for this to be left to coincidence, Natalie. You can see how fair I've been here, can't you?" His tone sounded so... final. Like this was a pre-firing talk.

I felt like my stomach dropped through the floor.  I knew this speech.  I knew this line.  He was going to fire me.  I... I couldn't!  I shook my head in a panic. "No!  No, no, no!  I swear, listen!  I promise!  I'll... I'll be here.  When you visit, I'll be in my office, I swear I will be!" But how could I promise that?  He looked me over, at the fear in my eyes, and let out a sigh I recognized.  He was taking pity on me.  Whatever, I'd take it. "Alright, Natalie... another chance." "Thank you so much, sir!  Thank you!"

He watched Natalie briefly through the blinds of his office, cradling the phone between his head and his shoulder. “I did my part.  But we can’t have her fighting us on this.” He stepped away from the window and laughed heartily. "Now now, give her more credit than that.” He paused and nodded his head, as if his wife was in the room with him. “Oh. Alright. A wager, then? The usual? I love you, too." He hung up the phone, smiling.

The next day went much the same way.  Honestly, I'd forgotten all about the conversation.  Cora made me a cup of coffee in the morning and by noon I had to pee.  But then I remembered the incident the day before.  Around this time yesterday, Mr. Gladstone came into the office.  So I held it.  I worked on some other papers.  I tried to think about something else.  But at one-thirty, he still hadn't come to check on me.  I could slip off to the bathroom... real quick... few minutes... but if he came in... I shook my head and pushed my knees together.  I could hold it.

"Honey did you have those TPS reports?" One of her co-workers peered her head into the office with a chipper smile, being friendly but not entirely... respectful. Like maybe she was talking to a child. "Mr. Gladstone needs me to sign off on them before he heads out for lunch this afternoon, are you having any troubles?"

Maisie was a sweet lady, in her late thirties.  She was also one of the best workers I had in the office.  She sort of talked down to me, but I was younger than her, so... "Oh, um... no, I'm sorry.  I'm still working on them." "Hmm, you're usually done with your reports by now." "I... I'm sorry.  I'm working on it." I looked at the clock.  1:35. "Um, you said Mr. Gladstone is going out for lunch?  Do you know when that is?" Maisie shook her head and I looked again at the clock. 1:36.  If I had just gone three minutes ago... but I'd been thinking that same thought for over an hour.

"You seem to be fitting in really well now, and everyone always loves seeing how cute you dress each day. Do you have a big collection of cute outfits at home? It must cost a lot to be so in touch with your fashion, isn't it?" Here it was: idle office conversation. Chatter. Friendly dialog. Something Natalie had been left out of, made a pariah of and excluded from. All it took was some children's clothes.

"Um... yeah, a few." I didn't have the focus to argue the nickname.  I spun side to side in my chair, keeping myself in motion.  It might have looked childish from Maisie's perspective, but it was all I could do to keep myself occupied from the pressure in my bladder. "Make sure you finish your reports!" Maisie said before leaving me alone in the office.  But how was I supposed to finish the reports when I couldn't sit still?!  I checked the clock again.  1:37.  If I'd gone before Maisie walked in... or even then.  It wasn't until 2:14 when Mr. Gladstone came into my office.

"You're a little behind on your reports, Natalie." His voice wasn't accusatory, though, because it seemed like he was actually pleasantly surprised to find her here, sitting in place... twirling around and around on her chair. "Is the workload too much? I could have some of the other ladies sit in here with you and go over how to put them together if it would help?"

"N-no, um... I can do it myself." He was here.  Finally.  FINALLY.  And when he left, I could run to the bathroom!  But Mr. Gladstone took a seat and pulled out one of his binders. "I wanted to go over this paperwork with you.  We have to get this finalized and I need you to look it over." He had to be kidding... that would taken an hour at least! "Well... I... yeah.  I can do that.  I just... could you excuse me just a minute?"

"Natalie." His voice was stern. "You've had all day to go to the bathroom, and you want to wait until I'm here with you needing to focus on work? After such an unproductive day, and after our talk yesterday? This is a joke, isn't it? You surely cannot be serious." Each word was like a bullet fired.

I looked up at Mr. Gladstone with anxiety and fear.  And out of stupidity, I nodded my head.  I needed this job.  I could hold it... "Yeah... I... it was just a joke..." I fidgeted in place, pushing my knees together as tightly as I could.  But as Mr. Gladstone talked about one of the reports, I couldn't focus for more than a sentence at a time.  I couldn't stop wiggling in my chair.

"Natalie Anderson, what is the matter?" He finally asked, stern and annoyed, like a father trying to have a serious talk with his daughter. "Out with it." And not like a boss in the slightest bit.

It all just spilled out of my lips. "I gotta use the bathroom, I really, really gotta... and I didn't earlier 'cause I thought you'd come in and I wouldn't be here and you'd fire me and... and I really, really, really gotta pee..." Tears formed at the edges of my eyes but I didn't let them drip down my cheeks.  I was stronger than that.

"You've had all day to do that, Natalie. All day. Are you telling me that you can't manage and allocate time to go to the bathroom? Is that what you're telling me? That this simple, basic, task, that all adults have mastered, is just too much for you?" He used a harsh avenue of questioning, but he wasn't actually mean about it. His questions were fair.

"I........." I didn't know what to say.  I didn't know what to do.  He asked, and I told him, and... and he was right and I didn't know what to do!  It had been over three hours.  My logical thinking was out the window.  And when I didn't answer him, Mr. Gladstone's anger got the better of him.  He slammed his hand down on my desk and the loud echo rang through the room, timed with one booming word: "Well?!" The surprise was too much.  I felt the warmth spread between my legs and along the crest of my bottom.  In a panic, I shoved the dress between my legs and tried to force myself to stop it from happening, but all it did was soak the front as well as the seat of my dress.  Tears dripped down my cheeks in shame.

It was like clockwork, like a World War II battle plan; it all came together at the right time. Cora entered her office with lunch in her hands that very moment, and the two of them watched in quiet observation as Natalie wet herself all over her dress, her computer chair, the carpet, down her white tights.. it was a perfect moment to kick off the next phase of her life.

-----------------

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[Baby Billy]

They are MEAN,  I love this story and saw all this coming from the start.

[Wannatripbaby]

If she were smart she would called him up or showed up in his office like "just letting you know I'm going to the bathroom so you don't think I'm avoiding you or something."

But of course, then we wouldn't have a story now would we?

[littleTomás]

And the plot thickens! I love where this is headed...

Also, I don’t know Roman numerals that well, so if that means I’m a baby, then I guess I should get out the diapers and pacifiers ?.

[Sophie ♥]

17 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

If she were smart she would called him up or showed up in his office like "just letting you know I'm going to the bathroom so you don't think I'm avoiding you or something."

She's a scaredy cat!  

11 hours ago, littleTomás said:

Also, I don’t know Roman numerals that well, so if that means I’m a baby, then I guess I should get out the diapers and pacifiers ?.

This is the new metric of babyhood, I think.

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter VI

There was no hiding it.  There was no denying it.  I'd wet myself, at work, in front of my boss, in front of his wife.  Tears poured down my cheeks and I couldn't stop shaking.  My dress was soaked.  The tights were soaked.  My chair, the office carpet... how had this happened?  Why had I let this happen?  I was so humiliated.  I'd never come back from this.  I wouldn't be surprised if they fired me right here, on the spot.  What kind of office manager was I?  How could anyone depend on me?

"Oh Natalie, darling, what a mess you've made." Cora sighed sharply, allowing a brief glimpse at her exacerbation, before she fell into an over-the-top maternal mode. After all, Natalie should feel out of control of herself, and yet safe to come to either of her new benefactors. "Darling husband, what are you staring at? Shoo shoo, this is women's business."

I glanced up to see the annoyance on Mr. Gladstone's face as he left the room.  The door shut behind him and my silent crying turned into outright sobbing.  My chest heaved as I struggled for air and buried my head in my desk.  What was I going to do?  Then I felt Cora's hand on my back.

With one hand upon the crying girl’s back and the other with fingers in her hair, Cora pulled her in close for a full body cuddle.  It was far more close and initiate than what might have been expected from the woman who was functionally her boss. "There there, Natalie, let it all out, let those tears out darling." Cora pulled the crying girl’s face against her shoulder and played with her hair.

I wanted to push her away.  I was soaking wet and disgusting.  She shouldn't be here!  But her words were so soft, her touch was so gentle... as she pulled my head into her shoulder, she was so warm.  I clung to her shirt and wept.  I didn't want to go back to work.  I didn't want to see Mr. Gladstone.  I didn't want to face what I'd done... "I'm so sorry... I'm so so so sorry..."

"You made a mistake, darling, you made a simple little error of judgement because you were far too busy trying to think, that's all. You should have called me, darling, phoned me up and let me help, sometimes it's alright to let someone else manage this tough stuff. There's no shame in that, no shame whatsoever." Cora's words were softly spoken, which helped to disguise how cutting they could be seen as in a certain light.

I was still crying.  No matter how long I cried, the tears never seemed to dry up.  I wiped them off my cheeks, away from my eyes, but new ones took their place. "He's gonna fire me..." "Oh, he will not." "I'd fire me... I'm so... I'm so stupid... I can't believe I..."

"You're doing great with your work, Nattie. You're getting things in on time and the quality of it is just marvelous, I promise you. You're doing so well here, and this little accident is... embarrassing, yes, sure, but it’s not the end of the world." Cora waited in thought, hung her words up like a coat on a rack and let them rest, before departing on her next verbal tirade. "Maybe there's a way you could show how devoted you are to not letting another accident happen?"

I looked up at Cora with wet eyes, curious and scared.  If I lost this job, I would have to move.  What else could I do?  No, this meant too much to me... to Sam, to everyone.  I wiped my eyes one more time and nodded my head. "I won't let it happen again... this time was just... it was just a mistake.  I would never let it happen again..."

"You could always take some precautions, you know; when I was a girl I had such dreadful nighttime accidents that would have prevented me from slumber parties, staying over with boys… in fact, I might never have met Mr. Gladstone! But I took a precaution, and never looked back." Cora's phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out, looked at it, and sighed. "Oh shoot..." Now the notion of precautions, protections, had been planted in Natalie, and Cora's apparent distraction would only be fuel for that.

"It was just a one-time mistake," I told her.  Or was I reassuring myself. "Hopefully my husband sees it the same way," Cora said offhandedly and a chill ran up my spine.  What if he didn't?  Did he think this would happen again?  But more pressingly... "What am I supposed to do about my dress?  I can't go out there like this..."

And there was the six million dollar question. Cora's brow furrowed and she tapped her chin thoughtfully, followed by a triumphant finger wave. "We'll just have to get you something new to wear, that's what we'll have to do." Of course, she'd either have to sit here in her wet dress all afternoon and wait, or else walk by the entire staff of the office in a walk of shame.

"I don't bring spare clothes to work," I said with a touch of annoyance, brushing away the rest of my tears and looking down shamefully at the wet patch on the front of my dress.  Damnit... "And I can't let anyone else see me like this... they won't respect me."

"Well, I could go and get you something from the store, I suppose..." Cora said, trailing off. "Here, have something to eat," she began, nodding to the plastic bag of food she'd set down on the desk when she entered. “And sit tight, I'll be back with something cute for you to wear, and we can talk about future precautions to prevent this ever from happening again."

"It won't happen again," I repeated, but Cora left without saying another word.  She shut the door behind her.  I looked down at the plastic bag and took out a Chinese container.  Suddenly, I realized how hungry I was.  And I couldn't leave until Cora got back, or until the office was empty.  I checked the clock: 2:38.  Well, I might as well enjoy the food...

"Do you think she's going to take the bait?" Mr. Gladstone stroked his chin, looking out the large window in his office as his wife ate her own lunch, looking down at the bag of clothes that had been packed and prepared in advance. Cora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't rightly know, but she's quite distraught; something tells me it could go either way because her haughtiness is arching up somewhat." The man turned around and fished his hand into the bag of shrimp crackers thoughtfully. "I trust you to mitigate that, dearest wife of mine." The clothes in the bag, folded neatly by the door; they were far more ambitious and bold than anything Cora had coerced the girl into wearing to date. They were, in every regard, a risk. A calculated risk. And the padded training panties more so than anything else.

I kept telling myself that someone was bound to walk in.  This time of day, I got a lot of questions.  Maisie or Prin would knock.  They'd open the door.  I had cleaned up the carpet and the chair with the Chinese napkins, but my dress was still wet.  What if they noticed?  No, I'd stay hidden behind my desk.  What if I had to stand up?  I wouldn't.  But my worries were unfounded: after an hour, not a single person knocked.  Then, suddenly, someone did.  The door opened and Cora walked in with a bag in her hands.  I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm ever so sorry for taking so long. You know, I went to the closest place I could think of and I paid through the nose despite, but I knew how distressed you were my darling girl.  How worried and concerned.  And I didn't want for you to have to wait any longer than you needed to." And the fact that the new ensemble was tantamount to pastel pink shortalls with prints all over them suddenly got easier to swallow thanks to the power of guilt!

Cora handed me the bag of clothes and I shuffled through them.  Then my cheeks went crimson. "I... I can't wear that here.  It's unprofessional." But the look of unease on Cora's face was more than I could handle.  She went all the way to the store for me. "I... um.  I just don't want to... draw attention, or..."

"This is entirely within your fashion palette, darling, I made sure of it." Even the new panties, the padded ones, were cutely designed and it was difficult to tell at a glance just how thick they were without touching them. "And I paid quite a lot for them, when there were cheaper options far less cute and far less you."

"Right, but..." Cora looked at me with a mixture of irritation and disappointment.  Damnit... "I guess anything is better than a piss-soaked dress, right?" I tried to laugh at my own joke, but it fell flat.  Ugh, this was so embarrassing. "I guess I'll get changed..."

"Get changed into everything in the bag, understand me darling? I need everything you peed on so I can get it dry cleaned; your new clothes are dry-clean only too, so keep that in mind. The help at the house," meaning Sam, "can take care of all that, though; you don't need to worry your pretty head over it."

I stripped down to my underwear and my bra, leaving the wet clothes balled up in a pile on the floor.  Cora never left the room, but I wasn't self-conscious about my body.  I wasn't known as a town whore for nothing, right?  Ha.  But when I emptied the bag out on the desk, a pair of panties fell out.  At first, they looked like normal briefs.  Then, I picked them up.  Surely they weren't... "Cora, uh... what are these supposed to be?"

"They're a precaution." Cora stated simply, a little tuft of pride in her voice and her chest puffed out to match. "Nobody will know you're wearing them, and if you do have another accident," she preempted the sassy defiant response with a finger pressed to the girl’s lips. "If you do, they'll soak up and you won't have to wait for me to go get you new clothes. You'll be able to be independent and handle it yourself. No fussing, darling."

"Absolutely not," I said sharply. "There is no way.  I'm not a toddler.  I don't need training pants!" I tossed the thick panties back into the bag. "It was one stupid accident and it's not even a big deal!"

"Darling." Cora was calm, measured, confident, more like a scientist mixing chemicals than a bartender mixing drinks; she spoke clearly. "You always fight me on these things, and I'm always right. Can't you see how much I look out for you, how much I go the extra mile, and you still argue with me." And like a scientist, sometimes what she mixed up was toxic, dangerous, and powerful.

"But--" "If you don't need them, then this is no different to wearing any other underwear." "No, it's--" “And it will put my husband's mind at ease." "But..." "So it seems like an obvious decision." I looked up at Cora with frustration.  Because she was right.  Because I was throwing a tantrum over a really stupid thing.  And I hated to admit it. "This isn't fair," I muttered under my breath.

"A lot of things in life aren't fair, darling." Cora stopped short of reminding the girl of her own indiscretions in the past, how she became a pariah, a town whore, and how her and her husband had taken a risk on her. But even without reminding her of that directly, it was pretty clear to the two of them that the events had happened. Cora leaned in, kissed her on the forehead, and smiled. "There's a good girl."

I looked stupid.  I felt stupid.  The pale pink shortalls looked even more childish on my person, and it didn't help to know that I was literally wearing training pants underneath it.  Cora bundled all my wet clothes in the shopping bag and wished me a good day before taking off.  I sat behind my desk, pouting.  This was the worst day I'd had in a long time, and I was eager for it to be over.  One hour to go...

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[littleTomás]

It's hard to tell if this is the beginning or end of Natalie's career. I'd guess it's the end of her career in an office and the beginning of one at daycare.

[Wannatripbaby]

Yup, she's done for. ?

So far everything seems almost stereotypical in its simplicity (almost). I have a feeling that the thing that'll set this story apart is the interactions between Nat and Sam. How long until Sam goes from Maid to Babysitter? Only time will tell. 

Might I ask how long this story is? Things seem to be moving pretty fast which leads me to believe this story might be on the short side?

[harrycrosby]

There's LII + I chapters on Patreon, it's just getting started!

[Sophie ♥]

3 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Might I ask how long this story is? Things seem to be moving pretty fast which leads me to believe this story might be on the short side?

 

20 minutes ago, harrycrosby said:

There's LII + I chapters on Patreon, it's just getting started!

Yep, this is correct!  52 chapters and an epilogue.  So... not exactly short.  There's much more content to come!

Thanks again to all the readers!  

[Wannatripbaby]

Wow! 52 chapters! :o

this is gonna be goooooood. :D

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter VII

After work, the driver took me home.  I hadn't seen Mr. Gladstone since my accident, and I didn't want to.  What was I supposed to say?  Luckily, I only ran into one or two co-workers on my way out of the building.  Prin talked about how cute I looked, which was a little annoying.  But the day was over with.  I would go home, change my clothes - especially my underwear! - and spend a quiet night in my room.

"Alright but you look so f-" Sam looked past her best friend in the foyer and saw one of the other maids behind her with a disapproving glare.  Sam sighed in defeat, before adjusting her attitude and avoiding cursing.  She didn’t want to be in trouble again. "I mean," clenched teeth, "Lady Anderson, you look lovely." Curtsy dip. Ugh!

"I don't want to talk about it," I said quietly, exhausted from the long day.  The pink shortalls only came halfway down my thighs, and were strapped over a sparkly t-shirt.  Honestly, I looked like an overgrown child.  And I felt like it too, with these stupid training pants... "I'm going to my room." I walked past my best friend and went up two flights of stairs to get changed.

"Well, Lady Anderson, I've been instructed to take you to your room anyway.” So Sam followed her. Despite the protests, despite the arguments, despite everything Natalie wanted, Sam continued to follow her.

I didn't have the energy to fight with her.  But when we got to my bedroom, she followed me in. "I have to get changed," I told her. "Go wait outside or something." I hadn't meant to sound so bossy, but I couldn't take off these shortalls until she left.  God forbid she see these stupid trainers...

"Well, I'd love to." Click went the door, and once the two of them were alone. "But Cora sent home a bag of the clothes you were wearing when you left for work today, and I had to go and get them dry-cleaned."

I looked at Sam with wide eyes.  My clothes from work?  My panties.  My dress.  My white tights.  All totally soaked.  She... she didn't know, did she?  I felt like a deer in headlights.  My heart was racing. "I... um..."

"It's weird, you know, I figured you changed at work to go out for a lunch or something, but when I started going through the clothes..." Long pause. Awkward pause. Because they both knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Y-yeah, um... Maisie brought her nephew to work.  He's only a year old, so..." Wow, good lie Natalie. "I was on changing duty, and... yeah.  It sucked.  Now can you please go away for a minute so I can get out of these work clothes?" That was probably the only time someone called pink shortalls 'work clothes'.

"Are you sure? Because your panties were the wettest thing in the whole bunch, and I'm pretty sure you're lying your face off to me right now." Arms crossed. No more subtlety. Sam was absolutely done with this mess.

I bit my lip nervously and looked away from my best friend.  A blush filled my cheeks. "So you did, huh?" she said, more to herself than to me.  I crossed my arms over my chest, but I couldn't make eye contact. "It was an accident.  And it's barely my fault!  Mr. Gladstone--"

"I don't get it, like, I know you need this job and stuff but now you're lying to me?” Obviously things were different here because rich people were different, they lived different lives, they did things differently, they saw people differently - but this had all been so... obtuse.

"It's not like I wanted to!” I was shouting now.  I was upset and frustrated and humiliated and I didn't want to talk about this!  But Sam wasn't letting it go. "It just happened and I'm so embarrassed and what if he fires me?!" Tears dripped down my cheeks and I wiped them away, trying to hide them from my best friend.

"Then you'll find a new..." Except Sam knew that her best friend wouldn't find a new job, and that she needed this like she needed oxygen, that she didn't have a damn choice in the matter. And maybe she was right, maybe Sam was overreacting here, but it was still... she deflated, and puffed her cheeks out with a long sigh. "I just didn't expect this."

"Yeah, I didn't either..." Wetting myself in my office.  Dressed in something so childish.  Wearing padded underwear.  I rubbed the tears from my face and looked down shamefully. "I... I want to change my clothes.  Can you just... give me some space?"

"Well I..." Yeah that question was complicated, that was a tough question, because... "I can't, because I'm supposed to dress and undress you, that's part of my job... so..." Sam's voice had gotten lower when she said that, because she had her own damn consequences to deal with.

I looked at Sam in awe.  Like she'd said a swear word in elementary school.  Like she'd told a bad joke.  "I don't need you to dress me," I said firmly, with rising irritation.  Then, as I realized exactly what she would see under my dress, the irritation boiled over. "Get out of my room."

"Natalie!"  Sam was frustrated, flustered. "This is my job, okay? And I'm not thrilled about what they make me do, but listen!” Deep breath, Sam, deep breath. "If you don't let me do my job, they're gonna know, you know that right? And then you'll probably get scolded."

"They aren't my parents!  And I'm not a kid!" "You're sure acting like one!" This was too much.  Today had been the worst day of my entire life, and now this?  No. "Get out." "Nat-" "GET OUT!" Sam glared at me.  She'd get in trouble for not following the rules.  But the rules were stupid!  I didn't need help changing my clothes!  Sam eventually turned on her heel and walked out of my room, slamming the door behind her.

"What do you think?" Cora said, tapping her finger to her chin as she watched the monitors. "Not exactly what we wanted..." "But the seeds are sown," Ando mused.  They both watched as the girl on the screen stripped the childish clothes off herself and tucked the padded trainers far into the back drawer of her dresser. "What about Sam?" Cora asked. "If we keep pushing her, she'll lash out.  We should cut her some slack..."

“We can make use of her. She's fiercely independent, after all, and this role in domestic servitude leaves her in need of... an outlet. " Ando thought about it, clipping the end of his cigar as he paced the darkened surveillance room. "She sees her best friend treated as royalty while she's scrubbing floors and doing laundry; if we continue to spoil Natalie while providing a healthy fear economy, we should be able to cultivate a response in Samantha." He lit his cigar, smiling. "It could be advantageous."

"I don't know, darling." Cora watched another screen.  Sam, storming down the stairs.  She was a volatile girl.  She was difficult to work with.  Hm... "We need to ensure Sam turns against Natalie - not us.  She needs more leniency." Cora knew her husband.  Leniency wasn't his thing.  But Cora was rarely wrong about these things.

"Can we use her? You know how much I hate to waste a resource.“

"Natalie isn't ready." Cora sighed and thought to herself. "For now, I'll have Eloise assign Sam some easier tasks.  That reflects well on us.  And you know what the help is saying, don't you?  How the new princess is spoiled, how she gets everything she wants.  Soon, Sam will overhear.  Jealousy can be so infectious." And from jealousy, resentment.  The easiest way to break a friendship apart.

"Alright, my dear, you know that I trust you." Ando put his cigar down on the edge of an ashtray and watched the screen, studiously taking in the motions of Natalie in her bedroom; oh how she made him boil inside in just the right way. Fascination, delight, but most of all... power.

Cora wrapped her arms around her husband's hips and pushed her cheek into her shoulder. "I think she's ready for Phase two." Ando's muscles tensed.  She could feel them. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes dear.  I'm sure." Ando and Cora had done all they could.  They had planted the seeds.  Now, they had to be patient.  This had to be her idea, after all.  That night, after Natalie had fallen asleep, static started to play over the speakers hidden in her bedroom walls.

-----------------

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[Infernum]

14 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

 

Yep, this is correct!  52 chapters and an epilogue.  So... not exactly short.  There's much more content to come!

Thanks again to all the readers!  

52 chapters?! How in the world are you not a world renowned author with thousands of sold books in the smut section in the good bookstores? 

[Sophie ♥]

2 hours ago, Infernum said:

52 chapters?! How in the world are you not a world renowned author with thousands of sold books in the smut section in the good bookstores? 

I basically am... if by "world" you mean "fetish community" and by "good bookstores" you mean "diaper forum"! XD

Actually our Patreon is a good source of supplemental income for Puddin and myself.  It isn't quite the same as having a shelf full of smut books at Barnes & Noble, but it's pretty close.

[Wannatripbaby]

Hmm, this is getting more and more interesting by the chapter! If she's already onto "Phase II" by chapter VII, by chapter XX she'll be a full-blown baby. But that's not even the halfway mark! Which means there must be a BIG plot twist somewhere in there...

I'm getting pretty good at these numerals. XD

Grammar Patrol

7 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

"But the seeds are sewn,"

I believe you mean *Sown*. Sewn is for fabric, Sown is for seeds.

[Infernum]

10 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

I basically am... if by "world" you mean "fetish community" and by "good bookstores" you mean "diaper forum"! XD

Actually our Patreon is a good source of supplemental income for Puddin and myself.  It isn't quite the same as having a shelf full of smut books at Barnes & Noble, but it's pretty close.

Somebody needs to call Barnes & Noble, you need your own shelf there. 

[Sophie ♥]

19 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Grammar Patrol

Fixed.

11 hours ago, Infernum said:

Somebody needs to call Barnes & Noble, you need your own shelf there. 

I'll send corporate B&N an email about it. ^_~

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter VIII

I put my cheek down on the nice polished wooden desk.  Today had been so boring.  I only had two reports all day, and I'd walked around the office so many times that I swear I could see the path worn into the carpet.  I peeked up from my desk, through the blinds, at the office door of Mr. Gladstone.  It had been two weeks since the accident, and we had barely said two words to each other.  I couldn't go more than ten minutes without worrying he would just walk right in and fire me on the spot.  I sunk further into my desk.  Using the bathroom at work was so anxiety-inducing.  I'd come back into the office and he would be sitting there, ready to let me go.  But not using the bathroom would be worse.  I shuddered at the memory.  What if he saw me slouching like this?  I had to look busy...

"Wow, Nattie, you keep pacing and you're going to end up in a pit!" Prin had come out of relatively nowhere, which was to say that she'd gotten off the elevator from an upper floor, walked down past a dozen cubicles and had even waved to Natalie to announce her presence, but the fraught girl must not have seen her because she damn near jumped out of her skin when Prin had talked!

I looked at Prin like she was a ghost.  She had a bag of snacks in her hand and she passed me a cookie with all the grace of a seasoned secretary. "Th-thanks..." "You've been wound up all week.  Doing alright?" "Y-yeah.  Sorry.  Sorry." I took a bite of the cookie to calm down.  Every minute or so, I'd glance at Mr. Gladwell's office.  Did I look busy enough? "Um.  No calls, Prin?  Nothing?" "Not since the last time you asked." "Right..."

"What's gotten you in such a tizzy anyway, Nattie? You're usually the very image of composed and cute and down to earth, and right now it's like you're a toy with the wind up spring wound just a bit too tight." It was a very 1950's way of phrasing things, but apt!

"Yeah, I'm just... bored.  Antsy, you know?" Prin and I were nearly the same age, but she always talked to me like I was younger.  Probably because she had her job here before me.  Technically, she had seniority over me, though I was her boss. "Don't you have something I could do?  Papers to file?  Someone to yell at?"

"Oh you cutiepop, I don't think we'd get too far if you tried yelling at someone." Prin laughed kindly and booped Natalie right on the nose. Just like that. "Lighten up! There's nothing to do, so sit at your desk and do your nails or shop for cute clothes or forward emails about cats."

I pouted and looked down at my buckle-up shoes.  My more childish clothes were second nature by now - everyone at the office was so nice to me, and I knew it had a lot to do with the way I dressed.  And well, they were comfortable to say the least. "Send me an email about a cat, then.  That's an order." Prin gave me a salute and I returned again to my office.  This was the longest day of my life.

*     *     *     *     *

"What did you want to talk to me about, darling?" It had to have been nine at night by the time Cora came into the girl’s bedroom - Sam had already come in and done her best to persuade her best friend to let her change her clothes, failed, left, and came back with dinner. They'd fought some and Natalie had called for Cora. Cora had a pleasant smile, a diplomatic smile, even, like she knew that Natalie was still causing a fuss with the help, but wasn't going to bring it up.

"I don't want Sam to be bringing me food anymore," I said flatly. "And can you tell her she doesn't have to change my clothes?" My friendship with Sam was getting harder and harder.  She was acting like a jerk, and I was always on edge.  And I finally figured out what the problem was: she was basically my maid.

"You want a different maid, darling?" Cora was thoughtful about that and tapped her finger to her cheek, pretending to be in some deep level of thought before she continued. "I suppose we could let Samantha go, although she was coming along in her training so well - that girl has a passion for service, you know? Her pride is a struggle for her, but she is so fulfilled being here. I suppose I'll let her know her services aren't needed and she can leave."

Leave?  Let her go?  As Cora turned to leave my room, I leapt up from the bed in a panic. "Wait!  No!  I don't want you to fire her!  I... I meant like.  Let her do something else.  Cleaning the foyer or doing the dishes or something.  And I'll have a different maid?" If I got Sam fired, she'd hate me forever.  We wouldn't be friends anymore.  My chest started to hurt.  Tears filled up my eyes. "Please don't fire her..."

"Well, if she's not your handmaiden, darling, she's superfluous to our needs; she's not classically trained and doesn't come from a servant family, so taking care of you is about all she can be trusted with. If you need another maid, we'll have to let her go I'm afraid. Oh she will be so distraught,” Cora mused out loud.

"N-no!  No, no, no!  I'm sorry!  She... she's fine.  She's great!" "She isn't following protocols anyhow," Cora sighed. "She hasn't helped you into your pajamas even once." "I... that's my fault.  I don't need help with stuff like that."

"Well, the thing about having a servant, darling girl, is that she needs to serve. She has duties and protocols, and if she's not following them for any reason, she's not useful to us here. Don't worry your pretty head, I'm sure your new maid will follow the protocols much better!" How optimistic sounding, and with every word, Cora drove Natalie deeper into a corner of surrender.

"Please don't," I muttered wiping tears from my cheeks.  My thoughts were spinning.  Sam getting fired.  Her hating me.  A new maid.  Being alone here.  I didn't have any friends, not really.  After I slept with my boss, all my friends from work stopped talking to me.  I only had Sam... "I... I could use some help, I guess.  With... um... with..."

"With being dressed in the mornings and the evenings?" Cora offered, smiling, waiting for Natalie to nod. "With having your baths drawn? And obviously with taking a bath, too; that's part of a handmaiden’s role. Splendid! Then I suppose I can give Samantha a second chance. For my Princess's sake."

"Princess...?" I looked up at Cora through tear-filled eyes with an ounce of confusion.  And what I saw in Cora was... surprise.  Had she meant to say that?  What did she mean by princess?  "I'm not special or anything" I told her. "I just work for your husband..."

"You do, yes, as does everybody at the business," Cora needed a moment to pause, to recompose, but whether her slip of the tongue was intentional or not was difficult to tell - either way, she landed on her feet with aplomb. "But not everybody gets to live here, not everybody gets a second chance to prove themselves. Pariah to Princess, isn't that a fairytale title worth having?"

I crossed my arms and looked down at my feet. "I thought I was living here so you could keep an eye on me... but you're always so nice.  You take me shopping and you buy me things and you fix my mistakes... I just don't get it.  I thought you were going to hate me..."

"You haven't given me a reason to hate you, Natalie, and I think that might be because your wayward actions before were a result of lack of supervision, lack of attention, and lack of love. You'll get all three of those things in abundance here in your new home, so I think neither of us have much to worry about, do we, darling?" Cora was always so ready with answers.

Cora reached out and touched my cheek, running her fingers down the side of my neck in an affectionate gesture.  If I had literally any other relationship with this woman, I might have thought she was coming onto me.  But it didn't feel like that.  It felt intimate.  It felt soft.  It felt... safe.

The moment lingered tenderly, softly, and for just long enough. And then, just like that it was over. Back to business. "Samantha will draw you a bath in the morning and get you ready for work. Remember the boundaries between you and her, my darling; she needs to feel like a servant and you need to feel like a princess, so don't be shy about making use of her because her position here counts on it." And then, one last thing. "I'll send her up to change you for bed."

"Um... r-right.  Sure..." Cora left my room and I sat down on the edge of my bed.  Wow, that was weird.  Not bad.  Just... weird.  A few minutes later, Sam showed up in my doorway with the same look of irritation from before.  I remembered what Cora said. "Um.  You can help me get ready, I guess."

"Oh, I can, huh?" Clearly, Sam had a bit of an attitude problem right now; the back and the forth, the getting in trouble over Natalie's resistance, the uncertainty.  She acted like a friend in a fight, but she had duties to perform.

"Listen, do you wanna keep your job or not?" Sam looked at me harshly and I looked harshly right back.  But in the end, we both knew the truth.  Sam didn't want to have to go find another job.  So she sighed and stepped into the room

"Yeah yeah..." Samatha sighed and came into the room, going about what she was supposed to have been doing for the past two weeks; getting out Natalie’s bedclothes, making light conversation, getting her ready for bed. It was humiliating, honestly, because Sam didn't see why Natalie deserved this kind of treatment, but at least she wouldn't get scolded again. “Oh, you should check the toilet for spiders."

"...what?" I looked down at Sam like I had misheard her.  I did, right? "When Josceline was in the bathroom, like... four spiders just poured out from under the toilet seat.  I know you don't like spiders, so I thought I'd warn you." Sam draped the nightgown over my head and a shudder ran up my spine. "Thanks for telling me," I muttered.  But I wasn't thankful she told me at all.

-----------------

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[Baby Billy]

beautiful, make her afraid of the potty monsters. 

[littleTomás]

I think she’ll have much less anxiety once she’s back in diapers where she belongs.

[Sophie ♥]

4 hours ago, littleTomás said:

I think she’ll have much less anxiety once she’s back in diapers where she belongs.

I think so too.