Chapter Ten

Ugh. I did NOT want to be here today. I hated Wednesdays. Benny was supposed to give me the day off, but he said that it was important that we look as productive as possible while the Terminator's stupid audit was going on. I hated that woman, that Ice Queen. Honestly, I had hated her from the moment Kailee introduced me to her. Kailee went gay for this bitch, and Vanessa just dropped her like a bad habit, leaving her with some really messed up ideas. She actually wore diapers for Vanessa, and I'd never understand that.

Kailee had been normal before she came around. Things had started off normal enough for them, Vanessa was obviously the guy in the relationship, Kailee had acted like she had with lots of guys - talking about how tall Vanessa was, how smart, how cool, how strong. Then her clothing had started to change - she had ditched her usual style for pastel colors and cutesy things, which didn't make a bit of sense when you looked at the Terminator. Severe did not begin to describe the woman. Oh, she was smooth, she was a charmer. She knew just what to say and who to say it to... and slowly, Kailee changed.

They had only been dating for a month when I walked in to Kailee's room to find her laying on her bed in nothing but a diaper, sucking on a pacifier. That had been a weird night. She had cried and apologized, she had told me that she understood if I didn't want to be her friend anymore... and I'll be honest, I was pretty bothered by the whole thing. But I comforted her and we talked about it... and it came out that she was doing it to make Vanessa happy. The crazy bitch wanted Kailee to dress like a baby, and she did it...

Even after they broke up - well, after Vanessa the Hosebeast dumped poor Kailee on her butt - she still kept going at it. She wore diapers to bed, she bought her own... sometimes she'd wear nothing but a t-shirt and a diaper around the apartment. I figured out eventually that she just really wanted Vanessa back, and this was the way she was going to try to do it.

The blackmail had been my idea - I thought maybe if Kailee spent some time around Vanessa again, she'd see that the woman was bad news. But Kailee had never listened to me when it came to love. I had told her that I didn't think Vanessa was all there in the head long before the diaper thing started. The only time Kailee and I really ever fought was when one of her lovers was involved. I never could understand why she didn't just approach love the same way I did - a great way to get what you want out of someone and feel good along the way. I didn't love Benny - he was too old, he wasn't nearly good looking enough... but he made it so my job was easy and he bought me things, so I stayed.

Why couldn't Kailee just do the same thing? She was just as pretty as me, she could have gotten another guy - or even a girl, since she apparently swung that way - without needing to debase herself.

"Hey Vanessa," I greeted the Terminator as we both found ourselves in the small kitchenette on this side of the building.

"Good afternoon, Aubrey," she greeted me with that infuriatingly sure attitude she had.

"Kailee's been asking about you, asking if you'd said anything about her - but she's afraid to ask me to get you to call again for some reason."

"I've called her as you requested," the bitch said coldly. She knew what I wanted, what Kailee needed. Honestly, I didn't want to see the two of them get back together. Kailee threw herself into her relationships entirely too hard. Vanessa hadn't even been fun to hang out with. She thought she was so smart, so cool. She didn't care what anyone around her thought... and she always had to be right, to get the last word.

But Kailee was still pining, even though it had been years. She'd had other relationships, but every partner she dated - boy or girl - had to be compared to Vanessa. And none of them seemed to want to put up with her diapers. I couldn't blame them, I didn't really want to either. The longing for Vanessa got worse when they kicked her out of that stupid kinky club for flirting too hard.

"You need to take her out on a date," I replied. "She hasn't dated anyone in months, she's still obsessed with your guys' stupid game."

"She can find another partner for that game," Vanessa's face was a blank mask - unreadable. That was the thing about her - you couldn't trust her to give anything away, whatever Vanessa projected was exactly what she wanted you to see. She was a sociopath, a sick bitch who played sick games. Her entire job was deciding who to fire, as if she could weigh the worth of another person in her hand. Truth be told, I hated her. But I loved Kailee - she was my roommate, she had been my best friend for over ten years, and I was hoping that one more spin around the block with the Terminator would open her eyes to the fact that the bitch was bad news.

"I'm not asking for a lot, Terminator. Actually, I'm not asking. You're going to call Kailee, you're going to take her out on a date, and you're going to make her feel good, okay?" I wanted to tell her to figure out some way, any way of getting Kailee over her... but knowing Vanessa she'd just tear the poor girl's heart out again. I had to hope Kailee could see it on her own.

I didn't even wait for a response, I just turned and walked away.

I hated Wednesdays, but I hated Vanessa Evans more.

* * *

I had a difficult time focusing on the job after my run-in with Aubrey. Why was it so hard for someone to understand that a relationship that involved coercion was doomed to fail? My desired conquests were consensual - I wasn't going to force anyone into diapers. I wanted a woman who was young at heart but hadn't fully discovered the joy of letting go, the way Jess had with Seth. If you had to force someone to do anything, the relationship wasn't going to work and it wouldn't be satisfying for either partner.

My job was almost done, I expected it to be complete by this time next week and I'd turn in my report... but then we'd begin the negotiations and the downsizing plan. If they wanted me to be the trigger-woman, I'd be on for another week or two making sure that the exit interviews were handled correctly and that no one being asked to leave would do anything drastic. It was a messy business, but I was used to it. There would be pain, there would be tears - people often got very emotionally involved with their work - but that's why companies like this hired me, because I didn't. Kailee and Aubrey, on the other hand, had me bothered.

As I fired up the engine to my car and began the drive to Sunnyvale. The 101 was irritating as usual, though it was much worse going north than south. I tapped my phone until Lily Allen sprang to life through the speakers of my car. I had to calm myself - to Dani, I was a slightly timid and generally happy person. I needed to get into that mindset before I arrived, I didn't want anything - least of all me - to be out of place. I was pretty sure I had achieved the right state of mind when I parked outside of her apartment building.

I knocked gently and waited - and was a little surprised by her choice of attire. She had gone with something quite mature - a backless navy blue maxi with a plunging neckline, revealing some cleavage, accented by a lovely silver necklace.

"Wow," I breathed, focusing a bit to bring some color to my cheeks - simulating a blush. "You look great."

"You think so?" she hoisted her squirrel-purse up on her shoulder, which brought me some relief. Her Little side was still showing, at least.

I looked down at my own outfit - I was in one of my many power suits. Charcoal grey, two-button with a dark blouse and sheer black hose. I was dressed on par with her, but she had a much more relaxed and sensual vibe than I had been expecting. Honestly, I had expected a sundress or a swing dress, something frivolous or casual - she had certainly not chosen frivolous. Her earrings were, however - she was wearing the squirrels I bought her.

"I do," I assured her, offering her my arm. Some girls liked that, some didn't. Some liked to put me in the "masculine" role in the relationship, some preferred me to be more "femme" - Dani seemed to prefer the former based on the way she easily hooked a hand through the proffered elbow. Good - I didn't truly care one way or the other, but I found this was more indicative of a submissive personality, not that I needed a lot of reassurance of that with Dani at this point. I led her back to the car and opened the door for her, which she seemed to appreciate, before sliding in and starting the engine.

"So what's for dinner?" I asked her, half-teasing.

"What are you in the mood for?" she turned it back on me. This could go one of a few ways - either she had something she wanted but she wasn't sure about, she was fishing for information about me, or she didn't like deciding on food.

"I'm honestly not feeling too particular tonight," I shrugged, putting her to the test.

"Well," she hesitated, looking off into the distance and pondering. Indecisive?

"How about sushi?" I offered.

"Oh my goodness yes," she gushed. It could have been any of those scenarios.

"Great, there's a place off of El Camino that I like," I said as I pulled the car out.

"Oh that's perfect," she sighed, relaxing in the chair. "Honestly, I have to make so many decisions during the day that I had deciding things at night." She laughed a small, short laugh. "Sometimes, I don't even eat because I can't decide what I want."

Well that wasn't healthy, and we'd be putting a stop to that. I'd happily decide for her.

"No worries there," I smiled warmly, a comforting smile. A smile that said, 'I am happy to take care of you'. It might have been playing my cards a little openly, but technically this was the third date and it was time to test the waters. Either she was a Little at heart or she wasn't. I didn't want a repeat of either Lauren or Kailee. "I'm happy to decide. I'm used to calling the shots, and I don't mind doing it in my off-hours. It's why I'm a tank main."

"We should play sometime," she giggled - actually giggled, it was adorable - and pulled out her phone. "I'm messaging you my tag. Let's play later this week, or maybe over the weekend."

"What's your main?" I probed. She blushed.

"Support. I know, I know - stereotypical gamer girl, but I like being the Healer. My micro is crap and everyone yells at me when I play DPS, it's much more satisfying to help someone else succeed than having everything resting on me."

"There's nothing wrong with knowing what you like," I assured her. "And there's nothing wrong with letting someone you trust take control."

She made a contented sort of sound at that.