Chapter XLI

I slid out of bed and rubbed my eyes. Early to bed, early to rise, it seemed. I went to the bathroom on instinct, but when I lifted up the toilet seat I paused in confusion. I... didn't really have to pee. I lifted up the nightgown and looked at the diaper. Sure enough - the rainbows had faded and the plastic was a pale yellow. I blushed at the realization. I... wet the bed?

"Good morning, Mistress.” Sam tried her best to keep a straight face, and to her credit she mostly succeeded; if she was to be this role and like literally clean up after her accidents, Sam figured she might as well ham it up some. "Did you need something from the bathroom?" Cause, of course, Sam had ambushed her on the way out.

"I....... um...." Sam instantly noticed the blush on my cheeks and wasted no time lifting the nightgown herself. I pushed it back down as quickly as I could, but that was as much an admission of guilt as anything.

"Ahhh, couldn't make it to the toilet? That's what your diapers are for."

"Sam!"

"I really don't know why you bother coming in here, you're only going to do it in here—” she poked at the diaper, “—in the end, anyway. Come on, let's get you changed." Yup. Sam was having a fucking blast with this.

Cora had told me to be firm with her. That I had to show her her place. She was my maid, right? So I took a deep breath and did my best. "You say please if you want me to do something," I said strictly, and for a moment I thought it had worked. A moment of silence. And then, Sam laughed.

"Aww you're so cute!"

The wind rushed out of my sails and I felt about as confident as... well, as a twenty-three year old bedwetter.

"Your Mommy told me to check to see how wet you were, so she can make sure you're staying hydrated." Total fiction, but who cares? "But we really do need to get you ready for work. Get that diaper changed, get you dressed, it'll be just like your first day of preschool but every single day."

"Sam!!" She laughed again and went to get me an outfit from the closet. And maybe the outfit she picked was spiteful, or maybe she had chosen her words because she had already planned my day, but she pulled out a uniform. A childish, pre-school style uniform, with a ribbon around the collar and a matching yellow backpack.

"Here we go, lay down on the bed, I've got your diaper and everything." Maybe Sam was playing chicken over this. Or maybe she didn't mind actually. Or maybe, just maybe, she'd just gone over the deep end.

I looked away from her in aggravation. Was she trying to piss me off?! But when I tried to be assertive, she rebuffed me. And it felt like I'd tripped down a rabbit hole. Hearing her treat me like that... it was so much worse than Cora.

"I said lay down," she repeated, and I obeyed without argument.

This was a big moment for Sam, and maybe she'd be expected to fuck it up - little did Natalie know that she'd been practicing with Carla, one of the younger maids, all fricking night. So when she untaped her best friend’s wet diaper, she cleaned her up with expert precision. And when she unfolded the new diaper, she lined it up like an absolute pro. Her powdering? Perfect. And you'd better believe her tapes were on point.

Sam had never even touched a baby in her entire life. She hated kids. But she could maneuver me with ease. Undress me. Wipe me clean. Powder me and tape me in a fresh diaper. Then, she did something unexpected. She patted the front of my diaper, just like Cora did. A few light pats, and I felt myself melt into the bed.

"There you go, snug as a bug in a padded plastic rug." That kinda worked, right? And she only slightly wanted to gag at the smell of night-old girl-pee, too. Bam. Sam helped her friend to sit up, and then to stand, and began to get her out of her pajamas.

There was something new inside me. A... a feeling. Heat. But squirmy, like butterflies. I couldn't name it. But I liked it. It happened when Sam spoke to me. When she put me down on the bed. When she patted the front of my diaper. She dressed me in the pre-school clothes, complete with a tiny yellow hat, and led me downstairs by the hand. She packed my backpack with a boxed lunch and ushered me out the door. The whole way to work, I couldn't stop thinking about that feeling. What was that? And... and how could I feel it again?

* * * * *

"Well aren't you just adorable; look at you!" Prin was immediately fawning over Natalie from the moment she entered the work lobby. This was a new step for her, this was profound. A schoolgirl uniform, age appropriate.

"Thank you Prin..." Prin knew about the diapers. She understood why I dressed the way I did, sort of. But even if she didn't: this outfit was actually far more ordinary than many of my previous ones! The skirt was of relatively decent length, down to my knees. The collar of my outfit was a navy blue. Even though my pink hair was pulled into low pigtails, the hat made it look almost stylish. This was the most grown-up I had dressed in weeks. "Could you come in my office a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure, Nattie, what's up?" Prin leaned over her desk and diverted her phone to ring in Natalie's office and then followed her through the door. She was so pleased, so happy for the girl, that things were finally settling down for her.

I waited until the door closed before I took off my backpack and set it on the floor by my desk. I didn't sit down yet - I liked speaking to Prin on a friend level and it always felt more "work-y" with my oak desk between us.

"Cora wants me to, uh... take a few days off each week. Wednesdays and Thursdays."

"Oh yeah, I got a letter from Mr. Gladstone about it."

"Oh." Well, that made this easier... "But if you ever need me to come in on those days, I can!"

"Oh, no no, don't you worry about it. The letter explained everything, you don't need to worry about a thing. I'll pick up any slack we need to take care of, and I know what a hard worker you are when you're here; you know, no bathroom breaks or anything, right?" She laughed playfully.

"R-right," I blushed biting my lip.

"Actually, I do have a favor to ask, though," Prin said to me in a curious voice. I tilted my head to the side.

"Could I use your office on days you aren't here? Your chair is a lot more comfortable, and I'd love the privacy..." She rubbed her hair with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh. Sure. Of course. I mean, I won't be using it, so." Most of my files were digital anyway - she couldn't mess up the office in any way that mattered.

"You're the best, Nattie!" Prin bounced on the balls of her feet. The memo from earlier this morning had caused a lot of chatter among the office, but everyone kind of expected it by now. It wasn't that big a deal.

Prin went to work and so did I. I had six reports to finish before the end of the day, but I could probably knock them out before lunch if I was quick about it. I sifted through my emails and thought about the weekend ahead of me. Two days off work. It felt like this week had gone on forever. But starting next week, my work-week would only be three days long. Three days on, four days off. What would I do with all the free time? Maybe take up knitting?

I had two or three phone calls and finished four of my reports when Prin poked her head in my office.

"Getting lunch. Want anything?"

"Yes please. Can I have—“ I paused and remembered my backpack. Oh, right. "Actually, I think Cora packed me a lunch."

"Oh that's so sweet! That's living out the whole 'Mom packing your lunch' aesthetic, I dig it. I hope you enjoy it, whatever she made you, and if you want a coffee or something just let me know, okay?" Prin was, as always, unflappable.

I nodded a little and sunk into my chair. Her words. Mom packing your lunch. A small blush came over me and I felt that same feeling from before. The warm fluttery one. I shook my head and went into my backpack, pulling out the lunch box. A cold ham and cheese sandwich, a chocolate bar, and pasta salad. Not the best lunch, but it would do! I ate the whole thing while finishing my fifth report.