Sheltered [10/08/2022] CH42 - Bathtime Blues
Date Published: August 27, 2017, 12:15pm
Written By: Mee
Well, it sure has been a while. Have a new idea for a story that ties in a few more things than some other works I’ve tried at. We’ll see where this goes, but nonetheless, I cannot thank you for reading enough and hope you enjoy what I have so far. It’s more than likely some mistakes have slipped through the cracks and feel free to mention them along with any other thoughts about the story. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy what there is for now.Sheltered1 - Joyce
“Listen, Emms, I just think we should…start seeing other people.” Jack awkwardly spoke, his half-hearted breakup airing through the speaker of her phone. “We just don’t have that connection anymore, ya know? So I figured it’d be best if we just broke up this way and have it easier on the both of us.”
“Jack you fucking asshole!” the stressed girl shouted, kicking the door to a home she no longer had ownership of. What a sick joke, finding to be kicked out of your own home before even trying to step a foot inside of it. It was one thing for wanting to break up, but for doing it in such a shallow and sleazy way! Breaking up by voicemail and changing the locks was what took the shitlord cake! Unbelievable!
“Listen er,” the voicemail continued, “I had the locks changed to the apartment. I know you have stuff in here but I’d rather someone else came for them so you know, uh, we wouldn’t have to see each other…”
“Ugh, you piece of shit! Can’t you at least even face me?” Emily raised her voice again, pounding on the door unable to reciprocate herself. It was so unfair! being dumped to one-sidedly; Jack stepping out of the picture before she could even catch a breath so suddenly. There was certainly sadness from now losing Jack, but it didn’t do a single thing to dampen the frustration and anger she was feeling towards him right now.
“And um, I’ll be gone for the week doing some stuff, so one of your friends won’t be able to reach me until next Sunday, sorry about that. And I’m really sorry about this Emily, I just think this is the best for the both of us… bye.” The voice mail clicked and his spiel was over.
Emily’s heart was being struck by a tornado of emotions. She was hurt, yet bitter since the poor sap couldn’t even face her to give a proper breakup. To the very end, he was an inconsiderate, self-absorbed douche that only ever gave a damn about how he felt! In the short term for what sucked the most, all of her clothes were in their-- his, apartment! Emily was already kicking herself for thinking she still lived there. Unfortunately, the place was signed under his name, and she had no legal authority to be in there, and get all of her clothes… That’s what sucked the most! Unable to even change, the anger burning inside Emily turned into frustration, then finally sorrow. So much of her life being turned on its head in one fell swoop.
Emily moped along the sidewalk as she was still in the blouse, dress pants and hard-soled shoes she’d been hoping to change out of earlier. The bustling of cars, people and city construction blended into white noise as she was deep in sorrow thought. The little things like not being able to change clothes, get something to drink or even take an after-work shower in her former home seemed to be all that she could think about. And an even darker reminder in the back of her head was how she had work tomorrow, and there was no chance in hell she could wear the same clothes twice! She took out her phone hoping someone could help her out, observing her very small list of contacts…
“Candace, please, it’s just for one night. I just need a place to stay so I can freshen up for work the next morning…” “Oh…you said there’s no space at your place? Alright, sorry to bother…”
“…You moved? Where? Denver? Alright, sorry for calling…”
“The place is being renovated, mhmm. Okay, thanks anyway.”
“Vacation…okay.”
Emily was heartbroken as each and every one of her friends let her down; without a lifeline, she desperately needed right now. Her mom and dad were not an option either, as they were on the other side of the country as of right now. She was sitting on a park bench right now, becoming glummer as the minutes passed and the night drew closer.
Taking a deep breath, Emily tried to minimize the overbearing panic in her mind over work, taking all of her energy from being angry at Jack and planning for what to do tonight. She reasoned that a hotel or motel room would have to do, whatever she could find at the cheapest price. Standing up from the bench, she then noted her phone had only 13% of her battery left.
Fucking Jack, if he hadn’t royally screwed her day up, she could have charged her phone at home! But that wasn’t an option right now. All Emily could do was work with the time she had. The clock read 7:06 PM and the sun was setting. And speaking of the sun setting… those clouds looked awfully dark. Rain.
The raindrops were crashing onto the brick sidewalks with such force they would explode into little mini water bombs that snaked their way into the cracks between her exposed foot and shoe. Without an umbrella, Emily’s body had become ice cold with her business attire doing little to protect her from the raw elements as she was drenched in every sense of the word.
“N-Need t-to find a motel…” Emily shivered. Upon research done on her phone, any of the nearby hotels were far too expensive to spend a night in. Yes, she needed shelter, but not the kind that would break the bank. Wet in the rain, Emily felt alienated by the few people that still walked the streets, the difference between them and her being they had umbrellas.
“S-Somewhere, please…” Emily shivered as she was on her last leg. She couldn’t stop anywhere because she needed to find somewhere to stay. Everything had gone wrong, nothing was going right for her. What was supposed to be another day off of work spiraled into something much more unforgiving, and become a night filled with unforeseen obstacles that challenged her in every which way. Emily could only let out a pout as she saw the time on her phone read 8:28. But as long as she could get through this, everything would be okay, until-.
“Wha!- agh!” Emily yelped as she was swept off the ground and collided with the brick path face-first. Getting up on her knees shakily, she turned around to see the small opening in the sidewalk she managed to trip on, a puddle of water disguising the evil trap. She looked at her foot which now had a throbbing pain, but it was too dark to see how bad it was. Either way, her ankle hurt. What made things worse was when she noticed something on the ground, closer inspection revealing it to be her phone.
“No…no no please!” the damaged girl whined as she held the broken remains of her phone. The screen was cracked and the now black screen reflected her cruel situation. The feeling of helplessness truly begun to sink in at that point, tears edging out of her eyes as bitter defeat embraced her. Bracing herself, Emily picked the phone up and started to stand. Putting weight on the wounded foot, however, was a mistake, feeling a sharp jolt of pain erupt from her left foot Emily quickly fell again. She looked around for anyone that could help her, but she had truly reached a new low now, as no one was walking in the area. Only the occasional car would drive by, much too busy to stop much less even notice a person in the pouring rain.
At this point, Emily couldn’t tell whether it was rain or actual tears running down her cheeks right now. Did it matter though? Without any goal in mind now, Emily stood herself on the uninjured foot this time, limping to the doorstep of a building that was covered by a small overhead. Silently (interrupted by sobbing every now and then), she watched the rain pour and was void of all thoughts. Too miserable to think, too damaged to move, there was nothing to do next. Somehow, despite being covered in water and chilled to the bone, exhaustion must have taken her over and she dozed off for who knows how long.
“Excuse me? Hello?”
Emily still groggy from sleeping, look up to see a mysterious figure tower over her.
“You’re awake, thank goodness…” the womanly voice sighed in relief.
“Wh-who are you?” Emily was still shaking the sleep out of her head, trying to collect herself.
“Come on now, can you stand?” they were concerned for her, as they leaned over to pick Emily up by the shoulder.
Leaning on the woman as a crutch, Emily quickly found herself on her bad foot again, letting out a yelp of pain as she quickly readjusted. The woman seemed to take notice as well, taking care to ease their pace to who knows where. In one arm she had Emily’s torso and the other an umbrella in her hand, something Emily would have been dying for earlier. It hadn’t been but only a few minutes until Emily found herself being shuffled into a car and laid down on a row of seats with a towel surprisingly ready for her. Emily’s rescuer shut the door on her and likely moved to the front seat, upon hearing the sound of another door opening up. Then that door shut, and the car made a quiet hum as they started to drive off.
“I know you’re a bit out of it right now hon, but if you can hear me I’m going to take you ba…” And that was it. Emily dozed back off into sleep, being able to be somewhere much more comfortable than the hard steps on a city street. Either way, her current bed was thousands of times better than what she was just dealing with, and it felt amazing. Despite all the turmoil she’d experienced this day, Emily finally felt at peace, if only for a short while.
“Mmmmm” Emily softly moaned as she stirred beneath the covers. She rolled her body from one large pillow to the next. The mattress felt like a cloud that hugged her body and the covers felt warm yet loose and free. Light from somewhere irritated her eyes, causing her to open them and realize this wasn’t her bed or room. Emily looked over to the light that poured through what looked like balcony doors, and onto her and the light brown covers that blanketed her. She looked down at herself to be wearing a white oversized nightgown and lifted the hem to also see she wasn’t wearing the same panties as she was from when she was last awake. Unfamiliar with where she was, Emily racked her brain trying to think what happened (She looked at the lock by a nightstand reading it to be the next day) last night.
Someone had picked her up last night, took her to her car and…nothing. That’s all she could remember? Emily looked down at herself again, reasoning she must have been pretty dazed to go under a transformation like this without being disturbed. It was also clear then she wasn’t wearing a bra…if she didn’t feel vulnerable already enough. Emily whisked the cover to the side as she stepped out of the bed onto the thickly carpeted floor, and walked over to the door leading into a hallway, reminding herself to stay on her good foot. The floor was now wooden (And cold she sheepishly noted) and there were a couple of other doors that were closed. She walked into an open area decorated to be a living area. Emily walked past the large couch and coffee table, into a much shorter hallway with an open doorway leading into what could only be a kitchen.
“Finally awake, are we?” The woman from the night before said to Emily, causing her to jump slightly from surprise.
She was sitting at a table next to the kitchen area, sipping what permeated the wonderful aroma of coffee and was scrolling through a tablet reading who knows what.
“Uhm, hi.” Emily could only stifle a response. Being in a stranger’s home and comparing their attire, Emily couldn’t help but feel intimidated and well underdressed for this exchange.
“Well? Don’t be a stranger. Sit!” She commanded in a friendly tone, slipping off what was probably her reading glasses as she stood up to move over the counter.
Emily was still taking in the woman’s appearance and her surroundings, trying to get things up to speed for herself while she adjusted.
“Excuse me?” She suddenly asked, breaking Emily’s train of thought.
“Oh! Yes?” Emily quickly responded, slightly embarrassed for being so out of tune.
“I asked how you liked your coffee.” She looked back at Emily waiting for an answer. “Do…do you drink coffee?”
“Yes! Yes please,” Emily was quick to answer again. “I’ll just have whatever you’re having.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind making something extra.”
“No please, I’ll be fine with yours.”
“If you insist…”
Emily stared down the back of the person she didn’t even know the name of yet. Her brown hair ran a bit past her shoulders and was wavy and free, yet was tame and professional. Seeing her stand, even minus the heels, the woman looked like she had quite a few inches on the very small feeling Emily. She was already dressed in a gray two-piece suit that hugged her curves, ready for the day, much unlike Emily who felt very exposed at the moment.
She pulled a mug from one of the cabinets and poured the rest of the coffee pot into it, setting the drink in front of Emily.
“Bon appétit.” She chuckled, returning to her own seat.
Black. Of all the kinds of ways she could drink her coffee, it was black, the least of Emily’s favorites. But she couldn’t turn it down now, not after already being offered the drink. That would be impolite of course…and childish. Emily took a sip of the still hot coffee, taking in the bitter taste as she sat the mug down.
“You looked pretty banged up last night,” the woman broke the silence. “It was a good thing I found you when I did.”
“Yeah, that’d have to be an understatement. I can’t thank you enough for what you did last night. Believe me, I felt like I reached the end of my rope…”
The woman smiled again at Emily’s return of gratitude, taking a sip from her own drink now.
“And you’ll have to forgive me,” she started again. “I didn’t even catch your name last night?”
“Emily, Emily Sen.” Again, Emily internally cursed herself for not even giving her name before spending the night, not that she was even in the condition to have done so. “And I didn’t get yours either…”
“Joyce, Joyce Summers. Sorry for not telling you any sooner, you seemed a bit out of it to try and make any conversation.” She laughed as Emily’s unfortunate night was already becoming a thing of the past.
“Thank you again. And your house is so lovely, from what I’ve seen at least. For letting me stay in your room, thank you, really. I can’t appreciate it enough.”
Joyce was still smiling, but with a tinge of curiosity, she asked, “It’s really no trouble, but what do you mean? You didn’t sleep in my room last night. That was a guest room?”
What? She had to be joking! Joyce looked amuse as she could see the surprise morph Emily’s face. “But it was so huge! Everything in that room looks way too nice to not be a master bedroom!”
“Better believe it hon, I just like my guests to feel comfortable.” Joyce sipped her coffee again, taking a moment to check once more on her tablet.
Now that Emily thought about it, this apartment did seem awfully large. Judging from what she had seen, it didn’t take long for Emily to connect the dots that Joyce did live some kind of lavish life to an unknown degree.
“Wow…” was all Emily could do for a reply. Being in such a big home really put things into perspective with what she had with Jack in an apartment that seemed much smaller now. Jack…Emily then felt a pang of sadness strike her. Jack truly was an asshole, but she couldn’t deny how long they’d been together, and how much it hurt to now be apart. She felt the tears coming on as she never had a moment to process her emotions.
“If everything alright Emily?” Joyce was already getting up from her seat, ready to come to Emily’s aid.
“Yes,” she sniffled. “Everything’s fine…I was just thinking about last night. That’s all.” Emily half-lied quickly dried her tears and did her best to stay strong and keep up appearances in front of the one person she wanted to look good in front of right now.
Joyce sat down again, seeing she was more or else alright now and said “Well please, I want to hear all about it. It’s the least you could do, I’d like to know how something as wonderful as yourself could be dealt such a bad hand.”
Emily warmed to the kind tone of her words, for in what felt like forever actually felt like things were stable. And she was right, the least Emily owed Joyce was an explanation.
Emily took a deep breath, then start, “So I was just coming home from work the other da…”
“Well…” Joyce briefly said, taking in Emily’s entire story. She stopped there and got out of her seat to give Emily a hug, catching her off guard. “It’s alright now, we’ll get you fixed up.” She continued, comforting Emily in the middle of her kitchen. Emily couldn’t help but blush, feeling even smaller now for being hugged like a small child (considering her eyes could see just only above her bosom), but she couldn’t deny it was nice to have someone that actually felt like they were there for her.
“Th…thanks…” Emily responded. The two were still far from really knowing each other, but it felt like Joyce was making an effort to shorten the gap between the two.
“Now,” Joyce released Emily from their hug. “Let me clean our drinks up. I’m sorry I didn’t make anything more… ‘extravagant,’ but I’m a bit rushed for time you see…” Joyce was quick to take both mugs (Emily’s being hardly touched) and empty whatever was left of them into the sink. Snapping back to reality, Emily then asked, “Also, how were you able to find clothes that fit me?”
“As you can see the nightgown doesn’t fit since it’s in my size,” Joyce joked as she turned off the faucet. “But other than that, I just bought you a package of underwear when I got you back here. And how did I know your size? Well…” Joyce gave an exaggerated look as if she were sizing Emily up. “I have a knack for clothes!” She laughed. Then as an afterthought, she included “And sorry about the bra, I was a bit preoccupied with getting back to you with the bare minimum. I didn’t want to put you for a total scare by being alone in a stranger’s apartment.”
“Wait you bought this for me?” Emily looked down at herself. “Please, you have to let me pay you back for that!”
“Nonsense,” as all Joyce said. “Your money is no good here, onlyIwill provide to my guests.”
Emily then remembered her chest was currently bare under a single article of clothing and was suddenly thinking about how Joyce had dressed her at some point last night, putting a shade of embarrassment on her face, but was quickly chased out by another thought.
Work! Ohgodohgodohgod she totally forgot! Emily remembered checking the clock that morning and it was somewhere around 7:00, she had to be in for 7:30! A look of panic took over Emily’s face and Joyce seemed to notice too, asking what was wrong.
“I’m gonna be late for work! I need to be in by 7:30!” Emily worried as she was quick to slide the chair back over the tiled floor and unknowingly step on her injured food. With a wince and jolt of pain she fell back into her seat however, Joyce following over to her.
“Emily.” She politely yet sternly said as she knelt and made eye contact with her. “You can’t go to work today.” Gently, Joyce lifted Emily’s red and slightly swollen ankle. “Did you forget about this?” Emily then looked too and realized that she was being foolish for thinking she could work. But there wasn’t any way for her to call in, not with her phone at least.
“But my phone is broken and I can’t-” Emily was interrupted as Joyce was already taking out hers.
“What’s the number to your workplace?” Joyce asked, waiting for an answer.
Hesitantly, Emily gave the number to her. But why would she need to know? Emily was the one who had to call in. Joyce dialed the number and put the phone to her ear while she waited on the line. “Joyce really maybe I should be the-” Emily was again halted by Joyce when she mouthed the words “it’s fine” to her.
“Hello?” Joyce asked over the phone. “Hi, this is Joyce Summers calling in place of a worker named Emily Sen?” There was a short pause on the other line. “ Yes, I’m calling to let you know Emily won’t be in for work today.” Another pause. “She injured her foot last night and can’t stand on it properly.” Emily felt like she was having a flashback being at school, whenever she would visit the nurse’s office and have to hear the nurse explain the situation to her parents. “Yes, she’s scheduled to be having it looked at today. Perfect, thank you for your help.” There was another long pause over the phone. “Who am I to Emily? A…close friend. Yes. Alright, I will be sure to let her know, thank you.” With that Joyce hung up the phone and Emily was free for the day.
“You didn’t have to call for me, really.” Emily stammered, feeling as if Joyce crossed a line that felt foreign to Emily at the moment.
“I know I can seem overbearing,” Joyce admitted. “But please, let me do whatever I can to take any stress away from you. Let me help you.”
Emily felt better once she explained herself and was somewhat put at ease.
“Okay, thank you, again.” Emily couldn’t thank her enough. In a span of less than 24 hours, Emily had come to meet a person that was willing to bend over back for her on all fronts. Frankly, Emily felt like she didn’t deserve a single bit of this generosity.
“But they did tell me to relay to you that you still need to send an email stating you won’t be in today. Just so they hear from you. And so please please please!” Joyce raised her voice with each and every please, “take it easy today?”
Emily agreed and expressed her gratitude once more.
Their moment was interrupted by the ringing of a doorbell.
“Oh?” Joyce turned her head away. “Just a moment, if you will.” Joyce walked out of the kitchen and a little bit down the hallway to what was likely the door. Emily didn’t dare budge from her seat, lest she cause trouble for the kindest person she’d ever met. Nevertheless, she could hear a conversation begin.
“Ms Summers, I don’t mean to rush you but the car has been waiting for half an hour! I understand maybe taking a few minutes but don’t you think this is a bit much?”
“Calm down George, what are they going to do, fire me?” Emily could hear Joyce laugh a bit at her own remark.
“Either way, we need to go, please!” the man begged.
“Okay, okay. Just a second, I have to say my goodbyes.”
“Goodbyes?” Joyce shut the door and walked back into the kitchen.
“Did I make you late?” Emily asked, starting to feel bad.
“No, you kept me company.” Joyce corrected as she grabbed her handbag off the counter. “I’m a bit pressed for time right now, but here’s the rundown. I want you to rest here today, feel free to use the couch, tv, kitchen, bathroom and so forth. If I were you I’d want to change right about now but unfortunately there isn’t anything for you to wear, so you’ll have to make due. There’s a computer in my office for you to send out your email whenever and feel free to browse if that’s your thing.” Joyce said, dumping a load of information on Emily. “And also I didn’t bathe you last night so don’t forget to take a shower!” Joyce joked as she was already walking out. “I’ll be back around 5!” She shouted to Emily, far away now. Emily could hear the doorbell ring once more. “I’m coming George!” Joyce yelled in an irritated tone, opening the door and quickly shutting it behind her.
Emily sat there blankly, taking everything in once more. She had this giant home to herself for hours and was beingtoldto enjoy it to her fullest extent. She was fine being dressed this way since it was just her, all she had to do was rest. Wait, bathe her? Emily remembered what hoped was a joke made by Joyce. Emily blushed, already trying to forget about the thought.
Re: Sheltered [8/27/2017]
2 - Relaxing
Emily walked down the hallway, searching for Joyce’s office. She may have the entire day to relax, but she could get a started sooner by doing the one small task entrusted to her. Emily looked at her choices, there being four doors (aside from the room she slept in) to choose from. Turning the knob of the nearest one, Emily opened the door to find a large bathroom, but that was for later. Either way, not an office. Shutting the door and moving on to the next, it was another room, probably Joyce’s. Emily didn’t take time to ogle out of respect for Joyce’s privacy.
The next door was locked meaning it probably wasn’t that either, but the final door out of a process of elimination looked to be it. An L-shaped desk was set up in the corner and was mounted by a few monitors, notebooks, a binder and the rest of the office essentials. Emily pulled out the chair and face herself in front of the monitors, looking down to see there were, in fact, two computers. On the rightmost one, there was a small sticky note attached labeled “BUSINESS”
“A computer just for business and another for everything else…” Emily muttered to herself in amazement. Living life lavishly truly had its perks and was especially intimidating to witness firsthand. The computer tower was already humming softly to indicate it was already on, and Emily shook the mouse to bring the computer out of its slumber. Instantly the screen lit up and she was quick to write and send out a proper email. Putting the computer back to sleep Emily closed the office back up and was ready to start her day.
Only then did the hunger really start to hit her. She’d barely have anything to eat or drink since lunch at work yesterday. It did feel a bit impolite invading Joyce’s fridge, but she did tell her to after all.
Keeping it simple, she made some eggs and toast with a glass of orange juice. Biting into her food she couldn’t help but note the unexpected quality of the food! Be it the ingredients or appliances used to prepare them, this was certainly a better meal than she could prepare back at her old place.
After finishing she looked longingly at the fridge once more, already aware of how she was restraining herself from indulging too much. Yes, she was still hungry, but then she’d feel like she is taking advantage of Joyce’s kindness. Despite being told to relax, her actions must be careful and calculated so not to make Joyce regret what she’s done for Emily. The dishes and pan were washed as the bathroom came next on her checklist of things to do.
It was a spacious tiled room with orange lights that gave the atmosphere a warm glow. The centerpiece of the room was the tub itself, surrounded by steps with a lowered ceiling that was a giant shower head! On one end of the tub, there were two handles for a faucet and one for what Emily assumed to be for the shower portion. Near the sink were the sink and two large cabinets, opening them to find towels and amenities. Grabbing just the essentials Emily set them beside the tub and started the water in seconds already being warm to the touch. It wasn’t every day Emily had a chance to bathe. She would always have to be on the go and couldn’t afford a long soak, but today she could and it was also convenient for her foot.
After enough time the water was filled to a reasonable height, Emily cut the water and already stripped herself of her two articles of clothing and stepped into the water. It was pure bliss as she eased into the large tub. Easily she could have fit four more of herself in here…probably more. She rested her head on the curved edge where there was already cushioning attached. With her legs splayed out and almost sitting up, the water came up to just her shoulders, tiny waves bobbing from the shockwave of her entering the mini pool. This home was like a fantasy and a dream to many much like herself. She knew it couldn’t last, but she knew to enjoy it for as long as possible. With the soap and conditioner she took out, Emily performed her routine (much slower than usual of course) and was left to simply bathe. It was so nice just lying there she actually let out a yawn, and then her eyes felt a little droopy.
“Maybe for just a second…” Emily reasoned as she closed her eyes for just a second. Alone with her thoughts and the noise of a bathroom fan, she quickly dozed off and fell into a slumber.
“Hnnn….ah!” Emily stirred for a moment then was jolted awake. “Ah…?” Emily looked around, confused for a moment trying to remember what she was doing. “Aww…damn!” Calling back to the task at hand, she somehow fell asleep while in the bath. Feeling all pruney, Emily was quick to press the drain button on a console mounted to the side as the water slowly swirled into the center drain. “How long have I been in here?” She wondered, stretching away the fatigue. Emily looked at a high set window on the other end of the bathroom and from what she could tell time hadn’t passed too much. Reluctantly she stepped out of the water and draped a towel that seemed to fit her quite well around her figure and walked over to the sink to wash up while she dried off. She grabbed a smaller towel for her hair, her hair somewhat shorter than Joyce’s she oddly noticed.
After enough time her more-black-than-usual hair was returning to its original shade as her hair was mostly dry. Unsure of what to do with them Emily folded her towels and placed them next to the tub and returned the other things she had used. Reminding herself to ask Joyce what she should do with the towels when she gets back Emily put her sole pair of panties back on and then the nightgown. It did feel kind of strange being in just pajamas during what felt like daytime, but it was all she had to work with. The light was flicked off and the fan came with it, as a much cooler draft welcomed her back into the rest of the apartment. With really nothing else to do, Emily flopped onto the thick-cushioned couch and looked on at the tv as she flicked it on with a nearby remote.
Flipping through channels, it took a bit of searching until she could find something to be satisfied with. From then on it would be a day of lounging and relaxation. She stared at the high ceiling, still trying to accept what has happened to her and what has been done. A total stranger, someone she’d never met before was so willing to stick their neck out for her. The idea felt foreign to her. Without even glancing at something that could give her an inkling of what time it was, Emily listened to the sounds of the tv and fell into sleep again. But before she could do that, Emily could hear the doorbell ring.
Huh? Who was that supposed to be? Emily sat up on the couch, carefully walking over to the door. Emily stepped down slightly into the shoe area where she peeked through the peephole. Of course, she had no idea who this person was, nor what they wanted. Warped by the wide lens she could see they were wearing some kind of white lab coat. A doctor’s coat maybe?
“Hello? Emily? Are you in there?” The new stranger knocked on the door this time.
How did she know her name? Emily was puzzled as she reluctantly turned the handle and opened the door. She was adjusting her glasses when she saw Emily open the door, putting on a happy face.
“Great, you must be Emily.” she greeted her, giving a small wave.
“Hi,” was all Emily could say for a moment. “I don’t mean to be rude, but how do you know my name?”
The woman was a bit taken aback by Emily’s confusion, brushing past Emily and already entering the apartment with a bag about the size of a normal purse.
“You’re kidding, right?” The woman asked as she made her way into the kitchen, already knowing the way. Emily shut the door behind her, following her in tow. “Did Ms. Summers not tell you I was coming?”
“No, she didn’t…” Emily trailed off. She didn’t know how to feel. This person seemed familiar with being here, but she had no way of knowing who they were to Joyce but at the least, they were on a professional level.
“I apologize for the confusion,” she was sifting through her bag on the table. “Ms. Summers called me earlier this morning asking me to make a visit here to look at your foot.” She was pulling out a pair of latex gloves. “You can call me Doctor Hall.” she stretched out her hand, Emily shaking it in reply, still caught off guard by an in-home visit from a doctor. “I’m Emily, it’s nice to meet you.” While Doctor Hall was washing her hands, she said to Emily, “If you could just sit in a chair for me, please? That way I can take a quick look at the injury.”
Not wanting to waste the woman’s time, Emily pulled out one of the chairs and turned it from the table, sitting down. It felt awkward not having to do anything else, but the sudden reminder of what she was wearing returned a few shades of embarrassment on her face. The doctor slipped her gloves on and set her bag beside her on the floor while she was firm yet gentle in taking hold of Emily’s foot. Nonetheless, it caused her to wince out of reflex and took a deep breath in the solace that she was in good hands now. Doctor Hall poked and prodded her foot in certain spots and gave other areas light taps around her ankle. She’d ask Emily to try moving her foot and roll it, sizing up what she was looking at. Satisfied, she set Emily’s foot down again and went back into her bag.
“Well, it’s nothing serious, just a minor sprain it seems.” Doctor Hall said pulling out what looked like gauze. “However,” she continued, beginning to wrap Emily’s foot. “Better to nip the problem in the bud before it has time to bloom as they say…”
“Will I be able to work tomorrow?” Emily asked.
“Tomorrow?” she took a moment to consider. “What kind of work do you do?”
“Office work. But some days I have to move files from different departments in my building, so I guess walking is part of the job.”
“Coming from a doctor that cares for her patients? If you stay off your foot today and keep it well-iced I would say you would probably be in decent shape to be working at the desk. But in the long-run and for what possibly may come your way it’s a definite no. I’d give it a couple of days at least.”
“A couple of days?” Emily was a bit shocked by the estimate. “Do I really need to wait that long?”
“In the end, you’re your own person.” The doctor shrugged as she finished wrapping Emily’s foot. “If I were you I would wait until your foot is back in good shape before you start going back to your daily routine. But worst case if you work tomorrow you can potentially prolong the injury and find yourself in a position even worse than now.”
Emily still looked unsure as Doctor Hall discarded her gloves into the trash bin and grabbed her bag, standing up. “You can ask Ms. Summers for my contact information if you’d like a direct referral to take some time off of work. Just remember what I said should you choose to bite the bullet tomorrow. Don’t forget to keep ice on your foot for today regardless of what happens tomorrow. She was already making her way to the door when Emily suddenly realized she was left unpaid.
“Wait!”
Doctor Hall turned around for a moment to look at her.
“Don’t you need my full name, credit card or something for the bill?”
“Already taken care of. Ms. Summers insisted on the bill going under her name, she requested I didn’t even talk numbers with you. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
With that Doctor Hall took her leave, and Emily was alone again. Already paid for? Why was Joyce doing so much on her behalf? Joyce was of a different breed Emily couldn’t even begin to understand as she took some ice from the fridge. Resting her foot on a pillow and an ice pack on top, Emily was able to find comfort once again with where she lied.
[HR][/HR]
Emily opened her eyes to find she’d slipped into another nap for again, who knows how long. Turning a bit to notice the blanket that had been draped over her, she then heard the humming from the kitchen and a wonderful smell. Looking out the large windows that lined the wall of the apartment, the sky was a much more orange shade meaning quite some time had passed. Not wanting to leave the blanket, Emily carried it with her like a cloak to the kitchen. Sure enough, it was Joyce, her hair pulled back as she worked on some sort of meal. She was in a much more relaxed outfit now, a long sleeve shirt and smooth charcoal pants.
Joyce turned around to see her, and if she was surprised she did a good job at hiding it.
“Finally awake are we?” she smiled.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Since I got home a few hours ago, at least.” Joyce stirred something in a nearby pot.
“I’m sorry for being asleep if I had known you were back I…”
“Don’t even think about it,” Joyce was quick to respond. “You’re doing exactly as I instructed and you’re making yourself at home. Anything less and I’d have been sure to scold you.” Joyce again let out a small laugh from her own teasing.
“But I’ve been dying to know, what did Doctor Hall say about your foot?”
“Oh, well she said I would technically be fine to go back tomorrow, but she said I should wait a few days for a full recovery…” Granted if it were a few days, Emily would have to start thinking about where she could stay for a more long-term situation. It stressed her out even thinking how she should have already gotten started on this earlier today.
“Okay then.” Joyce blankly replied as she unloaded a tray of what looked like garlic bread from the oven. “I’ll have to know what you like in advance for what to eat then.”
“Wait, what?” Emily asked, Joyce yet again being a box full of surprises.
“Well, if you’re going to be staying here I should at least accommodate you properly.” She nonchalantly said, finishing the final touches on dinner.
“Joyce, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve already done. I’m already in your debt so much there’s no way I can make you do more for me! I’m practically a stranger to you!”
“First,” Joyce was getting plates out of the cabinet. “There is no debt, only kindness from one friend to another. Second,” the silverware came out next. “You already said yourself earlier that no one was around to take you in, yet here you are with someone more than willing to give you a place to stay. Third,” then the glasses. “Having company here for an extended time is rare for me. You don’t know how much I love these opportunities. And finally,” she opened the fridge. “What would you like to drink?”
“Joyce, please. I can figure something out on my own. I can’t be a burden to you like this anymore.”
“Emily,” Joyce assumed that firm tone from earlier this morning. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness for how I handle my finances, but frankly, they are mine and not yours. What I choose to do with my money is my business, and I choose to use it on you. Instead ofworryingabout what I do for you, it’d make me much happier that you take the time toenjoythe things I do for you. In the end, I can’t make you stay; but I want you to know how happy it would make me if you did. Think about today, didn’t it feel good being able to take the day off for once? I know it’s only been a day, but I really don’t mind becoming something more than strangers.” Joyce didn’t feel like waiting and was already pouring some kind of drink for her, finishing her little speech.
“Joyce…” was all Emily could say. She had trouble finding the words. Joyce wanted this and Emily knew it would be convenient for her, so why was she fighting this? Was it a matter of values or something? She didn’t even know herself.
“Please. Let me take care of everything?” Joyce finally stopped to look at Emily sincerely.
With a final sigh, Emily sat down in the chair and hung her blanket over the back of it. Her bare thighs felt cold making contact with the bare wood, the adjustment being a bit hard to make. Joyce seemed to have sensed her compliance because she took their plates and already started to load them.
“I hope you like pasta,” she said, moving on to the pot of sauce. “It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes.”
Pasta did sound good, and if it was anything like the breakfast from this morning it was sure to be good.
“Sounds great,” Emily said, part of her mind still hanging on their conversation from a moment earlier.
“So, I’m curious,” Joyce finished their plates and set them in their respective spots, once across from the other. “What did you have for lunch today?”
“Lunch? Oh,” it then occurred to her she really didn’t have anything. “I actually didn’t have anything.”
“Well, you should start. My food is your food, and sticking to a constant meal cycle is good for you.”
Yes, this was true. Yet this wasn’t something Emily didn’t know. Emily took her first bite into the angel hair pasta, covered in a layer of rich sauce and lightly powdered in parmesan. The first bite was amazing. Everything blended so well together in an indescribable taste. She felt like she was eating at a restaurant right now! What was the secret? Was it the cook? The ingredients? Emily was dying to know.
“How is it?” Joyce took another casual bite of her food.
“It’s…amazing!” Emily exclaimed. “How do you get it to taste this good? It feels like I’m sitting at a restaurant right now!” Better put a luxury hotel. After using much of Joyce’s apartment, it was clear that this wasn’t a far cry from being one, maybe even better.
“Glad to hear my cooking receives such high praise!” Joyce continued eating.
“Do you eat like this every night?”
“Not every night,” Joyce pondered the thought. “Sometimes I have business dinners to attend or I simply like to eat out. For times like this, I don’t mind cooking for a guest. It’d be poor etiquette otherwise.”
“Speaking of business,” Emily took another bite and then another. “What do you do for work? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Oh, I…” Joyce seemed to be calculating her answer. “I have a high position in a company that helps manufacture things for hospitals.”
“Oh, okay. Like, bioengineering or something?” Emily asked, wondering why the answer was so dumbed down.
“In a way, I suppose.” Joyce wasn’t saying much about her job. “But what about you? What do you do for work?
“I have a desk job at this real estate office, not like I could ever afford anything there haha.”
“Oh? Any company I might know?”
“It’s called Luxury Estate?” While the company did handle high-end properties, it did include much more down to earth and affordable ones as well.
“Ah yes, now I know. The international one!”
“Mhm,” Emily took a sip of her drink, finding it to be iced tea, equally as delicious as her meal. “Now if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” Emily couldn’t help but feel curious to find the answer. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Joyce looked so full of youth, had a great figure and was tall, yet she had this aura around her that made her seem so…mature? Maybe that’s what it took to survive at the level she worked at?
“My, you’re being quite forward aren’t you?” Joyce gave Emily a little grin as the pair ate.
“If it was too much to ask I-”
“32. I just turned 32 last month.”
32?! Emily was shocked for different reasons. She looked so young, but she seemed to be at an age where she wouldn’t look as great as she did now! And to be so young at the same time, didn’t it take years upon years to reach the kind of place she was in now?
“Wow…” was all Emily could say.
“Wow? Now I’m worried, is that good or bad?”
“Good! It’s good, really. You just seem so…accomplished.”
“I hope so,” Joyce chewed her food. “ To reach somewhere like this has been some time in the making. I know it usually takes others a bit longer, but both luck and skill play their parts for something like this. But now I need to know, how old are you?”
“26,” Emily said. The age gap was six years, but she felt light-years away from the kind of success Joyce had if she could ever reach something like that. Still, Joyce seemed almost as young as Emily was, apparently, Joyce has brainsandbeauty on her side.
“Looks like I’m six years your senior.” Joyce joked, her plate almost cleared.
They continued their small talk as dinner came to a close. Despite Emily insisting that she helped, Joyce took on the task of cleaning up all by herself, happy to do something for someone else every once in awhile. Emily then excused herself to the bathroom, walking in and by the tub quickly realizing that she forgot about the towels, and yet they weren’t where she had left them?
“Joyce, I’m sorry I forgot to ask you what to do with the towels,” Emily said, finishing her business a second ago.
“That? Don’t worry about it. I saw them on the way in to take a shower. I don’t remember telling you what to do with them, so you’re not at fault,” Joyce had just finished washing the dishes and set them out to dry. “Still though, you must have been in there for a good two hours? What did you do, fall asleep in there?”
“How did you know I was in…?” Emily suddenly looked around her, connecting the dots as she could see a tiny security camera mounted in one of the corners. “You were…spying on me?” Emily suddenly felt a bit betrayed.
Realizing how she made Emily feel, Joyce was quick to try and amend the situation. “No, no please don’t misunderstand! These things were here long before you arrived. They’re for security purposes of course. It’s my daily routine to review the footage, with you in the shot or not. And…it’s not that I don’t trust you, but on some level, as you said earlier, we’ve just met. And if it makes you feel any better, I don’t have a camera in the bathroom or any of the bedrooms.”
The air certainly felt awkward now, even though part of Emily knew Joyce was justified in her actions, it wasn’t pleasant to suddenly find out she’d been recorded for the entire day. But it had been only a day, she was still a complete stranger despite their brief yet meaningful interactions with each other. She paced her mind trying to remember if she’d done anything worth worrying over, but it seemed like she was in the clear.
“I’m sorry. It was something I should have told you earlier. Just being here for so long makes it second nature I suppose. But believe me, your privacy is assured while you’re here.”
“It’s fine,” Emily said. “Like you said, it’s no biggie. It was just a surprise hearing there are cameras. But you have your reasons of course.
“Thank you for being so understanding. Truth be told, they came with the apartment when I got them. But let’s not talk about that anymore. I’m going to finish up cleaning here. In the meantime, you can take a look at some of the clothes I got for you to start wearing.
“Joyce! Please!” Emily was already stressed again. Coming from a lifestyle where she was just a step away from pinching pennies, it didn’t sit well with her to have so much money be spent on her.
“I know you loved wearing my nightgown all day,” Emily blushed at the ‘my’ part. “But I figured you would start needing some more appropriate clothes be it for work or anything else. And stop worrying, it’s only just a few things until that Jack fellow is back from whatever he is up to.”
Anxiously Emily walked to the door where there were a couple of large shopping bags from store brands she’d only dream of shopping at casually.
“Take them into the living room!” Joyce shouted from the kitchen. “I need to see how they fit so if they need to be tailored!”
Tailored? She had to be joking. Yet judging from her track record thus far…it wasn’t likely. Maybe she was back at 5 because she was doing all this shopping for her…
“I said I got you some clothes yet truthfully some of it was ballparking. I know I said I can have a knack for sizes, but it’s not usually my forte to take these sorts of gambles.” Joyce said, walking in and sitting down on the couch.
That was hard to believe, as Emily sifted through one of the bags, already pulling underwear and socks out.
“The underwear should be fine though, I was able to get your size for that this morning. After getting you that pair last night I wanted to be sure for this morning.”
“Joyce…thank you so much…” Emily had no idea how she would ever repay Joyce for all of this, not that Joyce ever intended to let her.
“Like I mentioned earlier, this is nothing hon. Now try some stuff on. I need to know if any adjustments need to be made.”
Emily took all the sets of bras and panties with her into the bathroom, individually setting them apart to try each of them on. Shockingly, Joyce had gotten her seven sets, one for each day of the week Emily reasoned. Looking all of them over, each was some shade of dark blue, purple, pink, gray and black. Unlike what she was used to wearing, they all had some form of design be it in stripes or small white dots all across. She slipped the nightgown off and so with the panties too. Grabbing the first pair she slid the bottoms on and sure enough, they were a perfect fit, the bra as well. She even noticed the stark change in material quality as they felt wonderful as they hugged her skin. Cycling through all the other pairs, like the others, they were identical in quality and fit.
“Like you guessed it, everything was perfect,” Emily said, back in the simple nightgown and underwear.
Emily wasn’t positive, but with maybe the slightest bit of disappointment in Joyce’s voice, she said: “You tried all of them in there?”
“Mhm, they feel really nice too.” Emily shrugged off the thought of Joyce somehow being sad at that.
“Great then, let’s have you try the rest on.”
And so she did. After excusing herself to put one of the new sets of underwear on (feeling stupid for having taken the last pair off anyway), Emily showcased herself in the rest of the clothing much to the approval of herself and Joyce.
“Well, there could be a few minor adjustments to be made on some of the clothes, but I’m thankful I could get away with as much as I did.”
“I’ll say,” Emily meant it too. Truly luck had been on her side when she shopped for Emily, it felt not only good to have such high-quality clothes, but for them to fit too.
“But I think that button-up should at least stay like that.” Joyce pointed out to the pajama set Emily was wearing. The top and bottom were light purple and made of silk (a wonderful feeling) and had sleeves that stretched just up to her palms, giving it a slightly oversized look. Other than that, the pants were sure to stay close to her legs (and even accentuate her bum a bit) and had the slightest bit of extra length on them as well.
“You think?”
“Definitely, not everything has to fit the figure to be cute.” Emily blushed at Joyce’s remark, trying to casually play it off as Joyce couldn’t help but eat up the flustered girl’s emotions. “But with our last job for the night finished, all that’s left to do is relax.”
The two laid on the couch for the rest of the night, just watching tv and relaxing. It didn’t take long though for Joyce to stay on top of Emily for not having ice for her foot (which was quickly rectified).
Becoming drowsy, Emily finally nodded herself off onto the couch, just awake long enough to feel something soft have her head be set down on, then she was out. It was only her first day meeting Joyce, but she already felt like an irreplaceable person in her life. Not for the money, but for the care and concern she had for her. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.
Re: Sheltered [8/29/2017]
3 - A Night Out
Time truly did seem to fly being with Joyce. Agreeing to take the next few days off with the aid of Doctor Hall’s referral, Emily was able to receive three more excused days off work. She would have been fine with one or two, but both Doctor Hall and Joyce pressured her to take more time to heal. Every day Emily would perform her daily routine then have a scheduled nap to then wake up and find Joyce cooking another wonderful meal for the night. In this time the two had grown closer and were more friends than just strangers anymore. Emily fretted over staying in Joyce’s company for too long, but Joyce would only shoot down every complaint she made. And sure enough what was considered Emily’s life now started to feel normal, even if it had been days since she stepped foot outside, there was comfort in the solitude of Joyce’s home.
Dr. Hall came back on Emily’s final official day off to inspect her foot again, satisfied with the results and taking off the bandages to take a closer look. What was a red and slightly purple sight had receded considerably and was pinker than anything else. Regardless, Emily was much more happy with their second interaction compared to the first, considering she was much more “clothed” now in snug jeans and a t-shirt, both articles, of course, sporting their respective expensive logos.
“Looks good Emily.” Dr. Hall discarded the bandages in the bin with her gloves. “Just keep ice on it for the rest of the weekend and there shouldn’t be a problem going back to work.”
Work. The idea felt foreign to her now. It had only been a few days, but she already felt so out of her usual rhythm. What’s more, the weekend was already here, meaning she would have two more days off until she went back, surely making the adjustment even tougher on her.
The two said their goodbyes and Emily was on her own again for a short while until Joyce came walking through the door in her usual business attire. “Good to see you after working all day,” Joyce let out a sigh as she took a moment to sit on the couch.
“Well, you know where I’ve been,” Emily took a sip from her bottle of water, tapping her feet rhythmically on the wooden floor.
“Well?” Joyce looked at Emily with an expecting look, a cue Emily didn’t pick up on. “Don’t you want to tell me what the doctor said?”
Feeling dumb for not noticing sooner, “Right! She said my foot is more or less fine now. Just take it easy for the rest of the weekend and I should be ready to go back Monday.”
“You’re already going back?” Joyce said with a small tinge of disappointment in her voice.
“Well I mean, yeah. My foot definitely feels better and I’ve already taken off so much time from work. It wouldn’t feel right prolonging this kind of thing.”
“I suppose…” Joyce seemed a bit lost in deep thought over something, but seemed to snap out of it quickly, exclaiming, “But we need to celebrate, your foot is all better now.”
“Celebrate? My foot is still in recovery, she said it wasgoingto be fine with some more rest.”
“Kids have early birthdays all the time, it’s the same thing with a foot recovering.” Joyce reasoned with an absurd connection. “And don’t worry, I know just the place we can go. That way you won’t have to do much walking. Just leave it all to me.”
“Joyce we really don’t have to-”
“Think of it as a celebration of our friendship then. Had it not been for your mishap we wouldn’t have met, no? To happy accidents as they say.”
It was clearly another argument Emily was not going to win, agreeing to Joyce’s terms knowing she’d not be allowed to spend a single dime on their “little dinner” that night.
Joyce had outfits prepared for them in advance, a black and charcoal cocktail dress that came down just above her knees for herself, and a skater dress made up of shades of blue for Emily. With a little makeup the pink blemish on her ankle from before was just about undetectable now, and slipping on their shoes for the night they were ready. Right before exiting the apartment, Emily was able to see Joyce in her outfit, looking magnificent in form, complimented by her masterful makeup work.
“Wow, you look amazing.” Was all Emily could say.
“You look nice yourself, maybe we should do these things more often.”
Out of concern for Joyce’s bottomless finances, Emily hoped they didn’t.
For the first time in days, Emily set foot outside of Joyce’s apartment and made her re-entry into reality. Joyce must have been thinking the same thing too when she said: “Welcome back to the outside world.”
They walked down the hallway lined with a patterned rug, half-circle tables decorating empty parts of the walls decorated with vases filled with plants. They reached an elevator and Joyce pressed the down button, waiting in brief silence. Seeing the distance they had walked and riding the elevator to the top, it was a tough feat to comprehend how Joyce could have carried her all the way up here…
“Did you really carry me all the way up here by yourself?”
“Believe it or not I did. I may not look strong, but I like to fit some exercise into my work breaks whenever I can, and you’re pretty light I should add.”
Was she really? Last time she had checked she weighed about 120lb for being only 5’6”, but apparently Joyce really did work out for that to be doable. Not only that but how could she be this heavy of a sleeper?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the ding of the elevator opening, no one being inside to greet them. Pressing the ground floor button, Emily watched as the digital number descended from 27 to the ground floor. The entire time all Emily could hear was Joyce’s soft humming, a tune she’d grown quite accustomed to. She didn’t know what it reminded her of, but it was soothing nonetheless. The doors open where they rounded the corner into a very wide lobby with a shorter than expected ceiling. The building’s lobby came off as very minimalistic, just enough to make the place look nice but not feel cluttered. A large black rug leading to the entrance and black leather couches for waiting on top of a white marble floor. They walked past a desk worker and straight to the door, where a doorman was waiting to open it for them.
“Thank you, Charles.” Joyce politely said in a reserved tone, nothing like how she spoke to Emily. With her, there, was a sense of…care in her voice when she spoke. But to this man and like the one who complained to her for being late she seemed to be more or less stone cold to them. Out on the sidewalk a black car was parked and waiting for them, a chauffeur holding the backseat door open for them, Joyce giving Emily the privilege of sliding in first. Joyce followed suit as slipped in, having the door shut behind her. The chauffeur entered the driver’s seat and politely asked, “Where will it be tonight Ms. Summers?”
“Carmine’s.” Was all Joyce said.
“Sure thing. We should be there soon.”
A divider suddenly rose between them and the driver, giving the two some privacy. The windows were also tinted as well, like in the movies where the bad guy would always unroll the window to his limo to talk to the protagonist. Dually, Emily could almost instinctively feel the tension around Joyce dissipate now that they were alone.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t tell the driver in advance where we were going.”
“That’s fine…” Emily was still taking in her new situation. “What kind of place is Carmine’s anyways?”
“Italian. If you didn’t notice I’m quite fond of the cuisine…and wine.”
Emily harbored no objections to the choice in food. If Joyce figured it was worth showing, it was more than likely out of this world compared to Emily’s standards.
Staring out of the window at the city nightlife, it was a spectacle to be seeing all of this from the other perspective. Not once had she driven a car in the city for the time she had been there. Her job paid well enough, but not enough to support the upkeep of a car in the city. Buying one was one thing, paying the price to conveniently store it was another and gas. To Emily, it was far more convenient to rely on walking and public transportation.
After about 15 minutes of driving the car came to a halt, the driver coming around to let Emily and Joyce out of the vehicle. Without even looking back at him, Joyce said: “Come back to pick us up in a couple of hours.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Without question like an obedient servant, the chauffeur got back into the car and pulled back onto the road.
Staying close by Joyce’s side, they weaved through the passersby on the sidewalk. Stepping into the restaurant, the walls were decorated with traditional landscape photos and art of iconic locations and sights from Italy. The place was packed with people as equally dressed for the occasion as they were, if not more. Walking up to the receptionist with a book set on his podium he was busy reading through the list to look at Joyce.
“Do you have a reservation?” He asked, without even looking at her.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid we don’t. But I was hoping you’d be able to squeeze my friend and I here into one of your booths perhaps?”
“My apologies ma’am, but we cannot seat you without a-” his voice trailed off as he finally saw Joyce.
“Ms. Summers! It’s wonderful to see you again! Please forgive my rudeness a moment ago, you know how the regulations are!” He tried to laugh off what looked like a big mistake.
“No problem at all. So is a booth doable for us tonight?” Joyce didn’t seem fazed by his attitude, not that Emily could understand why their interaction seemed so off. Had Joyce forgotten to make reservations?
“Most certainly! Please, come this way.” Personally, the receptionist escorted them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Emily couldn’t help but notice Joyce’s face had gotten a few heads to turn. Just who was she in the public eye?
The man handed each of them a meal and drink menu, plates, and silverware already being set up for them.
“Please do take your time. Whenever you are ready just flag down one of the servers, they’ll be sure to forward your order immediately. And also, you ladies are both looking quite lovely tonight.”
Joyce playfully laughed at his remark as he walked away, and Joyce quickly turned back into the person Emily knew so well.
Emily leaned in and asked: “What was that all about?”
“Oh, him? Nothing to worry about. I’m a bit of a…’valued guest’ here. Good friends with the owner.”
“Okay…but some of the people eating here looked like they knew you too?”
“Some of their new items on the menu sound absolutely delicious, don’t they?” Joyce politely dodged her question, dropping a hint she didn’t want to talk about that right now. “Anything here look good to you?”
Emily looked down the menu, doing her best to avoid the prices that followed them. There was some stuff on here she had never even heard of before. What was an ‘ossobuco’?
“I’m not really sure…” Emily admitted. “I don’t even know what some of the stuff on here is…”
“Pick whatever sounds good to you hon,” Joyce already put down the food menu. “It’s my treat, so feel free to explore if you so choose. Don’t forget we’re here to celebrate.”
Emily browsed her menu for a little bit longer and finally decided on a plate of what she thought was pasta. Yes, Joyce had just made it for her a few nights ago, but she didn’t want to risk wasting food this expensive on Joyce’s dime.
“And what do you want to drink?” Joyce asked her next.
“Oh um…I’ll let you choose for the both of us.” Emily already felt challenged enough by the food menu, she wasn’t going to try and tackle the wine choices next.
Joyce merely smiled at that as she continued to browse.
“Did I say something?” Emily had no idea what she’d done to amuse Joyce.
“Nothing. It’s just you being yourself, that’s all.”
Was that a good thing? Or a bad thing? Completely unsure Emily pried a bit more: “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s one of the many things I really appreciate about you Emily,” Joyce said. “In my line of work, it’s hard to meet people as nice as you without them having some kind of ulterior motive. The difference between you and everyone else, being that I’m the one who found you, I know you’re trustworthy.”
“I mean how can you be so sure?” Emily was starting to become a bit embarrassed from such high praise.
“For one, you didn’t try robbing me on day one. Two, no matter what I do for you, you always try and fight tooth and nail to somehow repay me for what I do. And three, even when I tell you to make yourself at home, you’re always so self-conscious on being the perfect houseguest it’s simply adorable!”
The ‘adorable’ part felt a bit off, but it was still honest compliments from Joyce and that made Emily feel all the better.
“Thank you, Joyce, that means a lot to me. I’m…glad I met you.”
“Likewise.”
It didn’t take long for Joyce to flag down a waitress and submit their orders under her name, leading to their meals arriving at most maybe half an hour later. A waitress came with their meals and then back again with a large bottle of red wine, pouring a fair amount in each of their glasses.
The food was unsurprisingly delicious, even more than Joyce’s cooking. Had she been told that there was something better than Joyce’s cooking a few hours ago, Emily would have likely thought otherwise. Joyce could see the pleasure on Emily’s face as after each bite only came another paused by the occasional sip of wine.
“Slow down there kiddo, we’re not in any rush you know.” Joyce laughed as she took a few bites out of her own food, moving onto her second glass of wine.
Soon Joyce turned her head away to see a chef approaching them, instantly recognizing the man.
“Antonio!”
“Ms. Summers!”
Joyce stood up from her seat to give the big man a proper hug.
“It’s so good to see you back in my restaurant again! Why didn’t you tell me personally? I would have had you in the VIP room ages ago!”
“Oh Antonio, sometimes I like to try living life on the ‘normal’ side,” she joked. Emily couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of her statement. Joyce’s normal was Emily’s once in a lifetime experience.
“Either way, allow me to at least serve you and your friend some of my special wine? Free of charge!” The chef’s voice boomed throughout the restaurant catching the attention of a few people sitting nearby.
“Well, I couldn’t possibly turn down a bottle if it was recommended by you, Antonio!”
“Magnifico! I’ll send it to your table after you’ve finished your entrées! a great way to end the night! Bah! Listen to me talk, interrupting your time together. Please, please, finish your dinner and enjoy the rest of the night! Antio then turned back towards the kitchen and the two were alone once again.
“Just how popular are you?” Emily took a quick glance at the rest of the restaurant, everyone looking to have resumed their own dinner conversations.
“I already told you, I know the owner of this place. He just came to see me, that’s all.” Joyce maintained her relaxed tone as she treated the encounter as commonplace. “And he really does have great wine. You’ll be sure to like it, I’m positive.”
Emily wasn’t much of a wine drinker, nor was she a high-class restaurant goer either, but tonight was certainly different.
They traded bites of their food, both being equally pleased with the other’s choice, not that anything they served here could even be considered bad…While Emily started her second glass of wine, Joyce was already on her third, showing no signs of change at all in her composure as she took a sip from her glass. On their last round of wine, the glasses were soon empty and so were their plates. Their table was cleared and then came a small plate of what looked like gelato with a light chocolate sauce striped across it. The gelato itself had a strange pink tint to its whiteness, and was decorated with a graham cracker-looking type of square sticking out of the side looking oh-so absolutely delicious. On each side a small spoon was already plunged into the sweet looking treat, and a bottle of wine came grasped in the hands of the chef they met earlier.
“Antonio you didn’t have to get us dessert too!” Joyce exclaimed as she seemed to be eyeing the gelato as well.
“Nonsense! How do you expect to enjoy my wine without something sweet to go with it? Not only can you share a bottle of wine, but a personal favorite dessert of mine as well!” He tore off the paper wrapping to the bottle and used a corkscrew to open up the bottle’s contents. “Only the finest for my dearest customers.” He said, pouring the dark red substance into two new wine glasses.
“Now please, I have disturbed you for long enough! Take the whole bottle for the night! I would not have it any other way!”
“You’re far too generous Antonio, please keep some for your other clients.”
“A bottle is past its prime once it has been opened, and therefore you must do me this pleasure of finishing it off! Hahaha!” He chuckled as he walked away. “I look forward to seeing you again Ms. Summers!”
A spectator to their conversation once again, Emily felt a tad bit giddy over the man’s generosity to make their night special. What they had alone was enough, but to even push beyond that was amazing! Emily’s focus turned to their dessert, already the smallest bit of rich creamy goodness begin to roll off the top of the perfect scoop and pool at the bottom of the plate. She couldn’t wait any longer for a taste as she went for her spoon, but was cut short already having one inserted into her mouth. Looking up a bit she saw Joyce already made the first move, feeding a spoonful to her currently hypnotized friend. Joyce slipped out the spoon with a grin as Emily’s mouth didn’t allow the frozen dessert to leave her mouth, and swallowed.
Absolutely amazing. It slowly melted to the touch of her tongue as little gelato warriors invaded her tastebuds, being barraged by the chocolate sauce on top. Her face melted into pure ecstasy as she completely digested it, Joyce looking quite happy to have seen the spectacle, but Emily was too preoccupied to even mind, she wanted another bite and badly.
“I can take it by the look on your face it’s quite good?” Joyce stifled a laugh as she took a spoonful herself. Joyce had a similar reaction albeit much more reserved, quite pleased with the taste as well. Emily took a sip of her wine next followed suit by Joyce, to give a just as amazing taste. The residue and aftertaste of the cream was washed away by the flavor of grape mixed with the light taste of alcohol, and washed down her throat. The drink was beyond delicious! It was not sweet nor bitter and had just the right consistency to be the perfect accent to their dessert. Emily had to reconsider her thoughts on wine after trying something as amazing as this, but to achieve this kind of quality would be a bit out of her budget.
“To a wonderful night and our pleasant meeting.” Joyce raised her glass towards Emily, returning the gesture to the sound of glass clinking together.
“To us,” Emily giggled.
The two were making good on Antonio’s request to finish off the entire bottle of wine. After a good amount of refills later from the both of them, the bottle became quite light in the ice bucket and so did their heads. The gelato was finished off and Joyce’s cheeks were a slight bit redder than they were on the way in. Clearly a little bit intoxicated, Joyce was a bit more giggly around Emily as she still maintained her composure to others when calling for the check. Emily had done her best to limit herself, but she was feeling the buzz a little bit as well, knowing she was past her normal threshold. Their check came quickly and Joyce slipped a black card into the pocket of the check holder without hesitation, the transaction being quickly processed and having the girls on their way in only a few minutes.
“Joyce, I had such an amazing time,” Emily said, walking by Joyce as she held open the door for her, a torrent of the cold city air washing over her. As if he knew, the chauffeur was already waiting with the car door open, the two slipping in and already headed home.
“Emily, you have no idea how much I love having you here…” Joyce sighed as she stared off in clouded thought.
“Er, thanks, Joyce…” Emily wasn’t sure how to take the compliment, whether Joyce meant it 100% or that was partially the alcohol talking.
“I mean it,” she turned to face Emily. “It can just feel so…lonely at times being in that apartment alone. I know I helped you, but you have repaid me in full with your kindness and company…”
Did she really feel that way about her? Emily couldn’t help but feel happy for such kind words. Here she thought herself to be a complete freeloader, where in fact she’d been doing something in return all along…
The rest of the drive was silent as the pulled up to the front door of the apartment building. They stepped out of the car while Emily took a second to find her land legs from all the alcohol she’d had that night. Joyce seemed to be taking it like a champ, however, drinking even more than Emily and not showing much of a sign for taking a hit to her motor skills, just her emotions mostly.
“Home sweet home!” Joyce half-shouted as they walked into her apartment. Emily closed the door behind them, kicking off the shoes Joyce specially ordered for the night. Emily eyed Joyce as she shuffled off into the kitchen noting the differences when she was drunk, but there wasn’t much. If anything she seemed more relaxed, yet still had this…maternal vibe about her. They were certainly friends, but Emily could always feel this motherly aura linger around Joyce, not that it was a bad thing…
“I need to go undress,” Emily announced as she walked into the room she’d been staying in. Everything felt a bit wobbly, still trying to assume her not-drunk self for long enough to just take her dress off. She scanned her hand across her back, trying to search for the tiny zipper that kept her locked in the dress that hugged her torso so well. It had almost been a minute of searching, and Emily’s fragile emotions got the better of her as she was becoming visibly frustrated.
“Come on…come on…damn it! Stupid zipper!” She sat down on the bed to take a mental breather, so not to throw a complete fit over something so trivial.
“Everything alriiight?” Joyce popped her head in, her shoes being taken off as well.
“No.” Emily pouted. “I can’t this damn zipper on my back? Could you do it please?”
“Let me see what I can do sweetie…”
Sweetie? That was a new one. Emily stood up while Joyce ran her finger up and down Emily’s back, scanning for the zipper. The feeling was pleasant, having such sensitive areas touched by someone else…But then it stopped, feeling the light tug as Joyce pulled at the zipper.
“Down we go…” Joyce cooed as the zipper slowly followed suit.
“Joyce I think you’re a bit out of it…” Emily said, uncertain of the new person she could sense behind her right now.
“And next we slip off the dress!” Joyce playfully said again, lowering Emily’s dress and exposing her in just her underwear.
“Um, that’s enough Joyce. I just needed you to get the zipper.” Emily said, starting to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Shhh…” Emily grew wide-eyed as she felt Joyce’s arms loosely wrap around Emily’s neck. “LetMommyget you all ready for bed…”
“Joyce! Stop!” Emily was suddenly shouting, shoving Joyce away.
Emily stared at Joyce from her bed, dress at her ankles as she was practically naked in her underwear, unsure of who she was staring at right now. Joyce came to her senses too, her sober thoughts catching up just a bit too late before the damage had been done. She stared at Emily in disbelief for what she’d just done to the poor girl.
“I-I’m so sorry Emily I don’t know what…” Her voice couldn’t find the words as Emily was still confused and scared. Voice choking on tears, Joyce could only mutter an apology as she left Emily’s room, shutting the door behind her.
Idiot! idiot! idiot!Joyce couldn’t hold back the tears after she left Emily’s room. Locking herself in her own room. She laid down in her bed sobbing for her mistake. Why did she do it!? Joyce internally berated herself, angry for doing what she did. Tonight was supposed to be special! Why did she have to let her deepest desires get the better of her?
Please forgive me, Emily. Joyce cried into her pillow as she chased out her fantasies and replaced them with the terrible thoughts of permanently damaging her friendship with Emily. Everything was ruined! There was no way Emily would face her now, not after what she’d done. Even if she couldn’t have Emily in the way she really wanted, she didn’t want to lose such a precious friend…Emotionally unstable, Joyce cried until she tired herself out, and fell asleep in her dress from one of the worst nights of her life.
[HR][/HR]Hey guys, still going strong with the story, personally pleased with the direction it’s going in and hope I have set the scene nicely. Things should start to take a more interesting approach, as the relationship between Emily and Joyce begins to shape into something more meaningful between the both of them. Thanks for reading and feedback is very much appreciated. I’m sure to read your comments in between chapter updates and thank you for letting me know this story isn’t a complete bust haha. Until the next update!
Re: Sheltered [8/30/2017] CH3
4 - Confessions
Emily groggily stepped out of her room with a throbbing headache. Like with the fallout of any fun night it was never pleasant. She hoped Joyce had an aspirin or something to make the pain go away…Mommy. She suddenly felt herself become uncomfortable after remembering last night’s events. Yes she was confused and yes she was a little freaked out, but this was Joyce she was talking about. Maybe just she wasn’t the best with alcohol or something…Emily racked her brain with the reasoning for some kind of excuse or explanation that could somehow make her feel better about last night.
It was 10:00 AM and Joyce wasn’t anywhere to be found. Emily grew a little worried not being able to find her. She wanted to talk about last night, anything to get rid of these negative feelings about Joyce. She wanted to do anything in her power to know somehow last night was a misunderstanding and they could still be friends! Hopefully, Joyce felt the same…Longingly she stared at the couch where they would always lounge about together. Why did things have to be this way?
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Joyce rapidly typed away on her keyboard in her office, quite a distance away from her home; from Emily. She couldn’t bear to face Emily right now…not after what she’d done to her. Joyce didn’t even know how Emily felt about last night…she was such a terrible person, leaving a small and confused girl without any context about last night, she must be-No no no! Stop thinking about it!Joyce started typing faster to try and stray her mind from such thoughts. She still felt the lingering hangover, the curse that tempted her into slipping Emily into her own personal fantasy, taking advantage of her like that, how could she-! Joyce could feel the tears coming. No matter what she did she couldn’t stop thinking about last night. She didn’t even come in on Saturdays, but she was willing to do anything to get these awful thoughts out of her head. She wanted everything to back to normal where she would come home to see Emily peacefully lazing about, so she could know that she had someone to come home to, to care for-. Joyce suddenly stopped typing, covering her face as she couldn’t keep her emotional front up.
It was the best having Emily in her home, but all those times she called her a friend she really knew what she meant, she was lying to herself. What she had with Emily was only a tease of what she truly wanted. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit how much she wanted Emily in that way! God, please make these awful thoughts stop!
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Emily could only pace around the house as she was filled with uncertainty. She didn’t know where Joyce had gone, how she was feeling or what Emily herself should do. Frustration pushed her over the edge as she wasn’t able to call Joyce, her cell phone still being broken from when they first met. Joyce had a house phone, but Emily had no idea who to call to find her whereabouts. Emily was absolutely powerless and she hated it.
The hours passed from 11 to 12 and then to 1. From 1 to 2 and from there to 3. It had been five hours since Emily woke up, and her mild feelings of unrest only grew into worry for her dear friend. She hadn’t left her, had she? No that was impossible, this washerhome after all. Emily was still in her pajamas from this morning, purple-striped shorts with a thin shortsleeve to match, another outfit Joyce had bought for her…Emily couldn’t understand why she was experiencing these feelings she felt. The more time she had to stew on her own, the more time she had to convince herself last night that Joyce’s “roleplay,”as Emily reasoned it, was something she probably didn’t want to show her…Was that all? Emily hoped so, because if it were, that would be only a small mishap that did nothing to their friendship! Emily stopped for a second to consider another thought: what would it taketothreaten their relationship? Emily shook the idea out of her head, doing her best to stay positive. All she wanted to do was see and talk to Joyce…
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Deep breaths.Deep Breaths. Joyce tried to calm herself as she walked down the hall to her apartment. Why was she so scared? It was her home, Emily was a guest there! Or so she told herself, knowing very well she was scared nonetheless to see Emily. Joyce could imagine it now, Emily had probably already packed up her things and left; a sensible thing to do. She was already gone and their friendship comes to an end like that. Reaching her door, heart beating a mile a minute, Joyce braced herself for the worst and most likely outcome in her head as she turned open the lock and opened the door.
It was silent. She would be able to hear the sound of a pin dropping to the floor.That’s it. She’s gone. You stupid! Stupid!-Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet rushing across the floor, still registering the sound of feet before she could feel herself be embraced in the arms of a black-haired girl that came up to just above her chest.
“Emi…” Joyce was beyond surprised to see her in front of her right now.
“Where have you been?” Joyce could hear Emily choking back a few tears.
She had hurt her even further, Joyce’s heart broke to pieces. Joyce returned Emily’s embrace and hugged her tightly as well.
“I’m so sorry Emily,” Joyce maintained her composure and did her best to stay strong. “Last night I crossed a line with you and…”
“Please!” Emily interrupted her, turning her head to get the words out properly. “Just talk to me, I want to know what happened. I haven’t been able to reach you all day!”
Joyce chastised herself internally for keeping Emily so isolated. She had the convenience of being able to leave with her thoughts, whereas Emily was forced to sort them here. Emily had proved her wrong once; it was only right to come clean with her.
“Okay.”
[HR][/HR]Emily loosened her grip around Joyce to give her some space, her heart rapidly pounding in her chest. Why was her heart beating so fast? Why did she feel so relieved to see her again? Nothing made sense, but now, knowing that Joyce was still here put her at ease somewhat.
“Let’s just, sit down first…” Joyce started to feel a bit uneasy again, having to make one of the biggest confessions in her life to someone she unknowingly started to feel so much for.
The pair walked over to the couch, unsure of what Joyce had to tell her. Emily didn’t know what to expect, but this kind of build-up instinctively made her feel that it was significant. Emily sat on one end of the couch while Joyce did the other. There was a bit of silence between the two while Joyce looked more focused than she had ever before in the time Emily knew her.
“I…” Joyce’s voice fell flat. “I…have feelings for you…” Emily could see Joyce’s cheeks blush as she pensively stared into her lap. Emily for some reason felt her heart strike a chord hearing that, unsure of what she was feeling right now. “But what I want to tell you even more…AfterI tell you, I’m afraid I don’t know what it’ll be like between us…I’m scared of what might happen between us…”
Emily felt scared too, but she wanted nothing more than to stay connected to Joyce in any way. She couldn’t deny her own uncertainty as well, but she wanted to dive in headfirst believing nothing could damage their connection.
“Please,” Emily said. “Tell me.”
Joyce took another moment, still avoiding eye contact with Emily. She took a deep breath and put everything on the line. “I have a fetish…” There was no turning back now.
A fetish? All sorts of people had fetishes, what was the big deal? And how did it involve Emily?”
“Okay. It’s totally fine if you have a-”
“No. I still haven’t been clear yet…” Joyce seemed to tear up a bit, revealing her true self to the first person in over a decade of knowing, face to face for the first time.
“I have a…caretaker fetish…” Her voice started to grow quiet from embarrassment. “…A mommy fetish…” Joyce had laid herself bare and she hated every moment of it. But she knew this had to be done for the sake of her relationship with Emily; for better or worse.
A mommy fetish? What did she mean by that? Is that why she referred to herself as “mommy” last night?
“Last night was about that…” Joyce suddenly said, as if reading her thoughts. “I…” Joyce openly choked back some tears as a look of self-disgust grew on her face. “I think about you as more than a friend…” She sobbed.
Emily wasn’t sure why but she could feel herself starting to cry too. She couldn’t understand what was going on, but she wanted to somehow alleviate Joyce of the pain she was feeling right now, she wished she could have done anything for her sake.
“Emily,” Joyce cleared her throat. “I’m the time we’ve been together…I’ve been fantasizing about us nonstop…wishing I could…could…”
Emily waited in silence.
“…baby you.” She said it, the hardest part was over. “Non-stop, I’ve been wanting to take care of you on a much more…intimate level…”
Take care of her? Baby her? The entire concept was foreign to Emily, and she didn’t understand entirely but was able to see how important this was to Joyce, and that made it matter to her. Is that why Joyce seemed so motherly though? Was it because she had this kind of fetish or was it that Emily was being drawn into it? Or both?
“I know you’re an adult, and you have every right to be angry with me–but I just wanted to-”
“Wait, stop.”
Joyce’s voice halted on command, counting the tiny minuscule holes she could see in her leggings, anything to occupy her mind.
“I don’t completely understand what feelings you have for me.”
Joyce felt bitter for what was likely to come next.
“But I don’t understand my feelings for you either.”
What? Joyce had been caught off guard again.
“You said you have feelings like a mother for me…”
It sounded repulsive hearing it from another person’s mouth, how could anyone ever think of her as normal after confessing something like that?
“I don’t know anything about this side of you…”
Joyce waited. She was suddenly pounced by the 120lb girl, pinning her on the couch.
“But I want to try it with you.”
Joyce had to have a double-take so to make sure she heard Emily correctly. Her mind was still catching up despite her body and heart already knowing the truth, melting as fresh tears ran from her eyes out of pure relief and happiness. As Emily’s hair dangled over Joyce’s face, she could see her tears beyond her glasses and she seemed to be in pure bliss.
Emily had no idea what she was getting herself into. But the fact that it wasn’t necessarily a turn-off and more the unknown is what tempted Emily to take the plunge. What wasn’t knowingly hurting her and only putting Joyce at ease was all that mattered. She would be Joyce’s baby any day if it made her feel like this.
A monstrous weight had been lifted off of Joyce’s shoulders. Minding herself so carefully to how she acted around Emily, it was all over now. The feelings of acceptance from who she felt such a deep maternal love for felt better than any sensation she’d ever experienced in her life. The two laid there on the couch as Joyce pulled in the girl who had such a special place in her heart now. To some, a fetish could be only temporary feelings for while they are in the mood, but to Joyce, it was an undying desire that was part of her very personality. Never would her feelings for Emily wane, and she would never let her girl feel alone ever again. For that brief moment, everything felt perfect and an unbreakable bond had been formed.
Emily was simply happy to be emotionally reunited with Joyce again and felt as if they’re bond had deepened after such a stressful moment. And the more she thought about it, the idea of being loved by Joyce in such a way piqued her interest in a way she’d never felt before. The more she thought, she herself never had a “fetish” before. Maybe this could be it?
Either way, the two just laid there in each other’s arms while they began a new chapter in their lives together. In a single night, their relationship felt as if it went under a special transformation they had both come to appreciate. It was the perfect night to make up for such a terrifying one before.
“Now come on,” Joyce had dried most of her tears. “Let me make us some dinner.”
Happy to go back to their routine, Joyce cooked another pleasant meal while Emily laid there on the couch. Being so much more open with herself, Joyce couldn’t help but smile knowing now she had someone to truly dote on and could be honest. It was a mild form of satisfaction to the levels she wanted to take things, but after tonight Joyce felt that those kinds of goals weren’t as impossible as she thought.
The two enjoyed dinner like any other night and Joyce had promised to go into further detail in the morning; tonight already taking such a toll on the both of them. It just felt so good, knowing it was alright to take charge now… After dinner, Joyce changed into her own pajamas where the two spent the rest of the night on the couch watching tv like any other night. Only this time, Emily’s head was resting in Joyce’s lap, their connection feeling quite pleasant to Emily as well. It went on like that until Emily was the first to fall asleep again, Joyce being more than happy to carry her special girl off to bed.
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“So what does being your baby entail?” Emily asked. She was loaded with questions but was mostly curiosity rather than fear.
“Well…” Joyce was still adjusting to being so open about what she was used to hiding for years. “For one thing…I would have you wear diapers…”
Emily felt a bit awkward hearing that. Of course, she expected her to say it, but hearing it finally be put out in the open still felt strange.
“Okay…” Emily said. “Will I have to…use them?” Emily knew she was stupid for asking such a thing, but she couldn’t help but want to clarify just how she would be treated.
“Ideally…yes…” Joyce felt a little bit uncomfortable as well. “For all intents and purposes…at some point, at least.”
It was difficult to comprehend what it would be like pissing and messing herself, Emily strangely pondered the thought. The last time she did that was before she could even retain the thought of remembering what it was like to use diapers… Guess she would be finding out soon enough. But diapers were diapers. Taking the first step was for Joyce, she’d see where it went from there.
“What else would I have to do or wear?” Was being a baby hard? She’d have to do her best to make this pleasant for Joyce.
“Apart from diapers, whatever I clothe you in.”
Clothe her? Then again, Joycedidsay she wanted to mother her, which didn’t sound all that bad, being cared for.
“But all I want from you is for you to enjoy yourself. I may find pleasure in babying you…but I want you to find pleasure in me babying you as well…”
Emily couldn’t believe the terms Joyce was setting. It only felt like to Emily that she was benefitting from Joyce’s kink and Joyce was simply caring for her even more than she already did. But this is what’s special to Joyce, Emily reminded herself. It was weird thinking that her own happiness made Joyce happy, but if that’s what it took, Emily was prepared to explore this uncharted territory.
“It would come with dressing you, changing you…bathing you and feeding you.”
Emily could almost see the orchestrated scenes popping into her head, only feeling curiosity for them rather than distaste. She figured that was a good sign.
“And also…I might change a bit how I talk to you…” What did she mean by that?
“What do you mean by that?” Emily asked, unsure.
“In a tone more…age…appropriate.” Again, Joyce felt caught up laying her intentions bare in front of the person she was going to do these things to.
“Okay.” Hearing it from Joyce was one thing, but experiencing it was on a whole different level. There wasn’t much Emily could get out of a table discussion rather than experiencing the thing firsthand.
“Do you have any requests from me?” Joyce asked. She wasn’t even entirely sure herself how their first time together doing this would be. She would need time to plan.
“How often or long would we be doing this?” Emily wondered. She knew both of them had work which could interrupt long-term “play,” which wasn’t exactly bad to Emily as she was currently fond of adulthood and wouldn’t mind returning to it.
“Let’s just try it first, then we’ll see where to go from there…” Joyce decided, again uncertain herself. If she were to take this seriously, she’d need to be much more decisive and prepared for her sake and Emily’s in the future.
“Okay. Alright then.” Emily couldn’t think of anything that needed to come now, most of her questions either being trivial or would ruin some kind of surprise Joyce had already cooked up. “So when do we start?”
“Since it’s already Sunday, I figured we should wait until this Saturday coming up next. That way we both have time to prepare… mentally and physically.”
Whatever that meant, Emily trusted Joyce. She was willing to be surrendered to her care if that meant she would be happy, and would even have Emily’s best interest at heart as well. It would be a long week in anticipation, but the both of them would tough it through. Who knows what Joyce had cooked in store.
[HR][/HR]
And so the week was quite slow, but with the help of Joyce’s chauffeur, Emily was commuted to and from work with ease as the pair could meet each other at home each night. There was always dinner together and cuddles, but both of them knew with each day their special time together was coming closer and closer. On the days Joyce came home before Emily, she would use the time to openly strategize and move some newly purchased items into her locked room down the hall…
Late Friday night when Emily had been carried to bed some time ago, Joyce reviewed her plan with satisfaction and knew everything was ready to go. Joyce set her alarm clock for 9 and drifted off to sleep. For the both of their sakes, Joyce would ensure that tomorrow was perfect.
[HR][/HR]Had to get this update out before I went to sleep. It’s not as long as the other chapters but it’s a good place to leave it for now while offering closure to the initial chapter (I apologize if you don’t appreciate the cliffhanger!) As always thanks for reading, and I cannot appreciate the feedback or kind words enough! I look forward to continuing this story and have some more ideas on how to progress things down the road. Until the next update!
Re: Sheltered [8/31/2017] CH4
5 - New Feelings
Joyce’s clock buzzed quietly next to her, opening her eyes as the sleepiness quickly drained from her as her heart raced with anticipation. Slipping out of bed, she changed into a snug fitting t-shirt and pants with a similar effect to be dressed for the day. First impressions for this kind of thing were important, and she wanted to look mature, but also stay comfortable when keeping up with her baby for the day. Everything had been calculated down to the very cup she’d be drinking out of, and Joyce looked forward to every step of the way.
While she and Emily both experienced their roles for the day, Joyce had one goal to achieve with Emily and one only. She would, of course, ease her into things, step by step, but there was a point Joyce would be sure to reach to truly know whether this would continue or not. She stood in front of Emily’s door; knowing that once she woke Emily up it was on her to see her through. With a deep breath, she quietly turned the knob and opened the door, seeing her peaceful little girl sleep without a worry. Joyce couldn’t help but feel devious, expecting Emily to be asleep. She had purposely kept her up late last night, just to have this effect in the morning. Joyce knelt down on the carpet, knowing how heavy of a sleeper Emily was, and gently nudged her shoulder.
“Emily, sweetie…it’s time to wake up…” She cooed into Emily’s ear.
The girl stirred in response, still in a trance.
“Honey, it’s time to wake up. We’ve got a very special day ahead of us…”
“MmmmmMm…nn!” Emily gave a little stretch as her eyes finally opened to see Joyce looking back at her.
“Joyce?” She asked in a mumbled voice. “What’re you doing in here? What time is it?”
“Rise and shine, little one…Mommy needs to get her girl dressed for the day.” Even Joyce herself felt a bit awkward saying it at first, but her emotions and desires reaffirmed her resolve as with each time it would only become more natural.
What was she talking about? Emily rolled over to stare up at the ceiling as she tried to piece the situation together.
“Now let’s see what we have here…” Joyce stood up and with one hand peeled back the covers to reveal Emily’s body. She was in her button-up from the first night Joyce bought her those new clothes, sporting the outfit quite well to Joyce’s mental note.
“My my, my little girl must have slept well, didn’t she? Let’s get you out of your nighttime clothes and into something more appropriate.”
Emily only caught the last bit before she could feel the touch of someone edging their hands into the waistband of her pants and panties.
As Joyce tugged them, Emily suddenly in protest went “Wait…what are you doing? Hey…!”
The protest was natural, Joyce reasoned in the back of her head. Joyce foresaw this as well and was going according to plan. She knew the only way she could have Emily’s honest feelings is if she kept her out of the loop and tried to encourage her to simply just enjoy the ride. Surrender all control to her, let mommy take care of everything.
Emily seemed to be catching on soon enough as well, suddenly remembering this is the day they were going to do this. But Joyce taking the initiative on her own was something she did not expect. She was surprised, yet she wasn’t denying what was happening either.
“Such a fussy girl…” Joyce said, dismissing her adult shock as a little fit. “We’ll feelmuchbetter once were up and awake!” Slowly teasing the girl, Joyce took her time sliding off everything below her waist, Emily being reminded every second of the way as the fabric slid off her skin. And then they were off, Joyce held Emily’s pants and panties in one arm while she looked over to the very exposed girl, who had already taken one hand to cover her most sacred parts with what dignity she had left.
“Please give me my panties back…” Emily asked, choking up a bit from what seemed to be happening way too fast.
“Don’t worry honey…” Joyce rubbed her hand over her cheek. “We’ll get you sort soon enough.” Joyce stared at the panties which used to be around Emily’s waist not even a second ago. The striped pattern that ran across the pink looked absolutely beautiful with exquisite craftsmanship. Joyce fantasized seeing Emily clad in these as she would walk around the apartment, but that was for another time, should it ever come. Something else should be around her waist right now, and they weren’t panties.
“Now let’s get that top off of you,” Joyce edged Emily closer to the bed who still tried to keep a hand from exposing her privates. Joyce paid her arm no heed however as she kept brushing it away as it became an obstacle to getting Emily undressed. Constantly she’d try to readjust to Joyce’s silent disapproval until she settled by pulling a blanket over her legs instead. Meanwhile, Joyce made her way down Emily’s torso, button by button as Emily felt less and less clothed. Fighting very odd feelings of protest right now, Emily did her best to surrender to Joyce. It didn’t feel right being undressed by someone else, yet kept herself reserved nonetheless.
Joyce noted Emily’s cooperation, for the most part, to be a good thing, as the final button came undone and left her in just a bra. She’d leave the bra on Emily, lest she pushes her too far for one day. This time was all about taking just the right steps.
“Arms up,” Joyce said as she guided Emily’s arms by pulling on the top and hung it over her arm. “Such a good girl,” Joyce cooed further as she tossed nearly all of her clothes into a hamper next to her dresser. Speaking of which… “Now let’s get you all dressed up.” Joyce pretended to look as if she were trying to decide on an outfit for Emily, where in fact she knew exactly what she was looking for, she simply wanted to add to the immersion.
“Hmmm…ah! I know!” Joyce said as she dug into one of Emily’s drawers.
What did she find? Emily racked her brain, trying to think what could possibly be considered infantile in her wardrobe. Out of it, Joyce pulled a shirt, holding it by the sleeves just to give Emily a good look. The shirt was predominantly gray as the sleeves and collar were pink, with a happy monkey playing on the front. Emily looked at the size, knowing full well that wouldn’t fit like her shirts normally do unless that was her intention? And also, where had that been hiding in her drawers?
“A cute shirt for my cute girl…and most importantly…” She fished into the drawers again, exploring depths Emily had clearly never known of before.
But to Emily’s horror and knowing inevitability, Joyce held a large white rectangle in her hand, causing Emily’s heart to sink a little, yet skip a beat when she recognized what it was.
“I need to make sure my baby is protected while we have lots of fun today,” Joyce said in a motherly tone, taking the two articles of clothing to the practically nude Emily.
Emily’s heart pounded heavily as she did her best to process such a quick chain of events. She wasn’t ready for this, but Joyce didn’t look like she intended to stop, and that made everything okay. She constantly reminded herself that this was Joyce doing this, her only reason for agreeing to something so unimaginable to her. She was still waking up yet already felt so infantile from the way Joyce was acting. Soon she would be committed to the role as soon as Joyce did what she needed to do…
Joyce could see and feel the fear and uncertainty radiating off of Emily right now. She dearly hoped those feelings would change soon enough, but she’d only know if she pressed further. She quietly cleared her throat as she proceeded.
“Now let’s lie down for mommy, sweetie.” Gently yet firmly, she used both hands and pressed on Emily’s shoulders as she eased her back, the blanket covering her falling out of reach and Joyce denying any attempts to get it back. Emily hated being so exposed and turned her head away in shame as she felt tears sting her eyes.
“There there,” Joyce consoled. “It’ll all be over soon…” Out of sight but not earshot, Emily could hear the crinkling noise as Joyce fanned out her new undergarment for the day. With both hands, Joyce gathered Emily’s feet together as she lifted them up to Emily’s surprise, feeling more like an actual child with each step. Thighs and legs in the air, Joyce slid the white cushion underneath Emily’s bottom and slowly lowered her onto it.
Emily could feel the goosebumps as she came into contact with the soft padding. It didn’t feel real, despite the obvious proof sitting between her legs right now. Joyce produced a bottle of baby powder and gushed a small cloud of mist as she gingerly covered Emily’s waist in sweet lavender-smelling powder. Going as far as to rub it in, Emily jumped a little out of reflex for being touched in such sensitive areas; almost feeling violated as she hated to acknowledge the strange yet stimulating touch.
Joyce paid no mind to her responses as she finished rubbing, and moved onto the closing stages as she drew the front of the diaper up and between her legs. Emily did too, as her face turned a shade of red while desperately trying to block out her senses. Next came the tapes, as one by one Joyce made sure to securely lock the four-tape diaper into place. She ran her finger through the leg waistbands (Causing Emily to jump again), and then it was done. Joyce stood back for a moment to admire the sight right now, while Emily still abashedly avoided eye contact. Joyce’s heart was gushing right now, melting at what she saw. Emily had gone so far to make this possible for Joyce, and it was living up to be everything she’d dreamed of. Joyce could have been the happiest woman in the world right now, as she was overjoyed with her new charge and loving friend.
Joyce sat the girl up as she finally slipped the shirt onto Emily, hiding her bra but doing nothing to mask the white crinkly diaper secured around Emily’s waist. Emily picked up on it too, pouting how the shirt stayed just slightly above her bellybutton, openly hanging as the shirt was clearly not designed for the size of adults nor their curves.
Seeing Emily blush made it clear she was embarrassed, but Joyce couldn’t help but eat it up as it was simply too precious for words. Emily looked down at herself hesitantly. It was certainly a different look…the diaper felt much thicker than the panties she had been wearing moments ago and was feeling very out of her element. The reminder of her helplessness refreshed some tears in her eyes. Whether this was for Joyce or not, Emily still felt troubled, trying to adjust.
“Okay…let’s talk.” Joyce calmly said as she sat on the bed with Emily, putting an arm around her shoulder and over her waist. “Tell me, how are you feeling right now?”
“I…I don’t know…” Was all Emily could say. It was so hard trying to describe the emotions she was feeling.
“Well, are you happy…sad…scared?” She rubbed Emily’s back.
“I just feel so…vulnerable. I feel like a baby.”
The irony was hard not to laugh at, but for Emily’s sake, Joyce stayed silent to that remark.
“That’s the whole point, Emily. I want to take care of you so dearly like this, but I want you to enjoy it too. Yes, it must be a shock going through such a transition, but I want you to know that I will always be with you every step of the way. I want to care for you just as much and if not, more. It’s okay to feel vulnerable when you’re here. It’s just you and me, and I would never take advantage of you.” It was clear they would have to build a level of trust for Emily to feel comfortable under these circumstances should they continue this after today.
It felt better having Joyce treat her like an adult again, being able to collect herself, Emily nodding her head in response. She wanted to see what this was like and feel Joyce’s love for her as a child, but it was scaring her nonetheless to feel so stripped. Never before had she ever need to rely on someone in such a way other than when she was actually a baby. Now consciously being aware of the difference, she didn’t feel right.
“I promise nothing bad will happen to you while you’re in my care. Just like with your ankle, remember? When you were hurt we made it all better. When you needed clothes I provided and when you needed food I cooked. It’s nothing different now other than it being in a different way. It may feel scary now, but you need to give yourself a chance to enjoy today and see what it’s like.”
“But the…diapers…” Emily’s voice drifted off on the last word.
“ Again, it’s just another thing that reminds you of how you’re inmycare. I love the idea of taking care of you and hope you can like me taking care of you too. You don’t have to think of it as making you a baby, it’s just a way you can put your trust in me to keep you comfy and safe. Besides, doesn’t it feel nice wearing one?”
As much as she hated to admit it, Joyce on some level was getting through to her. Despite being thick and crinkly, the white diaper with a long strip running down the front was a bit of a cushion on the inside. It did feel soft to some degree, but not far from her high-end panties. Still, though, it was an awkward trade for comfort to be such a far cry away from adulthood. And another thing she fought herself on was the wonderful smell of lavender emanating from the diaper; she couldn’t deny that it was a nice smell. And considering it as a sign of Joyce’s care was strange to process, but did offer a new perspective that slightly dampened the blow to her dignity.
“Now that we’re feeling better do you want to go have some breakfast?”
Breakfast did sound good right about now, and whatever they did would likely help take her mind off of things. Emily nodded her head as she sniffled one last time, her stomach suddenly starting to feel empty.
“Good, I know I could use a bite to eat right about now, too. Annnd up we go!” Joyce hoisted Emily up in the air with a sudden burst of strength Emily did not expect, quick to wrap her arms around Joyce’s neck and legs around her waist. She’d never actually been awake when carried by Joyce and was surprised being able to witness the woman’s strength firsthand. Joyce supported her bottom with one hand and back with the other, Joyce was in heaven as she carried her big baby out of the room.
Wait, what about pants? “Hey, Joyce wait!” Joyce suddenly stopped walking.
“What is it hon?”
“What about…you know…pants?”
“Pants?” Joyce continued walking down the hall and into the kitchen.
“Yes! Can’t I have something to wear over this?” Emily’s voice became quiet in embarrassment.
“Maybe later.” Joyce reasoned. “I want you to be comfortable with being dressed as you are, and this is just about as intense as it gets.” Joyce half-lied. She could think of one more way to take things further, but she had no intentions of doing such a thing to her already skeptical charge.
“Please? Can’t I just have some pants, shorts or even a skirt?” Emily begged for some dignity back, this wasn’t an adjustment she was appreciating having to adapt to.
“No means no Emily. I’ve seen you in even fewer clothes than this, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. I’m the only one who will see you like this, and frankly, I find you adorable!” She patted Emily’s back after that remark, unable to see Emily’s blushing face.
“Now let’s stop thinking about adult things and look forward to breakfast!” Joyce pulled out a chair at the table with a cushion on it, setting Emily down into it. Emily noticed the difference too, her bare thighs coming into contact with the warm softness that was replaced by the usually cold surfaces of the wooden chairs.
Had she planned this? Emily wondered, pressing her hand against the warmed cushion. She must have, considering all the other chairs were like they’d always been, cushionless. Either way, Emily wasn’t denying the comfort. Joyce hummed her usual melody as she took out various ingredients and appliances. Emily couldn’t see much as she watched in silence, only able to make out butter and eggs as Joyce stirred.
“What’re you making?” Emily asked as she leaned from side to side in her chair.
“That is a surprise.” Joyce was becoming happier by the minute as the day felt less and less like a dream and more a reality. There were a few issues with today, but assuming today went well they would be fixed later down the road. For example, she wanted to use a changing pad for Emily and much more appropriate diapers, but on such short notice and holding back her temptations to give Emily the complete baby treatment, she had to take things slow, even if the wait was painful. For all, she knew Emily may never want to do this again, and the thought honestly scared her. However, Joyce was too focused on simply making this one of the best experiences Emily ever had.
Speaking of Emily, sitting in her chair with little to do, she started to become much more attentive towards all the windows in the house now. Being dressed as she was, the glass that gave the outside world a good look at her felt so much more dangerous now, wishing she could be kept in the dark wearing clothes like this. But if Joyce had even thought to keep her seat warm, then that must mean the windows were fine to pass, right? There were certainly buildings that towered in front of every angle of the apartment, and they were one of many homes to be seen. Realizing how insignificant they were put her mind at ease, reminding herself that Joyce was to keep her safe.
Joyce poured the mixed substance onto a griddle as she made four medium-sized circles just about equal in size. She dotted them with chocolate chips and flipped them over once one side had been cooked enough. Once the other side finished she unloaded two onto each plate, one for her and Emily. With a knife, she buttered all four of them and took care to cut up all of the pancakes on one plate, then apply just the right amount of syrup to the both of them. Satisfied with her work, she carried both plates to the table.
“Ta-da!” Joyce exclaimed as she placed a plate in front of Emily and then herself. Joyce turned on the coffee maker as she grabbed napkins and silverware for the two, a fork and knife for herself and just a fork for Emily.
“Pancakes? Emily looked down at her plate as she could feel herself begin to salivate. Joyce was truly a godsend from the kitchen heavens as her food never failed to impress Emily. She had tried cooking for Joyce before during the week, but it never turned out nearly as well with the practice and skill Joyce already had.
“We should start off the day with something delicious to get our big day started!” Joyce set out the utensils as the coffee maker finished doing its business.
Emily noticed she was only given a fork but decided not to protest seeing as her meal was already cut up for her. She knew what Joyce was trying to go for, and did not, not appreciate her kind gesture. Emily didn’t hesitate as she already took the first bite. It was as spectacular as all of her cooking was. The syrupy goodness blended so well with the bite of pancake that revealed a warm chocolate chip which melted on her tongue. Taking in every last bit of taste, she hurriedly moved onto the next bite. Joyce stared at her little girl as she poured their drinks, a bit disappointed in how she saw Emily sit in the regular chair. There was so much more she wanted to do for Emily, and she couldn’t chase the feeling. Had it been Joyce’s way, Emily would at the very least be wearing a bib right now, if not securely in a highchair. What were once fantasies felt like genuine possibilities with Emily. Joyce wanted to experience so much with her but was afraid to break Emily with the pressures of Joyce unloading years of pent up “mommy-ing” all at once. Slowly she had to appease her own emotions, but Emily always came first.
Joyce set her mug of coffee on the table while she gave Emily her drink, specially prepared. Emily eyed the cup as well, seeing it wasn’t ordinary. It was one of the cups she’d used in the house before, but now there was a rubber cap covering the opening as there was a small top to drink out of like a sippy cup. Through the translucent plastic, she could see a light brown substance, almost like chocolate milk. Curiously, she lifted the cup and took a sip, better put, sucked on the rubber top to be rewarded with a stream of deliciousness. It was her kind of coffee that tasted like it had been mixed with a generous amount of milk, a perfect drink for her to have. She had been expecting something much more infantile but was happy Joyce was making an effort to keep her comfort too.
“Do you like your drink, honey?” Joyce asked as she sipped some of her own coffee, cutting a piece of pancake.
“Mhm!” Emily mumbled through her chewing mouth, already eating more pancake.
“Perfect. Only the best for my special girl.” Joyce happily cooed as they continued their meal.
Emily was reluctant to drink from the cup at first, but she could stomach the embarrassment knowing that this was what Joyce wanted. It didn’t take long to get the hang of drinking from the pseudo-sippy cup either, getting it down before she’d sucked it dry. Emily scooched her chair from out of the table to get some more, walking over to the counter. “Oh, what are you up to over here?” Joyce got out of her chair and walked over to Emily.
“I was just refilling my drink.” Emily nonchalantly said, somewhat wondering why Joyce should feel the need to ask.
“Then don’t worry honey,” Joyce said as she gently pulled the cup from Emily’s hand. “All you need to do is ask, let me take care of it. You go finish your pancakes.”
“Okay…” Was all Emily could say as she took her seat with the sound of a crinkle. She had almost forgotten she was wearing a diaper and wasn’t happy for being reminded. And it was weird exploring her limits as Joyce’s…baby, the word felt so weird when referring to herself. Had she done something wrong by getting her own drink? Just how much did Joyce want to do for her? Emily was swirling in thoughts; the exact opposite of what Joyce wanted for her.
“Here you go.” Joyce set down the refilled drink in front of Emily while she took the last bites of her food.
“Thank you,” Emily said as she took a sip from her cup to finish off breakfast that morning. Joyce with the liberty of cutting much larger pieces finished a bit before Emily and was just checking her tablet for any unforeseen work updates, not that anything would come between her and Emily today. She set her tablet down and gathered their plates, walking over to the sink and rinsing them. She set them aside and took out a washcloth next, wetting only part of it as she walked over to Emily.
“You got a little bit of syrup around your mouth, sweetie.” Joyce was more than obliged to assist, taking hold of Emily’s chin while she wiped her mouth clean. Again a strange experience for Emily, she was thankful nonetheless. As the cold washcloth ran over her face. Constantly reminding herself it was okay to surrender like this, she let Joyce do her thing.
Her face clean, Joyce left the washcloth on the counter while she lifted Emily again and moved her into the living room. Not seeing it before when they walked through, there was a large quilt set up on the floor in front of the couch. It was decorated in ABC block designs on a powder blue background. It made for a better seat than the hardwood floor as Joyce lowered her. Strewn about seemed to be various toys. There were a couple of things Emily recognized off the bat like a toy ball, a speak-and-say, and a thick children’s book; very simple stuff. Her mind would vegetate if she were to mess around with the latter two as she were right now, and could only consider the possibility of being entertained by the ball for a short while. However, some of the other things she couldn’t recognize were things that maybe could occupy her for a bit. All different in shape and size, they all seemed to be logic puzzles varying in the type of challenge and likely difficulty.
Joyce could see her plan had worked to get some more “advanced” toys for Emily. Of course, it would be cute to see her use some of the more babyish things, but she knew she wouldn’t be very captivated with those few toys. Just because Emily was her baby didn’t mean she had the mind of one.
Emily without paying too much mind to Joyce already started tinkering with one of the puzzles, a bit surprised by its genuine difficulty. She was happy to see Emily engaging on her own without having to be pointed in the right direction. And Joyce also disappointingly looked at the quilt which Emily’s padded bottom sat on.
Joyce wasn’t particularly a fan of superficial things. Whenever she needed something she could simply buy the correct item; she had earned the ability after all. And to resort to so many repurposed items for Emily was a terrible feeling. She wanted the best for her girl, her baby. But Emily seemed content, and that was enough for now. Joyce flicked on the tv for some background noise while she joined Emily. She was tinkering with a puzzle shaped like a disc, there were three metal parts connected to look seemingly woven together, but they detached and Emily was trying to figure out exactly how to accomplish that.
“Oooh that’s a tough one, isn’t it?” Joyce asked while on her knees, about more than a head taller than her compared to the way Emily sat.
“Mhm…” Was all Emily could say, trying to figure it out. She always loved puzzles, but at moments couldn’t be the best at them. This was one of those times. Emily openly sighed as she gave the puzzle another work-over, feeling as if she’d already tried every angle to pull them apart for the past ten minutes.
“Here, how about we try it together?” Joyce suggested as she repositioned herself. She stood up to move behind Emily and sat in such a way where Emily was in between her legs as if they were to go down the slide together. As if Joyce were the back of a chair, Emily leaned slightly back while she used Joyce as a cushion to support her. Absolutely loving it, Joyce accepted the puzzle from Emily’s hands and began to work on it in front of her.
This…didn’t feel so bad, Emily reasoned as she laid into Joyce. It felt like any other night when they sat on the couch together. She always enjoyed the feeling of being with Joyce in some form, and that was no different even now. Maybe in a diaper and sitting on a playmat, but it was still with Joyce. And she didn’t feel belittled by the puzzle either, as it really was challenging. Joyce may have been treating her like a baby, but she did it in a way where Emily didn’t feel mindless like she had expected. Yet she couldn’t understand why Joyce wanted this so badly? Emily did the like idea of being close to Joyce, but she had yet to see the specialty in what they were doing now.
“And if I have it correct I think it should go…like…this!” In just a minute or two, Joyce successfully unlatched the pieces which then fell into Emily’s lap; her diapered lap, rather. Emily still wasn’t too thrilled about her new underwear, but there were perks to it she acknowledged from earlier. Trying not to pay mind to it, the collected the pieces and was already fiddling with them.
“How were you able to do that?” Emily questioned, already trying to figure out how they went back together.
“What you need to do is twist and pull,” Joyce explained while she watched Emily, stroking her hair.
“Yeah but, how do you put it back together?” Emily aimlessly tried any combination to get them to fit into place, relaxing to the hand running through her hair. She held the puzzle up as if a gesture for Joyce to solve it for her.
“I can’t give you all the answers, silly. That would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?” There was some truth to this statement, but Joyce wanted these toys to last until she could acquire some more if this wouldn’t be the last day they did this. And if Joyce was reading the situation correctly, that may just be the case.
Emily sulked a bit as she started fiddling with it again, wishing for the instant gratification of Joyce showing her how to solve it. But next, as if Joyce had read her mind, she produced the cup containing her favorite drink from breakfast. Emily happily took it and set the puzzle aside to take a swig of the caffeinated beverage. It was already half empty, but she tilted her head back further and further to get every drop, Joyce’s bosom serving as a pillow to support her efforts.
“Thank you,” Emily said as she instinctively wiped her mouth with her hand, finding it to be dry. Then she remembered she was drinking from a sippy cup. Normally she’d get the stuff on her mouth while sipping, but this rubber cap prevented that from happening. In its own way it was kind of a perk, Emily figured. “Could I have some more please?” Emily asked, trying to look up at Joyce’s face by turning her head.
“Why don’t we try some juice instead?” Joyce suggested, taking her cup and standing up.
“Why juice?” Emily asked. She wasn’t particularly thrilled to be denied her special drink.
“Because you shouldn’t be drinking caffeineallday. That’s for the morning to wake you up.” Joyce explained. She appreciated that Emily liked the drink she made for her, but she didn’t want to keep her on the stuff all day.
As Joyce walked away Emily could already feel herself kind of missing her personal backrest. She messed around with the puzzle some more but finally gave up. There was no way she would be able to beat that dumb puzzle.
She popped off the rubber cover and washed the cup out before refilling it with apple juice from the fridge. Apple juice was one of Joyce’s particular favorites apart from water, coffee and wine. She hoped the same would go for Emily too. Joyce put the cover back on as she walked back into the living room. She felt bad in a way as she took her seat with Emily again as if she were tricking her. Emily probably hadn’t thought about it yet, but Joyce would not object to keeping her hydrated. The inevitable would happen soon enough, and then they could put one of the hardest steps behind them.
“Thank you,” Emily said as she accepted the drink from Joyce, giving it a taste. She could tell it was apple juice, and it was pretty good. She very much liked her coffee-milk, but this was an acceptable substitute she supposed. Emily grabbed a new puzzle while she turned her gaze to the tv, and Joyce shifted them over to the couch as the more comfortable option. Joyce encased her as they laid there, absolutely at peace as everything in the world felt right. Emily watched the show with Joyce while she occasionally tinkered with the puzzle, paused by taking a sip from her juice while sitting in Joyce’s arms feeling safe and secure.
“So how are you feeling now?” Joyce broke the silence, wanting to check back in with the adult Emily once more.
“Better compared to this morning,” Emily admitted. “Everything you’ve done for me I can’t appreciate enough. Minus the diaper and clothes, this doesn’t seem too different than normal. I…” Emily started to blush. “I like it when we’re together like this…”
Joyce was overjoyed to hear such words as she gave Emily a little squeeze.
“What about you? How are you doing?”
“Emily,” she sighed. “I can’t thank you enough for this. I feel closer than I ever have before and am loving every second of our time together. Doing this for me makes me the happiest woman in the world. All I’ve ever wanted is a little girl to watch over and care for, and you allowing me that opportunity makes you the most important person to me right now.”
“You…you mean it?” Emily wasn’t sure why she was asking those words, nor why her heart’s pace started to pick up.
“Absolutely and wholeheartedly.”
While Joyce couldn’t see, a small smile crept over Emily’s face as she soaked in the moment. She wasn’t sure how she would react to becoming a baby like this, but the love Joyce gave her made it worth every second and started to make it more than bearable, actually enjoyable.
The two laid there after many juice refills for a few hours or so until the clock had just about crept up on two. Joyce had been paying attention, as she flicked off the tv and gathered Emily in her arms.
“Wait, what? Where are we going?” Emily asked as she was in the middle of watching something.
“It’s naptime sweetie,” Joyce said as she walked down the hall.
“But I’m not tired.” Emily retorted as they entered her room, trying not to say the most cliché thing any kid in her position would.
“Don’t you always take naps during the day though? When you wait for me to come home?” Joyce had a point, but those weren’t until later. It was still about an hour before those happened.
“Yeah, but, those aren’t until later.”
“Then let’s get you into the habit for this time then. Soon enough you won’t even feel the difference.” Joyce explained as she set Emily down on her bed. “Do you want the shades open or closed?” She asked while pulling a blanket over Emily.
“Could you leave them a little open?” Emily asked. She wanted to leave a sliver of light in, just to remind her that it was still daytime.
“Sure,” Joyce said, doing exactly as she requested. “Now try to get some shuteye. I’ll come back to wake you up in a few hours, okay?”
“Mhm.” Emily nodded as she was authoritatively ordered to sleep. That was about how long she napped for normally, but it felt different being told to.
“Perfect. Sleep well, my princess.” Joyce cooed as she lightly kissed the top of Emily’s forehead. Emily’s cheeks burned as Joyce quietly shut the door, alone with her thoughts. Making a deep sigh, she reflected on the day’s events thus far, rolling over on her side. While she couldn’t fully comprehend what Joyce was getting out of this, Emily’s own enjoyment was starting to grow on her. Being treated like an infant was different, but she felt closer to Joyce than she had ever before. Up until now when they were together Joyce still always cared for Emily, just to a much lesser extent. It’s as if by intensifying the level of care Joyce had for her, so did their bond and the feelings she felt from it. She loved being with her like this, being cared for, the center of Joyce’s attention. It was awkward thinking about such selfish thoughts, but it felt good to feel that way because she knew Joyce felt the same too. Yet again though, Emily had trouble placing her feelings for Joyce.
Was this love? The idea kind of scared Emily. She liked men…but was it possible she liked women too? No, no, maybe that’s not it. She didn’t like women inthatway, she simply liked Joyce. She always felt like a mother figure to her, just on a more intimate level. Whatever they had between them right now was perfect, nothing less and nothing more. Satisfied with her emotional conclusion, Emily closed her eyes and could feel herself working her way into her usual nap routine.
[HR][/HR]
Emily opened her eyes sometime later, in the partial darkness of her room minus the light from outside. She quickly got to the bottom of what woke her up, feeling a pressure in her bladder. Oh crap, no please no. Emily hopped out of bed and crinkled her way to the door. Why did this have to happen? Being Joyce’s baby may be fun, but this part certainly wasn’t as well-received by Emily. She made a beeline for the bathroom out of years of routine, twisting the handle to only have it jiggle in resistance.
“No no no! Please!” Emily jiggled the handle further, having no idea why the bathroom was locked.
Joyce! She needed to find Joyce. Quickly she opened the door to her room, finding it untouched and empty. She looked in the living room and then the kitchen, finding no one. This was bad! Where had she gone? Did she leave her?
The worst of her fears were bringing on tears, as she paced around, unsure of what to do as her bladder ached more. Why did she have to drink so much juice? Why did Joyce let her drink so much? Ugh! This was so frustrating. Out of instinct, she wanted to take off the diaper, but unless she got into the bathroom there’d be no point in taking the thing off.
“Joyce…” Emily sobbed as she sat on the couch.
“Emily? What are you doing up? You should still be…” Joyce trailed off as she took off her glasses. Emily looked at her in tears as stress was getting the better of her.
“I thought you left…” Emily sobbed, afraid of being left in such a dire situation and attire.
“Of course I’d never leave you!” Joyce gave her a hug. “Is that why you’re upset?”
“No…” Emily whined. “I need to pee…”
So that’s what it was…Joyce sighed as she pulled Emily into her lap on the couch.
“Shhh shhh, it’s okay Emily.”
“But I need to use the bathroom!”
“Then let it go.” Joyce cooed into Emily’s ear. “Mommy’s here, there’s no reason to be scared.”
“Please Joyce, I’m not joking, I need to go!”
“I know you do sweetheart, which is why I want you to go right now.”
Go!? Did she mean in her diaper? Emily knew she agreed to this, but saying and doing were different things!
“Please! Don’t make me do this.” Emily started to sob again as she was fighting Joyce’s grip.
Joyce didn’t feel great, forcing Emily to pee herself. But she’d need to do it at least once to know what it feels like. She wanted to push Emily at least that far before the day was over. This was it, the big moment.
“Just relax, instead of holding it back, give it a niiice…biiig…push.” She spoke into Emily’s ear, doing her best to calm her down.
Emily’s body was rejecting everything about this. It felt wrong, and she didn’t want to do something she hadn’t done in decades!
“I can’t.” Emily sobbed. “Please let me use the toilet!”
“I know honey, it’s hard. Let mommy help you, okay?”
“No! Please don’t!”
Emily struggled as she knew what was to come. Her urge to pee was growing ever stronger and she did not want to do this in a diaper. Anything but that! This wasn’t right, she couldn’t do this! Emily’s fears only grew as the pressure built. Joyce couldn’t really want this! She’d be disgusted by her! With one arm still securing Emily, Joyce took her free hand and slowly rubbed her abdomen in a gyrating motion, applying a firm amount of pressure.
“Please stop!” Emily was crying as Joyce pressed further, making the urge even stronger. Slowly she was reaching her literal bursting point.
Joyce started to hum in Emily’s ear, as her struggling rapidly declined as it was already too late. Emily could feel a rush of pee escape her as it quickly broke out into a steady flow as if she were on a toilet. She tried to hold it back, but it was a losing battle as once she started it was impossible to stop. The warm liquid crept up and down her front and all the way to her bottom. She cried freely as she thoroughly wet the diaper,herdiaper. Joyce’s restraint turned into comfort as she stroked her hair and gave her a hug.
“You did very well my good girl.” Joyce consoled the crying Emily.
The stream stifled off into a few drops and then nothing. Emily couldn’t emotionally control herself as she felt hot from her emotions and warm from the now used diaper. She could see the discoloration in the once white underwear as the strip had turned from yellow to blue. The initial shock had ruined her completely, this was too strange for her…
“Good girl, Emily. I’m so proud of you! You’re my big strong girl…There there…”
She was…rewarding her? What Emily considered to be shameful and disgusting, was praise-worthy and delightful to Joyce. She was too confused right now, for betraying her body’s hard-wired instincts and yet feeling the praise from her carer made everything seem okay.
“You don’t…hate me?” Emily said through her tears.
“Hate you? How could I my sweet Emily?” Joyce tightened her hug. “I want you to feel happy and safe, know that I will always love and care for you no matter what. Iexpectyou to wet your diaper. I know it feels unnatural at first, but you took the first step and it becomes easier every time…”
Emily didn’t know how to feel about that, but there was comfort in knowing she had Joyce to lean on. Her diaper felt wet and squishy as she shifted, it was certainly a strange feeling on its own, but knowing that her urine was the culprit certainly didn’t help.
“I feel gross…” Emily whined, wanting to be out of this immediately.
“That’s okay honey…it’s normal to feel that way at first. You haven’t done this in a long time, haven’t you?”
“No…”
“That’s right. But it’s all about rediscovering those feelings of being okay in a wet diaper. But I want you to know that I love you all the same, no matter what. I don’t want you to feel embarrassed to ashamed when these sorts of things happen. They’re expected of you and you should feel the same.”
Emily still cried as she sorted through her feelings. Joyce was her emotional crutch right now as her world had been turned upside down. But Joyce said it was okay…so she should feel alright…
“I just want these feelings to go away…” Emily sobbed further as she turned in Joyce’s lap and cried into her shoulder.
“I can help you feel better honey…would you like me to try something?”
“Mhmm,” Emily mumbled from her shoulder, anything to make this situation feel good.
“Mommy can teach you how to like wet diapers…” Joyce whispered into Emily’s ear, feeling a bit apprehensive about what she was going to do.
Like them? How could she do that?
With one hand, Joyce cupped the front of Emily’s diaper as she slowly started to rub up and down. Emily could feel the wet friction against her most sensitive parts as Joyce started to move her hand, up and down.
“Joyce…? What’re you…doing?” She pulled from Joyce’s shoulder slightly, feeling a bit of stimulation in her nether regions.
“Shhh, I’m making all the bad feelings go away. You did so well for me that you deserve a reward.” Joyce pulled Emily’s head back towards her, slowly increasing the pressure and pace.
“Joyce…” Emily started to take more breaths, starting to feel so wonderful.
“Doesn’t it feel nice? Rubbing your diaper?”
“No…Y…yes…” Emily was starting to pant a bit from the action Joyce was giving her. She wanted to say no after going through something so traumatizing, but she couldn’t help but embrace this rush of wonderfulness Joyce was creating.
“I’m here to take care of you in every way…” Joyce said as she continued to rub. She didn’t know if this was the right thing to be doing, but she wanted to alleviate the pain Emily was feeling somehow. Emily had put so much trust into her, she had to take her every step of the way. She could feel Emily start to tighten her grip on her body, meaning that it was working.
Emily didn’t want her to stop. It felt so amazing, yet she felt so…naughty. What should be so embarrassing Joyce helped her derive pleasure from. Was this right? Joyce said it was, so it had to be. Wasn’t that all that mattered?
“You’re a good girl, Emily. I want to make you feel happy and to let you enjoy yourself when you’re in my care. It’s okay to feel this way and to feel any other emotions when you’re with me. You’re my baby and it’s my job to take care of you, Iwantto care for you. You don’t have to feel scared or embarrassed when you’re with me. I love you for who you are and will no matter what you do.”
Emily couldn’t take it anymore. She started to moan and bury her face in Joyce’s shoulder. She simply clutched tightly as she let Joyce do all the work. She started to cry again as she reached an internal conflict. Her mind raced a mile a minute as Joyce rubbed more and faster. Finally, it stimulated her in just the right way she reached her climax and felt a wave of pleasure wash over her body. Instantly she grew limp as she held onto Joyce. Tears ran down her eyes as she felt so great right now, her body shaking from the excitement.
“You’ve done so well Emily…Such a good, good girl.” Joyce now hugged Emily as she was happy to see Emily had truly felt pleasure.
Emily knew she did something so embarrassing…but she felt so amazing right now. Her wet diaper was a thing of the past as she had now gone in it both ways, and it felt great. Being Joyce’s baby wasn’t so bad…Even at such an all time low…Joyce made her feel so much better…
“C-Can you…change me?” Emily said in a weak voice as she panted.
“Of course, honey.” Joyce wasted no time taking her back to her room, laying Emily down who was too tired to stir or really move. Up until now, she had the energy to move if Joyce didn’t guide her, yet feeling so drained now as Joyce did what she’d always done, Emily nowknewwhat it was like to be cared for. She only had complete trust for someone who only made her feel good things. She never knew what it could feel like to give someone else complete control, to be so submissive. It was scary losing control, yet it felt so great to be guided by someone she trusted so much. Beyond her orgasm, Joyce created a whole new sense of feeling for her. This newfound pleasure Emily felt wasn’t sexual…it was simply being under Joyce’s absolute care…
Emily felt a cool rush of air as the diaper tapes were pulled off and her wet underwear discarded, followed by the feeling of a cool wipe guided by Joyce’s hand along her bottom.
“Do you want to go back into panties Emily?” Joyce asked, already accomplishing her goal for the day, not wanting to press her any further.
“Yes please…” Emily said, still shaken up.
Emily looked to be in a pure state of bliss as Joyce snaked a pair of panties up between her legs. Today had been a good day; turning out even better than Joyce expected. She slipped the monkey shirt off of Emily, even unclasping her bra and putting a new one on, met with little resistance from Emily. Joyce grabbed her some shorts and a T-shirt and dressed her in them as well, guiding the girl back to the couch as she came to her senses.
Sitting down, Joyce asked: “So…how do you feel?”
Emily looked as if she were about to cry again.
“Amazing.”
[HR][/HR]Think this has been the longest chapter thus far, I’m happy to say (23 pages). Joyce and Emily have yet again deepened their bond as Emily learns to fully trust Joyce and truly experience the concept of being her baby by becoming fully submissive to her in every way. Again, thank you so much for everyone that reads this story, and I enjoy reading any feedback I can get! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and look forward to the next!
Re: Sheltered [8/31/2017] CH4
BabySofia;70446:
I think this has a lot of potential to move forward with. Can’t wait to see your next chapter!
Was that fast enough? Haha!
Re: Sheltered [9/1/2017] CH5
6 - Round Two
“So you liked what we did today?..All of it?” Joyce still needed to assess the situation, despite hearing such a positive response.
“Yes…I don’t know why completely but I think I did enjoy it all…” There was the embarrassment, but looking back on it now, being with Joyce made it okay. Now that Joyce has stripped her bare and seen her emotions and still choose to accept her, Emily could take anything on as long as her protector was there to see her through. “Apart from what you…did for me at the end,” Emily blushed. “I liked being with you, like always…” Emily seemed to be having trouble getting the next few words out, “…and I liked being taken care of…”
Joyce stared at Emily for a moment, almost wide-eyed, trying to place her thoughts. Could Emily have had some inner desires going into this as well? Maybe she was on some kind of level a sub? It didn’t matter, Joyce was too happy with how things went and was relieved it had gone so well for Emily as well.
“That’s great Emily, really,” Joyce smiled. “But I want you to know it was never my plan to take advantage of you like that earlier…” Joyce herself started to feel almost uncomfortable. “What I did was spur of the moment and I tried to make you feel better. But you weren’t in the right state of mind to give me your consent, and I can’t apologize enough for that.”
Joyce could feel the touch of Emily’s hand on her own, looking up to see Emily look her in the eyes with a bright smile.
“It’s okay, I trust you.”
Joyce turned her gaze away for a moment, feeling bombarded by a wave of emotion from Emily’s direction. When had they become so connected? She wasn’t sure why, but, Joyce could only feel an overwhelming amount of raw emotion from Emily, who seemed to project herself so easily now. What kind of revelation had this experience given her? Joyce expected this to be an end goal, not a start! Granted, these were feelings for Joyce, not the baby treatment. There would be changes and additions, there would be embarrassment, and there would likely be tears. It was an adventure Emily was willing to embark upon and Joyce had every intention to carry her every step of the way.
“Thank you, Emily.” Joyce could feel her words resonate in her heart. The maternal feelings she felt for Emily seemed so much more real now, being able to respond to them. Joyce in front of her saw an amazing person who was her friend that was irreplaceable. But in addition to that, she was also her little girl that needed to be taken care of, to be loved and looked after. It felt surreal having this kind of bond, was this what other people felt in these kinds of situations?
Regardless of what the two felt, they joined in for a quick hug to reaffirm themselves.
“So…” Emily seemed embarrassed to ask. “When is…next time?”
“Well, I’d like to get a few more things before we get into this again to make things…better for the both of us.” Now that Joyce knew Emily was okay with this, she wouldn’t be pulling many stops when buying the right stuff for her baby girl. Emily seemed to like this for sure, but since this was just the first time things may still be up in the air. She’d have to expand her arsenal slowly, but effectively.
“Like what?” Emily wasn’t excited over not hearing a specific date, not one for being left in the dark about something so emotionally rewarding.
“Maybe some upgrades here and there, and some new stuff. You’ll find out later.” Joyce kept her answer reserved and obscure. She knew she was probably teasing Emily right about now. Still, though, it didn’t make the surprises any fun if you already know what’s to come. It was her job to worry about the technical aspect of things, Emily just needed to enjoy herself.
It was annoying to get an answer like that, Joyce probably knew what she was doing too. “Come on, can’t you tell me a little bit?” Emily prodded, hoping not to be completely left out of the loop.
“Look at the time!” Joyce said as she looked at a nearby clock. “I need to make dinner.” Joyce excused herself into the kitchen and put some brief thought into what to cook and then started immediately. She remembered that she hadn’t given Emily lunch today…Granted she gave them a late breakfast. For the days Joyce was as work and Emily at home by herself, she may or may not have sneaked a look at the security cameras once or twice to see if she had made anything (which she didn’t). But she had no intentions of telling Emily she knew. Regardless, when they had their, ”special,” time together Joyce would have to step up her “mommy” game and make sure Emily was well-fed. Maybe that could rub off on her into a daily routine, with or without Joyce making the meals for her. Yet being able to think in such a way and know it was okay put her over the moon right now with excitement.
Joyce turned on the stove and hummed her friendly melody.
“Emily? Dinner’s ready.” Joyce walked into the living room with Emily nowhere to be found. “Emily? Where did you go?” Joyce asked herself in a low voice as she approached the couch from behind. As she peeked over, sure enough, there she was. Clearly, she was still tired from waking up, and Joyce pleasuring her likely took a lot of energy out of her as well.
Joyce leaned over her while she nudged Emily’s shoulder. “Emily? It’s dinnertime, you awake?” She shuffled a bit as Joyce was getting through to her, Emily’s eyes opening soon enough.
“Hmmm…nnn…Joyce? When did I fall asleep?”
“Beats me, I’ve been making dinner. Speaking of which, it’s finished now and ready to eat.”
Emily groggily followed her into the kitchen, taking her seat on the cushioned chair that remained unchanged from this morning. Emily felt a warm heat radiate from her plate as she looked down to see a splash of fried vegetables diced into cubes, small strips of beef scattered and a swirl of noodles snaked through.
“Stir fry?” Emily asked as she sniffed the wonderful scent, making sure she had the right dish in mind.
“Yep! I figured it’d be something relatively easy to make.” Joyce nonchalantly said. Sometimes, Emily thought Joyce underestimated her own cooking ability. It was nice she didn’t always toot her own horn, but food at this kind of level deserved at least some personal recognition.
“How did you learn to cook so well?” Joyce asked as she already started to eat; delicious.
“Well, I don’t know if ‘learn’ is the right word to use,” Joyce said. “My dad always liked to cook, so I just picked up a few things here and there from him.”
“Was he a chef?” Emily asked, already under the assumption that he was.
“Yeah,” Joyce took a bite of her food. “He was the head chef at some restaurant in California at some point. It’s been so long though I can’t even remember.”
“You’re from California?” Emily asked, jumping at the opportunity to learn even the smallest bit about the mysterious Joyce.
“I never told you?”
“No, what does your mom do?”
“Oh, they don’t work anymore. Between their own success and with a little of my own, they were able to retire a couple of years ago. But what about you? Where did you grow up and where are your parents right now?”
“Well, technically I’m from Japan, but I was only there for about a year until my parents moved us to Washington back here.”
“Oh, so you weren’t very far from me. Why did your parents move?”
“I guess my dad was homesick,” Emily said. “That’s what they tell me, I guess. My dad is American and my mom is Japanese, so I’m sorta mixed I suppose.”
“Is that so? You seem to pull the look off quite well.”
Emily could feel her cheeks grow warm at that statement, always taken aback by how forward Joyce was.
“Any siblings?” Joyce asked.
“Nope, just me. An only child, you?”
“One,” she said. “He’s my younger brother, he turned…29 last time I checked? Birthdays are hard,” She joked, taking a sip from her glass. “Speaking of which, when’s yours?”
“May 29,” Emily said in between her bites. It wasn’t far off from now last time Emily checked. When was the last time she checked? Usually, she’d have her phone…crap, that’s right.
“Something wrong?” Joyce asked, seeing a new look come on her face.
“Um, no. Kinda, actually…I just remembered I haven’t had a phone in over a week…” Suddenly she started to wonder how many calls she could have potentially missed in that window of time, it stirred a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. She never really forgot that she was out of a phone, but only until now was she acutely aware of why she should be concerned. “Have I really been disconnected for that long? What if my parents tried to call me, a friend–or some important email? I haven’t been checking everyday…”
“Emily,” Joyce called her to her senses from across the table. “Relax, it’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little break. We can get you a new phone in the morning, just take it easy for now.”
Emily listened to Joyce and took a deep breath. She started to relax once she rationalized the situation. Tomorrow, she would go and buy a cheap phone just to keep her afloat until she could upgrade to something more useable. At least she’d have something to keep her in the technological loop for a bit.
“Here,” Joyce gathered their plates and glasses, moving over to the sink. “I want you to go and take a bath, relax and clean up for a bit. Do that for me, won’t you?”
Emily agreed, beginning to learn that Joyce’s requests were better interpreted as commands albeit a much more peaceful kind. They had been together long enough for there to be a mutual understanding Joyce kept her best interests at heart no matter the circumstances. Yes, Emily was a grown woman, yet it became so easy to be strung along by Joyce. Day after day the sense of having someone to fall back on; a safety net, had been so reassuring as of late.
Emily flicked the light on, as she became reacquainted with one of her most favorite rooms in the entire apartment. The bathroom was always a place she could find herself become absent-minded and lose herself in thought (and maybe even sleep). Already knowing the drill, Emily set the bath to fill as she gathered a towel, soap, and conditioner. With the noise of a flush, Emily closed the porcelain throne as she still had one other bodily need to tend to. Had it been that over peeing a diaper, Emily could not imagine the state she’d be in then…it wasn’t something she’d like to consider. Vacating such thoughts from her head, Emily stripped and edged herself into the warm water, always ecstatic to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes with no other engagements to look forward to.
She looked around the room, absorbing the atmosphere. The warm air, the humming fan and the water that cleansed her body. With work during the weekdays, showers were her go-to for when she needed to be quick and out the door, but on weekends she could afford to take a bath much later in the day, absent of the pressures to be squeaky clean for work. She’d never let herself get dirty, just her own paranoia always got the best of her.
Living with Joyce felt absolutely serene. Each and every day was an amazing experience with her, and being allowed to share a life of luxury with her was something Emily could not appreciate enough. She still had to go and see that asshat Jack who was withholding all of her stuff, but Joyce made that a thing of the past by helping her settle here. After each and every day she felt more at home with Joyce, and always looked forward to coming home. She was starting to become aware of the connection they had together after tonight. The thoughts made Emily’s cheeks burn as she sunk lower into the water as if to hide her embarrassment from the bathroom tiles. Whatever they had together, a big part of Emily hoped for it to last for as long as she wanted, being cared for by Joyce like this. Even if she felt like less of an adult because Joyce did so much for her…she was strangely okay with the feeling.
Emily shuffled some more in the water over her thoughts, finally moving onto the cleaning process to take her mind off of things.
Joyce sat in her office like she had before Emily’s little “incident,” with her glasses on as she stared at the computer screen. The BUSINESS sticky note was laid to the side of her desk as it was a nuisance to stare at for long periods of time. Apart from checking the company stocks, Joyce was attending to a different kind of business, as she scrolled through the catalog. She sighed as she looked through the half-baked selection of items. She could only have the best for Emily, and this clearly wasn’t it…She knew high-quality furniture and items existed out there, but clearly, they’d have to be specially ordered to achieve a more authentic experience. Apart from the furniture, Joyce had a sudden thought that she could use to her advantage. Picking up the office phone she dialed the number of her secretary and sat in silence. If there was anyone other than Emily she could talk to about this, it was her secretary. As strange of a topic as it was, Sheila had sworn to secrecy in a non-disclosure agreement when she first signed on years ago. There would be no questions asked and that’s just how Joyce liked it.
“Hello? Sheila?”
A short pause over the phone.
“Yes. I’m sorry for calling you on a Saturday, but I have something I need you to do first thing Monday morning; sooner if possible.”
Another pause.
“I want you to forward a special order I’m sending you soon to the Incontinence Department and have them prototype it immediately. Make sure to have it sent to my office discretely and tell them they will be sure to have a budget increase if their work is deemed satisfactory. No need to tell them where it’s going or who ordered it, just make sure it gets done. I’ll include my signature as well so there’s no question in the order.”
Sheila almost instantly responded. Sheila was always a great listener like she should be.
“Perfect. I’ll be sending you the details shortly.” Joyce hung up the phone while she opened up an order form on her computer. She felt giddy at the moment, having the privilege to design what would be taped on Emily’s bottom. She would be sure to make them look adorable, durable and absorbent. She may not know all the material details but would be sure to include a comment at making them top of the line. In times like these, it felt good to be the CEO, and it was all for the sake of Emily. She spent a good half hour coming up with design ideas, describing them in explicit detail and was sure not to simply gloss over the functionality either. Joyce included the ideal weight and waist range, sure for it to be a perfect fit. Satisfied, she registered the order under one of her retired board member’s names then printed it to sign off the approval section. She slipped it into her fax machine and sent it over to Sheila, who would without a doubt get the job done. It was annoying having to be this thorough through paperwork, but this is what it took to maintain anonymity, which she could appreciate considering her reputation.
Joyce looked back to the page she had been browsing, disappointed with the finished products. The much smaller versions looked much more comfortable and adorable if only she could simply take those in a bigger size…So why didn’t she? At times like these, it felt better than ever to have money to spend.
“Sheila?” Joyce asked over the phone, dialing her trusty assistant again. “And also for Monday, schedule a meeting with the company BabyCare. I want to make a special order with them. Thanks again,” Joyce hung up. The last thing was clothes, but she’d be able to find a tailor for that. All she needed was to find a seamstress skilled in this sort of thing…And if she couldn’t, she could always resort to the one she always went to; the same one she used to fix some of Emily’s clothes. She already knew Emily’s sizes and always kept her clients secret. And the more she thought, the more she knew that she’d be the best bet to go with. Decided, Joyce would have to get in touch with her tomorrow to start production immediately. It would be embarrassing at first to talk about, but Joyce knew she could trust her. With all of her plans set into motion, Joyce finished up the rest of her work then put the computer to sleep.
As she walked down the hall, glancing at the bathroom door, she wondered how long Emily had been in there. Knocking on the door, Joyce shouted: “Try not to be too long in there! You don’t want to prune I’d imagine!”
There was a pause, but Joyce started a giggle once she heard the noise of splashing water afterward, meaning her warning had gotten through.
Thankful for the reminder, Emily quickly had a towel draped over herself as she set the tub to drain.
“Have a nice bath?” Joyce asked while she read a book on the couch.
“Yeah, it’s not often I get to take a bath. It’s nice when I can.” Emily took a seat on the other end of the couch, watching the near silent tv.
It was nice knowing at least one person used the bath. Being so infused with the working world, Joyce always took a shower out of habit. She always felt like she had places to be; things to do. Almost all of her free time was now dedicated to Emily (not that she minded), so she almost never had a moment to spare. Yet truth be told, nap time would have been an opportunity for her to address certain matters that had to wait up until now. Hopefully down the line, Emily would sleep for a bit longer, Joyce hoped. Still though, even being in the position to think such thoughts made her too happy for words.
“So what are you up to tomorrow?” Emily asked, trying to make small talk.
“Well first,” Joyce set her book down on the coffee table. “I’m taking you to get a new phone. I still have your broken one so we can try and salvage the Sim card… Then I need to meet with my seamstress to fix the length for a few new outfits I have,” she lied. She would do her absolute best to keep these kinds of things a surprise to Emily. “But apart from that, I can’t think of anything else that needs to be done. What about you?”
“Nothing really…” Emily said blankly. She wasn’t getting out of the house aside from work lately as she never really felt the need to. Joyce provided her with comfort here, but she was at times feeling a bit cooped up. She didn’t want to leave without her phone, having very limited options to getting in touch with Joyce. Even now she still didn’t have her number, not that she entirely needed it right now. Her pickup for work was already scheduled and they talked when she got home, everything was planned ahead of time.
“Once you get a phone I’m sure you’ll like to be getting out more often,” Joyce said. But to be honest, she would be a little disappointed if this were the case. Emily being here was part of the new routine Joyce had gotten used to and came to appreciate.
“Maybe…” Was all Emily said…thinking about something else.
“Why? What is it?” Joyce asked, always able to read Emily’s mood.
“I don’t know…I was just thinking.”
“About?”
Emily looked a bit flustered, trying to muster the courage to speak her words. “Maybe…if we were both free tomorrow…that would be a good time to do…that again?” She was afraid at what Joyce’s response would be, a bit in disbelief she had honestly requested it herself.
“Well…” Joyce was now thinking too. She knew she had told Emily that it would be at least another week before they did it again, but one more day couldn’t hurt. Yes, she wouldn’t have any of the items she ordered for Emily yet, but if another repeat of today was enough to make her happy, Joyce found no issue in indulging her little girl. And another thought crossed her mind, which may appear cruel to Emily but beneficial in the long run…tomorrow would be ideal in that case. “Okay then. Sounds good to me, my wittle girl.” Joyce happily cooed over to Emily on the other end, trying to hide her embarrassment.
The evening went on like that, apart from Joyce excusing herself to go take a shower. Meanwhile, Emily was anxious for tomorrow to come. She wanted to be Joyce’s little girl, but her much more independent side was the manifested uncertainty within her. They’ve only done this once yet Emily craved for more. She said she wanted to stop earlier tonight, but that was her independence fighting for its freedom. She was even a bit surprised at her own desire to be babied by Joyce. It was as if something dormant was awakened by Joyce’s affection for her and the panic caused from it only made her want to seek refuge with Joyce even more. Whenever she was left alone with her thoughts now it was all she could think about. Regardless, she’d be happy getting out of the house tomorrow for something other than work, with Joyce no less.
Surprisingly enough, Emily was able to get to bed on her own this time, Joyce not having to carry her to bed, feeling off for not doing the same tonight. It was close to eleven and Emily wanted to be well-rested for tomorrow, being so fatigued from this morning when Joyce decided to wake her up. The apartment was silent, minus the occasional toss or turn from Emily’s room, doing her best to get to sleep. It was a raging battle until somewhere along the way Emily fell asleep before she even realized, everything suddenly black.
“Hmm hmm hmm” Emily could feel herself waking to the sound of humming, already aware of the familiar voice. “Oh, it looks like somebody decided to join us this morning.” Emily could hear the sound of plastic and the smell of lavender as her waist felt snug yet comfortable.
“Joyce?” Emily tried to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, opening them to see she was on her back. “What’re you-,” She was paused by a yawn erupting from within her. “-doing?”
“I’m getting my little girl ready for the day, silly.” Emily looked forward now to see a sight she hadn’t experienced since yesterday. The panties and shorts she had gone to bed with yesterday were now substituted for a white plastic diaper, one that Joyce apparently just finished putting her into.
“When did you…?” Had she really slept through all that? I mean, Joyce did change her clothes that one time from what seemed like forever ago… She truly was a heavy sleeper…
“Wittle Emmy likes to sleep all day, doesn’t she? You didn’t even wake up until I finished putting you in your diaper.”
The embarrassment was already getting to her from being talked down to, yet the intimacy made her heart flutter with excitement knowing she was already back in Joyce’s arms.
“And what’ll it be for my special girl today? Do we want big girl clothes or little girl clothes?”
Why did she have a choice? Emily tried shaking her messy hair back into place. “What do you mean? You didn’t ask me last time?”
Joyce gave a little laugh. “That’s because we were staying inside. But today we have to run some errands and go outside. Do you want to dress like a grown-up today? Or maybe I should decide…”
“Grownup!” The words came out as fast as they could for her sleepy self to muster. She said it before she even had the time to realize Joyce planned on taking her outside like this. “And wait…you mean I have to go outside wearing this?” She motioned to the babyhood strapped between her thighs.
“Well, we can’t leave you unprotected while we’re on the go. That would be a bad job on mommy’s part.”
It felt so genuine, the way Joyce was treating her. And who’s to say it wasn’t? But it was more concerning that she was going outside diapered, in public.
“I don’t want to go out like this though…It’s embarrassing…”
Joyce pulled out a shirt and black yoga pants for Emily. “Don’t pout now. There’s nothing wrong with wearing what mommy picks for you. You’ll be safe and well-protected. I’ll keep you by my side all day.”
The words of comfort were nice to hear, but they didn’t change how much Emily didn’t want this. Yes, she wanted to be babied, but she was expecting this to come much later in the day, after they finished their errand, not before it!
“Now come on, we still need to get some breakfast in you. Off the bed please.”
Reluctantly, Emily stood up and off the bed, as Joyce got on one knee so Emily could grab her shoulders for balance while Emily stepped into the yoga pants one leg at a time.
“Such a good girl,” Joyce commented as the shirt came next.
It was the best being with Joyce like this, but going out in public was hurting her mood right now. She wanted to trust Joyce on this, but the thought seemed far too scary.
“See?” Joyce was leading the two out of the room before stopping at the wardrobe mirror. Joyce turned Emily to a side-view and gave her padded bum a pat. “Not even I can tell if you’re diapered. Well, not unless I already know…”
Emily stole a quick glance at the mirror for confirmation and rushed ahead to escape the teasing. Joyce had already prepared breakfast, the sweet smell of butter, sugar, and cinnamon all mixed together and presented on a plate.
“French toast?” Emily happily asked a meal she hadn’t had in the longest time.
“Yes, it is!” Joyce said as she beamed with positivity, already having Emily’s cut up into bite-sized pieces and her special coffee drink prepared in her sippy cup. “And I want to see you drink all of your milk for me, okay?” Joyce remembered to offer her the encouragement, just in case if she still had nerves about yesterday. She was already scared of being out in public, she wouldn’t let hydration get the best of her too.
“Uh-huh,” Emily said as she already took a sip. She wasn’t keen on drinking as much like she did yesterday, but she already was thirsty like every other morning. In a long, uninterrupted sip, she set the cup down with a long sigh indicating her satisfied thirst. Joyce seemed to be pleased with that and started to eat her own breakfast in order to get the day started all the sooner. Breakfast was as delicious as usual, but each bite seemed to make Emily’s heart pound faster as it led to the inevitable.
Slowly, but surely, both of their plates (including Emily’s sippy cup) had been wiped clean. Joyce cleared the table and washed the dishes, piecing together how the day will go.
“Joyce?” Emily broke her train of thought while she absently scrubbed.
“What is it, honey?”
“Can we, um, go out some other time?”
“And why would we do that when today is perfectly fine?”
“Because I don’t want to go out…wearing you know…diapers…” Emily still hadn’t adjusted to using the word very well now that it specifically referred to her. “People will see…it’s embarrassing…”
“Emily,” Joyce turned off the faucet and started to dry her hands. “I already told you, no one will be able to tell what you’re wearing underneath your clothes. All we need to do is get your phone replaced, and you already said yourself that you haven’t had one for so long.”
“So we can’t stay?” Emily knew she was reaching the end of her rope and wasn’t feeling good about it.
“No, Emily. We’re going out.”
It was just so frustrating. Being together with Joyce and how she felt so much like a mother; she had this pressure and these vibes that made her feel so commanding, especially to the currently submissive Emily. There was this excitement she couldn’t describe from being controlled in such a way…but she hated how she couldn’t resist, and that only fed into her more childish parts even more.
“Once we’re out and about you’ll see that you’re perfectly fine,” Joyce said, setting a dishtowel on the counter. “Emily, I would never put you in danger. The fact that I’m doing this proves that mommy thinks it’s safe for her little girl. I would never let you do something that put you at harm. I’ll be right by your side the whole way. Leave the grown up decisions to the grownups, and you just worry about enjoying yourself. So no more pouting, okay?”
Emily only briefly nodded as Joyce walked over to pull her in for a reassuring hug.
“Now,” Joyce got on her knee to be at about eye-level with Emily. “Are you gonna put some shoes on for mommy or do I need to do it for you?” Joyce teased
“I can do it…” Emily blushed as she hopped out of her chair, walking over to the shoe area where Joyce had a pair of casual shoes ready for her, socks included. The little details of making preparations like this behind the scenes were what Emily loved the most. It reinforced the mindset that everything was in Joyce’s control, and Emily was like royalty that had the liberty of being served. She sat down on her padded bum while she slipped the perfect-fitting shoes on and tied their laces.
Joyce came a second after with a large handbag slung over her shoulder, putting her shoes on as well. She grabbed two jackets just in case if it got too cold outside; she needed to be prepared for anything.
“Oh, wait, I almost forgot my wallet,” Emily said as she started to walk back to her room.
“And why would my little girl be needing a wallet?” Joyce said with a firm but gentle grasp around Emily’s wrist.
“I need to buy a new phone…right?” What did Emily do wrong? It was her phone after all.
“That’s adorable sweetie,” Joyce cooed as she guided Emily back to the door. “Mommy would never give her baby an allowance.” Emily’s cheeks burned at this remark, feeling smaller with every moment. “Whatever my little Emmy wants she need only ask me for it.”
It was annoying how Joyce was using their “roles” to her advantage, but it only made it feel that much more genuine to Emily.
Joyce was the first to open the door while Emily stood a bit back with hesitation. She started to feel uneasy as the gravity of going outside was starting to hit her in full effect. She looked down a bit to see an outstretched hand, connected to the arm that led her to her most favorite person in the world right now.
“I know it can be scary at first, but once we get moving you’ll see there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Emily clasped Joyce’s hand as she hesitantly took her steps outside of the apartment, dressed underneath as Joyce’s little girl. All she had to do was remember Joyce was there. She was her rock, she could get her through this. The sound of the door shutting behind her solidified her fears once it was set in stone she wouldn’t be turning back, the thought only bringing her closer to Joyce. She paid Emily’s affection no mind as the pair stepped onto the elevator and moved to the ground floor. In an effort to relax Emily, with a finger from the hand being held by Emily, she caressed the girl’s palm with her nail, sending a jolt of ticklishness from Emily’s hand, but feeling so nice all the same. The pair walked out of the building to see a black car waiting for them, bigger than the night the two went out to eat. But the chauffeur had not changed, as he held the door open for them while they stepped in.
Worries hit the back of Emily’s mind as she stepped in, hoping to God that somehow her diaper never saw the light of day when she was moving. Emily was quickly sent into high gear however when she felt a hand press up against her bottom, feeling a gentle push as she quickly planted herself into a seat. She looked back at the perpetrator to identify them, seeing that it was, of course, Joyce giving her a tease. Annoyed for likely giving the reaction Joyce had hoped for, she looked off out of a window so not to please her any further.
“Sorry Emily, I never thought to ask, what kind of provider do you have?”
For her cell phone? “Um, T-Mobile?” Emily wasn’t sure if that was the answer she was looking for.
“Perfect, same as mine.”
Emily looked over to see Joyce press a small button on a speaker that likely contacted the driver through the divider.
“Please take us to the T-Mobile store first, please.”
The car kicked into gear and they were on the move not a second later.
Wait, did she say first?
[HR][/HR]Hey I know it’s been a bit since the last update. Truth be told almost the entire chapter has been done for a bit, it just took me a bit to tie off the end on this update. I really appreciate your feedback and plan to focus on Joyce and Emily’s relationship a bit more before diving into other aspects. I have an idea where I want to go after their current direction, but it’s a wait-and-see type of thing. As an additional note, Emily’s ex will make a return sooner than you think. As always, thanks for reading!
Re: Sheltered [1/29/2018] CH7
7 - Errands
“F-First? What do you mean, Joyce?” Emily couldn’t do much to snuff out the nervousness in her voice. It was already taking every fiber of her being just to make this one trek, to even consider something beyond that was impossible. And as a cruel coincidence, she happened to shuffle her legs as well, emitting the faintest crinkle noise just loud enough for her to pick up on.
Joyce had finished raising the divider between them and the driver, valuing the time and privacy she could have with Emily. Nevertheless, she could almost feel the unease radiating from the poor girl. Part of Joyce hated herself for doing this, but unfortunately this would have to happen at some point or later. Yes she probably would have adjusted easier if they had a bit morepracticeat home, but doing this even sooner would help dispel her fears.
“Here,” Joyce unbuckled herself from her seat and slid across the leather seats to the trembling Emily. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders and waist, she gave Emily a comforting hug. “Let’s regroup for a moment. I know it’s scary, and you have every right to feel this way because it’s the first time.”
“Please Joyce…I think I want to go back…” Emily did need a new phone, but not the circumstances were this dire. Even she knew her fears were probably getting the best of her, but there was no way she’d willingly put her pride on the line to test that. Emily returned her embrace as her head fell into the space between Joyce’s neck and shoulder.
“And that is why we’re doing this. Because after we do it once, you’ll see it’s not so scary after all. After the first time comes the second…then third…and fourth…and by then, you’ll be as oblivious to what you’re wearing underneath like everyone else. Her actions seemed to be having some effect on Emily, but Joyce’s intuition still picked up on her fear.
“There was this one time when my parents took me and my brother to a water park back in California when we were just kids,” Joyce ran her hand up and down Emily’s shoulder. “And Ihatedheights with an ever-loving passion, especially if it was a water slide, I can’t even remember why we went there in the first place anyways…” Joyce pondered the thought for a small moment. “Regardless,” getting back on track, “there was this one slide I refused to go on. It was the tallest ride in the entire park and believe me, was taller than you could ever imagine.
There was no convincing me to go down that thing, and it already felt like my heart was going to stop just from looking at that monster. But little did I know, my feelings would come to change that day, for the slide at least. My dad convinced me that if I went on that slide right then and there he’d get me some new outfit I wanted. Encouraged by greed, I got in line for the slide as the string of people that wrapped around and up the stairs got shorter and shorter. I thought I was going to die before I even got to the slide!” Joyce laughed a little. “But sure enough I didn’t die, which I probably thought would have been a better end than dying from this slide…And with no turning back I had to sit down on the slide and get moving. It was like when the roller coaster slowly climbs to the top of a big drop, the suspense as I slowly crept into the dark tube. It all happened so fast, and as I picked up speed and I twisted and turned, I was too excited to forget I was even scared!
What scared me so much at first became my greatest sense of joy, funnily enough. But what my point is,” Joyce pulled Emily back a bit to meet her eye to eye. “Is that once you overcome your fears, you see them in a whole new light. To this day, I love going on water slides now, even though I haven’t been to one in nearly two decades…But what I’m trying to tell you though, is that once you get over your fears from this, you might discover feelings of joy and excitement from this. We had fun together at home, didn’t we?”
Breaking from her motherly gaze, Emily nodded with an odd blush as she shuffled her legs. She did have fun, but that was different than being in public; being in an overwhelmingly vulnerable position. She was convinced by the pleasure of being in someone’s absolute care, but taking it to a public place put it on an entirely new level she was uncertain of.
“And what’s to stop us from having fun today? Don’t even think about yourself wearing a diaper in public. Believe it or not, people do it all the time and no one notices. I know this is supposed to be mommy and her little girl, but think of it as us just running errands; Emily and Joyce going out together to do some things.” Joyce was aware she might be hurting the atmosphere she’d worked to create this morning, but it was much more important to get Emily comfortable out in public first than create any extra baggage on top of that for her. Yes, this is a big change for her, but they’d need to start small before beginning to move by leaps and bounds.
It once again felt wrong to rely on someone else so heavily as an adult, but this was something Joyce wanted and it was a form of comfort Emily wasn’t going to refuse at a time like this. “Are you being serious when you say no one can see it?” Of course, she knew Joyce would likely never lie to her about something like this.
“Emily, you should know better by now.” Joyce pulled her back in for one last quick hug. “I will NEVER put you at risk, you’re simply too precious to even try risking it!” she released her grasp from the smothered girl, unable to hide her telling smile. “Only you will think it’s visible, and the only people who will know are you and me, especially because I’m the one that taped you in one!” she chuckled at her own remark. And even if someone did find out, if they had even half a brain they’d know not to say anything lest they face Joyce’s rath for even trying to cause harm to her little girl…But it shouldn’t even come to that, as Emily was only her baby girl in name. No one would be none the wiser if they saw her in a regular medical diaper, they’d probably think she needs them. To Joyce this was a healthy rationalization, but she wouldn’t bring it up to Emily as for this to even happen it would mean her cover being blown, and she’d already scared her enough. “And in the midst of our little chit-chat, it would seem we have arrived at our destination.”
Emily’s soak in the loving atmosphere was disrupted as the side door opened, the cool breeze of reality striking her warm cheeks. Quickly remembering her fears however, her heart started a jog as she could already see groups of people walking about from inside the car.
“Emmy-hon,” Joyce called to her attention with an outstretched hand. “Trust me?”
Emily returned the gesture and clasped her palm, stepping out of the car. Sure enough, the city was like it was most of the time; cold. Even while she wore a long-sleeve, it wasn’t much for the piercing chill. And with her thoughts in tune with her body language, Joyce already started to slip one of the jackets she brought on her.
“Sorry, I knew I should have probably put you in a thicker material…Better now?” Not bothering to consider if she were stepping over the line as far as public concern goes, Joyce finished the job by zipping up her jacket as well.
“Um…” Emily was still getting used to appreciating these sorts of things. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Now let’s get moving. I don’t want to be out in the cold so much either…” Joyce took her by the hand and led her down the sidewalk and into the considerably warmer store. Emily could feel the thicker underwear make her initial steps a little awkward at first, but it was nothing she couldn’t adapt to. However, the fleeting thought of someone catching her in diapers never seemed to leave her mind, and the thought was terrifying. Thankfully Joyce was here to protect her. Phone displays lined across tables and plenty of people to try them out. “See? You’re out in public right now? No one is the wiser Emily.” While she didn’t like the thought being refreshed in her mind, Joyce was right, even if she didn’t feel that way. “So?” Joyce looked at Emily expectantly, who didn’t seem to pick up on what she was alluding towards.
“So…what?” Emily asked with a puzzling look.
“Well, why do you think we’re here?” Joyce smirked as she waited for it to click. “What phone are we getting you?” Even Emily had to admit, she felt a little bit silly for not realizing that, but it still felt too casual to just up and get a brand new phone. She was never the biggest spender and something like this came on rare occasion. Emily walked over to one of the empty tables, unintentionally looking over the latest set of smartphones.
“Jeez, why do these things jump in price so much every year?” She asked herself as she looked them over. The price tag she was looking over next to a new Samsung phone was suddenly covered by a set of fingers, which were sure enough those of Joyce, playfully smiling. “Joyce…” Emily already knew what she was getting at, but this felt like she was going too far.
“Ah ah! I’ll have none of it. As I remember I’m the one who holds the purse strings. And besides…” Joyce leaned in close to Emily’s ear with a whisper. “Don’t you remember what mommy said before we left the house? My little girl need only ask for anything she wants.A-ny-thing!”
On cue Emily found it hard to not feel some embarrassment for being teased, but she knew Joyce wasn’t kidding, even though she felt terrible for taking advantage of Joyce like this. But she didn’t see it that way, and it was something difficult for Emily to understand. “Emmy, I’m not kidding when I say that though. I don’t want you looking at any price tags. You need only ask and so it shall be. Don’t hold back and get what you like the most.”
After learning from past experiences to choose her battles wisely, Emily conceded early this time as she stepped forward to check out the phones. She only spent about ten minutes coming to a final decision on what to get. Despite what Joyce had told her, there was still no way she’d be picking out the most expensive thing, even if she was to be spoiled. But she also knew Joyce would call her out on her own stinginess, so she chose the second runner up for the latest phone line. And to be fair, almost anything on this table would beat her now broken smartphone, be it in almost every regard.
“I’ll get this one then.” Emily pointed out the device to Joyce. She looked at her for confirmation, seeing a raised eyebrow as Joyce was likely deducing that Emily wasn’t being completely honest with herself.
“Okay, then we’ll get that one.” Joyce didn’t pry on her this time, trying in her own way to understand Emily’s feelings. “Let’s go up to the counter so we can get your SIM card switched onto your new phone.” The pair walked up to the service desk at the other end of the store where another customer was already in front of them, much to Emily’s dismay.
Waiting was usually never an issue for the girl, but given the circumstances on what she was wearing, it was hard for her heart not to beat out of her chest in anticipation, each and every moment in the limelight being another opportunity to be exposed. Whenever she made the slightest shift in her posture, Emily could hear the faintest crinkle, with constant fear wondering which one would be her last. “Home stretch, kiddo.” Joyce comforted, the one who was consistently pulling Emily out of her pit of despair. “These sorts of things always take forever, you know what I mean?”
“Mm.” Emily somewhat mumbled as she was near completely focused on the task at hand.
“Don’t worry, the less you think about the clock the faster time flies by. Keep your mind on getting back to the nice and warm car. It’s a bit too cold out here for my tastes, and I’m sure that goes for you too.” Joyce laughed. It would be a lie if Emily said she wasn’t looking forward to getting back in the car. Most certainly would it be warmer than in this store, but there she’d be able to relish in her privacy–pseudo privacy, taking Joyce into account. But she was an…exception.
For reassurance to herself, Emily pulled the hem of her pants up every now and then, wondering when the person in front of them would finally be finished. There was certainly a truth to Joyce’s earlier statement, stuff like this seemed to take forever… Finally though, the man had been dealt with and he was on his way, leading Emily and Joyce to the front of the line.
“Hi, how can I help you guys today?” The worker said from behind the desk.
“Hi, my friend’s phone here broke recently, and we’re looking to get her a new one and hopefully her SIM card switched over?” Joyce replied, taking charge of the conversation without skipping a beat.
“Okay, that shouldn’t be an issue. What phone are you looking to get?” he asked without expecting a reply from no one in particular.
A moment of silence passed by for a second, until Emily who was taking a backseat currently snapped back to reality as she realized Joyce was tagging her in. Trying not to blush over her lack of social awareness, Emily was quick to say “Oh! Uh, a Samsung Galaxy S…” the number seemed to have left her head as she was put on the spot so suddenly. “A…uhm, sorry I uh-”
“I think it was the seven, wasn’t it?” Joyce jumped in to her rescue.
“Ah, right that was the one. Sorry, I forgot…” Emily somewhat trailed off. Suddenly thinking to herself that it was the six she intended to get, and she’d just created the perfect opportunity for Joyce to further spoil the hesitant girl. And feeling like a child enough already, Emily couldn’t find the courage to rebuttal, finding it easier to simply give in, with some part inside of her tingling over the fact Joyce was taking charge.
“Awesome! If you can just put the old phone on the counter I can just pull up your account…” The man started to say as he typed away on a computer. “Just to verify, could I get your first and last name, a birth date and your phone number?”
Tuned in on the conversation this time, Emily provided all the information in an orderly fashion, still chastising herself over her blunder not a few moments earlier.
“Yep, everything checks out and I’ve got you pulled up right here. By switching the SIM card you can keep your texts and contacts, but for your photos we’d need the damaged phone to be able to turn on if we were to do it today. Can you still get it to turn on?”
“Ah, no. It doesn’t. But that’s fine though, really. I don’t need anything else other than my contacts and texts.” While there were some photos on her old phone, it’s not like any of them were of any importance. Anything that was would be in virtual storage, so that something like this wouldn’t jeopardize them.
“Okay, and how do we plan on paying for the phone? There’s a few different plans we could put you on to pay for the phone at a reduced price, if I could-”
“Actually,” Joyce politely interrupted, “We’ll be paying for the whole thing upfront.”
“That works too,” paying no mind to his sales pitch being shot down. “Let me just head to the back and grab your new phone.” Leaving the front to his coworker, the man disappeared through a doorway further back while Emily and Joyce were left to wait.
“I thought I said the six?” Emily said with a tinge of complaint in her voice, stressing over the kind of money her current caretaker dared to spend on her.
“Six? Seven? What’s the difference? Besides, when you’re given the opportunity to get a new toy, Iexpectyou to get a good one sweetie.” The latter half of her statement came off only in earshot, reminding Emily of that ticklish feeling to be looked down on with such a loving gaze. Emily didn’t challenge her remark after that, as the man who had been helping them returned soon after with a white handheld box.
“Here it is,” he smiled as he typed something quickly on the computer. “Before I can do the transfer you need to actually buy the phone first, so will that be with cash or a card?”
“Card.” The motherly one of the two said as she already had a black card ready, redepositing it into her bag after a quick swipe.
Without a hitch the payment went through, and the man was already using a blade on his key ring to slice the thin layer of plastic encasing the expensive piece of technology. “Now if I could just see the other phone please?” Clearly well-versed in this type of thing as he already had the new phone unwrapped and its SIM card slot popped open. Joyce pulled out Emily’s damaged phone which she had never seen until that fateful night, eyeing its cracked and lifeless screen. The worker popped it open, retrieving the tiny chip as he slipped it into the new phone and was already powering it up. After about ten minutes of powering and setting it up, he placed the phone on the counter towards the two, truthfully unsure of who to hand it to…
“You should be good to go. Your contacts and texts are on there and your number will work with that phone. Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
“No thank you, that should be everything.” Emily picked up the phone for a moment, looking it over in all its new glory. She forgot what it was like to have a new phone…granted, the idea of new was starting to lose its novelty the more she stuck around Joyce, as she was consistently showered in gifts.
“Then have a good day and enjoy the new phone!” He happily bid them off as the two walked out of the store.
Sure enough, if Charles as Emily remembered, was waiting in the parked car as they had left it next to a running meter. Joyce pulled open the door for Emily as she slipped in, Joyce following suit, shutting the door behind her as the two were enveloped in an atmosphere of warmth. “Ah! So much better in here, don’t you think?” Joyce gave Emily’s shoulder a rub as they soaked in the heated car.
“Yeah…” Was all Emily said as she laid back and was relieved to have returned to her oasis, once again hidden from the public eye and safe. “But see what I mean?” Joyce asked.
“See what?”
“You, silly! You did just fine in there! My brave little girl! I’ll have to do something special for you for being so good in there.” Joyce’s brain was already racking for ideas as Emily sat in disbelief over how a near thousand dollar phone couldn’t constitute as a treat enough already. ”What did I tell you though, no one found out, right?” Emily could not deny this, but it’s not like she wasn’t afraid it would happen either.
“No…no one did.” she admitted.
“And I know it was this time, but it’ll be even less scary the next.”
For her own sake, Emily hoped this was true, and the less thought she put into it it would likely be the better.
“So can we go home now?” she asked as she looked towards Joyce with hopeful eyes. Sure she was proud over her feat going to the store, but that trip in itself already felt exhausting. Despite this, Emily’s stare was returned with a sad smile on Joyce’s face.
“Oh honey…” it pained Joyce to do this to her little girl, but with another important errand having to be run and more valuable experience for Emily, they couldn’t turn around just yet.
“There’s more?” Emily asked with disappointment in her voice, already dreading what was to come. And admittedly, she felt foolish for only remembering now that Joyce already told her earlier.
“We have to make one more stop before we can call it quits today, then we can go home and relax. I promise.” What else could they have to do? Not that Emily wanted to be a wrench in Joyce’s plans, but for her first time outside doing something like this, it was already taxing enough.
“Okay…” Emily conceded as the car already kicked into motion, seeming to know where they were already headed next. “Then can I at least stay in the car while you do what you need to do?”
“And leave my baby girl all by herself?” Joyce felt bad for denying her this as well. “Sorry, but I need to keep you close by at all times. That’d be irresponsible of mommy after all.”
Emily’s reply quickly melted at the mention of the word mommy as it seemed to be her kryptonite, creating a mix of feelings within her that made her puddy in Joyce’s hands. And apparently Charles wasn’t a factor in this equation, as his hands were probably tied up enough with watching the car, Emily reasoned. But she knew she herself was a grown adult, and this just fell under their roleplay. Yet, deep down…Emily couldn’t help but feel like a kid in this moment…
“Besides, this other important errand still very much involves you sweetie.” Joyce chuckled as she checked her phone for a brief moment. It did? Suddenly a new stir of emotions erupted within Emily, as she only grew anxious over what else possibly needed to be done. And didn’t she say it was for Joyce and not her? “Don’t put so much thought into it silly,” Joyce slid Emily across the seats and into her side. "Do me a favor and try to get some of your energy back while we drive there, okay?” A faint feeling a happiness to oblige, Emily ignored the use of a seatbelt as Joyce positioned her head to fall on her lap as she gently stroked her hair. Travelling through the city streets shouldn’t pose a problem as they never reached a dangerous speed, near bumper to bumper traffic at times like these. Combined with that and the distance to drive, the two would have a little downtime to bond before they’d make it to Joyce’s seamstress.
“Try and sleep a little for me. I know I may have woken you up a tad bit early today, so use this time to make up for that.” In a faint and soft voice, Joyce began her melodic hum that Emily was beginning to become familiar with. In this moment her adult self seemed to shed away as the sound of music stripped her bare and left only a tiny piece of her behind, that suddenly felt like her everything which Joyce embraced.
While Emily quickly dozed off, Joyce grabbed the phone lying on the leather seat and slipped it into her bag for safe keeping, soaking in the moment herself as Joyce only grew evermore ecstatic over the bond she now shared with Emily. What they had was something special and likely becoming irreplaceable in Joyce’s heart, wishing for this moment to last forever.
[HR][/HR]
“Wakey wakey, honey.” Joyce cooed down towards Emily, who had done her job well, managing to sleep the entire ride. “You’re like a little cat, aren’t you?” she joked. “I always seem to catch you sleeping…” Joyce stared at her for a few moments, as Emily was still trying to fully wake up and collect herself.
“Morning…” was all Emily could say as she rubbed her eyes, seeing part of Joyce’s face above her just past her bosom. Emily could feel a slight tinge in her bladder, but she was too tired to really think anything of it.
“Can you sit up for me?” Joyce asked while she already started to guide Emily back up on her feet. “Let’s head inside and get done what we need to do, okay?” Still few for words, Emily nodded as they hopped out of the car with her jacket back on, the sudden chill being a wakeup call to her recently finished nap. “So where are we?” she asked, looking at the store in front of them. Certainly an extravagant looking type of place, as its exterior was decorated in carved wood and brick as two large display windows showed off a few decorated mannequins. “We’re here to see my seamstress.” Joyce said as she walked up the couple cement steps to the door and pulled it open for Emily. “Well,ourseamstress now I suppose.” she smiled.
“But I already have clothes you know? Back at my ex’s apartment.” she’d almost forgotten about her old life before she met Joyce. She didn’t need Joyce spending even more money on her over something she already had, something she should go and get.
“A girl’s wardrobe never stops expanding, you know?” Joyce said as they walked across the polished floor. The store had an awfully victorian theme to its interior. A few couches of dark red fabric proudly stood on the other side of the dividing wall in the entrance, pointed towards a stained wooden coffee table as the walls were decorated in wooden accents with dark green to fill in the gaps. Almost an entire wall was occupied by stored rolls of fabric, cloth and other materials. While the store gave Emily vibes of an outdated setting, the place couldn’t help but feel new and well-kept at the same time.
“Amy? Hello?” Joyce called out to the quiet shop as they approached the unmanned wooden desk. On top of it was a lone call bell which she pressed down on waiting to be serviced. Only a few moments went by until someone emerged from the room behind the desk, as a woman approached the two.
“Joyce! Back so soon?” Amy leaned over the counter to give her friend a hug.
“Good to see you Amy, I was hoping I could arrange a special order?”
“Bien sûr my friend!” Amy laughed as she turned her gaze over to Emily. While she eyed the girl, Emily did the same to her. Her black hair tied back in a bun, she adjusted her rimmed glasses as she asked, “And who might this be? In all the years we’ve done business together Joyce I haven’t known you to be so social…”
“This is Emily,” Joyce introduced her. “She was the one I had you make adjustments for last week?
“Well now that I can see her in the flesh, I suppose she matches the estimates you gave me the first time around. But if we’re to do things properly I’ll need to take a closer look this time around. Where are my manners though, a pleasure to meet you, Emily.” Amy outstretched her hand and Emily politely returned the shake. “Let me take you two into the back. We can get more comfy in there.” Amy lifted a panel on the side of her desk, allowing the pair to walk behind and follow her into the room she came out of. The room was a bit more spacious and carpeted as they walked in. A light fixture hung from the high ceiling as there was another pair of couches and table in the corner of the room. Next to that was almost a pedestal raised off the ground, 180 degrees of it being exposed to mirrors to see whatever stood on it from as many angles as possible. There was a set of stairs leading upstairs, but Amy sat them down on the couches. “Can I interest either of you in some coffee before we get started?” she offered while they slipped off their jackets.
“Sure, I could go for some. I’m sure Emily could too.” Joyce answered for them.
“Ah, yeah, thanks.” Emily awkwardly chimed in.
“Emily how do you take yours?” Amy asked. She took down Emily’s order than walked up the stairs, leaving the two in the company of themselves.
“This store reminds me of…” Emily was trying to find the word.
“An antique?” Joyce offered, having known what it was like once trying to describe this place.
“Kinda, I suppose.” she still didn’t know if that entirely captured the atmosphere.
“I like it though,” Joyce said, looking the room over. “It feels very homey I guess. Comfortable at the very least.” Emily nodded in agreeance. Suddenly, Emily felt another pang in her bladder, knowing that nature was calling. It wasn’t pressing, but it would be soon enough.
“Uhm, Joyce?” Emily asked.
“What is it hon?”
“I need to…use the ba-”
“Sorry for the wait!” Amy interrupted as she returned with a platter of steaming mugs.
“Ah…” Joyce turned to Amy then back at Emily for a second who had just been cut off, yet the look on her face said she didn’t feel like saying it anymore.
“Thank you.” Joyce said as she was handed her cup and then Emily hers.
Between mostly Amy and Joyce, the two engaged in smalltalk while they drank, Emily occasionally jumping in but mostly taking a backseat to their already well-developed chemistry. And while they talked, Emily suddenly became conflicted over what she said before Amy came back. What was she going to have done whether she told Joyce she needed to use the bathroom or not? She was wearing a…diaper, and was now having second thoughts about if Joyce could be any help to her or not. She wanted to go and use the toilet, but that would mean having nothing to wear underneath, probably. Joyce likely didn’t bring any extra changes with her, expecting her to never actually use the damn thing…Or was that was she wanted? Emily wasn’t sure whether to trust in herself or Joyce, and the thought of displeasing the woman she was already so indebted to was terrifying. After everything she only wanted to make Joyce happy, and was stunned at how the feeling was mutual. She wanted to make Joyce happy, but it was still impossibly difficult to do as well.
“Are we ready to get down to business then?” Amy set down her mostly finished mug, grabbing a small kit from her computer desk in the corner. “Let’s start with your numbers so I can get them down in my book please.” Emily stood up from the couch and walked to the center of the room where Amy waited with her tape measure. “Could you slip off your shoes for me please? Makes for a better reading on your height.” Amy chuckled as Emily quickly slipped them off, feeling stupid for not having realized herself. “And no need to take anything else off…your clothes seem to be tight-fitting enough to get the gist of it.” Emily couldn’t help but feel off at that last remark, doing her best to chalk it up as more senseless fear. While it did feel extremely uncomfortable to have someone so close with such a dark secret taped around her waist, she could only hope she was in safe hands. “That should do it. Easy part’s over.” Amy rolled her measuring tape after getting the last measurement on her waist, writing the numbers down in her notebook.
“Now let’s really get down to brass tax,” Amy sat down and pulled out a large sketchbook. “What do we have in mind?” she looked at Emily expectantly.
“Er, actually I uh-”
“I’ll be the one submitting the order.” Joyce filled in for Emily.
“Oh? She won’t be deciding?” Amy asked.
“Call it a…surprise.” Joyce said, finding the best words for it. “Actually, I was hoping we could have Emily wait somewhere else to give us a bit more privacy?” She felt bad for dismissing Emily like this, but knew it would be in their best interests to do it this way.
“I wouldn’t mind if she stayed upstairs.” Amy found the situation a bit strange herself, but maintained her all-business composure.
“You wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, would you Emmy?” Joyce asked Emily with a look of confirmation. Hearing her pet name made Emily gush a little bit, politely nodding as she stood up.
“Make yourself at home upstairs. A friend of Joyce’s is a friend of mine.” Amy smiled as Emily walked over to the stairs.
“I’ll come get you once we’re done.” Joyce gave her loving smile, enough to confidently send Emily off. Nodding in reply, she walked up the stairs and opened a wooden door into an apartment.
The apartment was in much contrast to the theme going on downstairs. Rather than the Victorian theme she was going for downstairs, Amy’s home was a much more industrial and modern looking type of decor. Though the store was empty downstairs, clearly the woman did well for herself like Joyce as her white couch splayed across the tiled floor, parallel to a mounted tv. While not as big of a home as Joyce’s, she worked with what she had as it was an open-concept type of home, being able to see from the kitchen to the living room. Curiously, Emily ran her hand across the brick walls as lights hung from crossed wooden beams.
Sitting on the couch, Emily picked up the nearby remote and turned the tv on. Coming to life with a higher volume than expected, she quickly lowered it in a small panic, lest she disturb Joyce and Amy’s business downstairs. Speaking of which, the curiosity seemed to be getting to her. While Joyce was likely having regular outfits be made for her, she never said why or what they’d be. She did know that she had clothes, right? Just that they weren’t on her at the moment…She would have to go and get them soon, or have a friend do it.
Without any shoes on, she lounged out on the couch and quietly entertained herself, almost feeling as if she were at Joyce’s place. Eyes focused on the moving pictures, Emily didn’t pay much mind to the sudden movement she felt on the far end of the couch. Only until after a near minute did something compel her to look in the direction of whatever moved. Standing still as the two met eyes, she stared back into the gaze of a gray black-nosed cat, the fur on its paws that of a charcoal as well, its tail only making a slight movement. Amy has a cat? She didn’t remember hearing anything about one…not that she totally expected to, since she was more or less a stranger to her. As the two blankly eyed each other, Emily awkwardly gave some nod of confirmation as if to try and communicate without scaring the tiny creature off.
Trying not to move a muscle for some reason, Emily watched as the cat crept its way closer to her, eventually getting as far as stepping over her legs, until they were about a foot from each others faces, close enough to touch the cat’s whiskers.
“Uhh…hi there?”
The cat slightly recoiled at the sudden reaction, taking a step back so to flee at a moment’s notice. But with another pause, it came back towards Emily yet slightly closer this time. The cat’s nose twitched as it smelled Emily. After slightly more inspection, it walked in a near circle, then planted itself against her stomach. “O…kay?” Emily quietly said, unsure what to make of what was happening. Looking back to the tv and trying to adjust to her unexpected company, she calmly pet the silent creature as it let out a low pur with each and every pet.
Some time went by as the newly acquainted friends enjoyed their current positions, able to unwind and simply disconnect. Eyeing the nearby clock, Emily was wondering when they would be done. Not that she was completely bored, but she would like to get going soon. Her train of thought was interrupted though by a stronger pressure in her bladder, something this time she wouldn’t be able to ignore.
“Damn…” Emily bit her bottom lip as she knew what was to come. Hesitantly, Emily politely excused herself from the couch without trying to disrupt her tiny friend, as she walked nearby the kitchen to search for a toilet. Turning around, she could see the cat had left its spot to follow her in tow, willing to give chase. The more she moved the more she realized how she had to pee. Having coffee probably wasn’t such a good idea after all…but maybe it was because Joyce was planning for something like this…Soon her efforts paid off as she found the porcelain throne she was looking for, as she turned the light on and shut out the cat for some privacy. She lifted the toilet seat and turned to sit her bottom down on it, only realizing her complete foolishness when her fingers made contact with the waistband of her diaper.
Freezing in place, it became apparent how her entire plan came crashing down as her biggest oversight was that she was already wearing her bathroom. “Come on…” her voice started to whine as she pulled the front band of her pants forward to get a good look at what she was confined in. “Please Joyce…don’t make me…” Emily could feel herself on the verge of tears knowing what the inevitable would be. Almost every part of her wanted to rip the damn thing off and use the toilet like a normal person, yet that would mean she disobey Joyce, and she wanted to do anything she could to keep her happy. At a crossroads, Emily was faced with the decision to either reaffirm her bond with Joyce and wet herself in somebody else’s home, or to give in to her adult desires and escape infancy. The uncertainty was crippling as she didn’t know what to do, and time was running out, fast.
“Joyce…” Was all she could moan.
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Amy and Joyce both looked towards the stairs Emily just finished walking up, and they both heard the click from the door both opening and closing.
“So how did you find yourself a thing as cute as her?” Amy asked, taking a sip from her drink.
“It’s a bit interesting how we met I suppose. Not your usual circumstances…” Joyce pondered the thought while she finished off her coffee as well. “But…she’s nice. She’s a good,” Joyce paused for the slightest moment. “Friend.” suddenly finding the right word.
Amy couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the subtle misstep in her speech, but let it go for now. “I’d love to know more about her later, she didn’t seem very social when she was down here.”
“Oh please, try and be in her shoes, won’t you? She’s still getting used to being with me and I just introduced her to you today. Something like that can be intimidating for her.” Joyce let the words flow so casually with her relaxed guard, she didn’t put too much thought into her choice of words around Amy, whose interest was only becoming more piqued by the second.
“Getting used to you?” Amy laughed, “And you almost speak about her like she’s a kid? Reel back the maternal instinct my friend!” Amy laughed some more, and quickly stopped herself once she could see from one friend to another Joyce suddenly tensed a bit. “Oh?” Amy curiously popped the bubble of silence in the room.
“I’m here for business, can we please get down to it?” Joyce seemed a bit more focused now, trying to make it clear she was ready to move things along.
“Of course Joyce. And as you know we’re strictly about confidentiality here, forallintents and purposes.” She stressed the bit on ‘all,’ hoping to regain her trust again. “Now I need to know, what are we looking to get done today? I’ll need you to at least tell me that.” Joyce looked at Amy as if she were debating something in her mind, whether to speak or not.
“Amy, as both your friend and client, I need you to know how important it is something like this doesn’t get out.”
“And like I already said, what goes on between me and my clients are behind closed doors. Be it for business, socializing, intimacy…or maybe something that falls into a more miscellaneous category. But for that to happen, I need you to trust me.” Joyce let out a deep sigh, as she finally found her resolve to come forward.
“Emily…and I have something special.” Joyce chose her words carefully. “What she’s doing for me is something so…genuine, that money could never hope to buy.” Amy sat quietly listening on. “And for that reason I want to help deepen our bond by making the time we spend together more special…” Joyce was easing into what she really wanted to say.
“Are you two practicing something together that’s a bit more…off the deep end?”
“Heavens no!” Joyce suddenly retorted as she realized her own outburst. It felt like Amy was suggesting some sexual kink they had for each other, and it almost felt insulting to have something as pure as they did be branded in such a fashion. Not that kinks were bad, just that Joyce would never want something like this to be misunderstood. “I care for Emily…like one of my own. And she’s been willing to let me…indulge myself in taking care of her. But I want to take it even further and make it even more real and genuine, for the both of us.” Joyce kneaded her hands as she found the courage to get the point across. “I would have never come to you for something like this if I couldn’t have trusted you, you know.”
“I understand.” Amy smiled as she got the gist of what Joyce was trying to say. She’d never seen one of her longtime clients be so flustered like this before, and to make a request of this kind. She never figured Joyce to be the type…though, no book can ever truly be judged by its cover. Case and point a few other clients she had in mind. “Okay. But if you’ll allow me to, I just want to confirm the kind of clothes were looking to make for her here.”
Joyce nodded.
“We’re looking to start a more ‘infantile’ wardrobe for Emily?” Joyce nodded once more, feeling easier with each moment this secret lay out in the open. “And I would imagine we need to keep in mind that she won’t be wearing traditional underwear underneath? If you understand what I’m getting at?”
More reluctantly, Joyce nodded her head again.
“Okay…” Amy jotted down a few notes in her notebook. “And just so I can keep her measurements as accurate as possible, she was wearing a diaper earlier when I took down her numbers, correct? They come to be a bit thicker than normal panties, so it’d help if I knew whether or not to take off an inch.” This seemed to be a tougher pill to swallow for Joyce. While it was one thing to speak about their relationship, it still felt like an even greater disservice to throw Emily under the bus like that. Without a response, Amy said blankly “I’ll take that as a yes then. It’s my job as a seamstress to pick up on these kinds of things, you know. Besides, I think she smells wonderful anyways.” Amy alluded to the powdery scent from Emily’s nether regions, which Joyce felt a slight jab from the remark. “But Joyce,” Amy set down her pen and clasped her friends hands. “I want to say this one last time so we can be on the same page, I need you to trust in me so we can make this the most fulfilling experience possible. If not for me, think about Emily. You’d want her to look her best right? Be honest with me like you always have, and with my pride as a seamstress on the line, let’s make Emily look adorable, okay?”
Feeling better with this in mind, Joyce’s internal conflict was replaced with a smile, able to focus on the task at hand once more. “So what are we looking to design for her exactly?” Amy asked.
“I was hoping to get a brief wardrobe…for starters.” Joyce said with a bit more ease.
“Alright, so some outfits for the day and sleepwear for the night? We’ll keep it basic for now.”
“I want her to have outfits she can wear around the house and some pyjamas. Nothing for outside.”
“Are you sure? I understand keeping her out of the public eye, but with you and your connections, I’m sure it’d be more than possible to pull a few strings to get her some privacy outside.”
“Maybe, but I don’t want to force something like that onto her…not for a bit at least.” The thought of how Emily could and would progress admittedly excited Joyce.
“Mhm…” Amy nodded her head as she looked down at her growing list of notes. “How about a few onesies then? I’m sure those could work for her.”
Joyce agreed, as she said “Definitely. That would be perfect.”
“And how do you want the flap to work? We could do snaps or buttons, on the front, back or bottom.”
“The back will work.” Joyce said. She knew it wasn’t as conventional, but she figured it’d be best to keep the buttons out of Emily’s line of sight for a better effect.
“And do you have any patterns or colors in mind?” Amy asked with her pen ready.
“Stripes. And possibly a pink-themed one and light green one. The two colors didn’t mix very well together, but come separately and they would both compliment the girl quite nicely.
“So I’ll draft up two onesies, and that should be enough of those to begin with, right? Is she like this every day?”
“No, she isn’t. That should be enough there.” Joyce couldn’t help but say that last bit somewhat longingly, as her fantasies only let her speculate the unlikely.
“Then let’s top it off with at least one more outfit, maybe something like a dress to move about in? A sundress?”
Joyce nodded in agreeance, happy to know Amy was strangely onpoint with this sort of thing. It was just like this with her regular orders, only now under a different theme.
“We can go for the general design, but what I can do for her is sew in a support for her? Kind of like how a onesie will support her bottom, only that the dress will do the same thing. It’ll cover whatever she’s wearing underneath, but depending on what you put her in and how short the skirt of the dress is, I can’t promise anything about a bulge.
“I understand, that should be fine.” Joyce kept reminding herself that she’d be the only one seeing Emily in her grand spectacle, which made the drafting process much more easy.
“And speaking of skirt length, how long do you want it to be?”
“Maybe a bit past the halfway point on her thighs. I don’t want it to get in the way too much. And I’ll leave the rest of the design up to you.”
“Okay, then that should finish off her playwear. Now what about something to sleep in? Onesies work both ways for play and sleep, but I’d imagine you want something a bit more?”
“Sleepers.” Joyce quickly said, already having it in mind.
“That was fast,” Amy chuckled over the response time. “I take it we’ll do a zipper design?”
“Yes, a zipper should be fine. I want two sleepers actually. One where she can reach the zipper on her own…and one where she can’t…”
“Oh?” Amy was slightly curious about the variation, but knew it wasn’t her place to ask for details.
“Not to punish her, of course. Just to…help her be a little more dependent…” Joyce crossed her fingers, finding it a little difficult to be expressive about the topic again.
“And do you want them to cover her feet or hands?”
“No for both, it’d probably feel too restricting then.”
“I’d have to agree with that,” Amy blankly added as she wrote some more information down.
“She likes to get her shuteye a bit, almost like a cat.” Joyce openly joked, stewing over all the moments she’d catch her sleeping.
“In that case I might as well give her sleepers a hood with little cat ears.” Amy laughed as she was happy to see Joyce be much less tense about the subject.
“Really? You could?” Unintentionally Amy realized she struck a chord with Joyce on that one, even though she wasn’t being completely serious.
“Well, I guess there wouldn’t be a problem with it, if you want me to?”
Joyce nodded again, failing a bit to hide the excitement on her face.
“I’ll make them detachable, if you or she doesn’t want them on. And with everything here, I’ll make sure they’re adaptable in all the right places to keep a good fit on her. How about we stop there so I can work with what we have, regroup, make any changes that need to be done and move from there?”
“Thank you Amy, really. I mean it.”
“Happy to help both a customer and a friend.”
The topic of business quickly derailed into more small-talk about themselves and what kind of person Emily was like. Somewhat surprised at how Joyce could gush over someone like that, Amy was amused as she’d seen a new side to her friend.
Checking her watch though, Amy interrupted their talk as it had seemed to have gone on for long enough. “It’s always fun chatting with you, but I think we’ve kept Emily waiting long enough?”
“You’re right, I want to get her home, she wasn’t exactly excited to come here after getting a new phone. It’s her first day out wearing a…you know, and I’m trying to build up her confidence to be a bit more outgoing. And then Joyce remembered what Emily was trying to ask her about a while earlier, connecting the dots to realize maybe it was a bathroom she meant? Now with a mental note to check on a certain something when she saw Emily, the two walked up the stairs into Amy’s apartment, with the unattended tv playing and Amy’s cat sitting by the bathroom door.
“Ashes? What are you doing sitting here?” It wasn’t like him to sit out in the open unless without a reason, and then both Amy and Joyce looked at the door in front of them.
“Emily? You in there?” Joyce knocked.
She could hear a sniffle from the other side of the door.
“Mhm…just a second.”
It wasn’t hard for Joyce to read the mood, taking an educated guess at what might’ve happened.
“Everything alright? We’re gonna get going now.”
The knob turned as the door opened and Emily emerged, the area around her eyes slightly red from what was likely tears. Ashes, Amy’s cat, seemed happy to be reunited with his friend as he rubbed against her leg with a pur.
“I’ve never seen Ashes be so social with someone, especially on the first day!” Amy tried to lighten the mood as she made an honest remark. “He wasn’t even like that with Joyce until after a while.”
“Maybe she’s already got my scent, then.” Joyce wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulder. “Ready to go?”
Emily mutely nodded, as they took the lead out of Amy’s house and back downstairs.
“And you can wait up here, mister,” Amy was careful not to let the cat out, as much as she was okay with letting him roam freely around the store, it’d be unbecoming of her professional attitude. “I’ll be getting back to you in a day or two on the details for you to give the no or go on,” she said while Emily slipped her shoes and jacket back on.
“Sounds good to me. We’ll be heading home and be able to relax, get ready for the workday tomorrow.” Joyce sighed as she considered how long of a week it’d be.
“Anyways, enjoy the rest of your day Amy, and thank you again.”
“Anytime Joyce, and Emily it was a pleasure.” Amy gave Emily a brief hug who had just joined the two.
“It was nice meeting you too, Amy.” Emily said as she returned the hug.
“I look forward to seeing you again. And just know that Joyce thinks the world of you!” She exclaimed as she moved back to the stairs. “Now if you’ll forgive me, I’ll have you two see yourselves out, I can’t help but feel I’m bursting with inspiration for some reason!” She gave a smile that felt particularly directed at Joyce, and was quickly out of sight.
“Ready to go home?” Joyce looked over at Emily, who with a sense of fatigue nodded her head.
The two walked back into the main store from the back room and then around the desk, opening the entrance to see the car where it had been left, getting themselves into the car. Charles already having been instructed beforehand, kicked the car into gear shortly after they shut the door.
“I’m so proud of you,” Joyce cooed as she hugged Emily. “It must’ve been tough, wasn’t it?” Emily could feel her sadness resurface from what she’d done in the bathroom a bit earlier, only nodding her head. “That’s alright, it gets easier, I promise. We’ll get you changed when we go home, just try and relax for now…” No more words needed to be exchanged, as the refuge Emily took in Joyce was more than enough.
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Surprise surprise! Story isn’t dead! I was working on this over the course of a few days, hope to have the next chapter out at some point soon. As always, feedback is appreciated!