Nicholas waits for us beside the open back door of my town car. With a short nod of acknowledgement for him, I duck inside, still holding my curious little kitten. Settling her on my lap, I let my lips curve as she studies me, waiting for this juicy secret. When I speak, I drop my voice to a conspiratorial whisper that has her leaning in so she doesn’t miss a single word.
“No matter what you wear… everyone on this island knows you’re wearing a diaper.”
Annoyance, horror, and a dozen other emotions flit across her face before her eyes narrow dangerously. “That’s a stupid secret.”
“Maybe, but I thought you might like to know all the same. You could be wearing a gown fit for the red carpet and every single person on this island would still know that underneath you are just a Little girl, wearing a diaper, waiting for Daddy to change her when she has to potty.”
“Ugh, that’s soembarrassing.”
“I know. That’s half the fun.”
That curious glint returns to her eyes as she tilts her head to the side, watching me. “You get off on humiliating me.”
It isn’t asked as a question, but I feel compelled to answer just the same. “Yes. And hurting you. And many other thingsthat make me a very, very bad man. Which you should keep in mind if you’re ever tempted to push me too far.”
“Hmm.”
There’s something in that single sound that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “What is it, kitten?”
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
“About?”
“You.” The corner of her mouth tips up in a smug sort of smile. “I’m not convinced you’re really as bad as you want me to believe.”
For the first time in a very long time, I almost want it to be true. “Trust me, kitten, I’m far worse than you could ever imagine.”
“We’ll see.”
She will, I’m sure. There is no doubt in my mind that at some point she will feel compelled to push the limits of my patience to their breaking point.
And she will learn the hard way that I am exactly who I say I am.
Chapter Twelve
Natalie
The most interesting thing about the town at the center of the island is how shockinglynormalit looks. I was too caught up in fleeing for my life yesterday to really take in the quaint brick buildings, each only slightly different than its counterparts so you know what you’re getting before you even open the door.
Like the cafe with its pretty green and white striped awning, giving those who’d rather sit outside and eat a place to do so without being subjected to the blazing heat of the sun. Or the toy store with the giant stuffed bear outside, beckoning a Little girl to come in and pick out a friend of her own.
But it’s the store with the simple sign in a flowing script above the door that catches my eye. “Solene? LiketheSolene? The designer who just up and disappeared from the public eye a couple years back?”
A memory from the day before pops into my mind. The two women on the street, the smaller of the two clad in one of those “special occasion” dresses I have hanging in my closet.
That’swhy she looked so damn familiar.
“The one and only,” Evander confirms with a quiet laugh. “I see you’ve heard of her.”
“Everyone’s heard of Solene. She was at the top of her career, the most in-demand designer in New York and then she just… poof. Gone. There’s been so much speculation over what happened to her but I don’t thinkthiswas ever one of the theories.”
“We can pay her a visit later if you’d like. Pick out a few more of these cute dresses.”
I wrinkle my nose as the car pulls to a stop in front of a plain building with a sign in the window that just says “Doctor’s Office”. “No, thank you. One of these is more than enough.”
“But you look adorable, kitten.”
So he’s said, multiple times. But every time I think about the white cotton poking out from beneath the hem of the skirt, humiliation floods my system, and I find myself wishing I could go home and change. Even if everyone knows I’m wearing a diaper, I still don’t want to be parading around with it on display.
