Sunlight filtered in through the curtains that hung over the window. How long had she slept? And where was she exactly?
For a moment, she wondered if this was a dream. It sure wasn’t her apartment! Perhaps she was imagining some mansion or something. That rags-to-riches fantasy she’d had so many times before.
But then it all came back to her.
She really was in a mansion.
Auntie Athena’s mansion.
Jack Daddy had dropped her off there the night before. After she’d been evicted.
With a groan, Iris fell back, her head sinking into the plush, overstuffed pillow. Snuggles was laying beside her, smiling.
She giggled. Just the sight of her stuffie made her feel wonderful.
A moment later, she gathered her wits enough to swing her legs off the bed and put her feet on the floor. That’s when she heard the loud crinkle and realized she was wearing a diaper.How had she forgotten? she wondered. The cotton and plastic were so bulky that she couldn’t close her legs all the way.
That made her giggle, too.
She could get used to waking up like that.
What made it even better was the knowledge that somewhere nearby was Auntie Athena.
Was Jack Daddy still there? Probably not, she decided. He had a very important job. He was probably out solving crimes or chasing bad guys.
That thought brought a shudder.
She hoped he was okay. The idea of him getting hurt or something bad happening to him almost made her sick.
Standing, she felt the diaper sagging low between her legs.
“Whoa!” she said as she pressed in on the squishy front.
Had she slept so hard that she’d just peed her nappy? It wasn’t too surprising. She’d had some accidents before, though it embarrassed her every time—even though there’d never been anyone around to know about them.
Padding softly to the door, she opened it and stepped into the hallway. The thought that she should be more modest briefly floated through her mind. She was clad in only a short tee and that diaper. But somehow that just felt right at Auntie Athena’s.
“Hello?” she called out as she walked down the hall. “Is anyone here?”
The hall was long and the hardwood floor was covered in the center by a thick, ornate runner. At the end was a window that allowed the brilliant California sun to spill inside. Between her and that, though, there were doors on both sides.
“Well, good morning, cute stuff.”
Iris spun around to see a lady had stepped out of one of the doors behind her.
“Hi.”
She had never seen this woman before, but it was immediately evident that she possessed the same matronly air that Auntie Athena did.
That’s where the similarities stopped, though.
While Auntie Athena had that silky raven hair, bright-red lips, and a vampish quality, this woman looked like a typical suburban mom. She had wide hips, a full figure, short, blonde hair and kind blue eyes. She looked to be about forty-five.
She was gorgeous.
“I’m Auntie Caroline. I work here at the nursery but was off yesterday. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Iris. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?”
