5. NAOMI
Naomi woke to the sound of seagulls and the ocean.
Bliss.
She stretched and yawned. Dang, she’d been tired last night. She’d slept like a log. A very tired log.
As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, Naomi began to make out the details of the objects that filled the room. There were boxes containing stacks of adult-sized diapers, bibs, and pacifiers among other things she couldn’t quite identify. The sight of them both intrigued and intimidated her, sparking a curiosity she’d never felt before.
Naomi remembered what Brody had told her last night.
While you’re using my guest room, you’re free to use any of the Little stuff you like. You can wear the clothes, cuddle the stuffies, and fill out the activity books. Just . . . leave the sex toys alone, okay?
Naomi chewed on her bottom lip, weighing her options as she continued to gaze at the assortment of kinky items. Though it went against everything she’d been taught, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to indulge in such an experience.
Dressing up as a Little!
It felt sensationally naughty, but it also felt good to know that she was “allowed” to do it. It was a rule.
Of course, her strict conservative upbringing wouldn’t allow something like this. But then her father barely allowed anything.
No short skirts.
No alcohol.
No meat on a Friday.
No caffeine.
Technically, as far as she knew, there was no specific rule in her father’s enormous imaginary rulebook that said “No dressing as a Little.” You could hardly say that wearing a diaper was “too revealing”, could you? If anything, diapers were there to cover you up, not put your . . . private bits . . . on display. And pacifiers and romper suits and bibs and frilly pink dresses were just plain cute. They were hardly provocative if you wore them on your own, right? After all, who was Naomi trying to provoke?
Of course, deep down, Naomi knew that this was all wrong. Wronger than wrong.
But she also knew just how sheltered her life had been up until now. She was constantly having to try to walk the balance between obeying her father and being true to herself, and it was almost impossible to do both of those things at the same time.
“It’s more important that I obey God than my father,” Naomi muttered to herself. “And I’m pretty sure my God wouldn’t mind me trying on some of this stuff, seeing as Brody gave me permission. All I’m doing is trying to figure out who I am. No harm in that.”
With a deep breath, Naomi took off her nightgown. Then, she reached for one of the adult-sized diapers, her heart pounding in anticipation. She had never imagined herself in such a situation, but the urge to explore this new world was too strong to ignore. Carefully, she unfolded the diaper and slid it under her hips before fastening the tapes securely around her waist. The soft material cradled her body, providing an unexpected sense of comfort.
“Oh my,” she whispered to herself, surprised by the warmth that enveloped her as she put on a pink bib and grabbed a huge, baby blue pacifier.
She glanced at her reflection in the standing mirror by the window.
“I look cute,” she said with a smile. But the pleasure she felt was tempered by guilt. “What would my dad think? He’d give me extra chores for the next twenty years, plus extra prayers and repentance for the rest of my life.”
As she continued to stare at her reflection, Naomi felt a sense of rebellion bubbling within her. For once, she was embracing her desires instead of repressing them. The simple act of trying on these items sparked a newfound confidence in her.
“Maybe it’s time to break free from my old life,” she thought, her heart racing with excitement. “Maybe this is who I’m meant to be.”
Her gaze swept across the room, her eyes lingering on the collection of sex toys. The sight of the various long, interesting devices sent a shiver down her spine, but she knew that Brody had made it clear these were off-limits. Determined to be a “good girl” and adhere to the boundaries he’d set, Naomi reluctantly tore her attention away from them.
She hugged the stuffie close to her chest, then looked down into its kind teddy bear eyes. “What do you think, Mr. Brown Bear?” she asked. “Do you like my outfit? Do you think it suits me?”
Just then, Brody’s voice echoed up to her room. “Naomi! Breakfast is ready!”
Her heart leaped into her throat and she almost threw the stuffie across the room in surprise. She hurriedly removed the bib and pacifier, tossing them back into the box they’d come from. She grabbed her white dress from a nearby chair, quickly slipping it over her head as she tried to ignore the crinkling sound of the diaper underneath.
“Naomi?” Brody called again.
“Coming!” she yelled back, her pulse racing.
As Naomi stepped into the hallway, her eyes darted up toward the bathroom. She needed to dispose of the diaper before facing Brody, but then she spotted him standing on the spiral staircase just a few meters below her and yelped in surprise.
“Hey,” he said casually, though his gaze seemed to linger a moment too long on her.
He was wearing a tight white shirt, showing off his huge muscles, and dark blue jeans that hugged his muscular legs. He looked so rugged and handsome, especially with that floppy sun-kissed hair and stubble. She felt herself go literally weak at the knees for a moment. She had no idea that was a real thing.
“Hi,” she replied timidly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her floaty dress.
“Everything okay?” Brody asked, his blue eyes studying her closely.
“Y-yeah, just . . .” Naomi hesitated, searching for a plausible excuse. “I wasn’t expecting you to make me breakfast, that’s all.”
“Ah, well, I can’t eat pancakes all alone,” he replied with a grin, gesturing toward the kitchen. “It would be a little depressing, don’t you think? Pancakes are sharing food.”
“Right, of course,” she mumbled, her mind racing with thoughts of how she could sneak away to remove the diaper.
“Are you coming down, then?”
“Uh, yep. Yeah. For sure. Just got to go to the bathroom first and I’ll be right down.”
“Sure thing,” Brody replied.
Naomi hurried up the steps to the bathroom, relieved that her dress was loose enough to conceal the diaper. Quickly, she took it off and screwed it into a little ball, thrusting it deep inside the trash can by the sink, hoping Brody wouldn’t find it. Then, she washed and got herself ready.
“It’s okay, Naomi,” she whispered to herself. “He doesn’t know. Nobody knows. Nobody will ever know.”
She went downstairs, stopping off at her room to put some panties on. As she entered the kitchen, Naomi forced herself to look as relaxed as possible. Like a successful marine biologist might look. Not a woman who had just been wearing a diaper and talking to a teddy bear.
“Mmm,” she said. “This looks good.”
The kitchen looked so cozy and bright with the morning sunlight streaming through the window. She took in the curved kitchen counter on one side, and the curved bench and table around the other. The table had a yellow cloth on it, and a stack of pancakes as tall as a top hat. There were bowls of all kinds of things beside them: blueberries, strawberries, bacon, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, chopped nuts, sausage, fried apples, shredded cheese, candy bars, and fried eggs.
“Wow,” she breathed. “What is all this?”
“I didn’t know what kind of toppings you liked,” said Brody, “so I put out everything I had.”
Naomi let out a girlish giggle. “That’s very extravagant.”
Brody smiled. “I wanted you to feel at home here.”
Naomi cleared her throat. “Trust me, none of this is anything like home.”
Brody knitted his brow together. “Sorry. Tell me what you’d prefer for breakfast tomorrow and—“
“No, no!” she said quickly. “This is good. Very good. We just don’t have a lot of treats where I come from.”
“I see. Well, help yourself,” Brody encouraged with a charming smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he sat down and plated a stack of golden-brown pancakes. The scent of buttery goodness wafted through the air, coaxing Naomi to forget her earlier embarrassment and focus on the delightful breakfast spread.
She sat too and filled her plate with warm pancakes and just about every topping on the table, plus plenty of maple syrup and chocolate sauce.
“Wow, this smells amazing,” she said, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.
“Nothing beats homemade pancakes,” Brody replied with a wink, pouring maple syrup over his own stack. “I eat them on my birthday every year.”
“It’s your birthday today?” asked Naomi.
“No, actually,” said Brody. “It was yesterday.”
“Oh my goodness! Happy birthday for yesterday! Did you eat pancakes yesterday too, then?”
“Well, no, as it happens,” said Brody. “I should have said I used to eat them on my birthday every year. Not quite the same when you live alone like I do. But then you showed up, so I thought why not allow myself a birthday treat?”
Naomi smiled, touched by Brody opening up to her like that. “Why not indeed?” she asked. “There’s no rule against it, after all!”
Brody chuckled. “You’re absolutely right, little one,” he said. “No rule at all.”
Naomi reached for the orange juice Brody had put out for her and sipped it. “Why do you do that?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Call me ‘little one?’”
Brody cleared his throat. “Would you like me to stop? I hoped you might like it.”
Naomi swallowed. “Maybe I do like it,” she said quietly. “I . . . I’m not really sure how I feel about it.”
“Right,” said Brody. “Well, I’ll stop saying it unless you explicitly ask me to start again. And yes, that’s another rule.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “Okay, sir,” she said submissively. “I’ll remember that.”
“So, what are your plans for today?” asked Brody. “More species surveys on the beach?”
Naomi grinned. “Yes. That’s what I’ll be doing every day while I’m here.” As Naomi animatedly discussed her project, she noticed Brody’s gaze becoming more intent. The warm atmosphere of the breakfast table seemed to shift as his eyes lingered on her, an unreadable expression playing across his face.
“Naomi,” he interrupted gently, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I just wanted to say that I’m really pleased you wore one of my diapers.”
At his words, heat rushed to her cheeks, and her heart plummeted. His words brought back all her insecurities and embarrassment in a flash. “Wh-what? How did you...?” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Your dress is slightly see-through,” Brody explained, his voice somehow laced with genuine warmth. “Plus, I could hear it crinkle when you moved upstairs. Don’t worry, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just something I noticed. I’m genuinely happy you wore it.”
Naomi couldn’t bear the thought of him seeing her like this, her most private desires laid bare for his amusement. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and without another word, she bolted from the table.
“Naomi!” Brody called after her.
But she couldn’t bring herself to look back. She sprinted up to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Then, leaning against the cool wood, she hid behind her hands and tried to steady her breathing.
This was far too much—Brody knowing about her attraction to the DDlg lifestyle and seeing her in a diaper. She couldn’t face him again, not after he had seen her like that.
It was all his fault, anyway. She couldn’t allow herself to be drawn into this world, not when it went against everything she’d been raised to believe. Brody was the one who had introduced her to it. His influence was clearly too strong, too tempting.
She began to gather her belongings, packing them hastily into her suitcase. She didn’t want to waste another moment in this lighthouse that had led her down a path she never should have explored.
Her thoughts raced, trying to come up with a plan for her departure. “I’ll just tell Mayor Cooper that I’ve decided the job’s not the right fit for me, and I need to go back home. I’m sure he’ll understand . . .”
A faint knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Naomi?” came Brody’s voice, soft and hesitant. “Can we talk?”
Naomi steeled herself. “No, Brody,” she called out, her voice wavering slightly. “I think it’s best if we don’t. In fact, I’ve decided to leave the lighthouse. I appreciate your hospitality, but this isn’t the right place for me.”
There was a pause, and then Brody responded. “All right, if that’s what you want. I won’t try to stop you.”
“Thank you,” she choked out, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she knew she needed to protect herself.
Just then, a seagull landed on her windowsill and tapped its beak on the glass.
It’s like it’s trying to tell me something, she mused.
She walked over to the window and looked out at the ocean.
How could she leave behind this perfect beach, and this amazing job opportunity?
She couldn’t.
But she would leave the lighthouse. There had to be a hotel in this town, and tonight, she’d find it and stay there for the duration of her time in Little Rock.
“Thank you, seagull,” she whispered, gripping her suitcase tightly. “I can do this.”