The Padded Palace Act IV: Chapter 21
Sink water noisily collided with a half-dozen dirty dishes in the sink as Latasha proceeded to soap up the bottle she’d fed Connor with that afternoon. It was the evening of Connor’s first full day in padding and it was safe to say the caregiving duo were on cloud nine after such a euphoric day. At the same time, though, she couldn’t help but chuckle at how things had unfolded after only Connor’s first week living within the Padded Palace, especially considering she had selected him to fill the vacant position specifically because he lacked an ABDL fetish. Despite this, she couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.
Meanwhile, Connor was equally elated as he waited at the kitchen table for Latasha to finish; his dress was already removed and he was donning casually feminine PJs by this point in the night. Like Latasha, he too was excited to embark on a kinky, new relationship, even if the rules for that relationship were still in flux. Neither one of them had used the “BF” or “GF” words yet, so it was hard to gauge exactly where they stood in that regard. Part of him wanted to ask but he also didn’t want to ruin the good thing they already had going. For now, she was his Mommy, and he was her Little; a thought that forced the corners of his mouth to spread upward.
“What are you smiling at?” said Latasha, spotting the pursed grin Connor was wearing from halfway across the kitchen.
Bouncing back and forth in his seat, Connor’s giggle box was activated. “Noooothing,” he said, too blushy to admit what he was actually thinking about.
“Oh, really. Is that so?” said Latasha, leaning into her dominant personality as she playfully crept across the room to where Connor was sitting, “If that’s the case, my widdwe Connie must just be a giggly baby!” Without warning, her hands attacked Connor’s defenseless sides, nipping at his soft flesh and extracting even more laughter from her regressed assistant. After about twenty seconds of tickle torture, she threw her arms over his shoulders and pulled him close for a hug, “Mmmm! You’re just too cute for your own good. I’m gonna smother you with love, just you wait.”
Tucking his arms in Connor allowed his form to be enveloped by Latasha. Never before had he felt so safe, comforted, and free, even if he knew it wasn’t built to last. Soon, she’d be calling him Connor again for the sake of the girls, and his time as a sissy baby would become an occasion. All the more reason to enjoy it while he could. “I love you, Mommy,” he said, accosted by too many lovey-dovey feelings to stay silent, “Thank you for today, and for giving me a place to live. I feel like I owe you my life.”
“Aww! Mommy loves you too, Connie. So, so much! But you don’t owe me anything,” said Latasha, tightening her hold on Connor’s chest, “This is your Palace too. Welcome home, Connie.”
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“...You weren’t there. You didn’t see Connor’s face; how happy he was. I’m not making this up-”
“Riley Reese Anderson, that is enough! I won’t keep arguing! Move aside and let Latasha through!” shouted Martin, standing over Riri with his arms firmly crossed. To his shock, Riri didn’t budge an inch, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Standing in front of the staircase with her arms stretched from rail post to rail post, Riri was determined to give Skye and Connor as much time as possible, even if it meant a sore bottom would be her reward. Glancing back and forth between her Daddy and Latasha, she continued her ardent plea. “You don’t understand! Connor’s been having such a hard time finding his place in all this and he’s so close to self-actualizing; I can feel it! Please, just give Skye a chance,” she said, her nails digging into the wooden newel posts.
Unfortunately, while Riri could see Latasha’s will to push her way upstairs faltering, Martin was far less moved. “I get what you’re saying but this isn’t the time to pull a stunt like this. If you think after this weekend that any of you three have even a shred of leeway, you are sorely mistaken,” he said, a soldering fire burning behind his eyes as he stared down Ellie and Stacy before returning to Riri, “Let me make this easy. Move or you’ll be grounded for the next month. No TV. No internet. No Genshin.”
“B-But Daddy!” yelled Riri, struggling to stomach the consequences of her actions. After the events of this weekend, her boldness had definitely increased but being grounded was still a Little’s worst nightmare. Moreover, the current banner ended in two days and she was only one 10-pull away from a guaranteed S-rank, which Martin was very aware of. Daddy went low on this one.
Not wanting to toss Connor and Skye under the bus to save her own skin and hoping to avoid a prolonged punishment, Riri was left with one option: to stall like her kink life depended on it. She sniffled a few times in quick succession, building up the moisture behind her eyes before lunging forward into Martin’s arms. “I’m sowwy! I didn mean ta make chus so mad!” she said, linking her arms around her Daddy’s waist while keeping her feet outstretched on the bottom-most step, “Pweas don be upset! Am sowwy I yelled and am sorry I cussed!” Had anyone been watching her expression closely, they would’ve caught the tiniest of smirks breaking through.
“Cussed? What is she talking about?” said Martin, looking at Latasha while maintaining his grip on Riri’s upper half.
Latasha curled a nervous hand around the back of her neck as she responded, “Um…there was a small incident. In the heat of the moment, Riri told Stacy to…to “F” off.”
Aging a full ten years in two seconds, Martin was in absolute disbelief. Last he checked, Riri had a difficult enough time saying “crap” or “damn,” and now apparently she was dropping F-bombs at will. “And I’m just now hearing about this, why?” he asked sharply, adjusting his hold on Riri to better confront Latasha.
“Because it was a one-off occurrence and she begged me not to tell. Plus, I already punished her so it wasn’t exactly pressing,” said Latasha defensively, standing by her decision to hide Riri’s misdeeds from her Daddy.
Unsurprisingly, Martin wasn’t satisfied with being left in the dark, extending his and Latasha’s bickering match for the time being; all while Riri weighed her Daddy down like an anchor. She knew mentioning her cursing would be the straw that broke the camel's back for Martin, leading to another argument with the Padded Palace’s matriarch. And while it almost certainly guaranteed a part two to her punishment when she got home later, it also gave Skye more than enough time to finish with Connor.
SQUEAK!
For the third and final time this evening, the creaky floorboard that rested three steps down from the top of the staircase pulled everyone’s attention. Neither Martin nor Latasha nor anyone else for that matter had it in them to continue squabbling as they gazed upon Skye and Connor hand-in-hand.
With his shoulders hunched forward and his head down, Connor could only bear to look at everyone for flickers at a time. His hands clasped the yellow skirt of his dress until his knuckles turned bleach white, and his whimpering smile seemed like it might break at a moment’s notice. He was so nervous that he couldn’t think of anything to say. All he could do was allow Skye to guide him forward until the pair arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
No longer needing to act as a guard, Riri let go of Martin and proceeded to nudge the living room crowd back. She wanted to ensure Connor had as much breathing room as possible. Making eye contact with Skye, the scheming pair nodded to each other in solidarity. Regardless of what decisions Connor made from here on out, they’d done everything they could to set him down the right path.
“Mommy, everyone, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special,” said Skye, feeling Connor’s interlaced fingers digging into the sides of her smaller digits. It was a bit painful but she was happy to endure it for his sake, “Go on. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Fighting against a lump in his throat the size of a bowling ball, Connor could feel the metaphorical spotlight beaming down on him; a familiar sensation by this point. First, there was Latasha and his inaugural feminization at her hands after discovering him asleep in the nursery. As hot as that day of sexual awakening with her was, it gave him a giant secret that he wasn’t prepared to keep, which inevitably led to his discovery at Stacy’s hand. Her damning photos positioned him on a never-ending tightrope from which his fall was inevitable. Once Ellie and Riri caught on, the spotlight became inescapable, widening in all directions to encompass every aspect of his life and displaying him live on stage for Latasha and everyone else to gawk at; a product of the Padded Palace if there ever was one.
However, as Connor bravely raised his chin to address the room, he didn’t see anyone angry at him or mocking him. Instead, the room was illuminated by kind smiles and reassuring nods. A bubbly warmth replaced much of the tension that had permeated the living room, bolstering his bravery significantly. Skye was right; she wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to him. This was a place and a people he truly be himself with. “H-hi…my name’s Connie…ish nice ta meet chus.”
TO BE CONTINUED…