“It’s not that she’s necessarily unsafe at home.” Veronica said. “I would just feel better if she had a babysitter for overnight.”
Monserrat considered the woman in front of her. She was pretty intimidating, to be honest. Not physically, but she had a lot of sheer presence packed into her gothic fem presentation. It didn’t hurt that she had her own office at the university, which was both well-decorated and large. They’d had to meet on no notice at all. She had good taste in coffee though, which Monserrat considered a sign of a civilized woman.
“Okay, I’m just trying to understand what exactly I’m doing. This sounds like it’s not necessarily like the work I’ve been doing before.” Monserrat said. “It’s more like actual babysitting, in that I need to worry about her like I would an actual child.”
“It’s complicated to explain.” Veronica said, taking a sip of her coffee. “But if you want to err on the side of taking precautions as if she were actually a toddler, that would be better than going too much the other way.”
“In that case, I want to go over the emergency numbers you gave me. You said the closest emergency contact will be an hour away?” Monserrat asked.
“Yes. Believe me, I’m not happy about it either. Normally when I need a babysitter for Briana, I just ask someone in our circle of friends. Unfortunately, it’s the holidays and people have already postponed things to watch her last week.” Veronica rubbed her temples. “If you’re not comfortable with this, I can figure out a way to make it work taking her with me.”
“I just want to be sure I do a good job. Believe me, Veronica, I will take excellent care of Briana.”
“Ms. Rasmussen would be better.” Veronica said.
“Of course, Ms. Rasmussen.”
That was chilly. Monserrat kept a straight face, she could tell that Veronica had a lot on her shoulders. She had that sort of hollow-eyed look that only came from emotional baggage.
“Did you tell Briana why you’re leaving?” Monserrat asked.
“I don’t want to worry her. It’s my mother.” Veronica said. “She has to go in for a procedure. It should be just routine, but we’re all a little nervous. I want to introduce Briana to her, but I think you can see why this wouldn’t be the best time.”
“So, she’s your daughter in more than the…” Monserrat steered her thoughts away from the word fetish, “ABDL sense?”
“She’s my daughter. Full stop.” Veronica said primly.
“Look, I’m not trying to upset you, I can tell that this isn’t a great time for you. What can I do to reassure you? I’m really only asking questions because I want to make sure I know my clients and can give them what they need.”
Veronica sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m being awfully bitchy, aren’t I? You’re right, it’s a tough time. I just have trouble trusting people with someone so precious to me. You have excellent references, but it’s a bit strange to trust a family member with someone from an app.”
“You can run a background check on me if that would make it easier for you.” Monserrat said.
“Oh, I already did that.” Veronica countered. “You came back clean as a whistle, if you’re curious.”
Monserrat blinked. “Oh, like a credit check or…”
“Full background. Credit, criminal, social, and so on.” Veronica said. “I can email you a copy of the report if you want one.”
“Uh – yes, yes I would like that.” Monserrat said. “If you’ve done all that, I don’t know what I could say to help you trust me.”
“I want to know why you do this.” Veronica said. “You’re on an escort app, but from your history it looks like you only take ABDL jobs.”
“I just sort of fell into that niche, and I’m good at it.” Monserrat said. “Are you worried that I’m doing it just to sleep with a bunch of diaper girls? You specified no sex in your client survey.”
“That’s one thing that I’m worried about, yes.” Veronica said. “Briana is special, even within the ABDL community. It’s not a fetish for her. It even goes beyond what people in the community call ‘lifestyle’.”
Monserrat studied Veronica. There were several flavors of worry weighing her down, if Monserrat was any judge. Taking at least one of them off Veronica’s shoulders was going to be the key to nailing this job.
“I think I get it.” Monserrat said. “You want to know if this is just something I do for kicks, or if it’s only for the money. Well, I do enjoy the work, and I love the money. There’s more though.”
“Yes?” Veronica asked.
“It’s kind of magical, watching these girls and the occasional boy turn into a baby or a little kid. Can I tell you about a recent client?”
“Please do.” Veronica nodded.
“I was trying to get the client to take a nap, and she was fussy.” Monserrat said. “She ended up falling asleep on my lap, hugging me. What I probably should have done was transfer her to the couch and give myself a break.”
Monserrat smiled fondly remembering Fabiola’s warm snuggly body against hers. “I couldn’t do it though. I kept her on my lap the whole time, helping her adjust position when she started waking up. It’s probably my favorite moment from these jobs so far,”
“You have the job, Ms. Navarrete.” Veronica said.
“Thank you, Ms. Rasmussen.” Monserrat said with a pleased grin. “So, you said I had to pick Briana up off-site and bring her back to the house?”
“Yes, she’ll be at the campus administration building. Spencer Hall.” Veronica picked up her phone and started tapping on it as she spoke. “She should be in an adult frame of mind when you pick her up, but she will likely not be able to maintain that for long. I am guessing you’ll have a little girl in your car before you get back to the house. Please ask her to sit in the back seat.”
“Got it. Then it’s overnight, and you’ll be back when you can.” Monserrat said. “I have nothing going tomorrow or the day after, so if you need to extend to afternoon or evening, I’m flexible.”
“Her boyfriend and babysitter should be back in the morning regardless but thank you for being flexible.” Veronica set her phone down. A few seconds later, Monserrat’s phone chimed as EscortQuest let her know the job had been accepted and paid out.
“Any final bits of information?” Monserrat asked. “You can always text me when I’m on the job as well.”
“It’s possible that Briana’s sibling will show up. Their name is Melody. If that happens, please call me immediately.” Veronica said. “Melody may also be in a little frame of mind. I would ask you to treat them as gently as possible.”
“That’s a little vague, is there something going on with Melody that I should know about?” Monserrat asked.
“Not unless they arrive at the house.” Veronica said. “Just put them with Briana and call me. I will pick up.”
“Okay.” Monserrat nodded. “I really appreciate you trusting me here.”
“I think you’ll be worthy of it.” Veronica said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you then, Ms. Rasmussen.” Monserrat downed the last of her coffee and stood. She knew when she’d been dismissed.
“Girl that was brutal intense.” Monserrat said, as she drove away from the university.
“You got grilled huh?” Clarissa asked, coming in clearly on the phone for once.
“You have no idea. It was like applying for a job at the White House.” Monserrat said. “I think she finally got to trusting me, but we never even touched on friendly.”
“You think the job is going to be a pain?” Clarissa asked. “You can still back out.”
“Naw, I got this.” Monserrat said. “Maybe Veronica was a little over the line, but she was worried about her family. Her mom’s going into the hospital.”
“Oh damn, that sucks.” Clarissa said.
“Exactly. So now it’s a challenge. I’ve got to make sure that she doesn’t have to worry about her little girl while she’s taking care of her mom.”
“Trying to be super nanny again?” Clarissa asked. “You know, you’re taking a lot of these jobs. You’ve been missing classes.”
“The money is that good, and the work suits me.” Monserrat said.
“Yeah, but you are only taking one class next quarter.”
“Doesn’t matter, these jobs pay for way more than my financial aid does, and none of it is loans.”
“You’re never going to graduate taking one class a quarter. Are you thinking about dropping out and doing this full time?” Clarissa asked.
“I don’t know.” Monserrat said. “Maybe? Whatever it ends up as, I want to give it my all while I’m starting out. See what the potential really is.”
“Just be careful, okay? What if the work dries up?” Clarissa asked.
“I don’t think it will. There are a lot of ABDLs in the area. Like, a serious statistical anomaly.”
“Huh. Any idea why?”
“No, but I expect I’ll find out at some point. Maybe Veronica is that video game boss I’ve got to get past to unlock the secret.”
“Nerd.” Clarissa laughed. “Okay, tell me how it goes, and call me if you need your safety call, okay?”
“I shouldn’t for this one, but I’ll let you know.” Monserrat said.
“Love you, bitch.” Clarissa said, chuckling.
“Love you too, bitch.” Monserrat grinned and swiped the call closed.
The job had her nervous for sure. Monserrat had never had someone judge her so thoroughly. Reading the background check that Veronica had sent her had been a trip. There was Department of Homeland Security stuff in there. It’d be scary, if it wasn’t so sweet that she was worried about her daughter. Well, it was a little scary anyway.
Nerves had her sitting outside Spencer Hall a good thirty minutes before she was supposed to pick up Briana. She had a picture of the girl open in EscortQuest and kept looking at it whenever someone would leave the building. There wasn’t much else worth looking at. The snow covering the ground had gone crusty and gray. Spencer Hall wasn’t one of the nice faux-gothic buildings either. It had that Brutalist concrete thing going on.
Not that the picture was a lot of help. Briana looked adorable in her overalls in the picture, but it wasn’t overalls weather now. Monserrat shivered and tucked her scarf closer around her neck.
Finally, she spotted a tiny woman walking down the broad concrete stairs. Calling her five feet would be generous. She was bundled up in all kinds of winter gear, but the bit of her face peaking out was on the extra-pale-end of white.
Monserrat hopped off the concrete bench and walked briskly over to the girl. “Hi there. Briana Rasmussen?”
The girl turned, and it had to be Briana. When her face lit up with a smile, she looked just like her picture.
“That’s me! Are you Monserrat?” Briana asked, quickly closing the distance.
“I am. It’s nice to meet you. Do you know why Veronica hired me?” Monserrat asked. That was always the awkward part when there was a secondary client.
“You’re my babysitter, right?” Briana asked brightly. There wasn’t anyone around to hear, but she didn’t have even a hint of embarrassment in saying that out in public.
“That’s right. I’m going to take care of you overnight while Veronica is out of town.”
“Yup. You can call her my mom if you want.” Briana said. “But I bet she made you call her Ms. Rasmussen when you met her.”
Monserrat chuckled. “Yeah, she did. You can call me Monserrat or Monchi, no need for my last name unless you really want to use it. You fine if I call you Briana?”
“Yup! Though if you want to use my last name, I just kinda got it so it’s still fun to hear.” Briana blushed a little. It was dangerously adorable. “Oh! I almost forgot, I’m supposed to check your ID before I go to your car.”
“Right here.” Monserrat said, sliding her license out of her phone case. “You want to go straight to the car? It’s pretty cold out here.”
“Yeah, let’s go please.” Briana said, handing Monserrat her license back.
Briana clutched a black portfolio cover to her chest as she walked. Monserrat was crunching along through the old snow and ice, but Briana was so light she mostly walked atop the crust. Like an elf. Monserrat snorted at the image.
“Something funny?” Briana asked.
“Just that you’re such a little thing you don’t break through the snow.” Monserrat said.
“Yeah, it’s handy!” Briana said, giggling. “You’re the opposite. You’re almost as big as my roommate Casey.”
“Wait, is this the Casey that plays Volleyball? She’s the setter for the ABDU team?”
“Yeah, do you know her?”
Monserrat coughed. “Uh yeah, I know her.”
“Oooh, were you two daaating?” Briana asked in a singsong tone.
“No uh, we didn’t really go on dates.” Monserrat chuckled, hoping her blush wasn’t too obvious.
“I get it.” Briana giggled. “She’s an orgasm friend.”
Monserrat choked on some spit, taking three coughs to clear her throat. If Briana was deliberately trying to find her buttons, she was doing a decent job of it already.
“That’s not really the word I use. I guess it describes it okay though.” Monserrat said.
“Sorry.” Briana said. The twinkle in her eyes made Monserrat sure that Briana was not at all sorry. “I actually stole that line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’ve been watching it because Mom says it’s essential media.”
“Isn’t that kind of a scary show for a little girl?” Monserrat asked. She didn’t know much about the show herself. Other than there were vampires that got slayed, and it was one of those ‘early queer rep’ shows.
“I watch it when I’m big. When I’m practicing. Like right now, except I guess I’m not practicing today. This is for real.” Briana nodded sagely.
“Well, even if you’re feeling big, Veronica – your mom, asked me to have you ride in the back seat.” Monserrat said, hitting the button to unlock her car.
“That’s okay, but it might make me feel little.” Briana said. “Actually, I’m already kind of heading that way. Is it okay if I stop being big?”
“You can just turn it off like a faucet?” Monserrat asked curiously. She opened the back door for Briana.
“That’s part of my superhero secret.” Briana said with a wink. She hopped in the back.
Monserrat got in and got the car started. Blessedly, the heater was pretty good from a cold start. “Go ahead and be little, I guess. Don’t forget to buckle up.”
“Okay Monserrat!” Briana said. “Oh, and don’t worry. I’m wearing a pullup, so I won’t pee on your seats.”
Monserrat gave the girl the side-eye, especially when Briana giggled. This kid was trouble. Cute trouble though. Or maybe that was the part that made her trouble, instead of just a brat.
Briana’s transformation on the ride to her house was decently dramatic. She went from a composed young (older than Monserrat) woman to a carefree girl kicking her feet in the back of the car. The portfolio she’d been so careful with on the walk over, was carelessly slung onto the neighboring seat, with some of its papers sliding out.
Monserrat made sure to scoop that portfolio up as part of the process of getting Briana into her old Victorian style house. It was a little awkward. She was carrying her bag of supplies, Briana’s papers, and a small backpack of her own overnight stuff. On top of that, Briana handed her the door key, rather than just opening it herself.
Nevertheless, Monserrat managed to get them inside. She noticed immediately how immaculate the entryway and living room were. Note to self: the house should look like this when Veronica comes back.
“Heloooo!” Briana called. She deflated a little when the only response was the echoes off the wall.
“Veronica said it’d be just us tonight.” Monserrat said, stowing her bags by the couches.
“I know, I was just hoping that somebody would be back.” Briana pouted and kicked at the stairway banister. “Especially Melody.”
“That’s your sibling, right?” Monserrat asked.
“Yeah, and they’re in trouble right now. Not like, rule breaking trouble, though there’s that too. Like, real life trouble.”
Briana looked like she was about to cry. Second note to self: the kid had big mood swings going on. Monserrat would have to keep her distracted.
“Hey Briana, can you show me around the house?” Monserrat asked.
“Okay!” Briana said brightly.
She gave a pretty good tour. It was obviously not the first time she’d showed someone around. Monserrat was struck by how proud Briana was of everything, especially anything connected to Veronica. She was making a big deal of stressing the word ‘our’ whenever she talked about something that belonged to either Veronica or herself.
“And this is my room!” Briana said excitedly.
“Wow, you are set up.” Monserrat said, genuinely impressed.
Briana was dripped out as hell with a crib and all kinds of nice baby stuff. Not to mention the copious amount of diapers on hand in the bedroom as well as on the changing table downstairs. Monserrat had been pricing those lately to have a sort of standard kit ready for jobs, and the high end ones weren’t cheap.
“Thanks!” Briana said, bouncing excitedly. “Do you want to meet my stuffies?”
“I do, but I think we need to get you into some better clothes first, and maybe a diaper.” Monserrat said. “Looks like you might be leaking a little.”
Briana slumped down to her butt and rested her head on her knees. “I’m supposed to be working on potty training, but Mom is busy with Melody and she’s gone tonight and it was so hard being big today. I didn’t wanna have an accident in my big girl clothes.”
“It’s not your fault sweetie.” Monserrat said, kneeling next to Briana. “It’s my fault actually.”
“Huh?” Briana looked at Monserrat in confusion. The happy bouncing from a few moments ago seemed like it had been a thin façade. The poor girl’s eyes were already teary.
“I should have gotten you into some more appropriate clothes right way. That’s a basic babysitter mistake.” Monserrat tutted at herself.
“You’re gonna lose Santa Points.” Briana said, a small giggle breaking through her sad expression.
“Santa points?” Monserrat asked.
Monchi had enough experience with littles now, that she herded Briana onto the changing table without waiting for the conversation to get somewhere. Briana didn’t seem to mind.
“Yeah, I got in super big trouble recently, but it was for a good reason!” Briana said urgently. “Mom and Dad talked to Santa, and he agreed to reset everything for me. So now I hafta earn a lot of Santa points really fast.”
Monserrat got Briana’s pants down and inspected her pullup. It wasn’t even over-full, it had just been bunched up too much by Briana’s jeans to protect her properly. Briana was totally passive, letting Monserrat do whatever she wanted. It made her want to push the little girl’s boundaries a little to see where they even were. Monserrat dismissed that thought. Briana was not a toy, and she was having a tough time emotionally.
“So how many Santa points do you have so far?” Monserrat asked, mildly curious about the system Briana had come up with.
“I…” Briana stared at Monserrat in horror. “I haven’t been keeping track! I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten more of them than I’ve lost though.”
“Well, you’re being a very good girl for me so far. You’re also really sweet with how you’re worried about your sibling. As your babysitter, I award you three Santa Points.” Monserrat lifted Briana up on her changing table and set to stripping the girl down.
“Babysitters can’t award Santa points!” Briana said indignantly. “It’s moms and dads that talk to Santa.”
“Shows how much you know.” Monserrat said. “Sure, it used to be that way, but Santa closed that loophole back in ‘03. Kids were getting away with all kinds of stuff when there was only a babysitter around. Now we have an elf division that checks in with us babysitters.”
“No, you don’t, that’s silly. You’re making that up.” Briana said, giggling. She lay back on the changing table naked while Monserrat was prepping a diaper. Out of the corner of her eye, Monserrat could see Briana watching her nervously.
“Hey, it’s up to you if you want to risk it. You can do an experiment. Just be a bad girl tonight, and then see what happens to your presents.” Monserrat shrugged.
“Nu uh.” Briana said, squirming. “If you talk to Santa, then what presents am I getting?”
“I can’t believe you think I would betray Santa’s confidence.” Monserrat said, shaking her head. “I’m taking off one of your Santa points just for asking that.”
“No!” Briana whimpered. “I didn’t mean it!”
“You’re still up two points this evening.” Monserrat said. She took her time getting the girl nice and clean before taping up her diaper. “Just be good and you’ll be fine.”
“I will! I’ll be a good girl, Monchi, I promise.”
“I believe you. You seem like you’re usually a good girl.” Monserrat said. “You have so many cute outfits. Do I get to pick one for you, or is there one you want to wear?”
“You can pick!” Briana said with a big grin.
Not one to pass up a chance to dress a cute girl up, Monserrat looked through the dresser. She settled on a white one-piece-pajama with a drop seat flap. As soon as she was dressed, Briana ran off excitedly. Chuckling, Monserrat gave chase.
Briana was in the room she’d identified as Melody’s during the tour, when Monserrat caught up to her. She was just about to sit down at Melody’s computer when Monserrat scooped the girl up and put her on her hip.
“Hey, put me down!” Briana said, wiggling.
“That’s not your computer, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I just want to check on something really quick.” Briana said. “Melody might be sending messages that show up on their computer.”
“I’m sure they might be.” Monserrat said, carrying Briana out of the room and closing the door. “And those would be their private business.”
“But they need my help!” Briana said, whimpering.
“Hon, I don’t know what’s going on with Melody, and I don’t need to.” Monserrat said. “I do know that it’s not okay to break into someone’s private messages like that.”
“My sibling’s in trouble.” Briana said, frowning. She tried to push out of Monserrat’s arms but didn’t accomplish much. Her wiggles had been more effective at making her hard to hold.
“Is it the kind of trouble that we should call the police about? Or Veronica?” Monserrat asked. “Remembering that Veronica is doing something difficult right now, and we shouldn’t bother her if we don’t need to?”
“The police won’t do anything.” Briana said. “Mom already knows. And I know what she’s doing. She’s visiting my – her mom.”
“Your grandma?” Monserrat asked.
“I don’t know if I can call her that.” Briana said, her lip trembling. “I just want Melody home. I don’t know if they’re safe. I want my mommy!”
Monserrat sighed softly and held Briana close. The smaller girl hesitated, then grabbed Monserrat tightly, sniffling into her shoulder. It was always the shoulder. Monserrat wondered about getting some shoulder coverings to soak up snot.
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry you’re having a tough time.” Monserrat gently stroked Briana’s back. “I know that your mom loves you very much. You wouldn’t believe how much she grilled me, to make sure I was good enough to take care of you.”
“Was she mean?” Briana asked softly.
“Kind of,” Monserrat chuckled. “But I could tell she was having a tough time. She’s worried about your grandma. She’s worried about Melody. She was even worried about you. If there’s nothing we can do to help your grandma or Melody right now, let’s at least let your mom know that she doesn’t have to worry about you.”
“How?” Briana asked, leaning back to look at Monserrat with teary eyes.
“Set your worries aside for a bit. Let’s have some fun, and then try a video call with your mom later, okay?” Monserrat stroked Briana’s hair. “If she sees a happy, safe baby, that’s one less worries for her.”
“It’s hard though.” Briana said. “It’s all I can think about.”
“We need a project to distract us.” Monserrat said. “The house is all decorated for Christmas, but I don’t see any homemade cookies. Let’s make some polvorones de canela.”
“What are those?” Briana asked. Her interest was piqued, and her expression was less cloudy already.
“Sugar cookies with lots of cinnamon.” Monserrat said. “You ready to be my good kitchen helper?”
Briana managed a small smile. “Yes please.”
It was fun to micromanage Briana around the kitchen. She really was like a kid, excited to please, but not moving on to new tasks without encouragement or permission. It seemed to be a good distraction for Briana too. By the time the cookies went into the oven, Briana was smiling genuinely again.
Monserrat was working on her own cooking project in the meantime. Investigating the fridge for ingredients had revealed bottles labeled “Breast Milk” that were obviously from a pumping kit. Along with the baby food and powdered formula in the pantry, it was a little intense. Veronica had said Briana could eat regular food, so Monserrat didn’t bring any of those discoveries up with her charge.
“How come you have chocolate in a pan?” Briana asked curiously. “What’s in this other pot?”
“Careful with that one, that’s hot oil.” Monserrat said. “Can you come mix up this leftover cinnamon and sugar for me?”
“Okay, are we making two kinds of cookies?” Briana set to vigorously mixing the cinnamon and sugar into a light brown mélange.
“Nope, we’re having breakfast for dinner.” Monserrat said.
Briana looked around. “Like pancakes or…”
“Churros con chocolate.” Monserrat said. “We don’t really do pancakes in Mexico. You dip the churros in the chocolate, and then drink the leftover.”
“Ooooh.” Briana said, her eyes huge.
“Yeah, and I make great churros, so prepare yourself.” Monserrat said with a grin.
Churros and chocolate got Briana over the hump. She was back to her happy, excitable self, but without the undercurrent of constant worry that she’d had before. A video call to Veronica on Briana’s tablet helped both the baby girl and the mom. Monserrat watched proudly as Veronica visibly relaxed on the call. Briana was downright bouncy on Monserrat’s lap by the end of it.
All in all, it was turning out to be a pretty easy job. Briana was nicely obedient in getting ready for bed, despite her early bedtime. She was either used to it or was on a sugar crash from the churros and cookies. Monserrat read Briana a chapter from a magical-school book called Nevermore, totally lost since she was jumping in on chapter eighteen.
Briana seemed to like the voice she did for the giant housecat at least. The kid was quite sleepy by the end of her story. It was so much like babysitting an actual kid, that Monserrat had ceased to think of Briana as an adult at all. She could understand Veronica’s worries now.
On her way out of the bedroom, Monserrat caught sight of a baby monitor. Veronica hadn’t said anything about using it. Something about how little Briana seemed made turning it on seem like a good idea. If she noticed the monitor coming on, Briana didn’t say anything.
Veronica had offered her own bed for Monserrat to sleep in. She decided to settle in for the evening to make sure she’d be up early in case Briana was an early riser. Veronica’s room was a trip, a full suite with a living room, bath, and big bedroom. It was obviously a room for two. Whoever Veronica’s partner, wife, whatever was, they looked like a cute couple in their pictures.
It felt too early to read in bed, so Monserrat dialed up Clarissa after dressing down for bed.
“Hey girl! You panic-calling me already?” Clarissa asked.
“No, it’s been smooth as silk really. Latest client really is like a kid, like REALLY.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“It’s hard to describe. Literally imagine a kid in an adult body. She’s sleeping in a crib right now, with her stuffed animals. There isn’t a bed in her room. The crib is it.”
“Wow. Wait, is that her snoring?”
“Yeah, on the baby monitor that’s set up in her room and on her mom’s bedside table.”
“Is it weird having like a normal babysitting gig?” Clarissa asked.
“Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about it.” Monserrat said.
“Aww, are you all upset that you don’t get to bang her?” Clarissa said. Monserrat could hear her friend’s smirk over the phone.
“You are such a bitch.” Monserrat chuckled. “First off, I don’t ‘bang’ them. Second, there is something missing. I guess it’s like, for these girls so far, it’s been scary for them to do kink stuff in front of a stranger. It pushes their boundaries, and there’s this really cool sense of intimacy that comes from that. Like you get to see someone open up to you a little.”
“And with this girl, everything is just routine?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t mind wearing diapers, she’s happy to be treated like a kid. Not a peep about being put to bed at eight thirty.”
“Kinda sounds like you’re complaining about work being work. It’s easy money, girl.”
“Yeah, I know.” Monserrat laughed. “I guess I liked being the special addition to someone’s relationship, not just a random babysitter.”
The conversation turned to Clarissa’s family drama. With parents that had split and both remarried, holidays were always a battle. Monserrat did her best to console her friend, but she knew better than to offer advice. Nobody could fix all that mess in a phone call.
Still feeling discontent after the call, Monserrat read a couple of chapters of her book and decided to call it a night. It was possible Clarissa was right. This job was just a job, like any other. It was too bad though, she’d really started to like the little windows she got into people’s lives. Cutting back on babysitting for more engineering classes didn’t appeal much either.
Monserrat woke out of a sound sleep to heart-pounding terror. The shrill scream that had woken her up was still ringing in her ears. It took a minute to snap out of flight-panic and assess the situation. She might be up, but her brain was not really awake.
There was somebody crying in the room. No, not in the room, on the baby monitor. The baby girl! Terrified that Briana had hurt herself somehow, Monserrat jumped out of bed and ran to Briana’s room.
She found the girl curled up in her crib, crying softly. A lot more softly than the baby monitor had made it sound. Monserrat winced and wished she’d tested the volume on that thing before falling asleep next to it.
“Hey, Briana, what’s wrong hon?” Monserrat asked soothingly.
“I hada bad dream.” Briana sniffled. “Beatrix kidnapped Melody and took them away and I was never going to see them again.”
Monserrat was more curious than ever about the Melody situation, but now was not the time. She lowered the crib side and gathered Briana into her arms, blanket and all.
“I’m sorry, baby girl. It’s okay, it was just a bad dream.”
“But what if it wasn’t?” Briana said, sniffling. “What if I never see my sibling again?”
“Oh sweetheart, I’m sure that won’t happen.” Monserrat said. “Your mom wouldn’t let it.”
“I want my mommy.” Briana said, whimpering. “Please call mommy.”
“Hon, it is – four am.” Monserrat said, checking the baby monitor and wincing. “It’s just a bad dream. It’s going to be okay. Let’s let your mom sleep.”
“Please Monchi.” Briana whimpered. “Please, I’ve been a good girl. Please let me talk to mommy.”
“Oh honey.” Monserrat could feel her heart breaking for the kid in her arms. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Veronica up, when she was probably exhausted from staying up with her own mother.
“How about some warm milk?” Monserrat asked gently. “Your mom has some of her milk in the fridge downstairs, would that help?”
“M-maybe.” Briana said. When she Monserrat tried to put her back in the crib, she grabbed her babysitter’s bare back so tightly that her nails dug in. “Don’t leave me!”
“Ow! Okay, okay. Just hang on to me gently, please.”
Monserrat drew a relieved breath when Briana relaxed her death-grip. Giving up on changing into clothes for now, she carried Briana on her hip down the stairs. It was a good thing none of the rest of the house was around to see her parading through in nothing but her panties.
It was a bit of a challenge to get the milk out of the fridge and on the stove without putting Briana down. Monserrat thanked her university gym access as she hefted Briana’s squishy diaper onto her forearm.
“You’re naked.” Briana said suddenly.
Apparently, she was waking up. Monserrat’s brain was feeling a little less fuzzy as well. She did have a bit of a headache from the brutal way that scream had woken her up.
“This is how I sleep.” Monserrat said.
“You’re pretty.” Briana said, in the same sleepy tone she’d said goodnight with a few hours ago. “I can see why Casey dated you. I dated her for a while. We’re both orgasm friends for Casey.”
Briana’s ditzy giggle and sleepy rambling made Monserrat revise her opinion of the girl’s wakefulness. Apparently, she was good at pushing people’s buttons even when she was half-asleep. Monserrat shrugged off her blush and hefted Briana into both arms.
“Thanks for the compliment, I think. You’re pretty too, but you’re also a potty-pants right now. Let’s get you changed while the milk is warming up.”
Briana giggled again. “I can’t help it. I always wet a couple of times a night. Momma thinks that even if I potty train during the day, I might never be night-potty-trained again.”
“Yeah?” Monserrat asked, carrying Briana to the drawing room and setting her on the changing table. “You seem pretty okay with that.”
“I was really sad about it at first, but mom helped me.” Briana said, yawning and stretching. “I thought everyone would laugh at me. My friends have been really nice though, lots of people have, like you.”
Monserrat popped Briana’s diaper open and set to gently wiping her down. Briana sighed softly and closed her eyes. It was a comfort thing for her to be changed, Monserrat realized. She smiled and stroked Briana’s cheek.
“You’re easy to be nice to. You’re a very cute little girl.” Monserrat said.
“You’d be a good momma.” Briana said, nuzzling Monserrat’s hand.
“You uh – think so?” Monserrat asked.
She hadn’t expected that statement from Briana and it had hit hard. Monserrat couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like she hadn’t gotten a compliment on her babysitting skills before. Except that this wasn’t exactly a babysitter compliment. Was this something she wanted? To have somebody like Briana to care for?
It seemed like a lot of work. There had to be a ton of complications that went along with it. Monserrat’s stomach churned. Her mouth felt dry. In all the jobs she’d done so far, she’d never imagined herself as the full time caregiver. Or even thought about what it would be like to have on of her little girls or little boys as babies all the time.
“Yeah. I already have a momma. But I bet some other little girl would like having you for a mom.”
“Heh, I think I’m a little young for that.” Monserrat said, concentrating on getting a new diaper on Briana. “I’m younger than you, in regular years.”
“Someday.” Briana nodded decisively.
“Maybe.”
Monserrat picked the freshy diapered girl up and carried her back to the kitchen. She didn’t even bother trying to put Briana back in her crib. Briana wouldn’t want to sleep alone, and neither did Monserrat.
It was the sweetest thing to snuggle Briana up to her in bed and feed her the bottle. The kid was out like a light as soon as it was done. Heck, she barely made it to the end of the bottle. Cuddling Briana close, listening to her soft breathing, Monserrat never got back to sleep herself. There were way too many confusing feelings bouncing around in her head.
Monserrat was a tired babysitter when she greeted Veronica the next morning. Despite her fatigue, she had Briana changed, fed, and in a cute dress. The house was immaculate. Even Monserrat’s abuela would have been impressed.
Seeing Briana squeal in delight and throw herself into Veronica’s arms was a great capstone to the job. I did it, Monserrat thought. I totally nailed this job.
“Hi, I’m Jane.” The woman from the pictures in Veronica’s bedroom held out her hand.
Monserrat shook with a tired smile. “Monserrat. You probably knew that though.”
“Good to meet you. I’m Veronica’s girlfriend, and Briana’s father. How was the night? You look tired.”
“She had a nightmare last night.” Monserrat said. “We got it sorted out though.”
“Thank you for doing that.” Veronica said. “You could have called me.”
“You were either busy or sleeping. I hope it was the second one.” Monserrat said. “I used some of the milk you had in the fridge, I hope that’s alright.”
“Of course. That was perfect.” Veronica said, smiling.
“It was really nice, mommy.” Briana said. “She let me sleep in your bed with her, an’ she held me all night long.”
Both Veronica and Jane were favoring Monserrat with big smiles. She rubbed her hair bashfully.
“She’s a really sweet kid.” Monserrat said, surprised at the amount of emotion in her voice. “I’d uh – be happy to babysit her whenever. I’ll give you a heavily discounted rate.”
“I’ll see your rate and raise you.” Veronica said, chuckling. “I’d love to have you back again sometime.”
“Yay!” Briana said, grinning at Monserrat.
“I’ll get out of your hair, but thanks again for the job.” Monserrat said. “I hope your trip went well.”
“It did, thank you.” Veronica said. “I can introduce you to some people, if you’re interested. You seem like a very capable woman. What are you studying at the university?”
“Thank you, introductions would be great.” Monserrat said, sincerely. “I’m majoring in engineering. I don’t really have a concentration yet. I might put school on a break for a while – these jobs take up a lot of time.”
“Oh no, that won’t do.” Veronica said, putting her arm around Monserrat. “You need to finish your degree. I think you have a lot of talent in this, but you never know where life will carry you, and the degree will be very valuable.”
“I mean, I get that and all, but it’s hard to do classes when I have clients asking for multi-day sessions.” Monserrat said. She wasn’t sure why she needed to justify her decisions to Veronica.
“I’m sure that can be figured out with your professors.” Veronica said.
That was news to Monserrat, the engineering profs were not the most flexible bunch in her experience.
“Trust me, you can make it work. We’ll talk, alright?” Veronica gave Monserrat a motherly squeeze around the waist. “You have each other’s phone numbers. Is it alright if I contact you later?”
“Sure – okay.” Monserrat said hesitantly. Briana and Jane both had oddly expectant looks on their faces. She really wished she was in on the joke.
“Wonderful, then have a great Christmas.” Veronica said. “Are you visiting family?”
“Yeah, actually these jobs have made enough that I can fly back to see my family in Casas Grandes.” Monserrat said, grinning at the thought of not only being able to fly out, but all the presents she’d be able to bring.
“Is that in Sonora?” Veronica asked curiously.
“No, Chihuahua.” Monserrat said.
“Please tell your family Merry Christmas from us.” Veronica said. “Thank you again.”
“I will. Thank you. ¡Feliz Navidad!” Monserrat waved, got a hug from Briana, and made it out the door.
“What do you mean you caught feels again?” Clarissa asked over the phone. “You have to stop being such a slave to your pussy.”
Monserrat rolled her eyes as she steered the car out of Veronica’s driveway. “It’s not about sex at all this time. It was like, mommy feelings. My biological clock or something.”
“You want to have a kid? Monchi, you are all over the place with this shit.”
“Not a baby – a baby girl – you know, like the ones I babysit. One that would be just mine.” Monserrat said.
“For real?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” Monserrat sighed.
“So, you and Jenna would adopt or whatever?” Clarissa asked. “You said that your last client had a whole mom and dad thing going on with their partner.”
“Hah – no. Jenna is not the mommy type. Or the daddy type.”
“You’re right.” Clarissa said. “She’s kind of cute and a little irresponsible though…”
“Do NOT even bring that up with her. I’m sure she’s not into that stuff.”
“How do you know? Did you ask her?”
“Did I ask my girlfriend if she’d like to wear a diaper and wet herself?” Monserrat asked. “No, no, I did not.”
“Maybe one of your other partners then.”
“Why are you so horny for this?” Monserrat asked. “I’m not just going to drop this kink on my partners.”
“Why not?” Clarissa asked. “I thought ya’ll were open about stuff.”
“This is different though.” Monserrat said. “I told them I’d keep this job separate from our circle.”
“It sounds to me like it’s more a problem of you being honest with yourself. Isn’t that basically poison for poly relationships?”
“Ugh! I just want to get through Christmas without any drama, okay?”
“Just think about it. That’s all I’m saying. Anyway, you get a good review on this one too?”
“Yeah, and then some. My client has some kind of political mojo at the school and she’s offering to set me up with – I don’t even know what yet.”
“So, you’re back to full classes?”
“Yes – but how did you guess that?”
“Those school politics types are always horny for people staying in school. I’m glad to hear it!”
“Yeah, yeah, see you in class after the break.”
“Have a Merry Christmas Monchi.”
“Feliz Navidad, Lyssa.”