by Pepper North
Charlotte wandered back to the kitchen. Looking in the refrigerator, she saw a couple of sandwiches that had been left over from lunch. She ate half of one slowly. She saw a plate of brownies on the countertop and stopped to smell them through the plastic. She wanted one so badly but Mr. Gordon only said to eat the food in the refrigerator. Charlotte sniffed the delicacy one more time and turned off the lights in the kitchen. She needed to wait until the cloths were dry so she could fold them. She walked back in the main room and glanced at the large screen tv on the wall and the deeply padded couch in front of it. Mr. Gordon hadn’t said she could watch TV so she left it alone. Charlotte sat down on the carpet. She didn’t want to leave wrinkles in the couch. She marveled at all the space. She was so lucky to get to live here.
Charlotte sat and daydreamed about living in this lovely apartment forever until the buzzer sounded on the dryer. She carefully folded the extra tee-shirts and shorts and place them in the laundry basket to take to Mr. Gordon tomorrow. Charlotte decided to hang up her Gordon’s staff shirts so they wouldn’t wrinkle and she folded her new jeans so they would have creases. She wanted to look her best. With that chore completed, Charlotte tried to decide if it would be okay to take a shower. She opted to get clean so she’d look her best tomorrow. Carefully turning out all the lights in the main room, Charlotte entered the bathroom. She rubbed her face against the soft towel before pulling her clothes off. Charlotte washed her underwear quickly in the sink trying to conserve water before wringing them out cautiously to avoid ripping the thin fabric. She hung these over the sink and stepped into the shower. There was an almost new bar of soap in the holder. Charlotte sniffed this with joy. A real shower with soap, she hadn’t had one of those for a long time. She wondered if she could use the soap to wash her hair but saw a large bottle of shampoo on the side of the tub.
Charlotte turned on the cold water and wet herself down as quickly as possible before turning the water off. She soaped her body luxuriating in the silkiness of the lather. Charlotte helped herself to a small amount of shampoo and lathered her hair. “Mmmmmm,” she moaned in enjoyment as she scratched her scalp enjoying getting her long hair clean. Charlotte had considered cutting her hair. It made her look even younger than 23 but it was easier to take care of when it was long. She didn’t have to style it. She just combed it and pulled it back in ponytails or braids. Finally, with suds running into her eyes, Charlotte turned the cold water on again and shivered as she turned in circles to quickly rinse all the suds off her body. Jumping out of the shower, Charlotte toweled her hair dry slowly loving the softness of the towel before drying her arms and legs. She wrapped the damp towel around her body.
Carrying her interview suit into the bedroom, Charlotte opened her suitcase. She folded the suit carefully and placed the clothing and her new pumps inside the case. She pulled out the stuffed owl and hugged it gently as she sat on the carpet. “Look at all this, Hoot. We get to live here for a while. Isn’t this nice?” she talked to the toy. “I met the nicest people today. Mr. Gordon gave me a job – even after I broke my shoe and cried all over him. He shared his lunch with me. I had a real sandwich with meat, yellow cheese, lettuce and even a tomato on it. I thought about putting my chips in a napkin to eat later but I didn’t want them to think I was stealing. I almost had a brownie. You know the thick, chocolatey ones? There’s a plate in the kitchen but I didn’t eat them. I think they’re there by mistake. Beverly, Mr. Gordon’s assistant took me to get you. Suzanne kept my sleeping bag. She thought that was the most precious thing I have but she didn’t know about you. I wouldn’t have left without you, Hoot,” Charlotte promised the toy.
“Oh, no. I almost forgot to clean my teeth. She pulled a small tattered washcloth out of the suitcase and began to rub it on her teeth. She worked carefully to wipe all the surfaces of her teeth. She looked at the cloth and said to Hoot, “I’ll be right back. I’ll go wash this with a little soap to get it clean.” Charlotte dashed from the bedroom and returned wiping her hands on the towel around her body. “I hung it up with my underwear, Hoot, so it will get dry. Help me remember to put everything back in my suitcase tomorrow. We had better go to sleep now, Hoot. I get to start my new job at 9 but I’ll be there earlier to help. Let’s just sleep down here tonight. I don’t want to mess up the bed. If I sleep over here, we can see the clock. Wake me up early, Hoot. Okay?” she asked the stuffed animal before stretching out on the carpet and hugging the toy to her chest.
Chapter Eleven
Benton looked sadly at the small towel wrapped figure asleep on the bedroom floor. “What kind of life had Charlotte led to cause her to make the decisions that she had made tonight?” he wondered rubbing his whiskers in disbelief. He had remembered the security cameras in the apartment and had accessed them on his computer. He had activated the bathroom camera. He already felt like a dirty old man watching Charlotte in the apartment. He just kept telling himself it was for security reasons.
He hadn’t ever met anyone that was so cautious about normal, everyday actions. She had nibbled on that half sandwich for a good fifteen minutes to make it last. When she had sniffed the brownies twice without taking one or even pulling off the plastic wrap, he’d yelled at the monitor urging her to take one. It was like she thought she’d get in trouble. He had told her to help herself to the supplies but she hadn’t drunk a can of soda from the fridge or even used a plate or a napkin. She had methodically swept up any crumbs from her sandwich and put them in the trash to erase any sign that she had been in the kitchen. When she cleaned her teeth with the rag, he knew that she hadn’t opened the bathroom cabinet drawers to find new toothbrushes and toothpaste for guests to use. “Why was she sitting and sleeping on the floor? Had someone not allowed her on the furniture?” He hoped Neil came up with something to explain all of this. She had never turned on a light even when it was starting to get dark. She’d simply gone to sleep.
The owl, Hoot, was tucked in her arms as she slept. He wanted to go back over there and lift her up into the soft bed but he knew he couldn’t. He would just spook her. Benton decided that he was going to take care of Charlotte. Whether she could ever be his Little girl or not, didn’t matter. It was simply important that she be treated with love. It was glaringly obvious that this four-letter word had been missing from her life for a long time.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Charlotte got dressed in her new Gordon’s uniform. The new jeans were stiff and thick. Charlotte didn’t remember ever having new jeans. She always bought her clothes at thrift stores. Today’s tee-shirt was bright pink. It was so soft that Charlotte felt bad remembering that she had used that dryer sheet. Hopefully, Mr. Gordon wouldn’t be mad at her. She put on the new sneakers and laced them up so that they fit her narrow feet. She didn’t have any socks. Her last pair had disintegrated about two months ago and she hadn’t been able to afford to replace them. “The shoes didn’t really need socks,” she told herself. They were so new and fresh inside that Charlotte told her feet not to sweat so they would stay nice. At 7 am, she tied the key on an extra shoe string that she found in one of the shoe boxes and place it around her neck. Charlotte peeked at the whole sandwich and the half left over in the fridge before closing the refrigerator door. She’d save it for dinner for the next couple of nights. It would be a while before she got her first paycheck. She wasn’t used to eating breakfast anyway.
Charlotte gathered the brownies, the extra tee-shirts, and shorts with the nightshirt, as well as the other pair of tennis shoes to carry to the front door of the store carefully. She didn’t need two sets of tennis shoes and she was sure, the brownies were meant for an important meeting or something. Maybe the clothing was for Beverly’s daughters? Charlotte set everything by the door and sat on the ground to wait for Mr. Gordon to come open the store. The sign said it opened at nine but she wanted to be ready to get started as soon as possible.
At 8:30, Charlotte heard the door open from the inside. She jumped to her feet and
smiled at Mr. Gordon. “Good morning, Mr. Gordon,” she said cheerfully before leaning over to pick up everything that she had brought with her to work. “I’m ready to get started. What would you like me to do first? I’ll just put these in Beverly’s office. There were some clothes that were mixed up with my uniforms. I tried on the shoes and the first pair fit so I brought these others back for someone else. Thank you again for all my clothes,” she dipped her head. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me this chance and for all you’ve done for me letting me stay in the apartment. I’m being really careful not to make a mess. I’ll take good care of it. I promise,” she said holding her hand over her heart.
“Good morning to you, Charlotte. You didn’t need to be here early. I’m glad to see you’re eager to get to work. So, are you going to eat all those brownies for lunch today?” he questioned to tease her.
“Oh, no. I know they aren’t for me. I brought them back for your meeting. I didn’t eat any. I promise,” Charlotte looked scared.
Benton just smiled to reassure her. “You should have. Everyone fights over Beverly’s brownies. They are the best. She left those in your apartment for a welcoming treat. Those clothes are for you to wear when you are off work. You’ll need an extra pair of shoes,” he said. “Run all of those back up to your apartment and come back down. You’ll be training with Lisa, today. She’s not here yet so you have time. Go on!” he shooed her away with a flick of his hands and watched amazed as she took off running at full speed. He was going to have to be careful when he gave her directions. He hadn’t meant that she needed to run. She had followed his directions very literally. Charlotte was back in three minutes breathing fast.
“Come in, Charlotte. You didn’t need to run. I’m sorry for giving you poor directions. Do you need a drink of water?” he asked.
“Oh, no. I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I’ll try harder,” she promised.
“You are trying hard enough now, Charlotte. Relax. Take a deep breath. We’re friendly here. Did you have some breakfast?” he asked with concern.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Mr. Gordon. I don’t eat breakfast usually. I’ll be fine,” she promised again.
“Nonsense! Young ladies need to have good nutrition.” He picked up a box of granola bars off the shelf. “I missed breakfast myself. Beverly will fuss at me when she gets here. These are a new product that we’re carrying. I haven’t ever tried them. Let’s you and I do a little quality testing and see if they’re any good.” Benton overruled all her protests and pressed an open bar into her hand before unwrapping and biting into one for himself. “Hey! These are pretty good. What do you think?” he asked to encourage Charlotte to try it. He watched casually as she took a small bite.
“These are great! I bet your customers will really like them,” Charlotte predicted as she took another bite before wrapping the other half up and putting it in her back pocket.
“Go get a drink from the water fountain in the hall and I’ll meet you at the time clock. It sounds like the morning crew is coming in,” Benton ordered. He helped her get clocked in on her brand-new time card before introducing her to Lisa. Lisa was one of his most efficient cashiers. She’d help Charlotte learn how to use their system of entering prices and ringing up sales with various forms of payments. Treating her as any new cashier, he left her to work with Lisa. He wandered through the front of the store next at 10:30. Benton was amazed to see Lisa and Charlotte working on different cash registers. He stood and watched Charlotte for a few minutes. She rang up the next customer’s selection with ease and chatted with them as if she’d known them for a while. She even handed the Little boy a free lollypop from her jar just for kids without blinking an eye at the six-foot-tall bearded man sucking on a pacifier.
Benton greeted the pair by name as approached. “Sally and Peter, how good to see you. Did you find everything you needed?”
“Hi, Benton,” Sally responded. She stepped a toward Benton separating herself from Charlotte who was carefully placing their purchases into sacks while chatting with Peter. “We did find everything and enjoyed meeting your new cashier. Charlotte told us she was learning about Littles when Peter asked her if she was a Little. She said that she didn’t think she could be as lucky as Peter to find a great Mommy or Daddy like he did. They’re over there chatting about my birthday and what Peter is thinking of getting me. That new cashier is precious, Benton. Know anyone looking for a Little girl? She’d be a good one to catch,” Sally said with a wink. She linked her hand with Peter’s and helped him pick up their bags before they walked out the door with a cheerful wave back at Charlotte.
“Hey, boss. Charlotte’s doing so well when we got a rush of customers, I opened a second register. She’s doing a great job,” Lisa explained with a big thumbs up. “I’m going to show her how to stock the register shelves when we have time. She’s great with the customers. I think more than one Little boy is in love with those big brown eyes.”
Chapter Thirteen
Benton checked with Lisa at the end of their shift to see how Charlotte had done. As they talked about her, Charlotte continued working with a cheerful smile even after working 8 hours. She seemed to handle the clients just as she would customers in any other store.
“So, how’s Charlotte doing?” Benton asked Lisa privately.
“She’s pretty amazing. I think she needed my help for maybe five minutes and then, she could handle just about anything. It worked well to have the two of us on separate registers so she could zip over to ask me a question if she needed help. I would say by the end of her next shift, she’ll have it all down,” Lisa said with a big smile. “You chose a good employee, boss. She definitely thinks the world of you and Beverly.”
“Yes, Beverly has a way with young people. Me, I just get to be the hero because I give someone a job,” Benton smiled inside while trying to cover any personal connection he could have with the new cashier. “No problems at all?”
“Well, she didn’t want to take any breaks or lunch. I literally turned her cash register off to have her go sit down and eat something. She’s quite dedicated to doing a good job. I think Charlotte believes that she is here until we close at 9 pm. Is she pulling a double shift?” Lisa asked with concern. “I don’t think she brought anything to eat today. I showed her where the employee fridge is and she thanked me. My impression was that she wasn’t planning on using it.”
“Thanks for all your work today, Lisa. I know it’s easier to do things yourself. I knew I could rely on you to get Charlotte off to a good start,” Benton complimented. “I think you’re off tomorrow?”
Lisa clapped and turned in a circle. “Yup! My Mommy and I are going to make a chocolate cake for Daddy’s birthday and we’re going to surprise him with some awesome presents.”
Benton smiled at her fondly. Lisa might be a very efficient cashier and employee but at heart, she was a sweet Little who loved her Mommy and Daddy. They were lucky to find her. Lisa definitely didn’t need to work but she liked to get out and see people. Working at a store that catered to Littles was perfect for her. He heard a double beep on a car horn. “Your Daddy’s here to pick up you. Run and check out and I’ll see you in a couple of days.” He grinned big as he watched her run to the back. Benton picked up a bag of supplies that had been ordered over the website. Lisa didn’t know that she had packed supplies that would be going home with her that night. He walked out to the car and placed the bag in the car’s trunk before leaning over to chat with Lisa’s Daddy, Mark.
Almost immediately, Lisa bounced out the door waving goodbye to Charlotte and the customers in line at the front of the store. She waved to her Daddy and Benton opened the back door of the big sedan for Lisa to climb into her car seat. He buckled her in safely and waved goodbye to them as they pulled out of the parking lot. He had a feeling that Lisa would not be happy to see that bag come out of the trunk. Mark had ordered a new enema nozzle, colonic tube, and a double strength cleanser as well as some sup
erabsorbent diapers and a set of ankle and wrist restraints. “Some Little girl’s bottom is going to be squeaky clean soon,” Benton thought to himself and immediately turned to look at Charlotte. “Don’t even think about it. She doesn’t know anything about our lifestyle. I can’t imagine that she has ever imagined having someone take care of her so thoroughly.” He shook his head and went back in the store.
Benton nodded at the new cashier that had replaced Lisa as he walked to Charlotte’s register. He turned off her light and stood beside her bagging up her last customer’s items. He enjoyed watching her subtle reaction to ringing up the hefty paddle, anal plug, and rectal syringe that the Mommy was purchasing as her Little girl begged her not to buy those “mean” things. The Mommy simply pointed out that she had decided to be naughty and draw on the living room wall with markers. “Little girls who chose to be naughty, have bottoms that wish they had behaved.”
Charlotte listened avidly to the conversation as she tried to put the items in the sack as quickly as possible. Her cheeks were tinged with pink. Charlotte made eye contact with the Little girl and smiled compassionately at her. The naughty imp grinned back before remembering that she was supposed to be sad. Charlotte was surprised at the reaction. The Little girl wasn’t totally upset. She was looking forward to having her Mommy’s attention.
Benton saw Charlotte pause and think for a couple of seconds before nodding at the Little girl. She whispered, “Good luck,” while Benton and the Little’s Mommy were chatting. The response from the Little, “It’s okay. I don’t like enemas or spankings at all but Mommy will hold and cuddle me afterward. It’s worth it. And my tummy always does feel better – after,” the Little grinned again. “Who’s your Daddy? Mr. Gordon?”