Chapter 1

Kathryn looked up from the behavioral notes she was making, at the sound of the approaching footsteps. Her last student had been picked up nearly ten minutes ago, and the footfalls lacked the distinctive click-clack of heels that other teachers and administrators preferred. She looked on with amused curiosity as a young man entered her preschool classroom. It wasn’t until he mentioned the name of one of her students, that Kathryn’s look changed from mild amusement to that of the closer examination of a predator. 

"So, this is Thomas," Kathryn thought as the young man mentioned that he was there to pick up his little sister, Claire. Kathryn had quickly become friends with Claire and Thomas' mother, who was technically Claire's mom and Thomas' stepmom, Mia. Their friendship began on the first day of school when Mia came to pick up Claire from Kathryn's preschool class. Mia was friendly but also seemed quite lonely. She had met and fallen in love with Thomas' father, and they got married shortly thereafter. Thomas was 16 at the time, and two years later, Mia gave birth to Claire.

Thomas' father worked in the energy sector and often traveled abroad for months at a time, leaving Mia alone with their young daughter and her new stepson during these periods. Despite Mia's efforts to connect with Thomas, he remained aloof and preferred solitude. Initially, Mia attributed this behavior to his age and the new family dynamic, but his isolation persisted over the years. At the age of 22, Thomas still lived at home and rarely left his room, except for work. Mia didn't see him as a bad kid; rather, she described him as directionless and unmotivated.

Kathryn smiled warmly as she looked Thomas up and down. He appeared small for his age and timid when it came to talking with others as he kept shifting his eyes away when he spoke. Her smile grew larger as she decided she could help both her friend Mia out, and scratch a peculiar itch, she hadn’t had a chance to indulge for some time. She gave him one more measuring glance as she made up her mind. Thomas didn’t look like he would be much of a challenge to break, and it would hardly be the first time she had talked a grown man into diapers. It really wasn’t even all that hard, most men would agree to just about anything, so long as they thought it would get them laid in the end. Kathryn stood, pushing her chest forward, a posture she was normally careful to avoid and for good reason, as she felt two buttons on her blouse pop open.