The Runway (Steaminess 3/5) (Patreon Exclusive)

Tabitha was going to be a sensation.

It had been her goal ever since she’d gotten out of the ‘I want to be an astronaut/firefighter/veterinarian’ stage as a kid. To walk down the stage, all eyes on her, the most striking thing that anyone in the room had ever seen.

And tonight, she had her shot.

The STUNNING fashion week was a new show, and the most talked about one in the fashion press since it’s announcement. Renowned designers, world-famous models. An up and comer to compete with the other New York shows, and even overwhelm them.

Competition to get in had been cutthroat, but Tabitha knew how to be cutthroat. She made phonecalls, spread rumors, did whatever it took. Her agent worked overtime to shmooze and get the right people in the right places.

In the end, there had only been two models ahead of the line in front of Tabitha. That wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge - As far as she officially knew, she was just on a list of backups.

Unofficially, she paid off a secretary to access the STUNNING calendar and find out who was ahead of her in line.

Mailey Madhel and Renee Walker. Just two people.

Easy.

Getting Mailey bumped had been easy. Mailey’s manager, Maeburn Mann, was a notorious serial dater. That wasn’t much of a problem in the industry, except that his wife didn’t know.

One evening with Mr. Mann, a lot of flirting, and a hotel room later, Tabitha had all she needed for a bit of healthy blackmail. Drop Renee from the STUNNING show, or else Ms. Mann would be getting a phonecall explaining exactly what her husband had been up to on the night when he was ‘working late’.

And, hey. Mann was great in the sack, so that was a plus.

Renee was harder. Her manager walked the straight-and-narrow, didn’t drink, wasn’t married. No easy ways to get to Renee through her. A little more finesse was required to get her off the show list.

Tabitha had the finesse.

A visit to the pharmacy and a bit of careful chemistry later, and Tabitha had a powerful cocktail of laxatives that could be stirred into a drink, with only a little chocolate taste and a touch of bitterness. Renee, a fan of chocolate mojitos, was the perfect target.

Tabitha just needed to distract the bartender the evening before STUNNING started, drug Renee’s drink, and then watch the fireworks when she met with the designer she was modelling for to go over last minute changes.

When the designer showed up, Renee was nowhere to be found, since she was emptying her guts in the bathroom. And, as it just so happened, her phone had ‘fallen’ out of her purse while she was in a hurry.

‘I can’t make it,’ Tabitha texted, on Renee’s phone. ‘I’m feeling awful. I won’t be able to model this week.’

She sent an extra text to Renee’s manager, then turned off the phone, dropped it in a trash bin, and waltzed out of the bar.

Her competition out of the way, all Renee had to do was wait for her phone to ring.

...

“Tabitha, you won’t believe this.” Her manager was excited. Shocked, even. “They want you to walk the STUNNING show tonight.”

“Whaaaat?” Tabitha said, feigning surprise. “How is that possible? I had no idea they had an opening! Oh my goodness, I’m so shocked.”

“I guess they had two girls drop out last minute,” her manager explained. “And you’re their next choice for the size and body type.”

“Who’s clothes am I modeling?” Tabitha asked, grinning.

“No idea. Some eccentric from Switzerland, I don’t know the name - apparently they caught the attention of some exec with the show.”

Not a headline designer, then, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It meant more eyes would be on Tabitha, and fewer eyes would be on the clothes. “Great. When and where should I be?”

They went over details, Tabitha hung up, and let out a satisfied laugh. She’d made it.

Showing up backstage two hours before the event felt tight, but apparently the designer needed time to redo some things for her, and there were last minute changes being made. She spent the time working on her makeup and doing what she could to get herself ready, before finally heading to the show.

Security let her through, and she found her way through the dressing rooms. It was loud, with music thumping from the stage and making it hard to hold a proper conversation. She ignored the music, looking for the room number she’d been given. “Room sixty eight… room sixty eight… Here!”

Stepping inside, she flicked on the lights and looked around.

It was just an empty dressing room. There was one clothes rack covered by a sheet, and a closet, but nothing else remarkable about it.

Nothing that she noticed, at least. If she’d paid more attention, she might have realized that the door handle had been replaced with one that would lock automatically when shut, and needed a key to open.

She’d been told to wait for the designer, but she couldn’t help herself, walking up to the rack and taking the curtain, pulling it aside so she could get a look at what she’d be wearing.

Before she could take in what she was seeing, the closet door opened behind her.

“Well, if it isn’t the bitch of the hour.”

Tabitha spun, surprised to see… “Renee? What are you-”

Behind Renee, another woman stepped out. Mailey.

If they were both here, then…

“You thought you could just screw us over like that and get away with it, huh?” Mailey asked. “Well, newsflash. You’re not the only one with connections.”

“What are you talking about?” Tabitha asked, playing innocent. “I didn’t-”

“One of my friends saw you at the bar,” Renee said, rolling her eyes.

“And my manager was bragging about how he was riding a model who sounded a lot like you,” Mailey added. “Jesus, you’d do anything to go on that stage tonight, wouldn’t you?”

“I didn’t- I mean-” Tabitha started, before giving up the act. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the game. You either take what you want, or it gets taken from you.”

Renee smirked. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. That’s why Mailey and I have decided to go into design.”

“Wait, wha-”

“That’s right,” Mailey cut her off, grinning maliciously. “We called in a few favors ourselves, and the original designer had to suddenly quit his job after both his choices for model dropped out. So if you want to go on that stage tonight, you’ll have to wear what we tell you.”

“Or,” Renee added. “You could leave, and everyone will know you as the prima donna bitch who won’t go on stage if she doesn’t get to pick her own clothes.”

“But…” Tabitha said. “That’s… You…”

“I’m sorry,” Renee said, putting her hands to her face and mimicking Tabitha’s voice. “But that’s just the game.”

Tabitha swallowed. She’d just have to wear whatever they wanted her to wear. She couldn’t give up this opportunity.

“So…” She said, swallowing. “What am I wearing?”

“Turn around and look,” Mailey announced.

Her throat dry, Tabitha spun, inspecting her… outfit.

Some of it was expected. Almost classical in style, bright purples with a splash of red. Something archetypical in a lot of ways, lacking the bold originality of some designers. The thigh-high heeled boots would be tricky to walk in, but Tabitha could walk in anything.

The only thing that stood out was…

“That’s… a diaper,” Tabitha said.

“Uh-huh,” Renee snickered. “Your point being?”

“It’s the centerpiece of the whole outfit,” Mailey added. “We had a lot of ideas for you, but we decided this one would show off what a baby you are best.”

Tabitha stared at it. The diaper was huge. They had to have had it fabricated especially for the show, because they didn’t make adult diapers that bulky and juvenile… did they?

“Well, no time to waste,” Renee said. “Let’s get the baby dressed for her show. Lay down.”

I could just walk away, Tabitha thought. Just… walk away, and give up my hopes of ever walking a main stage again.

Sure, wearing a diaper on stage might be embarrassing, but it was explicable. She could blame the designer. The general public might laugh at her, but at least the fashion world would… also laugh at her, but they’d understand.

She laid down on the floor, meekly obeying.

“Ohmy god she’s actually doing it,” Mailey said.

“You owe me five bucks,” Renee added, unfolding the diaper and crouching next to Tabitha. She took real pleasure out of stripping Tabitha’s shoes, socks, pants, and finally her silk panties away.

“These are for big girls,” she said, pointedly tossing the panties into the trash. “Now, raise up your baby bottom.”

Turning pink, Tabitha obeyed, letting Renee slide the diaper beneath her hips and spreading her legs so that-

Click

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Mailey said, when Tabitha looked up in alarm. She had her phone raised, and it flashed again as she got another picture. “Just making sure to get some pics for social media.”

Renee giggled as she wrapped the diaper around a sputtering Tabitha, pulling the tapes snug. “Now, don’t let the diaper fool you,” she said. “It may be puffy, but it’s mostly fluff. Even the teensiest of accidents will leave a nice big stain to show everyone what you did.”

“I’m not going to-” Tabitha started, but the girls standing over her both just laughed.

They insisted that she stay laying down as Renee got her dressed the rest of the way. Boots laced up with painstaking slowness, dress that did nothing at all to hide her prominent, puffy diaper, a lace choker, and an impressive hat.

“And… One more thing.” Renee said, reaching into her pocket. She took out a little plastic tube with a cap, holding it out to Tabitha. “Drink this.”

Tabitha hesitantly took the tube. “What is it?”

“It’s the thing you’re going to drink, or we’ll say you refused to go on stage,” Mailey said.

The show must go on, Tabitha thought, undoing the cap and swigging the contents.

It tasted like bitter chocolate, which meant…

Oh no.

“You go on in twenty minutes,” Renee said, snickering as she checked the clock. “Let’s hope you can hold it.”

Tabitha got to her feet, taking a few tentative steps. Between the puffy bulk spreading her legs apart and the heels making her balance a delicate thing, it was hard to walk a perfectly straight, covergirl-worthy line.

You just have to walk the line, pose, and leave, she thought. Easy. Maybe nobody will notice the diaper. There will be other models on stage in front of you, behind you. They’ll draw attention, too, so you might not stand out.

It was an obvious self delusion, and the girls’ giggling made it obvious that her puffy, padded butt was on display even without a spotlight.

“Give up yet?” Mailey asked.

Screw you both, Tabitha thought. I’m doing this.

As she thought it, her stomach gurgled.

She tried to practice walking, much to the delight of her ‘designers’, who mercilessly mocked her obvious waddle, the way her knees shook, the way her belly kept gurgling as the cocktail of chemicals did their work. Minutes passed, and before she knew it, someone was knocking on her door.

A producer stuck her head in. “Tabitha, you’re on in five.”

No backing out now, Tabitha thought. “Where are we lining up?”

“We?” the producer asked. “You’re going up solo. You’re the final design for this segment- Did your manager not tell you?”

Tabitha swallowed. There wouldn’t be anyone else on stage to distract from her… clothing. All eyes would be on her.

Belly gurgling, she toddled out of the dressing room, hurrying to the back of the stage.

No, this is stupid, she thought. It’s not worth it. Back out, salvage things later.

“Great,” the stage director said. “You’re here. Interesting design choice, but it’ll do. You’re on in one.”

Just leave, Tabitha insisted to herself. Turn around, walk out the door, don’t come-

The stage director took her arm, pulling her in place, and then standing back. Tabitha couldn’t leave without shoving past him, making a scene, possibly even getting noticed by a few photographers who had the right angle on this part of the backstage.

Turning, she waited for her cue as another gurgling cramp hit her. Just get it over with. You only need to hold out for another minute.

Across the stage, a PA was counting off seconds with their fingers. Five. Four. Three. Two.

Tabitha steeled herself and stepped out. Her knees were unsteady. The music was pulse-pounding.

The click of a thousand camera shutters echoed as she stepped into their view.

Blushing brightly, she took a wobbly, waddling step forward. And another. Walking her best line, or at least the best line she could walk with all the obstacles between her thighs.

Another cramp. Are all stages this long?

She only had a few feet to go. She could make it. There were chuckles in the audience as people saw, plainly, what she was wearing, but as long as she didn’t…

No, no, nooo-

Two steps from the end of the stage, another cramp hit her, with more power than she could have predicted, way more than she could have stopped.

Blrrghtthbbt-

The bubbly sound echoed out from the back of her diaper as it began to pack with semi-solid mush, quickly sagging and staining brown, just like she’d been promised.

The room fell silent, save for the music, and a few photographers near the front of the aisle stepped back and covered their noses.

She held back a grunt, pretended she was just holding a pose. Nobody bought it.

Then, the flood of flickering camera shutters came alight again, getting a thousand pictures of her as she filled her diaper, from a thousand different angles. No claiming it was photoshop or faked when there was that much evidence.

Spinning on her heels, Tabitha held back tears as she waddled back down the aisle, her diaper sagging behind her.