New Year's Baby, Part 1 (Patreon)

This is a two-part story, with the second part posting next week. 

I’m barely through my first cup of coffee and I received a message from my boss.

When you have a chance this morning, I’d like to speak to you in my office.

I’m not sure what to think, but I know I’m nervous. I’ve only been with the company for a few months and my interactions with Genevieve have been pretty minimal. I’ve heard good things about her leadership skills. I’ve heard less-than-pleasant things about her personal skills.

I immediately assume it's bad news, and I’m dredging up every move I’ve ever made since my first day here; seeking out points where I might have slipped up. Yet, for all my pessimism, I struggle with pinpointing too many glaring faults. I’m always on-time. I’m always ahead of schedule with my work. I’ve volunteered for overtime every time it was offered. What more could you ask for?

“Genevieve asked to see me this morning,” I say to Louis, my direct supervisor. “Should I be concerned?”

“I wasn’t aware that she wanted to see you,” he scoffed. He seemed annoyed, though I couldn’t determine who, or what, he was annoyed at. “But if it was something bad, I imagine I would’ve known about it. Or so I’d assume.”

That made me feel a little better, though it did little to curb my nervousness. I couldn’t remember a time when I had spoken to her one-on-one like this before. She could just be telling me that I was doing a good job, but it wouldn’t change the fact that I felt like I was going to piss my pants.

After a quick pep-talk in the bathroom and a second cup of coffee, I knocked on her office door. She looked up at me from her desk - there was the slightest of pauses as she seemed to try and remember either who I was or what I’d be doing at her office - and she waved me inside with a smile.

“Elena, come in! Shut the door behind you, please.”

My heart raced again. I’m not sure why it came as a surprise that this would be a private meeting - she did ask me to come to her office, after all - but the actual feeling of now being sealed in the room with her was making my nerves twitch all over again.

“How are you today?” I offered politely.

“I’m well, thank you. And yourself? Oh, please, have a seat.”

I took a seat in one of the chairs across from her at her desk. Seeing her now, for what felt like the first time, was every bit as intimidating as I hoped it wouldn’t be. She was as gorgeous as she was powerful.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” I replied.

“You’re not in trouble, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“W-worried? I...just…”

“Dear,” she cooed - with the slightest hint of condescension, “you’re practically shaking like a leaf. But there’s no need to be worried. I don’t bite. HR has made it very clear that they won’t tolerate that again.”

It seemed like a joke, but the delivery was so deadpan that I found myself frozen as I tried to decide how to react. Finally she cracked a smile herself, and I was able to laugh and nod myself.

“The holiday party is coming up soon, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

I nodded.

“Your first one while with the company too, is that right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Ma’am? No, no, you may call me Genevieve.”

I nodded again.

“It may sound silly, but the holiday party is actually a pretty big deal to me. For many people, it’s exactly that - a party. An excuse to get a little tipsy and eat too much food on the company dime. And I certainly don’t think any less of someone who wants to spend their night like that. For me, it’s a cap on a year’s worth of hard work, and a doorway into the year ahead. It’s where we can measure the current climate of the workforce. Was it an especially hard year? Are we feeling comfortable? Is there a growing chorus of dissent amongst the staff?”

I nodded, unsure of what any of this had to do with me.

“I’m getting ahead of myself,” she said with another laugh. “It is, at the end of the day, a party. And what is a party without fun, right? We have a few fun traditions for our annual holiday party. For one, Santa himself always stops by.”

I smiled and nodded, amused at the idea of some poor actor playing Santa for a roomful of drunken office workers.

“Leonard from accounting usually plays Santa. I don’t suppose I need to tell you why, right?”

Leonard did have a rather Santa-esque physique. It seemed so obvious that I couldn’t believe I never thought of the comparison sooner.

“And that just leaves Baby New Year. It’s a silly tradition, but one I enjoy. The figurative ringing in of the new year.”

I nodded, again not completely sure with what this had to do with me.

“The role of Baby New Year is an important one, and I’m very selective in my curation process for who will take on that role for this year’s party. And so I had a shortlist of candidates in mind, and I’ve managed to whittle it down to the person I think would be perfect for it.”

I nodded along, taking in her words. But when she stopped talking and just stared at me, I found myself unsure of what I was supposed to say. She hadn’t asked a question or anything and…

Oh. Oh no.

“D-did you mean that… You wanted me to take on that role?” I finally asked.

“I do. I think you’d be perfect for it, honestly.”

“Well...uh...what does that role...entail?”

Genevieve nodded slowly, clearly considering what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. “Here, let me show you a few photos from last year’s party.”

She spun around one of her computer monitors on her desk so we could both see it. Some photos were already loaded; she had already predicted that she’d need to sell me on this. The first was of a decent crowd - mingling, drinking, talking, singing. As she swiped through the photos, I saw a few shots of Leonard, as Santa, trouncing around the party in his festive garments. Ladies sat on his lap while men took shots with him.

Then...Baby New Year. I recognized her as Dani from sales. I barely knew her - but she seemed well-liked. She wore a very short white dress, and a sash hung over her shoulder reading, obviously: Baby New Year 2019. A pacifier stuck out of her mouth in some photos, while she held a baby bottle in others. But there was something else too. At first, I wondered if I was just seeing things - but as Genevieve flipped through the photos, I was beginning to realize that I had thought correctly. That was a…

“...diaper?” I said aloud.

“Oh that?” Genevieve laughed and shrugged. “I mean, how else would we know you’re a baby?”

“I mean...the sash literally says it.”

“This is all in good fun,” she said nonchalantly.

My head spun. Could she truly not see how big of a deal it would be for someone to be walking around a party while wearing a diaper? In front of their coworkers, no less?

“I really do appreciate you considering me,” I said. “I just...I don’t know that I could do that.”

“What? Why? What exactly do you have an issue with? Is it because you think it’d be embarrassing? Because, I can assure you, we’ve been doing this for years and Baby New Year is always a hit. People love Baby New Year.”

“I mean...the diaper? Is it...real?”

“What do you mean? Of course it’s real. If you’re going to put so much work into a fake diaper to look authentic, you might as well just wear the real thing. I’ve got a big pack of adult diapers in the closet over there. Just for this party.”

“You’d understand if...I thought about it a little?” I finally said, her continued normalcy towards having a pack of adult diapers in her office feeling too surreal for me to even process at that moment.

“Of course. Just let me know by the end of the day, please. If it’s not going to be you, I’d like time to figure out who I’d need to enlist instead.”

There was something about her words, and her tone, that suggested that passing up this “opportunity,” would be a mistake on my part - yet, what was I expected to do? Immediately commit myself to a humiliating night?

Later in the cafeteria, while I slowly ate some grapes and thought about my strange new conundrum, I was joined by Louis and my other teammate, Kelly.

“So? What was your meeting with Genevieve about this morning?” Louis asked immediately and bluntly.

“Oh...I...it was…”

“The Christmas party?” asked Kelly. She has a look of childlike excitement in her face.

“Y-yeah...how did you know that?”

“Oh, I totally guessed. But oh my goodness, I’m so excited for you!”

“Wait...what? How could you be excited about that?”

“Are you kidding me? She asked you to be the Baby New Year? That’s like...everyone’s dream.”

“Wait,” I said. “Are we talking about the same thing? Because I’m talking about our boss asking me if I wanted to strut around in front of the entire company while wearing a visible diaper.”

“Look…,” Louis said, as he and Kelly exchanged a glance, “I know you haven’t been here too long, so let me tell you a few things. First of all - if Genevieve asks you to do anything? You do it. If she tells you to sit on an apple pie and sing the Backstreet Boys, you do it.”

“Has that...happened?”

“No,” Kelly said. “Don’t get confused by Louis’s weird fantasies…”

“Hey!”

“But he’s right about doing what Genevieve asks you to do if you have any interest in advancing in this company.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” I said. “I mean, you can’t tie someone’s comfort with humiliating themself with getting promoted.”

“It’s not like that,” Louis said.

“Well,” Kelly corrected him, “it both is and isn’t. Like, if you said no, you wouldn’t get fired or demoted or anything. But you can’t really look at this like this humiliating punishment. It’s more like...a test.”

“A test?”

“Right. Every year, she picks someone new for this role. Usually somebody who is newer to the company and has proven that they have a lot of potential. Then, she gives them this task. And the people who go through with it? They totally earn her respect.”

“Like, unflinchingly so,” added Louis. “You do this for her once? And you’re set for life here.”

“Dani did it last year,” Kelly said. “Look at her now. She’s getting promoted to supervisor of her sales team. The year before was Andrew over in IT. And now?”

“You mean...Andrew the manager?”

“Exactly.”

“But,” added Louis. “Then you’ve got Kyle. And Dorian.”

“I...I don’t them,” I said.

“Right. Because they declined Genevieve’s offer. They floundered in the same position for a while and eventually moved on.”

“But....that could just be coincidence, right?”

“Sure,” Kelly said with a shrug. “But why in the world would you take a chance on that?”

After lunch, I went to Genevieve’s office again, knocking on the door. I could see she was on a call, and immediately felt like I was interrupting her. Yet, to my astonishment, I actually saw her end the call and wave me in enthusiastically.

“Hi,” I said. “I’m sorry to have interrupted you…”

“Nonsense. That was just Jose.”

Jose? As in Jose Ferrin, the CCO? There was no way that this conversation was more important than that.

“I just wanted to follow up with you about your request for the party.”

“Yes, I hoped I’d hear from you sooner than later. Have you made up your mind?”

“I have. I...uhm...I’d be happy to be your Baby New Year at this year’s party.”

Her eyes seemed to glow with happiness as she squealed in joy. “That’s so exciting to hear, Elena! I was truly hoping you’d say that.”

I smiled and nodded. I wanted to point out again how bizarre I still thought this arrangement was, but I restrained myself.

“Look, maybe you’ve heard, but this is an annual tradition for me. But this year is especially special.”

“It is? Why so?”

“Because of you.”

“Me? In particular? I don’t understand.”

“I like you, Elena. I want to take very good care of you while you’re with our company. And now that I know you can do this for me, I am certain that very good things are going to happen in your future.”

With that, my fate had been sealed. I had a week until the holiday party. One last week where I could hang on to my dignity before it dissipated while I bounced around in front of my entire company in a diaper. I was losing sleep at night, lying in bed for hours while imagining my peers laughing and pointing at me. Even at work, I was having trouble focusing, wondering if people were already just glancing at me and imagining what I looked like in a humiliating diaper.

Then, while in line to pay for a sandwich on the eve of the party, who should I see in line in front of me? Dani from sales. I daydreamed of tapping her on the shoulder, telling her who I was, and telling her about the task Genevieve had given me - the same that had been given to Dani once a year ago. Dani would laugh and confirm that she, too, thought it was the craziest thing she had ever been asked to do. We’d sit and eat lunch together and bond over how bizarre this corporate world of ours was.

Except Dani paid for her lunch and wandered over to a table of 5 or 6 people. She sat down, everyone seeming to be welcoming and friendly.

And so, as I paid for my own sandwich, I thought about the possibility that maybe this weird tradition was actually, against all odds, good for my future. Sure, maybe I’d never be as popular or outgoing as Dani seemed to be - but maybe I could make it through this experience without people forever remembering me as “The girl who had to wear a diaper at the holiday party.”

Just one more sleep. Then it was D-Day.

Genevieve called me into her office again. Immediately after closing the door behind me, I noticed the pack of adult diapers on her desk.

“I thought you’d want to take them home to try on?” she said.

“I...uh…”

“I could also just do it for you.”

“No, no, I think I can handle it myself.”

“The sash is here too, as well as the dress.”

“Will...the dress fit?”

“It’s more of a...frilly shirt, I suppose. All it really needs to do is cover up your top-half while exposing Baby New Year’s bottom. It’s never been an issue before, and I doubt it’ll be an issue now. I trust that you’ll be wearing these things tomorrow night, yes?”

I nodded, though I could feel my cheeks warm as I blushed.

“It’s tradition that I introduce Santa and Baby New Year during the party, so when you arrive at the venue, you’ll need to wait backstage with me until you’re introduced.”

“B-backstage?”

“Dear, the party is at the Mayweather Theater. Did you really think we wouldn’t utilize the stage?”

My heart just about beat out of my chest as I tried to imagine myself strutting on stage, in front of my coworkers, in my barely-concealed diaper. I was second-guessing my commitment to this little stunt once more. Maybe I could find another job. Maybe I could work at my father’s shop for a bit. Maybe I could…

“Thanks again, Elena. I really appreciate your willingness to do this for me. I won’t forget it.”

I offered a small smile and nodded, collecting the items from her desk and leaving her office. I carried them straight to my car, dumping them in the trunk. It wasn’t until I had closed the trunk that I wondered if anyone had noticed me carrying the pack of diapers through the office. Did anyone even care?

I sighed. I felt backed into a corner, and none of my options looked particularly good. Either I went through with this party and humiliated myself for the amusement of my boss, with the slight promise of it paying off in the future. Or...I didn’t, either painting a target on my back at work or driving me to quit the job altogether.

This seemed like an HR nightmare...but maybe it wasn’t? At the end of the day, was this anything other than my boss asking if I wanted to wear a costume to a party? I could say no. I could say yes. Any other consequences that came from that decision were either imagined or hearsay.

You’re being naive, I thought. The court of public opinion alone would crucify the company that coerced an employee into wearing something so silly for a function. So why is part of me still willing to go through with it?

--

I didn’t put the diaper on that night. I didn’t put the “dress” or the sash on. I left them all in the bag I put them into when I took them out of my car. And they stayed there all night.

I was suddenly in Genevieve’s office, except everything had been removed from the surface of her desk. No computer monitors, no piles of documents, no picture frames or decorations.

“Well, since you didn’t bother putting the diaper on yet, I might as well do it for you,” Genevieve said. It was said with barely any emotion at all, as if she was talking about needing to do some laundry or take out some garbage.

“But...no, I...I can do it myself,” I said.

“We don’t have time for that. Come now. Up on the desk.”

“No, please...I can…”

“Elena, I said for you to get up on this desk now so I can put you in a diaper. If I have to say it again, I’m going to take my hand to your ass. Would you like that?”

“N-no...of course not.”

Without another word, I lowered my pants and panties, letting them drop to the floor. I looked up at her bashfully, humiliated that she was seeing me in such a state. I slowly walked to her desk, lying down on top of it.

Genevieve stood at the side of her desk, looking down upon my body. She looked absolutely radiant. She didn’t just look powerful, she looked...sexy.

“Clean shaved,” Genevieve mused with a smile. “You make this too easy. If I didn’t know any better, this was the role you were born to play.”

I said nothing, feeling her slender fingers grip my thighs as she slowly separated my legs. A large thick diaper was already on the table.

“Now, this will just take a moment, and you’ll be as good as new.”

“W-wait,” I said.

“Yes?”

“Baby powder?”

“Oh, good call. We shouldn’t forget that. It’d be terrible if the baby got a rash after an accident.”

Slowly, the room went dark. Genevieve, the diaper, her office...it all faded into darkness. I was in bed. It was a dream.

“Oh fuck,” I said to myself. Not only was that a dream...but it wasn’t exactly a nightmare. I ran my hand down my thigh and between my legs, my fingertips quickly finding my damp panties. Fuck.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

I tried to go back to sleep, but my brain was now in panic mode, isolating and overanalyzing every single thought that passed through it. Was I attracted to my boss Genevieve? Was I actually excited about the idea of wearing a diaper? Wearing a diaper for her?

“Baby powder?” I said aloud, remembering the last part of my dream. Did I actually intend to...use the diaper in my dream? Would I ever do such a thing in real life?

I didn’t have an answer to that, and I was scared to prod much further. Instead, my fingers found their way back to the damp spot in my panties. They probed the moist cloth a little in circular motions before slipping into my panties. My mind was a blur of ideas, fantasies, and denials. Minutes later, I was back asleep again.

--

It was just another day for the rest of the world. Some of them might have been thinking about the food and drink of that evening’s party, but otherwise...it was the same world it always was. Except for me, who felt like it was my last day on Earth. I’m pouring coffee for myself in the breakroom now. Maybe next week when I do this, someone will be pointing out that I should be in a diaper.

This was the day for me, in a nutshell. Everything I did felt like was part of the end of an era. The pre-diaper world.

Genevieve, thankfully, wasn’t in the office. I wasn’t sure what difference it would’ve made - maybe she wouldn’t have talked to me anyways. Yet, I knew I couldn’t have brought myself to look her in the eyes. I was still shaking off the hazy details of the previous night in bed, and the absolutely bizarre string of thoughts I had. About her. About diapers.

Louis and Kelly sat with me at lunch, and we talked about holiday travels and homemade rum balls. No mention of the party. No mention of Baby New Year.

It was simultaneously a relief while also maddening. Didn’t anyone else realize how strange this would be? How exposing? How humiliating? An entire building full of people who knew what was coming - and nobody seemed to be batting an eye.

--

I didn’t get changed at home. Instead, I stashed a diaper, the shirt/dress and the sash in a bag and brought it with me to the Mayweather Theater.

“Hello, miss, you’re an employee here for the party?” greeted a man at the door.

“Well, yes, but I’m actually supposed to go backstage and meet…”

“Ah, there she is,” a voice from behind the man said. It was Genevieve. “Hello, Elena. Come follow me!”

I politely nodded to the man and scurried behind Genevieve and followed through some doors. I could see the party was already starting to come together. People were arriving, claiming tables with their jackets and hats. There was already a line at the bar. The waitstaff walked amongst the guests with platters of hors d'oeuvres.

“I see you opted not to come already dressed,” she said as we quickly walked down a hallway to one of the staging areas in the back of the theater.

“It was...cold out,” I said. It was true, though probably more of a lie than it was the truth. There was no way that Genevieve didn’t know this herself too.

“I gave you a whole package of diapers...did you not bring them all?”

“I just brought one. Did I...need more?”

“Well. What if something happens to that one?”

What could possibly happen to my diaper? I wanted to ask, but was scared of the answer. “I’ll be careful with this one,” I said.

“I should hope so.”

I was hoping she’d elaborate on that herself. Did she think I’d spill cocktail sauce on it? Fall down a mineshaft? ...Piss myself?

The very thought made me blush, and I was thankful that I was walking behind her.

“This room is reserved for you,” Genevieve finally said, stopping at a door that had a cardboard placard affixed to it, reading “Baby New Year.”

“Is this like a dressing room?”

“That’s exactly what it is. Why don’t you get yourself ready in here and wait for the call for you to join the party. It’ll be about...a half hour now. Plenty of time for you to get yourself ready and calm any of those nerves of yours.”

“Y-yes,” I said, in complete disbelief that there was any amount of time that would have eased my nerves.

“Are you sure...you don’t want help with the diaper?” she asked.

I flashed back to my dream, Genevieve standing between my legs, looking down at my naked body.

“I...I’m okay. Thank you though.”

She nodded and began to walk away, but stopped herself and came back to me.

“Actually, hold on. I’m going to go ahead and assume you’ve never worn a diaper before. Or put one on yourself?”

“That’s a fair assumption,” I said with a nod.

“Then, I’m sorry. I think it’d be for the best if I help you with it. If you had brought the whole package of diapers, you’d have some room for error. But we need to make sure this looks good.”

She opened the door and we went into the small dressing room together. There were a few wardrobes, a table and a couch in the otherwise empty room.

“I...I don’t know if I need the help with…”

“Let’s do this,” she said. “I’ll turn away while you take off your pants. Then you lie down on the couch - on top of the diaper. The end with the tapes is the back. Then, when everything is in place and you have the diaper folded over yourself, you let me know and I’ll take care of the tapes. That way, I can make sure that it looks good and you can be assured that I’m not looking at anything you don’t want me to see.”

“Y-yes, okay…”

This was it. It was finally happening. All my stressing and worrying, and the moment was still shaping up to be even more surreal than I thought. Was my boss actually about to help put a diaper on me?

Focus. Just focus. Let’s get through this and then, maybe, we’ll never have to think about this again. I took a deep breath and dropped my pants and panties, letting them fall to the floor. Naked from the waist down. In the same room as my boss. This was weird. I opened the diaper, noting how large a nd thick it was. Where the hell did she even get a diaper like this anyways? Is this what incontinent people wore? This seemed far too thick to be discrete for everyday purposes.

I placed it on the couch and slowly lowered my bottom onto it. I laid back on the couch, pulling the diaper through my legs and folding it over my crotch. I did my best to straighten it out, and soon, everything was in place - as best as I could tell.

“I...I’m ready for you.”

She spun around, glancing down at my pants and panties on the ground and then back to me. She smiled. Was she...blushing a little herself? She walked to me. If it seemed like deja vu, it was only because of how similar it was to my dream. She stood before me, looking down at me through my legs. Except now she was really taping me into a diaper. This was real life.

“I have to say...I was a little worried you’d flake out,” Genevieve said.

“I suppose there was a little voice in my head suggesting that,” I said, downplaying the reality of it a little.

“But you’ve gone above and beyond.”

“I...I have?”

“Oh, well, I just assumed you would’ve worn your panties under the diaper. I mean, it’s not like you’re being expected to use the diaper.”

I could feel my face growing intensely red. I hadn’t even considered that as an option, and I felt absolutely stupid.

“I want to say something else,” she said. “But...no, nevermind. I shouldn’t. I don’t want to cross any lines.”

It felt like a strange admission for her now, after arguably already crossing whatever line kept most bosses from putting a diaper on their employees.

I swallowed and felt my fists tighten as I sat up. The thick diaper felt like I was sitting on a pillow, or wearing 15 pairs of panties at once. I was already pretty deep into this weird new world of mine. What was one more strange revelation?

“I...I’d like to know,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.

“We do this every year,” Genevieve said, pointing at my diaper and then to the Baby New Year sash, sitting on the other end of the couch. “And it’s a fun little gimmick. People like it. I like it. Just a weird and fun little tradition we have. But it feels different this year.”

“How so?”

“Honestly? I recall the very first day you started work with our company. Louis brought you to my office to introduce you. And I remember, at that moment, knowing that you were going to be this year’s Baby New Year. I hoped that you’d be a good enough employee to warrant that privilege - and when you went and proved how hard working and thorough you are, I was elated.”

I nodded slowly, feeling myself blush. It was very nice to hear such praise from a woman I had assumed didn’t even know who I was a week ago, though this hardly seemed to cross any line.

“I think about you, if I’m being honest,” Genevieve continued. “Prior, even, to when I asked to take on this role. I’ve thought about you. I’ve thought about you in a diaper. This...this never happens. It’s always just been this fun thing. But then you come along, and suddenly I’m daydreaming...about you. In a diaper.”

My eyes widened and my mouth hung open. Was this whole thing - this whole surreal annual tradition - part of some of weird low-key fetish exercise for her?

“So there. That’s what I have to say. I...I can leave you alone now,” she said.

“I...wait…” I said, holding a hand up. I paused for a moment or two, searching for the right words. “If we’re going to sit here and be honest…”

“Yes?”

“...I’ve thought about this too. I mean...not before this week when you sprung all of this on me. But since then. I...I’ve thought about wearing diapers. I’ve thought about you putting me in a…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that sentence. I probably didn’t have to.

“One thing at a time. You’re Baby New Year. Get your top and sash on. I’ll send for you in a little bit.”

I nodded.

“Later? Let’s rendezvous.”

I nodded again, my heart pounding faster.

She was out the door, closing it behind her. I was left in my thoughts - and there were so many thoughts. My head spun and my vision blurred. What the hell just happened?

I slowly composed myself, and I took my top off, putting the silly shirt-or-dress on. It was a little baggy, and sure enough it did exactly what Genevieve said it would: It exposed my diaper perfectly while covering everything above my waist. It was hardly flattering, but maybe it didn’t need to be. Finally, I put the sash on.

I was Baby New Year now. It was ridiculous.

With nothing to do but wait, I sat back down again, my thick diaper crinkling beneath me. Fuck. That was a weird feeling. A good feeling. A few minutes passed like this, with me doing little but shifting around a little in the diaper, feeling its bulky padding rub beneath me. One moment, I was completely embarrassed and feeling ashamed for myself. The next, I was practically giggling from the sensation of wearing something so...naughty. Did my boss really just put me in a diaper? Do I really enjoy this?

There wasn’t much more time to contemplate that question.

“Miss Elena?” It was Lydia, one of the office PR assistants who had seemingly been tasked with helping to run Genevieve’s show behind the scenes tonight. “We’re just about ready for you on the stage.”

“Yeah...okay.” I stood up, straightening out the dress-shirt thing. “How do I look?”

She shrugged, not especially amused or offended. “You look fine. Ready?”

I nodded and followed her. Most of the walk to the stage was spent overanalyzing her reaction. My conclusion: Well, that’s certainly not the worst reaction. In fact, I think I’d rather that than almost anything else.

I stood behind a curtain now. The only thing separating me from a crowd of my coworkers. My peers. They were starting to be fed and boozed up, and I wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing.

“...another year of growth,” I could hear Genevieve saying from the stage. Everyone applauded. “I can’t thank you enough for all of the hard work you’ve put in this year,” she continued. “From the overtime hours, to the hours-long meetings, every single person on our team has continued to step up, and we as a company continue to thrive because of that.”

More applause. A few hoots and cheers. There’s definitely some libations getting circulated out there.

“Well enough about work,” she said from the stage. “We do have some very special guests this year. I know, I know, we tend to have the same special guests every year… But they’re very important people, and the fact that you love them enough for them to keep coming back makes them very special, I’d say. What do you say we meet our first special guest?”

More cheering and applause. The crowd is getting a little more vocal.

“You look good, Baby New Year,” a voice said from behind me. It was Leonard, completely decked out in his Santa attire. I had to admit, he absolutely looked the part. He could play the man on a movie or TV show.

“Uhm...thanks.”

“Some people just look kind of awkward or unnatural, you know?”

I shrugged, unsure if I knew where he was going with this. Was he suggesting that I looked more natural as a giant baby?

“Well, gotta go,” he said. “Break a leg.”

From the stage: “Ladies and gentlemen! The one! The only! Santa Claus!”

Leonard gave one last friendly wave and disappeared into the curtain. The crowd was uproarious. They were absolutely delighted. Clapping, screaming, cheering. Were these adults and professionals? They sounded like a kindergarten class cheering for Santa.

Leonard was on stage now, ho ho ho-ing and spreading a bunch of generic holiday cheer into the crowd. My heart raced, knowing I’d be following, and I could barely focus on what he said.

“...and I know you’ve all been good boys and girls this year.” There was something about it, when said by a man I’ve seen in the office - to a crowd of adults - that didn’t feel...right. It felt...disingenuous at best. Naughty at worst. Maybe that was the point. Maybe that’s what this all came down to. I worked with a bunch of horndogs.

“Thank you, Santa. I’m sure we’ll all want to be spending more time with you tonight. I can see there’s already people lining up to take pictures with you at your chair back in the corner there.” Genevieve had a commanding stage presence. This was unsurprising, but she really could’ve been a talk show host in another life.

I shuffled my feet and sighed. Lydia glanced at me again, no doubt noticing my hesitation. She only offered a shrug and a casual smile. I had no idea what she was actually thinking, but it came across to me as: “Hey, what can you do. The boss is weird, and you’re her bitch.”

Well, yeah, you’re not wrong, theoretical-Lydia.

“Our next guest is a very special one,” Genevieve continued from the other side of the curtain. “It’s a little tradition here. Out with the old, and in with the new. This year came and went, and we’re ready to move on. We’re ready to move up. We’re ready for a new year, with new challenges, new excitement and new opportunities for growth. And here to help us ring in that next chapter is the one…”

I sighed again, fists clenched.

“...the only…”

I did my best to compose myself. A final deep breath. Unclench my fists. Shake out my body. Genevieve asked this of me, and I was here because, ultimately, I wanted to be.

“...Baby New Year!”