Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
I nod. “It’s boring in there. It’s an adult room.”
“Ah. Creative. Do you wear adult clothes when you go to work?”
“Sort of.” I glance down at myself. “No one sees me, so I can wear whatever I want. But I put on adult clothes when I’m in my office or when I leave the house. Like this. Nothing fancy. Jeans. T-shirts. Boring tennis shoes. I worry I might slip into a more Little headspace if I don’t dress the part and put on a bra and panties.”
I flush as those last words leave my mouth. Why on Earth did I mention my undergarments? Sheesh. I look down, holding my breath.
Eli tucks a finger under my chin and nudges me to raise my head again. “Such a smart girl. I noticed you have a lot of pretty dresses in your closet. I bet you’re adorable in them. No reason to be embarrassed. I’m in awe of how you’ve managed to arrange your life to accommodate both sides of yourself without a caregiver. It must get lonely.”
I shrug. It does, but I’ve never thought much about it. It has never occurred to me that there might be a man out in the world who would want to be with someone like me. I mean I know there are in books, but I’ve never considered such a thing in real life.
On top of that, it wouldn’t have mattered. I’m too shy to go out and look for one. He’d be a needle in a haystack. Apparently there’s a club nearby where I could have gone, but even if I’d known about it, I never would have had the guts to go. That would be way outside of my comfort zone.
“I like you, Grace. I wonder if you’d consider spending some time with me. Maybe you would like me, too.”
I lick my lips. “I like you already,” I murmur.
He smiles. “Good. But you don’t know me well. Let’s fix that, huh? I’m here for two weeks. We could spend evenings together. Get to know each other.”
“I’d like that,” I manage to whisper. This is surreal. In fact, without thinking, I reach with one hand to pinch my other arm hard. “Ouch.”
Eli grabs my fingers in his. “Why did you do that, silly girl?”
Embarrassed, I look down at the red mark on my arm. “To see if I was awake,” I mutter.
“You’re awake, sweet girl. I promise.”
“Where do you go when you’re not here?” I ask. I’m already thinking ahead. In two weeks, he will leave. What if I get attached to him? It’s a silly thought since I’ve only entered into this odd relationship with him a few hours ago, but my mind goes there anyway.
“Have you ever heard of Littleworld?”
I shake my head.
“It’s a trio of amusement parks on an island off the coast. I spend half my time working at the pharmacy on that island and half my time working here in town.”
“Amusement parks? I’ve never seen them advertised.” How could something like that be so close to me, and yet I’ve never heard of it?
“You wouldn’t, Little one. The entire island is private. It’s called Regression Island. It’s strictly for Littles and caregivers. They don’t advertise to the general public. They don’t allow anyone to visit who doesn’t adhere to the specific age-play practices of the island.”
I stare at him. “Wow. I had no idea.”
“Yep. There’s a zoo, a waterpark, and an amusement park. Collectively it’s called Littleworld. Many people live on the island fulltime. Some people go there for vacation. There’s a beach, too. The town itself has everything people need to live there.”
“And you live there half the time?”
“Yep. I’m one of the pharmacists.”
“It sounds amazing. Why would you want to come back here half the time?”
He gives me a huge grin. “How else would I have met you?”
I furrow my brows.
He chuckles. “I’m serious. Sometimes there are unattached Littles on the island. They stay with sponsors. But most of the people who live there are in established relationships. It’s not a great place to find a life partner. So I spend half my time here on the mainland. On weekends I go to the Dungeon. I’ve had one eye scanning around me at all times, always looking for the perfect Little girl for me.”
I realize he’s still holding my hand, stroking my fingers. His next words make me stop breathing. “I think she’s been living across the hall from me right under my nose all this time.”
Chapter Four
I don’t blink or move a single muscle. I can’t. Did my sexy neighbor from across the hall just say what I think he said? Surely not.
“What do you say, Little girl? Do you think you’d be willing to give this Daddy a chance?”
I lick my very dry lips. He’s serious.
He gets a teasing sparkle in his eyes and continues, “Surely you didn’t go to all the trouble of dramatically dropping all your mail in the hallway and then kicking a pizza coupon under my door if you weren’t at least curious about me.”