His Little Cryptolite (Eleadian Mates #16)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Allisa

“I’m going,” I insist as I toss my blouse on the floor and unzip my pencil skirt. I’ve already kicked off my black pumps, and I don’t make eye contact with my friends as I rummage through my closet.

Kate groans. “Allisa… This is a terrible idea.”

“I agree,” Mary chimes in. “Do you or do you not recall what happened just a few months ago when Bailey stepped into Club Zoom?”

I spin around, holding up a pale pink dress. “Oh, I remember just fine. That’s why I’m going.” I toss the dainty, risqué dress on my bed and head for my chest of drawers. In seconds, I’m able to locate and grab my favorite pale pink bra and panty set.

While my best friends watch, I remove the white professional bra and panties I wore to work today, leaving me naked. We’ve been roommates for over four years. We’re not modest with each other.

“Allisa…” Mary continues, “Let’s talk about this.”

I shake my head as I put on the sexy pink lingerie set.

Next, I pull the dress over my head and smooth down the front.

I bought this dress months ago, but I’ve never worn it.

The style is called babydoll. The top is covered with delicate lace and fitted across my chest. The sleeves are one-inch straps of silk and lace.

The skirt begins below my breasts and hangs in a flowy sheer tulle over a thin layer of silk.

Just as I did in the fitting room when I bought the dress, I stand in front of the full mirror on the back of my closet and smile. I haven’t smiled much lately, but this dress makes me do so now.

Kate comes up behind me, meeting my gaze in the mirror.

Her brow is furrowed. “Bailey went to Club Zoom, and we never saw her again. We don’t even know for sure what happens to the women who are chosen from the club.

All we know is they vanish from Earth. Literally. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”

“Yes.” I don’t hesitate as I bend down to look for my silver sandals. Spotting them quickly, I snag them by the rear straps and hop up onto my bed to put them on.

Mary leans against the wall in my bedroom, biting into a nail. “Is it that bad at work?”

“Yes,” I say bluntly. “Worse.” I shudder as I slide off the bed and head for the attached bathroom. My hair has been in a tight bun on top of my head all day. I pull out the pins to alleviate the pressure, leaving the high ponytail so that the blond curls tumble down around my shoulders.

After applying some bubblegum lip gloss, I push past my two well-meaning friends to return to the mirror.

“Why did you change?” Kate asks softly. “You looked fine in the professional skirt and blouse.”

I stare at myself. I absolutely love this look.

It’s me. The stuffy buttoned-up clothes I wear to work are not my style.

This is. It’s something I discovered about myself recently.

There’s a term for the kind of kink I crave, and I have never discussed it with my friends.

Not a single word. I don’t think they would understand.

I’m going out tonight. I’m doing so in the clothes that make me feel comfortable.

Feel like myself. I’m not the prim-and-proper businesswoman I spent four years preparing for.

I don’t fit in. I hate my job. I hate everything about it.

And I especially hate the asshole who’s been stalking me since I started working there.

This dress is adorable.

It suits my inner Little. The persona I’ve never let out. The one who doesn’t fit in with vanilla society.

The only reason I know about my newfound age-play kink is because I started reading books.

After graduation, I had more time on my hands and discovered romance novels.

It was an accident that I happened to read a book about Daddies and Littles.

But I saw myself in that book and devoured it overnight.

The next day at work, I was exhausted, but I was also trembling from the discovery and watching the clock until five so I could race home, buy another book, and consume it within hours, too.

I’m addicted to the genre and the lifestyle. I even went out and bought this dress because it made me feel Little.

It’s not like other adults don’t dress like this.

They do. Babydoll dresses are popular, and no one will bat an eye over me wearing one that’s particularly dainty and pink.

Sure, most women would probably pair this dress with heels, but I’m not most women, and I’ve been wearing heels all day. I’m sticking with the sandals.

“Did Bradley do something particularly annoying today?” Mary asks.

I wince. Bradley Metford. Fucking asshole. He’s the owner’s son and the biggest dick on the planet. The man spotted me on the first day I started working for the marketing firm, and he hasn’t stopped following me around since. He’s my stalker.

I can’t even go to HR because Bradley isn’t some random employee violating a sexual harassment policy. He’s the owner’s fucking kid. He can do whatever he wants.

This was supposed to be my dream job. I couldn’t believe when I landed it, my application being accepted over dozens of others.

I only applied at Metford Marketing because my advisor in human resources on the college campus told me to apply for at least one outlier.

One business I was drooling to work for.

A place where I would never get an interview with my recent degree and total lack of experience.

But somehow, I did get an interview, and I even got the job. That was three months ago. Now I wish I’d never met that advisor on campus. My life is a fucking shitshow.

It took me a few weeks to realize I didn’t earn my position at Metford Marketing. Bradley fucking saw me come in, thought I was pretty, and told them to hire me. And then he proceeded to spend every moment of every day flirting with me.

It might have been flattering the first day or two. After all, the owner’s son was paying attention to me. He’s good looking, has a gorgeous smile, and makes a lot of money.

But he’s nothing more than a stalker. He kept showing up everywhere while I was going through orientation, which annoyed my boss and the other recent hires. No one at the office likes me. They don’t believe I earned the job fair and square, and they’re right.

Bradley pops up everywhere. He sits next to me at lunch, opens doors for me, walks me home, and even meets me in front of my apartment building every morning to walk me to work.

It’s not flattering anymore. It’s annoying. He’s asked me out nearly every day since I met him, and no matter how many times I turn him down, he keeps asking.

It’s hard to know for sure if his presence taints my feelings about the job. It’s possible that the reason I’m so miserable at work is because of him. But it’s not farfetched to admit I also hate marketing. I hate the pressure and the pace.

I was a good student in school. I did everything a good girl does. I stayed out of trouble, worked hard, and got my degree. My parents are so proud of me. They brag about me to all of their friends.

But I’m miserable. I feel like I’m in someone else’s skin. I don’t know her. She walks through life doing all the right things while I seem to float out of body above her, watching. Judging. Wincing. Nearly in tears.

At night, I climb under my covers, read more books, and cry. I’m sad. I’m lonely. I’ll never fit in. This world isn’t right for me. I’ve never been on a date, and now I know why. It’s not because no one asked me out. Guys approached me in college.

No one ever gave me tingles. I never felt a spark. So I never said yes.

I never once felt sexual or titillated until a few months ago. I thought there was something wrong with me. The truth was, I didn’t have the right information. I didn’t know about age play. I was just a misfit living in a foreign land.

Now, I know. And I’ve also learned that particular kink is not just something people read in books. Many people live the lifestyle. I’ve done my research. But I haven’t put myself out there. And how could I?

I can’t do anything without fucking Bradley attached to my hip. The man isn’t Daddy material. He makes me cringe. Maybe some woman would find him to be attractive and love his kind of attention, but not me.

He’s too…soft. He whispers and touches me lightly. He says what he thinks are smooth lines. Some woman will be lucky to have him.

Not me.

I need someone stronger. Dominant. Firm. I need someone larger who can pick me up, press me against a wall, and fuck me. I long for a man who will tell me I’m a “good girl” and spank my ass hard when I’m not.

“Allisa?” Kate asks softly.

I turn from where I’ve been staring into the mirror, daydreaming, to face my friends. It takes me a moment to realize Mary asked me about Bradley. I shudder. “The usual. I’m so tired of him following me. I want to vomit.”

My friends wince.

“I’m sorry,” Mary says. “Maybe you have no choice but to go to HR.”

“Maybe you should go to the cops,” Kate adds.

I sigh. “I don’t know. I just want to go somewhere he can’t follow me. Enjoy a night out, knowing he isn’t going to interrupt it.”

Kate’s brow is furrowed. “Well, he certainly can’t get into Club Zoom.”

“But, Allisa…” Mary responds.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I did the research. The odds are not in my favor. Hundreds of women go to the club every night. Only one gets chosen to leave this godforsaken planet on occasion. That’s not every night. More like once a week, give or take.”

Mary frowns. “You say that like you hope you’ll get picked.”

I roll my eyes. “If only I could be that lucky.”

Kate gasps. “Really? You’re so desperate that you’d leave the planet?”

“In a heartbeat.” I mean it. My life seems hopeless. I’m stuck in a job I hate where I’m stalked by a man I have no interest in. My parents would be very disappointed if I quit. I’m living in the wrong skin. It would shock everyone if I reinvented myself.

I’m miserable. I want out.

If I get lucky enough to be chosen by an Eleadian man, so be it.

I take a deep breath and look my best friends in the eyes. “I’m taking my ID and some cash. My bank card is in my purse. If I don’t come back, take out enough money to pay the rent until you can find another roommate.”

Mary’s jaw drops. “You’re serious.”

“Totally.”

“What about your parents?” Kate asks.

I shrug. “Tell them I love them, and I’m sorry.”

Mary inhales deeply. “Like you said, it’s super unlikely you’d be selected.”

“Yeah…” It’s true, but damn, it would be nice if I could start a new chapter in life.

Maybe I’m being unreasonable. There’s no guarantee anyone on Eleadia practices age play.

But at least I can enter Club Zoom, presenting a more authentic version of myself.

If one of those tall men notices me, he won’t be looking at a professional woman in a pencil skirt.

He’ll be confronted with a Little in a pink dress that could easily be worn by a toddler.

My friends rush forward and hug me tight. There’s something crackling in the air. An energy.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and never have to deal with this planet ever again.