Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Riley was beyond nervous.
She’d always dreamed of having friends who were like her.
But that was tough in her line of work. It made her feel arrogant to acknowledge, but she was a high-profile individual.
Meaning, she was easily recognizable. If she went to just any ol’ ageplay community event, there might be someone there eager to sell a piece of hot gossip to TMZ or another outlet.
Or someone might snap a pic with their cell—even though phones were supposedly against the rules at such events—and the photo would leak and…
There were endless possibilities about how this could hurt her career. Even visiting the Hollywood Haven wasn’t completely risk-free. But the variables were a lot more controlled.
She’d discreetly done some research on the woman who ran the place, known affectionately in the community as Auntie Athena. Her reputation was stellar. The place itself had glowing reviews! But still—there was a risk here.
Her loneliness had grown so much, though, that she couldn’t stand it any longer. Riley had to make Little friends! And maybe she’d also find her Daddy.
Just thinking about finding a Daddy of her own made her sigh as she pulled her car up to the gate that stretched across the driveway.
The property was lined with an off-white stucco fence, and another black iron gate was set directly in the middle of the yard, just big enough for someone to walk through.
Okay, so the place was private. That was good. But of course, it shielded any Littles inside from casual passerbys, but what about dedicated paparazzi? They were known to do more extreme things than scale a fence!
They’d have to know she was there first. And she’d been very careful, making sure she wasn’t followed.
After drawing a deep breath and holding it for a moment, she exhaled slowly and said, “You’re going to be all right. This might be the time of your life. Just have fun.”
The pep-talk she gave herself eased those nerves just a bit, but they were still frayed. Hoping they’d even out as the night went along, she pulled up to the call box and rolled her window down.
Even this was risky.
There was a chance someone walking down the sidewalk would recognize her and wonder who she was visiting. A little bit of research would quickly reveal it was a place that catered to Littles.
But with her ball cap and sunglasses, the odds of anyone realizing it was even her were slim. Plus, the sidewalks were clear in both directions. Across the street was a couple pushing a stroller, but they couldn’t see her.
“You can do this,” she whispered.
While she was still debating on whether or not to actually push the call button or just drive away and try again another day, a voice said, “Hello and welcome. Please wait until the gate is all the way back so you don’t scratch your car.”
The callbox chirped, signaling the end of the one-sided conversation and then a motor’s hum told her the gate was in motion.
Well, that was decided for her, she thought as she watched the gate retract.
A moment later, she carefully rolled her car up the rising driveway, having to give it just a little gas to get up the hill.
It leveled out and widened beside the old mansion, extending all the way to a detached garage toward the rear of the property.
She parked near it and slowly got out, silently willing her legs to work.
This was more nerve-racking than her first audition!
“Hello, Riley.”
The Little instantly felt calmer as she eyed a pretty, slightly vampish dark-haired woman stepping off the back deck and walking toward the side of the house.
Beside her was a giant bald Black man who had muscles on top of muscles and looked as if he could lift a car.
When he spoke, the deepness of his voice perfectly matched his appearance. “Good evening. We’re glad you’re here.”
“I’m Auntie Athena.”
“And I’m Trevon.”
Riley gave them a weak wave but felt foolish about greeting them that way. A few moments later, she found her voice. “Thank you for having me.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Athena said. “Did you bring anything along?” Her eyes fell to the car, as if there might be a bag of Little gear or something inside.
“No.”
“That’s just fine. We have plenty of things here. That is, of course, if you want to change outfits or accessorize. It’s all up to you. Move at your own pace.”
Again, Riley found herself not knowing quite what to say. It didn’t really matter, she realized, because a loud clanging sound came from the front of the house.
“Is everyone okay?” she asked instinctively.
“I’m fine,” someone called back.
A guy walked around, smiling. “Just moving some scaffolding and putting a few things away for the night.”
The paint spatters on the black t-shirt that stretched tautly across his bulging muscles told Riley what he was up to.
“Man, why didn’t you say something?” Trevon asked the man. “I’ll come help you move all that stuff.”
Riley only vaguely heard what had been said. Her eyes were too transfixed on the gorgeous, sexy man who stood down the driveway, smiling at her.
Was he just as stricken with her as she was with him?
It seemed that way. Of course, this wasn’t one of those rom-coms she was being offered. Did people just have an instant connection in real life?
How could she have one now? She hadn’t said a word to this guy. Didn’t know his name or anything about him, other than the fact that he was drop-dead sexy.
The man was unblinking as he continued to smile at her. A few moments passed, and it became clear the encounter was going on a bit longer than average when two people see each other for the first time.
Kind of like those rom-coms after all, Riley thought.
Finally, he seemed to come back to the moment and turned his head to see Trevon. “I’d appreciate the hand moving that last piece of scaffolding. Then, it’ll all be set for tomorrow, but I’m done for tonight.”
“Sure thing,” Trevon said, already jogging toward him.
“Wait!” Riley called out, even though the man with the paint-stained shirt hadn’t turned away yet. “My name is Riley.”
Embarrassment washed over her.
Hey Riley, can you be any more obvious? Seriously. Get ahold of yourself.
The man smiled wider as he stepped closer. “I’m Briggs. Pleasure meeting you, Riley.” He held out his hand but then retracted it. “I’ve got some paint on there,” he explained.
She almost told him she didn’t care and paint or no paint he could put his hands wherever he wanted, but that, obviously, would be taking things way too far.
So, she simply said, “You’ve been busy, huh?”
“Yeah. This is a big place but we’ll get ‘er finished soon.”
A thought struck Riley. Was this some random guy hired to do a job, completely unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the ageplay community?
Could he figure out why she was here? Would he out her?
For some reason, she didn’t think he would. Something told her she could trust this man, even though she didn’t know the first thing about him.
Well, that’s not entirely true, she told herself. You know his name.
Briggs.
It fit him.
“Finding a skilled tradesman who can take care of this place is tough,” Athena chimed in. “We have to vet them, of course. And it helps that Briggs is a Daddy himself.”
Perfect! Riley thought. Had Athena said that because she could tell how worried Riley was?
Thankfully, the fear of being outed subsided a little bit at the recent revelation. But another fear bloomed in its place.
If Briggs was a Daddy, then he probably already had someone there at the nursery.
“That’s neat,” she said, trying hard to sound casual and as if she was merely showing a polite, typical interest.
It shouldn’t be hard, Riley. Acting is only your job.
This role was tougher than any she’d played on TV or the big screen, though. Briggs was just having an effect on her like nothing else she’d ever experienced.
“I bet your Little loves having you around,” she added.
“Well, I don’t have a Little. Yet. But if you find her, let me know.” Briggs winked.
Riley giggled and turned her head away quickly, hoping her blushing wasn’t too obvious.
“I’ll help you with the scaffolding,” Trevon announced.
Riley was both thankful to be rescued from her awkwardness and sorry her time with Briggs was ending.
Would she ever see him again? It would be crazy if she met the most gorgeous man on the planet—the guy who just happened to captivate her completely—and it was over after two minutes!
“It was nice meeting you,” Briggs called over his shoulder as he walked away with Trevon. Stopping, he threw a glance back at her. “Will you be around off and on?”
“Of course!” she answered without really considering the question.
But then the realization that she’d just committed herself to something hit her. In reality, it was too soon to say if she’d be around. What if she hated it at the Hollywood Haven? She didn’t even know if she would get along with the other Littles.
For more time with Briggs, she’d make it all work. Somehow.
“Then I look forward to seeing you,” he said. “Come by and say hi anytime I’m working. Just be careful.” He was already walking toward the front of the house again as he continued. “Lots of equipment around and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Yes, sir,” she said instinctively.
Once the two men disappeared around the corner, Riley remembered Auntie Athena was still standing there. Turning to greet her host, she said, “They both seem nice.”
Athena wore a knowing smile, but she didn’t mention anything about the obvious attraction that had been on display.
“I bet you’re ready to get inside and—”
The humming of the garage door as it rose had both women looking its direction. When it was fully up, two tall figures emerged, shocking Riley.
It wasn’t their sudden appearance that stunned her.
No, it was the fact that she recognized them! She’d even met them both on occasion.
“Stryker? Harrison?”
Her jaw hung slack as she studied the tall, dark-blond director and his muscular, dark-haired actor friend.
“In the flesh,” Stryker said. “Hey, Riley. Auntie Athena told us you were coming over and we wanted to stick around and say hi.”
“You two are… Daddies… here?” Regretting the question as soon as it left her lips, she said, “I’m sorry. Is that bad etiquette to ask?”
Harrison waved the apology off. “Not at all. It’s pretty common to ask how someone identifies when in a kink setting.” He shrugged. “If you call this a kink. I guess it is for some people. For us, it’s just a way of life. And we’re actually Littles.”
Despite all her acting abilities, Riley couldn’t hide her amazement.
“Hey,” Stryker said with a grin, “we come in all shapes and sizes.”
“True,” she said. “I guess I just stereotyped y’all because you’re so big and strong.”
“You said y’all,” Stryker pointed out. “And I heard a little twang there. Are you a Texan too?”
Riley laughed. “Close. Arkansas.”
Harrison grinned. “I’m not a Texan, either, but it’s my part-time home now that my main place is in Mountainville.
These days, though, I’m so busy working I feel like I’m rarely there.
” He shrugged. “It’s a good problem to have, I suppose.
There will probably come a day when the offers dry up.
Might as well ride the wave as far as I can right now. ”
Riley agreed. That was the way things worked in Hollywood. Some actors were fortunate enough to transition into older roles, working late into life, but the majority disappeared once they hit fifty! Especially the women, sadly.
“Anyway,” Harrison went on, “we’re glad you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
She felt a little better now. If two high-profile Hollywood players like Harrison and Stryker felt safe and comfortable at Auntie Athena’s, then she probably had nothing to worry about.
Her eyes fell past the guys and to a strange, red rocket-looking thing in the garage. “What is that?”
“The source of trouble!” Auntie Athena answered.
The guys both looked a little apologetic now.
“We shouldn’t have left the keys in it,” Stryker said.
“We’re sorry about that.” Looking at Riley, he said, “You see, I like to design stuff. I do a lot of the practical effects from my movies. And some of it is a holdover from my stuntman days, where I had to rig stuff and… well, I just like to tinker. But this bad boy isn’t quite done. It’s supposed to be a go-cart.”
Harrison nodded proudly now. “We call it the Comet Runner. It’ll blow any other go-cart out of the water!”
Riley’s eyes lit up as she looked at the unique vehicle. “It sure would be fun to drive!”
“After they get the bugs worked out of it,” Athena said. “Things like working brakes and the ability to slow down would be nice.”
Harrison and Stryker both said, “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Are you ready to go inside, sweetie?” Athena asked Riley.
“Ready!” she said.
“We’ll come say goodbye once we get this contraption squared away.” Stryker jerked his head back toward the rocket.
Riley eagerly followed Auntie Athena inside.
It would feel nice to finally let go and be her true self.