Oliver Read online

  “Oliver. I would have known you anywhere. May I give you a hug?” she asked holding his eyes captive with hers. At his nod, she wrapped her arms around him to hold him tightly against her for a brief moment before she stepped back slightly. Turning with her arm around his taut waist, Mia ushered him to her booth. She indicated that she wished him to slide into the booth first. Then, she followed him, settling on the bench next to him. Their thighs pressed against each other. Oliver tried to scoot over to give her more room. Mia closed the distance between their bodies once again and placed her hand on his thigh. “Oliver, do you mind sitting next to me? I can move to the other side of the booth if you’d prefer,” she asked in a soft voice watching his face carefully.

  Looking down at her hand spreading across his hard thigh, Oliver could only shake his head. Then realizing that she could think that he was saying he didn’t want to sit next to her, he pushed out a garbled, “No, stay here, please!” His breath escaped heavily as she patted his leg.

  “I’ll stay right here, Oliver.” With a finger under his chin, she raised his gaze from her other hand to meet her green eyes. She leaned in to press a soft kiss on his lips. Her lips tilted upward at his low moan. She remained close to him with her hand on his thigh. “I am so glad to meet you, Oliver. You are a very handsome man. I wouldn’t think you’d need something like the PLAYTIME app to find a date.”

  “I’m not looking for a date. I’m looking for someone special who will appreciate all of me,” he began, only to close his mouth when the waitress came over to take their order. He looked at Mia to see if she was ready. He smiled as she ordered a hamburger with fries. He was glad she wasn’t an ‘always eat a salad’ type of girl. Oliver wasn’t competing again for over a month, he decided to have his second favorite meal after pizza, “I’ll take the spaghetti and meatballs and a house salad without cheese. Italian dressing on the side.”

  As the waitress departed, Mia looked at Oliver and observed, “You must come here often. You didn’t even need to glance at the menu.” She smiled at him. Oliver was very easy on the eyes.

  “This is one of my favorite restaurants. I always come here for the spaghetti when I can eat carbs.” He rushed to explain, “I’m not a weird eater. When I’m preparing for a competition, I follow a strict diet to drop body fat. I’m a body builder. Muscles are much more defined if my body fat is at ten to twelve percent.”

  “Is that healthy?” she asked concerned as she scanned his face before letting her eyes drift over his body. He was a beautiful man. Handsome in a boyish way with his hair in messy order, Oliver had wide shoulders and well-defined muscles. His waist was narrow while his hips and thighs were pure muscled strength. “How has he not been snatched up by someone?” she wondered to herself.

  “I know a lot about nutrition, so I make sure I’m eating a balanced diet,” Oliver dropped his eyes and blushed. “I’m not sure that I can eat anyway. Can I admit that I’m terrified?”

  Mia reached a gentle hand to turn his face toward her. She leaned in and kissed him softly before she backed away slightly. Hovering inches from his lips, she looked in his eyes before swaying forward to kiss him again, deeper this time. She hummed in satisfaction as his lips welcomed hers, parting sweetly to allow her to slip her tongue into his mouth. She felt Oliver’s hand cover hers as it cupped his face. She intertwined their hands and brought them to her mouth as she released his lips. Kissing the back of his hand, she held their intertwined fingers to her chest. “Can you feel my heartbeat, Oliver? It hasn’t stopped racing since the PLAYTIME app announced that it had matched me with my Little boy. I’ve been waiting to meet you for a very long time.”

  “I’ve been waiting to meet you, too,” he whispered softly leaning forward to touch his lips to her softly.

  The waitress cleared her throat to interrupt them subtly as she placed their drinks in front of them. “Your food should be out soon,” she said with a smile before wandering over to another table.

  “You make me forget where we are, Oliver. Kisses later. Now, tell me about yourself. You are obviously in very good shape. Do you work at a gym?” Mia asked with a smile at his blushing face. She loved that this Little boy was so easily embarrassed. She leaned away slightly to allow them both to cool down slightly.

  “A lot of body builders do work at a gym. I actually have a job as a handyman, butler, gardener, or just about any other job they might need. My employers are Ryan and Nora Redmond. They own an architectural firm here in town. They took a chance on hiring me and it has worked out well. They have a Little girl, Madi. I mean Little with a capital L. They are so happy. Ryan, Nora and Madi were all matched through PLAYTIME also. They just celebrated their one-year anniversary together,” he shared before looking down at their intertwined hands. “I would love it if my story could have a happily ever after ending like theirs.”

  Mia squeezed his hand and said, “Let’s work at making that wish come true.” She smiled at him to let him know she felt just the same way. “Perhaps dreams do come true,” she said with twinkling eyes as she straightened. “If I’m not mistaken, here comes our lunch. I’ll want to hold this hand again later, okay?” she looked at him for his agreement.

  “I’d like that too,” he agreed quickly.

  “Then, I’ll let you have your hand back. From the look of that pile of spaghetti, you’re going to need both hands,” her eyes widened in amazement as the waitress set the groaning bowl of pasta and meatballs in front of him.

  Their lunch conversation was smooth and easy. Oliver could feel his body relax as they discussed their favorite activities and even argued playfully over the best types of music and singers. Neither watched a lot of television. Finally, Oliver asked the question that was looming in his mind. “How are we going to get to know each other if you’re so far away? I’d like to see you more often then just a brief lunch once a while.”

  “I agree with you totally, Oliver. I’ve just found you. I want to spend time with you to explore our relationship. Even before being notified that I had been matched with my Little boy on PLAYTIME, I was considering making a change in my life. Currently, I own a restaurant in my hometown with two partners. I’ve become bored over the last couple of years. It’s a big commitment to own a restaurant. I have to be there to prepare before the lunch crowd, and I work through the dinner hour until late at night. I thought I would have creative command over the menus and special offerings, but my two partners have fallen in love. I’m very happy for them.” Her voiced trailed off before adding, “But now, they always side with each other when we need to make decisions. My ideas are falling on deaf ears. Recently, they approached me with a request to buy my share of the business. I haven’t given them an answer, but having met you, I know I’d never be happy so far away. So, long story short, I’m seriously considering relocating. I have a job interview here in your town this afternoon at four pm. I hoped you might be available after my interview to continue to get acquainted. I’ve taken a room at a hotel for a couple of days. I’d like to spend as much time together as possible,” she watched his face to gauge his reaction.

  Oliver’s emotions seemed to shift with her every word. He despaired to hear that she had such deep roots in her town. He tried not to smile in glee as she shared her frustrations of being outvoted by her partners. Finally, hope blossomed in his eyes to hear that she had an interview this afternoon. His face blushed as he considered the possibilities of her stay at the hotel. When she smiled and raised one eyebrow, he could tell that she knew just what he was imagining. To try to distract himself, he asked quickly, “Where are you interviewing?”

  “I’m going to keep that a secret for a little while if you’ll indulge me. I’m trying not to get my hopes too high. This new job could be the answer to all my challenges. Can I tell you when it’s over?” she asked smiling gently at him. Mia realized that she had smiled more in the last two hours than she had in months. That seemed to be a good indication to her that she was making the right decisi
on to change her life so drastically.

  “Of course!” Oliver said with a quick ducking of his head. “Can I keep my fingers crossed for you?”

  “I would absolutely love that!” Mia said leaning in to kiss his lips lightly. She laughed as she sat up straight licking her lips. “You’re right. That spaghetti is delicious.” Her intoxicating laugh tumbled over him as he turned bright red at the thought of her tasting him. She took advantage of his racing mind to settle the bill giving the waitress a very generous tip. Mia had appreciated the privacy that she had given them.

  Chapter Five

  All too soon, their time was up. Mia needed to go to her interview. They stood against Oliver’s battered truck and kissed lingeringly. “I’ll call you after my interview. Would you consider coming to visit me at the hotel this evening or maybe I could come visit you?” Mia asked enjoying the feel of his hard body against hers. She intended to take it slowly with her Little boy, but she was looking forward to talking with him in private. “Mommies need to know a lot about their Little boys. I have strict rules that we will discuss. You may decide that I’m not the right fit for you as a Mommy.”

  “Never! That’s never going to happen,” Oliver said mesmerized by the sparkle in her green eyes.

  They took a minute to exchange phone numbers and kiss lightly one last time before Mia made sure Oliver was buckled in his seat. She waved goodbye to him as he drove away. She noted that he turned to go to the gym. Nodding her head knowingly, she considered why he felt the need to burn off some steam. She had not commented on it, but she had watched Oliver shift restlessly in the seat next to her. Surreptitious glances into his lap had confirmed her guess that her Little boy found his pants tight as she pressed against him. She fanned herself with a laugh before striding over to open the door of her Italian sports car. She wasn’t hiding her wealth from Oliver. She just didn’t want to complicate the issue in his mind.

  Following the directions on her phone, Mia pulled up to the ornate, iron gate. She checked her appearance, grinning at the newly applied lipstick. She wondered if Oliver was wearing a glossy shine of pink lipstick on his full lips. When she was ready, she pressed the intercom button. When it was answered, she spoke warmly into the device, “Good afternoon. I am Mia Caplin. I have an appointment to interview for the housekeeper/chef position.”

  In response, the gate opened, and she proceeded down the tree lined drive. The large estate house came into view and Mia parked to the side of the main entrance. Stepping out smoothly from the low seat, Mia took a second to straighten her clothes before walking to the large door. Lifting and dropping the heavy knocker, she enjoyed old fashioned sound of the sound of iron on a solid wood door. A tall, blonde woman opened the door. Her blue eyes assessed Mia as she welcomed her into the house.

  “Hi, Mia. I’m glad to meet you,” she said warmly and introduced herself. “Come into my office so we can chat,” she turned gracefully and led Mia through an open doorway. Waving a hand to indicate the sofa, Nora Redmond sat in an adjacent chair. “I must say I was very surprised that a talented restauranteur would be interested in a job as our housekeeper and cook. Then, my husband talked to Oliver this morning to hear that he had been matched on PLAYTIME with none other than Mia Caplin. It all started to make sense. Did you know that you had been matched with Oliver before he did?” Nora asked trying to tie together the loose ends. She was torn between wanting to protect Oliver and dancing at the thought of having a trained chef who also was an age play Mommy.

  “I had no idea that I’d be matched today with Oliver. I had made the appointment because I wanted a change.” Mia explained her ownership in the restaurant with her partners. “I had already decided to move here. I hear great things about the age play community here. My decision to move here was absolutely selfish. I wanted to improve my chances of finding my Little boy by moving to a vibrant age play community. I enjoy working. I’m not a stay at home with nothing to do type. I’d go crazy if I didn’t have a reason to get up each morning. I’m not interested in buying into another restaurant. Especially now that I’ve found Oliver, I want to have more time to explore our relationship.”

  “I can understand that,” Nora said smiling. She appreciated Mia’s blunt honesty. “Did Oliver tell you that we were matched by PLAYTIME as well?” She waited and when Mia nodded with a smile, she continued, “When Madi came into our lives, everything changed. Our lives revolve around her. I couldn’t imagine being away from her for hours each day. Madi comes to work with us every day. She had her own area where we can take care of her and enjoy her.”

  Nora stopped as a thought popped into her mind. “So, I know you can cook. Ryan and I ate in your restaurant several years ago. Everything was amazing. Are you sure you want to cook for a small family? Do you like housecleaning? This is a big house. It takes some coordination to keep it clean.”

  “To be honest, I don’t have any professional training in housecleaning. I can tell you that I hate disorder. If I was your housekeeper, I would have a schedule of different tasks to complete each day – dusting and sweeping on Monday, kitchens, and bathrooms on Tuesday, etc. Of course, there would need to be some flexibility in every schedule. How many days a week and meals does the job entail?” Mia asked.

  “I’ve envisioned breakfast and dinner each day, Monday through Friday. We’d love to take our lunch to work to enjoy as a picnic during the week, but Ryan and I have lunch appointments with clients frequently. So, probably lunch twice a week max. It’s good for us to get out of the office sometimes, too. Madi likes French fries way too much. I admit I indulge her from time to time.” Nora stopped to smile as something caught her eye through the window.

  Mia turned to look out the big picture window as well. Ryan Redmond and their Little girl, Madi, were playing hopscotch in the garden. Madi was radiant as she clapped her hands laughing as her Daddy tried to turn around on one foot. It was an enchanting picture of Little life.

  Nora turned back to Mia ready to apologize. She fell quiet as she watched Mia watch the happy scene with longing written all over her face. “Do you think Oliver is your Little boy?” she asked softly. “He’s been searching for his Mommy for several years.”

  Turning her head to look at Nora, Mia answered with confidence echoing in each word. “He’s my Little boy. I don’t have any doubts. Now, I just need to make sure that I’m the right Mommy for him. Already, after just one meeting, I want his happiness above my desires.” She looked down at her hands. “I want this job, Nora. I’ll do my absolute best to take care of your family as I try to become Oliver’s Mommy.”

  Nodding her head thoughtfully, Nora admitted to herself that she’d already made her decision. “We consider everyone, who helps make our home a happy place, as part of our family. Would you like to meet Ryan and Madi?” she asked smiling at the beautiful, older woman.

  “I would love it. Then, perhaps, you’ll show me the kitchen and I’ll get something whipped up for dinner. I bet you’re tired of cooking already,” Mia offered eager to see the kitchen. In her opinion, you could always tell a lot about a person just by looking at their kitchen. Was it a friendly, warm room that welcomed you in or was it neglected and coldly pristine? She had a feeling that she would enjoy working in the Redmonds’ kitchen. She stood as Nora rose from the chair. Following her through the patio door, Mia joined the small family. It was very evident that the three adults were very happy together.

  Madi was very shy around new people. She loved being her Mommy and Daddy’s Little girl, but she was afraid that new people wouldn’t understand. She hung back hiding slightly behind her Daddy.

  Mia shook Ryan’s hand and accepting his compliments that the meals they’d had in her restaurant. She said simply that she was looking for a new type of job, one that would allow her to spend time with someone special. Making eye contact with Madi, she smiled softly, “I am glad to meet you, Madi. I’m looking forward to cooking for you. Is there anything that you don’t like?”

&n
bsp; The Little girl thought carefully before scrunching up her nose. She said carefully, looking at her Mommy and Daddy to judge their reactions, “I don’t like vegetables very well. Except for French fries. I love French fries.”

  “I like French fries, too, Madi. But Little girls can’t eat French fries every day. You’d turn to a golden stick covered in ketchup!” She joined Madi’s giggles at this visual picture. “I love vegetables. Maybe you just haven’t tried vegetables prepared with a little magic?”

  “You put magic in your food?” Madi was fascinated by this idea. Her parents observed with delight. “Maybe I could try your vegetables, Mia.”

  “I’ll put a special sprinkle of magic in my dishes for dinner tonight,” Mia said smiling fondly at the happy family. Madi was an enchanting Little girl. She was going to enjoy tempting her to try new foods.

  Chapter Six

  Oliver came home from the gym with his muscles exhausted from the workout. Lifting weights after such a heavy lunch wasn’t idea for his body but his brain had demanded the distraction. He dumped his duffel bag by door and noticed that his message light was blinking on the home phone Nora insisted that he have. He pressed the button to play the message.

  “Oliver, come join us for dinner. We’ll eat at six. Nora and Madi want to hear all about your lunch with your Mommy. I admit, I’m curious too,” Ryan’s voice confessed on the recording.

  Shaking his head, Oliver laughed. His adoptive family was checking up on him. He headed to the shower thinking, “I better go, or I’ll never hear the end of it!” A quick shower later, Oliver dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before checking his phone one last time to see if Mia had called or texted. He debated whether to send her a message and gave in. He didn’t want to play it cool. He wanted to let her know he was thinking about her.