Book 1 Allie in Wonderlust
highlight_author
S. K. Dingman
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186K
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17
Allie is tired of pretending she’s satisfied. Bad dates, disappointing encounters, and endless frustration have her ready to give up on finding the spark she secretly craves. Then an unusual invitation pulls her toward a hidden world called Wonderlust, a place filled with temptation, mystery, and experiences far outside her comfort zone. Curious but cautious, Allie steps into a world where pleasure feels thrilling, dangerous, and impossible to forget. Every encounter pushes her limits while awakening parts of herself she has kept buried for far too long. But the deeper she falls into Wonderlust, the harder it becomes to separate fantasy from reality. What begins as one daring choice soon turns into a delicious journey of desire, confidence, and discovering exactly what she’s been missing all along.
Chapter 1
Allie rolled onto her back and sighed in frustration. She ran a hand through her blonde, semi-curled hair as she stared up at the ceiling.
The depressing white popcorn ceiling made her feel pity and resentment for herself and the man currently lying next to her. A man who liked to go by the title of “boyfriend.”
Gavin panted heavily beside her, his face red and relaxed with pure satisfaction.
“That was great, Allie. Fuck! You’re crazy.” He laughed while rolling onto his side to stare at her.
Allie dragged her eyes from the daunting ceiling to Gavin’s eyes, which were showing nothing but admiration and love.
Biting her lip to keep from saying something she might regret, Allie rolled away from him and off the bed.
Taking a moment to breathe out the frustration, Allie noticed her nipples pebbling at the sudden exposure, making her wonder if they’d even stood at attention earlier during the non-stimulating sex. Shaking her head to rid herself of pitying thoughts, she ruffled her hair and reached for her dress—sky-blue and white, with a skin-tight bust and a flared skirt.
“Listen, Gavin—”
“I’m so glad you spent the night. Isn’t morning sex the best? It’s spontaneous and a fucking great way to wake up.”
Allie didn’t need to look to know there was a stupid, boyish grin on his face.
Such a child.
“It’s better when there’s time to enjoy the act instead of treating it like a race,” she mumbled as she stepped into her dress.
“Huh? Did you say something, babe?”
Allie rolled her eyes at the horribly cliché nickname before turning around to face him as she put her right arm through the white sleeve.
“Look,” she said as she put her left arm through the blue sleeve, “I don’t think this is going to work.”
Gavin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched her smooth out the dress over her curves.
“What do you mean?”
Untying the black ribbon she liked to keep around her wrist, Allie sneered at her boyfriend’s cluelessness.
“I mean I’m breaking up with you. I’m bored of you.” She tied the black ribbon around her hair, making a perfect bow on top of her head. “I’m tired of you not pleasing me.”
“Pleasing you? What the hell does tha—”
“I haven’t orgasmed once since we’ve been together,” Allie said matter-of-factly.
Gavin sat up abruptly. “You haven’t? Why didn’t you say something? I would have—”
Allie scoffed.
“You would have failed, just like all the other times.” Sighing, she grabbed her phone and purse off the dresser. She looked at the time on her phone and cursed to herself.
I’m going to be late.
“Look, it is what it is. Don’t feel bad. It’s been ridiculously hard for every person I’ve come across to give me an orgasm.” She shrugged and turned back to Gavin.
Her response only seemed to make him angry and embarrassed.
“We can try different things! Instead of just running away from me without even trying.” He grabbed her hand, not giving her a chance to retreat. “We can talk this through.”
Pulling her onto the bed, he reached forward to meet her lips.
Gavin kissed her like his life depended on it, one hand tangling in her hair while the other trailed down her body. He started lifting up the dress so he could caress the soft, luscious skin on her ass, making her give out a little moan.
Allie couldn’t help but heat up a little at the feeling of him and their desiring kiss. She let him control the moment, since she knew he felt like he was losing it.
She’d allow the delusion until she wanted it back.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead onto hers.
“Allie, I love you. I want to be with you.” His face softened at his admission, the love he was speaking of showing through his dark eyes.
Allie could only stare in disbelief.
Is he out of his fucking mind?
Love was the absolute last thing on her mind. She lacked that emotion, and for good reason. She saw what it did to people, how it could control them.
How it could destroy them.
With anger coursing through her veins, Allie ripped herself out of his grasp before leaning toward him, her face inches from his.
The action was far from the loving one Gavin had displayed moments before.
“I don’t love you. I never have, and I never will. I told you from the start I wanted no love. Just some friendly company and sex. You pushed the title of a relationship on me. You want something more. I don’t.” Pulling away, she watched his features go from shock to utter devastation.
“Alice…,” he whispered.
“Do not call me that!” she snapped. Turning away, Allie grabbed her shoes and headed to the door. “Goodbye, Gavin.”
Allie slammed the door on her way out, making the paintings in the apartment hallway shake from the harsh collision.
She was fuming. The sheer balls of him using her birth name, how he had even found out was beyond her.
Disgust crawled up her skin at the thought of the people who had given her that name.
Sick fucking bastards.
Glancing at her phone, she blanched at the time.
I’m late! I’m late!
Slipping on her heels, Allie rushed down the hallway to the elevators.
She stopped in front of the silver doors and hurriedly pushed the red button that was shaped like an arrow pointing down.
“Come on, come on!” She huffed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her toes.
After a minute, the doors opened and she hurriedly stepped through, immediately pressing the Lobby button.
Once the doors closed, she took the opportunity to use the mirrored inside to look over her appearance.
Allie smoothed out the unseen wrinkles in her dress, then brought her hands up to her face, making sure her makeup was not smeared from her unsatisfied rendezvous.
She paused to stare at her light-blue eyes.
Such bored, sad eyes.
Allie blinked just as the tears started to fill up and distort her image. She shook her head and blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the unwanted wetness threatening to spill over.
She did not have time to dwell. She had an important meeting to get to.
The elevator dinged loudly before opening the doors. Allie rushed past people waiting to get on and speed-walked through the lobby out the front door.
“Goodbye, Allie,” an older voice rasped out, making her stop on the steps.
Allie twisted around to see none other than her favorite person, the front doorman, George.
The older gentleman smiled, grabbing his uniform cap and tipping it up at her, revealing a head full of black and graying hair.
She could not help but smile back at him.
“Goodbye, George. This will be the last time we see each other,” Allie confessed, feeling a sadness wash over her.
George put his hat back on and opened the door to another couple exiting the building. When they were far enough away, he stepped down carefully until he was on the same step as her.
“Now why is that? Gavin not measuring up to what you had hoped?” He chuckled jokingly, though a knowing look shone through his eyes.
Allie blushed.
“I would rather not discuss it with you.” She turned away, her cheeks and chest feeling uncomfortably hot. “You see him nearly every day and talk to him as if he is your own son. It would become awkward if I said anything about our…private life.”
He chuckled again, clearly amused by Allie’s sudden shyness.
“Believe it or not, I was once in your shoes. Rendezvous that had such potential turning out to be a disappointing fuck—”
Allie gasped and turned to stare at him wide-eyed as he continued on without a second thought.
“And when you air out your tastes, you get looks of disgust.” He looked at her with sympathy, taking a small step closer.
“And to top everything off, you make it clear from the start you only wanted one thing. That one thing to satiate the hunger you can barely control…only for them to bully you into a relationship then disappoint you further when they can only last two more minutes after they got what they wanted.”
She could not believe her ears. Her sweet George had cussed AND had described exactly what had been happening to her.
The hunger, the looks.
The utter disappointment.
With the truth out in the open, tears began to pool in Allie’s eyes again.
Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to say something when a tall man wearing a black top hat caught her eye. She looked over, the wetness leaving her eyes and traveling down south. The sudden urge to pant nearly overwhelmed her as she devoured him with her eyes.
She scanned his face, taking in the sharp, smooth jawline that came to an almost pointed chin. There was slight stubble on his face, making Allie’s fingers twitch at the idea of trailing her fingers across the coarse hair.
His cheekbones were present, but not so much that they made him look gaunt. Instead, it made him appear very healthy, despite his fair skin. Under the top hat, peeking out just a little, Allie could make out dark frizzy, curled hair.
As she looked into his eyes, she noticed something odd. To her, the nearly orange-colored eyes seemed to be hiding something dark and…sinfully twisted.
Just the thought alone made her bite her lip to stop a groan from escaping.
As the tall gentleman walked by, time seemed to be at a standstill. With the people on the sidewalk disappearing and him not sparing her a glance, it only caused the fire that was burning inside her to burn brighter and hotter.
A throat being cleared from beside her pulled her from the consuming heat she was slowly drowning in. She snapped her gaze back to George and instantly felt ashamed for getting so distracted. And getting so fucking turned on.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, rubbing her neck.
George laughed, a deep throaty one that put a smile on Allie’s face. “Like I said, I understand.”
He looked around before stepping closer to her. “I may be able to help you, dear Alice.”
Allie bristled at her true name but allowed him to continue without chastising him.
“I know of a place that could help with your…needs.” He opened his uniform jacket, digging through the inner pocket until his face showed satisfaction in finding the missing item.
Allie put up her hands. “Oh no, George. I will be fi—”
He thrust a card into her hand, interrupting her refusal. “Just think about it. This place did wonders for me, and it very well could for you too. Just show up at the address at dusk, and they will take it from there.”
Sighing, Allie put the card in her purse. She had no intentions of going to a shady place just for some release.
She was about to tell him just that when her phone went off. Her eyes widened. “Oh shit! George, I have to go. I hope to see you real soon.” She hurriedly kissed his cheek before turning and running down the stairs.
“Stop by soon! We will have tea!” he yelled, waving a hand in the air.
Allie did not turn back, but she waved her hand back at him, signaling that she heard his words.
