1. Olivier

Chapter 1

‘Let's freakin' party!' Olivier called out, delight in his voice as he popped open another bottle of champagne. ‘Hell yeah!'

As the champagne fizzed and frothed, Olivier took a moment to look around his apartment. Packed with celebrities, friends from the city's party scene, and a ton of people he didn't know at all, there was certainly no denying that this was all set to be another one of Olivier's famous all-night parties.

Olivier might only have been twenty-one years old, but he had been partying for as long as he could remember. Wearing nothing but a gold vest and matching hotpants, Olivier hollered and whooped as one of his favorite dance remixes came on over the apartment's stereo system.

After his good friend and fellow academy member Tommy moved out to live with his Daddy, the apartment had been a lot quieter. And while Olivier had certainly enjoyed having more space for his own stuff, he couldn't deny that it felt a little bit lonely. But that's where the parties came in. With the music pumping and the drinks flowing, Olivier felt more than happy to be at home.

‘Hey, shouldn't you be training or something?' a drunk local news anchor said as he stumbled toward Olivier, ready for another drink. ‘I thought the Ice Bears ran a tight ship.'

Olivier rolled his eyes and laughed.

‘I've got a couple of days off,' Olivier replied, pouring the news anchor a fresh drink. ‘I'm more worried about you showing up to present the news tomorrow!'

Olivier giggled and flashed his famously charming smile. He may have been capable of the highest levels of sass, but Olivier was known for his charm. He was almost always able to find a funny reply, his quick wit getting him out of the tightest of tight spots.

Olivier had grown up as the son of media and hockey royalty. While his father had a long career as a hockey pro, his mother was a TV presenter who went on to become a producer. And it was his parents' showbiz life that had opened Olivier's eyes to parties, fun, and pretty much doing what the hell he wanted.

But while his parents were busy with their careers, it meant that Olivier never quite grasped the concept of discipline or restraint. With the world open to him and no one to tell him no on a consistent basis, Olivier cruised through life doing exactly as he pleased. It was a fun youth, but it saw him skirt close to the edge on more times than he could remember.

‘Hey, Olivier, watch this!' Taylor said, taking two drinks and downing them at the same time. ‘Your turn!'

Taylor was a party-going Little around town, and one of Olivier's best friends. While Taylor was new to the city, it was Taylor's hometown, and that meant an inside line on all the coolest hangouts and secret parties.

The fact that the pair of them were both Littles simply added to the bond between them. Just like Olivier, Taylor would have partied and had fun seven days a week if he could. And together, the pair of them often got themselves into trouble – especially when there were Daddies around.

‘Come on, Olivier, I said it's your turn,' Taylor repeated, his choppily cut black hair flopping around as his emerald-green eyes fixed themselves on Olivier. ‘Two drinks at once!'

Olivier wasn't sure that he felt like downing two shots at the same time, but he knew that he had a reputation to uphold. After all, if the host of a party couldn't get wild then that really wasn't saying much for the party itself.

‘Um, yeah, sure,' Olivier said, taking two shot glasses from a nearby drinks tray and promptly downing them. ‘Bleurgh! Too strong!'

Olivier immediately felt the buzz from the liquor, and it wasn't long before he and Taylor were sitting on the couch together as the party continued around them.

‘I might only be twenty-one, but it feels like I've been partying forever,' Olivier said, his head beginning to settle from the shot.

‘Just wait until you're twenty-three,' Taylor laughed. ‘Life is for having fun though.'

‘I kinda feel bad,' Olivier said, a clarity coming over him as he felt the double shot settle in his stomach. ‘After screwing up with that DUI and drug possession charge, and then getting dropped by the Red Dolphins… it's kind of a miracle that the Ice Bears gave me a chance.'

‘Relax, you've got two days off,' Taylor replied, dismissively. ‘You're a great player, it's fine to let loose sometimes.'

‘Yeah, but…' Olivier said, his voice trailing off.

Suddenly, Olivier was struck with the thought that hosting parties, acting wild, and generally marching to the beat of his own drum wasn't the best way to get his career as a pro player started. Despite having been around hockey all his life, Olivier had never seen the struggle that players went through to earn a contract. His father retired when Olivier was young, so all he had known was the fun times and the glitz and glamor.

Olivier looked across the table and saw a bottle of mineral water next to a shiny bottle of tequila.

I should take the water.

I'll be feeling the effects of this party a day from now.

I need to change how I…

But before Olivier could make the choice between the water and the tequila, he was distracted by the sight of a partygoer having his pants pulled down by a gruff looking Daddy over by the window.

‘Spanking!' Taylor laughed, a look of pure glee on his face. ‘Come on, let's go and take a closer look.'

Olivier immediately giggled at the sight of the gruff Daddy, who also happened to be a famous actor, promptly pulling the boy over his lap and giving his round butt a warmup spank and wobble.

In that moment, any sense of doubts about his party lifestyle were put right to the back of Olivier's mind. It was time to enjoy the show and perhaps even see if the Daddy was looking to spank more than one ass that night…

‘Urgh. What… time… is… it?' Olivier said, his head pounding as a shaft of sunlight hit him squarely in the eyes.

‘Time you went back to sleep,' Taylor replied, his voice coming from somewhere over on the other side of the room.

Olivier sat up and looked around the living area of his apartment.

With drinks, food, and all kinds of mess everywhere, the reality of how wild the party got suddenly dawned on Olivier. Immediately, a sense of regret came over him and he flopped himself back down onto the couch and let out a long, queasy groan.

‘Not good, not good, not good,' Oliver said, reaching for a glass of water and nearly spilling it everywhere as his hungover coordination failed him.

Olivier managed to get some water in his mouth and took a moment to shut his eyes. It was at times like this that he wished he'd grown up with far more boundaries and discipline in his life. Sure, it was fun to party. But the frequency and extent that Olivier took things to was something else.

‘Never again,' Olivier said, his stomach churning at the thought of how many shots he downed over the course of the night.

‘You always say that,' Taylor replied, now standing up and stretching his hands above his head. ‘Shall we try and find a party somewhere? Keep things going?'

‘You're kidding, right?' Olivier replied. ‘Nooooo way.'

‘Suit yourself,' Taylor laughed, fist-bumping Olivier on his way out of the apartment. ‘See you next weekend, my friend.'

Olivier rolled his eyes and did his best to sit up and get his mind working at something like normal speed again. Taylor was a fun guy, and no one could ever say that he was boring. But Olivier was starting to feel like beyond their shared love of getting wild, the two of them didn't have much in common.

Taylor was from a similarly privileged background as Olivier, but the big difference was that Taylor didn't have any career goals. So for Taylor, it was pretty easy to breeze through the week, partying as much as he wanted. But for Olivier, it was a whole other story.

‘I guess it's time to start Operation Cleanup,' Olivier said, casting his eye around the room and feeling his heart sink at the prospect of spending at least two hours putting everything back in place and filling several recycling bags.

Olivier got to his feet but before he could pick up his first empty beer can, he saw his phone flash up with a couple of messages. And as soon as he saw the names appear on screen, Olivier felt his spirits rise…

TOMMY: Okay, so I'm guessing you're not feeling too great this morning? I say you get your butt down to Met Milkshakes ASAP. Come on, there's nothing like a fully loaded milkshake to wash away the hangover.

DONOVAN: You know Tommy's right. And what kind of academy brothers would we be unless we stepped in and helped you in your hangover moment of need?

Olivier knew it was pointless resisting the invitation from his friends and fellow Ice Bears academy graduates. But before he officially accepted the invite, Olivier knew that there was one person who he needed to check with…

‘So you're saying it's a good idea too, Magic?' Olivier asked, having dashed into his bedroom and found his most cherished stuffie, Magic the little silver mouse. ‘Well that just settles it. Poo to cleaning up this place, and yay to meeting our friends at Met Milkshakes!'

Suddenly, all thoughts of tidying and hangovers vanished from Olivier's mind and he was jumping into the shower to freshen up ahead of a fun playdate with his fellow academy Littles down at their favorite hangout in the city, Met Milkshakes.

Olivier knew that he would have to get his apartment looking good again at some stage, but the prospect of some friendly company, milkshakes, and sweet cookies was simply too good to turn down. And to be able to relax with his friends and their stuffies in the Met Milkshakes playroom was the icing on the cake.

Tommy and Donovan might have had fulltime Daddies in their lives, but this morning was going to be all about the Littles!

As soon as he stepped into Met Milkshakes, Olivier felt himself relax. Memories of the party were put to the back of his mind as he heard the familiar greeting of Met Milkshakes resident Daddy and Little combination, Silas and Harry.

‘Olivier!' Silas said, his strong arms being put to use as he lifted a crate of Coca-Cola bottles up onto the counter. ‘Great to see you.'

‘Tommy and Donovan are already in the playroom,' Harry said, a big smile on his face. ‘I can bring a milkshake through if you like?'

‘That's sounds perfect,' Olivier said, taking in the happy, wholesome vibes of the main café area. ‘And could I have a plate of cookies too, please? You know, the double-choc ones with the sea salt.'

‘Of course,' Harry said, smiling. ‘I heard you had a party last night. So don't worry, you just get in the playroom, and I'll bring everything through to you.'

Olivier nodded and smiled.

The service was always super-friendly in Met Milkshakes, and it felt good to be there. Suddenly, any worries about academy training tomorrow were long gone. As far as Olivier was concerned, it was time to relax and have some fun with his friends.

A quick change later, and Olivier was on the playroom's soft, snug carpet in his pink romper. Next to him was the sizeable figure of Donovan and his capybara stuffie, Cap. And the threesome was rounded off by Tommy, who was accompanied by Noodles, the monkey.

‘We're lucky boys,' Donovan said, stretching out in his cow-patterned romper. ‘We've got our stuffies, cookies, and our friends. Life is good.'

‘Yup, and my milkshake is deelish,' Tommy said, his voice softening as he began to regress and find his Little space. ‘I want more cream!'

Olivier giggled as Tommy dipped his nose into the milkshake to try and lick up more cream from inside the plastic.

‘Shall we play a game?' Donovan asked, rolling onto his front and sticking his big, strong butt in the air. ‘How about a race?'

‘Maybe,' Olivier replied, the sweet cookie crunching inside his mouth. ‘But… I'm still a bit tired.'

Donovan and Tommy looked at one another knowingly and giggled.

‘My Daddy says if I don't get enough sleep, I get grouchy,' Tommy said, blushing. ‘And that's when I have to have my butt warmed up.'

‘Same!' Donovan said, laughing.

‘Well I don't have a Daddy to tell me my bedtime,' Olivier said, pouting. ‘I can stay up all night long if I want. And I do!'

‘Hey, that's cool too,' Donovan said, reaching out and patting Olivier on his knee. ‘And you'll find a Daddy soon, I know you will.'

‘Yeah, but he'll never be able to tell me when to go to bed,' Olivier said, giggling. ‘If my mom and pop couldn't tell me, there's no way I'm going to let a Daddy do it.'

‘Hmmm, just you wait and see,' Tommy laughed. ‘Anyway. Let's have one race. Just one. I bet you I win.'

Olivier smiled.

He could rarely resist a challenge, and this sounded like exactly that.

‘But if I win, we go nap-nap?' Olivier giggled.

‘It's on,' Donovan replied.

And with that, the three Littles lined up on all fours and after a count of three began crawling around the perimeter of the playroom, their hands and knees propelling them as fast as the possibly could.

‘I'm gonna win!' Olivier said, turning into the final corner with a big smile on his face.

But before he could cross the finish line, the three friends got themselves all tangled up together and ended up in a big heap. And despite not finishing the race, the three of them burst out into laughter.

As far as Olivier was concerned, this was a better feeling than any late night party. This was the kind of fun that he would happily have every day from now until forever.

‘Okay, time for sleepies,' Donovan said, hauling himself out from underneath his friends. ‘And something tells me we're going to sleep well too.'

Donovan pointed toward the playroom door and Olivier and his friends were met with the sight of Silas standing there with a tray of warm milk in bottles.

‘Milk! Milk!' Olivier said, sitting on his fluffy butt and reaching upward. ‘Milk and then go sleep-sleep.'

Olivier felt happier than he had in a long time.

But with training resuming at the academy tomorrow, Olivier knew that he needed his Little naptime more than ever…