It was amazing to see Kylie in little space, playing and enjoying herself. Her little shoulders were no longer up near her ears, and her demeanor was sassy but sweet. I was so proud of her.
I placed a hand on Kylie’s shoulder. “Hey little one.” I sat down in a small chair; it creaked under my weight. “You ready to show me your drawing?”
She covered it with her arm.
“Almost.” She never looked up. I loved that she knew my touch.
“Who’s your friend?”
“This is Annabelle.” Kylie looked up for the briefest moment, smiled, and then her attention went right back to her paper.
“Hi, Annabelle.”
“Hi, Mr. Complicated.” Annabelle’s eyes grew wide as a blush bloomed on her cheek. Kylie lifted her head and bit her bottom lip. A beat of silence passed before they both burst into giggles.
What was that about?
“Kylie.” I turned my attention back to her. “It’s getting late, and the party is winding down. Time for bed.”
“Yes, sir.” She put her markers back in the bin and rolled up her picture.
“It was nice meeting you, Annabelle.” Kylie walked around the table to stand in front of her. “I’ll see you next time.”
“Oh, wait.” Annabelle stood up. “Will you be here tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure, but if so, I’ll look for you.”
“Yeah.” She clapped her hands and leaned in to hug Kylie. Kylie stiffened from the contact but hugged her back.
“Good night, Annabelle.” I nodded and took Kylie’s hand, and we left the party.
KYLIE
Was our evening over?
I was too afraid to ask. We walked through the Quad courtyard. I hadn’t been back since the first time Patrick brought me. My heart pounded in my chest as he interrogated me about my motives for being in his hotel. Never in a million years would I have thought we’d end up here, holding hands after a littles’ party. We made our way across the lobby. The casino wasbustling with people; when we walked over to Quad II, my heart sank. I wasn’t ready for him to take me home.
I thought we were going to his room. I had never seen it. It was down the hall from Kyler’s, so maybe that made sense that he wouldn’t take me there. He didn’t want me to run into the girls yet.
We headed up the elevator to my floor, hand in hand.
“Oh, no.” I reached out and tried the door, knowing it was locked. I forgot my employee badge, which also gave me access to my room.
“Where’s your card, little girl?” Patrick stared down at me.
“I know exactly where it is.” My sassy attitude came out unprompted. I placed my hand on the door and pouted.
Patrick turned to me and leaned over. “I told you about those pouty lips.” He pressed his lips to mine. It was a brief kiss, but it made me curse the badge sitting uselessly on the table inside.
Patrick took out his phone and tapped a few buttons. He waved his phone over the door reader, and it popped open.
“There you go, little girl.” He pushed it and stepped to the side. “I think we need to start writing rules down, so you won’t forget.”
“They are written down.” I stepped inside and turned around. “In the employee handbook. But I’m not sure I’m an employee anymore.”
“Until someone tells you you’re fired, you are still an employee.” He leaned against the doorframe.
“What about Kyler and Josh?” I dropped my bag on the table, next to the name badge. “Do they want to fire me?”
