Chapter 28
KYLIE
“Mabel!” She usually worked nights, and it was almost nine-thirty.
“Hey, Ms. Kylie.” Mabel sauntered over and squeezed my arm. “It’s good to see you. Hey Patrick, sweetie. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mabel.” Patrick grinned. “How are you? How are your grandsons?”
Mabel lit up, launching into a five-minute story about Michael and Davis.
Their blond hair was turning ash blond, much to the chagrin of her daughter-in-law, and she was scheduled to visit them in Seattle in a few days for two whole weeks.
That’s why she was picking up a couple of double shifts.
When she was done, she pointed at me and said, “I know what she wants.” She touched Patrick’s arm. “What can I get you?”
“A ham and cheddar omelet with fruit on the side.”
Mabel and I caught each other’s gaze and giggled. “So boring.”
“We can’t all live off pancakes and whipped cream.” He tugged my hair. I pushed his hand away.
“Every once in a while, it’s okay.” I placed my napkin on my lap and rested my hands on the countertop.
“Coming right up.” Mabel made her rounds around the circular diner countertop. With a coffeepot in one hand, she wiped down the shiny Formica table with a rag she held in the other.
Mabel didn’t meet strangers, and every patron of the diner she treated like family.
“Did you know she had twin grandchildren?” Kylie looked at me.
“They’re five years old, born in Los Angeles. She’s not fond of the daughter-in-law but is making more of an effort because the woman gave birth to two seven-pound babies after twenty-one hours of labor.” Patrick gave a curt nod.
“Wow.” My fingers tapped the counter. Patrick grabbed my hand, placed it on his thigh and covered it with his own. It calmed me instantly. “Those employee files must be massive.”
“I didn’t learn all that from a background check,” He shrugged. “I just asked. But Mabel probably knows more about what’s going on in this building than I do. Even about you. You said she doesn’t know you’re a little, but I bet she does.”
I glanced down at my clothes. Nothing about them gave me away. I looked adorable, but no different from any other twenty-something in Las Vegas.
Thinking about it, though, the way she spoke to me differed slightly from how she spoke to other patrons.
“So, tell me about your little.” The question made me feel vulnerable. I turned to face him. I wanted to get closer to him, but the barstools were bolted to the floor. He rested his arm on the back of my chair. I leaned back for contact. “How old is she?”
I looked around at the other patrons. He grasped my chin and brought my face back to him.
“No one’s paying us any attention. It’s just you and me.” He kissed my forehead and released my chin. “Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.” My voice was still not above a whisper, but I felt safe to tell him about myself. “She’s sixish. I’ve tried playing younger, but it wasn’t really my thing. And, I’m a good girl.” I smiled shyly. “Mostly.”
“And what happens when you’re not being a good girl?” He gripped my shoulder. “What does Little Kylie do to act out?”
“Daddy.” The word came out as a whine before I could stop it. “I can’t tell you that. You’re just going to have to figure it out as we go along.” I looked down at my hands, then back up at him, blinking. “That is, if you want to go along.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I want to go along.”
“Me, too.” A hot chocolate placed in front of me pulled my gaze away from Patrick’s deep green eyes. I grabbed the cup with both hands and took a sip. “Yummy.”
I licked the whipped cream off my lips. Patrick’s face turned away and he adjusted himself under the counter.
I enjoyed knowing I could do that to him.
I had felt him through his pants last night when he spanked me, and again this morning.
His touch did something to me. But it wasn’t only that: it was his voice, the way his eyes found mine, the quiet attentiveness he’d shown me even before any of this started.
It hit me all at once. I might have stumbled into exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for.
“You never told me. What else are we going to do today?”
“Do you not like surprises, little one?” His hand rubbed my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I do like surprises–when I know what they are.” I giggled and took another sip of hot chocolate.
“Well, that’s just silly.” Patrick shook his head and sipped water from a glass Mabel sat in front of him. “I thought you might like to do a little sightseeing in Vegas. You haven’t left the property in weeks. How are you with heights?”
“Fine.” I shrugged.
“What about animals?”
“I love animals.” I paused my sipping. “Most animals. I don’t like snakes, but I can look at them if I don’t have to touch them.”
“So, the World of Snakes immersive experience is out?” He was joking, right?
“Yep. A hard no for me.” I shivered for another reason.
“What about the dark?” He winked. “You afraid of the dark?”
I inhaled and exhaled. I liked where this was going. “Nope.”
A low hum started in my belly at Patrick’s sexy smirk.
“Then I thought we’d have an early dinner. And, we can stop by the little’s event tonight.”
“That sounds like fun, but ...” I looked down at my jeans and felt the bow at my side.
“Maybe we should stop at a place I know, and we can do some shopping.” Patrick placed his hand on the back of my neck, and my nerves calmed immediately. “Find you something cute to wear tonight. How does that sound?”
“Perfect, Daddy.” I took another sip of my hot chocolate, getting a mix of whipped cream and chocolate on my lips. I turned to Patrick. “Do I have something on my face?”
He took the bait and leaned in. His tongue snaked out and licked the side of my lip before capturing my face in his hand and kissing me. After he finished cleaning my mouth, he leaned back.
“Ok, you two.” Mabel snickered and placed our food in front of us. “Eat.”
After breakfast, we jumped into an SUV with the Quadrangle logo on the doors.
Patrick drove. We zipped around Las Vegas in and out of side streets until ten minutes later, we ended up at a popular Las Vegas attraction and event space called Area15.
We walked into the metal structure and the manager greeted us.
He led us through the building, past the restaurants, games and other attractions, back outside to a steel tower with a sign announcing the LiftOff Experience.
Picture a table with sixteen seats lifting people one hundred feet into the air under a futuristic hot-air balloon.
I held in all the squeals as we sat. Patrick helped strap me in, and we were off. As we started ascending, the Vegas Strip came into spectacular view. Our feet dangled beneath us, and I kicked playfully.
“Look, Daddy.” We weren’t on the ride alone, but no one sat on either side of us. “There’s our home.” The Quadrangle in all its glory set off across the desert in the distance. It really looked like an oasis. “This is so cool.”
Patrick wasn’t looking at the view; his eyes remained on me. “I love seeing you smile.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to contain a smile that felt too big for my face.
He peeled his gaze away from my mouth and kissed the side of my head.
Patrick knew every building in Las Vegas.
He talked and pointed out some of the other hotels in the area and other attractions.
I grabbed his arm and leaned into him and listened, taking in the view on my Daddy’s arm.
I was happier than I have ever been. The ride didn’t last long enough.
Before I knew it, we were coming back down.
“Can we do it again?” Vegas from that angle made it seem so magical.
“Some other time. We have another couple of stops to make.”
At our next stop, we valeted the truck at the Aria Hotel and rode up a series of escalators into a dark passage. I spotted the sign for The Arte Museum on the wall.
“An art museum?” I asked. Sounded boring.
“Just wait.” He kissed the top of my head and guided me down the dark corridor. It was kind of creepy not knowing where we were going, but a small light at the end was our destination.
We walked through a heavy curtain and stepped into a tall wave of water.
I gasped and grabbed Patrick’s arm. He chuckled, resting an arm on my shoulder.
It wasn’t a real wave, but a virtual one that crashed above our heads and below our feet.
When an image of a whale appeared in the surf, a fit of giggles escaped me.
It was visually stunning. We made our way through that room, into other rooms of moving art and virtual animals coming to life and jumping all around me.
It was an immersive experience projected all around us.
It was disorienting and exhilarating all at the same time.
We wander through the rooms, sitting and enjoying the colors and sounds.
At one point, Patrick leaned over and whispered, “Close your mouth, little one. You’re going to let the flies in. ”
Each room was different and overwhelming in the best way, and Patrick never left my side.
We entered the last room, where chairs and benches stood in the corners.
Music played, and black and white images of Las Vegas projected and moved along the walls.
Patrick guided me to one of the chairs, sat, and pulled me onto his lap.
A soothing voice came on and, underscored by music, talked about the history of Las Vegas.
The room was mostly empty. I turned my head toward Patrick. I found his gaze still on me.
“You are missing the view,” I said..
“No, my eyes are exactly where they want to be.” He nuzzled the side of my face with his nose. “You’re so beautiful, Kylie.”
“So are you, Daddy.” The stubble on his cheek was too inviting; my fingertips ran across his jawline.
“Handsome, I mean.” I leaned in and kissed him nibbling on his bottom lip.
He growled. I snaked my tongue out like he had earlier and tasted him, then pressed my tongue into his mouth for more.
I couldn’t get enough of him. He let me explore for a minute, but then he took over sliding his hand into my hair and palmed my scalp while deepening the kiss.
He consumed me in this place as, on the screen, casino chips danced around us.
This over-the-top, Vegas-inspired fairytale was a dream come true, and I was relishing it.
Loved being with him. He took care of me and my little.
The longer our day went, the less I cared about what others thought of me, and the less afraid I became to let my little side out to enjoy.
When he finished the kiss, he cradled my hands against his shoulders and held me.
I looked at the screen. A group of friends, all dressed in tuxedos and the girls in sequence dresses, gambled at a craps table. “Have Rayna and Tinley been here?”
“No.”
“I bet it could be rented out for them.” I played with the collar of his shirt. “I think they would love it. Rayna for sure; maybe Tinley would be a little scared, but she just needs to get in the door and see everything is fine, and she’d be okay. She would love the forest. It’s not too dark.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Maybe I could bring them here as a way to say I’m sorry.” I blinked, but a tear fell anyway. Patrick wiped it away.
“Oh, little Kylie.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “I think that’s an amazing idea.” He kissed both my cheeks and my lips. “Come on.” He set me on my feet and stood up.
“Shopping?”
“Yep.” We made our way towards the exit and out into the Las Vegas sun. We had a quick ride to a hotel a few doors down from the museum and pulled into the rounded driveway. A parking attendant opened my door.
“Hi, Patrick.” Another guy approached in a black suit with the hotel’s logo on his chest and a name tag that read James Harris, Head of Security. “Welcome to the Florentine.”
“Hey, James.” Patrick shook hands with the tall, black man. “This is Kylie Stands.”
“Hi, Kylie.” He smiled and waved. “Just leave the car here.” He nodded to his parking attendant.
“We’ll only be about a half-hour.”
“Take your time.” They shook again.
Patrick grabbed my hand, and we stepped inside.
The place wasn’t as luxurious as the Quad, but it was still nice, with the familiar chime of slot machines and a low murmur of voices.
We rushed across the patterned carpet of the casino floor and into the shops area.
Down a short hallway was an innocuous door.
Patrick seemed to know where he was going. “Here we are.”
Patrick pressed the doorbell. The door opened a few seconds later. A man taller than my already-tall daddy stood in front of us. His body took up the whole doorframe.
“Patrick.” His voice was deep, and his skin a tanned olive color. He wore a sweatshirt and jeans. He and Patrick shook hands, and he stepped out of the way. “This must be Kylie.”
He held his hand out. I looked at Patrick. He nodded and grinned. I wasn’t seeking permission, only some assurance that this man would not crush my little hand. He was surprisingly gentle.
“Welcome to Little Blooms.” He presented the store as if he were a model at a car show. “If there’s something not in your size, ask; and if you can’t find something you want, we can make it.” He walked toward the back of the store.
I was able to take in the full scope of the room and froze. Clothing displays and racks covered the room, and they were all little-inspired and little-approved. I clapped my hands once, a sharp sound of delight, and then took off.
I was in little girl heaven.