Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Rex
I woke up the following morning still laughing about the night before.
It wasn’t just the trampoline thing, either. Though I couldn’t stop thinking about how cute—and sexy—Lila had looked in her bra and panties.
Nor how wonderful it had felt to have her cradled in my arms, even if it was just for that brief moment. I was thankful I was there to catch her, too, or she might have really gotten hurt falling off that trampoline like she did.
Lila had been flustered the whole night, and she was as cute as she could be.
She’d felt bad about tearing the dress, but Athena assured her it wasn’t any big deal. When Lila tried to pay for it, she wouldn’t hear of it.
As I lay in my bed, unable to get Lila off my mind, I thought of what the day might hold. Lila was there to see Hollywood. Why not give her the full experience?
Grabbing my phone from the nightstand charger, I was a little disappointed when I checked the screen and saw she hadn’t messaged. But I couldn’t fault her. This was all so new to her. The last thing I wanted to do was overwhelm her, so I resisted the urge to text.
But I did fire off a message to Stryker, asking if he was up for a quick call.
Stryker was a movie director I knew from Athena’s. He also was responsible for bankrolling the Daddy Guard.
My phone buzzed a second later and I accepted the call.
“Hey. Didn’t know you’d call so fast. Figured you might be on set.”
“We aren’t filming today. Doing pre-production work on my next movie.”
“So you’re at the studio?”
“Sure am. What’s up?”
“I have a friend visiting from New York.”
“Oh yeah. Lila, right? Athena mentioned her when I talked to her this morning.”
“That’s the one. Super into movies. I hate to ask a favor but?—”
“You know I don’t mind. Bring her by. Just tell me what time you’re coming this afternoon and I’ll put your name on the list with the guards.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“She’s super into Halloween. I’ve heard rumors you’re doing a haunted house for the Littles this year. Is it here or in Mountainville?”
“Both!” I could hear the excitement in Stryker’s voice.
He lived for this stuff and was a master of inventing cool things and rigging up amazing special effects.
“Harrison is actually in Mountainville right now, putting the finishing touches on the one there for our friends. But he’s flying back tomorrow.
Starts filming a new series November 1st, and has some pre-production stuff to take care of before cameras roll. ”
Harrison was his best friend and one of the biggest actors on the planet. He just happened to be a Little like Stryker, though the rest of the world didn’t know that.
“A TV series? He’s a big-time movie guy,” I stated.
“You know how it is. Whole new world these days. People jump from films to TV and back again all the time. This one is for one of the streamers. It’s a comedy, too, so he’s excited to get out of the action mold for a while.”
“Nice. Hey, I’m not sure when Lila will be going back to New York.” Her return flight was two days away, but I hoped she’d stay longer. I didn’t go into all that with Stryker, though, instead saying, “You think she could have a test run in the haunted house? Again, sorry to ask another favor.”
“Are you kidding? That would be great! We need some beta testers to help us work out the kinks. Maybe some of the other Littles at Athena’s would be up for it,” he said.
“I really appreciate this,” I told him.
“Don’t mention it. Just let me know what time you’re coming by and I’ll let the right people know and I’ll be ready.”
I thanked him and then hung up. While my Snapchat was open so I could message Lila, another incoming call came in from Athena.
Only when I accepted it, I was surprised to hear Lila’s voice instead.
“Hi,” she said. “Sorry to bother you.”
“You’re no bother at all. I’m glad you called. I was just about to message you in Snap. You know, I should probably get your phone number so we can communicate better while you’re in town. That is, if you don’t mind. No pressure.”
“I don’t mind at all,” she said. Though it seemed as if there was something in her voice—hesitation, maybe. Sadness? I couldn’t tell. “I told Athena I didn’t have your number so she just let me use her phone. Anyway, I… Rex, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Oh shit. Was this the part where she was going to tell me there was no chemistry? Could she already tell that I wasn’t the Daddy for her?
It was the opposite of what I was feeling, obviously. But was she wanting to call this thing quits before it really even got off the ground?
Maybe I should stall. I didn’t want to force anything on her. But maybe with a little more time I could change her mind.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Tell you what, we can talk anytime you want. But if you don’t mind, I’d rather we wait until dinner. I’ve got a fun afternoon planned and I say anything serious could wait.”
“Okay.”
“Only if you’re comfortable,” I told her.
Was this fair of me to do? If there was something she needed to get off her chest I should just let her. But the Daddy in me couldn’t stand the idea of saying goodbye already.
I’d grown attached to her. When she left, it was going to rip my damn heart out.
“Got a tour of a movie studio lined up,” I added.
“Really?” Now all the hesitation—or whatever I’d sensed in her voice—was gone and pure excitement was broadcasting.
“Yep.”
“Oh my gosh! I can’t wait!”
I smiled. There was hope again. With any luck, it would last. Today might be my one shot to prove to her I was the Daddy she’d been looking for, I decided.
We finalized our plans and then broke the call.
Getting up, I went into my bathroom and studied my unshaven face in the mirror.
“Best be on your A-game, Rex,” I said.
“Your future with your babygirl might just depend on it.”