Episode 29
Episode 29
All You Can Eat
RHODES
“Whoa sweetheart, slow down,” I suggested as Maia shoveled a huge mouthful of mashed potatoes and took a monster bite of a buttery roll almost simultaneously. Her cheeks were puffed up like a chipmunk, which was rather cute, but also concerning. “The food isn’t going anywhere. It’s a buffet, you can eat as much as you want.”
Her eyes widened as she chewed and swallowed. She lifted her water and drank deeply before wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Uh, sorry. I haven’t eaten today.”
I chuckled and reached for my glass of red wine. Maia hadn’t taken so much as a single sip from the glass I’d poured for her. Perhaps she didn’t like wine.
“So, why this place?” I gestured to the all-you-could-eat buffet in Caesars Palace. It wasn’t my regular dining preference. Everywhere I looked there were tourists loading their plates to the gills, some not even waiting to start eating until they’d gotten back to their table, sampling items while picking through what was available.
Maia cut a large chunk of steak. The damn thing was practically burnt, it was so overdone. If she’d wanted a good steak, I could have taken her to the steakhouse in The Alexandra. Joel’s resort catered to those who could afford the best. Something I’d worked very hard to ensure I could have at my leisure. I certainly would have enjoyed the experience more. Except, when I asked Maia if there was someplace in particular she wanted to eat, she’d chosen the buffet at Caesars Palace.
“I’ve always wanted to sit down and eat here officially, like a real customer. The food always smells and tastes great.”
“What do you mean it tastes great? If you haven’t eaten here officially, how have you tasted it?” I asked, confused by her response.
She bit down on her bottom lip and focused on her food. She pushed a cooked carrot around her plate randomly before tilting her head and looking up at me through her lashes. Shame and sadness filled the air around our table.
My heart cracked at the desperation I saw in her eyes.
“I…uh…well, the cooks and waitstaff hang out in the alley to make calls, smoke, take their breaks. Over the years, they’d see me…um…digging through the trash.” Her jaw firmed, and her lips pressed together as she looked away. “They’d often leave me a doggie bag full of items that remained in the buffet at the end of the night. They were going to toss it anyway, which is why I was there waiting. One night, I found a brown bag on top of the main garbage can. The bag had a note. ‘For the girl with sad eyes.’” She sighed and scooped up more potatoes. “I survived on the kindness of the crew here for a very long time. Almost every night there’d be a bag of food there. Some days it was all I had to eat.” She shrugged.
“So you wanted to eat here for what reason?” I pushed, knowing she’d already likely shared more than her pride would allow.
“Maybe to prove I’d made it somehow. Even after Sam found me and gave me a place to live, and I’d done a bit better for myself, I still relied on their kindness more often than not. Food is expensive. And I didn’t always find what I needed.”
“Through pickpocketing,” I teased, trying to lighten the moment.
She smirked. “That, but I also did odd jobs for the motorcycle club. They’ve been really good to me too. To this day, I still clean the clubhouse once a week, and if I do their bedrooms, which are disgusting by the way, men are dogs.” She laughed, and the sound was so pretty, I vowed I’d find more ways to make her laugh regularly. “They’d each leave me whatever money they deemed the job warranted. Some were more generous than others. But I did it even if it was ten bucks. Because ten bucks was ten bucks. And I couldn’t be choosy.”
“Jesus,” I sucked back the rest of my wine in one gulp then refilled my glass. The woman had eaten garbage and cleaned up after bikers in order to survive and have a roof over her head. “You’ve had some life,” I said.
She shook her head. “No. I’ve had a shit life. Cleaning up after the club and living in the room above Sam’s garage has been the absolute best I’ve ever had. So don’t knock it,” she finished, a bit of venom in her tone.
“Until now it’s the best you’ve had. All that’s changing, Maia. I promise, you’ll never have to live that way again. You can trust me.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been promised a lot of things in life, none of which has ever come true. And there are only two people in the whole world I trust. Sam and Alana. Frankly, Mr. Davenport…” She said my last name in a husky timbre that made my cock take notice. I gritted my teeth and breathed through my nose. My heart pumped wildly. This woman did things to me. Made me feel unsettled and a little heated around the collar. “I don’t know what to think about you,” she finished.
I reached out and put my hand around her small forearm. She was too thin for her size and age. Regular food, sleep, and lack of worries would do wonders for this beautiful woman. “I’ll earn your trust.”
She jerked her arm away and glared. “Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath, and please don’t grip me like that. It scares me.”
I snatched my hand away, giving her space. “Sorry.” I felt like a total heel.
“Thank you,” she mumbled and grabbed another roll from the basket on the table, slathered it with butter, and took a huge bite. Maia had already cleared the mountain of food on her plate and was still eating. The woman must have a hollow leg, because I had no idea where she’d put so much food.
I leaned back, having not touched the overcooked steak, the baked potato, or the grilled asparagus on my plate. None of it looked appealing in the least. And after our conversation, my appetite was nonexistent.
I leaned forward and planted my elbows on the table, resting my chin on top of my clasped hands, and doing my best to appear nonthreatening. The way she snatched her arm away from my grip said she’d been hurt physically, probably by a man. I wanted my future wife to open up to me, allow me in, not fear me. It was the only way this relationship would work, going forward. “Tell me more.”
“I’ve done nothing but answer your questions since we arrived. How about you tell me about you. Why’s your daughter such a brat?” she stated with zero diplomacy.
I winced. “Emily is thirteen going on thirty. She thinks she knows everything, worships her mother, who’s a terrible influence, and hates me.”
“Why does she hate you?” she asked around a mouthful of bread.
“Because I’m her dad. I don’t let her get away with things. I make her pick up after herself. She has to tell me where she’s going and with whom. I insist that she has to introduce me to her friends and their parents before she’s allowed to hang out. I check her grades and ensure she’s doing her homework and keeping up with school assignments.”
“Normal stuff then. She seemed to have a chip on her shoulder at the airport. Why?”
“Again, because she’s a teenager. You know how it is. Think back to when you were a teenager.”
Maia’s expression seemed to contain elements of cynicism and derision as she reached for two more rolls. “When I was a teenager, I was on the streets sleeping under cardboard, if I was lucky. You, your daughter, the lifestyle you have—we are not the same.” Her voice lowered as the punch to my gut hit true.
Maia Fields had been living on the streets since she was a child.
Fury rose up my chest like a wave of fire, tingling and spitting embers along the surface of my skin. The image of her cold, shivering, and hungry while sleeping on the streets had me spitting mad. What kind of people allowed that to happen to a child? There was a special place in hell for people like that.
“Where are your parents in all this?” I asked bluntly, putting my hands into my lap as I fisted them so hard my knuckles turned white, and my palms ached at the extreme pressure.
“My mother and half-siblings are in Colorado. That’s all you need to know.” And like flipping a switch, her demeanor changed. “Can we go? I’m really tired.”
Damn this woman was a whirlwind of contradictions. One minute she’s sharing and eating happily, the next she’s snapping at me like an abused and frightened animal.
I stood up and laid four hundred-dollar bills on the table.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the money. “That’s too much. Each meal was $50.99 and already included tax. The bottle of wine you chose was listed at $88. That’s exactly $189.98. An appropriate tip would be fifteen percent, twenty if you enjoyed your meal, which you clearly did not since you didn’t eat any of it. The tip should be no less than $28.48. That means your total with fifteen percent tip is $218.46. You’re overpaying by $181.54. That’s a lot of money.” She sucked her lips between her teeth and cradled one of the white linen napkins in a ball along with a small sparky purse.
The woman knew her math. Interesting.
“Let’s just consider it an extra tip for the kindness the staff has shown you in the past.” I held out my arm, encouraging her to go first. “After you.”
She clutched whatever she’d wrapped in the napkin as though hiding it and high-tailed it out of the restaurant and into the bright flashing lights and roar of a busy casino.
I sidled up to her and placed my hand lightly at her lower back. She stiffened for a moment and then glanced over her shoulder.
“Let’s get back to the hotel. I need to meet up with my daughter before she takes off with Alana and Christophe for two weeks.”
“Alana is taking your daughter somewhere?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Purchasing a bride in the auction wasn’t part of my summer plans, or any future plan really. We need some time to figure things out, wouldn’t you agree?”
She nodded silently.
I led her into a waiting taxi then ducked in next to her. “The Alexandra, please.”
We were both quiet during the ride to our hotel. After I paid the driver, we visited the reception desk and got her room key. No surprise, Alana had secured Maia a room on the same floor as mine.
I walked her to room number 1820 and handed her one of the keys. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I pocketed the extra. “I’m in 1826, just down a couple doors on the same side.” I gestured with a chin lift down the hall. “If you need me for any reason, just call or knock, okay?” I dipped my head and made sure she looked me straight in the eyes.
“Okay. Thank you, um, for tonight. For dinner and you know, for the…uh auction.” She grimaced.
I reached out to grab her shoulder, but before I could lay a hand on her, she’d twisted away as though it were a natural reflex. I let my arm fall to my side. “I’m never going to hurt you, Maia.”
“That remains to be seen. People have told me the same and done the opposite,” she admitted and then her eyes widened, suggesting she didn’t mean to share that bit of information. Though I’m glad she did. It proved I needed to handle her with kid gloves in all things. Including my incessant desire to touch her.
“Another thing I’ll earn then.” I smiled.
She shrugged, disbelief written across her expression.
“Okay. Well, let’s connect for a late breakfast. Say, ten o’clock?” I asked.
“You’re the boss. I go where you say, right?”
I growled under my breath. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. Sleep well.”
She unlocked her door and slipped behind it. I waited until the lock clicked into place before heading to the elevator to chat with Emily.
* * * *
The door to Alana and Christophe’s penthouse apartment opened with a flourish.
“Dad! I love you so much!” Emily screeched and flung herself into my arms.
I caught her and held her tight, soaking up this shocking moment of pure affection from my normally surly teen.
“I love you too, Em. What’s got you so happy?”
“Aunt Alana and Uncle Christophe are taking me to France with them! She said you told her I could go. Auntie is going to take me shopping, and Uncle Christo is going to show me his favorite pieces of art. And get this!” She glued herself to my side, her spindly arm wrapped around my waist. “Uncle Christo said he’s going to teach me how to paint. Aaaaaand,” she drew out the word in her excitement. “Aunt Alana said we’d castle hop! Castles, Dad. Real life castles, like, from a hundred years ago.”
“More like several hundred years ago, chéri ,” Christo corrected, his face all smiles as we entered the living space. Alana was already wrapped in a red satin robe, her hair tied into a pristine bun at the top of her head, a dainty teacup held aloft in her hand. Emily was dressed similarly, in a pale blue matching robe. Her long blonde waves captured in the messier bun I was used to seeing.
“That sounds very exciting. Are you sure you’re going to be okay being away from your old man for a couple weeks?”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Daaaaaad, I’m almost fourteen! I can handle being away from my parents. Besides, I’ll be with family. I even have my own room at their house, remember? Auntie says we can redecorate it to whatever I want now that I’m older.”
“You spoil her,” I addressed Alana, then Christo, who grinned and nodded, completely unashamed.
“ Oui , and that is a problem why?” Alana sipped on her tea, her legs crossed, her body perfectly poised as usual.
I shook my head. “It’s not.” Having people that loved and cared about my daughter was a gift. I wouldn’t tell them how to parent in my absence. They knew I was strict with good reason. In my world, when you made the kind of money I did, me and my family could be a target. We hadn’t been, thankfully, as I stayed out of the limelight as much as possible, but it was always a concern. One I know Christophe and Alana shared, so they’d be mindful of her safety at all times.
Emily sat on the floor and picked up a teacup, her pinky finger pointed way out. The cup had so much cream in the tea it likely tasted like sugary milk. “We’re having tea.”
“Caffeine free,” Christo added.
“We already transferred her luggage to our room so you could have a night alone. We’re leaving tomorrow first thing. Unless you wanted more time?” Alana asked.
“I…”
“Dad, it will be okay.” Emily got up and then plopped into my lap.
“Oomph!” I wrapped my arms around my baby girl. “I’ll miss you so much.”
She actually hugged me back and rubbed her forehead against my temple. “I’ll miss you too, but I really want this, Dad. It’s going to be so much fun. And, don’t be mad, but Alana told me you’ve made a lady friend recently.”
I held Emily tighter. “She shouldn’t have shared that,” I growled and glared at Alana who calmly sipped her tea, not a concern in sight.
“I’m glad she did. You never go out with women. You’re, like, the loneliest Dad on the planet. Mom meets guys and falls in love all the time.”
“You realize that isn’t how it’s normally done, honey.”
“Yeah, Mom is always heartbroken. But at least she tries to find someone to make her happy. You expect me to be the only source of your happiness, and Dad, I’m not always going to be around. Soon I’ll have college, and I’ll move away.”
“College? You haven’t even started high school yet. Slow down, take it down a notch.”
“You know what I mean. Alana says you’re going to spend this time getting to know someone special. And that is sooooooo cool. I look forward to meeting her.”
I ground my molars. “Alana has been all kinds of chatty this evening it seems.”
Alana stood and came over and put her hand on Emily’s cheek. “Emily is not a baby or a small child. She’s a young lady and can handle her father entering a relationship.” She then squeezed the ball of my shoulder before going over to the tea cart and pouring herself another cup.
“You sure you’ll be all right?” I looked intently into Emily’s pretty eyes. “You want to come home, I’m on the first plane.”
Another eye roll. “I’m a big girl. I can handle hanging out with my aunt and uncle for two weeks. Relax, Dad. Have some fun for once in your life.” Already my daughter was beginning to sound like Alana. Which usually was a good thing, and maybe it was now too.
“Bedtime, chéri ,” Christo announced. “Early flight.”
I got up, hugged my girl tightly and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Em.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
“See you in two weeks.”