Kai looks up as we approach. “See, here’s my brother and our girlfriend Harlow. Hey, guys, this is Sam.”
Sam waves at us in the confident way some children have. “Do you really have two boyfriends?” he asks innocently. Not looking at either of the two ‘boyfriends,’ I nod my head.
“Yup, sure do.”Not even going to tell him I have five. His eyes go wide in that adorably naive way that only little kids are capable of.
“Wow, my mom should have two boyfriends. She’s so busy working three jobs that she doesn't have time for anything else, but if she had two boyfriends, she could have more time to spend with me and they could look after her too!”
Gah, the innocence of children.My heart breaks for the child in front of us as a harassed-looking young woman rushes up to us. She doesn't look like she’s much older than early twenties. She’s wearing a faded pair of jeans and a shirt that's seen better days. Tears streak her face, and her hair is messy like she’s been pulling at it. Poor girl is frantic.
“Sam, there you are. I couldn't find you, and I was so worried.” She throws her arms around him and pulls him against her chest. He hugs her back but then untangles himself a moment later.
“I found the fountain like you told me to if I ever got lost,” he declares proudly.
“You did great,” she praises, calming slightly now that she’s found her precious child.
“This is my friend Kai and his girlfriend and her other boyfriend,” Sam tells his mom, pointing to all of us.
She smiles at us, but it’s that wary smile you give to strangers, especially strangers talking to your child. “Hi, I’m sorry if he was any trouble.”
“No trouble, I was just keeping him company until you showed up. He was sure you would so he wasn't upset at all,” Kai tries to reassure her.
I watch them as he tries to ease her worries, easily seeing that she’s exhausted; the dark circles under the eyes give it away immediately. The clothes she's wearing are a little too big on her small frame, and she sways like she hasn't had a good meal in a long time. Poor girl is run ragged, and Sam said she works three jobs. No wonder she's ready to collapse.
Jaxon must be able to see the same thing I can. He grabs out his wallet, pulls a business card out of it, and hands it to the girl. “I don't mean to pry, but Sam mentioned that you worked three jobs. That can’t be easy, and it mustn't leave much time to spend with him.”
She folds her arms defensively, practically bristling at his words. “I do what I have to to keep a roof over our head and meals on the table,” she snaps, and he holds up his hands.
“No, of course you do. I mean no judgement. I’m interviewing staff for the new hotel I’m opening soon. Why don't you come down and interview? I’m sure we can find you a full-time, well-paying job with medical. That way you’ll have more time to spend with your boy here.”
“Neighpalm Industries?” she asks, looking down at the card in her hand. “That’s that new hotel on the beachfront that people claim is a sex hotel.” She doesn’t sound disgusted, just curious, and when I look at Sam, I can see that Kai has distracted him again. Excited snippets about Spiderman and the Avengers reach my ears, but I focus back on Jaxon’s conversation before I can really figure out what they’re saying.
“Well, kind of?” Jaxon says, looking a little sheepish. “Come in tomorrow at eleven and I’ll show you around so you can judge for yourself. Then, if you’re still interested, we’ll find you something. Neighpalm has no problems with their employees learning on the job.”
The woman looks like she wants to, but there’s still a little bit of suspicion in her eyes.
“Look them up online,” I tell her. “It will prove to you that it’s all above board. None of the employees will be expected to have sex with the customers. It’s not like that,” I assure the woman, and Jaxon looks horrified.
“God, no. Did you think it was a brothel?” he asks her, dumbfounded, and she shrugs.
“I never trusted local rumors, but theydogossip.”
“No, definitely not a brothel, and you willnotbe required to have sex with the guests. But the hotel is about helping the guests meet their fantasies, so you may be asked to procure them things that are not necessarily available in the local mall. As long as you’re open-minded, it shouldn't be a problem. Like I said, I’ll give you a run down when you come in for an interview. There’s no obligation, just come and check it out.”
She agrees, and when we finally leave the mall, Sam’s mom Kara looks almost excited for tomorrow. I hope that Jaxon can help her out. Then Sam won’t have to grow up with an absent parent. Unlike mine, she seems to care about him, and it’s not through lack of wanting to spend time with him but her circumstances. It will be awesome if we can at least do something to lessen that burden.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harlow
After a quick stop at a nearby supermarket to grab the other things I need to replace, we finally make it to the hotel. Because it isn't open to the public yet, there’s no concierge to greet us or valet to park the car when we arrive, so Kai drives straight into the underground parking once Jaxon opens the gate for us. Grabbing out our luggage, including my empty suitcase and all the shopping bags, we take the elevator up to the foyer using Jaxon’s all-access master pass.
When the doors open to the foyer, we step out into the polished movie set ofThe Great Gatsby. Lots of reds and golds and brass. A magnificent chandelier hangs as a centerpiece to the foyer, and red velvet drapes cover some of the white walls. The furnishings are all draped with plastic, so I can’t get a good look at those, but the bare walls have paintings on them that are all a little naughty in nature... only if you look too closely at them. In big vases, large feathers are used instead of floral decorations, and an actual gramophone is set in the corner, all of it bringing to mind guests walking the lobby wearing silk and fringe and drinking champagne. Altogether, it’s a rather sensual feast for the eyes that sets the tone for the hotel perfectly.
“Wow, Jaxon. This looks amazing,” I tell him as he leads us to the check-in desk and walks round behind it. It’s a little weird to be the only people here, no staff around, but I kind of like it too. I always wanted to be locked in a department store after hours as a kid, and this feels a little like that.
“Yeah, the designer did an impeccable job,” he tells us, looking pleased. “She’s a new one that I decided to take a risk on, and I think she knocked it out of the park.”
“I’ll say!” Kai exclaims, picking a feather out of the vase on the counter and trying to tickle me with it. Giggling, I knock it away. “You should get her to redo some of the older properties.”
