Hotel O

by Clarissa Wild

  Oh well. Now’s not the time to think about Flynn. I don’t want to worry about it anymore. I’d much rather hang out with Declan and see whether he’s ready to commit.

  So I happily march into the hotel and go to the front desk because I already know the bellhop is waiting to stop me if I proceed.

  “Declan’s waiting for me,” I tell him before he can even say a word.

  “Oh, well, that’s strange. He told me no one could bother him.”

  “It’s fine. I’m probably the reason.” I wink.

  I don’t really know if that’s true. It probably isn’t, but I’m sure he won’t mind me interrupting a conversation if I bring the goods. And I definitely brought them.

  “Sorry,” the bellhop says, laughing awkwardly. “I’m just trying not to upset him. After the last fiasco with me asking a fellow employee to bring the suitcase to his home instead of an actual delivery guy.” He snorts again, then clears his throat. “Sorry, that was too much detail.”

  “It’s okay. I get it.” I lean over the counter. “You’re overworked. Underpaid. Underappreciated.” I give him my flirty smile. “But I’m sure he’d give you a pay raise if you’d let me pass.”

  The bellhop swallows, visibly constrained. “Um …”

  “You don’t want to make him angry, do you?” I add.

  “No, of course not,” he says. “Go right ahead, ma’am.”

  “Thank you,” I say, winking as I walk up the stairs.

  On my stilettos, I hurry down the hall to the office I’ve become accustomed to. My heart is already racing from the thoughts of how badly I want him, and how badly he’s probably going to behave—slapping my ass, pounding me against his desk, making me swallow.

  Fuck, I’m already horny by the time I get to the door.

  Too bad.

  Because when I open it, all that energy comes to a screeching halt.

  Inside the room is none other than my father.

  Chapter 29

  Kat

  “Dad?” I mutter, my voice shaking as badly as my legs.

  What the hell is he doing here at Hotel O? Is he a guest? What is this?

  When he turns around, I’m positive it’s him. Shit.

  “Kat?” His jaw slowly drops as does his eyebrows. “What in heaven’s name are you doing here?”

  My eyes scatter back and forth between Declan and my dad, but the longer I look, the less I understand and the more it makes my head spin.

  “Declan?” I mutter, feeling queasy.

  He immediately gets up from his chair and walks toward me. He grabs my arms, and whispers, “What are you doing here? You should go.”

  “I wanted to surprise you,” I say. “What’s going on? What is my dad doing here?”

  “He’s your dad?” he asks, his eyes widening.

  “Yes,” I reply, still in shock myself.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” my dad says, clearing his throat.

  “Let go of me,” I say, jerking myself free from Declan’s grip.

  “How do you know my daughter?” Dad grumbles at Declan.

  Declan glares at us both, his face turning red. “It’s hard to explain …”

  “Dad, what are you doing at this hotel? Are you a guest here?” I mumble, flabbergasted. All sorts of thoughts are going through my head right now. None of them good.

  “This is my hotel.”

  I feel like the earth is ripped away from underneath my feet.

  Declan covers his eyes with his hand, and I can’t stop shaking.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I mutter although I don’t even know who to ask.

  It’s all too much to take right now.

  “If I’d known he was your dad, I would have, trust me,” Declan says.

  “What are you doing with my daughter?” my dad says, pinpointing his anger on Declan now. “Explain to me what this is. Now.”

  “Dad!” I say, demanding his attention. “It’s none of your business what Declan and I are doing.”

  “Yes, it is.” They’re in each other’s face now, and I’m having trouble breathing. “Are you telling me you’re dating my daughter?”

  “Well …” Declan rubs his lips together and leans away from my dad who seems to get fired up just from the thought.

  “How dare you.” My dad shoves his finger into Declan’s chest. “You submit her to your filthiness? She’s innocent!”

  “Far from it,” Declan says, putting his hands against his side.

  “What?!” my dad yells.

  I step between them. “Dad. Stop.”

  “Is this true?” he asks me. “Have you two—”

  “Yes. And like I said, it’s none of your business.”

  “You had no right,” Dad says, his mouth practically spitting fire. “Messing with my daughter …”

  “Dad, it was my choice,” I say, my voice fluctuating in tone.

  “That’s over now,” he says, directing his attention back to Declan as if I’m not even here. “I don’t want you involved with my daughter. End of discussion. She will not be coming here or anywhere near you ever again.”

  And then he grabs my arm and drags me along.

  “Wait,” I say, trying to free myself from his grip, but he’s too strong.

  As he opens the door, he barks at Declan. “You’re fired!”

  “I’m sorry,” I say to Declan, but he’s already turned his head toward the window in defeat.

  “Dad!” I yell, but he doesn’t stop pulling me along until we’re in an elevator, and he’s already pressed the button to the garage underneath.

  “Let go of me,” I growl, jerking free.

  “I expected better of you, Kat,” he says. “How long has this been going on? Weeks? Months?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I say, averting my eyes. “I’m a grown woman.”

  When the elevator comes to a halt, he immediately grabs me again and pulls me outside. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?” I mutter as he drags me along.

  “You’re coming home with me.”

  “Dad. Stop! Why are you doing this?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer.

  Instead, he throws open his passenger door. “Sit. Down.”

  “Fine!” I do what he asks. Not because I’m afraid, but because we need to have a discussion. Badly.

  He gets behind the wheel and drives us to his house. Not mine. His.

  Where Mom is probably waiting too.

  Fuck. All along he was the boss of that hotel? Declan’s boss … my dad …

  This can’t get any more absurd.

  “How long?” I ask, having trouble finding the proper words. “How long have you owned that damn hotel?”

  “Since I built it from the ground up.”

  Wait, what? My dad? The sex mogul?

  No. That can’t be, right? He can’t be so dirty he’d come up with something like this.

  Mom and Dad never let me do anything, never let me out of their sight, didn’t let me go out and date boys. Hell, my dad believed I was still a virgin when I moved out of the house.

  And then to find out all these events are his doing? It’s mindboggling, to say the least.

  “You know what goes on at your hotel, right?” I say through gritted teeth.

  “Yes.”

  “All of it?” I ask.

  “Everything.”

  I gasp. “And you never once thought to tell me?”

  “No, and that’s exactly the reason,” he says.

  I think about my youth and how little my dad ever shared about his job and what he did. He never once took me to his business, never even spoke a word about it to anyone. Now it all makes sense.

  “You’ve been lying to me all this time,” I say, tears welling up in my eyes. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

  He throws a glance at me for a second before sighing. “Perhaps. When you were older.”

  “Why? Why not sooner?”

  “Can you imagine?” He g
lances my way again while driving. “Telling my daughter that I run a sex hotel?”

  I cross my arms. “So you’re ashamed of what you do. That’s it?”

  “No …” He takes a deep breath. “It’s a private matter.”

  “Really? You can’t tell your own daughter what it is that you do for a living?” I make a tsk sound. “All this time, I’ve been wondering what your job was. You were always gone. Never home. Even Mom hated it. Honestly, I’m disappointed you didn’t tell me sooner. It would’ve saved me a lot of tears. Not that you care.”

  “I do care.” He makes a face but doesn’t reply any further, which means he knows I’m right. He should have told me. It could’ve prevented a lot of heartache and pain.

  “This is exactly the reason I didn’t tell you,” he says after a while. “Because I didn’t want you to be subjected to what goes on at that hotel. Because it might turn you into something you’re not.”

  “You mean become like you?” I say.

  He swallows. “This job isn’t easy, Kat. It comes with responsibility and secrecy.”

  “Yeah, I found that out firsthand,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  “I’m serious. I wanted something better for you. I wanted you to be able to follow your own path without feeling the pressure to live up to this. To what I do.”

  Biting my lip, I look away at the streets. We’re closing in on my family home now. But I’m nowhere near done with this conversation.

  “I’m not ashamed of who I am, Dad. I love being me. And I love the hotel, Dad,” I say, glancing at him over my shoulder.

  “What? Seriously?”

  “Yes. I mean it,” I say. “I’ve been to two events, and I enjoyed it.”

  “Please don’t elaborate,” he says, grimacing. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  I laugh. “I’m an adult, Dad. I can do what I like. I’m just as dirty as any other adult.”

  “Oh, God …” he mumbles, making me laugh even more.

  “Are you that embarrassed? Why start that hotel then?”

  “I started that thing when I was young, but I never thought it would grow this big.Yet it did. And look where we are now,” he explains.

  “You’ve been keeping this a secret for so long. I still find it hard to believe.”

  I shake my head, wishing I knew what to say or ask, but I don’t. It’s too much of a surprise for my brain to handle right now.

  When we arrive home, Dad’s the first to undo his seat belt, but I keep staring at him.

  “So what now?” I say as he gazes at me.

  “Go on,” he says, nudging his head as he throws a look at the house.

  “Is Mom home?” I ask. “Does she know about all this?”

  He lets out another big sigh. “Kat …”

  “I guess that’s a no then,” I say as I get out of the car and slam the door shut.

  My God. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any worse.

  He never brought Mom to the hotel? No wonder she’s so pissed at him, if he’s been keeping secrets from her too. And then on top of that, he has the balls to tell me how to live my life. I can’t believe this.

  “Kat … please,” he says as he follows me inside, but I want none of it.

  “Don’t,” I say, holding up my hand. “You forfeited the right to ask me for anything when you told my man that I’d never see him again.”

  Chapter 30

  Kat

  Ignoring my dad completely, I ring the doorbell until someone finally opens. When Melvin opens the door, I hug him tight and say, “Long time, no see, Mel.”

  “Hello, Miss,” he says, chuckling as he hugs me back.

  “You’re home early, sir,” Mel says as my dad comes in too.

  He nods without saying anything further, so I do on his behalf. “That’s because Dad caught me with my boyfriend at his work.”

  “Boyfriend?” Dad frowns.

  “I’ll call him whatever the hell I want,” I say, marching inside.

  “I’ll … go make some coffee,” Melvin says, shuffling away like he wants nothing to do with it.

  “Did I hear the word boyfriend?” Mom’s voice appears before she does as she sashays into the hallway where Dad and I are still having a staring contest.

  “Yes,” I say with a sour face. “And Dad met him today.”

  “What?” Mom says with a shrill voice. “Who is it? Why haven’t I met him yet?”

  “You’re not gonna,” I interject before my dad can say anything. “Dad told him he could never see me again. Oh, and he also fired him.” With my eyes, I throw lightning bolts at my dad.

  Mom’s face immediately turns dark. “He works at your company?”

  Dad grunts, his face looking like he just escaped a five-hour traffic jam. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I do.” I fold my arms. “Shouldn’t you tell Mom about where you really work?”

  It’s about time she knew the truth. It’s been eating away at their relationship for so long … no wonder she was fed up with him.

  Mom cocks her head. “What is this about, Fred?”

  Dad’s face scrunches up, and he lets out another exasperated sigh.

  “She deserves to know, Dad,” I say.

  “Deserve to know what?” Mom steps forward. “Fred?”

  “The hotel I run isn’t an ordinary hotel.”

  “Well, I knew that—”

  “There’s more. You just always said you didn’t want to know,” he interrupts.

  Mom’s face tightens, but she doesn’t say anything. I guess she truly never did know what his business actually entailed.

  “There are certain events organized at our hotel … Guests who are looking for a spicy evening.”

  She frowns, clearly confused, so I add, “Sex, Mom. They sell it.”

  “What?” she says, completely flabbergasted. “I thought you said you had rich clients?”

  “They are. It’s pricey,” I add.

  “I don’t understand,” she says, shaking her head. “You let these people have sex at the hotel?”

  “Every hotel has guests that have sex,” Dad explains. “But these organized events are specifically meant for that occasion.”

  Mom seems shaky, so I quickly grab a chair and set her down.

  “It’s all a bit much to take in, isn’t it?” I say to her. “I felt the same when I found out Dad works at that hotel.”

  She nods. “I never …” She gazes up at Dad. “Fred, this is so unlike you. A sex hotel?”

  “I apologize for not telling you,” Dad says.

  “You should have!” Mom yells, clearly upset.

  “You have every right to be angry with me,” Dad says.

  “Why? Why not just a normal hotel?”

  “Because this sells,” he says, scratching the top of his head. “I saw a hole in the market and went for it.”

  “But you never told me anything …”

  “You never asked, so I assumed you didn’t want to know,” he repeats, shrugging. “Plus, look at what it’s caused.”

  “That’s your fault. You kept things secret,” I retort.

  Mom gazes up at me. “And you knew about this?”

  “I only just found out it’s Dad’s hotel,” I reply.

  “My god …” Mom buries her face in her hands. “I can’t believe this.”

  I place a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “Are you a customer there too?” she asks, lifting her eyes. “At that sex hotel?”

  “No, I was there because of my … boyfriend. He works there.” I clear my throat as it’s awkward to say it out loud and hard to explain to them what we really have.

  “He works there?” Mom says. “So he helps organize these sex events, or does he participate?”

  “He organizes them,” I say. “Or at least, he did, before Dad fired him for hanging out with me.”

  “Oh,” she mumbles, still shaken from learning all this.

  “Do you
want some time alone?” I ask, because she looks like she needs it.

  “No,” she says sternly. “I’ve had enough time alone. Too much.” She glares at Dad.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what to say to you except … I’m sorry.” Dad sighs.

  “Do you guys want some time alone?” I ask.

  Mom nods, so I step away and smile as they continue their conversation. I walk off to the kitchen area where Melvin is pouring coffee into three cups. “Some coffee, Miss?” he asks.

  “Oh, yeah …” I mutter as he hands me a cup.

  “Rough day?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “You don’t even wanna know.”

  Melvin goes out to bring some to my parents although I doubt they want anything to drink right now. They’re loudly arguing, and I’m having trouble shutting myself off from it. Still, it’s better than complete and utter silence, which is what they’ve been doing for the past couple of years.

  I slurp my coffee in silence and wait until everything’s gotten quiet again. When my cup is empty, I place it in the sink and muster up the courage to go back to them.

  When I see Mom’s face and the tears that stain them, I swallow away the lump in my throat. I don’t want to make her feel bad, so I won’t mention anything about it. I just hope she can cope with all of this.

  “Kat,” she mumbles.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” I say, immediately coming to her side. “Are you okay?”

  “Don’t apologize.” She gently squeezes my hand and lets go again. “It’s not your fault.” She glares at Dad. “And I’m glad you’re both finally being honest.” She looks at me again. “Now tell me what happened with you two at the hotel.”

  “I was there to surprise my boyfriend. But I found Dad there, which is when I discovered that he’s one who’s running the hotel. And then he fired my boyfriend on the spot.”

  Mom looks confused. “But why? He was your boyfriend.”

  “Dad didn’t like seeing me there … with him,” I reply, glaring at Dad.

  Mom looks up at me. “I was so looking forward to meeting your first love.”