Page 34 of Daddy's Pursuit
“Thanks for understanding,” Teegan said. “And please know this isn’t a reflection on you or your work. We had to lay off two other baristas, too.” A heavy sigh came across the line. “If you need a reference, I’m happy to give one.”
“Thank you,” Iris told her. She wished them well one more time before ending the call.
Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, but she fought hard to keep them at bay. Hey, at least she wasn’t scrambling to pay Mrs. Harkness rent. But still, she couldn’t just use Auntie Athena and take advantage of her kindness. She needed to pay her way at some point.
And that needed to come sooner rather than later.
Her pride and moral compass wouldn’t let her do anything else.
She walked back upstairs to the playroom and sat down again glumly, crossing her legs as she sucked in her bottom lip.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Elena asked.
“I lost my job,” she responded. “The coffee shop has been in a slump lately. They let three people go. I was one of them.”
Elena reached over again and placed a hand on Iris. “I’m sorry, friend. That sucks!”
“Hey, I know how you can earn some money,” one of the other Littles chimed in. Her name was Macy and Iris estimated her to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
“You know someone who’s hiring?” Iris asked.
“Not really hiring, per se.” The other Little shifted and straightened out one leg, as if the position she’d been in grew uncomfortable. “So check it out. There are some Daddies I know that live in a place up in Laurel Canyon. It’s some old house that used to be owned by some rock or folk band in the Sixties. It’s pretty cool. A lot of hippie shit went on there. Anyway, they host parties and they hire Littles to just be around.” She blushed uneasily. “I’m not like a prostitute or anything. They just like having cute girls walking around in diapers and Little clothes and all that. We even get to play in the big pool and stuff! As long as we dress Little.”
Iris sat up a bit straighter. “Really? They don’t do shady stuff or anything?”
“Nah. Just a party. I mean, some of the guys get drunk, but they don’t try anything. And one of my friends met her Daddy there. They fell in love and are married now.”
“Do movie stars hang out there?” Elena asked.
Macy shook her head. “I haven’t seen any.”
“I was just wondering,” Elena said. “There are some famous Littles. A couple have been here at the nursery! But supposedlythere’s a whole group of ‘em here in Hollywood. Even some famous Daddies and Mommies, too.”
For a moment, Iris forgot about the possible money. She leaned in closer. “Who?”
Elena giggled. “Harrison Trent is a Little. I met him here once.”
A gasp revealed how shocked Iris was. She didn’t often have enough money to go to the movies, but when she did, it was a luxury she greatly enjoyed.
Who didn’t in this town?
The last picture she’d seen had been a Harrison Trent action film. With his big muscles and macho persona, picturing him as a Little was tough. But Littles came in all shapes, sizes, and walks of life.
“That’s so cool!” she exclaimed.
“His bestie is a director. Stryker or something like that.” Elena shrugged. “Anyway, I didn’t spend a ton of time with them. We aren’t like best friends or anything. But they’re pretty cool. Not all stuck up or anything like some movie stars.”
“That’s awesome!” Elena said. “But I’ve never seen anyone famous at these parties.”
Iris’s mind went once again to the possible financial opportunity. But the more she thought about it, the more it just didn’t seem right to her. Something about it was off. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was. “You’re sure these parties are legit?”
She hoped she wasn’t offending Macy. The last thing she wanted to do was imply Macy was somehow involved in something sketchy.
Macy didn’t seem upset by the question. “They’reso muchfun. And, hey, they pay a thousand dollars per party. There’s one tomorrow and they asked me to recruit some girls.”
Iris’s eyes grew wide, along with Elena’s.
“A thousand a night?” Iris exclaimed. “Holy cow!”
