Page 20 of Kit
“Didn’t you set him straight?”
I shook my head. “George wouldn’t believe me. I’m known as trouble. I can’t be trusted. It’s been hampering my dating life like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Care to elaborate?” he asked. “I have an open mind.”
My cheeks heated. Would he judge me, too? I had to tell the truth to Parker. I couldn’t start anything with him on a lie. I plunged ahead.
“I got into a fight with another little last year. We were playing cars, and he got mad and messed our racetrack and grabbed my cars. I tried to grab them back and we rolled on the floor, kicking and yelling. He threw one to keep it away from me and it hit Colin’s boy, Maddy, only Maddy wasn’t Colin’s boy at that time. I got in trouble and banned for a month. No one will let me forget it.”
“That’s quite a story. I’m sorry that happened.”
I frowned. “I guess after last night with Nicky, you maybe think it keeps happening. Like it’s possibly my fault. But honest, I don’t know why they pick on me.”
“I didn’t hear about that, but like I said, I’ve been scarce here for a while.”
“But when do you come? I haven’t seen you in the playroom.”
“Off nights. Like weekdays. If I am free.”
“I mostly come on weekends, so that’s why I don’t know you.” I sighed. “But I still can’t figure out why they pick on me.”
“Hmm. That’s something to think about.”
“Yeah.”
Just then the waiter brought our food. I munched some fries, which were hot and delicious.
Parker spoke. “I think sometimes boys pick on other boys because they’re jealous.”
“Jealous? Of what? They have daddies. I don’t.”
Parker tilted his head, his brown eyes soft. “Well, you’re very pretty.”
My face got hotter.
“You say you have a lot of the daddies’ attention, just not the right ones. But the other littles don’t know that. All they might see is you getting your pick of the night. And maybe they wish they were you.”
Warm fuzzy feelings buzzed around in my chest after hearing all that. “I never thought of it that way.”
“No? I’m not always right, but it seems like with all the club dramas that go on including outside the little playroom, it could be a reasonable possibility.”
It made sense. “Thank you for saying that.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled, then took a huge bite of his burger.
I raised my eyebrows. “It sounds like you’ve experienced club dramas yourself.”
He swallowed. “Who hasn’t?”
“Well, I don’t want to be bad. It’s not on purpose. But if someone does something to me and I get mad, I don’t always think before I act.”
“What five-year-old does?” He dipped a fry in ranch dressing. “For that matter, what adult does?”
He had a point. I decided to be bold. “If you were my daddy and I was bad, would you discipline me?”
“Is that what other daddies would do?”
I nodded. “Some couldn’t wait.”
