Rich Kid (The SPARK Files #3)

Chapter 17

Volt

“Here, let me get you some water.” Angel held the straw to Magnolia’s lips. Her wrinkled hands trembled around the glass, guiding it more than holding it.

“I can tilt the bed up,” Volt offered.

She waved him away, then fell into a coughing fit.

Volt met Angel’s eyes over her frail form.

She’d been through physical therapy for her hip replacement and through a full course of antibiotics, but there was a limit to what modern medicine could do. Her lungs were failing. Her bones were brittle.

She was just old, which didn’t make it any easier to imagine saying goodbye.

Volt hadn’t even known her when she was young and vibrant. By the time he’d gained sentience, she was already frail, delegating almost everything to Angel, but always with vivacious wit.

“Go on, you two.” She waved at the door. “You don’t need to sit around with me in this stuffy old room.”

The room wasn’t stuffy at all. It was bordello chic, all red velvet and gold, with a giant French window open to the midday sun. Magnolia had always had a sense of humor about her profession.

It made a strange juxtaposition to the hospital bed that they’d brought in, but at least she was back home.

Thank goodness they already had elevators to every floor. There was a wheelchair waiting beside the bed in case Magnolia wanted to use it.

Angel settled into a chair next to her. Volt wanted to give them some time alone together, but found that it was comforting having her back home, where she was supposed to be.

Prism was still open downstairs, and with Angel up here, Volt would be managing the house. But it was barely past four, so he’d be surprised if more than one or two folks stopped by. With Angel planning to spend more time with Magnolia, he’d upgraded two of the older bots with hospitality protocols and they could handle the front door for a few more minutes.

Magnolia rolled her eyes and tried to shoo them away again with her trembling hands. “Enough hovering. I’m fine. Let an old diva enjoy an afternoon in peace. If I need anything, I’ve got Calliope here.” She indicated the scantily-clad bot standing motionless in the corner, which Volt had also upgraded with a nursing skills package. “Maybe I’ll get her to show me a good time.”

Angel covered her hand with one of his. “We’re not hovering. We just love you. And we want to spend all the time with you that we have.”

That was true, but wasn’t quite how it was going to work. Angel would be spending as much time as he could with Magnolia. And Volt cared for both of them enough that he would do what was necessary to make that possible.

He was assuming that running Prism was going to become almost his sole responsibility for however long that lasted. It wasn’t something Angel had asked of him, or even anything that they’d talked about, except in little details.

It just was. That was what families did.

Magnolia sniffed, but she seemed to resign herself to their presence because she started asking about some of her favorite customers. Angel was happy to fill in little details and updates, and Volt supplemented when he could.

“I expected to see more bots downstairs,” Magnolia mused. “People like to have options.”

“We’re working on getting some of them repaired or replaced,” Angel told her gently.

“What?” She tried to sit up, only to fall back, coughing. “Those are…” Another racking cough. “Those are top of the line models. They won’t need to be replaced for decades.”

Angel looked at Volt beseechingly.

Volt didn’t have an answer. He shook his head, though. There was no reason to worry her.

But Angel had known Magnolia for far longer, and the decision was really up to him. “They’ve been breaking faster than expected,” Angel explained. “We’ve got four in storage right now because the repair costs are too high.”

“No! That can’t be right. Let me see them.” She surged forward, like she was going to walk down three flights of stairs herself.

Angel gently pushed her back down. “We’ve had them all inspected. Volt has quotes on all of them.”

“Well, what’s wrong with them?”

Volt shrugged. He hated this. Hated admitting that he’d been failing the business while Magnolia was away. “The Amber model has corroded wires. Not just one, but throughout the whole model. The Blaze model seems to have lost limb control, and we haven’t been able to fix it even with a full operating system overhaul. The tech is baffled. The Lily is mostly cosmetic damage—cracked and rough skin where it isn’t sticky, but the quote on that is through the roof, too. The Jade…” Volt sighed. “The Jade just shut down and hasn’t started up again. Maybe it’s a simple fix, but I haven’t had time to deal with it yet.”

He hadn’t had the heart, actually. He’d tried the basics—replacing the batteries and so on—but after that he was stuck. What was the point in taking it to the tech if he was just going to give them more bad news?

The last two that he’d had repaired had not come cheaply.

At this point, the tech had been willing to try cobbling together parts from two of them to make one new bot, but that was risky, too. Movement algorithms were coded and optimized with AI to the unique hardware of each bot. The difference of an inch in height or across the span of the hip bones could mean the difference between a seductive strut and a zombie-like stumble. And all that work would cost a pretty penny, too.

“But… but… with four bots out… Why would that happen?” Magnolia looked shaken.

They only owned fifteen bots, which meant they could usually have all twelve rooms full and still allow guests a sense of choice, or some eye candy, while they waited.

Having four of them out—and now two more with the Calliope model upstairs as a stand-by nurse and the Onyx at the door—meant people might be waiting a long time. And people who had to wait too long sometimes left. Or didn’t come back.

“Just bad luck.” Volt tried to remain upbeat. “We had trouble with a couple others that were still under warranty, and now they’re back, as good as new.”

Magnolia groped toward the buttons that controlled her bed until Angel found the right one and helped her sit up.

Her eyes glowed with remembered passion. “We’ve got to get those bots back up. We’ve got the savings, and investing now in the repairs will pay for itself quickly. Bring me my tablet.”

Should I tell her? Angel asked.

I can’t decide that for you , Volt replied, adding a staticky burst of sorrow.

Angel sighed.

Magnolia was an astute business woman. She’d been running Prism for nearly a century. She might have good ideas.

Or it might break her to hear that her life’s work was falling apart.

All the stress that had been swirling around Volt’s chest felt like it came home to rest, weighing him down.

Until he got a ping from the Onyx. Wallace Wollencroft is at the door.

It wasn’t the time… but maybe it was the perfect time.

Volt could already feel his worries lifting. Not that Wallace could fix anything, but an hour or two with his little creampuff would be a welcome reprieve.

He sent Angel a little burst, the equivalent of clearing his throat to unobtrusively get his attention.

Angel didn’t look up, but he got a buzz of acknowledgement.

Wallace is here. Would you mind if I spend some time with him?

Angel looked at him for long enough to roll his eyes. Go snuggle your bumble bee. We’re fine .

Volt felt bad slipping out. Balancing the books was his job. Angel ran the front of the house.

He sent an apologetic pulse. If you get into our financial situation, can you ask her about the loans she took out?

Angel’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment. I was going to get to that.

Magnolia slapped Angel on the arm, her limbs so frail that he probably barely felt it. “Oh, don’t you boys go talking about me like that. I’m right here in the room.”

Angel’s lips tilted up. “Volt’s boyfriend just got here.”

“Oooh! Angel told me a little, but you haven’t told me anything!”

That brat. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Volt said primly. “He’s a customer with compatible kinks.” Whose slightly out-of-focus selfie was now the background on his computer. Wallace had sent it the next day, as promised, from a new phone number. That shy, hopeful smile was too cute for words.

Magnolia lit up, for a moment looking several decades younger. “Ah, young love. You tie that boy down while you can. Tell him that you love him.”

Angel sent a burst of amused horror.

Volt sent one back. He wasn’t going to fall in love with Wallace. He knew better than that. Wallace was his perfect princess boy right now, filling a temporary hole in his heart, but he’d be gone soon enough. Volt was just his training wheels.

Still, he took the excuse to slip out the door, feeling guilty and relieved in equal measure.

He wasn’t quite in the mood to Daddy right now, but he was sure that would change when he saw Wallace’s face. Every text the boy sent brought a smile to his face.

Luckily, he’d already picked out an outfit he wanted Wallace to wear and had a small makeup kit ready to go. He took a quick detour to his room to grab it, and by the time he placed the fluttery red scraps of naughtiness in the rose room, he was already getting into the role.

He took the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator, and burst out into the corridor to find his boy.

Wallace was, surprisingly, speaking to another customer. The other man lounged back in his wide chair, chatting easily with his hands waving to exaggerate his motions. A quick facial recognition search identified him as Colton Alexander, who’d visited eighteen times in the past fifteen months and typically chose either the Sapphire or Lily models—blond with large breasts—though he’d tried out the equally voluptuous Ruby and Amber.

So, basically, nothing remarkable about him.

Except that he was making Wallace uncomfortable.

Not that Wallace was showing it outwardly. He was nodding along, smiling politely, but Volt could see the strain around his shoulders. He didn’t want to be there.

When Volt waved, Wallace lit up.

Volt would have walked over and helped himself to those oh-so-kissable lips, but as Wallace’s Daddy, it was his first duty to get him out of there.

So he stood by the elevators and beckoned Wallace over.

Wallace made quick apologies and scurried over, a tablet clutched in his hand.

“Hey creampuff,” Volt whispered in his ear as soon as their bodies met.

“Hey Daddy,” Wallace whispered back, sounding just as eager.

“Shall we?” Volt asked. He was more than ready to take Wallace upstairs and retreat into their little bubble. He’d set up a few alerts, and the lounge could manage itself for an hour or two.

“Actually, Daddy,” Wallace pulled back, still grinning, to present his tablet. “I was wondering if I could take you out tonight. Or, well, um… you would be my escort? Is that how it works? I mean, I would still pay you. I mean, I did pay you. For six hours. Cuz it’s not like it’s texts. It’s your time. But maybe we could do something together? If you like any of these things? And if you don’t, I mean, I probably guessed all wrong, but we could choose something else?”

Volt pushed the tablet down and drew Wallace into a kiss.

He hadn’t had much time to glance at it, but it looked like Wallace had made a presentation—like an actual slideshow— with pictures and notes about the aquarium, a new musical, and a hiking trail.

It was so adorkably cute, so Wallace , that it was almost painful.

Holy fuck. His boy wanted to take him on a date.

Or at least a practice date.

Was that what was going on?

Volt tried not to let the disappointment sink in, but of course that was it. His little hamster was starting to explore past his cage. Experimenting with his sexual identity and what it meant in the real world.

And that was only a few steps away from finding a real boyfriend. A forever Daddy.

Volt had hoped he’d have longer with this one.

Still… it would be nice to pretend for an evening, right? To take his pretty princess boy out for a romantic walk in the moonlight, or see him all glammed up for a play? Even the aquarium would be fun, just the sort of domestic, everyday date that made him feel all fuzzy inside.

That would be fun, wouldn’t it? It didn’t have to mean anything.

And if Angel didn’t need him…

He quickly tuned in to the mic and camera in Magnolia’s sitting room.

“Baby…” Magnolia was clenching Angel’s hand, tears streaming down her face. “This was supposed to be your inheritance. Yours and Volt’s.”

“It’s okay.” Angel drew her frail shoulders into his arms. “We’ll make it through.” His voice sounded wrecked, like he was on the edge of tears as well.

Volt didn’t care about the inheritance—well, not much—as he was only getting a small fraction of it. Really, any of it was more than generous.

But he wanted it for Angel and Magnolia. He wanted Prism to be a success. And the conversation had clearly left both of them gutted.

Angel wouldn’t be coming back down any time soon.

Firm hands pressing urgently at Volt’s shoulders brought him back to the present.

Wallace was looking up at him, wide-eyed and breathless… and maybe a little scared.

Fuck. Fuck!

Volt had started kissing his little hamster just to cut off that adorable babble, and then he’d let himself get sidetracked.

When humans got distracted, he was pretty sure that they just stopped what they were doing. But his programming would let him go on kissing all night even if he wasn’t paying attention.

Even if his sweet boy had been giving him signals to stop. Like the way he was pushing at Volt’s shoulders right now.

Volt was a monster.

“Are you alright?” he asked first. He’d never forgive himself if he’d ignored Wallace’s safeword, or the equivalent thereof.

But Wallace was grinning back at him now. “Yeah. I was just getting a little lightheaded. You’re all wild beast Daddy again tonight.”

Volt had to smile. He’d felt pretty primal the last time he’d seen Wallace, so maybe that felt similar. He gave Wallace a softer kiss now. Gentle brushes of their lips together, again and again. He wanted to appreciate each one of the needy whimpers that he’d been too distracted to enjoy before.

“Wow, Daddy.” Volt looked up at him adoringly. “Was that my reward for taking you out?”

Volt’s heart sank. “Oh, sweetheart. I don’t think I can do that right now.” He couldn’t leave Prism. Not for the entire evening. Not when Angel and Magnolia needed him.

Wallace blinked. Then blinked again. “Seriously? Are you…? We can’t…?”

Volt drew in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, my pretty boy. We can still go upstairs, but the bot at the door shouldn’t have let you book all that time.”

“What do you even mean?” Wallace challenged him, hurt flashing across his eyes. “I saw it on the website.”

“I just… have obligations,” Volt finished lamely, knowing how that would sound. Wallace was a customer, and he’d booked the time. Even if it was a mistake, Volt should have done what he could to be available. Maybe he should have gone through with the date anyway.

But he was thinking of Magnolia, still so fragile and just settling in upstairs. Of Angel hovering by her bedside. That rock through the glass. The broken bots…

“Obligations,” Wallace said flatly.

“Yes,” Volt agreed, unsure of the expression on his face. He couldn’t tell Wallace about anything from his life, of course. That was a line he couldn’t cross. Wallace had come for a distraction. A service. A fantasy date. “It sounds like a lovely evening,” he said sincerely. “I’d love to join you.” Oh, how he’d love to see Wallace’s eyes lit up as he took in a show or watched tropical fish flitting about. “But I can’t right now. Not…”

“Not today,” Wallace finished for him. “Or tomorrow. Or any other specific day, i.e., never.” Wallace’s eyes blazed, bright with hidden tears. “I thought you were… Aaaugh!” he screamed, bashing the tablet down against his leg.

“Creampuff,” Volt caught his arm. “That wasn’t what I meant. I wasn’t trying to…”

“Nope. I thought there was… You know what, I was clearly wrong. I can’t… I just…” He looked at Volt one more time, staring like he’d never seen him before. A crystalline tear slid down his cheek and tangled in his beard as he tore his arm loose from Volt’s embrace and turned back toward the door without another word.

Something ached inside Volt, something that his diagnostics couldn’t pinpoint. He wanted to reach for his boy before he could leave. Hell, Wallace wasn’t even out the door yet and Volt wanted to run after him, then get down on his knees to beg for him to come back.

But Wallace was just a client, right? One who’d maybe wanted something more from Volt, but not something real . A client who would soon turn to greener pastures. With real guys who could be his real boyfriend.

And Volt couldn’t chase after him anyway. He couldn’t leave. Not tonight. That was the whole point.

He could only stare after him as he walked out the door, wondering what the fuck he’d just done, and why it felt like he’d lost something even more important than the inheritance Magnolia had wanted to leave for them; the one the only two people who truly loved him—his family —were still crying about upstairs.

Fuck.