Rich Kid (The SPARK Files #3)

Chapter 18

Wallace

Wallace hugged the tablet to his chest, squeezing his arms around his middle. He was not going to cry.

He wasn’t.

All he had to do was make it two blocks to his car, and then he could tint the windows all the way dark and curl up into a little ball. Hopefully, he’d never have to come out again.

As usual, he’d gotten it all fucking wrong. He’d wanted so badly to believe that Volt actually cared about him.

But why would he?

Wallace was a middle-aged, white, rich guy with daddy issues who liked stuffing his flabby body into girly outfits that had to look grotesque…

And Volt was just an employee doing his job.

What was it that Volt had said the first time? That sex work was just like getting a manicure?

And Wallace was the doofus who’d missed all the signs. Who thought it meant something.

God, he was an idiot.

Fuck, and he could still feel Volt’s stinging kiss on his lips. He could still hear Volt’s voice, whispering pet names in his ear.

Creampuff? Hamster?

Yeah, that’s what you called someone who was fat.

Fat and pathetic.

“Excuse me,” a smooth voice said, much closer than he’d been expecting.

Wallace didn’t even look up. He could not talk to another person right now.

“Wallace? Hello? If I could just have a moment of your time.”

What the fuck? Wallace turned around to figure out who could possibly know his name.

Oh. It was that guy. From the Prism lounge.

If he’d introduced himself, Wallace had already forgotten his name.

He turned back around and kept walking.

“Wallace.” The man was right at his elbow now. “I’m sorry to intrude, but I happened to overhear some of your conversation.”

Great. So the most humiliating moment in his life had been witnessed by strangers.

It was like a nightmare come to life.

“I could just see the affection between the two of you. You’re meant for each other.”

Yeah, right.

“Hey, I mean it. Volt’s really into you. I’ve been going to Prism for a while, and I’ve never seen him look at anybody the way he looks at you. You should have seen him smile, from the second he saw you.”

Smiling all the way to the bank, Wallace was sure. He’d certainly paid for enough hours.

Though why couldn’t those hours be fucking his? The bot at the door had told him that Volt was free all evening. He’d paid the premium rate.

Didn’t he deserve a date? Couldn’t Volt have just fucking let him live in his delusions for a little longer?

Just… aaaahhhh!

Wallace didn’t scream out loud, but he was screaming in his head.

“Seriously, listen to me. Volt likes you. I really think you’ve got a chance.”

Like a fool, Wallace turned to listen to the guy.

Of course, he brightened at the attention, beaming a used car salesman smile. “See, you just need to give it some time to work out. And, I just may happen to have access to a little, well… you might think of it as a love charm.”

Fuck. Wallace had known the asswipe was trying to sell him something. He started to turn away.

“Hear me out. It’s just a low-key app, designed by a spark, actually. It can’t manufacture an interest that it’s there, but if Volt’s already invested, which I know he is, it can… magnify that. Leave him open to the possibilities. Encourage him to go for what he wants. And what he wants—” The man paused dramatically. “—is you.”

Wallace didn’t want to listen to any of this but… was that possible?

Could the man really have seen what he thought he did?

And with a little app, could Wallace just…

No. That was illegal. Illegal and immoral. Just plain wrong. The kind of app the man was peddling had to be a modification algorithm, and for a spark… Well, wasn’t artificially “magnifying” feelings like that the opposite of consent?

In other words, fake. And Wallace would never want a fake relationship. That was even worse than this, since even if it wasn’t real, at least what they were to each other—client and sexbot—was clear.

But if Volt did already want him, and he just needed a little nudge…

No. Wallace wasn’t going to do that.

He knew he was pathetic, but at least he still had some dignity left.

“Here.” The man thrust a pink nickel drive into his hand, the disk hardly bigger than the old coin it had been named for. It had a red heart stamped on the top, like a cheap Valentine’s Day trinket. “If you’re interested, just scan the back to activate it.”

“All for the low, low price of…” Wallace left the sentence hanging, and the stranger was eager to finish it.

The amount would have made his eyes water if he wasn’t so rich.

He put the stupid nickel in his pocket.

It sounded like he could just take it, go home, and throw it in the trash.

He’d reached his car, and the door opened automatically at his proximity. He squeezed through and pulled it closed as fast as he could manage.

“A pleasure doing business with you!” the man shouted, but Wallace hit the Home button and the car was already pulling away.

His rage at the interfering stranger lasted the first two blocks, but after that, Wallace couldn’t hold back.

He kept his lips pressed together, but tears streamed down his cheeks.

His heart was breaking, and he needed his Da…

His stomach twisted when he realized what he’d almost thought. How he’d imagined Volt’s strong arms around him. Volt’s soothing whispers and soft hands. Volt’s deep voice telling him he was a good boy, and that Daddy would take care of everything.

Wallace opened his mouth, and he sobbed.