Hotel O

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 glances 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.”