Happy World (12 page)

“I asked you to go there first. What? Am I a freak or something? Do I have warts, or drool uncontrollably? Why would you say no to me, and yes to somebody else? It was that Rory guy, wasn’t it? What did he do? Hock his grabby claw to afford to take you there?”

“Charlie, it’s not you,” Kyle said immediately, although it was a lie. Of course it was Charlie. Kyle wanted nothing to do with Charlie, but he didn’t want any trouble either, and telling Charlie the truth would probably only serve to give it to Kyle in spades. Charlie’s temper was well known, and Kyle had already felt the brunt of it several times. Charlie’s offhanded dig at Rory pissed Kyle off, but he had no wish to tangle with Charlie again. “We... had a previous engagement, that’s all.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good then. I can understand that.” Something in his expression told Kyle that Charlie didn’t understand, not at all. Charlie’s eyes were cold and hard. “You can make it up to me this Friday. What time should I pick you up?”

Kyle felt the first stirrings of panic fluttering in his stomach. “No, I mean I--”

Without warning, Charlie grabbed the front of Kyle’s shirt and pulled him in close. Suddenly, Charlie’s lips were crushed against Kyle’s. Kyle was shocked -- it was the last thing Kyle ever expected Charlie to do, especially in a public place. The kiss wasn’t passionate at all; it was rigid and brutal. He could feel Charlie’s teeth grinding against his lips. Kyle got the distinct impression Charlie was punishing him with the kiss, maybe because Charlie’s friend blabbed about seeing Kyle at Martinique. He knew the news had made Charlie mad. Kyle gave Charlie a push and sat back in his chair, stunned. “Charlie, no! Stop!”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed and his voice lost all of its previously friendly tone. It was obvious that Charlie didn’t like the word “no.” Kyle thought it was quite possible no one had ever said it to Charlie in all of his privileged, stuck-up, narcissistic life. “No? What do you mean? Nobody’s looking at us.”

For the first time, Kyle was actually a little scared of Charlie. The idea occurred to him that Charlie might not “punish” him with a kiss the next time Kyle pissed him off. Next time, it might be Charlie’s fist that connected with Kyle’s lips. “I... it’s not right. It’s against Happy World policy. You know that. You don’t want to get into trouble, do you?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m not worried. I’ve been caught doing worse. I’m Daniel the-fucking-Dragon Slayer, remember? I walk on water around here. So, how about it? What time should I pick you up on Friday?”

“I... I can’t, Charlie. I’m sorry. I’m afraid I have things to do on Friday.” Kyle bit back the panic now clawing at his throat. He had to get out of there, and quick, before Charlie lost his temper again. He made a show of glancing at his watch. “Oh, wow. Look at the time. I have to run. Gotta get back onstage. Break’s over. You know how it is. Can’t be late. Bye, now.” He jumped up and refused to look at Charlie as he gathered up his claw and dustpan. He didn’t have a damn thing scheduled for Friday night except doing his laundry, and he didn’t want Charlie to see the lie that he knew must be written all over his face.

He risked a glance back as he reached the door leading from the cafeteria into the tunnel. There was rage coloring Charlie’s features, but it melted into a smile right before Kyle’s eyes, a predator’s grin that was somehow much more sinister and threatening than Charlie’s outright anger had been.

Kyle still didn’t know what Charlie had up his sleeve, but the look in Charlie’s eyes cemented Kyle’s feeling that whatever it was, it was going to be ugly.

***

Kyle tried hard to put Charlie and the unwanted kiss out of his mind, and thinking about Rory was the perfect way to do it. Kyle was scheduled in Fairy Tale Land all day, and he knew Rory was working in Galaxy Land. It was likely their paths would cross at some point, and Kyle kept a keen eye out for Rory whenever he got within spitting distance of Galaxy Land. He was sweeping up in front of the Princess and the Pea rock climbing wall when he finally spotted Rory. The attraction, a gigantic wall built to resemble a stack of mattresses with foot-and-hand holds spaced at regular intervals, was situated at the crossroads of Fairy Tale Land and Galaxy Land. Rory was scooping up trash in front of Rocket Racers, the first attraction inside the boundaries of Galaxy Land, and looked up at almost the same moment, giving Kyle a wave.

He debated telling Rory about his latest run-in with Charlie, but quickly decided against it. Rory would probably do something all heroic, like finding Charlie and decking him. That would only serve to get Rory fired, and maybe rack up a few assault charges, too. Kyle didn’t want to see Rory get in trouble over him. He’d just avoid Charlie at all costs.

They met at the hedge separating the two areas, staring at each other over the shrubbery like feuding landowners, neither one willing to step over the line drawn in green by the landscaping department.

“Well, look what the Hamster dragged in,” Rory said. His eyes sparkled and his grin did funny things to the pit of Kyle’s stomach. Things that made Kyle want to drag Rory deep into the shrubs, strip him bare and suck him inside out.

He swallowed hard and tried to get his renegade thoughts under control. “Uh, hey, Rory. How’s your day going?”

“Oh, let’s see... picked up about a half ton of trash, dealt with two protein spills, and found a lost kid who screamed in my ear for fifteen minutes until we found his parents.” He rubbed his ear. “I think he might’ve have caused permanent damage.”

Kyle smirked. “I think you’ll live.” He decided not to tell Rory about his run-in with Charlie. Why get Rory upset? Kyle was worried enough for the both of them. Besides, maybe Charlie would lose interest and forget Kyle existed again. “I got drafted to help with a VIP today.”

“Oh yeah?” Rory rested his long-handled dustbin in front of him, and Kyle didn’t miss the way Rory’s hand slid along his crotch as he did so. Guh. There was a distinct bulge under Rory’s zipper. A nice bulge. One that Kyle knew well. His fingers itched with the memory of way Rory’s cock fit in his hand.

Kyle was trying hard not to stare at the erection rearing at Rory’s crotch and failing. “Yeah. Tom Elliott. You know must him -- he starred in that movie last year about the robots. He was in the Park with his family.” Kyle shifted his weight, and looked around, hoping to distract himself from his lascivious thoughts. No good. All he could think about was Rory’s cock. Damn it. He felt his dick fill. “I hate when those celebrities come into the Park. They get preferential treatment, you know? Everybody else has to wait in line for hours in the heat, but the celebs get escorted past the lines and right into the attraction. Then we get stuck having to explain to the other guests why the VIPs are special.” He was prattling, and knew it, but was powerless to stop himself. He had to keep talking to keep from saying what was really on his mind -- namely, that Kyle was willing to drop trou right there in front of God and everybody if Rory would agree to suck his dick.

Or he would suck Rory’s. Either way was good.

He glanced at Rory and was surprised to see pink flaring in Rory’s cheeks and wondered what Rory was thinking. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Me. I’m fine. Guess it pisses everybody off when VIPs come in.”

Why didn’t Kyle believe he was fine? “Yeah, usually. I hate to complain about it. I mean, I know why the rules regarding celebrities are in place, but it still bugs me.”

“You? Complain about the rules? I’m shocked.” Kyle snorted and nodded. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t follow them, only that I didn’t like them. Well-known people like movie stars are apt to get trampled by the regular guests if they wait in line. The stars are here to have fun just like everyone else, and having people pester them for photographs and autographs all the time ruins the experience for them. But it still sucks to have to run interference between them and the regular guests. That’s what I had to do this afternoon. I spent a half hour fielding angry questions from people standing in line, wanting to know why Tom Elliott and his party got to bypass the line. I just wish the Park would come up with another way to handle celebrities.” He bit his lip and looked around to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you know what I did? I told the guests to stop at the Customer Service kiosk and complain about it.”

Rory’s mouth quirked in a half smile. “Look at you, being the little rebel! I’m proud of you. Why, the next thing I know you’ll be organizing the union and marching in a picket line.”

Kyle laughed and shook his head. “Not me. You know how I feel about Happy World. I just hate when regular guests are made to feel less important than movie stars or politicians. We had a rapper here last month who made us close down the entire Western Pavilion for him and his entourage.” He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s nothing new, though. It’s been going on since the Park opened. Legend has it that twenty years ago or so, a VIP from Happy World Corporate once had Fairy Tale Land shut down in the middle of the day so he could hold a private birthday party for one of his kids. Can you imagine? Closing Fairy Tale Land? It’s the most popular area of the Park! I wasn’t here then, but one of the old-timers told me about it.”

The pink in Rory’s cheeks suddenly deepened to rose, again making Kyle wonder what was wrong with him. Rory looked as if he were going to drop at any second, do a face-plant into the hedges. Heat stroke was a constant worry among Happy World Actors who spent most of their shifts outside under the burning sun. Or maybe Rory was having trouble with his diabetes. Kyle didn’t know much about the illness, but he knew if Rory’s sugar dropped too low or went too high it could cause health problems. Kyle frowned and reached out to touch Rory’s arm. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good. Are you drinking enough water? Are your sugars okay? Maybe you should go sit in the air conditioning for a minute, or go to First Aid.”

“No, I’m fine.” Rory didn’t sound fine, though. His voice was too tight, too controlled, and Kyle could see his hands trembling. He looked very upset. “Maybe you’re right. I’m just a little warm. I’ll see you later, okay?” He walked off without another glance in Kyle’s direction, leaving Kyle behind, scratching his head.

What the fuck had just happened? If he didn’t know better, he’d think Rory was mad at him or something. He hadn’t done anything, just shared the details of his day. What had he said that made Rory so upset?

Chapter Twelve

He didn’t start feeling bad about his reaction to Kyle until a day or so later. Rory knew that just walking away from him like that had been kind of a dick move, but Rory really hated talking about the preferential treatment that VIPs or celebrities got when they visited the Park. It was never going to change, so why get so worked up?

Rory knew he should apologize, though. Maybe take Kyle out for lunch or something on their next day off. Other than dinner last week, they hadn’t ever gone out together just to do something fun. Central Florida was a huge tourist area, so there was plenty to do. Water parks, movies, zoos, museums, theaters… yeah, maybe it was time for a real date.

As soon as he made the decision, Rory wanted to see Kyle. He checked his watch and found six minutes left before Kyle started his shift for the day, which meant that Rory could conceivably leave his own shift six minutes early and head down to the break room. He’d learned the “stay out of a supervisor’s view” tricks fast enough to give himself a little freedom while still on Happy World’s clock.

He slid behind one of the fake brick walls in Freedom’s Fair that declared “Happy World Actors Only” and hurried down the steps to the tunnel that would take him over to Fairy Tale Land. Rory was getting kind of annoyed at the shift calendar. He and Kyle had yet to be scheduled at the same time in the same area of the Park. It was making their furtive sexual encounters that much more difficult.

But fun. Always fun.

Rory grinned to himself, even though he knew there was no way Kyle would mess around before his shift and risk being late. Not even if Rory teased and flirted. Kyle was still a stickler for rules, although he was getting a little less rigid as time went on. Rory counted it as a personal triumph.

The tunnel began slanting upwards and Rory knew he was close to the Fairy Tale Land break room. Kyle usually went there first before clocking in to take one last sip from his water bottle in the fridge.

However, the only person in the break room was Darren Hayes, a face character that Rory knew only slightly but had always seemed like a nice enough guy. Darren often played the role of King Oceanus on Shell Island, though Rory had also seen him stand in occasionally for Pierre.

“Damn,” Rory muttered as he watched the clock tick over to the hour. He knew Kyle was clocking in somewhere above him right now.

“Thanks,” Darren laughed. “I thought I took a shower today.” He made a show of sniffing himself.

Rory waved him off. “Nah, sorry. Was looking for someone else.”

“No one in here but us chickens. Who’re you looking for?” Darren opened the fridge and took out what looked like last night’s leftovers in a Styrofoam box.

“Kyle Forester.” Rory sighed and slumped into a plastic chair. “Too late, though.” Damn. Now Kyle was on shift for the next six hours and Rory would be trapped over in Town Square, the main entrance to Happy World.

“Wow, he’s a popular guy.” Darren stuck his box in the microwave and leaned on the counter, facing Rory. “I didn’t even know the kid existed until Charlie started talking about him.”

God, Rory hated hearing that name. He was about to say something rude in response when it occurred to him that maybe there was information to be learned if he played dumb. “Charlie?” he asked innocently. “Daniel-Charlie?”

The microwave beeped and Darren retrieved his lunch. The smell of marinara sauce and cheese drifted toward Rory, making his stomach growl. “Yeah,” Darren confirmed. “That’s the one. Charlie the virgin slayer.” He laughed at his own joke and took a big bite of spaghetti and meatballs.

“Kyle’s just a Groundskeeper. What does Charlie want with him? Hell, you better not let anyone see you talking to me.” Rory grinned. “They’ll demote you to food services or something.”