As the evening wore on, the bar began to empty out. Even Violet’s girls had retreated to their rooms—more often alone than with any of the guests. Violet was still at the bar but kept her distance from Daniel and Ava, as if she understood not to interfere. Every now and then, she’d toss Daniel a sly smile or a wink.
Ava wasn’t drinking beer. She had a glass of water in front of her. Daniel, on the other hand, was already on his second pint.
“I don’t like beer. I prefer gin or whiskey. But here, it seems…” She glanced at Phil. “They don’t have that kind of thing.”
“Maybe they will eventually. Look at the bottles behind Phil.”
“They’re empty.”
“Yeah, because we’re the lucky ones who get to be here first.”
“If you call that luck, little sheriff…”
“Deputy sheriff!” Daniel raised a finger to his badge and laughed.
He managed to make her smile.
“So how’d you end up here? Invitation or…?”
Daniel wondered whether to tell her the truth or stay in his movie.
“What do you think?” Jasper might’ve been right about him—he’d gotten rusty at talking to women.
“I think someone richer than you gave you an invite, and by some happy accident, you landed here.”
Daniel took a sip from his mug.
“And why do you think that?”
“You and your big friend are up to some pretty weird stuff. Especially that lap dance yesterday. It was hilarious from the sidelines.”
“Well, rich folks can have fun too.”
“Absolutely. But trust me, you can tell when someone’s guarding their reputation and when they’re not. Especially in a place where we’re probably being watched.”
“I don’t agree. You don’t know how reckless the rich can get when they’re given a little freedom.”
“Freedom? Look at this place. They’re watching us from everywhere.”
“And you know that because…?”
“Trust me. I know more about this place than you’d guess.”
Daniel glanced around, though the bar was nearly empty by now. He understood about the animals—those probably had cameras—but the people? It’d be odd if their conversations with the robots were recorded too.
“I work with computers,” Daniel said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. No lies.
“That’s it? I thought they’d hand out invites to bigger fish.”
Daniel couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or picking a fight.
“And you? How’d you end up here?”
“That grumpy gentleman invited me.” Ava scanned the room as if looking for him. “You saw him on the train.”
“Your husband?”
The blonde laughed.
“Husband? No. That’s my boss. Sam Hayes. Heard of him?”
“No. Someone famous?” The name rang a bell—he’d heard it somewhere.
“Depends. If you’re into architecture or building apartments, even selling them, you should know him. Otherwise, probably not.”
“So you’re here with your boss on something like a business trip? From the outside, that looks…”
“I know how it looks, but it’s not like that.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“What’d your boyfriend say about it?” He didn’t care that much—he just wanted to know if there was one. He was sure she was sleeping with her boss. That’s what secretaries did. Or so he’d heard.
“I’ll ask him when I find one.” She smiled, though it felt a bit forced. “We’re here for work, Daniel. That’s your name, right?”
“You remember my name?”
“No, I asked Violet.” She grinned. “Do you remember mine?”
He did. But he decided to take a step forward. So he shook his head.
“Ava.” She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you again.”
She smiled, looking at him with those blue eyes, making him feel slightly awkward.
“Ava. Your name’s like the locals’. Sure you’re not from here? I don’t see black gloves. And your hand’s warm.”
“If I were a local, I’d probably be one of Violet’s girls.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. She burst out laughing.
“Kidding, Daniel. Just look at them.” Ava nodded toward Violet. “The most carefree, cheerful people in this place.”
“And you?” Daniel couldn’t help himself. “No boyfriend, but here with your boss—the grumpy guy—and you’re not sharing a room?”
“You’re starting to cross a line.”
He knew it but decided to risk it. What’s the harm? Emma wasn’t here. And it’d been ages since he’d talked like this with a woman who wasn’t one of Emma’s friends—none of whom liked him anyway. He didn’t like them either.
“Sorry, you just seemed really close on the train.”
“He’s the head architect and owner of the firm. I’m one of his best assistants. Mr. Barnes offered us a week here to give him ideas for the place afterward. We’ve got plenty. If he likes them, he’ll contract our firm to keep working on it.”
“Just here, or…?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. I just know it’s a big-money deal Sam wouldn’t dare miss out on. So don’t worry, buddy.” She patted his knee. “Sam’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t let this slip—it’s more important to him than who he sleeps with. Though he might’ve already tried one of Violet’s girls. Yesterday, I saw the blonde leaving his room.” Ava whispered that last part.
“How’d he manage that? Jasper’s been trying for two days to scrape together coins for one. He’s dying to…”
“No idea, but I caught them in the hallway. Sam was yelling after her, and she was screaming. He grabbed her wrist, but when he saw me, he let go and went back inside. He was half-naked, and the girl—the robot—was naked, with marks on her body like she’d been hurt.”
“You know, we met with the techs earlier. They said yesterday they were this close to stepping in, but it blew over. Maybe that was why.”
“The techs? What were they doing here?”
“Long story about a murder.” Daniel tried to sound mysterious, but it didn’t land.
“I think Sam tried to force that girl.”
“Force her? That’s probably against park rules. Then again, they’re robots…” He shrugged.
Ava shoved him with one hand. Daniel wasn’t expecting the push.
“So you’re saying you’re fine with violence?”
“No, of course not. But that’s the setting here.”
“What if this is all an experiment? Imagine they’re watching us.”
“They are watching us.”
“Maybe it’s a test of our real passions and desires.” She pressed on. “Like, what we’d actually do if we knew the thing in front of us wouldn’t judge us or couldn’t think.”
She had a point, sort of. Daniel had thought about it too, but with Jasper around, there was no time for reflection. His friend had dived headfirst into the movie and wouldn’t let anything else come up.
“Where’s your friend, anyway?”
“He’s got a date with a local.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“So, a date with…”
“Yeah. And it’s the daughter of a local farmer.”
“Farmer?”
“If you saw a big farm on the way in when we arrived, that was his. Mr. Reed. Derek Reed.”
“I know Derek Reed. Sam and I were there during the day.”
“You were there?”
“Sam wanted to talk to Reed about his farm. He wondered if he could strike up a conversation with a local about construction methods, prices, that sort of thing. Honestly, that Reed wasn’t exactly welcoming. And he kept giving me looks that creeped me out.”
“Familiar feeling. We were there too.”
“Wait a sec. Reed had two daughters. One younger and blonde, the other older, dark-haired, with a kid. Which one?”
“Which one’s with Jasper, you mean?”
Ava’s eyes widened, waiting for an answer.
“The dark-haired one with the kid. Love at first sight.”
“Ha! She was cute.” That made Ava laugh. “But if Reed finds out…”
“Guess you forgot who the new sheriffs in town are.” Daniel tapped his badge again.
“Deputy sheriffs,” Ava corrected with a smile, then continued. “Honestly, Daniel, these two days here have been magical. The showers are a bit tricky, but you get used to it.”
“I don’t think people back then bathed that often.”
“Oh, the men definitely didn’t, but the ladies did.”
“And these dresses?”
“Gorgeous. If I could wear them in the real world—our world—I’d do it in a heartbeat. They’re elegant, freeing, and can be provocative if you undo a button or two.”
Ava winked, and he instinctively glanced at her neckline. It wasn’t as plunging as Violet’s, but they were nice breasts. At least from what he could see. While staring, he thought of Emma.
And, as often happened, the answer to a question could come from the most unexpected topic or sight.
He’d suspected it earlier in the conversation, but now it clicked fully in his head.
Sam Hayes wasn’t just Ava’s boss. Sam Hayes was Emma’s boss too. The one who’d hired Emma as an intern. She’d told him herself she was going with a woman from the firm.
What a small world. Both the real one and this one…
And he’d figured it out just by staring at her chest…