The Gala

Kylie and Kris were getting ready to leave when Chloe’s car pulled into the driveway. She breezed into the house and went straight to where her mother and Kylie were getting ready.

“I’m sorry I’m late mom. Give me 20 minutes and I can be ready to go. I did my makeup on the plane.”

“Oh sweety you look fabulous but you should rest.” Kris said without looking up.

“What happened to you? Why are you standing like that?” Kylie asked looking her sister up and down. Chloe’s skin was masked by various forms of makeup but the bruises and welts were still visible all over her body.

“Long vacation.” Chloe responded. Kylie gave her a look of concern and Chloe shrugged. Kylie looked at her mom.

“Kylie is coming with me tonight. You need your rest and probably some rehabilitation.” Kris said, finishing up her eyeliner and turning to her older daughter.

“I’m fine really. I said I’d be there and I’m ready to go.” Kris looked her daughter up and down and frowned.

“Darling, you clearly had a long week. Who knows what that man has done to you. Is your you know what still intact?” She feigned concern. Chloe looked at Kylie, unsure of how to respond. “She knows the nature of the business now, no need to be coy.” Kris reassured her.

“I’m fine, really. It looked worse than it was.”

“Mark sent pictures. I think you need to see someone.” Kris said flatly.

“What? He sent pictures of what? When?”

“You know of what, and a few days ago. I asked him to check in and to show me the damage. He documented it quite expertly actually. I asked him to delete any of them with your face in it, don’t worry.”

“It looks worse than it is.” Chloe insisted.

“Unless one of your suitors plans to drive a train through it I think it’s best if you sit this one out. My god darling you looked like the Lincoln tunnel.” She laughed humorlessly. Kylie scowled at the thought.

“She doesn’t even know what she’s doing. I’ve been doing the work, I need time in the spotlight to keep up appearances mom.”

“You will have plenty of spotlight to come, nothing to worry about there. I’ll make sure you’re on the list for the next one but Kylie was here and she is ready.”

“She’s hardly ready.”

“Chloe. I have spoken.” Kris said sharply. Chloe moved to respond but held herself back. She took a moment.

“This isn’t fair.” Chloe said defiantly. “I’m coming. It would be wrong for me not to be there.”

“If you must. Come Kylie, we need to go.”

Kylie hugged her sister on her way out. “Is that a diaper?” She whispered.

“Shut up.” Chloe rolled her eyes and smiled as she followed her sister out the door. She made sure to adjust her dress to hide the thick undergarments she was wearing.

Kylie enjoyed the picture taking. She had grown up doing this and while it was work it had become second nature to her. She knew a lot of the regulars at these events and she enjoyed getting to meet so many people.

“Kylie, stay here, get one with Garth.” One of the photographers she could barely make out over the flahsing lights called to her. She stopped and held her pose as Garth Daniels made his way on the carpet. He was a young handsome actor who had been becoming quite popular lately but she hadn’t really spoken to him before. He came up next to her.

“Silly one for the fans?” He asked. She laughed and they posed side by side.

“Garth.” He said as the cameras flashed.

“Kylie.” She said without moving her lips much.

“I know.” She laughed again. She walked off and left him to take the rest of his pictures. Kris was waiting for her and she smiled and winked at her. Kylie blushed.

“He’s cute. Very hot right now.”

“Hot all the time.” Kylie said and they laughed. She looked back for a second and saw Garth looking after her. He winked as she turned around.

The rest of the night was boring to Kylie. Kris ushered her from one group to the next, making small talk about the gala and the news. Kylie was used to this too but as she’d become an adult the responsibility to actually participate had made these things a lot less fun. Kris didn’t hang out with people like Garth, she liked old money. Chloe had split off multiple times already, lured away by various leering suitors.

“Well Kylie, good to see you accompanying your beautiful mother. It’s usually Chloe that is attached to Kris’ hip.”

“She thought it would be healthy to get me out of the house.” He laughed at this.

“I feel like I see you on every billboard around town, hardly a shut in.”

“Gotta pay the bills.” She joked.

“You look incredible, what is it your wearing.”

“Prada. You like it?”

“I’d like it more if it was on my bedroom floor.” He laughed and Kylie played along but inched slightly further away.

“Your mom has been talking up the family business the last few weeks. Sounds like you’re getting involved.”

“On the business side of things.” Kylie said trying to hide her disdain.

“Hopefully you’re familiar with the business end of things as well. I know Chloe sure was.” He laughed again, a joyless and loud sound.

“Are you one of my mother’s clients?”

“Ya got me!” He put his hands up in fake surrender. “She’s a savvy one, your mother.”

“She is quite shrewd.”

“So, what’s it cost to get you over to my place?”

“Harvey.” Kris cut in. “Wonderful to see you.” They kissed on the cheek. “I see you’re getting cozy with my daughter here.”

“Just getting acquainted. I’d like to get more acquainted.”

“Let’s settle up some of your past acquaintances before we start looking for new ones yes?”

“Ya got me!” He did the same hand thing. Kylie looked around for a lifeline but couldn’t find one. She caught several of the men around her staring at her with hunger in their eyes. She wished one of her sisters was here.

“Good to see you Harvey.” Kris said and turned to her daughter.

“He’s gross.”

“Yes and chatty. We keep him close because he’s a rat. He was useful once a long time ago but now we just entertain him to keep him quiet.”

“It sounds like you’ve been advertising my availability.” Kylie asked pointedly.

“I told you, its marketing. They can’t afford you. But they desire you. He’ll probably hire a girl tonight because he saw you looking like that. Congratulations you just paid someone’s rent for three months and earned us a chunk of change on top.” Kris seemed tired already, “Next one is a doozy and the rest are easy.” She smiled at various people as they passed through. “If you get into trouble, call Chloe over okay? She can take the bullet.” Kylie winced at the careless way her mom talked about her sister.

The next few meetings turned out to be ‘doozys’ as Kylie spent the next hour watching the men she was talking to stare at her breasts and ass. One in particular, the one her mom warned her about was particularly difficult. The first thing he did was wrap his arm around her waist. His hand drifted further down only a minute later. Kylie shifted her shoulders but he seemed an expert at this as nothing she did shook him or made enough of a scene.

“I could just eat you up.” He said to her, his eyes were intensley dilated, clearly on something.”

“Hopefully not.” She laughed nervously.

“You know, Kim and I hung out a few times back in the day, before she got too famous for me. She was incredible. I’d tell her to do something and she’d just do it. Go on think of something and I’ll tell you if she would do it.”

“I don’t know. What do you mean?”

“Just anything say anything.”

“Anything?” Kylie played dumb as hard as she could trying to avoid talking about her sister obeying this man.

“For example. I told her to go get the mail out front in her birthday suit and she walked right out there in Beverly Hills naked as the day she was born and brought me my mail.”

“Ohh haha.” Kylie looked for her mom but didn’t see her.

“Thats the thing about being young and ambitious, you’ll do anything. If I said I had to shit she would open her mouth you know what I mean?”

“It sounds self explanatory.” Kylie cringed.

“Seriously. I walked her around all over the place. The jealous looks I’d get were hilarious. She’s too good for it now though. All these hollywood girls think they’re too good for it now. You’re not like that are you?”

“Too good to let you shit in my mouth? I hope so.” He laughed hard.

“Oh I’m just messing with you. It’s a joke c’mon. But she was a firecracker though. If you ever want a good time you should come out to Belize with me. I’ve got a nice little off the grid spot. It’s a great weekend.”

“That sounds lovely but I don’t have my passport.” Kylie lied.

“Well you better get one in this business girly. You’ll have good looking rich guys like me trying to fly you out all over the world. The big thing now is going to Dubai. They got a way of doing things out there that’s just special.”

“Yah that’s cool.”

“I’d love to take you there, show you the sights. All expenses paid, nothing spared. Just you and me. I could show you a thing or two as well. Help you out. I know the fucked up shit people like me are into these days.”

“Wow yah.” Kylie saw Chloe and waved her over. Chloe shook her head and Kylie widened her eyes in distress.

“Harold.” Chloe said joylessly as she stepped in.

“My god, the stunning Chloe makes an appearance. I didn’t realize you were here.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Chloe said.

“I was just telling Kylie here she should accompany me to Dubai.”

“Ah, yah she’s not much of a traveler these days.” Kylie breathed a little easier as Chloe stepped between her and Harold. “She’s more about her local presence.”

“Well I’m definitely local.” Harold said with a grin pointed at Kylie.

“Well I’ll make sure we’re in touch. Kylie is trying to broaden her social horizons. Kylie why don’t you give him your number?” Chloe looked at her expectantly.

“Oh.” Kylie was panicking. “Sure.” She told him her number hesitantly. “But Chloe is the one you should probably be texting. She’s much more available and open than I am.” Kylie said defensively. Chloe looked at her with anger.

“I’ll text you both, how about that? Get a little party going. I promise nothing too crazy.” He said with a slimy grin. Before either sister could reply Kris walked up out of nowhere.

“Harold. Must you take another one of my daughters from me?”

“Only if you’ll let me.” They laughed joylessly.

“Come girls, we have an appointment.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Harold said as he pinched Kylie’s ass.

“What are you two doing?”

“What do you mean?” Kylie asked. “He was being creepy.”

“You’re embarrassing me. We’ll talk about this when we get home.” She shot a look at Chloe who remained silent.

Kylie was overwhelmed by the end of the night and her head was spinning. She felt a great deal of respect for her sisters, dealing with all of the lustful eyes and their mother’s encouragement. Kris had made good on her promise to use Kylie as a marketing tool. She collapsed into a soft lounge chair in the corner near the bathrooms and sipped on a fruity mixed drink. She was ready to leave but Kris was nowhere to be found.

“You look like you want to be alone.” Someone said behind her. Kylie turned her head to see Garth from the carpet earlier.

“Only from certain people.” Kylie said, not hiding her exhaustion.

“Am I one of those people?”

“I don’t know. Are you going to offer to fly me to another country and trap me in a hotel?”

“I was, but now I’m sensing you’ve already been asked.” Kylie smiled.

“Only a couple dozen times. What’s one more?” She gestured to the seat across from her and he took it, leaning into it smoothly without taking his eyes off hers. “Where do you plan to hold me hostage?”

“Well, I know of several small semi abandoned cartel houses down south that would prove adventurous.”

“Sounds tropical. I never cared much for resorts anyway.”

“I would call them last resorts really.” They both laughed.

“Okay, so you like bad jokes.”

“As long as you laugh I like them.”

“Stop.” She smiled and giggled. They chatted for awhile and Kylie felt the buzz around her fade away. Before she knew it it had been over an hour and Kris tapped her on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. Who is this nice gentleman?” She smiled at Garth.

“Oh hi mom, this is Garth. Garth this is my mom.”

“Of course I know Kris Karlton. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m so sorry but our car is leaving, can I steal her away?” Kris asked politely.

“Of course, I’ve taken too much of her time anyway.” He turned to Kylie. “I would like to continue this another time though, if that’s alright?”

“If we must.” Kylie joked and smiled. She gave him her number and left with her mother.