"Lorenzo! What's going on here?"
Lorenzo stopped laughing and looked up at the stern face of his mother. Uh oh! He was seeing another time-out in his near future.
"Nothing, Mommy. I gave Miss Rissa a present... and then... she fell down."
Kate looked at Hyde and Angelo, both of whom were trying hard not to laugh. Kate approached Rissa, "Rissa, I’m so sorry. We will, of course, pay to have your riding clothes cleaned."
Rissa huffed as she brushed at her clothes. "Oh really! How kind of you. Cleaning them won’t suffice. I’ll be buying new ones and sending Shade the bill, you can count on it!” Standing up, she went nose to nose with Kate. "You need to discipline that child. I’m a paying customer, this is not acceptable! My god, Kate, stables are a dangerous place for him! I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the precious thing. Just look at me, covered in horse shit, he gave me horse shit! What kind of child plays in horse shit?"
Kate reassured her. “Of course, buy new ones, just send the bill." Kate turned her stare to Lorenzo, "Horse poop? You gave Miss Rissa horse poop?"
Lorenzo gave her his most innocent stare with those crystal blue eyes as he told her he made her a present, a dog that looked like Warrior.
Kate bit hard on the tender skin inside her lip, trying hard not to smile. Lorenzo didn’t need any encouragement. She gave him a hard stare, well aware of the power he’d have over the ladies with those eyes as he got older.
"I’ll deal with you later, young man. And don't think your father won't hear about this."
Lorenzo dove headfirst into the hay bales, hiding from his mother, and exiting the situation as best he could. But he could feel her unexpressed laughter and knew his punishment wouldn’t be too severe.
"Rissa, I’m so sorry. If you want to clean up before you go home, please feel free to come up to the house. I can get you something clean to wear before you go home."
Rissa was appalled. Me, wear anything she owns, what a joke! Holding up her hand, she faked a quick smile. "No thank you, I just want to go home. I have one request when I come to ride. Please keep your son at a distance. He needs discipline, and a lot of it! Hyde! I’m ready to go now, please get me the hell out of here!"
Hyde winked over her head at the queen and hoped Lorenzo didn’t get a bad punishment for his antics. He had entertained the entire stables today.
"Come along, Rissa, you smell!" He laughed as they teleported out and Rissa couldn’t wait until she got that bratty kid alone. She’d teach him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget!
Kate was now steaming mad at Rissa as she held a fake smile on her face as Rissa and Hyde departed. Who does this bitch think she is? She doesn't own these fucking stables! Lorenzo will play when and where he wants.
After Hyde had taken her away, Kate turned to the stack of hay bales. "Lorenzo!"
She saw his small face peer around the hay bales, and she raised one eyebrow as she put her hands on her hips. The child climbed over the hay and stood before her, looking up into her face.
"Are you going to make me stay inside when Miss Rissa comes?"
Kate shook her head, "No, Lorenzo. This is your home. And you play wherever you want. But what you did today..." Kate sighed. "Lorenzo, what were you thinking?"
He shrugged his small shoulders, "I was thinking I wanted to give her horse poop because she doesn't like me."
Kate could hear the laughter of the stable hands behind her and she flashed them a look that said, 'don't encourage him!’ and they fell silent. She closed her eyes and shook her head, before picking up her muddy poop-covered child and teleporting him back to the house, and another bath.
"You know we have to tell your father about this, don't you?"
Lorenzo tucked his head as he answered, "Yes, Mommy."
As they landed inside Bel Rosso, Theresa was already running the bath water for the second time this day. As Kate walked in and started stripping his clothes from him, Theresa was gathering his clothes for the laundry.
“I swear, my lady, I’ve never taken care of a child that went through more clothes or had more baths in a single day than Lorenzo!"
Kate laughed as she helped Lorenzo climb into the tub, already splashing water and playing with a toy boat, as if the poop incident never happened. “Lover? When you have a minute, you may want to come see your son.”
Shade knew something was up as soon as his death slumber ended. He looked out the window to see Rissa and Hyde teleporting out and then saw Kate returning with a very dirty Lorenzo, nothing unusual there. Jumping in the shower, he was almost done when Kate asked him to come see their son. What the hell did he do now?
Drying off quickly, he threw on some jeans and found Kate and Lorenzo in his room. He stood at the door, his feet crossed at the ankles, leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest. Lorenzo was refusing, in a very polite way, to get dressed. Shade didn’t blame him; he loved being naked as well.
Kate struggled with her willful child as he wanted to run free before she could finish getting him dressed. "Lorenzo, stand still!"
She sensed Shade behind her and looked over her shoulder to see him leaning against the doorjamb, his hair still damp from his own shower.
"You might want to ask your son about the incident with Miss Rissa today."
Shade furrowed his brow. "Oh, we had an incident, did we? That cannot be good. Daddy does not like incidents. Lorenzo, stop your fidgeting and let your mother dress you, it sounds to me like you are in enough trouble as it is. I would not be so eager to add to it."
He watched as Lorenzo rolled his big blue eyes to him and settled down. Lorenzo knew his father meant business. Shade wasn’t smiling, and his voice was stern. Finally, after Kate had him dressed, Shade took his hand and led him to the sleep sofa in his room. Shade sat down and pulled Lorenzo in front of him, so he was standing between his knees. He tilted Lorenzo’s chin up and stared into his eyes.
"What happened with Miss Rissa today? Start at the beginning and tell me everything."
Lorenzo looked up at his father. He adored his father and always wanted his praise. "I made Miss Rissa a present. It was a dog like warrior."
"Well that was very nice of you to make her a present. And did she accept this present?"
Lorenzo nodded his head eagerly, "Yes, Daddy. She said she liked it, but she really didn't."
Shade scowled. "How do you know she did not like it if she told you she did, Lorenzo? That makes no sense. I think you are leaving out some details or not telling me the truth. I do not accept lying from warriors, even little ones. Never lie, si?"
Lorenzo looked at the floor, and then looked over his shoulder. "Where's Warrior? I think we left him outside! I need to go get him."
Shade squeezed his knees together tight, holding him in place and Lorenzo squealed. Shade wanted him to feel a little discomfort and understand this was serious and he wasn’t getting out of it.
Picking him up, he let the child stand on his thighs and looked directly into his son’s eyes. "I do not think, little warrior, you wish for your Daddy to be angry. Talk. Now."
Lorenzo swallowed hard but looked his father in the eyes. That was what his father had taught him, to look in a man's eyes when you speak. "I made her a poop dog. She doesn't like me and doesn't want me to play in the stables when she comes, so I made her a dog out of horse poop. Then she got mad, and threw it down, but she slipped and fell and got her clothes all dirty, and she yelled at Mommy, and I hid in the hay bales."