Page 148 of Daddy, Take Me Away
I was a big girl and I could take care of myself.
Chapter Four
Cas
She never showed up for dinner. She never answered her phone and only texted me to check in once. By the time she stumbled through the front door of our suite at five the following morning, I was seconds away from calling local jails and hospitals and I was pretty sure I was going to have an aneurysm and a heart attack simultaneously.
Not only was she late as fuck, she was falling-over drunk, dressed in a barely there little black dress with see-through cutouts all over and rhinestone hooker heels. And as the kicker, she had a guy with her. A drunk guy in a white dress shirt and black slacks who looked like he’d been part of a wedding party. Hopefully not the groom.
Rising from the couch I’d just sank down on to prevent myself from pacing a hole in the carpet, I put myself between them. I towered over Wedding Guy and Polly was too drunk to notice or care. Did she even know he’d come back with her? At least she’d remembered what room we were in.
“Leave,” I boomed, with no patience for niceties as I pointed at the door.
Wedding Guy’s eyes grew big and his Adam's apple trembled as he swallowed hard. “Okay!” he squeaked, and then he was gone.
Polly was dancing around the room to music only she could hear. I stood in front of her and cleared my throat.
“Cas!” she exclaimed as if surprised to see me, in the suite I'd paid for. “This was the best birthday ever! Thank you for bringing me here. You know what, I really thought I hated you, but maybe I don't. Maybe you're actually a pretty good guy.” She hiccuped. “Yep.”
“You were supposed to meet me for dinner.” I checked my watch. “Nine hours ago. Where is your phone? I've been trying to call you all night. I was worried sick.”
Polly stopped swaying long enough to look up at me and blink twice.
“You weren't supposed to drink until I was with you. What time did you start?”
“As soon as I made it to the lobby!” Polly answered, pointing her finger and then booping my nose.
I saw red. The urge to yank her over my knee and spank her ass raw was strong. And it might win out, but when it did I wanted her to be sober enough to remember it and to consent. Not that I thought she would.
I sucked in a breath, willing myself to calm down and not say or do something I’d regret later.
I'd just opened my mouth when she leaned forward and puked all over my shoes. Shit.
Stepping out of them gingerly, I scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom where I placed her in front of the toilet and held her hair while she continued puking. It didn't take long for her to empty the contents of her stomach and begin dry heaving. I couldn't help but wonder if she’d actually eaten. It didn't look like it. This was exactly why I’d wanted her with me when she started drinking.
But I didn't say any of that. I just rubbed her back until she collapsed on the cool bathroom tile then I carried her to bed, placed an empty trashcan nearby just in case, and force-fed her aspirin and water. She was going to be miserable when she woke up. There was nothing I could do about that, but hopefully I could lessen her pain.
“Goodnight, Daddy,” she mumbled as she hit the mattress. I was sure I hadn't heard her right but that was what it sounded like.
She conked out immediately before I could ask her to repeat herself and I laid down on the couch so I could hear if she needed anything. After the long night I’d spent worrying, sleep should have been a breeze, but it wouldn't come. I was too mad and I just felt so incredibly hopeless. I was sure she’d called me Daddy. I’d called her babygirl all day but if she'd really been my babygirl, instead of my best friend's little sister, I'd have known exactly what to do.
In this case, if she wasn't going to listen to me when I gave her common-sense rules, could I even continue the road trip? More importantly, could I be the jerk who called it off after the first night?
Fuck. I didn't want to, but I couldn't have another night like this one. Tossing and turning while I considered my options, I finally came up with a plan.
Rolling off the couch, I slipped on my shoes and headed for the door. It was time to put my plan into action.
Polly
The sun streamed through the blinds, forcing my eyes open. My head was pounding. My throat was sore and scratchy, and I felt like I would throw up if I moved.
“Morning sleeping beauty.” Cas’ gruff voice brought the events of the day before to the forefront. He’d been over-the-top nice and thoughtful, and I'd behaved like a spoiled brat because I was offended he’d dared to give me a few common-sense rules to follow. Not my finest moment, and I was paying for it now.
“Oh god. I'm gonna be sick," I moaned, clutching my stomach wondering if I could even make it to the bathroom without falling flat on my face.
“There's a garbage can beside the bed,” Cas interjected. His voice was dry with not an ounce of humor in it. Unsurprisingly.
“Did you put me to bed?” I croaked, moving enough to angle my body toward the garbage can.
