Page 147 of Daddy, Take Me Away
He gave an eyeroll, ever so slight, then grunted, “Go ahead and try.”
“If I get it, you have to tell me.”
“Okay, and you won’t. I'm only agreeing because I'm not the least bit worried you'll actually guess it.”
“Cassidy?”
“Nope.”
“Casablanca?”
“No.”
“Castern?” I was already running out of things Cas could be short for, but I kept guessing, every ridiculous thing that popped into my head.
By the time we’d gotten to Vegas and checked into a gorgeous two-room suite with an incredible view of the strip, I’d given twenty more guesses and was no closer to knowing Cas’ real name than when I’d started.
I was sending an update to Savannah via text when Cas appeared in my doorway, holding out a prepaid Visa. “This has a thousand dollars on it. It should more than cover what you want to wear, anything you want to have done at the spa and whatever you want to eat. I figured you could go do all that and then we could reconvene at 8 pm downstairs for dinner. Our reservation is at Spago so just meet me there.”
“Cool. Thanks.” I plucked the Visa from between his fingers and stared down at it. I knew Vegas was expensive but that seemed like more than enough. Besides, I had my own money too. I’d been saving for this trip for years.
I grabbed my purse from my bed, withdrew my wallet and tucked the card into it before replacing the wallet and slinging my purse over my shoulder. “See you at eight,” I said as I bounced past him, mentally planning my afternoon.
“Hold on a minute. Not so fast there, babygirl.” Cas wrapped one thick hand around my forearm as I attempted to breeze past.
I looked over my shoulder at him, not hiding my annoyance.
“We need to set up some ground rules. Vegas is a cool, but dangerous place, and I don't even want to send you off by yourself here, but I also have no desire to clothes shop and sit in a stuffy salon for hours while you get all done up. So, ground rules.”
“I'm an adult. A legal one. I'm sure I can manage myself for a few hours,” I huffed.
“I hope, but even so. Humor me for my own peace of mind.”
“Fine. What are these rules of yours?”
“Number one. No drinking until dinner. We can go hard tonight, and you do not need to pregame.”
I raised my brows as he spouted a rule I had no intention of following. “Okay. What else?”
“Check in with me every two hours. I want to know you're okay and what you’re doing.”
“Cas, I'm not a child. I don't need to check in with a grown-up.”
“Always a good idea to take extra precautions in a place like this. No matter how grown up you are,” he countered in a tone that brooked no argument.
I reluctantly agreed with a terse nod of my head. “What else?”
“Water. Take your water bottle and make sure you drink from it. It's hot as balls here. And for tonight, don't leave your drink unattended. Don't run off without telling me where you’re going. Don't talk to strangers. Make sure you eat really good at dinner. Don't mix tequila and whiskey. Know when to quit.”
“Yes, Sir.” I gave him a mock salute. “Is that all?”
“For now.” He shuffled his feet looking as if he didn't want to let me go even though it had been his idea.
“Cool. Thanks! See you at eight!” I skipped past him and out of the suite, keeping the fake smile until I was safely on the elevator.
Rules? Seriously? Who did he think he was? Reaching into my purse, I turned off my phone. Cas would hear from me at eight and not a minute before.
My stubborn phase lasted only until I stopped downstairs at a bar selling slushy drinks in souvenir plastic cups. By the tIme I’d downed half of it, I’d turned my phone back on. I wanted to know if Savannah texted me back, and I needed my phone to take selfies. I wasn't about to punish myself for the sake of punishing Cas. So the phone stayed on. And I might even text him a time or two. I wasn't going to follow his other asinine rules though.
