Chapter 24
twenty-four
DAISY
Abuzzing sound breaks through my sleep. I slowly blink my eyes open.
The room is pitch black from the blackout curtains, and I have no idea what time it is.
Turning my head to the side, I find Kade isn’t lying next to me.
Flicking on the lamp on the bedside table, I scan the room.
It’s empty. I prop myself onto my elbows. Maybe he’s in the bathroom.
I check the caller ID and groan. Of course it’s my father. He’d be wondering where I am. I’m always there early to make sure the flower arrangements are set up perfectly, and everything is clean and tidy.
Clearing my throat, I answer. “Hi, Dad. I should have called. I’m sorry I can’t make it today.” There’s a moment of silence, and I have to check the phone screen to make sure I didn’t disconnect by accident. “Dad, are you there?”
“Yes… yes,” he says. “Daisy, this isn’t like you. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sorry. I think I’m getting sick.” I cough for effect. “I slept in.”
“Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?” Guilt tugs at my chest at the concern in his voice.
“No, it’s not that bad. I’ll take a couple of Tylenol, and hopefully I’ll be fine by tomorrow.” Lying to him makes me feel guiltier.
“People are starting to arrive. If I’d known you weren’t going to turn up to greet them, I would have organized Mrs. Goldstein to take your place.” Knowing that I’m not dying, his tone has changed to one that sounds a little annoyed.
“I’m sorry.” I drop my head into my hand. “I’ll call her and ask her if she can stand in for me.”
“Never mind. I’ll catch her before she gets settled in her seat. Are you too sick to make it after the service for morning tea?”
Where’s that magical portal I need to get me there? “Umm…” I cough and sniff. “Sorry, my head’s killing me.”
There’s a knock on the door, and it opens. “Room service,” a woman says a second before she rolls a cart into the room. I quickly pull the sheet up to cover my naked body. “Oh, sorry to disturb you while you’re on the phone, Ms. Barlowe. Mr. Sullivan ordered breakfast to be brought into your room.”
I inwardly groan and pray to God that my father didn’t hear.
“Who was that?” he asks. That’s karma for lying.
“Ummm…”
“Are you in a hotel?” he asks sharply.
I rub my temple. Now my head is really starting to pound. “No, it was just the TV,” I lie and pray I don’t go to hell.
“Daisy, that was not the TV. Where are you?”
The woman looks at me apologetically, like she knows I’ve been busted in a lie. As if I’m some fifteen-year-old girl caught skipping school or sneaking out the bedroom window in the middle of the night. “Sorry,” she mouths and backs out of the room.
I sit up straighter. I’m not a fifteen-year-old girl.
I’m an adult. One that shouldn’t have to hide from my father.
But I didn’t call to let him know where I was and that I’d be missing church.
And I should have. In my defence, I thought I’d be back home by now.
Where is Kade anyway? I don’t hear the shower running. Maybe he’s in the living room.
“I’m in Las Vegas.”
“Nevada?” he asks incredulously.
“Yes, in Nevada.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t have the time to discuss why you’re there right now.
I have a service to attend to. I’m disappointed you didn’t bother to tell me you weren’t attending and then lying about it.
We’ll discuss this when you get home.” He doesn’t have to tell me he’s disappointed.
I can hear it in the tone of his voice. Something I’ve never heard before.
Because all my life, I’ve tried so hard to make him happy.
“I’m sorry, Dad. It won’t happen again,” I apologize again, feeling like a naughty teenager.
After he hangs up, I get out of bed, wrap myself in a fluffy robe, and head to the bathroom to look for Kade.
He’s not in there. I check the rest of the hotel suite.
He’s not here. Where is he? I make my way back to the bedroom, where the breakfast is set up.
The table is decorated with pretty pink and white flowers, a silver tea set and cloche.
The table is only set for one person. When I spot a note propped up on a glass, my stomach sinks.
I have a strong sense of foreboding. He’s gone and left me here.
Picking up the note, I open it and read:
Daisy
You’re going back to LA without me.
I’ve arranged a driver to meet you at the suite at 10.30. He’ll take you to the airport where the plane is waiting.
Chains
That’s it? That’s all he has to say? And he signed it Chains, not Kade. I flip the note over in case there’s more written on the back. There’s nothing. It’s so impersonal. Like we’re strangers and didn’t have the most amazing night together.
Tossing it on the table, I drop down onto a nearby chair. After the night we had, this is what he does? Sneaks out while I’m sleeping. I tie the belt around my waist tighter. I know we said it wasn’t going to mean anything, but he could have at least said goodbye in person.
I don’t have the appetite for breakfast and take a shower, trying not to think of the way he had his hands all over me in here only a few hours ago. The sooner I get out of this hotel, the sooner I can stop thinking about him.
I change into last night’s dress and heels—there are pants and ballet flats he provided for me that would’ve been more comfortable, but I choose not to wear them. I don’t want anything more from him.
When the driver arrives, I do the walk of shame down the corridor to the elevator. This is a first for me. And last. I’ve never felt so humiliated.
Soon, I’m back on a private plane. This time, Kade, Lincoln, and Asher are nowhere to be seen.
During the past few hours, I’ve experienced things so far out of my normal life. Spontaneous trips with a man to Las Vegas and sex without some kind of attachment.
I take a seat and buckle up. If it weren’t for the marks on my body and the ache between my thighs, I’d believe it was all a dream.