Chapter Four

Kathryn

“Hello? Dad! What are you calling me for? No! I thought you were someone else. It doesn’t matter who, I was expecting a phone call from someone else, so I really should get off the line—no, I said it doesn’t matter who! What if it is a guy? Then what? Are you going to send me to my room?” Kathryn couldn’t believe she had immediately been drawn into another fight with her father, and she was about to hang up the phone when he did his best to calm things down with her.

“Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude like that, I just didn’t expect you to have to go so quickly, and I was a little offended. Give your old man another chance?”

Kathryn rolled her eyes. She and her father had been close when she was a little girl, and there were still times when her heart felt soft toward him in spite of their differences. She sighed.

“What do you want? I really am busy.” Kathryn didn’t want to hear what he had to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to hang up on him—at least, not while he was making an effort to be friendly. There was still a part of her that missed having a relationship with him, though she was tired of the way he was always treating her like someone he could control, rather than his daughter.

“There’s a convention going on down at the Crystal this weekend, and I thought you might be interested in going.”

Kathryn had heard of the car show that was going to take place, and she knew there would be some impressive machines down there. Of course, if she went it would be for the social aspect, rather than the cars.

“I don’t know. Those tickets were rather expensive.”

“I’ve already got two, and one of them has your name on it. I know how you like to get out, and it would be a great time for you to have some fun without any added pressure.” There was a pause, and Kathryn waited. She knew there had to be more to this situation than what her father was telling her, and she had learned that he best way to get information out of him was to simply wait until he offered more.

“So are you going to be my date then?” she asked when he said nothing. It would be a small consolation for what he had put her through, but she would be willing to give him a chance if he paid for the tickets. Perhaps it would even be fun. It wouldn’t be the first time the two of them had gone to a party at the Crystal Hotel, and in the past, it had been a blast. But that was before she was old enough to be married to some rich entrepreneur.

“Actually, there is someone else I was planning to give the other ticket. He will pick you up at six and take you down there himself. I figured you would prefer that to trying to find parking on your own.” He laughed, and Kathryn immediately felt her blood boil.

How dare he try to set her up with someone again? Especially after she had cut off communication with him the last time he had tried to do such a thing.

“Dad! I’ve told you this a hundred times—I am not going to marry anyone you set me up with. I’m not even going to date them! You know I don’t want your input or advice when it comes to my love life, and I need you to stop!” Kathryn didn’t bother trying to keep her voice down.

“Kathryn! How dare you speak to me like that? You don’t even know who this is!” She could hear that he was instantly angry with her as well and knowing that he was mad only served to anger her further as she fought for the right words.

“I don’t care who it is; I don’t care what they want; and I certainly don’t care what they are paying you! I am an adult, and I will choose the man I want to spend the rest of my life with—and that’s the end of that!” Kathryn didn’t even wait for her father to respond. She hung up the phone and threw it across the room, glad that it managed to land on her pillow.

Putting her hands on her hips, she walked back and forth, taking deep breaths. She didn’t like losing control of herself like that, especially with her father, but there were times when she just couldn’t help it. He was taking more and more liberties with her love life, and it didn’t seem to matter what she wanted—he was going to do things his way, regardless.

Kathryn’s phone rang once more, and she answered it, but she was too worked up to talk like she had planned. Telling her friend she would call her back shortly, Kathryn once again hung up the phone and set it back down on the couch. Her mind was spinning, and she continued to take deep breaths. She didn’t want to be upset. Being upset was what led to her making bad decisions. Kathryn knew she was in control over her own life, and she was going to maintain that control, regardless of what her father had to say about it.

Suddenly, Kathryn thought about what Dana had said about Hawk. Though Kathryn had entertained the thought of going to Las Vegas to arrange a meeting with the man, she hadn’t given it any serious thought since the brunch they’d had. After all, who would travel from New York all the way down to Vegas to stage a chanced meeting? If things were to go according to plan, he would have no idea that she was coming or that she had any idea he was there—she could play it off as fate.

But she would have to do a lot of planning to make sure that happened. Of course, if she dug deep enough, she would be able to figure out where he was staying and even in what room—but that would be far more obvious than she wanted to be. Dana could get the information for her, but unless she had the help of her friend, she would have to go to Lisa—or worse—one of the other brothers themselves.

After what had happened with Cole, Kathryn didn’t want to get involved with either of the older brothers again—even if she had mended things and ended up best friends with the man’s fiancée. No, if she was going to stage a meeting with Hawk, it was going to have to look like a complete accident.

Kathryn sighed as she laid back on her couch. It was as though everything she told her father merely went in one ear and out the other. He didn’t care if she was happily married; all he cared about was expanding his own empire. He wanted money—and the security of more money.

But suppose you were to just go to Vegas and see what happens? You know you could have Hawk wrapped around your finger if you really tried. But even if you don’t get him, Vegas is a large city. There is bound to be someone there your father has no ties to.

You’ve got the money, you’ve got the time—what are you waiting for? You were just telling Dana that you are happy to have the freedom of getting to do what you want when you want, so exercise a bit of that freedom and make this happen! Kathryn shook her head as she sat back up and grabbed her phone.

Hawk didn’t have any intention of committing to anything, and she knew it. If she were to just use him to get through this slump she felt she was in, she could move on with her life and find someone who was actually worth her time. She had a lot of pent-up frustration and anger—why not let it out in the best way possible?

Kathryn scanned her phone, looking at the standard hotels she often stayed at when she was in Vegas. Part of her was surprised that many of the rooms were already booked, but she did find one in one of the downtown locations. Downtown was always a great place to stay—she was close enough to everything to have fun without worrying about it, but at the same time, the hotels themselves were nicer than the ones that were further out.

More expensive, yes, but it was worth it. She had just treated herself to a cruise and had come back feeling better than ever. Now would be a great time to take herself on a little excursion to Vegas with the same goal in mind: let out all her frustration, think things through, and enjoy some much-needed relaxation away from the stress her father constantly caused. Hawk wouldn’t be her only goal, he would just be her primary goal.

Kathryn swore under her breath when she saw that the penthouse to the hotel was already taken, but she didn’t let it get her down. There were plenty of other luxurious options on the lower floors, and she could make do with one of those for the sake of this trip. She pulled out her credit card and punched in the numbers, letting the feeling of satisfaction roll over her when she saw that she had a reservation.

Next, Kathryn turned her attention to the plane. She would be less picky about the luxury of the flight as long as she had efficiency on her side. She didn’t want to spend hours with layovers, and she wanted to get out of New York as soon as possible. Dana would be busy enough with her wedding plans that she could spare Kathryn for a while. Besides, this had been her idea in the first place.

Kathryn smiled as she paid for the ticket. She had to spend a lot more than she wanted, but she managed to get herself a flight to Vegas the next day. Yes, she was going to have to settle for a hotel room that was less than what she normally stayed in, but considering the circumstances, she knew she could make it work.

After all, if everything went according to her plans, she wouldn’t be spending very much time in the hotel room anyway.