Cassie
Cassie entered the bathroom and found it blissfully empty. Leaning against a stone tile wall, she let the hot tears escape. There weren't many. She didn't usually cry. She was typically strong and steadfast. She didn't let people get to her.
Cassie blamed it on being tired. She blamed the tears on traveling all day. She blamed it on the stress of her job. She blamed it on Lorna knowing the exact buttons to push to make her doubt herself.
She wiped her face off, checked the mirror to make sure she didn't look like she'd been crying, and went to order more wine. She found their waiter in the hallway putting orders into a computer.
“Fernando?”
He looked up with a start and then relaxed when he saw it was just Cassie.
“I just wanted to let you know that if Lorna does speak to your manager, I'd be happy to speak to them as well. You've been great. She's the customer from hell, and I want to apologize to you for her. I don't want you getting in trouble with your boss because she's awful.”
Fernando smiled, his shoulders releasing from around his ears. “Thank you, ma'am. That means a lot.”
“I'm happy to do it.” Cassie shrugged, but inside she felt a little bit better. “And when you get a chance, I'd love some more wine. Me and everyone sitting at our table. Except the teenager. Don't bring her any no matter how much she asks.”
“Of course.” He nodded, then paused for a second. He glanced around and then leaned forward. “We didn't recook her steak. Chef just moved the potatoes around. Same exact plate.”
Cassie's eyebrows raised.
“I also would recommend not eating anything from her plate. Just in case Chef did something else. He doesn't like when orders get returned for no reason.”
Cassie had worked in hospitality and food services long enough to know you don't anger the people that make your food. They had all the opportunities to put things like bugs or food that had fallen on the floor onto your dish without you ever knowing about it.
Lorna apparently never had that lesson.
Cassie thanked Fernando and headed back to the table. Luckily, Lorna had moved on. She now sat at a table with a wealthy looking man who was currently trapped in a conversation with her. The poor man had no idea what he was in for. Cassie felt bad for him, but not bad enough to rescue him. She didn't want Lorna to come back to her table.
“You okay?” Brianna asked when Cassie sat down. Janessa and Kyle were making their rounds around the room talking to guests. Katy was off talking with her grandparents. The other guests had finished dessert and were chatting among themselves.
Cassie nodded. “I got us more wine.”
“Good.” Brianna looked over at Cassie, appraising her. “You sure you're okay? That was brutal.”
“I think so.” Cassie gave a small shrug. Her eyes darted over to make sure Lorna was still occupied at the other table.
“You know it's not true what she said, right?”
“I know. It's just...” The threat of tears tightened around Cassie's throat again. She swallowed hard and wished the wine was here already. Her ex-husband used to say similar things.
Brianna gave Cassie a quick side hug. “She just enjoys pushing buttons. She's evil, and I hope a shark eats her this week.”
“Poor shark.”
“Yeah.” Brianna paused for a moment. “Actually, I don't know if a shark would eat her. She's too bitter.”
Fernando sat two big glasses of wine in front of Brianna and Cassie with a smile. They were bigger than the ones from before. Cassie took a sip and felt her shoulders relax a little.
“On the upside, we may have discovered an effective shark repellent.” Cassie took another sip. The bittersweet liquid was soothing to the soul.
Brianna chuckled. She took a sip of her wine and then set her wine glass down hard, nearly spilling it in the process. “Oh, I almost forgot. We're going dancing after dinner. There's supposed to be this amazing dance club here.”
Cassie could feel the tension increasing in her shoulders again. “I think I'm going to pass tonight,” she told Brianna. “I'm tired. It's been a long day.”
Brianna pouted but didn't push. “Okay. If you change your mind, come find me.”
Cassie nodded, and Brianna gave her another a quick hug.
“I'm going to go change,” Brianna said, standing up and taking her wine with her. “These aren't dancing clothes.”
“I'll walk up with you.” Cassie grabbed her wine glass. They both waved to Janessa and headed out of the dining area.
Brianna started telling Cassie all about the dance club, obviously trying to entice her to come along. They walked across the outdoor pool area, and Cassie let her talk, nodding and making the appropriate noises, but secretly looking forward to cuddling up in her bed and watching some bad hotel TV. Mario Lopez was her plan for the night.
But then she saw him. The guy from earlier. Sexy short blonde hair, broad shoulders, and sun-kissed skin. He stood behind the outdoor tiki bar serving drinks. She stopped short.
“You can wear those shorts with the black tank-top we got... and why are you stopping?” Brianna followed Cassie's gaze to the tiki bar. “Oh.” She looked back over at Cassie and smiled wider. “Oh.”
“I think I'm going to have another drink before bed,” Cassie told Brianna. She chugged most of the rest of the wine in her glass. Partly so that she would have an excuse to be at the bar for a new drink and partly for courage.
“Hold up,” Brianna said, pulling out her phone. She snapped a picture of Cassie looking confused with a mostly empty wine glass.
“What's that for?”
“So I have proof you can let loose,” she replied with a smug grin. She gave Cassie a gentle push toward the bar. “Go get 'em, tiger.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and took a confident step toward the bar. And then a not so confident step. Was she really ready to do this?
“If you bring back a guest, just put the privacy card on the door,” Brianna told her. “I can bunk with Janessa. She's in a room by herself until her wedding night.”
Cassie glanced back, and Brianna was grinning at her. She looked like a proud parent sending her kid off to school.
“You know what?” Brianna grinned a little wider. “I'm just going to stay with Janessa anyway. You go have fun, party-girl.”
Brianna started walking again, leaving Cassie just steps from the bar. It was time to put this vacation on the right track. Time to let the fun Cassie out for a bit. What was the worst that could happen? If she made a fool of herself, no one here knew her. She wasn't at work. There were no corporate rules here. She could be the confident, charismatic, fun woman that she knew herself to be.
She could do this.
Cassie took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and walked over. She took a seat at the end of the bar and drank the last of her wine.
Time to turn on her best flirting abilities and try and earn a vacation fling.
WyattWyatt noticed her immediately.How could he not? She was gorgeous in an innocent-yet-sexy kind of way. She kept fiddling with the thin straps on her dress, and he couldn't help but want to be the one to slide them off her shoulders. He kept imagining his fingers sliding through her dark hair as he laid her onto his bed.He could just imagine the way her beautiful red lips would look gasping his name. Her body was made for loving. Those long legs peeking out of the sheets... The way her hips would rise to his...He needed to get a hold of himself. He was supposed to be making drinks, not imagining guests naked. Even if it was a really lovely image in his head. He should at least learn her name first.He quickly finished pouring the last few mai-tais for the tourists in front of him. While he set the drinks out, he carefully checked out her left hand. No ring. That was a good sign. Thoughts of her in his bed once again filled his thoughts. He pushed them away, trying his best not
CassieCassie woke up with a headache the size of New York.Luckily, it was just New York City-sized and not the entire state, but still a pretty horrific headache. The only reason it wasn't worse was the two glasses of water Wyatt had her drink at the bar as well as the one before bed.She didn't remember much about coming back to her room, but she did remember that she needed to drink a glass of water. It was one of the very few things that she remembered.“Did I really do that?” she asked the empty room.She groaned as she remembered sliding the sexy bartender her room number. Her head ached, and her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. It took more effort than she expected to roll over and check the little alarm clock to see what time it was.A little after ten in the morning.Not only had she gotten drunk, propositioned a bartender and failed, but she had also slept in.Brianna would be so proud of her.There was a soft knock on the door.“I don't need any housekeeping!” C
Cassie walked quicker the closer she got. What if he didn't show up? What if he wasn't so attractive without two glasses of wine in her? What if he realized just how boring and old she was?What if she had said something super dumb while drunk?Cassie tried not to think about it. She told herself not to worry. There was no real consequence here. Unlike at home where she had her job, her reputation, and her hotel's reputation all on the line. This was her chance to try something new. She didn't have to be perfect here. She could be human.Castaway Cantina came into view. It was a small building with large open windows to let in the sea air. It was a buffet style eating area with seats both inside and outside. The atmosphere was relaxed and soft music played overhead.Cassie checked her watch. It was ten seconds past noon.She didn't see him in the restaurant. She didn't see him walking up the path or sitting at a chair near the entrance. He wasn't here.She tried to tell her self that
WyattWyatt couldn't believe he'd turned her down. Again. She'd offered him another chance in her bed, and he'd said no. That he wanted to wait.He was an idiot.His body wanted her. He'd been glad that the table hid his obvious attraction to her. She was made for loving with her soft curves and warm smile. Today's dress was worse for his self-control than yesterday's dress. The dress was practically see-through, and he kept staring, hoping that he'd catch a glance of something.It was a beautiful kind of torture.And then she'd offered herself to him — screaming orgasms in her room.Usually, after a suggestion like that, he would be the one dragging the girl up the stairs to her room. But those dates always ended with him leaving before she fell asleep. He didn't remember their names. They blurred together. While fun, they went quickly. They didn't mean anything to him.He didn't want Cassie to blur. He wanted her to remain crisp and perfect in his memory. He wanted to take his time.
WyattHer lips pressed together, and her eyes were full of nervousness as she waited for him to respond. He could tell she wasn't used to being the one to initiate. If anything, the fact that she would do something so far out of her comfort level made it clear how much she liked him.She swallowed hard, still waiting for his reaction.“I think we have more time than that,” he said, reaching a hand out and cupping his fingers around the back of her neck. Slowly, he pulled her to him, giving her a real kiss this time.Her lips tasted of the drink and her own blend of sweetness. He teased her closed lips with his tongue, and slowly she opened to him. Her soft moan sent shivers of desire down his spine that had him wishing they had a bed and not just a sandy beach with a towel.He pulled back to see her sitting in the sand with her eyes closed. Her cheeks flushed such a pretty shade of pink, and her chest heaved up and down.Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him with thos
WyattThe jet-ski guy was not pleased with Wyatt for being so late. Luckily, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little bit of money and a promise to never do it again. It was a false promise, and they both knew it. Wyatt always did it again.Wyatt headed back down the path through the pool area toward the employee locker room. There, he would change into his dark polo shirt and khaki slacks work outfit and head to the bar for his upcoming shift.His phone chirped in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a message from his boss.Scheduling change. See the front desk.Wyatt groaned. Scheduling changes were never good. It usually meant he had to change to the pool bar. He liked working at the tiki bar or the lobby. He didn't like working the pool bar nearly as much because all his tips came back wet. He didn't need the tips, but carrying wet money around was never pleasant.He veered from his course, changing direction to head to the front desk rather than the employee area.
Cassie“Not bad,” Brianna said, looking around the bar. “Not bad at all.”Cassie had to agree. The Oceanside bar was nice. They had a private table off to the side of the room with the bar to themselves. There was a window with seating looking out over the ocean and a small dance floor off to the side. It wasn't much, but it would be a fun place to dance later. There was a karaoke machine as well, but Cassie was hoping they didn't bring it out tonight.“I wish we could have gotten the private table at the Platinum Club, but they were all booked,” Janessa said, looking around with just a hint of disappointment. “This will work though. This will be fun.”“Damn straight,” Brianna replied. “We're going to have a blast.”Cassie nodded in agreement, raising her glass of water to clink with Janessa's fruity cocktail. It was then that Brianna crowned Janessa with a crown made of penises.“Is it 'penises' or 'pensisi'? Or maybe 'penii'?” Janessa wondered, sipping on her second drink. She had a
CassieAunt Suzette sang in a key generally reserved for cats in heat.The bar sang along, belting out the warbles and key changes along with Whitney Houston. Cassie would never hear “I Will Always Love You” the same way ever again. The song would forever be about tonight.Cassie was having a blast.The music was loud, the drinks strong, and the people fun. Everyone was singing and dancing under the glittering disco lights of the karaoke bar. Color and laughter filled the room.“Time for blow-jobs!” Wyatt yelled from the bar. The women all turned and grinned.Wyatt had eight shot glasses filled with liquor and topped with a healthy dose of whipped cream. He'd been calling out dirty shots all night. So far they'd had sex on the beach, banana “dick”uiri, buttery nipples, and a pink climax.Every one of them had been delicious, but Cassie was careful only to take half the shot. She was still embarrassed by the last time she'd had too much to drink.“So, the rule here is no hands,” Wyatt