Cassie by E. L. Todd

guessing you want me to use that one?”
    “Duh!”
    He laughed. “Stop being so adorable.”
    “I can’t.”
    “I’m glad you can’t.” He cuddled next to me and closed his eyes.
    I wasn’t tired so I watched him sleep instead. He looked so peaceful and calm. Even though he lost his sister he seemed happier than he’d ever been. Now that he was honest with me, he seemed to be whole again. I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t more attracted to him because he was loaded , because I was. But it wasn’t about the money. Knowing he made his own empire by himself was truly amazing. He stood on his own two feet and made his own fortune. It was inspiring and amazing. And I loved everything about him. I felt like I won the lottery. I hated that date with Tyler but I was so glad it happened. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have walked into the bar and met Tony.

10
    When I got off work on Friday, I was so excited for our trip. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was too wired to rest. I went to my apartment and gathered my bags. Tony arrived a few moments later.
    “Are you ready?” he asked.
    “I can’t wait!” I said as I clapped my hands together.
    He smiled then kissed me. “We’ll have a lot of fun.”
    A guy walked into the room and grabbed my suitcases. I flinched when I watched him.
    “Don’t worry. He’s one of my guys,” he said with a laugh. “He isn’t robbing you.”
    “Oh,” I said. “Okay. I was freaked out for a second there.”
    “Are you missing anything?”
    “No,” I said as I grabbed my purse. I opened it and handed him an envelope. “Here’s my share for the trip. I think that should cover everything.”
    He stared at it then looked at me. “What are you doing?”
    “Paying for my half of the trip.”
    Tony pushed it away. “I invited you.”
    “So?” I said. “I want to haul my own weight.”
    “Put that away,” he said in a stern voice. His eyes narrowed and the angry side of him emerged. “I’m not taking it.”
    I sighed then returned it to my purse. “You don’t have to pay for everything.”
    “I know,” he said. “I’ll let you pay for a dinner.”
    “That’s it?”
    “You’re lucky I’m letting you do that.”
    I rolled my eyes.
    He grabbed my ass. “What was that?”
    I smiled. “Nothing…”
    He kissed me hard on the mouth. “It didn’t look like nothing.”
    “I’ll do that again when we go to bed tonight.”
    His eyes darkened. “I knew you were kinky.”
    “A little.”
    We went to the limo on the sidewalk and got inside. I looked around in wonder.
    “Have you never been in a limo before?”
    I shook my head.
    “Not even for prom?”
    “I didn’t go.”
    “Why not?”
    “I didn’t want to.”
    He held my hand as we drove to the airport. When we arrived, we went through a different customs aisle and boarded a small jet.
    “Why are we on a small plane?”
    “I own it,” he said simply.
    “Oh…”
    We sat in the back and took our seats. After takeoff, we unbuckled our safety belts and relaxed. Tony sat in a lounge hair and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him and tried to process what was happening. I was on a private jet that my boyfriend owned. He had more money than I could ever imagine. It was unbelievable.
    “Do your parents know about your fortune?”
    “No,” he said.
    “So you don’t tell anyone?”
    “No. It isn’t worth it. I tell people I work at a computer company. Something vague and boring.”
    “It seems like money is more of a curse than a blessing.”
    “It is most of the time. It hasn’t been since I met you. It’s nice being with someone that cares about me for who I am. I’ve always wanted to settle down and find a girl that I could spend my money on, giving her the world. It’s just not meaningful when she’s only there for that reason. Since you aren’t like that, I have someone to spend my money with. It’s a great feeling. I feel like I’ve been vindicated. I’m finally