"I'm going to kill Derek," Izzy muttered as she walked from the tarmac to the terminal.
"He was only trying to help," Dayton replied as he grabbed their luggage and began rolling it to the entrance. "He thought you might like it."
"He thought wrong."
Derek had called Izzy with the trip of a lifetime. Somehow had had secured tickets for her to fly to New Orleans and meet with Sherrilyn Kenyon, the renowned author of the Dark-Hunters and the League series. Of course she couldn't pass up the offer. She had gotten to the airport and found out her ticket was first class and she was to be given special treatment. It felt like he was flaunting his money but the card she had been given when she sat down said it was a birthday present. How he knew it was her birthday that weekend she'd never know.
Then her good mood had dropped when she realized Dayton was sitting across the aisle from her. He had smiled and waved kindly at her. They had ignored each other most of the flight until they were getting ready to land. Then he asked her where she was staying and when she replied the Windsor Court Hotel he had pissed her off by saying he was there as well.
Dayton slid into the car after her and sighed. "Look, I didn't know he was doing this. If I had, I would have told him not to waste his money. You obviously don't want to be seen with me so it would have been easier if he had just well enough alone."
Izzy turned to look at him. "It's not that I don't like being around you. It's that you annoy me on most days. You pop up where I don't want you to be and screw up my day. I go from writing a decent chapter then all of a sudden this smut pops into my head
and I want to punch you for it."
"They why don't you?"
She raised her eyebrow. "You were there when I told my brother what I would do to him. Do you really want to go through that as well?"
Dayton shook his head after seriously considering it. Beating on her brother was one thing, but if she ever came after him, he was certain she could do considerable damage due to the fact that he couldn't fight back. He didn't hit women. She smiled at his sudden reaction then looked out the window.
The car drove through rush hour traffic. It would be this way. They would get into the Sin City of the south just as everyone was getting off work. It was the story of her life. She always did everything during rush hour. She lived off the thrill of adrenaline pumping through her veins. It helped her to write. Most of the time it was during the late hours of the night.
"Did Derek give you a room key?" she asked.
"He said he booked a suite for both of us because he didn't want you alone in a room in the French Quarter. I understand his concern because if you had gone alone I would have changed your accommodations," he replied.
"Why do you care?"
He looked at her levelly then. "Because I like you. Is that such a crime?"
She didn't get a chance to answer because the car pulled up to a grand hotel. The chauffeur hopped out and opened the door for them then went to the back and began to pull their luggage from the trunk. He escorted them inside and handed their bags to the bellboy. Dayton took care of getting the room, giving Izzy time to look around the lobby. It was decadent, reminding her of Derek's resort house in Vermont.
"Iz, they have our room ready," Dayton said, placing his hand on the small of her back. It was enough touch to get her to move towards the elevator.
Izzy became self-conscious the higher they rode. When the elevator stopped, she stepped out and looked around then turned to Dayton.
"This is a penthouse," she said.
Dayton tried to hide the laugh that accompanied his smile but ultimately failed.
"Yeah, it is. Derek thought it would be a good idea since there are two rooms. We wouldn't have to share a bed."
"We wouldn't have anyway. I'd have made you sleep on the couch."
"Of that I have no doubt."
Izzy ignored his remark as she set about exploring their home for the weekend.
Dayton watched her move about the room. She was very calm, taking in everything with a speculative eye. She was very animated now, her curiosity piqued. It allowed him to see something he had only seen once and that was when he had listened to her read her poetry that cold December night.
He followed her into the bedrooms as she inspected them. She ran her hand over everything, taking in the texture of it all. That was a trait she learned from his brother and sister-in-law. He could see the wheels turning in her head as she continued her investigation.
"I hate to ask this of you but can I possibly have the room with the desk? I had a sudden surge of inspiration," she said.
"Go ahead. It's your weekend trip. You do what you want to do," he replied.
She smiled at him then turned around to go back into the bedroom. He watched her pull a notebook from her bag and sit at the table. After flipping a few pages, she started to write furiously. He took care of tipping the bellboy then sat down on the couch in the parlor to call down for room service then to start on a book he had been meaning to read.
When Izzy came out of her trance, she noticed four hours had passed. That's how it usually happened. When she zoned out, she spent hours writing, not even taking time to eat.
Stretching, she stood from the desk and wandered into the parlor. Dayton had his nose in a book. She walked to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water. Pulling the slip off the packet, she dumped a drink mix into the water and shook it. There was a knock at the door. Dayton got up and opened it, stepping back so a man pushing a cart could come in. The man pushed it to the table and began to set it around the piece of furniture.
When he was done, Dayton tipped him and closed the door behind him. He looked at Izzy and laughed. Like he expected, she was inspecting the food. That wasn't so surprising since she loved to cook.
"Why did you order this?" she asked.
He frowned. That wasn't the question he was expecting. "I didn't think we would want to go out after a long flight. This was easier." He watched her mouth work. "What's wrong?"
"I don't live a very lavish lifestyle, Dayton. I don't want to be spoiled."
He tilted his head. "You don't like the food because it's expensive?"
She shook her head. "That's not what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I don't want you paying for everything. If I go shopping, I want to pay for it myself regardless if it's ten dollars or a thousand. I want to enjoy myself without worrying about what you're going to buy next." She watched his mouth work. "What?"
"Let's make a deal." He held up his hands when she placed her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute. I'm not trying to piss you off. I just want to make a truce."
"What is it?"
"You can buy whatever you want with your money, as long as I get to pick up the bill whenever we go eat. No offense, but all the restaurants down here are expensive."
"Are you saying I'm poor?"
"You said that yourself."
Izzy stared at him. He was offering her a compromise. It meant he was willing to put her needs before his. That wasn't something she was used to. Her brother had always put his needs before hers, leaving her to her own devices.
Rubbing her eyes, she nodded. "Fine. I agree with that."
Dayton smiled at his small victory. He motioned for her to sit down first, allowing his gentleman's quality to come out. Once she was seated, he sat and they enjoyed a very good yet awkward dinner.