Page 6 of Entangled Mafia Princess

“Will you think about going to Tahoe with me if I wear it?”

“Fine.”

Satisfied, I go with them to the bar. In addition to Hannah, Kenton, and Andrew, we invite Kenton’s other cousin, Ciara; Hannah’s brother, Sean; and a family friend, Fiona. The more people there are, the less I’ll be missed if I want to take off early to go to Club de Sade.

At Lucky O’Leary’s, we pull two chairs up to a large booth. Hannah maneuvers it so I end up sitting next to Kenton. We all start off with Guinness, then some of the guys and Ciara move onto hard liquor while Hannah opts for a Fat Frog and Fiona goes for another Guinness.

“You plan on nursing that Guinness the whole night?” Kenton asks me.

“Pretty much.”

He shakes his head. “Didn’t take you for the prissy kind.”

“She’s not prissy, she’s dainty,” Fiona says.

Hannah jumps to my defense. “I’ve seen Casey do more than a Guinness lots of times.”

“So why not on the most momentous birthday of your life?” Andrew asks.

“I’m watching my figure,” I lie.

Andrew smirks. “I’ll watch it for you.”

The guys laugh while I roll my eyes.

Kenton puts his arm around me. “You’re gorgeous the way you are, Casey, so live it up. It’s your fucking birthday.”

The server comes by with more shots of whiskey.

“We should see if they can do like a birthday cake shot,” Fiona says.

“What’s that?” Hannah asks.

“You mix, like, cake vodka, Bailey’s and vanilla frosting. Add some sprinkles along the glass.”

“Sounds cute.”

“Sounds disgusting,” says Kenton. “Cake frosting is the last thing I’d want in a drink.”

His hand drops from my shoulder to my thigh. Luckily, I‘m sitting at the end of the booth and can get up easily. I motion to Hannah. “Ladies’ room.”

Hannah, buzzed, stares at me for a few seconds before getting up, too. Once we’re in the restroom, I tell her that I’m going to go home.

“Already?” she asks.

“Yeah. Tell the others I’m sick or something,” I answer.

She knits her brow. “But Kenton is into you. I think it’s pretty obvious.”

“I just don’t feel it with him,” I reply, though I wonder if Kenton buys into the arranged marriage idea? Not wanting to dwell on that topic, however, I say to Hannah, “I’m going out the back door, otherwise, they’re going to harass me to stay longer.”

“But why? Aren’t you having a good time?”

“I don’t want Chase to have to hang out by himself much longer,” I lie.

“Oh. Sucks you have to cart around a bodyguard.”

“Tell me about it. You have fun, though.”

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