Taste of Love - By Stephanie Nicole Page 0,39

it was rude to walk out on me and not use the backstage passes that I gave you. Not only that, but you did attend those charity events with Thomas, and barely gave me a chance. So the way I look at it, you owe me," he explained.

"First of all, you'll remember that I did go backstage, and you were preoccupied," she reminded him.

"True enough, but you still can't tell me no." He took a deep breath, ready for the oncoming verbal assault. "I have a ticket for you at JFK airport, leaving tomorrow afternoon for you to come out and meet me on tour. It's only for a couple of days. You'll meet me in Indianapolis, see the show there, then travel with me to Chicago, then St. Louis, and fly back to New York from St. Louis."

She laughed out loud. "That's not funny."

"I'm not laughing, gorgeous."

He wasn't. There was a long pause while the request sank in.

"Cameron, have you forgotten that I have a restaurant to run?" she finally snapped. How dare he make these decisions for her?

"I know you have a great staff. Austin seems to handle things very well."

"Besides, I already told you that our lives are too different. I'm not into partying and watching girls crawl all over you."

"No girls will crawl all over me," he said. "You can keep them away."

As much as it made her mad that he assumed she'd leave her responsibilities behind to go 'play', she was also tempted to take him up on his offer. Not only did she need a break, but she missed him terribly.

"Listen, I'm sorry that it sounds like I am dictating your life, but the truth is, I need you. I need a sense of normalcy right now. I feel like I am going crazy touring, and we still have three weeks left to go," he told her honestly. "I need someone to ground me, and you seem to have a knack for that."

Madison paused, not sure what to say. Her mind was battling, both hesitant and excited at the same time. "Can I call you back with an answer?"

"You have until your laundry is done to call me back," he teased, knowing her better than she thought he did.

Madison agreed, and hung up her phone. Her heart pounded as she dialed another phone number.

"Hello?" A tired male voice answered the phone.

"Austin? I need a favor," she said in a small voice. "And if you say yes, I will give you an extra week of vacation that you can use in two weeks."

Austin groaned. He knew what was coming, and as frustrating as it was, the extra week of vacation would be much appreciated.

"Which night do you need off?" He asked.

"Well, see, that's the thing. I sort of need the next six days off," she told him coyly.

There was a long moment of silence. "Huh?"

"I need the next six days off," she said.

Austin sighed. A moment of fear went through her, and then she was struck with some common sense. She was the boss, she owned the restaurant, and he worked for her. It was time for her to pull rank.

"Austin, I really need this time off, and I need you to step in and watch the restaurant while I'm gone," she told him, more confident now.

"Fine," he relented almost immediately. After all, she was the boss. "Are you going to tell me where you're going?"

"Just on a trip to get some much needed relaxation," she told him. "I have to run, finish my laundry, and start packing. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon and will be back in just under a week. I'll have my cell if you need me."

"Sure, have fun." Austin replied, obviously not meaning the sentiment behind his words. She could tell he was annoyed, but in her excitement, she didn't care. She knew that he would take care of the restaurant like it was his own, and that was all she wanted to know about his feelings at this point.

She opened her phone again and went to the received call list. She hit the call button and the phone dialed the number that was last received.

"I better hear a 'yes' come out of your mouth," Cameron said before even saying hello.

"Just tell me what time I have to be at the airport," Madison said quickly, before she changed her mind.

"The flight is at one o'clock, but make sure you're there early. I don't want a call telling me you missed your flight.