"Run that by me again."

"I'm taking my daughter to Las Vegas, Sean. Sin City. Do I have to spell it out for you?" Christian said, shuffling towards his bed holding a pair of black slacks in one hand and his cordless phone in the other. He placed the pants into the open duffel bag that lay on top of his mattress, having already taken the initiative to shower after last night's sex act.

When he'd booked the flight to Las Vegas, he'd got so caught up in other things that giving Sean the head's up had slipped his mind. He was kicking himself for not mentioning it before. Ever since he realized he had a daughter, she seemed to be one of the most important things on his mind. Aside from getting laid that is. He could get laid any night of the week, and once they were in Vegas, he could probably get laid twice as much as in South Beach. A twinge of excitement rose within him.

"I suppose you want me to handle the business in your absence. Christian, this is one of our busiest months to date. We've been raking in more revenue than usual. Couldn't you think of taking a vacation some other time?"

"I'm doing this for my daughter, Sean. She wanted to go and I told her we would. I'm not going to deny her that now." Christian placed a black dress shirt on top of the pile he'd made in the bag, and preceded to zip it up. "Look, as long as people are still striving for perfection, they should be just fine in your hands. Besides, you're the talent anyway. I'm sure our potential clients won't miss the line of bullshit I feed them on occasion."

A deep sigh escaped Sean. "All right fine, I'll handle the clients. How long are you planning on being gone anyway?"

"One or two days. It all depends on how long she wants to stay. Frankly, I'd be fine staying a whole week. That way, it would give me the perfect opportunity to enjoy the finer sides of Vegas. I've been doing a bit of reading on the best x-rated shows in Sin City, and the girl-on-girl vampire act seems particularly intriguing." A grin spread across Christian's face as he slung the strap of his duffel over his shoulder and headed into his living room.

"I know it's probably none of my business, Christian, but from a father's perspective, I don't think an x-rated show such as that would be an experience you should share with your daughter."

He scoffed. "Please. That would hardly be an ideal father/daughter outing, but even if I intended on bringing her along, I'm sure she'd be mature enough to handle it. After all, she is a Troy. We mature…faster than most."

"All I'm saying is that I think you should take your daughter into consideration, before you make out any kind of personal itinerary."

"I'll take that into consideration, partner." There was a knock at his door just then, causing Christian to avert his attention away from the conversation with Sean. "I have to go Sean. She just got here. I'll see you in the next couple days." Before Sean could say anymore, he ended the call, pivoted on his heels and shuffled towards his door.

He stole a glance at his watch, a weary sigh escaping his lips. It was seven ten in the morning. They had to get to the airport and check in an hour and a half before their nine o' clock flight. If there was one thing his daughter was not, it was prompt. He had told her to be at his place by seven o' clock to give them enough time to get to the airport, which took at most, fifteen to twenty minutes in itself. So she was only ten minutes late, but to him, ten minutes could cost them. He reached the door and opened it, gazing down at her with a blank expression on his face.

Amy stood there clutching a large pink suitcase in her right hand, her purse slung over her opposite shoulder. From the way she was dressed, she looked fully prepared to go to Vegas. She wore a pair of dark denim, hip-hugger jeans with a rhinestone belt, and a white glittery T-Shirt with the Las Vegas welcome sign imprinted on it. From the awkward look on her face, he could sense that she knew she was late. "Hey," she said, forcing a small smile. "I'm sorry I'm late. I know you said seven but I stayed up late last night, until four o' clock in the morning. I was…talking to a friend. I'm sorry." She averted her eyes to the floor, as if she didn't know what else to say.

A soft sigh escaped him. "Just don't make it a habit." He opened the door wider for her to step inside. "Come on in. I just have to grab a couple things before we leave."

She grabbed the handle on her suitcase and rolled it along behind her as she walked inside. Her eyes roamed from right to left, assessing her surroundings. "Wow. This is a…really big apartment."

Christian strolled past her, a wry smile crossing his face. A chuckle escaped him. "This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to you, sweetheart, considering how much money I make a year." He turned right and headed into his spacious white kitchen. Pulling a white pad of paper and a pen out of one of the drawers near the stove, he wrote up a quick little note for his maid.

"I guess not. Do you have time to give me a quick little tour?"

He ripped the note off of the pad and placed it on the counter, slipping the items back into the drawer. Turning on his heels, he found Amy leaning against the wall on the left side of the kitchen looking at him expectantly. He was almost tempted to turn down her request, but she was still his daughter, and the time would come eventually. He shuffled towards her, forcing a smile. "I suppose, but like you said, it's going to be quick." He turned and gestured swiftly to their surroundings. "You've already seen the kitchen."

She nodded her head. He took a couple steps forward and motioned to the room they were both standing in. The room contained a broad white sofa, a glass coffee table, and two red leather chairs. A large flat screen TV sat against the left wall and a huge window across the room. "The living room." He turned on his heels and strode towards the opposite side of his apartment where his spacious bedroom was located. A king-sized bed sat on the left side of the room. The bed was so humongous that it was clearly made for a King. The red sheets and white comforter were in disarray, almost as if someone had been rolling around in them not too long ago. Another huge window sat along the back wall, as well as another flat screen TV across from the bed. There was a small table sitting on the right side of the bed, a black cordless phone on top. Instead of the bed being placed against a wall, it overlooked his bathroom. The only thing separating the two rooms was a large window. Stopping in his tracks when he reached the room, a smug smile crossed his face. "The bedroom." He motioned to the room beyond, "and the bathroom."

Amy exchanged a look with him. The expression on her face registered that she was a bit apprehensive about something, but what? He didn't know. He bit down on his bottom lip, arching his brows expectantly, "what?"

She shook her head, her shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. "Nothing." She cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders. "You have your own color schemes from what I see, with the red, white and black. My room is mostly black, turquoise and brown, but there's also a little bit of pink too."

"I'm not surprised." Christian remarked. "You are a Troy, but you're an entirely different gender." He stole a quick glance at his watch and looked down at her. "We really should get going. We can't afford to waste anymore time." Turning on his heels, he headed back into his living area.

He grabbed his duffel and headed towards the door, stealing a glance over his shoulder to make sure she was following. "Shall we?" He said, as he opened the door and allowed her to walk out before him.

She nodded her head and stepped out into the hallway, rolling her suitcase along behind her. Together, the two of them rode the elevator down to the parking lot. After Christian loaded their luggage into his trunk, they slipped into his black Porsche, pulled onto the road and drove towards the Miami airport. Not much was said between them on their way there. The excitement stirring inside of Christian grew. Las Vegas. It was an amazing city. It was a city of uncharted territories for him. With so many possibilities and so little time, he wished he could stay forever. Well, maybe not forever but at least a few weeks. He could screw a fair share of beautiful women in that time. He suddenly found himself wondering why he hadn't of planned a trip to Vegas sooner. Amy had yet to turn twenty-one before she could fully enjoy Vegas. She wouldn't get to experience or fully enjoy the benefits of the city, but Christian knew that this was a trip she needed for her own sake. After all she had told him about her parents and the things that were stressing her out, she need the time to relax and he was going to give it to her.

They arrived at the airport with five minutes to spare, just enough time to jump out of the car, get their luggage down and hurry into the terminal. Christian exuded a frustrated sigh, quickening his pace as he and Amy moved swiftly with their bags towards the check-in desk. He stole a glance over at her once she fell in step with him. "Next time, I'll personally arrange to give you a wake-up call myself. Whatever it takes to get us here on time."

She gently nodded her head. "I'm really sorry again. I'm just not the best at getting up early. I'm use to waking up at three in the afternoon."

Christian almost tripped over his own feet at her last words, his brows arching in astonishment. "Three? Jesus!" He shook his head in disbelief. "What in God's name are you doing all night, sweetheart?"

Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Sometimes I can't sleep. I have a really bad insomnia problem. Other times, I'm either talking on the phone to my friend or doing some other stuff on my computer."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, his naturally inquisitive mind getting the best of him as usual. "I don't mean to pry, sweetheart, but who exactly were you talking to all night that would cause you to be so late today? Apparently this 'friend' of yours must be more important than your own father." When he didn't get an immediate response from her, he held her gaze until she replied.

"Ki-Courtney. I was talking to my friend, Courtney, and no, she's not more important to me than you. This trip to Vegas is better than any trip with my best friend."

He sighed deeply, averting his gaze to something else. It was possible he could merely be paranoid, but something told him that she was not being completely honest with him. The hesitation to the question had him thinking there was something else going on, and whatever it was, he didn't like it. However, he'd let it go…at least for now. He didn't speak another word until he reached the front desk. He reached under his jacket and pulled out his ID, sliding it towards the woman behind the counter. Amy did the same. Once they were handed their boarding passes and their luggage was checked, they were directed to their gate. Their flight was yet to be boarding so they both sat near the gate and awaited their boarding call.

Christian crossed his right leg over his left and crossed his arms comfortably over his chest. A few minutes passed and neither one of them said anything to the other. He tried to formulate something to say, but nothing came to him. They might have had a lot to say to each other during their dinner date, but he was out of words at the moment. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He turned his head to look at her, "have you gotten anymore calls?"

He seemed to have nearly startled her with that question, either that or his voice. Slowly, she turned to look in his direction. Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "From who?"

He blinked back his vexation and sighed irritably. "Your foster father."

A weary sigh escaped her. "No, thank God. All I want to do is forget about him. In fact, I don't even want to hear his name. This trip is going to be good for me. The only thing I want out of it is to finally have some time to spend with you…my real father, and pretend like my foster father never existed."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. At last, she was starting to think like him. After that little blow-up at Gina in the restaurant a day ago, he could tell. She was turning into him more and more each day. She was not only beginning to talk like a Troy, but she was beginning to think like one too. "Ask and you shall receive. I intend to give you all of that and plenty more. By the time we get back, that asshole will be nothing but a distant memory."

She smiled tenderly. "Well I'm glad because hearing that means a lot to me."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, urging her close to his chest and planting a paternal kiss to the top of her head. Less than an hour later, their flight was beginning to board its passengers. "That's us, let's go." Both Christian and Amy rose to their feet, boarding passes in hand. The pair shuffled towards their designated gate, handing over their boarding passes to the tall and curvaceous blonde at the door. A smug smile stretched across Christian's face, giving her a quick once over as he passed her by. He had to keep reminding himself that even though he was leaving his home, there would be plenty more provocative beauties in Sin City.

Only minutes later did Christian and Amy board their flight. Amy followed closely behind him as they passed down the length of the plane, squeezing their way through the passengers already on board, and down the tight aisles to the back of the vehicle. "Shouldn't we have gotten to our seats by now?"

Christian stole a glance at his bewildered daughter. "We're flying First Class, sweetheart. I wouldn't settle for anything less." He smiled wryly. They passed through a few more aisles only to end up in a more extensive area of the plane. A much more refined area with large, comfy white leather seats. It was more intimate, fitting only about twelve passengers.

Amy took a long look around, a smirk crossing her face. "Wow, this is cool."

After all they had discussed about their lives before they met, Christian still couldn't believe the things she had missed out on seeing and doing. He stopped and pivoted on his heels to face her. "There's plenty more where that came from. Please, feel free to take full advantage of it." Amy exchanged a smile with him before they both took their seats in the third row down the aisle. Christian allowed her to sit near the window, knowing she'd want to see the bright lights as they flew over Las Vegas.

She turned to look over at him, biting down on her bottom lip apprehensively. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but are you sure this is okay? I know you're one of the most successful plastic surgeons in Miami. I don't want your partner and everyone else to get pissed at you for being gone."

He was a bit surprised that she was even questioning him about this. "Sean can handle the business without me. Trust me, I've looked into it. You don't have to worry about a thing. Besides, you're the reason why I agreed to this trip in the first place." He sighed softly and sat back in his seat. "While we're on the topic, how might I ask did you get past your mother without telling her the truth?"

Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "I did what I always do. I lied and told her that I was staying at my friend's house for a couple days. I also told her how much I was stressed and how I needed to get away for a little bit. Surprisingly, she believed me and told me to check in with her when I get the chance. She has been a little suspicious though. With all the new clothes I've been getting, she thinks I've been shoplifting."

Christian's heart sped up in his chest. A huge lump formed in his throat. Things were getting more and more nerve wrecking the longer she kept him from her adoptive mother. He couldn't imagine what would happen if she ever found out, but he did not want to contemplate it. He scoffed and shook his head. "What did you say to that?"

"I denied it and told her I had found a job helping out my drama teacher, designing sets for a production at the college. I told her it didn't pay much but you get like five bucks an hour. Then she asked where I had enough money to buy all that in such a short amount of time."

"And?"

"And I told her I'd been talking to my friend about my money dilemma, and that she was willing to work alongside me. Every time she gets paid for her share of the work, she'd give that money to me. I also dropped a hint that the only reason my friend is willing to do it is to chat with a cute guy in our class. After I told her all that, she dropped it and moved on. She didn't bother bringing it up again all night."

A smile spread across Christian's face as he listened attentively to her. "I'm impressed. You've just about mastered the fine art of bullshit that we, The Troys, are famous for. Nicely done."

She laughed. "Thanks."

Over the next fifteen minutes, people piled onto the plane and found their seats. They knew they had boarded because both Amy and Christian could hear the low uproar of voices from beyond, but could not see the passengers entering because of the curtain that separated First Class from Coach. The time came sooner than they thought to fasten their seat belts for take off. Christian did as he was instructed to, but from what he noticed; Amy was more hesitant about it. His brows furrowed inquisitively as he watched her cautious movements. "You all right?"

She sat back in her seat once her belt was fastened and stared off into space, a fretful scowl on her face. She shook her head stiffly. "No," she spoke softly. "I've only been on a plane once, when we made the move from California to Florida. We were lucky enough as it was to make it, but I've always been terrified of flying. All the movies, news, and shows I've seen with all the plane crashes…you can see why. That's why I prefer being on the ground, in the car, or maybe even on a train."

He scowled, his heart constricting in his chest when he saw the terror on her face. "Do you know how long it would take us to get to Vegas by car? Listen, I don't believe half of the shit they feed the media in those movies or soap operas and neither should you. To be quite honest, you have a greater chance of dying in a car accident than you do in a plane. You're going to be fine." He reached out and took her hand in his with a reassuring squeeze, forcing a small and reassuring smile. "If I didn't trust this airline with my life, I wouldn't have booked the flight. Trust me; we'll make it there in one piece."

She nodded her head gently; tightening the hold she had on his hand as the plane roared to life. The vehicle proceeded to roll down the runway, picking up speed as it prepared to take flight. Christian didn't mind her grip on his hand. If it aided her in being strong, he'd do anything for her. Leaning in, he placed a kiss to the top of her head. "You might want to try taking a deep breath, it'll help you relax."

After doing just that, her hold began to loosen and the moment they were in the air, she gradually let go of his hand. Once they had taken off, one of two flight attendants in their area brought both of them drinks at their request. The tall, trim, and longhaired brunette also offered them a snack or a meal. Christian turned down her offer but Amy was brought a muffin. About halfway through her large muffin, Amy scrounged through her purse and pulled out a medium sized book with a picture of The Eiffel Tower on it.

He looked from the book in her hands to her face, his brows arching expectantly. "What's that?"

Her cheeks flushed, almost as if she were mortified to tell him. "My journal. I um…write poems and stuff in it." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "It's just something I do when I'm bored."

A smile played at the corners of his mouth. "May I hear one?"

Just when he thought her cheeks couldn't possibly get any redder, they did. She chewed on her bottom lip, slowly lifting her gaze from the open journal to him. She seemed to stammer with her next words. "I don't know. They're not that good. Some of them suck."

"You let me be the judge of that." He gazed at her expectantly. When he got nothing more than an anxious look, he leaned towards her, lowering his tone of voice with his next words. "I promise not to laugh. Go on, let me hear one."

After a lengthy pause, she exhaled sharply and shifted in her seat. "Ok…there is something I wrote recently that was pretty decent." Christian settled into his seat and got comfortable, watching as she nervously flipped through the golden sheets of paper in her journal. The pages were filled with numerous passages both long and short. A deep sigh escaped her as she stopped on a page with a medium-sized passage scrawled on it. She stole a timid glance his way before she took a breath and recited the poem:

I was once a frightened child
The abuse in my family was far from mild
So many times
I cried
So many times
He lied
I wanted a father who truly loved me
Someone who's heart I could actually see
What I found was a smug but protective stranger
A man whose love for me dispelled his anger
I feel protected in his arms
Even I can't resist his charms
My life is better because of him
It's hard to believe things were once so grim
I began believing he was an "asshole"
But now I truly see Christian Troy's soul
This is the father I should have had
Maybe someday he'll let me call him "Dad"
I will put my fears aside
I no longer have a reason to hide
The painful memories will remain in the past
I want this love to last and last

The tears were already rolling down Christian's cheeks, even half way through the passage. It succeeded in touching his heart more than he ever thought was humanly possible. He couldn't believe that those words had come from his own daughter. He couldn't believe she loved him that much. Nor that he'd had such an impact on her life in the short time they'd met. His heart constricted in his chest when she brought up the word "asshole," but it instantly skipped a beat when she spoke the word "Dad." From what he noticed, she had began getting teary eyed herself. He could hear her voice breaking every now and then. As much as it had all touched his heart, he wasn't so sure if he was ready to hear the word "dad" just yet, possibly in the near future but certainly not now. Yet, even as he thought this, he couldn't deny what was finally sinking in. He was a father. This was the real deal.

Finally finding the strength, he took in a deep breath to compose himself. Not being able to find the right words, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to his chest, resting his chin on top of her head and shutting his eyes.

"Did you…" She started softly, pausing to compose herself. "Did you like it?"

He sighed softly, opening his eyes and staring off into space. "Sweetheart…I loved it. Really, I don't quite know what else to say." He could feel his emotions rising to the surface once again, but he held back any more tears that threatened to escape him.

"I'm glad. You know, that you liked it. I put a lot of work into it. I'm not the best at rhyming, but I found the right words to use and…I meant every single word, except you're not an asshole anymore, at least not to me. I don't care what anyone else says. Especially not that bitch, Gina."

He chuckled, but could not manage to feel so cold-hearted at the moment. Her words had touched his heart, and he was in a sentimental mood. A feeling he hadn't quite experienced since holding Wilbur in his arms. "I don't feel I have anything to hide, at least not from you sweetheart."

Both Amy and Christian sat there beside each other, as the plane descended higher into the clouds. Neither one of them said a word to the other. They wanted to take in this tender exchange for as long as they possibly could. It was almost as if they felt it would never come again. No words needed to be spoken. All they needed was the warmth of each other. Christian feared saying anything, simply because he did not want to ruin this moment.

Finally breaking the silence, Amy spoke up; her voice remaining at the same hushed tone as before. She lifted her chin and looked up at him. "I think I'm going to take a nap. You know, make up for lost sleep?"

He nodded in understanding. "Go right ahead. We won't be getting to Las Vegas for a few hours at least. Feel free to sleep as long as you wish. I'll wake you up when we land."

She nodded, reclined back in her seat and shut her eyes. Christian looked over at her, a soft smile crossing his face. She appeared so immaculate when she was at rest. A light laugh escaped him, considering how outspoken and feisty she seemed to be when she was awake. Most definitely a Troy, he thought. Glancing over his shoulder, he signaled the nearest flight attendant and ordered himself a drink, but not enough to actually get himself buzzed.

By the time he'd finished his beer, Christian realized that Amy was sound asleep. At the same time he realized this, the sound of Amy's cellular caught his attention. The melody was muffled, but he knew it was hers. He recognized the ring tone. He debated with himself about whether or not he should answer it. A brief moment passed before he decided to answer it. If it turned out to be her adoptive father calling to harass her again, he'd take whatever chance he could to put him in his place. Following the sound, he reached into Amy's purse-taking no notice of the other things inside-and fished it out. A weary sigh escaped him as he flipped it open, just before the tune could end.

He hesitated, wondering how in the world he should answer. After all, it wasn't his phone. The person on the other end would be expecting Amy's voice, not his. He took the natural way out. "Hello?"

An unfamiliar female voice came over the phone. "Uh, hello?"

Christian's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry, Amy's not available at the moment. May I ask who's calling?"

"Courtney, and who might you be?"

"Christian Troy. I'm…Amy's father."

There was a moment of silence from Courtney's end of the phone. Finally, she spoke. "Oh, so you're Christian. I've heard alot about you."

His brows arched in surprise, a smile curling his lips. "Have you? Well, I must say, I'm impressed. I myself have heard quite a few things about you, sweetheart. You're Amy's best friend, aren't you?"

"That's right, I am, and just how much have you heard about me? What has she been telling you?"

"Your name has been brought up every now and then, although I never quite realized how incredibly beautiful you'd sound over the phone." His smile grew into a grin, imagining the body that went with that voice.

Courtney giggled. "How can you say that? You can't even see me. From what I heard, you're a plastic surgeon. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you might not want to make such assumptions until you've actually laid eyes on me."

His lips twisted into a smug smile. "If you played your cards right, that's not the only thing I'd lay on you. I may be a plastic surgeon sweetheart, but I've got a keen and quivering intuition. The sound of your voice tells me that any flaws on your figure would be slim."

"Well, Dr. Troy, I believe I'm blushing. Are you sure you want to be flirting with me with Amy nearby?"

"Please, call me Christian. At the moment, Amy is sound asleep. I don't know how heavy she sleeps, but a few harmless flirting over the phone shouldn't be a problem."

"You know, Christian, you're not at all like I thought you were going to be. I'm not saying she still feels this way and no offense intended, but from what she told me, she made you sound like an-"

"Asshole?"

She exhaled sharply. "Yeah." A light laugh escaped her. "Now that I've actually gotten the chance to speak to you, you seem like a charmer, who I'm sure has no problem attracting women."

His brows arched expectantly. "Well, you're half right sweetheart. Don't believe everything you hear. While I can be an asshole to a select few, there are other times when I can be quite a pleasure…given you find the time to stop by my office. I'd be more than willing to give you a personal and private consultation."

"Ooh, is that right? Well, I might just have to take that into consideration…when I have a free minute."

"I'm assuming someone as beautiful as yourself must already be attached. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Courtney hesitated before uttering the word. "No." She sighed softly. "No, no boyfriend. I'm single and ready to mingle, as they say." She laughed lightly.

"Well in that case, feel free to stop by the McNamara/Troy offices later on this week. Amy and I are on our way to Las Vegas at the moment. We won't be back for a couple days. You don't mind covering for Amy in her absence, do you?"

"She's headed to Vegas? She never told me anything about that." A weary sigh escaped her. "I don't mind covering for her. If I hadn't spoken to you, I probably would have been freaking out by now, but if she's with you…I trust you'll take care of her. As awkward as it might sound, I would trade places with her right now if I could."

"It doesn't sound awkward at all. You wouldn't hear any complaints from my side, but I promised her we'd take this trip. It's sort of a father/daughter bonding experience. I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah, of course. Listen, I have to go, but I'll definitely have to stop by your office sometime. I'd love to meet you properly, not over the phone. Then…who knows?" She giggled. "It was a pleasure speaking to you, Christian."

"The pleasure was all mine, Courtney." He closed up the cellular, a smug smile planted on his face.

After speaking with Amy's best friend, he could hardly wait to get back to South Beach to meet her. She was right. Meeting on the phone would do nothing for either of them, even if it had gotten him hard for a split second. He needed to lay eyes on her. Better yet, he needed to lay more on her than his eyes. As much as this trip should be for his daughter, he couldn't help but think about this new girl, Courtney. When the plane landed or Amy woke up, his attention would be fixated on her, and when the plane landed back in South Beach, his mind would be fixated on meeting Courtney. The right way. The "Christian Troy" way.