by Erica M Kim
“I love this city too,” I say with a genuine smile.
“And what do you think of Crux, my dear Lunis?”
“It’s . . . interesting and intriguing.”
“Since it is your first time, I won’t use my charms on you. But I do hope that I’ll see you here again.” Oh, you will, Vincent. You will.
I offer him a wicked smile.
After spending a couple of hours at Vincent’s table, I politely excuse myself. I half expect Vincent to try to ask me to stay, but he doesn’t. He smiles like a gentleman and allows me to leave with the same amount of decency that I arrived with. A man of his word. It’s hard to imagine the ruthless, sadistic man underneath his charming, calm demeanor, but I’m positive that it’s all just a façade. This is all part of the cat and mouse game that he’s masterminding. Too bad that he’s also part of my own cat and mouse game. We’ll see who ends up being the cat and who ends up as the mouse.
14
Sundays are my lazy days. The one day a week when I don’t plan on doing anything. Blinking myself awake, I look out my window and see that the clouds overrule the sun today—a perfect day to sleep in. I roll around to the other side of the bed to try to get some more shut-eye, but my mind suddenly jumps to Lio. Lio. Lio.
My mind wanders to his ice-blue eyes. His Grecian features—sharp nose, defined cheekbones, and a jawline sharp enough to kill. And his lips, they are so enticing that I wish I could taste them. My body starts to writhe with desire, and I squeeze my thighs together in response.
I force my eyes to open. Stop. I need to stop. No matter how much he looks like he should be a model, it doesn’t mean that I should pounce on him. But it’s more than his looks, my subconscious protests. He is sincere, considerate, chivalrous, successful, and warm. And yet, he’s also commanding, deliberate, focused, and such a tease.
It’s no use. I roll myself out of bed before I spend any more time thinking about something I’m not allowed to have. The more I linger on thoughts of Lio, the more I want him.
Sunday is a free-for-all day. I eat whatever I feel like. I look at my options and settle for avocado toast with a sliced soft-boiled egg on top with some salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Eating my breakfast, I pull open the Sunday paper to read about what’s happening in the world today.
My phone chirps, pulling me out of my focus. Setting the paper aside, I grab my phone. It’s a text message from Lio. My heart starts hammering in my chest as if it’s about to jump out and run away.
Lio: Is it crazy that I can’t stop thinking about you? I want to see you again. I believe today is your day off. Can I come pick you up?
So, he feels the same! I raise my fist in victory, then lower it after feeling foolish. I’m not the only person falling freely into this relationship! Check yourself, Lunis! I take in a deep breath. I shouldn’t be so happy, but I can’t help it. For five minutes, I wage a mental battle between my heart and brain. I want to see Lio so badly, but I know I shouldn’t. In the end, I give into my weaker side, and my fingers type out a response.
Me: I think it is crazy, and I feel the same. 34512 12th Street, Santa Monica. Pick me up at noon.
Heart: 2. Brain: 0.
I spend the rest of my once peaceful morning scrambling around the apartment in an attempt to tidy up and find something to wear at the same time. Both are frustratingly impossible. Every time I get around to making progress in cleaning, an idea for an outfit pops into my head. I halt everything I’m doing and run to my closet to try it on only to be disappointed. I have no idea what Lio has planned. A part of me is absolutely thrilled, and another part is completely anxious.
After three hours of nonsense, I’ve eradicated every dust ball and rearranged my bookshelf. I’ve also hidden all of my work files into a storage compartment in the wall next to the couch.
And most importantly, I settle on an outfit—a loose-fitting, shimmering nude tank top with black leggings and black boots. I shrug on a beige cardigan. It’s not the most glamorous outfit, but I also have no idea what we’ll be doing. After I finish, I need a second to gather myself. Sitting on the couch, I turn on the TV to get my mind in a more settled place, so I don’t feel so frenzied when Lio gets here. Just as I am getting into a reality TV show, my phone is ringing.
“Hey, doll. I’m outside.” His honeyed voice gives me the goosebumps.
“I’ll be right there.” I hang up and take in a deep breath. What is it about Lio that makes me so nervous? I’m acting like a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl going to my first dance. Except people usually have weeks to get ready for a dance, and every time I see Lio, I have a couple of hours, or even minutes, to get ready. As much as all this spontaneity is enthralling, my tightly gripped control on life is slowly slipping away.
Locking the front door behind me, I notice that the sun is peeking out of the clouds, and the ocean haze is burning off again. I try to look for Lio’s marvelous R8, but I can’t find it. Instead, a black Range Rover parked behind my car. Lio leaning against the SUV on his phone before he waves to me.
“You look great, as always, Lunis,” he says as he opens the passenger door. Heat flushes my face at the compliment.
“No R8 today?”
“Nope, it’s not big enough for what I brought today. Is that the only reason you agreed to meet me today? All for another fast and furious drive?” he says with mirth glistening in his baby-blue eyes. My breath catches in my throat.
“Maybe,” I say with a smile. “Where are we going?” I try to look around the backseat of the SUV but don’t see any clues. I can barely hold back my curiosity any longer.
“It’s a surprise,” Lio says with a wicked grin.
“You all settled in?” Lio asks after he buckles his seatbelt. He gives me a cursory glance to make sure I have mine on too.
“Yes, sir.”
At the press of a button, the engine roars to life. This car is fully decked out with every comfort and technology option possible. I run my hand against the smooth black leather and stretch out my legs. A haunting melodic voice fills the cabin. It’s Radiohead.
“Nice choice of music.”
“You like Radiohead too? We should go see them in concert. Have you ever seen them live?” Of course, I haven’t. Concerts don’t fit in my routine.
“No, unfortunately, I have not.”
“They’re amazing. I’m taking you when they have a show.” Again, he flashes his dimples.
We’re getting onto the 405 South from the 10 East. Surprisingly, there’s very little traffic, which is unreal even on a Sunday in Los Angeles. My mind zones out, enjoying the music and the moment. Lio’s hand reaches over and grabs mine. I almost leap out of my seat and I chuckle awkwardly. His thumb gently caresses my hand as he visibly relaxes and settles into his seat, as if he was waiting all day to do just that.
“What did you do last night?” Now my heart starts to pound. I didn’t even think about the fact that he might ask me. I rack my brain for some lie I can tell without feeling too guilty.
“A friend of mine was visiting from out of town, so we went out,” I say, keeping it as vague as possible.
“Oh, a friend? Where are they visiting from? Where did you guys go?” Crap.
“She is visiting from Seattle,” I say. Shit, I don’t even know anyone from Seattle. “We went out to dinner in Koreatown,” I continue praying that he won’t be familiar with Koreatown enough to ask about specifics.
“A girlfriend. I’m glad. I don’t love the thought of you trolling around town with some other man,” he says with a smile that doesn’t touch his eyes. I can’t tell if he’s serious or not. It doesn’t matter because there’s no other man I’d rather be trolling around with other than the one beside me.
We exit the 405 South just as traffic starts building up. The weather has relented to a perfect seventy-two degrees again, and it seems that everyone in LA realized that they have something to do and somewhere to be. I still have no idea where we are heading.
Finally, we pull into a parking lot with a large sign that says, “Marina del Rey.” There are hundreds of yachts parked in the marina.
“You own a boat too?!” I ask with a hint of exasperation.
“I hope you don’t get seasick,” he says as he gets out of the driver’s side of the car. Within moments, he’s opening my door. I honestly don’t know if I get seasick or not. I haven’t been on a boat since I was about six years old when I went to Catalina Island with my parents.
Lio opens his trunk and pulls out a fairly large ice chest and a backpack. After closing the trunk, he slings the backpack over his shoulder and starts rolling the ice chest behind him. I get a glimpse of his well-formed muscles in his arms as he pulls the heavy ice chest. I stand there for just a moment, admiring his body.
“Come on, slowpoke,” he shouts to me. I pick my panting tongue off the ground and quicken my pace to catch up to him.
We pass several yachts on the dock and I try to guess which one might be Lio’s. First, I think it’s a large yacht named Life, but we walk right passed it. And then we approach a smaller boat named Pleasure, but Lio passes it up too. At last, he stops, and I look up the magnificent boat in front of me. It’s entirely white and looks so futuristic that it seems like it belongs in the sky more than the sea. It’s big enough to charter at least ten people comfortably and must cost a fortune to maintain. On the side of the boat, it says Carpe Diem.
“Shit, Lio,” I say, my voice heavy with awe. “This is amazing. Are you trying to impress me? Or better yet, seduce me?” As I say this, I give him a teasing smile.
Lio momentarily stares at my smile. He looks like he wants to pounce on me, his eyes smoldering with lust and desire.
“Always, Lunis. Always,” he responds smoothly.
“Well, I believe it’s working.” I want nothing more than to kiss this man I barely know. My body is aching for his touch. The intensity between us returns, and the air is vibrating with tension. We’re looking at each other like we want to rip each other’s clothes off now and devour one another on this dock. Lio regains control first.
“Let’s get on board, doll,” he says stiffly, rubbing his hand on his neck. He turns around and heads toward the yacht. I’m still standing in the same position, literally shaking with desire. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and I want to smack myself in the head. Instead, I feel my feet floating on board the magnificent vessel.
15
As impossible as it sounds, the inside of the yacht is even more impressive than the outside. The décor is completely modern, with gray tones accenting the cabin. There is wood trim everywhere that brings warmth and liveliness to the room. The living area has a large sofa that faces a TV screen that is wider than I am tall. There are several impressive artistic sculptures around the room, the most striking being a massive tree that stands in the center of the room. It looks completely real, if a tree could be modern and stylish.
“Wow,” I mutter as I look around.
“Want a tour?” he offers, holding out his hand.
“Yes!” My fingers grip his with excitement.
Lio walks me around the rest of the yacht. There are three bedrooms in addition to the living area and a fairly large kitchen. The master bedroom is by far the most spectacular. It occupies the top deck in front of the yacht, with floor-to-ceiling windows, giving way to breathtaking views of the ocean. The enormous king size bed faces the windows, where you can watch the world pass by as you lay in bed. The bathroom is jaw-droppingly beautiful. White and gray Carrera marble covers almost every inch; it opens into a small balcony that has a bronze bathtub on it. Imagine taking a bath while looking out into a vast ocean without a care in the world. Amazing. I let out a deep relaxing breath at the thought.
The décor is consistent throughout the entire yacht: modern, simple, and earthy in an elegant fashion. It reminds me of Lio in a lot of ways. I feel as if I died and have gone to heaven, and we haven’t even undocked yet. I repeatedly remind myself to shut my gaping mouth as I’m led from room to room.
“You ready to get out of the harbor?” Lio asks, interrupting my reverie.
I nod in response. “Where are we going?”
“I thought we would take the yacht out and do some fishing. Hopefully, we catch something for dinner,” Lio says seriously.
“I’ve never gone fishing before.” Catching my own dinner feels like a lot of pressure.
“Well, doll, you’ve been missing out then. And don’t worry, under my guidance, you’ll have no trouble catching fish. Come on, let’s go up to the top deck.”
Once we are in the control room, Lio pulls out a phone and starts dialing a number.
“Jacob. We’re ready to undock. Yep. We’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll radio you when we’re heading back. Thanks.”
“Who was that?” I say inquisitively. Does he just have people waiting around to do his every bidding?
“Jacob maintains the ship. I asked him to be available today to help undock this afternoon. Don’t worry; he’ll be there when we come back to help us dock.” I am less concerned about docking than about the fact that Lio has men waiting around for him all day.
Within minutes, a blond man in his forties in shorts and a T-shirt arrives at the dock. This must be Jacob. He gives Lio a quick wave and seems to glance to me before deciding to wave at me also. I must be one of the hundreds of women he’s seen Lio with on this ship. I try to shove the thought out of my head.
“Can you swim?” Lio asks, holding out an orange life vest.
“Uh . . . yeah. Not well, but I can. Why?”
“You should wear the life vest then.” Concern is written all over his face.
“No! I’m fine. I’m not wearing that,” I say, looking at the god-awful vest. Lio assesses me for a few seconds before putting the life vest back.
A few minutes later, we’re pulling out of the dock and slowly moving across the harbor. I glance around and see the other yachts in the marina, and they all seem to pale in comparison to Lio’s. A few other boaters wave as we pass by, and Lio waves back at them casually. The ocean breeze is cool and salty, making my hair fly around like crazy.
Once we are out of the harbor, Lio speeds the yacht up, and we’re soon cruising along, heading into the vast open ocean, and the shoreline quickly is shrinking behind us.
“Want to take the wheel?” Lio offers with a smile.
“What?! No. I’ve never driven a boat.”
“Come on, it’s easy,” Lio insists.
“I don’t even know where we’re going,” I argue back.
“Just go straight. Here,” he says as he steps aside. Out of fear of the boat swerving out of control, I grab the wheel. I’ve never driven anything this big before, but it’s easy enough. All I have to do is hold the wheel and go straight. It’s enthralling to be cruising along in the open ocean as if there is not a fear or worry in the world. I take in a deep breath in of the salty air and slowly exhale.
“See? Easy.” Lio looks at me with a smirk. I’m suddenly hyperaware of how close he is. My arm brushes up against his and I suppress a shudder trying to take over my body.
Lio steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. My body instantaneously melts against his, while my mind freezes. Lio rests his chin on the back of my head and takes a deep breath and tightens his arms around my waist as he does so.
“You like jasmine blossoming in the night sky.” It’s taking every brain cell to focus on keeping my hands on the boat’s steering wheel and not turn around and wrap my arms around this man. I could feel his hips against my lower back, and I’m suddenly aware of what his hip is attached to.
“I’ve always wanted to do this.” Wait, what?
“What do you mean?” I ask, breaking out of the spell.
“I always wanted to wrap my arms around a woman as she drives my ship.” Shut the front door. Does this mean I’m the first?
“No one else has driven the yacht?” I try to ask in a nonchalan
t tone.
“No, I only got it last year, and I’ve been away for business a lot,” he answers matter-of-factly. Internally I’m jumping for joy, but I keep my cool. “Okay, doll. You see up where that buoy is?” he says as he points to a faded orange, triangular object floating on the surface. “Once you pass that, start turning the wheel left then straighten back out.”
I do as he says, and Lio pulls a lever to slow down the boat. Once we’ve slowed down, Lio moves away to push a button that lowers the anchor. My body protests at the loss of physical connection, but my brain is relieved. I was on the verge of losing myself and felt sore from trying not to move out of fear.
After the anchor is set, Lio walks around to the backpack and ice chest that he brought.
After briefly searching through his backpack, he hands me sunblock. “Put this on,” he commands. Geez. I hate sunblock, but I know my skin will pay for it tomorrow if I don’t listen. I begrudgingly take off my cardigan and start slathering on the white stuff.
Lio then presents me with a pair of brand-new flip-flops. They’re a nice tan leather color. “Here, put these on.”
How does he manage to think of every possible thing? At a loss for words, I silently take off my boots and put on the sandals. Of course, they fit perfectly.
“How did you know to buy sandals for me?”
“Lunis, you don’t look like you own a single pair of open-toe shoes.”
“Well, you’re right,” I say with a laugh. I can’t believe this guy.
“We need to change that,” he says to me seriously as he hands me a bottle of Corona with a lime wedge. Seriously? I blink in shock. He has pre-cut lime wedges? Does he think of everything?
“Thank you, Lio,” I say earnestly. “For the flip-flops, for the beer, and for bringing me here. It’s the nicest thing anyone has done for me for a long time.” It’s true. Lio looks sad at the last sentence.
“You’re welcome,” he says with a sincere smile. “Do you think I brought you here on a free trip? I brought you so you can catch food for the table. Let’s get to it.”
