“Jake, that sounds wonderful, dear, but you shouldn’t be encouraging Savannah to float about in the world with no real ambition.” Her mother’s comment didn’t surprise her. It did, however, hurt that she thought Savannah had no real ambition. And to add insult to injury, her father was nodding, agreeing.
Sorrow closed up her throat, and her heart felt like it was shrinking away as her breath hitched and her chest tightened. Welcome humiliation number two. Or, was that more like an insult?It was both.
She’d definitely been right to think it was going to be one of those nights.
But she was tired of this now. This was the same format their conversation had taken every time her career was discussed. All an attempt to make her see things their way and do what they wanted her to do.
“Oh, Mom, come on. That’s low.” Jake looked askance at their mother. “For a start, I know she has ambition, and she isn’t floating about. People who float about don’t have their own column in Traveler Magazine. And I also don’t believe they wrote for National Geographic, either.”
“Did you?” Hiroshi asked her, looking quite impressed.
“Yeah.” She smiled at him, trying to regain her composure.
“And she worked for Time, too,” Jake quickly added.
“Wow, look at me sitting across from an accomplished journalist.” Hiroshi smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with interest.
She laughed at the irony, thinking that while it was nice to hear, it was her who was more impressed sitting across from him.
“It’s nothing, I—”
“Don’t you dare talk down your accomplishments,” Jake cut in before she could try, then turned his focus back to their parents. “Seriously now, you know those magazines you love reading with all the interesting topics about where people live, what they’re doing, the stuff that happens to them, all of it? It wasn’t someone at the Bay News who wrote that. And our Savannah is not one to be cooped up writing about things like pet supplies, or so-and-so’s big toe.”
Classic Jake, even though their parents looked tense, he made them laugh. Savannah looked at Jake in awe, and he nodded curtly towards her, knowing she greatly appreciated his defense of her.
“The Bay News was a good job,” her father insisted, looking over at her from where he sat.
“Not if you’re a travel journalist, Dad,” she replied.
Her parents still liked to think they had a say in her decisions. Maybe it was because she’d always sought after their approval for everything. Right now, she didn’t care what anyone thought. She was at a time in her life where she could look back, realize her past mistakes and fix them.
She looked from her mother to her father and knew exactly what they were thinking. They wanted her to get a steady job and stop chasing the dream. Well, they would have to get over their concerns, because she was going to the land of the rising sun.
The whole plan to change her life was for exactly this reason. To seize an opportunity when she saw it, and not to be scared of the risk. It would be a year in a foreign country, making sure every single article she did had that wow factor to engage the magazine subscribers. Or increase them.
Imagine…her, increasing the subscribers. People reading the website just to see what she was writing. The thought bowled her over with joy.
She straightened herself with dignity and announced, “I’m going.”
The declaration elicited a worried look from her mother. Her father steepled his fingers together and bit the inside of his lip, glancing at her mother out the corner of his eye.
Savannah drew in a breath and gazed heavenward. “I’ve always dreamed of going there.”
“Have you?” Hiroshi asked.
She nodded excitedly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s always, always been one of my dreams. There just seems to be so much you can do, and so much to see.” Her newly awakened sense of life energized her, vibrating her body with positivity.
He focused on her and that twinkle flickered in his eyes again. “There is. I know you’d have an excellent time,” he nodded. “You’ll be staying with my family and me, and we’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.”
“This is real, right?” She still couldn’t believe it. She simply couldn’t believe it.
Hiroshi nodded confirmation.
“Then, thank you, thank you so much.” She beamed, and looked from Hiroshi to Jake. “Thank you both.” She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She wanted to hug them but restrained herself, and her excitement.
Savannah was going to Japan and… As she looked at Hiroshi, and her excitement balanced out a notch, she realized that she was going to be staying with a deadly handsome billionaire and his family for a year.
She didn’t think about that part.
Wow. Her time in Japan was definitely going to be very interesting. Very interesting indeed.
Her head spun at the thought.
* * *
What an interesting evening.
Hiroshi walked out onto the balcony of his hotel room. He rested his hands on the cool metal bar that was along the railing and looked ahead at the colorful array of city lights.
Off in the distance, he could see the brilliant orange glow that came from the Golden Gate Bridge. It looked like it was on fire. He gazed ahead into the smooth night sky, velvet smooth with the stars sparkling brightly against it like diamonds.
Velvet. Yes, that’s what her hair looked like. Velvet smooth. And, he was certain that if he touched the long graceful waves that hung over Savannah’s delicate shoulders, it would feel that way too.
He’d tried very hard, but he just couldn’t stop himself from thinking about her.
Hiroshi had changed a lot over the last few years. He was a completely different person now. Relinquishing his wild, thrill-seeking lifestyle filled with racing fast cars and partying with even faster women to focus on the goals he had for the company.
But…he couldn’t suppress his weakness for a beautiful woman. He could try, but his eyes would eventually betray him. Especially if she was very beautiful, like Savannah was.
It was just in his nature, and while he could swear off them and make himself off limits, he couldn’t stop the powers of attraction. Attraction pulled you in, despite logic and reasoning. It could be dangerous.
He’d thought she was shy at first because she never said anything, and he felt bad that Jake had clearly put her off eating. However, the minute Japan was mentioned and the offer to go was given, he saw a whole new person unfold before him. It was as if she’d just woken up, and he would never forget the glow of excitement that danced in her eyes.
Weeks ago when Jake mentioned inviting Savannah to Japan and her traveling back with them, Hiroshi had agreed without much thought. They were going to be in San Francisco with his cousins for the company fundraiser anyway. He’d also thought he’d meet Jake’s family, too, while he was here. After all, they’d known each other for several years, and Jake knew Hiroshi’s family inside out.
How was he supposed to know that Jake’s sister was going to be this amazingly beautiful creature that had dazzled him for the last few hours? Jake always described her as his kid sister, so Hiroshi had just thought of her as such. He smiled at the memory of how embarrassed Savannah looked when Jake talked about her childhood. It was funny, but he couldn’t imagine her looking anything other than how she looked tonight. Perfect.
He remembered with complete clarity her petite, flowerlike figure, slender and shapely in all the right places. Her slim, narrow waist, and hips tapering into long, straight legs. Her wild beauty captivated him with her perfectly oval-shaped face and compelling, magnetic, chocolate brown eyes.
And her skin… It reminded him of smooth, rich caramel that enticed you to stare. There wasn’t anything about her that he didn’t admire, just from that one meeting. But…that was as far as it went. Just looking and admiring.
He couldn’t allow himself the distraction, not even for one s
econd.
Beautiful as she was.
His undivided attention had to be fixed on running the company in Washington, but even more so on the training center, which was his idea. His creation he wanted to add to the prominence and legacy of the organization. While his father had shown some minimal interest in the idea, the others had their reservations. Not because it wasn’t a good idea, but because it was his idea, and it was something new no one had touched before. The fear was that he wouldn’t see it through and it would fail and make them look bad.
He understood the concern given his former recklessness, but Hiroshi had no intention of letting anyone down. He was positive that it would be a good move for the company and believed wholeheartedly in the potential success. All he had to do now was get everyone else to see that vision, too, and trust that he was capable of achieving it.
He knew all too well what it was like to have people think you had no ambition in life. It wasn’t a nice thing or feeling. So he was well-versed in how Savannah must have felt as she tried to reason with her parents earlier. Although, he was certain her situation was undoubtedly a lot different to his.
Her parents had genuinely seemed concerned for her. In Hiroshi’s case, he’d given his family every reason to think he had no ambition, and now he had to work above and beyond himself to show that he did.
It was his grandfather who had put him in charge of the Washington branch. He gave it to Hiroshi for his thirtieth birthday, completely against everyone’s wishes.
No one had dared to question it because his grandfather was the head of the company. He’d started it out of nothing, made it into what it was, and voiced his opinion strongly that he could do whatever he felt was best for it.
Hiroshi still wasn’t sure how picking him to be CEO for the American flagship company was best, as at the time he had no interest in working hard and couldn’t have been a more unsuitable candidate. He’d also hated the idea of working with his father, who was always trying to get him to be more like his cousins and stop living so carelessly. His grandfather probably believed that having some form of responsibility would calm him down.
It didn’t.
Thinking back now, his father hadn’t exactly asked for much. He might have been super strict, but Hiroshi was completely out of control. A complete nightmare. Unreliable, untrustworthy, and had no concept of the word responsible.
Things changed drastically when his grandfather died. It was two years ago now, but he was still deeply affected. Growing up, Hiroshi had always been close to him. He’d just never appreciated him.
He closed his eyes at the memory of the day his grandfather died, pushing it to the back of his mind. It conjured up the guilt he’d felt for the choice he’d made and the disappointment he’d caused his father.
The crisp night air brushed against his skin, soothing it and his mind. He knew the journey ahead of him would be challenging and an enormous task with the minimal support he had, but he had to believe that everything would work out. He ran Washington well, but Hiroshi didn’t want to just make money. He wanted to create a place where talent could be harnessed and valued, where he could have some of the greatest minds working for them.
He knew his father had the same goals.
So, no distractions. Not even for warm caramel skin, or beautiful chocolate-brown eyes surrounded by long sexy lashes.
Savannah had a nice smile, too.
Chapter 3
“Girls, I’m going to climb Mt. Fuji, and go to Okinawa, and all the festivals, and do absolutely everything,” Savannah gushed, flopping over onto her sofa, allowing her body to go limp with bliss. Her friends laughed at her.
She’d invited Breana and Laura to her apartment for one last girls’ night in before she left for Japan.
In two days’ time! She couldn’t believe it was now only two days. Two more sleeps.
Savannah had been on some heavenly cloud of exhilaration since dinner on Monday. Pure excitement was racing through her, coursing through her veins and making her feel fully alive.
“So you’ve said for the umpteenth time.” Laura giggled, shaking her blonde head. Her bright blue eyes gleamed at Savannah, sharing the excitement.
“Now that you’ve allowed us to speak can we please get to the important part about this trip,” Breana stated, holding up her slender hands. A sly glint of mischief flashed in her gorgeous honey-colored eyes as she rested against the edge of the table that was littered with various pieces of paper, brochures of Japan and highlighting pens.
Savannah had talked nonstop since they arrived, but at least they’d started on the food so couldn’t complain too much. She’d ordered two super-sized pizzas from Little Caesar, and a few tubs of ice cream just for Laura.
“What could be more important than me going to Japan?” And getting a full page on the magazine website. Yes, a whole page just for her—Savannah Cavenaugh—to fill with her articles.
Brian had been ecstatic to hear she was going to Japan for a whole year and had instantly made the decision to give her an entire page. Not just a section with one article, but a page. A page he’d called Savannah’s Travels.
The page had a name. Her name.
When he told her, he made it sound like it was the most natural idea in the world, but she’d been unable to contain her excitement. Joy had literally bubbled up in her, overwhelming her and buoying her spirit.
He’d said Japan was filled with all sorts of interesting wonders. A simple thousand-word article every month wasn’t going to be enough. He wanted to hear about everything and didn’t want to limit her. He thought a page would be interesting for their readers, who would be her readers, so advised on focusing on their online audience. She was only too happy to agree, and over the moon that he bumped up her fees and asked her to produce a minimum of five articles in each issue. Of course, she could do more if she wanted. Right now, ideas were popping out of her head like popcorn.
“Hiroshi Fujita,” Breana stated, throwing herself down next to Savannah on the sofa, making it squeak loudly, like a squealing pig. Laura laughed at the sound and pushed another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She looked right at home sitting over in the corner in the love seat with her legs stretched over its massive winged arms. The edge of her blue jeans blending in with the trimmings and the blue drapes behind her.
“Girrrl, you have to get a new sofa,” Breana said pointedly.
Savannah completely agreed, but she’d think about that next year when she came back, and maybe get a better apartment.
“Anyway, back to business.” The sly look returned, and Breana’s eyes lit up. She adjusted the silky sleeve of her fuchsia top that looked great against the golden undertones of her dark skin.
“Yes, back to business.” Laura brightened, bobbing her head as she tried to speak through a mouthful of strawberry ice cream. Savannah laughed at her and shook her head. Laura had always been a big eater, and lover of ice cream and pizza. Definitely the kind of girl after her own heart. Except that, unlike Savannah and Breana, Laura could eat whatever she wanted and never ever gain an ounce. She was pretty much the same size she’d been when they all met in junior high.
Savannah hugged her knees to her chest and sunk into the fluffy pink cushions behind her. “There’s no further items of business to discuss, other than my wardrobe,” she cooed.
“No,” Breana scolded. “Don’t you dare try to sidetrack me with talk of wardrobes, which will lead to talk of shopping.” That was actually the idea.
She didn’t really want to talk about Hiroshi. What was there to say? He was Jake’s friend, very kind to let her stay with his family in Japan for a year, and she was stupidly attracted to him. There, end of story. That last part she was sure applied to anyone who had eyes.
Her friends were probably both itching to come here today, just to ask her about him. She could only blame herself for that because of the way she’d droned on when she’d told them all what was happening. There was a chance she might h
ave gotten a little carried away when she spoke about Hiroshi, and she kind of told them everything, covering all details. From what he was wearing, to when he served her the food.
It was just that it was the biggest news they’d had for a while too, and, usually, it was Laura who’d have gossip or something exciting to tell them.
“We still can’t believe Jake didn’t tell you guys about him.”
“He maintains that he did, but I know he didn’t. I’d definitely remember.” Savannah nodded.
“And we’d remember, too, because you’d tell us,” Laura laughed.
“Have you even thought about that aspect of going to Japan?” Breana asked, leaning her head to the side curiously.
“No,” Savannah lied. Of course she had. Her head had been spinning with excitement about Japan, but it was spinning for another reason, too. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Hiroshi, and thought about when she’d next see him. Two days’ time.
“You’re going to be living in his house with his family.” Breana’s whole face spread into a smile.
“Who knows what could happen?” Laura joined in with a saucy look.
“All kinds of things.” Breana made a show of rubbing her hands together, and it looked like her mind was working overtime with mischief.
“Or nothing,” Savannah intoned, raising her brows and rolling her eyes at them both. What on earth did her friends really think?
“Savannah, the man is gorgeous, like breathtakingly gorgeous.”
“I know,” she replied dreamingly. “Yes, he is definitely that.”
Aside from what she told them, her friends, being her friends, had looked him up and did all their research.
“Have you Googled him yet?” Laura beamed shoving more ice cream in. Savannah was certain that tub was nearly finished.
“No.” Now that, she’d avoided doing because only obsessed people, like these two, did things like that.
I Only Have Eyes For You Page 3
