“I’m joking,” he continued to laugh.
“It’s not cow eyes?” she winced.
“No, gosh that’s grosser than eating a live chicken or a goose.”
She smacked him in his chest. “Hiroshi, that wasn’t funny at all.”
“I told you not to take me so seriously.”
“But you looked serious, just like every other time,” she complained and pretended to eye him fiercely as she sat on the blanket. He responded by laughing at her even more, then sat next to her, positioning himself so that he could face her.
He pointed to the lunch box and said, “This half is cheese, and the other is a chili-tuna mix I made up.”
“Really?” She wanted to make certain.
“Yes.” He nodded firmly. “I swear it.” He placed his hand at his heart.
“Okay, I’m very grossed out right now. But it sounds good.” She took from the tuna selection and inspected it before biting into it.
Hiroshi chuckled and looked across to the temple. It was a great view and probably looked just as good at night shining in the moonlight. Maybe she could come back and see it. She sighed and looked back to Hiroshi to see he was already watching her.
“You really enjoy your work, don’t you.” He stated.
“I do. Sometimes I have to make myself stop and take a break from it. I’m always thinking about what I can write next.”
“It’s good. Few people can truly say they enjoy their work.”
He was right, and she considered herself lucky. Lucky for the part where she enjoyed what she did. But there was still a lot to consider. Like if she didn’t get a staff position she’d have to continue freelancing, and realistically, she couldn’t freelance forever. It wouldn’t be enough to sustain her long term.
“You obviously enjoy your job, career.” That was perhaps a stupid comment. He was CEO of one of the most successful companies in this world. He was more than fine.
Except, the look on his face said otherwise.
“It’s not too bad,” he replied.
She smiled, thinking he was being sarcastic, but the thoughtful expression on his face told her he was serious. “Not too bad?”
He grinned and nodded.
“Didn’t you always want to do what you’re doing?” She didn’t know any other CEOs, but from what she heard most of them worked extremely hard to get that position.
“It was more like I was always going to be doing something in my family’s company. The position I have now is my grandfather’s doing.”
Oh. She would never have thought that, but it didn’t change anything. She saw for herself that he worked hard, and the Washington branch was renowned across the globe.
“So you wouldn’t have wanted to be CEO of one of the best companies in the world?”
He narrowed his eyes at her and seemed to be considering his answer before he said, “I don’t know. It sounds good, and I guess I like it, but I don’t know.” He finished off his sandwich.
“What did you want to do?” She had to ask, although racing cars came to mind.
He smirked. “I don’t know that either. In our family, we prepare ourselves from birth to carry on running the company. Sakiko is the only one who made a break for it with something other than business and technology.”
None of that would have ever occurred to her. It was quite sad when you thought about it. Never really being allowed to explore what you wanted to do in life.
It occurred to her that while they had a lot of differences, they had a lot of things in common.
“I guess I like cars,” he added. “Maybe too much.”
“You do like cars,” she commented. “And it seemed like you drive them well, too.” She wondered why he’d stopped racing. Something told her she shouldn’t ask. It was the sort of…guilty look that came over his face and the way he looked down and away from her.
What could have happened to him?
“I used to.” He looked back to her and seemed to regain the spark in his charm. “Now I just collect them, customize some for racers and sell them on.”
“Really?” She found that interesting. He hadn’t mentioned that before. “Like the race cars we saw at the track?”
“Yup, that is what I do when I’m in Japan.”
“What do you do with them?”
“Whatever people want. Make a hybrid of classic and modern, shuffle parts around to have the best of certain things, change the wheels, put lights on the bottoms, make them faster.”
“That’s very cool,” she beamed.
Suddenly she thought back to weeks ago when she’d seen that dark-haired woman with him. Was it right to assume she was probably a customer?
Savannah remembered the way Hiroshi had looked at the woman. She didn’t think she’d imagined that. So maybe she was his girlfriend. How could they almost kiss last night if he had a girlfriend? What if they had kissed?
Her curiosity got the better of her. “Do you have a lot of customers?” She needed to find a casual way of asking about the woman.
“Loads.”
“Are they all racers? I mean do you get ordinary people sometimes. Like me?” Maybe she should find another angle. She was terrible at trying to wheedle information out of anyone, especially if she wanted the info for herself. And he was starting to look a little suspicious.
“Are you planning to drive while you’re here?” he asked with narrowed eyes.
“Not so much.” If she’d just said yes she would have been fine. Now she’d gotten caught in her own trap. He looked even more suspicious now. “I mean probably. Do women often come to you to fix their cars?” Oh Lord, why didn’t she think first before she spoke? Or quit, when she could see there was no point in dragging something out.
“Yes, and sometimes they play bagpipes naked on the front lawn.”
“What?” It took her a moment to realize what he said. Then he started to laugh at her. “That’s not funny. You weren’t supposed to hear that.” She sighed with exasperation.
He leaned his head to the side and gave her a meaningful look. “But I did. Savannah, let’s stop playing games. I don’t like games, they make people crazy.”
“Games?” She feigned innocence, feeling completely thrown by his forwardness.
“Yes, games. I’m more of a direct kind of guy, so if you have something to ask me, and or tell me, just do it.”
She considered this, wondering if she really could. What would he think if she asked him about the woman?
He gave her a hopeful grin and waited for her answer. She continued to gaze at him, studying his calm demeanor and somehow just chickened out.
Maybe it was just best to stay in the safe zone. Admiring from afar and wondering what it would feel like to kiss him.
“I…I don’t really have anything,” she lied, best to get out of this conversation.
He grimaced, wrinkling his nose and sighing. Her nerves spiked as he moved even closer to her so that his face was just inches away. “Okay, here’s the answers. She was a customer,” Hiroshi stated.
“Who?” she asked innocently.
“The woman you’re trying to ask me about. You would have known that if you didn’t run off around the back.”
Savannah gasped. “You saw me?”
He chuckled. “Yes.”
Her breath caught. “My clothes weren’t nice. I wasn’t dressed for company.”
She rolled her eyes at herself when he laughed. Her mother always used excuses like that. Seemed to work fine for her.
“I like your clothes.” His gaze mingled playfully with hers, then he looked her over.
“You seemed to like her clothes more.” With a sheepish shrug, she bit the inside of her lip. Maybe that was too accusatory. “I mean, you looked at her like you did.”
He looked back up to her and smiled mischievously, teasing her. “Is that so?” His smile turned up a notch. “Was it like how I look at you?”
Pure seduction filled his eyes and held h
er still in an enthralling trance. Her breath now hinged at the edge of her throat and she found herself unable to look away. He looked at her with raw sexual desire and didn’t even try to mask it.
Heat pooled within her and pulled at her groin. He knew that wasn’t how he looked at that woman, and more importantly he knew that she knew. The air of confidence he exhibited was overwhelming, tempting her in a way that she couldn’t overpower.
“Um…” She found herself unable to speak.
Her reaction just amused him. “She’s a customer who races, and I have no interest in her. Or the devil-haired girl at the tracks. Okay?”
She couldn’t hold back the little smile that played on her lips. “Okay.”
“Is there anything else you want to ask me?” He straightened up, waiting again for her answer.
It was hard to think, let alone form words when he looked at her like that.
“Are you single?” The words came out of her mouth, just flew out and she couldn’t stop them. The urge to know got the better of her.
She watched him smile with fascination. “I don’t know. That could depend on the next five minutes. There’s a cute little journalist that’s had my attention for weeks. She’s kind of shy, though, and completely unaware of how sexy she can be.”
Her?
Her skin flushed, and she held her breath. Was he talking about her?
He thought she was sexy? Him, who oozed sexy as if he was the definition of the word itself. She swallowed hard and blinked several times as heat rushed through her.
She wasn’t used to this. These crazy nerves, and being around a super confident guy that could make you melt with one look.
All she could do was stare.
“Is this how we’re going to be for the rest of the time you’re here?” he asked.
She gazed deeply into his eyes, thinking about the question. Being this close allowed her to see the light definition in his eyes and the wealth of emotion that suddenly filled them.
That slow easy smile crept up on his face again. “I don’t know if I can keep looking for opportunities to eavesdrop on you just so I can find out how you feel about me, and I have a lot of girl racer customers. I don’t want to have to explain each one to you.”
Her heart raced, and somehow she realized that she didn’t want to just admire him from afar, or wonder what it felt like to kiss him.
It was useless in the beginning, thinking that she could just get on with her work and brush aside her attraction for him. It was useless then, and it was useless now.
Chancing the risk, she decided to be brave and ask, “How else could we be?”
He reached for the end of her ponytail as it rested in the crook of her elbow and wrapped it around his thumb.
“We…could be like this.” Desire filled his warm brown eyes as he lowered towards her and awakened her soul by pressing his lips against hers, covering her mouth. The contact sent a shockwave throughout her entire body, stirring every single cell within her, as if she hadn’t truly existed until seconds ago when he brought her to life with a kiss.
He kissed her slowly at first, teasing her into the enchantment. But then it changed as he swept his delicious tongue through her lips and ignited her. It was like dropping a match on a trail of gasoline, setting it ablaze. A soft moan escaped her lips as she returned his kiss with reckless abandon, shocking herself at the eagerness in her response to him.
The warmth of his big strong hands on her waist pulled her closer to him, allowing her to press her hands onto the ridged muscles beneath his white cotton shirt. Just as the world began to recede around them, he pulled away and gazed at her, searching her eyes.
She wasn’t ready for him to stop. It felt like she’d been waiting for eons for this one moment in her life and she didn’t think she could be without him. Her skin felt hot and her lips tingled, swollen with passion. She brought her hand to her cheek as she looked at him.
“Did…we just kiss?” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
His lips slid up into a seductive smile. “Yeah, we did, California Girl. Did you like it?”
Of course she did, but he already knew that. The maddening hint of arrogance she liked about him amplified his charm and made her powerless to resist him.
“I liked it.”
Her skin tingled with excitement as his fingers trailed sensuously across the bare skin of her waist where her top had come away. “Want to do it again?”
She ran her tongue along the inside of her lips, feeling the aching need for another kiss. “Yes.”
At that, he smiled, and they moved towards each other at the same time for another passionate kiss.
Chapter 13
Hiroshi smiled to himself as he walked across the park and admired the sea of cherry blossom trees that ran along both sides of the path. He’d gone this way to enjoy the view and the calmness he always felt here.
Strawberries. Yes, that was it. The answer just came to him. That was what Savannah tasted like. Like the sweetest strawberries that had just come into season. Sweet and tempting, luring you to have more and more until you were drunk from the indulgence. He’d been thinking about the right description of her on his way into work. Strawberries definitely were it.
It had taken every ounce of willpower for Hiroshi to walk away from her last night. Literally everything in him. Any hopes of visiting the other temples and sites in Kyoto were pretty much dashed by the wayside after that first kiss. It was dark by the time they’d gotten to the Silver Pavilion, too dark to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, and the temple was closed. Although she didn’t seem to mind, he’d felt guilty and offered to take her to one of the places on her list when he got another chance. They then happily went back to his car to make out.
Geez, it was crazy. He was acting like he was sixteen, not thirty-six. Just the thought of making out seemed so juvenile and high school, but he was obsessed with kissing her. He craved the feel of her lips on his, hearing the little sounds she made as he touched her, and the feel of her tiny waist in his hands.
He knew, he knew, she was possibly the biggest distraction he could ever have right now, and he had more than indulged on a little attraction. It was more like he was intoxicated on it, but it was too late to turn back now. And he didn’t want to.
Being with her yesterday hadn’t just changed the way they were. It also opened the door to feelings he’d repressed since meeting her. Feelings he didn’t even realize he had until yesterday. Besides, he felt that maybe he could allow himself some fun and a break because plans for the training center had changed in such a significant way. Knowing that had literally flung the door wide open for him, and he’d gone straight through to Savannahville, giving into the undeniable attraction that he could no longer control.
He was thinking about her so much that he almost bumped into a woman carrying a large bag of groceries as he turned onto Show Dori. He quickly apologized and continued walking down the street, entering the vibrancy of the city. Savannah quickly entered his mind again, and he wondered how she felt about him.
Whatever happened he knew he had to be careful. He had to be careful for a whole host of reasons. The most selfish reason being that he really liked her, and if he had any form of chance with her he didn’t want to mess it up. He couldn’t be the idiot playboy he used to be who was selfish, always on the lookout for the next woman to impress him when he got bored, and always thinking about sex. He couldn’t be that guy anymore.
And, if he had any form of chance with her, he knew that he’d have to try to balance work and everything that was already unmanageable. He hadn’t forgotten all his responsibilities to the company, and all the hopes he had, but then somehow he couldn’t deny himself of her, either.
The Fujita Tech building came into view amongst the array of skyscrapers. Like most of the others, its gray prism-like structure stood tall and proud. Against the gray was the logo name Fujita Technologies in bold red letters. Hiroshi always thought the
letters looked like they were floating separately in the sky.
This was their headquarters, the main office where everything took place. His father and uncle worked here, taking the command at the helm. His grandfather had worked here, too, but he loved Washington more. Maybe because the work culture was a tad more relaxed and welcoming. Hiroshi didn’t like this office at all. He never really had any good memories here, either.
He’d met with Jake briefly this morning before leaving. Now he was meeting with his father before all the meetings for the day took place, just to make sure he’d get his undivided attention. MIT and a few other colleges and universities had already emailed wanting to meet and discuss the training program and investment options. That meant flying back to Washington next week. Realistically he needed to be there for two or three full weeks to fit everybody in, and to do all the other bits of planning that would follow on from the meetings, but next weekend was his mother’s annual fundraiser, which he never missed. What he planned to do was fly to Washington for a week, come back, and then fly back for another two weeks.
It sounded crazy, but it had to be done.
And then there was Savannah.
It was Friday. He wanted to ask her out, and he hoped it wasn’t too presumptuous of him to ask her to go out with him tomorrow night. His busy schedule wasn’t ideal, and he was supposed to be leaving before sunrise early on Sunday, so that wasn’t ideal either, but he didn’t want to just leave things in the air with her.
Hiroshi walked past the receptionist in the foyer and continued to the executive suite where his father’s office was. He would have acknowledged her if she didn’t look so militant, like everyone else here. He thought of his own PA in Washington, Bernadette—Bernie for short. If she were here now, he’d still be in the reception talking to her. She’d either be telling him off or telling him some crazy story to do with either her cats or dogs, or one of her relatives in Jamaica. All of which she’d do in a deep Jamaican accent Jake found absolutely hilarious.
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