by Pearl, L. N.
"Good. That means the world to me." He bent down farther and brushed his lips over mine.
"I don't want to use your money though. If things go badly..."
"It's fine. We pack it up and start something else. I want to support you completely." He smiled. "Just promise me that you'll work on being okay with what I want for our future."
"What do you mean?" I pulled away from him a little, as a defensive and independent spirit rushed through me.
"I want you with me, Lila. I love you. I know you're not ready for more than what we have, but know that when you are... I'm completely in." He touched my face and turned from me before growling. "I have a meeting in an hour. What are your plans?"
"Well, I was going to stay here with you, but I guess I better call Gisele. I need to let her know my plans. There's no reason to waste time chewing on this. If the three of you are willing to help me, then I'm taking full advantage of the situation."
"Good. Go see her and then come back to me." He kissed me again as I agreed to do just that.
***
Gisele met me for coffee, looking poised and elegant as usual. She got up as I approached and moved around the table to take me by the shoulders.
"I just need to say right up front that I honestly had no clue that you and James weren't together." Sadness tugged at the side of her eyes and I smiled, patting the hand that lay on my arm.
"It's okay. I don't talk about my personal life at work. You know that." I moved out of her hold and took my seat across from her.
"I know, but I hope I didn't cause you any harm or heartache. I think of you like the daughter I never had."
"I know you do." I let out a slow breath. "That's why it's hard to tell you that I'm putting in my notice."
"Well, I'm not accepting it unless it's because you finally got everything you needed all together to start your own business." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a look that told me she was determined.
"How did you know I wanted to start a spa?"
"A spa? I didn't, but I knew you were an entrepreneur just like me. It's why you do so well at anything you take on. It's the spirit of a strong, driven woman. It's me. It's you." She smiled and slipped her hands into her lap. "When? How long do I have to convince you to stay with me?"
"Now." I held up my hand as she started to protest. "It's a clean break. I have no new clients and to pick one up now might keep me much longer than I can afford to hang around. I have some investors interested in helping me and I need to get things rolling before anyone has a chance to change their mind about the project or me."
"Is Asher helping you?" A smile played at the side of her mouth.
"He is." I paused and hesitated. "We're…"
She raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"
"We’re together now. Asher and I." My palms were sweating and my heart was beating like a drum. I wasn’t supposed to date a client and I was worried that Gisele might look for trouble and use that against me.
She smiled. "I know."
Then, I remembered that Asher had called her when flying back from Dubai. "I tried to resist… but I couldn’t."
She reached over and squeezed my hand. "And I can’t blame you for that. He’s amazing and I'm proud of you. Go ahead and enjoy your new life. It’s going to be an incredible journey, you’ll see. If you need anything or a place to come back to, you can always call me."
Gisele stood and I did too, accepting her hug as the shock rolled through me. I hadn't expected for her to be so gracious or understanding. I wondered if Asher had already talked to her about letting me go...
I walked out of the coffee bar and stopped by my car, pulling out my phone and making a quick decision. I called Asher and smiled when he answered.
"Hey, baby. How did it go?"
"Good." I paused and glanced around. I felt free. "I'm doing it. I want to go over there and start this thing."
"Perfect. I was just working on your weekly allowance and—"
"My what? No, Asher, don’t do this. I’m grateful, but I can’t take your money. You can invest in the business, but I have six months of income saved up. I’ll cover my personal expenses."
"Are you sure? Anything means anything, Lila. I am yours, as is everything that comes with me."
Tears burned my eyes and I glanced up at the sky as the sun slipped behind a thick cloud. How did I get so lucky all of the sudden? Who did I have to thank for my good fortune?
"Lila? Are you okay, baby?"
"Yeah, just feeling overwhelmed."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I have everything I need as long as I have you."
We both were silent and I knew he wanted to hear it. He deserved to hear it.
"Asher?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
6 - Asher
Everything happened so fast, and even though I’d been the catalyst behind it, pushing with all of my might, I was still surprised. The fact that Lila had quit her job was a huge affirmation that she not only trusted me, but that she was ready to move forward into the future with me.
But most of all, she loved me, and was ready to say so.
It all sounded surreal, yet I knew I wasn’t dreaming. She had said those three magic words very clearly and they were still resonating in my head. It was the sweetest sound ever.
I had to pull a few strings to clear my schedule for the upcoming week, but one of my partners filled in for me on a few client meetings, and the rest were covered by various associates that I trusted.
Lila was a little nervous about meeting up with Kazu and Sofia in Dubai. This time, it was for real and I knew she worried, but I worked to comfort her and to push positive reinforcement on her each time she voiced a concern.
I finished shaving the morning of our trip and glanced over my shoulder as she paced in front of the bed. She had stayed over at my place the night before, but had been unable to sleep.
"What are you doing, baby?" I cleaned up my face and listened to the agitated murmurs coming from her direction. I had never seen her like this.
"I'm nervous. Scared. Excited. Horny."
I looked over my shoulder and laughed. "I love it. Sounds like one hell of a high."
"It is." She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself tightly as she tilted her head to one side. "I never in a million years would have expected any of this to be happening to me."
I walked over to her and lifted her chin with my index finger. "It’s happening. Your new life begins in…," I raised my hand and checked my watch. "Ouch, we’re late. We need to be at the hangar in forty minutes. I wish I could make love to you before, but we’ll…"
She bit her lip and trailed her finger on my chest. "We could always do it in the private jet. That could be fun, right?"
I let out a grunt of frustration. "I should call Kazu and tell him to fly coach then. Not sure he’s going to appreciate it, though."
"Oh, he’s coming with us?"
I nodded and kissed her softly. "Unfortunately, yes. We’ll have to wait."
***
"Good to see you again, Lila." Kazu extended his hand as we moved toward my private jet. "Asher. How are you?"
"Great. Very excited." I shook his hand and placed my free one on the back of Lila's shoulder. "We're looking forward to seeing what additional information Sofia might be able to provide."
"It should be interesting for sure." Lila smiled back at me as she moved onto the plane. Her skirt hugged her hips and if our new business partner hadn't been with us, I'd have definitely reached up and goosed her.
I glanced back to make sure Kazu wasn't staring at my girl, but I found him messing with his watch instead.
Good.
I'd never been jealous or paranoid before, so I shoved the inappropriate feelings back down where they belonged. I took the seat next to Lila and worked to get my jacket off before buckling up.
"You okay?" I smiled at her and took her purse from her as she hande
d it to me.
"Yeah, just a little intimidated. I'm likely to be the dumbest person in the room." Her cheeks colored pink.
"Never. You're the brain behind the operation. We're just feeding off of the experience we have in living this stuff. You'll soon be flying past us, I'm sure." I took her hand into mine and squeezed softly. "You look hot by the way."
"You do too. I love you." She moved up and kissed me softly, setting my blood on fire.
Kazu cleared his throat. "Hum. Alright you two. I'm a single man on the hunt for the right woman. No fair making me yearn for something I'm not going to have any time soon."
Lila flushed and straightened up immediately. "I'm sorry. I told Asher to behave, but he won’t listen." She winked at me and my desire for her increased even more.
Kazu smiled and waved his hand in the air. "I was just teasing."
A flight attendant arrived with three flutes of champagne and we all touched glasses.
"To success."
We all nodded and took a sip, and then I looked at Kazu. "Have you thought about the matchmaking route?"
"I have, but I'm not sure I'm ready just yet. It seems like such a big jump. Trusting someone with your private life in order to fully assess your personality." He shook his head. "Not my style."
"When it’s done properly, by a true professional, it’s not intimidating at all. In fact, it’s a very gentle process and many people discover themselves along the way." Lila sat up and scooted up in her chair.
Kazu and I turned to her. "Really? Tell me more."
"It's a very confidential process and usually the matchmaker becomes a trusted advisor of sorts. I spent a lot of time with people like you and many of them became personal friends."
Kazu squinted at her. "Is it how you got your business idea? By being close to them?"
"Absolutely. Many of them are over worked and lack time to meet the opposite sex. It’s hard to connect with someone emotionally when you’re always stressed out. So I thought about ways to help them relax and I came up with this plan."
Kazu nodded appreciatively. "Interesting. You make me want to meet more matchmakers like you."
Lila laughed and I tried to bring the conversation back to something lighter. "You’ll have to give it a try, Kazu. I was reluctant at first too, but it’s not that scary. The process with Lila's firm was painless and actually fun. Being so busy and wrapped up in my company, I realized that I'd shut most of my friends out. Having her around was like finding color in the world again." I reached up and touched her hair, running my fingers down it.
"And you fell in love with your matchmaker." Kazu laughed. "I love it."
"It's rare. This was a... complicated situation." She looked back at me and we both chuckled.
"Fate wanted us together." I brushed my hand down her hair again before leaning back and yawning. "Oh man, I’m sleepy, I think I'm going to take a nap."
"Then trade me places. I want to chat with Kazu." Lila stood and slipped over me, making sure to rub her ass against my lap subtly before sitting down in her seat.
"I’m sure you didn’t do that on purpose, right?" I whispered against her hair for only her to hear.
She turned and discreetly licked her lips at me. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
I bit my lip. "You’ll regret this when we land in Dubai."
"I can’t wait." She squeezed my thigh and turned her back to me, striking up a conversation with Kazu while I closed my eyes.
It was odd. I was finally at peace with myself. With my life. With the memory of Geoff.
For the first time in my life, my heart was taken. And I loved it. I loved her.
7 - Lila
The flight went far too quickly, but that was because Kazu turned out to be incredibly interesting. The man had done more over the course of twenty years than anyone else I'd met. It wasn't a wonder at all why he wasn't married or at least dating. He didn't have time and was hard to impress.
We finally landed and rode to the Burj Khalifa in a limo. Kazu and Asher spoke about cars and various industries they'd invested in, and I did my best to listen and pick their brains. The car stopped and a valet opened the door for us.
"Sofia said she’ll meet us for dinner tomorrow, so we can all rest. The restaurant is at the far end of the hotel, and the reservation is under my name."
Kazu nodded and told us he needed to make a few calls. Asher took my hand and we headed to the elevators. "You were quiet on the ride over. You okay?"
"Yeah, I was trying to learn from both of you. I’m also very tired from the flight. You seem to have gotten some good sleep, though." I reached out and touched his chest as he crowded into my space in the elevator.
"I didn't sleep a wink." He leaned down and brushed his nose by mine.
"In sixteen hours? Liar." I stole a kiss and tugged him closer, wanting to steal his warmth.
"I didn't." He kissed me softly again. "I thought about you the whole time."
"What about me?" I licked at his lips as the door opened to our floor.
"How beautiful you are." He moved back, licking at his mouth and pulling me with him.
"You just kept thinking over and over that I was beautiful? Seems highly unlikely."
"Well, you were in various positions." He shrugged and unlocked the door.
"And was I in a ballroom dress in these positions?" I walked in, kicking off my shoes and reaching for him as he slammed the door and moved quickly toward me.
"No." He shifted, moving to the couch and sitting down. He scooted to the edge and beckoned me to join him.
"A nightgown?"
"No, baby." He reached out and slid his hands over my thighs, pushing my dress up until the front of my panties showed. He tugged them down and growled softly.
"What was I wearing?" I asked with as much innocence as I could muster.
"Nothing, Lila. You were wearing nothing." He gripped me tightly and leaned forward, brushing a kiss over my crotch before sliding his tongue over the top of it in slow circles.
I reached down and pushed him back, not in the mood for foreplay at all. "I think we’ve waited for long enough. We can skip foreplay this time, don’t you think?"
He worked on his slacks, releasing his large cock as quickly as he could. "I think you’re goddamned right."
8 – Epilogue
1 year later
Excitement rose in the pit of my stomach as I left the large jewelry store in the heart of Dubai. I wasn't willing to ask Lila to marry me just yet, but now I had the ring ready for when the time was right. It had been one hell of a year. She and I had worked hard together on the Japanese Onsen, and it was doing so well that we had opened a second one. A team of carefully chosen and trusted employees helped us to manage the place and hire the new masseuses.
We had spent six months in Dubai working on the Onsen and six months in L.A. The real estate market was doing better in the states, which gave me reason for celebration. Business was really good on both sides of the world, but I'd come to the conclusion that money didn't matter without someone to share it with.
Lila and I basically started living together as soon as she made the decision to invest in Dubai. Although there had been a few rough patches due to starting a new life on the other side of the world and building a business together, we came through it all with shining colors, and closer than ever.
Kazu and Sofia had been working hard alongside us and after a few months of late nights, they decided there was something between the two of them that needed exploring. They had gotten married and were pregnant by the end of their second month of marriage.
Lila was beyond thrilled at the news. Something tells me she might have had something to do with the union. Her professional matchmaking days might have been over, but at the center of who she was, she wanted love to exist, even if it were just for other people.
***
I stood in front of her original Onsen in the early morning heat, waiting for Lila to get out of
the car. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, but it was our off day. The Onsen had been a huge undertaking, but we managed it well together. Once a month we closed down the whole thing to have it deep cleaned and restored for any imbalances in our hot springs. The cleaners would be showing up in a couple of hours, so we had the place to ourselves.
"I still can't believe this is ours." She got out of the car with a huge smile on her pretty face. I'd never grow tired of exploring her with my eyes. She was more beautiful to me then than when we'd first met.
"Come on, let's go have a little fun before we have to get back to the penthouse."
"What were you talking about with Kazu on the way over?" She moved past me to unlock the building, but I took hold of her arm and pulled her close to me.
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" I kissed the tip of her nose and gazed down at her. Reaching up, I brushed her long dark hair back and laid a string of kisses over her cheeks and across her mouth.
"What's all this for?" Her voice softened.
"I just love you. I'm so glad you're mine." I kissed her softly, turning it into something a little more passionate as her tongue pressed against my lips. I let her in and sucked on what she offered me, her moans lusty as her tight little body pressed against mine.
"I love you more. Come on and let's do our inspections. I'm thinking a long shower together before lunch would be nice." She glanced over her shoulder and I realized that I would have given her the moon if she asked for it.
I needed to propose, to tell her that I wanted and needed her in my life for forever. Anything else would be a travesty, but I just wasn't sure if she was ready.
I was afraid to push her away with my overbearing need to move on to marriage and a family. We'd discussed it in bits and pieces over the last year, but never with the idea of a commitment soon to come.
I walked into the Onsen with her and paused to breathe in deeply. "It smells so clean and calming."
"It's the Jasmine that we put in the air filters. It's fantastic, right?" She smiled and turned to me. "Go through and check out the male locker rooms. I'll check the female and we'll meet on the other side."
