Page 56 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?
I don’t understand aword of what is said during the briefing. Okay, that’s a lie. I do catch my name twice as well as a bunch of English words that the Japanese have incorporated into their language.
Going off Chai’s dejected state that causes lines to appear across his forehead though, I can just about guess that he didn’t tell Daichi Akiyama about our suspicions that the hit was more than a local gang getting greedy. It makes sense; we need evidence.
On the way back from Tokyo, Chai told me how bullheaded his father can be when it comes to loyalty. It sounded like a pain in the ass, but the whole honor and hierarchy thing the yakuza seem to uphold is also a little cool. In a romanticized kind of way.
Once his father leaves, Chai walks over to where I am standing by the door to the open balcony. We are in one of the Akiyama Group’s offices in downtown Nagoya and the sound of a festival somewhere nearby has me dying to check it out before we go to Chai’s penthouse.
I’ve been thinking about that and all the things we can get up to all day. Anticipation keeps my stomach in knots and little shivers race down my arms as Chai stands next to me, his shoulder brushing into mine. Just this little contact is enough to make me crave more of him, so I lean in and discreetly inhale him.
“You are going with Aran to the Keikai Estate. He’ll get you a room and sort out your training. You start tomorrow.”
The Keikai Estate… That’s where we were yesterday. Where the arena is. I guess it also doubles as a dorm. “Wait. What about IS-Halls? I already live there.”
Cheering from outside snatches Chai’s attention. He pulls out his pack of cigarettes and my hand fishes out the lighter from my pocket on reflex. He lets me light the one he’s holding with his mouth, then takes a puff.
“You could live there, I suppose. But you’d need to commute.”
I consider his words, frowning. “Wait. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying I will also have stuff in the morningsbeforemy classes?”
He nods, closing his eyes. “Yes. Before and after. Six to eight so you can make it to your 9 a.m. class and then two to eight in the evening.”
This sounds exhausting and I haven’t even started. “What about actually bodyguarding you?”
“I’ll be stuck in the office dealing with preparations for the trip to Bangkok. One of my father’s lieutenants will be handling my other duties in the meantime.”
Oh shit. It doesn’t sound like we’ll have much time to fool around and try the one million erotic fantasies I had during the train ride back from Tokyo. The one in which Chai wears a kitty costume with a butt plug tail had mefighting off an erection while watching that surveillance recording.
I open my mouth to tell him about it and ask if he’s down for that kind of thing when Aran enters the conference room and foils my plan to get Chai in the mood.
“Leon. Come with me,” he says in an icy tone, his eyes narrowing as they dart between me and Chai.
Chai stiffens a little under the scrutiny. I push off the window frame and stuff the lighter back in my pocket. Making it look like an accidental touch, I brush my fingers against his free hand, the simple contact setting off a flood of warmth through me when his forefinger rubs my thumb.
“I’ll see you later, Leo,” he mutters, giving me the subtlest of smiles. “I’ll send someone to track down the car and let you know what I find out.”
I nod. “See you later, Chai.”
Part of me is disappointed as I ride the elevator to the ground floor with Aran. I really wanted to spend the night in Chai’s company and explore this thing between us. I had fun helping him today even though I’m probably not supposed to. I mean, I’m his bodyguard. I should be growly and scary and silent, there to intimidate others and protect him. It’s just that being close to him unleashes this sweet hum within me, making even the most mundane thing sound like fun if he’s doing it with me. Under the façade, he’s a bit of a dork, which makes it all the more enjoyable to chat with him. The teasing and the boners are an added bonus, though I’m definitely interested in seeing where they will lead, too.
I stuff the dejection away and try to focus on the positive. Despite sounding like a lot of hard work and early mornings, I’m excited to get started with the training.Since I was taken off the Muay Thai team, I haven’t pushed myself as much as I’d like. I’ve been exercising and keeping in shape, but it’s not really the same. The adrenaline from challenging my own limits is something that I’ve missed, but between school, working multiple jobs and dealing with Cindy’s fucked-up mess, I really didn’t have time.
“So, what am I going to be doing exactly?” I ask when we enter a black SUV parked in front of the building.
Aran fastens his seatbelt and doesn’t bother to face me, his dark eyes meeting mine in the mirror. He’s sitting in the front, and I’m at the back.
“The two hours before your classes will be gym and swimming. In the afternoon, you’ll do two hours of Muay Thai or Krav Maga and two hours of shooting. The remaining will be split between learning about the Akiyama Group and our partners, and protocol. You will also be briefed about the conference in Bangkok, including venues, itineraries, and guests.”
It doesn’t sound like I’ll catch a break. But it’s fine since it sounded like Chai will be too busy to have time for me. It’s probably for the best too, what with things kind of moving really fast between us.
Strangely, I’m okay with that part. I’ve never felt the way I feel about Chai toward anyone. I knew I was crushing on him before we messed around, but since then it’s gotten ten times worse. He’s all I think about, and as the SUV drives off, I realize I already miss his presence.
It’s not even about his face or the boners he gives me or the hungry way he watches me when he thinks I’m not looking. It’s his aura, his energy, the way physical space feels charged when he’s around. I can pick out his voice, even his breathing. I can smell him when we are in the middle of a street full of food stalls. I have memorized theangles of his cheekbones, the way they curve and lead to his ears.
Shaking my head, I try to dislodge thoughts about Chai from my mind. It’s just a couple of days. I’m sure I will be fine not seeing much of him.
I am, in fact, not fine at all. It’s been about two weeks and training is going well—I’m acing the shit out of everything Aran throws my way—but I’ve only seen Chai once for a quick dinner. He’s been dealing with some extra stuff for his dad, and we’ve had zero time to hang out.
The okonomiyaki place he took me to was amazing, and so was the dirty making out session we had in the restrooms, but that’s as far as things went because he had to go back to work, and I had to do my homework and prepare for an in-class test.
