Not once in my life did I fly first class before, but Nick assured me we had to fly first class if we headed to Tokyo. It was a long flight and he wanted to be as comfortable as possible, also getting some work done to make use of his free time up in the air. So it was like a dream flying first class with my billionaire boyfriend, but staying in the most exclusive hotel just made no sense to me. I felt out of place, but at the same time I couldn’t help but to take it all in and be in complete awe of all of it. I might sound selfish, but I loved the luxury!
While I was getting dressed in our fancy hotel room, Nick was already handling his meetings and what not. He’d be back around six in the evening so I had some time to myself to get some schoolwork done and maybe explore the fancy hotel. Stepping out of the bedroom I met the gaze of the security guard who tagged along with us, making sure we didn’t run into any trouble.
“You know when Mr. Jones is arriving?” I asked him.
He checked his watch but she assumed he knew exactly what time it was. It might be a thing he did out of habit, but that was something she’d be nosy about another time. He looked up again, meeting her curious gaze, “He arrived a few minutes ago. But I don’t think it’s such a good idea to meet up with him, Miss Pierce.”
“Please call me Emily.” I told him as I folded my arms across my chest, “And why is that?”
He cleared his throat, “Because he is a stranger to you if you had known him you’d know just like you he prefers it if people call him by his first name.”
Nick would agree with the uptight security guard in a heartbeat. He’d probably think it was really stupid of me to approach Anna’s husband while the man was on a business trip. But I couldn’t help it, I was curious about what kind of man Anna was married. There had to be something wrong with him. There was no way a decent man would put up with a woman like her.
“Thanks for the information.” I smiled at him, “Don’t worry about me, I’m just going to have a talk with Chris. I won’t say anything which will harm his relationship with Nicolas or his reputation for that matter.”
The guy clenched his jaw, still not convinced about the meeting. Too bad for him Nick ordered him to grant my wishes like a genie. Flashing him another smile I walked past the stiff looking security guard and stepped out of my suite. He followed closely behind me and told me the whereabouts of Anna’s husband.
“The garden… Odd.” I whispered, “You’d think a man who is in the same business as my boyfriend would prefer a more… crowded place to spend his time.”
The stiff security guy was now by my side and spoke in a low tone, “Chris enjoys art, music, and tea… Which is odd, yes, especially since he married a supermodel and owns a chain of nightclubs.” He met my gaze and smirked, “I’m sure the two of you will get along fine.”
“Thank you for the background check.” I spotted the man named Chris instantly, “Stay at a distance, okay? I’d like to talk to Chris privately.”
Stiff security guard stayed at a distance just as I asked while I approached Chris. It was like he felt my presence because he slightly turned looking at me instead of the beautiful colored tree.
“If it isn’t Miss Emily Pierce.” His accent was definitely a turn on if only I could close my eyes and listen to his voice forever, “To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Pierce?”
I observed him closely, shamelessly ogling him. Trying to find any flaws in his appearance, but there weren’t any. Chris Jones was seriously hot with his tanned skin and blonde hair. All I could think about was how crazy Anna was for trying to pursue Nick when she was married to this Australian god.
“It’s rude to stare, Miss Pierce.”
That freaking accent! It was confirmed, Anna was an idiot for not being glued to this guy’s side for the rest of her life.
“S-sorry.” I tried not to stutter, but failed, “It’s just that…” I bit my lip trying to hold back the words that were most definitely even worse than my staring openly at him, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jones.”
“It’s Chris.” He replied casually.
I stood beside him, “I’ll call you Chris if you call me Emily, deal?”
He smiled, “Deal.” He turned to look at the tree again, “Isn’t it beautiful? It sure as hell beats the neon lights that have been hurting my eyes all morning and afternoon.”
Nick usually remained in his office, so the lights didn’t bother him that much, “Don’t you have an office in your club?”
Tiredness flashed through his gaze, “I’m rebranding my club here in Tokyo. The guys were redecorating the place and I couldn’t sit behind my desk and do nothing so I helped them.”
I was now truly convinced that this man was perfect and Anna simply lost her mind. I tried to look at the tree the same way Chris was and somehow I understood. The calmness of the garden was beautiful.
“She lost her mind.”
I pressed my lips together when I realized what I just said without realizing it once again. I shouldn’t have opened my damned mouth, of course, I’d blurted something so awkward out. That made me Emily Pierce. The girl who can’t keep awkward things to herself.
Peeking at the Australian god next to me, I frowned realizing he was actually smiling. A sad kind of smile. He wasn’t pissed at Nick nor jealous. Anna was hurting him, I could see it clearly in his blue eyes, but he didn’t seem to hold a grudge.
“Sometimes people cannot appreciate what they have.”
“It’s not fair to you.” I turned to him, no longer playing around, “If I was married to Nick I’d never stray nor would I pursue another man. Marriage is not something to take lightly yet your wife doesn’t seem to understand that. How could she go after another man when she has a husband at home?!
Chris still looked at me with that heartbreaking smile. I had to force myself to stay where I was and not do anything stupid like wrapping my arms around him to hug him with all I got to comfort him. I just wanted that sad smile to disappear forever and I just met the guy.
“You’re already committed to Nick and you’re not even married yet.” Chris gestured around us, “You followed him to Tokyo even when you have a life back in New York. You’re committed because you take your relationship seriously, I could only wish for my wife to do the same for me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. He opened up to me and didn’t even know me. I could only imagine how long he wished to speak his mind about Anna, yet couldn’t because of the world he lived in. He couldn’t appear weak in front of the public because his competition would bring him down. He was having far more problems than I was having, yet I dared to complain about minor things like being smothered by people who loved me. It was selfish, really.
“Would you join me for a cup of tea?” I asked after a moment of silence, “I could use it right now.”
He glanced over my shoulder, probably estimating if the stiff security guard was going to be a problem. I followed his gaze and looked back at him, shaking my head. He understood my unspoken words and nodded.
“Sounds lovely.”