Layover Page 3

  She turned her head and stared at me. Those big blue eyes questioning my tone and words alike. “I think I’m just going to go to sleep,” I faltered; I couldn’t say what was really on my mind.

  Sophia wasn’t a delicate flower though. “You asshole… You want me to leave, don’t you?”

  I said nothing.

  “You know Captain Ricci, when I first met you; I thought that the rumors about you weren’t true. I sang your praises to everyone, even my sister who was even more skeptical than I was. Then, when all that shit went down between us, I still defended you! After you broke my heart time and time again, I stood up for you.”

  She paused sucking in air.

  “You know why? Because somehow, I convinced myself that you breaking your “one night only rule” with me, meant there was a chance for something between us after all. But I see now that I just got the extra special asshole treatment.” Sophia began throwing her undergarments back on and searching around the floor for her shoes and dress.

  “Soph it’s not like that…I enjoy spending time with you and don’t get me wrong we have great chemistry together,” I continued. “It’s just…I just don’t do relationships.”

  “Yeah, so I’ve noticed. Fuck you Ricci! All I ever wanted was to get to know you.”

  “I’m not someone you want to know,” I answered harshly.

  “Yeah, I’ve finally figured that out. Too little, too late though.” Sophia blinked back tears as she marched to the door.

  “Just remember that you are not that innocent in this mess either, Sophia!” I sneered back at her as the door to my suite slammed shut.

  Chapter 6

  Adriana Acosta

  Royal Park Hotel –Tokyo

  We headed down into the lobby of the Royal Park hotel and looked around at the bustling scene. Well-dressed men and women everywhere were milling about, securing their taxis or heading over to the hotel bar for drinks.

  Tanya was chatting with the concierge about the sushi place that she wanted to take us to. She’d been there before and had been singing its praises for weeks now in anticipation of this trip.

  My eyes drifted over to the bar where a beautiful, voluptuous woman with blonde hair and red lips that reminded me of Marilyn Monroe was seated seductively on a bar stool, engaged in a conversation with what looked like from his back, a very elegant man in an expensive suit.

  The young woman was suggestively dragging her fingers up and down the man’s arm. It was impossible to tell from his body language, but hers was crystal clear. She wanted him and even I, standing so far away was pretty damn sure she was going to succeed tonight.

  I sighed out loud. I too had played that game so many times before. So many guys in bars. At home, on the road and even as far back as on vacation with my girls Ava and Samantha back in Europe. I was always the one going after what I wanted. But lately it felt as if my life had become stagnant. I hadn’t found anyone in a while that interested me. In fact, every guy I met, seemed exactly the same. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but one thing was for sure, I knew I hadn’t found it yet.

  “Adriana!” Hearing my name called so loudly jolted me out of my daydream.

  “What are you doing? The taxi is here let’s go!” Krista called out.

  Tanya linked her arm through mine and led me out the door to the waiting taxi. “Looks like the old Adri might make a comeback tonight?” Tanya teased suggestively, acknowledging my staring.

  “Nope,” I mumbled. “I was just watching those two. I liked her dress.”

  “What a liar!” Tanya laughed. “I know you Adriana Acosta. You were admiring that woman’s skills. You’re just like that. You’ve always gotten any man you wanted.”

  For some reason, Tanya’s words suddenly made me feel insecure. I knew she was complimenting me, but for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp, this only made me feel embarrassed.

  “And for whatever reason, you’ve been pining away lately. Something about “no one ever lives up to that guy”, from when you were a kid. Really Adri, you’ve got to let that go. Maybe the last few guys haven’t really been great but you’ve got to stop comparing everyone to some long-lost mystery man.”

  I knew she was right. I’d somehow romanticized something that had barely even happened. I always went back to that story when I felt lonely too. Maybe that was why I had been thinking about him again. Tristano Ricci. The man whose kiss had awoken my body and soul, when I was barely eighteen; and then stood me up on my first real date. Actually, my first date ever. It was pathetic that I even still thought about it.

  “Honestly girl, we all have needs but if memory serves me well, your needs haven’t been met in a while!” Krista giggled.

  “And that’s exactly why she’s in a bad mood!” Tanya finished, as they both continued to laugh at my expense.

  “Hahaha. Fuck you both. You’re supposed to be my friends,” I answered grumpily.

  “We are, but it’s time to get back in the saddle baby!” They squealed as we got into the cab.

  ***

  The ride to the restaurant wasn’t too far but the traffic was horrible.

  Tokyo traffic was a serous rival to New York City traffic, which is saying a hell of a lot. Pedestrians were everywhere; cars lined the streets, and small shops overflowed on the sidewalks that were already crowded with people. Some were finishing their work day and trudging through the masses to get home. Others were tourists and locals, out looking to have a fun evening and enjoy the city.

  Our taxi pulled up to Sushi Sho and we stepped out onto the sidewalk. The air was thick with heat and a multitude of smells. Street vendor chicken and pork mixed with cigarette smoke. It was pure Tokyo.

  “I hope this line moves quickly!” Tanya whined as we took our places in the lineup. “I’m so hungry, I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week!”

  “Yeah, the joys of jet lag,” I nodded. It was true. I was always hungry. It seemed like my body never had any clue as to what time of day it was, or what meal I should be eating.

  Fortunately, the wait wasn’t too long and soon we were seated inside right next to a massive aquarium wall that jutted out from the center of the room. Just like an oversized glass of water, this cylinder of sea life provided a glimpse into an underwater world that I had always dreamed of seeing first hand. “Girls, have you ever been scuba diving?” I mused while staring at the beautifully coloured fish.

  “Nope and no thanks!” Tanya said. “Sitting here and choosing my sushi is my way of enjoying fish,” she laughed.

  “I have!” Krista cried excitedly.

  “Of course, you have!” Tanya and I answered almost in unison. Krista had done pretty much everything. “You’ve done it all Krista!” Tanya continued.

  “Never been skydiving though,” Krista answered. “That’s next on my bucket list!”

  I smiled as she said the words. Skydiving. I had jumped years ago with my college girlfriends Ava and Samantha during a tour in Ireland. That was the trip where Ava met Conor. It had been a crazy story. Sometimes I couldn’t believe they were still together. I’d have to call Ava when I got home. It had been too long and I missed her.

  “You’re right Krista. I still have skydiving over you.” She rolled her eyes as I elbowed her and she muttered, “Not for long.”

  We ordered so much sushi it was ridiculous. Maki rolls, hand rolls, and sashimi for miles. The freshness and umami flavours were almost orgasmic. Eating sushi the way it was meant to be eaten, fresh and created by a Master sushi chef, only made my appreciation for this culinary art even more profound.

  “Chef’s special?” Came the voice of our waiter as yet another plate came over to our table.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Who ordered this? I can’t possible eat another bite!” Tanya protested as the waiter set yet an intricately designed platter of sushi on our table.

  “It is a gift from our Chef to the beautiful American ladies,” responded our waiter who added a huge
decanter of sake alongside it.

  There was nothing to do but say thank you, and leave a large tip for the outstanding hospitality before we left. We poured the sake and raised our shot glasses to what was about to be a whirlwind of an evening that I never saw coming.

  Chapter 7

  Tristano Ricci

  1 OAK Tokyo

  I needed a distraction. I felt like an ass for kicking Sophia out of my suite and she certainly hadn’t held back in letting me know it. After giving me a piece of her mind and storming out, I ended up ordering room service and trying to relax. Unfortunately, my mind had other plans. It was on overdrive and I just let it take control. I hadn’t really thought about where I was going or what I would do, until I found myself at one of Tokyo’s hottest nightclubs, the 1 OAK. I was alone and looking for…what the hell was I looking for? I shook my head. Lost, I was just fucking lost. For a guy who had it all together career wise, I was a sinking ship in terms of my personal life.

  1 OAK Tokyo was part of a chain that had similar clubs around the world. NYC, Vegas, L.A, there were 1 OAK clubs in all the hottest spots. “One-of-a-kind” was its motto, and that it was. Stylish, upscale and always good for a celebrity spotting. Not that I cared. It could have been a dive bar in a back alleyway. I had asked the cab driver for the closest club and this had been his choice. At least the bar never failed me. After making my way inside, I strode up and looked for a spot.

  The club was everything a club should be. Loud, pounding music, darkness only illuminated by flashes of neon lights. Dry ice filling the corners of the ceiling. I made my way up to the second floor. A balcony looked over a sunken centered dance floor that resembled a mosh pit. It was filled with scantily clad drunken young women and well-dressed men, who wanted nothing but to be in the right place at the right time.

  Whiskey was my drink tonight. I always continued with what I started with. It made for a better recovery the next day. As I scanned the club, several beautiful women crossed through my peripheral vision. They fluttered their eyelashes in my direction and tried to get a response. But if I had wanted more of that I could have stayed with Sophia tonight. Shit. I never should have acted like that; I was going to have to work with her on a twelve-hour flight back home. I shook my head in despair as I downed yet another drink. The alcohol was starting to affect my senses. I was going to have to cool it soon, or I wouldn’t have enough time to recover.

  Looking up something caught my attention at the other end of the bar. A group of women at the far end of the bar… a blonde and a brunette facing me were clearly drunk, sloshing their drinks over the sides of the glasses and tripping over each other’s feet. It was a messy scene. Not one that I wanted anything to do with. But it was something else, someone else, that caught my eye. Waist length waves of shiny black hair that seemed to pool around a tiny waist. She was delicate and dainty-looking from the back. Sitting down on a bar stool calmly, she wasn’t tipping over like her friends. Although she did have a drink nearby though. Her dainty sun-kissed arm, and small hand with long pretty fingers, tipped with a cream-colored manicured nails, and wrapped delicately around the glass of what looked to be like a Umeshu Tonic. That caught my attention too. An interesting choice of drink. The Umeshu was a Japanese cocktail of plum liquor and tonic water. It was sweet and very local. This girl had to have been in Japan before…

  The possibility that I had had too much to drink crossed my mind as I found myself continually mesmerized by her glossy hair. I felt somewhat dazed, as I heard my voice order another Umeshu Tonic and sent it over to the bar where she was seated. Far off in the distance, a small part of my brain tried to warn me. I’d already had Sophia tonight. I didn’t need another fuck. I was playing with fire and if I didn’t stop, I knew I would get burned. What I needed was to sleep off this drunken stupor and aura of negativity about my life. Still, I heard it, acknowledged it and promptly turned it off. I’d like to say that it was the practical part of my brain that steered me that night, but that would be a complete lie. In reality, it wasn’t my brain that was doing the talking at that point.

  Watching carefully as the bartender served her the drink and motioned in my direction, I held my breath. I had sent countless drinks to women in bars and restaurants around the globe, but this time it was different. This time I felt nervous, uneasy and it was rocking my world.

  Just then, she turned her head and looked up to see who had sent her the drink. My heart nearly stopped dead. It was a moment that was unlike every other. I felt as if the earth had literally stopped spinning on its axis and instead froze instantly– like a giant ball of ice suspended in the atmosphere.

  Her caramel speckled hazel eyes, wet with interest quickly turned to surprise, as she stared in my direction. Tightness squeezed my chest, making me grip and grab at it in what felt like pain. It was a visceral reaction that I had never experienced. It felt like my heart had stopped beating. In a moment where nothing made sense and time stood still, I watched, captivated with the possibility of what was right in front of me. My mind went to HER immediately, but then I doubted and justified my thoughts. It couldn’t be... Thousands of miles over space and time from the last time I had gazed into those captivating wet pools. And besides, she had been a kid. This was… a woman staring back at me. A woman, more beautiful than I had ever laid eyes on.

  The feeling was only comparable to a cosmic trance. I was drawn to this stunning creature and needed to know who she was immediately. I stood up, composed and calm as always despite the inferno raging inside my body. Years of pilot training will do that. Learning to maintain control no matter what was happening, was something I prided myself on. Although this time, it seemed so much harder than ever before.

  I made my way down the stairs and through the crowd, my eyes still locked on hers. Watching as every strand of hair glistened in the lights, and flowed as she moved her head. I took more than my fill of her full breasts as they swayed up and down as she moved, seemingly straining to escape the tight confines of her clothing. She looked as if she had been poured into her dress. Was it even a dress? It was skin tight, but with a sliver of skin showing right beneath those beautiful breasts that called my name. The noise of the club faded away as I approached and stood directly in front of her. Still not even knowing how I had gotten there. Time stood still as we both stared at one another silently. And then, her friends interrupted.

  “Hey there good-looking…” drawled out one of the two girls. Like a fly, the sound of her voice was nothing more than annoyance buzzing through my stream of consciousness. I flapped my hand unconsciously before leaning over and placing both my hands on the bar behind either side of this stunning woman. Locked in a moment which seemed to last forever. Feelings that I had never experienced washed over me. I wanted to hold her, grab her, take possession of her body, mind and soul. As these strange feelings washed over me, so did ones of protection and caring. Yet those didn’t seem to negate the fact that I wanted to rip her clothes off and savour that delectable, tight little body that teased my senses from all angles. Intelligent words escaped me and all I could do was grunt, “Name?”

  She hesitated before exhaling an answer. “Umm…Ana,” she answered hesitantly. Her name told me nothing but yet I had an unexplained feeling that I already knew her. Had we met before? Was she a tourist? Thoughts were churning in my head like an impending, active volcano. Until someone else spoke, and her words jolted me back into a reality that I didn’t want.

  “I know you… Captain,” said the voice. I turned my head in the direction of this voice, but my body never moved. I remained leaning over Ana, hands still locked onto the bar.

  The voice came from one of her friends. “I’m Krista! Don’t you remember me? We flew together a while back.”

  The high-pitched sound was like an irritation–an annoyance, almost like a fly buzzing around my head. I waved my hand away.

  “It’s Captain Ricci, right?”

  With my eyes still locked on Ana’s, I nodded in re
sponse and mumbled some garbled words. This beauty in front of me held me captive in her soft hazel eyes. I noticed a slight change in her demeanor as I confirmed my name. Yet it was so quick, a flicker of something or maybe nothing at all? Had I imagined a reaction? For a brief moment, I wondered if I had run into her before, but no. I would have remembered. I tried to convince myself. I would have remembered because I wouldn’t have walked away. This woman was evoking feelings in me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I most certainly would have remembered if I had met her before.

  Chapter 8

  Adriana Acosta

  1 OAK Tokyo

  Holy FUCK. It was HIM. Tristano Ricci. But now, Captain Tristano Ricci. After all this time and all the years that I had imagined him in my mind, he was now standing right in front of me. And he didn’t have a clue who I was but I sure as hell, knew him. As if I had just been jolted by lightning, my body prickled with sparks. Heat splashed across my chest. Thankfully my top was high enough to hide the red welts that were surely creating a tapestry across my skin. A tightness in chest paralleled the deep ache that had formed between my legs. His presence had flipped my world upside down making me strain to catch my breath, which was suddenly so hard to find.