It was a cool day, but I was sweating in my new silk top as I headed to the hotel where the Koboyachis had arrived the night before. I was taking Mrs. Koboyashi to lunch at Rurik’s cousin’s diner, hoping to show them a little American flair before dazzling them with the carefully curated Japanese feast later on tonight.
It wasn’t nerves overheating me. I was well studied on the couple we were trying to impress, and I looked impeccable in the clothes Rurik bought me for our little ruse.
It was the ruse itself. Every time I turned the steering wheel, the diamond on my finger dazzled in the sunlight. The beautiful new clothes hung heavy on me. I did believe we were the best company to bring over the new game system, so it wasn’t the lie that was eating me up.
It was the fact that it was a lie.
That damn kiss had reawakened the crush on Rurik I thought I had snuffed out. But I didn’t want to be married at all, no matter who it was who put the ring there. I had fought too hard for my freedom. I was just stressed out about the new guy who may or may not be watching me, and while I finally got confirmation that I could move into my new apartment, there was no guarantee it would be safer than the last.
I knew better than most that something like a coded gate wouldn’t stop someone who was truly determined to hurt me.
Taking a deep breath, shutting down any stress-related feelings for my boss that were definitely not real, I found the petite Japanese woman already waiting for me in the hotel lobby. In her mid-thirties but looking no older than twenty-nine, she wore a casual top, jeans, and cute sneakers, smiling widely when I introduced myself. She looked at my silk blouse and dressy trousers and laughed, instantly understanding that we had dressed for what we assumed was the other’s culture.
“I hope this is okay for the restaurant you’ve chosen,” she said in impeccable English. “And you must call me Erina. Mrs. Koboyashi makes me sound like Shin’s mother.”
I greeted her in Japanese, apologizing if I flubbed it. “I think I’m going to try to learn the alphabet,” I said, showing her the app I downloaded.
At the restaurant, I played the perfect wife as she showed me pictures of her adorable school-aged kids, two charming daughters. “They look so sweet. Just what I hope for,” I said, not a lie.
I was relieved when she soon made it clear that she was highly active in helping to run Koboyashi Corp, so I didn’t have to pretend I wasn’t involved with Gavrik Imports. I tried to warnher not to fill up on the delicious diner food, hinting at what was in store later that night, but she tapped her perfectly flat stomach and laughed.
“I’m not coming to America for the first time and not stuffing myself.”
She was eager to visit Melrose Avenue and the famed Rodeo Drive, and Rurik’s cousin Mila, the consummate shopper, had told her favorite places to look out for us and roll out the red carpet. They weren’t disappointed when Erina spent an absolute mint on new clothes and jewelry.
I had been told to play along to the fullest extent, so the company card got a new workout as well, and we were both laden down with shopping bags when I dropped her off at the hotel later in the afternoon.
Then I had to fly to Khoroshiy to make sure everything was in place for dinner. The chef was calm and contained while he showed me what he assured me was the freshest, most beautiful dead fish he’d ever seen. The flowers arrived only a few minutes late, and I was busy making sure no petals were about to drop off or no leaves were even slightly wilted when Rurik showed up.
I sensed his presence as soon as he entered the private dining room, and whirled around. He seemed to take up all the extra oxygen, but I quickly realized I was holding my breath. He wore his regular work suit, already high-end and perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders and lean waist, but he had a garment bag slung over his shoulder, containing an even fancier suit.
He certainly didn’t turn bright red as he nodded a greeting to me, then quickly perused the room.
“You won’t find a single flaw,” I said.
“I didn’t expect to.”
Up close, I saw there was still the faintest hint of a bruise, and I grabbed my bag for the concealer I had matched to his skin the other night. “Just a tiny bit. I can still see it.”
He wrestled the small bottle out of my hand and dropped it back in my purse. “Not necessary. I already had pre-dinner drinks with the big boss, and if Shin noticed, I don’t think it put him off.” Only then did a grin transform his handsome face to something that should have knocked me off my feet. It almost did.
The man was too damn good-looking for my well-being.
“It went well?” I asked, taking a subtle step back. Smelling his cologne wasn’t helping.
“It went great.” He reached out and clapped me on the shoulder. Hearty, not at all sensuous. He really wasn’t thinking about the kiss at all anymore.
Good. That was a good thing.
“Now go get dressed,” he said.
We both met back in the dining room, and he looked more stunning than I imagined in the new suit, freshly shaved, and with sandy hair neatly contained instead of flopping across his brow. He looked like a classic movie star. His jaw dropped when he saw me, doing a whirling motion with his finger.
I twirled in the turquoise dress that fell to my knees in the most luxurious ripples of fabric, my feet feeling like they floated off the ground in strappy, sparkly heels. Since I had been shopping to impress conservative people, there was nothing overtly sexy about the dress. No plunging neckline, the sleeves went to my elbows, and it didn’t show a hint of thigh. But theway his eyes ate me up as if I was in a string bikini gave me very gratifying tingles.
Only because I wanted to put my best foot forward for the deal.
“I like your hair up,” he said, his eyes moving from the top of my head and then down all over again. “You look… almost perfect.”