26. Shiro

26

Shiro

T he Red Velvet was a five-star hotel, and the private dining room was located on the fiftieth floor. As the elevator took us up, I wondered if it was all right for me to be here. Even though I had a cap on and was wearing a mask to cover the lower half of my face, I was still a beastkin. What if anyone were to figure me out?

Sure, I had been escorted to hotels like this one before under the institute, to meet with clients, but that was during the darkness of the night and through the back, with at least two officers on either side of me. I wasn’t allowed to walk freely like this in the front foyer and among other well-dressed people where all the glitz and glamor were.

The door dinged open and I followed Adam out. We walked through a series of fancy corridors lined with plush carpets and decorative art hung along the walls, until we came to a door where there were a bunch of men in black suits standing about, patrolling the area. They were the Sullivan men. Now that I thought about it, they were always there in the background. Even back at the penthouse, they were always in the foyer and about the building. I wondered if there was a group following Adam at a distance, not disturbing him going about his days but there nonetheless.

They bowed the moment they saw Adam, and one said, “Sir,” as he opened the door for us.

We walked in, and Lan came rushing over, grabbing my hand even before I could register what he was up to.

“You’re finally here,” he said. “Come on. Let’s eat. Although I already started eating.” He laughed merrily and pulled me toward the buffet table where there was a load of food fit for an army.

Holy shit! And this was meant for just the six of us? I was in heaven, and I was glad I had insisted to Adam that we come.

I took off my cap and mask and then retrieved a plate, filling it with all the seafood available—prawns, lobsters, mussels, and king crabs. Lan’s plate, too, was already filled with steak with a good amount of what looked like garlic butter. I followed him to the sitting area, which was a large low table encircled by three sofas facing the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Oh, wow! I stood, mesmerized. The whole place had a great view of the city, showcasing glittering light among the backdrop of darkness now that it was night, like dots of stars in the sky.

I sat on the sofa diagonally opposite the one Adam sat on and placed the plate on the table. Lan was next to me and we started eating, and now and again, sipping soft drinks. Already, I was starting to feel better. As I had suspected, I just needed food and then some rest.

Adam and Nolan were chatting about work while sipping on champagne, and Lan and I chatted, too, mostly about the food and how awesome it was.

“You’ve got to try the steak,” Lan said. “It’s awesome. Nothing can beat meat.”

I chuckled. Lan loved his meat, huh?

We were just about finished cleaning up our plates when Chase and Aka finally turned up. It took them long enough. While Chase grabbed himself a glass of champagne provided by the waiter, Aka came over to us, asking, “You guys finished already?”

“Only the second round,” Lan said. “There’s still many more rounds to go.” He gave Lan a thumbs-up.

From the other side of the sofa, Nolan said, “Are you planning on emptying the buffet, Lan?”

“Yep,” he said, chuckling. “Food should not be wasted.”

Everyone burst out laughing, me included.

Lan went for his third round, me my second, and Aka his first. My plate was filled with sushi and sashimi this time. I’d go for the steak on my third round and then dessert after that.

The eating and drinking casually continued for the next three hours, and boy, was I having fun. So much so that I wished Kuro was here with us. When I mentioned this, Lan said, “This isn’t going to be a one-off. When Kuro is finally with us, we’ll do this again and it’ll be even more fun.”

Aka nodded his head furiously, his mouth filled with food and his cheeks protruding out like a chipmunk with nuts in its mouth. I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Aka mumbled while chewing.

“Your cheeks,” I said, chuckling away merrily.

Lan saw and he, too, burst out laughing, rolling back on the sofa.

After the dessert, I was so stuffed I had to lie back, and I stared dazedly at the view. Apparently, Lan and Aka were still going. Lan was on his seventh round now. Goodness, but he could really eat. I wondered where all that food went, since he wasn’t even the slightest bit chubby. He was slender and lean, like me.

Adam came to sit beside me, and the moment he did, his scent caressed my nostril. I found myself going weak and hot suddenly and I moved in closer to him, wanting so badly to feel him against me. He stroked my hair and said, “You’re having fun, aren’t you?”

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded.

We were both quiet, and I took the opportunity to just soak in being close to him, feeling his warmth and the firmness of his body against me. On the other side, Nolan was teasing Lan. Those two could go forever just throwing words at each other. I didn’t think I could ever throw words after words like that at Adam, or anyone else for that matter. Then again, Lan had always been like that, quick in making a comeback.

Sitting near the window and staring out at the city were Chase and Aka. I knew the two were kind of in a relationship, of which sort I didn’t quite know. I just knew Chase liked Aka and doted on him, just like Adam doted on me, but I had seen them kiss on occasion back at the clinic when they thought they were alone. This evening, too, when they had turned up late. Aka’s hair was wet, so that must mean he had a shower before they came. I wondered if something happened, if he and Chase did it in the locker room, possibly in the shower.

Oh, I knew they had sex and stuff, and Aka was happy with Chase. I was happy for Aka, too, that he could move on and heal from the trauma of his past, enough for him to enjoy sex with Chase because I knew he had been through some horrible clients, men who beat him during sex. He’d come back to the dorm with bruises and cuts, and it’d piss me and Kuro off. But now, we were finally free from that, and I felt a sense of relief in me.

Kuro. We just needed to find him, and then everything would really really be good. I’d really really feel relief then.

“I’m going to get more food,” Lan said, and I chuckled, thinking I’d eat some more, too.

I moved away from Adam and got up, and that was when I felt the world spinning around me.

Huh? Wait? Why all of a sudden?

I tensed, and then I felt myself falling, my legs weak.

“Shiro!” Adam shouted, and I blacked out.

When I came to, I was lying on the sofa with Adam sitting on the side close to me and Chase kneeling on the floor, examining me.

“What happened?” I asked, working on getting up.

Chase said, “Don’t move. It looks like you have a fever.”

“Are you all right, Shiro?” Aka asked. “You scared me when you just fainted. ”

I fainted, huh? How embarrassing.

Lan and Aka were looking at me with concern, and I said, “I’m okay. I’m just tired.”

Nolan said, “It looks like you over exhausted yourself, Shiro. Be a good boy and rest.”

Adam said, “Come on, I’m taking you upstairs.”

“Upstairs?” I asked. Didn’t he mean home?

Before I knew it, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the door. Behind us, Chase said, “Don’t forget to give him some aspirin, Adam. It’ll help with the fever.”

“Got it,” Adam said, and we were out the door.

In the elevator, I noted Adam pushed the button for floor number sixty, the top one, and I asked, “Aren’t we going back to the penthouse?”

“It’s too much hassle,” he said. “We’ll stay here for the night.”

“You booked us a room?” I asked.

“There’s no need,” he said. “The Sullivan own the hotel. I have a penthouse here.”

“Oh…” I expressed. I see. Then because it felt a bit awkward to be in his arms for this long, I asked, “Um, Adam? You can put me down now. I think I’ll be fine.”

He raised a brow at me as if to rebuke my statement. “You think you’ll be fine?”

Or not.

The elevator door dinged open again, and Adam carried me out. Moments later, after he had keyed in the passcode, the door opened and we entered a foyer of the penthouse. In the living room, Adam put me down on the sofa and then disappeared into the kitchen, I presumed to find me the aspirin.

Alone, I looked around the place, noting how luxurious and classy it was, though it was slightly smaller than the other penthouse we were currently living in. There was even a huge veranda outside across the double sliding door of the living room where it had a great view of the city.

Adam returned, and he had with him a glass of water and some pills. He said, “Take these and then get in the shower. After that, it’s bedtime for you.”

I wanted to chuckle. He made me feel like a little kid, but of course, I wasn’t about to argue. Over the course of living with him, I came to understand Adam was a firm man. Once he made a decision, he wouldn’t change it unless there were obvious flaws or better ways of doing things. It was best not to argue with him unless you had a good reason to, with concrete data to sway his opinion. I’ve learned that to sway Adam, I had to be soft, and gently and slowly introduce what I wanted to him, although I must admit there wasn’t much that I wanted from him. He seemed to always give me what my heart desired even before I realized it, like dispatching a private team to search for Kuro in the other territories for example.

I took the pills, and afterward, Adam led me to a luxurious bedroom with a king-sized bed and a wonderful view of the city.

“Wow!” I expressed, smiling. “It’s beautiful here.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, ruffling my hair.

After brushing my teeth with the spare toothbrush and toothpaste provided, I took a quick shower, washing my hair and body with the shampoo and body gel provided. I was just coming back out, wearing a bathrobe, when Adam handed me what I assumed was my sleeping garment.

“Thanks, Adam,” I said.

“Put it on and go to bed,” he said. “If you need me, just call out. I’ll be in the master bedroom across the hallway. Good night, Shiro.”

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded. “Good night, Adam.”

Once the door was closed, I flapped out my pajamas for the night and realized that it was just Adam’s work shirt. It was pure white and it smelled like Adam. Because I couldn’t help it, I brought the material to my face and rubbed it against my skin, inhaling Adam’s scent, loving it. Then taking the robe off, I put on the shirt, and of course, it was too big on me, with the hem coming down to my thighs and the sleeves well past my fingers. Oh, well, at least I had something to sleep in.

I got on the bed and then in between the sheets. Once my head hit the pillows, I closed my eyes, and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep instantly.