26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Leo and I arrive at Narita Airport in the early morning, just as the sun breaks the horizon. He pouts the entire way there, staring out of the window and sighing.

"Leo, let it go," I say as the car stops and we get out.

He collects our suitcases from the trunk, curling his lip in distaste when the handle of his refuses to slide up.

"This piece of shi—"

I grab his hand before he punches the suitcase and breaks the mechanism. "Leo."

My icy tone snaps him out of it, and he directs an annoyed look my way. His bright blue eyes are pretty even when they are aggravated, but as we stare at each other for a few heartbeats while people pass by us and enter the terminal, the burning spark in them subsides to a simmering flame.

"Sorry. It's just… I'm still pissed off at that asshole."

I stifle a smile. "I could tell. "

Scoffing in indignation, he bumps my shoulder with his and starts walking. He told me about Goro ambushing him after the meeting two days ago. I don't like the man, I never have. He handles our dealings in Kobe and Osaka and always tries to convince my father we should take advantage of the influx of tourists there and expand into drugs and illegal prostitution.

I follow Leo inside the terminal, my eyes scanning for the board with flights information. Our check-in desk is already open, and despite the queue there, the upgraded first class lets us skip the line. The moment we drop off the suitcases and head over to the expedited security, Leo's mood visibly lifts.

"I can't believe I'll get to try first class. I've only ever seen that in movies."

I chuckle, warmth flooding my chest. He's got this boyish innocence about him when it comes to certain things, and it feels so good when I'm the reason behind his child-like enthusiasm and excited smiles.

"The privacy is nice. And the space," I agree, scanning my ticket at the VIP entry point.

"And the food! I heard it's five-star restaurant level and you get three-courses and stuff."

I guess we will be getting at least one main meal and a snack, considering the flight is about seven hours long. I don't normally care too much about these things, but then again, I'm used to that level of service.

We place our belongings on the conveyer belt as instructed and walk through the body scanner.

"You know, Aran sent me home the other day. We were supposed to go pick me a vehicle after the last test, but…" Leo jogs over to me and scratches the back of his neck, trying not to smile. "I was still very pissed off and overdid it a bit. I sent one of the guys to the Doc with a broken arm."

Oh, I did hear about it already. Aran was furious, mumbling stuff about wild dogs needing a shorter leash. But my chest squeezes with fondness at Leo's confession regardless. He didn't really need to tell me about his little fuck-up, but he did without even thinking to brag that he passed all the evaluations with impressive scores.

"So I was told."

I let my eyes roam Leo's body as we wait for our items to slide over to us via the conveyer belt. He's wearing the standard suit all our men wear, the dark blue shirt making his eyes pop. Mine is black, and I've combined it with a light gray two-piece suit. I contemplated a tie, but decided I'd be more comfortable without one, so it's currently folded in my cabin bag. Leo's done the same.

He smiles sheepishly, picking up his things. We enter the departure lounge, browsing through the shopping section on the way there. He wrinkles his nose when we reach the perfumes. There are a couple I like that I was planning to pick up from here, but I decide I can just order them online.

"Not a fan?" I say, guiding us to the sandwich deli near the Starbucks café.

"No. Perfumes make me nauseous," he says, pulling me toward him protectively when someone bumps into me.

He aims a masterful glare at them, making the poor woman scramble to bow her head and apologize, then pins me with those mesmerizing eyes. I let them engulf me, not in a rush to free myself from their entrancing intensity. He leans in, pretending to smooth out creases from my suit. Now that I think about it, he does that a lot. His face comes close, my heart banging as I catch a whiff of his scent. Mountains, scented soap and a tinge of sweat.

"Besides, I prefer natural scents," he says in a low, raspy voice, tilting his head and brushing his nose against my neck as he breathes me in. A small, restrained moan escapes him. "Like yours. You smell fucking divine."

My cock swells, my body on fire. Sparks travel from the area of my neck he touched down my spine, concentrating in my stomach which is in the middle of a rollercoaster ride. I haven't seen much of Leo in the weeks leading up to the trip, both of us busy getting ready for it. I thought it was perfect timing since it might be good to put some distance between us so we could both calm down, but that kind of backfired because I am starving for him.

Leo clears his throat and pulls away, angling his chin at the sandwich deli. "Chai. You are making that face again," he says, discreetly adjusting himself. "You need to stop, like right now, or I'll get us both arrested and we'll miss the flight."

His threat has the opposite effect of what he's probably going for, only making me want to drag him to the restrooms and make a mess of one of the stalls. But I need coffee and a cigarette more than sex right now, so I force myself to calm down. We claim an empty table and sit there until it's time to head to our gate.

"Welcome aboard Flight JT405 to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Mr. Akiyama. Please follow me to your seats," a flight attendant greets us.

Leo's surprised look says it all. I can see the questions swirling in his head, bracing for them as we are taken to the semi-private seating I've booked.

"Drinks and snacks are included in your reservation and a menu is available via the tablet," the flight attendant says, clasping her hands in front of her. "Please order whatever you'd like. Lunch will be served in four hours, and we'll be arriving in Bangkok at 12:30 p.m. local time. If you need anything at all during the flight, please use the call button and a member of staff will be able to assist you."

"Thank you. Who are the pilots?" I ask, letting Leo claim the window side.

The luxury first class comes with cushioned seats with plenty of legroom in a booth-like arrangement. They can be single or double, and the doubles have a foldable counter between the two parts, a bunch of tabletop games, a catalogue of e-books and even a game console. There is a minibar with non-alcoholic drinks under the flat screen and the seats can be extended so you can lie down.

"Mr. Masahiro Satou and Mr. Phet Thepnakorn."

Ah, so it's Phet this time. Maybe I can drop by the pilot's cabin when we land and say hi. If he's got days off while I'm in Bangkok, we could even go for a meal.

I thank the flight attendant and take my seat.

"Why does she know your name? Is that normal for first class? But it's not like there are only a few seats… so does that mean they know everyone?" Leo asks, watching me from his side with curious eyes.

"No. They do not know everyone's name. However"—I take out my black and gold membership card and hand it to him—"they do keep track of their regulars."

He inspects it like he's never seen a plastic card before, his long fingers tracing the golden lettering of my name. They are very nice fingers and I know exactly how amazing they feel touching me with such purpose, how gentle and greedy they can be .

Swallowing hard, I grasp his hand, needing to feel him. His heat, his solidity. Just the simple contact unleashes a sweet hum of contentment within me.

"Are you afraid of flying?" he asks, putting the card down on the counter between us and letting me explore his hand freely. His fingers tangle with mine noncommittedly, relaxed and mine to touch as much as I'd like. "But you are a regular… so you must do quite a bit of it, no?"

Ah, he's so adorably clueless sometimes. "I'm not afraid of flying, Leo. I just wanted to touch you."

He flushes. It's the first time I've seen him do it properly, and it makes me want to push him down and kiss him, the other passengers be damned. His fingers squeeze mine and he lifts our hands to his mouth, placing a kiss on my knuckles.

"I think I missed seeing you. I enjoy your company," he says quietly as if it's something he shouldn't even think. And perhaps it is, given the nature of our relationship, but I am way past the point of caring. I haven't figured out a way to make this work without us having to hide it, but I will. "And also, how big are the restrooms?"

I roll my eyes, which summons a grin to his face. The mirth reaches his captivating blue depths too, increasing the potency of his smile tenfold.

"Behave," I warn, retracting my hand.

He pouts, crossing his arms in mock annoyance. "I do. But then you must go and ruin it when you say something romantic like that."

I hum, absentmindedly scrolling through the movies catalogue. "Last time you accused me of teasing you too much, and now you are complaining I'm too romantic? You are a hard one to please. Has anyone ever told you that? "

He chuckles, propping his elbow on the counter and his chin in his hand as he watches me pretend I don't notice he's looking at me. But if I give in and let his pretty eyes hijack my senses, I really won't be able to resist kissing him.

"Ooh, I can think of a few ways you can please me, Chai. All you need to do is ask."

I really walked into this one, didn't I? I haven't forgotten him mentioning blindfolds and handcuffs and me roleplaying a cop, and while none of that is something I'd seriously considered before meeting him, I've spent a night or two toying with the idea.

Restraining a smile, I settle on a show about a guy winning some kind of future lottery to get sent into space along with a thousand randomly selected passengers. I think it's for a colonization effort. "Don't let your imagination run too wild. We've got a busy day once we land in Bangkok."

Leo makes a disappointed noise, leaning back into his seat. "I'll take a nap. Wake me up when food is here."

Not five minutes later, he's fast asleep.

Our hotel is near the venue for the conference. We drop our suitcases and head straight to a meeting with Abe, the guy from Herald Security that my dad appointed to help me. He's been here for the past week, sorting out a few things for me.

"We are meeting with the organizers tomorrow afternoon," he says when we've caught up on the progress he's made. "They will tell us the final numbers for the pre-conference events, so we can sort out how many of our guys we need for that."

I nod, skimming through the names and photos of those we've selected. Considering the high-profile of government conferences, it is of paramount importance that we stay on top of our game and account for every scenario. This is the biggest contract Herald Security has ever had and I simply can't allow anything to go wrong, or no one will want to hire us. And if everything goes smoothly, we'll turn into one of those go-to names that all important people want guarding them.

"How are we on equipment?" I ask, glancing at Leo, who's standing by the door and carefully listening to our conversation. He looks a little on edge.

Abe pulls up a tracking app on his tablet. "The shipment of guns left Tokyo this afternoon. It should be here as scheduled. The cameras, detectors and monitoring devices are in the underground warehouse. We can start setting those up as soon as they confirm which rooms they will be using."

I hate when people leave such things for the last minute. They make my job harder. But there is little I can do, so I decide it's not worth stressing over it.

Another five minutes of crosschecking stuff and I send Abe off. Collecting all the documents in my lean briefcase, I turn the projector off and shift my attention to the window. It's just about to get dark outside, the sky a fiery red that's in the middle of getting swallowed up by dark blues. Traffic and noise spill inside past the swaying curtains, the humidity here even worse than the one we left behind in Japan .

"Should we grab something to eat?" I stand up and turn to Leo, whose frown is still present even if Abe isn't here anymore.

"I guess."

Someone's in a bad mood again. I bet it's because of the video call with Aran earlier. But how was I supposed to know he was in Kobe, visiting Goro?

"Let it go, Leo. Goro's not worth your time."

Leo scowls at me, but still opens the door as I approach. "What's his problem? ‘Make sure you don't mess up, Leon. It doesn't take the Akiyama Group much to find a replacement.' That fucking asshole," he fumes, his imitation of Goro making me chuckle. "It's not funny."

"If it's any consolation, I don't like him either."

"Well, can't you have your father fire him or something?" he huffs out, boarding the elevator.

"It's not as easy as that, I'm afraid."

We go to our hotel and change. It's so hot here, I opt for knee-length shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, needing something lighter than a suit. I pop some sunglasses and a hat on as well, making sure my disguise is sufficient. I'm not particularly famous, but it never hurts to exert caution. Leo keeps his slacks, but abandons his suit's vest and jacket, rolling the sleeves of his dark blue shirt up and undoing the top couple of buttons.

"What are you in the mood for?" I ask as we lock our room and head outside.

"Dunno. You pick."

I don't usually like when people give me attitude, but Leo sulking is a little amusing, so I let him be grumpy as I choose a restaurant. His annoyance tampers down while we eat, and he even makes a couple of those appreciative sexy noises, but as soon as we leave the venue, he's back to his grumpy self.

I consider asking him if there is something he wants to do or see, but I decide against that as he lets out a deep sigh. I'd hoped food would fix his mood, but seeing as it didn't, it's time for a Plan B. I have a couple ideas of what might help, but as we enter a mall to check what movies are playing at the cinema, the perfect solution to my adorably frustrating problem presents itself to me.

Grinning so hard I feel my mouth hurt, I drag Leo away from the escalators. "Let's go check a few shops out."

He makes a grumbly sound. "I thought you wanted to see a movie."

"The movie can wait. This here looks more interesting," I insist, taking him past the area with the arcade games to the shop with the massive neon pink sign.

He pauses as we reach the entrance, causing me to stop, too. His eyes crinkle in the corners as they bounce between me and the sign, the pink from it making his face glow in the same hue. I sense the moment some of the tension leaves him, feeling a surge of satisfaction that bringing him here was the right call.

" Sweet dreams ?" he reads off the sign, fighting a smile. "Chai. When you said you wanted to check some shops, I assumed you meant for snacks or something," he says, mirth making it through the note of irritation still lingering in his voice. "What are we doing in front of a sex shop ?"

I drum my fingers against my chin, shrugging. "I thought it might lift your mood."

Leo shakes his head, the grin widening until it turns into a wicked smirk that has goosebumps rising all over me as I second-guess my decision to bring him here. My fight-or-flight response triggers, flooding me with adrenaline and anticipation in the best way possible.

"Oh, yeah?" he drawls, biting on his lip. "That the only reason?"

I suppress a shiver at the predatory look he gives me. It was, yes, at least until he asked me. "Yes, Leo." I keep my voice stern and authoritative. "I have no ulterior motives whatsoever in bringing you to this sex shop."