6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It's taking everything I have in me to listen to Madame Kobayashi and not to inappropriately grin like an idiot. I can't believe the man from last night is here. In the same building.

A snort bubbles up in me, threatening to get out, so I clear my throat to force it down. It settles, but the butterflies in my stomach and the tingling across my skin remain. I felt as if I was being watched earlier, but I thought it was my paranoia flaring because of the cameras.

Who would've thought it was because of the guy I ran into last night?

I didn't imagine it, right? He really was just here, squatting by the potted plants in front of the room…

I bite on the inside of my cheek to stop another smile. No way . What was he doing? It kind of looked like he was trying to spy on me, but he did an impressively terrible job of it so that can't be it, can it? I still don't know who he is because the guys haven't identified him based on the sketch Aran's friend did, but I'll hopefully have a name and address in the next couple of hours.

Throwing another glance at the door, I tune out Madame Kobayashi's unnecessarily detailed explanations. My savior must've been having a meal at the restaurant, so he probably ran back down there… but I bet he's already left. He looked like he'd seen a ghost when our eyes met.

I run my tongue along the inside of my teeth, fighting yet another smile.

If I leave now, can I catch up to him?

"How does that sound, Mr. Akiyama?" Madame Kobayashi says, giving me one of her icy looks as she slides her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose.

I missed half of what she said. Did she catch me spacing out? Offering her one of my slow, charming smiles, I seek out Aran's eyes. He subtly nods his head in agreement, meaning that she hasn't strayed too far away from our agreement and whatever she's said is acceptable to the Akiyama Group.

"I'm happy to proceed as agreed," I state, shaking hands with her.

"Marvelous. I'll let my people know you'll be handling the shipping to Seoul for us." She snaps her fingers and her four bodyguards stalk inside from the balcony. "Send your father my regards. It was a pleasure doing business with you."

I dip my head in respect and watch her sashay her way out. One of the men holds the door for her and the other three trail behind. She's in her late thirties, but you wouldn't give her more than twenty-five unless you actually knew her age .

"You look agitated. Is everything okay?" Aran says, pinching his eyebrows together.

"He's here. Or was."

His scowl intensifies. "Who?"

I aim a huge grin at him, letting the giddiness manifest as something flutters in my chest. "The man from the club."

Honestly, I'm not sure why I've fixated on him so much. Other than him inadvertently saving my ass, of course. The stupid plant hid him enough so I couldn't really see his face, but those eyes? I couldn't mistake them anywhere. The blue in them was a lighter hue than last night, but just as potent and curious. Simply thinking back on the shock and confusion in them gets my heart beating faster.

"Really?" Aran shoots me a hard look which betrays suspicion.

As if I'd be making something like this up. "Yeah. But I'm sure he's left by now." I gesture the two bodyguards and follow them out the room. "Let me know as soon as you have an ID."

I'm going over the Herald Security deal for the conference in Bangkok when someone knocks on my office door. Without waiting for an invitation, Aran enters with a tablet in hand.

My stomach flips and my skin crawls with excitement. Closing the laptop, I swivel in my leather chair as my friend sits down and slides the device across the mahogany desk .

"His name is Leon Caruso. Leo to most people. He's twenty-one. American, though his grandparents are originally from Italy," Aran starts, lacing his hands together while I study Leo's ID photo. Like most IDs, it's kind of shit, but it can't hide his charm. His big blue eyes are slightly narrowed, like he's doing his best not to laugh at the camera, and his hair is styled up in a spiky do that despite the effort still gives him a messy, just-out-of-bed vibe. "He studies Business and Sport at the City College in New York, partial scholarship, and…"

I glance up from the tablet when Aran trails off, curious what has him pausing. I don't really need him to give me the rundown, I'm sure all the info is in the file he's got on the man, but since he already started, he might as well finish telling me.

"And?"

Aran's dark eyes wrinkle in the corners ever so slightly as he watches me scroll through the file without really looking at it.

"What? Spit it out," I urge him, my impatience growing.

"He competed for the NYU's Muay Thai team for a while. They made it to nationals while he was part of it, but he was dropped right after the initial round… due to friction between him and some of the other teammates."

Oh. My fingers freeze. I can feel my mouth stretch on both sides. The gleam of amusement stirring in Aran's gaze tells me that I'm positively smirking. My mind circles back to the night at the club and that impressive punch, the way it looked so effortless.

"That explains it," I mumble under my nose, my heart suddenly beating faster. The hair at the back of my neck stands up and a rush of heat surges through me. So, he's a fighter. And an explosive one at that. "What is he doing here? Holidays?" I ask, trying to school my expression into something other than a grin.

It's hard. In fact, impossible, especially when he's gotten a hundred times more interesting now that I know we are both into martial arts. I might only know the basics of Muay Thai, but I hold a black belt in judo and kickboxing. While I was studying in London, I did some Krav Maga too, though I'm not an expert by any stretch.

"He's an exchange student," Aran intones, still watching me. Or observing my reactions is probably a more accurate assessment of what he's doing.

I put the tablet down and lean into my chair, lacing my hands behind my head. Leon Caruso. I know who you are now. My eyes skim over the text on the device's screen, picking out bits and pieces that tell me his grandparents lived in the southern part of Italy before they emigrated. His parents owned a restaurant until they died in a car accident when Leo was fourteen.

So he's suffered loss, just like me. My mother was shot when I was in high school, but I still have my father while Leo has no one.

That's really all I need. I've solved the mystery of who this man is. I could have someone send him a thank you hamper, I suppose, and then I'll move on.

"Do you have an address?" I spurt out.

"Chai… I'm not sure that's a good idea."

I press my lips in a line and frown at Aran. "He saved my life. I think a thank you is the least I could offer." My friend gives me a hard look. There is a warning in it that pushes my heart into an even madder dash. "I'll just send him something. That's all. "

We both know it isn't. We both know that a plan is already forming in my mind, because there is no way I can just forget this man. He shares so much with me and my gut tells me he'd make the perfect bodyguard if I can convince him to agree to it.

"We haven't run the necessary background checks," Aran argues, crossing his legs. He drums his fingers on the desk, thinking. "Are you set on this?"

Am I? I picture Leo squatting down behind that plant at the Nagoya Port Trade Center and my stomach twists with anticipation as I fight off a smile. The whole thing was kind of cute in a funny way, like going home to your dog only to find him on his back with his legs up in the air as it destroys your custom-ordered leather belt with his teeth.

I pull on a lock of my hair to distract myself as sudden images of Leo with a collar and a leash flood me, but that just makes me wonder how his would feel. Silky? Coarse? In-between? I couldn't tell if the dirty blond is his natural color or if he bleaches it.

I stop myself before my thoughts have spiraled out of control. Why am I even thinking about something like this? Since when do I care about another man's hair?

This is the first time I even notice something like that, let alone wonder about it, like it's a mystery I must solve.

"Can't hurt to try, can it?" I toss casually, raising an eyebrow in challenge both at Aran and my strange pondering.

Aran sighs, seeing right through me. He rubs his forehead and takes out his phone, tapping something on it in exasperation. "At least wait until I do my checks, will you? We need to approach this the right way or Daichi will have both our heads. "

I flinch. He's right, of course. And knowing my father, he will not like this even if Leo ticks all the right boxes. Because even if he would make the perfect bodyguard, which I am already convinced he will, he's still a foreigner. An outsider. My father does not like outsiders. But I'll cross that bridge when I have to. First, I must get Leo on board with being my bodyguard.

"Okay." I grab the tablet and scroll through the rest of Leo's file, looking for his address. I don't find it, because of course Aran wouldn't include that when he knows I can be flexible when it comes to not doing as I'm told. Smart, if annoying.

Before I can call him out on it, something in the file snatches my attention. I read through the note on Leo's ex, whistling low. "Well now, isn't this interesting?" I smirk, highlighting the paragraph, and then slide the tablet over to Aran. "Look into that for me. I have a feeling there's more to it than his girl disappearing with all his savings."

"I've got someone on it already," Aran says matter-of-factly.

Of course he does. I bet he's already doing the background checks too, because he must have predicted I wouldn't let this go the moment I learned about Leo's background.

I narrow my eyes at my friend. Actually, I'm confident he wouldn't have brought it up or left the martial arts detail in the file unless he also thought the man would be a good fit. Despite his high-strung attitude and inability to switch off and have fun like us normal people, Aran always looks out for me. He's incredibly smart and attentive and nothing ever gets past him unless he decides to turn a blind eye .

"You think he's a good candidate," I state, folding my arms over my chest.

After a short pause where we just evaluate each other, he nods. "Perhaps." He stands up and smooths out his slacks, then glances at his Rolex. "Stay put until I say otherwise, or I won't help you with this," he warns me in that icy tone my father uses when he's pissed off, and walks out of my office.

As much as I'd love to exploit the fact that I'm the son of the Akiyama Group's leader and force the address out of Aran's men, I decide to behave. I do have that mole business to investigate, even if I'm yet to get lucky and come up with something I can show for it. Until then, my father will just dismiss me at every turn while our warehouses continue to suffer losses.

Sighing loudly in the empty lounge, I ring up the kitchens and instruct them I want sushi for dinner. My food arrives promptly, and I set out in front of my massive TV, absentmindedly watching some reality show while my thoughts stray to a certain blond man.

What is Leo doing right now? Is he out with friends? Having dinner like I am? Does he like sushi? I bet he hasn't had one quite as nice as the one I'm having right now, but I could amend that for him.

I'm aware I'm putting the cart in front of the horse, but I also always get what I want.

A pleasant buzz spreads within me as I remember Leo's shocked expression when he realized I knew he was behind that plant. I can't wait to see what face he makes when I tell him I want to hire him. I just need to wait until Aran gives me the clear first.

I grin at nothing in particular.

Surely staying put for a couple of days can't be that hard, right?