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I head for the bar and order a cocktail, watching Gaige as he shakes hands with the group Chelsea is introducing him to. He glances over at me, and I turn toward the bar. I'm embarrassed by Chelsea's intimations that I'm interested in Akira.
As if on cue, Akira's voice breaks through my thoughts, and I inwardly groan before plastering a smile on my face. "Akira-san," I say.
"I hope I'm not being too forward by saying that I'm very much looking forward to your visit to Japan. " He holds up his beer. "Kampaii," he says. Cheers.
I smile politely. "No, of course not. Not at all," I say. "We're all looking forward to a tour. "
He nods. "Yes. All of you. Of course. "
"Excuse me, Ms. Marlowe. " One of the catering staff, dressed in black tie, interrupts, handing me a folded slip of paper. "There's a message for you. "
Akira gives me a slight bow. "I'll let you attend to what you need to, Ms. Marlowe," he says. "But I look forward to seeing you soon. "
I open the note, my breath catching in my throat.
Corner of the maze in the garden. Five minutes. Don't be late.
I spin around slowly, scanning the crowd for Gaige, but he's gone. Chelsea is laughing, playfully touching the hand of some suit I don't recognize. My father and Anja are talking to a group of middle-aged businessmen or politicians.
For a second, I think I should probably just go back inside the house. I could slip away from here, away from the glad-handing and grab-assing and all of the off-the-books deals being made, and just go to bed. That would be the smart thing to do.
The not-so-smart thing to do would be the thing I'm about to do.
I slip through the crowds unnoticed, my cocktail in hand, walking past the guesthouse and down the lawn toward the garden. The estate is ridiculously huge, set on twenty acres, a lot of it wooded, but the grounds around the house are large. The garden is modeled after English gardens, but with Texas flair, of course. There's a maze in the corner made of greenery and I wander through it, almost surprised I remember the way, only making one turn that leads to a dead end before I reach him.
Gaige is standing there holding a drink, and wearing a tuxedo. The party is black tie, which is ridiculous given the weather and the fact that it's a July Fourth party in Texas, but Anja insists we're not a bunch of hicks. It's still warm and humid, even though it's almost eleven at night.
The only other time I've seen Gaige in a suit is at the July Fourth party the summer of my eighteenth birthday. I have a hard time deciding if he looks better in this or in the racing gear that fits him like a glove.
Gaige doesn't move. He just stands there, watching me.
"What Chelsea said --" I start, but he interrupts me quickly.
"Chelsea is a bitch," he says.
"Gaige, the two of you never. . . " My voice trails off. I can't say what I want to ask, because I'm not sure I really want to know the answer to the question.
Gaige steps close to me, his voice low in my ear. "What do you want to know, Delaney?"
"Nothing," I say. "The way she talks to you. . . "
"You think I fucked her?" he asks. His fingers trail along my arm, and I shiver at his touch. "Is that what you want to know? You should say what you mean, Delaney. "
"Fine," I say. "I'm asking if you fucked her. "
"Does it matter?" His face is close to my neck, and when I feel him inhale deeply, I close my eyes, wanting his lips on me.
"Yes, it matters," I say. I put my hand on his chest to stop him from continuing to do what he's doing to me. I feel like he's unraveling me.
"Why does it matter?" he asks. "You wanted us to be a one-night stand, didn't you?"
"I -" I shake my head. "I -- you're right. I don't know. It's none of my business. And, yeah, one night. " I'm too confused right now to be angry. Earlier, he acted like he couldn't keep his hands off me, as if one night wasn't enough. And now, he acts like we're just hooking up. "You know what? I should go. "
I turn to leave, and he catches my wrist. My drink splashes in the glass, and champagne drips onto my hand.
"No," he says. "You're not leaving. "
"It was a mistake coming here. " But the way he looks at me, like he did in my room earlier, makes me melt.