The surf laps Chloe's feet as she gazes up at the stars. She just can't believe that in July in Tokio is still so warm at such a late hour. The sand under her feet feels firm and cool.
The moment she has been waiting for has finally come. She reaches back a long way and throws the narrow gold circlet out into the sea. Her relationship to a rich man has failed, and the ring is the last symbol from that time. With her eyes closed, she pictures it sinking to the bottom of the sea, and as the ring falls, her spirit roses until boundless relief floods her. She sits on the sand, draw up her legs, and takes a stocktaking. Fortunately, the world hasn't changed, but at least it feels like it has changed - she is free. This is how a butterfly should feel when it first spreads its wings.
She looks up and sees the constellation Draco under all the sparkling dots in the sky. It seems like a sign to her.
The break up is behind her. Her life will start over. Chloe thinks about the future. There are some things she will not change. She is a well-known, 20 years old, society journalist - fond of traveling and the owner of a laptop - and, thanks to the internet, can live anywhere. Maybe she will move to a new, exciting place, maybe to a city like this one? Before that, however, a lot has to happen, for example her zest for life has to return.
She has been in the city for almost a month now and hasn't even gone out once in the evening. The trip to Japan should both raise her self-confidence and promote her career. So far the change of scene hasn't helped. The inspiration she desperately needs to write has failed, and her self-esteem still tends towards zero.
She thinks of the seductive clothes that lie unnoticed in her suitcase. They are fantastic designer pieces, a small gift from the magazine she works for - but they has a price.
When her French editor-in-chief had demanded, "Find a stunning Japanese blader and write about him," it was actually just another phrase for: Bring back a lurid travelogue to pep up your career, which has been badly damaged by your break up. The only problem is that breathtaking Japaneses are apparently in short supply in Tokio.
Chloe lets her gaze wander over the cliffs where the water breaks and then pours back out into the sea through the quiet bay. The lights are on in the tavern on the bank and the occasional shout or laughter echoes from the rocks, warns her it is time to leave.
She gets up and brushes the sand off her things, but pauses when another sound comes over. It was the sound of a engine. On closer inspection, she recognizes some lights of the yacht. The darkness has swallowed all the colors, but thanks to the lamp Chloe can make out the silhouette of a man. He stands at the bow with folded arms and looks up to the stars thoughtful.
The sight of the man has a strangely hypnotic effect on her. He gives her the impression of strength. Smiling, Chloe lets her imagination run wild. She has met countless wiry, rugged bladers in this town, but instinct tells her this man is different from them.
He's muscular, but graceful as a tiger... lithe and dangerously energetic. She tries to give his silhouette depth and character - and suddenly she feels the urge to write everything down.
Chloe quickly slips on her sandals. The essence of the article has not yet been revealed to her, but it has to do with the man on the yacht, of that she is sure. The closer she approaches the steep path that leads up the slope to the villa she is renting, the faster she runs.
The villa belongs to Gabe Brunai. A friend of her brother. The terrace encloses the entire single-storey building and is sprinkled with gravel. There is a long table on the stone parapet, from which one has a fairytale view over the bay. This is where Chloe has set up her makeshift office. Like most houses, the villa has numerous outdoor lamps that make it easy to work throughout the night.
While she is busy writing, Chloe is aware of the tiny point of light on the water. Although she couldn't tell the man and the yacht apart, she is comforted by the knowledge that he was there. This will fire her imagination and the words will appear on the screen by themselves.
Gradually, the list of ideas and impressions that she jots down in preparation for her article grows longer and longer: sleek grace, physical strength, effortless movements, determination, aura of power.
Chloe pauses and with a pounding heart lifts her head. She resolutely directs her attention back to the keyboard: a distinctive profile, moonlight on well-proportioned muscles ... She hesitates again and feels that her breathing has now quickened too. While her fingers remain over the keys, she looks out to sea and shakes her head.
Concentrate, Chloe!
A fresh breeze came up and is blowing her shoulder long mahogany red hair into her face. The last time she looked at the sky it was lead gray, with a narrow reddish streak on the horizon where the sun has set, but now it has turned into a deep black Japanese night - a cool Japanese night.
Chloe wraps herself tighter in her stole. A few minutes later she has to admit her defeat and withdraw into the house. She is mentally too weak and needs a little help if she wants to regain her fighting spirit. The failed relationship has left more scars than she expected. Add to this the guilty conscience - maybe she could have done something differently or better - a feeling of failure and of course the pain. And that's what surprised her most. But she is a fighter by nature, and a vacation to Japan is an investment in her future.
However this article turns out, she believes that the basic tenor will be optimistic and cheerful. With the printed pages pressed to her chest, Chloe pushes open the heavy oak door to her bedroom with her shoulder. She decides to reward herself with an extended bath at the beginning of the article, but before that she is drawn to the window by an invisible force. The moon has hidden behind a cloud, and even the branches of the cherry tree in front of the window seem to have merged with the darkness. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
When Chloe opens her eyes again, she tries to see the tiny source of light. Vain. With a frown, she says the yacht has disappeared. But suddenly the lights of the yacht reappear and shine like fireflies in the inky black emptiness. "Good night," she whispers and turns away with a smile. This is probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, Chloe ponders lazily as she leans against the pillows and looks out into the night.
Her gaze falls on the lights. Involuntarily, she thinks about the man on board. She turns restlessly back and forth on the cool sheets. How should she sleep when her mind is still awake? When all your thoughts are on this man?
It doesn't harm anyone, she consoles herself. I am free now. In the bedroom of a villa in Japan, in the land of the rising sun, her world has shrunk to an oasis of sensuality, and it is a world full of possibilities if she only wants it. Japan is a long way from everyone she knows. She can have an affair and no one will ever know. She can start a passionate sexual relationship with a man who won't expect anything from her - why should he? No obligations, no consequences. And maybe that's exactly what she needs. At any rate, her body seems to agree.
Chloe gets excited as she watches the dancing lights on the sea. Tempting shivers run through her, but she takes her hand away and resists the temptation. Is the answer to her frustration really out there at sea on that yacht with this man?
The lights are dancing harder now, as if the sea has grown rougher. Then she thinks, however, that her imagination has played a trick on her, because with every heartbeat the yacht seems to be approaching. No matter how hard she tries to lure it to the villa through sheer willpower, it moves relentlessly to the other side of the bay.
Who is he? Is he a blader? Chloe wonders when she thinks of the man. And, more importantly, how can I get to know him? She was still brooding over this problem when sleep overwhelmed her.