Hi guys! Thank you so much for your reviews, they really are inspiring and great feedback!
Also, they serve (at least for me) as a great motivator. Seeing that people are enjoying my work makes me want to continue to produce. So if you could, please stop by and say hi and leave any feedback :)
I hope you guys like this chapter. I got a little stuck midway through, but I found a way to get what was brewing in my mind into words, and I promise you, some feistiness is within.
I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it!
MU
"I think she finally got the hint" Darien mentally concluded as he shut his penthouse door on Ai, his latest "acquaintance." She was beautiful with rich, wavy brown hair, endless curves, and had quite a talented mouth. But that was just it: she had quite a mouth, including an overdramatic, high-pitched declaration as she marched out with her belongings. He rolled his eyes in recall of her excuse to come over because she had 'forgotten' something; why she thought he was so stupid to fall for the oldest trick in the book would remain a mystery. Not like he cared, anyway. She had become consuming with her constant texting and attempts to make whatever they had began two months ago an actual relationship.
He had told her from day one that he wasn't interested in a commitment; only sex. And she had agreed, saying she had wanted the same thing. In her speech, she had bit out a sob about hoping she would be the one to change him.
While he responded yet again in cool tones about how he wasn't interested in a relationship, he found himself thinking about a certain blonde who had recently captured his attention.
As he listened to Ai stomp down the short hallway to the elevator, he raised his eyebrow in response to his mind's thought process. So quick he was to dismiss Ai for the feisty blonde he had been spending time with lately. The girl who had humiliated him in front of staff, challenged him openly, dismissed him at every turn, and he found himself enjoying it. He mentally slapped his hand to his forehead in admittance; what self-respecting man enjoys being talked to like that?!
Whatever the reason, he moved on from the disturbing self-admission and looked out the window. The view from the 56th floor of Hiroo was dense and filled with buildings, his apartment having a direct view of the beautiful Arisugawa Park. He stared at the park-goers coming on and off the paths, and he found himself daydreaming about taking Serena to see the waterfall. I could see her liking that, he thought with a smile.
A week ago he never would have thought he would be experiencing these… feelings. At first, it annoyed him, considering feelings were overrated. Feelings aren't part of any of his transactions, professionally or personally. Contractual, consensual, and clear terms were how he liked to operate in both of his worlds. At first, he thought that maybe she would be someone that would fall into his original scheme, but the more time he spent together, the more he found that he didn't want that. He wanted…
More.
He gulped. He wasn't good at more. Work always was number one in his life, and when he was on his way up the corporate ladder, more simply was out of the question. But now that he was 34, working his way up the corporate ladder in triumph, surpassing his mentor's in both title and expectation, he was curious to see if he could succeed at this new opportunity in front of him.
He looked back over to the park, particularly at a couple that walked hand in hand down the paved trail that wound its way throughout the grass and smiled.
Perhaps he could.
A vibrating device in his pocket quickly interrupted his thoughts. Reaching for his phone, he slid his finger across the band on the screen. "Chad," he greeted informally to friend on the other end of the cellular call.
"I need a huge favor," the frantic voice on the other end immediately bellowed.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, but, Andrew was supposed to go with me tonight on a double, and he canceled because his sister went into labor!"
Darien pursed his lips to the not-so-dire circumstance. "So, you need me."
"Come on, man. You're one of the best wingmen out there. And I really don't want to mess this one up," Chad urged on the phone. "Dinner's on me, man. Just please say yes."
Darien hesitated; technically, he wasn't in a relationship, but at the same time, he felt bad agreeing to it. But if it was just to help a friend out, it shouldn't be a big deal, right? He sighed.
"You owe me one," Darien said. He could hear Chad let out a huge exhale of relief.
"You rock, Dare. Meet me at 6:45 at the Winfield. They're arriving at 7."
"Alright, see you then." Darien ended the call with the press of his thumb, and then proceeded to stare at his phone in self-doubt. He frowned; he never doubted himself, ever. Maybe it was good he was going out tonight; he was not used to like feeling like this, nor was he sure yet if he liked it or not. He looked at the time on his phone, seeing that it was a little after five. Shrugging, he placed his phone on the charger and made his way to his desk, eager to redirect his thoughts to a facet in his life he excelled at: contract negotiations. Grabbing a stack of paper and a red pen, he began to go through the documentation, pleased at how quickly he was getting sucked into the language of mergers and acquisitions.
#
Scrubbing the oh-so-fabulous smelling Herbal Essenes grapefruit and mint shampoo into her dampened blonde roots, she briefly paused the thoughts of her current predicament and let out an over-commercialized moan as the suds began to grow into a crown of foam. Tipping her head back, she let the bubbles cascade down her length, dropping in heaps around her toes while the steam took on a delicious aromatic. She let out a soft hum as she rinsed the remainder of the shampoo out before reaching for the conditioner, the final step of her shower before she had to go out and face the music.
As a promise to a friend, a double date was about to commence. Not just any double date, she was going to go with Raye to meet up with someone she had met through a co-worker. And while she was more than happy to support her friend as she tiptoed into the dating wading pool, she felt like she was betraying the trust of someone she had surprisingly grown very fond of.
It wasn't like they were in a relationship, Serena reasoned, as she stepped out of the shower and into the fogged up confines of her cramped bathroom. If anything, they were just getting to know each other, mainly intimately at this point. An involuntary shiver washed over her as she recalled Darien's expert touch in between heated kisses. He was an intoxicating man, despite his arrogance. Her body craved him more than it had ever craved anyone before, and they hadn't even had sex yet!
The only thing she found missing, and part of the reason why she hadn't yet completely removed the underwear barrier, is that she found herself wanting the emotional craving as well. Their conversations, while not necessarily lacking, never seemed to be personal. Most of the time when they went out it was spent with idle chit chat followed by kisses and touches.
Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. While as open as a book with her friends, she sometimes found herself having a hard time talking about anything deep. Rather than delve into her past or her hopes and dreams (sans any and all food related questions), she turned to her wit. So, with no boundaries necessarily being established at this point, she didn't exactly think of them as being anything more than two people spending intimate time together. Thus, when Raye approached her and insisted she join in, she reluctantly accepted.
Reluctant was putting it nicely. Raye pretty much demanded she come or else. Serena was hesitant to learn what that meant, nor did she ever want to find out.
Raking the towel through her hair, she let it fall to the floor in a gentle plop before reaching for her round brush and blow dryer. Twisting the brush, she manipulated her hair dry in soft waves down her back. Replacing the dryer, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to her bedroom, slipping on a comfortable, yellow sundress embellished with white crochet along the hemline, as well as a white duster that fell a few inches above the skirt's hemline. Adding a simple pendant necklace, she reached for her eyeshadow, only for a knock at the door to startle her. She didn't even get a chance to stop before the door was thrown open, Raye standing in the middle of her floorplan with heaps of clothing and a furrowed look on her face. Serena raised an eyebrow.
"Hi-de-ho, Raye," Serena smiled, taking in thorough pleasure of Raye's disheveled thoughts.
"Don't hi-de-ho me, meatball brains," Raye snapped. "What the fuck am I supposed to wear to this?"
"Pull your panties out of your camel-toe," Serena countered as she placed her eyeshadow brush down on her dresser. "What's the issue?"
"Everything I own is too lawyer. I don't own anything date-worthy," she stated as she threw her clothes down on the couch one-by-one, pantsuit followed by blouse in pattern. As Serena browsed through Raye's makeshift display, she frowned in agreement.
"That may be true, but Raye, you can pull that corporate look off really good. Even when we go out just us girls you're dressed so crisply," Serena replied in encouragement. Raye scoffed.
"That's because I don't want any man's attention usually! Women of power usually turn them off! Of course I found the guy who doesn't seem to be affected by that," she dramatically stated with her arms crossed. Serena continued to look at Raye's wardrobe, her eyes fixated on her gray business skirt-suit. Taking the skirt off the hanger, she fingered through her blouses, settling on a deep red sleeveless button-up.
"Put those on," Serena instructed to Raye as she shoved the articles into her arms. Raye frowned.
"It's not too corporate?" Raye asked in concern.
"No, it offers that slight nod to 'I'm a woman with authority,' but definitely gives some sex appeal. Go put that on while I dig for a statement necklace. And don't button the shirt up all the way!" Serena ordered as Raye drop-trou in the living area. Making her way to her bedroom, she dug through her jewelry box and pulled out an ivory white bubble necklace on a thick gold chain. Grinning, she walked back out into the living room, greeted by the site of Raye fretting over her outfit again. Walking behind her, she clasped the heavy piece of jewelry around her neck, then walked in front of her to make sure the shirt was open enough to show the necklace. After fussing with the collar a moment, she snapped her fingers in ah-ha moment, then went over to her closet and pulled out a pair of near-identical red heels with an ankle strap. Nodding in triumph, she thrusted them into Raye's arms.
"OK, now you have Kardashian appeal, not work appeal. And you may kiss my feet for how amazing I am," Serena gloated with a smug look on her face. Raye rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in complement.
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, meatball head. Not bad!" Raye said as she slipped the heels on.
"Ugh, meatball head. How am I seriously still being called that?" Serena groaned as she made her way back to her dresser, Raye's laughter following her.
"That was too funny," Raye said as she smoothed out her skirt. "But in all seriousness, have you seen him since?"
"Yeah, he's on the cover, remember?" Serena said as she resumed her eyeshadow, intentionally omitting the additional alone times that they have "spent together."
"Oh, right. Well, it looks like it is almost time to head out. Want me to put in the order for a car?" Raye asked, Serena thankful for the subject change.
"Sure," Serena replied with a shrug. For how intensely she described her hatred for the man, she was reluctant to say how she was one quality date away from sleeping with him. Dismissing the thought, she closed up her eyeshadow pallet, grabbed her phone off her charger, and tossed it in her bag. "Ready to roll out?"
Raye nodded, and the two girls made their way down to the lobby and into their Uber. Serena smiled when she noticed how nervous Raye was; maybe she had finally found someone special?
"So, who's the guy?" Serena asked, suddenly realizing she had no idea what they were about to embark on.
Raye smiled softly. "I've known him for a little while now. I see him down at court quite often. He's a psychologist and works with court-appointed families. His name is Chad Kumada."
"Wow, takes a mentally tough person to work in such a profession," Serena commented. Raye nodded in agreement.
"We would always chat over coffee at the court house in between cases, but he asked me if I wanted to do dinner. I mean, I think I like him, but, at the same time, I don't know if I want to like him," Raye said quietly. "That's why I wanted to double up. Takes some of the pressure off," she said honestly.
"I'm here for you, girl. Who knows, maybe I'll like his friend and we can all ride off into the sunset together," Serena clasped her hands with hearts in her eyes.
"Hah, we will see. I guess his original single-friend can't come, so he's bringing someone else. Not too sure on the details if he's available or not," Raye said with a shrug.
"Oh come on now, that's not fair!" Serena pouted while Raye chuckled. The car decelerated, Raye announcing their arrival. Serena looked at the Winfield, the blue lights of the neon sign indicating its casual atmosphere. Letting out a soft sigh, she willed her way out of the car, ready to pair up with a complete stranger while rooting for her friend to hopefully find someone special. Raye pulled on the glass door, the bar instantly greeting them off to the right, where Raye told her they would meet up.
Of course, of all places of Tokyo, of all men to be sitting next to the brown-haired, goateed man at the high-top, was none other than Mr. Darien Shields.
And she saw red.
#
Darien sipped at his "top-shelf" whiskey as he watched Chad fidget with anticipation. He had never seen his college friend look so nervous before. Taking another sip, Darien grimaced at the cheap alcohol, wishing he had suggested someplace a little more impressive for them to go to. This place screamed Chad, though: casual and down to earth.
Darien slightly faltered when Chad stood up in haste, signaling to him that his date clearly had arrived. He brushed at the drops of alcohol on his black button-down before turning to see Chad intercept a black-haired woman that looked very familiar. However, what threw him completely off base was to see the blonde haired vision he couldn't get out of his mind.
"Raye, this is my friend Darien—" Chad began, but Raye quickly interjected.
"We've met before. Hi Darien," Raye said as she shook his hand. "We met when we visited his new restaurant," she briefly explained.
"Nice to see you again, Raye. I see you've brought Serena tonight," he added quickly, more interested in spending this pleasant surprise of events with her.
"Yes I have," Raye said, a large smile curling on her face. "And I must say, thank you for that brilliant nickname. It's become my new go-to."
Darien couldn't help but laugh. "Right? It's perfect!"
"Ugh, seriously?!" Serena scoffed. "If you're going to just call me meatball head all evening, I have better things to be doing." Darien snapped his eyes over to her, his smile wavering.
"Ok, ok, chill out, Serena," Raye said. "Let's grab a drink?"
"I'll get it for you," Chad interjected. "What would you ladies like?"
"Vodka cranberry," Serena bit out. Chad nodded and turned to Raye.
"I'll come with you," Raye said to Chad, the two of them departing the table for the bar, leaving Darien and Serena together. Darien grinned as Serena slipped into a seat, but not before admiring how adorable she looked in her bright yellow dress.
"You didn't seem to mind when I called you that the other night," Darien said huskily in her ear.
"Whatever," she bit out, strumming her fingers on the table. He raised his eyebrow to her curt tone.
"What's the problem?" he asked, officially noticing her bad mood.
"Oh, nothing," she said evasively.
"Bullshit."
"Psh," she huffed, turning her attention to the television.
"Now I'm confused," he said. "Did I do something wrong?"
Silence.
"Hello-o-o?" he asked again, only to receive a response of her eyebrows raising and her head turning further away. "Seriously?"
"Sorry I'm not the ideal date," Serena finally said in a haughty voice. "Must suck to be stuck with me."
She's pissed because I'm here… on a… 'double date?'
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Psh," she responded again.
"You're seriously mad because you're set up with me tonight? You do realize you also were supposed to be set up with someone else, correct?"
Her eyes rolling made his fingers twitch with anger, his argumentative side starting to brew. But, for the sake of Chad, he took a deep breath.
"Fine, have it your way," he said as he snatched his drink, downing its entire contents.
This is going to be a long night.
#
Serena strummed her fingers on the high-top, unable to evaporate her anger. She had come here simply for moral support, not to find a love interest, unlike him. Given his playboy history, she could only imagine he was here to conquest a new woman.
No fucking way in hell was she going to let him get away with it, either.
Taking a gulp of her drink, she continued to keep her eyes focused on the terribly boring sporting event on TV rather than look at Darien, who was obviously watching her. She didn't care that his reasoning made perfect sense. She especially didn't care that he was clearly frustrated with her response. And she most definitely refused to care that he looked damn fine in that black button down shirt, the sleeves rolled mid-way, showing off his tanned forearm that trailed down to the hands and the fingers that had evoked many different responses from her only days before.
Fuck you, Darien.
Taking another gulp at her drink, she frowned when the ice tapped at her lip, signaling that she was empty. Not letting him get a word in, she quickly hopped off the chair and grabbed her drink, her eyes focused on the bar to get a refill. She would need a decent amount of booze tonight to make it through the evening with him.
Just as the glass tapped the wooden top of the bar, Raye materialized in an instant by her side.
"So you're clearly in a bad mood," Raye bluntly stated to her as Serena waved to the bartender.
"No shit. Darien's a dick," Serena said in response. Raye sighed.
"I know you two don't get along, but can you please for tonight? Please? For me?" Serena looked to her friend annoyed, but her expression quickly dissolved when she noticed a rare pleading look on Raye's face. "I really don't want to mess this up," Raye added quietly.
Serena nodded. "Only for you," she amended. Raye smiled back.
"Thank you," Raye responded. "Our table's ready if you want to make our way over to the hostess." Serena nodded and hopped off the barstool. Perhaps a good meal could change her mood? She had been here once or twice, but only for happy hour. Crossing to the other side of the building, the four sat at a table that situated in tight confines. Already irritated, Serena was none too pleased that she was seated next to him and much too closely. However, as she looked over the tops of her menu, she couldn't help but watch his stormy blue eyes scan the menu in great focus. He glanced up at her, and she quickly dipped her head below the vinyl brim of the menu, actively scanning the menu in hopes of finding something that was appealing.
"Is this your favorite restaurant?" Serena heard Raye ask Chad. She continued to listen as she browsed through her choices.
"It's one of them. I know it's not too fancy, but I love the atmosphere. People watching is one of my favorite things to do," he added.
"I can see that," Raye alluded. "Psychology, sociology, they kind of go hand-in-hand, right?"
"Yup," Chad added. "Biggest difference between the two is that psychology is more individual study whereas sociology is more societal."
"I took both courses in college for my pre-requisites. I absolutely hated Psych 101. Sorry," Raye laughed, obviously flirting. Serena smiled before deciding to tune out the conversation, letting them have their moment.
Taking one last look, she nodded in approval as she finalized her choice: calamari and a cup of clam chowder.
"Mmmm, seafood here I come," Serena sighed as she placed her menu down.
"What are you getting?" Raye asked as she picked up her drink and took in a sip.
"Fried calamari and clam chowder," Serena responded.
"Nice," Raye added. "What about you, Darien?"
Serena focused her eyes on him, watching as he took one last look through the menu.
"No idea. Chad, what do you recommend?"
"Ummmm…." He responded, flipping through the menu. "For you?" he asked with uncertainty, flipping through the pages of items. Serena's eyebrows furrowed; snooty Darien couldn't pick something from a less-than-five-star place?
"What's the matter, Darien, not enough items on the menu in languages you can't pronounce correctly?" Serena snapped, calling him out on his snobbery. She watched as his eyes narrowed.
"No," he responded frostily, "I was asking Chad's opinion."
"Uh huh," Serena said with an eye-roll, "must be tough to dine with us common folk who can't always afford to eat a ¥20,000 steak every night."
"Serena!" Raye exclaimed in horror, while Darien shot her a look that involuntarily sent goosebumps down her arms. He calmly placed his menu down, folded his hands, and focused his eyes on her.
"Clearly Serena is feeling a little green tonight," Darien stated coolly, effectively outing her misgivings at him. "Perhaps I should take my leave; or better yet, perhaps you should if you're just going to cause misery to everyone at this table due to your lack of maturity."
Serena scoffed. "I'm immature?! You just told everyone at this table that I'm freaking jealous! Me? Jealous! Hah! Of what?!"
"You know, some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." Darien said as he looked at her, then to the door, then back at her.
"Yeah, so maybe you should take a hike," Serena retorted. Darien opened his mouth in what was about to be a spontaneous outburst, then closed it, speaking in a cooler, deep tone.
"You are miserably gluttonous and a naïve, thick-headed reprobate," Darien insulted, to which Serena's jaw clamped in embarrassment and absolute fury.
"Yeah, well, you're so full of yourself you have delusions of adequacy!" Serena bit back. "You think using big words makes you sound intelligent? Please! You're arguing with me, in front of our friends, inside a sports bar!"
"You know what," Darien said as he placed his menu down. "I think I've had enough fun for tonight. Chad, Raye, I apologize for ruining your evening." Pulling out his wallet, he fingered out ¥20,000 and placed it on the table. "Please, try to have a better evening on me. Serena, I can only hope your Netflix stream reaches best quality, because clearly that's the only moderately successful relationship you will ever be in." With that, he stood up out of his chair and walked off; leaving Serena beat red with her mouth ajar, Chad with his head in his hands, and Raye looking away, trying her best not to either laugh or get angry.
After a few moments had passed, Serena looked to Raye. "I am so sorry. I'm going to leave, too. I hope you guys can salvage what we've effectively ruined," she said apologetically, truly feeling terrible for her actions. She stood up from her chair and walked away, but only made it to the doorway before she felt Raye grab her arm.
"You seriously couldn't let up, even for me?" Raye rightfully accused her. "You knew how important this evening was to me, and you blew it. Darien was right, you were being completely immature."
"Raye, I'm sor—"
"Save it. Just get the hell out of here." Serena stood numbly as she watched Raye turn around without a second glance, walk back over to the table, and sit back down next to Chad. Their evening would be awkward the rest of the evening, all because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She let out a deep sigh before turning around to walk out of the building.
Their words stung in truth. While she relished in pushing buttons and boundaries, she definitely was in the wrong. With Raye. With Darien. She leaned against the brick exterior of the restaurant, people filing in and out of the crowded establishment, and found herself wishing that she could go back in time and fix it.
Obviously Raye wanted nothing to do with her at the moment, and who could blame her? But, maybe she could fix things with Darien?
Pulling out her phone, she dialed Darien's number, letting out a large sigh when he sent it right to voicemail. She redialed, hoping he would get the hint she wanted to apologize, but he, yet again, sent her to voicemail. Groaning, she could only imagine what his new opinion of her was. It made her stomach churn in horror.
What if he… doesn't… want anything to do with me anymore?
Her mind whispered her fears, and she felt her mouth run dry. When she saw him walk in, rather than be excited to see him and try to make whatever they were doing more of a normal relationship, she let her mind get the best of her. Replaying the events in her mind, she recalled how he smiled when he saw her, how he whispered in her ear, and how he pointed out the coincidence of it all for being there. She should have put more trust in him.
After all, he wasn't him.
Not everyone would be like him.
Looking at her phone one last time, she pressed his name on her call log, sending up prayers that he would answer. Much to her surprise, and her pleasure, he did.
"What?" he curtly answered, which she flinched at the well-deserved anger.
"I'm sorry," she immediately said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I am so, so sorry for acting like that in there." She was greeted with silence, ebbing her to continue. "I had no right to accost you like that, or embarrass you like that. I should have found the circumstances a coincidence rather than assume you were just there to find another woman to sleep with. I'm sorry."
A few more moments of silence passed. "Darien?"
He let out a sigh over the phone. "Fine. Apology accepted. Is that all?"
She felt her heart ache at the cool dismissal. "No, that's all."
"Goodbye, Serena."
She pulled her phone away from her ear, seeing the call log back on her phone. He clearly wanted nothing further to do with her.
She had effectively driven him away.
Eek! Has Serena really driven him away? Who is Serena's 'him'? Is their 'relationship' unsalvageable? ... No, but that's become it's a SXD story XD
Stay tuned! I plan to have my next installment out to you guys before Thanksgiving!
Stay warm, dry, and go Bills! (I'm an annoying football fan, sorry. Hahahahaha)