As The Season Changes
Chapter Twelve
Ai emerged from the dressing room in the hotel room, her arms raised as she struggled with a recalcitrant earring. The flame-red Isaac Mizrahi she wore was one of a dozen designer gowns Keigo had surprised her with for this trip to Monaco.
For once she didn't mind the clothes Keigo had bought for her. It was the first time they were traveling together outside the country, and she didn't want to ruin the trip with her attitude.
She'd felt like a kid in a candy store when she'd seen the gowns the hotel maid had unpacked earlier. Each gown was a brilliant, vibrant color, each more tempting than the last. The red chiffon had a short, frothy skirt, no back and a deceptively modest front—until movement revealed the throat-to-waist slit and a tantalizing glimpse of small firm, lightly tanned breasts.
"Why aren't you dressed?" she asked, seeing Keigo sprawled on the bed, his arms folded under his head. Half the bedcovers were on the enormous bed, the other half on the floor. He was gloriously naked.
Ai met his bold look and his eyes darkened. "Don't you have jet lag?" he asked in a seductive drawl. "Perhaps you should come back to bed and take a little nap."
"Oh, no, you don't, Atobe Keigo. That's what you said three hours ago." Ai's pulse quickened under the heat of his smoldering gaze. "We've been in Monte Carlo for four hours and already made love twice." She dropped her hand when the earring slipped home. "I thought you brought me here to gamble."
"I did," Keigo said, rising and coming toward her like a panther, all sinewy grace and rippling muscles, arousal blatant and unashamed. "And to see you dressed like you are now. God, you look incredible."
He ran the backs of his fingers inside the narrow opening of her bodice to touch bare skin; Ai couldn't help arching her back as his hand slipped inside the opening. "You turn me on whether you're clothed or naked. I love the way your lush little breasts play hide-and-seek in this dress."
She licked her shiny red lips, watching Keigo's eyes. "Don't get me all jazzed up," she warned, fearing it was already too late. She stood her ground as his fingers played against her sensitized skin.
"I want to see the casino," she said with a laugh, her fingers small around the thickness of his wrist, as she halfheartedly tried to restrain him. He could rip these five ounces of chiffon off her and have her on the bed in a heartbeat.
A tremor rippled across her skin. He saw it and smirked. The backs of his fingers slid from the pulse in her throat to her waist and back again. Ai closed her eyes, waiting for Keigo to do more than touch as he had done just before she'd called it quits and run into the lavish bathroom for a shower not forty minutes ago. She'd locked the door, hearing his mocking laughter as she shot home the bolt.
"You love being a woman, don't you?" Just the backs of his knuckles rode the edge of fabric over her midriff. Ai arched an eyebrow, a trick she had learned from him.
He seemed impervious to what he was doing to her as he continued in that soft, silky voice. "I love watching you get ready to go out. I'm always fascinated by the way you primp and fuss with your hair when you know it won't stay where you put it. And no matter what, it always looks sexy, as though I've just run my fingers through it."
With two fingers, he touched the pulse at her throat and smiled down into her eyes. Her breath hitched. "And I'm fascinated by your concentration when you apply makeup. Every move you make is graceful, feminine. You love the textures and scents and ceremony that go with being female."
Ai felt hypnotized by the sensual timbre of his voice and the rhythmic stroking of his fingers. She took a step back to clear her head. "Goodness. What brought this on?"
Keigo shrugged. "I've never known anyone who enjoys being in their own skin the way you do." He reached over to pick up a toweling robe, then shrugged it on. He looked back at her with a small frown. "Given the way you were brought up, I don't know how you acquired your amazing sense of self-worth."
Embarrassed and flattered Ai didn't quite know what to say. A lot of her self-confidence was a protective device she'd perfected growing up. "I somehow managed to teach myself. I realized, even as a child, that my mother's life wasn't mine, and I did everything in my power to make sure I knew who and what I was."
Keigo cupped her cheek. "I admire the hell out of who you are, Saotome Aiko." He dropped a light, yet somehow intense, kiss on her mouth, and then strolled into the bathroom.
Ai flopped down on the bed and stared at the closed door.
...
The main floor of the casino was an opulent mix of gilt and mahogany, the very old with some modern concessions. It retained the same air of genteel elegance and lavish style it had when it was built in the early 1860s. Ai was entranced. "It's not fair the locals aren't allowed in the casino." She was afraid to blink—she wanted to see everything. "They're missing a wonderful part of their heritage."
"A small price to pay, considering they don't pay any taxes in Monaco," Keigo said dryly.
"It's their heritage—" Ai gazed around her "—not the money that matters."
"Tell that to the man trying to feed his family. Hardly anyone leaves a casino with more money in his pocket, Ai. They're doing the locals a favor."
"Cynic. I still don't think it's fair," she said without heat, distracted by the sights and sounds of the casino. Elegantly gowned women and handsome men wearing tuxedos strolled thought the vast saloons, their voices an exotic blend of accents and pitch. Her eyes lit up as they wandered though a room with dozens of roulette tables.
"It's only the gaming rooms they're forbidden to enter, little Miss Bleeding Heart," Keigo said amused. He toyed with the loose strands of her hair at her nape. "Everyone can come to the Grand Theater to see the ballet or opera."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. Her lids drifted closed and she whispered for him to stop. He tasted her knuckles and her skin flushed, but she didn't pull away.
Ai felt the ripple in his thigh muscles as he brushed against her; she carefully moved away a few inches, brushing her palm up the back of her unswept hair feeling for those loose strands as his gaze remained fixed on her face. She had known she was playing with fire when she put on the dress, but now, as his x-ray eyes touched her, she realized she hadn't meant to start a forest fire.
She closed her eyes briefly. If she gave in to this craving, they would be upstairs naked before she could say strip.
"Behave," she warned, then drew in a shaky breath.
He smiled, then tucked her arm through his. "You are a hard woman."
"Shh, I'm absorbing." The smell of wealth discreetly perfumed the air. The aroma of power and money mixed with the fragrance of the fresh flowers overflowing the priceless vases in lighted alcoves along the walls.
Ai's gold heels sank into luxurious royal-blue-and-deep-black Axminster carpet. The murmur of refined voices wove between the dulcet notes of a small orchestra screened behind a fringe of luxurious potted palms nearly reaching the intricate gold plaster ceiling soaring above their heads.
Keigo's hand rested lightly on the small of her back as they strolled across the grandiose casino, his caress absentminded. Ai didn't think he realized how much easier it was for him to touch her in public now. The familiar contact in a crowded room meant more to Ai than she'd ever thought possible.
"Now, why are you smiling as if you just ate a canary?" Keigo asked, leading her into the next room.
She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "I'm happy."
He touched her face with his fingertips, as if he couldn't help himself. "This has all been here for more than a hundred years, Ai. We don't have to run."
"Someone might take my lucky seat." She slowed and looked about her as nonchalantly as she could.
"Find a table. I'll get you some chips."
She caught her lower lip in her teeth and looked up at him with a delicious mixture of terrified anticipation and unholy glee. "Not too many," she warned. "I just want to play at playing for an hour or so."
Keigo returned moments later and Ai dropped the stack of chips into her purse, turning in a little pirouette as she perused the tables before picking the one she wanted.
"I've died and gone to heaven." She grinned, opening her small Chanel clutch and taking out a handful of black and gold chips. "Come and play with me."
Keigo leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear. "I wanted to play with you upstairs." He pulled out one of the elegant brocade chairs for her.
"Patience has its rewards," she whispered, setting her chips in neat piles on the green bias table. She could feel Keigo behind her as she concentrated on placing her bet.
Actually, she had no idea how to play roulette. She only placed bets on red or black and on the double zero. It was the adrenaline rush she relished as her chips were scraped off the table or returned to her.
With several more chips than she had started with, Ai had had enough. Keigo had stood behind her, his hand possessively on her shoulder and without comment for an hour.
"I'm starving." Ai swung her legs off the high chair. Keigo laughed as he helped her scoop up her chips.
"You're so predictable." He aimed her toward the five-star restaurant with a view of the bay. "Always hungry. Come on. I'll feed you and then you can bring me some luck."
After being seated, Ai took a handful of chips, turning them around between her fingers. She frowned, dread filling her. "Keigo, how much are these chips worth?"
Keigo almost choked on his wine. He was laughing. "I kept wondering when you were going to ask me that." He dabbed at the corner of his mouth with his napkin. "Do you have an idea of their worth, Ai?"
She shrugged. But knowing Keigo and his extravagance... "I don't know, in the hundreds of dollars?"
"Each chip is worth the equivalent of ten thousand dollars."
"What!" Ai squeaked, her hand at her throat. "You're kidding. There must be... oh my god, Keigo. There's at least thirty-five chips here."
"This is the big time. The sheik sitting on your right was playing with hundred-thousand-dollar chips."
"Wow." Ai stuffed the chips into her purse and laid it carefully in front of her on the table. "If I'd known that, I would never have played."
"You were enjoying yourself. What difference does it make how much the chips are worth? It's only money."
"What if I'd lost?" Ai felt sick to her stomach. He was still smiling.
"It's only money, Ai."
"Yours, Keigo. Not mine. It would have taken me forever to pay you back if I'd lost."
His smile disappeared and a strange look came over his features. "What are you saying? Your family's worth is in the hundred millions, you could have run laps around the sheik."
She fiddled with the big tasseled menu, hiding behind it, her appetite gone. She groaned inside, as she realized what she had inadvertently revealed. She felt like a fraud. Sitting here on the patio of one of the most famous casinos in the world, wearing a designer original. She felt so stupid.
"Aiko."
She closed her eyes before looking back at him. He was frowning, a serious look on his face demanding answers, however he spoke to her in a gentle tone. "Won't you tell me?"
Her heart thundered. She'd done the unthinkable. She had complacently believed she wouldn't fall in love with him. She'd though that it was impossible. That she'd been inoculated and would be immune. As if love were something she had control over! She hadn't been in control of her feelings for him fifteen years ago, what had made her think now would be any different?
I love him.
She mentally tested the words, tasting them bittersweet on her tongue.
Oh, my god. How could this have happened? It had been so insidious she hadn't even noticed.
It didn't matter how much she now wanted things to be different. There was no happy ending. He might care for her, but he'd never fall in love with her in a million years. Not only was she never going to have his baby—hell, no—she had neatly compounded her loss. On December 30 she'd leave without Keigo as well.
The sparkle went out of the evening.
"Aiko?" Keigo asked concerned at her silence. He leaned forward to take her hand, blue eyes intent as he scanned her face.
She wondered what he was seeing there. Ai's eyes felt scratchy, her mouth trembley. God, she hoped she wouldn't cry. Not now, not here, in front of Keigo and all these people.
"Aiko, look at me."
She raised her eyes and looked at him through a shimmering veil of tears. Her throat closed up. She was going to cry, damn it.
"What's this all about?" he asked softly, his thumb rubbing circles on her palm. She bit her lip helplessly.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was muffled by the napkin she had pressed to her mouth. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
She glanced up just in time as the waiter came to ask for their order. Saved, she asked Keigo, "Order for me, yes?" She injected a cheerful note into her voice. The entire menu was in French, and she didn't understand it anyway. He ordered their meal in his impeccable French before leaning forward and taking her hand once again.
"What's the matter?"
Of course, Keigo wouldn't leave it to rest until he had what he wanted. She peered at him. "It must be the jet lag getting to me at last." Determined not to spoil an otherwise marvelous evening, Ai got a firm grip on her emotions. She didn't want to be dwelling on the end.
He frowned obviously dissatisfied with her answer. "Want to go back to the room?"
Ai smiled slightly, "I'll be fine."
…
Ai was sure the Boeuf Alexandra she had just eaten must have been delicious. She liked artichokes, and the truffles were interesting, but she could barely taste them.
She straightened her spine and tucked her arm through Keigo's as they left the restaurant. "Where are we going now?"
"You sure you don't want to play roulette a little more?"
Ai shook her head. "I'll watch you play... whatever it was."
"Chemin de fer. See those tables over there set on the raised dais?" Keigo led Ai cross the chandelier-lit room. He talked to a gentleman standing guard at the entrance. The man gave Keigo a deferential bow and ushered them into the exclusive area. Chemin de fer was a complicated high-stakes card game, Keigo explained quietly to Ai, much like baccarat. As he took his seat, Ai refrained from asking what these chips were worth. She didn't want to know.
All the other seats were taken by spectators. This time it was Ai who stood behind him.
She enjoyed the action. Even if she hadn't a clue what the players were doing or how the betting worked, she was engrossed in watching. At one point she slipped off her high-heel sandals. The carpet felt luxuriously soft under her stocking feet.
A waiter brought her a drink which she left beside Keigo's on the table. Dinner settled uncomfortably in her stomach. She was thirsty but wanted water, not alcohol. She looked around for a waiter.
A wave of dizziness caused her knees to buckle. Saliva flooded her mouth. She swallowed convulsively as prickles of hot and cold washed over her skin. Her sandals slipped from her lax fingers to drop with a thud to the floor. Blindly she felt for the back of Keigo's velvet-covered seat. "I n-need to sit dow—" The lights dimmed, and then went out completely.
"Ai?" She heard alarm in Keigo's voice, which came from far, far away... Something cool and damp moved gently over her face. "Open your eyes, sweet love."
Not Keigo. He had never called her love in his life and he'd never sounded that panicky. Ai drifted.
"Aiko, open your eyes. Now." How typically Keigo to order her conscious.
His lips. Keigo's lips. He kissed her hand. His fingers felt safe and hard around hers. Ai's eyelashes fluttered as she managed to drag her eyes open. Keigo was kneeling beside her where she lay on a sofa, his eyes narrowed on her face. "What the hell happened?" he demanded as soon as her eyes opened.
His mouth was white, his hair disheveled as though he'd run his fingers through the dark strands. There was even a pleat of worry between his aristocratic brows. His grip on her hand tightened as she stared up at him blankly. She winced and he relaxed his hold. Just a little.
Her stomach rolled once, twice and then seemed to settle. So much for the five-star dinner that cost as much as the national debt of a small country.
"Aiko?"
"What?"
"What happened, damn it?" He turned to a shadowy form behind him. "She must have a concussion. She doesn't seem to—"
"I just fainted, Keigo." Rolling her head so she could look directly at him, she managed a weak smile. "I don't have brain damage—I'm fine." She straggled to sit up, grateful when Keigo supported her with his arm. They were in an office. Two men stood discreetly across the room.
"I don't think the rich food on top of all the excitement did my stomach any good. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."
"You didn't," Keigo said shortly, observing her face. "God, you're as white as a sheet."
"That's 'cause you just wiped my makeup off." Ai rested her head against his arm. She was feeling much better now and enjoyed Keigo's worried look. "Please tell me my dress stayed in place, and I fell like a lady."
"There were so many men vying to pick you up we almost forgot why you were lying on the floor," Keigo said dryly as he smoothed back her hair from her face. Her skin felt clammy. His hands felt cool and dry.
"Before I embarrass myself any further, can we go back to our room?"
"I'll have the good doctor come up to check on you."
"I don't need a—"
Keigo gave the doctor instructions in rapid French before picking Ai up. She felt as light as a feather, and as pale as a sheet. Her brown eyes were enormous in her pale face. He'd picked up the plastic combs she used to hold her hair up and stuffed them in his pocket.
"Make sure my bottom isn't showing." Ai closed her eyes as he carried her through the casino to the elevator. Keigo hid his smile, making sure the short dress was tucked neatly against her legs with his arm.
"You're quite decent," he said gruffly, maneuvering her into the empty elevator.
"I feel ridiculous." Ai's voice was muffled against his pleated shirtfront.
"Everyone thought you fainted very elegantly," Keigo teased as he managed to open the door to the suite and get her inside.
"I know you're not telling me the truth—that I fell flat on my nose in front of a million well-dressed gazillionaires and their diamond-studded wives. I bet everyone saw my underwear." Her lower lip trembled. When she looked up at him there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you."
He used his thumb to wipe away the steady stream trickling down her cheeks. "It's only a big deal to you, Ai. Nobody noticed, I promise. Seconds before you wilted, the prince and his entourage walked in. Everyone was looking at him, not you."
"It's going to get worse," she suddenly said, her face draining of every vestige of color. "Don't slow down until we reach the bathroom."
Keigo set her down just in time before she was violently sick. He held her head as spasms wrenched her slender body. When he was sure she was done, he supported her as she washed her face and brushed her teeth, then he carried her back to bed.
"Don't." She moaned as he wiped her face with a cool damp cloth. He had never been more relieved than when the doctor knocked on the door some minutes later.
When the man had left, advising rest and simple foods for a few days, Keigo helped a very wilted Ai undress and crawl back under the covers.
She looked up at him with those big brown eyes as he sat on the bed beside her careful not to jiggle the mattress.
"Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks. I feel like an idiot. Why don't you go back to the casino? I'll see you later."
"I'm staying right here, with you." Sliding his arm around her shoulders, he gently pulled her close to his side. "Close your eyes and try to sleep."
End Note: This chapter ran a little long, so I had to cut it into two chapters. I'll update the second part as soon as I can.
