CHAPTER 2

BOO KI'S POV:

Entering the hall where the auction is being held, I stay close to Ji-Hoo as we wait for the Senator and his wife to arrive. I'm not used to having long hair but the wig was necessary to help alter my appearance. We don't know for sure that the Senator won't recognize me if he sees me. It's a nice change I guess. My black dress is long and shows off what few curves my tall, thin frame has.

"How long is this auction going to take?" I ask Ji-Hoo.

"They usually take a couple of hours. Hopefully that will give you time to talk to the Senator's wife."

The Senator and his wife finally arrive but it's the people that are following him that have my attention. Oh my god… Ji-Hoo is paying too much attention to the Senator and I lean in close to whisper in his ear.

"We have a problem."

"What?"

"Jun Pyo is here." I say. He enters with a couple of his bodyguards close by and probably only at the Song family's insistence. Jun Pyo doesn't like having security but he doesn't know that Senator White is one of the Associates.

"Damn…"Ji-Hoo says under his breath. It's hard to see them clearly through the crowd but it looks as if someone is with him. It's only when I see the bits of gold in her brown hair that I realize who it is.

"What is she doing here?" I ask Ji-Hoo.

His eyes are already glued on Saia and I have to admit that she does look beautiful tonight. We keep to the edge of the crowd and away from Jun Pyo but I notice something about my best friend. She carefully looks around until her eyes lock with mine. She gives me a subtle nod of her head and it confirms my suspicions. She is putting some of the skills I taught her over the years to use.

"I'm going to have to leave. He will recognize me the moment he sees me." Ji-Hoo says. "You're going to be completely on your own."

"I don't think that will be necessary."

"Why?"

"Saia's here to keep Jun Pyo from discovering us."

"Her being here is making it harder. The Senator knows who she is." He argues.

"Yes. He does. So he will be watching her and Jun Pyo. Not us."

"…"

"She will be safe with Jun Pyo and DK is right there with her too. She's giving us a chance to still do this. Let's not let it go to waste." I say to him. He nods at me but his eyes are still only on her. It's obviously bothering him that she's here. We don't have time for this!

"Go on." I say and nudge him towards the Senator. He reluctantly peels his eyes away from her and makes his way towards him. I turn towards the other side of the room where the Senator's wife is and straighten my dress. Making my way towards her, I can see that she is still fairly young. She is probably in her early 40's. She is well known for her work with several different humanitarian organizations. I didn't have much time to read up on her so I am going to have to observe her carefully before I speak.

"Mrs. White? Hello. My name is Hong Se Na. I wanted to say that I am such a huge fan of yours." I say to her in English. She looks at me and smiles.

"Hong Se Na? So you are Korean then!"

"Yes I am Mrs. White."

"Welcome! Please call me Karen!" she is kind and friendly. She knows a great deal about South Korea and asks me a lot of questions. Where do I live? What is my favorite food? And so on. Things I am already prepared to answer. She keeps me close to her throughout the auction and Saia does a great job of keeping Jun Pyo at the other end of the room.

Karen talks about the different charities she is involved in and I have to say that I am impressed. She doesn't talk about them to brag. It's obvious that she genuinely cares about their causes. I observe her quietly throughout the night and I notice that she keeps her distance from her husband. Not only that but she plays with her wedding ring as if she is unused to wearing it. Their relationship is obviously on the rocks…

The moment I saw the Senator I didn't like him. Not just because I know what he has done. I have always considered myself a good judge of character and I can tell he is a slime ball. He is arrogant and hot tempered. He flirts with every woman in the room even though his wife is here. It's rude and disgusting. I keep my distance from him simply because I don't want him even looking at me. He makes my skin crawl.

"Se Na! I am putting together a charity picnic this Saturday. I would love it if you could come. Maybe you could even help me with some of the preparations?" Karen says to me as she turns to leave.

"I would love that!" I smile at her.

"Great! Give me your phone number and I will call you with the details." I hand her my number and she beams at me. "I am so happy we met tonight. You have been a breath of fresh air for me."

(^_^)

JI-HOO'S POV:

Boo Ki was right. Saia has been keeping Jun Pyo and the Senator away from us all night. I don't like how the Senator looks at her though. He's a douche bag and it pisses me off to watch Saia have to smile at him. I can tell from her body language that he makes her uncomfortable. She keeps close to Jun Pyo and DK stays by her side.

Before the Senator leaves, I see him lean in close to her and put his hand on the small of her back. Whatever he says to her makes her pale and shake her head. She smiles at him but follows Jun Pyo towards another business associate. It takes everything I have to not go break off the Senator's arm. Catching DK's eye, I motion him over to me. He moves next to a pillar but stays within eye shot of Saia and I step up beside him.

"What the hell is she doing here?" I quietly ask him.

"Keeping an eye on your friend and also being a distraction so that you can do what you came here to do."

"Why? If you had told us we would have waited."

"That's exactly why she told me not to tell you. She said that you can't wait any longer… She's right."

"I don't like him being so close to her…"

"Neither do I but Jun Pyo and I won't let anything happen to her. He doesn't like or trust the Senator."

"…Give me Saia's spare room key."

DK glances at me and reluctantly hands me her key from his pocket. I don't trust the Senator either. Not one bit…

(^_^)

WOO BIN'S POV:

My night at the Senator's house is a bust. His house has some of the best security I've seen in a long time. It's almost comparable to my own. Going through his office in Washington D.C. will be my next step but I don't have time to go there tonight. After cleaning myself up, I make my way to the auction to play chauffer for Ji-Hoo and Boo Ki. She looks beautiful tonight.

Ji-Hoo and Boo Ki tell me what happened as we make our way to my apartment here in New York. I moved all of Boo Ki's things to the apartment earlier today and arranged for a decoy to take her place at the hotel.

"I need you to drop me off at the hotel." Ji-Hoo says.

"Why? Boo Ki's things have already been moved to the apartment… Ji-Hoo, don't you think it's too risky to go see her? If you run into Jun Pyo, he will recognize you and I'm sure the Senator has people watching him too."

"I don't trust Senator White." He says through his clenched teeth.

"Neither do I but she has DK and Jun Pyo has security too… Fine." I say in exasperation. I can see the determination in his face.

After dropping him off, Boo Ki and I are alone and for some reason I'm suddenly at a loss for words. It's been so long since we had a regular conversation that I am drawing a blank on what to say.

"…So… How have things been at home?" I finally ask.

"…I don't know. You will have to ask your family that. I haven't seen anyone except Saia since the funerals."

"I meant you. How have you been?"

"Good. Business is going really well at the restaurant. It keeps me busy."

"That doesn't tell me how you are. There has to be more to your life than just work." I watch her out of the corner of my eye and feel frustrated. She always keeps me at arm's length. From the moment I first held her in my arms at the hospital, something clicked inside of me. Ever since then I have wanted to be closer to her but she won't let me. My charms can sweep any woman off their feet… except her. She see's right through me. It made me uncomfortable at first but now I find it oddly calming. I can just be me. She is one of the best friends I have ever had and I want to be that for her too but why won't she let me?

"Do you think Karen will invite you to their estate?" I finally ask as we enter my apartment.

"It's possible. She's a very nice woman. It stinks that she ended up with that asshole for a husband."

"Yes it does." I put my hand on her arm to stop her from going into her room and she turns around to look at me with her usual calm demeanor. "You look beautiful tonight Boo Ki."

"Thanks." She says uncomfortably and nods her head.

"Can't we go back to being friends? I know that lying to everyone is cruel but we did it to protect you."

"I don't need to be protected Woo Bin." She says quietly. "Even though you pissed me off, I will always be your friend and always be here if you need me. But you also need to understand that Jae Kyung should have been the one here in my place. Not because I can pull this off better than her but because she is your fiancé. You should be asking for her help, not mine."

"Boo Ki, Jae Kyung and I-"

"Are none of my business." She cuts me off with a small laugh. "Talk to Ji-Hoo about your relationship. You can talk to me about everything else. I don't do relationships and stuff like that."

"Really? Don't you want to be with someone like Ji-Hoo and Saia?"

"Honestly no one can be like those two. What they have is very rare. The real world isn't like that and I accept it. Plus I don't need a man to complete me. It's nice not having to answer to anyone and being able to do what I want."

"Being in the right relationship doesn't mean that has to end. My friend's relationships have taught me that." I say quietly. She gives me a smirk and shakes her head.

"Sure. Your buddies may say that but you guys are the most overprotective bunch I have ever met. I doubt those girls have as much freedom as you claim." She turns away to go to her room and for once I have seen into her carefully constructed mask.

"…Who was he? Who broke you so badly that you don't trust anyone?" I ask. She freezes in her tracks but doesn't look at me.

"…My grandfather…and every other man in my life since then. Don't try to understand me Woo Bin-ssi. You will only be disappointed."

(^_^)

SAIA'S POV:

I can't wait to get inside my room and take a shower. My skin is still crawling from Senator White's touch. Geez he is such a scumbag… I cringe and DK squeezes my shoulder in comfort. We already said good night to Jun Pyo and are on our way to our rooms.

"That guy has a lot of nerve flirting with other girls in front of his wife. What a slimy bastard." DK says in disgust.

"Agreed. I am probably going to have to scrub my skin raw to get his germs off of me." I unlock my door and he waits for me to close the door before he leaves. I'm not surprised that the lights are on in my room nor am I surprised that Ji-Hoo is sitting waiting for me.

"That was fast. Woo Bin must know this city pretty well." I say.

"Why did you come?"

"Hello Ji-Hoo. Nice to see you too." I say sarcastically. You could at least say 'Hi' first before jumping down my throat. "Isn't it obvious? I came to keep Jun Pyo from finding you out. Don't worry. We are leaving first thing in the morning so we won't be in your way."

"What did the Senator say to you?"

"He asked me out for drinks. I refused of course. I told him I'm tired and have an early flight tomorrow. You shouldn't be here. If they see you-"

"I don't care about that shit!" He hisses. "I hate that he touched you! He has no right!"

"Ji-Hoo… You can't seriously be jealous of that guy." I say as I move to stand in front of him.

"Ani, I'm not jealous. I'm just really angry that the person I love the most in this world was touched by that piece of shit and I didn't stop him." He stands up, slides his arms around my waist, and leans his forehead against mine. He only cusses when he is really upset and he is so angry that he's shaking. I loop my arms around his neck and feel him take a deep, steadying breath.

"Ji-Hoo-ah… The Senator is a slime ball and I don't like him touching me anymore than you do but he didn't do anything to me. If he tried anything, I would have kicked his ass. I don't care if he's a Senator or not."

"…There is something seriously not right with that guy. I don't want you anywhere near him."

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning, remember? I won't see him again. You should go. I don't want Jun Pyo or any of his bodyguards seeing you."

"Ani. I'm staying."

"Ji-Hoo…"

"Go shower and get some sleep. I'll stay up and watch over you." He kisses me on the forehead and turns away to take his tuxedo jacket off. I watch him in concern. He is seriously rattled and not just because the Senator touched me. It's more than that. Ji-Hoo has amazing instincts. The fact that he is uneasy scares me.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I don't know. I just don't trust him." he says as he looks at me. "I'll feel better when you are on that plane and as far away from him as possible."

(^_^)

BILL'S POV:

The woman beneath me is boring. Her mouth is taped shut thank god. This one likes to scream a lot and even though it is usually a turn on, I'm not in the mood for it. In fact nothing about her is turning me on tonight. I should have insisted on taking Saia out for a drink with me. I could have killed two birds with one stone, made Su-Jeong's daughter disappear and added her to my collection.

I get up and move to the next girl but I have no interest in her either. Looking around at the five women tied to their beds, I realize that I am not happy. They are not satisfying me. They are not the one that I want. I can't get my limp dick up thanks to these lack-luster bitches.

"Do you know why I picked you girls? I picked you because I wanted you! A Senator wanted to make you a part of his collection! Yet none of you are satisfying me tonight! WHY? You should feel honored that I pay attention to you! You should want to do everything you can to make me happy because if I am happy then you are rewarded! Or did you forget that?" Three of the girls cry and shake their heads. The other two just lay there with a dead look in their eyes. It's almost time to replace those two.

Angry and dissatisfied, I stomp out and lock the door tightly behind me. They will stay strapped to their beds tonight as punishment.

Yanking out my cell phone, I call my assistant. "Where is Saia Caelum staying?"

"She's at the new ShinHwa hotel sir. She's being carefully watched by her bodyguard. You won't be able to see-" Hanging up on him I get in my car and drive there. She will see me. No woman refuses me.

I flash a smile at the girl at the front desk as she politely greets me. "Can you please call Miss Saia Caelum and tell her that Senator White is here to speak with her."

"Yes sir." She calls the room and then turns to me. "I'm sorry sir but she is unavailable at the moment."

"…Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry sir. Maybe it's the late hour but-"

"May I ask what room number she is staying in?" I ask trying to keep patient.

"I'm sorry sir but Mr. Gu has instructed us to not give out that information to anyone."

"Then could you please call again and let me speak to her?"

"Yes sir." She dials the number and hands me the phone. As soon as it picks up, I smile.

"Miss Caleum, I know it's late but since you are leaving tomorrow it would be a shame to miss out on that drink and your lovely company for an hour or two. It'll be my treat. What do you say?" To my surprise, there's a long pause before a deep, calm male voice responds.

"…She isn't going anywhere with you, you sick son-of-a-bitch. Stay away from her." The line goes dead and I stare at the phone in irritation.

That fucking blows… My plans for tonight are ruined.

A/N: I know that Boo Ki and Woo Bin weren't in this chapter too much but there's a reason for that. They will be from now on. ^_^