Farrah stood in front of the coffee pot finishing a bottle of water as she waited for that all important morning brew. She woke up with only a slight headache from the overindulgence in whiskey. The heartache, however, was another matter entirely and lingered with a far more painful and hard to ignore way.
She never anticipated running into Enji Todoroki again. There are hundreds of thousands of heroes in this country, and she had the terrible luck of coming face to face with a piece of her past. She had no idea seeing him again would hurt so damn badly. She was sure she had gotten over him years ago, but she was wrong. The heartache was just as intense as it had been when he broke the news of his impending engagement to her.
After pouring herself a cup of coffee, foregoing the cream and sugar, Farrah walked out onto the balcony. Closing her eyes to shield them from the blazing midday sun, she raised her face to the sky. The late summer heat penetrated her skin while the high humidity made the warmth cling to her like a heavy blanket. But it felt good. It reminded her of the way Enji's body heat soaked into her skin last night.
"Ugh," she groaned, opening her eyes and taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm such a dumbass."
Going to the outdoor table with the glass inlayed top, she carefully sat down her cup. The sun prickled along her skin through the sheer silk robe she was wearing. Sweat beaded above her upper lip and across her forehead.
"Damn, it's hot," she muttered, wishing she could just be naked.
Why not? Farrah had sunbathed almost nude, wearing only a bikini bottom, on beaches all over the world designated for the purpose. What would be the harm of doing it here?
Looking around her, she was fifteen stories up, on the highest floor of the tallest building in the area. Not accounting for the random voyeur with binoculars, she would be safe to take off her robe and enjoy the sun au naturel.
Slipping off the white silk robe, she lay it over the back of the chair she had sat in last night. True her to traditional sunbathing attire, she left on her lacey lavender bikini underwear and lay down on the padded outdoor couch. Putting one arm under her head and the other over her eyes to hide them from the sun, she stretched out her legs to allow the sun to warm her all over.
Her mind wandered down memory lane, dredging up the recollection of the first time she actually spoke to Enji Todoroki.
Farrah was sitting under a tree reading like she always did. Like in a game of tag, that tree was her safe place. During breaks and lunch, she would always go there to hide in the shade as if it made her invisible to all of the other students who ignored her anyway.
A shadow, darker and more encompassing than that of the shade imparted by the tree covered her, making her look up to see if an eclipse was happening. She could not recall reading about one.
Standing above her was the boy who sat in front of her in class with the fire red hair and broad shoulders. He was so high and wide, even when sitting, she had lean out the side of her desk, almost falling out of her chair, to see the blackboard. He always smelled like some sort of incense, like charred wood and burnt matches, which actually was not an entirely unpleasant scent.
"Hello," he greeted her in heavily accented English.
His deep godlike voice stole her breath. She had heard him speak in class but never before had he spoken directly to her.
Farrah closed one eye to block out the dazzling rays of sunlight peeking through the leaves that trembled in the breeze. She could feel herself trembling as the massive hero in training squatted down in front of her as if to allow her to see him better.
His skin was like flawless porcelain but a light peach tone covered but a fine coating fuzz signaling of the beginnings of facial hair. He had a pointed chin. His cheeks were still rounded with youthfulness to soften the squareness of his jaw. His eyes...oh god those beautiful teal irises that almost glowed - studied her face carefully, curiously.
"K-kon'nich-chiwa," she stuttered nervously in stilted Japanese, shaking like the leaves above her.
"Good," he said, his thin lips spreading into a smile to soften the severe expression that could be mistaken for anger. "What else can you say in Japanese? I know you have had to learn a few things in the last few weeks."
And that was the beginning of their relationship. It started off innocently enough. Enji would meet her under the tree during breaks and lunch, tutoring her in Japanese while she in turn taught him English.
Their tutoring sessions eventually included after school at her house and other school subjects. They started studying at the kitchen table. Then they moved to a more comfortable place at the low table in the living room.
Eventually, with her father working long hours and not getting home until late at night after she was asleep, their lessons went to her bedroom and changed to a self-directed education in anatomy and biology. The Joys of Sex 101. They even got their hands on a copy of Kama Sutra and gave it a try.
Farrah could feel a fine sheen of sweat over her entire body. It was awfully damn hot out here.
She adored her books over people. Her books had always been her friends. They were there when she needed them. They never betrayed her or let her down. They never broke her heart. With them she could escape to different worlds and become someone else entirely.
Perhaps that is why she had left the private security business to become something of a corporate spy and sometime assassin. She turned against the men who had been her father's colleagues, choosing to hunt them down at the behest of the highest bidder. Shameful? Maybe. Cathartic? Definitely.
Farrah has not told the whole truth to him when Keigo Takami asked her if she was here for revenge in a roundabout, poetic manner. She was here for vengeance all right - just not against Enji Todoroki. He had not been a thought in her head until he landed in front of her. Going after the men who had led her father down a blood stained, sketchy path of dubious business deals that eventually led to his death was her reason for being here.
She was the one who killed the Elder Kanahara, then murdered his son and his greatest adversary. As far as she was concerned, she was providing a public service while keeping many citizens, police officers, and heroes alive and unharmed. Her client requested she stay for few days on his dime in case another opportunity should present itself. Hanging out here for a while in this opulent deluxe suite did not seem like such a terrible way to sit tight and wait for a possible assignment.
A refreshing breeze suddenly whipped up from nowhere, cooling the sweat on her body. Farrah sighed in relief. The wind felt good.
Then someone cleared their throat.
Not one to panic despite her heart almost leaping out of her chest after being startled by the unexpected sound of a visitor, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. The blonde from last night leaned casually against the banister as if she had invited him to be there.
He was wearing his official hero uniform of a tan jacket edged in white fur and loose tan pants along with boots and gloves. The visor was on as well as the headphones. Her eyes traced the gold pattern on the front of the black shirt peeking through his jacket.
"I don't recall needing the assistance of a hero," she said, pulling her knees up to hug them to her chest to hide her bare breasts.
"I think there's been a robbery, ma'am," he begged to differ with a cocky smirk on his face. "It seems someone has stolen your clothes."
Hawks picked up her robe and tossed it to her. Turning his back, he allowed her a modicum of privacy to pull on the flimsy silk fabric to cover herself.
"What are you doing here?" Farrah asked, sitting back down on the sofa. She picked up her cup to drink the coffee still lukewarm from sitting in the hot sun.
"I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by to say hello," he remarked glibly keeping an outwardly blasé attitude toward catching her sunbathing nearly naked.
"Don't you have some criminals to catch? Or some old ladies to help across a street? Or somewhere, anywhere, but here that you need to be?" she asked, standing up to take her empty cup inside for a refill.
"Actually, for the most part, being a hero is very boring. Not much happens," he informed her, following her into the suite despite being not officially invited. She left the door open behind her like last night so he took that as his assumed invitation. "It's not all crime all the time and there are heroes who are more suited to walking old ladies across streets. We call them boy scouts."
This made her laugh out loud without meaning to. Farrah tried to stifle her braying donkey laugh but only managed to dampen it into a far more embarrassing pig snort. This made Hawks laugh uproariously especially when her face turned such a dark shade of crimson in humiliation it bordered on purple.
"Would like something, Hawks?" she asked, opening the refrigerator to cool her face and grab a bottle of water.
She held the cold bottle against her face burning in embarrassment. She took out another bottle to hand to him, although he had not actually asked for a drink. He took the bottle from her and immediately twisted off the top to drain the contents.
"Thanks," he panted after drinking the entire bottle.
"You're welcome. So why are you really here?" she asked, taking the cap off her bottle to drink it.
"I could ask you the same thing," he rejoined quickly, his eyes catching hers.
"You already did last night," she reminded him, giving him a self-assured lopsided smirk.
"You weren't truthful with me."
"I don't owe you truth."
"I suppose that's fair," he acquiesced, taking off his jacket.
"I don't recall inviting you to stay," she said pointedly, coming around the counter to stand in front of him.
"You didn't," he admitted, standing bold as brass in front of her without moving.
They were the same exact height. His golden eyes stared directly into hers as she stood almost nose to nose with him. Their over all body size was very similar. Her defined curves and thick thighs set her apart from his much narrower hips and extremely compact but brawny arms revealed by the sleeveless black shirt stretched over his prominent pectoral muscles. The black lycra fabric decorated with a shiny gold pattern adhered to every line of his washboard abs.
"What do you want from me?" Farrah asked, growing impatient with the staring contest.
"I'm not sure," he stated truthfully.
He lifted his gloved hand, placing it along her jaw. The leather was soft, warm from his body heat. His thumb rested on her chin. He did not grab hold of her like Enji did at the bar. His touch was gentle. His eyes were inquisitive as they tracked back and forth as if reading her face and trying to read her thoughts.
Her eyes broke free from his, lowering to examine the three lines of stubble on his chin as if the overgrowth had been purposely manicured to grow that way.
"You're an extremely unusual person," she stated, her voice barely above a whisper.
"So are you," he returned his breath tickling her lips. "You have a way with words. I've never been called weird in such a nice way."
"Thanks. It's a talent," she rejoined in true smart aleck fashion.
"I could like you," he said breathlessly. "But I don't think I should."
Farrah would swear his lips moved closer to hers. Her lips prickled with excitement the way the sun had made her skin sting with its heat.
"Hawks, are you trying to seduce me?" she asked, her lips brushing across his ever so slightly.
His hand slid from her jaw, down her neck, to rest on her shoulder. "Maybe."
"Mmmm, sweet angel you are a devil in disguise and a tempting one at that," she said, her voice a low, hypnotic hum.
She took a step back from him to distance herself before she closed that miniscule gap between them and kissed him.
"You said it yourself, I'm dangerous." She jerked her chin toward the door. "So you should go. If you know what's good for you, you will stay away from me."
Hawks gave her an arrogant, self-assured grin as he reached for his jacket. Slipping it on, he walked to the door. Before leaving he turned back to look at her. He winked and saluted her.
"I'll see you later. Lucky for you, I don't always care about what's good for me."
Farrah stood transfixed in the kitchen, observing him through the gossamer curtains covering the floor to ceiling windows looking out on the balcony. He effortlessly hopped onto the banister like a bird jumping onto a perch. His gorgeous scarlet wings extended as he prepared to fly away. With a push of his legs and flap of his wings he was gone.
"Oh, dammit!" she screamed in frustration as the gust of wind created by his seemingly jet propelled take off billowed out the wispy white curtains into the sitting area. "Idiot kid."