Chapter 12

The Monday actually flew by. When I left the house in the morning, there was a letter from Diamond at my doorstep. Luckily, Seiya didn't have to leave before me today. He spent the morning packing his things. On the way to work, I opened the letter. It contained only a few lines in which he apologized, followed by the names of artists who were at the exhibition, along with their contact information. Diamond had spoken to the artists after I left and recommended me to them. I was supposed to get in touch with them. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The rest of Monday went by really smoothly, both at work and at home. Seiya and I enjoyed our last evening together. I snuggled up to him. Tomorrow morning, he would be leaving again.

"Do you know when you'll be back?" I asked softly, running my finger along his six-pack.

"I think Taiki said 10 days, then we'll be back in Tokyo for 2 days before going to China for 4 weeks." That meant I would have 10 days for myself and my problems starting tomorrow. But the thought of a large shared apartment with Seiya had already settled in my mind.

"Should we look at some apartments when you're back?" I asked shyly, and within seconds, Seiya beamed at me.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes, I've been thinking about it all day. It was nice yesterday with Minako and Yaten, but if Taiki and Amy also join us, we'll have space issues. However, I can hardly afford anything bigger. Tokyo has become damn expensive."

I felt his chest rise as he started laughing. "Darling, you know who you're with, right? Let the costs be my concern. After all, you've put up with me here so far." There they were again, his little star tendencies that also made me smile.

The next morning, the bed was already empty when my alarm went off. Seiya was gone. 10 days. I pulled the box out from under the bed and took his sweaters in my hand. They definitely smelled like him. Why should I bother putting everything away now? Minako knew, Motoki never came over anyway, he always waited for people to come to him, Diamond had never set foot in my apartment, and it would still be 4 weeks until Mamoru came back. I took in his scent once more and placed the stack back in the closet. There was a notepad on the small kitchen table.

Hey darling, I didn't want to wake you up. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to the fact that you agreed to the apartment. I will hire a real estate agent who will send you a selection in the next few days. I'm counting the hours until I'm back with you. I love you, Seiya

Seiya's little message brought a smile to my face. I just hope that agreeing to the apartment wasn't a mistake. Damn, my gaze fell on the kitchen clock. I wasted so much time, I'm almost late for work. I rotated through my apartment like a tornado and rushed out at record speed.

Thank goodness, Mr. Sato isn't here yet. I glanced at the colorful calendar, there was nothing big scheduled for today. Just two purchases and a few consultations. I had already prepared the folders for today flawlessly yesterday. That gave me time now to enter my personal appointments.

I opened Mamoru's message. He's arriving on the evening of October 17th. That's exactly 4 weeks from now. I marked that date in red.

Seiya is coming over the weekend on September 29th, then again from October 1st, another.

I marked these dates in blue. That meant I had 12 days for myself and Mamoru. 12 days to figure out what I still felt for him after such a long time apart.

But what about Diamond? As long as I didn't see him, everything was fine, but I still needed to talk to him once more. Yes, he was very cold-hearted, but he had told me that I mattered to him. That was almost like a declaration of love coming from him. Besides, I still had questions about the situation with his brother. Did Saphir really have it out for me? How real was the threat he posed?

Please contact me when you're in Tokyo. We need to talk. I wrote to Diamond, repeating the message to myself over and over. It actually took only a few seconds for him to respond.

The driver will pick you up after work.

That was typical Diamond. I decided to leave it at that and not reply anymore. He was probably sending the driver already so that I wouldn't have to wait.

I finished work an hour early, and as I had expected, the familiar car was already waiting outside. I observed through the window as we drove off. Within a few minutes, I was sure that the driver was taking us to his apartment. I noticed that I was getting somewhat nervous as the driver stopped because we had reached our destination. Slowly, I walked towards the elevator.

When I arrived upstairs, Diamond was already waiting for me, and instantly, my heartbeat accelerated. How could I make my body stop reacting this way to him?

"Usagi, it's nice that you reached out," he greeted me, already taking off my coat. "Yeah, um... we need to talk again." His eyes searched mine, but I couldn't quite interpret his gaze. He extended his arm invitingly and gestured towards the living room. The fireplace was lit, and there was a bottle of wine on the table. It was a bit chilly outside, and the warmth welcomed me pleasantly. We sat down on his sofa, and he skillfully opened the bottle of wine. Then he handed me a glass, turned slightly towards me, and leaned on the armrest with his elbow.

"What do you want to talk about, Usagi?" he asked, and a shiver ran through my body as he took hold of my hand. I pulled my hand back slightly. Otherwise, I would surely end this conversation right away and tear his clothes off.

"Do you really believe that Saphir wants to kill me?"

Diamond let out a heavy sigh, and for the first time, I saw perplexity in his face.

"I'm not sure, but it's possible, quite possible indeed. I managed to arrange for him to stay in South America for a few weeks through indirect means. Hopefully, we'll have some peace during that time. But he won't stay there forever. Usagi, I don't want anything to happen to you." His features were tense and serious.

"Would he leave me alone if we ended it?" My voice trembled involuntarily with that question. In my mind, the decision to end the relationship or whatever this was between us had long been made, but my body clearly wasn't ready to let him go.

Diamond jumped up and switched back into his predator mode. Restlessly, he paced back and forth in front of me.

"I don't know. But do you want that?" he asked me after pacing back and forth for a while. Then he leaned against the wall opposite me and crossed his arms over his chest. He gave me that typical bad boy grin, which automatically activated my pleasure center.

My mind internally screamed that now would be the right time to end things, but instead, my body stood up and walked straight towards him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and gently ran it down his arm. I don't know how, but I actually managed to hold his gaze. I felt like I was on autopilot, but then my mind finally took control again. "It doesn't have to be forever... Maybe just until we know exactly what he's planning... and... and then we'll see," I said, albeit vaguely packaged, but I had spoken it out loud. That was at least a step in the hopefully right direction. He grasped my chin with his thumb and index finger and tilted it slightly upward. I felt his breath on my neck.

"But not until tomorrow. Tonight belongs to us," he whispered lustfully, and immediately, my lower body twitched. He gave me a short, assertive kiss before swiftly lifting me up by my thighs and carrying me to his bedroom, without breaking our connection. On the short journey, I could already feel his erection clearly. Then he let me fall onto his bed. Apparently, he was annoyed that I was wearing pants today because a few moments later, he freed me from them.

He made every effort to give me an unforgettable evening. Gasping, I sank back into the pillows.

"I will miss our encounters," he also said breathlessly, lying down beside me. I gently ran my fingers along his six-pack and nestled my head in the crook of his arm. "Like I said, it doesn't have to be forever..." I could barely finish speaking before he leaned over me again. Completely captivated in the moment, I surrendered myself to him. Then a loud knock suddenly made us pause. Diamond realized that I was on the verge of another climax and firmly covered my mouth with his hand.

"Sir, I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but it's extremely important!" his assistant's voice came through the heavy wooden door. I nibbled on his finger gently. "Not now, Massaru!" Diamond gasped back.

"Yes, sir. Unfortunately, it cannot be delayed. Your father is expecting you immediately at his estate."

Clearly annoyed, Diamond withdrew from me. "I'm sorry," he whispered in my ear and gave me another kiss on the lips.

"Give me five minutes and arrange a driver for Ms. Tsukino!" he now panted louder towards the door.

"The driver is already waiting downstairs."

I hastily gathered my things. I didn't know what was happening here, but something seemed to be going on. Diamond buttoned up the last buttons of his shirt and cast a concerned glance at me.

"I'll contact you. Go home and stay there until I know what's going on."

He gave me a fleeting kiss on the lips and hurried out.