"Not quite. My boss expects me to have this assignment completed within three days. I'm sure jet lag will hit me before I know it, so I need to get it done while I have the energy."
"I don't know why you're fighting it. You may as well go ahead and quit," he said, turning back to his own preparations.
"I don't want to quit. I like my job. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment," she said. "I just need to learn how to juggle everything. I'll get there."
"We'll see," he said, shooting her a skeptical glance. "In a few weeks, we're going to India."
"India?" she echoed. "How in the world can I get off for two major trips within such a short time?"
"Exactly. Quit and I'll triple your salary," he said with a grin.
Not amused, Calista frowned. "It's not that easy."
"What's so difficult? I can cover all your expenses and more."
She hesitated a long moment. "I have some responsibilities with my sisters."
"I thought your cousin covered their expenses."
"They do as much as they can, but Tami has asthma and college is roaring toward us like a freight train."
"So tell my accountant what you need and he'll write a check. Money should be the last thing you're worried about. Instead, I'd rather you be prepared to meet my business associate and his family. My assistant completed a report for you," he said and handed a folder to her.
She lifted her eyebrows. "A report? I've been schooled in proper etiquette for at least a dozen countries."
"I know you have. One of your many valuable qualities," he said. "What you need to know is that you're not only meeting Mr. Kihoto and his wife, you may also meet his mistress, Shonana," he said.
"Mistress?" she echoed. "Surely he wouldn't flaunt that relationship with business associates."
"It depends on whether we go out to a nightclub," Leo said.
Indignant, she flipped through the report. "How am I supposed to pretend to his poor wife that her husband isn't a cheating jerk? Look, they have children," she said, pointing to the report, clearly appalled. "She's probably trapped in this marriage with an ogre."
Amused by her reaction, he bit back a smile. "I'm sure she knows and accepts it," Leo said. "It's not unusual for a wealthy man to have a mistress."
She pressed her lips together in disapproval. "What's your opinion of it?" she asked.
"What he does in his personal life isn't my business," Leo said. "I just want to get the contract."
Silence followed and he glanced at her, finding her gazing at him thoughtfully. "Yes?" he asked.
"What is your opinion of taking a mistress for yourself?" she asked.
He laughed. "I have a beautiful, passionate wife. Why would I need a mistress?" he asked. "You're not worried, are you?"
She lifted her chin. "Of course not," she said and returned her attention to her report.
He noticed she fanned through the pages very quickly and wondered if she was truly taking in all the information. She set down the report and returned her focus to her laptop.
"What is Mr. Kihoto's age?" he asked.
"Fifty-three," she said without looking up from her screen.
"His wife?"
"Forty-five," she said.
"How long has he been CEO?"
"Twelve years. They have two children. A son and daughter. The son is oldest. He works for his father's company. He's married with a mistress too," she said, narrowing her eyes in disapproval. "His daughter is studying to be a doctor. No husband. No wonder," she muttered.
"Why do you say no wonder?" he asked, curious.
"With a father and brother who rule the roost and run around, she probably would run screaming from marriage," Calista said. "Take control of your own life instead of giving it to a man."
Surprised by her reaction, he studied her carefully. "Is that why you don't want to quit your job?"
She hesitated a half beat, looking cornered and caught before she regained her composure. "From a personal standpoint, I gain satisfaction and confidence from completing my assignments with my job. Bringing that confidence into my relationship with you is a good thing. Plus, it's not as if we have children-"
Leo's stomach twisted at the mention of children. "And we won't have them, at least not for a long time, if at all."
She nodded. "I agree." She gave the report a little shake and shot him a considering glance. "It occurs to me that I know more about Mr. Kihoto, in some ways, than I know about you."
"Hmm. Really?"
"Well, aside from what happened before you were hatched at sixteen," she said.
"Life inside the egg was pretty boring," he said.
"I'm sure. But I know Mr. Kihoto's favorite food, favorite drink, favorite movie, and I don't know yours."
"Favorite food, lasagna. I had it a long time ago and I keep trying to find a restaurant that replicates the taste, but I haven't," he said. "Scotch or beer to drink, depending on my mood. Favorite movie, a tie between Transporter and The Shawshank Redemption."
She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "What did you like about Shawshank?"
"They were trapped, imprisoned, some were innocent. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins had to find their way to freedom," he said, thinking back to the days before he took his freedom into his own hands. It had required careful planning. He'd had to stick to his plan even when he was sweating with terror.
"You ever felt trapped?" she asked.
She had no idea. "Well, life inside an egg is bound to get claustrophobic," he said with a wry grin, pushing aside his darker memories. He was determined to leave his past in the past.
She nodded. "I guess we all have, at some point," she said and looked away.
He watched her, seeing another glimpse of the struggle between desperation and confidence. "When did you feel trapped?"
She bit her lip. "Mostly teenage years. A few times since then."
After her father's debacle, he realized. He wondered how much she knew about it. "What made you feel that way?"
"Family things," she said. "My father died and then my mother. My world turned upside down."
"You don't talk about your parents much," he said.
"Just as you don't discuss your time in the egg," she said, pushing back, clearly closing the door in his face. He didn't know why that bothered him, but it did.
"And now?"
"Now I try to depend on myself for my security," she said.
"Ah," he said, feeling another dig in his gut. He didn't like it that she didn't feel she could count on him, but he also understood it. Even though they were married, they didn't know each other very well. "Your job makes you feel more secure. In that case, keep it. Just negotiate more time away from the office."
She let out a sigh of relief, but he could swear she didn't want him to see it. One second later, her face brightened with a smile. "Favorite board game?" she asked.
"I haven't played board games in years," he said.
"Think back," she said.
He shook his head and strained his memory. "I don't remember much about it. This game had aircraft carriers and submarines and there was a grid and you had to guess the location of your opponent's ships-"
"Battleship," she said with a triumphant smile. "Bet you loved it."
"And what about you?" he asked. "What was your favorite?"
"In my younger years, it was Candy Land and Hungry Hippos," she said.
An image shot through his mind of Calista as a little blond-haired girl playing games. "And now that you're in your ancient mid-twenties?"
"Wii," she said. "I bought it for my sisters and occasionally whip their butts at bowling. I could probably whip your butt, too."
"Is that a challenge?" he asked.
"I'm sure you're too busy dominating the shipping business to play games," she said in a silky smooth voice, but the dare was still in her eyes.
"I might make an exception," he said and sent a text message to his assistant to purchase a Wii. "So what are the stakes for the winner and loser in your Wii bowling?"
She shot him a blank look and shrugged. "Bragging rights?"
He scoffed. "There's got to be more at stake than that," he said. "What's the use of playing?"
She laughed and shook her head. "For fun."
Five
The first thing that struck Calista as Leo's plane landed in Tokyo was the density. There were so many tall buildings tightly packed together. "They're so close," she murmured, looking out the window. She'd been so focused on her work that she hadn't had much time to think about exploring Tokyo while she was here.