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Jack

The moment I met her I forgot about everything else.

The proposed merger with the Colorado hotel group, the resorts we were looking to acquire around Aspen and the staff issue we’d been having at the Luxury Suites in Brayer.

After laying eyes on Kaya Lee, I could not unsee her and I didn’t want to.

I had been waiting for her for over a hundred years. It had gotten to the point where I was beginning to give up, to think it would never come my way. That I would never again meet anyone whose company I could stand for longer than a few hours.

I had noticed her arriving at the concert, of course.

I had been in a foul mood, not wanting to sit through a bunch of schoolchildren making a racket in aid of fundraising but I had promised the school principal I’d attend. As CEO of the Topaz Group, I had social responsibilities. Our business sponsored many of the school activities and I was supposedly a guest of honor.

It was important to be seen to be friendly and gracious, as warm as possible. My family has tried to be conciliatory and welcoming towards humans and, in return, we have had access to business dealings that many of our kind have not had.

It was important to nurture these relationships even if only for appearances.

I was tired that day though, fed-up with dealing with one business crisis after another.

Then I noticed her arriving. Dressed as though she was about to do some yard work, or cleaning, unlike the rest of the audience who had made some effort to dress up. She wore jeans and a work shirt with her hair scraped into a ponytail but the way she walked, graceful yet powerful, brought to mind a panther moving through the shadows and I was determined to meet her.

I had noticed her slipping out early on and followed her.

Our little interaction had been delicious, her aggressive, cold behavior was a huge turn-on. I could only imagine what she would be like in bed. I pictured her fighting me, trying to push me away. I was more turned on than I had been in years.

As she walked off, I motioned to my driver, Zoran, who was standing by.

“Who is that?”

“Do you mean Kaya?”

Kaya. What a wonderful name, I thought, it suited her beautifully.

“Details!” I demanded.

“That’s Kaya Lee,” said Zoran. “She works at an auto shop in town. Fixes cars.”

“That’s unusual for a woman, is it not?” I asked.

Zoran laughed. “She’s not your typical Hawston kind of woman,” he said.

No surprises there.

There was something very different about her, the fire and the energy she had shown in our interaction had sparked a kind of desire I could not and would not ignore.

“I want to know everything about Kaya Lee,” I said, watching her disappear into the crowd. “Where she lives, works, who she is with. Her family, her past. Everything.”

“Yes, sir.”

I could tell Zoran wanted to say something but held back.

“What is it?”

“She’s…uhm…different,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged and I impatiently pushed him for the truth. “Spit it out, man!”