Mercedes smiled and went about placing her order. Takashi did the same with his own device.
Mercedes took a sip of her water. “So, how did your family react when they found out you were flying home for a few days?”
Takashi shrugged. “Thanks to Mia, they weren’t all that surprised. She interpreted something I said Wednesday as me definitely coming home this weekend, so she, of course, blabbed to my mother.”
Mercedes laughed. “Your sister is adorable.”
He took a sip of his soda. “When she wants to be. Sometimes she’s a pain, but I’ve come to expect it, being the oldest of three.”
“I can only imagine what that’s like.”
Takashi snorted. “Sometimes I envy you, trust me.”
Mercedes laughed. Besides the fact that she didn’t have anyone to talk to, she didn’t mind being an only child. No fighting over toys and where to go for dinner. Never having to watch her parents try to split gifts evenly. Having her parents’ love all to herself. Yeah, I’m that selfish.
“How did that interview pan out?” Takashi asked, taking another sip of his drink.
She shook her head. “My dad is still thinking about it. He usually takes a while to make decisions. A few others, and I think he’s waiting for me to offer my services for the spot.”
Takashi brow rose. “You paint?”
Mercedes rocked her head back and forth. “Hobby painter. I’m not near close enough to do some of this work for clients.”
Takashi pursed his lips. “Do you have any pictures of your work?”
Mercedes pulled out her phone and scrolled through her files. She suspected she did, but wasn’t sure. She ended up finding two. “Here we go. These were just on some scrap metal.”
She handed him the phone and he looked at the rose garden with stylized flames first and then the attempt at a dragon she made. “I’m not so great at creatures yet, but I’m not too bad at inanimate objects.”
“These are fantastic.” He looked at her. “Really, they are. And yeah, the dragon could use some work, but you show a talent not many have, so I’m sure it’d only be a matter of time before you perfected it.”
Heat spread through Mercedes’ face, and she sucked down some water to hide her embarrassment. “Um, how’s the situation with your business coming?”
Takashi sighed and passed the phone back to her. “No real change. I’m still able to do business, for now, but as far as I know, they haven’t figured out who hacked my account.”
Mercedes frowned. “That’s so strange. I can’t possibly figure out who would want to do that to you.”
Takashi shrugged. “I’m pretty sure it’s just a random attack. Some loser looking to test his skills and see if he can get away with it. I just happened to be the unlucky victim.”
Mercedes wasn’t convinced. It was too coincidental, but at the same time, she couldn’t think of anyone he could have pissed off.
A staff member approached their table with the meals the two ordered. Mercedes went to dig into her large sushi order, but Takashi stole a piece. “Hey!”
He chuckled and then gave her a piece of his meal. “Nothing wrong with sharing.”
She pursed her lips and then popped a sushi piece into her mouth. Takashi half-smiled, sending a flutter of butterflies through her stomach before eating. The two ate, keeping up the casual conversation.
“So, when the GMs fixed your business, did your funds get all figured out too?”
“Oh yeah. We’re all good. Means I’ll be going to the seminar, like I’d planned.”
“Where is the seminar?”
“L.A.”
Her brow furrowed with thought. “When will you be back for that?”
“The end of next week. It’s just a three-day seminar.”
She crunched her nose. “You’re coming back this way for just three days?”
Takashi laughed. “Well, I thought I’d stick around for a week or two to visit with friends and family, too.”
“Why not stay here for the rest of this week then, too?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. His face twisted and he thought about her point, and she giggled. She thought his in-game character looked adorable when confused, but his real self blew that out of the water.
“I guess I was so wrapped up in this surprise visit, I didn’t think about that. I do have a meeting with a few sponsors, but I could have rescheduled if needed. Oh well—too late, now that I’ve booked the tickets.”
Mercedes shook her head. Men. Then a thought came to her. “Hey, how do you manage to stay away from your business so long and not worry?”
Takashi ate a roll. “Well, usually I plan far enough in advance that I get my funds right for me to be MIA. If I can’t, or if something comes up unexpectedly, I can use an NPC function to do my auctions for me. It requires a bit of special prompting from me to set up, but overall it does quite well.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Are you thinking of getting into the online business?” He smirked. “No cars, but I’m sure you’d be good at it.”
Mercedes laughed. “I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing now, thank you.”
“Fine, suit yourself. But if you’re looking for a business partner, I wouldn’t say no.”
A demure smile spread across Mercedes’ lips and she took gulp of water. She didn’t hate the idea of going into business with him. Though working so close to him all the time, may not be so great for my concentration.
“Okay, enough about work. Did you see the new class changes coming in the next expansion?”
Mercedes ate some more and smiled. “Yep. I’m excited for the ranger changes. From what I can tell, my pets will be more useful. I’m also excited they’re considering feedback for allowing us to have more than one finally.”
Takashi rubbed his chin. “I wonder how that’d work.”
“Well, I honestly can’t see it any different than how I do it now with one pet.”
“To be fair, I’ve never played a ranger class, so I wouldn’t know the first thing about it.”
Mercedes couldn’t help the smirk spreading across her face. “I could always teach you.”
Takashi chuckled. “Well, I do still have to teach you how to play a sorcerer correctly.”
Mercedes hid her face in her hand. She had leveled a sorcerer for a bit, but she sucked at understanding how the class worked, resulting in her abandoning it. “Yeah, that’s true.”
A grin appeared on his lips. “We could always work on both at the same time. Some one-on-one time isn’t a bad idea, right?”
One-on-one time? Did he mean—She shook the thought from her head. Of course he didn’t. “I think we can figure something out.”
He ate some of his food, his necklace catching her eye again, as it had earlier. I wonder. “Hey, is that the necklace you got from your grandmother?”
Takashi touched the necklace and then smiled. “Yeah. I rarely take it off.”
A warm smile spread across her face. He’d told her she’d given it to him shortly before she’d passed away. Takashi said it was special to her, and mentioned how happy he was to have received it from her.
“You don’t think that’s weird, do you?”
She shook her head. “Far from it. I think it’s great. I know how close you two were. I’m sad I never got to meet her. She seemed like such a nice woman.”
His face lit up and he gave her a piece of his sushi. Her brow furrowed as she tilted her head, but he didn’t explain himself.
Conversation continued, topics staying light and getting them both laughing. As they talked, the white rose stuck in her peripheral. Could this be more than friends? They made great friends, no doubt about that, but she wasn’t sure if a relationsh
ip would work out between them. Friendships and romantic relationships were two different beasts. What would someone like him see in me anyway?
Mercedes’ phone buzzed, and she planned to ignore it, until she realized it was a phone call and not a text. The girls knew she had this lunch meeting, so they wouldn’t be calling. Taking a look, the ID said “Shop.” Oh boy.
She looked at Takashi. “I have to take this, sorry.” He nodded and she answered. “Sup?”
“Hey, it’s Mike,” came the reply. Mike was one of the younger kids working at the shop—still in high school, wanting experience in a niche field. “Do you know where Mr. Taeko’s paper files are stored?”
Her blood ran cold. “Why? What’s wrong with the computer files?”
“Um… Adrian’s girlfriend brought coffee for everyone, and…”
Mercedes’ blood boiled. “Do not tell me she was in the office again, when I’ve explicitly told all of you she’s not to be in there after the last two accidents she caused.”
Mike sighed. “We were all busy and assumed she’d listen when we told her to put the drinks down on the table outside the office. But Adrian was in the office, so she went in and… tripped. You can guess what happened next.”
Mercedes slammed her fist down on the table, making Takashi jump and a few of the wait staff look their way. She took a controlled breath so she wouldn’t yell at Mike. This wasn’t entirely his fault. Sure, someone should have made sure Adrian’s girlfriend would listen, but Adrian knew better than to allow her in that room. She’d caused him nothing but trouble since they got together, and now it was affecting the business.
“Get her out of the building.”
“Adrian escorted her out already.”
“Good. Make two phone calls. One to my dad, and one to a computer tech. Tell Adrian the two of us are going to have a talk. Don’t allow him to leave until I get there.” She took another breath. “As for the paper files, they’re locked up. Dad and I are the only ones with keys. I’m currently out to lunch with a friend, so try to see if you can get my dad down to get the files out for you until I get there.”
“Sure. If the tech can’t fix the computer…”
She chuckled. “I have backups at home. I did the backup two days ago, so we’ll only lose two days’ worth of data entries.”
“You’re a brilliant woman, Mercedes!”
Mercedes smirked. “Sucking up to your manager won’t get you any brownie points.”
Mike laughed. “I know, that’s why I’m not. I’m serious.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just go do what I said. And if Adrian leaves before I get there, I’ll punish you.”
“Careful, I might like it.” He hung up, leaving her to look at her phone, confused.
Takashi sputtered a laugh and she looked at him. “Sorry, that look was priceless. Care to share what’s wrong? I’ve never seen you so angry.”
Mercedes sighed. “One of my employees’ girlfriends ruined a computer. It’s the third piece of expensive equipment she’s ruined in the last six months, and that doesn’t include car parts she’s ruined.”
“Then we should pack up so that can be handled.”
She looked at him to find concern clear on his face. She smiled. “No. I need a bit of time to calm down, and I’m not bailing on you because of her.”
He pursed his lips and his brow furrowed. He then held up a finger. “Then how about this. We can still take our time, but if we’re not done eating in fifteen minutes, we’ll pack up.” Mercedes opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. “Instead of just lunch, we’ll hang out for the day. I’m interested to see your line of work and some of the projects you’re working on. You post about in on social media, but it’s a completely different experience in person.”
He smirked at her at the mention of a different experience in person. She tried not to think too deeply into it, but her mind was going a bit wild on her all of a sudden. She also liked the idea of spending more time with him today. You learned a lot about someone when you engaged in activities together. Her pulse skipped. Not like that, hormones. Simmer down.
She smiled. “You know, that’s a great idea. I don’t know what we’d do, but we’ll play it by ear. We could drop your bike off and use my car.”
Takashi picked up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks, a smirk on his face. “I could get us around on the bike if you want. Easier to get through traffic.”
Sit on the back of his bike, holding onto him? She did her best to keep her face from flushing when the image of her bent over his motorcycle came unbidden to her mind. “I think it’d be best to use the car. It’ll be easier for us to talk, and I don’t have a spare helmet.”
He thought about this for a moment and popped another sushi piece into his mouth. “Fair point.” He grinned at her again. “It’s a date, then.”
Fifteen minutes passed quicker than Takashi liked, but at least he didn’t have to say goodbye to Mercedes yet. He’d made a joke, calling today a date, but as the pair went about paying for their food, he wasn’t so sure he wanted it to be a joke.
Mercedes had the ordering device split out the checks, and he held up a finger to get her attention. “I can get your half.”
She looked at him, confused, and then swiped her credit card. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.”
He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t argue. It was best to let her do her thing for now. He’d get his chance at some point today.
The two of them left, and Tasha called for Mercedes’ car. Takashi had managed to snag a spot right up front, so he waited with her. He still felt the lingering disappointment when she declined the offer to hop on the back of his motorcycle, but she had some logical points.
The wind picked up and Mercedes did her best to keep her beautiful long hair from flying all over the place. When the sudden burst died down, she had a few hairs out of place. He couldn’t stop himself from tucking the silky strands behind her ear. Feels just like her in-game model.
Mercedes looked at him, his cheeks slightly red. He smiled, though he felt stupid for doing so. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“N–no, it’s okay.” She fussed with her hair some more, her teeth catching her bottom lip for a brief moment.
He swallowed, a wave of arousal hitting him. What would it be like to bite those lips of hers? Too fast, Takashi, too fast.
He couldn’t help it, though. The moment he’d seen her sitting at that booth, his insides melted. Her captivating blue eyes and pouty lips—the way her long hair draped over her shoulders and her tight clothes clung to her tall and slim, but perfectly proportioned frame—Takashi looked away and shoved his hands in his pockets, pinching his thigh. Where’s something cold when you need it?
The roar of an engine pulled his attention back and he watched, wide-eyed, as a white, 2011 Bugatti Veyron pulled up in front of them, the driver’s seat empty. Am I really seeing this?
“Thanks, Tasha,” Mercedes said.
“Anything for you, Miss Mercedes.”
Takashi pointed at the sports car. “Wait, this is your car?”
Mercedes looked at him with innocent blue eyes. “Uh, yeah. Haven’t you seen some of the photos on social media?”
“Well, yeah, I guess…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I just assumed it was a customer’s car.”
Mercedes’ eyes danced and then she sauntered over to the driver’s side, Takashi following. “Nope, it’s mine. I inherited it from my mom when she passed. She converted it from a non-driver long before I was born.” She chuckled, her eyes still sparkling. “She did it specifically to piss off my dad.”
Takashi laughed. “Why does that not surprise me?”
She smirked. “Because you know me, and I’d have done the same.”
She wasn’t wrong. That
’s exactly what he would have expected of her. He probably would have encouraged it, too. She and the rest of his family didn’t call him an instigator for nothing.
Takashi opened the door for her, receiving a grateful smile in response, and let her slip into the vehicle. “I’ll do my best not to lose you in the traffic.”
“Or you could give me your address.”
Right. That was a stupid thing to not think of.
“It’s okay, Miss Mercedes,” Tasha said from her car’s dash. “Ochi has shared the address on Mr. Takashi’s behalf and I’ve put it into the GPS.”
“Well, thank you, Ochi, that was kind of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Ochi responded from Takashi’s phone. “I figured Takashi would have forgotten, as he forgets to think when you’re around.”
“Ochi!” Takashi couldn’t stop himself from hollering. He couldn’t believe his assistant today. First the unauthorized wording in the text messages, and then this. Takashi was dealing with a mutiny here.
But instead of putting her off, Mercedes laughed. “You’re so funny, Ochi. I really like you.”
“Happy to be of service, Mercedes.”
“Miss Mercedes,” Tasha said. “I hate to interrupt, but you have another call from the shop coming in.”
“Oh boy. Let’s see if they still need me.”
Takashi pointed to his motorcycle. “I’ll be at my bike.”
He had done his best to hide the unease he still felt from Ochi’s outburst, but by the way Mercedes looked at him, he knew he hadn’t done a very good job. Takashi made a hasty retreat to his motorcycle, Ochi starting it up before he reached it.
When Takashi secured his helmet, Ochi spoke to him through it. “Takashi, are you all right? I sense unease in you.”
“No, Ochi, I’m not okay. That stunt you pulled was far from okay.”
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand. You’ve told me several times how much you care for Mercedes, and based on how you’ve been acting today, I thought you wanted her to know this.”
Takashi sighed and rested his hands on the handlebars. “This has to be done delicately, Ochi. This is the first time we’ve met in person, and I can’t be sure she sees me the same way. If I don’t do this right, I’ll lose her.”
Spellbinding His Ranger Page 6