by Taylor Dean
“Aberdeen.”
He stacks a few pots on a shelf. “We grew up a continent apart from each other. Yet we met in China. Interesting.”
Far and wide. I’ve searched far and wide to find him. He may not be Paul, but right now he seems perfect for me.
“Does this pot come clean?” I’ve been scrubbing it for two minutes and it still looks soiled.
“Let me help.” He stands behind me, his arms on either side of me, his hands moving slowly over mine in the midst of the warm sudsy water. With his hand over mine, we scrub together until the pot shines. We rinse it, dry it, and set it aside. Julian doesn’t break our sensual contact. Ever so slowly, he rinses my hands, caressing my skin with his own. Gently, he runs his fingers up and down my arms. He fills his cupped palm with water and runs the water over my arms until all the suds are washed away. Taking his time, he dries my arms and hands, then his own. Together, we rinse the sink and dry it.
Our task is finished. There’s nothing left to do.
Still, he stands behind me, his body against mine, his hands on my hands. I can feel his rapid heartbeat thumping against my back. Slowly, I turn my head to look up at him. We simply stare at each other for several heartbeats, as if gaining consent to do more.
Then Julian leans forward and touches his lips to mine, fitting our mouths together in perfect accord. The touch of his lips is light, almost feathery. He kisses me full on the mouth, then moves to my top lip, taking it between his own lips and teasing it softly and gently. He moves down to my bottom lip as if he doesn’t want to leave it out and does more of the same, until he finally presses our lips together in a deep and tender kiss. His kisses are uniquely Julian. I worried the stubble on his chin would be rough and uncomfortable. It’s not. It’s distinctly masculine and I love the unfamiliar feel.
When it’s over, he rests his forehead on mine. “Am I moving too fast?”
“No. That was . . . really nice.” If I can find my voice I’ll tell him it was incredible.
“For me too. You and I . . . we’re good together. Wanna do it again?”
His silky voice alone makes me melt. He turns me toward him and wraps his arms around me.
I close my eyes and whisper, “Yes.”
While I treasure his kiss, I’ll never forget the feeling of him gently washing my hands and arms. To date, it’s the most intimate moment of my life.
Chapter Nineteen
October
“I’M NOT STAYING long. I’m meeting up with Suyin tonight.” Hunter grins widely.
“I guess things are going well between you and your China girl.” I notice an odd mix of happiness and worry on Hunter’s face.
“Yeah.” His tone is upbeat, but his expression is anxiety ridden. He scoops up another forkful of mussels and noodles, but doesn’t take a bite.
“So what’s the problem?” Dakota asks, also noticing his concern.
I take a bite of my burger and realize it has a thick slice of melted cheddar cheese on it, something that is not offered on the menu. I remind myself to tell Julian he’s my most favorite person in the entire world. I seek him out amidst the craziness of the kitchen and find him looking at me. He winks, smiles, and waves and I return the favor.
My stomach tightens as a thrill washes through my body. The memory of last night’s kisses are still fresh in my mind. I can’t wait to spend more time with him this evening. And experience more Julian kisses.
“It’s not really a problem. She just wants me to do things with my life that I’m not sure I want to do.” Hunter pushes his food around on his plate as if he’s lost his appetite. Rare for him.
I focus on Hunter. “Like what?”
“Well, because of the positive articles I’ve written about China, I impressed her boss at the publishing house. When I met with him he encouraged me to join the CIA. He said they need more officials in the American government who will share positive things about China. He said he has people who can help me study for the Civil Service exam. And with their help, I’d be guaranteed to do very well. They’ll even help me with the application process. They know what to write to help me get noticed and land an interview. He thinks I can provide a great service to China and I see why that could be a good thing. It’s just not really what I want to do with my life, you know? It’s not the kind of work I would enjoy.”
“Did you tell him that?” I ask.
“I told Suyin. She was angry with me. She thinks it’s an incredible opportunity and can’t believe I would pass it up.”
“Hunter, I think you should do what makes you happy,” Dakota tells him.
“Yeah, but I might lose Suyin if I don’t do it.”
“I think . . . if she loves you, it shouldn’t really matter what job you choose to do. I mean, as long as it’s an honorable job,” I add.
Jason had remained quiet and now joined the conversation, “Seriously, dude, she needs to love you for who you are.”
“I love you for who you are,” Lori tells Jason.
Naturally this results in a kissing session. Our group is so used to it by now, it doesn’t even faze us.
Hunter stands, appearing impatient. “I’d better go. I still have to pack. I’m meeting Suyin in an hour for our trip to Beijing this weekend. We’re staying in a really fancy place, all expenses paid for by her boss. Of course, I’ll be writing a series of articles about Beijing afterward. I guess that makes this a business trip.” He casts Lori a pointed glance. “I’ll be back on Sunday night.”
“Thanks, Hunter,” Lori says with a nod. “Please check in with me when you get back.”
“Will do.”
Hunter made arrangements for this trip a little over two weeks ago and I’m glad he’s obeying the rules by keeping Lori abreast of his whereabouts.
“He doesn’t seem very happy,” Dakota remarks when he leaves.
“Who doesn’t seem very happy?” Julian startles us as he holds out his hand toward me.
Me. He wants me. It feels amazing and I’m not going to question it.
I place my hand in his and forget all about Hunter.
“Dance with me,” he says, pulling me up out of the chair and walking me over to the jukebox.
He holds me close as we begin to slow dance to the old Beatles classic, “In My Life.”
It feels good to be in his strong arms. I nestle my head on his chest and enjoy the feel of being close to Julian. The words to the song make me miss my mom and dad. I wish they could meet Julian. My instincts tell me they would’ve loved him. When a new song begins, he makes no move to end our dance and that’s all right with me.
“I missed you,” he says, his voice low in my ear. “Last night seems like forever ago.”
Someone help me, I’m about to be a puddle on the floor. I lift my head until we’re cheek to cheek, making it easy to converse with our lips close to each other’s ears.
“I dreamt we shared our first kiss.” I really had dreamt about it all last night.
“What a coinkydink, I had the same dream. Maybe we can reenact our dreams tonight,” Julian suggests, his hands running over my back.
I giggle at his choice of words. “It’s a date.”
“So, who’s not happy?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Hunter. Remember the Chinese girl he met? He’s been seeing her quite a bit and he’s smitten. Even though she’s older than him, he isn’t bothered by the age difference.”
“Older? I didn’t know she was older than him.” Julian runs his hands through my hair and I try to concentrate on the conversation at hand. It isn’t easy.
“Yep, she is. By quite a bit actually. In the long run it won’t matter but, at his age, it’s enough to raise eyebrows. I haven’t met her, but he says she’s really beautiful. I mean, like stunning. I’m sure he’s exaggerating. That tells me how bad he’s got it.”
“What’s the problem then?”
“Things are getting complicated.”
“How so?”
&n
bsp; “He wants to be a writer and she got him a job through her publishing firm, writing positive articles about China through an American’s point of view.”
I feel Julian tense ever so slightly. The change is subtle, but I notice it.
“Did they pay him?” he asks.
“Yes. A thousand bucks for every article. Pretty nice, huh?”
He stops dead in his tracks and releases me. When we’re face to face he says, “Does he . . . stay the night with her?” His expression is stern.
I know what he’s asking without him having to spell it out. “I know of one time he did, yes. What’s wrong?”
“Is there anything else?”
“Well, yeah. Now they’re offering to help him with the application process to work for the CIA because he’d be a positive voice for China in the American government. They’ll even help him study for the Civil Service exam, but he doesn’t really want to. It’s not his thing. The problem is Suyin really wants him to do it and . . .”
Julian grips my shoulders. “Where is he?” he says in a raspy whisper.
“What?” I’m confused by his reaction.
“Where is he?” he says again, adamantly.
“He’s going with Suyin to Beijing this weekend. He’s back at the apartment packing his bag right now.”
“What’s his apartment number?”
His expression is now a mask of anxiety. “What’s wrong, Julian?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now I’ve got to get to Hunter before he leaves.”
“He’s in apartment #31B.”
“Wait here. I’ll bring him back. We need to talk and everyone needs to be there.”
Julian is out the door before I have time to say another word. I step outside the restaurant and see him running at a full sprint.
Lori looks a little alarmed when I return to our table. “Is everything okay? Julian looked very upset.”
“I’m not sure. I think Hunter may be in over his head. When I told Julian his story, he insisted on getting to him immediately.”
Lori reaches out and grips Jason’s shoulder. “I should be there.”
“Julian’s bringing him here. He said to wait here for them. He wants to talk to us—to the whole group.”
The minutes seem to tick by at a snail’s pace. After about ten of the longest minutes of my life, Julian and a pale Hunter walk through the door. Hunter is carrying his duffel bag, now packed for his weekend getaway. Whatever it is that Julian is worried about, it doesn’t look like Hunter has any intention of changing his plans.
Julian waves at us to follow. When we join them in the back room, the one normally used for cooking lessons, the mood is somber.
Julian closes the door. And locks it. A trickle of unease wanders down my spine. What’s going on?
“Does everyone need to be here?” Hunter asks, not looking anyone in the eyes. He plops down on a chair next to the small table.
“Yes,” Julian answers right away, “They need to know what’s going on. It can happen to anyone in any country, but if you’re aware of the signs you can protect yourself.”
“Protect ourselves against what?” Stacy asks. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
Julian exhales deeply, looking as though the weight of the world is suddenly on his shoulders. “Look, by interfering in this I’m risking my privilege to remain in this country. I can return home to America and still enjoy all the opportunities our country has to offer. My life will not be ruined. But Mr. Tang depends on the restaurant and I can’t do anything to jeopardize his livelihood. For all I know the retribution for interfering could include closing down our business. This isn’t a game and there could be serious consequences. What we are about to talk about needs to remain confidential. Everyone okay with that?”
With shifty eyes, everyone nods. I wonder what we’re getting ourselves into. The proverbial pin drop would sound out in the room like an explosion. Hunter, however, remains stone-like.
“Wait,” I say. “If this is dangerous for you, I don’t think you should get involved, Julian.”
Julian walks over to me, sweetly kisses my forehead, and touches his hand to my cheek. I appreciate the gesture of comfort. “As long as word doesn’t get out, everything will be fine.”
I start to object, “But . . .”
“I’m not going to stand by and watch Hunter get taken advantage of. Okay?” he says with a nod.
Reluctantly, I agree. “Okay.” He kisses my forehead one more time. My love for Julian increases in leaps and bounds in that moment.
Julian faces Hunter. “Hunter? I need your word. You can’t breathe a hint of my part in this to Suyin. Agreed?”
“Sure.”
It isn’t a convincing answer, but Julian is satisfied. “I think Hunter may have been targeted with what’s commonly known as a ‘honey trap.’”
Hunter objects. “I don’t know that for sure. Julian thinks that’s what is going on.”
“What’s a ‘honey trap?’ I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Dakota leans against the counter, folding her arms.
Her posture seems defensive. As a matter of fact, everyone in the room is on edge and tense.
“It’s when a beautiful woman seduces a man in order to get him to do whatever she wants. Typically, it’s used for espionage purposes,” Julian explains.
Hunter grunts an objection and glances at his watch while I swallow a gasp. Spy stuff? Hunter? Goofy and lovable Hunter is as far from James Bond as I can imagine. The entire situation feels as though it just came out of left field.
Julian grabs the chair across from Hunter and sits. “Tell me how you met her,” he demands.
I feel like I’m observing an interrogation.
Then his voice softens, “Look, Hunter, I hope I’m completely wrong, I really do. Please tell me your story and hopefully we can figure this out without anyone getting hurt.”
An irritated sigh escapes from deep within Hunter’s throat and his head hangs dejectedly. “We met in a restaurant. She approached me, we started to talk and, I don’t know, we just hit it off.”
“And then?”
“We were sitting in a corner booth and it was kinda private, you know? She said she loved my blond hair and asked if she could touch it and one thing led to another. Like I said, we hit it off right away.”
“So things happened very quickly between you?”
In other words, too quickly. My mind wanders to Paul Brooks. I can’t judge Hunter. The heart sometimes turns normal and rational people into gullible fools.
Hunter shrugs. “Yeah, I guess so. We started meeting for lunch every day. She has this really fancy apartment in a downtown high rise and . . .”
“She seduced you.” Julian finishes his sentence for him.
“You make it sound as though that’s a bad thing. It’s not like that. She loves me. I know she does.” Hunter, sounding defensive, places his head in his hands. “I love her too.”
“How much older than you is she?”
“About seven years.”
Julian groans with disapproval. “I’m going to be frank and I’m sorry if this sounds callous. Tell me something, Hunter, do you really think this beautiful and successful older woman who lives in a luxurious high rise apartment wants to be with an inexperienced and gangly college kid from Idaho who doesn’t have two bucks to his name?”
Ouch. That’s a rather harsh thing for Julian to say. If what Julian’s saying is true, however, it’s time for an extreme wakeup call on Hunter’s part. Perhaps the cold hard truth is necessary.
Hunter breaks down and starts to cry, the pathetic sounds echoing around the room. “No. I don’t know why she wants to be with me. I feel like a little kid around her.”
Julian moves close to Hunter and pats him on the back a few times. “It’s all right, buddy. If it didn’t feel believable, no one would ever fall for it. We can stop this before it’s too late.”
“Too late?” he sobs.
“
Yes, before you do something that will land you in jail for a very long time. Do you realize Suyin’s boss is recruiting you to be a spy?”
“A spy? Me? No, that’s ridiculous.”
“Yes, a spy. Here’s how it works. First, they present you with a beautiful woman who . . .” he pauses and clears his throat. “. . . will do anything for you. And soon, because of your undying love for her, you will do anything for her. Next they offer you a job and pay you very well. They get you hooked on an extravagant lifestyle, the likes of which you’ve never known or even dreamt of. Then as things progress, they mention how great you’d be in the CIA and offer to help you do very well on the Civil Service exam. In the meantime, Suyin will probably marry you and you’ll move back to the States. After you’ve done well on the exam, Suyin’s boss will offer to help you fill out an application for the CIA, saying he knows how to make you look like an appealing applicant. Once you are selected as a candidate, the CIA will invite you to an interview. Don’t worry, Suyin’s helpful boss will also coach you on exactly what to say during the interview.
“Keep in mind, the CIA will do a thorough background investigation. These guys will know what you eat for breakfast and what color your favorite shirt is. During the interview they will question you specifically about your activities in China, and more specifically about your relationship with Suyin and her very helpful boss, and the assistance he provided in your application process. Make no mistake about it, the people who work for the CIA are not stupid. They will find your application process suspicious. They will peg you as a possible spy and they will assume you know exactly what you are doing. As they question you it will probably begin to dawn on you—if it hasn’t already—that the CIA suspects you of espionage. You’ll have two choices. Tell the truth and hope they believe you or deny everything. If they catch you in a lie about your relationship with Suyin or her helpful boss, they’ll assume you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes and they will toss your butt in jail until you’re old and wrinkled.”
Hunter’s head jerks up. “What? But I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Ignorance is not a good defense.”