by Nia Arthurs
Unfortunately, the streets were not.
The homeless guy begging outside the apartment building had gotten a nice little peep show.
Sky kept going until she found a dark corner and had a moment to gather her thoughts and re-dress.
What almost happened left her gasping for breath, but she’d gotten through it.
Vince’s reign of terror was over.
Sort of.
She was proud of herself for pulling back just in time. Even if it was rather stupid to have gone along with Vince in the first place.
All that mattered was escaping with her dignity intact. Vince and his disgusting self had no business between her legs and the last thing he deserved for blackmailing her was the reward of her body.
But making that decision meant that she had to prepare herself for the consequences.
Namely, Vince releasing a very intimate video of them into the hemisphere for everyone with an IP address and working Internet to admire.
Sky touched the errant curl that slapped against her cheek. The hairstyle change was a desperate attempt to look nothing like the moaning girl in the video. If she could change her skin color and body shape too, she would.
Sadly, the hair was the only thing she could actually control, so she’d gone with the most drastic style she could without plain cutting it all off. The new hair was a symbol. She’d taken back the power Vince had wielded over her and, surprisingly, it was freeing.
When she strode to work this morning, it felt like she’d turned over a new leaf. Had a new start. Found a blank slate.
That was before she planted that blank slate, along with her foot, in her mouth.
“Forget it.” Sky shook her head. “That was inappropriate. Sorry.”
“Are you okay?” Joon Gi stepped closer, his dark eyes boring straight into her.
She gulped. “If you happen to, I mean, if you do watch it and you see someone who looks like me…” She cringed unable to go on.
Asking Joon for this favor had seemed like a good idea in her head. She sure as hell couldn’t ask Phillip to look out for videos of her naked self floating around the world wide web. Apart from her exes, Sky didn’t know any other male well enough to even approach such a topic.
Joon Gi folded his arms over his chest and studied her. Shrewd brown eyes slid lazily over her body. Down her curly hair. Past her thick nose. Down to her plump lips. Her chest. Her legs. Her shoes.
Then his gaze met hers and a rush of emotions lashed against her chest like a whip made of spokes.
Raising her chin to hide how much his assessment had rattled her cage, Sky cleared her throat. “It’s not important. Please scratch everything I said. It’s been a rough couple days. I kind of lost my head for a second.”
Dark eyes flitted over her face, searching. For what? Sky had no idea.
Joon Gi strode closer, his hand clamping around her forearm, tugging her closer as if he couldn’t quite find the answers he was looking for when she was so far away. As if he wanted to keep her from running.
Which was a fair assessment given how skittish she felt.
His lean body towered over hers, bending over slightly. Slipping into her personal bubble. Not quite invading to the point of discomfort, but definitely probing beyond what was normal between two people of their level of acquaintanceship.
Sky tipped her head back, straining her neck to look into his eyes. “What are you—?”
“Is this about that Vince guy?”
“How did you—?” Sky drew in a deep, calming breath. “That’s none of your business. Like I said, it was a mistake to have asked you that question. If you’d just pretend you never heard it…”
“I can’t do that.”
Her heart, traitorous as it was, skipped a beat.
“It bothered me,” he said, his voice low and grumbly. Like a bear just waking up from hibernation. “I couldn’t figure out why a woman as competent as you would give in to someone like him. I thought about it from every angle. Except this one.”
She cringed.
“But it makes sense.” His dark eyes flashed. “That he had something over you.”
Sky peeled his fingers back and freed her wrist. “Why do you care? I told you to stay out of it.”
He tilted his head. “Is that why you were so curious about my preferences in—?”
“Stop!” Sky held up a hand. “Can we just get to work?”
He smirked.
Sky stuffed her discomfort deep down and strode to the kitchen. Joon Gi’s footsteps bounced against the tiles. She could feel his regard even though she couldn’t see him.
Focusing on the pastries, she turned on the oven and set it to warm. The fan hummed in the room, offering slight relief. When the heat really started to grow in here, the fan was just an accessory. For now it served its purpose.
Sky tried to forget Joon Gi was in the room, but it was hard to ignore him. She sensed when he came behind her, his scent wafting over her and tempting her to take in a deep inhale.
Joon’s deep voice growled, reverberating in the large kitchen. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She aggressively whisked the batter for the eggs as if to emphasize the point.
“Do you want me to handle him?”
Her hands stilled and she turned on her heels. “How exactly do you plan to do that?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “I thought you went to jail for a white collar crime? Are you secretly a mobster or something?”
“There are other ways to ruin someone.” His expression was so serious that she knew he wasn’t kidding.
Sky put the bowl back on the counter and faced Joon Gi fully, her arms pulled over her chest. “Revenge won’t do anything but cause more damage.”
“An eye for an eye.” He shrugged.
“Yeah. But we’ve only got two eyes so we can’t go around poking like we’re crazy.”
He didn’t crack a smile.
Sky sighed. “That was a joke.”
“I know. It wasn’t that good.”
“Geez, you’re painfully honest.” She shook her curls out of her face. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need your interference.” She eyed his hardening gaze, curiosity tugging her to ask, “Just for laughs, what exactly were you planning to do?”
“First,” he glanced to the side, “I’d get him fired.”
“How?”
“Someone with a character as rotten as that must have some other skeletons in the closet. I’d find them, expose them to the world, and watch it all crash around him.”
Sky blinked. “That’s… descriptive.”
Joon Gi’s lips curled up. “Too intense?”
“Try ‘dark’. Have you been planning my revenge for me or do you just have practice in that area?”
“Let’s call it a little bit of both.” He smoothly pulled back. “But if you say you’re okay, I’ll respect that. You don’t have to yell at me to stay out of your business more than once.”
Sky chuckled. “Yeah, about that day, I know we never discussed it, but I apologize. You were only trying to help. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”
“It’s no problem.” He nodded to the fridge. “Should I get started on those vegetables?”
She watched him stride around the counters and then moved to the stove. The fried jacks waited to be flattened and rolled out but her hands stilled over the counter. Her heart thudded in her chest as a delicate tightness in her throat spread tingles through her body.
Is this because of him?
All Joon had done was tease her and threaten to ‘handle’ Vince, but it was with a touch of gentleness and sincerity that whispered he was actually starting to care for her.
Or maybe it was her brain spurting love hormones when it had no business doing that.
She shook her head and focused on the food preparation, but when Joon Gi approached her to slide the vegetables into the bowl near her elbow, she abandoned her kneading and faced him. He seemed
surprised by her sudden attention and hesitantly eased back.
“What would you have done next?” she asked thoughtfully.
His eyebrows hiked. “What are you talking about?”
“Earlier, you said ‘first’ you’d get Vince fired. What would you have done next?”
“Me?” He leaned against the counter and banded his arms over his chest. He wore a short-sleeved T-shirt so Sky got a peek at the sexy tattoo inscribed in his forearm before he hid it against his side. “I don’t know. Murder?”
Sky shoved Joon’s chest. “Very funny.”
He chuckled, the sound so deep and pleasurable that her toes curled in her tennis shoes.
Ugh, I’m not supposed to be feeling like this.
“Well, don’t you two look cozy,” a familiar voice snapped.
Sky glanced around and noticed Jo standing in the middle of the kitchen. Her friend’s eyes spurted with disapproval and her lips were screwed in a tight pout.
Sky straightened and brushed her shirt down, fiddling with the flour trapped on the cloth in a vain attempt to look busy.
Joon Gi tipped his chin. “Morning.”
“Hey,” Jo said dryly. “What’s the joke?”
“It’s… nothing.” Sky cleared her throat and gestured to her friend. “How are you here so early?”
“I thought you could use the extra help. Why?” Jo narrowed her eyes so her brows almost met in the middle. “Did I interrupt something?”
“No. Of course not.”
Joon hooked a thumb at the exit. “I’ll go check on the front. Make sure everything is set for these johnny cakes.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Sky glided closer to Jo as Joon Gi walked out. She slung her arm over her friend’s shoulders and pulled her in. “What’s with that face? You’re not usually so grumpy in the morning. Did you eat?”
“I don’t want food.” Jo slapped her arm off.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you like Joon Gi?”
Sky blinked rapidly. “What?”
“I’ve seen that look before.” Jo wiggled her finger. “With Vince and the ex before him, and now with Joon.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Sky’s voice was squeakier than she wanted it to be. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I barely know the guy. Why would I have feelings for him? That’s just… nonsense.”
Jo eyed her hard. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Look, I don’t want to meddle or anything. I’m just worried. No matter how handsome or charming Joon is, you can’t forget what got him here. He’s a bad guy, Sky.”
Sky stared at the floor as Jo’s words echoed in her head.
He’s a bad guy.
An ex-convict.
A man who was well-versed in the art of revenge.
Bottom line?
She needed to stay away from Joon Gi Kim.
13
“YOU DON’T WANT me to come in tomorrow?” Joon Gi switched the phone to his other ear and frowned at the television screen. A beautiful journalist with brown skin and a tight afro bobbed her head and clutched a microphone to her red lips.
“I’m asking for a favor. It’s been ages since I’ve taken a good look at my taxes. And you said you were going to help with book-keeping so…”
“I meant with advertisements and marketing, not… this.”
“Well, this is what I need.”
Tyler walked into the living room dressed in a T-shirt and jogging shorts. He ran a hand through his hair and mouthed, “Who’s that?”
Joon ignored him and turned slightly away so he could have the illusion of privacy. “Sky, is something going on?”
“No,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “Everything is great.”
“Because if I’ve done something that offended you…”
“Joon Gi, you’re overthinking things. All I need you to do is get my old records organized so I can actually understand them. I thought you’d thank me. You can work better at home than here at the bakery where it’s chaos every minute of the day.”
“You sure that’s all it is?”
“Mm-hm.” Voices echoed in the background. Probably Jo.
The voice grew louder.
“But what if I need to get something from the office?”
“I’ll leave the key under the rock by the side door. Okay?”
More talking.
“You sound busy.”
“Yeah, Jo is here helping me prepare for tomorrow morning.”
“I guess you really don’t need me then.”
“Exactly. You can take your time with those taxes and then email them when you’re done.”
There was a ‘whoosh’ in the background and then a feeble voice screamed, “Sky, help!”
“What’s going on?” he asked, snapping to attention.
“Jo’s burning something. I have to go. Good night.”
Click.
She hung up.
Joon listened to the dial tone for a second before setting his phone down and scratching his temple. Tyler observed him with a sloppy grin. His dark eyes sparkled when he asked, “Trouble at the new job?”
“It’s just weird.”
“What is?”
“I could be wrong but I think… Sky might be avoiding me.”
“What? You?”
Joon shifted in the sofa and faced Tyler, his eyebrows scrunched. “She’s been acting weird the past couple of days. She told me not to report to work early anymore. And when I do show up, I’m always running errands outside of the shop. Today, she kicked me out to work on her taxes.”
“It sounds like she’s just being a boss.”
“No, it’s more than that. Even if I can’t cook that well, she needs my help in the kitchen. She’s running around doing everything herself and it’s killing her. I don’t understand why she’s rejecting my help.”
Tyler scooted to the edge of his seat and tilted his head. “Or maybe you’re the one who misses spending time with her and you’re blowing this out of proportion because you don’t want to accept the truth of your feelings.”
Joon internalized those words and rejected them. There was no way he saw Sky as anything more than a means to an end. Besides, he had zero intentions of staying in Belize for long. The minute he scraped the money together, he was gone.
“You’ve been watching romantic comedies again, haven’t you?” Joon grabbed a pillow and hurled it as his friend.
Tyler ducked and the pillow went sailing harmlessly past the sofa. “We all have our guilty pleasures. Now admit it. You’re into your new boss.”
“I’m hungry.” Joon Gi stood and strode into the kitchen.
Tyler followed him. “This is a good thing.”
“Ramen?”
“Your crush.”
Joon Gi grabbed a pot by the handle and shot Tyler a dark look. “We’re almost thirty, Ty. You’re still using words like that?”
“It fits in your case. You’ve still got the emotional capacity of a fetus.”
Joon Gi chuckled. “Wow.”
“I’ll prove it. Remember that girl we met at the Korean Embassy that summer? The ambassador’s daughter?”
“Oh, yeah. She was hot.” Joon grinned.
“She was so into you, but after messing around for a few days, you told her there was no point in meeting further. You said she’d go back to her country and you’d stay here in Belize. You didn’t even try to make it work.”
“I was being practical.”
“You were being cold. You’ve never given any woman the chance to get close to you.”
“What about Hanna?”
Tyler snorted his disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Joon Gi filled the pot with water and set it on the stove to bubble. “I gave her access to my bank account, traded insider secrets. I basically laid my soul bare to her.”
“Dude, your soul isn’t made of stocks.”
“Says who?”
“L
ove is about,” Tyler stared into the distance, his eyes going hazy, “it’s about caring for someone more than you care about yourself. It’s going crazy and turning inside out and losing control because the person with all the power isn’t you.”
“Sounds like a horror movie.”
Tyler narrowed his eyes to slits. “You’re missing out.”
“On being controlled by another person? No, I don’t think so.” Joon rested his elbows on the counter and studied Tyler. “Since when did you experience this crazy type of love? I don’t remember you bringing a woman around since you graduated law school.”
“I’m not a monk, you know. I date. I just don’t talk about it.”
“So you’re keeping secrets?” Joon launched over the counter and locked Tyler in a head-brace. Holding him tightly, he barked, “Who is she?”
Tyler squirmed. “Get off, man!”
“Not until you cave.”
“It’s nobody!”
“Tell me!”
Tyler managed to slip out and brushed his hair back over his forehead. Dark eyes almost collapsing, he grumbled, “You’re insane.”
“If I’d known you were such a love doctor, I would have asked you for advice on me and Hanna. Maybe she would have stuck around if I’d bought her flowers and crap like that.”
“It’s not about flowers.” Tyler shrugged. “It’s about sincerity.”
“Sincerity makes you vulnerable.” Joon shook his head and tore open the Ramen package.
“That’s the only way you can really love someone. If you let them in.”
“I’m good.” Joon stirred the noodles. “You and Domino are the only lovers I need.”
Tyler stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Come on, man.”
Joon laughed.
A noise in the living room grabbed his attention.
“Did you hear that?” Joon tilted his head.
“What?” Tyler sampled the seasoning inside the Ramen package.
“It sounded like a lock snapping.”
Tyler spun.
Joon looked up just in time to see the knob turning and the door swinging in. His eyes widened and he dropped to the ground, clinging to the island counter and folding himself in. He heard the scrape of the bar stool as Tyler jumped to his feet.
“Halmoni!”
Halmoni?