Page 59 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?

I grab his hand before he punches the suitcase and breaks the mechanism. “Leo.”

My icy tone snaps him out of it, and he directs an annoyed look my way. His bright blue eyes are pretty even when they are aggravated, but as we stare at each other for a few heartbeats while people pass by us and enter the terminal, the burning spark in them subsides to a simmering flame.

“Sorry. It’s just… I’m still pissed off at that asshole.”

I stifle a smile. “I could tell.”

Scoffing in indignation, he bumps my shoulder with his and starts walking. He told me about Goro ambushing him after the meeting two days ago. I don’t like the man, I never have. He handles our dealings in Kobe and Osaka and always tries to convince my father we should take advantage of the influx of tourists there and expand into drugs and illegal prostitution.

I follow Leo inside the terminal, my eyes scanning for the board with flights information. Our check-in desk is already open, and despite the queue there, the upgraded first class lets us skip the line. The moment we drop off the suitcases and head over to the expedited security, Leo’s mood visibly lifts.

“I can’t believe I’ll get to try first class. I’ve only ever seen that in movies.”

I chuckle, warmth flooding my chest. He’s got this boyish innocence about him when it comes to certain things, and it feels so good when I’m the reason behind his child-like enthusiasm and excited smiles.

“The privacy is nice. And the space,” I agree, scanning my ticket at the VIP entry point.

“And the food! I heard it’s five-star restaurant level and you get three-courses and stuff.”

I guess we will be getting at least one main meal and a snack, considering the flight is about seven hours long. I don’t normally care too much about these things, but then again, I’m used to that level of service.

We place our belongings on the conveyer belt as instructed and walk through the body scanner.

“You know, Aran sent me home the other day. We were supposed to go pick me a vehicle after the last test, but…” Leo jogs over to me and scratches the back of his neck, trying not to smile. “I was still very pissed off andoverdid it a bit. I sent one of the guys to the Doc with a broken arm.”

Oh, I did hear about it already. Aran was furious, mumbling stuff about wild dogs needing a shorter leash. But my chest squeezes with fondness at Leo’s confession regardless. He didn’t really need to tell me about his little fuck-up, but he did without even thinking to brag that he passed all the evaluations with impressive scores.

“So I was told.”

I let my eyes roam Leo’s body as we wait for our items to slide over to us via the conveyer belt. He’s wearing the standard suit all our men wear, the dark blue shirt making his eyes pop. Mine is black, and I’ve combined it with a light gray two-piece suit. I contemplated a tie, but decided I’d be more comfortable without one, so it’s currently folded in my cabin bag. Leo’s done the same.

He smiles sheepishly, picking up his things. We enter the departure lounge, browsing through the shopping section on the way there. He wrinkles his nose when we reach the perfumes. There are a couple I like that I was planning to pick up from here, but I decide I can just order them online.

“Not a fan?” I say, guiding us to the sandwich deli near the Starbucks café.

“No. Perfumes make me nauseous,” he says, pulling me toward him protectively when someone bumps into me.

He aims a masterful glare at them, making the poor woman scramble to bow her head and apologize, then pins me with those mesmerizing eyes. I let them engulf me, not in a rush to free myself from their entrancing intensity. He leans in, pretending to smooth out creases from my suit. Now that I think about it, he does that a lot. His face comesclose, my heart banging as I catch a whiff of his scent.Mountains, scented soap and a tinge of sweat.

“Besides, I prefer natural scents,” he says in a low, raspy voice, tilting his head and brushing his nose against my neck as he breathes me in. A small, restrained moan escapes him. “Like yours. You smell fucking divine.”

My cock swells, my body on fire. Sparks travel from the area of my neck he touched down my spine, concentrating in my stomach which is in the middle of a rollercoaster ride. I haven’t seen much of Leo in the weeks leading up to the trip, both of us busy getting ready for it. I thought it was perfect timing since it might be good to put some distance between us so we could both calm down, but that kind of backfired because I am starving for him.

Leo clears his throat and pulls away, angling his chin at the sandwich deli. “Chai. You are making that face again,” he says, discreetly adjusting himself. “You need to stop, like right now, or I’ll get us both arrested and we’ll miss the flight.”

His threat has the opposite effect of what he’s probably going for, only making me want to drag him to the restrooms and make a mess of one of the stalls. But I need coffee and a cigarette more than sex right now, so I force myself to calm down. We claim an empty table and sit there until it’s time to head to our gate.

“Welcome aboard Flight JT405 to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Mr. Akiyama. Please follow me to your seats,” a flight attendant greets us.

Leo’s surprised look says it all. I can see the questions swirling in his head, bracing for them as we are taken to the semi-private seating I’ve booked.

“Drinks and snacks are included in your reservation and a menu is available via the tablet,” the flight attendantsays, clasping her hands in front of her. “Please order whatever you’d like. Lunch will be served in four hours, and we’ll be arriving in Bangkok at 12:30 p.m. local time. If you need anything at all during the flight, please use the call button and a member of staff will be able to assist you.”

“Thank you. Who are the pilots?” I ask, letting Leo claim the window side.

The luxury first class comes with cushioned seats with plenty of legroom in a booth-like arrangement. They can be single or double, and the doubles have a foldable counter between the two parts, a bunch of tabletop games, a catalogue of e-books and even a game console. There is a minibar with non-alcoholic drinks under the flat screen and the seats can be extended so you can lie down.

“Mr. Masahiro Satou and Mr. Phet Thepnakorn.”

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