Addicted (The Addicted Series, #1)(114)
"It sets in early in New England," we heard, both of us turning our heads to see Yuki coming towards us. She was dressed differently than I'd ever seen her before. When she was my father's house manager at Castelbon Manor, she always wore suits, except for the few times I'd seen her exercising, doing yoga in the garden or something similar. I'd also seen her in formal dresses and gowns on the occasions that the manor hosted formal events, the most recent being Dad's wedding to Sandra, Krystal's mom.
However, until that moment, I had never seen Yuki in work clothes. She was wearing cargo pants that looked like they were a copy of military style, along with work boots and a button down chambray work shirt. All in all, she looked cute, and even younger than she normally did. In fact, she looked almost my age. "It's good to see you two."
"Yuki, it's good to see you as well," Krystal said, coming over and giving her a hug. No longer an employee of the family, she was much more relaxed than she had been, although still professional. After all, we were now equal level co-workers at the resort, with Yuki being the staff and building manager, Krystal being the executive chef, and I being in charge of resort activities and the fitness center. We were to report to Benjamin Williamson, who Dwayne had tagged to be the resort manager until I finished my last year of training. The implication was pretty clear, if I wanted the resort after I finished my diploma, I could have it. "How are you enjoying the transition?"
"It is wonderful," Yuki said. "Lizette is loving the ocean, and our home is on the beach itself. I woke her up this morning to the sound of waves crashing just outside our bedroom."
"Oh, you didn't tell us you weren't living at the resort," I said, slightly disappointed. I'd been looking forward to meeting Lizette. "Why not?"
Yuki smiled. "Because not all of us have loved ones who can work at the same location as us," she reminded me gently. "But it's not bad. Her commute now is nearly the same as when I lived at Castelbon Manor, and mine is not bad either, only a half hour. In fact, it will give me a chance to put some miles on my favorite toy."
"Toy?" Krystal asked, confused. I grinned and squeezed her shoulder.
"You've never seen Yuki's toy? If you've got a minute Yuki, how about you give us a walk around?"
"Of course. We can talk with Mr. Williamson later," Yuki said, turning to walk towards what I assumed was the back office area. "My keys are in my office, let me get them first."
As we walked, I kept my eyes open. Dwayne wanted the resort to have a Colonial feel, and I thought that, so far at least, they were doing a good job. There was a definite nautical feel to the structure, with a wide, broad floor plan with very simple design. The roof support pillars looked to be simple round columns, about what I'd expect, and the outer buildings were supposed to be constructed in what I had learned was called a Dutch Colonial style. I actually was curious to see how the final product would look. "Hey Yuki."
"Yes, Julian?"
"I noticed you called him Mr. Williamson. Any particular reason?"
She turned her head to look at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Why do you think?"
It told me a lot. After my father being so casual, Yuki had grown used to it, and only referred to people by their family names if she didn't like them. Of course, I was 'sir' for years to her, but I deserved it. But if Yuki was calling him that, I suspected my new boss might be a challenge to work for. Not what I wanted, but I could deal with it. The hint of Krystal's jasmine perfume that crossed my attention reminded me of the very reason.
* * *
Krystal
"Whoa, Yuki. I didn't know you had it in you. You always seemed so . . ."
"Conservative?" Yuki asked, smiling as she ran her hands over the metallic silver hood of her Nissan GT-R NISMO. "In most of my daily life I am. But not everywhere."
The car was beautiful, sleek and powerful. If I could take the word sexy and put it into a Japanese sports car, it was this one. Yuki had also done a lot of customization to it, including fender work, a new hood with aerodynamic scoop, and a body kit that made the vehicle look like it hugged the ground. I whistled as I touched the carbon fiber body. It looked fast even standing still. "How come I've never seen this before?" I asked. "I mean, I stayed at the Manor a few times."
"Because I only took her out when I needed to," Yuki replied. "John let me use a Manor car for work, and I wasn't going to risk her just going for work. She's far too valuable."
"Uh, can I ask . . . how valuable?" I said, looking inside at the leather racing seats and Bose sound system. It only had room for two, and looked more like the cockpit of a jet fighter than a car. "And what can she do?"
"I've put close to a two hundred thousand into her," Yuki replied. "I'd have spent more if she'd been new, but the NISMO is the type of car that dedicated tuners upgrade when they can. I found her on an auction site for just under a hundred thousand, then put in another hundred thousand over the past three years in upgrades and customizations."
"And you knew about this how?" I asked Julian, who was grinning.
"Pure luck. I caught sight of her driving it off one day and saw her parking it inside the locked garage another. So how fast can she go, Yuki?"