Addicted (The Addicted Series, #1)(95)

Chapter 18


Krystal




It was rare for me to get two vacations from work at Alinea so close together, but after the performance on Iron Chef, Horst was willing to give me a long weekend, which meant four days off in a row. Monday to Thursday. Because of that, Julian and I took the earliest flight out of O'Hare that we could to Boston, and from there, we rented a car that we drove up to the Manor. In a nod to my more modest tastes, Julian had passed on the luxury sports car and we took a compact Toyota. He fidgeted with the seat constantly until I reached over and put my hand on top of his. "You keep doing that, and I'm going to crash," I said with a smile.

"Yeah well, next time I'm also thinking we can drive our own car, something not designed by a bunch of people who are five seven and top out at a hundred and sixty pounds," he grumbled. "I mean, even the stereo sucks."

"It gets us where we need to go," I said, setting the cruise control. "We should be there in just over an hour and a half, traffic is pretty good. Don't worry, we'll be there by noon."

Julian snorted and looked out the window. "I know it was my idea to tell them so quickly, but I have to admit, I'm not exactly looking forward to it."

"Kimberly warned me along the same lines when we talked about it, about being so quick to tell them that is. She's worried that a lot of people won't understand or accept it."

Julian looked over at me, his blue eyes burning with intensity. "Krystal, I'm kind of used to it, people not accepting me and being on the outside, regardless of it being my fault or not. But you, can you handle it?"

"I think so, and if I need, I have you and Kim," I replied. "What else do I need?"

"Well I know I could use a cheeseburger," Julian joked in reply, lightening the mood. "So are we there yet?"

"Smart ass."

The drive was beautiful, especially as we left the urban areas around Boston and headed north into the countryside. Living in Chicago was great, and working at Alinea was a dream come true for me, but there is something about New England that just resonated with me. Maybe it was the memories of visiting my grandfather at the Hepburn estate near Bretton Woods, or maybe an overabundant love of pancakes and maple syrup helped. Regardless of the reason, I loved the drive. Even Julian seemed to relax as concrete was replaced by pine trees as we got closer.

It wasn't until I turned up the long driveway to the Castelbon Manor that I started to feel nervous. What if Julian was right? What if Mom and John didn't understand? In the short time that Julian and I had been together, it was more than just sexual with us. There was a connection we'd formed, even before that first kiss, and the days afterwards had just deepened it. Of course, being sexually satisfied to the point that I spent my nights almost delirious was a great benefit too.

Parking the car, I shut off the engine and looked over at Julian. "Well, we're here."

"Yep. You know, if you turn on the engine and hit the gas now, I don't think they'll know we came," he semi-joked, before the front door opened and Yuki came out. "Damn. Too late. Listen, it's not that I don't want to tell them, but how about we hold off on the public affection until we do? I mean, it might be a little less shocking that way."

"I can do that," I said, giving his hand a squeeze. I wanted to kiss him. Hell, I wanted to be kissed by him, but I understood. Instead, I got out of the car, and came over to shake hands with Yuki. "Yuki, it's good to see you again so soon."

"It's good to see you too, Krystal. I was surprised when Sandra said you'd be coming again so soon." Yuki, as always, looked professional and beautiful in her normal work clothes of black slacks and a blouse. Today it was a pale peach, although she had foregone the jacket to allow for the weather. In winter though, she looked more like an executive than a house manager, which I guess she was. "Mister . . . sorry, Julian, it's good to see you too."

Julian came around to shake Yuki's hand. He then surprised us both by bowing very deeply in the Japanese style. "Yuki," he said simply.

Yuki bowed in return, then chuckled. "Who taught you how to do that?"

"Would you believe a guy I know in Los Angeles? There's a lot of Japanese people out there, you know."

"Yes, I know," Yuki deadpanned. She broke out in a smile, and patted Julian on his massive shoulder. "Let me get your car moved and parked while you two go inside. I'll have your bags taken to your rooms."

"Actually, I have something for you first," I said, opening the trunk of the car and pulling out a paper bag. "I figured I would let you wrap it for your uncle."

Yuki opened the bag and took out Chef Morimoto's jacket, her jaw dropping and tears coming to her eyes as she read the script. "Krystal," she whispered, folding the jacket up and placing it neatly back in the bag. "Thank you. This is beyond wonderful."

There are times when it sucks to be rich, and this was one of those times. I could tell Yuki wanted to give me a hug, and I would have been more than happy to get one from her. But, she was the employee, and came from a very hierarchal society, even if she was American now. Employees don't do that with employers. Still, I could tell her meaning, and I nodded, smiling. "Good. I hope your uncle likes it. So, where are our parents?"