Babel Novel
Chapter 35
Iwoke with a start.
The room was dark. When I looked out the window, the glass appeared almost black but slightly translucent; I could see the dim outline of clouds in the sky. I figured it was some sort of electronically controlled tinting.
I turned towards Mei-ling –
But the bed was empty.
Then I heard a metallic clank from elsewhere in the apartment.
Still naked from the night before, I stood up and walked over to the bedroom door. When I opened it, I smelled brewing coffee and heard the sounds of someone working in the kitchen.
I smiled and quickly got dressed.
I put on my pants, socks, shoes, shirt, and suit vest. I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows for a more casual vibe and left my tie and jacket draped over the chair.
I went into the bathroom and used the facilities. Then I washed my hands with soap and used a dollop of toothpaste to scrub my teeth with my finger.
Afterwards, I checked my phone: 9:47 AM.
No messages from Lau, Niccolo, or anyone else.
I left the bedroom and went in search of Mei-ling.
As I walked through the apartment, I heard something sizzling in a pan.
I walked into the kitchen and stopped to admire the view.
Mei-ling was at the island pouring a cup of coffee. She was clad in a light green silk robe, cinched at the waist with a thin strand of material. The robe ended at her thighs and showed off her lovely legs.
The front of the robe gapped open slightly, revealing the curve of her bare breasts. She was wearing nothing underneath.
Her hair was wild and in disarray, which I loved; she looked like we had just finished having passionate sex.
“Good morning,” I said.
Her face lit up when she heard my voice. She looked over at me with a smile –
Which died as soon as she saw me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You’re leaving?” she asked in obvious disappointment.
I frowned. “No.”
“You look like you’re leaving.”
I looked down at my clothes.
To someone unaccustomed to my habits, the suit vest might have looked a bit formal.
“This is just how I dress.”
She stared at me in shock. “First thing in the morning?”
“Yes.”
“To lounge around the house?!”
“Yes.” I added defensively, “I’m not wearing a tie.”
She burst out laughing. “You really are an accountant, aren’t you?”
“Ha ha,” I said in a deadpan voice as I gave her a playful glare. Then I walked over, put my arms around her waist, pulled her in, and kissed her.
She melted into my embrace.
We kissed for almost 20 seconds before she suddenly tore away, crying out in Chinese, and raced to the stove.
She flipped some eggs in a pan with a spatula – but the underside was a solid circle of golden brown.
“Dammit,” she muttered.
“Is that a Hong Kong way of cooking eggs?” I asked.
“No, they were supposed to be scrambled. I told you last night I could cook eggs, but apparently I can’t even do that,” she said with a rueful laugh.
I came up behind her, looped my arms around her waist, and nuzzled my face against her hair. “I’m sure you could if you weren’t distracted by me.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, and I could hear the smile in her voice. She tilted her head to the side, giving me access to her neck, which I took full advantage of. I kissed up and down her bare skin –
Until she yelped again in Chinese and quickly returned to the eggs.
When she flipped them again, both sides were now a golden brown.
“Great,” she muttered.
“You should’ve just told me they were ‘eggs à la Hong Kong.’ I would’ve never known the difference.”
She laughed. “Okay – these are eggs à la Hong Kong.”
“They smell delicious.”
“You’re really going to eat these?”
“If I get to eat them sitting next to you – absolutely.”
She grinned at me like I’d said the most flattering thing possible, then sighed. “Alright. Eggs à la Hong Kong, coming right up.”
We ate at a table in the room next to the kitchen.
Daylight poured in through the window. There was a stunning view of Hong Kong Harbor – but all I could look at was the gorgeous woman sitting next to me.
Despite the golden brown color and firmness of the eggs, they tasted just fine.
As we were finishing up, I asked, “What are you doing today?”
“After two nights away, I should probably put in an appearance at work.”
“I want to see you again.”
She gave me a huge smile. “Oh, that’s definitely happening.”
“But I want to do something with you outside the bedroom.”
“Ooooh… in another room?”
“I meant besides sex.”
“Why?” she teased me, then immediately said, “I’m kidding. As long as we still get to have sex afterwards.”
“Oh, that’s definitely happening,” I said, repeating her words from earlier.
She laughed. “Good. What do you want to do?”
“I want you to take me on a tour of Hong Kong. Let’s do all of your favorite things.”
“So… basically have sex with you all over Hong Kong?” she asked with an impish smile.
“I was thinking of something we wouldn’t get arrested for.”
“So… not that wild, hm?”
“Not that wild, no.”
She looked up at the ceiling like she was pondering the possibilities. “I can think of a couple things we could do.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not going to tell you, silly. That would ruin the surprise.”
“Alright, I look forward to being surprised, then. When will you be free?”
“I need to work tonight, but we could do it tomorrow morning.”
“Wonderful. Should I meet you here at – say, 10 AM?”
“That would be lovely. But don’t you have business you need to attend to?”
“I’m waiting on some people to travel to Hong Kong for a meeting, and they’re not in any hurry to get here.”
“Sounds annoying.”
“It was at first, but now it’s wonderful… because it means I can spend more time with you.”
She gave me a luminous smile, and I leaned in towards her.
We kissed for nearly half a minute when I moved my hand inside the front of her robe and caressed her bare breast. I felt her nipple stiffen immediately beneath my touch.
She put a hand against my chest and backed away. “If we do anything this morning, you’ll have to be gentle. I’m a little bit sore down there.”
“Oh,” I said, concerned. “We don’t have to.”
“I didn’t say no,” she said with a coy smile. “I just said you have to be gentle.”
“I can be very gentle.”
And I was.
We went extremely slow…
With nearly an hour of me going down on her, bringing her to orgasm after orgasm.
I didn’t end up leaving her apartment until long after noon.
After sex, we showered and got dressed, and Mei-ling called me a cab. We kissed sensuously one more time, and the last thing I saw was her grin as she closed the door.
By the time I was downstairs in the lobby, I was feeling something I’d never experienced before with a woman:
The pain of separation.
Wanting to see her again.
Needing to see her again.
And after just two minutes away from her.
My brothers would have ribbed me mercilessly if they were here.
Roberto’s been struck by the thunderbolt!
Mr. Checkbook is head over heels with something besides a bank statement!
The main problem was they would’ve been right.
I was in deep.
My obsession with Mei-ling bothered me slightly.
I shook my head in disbelief and worry…
But then I thought of seeing her again and grinned like an idiot all the way out to the cab.
When I returned to the hotel, I called Mr. Lau’s office and asked if there was any word from Gota or Xi.
“Not yet, Mr. Rosolini,” he said in a bored voice.
“That’s fine,” I said cheerfully. “Just let me know if you hear anything.”
When I hung up the phone, I felt a little guilty.
My family needed me back home during this crisis…
But I selfishly knew that the longer I stayed in Hong Kong, the happier I would be.
That night I stayed in and ordered dinner from room service.
Han unexpectedly called me on my cell phone.
“How did you get my number?” I demanded.
“Mr. Lau.”
“Oh.” Of course.From NôvelDrama.Org.
Han tried to persuade me to go out, but I refused.
“Things going well, then?” Han asked in an amused voice.
“Very well,” I said, not bothering to disguise the happiness in my voice. “In fact, you don’t need to entertain me anymore.”
“THAT well, huh?”
“That well.”
I turned in early. Though it took me a couple of hours to fall asleep…
I eagerly awaited seeing Mei-ling in my dreams.