Virgin in the City

4

Ryujin's

"Was it worth it?" Lia says as I run on the treadmill, my body drenched in sweat.

"Every fucking bite," I say.

Yesterday, when Lia left, Yeji jumped up and said she had work to do. I wish she had stayed longer, but she seemed excited to start designing my house. I kept trying to think of ways to make her stay but decided not to push her too hard too fast.

The worst part was when she knocked on my door later that night with a pretty pink cupcake on her plate. Lia forgot her headphones at my house and she caught me right then and there.

Before she could tell me not to eat it, I grabbed the cake and swallowed it whole. Looking back, she was thankful that there was no problem.

"You're going to screw up all my hard work," she says, shaking her head.

"Help me, Coach," I plead, but Coach looks down at his newspaper and turns the page.

On cardio days all he does is read while I complain.

"You're blocking me." I look at Lia, who crosses her arms.

"I am blocking your body of impurities. But yeah, sorry, girl. That was a terrible moment. I'd believe him if he wasn't laughing so hard right now."

"Why don't you ask her out like a gentleman?" Coach says, not looking up. "You kids these days passed through your text messages and email. Nobody does it anymore."

Email? Lia talks to me and I just throw my hands away. The coach is old school, but maybe he's right.

Yeji is the type of woman who needs to be taken care of. And I wasn't lying when I said that's what I was going to do. She is also the type of lady who deserves romance.

Maybe the trick all along hasn't been trying to keep her in my apartment, but getting her out and getting to know her. Do it so she wants to come into my apartment.

"Coach, what's your perfect date? Give a young lady some advice," I tell her, and Lia laughs.

"Back in my day, we'd go to the drive-in theater and I'd try to get into that pussy for the whole movie," the coach says, and I nearly fell off the racing wheel from laughing so hard. He folds his paper and looks at me.

"Don't be an idiot, Tiger. Invite her to dinner and maybe take her dancing." I think of all the dance lessons he's made me take over the years to improve my footwork. That's not a bad idea.

"Just don't take the cocksucker with you." He gives Lia a thumbs up, who feigns offense.

"Let's get back to the drive-in stories, Coach. I have a feeling you've seen some shit," says Lia, but the coach goes back to reading his article.

The rest of my training session goes into a deep discussion about the best restaurants to go to and then which club.

Names of some old school places, half of which were closed in the fifties. Lia suggests clubs where all they do is bump and grind, and I want to be able to talk to Yeji.

By the time it's over and I leave the gym, Lia tells me she's not coming anytime soon.

I also text the security company I hired to see if they finished installing the alarms I asked about.

Lia wasn't lying when she said that people sometimes try to sneak up on me. It has happened on several occasions in the hotels we have stayed in.

It even happened on a boat once. People are crazy. But a big part of it is because I want to protect Yeji, and in order to do that, I need to know that she's safe.

She is small and anyone half my size could overpower her. I don't like those thoughts in the back of my mind, so I had to do something about it.

When I arrive at the building, I greet the new doorman and introduce myself. Then I talk to the new security team and get my key codes.

They said someone already talked to Yeji and given her all the keys and codes she needs.

Fortunately, she wasn't too upset about the changes, but maybe if she is I can offer dinner as a way of explaining why.

Either way, I have to ask her before I lose my nerve or just blurt out that I'm falling for her like an idiot.

I get on the elevator and insert the new key, then punch in the code. It takes me straight up to the top floor, and when I get out, I walk down the hall with a purpose.

I stand in front of Yeji's door and knock a little hard, but I'm nervous. I catch a glimpse of the shadow in the peephole before he opens the door wide and gives me a big smile.

Instantly my nerves are gone, and everything in the world is perfect. How can it be that just seeing her makes my day brighter and better?

"Dinner with me," I tell her.

I don't even ask her. It is a demand. Fortunately for me, she laughs and bites her lip before nodding.

"Sure, yeah, that sounds good."

A weight lifts from my shoulders. I didn't even know it was there, and for the first time in my life, I think I might go back and do cardio one more time.

"You want to go..." I look down and see that it's only noon. Damn, I don't want to wait all night. "In an hour?" She laughs again and then looks at his clothes.

"I'm a bit messy. Can you give me a little more time?"

Then I notice that she is covered in paint, but she still looks like the most beautiful woman in the world. I nod, thinking I need to shower too.

"Take all the time you need. If you want, you can knock when you're ready," I say, pointing to my door like I don't know where it is.

God, it's like I'm in high school and going to prom.

"Perfect," she says as she turns to close the door.

She quickly stops and spins, nearly falling as she does so. I take her by the arms and help her steady herself.

"Muffins and gravy, I'm such a fool. Sorry, I was going to ask where we're going. What should I wear?"

"A dress," I blurted out, not really knowing what to say. I just want her to be with me. I don't care if she wears a paper bag, anything she wears would fit her perfectly. "Or whatever you want"

"Okay," she says, and her cheeks turn pink.

She's reluctant to remove her hands from mine, and I don't want to let her go either. We stand there for a second before I force myself to release her and step back. The sooner she prepares, the sooner I can have her to myself.

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