Chapter 23 Breakfast Together
Maddie's POV
The soft, diffused light of dawn filtered through the curtains, gently rousing me from my slumber. Blinking away sleep, I stretched lazily in my cozy bed, feeling the warmth of my blankets cocooning me. As I slowly became more aware of my surroundings, a pleasant realization dawned on me: Mariko was just a few steps away in the lounge, the man who had entered my life like a whirlwind and stirred my heart like never before.
The events of last night played in my mind like a movie reel, each scene etching itself into my memory. Mariko's confession about his feelings, our conversation about contraception and future plans, it was all so surreal yet undeniably real. And then, that intense moment when our desires nearly got the best of us, only to be tempered by our commitment to wait.
With a contented sigh, I threw off my blanket and swung my legs over the side of the bed, my barefeet landing softly on the floor. The anticipation of seeing Mariko again surged within me, and I couldn't help but smile. The storm outside had finally subsided, leaving behind a sense of calm that mirrored the newfound clarity in our relationship.
As I slipped into a long pair of comfortable pajama pants, I couldn't help but wonder how Mariko was feeling this morning. Did he sleep well on the sofa? Was he as eager as I was to continue our journey together? These questions swirled in my mind as I brushed my hair and prepared to face the day.
With each step towards the lounge, my heart quickened its pace. I wanted to see Mariko, to share a smile and perhaps a lingering kiss. But most of all, I wanted to talk to him, to dive deeper into the connection we were building. The prospect of being with him filled me with a sense of happiness I had never known.
As I approached the lounge, I couldn't help but pause for a moment. Mariko was already awake, standing by the window and staring outside. His tall, strong silhouette against the soft morning light was a sight to behold. He turned to me, a warm smile spreading across his face, and in that moment, I knew that the morning held the promise of something beautiful, something that would bring us even closer together.
I took a step forward, closing the distance between us. "Good morning," I said softly, my voice filled with affection.
"Good morning," he replied, his eyes locking with mine. "Did you sleep well?"
I nodded, my heart swelling with emotion. "Yes, I did and how about you?" I asked.
Mariko reached out and took my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine. "I slept okay. It is a sofa after all," he smirked.
"I'm sorry about that. I know that we must get to work. I would've made breakfast," I said.
"Well, you don't need to go to work today because I called in. We are both taking the day off."
"The work will pile up," I began to worry.
"Relax," his hands moved to the top of my arms. "We can carry on with it tomorrow."
I let out a sigh, "You really don't need to help me."
"I want to and I am not taking no for an answer when it comes to that. Now, I can sit down while you make breakfast or I can help," he smiled.
"No helping, I will do it. Maybe you can just make coffee for us," I replied.
"Got it," he said as I stepped out of his reach and walked into the kitchen. My kitchen was small, so there was hardly any space for movement if there were two people inside.
When I started to make breakfast, I was standing in front of the stove, I was making omelettes. I felt Mariko behind me as he reached for the top cupboard beside me, but the kitchen limited us. I could feel his bulge against my ass. "Sorry," he rasped and then stepped away. I had to try my best to focus on the omelettes.
"Was that on purpose?" I looked over at him beside me, as he made our coffee. He was smirking.
"What if it was? You have a great ass but the teasing makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it?" he looked over at me.
"You are the one that wants to wait, not that I have a problem with it," I smirked.
"Well, first you need to get on contraception because we do not want any accidents. I would say there are other alternatives, but I want to dive right in. I haven't had s^x in a while since there were issues in my marriage. Most of it was just me taking care of myself and Amber would..." he stopped himself from saying more.
"She would do what?" I was curious.
"She would give me bl^w jobs. I just didn't want to have s^x with her and that was the alternative," he shrugged and his expression was serious.
"You are not comfortable talking about it to me?" I asked. I quickly grabbed two plates from the counter that I had already set out and I dished out omelettes on them. I put the spatula in the sink but Mariko disappeared when I heard no reply. But when I looked over the counter, he was placing our mugs of coffee on the coffee table.
I switched off the stove and I took both of the plates to the lounge, he sat down on the sofa, and I placed the plates on the coffee table. I sat down beside him. "Thank you," he said as he looked at me with a polite smile, then he looked at the coffee table as his elbows rested on his knees, hunching forward. "I am happy to share anything with you, because as we start, I think that it is important to know each other. I just don't feel comfortable doing the things that I used to do with her. I want to be worshipping your body instead of you giving me a bl^w job," he looked over at me again. "I want you to enjoy it and I know that I will enjoy making love to you. But when the time is right or when I'm ready, perhaps you can do the other things," he was uncomfortable talking about that.
"Mariko, I won't pressure you into things that you don't want us to do. I can take whatever you are comfortable with," I smiled at him.
"Thank you for understanding."
"You don't need to worry about anything when it comes to me," I said.
I am an easy-going person when it comes to these things. But I do not appreciate being treated as less than what I deserve. So, having Mariko in my life, I know that I will be treated the right way...as I should be treated. I actually enjoy these conversations with him.
Mariko's POV
I hardly slept the entire evening because I was a bit uncomfortable on the sofa and I was thinking about Maddie in the other room. I had to try my best not to go inside of her bedroom and hold her. I would've lost myself but I am happy that I can control myself. But now I am opening up further.
"I was on my own for a while before meeting Amber. My father passed away when I was twenty-eight and my mother passed a year thereafter. My father was a businessman. He had his own small company and he taught me what I knew about the industry. It was a magazine printing company. I made sure to go further than that. Once he passed away from a second heart attack, I tried to oversee the company but it didn't feel right to me. It wasn't my thing or I wasn't ready at the time. I met Lana's mother, Gray. She was going through a terrible time and she took a break. She had a terrible break up with Lana's father at the time. She was working on her own company and she met with me to help her. I liked her but I knew that I couldn't have her. I took a leave of absence from the company and then I came back to Seattle with her. I loved it here and then I ended up working for Sternpoint and I sold my father's company. I just wasn't interested in that. My mother was traveling to forget the loss of my father but then she had lung cancer which was already further. She didn't want me to see her suffer and she made me promise her that I wouldn't see her. Do you know how difficult that was?" Tears stung the back of my eyes because that was a painful time that I hid away from everyone. "I only saw her as thin as she was from cancer in the casket at her funeral. I loved my parents and they were great. I miss them. I strive to be a good parent to my kids too," I looked at Maddie, her eyes were glazed over.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
"I'm fine now," I smiled at her and then I reached for my coffee.
"I love what I do at Sternpoint and I live for my kids, I always have. Now, you are in my life and I couldn't be happier," I leaned back on the sofa to get a better view of her. You are the ray of sunshine in my life. I was in a dark place with Amber and I'm happy to be away from her," I sucked in a breath and took a sip of my coffee.
"You are mine too," she smiled. "I never thought that I would actually end up being with you and now here we are," she reached towards the coffee table and took her coffee. "I will never forget the first time that I saw you at Sternpoint, I knew that there was something familiar about you and then you reminded me. I wanted you on that evening, five years ago, things happened and I forgot about you. You just make me feel different compared to other men out there. I still have a lot to discover about my father and what happened between my mother and him. But now I am patiently waiting to meet him whenever," she shrugged.
My phone rang and I reached for it on the coffee table. Margaret's name appeared on the screen. I hope that nothing is wrong with Bella, because those are always my first thoughts. I answered, "Margaret?"
"Mariko, how are you?"
"I'm okay, how is Bella? Is she okay?" I asked with concern.
"She is all good, but she misses you and she wants you to come over," I smiled.
"Can I speak to her, please?" I asked.
"Of course," she replied, and then I waited, "Daddy?" that cute little voice came through the line.
"Bella, how is my little girl?" I asked.
"I'm fine, but I miss you. When are you going to come and get me?" she asked.
"How about I come over in a little while?"
"Yes!" she exclained with excitement.
"I will be there soon. I love you and be a good girl to grandma," I said. I knew I would find Maddie blushing because of the good girl thing we exchanged before.
"Yes, daddy. Love you too," I hung up with a smile still on my face.
"Would you like to go with me to see Bella?" I asked Maddie as I looked over at her. Her smile widened, her cheeks were rosy, just as I had expected.
"I would love to,"
"Great, let's first eat and then get ready. Bella will be all over you," I smiled.
"Oh, she definitely will be."
This is what I love. The woman that I have in my life, that is a beam of light, will be spending time with my daughter too. To see them both like each other without any hassles is something that I am grateful for. I couldn't ask for anything better than this.