As it turned out, they had ended up eating their food at the restaurant. Locke always thought Tina had a contagious energy, so apparently, it had transferred to Meliza. That...and all the waiters wanted to hear how Meliza and Tina knew each ohter. So between scary gambling perverts, poker/blackjack lessons, hotels taken hostage, hotels burning, Meliza dating some vineyard owner...the whole story came out and from what it sounded like...before Locke met her on Fighter's Isle, Meliza had met Tina before then, taken her under her wing and taught her to gamble in Atlantic City. It was there where Meliza began dating a man who helped run a successful vineyard in California - before he disappeared with all her winnings.

        Locke had never asked Meliza about her past. She had never asked about his. He didn't really like to bring it up, and she must have sensed that.

        In fact, she was the only thing related to his past life now.

        When they parted ways a few years ago, he honestly didn't expect to see her again. So much had happened. He came with a job to do, money to earn...but somewhere down the line, he started to care about her. He also started to rethink his plans. He hadn't been ready to explore...whatever it was that was between them, so he left Fighter's Isle, with plans to settle in New York, start a small business, retire...so that the name Locke Koh would just be a memory.

        But out of curiosity, while taking some time off in Atlantic City...he had wandered into The Rinaldo.

        She hadn't changed. Much.

        She had dismissed the rowdy patron from her casino with a no-nonsense tone before two college students thanked her for her action.

        He wasn't quite sure what possessed him to make his presence known to her, but the second her brown eyes settled on him, he knew that she had recognized him. A part of him was immediately pleased that in spite of his different appearance...she knew him. That part of him convinced him that it wouldn't hurt to get to know her again...outside of all the chaos that had brought them together in the first place what seemed like ages ago. They had spent a week together and by the time he returned to New York, they had agreed to see each other more frequently.

        No one had been more surprised than Xia and Tanaka. They were convinced that he must have been high on some unusual drug. Xia had been literally shocked. And Tanaka...was in constant disbelief.

        He had avoided entering the sushi bar for almost a month, knowing all the questions Tanaka's people would ask. They were nice people...but sometimes they seemed too bored. Always wanting to know what was going on with whom. It was bad enough they poked themselves in Xia's business. Now they had reason to poke their noses in his...especially when Meliza would call his work on a few occasions only to have Xia answer the phone. Xia loved calling the sushi bar to tell them that 'you-know-who called'.

        Locke slowly opened the door of his bedroom, emerging into the living room of his apartment. Meliza had had difficulty sleeping due to the time change from Vegas to New York, so she had settled to watch television in the living room.

        It was just past two a.m. From what he could see, Meliza was asleep on the leather couch as infomercials blared softly from the TV, illuminating the living room. He made his way around the couch to see Meliza curled up on her right side, wearing a pale blue button-down sleepshirt that ended just a few inches above her knees. Locke reached down, smoothing back several long dark strands of hair from her forehead before brushing the skin of her cheek with the back of his fingers.

        His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of a slim laptop perched on the mahogany coffee table, a display of dolphins swimming serving as her screensaver. He knelt down, turning the laptop and running his finger across the mousepad.

        An email replaced the dolphins on-screen, and he read the text addressed to Meliza.
 
 

From: "Ryan" <ryan.cooper@rinaldohotels.com>
To: "Meliza" <meliza.rinaldo@rinaldohotels.com>

Mel,

The new hotel in San Francisco, as you know, will have its grand opening tomorrow at five p.m. I've attached the press release written by marketing/PR announcing the new hotel. As well as some photos that they've chosen to give to the newspapers. The webmaster will be sending me a link for a test page of the press release that will go up on the main website. In about two weeks, he plans to have a site up & running for that hotel.

So relax.

Remember what we talked about when your parents first brought me on board? Don't worry about trying to follow in their footsteps. Your parents put you in charge because they wanted to see the company change and grow. Not that it wasn't doing that under your parents...but there's a reason why your parents and all your relatives retired. It was time for innovative change. This is your business now.

Enjoy time with your boyfriend, and don't think about work, I got you covered.

~Ry
 

Ryan Cooper
Executive Vice President
Rinaldo Hotel Corporation
4520 Boardwalk Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
609-643-6610 xt 1102
ryan.cooper@rinaldohotels.com
 
 

        Locke shook his head. Even Meliza's trusted right hand man knew that she was obssessed with work.

        She was much too hard on herself.

        He knew Meliza...she hated failure.

        "What time is it?" a soft voice asked from the couch.

        He pushed the laptop aside before turning to her. "It's two-fifteen."

        She stifled a yawn, stretching. "Feels later than that..."

        "You should sleep..."

        Moving slightly, she smiled, lacing her fingers behind his neck. "I know. But I happen to like where I'm at right now."

        He shifted, touching his forehead to hers. "It's late. We have a long day tomorrow."

        "Today," she corrected lightly.

        "Same thing."

        Locke stood up and grasping her wrists, pulled her to her feet. With a gentle shove to the small of her back, he propelled her in the direction of the bedroom.

        "You can't expect to see the tourist sites of New York when you're half asleep," he said casually.

        "Locke...?"

        "Yes?" He continued to push her forward.

        "It's really good to see you again," she murmured, tilting her head back to rest against his shoulder, while slowly dragging her feet along the carpet. "I've missed you..."

        His hold on her tightened just a little.

        In the beginning, it had taken a while for both of them to open up to each other. She...having been burned in relationships before...and he...having built walls around himself for so long...it was a learning experience for them both. Still, after all that, he was glad to have her...He didn't think it was possible to love again, but life was full of second chances.

        A wry smile tilted the corner of his mouth. And here he was getting philosophical.

        Today was technically their anniversary.

        And his girlfriend was semi-conscious.

        He put her to bed before going to the living room to turn of the TV and shut down her laptop.
 

~
 

        Meliza turned, her eyes fluttering open as sunlight filtered through the blinds of the bedroom. The clock on the nightstand told her it was eleven a.m.

        So much for waking up early to visit the Statue of Liberty.

        "Good morning."

        She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as Locke set a tray of steaming eggs, rice, sausage, and orange juice on her lap. Meliza stared at the tray for several seconds before turning her eyes to him.

        He was freshly showered, his black hair damp, the scent of soap lingering on his skin. He was ready to go, wearing a blue short-sleeved collared shirt and khaki pants.

        "What?"

        Meliza pointed at the food in her lap. "What's this?"

        "Looks like breakfast."

        She reached up to place her hand over his forehead. "Are you feeling all right? What's with the breakfast in bed?"

        He pulled her hand away from his head before taking a drink from her cup of orange juice. "What's wrong with it?"

        Meliza blinked. "Nothing. Just...you know that women consider this romantic?"

        "I guess..."

        "You aren't romantic." She sighed, cradling her cheek in her palm. "I guess I should take advantage of this. I should have known you're one of those guys who only shows his romantic side during anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and Christmas."

        "Eat," he pointed to her food. "Spending our anniversary in bed isn't what I had in mind."

        She bit her lip before arching a finely shaped brow. "It isn't necessarily a bad idea."

        Challenge reflected in those dark eyes. "You've been asleep for nearly nine straight hours."

        She merely tossed her hair over her shoulder before placing a small forkful of eggs in her mouth.