8

"I'm glad the events of the last few days haven't changed anything in our business, Mr. Yamazaki," I say, smiling at the camera, looking straight at what is probably the most influential man in Japan.

"You're such a good business partner that I didn't even care a bit about what's in those headlines, Mr. Vance. Don't worry about that." up when I hear my door open.

My beautiful wife's brown eyes shine at me and I immediately start to smile even wider.

Harry's soft chuckle fills my chest with pure joy.

"You won't believe how relieved I am," I reply, straightening myself.

A glance at my watch tells me that the conversation should be over soon and I feel the load slowly starting to fall from my shoulders.

"Mr Vance, I've been to New York with you so often now, allow me to invite you and your family to Tokyo. You know that it's better to discuss details personally. Be my guests.", says the still relatively young man and looks at me with a smile.

Immediately, my head rings in the direction of my wife, who has also noticed the offer and is grinning from ear to ear.

She nods softly, places Arrow's maxi-cot right next to me as Harry walks around my table, and waves at Mr Yamazaki with a smile.

"The offer sounds really good. My wife is also enthusiastic, I think we will gladly accept the invitation." I say and nod.

"Great! My assistant will send you all the information. Me and my wife are expecting you in two days, so you should start packing now." He laughs and after a short goodbye, I close my laptop before I put down the microphone on my chest and devote myself to my son.

Sophia sits down in front of me with a sigh, visibly exhausted and with Arrow on her arm.

"This offer comes at just the right time. I think a few days off from everything and everyone will do us really good." I say and put my hand on her cheek, sighing softly as she blows a kiss on the palm.

It's been almost two weeks since the son of a bitch thing and we're only just beginning to recover from it all.

Everything came so quickly one after the other that at some point I really didn't know which way to go anymore.

In the meantime, the media has stopped talking about us, as if nothing had happened, and I don't know yet whether I should be happy or worried.

Sophia has just completed New York Fashion Week and is therefore more than just broken.

We hardly saw each other for almost a whole week because she even slept in the agency, if that's what she did.

It all went smoothly and without any turbulence, although I'm actually just glad that it's finally over.

"I think so too. I'll call home right away and-", "Come over here and give me a kiss before you start planning everything again.", I interrupt her and smile with a sigh.

Without a word, she gets up and approaches me, then joins our lips in a long, passionate kiss.

I would love to lose myself in her, but the kids are here and since the video thing, to be honest, we don't dare to do it in public anymore.

"If we stay longer than a week we'll take the kids with us, but if not then..." "Are you sure?" I ask thoughtfully, watching her make herself comfortable in front of me again.

"It's a 12-hour flight, Nate. We're barely dealing with the jetlag, how are they supposed to? I'm only going to do this to my kids if it's really worth it and we stay longer than a week," she says and swallowing, I nod.

"Honestly, I thought you'd just want some togetherness with me..." "Yes, of course, that too. Oh god, Nate, we only had sex a few hours ago and then I'm the one who can't get enough." She laughs and puts her hand in mine.

"Sorry!" I just call out and sigh when Brooklyn enters the room with two others and a huge trolley full of food.

"I met my mother today," Sophia begins while poking around in her pasta.

Now I know where this final tiredness in her beautiful face comes from.

Sophia and her mother have been talking to each other again for almost a year, but you can't call that a really good mother-daughter relationship.

Unlike my wife, Roven and Flore still haven't exchanged a single word with my mother-in-law and now, when I see how distressing these encounters are for Sophia, I wish she had done the same for her siblings.

Ariana didn't want her kids then, and nothing has changed over the years.

After I terminated the partnership with their company, somehow they seem to have gotten along wrong.

She has separated from her husband and is now trying to somehow support herself through marketing and more than a lot of advertising business, but just seems to be failing miserably.

It makes me sick to see her mentally irritate my wife at the highest level without even feeling the slightest hint of a guilty conscience, as if she had been there for her children all these years.

While I expected Sophia to be the most resistant to reconciliation with her mother, she was the only one of the three who agreed.

But already at the third meeting she was completely at the end of her nerves.

I knew this wasn't going to end well, but I just didn't want to get involved; In retrospect, however, I deeply regret it.

I sigh and grab her hand and look at her worriedly, feeling my chest tighten at the thought of how exhausted she probably is.

"She asked me for money," she mumbles, looking at me with a sigh.

"Please what?" I ask indignantly.

"I couldn't believe it either. This woman is going to drive me crazy." My wife replies, putting a small noodle in Harry's mouth and then handing him his bottle.

"Did you give her the money?" I ask, putting my fork aside.

"Of course. She's my mom, Nate," Sophia sighs, and I know even she doesn't approve of her decision.

"How much?" "Only two thousand dollars." She mumbles and I nod wordlessly.

To be honest, I definitely expected more, although the low price doesn't change anything.

"I just don't like her." Sophia sighs, and by the way she puts down her cutlery and begins tending to Harry, I can tell her appetite has gone.

"Just because she gave birth to you doesn't make her your mother, Sophia." I say with a sigh and grab her free hand.

"Who knows what stories she would have told the media for that money. I didn't want to risk it.", "You really need this trip, don't you?" I ask, blowing gentle kisses onto her fingers.

"More than anything else at the moment," she just murmurs and I nod wordlessly.

This trip is all hers.

I wordlessly thank the porter before slipping him some money and then closing the door behind him.

I can feel the tiredness from the time change slowly taking over, but I know that I have to hold out for at least two more hours, otherwise I won't have a proper sleep rhythm and since I have a meeting tomorrow morning, I can't afford that.

I sigh and throw myself into bed next to my wife, who is trying to reach my mother without a word.

When she finally picks up, her face immediately pops up on the screen along with Arrow's, and we both smile and wave at the camera.

It was very difficult for us to leave the two with my parents, but since we really will only be here in Tokyo for five nights, we just didn't dare.

After two hours on a plane, both of them just get really restless because they can't do anything and until they would have gotten used to the hotel room, that is, had slept properly, several days would have passed again and this trip should at least help Sophia a little relax.

I sigh and watch Arrow keep shoving small pieces of banana into his mouth and after less than a day, my longing catches up with me.

We only talk to my mother for a moment before Sophia hangs up and moves closer to me.

I stroke a few strands behind her ear with a sigh, just enjoying the sight of her and the deep calm in my chest.

"What would you do if I told you I'm pregnant again?" she mumbles, looking at me dreamily.

I immediately step back a bit when her words resonate with me and I gasp for air.

It's not that I don't want another child, but Arrow is only seven months old and I'm already afraid I won't be able to give Harry and him enough attention.

"I'd be happy of course, but - it would also worry me because you know what I think about it," I reply, sighing softly.

"Are you pregnant?" I ask, gulping, unable to hide my relief when she shakes her head.

"But I want another baby." She says and starts to grin cheekily.

"Me too, but please let's wait a little longer. At least until Arrow slowly learns to speak, huh?" I ask, but I don't really meet with unanimity.

"That long?" she pouts, I nod stubbornly, "Okay."

For some reason, the mood between us is suddenly very different.

Maybe it's just me, but hunger suddenly spoke up and seeing her lying here like that really does things to me.

I slide my hand down her body and then rest on her round ass before pulling her even closer and slowly starting to rub my erection against her thigh.

"Nate?" she whispers softly and I look at her without a word.

"I want you to tie me up."

As I process her words, all my bodily functions stop and I gulp and adjust myself.

"It's been so long since we played..." she murmurs, and I gulp my fingers through my hair, unable to get a word out.

However, she is right.

At least a year, if not longer.

Just the thought almost makes me cum and swallowing, I throw my head back before moaning softly.

I start massaging my erection, unable to hold myself back.

Sophia's eyes immediately fasten on my hand and when I look down at her, she has pressed her legs together and drawn her lower lip between her teeth.

"Please, Daddy..." she whimpers and I just put my index finger to my lips to signal her to be quiet.

"Get undressed," I order sternly, growling briefly as my orgasm slowly announces itself.

A few seconds later she is completely naked, in her most beautiful form in front of me, legs spread wide, chest still full of hickeys from yesterday's fun.

I keep massaging my erection in silence, noticing from the expression on her face how much she would like to touch herself, but of course I won't allow her that.

"Daddy needs to calm down or he'll hurt you, and we don't want that, do we?" I ask, to which she just groans, unable to control herself.

Just before I reach my orgasm, I let go of my erection and get off the bed.

I take off my shirt, completely relaxed, before I say goodbye to my sweatpants and then walk to my suitcase.

As if by reflex, I grab some tie and then go back to my wife.

"Raise your arms above your head, kitten." I demand calmly and she immediately does what is asked of her.

With deft fingers, I connect her hands, making sure it's secure against the bed frame before running my lips down her body and then burying my head between her legs.