Niko’s Eye

Chapter 4.

Niko sat at the foot of the bed in her hotel room, fondling one of the objects that she picked up from Sang-Hoon’s room, her face scrunched up in thought.

Her pensive brow furrowed and her lips pursed.

She stood up and untied the kimono, letting it fall to the floor, revealing the dragon tattoo that she had draped on the surface of her back. She wondered if the stranger she had f****d moments ago saw it.

She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, content with her progress and still rushed by the adrenaline.

Niko was a writer, and in her mind, she knew who she was. She always affirmed and recited a piece that she had written on the day that she was on her way to the Navy Seal.

“I am the sun waiting to rise — hoping to dim a little more unapologetically

Distanced from the past and everything it holds

A fleeting friend who wishes to care but possesses the inability

The mind which happens to know little but is not afraid to learn

A simplified math equation, yet difficult to solve

Disconnected from worldly affairs, slowly finding myself to be enough

The thread keeping the family together

My brothers’ favorite siblings, my parents’ savior

A hopeless romantic — it is love that keeps me alive

The jigsaw puzzle that takes weeks to figure out

Attached to books — even the ones that lay untouched

Confused between prayers that will bring me contentment and those that I must make

A story waiting to be discovered

An awakened soul just moments away from living.”

Pulling out her toiletry bag which had already been put into place, courtesy of the hotel ménage, she zipped it open and whipped out her DHC cleansing oil and slapped it on, cleansing her face with swirling motions whilst having flashbacks of what had happened a few moments ago.

She sucked in a deep breath.

“This is why people who go through tough s**t like this, take hard ass drugs. God. I’m gonna need some sleeping tablets.”

She slapped herself on the face after resurfacing from the bathroom sink, her face still damp from washing off the cleanser.

Niko got through the rest of her night skin care routine, something that Japanese women considered a crucial step on their early years. But given that their genetics already catered for that, it was the 21st century after all.

Launching herself into the crisp, white sheets, she buried her face in the pillows and let out a loud scream.

“I need some tacos.”

She emerged from the pillows and grabbed the hotel telephone, ordering a bunch of Mexican and Italian food and leaning into the headboard to comfortably wait for her meals.

25 minutes later, Niko was sprawled on the floor, burping enchiladas and raviolis with two sleeping tablets in her system.

She grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw herself back onto the floor.

I need to rent a private house. This won’t work. She made a mental note to look for a house first thing in the morning.

“Much more comfortable. Oh, I need a cover.”

She sprung up again and yanked the sheeting off of the bed, finally being able to fall asleep comfortably.

Tomorrow, we fight again.

“Hey, I’m Noah. I’ll be doing your cable install today. I’ve got an order for a two room install?” Noah asked. This was his last job of the day and with VIP installs, the customer is afforded a 3 hour window. It was 2:00 p.m. and he was ready to go home.

Niko had found the perfect house, complete with hammocks and forestry. But there was no internet, and yet she managed to find a WiFi company, all in the same day.

“Great. I’ll show you the rooms I want them in.” She showed Noah the living room area and the master bedroom area. When Noah walked behind her towards the bedroom she could feel his eyes on her body, probably centered on her ass. This man was fine. Like most men who looked that good she was sure he was married, or had a girlfriend at least. Noah smiled as the woman led him down the hallway to her bedroom. He surveyed the areas where she wanted television. While in her bedroom, her large white tufted headboard stood out. His mind immediately flashed to a scene of him f*****g her from behind with her hands pressed against the headboard. With the bed being King size he thought of putting her in many varied positions.

Niko Jin-Ae Akari was the name on his work order. He figured it would be some middle aged woman who would undoubtedly hit on him again. When he pulled up the driveway and saw a large black Range Rover, he figured it was her husbands and the wife had probably set up the account. This happens on a regular basis. However the moment he saw her, he could tell that Niko was around his age as well.

“Nice car out there. Is it yours?” Noah asked.

“Yes, that’s mine. I got it imported here because I’m in Hawaii for business and I figured I might be here for a while.” Niko studied him. His body was lean and athletic. Very fit.

“Were you out and about earlier? I could’ve swore I saw that same car.” Noah’s attempt at small talk wasn’t going well. He was trying to avoid how beautiful Niko was.

I’m not here for fun, I’m here on a mission. I don’t need distractions.

Niko licked her lips to wet the dryness that her s****l life enticed.

Focus.