Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze (Walker Brothers #1)

1. Chapter One – Lily

Lily

"Felix, I need your help," I plea to my assistant, scurrying my way down the vast airport corridors to find my gate. I still have enough time, but of course I had to snag a flight leaving from the other side of the airport.

"Anything for you, Lily."

"They downgraded my flight from business to economy class," I tell him with a sigh, feeling validated as I hear an angry sound from his side of the line.

A group of people walks out of a duty-free store right in front of me without looking and I almost run into them, managing to stop right before stepping onto one of their carry-on suitcases, then cursing under my breath before I go on. "Right? God, I'm so annoyed."

A deep sigh falls from my lips when the group suddenly halts and before I kick anyone out of the way in frustration, I walk up to the wall and stop, closing my eyes for a moment and pinching the bridge of my nose as I take a deep breath.

Someone behind me curses and their suitcase grazes me as they hurry past, a few more choice words flying through the air, but I just can’t find it in me to open my eyes and give them a piece of my mind. I stepped aside to let everyone pass. Not my fault he decided to do the walking version of tailgating.

My throat is already swelling up with anxiety and I need to focus on my breathing, not some dumbfucks who can’t read the goddamn room. The room that feels like it’s closing in on me, walls about to squish me like a fly in a slow and agonizing death.

Fuck.

Of course, this just had to happen to me.

Where would we get if travel plans actually went according to plan? Happily to the destination is where I’d get, but the universe seems to have something against that.

Being claustrophobic, flying is already so far from my favorite pastime it might join the stars and become a twinkling light in the night sky.

But I’ve been looking forward to Tokyo and the conference I’m going to for months now – I’ve researched every damn class this airline has, then made sure I booked one that looked manageable to me and where I would sit in an isolated seat – that way at least I could have a panic attack in peace and without embarrassing myself in front of other passengers .

Millie and Kayla, the owners of the company I work for, offered me their private jet, but alas, the conference I’m flying to just had to be in the week they’re flying around the country to shoot several new music videos. And that definitely takes priority.

So, I got a backup plan. And that plan was to take some meds that would knock me out and ideally sleep through the whole flight. But there’s no way I am rendering myself unconscious in the middle of a bunch of strangers. What if I drool? Or snore? What if they’re handsy?

No way in hell.

"Anyways, could you please check for other flights while I have a little panic attack and then try to find someone here who might help me?" The silence on the other end of the line is heavy and I’m painfully aware that I’ve just way overshared but I cannot find it in me to care.

"Of course, Lily.” The compassion in his voice makes it hard to swallow past the lump of anxiety in my throat. “Give me a few minutes, I'll call you right back."

"Thank you, Felix," I croak, but the line is already dead and I slowly lower my phone.

I should have gone to Los Angeles with Felix. He’s there to catch up with some of our artists while I manned the office and prepared for the conference, but flying together might have relieved some of my anxiety .

With a sigh, I lean the back of my head against the cold metal wall behind me and close my eyes. Breathe, Lily. In. And out. In. And out. Everything is going to be fine.

I feel someone lean against the wall next to me, but I continue to calm my breath until I hear an annoyingly familiar and vexingly amused voice.

"Trouble?" It comes from right next to me and I hold my breath for a second before it goes right back to spiraling. I force my shoulders to straighten, before I slowly blink my eyes open, fighting the urge to let out an annoyed groan as I see the last person I want to run into during this absolutely embarrassing moment.

Adam Walker, CEO of Croney. A.k.a. one of my company’s biggest rivals. He’s not only one of the hottest bachelors of the entertainment industry and has women lusting after him wherever he goes, he’s also one of the most successful men in the industry, period.

Even before I became CEO of Siren’s Talent, I’d heard of him. How could you not? He’s been featured in magazines, everyone in the industry sings his praises for being as successful as he is in his thirties, and his annoyingly handsome face is at every. Dang. Industry function.

I knew he was good, yet I underestimated just how good. When I helped Kayla and Millie build Siren’s Talent up from the ground, at every turn, it seemed like he was stealing away people I wanted to hire. Be it talent I wanted for managing contracts, celebrities who were looking for PR representation or even accountants – for every contract we closed, there are five ‘Sorry I went with Croney’ e-mails in my inbox.

At first, I chalked it up to coincidence, but then it happened again. And again.

And yes, I’ve searched through my whole office because at one point I was convinced he’d bugged it.

Maybe I should feel honored that even though I’m new to the job I’m already thinking and recruiting like a seasoned professional. Great minds think alike and all that, but I sure hope to get him out of my hair and establish Siren’s Talent until we can fight for artists at eye-level. Let’s see who they’ll pick then.

I’m calling him a rival, but really, he’s the media giant.

It's so fucking frustrating. I’m just glad he didn’t snag up Felix before I got to hire him, because I would be absolutely lost without that man.

And I can’t believe I had to run into Adam here of all places and right now of all times.

Someday. Someday I’ll get him. For now, though, I’m answering his question.

"Trouble indeed," I mumble and take a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and straightening my back.

"Are you flying to Tokyo as well?" he asks, and my eyes grow wide. It takes every single ounce of restraint in me to not roll my eyes and stomp my foot to the ground like a little, frustrated child .

Of course, he would be going there as well. I should have known.

The conference itself is super niche – only a few companies have been invited to attend and I know Siren’s Talent is only one of them because Millie and Kayla have great connections.

“It comes with the territory of being pop princesses,” Millie said when she told me about it so I could block the week in my calendar. It wasn’t even a question if I wanted to go, since both of them knew I spent a gap year there after high school and love the city.

From what I’ve understood, the conference is an event to foster internationality in the Japanese music market with the goal to have more artists touring in Japan and opening the door for Japanese artists to tour internationally.

Aside from the fact that going to the conference would allow me to go to Tokyo on the company dime, I thought this would be a great opportunity for Siren’s Talent. I agreed to go more than enthusiastically.

After all, Japan is one of the largest recorded music markets. One of the very few markets where fans still buy CDs instead of only streaming music.

Truth be told, if the current circumstances were different, I would be thrilled about going to Tokyo. Ecstatic.

As is, I’m looking forward to being there, not the getting there .

And had I known that the flight would be downgraded and Adam would be on the same one... No, even that wouldn't have made me change my mind on going to this dang thing.

"I am," I finally answer him, forcing enthusiasm into my voice and mustering up all the calmness I can. “But it looks like the flight was overbooked. I hope your seat is safe.”

No, I don’t. In fact, a petty part of me thinks it would be only fair if he got downgraded as well.

"Oh no, what a shame," he says with a smirk that my hands are itching to wipe off his face. I don’t even think he intends it to be that smug, it’s just as natural to him as that goddamn sexy swoop his hair does to make it always fall perfectly into his face. "I haven’t heard differently, so I guess I'll see you on the plane."

Shooting me a smile, he walks off, right as a melody through the speakers announce a message for the whole terminal. I don’t pay it any attention, until I hear his name called out – even though the voice is static and barely understandable, his name is clear as day.

Uhh, that can’t be good.

Adam stops, a deer-in-headlights look, then he turns around and his head shoots to look at me. And to my shame, I can't stop the smile tugging at my lips in time.

Karma is a bitch.

I can’t help but trudge after him. After all, I need to get to the same gate as him anyway. Also, I’m way too curious .

When he approaches the counter, I watch him as, within moments, his pleasant demeanor and that charming smile that I’m sure got him a bunch of advantage in negotiations toward the stewardess turn sour.

Not that he’s showing obvious signs of it – no, he’s way too classy for that. But I can see a muscle in his jaw twitching and annoyance replacing the smile in his eyes.

Those are not good news. I turn around before he can see me hide a giggle behind my hand.

My luck that just in that moment, Felix is calling me back.

“Please tell me you have good news?” I start pacing the waiting area, carry-on suitcase right at my heels.

“I’m sorry,” he says with a sigh. “No dice. I’ve checked all the airlines, even all the private jets for hire, but there are no other flights that would get you to Tokyo on time.”

I purse my lips and pinch the bridge of my nose, just as a dull pain starts to form behind my eyes.

“Not even with layover?”

“I only found one with a twenty-four hour layover in Los Angeles. That would make you miss the whole first day.”

Resigned, I come to a stop and lay my head back, exhaling an annoyed sigh. “Fuck. Yeah, that’s not an option. Thank you for checking, Felix.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you better news. I’ll keep looking and let you know if I find something.”

“It’s alright,” I assure him, seeing from the corner of my eyes that Adam is now in a more serious discussion with the woman working at the reception. “I don’t want to keep you from your other work.”

“It’s fine, Lily. I know how anxious you’re on planes. Trying is the least I could do.”

I want to assure him that I’ll be fine, that it’s not going to be that bad. But I know better than to lie to him. Felix might have only started to work for me half a year ago, but somewhere along the line, he apparently learned to read my mind way beyond ‘she needs caffeine asap’.

So, all I can say is "thank you" before hanging up the phone.

When I glance over, Adam is not at the reception anymore, so I guess either they relented or he's as shit out of luck as I am.

I scan the crowd hovering around the boarding area, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

Then I take a deep breath, put on my friendliest smile, and step up to the counter to try my luck and hopefully make it back into business class.

Anxiety washes over me as soon as I board the plane, making all of my muscles rigid and each, slow step toward my seat a goddamn challenge.

After laying on the charm heavily, additionally to letting my anxiety shine through just the right amount, the stewardess found a way to put me into premium economy .

It's not quite business, but at least I know the rows are two-seaters. It’s still too cramped for my comfort, but knowing that I won’t be perched between strangers in a middle seat managed to make me feel a bit more at ease. It’s not ideal, but it’s something I can deal with.

Thank God.

While I have no idea why they didn’t put me in there to begin with, I’ll take it.

After I was finally able to calm down a bit, I got myself a coffee and messaged Felix the good news. He apologized again for not being able to get me business class on another flight, but I mean, what else could he do? If he checked, I know there was no other way.

Thank God I have him as an assistant.

I remember when I first started in the industry, also as an assistant, and was overwhelmed with the simplest tasks: how to save documents to the company folders, what to say when answering the phone and how to stand my ground when people dicked around instead of keeping to deadlines. It was a struggle.

Once I found routines and processes that worked for me, and got into more executive roles, I flourished. Maybe I just wasn't made for administrative tasks, and I can’t say that they’re my favorite part of the job, even today.

Felix, however, has found his calling in them. He delights on filling out charts, setting up contracts and keeping our digital company structure organized, and by now, we function like a well-oiled machine.

He's doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff, and I'm the one who steps into the spotlight. It’s a system that’s working perfectly for us and now I couldn’t imagine doing my job without Felix. There's a reason Millie and Kayla call us their dream team.

I find my seat number quickly and throw my handbag onto it, groaning inwardly when I realize that mine is the window seat.

If there's one thing I hate about flying, it's badgering other people to let me pass so I can go to the bathroom or pace nervously at the small space at the end of the plane.

But I'm a grown, strong woman, and I can survive a minor inconvenience like this.

I put my carry-on into the overhead compartment, then grab my handbag and sit down. The seat is a bit snug, pressing into my thighs and I grimace. I hope the seat next to me is just going to remain free.

After all, supposedly it's only business class and first class that were overbooked, at least according to the lovely woman I spoke to. There’s hope!

I try to get comfortable in my seat and do a bit of people-watching as more and more board the plane and walk past my row.

There are a lot of families, some with children that look excited to fly, others with teenagers who look annoyed as hell, and I grin, knowing that’s exactly what I looked like as I flew out for my gap year.

Suddenly, I see a familiar dark-haired man enter the plane. The seat next to me is still free and dear God, I hope it will remain just that.

Please don't let Adam be my next-seat neighbor. Please don't.

A relieved sigh escapes me when he stops two rows in front of me, then turns to the other side of the aisle and gets into a seat next to a woman who looks like she could be his mother.

He's also got the window seat.

I duck so he won’t see my grin. I'm not exactly small, and Adam is still a good bit taller than I am. Sitting in a window seat, not quite able to stretch out your legs, is going to be annoying as hell for him.

I watch as he folds himself into his seat, apologizing to the woman next to him as he bumps her repeatedly.

My eyes follow everyone else, making their way to the back of the plane, crossing my fingers in my lap for the seat next to me to remain empty. And finally, the doors are closing, and nobody is sitting next to me as the pilot announces our departure.

"Oh, thank fucking God," I whisper and immediately pull up the armrest that's been cutting into my hip. Talk about making the best out of a sucky situation.

I can live with this.