“She is nothing like them at all.”
“And this is what has captivated your attention so fiercely, has it not?”
“Yes, Colonel.”
He nodded.
“And unlike the women you pursued before, she does not seem to care about your wealth, power, and prestige. Is this correct?”
“That's right.”
“You are not able to control her. She is like a female samurai, is she not?”
“There were female samurai?”
“Oh, yes. They were fierce warriors, as skilled and courageous as any male samurai. They were rare, yes, but they existed. Their names live on in legend. This woman who has captivated you, I suspect that she is like the female samurai of old. Fierce, independent, strong-willed, intelligent. Yes?”
I nodded. “She is all of those things.”
“This is what frustrates you. With every woman that has come before her, you were able to win her without effort—your money, social standing, or power did that for you. But these things, they are not you. The female samurai knows this. She has these things herself or, at least, she is working toward them herself. So, she does not want them from you. She wants to earn them and take pride in her own achievements. In fact, those very things that have always worked for you in terms of winning over beautiful women are now working against you.”
“That is almost exactly what she told me. So, what can I do, Colonel?”
“There is only one thing you can do, and that is what every man who comes against a female samurai must do, whether he is a beggar or an emperor.”
“And, what is that?”
“Show her your heart and nothing else. Then it is up to her to decide if she wants it or not. You, I'm afraid, have little say in the matter.”
I slumped my shoulders and sighed. “I'm not used to this, Colonel. I'm not used to this at all.”
He chuckled and smiled sympathetically at me. “No man, even the fiercest warrior, is ever ready for the attack love wages on the heart. All you can do is embrace the experience and accept the outcome, whether it is in your favor or not.
“Life is a strange thing, young Sinclair-san. But you cannot afford to become too fixated on one thing. Let her choose—and accept her choice. There is little you can do to influence her in this matter. Show her who you are and what you have to offer her on her terms. Not the terms you have grown accustomed to.”
I nodded slowly. “You're right, I suppose. There is nothing much I can do.”
“Hold on for now. But be prepared to let go if you must. It is a more beautiful thing to see a wild horse run free and come to you of its own will than it is to capture it and break its spirit.”
“I will.”
“Come. Drink your sake, and we shall call it a night. We must resume your training at sunrise. I will help you find your focus again.”
“Thank you, Colonel.”
I sipped the last of my sake, stared up at the stars, and wondered what the coming weeks would bring.
***
I returned to the office Tuesday morning with a fresh sense of purpose and a keenly-honed focus. My long weekend in Japan with Colonel Tanaka had proven to be very beneficial.
Lilah was, of course, still on my mind, but I'd realized that, as the Colonel had told me, whatever was going to happen between us was entirely up to her. If that turned out to be nothing, there was little I could do but accept that and move on.
Still, that didn't mean I wasn't going to at least try. I wasn't prepared to simply give up on the idea of us together—not just yet.
I sat down at my desk and went through my emails and lists of tasks that would need to be completed. First and foremost, was the French account. I had a message from Anton about the VIV Perfume campaign. He was hoping that I could meet him in Paris again and bring whichever member of my team was going to be heading the campaign.
Naturally, that team member was Lilah. After all, she had a friend in Paris in the fashion industry whom we had already spoken to. Of course, now that things had become a bit more complicated between us, informing her that we’d be going to Paris might be a little awkward. Still, we had to act like professionals. She was already deep into the French campaign, so there was no way I could suddenly pull her out now and replace her with someone else.