Shifting Perspectives

"Awwww, you two are so sweet!" Charlize cooed, and they smiled at her.

Now that they'd gotten their initial lust taken care of, they used the shower for its proper purpose and washed the road sweat from their bodies.

Wrapped in towels, Charlize and Chloe showed them to the guest bedroom where they put their bags, got dressed in fresh clothes, then joined their now dressed hosts in the living room once more.

"Okay, out with it! We want the full story of how you met and when you got married!" Charlize insisted with a grin.

Kyle grinned as he hugged Aiko to his side on the couch. "I have to warn you, it's a story that goes years back."

"Can we order food first?" Chloe asked.

Kyle and Aiko smiled at their hosts. "Of course."

"Phoebe will come by tonight," Charlize said as she pulled out the takeout menus. She chuckled as she admired the gorgeous couple on the couch before her. "She's going to love meeting you!"

Kyle smiled. He was also looking forward to getting together with Phoebe and seeing her surprised expression. While he knew the woman was not inclined towards the fairer sex, Aiko had a very sensual nature and could be very convincing. He smiled to himself. He'd awakened something in his lovely wife, and she craved giving and receiving pleasure. He'd created a hedonist!

It was going to be a very pleasing evening!

Epilogue

The road hummed happily under the wheels of Kyle's racing bike. He was leading a group of six cyclists up a long gradual climb, and he glanced back to ensure none of them were suffering... too much.

Three men and three women had signed up for a special intensive week-long guided training course in the countryside of British Columbia. They'd cruised along smooth paved trails beside pristine blue lakes while practicing sprints, climbed soul-crushing ascents into the rarified air of mountain passes, and raced back down to the valleys below at breakneck speeds. This group had the strongest and most capable cyclists Kyle had had the pleasure of guiding so far.

Kyle and Aiko's business, guiding supported cycle tours, had been doing very well for three years now, and they loved almost every day. The temperamental Canadian weather was solely responsible for the days that weren't so stellar, but Kyle was a firm believer that a bad day in the saddle was better than a good day at a desk job.

His fitness level was second to none, between his job cycling in the mountains and the Aikido training he'd taken to reach first dan (black belt).

Shortly after he married Aiko, he'd promised himself he would finally get real martial arts training to protect her, and he discovered an affinity to Aikido. His ability to separate completely from his emotions allowed him a level of concentration that few could achieve or compete against.

Aiko joined him in these lessons and had reached third kyu (blue belt).

She'd become an excellent cyclist herself with Kyle's advanced training. They alternated guiding their tour groups with the other driving the support van on their non-cycling days.

Aiko was a tremendous hit with their guests, as she was such a positive person who never lost her temper. She could also out climb many pro cyclists and looked incredible in her tight cycling wear.

Speaking of his lovely wife, another way they exercised together was through their frequent tumbles between the sheets. This was their favorite way to stay fit.

Today was the last day for this group, and he was pleased to know they'd all achieved personal bests during their week with them. As they coasted down the final descent into the outskirts of their final destination, he saw everyone was wearing a satisfied smile on their faces.

As they did for each tour group, they'd arranged a special dinner at the hotel for their last night. Today, Aiko had reached their accommodations earlier and was waiting for them by the van in the parking lot.

Kyle rode into the lot and guided his bike into the rack inside the trailer. He stepped outside once it was secure and pulled Aiko to him to give her a kiss.

"Hey, babe. New in town?" he asked in a sultry voice.

She giggled and pushed him back gently with a fake pout. "You are all sweaty!"

"Just the way you like me," he chuckled.

The first two guests arrived, and the leading man grinned at their antics. "Geezus! Do you two ever stop pawing each other?" a young man named Jim from San Francisco exclaimed.

Kyle and Aiko squinted at each other as if they were trying to recall. Then Kyle turned back to the man. "Only when one of us is driving."

Jim's friend was an equally young man originally from Texas named Noah, who just stared at the two of them in awe. He was a shy one, but a damn good climber.

These two were prize winners of a free week of training courtesy of a prize Kyle offered to a San Francisco cycling club.

Two women arrived next, and Kyle grinned widely at his special guests. Dita Marek and Vivian Dalton were glowing with happiness as their skills had progressed so much over the week, and they knew it. They still worked for the same tour company in Europe where Kyle first met them, but they jumped at the opportunity when Kyle invited them to participate in his high-intensity training class for free.

The final two cyclists cruised into the lot. Kimberly Stewart (née Wallis) and her new husband Philip, whose passion for cycling equaled his wife's. Kyle thought they were a lovely couple, and he was so happy Kimberly found a much more compatible mate after David left her. He'd been glad he was able to contact her with an offer of a free week as a wedding gift.

Aiko and Kyle collected the bikes and stowed them in the trailer as their guests walked over to the patio to sit at the table prepared for them. The waiters were already taking their drink orders.

Once they'd locked up the trailer and van, Kyle collected his heavy watch from the vehicle and put it on. It was a ritual he used to maintain his vow to keep tabs on the child he and Èlia brought into the world.

She'd had a beautiful boy, and surprisingly, Nicolau stepped up in his role as the child's father. Being a dad seemed to be the key to maturing the man-child. Èlia sent Kyle pictures of Agustí on the boy's birthday. Kyle replied to these email messages with smilies and heart emojis but did nothing to interfere with their lives or happiness. He simply maintained a distant but vigilant observation.

Èlia was active on social media and was aware Kyle was one of her thousands of followers, so that was sufficient for now.

Kyle and Aiko joined their guests at the table. The waiters gave them ice water with lemon, then Kyle stood to face the others.

"Congratulations on your achievements this week! We saw a tremendous improvement in your skills, and you all demonstrated much more confidence in your riding." He clapped as he glanced over at Kimberly, who'd initially struggled with her fear of descents. She was grinning widely, as was her husband, who now had a partner who could keep up to him on the downhills. They could continue to push each other to get even better.

"Thank you so much for being such excellent teachers, Kyle and Aiko!" the redhead gushed.

The couple smiled and nodded as their guests applauded them. Kyle sat next to Aiko.

"How did you end up creating your own touring company?" Viv asked. "Did the tour you took with us have any impact on the decision?"

He smiled and nodded. "I had such an amazing time during that week, rediscovering who I was and learning how much I enjoyed meeting new people. A friend in England, Priya Singh, suggested that I might try my hand in the service industry if I enjoyed interacting with people. Most of these jobs don't give you sufficient time to get to know someone, but I recalled your tour, and that just appealed so much. Aiko is a strong rider as well and decided she'd like to give it a try. Between us, we have all the technical know-how to keep the van and bikes tuned, and we both enjoy cycling, so we thought we'd do this while we have the strength and health to do it."

"Does it pay the bills?" Philip asked curiously. His accounting background was showing.

Kyle grinned and nodded. "We're very careful with our money as this business has small margins. But I'm also an exceptional investment manager. So, we get to do what we love, and we're very comfortable financially while we do it."

"What about the winters? Canada is freezing cold then, isn't it?" Noah asked.

Aiko smiled and nodded. "I do not like snow, so we visit friends in Santa Barbara, California. We go to London, England, as they have less snow. Last winter, we were invited to spend a week in the Seychelles, and that was very beautiful!"

Philip's eyes were wide as he imagined the cost of that travel.

"I'm an exceptional investment manager," Kyle said with a grin as he saw the question in the man's eyes.

The conversation turned to the cycling they'd done and the things they learned. Dinner was served, and they enjoyed the meal as they admired a beautiful sunset overlooking the city's lights further down the valley.

Jim and Noah were the first to bail as they had an early taxi to catch the following morning to get to the airport for their flight home.

One drink later, Kimberly tugged her husband away from the table where he'd been unsuccessfully trying to get Kyle to divulge the deep, dark secrets of his investment strategy.

Soon it was just Kyle, Aiko, Viv, and Dita. They could feel a delicious tension running between them. Dita recalled the kiss in the alley of that small village in France. Also, Aiko's looks were so exotic and compelling she was having difficulty keeping her gaze away from the woman's lips.

Viv was doing her best to discreetly scope out Kyle's new muscles. She recalled how fit he'd been on their tour in France, but he was so much more ripped now. He was far fitter than her cyclist fiancé had ever been. It was giving her a serious case of the tingles.

"I checked out your website, and it looks very professional. It's equal to anything the company I work for put together," Viv mentioned.

"Thank you!" Aiko said proudly, as that was her responsibility.

"I checked it out, too, but I was wondering if your company has the same fraternization policies," Dita said, surprising Viv, who immediately looked at Kyle.

"Oh, yes, there can be no hanky panky between the company operators and the guests during the tour," Kyle stated categorically.

All three women looked at him in disappointment.

"It's a good thing the tour is over. Isn't it," he finished with a smile.

Aiko looked over at Kyle with love in her eyes. He recalled her telling him he was the only man she ever wanted to be with, but she was so pleased that he was willing to share his friends with her.

Kyle smiled at Aiko as he saw the unconditional love and excitement flash in her beautiful eyes. With Viv and Dita grinning at them across the table, Kyle was momentarily taken back to that evening in France in his lonely hotel room when he read the note telling him his unconditional love for Gwen had been cast aside like trash. It'd destroyed him, and he'd wondered if he'd ever love again.

He'd learned a lot about himself and had grown as a person tremendously since that day. The revelations about his father had healed a terrible wound in him. It still made him terribly sad to think of the pain the man had gone through, and he had a new perspective on the pain the man had inflicted upon his wife and child while protecting them. Kyle could live with knowing that it was based on love.

Kyle knew he'd healed enough to be completely in love with this incredible woman, but his feelings were being returned in kind this time. She felt the same way about him. No reservations. She was all in.

He could only promise in his heart that he would do whatever it took to repay her kindness.

Kyle was grateful for the mad skills Gwen taught him. They'd keep Aiko happy for the rest of his life.