The Austrian and the Asian

By Eden Baylee

In the land where Mozart was born, a young Asian woman returns to an old flame and wonders why she ever left.

" ... sweet, sexy, and not as expected." ~ Booking It
" ... a wonderful story of two cultures coming together." ~ Coffee Time Romance
" ... Eden at her most naked, her most vulnerable, her most honest." ~ Vanessa Wu

This novella is included in FALL INTO WINTER with three other stories, each sold separately: Seduced by the Blues | Act Three | The Norwegian.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eden Baylee
• Release date: Sep 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311468727

Eden Baylee

Eden Baylee left a twenty-year banking career to become a full-time writer. She incorporates many of her favorite things into her writing such as: travel; humor; music; poetry; art; and much more.She has written three collections of erotic novellas and flash fiction—Spring into Summer, Fall into Winter, and Hot Flash.In June 2014, she released her first novel outside the erotica genre—a psychological mystery/thriller with a sexy twist called Stranger at Sunset. A synopsis and more information can be found on her website.

Book preview

The Austrian and the Asian

a novella by

eden baylee

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Learn more about the author and her work at:

http://www.edenbayleebooks.com

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Cover design by JB Graphics

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Copyright

Published by lowercase publishing

Copyright 2012 eden baylee

Smashwords edition. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Author's note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

For more information, contact [e-mail]

Dedicated to Paul

contents

a note from the author

the austrian and the asian

titles by eden baylee

about the author

excerpts

seduced by the blues

act three

the norwegian

a note from the author

A special Austrian man inspired this story. More than anything, writing it was a cathartic recollection of old relationships and crossroads. For many reasons, it brought up an emotion I rarely feel—regret. Though fleeting at best, it made me long for a simpler time in my life. The old saying Youth is wasted on the young certainly came to mind.

I hope you enjoy The Austrian and the Asian. If you do, I’d love to hear from you, or you can let me know via a review, which is always appreciated.

Excerpts are included of the other three novellas that accompany this one in Fall into Winter. My wish is you’ll give them a try too.

Always grateful,

eden

the austrian and the asian

The first time Elena met Simon Bauer was in Phuket, Thailand, Christmas of 1988. She was visiting several countries in Asia after finishing university and prior to finding a job. She was two months into a trip she had budgeted to last for at least a year. Simon was with two friends—Julian Schmidt and Stefan Georges. They stayed at a small hotel not far from hers.

She was twenty-two and had never been outside of Canada. She met the three men on her second day at the popular beach resort while looking for somewhere to lay her towel. Simon offered to keep an eye on her bag so she could run in the ocean for a swim. When she returned for her things, she saw that he had found her a beach chair and set her up with them. For the rest of the week, they always made sure to secure a chair for her.

She had been trekking in Kathmandu prior to Thailand and was exhausted. A beach holiday was just what she needed. The Austrians were from a spa town called Baden, located approximately thirty-five kilometers outside of Vienna. Simon was the youngest at twenty-two, Julian was twenty-five, and Stefan was twenty-six. Friends from work, they were in Thailand on vacation. Simon was blond and outgoing and knew the least amount of English, yet somehow he had no problems communicating with her. With curly brown hair, Julian was like a teddy bear and laughed easily. He was the designated translator for the group since he had studied some English in school. Stefan was the serious one. Like his friends, he was over six feet tall. He had dark hair and made her feel uncomfortable with the way he glared at her. She couldn’t tell if he didn’t want her hanging out with them or whether it was just a language problem. After a couple of days, he became friendlier toward her. It was still awkward between them, but she assumed he was probably just a shy person.

Elena Lee was first-generation Chinese born in Canada. Though not as dark as the Thai girls, she was constantly being mistaken for one of them. She didn’t mind, as it felt good to blend in, but she realized that once she opened her mouth, the locals immediately knew she was a foreigner. Fluent in English and French, she spoke a bit of German and Spanish as well. The way she dressed and her mannerisms also set her apart from the Thai.

She was petite with long, wavy black hair that reached the middle of her back, and she had almond-shaped eyes and full ruby lips. She was aware that the Austrians considered her extremely exotic when they confessed that she did not fit the mold of what they thought a Canadian looked like. She felt it was her duty to educate them on the demographics of her country. In doing so, she became their unofficial ambassador to Canada.

Ironically, she only came to understand the allure of being Asian during her travels. Coming from a multicultural city such as Toronto, she usually fit in—race was rarely an issue. She went to school with kids of every nationality, and being Asian was no different from being Greek, Italian, or German. She felt