by Lila Mina
Taking out the Trash
Hysterical laughter bubbled in Lana’s throat. Why am I not surprised! A girl can’t get a break, right?
With an impressive tour de force, she kept her composure. Her lips froze into what could pass for a surprised smile.
“Lana san,” Honda uttered, so shocked he dispensed with formalities. “I didn’t know you were on the guest list.”
“Sensei,” Lana croaked, doing her best to ignore Gabriella who was quick to add two and two. “Good evening. I’m sorry… the guest list?”
“Oh, Lana san!” Yuki exclaimed as she stepped out of the small group of people with a beaming smile on her lips. “How wonderful to see you here. What a surprise! Why didn’t you mention it yesterday?”
Lana blinked twice, doing her best to maintain her composure. She felt like a child caught shoplifting candy. No doubt her purple-red face gave away every little dirty detail of what they had been doing together!
“Good evening, Yuki san. To be honest, it’s just a coincidence. I came here with my friend Gabriella to have a drink at the lounge bar, and now we are leaving.”
Yuki had a good look at Gabriella, assessing her with her intense stare; a faint blush painted the brunette’s cheeks, but it didn’t surprise Lana. Her friend’s own appreciation of beautiful women was no secret.
Yep, beautiful and intense. Not so easy to handle, is she?
“I see! Well, it’s not so late yet, so why don’t you and… Gabriella san? Join us for a while. Many international guests join us tonight as we are celebrating the launch of a new program with our overseas branches. We even have the honor of welcoming the Spanish and Italian ambassadors.”
“We…?” Lana blanched. “You work at Nakazawa Holdings?”
“So to speak.” Honda’s smugness made her want to throttle him. “Yuki is Nakazawa sama’s eldest daughter.”
Lana’s smile never faltered. Behind her, Gabriella coughed to hide her unladylike snort, enjoying the added layer of complications messing with her friend. Of all the couples, of all the husbands... What next? Is he a member of the imperial household, or the head of a yakuza clan?
“Are you all right?” Yuki asked Gabriella, missing how Lana had turned two shades of gray.
Gabriella nodded, red faced. “Yes, Nakazawa san. It’s just my asthma, my apologies. A trigger in the air...”
“Oh, you poor thing. My name is Honda now, but please call me Yuki. That’s what Lana san calls me, anyway. Where are you from, Gabriella san?”
“Italy. Lana and I are childhood friends.”
Yuki smiled at Lana. “You are Italian? I thought you were Canadian.”
“Italian on one side of my family and Canadian on the other,” Lana replied under her breath.
“Oh, I see! We should get to know each other better, don’t you think?”
Is she pulling my leg or what? “I agree. There is so much we should discuss…”
“Then join us! Many of your fellow Italian nationals are here tonight, and it would be my pleasure to introduce you,” Yuki continued with enthusiasm.
“That is–” Lana began.
“So kind of you, Yuki san,” Gabriella finished with a smile which was much too bright.
Lana threw her a burning glance. What are you doing? Why are you playing along? Was she the only one who thought this was not the best idea? Gabriella smiled at her and switched to Italian.
“Calm down, Lana, it’s for the best. Get used to it if you want to go ahead. Inside and outside, remember? You need a push, I’m doing you a favor.”
Turning her back to the couple, Lana faced her friend and threw her a sharky smile, the one that made elder businessmen shudder. “Sure, cara mia, go ahead, but I’ll get you back for this one, traitor.” They could have been discussing the weather.
“I’m sure you will, naughty girl, but you will also thank me later on,” an unfazed Gabriella replied with her airy and sexy laugh, the one that made men’s heads turn from the other side of the street. They had been friends for too long to be affected by each other’s antics.
Lana bowed to the couple. “We accept with great pleasure, Yuki san.”
“You speak Italian, Lana san. What a lovely language! It suits you well.”
Gabriella’s smile turned voracious. “Oh, it’s the language of love and seduction, all right! Maybe it’s its rhythm and sounds, or because we Italians are such talented lovers.”
This time, Lana couldn’t suppress a groan. Even outside their particular context, this was borderline in a polite conversation, in Japan or elsewhere.
“Gabriella…” Lana began with a low level of warning in her voice, but stopped, shocked, at the sound of Honda’s chuckle.
“I would go with the second alternative,” he said, staring straight ahead. Lana turned beet red and stared at him; Gabriella laughed.
“Sensei, you are the first person I’ve ever met able to render Lana speechless, which is a feat. Trust me, the list of people who wished they knew how is long,” she added before giving him a deep bow.
With a wry glance for her husband, Yuki patted Lana’s hand. “It seems like everyone is enjoying making you uncomfortable. I am sorry for that. Come, let me offer you a drink.”
Lana took a deep breath. “Thank you. I will be with you shortly. I need to refresh myself first.”
“Please, take your time! Gabriella san, will you come with me? Let’s find His Excellency, Ambassador Borghi.”
Without another word, Lana turned on her heels and headed for the restroom area of the floor. She needed water on her face and some light meditation to cool down.
Gabriella was infuriating but right: she had to learn how to handle public situations where the three of them were together. She needed to relax, enjoy herself and… his company. She closed her stall door, sat on the toilet and did her best to empty her mind.
After five minutes, she stepped out, fixed her makeup, and stared at her reflection in the mirror like she had done two nights before. Do I really want to do this? Yes. Or, at least I want to give it a try.
By far, she had never dared jumping into something so exciting, at least since that fateful summer so many years before. Honda and his wife were giving her the opportunity to walk a new road. She had to keep a lid on her reactions, work on her nerves, talk with him and learn how to navigate this new land. All of this. In that order.
Lana stepped out of the bathroom and ran into Honda himself. “Sensei,” Lana greeted him. Outside a bedroom, she dared not call him anything else.
He nodded back, as calm and composed as ever. “I want to make sure being here tonight with us isn’t too hard for you. Things are perhaps moving too fast?”
This new demonstration of thoughtfulness caught Lana by surprise. “Thank you for your concern, but it will be fine. It surprised me to meet you tonight, and I already had a couple of drinks, that’s all. But since you are here, I’d like to ask a favor…” Lana winced. It’s not a favor, it’s normal!
“What is it?”
“Do you have time for lunch this week? We should talk.”
“I agree. This Friday at the Oaktown, one block from here? They have a washoku restaurant on the first floor. 12:30 pm?”
Lana blinked. That was fast! “Yes, thank you very much.”
“Good. We should go back now before your friend gets overwhelmed by Yuki.”
For the first time since their affair had begun, Lana laughed in front of him. He stared at her as if she had grown a second head. “Oh… I’m sorry, I meant no disrespect, but I wouldn’t worry at all. Gabriella is always at her best in front of an audience. She is a party queen. I’m pretty sure she could teach even Yuki sama a trick or two about wrapping people around your little finger.”
Honda fought not to smile but failed; Lana hated that it made her heart beat a little too fast. She wanted to become intimate with him, physically and mentally, while keeping a strong emotional barrier up at all times. Easy breezy.
The couple stepped in
side the reception hall and spotted Yuki and Gabriella, surrounded by four men. She recognized the Ambassador from pictures shared by the Italian Chamber of Commerce. There was something vaguely familiar with one of the other men, but she didn’t remember if she had ever met him. Yuki saw them and gave them a broad smile when they joined her group.
“Gentlemen,” she began in passing English, to Lana’s surprise. “May I introduce my husband, Naruhito Honda, and another Italian lady, Lana Martin. This is His Excellency Ambassador Fedele Borghi, the Honorary Consul of Osaka, Dr. Daniele Spazio, Mr. Luca da Madene and Mr. Alessandro Maggio.”
Lana did a double take at the last name, and stared at Maggio, recognizing him. Oh. Oh! That’s bad, very bad indeed!
As she plastered a smile on her face and shook hands, she shared a glance with Gabriella who also looked distressed. Yuki didn’t seem to notice their reactions and pale faces and went on.
“Mr. Maggio just informed me his family company is considering opening business discussions with Nakazawa Holdings in Italy. This sounds highly interesting, and I will be delighted to mention this to our President.”
All sorts of red alerts sounded in Lana’s head; even the Ambassador didn’t hide a painful wince. Then she caught the way Maggio was gawking at Gabriella, and an idea popped up in her head. A bad one, but still.
Right then, the Ambassador excused himself; all four men were going to take their leave and join another group when she jumped in.
“Oh, Mr. Maggio, please, one more minute of your time. This is such a nice coincidence. Gabriella was telling me the other day how much she had enjoyed the exhibition of your company’s collection in Rome last year. Could you give us more details?” If looks killed, she would have died on the spot with what Gabriella threw her.
Maggio beamed in delight. Lana had read him properly: he was smitten with her friend. “My sincere pleasure! May I first bring you a drink, signorina?” he asked with a voice so sugary it made Lana’s teeth ache. He was awful.
Gabriella gave him her fakest smile and nodded. “Oh yes, please, champagne. And one glass for my friend if you don’t mind.”
“Naturally,” Maggio replied and left to go the bar area to pick up their drinks.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Gabriella grabbed Lana’s arm. “The hell, Lana?!” she uttered in an angry whisper. “You recognized him, he is a sleazy, awful ball of slime!”
“Yes! That’s precisely why we need to throw him out of here. We have to play it like in ‘98 in Milan!”
“‘98… Milan…?” Gabriella took a step back, disgusted. “Oh no, you won’t make me do this! At least back then, that guy was good-looking! I’m sure you didn’t want to throw up in your mouth!”
“Gabriella, please!” Lana begged, but her friend shook her head with vehemence.
“What is going on here? Lana san, explain yourself!” Honda’s stern whisper interrupted the two friends’ glaring match. Lana switched back to Japanese.
“My apologies, but we have little time before he comes back. Yuki sama, Maggio must never, ever meet your father. He must not compromise his company by associating with the Maggio family. They are…” she continued in an urgent whisper. “They are organized crime, hidden in plain sight under layers of nice and clean business or charity groups. Their pockets are deep and they own too many politicians. And this guy… his own father doesn’t know what to do with him, so he sent him as far away from Italy as possible. He hangs out with members of far-right groups, he molested countless women, including underage girls. He is poison.”
Yuki blanched and clenched her jaw. “How do you know this? How can he be at the ambassador’s side?”
“It’s common knowledge in Italy. His family is powerful enough, well-connected enough, to make sure the Ambassador cannot push him away, even if he wants to—and believe me, he hates that man. I beg you, Yuki sama. I’m sure your father wouldn’t associate himself with the Yamaguchi gumi, right? So, he shouldn’t do any business or entertain any relation with the Maggio family.”
“Here he comes,” Gabriella warned, another fake smile pasted on her lips. There was no risk the man understood one word of Japanese.
“Sensei, please play along,” Lana had just the time to add, sending Honda a pleading glance. He grunted, his face tempestuous.
“Here you are, signorina. And, of course here is another glass, for another beautiful lady,” Maggio told Lana with the greasiest expression she had ever seen. She gave him her most professional smile.
“Grazie mille, signor Maggio,” Gabriella said with a ten-thousand-watt smile.
“Oh, call me Alessandro, please.” The brunette let out another airy laugh as if she was already drunk.
“All right, Alessandro. So, how do you like Tokyo?” Gabriella pretended to care, shuffling closer to him.
Honda moved right behind Lana. “What is she doing?” he whispered in a strained voice. Lana smiled and turned toward him, pretending to translate the conversation.
“Gabriella will respond to his ridiculous attempts at flirting with her. She will hit on him hard. We’ll take him out of this room and the building then put him in a taxi before he can talk with anyone else here. For the sake of your company, nobody in Japan must realize his family is interested in the holding. The simple association of the two names would be disastrous for any expansion plans in Italy.”
Honda pinned her with his steely gaze. “It seems like a familiar strategy to you.”
Lana’s smile widened. “We first used it in 1998 when we were students. I was the one who had to pretend to be interested in a real douche bag. Unfortunately for Gabriella, this man is worse than the guy I had to fool back then. Please come with me when I ask, sensei, because I might need your physical help.”
Lana stared back at Honda, communicating her intent but also her need for help. With rats like Maggio, only true muscles would drive the message home. Honda grunted. She bowed and turned to Yuki.
“Yuki sama, my apologies for this situation.”
Yuki shook her head. She was struggling to keep her composure. “No, don’t apologize. I am grateful that both of you are helping us out here by not making a scene, but if your plan doesn’t work, I’ll call security.”
Gabriella now had her hand on Maggio’s forearm and pretended to laugh at a ridiculous joke. The man leered at her in the most disgusting way and was close to groping her ass. Lana approached the pair and smiled.
“Oh, look at who just came in!” Lana pointed at nothing, making a wide move with her arm. Her glass of champagne hit Maggio’s suit, and everything spilled on him. He jumped back and cursed, enraged.
Good, you pig. You’re showing your true self. “Ohhh, I’m so sorry!” Lana exclaimed in a shrill voice. “I’m so clumsy! Let me help you!”
“No no, Lana, I’m taking care of this.” Gabriella took over with a fake giggle. She brushed Maggio’s suit, and pressed her hand on dry and clean, yet strategic areas between his legs. “Alessandro, please come with me, we’re going to the restroom,” she added with heavy innuendo.
This calmed him down, and a repugnant smile bloomed on his lips. “With pleasure. Show me the way, my dear.” The pair saluted their group and headed out. Lana watched their retreating backs and glanced at her watch.
“Lana san...” Honda growled.
“Yes, I know, one minute… All right, let’s go, let’s rescue Gabriella from that swine.”
Honda and Lana hurried up outside as fast as possible without attracting attention. They walked back toward the bathroom area and turned a corner. The disturbing sight of Gabriella playing her part to the end met them. Pressed against the wall, she tried weakly to push back Maggio.
His tongue down her throat, a knee between her legs, he held her hands on each side her head. Lana and Honda grunted in anger, but she put a restraining hand on her companion's sleeve. They had to make it as non-threatening as possible.
“Oh Gabriella, again? What would your husband say if he saw
you?” Lana exclaimed, with feigned annoyance. Maggio stepped back and turned toward her. His social façade disappeared, and his angry scowl distorting his features showed them his true, sick nature. In another context, Lana would have been scared. Here, rage fueled her resolve, backed up by Honda’s reassuring presence.
“It’s none of your concern,” he sneered. Lana was close to hitting him in the nose, and Honda’s body language made it clear he struggled to keep himself in check. It wasn’t necessary to speak Italian to get Maggio’s meaning.
“Oh, but it is, Alessandro,” she replied as if nothing serious was happening. “Her husband always asks me to keep an eye on her, because when she drinks, Gabriella becomes too affectionate. For her sake, let’s pretend this never happened, shall we? Cara mia, come with me, it’s time to go home. Lorenzo doesn’t have to know...”
Maggio grabbed the hand Lana had extended to reach Gabriella. “Get lost! Don’t ruin my fun, bitch. She’s drunk, which is even better because she won’t remember a thing.”
Lana dropped all pretenses. She twisted back his wrist, then pushed it down in an unnatural position. Something snapped under her fingers, and he crumbled down, howling.
“Your feet and hips!” Honda exclaimed from behind her, exasperated. “Had he been more focused, he would have hit your back easily.”
Lana threw Honda a bewildered glance. A lesson here and now? Talk about priorities. “Uh, duly noted Sensei, thank you. If you could now bring him to the elevator and make sure he gets in a taxi…”
“With pleasure,” he growled. “Take care of your friend.” Honda leaned down and picked up Maggio. He almost had to carry him. The Italian nursed his wrist, sobbing aloud. Lana figured she might have broken it. Oh, well. The little creep wasn’t going to tell anyone a woman had done it.
She turned back to her lifelong friend. “Gabriella, are you all right?”
The brunette made retching sounds and headed for the restroom. “Oh, shut up, of course not! I had his awful hands on me, his horrid breath in my nose and his slimy tongue in my mouth. I need to throw up, brush my teeth, take a shower and throw up again. Any other stupid question?”
