by Jade, Imari
Kevin was Damien’s younger brother whom she hadn’t met, since he still lived and went to college in the United States, but who was whispered to be the brains of the family.
Barbara Peters, their part-time secretary, greeted them. “Good morning, Cristal and Damien.” Her bright smile reached all the way to her eyes.
Cristal knew most of that smile was directed at Damien.
“Good morning,” they both told her.
“There’s a fresh pot of coffee waiting in your office and some pastries.”
Barbara was also an American like them and knew they preferred coffee to the traditional Japanese tea. “Thanks,” Cristal said. “What’s been happening this morning?”
Barbara was the one to go to for all the juicy gossip.
“Nothing much, except Shaundra Yoshida and Mr. Kehoe has been locked up in his office together most of the morning.”
“Really?” Cristal asked, removing her dark shades and hat. She didn’t know Shaundra was coming in today.
“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Barbara asked. “She’s not anything like I expected.”
“What did you expect?” Damien asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I expected her to look like a mother of grown children. You know, kind of plump and motherly with little laugh lines around the eyes and mouth.”
Both Cristal and Damien chuckled.
“No,” Damien said. “That definitely isn’t Shaundra. She’s not the typical mother or grandmother.”
“She’s not the typical anything,” Cristal said. “When God created her, he broke the mold.”
“And she doesn’t look like she’s just had twins either,” Barbara said. “She’s wearing this red business suit that fits her like a glove. Heck, I have more stomach than her.”
Damien coughed and cleared his throat. “Really? Is the skirt a mini or a does the hem fall below the knees?”
Cristal playfully punched him on the shoulder. “None of that. Daddy will kill you. And not to mention Tricia.”
That wiped the lusty smile from his face. “Do you know why she’s here?” she asked Barbara.
Barbara shook her head. “I guess it has something to do with her latest book. Have you read it? I heard it’s been on the top of the best-sellers list for weeks.”
“No, I haven’t read it yet,” Cristal admitted. “I’ve been too busy babysitting street urchins.”
Barbara chuckled. “Yeah, well they’ll be here around one. Their manager called, confirming the time.”
Mr. Niigata had entrusted his new group to Saburo Maeda and not to Masaaki Fugimoto, who managed Aomori. Masaaki was a great manager, but he had his hands full with Aomori and his new girlfriend Hirome Inoue. Hirome was the daughter of a wealthy CEO. Like her, Masaaki had moved out of the Aomori compound to get a life. “That only gives me a few hours to prepare for them.” The members of Distraction were really spoiled and had a list of demands she had to have for their visits like special bottled water, imported snacks, and believe it or not, extrasoft toilet paper.
“Hiroyuki’s water is chilling in the fridge,” Barbara said. “And I found Izanagi’s snacks at a store on the other side of town. And there’s soft tissue in the men’s room.”
Damien shook his head and laughed. “Sounds like they’re worse than Aomori.”
“What? You didn’t believe me?” Cristal asked.
“But they’re so cute,” Barbara said like a fan girl.
“So are baby wolverines,” Cristal said sarcastically. She wagged her finger at Barbara. “Do not, do not, do not get involved with them or fall in love with them. They’re bad for the heart.” She waved good-bye to Barbara and headed toward her office.
Damien tagged along behind her. “So what are our plans for the morning?”
They entered Cristal’s office. “Promotional work,” she said as she hung up her coat and hat. “We need to make sure all the announcements have gone out for Ichiro’s party, make sure the media will be there, and check on the billboard and storefront ads.” She sat down in a chair to remove her boots while Damien stood by watching.
“You have very nice legs,” he said. “They’re long and shapely.”
“Thanks,” Cristal said, trying not to blush. She smoothed down the hem of her skirt. Cristal grabbed her flats out of the bottom drawer of her desk and slipped them on.
The two of them had an understanding from the beginning. Light flirting was encouraged, but no dating and no sex. So far, Damien had stuck to the rules. At twenty-four years old, he was still the handsomest male in the company. And not to mention, her boss’s son. He was too young for her too, and practically engaged to her best friend’s daughter. “You better go to your office and get out your winter wear. Meet me here in ten minutes. We have a lot to do before Distraction arrives. But first, we have to make sure Aomori’s needs are taken care of.”
Damien bowed and walked out of her office
Cristal turned on her computer to check her e-mail. I wonder why Shaundra’s here.
****
“This can be the chance of a lifetime for you,” Harper told Shaundra as they sat in his office drinking coffee.
“I know,” Shaundra said. “I’ve dreamed of this happening for years, like most writers, but never thought anyone would be interested in turning one of my books into a movie.”
“Are you serious? Blessed was one of the finest books you ever wrote. It’s passionate, funny, and had me crying most of the time. Harmony is a heroine women can relate to and the plot was stupendous.”
“And it earned both of us a lot of money,” Shaundra added.
“Yes, well, that’s the point, darling. Money keeps both of us in business.” Harper knew something was wrong with Shaundra the moment she stepped into his office at seven in the morning. Appearance-wise, she looked great. She’d lost the baby weight and was rocking some killer curves under the expensive tailored suit. But emotionally, she wasn’t there. An offer by someone in Hollywood should have floored her, but Shaundra just sat there kind of like in a trance, which meant her heart was troubled. They’d been friends a long time, and he knew her almost as well as he knew himself. “Okay, what did the big blue-eyed dummy do now?”
Shaundra looked up quickly. “Oh, him? Nothing.” She picked up her cup of coffee and sipped daintily.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing really.” She put the cup down and looked at him. “Do you consider me a whore?”
Harper nearly dropped his cup. He placed it on his desk. “Wow. No. Hell no. Where did that come from?”
“Takumijo,” Shaundra said.
Harper frowned. “I will kill that arrogant bastard. Why did he call you something like that?”
“He didn’t come right out and say it, but he implied.”
“When did this happen?” Harper asked.
“Yesterday evening. I stopped by the farmhouse so Ich could spend time with the babies and before I knew it, Takumijo was all up in my face accusing me of sleeping with Dae-Hyun and every other man in my life.”
“Takumijo is an asshole,” Harper said. “But I never knew him to be mean. I wonder why he said it.”
“I think he’s angry because I can’t give him a definite answer about when I’ll be moving back into the farmhouse.”
“Sounds like it’s more a him thing than a you thing.”
“Maybe,” Shaundra replied. “But it definitely felt like he directed his anger at me.”
“And how did Ich react to what Takumijo told you?”
“Better than I expected. I know he was angry, but he kept it together and didn’t kick Takumijo’s ass.”
Harper chuckled. “But you wanted him to.”
“No,” Shaundra said, trying not to smile. “Yes.”
“Which one is it?”
“Both. On one hand, I wanted Ich to be my knight in shining armor. But he and Takumijo are bandmates who have been together most of their lives and I didn’t want them to fight.�
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“You can’t have it both ways, honey,” Harper told her.
Shaundra rolled her eyes at him. “I know that.”
“So what did you do after that?”
“I got my babies and I left.”
“And Ich didn’t come after you?”
Shaundra shook her head. “No.”
“Smart guy. Dae-Hyun would have torn him to pieces.”
Shaundra smiled. That made his morning. He loved it when she smiled.
“Don’t worry about what Takumijo said. You aren’t a whore. Technically, a whore sleeps with men for money. You’re more like a siren…a mythical goddess who lures men to their deaths with her sultry voice and beautiful face.”
Shaundra continued to smile at him. “You are so good for me.”
“I’ve been trying to tell you that for years,” Harper said. “One of these days, you’re going to open those eyes and love just me.”
“Maybe,” Shaundra said.
Harper laughed. “I guess maybe is better than hell no. Well, enough of this depressing stuff. When are you leaving for Kagawa?”
“On Friday morning. The celebration begins early Saturday morning. I’ve got the itinerary, and I’ll leave it with your secretary so she can give copies to Cristal and Mr. Niigata.”
“Are you planning on staying at Ich’s family home for the duration of your stay?”
“Hell no,” Shaundra said. “I’ve made reservations at a nearby hotel for me and the boys.”
“And Dae-Hyun.”
Shaundra nodded. “He has his own room.”
“I’m not prying,” Harper said. Of course he was. He had an interest to protect.
“I know. I just want to put everyone’s minds at ease. I am not sleeping with Dae-Hyun. He has been the perfect gentleman.”
“What’s wrong with him? Is he gay?”
Shaundra shook her head at him. “I don’t think so. Now don’t quote me, it’s just something that I heard, but I was told that Koreans are a little shyer than Japanese.”
“How many Koreans do you know?”
“Two,” Shaundra answered. “Dae-Hyun and Yi-jun Lee.”
“You can’t use Yi-jun Lee as an example. The man is notorious for having the biggest ego in Asia.”
Shaundra laughed. “But I’ve watched a lot of Korean dramas when I’m not writing and being mama. Dae-Hyun has me hooked on them. There’s very little kissing and sex is implied but never shown.”
“And you’re still watching it?”
“Yes, sometimes it’s nice to be teased.”
Harper raised an eyebrow. “Why do I have the feeling you’re talking about Dae-Hyun and not a Korean drama?”
Shaundra smiled sheepishly. “Harper, I am not blind, nor am I dead. Dae-Hyun is a whole lot of man, and he’s kind of hard not to notice.”
Harper clutched his chest playfully. “Shaundra, don’t.”
“Why not? He’s got hero written all over him.”
Harper relaxed. “Oh, you want to use him in a story?”
Shaundra nodded again. “I can do all kind of sinful stuff to him on paper.”
“You better do some research then. I think their culture is a bit skittish about premarital sex.”
“That’s the same thing I heard about all Asian cultures.”
“Is that why you waited for your wedding night to sleep with Ich?”
“No, it just happened that way. We never got the opportunity. Just when I thought we’d do it, something always happened to prevent it.”
“Do it?” Harper laughed. “Farmhouse Queen, you are priceless.”
“Yeah, so I’ve been told,” Shaundra said. “Now, how much will I make on this film?”
“Mucho dinero,” Harper said. “Even more if we can market it here in Asia.”
“Do like the Asian directors do. Film more than one version. I’ve seen the same drama in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese. Same story line, but different cast.”
“When do you have time to watch so much television?” Harper asked Shaundra.
“I find time between nine and midnight. The boys are usually asleep by then. I get my writing done during the day while Dae-Hyun is taking care of the babies.”
“Why does it seem like you’re embracing the Japanese culture now? Have you given up on going back to the United States?”
“I haven’t given up. I just don’t stress out about it as much. My sons are Japanese, so I’ve decided to let them embrace their culture. I can’t let my homesickness get in the way.”
“And you really don’t want to leave Ich.” She didn’t have to say it. He knew her very well.
“No, I don’t.”
“For what it’s worth, I believe Ich. I don’t think he cheated on you. If he said it was only a kiss, it was only a kiss.”
“I know,” Shaundra said. “And I’m not even worrying about that anymore.”
“So you plan to go back to him?”
“Eventually. I miss the hell out of him.”
“Put the poor idiot out of his misery.”
“After the trip to Kagawa,” Shaundra said. “There’s still so much stuff I don’t know about him and his family. Have you ever heard of the Yakuza?”
Harper nodded. “Who told you?”
Shaundra frowned at him. “You knew?”
“Yes, but I thought that life was long behind Ich. He was a kid back then, and Daichi rescued him before anything serious could happen. As far as I know, he hasn’t spoken to his uncle in years, and probably doesn’t remember the past.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shaundra asked.
“Because I didn’t know until after you disappeared. An investigator gathered the information, thinking Ich or his family might be involved.”
“I want to be back with my husband, but I can’t risk his family trying to turn him into a killing machine.”
“The Yakuza are not like they used to be,” Harper explained. “And the police have gotten most of them in line. Some of the former members have turned from criminals to legitimate businessmen.”
“Some,” Shaundra said. “But not all.”
“No, but it’s no different than what we go through in the United States with the mafia. It’s toned down but still in existence.”
“That’s not very comforting, Harper. I don’t want my babies to be criminals.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. Their uncles will look after them. We won’t let them get into any trouble.”
“Is Ich still a threat to me, Harper? I need to know. I can’t go back to him knowing he could strangle me in the heat of passion.”
“I don’t know,” Harper said. “I know he loves you more than life itself. But not even I can read his mind. So the only way you’re going to find out where his head is at is to talk to him.”
“But he always gets so mean and domineering when he can’t have his way.”
Harper chuckled. “That is true of most of us men. We need to be manly and protect our womenfolk, and he’s just being a typical male. Just be thankful you don’t have to walk several paces behind him like in the olden days.”
Shaundra smiled. “Yeah, like I ever would.”
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but if you want to go back to your husband, then do it. Or cut all the strings. Either way, settle it. And don’t worry about Takumijo. He’s always been full of himself. One of these days he’s going to find out he’s not as important as he thinks he is.”
Shaundra nodded.
Good, Harper thought. All she needed was a boost of self-confidence.
****
Barbara knocked on Cristal’s door exactly at one.
“Come in,” Cristal said.
Barbara opened the door. “Distraction is here with their manager.”
“Send them in,” Cristal told her. “And go get Damien and send him in here too. I might need backup.”
Barbara smiled. “They’re just young men.”
Cristal shook her head. “Demons.”
Barbara stepped out and several minutes later, Damien entered, straightening his navy suit jacket and trying to fix his perfectly coiffed hair.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to pretty up. It’s just Distraction.”
“Impression is everything,” Damien said. “I’m their senior, so I can’t be caught looking less than perfect.”
He didn’t need to put in the effort. Like his father, Damien looked good whenever she saw him. He had everything going on…height, nice build, thick, blond hair, and the most amazing green eyes. Tricia Morrison was certainly one lucky young lady. And he had a sense of humor to go with his sense of style…something one had to have in order to work at KiNii. Damien came around and stood next to her. He even smelled good, like a desirable male.
The door opened and Saburo Maeda, Distraction’s manager, entered first. Saburo was just a couple of years younger than Masaaki, and a very efficient manager when it came to managing the trio’s careers. He stood about five six, had a slender build and short, black hair, which gave him a youthful appearance. He bowed. “Konnichiwa,” he said.
“Konnichiwa,” both Cristal and Damien said.
Damien bowed, but Cristal remained in her seat behind the desk.
Nineteen-year-old Hiroyuki Ikeda entered first. He was the oldest of the three by a couple of months, and the appointed leader of the group. He had a slim build, stylish, short, black hair, piercing brown eyes, and a quieter demeanor than the two younger members. “Good afternoon,” he said in English. All three young men had been born and raised in the United States, and Mr. Niigata had gone there to get them and bring them back to Japan.
“Good afternoon,” Damien and Cristal said.
Hiroyuki walked over and stood by his manager.
The next to enter was Izanagi Kato, also nineteen. Like Hiroyuki, Izanagi also had a slim build, a handsome face, and dark brown eyes, which he enhanced with green contacts. He wore a pair of fashionable jeans and a light blue turtleneck sweater. He topped the look off with a denim jacket. He looked quite faddish and very much in style. Izanagi had a friendlier disposition than Hiroyuki and a quicker wit. He spoke to them in English, too, before joining his senior next to the manager.
