by Jade, Imari
Tonight, he was stepping out with Osamu who had just gotten back into town, and he looked forward to hanging with some of his other friends he hadn’t seen in a long time. Amaterasu’s company was nice, but he needed a break.
Takumijo grabbed his car keys and left the room. He walked down the stairs.
“Where are you off to?” Satoshi asked him. He bit into an apple.
“Out,” Takumijo said. “And you better watch how you bite that. You might break a crown or pull out a filling.”
“I like apples,” Satoshi said. “You’re going out with Amaterasu?”
“No, Mr. Nosey, with Osamu. He’s back in town.”
Satoshi frowned in between chewing. “Have fun.” He headed up the stairs.
Takumijo continued down. “I plan to.” He reached the door, opened it, and stepped outside. It had started to snow again. He walked down the steps and then to his car that he’d left at the curb after dropping Amaterasu off at home. Her perfume was still in the air when he opened the door. “Nice,” he said, getting in and securing his seatbelt. He started up the car and headed toward town.
Takumijo spotted Osamu’s car as soon as he arrived at Hombre’s, a club he and Osamu frequented. Takumijo found a parking spot, and then put on his dark shades.
People stepped out the club. One of the guys recognized him and waved. “Long time no see, Tak.”
“I’ve been busy,” Takumijo replied. “But I’m home for a little while.”
The other guy waved and then walked away with his friends.
Takumijo entered the club. The dark shades made it damn near impossible to see for a moment in the semidarkness. His eyes quickly adjusted as he continued into the lounge area. He spotted Osamu and a couple of their friends at the bar.
Osamu waved him over.
One of the guys moved down a seat so Takumijo could sit next to his best friend. But first, the two of them had to hug. Osamu was still taller and more muscular than him. And he looked good decked out in black and red. Around his neck he still wore the silver chain with the half heart Takumijo had given him as a gift.
“What the hell have you done to your hair?” Osamu asked him in a teasing manner.
“I bleached it,” Takumijo said, sitting down on the barstool. “I thought it was time for a change.”
“I like it,” Osamu said. “It makes you look cute. Doesn’t it, fellows?”
The other guys agreed with him.
“What are you drinking?” Osamu asked him.
“Beer,” Takumijo answered. His stomach still wasn’t straight from the other night when he and Aomori went out clubbing.
Osamu ordered Takumijo a beer and another round for himself and the fellows. He paid for the drinks once the bartender filled their order.
“Kampai,” Osamu said, lifting his glass.
“Kampai,” Takumijo and the others said, joining him in the toast.
“Damn it’s good to be home. What have you been up to?” Osamu asked him.
“I’ve just returned from Kagawa,” Takumijo answered.
“Kagawa? What were you doing there?”
“Being a godfather. We christened Ichiro’s babies.”
“Babies?” Osamu asked.
Takumijo forgot to tell him. “Yeah, he and his wife are the proud parents of twins. They’re both the spitting image of Ichiro.”
“I’m barely getting over the fact that the pretty boy has landed such a hot wife, and now you’re telling me he’s fathered twins.” Osamu raised his glass of bourbon. “To the next generation.”
Takumijo clinked glasses with him. “Long may they carry the torch.”
Some of the guys went off to dance, leaving him alone with Osamu.
“You’re looking good. Are you still hitting the gym regularly?” Osamu asked.
“Yes, every chance I can get.” He paused. “How are things going with you?”
“I just wrapped up another movie,” Osamu said. “So I’m on holiday.”
“Did you get your invitation to Ichiro’s birthday bash?”
Osamu nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it. You know I love Aomori’s music, and I never miss a chance to party.”
Takumijo looked over at the dancers. The music sounded pretty good. The Bee Gees’ “Still Waters (Runs Deep)” played from the speakers in the background. That’s why he liked the place. The DJs still played a variety of music.
“How is Amaterasu?” Osamu asked.
“Good,” Takumijo answered.
“You two still dating?”
He’d introduced them. Osamu didn’t like her. “Yes. She came with me to Kagawa.”
Osamu put his glass down. “What? This sounds serious.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Takumijo told him. “We’re not that serious. We both still have a lot of play left in us.”
“When’s the next tour?”
“This summer,” Takumijo answered. “We’re going to Spain.”
“Spain? I’ve never been there.”
“Show up if you have some free time.”
Osamu chuckled and picked up his glass. “I just might do that.”
“Won’t your wife be upset?” Takumijo asked. Osamu’s wife hated him and the feeling was mutual.
“We’re separated,” Osamu announced.
Takumijo nearly choked on his beer. “What?”
“We’re separated, and she’s filed for a divorce.”
“Wow!” Takumijo said. He hadn’t seen that coming. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“No, you’re not,” Osamu said. “You never did like her.”
Takumijo shrugged. Why lie? She was an evil, conniving bitch. Osamu could do better. “When did this happen?”
“Several months ago,” Osamu said. “She found someone else.”
“Is he richer?” Takumijo asked.
Osamu nodded. “But he’s not sexier.”
Takumijo managed a smile. Osamu would soon be free. No, he hadn’t seen that coming.
“I’m over it,” Osamu said. “It was nice, but it’s time to move on.” He touched Takumijo’s hair. “You always did have nice hair.”
“Thanks,” Takumijo said, not knowing what else to say.
Some of the other guys came back to the bar.
“Let’s dance,” Osamu told him. “The night is still young and I feel like celebrating my freedom.”
Takumijo stepped down and joined him on the floor. Two other dancers quickly appeared to be their partners.
Osamu winked at him as he got down and dirty on the dance floor with a dark-haired cutie.
Takumijo’s partner had blond hair just a little darker than his. Osamu was going to be a free man. Was his life about to change too?
****
“Don’t eat candy. It will ruin your teeth and give you zits,” Cristal said to Izanagi as they sat around the photography studio waiting for Hiroyuki and Kioshi to finish with their photo session. Izanagi had gone first since he was the most photogenic and easier to work with.
“But I’m hungry,” he complained. “We’ve been at this all day.”
“You better get used to it,” Cristal told him. “There will be plenty more photo shoots and missed meals.”
“But I’m a growing lad. I need nourishment.”
“Stop whining,” Damien told him, popping a jelly bean into his mouth. “You’re not the only one starving.”
“Awe, poor little rich boy,” Cristal teased Damien. “I tell you what. If you’re good boys, I’ll treat all of you to dinner at a nice Japanese restaurant.”
“I want a hamburger and French fries,” Izanagi said.
“Dream on,” Damien told him. “You’re not in America anymore.”
“You’ll like this restaurant,” Cristal told him. She looked at her watch. It was nine and Ichiro’s restaurant stayed opened until midnight. She reached for her cell phone and dialed the number. “Yes, this is Cristal Gentry. I’d like to make a reservation for five for ten tonight. Thank you.” She disconne
cted the call.
“Wow, a restaurant knows you by name,” Damien said. “I’m impressed.”
“It’s Ichiro’s restaurant,” she told him.
Izanagi perked up at the mention of the idol’s name. “Really? Do you think he’ll be there?”
“I doubt it,” Cristal told him. “He’s probably home resting his nerves, or writing a song or something.” In fact, she hadn’t heard from any of them since they’d returned from Kagawa.
“I didn’t know he had a restaurant,” Izanagi said.
“What?” Cristal asked. “I thought you guys knew everything about Aomori. Ichiro has two restaurants in Japan and one in Korea.”
“Wow,” Izanagi said, impressed.
“Ichiro and his brother Daichi are chefs. Ich helps out at one of the restaurants when he’s not busy being an idol and a father.”
“And he has a hot wife,” Izanagi stated.
Cristal looked at him. “What?”
“Shaundra Morrison. I’ve looked her up on the Internet. She’s writes dirty books.”
Cristal chuckled. “You better not let her hear you say that. She has a mean right hook.”
Damien chucked. “Yeah, but she is hot.”
“Not you too,” Cristal said. “Stop encouraging him.”
Hiroyuki appeared. “I’m so glad that’s over,” he said. “My face hurts from smiling too much.”
“Where is your evil leader?” Cristal asked.
“Still with the photographer,” Hiroyuki said. “They can’t get his hair right and Kioshi is very picky about his hair.”
Cristal shook her head. Idols, geez.
“Miss Cristal is taking us out to dinner at Ichiro’s restaurant,” Izanagi announced.
“She is?” Hiroyuki asked. “I heard about his place.”
“See,” Cristal told Izanagi. “A true fan.”
Kioshi appeared next, straightening his hair and dusting off his clothes. “The hairstylist is an idiot,” he said. “I told her no part.” He straightened his hair again. “I’m not five years old.”
Cristal looked him over. The cosmetician used a dark eyebrow pencil on him, making those long-lashed eyes pop.
“Can we leave?” he asked.
Cristal rose, towering over him. He measured up just above her breasts. “Yes.”
Kioshi followed her rise with his eyes and they landed on her cleavage.
“Don’t even think about it. You couldn’t handle me with a ladder.”
“Big things come in tiny packages,” he told her.
Cristal shook her head. “Let’s go eat.” She got them out of the studio and into the waiting van before anyone could notice them. To the normal eye, they just looked like three young men, but in two weeks, they would be Asia’s next idols and household names.
****
The restaurant still had a lot of diners when they entered. Both Hana and Estuke were off, but Daichi came out to greet them and to show them to a private dining room.
The guys got a big kick out of seeing Aomori’s pictures on the walls.
“How well do you know them?” Kioshi asked her once they were settled in the room and Daichi and the waitress went off to fill their orders.
“Real well,” Cristal answered. “We’re as thick as thieves.”
Damien coughed and cleared his throat sarcastically. She’d told him all about her adventure in Paris when she and Aomori got arrested.
“Don’t go there,” she told him. “I’m sure they don’t want to know about my sordid past.”
“I do,” Hiroyuki said. “Is it true that you’re dating Satoshi?”
The boys hadn’t really got the chance to meet Aomori when they were in Kagawa. Mr. Niigata put them back in seclusion after they performed.
“No,” Cristal answered. “We’re just friends.”
“What about Yi-jun Lee?” he asked.
“You read too many tabloids,” Cristal told him.
Hiroyuki ignored the comment. “Then is it true that Yi-jun lee took you to Paris on his plane?”
“Yes,” Cristal answered. “I went there on assignment. I’m a serious journalist and photographer when I’m not being a publicist for teenagers. Mr. Lee was nice enough to offer his plane.”
“Did you kiss him?” Hiroyuki asked.
“Yes,” Cristal answered. And I slept with him a couple of times. Of course, she couldn’t tell Hiroyuki this. “We’re friends.”
“And do you kiss all your friends?” Kioshi asked.
Cristal turned slightly to face him. The young upstart stared at her, awaiting her answer. “No.”
“Good,” he said. “I don’t want sloppy seconds.”
Cristal hissed at him. “Dream on.”
Kioshi puckered his lips.
The teen had the most amazing full lips. Something deep inside her growled. It better be an empty stomach. “You do so need a spanking,” she told him. She pushed him away.
“I’m down for that if you are,” Kioshi told her, suddenly becoming serious and looking deeply into her eyes.
Damien chuckled and Cristal threw him a murderous look. “Don’t encourage him.”
Hiroyuki chuckled too. “She’s more woman than you can handle, Kioshi. She’s kissed movie and pop stars older than you.”
“Kid stuff,” Kioshi said. “I could rock her world.”
Cristal refused to look at him again. But the growling deep inside her was begging to find out.
****
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Dae-Hyun said as Shaundra continued her stretching exercises on the floor. Her and Dae-Hyun had just finished karate and were moving on to tai chi. A few minutes later, Dae-Hyun appeared. “It’s a Mr. Satoshi Hayashi.”
“Satoshi?” Shaundra asked excitedly. “Show him in.”
“I’m already in,” Satoshi said, stepping through the door of the exercise room behind Dae-Hyun.
Shaundra attempted to get up.
“Stay and finish your exercise,” Satoshi told her.
Shaundra looked him over appreciatively. She still couldn’t get over his new look. The lighter brown hair brought out the deep chocolate brown of his eyes. And, of course, she loved the bangs.
Satoshi hung up his coat, walked over, and sat down in one of the chairs in the room to observe. She had grown used to seeing him dressed up in a suit, but he looked more comfortable in what he wore today. The caramel sweater brought coloring to his cheeks, and the dark brown pants fit his little butt to a tee.
Shaundra rose to her feet and she and Dae-Hyun continued their lessons. A half hour later, Dae-Hyun went off to shower and to check on the babies. They’d been listening for them through the baby monitors and so far, she hadn’t heard a peep from them.
Shaundra walked over to Satoshi with a towel wrapped around her neck to catch the sweat and sipped from a bottle of water. “What brings you here today?”
“I’m lonely,” Satoshi said. “And I’ve come to see the babies.”
“How can you be lonely?” Shaundra asked. “You’re living with two of the hottest dummies in Osaka. You’re close friends with Yori’s sexy ass, and your best friend is fashion-model material.”
“Okay, I’m lonely for you,” Satoshi confessed. “And by the way, Ich is going to kick your ass if he ever sees you doing tai chi with Dae-Hyun. That’s some pretty sexy stuff.”
“Screw Ich,” Shaundra said. “It’s just exercise, and Dae-Hyun is very good for my ego.” She sat down next to him.
Satoshi pouted. “I thought I was good for you ego.”
Shaundra leaned over and kissed him on those pouting lips. “No, you’re good for my cougar.”
Satoshi chuckled. “It’s nice to see you haven’t lost that wicked sense of humor.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that something happened between you and Cristal while you were in Amsterdam?”
The smile left his face and the twinkle died in his eyes. “Because I was ashamed,” he answered.
<
br /> “You should be,” Shaundra said. “You don’t strike me as the type to be violent toward women, and I’m a pretty good judge of character.”
Satoshi sighed. “I never thought I was either. But it’s funny what you can do when you’re drinking and drugging.”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “You want to talk about it? The drinking part I can deal with, but the drugging part, not so much.”
“We were in Amsterdam’s red-light district that night and I was feeling so confused. Cristal had gone off on a date with my brother Tae, and I guess I just lost it for a moment. I’ll admit, I’ve smoked weed before, but I never tried any of the other recreational drugs. It surprised me how easy it was to get.”
“Very stupid,” Shaundra said.
“I know, and believe me, I’ve learned my lesson in more ways than one. That shit had me hallucinating. I didn’t like that. I don’t like not being in control. So when we returned to the hotel, the shit was still working on me. All I kept thinking about was Cristal and Tae together. And the more I thought about them, the angrier I got. I don’t know what possessed me to go to her room.”
“You were jealous.”
“Yes. I thought Tae was in the hotel room with her. And something kept telling me to go to Cristal’s room to find out.”
“But he wasn’t there, was he?” Shaundra asked.
Satoshi shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. Cristal was alone and in a god-awful ugly nightgown.”
Shaundra smirked even though the situation was far from humorous. “I own a few of those.”
“I wanted her so badly that night, but she wouldn’t let me in the room. I thought she had to be hiding Tae there. So I barged in like a maniac and I searched the place. Then Cristal started screaming at me to leave. I guess I frightened her.”
“I guess,” Shaundra said. She’d never seen him angry before. He would have scared her too.
“I just wanted to get her to stop screaming, so I grabbed her and tried to shake her. And then I accidentally slapped her. Cristal stopped screaming then.”
