Authors: Imari Jade
Down and Dirty (25 page)
Satoshi groaned loudly. Why did this never turn out in his favor?
Ichiro leaned forward and planted a kiss on his wife’s lips.
Satoshi heard Shaundra’s sultry little chuckle. Damn, they wouldn’t be mad at each other at midnight.
“Aren’t they cute?” Cristal said to Satoshi.
“Who?” Satoshi asked.
“Shaundra and Ichiro. Who do you think I’m referring to?”
“Those mini-gigolos you were just dancing with.”
Cristal chuckled. “They’re kids. I can’t believe you guys are jealous of a bunch of teenagers.”
“Kioshi is not a kid,” Satoshi argued. “Well, he doesn’t act like one. I saw him checking you out before the two of you started dancing.”
“That means he has good taste,” Yi-jun said, coming up behind Satoshi. “Now if you will excuse us. The next dance is mine.” He took Cristal’s hand and just waltzed her away from them.
Shaundra and Ichiro were still kissing like a bunch of randy teens, leaving him and Yori to sulk.
“Where is Takumijo when I need him?” Yori asked Satoshi. “I bet he could handle those three. I’ll have him dance them to exhaustion the next time we rehearse together.”
Satoshi nodded. He was about to say something with Harper appeared with two men.
“I’ve been looking for you guys,” Harper said.
Shaundra excused herself and started walking toward the ladies’ room.
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet. Gentlemen, this is Ken Chikako and his assistant Mr. Jones. Gentlemen, this is Aomori, Yori Morika, Satoshi Hayashi, and Ichiro Yoshida.”
“One is missing,” the shorter man wearing the sunglasses said.
“Where’s Takumijo?” Harper asked.
Satoshi looked around until he spotted Takumijo and got his attention. He beckoned him over. It took a few minutes for Takumijo to leave Amaterasu and make his way through the throng of people.
Harper introduced Takumijo to his two friends.
Takumijo bowed to both of them, paused, and then straightened up.
“Mr. Chikako is interested in featuring Aomori in a documentary,” Harper explained.
“What sort of documentary?” Yori asked.
“One about Aomori’s lives.”
“You mean like a reality show?” Takumijo asked.
“Not exactly,” Ken said. “I want to do a feature on you guys from the time you were recruited until now.”
“Have you spoken to Mr. Niigata about this?” Takumijo asked Harper.
Satoshi noticed how Takumijo kept gazing over to Mr. Jones. He wondered if he knew him. Jones’s face was hard to make out behind the dark glasses. He appeared pretty petite, and he had his long, black hair pulled back in a bun the way Ichiro used to wear his.
“Yes,” Harper answered. “You know I wouldn’t be talking to you guys without his permission.”
“I don’t know,” Takumijo said. “We’re going to be pretty busy getting ready for our upcoming Spain concerts.”
“That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to you guys. I’d like to follow you on your concert tour so I can capture some of it on film. Especially the reaction of your fans,” Ken told them.
“Then you need to make arrangements with Mr. Niigata and our publicist,” Yori said. “If they think its okay, then we’ll consider it.”
“Good,” Ken said excitedly. “Come, TJ, let’s get something to eat before the fireworks begin.”
The other guy nodded, bowed to them, and then smiled at Takumijo before following Ken toward the buffet.
“You guys give this some thought,” Harper said to them. “It could do wonders for your careers.” He placed his hand on Yori’s shoulder, but Yori moved. Apparently, Harper thought Yori was crazy and still wanted to associate with him. He’d seen Yori upset before, but surprisingly enough, Yori seemed cool and calm. Satoshi didn’t think he could be that way in such a situation.
****
Yi-jun’s cell phone rang just as they moved away from the buffet table. “Hello, yes, this is Yi-jun.”
Cristal wiped her hands on a paper napkin and tossed it into the trash while she waited from him to finish his conversation.
“Okay, I see. I suppose I can. See you shortly.” He disconnected the call. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “I have to leave.”
“But it’s almost midnight,” Cristal whined. “I thought we’d go outside and watch the fireworks.”
“Some other time,” he told her, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
But tomorrow would be too late. In less than fifteen minutes, it would be New Year’s Day and she had her hopes high on being in his arms, kissing him at the stroke of midnight. “Okay,” she said, trying not to sound disappointed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Yi-jun just smiled at her and walked toward the exit.
Cristal grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and leaned against a wall. This was not how she envisioned she would be celebrating New Year’s Eve. She looked around. Some of the guests had gone home while others had gone out to watch the firework display. She’d seen Distraction, Damien, and Barbara go out the side door as soon as someone announced that the fireworks display was about to begin.
Shaundra and Ichiro were on the floor dancing cheek to cheek to some slow number and Amaterasu had her head down on one of the tables probably sleeping off the champagne while Takumijo stood by the door talking to the young man she’d noticed earlier speaking to Harper. Yori and Satoshi had finally sat down and were eating. She supposed she could join them, but she didn’t feel like being bothered with Amaya and Akemi if they came back to join their dates. Mr. Niigata had gone home early to be with his family and Harper had gone outside too to enjoy the display.
Cristal took her glass of champagne and walked toward the exit. Maybe she should beat a hasty retreat and leave before Shaundra noticed she was alone and felt sorry for her. Once, just once, she’d like to meet some guy she had something in common with, and who she could share the coming of the New Year with. Last year she’d spent it with Satoshi, but even he disappeared before midnight. She sighed.
Oh well, there’s always next year
.
Cristal stepped outside just as a bunch of bottle rockets sailed through the air and exploded high above her head in a burst of beautiful colors. She supposed the night wasn’t ending too badly. At least the colors were pretty. She leaned against a railing and looked up. She could make out the stars amongst the fireworks. That’s one thing she liked about being in Asia. The stars always seemed close enough to touch.
“Good evening. May I join you?”
Cristal stopped looking at the sky and looked to her left. The brightest star in the world stood right next to her. “Sure,” she said.
“Where is your date?” Kioshi asked.
“What date?”
“The actor.”
“Oh, you mean Yi-jun Lee. Well, he had to leave. I think something more important came up.”
“Foolish man,” Kioshi said. “There is nothing more important than a beautiful woman.”
Cristal polished off her champagne. “Well, let’s hope you think that way after you’re a famous idol.” Fireworks went off again. She looked up. “They are so pretty.”
“I know a place where you can get a better look at them,” Kioshi told her.
“Where?”
He pointed to a dark area on the left. “I discovered it earlier when I first came outside. Would you care to join me?”
Cristal looked over suspiciously. Most of the other people seemed to favor a spot over toward the right. “Sure,” she said. She didn’t want to be around others when the clock struck midnight. She put her glass on the ledge of the window and followed Kioshi down the stairs and through a path of trees until they came to a tiny rise just above a hill. Kioshi sat down on the ground and she sat down next to him.
A round of fireworks went off again and the skies filled with lights. “Ooh, you’re right. They look amazing from here.” She looked down at her watch. Just one more minute to go.
A warm hand covered hers just as she heard Harper counting down midnight over a loudspeaker. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…”
“No, you are the most amazing sight tonight,” Kioshi told her. He leaned closer and stared deeply into her eyes. Happy New Year’s, Cristal.”
“Four, three, two, one!”
The fireworks went off around them.
Damn
, Cristal thought as her lips met Kioshi’s. Sometimes, good things did come in small packages.
****
“Where are you taking me?” Shaundra asked Ichiro as they slipped out the side door of the hall.
“Out to see the fireworks,” Ichiro answered like an excited child. “I love fireworks, and I can’t wait for the twins to be old enough to enjoy this.”
The twins were with a sitter and tomorrow they would be going to the temple as a family to celebrate the new year. And then Dae-Hyun would be returning. Shaundra smiled. She supposed she’d have to be there too next year to supervise her three boys. And her body was still reeling from the kiss Ichiro had laid on her at midnight. They had been on the dance floor and then the next thing she knew, he pulled her tightly against his body and kissed her fiercely. At that moment, it felt like the earth moved beneath her feet.
Ichiro nearly dragged her down the stairs as they ran to the left like two teens. She didn’t even seem to mind that it was a bit cold outside. Ichiro’s hand kept her warm.
Ichiro stopped abruptly.
“What’s wrong?” Shaundra asked.
Ichiro couldn’t say anything. He just pointed.
Shaundra peeped around him. “Oh my!” she said. She jerked Ichiro’s arm. “We didn’t just see that.”
“But…” he said. “Wasn’t that…?”
Shaundra smiled. “Yes, that certainly was.”
“But she’s old enough to be…”
“His older sister. I know. You do know that love doesn’t recognize age. We’re a prime example of this.” She continued to lead her shocked husband away from the young lovers who apparently didn’t see or hear their approach because they were too busy kissing. She led him up a small hill toward another secluded spot where they could see the fireworks without being disturbed.
Shaundra stopped abruptly and Ichiro ran into the back of her.
“Ouch, why did you stop so short?”
“Isn’t that Takumijo?” Shaundra asked, pointing.
Ichiro stopped complaining and stepped up next to her. “Yes,” he said, leading her away from the spot.
“Why in the hell is he kissing a man?” Shaundra asked.
Ichiro continued leading her away. “You know sometimes love doesn’t recognize gender either.”
The End
Sugar and Spice Press
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