Dearly Beloved (Siren Publishing Allure) (10 page)

Rika chose a piece of cake. “That’s okay. I came to see you.”

Ebony added sugar into her cup and stirred. “Why?”

“I was just curious to see the type of woman Tomio settled for.”

Ebony lifted her cup.
This woman is either very brave or very foolish.
She could have tossed the hot tea in her face for such a comment. “So what do you think?”

“You’re more beautiful than I expected. Even without makeup, your skin is so clear and unblemished.”

“Thank you. You’re quite lovely, too. So why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re here. Does it involve my husband?”

“It does,” Rika said. “I’m sleeping with him.”

Ebony pretended to be shocked. “My Tomio?”

“Yes, but to be fair, he was my Tomio first.”

Ebony supposed she should have shown some kind of emotion, like disbelief, or at least anger, but she didn’t. “I’m listening.”

“Tomio and I are lovers.”

“You said that. What do you expect to prove by coming here and telling me this?”

“I want you to divorce him.”

“No,” Ebony answered angrily.

“Why not? Why would you want to stay with a man who is cheating on you?”

“I just have you telling me this. For all I know, you could be lying.”

Rika put down her cup and picked up her purse. She took out a cell phone. “I’ll give you proof.” She thumbed through some pictures and handed the phone to Ebony.

Ebony looked down. Sure enough, there were pictures of Tomio asleep in bed naked. There was also a selfies of Rika lying next to him smiling. Ebony handed the phone back to her. “Sorry, my answer is still no.”

“But why not?” Rika asked. “I just showed you proof.”

“I already knew about what happened between you and Tomio. He confessed to me the next day when he returned home, and I have forgiven him.”

Rika gawked at her. “He did what?”

“My husband is a lot of things, but he isn’t a cheat. He told me everything from you calling him out of the blue, to waking up next to you in a motel room.” She chuckled wickedly “Even drunk, he had sense enough to use a condom when he screwed you. He found the empty wrappers on the nightstand next to the bed. What did you do, drug him?”

“How dare you insinuate that I needed to stoop so low to get a man to sleep with me,” Rika said.

“Him being married didn’t stop you from doing it,” Ebony said. “Tomio doesn’t even remember the sex. You must be horrible in the sack.”

“I am not. Tomio and I used to have sex all the time when we dated,” Rika admitted. “You are crazy to stay with a man who just slept with another woman.”

“No, I’m not crazy. I just think you’re desperate to want a man so badly that you have to stoop to getting him drunk. Go back and tell my mother-in-law that her plan didn’t work. I’m never going to divorce Tomio for you, or anyone else.”

Rika finished her dessert and her tea, and then stood up. “Thank you for the cake, it was delicious.”

“And thank you for leaving Tomio high and dry five years ago,” Ebony said.

Rika chuckled. “You are a worthy opponent, I’ll give you that, but you haven’t heard the last from me. I’m in love with Tomio and I will get him back.”

Ebony escorted her to the door and opened it. “Thank you for visiting. I’ll make sure that I tell Tomio you stopped by. I would say, please come again, but we both know I wouldn’t mean it.” She watched Rika leave. The woman didn’t even have the common sense to hurry. She just walked normally as if she was out on a stroll. A driver waited at the curb. He got out and held the door open for her, and Rika slid in the back seat. Ebony closed her front door, laughing. Her mother-in-law was so stupid for doing something like this. If it was a war she wanted, then she better send better soldiers after her.

* * * *

There was a familiar-looking car parked at the curb when Tomio arrived at his parents’ home.

Akira must have recognized it, too. “We can always leave.”

“No,” Tomio said. He had confessed his sin to Ebony. Now he had to be a man and put an end to any idea Rika Fukushima had of ever getting with him again. He got out of the car and entered the house. No one came out to greet him, so Tomio just followed the voices he heard to the parlor. He decided to stay out of sight and listen.

“She said what?” his mother asked.

“She told me that Tomio had already confessed to sleeping with me and that she had no plans to leave him.”

Tomio frowned. Rika had met with Ebony.
The nerve of her
. It pissed him off to no end that his ex-girlfriend and his mother were just sitting around discussing what had happened as if it were nothing.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?” his mother asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t really see the point in continuing. Tomio must already suspect that I put something in his drink, and the damn fool even used condoms to assure that I didn’t get pregnant.”

“Damn,” his mother said. “Maybe I should have taken care of this myself.”

“What can you possibly do against her?” Rika asked. “She’s not as harmless as you made her out to be.”

“I’m not without assets,” his mother bragged. “I haven’t just been a trophy wife all these years while my husband led the yakuza. Leave Ebony to me. I will get her away from Tomio, and then you can have him.”

Tomio had heard enough. He entered the room, startling both of them. “And what do you plan to do to my wife, Mother?”

“Son, I didn’t hear you arrive,” his mother said nervously. She stood up. “Look who has stopped by to see us. You remember Rika Fukushima, don’t you?”

“Save it,” Tomio said. “I heard everything. Please stay away from my wife and my home.”

“What do you mean?” his mother asked.

“You can drop that innocent act. I know you sent Rika to break up my marriage. What part of ‘I love Ebony and we’re happy,’ don’t you understand? Don’t have me choose between you and her,” Tomio said. “Because you would lose.” He turned on his heels before he said something to her that he wouldn’t regret, and exited the house.

Akira stood next to the car waiting for him. “Did you set the record straight?”

“Yes,” Tomio answered. “Just because she’s my mother, doesn’t give her the right to mess up my life.”

Ebony was tired of just sitting at home and decided to treat herself to lunch. She didn’t plan to go far, and ended up at a little cafe in a neighborhood near her in-laws. She entered. The place had a homey feel, like most of the family restaurants she’d visited.

A young Japanese man came to seat her. “Welcome to Kudo’s café,” he said in broken English. “I’m Wakame, and I’ll be your waiter for today.” He took her past a couple of tables before stopping by one. “Will you be dining alone?”

“Yes, I was just walking by and thought this looked like a nice place to eat,” she said in Japanese.

Wakame looked at her oddly. “You speak our language well. Were you born here?”

Ebony shook her head at the cute younger man. He’d dyed his black hair a warm chestnut brown, and had it cut spiky at the top and tapered at the sides and back. “I just studied it for a long time.” There were other diners seated nearby, but a lot of men at the counter, eating something from big bowls.

Wakame handed her a menu and walked off. He returned a few minutes later with side dishes like steamed white rice, miso soup, and pickles. “Have you decided on what you would like to eat?”

“Everything looks so good. What do you recommend?”

“Mr. Yoshi makes the best ramen.”

“Mr. Yoshi?”

Wakame pointed toward the counter. “Mr. Yoshi Kudo. He’s the chef and owner of this café.”

Ebony spotted the tall and very handsome Japanese guy behind the counter serving a bowl of food to a customer. He wore a black chef’s uniform. “I think I will try the ramen.”

“Excellent choice,” Wakame said. He went off again and gave Chef Kudo her order.

She didn’t know what Wakame had said to him, but the chef looked her way. Ebony smiled and nodded.

Another group of diners entered the café. They were men dressed in suits, a few of them a bit flashy for her tastes. She recognized a couple of them.
Yakuza
. She’d done a lot of studying up on them since learning of her husband’s affiliation. Ebony looked toward the counter. Chef Kudo had gone back in the kitchen and Wakame went over to greet them. He walked them down another aisle, opened a door, and led the men inside.
Must be a private dining room.

Someone put a bowl of food on the table in front of her, breaking her concentration. Chef Kudo stood next to her. “The ramen is hot, please be careful.” He spoke to her in Japanese.

The man had a very sexy voice and big hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“What was your first clue?” Ebony asked.

“That beautiful smile,” he said. “Hello, I am Chef Yoshi Kudo.”

Ebony eased out of her chair and bowed. His eyes landed on her belly. “It is very nice to meet you. My name is Ebony Nakamura.”

Yoshi lifted an eyebrow as if he was about to say something, but instead just helped her back into her seat. “When is the baby due?”

“September.”

“Nakamura? The baby’s father is Japanese?”

One thing she had learned since being in this country was that some of the natives were very curious people. Back home, his question would be considered rude. “Yes.”

“Enjoy your meal.” Chef Kudo walked away and met up with Wakame who had a handful of orders in his hand.

Ebony decided to ignore them and looked down at her bowl. The thick fish broth was chocked with thick Chinese-style wheat noodles. She blew on her first spoonful to cool it off. The ramen was seasoned with miso and soy sauce, and had toppings like sliced pork, dried seaweed and green onions. She used her chopsticks to pick up the meat, then lifted her bowl to her lips and slurped the liquid. Afterward, she put it aside, ate her rice, and then went back to her main meal. Her belly wiggled, the baby moving.
Maybe he likes ramen, too.

Wakame returned later and looked down into her empty bowl. “Ooh, I see you have enjoyed your meal.”

“Thank the chef for me. It was delicious.”

There was some loud laughter coming from the private dining room.

“Don’t pay them any mind,” Wakame said. “They are some of our regular diners.”

She wondered if he knew who they were.

“Would you care for dessert? We have some very good green tea ice cream.”

“No, thank you. I baked a cake this morning and it’s waiting for me as a snack for later.”

“Chef Kudo likes cake,” Wakame said. “He’s always talking about hiring a baker.”

Ebony stood up and walked to the counter to pay her bill while Wakame finished busing her table. Chef Kudo appeared to work the register. Some of the yakuza came from out of the dining room. Several of them stopped when they saw her, bowed, and then waited their turn in line. “The meal was excellent, Chef Kudo, and the service was exemplary.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Please come again.”

Ebony smiled at him, nodded at her father-in-law’s men, and left the café. The bus she needed to return home was coming down the street. She crossed to catch it. Some of the men had come outside and were watching her. She bet they couldn’t wait to get back to work and tell Tomio.

* * * *

It was late when Tomio arrived home. He found his darling wife sound asleep in their bed. He undressed quickly, showered, and joined her. Ebony turned over in her sleep and faced him. Tomio leaned over and kissed her. She moved and then opened her eyes. A smile formed on her lips.

“Welcome home, Husband.”

Tomio wrapped one of his arms around her waist. “How was your day?”

“Relaxing,” Ebony said. “I went out for a while and had lunch at a wonderful café. They serve the best ramen.”

He hadn’t thought that she would confess so readily. Daiki and Isao couldn’t wait to report her outing to him. His father had gotten quite a laugh out of this. “That’s nice, but you should be resting.”

“I took the bus and returned right after I ate,” Ebony said. “I just needed to get out for a while and stretch my legs.”

“Let me know when you want to do that again, and I’ll take off and go with you, or send Akira.”

Ebony frowned. “I’m not a baby, Tomio.”

“I know, but you’re carrying my baby and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Thank you for caring so much about me.”

“You’re my life, Ebony. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Ebony kissed him again. “Would you have sex with me?”

Tomio chuckled. “You don’t have to ask.” He ran his hand over her hip. She was wearing a gown, making it easy for him to undress her. Lucky for him, he hadn’t put on any pajamas. The next thing he knew Ebony had rolled on top of him and was going down on him with that sweet little mouth of hers. “Maybe I should come home late more often,” he said.