Down and Dirty (21 page)

“Happy Birthday, baby,” Shaundra said to Ich in a way only Shaundra could do it with a sexy, deep, sultry Southern voice. “I love you.”

Aomori joined Distraction on stage for some more Christmas carols, and then the show ended.

Everyone met back stage, and Ichiro kissed Cristal on the cheek and then wrapped his arms around his wife. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her.

“It was a surprise.”

“For a moment, I almost believed you were playing that piano.”

“She was playing,” Goro told him.

“What?” Ichiro asked. “You know how to play the piano?”

Shaundra nodded. “We’ll discuss this later. You guys were great,” she told Distraction. The trio hovered around her like she was fresh meat.

Cristal smirked. She bet it had something to do with the way Shaundra’s breasts were nearly spilling out of the top of her dress, and she was about the same height as them.

“I love the ending,” Shaundra told Kioshi.

“You guys were great,” Ichiro said, joining his wife. “You are now stars.”

“Idols,” Hiroyuki corrected him.

“Whatever,” Ichiro said, boxing him up against the head playfully.

“Look at you,” Satoshi told Cristal. “When did you learn how to sing? And what’s holding up the top of that strapless gown?”

“Tape,” Cristal told him.

Satoshi moved over to Shaundra and Ichiro.

“I didn’t know she could sing like that and play the piano,” Ichiro told Satoshi.

“I did,” Satoshi said.

Ichiro scowled at him. “How did you know?”

“She’s my soul mate, remember?” He put his attention on Shaundra. The look he gave her said more than soul mate. “You were fantabulous, Farmhouse Queen.” He kissed her tenderly on the cheek and Shaundra trembled.

Cristal sighed. So it was still true. The two of them still had that bond. She shook it off. It didn’t make sense to get jealous over something she knew would never happen.

“We will have to take the two of you on the road with us now,” Satoshi said.

“Forget it,” Shaundra told him. “That was my last performance. My baby here is the singer. I only did it for him.”

Ichiro’s eyes got all teary again. “You will sing for me?” he asked.

Shaundra nodded. She leaned over and whispered to him, “And every time you hit the right spot.”

“Lord have mercy.” Ichiro’s cheeks turned a festive red.

Everyone laughed.

“You were perfect, Miss Cristal,” Izanagi told her.

“Yes, you have a very nice voice,” Hiroyuki said, coming up on her other side.

Kioshi stayed off to himself.

Cristal nodded at him and he nodded back.

Suddenly, a young lady came bounding past them. “Satoshi!” she squealed loudly.

Satoshi turned around quickly at the sound of his name. The young woman jumped into his arms and laid a big kiss on his lips.

“Oh shit,” Shaundra said. She glanced over at Cristal.

Cristal couldn’t do anything but stare.

Satoshi ended the kiss and put the young woman on the ground. “Akemi, what are you doing here?”

“Mr. Niigata invited me. Are you surprised?”

“Very much so,” Satoshi said.

Takumijo had been talking to Amaterasu, but quickly came over.

“Takumijo, is that you?” Akemi asked. “And Ich and Yori. You guys have really matured.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce your little friend?” Shaundra asked Satoshi, who looked like he was in shock.

Cristal frowned.
He’d better introduce her and do it quickly
.

“Everyone, this is Akemi Sasaki. Akemi and I used to date.”

“We were engaged,” Akemi corrected him.

A nerve ticked in the center of Cristal’s forehead.
Engaged
?

“But my folks wouldn’t let me marry him because he was an idol. Foolish parents.”

Satoshi continued the introduction. “And this is my friend, Cristal Gentry.”

Friend
? The word took on a different meaning while staring face to face with the enemy. “It is nice to meet you,” Cristal said. She felt someone at her side, and a warm hand slipped into hers. Cristal looked over.
Kioshi
.

“If you can excuse us, I have to talk to my publicist,” he said, leading her away from another heartbreak. “Don’t worry about him,” he told her.

Hiroyuki and Izanagi joined them at the dressing room doors.

“Change back into your clothes quickly and meet us here in fifteen minutes.”

“Why?” Cristal asked.

“I think you need someone to talk to,” Kioshi told her.

“Why do you think I need someone to talk to?”

Kioshi reached up and wiped the tear from her eye. He showed it to her as it slid down his finger. “You can continue letting guys like that hurt you. Or you can take a chance with me.” He walked away and entered the men’s dressing room.

Cristal dashed into the ladies dressing room before the rest of the tears fell.

****

“Merry Christmas,” Ichiro told his lovely and sexy wife when she opened her eyes.

Shaundra stretched and peeked beneath the covers. “Ooh, who undressed me?”

“Santa’s elves,” Ichiro told her.

Shaundra crawled out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Ichiro watched, checking out her behind. He donned his robe and walked down to the nursery to check on his sons. The little angels had fallen asleep right after he and Shaundra picked them up from the sitter. Shaundra only agreed to stay after she found out Takumijo would be staying with Amaterasu. Satoshi had gone off with Akemi, leaving him free to have his way with his wife in the farmhouse for the first time. Ichiro returned to the bedroom and heard Shaundra singing in the shower. Ich ditched his robe and walked into the bathroom to join her. An hour or so later, she had him begging for mercy as she sucked him dry. What a way to begin a Christmas morning.

Satoshi, Takumijo and Yori arrived just in time for breakfast. Yori arrived carrying in more gifts and adding them under the tree.

Ichiro heard one of the babies cry, then he heard the door open and close and another one open and close, indicating Shaundra had heard him too.  He was just about to enter the den when he heard another baby cry. Ichiro dashed up the stairs to help Shaundra. He found her in the rocker trying to nurse both of them.

“Give me one of them,” Ichiro said. He removed Raiden from her breast and the baby screamed. Ichiro quickly put him back.

“Don’t even think about moving Ryoto,” Shaundra warned. “He’s a fighter. He’d kick your butt for this nipple.”

“Why, I’ve never seen anything like this. You can’t let them tag team you.”

“I think it has something to do with twins. They like to eat together. But usually I don’t feed them like this. Usually…never mind.”

“You can say his name, Shaundra. He is their nanny and it is what he gets paid to do.”

“I just didn’t want to start anything. We’re trying to wean them.”

“You mean put them on the bottle.”

Shaundra nodded.

“I won’t even ask why. It’s obvious they demand a lot of your attention and it has to be tiring.”

“A bit,” she said.

Raiden released first. He moved his head and the milk seeped from the nipple and ran down Shaundra’s breast.

Ichiro stared at her breasts and he got a tender ache in his groin.

“Don’t even think about it, dude,” Shaundra told him. “Take Raiden and burp him.”

Ichiro reached for Raiden again. This time, the baby didn’t cry. Ichiro sat down in the other rocker and tried to burp him.

Raiden burped and then threw up milk all over him.

“Awe, look at this,” Ichiro whined. “It’s all over my clothes.”

Shaundra chuckled. “Wait until he shits on you.”

“Not funny, wifey.” Ichiro go up, got a cloth, and tried to clear the puke from his clothes while holding Raiden in his other arm.

“This one is finished too. Would you like to burp him?”

“No,” Ichiro said. “That one you can keep.”

Shaundra chuckled again and burped Ryoto. She put the sleeping baby into the crib and fixed her top, covering those beautiful breasts. She took Raiden from him. “Go get cleaned up.”

Ichiro hurried out of the room, hopped into the shower, and changed. Shaundra was back in bed when he exited. “Why don’t you come down and eat breakfast?”

“I’m still too tired,” Shaundra said. “You go down and eat with Aomori. I’m just going to catch a few winks before the boys are up again.”

“Are you sure?” Ichiro asked.

Shaundra nodded and yawned. “You three guys have worn me out.”

“Don’t put me in the same category as them,” Ichiro teased.

“I don’t know why not. I kind of remember you…”

Ichiro smiled at her. “I cannot help it if you have nice breasts.” He waved good-bye and disappeared out of the room so she could sleep. He tiptoed to the nursery to look in on his sons before going down to the dining room to serve breakfast.

“That isn’t what you had on earlier,” Takumijo told him.

“Raiden threw up on me, the little demon.”

Satoshi chuckled. “Another gift of fatherhood. Where’s Shaundra?”

“She went back to sleep. She’s tired after last night and this morning and after feeding the babies.”

“I get the part about last night and about feeding the babies, but what happened this morning?” Satoshi asked.

“Undercover maneuvers with me,” Ichiro said. He served them and sat down.

“You better watch those early morning maneuvers, Ichiro,” Yori told him. “It could get you more babies.”

Ichiro shook his head. “Not right now. Those two are enough. You should have seen them going after Shaundra’s breasts. I walked in and she had one on each side.”

“She was nursing both of them at the same time?” Yori asked.

“Wow!” Satoshi said. “I would have liked to have seen that.”

“Me too,” Yori agreed.

“Don’t start, you two. She’s trying to wean them.”

“Breastfeeding is so much better for them,” Satoshi said.

“I think she’s going to use the pump and fill bottles. They wear her out. And they are both really greedy. I tried to take Raiden off her breast and he cried like a big baby. And Shaundra told me not to try that with Ryoto because he would fight me.”

The others laughed.

“Ryoto fights?” Satoshi asked. “He’s a baby.”

“Go on, laugh. You weren’t there,” Ichiro said. “They wore poor Mama out.”

“No, you wore poor Mama out,” Yori told him. “No more undercover maneuvers in the morning.”

Ichiro stopped eating. “I love those boys, but I have needs. They are so getting bottles.” He ate his pickles. “I thought you were having Christmas with your in-laws.”

“I had a change of plans,” Yori said. “Amaya went to her parents’ and I decided to spend Christmas with you guys like we used to do.”

“I like it better this way,” Takumijo said. “Just us.”

“I miss Masaaki,” Satoshi said. “He loves Christmas more than us. He likes to dress up like Santa and hand out presents.”

“He’s got a woman now,” Takumijo reminded him. “Speaking of women, how did things go with Akemi?”

“Badly,” Satoshi said. “She wants to get back together. Her family has moved back to Osaka.”

“That doesn’t sound bad,” Takumijo replied. “At least it will keep you out of the soap rooms.”

Ichiro agreed.

“But I’m not interested in her that way anymore. She chose her folks over me.” He sighed. “Did Cristal get home safely?”

“I don’t know,” Ichiro said. “I think she left with Distraction.”

“What?” Satoshi asked.

“She left with Distraction. You know, the younger bunch.”

“And you let her go with them after hearing what Kioshi said to her on stage?”

“Calm down, dude,” Takumijo told him. “He’s eighteen.”

“And she’s taller than he is,” Yori said.

“But he doesn’t act like he’s eighteen,” Satoshi said. “He acts like…”

“You at eighteen,” Ichiro told him.

“Yes, so you see why I’m concerned.”

“Cristal is an adult and a pretty smart one,” Takumijo told him. “You remember what happened the last time you got jealous.”

Satoshi refused to look at him. “I suppose you’re right. But I think she got a little upset when she saw Akemi.”

“You think?” Takumijo asked sarcastically. “New girl meets old girl. I think she might be a tad bit jealous.”

Ichiro nodded. “You better choose one of them as this might turn ugly.”

“I can handle it,” Satoshi said.

“Sure you can,” Yori said.

Ichiro chuckled, glad this wasn’t his drama. He’d had enough.

****

“Oh, where am I?” Cristal asked, waking up. She peeped under the cover. “Where are my clothes?”

A warm arm draped across her lap. Cristal looked over and screamed.

Kioshi opened one eye and glared at her and then went back to sleep.

Cristal removed his arm and hopped off the bed. “Where are my clothes?”

Kioshi pointed up.

Her bra and panties were on the ceiling fan, circulating above their heads. “This is not happening,” she said, jumping up and trying to retrieve them.

Kioshi groaned, rolled over, and pulled the covers over his head. “Can you keep it down? I’m trying to sleep.”

“Did we do anything?”

He raised a hand and made a thumbs-up sign.

Cristal felt between her legs.
Sticky. Ew.
She waddled into the bathroom.
Where the heck am I?
She looked around at the cheap fixtures.
Oh my gawd. I’m at a love hotel with an eighteen-year-old.

She used the toilet and then hopped into the shower.
How am I going to explain this? How in the hell did I get here? And why don’t I remember anything
? She scrubbed away the evidence. Her head throbbed. Cristal put her head under the water and washed her hair. Her stomach quivered like after too much drinking.
Oh my gawd, I got drunk and slept with Kioshi? Is he drunk too? Oh my gawd, he’s not twenty or legal.
She was so going to jail for corrupting a youngster and getting him drunk.  She whimpered.
My daddy is going to have a fit it I go to jail for rape
. Cristal finished washing her hair, turned off the water, and dried off. She got into her underwear and tiptoed out of the bathroom.