Down and Dirty (7 page)

“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.

Last to enter the room was eighteen-year-old Kioshi Yamashita. Kioshi could only be described as pretty, poised, and a platinum blond. He wore a black suit with a gray shirt, which enhanced his flawless porcelain skin. His eyes were like chocolate candy, and he stared arrogantly at her.

Cristal gulped as her panties dampened. Kioshi oozed sexuality and maturity. Though petite in stature, he had an authoritative air to him. He reminded her of someone else she knew. Who? Oh yeah, Satoshi.

“Konnichiwa,” he said to them in Japanese. He had a softer, more feminine voice than the other two lads.

Both Cristal and Damien returned the greeting. But Cristal could not take her eyes off the singer. He kept a snide smirk on his lips as she looked him over from head to toe like she was checking him out as a potential date
. Hell no. For one thing, he’s too short
. At five feet nine, she towered over him. All three of the members of Distraction stood about five feet seven. That was one of the reasons she remained seated. The other reason was because the three younger men always stared at her boobs and legs. “Please be seated,” she said, drawing her attention off Kioshi.

The trio sat on the sofa while Saburo sat down in the armchair. Damien remained standing.

Saburo began the talk, filling Cristal in on the group’s activities.

Cristal jotted all the information down in a tablet. Mr. Niigata had been keeping the group under wraps so nothing about them could get out before their first performance on Saturday. They didn’t have a big part to play in the christening, but Mr. Niigata thought he could leak a snippet of their performance to the media after the christening. He hadn’t even told Aomori of their existence and Cristal couldn’t wait to see their reaction. The group literally lived in the recording studio and had successfully recorded a CD. Their first song, “Victory,” already had a teaser prepared, and Mr. Niigata was waiting to leak it to social media right after their performance at Ichiro’s birthday party.

Cristal gazed over at Kioshi and found him staring at her with those deep brown eyes. No doubt all three young men were on their best behavior at the moment, but she suspected only because their manager was present. “How is the song coming for the christening?” Cristal asked Saburo.

“Give her a sample, boys,” Saburo told the group.

Seconds later, beautiful harmony filled the room, and then it ended.

Cristal fanned herself with a notebook.
Oh my gawd, they’re going to take Asia by storm
.

Damien’s hand stiffened on her shoulder. “That sounded so beautiful,” he said.

All three men smiled at him. The hand on her shoulder tightened. Could it be Damien liked Distraction more than he admitted?

“Mr. Kehoe is right. You guys are going to slay the audience at the christening and at Mr. Yoshida’s birthday party.”

“Do you really think Aomori will like us?” Izanagi asked.

“Yes,” Cristal answered.

“Good. I can’t wait to meet them. They’re my idols.”

The other two nodded.

Hmm
, Cristal thought. She came up with a fantastic publicity plan. She could design a poster featuring both groups. This would certainly boost Distraction’s popularity.

“I can’t wait to see the farmhouse,” Izanagi continued. “I’ve heard so much about it.” He paused. “Is it true that you used to live there?” he asked Cristal.

“Yes, but I moved out a several weeks ago.”

“Why?” he asked bravely.

“Because I needed my own space,” Cristal answered.

Kioshi smirked smugly at her. “What? Couldn’t you handle Aomori?”

The young man was a prime candidate for a spanking. “Yes, I could handle them quite well, but Mr. Yoshida and his wife just became proud parents of twins, and they don’t need any more noise in the house.”

“I heard she doesn’t live there anymore,” Kioshi said.

Cristal gawked. Where did these monsters get their information? Shaundra and Ichiro’s split had not been publicly announced. “That’s just a temporary situation,” she assured him.

“Is it true Ichiro is married to an older woman?” Kioshi asked, still staring into her eyes.

“Yes,” Cristal answered.

“See, I told you,” he said to the other two.

“Don’t spread gossip,” Cristal told him in Japanese. “It’s not nice.”

Kioshi glared at her but did not respond. The look he gave her spoke volumes.

Maybe a whipping was too good for him. He needed an attitude adjustment. She sighed. He had idol written all over him. Soon, his name would be a household word and girls would be fighting each other just to get one his arrogant smiles bestowed on her. “We will be leaving for Kagawa at six on Friday morning. Make sure you’re on time.”

“I don’t do mornings,” Kioshi said.

Cristal rolled her eyes at him. “You’ll be up, dressed, and ready to leave at six, or I’ll personally come to your dorm room and pull you out the bed.”

“You might not want to do that,” he challenged. “I sleep in the nude.”

The other two boys nodded that he spoke the truth.

Cristal’s face flushed.
Am
I blushing? Oh my gawd, an eighteen-year-old has me blushing
.

Damien’s hand left her shoulder.

Damn, she was in deep trouble.

Chapter Four

“Man, the moon’s still out,” Takumijo complained as Aomori packed the van for the trip to Kagawa. They decided to take the limo van instead of multiple SUVs so they could ride in comfort.

Kenshin checked the oil and then lowered the hood. “We want to start early to get around traffic,” he said.

“And it’s not that early,” Yori added. Amaya’s mother wasn’t feeling well, so Amaya opted out of the trip to be with her. So Yori decided to grace them with his presence.

Ichiro and Satoshi came out carrying zippered suit bags containing their christening outfits and stage costumes. They hung the bags in the back of the van so they wouldn’t obscure Kenshin’s vision while he drove.

Takumijo helped Amaterasu into the van to get her out of the bitter cold. Satoshi helped by loading her suitcase in the back by theirs, but kept it close enough in case she needed anything. She’d be the lone female on the trip since Cristal had other plans to get there. It felt strange to be the one with a date. He didn’t mind as much now that he had time to get comfortable with the idea of her accompanying him.

Yori went back into the farmhouse to secure the place while the rest of them climbed inside the van. He joined them about five minutes later. Ichiro and Satoshi sat to the back to play cards and to get comfortable. “Let’s go,” he said.

Kenshin started the engine once everyone had fastened their seatbelts, and drove toward the front gates to give security their last minute instructions. Moments later, they were cruising through their little rural community, passing large farms and dairies. Mr. Niigata had chosen this area for the farmhouse to give Aomori a quiet life when they weren’t touring. He’d taken them from their families before most of them reached puberty and promised their parents that he would look after them and give them the best life possible. Mr. Niigata had made good on the promises time and time again.

Takumijo didn’t know how his life would have turned out had he not auditioned that cold winter’s day over fifteen years ago. At the rate he’d been going, he would have probably ended up in jail or dead. Unlike the others, he had come from a poor family where his parents struggled to eke out a living as sharecroppers. He had two older brothers and two older sisters and no one paid attention to him since he was the baby and considered nonessential since he wasn’t old enough to help out in the fields. He’d made it a point to stay in school just to prove to them that he did matter.

His best friend in the world was a neighbor boy named Osamu Nakaumura. Osamu was just a year older than him, but didn’t mind Takumijo hanging out with him. Osamu’s family was fishermen and sold fish at the market. The handsome young man had always inspired for greater things so it didn’t surprise Takumijo when Osamu announced he wanted to be an actor and make a lot of money when he grew up. At the time, Takumijo didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life, so Osamu would force him into performing skits with him along the piers where they hung out after school. They even performed at the elementary school that they attended, but it wasn’t until Takumijo was forced to join the school choir that someone discovered he could carry a tune and could memorize music. He smiled, remembering his first performance. They’d dressed him up like a girl in a kabuki skit and he’d received a standing ovation for his performance. He remembered Osamu rushing up to him and giving him the biggest, warmest hug he’d ever gotten, along with his congratulations. Two years later, Osamu heard the news about a new entertainment company coming to town looking for singers and encouraged Takumijo to audition. He remembered being on stage and about to perform when he noticed this stern-looking Japanese man in the audience sitting front row center. Takumijo was pretty smart even at ten and figured out that the man was Goro Niigata, the owner of the company. So he poured out his heart in a Japanese stage song he and Osamu had rehearsed. He didn’t know if it was the song or the fact that he’d stared Mr. Niigata in the eyes while performing that had gotten him the contract, but he owed the chance to Osamu, who still stuck by him to this day.

Takumijo’s family had no problem signing over his guardianship to the rich Japanese man, since it meant one less mouth to feed.

Osamu got his big break around the same time when he auditioned for a Japanese drama sponsored by a production company in Osaka. His family gave up guardianship to that company for Osamu, and they kept in touch with each other before ending up in the same junior and senior high school after Mr. Niigata bought the farmhouse. But life during those times had been anything but simple. Mr. Niigata had signed on three more young boys and bunked them all together in one gigantic dorm room before acquiring the farmhouse. Takumijo didn’t know what to make of them since they’d come from different cities all over Japan. This meant their dialects were different and communicating with them was hard at first.