In Deep Kimchi (29 page)

“Because I was on a date. Do you take security with you on a date?”

“I am not a member of Aomori. I don’t need protection,” Masaaki replied. “Do not ever do something like that again.”

Yori chuckled triumphantly.

Masaaki turned on him. “I don’t know why you’re laughing. Don’t think I don’t know about your little antics either. Your reputation with your fans is at an all time low. True, it wasn’t your fault that that magazine book cover depicted the two of you as lovers, but instead of staying away from Shaundra Morrison until this blows over, you have insisted on making a spectacle of yourself whenever you are around her. Even in front of your future bride and your in-laws.”

Yori lowered his head in shame. “That’s not entirely true.”

Masaaki walked over to Ichiro and examined him. “What happened to your face?”

“Yori took his frustrations out on me.”

Yori did not raise his head, embarrassed for the way Masaaki now saw him.

“This is unacceptable. You are the leader. You should know better. What is this all about?”

“Ms. Morrison,” Ichiro replied. “He can’t stand the fact that she prefers my company to his.”

“She does not,” Yori mumbled. “It’s just that…”

“Yes, we all know. You’re engaged to Amaya Saitama. That is no excuse for hitting Ichiro. You need to get your relationships under control. Now, I want you to apologize to Ichiro and both of you better find a way to get along before I ban you to your rooms for the remainder of our stay in Tokyo.” With that, he stalked out of the room, leaving the four to them to just stare at the door.

“Please leave my room,” Ichiro asked his friends again.

Yori rose first and the other two followed. He securely locked the door separating the two adjoining rooms and began stripping out of his suit and tie. Both Takumijo and Masaaki were right. Something had to be done to fix this rift and it was up to him to do it. Shaundra would be in town for just two more weeks and then she’d been gone. If he wanted her, he had to do something and do it quick.

Chapter Sixteen

“What do you mean you want to extend this trip by another two weeks?” Shaundra asked Harper as they gathered in the conference room at the Dome Hotel. “What the hell for?”

“Money and promotion.”

“But KiNii opens its doors tomorrow. I thought that’s what the party after it is supposed to be for.”

The other three authors agreed.

“What’s left for us to do here?” Jackson asked. “I’ve got other priorities and deadlines to meet.”

“I have to agree with him,” Dorothy replied. “The faster we’re out of here, the safer Shaundra is going to be.”

Shaundra nodded her head quickly. There was nothing like a couple of death threats on her networking pages to make her want to leave Tokyo on the first thing flying out of there. She hoped her life meant more to him than money.

“They’re just kids,” Harper replied. “You don’t seriously believe that they will try to harm you?”

Well, maybe not
. She nodded. “Yes, I do, and when was the last time someone called you a bitch? That’s the new nickname they’ve given me. Those fan girls are probably burning straw replicas of me right now that
Flowing Magazine’s
latest issue has hit newsstands. I had to close my Facebook and MySpace accounts, and you know how I love to network with my fans. Those little girls are getting quite vicious.”

“I’ll hire a bodyguard for you.”

“Thanks, but you’re missing the point. I am ready to go home. I’ve had enough drama for this lifetime.”

“Ah, come on,” Harper pleaded, smiling enticingly at her. “You’re going to love Osaka.”

Shaundra did a double-take. “Osaka?”

“Yes, didn’t I tell you? We’re moving on to Osaka in two days. I want to do a story on Aomori for one of my entertainment magazines.”

Shaundra sat down at the table. The least she could do was hear what he had to say. “Why can’t you do a story on them right here in Tokyo?”

“Let me rephrase this. I want you to do a story on them.”

“What? Why? I am not a journalist.”

“You used to be, and they seem to like you. Who better to get a story out of the pretty boys than someone they admire?”

“Not lately,” she muttered.

“What do you mean by that?” Harper asked.

“They’ve been avoiding me like the plague, even Ichiro.”

“What have you done?” Dorothy asked. “That young man idolizes you.”

“Nothing. Hey, I thought you were on my side.”

“I am, dear, but these old ears have heard a lot of stuff.”

“Does John talk in his sleep?”

“Yes, he does. Those two pretty boys got into a fight over you on the last night of their concert.”

“They did not have a fight. They were about to, but Satoshi and Takumijo stopped them. It just got very loud in the lounge.”

Dorothy shook her head. “No, afterwards. Yori and Ichiro came to blows in Ichiro’s room. Rumor has it that he has a black eye.”

Shaundra gasped. “No.” She turned to Harper. “See what you’ve done.”

“What did I do?”

“You made me come here. I was perfectly content being in the United States writing, but no, you talked my ass on that plane and now I’m on a fan club’s most wanted list. Now it seems that I’ve also broken up Asia’s hottest boy band. So, if you want that story, you have to write it yourself. I’m going home.” She hopped out of her chair and left the conference room, angry at both herself and Harper. She wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. She just kept walking, and mumbling about what a big prick Harper was.

“Whoa, who is a big prick?” a familiar voice said.

Shaundra looked up. It was Satoshi.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

“Obviously. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m trying to get away from my asshole of a boss.”

“He wants you to do a story on us in Osaka.”

“How do you know this?” He walked with her to the lobby, looking quite attractive for such an ungodly hour, dressed in white linen pants and a white linen jacket opened at the chest. Beneath it he wore a black T-shirt.

“Masaaki has already spoken to us about this earlier while we were at the gym.”

“Good, then we’re all in agreement that this is not going to happen.”

“On the contrary, all of us have agreed. We were just waiting for your reply.”

Shaundra stopped walking. “You can’t be serious?”

Satoshi nodded. “But I am. Even Yori and Ichiro have agreed.”

“Speaking of which, is it true that the two of them had a fight after we left the lounge the other night?”

Satoshi hesitated. “It has all been taken care of.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Why did men continue to treat her like she needed to be protected?

He sighed. “Will you join me for breakfast?”

Shaundra looked around. For some reason, they were standing outside the hotel restaurant. “Yes, I guess so. Harper called us down for a meeting before I had a chance to eat.”

Satoshi opened the door for her and he followed her in. A waitress appeared, led them over to a table and gave them menus.

Satoshi scooted in very close to her. She sniffed the air.
Damn, he smells nice.
She shook her head.
Forget it
. “Pancakes, sausage, the fruit of the day, scrambled eggs and coffee,” Shaundra ordered.

“That’s a lot of food,” Satoshi replied as he leaned in closer to her.

“I always eat like this when I have problems. It helps me stay focused. I need real food and rice is not going to do it.”

“I’ll have the same,” Satoshi replied, sending the waitress off. “I’ve lost some weight practicing for the concert and I need to build up more muscle.”

Shaundra looked him over. “You’re kidding right? You’re body is perfect.” She looked around the room nervously.
Where is that food
? Maybe having breakfast with Satoshi wasn’t the brightest thing to do.

Satoshi chuckled. “Thanks, but that’s just this suit. It’s very flattering.”

Shaundra smirked. He was such a tease. “Now answer me. Did those two get into a fight?”

“Yes,” he replied, staring into her eyes.

“And does Ichiro have a black eye?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her.

Shaundra gasped. “The poor baby.”

Satoshio reached out and touched a lock of her hair. “Better not let him hear you call him that. He has a fragile ego when it comes to his age.”

Shaundra slapped his hands away. She couldn’t breathe with him so near. “Why didn’t you guys protect him?”

Satoshi chuckled. “Believe it or not, he doesn’t need protection from Yori. They were going at it pretty good until Takumijo and I stopped them. He might be younger than we are, but he is a more skilled fighter. Yori just got in a lucky hit.”

Shaundra slapped her hands against her cheeks in disbelief. “To that beautiful face. Is he crazy?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“You can say that because yours is still perfect.”

Satoshi leaned forward. “You think my face is perfect.”

Shit, why don’t I think before I speak
? “Of course I do. You have very sexy dark eyes, a slim nose, and full lips. I don’t even see a blemish. God, were you guys genetically engineered? If your face was any more perfect, it would be illegal.”
Ooh, dry panties, good
. She was beginning to think that her mind was out to turn her into a slut.

Satoshi sat back. “Wow, I can see why those two are fighting over you. I do believe that you have surprised me with your honesty. Most women tell me things just to feed my ego.”

“I’m not like most women. I’m just telling you what I see when I look at you.” She sat back. “What am I going to do about them two?” Fighting at their age…ridiculous.

“Come to Osaka and write the story.”

Shaundra did a double take with her head. “Are you crazy or do you not know about the fan girl contract on my head? I can’t put Aomori in danger.”

The waitress returned with their breakfast, poured their coffee, looked at both of them oddly and then left.

“Yes, I know. Yori had to close down his networking websites and pages. They want to know why he chose you over them.”

Shaundra raised an eyebrow. She just had to hear this. “A good question.”

Satoshi looked shocked. “You don’t know why?”

“No. I’m older, a different race, and an erotic writer.”

“Yes, yes, and yes, all fine qualities as a mate.” He winked at her. “Who wants typical when he can have different?” He paused. “And he’s in love with you.”