In Deep Kimchi (25 page)

“About four hours ago and, yes, I do have a killer headache.”

“Sounds like you had fun.”

“Yes, and I got laid too,” she announced.

Shaundra nearly choked on her coffee.

“I kind of like this caption,” Dorothy replied. “But I could change my mind once I have some more coffee.” She passed the newspaper to Riley who hadn’t recovered from Dorothy’s admission. He looked over it and passed it to Jackson who also looked like he’d been drinking all night.

“That’s a mighty fine picture, Shaundra dear. When is the wedding?”

“Never,” she said to Jackson. “He’s engaged to someone else.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jackson replied. “I think I met her last night. She was at the after-concert party with her parents.”

“Yes, that was her.”

“Did he introduce her to you?” Dorothy asked.

“No. I stayed as far away from them as possible. I’m in enough idle gossip, not to mention I’m probably the most hated woman on the continent. I wouldn’t be surprised if Aomori’s fan club has a contract on my head.”

“Well, you did look extra cozy with Ichiro last night,” Jackson replied.

Shaundra felt a blush heat up her face.

“Don’t think I didn’t see the two of you leaving the party early.” He winked at her.

Harper wasn’t amused. “Shaundra, really? He’s a kid.”

“No, he isn’t. He came back here and went to sleep. He was tired, and didn’t any of you notice that he performed one hell of a concert last night? He wrote most of their songs including that beautiful
Romanticism
they performed at the end.”

“Did anyone notice that they didn’t return to the stage?” Riley asked.

“Mr. Niigata probably thought the fans were going to storm the stage after seeing Shaundra getting busy with Yori on that billboard,” Jackson replied.

“Why are you doing this to me, Jackson? What did I ever do to you?”

“Just funning with you, chica.”

“You’re stepping on the wrong toes, Jackson. And besides, she’s not sweet on either of them. I think she likes Satoshi,” Harper replied.

“My money’s on Ichiro,” Riley said. “With that pretty face.”

“He’s pretty sensitive about his looks,” Shaundra warned. “So lay off him.”

“Ooh, I’m into the sensitive types,” Jackson replied. “Maybe I should pay him a little visit.”

“He’s not gay,” Shaundra informed him.

“How do you know?” Jackson asked suspiciously.

“Because women know these things. He’s not gay.”

The waitress finally brought their food, ending their conversation.

Yori and his soon-to-be in-laws walked into the restaurant and sat at a table not too far away. Shaundra looked over at Amaya. She was a really cute girl with long, black hair, a petite build and brown eyes.

Amaya raised her head and looked over at her. Then, she did the most childish thing. She rolled her eyes at her and tossed her hair before turning her head back around to face Yori.

“I think you just made an enemy,” Dorothy told her.

“I’m not afraid of a little girl,” Shaundra replied.

Dorothy laughed. “Your ass is knee-deep in Kimchi. I hope you get home in one piece.”

Shaundra attacked her breakfast with relish. She was halfway through her meal when her international cell phone rang. This was the first time it had done so since she’d arrived in Tokyo. She answered it quickly, fearing an emergency back home. “Hello.”

It was Donald. “When are you coming home?”

Was he crazy? International phone calls costed a fortune. “In a couple of days. Why?”

“Why? Your face is posted all over the newspaper with some Asian guy.”

“Is that the only reason you are calling, Donald.”

“What do you mean by that? Who is this guy?”

“A singer. It’s a publicity stunt. Why are you getting so upset?” She rose, moved away from the table and walked out into the restaurant foyer to continue her conversation without further annoying the diners.

“I don’t like it.”

She didn’t expect he would. “How did you get your hands on a Japanese newspaper? The story just broke this morning.”

“What are you talking about? I’m looking at the front page of our local newspaper.”

Shaundra gulped.

“Are you cheating on me?” he asked.

“No, I have no time for such foolishness.”

“Maybe not, but something is wrong. I’ve been sensing it for some time.”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Maybe we need to separate for a while.”

Shaundra took the phone away from her ear, not quite believing what she’d just heard, and then put it back to continue the conversation. “You waited until I was across the world to say that?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve been feeling this way for a while. I think the spark has gone out of our relationship.”

“Maybe so.” She paused. “Who is she?”

“Huh?”

“Who are you breaking up with me for?”

Donald chuckled weakly. “I never could pull anything over on you. I’ve met someone else. You don’t know her.”

“Look, I was having breakfast with my boss and the other authors I came here with. I better get back in before they get worried.”

“I’m sorry,” Donald apologized.

“Don’t be,” Shaundra replied. “Have a nice life.” She disconnected the call and walked back into the restaurant, still in shock.

“Is anything wrong?” Dorothy asked as Shaundra sat back down.

“I just got dumped.”

Everyone stopped eating.

“What?”

“That was Donald. He saw the picture of me and Yori in a newspaper back home this morning. Then he told me he found someone else.”

“Is he telling you the truth about another woman or is his ego hurt because he saw the picture?” Riley asked.

Shaundra shrugged her shoulders and poured herself another cup of coffee before answering Riley. “No, he said something about we’ve been drifting apart.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Dorothy cooed. “You must be devastated.”

Shaundra sipped her coffee. “Not really. I had plans to break it off with him when I got home. He just saved me the trouble.”

“So, what are you going to do now?” Harper asked.

She could hear the hope in his voice.

Ichiro chose that moment to enter the restaurant.

“Oh, I’ll think of something.”

* * * *

Yori looked out of the curtain on the second night of the concert. The crowd was just as large as the previous night. “Mr. Niigata is always right,” he told the others who waited patiently for their turn to perform. The only thing different was that they got to go home afterwards instead of attending a party. This, he was thankful for because he was meeting Amaya and her family for a late dinner.

“Why are you so nervous?” Satoshi asked, watching him suspiciously.

“I’ve got plans later and I want to get this over with.”

That piqued Satoshi’s curiosity. “Anything you want to share?”

The other two members stopped doing what they were doing and waited for him to answer.

“I’m having dinner with Amaya and her parents.”

“You poor thing,” Takumijo teased with a grin. “You’re having dinner with a beautiful woman and her parents who think the world of you. You have our sympathy.”

“Bastard,” Yori replied. “You know they’re going to get on my case about my posing with Ms. Morrison. That picture made all the world newspapers and the fan girls have been blowing up my website with comments about what a monster I am for doing this to them.”

Ichiro snickered but did not comment.

“It’s not funny, Ich.”

“Yes, it is,” he replied. His cell phone went off. He said hello and walked away.

“One of these days, I am going to kick his ass,” Yori threatened.

“Why?” Satoshi asked.

“You know why. Ichiro has changed and not for the better.”

“You’re just jealous because he’s dating Ms. Morrison.”

“When did this happen?” Takumijo asked. “And why didn’t you guys tell me?”

Satoshi and Yori looked at him.

“Where have you been?” Satoshi asked.

“Busy having a life,” Takumijo replied. “When did they start dating?”

“Yesterday,” Satoshi answered. “Didn’t you see them together at the after-party? Oh, no, I forgot. They snuck out together before you arrived with Osamu.” He paused. “Speaking of which, didn’t Mr. Niigata tell you to stay away from him?”

Takumijo tossed his head, sending his hair flying around his eyes. He brushed it back with his hands. “Mr. Niigata does not own me. I can be friends with anyone I choose.”

Yori smirked. “You talk shit. He doesn’t own you until he has to get your ass out of trouble.”

Takumijo rolled his eyes. “This isn’t about me. We were discussing Ichiro and his dating.” He turned back to Satoshi. “What do you mean he snuck out of here last night with her?”

“Just what I said.”

Takumijo leaned against a wall. “Do you think he scored?”

Satoshi nodded his head and smiled. “Yes.”

“No,” Yori answered. “He did not.”

“How do you know?” Takumijo asked Yori. “Did you follow him?”

Yori turned his head sharply. “Of course not. Why would I do something like that?”

“Because…”Satoshi replied.

Yori glared at him, daring him to continue. “You better go find Ich. It’s almost time for us to go on.”

Satoshi rose and lumbered off, leaving him alone with Takumijo ,who had left his position on the wall and was busy primping in a full-length mirror. Satoshi returned a few minutes later with Ichiro in tow, fixing his clothes and wiping his lips.

“Found him,” Satoshi announced.

Yori glared at both of them and then went over to inspect Ichiro. He sniffed. It wasn’t Ichiro’s usual cologne that caught his attention, but Shaundra’s.

“Where were you?”

“Caught him sneaking back into the building,” Satoshi announced.

“You left this building and went somewhere unchaperoned?” Yori asked angrily. Sometimes, being their leader worked his nerves. It had been okay when they were younger, but they were now full grown, headstrong men.

“I wasn’t alone,” Ichiro announced.

“Where is she?” Yori asked.