In Deep Kimchi (3 page)

Anyway, it wasn’t anyone’s business but his own if he was gay or not. The media didn’t consider it so by always printing stories about him dating some guy. It got to a point where he couldn’t even hang out with his friends for fear that he’d be linked to one of them sexually. He wondered if the others felt the same way about themselves or about him. Of course, they were much too polite to ask. On the flip side, Ichiro had it worse than the others. Sometimes it was even hard for them to remember that Ichiro was a male.

“The last thing on the agenda is your upcoming trip to the United States. Everything has been arranged and all we have to do is show up. We’re going to do a total of forty concerts in the next six months and I’m hoping you guys will give it your all. Aomori needs to take America by storm.”

“Then we have no problem,” Yori replied. “I’m looking forward to visiting Los Angeles and New York and meeting our fans from all around America.” In reality, he needed a change of scenery. Life was getting a bit stale in Japan and if something different didn’t happen in his life, he’d go stir crazy. The group was his life, but he needed some him time.

“That’s all I have,” Masaaki said. “Do you have any more questions?”

Ichiro raised his hand. “About those authors? What are we supposed to do with them?”

“Take pictures with them and maybe be seen in public together. Mr. Niigata thinks it could be good for your image to be seen with some of the most brilliant minds in the publishing world.”

“Why would I want to be associated with a bunch of stuffy old men?” Takumijo asked.

Masaaki rolled his dark eyes behind his glasses. “That’s the kind of attitude Mr. Niigata was afraid of. It wouldn’t harm you to hang around with people outside the music world. You’d be surprised what you can learn from a bunch of stuffy old men.” He gathered up his paperwork and prepared to dismiss them. “I think we’re covered just about everything we need to cover today. Try to stay out of trouble.”

Yori looked over at the others.

Takumijo stared at him. “Yeah, he’s talking about you too. You’re not innocent, Yori. Not by a long shot.”

Yori smirked innocently.

* * * *

“Ms. Morrison, it’s time to wake up.”

Shaundra opened her eyes slowly and found a stewardess smiling down at her and Harper seated beside her.

“I’ve been trying to wake her for the last ten minutes,” Harper explained to the stewardess.

Shaundra yawned and moved the blanket down her chest. “Where are we?”

“Narita Airport, in Tokyo,” Harper explained as he sent the stewardess on her way. He opened the curtain.

Shaundra looked over at the window, but didn’t make a move because she would have to bend over him to see out. It was dark anyway. What did she expect to see?

“Welcome back to reality,” Dorothy Brown, one of her fellow authors accompanying her on the tour, said. She was seated across the aisle of the smaller than she imagined plane. Dorothy, at fifty-five, was the oldest author at Kehoe Publishing, but there was nothing old about her mind. Dorothy created wonderful Regency and Historical novels. Her short, black hair was fashionably spiky, styled on the top of her head. Her alert brown eyes twinkled as she smiled.

“Thanks. How long have I been out?”

“Pretty much the entire trip,” Harper explained. “You woke up when we got to California to pick up some passengers and to refuel.”

“I don’t remember that.”

He chuckled. “I guess not. You woke up long enough to drug yourself up again.”

Shaundra rose. “I have to go to the restroom before I get off of this tuna can.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Riley Hymel said as he stood up from the seat in front of her. He reached up and took his carryon bag from the overhead compartment. He stood six foot tall with thick blond hair, baby blue eyes, and had a Texas accent. He was Kehoe’s resident paranormal romance writer and gorgeous pretty boy. He looked like he should grace the cover of one of Dorothy’s novels.

The fourth author, Jackson Lopez, scooted out from the seat next to Riley. Jackson was a tad bit shorter than both Riley and Harper. He spoke with a rich Hispanic accent that he exaggerated when he tried to be funny. With dark brown hair that curled softly down his neck and sparkling green eyes, he was every gay man’s fantasy. At times, he could be catty and sarcastic, which he used to make the words burn the pages of his gay romance novels. Los Angeles born and raised, but Jackson loved New York, had moved there permanently, and refused to return to California.

Shaundra scooted off to the restroom while the others gathered their things. Most of the passengers had already started getting off the plane. She opened the door. The place was so small she began to hyperventilate. Once she finished, she washed her hands and joined the others back by their seats. Harper handed her the smaller bag she’d brought along and he carried her precious laptop.

“Let’s get off this thing,” he replied. “I need bath, food and sleep.”

“Me too,” Jackson agreed.

They didn’t have to tell her twice. Shaundra followed Harper off the plane, and the rest of their party followed. They hurried down the ramp and stepped into the terminal. Solid ground, Shaundra thought, thanking the Lord for getting all of them to Japan safely.

The terminal was busy and bustling with life as they got the rest of their luggage on the second floor. Japanese, Americans, and just about every walk of life roamed the terminal boarding and disembarking from planes. Harper escorted them to customs on the first floor. After what seemed to be the longest hour of her life, they were finally ready to leave.

“There’s our ride,” Harper said as he pointed to a chauffeur clothed in white, holding his name up on a sign.

Shaundra and the others followed Harper over to the man, dragging their luggage behind them.

The humidity smacked her dead in the face as the chauffer escorted them to a white limousine and began loading their luggage onboard.

“Damn, it’s hotter than Texas,” Riley exclaimed as he helped her and Dorothy into the limousine. “I heard it was humid here, but this is ridiculous.”

Harper entered the limousine from the left side, which put him right next to her with Dorothy on her right. Riley sat across from Harper and Jackson crawled in and sat next to Riley. The chauffer made sure both of the doors were secured before entering the front seat.

Dorothy fanned herself furiously. “It’s like having hot flashes on top of hot flashes.”

Shaundra chuckled. “You won’t melt, and besides, the driver just put on the air conditioner.”

“You don’t seem too bothered by the heat,” Dorothy replied.

“I grew up in the south where it’s hot six months of the year.” They left the loading area, traveled through the airport and then exited down a long roadway. She couldn’t see much out of the tinted windows. “It looks spooky out there,” Shaundra replied with a yawn.

“You’ll get to see more of it tomorrow,” Harper assured her. “And don’t yawn. You’ll make the rest of us sleepy.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“You shouldn’t be,” he teased.

They rode for about an hour before the chauffer turned the car into the drive of a huge hotel and parked. He came around to open the right passenger side of the door. Riley and Jackson stepped out first, followed by Dorothy, Shaundra, and then Harper.

“Would you look at this place,” Dorothy exclaimed. “It’s huge.”

She did not exaggerate. Mr. Niigata had arranged for them to stay in a five star hotel. Bell boys arrived to get their luggage and piled them on golden, rolling carts. Moments later, they led the way to the reservation desk.

Friendly young Japanese women welcomed them and quickly checked them in. Everyone was on the same floor except her. Her room was located on the floor just above them. Shaundra didn’t care. All she required was bed, television and a bathroom. Location and scenic view was just an option.

“Order room service and then rest,” Harper told them as their respective bell boy took them off. “I’ll call all of you when I wake up.”

Shaundra smirked, wondering if he had been awake the entire trip there or if he was just feeling the effect of the time change.

Harper and Dorothy disappeared in one elevator and then Riley and Jackson got on another, leaving her to wait for another one to arrive.

The door finally opened and Shaundra allowed the bell boy to enter first with her luggage cart. She walked in and pressed the button for the twelfth floor. Once there, the bell boy exited with the cart while she held open the door. She exited and followed him down a carpeted hall. A faint scent of cigarette smoke and disinfectant clung in the air. The bell boy turned another curb and she followed. Her peace was disturbed by the sound of loud voices, and then someone ran into the back of her. Shaundra closed her eyes and prepared herself to hit the floor, but instead, she found herself in someone’s arms. She opened her eyes. It was a young Japanese man. Well, she thought it was a male. It was hard to tell with all that hair. Most of his face was hidden behind it and a pair of sunglasses.

“Sorry,” he said, righting her to her feet. “You are fine?”

Shaundra smiled at his attempt at English. “Yes, I’m fine.” She walked away from him quickly to catch up with the bell boy, passing a group of young men who walked over and stood by the young man.

The bell boy stopped in front of a room. He used a key card and entered, turning on the light and dragging the cart behind him. She entered, taking in the scent of cleaning products, and just stood there gawking at the sight of the opulent suite. After the luggage was unloaded, Shaundra tipped the bell boy, closed and locked the door after he left. She turned to face the room again.

The part she stood in had a sofa, desk, chair, telephone, and a DVD player. On the other side of the room was a kitchenette with full-sized appliances and cabinets. She walked over and opened one of the cabinets. It was filled with dishes and glassware. There were utensils and chopsticks in the drawer like she knew how to use it. Shaundra closed up the drawer and cabinet and went to check out the bed and bathroom.

“Wow,” she uttered as she opened the door and turned on the light. “This is awesome.” She could fit her bedroom back home in this one and still have space. An oil portrait of a Japanese shrine hung above the dark wood king-sized headboard. Pictures of waterfalls, cherry blossom trees and exotic birds hung on the surrounding walls. There was a flat screen television mounted on the wall facing the bed just above a full-sized dresser and chest of drawers. Near the window she spotted another desk and a chair for her to work with while she wrote if she was too lazy to walk into the outer room.

The room was beautifully decorated in brown, tan and yellow, which made it feel quite comfortable.

Shaundra walked toward the bathroom, passing the sink and vanity mirror in an alcove just outside the room. On the opposite wall, she spotted an ironing board, a blow dryer and room accessories. She turned the knob and opened the door. Inside were a full-sized sunken tub and a standalone shower. “This is nice.” But she didn’t see the toilet. There was another door. Shaundra opened it. Inside, she found a toilet. It looked a bit different from the ones back in the United States, but she guessed it served the same purpose.

Shaundra closed the door and turned to eye the tub again and the shower, trying to decided which one to use. She chose the shower since she was still a bit loopy from the anti-anxiety medicine and she feared she’d drown if she got too comfortable. Besides, she needed to wash her hair. She left the bathroom and walked back into the bedroom to unpack her luggage. Once she finished, she grabbed her toiletries and hurried back into the bathroom.