"Let's go out and paint the town red," Satoshi suggested to Cristal early one Friday morning.
Cristal looked up from her paperwork. "You're kidding, right?"
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and eavesdropped on their conversation.
"The last time I went out with you I ended up in France."
Takumijo chuckled.
Satoshi ignored his band mate. "I promise you nothing like that will ever happen again."
Cristal didn't believe him. Satoshi was the devil exemplified.
"Ah, come on. I feel like going out dancing." He did a little dance step to impress her.
"I don't know."
"What if everyone else agrees to go?"
Cristal looked around. Heads bobbed up and down in agreement. She sighed. "Okay, but not too late. Masaaki will kill us."
Satoshi shook his head. "No, he won't. We're going out in a group, and we'll take security this time."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
Satoshi smiled. "I'm always nice to you, Cristal."
"Then why'd you send me off with Yi-jun?" She wished he'd stop smiling at her. It made her knees weak.
The smile left his face briefly. "Because he needed you?"
He walked away. "Be ready by eight and wear a dress."
Cristal frowned. "Arrogant dude."
"Ah, come on," Takumijo said, moving into the spot Satoshi had deserted. "It's going to be fun."
If Satoshi was the devil, Takumijo was one of his evil henchmen...a big fallen angel.
"Okay. You don't have to talk me into it. I said I'd go."
Takumijo ruffled her hair like she was a puppy, and then he rose. "And put on some makeup."
"You guys are worse than my father," she said as Takumijo walked away. She got up, gathered her paperwork for the upcoming China promotion she'd been working on and headed out of the room.
Shaundra stopped her. "It's going to be fun. These guys know how to dance."
"And drink," Cristal replied.
"Come on, we'll get all dressed up and show these locals how to party."
Cristal nodded. She did feel a bit stressed and down since she hadn't heard from Yi-jun. "Okay. I think I can dig up a suitable outfit and shoes. We'll do it up right."
"You'll do what up right?" Masaaki asked, entering the room.
"We're going out on the town tonight," Yori answered for her. "Satoshi's idea."
Masaaki stopped in his tracks. "And you didn't try to talk him out of it?"
"No. Apparently we're bringing security, and I can't talk Satoshi out of anything when he sets his mind on something."
Masaaki shook his finger in Yori's face. "Well, I'm counting on you as the leader to see that he stays out of trouble."
Yori bowed. "Yes, Masaaki."
Cristal smirked. Masaaki even had Yori in check.
Shaundra chuckled. "This is going to be fun, watch. Why don't you come with us, Masaaki?"
Takumijo made a face.
"I have plans," Masaaki announced.
"Okay, maybe next time."
Masaaki nodded briskly.
Cristal smiled. Shaundra had Masaaki in check. Cristal high-fived her. "I'll see you guys tonight. I have some more work to do on this promotion. I got to make them impress the hell of the Chinese and the Taiwanese."
Shaundra just shrugged, not having a clue what she was getting so worked up about. Her job was on the line if she couldn't make Aomori a household name in China before their tour. She sighed. Why did she get all the difficult jobs?
By six o'clock Cristal had pretty much decided what she was going to wear...an outfit Yi-jun had purchased for her just before they left Paris. Even though she'd asked him not to, the big lug went and did it anyway. She'd wear it and look good just to spite him for not calling her.
Everyone met downstairs in the foyer, except Ichiro, who had just returned home from an out-of-town business meeting. The expression on his face said he was tired, but he took one look at his wife's excited face and changed his mind and told her he'd meet her there later, after he had a nap.
Now that was love. Yi-jun probably would have sent her on her way, stayed home and got his beauty sleep.
Kenshin had the limousine gassed up and waiting when they exited. They piled in, and about fifteen or twenty minutes later Kenshin parked and assisted all of them out.
There was no way they all could enter inconspicuous, especially with another van load of security accompanying them.
"Come on, let's do this," Satoshi said, taking her hand and leading the way in.
The rest of their group followed them in two by two and met inside. Takumijo entered alone because Takumijo liked to make an entrance. Shaundra entered with Kenshin.
The place was jumping, Cristal discovered after they managed to regroup. Satoshi led her to the dance floor, where they danced to a couple of fast tunes before returning to the table to join the others for drinks.
Takumijo took the liberty of ordering: Shochu, Tanqueray, Patrone, champagne, beer and a soda for Shaundra.
"Let me guess, you don't drink alcohol," Cristal said to her.
Shaundra shook her head. "It makes me a bit wild."
Yori cleared his throat.
Shaundra ignored him. "Plus, I don't know if all that medication I took before I was hypnotized is out of my system yet."
Kenshin, being the youngest, poured drinks for his elder.
Yori poured champagne for Amaya and offered some to Cristal.
"She doesn't drink that sissy stuff," Takumijo said. He poured her some Patrone.
Yori lifted an eyebrow.
Cristal bowed, picked up her glass and tossed the liquid to the back of her throat, then swallowed and burped, quite unladylike.
Takumijo refilled her glass. This time she sipped it. "See, she can hold her own. If she didn't have breasts and could sing, we'd make her a member of Aomori."
Shaundra and Cristal laughed at his joke. Amaya did not.
"Should I be honored?" Cristal asked, pushing away Satoshi's hand as he messed with her hair.
"Yes, you should," Satoshi agreed. "Takumijo doesn't offer positions of greatness to just anyone. It is an honor to be considered."
"You guys are so silly," she said as he continued to play with her hair. "Did you miss me while I was gone?"
Both Satoshi and Takumijo nodded.
"We were bored out of our minds being the only two unmarried men in the mansion," Satoshi said.
"I'm glad they don't let you handle Aomori's books,"
Kenshin replied, sipping on a beer he got from the bar on the way back from the men's room. "I'm single, and so is Masaaki."
Takumijo filled his and Satoshi's glasses again. Yori continued to nurse his champagne and just listened to their conversation.
"Oh, yeah," Satoshi replied. "But at least the two of you are dating."
Yori's head moved in Satoshi's direction. "Who are they dating? And please don't say each other."
Amaya cracked a smile. She'd been seated at her husband's side, staring daggers at Shaundra all evening.
Apparently she had a big old chip on her shoulders and used every opportunity she had to take a jab at Shaundra. And if everything she heard about Yori's and Shaundra's past was true, it was probably his fault. He and Ichiro still weren't speaking, and they were only in each other's company for Aomori-type stuff.
The music started to play again, and Takumijo invited Shaundra to dance.
"Ich won't mind," he said.
"I don't need my husband's permission to dance with anyone," she replied, accepting his hand.
Cristal got all misty-eyed. She wanted to be just like Shaundra when she grew up.
Satoshi grabbed her hand and pulled her back on the floor, leaving Kenshin at the table with his beer and Yori and Amaya.
"Why isn't your date here?" Yori asked Kenshin.
"She's working. I have to pick her up when she gets off."
"What does she do for a living?" Amaya asked.
"She's a nurse," Kenshin answered proudly.
"Please tell me that she is Japanese."
Kenshin nodded. "One hundred percent."
"Good," Amaya replied. "At least I'll have someone to talk to this evening."
"You mean another female?"
Amaya nodded.
"What about those two?" He pointed to Cristal and Shaundra.
"They do not like me," she said with a flip of her hair.
"I wonder why?" Yori asked sarcastically. He reached for his glass and glanced over at Shaundra.
"Because I'm Japanese," Amaya replied.
"If that was the case, why did Shaundra marry Ichiro?"
Yori asked.
"How the hell should I know?" Amaya replied. "I'm still trying to figure that out. He could have chosen any woman in the world. Why her?"
If his wife was any more jealous she would turn green with envy.
"Because he loves her," Kenshin replied.
"No, because he's weird," Amaya insisted.
Yori chuckled. That he would have to agree with on both counts.
Amaya finished her drink and Yori refilled it. "I need to go use the ladies' room," she announced.
"Have fun," Yori told her as she walked away from the table.
"Why?" Kenshin asked Yori once they were alone.
"She's kind of cute," Yori replied. "And she does have her moments when she's not being a bitch."
Everyone returned to their seats when the music ended.
Shaundra sat down, sipped her Coke and fanned herself.
The disc jockey decided to play some old-school American music. The intro to Silk's "Freak Me Baby" blared from the speakers. Yori slid his seat back, walked around to Shaundra and took her hand.
Shaundra looked up, surprised to see him.
Yori smiled down at her.
Shaundra smiled back, blushed and then followed him to the dance floor.
"Why do I get the feeling Masaaki is going to punish us all for a good long time?" Takumijo asked as he watched Yori and Shaundra bumping and grinding to the slow, sexy song.
"I'm beginning to like the decor of my room," Satoshi replied, taking a big swig of his drink.
Cristal looked over to the dance floor. "Shit, I just got home and now I'm going to be grounded again." She turned to Satoshi. "You promised me that there would be no trouble this time. I was thinking about going shopping tomorrow."
Satoshi's eyes landed on Shaundra's butt as it rocked side to side under the tight dress that fit her like a glove. He sighed. A work of art.
"If they get any closer they'd be screwing," Cristal replied.
"Damn," Takumijo said. "Yori is all up in that."
Kenshin nodded his head. "Yori is always causing trouble."
"Code blue," Satoshi announced as he watched Amaya come out of the ladies' room and head over to her husband and Shaundra. "This is going to be good."
It all happened in slow motion. Amaya broke in between them. She loudly called Shaundra a bad name. Then Amaya slapped Shaundra across the face. Shaundra balled up a fist and punched Amaya in the gut. Amaya went down on her knees, and then Yori grabbed Shaundra and pulled her away from Amaya. Then things sped up again. Shaundra broke away from Yori, and the two women resorted to fist-fighting and hair pulling. The disc jockey stopped spinning records, while the crowd, including the security guards, moved to give the two women room. Chairs scraped the floor, and everything was unbelievably loud.
"Aren't you guys going to stop them?" Cristal asked one of the guards as she sipped her Patrone.
The guard shook his head.
She turned to them.
"No," Satoshi and Takumijo said simultaneously.
"Yori will do it," Kenshin said, continuing to watch the two women destroy the place.
"What do you have guards for?"
"To protect Aomori," Takumijo replied.
Yori pulled Shaundra off of Amaya again. Amaya tried to grab Shaundra's leg, but Shaundra kicked at her, knocking Amaya back down on her butt.
"Let me go, Yori," Shaundra shouted.
Amaya got up and pulled Shaundra's hair.
"Ouch," Shaundra shouted.
Takumijo reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and handed Satoshi money.
Satoshi shoved the money into his pocket. "Told you she didn't wear a weave."
Cristal frowned at him.
"What?"
She just shook her head.
Amaya slapped Shaundra across the face again. It sounded throughout the bar. This never would have happened if Yori hadn't continued to hold on to Shaundra.
"Code Blue," Kenshin said, pointing toward the door.
"Shit," Takumijo said. "Ichiro."
Yori never saw the six-foot geisha-boy coming. The next thing Satoshi saw was Yori flying across a row of tables.
"Ooh," Takumijo exclaimed. "That is going to hurt tomorrow."
Ichiro grabbed his battling wife, tossed her across his shoulder and walked out of the bar, moments before the police arrived and hauled Yori and Amaya off to jail.
"Are you going to call Masaaki to bail them out or will I?"
Takumijo asked Satoshi as the rest of them crawled into the limousine. The security climbed back into their van too.
"Let's just decide when we get home," Satoshi said. "Yori and Amaya aren't going anywhere."
"You guys are horrible," Cristal said, trying not to laugh.
Satoshi sat back in his seat. "Yeah, but we're entertaining."
Shaundra had never seen Ichiro so angry. She flinched as each curse left his lips.
"I am going to break Yori in two," Ichiro said as he paced up and down the kitchen floor while she held a frozen steak to her eye.
"Ouch," Shaundra replied when she put the steak on her jaw where Amaya had continuously slapped her.
Ichiro flew over to her to see what was wrong.
"I'm okay," she assured him. "Amaya just got in a few lucky slaps."
"What happened? Did they both attack you?"
"No." How could she put this without him becoming more upset? "Yori and I were just dancing, and Amaya went berserk."
"You were dancing with Yori?"
Shaundra flinched and then nodded. "And the next thing I knew she slapped the heck out of me."
Ichiro stood away from her, looking at her with those cool blue eyes. "What type of dancing were you doing?"
"Slow dragging to 'Freak Me Baby.'"
His fists clenched and then he relaxed them. "The baby- making song?"
Shaundra's head bobbed up and down quickly. "You know I like Silk."
"But that's our song."
"What was I supposed to do when he asked me to dance?"
"Tell his ass no," he shouted. "You know he's still not over you."
Of course she knew it, but she wasn't about to speak the words.
Ichiro walked over and touched her eye.
"Ouch."
"You bruise so easily."
Shaundra nodded. "Remember that just in case you ever get angry with me."
"I'm angry at you now," he told her, stroking her face gently. "But I would never strike a woman, especially not you.
But do me a favor: never dance with Yori again."
"I promise," she said, finally getting a look at how good her husband looked in his denim and leather outfit.
"Why are you looking at me that way?" Ichiro asked.
Shaundra ran her tongue over her bottom lip.
Ichiro blushed. He touched her cheek again.
"Ouch."
"See, you are in no shape for the mattress mambo."
"Just try not to touch my face. I'm good." The more he blushed the more she wanted him.
"Come on," he said, leading her out of the kitchen. "This is no place for romance. People eat their meals on this table."
"Hmmm, kitchen table sex,"
"I'm just kidding, Shaundra."
"I'm not," Shaundra replied.
