Blues

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Blues ISBN 9781419915543 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Blues Copyright © 2008 Ruby Duvall Edited by Helen Woodall. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication April 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

BLUES Ruby Duvall

Dedication As always, I’d like to thank Sheila and Linda for their help during the rough draft stage. I hope that they don’t get sick of me recruiting them for more editing help in the future. Also, thank you so much to all the readers who purchase Blues. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: DoCoMo: Kabushiki Kaisha NTT DoCoMo DBA NTT DoCoMo, Inc. Dumpster: Dempster Brothers, Inc. Glock 38: Glock, Inc. Lexus: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha TA Toyota Motor Corporation Mazda: Mazda Motor Corporation Nissan: Nissan Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha TA Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Blues

Chapter One

Tokyo, Japan, 2043 “Check out that man’s stellar ass!” April screamed into Hannah’s ear in her attempt to overcome the deafening din inside the club. Hannah instinctively clapped a hand over her ear, looking at April with annoyance for permanently damaging her eardrum. However, her friend was still checking out “that man’s stellar ass” and didn’t notice her shriveling gaze. “Watch what you say, April! He might hear you!” she cautioned. April shrugged. “He probably doesn’t speak English anyway and if he does, then that’s fine too.” Hannah couldn’t help but roll her eyes. April was always like this. She was constantly on the lookout for a new guy to tease and now that they were working abroad, she enjoyed doing so even more. She was already a fox in the States—petite, blonde-haired, blue-eyed and full-breasted. Here in Japan she was a goddess, especially when she wore her patented “foxy skirt”, as she liked to call it. It was already working its charms, as Hannah petulantly noticed. Every guy in the club, good-looking or not, Japanese or foreign, stared at April as she passed, even if he had his own girl on his arm. “I’m thirsty! Let’s get hydrated before the bar gets all sticky!” April grabbed Hannah’s hand and began to steer them through the throng. They had both just arrived at one of the more popular clubs in the Roppongi area of Tokyo, which had been infamous for countless years for drawing out the miniscule population of foreigners on the weekend. Every Friday and Saturday night, foreigners emerged like cockroaches to invade the nightclubs. The Japanese were always raring to come and rub elbows with the outsiders. Hannah watched with amusement as April occasionally hopped up to see where she was going. She was a paltry five feet two inches, whereas Hannah towered over the great bulk of all Japanese people with her Godzilla-sized, six-foot-three-inch frame. Her friends never had trouble finding her in a crowd. However, it was as annoying as hell to be tall in Japan because she bumped her head at least once a day—in the transit, in the bathroom, even in her own apartment. Japan was not Hannah-sized. Even after hundreds of years of growth, the average Japanese man was still a shorty at five feet nine. It would be a miracle if she could find a pair of pants that fit her and weren’t originally meant for men. She might’ve been a bit more popular with males in general if she had April’s blonde hair but she sported long, black hair, which was the same as every Japanese girl. The only thing she had going for her were her gray eyes but even they were too dull to 5

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really be attractive. She physically couldn’t be petite like April unless she starved herself down to one hundred forty pounds, which would completely diminish any bosom to which she might have laid claim. Most nights with April were spent watching her friend flirt nonstop with about thirty guys while Hannah sat alone at a table and sipped screwdrivers. However, April was also the only friend Hannah had who would go with her to the clubs and April was always a ball of fun. Arriving at one of the two upstairs bars in the main dancing area, April leaned over the bar with a free drink token she had received at the club entrance and called out her order to the bartender, the only man in the club who didn’t stare at April’s breasts. Hannah silently thanked him for that. “Whaddya want?” April turned to ask. Hannah coolly replied, “The usual starter.” Her friend grinned and ordered a kamikaze, one of the stronger drinks the bar offered next to a simple shot of hard liquor. A minute later they were squeezing into the seating area, already stuffed with people coming and going as drinks ran out or as girls became drunk enough to go shake their twiggy asses on the dance floor. “How’s your drink?” April hollered, watching as Hannah lit a clove cigarette. It was the first of two she allowed herself for the day. She was trying to quit and so far was failing miserably. It had taken her a year to go from five a day to two. The potpourri-like taste sat happily on her tongue as she took a sip from her pungent drink, totally at odds with the clove’s flavor. “I just lost a couple hundred brain cells. How’s yours?” Hannah said with a wiggle of one eyebrow, taking another sip before pulling a drag off her clove. All around them, the telltale blue lights of new-age cigarettes were lighting up. These cigarettes had come on the market just two years ago, containing all the nicotine but none of the cancer-causing agents or tar of conventional cigarettes. Blues—as the saying went—were the best thing since the internet. Instead of burning red, they burned neon blue, very distinctive at night. Blue cigarette smoke even smelled like mint. Ever since they burst onto the market, those who had quit smoking or were avoiding starting quickly jumped on the Blues ship and the number of smokers spiked. Traditional cigarettes were still sold and a small number of Blues skeptics still smoked them, including Hannah but the general majority preferred Blues. It was therefore ironic that she worked for Nippon Tobacco, the maker of Blues. “Same taste as always. Fruity enough to cover the taste of alcohol. How’s your new hosiery workin’ for ya?” her friend asked wickedly. Hannah wiggled in reaction, feeling the straps of her garter belt slide against her thighs. “Seems to still be in place.” “I bet any guy would cream his pants to see those on you.” April cackled wickedly and made a crude motion with her hand that brought a grimace of embarrassment to

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Blues

Hannah’s face. She could smell that April was trying to cheer her up and she planned to resist for as long as possible. “No guy is gonna see them because no guy is gonna hit on me tonight.” “Aw, c’mon. It’s been, what…a year since you’ve been tossed horizontal? Man and that was only once and only your first time. You must be horny or something.” April was still screaming and Hannah closed her eyes as true mortification swamped her. A table full of foreign women just like them sat only an arm’s length away. The giggles that floated to her ears made her cheeks flush. “Could you have said that any louder?” Hannah accused as she reopened her eyes. “Oh what do you care what they think? You’re never going to see them again and they’re all like thirty-five anyway.” Hannah had the urge to slap her forehead and it was no surprise that their neighbors quickly vacated their seats. “April, that time a year ago was not a happy memory, so I’d appreciate it if you never brought it up again. I mean, I can’t even get revenge on the guy for one-night standing me because well, it was a one-night stand.” “I’ll tell you what you should do then,” she grinned, leaning close. Hannah suppressed the urge to roll her eyes again. “Find a guy here—tonight—and one-night stand him. It’ll be liberating, I’m telling you!” She emphasized this by slapping Hannah’s arm, nearly spilling her drink. Hannah hurriedly licked the drops of kamikaze slipping down the side of her glass before taking a big gulp and chasing it with a drag from her clove. “Wouldn’t that just make me a slut?” she asked as she blew the smoke out of her lungs. “Hannah, you’re only a slut if you think you are and besides, having sex with two guys in one year does not make you a slut.” “Oh yeah? What number does?” Hannah grinned as she wiggled again, trying to feel at ease with the expensive lingerie hiding under her skirt. “Who knows? Thirty a year? Fifty? More than one a week?” April said, shrugging her shoulders. Hannah chuckled, finishing off her drink and tapping her clove over the ashtray. “Want another one?” April asked, slowly getting her footing as she stepped down from the tall chair and somehow managed to avoid smacking her slim hips into either of the occupied chairs next to her. Hannah thought carefully, actually tempted to get another kamikaze. She usually toned it down and got weaker drinks for the rest of the night but she had been through a crappy day. Halfway into her Saturday afternoon movie, her had boss called her to do a quick translation of a fax he received that day. Why he insisted on working on Saturdays totally escaped her, especially since his own boss wasn’t paying him any overtime for it.

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Many Japanese people worked unpaid overtime, though, a fact that hadn’t changed over the past few centuries. No wonder it was common here to commit suicide by jumping in front of a transit. The “quick” translation took her four hours but she got it done. By the time she had finished, the evening was still just starting and she thankfully had enough time to get ready for a date with a man from her office building. He was an accountant who worked on another floor for another company and they had been doing the coy-glance game for a couple of months. Then on Tuesday, he finally caught her alone in the elevator and, in stuttering Japanese, asked her out. She was dressed to kill by eight thirty. He messaged her phone fifteen minutes later to cancel. Thankfully, April was always ready to go out clubbing until dawn, pretty much what anyone who stayed out past one in the morning did because the transports stopped until five-thirty or so. Your only other choice was karaoke. “Yeah, actually. Another kamikaze sounds good.” Hannah reached into the small purse hanging from her shoulder and dug around for money to pay for the drink. “Ah, don’t worry about this one. It’s on me.” April waved her hand as she slowly shuffled out of the seating area and was then lost in the crowd. Hannah smiled gently in her friend’s direction, wishing that she were more like April. Self-confidence was something that April had in spades. She tapped her clove again and took a drag before setting it on the ashtray. Feeling around with her hands, she made sure that her top was sitting right. She had found it at an overpriced but wonderful little store in a trendy part of Tokyo. A thin, black, longsleeved, turtleneck shirt with slits over the shoulders to show off some skin. The matching knee-length skirt flaunted a single slash to display the red underskirt. Satisfied that everything was in place, including the skirt that covered the tops of her black thigh-high stockings and black garter belt, she picked up her clove again and inhaled once more. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she held the smoke in her lungs for a second or two. She was just starting to exhale when her eyes landed on the best eye candy in the room, a heart-achingly gorgeous piece of man-flesh standing behind a set of speaker plates with his almost-as-impressive friend. She came close to choking on the smoke leaving her lungs but managed to blow it out quickly without looking too stupid. In a single second, she took in the man’s breathtaking masculine beauty. The hunk was definitely one of the few Japanese men who could boast that he was taller than her and his black hair was just a bit too long to belong to a businessman, meaning he wasn’t some office worker. His build was just the way she liked men to be—muscular but lean. He could lift a couple of hundred pounds and still wear normal-sized clothing. His face was an artist’s dream. Perfectly proportioned and symmetrical. He had a strong, smooth chin, wide lips that parted into a devastating grin, showing off a set of pearly whites and a heart-stopping pair of dark and sultry eyes over prominent

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cheekbones and a straight nose. It was only a second’s glance—she didn’t even have time to take in his dark-colored wardrobe—and then his eyes landed on her. He returned her stare, his smile falling away as he became distracted from whatever his friend was saying. The urge to look away came on so fast and so strong that she couldn’t stop herself from breaking eye contact with him. “Shit, shit, shit,” she whispered to herself, grateful that no one could hear her over the noise, not even the ageless Japanese woman sitting two feet away. She was such a coward. Unfailingly, she always faltered whenever a good-looking guy so much as glanced at her. She felt as if a peon like her shouldn’t make eye contact with one of the beautiful ones. She wasn’t so stupid as to think that she wasn’t pretty in her own way but this one was out of her league. Still, she wanted to look his way again. She thought that perhaps his gaze had moved on and she could spend another few seconds memorizing him. She cycled a lungful of clove smoke to garner her courage and then looked up. His eyes burned into hers, still staring just as hard as five seconds ago. Her face immediately flamed up, as she wondered if he was either interested in her or actually staring at someone else. She looked around surreptitiously, confirming that no other women were close enough to have caught his attention. She then flicked her eyes back to him. An amused smile now sat on his face and her cheeks turned crimson. He effectively chased her gaze to the table and she finished her cigarette without looking up. “Whew! That was something!” April called out, surprising Hannah so badly that she jumped. Had she seen her stupid staring contest? “The line for the bar is already insane! It’s only midnight, for the love of puppies!” Her friend gratefully sat down, plopping Hannah’s new kamikaze on the table in front of her. Hannah scooped up her new drink and downed half of it in one giant gulp. “Whoa, whoa! Slow down, sister! Like I said, it’s only midnight. The bouncers will be hauling your drunken ass to a taxi in an hour if you keep that up,” April cautioned. The sour-faced bouncers that the club employed were huge, beefy men. It was always thrilling to watch one or more descend upon a liquored-up salary-man waving his suit coat wildly into the lights. Those guys could move fast. “So are you trying to get faced or something? Is it because of that knob-head from your office?” April sipped her fruity drink, looking at Hannah with concern. “I’m just…in a weird mood,” Hannah answered honestly. She had been really disappointed when Takeshi cancelled that night but it was because she had wasted time getting ready rather than because he had cancelled. After four boyfriends over twentyseven years of life who, combined, had lasted twelve months, it was like she was getting used to the idea of being single…forever. That thought was more depressing than any salary-man working overtime on a weekend.

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“Well, there’s a cure for that. It’s not a healthy cure but it works.” April gestured toward her with her half-empty fruity drink. “And what’s that?” Hannah asked, glancing toward the speakers. She was actually relieved to see that the man had disappeared. No one that devilishly handsome should stay in one place for a long time. He might either blind some poor girl or make her head explode. “A lot of alcohol and cigarettes. Sex on top of that if you can manage it.” April grinned as she put her drink to her lips and Hannah returned her smile as she dropped her head to look into her kamikaze. She downed the last of it, having finished two drinks in only ten minutes. She could feel the hangover coming already. “Maybe we should just pitch a tent at the bar,” April suggested, looking over at Hannah’s empty glass. “Hey ladies!” a high, feminine voice called. Hannah looked over her shoulder to see her favorite shot girl, Yuki. Yuki was the typical young Japanese woman, exotically beautiful, one hundred pounds and short. However, Yuki was too hyper and happy-golucky to hold it against her. It was like she enjoyed serving tequila shots in a noisy club every Saturday night. Smiling at the festively dressed girl in her cowboy hat and boots, Hannah said, “Hi! How’s business?” Yuki grinned wide, showing off her nearly empty tequila bottle as she pulled it from her holster. “We’re packed tonight, as you can see!” Yuki attended college in the Kanagawa area and worked at the club to pay for some of her tuition. She had studied abroad in high school and spoke excellent English. It was why the club sent her out to serve straight liquor to all the foreigners. “Wow. How long did it take to dispense all of that?” “Only fifteen minutes! I’ve been pouring shots nonstop! When I saw you, I just had to come over and give you the last of it, free of charge!” she hollered, cupping her hand around her mouth to make sure the last three words were audible. “Well, hey, that’s lucky. We didn’t even have to get up,” April commented. “Thanks!” Hannah said happily. Each shot was just as expensive as a full-blown cocktail, so getting a free one was good news. Yuki placed two plastic shot glasses on the table and then began to pour. They ended up with two triple shots. Hannah stared at the free tequila worth the same price as a bottle you could get at the liquor store. “Are you sure this is okay?” Hannah said, placing the lime between her thumb and forefinger. Yuki did her usual sugary grin. “Sure! I already made lots more than the minimum per bottle. The boss will never know!” She patted Hannah’s arm as she re-holstered her tequila bottle, now empty. “Bottoms up, ladies! I’ll see you around!” Hannah yelled a farewell before carefully toasting with April. Five seconds later, Hannah was slowly rubbing April’s back as her

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friend hacked over the sting of the tequila. She took a bracing swallow of her fruity drink and then pushed her half-empty shot to Hannah. “It’s final. I can’t drink hard liquor. I try every time we go out and it’s always the same result. I don’t think my esophagus can take it.” Hannah nodded with understanding as April carefully dabbed at her watery eyes. She then easily popped back the liquor, taking a quick bite of lime to neutralize the taste. “I don’t understand how you do that,” April said, watching Hannah swallow the tequila without the slightest grimace. “I don’t understand how you can get any guy to come panting after you. The world is full of mysteries.” Hannah attempted to get a few last drops from her old kamikaze but there was nothing left but half-melted ice. She saw April’s shoulders droop just a bit from the corner of her eye and grimaced inwardly, knowing that April was just trying to make her feel better. She didn’t have to be sarcastic the entire night. “I’m sorry,” she said, hoping it was loud enough. April put her hand on Hannah’s bare shoulder, squeezing gently. “Let’s go get some more drinks. I think one more will give me the courage to go dance to this insanely loud music.” Nodding in agreement, Hannah stood up and followed April’s guiding hand as they made their way through the crowd. It was no surprise that another pair of people immediately took up their table and Hannah regretted the loss of a seat. It would take a sharp eye and a fast ass to get another chair that night. She bumped hard into a girl going the opposite way and quickly mouthed an apology in Japanese, followed by the obligatory head-bob. April was trying her best to squeeze through a gaggle of Japanese girls and Hannah was starting to lose her grip on her friend’s hand as bodies pushed between them. The club owner really needed to start checking his admission limit. This had to be breaking the fire code. Finally emerging from the bottleneck between the two seating areas, they arrived at the bar and gratefully gripped its sticky edge. “Aw, gross!” April lamented, letting go immediately. “Kamikaze!” Hannah yelled, pressing money into the bartender’s hand. “Another one? Man, you’re serious about drinking tonight! That’s stellar!” April happily praised, lightly slapping Hannah’s back. April then leaned over to make her own order and Hannah eagerly accepted the drink that the bartender handed to her. Half of the drink was gone before April could even take a sip of her third fruity drink. “Why do these taste so good tonight?” Hannah asked April. She grinned as the heady effects of the last twenty minutes began to catch up to her. “Everything tastes better when you’re drunk,” April smilingly answered. They hung out there another few minutes, discussing the fashion of the Japanese women walking by and finishing off their drinks.

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Hannah was feeling much better now. Her problems seemed a million miles away, things she could worry about tomorrow or even on Monday. She was having fun with her friend in a popular club in an ace part of Tokyo and she had reached the nirvana of drunkenness. She’d go dance off her high, get drunk again and then rinse, repeat. Nothing was going to stop her and April from thoroughly enjoying themselves, with or without men. She turned toward the bartender, smiled and set down her empty glass, which he acknowledged and swept away with a quick bow of his head. Turning back to April, she smiled, but was met by the back of her friend’s head. Her smile faltered immediately. April had done a one-eighty and was now engaged in her favorite activity, flirting shamelessly with handsome men. The one now in her grasp was a Japanese man so gorgeous that he was probably a model and he was already leaning very close. Hannah’s mood swung so violently that she instantly felt ill—like emotional motion sickness. This was something she could never do…or rather, it would never happen to her. She desperately wanted to flirt, to smile and bat her eyes but she needed a partner first, a man who would lean into her the way the Japanese model leaned into April. Her eyes began to sting and she blinked rapidly, taking a slow breath to calm herself. She worriedly looked around, hoping that no one was noticing how close she was to the brink but as usual, she was being ignored. If anyone paid her attention, it was just to do a double take to see if this giant person was indeed a woman. She ducked her head and subtly tried to dab at her eyes with the side of her palm. Then looking up at April again, she hoped desperately that her friend would remember that she was there but after a full minute of self-conscious fidgeting, she still didn’t have April’s attention back. Deciding that it was a better idea to leave April alone and not take it personally, she began to meander toward the dance floor, though it was more like stumbling since she had consumed six servings of alcohol in twenty-five minutes. She accidentally bumped into a handsome Japanese man with his equally beautiful Japanese girlfriend and though she bowed her head and apologized, his scathing comment, which she unfortunately understood, reached her ears. He had called her a giant idiot. The tears began as she waded into the sea of writhing bodies attempting to dance to the DJ’s mix of house music. Elbows and shoulders jarred her as people entered and exited the dance floor. As the first tear slid down her cheek, she realized that she should’ve just stayed home. She should have taken off her make-up, put away her sexy lingerie, put on her sweater and jeans and finished her afternoon movie. She never should have come here. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and the music faded to a distant and muffled ticking. She resisted the urge to jerk as a full-body shiver ran screaming down her spine. The thick, exotic scent of expensive cologne filled her

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nostrils and heat seeped into her back. The still presence behind her was both frightening and exhilarating. Bringing her head up, she watched as people continued to dance wildly but she was no longer being pummeled by flailing limbs. She slowly turned her head to the side, letting her peripheral vision confirm what the hairs on the back of her neck already knew. The heart-stopping vision of male perfection stood right behind her. She gasped as his hand easily found and caressed her right hip. The heat against her back intensified as he leaned closer, placing his lips next to her ear. “Dance with me.” Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She was shocked beyond belief. He had to be either on drugs or crazy. She wasn’t sure she cared. His hands turned her about and she tried to make the turn gracefully but the bump of a stray shoulder and her inebriety drove her directly against him. Feeling his hard chest against her breasts was such an alien sensation that she stiffened in reaction and he took the opportunity to pull her close. Surprised and uncertain, she automatically tried to hide her face by looking to the side as his arms gathered her closer. He placed her hands on his shoulders and her short-strapped purse slipped down to the bend of her elbow. He then slid his hands around her waist to her back and pulled her so tightly against him that she could tell just how much he exercised—a lot. Her fingers curled into the expensive jacket he wore, which was probably velvet by the feel of it. Then he began to move. The music faded from her hearing again and his timing was perfect. Just by following his movements, she found it easy to be his dance partner. His size matched hers so well. It was as if he were built to be hers. She tried not to think of the cruel reality. His cologne made her feel heady, his body heat flushed her cheeks and the feel of his arms shortened her breath. She was floating. This was better balm for her wounded heart than anything else in the world. She wanted to hold on to this moment forever. He was slowly turning them and she was able to get a slow panorama of the sea of people who surrounded them but did not touch them. It was as if his presence demanded a small bubble of personal space. “Can I touch you?” he asked. His breath was warm against her ear. It would normally be a silly question since he already had her in his arms but she knew what he meant. She wasn’t stupid. She nodded, tentatively gripping his shoulders from behind as she tightened her hold on him. She was going to enjoy this, just as April would have suggested. He slowly lowered his head and she bit down on her bottom lip as he lazily kissed the bare part of her shoulder. The rolling chill that made its way back up her spine rose gooseflesh all over her body. Then his foot slid between hers and he gently stepped into her, inviting her to straddle his thigh. She shuddered, pressing close and squeezing his 13

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thigh between her legs. Their movements immediately became more fluid as they swayed as one and enjoyed the new level of familiarity. He felt so good against her. It was a ridiculous thought but she realized with a sense of relief that, at least for this one moment, she had the right to touch him. If she was on the train or walking down the street, reaching out to a handsome stranger just to feel his hair, his face, or his arm would be considered crazy but of course, it didn’t diminish the desire. However, she could now do so. She could enjoy the intimacy and pleasure of touching a man. She felt his lips and chin against her temple and he gently kissed the side of her face. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. He raised his hand from her hip, leaving the other one on her rear and touched the back of her head. She had pulled her hair into a bun, leaving small curling strands to hang freely from her head. His fingers met the two chopsticks holding it all together and he carefully brought his hand around to touch her chin. He turned her face up and she blushed fiercely when their eyes connected. By God, he was gorgeous. His eyes boasted heavy eyelashes, his skin was smooth perfection and his lips looked so kissable. She watched as his eyes dropped to her own lips and felt her heart turn inside her chest as he leaned down the last three inches separating them. His mouth touched hers and she closed her eyes again, now helplessly lost in a thick, heavy fog of lust. His lips were warm, confident and powerful as they pulled, sucked and massaged her mouth. His arms held her tightly as they continued to sway to the music, creating friction where it counted. When she opened her lips, his tongue eagerly invaded and she automatically wrapped her arms about his neck. She wanted him. She wanted him so badly that it made her chest hurt. Then she felt it. Hardness rose up to butt against her, just at the right level to press into it with her thigh. She didn’t think her heart could beat any faster but it did. Knowing that he was aroused because of her not only shot her self-confidence into space but also made her want him even more. Since their positions were perfect, she rubbed her thigh against him and felt his reactionary grunt against her lips. His hands then gripped her tighter and she slipped her arms down to his lower back. Traveling low, her hands marveled at the tight muscles of his rear, which flexed under her fingers. Never once did she think about the people around them. They no longer mattered. As long as the music continued, she would enjoy holding this man as he held her and however overly amorous they looked to others was the last thing on her list of worries. The minutes flowed by as they slowly turned on the dance floor, grinding against each other and working up a lust that she could’ve sworn would infect others around them if it went unchecked. His hands roamed everywhere—her back, her sides, her arms. When one finally squeezed between them to take possession of her breast, she nearly caught on fire. He expertly used two fingers to pinch her nipple through her shirt and bra, not too hard but not too hesitantly. It felt so good and her inhibitions were

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so overcome by liquor that she was drunk enough to secretly slide her hand between them, her actions hidden by bodies, their own closeness and his open, black jacket. When her greedy hand gripped him underneath his black slacks, his lips broke away from her and she barely heard the moan that came out of him as he put his lips to her ear. “Let’s get out of here,” he suggested hotly. Her heart leapt and she couldn’t nod fast enough. April was actually correct about many things that night, including the fact that Hannah was as horny as a teenager. Finding someone this good-looking for her sexual fix was better than a year’s worth of paid vacation. He gently took hold of her hand and began to lead her off of the dance floor, easily cutting through the surging crowd. She couldn’t help the gleeful smile on her face, no matter how hard she tried to smother it. Of all of the women in the packed club, he wanted her. It was happening so fast too. Just ten minutes ago, she was ready to cry in front of a hundred people. Now she was swollen-lipped, red-cheeked and ready to jump into bed with a total stranger. That stranger was the hottest man alive, though. They made it to the first floor after many gentle pushes, some not so gentle and a few dozen “excuse me”s, having slipped through a couple of hundred bodies en route. The first floor was a smaller bar area, just as packed as the rest of the club but this area played a good mix of R&B music. Her hunk turned to her then and she felt her heart jump to her throat. He lifted their clasped hands until he could kiss the back of hers. Her mouth went dry. Then he leaned close. “Did you get a locker?” he asked, looking pointedly at the locker key dangling from her wrist. She nodded. “Meet me at the entrance in five minutes then,” he said, leaning farther forward and kissing the corner of her mouth. She whispered a shaky okay and then watched as he pushed his way toward the front of the club. Making her way toward the lockers, she began to pass the ladies restroom that was on the way and paused, wondering if she should take a quick detour. Deciding to do so, she went inside. She had to maneuver through about twenty other women, all of whom only came up to her shoulder and were as skinny as sticks. She then saw her reflection in the mirror in the sitting area of the restroom and immediately lost all of the precious self-esteem she had just won herself. Quickly looking away, she ignored the hateful voice inside her head that said she didn’t deserve the man waiting for her at the entrance. She found an open stall after only a ten-second wait and quickly did her business. After finishing, she reached down to pull up her lacy underwear but suddenly had a wicked thought. She stood there in contemplation for a good twenty seconds before deciding to remove her panties entirely. She stuffed them into the bottom of her purse and refastened her garter straps. Going commando sounded like it might be a good idea on this rare occasion. 15

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She pushed her skirt down and tried to feel confident about being without underwear as she stopped by the sink to give her hands a good scrubbing. That was when a familiar face appeared next to her in the mirror. She was momentarily horrified that she had forgotten about her friend. “Hannah, what’s going on? I turned around to introduce you to Mark and you weren’t there! I’ve been looking for you for fifteen minutes!” April scolded, pinching Hannah’s arm in punishment. “Ow! Stop that,” Hannah said back to her, slapping April’s hand with her wet fingers. “You’d think it’d be easy to find you since you’re so tall but with the club this crowded…” “April, I’m not going to stay here anymore—” Hannah began. “Aww! Don’t get all depressed, Hannah! I’ll introduce you to Mark and maybe he’ll have a friend with him.” “No, I mean…I’m leaving with someone.” Hannah looked at April in the mirror as she dried her hands. April’s face immediately took on the expression of a child on Christmas morning. “Really?! That’s super nova!” she cheerfully said. “How good-looking is he? Is he really tall?” “Very and yes. He’s waiting for me at the club entrance. I plan to exhaust him until he passes out,” Hannah said in a low, naughty voice as she turned away from the sink. “Do you have protection on you?” April asked, her face getting serious. “Yes but only one.” “The love hotel will have some to sell, I’m sure. Make sure he uses it, okay?” “Yes, mommy,” Hannah replied with her usual sarcasm. “I want all the juicy details tomorrow. Call me as soon as you wake up,” April said, pushing Hannah back to the restroom entrance. “What about you? Will you be okay? I’m kind of abandoning you here.” Hannah began to feel guilty as she recalled that her friend had come out only because she had asked her to. “Are you kidding? This place is packed with stellar guys. I’ll be busy flirting all night long.” April winked at her as they both stopped at Hannah’s locker. Pulling the key bracelet off her wrist, Hannah opened up her locker and pulled out her black wool trench coat. It was only the first week of November and it was already freezing outside. “Call me if you need me,” Hannah said. “No way.” April shook her head as she helped Hannah into her coat. “I wouldn’t dare disturb a woman getting some ass.” Hannah laughed at that and checked that her clothes were all in place before buttoning the top of her coat. “How do I look?” she asked.

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“Like a lucky bitch,” April smiled, slapping her friend on the ass. “Ow! First you pinch me and then you spank me!” “Let’s hope he does the same.” April wiggled her fingers as she waved goodbye, disappearing into the crowd. Hannah waved back and pulled her purse up to her shoulder. People were still arriving and getting their first drinks. Others were obviously already drunk and having a ball in the middle of the tiny R&B dance floor as they sweated off their booze. She bit her lip and pressed her hand to her heart, which was now racing faster than ever. She would be one of the few people leaving the club. It wasn’t even one a.m. yet. Her dreamboat was outside, waiting to escort her to the nearest love hotel. It was too good to be true but she wouldn’t dare question it. She had been to a love hotel before, but her last experience had been a sore spot on her heart for a long time. She told herself that she had the right expectations this time. It was going to be what it should be and would be—a one-night stand. She was going to enjoy this, damn it!

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Chapter Two Walking carefully, lest she trip in her inebriated state, Hannah made it to the club entrance and walked down the final flight of stairs, past the cover-charge desk and into the cold air of the night. She looked around the crowded street, watching people pass. She had once seen pictures of Roppongi over fifty years ago in the late twentieth century and the buildings had looked so short and rickety despite the fact that they were made of steel and concrete. After the devastating earthquake in 2023, a large percentage of metropolitan Tokyo had been rebuilt. New buildings were built with the latest earthquake-proof architectural designs, including countless aesthetically creative structures that often dwarfed the buildings that had once stood in the exact same spot. In just twenty years, Tokyo had become a city famed for its outstanding architecture. Most buildings were now significantly more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. At night, the city lights were truly beautiful—that is, if you ignored all of the countless advertisements on any of the giant marquees or vid screens. Suddenly halfway scared that he had left her there, Hannah scanned the crowd of people outside for a tall Japanese knockout but she couldn’t find him at all. She walked toward the street, cutting across the sidewalk and dodging bits of trash. She searched in a full circle until she faced the street again. Then the door of a cab opened right in front of her and the tall vision of male perfection stepped out of the taxi, his long frame standing to its full height. Her lungs froze for a moment. In the glittering lights of the city at night, he was perfectly lit. His smile was sexy enough to make her want to mewl. “Nice coat,” he complimented, stepping toward her. She couldn’t even accept his compliment with a thank you because she was so besotted. He took hold of her hand and began to pull her to the taxi. Now that they were out of the club, she could hear his accent better. Learning to pronounce English as a Japanese person was much more difficult than an English speaker learning to pronounce Japanese. He had to have studied English very hard. “Your English is great,” she said, finally getting her mouth to form words. “Thanks. I lived abroad for quite a while,” he explained with a pleased smile as he looked away, probably flattered. She smiled with a sense of relief, glad that she had given him a compliment he’d genuinely enjoyed. It made sense, though, she thought to herself. Only English learners who had lived or studied abroad ever really came close to mastering the language. He let her get into the taxi first and she scooted over to sit behind the silent driver. The heartthrob then followed her in, sitting down smoothly enough to make her 18

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jealous. People their height shouldn’t be so graceful. The taxi door closed automatically, shutting out the street noise. “Ikou,” he said in Japanese to the driver, who nodded wordlessly. He had told the cabbie to drive off and Hannah realized that she didn’t know where they were going. She was about to ask when her hunky new date sidled up to her and slipped his arm around her shoulders. Then only one question came to mind. “What’s your name?” she asked, whispering so that the cabbie couldn’t hear. Who knew if the driver could speak English? That would be an interesting tidbit to overhear. “Ryo,” he answered, his voice sending chills down her spine. She gasped softly as his hand ventured inside her coat to pull her tighter against him with one hand on her waist. She shot a nervous glance at the driver but he was either ignoring them or oblivious to their love play. She hoped it was the latter and yet she couldn’t help closing her eyes and softly moaning in utter bliss as Ryo nuzzled her cheek with his nose and lips. “Yours?” he whispered back as he pressed a kiss below her ear. His hand scooped up her far leg and draped it over his thigh. “Hannah,” she breathlessly replied. She couldn’t breathe right or even see clearly. She could only feel his hands, smell his cologne and hear his deep, smooth voice. In only ten seconds, he had stolen all thought from her head. He was like a fast-acting drug that the FDA would ban in a heartbeat. “You’re so soft, Hannah,” he breathed into her ear. He dropped his head and put his lips to the side of her neck, his kisses careful and silent. “Touch me,” he said, his whisper barely reaching her ears. Her every exhalation was shaky as she slipped one hand to his chest and the other to his lap. Her fingers marveled at the hardness of his muscles…and the hardness between his thighs. He was as well hung as his height suggested, something she noticed happily now that she could more thoroughly explore him. She heard his soft grunt as she squeezed his length in her hand and his next kiss to her neck was warm and wet. By the same token, his hand smoothly ventured under her skirt…and then stopped dead. He brought his head up to look at her with a bit of surprise. “Garter belt?” His fingers slipped under one of the straps. Hannah could only nod, once again stunned speechless by his breathtakingly gorgeous face. She inhaled as his hand went even farther, going all the way to her bare backside. She watched his mouth fall open. “No panties, either?” he murmured as his hunger became a palpable thing in the air. She almost expected the driver to swerve as the air sizzled from the heat in his eyes. She now knew what she would never forget about tonight—the look in his eyes right at that moment. The look that said he would devour her in a second if he could. His face held the most lustful expression she had ever seen and it was all for her. She could’ve flown right then if she weren’t nailed to her seat by his covetous eyes. 19

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“Hai, touchaku desu,” the driver called back to them, effectively breaking the spell that had ensnared the two lovers in the back, if only temporarily. The cabbie pulled into the semicircle drive of a very posh-looking hotel and because they had only driven for a couple of minutes, Hannah knew that they were still in Roppongi. This had to be one of the area’s lavish hotels meant for wealthy foreign clients who were usually in Tokyo on business trips. It was most certainly not a love hotel. “Why are we here?” she asked. She watched as he pulled a thin, black mobile from his jacket’s inner pocket and waved it over a faintly lighted sensor built into the armrest between the driver’s seat and passenger seat. She recognized it as DoCoMo’s latest model, a company that had once sold only cell phones but had wisely begun to incorporate new features over the years until eventually their phones became allpurpose gadgets. The microchip inside his mobile registered on the sensor, paying the fare and allowing the automatic door to open. She made a mental note to herself to pay him half of the fare later. It wasn’t much in the first place but she always tried to go Dutch with her dates—at least, for the few she had been on. “Isn’t it obvious?” he said as he slanted a sly grin at her. She actually felt her face blush. He easily found her hand in the darkness of the cab and pulled her with him as he exited the taxi. “I can’t afford to pay even half the price of a room here,” she admitted, not shy about saying so since it was an unavoidable truth. She could pay for it but she couldn’t afford it. Even as a full-time translator and interpreter, she didn’t make that much and besides, saving up her excess salary was important to her. She watched the cab drive away and reluctantly followed the pull of Ryo’s hand as they ascended the steps in front of them. The doorman gallantly placed his hand on the touch-pad next to the extravagant glass door, opening it for them. He bowed slightly, welcoming them to the hotel in a very formal Japanese accent. “Who said anything about you paying?” Ryo softly said to her as he held her close to his side with one muscled arm. “I’ve got it covered.” “I can’t make you do that. It’s not fair to you,” she insisted, glancing around at the expansive and softly lit interior of the hotel lobby. A few equally posh-looking couples were wandering around but it was rather empty. “You’re not making me do anything, Hannah. Let me be generous with you,” he answered. She self-consciously pressed a hand to her burning cheeks. They arrived at the front desk and she listened as he mentioned having just called ahead to get a room. The hotel worker nodded. Hannah marveled over the fact that he had done so much in the five minutes she had been separated from him. He was being incredibly thoughtful. He had called ahead to secure a room at a ritzy hotel, had hailed down a taxi and had given the driver directions before she had even arrived outside the club.

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She knew the thoughtfulness was probably just to butter her up but he didn’t have to worry about that. She was a sure thing. The clerk quickly processed their request and handed Ryo two key fobs on stylish little chains that probably cost more than her earrings. He then directed them toward the elevators to the right and they were soon standing alone in an elevator with carpeting expensive enough to pay her monthly rent. The doors had barely closed when Ryo grasped her close, eliciting a surprised gasp. She almost tripped as he spun her into his arms. “Ryo—” she began but his mouth was on hers before she could even fully pronounce his name. His hand immediately went under her skirt and she found herself gripping the shoulders of his coat for dear life as his fingers made contact with the center of her body. She cried out into his mouth as one long finger penetrated her and his own groan answered her. Their mouths broke apart long enough for Ryo to softly call her name. With spread fingers, his hand then lustfully stroked down her spine, over her rear and around her hip to firmly grasp her thigh, which he lifted and hung over his hip. He then plundered her mouth once more, his questing fingers sliding past the back of her thigh and burying themselves within her. She felt her legs begin to shake as the elevator slowed to a stop. “R-Ryo, the doors,” she warned him shyly, breaking their kiss even as she rolled her hips against the two fingers buried inside her. “You’re really wet. I might explode if I have to wait one more minute,” he gruffly confessed. He took his hand away from her skirt, though and the doors opened just as Hannah righted her clothing. An older man stood on the other side wearing a white jacket, probably a businessman going out for the night. He stood aside to let them by and Hannah would have felt more relieved at having barely avoided being caught but she looked to see that Ryo was licking his fingers as if he had just eaten some decadent dessert. Looking back at the businessman, she saw that his eyes were carefully turned away from them and it was as good as being caught in her mind. The embarrassment nearly choked her. Ryo saved her from melting into a puddle right then and there by taking hold of her hand once again and tugging her along as he swiftly walked down the long hallway to room 10107. He suavely waved one of the key fobs in front of the sensor and the little light turned green as the door automatically unlocked. They both went inside and with the sound of the door clicking shut, her heart began beating double time. Ryo put a few things from his pockets onto the table next to the door and then turned to her, blocking her view before her eyes could really get a good look at the giant room—well, “giant” by Japanese standards. “I’ll hop into the shower then,” she suddenly blurted out, inexplicably shy and stalling for time. It was most certainly past the point of no return and though she wanted him all the way to the marrow of her bones, a wave of uncertainty hit her.

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“Not yet, sorry. I can’t wait any longer,” he said, his voice low and husky. He took her purse off her shoulder, placing it next to his mobile, keys and wallet on the table behind him. “I-I, uh,” she stuttered. He unfastened the top button of her coat and then took her coat off her as well, hanging it gently on the coat tree by the door. Hannah almost did a double take at that, having never before seen a coat tree in Japan. “But…but I’m still kind of, uh, sweaty from the club,” she explained, returning to her earlier request. She cried out as he bodily picked her up, his powerful arms holding her easily. The room spun just a bit, a side effect of her dwindling buzz and she hastily grabbed for his shoulders, shocked speechless at his ability to lift her. Truthfully, she was preparing to land hard on her rear when his strength ran out but when she glanced at his expression, he didn’t look winded at all. In fact, he didn’t even look strained. He took her through the hallway to one of two large rooms, the one that held the massive bed with its striped French bedcovers. There were even mints on the pillows. “I don’t mind at all,” he explained, firmly placing her on the bed. “Can we take a shower later?” he asked as he reached around to the back of her head and pulled the chopsticks from her hair. Her eyes widened when he said “we”. She also realized that he was asking to skip the shower formality. It was considered a bit rude in Japan not to bathe first. Ryo watched intently as her hair fell in waves to drape halfway down her back. “Beautiful,” he said, his tone sincere. He put the chopsticks on the nightstand and then came to stand in front of her, obviously wanting her to look. She sat there, still stunned and still feeling shy, as he kicked off his shoes. His jacket was dark blue, definitely velvet, just as she had guessed. Its design was popular this year, long sleeves that flared a bit at the wrists and a tight fit across the back and sides. It had Western-style lapels but the collar stood tall and crisp. His black pants were fashionable too. The white, reflective zipper on the calves of the lower legs could open up for a bigger flared effect and there were empty loops on the knees and hips where one could snap on a stylized rear flap meant as a sort of extra pocket. She had seen that style on many men in the city. Ryo went without the flap and his pants were rather understated without it. He tossed his jacket to the padded bench at the foot of the bed, revealing a bloodred, sleeveless shirt. “Just seeing you there… I must have you now,” he warned her, placing one knee on the corner of the mattress. They were rather low on the bed, not even near the center of it. She sucked in a breath, hastily toeing off her shoes, as he sat on his heels between her knees. His hands stroked the outside of her calves as he leaned down over her, his chest nearly touching hers. “God, you smell good,” he said, breathing deeply as he slowly moved back. She leaned up on her elbows and watched as he slowly slid her skirt up her thighs, revealing the start of her garter straps. “I probably smell like smoke,” she said, a bit confused.

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“I hate the smell of those new cigarettes. You smoke good, old-fashioned ones. I can smell your perfume too…something like fruit,” he said, his eyes feasting upon her legs as he so very slowly inched her skirt farther up her thighs. “Aren’t you going to lecture me about smoking the old cigarettes?” she said, her voice soft as she watched him looking at her. Her heart was about to choke her. Only one other man had ever glanced at that part of her—last year’s jerk. “Later,” he whispered, his breathing becoming faster and heavier. “All I want right now is to be inside you.” His vivid words stole the breath from her lungs. Finally, he pushed her skirt all the way up, exposing the most private part of her to his eyes. She felt her heart stop and for a painful couple of seconds, he was silent, his mouth ajar. Then, suddenly, he was grabbing at his belt as if it were a bomb about to go off. Her heart began again, going triple time as she watched him rip the belt from its loops. He got up on his knees, pulled a foiled-wrapped contraceptive from his pocket and then pushed his pants and briefs down his thighs. She gasped, amazed at how perfect he was…all of him. His erection pointed straight at her, bobbing in time to his erratic heartbeat and he hurriedly pulled the condom down over his impressive length. Then he was on her and her head met the mattress so fast that she was dazed for a second. His hand was gentle as he separated the folds of her sex, nudging the head of his cock into place. He then pressed his thumb against her clit, his eyes piercing as he held her gaze. “Here I come,” he said with a deep, rough voice. He smoothly pressed forward, the pressure of his hips firm but he was slow to sheathe himself fully inside her, careful to spread her gently. She moaned loudly, her back stiffened and she wrapped her arm around his back as her other hand gripped his shoulder. He was the perfect fit—thick, long and hot. She felt her abdomen clench up, her head swimming. He pulled back, his thumb stroking her heavily and then he sank down to the hilt again. She couldn’t help it when her eyes closed and her head pushed back into the bed. He pressed his face to the bend of her neck and shoulder, hoarsely groaning as if he were in pain. “Ryo,” she breathlessly cried. He immediately worked up to a fast rhythm, rubbing her clitoris relentlessly with his gentle fingers. She couldn’t believe how hard he was, how desperate he had been to be on her, inside her… It was all so incredibly carnal. “Sugei…Hannah,” he gasped into her ear. The sound of his loins thrusting against hers was loud in the stillness of the room. Not even the well-crafted bed made much noise. Every thrust forced a noise from her throat and she was fast becoming faint with the overload of sensations. She felt her lower body start to spasm involuntarily as it sought to match his rhythm, to meet every push and pull of his hips.

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“Harder,” he coaxed her, taking his hand away from between her thighs. He let her catch up to his tempo until she matched his every stroke. Sexy noises of approval rumbled out from deep within his throat. “It feels amazing,” she said loudly, her arms now wrapped around his torso. He had both hands on the bed now, fisted in the bedspread. His thrusts rocked her back even as his weight pressed her down into the mattress and only her feet gave her any leverage to meet his pumping hips. It was coming—fast. She hadn’t even come close the last time she had been in this situation. But with Ryo… He was so gorgeous. He smelled good, felt good and moved just right. “I’m—coming!” she gasped out as she turned her head to the side. Her back arched and remained propped up. “Ha-hayai,” he said in surprise, bringing his head up. That was fast, he had said. “Kao wo misete…” He then seemed to remember that she supposedly didn’t speak Japanese and said, “Show me your face.” Turning her face back to Ryo, she looked into those dark and sultry eyes of his while she fell apart in his arms. She was embarrassed but she wanted this so badly. She wanted to look into his eyes as he pushed her over the edge and into an abyss of pleasure, even as her vision blurred with tears of strain. When the crest of sensations broke over her, she gasped, high and airy. It was powerful. It made her dizzy, made her vision swim and she could almost hear the tingles of climax pop and sizzle as they flowed outward from the apex of her thighs. The urge to close her eyes was strong but she kept them open, watching through slit eyelids as Ryo became lost in his own pleasure. His eyebrows pinched together and his jaw tightened hard enough to make the muscles at his jaw joint pop. He groaned through his clenched teeth as if he were dying. It was the most erotic experience yet in her life. His hips were pressed tightly between her thighs, jerking and bucking into her as he reached orgasm. Then, he finally loosened up. Her deepest muscles still fluttered over the hard length buried inside her but her back slowly relaxed as her hips settled on the mattress again. She let her eyes close and the man above her held her close as he panted for air against her shoulder. It had been intensely satisfying and the smile on her face was that of a cat with a bellyful of cream. She almost laughed as she realized how close to the truth that thought was. Mind in the gutter lately? She couldn’t wait until their second round. For now, though, she lazily rubbed circles against his back, enjoying the lingering hum throughout her body and the smooth, warm skin under her fingers. “I’m such a jerk,” he said into her shoulder. Her smile faltered slightly but only because she was confused. She thought the world of him at that moment. He had done nothing but earn her unending gratitude. 24

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“Why’s that?” she asked him, turning her head a little. “We didn’t shower first and I barely gave you any foreplay. Man, we didn’t even take off our clothes,” he lamented, his smooth voice sending chills over her. She was still marveling at his English skills. “We had plenty of foreplay at the club,” she said to reassure him before adding, “and in the cab and in the elevator.” She felt his smile against her neck. “I don’t think I would have been any more ready, Ryo, and what we just did was the hottest sex of my life.” She didn’t tell him that it was only her second time but she supposed that all her solo time definitely counted too. He had been a million times better than anything battery-operated. He lifted his head then and she bit back the gasp that rose to the back of her mouth. Just as every time before, seeing his face floored her. His exotic eyes were a bit larger than what some Japanese people had, a coveted feature and the coal-colored irises of his beautifully shaped, long-lashed eyes held a deep glow to them. His face was actually almost pretty but with the kind of expression he had now, there was absolutely no chance you’d ever think he was a woman. He was looking at her as if he were a starving man looking at a steak dinner…with potatoes. He leaned down, his eyelids sinking as he drew close and she followed suit, closing her eyes as he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was incredibly sweet, even tender. That is, until he slipped his tongue between her lips. She felt the limb still inside her jerk and made a noise of surprise as it began to stiffen. He was half-hard when he pulled out. She regarded him with her mouth wide open in complete and utter awe. That’s positively inhuman…and glorious. “How about that shower?” he suggested, a smile curling one side of his mouth. She nodded with a blush. He sat up, his hands caressing her legs lovingly as he pulled away from her. She sat up as well and smoothed her skirt down. “I’ll be back out in a second,” he said before turning and walking quickly to the bathroom. “Stay right there,” he called to her once he had disappeared inside. She realized that he was cleaning himself and gave him his privacy, standing up slowly. She heard the shower turn on and wondered with a thrill if he was actually entirely nude now. The thought made her knees go weak and she almost collapsed onto the bed again. Then she realized that she would have to get entirely nude…in front of him. This thought did put her back on the bed. She gracelessly flopped to the bed, her knees weak and wobbly, and self-consciously ran her hands over her body, not really thinking anything. It was more like a state of panic. Any man she had ever interacted with had put her into one category. Friend. None of them was unkind or cold but she could always see that look in their eyes and the way they held back. She honestly didn’t know if it was her fault or not, perhaps some vibe she unconsciously gave off but after being in the dating pool for ten years with only 25

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insane creeps or drunken jerks ever showing interest, she was left to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Due to all her over-analysis, she now was extremely shy about showing herself to anyone. It had taken last year’s one-night stand almost twenty minutes to coax her out of her shirt and he hadn’t been nearly as stunning as the man now in the bathroom. Why in the world was this man with her? It made her feel like she was a teenager trying to buy liquor at the convenience store. She wouldn’t be surprised if police officers burst into the room, arrested her and replaced her with a much more beautiful American woman. Deciding that she first needed to calm down, she looked around the spacious hotel room. The interior decorator had done wonders with it. The walls were expertly painted a gorgeous cream color with tasteful swirls of white. The molding along the corners between the walls and ceiling was also white, boasting hidden lights that softly outlined the dimensions of the room. The walls were decorated by a few medium-sized paintings of well done but bland still life, such as lilies and wheat fields, their images encased in gilded frames. The bed’s headboard was a solid, smooth piece of stained oak and the matching nightstands looked heavy and expensive, their weight sinking into the lush, tan carpet. A large wardrobe sat opposite the bed, probably containing a vid unit, and a desk sat next to it, both made of the same oak as the bed and nightstands. The desk’s chair was very eighteenth century and she suddenly found herself thinking of her ratty kneeling chair in her apartment. Next to the desk was the bathroom, its door ajar. A shadow moved from behind the crack in the door and her heart shot to her throat. When the door opened, she swore that she went blind for a split second, too overwhelmed for her eyes to accept the image in front of her. Ryo was the be-all and end-all of male beauty and she wanted to rip her clothes off just looking at him. A towel was slung around his hips, his fist holding it shut in front of him but the sight of his wide, muscular chest made her mouth water. The skin on his face matched the rest of him, all smooth and pale. He didn’t even have any moles or freckles. The twin creases that ran over both of his hips, bracketing his impressive abdominal muscles before disappearing beneath the towel, almost made her groan. He walked to her from the bathroom door, looking even better in motion and when he reached his hand out to her, she began panting in earnest. “Come to the shower with me,” he purred, smiling with some sort of secret knowledge. She cynically thought to herself that he probably was amused over his effect on her and very aware of how handsome he was. She slid her hand into his grip and he pulled her to her feet. As he led her across the room to the open door of the bathroom, she wondered to herself why a man this dropdead gorgeous wasn’t married or at least already taken by some supermodel. His left ring finger was bare but marriage rings weren’t always used in Japan. She was tempted to ask, hoping for an answer along the lines of “I like tall women,” but she

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feared that he actually was married. Being someone’s one-night affair rather than a onenight stand was not a fact she ever wanted to learn. Her stocking-covered feet immediately noticed the heated tiles on the bathroom floor as she entered the smaller room. Ryo released her hand and took a few seconds to secure the towel around his waist, giving her a chance to stare at the dent underneath the terrycloth. She wondered how many more condoms he had. When his hands reached for the hem of her shirt and began to pull it up, she visibly tensed, her shoulders squeezing together as her elbows mashed into her sides. She looked at the floor in embarrassment, wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. “Hannah? Are you all right?” he asked, taking another step closer to her. He bent his head to catch her gaze but she turned her face away, not wanting him to see the anxiety in her eyes. “I-I’m sorry. I’m shy about…myself,” she tried to explain. “I don’t see why,” he responded, his smile obvious in his voice. “My heart pounds from just looking at you.” She closed her eyes then, unbearably moved. “If it helps to know, I thought you would think I’m too skinny,” he admitted, his fingers petting the naked skin of her abdomen from underneath her shirt. “W-what? But you’re perfect,” she said incredulously, her eyes opening to look at him. His bright, clear eyes looked at her with kindness and his model’s face held satisfaction from her compliment. Her heart punched the lung next to it, for she was blown away by him. “Girls like muscular guys, right?” She couldn’t help but watch his lips move—those lips that perfectly pronounced her native language. “I prefer someone who can scratch his own back,” she joked, earning a bark of laughter from him. His smile made her melt! “Well, I prefer long-legged women with soft skin and exotic eyes just like yours. To me, you are perfect,” he sincerely complimented her, his hands caressing her waist in long strokes. She blinked at him, her expression pensive, as she slowly raised her arms. He leaned in, lightly kissing the tip of her nose and surprising her. She closed her eyes as her shirt was pulled from her body and then lowered her arms in the cooler air of the bathroom. Opening her eyes again, suddenly dying to see his face, she felt an immense wave of relief at the lustful gaze he stroked all over her skin. Her black, lacy bra was all that covered her breasts but even it left little to the imagination for there was more see-through gauze than lace. His hands greedily reached for her, expertly unhooking the double clasp against her back and then sliding under the cups as though they had been itching all night to do just that. She gasped, pressing her lips together and bracing her hands upon his biceps, enjoying the warm shudders spilling down her body. “You’re beautiful and soft,” he said in a low voice, stepping even closer. Her bra fell to the floor with one sweep of his hand. She could feel his erection against her stomach,

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poking her through its terrycloth shield. Ryo then slid one arm behind her, bending her back over his forearm and leaning down to take her nipple into his mouth. She cried out, her head falling back and her hands tightly clasping his shoulders. “Like silk.” His voice was rough and muffled against her chest. He licked the soft areolas as if they were covered with whipped cream, as if he were savoring her. His lips molded around the peak of her breast again and pulled hard, at once both draining all the strength from her legs and sending stinging tingles of pleasure straight to the tops of her thighs. “Ryo,” she moaned, her voice strained since her neck was bent back. His free hand fumbled for the clasp at the top of her skirt’s zipper, popping it free and then whipping the zipper down with a loud, impatient sound. His mouth moved to her other breast, eliciting another satisfied sigh as he latched on to her. The waist of her skirt was suddenly loose and a gentle tug of his fingers sent it to the floor, leaving her standing in the bathroom with only her stockings and garter belt. Something heavy but soft also hit the floor, pooling over the tops of her feet. His towel had fallen off. She was able to stand upright again as Ryo stepped back to look at what he’d revealed. His mouth slowly opened as sexual heat once again entered his eyes. “You’re a fantasy come to life,” he declared roughly. Hannah found herself wanting to say the same thing. The erection standing proudly between them was massive and she wondered how he had fitted inside her last time. His sinewy, corded thighs had her drooling too. He could put those muscles to very good use, she already knew. His hungry, grasping hands touched her then, touched every part of her that was sensitive. Her skin flushed with arousal and she eagerly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her mouth begged for a kiss as her eyes slid shut. Her lover did not disappoint. He snatched her close, his arms tight as he slid his tongue between her lips. The steam of the shower was starting to build up, billowing around them and coating their skin with an added layer of moisture. His fingers were busy as they unsnapped the six clasps in the back of her garter belt and she gasped against his mouth as it suddenly fell away, dragging her stockings just past her knees with its weight. She wiggled and rubbed her calves together to get them off and when she was finally entirely nude, her lover clamped her close and lifted her, carrying her to the open shower door. Oh yeah, she wanted this. Having Ryo’s wet skin against her, his hands rubbing soap all over her… By the time they were both clean, Hannah was ready to beg him to take her. Always prepared, he had a condom waiting on an empty soap dish against the wall and took her standing up, her cheek and hands pressed to the cold tiles. He held her close, his large hands molding her breasts. The warm skin of his chest was pressed tight to her back and he panted with effort as he pumped his hips against her rear. All the while, he whispered

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wicked things into her ear that ratcheted her excitement higher and higher, only speaking loudly enough to overcome the sound of the water. She came again, moaning in the highly acoustic bathroom and her moans only encouraged Ryo, who thrust harder and faster at the sound of her orgasm. He leaned up, his hands on her hips and pounded his cock in and out of her until with a shout, he came as well, his scratchy, deep sighs matching every languid thrust as he finished. Hannah was grateful for the shelves inside the shower stall, for her grip on them was the only thing that kept her standing.

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Chapter Three Wrapped in a terrycloth robe, Hannah lay back on the extremely comfortable kingsized bed, her hair mostly dry after a quick moment in the drying sink. She even brushed her teeth. Normally, after so much exercise and a warm shower, she would be ready to curl around a pillow and say goodnight. However, she had something to keep her awake. Ryo crawled onto the bed next to her, wrapped in his own terrycloth robe and she smiled at him like a cat as she rolled to her side, closer to him. “You look happy,” he smilingly noted in his baritone voice. Her smile broadened, for if she could have, she would have purred for him right then. Instead, she draped one arm and one leg over him and leaned in for another kiss. He did not disappoint. A minute later, she pulled away, licking her lips and settling back on the striped bed cover. “It’s been a very good night,” she finally answered. Ryo flashed that incredible smile at her, his hand stroking her side. “Would you like something to eat? Room service here is excellent,” he offered. Hannah felt a little stab in her gut and her smile faltered just slightly. His grin fell away the second he noticed. “What’s wrong?” What’s wrong? Do you come here often enough to be able to recommend the room service? She shook her head despite the cynical thoughts swimming around her brain, making an effort to look nonchalant. “Nothing. Room service sounds good.” On second thought… “It’s not insanely expensive, is it?” Ryo gave her a look then and for a few seconds, she thought he had seen through her effort. Then a tight-lipped smile lifted his mouth. “I’m starving, so a couple of extra things on the order won’t make a difference,” he reassured her. Nodding, she sat up with him and followed him to the tall wardrobe across the room from the foot of the bed. Ryo slid open the upper cover, which rolled back like the roll-top desks of the nineteenth century. Wow, this hotel room has a lot of antiques. Inside sat a large and extremely fancy vid unit. The screen was free of smudges or scratches and the picture was as clear as a window. Brushing the screen with his hand, Ryo popped through a couple of options and called up the room service menu. “Hmm,” he noted with a small frown. “Their menu must have changed since I was last here. The dish I wanted isn’t sold anymore.” Hannah chewed on the inside of her lip, wishing he would stop mentioning that he took all his one-night stands to the same hotel. “What looks good to you?” Blinking, she browsed the many dishes on hand…and their eye-popping prices. When she didn’t answer for a couple of minutes, Ryo looked askance at her.

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“Would you like to see the English menu?” His tone was very careful and Hannah looked back at him, giving him a sly smile. “Nihongo ga dekiru yo. Mondai nai,” she answered. I can speak Japanese. It’s no problem. The look of shock on his face was almost as memorable as the hot glance he had given her in the taxi. She couldn’t help giggling. “Your accent is perfect,” he breathed, completely in awe. “You’re a translator, aren’t you?” He said it like it was already a fact. Nodding, Hannah pointed to a relatively inexpensive salad. She didn’t want to make it look like she was trying to hide her eating habits but having a heavy meal before bed just didn’t appeal. “I’ll take that but without the dressing. I’m not a fan of vinegar.” Ryo added it to the order sans dressing. He continued speaking as he added several other things to the order, one of which was a bottle of champagne expensive enough to pay her rent twice. “So where do you work? Do you work at a translation company or for some international group? Do you do any interpreting?” Hannah’s eyes bulged as she watched the total bill go up. Is this guy made of money? I feel like Cinderella, having her onenight fling at the ball with Prince Charming, the richest man in the kingdom. “U-umm, I work for a regular corporation and translate documents to and from the overseas offices. I sometimes interpret for vid meetings but they don’t have those very often.” Finally, Ryo tapped the order button and then blanked the screen, returning it to its normal black background with a bouncing logo of the hotel’s franchise. “Sexy and smart. I like that,” he grinned as he rolled the cover back down on the wardrobe. Warmed by the compliment, Hannah asked a question of her own. “Can I guess what you do for a living?” Ryo laughed, nodding as he tugged her toward the balcony. Hannah thought for a few seconds, following him onto the glass-enclosed terrace. The sight of the glittering city lights stole her attention, though. The hotel stretched high above the city streets, towering over many of the surrounding buildings even though the nearby structures were skyscrapers in their own right. From their room halfway up on floor one hundred one, she could see Tokyo Tower, the newer version of which stood just a little taller than the hotel. Advertisement marquees and the lights of thousands of offices, apartments and stores twinkled at them like stars. “Wow,” she sighed, placing her hands on the railing. Ryo stood close to her side, one hand over hers. She looked at his large hand covering the back of hers and felt a twinge of pain in her chest. “Model?” she suddenly blurted out. “Huh?” he half-smiled, laughing a little as he turned his head to look at her. “Are you a model?” she asked again. Comprehension dawned on Ryo’s face as he made the accompanying noise. “I mean, you’re just so…completely gorgeous.” She felt her cheeks warm up despite the things they had done in the bed…and in the shower. “Nope,” he answered simply. Stunned, she tried her next guesses.

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“Actor? Singer?” Ryo laughed again. It wasn’t in a mean way, though. She had the feeling she was showering him with flattery, completely missing the mark on his profession. “I did try acting when I was younger. It didn’t work out.” He looked at her expectantly, waiting for another guess. “Well, your English is so good…how about translator? Maybe we’re in the same field.” The slight wiggle of his eyebrows told her she was wrong again. “Translation sometimes comes up at work but it’s not my main job.” “Well, you’ve completely stumped me,” she said, giving up. What else could a smart hunk do? The options were endless. Any other guess that came to mind was insulting, especially “male prostitute” and “con man”. “Do you like your job?” he asked her then. Hannah gave him a look that said hell no. “It pays well enough but I’m saving up for something else. I’m going back to the States when I’ve got enough. I remit most of my salary to my American bank account every month.” His eyebrows shot up. “What is this ‘something else’?” “Guess,” she coyly smiled. He gave her a slow, sexy grin, smoothing his hand up her arm and turning her into his embrace. “Dominatrix?” Shocked laughter burst from her mouth. “Your vocabulary is very impressive,” she complimented, “but no, not a dominatrix.” Ryo grinned at her, pulling her tighter against him. “But you would make an incredible dominatrix.” His hands drifted lower, squeezing her rear end. She began to feel a little dizzy, heat suffusing her cheeks. “Wearing a leather teddy, fishnet stockings, stilettos and a black mask, you’d only need a riding crop to complete the perfect picture.” His voice slowly became lower, huskier. She felt him stir against her stomach. “Are you into that? S&M?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes dropping to his lips. It wasn’t exactly her thing but she could see trying it out. “Maybe once in a while.” His answer almost mirrored her exact thoughts. Oh why do you have to be so out of my league? “You?” “Same here.” She tilted her head up just as he leaned down the short distance between them. His lips brushed over hers as lightly as a feather. A ringing sound echoed inside the room and Ryo heaved a frustrated sigh, obviously disappointed. “Well, you said you were starving,” she pointed out. “Yeah but food is not what I’m hungry for at the moment.” She couldn’t help but smile at him. He’s just insatiable. “How about if I feed you?” she offered. That coaxed out a grin. She wandered back inside and he went to the door to accept the cart of food. Hannah could hear that the bellhop wanted to roll it in but Ryo refused several times. Finally, the door closed and 32

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he emerged from the hallway, tugging the cart with him. The confusion must have shown on her face, for he stopped between the two rooms. “I didn’t want him to see you in only a robe. Call me possessive, I guess. My father is the same way,” he admitted with a shrug. She only looked more confused. What’s there to be possessive about? We’re going our separate ways in the morning. Hannah could only nod and watch as Ryo uncovered some dishes. The champagne he had ordered sat in a bucket of ice. How very traditional. “Let’s eat in here.” He gestured to the other room with his head and she stood up to follow him and the caboose of food trailing him. The champagne turned out to be the best-tasting sparkling wine she had ever tried. The salad was crisp and fresh and feeding Ryo his three-course dinner—although the portions were not large—was downright arousing. He insisted on nibbling on her between courses and his hands were constantly slipping into her robe as she tried to concentrate on getting his food to his mouth. She was incredibly grateful when he finished the final bite and drank down the last gulp of champagne in his glass. Only a minute later, they were on the bed, working off the calories they had just consumed. With her knees touching her shoulders and Ryo’s gorgeous face hovering above her, she was given another screaming orgasm. She had even felt the jerk of his cock inside her as he came a minute later, his open mouth pressed to her cheek as he groaned. By then, it was nearing three in the morning. Shutting off the lights and closing the polarized balcony doors, Ryo slipped into the bed with her, pulling her tight against him. She felt sore between her thighs and the rest of her body ached a little but it had been wonderful. She didn’t think about what might happen in the morning, content enough to fall asleep in his arms, her nose pressed to his chest and her legs tangled with his.

***** Hannah woke with a deep breath. Judging by the dizziness swirling in her head and her itchy eyes, she guessed that she’d only been asleep for a few hours. Opening her heavy eyelids, she took stock of where she was but not much had changed. Ryo still held her loosely in his arms. Carefully turning her head, she looked over her shoulder at the soft glow of the clock plate, a nearly see-through sheet of plastic as thin as a credit card that was permanently affixed to the nightstand. It was six twenty-four. Realizing that she had woken up because her alarm usually went off at six fifteen, she almost groaned aloud. She didn’t want to wake Ryo, though. In fact, it would be best if he didn’t wake until she had already left. No way would she endure the awkward morning-after conversation of, “So you’ll vid me sometime?” Yeah, right. It had been the same last time. She had asked for the guy’s number but he had told her point blank that he was not going to call…ever. He even told her that the name he had given her wasn’t his real one. What a bastard.

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Her memories of last night were too good to be tarnished by such a blow to her selfesteem. She wanted to savor the hours she had spent with Ryo and move on with her life. He was most likely married anyway and if not, he seemed to sleep around a lot. Anyone with those looks, a clever brain and that much cash would either be taken or a lifelong bachelor. However, for one night, he had been all hers. No one would ever take that away. Moving ever so slowly, she slid back. Gently lowering his arm to the mattress as she pulled away from his embrace, she was grateful that the bed was so well made that her movements didn’t disturb him at all. Finally finding the plush carpeting with her bare toes, she slipped out of the bed and warily stood up, anxious that he would suddenly stir and wake to find her standing there. However, he continued breathing in the same even rhythm and she sighed with relief. Tip-toeing to the bathroom where most of her clothes sat folded on the counter, she ducked into the room and slowly closed the door. Flipping on the dim lights above the separate area for the toilet, she used the meager light to dress herself. She realized with a small wince that her panties were still in her purse, which was on the hallway table. Deciding not to worry about it, she went without again. Once everything was in place, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail with a hotel-provided hair band After turning off the lights, she eased open the bathroom door. Ryo still lay just as he had before and she felt her tense shoulders relax to see that she was going to escape unnoticed. After a quick detour to collect her shoes, only a few more steps brought her to the door. She slipped into her coat and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. Leaving the key on the hallway table, lest she be tempted to re-enter the room, she slowly turned the door knob and slipped out. For a second, she hesitated to close the door behind her. Standing there with the door only an inch from latching shut, she debated with herself on why leaving him was so difficult. What harm would it really do to see if he wanted to see her again? If he wasn’t interested, she would at least have no doubts or regrets. Then again, to hear him hesitate and see the awkward grimace on his face… She pulled the door shut. Stepping into her shoes, she walked swiftly to the elevators and hiked her purse higher up on her shoulder. She wiped at the tears escaping her eyes as she imagined waking up alone the next morning to go to work. How nice it had been to sleep in Ryo’s arms, even if it had been just a few hours. Waking up with his exotic cologne around her, his warmth enveloping her—it was a memory she would treasure. She just needed to stop crying about it. The elevator only made her wait a few seconds before it opened. Thankfully, no one was inside. It gave her a minute to compose herself before she entered the lobby in the same clothes she had worn when she had passed through mere hours ago. Stopping by the desk, she paid for half of the room’s fee, not caring anymore how much it had cost.

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Then with her head high, she walked out the entrance and the doorman hailed a taxi for her. As the taxi door automatically shut her in, she couldn’t help but look at the hotel entrance and hope that Ryo would come sprinting out to follow her, dressed only in slacks or even just his robe. He didn’t, though. She knew he was still sleeping. The taxi pulled away then and she determinedly tore her eyes from the building, watching as the driver joined the nearby highway and let the automatic controls take over. The taxi sped up to a hundred miles per hour, speeding her away from the hotel…and the man she desperately wished could have been hers.

***** Ryo slowly grinned as he drifted out of sleep. The flowery smell of clove cigarettes and the tang of citrus perfume still clung to him. He felt his body stir as memories of the woman to whom he’d made love passed through his mind. The second he had caught her staring at him, the tip of her clove glowing red in her hand, his heart had sped up, his undivided attention zoning in on her amazing eyes. Mark, the Japanese-American agent with whom he had gone to the club, hadn’t seemed to mind Ryo’s distraction. They had already passed the information and were just enjoying the drinks and feminine scenery at that point. He had been trying to make his way to her table when her friend joined her. For some reason, he had hesitated to walk up and make her acquaintance in her friend’s presence. He had seen that blonde somewhere before… Keeping his eye on the tall and curvy woman, he had watched with a frown as her friend chose to ignore her in order to pose for another man—though, he had been amused to see that Mark had been the one flirting with the blonde. He then closely followed the dark-haired beauty as she made her way to the dance floor and pounced upon the chance to dance with her. Everything had escalated from there. In only minutes, all he could think about was getting her alone. He wanted her away from the crowd, somewhere private where they could talk, touch and taste each other without worry. Then in the cab to the hotel, his desire for her had shot through the roof and then into the stratosphere when he found her garter belt…and her lack of undergarments. This soft, fragrant, shyly passionate woman had completely captivated him and he hadn’t been satisfied with just one taste of her. Even as he had come inside the gloriously tight grip of her body that first time, he knew he would want her again and again. She had been so unsure and so wonderfully fresh. He had picked up other girls a couple of times before, had taken them to the cheaper love hotels and had his fun but those short, twiggy girls had faked their shy coyness, had flaunted their appeals as if toying with him rather than meeting him honestly with their passions the way Hannah had. Even better was that she was going home to America soon. Wonderful timing.

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Groping for a soft curve, he frowned slightly when all he found was a fistful of the duvet. Cracking an eyelid open, he looked at the clock. Nine thirty-eight. He realized he had only an hour and change to check out and reluctantly sat up, ready to invite Hannah back to his place so that they might spend the day together. Plans began popping up in his mind, things that she might like to do and places she might like to see. Looking around the room, though, he didn’t see her. “Hannah?” he called, clearing his scratchy throat. The bathroom door was halfway open. No light spilled out. Getting to his feet, he rubbed at his eyes and walked to the other room, expecting to see her but their dinner plates from last night were the only things different about the room. His stomach dropped. Now stalking through the hotel room stark naked, he searched for signs of her. He burst into the bathroom, banging his fist against the light sensor. Her clothes were gone. He half-jogged to the door, hoping desperately to see her coat still hanging there. It was gone too. Not even a vid number was written down anywhere he might see it. Incomprehension short-circuited his brain for several minutes. He simply stood in the center of the hotel room, his eyes surveying the room as if it would reveal some sort of clue. Why would she leave without a word? Had he done something wrong? Said something rude? He needed to track her down. No way was she getting away without an explanation. Whatever she wanted that he hadn’t given her, she’d get it. With a strangled curse, he realized that he only knew her first name. He didn’t even know which company she worked for or what neighborhood she lived in. How in hell was he going to find her if he only had her first name? The flashing of a few soothing blue lights on the nightstand caught his eye the second before the hotel phone rang as the sound caught up with the signal. Cursing as he walked to the nightstand, Ryo snatched up the handset. “Hai?” he said into the phone. The hotel clerk answered in Japanese. “Checkout is in approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, sir. Please let me know if you have any questions.” His eyebrows perked up. As a matter of fact, I do. “The other person staying in this room—did she already check out?” “One moment, sir,” the indifferent voice said. A few seconds later, “Yes, sir. She did. Half of the room fee has already been taken care of.” “W-what?” She hadn’t even let him pay? He started to feel impotent and that made him angry. “How did she pay?” The clerk stuttered then, obviously unsure what to say. “It says she paid with a bank card.” “What was the name on the card?” he asked, his hopes rising up to the ceiling. “I-I’m not sure I can give you that information, sir,” the clerk said, flustered.

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“I already know the girl’s name,” he fibbed. “I’m concerned that she took my card.” He normally felt no compunction about lying to others or about others but somehow, he winced as the defamatory slander left his mouth. “R-really? Uh, it says here, Hannah Williams.” Ryo silently punched his fist into the air, burning the name into his memory to do a search on her later. “Is-is this a problem, sir?” “No, no. No problem. Just a mix-up, that’s all. I’ll be down for checkout soon.” “I understand, sir.” The phone then went silent and Ryo tossed it to the bed with slightly less frustration than he had picked it up. He then walked to the hallway table and grabbed his mobile. Muttering a name, he listened as the phone automatically dialed a number. It was more than a dozen rings before a sleepy voice answered. “Yeah?” “Shep, do a search for me,” he barked, cutting to the chase. “What? Sandman, you know I keep late hours. Don’t call so early.” “Damn it, just do it. An American woman, mid-twenties, tall. Name is Hannah Williams. I need her address, workplace and contact information.” “What’s the ever-lovin’ rush? You couldn’t call in another two hours? Wait—where are you calling from? You usually vid me.” “I’m calling from your mother’s house,” Ryo angrily answered. “How long would it take to get that info?” Shep clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’ve got a work queue to finish that can’t wait, so…tomorrow at the earliest.” Ryo made a noise of frustration, coming close to growling. “Says here you’re calling from the White…that’s a hotel, isn’t it?” “Stop tracing my calls and start getting your queue out of the way.” Strangled laughter from the other end made Ryo’s lip curl in anger. “You woke up alone, didn’t you? That’s fucking rich!” Shep crowed. “Shep, if you want to have two working legs tomorrow, you’ll shut your hole right now!” Ryo snarled. “You know, I’m only supposed to do work for you related to your objective. I could get in trouble for this.” “Or you could have me up your ass. Pick one,” he threatened, ending the call. Wiping his hand over his face, he decided he needed a shower and tossed his mobile back onto the hallway table. Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and sliding his wallet back into his pocket. His jaw stiffened as he shrugged into his jacket, which still smelled like cloves. Turning up the collar of his jacket, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Holding both of the keys in his hand, he let the door close behind him and glanced disinterestedly at a pair of cleaning ladies farther down the hall. Pivoting on his heel and walking to the elevator, he happened to glance up and notice the small black semi-circles dotted along the hallway’s ceiling. Cameras. 37

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He made a mental note to himself and pushed the elevator button. It was a couple of minutes before the elevator arrived and, even then, he had to carefully insinuate himself into the small space not occupied by people or luggage. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when a couple of young, giggling idiots in the back of the elevator car loudly whispered about his looks. Ryo knew that he was considered very good-looking in Japan, the land where effeminate males were actually ideal, but he had spent most of his life in America. Compared to his giant of a father, he was shorter and weaker. It had always eaten at him. Grateful when the elevator arrived on the ground floor, he quickly made his way to the front desk and settled his bill, which was much less than he had been planning to spend on Hannah. The same questions beat at his brain as he walked out the front door, frustrating him to no end. He got into the taxi with a frown on his face and muttered his address. He had to wait a day to find her but when he did, he was going to get some answers. He was also going to make sure she understood one thing—he always got what he wanted.

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Chapter Four Hannah tiredly trudged up the stairs from the transit station, barely walking fast enough to avoid being bumped along by the hundreds of other people walking the last leg to their offices during the busy morning commute. Dressed in a gray suit with its well tailored jacket, figure-flattering skirt and matching gray coat, she heaved a deep sigh. She normally loved to wear that outfit to work but it wasn’t cheering her up at all. I hate Mondays. Sunday hadn’t been any better. She had arrived home in a sour mood and immediately gone to bed. Exhaustion alone pulled her under but she was woken a few hours later by a vid from April. Feigning a hangover, she had cut the conversation short but knowing April, her friend would coax the story out of her by lunchtime. At last, she turned a corner and the impressive Yamaguchi Building came into view. One of eleven “super-structures” built in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Yamaguchi Building was a massive, monolithic skyscraper that dwarfed the historical Empire State Building. It held nearly fifty regular sit-down restaurants, over a hundred stores selling clothing, accessories, music, movies and anything else a person might want and even a five-hundred-room hotel on the upper floors. Her company, Nippon Tobacco, owned forty percent of the building. Her offices were located smack dab in the middle on floor one hundred fifty-two. The CEO’s offices were far above on floor two hundred ninety-six. She spent most of her day as part of the English-Japanese translation team working on inter-office communications, creating English content for the company’s web presence and occasionally translating press releases. The same words and buzz phrases appeared over and over again, though, making her job seem quite tedious sometimes. Straightening her spine and making an effort to pick up the pace, she approached the southeast entrance of the building, determined to make it another work day like all the ones that had passed before.

***** Ryo strode down the sidewalk with about a thousand other people, only looking high enough to avoid bumping into people. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his black slacks, his shoulders hunched under a black jacket with white cuffs. He had spent most of yesterday brooding alone in his apartment, unable to keep his mind off his surprising morning. He even called Shep again that evening to pester him more, asking how much longer his queue was going to take and adding the request to get camera footage outside room 10107.

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Shep still hadn’t called him and he didn’t even expect to get a call until the lazy sod had woken up around lunchtime. He had been sorely tempted to call Mark, his contact with his real bosses, to see if he had any information on Hannah’s blonde friend but contacting Mark through the usual methods was dangerous. Ryo had risked a lot just calling Shep from his mobile because, unlike Shep, he had no way to hide his digital fingerprints. However, as luck would have it, Mark had called yesterday afternoon from a secure vid unit, looking tousled and disgruntled. “I’m surprised to hear from you so soon. I’m glad you called, though,” Ryo had begun, sitting down on his blood-red couch with a glass of wine in hand. “I assume you had a better night than I did?” Mark bitterly asked. Ryo said nothing in reply, raising his eyebrows as if waiting for the explanation, which inevitably came. “I spent the entire night trying to get April’s mobile or vid number. Biggest tease I’ve ever come across.” “Did you two stay at the club?” “If you mean ‘did I take her to a room’, the answer is no.” Mark rubbed the back of his neck and Ryo finally noticed that his contact hadn’t even changed out of his clothes from the day before, though he had taken off his jacket. “Not for lack of trying, though. God, she was so great. She was smart and gorgeous and our conversation was one of the best I’ve had in a long time.” Ryo felt anger roiling in his gut again, remembering how well he had gotten along with Hannah and how frustrated he was to have lost her. Mark had it worse, though. The man had been stationed in Japan for nearly five years and his assignment didn’t allow for relationships. No doubt his friend had arrived home blue-balled. “Did you find out where she works?” Ryo asked. “I was going to ask you the same thing about the girl you left with because I have no idea where to find April,” Mark answered. Ryo made a pained noise as he closed his eyes. Well, that’s out. “I’m guessing we’re in the same boat now.” Nodding in answer, Ryo took a big gulp of wine. “She’s got my number at least. I hope she uses it.” “We’re a couple of pathetic losers, aren’t we?” Slowly swirling the red wine in the bottom of his glass, he stared at the sloshing liquid in abject dejection. “The biggest,” Mark agreed. “I better get washed up. I’ll contact you again next week.” The vid-call cut out and Ryo swallowed the last of his red wine. His only comfort was knowing that Shep was working on finding Hannah. In the meantime, though, he still had to show up at work and perform his usual duties. On cue, the Yamaguchi Building entered his vision. He had worked as part of security at Nippon Tobacco for only about six months but already he was well trusted. It wasn’t quite enough to complete his mission but he would soon have the access he needed. The security office where he checked in was on the ground floor but most of his duties involved the CEO offices on the topmost floors. 40

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Thousands of people were walking to one of the building’s eight entrances from their nearest transit station and even more were filtering into the super-structure from the transit station underneath the building itself. The eight entrances on the ground floor allowed access to the eighty elevators that passed its occupants to their respective floors. Each entrance’s elevators stopped at a certain range of floors, meaning everyone entering one entrance was headed to the same thirty-seven floors. Only the set of elevators in the center of the building had access to all two hundred and ninety-six floors. Four more entrances at floor fifteen, which held a casino, connected to the elevated concourse surrounding the north face of the building, which boasted even more cafes, stores and restaurants as it slowly sloped up to the Yamaguchi Building from the ground. A mall and a large supermarket took up the space beneath the concourse. Ryo sighed as he came closer to the southwest entrance, getting out his badge to flash it at the security office. However, a glimpse of blonde hair immediately caught his gaze and he looked with utter shock at the same blonde woman who had been with Hannah two nights ago. She was cutting through the wave of people heading to the southwest entrance and hurrying in the direction of the south entrance. Abruptly changing directions, he left the river of commuters to follow the blonde, who was still a good twenty yards from him and doing a much better job of zigzagging through stragglers than he was. He winced as a disgruntled-looking office worker made no attempt to avoid him and rammed his shoulder into Ryo’s chest. Looking ahead, he tried to locate the blonde and thought for a second he had lost her. When his eyes found her again, she was even farther away, dodging through the stream of people going into the south entrance and continuing to the southeast one. A few seconds later, she disappeared from sight. Stopping and not caring who was annoyed to have to walk around him, he uttered a vile curse under his breath. No wonder I had seen that blonde before. Angry that he had lost her, he turned and headed back to the southwest entrance, his mood even darker than before. Does this mean Hannah works in this building? He had never seen anyone like Hannah—he would have surely hit on her—but then again, the Yamaguchi Building held five major companies, hundreds of smaller businesses and employed thousands of people. It was very possible that he had simply never run across Hannah before. He had been hoping at least to discover which entrance the blonde had been headed for, which would narrow down the location of her office but he had lost track of her, a fact that made him curse aloud. The elderly businessman next to him looked askance him with no small amount of apprehension. Bobbing his head in silent apology to reassure the man, he released a deep breath and tried to shake off his frustrations. After all, Shep would call that day and Ryo would finally know enough about Hannah to track her down. He only had to wait a few more hours.

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***** Hannah watched her cup of coffee fill up in the break room without really seeing it. Her mind’s eye replayed for the thousandth time the look on Ryo’s face in the taxi when he had discovered the absence of her underwear. It then skipped ahead to one of the many times he had smiled at her, his eyes full of what still seemed like genuine interest and affection. A generous dose of cream and a small amount of sugar fell into the cup of coffee, followed by a slender glass stirrer gently placed into the cup by the machine’s robotic arm. “Kohi wo otanoshimi-kudasai,” the automatic coffee maker happily announced. Please enjoy the coffee. Blinking as she was brought out of her reverie, she carefully took the cup of coffee from the machine and stirred the mixture a little before setting it down on the counter, deciding to wait a few minutes for it to cool. “Goodness! I thought I’d never get away from Keiichi!” April announced as she entered the break room. Hannah jumped and turned around, taking in April’s newest outfit—a very dark red jacket and skirt, black blouse and black hosiery with flattering floral patterns tracing her calves. “Do you like?” she lightly giggled, striking a comical pose. Hannah couldn’t help her smile. “It’s lovely on you,” she acknowledged. “Did you know that our stupid boss was here the entire weekend? He always leaves on the last transit every night and is here before we are every morning, so I wonder how long it’s been since his own wife has seen him.” April put her dainty fists on her hips, looking put out. Keiichi had no doubt hit on her as well as assigned her some boring work to do. “Well, you know the Japanese. Many of them very literally ‘live to work’ rather than the other way around. Their home lives are secondary to their jobs,” Hannah commented, picking up her coffee and attempting to take a sip. She winced as the scalding liquid kissed the tip of her tongue and put the cup back on the counter as April answered. “And that’s just the saddest thing ever. It would be one thing if Keiichi was ambitious and hoping to advance his career at NT but he has nowhere higher to go and has told me rather plainly that he has never considered work elsewhere.” Hannah shrugged noncommittally at that, unsure of what April wanted her to say. “I just can’t wrap my head around it some days,” her friend sighed. April’s frown was quickly replaced by a smile, though, as she sidled closer. “Oh, no…” Hannah moaned, knowing what April was up to. “Why so shy to share a little, huh?” her friend teased. “Was it not that good?” Her smile turned to a frown again. “No, no, it was… He and I— We had… He was the violinist and I was the violin,” she said, attempting to put into words how it had been. April smiled and heaved a romantic sigh, not teasing at all this time.

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“I’m so glad it was nice.” She had her hands clasped to her heart, looking like she wanted to swoon. Hannah swallowed the raw feelings trying to rise up her throat. Change the topic, change the topic. “That Mark guy you were with looked pretty stellar himself. He didn’t…take you home or anything?” she asked. “Well, he did ask…many times,” her friend confided. “To tell you the truth, I really wanted to go home with him.” Hannah’s eyebrows went up. There’s a first. “Something felt so secretive about him, though. It made me nervous.” A little confused, she nodded at April’s explanation. “Don’t you dare change the topic on me, though. What’s the guy’s name?” April fished. “Ryo,” Hannah answered in defeat. “Just Ryo? What’s his last name?” This time, Hannah winced at the question. “I…didn’t ask for his last name.” April’s mouth puckered up into a small ‘o’ as the moment turned awkward. “Um, so you didn’t get his vid number?” she quietly asked. Hannah began to feel angry, wanting to remind April just who had suggested that she one-night stand the guy. “Come on, April. The man was rich enough to afford a room at the White and didn’t care who he was spending it on. He had obviously taken a lot of girls there before. He was single and gorgeous enough to be a demigod. A girl like me would have to be conceited and stupid to think that he’d want something more than a fuck.” Hannah pinched the ridge of her nose then, feeling a headache coming on, and turned to get her coffee. She needed the caffeine. April’s eyebrows were high on her forehead and she nervously bit her bottom lip. “What happened Sunday morning?” Hannah let out a slow breath, having inhaled half her coffee. She barely suppressed a wince as the hot liquid burned her throat on its way down. “I snuck out,” she answered, quick and short as she suppressed the urge to cough. She could tell by April’s fidgety gestures that she was upsetting her friend with her bad temper and made an effort to calm down. “I was a coward, okay? Let’s just drop it for now. I’m just going to treat it as a mistake—a good one but a mistake nonetheless. Jumping into bed with someone too soon is… Well, I understand now why you…” Hannah trailed off, leaving it at that. She finished her coffee and placed the cup back inside the coffee machine. “I shouldn’t have suggested it,” April apologized, putting her hand on Hannah’s arm. Giving her a small, tight-lipped smile, Hannah patted her friend’s hand as her coffee cup began to refill. “I think it would’ve happened no matter what you said. He was…very persuasive.” “I bet,” April nodded. “Mark was pretty persuasive himself.” Hannah took out her fresh cup of coffee and stirred it before letting it cool. When she turned back to April,

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her friend was biting on her lower lip. Suddenly, April blurted out, “And you’re not a coward. After what that…worm did last year, you’re very brave.” “Or chronically stupid,” Hannah joked. “It’s often the same thing,” April joked back. Lightly chuckling, Hannah sipped her java, feeling much better. Suddenly someone burst through the door and Hannah nearly spilled her coffee. Not bothering to hide her annoyance, she looked at their boss, Keiichi Sugihara, as the man showed obvious relief at having found them. Keiichi was shorter than the average—a good deal shorter, standing only five feet, two inches. Though many men spent a few months’ salary on maintaining their head hair with preventative or regrowth treatments, which had much better results than anything first invented a few decades ago, Keiichi seemed to be content to let his hair both recede and turn gray. He was only forty years old, though. He wasn’t particularly handsome but neither was he homely. He was simply…average. “Yokatta…Hannah-san,” he began, launching into rapid Japanese. “Thank goodness, Hannah. I’ve got a big job for you. The CEO is having a vid meeting with the American FDA and Danielle is out sick.” Hannah immediately went cold despite the coffee in her stomach and another cup of it in her hands. She had interpreted only three times before and all for mid-level management. The CEO was infamous for being a very serious, ruthless man, no doubt the reason for Keiichi’s panic that his ten-year veteran just happened to be under the weather. “Why me?” she asked, unable to help the tiny quiver in her voice. April’s hand gripped Hannah’s forearm tightly. “You have a wonderful accent and you look the most…professional,” he finished lamely. April stood straighter as if highly insulted and Hannah knew exactly why he had bypassed her friend. She hated him in that moment. “Please, Hannah!” he begged, slapping his two hands together in front of him and bowing his head down between his arms as if praying to the gods on New Year’s Day. She didn’t need this, not when she was feeling so low and especially not when she was so close to giving her two weeks’ notice. However… “All right,” she agreed. Keiichi beamed at her as if she had just broken open the sky to reveal God’s face but Hannah couldn’t return his sentiments. Keiichi was next in their department’s hierarchy when it came to big assignments like this but like all “good” managers, he simply delegated what he didn’t want to do. After he filled her in on a few details, Keiichi beat a hasty retreat, leaving Hannah and April alone once more in the break room. Hannah downed all of her lukewarm coffee, hoping the caffeine would somehow help. “The man’s got more experience than you and obviously more time if he loves the office so much, yet he refuses to speak English to us and always gives us the hard

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assignments,” April complained, crossing her arms and shooting eye-daggers at the door. Hannah smiled when her friend added a rather crude insult under her breath. “That’s because his English is actually poor. He hasn’t been trying to keep it up and his standardized score has been falling,” Hannah revealed. April gasped and turned around to look at her. “How do you know that?” “I happened to see a couple of letters sitting out on his desk one time when I walked over to leave a finished translation. His ELPT score from August was two hundred and fifty points lower than the company’s required score.” The English Language Proficiency Test, created by the Educational Testing Service was notoriously difficult, but even so, getting a high score was tantamount to getting a good bilingual job. “That little bastard,” April breathed. Hannah shrugged. “Well now you know why he’s here all weekend. He can’t finish his work as quickly since he’s struggling and is scared to leave the company because no other company would hire someone with his ELPT score. Getting his score back up while taking a break from work would eat at his savings since he supports a wife and two kids. He’s too busy to study on his own. NT is only holding on to him because they simply don’t want to train a new manager and they would never put a foreigner in his spot, so hiring in-house is out.” April looked just a little repentant for complaining about him but then said quite flippantly, “He dug his own grave then.” “I’d hate to agree but…you’re right.”

***** Ryo waited outside elevator 6-H, his mind distracted as he waited for word from Shep. He had become convinced that morning that Hannah worked in the same building as he did but on some other floor. Knowing she was close made him extraordinarily irritable. The longer the time stretched out between the moment he had realized she was gone and the present, his anger only intensified. He wanted answers now. The small light above the elevator lit up and a ding announced the elevator’s arrival. It was currently a little more than an hour before lunch and Shep usually didn’t wake up until noon. Ryo had no idea how long a background check took, though. Deciding to call the lazy hacker over his lunch hour, he stepped into the elevator with two other businessmen discussing some minor accounting issues. The elevator rose four floors and the men got out, leaving him alone to travel the last five floors to the CEO’s offices. He had been selected to serve as “intimidating eye candy” for the CEO’s eleven o’clock vid meeting, though Ryo’s boss had never mentioned what the meeting was for. Though the CEO had vid meetings quite often,

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there were times when he preferred to put muscle in the backdrop to intimidate the other party. Ryo had been the lucky guy sent up—lucky because it meant he was being seriously considered for the CEO’s personal contingent of bodyguards. Finally stepping off the elevator, he looked around the opulent space, resisting the urge to whistle. Though tasteful, absolutely everything in the lobby, from the miniature garden getting direct sunlight through the special skylights in the ceiling, to the reception desk, to the shaded glass separating the lobby from meeting rooms of various sizes, was pretty much the most expensive and best you could buy. A couple of empty meeting rooms were situated opposite the elevators on the other side of the garden and the receptionist’s desk sat to the far left of the garden. From the reception desk, two hallways led farther away, one of them short and leading to yet another set of meeting rooms. The other disappeared around a bend. One last hallway led to the right. Realizing that he was turning into a cosmonaut, Ryo shook his head and began to walk toward the reception desk but his pocket suddenly began vibrating. With his heart happily crawling up his throat, he hastily backed away from anyone’s earshot, though only the receptionist sat in the lobby, busily working behind her desk. Pulling his mobile out and covering his mouth so that no cameras could read his lips, he answered the phone, “Shep?” “Yeah, Ryo,” the man chuckled, as if something was funny. “Spit it out. I don’t have much time.” “Oh, you’re going to love this.” “She also works in the Yamaguchi Building, right?” Ryo guessed. “Even better—she also works for NT.” Ryo’s eyes widened. “Their translation team has a small group of offices on floor one hundred fifty-two. Small world, huh?” Ryo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, real small. Like I said, not much time here, Shep—” Ryo hinted none too subtly. “Right, right. She lives ten minutes away by transit. I’m sending her address and mobile information to you now and attached is about a minute’s worth of footage from when your gorgeous little—” “Watch it, Shep,” Ryo warned. His hacker hastily cleared his throat. “Footage from when your…lady left the hotel room around six forty-five Sunday morning.” The mobile buzzed again in his hand, acknowledging the receipt of a message. “Great work, Shep. I owe you one,” Ryo said before cutting off the call. Just as he was about to watch the footage Shep had sent, the elevator doors opened again, depositing several suits into the lobby who were no doubt there to attend the meeting. Ryo reluctantly put his mobile back in his pocket and followed the suits to the reception desk.

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He would watch the footage later, right before he dragged Hannah from her desk and demanded an explanation. “Yes, Mr. Fujiwara. You’re expected to stand at the wall behind Mr. Oda’s left shoulder. Good luck,” the receptionist robotically instructed him in polite Japanese, not even looking at him. He bowed anyway and made his way down the short hallway behind the receptionist desk to a room aptly titled Digital Conference Room. Two other security guards stood on either side and nodded at him. Knocking and then waiting for a second, he opened the door and bowed deeply, keeping his eyes on the gorgeous gray carpet. “Acchi da yo,” someone said impatiently. Over there. Standing up straight again, he meant to move to where he was directed but the sight of another shocked face nailed his feet right where they were. Hannah.

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Chapter Five The woman he had been searching for was standing on the other side of the conference table, her hair styled beautifully and her steely eyes set off by her gray outfit, which happened to match the carpeting quite well. In one hand, she held a leatherbound digital portfolio tightly to her chest while her other hand held an elegant touchpen, which was poised over the portfolio. A small device hugged the shell of her ear, no doubt for her to use during interpreting. He watched her cheeks flush. His hands flexed as the urge to stroke that warm skin prickled his fingertips. Words rose to his lips—not angry questions but pleas for an explanation, a second chance. Why? One of the suits passed in front of him and the spell was suddenly broken. Hannah blinked a few times at him and then grimaced slightly as she looked down at her portfolio, continuing to write. Ryo realized the slip-up he had made and cast his eyes around the room but all the suits were getting seated and hurriedly arranging their notes. The large, comfortablelooking chair at one end of the table was currently empty, still awaiting the arrival of the CEO. The other end of the table was empty but a huge vid set was built into the wall beyond, its screen currently displaying NT’s company logo. Glancing at the other security guard stationed behind the CEO’s chair, Ryo noticed a fellow employee he had spoken to only a couple of times before. Thankfully, he remembered the man’s name. Making an effort not to look at Hannah again, though he sorely wished to, he walked to the other security guard, who stuck out his hand for a handshake. Remembering to look just a little surprised, he grasped the man’s hand and bowed at the same time. “It’s been a while, Maeda,” he greeted in his most formal Japanese. His co-worker was about as tall as him but the man had obviously spent most of his off-work time at the gym. His neck was the same width as his head and his grip was very tight. His neat buzz-cut and impeccably straight uniform demonstrated his thorough, serious nature and the caramel tan of his skin made him look healthy instead of weathered. Maeda made a sort of grunting noise before answering, “A while, right? I’m glad to see you. How have you been?” “I’ve been good. You?” “Lousy,” he answered. Ryo was genuinely surprised this time. Most Japanese people said they were fine when asked, even if their mother had just died and they had contracted some incurable disease. “Do you know her?” Blinking at him, Ryo tried to pretend that he didn’t know what Maeda was talking about. His co-worker nodded in Hannah’s direction, though. “The tall one. I saw you two looking at each other. Half the 48

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security guys who have done shifts in the surveillance room talk about…you know, about her…or about her cocktease of a friend.” Ryo tried to show no reaction despite the possessiveness rearing its angry head and managed to show only mild surprise. “I’ve seen her before but no, never met her,” he lied, shrugging casually. Maeda lifted one quizzical brow. “Well, I’d like to…know her more.” He let the innuendo play out, trying to cover up his earlier gaff. Maeda nodded, his eyes briefly glancing at Hannah. “I can certainly understand. Do you know your role for this meeting?” “I assume I stand right there and look menacing,” he said as he pointed to the spot where he had been directed to stand. The corner of Maeda’s mouth twitched. “That’s right. Just think about things that make you angry while Daddy is talking to the Americans.” It was Ryo’s turn to smile. The door opened then, admitting a short, gray-haired man with a very stern look on his face. The two bodyguards who had been in the hall came inside with him. Ryo took his place and everyone in the room stood up, all trying their best to smile at the man who controlled all of their jobs. Mr. Junichiro Oda, CEO of the company that went from fifth in the industry to first in only two years, was in his fifties. He had a full head of hair, though it had receded a little. He wore a dark blue suit and a disappointed frown, despite his company’s success. Evidently, he wasn’t looking forward to the meeting. Chancing a glance at Hannah while the CEO was stepping in front of his chair, he watched her nervous expression as she bowed along with the rest of the suits present. The other two bodyguards took up their stations—one next to the door and one ten feet behind Hannah. “Aa, dewa…kono kaigi wo hajimemasu,” Oda’s deep voice mumbled. Well then, let’s start the meeting. The rest of the attendants bowed again, repeating a common Japanese phrase to ask for everyone’s cooperation. Everyone except Hannah then took a seat. The CEO pointed at her and gestured for her to come closer. She nodded and stood behind the man to Oda’s immediate left. Ryo frowned. She’s not some servant you can snap your fingers at. At last, someone stood up at the opposite end of the table, a small remote in hand. He pressed one of its buttons and the screen faded to black as a series of clicks sounded through the speakers built into the table. Hannah pressed the earpiece closer to her head, tightening its hold on her ear. Finally, the logo for the FDA appeared on the screen. Ryo’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

***** Hannah pretended to fiddle with the earpiece as her heart threatened to choke her. For the hundredth time in only five minutes, she asked herself, what is Ryo doing here? The mystery of his job was certainly solved but was some higher power using her as his

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personal comedic relief that day? She had been nervous enough as it was, interpreting for the CEO, especially when scientific and legal words were bound to show up but Ryo’s presence made it difficult to breathe. She had brought along her digital portfolio and had called up two programs, one was just a list of hastily written words that might be used. The other was a dictionary in case vocabulary she didn’t know emerged. Her sweaty palms made it difficult to grip her pen, though, not to mention the trembling in her fingers making it difficult to even write legibly. Pretend he’s not there. Pretend he’s not there. “Good morning, Mr. Oda,” a middle-aged man with glasses said. Hannah’s eyes shot to the screen as she translated. It’s already begun? “My name is Daniel Moore and I am currently reviewing the application made by Nippon Tobacco to approve its product, Blues, for sale in the United States.” Scribbling down a couple of words, she took a second to put everything in the right order and translated, grateful when the CEO didn’t even look at her. “I’m surprised that the FDA won the US Supreme Court case to require FDA approval, Mr. Moore. The Supreme Court denied the FDA that right over fifty years ago,” Oda answered, cutting straight to the chase. “Well, the Supreme Court recognizes that Blues is a much different product from conventional tobacco, one that needs to be properly tested before approving its sale.” The CEO gestured at the man to his right, who nervously set some papers in front of the CEO. Hannah took a calming breath as the CEO took his time glancing at the papers. “Blues are now being sold in nearly one hundred other countries, including China, most of Europe, India and the entire continent of South America,” Oda finally said. “Yes but frankly speaking, America’s standards reflect a higher degree of paranoia than other countries. While we have not seen immediate side effects in any of our trials, there is great concern that unanticipated long-term effects will emerge,” the FDA official replied. Hannah nervously tapped a few buttons on her dictionary to look up a word as she translated the first half of Moore’s statement. Grateful that it was a word she knew how to use, she finished the translation. Oda gestured to the man sitting in front of Hannah, who slid another portfolio in front of the sour-faced CEO. Unable to help herself, she glanced over at Ryo while Oda looked at this new set of documents. To her utter surprise, he winked at her. “Our extensive tests have shown that Blues have none of the harmful side effects of conventional cigarettes. China and India also did their own studies based on the product samples we sent them and found no problems with the lungs, brain or cardiovascular system, though the typical dependency of the body on nicotine was present,” Oda pointed out as he looked up at the screen. Hannah successfully, though somewhat slowly, translated based on more scribbled words on her portfolio. “Let me ask you a question then, Mr. Oda,” Moore said, taking off his glasses and setting down the papers he had been holding. “For how long did you conduct studies on the health effects of Blues before selling them to the Japanese public?”

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Oda frowned deeply, as if the FDA official had overstepped his bounds. “I assure you, Mr. Moore, that we did thorough studies of our product.” Moore slowly nodded, replacing his glasses and making a note on his papers. “Well, I have no more questions for you, Mr. Oda. Thank you very much for your time today,” Moore finally said. Oda bowed at the screen but said nothing. Finally, the FDA logo reappeared before the screen went black again. Hannah suppressed the urge to wipe her hand across her forehead. Thank God the CEO talks slowly. Mr. Oda stood up immediately after the video faded out and nodded at Hannah. Taken aback, she bowed at him, not sure what to say. By the time she stood up again, he was already passing through the door. His three bodyguards followed him and Ryo trailed after the last—and biggest—one. His glance touched upon her before he turned away. The rest of the CEO’s personnel were talking quietly and gathering up their papers. Her stomach roiled as she came down from her adrenaline high. Deciding to wait a few moments and then find the nearest bathroom to wash her face, she placed the portfolio pen back in its compartment and turned off the device. The technician then came around to get the earpiece from her. When nearly everyone had vacated the room, she followed, grateful that lunch would come around soon so that she could tell April all about her ten minutes of terror. She walked down the hall back to the lobby, glancing around to see if Ryo had hung back but was thankful to see he hadn’t. How awkward that would’ve been. She asked the receptionist where the nearest bathroom was and was directed down the hall that went past the elevators. “As far as I know, I’m the only one who uses it, so you might need to turn on the lights,” she said. Breathing a sigh of relief as she left the company of the other employees and caught sight of the bathroom door, Hannah pushed it open and walked in. “Lights,” she called in Japanese, which successfully illuminated the lavishly decorated bathroom. Three stalls lined one side while sinks and a mirror lined the other side. The counter was made of black marble, in which three red enamel-over-cast-iron sinks were set. The mirror was one long, solid piece, set into the wall rather than mounted on it and secured by stylized clamps. Next to the mirror was the drying sink, a virtually silent hot-air blower. Carefully setting her portfolio on the marble counter, she sidestepped to the next sink and first washed her hands before dabbing her face with the blissfully cold water. Sighing as her stomach settled, she looked at herself in the mirror for a moment, watching a drop of water fall from her chin and studying the blush on her cheeks. As she then walked to the drying sink, she took deep breaths, trying not to think about Ryo or how gorgeous he had looked in his security guard uniform. Withdrawing her hands once a few seconds later and pulling a small, thin handkerchief from the

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pocket of her jacket, she turned back to the mirror and dabbed her face. Trying not to think about the wink Ryo had sent her way or about his last glance before he left the room, she tucked the handkerchief back into her pocket. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, though. Did he know that I work at NT? No, no…he looked too surprised to believe that. She also wondered if his reaction to seeing her meant that she had been right in leaving him that morning. After all, he hadn’t seemed upset at all. The sound of the door opening was loud in that small, empty bathroom and Hannah jerked with surprise. Looking at the reflection of the door in the mirror, she gasped and whirled around. The door swung shut behind Ryo, who withdrew a small white card from his pocket. Without turning away from her, he waved his security card over the sensor near the door jamb, which turned from green to red. He locked the door.

***** Parting at the elevator from Maeda and the other two bodyguards, who were escorting the CEO back to his offices on the top-most floor, Ryo glanced behind him to see if Hannah had followed but only a couple of the suits had left the meeting room. Taking a few steps down the hallway branching the opposite way from the meeting room, he could wait no longer and pulled out his mobile. Popping the rolling display out to get a bigger screen, he then tapped a couple of keys and crisp but silent footage of the hallway outside the hotel room began to play. For a few seconds, the footage showed no activity but when one door opened, Ryo brought his mobile closer to his face. Hannah carefully stepped into the hallway, holding her shoes in one hand and her purse on her shoulder. With her other hand, she began to carefully pull the door shut, her shoulders hunched as though she was afraid of making a sound. He watched as she then hesitated to completely close the door, hesitation that lasted a long thirty seconds. A couple of times, the door opened a little more, as if she were going to head back inside. What’s she thinking? Is she making sure she didn’t forget anything? At last, she closed the door with the finality of someone making a firm decision and placed one hand against the wall to brace herself as she put on her shoes. When she began to walk down the hall, the camera view switched to follow her down to the elevator. Ryo’s chest tightened as he watched her black-and-white image wipe at her eyes— not just once but almost a dozen times. Relief smoothed her expression when the elevator arrived and then suddenly, the footage cut out. He didn’t quite understand but something at least was clear. She hadn’t been glad to leave him. Far from it. His mind went over their hours together two nights ago, trying to pick up on some nuance in her voice or expression that he had missed before.

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He remembered once when he saw her smile falter but had chalked it up to her worrying about the price of room service. Just then, more suits entered the lobby and Ryo backed away just a little more, hiding from their line of sight as they walked to the elevator. A quick peek around the corner found Hannah, looking a little pale as she spoke to the receptionist. Time to get some answers. Overhearing her question, Ryo waited until Hannah began to walk away before emerging from his hiding place. Walking slowly and casually, he followed her through the wide lobby and down the hall. A few steps away from the door of the women’s restroom, he slid his mobile back into his pocket and made to push open the door but then he hesitated. It wouldn’t be very smart to invade her privacy, especially if she was feeling sick. Yet, he felt that he was righteous in his anger over her sneaking out. Unable to help himself, he pushed the door open. Hannah noticed him almost immediately. Gasping and wheeling around, she squeezed back against the black marble counter, her hands gripping the edge. Letting the door close behind him, he made a snap decision, his body telling him what it wanted to do. Knowing that bathrooms did not have security cameras, he locked the door with his keycard. When her eyes widened, he wondered if she had guessed what he planned.

***** “I-I’m… What are you doing in here?” Hannah asked, carefully sidling over to where her portfolio lay. Was he hoping to get some midday nooky? What had she gotten herself into by sleeping with him? She was not the kind of girl to be some guy’s fuck buddy…even if the thought sorely tempted her. “Hannah Williams, what are the odds,” he drawled, slowly walking forward. Her stomach cramped with renewed anxiety. “I never told you my last name.” “You also didn’t tell me you planned to sneak out of our hotel room yesterday morning.” He was too close and she sidled farther down the counter away from him, dragging her portfolio with her, which accidentally fell into the middle sink. He smiled at her, as if she were amusing. “Just wanted to save us some embarrassment. What’s wrong with that?” she asked, trying to excuse what she herself had called cowardly. She groped blindly for her portfolio in the sink behind her. “What embarrassment? I’ve already seen everything,” he pointed out. When she would have moved away again, he suddenly pinned her to the counter with his body, trapping her there between his arms as he slammed his palms on the marble. She flinched and leaned back as far as possible, realizing with no small amount of terror that she really didn’t know this man at all. Her heart thundered inside her

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chest. Her skin suffused with the heat of raw emotions boiling up inside. Her breathing became shallow as she tried vainly to calm down. Nervously licking her lips, she couldn’t hold eye contact with him and looked at his chest instead. “Well, I-I think it’s obvious that-that…well, you know—” “No, I don’t know. You’ll have to explain it to me.” Hannah released a deep breath, wanting to cry. She could feel her eyes start to swim with hot tears. Having to suffer through the awkward morning-after conversation on top of explaining the why of it to him was mortifying. Why me? “You’re gorgeous and I’m not,” she began, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. “You visit that hotel with other girls often enough to recommend the room service and know when the menu has changed. You’re rich enough to afford it in the first place and may very well be married, anyway—” “Hannah—” he said but she interrupted. “It’s obvious what would’ve happened yesterday morning. We would wake up—” “Wait just—” “Get dressed and you would have avoided the subject of seeing me again, hoping that I’d leave without asking—” “Damn it, listen to me!” he whispered harshly. She fell silent, pressing her lips together. He was quiet for a few seconds but then sighed, bringing his hands up to wipe away the tears still clinging to her cheeks. “I think I’m starting to understand your…quirk.” He cupped her face in his hands, tilting her gaze up at him. Hannah didn’t want to know how red-rimmed her eyes were or how splotchy her skin had become. She only hoped her nose wasn’t running as she sniffed for the tenth time. Of course, as her luck would have it, Ryo was as drop-dead gorgeous as ever. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t suppress her rising hopes. “I’ve only been to that hotel three times. The first time was when I stayed there as a teenager with my parents. The second time was when my apartment’s water heater broke. I get paid well but would only spend that much on someone I really like. My name is Ryo Fujiwara and I’m single. My vid number is 060-5555-2368 and I’d love to see you again. As soon as possible,” he said, saying the last with a smile. “Does that sound good to you?” She couldn’t process his words for a long few seconds, convinced that she must have misheard something. This patient and clever sex god really wanted her? No, it’s not possible. “S-say again?” she finally stuttered, sucking in a breath of cologne-tinged air as he fitted his hips against hers more directly. His eyes looked down at her mouth. His lips lifted in an adorable grin, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled. She stiffened with surprise when he slid one arm around her waist and settled his hand in the small of her back, pulling her tighter against him.

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“It wasn’t a one-night stand to me, Hannah Williams,” he finally said. “The next time I fall asleep with you in my arms, I expect you to still be there when I wake up.” Oh God…oh God oh God. “I…I…” Don’t know what to say, she finished internally. Thank you? Sorry? Are you sure? Finally, the right answer popped into her head. “I promise,” she whispered. His grin widened and she smiled back, feeling much lighter than she had felt that morning. His eyes stared fixedly at her mouth, his grin slowly falling as something else rose to the occasion. Her eyes flicked down to where they were tightly pressed together. “Ryo, we’re in a bathroom,” she breathlessly reminded him. He didn’t acknowledge that he had heard her, though. Abruptly leaning forward but then just as abruptly stopping, he hesitated only an inch from her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off his mouth, remembering all too well how good his lips had felt when she was kissing him in that lavish hotel room. Finally leaning back again, he ground his teeth, looking frustrated by something. “I’m sorry to ask but…do you take contras?” he eventually asked. “What—you want to do it in here?” she asked, her mind skipping ahead. It was certainly kinky and as the receptionist said, it was a rarely used bathroom but lunch was coming soon, meaning the receptionist might take a break and it just felt…wrong. “Yes, I definitely want to do it here. Right now.” She pulled in a deep breath as his hand ventured beneath her jacket, rubbing her back. “So do you take them?” His hips began moving restlessly against her. Push, release, push… “U-um, I take the biannual contra. Last one was…um, four months ago.” His hands began undressing her at that, popping the buttons on her jacket free of their holes. Push, release, push… “I’m clean. No STDs, not even a cold,” he assured her. His hand successfully pulled her jacket away from her, revealing her black blouse. He then began pulling at the buttons of her blouse. Push, release… “Me too. Clean.” She couldn’t believe they were really going to do it in a bathroom. It was a lovely, clean bathroom but it was an office bathroom—with the receptionist down the hall. Ryo didn’t bother with the last few buttons, only unbuttoning her blouse far enough to push it off her shoulders and let the rest of it stay as it was, tucked into her skirt. Finally, he leaned forward and kissed her. His tongue delved deep, his grasping hands and eager lips massaging desperately as his lust no doubt spun out of control. It was raunchy and wanton, exactly what she had wanted. She softly moaned, trying to hold it in and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hands unsnapped the back of her bra and then hungrily swooped to her front, sliding under the loose cups and palming her breasts. She moaned a little louder, her thighs twitching as the sweet pinches to her nipples pulled at something low in her body. One arm at a time, she slipped her bra off and tossed it toward her portfolio.

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When Ryo came up for air, he whispered to her as he gripped the back of her thighs. “Hold on to me.” She tightened her hold on his shoulders, turned on even more when he lifted her with his powerful arms and set her on the counter, though he had to sidestep to avoid the sink. She gasped when his hands shoved under her skirt but then he kissed her again, his fingers locating the waistband of her panties and pulling them down. She rocked from side to side on her hips, still parrying his tongue and was soon wearing her panties on one ankle. He was overwhelming—his hands undressing her, his lips kissing her, his fingers rubbing across her skin every spare second. The way he leaned into her and pulled her against him. The sound of his breathing, the scent of his cologne and the taste of his wet lips. She loved it. She heard his pants hit the floor a second before he tugged her to the very edge of the counter. “God, I need to be inside you,” he gasped as he brought his mouth away and stepped closer. Hannah looked down between them, watching with heaving breaths as he pumped his fist a few times over his erection. Then his arms hooked under her knees, pulling her legs up and opening her to him. Hastily tightening her hold on his neck, she couldn’t help the low, needy groan that escaped her throat. “Point me home,” he murmured butting the head of his cock against her. Unable to take her eyes away from his heavy-lidded gaze, she found his erection and aimed it where she wanted him most. He eagerly pushed his hips forward and missed his first try, the long length of him sliding up the seam of her sex. Making a small, desperate noise, Hannah aimed him again, gasping loudly when the head of his cock pushed inside. “Ryo,” she moaned, wrapping both arms tightly around his shoulders again as he firmly penetrated her. She pinched her lower lip between her teeth, softly moaning with every inch he gained. She felt his hands get a tighter grip on her thighs right before his hips bucked forward, bringing his pelvis flush against her. Groaning low, she fisted her hands in his jacket. He began to move.

***** Ryo never remembered being any harder in his life. Perhaps it was the place, perhaps it was the position or perhaps it was both. C’mon, don’t fucking kid yourself, Sandman. He knew it was because of Hannah. She was shy but impulsive, balking at the idea of sex in the bathroom and yet now, moaning encouragement as he rammed his cock into her. She made the sexiest little noises every time he pulled her into his thrust and bottomed out inside her. “More, more,” she groaned. Ryo gritted his teeth and clamped down on his rising orgasm, already pushed to the very edge by her breathless voice. Please not yet…

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“Feels good, huh?” he asked, leaning down just a little to press his mouth to hers. She answered affirmatively in a high, staccato moan that made his loins tighten. No, not yet! He pumped his hips faster and tried to take his mind off of the moment, just long enough to bring her first. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling, willing his body to slow down even as his speed increased. “Oh, God!” she cried shakily, grasping his jacket even tighter. “Yes, yes!” He could no longer take it and had to pull out, dangerously close to losing it. Looking down at Hannah, who was opening her passion-glazed eyes to look at him in confusion, he gently set her feet on the floor again. “Is something wrong?” she asked, licking her lips and tilting her head back as she pulled on his shoulders. “No, just needed to…slow down,” he awkwardly explained. Simply nodding, she tugged his shoulders again and he obliged her silent request, leaning forward to press his lips to hers. She tasted like coffee. He pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth. Without even thinking, his hands went to her bare breasts again, massaging the soft mounds and enjoying the hard nipples jabbing his palms. Hannah laid her hand over one of his, following his fingers as he stroked and pinched the tips of her breasts. Her other hand splayed through the hair on the back of his head, her fingers stroking the nape of his neck and sending shivers down his spine. Then of her own volition, she broke away from him and turned around. Leaning forward on one hand and perfectly displaying her breasts in the mirror’s reflection, she lifted her skirt with her other hand, inviting him to continue where they had left off. He nearly came right then. Drawn to her like a dying man to an oasis, he gripped her luscious hips and slowly leaned over her, nudging her stance farther apart and shuffling closer. Supporting his weight on one hand next to hers, he couldn’t resist touching her breasts again, his eyes watching the reflection of his hand on her skin. Then, very slowly, he slid his hand down her body, smiling when he felt her shiver and slid his fingers between the wet folds of her sex. He breathed her name, kissing the exposed skin on her back as he explored her warm, damp center. His cock, swollen and waiting only inches away, jerked with every surprised gasp he coaxed out of her. “Ryo, I want you inside me…please,” she mewled impatiently, her backside undulating against him. “Bring your hand down,” he said. Watching her chew her lower lip in the mirror, he waited until she had found his hand. “Stay open for me.” With another kiss to her shoulder, he leaned up and grasped his cock, rubbing the sensitive head against her and notching it in the entrance to her body. With a firm push, he slid home. Hannah gasped, her tight inner muscles bearing down on him. He clenched his teeth and gripped her hips again.

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“Do it hard,” she breathlessly said, her eyes closed as her cheeks flushed bright pink. God, Hannah…never be embarrassed to ask me that. Without preamble, he pulled out and then shoved back inside, pulling her hips into his thrust. Unable to help himself, he watched her face in the mirror, nearly groaning himself to watch and hear a surprised cry burst from her lips. Tightening his hands on her, he rammed into her over and over again, fascinated by the bounce of her breasts and the frantic but stunning expressions on her face. He didn’t notice the seconds ticking by as his gaze caressed every beautiful line on her body. “C-coming,” she cried out, her voice shaking with every hard thrust. “I’m coming! A-a-ah!” He couldn’t take his eyes away, didn’t even want to while the pleasure washed over her. Her delicate eyebrows turned up and her full lips pulled apart as a shaky, almost shocked sigh spilled out. Damn…she is gorgeous. His orgasm ambushed him, tackling him from behind. Scalding heat rushed to his loins, up the shaft of his cock and into her. He couldn’t cry out or even breathe, his vision blurring for a second as his eyelids slid shut. His body knew what to do, though, bucking into her and prolonging the dizzying pleasure as long as possible. He heard her sigh something as he slowly softened inside her but her words didn’t register. It was official. She was the best sex of his life.

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Chapter Six Keiichi Sugihara half-walked, half-jogged down the hall, holding a large stack of plastic folders in one arm and eating a ham and cheese sandwich with his other hand. He really wanted to get home before seven that night and eat some of his wife’s curry, so he was working over the lunch break, already planning to give the red-tagged folders to his best translators and save the white-tagged ones for himself—they were easier. His life had been nothing but work, stress and then more work lately. For a long time, he had been giving the challenging projects to others, preferring to have an easy day at work but all too soon, his employees had begun to notice. The day he tried to translate a red-tagged folder, he had been shocked to realize that translating the technical reports was now beyond him. Then, with the release of NT’s new product line, Blues, their workload had doubled. He had hired a couple of new people, fresh foreign college students from a large Japanese university but while all his employees finished their work on time, he had been pulling long hours of unpaid overtime just to keep up. His wife and kids were surprised to see him at home now, as if they had forgotten he existed. Coming to the elevator, he punched the down arrow with his pinkie before taking another large bite of his sandwich. Impatiently watching the elevator take its sweet time getting to him, he gleefully imagined being able to sit down to a big plate of beef curry with a large helping of rice and a tall glass of cold beer. Then he would watch TV with his family, laugh at the variety shows and fall asleep next to his wife that night instead of in a chair at the office. It was with these happy thoughts in mind that he distractedly stepped forward to enter the elevator, which had finally arrived and bumped into someone else coming out of the elevator. “Whoa!” he yelled, falling back into the hallway and spilling everything in his hands. Rolling to his side with a grunt of effort and wincing, he saw the last of his hamand-cheese sandwich all over the floor next to him. He made a sad noise of disappointment. “Stupid moron!” the other man yelled. Sitting up with surprise, Keiichi looked at the man rubbing his head inside the elevator, having evidently hit it against the elevator wall. It was the Chief Technical Officer. Shit… “I-I’m so sorry, Mr. Watanabe! It’s all my fault!” he apologized profusely, not leaving the floor and simply shifting to his hands and knees. After all, this was the man responsible for the research and development of NT’s most profitable product ever. The

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Blues Man himself. Pointing his elbows out and pressing his forehead to the backs of his hands, he apologized again. “Be more careful next time,” Watanabe sighed as he got to his feet. The CTO was a man of average height in his early forties. His hair was graying at the sides but he had obviously used his extra cash to maintain a full head of hair, which was pulled back in a short ponytail. Brushing at the expensive suit he was wearing, he leaned down to pick up a couple plastic folders that he had dropped as well and then stepped over Keiichi, not bothering to look back as he continued down the hall. Keiichi sighed with relief, grateful that he still had a job. The elevator reminded him to get in or get out, so he scrambled to pick up the folders he had dropped and also picked up as much of his sandwich as he could, though he wouldn’t be able to eat any more of it. Frowning forlornly at the waste of a good sandwich, he called out the floor he wanted. Once he arrived at the translation offices, he dumped his half-eaten sandwich into a trash bin for comestibles and wiped his hand on his pants before entering the main office. His own office was at the end of the hall but his twenty-five employees sat in one large room. Several rows of desks, each adorned with the personal items of each occupant took up most of the room. Every desk also had a state-of-the-art PC, newly purchased by the company since their latest quarterly report had shown staggeringly large profits. White boards lined three walls, upon which announcements were scribbled in several colors of ink. In fact, one of his employees was furiously writing a note in big letters using a red marker. Keiichi squinted to read it better—Whoever is leaving toilet paper on the floor in the men’s bathroom needs to be taken outside and sh… Grimacing as he realized he was the perpetrator, he cleared his throat and pretended nothing was wrong. Looking around to see who had the least amount of work, Keiichi began walking among the desks. Whispering and grumbling immediately broke out but he ignored it. No way was he going to miss curry night. His eyes found April at her desk, talking animatedly to her friend, Hannah. He sighed internally, thinking how pretty April looked in red, especially with such pretty blonde hair. His wife never wore anything trendy. It was always aprons and slippers. Both April and Hannah had nothing in their inboxes, though, so he happily walked by and placed three folders each onto their desks, careful to not give them anything with a white tag. “Eh? Motto? Atashi wo korosou to shiteiru no?” April lamented as she suddenly broke off her conversation. Eh? More? Are you trying to kill me? “Please help me out, April,” he begged in Japanese. Then turning to Hannah, who was eyeing her new workload with disdain, he asked, “How did the vid meeting go?” Surprisingly, Hannah’s cheeks turned pink.

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“It was fine,” she answered. Confused, he let it go. Then moving on, he gave out the last of his red-tagged folders to three other people and then happily walked to his private office with his two white-tagged folders. Just a few more hours and he’d be on the transit home. Beef curry, here I come!

***** “Hannah, you have got to be the best person in the galaxy,” April whispered, though it was more of a squeak. “Bathroom sex? How stellar is that!” she squealed. Hannah shushed her for the fourth time, not wanting everyone to overhear. She had told April the bare minimum of the details, leaving out the part where she had whispered to Ryo that she loved him. No need to bring that up when he hadn’t said anything in response. “April, something is…off about this whole thing—” “Oh stop it! He’s an end-of-the-world event, smart and hot to trot, especially in your pants! Or skirt, rather.” Hannah clenched her jaw to keep from rolling her eyes. “Don’t you find it odd, though, that a man with his looks and a brain that contains at least two languages is working as a bodyguard?” she persisted, raising her shoulders in question. Why wasn’t he scouted to be a model or even one of the short-lived idols that came by the dozens? Why wasn’t he rich and famous by now? She had ignored it at the time—or perhaps it hadn’t sunk in since his erection had been getting fresh with her— but he had paused before saying his name, as if something different almost came out. “Not in the slightest,” April affirmed. “As he said, he gets paid well. A lot of people would love a high-salary job that doesn’t require the stress of working within ten feet of people like our boss.” Hannah made a thoughtful noise. Perhaps Ryo didn’t want fame or a high-pressure job. Then again, wasn’t security difficult? “Then how did he find out my last name? I never told him that.” “You didn’t see him for a few minutes after he left the room, right? Maybe he asked someone,” April suggested, shrugging. “He is part of security. He might’ve just contacted the personnel department and asked them.” Hannah worried her lower lip between her teeth, mulling that over. Perhaps I should just ask him… “I…don’t want to doubt him but…it’s too good to be true and you know me—” “Let me tell you a secret,” her friend butted in, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees. “Your hunk is going to have flaws. Maybe he has a wretched mother or a dirty apartment or a weird fetish…but the point is that you can’t overreact and freak out when you uncover his flaws because everyone has them and it doesn’t mean he couldn’t still be something great.” Hannah blinked and slowly smiled, seeing April in a whole new light. April nodded at her with a knowing look in her eyes as if to say, you know I’m right.

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“And you know what? I’m going to take a line from your code and put myself out there as well. I’m going to call Mark and set up a date,” she declared, slapping her knee. “You have his vid number?” “Of course! He was practically shoving it down my throat…among other things,” her friend giggled. Hannah looked mildly horrified. “Well…it’s good that you’re taking this step,” she said slowly. I guess, she added inside her mind. “We had better get back to work, though. I promised Ryo I’d meet him outside the building by five.” Nodding, April turned to her desk and reached for the first folder in her inbox. Doing the same, Hannah pulled the top folder toward her and flipped it open. The cover letter was a two-page document on plastic. An electronic version of the actual document needing translation was attached on a small memory chip. Browsing the cover letter for a general summary of the document, Hannah then placed the chip into one of ten chip-drives at the base of her computer. She groaned to see that the technical report was ten pages long. Looking back at the cover letter, she sighed with a small amount of relief to see that the deadline wasn’t until Thursday. Pulling the next folder in front of her, she placed the next chip into another drive and looked for the deadline while the document loaded. Clicking her tongue in disappointment, she looked at the four-page document and the deadline— tomorrow. Rolling her head around the swivel of her neck, she took a deep breath and sat up higher in her chair. Time to earn the big bucks.

***** Hannah pressed a soluble pain-tab to her tongue as she stood up to stretch a few hours later. Her eyes hurt almost as much as her head but she had finally finished the translation. She had barely understood her English chemistry class back in high school. Translating Japanese chemistry into English had nearly broken her brain. Next to her, April was leaning on one elbow, her chin in her palm and staring at her computer screen as if in a trance. “Can’t these people write shorter sentences? I can barely make out what the subject is half the time,” her friend groaned before closing her eyes and rubbing the back of her neck. “Why don’t you take a break? A dose of coffee and a walk will clear your head a little,” Hannah suggested as she sat down again. April stood up this time and yawned as she stepped away from her desk. “That’s a good idea. Do you want some too?” “God, yes,” Hannah answered as she ejected the chip from the drive and placed it back in the folder.

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“Okay then. I’ll be back in ten,” April said, waving lazily as she walked toward the door at the end of the room. Hannah called a thank you and then glanced around the room as she set the folder into her outbox. Two Japanese-Spanish translators were talking animatedly about something on their computer screens and the JapaneseGerman translator seemed to be asleep at his desk. The lone Japanese-French translator looked bored as she played a first-person shooter on her computer. The poor woman didn’t have much work most days since the only two foreign French NT offices were in France and South America. Sighing and looking at the clock as she reached for the next folder, she pulled it in front of her and flipped it open. A quarter after four in the afternoon. Only another forty-five minutes until she was to meet her end-of-the-world event. Looking down, she gritted her teeth in frustration to see only a chip and no cover letter. “Damn it. They’re supposed to include a cover letter,” she whispered angrily. Then she noticed that the folder’s red tag was missing. Looking around her desk, she didn’t see it anywhere and even stood up to paw through her things. After looking under the desk as well, she shrugged, guessing that their stellar boss had dropped it somewhere. More often than not, she sent back folders with no cover letters, a sort of passiveaggressive tendency but she was too tired that day to care that much about it. Popping the chip free of its snug little indent in the folder, she inserted it into her chip-drive and watched as a new window popped up on her screen. Her eyebrows dipped down along with a slight frown. There were too many files in the chip for her to know which one she was supposed to translate. Thirty-two in all. “I hate this job sometimes,” she sighed. Browsing the file names, she found one entitled “Cover Letter 11-08” and opened it, thinking that this was the cover letter she was supposed to have found in the folder. After all, today was the eighth of November. Propping her head in her hand, she began to browse the cover letter, skipping through it to find a deadline date. A word popped out at her, though, the character for “die” in Japanese. Going back to the top, she began to read. For the Eyes of Junichiro Oda Only I have disturbing news. The results from our five-year tests are beginning to come back and they are not good. In fact, they are devastating. The results show that the chemical compound attached to the nicotine in Blues meant to release the nicotine as it burns has detrimental side effects once it reaches the brain. Test subjects show symptoms such as seizures, loss of gross and minor motor functions and diminished reaction times. One test subject died from an aneurysm last night. I had warned you of the risks of selling Blues before our long-term tests could prove their safety but instead you chose to release false summaries of nonexistent test reports. Approximately five billion, two hundred and eighty million people smoke Blues regularly. The loss of life, were we to continue selling this product, would be astronomical, unprecedented and morally deplorable.

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No matter if you choose to ignore me or not, Nippon Tobacco will implode due to the repercussions of what we have done. Either it can happen now or in another six months—a year at the most. Oda, I beg you to see reason. This product has only been sold for almost two years. Even the heaviest of smokers, with proper medical treatment, could be spared the same fate as our thirty test subjects if we act quickly. For the sake of morality and posterity, think not of the company’s future but of the lives of all of NT’s customers, victims of what has been done. I urgently need to speak with you and the Board of Directors. Sincerely, Dai Watanabe Chief Technical Officer Nippon Tobacco The CTO’s digital signature also adorned the cover letter, the characters for his name shakily signed as though he were having trouble using his touch-pen. Hannah sat back and then looked around the room in a daze, her vision blurry with tears as shock sucked the warmth from her body. She knew that ten other people in the room smoked Blues, though April thankfully did not. Hannah’s father was a heavy Blues smoker. Even their stupid boss was a Blues smoker. They were all about to get sick. Her first instinct was to call her father all the way on the other side of the planet, wake him up from his warm bed and tell him to throw away all his cigarettes, go straight to the doctor and get a full physical. The next thing to burn through her was anger. Her own company, the first one she had worked for after college, was about to go through the biggest scandal in two centuries. NT had betrayed the trust of billions of people—not just Blues smokers but their families and their own employees. She needed to tell someone who could do something about it. Watanabe was obviously a coward if he was taking the information to Oda rather than to the press or the government. What could she do, though? Who would believe her? What would happen to her once she blew the whistle? She’d save billions of people—that’s what. She’d blow the whistle for them any day, no matter what might happen to her career or name. On the heels of her rage quickly came fear. She wasn’t supposed to have read this file. How Keiichi had come to have it and why he had given it to her could only be guessed, perhaps a mistake on someone’s part but when someone found out that such world-shaking news had been read by some lowly employee, what would happen to her in the meantime? Hannah immediately felt sick at the thought that the company might have her killed. No, there’s no way they’d do that—not when they’re already screwed. Then again, their greed was killing thirty percent of the world’s population.

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“Shit,” she whispered, her eyes flicking around the room with intensifying paranoia. What the flying fuck do I do? I can’t pretend I didn’t see this. Someone will definitely come looking for it. Whispering a few more expletives, she swallowed loudly and breathed deeply through her nostrils, trying to calm down. Her eyes slowly looked up at the ceiling in the far corner of the room where a small black rectangle jutted down. It was the only camera in the room. Reaching into her drawer, she drew out three blank chips and hid them in her hand as she subtly brought her fist out and to the base of her computer. The camera couldn’t see her hand from there and she quickly inserted all three into empty drives. With a couple of taps to the screen, she copied the entire contents of the original chip to the three new ones. Then, popping out one of the copies, she placed it back into the folder and began to write the typical note she attached to a folder with no cover letter. Please re-send with a cover letter. Will not translate your document until proper procedures are followed. HW Setting the folder with its new sticky note into her outbox, she then popped the two copies and the original from their drives and dropped them into her purse. She could only hope that no one would look at the surveillance video once they found the folder and the note. They would hopefully assume she had never looked at the chip. “Oh man, this is going to be so bad,” she whispered, closing her eyes. I need another pain-tab. “Here’s your coffee, hot and ready to wake you up,” April cheerfully said, setting down a mug of steaming java next to Hannah’s elbow. Startled, Hannah gasped and sat up straighter. Thankfully April didn’t notice as she sat down. “Guess who I called while I was in the break room?” she asked in a sing-song voice. Lifting her mug with shaky hands, Hannah blew on her coffee, shrugging as her mind immediately shot off in another direction. I should leave. I’ll go home early today and…Keiichi won’t care as long as I take the last translation job with me. Her eyes flicked to the last red-tagged folder in her inbox. “Are you listening to me?” April said, leaning forward while holding her mug of coffee. “I-I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks flushing as the urge to cry put a knot in her chest. “What were you saying?” “I said that I called Mark. He was surprisingly ecstatic to hear from me. Anyway, we’re going to see each other tonight around five-thirty.” “Oh,” Hannah said with a nod, trying to sound interested. She didn’t want to hurt April’s feelings but her friend’s love life wasn’t really important to her at the moment. “Just so you know, I might not come to work tomorrow,” April whispered, winking. Hannah almost said “good” but held it back, settling for an awkward smile instead. “Um, don’t worry. I’ll cover for you if…if that’s the case.” Letting out a deep breath, she put her coffee mug back on her desk. “Y-you know what? I need to get out of here. I 65

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think…I’m a little…um, u-under the weather.” Hannah avoided eye contact with April but could just imagine the suspicion on her friend’s face. “What do you mean? Are you nauseous? You look much paler than this morning,” she observed, scooting her rolling chair closer to Hannah. Suddenly standing up, Hannah gathered up her purse and tapped her computer screen to tell it to shut down. “Yeah, I’m a little nauseous. I didn’t eat lunch, so maybe if I go get something…” she trailed off, picking up the translation job due on Thursday and sliding it into her purse. “Could you tell…uh, Keiichi that I’ll have this done on time?” She gestured to the folder sticking out of her purse. April slowly nodded, standing up as well. “Sure. I’ll take care of your coffee mug too.” “Thanks,” she said, pulling her purse up to her shoulder and pushing her chair under her desk. “Vid me later, okay?” “Yeah, sure,” her friend said with no small amount of worry in her voice. “I’ll check up on you and tell you how the date went.” “Oh…oh, right. Yeah, good luck,” Hannah said. God, I can’t even concentrate on our conversation! “You’re still going to meet Ryo, right?” April asked. She followed Hannah as she walked to the door, grabbing her coat from a row of hooks on the way. “Ah…um…” Hannah stalled, having not thought of that. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. He’s an NT security guard. “Oh, shit…I mean, r-right,” she stuttered, her mind running a mile a minute. I’ve just seriously breached security by making those copies—hell, by even reading the file in the first place. He wouldn’t turn me in, would he? “Hannah, are you okay? You’re worrying me,” April said, making to put her hand on Hannah’s arm as she shrugged into her coat. Hannah then glanced over her shoulder at the silent camera before turning back to April. No one else in the room was looking at them. “April, leave on time. Go on your date. Vid me tonight. Don’t come to work tomorrow,” she said, talking low and fast. “W-what? What are you talking about?” April said, her eyes going wide. “I have to go,” Hannah said, her urgent need to get out of the building becoming too much to bear any longer. April opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Hannah walked away buttoning her coat and pulling her mobile from her purse’s inner pocket. Ryo was already off work and probably waiting at the coffee shop on the fortysecond floor. She typed out a quick message to say she was on her way and sent it to him. As she arrived at the elevator and pressed the down arrow, she couldn’t help looking over her shoulder every two seconds. “C’mon, c’mon,” she whispered, watching the elevator stop at nearly every floor in her section. Finally, the doors opened and she stepped inside with about fifteen other people, all wearing their winter coats and looking bored or tired. As the elevator

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descended further, Hannah worriedly eyed the camera pointed right at her face and wished that this wasn’t happening, that it was just a dream. Arriving at floor one hundred forty-nine, she stepped out and quickly walked down the hall to the central set of elevators that would take her straight to floor fortytwo. As she walked, her mobile vibrated and she flipped it open to read the new message. I’m already here, waiting for you. See you soon. Closing her mobile and swallowing around the lump of anxiety lodged in her throat, she arrived at the core, a circular hall with fifteen elevators going to any floor in the building. She waited in the shortest line she could find and it was only a moment before the elevator arrived. Someone else called out forty-two first, a popular floor for its cheap restaurants and then her stomach rose to her chest as the elevator rapidly descended, stopping only twice on its way down. When the elevator arrived at floor forty-two, Hannah thought she might throw up—and it wasn’t due to inertia. Half of the passengers got off with her before the doors quickly closed and the elevator moved on. Pressing one hand to her stomach, she left the core and walked down the east hallway. Public floors like this one made up for the low ceilings with wide hallways. Restaurants, food booths, mini-stands and take-out places had open entrances, all the better to let the smell of their food waft out into the sea of customers browsing for their dinners. Colorful signs and lights bathed the maze of hallways in a rainbow of colors and the noise of chefs and waiters calling for customers amazingly carried over the din of patrons milling about. She weaved her way through people loitering in annoying clumps. As she came closer to her destination, Hannah’s mind buzzed as she tried to plan what she should do. Unfortunately, she wasn’t coming up with any solutions. Think, Hannah, think!

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Chapter Seven Do I tell Ryo? I know I have to tell April tonight or she won’t let it go but Ryo…will he help me or… I don’t know if I can trust him. I want to but this is so much bigger than me simply giving him a shot as a boyfriend despite my cynical suspicions. This is the downfall of a major company, the ugly truth of what will be—is—a worldwide health issue. Oh God, what do I do? After she turned a corner, the coffee shop came in sight and so did the tall, blindingly gorgeous man standing in front. People turned to look twice as they went by, especially women. A couple of girls holding tiny cappuccinos giggled at him from a few feet away. The second he found her walking toward him, a smile burst across his face and he waved as he stood up straighter but his smile faltered a scant second later. She came face to face with him. “What’s wrong? You look…scared or something. Did you have a problem at work?” he asked. Hannah somehow found that incredibly funny and began to laugh, though it wasn’t a happy laugh. Have I gone insane? “Um…” he said awkwardly. “I guess you could say I had a problem. At work,” she added, still giggling. “God, I need a drink.” “Not coffee, I’m guessing,” he said, taking her hand. “Do you have to work tonight?” He nodded toward the folder sticking out of her purse. “I doubt it,” she answered, her mood turning sour. She followed him as he led her back toward the core. “Where are we going? There’re plenty of bars on this floor. Do you know another place to drink?” “I think a better idea is to drink some beers at my place. Looks like you need to talk,” he suggested. Hannah dug in her heels. “Wha—” “I-I don’t need to talk about it. Not with you. I-I mean…” Ryo’s eyebrows came down in concern. “Is this about what happened in the bathroom?” he said softly, stepping closer to her. “Did someone find out? Are you in trouble?” That got her attention. The memory of hands clamped onto her hips and the sound of his voice during climax in that acoustic bathroom did wonders to distract her. “No, that’s not it at all.” She tightened her fingers around his hand and continued whispering. “I…I’ve sort of…I don’t think I can talk about it here.” She looked around at all the happy faces of people glad to be off work and out for dinner. “So we’ll go to my place. I promise it’s clean,” he joked, grinning at her over his shoulder as he pulled on her hand to get her walking. She felt her throat tighten as her

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eyes finally noticed once again how wonderful his smile was. He had a great set of lips. I’m thinking of his lips at a time like this? Returning his smile the best that she could, she stood in line with him while they waited for yet another elevator to take them to the ground floor. The only thing that kept her from having a panic attack was his arm around her waist. “Whatever it is, Hannah, I’ll help you fix it,” he whispered to her. “Just calm down.” She nodded at that, taking a deep breath and making an effort to release the tension in her shoulders. Yet she couldn’t help thinking that Ryo couldn’t help her with this one. She walked distractedly just slightly behind him, his grasp on her hand leading her as they walked away from the south entrance of the Yamaguchi Building. Her eyes stared at the concrete passing beneath her feet without seeing it, her mind buzzing with different scenarios, things that might happen, people she might need to speak with. Maybe I should just contact the American Embassy. They’ll be able to advise me on what to do. Then again, it might be better to find the nearest prefectural police office and give them the evidence. Stuck on who she should inform—or rather, who would take her seriously—she hoped that Ryo might have some advice. She was hesitant to tell him, though. After all, company security was his job and she was violating her contract by taking an internal memo out of the building. “We’ll take a taxi,” Ryo said, tugging on her hand and nodding toward the street as they neared it. A long line of available taxis waited along the sidewalk, all of them leading up to a designated taxi loading zone. “How far is it?” she asked, somehow glad that they weren’t taking a transit. She didn’t want to deal with crowds at the moment. “Just six or seven minutes.” He helped her into the taxi as the door automatically opened and then followed her inside. The door shut behind them and Ryo gave his address to the driver, who nodded wordlessly. The taxi then cut into the steady stream of traffic with a lurch, tossing Hannah against Ryo’s chest. She couldn’t help the warm, mushy feelings in her stomach as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her snug against his side. “So can I have a clue as to what happened?” he asked after a couple of minutes had gone by in silence. Hannah turned her head toward him, clutched her purse tighter to her chest and chewed at her lips as she tried to come up with the right words. “I saw something…that I wasn’t supposed to see,” she began, grimacing at him. He cocked his head to the left, a pensive expression on his face. “Do you mean that you looked at it knowing you weren’t supposed to see it?” “No, no, I mean…I thought it was my next translation project. I don’t know how that folder ended up on my desk but it wasn’t supposed to be there.” The confusion on his face remained, so she explained. “The translation requests that come through our department must come with a cover letter in one of the standard company folders. The 69

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not-yet-translated Japanese document is placed onto a standard memory chip, included in the folder’s chip slot.” Ryo nodded, waiting for her to continue. “The folder I picked up today didn’t have a cover letter. I normally don’t accept requests without one. I’m not supposed to, really. I usually just put a sticky note on the folder, asking for a proper re-submission. Today, though…” she trailed off, looking at him beseechingly. Ryo half-smiled at her then, lightly chuckling as he pulled her shoulder in tighter. “Do you think I’m going to get you into trouble for an honest mistake? Hannah, no matter what you saw, I’m not going to rat on you,” he promised, his other hand squeezing her knee. Hannah relaxed immediately, closing her eyes and sighing with relief. Oh, thank God… She gasped softly when his fingers turned her face toward him and a pair of smooth lips pressed insistently against her mouth, pushing her head back against his shoulder. Opening her mouth, she admitted his tongue, which softly dipped inside her mouth as his lips gently nibbled hers. Taking an enormous amount of comfort in his kiss, she curled her fingers into the material of his jacket. Everything will be all right. The driver cleared his throat, though most definitely not because of a sore throat. Ryo pulled his lips away to look up but Hannah was slow to open her eyes or even lift her head from his shoulder. “We’re here,” Ryo announced, his hand squeezing her arm as the taxi pulled to the side again. He waved his mobile over the sensor to pay the fare and the automatic door opened. The driver embarrassedly mumbled a thank you as they piled out. “Wow” was the first thing out of Hannah’s mouth. Of course, all apartment buildings were tall in the metropolitan area and Ryo’s building was no exception but even so, it was a stunning piece of architecture. About seventy-five stories high, the skyscraper looked like it had been sliced in half vertically, the slice ending about halfway down the building. The left and right halves seemed to lean slightly away from the center, like two slices of bread stuck together at the bottom but it was just an optical illusion. The open space between the two slices was encased in glass and crisscrossed with beautifully lit walkways connecting both sides. “Pretty stellar, huh?” Ryo grinned, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the entrance. Still holding his mobile, Ryo waved it at the sensor next to the entrance, which welcomed him home by name. The lobby was broad but empty except for a man passing them to go outside and a bored desk clerk who was watching TV with sleepy eyes. Two sets of elevators sat on either side of the lobby. The right elevator opened immediately when called and they stepped inside. The elevator rose to the tenth floor, automatically reading whatever chip was in Ryo’s mobile. The hallway split off in both directions from the elevator, turning in the same direction a dozen doors down. Well-lit and monitored by security cameras, it was a far cry from her dimly lit, much less secure apartment building. Then again, her rent

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was probably a fourth of Ryo’s. She was starting to see the benefit of spending a little more, though. It certainly must be nice to come home every night. “This way,” Ryo directed, sliding his hand to the small of her back as he guided her down the left hallway. They walked around the corner, past the emergency staircase and a third of the way down the much longer hall leading to the other side of the building. Touching his thumb to a tiny sensor near the handle of apartment 1034, Ryo unlocked and opened the door. Hannah couldn’t help the disbelieving gasp that burst from her throat. Though his belongings were rather Spartan, they were the epitome of good taste. He had chosen all blood-red furniture, with the occasional white throw pillow added for contrast. The carpet was black wool but obviously cleaned often. Nice… “Tell me honestly, did you pick out this furniture or did you hire a decorator?” She carefully set her purse on the end table next to his red leather couch. Ryo walked up behind her, smoothing his hands up her arms, before drawing her coat from her shoulders. “The realtor for this building had a couple dozen furnishing options as a way of upping the rent and making a better commission. I chose the option labeled ‘passionate vampire’.” He hung her coat and his black security jacket on hooks along the wall, which popped out if needed. She half-gasped, half-laughed at his explanation. “You have to be kidding,” she said in amazement. “I honestly wish I were. Other options included ‘pink princess’ and ‘desert soldier’. The realtor was a very odd woman.” Hannah looked at him doubtfully but Ryo put up his hands in surrender, shrugging. “So do you want beer, wine…” “Wine sounds perfect.” Being farther from the office made the discovery she had made seem less real, like it had happened a few years ago to someone else but one glance at her purse on the end table brought it back to the front of her mind. Sitting down on the couch, she stared at her purse and listened to Ryo popping open a wine bottle and pouring it. At last, he returned and handed her one of the glasses. Without preamble, Hannah brought it to her lips and began to gulp down the perfectly chilled red wine, only taking care not to spill it. Once the last drop was washing down her throat, she licked her lips and opened her eyes. Ryo was sitting next to her on the couch, the perfect picture of bemusement on his face. He took her glass and handed her his. Hannah couldn’t help but laugh, which earned a smile from her silent knight. “I’m sorry,” she chuckled. The levity of the moment died quickly, though. “What I read was…a memo from the CTO to Oda.” “You read a letter between Dai Watanabe and Junichiro Oda?” he said, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Hannah nodded, drinking another large gulp of the red wine. Licking her lips as she swallowed, she put together her next thought.

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“I…I have excellent reason to believe that the contents of the cover letter were for a series of reports concerning Blues and that the files on the chip were genuine.” Ryo was very still, his eyes and attention focused on her. At least he’s taking me seriously. “The letter basically stated that NT…lied about its safety testing regarding the long-term effects of smoking Blues—that new and real long-term test results in fact proved that Blues are toxic enough to start killing the heavy smokers within another six to twelve months.” Ryo suddenly let out a deep breath, as if he had been holding it. He took the glass of wine from her hand and finished it. “You’re certain?” he asked, tilting the now empty wineglass toward her. “The cover letter was in Japanese—and I know you’re very good at Japanese but…” Hannah didn’t feel offended at all. She actually had to re-read a couple of sentences a few times to understand everything. She nodded at his question, resisting the urge to look at her purse. “What did you do when you finished reading the memo?” he asked, setting the empty wineglass on the coffee table next to the first one. Hannah took a deep breath. “I…I made copies of it.” She winced. Ryo looked relieved, however. “Was that a good idea?” she asked with rising hope. Or wait, why is he relieved to know that? “And…did you put the original back in the folder? Did you leave the folder there or…is that it?” he asked, indicating her purse with his eyes. “I put a copy back in the folder and my usual ‘please resubmit’ sticky note on the front. Then I put the folder into my outbox. I…I was worried that someone would fire me or…o-or something if they suspected that I had seen it.” Ryo suddenly leaned toward her, gripping her arms and pulling her closer. “Then you have the original? You have the original chip?” “Ryo, you’re scaring me,” she said after nodding to his question. He loosened his hold on her arms and rubbed where he had grabbed her. The tension in his back and shoulders eased as he took a calming breath. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I can explain but first, could I please see the original?” “Umm…” This is way too weird. Despite it all, though, she wanted to trust him. She still had two more copies in case he didn’t return the original to her. Pulling her purse into her lap, she took out the black memory chip—the two copies were dark gray. Handing it to Ryo, who held it very gently, she watched as he stood and walked to a half-open door on the other side of the living room. He pushed open the door and she heard him ask for the lights, which smoothly illuminated the room rather than immediately splashing it with blinding light. Standing up, she followed him into what had to be a sort of study or workspace. Ryo was pulling up the cover letter Hannah had mentioned as she walked in, his tall frame bent over to look at the computer screen. She frowned at the now familiar words on the screen and then glanced at Ryo’s face. His eyes rapidly flicked over the letter, his expression intense and…almost satisfied. 72

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“Ryo, tell me the truth,” she said, watching him closely as he slowly leaned up. “Please,” she added when he didn’t look at her for a few seconds. Finally, when his eyes met hers, she nearly took a step back. The serious determination on his face was like nothing she had ever seen before. It wasn’t the normally gentle, seductive smile or the lustful, heated gaze. His eyes were hard and alert, his mouth a straight, flat line. “My name is not Ryo,” he finally said. “My name is Ryan Sanders—codename Sandman.”

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Chapter Eight Keiichi finished up the last of his translation assignments, attaching a sticky note to the folders so that he would remember to have someone double-check his English the next morning. Looking at the clock, which read five oh eight, he smiled and began straightening his desk, his stomach grumbling for his wife’s delicious beef curry. He had called her a couple of hours ago to say that he would be home by seven, promising that it was true when she doubted him. “She’ll be so surprised to see me at six!” he happily whispered as he powered down his computer. When three large men suddenly entered his office, Keiichi blanched as his smile fell away. The door remained open behind them and they formed a triangle in front of his desk but their bodies were so tall and wide that Keiichi couldn’t even see the door anymore. “A-ah, how can I help you?” he asked, slowly standing up. The largest man in front, who had a buzz cut and the widest chest Keiichi had ever seen took one large step forward. “You are Keiichi Sugihara, correct?” Keiichi reluctantly and hesitantly nodded. “You had a collision with Mr. Watanabe around lunchtime today, correct?” Again, he nodded. “We need to know if you accidentally picked up one of the CTO’s folders by mistake. He is missing one,” the security guard said. “Hah?” Keiichi’s jaw dropped. “I-I don’t think so but I suppose it’s possible.” “Do you have those folders here?” Nervously fidgeting with his tie, Keiichi grimaced as he answered. “Anything without a white tag was given out to my staff…in the room down the hall,” he evaded, vaguely pointing toward the door and trying to place the blame anywhere but on himself. The security guard’s jaw stiffened. “If you would please accompany us, we would like to recover that folder. It contains sensitive information,” the guard ground out, obviously displeased. “Of course,” Keiichi replied, bowing as he scurried out from behind his desk. Carefully skirting the three large men, he slipped into the hallway and walked down to the main office, leading the security guards with tour-guide-like gestures. None of them looked any happier. Entering the office, he was relieved to see only one person left, his JapaneseGerman translator, who was slinging a backpack over one shoulder and holding his coat in another as he left his desk for the day.

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“Ah, otsukaresama desu,” Keiichi waved, trying to keep the smile on his face as he bid the man good night and thanked him for his work that day. Once the man had gone, Keiichi scrambled to the five desks upon which he had left new folders that day. “Do you see it?” the security guard called. Keiichi first checked April’s desk but all the folders in her inbox and outbox were real translations. Moving onto Hannah’s desk, he grabbed for the one in her outbox that was missing its red tag. Reading the note, he sighed in relief and walked back to the trio standing menacingly at the entrance. “I-I think this is it,” Keiichi answered, handing it to the guard. The large man read the note on it as well and then opened it to verify that the contents were all still there. Keiichi was even more relieved when the tension left the security guard’s shoulders. “Do you know if the person who handled this read the memory chip?” Keiichi stuttered for a few seconds, eager to answer this man’s questions however it would please him most and then get the three gladiators out of his office. “Miss Williams always writes the note when there is no physical cover letter. She’s…a little anal that way. She doesn’t bother to look at the files on the chip and just puts the folder back into her outbox. It happens a couple of times a month,” he explained. The guard looked nearly satisfied by his explanation but sighed as if unsure. “Just in case, please follow us. We’ll check the surveillance logs on floor one hundred fifty-five.” He jerked his head toward the elevators and his two silent companions immediately turned to walk ahead. He then clapped his hand down on Keiichi’s shoulder. “I-I’m sure Hannah didn’t look at it. S-she even went home half an hour early, saying she felt sick.” Please, I want to go home to my family! “This’ll only take a few minutes,” the guard assured him, though his tone scared Keiichi like nothing else. Now being escorted to the elevators, he rubbed his stomach as anxiety pulled his innards into a knot of pain. When they arrived at the elevator, one of the other two men turned to the leader. “Maeda, the others are on their way.” Keiichi fretted even more upon hearing that. Pushed firmly into the elevator that arrived, he was then surrounded by the three giants, who allowed the awkward, painful silence to continue. He resisted the urge to wipe a few drops of sweat from his forehead, settling for wringing his hands as the elevator rose three floors to deposit them into one of four separate floors used by security personnel—one floor for every section of the building that NT owned. “This way,” Maeda said, once again pushing Keiichi along with a meaty hand on his shoulder. Not bothering to hide the worry and anxiety on his face, he avoided eye contact with other security guards who passed, feeling as if he was already seen as a criminal. By the time they finally entered a large room full of security monitors, Keiichi was praying that Hannah hadn’t looked at the chip. She and he both would get fired. “Out,” Maeda barked to a couple of young security guards. Both stood up hastily and bowed their way out of the room. “Sugihara, when did you hand the folder to this Hannah Williams?” he asked. Jumping in surprise, Keiichi stuttered his answer.

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“It was twelve thirty or so I think.” Maeda simply looked at one of the other bruisers, who nodded in response and walked to a nearby terminal. His huge, thick fingers jabbed at the screen, making the picture ripple as he called up the appropriate video segment. When the playback began running on the large main screen, Maeda jerked Keiichi forward, closer to the screen. “Which one is Williams?” Maeda asked. Pointing out the dark-haired woman, who was talking to a blonde woman in the chair next to her, Keiichi described her as being tall and heavy. “Shut up, Sugihara. You wouldn’t know a beautiful woman if she slapped you in the face. If you hadn’t noticed, you’re not light yourself.” Keiichi felt like he was shrinking, realizing that his comment had somehow upset Maeda. I know April is beautiful, he thought petulantly. “Here you come,” Maeda said, watching as Keiichi’s image on the screen walked into the room with an armload of folders. Everyone was silent as he handed out the workload and then left the room. A minute later, Hannah reached for the top folder. She quickly discarded it, though, as if saving it for later. She then pulled the next folder out but it was obviously not the folder in question when she picked up the cover letter and began scanning the file on her computer screen. Another minute of footage indicated that she would be working for a while, so the other security guard began to speed up the footage. The door behind them opened then and Keiichi nearly shrieked in surprise. Two more hulking security men walked in. It was when Hannah’s friend stood up that the guard resumed regular play. With bated breath, everyone watched as Hannah placed her completed work into her outbox and then reached for the next folder. “That’s the one,” Maeda commented. Keiichi was sweating as if he were in a sauna. Please oh please… An annoyed look crossed her face the second she looked into the open folder. When she pulled the chip from its folder and inserted it into her computer, Keiichi wanted to run from the room. He flinched as Maeda cursed but the one by the terminal said, “Maybe she didn’t open any of the files. There were supposedly quite a few on there.” A minute later, though, it was obvious that she was reading something. As her face slowly went slack with shock, Maeda began snapping orders to one of the guards who had just walked in. “Find her address.” Her address? They weren’t going over there, were they? It only got worse as the video ran on. Hannah was obviously upset about something and looked around the room for a few seconds as if the world had just fallen apart. Keiichi couldn’t help but wonder what kind of file she would be reading to have such a desolate look on her face. Then the unthinkable happened. Keiichi watched, terrified, as Hannah looked up at the camera and then reached for something in her desk drawer. He couldn’t tell what she had in her hand when she brought it up but it became all too obvious a second later that she was inserting blank chips into the spare chip-drives.

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“Shit, she’s making copies!” Maeda roared. Cringing and taking a step away from the security guard, Keiichi tried to pretend he was invisible. They watched as a minute later April returned with coffee. Hannah didn’t stay still for long, though and quickly gathered up her things. April was spooked by her friend’s behavior and followed her to the door. It seemed that April was asking Hannah about her change in behavior when, with her back to the camera, Hannah said something to April that put fear in the blonde’s eyes. With that, Hannah walked out of view. “Get the blonde’s address as well,” Maeda then said to the other man who had walked in late. The other guard left the room without a word. Keiichi watched Maeda brood, feeling as though he really ought to escape somehow, someway. He just couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Maeda wasn’t looking at him so perhaps he wouldn’t suffer any consequences. After all, how could this be his fault? “The tall one was the interpreter for Daddy’s meeting late this morning,” Maeda said. Keiichi swallowed hard, remembering asking Hannah to fill in for the usual interpreter. Suddenly looking up, Maeda said to the one by the terminal, “Find me the footage from outside the meeting room at eleven thirty-five. I want to check something.” Now confused, Keiichi watched with a bit of interest as the guard stabbed the terminal screen a few more times and began to play a new segment. Maeda himself was on the screen a few seconds into the footage, followed by the other two men also currently in the surveillance room. The CEO himself was in front, leading the way as they all walked to the elevator. A suave-looking guard at the rear bowed at them as the elevator door closed, obviously not coming with them. He then walked out of view, pulling his mobile from his pocket as though checking his messages. Keiichi looked quickly at Maeda and found the large man squinting suspiciously at the screen. Looking back, he saw Hannah emerge a couple of minutes later. She spoke to the receptionist, who pointed down the hallway as if giving directions. Hannah walked out of view as well but without being told, the one by the terminal switched camera views to follow her. She entered a bathroom and Maeda made an annoyed sound. Ah, no camera in there, Keiichi realized. “Sir.” The man at the terminal looked up just as the polished-looking guard entered the camera view, hesitated a moment and then entered the women’s restroom. The camera got a second’s glimpse of Hannah turning around, though only from the waist down, before the door closed. The guard by the terminal made a noise of embarrassment as he began to fast forward through the video. No one came out for twenty minutes. When the door opened again, Hannah walked out first, her hands nervously attempting to smooth out the new wrinkles on her skirt and jacket. The handsome guard closely followed her, a sly grin on his face. Keiichi’s face flamed red hot.

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“What do you think, Maeda?” the third man said, speaking for the first time. Keiichi glanced at the stern-looking man before looking back at Maeda. The other two guards returned just then, nodding at Maeda to indicate they had what he had asked them to get. Keiichi felt sick now. “Well, if Williams isn’t at her apartment, we can look for her at Fujiwara’s place. You two will go find the blonde. If she runs, take care of it.” Keiichi’s heart nearly exploded at that. “Sir, what about Sugihara?” Looking around at the five colossal men, Keiichi began to blubber. “I-I don’t know what Hannah read. I won’t tell anyone about this. I promise. Please let me go home,” he begged, looking at Maeda and not caring that he was starting to cry. Maeda turned unfeeling eyes on him, though. When the giant reached out and suddenly grabbed his head, Keiichi only had time to gasp.

***** The short, cowardly man’s body fell to the floor dead as his neck snapped. Maeda stepped back to check his handiwork. The manager stopped twitching after a few seconds. Definitely dead. “Let’s get rid of him first. Clear the hallway, Yoshida. We don’t need more witnesses. Yamamoto and Tanaka will carry him to the roof.” Yoshida immediately left the room and the other two picked up the heavy body. “Suzuki, meet us on the roof in five minutes…with a note from Sugihara to his family.” “Yes sir,” Suzuki acknowledged before he left the room as well. Maeda then rubbed his eyes as he followed Yamamoto and Tanaka out the door. Fucking annoying. First the CTO, then this guy. We can’t off any one else without the press getting suspicious. Having three people disappear from one department is bad enough. Then again, it wasn’t his job to control PR. Deciding to not worry about it, he pressed the elevator call button.

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Chapter Nine “W-what? You’re joking, right?” Hannah scoffed, backing up a step. It had to be some terribly inappropriate, misplaced joke. That higher power was still getting his kicks from her. Ryo—Ryan?—stepped closer, not letting her put any distance between them. “It’s most definitely not a joke,” he answered. When he reached to take her elbow, she backed up several more steps into the living room. He pulled his hand back, wincing. “I’m an American, born from a white American father and a Japanese mother. I take after her and my younger sister takes after our father. He was a police detective for ten years before he joined the FBI. It’s because of him that I joined straight out of college—” “Wha— You’re with the FBI? The FBI?” He followed her into the living room and she dodged the coffee table behind her as she stepped closer to the end table. “My mother taught me Japanese and I also learned it in school. I look Japanese and speak the language as well as English, so I was chosen for this assignment.” “What assignment? If you’re telling the truth, aren’t you supposed to keep that secret?” What kind of FBI agent spills his mission to some civilian? He has to be lying! He’s going to turn me in! “I don’t see why when I’ve got the evidence that I was sent to get. You just did my job for me,” he answered easily, edging closer to her again. “You…were spying on NT?” she asked, taking the logical jump. “NT has been pressuring American import authorities to approve its product for eighteen months but the FDA was highly suspicious of the health testing done. While the FDA was petitioning the Supreme Court for the right to approve or disapprove of the sale of Blues, the FBI decided that the FDA would need help. They chose me to come and steal testing information.” Hannah blinked at him, lips open. Unable to say anything, she strived to gather her thoughts into something that made sense. “I didn’t know you worked at NT when I met you at that club, Hannah. I swear it.” When he approached her, she backed up again but hit the end table, losing her balance. Ryo—Ryan—grabbed her arm to steady her and didn’t let go. This is why I felt something was wrong. His job as a security guard had seemed much too mundane for someone as out of the ordinary as him. An FBI agent, though. He did have the brains and the charm for undercover work. Perhaps it made sense. “Your…name is Ryan?” she finally asked. That part at least was logical, especially considering his near-blunder in introducing himself in the restroom. If his father was a

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white American, he would have a last name like Sanders. A name change would be necessary to pass him off as Japanese—and to throw off background checks. Ryan nodded, gently pulling her closer to him. “Ryan Sanders. It’s nice to meet you for real, Hannah Williams,” he said, taking her other arm as well. “It’s…kind of…hard to take in,” she said slowly, resisting the urge to squirm. She couldn’t think when he was so close and touching her. He had dropped a bomb on her and she needed to process the information. She could barely even remember to use his real name as thoughts zipped through her mind. What was he planning when he hit on me at the club? If he suddenly got killed or had to leave the country, would he have simply disappeared from my life with no warning and no explanation? Was he planning to tell me all this or was he just going to up and leave? She wanted to ask him but it was difficult to pose such a thorny question. Then again, she had met him only two days ago. Perhaps he hadn’t thought through it, either. “So what do we do now?” she asked, deciding to drop it for the time being. The issue at hand was not his identity but the evidence of Blues’ toxicity. Ryan let out a deep breath and released her, though he stroked her arms before backing away. “Now,” he began, drawing his mobile out of his pocket, “I’m going to call my contact with the feds. He’ll get in touch with his superiors regarding the evidence you turned in. The FBI will inform the proper Japanese authorities.” “Won’t the Japanese government be suspicious of the fact that Americans have the evidence?” “That’s the best part,” he smiled as he brought the mobile to his ear. “Your unfortunate discovery was rather convenient. We can quite truthfully explain how the evidence came into our possession. My contact will also set up our departure from the country, so don’t worry about that.” “Whoa, wait a minute. We have to leave the country?” she asked with alarm. Ryan lowered his hand again. “Your safety has been seriously jeopardized—” “I left that note, though! Isn’t that enough? And what would they really do to me, anyway? Do they think they could get away with murder?” she asked skeptically. Ryan frowned at that and opened his mouth to reply but the vid unit behind him began to flash red lights. Someone was calling. “Receive,” Ryan said in Japanese. A young, thin man appeared on the screen, his chin scruffy and his very casual clothes askew. Hannah looked at the man with interest, wondering why this kind of person would be calling Ryan. “Sandman, I’ve got—oh…uhh…wrong number?” he squeaked, his eyes flicking to Hannah as she shifted to stand between the couch and coffee table. “Very smooth save, Shep. What is it?” Ryan said, striking an intimidating pose with his hands on his hips.

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“Hey, isn’t this your lady friend from—” Shep began to say but Ryan barked his name in warning. “All right, calm down, Rover. I’ve got some pretty bad news. The first is all over the police channels right now. A man jumped from his apartment balcony a couple of hours ago at around three-thirty. Reporters are at the scene but haven’t figured out who it was yet. It’s only a matter of time—” “Shep, spit out the name already,” Ryan sighed, glancing briefly at Hannah. His frustration with Shep seemed to be a regular occurrence. “It’s a man by the name of Dai Watanabe—the CTO of Nippon Tobacco.” Hannah gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth and sitting on the couch, though it was more like falling. Her knees had suddenly turned to jelly. “Are you sure?” Ryan asked, taking a step closer to the screen and looking just as alarmed. “Do they know that it’s suicide?” “There were no eyewitnesses but one of the detectives suspects homicide due to the bruising on the man’s face. He landed on his back,” Shep explained. His eyes darted to Hannah a couple of times and she wondered if he was expecting her to say something. “Hannah, when did you get that folder?” Ryan asked her. “Lunchtime—maybe around noon,” she distractedly answered, too shocked to feel panicked. Would he have jumped? He sounded very remorseful and guilty in the letter but did he sound suicidal? “There’s one more thing,” Shep then said, nervously wiggling in his seat. “I went digging in NT’s surveillance records and found this. It happened about thirty minutes ago at five thirty-two.” Shep touched something on his desk off screen and suddenly surveillance footage was playing on Ryan’s vid unit. Shep continued to speak over the silent footage. “This is the rooftop of the Yamaguchi Building. In about thirty seconds, you’ll see a few men enter the screen.” “Access to the roof is restricted. Anyone up there must be high-level management or security,” Ryan pointed out. Hannah watched the screen but part of her desperately wanted to look away. “As I was getting this footage, someone was trying to erase it—and they caught me. I’m going to end this call once the footage is over. Gotta get out of here,” Shep said, sounding scared now. Hannah cried out and stood up again as four huge men approached the edge of the roof, which had only a three-foot barrier guarding it. They were dragging a man with them—her boss. By the way his head lolled on his neck, he was obviously dead. She began sobbing when they tossed him over the edge. A few seconds later, they simply walked out of view, wiping their hands as if they had just tossed a bag of garbage into a Dumpster. The vid call cut out then. Shep had hung up. “Oh my God,” she whispered, dragging shaking fingers across her wet cheeks as she looked to Ryan. He immediately crossed the room to her and pulled her into his

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arms. He then put his mobile to his ear, still embracing her and said a name into the phone.

***** Maeda rammed his shoulder into the door, which easily gave way and slammed into the wall behind it. There was no reason to use the doorbell. If this Williams woman had half a brain and was paranoid after what she had discovered, the doorbell would only alert her and give her a moment to plan an escape or call the police. Yoshida and Suzuki followed him into the small but clean apartment, which was dark and quiet. After a quick search, it was obvious that Williams was not at home. “Do we leave a present?” Yoshida asked as he slid his handgun back into a well hidden holster. Maeda pressed his lips together and breathed out through his nose, his expression pensive when Suzuki joined the huddle as well. “No. She was spooked when she left the office. She’s not coming back here. We need to hurry to Fujiwara’s. If they’re not there, we’ll sit inside and wait.” His two subordinates nodded and they closed the door as they left. If any of the neighbors had heard the door being forced open, none dared to peek into the hallway. Feeling a sense of urgency, Maeda quickly led the way down the staircase and to his car.

***** “I’m so glad you called,” Mark grinned as he walked up to the knockout blonde he had met last Saturday night. April had a very fun-loving nature, albeit a little impulsive and he had always loved blonde hair. “I had thought you weren’t going to give me a shot.” “Well, a friend of mine inspired me to take a chance,” April answered, her flirtatious smile pulling at his heartstrings. She was so petite and delicate looking. He held out his arm and she slipped her small hand into the crook of his elbow. “I need to thank this friend of yours. Was she the tall woman I saw with you on Saturday?” They began to stroll leisurely down the boulevard when his mobile began to vibrate in his pocket. Damn it, not now! He ignored the call, which was no doubt from his superior asking for yet another situation update. “Yeah, I wanted to introduce you to Hannah but umm…like I said last Saturday, she needed to leave early.” Remembering the conversation, Mark nodded. “She wasn’t sick or anything?” “No but I think she came down with something today. She left work early. Anyway, let’s find a place to have a drink and talk,” she suggested, pulling his arm tighter to her body. His mobile began vibrating again and he nearly growled in frustration. Call back later! “I know a good place,” he smiled, though it was more forced this time.

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“Is someone calling you?” April suddenly asked, looking down to where their sides were touching. She was close enough to him to feel the vibration through his pocket. “Yeah but I’ll call them back.” She gave him a stunning smile then as she lightly shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t mind if you answer. Maybe it’s important.” “Are you sure it’s all right?” he asked. He pulled his mobile out, which had begun to vibrate for a third time. She nodded again, taking a step back to give him a little privacy. Turning slightly away and looking at the caller ID, though, Mark felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up. This had better be dire.

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Chapter Ten Ryan waited impatiently as Mark’s mobile rang on the other end. “You said ‘Mark’ for the speed dial. Is he your contact?” Hannah asked. Nodding, Ryan continued waiting but when no one answered, he cussed under his breath and redialed. “Then…he was at the club? He was the man hitting on April?” Hannah took a step back from him, taking a calming breath and wiping the last of her tears away. “Yeah, actually. Mark has a…thing for blondes,” he tried to explain. More like he only dates blondes. “April said she was meeting him after work today.” Realizing just why Mark wasn’t answering, Ryan was both amused and irate. Stop thinking with your cock, Mark! Pick up! When he redialed the number for a third time, someone finally answered. “You’re not supposed to call this number,” Mark growled, though it was under his breath. Jabbering and music in the background told Ryan that his contact was in public, perhaps near some restaurants or shops. “Objective accomplished. Situation compromised. At least two civilians dead. One civilian now under protection.” Mark’s surprised reaction came out as a strangled curse. He then said something to a person with him—undoubtedly April—that Ryan couldn’t make out. “Where are you now?” he asked, speaking into his mobile again. “I’m with Hannah Williams at my apartment. We need to move very soon,” he explained. As he spoke, he held up his hand to silently tell Hannah to wait and then walked into his study to retrieve the chip. Slipping it into a small envelope, he then rejoined Hannah in the living room and slid the envelope into his right pants pocket. “Wait…Hannah Williams?” Mark spoke again with the person with him. Ryan heard a female voice this time. “How bad is the situation?” he eventually asked. “FUBAR. Oda’s top hit-men are taking out witnesses. They’ve killed Watanabe and Hannah’s boss—” “Keiichi Sugihara,” Hannah supplied, which Ryan relayed to Mark. This time, Ryan heard what Mark said to April. “Do you know a man named Keiichi Sugihara?” April’s answer was muffled but short. Ryan then heard her ask in a panicked voice what was going on. Hannah and Ryan both jumped when the mobile in her purse began vibrating. No doubt it was April calling. “Do they suspect you?” Mark asked. The background noise was slowly fading as he walked away from the crowd. Ryan hoped that Mark had driven—not walked—to meet April. 84

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“If they’re good, they do. I’m not taking any chances. They could be heading here now. Can we meet at the safe house?” “Yes, that’s best.” Mark said something again to April but Ryan couldn’t make it out. Hannah had already picked up the phone and was talking to her friend. “It’s now six fourteen. Meet us there at seven.” “Wilco.” Ending the call, he slid the mobile back into his pocket and left Hannah to talk to her friend as he went to his bedroom. Gun control laws in Japan were extremely strict, so he and Mark had gone to a lot of trouble to get one onto the island—illegally, of course. He and Mark weren’t actually even supposed to be in the country. Their entire backgrounds, including birth certificates and passports, had been fabricated. Opening the closet door, he pulled a heavy briefcase out from the top shelf. Setting it on the bed and opening it, he pulled the classic Glock 38 from its foam bed and stuffed his left pocket with two ammo magazines. The third and last mag went into the gun. Carefully tucking the gun into his belt at the small of his back, he left the rest of his things as they were and walked back into the living room. “I’ll see you soon,” Hannah said. He took his leather jacket from its hook on the wall and shrugged into it. As Hannah put her mobile back into her purse, he covertly transferred the two extra mags to his jacket pocket. No need to scare her. Double-checking that the envelope was still in his pocket, he took Hannah’s gray coat from its hook as well. “She sounded pretty scared. I mean, this came out of nowhere for her,” Hannah said, pulling the now-useless folder from her purse and setting it on the end table. “Mark will take care of April. He’s a good man,” he assured her as he helped her into her coat. “The safe house isn’t far. My car’s in the parking garage.” He noticed her hands shaking when she picked up her purse. She didn’t say anything, though, so he didn’t comment. Taking her hand in his left, he then led her to the door. Peeking through the peephole and checking that no one stood outside, he quietly opened the door and exited first, checking the length of hallway on either side. He didn’t hear any voices or footsteps and slowly drew Hannah out with him. She stuck close to his side, quiet as a mouse. Good girl. Seeing that the coast was clear, he closed the door and began to walk back toward the elevator. As they turned the corner, the elevator dinged to signal its arrival, already holding passengers. Goose bumps suddenly rose on his skin and he slowed down, a bad feeling spawning inside his gut. The elevator doors slid open. For a few painful seconds, everything moved in slow motion. He recognized Maeda the second the huge man stepped off the elevator. He let go of Hannah’s hand and instead grabbed her arm. Pulling her with him, he began to retreat back behind the corner, which was already ten feet behind them. Maeda shouted

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to two other men with him, his eyes cold and serious as he reached for something inside his coat. Terrified since Hannah was vulnerable, he prayed that Maeda wouldn’t get a shot off until he had pushed her behind the corner. Maeda was too fast, though and the first bullet came whizzing at them just as they began to duck behind the bend in the hallway. It hit with an explosive thud, spraying drywall as it punched into the corner— only a few inches from Hannah’s head. “H-how can they have guns? This is Japan!” she shrieked, taking cover behind the corner as more bullets came at them. Several hit the window beyond but the tempered glass only shattered in small sections, depositing shards on the carpet near them. Ryan pulled the gun from his belt and blindly fired off a couple of shots down the hall to keep the three men at the elevator. Maeda’s curses echoed down the hall. “Why is everyone carrying a gun?!” Hannah cried out. He felt her hands grasp at the back of his jacket. She eventually settled for holding on to his left arm. “Give us the evidence and we’ll walk away!” Maeda shouted down the hall. Ryan didn’t answer and instead fired off two more shots. “We need to get to the staircase. Once we’re in, run downstairs as fast as you can to sublevel three and to the call station. I’ll be right behind you,” he told her. More shots came at them. The window at the end of the hall was nearly gone now, the last of it clinging to the window frame. Cold air was blowing into the building. “Okay,” she answered, taking deep breaths and letting go of him. Nodding, he silently counted to three with his fingers. “Go!” Jumping into the hallway, he opened fire. One of Maeda’s men attempting to sneak down the hall was left with no cover. The goon fell to the floor dead as Hannah dashed behind Ryan to the staircase door. He followed her closely and pushed the door shut. She began to sprint down the stairs, jumping the last few steps to the landing. Following as fast as possible, he kept one eye above them as he rounded the first landing and jumped clear to the next one. “Keep going!” he yelled, catching up to Hannah as the door one floor above them burst open. The pursuers were hot on their tails as he pulled his car’s key fob from his pocket. Mashing his thumb onto the call button, he prayed that the car would be running and waiting at the call station by the time they got there. The floors began to zip by and yet he felt that they couldn’t run fast enough. At floor five, he barely made it around the bend in the stairwell before Maeda could get his gun up and aimed. Hannah was now jumping half the distance to the landing and barely getting her feet under her before dashing down the next flight of stairs. If she landed wrongly and fell or twisted her ankle, they were done for. They had no choice, though. Slowing down for the sake of safety was not an option. When they reached the ground floor, Maeda fired off a shot but his aim was poor and it went wide. Hannah glanced back from the landing below, looking panicked but he yelled to keep going.

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“This is insane!” she shouted, using the handrail to propel herself to the next landing. When they reached the third sublevel of the parking garage, Hannah whipped the door open. Following her through, he immediately turned and fired two more shots at the slowly closing door, missing Maeda’s leg by a few inches. It gave the man pause and Ryan turned to follow Hannah as she ran to the call station. He was overjoyed to see his black Lexus already there. The parking garage was twenty stories deep and could hold only half as many cars as the number of apartments above it but it was still only half-full since most residents didn’t own a vehicle. It had one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. The call station was situated near the exit ramp, which was thankfully on their side of the building. The call station quite simply was a clearly marked, car-sized space with a sensor over it to which cars automatically came when owners sent the call signal. Pulling out his key fob again, he pressed the auto-unlock button. A bullet whizzed by his head and he turned to fire the last bullet in his gun, which hit Maeda’s other man in the arm. Ryan didn’t bother to watch the man’s reaction but rather heard it as the goon screamed in pain. “Get in!” he yelled, watching as Hannah reached for the passenger door handle and whipped it open. More bullets pounded into the rear of the car as he jerked on the driver’s door handle. Throwing himself inside, he wasted no time slamming his foot on the accelerator as he transferred the empty gun to his other hand. With his right, he pulled the door shut just as they entered the exit ramp. A couple more bullets landed in the trunk but stopped once the car began racing up the exit ramp. The centrifugal force grew stronger as they accelerated up the whirligig ramp but it was only a few seconds before they shot out into the street. Cutting off a taxi, Ryan sped down the street and turned at the first intersection. “I think my heart’s going to explode,” Hannah gulped. Her purse still hanging from her elbow, she shakily gripped the front of her blouse and gasped for air. Setting the gun in his lap, he reached over and grasped her other hand. “It’ll pass. It’s the adrenaline.” Her fingers were tight around his hand and she wordlessly nodded, still panting. Ryan steered them onto the highway and let the automatic controls take over. Hoping that no one noticed the multiple bullet holes in his car, he eased back into the seat, his own heart still racing after their mad dash down the staircase. Once they had been on the road for a few minutes, he discarded the empty magazine and inserted a new one from his jacket pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Hannah was closely watching him. “Are we still going to need that?” she asked warily. “I can’t take any chances.” He carefully slid the gun back into his right pocket. I hope Mark didn’t have any trouble.

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***** Forty minutes later, they were driving down the silent streets of an upper middle class but very old neighborhood. It was fairly well maintained but age had taken its toll on the buildings, which seemed to sag or lean where they stood. The streets were quite narrow off the main road, though free of potholes. They were slowly passing block after block of small estates that actually had gardens, yards and sometimes secondary buildings. “Where are we?” Hannah asked, looking at Ryan for a second before glancing back out into the dimly lit neighborhood. “We’re very close to Yokota Air Base in Fussa. It’s another twenty minutes away. Once we meet up with Mark and April at the safe house, we’ll drive straight there. They’ll be able to fly us out of the country,” Ryan explained. She nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself down. It was all too surreal. All of her things were still at her apartment. She didn’t even have her passport on her, though she wasn’t too worried about having it. “Twelve hours ago, I was on my way to work,” she observed, biting down on her lower lip. The anxiety and disbelief warring in her stomach made her want to scream and she squeezed the door handle tightly in an attempt to deny the urge. “Yeah, a lot changed pretty fast,” Ryan sighed, turning a tight corner. “I’m sorry, Hannah.” “It’s not your fault at all,” she said, shaking her head. “I…would probably be dead now if it weren’t for you.” That fact scared her the second it came out of her mouth. Ryan didn’t respond and it was another moment before he said anything. “We’re here.” The safe house was not part of a walled-in estate. It was a three-story, standalone dwelling separated from the street by a narrow driveway that was parallel to the street and only wide enough and deep enough to accommodate two cars parked rear to nose. Ryan pulled into the driveway, off the street just barely enough to allow other cars to pass. Looking at the car clock just before he turned it off, Hannah saw that they were only a few minutes late. Mark and April would arrive any minute. “Should we stay in the car?” she asked, somehow afraid to get out. Ryan looked at her as he took off his seat belt and seemed to notice her dread, though she did her best to hide it. Letting the belt retract, he turned toward her. “I wish we could but just in case, the house would be safer.” Nodding, she let out a deep breath and took off her seat belt. “I’ll go unlock the door,” he then said, opening the car door and getting out. When she stood up outside the car, she was surprised how rattled she still was. Her heart was racing and she couldn’t stop shaking. Pushing the door shut, she walked on unsteady legs around the rear of the car to the front door, which Ryan was holding open.

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“Maybe we should get a drink of water,” he suggested, closing the door behind them as he flipped a switch to turn on the hallway lights. Hannah looked at the light switch in fascination, having not seen a toggle switch in a real home before. They were always touch-sensitive or voice-activated. “Take a look around. I’ll get us some water— probably need to wash the glasses first,” he muttered, thinking aloud as he walked down the hallway and turned to the left. Another doorway at the end of the room on the left led to the kitchen. She saw the kitchen light turn on. The house somehow reminded her of her grandparents’ house in Florida. She had been there only a couple of times but the faintly dusty odor was still familiar. Her grandmother did clean a lot but their house had been quite old. This house, however, was even less furnished than Ryan’s apartment had been. A table and some chairs sat in the darkened room to the right and the room to the left had nothing in it at all. It was all white walls, wooden floors and dust. It was quite obvious that the house hadn’t been used in some time. Following Ryan into the kitchen, she looked around at the tacky green cupboards, the scratched-up metal sink and the filmy vinyl tiles. It was all so very out of place. She had seen houses like this one only in very old movies from the 1980s. “Did we step back in time?” she asked, watching Ryan as he pulled two dusty glasses from one of the green cupboards. He had already found a dishtowel from one of the drawers and had slung it over his shoulder. Turning to look at her with a laughing smile, he said, “I think we’re still in the twenty-first century. Mark is the one who bought the place to use as a safe house and I’ve been here only once. I never thought to ask why it’s so—what’s the word…retro?” She half-smiled at his answer. He stepped to the sink then and turned on the tap. While he washed the glasses, she pulled out her mobile to see if anyone had called, though she knew no one had. Seeing that it was now ten minutes past the hour, she decided to call April’s mobile and find out how far away they were. Ryan looked over his shoulder at her when she said April’s name into her phone, his hand turning off the tap. He dried the glasses, watching her watching him and she listened with increasing dread as April’s phone rang with no answer. “Maybe she’s not paying attention to her mobile,” Ryan suggested. Hannah took a deep breath and ended the call once April’s voicemail picked up. Nodding and attempting a smile, she latched on to his reason. Any other possibility was not to be considered. “That’s probably it,” she agreed. Ryan eyed her closely as he handed her a glass of water. Just like when she had tried to hide her frown in the hotel room only two days ago, she had the feeling that he saw right through her. She never had been good at hiding anything. “Perhaps the charge died?” he said, offering another alternative. Hannah wanted to point out that mobiles lasted a couple of weeks without recharging but then realized how much April talked on her phone. It was possible. Silently nodding, she took a few gulps of water. The cool liquid somehow helped. 89

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“I guess very soon, no one will be smoking Blues anymore,” Ryan observed, setting his glass on the counter behind him. She sighed with a frown, realizing the chaos they were about to unleash. “The first thing I’m going to do when we have the chance is call my father to tell him to stop smoking those death sticks.” Ryan stood straighter, obviously surprised. “I-I’m so sorry, Hannah. I didn’t know—” “It’s okay. I’m very glad we found out now. It would’ve been much more devastating to lose him and find out that my boss was the killer.” Finishing the water, she handed the glass back to Ryan, who placed it on the counter next to his glass. “I haven’t smoked any cloves since that one at the club on Saturday, either. I don’t think I could bring myself to light another one after all this.” “That’s good,” he commended. “I do like your coffee taste better, to tell you the truth.” Shyly smiling at that, she impulsively snuggled into the hug he readily offered. Thinking on how they had only met two nights ago, she wondered how anyone could become so important in one’s life in such a short time. Their chemistry had been explosive in the hotel room…and in the company bathroom. The escape from his apartment building had been incredibly scary but Ryan’s quick thinking and bravery had left a deep impression on her. He was without a doubt the sexiest man she had ever met. When eight o’clock rolled around without April and Mark arriving, Hannah began actively pacing back and forth on the kitchen’s vinyl tiles, her purse on the counter but her mobile in her hand. She glanced at the time every ten seconds and checked her messages every thirty seconds. Ryan, on the other hand, had leaned his rear against the kitchen counter, having washed and replaced the glasses. His hands were in his pockets, the gun next to Hannah’s purse. His expression was grim as he stared at the floor. He had already tried to call Mark’s phone but it had gone straight to voicemail, meaning it was out of power, turned off, or…something else. At a quarter past eight, the sound of an approaching car echoed through the house and both of them dashed to the front door to see who had arrived. Ryan first grabbed his gun, so Hannah got there first and yanked the door open. An elderly couple in a white compact car sedately drove past and down the street, obviously not April and Mark in his blue Mazda. Too worried to hold it in any longer, Hannah broke down into sobs. She turned away from the door and tried calling April for the tenth time since they had arrived but when the rings continued unanswered, her tears only came faster. Ryan walked past her and slid the gun into the back of his belt. He hastily closed the door and then turned her around to face him. She shook her head at him when April’s voicemail answered yet again. “Why w-wouldn’t they call?” she asked, even though she knew he had no answers for her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Pressing her temple

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to his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Terrible scenarios of what might have happened went through her mind. “It’s a big city and Mark might have had other duties to do before coming. Coordinating with the air base or…or any number of other things.” She heard the uncertainty in his voice, though, felt the tension in his shoulders. He thinks something bad happened too. “What are we going to do?” She urgently wanted to go look for them. Despite knowing that April wouldn’t be at her apartment, despite knowing how huge Tokyo was and despite knowing that April and Mark would be in the same position if they arrived to find an empty house, despite it all, she wanted to find April, who was probably even more panicked than she was. “It’s all right. We’re in a safe place so we can wait a while. If they’re not here and haven’t contacted us by tomorrow morning, we’ll just have to go to the base by ourselves.” Knowing that they didn’t have to leave immediately somehow made her feel a little better but not that much better. She continued to cry and didn’t care if it made her look weak. She was completely out of her element and felt lost and afraid. “You’ve been so brave,” Ryan whispered, rubbing her back and slowly rocking her from side to side. “Just a little longer and we’ll get through this. I promise.” She nodded against his neck, trying to calm down and only partly succeeding. “Shh, it’s okay.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. His hands gently rubbed and patted her back. The house was cold but Ryan was warm. The rocking motion, his soothing touches and the thud of his heartbeat under her ear slowly calmed her down. Even when she had herself under control again, she was content to stand there and hold him. It seemed he was content to do the same. He kissed her forehead again just above her eyebrow and she lifted her head from his shoulder. “Feeling better now?” he whispered. She made an affirmative noise and took a deep breath. He then kissed the tip of her nose, making her smile. “Now you’ve done it,” he said in a low, teasing voice. “Done what?” “You smiled. I can only take so many before I need to kiss you,” he warned. She smiled again, amused. He made a soft groaning noise. “You’re torturing me, Hannah.” Her smile only widened into a grin. His arms tightened against her back, holding her to him as he pressed his lips to hers. Opening to him and melting under the firm pressure of his mouth, she surrendered to his comforting kiss, so different from all the other kisses he had given her. The seductive kiss in the club, the lustful kisses in the hotel room and the wanton kiss in the office bathroom—they were all born from passion. This kiss, however, was born from something else. She wasn’t quite sure what, but it was more arousing than any kiss she had shared with him before. His lips slid away from her mouth, touching upon her cheeks and no doubt tasting the salt from her recent tears as he kissed them away. The sweetness of the gesture

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almost brought tears to her eyes again and a shaky sigh fell from her lips. Since she was so close to him, the dusty smell of the house was overpowered by his exotic fragrance and the scent of his leather jacket. His breaths were alternately cool and warm on her face and the liquid sound of his lips on her skin was all she could hear in that silent house in that sleepy neighborhood. Her heart was racing by the time he kissed her again. Every inch of her skin was warm from a full-body blush and her knees were wobbly, though not from fright this time. She couldn’t understand her reaction or its intensity. Was it an after-effect of adrenaline? Of surviving an attempt on her life? Was it Ryan? What is so different this time? Without warning, Ryan grasped the back of her legs and lifted her up. Her thighs came around his waist and she curled her legs around him as he supported her with his muscular arms. Shifting her arms up to hold his shoulders, she could barely swallow past the fluttering pulse in her throat. He quickly walked to the room on the right, exchanging brief, increasingly ardent kisses with her and toed open the door at the back of the room. The room was barely visible in the faint light thrown from the hallway but she saw what he was heading for. The single bed pushed against the back wall had no sheets or blankets. The bare mattress was likely to be as dusty as the rest of the house but Hannah didn’t care. She needed something that only Ryan could give her, something that would bury the horrors of that night, even if only for a few moments. She wanted to be comforted, to reassure herself that they at least were alive and safe. She would otherwise lose it entirely. Ryan set her gently on the bed, kneeling in front of her and reaching beneath her skirt for the second time that day. Slowly, teasingly, he pulled her panties down her thighs, over her knees, past her calves and then off her ankles, pulling her shoes off with them. Taking a second to remove his jacket and lay his gun on top of it, he then slid his hands behind her knees and tugged her to the edge of the mattress, spreading her legs farther apart. His fingers splayed themselves on the outsides of her thighs, lovingly pushing up her wrinkled gray skirt until she was fully exposed to him. “Lie back,” he whispered gutturally. She did so, the top of her head brushing the back wall of the tiny bedroom. The room was so dark that she could not see anything but the faint whiteness of the ceiling. Combined with the silence, her near-blindness forced her senses to concentrate on touch. When Ryan’s warm, questing fingers stroked the insides of her thighs, she pulled in a stunned breath, for that one gentle brush made her stomach clench in reaction. Then his hands rubbed higher on her thighs, massaging and squeezing. His lips kissed where his fingers touched, paying equal attention to both sides. His hands and mouth slowly traveled higher and higher, as if he were savoring the feel and taste of her. All the while, it became more difficult to breathe as she waited for the second he would reach his final destination.

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His fingers touched her first, stroking the muff of hair covering the most private part of her. A full-body shiver raised goose bumps on her skin and she sighed, lightly rubbing her calves against his arms. The tips of his fingers then traced the seam of her lips, teasing her as they ever so slowly dipped farther inside. She was dewy with need when he finally opened her with one hand and her legs unconsciously tried to pull him closer. With his other hand, he explored the soft, delicate skin he had revealed, creating even more moisture with his touch. He gently tweaked the swollen stamen of her sex, rolling it slowly with the pad of his longest finger. Groaning, she squirmed on the mattress. Nothing could have prepared her for the feel of his hair tickling the insides of her thighs as his face moved closer to where his hands played. She could feel his hot breath against her. His longest finger pressed into her and that hot breath became solid when his wet, warm tongue laved her clit like it was licking a cone of ice cream. Her heart pounding, she groaned his name. Her hands found his head and she ran her fingers through his hair, curling them around the curve of his skull and holding on tightly. It quickly escalated from there. Another finger joined the first thrusting into her and his lips sucked and pulled at the soft nub above, alternately flicking it with his tongue and driving her insane. He was consuming her, nibbling and licking and sucking. Her endless cries and moans filled the room, accompanied by the sound of his lips on her body and his panting breaths. She groaned and mewled and gasped, her vision swirling, her body sweating and her hips restless on the mattress. She was stuck on a plateau, though, unable to achieve the sensation she craved. Something was missing. “Ryan, I need you,” she whispered, tugging at his wrist. “You first,” he said against her skin. “Together,” she insisted, pulling harder. “Please.” As he pulled back and stood up, her reaction was instantaneous—a stirring in her abdomen, an excitement, anticipation for the deep strokes that would fire her passion. She sat up to remove her coat as well, too warm now to stand wearing it, and quickly popped the buttons on her jacket and blouse. Ryan unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants, his shallow breaths loud in the still room. Scooting back and turning to lie properly on the mattress, she pulled her bra up and released her breasts. She then lifted and parted her knees, eager to have him lying over her. Even the mere sight of him crawling onto the mattress and taking his place between her thighs had a powerful effect. Needy sounds left her throat as he rubbed the head of his erection against her sopping core, seeking out the entrance to her body. The second he slid inside, she knew it would not take long for him to push her over the edge. She held her legs back with a hand behind each knee and hissed at the deep-seated, achy sensations that each thrust

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sent along her nerve endings. His thighs slapped her rear and deep groans fell to her from above. His hands found and greedily massaged her breasts, already tender from their encounter at the office. “God, you feel good,” he grunted as his hips swiveled and jabbed into her. His hands didn’t stay on her breasts for very long, for one hand began to roam over her bare skin, stroking her thighs while the other one returned to where they were joined. He pressed his thumb against her clit, bumping it against every thrust of his cock as it slid into her. His sexy gasps of pleasure were aphrodisiacs to her and she only wanted him to groan louder and longer. Her head tossed from side to side as the familiar heavy warmth began to gather low in her abdomen. Her cries became more desperate, her back undulating and her thighs clenching. “Ah, God! I’m coming!” she sobbed. The warmth didn’t crest, though. It kept building, hotter than she had ever felt before, higher than he had ever taken her before. Ryan groaned, leaning over her with one fist on the mattress and pounding into her. The warmth began spreading, rising up her body and flooding her brain with heat. She began to feel dizzy and vaguely heard herself begging for more. When the pressure finally blew, she hoarsely screamed his name, convulsing once as the first throb clenched her tight around him. The darkness pressed very close then and she had a distant realization that she wasn’t holding her legs anymore. Gasping, she surrendered to the darkness of the room. The last thing she whispered before falling unconscious was the same three words she had whispered before. They were even truer now than ever.

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Chapter Eleven Ryan gasped for air, barely holding himself up over Hannah. His amazement knew no bounds, for not only had she passed out but the words she had mumbled before slipping into unconsciousness sank in. I love you. Perhaps most amazing was the response he wanted to give. He had never been in love before but his feelings for Hannah went beyond any notion of love he could have ever imagined. She was a highly sexual woman, smart, beautiful and brave. Despite the mortal danger they had faced, she had kept her wits about her as well as he could have expected from any civilian. He also greatly admired her moral fiber in wanting to do the right thing. Not many people would have the guts to blow the whistle. Once some of the strength had returned to his arms, he leaned over her and brushed his lips against her cheek, smiling when she made a small noise. He then gently pulled out of her, just as sore as she probably was. The head of his penis felt sensitized and achy but he sighed with fulfillment as he stood upon the floor again. Holding his pants up with one hand, he arranged Hannah’s lower limbs more comfortably before quickly shuffling to the bathroom at the end of the hall. A few towels were stacked in a cupboard behind the toilet and he used one to dry off after washing himself. Then wetting a smaller hand towel, he took it and a fresh dry one back to the bedroom. Hannah was stirring as he walked in, rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Ryan?” she sleepily asked. He crossed the room to her and sat near her feet on the bed. “I’m here. I brought a damp towel. Take it,” he said, catching her wrist and putting the towel in her hand. “I’ll help you get dressed.” “What happened?” “You fainted.” He couldn’t help smiling, though he made sure not to let it into his tone. He had never made a woman pass out before. “Oh, God. Really?” She sounded embarrassed but not so much that she was upset. “If it’s any consolation, I almost did too.” She laughed lightly. Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the kitchen table, dressed and blushing. He had the feeling that Hannah felt guilty about having sex while waiting for their friends to show up. He wasn’t so sure he felt that great about it either. However, the one thing weighing heavily on her mind was obvious to him now. He felt so stupid for not noticing her confession much earlier in the day. He just didn’t know how to bring it up gently. 95

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Looking at the time on his mobile, he saw that it was nearly nine o’clock. Neither of them had received any message or calls. Hannah had tried her friend’s mobile a few minutes ago but there was still no answer. “If you’re hungry, I can go to the convenience store a few minutes’ walk away,” he offered. As though she were trying to gauge her hunger, she pressed a hand to her stomach but then shook her head. “I don’t know if I could keep anything down,” she answered honestly. Her cheeks were still flaming bright and the silence descended once again. Their usually easy conversation was stilted. He scrambled to find the right words to use, afraid that she would assume once again that he was uninterested…or even worse, that he was feigning ignorance. Damn it, just fucking say it! “Me too,” he blurted out. Glancing at her face, he watched her blink at him. Her cheeks flushed even brighter. “W-what?” she stuttered. He briefly closed his eyes, his heartbeat in his throat. When he looked at her again, she was pulling in fast, deep breaths through her nose, her lower lip caught between the gentle clamps of her white teeth. She watched him closely. Gathering his courage, he said more firmly, “I love you too.” Her teeth released her lip as her mouth fell open and she looked at him with a measure of surprise. Then she slowly smiled. All he could do was smile back. From the front of the house came the sound of another car coming up the street. His body went tight and he glanced at the front door before looking back to Hannah, whose face had become hopeful. He shot to his feet and jogged to the front door, grabbing his gun along the way. Hannah was close behind him, her purse on her shoulder. Unlocking the door and slowly pulling it open, he didn’t have long to wait until a blue coupe came rolling up to the house. “It’s them,” he sighed, smiling with relief. The car pulled in behind theirs. Leaning down and glancing inside as he drew near, he frowned to see April driving instead of Mark. The car was soon off and the doors opened. Mark slowly rolled out, wincing as he tried to stand. Oh shit… “Are you hit?” he asked, already knowing the answer. His friend’s face was very pale and he held a blood-soaked scarf tightly to his side. April launched into an explanation as she raced around the car to help him stand up. “It’s my fault! I’m so sorry!” she began. “Mark’s car was still at his place so we walked there. Then I asked to get something from my apartment but they were already there when we arrived. I panicked and dropped my purse, so I didn’t have my mobile later when we got lost taking the local roads to get here. Mark kept them off us while we ran back to his car but they shot him. The bullet hit his mobile first but now the bullet’s lodged in his side and I don’t know how to get it out!”

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“Slow down, April,” Hannah said. “Let’s get him to the air base. They’ll be able to help him.” Ryan nodded in agreement. “It’s only twenty minutes away. That’s a better idea than trying to patch him up here.” “Good,” Mark finally said, wheezing. “Because they tagged my car. We’ve gotta get out of here right now.” “Shit!” Ryan cussed, digging into his pants pocket for his car keys. “Get in the other car!” Both Hannah and April gasped, wasting no time to scramble for the second car. “Hannah, you’re driving!” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her to the driver’s side when she was about to run to the passenger door. Though she didn’t hesitate and whipped open the driver-side door, she frantically asked, “What? Why? I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t have a Japanese license!” “I’ll need my hands free in case they catch up, that’s why!” he answered as he ran around to the other side. April and Mark were already in the back seat, about to pull their doors shut. Diving into the car, he slammed his door shut. Handing the ignition key to Hannah, he didn’t bother to tell her how to operate the car. That much was obvious. Instead, he pulled out his Glock and placed the last magazine into the coffee holder between the seats. “I’ll give you directions,” Mark said weakly from the back seat. April was next to him, pulling off her coat. Glancing in the side-view mirror just as Hannah started the car and put it into gear, Ryan nearly had a heart attack as a pair of headlights began racing up the street behind them. “They’re here! Go, go, go!” he yelled. Hannah screamed with fright but her hands flew as she turned the wheel and shot into the street. “What the hell is tagging?” she cried out. “And where the hell do I turn?!” “A-ah, next intersection! Right!” Mark said, trying to sit up straighter. “Keep your head down, damn it!” Ryan yelled back at his friend. “Well, I can’t see where she’s driving! This neighborhood isn’t exactly well lit!” Mark hollered back. Hannah barely slowed down to make the tight turn, nicking the front bumper on a wall separating the corner house from the street. “Sorry!” Hannah grimaced. “Turn right again up there!” Mark said. “One of Maeda’s goons was smart enough to bring a gun loaded with tags. They tracked Mark’s car,” Ryan said, finally answering Hannah’s earlier question. “Are they going to shoot at us again?” April asked shrilly, just now noticing the gun pointed at the ceiling in Ryan’s right hand. The car squealed around the next turn, scraping the passenger side against the corner of another wall. “Too narrow,” Ryan answered, briefly looking back at April. She was now stripping her jacket off, obviously intending to press it against Mark’s side. “They can’t lean out the window right now.”

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“There’s the main road!” Mark called to the front. “Turn left and punch it up the street two blocks.” As if afraid that their pursuers would ram their rear end, Hannah zoomed down the tiny street and then slowed down only enough to ensure that they wouldn’t hit someone as they burst onto the wider street. April’s soft and incessant omigods was all that was said for a minute. The first intersection blew by as they raced up the main road and the second intersection was coming up fast. The black mid-size car behind them was hot on their tail. “Turn left here. The highway entrance is another three blocks and on the left side. Take the westbound ramp,” Mark said, wincing through the instructions. April had wrapped both arms around him and was pressing her jacket against his side. Unfortunately, the signal decided to turn yellow and another car in front of them was slowing to stop. “Mother of—” Hannah gasped. “Blow through! Cut into the other lane!” Ryan yelled, pointing at the empty right lane. The oncoming traffic was signaling to turn left. “Why don’t these people speed through a yellow light like the rest of the world?” She swerved around the car in front and then doubled back in the middle of the intersection, tossing her passengers around as she made the left turn. Horns started to blare and the unmistakable squeal of another set of tires told them that the sedan behind them was still following. Suddenly, the back window blew out and Ryan heard a bullet lodge into the frame of the car near his head. “Get down!” he yelled. Hannah slouched as far down in her seat as she could. Touching the automatic window button on his door, he twisted in the seat and prepared to return fire. “More of them are coming! Two motorcycles!” Hannah warned. Cussing, Ryan smoothly lifted himself through the window and sat on the window sill, his left hand keeping a tight grip on the overhead handle. Just as she had said, two more men were coming up fast behind the black car. It was windy and cold but Ryan took aim and fired at the closest motorcyclist. When another bullet landed in the roof right in front of him, he flinched in reaction but fired off more rounds. Finally, he hit one of the bikers with his fourth shot and the man crashed spectacularly from his motorcycle. He felt the car swerve beneath him and quickly looked over his shoulder to see Hannah steering them onto the highway entrance ramp. From inside the car, he heard Mark tell her to take manual control and speed past the other cars. Hannah’s shrill reaction to the suggestion almost made him smile, especially when she immediately took Mark’s advice and floored it.

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Two more bullets whizzed by Ryan’s head and he unloaded the last of his second magazine without hitting the second motorcyclist. He dropped back into the car and began to reload. “It’s just eight minutes along here and another three from the exit. We’re almost there,” Mark said, talking to April more than he was to Hannah. Glancing at the speedometer, Ryan saw that they were going nearly one hundred twenty miles per hour. Hannah’s shoulders were tight and her eyes trained on the road as she navigated through the closely spaced cars on the highway. Not wanting to distract her, he levered himself through the car window and hit the second motorcyclist with his first shot. The dead biker rammed into the median but the automatic system did beautifully in swiftly diverting traffic on the eight-lane highway to avoid the accident. Somehow, he knew that Maeda was driving. The black car smoothly darted through the same holes in traffic that Hannah was masterfully dodging through. The driver was cool, collected and professional—definitely Maeda. Concentrating, he aimed for the arm and head leaning out of the passenger window, knowing that the windshield on the mid-size vehicle would be bullet proof. Only the best for Oda’s hit men. For a couple of minutes, he fired in time to keep the other shooter nervous. Then with three bullets left, he took careful aim as the head and arm emerged again. Unfortunately, he was too late and felt heat bite into the biceps of his right arm. His entire arm convulsed but he maintained the grip on his gun. Wincing as more pain shot through his shoulder, he aimed again at the other shooter, who had emerged once more. Firing off a shot, he couldn’t help his immense satisfaction, which did much to relieve the hot stabbing pain in his body, when the bullet hit the left side of the man’s forehead. Instantly killed, the shooter slumped on the windowsill and dropped his gun onto the road. Though he had two bullets left in his last mag, neither successfully punctured Maeda’s tires. The other man’s driving became more aggressive the instant his last companion was snuffed out. Maeda was obviously trying to use his car as a weapon of last resort. Realizing the danger he was in by half-hanging out of the car, Ryan hastily slipped back inside. Tossing the empty gun to the floor of the car, he said to Hannah, “The bikers and shooter are taken care of. The driver, though… You’d better step on it.” Hannah glanced at him, her eyes wide with terror but then she looked back at the road. “Ryo, did you get shot?” April asked, still holding her jacket to Mark’s side. “It’s Ryan, not Ryo and yes, I did,” he answered. “What?” Hannah yelled. She nearly sideswiped a navy blue van as she looked at Ryan to locate his gunshot wound. “Watch your driving!” Ryan warned as he put pressure on the wound with his other hand. Gritting through the pain, he continued, “I’ll be fine. Just don’t get us all killed.”

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Just then, something hard rammed into their trunk. April screamed and Hannah gasped. Ryan felt it when Hannah shoved her foot onto the gas, zooming through the gap between two large trucks to get some distance between them and Maeda. It was no surprise when both trucks’ horns blared at them. “There it is!” Mark said with relief. The exit for Yokota Air Base was coming up fast on the left side. “Cut in front of that gray car. Maybe we’ll lose our tail.” Hannah screamed with stress as she veered onto the exit ramp, likely scaring the life out of the passengers in the gray car. “Does anyone have a mobile?” Mark asked. Ryan grunted, keeping his eyes on the road as he tossed his phone back to Mark. Suddenly, April shrieked, “Look out!” The crunch of metal was loud and Ryan felt a burst of pain in his neck as he no doubt got whiplash. Maeda had evidently made it onto the exit ramp and had slammed into the back of their car for the second time. “Fuck!” Mark shouted. “Turn right up here and then follow the signs to the air base!” Ryan looked over his shoulder at the car only a second behind them. Mark was dialing a phone number. His friend didn’t have long to wait until someone picked up. “My name is Marcus Konohara. Security clearance seven four eight uniform charlie zero. I am three minutes from the base’s main entrance in a black Lexus with three American civilians and we are being pursued by a black mid-size Nissan. Request that the gates be open for our arrival.” “He’s coming again!” April gasped but Hannah was prepared and not only sped up but swerved to the right into the empty right lane. Ryan looked down at his hand and saw blood beginning to drip from the tips of his fingers. He pressed down harder on his gunshot wound. “Colonel Newell was notified of our coming two hours ago! Open the damn gates!” Mark yelled into the phone. Hannah swerved again to avoid their pursuer. Ryan saw the stress starting to take its toll on her. Mark hung up, carelessly tossing the phone to the floor of the car. “Drive straight through, Hannah. Thirty more seconds and we’ll be on American soil,” he said raggedly, having evidently gotten his request granted. The lights of the air base had been visible once they had left the high-walled expressway but when the entrance became visible as they came around a bend in the road, the car filled with even more tension. The gate had just rolled open and guards stood watch, guns in hand. “Thank God!” Hannah burst, her eyes looking the rear-view mirror. Ryan glanced back to see that Maeda had broken off pursuit, avoiding contact with the American soldiers. Everyone in the car relaxed and the tension in the air floated away like a cool breeze blowing away summer heat. Slowing down to a reasonable speed, Hannah steered them through the air base entrance and stopped a hundred feet in. Half a dozen soldiers approached their car at a jog.

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“Ryan, we need to get you looked at,” Hannah immediately blurted out, turning off the car. She then turned to him as someone opened her car door. Ryan heard the soldier tell her to step out of the car. Just then, another soldier pulled his door open. Shifting to swing his legs out and stand up, he realized that his left side was wet. “We need a doctor!” Hannah said frantically, having already stood up. Ryan looked over the back of his seat and saw that Mark’s eyes were closed. April was trying to rouse him. Oddly enough, he found himself wanting to close his eyes as well. He was so sleepy. “Get the medic!” someone shouted. With his working arm, he groped inside his pants pocket and withdrew the envelope and its precious contents. The soldier at his door squatted to look at him and was saying something about help coming. “Give this to…to…Newell,” he slurred. His vision blurred and suddenly, Hannah was in front of him. He couldn’t understand a word she was saying, though. Laying his head back on the head rest, he closed his eyes. I just need a nap.

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Chapter Twelve Hannah watched over Ryan a few hours later as he slept. Having showered and changed into some spare fatigues, she fought to stay awake even as the clock crept toward four in the morning. The doctor had told her earlier that he had been shot twice, once in the arm and once in his shoulder, only an inch above his heart. Mark’s injury had been serious in that he had been bleeding for far longer from a bullet wound in the right side of his abdomen, though no organs had been punctured. Only adrenaline had been keeping him awake and moving until they had arrived at the base. Both men were resting comfortably now, though. April was already asleep in another bed next to Mark, one limp hand extended past her mattress as though reaching for him. Colonel Newell had questioned her for almost an hour regarding the contents of the memory chip. Hannah had also begged to call home and had talked with her father for another hour. However, everything was now quiet. They were safe, the evidence was in good hands and the personnel at the air base had promised to take good care of them. Hannah looked longingly at the empty hospital bed behind her, her eyelids heavy and her body weary. A sound from Ryan’s bed drew her attention, though. Taking in a deep breath, he turned his head on the pillow and winced as he rediscovered his injuries, which were no doubt stiff and sore despite the pain killers. “Hey, how are you feeling?” she asked softly, stepping closer to his bedside. His eyes slowly opened at the sound of her voice. “Happy to be alive…and to see you here,” he rasped. She reached for the pitcher of water on his bedside table and poured a small amount into a plastic cup. Dropping a bendable straw into the cup, she carefully cradled his head and neck in one hand and held the cup still as he sipped from the straw. He then relaxed on the bed and she put the empty cup back on the table. “So what’d I miss?” “They’re going to send us home as soon as you and Mark are fit to travel and someone will fetch our things from our apartments to send back. Someone from the FBI is coming to debrief you in the morning.” Ryan nodded and then was quiet for a moment, staring pensively at nothing. “How’s Mark?” he suddenly said, noticing his friend a few feet away. “He’s going to be fine. The blood loss was serious but the doctor did a good job.”

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“That’s good,” he sighed, looking back at her. “And you? I didn’t scare you too much, did I?” Hannah smiled even as tears stung her eyes. “I’m just glad that you’re okay,” she managed to say. Ryan reached for her hand, shushing the tears that spilled out. “No tears. Come on, lie down next to me,” he coaxed. She shook her head. “I don’t want to jostle you.” “My right side is fine. I’ll heal faster if you come here,” he insisted, tugging on her hand. Quickly giving in, she kicked off her shoes and carefully crawled onto the narrow hospital bed. Easing down to lie along his right side, she laid her head on his right shoulder and settled against him. Ryan sighed with contentment, patting her shoulder. “You know what’s funny?” she said after a short while. “What’s that?” “The reason why I agreed to work for NT was basically the reason why the company chose to sell Blues.” She heard him make a noise of confusion. “And what reason is that?” “Greed. Of all the jobs I had applied for, working for NT paid the most and I wanted the money. I was so stingy the entire time I stayed in this country. I never experienced it. I’m not even leaving with all that much, either, really.” “But Hannah,” he laughed, “you weren’t knowingly risking the lives of billions of people. The salary at NT was simply the means to an end. I’m actually rather glad that you chose to work there.” Thinking that he referred to her accidental discovery, she replied, “It’s true that we wouldn’t have the evidence otherwise. Someone else might have had nowhere to take it or might have deliberately pretended not to have seen it.” “Well, yes but that’s not what I was referring to,” he said, squeezing her tighter with his free arm. “I wouldn’t have met you if you hadn’t signed on with NT and come to Japan.” Despite her tiredness and cynicism, she smiled and snuggled closer to him. “I still have one question, though,” he added, taking a deep breath as he carefully shifted. She tilted her head up to look at his face. “Fire away,” she consented. “What are you going to do with the money you saved?” She laughed a little, recalling how she had never gotten around to telling him. “Actually, the dominatrix idea has me intrigued,” she joked. A smile spread across his face. “You’d have only one customer, though.” “Hey!” she laughed with some bit of shock. “No, I mean,” he chuckled, “of course thousands of men would flock to your studio of pain but I wouldn’t let any of them through the door.”

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“Ah,” she said once comprehension dawned on her. “For only one customer, though, my fees would be rather exorbitant.” “Hmm, that’s true.” “In all seriousness, though, I was planning to use it to go back to school. Maybe get a degree in journalism. I thought I could be a correspondent or translate overseas news articles. I’m not so sure Japan will let me back in, though after all of this.” “Don’t worry about that. The government has no reason to ban you,” he reassured her. “You’ll probably even be famous. The FBI will want to keep my identity under wraps but you can be the…poster child, I guess is the word.” “More like ‘whistle-blower’.” She sighed. “I feel tired just thinking about it. People like me are labeled as cowards and rats.” “You’ll be a hero. You are a hero,” he emphasized. “You even raced down an autohighway with someone shooting at us. Sounds pretty brave to me.” “Look who’s talking. You were shot twice while hanging out of the car. It makes me wonder if our relationship from here on could ever be as exciting.” “I don’t think we’d want that kind of excitement again. My body sure doesn’t,” he joked, wincing as he shifted again. “You said your father was in the FBI, right?” “Yeah, he is. He mostly works in Washington, DC.” “Well, I think he would be very proud of you,” she asserted. Ryan became quiet then and for a few seconds, she wondered if he had fallen asleep again. “Ryan?” she whispered. “Do you really think so?” he eventually said. She smiled softly. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s the agent coming to debrief you.” “My father is coming here?” he said, a little louder. “Uh-huh. You should get some sleep then. We’ll hopefully have you out of bed by the time he gets here,” she said, patting his chest. “I hope he likes me.” “He’ll love you. Just like I do,” Ryan said warmly. “I love you too,” she grinned, snuggling closer to him. “And I’d love it if you two went to sleep,” Mark groaned. Giggling and taking a quick peek over at Mark, Hannah called a soft apology. His subsequent snores made them both smile.

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About the Author Ruby Duvall is an avid reader of many genres, but her favorites include fantasy, scifi, and suspense. She also loves movies, especially horror movies. Favorites are Aliens, The Shining, and The Ring. When it comes to music, her interests are rather eclectic, but her favorite genre is rock ‘n’ roll. Ruby has been a fan of Anime for ten years and has seen dozens of series. She is also active outdoors and loves snowboarding. She enjoys making websites and is comfortable using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. She has always enjoyed writing essays, and she first started writing fiction as a fanfiction author for her favorite anime series. Currently living in Tokyo, Ruby teaches English and studies Japanese. Ruby welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Ruby Duvall Caught in the Devil’s Hand Oblivion

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