by Lia London
Burying her face in her palms, she whimpered. “Charles, please!”
He stood, sweeping his hands up to take hers. “Of course, Chieko. Whatever you say!” He planted his sloppy lips on her mouth and his free hand on her bottom, and the crowd went wild.
Chieko gasped for air, trying to evade the man’s tongue. Was she seriously being caught on camera in a compromising situation with a total playboy again?! First Crawford Andrews, and now Charles Sato. At least the first time, she’d actually been attracted to the man, and the images kept her anonymous by their angles, but this…
Chieko managed to push away but quickly surmised running from the scene would not be possible. Not with an injured ankle and a gathering mass of onlookers. She was trapped. Sobbing with defeat, she collapsed into Charles’ chest.
“Aw, how sweet! She’s so happy, she’s bawling,” said a woman near the front.
Chieko wondered why dying of embarrassment couldn’t be a real thing. It should be. It seemed she tried it often enough.
Chapter 13 ~ Otherwise Engaged
Barth shoved peas into the cavities of mashed potato caves and tried to bury his disappointment that Chieko had not come after Sunday dinner. Her phone had gone straight to voicemail when he tried to call, so he’d hoped she’d only been delayed in traffic, but now a nagging doubt told him that she had already lost interest in him now that he was no longer going to work on the show with her. Why would she want an unemployed nobody?
His worries were drowned out by the family’s celebration at Amaya’s announcement. She’d followed his advice and let the family know she and Frank were engaged. All around him, people bustled, hugging each other and pinching cheeks.
“Well that’s a happy day to come!” MarLee clapped.
“But we don’t have a lot of money for a fancy—”
“Nonsense!” Pappy held up a hand. “You already got the prettiest bride in America. What more do you need?”
The room rumbled with agreement, and MarLee swung into planning mode for an intimate wedding.
Barth sighed. At least some of the Jefferson family tree was flowering with good news.
“I guess it’ll be you and me, roomie,” said Charlene, slapping his thigh before sitting down next to him with a piece of Grammy’s famous cherry pie.
“What?!” Barth couldn’t believe his ears.
“Frank’s staying put, and Amaya will take the condo to set up house. It’s a woman’s prerogative to feather her nest, y’know.”
“Okaaaay,” said Barth, his mouth dry. “So, you want me to take her spot in the apartment with you?”
Charlene shoved a forkful of pie into her mouth and chewed. “We’ll need to talk ground rules because I do not want any guys I date to think you and I are a thing.”
“We’ll tell everybody I’m your little brother,” said Barth.
Charlene, pasty white, petite, and bleached blonde, rocked back in her chair and laughed hard. “Or twins separated at birth!” She jabbed him gently with the tines of her fork. “Seriously, though. I guess we’re going to need a no-inhouse dates rule. It’s bad enough with me and Amaya, but I don’t want your girlfriends checking me out with dirty looks.”
“I have a feeling that won’t be an issue.”
Charlene shrugged. “Then you can curl up with Ben & Jerry to watch Netflix like every other single in Oregon.” She leaned in. “But no sampling any of my secret stash.”
“I’d be afraid of what’s in it.” His eyes grazed over her. He’d long admired the tiny dancer with a huge personality, but she preferred her men stringy, with goatees, preferably wearing Birkenstocks and spouting stuff about organic, vegan, gluten-free whatevers.
Barth was too carnivorous for her. And he had too much meat on his bones. And too much Chieko in his heart.
Of course, she didn’t know that last part unless Chieko had told Amaya something, and they got to gossiping about it over breakfast some morning.
A moment later, Garold gave him a bear hug from behind. His dreadlocks flopping against Barth’s cheek. With eyes twinkling, Garold crouched between Barth and Charlene. “You holding out on me, bro? When did you get to be such a ladies’ man that you date one celebrity and shack up with this hottie?”
Charlene crossed her eyes at Garold. “Oh, please. You’re worse than Barth.”
“No, sugar. In every I’m way better,” said Garold, his voice like butter. “Seriously now, what’s going on?” He pulled out his phone and tapped away. “Didn’t Pappy tell me you been seeing Chieko?” He wobbled the phone between two fingers. “Lookit here. She’s got a profile, and—you guys are getting married?!” Garold’s voice pitched upwards with surprise, and he gaped at his phone.
“What? No, of course not. We—”
“Says here she got engaged. She’s trending on Instagram.”
Barth snatched the phone away. “What?!” He stared at the images, all announcing a public proposal between Chieko Makiguchi and a mysterious Asian suitor. Then a name popped up under one of the pics:
Charles Sato.
“She’s marrying Charles?!”
“Who’s Charles?” piped in Charlene.
“Some millionaire business guy.”
Charlene whistled. “Go, Chieko.”
“Seriously?” Both Barth and Garold turned their heads to frown at Charlene.
She stuffed a mound of cherry pie in her mouth and spoke through the goo. “What? She’s an enterprising young lady. Maybe he offered her a good prenup, and she’ll be available for you in a couple of years, Barth.”
“Aw, now that ain’t funny.” A stinging pricked at Barth’s eyes, and he shoved back from the table. This was his worst nightmare come true. “I … I gotta get some air.”
“Man, you didn’t know about this?” asked Garold, jogging after him into the living room.
“I knew her parents wanted her to marry the guy, but …” He rubbed at his temples with his fists angrily. “Guess it’s like Mom’s family all over, huh?”
Garold shook his head, muttering a few curses. “Man, I’m so sorry.” His eyes disappeared beneath the spray of thick strands, and he backed away. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“I’m a nobody, Garold. A black nobody. And she’s got a rich Japanese guy her mommy and daddy like. How can I compete when I’m a nobody?”
Garold stiffened. “You’re not nobody. You’re Bartholomew Jefferson, MVP of—”
“Not anymore.” Barth palmed his eyes angrily and turned to leave. “I’ll be back, man. I gotta… I don’t know.”
“Don’t do something stupid, Barth.”
“I’m not stupid. I’m a nobody.” Barth let the door slam shut behind him as he stormed out into the night, anger and shock ripping at his chest.
How could she have kissed him with so much passion? She said she didn’t want Charles. What happened? Which of the two men was she playing? Both?
He pouted up at the stars. “At least I don’t have to explain to her why I’ll be rooming with Charlene.”
A voice called out behind him, and he turned to see Amaya approach. She wrapped her arms tightly around her slender body, pausing at the edge of the pool of light spilling down from the street lamp. “Garold told me. Is there anything I can do?”
Barth held up a hand, biting back a retort. “No, Amaya. You’ve done enough.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You got me all tangled up with Ms. Parker and Chieko. Got my hopes up. Got my heart broke. And now I’ve got nothing.”
“Oh, Barth.” She reached for him, wrapping her arms around him and pinning his elbows in place. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for anything like this to happen.”
Barth softened. He knew Amaya would never cause anyone pain on purpose. “It’s okay, ’Maya. I guess you tried.”
“Have you talked to Chieko about it? It feels really sudden, doesn’t it?”
Shaking his head, Barth scowled. “We talked about that Charles guy,
but I guess I misunderstood the deal.” Bitterness tinged his voice. “I guess she likes kissing her co-workers, huh? Maybe I set my eyes on the wrong girl.”
When Amaya didn’t answer right away, he headed into the shadows, burying his hands in his pockets. He’d left his coat inside, and the damp November air chilled him to his lungs. “I need a girl with no expectations, if there is such a thing.”
Amaya trotted to catch up. “Bartholomew Jefferson, don’t say that. You’re a fine catch.”
“No, Amaya, I don’t catch the ball much. I block the line. I get in the way while the big shots can get all the glory.”
Amaya’s sigh came out with a puff of vapor.
“Go inside, ’Maya. No sense in catching a cold on my account.”
“You’re family, Barth. I don’t care about the cold.” She laced her arm through his and began walking down the street.
He glanced at her when they next passed near light. “Amaya, you’re a beautiful person inside and out.”
“You, too, Barth.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “You’ll find a girl good enough for you some day. I’m sorry it wasn’t Chieko, though.”
He didn’t answer. They walked for almost twenty blocks before turning back, never speaking another word.
“Oh, sweet Chieko! I’m so happy for you!” Mayumi’s warm embrace startled Chieko out of her tears. She had sobbed the whole way over, littering Charles’ Jaguar with wadded tissues.
After his proposal and her stunned reaction, he had literally swept her off her feet and carried her to his car through a crowd of cheering onlookers with iPhones raised to record.
Now, perched on one foot on her parents’ doorstep, she stared in confusion over her mother’s shoulder at the twinkling lights and balloons decorating the foyer.
“Isn’t it early for Christmas decorations?” Did her parents ever do Christmas decorations?
“This isn’t for the holidays,” gushed Mayumi. “It’s for you!”
Chieko blinked, her arms still hanging at her side. “For me?”
“Well, you and Charles, of course. For your engagement!”
Stiffening, Chieko wiped away the remains of her tears. “You knew?”
“Of course! He told us all about his plan to propose at the studio tonight.”
With narrowed eyes, Chieko studied the balloons more closely. Everything read Congratulations or sappy phrases about Together Forever and True Love. “And you obviously assumed I’d accept.”
“Of course!” Mayumi beamed.
Chieko opened her mouth to shout out the truth but stopped short as a cluster of faces peeked in from the formal dining room. “Congratulations!” they called in unison, flooding into the foyer. Both sets of grandparents, her father’s boss, and half a dozen other unusually polished-looking adults crowded around her. As they pressed closer, she felt the room spinning and the air escaping her lungs. With relish, she welcomed the idea of fainting. Then she wouldn’t have to endure this horror.
But just as the corners of her vision grew darker, Charles wrapped his tentacles around her from behind, lingering a second longer on her breasts before lifting her into the air.
Her scream of fury only encouraged the guests, who clearly saw two lovebirds flirting.
The night only deteriorated from there. Charles’ hands. Her father’s speeches. The elated grandparents. The gossipy guests she didn’t know. And in the middle of all the chaos, there was never a moment to correct their assumption or complain of her swollen ankle.
When she finally begged a moment to go to the bathroom to freshen up, she sank onto the tile floor and fished her phone from her purse to call Barth.
But the battery had died completely, and her charger lay on the counter at home.
“Noooooo!!!”
Her primal cry seemed to mourn every aspect of her life.
***
Chieko squinted through the rain-streaked windshield at the small prop plane on the air strip. She had never come to the non-commercial part of PDX airport and now wondered if she’d see any significant celebrities sneaking into their private planes.
She flared her nostrils at the irony. Wasn’t she a celebrity of sorts commuting to work via Guy Fox’s little air beast, the Clay Pigeon? In the dim light of the drizzly morning, she could make out the figure of a person emerging from a small four-seater and trotting with her head down towards the car.
Wearily, Chieko shoved open her door and stood to offer a wave. “Hey, Parker. Good thing we’re not actually shooting a vid today, huh?”
“Good morning, and no kidding. You look awful.”
“I meant the rain.”
“Oh.” Parker shielded her eyes. “Did you clear leaving the car here?”
“Yeah, I’m authorized until 5pm.”
“We’ll be back well before. It’s only about an hour away by plane.”
Chieko shoved the door shut with her hip and locked it with the key fob. “That’s so crazy. Barth and I had to drive several hours for most of the shoots.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. It’s part of why we opted to go with the three of us for now.” Parker met Chieko’s eyes with a friendly smirk. “So, pretty soon, you’ll be able to fly up to us in your own private jet, huh?”
“What?”
“Isn’t that one of the perks of being a Fortune 500 bride?”
Chieko flushed and frowned. “Oh. That.”
“Congratulations! That was kind of unexpected.”
“That was a big mistake is what that was.”
“You’re already getting buyer’s remorse?” Parker’s face showed actual concern.
“I didn’t buy anything,” said Chieko, failing to keep one hundred percent of the shriek from her voice. “It was a total misunderstanding.”
“But it was caught live on a dozen cell phones, and then your co-workers covered the story this morning during their banter.”
Chieko dropped her face into her hands. “I was trying to run away from Charles.”
Parker frowned. “But the big kiss, the clasped hands … For the love of photo ops, you even had your heel kicked up behind you in the classic romantic bliss pose.” She snorted. “It’s like you’re on the cover of some stupid romcom or something.”
“Oh please, I’m humiliated enough.” Chieko sighed. “As for the flippy foot thing…” With a tug on her pant leg, she revealed her ankle wrapped in an ACE bandage. “Sprained it.”
Parker’s hands flew to her mouth. “Seriously, Chieko? You’re really not engaged?”
“I’m really not. But try convincing the mighty Charles Sato. Or anyone else. Especially my parents.”
“That was a one-sided kiss?”
“I think he was trying to perform a tonsillectomy with his tongue, but yeah. Not consensual.”
Parker scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Men, huh?”
“At least most of the ones I know,” agreed Chieko. A knocking at her ribs reminded her Barth was different. But she hadn’t been able to get through to him with her dead phone. Even when she’d borrowed her mother’s cell, Barth had not answered.
“Wow, it really looked convincing. Especially with all the hype this morning on your own station.” Parker sagged back against the hood of Chieko’s car with her jaw flopped open.
“The power of TV and social media, huh?”
Parker shook her head. “And the right camera angles.”
Chieko could think of nothing more to say. If she allowed her thoughts to stir up her emotions, she’d explode, and right now she needed to be professional.
With unexpected tenderness, Parker laced her arm around Chieko’s waist. “We’ll figure something out. It’ll blow over.”
Chieko wanted to believe in Parker’s marketing superpowers, but Charles had money behind him and had already launched a publicity campaign of sorts. The young millionaire had snared his trophy celebrity bride and wanted the world of finance to know all about it. Chieko rolled her eyes at the thought
. Charles probably assumed his betrothal would make him much more desirable to beautiful gold diggers.
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” said Chieko.
The longer it took her to get in touch with Barth, the more terrifying the prospect felt. Would he believe her? Or would he think she’d been playing him?
“Sure, let’s go. Guy is dying to show you all the editing gear he has and how he tweaked the stuff you sent up.”
Chieko’s brow knit. “You changed a bunch? I thought Barth’s—”
“It was great. You guys did a fantastic job for the first draft,” said Parker, slapping Chieko’s back lightly. “Need to lean on me to walk, or are you okay?”
“Not if we go slow. I don’t need to slip on the slick cement and smack my butt on the ground.”
“A busted tailbone would put a damper on a honeymoon,” quipped Parker.
Chieko shuddered. “Don’t go there. Though… I may keep that escape route in mind.”
Parker gave her a dubious face. “You really think you’re not going to be able to get out of this? Just tell him you never said yes.”
Chieko shook her head as they approached the plane. “You don’t know what it’s like. The pressure in my family to marry a successful man is insane. I’ve got two older generations ganging up on me about it.” She climbed into the cockpit and looked to the pilot’s seat, aware for the first time it was occupied. “Oh. Hi. You must be Guy.”
The slender, bearded man smiled and twisted in his seat to extend a handshake. “Yes, so great to finally meet you, Chieko. You have my Daisy’s respect, and that’s saying something.”
“Daisy?” Chieko still couldn’t believe Parker allowed this.
As if hearing her thoughts, Parker climbed in and explained. “Guy is helping me get in touch with my flowery side, but let’s not push it too far. I’m not going to fart glitter or start singing to the chipmunks.”
Letting out a wheezy laugh, Chieko leaned back and wrestled with the seat belts. She’d never been in a small craft before and wished she could share the experience with someone. With Barth. Why hadn’t he answered?