Lilli groggily opened her eyes just as the car rolled to a stop and No released his hold on her. The driver came around and opened her door and Lilli gingerly rolled her aching shoulders as the driver reached in to help her out of the car. The heels No had put her in crunched as soon as her feet hit the ground and she gazed sleepily down at her feet trying to make sense of what her eyes were telling her.
Snow! There was snow on the ground!
But that was nothing compared to what she saw when she looked up. A mansion, seemingly lit by candlelight. Huge and old. A samurai mansion, she realized, but only because the year before, Ruby had been obsessed with a J-drama featuring a teenage girl who accidentally time travels to Edo-era Japan.
“We are in the mountains, Ana. In a small town. This is my mother’s ancestral home. Where her ancestors started the sake brewery which would go on to yield them a great fortune after the end of the Samurai age,” No explained, coming to stand beside her. “We will remain here until you are well.”
Okay…Lilli was still too sick and too weak to question anything. A few words were exchanged between No and the driver, who returned to the car soon after. Then No escorted her into the mansion, which she’d later find out wasn’t so much a single house as a compound residence consisting of a number of smaller buildings. He led her into a free-standing pavilion and immediately busied himself in the tatami mat room. He lit a fire from a coal source beneath the floor, the Edo-version of turning on the heat, then rolled out a futon and motioned her over to a nearby mat.
Flu, definitely the flu, she thought. Colds were bothersome. But in her experience, flus were what really brought you down. Laid you out flat on the futon rolled out for you by your lover over tatami mats. Making it so you barely even notice the beautifully preserved room before falling asleep under the fur blanket provided by your lover.
Lilli remembered very little about the next few days. Pills and sleep. Soup and sleep. Tea and sleep. Occasionally water. Pee breaks that took all her energy, because she had to squat over a toilet nested in the floor, and then…
One morning, she woke up. And though she was still weak, her nose was clear and the painful body aches were gone.
Beyond that, her eyes were no longer itchy and watery, but filled with fantastical creatures! A dragon with wide, bulging eyes, wrapped around a sword. A hawk, so fierce Lilli was half-afraid it would take her up in his claws and fly away with her.
It took her a few wake up blinks to finally realize the creatures weren’t real. Rather they were part of an elaborate back tattoo, one that extended all the way down and past the line of blankets she and No slept under.
The art on his back was mesmerizing. So much so, she didn’t realize she’d reached out to touch it, until No’s voice said, “You are awak-oo,” his Japanese accent much stronger in morning light.
“Yes,” she said, drawing back her hand. “And I’m feeling much better, thank you.”
The fantastical tattoo disappeared from sight when No turned over to face her. But it was replaced with the beauty of his gentle smile. “This news pleases me.”
“Me, too. Being sick totally sucked,” she joked, only to suddenly grow serious. “But you missed your trip to Tokyo…”
Now he became somber even as he replied, “I would not like for you to worry about that trip, Ana.”
Easier said than done, but she could tell this was a subject he didn’t want to discuss, so she stroked his hair out of his face and said, “Thank you for taking care of me. I really hope you don’t get sick, too.”
“I will not,” he answered, taking her hand from his hair and kissing it. “Getting sick is not our family’s way.”
Lilli had to laugh a little, because he spoke of it as if his family were biologically immune to the flu virus, which of course wasn’t possible.
As if to confirm her thoughts, he conceded. “At least that is what my mother told my brother and I when we were boys. If either of us so much as blew our noses, she’d have a car bring us here. ‘Your father is descended from hawks, but I am descended from dragons. And dragons do not get sick,’ she would tell us.”
From the soft tone his voice had taken on, Lilli could tell No held fond memories of his mother and wished she could say the same for her own.
“It may only be in my mind,” he confessed. “But I consider this place to be one of healing. I came here after my mother died, and by the end of a week, I found myself able to return to Osaka and to work. Also, as I said, I never get sick, so…”
“It must be true,” she softly agreed, smiling gently.
He returned the smile with a beautiful one of his own . “Hai, exactly.”
There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other for the first time in what must have been days.
Then she said, “I saw your tattoo. I really like it.”
No’s eyes darkened, and an avalanche of thoughts seemed to flit across his normally inexpressive face. But all he said was, “Thank you.” Then, “We should now bathe.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
They stayed for an entire week at his mother’s ancestral home. Barely touching because Lilli was still too weak. But they connected in ways they never had before. Making meals over the fire pit. Taking baths. Sipping tea, mostly in silence.
It was funny…Doug had accused her of being a “goddamn chatterbox” on several occasions, complaining about how she filled up their townhouse with words, even when he returned from practice frustrated and tired and in need of silence. But contrary to his assertion that she never knew when to shut up, Lilli found herself passing numerous comfortably silent hours with No.
This was something she couldn’t help but ponder on their seventh day at the place she’d come to think of as the Samurai Sake House. They were walking behind the property, through a dense forest feathered in snow. Lilli was struck by the otherworldly beauty of the snow-covered landscape. It never snowed in Osaka, and snow was definitely one of the many things she missed about Seattle.
“Baseball season will start tomorrow.”
She blinked and looked over at No, scrambling to process his comment. “Wait, did you say baseball season starts tomorrow?”
“Yes. I must go back. I missed the meeting in Tokyo, so my father has arranged for one in Osaka. Also, the pitching roboto will make its debut during the first Hawks game of the season...” No turned his head away, scanning the horizon as if seeking an answer to a silent question.
Perhaps finding none, he concluded, “We must leave early tomorrow, Ana.”
“Oh,” Lilli said, looking down at the ground. Wishing they didn’t have to, but remembering, “We only have a few more days left on our contract anyway. I guess that means I should probably start packing.”
No grew silent again, and not in the thoughtful way he’d been over the last week. His body stiffened underneath his sweater, and the air between them became fraught with tension.
One day. One more day until the call that would seal Doug’s future… and kill whatever this was she had with No.
Feeling sick to her stomach, she said, “Any thoughts about what we should do on our last night here?”
No tilted his eyes to the sky…seemed about to say something significant, but then just shook his head before answering, “Yes, I have many thoughts about what we should do tonight.”
He tentatively reached out to her, as if testing out a newfound skill and then gently pulled her into his arms, giving her a very slow, very deliberate kiss. One that made her forget about the snow, the cold wind blowing, and all the shit waiting for her back in Osaka. Even before he murmured, “Let’s keep going.”
Keep going they did. Even as they made the drive back into Osaka, through the increasingly busy city streets, and eventually to her building in the Umeda district, Lilli doubted she’d ever forget their trip up north or their last night in the sleeping pavilion at the Samurai Sake Mansion. How she ran a hand over his back tattoo after stripping him out of his coat and s
hiver. The strange shiver he gave off at her touch before turning to face her in nothing but a pair of loose pants… “Hai, Ana, keep going.”
She’d ridden him more slowly than ever before last night, not because she was still recovering, but because she wanted to savor the feel of him between her thighs. She also delayed her orgasm as long as she could, simply because she’d never wanted the night to end.
But eventually, night gave way to morning and they had to take the inevitable multi-hour trip back down the coast of Japan to Osaka. Sooner than Lilli would have liked, she was surrounded by pert cherry blossoms and noisy cars rather than quiet mountains and crisp snow.
They’d held each other during the drive with the occasional kiss thrown in. But she reluctantly pulled away from him when she saw the Grand Front Owners Tower in the distance. The moment the car pulled up to the curb in front of her building, the thick cloud cover above burst into a depressing spring shower.
Of course it would rain, thought Lilli. How could it not? Then again, given how awful she was feeling, she much preferred a somber downpour than if it had been a warm, sunny day.
“Your last payment.”
Lilli turned from the side window to see that No held a red envelope towards her in both his hands. “Miyuki was in charge of putting payments in the Osaka Charm account, and I wanted to make sure you had your last one.”
Oh God…
She took it reluctantly, wondering if there was any possible way she could feel worse about herself in this moment.
“I…” she had no idea what to say.
“Go now, Ana,” he answered, his voice gruff. “My life will be very different after I meet with my father today. I will see you tonight. And we will discuss our next steps. I promise you, our story does not end here in this car.”
“Okay,” she whispered with a small smile. Happy but not happy this wasn’t a true goodbye.
No studied her for a moment, his dark Nakamura eyes softer than she’d ever seen them. Then he pulled her forward. One final kiss. Fleeting but firm. The kind of kiss a girl could take with her as she stepped out of the car and walked through the front door of the Grand Front Osaka…
…only to walk right back out as soon as she saw his car was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“He ended your arrangement early,” the voice on the other side of the line repeated.
“Yes,” Lilli answered Kazuo Nakamura, her arms crossed in front of her as she sat on the second floor landing of her other “fake” apartment. The shared Osaka Charm residence that the voice—Miyuki, apparently, had arranged.
A heavy sigh came from the other side. “It is disappointing Miyuki is no longer with us. I have no way of verifying if you tell the truth. It is not good thing to lie to me, I hope you understand this.”
No he did not have any way of verifying the truth of her claims, and thank goodness for that, Lilli thought, fretting her lip. Because she was lying out of her ass to one of the most powerful men in the Japan. As No had told her on more than one occasion, she wasn’t exactly an actress born, and she had no doubt that if the older Mr. Nakamura could see the way she was cringing now, he’d know she wasn’t even remotely telling him the truth, despite their agreement.
But lying was the only way. The only way to protect both No and her brother. “I’m sorry, but as you probably know, our contract would have ended soon anyway. Your son said he had other business to attend to today. Something about a meeting with you and a pitching robot? I had the flu all week so he and I didn’t really talk much.”
“And he did not tell you anything? About any business deals? Possibly with an American?”
Lilli could hear the growing suspicion in Kazuo’s voice loud and clear on her end of the line. And she could barely keep the quaver out of her voice when she replied, “He’s a super private person, Mr. Nakamura. And kind of quiet. We haven’t talked much at all during the last few months.”
“Yes, this is what the others have told me as well,” Kazuo Nakamura grumbled. “But I had hoped you would be different. That he might confide in you, perhaps even keep you on.”
Lilli’s eyes widened. She knew Kazuo still wasn’t 100% convinced what she was telling him was true. But any concerns she had about that were immediately overshadowed by what No’s father had just said.
Others??? Did he mean other women? Apparently Miyuki hadn’t been a one-off. And Lilli had to wonder just how many girls No’s messed up father had bribed and blackmailed to spy on him. But somehow she managed to keep her voice neutral as she said, “Sorry to disappoint you, but, well, you know how he is when it comes to women. He gets bored and then it’s on to the next.”
That seemed to have done the trick as far as convincing Kazuo to believe her was concerned. After a brief and disappointed pause, the older man sighed and said, “I see, well…thank you for your services, Ms. Tucker. You have kept your part of the agreement, I will keep mine. I will present Mr. Tucker with a new contract after tonight’s game.” Then she heard a soft click and the line went dead.
It had worked! Lilli supposed she should be feeling pretty triumphant right about now, but Kazuo Nakamura calling by her real name stung. Especially coming as it did on the heels of sixth months of pretending to be someone she wasn’t.
She just couldn’t stop feeling guilty for even pretending to betray the man who’d dropped everything to take care of her for seven days—even if it had been the only way to extract herself from this situation without damaging either his or her brother’s career. And the realization that she would likely never set eyes on No again…though nausea hadn’t been one of her symptoms before, she now had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
But Lilli didn’t have time to grieve and feel sorry for herself, she reminded herself. There were still a few more things she needed to do in the shared Osaka Charm apartment before she disappeared out of No’s life forever.
Pocketing her old phone that she’d retrieved from the planter, she used her key to slip back into the apartment—which was miraculously empty—to find and change into one of her old outfits: a pair of jeans and a scoop neck t-shirt with a roller skate on the front. She hoped to God No still had the place under surveillance as she placed the NTTdotcomo phone and the red envelope on the coffee table in the living room. Lilli quickly scribbled “Please give to Riyu” on it and then beat a hasty retreat, locking the door behind her and pocketing the key.
On her way back down the steps, she made the rather expensive decision to hire a taxi back to the reinforced concrete townhouse she shared with Doug and Ruby in Toyonaka.
When she arrived, the house was empty. Doug must have decided to take Ruby with him to the game. But after being away so long, Lilli was shocked at how messy the place was. Ruby’s school books and supplies were scattered everywhere. Dirty plates and dishes overran the sink. And she didn’t even want to talk about the floors. It looked like no one had touched a broom, mop, or vacuum in the six months she’d been gone.
Oh well…
Lilli sighed, a 90s era ditty about “back to life, back to reality” looping around in her head as she rolled up her sleeves and began her usual cleaning routine. First, pick up Doug and Ruby’s shit and put it where it needs to go. Second, start a load of laundry. Third, sweep and vacuum…then mop and deep clean everything from the dishes to the bathtubs.
Cinderella was definitely back from the ball.
Lilli tried not to think about the Prince she’d left behind. Or about all the messes she hadn’t had to clean up over the last six months. But those days were over. She’d left Ana Granger behind, and she hadn’t taken a cent of the money No had paid Osaka Charm.
She turned on the TV, flipping to the Hawks game where she eventually spotted Doug in the dugout, waiting for his turn at bat. Her brother, Doug Tucker, Lilli reminded herself. She was Lilliana Tucker—not Ana Granger, the woman who had somehow let her very first (and last) client sweep her off her feet.
But hours and
several filled trash bags later, No was still on Lilli’s mind as she dealt with the pile of Osaka Times English language newspapers stacked on the front porch, Doug apparently too lazy to carry it to the recycling bin inside the house. After giving the pile a closer look, Lilli realized it was far too big to fit in the indoor bin. She eventually decided to carry them to the larger recycling bin up the street.
Why the hell did her brother even bother getting the local paper? It’s not like any of them actually read it. In fact, the subscription had belonged to Doug’s wife who’d been using it to improve her English. And then she died. But Doug didn’t have the heart—or, let’s face it, the organizational skills—to cancel it. Lilli decided to bring this up with her brother when he got back home. It was way past time for Doug to cancel this never-read newspaper and move on with his life.
Move on…
Suddenly, Lilli experienced a paradigm shift. Or at least that’s what she thought happened because it felt exactly the way her college therapist had described it to her years ago.
Because here she was grumbling about Doug’s inability to move on with his life. But what in the hell was she doing? Here in this house? Taking care of her brother and niece and cleaning up the mess that had apparently just been waiting for her return? She was doing precisely the same thing as Doug. And this was not how she wanted to live anymore.
It was time to move on. Not just to a new job, but to a new place. Maybe… yes, maybe It was time to leave Japan altogether.
I need to go back to the States, she thought to herself. Go back and finish what I started before I let myself to get sucked into my brother’s life. She hadn’t completely lied to No about wanting to go back to school, just about her field of interest. She’d been thinking about applying for a pediatric nurse practitioner program before she left Seattle, and perhaps it was time to revisit that idea now that she’d decided to return to the States.
His Revenge Baby: 50 Loving States, Washington Page 13