I grimaced. "Yeah, she asked for it. She's lucky we still had some green tea leaves left over. I almost threw the tin out when Abe got canned."
Tadashi flicked a glance over at the closed door. "So, I don't believe in gossiping—"
I held up a hand to stop him before he could say anything more. "That's a joke, right? You love gossiping."
He grinned and with a practiced flick of his fingers, swept a lock of hair from his eyes. "Okay, that's a lie. Yes, I do love gossip and rumors. It's the spice of the workplace. Otherwise, this place would be so damn boring. You know that, Rika."
I snorted and as the kettle whistled, I turned it off and waited a few seconds for the water to cool. I wasn't going to get her the precious mineral water, but I'd do everything else to the letter. Like hell I was going to let her complain about me to Nobuki. "What are you doing here, Tadashi?"
"Mmm," he mused, gaze going back to the closed door. "Just wondering what Yue Kinou is doing in your boss's office."
I blinked. "Yue who?"
He looked at me for a moment and then rolled his eyes up. "Oh, that's right. You wouldn't know who she was. Yue Kinou, she used to be a pretty famous AV model. Did a bunch of gravure magazine spreads before she went into porn." He clicked his tongue. "Well, softcore porn, but unless she's good at acting, pretty sure she was still getting fucked on film."
I winced and finished making the cup of tea. "Do you have to say it like that? You make it sound like it's a sin to be an adult actress."
His silence was telling as he considered me carefully. "You know, there's not a lot of people who wouldn't be so laissez faire about being in the same room as a porn star."
"Yeah, well, maybe I learned a few things in America," I replied somewhat tartly.
Julian had taught me there was nothing wrong with a woman's sexuality and that old-class morals kept us from progressing as a species. And while I wanted to hate her, memories of Julian's stern admonishment that night in the club was enough to keep me from dismissing her outright.
With the cup of tea balanced on a delicate saucer, I glared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be working or something? What is it that you do here, Tadashi?"
He smirked at me. "Besides make all the women love me?"
I snorted. "Right. How could I forget?"
I knocked at the Nobuki's door and at his soft murmur, opened the door to find Nobuki and the beautiful woman sitting in the same position as I had left them. In fact, it looked like they were just talking, even if she did have a hand over his on the desk and was stroking his with one delicate finger.
I don't know what I expected to see.
Both of them in a scandalous position?
Was I disappointed I didn't see them like that?
Or relieved?
I placed the tea on the edge of the table and Nobuki nodded to me as I bowed myself out.
Tadashi coughed. "Were they, hah, inflagrante delicato?"
"No, they weren't, so you can leave before I report you to HR for missing work."
He shrugged. "So, I'm taking an early lunch. Nothing wrong with me being here. Besides, we're friends, aren't we?"
I sighed and sat back down. "Seriously, though, is that why you're here? To tell me that my boss is in the same room as a woman who used to be in porn?"
His brow went all the way up, hidden by that very persistent lock of hair that kept falling into his chocolate-brown eyes. I never understood why his charm didn't worked on me; aside from Nobuki, he was the most popular guy in the building.
"My, what a progressive you are," he said with a chuckle. "Next time you'll be telling me that Haru the Fox is a misunderstood waif who doesn't deserve the bad rep."
I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Maybe she doesn't."
His eyes went wide. "Wow, didn't expect you to say that."
I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. That might've ruined any illusion he had about me being a grown-up who can look past minor transgressions.
After all, even though she spilt pomegranate soda on my expensive white sweater, she did give me money to get it dry-cleaned.
Instead of leaving like I hoped he would, so I could try to at least attempt to spy on my boss and the stunning woman in his office, he slid into the chair across from me, an ankle resting on his knee. "So, how about some of that hot gossip you think is so wrong to indulge in?"
And even though I should've sent him on his way, I couldn't help but lean towards him, shooting furtive glances at the door. "Oh, fine, I suppose you're not going to leave until you satisfy yourself, anyways."
His eyes sparkled as he told me that Yue Kinou was a very famous AV actress about a decade ago. There was a rumor when she retired that she was pregnant with Nobuki's child, but later turned out to be her manager's.
My heart pounded hard against my chest, as I remembered what Ayaka had told me the first day I met Nobuki.
So, that was her. The beautiful gravure model who tried to accuse Nobuki of being the father of her unborn baby.
Such accusations weren't usually taken well. How the hell could Nobuki stand to be in her presence? Why didn't he just throw her out?
Exactly what was their relationship?
Curiosity was eating me up from the inside out and it was driving me crazy, like an itch just underneath my skin that just wouldn't go away.
As Tadashi's voice trailed away, he gave me a raised brow. "What's wrong? You're not giving me the reaction I expected. Where's the horror? The shock? I swear, Rika, you're disappointing me."
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms. "I've heard all of this from Ayaka weeks ago. Either you give me some new info about Nobuki or you go away and let me do my job."
"Oh?" His mouth spread into a wide, knowing grin. "Nobuki? You're awfully familiar with him, aren't you?"
And then suddenly, I was the flustered one.
If you didn't already know, Tadashi was like a shark sensing blood in the water, and I tried to cover my discomposure. "Well, I mean…he's not here. Don't tell me you don't call our boss by her first name."
He grimaced. "Are you kidding? Mrs. Yamaguchi is at least three hundred and ten. I'm not even sure if she has a first name."
"So, that's it? You want to tell me her kid is Nobuki's? Is that all?" I continued glibly, trying to change the subject, because like I said, I am useless at lying with any level of proficiency.
"It was a sordid affair, you know," he said. "To be honest, I'm surprised the Chairman Hamazaki allowed him to get hired. Did you hear what he did to his daughter when he heard she was getting married to a gangster? Disowned her. Now, that's what I call a cold-hearted bastard."
"Oh, so now you're moving onto the head of the company now?"
His mouth took a petulant tilt down. "You know, I'm starting to feel really underappreciated here. Come on, Rika, I thought you were into the whole office politics and rumors thing. God knows, there's little else to do around here."
"You mean, aside from our jobs?" I glanced pointedly at my computer monitor.
His brows went way up. "Since when did you turn into such a Miss Goody Two-Shoes, anyways?"
"Call me that again and you won't like what I do to you," I muttered darkly.
"Oh, that sounds like a challenge," he replied with a broad wink. "What did you have in mind, my dear?"
I could only reply with a sigh, but no matter how hard I tried, it was almost impossible to stay angry or annoyed with Tadashi for long.
Besides, he was quite beautiful, and like I had told Nobuki before, I had a weakness for beautiful things.
The memory of that night brought a flush to my cheeks and I quickly looked down, unwilling to let him see me.
Just then, there was some sounds from Nobuki's office and the door opened.
My head snapped up, and I tried to not look guilty as hell as Nobuki switched off his office light, one hand on Yue's back.
She was laughing, her eyes dancing and an easy smile sat on his lips.
Until he saw Tadashi and me.
"Miss Hasegawa?" The smile vanished. "I was not aware you had a guest. Or is he here for me?"
"Um, no, he's here for me," I said, rushing to my feet.
Tadashi didn't move from the seat, almost insolent in his posture and that half smile as he looked Yue from head to toe. "A pleasure to meet you. I've always had an interest in exotic locations…" He winked. "And exotic women."
Yue merely rolled her eyes, ignoring him completely. "Nobuki, I'll wait for you outside. There's a car waiting for us. Red Lexus."
She left the room first, thankfully taking that horrible cloud of rose perfume that was, with my luck, going to give me one hell of a migraine.
Nobuki threw on his jacket, looking at me with cool detachment, like we were strangers. "Miss Hasegawa, please cancel any plans for the remainder of the day. I'm taking a half day."
"Of course, Mr. Miyano," I said.
Then he turned to Tadashi. "Aren't you Murai from the editorial department?"
"I am." Tadashi inclined his head to one side. "I'm honored you're aware of a peasant like me."
Was I imagining a slight edge to Tadashi's languid, almost lazy voice?
Impossible. Tadashi didn't dislike anyone, at least not to my knowledge.
Nobuki pointedly glanced at the clock that read eleven thirty. "What is your business here?"
"Taking an early lunch. Shooting the shit with your secretary."
Nobuki's jaw tightened. "I see. Is your manager aware you're taking this early lunch to bother other company employees? I wonder how Mr. Yamashita would feel knowing one of his employees was seen wasting valuable company time?"
There was definitely some kind of tension going on between them, and I stepped into Nobuki's line of sight, trying to defuse the situation before something truly bad happened.
"It's fine, Mr. Miyano." I put a hand on Tadashi's shoulder. "He just came by to ask how our trip to America went."
Nobuki's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Is he a friend of yours, then, Miss Hasegawa?"
"Er," I said. "Yeeesss?"
"You don't seem very sure."
I swallowed the lump in my throat at his severe gaze. "I meant, yes. He's a friend. A good friend."
His brows drew down. "If that's the case, keep your socializing to a minimum. This is a workplace, not a bar, Miss Hasegawa. Please remember that."
He left me then, red-faced, feeling like an idiot while Tadashi gave me a pitying look.
"He really hates you, doesn't he?" he asked. "The guy's a total ass."
I sighed and pulled out my lunch. "I couldn't have said it better."
On Saturday, I woke up bleary-eyed and woozy from remnants of a terrible dream I couldn't recall, only left me with a dry mouth and my pulse racing.
Luckily, the phone vibrating on my nightstand woke me up.
With morning sunbeams playing along my bed and the sounds of birds chirping in a nearby tree, I found a message from Saki, telling me the address of the café I was supposed to meet her old schoolmate.
Her last text to me all but warmed the cockles of my heart.
Don't screw this up.
I groaned and threw an arm over my eyes, hoping I could get a bit more sleep before my neighbor cranked up enka music and started singing very loudly and off-key to it.
I could have sworn I had closed my eyes for a minute when my phone vibrated again. But this time, it was Ayaka saying she was on her way to help me with the meeting.
By the time I replied, the telltale thumps and a thin, warbling from the wall behind my head told me that getting more sleep was going to be impossible. I rubbed the sleep dust from my eyes, splashed ice-cold water on my face and shuffled downstairs to have a late breakfast.
Although, if I had thought about it more and hadn't been in such a weird haze, I would have known that my mother would fuss over me, more nervous about the impending date than me. I lost my appetite before I was halfway through the simple meal of miso soup, eggs, tomato salad and some toast. It's hard to eat when my mother was tiptoeing around me, picking at strands of my admittedly dry hair, making comments about olive oil hair treatments and how coffee grounds could help lighten my complexion and get rid of those pesky blackheads.
But I choked down the rest of the meal, promised her and Dad I was going to try my best at this meeting. I barely managed to keep her from tagging along. If I needed to make a quick getaway, having my mother with me sounded like a bad idea.
When Ayaka came over, knocking a few times and then walking in as was her habit, I was staring at the contents of my closet, trying to figure out what I was going to wear for a date I wasn't pleased about attending.
I didn't want to give him an excuse to complain to Saki, who would then complain to my parents. On the other hand, I didn't want to wow him and make him think I was actually interested in him.
Ayaka laughed as I woefully told her my worries. "Don't you think you're overthinking this? It's not like meeting him once leads to a proposal and then a wedding. Besides, you said he was your sister's classmate. Maybe he got roped into this just like you."
The idea that he might be against this as much as myself was encouraging, and I let Ayaka pick out a thigh-length black silk cap-sleeved tunic over light pink leggings paired with a thin knit cardigan that was the same length as the tunic.
I sat at my vanity as I idly picked through her box of makeup and hair accessories while she blew a hair dryer through my hair, making the ends wispy and curling at the edges with a broad brush.
At that point, I would have thought it was enough, but then she started on my makeup. She smeared on light foundation, powdered my face and then brushed on some light pink shadow on my eyelids as well as liquid blush on my cheekbones, ending with a darker color on my lips.
When she finished with the mascara, she stepped back, a pleased smile on her face. "There you go. What'd ya think?"
I blinked and stared at my wide-eyed reflection. Even though I had seen her process from the very beginning, it was still surprising to see the final product.
The light pink color scheme was very pretty, giving me an almost princess-like appearance and coupled with the wavy hair, I expected her to whip out a tiara and place it on my head. "Er, Ayaka, I want to put the guy down, not encourage him."
She laughed, putting her tools of the trade back into the makeup case. "Who says you can't look pretty for that? Honestly, Rika, you should put on a little makeup now and again. And not just BB cream. Put a little effort into your looks. You're so pretty, if you try just a bit."
"Nah, it's your makeup skills," I said, turning my face from side to side to check out her professional handiwork. "I think you missed your calling as a makeup artist."
She grimaced. "I did give it a few thoughts, but when I think about how much money my parents spent to get my economics degree, I just couldn't force myself into that industry. Besides, you know what they say about turning your hobby into your work."
"What do they say?" I rose from the vanity, but not before giving myself another peek in the mirror. I still couldn't believe I was looking at myself.
What would Nobuki think if he saw me now?
"Something about not enjoying it as much," she replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "I've got a high school friend who loved to write. Well, she achieved her dream as a writer, but I guess she's regretting it now. She says she's lost all her drive for writing now that she has to depend on it to feed her."
I thought about that. What was it like to feel so strongly about a skill? The only thing I was good at was reading. To be honest, I didn't think I would mind getting paid to read, like those in the acquisitions department, but would my mind change if I ended up there?
If I lost my love for reading, I had no idea what I'd do.
I hugged her gingerly, taking care not to smear my makeup. "Thanks a bunch, Ayaka. You want to wait here? Or come with me?"
"I should go home," she said, as we slipped on our shoes
in the entryway and walked out into the balmy spring air. "I've got to clean the house." A small smile blossomed on her lips. "Remember the date I told you about? With Masamune."
Impulsively I hugged her again, glad she was moving on with her life instead of worrying about her ex-boyfriend, and we separated at the bus stop as my bus came first.
Both the bus and the subway was crowded, as was to be expected for a weekend afternoon and the crowds only grew once I got out of Jiyugaoka Station. The main street was filled with tourists and locals out for a stroll on a beautiful day.
I paused to stare at the blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds that looked like dollops of whipped cream.
It truly was a lovely day. Bright, but not too hot, still a little spring chill in the air. A pity I was spending it doing something I truly loathed.
Passing by a few coffee shops with customers spilling out onto the sidewalks, I caught a sight of my reflection on a polished storefront glass and bit my lower lip.
I couldn't remember the last time I felt so pretty. I felt cute, something that was rare for me, and I wished Nobuki was here.
Would he like this side of me?
My mind took a darker turn as I found myself wondering what he was doing.
Was he with Yue Kinou?
I rubbed at the furrow between my brows and tried to focus on the task at hand. Besides, it was none of my business who he was with. It wasn't like we were in a dedicated relationship, anyways.
Patisserie Kashiwa was half way down the street, sandwiched between a café called Tokyo Coffee and a tiny flower shop with a cascade of ferns and wildflowers exploding onto the side walk.
Wallowing in the delicious scents of coffee, flowers and cake, my mouth was already watering as I walked into the large bakery door, one side of the room partitioned off, with several chairs and tables, one of them with a Reserved sign on top of the wrought iron table. The other part of the room was dedicated to stacks of small display cases filled with all sorts of breads and pastries that looked far too beautiful to eat.
I waited in line and stared at the trays carried past me by all sorts of people, students, parents with excited children hanging off their arms, seniors with traditional buns filled with sweet red or green bean paste. As for myself, my gaze was drawn to an adorable bun shaped like a rabbit, with small ears and a pink nose with black whiskers drawn over the bread. With a sigh, I turned away and ordered an iced coffee, no milk or sugar.
His Until Dawn (Kissing the Boss Book 3) Page 9