“American women. They gossip. After our deal was done and when we were waiting for you outside the conference room, we overheard the women talking about it. They assumed we didn't speak English. They said many things about you. The chief thing that they said was that you wereâhow do you say? Sprung. They said something about you having your nose open, not acting your age, and the last term had something to do with disrupting a cradle.”
“I'm sure the term is robbing the cradle. Well, I apologize. And I thank you.”
Mr. Aichi bowed and then left to take the contract to his advisors. Vaughn glanced out of the huge window and looked out on Japan.
Then he called Brandon.
“Hey man, what's going on? Yeah. I know it's late. Listen, the Aichi deal is done. We're signing the papers now. I want to meet with the board when I return. When? I'm thinking a week from today. That's fine. I should have brought you here with me. The next time that I try to leave the country I need you to insist on going. Yeah, I know. I know I can be stubborn at times, but that's why I need you. You're my right-hand and I appreciate your counsel. Okay, man . . . cool. Well, listen, I gotta go. I will see you in a week. Hold things down for me till I get back.” Vaughn laughed. “All right, then. Oh, one more thing, fire Carmen and Loretta. I'll explain when I get back.”
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When Vaughn returned to the hotel, Korie had been pampered like she had never been before in her life. She had a manicure, pedicure, and a massage. She ordered room service, purchased a dress from one of the hotel galleries, and even picked out food for Vaughn. By the time he returned, she was dressed in silk pj's and sleeping like a baby on the bed. The flight had been long and she had jet lag. She left him a note saying to wake her when he returned. Instead, he smiled at the vision of loveliness that she was. Vaughn crawled into bed with her and turned off his cell phone before going to sleep. It was one of the best sleeps either of them had in weeks.
Over the next week, Korie saw all there was to see of Tokyo. Vaughn had been there many times but saw little of the magnificent place, short of its business district and its escorts. When Vaughn usually saw Tokyo it was a combination of business and pleasure, but neither was ever very far from the hotel where he stayed. While he had Korie with him, he decided to see all there was to see of the magnificent city.
Korie was like Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy in Oz. She was in constant amazement at how beautiful and magnificent Tokyo was. It had the bright lights of New York. It was a city rich in culture and also rich in tradition.
One afternoon they saw a baseball game and a sumo-wrestling match, all in the same day. They walked hand in hand in the downtown area while eating, shopping, and seeing all the sights there were to see. They saw an ancient Bunraku puppet theater, and also saw an anime film that same night. They frequented karaoke bars, shopping districts of which there were many, and they even went on a romantic walk on the secluded northern island of Hokkaido. It was a beautiful island paradise reminiscent of Oahu, of the Hawaiian Islands.
Each day was a new adventure. Each day brought a promising new thing that few people even dreamed about, let alone dared to do. Vaughn promised to show Korie the world and he started with Japan.
Their week in Japan turned into eleven days. There was just so much to see that they couldn't leave. They saw the sights by day, made love well into the night, and got to know one another on a whole new level. They saw Tokyo's Imperial Palace, with its grand walls, moats, and most of the imperial grounds that were open to the public and even a few that were not.
They saw Kokyo Garden, Mount Fuji, Hakone National Park, and the Sumo tournament known as Hatsu Basho. They watched fire-walking at the foot of Mount Takao and they even watched a 1400-year-old ritual of Yamabushi monks meditating in the mountain region. With everything that they did, Korie took pictures.
They went to the village theater in Kyoto, and they had a somber visit to Genbaku Dome, the only surviving structure from the bombing at Hiroshima. All these years later, you could see images of people that died and the exact place where they died as the world's first atomic bomb was launched. All these years later, there were still outlines of the dead. Being there was reminiscent of being at Ground Zero in New York after 9/11.
Their last days there were also full of adventure. They visited Hokkaido one last time because it was so beautiful, so serene and so secluded from the rest of the world. It had a dense forest and an unspoiled wilderness at its national park, also known as Daisetsuzan. Korie commented that the place was so beautiful that she wouldn't mind one day returning there to be married. On their last day in Japan they went to a Kodo drum festival and went bike riding in the Tono Valley.
That last evening in Tokyo they had dinner at Aragawa, the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo. The eatery was in the basement of a business building in the Shinbashi business district. It was a small and humble place, but it was also elegant, romantic, and truly a spot for only the country's elite. They specialized in Kobe beef, which Korie never had before. They also had an amazing wine list.
Korie and Vaughn had an elegant dinner and as they waited for dessert, she excused herself and went to the restroom. She relieved herself and was re-applying her makeup when a beautiful Japanese woman walked into the restroom. She looked like the Japanese model Miri Hanai.
She had a small frame, was top heavy, and her makeup was flawless. She wore a nice black formal, Manolo Blahniks, and flawless diamond earrings. She looked like a supermodel or a real-life model for an anime production. She stood next to Korie in the restroom and retouched her makeup.
Korie had seen the woman in the dining area. She was with an older Japanese gentleman in the rear of the restaurant. She was very pretty and Korie wondered if the man she was with was her father or grandfather. She smiled at Korie before speaking. Her English was okay, but very heavy with a Japanese accent.
“You are very pretty.”
“Thank you. You look amazing yourself. I love your earrings.”
“Thank you. Which a-gen-see are you with?”
“Agency? I'm sorry, what do you mean?”
“You are with Dee-Vawn-Har-iss, right?”
“Oh, DeVaughn . . . yes. Yes, I'm with him. But I'm not with an agency.”
“Not with an a-gen-see?”
“No. No, I'm not one of his clients. I'm his girlfriend.”
The Japanese woman's expression changed.
“Girlfriend?”
“Yes. He's my boyfriend.”
A few seconds later, a few more women came in. Two were Asian and the other was white. They were all equally beautiful. Their makeup was flawless and they each had on formals or form-fitting dresses and heels. The white woman went to the bathroom. The two Asian women engaged the first Asian woman in conversation. One of the two new women asked Korie the same question. This one spoke better English.
“You are not with an agency.”
“Uh . . . no.”
“And Mr. Harris is your boyfriend?”
“Yeah, is there a problem?” Korie assumed they had a problem with her and Vaughn's obvious age difference.
“
Okinoduku
,” one woman said. [too bad]
“
Kurombo
” another said. [negroid]
“
Baka-mitau!
”[that's stupid]
“
Kyapi kyapi gyaru
.” [bimbo]
“
Busu!
” [ugly]
“
Gaijin Kono ama!
”[foreign bitch]
On and on they went. Between speaking they laughed as they applied their makeup. Korie assumed the women thought her relationship with Vaughn was disgusting, but then it dawned on her that the first woman was with a man who was at least Vaughn's age. She definitely thought he must have been related to her. Korie knew what ridicule sounded like, but did her best to ignore it. She pretended she was back home in the States; she pretended these Asian women were no different than Hispanic women who start a conversation in English and then switch to Spanish.
Just because they were speaking in Japanese didn't mean they were talking about her, but the looks they were giving showed that they were. Korie didn't know that many of them had been to bed with Vaughn before. She didn't know that they were employees of the Elite Escorts Japanese office. She had no idea that once upon a time, Vaughn bedded women all around the world.
Just as Korie started to confront the Asian women, the toilet flushed and the white woman surfaced. She began washing her hands and in the middle of the Asian women bantering, the white woman scolded them.
“
Yamete yo
!
Dame yo
!
Nande sonna koto shita no
?
Hottoke yo
!
Muko ni itte yo
.
Bako amas
!” [Stop it! You shouldn't do that! Why would you say such things, leave her alone. Get out of here, you stupid bitches.]
The Asian women stopped their tirade. They each looked at the white woman, who was short and curvy. The white woman was built like a black woman. She had legs like Serena Williams and a butt that reminded Korie of Jayna's backside. She also had implants. She was thick in all the right places and ripped in all the right places as well.
The white woman gave the Asian women a look as if she were from the hood, and that was enough to make them stand down. Korie was impressed with how the white woman was built and equally impressed with the fact that she spoke Japanese. Korie didn't know what was being said, but she knew at that point the Asian women were clearly jealous of her and clearly talking about her. Korie was ready to fight if she had to, but the Asian women made a hasty retreat. The white woman then started doing her makeup.
“They were talking about me, weren't they?” Korie asked.
“Yes, they were.”
“What were they saying?”
“Among other things, they were saying that you are a foreigner.”
“Okay. But I'm guessing that's not the worst thing that they said.”
“No, no it's not.”
“Do you mind sharing?”
“Sorry sister girl, it's not my place to say.”
“Then why come to my defense?”
“The shit they were saying was out of order. And you're American.”
“Well, thank you. My name is Korie.”
“Korie, my name is Tenae.” She pronounced it Tenay.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same here. Are you really Vaughn's girlfriend?”
“What is so hard to believe about that? Do I look that bad?”
“No, no you don't. No offense, you're a pretty woman, but VaughnâI mean, Mr. Harrisâtravels the world with women who are taller, slimmer, and who have quite a few more artificial parts. He's sort of a playboy and again, no offense, but you seem . . . well, average, pretty, but average.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Just that you're not a model or a celebrity. In fact, I'm betting you have a job, don't you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Amazing. Well, like I said, no offense, but usually VaughnâI mean, Mr. Harrisâdates women who are looking to be kept. You look like an independent woman.”
“I am.”
“Well, good for you. I love it.”
Tenae laughed a bit and then headed toward the door. Korie was lost, confused, and obviously felt out of her league. Her self-esteem had taken a major blow and she was not feeling very good about herself. Before Tenae left, Korie asked her a question.
“Tenae?”
“Yes?”
“What did they mean by asking me if I were with an agency?”
“Not my place to say, Korie. Not my place to say.”
Korie exhaled as she tried to take in all that just happened. When she surfaced from the bathroom, the Asian women had rejoined the men they were with, and none of them made eye contact with her. Tenae walked by Vaughn and to the man she was with, a professional basketball player who was in Tokyo for a preseason game. Korie sat down, still confused about everything that just happened.
“You ready for dessert?” Vaughn asked.
“Actually, I'm ready to go home.”
“Okay, sweetheart, then let's go.” Vaughn smiled at Korie and kissed her reassuringly as they left. That put Korie at easeâsome.
But now her radar was up.
Her women's intuition was telling her something was wrong.
Her spirit told her that there was more to the bathroom incident.
Her heart told her to let it go.
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