9
MARVIN CARRINGTON LOOKED like a new man. Sort of.
He’d had his hair cut and styled. He wore new glasses and he looked good in a pale blue monochromatic shirt and tie. But the look in his puppy-brown eyes and his body language were the same. He still came across as insecure and slightly desperate.
“I don’t know what went wrong, Chris.”
“Well, tell me how your date started and we’ll figure it out from there.”
Marvin shrugged. “Tina asked when I wanted to meet. I said whenever it fit into her schedule. She asked where did I want to go? I told her anyplace she liked. When we got to the coffee shop, I ordered the same thing she did.”
Chris kept himself from wincing and instead nodded for Marvin to continue. “How did the conversation go?”
Marvin shrugged again. “I thought I was using open communication. I told her how long it had been since my last date and what went wrong in that relationship. I touched her a lot so she’d know I was sensitive and just tried to show her the real me. She didn’t talk much about herself and when I asked if anything was wrong she said nothing, but she kept sighing.”
“Okay, Marvin. I think I’ve heard enough. When a woman says “nothing,” it always means “something.” That’s great that you let her see the real you, but you might have shown her too much you all at once. There are twelve steps to intimacy and you jumped right to step four or five.”
He spent the next twenty minutes coaching Marvin and building his self-esteem and then practically held his hand while he called Tina to ask her for another date. When he left Chris’s office and headed for the front door, he was walking with a more confident stride and a spring in his step.
“You’re in a great mood today, considering all the activity around here today.” Lara paused by the bar on her way past.
Chris looked up from getting a can of his favorite energy drink and shrugged. A team of Hollinger/Hansen auditors and risk assessment specialists had been combing through his files all morning, checking the account books and reading client contracts. “Hey, if this is what it takes, let them look to their hearts content.”
“I thought all they needed were copies of the company’s financial statements and business plan? I don’t think all of this probing is typical, Chris.”
Given Rei’s connection to P.J. Hollinger, he didn’t think so, either. But he wasn’t going to sweat it. “I heard from Andrew Johnston that the expansion strategy presentation went well. He seemed confident the funding would be approved.”
“Let’s hope so. My husband wasn’t pleased about that private investigator questioning my neighbors,” Lara conceded.
Chris was just turning back to his office when he spotted Grant Bronson. His eyes narrowed when he realized Grant was talking to Marvin. Chris walked up to them just in time to hear they’d be at the weekly mixer Friday night.
“See you around, Grant. See you later, Chris, and thanks again.”
Grant cocked his head toward Marvin’s retreating back. “Is he another one of your personal projects?”
“I told you before, I can’t—”
“Talk about your other clients.” Grant offered a self-depreciating grin. “Sorry, man. I was just curious.”
Chris didn’t like the man’s curiosity and so kept his tone cool. “What are you doing here? We didn’t have an appointment.”
“I just stopped by to check my e-mail. I’ll see you at the mixer, right?”
He held Grant’s too-innocent stare for a second then finally nodded. “Yeah. I’m the host.”
“Cool. Catch you later.” Grant stuffed his hands into his front pockets and ambled into the computer café.
Chris watched him go, uneasiness settling into his gut. What the hell was that about?
Thursday, April 17th
Accomplishments: Buy flowers for no reason; Face backwards on an elevator
“CHICKEN SALAD, huh? That’s not exactly daring.” Chris ran his finger down the menu. The ever-popular Hayes Street Grill was the setting for their date today. “How about the quail salad with grilled figs?”
Rei rolled her eyes at his teasing. “I don’t think so. After yesterday’s lunch, I’m taking a day off from my quest for new adventures. What are you going to have?”
“A cheeseburger. You can never go wrong with a burger.”
“So, before the waiter came over, you were saying something about your plans for tonight?” Elbows on the table, she rested her chin on her hands.
Chris draped his arm over the back of his chair. “Yeah, I’m having drinks with my dad at this sports bar we like.”
“You and your father are close?”
“Dad and I are…friendly. He and my mom split when I was a kid, and I’m a lot closer to her. Until recently, at least. She’s started dating somebody but won’t tell me anything about him. Nothing.” His lips thinned with displeasure, turning down at one corner. “What?”
“Nothing.” Rei suppressed her smile at the look on his face, part concerned man, part disgruntled little boy. “There are a lot of reasons your mom may want to keep this man to herself for a while.” She shrugged. “She might not think you’ll approve or she might be afraid you won’t get along.”
“She’ll never know until she lets me meet him, will she?” Their food arrived and Chris took a vicious bite out of his cheeseburger.
“Well, maybe things are going well, and she just wants to enjoy his company before deciding where the relationship is heading.”
He cocked his head and arched a brow. “Is that what you’re doing?”
“Yes, but we’re talking about your parents, not us.” She took a sip of her mineral water. “Does your dad know she’s seeing somebody?”
“Yeah, I told him. It was odd how he reacted though.” His brows furrowed. “Dad got kind of tense and flustered and then said he hoped things worked out better for her this time.”
“That was nice of him. I take it they parted amicably?” She chose a nice sized piece of smoked chicken breast from her salad plate.
“Not really. That’s why I was surprised he seemed to care, considering he’s the one who walked out.”
Jennifer had married Rei’s father over twenty years ago, but Rei still remembered with crystal clarity the day she’d become Gordon’s wife. “I acted like I didn’t give a damn when my father started seeing someone, but inside I was horrified at the idea of my mother being replaced.”
Chris eyed her curiously. “Are you sure you weren’t upset over the idea of you being displaced? I’ve been the most important man in my mom’s life for a long time, and it feels strange to know there’s somebody else in the picture now.”
“You’re assuming I had a place in my father’s heart to begin with.” Rei set down her fork on the plate with an audible click.
“I’m sorry.” Chris reached over to touch her hand. “I’ve tried to maintain some kind of relationship with my dad over the years, but he hasn’t exactly been a model parent either. I guess that’s why I’m cautious about the sudden interest.”
“You have your mom though and I had my sofubo, my grandparents.” Rei smiled even as her heart squeezed in her chest from missing them so much. “My favorite, most precious childhood memories are of their cottage in Japantown.”
“Yeah? Tell me about them.”
“My mother would take me to have green tea and my grandmother’s tempura and rice balls. I spent hours running curious fingers over her silk screens and porcelain dolls. After lunch, my grandfather would help me to make origami cranes or take me to Lafayette Park to fly ezodaka paper kites.”
“It sounds like you had a great time with them, Rei.”
Her sofubo and the special times they’d shared, memories colored with tight hugs and plum candies and love, reminded her of what was happening this weekend. “Hey, Chris. Are you doing anything on Saturday?”
Friday, April 18th
Accomplishments: Get a makeover; Sing in public
SHE FELT like a fraud. Everyone else here tonight was genuinely looking to meet new people and hopefully discover that elusive chemistry, which might become a relationship. Since she was already involved with Chris, Rei hadn’t wanted to come to the Lunch Meetings mixer but she’d promised P.J. she would check out the event.
She hadn’t told Chris she was coming, hoping to surprise him. As she walked out of the cloakroom, Lara Voigt suddenly appeared at her shoulder. “Hi, welcome. This is your first mixer, right? Come on, I’ll introduce you to some people.”
“Oh, um, you don’t have to—”
“Don’t be shy. There are a lot of eligible bachelors at the party tonight, and everyone is just as nervous as you.”
In the main dining room, the usual tables and chairs had been replaced with food-laden buffets against the wall. Lara briefly explained how speed dating worked, then left Rei to her own devices. She joined the other people wandering from group to group, sharing rapid introductions and concise information about themselves, before moving on. By the sixth or seventh time she’d said, “Hi, Rei Davis. I’m a San Francisco native and I work for the court system,” her cheeks were sore from smiling politely.
Her next partner seemed more interested in a hook-up than a date. The good-looking, dark-haired man used his superior height to try and peer down her cleavage, then flashed her a pearly smile. “Hey, beautiful. Grant Bronson. I think you’re exactly who I’ve been looking for.”
Before she could retort, Rei suddenly felt Chris’s familiar and very welcome presence by her side.
“That’s too bad, because she’s been looking for me.” He slipped a proprietary arm around her waist and smiled down at her. “Hey, beautiful. You look incredible.”
Grant took a step back and raised his palms. “Sorry, man. I didn’t realize she was the one.”
“It’s cool. If you’ll excuse us?”
Chris’s voice was friendly enough, but Rei saw the cold look in his eyes and she was certain Grant had also. “Why don’t you just club me over the head and drag me into the nearest cave?”
“In that dress? Don’t tempt me.”
He led her around to the bar, where a number of people were chatting in groups or dancing to the club music the dj was spinning. Chris caught the bartender’s attention. “John, this is Rei. Whatever the lady wants is on the house, okay?”
“Sure thing, boss. What will you have, ma’am?”
Chris grinned at her. “Anything but tequila, right?”
She took a minute to scan her eyes over the vast display of bottles on the glass shelves behind the bar. “I think I’ll try a Skyy Blue martini, please.”
While John made her drink, Chris leaned against the gleaming brass rail and gave her a slow once-over. “Have I told you, you look absolutely amazing tonight?”
Rei pretended to pout at the compliment. “Only once.”
“Well, it bears repeating. I love what you did to your hair and I really love that dress.”
After work she’d gone to the Crocker Galleria near Union Square. At the pricey salon P.J. had recommended, after a lot of deep breaths and assurances from the stylist, she’d had six inches cut off her hair. It now had lots of layers and fell just to shoulder length. Her head felt lighter and she loved the way her hair swung when she moved, but it was strange not to feel her hair against her back.
While she was at the shopping mall, she’d gone into one of the exclusive apparel stores and splurged on the lavender silk cocktail dress. Triple spaghetti straps crossed one shoulder, leaving the other bare, while the fluted hem brushed the middle of her thighs. Rei slid onto an empty bar stool, careful to keep her knees together.
She took a sip of her cocktail. The heated kick of the ice-cold vodka, combined with her new haircut and first bikini wax, made her feel edgy and warm and daring. “I’ll tell you a little something about this dress.”
“What’s that?”
She leaned close, brushing her lips against his cheek as she whispered her naughty secret. “There’s nothing underneath it except an itty bitty pair of thong panties.”
His light-green eyes darkened with desire and he groaned softly. “Don’t tell me that now. I have to work the crowd and keep them encouraged and entertained.”
Rei slid her calf along his pants leg. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to distract you from your work. You run along and I’ll just sit here and wait for you.”
He glanced around then stroked his fingers along the underside of her thigh. “I’ll be back. Soon. Very soon.”
She twisted sideways on the bar stool and scanned the crowd. The overly enthusiastic dj was cajoling people to get up and sing, but no one exactly leapt at the chance. “Come on, guys, I know some of you dreamed of singing lead for a 1980s hair band. No? Ladies? Are there any divas in the house tonight? Come on, I find that hard to believe.”
Maybe it was the word divas, reminding her of the night she met Chris, or maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was just her inner bad girl spurring her to risk embarrassment and stage fright while crossing another item off her Life List. But Rei found herself raising her arm.
“I’ll try it.”
After quickly thumbing through the list of karaoke tunes, she chose “The Greatest,” one of her all-time favorite songs. Then it was time to take the stage and Rei suddenly regretted that martini. She stood nervously in front of the microphone while all eyes in the room seemed to be watching her. As her stomach did an anxious somersault, she closed her eyes.
Pretending she was a girl again, standing in PJ’s pink bedroom crooning into a hairbrush, Rei listened for her cue. She was no Whitney Houston, that was for sure. But as the music started, she gave it all she had, from the first line about believing children are our future to the last long-held note about finding strength in love. Grinning widely, she opened her eyes as the crowd cheered and took a dramatic bow.
“That was great!” Chris was clapping loudest of all. He handed her down the steps then gave her a hug. He drew her away from the stage and leaned close to murmur in her ear. “You’ve never looked more vibrant, and I’ve never wanted you more.”
The proof of his admiration was nudging her leg, but she shook her head. “It’s your party, we can’t leave.”
“No, but we can sneak away. Wait one minute then follow me to the back of the building.”
Rei watched the next brave soul get up on stage and try to belt out “Old Time Rock and Roll” while easing her way back through the crowd. Walking out of the bar area, she saw Chris waiting by the offices. But instead of ushering her inside, he guided her further along the hallway and into the storage room.
“The first place anyone might look for me is my office.” He closed the door behind them before flipping the light switch.
“And this is so much more romantic, making out next to the work table covered in copy paper and advertising brochures.”
“Romance is wherever you make it.” He pulled her into his arms and lifted her to the table’s edge.
“I thought—” She gasped as he leaned over to nuzzle the side of her neck. Damp heat pooled between her thighs and both nipples beaded in response to his touch. “I thought you had to keep your clients entertained.”
“I’ve found a better way to be entertained.”
He reached behind her to unzip her dress. Sliding it from her shoulders and down to her waist, his right hand cupped her left breast and began drawing an intriguing pattern around her nipple. Then he bent down to lick her sensitive flesh, gently nipping the engorged bud with the edge of his teeth.
She groaned and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him against her. Chris’s mouth moved along the erogenous zones on her upper body back to her lips and she met his kiss with equal passion. She teased him, darting her tongue in and out of his mouth in imitation of the way she wanted him to make love to her.
Without breaking contact, he lifted her up just enough to tug her panties down her legs until they hung precariously from one ankle. His questing fingers slid along her skin until he reached the apex of her thighs and his hand stilled.
Rei grinned. “Surprise.”
“I love surprises.” Chris captured her mouth again in an ardent kiss as his fingers explored every centimeter of her now smooth, hairless labia.
After undoing his belt and pulling down his zipper, she reached inside his pants. Wrapping her hand around his long, hard shaft, she began stroking him at the same pace his fingers were pleasuring her. Her body wept with need as his fingers delved deeper into her sodden heat.
“I want you, Chris. Now, please, right now.”
“Anything, everything, the lady wants.”
He shoved his pants and briefs down and reached for her. Bracing her hands behind her on the table, she crossed her ankles behind his back while he gripped her hips and drove himself into her. At first he set a slow, deliberate pace and she reveled in the exquisite pleasure of having him inside of her.
When she moaned against his lips at the feel of him sliding in and out, he drew her knees up and began to rock faster, harder and deeper. She felt the gathering tension in her womb and heard his rapidly louder groans. The rolling contractions of her orgasm had her crying out his name and a moment later, he came as well.
Chris held her against his shoulder while they both caught their breath. A few moments later, he kissed her gently and moved aside to let her get down from the table and fix her clothes while he pulled up his pants. After zipping her dress, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.
“It was nice mixing and mingling with you.”
“Yeah, I’m really glad I came tonight.” Rei laughed and kissed him deeply.
When they broke apart several breathless minutes later, Chris returned to the party while Rei took a compact from her purse and attempted to fix her makeup. She smiled to herself as she reapplied her lipstick. Making love in the middle of a party hadn’t even been on her List.
Neither had been falling in love.
Chris was so much more than a great lover. He was charming and sweet and patient, more patient than she deserved maybe. Despite the short time she’d known him, she cherished his insight and laughter and tenderness, his charm and friendship and spontaneity.
A little place in her heart expanded with a feeling she shouldn’t allow. Chris had unlocked the door. Now she had to choose whether or not to walk through it. The other side was fraught with uncertainty and the chance of being badly hurt. But she finally had to admit that it might just be worth the risk.
SATURDAY WAS a beautiful warm day but—typically for San Francisco—kind of windy, especially standing on Webster Bridge, the pedestrian walkway over Geary Street. Chris smiled down at Rei, noticing how the sun lit her dark hair and cast a golden glow over her skin. She looked happy and he hoped that being with him was part of the reason.
“Considering how strictly you’ve been adhering to the ground rules, I was surprised that you asked me out on a non-sex, non-lunch date.”
She glanced at him and then away, bright color suddenly warming her cheeks. “I haven’t come to this festival in years and I just thought you’d like to see it.”
Chris merely smiled, but inside he was pleased that she hadn’t denied their change of status. He didn’t know when it had happened and often, like when she fell into a melancholy silence and held him at a distance, he didn’t know why, but he had fallen for this complex and fascinating woman.
Her sensuality heated his dreams while her compassion toward the kids she worked with touched his heart. He hated the way she still kept a part of herself hidden, admired her willingness to try new things and loved her ability to surprise him. Basically, he was crazy about her.
But he didn’t know if Rei returned his feelings and he wasn’t going to ask. The least invested person in any relationship had control of the relationship. If he tried too hard to hold her, he’d lose her for sure. It might be better to let her go now, before he got in any deeper. Before she walked out and took his heart with her.
They stood side by side, waiting for the parade to begin. Hundreds of people lined Post Street, the older sitting on folding chairs, the younger standing on the curb, and the youngest bouncing around complaining, ‘When is it going to start? Has it started yet? Well, when?’
“So tell me what’s going on? Even though I moved here as a kid, I’ve never been to the Cherry Blossom Festival before.”
She raised her voice to be heard over a man on a PA system saying something in Japanese. “The sakura matsuri is a celebration of seasonal rebirth. The delicate pink and white flowers only last for a week or two before they fall from the trees. They symbolize the brevity of human life and therefore remind us to rejoice and reflect.”
An elderly but spry-looking Japanese man sitting in front of them turned his head to speak to Rei. When she leaned down to reply, he said something else and she laughed. The man patted her arm and winked at Chris before shifting his attention to the first parade vehicles and marching bands coming around the corner.
Chris leaned close to murmur in her ear, “What was so funny?”
“This gentleman overheard what I told you. He said the secret to appreciating life is to stay young. When I asked how to do that, he said you must walk every day, laugh every day and make love every day.”
Chris drew his fingers over a sensitive spot on the side of her neck and smiled down at her in a way that made her blush. “I could live by that advice.”
“Yes, I somehow guessed that about you.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, stroking his back beneath his lightweight jacket. Rising up on her toes, she pursed her lips for a kiss. Happy to oblige, he leaned down to meet her and covered her mouth with his own. It was a different kind of kiss, more warm than hot and more statement than question. He liked it.
He turned her around, holding her sexy little body against his larger one to block the wind. The street was jam-packed with people, mostly families and friends by the look of them, cheering at dancers in traditional kimono and brightly colored floats as they passed by.
“I used to come every year, especially after my mom died. My obasaan, my grandmother, would make shrimp-flavored rice cakes for us to eat while we waited for the parade to start. Afterwards, Ojiisan, my grandfather, used to buy me a bonsai tree to remember the day.”
Chris wrapped his arms a little tighter around her shoulders in a hug and kissed the top of her hair.
The air filled with the sound of cheering and the deep thundering boom of taiko drummers as the Cherry Blossom Queen and her court waved from atop their flower-draped float. As they passed, Rei pointed out the mikoshi, or portable shrines, and the buyo classical and minyo folk dancers.
The parade finally ended with the Taru Mikoshi, a huge barrel-shaped shrine carried by almost a hundred people. Chris followed Rei as she wove through the crowd and walked over to the Japan Center, a five-acre complex at Post and Fillmore streets.
In the Peace Plaza, located between two halves of the Japan Center, Rei pointed out a three-story white pagoda; a wooden drum tower that spanned the entrance to the mall and the copper-roofed Peace Walkway between the Tasamak and Kintetsu buildings.
The sound of drumming and Asian music echoed off the buildings. Lining the large slate tiles were outdoor stages showcasing martial arts demonstrations and traditional dancing and awning-covered kiosks offering Japanese foods and crafts. The scent of stir-fried vegetables in soy sauce and grilled fish filled the cool air.
“Are you hungry, Chris?”
“Starving, actually.” He pulled her to his side and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I always seem to be hungry around you.”
“Mmm, that can be dessert. For now I’ll take you to one of my favorite restaurants. It’s on the second floor of Kintetsu Mall.”
Miyaki looked like the kind of Japanese house he’d seen in the movies. The tiny restaurant’s décor consisted of mat-covered floors, low tables and rice-paper screen walls. However it wasn’t as crowded as he’d expected. Most people were probably still out in the Plaza, so they were quickly shown to their seats.
Chris had just adjusted his seat cushion, folding his long legs more comfortably under the short tabletop when his cell phone rang. “Excuse me a second, Rei. It’s my sister. Hello?”
“I need you. Can you come over?” Diana’s voice sounded thick, like she’d been crying.
He glanced at Rei. “Um, now? Because I’m with—”
“Yes, now, Chris. Mom, Drea and Dad are all on their way.” Her voice broke on a fresh sob. “Gabriel is in trouble. Michael and I don’t know what to do. Please. You’re the only one he ever listens to.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can, Di.” He hung up and looked at Rei’s curious expression. “I’m really sorry about this, but I’ve got to go.”
TO: RLD49
FROM: [email protected] (via text pager)
RE: QUICK EXIT
I’m sorry I had to leave so abruptly this afternoon. It looks like my sister and her husband may be headed for a nasty divorce and my nephew is caught in the middle.
He’s been getting into trouble at school and Diana caught him smoking. My nephew got suspended from school and refuses to talk to his parents about what happened. I’ll be here at my sister’s pretty much the rest of the evening.
Otherwise I would have taken you up on that bubble bath. I’d have offered to scrub your back. And your front. Top to bottom. I really like your bottom.
Chris
RAINCHECK
Sometimes, especially in a divorce situation, kids need to have an adult they can trust. I’m sure he’ll tell you what’s going on and you can help his parents figure out what to do.
I’m home if you want to talk later. Or come share some bubbles.
Rei
Monday, April 21st
Accomplishments: None
REI PARKED her car in the garage, gathered her briefcase of files and walked toward the courthouse lobby. She made a mental note to try to reach Chris this morning. He’d called last night to let her know that his nephew was sleeping over at his place, but then she hadn’t heard anything more.
As she approached the door, her court services clerk rushed forward with a look of relief and grabbed her by the elbow.
“Mary Alice? What—?”
“You don’t want to go in there, Commissioner.” Mary Alice was twice her age and half her weight, but still managed to strong-arm Rei away from the entrance and toward the opposite side of the garage. “There are reporters crawling through all of the corridors, and Judge Orr wants to see you right away.”
“Why? What’s happened? Thank you.” One of the maintenance staff held the service elevator door until they got in, then pushed the button for their floor. Rei turned to Mary Alice. “What in the world is going on?”
Her clerk patted her arm, but her expression was inscrutable. “The Youth Guidance Center is on level three lockdown. There was a riot among the general population, apparently gang related. Bruce Grayson was involved.”
She felt her heartrate increase, certain she didn’t want to hear any more. “How?”
“Apparently, he instigated a fight, provoking rivals of his brother’s gang. It got…out of hand.”
Rei took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. “Tell me.”
“Fourteen boys in the medical facility. One guard was taken to the hospital in critical condition after Bruce Grayson stabbed him. They don’t think the guard is going to make it.”