Page 15 of A Dom Vs. Domme Story
“Kathryn?”
Oh, thank God!
A tall figure gets up in the far corner of the room. Poor Ms. Junri Isoya looks almost as shocked as the server in this classy, albeit tiny, restaurant. Probably does not help that I’ve clearly caught her on a date. The man sitting across from her gives me one of those indifferent gazes that sends two totally different kinds of chills down my spine. What do you want for me? My tracks will stop for any tall and dark stranger who can look at a woman with nothing but sex in his eyes. I know that I’m a lucky woman to have Ian, but I’ve got a feeling Junri is pretty lucky herself.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be staring at people I don’t know…
“What are you doing here?”
The server approaches us. Junri says something to her in Japanese to get her to back off. The other women – it is mostly women in here, isn’t it? – politely look away, but their ears are burning a deep, crimson red as they eavesdrop.
“I’m so glad I found you. Your… I don’t know who she is, actually, but she told me that you were here and that you were okay with…”
She takes me by the forearm and drags me toward the bathroom. Of course, the ladies’ room is much too small for us to both fit in, but she makes do by cornering me and lowering her voice. “Who gave you this location?”
“Uh… well, I went to your room, and a young woman told me…”
“Maji de…” Junri relaxes, but I have a feeling someone is in trouble. “I can’t believe she… never mind. What’s the problem?”
Problem? I’ll give her a problem. “My boyfriend, I mean Ian, is missing and hasn’t been seen since your uncle and cousin took him out partying last night.”
It takes a few seconds for her to understand what I’m saying. “Missing? You mean you can’t find him?”
“No. The last people who saw him were your family.”
“Shinjiraremasen.” I don’t know what that means, but it’s probably not good. “He’s not answering messages or anything?”
“No, we had a date today, but he never showed up. He won’t answer his calls or texts. His assistant can’t find him, either.”
“Tokyo is a big place. Easy to get lost.” Junri glances at her date, the man paying no attention to us as he scrolls through his phone. “Maybe he got lost on his way back to the hotel.”
“That doesn’t make sense. I still would have heard from him.” Even if Ian was drunk enough to stumble into a ditch for a few hours, he still would have found a way to get back to the hotel or at least call me. Unless his phone died. Or… oh God, unless he was robbed! In a city that doesn’t speak a whole lot of English, and he doesn’t speak the local language! “Do you know anything?”
“No. My uncle has already gone back to Sapporo. Have you talked to my aunt?”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“My cousin may not be back to Nagoya yet. We can ask him, since he was also there.”
“Do you know where they went last night?”
Junri shakes her head. “I can guess, but my aunt would know. We’ll ask her.”
“I should have gone straight to her, but I didn’t think you would be having a night off. I’m sorry for interrupting your, uh… evening.”
Junri shrugs. Nothing about her expression suggests she wants to keep up a façade. “It’s a date. I can see them again later.”
Good job, Kathryn. Cock block a woman who works twice as much as you do in a society where free time is the most precious commodity. Junri probably needed this night to keep her sanity, and what do you do? Drag her away from a date!
“You don’t have to help. I can find your aunt.”
“Oh, no. She’s not at the hotel. I know where she is. I’ll take you. Wait a moment.”
She goes to her date, bends over, and whispers something in the man’s ear. A low, gravelly voice reassures her before they share a kiss. The man pulls out a cigarette as soon as Junri settles the tab with the restaurant. They give each other one last glance, and good God, is it painful. I know what it’s like to put on airs in public, to throw people watching off your loving scent. This is the sort of thing that transcends culture. When two people are deeply in love but don’t want to admit it.
Is this the person they were talking about last night? The person below an heiress’ station? He looks like a scruffy bad boy, even in his pristine dress shirt, jacket, and slacks. The masculine, over-the-top alpha way he takes Junri by the hand and gives her a kiss in front of me is both meant to be a parting gift – and a display of ownership to the whole room.
A room full of women, but whatever.
