In Deep Kimchi by Imari Jade Read Free Book Online

have excellent taste in clothing.
    The limousine driver waited. They entered the car and the driver drove away from the curb. He turned on the stereo and Japanese pop music filtered out of all the speakers. Shaundra had to admit that some of the songs sounded pretty good. Not understanding the words wasn’t a problem as long as she could move to the rhythm of the music.
    The driver drove them to a club located in Shibuya. They exited the car and gathered stares from a line of young people curious to see who was arriving in the limousine. Some of them seemed disappointed not to recognize them.
    Japanese youngsters with ages ranging from early twenties to early thirties stood in line waiting to enter. Jackson and Riley would fit right in, she thought as they walked to the back of the line. The young people were dressed in popular club clothes. The women had on short dresses and high heels while the men donned suits or casual clothes they could dance in. Most of them had cell phones up to their ears or in their hands, texting. The line moved swiftly despite their dawdling and preoccupation with technology.
    The music filtered out through the door each time it opened. It was loud, but she guessed it had to be that way. Inside, the place looked like most clubs back home, except most of the patrons were Asian. The disk jockey was tearing up the place, spinning records and talking to the crowd. Dancers were on the floor, sweating and shaking with delight. Harper found them a couple of tables and they sat down, leaving enough room for the other singers and Aomori.
    A waitress appeared to get their drink order. Shaundra wasn’t much of a drinker. She ordered a soda while the others ordered alcohol.
    “There are the other authors,” Harper told then over the din of the music and the noise. He waved them over.
    The young women wore mini dresses and high heels and the men dressed similarly to the male writers in suits, minus the ties. They sat down at the table and ordered drinks when the waitress returned with their order. That only left Aomori. Shaundra wondered how they were going to pull this off and not draw attention to themselves.
    Masaaki Fugimoto entered the lounge and looked around the room until he spotted them. He joined them at the table. “I’m glad you made it. What do you think of the place?”
    “It’s nice,” Dorothy answered for the group. “Lot of young people who like to party.”
    Masaaki nodded. “We come here sometimes when we are in Tokyo and Mr. Niigata gives us time off.”
    The waitress returned with the Asian authors’ drinks and then went off again to get a beer for Masaaki.
    “Where’s Aomori?” Riley asked after he drew his eyes off a young woman near the bar he’d been watching since they arrived.
    “They are on their way,” Masaaki replied.
    Aomori entered a few minutes later, accompanied by their bodyguards, and made a beeline for a table across from the authors. They were still recognizable even under the disguises. There was just no way to hide perfection. Shaundra sighed. One of them even waved at the disk jockey, a Japanese man with a blond Mohawk haircut. The disk jockey waved back, but did not call out Takumijo’s name.
    Satoshi, Yori and Takumijo were quickly set upon by three young women who persuaded them to join them on the dance floor. A fourth approached Ichiro, but he turned her down, which Shaundra thought odd. In her day, there’d be this one girl…a plain Jane or a wallflower who would be left behind at the table guarding purses and watching drinks. There was nothing plain about Ichiro. Even from where she sat, she could see how handsome he was behind his disguise. She’d noticed it a little too much during their meeting with Mr. Niigata.
    Ichiro had tiny perfect features, creamy unblemished porcelain skin and a lithe frame. He also had blue eyes, a rarity in Japanese. His movements were graceful. That’s what she’d seen as she sat across from him yesterday at the