Chapter Four
AKIRA
Iwait for River to give my name to the hostess in the black marble foyer.
She checks the list, her expression turning from courteous to ecstatic as she asks us to follow her.
We enter a large room with tables on both sides.
I keep looking ahead, not in the least impressed by the luxurious place settings and shiny floors.
I’m pissed to no end, at my aunt, who’s forcing me into an arranged marriage, and at River for not giving a fuck about it.
But he will. I’ll make sure of it. I just need to get rid of this… date first.
I checked the file one of the men in black gave me.
I’m about to meet the daughter of Kentaro Kondo, an oil tycoon corrupt to the bone, who seems to be interested in crossing into deeper illegal waters.
Money in exchange for power to get more money—crazy, right?
Giving his daughter away is just an extra guarantee, like I wouldn’t cut his throat if he was my father-in-law—preposterous.
The hostess takes us to a private room too white for my liking—the walls, the curtains, the tablecloth, and the virginal dress covering the woman waiting for me.
I quickly go over her delicate features and straight black hair falling down her shoulders.
As usual, I don’t feel a thing until River’s body moves behind me and his pecs press against my shoulders.
Hard dick alarm! I can’t stop it, even though I know he’s just nudging me inside the room.
The woman sees me, and a perfectly rehearsed smile appears on her rosy lips—a bit too plump to be natural. She glances at River for a little too long, and a possessive growl rises from my chest.
“Miss Kondo.” River tilts his head her way, and the growl travels up to my throat.
“Hi.” She is going for cute and innocent, now moving her hungry, brown eyes on me again. “I’m Tami. Let’s drop the formality, shall we?” She waves at the chair on the other side of the table. An invitation for me to take a seat, which I do, signaling to River to sit next to me.
“What would you like to drink? A little bird told me sake and…yakiniku. This restaurant is quite exclusive since the owner only buys Kobe beef and Kurobuta pork—”
I stop her yapping. “Let me skip to the end of…whatever this is.” I prop both elbows on the table and lace my fingers—feeling the ring with my family emblem weighing on my pinky. I will become the most powerful kumicho this organization has ever seen, but on my fucking terms. “I’m not interested.”
She studies me for a moment, then seeming to drop her sickly sweet, ass-kissing facade, she relaxes against her chair and takes a hurried sip of her cocktail. “Our families could both benefit grandly from this marriage arrangement,” she then states, changing her tune.
“Don’t care,” I shut her down.
“So you came here only to appease your boss?” She smirks, brushing her finger around the edge of her glass in a circular motion.
“Do you expect me to think you want this?” I ask her.
“I’d receive some fat bonuses if I go along with it.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
She puckers her lips. “You aren’t really sorry.
This deal seems to be off, but that doesn’t mean I can’t gain anything from this meeting.
” Her eager eyes move back to River. “Who’s the sexy grump next to you?
He looks, mmm, delicious, radiating an air of extreme…
danger.” Her gaze falls on his burned hand lying on the pristine tablecloth.
“What’s with the flattery fest?” I grit my teeth as I see River looking at her as well.
“You’re the loyal shadow of the Mad Dog. River, right?” She gives him an inviting smile.
“You did your homework, Tami.” Does he sound impressed?
“A person with such potential shouldn’t be relegated to bodyguard status.”
I feel the tips of my fingers ache when I hear people talking about River as a mere bodyguard.
Only I can fuck with him about it because the reality is that not one label fits him, but all of them at once do.
Right hand, loyal shadow, bodyguard, adviser, the only person I’d trust with my life, my most precious friend.
He’s someone who sticks by me even when I’m wrong.
Even if facing certain death, he’ll still stand near me, ready to take my place.
How can I possibly summarize all that in a measly word?
But I’ll add to the pile very soon, he’ll need a more intimate label.
My thoughts are pushed aside as I get back to the present, unfortunately to see her pick the cherry from her cocktail glass and place it on her tongue, holding onto the stem as she closes her lips around it.
It’s like watching the lousy start of a porno.
I feel the urge to turn the scene to a murderous one as I imagine myself helping her choke on it.
She chuckles while chewing on that damn cherry.
“The marriage doesn’t have to be binding, only legal. We can do whatever we want behind closed doors.” She is obviously talking to me, but the leering look is all for River.
“Still not fucking interested,” I hiss.
“Maybe not you.” Her gaze slides slowly, too slowly, over River like she’s X-raying his fucking chest.
It’s time to unleash my claws. “That outdated shade of lipstick won’t look good around his dick, I can assure you. He’s into a more natural color.”
I feel River’s intense stare on the side of my face. Finally, he remembers I’m here. I sniff with irritation.
She clicks her tongue in reply, finishes her drink, and then stands. She rounds the table only to bend near River, showing off the high curves of her voluptuous chi-chis as she slips a business card into his high coat pocket. Then the bitch lays a kiss right on his lips.
“Looks good on his mouth though.” She winks at me as I glare with blazing hate in return. River’s hand on my arm stops me from hurting her. But I don’t loosen the grip on the knife handle I grabbed from the inner side of my jacket.
As she moves to the door, she adds over her shoulder, “Call me if you are…interested.”
I suddenly feel like a feral animal who’s being poked with a damn stick. The bitch is quite the multitasker, hitting on River while taunting me.
“I’ll make her bleed for this. Nobody touches you!” Anyone’s hands on River doesn’t sit right with me. Those fake lips? I’ll deflate them with my fist.
I shove the chair backward and stand up, yanking my jacket off.
“Since when?” He has a questioning brow raised.
“Since fucking always! The nerve of that fucking—” I’m looking for the right insult when River says, “Tami.” His toneless voice is the only thing that stops me from finding the bitch and yanking every hair from her head.
“You sounded all cozy and shit! Why the fuck did you call her by her name?”
“She asked.”
Asked. “Since when do you do what other people tell you to? From now on, she’s Miss Bitch to you or…‘Hey you bitch!’” I clip, annoyed to no end by the fact that I can’t find a good insult for that…bitch.
“You plan to see her again?” There’s something growly in his deep tone that makes my hair stand.
I move closer to him, he’s still sitting in his chair. “Sure. With the purpose of making her bleed.” I raise the sleeve of my sweater to his lips. “Wipe your mouth. Can’t stand that fucking shitty lipstick on you.”
He looks at me silently for a moment. “I can use the tablecloth.”
He’s right, but I feel the sudden need to use something of mine to erase any trace of her. “River, I’m already at my fucking limit. Clean that shit! I’ll burn this sweater after I get back home.”
He finally does as I ordered. The feel of his warm breath on my fingers sends a shiver down my spine. With him sitting and me standing, we are eye to eye. The blue is so deep, unfiltered when aimed at me.
“You’d better be only nice to me and keep being a jerk to everyone else, like you’ve always been.” I yank a piece of gum from my jacket, and after unwrapping it, I shove it in my mouth.
“When have I ever been nice to you?”
“You certainly were to her!” I snap, without hiding my annoyance. I grab the business card she slid inside his coat pocket and tear it to small pieces
“You’re such an attention whore,” I think I hear him mutter, before he says loud and clear, “Can’t you see she did it to rile you up? She didn’t give a fuck about me.”
I scoff at his ridiculous words. “Are you blind? She was stripping you with her eyes, she’d have ridden you right here on this very chair.” I slap the wooden armrest with the palm of my hand.
He shakes his head, his lips twitch upward for a moment. He’s stingy with his smiles. But he can’t help it when he has something he’s happy about. Me. My irritation seems to make him fucking elated.
“Get the concept of personal space drilled into your head, or I’ll feel forced to start chopping off fingers.”
He frowns at me. Maybe my possessiveness has increased a notch, but if anything, I’m acting too sanely.
I feel his body stiffen, so I take a step back. He really is like a frightened bunny, and the predator in me is salivating to get him inside my maw.
“I can’t stand this filthy sweater on me. It’s entirely your fault if I get viral warts or herpes from it. Who knows where her lips have been.” I grab my jacket and put it on. “You should wash your mouth with pure alcohol.”
He lets out an exasperated sigh and moves to the door.
“Tell Soma to bring the car up front; we are going shopping.”
I enter the large fitting room as the clerk of the high-end boutique leaves after hanging the few outfits I randomly picked. The door closes behind River.
Operation Snaring the Bunny is a go.
“Do I really need to be here?” he asks, looking around at the dark blue velveteen walls and gold and red armchair.