Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
The Boisterous Parade
Nyomi
Meanwhile, Kaoru rolled in on a motherfucking wagon coated in black sequins.
His two pretty girlfriends pulled the wagon by velvet ropes.
They had the nerve to be wearing six-inch heels as they dragged the wagon and Kaoru forward.
Their hair was pinned in deep finger waves.
Diamonds dripped from their ears. Their dresses were cut low, but it was clear that all eyes were supposed to be on their man.
Kaoru stood on top like some pink-haired Cleopatra in a black satin tuxedo with pink sequin musical notes embroidered on the thighs and a long gold cigarette holder pinched between his two fingers.
The second his wagon crossed the threshold, Kaoru's gaze went up to the massive claw hovering over our table. He held out his hands and hooted. “Oh, this is going to be quite a night! Look at that claw!”
His girlfriends had taken serious time on his hair. These pink ringlets bounced with each micro-movement. They were tight candy curled coils that belonged on a porcelain doll, not on this huge muscular man. Granted, it was so ridiculous that it was damned near endearing.
A jeweled brooch the size of a peach pit was where a tie or bow would be, right at his throat. It was black diamond at the center and pink rubies clustered around it.
“The true guests are finally here!” Kaoru held his hands out.
The twins rose from their seats.
I pointed at them. “Sit down. Let’s allow the Fangs to have their moment.”
Toma quirked his brows. “At our party?”
“Don’t worry.” Hiro leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll kill them later. Kenji, I hope you have good replacements for the Fangs.”
“No one is murdering anyone.” Kenji tightened his grip on my hand. “Everyone fucking behave for my Tiger.”
The Claws grumbled.
I looked up and saw that the dragon-shadow had stopped inspecting the huge claw. Now, it just hung there suspended over all of us. That long body undulated gently in the air. Those golden eyes tracked all the new guests.
Kenji's hand slid under the table and found my thigh. His palm was warm, heavy, and possessive. “This temporary dragon tattoo on your thigh is a nice touch.”
I covered his hand with mine. “I knew you would think so.”
“How do I convince you to ink that on permanently?”
“Diamonds. Lots of them.”
He laughed and brushed the shell of my ear with his mouth. “I’ll make sure to give you a treasure chest of diamonds in the morning.”
“Deal.” I turned back and watched Kaoru’s girlfriends struggle with dragging the wagon to our table.
“I can’t believe him.” I shook my head and looked at Kenji. “If he told me I had to pull a wagon in heels. . .I would have broken up with his ass expeditiously.”
Kenji chuckled.
I turned back to Kaoru.
“Thank you for having us, Nyomi!” Kaoru lifted his cigarette holder above his head in a slow theatrical salute.
Yoichi came next with Satoshi. Yoichi crossed beneath the doorway and his hand drifted to that silver fang charm at his throat. He looked up at the claw and the smallest smile lifted one side of his mouth, like he'd recognized something the rest of us couldn't see.
Satoshi stepped in beside him and did what soldiers do. His eyes mapped every talon, every fracture in the plaster, and every line of stress in the ceiling as if making sure the clawed structure did not provide any true threat.
Both kept it simple with black tuxedos cut tight at the waist and elegant top hats. However, Yoichi’s lapels were heavy with white fur and that silver fang charm hung at his throat.
When they all got to the table, the men smiled—Kaoru, Yoichi, and Satoshi.
Oh.
Where I thought Hiro’s added grill dazzled, the Fangs had taken the idea to the next level. They bared these long crystal fangs at us. At the tips were rubies as if they were sparkling with blood.
I nodded. “Nice touch.”
“We knew you would love it.” Kaoru’s wagon stopped at the edge of our table. And to my utter shock, his girlfriends went to the side, bent at the waist, and reached up for him.
Oh no.
They wrapped their arms under his and lifted.
Kaoru was a huge man. Thick muscular thighs, broad shoulders, heavy frame stuffed into all that black satin.
The two women braced their feet wide in those heels, leaned back, and grunted as they hoisted him off the wagon.
One of them lost her footing for a half-second. Her finger-waved hair shifted and she had to readjust her grip on him.
The other clenched her teeth and pushed up from her hips like a woman doing a deadlift.
Kaoru hung between them, theatrical and limp, like a Roman emperor who had never once carried his own body weight a day in his life.
“Kaoru!” I frowned. "Could you please give them a rest? I mean seriously!"
The Claws laughed.
Kaoru scoffed. "Fine."
He left their hold, and his feet hit the floor.
Both women caught their breath. The shorter one wiped at her hairline. The taller one rolled her shoulders and discreetly stretched her lower back.
I gave them a sad smile.
The taller one mouthed thank you at me and gave me the smallest, most grateful nod.
The shorter one just grinned like I had set her free.
Kaoru sighed at me as if I had personally ruined his entire arrival. Then he turned, and to my surprise, he pulled out two chairs at the table and gestured for them to sit. “There you go, lovelies.”
The women swooned and sat down.
He stepped behind their chairs, placed a hand on each of their shoulders, and leaned down to kiss the top of one of their heads, then the other, all without dropping the cigarette holder out of his fingers.
While the room was distracted by Kaoru kissing his girlfriends, Kenji turned my chin toward him and kissed me.
Hard.
Quick.
Claiming me.
Mmmm.
My pulse jumped.
When he finished the sweet kiss, he pulled back a little and traced the line of my lower lip. “I’m going to fuck you under this claw.”
“Is that after the Claws climb the claw or during?”
“During.”
My cheeks went hot.
Waitresses came around and poured us all glasses of champagne.
I looked up and saw Kaoru still standing and now watching me. “I just want to say, Nyomi, that you have outdone yourself. And I’m sure the Claws haven’t done it, so allow the Fangs to do it.”
I quirked my brows.
Kaoru, Satoshi, and Yoichi all clapped for me.
I smiled. “Aww. Thank you.”
The twins grumbled some curse.
Then, Kaoru lit his black cigarette and blew out pink smoke.
I grinned. “Well, that’s impressive.”
“Please, don’t fucking encourage him.” Hiro glared at Kaoru. “Next Claws party we won’t invite them. Isn’t that right, Tora?”
“Next party?” I stared at him in shock. “Excuse me?”
Kaoru waved Hiro away. “Keep on talking and you won’t be invited to the Fangs’ party. I just can’t wait to see what our ballroom is going to look like. Probably a huge dragon jaw in the center.”
Yoichi nodded. “And we’ll probably be able to walk into the jaw and eat inside of it.”
Oh no. A Fangs’ party. Who the fuck said that?
Kenji let out a long breath.
Kaoru finally sat his ridiculous ass down.
The doors at the other end of the ballroom opened and eight waiters glided out, all in matching black tuxedos with gold satin pocket squares and white gloves. Each carried a silver tray held high on the fingertips of one hand.
The first two waiters passed beneath the talons carrying a perfect row of champagne flutes filled with creamy cheesy grits and crowned with blackened shrimp.
Reo sniffed the air and gestured to the waiter. “I’ll be having two of those.”
I chuckled.
The next two carried mini chicken and waffles glistening with bourbon-honey. The next pair had the braised oxtail baos.
Hiro grinned so hard his cheeks must have hurt. “We have to do this weekly.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You will.” Hiro winked. “You love us too much.”
The final pair of waiters passed out honey-butter cornbread madeleines stacked like little gold seashells in a black napkin.
The band broke into a quick syncopated number where the piano played hide-and-seek with the trumpet. And the saxophone laughed out a fun melody.
Hiroko's three assistants walked in side by side, draped in floor-length black gowns embroidered with tiny white pearls along the sleeves. They wore black lipstick, kept their heads high, and carried a small bouquet of black orchids.
Aww. I’m glad they came. I know they’re sad about Hiroko.
I caught what was behind them.
Oh my god.
Zo strutted into the ballroom in full drag. A long blonde 1920s wig fell in finger-waved curls down past his shoulders. His dress was gold.
Sparkling.
Screaming.
Chandelier-bright gold.
Sequins from his collarbones to his ankles. Fringe hung at the hem and swung with every step. The dress was cut low at the front, low at the back, and slit up to his thigh on one side.
Zo had clearly seen the black theme, looked at it, and decided to set it on fire.
His heels were six inches and sparkling. Gold ankle straps wrapped his calves. His makeup was full glam—winged liner, false lashes, lips painted the deepest red.
Zo saw the huge claw over us, did a flirty shrug at it like he was considering seducing the massive dragon, and then for no damn reason at all. . .he spun right there in the doorway. The fringe rippled.
“Alrighty.” I picked up my glass of champagne and took a sip. “Apparently, most of the guests are going to be extra tonight.”
Kenji snickered.
And I thought Zo was finished, but no. He hit a perfect 1920s flapper pose with one hand on his hip and the other raised over his head, and then he did a quick Charleston step with his knees turning in and out, in and out, before he sashayed a few steps forward.
Sir. . .can you come in?
"He doesn’t look too bad in a dress.” Hiro leaned forward and watched him cross the floor. "In fact, he's sexy in the right light. Is he single, Nyomi?"
"Yeah." I nodded slowly. "Sort of."