And now he had one last call to make before he left.
His brother picked up the phone. “Konnichiwa.”
“Kyoji, what’s happening?”
“I’m taking a nap with a beautiful Swede beside me. What are you doing, little brother?”
“A Swede, huh? Nice,” Jayce said. “I’m at the office. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Rebecca all day but her phone is going straight to voice mail. Can you please go by the club tonight? I need to speak to her.” Rebecca O’Sullivan was a stripper with a perky ass and a great boob job. She was also the closest thing Jayce had had to a relationship. He called her when he needed a release and she was always willing. It was uncomplicated and she demanded nothing of him and, until now, it had been the perfect arrangement.
“She’s not answering? She’s probably asleep, since she’s been working a lot lately. I’m going there tonight anyway so I’ll track her down, but why do you need to speak to that pussy so urgently?”
Jayce shook his head. Kyoji was the king of crass. “She has a few days off next week and was going to come to New York. I need to cancel.” Jayce knew that his answer wasn’t going to satisfy his brother.
“Any why do you need to cancel?”
“Because… I’m seeing someone else,” Jayce said.
Silence. “What? Seeing someone, as in dating someone? You never date, so why her?”
“Because this one is different. There’s something about her, something special,” Jayce said.
“Who is she?”
“Zahra Foster. She’s the lead interior designer at Mason.” Jayce scrunched up his face in anticipation of his brother’s reaction.
Kyoji howled with laughter. “I’m floored. Dating, and someone from work. Good job, Jayce,” Kyoji said.
“Yeah, yeah. Just do me a favor and track down Rebecca.”
Jayce heard another door close and then Kyoji said, “I will and if we’re done, I’m going back to bed. You should see the tits on this Swede.”
Jayce smiled. “Where is your girlfriend, Kyoji?”
“Don’t kill my mood, Jayce. I’ll call you soon,” Kyoji said and hung up.
In satirical contrast, Kyoji and Aoto’s upbringing couldn’t have been more different from Jayce’s. Sheltered from his father’s sinful and corrupt past, Jayce had been raised within the walls of Tohmatsu Corp. His brothers had been raised where there were no walls; on the hard and fast streets of Tokyo, their young eyes privy to the basement dealings of Japan’s most successful bars and restaurants. Jayce’s negotiations involved accountants, lawyers and contracts; their negotiations involved cash, guns and—more often than not—blood.
Mr. Tohmatsu Senior had once been a very bad man—a murderous, violent businessman—until he met Jayce’s mother. He’d told Jayce that she was a gift from God. Jayce’s mother, Eva, had been strikingly beautiful but she had also been vivacious with a sharp mind. She had changed his stepfather’s life, made a man out of him. Slowly over the next few years, he left behind the only world he’d ever known and started Tohmatsu Corp: funded by gang money and built on hard work, sweat, failure, and persistence.
For a few moments, Jayce sat with his eyes on the multicolor skyline. From the outside, success, and life itself, seemed to run in a straight line, but in reality, behind closed doors, it was a mess of detours with high peaks and low troughs. Eventually we get to the intended destination. His father’s path had been that way, and his, so far, had too. And Jayce knew, sitting there alone that night, that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
CHAPTER SIX – ZAHRA
The plush pink couch molded to the contours of her body and Zahra struggled to keep her eyes open. Why had she agreed to go to this cooking class with Jemma? After a long week and zero sleep last night, all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and drift off into a peaceful, dream-free slumber.
“Do you think I’m overdressed?” Jemma asked
His brother picked up the phone. “Konnichiwa.”
“Kyoji, what’s happening?”
“I’m taking a nap with a beautiful Swede beside me. What are you doing, little brother?”
“A Swede, huh? Nice,” Jayce said. “I’m at the office. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Rebecca all day but her phone is going straight to voice mail. Can you please go by the club tonight? I need to speak to her.” Rebecca O’Sullivan was a stripper with a perky ass and a great boob job. She was also the closest thing Jayce had had to a relationship. He called her when he needed a release and she was always willing. It was uncomplicated and she demanded nothing of him and, until now, it had been the perfect arrangement.
“She’s not answering? She’s probably asleep, since she’s been working a lot lately. I’m going there tonight anyway so I’ll track her down, but why do you need to speak to that pussy so urgently?”
Jayce shook his head. Kyoji was the king of crass. “She has a few days off next week and was going to come to New York. I need to cancel.” Jayce knew that his answer wasn’t going to satisfy his brother.
“Any why do you need to cancel?”
“Because… I’m seeing someone else,” Jayce said.
Silence. “What? Seeing someone, as in dating someone? You never date, so why her?”
“Because this one is different. There’s something about her, something special,” Jayce said.
“Who is she?”
“Zahra Foster. She’s the lead interior designer at Mason.” Jayce scrunched up his face in anticipation of his brother’s reaction.
Kyoji howled with laughter. “I’m floored. Dating, and someone from work. Good job, Jayce,” Kyoji said.
“Yeah, yeah. Just do me a favor and track down Rebecca.”
Jayce heard another door close and then Kyoji said, “I will and if we’re done, I’m going back to bed. You should see the tits on this Swede.”
Jayce smiled. “Where is your girlfriend, Kyoji?”
“Don’t kill my mood, Jayce. I’ll call you soon,” Kyoji said and hung up.
In satirical contrast, Kyoji and Aoto’s upbringing couldn’t have been more different from Jayce’s. Sheltered from his father’s sinful and corrupt past, Jayce had been raised within the walls of Tohmatsu Corp. His brothers had been raised where there were no walls; on the hard and fast streets of Tokyo, their young eyes privy to the basement dealings of Japan’s most successful bars and restaurants. Jayce’s negotiations involved accountants, lawyers and contracts; their negotiations involved cash, guns and—more often than not—blood.
Mr. Tohmatsu Senior had once been a very bad man—a murderous, violent businessman—until he met Jayce’s mother. He’d told Jayce that she was a gift from God. Jayce’s mother, Eva, had been strikingly beautiful but she had also been vivacious with a sharp mind. She had changed his stepfather’s life, made a man out of him. Slowly over the next few years, he left behind the only world he’d ever known and started Tohmatsu Corp: funded by gang money and built on hard work, sweat, failure, and persistence.
For a few moments, Jayce sat with his eyes on the multicolor skyline. From the outside, success, and life itself, seemed to run in a straight line, but in reality, behind closed doors, it was a mess of detours with high peaks and low troughs. Eventually we get to the intended destination. His father’s path had been that way, and his, so far, had too. And Jayce knew, sitting there alone that night, that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
CHAPTER SIX – ZAHRA
The plush pink couch molded to the contours of her body and Zahra struggled to keep her eyes open. Why had she agreed to go to this cooking class with Jemma? After a long week and zero sleep last night, all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and drift off into a peaceful, dream-free slumber.
“Do you think I’m overdressed?” Jemma asked
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