Released – Chapter 29

We don’t get anywhere with the constant surveillance, so I tell everyone to make plans for a night out at the casino, and I mean everyone.

I have called in Miko and Yoichi, Sakai and Lucy, Mariko and Beni, Kentaro, Oyama, Usagi, and Jiro to come and support me. If anything, we’ll all have a great time. The casino can provide endless hours of entertainment, and Miko and Helena were both jealous of the boys going before the wedding. I just wish Helena were here to enjoy the festivities.

We all dress up except this time, I leave the yukata behind and slip on a little black dress I’ve had stashed away in the back of the closet. There’s nothing better than a little black dress that fits perfectly in all the right places. This is one I picked up while shopping with Miko two years ago, when I still had hopes of dating after Joshua and I broke up, though I never wore it.

The black dress is sleeveless and short and has a cowl-like collar that gathers high up around the back of my neck but dips down low up front. The cut is a tad scandalous, especially since I don’t wear a bra and everyone will be able to tell. I lack a curvy body or cleavage to show off, but my legs and arms are pretty hot. All of the hard work I put in at the dōjō has paid off. I even have a pair of black high heels I can wear and not fall out of. Being short makes it easy to walk around in such contraptions.

When I come out of the bedroom all dressed, Jiro shakes his head.

“No way, love. That right there is worse than the sex pants.”

“Stop. It is not.”

“It is so, and oh gods, I’m going to be pushing the men off of you all night.” He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. Possessive Jiro is not having any of this.

I roll my eyes at him. “Please. I’m a married woman now. They’ll take one look at the ring and know I can’t be swayed by their masculine charm.”

He bobs his head back and forth. I love this gesture of his. I always know when I’ve hit on something he agrees with when his head makes this movement. “This is true. Another thing those rings are good for.”

“Besides, you wanted to show me off.” I turn slowly and glance over my shoulder with my back to him.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jiro so speechless, so… I don’t know. He’s happy, sad, lustful, and shy all at once.

“Sanaa, I’m gonna love spending the rest of my life with you.”

Maybe he’s a little lovesick. I’ll have to remember this look on his face so I can identify it later.

“Well, you’re stuck with me now, because I’m not going anywhere.” Smiling, I step up to him and open his hand, dropping my bracelet onto his palm. “Will you?”

“This is pretty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear it.”

This simple silver bracelet is a series of interlocking chains with a fish charm hanging from the clasp. Fish seem to be a recurring theme in my life.

“I haven’t. I always forget about it since I can’t wear it to the dōjō and don’t go out much. It was my mother’s, of course.”

Jiro secures the bracelet to my right wrist. He’s wearing a white button down shirt with gray vertical stripes, casually untucked, and dark tight pants.

“You’re pretty handsome yourself, Jiro Itō.” Running my hand down his crisp, clean shirt, I tug the hem and then reach around him, slipping my fingers into his back pocket.

A rumbling purr emanates from deep down in his chest, and he stops breathing for a moment. He’s had a chance to look down into my dress and notice I’m not wearing any underwear. “Let’s go before I make you take off the dress, and we get delayed by at least an hour.”

Noburo Maeda owns several casinos in both Ku 6 and Ku 7 but his main casino where he brings in the most business is in Ku 6. He is a man of habit. Every morning, he wakes up in his penthouse apartment, dresses, and then has breakfast in the restaurant of his building. After breakfast, he travels by car to his two casinos in Ku 7, goes over the take from the night before, tours the floor, meets new employees, talks to old ones, shakes a few hands, and leaves.

He’s back in Ku 6 by lunch time and has a meal at his biggest casino, Akaboshi, with his main floor manager where they talk business. He then spends two hours in his office going over the books and meeting with the managers of the love hotels he runs.

Just like the time Jiro took the boys to Akaboshi for Yoichi’s bachelor night, Maeda will be here tonight. He rarely travels to any of his other casinos in the evening unless a problem occurs at one of them. I made sure this visit was going to be a complete surprise for Maeda. Jiro didn’t tell him we were coming ahead of time and none of us talked about our plans out in the open.

There are a few things I need to remember about Maeda. Though he is married and has two daughters, he is a ladies’ man. He likes bright and beautiful women, and the younger the better. He appreciates the old ways of Japan, but ultimately, he is more Western at heart. He believes in capitalism and money, and the allure of a successful business venture is more enticing than honor.

So even though I pissed him off by making him bow to me the first time we met, I can salvage this relationship by smiling, being pretty and cute, and showing interest in his business. I plan on doing all of these things. I warned Jiro before we left that I was going to mercilessly flirt with Maeda, and he shook his head and said, “That poor man.”

Akaboshi means ‘red star’ in Japanese, and hanging over the posh and opulent entrance to Maeda’s grand casino is a giant red star surrounded on both sides by white paper lanterns. The entrance is busy with people coming and going or waiting for taxis on the sidewalk outside. I can already hear the electronic noise of slot machines, and the clamor brings a smile to my face. This is going to be fun, and I’m already completely high on the excitement of being out with everyone.

The time has come to ramp up my personality and pour on the sex. I need to be someone else tonight. Instead of walking in my usual stride, I make sure to put some sway in my step and let my backside be the major attraction. Jiro catches sight of it right away. I glance back at Sakai behind me, and he is actually checking out my ass. Lucy reaches up to put her hand over his eyes.

“I think Mark’s in trouble,” I whisper to Jiro.

“I think we’re all in trouble tonight. You even turned on Kentaro when you were walking down the stairs.”

Good. Kentaro’s a tough crowd. I’m sure to win this night. Just remember, Sanaa, you’re in it to win it.

Jiro opens the door, we walk in, and immediately we’re noticed. I bet Maeda’s people saw us coming two blocks away. To think that my night out in my little black dress, all sexed up to catch a clan leader, will be immortalized on video forever so, generations from now, people can witness the last living empress in this situation is humbling. I can only imagine what my grandchildren are going to think. I better do an extremely good job tonight.

Three men scurry to a stop in front of us, and I wait while they line up and bow.

“Miss Itami, Maeda is pleased you would come and visit him at Akaboshi this evening,” the man in the center says as he comes up from his bow. I know from my time in 3B that this man is the general manager of the casino, Ian Kondo. He’s half-Japanese, much like me, but his other half is South African. He reports directly to Maeda.

“Please give our apologies to Maeda for not calling ahead, but we had a free night and decided it would be best spent here. I have brought all of my family and friends.” I turn to smile at them all. “Will you please be sure they are well taken care of, Mr. Kondo?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he says bowing again. “My staff will have their gambling cards prepared immediately.” He turns and snaps his fingers and several other men join us to escort away Usagi, Kentaro, Mariko, Beni, Yoichi, and Miko. I wave to them as they head off. They’ll have their hands scanned, money added to their gambling cards, and be off and having fun in no time. Meanwhile, Jiro, Sakai, Lucy, Oyama, and I will go on to meet with Maeda.

“Please follow me.”

We’re led across the casino floor past slot machines, card tables, roulette and craps tables. Two restaurants along the way are brimming with people, and a hallway between them leads to the main offices

Close to the back of the casino, we skirt around a bar, and a man in a suit tries to approach me. He has a drunken smile plastered on and a martini in his hand. Jiro sighs next to me. He puts his hand in front of me and says, “No. I don’t think so,” to the man. One of the casino security guards intervenes and escorts him off as Sakai laughs behind us.

“See? I told you,” Jiro says, leaning into my ear.

“I swear I had no idea I was such a man magnet though I admit to the dress being pretty sexy.”

“The dress is beyond sexy. You have no idea what it’s doing to me.”

“I’d like to find out later.”

“Sanaa, that is inevitable.”

“Miss Itami!”

Maeda is finally right in front of me with a grin and his arms open. He’s another one of these big and boisterous men who prefers to rule by harsh glare and sheer force of size. I’m sure with a scowl on his face he’s quite intimidating, and underneath his expensive dark gray suit, he is covered in yakuza tattoos. But when he smiles like he is now, he has a boyish charm about him that, yeah, is pretty attractive. I can see why women like him other than the fact that he has a lot of money and a whole lot of influence.

“I’m so glad you and your family were able to spend the evening in my establishment.” We’ve made our way to the private lounge at the back of the casino, and he has cleared out half of the area for us. I don’t recognize the people in the other half of the lounge, but a few of them nod to me and Jiro, and he smiles and nods back, a product (no doubt) of all the evenings he’s spent away from me.

“Maeda, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come sooner.” Might as well get the formal apologies out of the way as soon as possible. “I have been meaning to come since Jiro was here last, but the summer just slipped by.”

I incline my body the smallest amount in a bow. Really, I would bow lower if I weren’t wearing this dress. I don’t mind showing Maeda more respect than he deserves since the rewards from such actions are usually paid back in full.

“You should not be apologizing to me,” he says surprised. “I’m the rude one for not having invited you sooner. Had I known you’d be interested in coming, I would have arranged for this immediately after our first meeting.”

“I’m glad to be here now.” As I suspected, he has no idea the kind of woman I am despite his conversation with Jiro. You’re in for a treat, Maeda.

“Please sit. Can I get you refreshments?” He gestures to a waiter who is standing by for orders.

Several modern, black velvet couches with arm chairs and tables between them sit empty in front of us. Jiro, with his hand on my lower back, guides me to sit on the couch with him next to me.

“Perhaps you’ve met my dokumiyaku, Oyama. He will be more than happy to supervise my drinks and food this evening.”

Oyama bows to Maeda, and Maeda pauses a moment before responding. “Of course. I completely understand.”

He’s probably already aware of Helena’s poisoning and the incident only a few nights ago. Maeda has ears everywhere.

Sakai and Lucy sit down in the armchairs across from Jiro and me, and Maeda takes a seat on an end armchair between us all. I place my bag on the table next to me and smile up at Oyama.

“I’d like Scotch, whatever Sakai usually drinks.”

“Fifteen-year or better,” Sakai says, “and another for me. Lucy likes a vodka martini with a twist.” Lucy smiles, her eyes sliding to the side at Sakai. I wonder how often he orders for her.

Jiro raises his eyebrows at me. “Hmmm, Scotch? Oyama, I’ll have bourbon. You know how I like it.”

Oyama bows to us and then steps up to the bar and supervises our drinks.

I said this dress was short, and I was not kidding. Sitting down, I’m showing an unbelievable amount of leg, and Maeda seems to approve. His glance has made its way to my thighs twice already. I cross my ankles and let my knees shift to one side. I can be sexy but ladylike.

“Jiro tells me he had a fantastic time here in June. My guess is he’ll want to play poker tonight as well.”

“Most likely,” Jiro says with a smile. “Especially if Sakai is going to join us. I haven’t played against him in ages.”

“It’s true. It’s been at least a year since we’ve played Jiro. Don’t count Lucy out, though. She has an amazing poker face.”

“I believe that,” Maeda says with a laugh. “I’ve sat across the table from you in more than one governmental meeting to know you don’t give anything away. Very well, very well. I’ll have a private room prepared for you all.”

“I’m sure I’d like to learn to play, Jiro.” I take my Scotch from Oyama as he hands each of us a glass. “But I also want to see everything else here.” I nod to Maeda. “I have a terrible poker face, and they all know it.”

Turning to Jiro, Sakai, and Lucy, I raise my glass and toast. We all drink. Mmmm, Scotch is delicious.

While we have our drinks, I make small talk with Maeda since I’ve learned it’s never appropriate to jump right into business unless I’m speaking with family. I’m getting better at this having spent more time in Ku 6 and practiced with everyone from the grocer across the street to the man I’ve hired to restore the royal kimonos. I like to pick out a few topics ahead of time and make my way through them before getting down to my real motives for our conversation. I ask Maeda about his wife and daughters and how his casinos fared during the earthquake. But I can tell his time is limited so once these two subjects are exhausted, Jiro steps in.

“When I was here last you and I talked about your plans for Yūsei. Have you secured all of your permits?”

“I have secured the majority of them. All of my permits for second wave are done but none of the first wave permits. My equipment, employees, and family are ready to go for first wave, we’re just waiting on this matter.”

Looking over at Lucy, she nods her head at me while sipping on her martini.

“I’m sure this must have been an oversight in the committee,” I say, setting my drink down on the table next to me. “Your businesses on Yūsei are important to the fabric of our colonization. I’ll look into this personally and make sure you receive those permits as soon as possible.”

Maeda sits in stunned silence for a moment. Looks like I came in here and turned his night, and his view of me, upside down.

“That is certainly very generous and not what I expected of this visit.”

“I know we got off on the wrong foot. And you don’t know me very well, but I am completely capable of having a good time.”

I smile at him, and he smiles back, but his eyes crinkle around the edges. I get the feeling he is cursing the people who gave him false information about me.

“I see nothing wrong with casinos, bars, restaurants, or love hotels as long as you operate within the law, which you do.” This is a little white lie, but I’m going to gloss over it. “It’s quite possible you got the impression from someone I would never be interested in your businesses and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, we’ve come here tonight to have a good time, and I don’t want to keep you from your duties.”

Jiro stands up, and I take his hand and stand. Maeda hesitates, blinking his eyes a few times, before standing as well.

“I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to come here and tell you these things in person. I should have come sooner. We will get you those permits, and your businesses will be just as profitable on Yūsei as they are here. I’m sure moving to an open-air environment will not keep people from gambling and having a good time.”

I hold my right hand out to him, hoping he’ll take it and we’ll shake on the matter. But instead, he takes my hand, lifts it, and kisses it. Jiro steps forward, but I squeeze his arm tight with my left hand. It’s okay, Jiro. He’s not going to bite.

“Miss Itami, please sit and enjoy your drinks. My floor manager will be back soon to set up your private poker room and gambling cards. All your food and drinks are on the house tonight.”

“Thank you. We will see you again before the night is through.”

He bows to us and leaves.

I sit back down with Jiro and sip on my Scotch, and we don’t say anything for a minute.

“Jiro, let me try your bourbon.”

Sakai lets out a large laugh as Jiro hands me his glass.

I take a sip and roll the liquid around my mouth, and it has the same feel Scotch does but the taste is smokier. “Mmmm, I like bourbon, too. This may be a hard habit to break.”

“Your next drink should be a Manhattan. I think you’ll enjoy it,” Jiro says as I hand back his glass.

“Sanaa, I actually think you’re better cut out to do this job than your mother was,” Sakai says, setting his empty glass down. “Not only was she not a big drinker but she also did not approve of gambling.”

“Nor did she approve of the swords or the fighting, am I right?”

“You are.”

“I have a feeling this information was relayed to Maeda via Matsuda and Miura. That I am just like my mother, and that since she would never approve of these things, neither would I. I’ve just fixed that. To be honest, I’m not much of a gambling woman. I think maybe I just need to find the right game to play.”

“Uh, I think you already found the right game to play, and you’re incredibly good at it.” Lucy straightens out the hem of her dark green dress. The color goes nicely with her eyes. “You knew exactly what he wanted when you walked in here tonight, and you gave it to him and made him think he didn’t have to do anything for it.”

“Yes, well, the illusion of getting my support for free is just that, an illusion. There are no free handouts.” I recross my ankles and shift my legs closer to Jiro, placing my hand on his knee.

“The dress was a good choice.”

“Thank you, Lucy. I know Jiro likes it.”

Jiro chuckles. “Evil.” He sighs. By wielding my power just now I have completely turned him on. It’ll be a miracle if we make it past midnight without tearing each other’s clothes off.

“We should eat some food and have more drinks before getting on with the night.” I motion to Oyama from across the room, and he smiles and nods at me. Even Oyama approves. I am definitely winning it, but my night is far from over.