Chapter 2: Meeting Them
The next day, I woke up and did my morning routine as usual. I stopped at Starbucks for my usual coffee. This time, someone else caught my eye.
"Mr. Kokuji?" I questioned.
He was standing next to Starbucks, looking at his watch like he's waiting for somebody. "Um, Marie, right?" He asked.
"Right." I answered. "How did you know my name?"
"You're the one who gave me that coffee candy yesterday." Mr. Kokuji said with a broad smile. "Besides, I never forget a pretty lady's face."
My heart skipped a beat and I could feel my cheeks heat. "Um, are you waiting for somebody?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Oh yeah, he should be here by now." Mr. Kokuji muttered, checking his watch again.
At that moment, his phone sounded. Mr. Kokuji fished it out of his pocket and a frown appeared on his face as he read the text.
"He canceled on me." He sighed.
"Well, see you at work." I said with a wave.
"Wait a sec." I froze in my tracks. "How do you get to work?"
"I take the bus." I answered.
"How about you hitch a ride with me?" He suggested.
My heart stopped beating for a moment and started racing so fast it actually hurts. "I- I couldn't. It'll be too much of a fuss." I decline. I could feel my ears getting red.
"Don't sweat it." Mr. Kokuji said, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. "It'll be way faster."
"Okay, I guess." I said nervously.
"Good, 'cause if you don't want to, I'll probably kidnap you." Mr. Kokuji said with a smirk.
"W- What?" I shuttered.
Mr. Kokuji let out a chuckle. "Just kidding, you take things too seriously."
I let out a sigh of relief. Mr. Kokuji opened the door for me like a perfect gentleman. I sat down uncomfortably in the grand looking Mercedes Benz. After Mr. Kokuji sat down, he started the car and off we went.
"So you're a receptionist, huh?" Mr. Kokuji said, trying to make small talk.
"Yes." I answered shortly.
"It's going to be pretty busy today with all the celebrities and reporters coming in for the celebration tomorrow." Mr. Kokuji said.
"What celebration?" I asked, cocking my head to look up at Mr. Kokuji.
"The CEO's 30th birthday." He answered. "You mean you didn't know?"
"No, I didn't." I said quietly. "I'm not really the social type."
Mr. Kokuji stopped in front of the red light and turned to me. "I figured. You better tie your hair up, it's neater that way."
"O- Okay." I pulled my hair into a high bun and turned to Mr. Kokuji for approval only to find him with a dropped jaw. "Mr. Kokuji?"
He finally snapped out of it when the car behind him honked. "Um, sorry for staring." He awkwardly apologized.
"Never mind." I brushed off his weird attitude.
"We're here." Mr. Kokuji said, turning off the engine. We got off the car and walked towards the main building.
"Well, thank you for the ride Mr. Kokuji." I said, bowing respectfully at him.
Out of the blue, he grabbed my chin and lifted my head to face him with his face less than an inch apart from mine. "Babe, just call me Jenta." He said with a flirtatious wink.
What!?
"Um- I-" Before I could muster up a word, he shoved a card into my hand.
"Call me." Mr. K- I mean Jenta whispered in my ear before entering the building.
I looked down at the card in my hand. A row of numbers were written on it and it isn't the one on his business card. Did the company's womanizer just... gave me his personal number?
I entered the office slightly dazed. "Hey Kim, you're early today." Rin shouted from her desk. "And I love the new look."
Today, she wore a yellow blouse with short puffy sleeves, a sleeveless orange jacket, hot pink checkered skirt and knee high bubblegum pink boots with orange ribbons laced up in front.
"Y- Yeah." I shuttered. I put my bag down and sat down. Why would he give me his number? I'm no one special, I'm not even pretty. What is up with today?
"Hello! Earth to Kim?" Rin shouted in my ear, snapping me out of it. "What is wrong with you today?"
"Oh, n- nothing, I'm fine." I said, shaking my hands in front of me.
"Hmm... Hey Jillian, do you know what's wrong with Kim?" Rin suddenly shouted to Jillian who just walked through the door.
Jillian took one look at me and put down her bag. "What are you hiding?" Jillian asked.
"W- What? I'm not hiding anything!" I protested.
Jillian's sharp eyes caught sight of the card on my desk and snatched it away before I did. Her eyes widen as she scanned the card.
"You got Mr. Kokuji's number? Seriously?" Jillian hissed.
"What?!" Rin accidentally shouted. Jillian put a hand over her mouth as the other employees turned towards us.
"It just happened! I don't know how but it happened!" I whispered loudly. "I bumped into him at Starbucks, took a ride in his car and when we got out he gave me that."
"Did anything happened on the car?" Rin asked.
"Well, he told me to tie me hair up but other than that-"
"Aha!" Rin suddenly shouted. "He must be attracted to your gorgeous face."
"For once, you actually make sense." Jillian said.
"No, that doesn't make sense, I'm not gorgeous." I retorted. The two look at me with raised eyebrows.
"Hey Ken!" Rin shouted to a guy that was just walking past us.
"What?" He questioned.
"Find one word to describe this." She said, gesturing to me.
He looked at me for a second and answered: "Gorgeous" then walked away.
"See." The two said in unison.
I shook my head.
I took my usual place at the reception desk. "OMG! There are so many good looking celebs today!" My coworker gushed. "I wouldn't mind working an extra hour."
I sighed. And yesterday she was just complaining about this job.
"Excuse me?"
I turned back to the customer with a smile on my face. "May I- huh?" The gentleman in front of me looked familiar with his neatly combed platinum blonde hair and grey eyes.
"You're that guy from Starbucks!"
"You're that girl from Starbucks!"
It took us a minute to register it and we burst out laughing. "What a coincidence." He said with a chuckle.
"I know, I can't believe I bunped into you again." I said with a giggle. "Now, do you have a reservation?"
The man in front of me gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about? I own the place, why would I have a reservation?"
Those words made me stiffen. "Y- You're Mr. Shira?" I stammered.
"Yes, that's me." Mr. Shira said with a gentle smile. "Bakuga Shira, the CEO of Shiranui Corps."
"I- I'm so sorry Mr. Shira, I d- didn't recognize you." I apologized.
"It's fine, really." Mr. Shira said kindly. "I almost didn't recognize you with your hair up. You should do that more often."
"Oh, thank you." I said, blushing slightly.
"Meow..." A cat with white fur and blue eyes jumped onto the desk.
"Raydra, behave." Mr. Shira lightly scolded the cat. It jumped right into his arms. "Sorry about that, he's usually shy around people."
"It is your hotel." I said, brushing it off.
"Anyway, could you contact-" Before he could finish, a shout came from nowhere.
"Hey Bakuga, where were you?" Jenta came running towards him.
"Jenta! Long time no see!" He shouted back.
The two men tackled each other in a bear hug. "Happy birthday old pal." Jenta said, patting Mr. Shira on the back real hard, making the skinny man cough.
"Yeah, thanks." Mr. Shira choked out.
"Meow." The cat Raydra jumped out of Mr. Shira's arms and onto the counter. He rubbed his head against my forearm. He let out a purr as I pet his head.
"Aren't you just a sweetheart." I said, rubbing his back.
I see Jenta with his mouth hanging open. "But he bit me." He said to Mr. Shira.
"You're just hated by cats." Mr. Shira said, picking Raydra up. "Unlike my friend here you're actually good with cats."
"Thank you Mr. Shira." I said with a bow.
"Call me Bakuga." Mr. Shira said, pushing a card towards me. "You are?"
"K- Kimberly Marie." I said with a blush.
"Seriously? Back off on my girl." Jenta said with a serious expression.
"Your girl? You practically have dozens." Bakuga countered.
The two men engaged each other in a stare off. "It's hard to believe those two are friends."
A man with a childlike aura, blue hair almost touching his shoulder and purple eyes said. He wore a half white half red hoodie, orange sweatpants rolled to his knees and blue boots with a notepad and pen tucked under his arm and a blue backpack slung over his shoulder.
The other man he was talking to had the same childish look in his bright red eyes, crimson red hair and a white scarf around his neck. He wore a black shirt with rolled up sleeves, blue t-shirt peeking out underneath, red skinny jeans and grey boots with a camera around his neck and a red satchel slung over his shoulder.
They were both unbelievably handsome and heading my way. "I know, right?" The redhead said. "Reservation for- huh?" The redhead was cut short when he saw me.
"Watch your eyes Kamon, before you get caught between their crossfire." The blue haired man chuckled. "Looks like they're bickering for this young lady right here."
"Watch your mouth Riki!" Jenta and Bakuga shouted before getting back to their argument.
"I stand corrected." Riki said with a grin.
"Um, do you have a reservation?" I asked.
"That depends..." Kamon suddenly close in on me. "Am I an expectation for your heart?" A dark look clouded his eyes and he licked his lips.
"H- Huh?" I took a step back in surprise.
"Common, you're scaring the lady." Riki said with a hand on his partner's shoulder.
"Am not." Kamon said defensively with a pout.
"Um, reservation..?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, Riki Ryugasaki." Riki supplied.
"Your room is room 4567 on the sixteenth floor and these are your keys." I said, handing him two cards.
"But I'm not done." Kamon whined childishly.
"Save it." Riki said, handing me a card. "Call me sometime if you'll like a nice dinner in heaven."
Kamon shoved Riki aside and slapped a card onto the desk. "Call me if that's the cheesy line you don't wanna hear." Kamon said with a wink.
"Um, okay..?" I said unsure.
"Let's go, Day." Riki said with a chuckle. "You two too."
"Whatever." The three said in unison.
After they left, my coworker turned to me with wide eyes. "OMG, you did not just talked to Bakuga Shira." She said with a grin.
"Calm down." I said. "It's nothing, really."
Just than, the front door seems to be having a racket. Reporters with cameras seems to be crowding around the door, snapping here and there. The crowd moved towards us and I saw three men in black suits protecting a man in shades.
The man had flaming crimson red hair and tan skin. He was wearing a mustard colored t-shirt, ripped jeans, long black leather coat lined with fur and black leather boots.
They stopped in front of my coworker's desk. The man took off his shades to reveal a pair of intimidating golden eyes.
"O- OMG, Basara Kurochi..." My coworker sighed and fainted.
He's Basara Kurochi? The famous actor?
He caught sight of my curious gaze and changed desks.
"Reservation." He said coolly.
"Um, n- name?" I asked cautiously. I know it's stupid to ask but I just wanted to make sure.
A smirk broke out on his face and he leaned against the counter. "You have some nerve, asking my name."
"I- I just wanted to make sure..." I said quietly. My voice was failing me under his intimidating gaze.
"The name's Basara Kurochi." He said putting his face too close to mine than what I'm comfortable with. "I'll make sure you remember that, gorgeous."
One of the black men put a hand on his shoulder. "I think that's enough." His thundering voice sounded.
"Common, you three need to losen up." Basara said with a shrug.
"Um, here are your keys." I said, handing them to him with a shaking hand.
"Thanks, here's your tip." Basara slapped a card onto the desk and push it towards me.
"Time to go, Mr. Kurochi." Another man said.
After he left with the paparazzi chasing behind him, I turned the card over and found a line of numbers written across it.
"No. Way." I breathed.
Suddenly, a white race car with blue accents speeded towards the entrance to the hotel and gracefully parked in front of the doors. The door to the driver's seat opened and a man stepped out.
He had a lean but muscular body, slightly long midnight blue hair with a black highlight tied into a short ponytail, sapphire blue eyes and pale skin with a clean face. He wore a black ascot tucked in and a golden button vest with rolled sleeves, black gloves and a thin black armband on his right arm. Underneath his vest was a purple shirt. He wore baggy white pants and gray boots.
He locked his car and walked in. The reporters who were just chasing Basara came to the man and started taking pictures and asking questions.
"Mr. Shigami, how did you feel about the race you won yesterday?"
"Mr. Shigami, are you taking any interest in anyone lately?"
"Mr. Shigami, could you schedule an interview for us this afternoon about your win?"
Mr. Shigami this, Mr. Shigami that, these reporters are seriously not giving the celebs a break. He just ignored every question thrown his way.
I put on my winning smile and greeted him. "May I help you today sir?"
A flash of surprise zoomed across his calm face before it returned to his cold look. "Reservation, Samuru Shigami."
I quickly found his room and gave him the keys. "Your room is on the eighteenth floor, room number 4357." Finally, a normal customer.
Out of the blue, he threw something at me. I quickly caught it without missing a beat. "You have fast reflects." Samuru said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "I like girls who are fast." His deep, calm voice makes my pulse quicken.
After he entered the elevator, I took a look at the thing he threw at me. It was a neatly folded ten dollar bill. I sighed in relief. At least it's not a...
I unfolded the dollar and a card slipped out.
... phone number.
A line of numbers and the words 'call me' was scribbled on the card. I sighed. It's just not my day.
Finally, lunchtime. I need a break after the customers I've faced. I stepped into the lunch line with a tray and Aona greeted me as usual.
"What's with the long face?" She asked as she served me a salad.
"It's been a long day." I said with a sigh. I noticed a crowd of girls gathering at the drinks corner. "What's with that crowd?"
"Oh, Kamon is helping me serve the drinks." Aona said with a sigh. "I can't have him cook and he can't handle the food section either so that was the only option, but he's attracting more fan girls than customers."
"Hehe, yeah..." I gave a nervous laugh and sat down at the usual table.
"Had a nice day Kim?" Sumi asked as I sat down.
"Been better." I said with a sigh.
"That's unlikely, normally you're all positive and stuff." Rinny said.
"Whose number did you get this time?" Jillian asked before getting back to the phone call she's currently engaged in. She must busy with the party tomorrow night.
"Whoa, what's this about Kim getting numbers?" Sumi asked.
"It's nothing." I said, stabbing my fork into my salad.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU QUIT?!" Jillian shouted at her cell phone. "IT'S THE CEO'S BIRTHDAY! WE FUCKING NEED A SINGER!" There was a pause before Jillian continued to shout. "THERE IS NO WAY YOU'RE GETTING PAID SO FUCK OFF!"
After her tantrum, she slammed the phone onto the table. "You guys know anyone who's pretty, can sing, play guitar and get them to play cheap?" She asked dryly.
"I know someone." Rinny said.
"Who?" Jillian asked almost immediately.
"Someone named Kimberly." Rinny said, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
I choked on my food. "I can't perform!" I retorted.
"Can you sing?" Jillian asked.
"Yes..."
"Can you play guitar?"
"A little..."
"Than why can't you perform?"
"I- I- It's embarrassing." I admitted. "Singing in front of that many people with most of them holding cameras."
"If you don't do it I'm done for." Jillian said. "Mr. Kokuji is going to fire me if I don't get a singer."
If I don't do this Jillian is going to lose her job. But I can't. Can I? "I'll do it." I said.
Jillian gave me a small smile. "Get to backstage before eight o'clock tomorrow night."
I have a bad feeling about this.
It was ten minutes till showtime and Rinny was putting some final touches on my makeup. I was in a single strapped black dress that stops at my knees. It had white roses sewn on the strap, diamonds at the hem of the skirt and a black silk ribbon tied around my waist as a belt. Rinny helped me put on mascara, smoky dark blue eyeshadow, eyeliner, light pink blush and light pink lip gloss. My hair was tied up into a high ponytail with a white rose hairband.
"And... finished!" Rinny exclaimed.
Rinny wore a yellow off shoulder dress with a puffy skirt covered with lace, sweetheart neckline, a necklace with an orange heart pendant and yellow strapped heels. Her hair was let down with the top half up with the help of a star pin.
"Do I look okay?" I asked.
"Okay? You look fantastic!" Rinny exclaimed. "This is me, of course you look fantastic."
I checked myself in the mirror and I did look fantastic, no one will recognize me. "Wow, you did a great job." I said.
"Thank you." Rinny said proudly.
"Kimberly! Where are you?" I heard Jillian's voice shout. A minute later, Jillian came through the door of the makeup room. "You've got five more minutes till show time, are you ready?"
"I- I guess..." My eyes darted to the six cards neatly laid out on the dresser beside me.
"BTW, your 'admirers' are in the front seat." Jillian's words made me freeze. "Chill out, they're just boys."
"By boys, you mean six of the most important, rich and popular men in the world than yes, please chill out." Rinny said to me.
"That's not helping." I said, currently having butterflies in my stomach.
"Don't worry, they won't even recognize you." Rinny said, adding a swirl to the corner of my left eye with her eyeliner.
"If you say so."
I stood up and straighten out my dress before following Jillian out to the stage. I stood behind the wings as a worker handed me my guitar. I tried to calm my nerves as another worker adjusted the mic on my guitar. Nothing can go wrong, I can't let them.
It was only a while before I heard the emcee speak. "Please welcome our next performance, Karen with a Taylor Swift song, Wildest Dreams!"
Jillian suggested I use a fake name so nobody will recognize me. I walked onto the stage and sat down on the chair provided for me. I positioned the mic to my lips and strummed the first couple notes.
"He said let's get out of this town,
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds.
I thought heaven can't help me now,
Nothing lasts forever,
But this is gonna take me down!"
A round table was set right in front of the stage, six men sat there, having their every attention focused on me.
"He's so tall,
And handsome as hell,
He's so bad but he does it so well.
I can see the end,
As it begins,
My last request is,"
There's Bakuga Shira, my mysterious boss. Jenta Kokuji, my lady killer superior. Kamon Day, the flirty photographer. Riki Ryugasaki, the innocent reporter. Basara Kurochi, the sexy actor. And finally, Samuru Shigami, the cool F1 racer. How did these men came into my life?
"Say you'll remember me,
Standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset babe.
Red lips and rosy cheeks,
Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams, oh oh.
Wildest dreams oh oh."
