I was woken up the next morning by Kaki mewling in her box. With a smile, I scooped up my little kitty and played with her on the bed for awhile before heading in to take a shower. Taking off my pajamas, I carefully inspected my vulva. As I'd suspected from the moment that I woke up, it was covered with an angry red rash. The pain of the bikini wax just kept on giving.
Carrying Kaki downstairs, I went straight to my salon, intending to have someone contact Shiori. Instead, she was there, hanging out on the couch with Mika and Rin.
"Oh," I said with a cringe. "You aren't waxing something else today are you?" I was so not prepared for that.
"Oh no, my dear," Shiori said with a laugh. "Today you get a facial and a massage."
"I think I can handle that." I sighed with relief, but took a moment to think about the massage. It was the sort of unnecessary spoiling and pampering that people with a lot of money paid for, but really there was no sense denying it. If I hadn't said no to the wax, it would be crazy to reject a massage. Reminding myself that Eisuke would be angered by a no of any sort, I gave myself over to her care.
Later, while Mika, Rin and Daichi were busy chatting and playing with Kaki, I mentioned my intimate problem to Shiori.
"Oh dear!" Shiori whispered. "I forgot to tell you not to have sex for 24 hours after the wax. Please remember that for next time. I have a cream that I can give you for right now."
"Okay, thanks," I said, flushing in embarrassment. I supposed it was better to let her think I'd been having sex with Eisuke instead of fooling with myself in the shower. My first worry off my mind, I called over to Daichi. "What is on my schedule for today?"
"Well, the men are off on an outing for skeet shooting and a tour of a whiskey factory. There's a tea party for the women in the afternoon, but you aren't scheduled to attend. Not interested?"
"Definitely not."
"I don't blame you. The schedule that Soryu sent me has you hanging out in the penthouse until dinner, with a couple of lessons scheduled for the afternoon."
"Lessons?"
"Yes, one for English at 1:30, and the one at 3:00 just says Miyamoto. This evening you and Mr. Ichinomiya are having dinner with two couples at The Grande Hillier, and then going to an auction."
"I'll take lessons over a tea party any day."
Relaxing into the massage that Shiori was giving me, I wondered about the dinner and the auction. Two couples sounded much better than eight at least, but could the auction be Eisuke's Black Market Auction? The idea made me a little sick. I really did not want to be in that room ever again, but maybe it was something more like the silent auction that we'd attended the day before.

My second day hanging out in the penthouse was as boring as hell. I just wasn't used to having so much free time with nothing to do. I played with Kaki when she was awake, I watched tv on the enormous television in the first floor living room and I glanced outside at the pool every so often wishing that it wasn't prohibited.
I didn't see any of the guys all day. Even Mamoru wasn't in his usual spot by the window. I felt bereft and lonely and lost and...so worried about Eisuke's opinion of me. Was he avoiding me? Ignoring me? Could he not forgive me for lying to him? Had he written me off? Maybe he would have me help with the Takahiro thing and then release me. The idea should have made me happy, but it didn't. I did want my freedom, but I didn't like the idea of leaving with Eisuke disappointed in me or even hating me.
It wasn't like he was warm or affectionate - or even nice to me - but I felt some sort of connection to him and I didn't want to lose it. Even though I had to admit to myself that the connection was definitely one-sided. Just because he'd messed around with me a couple of times, there was no reason to think that Eisuke felt anything towards me. From what everyone had said, he didn't seem to form attachments with women. If models and actresses and renowned beauties couldn't sway him, then I certainly didn't have a chance in hell.
My only respite from my boredom were the two classes that had been scheduled for me. The English lesson went well. My new tutor, Minami Gima, talked with me and gave me a couple of quick tests to get an idea of my writing and speaking abilities. Since my father was Canadian, my mother had always stressed the need for me to speak English well, if only for appearances sake. Minami seemed happy with my test results, saying that I had a good foundation to built on and we would focus on some business language and writing - as well as things that would be important for me to be able to communicate as a concierge. It was only then that I realized why the lesson had been arranged. It was so that I would do the best job possible in my new position.
My second lesson was with a woman named Hatori Miyamoto who ended up being an expert in manners and etiquette. I guessed that this lesson was more for my role as Eisuke's girlfriend, but figured that it couldn't hurt for a concierge to have great manners. Hatori set the dining room table with a wide array of dishes and silverware and gave me my first lesson on advanced table manners. It took the entire hour to get through every little rule related to dining and I ended up having to take a ton of notes.

I talked with Hatori as she packed her set of dishes back up into a special case.
"Will you be teaching me how to deal with gossips and difficult conversations?"
"Yes, of course, but that will come later."
"It might be a good idea to move the lesson up a bit, I could really use some help now."
"That's no problem, can start adding a mini-lesson on conversing at the beginning of each lesson."
"That sounds great."

As we walked to the elevator, I thought to myself how it was such a relief to think that I might be able to learn some skills that would help me navigate the difficult waters of interacting with the other girlfriends and to them wasn't like having a conversation with my friends at all: I had to be constantly on my guard because everyone seemed to have an ulterior motive. There was no telling how many pitfalls and traps the other women were setting up for me. I was so worried about saying something wrong, making some mistake that would reflect badly on Eisuke and make him mad at me.
I'd expected my team to arrive soon after Hatori left to help me get ready for dinner, but instead a maid appeared and said, "Excuse me, Miss. I've been asked to inform you that plans for dinner have been cancelled. We'll serve you dinner in the dining room at six. Your team will now arrive at 7:30 and someone will pick you up for the auction at 8:45."
I thanked the woman and watched her walk away, sighing sadly. It was probably a good thing, right? I wouldn't have to talk with the wives, I wouldn't have to go through all that stress - and I wouldn't risk screwing anything up. But I had several more boring hours to kill in the apartment...several more hours until I would be able to see Eisuke.
I tried my best to fight off the feelings of loneliness, worry and depression that were building up inside of me. It was not a big deal to spend some time alone. I didn't really want to go out to dinner with a bunch of strangers. I shouldn't need to see Eisuke in order to feel okay. I was making too much of this, acting like a teenager. What was I going to do if he was still mad at me? If he was even colder than usual? Just pout and cry all day? Acting this way was unacceptable, I had to push through it and get over it as soon as possible.
I had dinner alone in the dining room and then took Kaki outside to play in the sun on the roof. I watched the sunlight shimmering on the little waves in the pool and thought of the things that Eisuke had done to me the other night. I wanted more, there was no denying that, but also, there was no telling what would happen in the future. Everything hinged upon Eisuke's whim, which was really why I was feeling so unsettled. I wanted to rely upon myself, I wanted to make my own decisions, I wanted to have my fair say about my own life, and none of those things were going to happen.
Following Kaki around the outdoor area, I came across the hottub. It was set flush into the roof and had a wooden lid on top of it. I hadn't even noticed it when I was out there the other day. So this was where Eisuke had had sex with that Reina woman who was at dinner last night. I imagined the water bubbling beneath the wooden lid like a cauldron. Reina and more, probably. Actresses, models, beautiful and powerful women. It was no wonder he hadn't bothered to have sex with me. His hand was preferable to an average woman like me.
Every time he had touched me it was to prove a point, to teach me a lesson. To show his ownership, his dominance over me. To keep me in line.
"You belong to me." His words echoed through my mind, whispering hot and demanding. A strange chill went through me, a mixture of fear and disgust, thrill and desire.
I abruptly turned to scoop Kaki up and hurry back into the penthouse. I didn't want to think about this anymore. There was no escaping it. No escaping him. No matter how much I thought about it, from every possible angle, I wanted him. I was his and the only thing for me to do was wait and see what his next move was.

I asked my team to dress me in black and arrange my hair and makeup in an understated style for the auction. If we were going to the Black Market Auction, and the lateness of the hour suggested that this was the case, I wanted to disappear in the darkness of the audience. Daichi gave me black slacks and a long sleeved black top to change into. It made me happy to cover up my skin, to feel like I was hiding myself away. It just felt right.
When I walked my team out just after eight-thirty, Eisuke was standing in the living room. His mouth smirked and his eyes flicked over me.
"Preparing for a funeral, Olivia?" he asked before turning his attention to Daichi. "Hokama, I want her in dresses and skirts. I want to see her legs."
As I blinked in surprise at the order, Daichi replied to him. "Yes, Sir. Would you like me to change her now?"
"No, this if fine for tonight. You are dismissed," Eisuke said with a small flick of his chin towards the front door. After I'd closed the door behind my team, I turned around to find that Eisuke had silently followed me and was standing near, staring at me.
"Oh!" I jumped a little in shock when I saw him. "You scared me…"
"It seems we have a problem. Someone touched my property," he said, his voice low.
"What?" I squawked, my stomach turning over in misery. "What did I do? Whatever it is, I didn't know…" He stepped closer and I backed up until the front door stopped me from going any further. Steadily he stalked closer, placing a hand on the wall near my head and leaning his lips close to my ear. His warmth and his scent engulfed me, making me feel trapped in him. Fear and awareness shivered through my body as his free hand trailed down my arm and skimmed over my waist.
"Have you been playing with my pussy?" he asked huskily, his fingers moving to press between my legs, and his voice was - 'ugh' - filled with threat and sexiness and a hint of humor that made me want to melt.
But the embarrassment that his question caused made me want to disappear into the door behind me. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "That's…" I didn't even know what to say. Lie and say that it was disgusting? Get bold and say that it was my personal business?
"I get multiple reports about you daily," he said, his voice still near my ear, still too tempting - even if his words were causing my spine to freeze. "From your fashion team and from others. I know what you've been doing."
"Hey, we should get going." Soryu's voice came from behind us, shattering the bubble that Eisuke's presence had created, the one that made me forget everything else except for him.
Smirking wickedly, Eisuke pushed himself away from me and turned to face Soryu.
"You're right," he said, his voice completely normal as if he hadn't just been toying with me and embarrassing the hell out of me.
I did my best to get my feelings under control. They were all over the place, as usual. It looked like things might be back to normal with Eisuke.
"Here, put this on," Soryu instructed, handing me a beautiful masquerade mask that shimmered silver under the lights. When I looked at it, all that I could do was picture a sea of masks staring up at me, cold and emotionless.
"Okay," I answered shakily. At least if it were on my face, I wouldn't have to look at it. I pulled it on and followed the two men out to the elevator. They'd both donned their own simple black masks. I kept my eyes averted, not wanting to see the masks at all.
The elevator took us down to Basement Level Four and opened up into a lobby. Baba and Ota were there waiting to join us, both wearing masks although theirs were more elaborate than Eisuke and Soryu's. I did my best not to look at anything as we entered the Auction. Eisuke hadn't bothered to take my hand tonight - and I felt like I really needed it. I kept my eyes down and watched the men out of the corner of my eye as I followed them to our seats. I did not look up, reluctant to take in the sight of all of the people in their masks.
An entire row of seats had been reserved for us. We filed in to sit down and I ended up with Eisuke and Soryu to my left and Baba and Ota to my right. I took a chance and peeked up, letting out a little sigh of relief. As long as I looked ahead, all that I could see were the backs of heads. The stage was unnerving but my view was a completely different perspective than when I had been standing on it. My anxiety level dropped a little, making it easier for me to breathe.
"Must be weird being back here. Am I right?" Baba asked.
"Yeah," I said. "But I think I'll be alright."
The Auction started very quickly after that. The Mad Hatter came out and I had to work to calm the dread his presence caused to flare in me.
"Why… Why is that guy like that?" I whispered to Baba, trying to distract myself.
"It's just his thing," Baba said as if it were no big deal. "Everyone needs to be in disguise because of the black market thing. Hatter just likes doing things over the top."
I nodded and went back to watching the Auction. The items up for bid were a strange mix of art, artifacts, jewelry, weapons, and some new designer drug. I figured that pretty much all of it had to have been stolen. After awhile, everything began to blend together. I grew bored of wondering if the ancient masks from Egypt had been stolen from a museum or what sort of person had owned the giant sapphire to begin with - or why anyone would need two dozen machine guns.
Just as I thought I might drift off to sleep, a line of people filed onto the stage.
"What's this?" I asked in surprise. "I thought that the auction didn't sell people?" I looked from Eisuke to Baba. Eisuke continued staring forward, not acknowledging me at all. Baba bent his head closer to explain what was going on.
"Those people are selling their organs," he said.
"What?!" I asked, horrified. "How can that be? Who would do that?"
I turned to look accusingly at Eisuke, but he was pulling his phone from his pocket to answer it.
"I went over the paperwork for some of these people," Baba said casually, as if he were talking about checking people into the hotel. "That man there in the green sweater? He's got a lot of gambling debt, so it's sell the kidney or face the music. That girl there is doing it because her grandfather borrowed a lot of money from loan sharks. He's too old to sell an organ himself, so it's up to her to bail him out. That guy in the blue, he's doing it completely voluntarily. He wants the money to start up a business."
There was movement to my left and I looked over to see Eisuke and Soryu getting up and leaving. On the stage the Mad Hatter began doing a spiel about healthy organs. I felt like I was going to be sick.
"Some of those people look absolutely terrified!" I hissed at Baba. "How is this okay?!"
"For most of them, if they don't give up their organ then someone is going to die," he said seriously. "That girl doesn't sell her kidney, her grandfather is going to be killed. The people who do it of their own free will, like the guy in blue, it's his kidney, why shouldn't he sell it if he wants to? And doing it at the Auction is much safer than trying to arrange some sort of back alley deal. We've got a doctor on staff who makes sure that everything is copacetic and the people get paid a good price for their kidney. You try to find a way to sell your organs on the street and you're going to get shafted."
"I don't want to see this," I said. "Take me out of here."
"Alright," Baba said. "Let's see if we can find the Boss and Soryu."
I walked with Baba out of the Auction, keeping my eyes down the entire time, avoiding looking at the people in their masks. As we approached the double doors, I could feel relief already washing over me. It felt like I was escaping from a nightmare. If I were very lucky, I would never have to be in the room again.
When we stepped through the doors and back into the lobby, the first thing that I saw was Soryu walking towards us, a very serious expression on his face.
"Take her upstairs," he said to Baba. "Eisuke and I are flying to Macau immediately."
My lips fell open in surprise, and I blinked up at Soryu. They were leaving the country? Immediately?
Soryu looked at me and said, "I'm going to try to make it back Sunday evening to prepare you for starting work with Kuroba on Monday. If that doesn't happen, we might have to delay your first day. Now, let's get going."
I followed them to the elevator, my head spinning with this new development. Eisuke and Soryu were going to be gone for several days at least? "I'll have to stay locked in the penthouse, won't I?" I asked, thinking of the boring day that I had just spent.
"There's really no getting around that," Soryu said. The elevator opened up on Eisuke's private parking garage. I could see him standing next to a car talking on his phone. He didn't even look in our direction.
"Take care," Soryu said and stepped off of the elevator.
"Goodbye!" I called after his retreating back. "Be careful!"
The elevator doors closed and I sighed. I'd been missing them both for the past two days, now the time without them seemed to stretch on forever.
"Don't worry, Kitten," Baba said. "I'll take care of you. When the cat's away, the mice will play."
I looked at him skeptically. At this point I had no interest in doing something that Eisuke would not approve of. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," I said.
"Suit yourself, suit yourself," Baba said with a laugh. "You just let me know if you get too bored. Ota and I will come around to entertain you."
He let me into the penthouse and then left in a hurry, obviously anxious to get up to whatever fun he was planning now that Eisuke was gone.
I collected Kaki from a maid and went upstairs with a sigh. This was not going to be fun. Hopefully Soryu would be able to return on Sunday night. At this point returning to work would be more than just a semi-return to normalcy and a chance at a little independence - it would be a break from my imprisonment in the penthouse.

The next day, I did my best to entertain myself. Mamoru was in his usual spot for the majority of the day, so at least I didn't feel so alone, even if he did sleep for most of the time. He had lunch with me in the dining room and I took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
"So, do you guys also live in the hotel? It seems like everyone is always around somewhere."
"I have my own place, it wouldn't do for me to live in the hotel. But Soryu, Baba and Ota live in the penthouse. You didn't know that?"
"No… I have noticed that Soryu seems to always be around."
"They all have apartments in the penthouse. Ask them sometime, I'm sure they'll show you."
"It's strange that I see Baba and Ota so rarely if they actually live here."
"I think Ota does a lot of crashing with women. Eisuke can get a little pissed if he's dragging too many women through here. And Baba, who knows what Baba is doing half the time. There's really no telling."
As I was laughing at that quip, Etsudo, the chef that I had met the other day, came in.
"Excuse me, Miss Olivia," she began, and continued when I gave her a nod. "I have been told that you will be dining in the penthouse for the next few days. I thought you might like to take a look at these papers and select some meals that you would like to have prepared for you. Maybe check the ones you like and put a star next to the ones that are your favorites? It will help me to decide what to prepare each day."
"Oh, thank you. That is a good idea," I said and accepted the stack of papers that she gave me. Sorting through them, I looked up at Baba. "Wow, there's a lot to choose from here."
"Yeah, I suggest that you look for lasagna. That's always my favorite. Etsudo sends me a text to let me know when she's making lasagna," Mamoru said. "You should put two or three stars next to that one."
"Okay," I said, scanning through the list of Italian foods. "I don't think I've ever had lasagna, but I will take your word for it."
Mamoru helped me go through the list, suggesting that I request some things that I had never even heard of before.
"That's the biggest benefit to working for Eisuke," he said. "There tends to be a lot of good food around."
Later, I had my English and Etiquette lessons. Not having much to do made learning a lot more fun and I was sad when Hatori had left the penthouse, meaning I was once more alone. Mamoru had disappeared and I was left to spend the hours before and after dinner on my own.
Kaki woke me up late that night, mewling insistently for attention. I scooped her up out of her box and brought her up onto the bed for some playing and snuggles. When I'd finished and she was ready to go back to sleep, I found myself wide awake and feeling a little hungry. I decided that it probably wouldn't hurt anything if I went to the kitchen and got myself a snack. For all I knew, there would be a chef on duty, ready to prepare me whatever I asked for.
Descending the stairs to the first floor, I saw that there was a gathering in the living room. Baba, Ota and Mamoru were sitting around a table immersed in a card game - three women with them.
"Olivia! There you are! Get down here!" Baba yelled, obviously a little drunk.
I walked reluctantly over to where they sat. The women were all dressed to go clubbing, in very short flashy dresses and elaborate makeup. I was wearing purple polka dotted pajamas and had bedhead.
"Do you know how to play poker?" Baba asked, his voice too loud. "You need to join us."
"No, I don't," I answered. "I just came down to get something to eat."
"Grab a plate and come and sit down," Mamoru said, waving me to a side table where food had been set up. "I'll teach you how to play. And don't worry, we won't play for money. We'll just play for fun."
"Not play for money?" Baba complained as I walked over to the table and checked out the food. "That isn't any fun. Let's play with money, Eisuke will cover her losses."
"No way am I agreeing to that," I said over my shoulder, putting a little sandwich and a couple of mini quiches on my plate.
"Ah, you have no sense of adventure, Kitten," Baba complained. "Eisuke is an untamed, dangerous man who leads a wild life. You really need to break free of your bonds if you are going to keep up with him."
I pictured Eisuke in his three piece suit constantly networking. His life didn't seem to be anything like what Baba was describing, but I'd only known him for a very short time. There was obviously a lot more to him than that. "Whatever," I said, taking the seat that Mamoru pulled up between himself and one of the women. "I won't be gambling Eisuke's money away."
"Eisuke is wild," the women next to me said dreamily. "You can tell just by looking at him. He always looks like he has so much going on inside."
"I would think that would make him the opposite of wild," Mamoru pointed out. "Because he's keeping everything contained inside."
"Yeah, but once-" 'Oh my God, please do not let this woman tell a story about how good Eisuke is in bed!' "-he was at this club, The Nightcrawler, do you know it? And he just went like this with his hand," she flicked her hand in the air, "And bought everyone in the club drinks for the rest of the night. Let me tell you, it got crazy up in there that night. Everyone was going wild."
"Probably everyone in the club except Eisuke," Mamoru said.
The woman blinked, she obviously had no idea what had happened to Eisuke after he flicked his hand. "Still," she said. "That was really wild."
Mamoru gave me a pointed look and I laughed as he reached for a deck of cards. He began teaching me how to play poker, going over the basics and then discussing some of the strategy. By the time the two of us had played a few quick hands to give me some practice, the rest of the table had descended into a boozy chaos.
One of the women was straddling Ota and he had a smirk on his face as she whispered into his ear. Baba was talking to the woman sitting next to him in a low voice, his hand high up on her thigh. The third woman was looking around the table, obviously feeling left out and a little angry. She was giving me death glares.
"Oh, I think I'm interrupting," I said quietly to Mamoru. "I should go back upstairs."
Before he had a chance to reply, Ota and his girl stood up. "We're going back to my apartment," he announced. "We'll have to take a raincheck on the game." They walked away, disappearing down a hallway.
"Why don't we go get in the hot tub?" Baba suggested.
"Yes!" the woman who he'd been flirting with squealed. "That sounds like so much fun!"
The third woman looked at Mamoru, sizing up her chances with him. "Not me," Mamoru said. "I was only here for the poker. I'm going home."
"Join us in the hot tub," Baba said to the third woman, trying to be sexy and suggestive, but just coming off creepy.
"Yeah, no thanks," she said. "I'm going home."
"I'll walk you down to the taxi stand," Mamoru offered and started walking with her to the front door.
"Alrighty then," Baba said looking over at me. "Kitten?"
"God no," I said, shaking my head as I headed for the stairs to return to bed.
There was no way in hell that I would ever get in that hot tub.

The next day started out the same as the one before. I presented myself to my team, who gave me light hair and makeup since I was just going to stay home all day. Daichi gave me a dress and I changed into it, but as soon as everyone left I went back to my salon and changed into some yoga pants and a top. That way Daichi was following through with Eisuke's orders and I was the one breaking them. Since he wasn't home, I didn't think it mattered if he could see my legs.
Mamoru hadn't shown up by lunchtime, so I ate my meal alone - trying not to feel sorry for myself. It wasn't like I hadn't eaten alone many times before, but something about being trapped in the penthouse made everything worse.
As I finished lunch, Baba and Ota rushed in, both of them looking very excited.
"Olivia!" Baba cried. "We need your help."
"With what?" I asked, looking between them.
"With a job," Ota replied. "You're going to be absolutely perfect. Let's go to your hair and makeup room." Following them curiously to my salon, I watched as they began to search through my dresses.
"This one's the best," Ota declared, holding up a very short dress that was splashed with color. "It's perfect."
"You're right," Baba agreed. "What about shoes?"
"These ones," Ota said, grabbing a pair of high heels.
"But those don't go with that dress," I pointed out.
"I know, I know," Ota said, handing me the dress and the shoes and pushing me behind the changing screen. "It's perfect like that. We need you to look a little cheap and trashy. Now hurry and change." I put the dress and the shoes on and stepped back out to nods of approval from the two men.
"Come sit in the chair so I can do your hair and makeup," Ota directed and got to work as soon as I sat down, glueing cheap fake eyelashes on my eyes and applying too much eyeshadow and blush, as well as bright red lipstick.
"You are making me look trashy," I said accusingly. "Why do you know how to do makeup?"
"Makeup is just another form of art. I am in charge of making all of the disguises for our projects. It's my specialty," Ota explained and then asked, "Does your head still hurt?"
When I replied with "Not that much", Ota began working on my hair. He used bobby pins to hold my hair close to my head and then put a hair cap on, containing my hair thoroughly so that he could put a wig on me. He pulled the wig from the bag that he had been carrying and combed it out before he attached it to my head. The hair on the wig was very long. It looked like the kind of hair that was dyed too many times: kind of brassy, multicolored and dry. Who would buy a wig like that?
Ota declared that he was finished with me, and I sat on the couch while he got to work on Baba. He did some contouring makeup on Baba's face, seeming to change the structure of his face entirely and then prepped Baba's hair and put a wig on his head.
I laughed when I saw the results. "You don't look anything like yourself and you've got Mamoru's hair!"
Baba laughed and came to sit with me on the couch while we watched Ota get to work on himself. I noticed that both men were dressed differently than usual. Baba was wearing some cheap gray slacks and a short sleeved white button up shirt. He looked like a very low level office worker at a small company. Ota was wearing very slim fitting jeans and a flashy t-shirt that had been intentionally shredded and showed a bright red shirt beneath it. He put on a shaggy wig that looked like black hair that had been dyed blonde and needed some touching up. He ended up looking like a young man who was trying very hard to be fashionable on a very low budget and with very little taste.
Baba and I stood up and Ota gave us a final inspection. "This is it," Ota said. "We look perfect. Let's get to work."
I followed them to the elevator and we went down to Eisuke's private parking garage. The men walked right past a row of expensive cars and chose on older nondescript four door car that wasn't in the best shape. I got in the back seat next to a large flat white box. "What's in this box?" I asked curiously as Ota drove the car out of the garage.
"Daifuku," Baba replied, his voice full of excitement.
"Why in the world would we need so many rice cakes?" I asked. "This box is huge. What are we doing anyway?"
"So many questions," Ota said with a laugh.
"We're doing a heist," Baba explained. "And you are going to help me with it. That's why we're in disguise."
"A heist? Are you serious? Is that okay? What if we get caught? I don't want to go to jail!" I was suddenly freaking out.
"Kitten, don't worry about anything," Baba said while Ota laughed beside him. "The police aren't going to come. In general, criminals don't call the police. This thing is planned perfectly. There is no danger at all. You just need to play your part for a little while and then it will be over."
"Well, what is my part?" I asked, still feeling unsure.
"You walk down a sidewalk, drop that box of daifuku at just the right spot, make a bit of a ruckus, and then pick up the daifuku and go on your way," Baba instructed.
"Well, I guess that doesn't sound so bad," I said.
"Think of it as fun," Ota suggested. "You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else for awhile."
"Oh, that kinda sounds like my life already," I said with a laugh. "But I'll help you guys. I don't have a problem with that. It doesn't sound hard and you said it will be safe."
Half an hour later, Ota dropped me off a block and a half from a small factory. "Remember, I'm going to drop Baba off on the other side of the factory and then circle back. I'll be nearby. If you need help, just yell," he instructed.
We'd already driven by the factory and they'd pointed out exactly where they wanted me to drop the box of rice cakes. I sashayed down the block, trying to get into character and have fun. This was more fun that pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I just had to act airheaded for a little while and then I'd be done.
I'd crossed the street to the block with the factory and was about halfway to my drop point when the guard came out of the little guard shack at the entrance to the factory, just as Baba had said he would. He looked to be in his forties and seemed to be more muscular than a normal security guard. His dark hair was thinning. "He's a real lecher," Baba had explained. "The sort that likes to whistle at the girls as they go by."
The guard smiled while he was watching me walk. I kept a small smile on my face and tried to pretend like the enormous box was not very heavy. As I approached my target point - the last little bush in a row of bushes planted in front of the factory's fence - I wobbled and lurched forward, screeching in surprise, ensuring that the box flipped open as it flew out of my hands. I caught myself before I fell to the sidewalk but the box crashed to the sidewalk, daifuku raining down and rolling in every direction.
"Oh no!" I wailed. "My grandmother is going to kill me!"
"Need some help?" the security guard asked, walking over to stand on the other side of the mess.
"Oh yes, thanks! If it isn't too much trouble?" I answered and bent down to flip the bottom of the box over. I followed Baba and Ota's instructions and bent at the waist with my ass pointed at the guard. I wasn't very comfortable doing it, but I just kept telling myself that it was no big deal if some guy could see the backs of my thighs. If I were wearing a bathing suit on a beach, everyone there would be able to do the same. I was causing a distraction to help out the guys with their work - and I was sure that meant I must be helping Eisuke, too.
"Do you think it would be okay if I just dust them off?" I asked the guard. "I mean the sidewalk is super clean and these cost a ton of money."
"Seems fine to me," the guard said, a creepy little glint in his eye. I guessed that was to be expected.
I began picking up the rice cakes, dusting them off and carefully arranging them back in the box, while I kept chattering, bewailing my bad luck. I moved slowly and even though the guard was supposed to be helping me, he wasn't too quick, himself. Just as Ota had said he would, he was taking his time in order to keep watching me bend over.
"Almost done," I finally said cheerfully and stepped over to pick up a couple of rice cakes that had landed between the last two bushes.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, hands landed on my hips and roughly pushed me further into the bushes. As I gave a little cry and struggled to maintain my balance, a hand grabbed the back of my dress, fisting into the fabric and pushing my back down so that I couldn't move. I tried to stand up or twist away, but the guard was just too strong. Even as I fought to escape, his other hand came up and forced its way between my legs.
I'd let out a few screeches when he grabbed me, but after that I mostly focused on trying to escape. When I felt his hand between my legs, I started screaming in earnest. First, just from fright, and then I remembered that Ota was nearby, waiting to help me if I needed it and I just kept on screaming.
The man's hand was a ruthless predator. I squirmed, trying to avoid his hard fingers, but it was impossible. In moments he had pushed my panties to the side and was trying to force his way up inside of me. Endlessly screaming, I clenched the muscles in my sex, trying to prevent the man's fingers from entering me, but my efforts were useless. I felt two fingers enter me, painfully, careless and brutal.
Not knowing what else to do, I raised one of my feet and kicked back at him, but this just caused me to pitch forward and fall. My head hit the chain link fence that surrounded the factory, the metal digging into my scalp and scraping as the man followed me down. I don't know whether my falling caught him off balance and he fell with me, or if he just decided that he wasn't going to let go of his prize, but he made sure that his fingers stayed where he'd put them.
I was folded up in a strange position, my neck bent at an odd angle because my head was pushed into the fence and my ass in the air since I had come down on my knees with my head on the ground. The man came down on top of me, kneeling with a leg across my calves to prevent me from moving. And then his fingers began moving inside of me.
I was still screaming as best as I could with my face in the dirt, tears streaming from my eyes. Seconds were stretching out into minutes and I was internally praying for Ota to come and save me. I was trapped and the only thing that I could do was scream with horror.
The guard suddenly pitched to the side and I heard a voice yell, "Get off my girlfriend!"
The guard was off of me and I pushed myself up out of the dirt as quickly as I could. Ota was there, in his funny clothes and wig, very angry or at least pretending to be and I moved to stand behind him. He was also pretending to be very effeminate, his voice shrill and whiny as he yelled at the guard.
"What are you doing touching my girlfriend?! You disgusting creep!" Ota yelled, jumping around a little with those little hops that guys sometimes do when they're getting ready to fight.
The guard laughed out loud in response. "And what are you going to do about it you little shit? Shouldn't you already be running away?"
"I'm not running away! You touched my girl!" Ota shouted in that funny high-pitched voice.
I reached up to wipe tears and dirt from my face and saw Baba sprint lightly through the gate of the factory and head up the sidewalk, quick and quiet. He'd finished his job then.
The guard was laughing at Ota, egging him on. "You should be thanking me for giving your girl a taste of what a real man is like. There's no way a fruit like you is satisfying her, that's why she's waving her ass all over the neighborhood like a bitch in heat."
Ota made an angry noise and ran at the guard, throwing a very pathetic punch that the guard just leaned back to avoid. He stuck out a hand and pushed Ota away. "Come on," the guard said. "You've got to give me more than that. You've got to make it worth my time to put in the effort you little cocksucker."
"No!" I yelled at Ota, knowing that Baba was out and it was safe for us to leave. Grabbing Ota's arm, I yelled, "Don't fight that man! Let's just leave!"
He turned and looked at me, giving me a wink before grabbing my hand and pulling me along, back the way I had originally walked from. Behind us, I could hear the guard yelling, asking if I wanted to come back and get the daifuku.
At the corner, Ota crossed the street to the right instead of running straight to the place where he had dropped me off. I could see the car, parked just a short distance away where a building blocked it from being seen by the guard. Baba was already in the driver's seat, the engine running. He must have run around the block after leaving the factory.
Ota and I got into the car and Baba hit the gas immediately, making a u-turn so that we didn't even drive within sight of the guard. I tried to wipe the dirt and tears off my face, shocked and horrified by what had happened.
"Are you okay, Olivia?" Ota asked from the front seat. "The guard knocked her down," he said to Baba. "I think he was trying to cop a feel."
'Knocked me down?' I thought, my stomach turning. Neither of them knew what had really happened and there was no way that I could tell them. "I'm okay," I said, not wanting to answer anymore questions. "Just...shaken up."
Baba began talking about what had happened inside the factory. As we drove back to the hotel the two men seriously analyzed each of Baba's movements and how effective they had been. I noticed that Baba kept looking at me through the rearview mirror and Ota kept glancing over his shoulder. I forced myself to calm down and relax, doing my best to look normal so that they would leave me alone.
Back at the penthouse, I went immediately upstairs to take a shower, trying to wash the memory of the guard's hands off of my skin. It was no use, of course. If you could wash away bad memories, I would have already forgotten so many things. But you have to live with them, they never go away.
My vagina was tender and there was some blood where the guard's fingernails must have cut me. Feeling the damage that my body had suffered made me want to close down. I ended up sitting on the shower floor and crying, feeling so alone and trapped in the penthouse where there was no one for me to talk to about what had happened to me.
When I finally pulled myself from the shower, my robe was down in my salon and it was too early for my pajamas to have been delivered. I pulled one of Eisuke's dress shirts from his closet and buttoned myself into it, taking what little comfort from it that I could.
The maid that usually watched Kaki for me must have been busy, because the kitten was in her box, mewling desperately at me to get her out. I picked her up and climbed into the big bed, cuddling her and trying to sooth myself with her warm fur.
"I'm okay," I told her, looking down into her innocent eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm safe and back at the penthouse. Women go through much worse than this every day. Every. Single. Day. If they can get through worse, I can get through this."
It was just one more thing to get through, in a list of things that felt was growing too long. I was growing tired. I was losing strength. I didn't want to have to keep pulling myself out of the abyss. I wanted things to start getting easy.
Gently, I put Kaki back in her box and buried myself in the soft blankets on the bed. It was so big and I was lost and lonely and afraid. I pulled Eisuke's pillow towards myself, turning it so that it lay down the front of my body and hugging it. His scent was on the pillow, a spicy, warm smell that I associated with strength. I breathed it in, trying to imagine that he was holding me, comforting me. But he had never done anything like that before. It seemed impossible to even imagine it.

I sat on the floor of the room, deep in the dark basement, where the table linens were stored. It was cold and dim and there were rice cakes lying on the floor all around me. I was supposed to pick them up, but I hadn't and the doorknob was turning. Fear stabbed through me like a knife, paralyzing me, I couldn't move or run or scream. The door opened and three men came in, their faces dark, enraged and sinister. Hiro, and the other man who had sold me in the auction, and the guard. They stared down at me, coming towards me and I couldn't even move to try to get away. I was frozen with fear, trapped in a horror-filled rigor mortis.
 The guard held up the hand that had been inside of me, it was covered with blood. "I'm going to get that bitch again. She isn't going to get away from me this time. This time I can play with her as long as I want."
 "Yes," Hiro said. "She broke my statue. Let's play with her until we get bored and then kill her."
 The other man held up a fantastically long needle, it looked to be ten inches long, and said, "I'm going to play all night."
 They'd been walking endlessly towards me across the room, but they finally closed in, blocking everything else out but their hate-filled faces and their evil intentions. My mouth was open impossibly wide, and I was screaming and screaming inside, but no sound would come out. I would not be able to even put up a fight. They were going to do whatever they wished with me, and there was nothing that I could do to stop them.
 Hiro reached down and fisted his hand into my hair, pulling me slowly up towards them.

I came awake, screaming into the dark room until my mind kicked in and I realized where I was. Sitting up, I clutched at the blankets and took deep gasping breaths, trying to calm down as tears fell unchecked from my eyes.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door and I looked at it with shock and fear. Who could that be?
"Miss?" an unfamiliar man's voice called. "Is everything okay in there?"
"Yes," I called, my voice croaking and breaking. I cleared my throat and yelled again, "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about that."
"If you need anything, Miss, just come downstairs," the voice said.
I waited for awhile, making sure that the man had walked away from the door before I got up and turned on every light in the room, even the ones in the bathroom and the closets. Then I locked the door, something that I had never thought to do before. I was supposed to be safe here. This was Eisuke's home and it was supposed to be secure, but I didn't feel safe in it anymore.
Picking up the kitten, since, of course she was crying for attention, I got back into the bed, staring hollowly at everything around me.
I was afraid and I was trapped. Afraid and trapped.

The next morning I refused breakfast and sent my team away.
"Are you sick?" Mika asked. "Do you need a doctor?"
"No," I said. "I just want to be left alone."
I put on a track suit and wrapped my robe around myself. I sat in my salon for a while, just wanting to hide, but I couldn't get my mind to stop reliving the assaults by the guard and the men in the basement. Scenes kept playing through my mind as I tried to list every way that I could have prevented them from happening. I had been so stupid, so many times. I'd put myself into danger and suffered the consequences.
Going out into the living room, I blinked at the sunlight that was pouring through the windows. It had a strange cast, a different feel and appearance than usual. The warmth of the light seemed especially far from me, as if it were being withheld to punish me for my stupidity.
"There you are, Miss," a maid said, crossing the room with a cordless phone in her hand. "There is a phone call for you from Mr. Soryu."

When I answered the phone, Soryu got right to the point. "You were screaming last night. Why?"
"Oh, I had a nightmare," I said, trying to be casual, but I couldn't keep the horror out of my voice.
"Do you normally have nightmares and scream in your sleep?" he asked. "There is nothing about that in your file for the employee dorm."
"I...something happened," I whispered.
"Tell me."
"Okay. Let me go into my salon," I said, reminding myself that I had to tell the truth to Eisuke, which meant telling the truth to Soryu, no matter how difficult. And Soryu was my friend, my confidant in this penthouse world. As I sat down on the couch, I pictured him sitting awkwardly on the other side, ready to listen.
I told him what had happened, crying and shivering, my voice breaking. He asked a lot of questions, gathering all of the details. I knew that he would be reporting everything to Eisuke.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I just didn't think. And I know that I shouldn't be so upset. I'm trying to get myself under control."
"You have been through two very traumatic events in the space of a week, Olivia," Soryu said. "You have every right to your feelings. I am sorry that you have been put into these situations, both times because of poor decisions by Baba and Ota. You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday?"
"Oh, I guess not."
"Please try to eat, even if you aren't feeling like it. Not taking care of your body will just make you feel worse. The chef is making you some okayu. Is Mamoru there?" he asked.
"No, I haven't seen him since Thursday," I replied.
"I'll send him over if he's free. You shouldn't be alone. And the man who knocked on your door last night was a security guard. There are at least two in the penthouse at all times. You're safe in the penthouse, do not doubt that," he said.
"Okay, thank you for letting me know," I said.
"I won't be able to leave Macau until tomorrow, but I will be back tomorrow evening. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, just ask one of the staff. They can call me at any time," Soryu said before hanging up.

I ate the okayu when the maid called me to the dining room, just as Soryu had asked. Mamoru arrived soon after that. Instead of taking up his normal position by the window, he sat on a chair across from me and suggested that we practice playing poker.
"We try to get together and play one night every week," he explained. "Usually there aren't any club crawlers there, it's just use four guys. You should be ready to play if Eisuke ever asks you to join us. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened."
"What? Eisuke put me into a situation in which I'm uncomfortable and ill-prepared? Never," I joked, trying to act like my normal self, but my voice came out weak.
"I've asked Etsudo to make lasagna for dinner tonight and I brought some movies for us to watch. We'll have some fun. I'm going to spend the night, so it will be like a pajama party. I even bought some pajamas," Mamoru said.
"You're spending the night? But you don't have to do that," I said.
"Well, you don't really say no to the boss," Mamoru said with a wink. "But I would be happy to stay, even if it wasn't an order. I don't want you feeling scared. You just think about where you want me to crash. Down here, on a couch upstairs, Soryu even said that I can throw a futon on the floor at the end of your bed if that's what you would prefer. Whatever makes you feel safe."
"Okay, thanks. I'll think about it and let's try to have fun. That will help me keep my mind off of things," I said.
"I might be risking everything by divulging secrets, but Eisuke has a thing for video games. There's a closet full of consoles and games. We can play whatever you'd like, if you're interested," he said with a laugh.
"That would have been good to know days ago. It's so boring to be stuck in this penthouse all day," I said. "And it's funny to think of Eisuke playing video games. He's usually all business."
He laughed. "I can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure that sometimes when Eisuke seems to be working on his laptop, he's actually gaming. He's sneaky, though. I haven't been able to gather any evidence."
"I'll keep an eye out for you," I said with a laugh as I arranged my chips and accepted the cards that he dealt to me. "It would be really funny if we could catch him in the act."

A few hours later the doorbell rang and Mamoru led an older woman into the apartment.
"Olivia," he said. "I'd like you to meet Ran Nitta. She's a therapist. She's here to talk to you."
I was not sure how I felt about talking to a therapist - I'd been fairly successful at pushing things to the back of my mind and focusing on hanging out with Mamoru. But it was for my own good, I didn't want to have any more nightmares. And it had probably been ordered by Eisuke. In the end there wasn't any saying no. "Okay. Why don't we go to my salon."
"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything," Ran explained once we had sat down. "I work for Mr. Ichinomiya. I've been briefed about what's going on. You don't need to worry about hiding anything from me because it is supposed to be a secret."
"I see," I said, thinking back to what Eisuke had said about receiving reports about me. "And you'll be reporting what I say to Eisuke?"
She sighed. "That's a little complicated. I will be giving him a report, and if he asks specific questions, it is my duty to answer them. But he has always been fine with me asking not to answer certain questions because it was in the best interest of my client. So, if there's anything that you don't want him to know, you just tell me. I'll tell him to just ask you himself."
I nodded, realizing that it didn't matter anyway. I was supposed to answer him truthfully at all times. What was there that could be hidden?

I talked to Ran for almost two hours. She asked a lot of questions, not just about the incident with the guard, but about the auction and my mother's death and being homeless. She explained that she wanted to know about history and all of my trauma, because it would be best if she helped me to work through everything. At the end of the session, she looked at me very seriously and said, "I want you to understand that what happened with the guard is considered rape, Olivia. I can see that you are trying to minimize and normalize it by telling yourself that women go through worse. While that is true, it doesn't make what happened to you okay. Let's work on acknowledging your feelings and processing them, rather than trying to suppress them. I'll be coming to talk to you three times a week for a while and after that we'll drop down to two times."

As Mamoru and I walked her out, so that he could scan his black card into the elevator for her, she said as her parting words: "I'll bring a couple of books that I think you should read. You've got some things to work through, but you have a positive attitude. I'm sure you'll make good progress."
I looked over at Mamoru with a wry smile after the elevator closed. "Working as an assistant concierge, English and etiquette lessons, therapy and pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I'm going to be really busy. It might not be long until I'm wishing that I was locked in the penthouse with nothing to do."
"Ha," he said. "I know exactly what you mean. There's nothing better than hanging out in the penthouse with nothing to do. It's the perfect place for a meal and a nap."

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/21/18:

...Baba and Ota have used Olivia without my permission, placing her into a dangerous situation and failing to protect her when necessary. Sanctions implemented are removal from penthouse, limiting of privileges, and a probationary period that is to include extreme sensitivity training. Their juvenile behavior has long since grown tedious, it cannot be allowed to impact my property or goals. They have lost my trust. It remains to be seen if they can regain it...