Chapter 42: Close Call

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, the sexual tension between RenKyo would have been released by now.

"Yashiro-san," Ruto said, materializing out of the shadows in The Sacred Lotus set parking lot.

Yashiro let out a less than manly scream as the President's assistant took him by surprise. "Ruto-san, how do you do that?" Yashiro gasped, clutching a hand to his chest.

"I apologize for scaring you, Yashiro-san," Ruto said with a bow.

"It's okay. You would think after five years I would get used to you popping up out of nowhere by now. Is everything alright with Kyoko-chan?"

"Yes, Mogami-sama is fine. There have been no problems. Morimoto-san is with her now." Ruto didn't think it was necessary to mention her moment of distress earlier. The father and daughter had worked out the misunderstanding.

"If there is nothing else you need from me, I will return to the President."

"Thank you for keeping an eye on her Ruto-san," Yashiro bowed.

"You're welcome," Ruto said, returning the bow. He too had a soft spot for the young lady and wanted to see her safe and happy.

Yashiro was glad her father made it. He requested special permission from the Producer to allow Tadashi on to the set for the day per Kyoko's wishes. Her busy schedule made it difficult to spend time with him, otherwise.

Yashiro approached the filming area and was stunned by what he discovered. Tadashi had stepped into the role of acting manager for Kyoko. He watched as several staff members consulted him on a few items Yashiro typically took care of such as on-site accommodations, scheduling, refreshments, and breaks.

Tadashi approached Kuresaki to ask for a break for his daughter. He could tell she was getting exhausted. Since Kyoko would be unavailable for the next few days, the director was pushing hard to complete all of the scenes he wanted to reshoot.

Tadashi noticed this and frowned every time the directed repeated, "again." He was already catching on to his daughter's work ethic and reminded him of her mother. She was strong-willed and didn't want to burden anyone. She stubbornly refused to take a break for herself if it meant a delay in the schedule. To her, she was already inconveniencing them since she would be gone for three days. She was trying to make it up to the director and other members of the production by pushing forward.

Kuresaki whispered to Morizumi. The next time he called cut he instructed everyone to take a ten-minute break since Kyoko was looking winded.

"It's not a problem, sir. I can continue, " Kyoko protested panting as she tried to catch her breath after a repetitive sequence of action events.

"Kyoko-chan!" Tadashi called out in a very firm father-like voice that left no room for arguing.

Kyoko felt like a scolded child as she took the seat her father offered. She hoped her behavior didn't anger him. "I'm sorry," she whispered looking down at the ground.

He frowned while handing her a cold bottle of water. Something in the way she apologized tugged at his heart. Did he bring back memories from her childhood? Her smile looked forced when she thanked him.

"Kyoko-chan, you don't have to apologize. I'm sorry for interfering with your work. If I want to be a good father, I couldn't sit by and let you continue. I know you don't want to cause trouble for everyone, but if you keep pushing yourself like this without breaks your work and body would surely suffer. Soon your fatigue would show on camera causing Director Morizumi to accept the footage they have to move forward."

Kyoko nodded feeling thoroughly reprimanded. He was right. She couldn't jeopardize the film like that and Ren would be upset if she got hurt again.

Yashiro sauntered up to the father-daughter pair. Am I even needed here? Tadashi was handling her like a pro. Yashiro was aware of how stubborn Kyoko could be when it came to working without any regard for her health. She and Ren shared that same quality when it came to working.

It wasn't unheard of in this industry that parents of young celebrities became their managers. Yashiro often felt like the parent watching over his babies with these two. He had the incredible honor of helping his charges with both the business and social aspects of their lives. Some of his coworkers had to deal with issues like ending relationships or solving drug problems. Yashiro thanked Kami-sama that neither of his clients had those issues. He swore he would cut off his right arm if they ever called their relationship quits. He knew full well that would never happen. With the way they were together, he could tell that what they shared was the stuff of legends only read in books. They made him believe that true love existed. He never met two people more suited to each other in his life and felt incredibly lucky to have bore witness to such a perfect pairing.

"Hello, Kyoko-chan, Morimoto-san. I see I left Kyoko-chan in some capable hands. I couldn't help overhearing your discussion. Are you alright to continue? I can talk to the director. This often happens in showbiz so he won't be disappointed. Exhaustion could lead to injury which, in the long run, would cause bigger problems for the film's progress. If you're too tired, please let me know. I'm here to help you. We don't want a repeat of Ring Doh."

Kyoko stiffened at Yashiro's reference to that event. She was hell-bent on winning against Ruriko that she stubbornly disregarded her injury. Her bullheadedness caused more problems since she ended up fainting from the excruciating pain and suffering a fractured ankle.

"Thank you for the reminder, Yashiro-san. I will keep that in mind," she admitted guiltily.

"What happened during this Ring Doh?" Tadashi asked genuinely interested after seeing Kyoko's reaction.

"It was nothing, but a minor inconvenience," Kyoko explained, waving the topic away.

"So minor that she had to be hospitalized because of her stubbornness. Even Ren couldn't do anything about it," Yashiro rebutted, sarcastically.

Kyoko glared at Yashiro when he ratted her out.

"What? How could you let this happen to her Yashiro-san and Ren-kun too? Why did you let her push herself so far that she needed to seek medical attention? I thought you guys were better than that." Tadashi laid on the guilt rather thickly making Yashiro sweat.

"Oh no, Tadashi-san. It wasn't like that at all," Kyoko explained coming to his defense. "I only met Yashiro-san the day I hurt myself. Ren and I weren't exactly close then," she said quietly, feeling the familiar ache in her chest.

Tadashi looked at her confused, "But I thought you and Ren-kun knew each other as ki—".

Kyoko cut off Tadashi before he could finish his sentence. Nobody knew that information, not even their manager. She was surprised Ren had not warned Tadashi to keep the little tidbit to himself. She doubted her father would have made such a slip if he knew. She would have to talk to him about it later when they were alone.

"Ah! The thing is, Tadashi-san, I had just started at LME. Ren didn't like my reasons for entering showbiz in the first place so we didn't get along."

"That's true. I thought his behavior was strange. Ren is usually nice to everyone, but he tends to act immaturely and sulky only around you. He disliked your motive for joining showbiz for the sake of getting revenge on Fuwa Sho."

"Fuwa Sho?" Tadashi inquired. "Is he the guy that took advantage of your kindness and then abandoned you?"

Kyoko nodded looking down at her feet feeling chagrined. It amazed her how her life had changed completely since she learned of Sho's betrayal. She had a man, friends, and now family that she loved and they loved her in return. If someone told her that this would be her life a year ago she would have scoffed at them. She no longer felt that way or felt any hatred for Sho. Maybe in ten years or so they could almost become friends again.

"Can you please tell me the whole story regarding him. I won't judge your past mistakes, that would make me the biggest hypocrite of all time. I just want to know about him because it's a part of you."

Kyoko hesitated. She didn't like sharing her shameful past, but it was only right that she shared with him. "I'll tell you, just not here." Kyoko didn't want to air her dirty laundry at work. There was too much potential for eavesdroppers.

...

Kimiko smiled sinisterly as she read the text from her source on the set of the Sacred Lotus. She knew just where to plant this little seed.

"Are you sure you won't join us, Yashiro-san?" Kyoko asked leaning down to talk to her manager.

"You guys enjoy. I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon. Please catch up with your email and ask Ren to do so as well. Have a good night!"

"Good night, Yashiro-san." Kyoko bowed and then walked in the door her father held open.

Ren arrived at the restaurant first. Although the dining room was abuzz with his sudden appearance, they were gracious enough to leave him alone while they took their not so secret pictures. The hostess guided him to a lone table apart from the main dining area, but still within the public's view. It wasn't long before he saw Kyoko approaching with her father. He stood and pulled out a chair then greeted her with a peck on the lips. There were several audible sighs throughout the restaurant and equally as many groans. Kyoko blushed and ducked her head as she took the offered seat. Ren shook hands with Tadashi once she was settled.

It amused Tadashi to see a manly man such as Ren sitting amongst the frill and lace. The decor was completely within his daughter's taste.

Jean-Luc, owner and head chef, came out to greet the VIP guests. "Ma cherie, it is so lovely to see you again," he said to Kyoko in his heavy French accent. Kyoko placed her hand in his so he could kiss the back of her hand. He greeted Ren with a handshake then moved on to Tadashi.

"Jean-Luc, this is my father, Morimoto Tadashi," Kyoko announced.

"Oh, your papa. Good to meet you, Morimoto-san." Tadashi placed his hand in the offered hand and shook.

"Likewise, I saw the feature article of Kyoko-chan and Ren-kun and thought it would be nice to try your dinner menu together," Tadashi explained. Kyoko told him it would be a great idea since she and Ren barely scratched the surface of the delicious food during their work date.

"Well sir, you are sitting at the illustrious Chef's table. If you don't mind, I would like to prepare you all a special meal for the evening using the freshest ingredients, but only if that's amenable to everyone," he asked looking at each of them.

Kyoko clapped her hand with excitement. She never expected to have such high-class treatment in her life. The restaurant wasn't as expensive as her father or Ren was probably used too, but it was nice to get the rich experience.

He proceeded after receiving head nods from everyone. "Delightful! Now before I get carried away, is there anything at all that is off-limits? I don't want to cook something you already dislike though I'm tempted to rise to the challenge."

Kyoko was about to say she would eat anything when she caught Ren's amused expression. "Frog legs! I will not eat them, even if you tell me how delicious they are. It could be somebody's prince! I refuse," Kyoko exclaimed vehemently. Kyoko's face heated up at her outburst. Jean-Luc chuckled and went to prepare their meal with that aspect in mind.

Ren held his palm against his mouth to keep from laughing. His whole body shook with mirth. He recalled how he had threatened her with eating frog legs when she was acting as his manager last year. She had a similar passionate reaction then. She must have remembered that night as well.

Tadashi looked at his daughter incredulously and made a mental note to never cook her frog legs. He smiled as she scolded Ren for making fun of her.

"Have you ever had frog legs before?" Kyoko asked directing her question to her father.

"Yes, fried ones. When I was in New Orleans for work. They taste just like chicken," Tadashi teased.

Kyoko paled. She thought she might gag just imagining eating frog legs like a chicken wing. She gulped and thought about the Disney movie to get past her momentary disgust.

"You've been to New Orleans?" She asked dreamily. Tadashi took the opening to describe his experience which wasn't much since he worked most of the time he was there.

After several minutes of chatting, the waitress returned and set ramekin bowls of soup before them. Kyoko excitedly pressed her spoon, cutting through the perfectly domed puff pastry revealing the wonderful aroma of French onion soup. It was delicious.

"Your hors d'oeuvres," the waitress said, returning to the table placing a plate before them. Kyoko's eyes bulged out of her sockets as she swallowed hard. Are these...snails?

"W- what are these?" She asked the waitress before she could leave.

"Escargots a la Bourguignon...snails," she replied and went on to describe the technique and ingredients used to prepare the delicacy.

Ren having grown up with this kind of food, being a rich boy, showed her how to hold one with the thong and use the small fork to extract them. He held his fork out to her and watched her mouth close over it. His hand shook a little as her pink lips closed around the meat and slid it off his fork. He couldn't help thinking about all the sweet things that little naughty mouth was capable of doing.

Tadashi cleared his throat, not quite sure what he was interrupting. He had enough sense to know something was going on between them. Ren sat up straighter while Kyoko smiled heavenly at the taste of the morsel. Despite the strange texture, it tasted delicious. The meal progressed like that all night with Jean-Luc surprising them with special dishes and idle chit chat about their day.

"I'll be leaving at the end of next week," Tadashi informed them. He noticed the sadness flash across his daughter's face. "I want to make sure I'm back in plenty of time to celebrate your birthday. I've missed too many already, I'm not about to miss one more."

Kyoko nodded with understanding.

"This is the key to my apartment," he said, sliding a small envelope to Kyoko.

"Oh! Are there plants that need attention?" She asked, pulling herself out of her melancholy as she tried to recall the interior of his apartment.

"No, nothing like that, but you're both welcome to use it as you please," he insisted.

"Okay." Kyoko took the envelope and placed it in her purse.

Aside from minor tasks at work, Tadashi had one last thing to do before he left. He didn't tell her that it involved her mother. There was no point sharing right now since things were still unknown on that front. Maybe after the meeting, he could tell her the results but until then he wanted to keep it to himself. He didn't want to cause her needless pain again.

"Hopefully, we can meet up when you return from your other project before I leave. Still can't tell me what it's about?"

They both shook their head so Tadashi didn't press them for details. He knew in their line of work there were things such as non-disclosure agreements binding them to keep quiet about certain productions.

The waitress returned to clear the dishes followed by Jean-Luc. For dessert, he brought out an impressively shaped chocolate sphere for Kyoko. The men had declined the treat. Kyoko squealed in delight as he poured the hot chocolate syrup over the sphere. The hardened shell of the ball melted to reveal the delicious filling within.

"Please enjoy," Jean-Luc said, stepping back to watch her reaction.

Kyoko took a scoop and moaned with delight over the decadent dessert. She ate every last bit happily after offering some to Ren and her father. At one point, Ren reached over with a thumb, swiped the chocolate off the corner of her mouth then licked it off his finger. Kyoko stared at his mouth as he sucked his thumb.

Ren leaned in and whispered into her ear. "If you keep looking at me like that I just might have my dessert in the car." Kyoko blushed fiercely and continued to eat her dessert never looking up.

Tadashi groaned. He felt like a third wheel here. After giving Jean-Luc feedback on the food of their likes and dislikes and possible improvements, they called it a night.

"Are you sure you don't need a ride home, Tadashi-san?" Ren asked the older man as they walked out of the restaurant.

"I couldn't impose. I live on the other side of town. Oh, there's my driver now," he said as the luxury black sedan pulled to the curb.

"Thank you two for having dinner with me. I wish you a good night. I hope to see you in a few days." He made to bow but Kyoko gave him a quick hug instead.

"Thank you, Tadashi-san, for today. Having you on set was a lot of fun." She smiled shyly when she pulled away.

Tadashi was stunned by the close contact. His eyes shined as they watered with unshed tears. He bowed one last time and stepped into the car. He waved at the couple as the car pulled away.

Ren took her hand and led her to his car. Finally alone! He opened the car door but before she could get in, he wrapped her in his arms to give her a long sensual kiss. It was full of the promise of things to come. He deepened the kiss pushing her against the car.

"Ren, someone will see," she whispered against his mouth still eagerly kissing him back.

"Let them," he replied, unable to stop himself. He moaned as she put all her strength into her arms and pushed him away.

"Later," she promised.

Her promise had him moving quickly. He got in and started the car. The music blasted through the speakers as the engine cranked over.

"The lyrics go on the attack, my tongue gets tied and that's no lie, I'm looking in your eyes, I'm looking in your big brown eyes..."

"Sorry I forgot I had that on so loud," he said, reaching to switch it off.

"Leave it on, I never heard a song like this before," Kyoko commented, bobbing her head to the beat.

"It's called reggae," he explained, turning it down to a reasonable level. He hoped she wouldn't pick up on the actual meaning of the song. He didn't when he was younger. He wouldn't know how to explain himself if she asked. He let the song play on to not raise suspicion.

"Girl, I want to make you sweat, sweat till you can't sweat no more, And if you cry out, I'm gonna push it, push it, push it some more."

Kyoko's mind raced as she listened to the song. This is about sex, right? The man is singing about having sex with a brown-eyed girl? She turned her head toward her boyfriend and narrowed her eyes at him. She understood his reasons for waiting and wanted to respect his wishes. She knew that when they finally became one it would be mind-blowing. She could wait until he was ready to take that leap with her. Until then, she would continue to tease him.

He felt his girlfriend's hot gaze burning a hole into the side of his head. He could even feel a sweat drop running down his temple which was unheard of for him. He concentrated intently on the road pretending the song was no big deal. She already knew he had been jamming it out in his car; probably even singing along. The "brown eyes" was a dead give away of just whom he was thinking about while singing it.

"Pervert!" He flinched as her imaginary dagger stabbed him. "You're like a dirty perverted old man!" Stab, stab, stab, as more of her daggers pierced him. He deserved it.

He turned to face her at the next stoplight and saw her eyes bright with laughter. She was making fun of him and enjoying it. "I'll show you how perverted I am when we get home."

"Promise?" She replied in her sultry voice reserved just for him. She peeled with laughter when the light turned green, and he gunned on the accelerator. She rolled her eyes and sang along with the song.

"A la la la la long, a la la la la long long li long long long, Yeah..." Which then made him join in with her. When the catchy song ended they were both in high spirits.

At their apartment, Kyoko yelped as he swooped her up in his arms carrying her like a princess. "You walk too slow, baby!"

She squealed for him to put her down. He smiled mischievously and pressed his lips to hers kissing her to silence. Kyoko forgot all her senses and enthusiastically returned his kiss.

They broke away at the sound of a familiar voice, "Oh young love."

They didn't hear the elevator's arrival or Ichigo and his wife coming out. He lost his grip and put Kyoko down since she was struggling like crazy in his arms. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red as she greeted and bowed deeply to their neighbors. They exchanged a few pleasantries, but before they parted ways Ichigo told them he expected to read about an engagement between the pair quite soon.

He gave the older man a wink and said, "If she would have me," just as the elevator doors closed.

"I can't believe you said that," she admonished him as her heart fluttered.

"What? It's the truth," he said backing her up against the elevator wall. He leaned down and kissed her neck softly. "I can't wait to make you my wife," he whispered, his breath a hot caress against her skin. He wanted to be Kuon Hizuri again before he proposed. She deserved that much from him. He put his index finger to her lips to shush her before she could protest. His lips trailed up her neck and kissed their way to her ear. "And it's not just so I can make sweet passionate love to you all night long and into the wee hours of the morning." The whole time he whispered in her ear his right hand itched to roam over her body. He held it back. This was as far as he dared to go under the watchful eye of the security camera. The elevator doors opened to their floor and he pulled her to the apartment. "Come on, let's take a shower."

"Oh? Are you going to wash my back for me?" She teased.

His eyes darkened when he replied, "that and more, much, much more."

Kyoko entered first and shut off the house alarm. She dropped her bag on the ground and kicked off her shoes. The apartment phone rang immediately. It was the front desk calling that a package had arrived and wondering if they could deliver it. "Get started, I'll meet you in there," he told her as he waited.

Kyoko nodded and headed towards the bedroom. She knew he was watching and shimmied out of her skirt dropping it in the middle of the floor. Her round globes teased him as she entered the bedroom and was no longer in his sight. He hurriedly took the package from the concierge and rudely shut the door in the man's face. With quick strides, he made his way to the bedroom. She had left him little breadcrumbs of clothing for him to follow. The trail started with her skirt outside the door, then her blouse, followed by her bra. He found her white lace panties sitting right outside the shower door. He picked them up and discovered them slightly moist. Like the pervert she accused him as, he held them to his nose and groaned inhaling deeply of her sex. Such a pure color for such a naughty girl. He grew hard at what awaited him beyond the frosted glass. He loved that she was his angel by day and hellion by night. He made quick work divesting himself of his clothing and contacts.

Kyoko was barely under the hot spray when the shower door flung open. A very aroused green-eyed Emperor stepped in, filling the space with his overwhelming presence. She tugged at the bottom of her lip with her teeth as she took in the magnificent sight of him. As he stepped closer, the water cascaded through his hair then ran down his neck and over his broad chiseled chest. It trickled over his abs and disappeared into the short thatch of blonde curls at the junction of his thighs. He reached out for her and pulled her tight against him, his hands caressing up and down her back. Her hands wrapped around his waist fingering the hard muscles on his lower back. As water bombarded them, he backed her into the wall and rocked his hips against her pressing his erection into her abdomen.

His lips brushed tenderly against hers and trailed soft fluttering kisses across her jawline to nibble on her lobe. His gentle lips moved lower to kiss the pulse of her neck. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she reached down to touch his arousal, but before she could take hold of him, he pulled away.

"Turn around," he demanded gruffly. Kyoko looked at him slightly confused but did what she was told. He reached for her hands and placed them above her head palms on the wall. He used his thigh to nudge her legs apart. Kyoko arched her back and jutted her ass out searching for relief against the thick muscular leg. She whimpered when he removed his leg. The heat of his chest against her back made her whole body hum that even the cold tile grazing her nipples flooded her core with hotness. She wanted to pull him towards her but he growled into her ear, "Keep your hands on the wall." She abruptly brought her hands back up, pressed her forehead and palms into the cold tile, and waited for his next move.

From her periphery, she saw him reach for the body soap. She could almost hear the sound over the water as he worked up a lather in his hands. Her body burned with anticipation that when he finally touched her she jerked and hissed. His hands covered the top of her wrists and worked their way down her arms. Shivers ran down her spine as his pectoral muscles brushed against her back. She trembled when the tip of his cock grazed the top of her ass.

He refilled his hands with soap and kneaded her shoulders using his thumbs to work the knots on her upper back. His hands were magic. When he was done with her back, his arms circled her. His fingers slowed as they ran over her breasts, squeezing them gently. Her nipples grew harder under his attention as he flicked and tweaked each peak. Kyoko's hands curled against the cold wall. She wanted to turn around and touch him. She was panting by the time his right hand slid over her taut stomach and dipped lower. His fingers slid over her most tender flesh parting her soft folds. A cry escaped her lips when his fingers brushed over her clit. His left hand took turns kneading each breast while the fingers of his right hand moved to flick her clit. He rolled the bundle of nerves between his fingers making Kyoko gasp. She felt tortured. Her whole body was alive and sensitive. The water beating down on her only enhanced the sensations that he assaulted on her.

"Kuon," she choked out. "Let me turn around. I want to touch you," she begged.

He chuckled. Kyoko groaned as the vibrations from his laughter transferred to her making her body hum with sensual delight.

He nipped her shoulder then sucked the spot. She didn't know if she felt pain or pleasure.

"Just feel baby," his sultry voice caressed her ear. Kyoko screamed as he slid one then two fingers into her pulsating core. Kuon let out a tortured groan of his own as her slick wet heat closed around his fingers and squeezed. Her passionate moans intensified as he pumped his fingers in and out of her.

"More, Kuon," she cried. He growled behind her and pulled away suddenly. Kyoko blinked rapidly as the hot water ran down her face trying to figure out what happened.

Before she could turn around, his hands gripped her hips roughly. He slid her further up the wall. Her toes left the floor as he lifted her ass in the air. She clung to the wall to regain some sense of balance. She gasped as his cock poised at her entrance. Her heart hammered in her chest and she licked her lips. Is he going to put it in me right now, like this? The thought sent a wave of hot juices flooding to her entrance. She pushed her hips back against him wanting him in her right now. "Kuon, please. I need you inside me," she managed to gasp.

"Easy baby," he said steadying her hips, "not tonight." He lifted her higher so the heat of her folds sat on top of his cock and clung to him. He rocked his hips and let out a satisfied groan as her arousal coated him. He tensed as he tried to fight the urge to stick his dick inside her tight pussy, but kept up the tempo. It would be so easy right now to give in to temptation. As it was, he was torturing them both by going this far, and yet he couldn't stop.

Kyoko screamed as the tip of his penis hit her clit. "Yes, oh yes!"

Kuon felt his dick get harder, larger even, at the sound of her fervent voice. He took long deliberate strokes as his cock glided against her. His pelvis pushed hard against her ass before pulling back.

"Kuon, please," she begged. His slow strokes were driving her crazy.

Kuon chuckled again. "Tell me you want me to go faster, baby. I want to hear your sexy voice."

Kyoko hastily complied with an impatient growl. "Faster…harder...just fuck me!"

That took him by surprise. His fingers dug into her hips as he pumped faster. Kyoko held on to the wall for dear life as he pounded against her. His cock rubbing every inch of her was pure bliss. They hardly noticed the water grow cold with their overheating bodies. The slaps of Kuon's thighs against her ass thundered over the water. Kuon was so close he grunted from the exertion. He reached forward with his right hand and found her clit. Kyoko cried out in ecstasy as his fingers made little circles over her tight bud.

"Come with me baby," Kuon gasped. He was straining to hold on. Kuon groaned as a starburst of color filled his vision when he found his release, shooting semen against the shower wall between her legs. He didn't let up until she cried out falling over her edge as she orgasmed. She pressed her head against the wall as her body trembled and tried to breathe. Kuon eased her down, but her legs instantly collapsed under her. He reached out to steady her.

After a quick clean up of the two of them, he shut off the water. He dried himself quickly first, then Kyoko, and carried her naked to the bed. She was asleep in seconds. Kuon crawled into bed and pulled her tightly against him. That was a close call, he had almost lost control. How am I going to make it to the wedding night at this rate? He let out a worried sigh but was asleep in seconds.

AN: I'm a total perv when it comes to RenKyo if you have yet to notice. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for continuing to read and big thanks to those that reviewed. I appreciate all feedback.

The song playing in the car was "Sweat" by Inner Circle.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^