Chapter 2

Chapter two

 I made it a rule while I'm driving not to stop when strangers tries to thumb a ride, but this was different. From the looks of things, the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon and this guy seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. It would be unkind of me to leave him flatly under the storm. 

 But more importantly, it was his eyes that made me stop. Those rare green eyes. There's something familiar about them. My curiosity got the better of me. 

 I pulled up by him and leaned out of the window. 

 He came up to me, holding the umbrella over him. His eyes gazed down on my face. " I'm stuck. Can you help me?"

 I was kinda surprised he spoke English. Initially, I thought I was gonna have a hell of a time getting to understand the Japanese words that would've flowed out of his mouth but I needn't had worried. 

 " Hop in," I nodded him to get in. 

 He bowed slightly and wandered around to the passenger seat. As he walked passed the headlights of my car, I saw his shape. He had a small body, average height and a skin as clear and as white as snow. He opened the door and got in. 

 I hesitated, looking at him as he stradled himself to the seatbelt. " Where you headed?"

 He leaned back on the seat and adjusted his school bag in his arms. " Joshibi School of Art and Design. I'll give you directions. Thank you for stopping."

  My first prediction was correct. He was a student but what business does a student have Working this late at Haruto's Chashitsu? 

 " You speak good English," I started, firing the car down the highway. " Not many Japs I met speak as fluently as you do."

 He nodded. " That's true."

 Something tells me this dude wasn't going to be much of a talker. I stole a few glances at him from time to time. It wasn't light enough to see what he looked like but I had a perfect view of his red lips and those eyes. His eyes were the only thing lively about him. I couldn't place my finger on why it brought back memories of the geisha girl at Haruto's Chashitsu.

 " Do you work at the Chashitsu?" I asked, suddenly. " You look, familiar. Like someone I met at the tea party tonight."

 He didn't look at me. His eyes were focused on the road as if it held more interesting stuff than what I was saying. 

 He answered. " Yes."

 I felt my blood rush. " You got a name?"

 " Turn the corner by the left," he pointed a finger at a direction. 

 I swerved my car and kept within the narrow road which led me to a bridge. He still hadn't answered my question but I wasn't going to push it. His face was hard and deadpan as if it held no life; like a doll. Only his eyes were livid with life but they had nothing to say to me. 

 But his silence only made him more mysterious and bigger than life. Being who I was, I'm always surrounded by people who wants to ask me questions, wants to rub elbows with me, wants a favor from me, wants to sleep with me. Attention was something I've never lacked which makes it sickening. 

 This was the very first time I'm yearning for some attention. This was the very first time a man has my interest piqued up. There was something like a powerful magnetic aura surrounding him that makes him beyond life. 

 I crossed the bridge and took another direction from him round a bend that eventually brought me before Joshibi School of Art and Design. 

 We hadn't said a word to each other since I picked him up. He stepped out of the car and held it opened while he leaned over. 

 " Thank you for your help, Mister," he bowed his head slightly. " I appreciate the lift."

 " Nothing to it," I screwed my eyes to study his eyes. " You haven't told me your name, though. I'm Langdon."

 He moisture his lips and it was uncanny how red and puckered they looked. As those lips moved, lightening flashed against the dark sodden sky. 

 " Nagisa," he answered. 

 I clenched the steering wheel tighter, a little disappointed. " Nagisa?"

 He nodded. " Goodnight, sir."

 And he shut the door and ran passed the gates into the school. I watched him go, a tight knox forming in my chest. How disappointing, I actually thought he was the geisha girl from Haruto's tea party. It's crazy. Those green eyes were what got me. Maybe I was imagining it. I mean, this was a guy and the geisha was a girl. But you don't get those green eyes around that often so what are the odds?

 As I headed for my hotel, I decided to forget about everything tonight: the stunning beautiful geisha and the mysterious green eyed boy. It was bad enough I was already distracted. 

 * * * * 

 " That would be all, people," I announced. 

 It was a hot afternoon when I rounded up the conference meeting. Eight months ago, I had flew down to Japan to establish a branch of my own company right here in Tokyo. My visit was urgent and briefly cause a lot of work had to be put in place back home at Miami. 

 As it stands, I was tasked with the job of handling Tokyo's branch until the company's baby's growth is stabilized. It'd take a long while which meant I might stay a month in Tokyo before flying back to Miami. 

 " We've got some Japanese models we'd like you to meet, Mr Langdon," Ruth, said, coming up close to me with some documents. " Most of 'em are still in college but they're good."

 Ruth's my company's manager. She's middle aged and lovely. She's been with me for four years now and has been nothing but loyal and dedicated to me. I think of her in high regards. 

 " How good are they?" I asked, moving away from the conference room. 

 Ruth followed me. " Very good. They're waiting downstairs for you."

 " I wanna have those models signed on an exclusive contract with me," I spoke, stepping into the private elevator that would take us down to the waiting room. " They should work only for me. You told them that, didn't you?"

 Ruth brushed a strand of her hair off her face as the elevator began moving upwards. " Yeah, about that, a number of them agreed to it except for one person."

 I leaned on the steel wall, frowning. " Then the hell with her. Get someone else to fill her place?"

 Ruth's lips curved downwards. " Actually, sir. The models a guy."

 My frown went deeper. " What is all this crappy talk? I told you I need female models. What's a guy doing here?"

 " He's a model just like the rest of the women, Mr Langdon," Ruth explained, her eyes going through her clipboard. " He's... Well, how do I put it? A crossdresser."

 I was immediately disgusted. " Is this some sort of joke?"

 " He applied in person for the job," she added immediately. " I've seen his work. He's really good. That's why I picked him."

 " And the bastard wants a non-exclusive contract?" 

 " He's a student and also does other part-time jobs. He's not sold on the payments that comes with our exclusive contract."

 " He's crazy," I rasped. " If he's so smug about how we operate, he can go screw himself. I'll give him a piece of my mind. I have no use for crossdressers, anyways."

 Ruth said nothing. She simply waited for the elevator's door to swished opened for me to see for myself the one guy who had dared to model for a company producing women's lingeries. 

 Stepping out of the elevator, we stood in an elaborate dressing room where six women were seated cheerfully on cushion chairs, chattering excitedly to one another. The moment they saw me, they instantly recognized me and stood up to greet me, bowing their head slightly. 

 They were all Japanese women: beautiful models who had taken up the job of modeling for my lingerie company. Ruth had the best picks. I was impressed.  But I couldn't find the guy. 

 " Where's this dude you're telling me about?" I asked Ruth over my shoulders. 

 Ruth glanced at a particular girl. I followed her eyes.

 She wore baggy brown cargo pants capped by a red top that showed showed her flat tummy and cleavages. Her skin was snow white and clear without blemish. When my eyes saw her face, I gasped. 

 Green eyes.

 My mouth hang opened. " Wha-what is going on here?"

 The other ladies in the room stared at the girl as she moved from where she stood towards me. Her movement were slow and graceful like the geisha from the other night. She stood before me and stared steadily at me. 

 " Mr Langdon?" She said. Her voice was soft and like a siren. " I'm Nagisa. The boy you gave a lift from Haruto's tea party last night."

 I couldn't think straight. My mind floundered and all I could think was, What the Hell?!