Chef Yuuki-san offered a set 12-course menu that was seasonally inspired. We had Spanish mackerel with vinegar jelly that was the perfect balance between sweet and sour. The sashimi, roasted venison, and prawn dumpling were all incomparable, as were the bamboo shoots with miso, and conger eel. The tempura and shabu-shabu (where you cooked thinly sliced meat and vegetables in a boiling water) were utterly mouthwatering. Chef Yuuki-san’s steamed rice with yellowtail was a tasty variation of tai-meshi. The rich matcha and chocolate dessert were terrific. Our meal wrapped up with a traditional tea ceremony.
When dinner was over, I was amazingly full and satisfied. I felt like I’d just had the best meal of my life. That was due in no small part to Yuuki-san’s entertaining explanation of what we were eating and his artistic skill in presenting each dish. I then received a birthday surprise: Mr. Goda had paid for our meal when he gave us the reservation. Before we left, I made sure Yuuki-san got as many pictures with me as he wanted.
◊◊◊
I called Mom on the way to the club Kent had picked for us, and told her about the commercial I’d made today and the dinner we’d had. Mom was waiting with my second birthday present. She walked out of the house and showed me my new car, a Dodge Demon.
They were not due out for at least another year, although Dodge had shown the concept car at the New York Auto Show in April. As soon as I’d seen the promotional ad, I’d called Mr. Sullivan and told him I wanted to be on the list for when the car came out.
For this car, Dodge had taken its Challenger SRT Hellcat 2-door coupe and heavily modified it. It was reported to have an 840-horsepower engine under the hood. In tests, it had done the quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds and accelerated from zero to sixty in 2.1 seconds. If the numbers held up, they would both be records for a production car.
Dodge planned to sell fewer than 3,500 cars for their first production run. This must have been one of their concept cars. I couldn’t imagine how much my family had spent to buy it.
“How did you get it? They aren’t supposed to be out until next year or the year after,” I said.
“Dodge held a drawing, and four dealerships each won a car as a promotional teaser. The Sullivans called Caryn when they learned they were getting it and wanted to know if you still wanted it. Mr. Sullivan said that you had to win state again this year as part of the payment,” Mom said.
“Let me check flights, and I’ll see how soon I can get back.”
“No, you might want to stay so you can afford it,” Mom said with a smile.
“Since when do I have to pay for my birthday presents?” I asked.
“Since this one cost more than some homes I sell.”
She told me how much, and I winced. But then again, I could turn around and sell it tomorrow for much more than that because they’d only released four of them. Thinking back to my last Dodge, I hated to contemplate how much this one would sell for at auction.
“You might want to have Fritz do his security bit on it,” I suggested.
“That, and your dad and uncle are getting some modifications done. It wasn’t set up to be driven every day. They’re having Mr. Sullivan put in a passenger and back seat, and a stereo system. It should be ready for you by the time you get back. Your dad, uncle, and brother have all offered to help break it in.”
“I think Tami broke in the Charger.”
“I’m sure if you asked, she would help,” Mom teased.
We pulled up at the club, so I told Mom I had to go and said my goodbyes to her.
◊◊◊
Paul, Hana, and Saul joined us at the club. They’d gone to a nice Japanese steak house for dinner. Kent had called ahead, and the club seated us in the VIP section for security reasons. In reality, I think they’d set it up so people could take pictures of me in their club. After a half-hour of being in a fishbowl, Kent got us moved to a more private seating arrangement.
Then Paul about ruined my birthday when he told me he and Fritz would have to drive me in my new car. Cassidy reminded me that if I fired them, which I thought was totally justified, I’d be walking funny for the remainder of the week.
To settle Miss Cassidy down, I made her dance with me. I rotated through the rest of the girls and was happy to see Kent dance with them too. I did make a point to tell him that all but Brook were fellow employees, and I didn’t want to have to pay any harassment settlements. He was a big boy, and I figured he could find other women if that were his goal. On the other hand, Kent had also worked for Craig, where I was sure the rules were different. I decided clear expectations were worth a potential scowl from him, but he just nodded his head as if it were no big deal.
When Brook and I took a break, we came back to find another group had been put in the fishbowl. One of the women was a gorgeous Japanese girl with long, silky black hair, everything in the right place, and body proportions that added up to model-quality looks.
Brook must have been a mind-reader because she grabbed my arm and steered me back to the table.
“I should probably introduce myself,” I teased her.
“Maybe you should get your birthday kiss,” she countered.
I’d liked Brook Davis from the first time I ever met her. The Asian hottie had nothing going for her I didn’t already know Brook had in spades. I decided to be naughty and moved my hand up her thigh. Brook shocked me when she put her hand on my package.
“I think we should all go dance,” Cassidy announced, being a good wing-woman.
Brook waited until they all left and then unzipped my pants. I blinked to figure out what she planned. Before my brain caught up, she’d pulled me out and had gone down on me. How far did she intend to take this? I just enjoyed the gift.
“Hey,” she said to get my attention. “Hurry up.”
I felt the awesome feeling, leaned my head back, and looked at the ceiling as I began to climax.
“Hi, you must be David A. Dawson,” I heard.
My eyes snapped open, and I looked to see who had spoken. It was the stunning Asian girl with two of her friends. Brook sat up, exposing Mr. Happy, and bolted for the bathroom. Of course, he was still full of life, and I had difficulties putting him away. I’m sure I turned fifty shades of red in embarrassment.
Saul came up with a big smile on his face.
“I see you’ve met Haru Doi. She’ll be working with you tomorrow. Her agent called because she wanted to meet you before you do your commercial tomorrow,” Saul said.
“Sorry about that,” I finally got out.
“I’d been warned about American actors. They all seem to be … what’s the word I am looking for?” she asked, looking at her two friends.
“Sluts.”
“Sexy.”
I think I liked one of her friends a lot more than the other.
“Again, sorry about that. My manager said earlier, ‘Bitch, please—it’s your birthday.’ While that probably doesn’t excuse what you just saw, it’s my story, and I’m sticking to it,” I said with a weak smile.
“Why, what happened?” Saul asked.
They all looked at me to explain.
“They saw my dick,” I admitted.
Saul didn’t know what to say, so he decided to just walk away and let me deal with it. For once, I agreed with him. It was probably the best he could do under the circumstances.
“Well … uh … I’ll see you tomorrow,” Haru said.
“I’d ask you to join me, but I think that would give you the wrong message. Plus, I need to go find my friend and make sure she’s okay,” I said as I got up.
I stepped into the VIP women’s restroom and found Brook looking at herself in the mirror over the sink.
“You’re some friend. Leave me to deal with it,” I huffed.
“David, get out. This is the women’s restroom.”
I ignored her and pulled her into a hug.