Destination Wedding (1/6)
Title: Destination Wedding
Rating: NC-17 (for: sex, lots of; BDSM relationships/lifestyles/themes)
Characters/Pairings: Sakurai Sho/Kitagawa Keiko; side pairings: Nino/Yoshitaka Yuriko, Aiba/Rola, Jun/Shibasaki Kou
Summary: "The universe aligns, and she's there, and you'd be a fool to doubt yourself." A single guy, a single lady, and a week in Okinawa for a friend's wedding.
Notes/Warnings: For this year's je_whiteday. See the end for a few more notes!
As Kitagawa Keiko rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though the cat had left a fresh hairball next to her shoes during the night, Keiko wasn't letting it bother her. Because the subway car was plastered from end to end with the bright red posters, the luscious blonde locks of Rola-san, and the newly designed shampoo bottle. "Tsubaki," the copy read, "for today's woman."
Of course, Keiko reminded herself, she hadn't been responsible for any of the creative. The Shiseido account was a big one, and she was only a strategic planner on the hair care brands, but she had been there months ago in the meetings with the clients. She had been the one to say "But what about Rola-san? She's everywhere lately, isn't she?" And here her idea was, covering the subway. All over television in both 15 and 30 second spots. On the store shelves. The new bottle design and a fully realized relaunch of the venerable brand. With a little help from Kitagawa Keiko.
There was a bounce to her step as she got off at Shimbashi and headed for work. There was a meeting at 9:30, and she imagined they'd already be getting started on the next campaign. Everyone on the floor had been whispering about the new conditioner set to arrive on shelves at the end of the year. How would they be able to top the Rola campaign? How could Keiko contribute?
She swiped her ID and waited in the long queue for the elevators, finally making it up to the floor where she saw other members of the hair care team gathered around Toma-kun's computer to watch Rola giggle before turning around, the spot moving to slow motion as her beautiful hair swept around. Keiko leaned over Toma's cubicle wall, sighing in happiness at their success.
It was then that the gathered five or so people turned to look at her. Before she could get out a "good morning" to any of them, Toma was already out of his seat with a frightful look in his eyes. Oh no, Keiko thought. The hairball had been a bad omen!
"Kitagawa-kun," he said briskly, getting her by the elbow and pulling her away while the others stayed whispering at his desk. Rola's hair kept flying around as the commercial repeated itself.
"Ikuta-kun," she said back suspiciously as he led her down a few more rows of cubes to her own place. Panic was setting in. Toma had been the senior planner on Shiseido hair care ever since Keiko had started working here at Dentsu. There was no one on the team she trusted half as much as him, and she'd never seen this look on his face before.
He pulled out her chair and none too gracefully pushed her down into it. Today was supposed to be a celebration! The new campaign rollout after so many weeks of late nights back and forth with the clients, with the creative team. There was no box sitting on her desk, so she wasn't fired or anything, but things were not looking good.
"You can tell me," she said. There was no point in beating around the bush about it. Toma had big news for her. Although she maintained as placid an expression as she could manage, she found herself clutching the shoulder straps of her purse for courage.
"There's going to be a change today," Toma said, frustration all too apparent. "They're taking you."
Keiko felt her stomach twist. "Taking me? Who's taking me?" She'd been on Shiseido for almost four years. With so many clients, teams were getting shuffled all the time, but hair care had been home for so long that Keiko had taken it for granted.
"A new client," Toma replied, crossing his arms and leaning against her cube wall. "I'm only telling you now because you'll need to keep a straight face when they bring you in later."
But wasn't a new client an exciting opportunity? A chance to learn and grow? That was usually something Keiko valued, something she always noted in her yearly reviews. "I want to continuously learn," she wrote all the time, and only now had they taken her seriously. A million things were running through her mind. Seeing Rola's face all over Tokyo. Toma and the hair care team, the strong working relationship they'd built. And, she thought greedily, four years of free shampoo.
"What do you mean by keep a straight face?" she asked him. Really, how bad could it be?
He leaned forward, whispering. "Have you ever heard of a brand called Puppy Play?"
--
As Sakurai Sho rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though he'd burnt the scrambled eggs he'd tried to make for breakfast, Sho wasn't letting it bother him. It had been his New Year's resolution, cooking himself breakfast every morning. For too long he'd relied on the convenience store around the corner or the overpriced and overindulgent cafe on the ground floor of his office building. Having just turned 31, he wasn't getting any younger, so he had to take better care of himself.
The headquarters of Okada & Morita took up floors six and seven of the fourteen story StimInc building. It was kind of embarrassing to tell people he worked in the StimInc building here in Shimbashi. Because, of course, StimInc was short for Stimulation Incorporated, the gaming company that owned the building and the top five floors. They made dating simulation games, each subsequent release filthier and filthier. "No," Sho told people, "I work for Okada & Morita. We just have office space there. No, I don't play those games."
As part of the lease agreement, every employee of Okada & Morita was entitled to a 30% discount on each new StimInc game, but they definitely weren't the type of gaming experiences Sho was looking for. If anything, Sho liked puzzle games, games that challenged his mind. As he entered the building and saw the newest ad banners suspended from the vaulted lobby ceiling, he was pretty damn sure that a game called Oppai Revolution was not going to challenge his mind.
With the less than satisfying eggs in his stomach, it was a real challenge to keep walking past the cafe. Because he'd slowed down the slightest bit, he missed the elevator, clutching his briefcase in frustration. He checked his watch. He still had time, but he had to play bad cop in the morning meeting.
Okada Junichi had been a high school friend, and Sho had never expected to one day be working for him. Okada and his partner Morita were carpenters by trade, but the housing bubble had long ago burst and they'd turned their woodworking prowess into a business. "Yes," Sho explained to anyone who asked, "we make rocking chairs."
Well, Sho didn't make any rocking chairs. Or cribs. Or dining tables. Or any other fancy custom furniture. He just balanced the books. And right now the books were telling Sho to tell Okada to slow down. Which was never an easy thing to say to a boss, much less a friend who cared more about building things than thinking about how much the special wood imported from Canada might cost.
Sho shut his eyes as he waited in the elevator banks, repeating over and over the speech he planned to give. He had alternatives, cheaper sources the company could turn to, ways to diversify the offerings in their catalog so they might charge a premium. Little things that might keep the company afloat.
But his precious rehearsal was interrupted then by the sound of sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. Sho opened his eyes, desperately trying to hide his immediate wariness. Because it was none other than the man who made the StimInc building possible.
Ninomiya Kazunari, clad in his trademark hoodie, jeans, and ancient, stinky Chuck Taylors, had started Stimulation Incorporated in his mom's basement a decade earlier. Friends 2 Start, the "dating simulation where you're friends first" had been a surprising hit with girl gamers, and Ninomiya had used the capital from Friends 2 Start to create a dating sim empire, though most of the releases of late (Oppai Revolution included) were appealing to a far different audience.
Despite being a CEO and a multimillionaire, Ninomiya wasn't a snob. He strolled in to work when he felt like it, wore a t-shirt to the initial public offering of StimInc on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and befriended everyone who stepped through the StimInc doors. That included Sakurai Sho.
The elevator chimed and the doors opened, and Ninomiya and his squeaky shoes followed the be-suited Sakurai Sho inside. He was on the short and skinny side, something the hoodie and tattered jeans emphasized all the more, and he was munching messily on an Egg McMuffin. Sho took work seriously. He had an important job to do here. He couldn't just sit around designing porn all day. So while he didn't dislike Ninomiya Kazunari, he certainly didn't understand people like him.
"Sho-chan! Glad I caught you!" Ninomiya, who insisted on being called Nino, said with an irritating spray of egg and muffin onto Sho's suit. He was overly familiar with most people he met, Sho included.
"Good morning, Ninomiya-san," he replied politely. He had too much work to do today, but Nino had caught him. And because he was StimInc and StimInc was the livelihood of the building, Sho would have to do whatever Nino wanted. Most people gave in gladly because Nino probably had the money to buy a Lamborghini for everyone he liked. Sho, however, knew better.
In the past few years, Nino had asked Sho for several "favors," most of which resulted in Sho's voice appearing in a dating sim for no pay and no credit. Sho's boss, a pushover if Sho had ever met one, said doing Nino favors kept the rent cheap so Sho had little choice if he wanted Okada & Morita to thrive. So now there was a character in both Oppai Quest and Oppai Quest 2: Treasure Chests named "Buddy." Buddy was the guy the main character stole women from. Basically, a loser who couldn't keep a girlfriend.
According to Nino, Sho's voice was "ideally suited" for Buddy, and why hadn't Sho gone to voice acting school?
Nino swiped his card and pressed the button for the top floor, balling up his McMuffin wrapper. "Sho-chan, have lunch with me today. Got a favor to ask you."
Before Sho could decline and mention the leftover curry rice sitting in Tupperware inside his briefcase, the elevator dinged on the seventh floor.
"Meet me at noon!" Nino said with a smile and a wave as the doors closed.
--
Three hours later, Keiko was attending a lunch meeting with the brand new "Puppy Play" account team. Lunch was catered in by the President and founder of Puppy Play, Yoshitaka Yuriko-san, who at age 24 was both two years younger than Keiko and a ridiculously wealthy woman.
Keiko's initial impression was that Puppy Play was probably a retail chain for doggie toys and cute accessories. Even if the allure of free shampoo had been snatched from her grasp after four years of loyal service, she could at least get used to doggie toys. It would be a fun account. Unfortunately, Toma had revealed to her, Puppy Play was not a brand for four-legged friends.
Yoshitaka-san, otherwise Mistress Yuri, was a professional dominatrix. A quick glance at her website had led Keiko to slam down her laptop lid with a squeak of surprise. Toma had explained that after several years at the top of the Tokyo BDSM scene, Yuriko-san had decided to diversify her offerings. She'd invested millions into her new "Puppy Play" line of submission "tools and toys," and she'd chosen Dentsu to create her very first ad campaign.
Of course, the adult novelty market did not have the reach that a Shiseido shampoo had. The creative would mostly consist of banner ads on other adult websites and simple creative in print magazines. Keiko and just a handful of people had been pulled off their accounts seemingly at random to get started on the Puppy Play launch, and she was already dreading her new assignment.
It wasn't that Keiko was naive or anything, not really. She was in advertising after all, and half the ads in the market had sexual undertones. She just took a lot of pride in her job, that's all. Had it only been a few short hours ago that she'd been admiring the Rola ads decorating the subway car during her morning commute? She could tell people "yes, I work on that account!" But now as she sat with her chopsticks frozen over the sushi boat on the buffet table, she realized that there was no way she'd be able to tell people what she did for a living.
Because at that moment, Yuriko-san had cued up her PowerPoint presentation, and the very first slide was a picture of a naked man on all fours wearing a dog collar. His eyes had been tastefully covered with a black bar. His genitals, however, had not.
Yuriko wore a form-fitting but thoroughly professional business suit with a knee-length skirt. In her four-inch stiletto heels, she stood confidently with her laser pointer as she addressed the group. If Keiko had seen her on the street, she'd have never guessed that the woman with the cute, clever face and pursed lips got paid to dominate people. But she had seen the website, Mistress Yuri in leather brandishing a riding crop. "You've been a bad boy!" the text bubble next to her had said.
She slipped a tendril of her long black hair behind her ear and smiled at everyone. "Puppy Play!" Yuriko-san announced with the gleeful cheer of someone way younger than 24. She gestured at the dog collar on the naked man with the laser pointer. "My brand new line of gear for the pets in your lives."
She started clicking through slides as Keiko slowly added a few pieces of sushi to her plate and went back to her seat. Keiko was getting quite the education in a lifestyle choice she'd never pursued. Yuriko had created a line of pet collars as well as leashes and doggie-ear headbands. The dominatrix didn't so much as bat an eye as she explained that the target audience for her line was committed couples engaged in a Dominant human/submissive human pet-style relationship or roleplay.
"I'm getting married soon myself," Yuriko-san said, glowing with happiness. "So developing a brand for couples to enjoy together was a no-brainer!"
"Married? You?" one of the men in the room spluttered out. He was someone Keiko didn't know, but she winced at his exclamation.
Yuriko merely tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Sumida-san, you're saying someone in my line of work can't also be in a happy, monogamous relationship?"
Sumida-san turned bright red, and Keiko couldn't bear to watch. He'd be off the account by the end of the day, she was sure of it. The last thing you did in a first client meeting was insult them to their face, intentionally or not.
"Anyhow," Yuriko said, displaying a level of self-confidence that Keiko found incredible, clicking to her next slide. "Let me show you the collars with the spikes. For those who like to dress their pets in a bit of a punk fashion."
Couple or no, Keiko couldn't imagine herself being another person's...pet. She spent maybe a nanosecond envisioning herself in a dog collar and immediately dismissed the idea. Definitely not her kind of fun.
Then again, she thought, as Yuriko clicked to another explicit slide of a naked woman being walked on a leash by a man in broad daylight, what was her kind of fun anymore? She looked away from the screen and down at her plate, embarrassed. She put in long, exhausting hours at Dentsu. Many of the men she worked with were married or gay. And when work was done, she simply went home to the company of her beloved cat, Jack. She thought back, growing puzzled. How long had it been?
Work was her whole life. Every time a friend from school tried to set her up with someone, the men had always wanted her to change something about herself. To work less, to be cuter, to depend on them. Keiko just wasn't like that. She loved her job. She had gone to an all-girls' school and had been befuddled by girls who tried so desperately to be cute and charming at all times. "Kitagawa, you're so serious all the time. Loosen up!" they'd chided her. It was too much work. She shouldn't have to be the one to change. Keiko was Keiko, take it or leave it.
Most men, she thought bitterly, had left it.
When she looked up again, Yuriko was concluding her presentation, and their eyes met. There was an intelligence in the other woman's face, and something more than that. Something almost dangerous. Well, Keiko thought, breaking their eye contact in favor of shoving some ridiculously delicious tuna into her mouth. You had to be just a bit dangerous to make your living by spanking people for cash.
"Thank you so much for your patience and your attentiveness today," Yuriko said. "I know this isn't your usual work, and if I've offended you in any way, please leave the account with my apologies. But for those of you who remain, I'm sure we'll have a great time working together."
The new account director, Nerima-san, encouraged everyone to finish up the lunch that Yuriko had so generously brought while the dominatrix's assistant handed each of them a box of "samples" that would hopefully assist them in the weeks to come as they worked on creative and planned ahead. Keiko accepted her box with a wary, but polite smile and was just heading for the door when she heard movement behind her.
"Ah, Kitagawa-san, was it?"
Keiko turned, clutching the box against her, to find Yuriko smiling happily at her. "Yes?"
Everyone was leaving the room, some of them shaking their boxes while others were shoveling sushi onto plates to take back to their desks. Yuriko patted her on the arm. "You will be staying with the account, won't you?"
Keiko had seen almost half the people in the room look disgusted during the presentation despite themselves. How many of them were going to beg supervisors to put them on any other account that would have them? Keiko wasn't like that. She was still reeling from the Shiseido bump, but if this was the job she was assigned, then she'd do it properly.
"Of course, Yoshitaka-san," she said, even as she was still blushing at the thought of having to bring a box of people-sized dog collars home with her on the train.
"Since you're in planning, I think it's important we work well together right from the start, don't you think?" Yuriko smelled like some sort of exotic flower, dark and mysterious. "I was hoping you could come back to the office with me today if you had time?"
"Oh?" Keiko knew she was being rude now because her hands were starting to shake. It wasn't every day that a dominatrix businesswoman was looking her straight in the eye. Was she expected to look down and submit? She wasn't sure. "Yes, of course, whatever you require."
"Excellent!" Yuriko said, clapping her hands. "My assistant will provide you with directions. Come by around 4:00 PM, and I'll give you a peek of where the magic happens."
With that the woman turned to finish up the remaining lunch she'd paid for, but not before pulling a bottle of hot sauce out of her leather purse and squeezing a ridiculous amount out onto the sushi. She devoured it with murmured noises of satisfaction that made Keiko a little weak in the knees.
Yoshitaka Yuriko, Keiko thought. What have I gotten myself into with you?
--
Okada had not been in favor of Sho's suggested changes, but his partner Morita had always been more understanding about money. Thanks to Morita's cajoling, Sho's budgeting notes had won the day. But even that victory was growing sour as he sat in the hole in the wall ramen joint a few blocks from their building with Ninomiya Kazunari at his side.
The man was quite wealthy, but you'd never know it with the food he ate. Even now he was slurping noodles down merrily, little oily splatters of soup marring his hoodie. Sho was grateful for the free meal, but he knew that by the end of it he was going to be coerced into something he didn't want to do.
But because Sho prided himself on making civilized conversation, he decided to ask Nino about business. "I see a new game is launching soon?" he asked politely.
Nino nodded. "Oppai Revolution! It's set during the French Revolution. Powdered wigs, fake moles, lots of cleavage. We think this one will really appeal to the history otaku types."
"I see."
Nino, as always, saw right through him. "But we're not here to talk about that today, Sho-chan. As I mentioned this morning, I need a favor. I think you're really going to like this favor."
Sho slurped down some of his noodles in defiance. One of these days he'd tell Nino no. One of these days he'd say no, and Nino wouldn't be offended because surely Sho had done plenty of favors for him and had asked for nothing in return. Maybe they could even be friends instead of rich guy and easily manipulated accountant.
Nino continued. "I was chatting with Okada-kun last night, and he was telling me that you haven't taken any of your allotted vacation time in almost a year. That's pretty pathetic."
Sho narrowed his eyes. His boss hadn't so much as hinted that he and Nino had been talking about him behind his back. "We're a small, still growing company," Sho pointed out. "It would be negligent of me."
Nino laughed. "My god, you're a workaholic. They have programs for people like you."
Sho frowned. He liked his job. He liked doing his part to help the company grow. Custom-made furniture was such a niche market, but if they kept improving maybe they'd be able to expand beyond custom pieces someday. Maybe every home could have an Okada rocking chair, a Morita-designed dinette set.
And Sho had been meaning to take some time off, he really had. But there was just so much to do, and he couldn't bear the idea of running off when Okada might really need him. What if an order fell through? What if someone made a mistake in his absence?
"I'm getting married in two weeks, Sho-chan," Nino said. Sho remembered that Nino had gotten engaged several months earlier. Lots of people around the office whispered about Nino's fiancee with wicked glints in their eyes, but Sho had always managed to tune it out. It had even made the news since Nino's success had gotten him on several eligible bachelor lists despite his slovenly appearance.
"Congratulations," Sho said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"I already have Okada-kun's approval, so you can't say no. I want you to be there."
"For the wedding? But we hardly know each other!"
Nino laughed. "That doesn't matter. Look, it's one of those destination weddings. I hate that sort of thing, but what can you do, it's what the woman wants. We'll be in Okinawa for a week, all expenses paid. I've reserved this block of rooms, but I get charged extra if I can't fill them all. Here's where you come in."
Sho was confused. Nino was a millionaire, why was this even a problem? "Wait, wait just a minute here. You're only inviting me so you can get a good deal?"
"Naturally," Nino replied, patting him on the back. "I think it's a win-win. You get a week in Okinawa, beaches, golf, whatever people do outside in places like that. And I get one more room filled, and I save money. It's an excellent proposition, if I do say so myself. Besides, I hate weddings and I'm letting Yuriko do most of the guest list. I need at least a few friends there."
Nino considered him a friend? The guy with everything considered him a friend? Sho scratched his nose in irritation. "A week though? I can't be away from work for a week. I mean, thank you of course for considering me, but surely you have better friends who would take you up on such a generous offer?"
Nino snorted. "I don't. Look, Sho-chan. Imagine yourself in my place. I've got people groveling at my feet all the time, begging for an opportunity to work with me or for me to invest in their companies or claiming they're a long lost cousin and don't they deserve a piece of the good life. You've never done it. You do things for me all the time, and you never complain..."
"I think I complain quite a bit..."
"You don't. So will you please come? Please?"
The beautiful sunny beaches of Okinawa. The blue skies, the tranquil seas. A week without crunching numbers, a week to recharge himself. It really had been a long time since he'd had a vacation. And as he met Nino's eyes, he saw something in them that he usually didn't. Desperation. Maybe the guy really didn't have that many friends. He was chatty and decent to everyone, but most people just sucked up to him because of who he was. Sho thought that had to be kind of lonely, especially when you were about to get married and wanted the people closest to you around. And an all expenses paid vacation would be no problem for Sho's own bank account.
"And you're sure my boss approved of this?"
"I asked him if I could borrow you for a week, and he said no problem! He said I could have you for a month if I wanted."
Sho lifted his bowl to drink down the rest of the soup in irritation. Clearly the offices of Okada & Morita were exaggerating, and Sho would be missed in some capacity. He set the bowl back down and met Nino's eyes. "Fine," he said with a long-suffering sigh. At least he wouldn't be voice acting some loser this time. "I guess you can count me in."
"Excellent," Nino said, looking overjoyed. "Because I've already paid for your plane ticket."
Sho frowned.
--
For some reason, Keiko had been anticipating that Yoshitaka Yuriko's office would be more sex dungeon than office. She'd been mistaken. In fact, the office was a mere suite on one floor of a building in Tokyo Midtown. She welcomed Keiko inside with a friendly smile, still in her business suit from the meeting earlier that afternoon. What had Keiko expected? To find her new client head to toe in latex or something?
If this assignment was going to teach her anything, it was to not rely on preconceptions.
The Puppy Play office was just a reception area, Yuriko-san's office, and a few smaller offices for sales staff. A company in Korea manufactured the Puppy Play line and sent items on order to Tokyo where Yuriko's staff mailed them out to buyers. "It's all about customer service, personalized attentive service. Oh," Yuriko explained, giving Keiko a flirtatious wink. "And about keeping it discreet!"
Keiko followed Yuriko into her office, which was a little wilder in design than the outer offices. The walls were painted red and adorned with several black-and-white framed photographs. Men and women both, all in some sort of bondage. Keiko wasn't sure where she was supposed to be looking because she had blindfolded or rope-tied people at every angle.
Yuriko sat behind her desk, lifting up her laptop screen and gesturing for Keiko to have a seat. "You'll forgive my interior design preferences, I hope, Kitagawa-san?"
"Keiko is fine. We'll be working together for some time," she said agreeably, finding it far easier to look at her new client's face than at her client's furnishings.
"Mm! Keiko then!"
Yuriko's smile was infectious. It was still such a disconnect from the "Mistress Yuri" on her website. As soon as she'd gotten back to her desk, Toma and the others from the hair care team had come over to immediately start gossiping. What was she like? Did she bring whips to the meeting? Much as Yuriko's occupation was rather taboo, she was a shrewd businesswoman with a clear plan. It would be a tough assignment, but at least Yuriko was a woman who knew the direction she wanted her brand to take. It would make Keiko's burdens more manageable on the marketing side.
"Of course I've picked an awful time to launch the brand on a wider scale," Yuriko lamented, leaning back in her chair. "I'm getting married in two weeks!"
Keiko smiled. "Congratulations, how wonderful!"
Yuriko sighed. "I've been a regular Bridezilla, honestly. So unattractive, I know. It's so hard to separate the business and personal the closer it gets. I mean, there I was yesterday with a client and he's kissing my boots and I'm worrying about the cake. I'm having it shipped all the way down to Okinawa."
Keiko couldn't help blushing at the idea of Yuriko "on the job." It was difficult to reconcile with the bubbly bride-to-be before her. Yuriko seemed to finally catch on that Keiko was a bit uncomfortable. "I know what you're thinking," the woman said, naughty twinkle in her eye. "Everybody thinks the same because they simply don't take the time to ask me..."
"Oh!" Keiko muttered, worried she'd gone and offended her. "No, no, I'm so sorry..."
But Yuriko was undeterred. "I don't have sex with clients. That is not what I do or who I am. I discipline. I punish. I am worshipped. But I am not a prostitute. There are plenty of skilled folks to do that sort of thing."
"And so your fiance..."
Yuriko beamed. He was an interesting and understanding fellow indeed, to knowingly marry a woman in her line of work. "My Nino also worships me. He's actually the reason Puppy Play exists."
Keiko bit her lip, wondering if she should steer the conversation back to business. She decided to let Yuriko ramble on, if only because she didn't have any idea what to say.
"He's a businessman, my fiance. Have you heard of Stimulation Incorporated? No? They're a gaming company. And he encouraged me to go into business myself. After I get married, I was thinking of hanging up the whip for a while. He didn't tell me I had to or anything, he's such a sweetheart, but he did say that it might be worth putting my talents to a broader use."
"And so..." Keiko murmured. "Puppy Play."
"Puppy Play!" Yuriko cheered, turning her laptop screen to face Keiko, who very nearly gasped at the computer's desktop wallpaper.
A grown man on the skinny side clad only in boxer shorts. He was wearing one of the Puppy Play doggie headbands and holding a pet food dish in his mouth, his hands up submissively like doggie paws. "Your fiance?" she managed to choke out.
Yuriko mercifully turned the screen back to herself. "A good man is hard to find. A good pet even harder!"
Truly an interesting couple for the 21st century, Keiko thought. And here she was, unable to even find a date when she wanted one. "I was wondering, Yuriko-san, um, if you could explain why you wanted me to visit today? Nerima-san will be your account director, and I'm only a strategist so..."
"Nonsense!" Yuriko said. "You're the one who can talk to me straight from day one. I know men like Nerima-san, and honestly, I wanted a woman in charge. You're the best go-between I'll have between what I want and what your creative people will end up doing. I need you to fully understand my vision, you see. I need you to really get me and the Puppy Play way of life. I'm not saying you have to become a clone of me, not in the least. Your business and preferences are your own. I just think that together you and I will envision the future of Puppy Play, and I want to be on the same page."
"Very well," Keiko replied, thinking of the box of dog collars still on the desk in her cubicle back at the Dentsu building. A boyfriend in college had suggested a blindfold once, and Keiko had declined. And that was the closest she'd ever come to the Puppy Play "way of life." It was going to be quite the uphill battle. "I'll do my best to realize your vision."
"You're single, aren't you?" Yuriko asked bluntly.
"I...yes."
"No shame in that, Keiko-san, but I ask for a reason. Sitting at home with collars or watching fetish porn is not going to give you a fully realized picture of the lifestyle. While you were on your way over here, I spoke with Nerima-san on the phone, and he's kindly agreed to my demands. Forgive my presumption, but I'm going to be kidnapping you for a week."
"Kidnapping me?" Keiko blurted out.
But Yuriko's smile was more reassuring than fear-inducing. "I'd like you to come to Okinawa as my guest. Don't worry about your expenses," she said, "You can bill the full week against my account."
"To...work?"
Yuriko laughed. "To attend my wedding!"
--
Two suitcases for one week, Sho thought with a sigh. No matter what, he couldn't seem to narrow it down. Okinawa might get stormy at this time of the year, so he had plenty to wear in case they got rained out. And then of course he'd had to pack for a night or two on the town. And he had a suit for the wedding ceremony. And then some trunks for the beach as well.
Despite Okada's insistence, he'd brought home his work laptop and half a dozen envelopes full of receipts. One of the junior accountants had already gone through it, but Sho knew it couldn't hurt to double check his work. Surely Nino wouldn't monopolize his entire week, and Sho would be able to poke at a bit of work here and there.
Sho had been to several weddings the past few years, mostly friends from university. His checkbook had really taken a beating the previous summer when four friends had gotten married, and since Sho wasn't married himself, he hadn't seen much return. He took a sad look around his apartment, frowning. Nino was right. Sho was a workaholic. His life was Okada & Morita, and there'd been no feminine touch in his life since Asami had (rightfully) given up on him over a year ago. She'd waited for a ring that never came.
He'd turned 30, but he'd been much more interested in seeing the company succeed than his relationship. And now that he was alone again, it had been all too easy to let that trend continue. But the ugly 'wedding' word had reared its head, and Sho was spiraling into confusion all over again. Sho was responsible, thoughtful, hard-working. But he couldn't take very good care of himself. It wouldn't hurt to have a partner around to keep him from staying up til 3:00 AM scrutinizing receipts.
It wouldn't hurt to have a warm body in bed beside him either. Somebody to love.
He slammed the suitcase lid down, zipping it angrily. "Damn it, Nino," he grumbled bitterly.
He was going down south for a week, and he'd be surrounded by couples, he was sure of it. Nino was shelling out a lot of money for this resort they were staying at, and the floor plans for the rooms were fairly ridiculous. The room Sho would be in was almost the same size as his own apartment, with a separate bedroom and a kitchen space. At the very least, Sho contented himself with the thought of still making himself breakfast each morning. But the rest of the time would be Sho on semi-vacation in a large, empty hotel room while dozens of weddings were carried out on the beaches and in chapels nearby.
"I'll have a good time," he reassured himself. "I will."
And now he was talking to himself. Never a good sign.
He'd already forced himself to turn off the TV. A storm front was blowing through come morning, so he was almost certain that his flight would be canceled or delayed. Nino, his fiancee, and several of their friends who apparently didn't have anything pressing keeping them in Tokyo had already flown down there. Sho and one other person were flying out in the morning, some friend of Nino's fiancee, and they'd be the last to arrive.
Well, at least he'd have someone to talk to during the flight and during the trip north from Naha to the resort. They were staying in Onna, an hour's drive north of the airport. It was difficult to imagine the sandy beaches now as he looked out the window of his apartment, seeing nothing but other apartment high-rises surrounding him.
The itinerary when they arrived would be fairly loose, something that was anathema to a person like Sho. He arrived Saturday morning and the first few days were at leisure to enjoy the island. On Tuesday evening the bachelor and bachelorette parties were scheduled, but according to Nino, those events hadn't been finalized yet either. For such an extravagant trip, Nino and his fiancee sure kept things until the last second (if Sho's very late invite was any indication). Wednesday evening would be a rehearsal dinner, Thursday at sunset was the ceremony itself followed by a reception in the evening. Friday was one last day to relax before returning to Tokyo on Saturday.
Nino and his fiancee were jetting off to Bali for another week after that, something that Nino had been complaining about to Sho in the elevator every morning since Sho had been coerced into attending the wedding week. "Beaches and water, beaches and water," Nino kept grumbling. "She'll be the death of me."
And yet Nino's affection for the woman he would be marrying was obvious. Sho didn't know much about her yet. Nino had cryptically kept hinting "you'll see..." which made Sho all the more curious about her. Instead Nino had only shown him a few pictures they'd taken in a photo booth. Yuriko was very pretty, five years younger than Nino but "far wiser than her age," he explained. Sho couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something in her eyes, something that kept his attention even in little photo booth snapshots.
What did she do for a living? "You'll see," Nino had said.
What hobbies did she have? "You'll see," Nino had said.
So an aura of mystery had risen around Yuriko, the future Mrs. Ninomiya. Sho supposed he could have Googled her, learned more about her, but he'd been busy wrapping things up at work. He could just meet her in person and get to know her then. And besides, it wasn't like he was a close member of the wedding party. He was just some guy invited at the last second. He was just there so Nino could get his reservation deal.
Frowning once more, Sho closed up his other bag and hauled them both to the door. A cab was coming to take him to Haneda at 5:00 for his 7:30 flight, weather permitting. It was a vacation, he told himself. A long overdue vacation. He just needed to relax.
Part Two
Rating: NC-17 (for: sex, lots of; BDSM relationships/lifestyles/themes)
Characters/Pairings: Sakurai Sho/Kitagawa Keiko; side pairings: Nino/Yoshitaka Yuriko, Aiba/Rola, Jun/Shibasaki Kou
Summary: "The universe aligns, and she's there, and you'd be a fool to doubt yourself." A single guy, a single lady, and a week in Okinawa for a friend's wedding.
Notes/Warnings: For this year's je_whiteday. See the end for a few more notes!
As Kitagawa Keiko rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though the cat had left a fresh hairball next to her shoes during the night, Keiko wasn't letting it bother her. Because the subway car was plastered from end to end with the bright red posters, the luscious blonde locks of Rola-san, and the newly designed shampoo bottle. "Tsubaki," the copy read, "for today's woman."
Of course, Keiko reminded herself, she hadn't been responsible for any of the creative. The Shiseido account was a big one, and she was only a strategic planner on the hair care brands, but she had been there months ago in the meetings with the clients. She had been the one to say "But what about Rola-san? She's everywhere lately, isn't she?" And here her idea was, covering the subway. All over television in both 15 and 30 second spots. On the store shelves. The new bottle design and a fully realized relaunch of the venerable brand. With a little help from Kitagawa Keiko.
There was a bounce to her step as she got off at Shimbashi and headed for work. There was a meeting at 9:30, and she imagined they'd already be getting started on the next campaign. Everyone on the floor had been whispering about the new conditioner set to arrive on shelves at the end of the year. How would they be able to top the Rola campaign? How could Keiko contribute?
She swiped her ID and waited in the long queue for the elevators, finally making it up to the floor where she saw other members of the hair care team gathered around Toma-kun's computer to watch Rola giggle before turning around, the spot moving to slow motion as her beautiful hair swept around. Keiko leaned over Toma's cubicle wall, sighing in happiness at their success.
It was then that the gathered five or so people turned to look at her. Before she could get out a "good morning" to any of them, Toma was already out of his seat with a frightful look in his eyes. Oh no, Keiko thought. The hairball had been a bad omen!
"Kitagawa-kun," he said briskly, getting her by the elbow and pulling her away while the others stayed whispering at his desk. Rola's hair kept flying around as the commercial repeated itself.
"Ikuta-kun," she said back suspiciously as he led her down a few more rows of cubes to her own place. Panic was setting in. Toma had been the senior planner on Shiseido hair care ever since Keiko had started working here at Dentsu. There was no one on the team she trusted half as much as him, and she'd never seen this look on his face before.
He pulled out her chair and none too gracefully pushed her down into it. Today was supposed to be a celebration! The new campaign rollout after so many weeks of late nights back and forth with the clients, with the creative team. There was no box sitting on her desk, so she wasn't fired or anything, but things were not looking good.
"You can tell me," she said. There was no point in beating around the bush about it. Toma had big news for her. Although she maintained as placid an expression as she could manage, she found herself clutching the shoulder straps of her purse for courage.
"There's going to be a change today," Toma said, frustration all too apparent. "They're taking you."
Keiko felt her stomach twist. "Taking me? Who's taking me?" She'd been on Shiseido for almost four years. With so many clients, teams were getting shuffled all the time, but hair care had been home for so long that Keiko had taken it for granted.
"A new client," Toma replied, crossing his arms and leaning against her cube wall. "I'm only telling you now because you'll need to keep a straight face when they bring you in later."
But wasn't a new client an exciting opportunity? A chance to learn and grow? That was usually something Keiko valued, something she always noted in her yearly reviews. "I want to continuously learn," she wrote all the time, and only now had they taken her seriously. A million things were running through her mind. Seeing Rola's face all over Tokyo. Toma and the hair care team, the strong working relationship they'd built. And, she thought greedily, four years of free shampoo.
"What do you mean by keep a straight face?" she asked him. Really, how bad could it be?
He leaned forward, whispering. "Have you ever heard of a brand called Puppy Play?"
--
As Sakurai Sho rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though he'd burnt the scrambled eggs he'd tried to make for breakfast, Sho wasn't letting it bother him. It had been his New Year's resolution, cooking himself breakfast every morning. For too long he'd relied on the convenience store around the corner or the overpriced and overindulgent cafe on the ground floor of his office building. Having just turned 31, he wasn't getting any younger, so he had to take better care of himself.
The headquarters of Okada & Morita took up floors six and seven of the fourteen story StimInc building. It was kind of embarrassing to tell people he worked in the StimInc building here in Shimbashi. Because, of course, StimInc was short for Stimulation Incorporated, the gaming company that owned the building and the top five floors. They made dating simulation games, each subsequent release filthier and filthier. "No," Sho told people, "I work for Okada & Morita. We just have office space there. No, I don't play those games."
As part of the lease agreement, every employee of Okada & Morita was entitled to a 30% discount on each new StimInc game, but they definitely weren't the type of gaming experiences Sho was looking for. If anything, Sho liked puzzle games, games that challenged his mind. As he entered the building and saw the newest ad banners suspended from the vaulted lobby ceiling, he was pretty damn sure that a game called Oppai Revolution was not going to challenge his mind.
With the less than satisfying eggs in his stomach, it was a real challenge to keep walking past the cafe. Because he'd slowed down the slightest bit, he missed the elevator, clutching his briefcase in frustration. He checked his watch. He still had time, but he had to play bad cop in the morning meeting.
Okada Junichi had been a high school friend, and Sho had never expected to one day be working for him. Okada and his partner Morita were carpenters by trade, but the housing bubble had long ago burst and they'd turned their woodworking prowess into a business. "Yes," Sho explained to anyone who asked, "we make rocking chairs."
Well, Sho didn't make any rocking chairs. Or cribs. Or dining tables. Or any other fancy custom furniture. He just balanced the books. And right now the books were telling Sho to tell Okada to slow down. Which was never an easy thing to say to a boss, much less a friend who cared more about building things than thinking about how much the special wood imported from Canada might cost.
Sho shut his eyes as he waited in the elevator banks, repeating over and over the speech he planned to give. He had alternatives, cheaper sources the company could turn to, ways to diversify the offerings in their catalog so they might charge a premium. Little things that might keep the company afloat.
But his precious rehearsal was interrupted then by the sound of sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. Sho opened his eyes, desperately trying to hide his immediate wariness. Because it was none other than the man who made the StimInc building possible.
Ninomiya Kazunari, clad in his trademark hoodie, jeans, and ancient, stinky Chuck Taylors, had started Stimulation Incorporated in his mom's basement a decade earlier. Friends 2 Start, the "dating simulation where you're friends first" had been a surprising hit with girl gamers, and Ninomiya had used the capital from Friends 2 Start to create a dating sim empire, though most of the releases of late (Oppai Revolution included) were appealing to a far different audience.
Despite being a CEO and a multimillionaire, Ninomiya wasn't a snob. He strolled in to work when he felt like it, wore a t-shirt to the initial public offering of StimInc on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and befriended everyone who stepped through the StimInc doors. That included Sakurai Sho.
The elevator chimed and the doors opened, and Ninomiya and his squeaky shoes followed the be-suited Sakurai Sho inside. He was on the short and skinny side, something the hoodie and tattered jeans emphasized all the more, and he was munching messily on an Egg McMuffin. Sho took work seriously. He had an important job to do here. He couldn't just sit around designing porn all day. So while he didn't dislike Ninomiya Kazunari, he certainly didn't understand people like him.
"Sho-chan! Glad I caught you!" Ninomiya, who insisted on being called Nino, said with an irritating spray of egg and muffin onto Sho's suit. He was overly familiar with most people he met, Sho included.
"Good morning, Ninomiya-san," he replied politely. He had too much work to do today, but Nino had caught him. And because he was StimInc and StimInc was the livelihood of the building, Sho would have to do whatever Nino wanted. Most people gave in gladly because Nino probably had the money to buy a Lamborghini for everyone he liked. Sho, however, knew better.
In the past few years, Nino had asked Sho for several "favors," most of which resulted in Sho's voice appearing in a dating sim for no pay and no credit. Sho's boss, a pushover if Sho had ever met one, said doing Nino favors kept the rent cheap so Sho had little choice if he wanted Okada & Morita to thrive. So now there was a character in both Oppai Quest and Oppai Quest 2: Treasure Chests named "Buddy." Buddy was the guy the main character stole women from. Basically, a loser who couldn't keep a girlfriend.
According to Nino, Sho's voice was "ideally suited" for Buddy, and why hadn't Sho gone to voice acting school?
Nino swiped his card and pressed the button for the top floor, balling up his McMuffin wrapper. "Sho-chan, have lunch with me today. Got a favor to ask you."
Before Sho could decline and mention the leftover curry rice sitting in Tupperware inside his briefcase, the elevator dinged on the seventh floor.
"Meet me at noon!" Nino said with a smile and a wave as the doors closed.
--
Three hours later, Keiko was attending a lunch meeting with the brand new "Puppy Play" account team. Lunch was catered in by the President and founder of Puppy Play, Yoshitaka Yuriko-san, who at age 24 was both two years younger than Keiko and a ridiculously wealthy woman.
Keiko's initial impression was that Puppy Play was probably a retail chain for doggie toys and cute accessories. Even if the allure of free shampoo had been snatched from her grasp after four years of loyal service, she could at least get used to doggie toys. It would be a fun account. Unfortunately, Toma had revealed to her, Puppy Play was not a brand for four-legged friends.
Yoshitaka-san, otherwise Mistress Yuri, was a professional dominatrix. A quick glance at her website had led Keiko to slam down her laptop lid with a squeak of surprise. Toma had explained that after several years at the top of the Tokyo BDSM scene, Yuriko-san had decided to diversify her offerings. She'd invested millions into her new "Puppy Play" line of submission "tools and toys," and she'd chosen Dentsu to create her very first ad campaign.
Of course, the adult novelty market did not have the reach that a Shiseido shampoo had. The creative would mostly consist of banner ads on other adult websites and simple creative in print magazines. Keiko and just a handful of people had been pulled off their accounts seemingly at random to get started on the Puppy Play launch, and she was already dreading her new assignment.
It wasn't that Keiko was naive or anything, not really. She was in advertising after all, and half the ads in the market had sexual undertones. She just took a lot of pride in her job, that's all. Had it only been a few short hours ago that she'd been admiring the Rola ads decorating the subway car during her morning commute? She could tell people "yes, I work on that account!" But now as she sat with her chopsticks frozen over the sushi boat on the buffet table, she realized that there was no way she'd be able to tell people what she did for a living.
Because at that moment, Yuriko-san had cued up her PowerPoint presentation, and the very first slide was a picture of a naked man on all fours wearing a dog collar. His eyes had been tastefully covered with a black bar. His genitals, however, had not.
Yuriko wore a form-fitting but thoroughly professional business suit with a knee-length skirt. In her four-inch stiletto heels, she stood confidently with her laser pointer as she addressed the group. If Keiko had seen her on the street, she'd have never guessed that the woman with the cute, clever face and pursed lips got paid to dominate people. But she had seen the website, Mistress Yuri in leather brandishing a riding crop. "You've been a bad boy!" the text bubble next to her had said.
She slipped a tendril of her long black hair behind her ear and smiled at everyone. "Puppy Play!" Yuriko-san announced with the gleeful cheer of someone way younger than 24. She gestured at the dog collar on the naked man with the laser pointer. "My brand new line of gear for the pets in your lives."
She started clicking through slides as Keiko slowly added a few pieces of sushi to her plate and went back to her seat. Keiko was getting quite the education in a lifestyle choice she'd never pursued. Yuriko had created a line of pet collars as well as leashes and doggie-ear headbands. The dominatrix didn't so much as bat an eye as she explained that the target audience for her line was committed couples engaged in a Dominant human/submissive human pet-style relationship or roleplay.
"I'm getting married soon myself," Yuriko-san said, glowing with happiness. "So developing a brand for couples to enjoy together was a no-brainer!"
"Married? You?" one of the men in the room spluttered out. He was someone Keiko didn't know, but she winced at his exclamation.
Yuriko merely tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Sumida-san, you're saying someone in my line of work can't also be in a happy, monogamous relationship?"
Sumida-san turned bright red, and Keiko couldn't bear to watch. He'd be off the account by the end of the day, she was sure of it. The last thing you did in a first client meeting was insult them to their face, intentionally or not.
"Anyhow," Yuriko said, displaying a level of self-confidence that Keiko found incredible, clicking to her next slide. "Let me show you the collars with the spikes. For those who like to dress their pets in a bit of a punk fashion."
Couple or no, Keiko couldn't imagine herself being another person's...pet. She spent maybe a nanosecond envisioning herself in a dog collar and immediately dismissed the idea. Definitely not her kind of fun.
Then again, she thought, as Yuriko clicked to another explicit slide of a naked woman being walked on a leash by a man in broad daylight, what was her kind of fun anymore? She looked away from the screen and down at her plate, embarrassed. She put in long, exhausting hours at Dentsu. Many of the men she worked with were married or gay. And when work was done, she simply went home to the company of her beloved cat, Jack. She thought back, growing puzzled. How long had it been?
Work was her whole life. Every time a friend from school tried to set her up with someone, the men had always wanted her to change something about herself. To work less, to be cuter, to depend on them. Keiko just wasn't like that. She loved her job. She had gone to an all-girls' school and had been befuddled by girls who tried so desperately to be cute and charming at all times. "Kitagawa, you're so serious all the time. Loosen up!" they'd chided her. It was too much work. She shouldn't have to be the one to change. Keiko was Keiko, take it or leave it.
Most men, she thought bitterly, had left it.
When she looked up again, Yuriko was concluding her presentation, and their eyes met. There was an intelligence in the other woman's face, and something more than that. Something almost dangerous. Well, Keiko thought, breaking their eye contact in favor of shoving some ridiculously delicious tuna into her mouth. You had to be just a bit dangerous to make your living by spanking people for cash.
"Thank you so much for your patience and your attentiveness today," Yuriko said. "I know this isn't your usual work, and if I've offended you in any way, please leave the account with my apologies. But for those of you who remain, I'm sure we'll have a great time working together."
The new account director, Nerima-san, encouraged everyone to finish up the lunch that Yuriko had so generously brought while the dominatrix's assistant handed each of them a box of "samples" that would hopefully assist them in the weeks to come as they worked on creative and planned ahead. Keiko accepted her box with a wary, but polite smile and was just heading for the door when she heard movement behind her.
"Ah, Kitagawa-san, was it?"
Keiko turned, clutching the box against her, to find Yuriko smiling happily at her. "Yes?"
Everyone was leaving the room, some of them shaking their boxes while others were shoveling sushi onto plates to take back to their desks. Yuriko patted her on the arm. "You will be staying with the account, won't you?"
Keiko had seen almost half the people in the room look disgusted during the presentation despite themselves. How many of them were going to beg supervisors to put them on any other account that would have them? Keiko wasn't like that. She was still reeling from the Shiseido bump, but if this was the job she was assigned, then she'd do it properly.
"Of course, Yoshitaka-san," she said, even as she was still blushing at the thought of having to bring a box of people-sized dog collars home with her on the train.
"Since you're in planning, I think it's important we work well together right from the start, don't you think?" Yuriko smelled like some sort of exotic flower, dark and mysterious. "I was hoping you could come back to the office with me today if you had time?"
"Oh?" Keiko knew she was being rude now because her hands were starting to shake. It wasn't every day that a dominatrix businesswoman was looking her straight in the eye. Was she expected to look down and submit? She wasn't sure. "Yes, of course, whatever you require."
"Excellent!" Yuriko said, clapping her hands. "My assistant will provide you with directions. Come by around 4:00 PM, and I'll give you a peek of where the magic happens."
With that the woman turned to finish up the remaining lunch she'd paid for, but not before pulling a bottle of hot sauce out of her leather purse and squeezing a ridiculous amount out onto the sushi. She devoured it with murmured noises of satisfaction that made Keiko a little weak in the knees.
Yoshitaka Yuriko, Keiko thought. What have I gotten myself into with you?
--
Okada had not been in favor of Sho's suggested changes, but his partner Morita had always been more understanding about money. Thanks to Morita's cajoling, Sho's budgeting notes had won the day. But even that victory was growing sour as he sat in the hole in the wall ramen joint a few blocks from their building with Ninomiya Kazunari at his side.
The man was quite wealthy, but you'd never know it with the food he ate. Even now he was slurping noodles down merrily, little oily splatters of soup marring his hoodie. Sho was grateful for the free meal, but he knew that by the end of it he was going to be coerced into something he didn't want to do.
But because Sho prided himself on making civilized conversation, he decided to ask Nino about business. "I see a new game is launching soon?" he asked politely.
Nino nodded. "Oppai Revolution! It's set during the French Revolution. Powdered wigs, fake moles, lots of cleavage. We think this one will really appeal to the history otaku types."
"I see."
Nino, as always, saw right through him. "But we're not here to talk about that today, Sho-chan. As I mentioned this morning, I need a favor. I think you're really going to like this favor."
Sho slurped down some of his noodles in defiance. One of these days he'd tell Nino no. One of these days he'd say no, and Nino wouldn't be offended because surely Sho had done plenty of favors for him and had asked for nothing in return. Maybe they could even be friends instead of rich guy and easily manipulated accountant.
Nino continued. "I was chatting with Okada-kun last night, and he was telling me that you haven't taken any of your allotted vacation time in almost a year. That's pretty pathetic."
Sho narrowed his eyes. His boss hadn't so much as hinted that he and Nino had been talking about him behind his back. "We're a small, still growing company," Sho pointed out. "It would be negligent of me."
Nino laughed. "My god, you're a workaholic. They have programs for people like you."
Sho frowned. He liked his job. He liked doing his part to help the company grow. Custom-made furniture was such a niche market, but if they kept improving maybe they'd be able to expand beyond custom pieces someday. Maybe every home could have an Okada rocking chair, a Morita-designed dinette set.
And Sho had been meaning to take some time off, he really had. But there was just so much to do, and he couldn't bear the idea of running off when Okada might really need him. What if an order fell through? What if someone made a mistake in his absence?
"I'm getting married in two weeks, Sho-chan," Nino said. Sho remembered that Nino had gotten engaged several months earlier. Lots of people around the office whispered about Nino's fiancee with wicked glints in their eyes, but Sho had always managed to tune it out. It had even made the news since Nino's success had gotten him on several eligible bachelor lists despite his slovenly appearance.
"Congratulations," Sho said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"I already have Okada-kun's approval, so you can't say no. I want you to be there."
"For the wedding? But we hardly know each other!"
Nino laughed. "That doesn't matter. Look, it's one of those destination weddings. I hate that sort of thing, but what can you do, it's what the woman wants. We'll be in Okinawa for a week, all expenses paid. I've reserved this block of rooms, but I get charged extra if I can't fill them all. Here's where you come in."
Sho was confused. Nino was a millionaire, why was this even a problem? "Wait, wait just a minute here. You're only inviting me so you can get a good deal?"
"Naturally," Nino replied, patting him on the back. "I think it's a win-win. You get a week in Okinawa, beaches, golf, whatever people do outside in places like that. And I get one more room filled, and I save money. It's an excellent proposition, if I do say so myself. Besides, I hate weddings and I'm letting Yuriko do most of the guest list. I need at least a few friends there."
Nino considered him a friend? The guy with everything considered him a friend? Sho scratched his nose in irritation. "A week though? I can't be away from work for a week. I mean, thank you of course for considering me, but surely you have better friends who would take you up on such a generous offer?"
Nino snorted. "I don't. Look, Sho-chan. Imagine yourself in my place. I've got people groveling at my feet all the time, begging for an opportunity to work with me or for me to invest in their companies or claiming they're a long lost cousin and don't they deserve a piece of the good life. You've never done it. You do things for me all the time, and you never complain..."
"I think I complain quite a bit..."
"You don't. So will you please come? Please?"
The beautiful sunny beaches of Okinawa. The blue skies, the tranquil seas. A week without crunching numbers, a week to recharge himself. It really had been a long time since he'd had a vacation. And as he met Nino's eyes, he saw something in them that he usually didn't. Desperation. Maybe the guy really didn't have that many friends. He was chatty and decent to everyone, but most people just sucked up to him because of who he was. Sho thought that had to be kind of lonely, especially when you were about to get married and wanted the people closest to you around. And an all expenses paid vacation would be no problem for Sho's own bank account.
"And you're sure my boss approved of this?"
"I asked him if I could borrow you for a week, and he said no problem! He said I could have you for a month if I wanted."
Sho lifted his bowl to drink down the rest of the soup in irritation. Clearly the offices of Okada & Morita were exaggerating, and Sho would be missed in some capacity. He set the bowl back down and met Nino's eyes. "Fine," he said with a long-suffering sigh. At least he wouldn't be voice acting some loser this time. "I guess you can count me in."
"Excellent," Nino said, looking overjoyed. "Because I've already paid for your plane ticket."
Sho frowned.
--
For some reason, Keiko had been anticipating that Yoshitaka Yuriko's office would be more sex dungeon than office. She'd been mistaken. In fact, the office was a mere suite on one floor of a building in Tokyo Midtown. She welcomed Keiko inside with a friendly smile, still in her business suit from the meeting earlier that afternoon. What had Keiko expected? To find her new client head to toe in latex or something?
If this assignment was going to teach her anything, it was to not rely on preconceptions.
The Puppy Play office was just a reception area, Yuriko-san's office, and a few smaller offices for sales staff. A company in Korea manufactured the Puppy Play line and sent items on order to Tokyo where Yuriko's staff mailed them out to buyers. "It's all about customer service, personalized attentive service. Oh," Yuriko explained, giving Keiko a flirtatious wink. "And about keeping it discreet!"
Keiko followed Yuriko into her office, which was a little wilder in design than the outer offices. The walls were painted red and adorned with several black-and-white framed photographs. Men and women both, all in some sort of bondage. Keiko wasn't sure where she was supposed to be looking because she had blindfolded or rope-tied people at every angle.
Yuriko sat behind her desk, lifting up her laptop screen and gesturing for Keiko to have a seat. "You'll forgive my interior design preferences, I hope, Kitagawa-san?"
"Keiko is fine. We'll be working together for some time," she said agreeably, finding it far easier to look at her new client's face than at her client's furnishings.
"Mm! Keiko then!"
Yuriko's smile was infectious. It was still such a disconnect from the "Mistress Yuri" on her website. As soon as she'd gotten back to her desk, Toma and the others from the hair care team had come over to immediately start gossiping. What was she like? Did she bring whips to the meeting? Much as Yuriko's occupation was rather taboo, she was a shrewd businesswoman with a clear plan. It would be a tough assignment, but at least Yuriko was a woman who knew the direction she wanted her brand to take. It would make Keiko's burdens more manageable on the marketing side.
"Of course I've picked an awful time to launch the brand on a wider scale," Yuriko lamented, leaning back in her chair. "I'm getting married in two weeks!"
Keiko smiled. "Congratulations, how wonderful!"
Yuriko sighed. "I've been a regular Bridezilla, honestly. So unattractive, I know. It's so hard to separate the business and personal the closer it gets. I mean, there I was yesterday with a client and he's kissing my boots and I'm worrying about the cake. I'm having it shipped all the way down to Okinawa."
Keiko couldn't help blushing at the idea of Yuriko "on the job." It was difficult to reconcile with the bubbly bride-to-be before her. Yuriko seemed to finally catch on that Keiko was a bit uncomfortable. "I know what you're thinking," the woman said, naughty twinkle in her eye. "Everybody thinks the same because they simply don't take the time to ask me..."
"Oh!" Keiko muttered, worried she'd gone and offended her. "No, no, I'm so sorry..."
But Yuriko was undeterred. "I don't have sex with clients. That is not what I do or who I am. I discipline. I punish. I am worshipped. But I am not a prostitute. There are plenty of skilled folks to do that sort of thing."
"And so your fiance..."
Yuriko beamed. He was an interesting and understanding fellow indeed, to knowingly marry a woman in her line of work. "My Nino also worships me. He's actually the reason Puppy Play exists."
Keiko bit her lip, wondering if she should steer the conversation back to business. She decided to let Yuriko ramble on, if only because she didn't have any idea what to say.
"He's a businessman, my fiance. Have you heard of Stimulation Incorporated? No? They're a gaming company. And he encouraged me to go into business myself. After I get married, I was thinking of hanging up the whip for a while. He didn't tell me I had to or anything, he's such a sweetheart, but he did say that it might be worth putting my talents to a broader use."
"And so..." Keiko murmured. "Puppy Play."
"Puppy Play!" Yuriko cheered, turning her laptop screen to face Keiko, who very nearly gasped at the computer's desktop wallpaper.
A grown man on the skinny side clad only in boxer shorts. He was wearing one of the Puppy Play doggie headbands and holding a pet food dish in his mouth, his hands up submissively like doggie paws. "Your fiance?" she managed to choke out.
Yuriko mercifully turned the screen back to herself. "A good man is hard to find. A good pet even harder!"
Truly an interesting couple for the 21st century, Keiko thought. And here she was, unable to even find a date when she wanted one. "I was wondering, Yuriko-san, um, if you could explain why you wanted me to visit today? Nerima-san will be your account director, and I'm only a strategist so..."
"Nonsense!" Yuriko said. "You're the one who can talk to me straight from day one. I know men like Nerima-san, and honestly, I wanted a woman in charge. You're the best go-between I'll have between what I want and what your creative people will end up doing. I need you to fully understand my vision, you see. I need you to really get me and the Puppy Play way of life. I'm not saying you have to become a clone of me, not in the least. Your business and preferences are your own. I just think that together you and I will envision the future of Puppy Play, and I want to be on the same page."
"Very well," Keiko replied, thinking of the box of dog collars still on the desk in her cubicle back at the Dentsu building. A boyfriend in college had suggested a blindfold once, and Keiko had declined. And that was the closest she'd ever come to the Puppy Play "way of life." It was going to be quite the uphill battle. "I'll do my best to realize your vision."
"You're single, aren't you?" Yuriko asked bluntly.
"I...yes."
"No shame in that, Keiko-san, but I ask for a reason. Sitting at home with collars or watching fetish porn is not going to give you a fully realized picture of the lifestyle. While you were on your way over here, I spoke with Nerima-san on the phone, and he's kindly agreed to my demands. Forgive my presumption, but I'm going to be kidnapping you for a week."
"Kidnapping me?" Keiko blurted out.
But Yuriko's smile was more reassuring than fear-inducing. "I'd like you to come to Okinawa as my guest. Don't worry about your expenses," she said, "You can bill the full week against my account."
"To...work?"
Yuriko laughed. "To attend my wedding!"
--
Two suitcases for one week, Sho thought with a sigh. No matter what, he couldn't seem to narrow it down. Okinawa might get stormy at this time of the year, so he had plenty to wear in case they got rained out. And then of course he'd had to pack for a night or two on the town. And he had a suit for the wedding ceremony. And then some trunks for the beach as well.
Despite Okada's insistence, he'd brought home his work laptop and half a dozen envelopes full of receipts. One of the junior accountants had already gone through it, but Sho knew it couldn't hurt to double check his work. Surely Nino wouldn't monopolize his entire week, and Sho would be able to poke at a bit of work here and there.
Sho had been to several weddings the past few years, mostly friends from university. His checkbook had really taken a beating the previous summer when four friends had gotten married, and since Sho wasn't married himself, he hadn't seen much return. He took a sad look around his apartment, frowning. Nino was right. Sho was a workaholic. His life was Okada & Morita, and there'd been no feminine touch in his life since Asami had (rightfully) given up on him over a year ago. She'd waited for a ring that never came.
He'd turned 30, but he'd been much more interested in seeing the company succeed than his relationship. And now that he was alone again, it had been all too easy to let that trend continue. But the ugly 'wedding' word had reared its head, and Sho was spiraling into confusion all over again. Sho was responsible, thoughtful, hard-working. But he couldn't take very good care of himself. It wouldn't hurt to have a partner around to keep him from staying up til 3:00 AM scrutinizing receipts.
It wouldn't hurt to have a warm body in bed beside him either. Somebody to love.
He slammed the suitcase lid down, zipping it angrily. "Damn it, Nino," he grumbled bitterly.
He was going down south for a week, and he'd be surrounded by couples, he was sure of it. Nino was shelling out a lot of money for this resort they were staying at, and the floor plans for the rooms were fairly ridiculous. The room Sho would be in was almost the same size as his own apartment, with a separate bedroom and a kitchen space. At the very least, Sho contented himself with the thought of still making himself breakfast each morning. But the rest of the time would be Sho on semi-vacation in a large, empty hotel room while dozens of weddings were carried out on the beaches and in chapels nearby.
"I'll have a good time," he reassured himself. "I will."
And now he was talking to himself. Never a good sign.
He'd already forced himself to turn off the TV. A storm front was blowing through come morning, so he was almost certain that his flight would be canceled or delayed. Nino, his fiancee, and several of their friends who apparently didn't have anything pressing keeping them in Tokyo had already flown down there. Sho and one other person were flying out in the morning, some friend of Nino's fiancee, and they'd be the last to arrive.
Well, at least he'd have someone to talk to during the flight and during the trip north from Naha to the resort. They were staying in Onna, an hour's drive north of the airport. It was difficult to imagine the sandy beaches now as he looked out the window of his apartment, seeing nothing but other apartment high-rises surrounding him.
The itinerary when they arrived would be fairly loose, something that was anathema to a person like Sho. He arrived Saturday morning and the first few days were at leisure to enjoy the island. On Tuesday evening the bachelor and bachelorette parties were scheduled, but according to Nino, those events hadn't been finalized yet either. For such an extravagant trip, Nino and his fiancee sure kept things until the last second (if Sho's very late invite was any indication). Wednesday evening would be a rehearsal dinner, Thursday at sunset was the ceremony itself followed by a reception in the evening. Friday was one last day to relax before returning to Tokyo on Saturday.
Nino and his fiancee were jetting off to Bali for another week after that, something that Nino had been complaining about to Sho in the elevator every morning since Sho had been coerced into attending the wedding week. "Beaches and water, beaches and water," Nino kept grumbling. "She'll be the death of me."
And yet Nino's affection for the woman he would be marrying was obvious. Sho didn't know much about her yet. Nino had cryptically kept hinting "you'll see..." which made Sho all the more curious about her. Instead Nino had only shown him a few pictures they'd taken in a photo booth. Yuriko was very pretty, five years younger than Nino but "far wiser than her age," he explained. Sho couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something in her eyes, something that kept his attention even in little photo booth snapshots.
What did she do for a living? "You'll see," Nino had said.
What hobbies did she have? "You'll see," Nino had said.
So an aura of mystery had risen around Yuriko, the future Mrs. Ninomiya. Sho supposed he could have Googled her, learned more about her, but he'd been busy wrapping things up at work. He could just meet her in person and get to know her then. And besides, it wasn't like he was a close member of the wedding party. He was just some guy invited at the last second. He was just there so Nino could get his reservation deal.
Frowning once more, Sho closed up his other bag and hauled them both to the door. A cab was coming to take him to Haneda at 5:00 for his 7:30 flight, weather permitting. It was a vacation, he told himself. A long overdue vacation. He just needed to relax.
Part Two