Chapter 16:

The Elevator doors dinged open on the fifth floor of Shimada Games Ltd.

Stepping off the elevator, Tricia Soledad made her way down  a long corridor. Nodding her head in greeting as she passed various coworkers, she quickly made her way to her office. She was just coming from a post-production meeting for her new game. It had not been fun, at all. The meeting’s agenda was to discuss the direction of the new game that she and her team were in the final stages of designing and it had not gone well.

Opening the door to her office, she flipped the light switch flooding the small space with a harsh artificial light. Slumping down into her ergogenic chair, she leans her head back against the headrest. Her stress level was super high; she could feel it in the tightness of her muscles, the ache in her neck and the pounding headache. The headache only stayed at bay due to shear willpower. Tricia’s stress level was definitely at danger level 9. Closing her eyes, she attempts to relax her muscles.

The meeting had been a waste of time. When Tricia had decided to accept her current position, which was a major promotion for her that required that she transfer from the Miami office to the Tokyo headquarters, she had known that there would be challenges. Challenges that involved cultural issues, language (colloquial) issues as well as gender issues. Gaming, traditionally, is a boys' field with girls slowing emerging as competitors. Tricia had not been stupid to think that there would be no resistance to a female leading a mostly male team. Personally, she did not understand what the fuss was about, she was just a female in charge of a project; apparently, even in the 21^st century a woman with any type of power, no matter how small, was an anomaly.

Tricia sighs at the truth in that thought. Squaring her shoulders, she opens her eyes forcing herself to get back to work. She logs back into her computer and in a matter of minutes, the screens that she saved pop up. Fingers nibbling moved across the keys as she went into her e-mail. Realizing, after a moment, that her fingers were banging the keyboard in anger she relented for a moment. Obviously, she was still very mad. Replaying the meeting over in her brain, she became even more upset. She was more than capable of scribing code, developing designs, and everything else that came with designing and developing games. Moreover, she had the immense brainpower to back it up. Then a revelation enters her mind. Tricia was beginning to understand that that was probably the problem. She intimidated them.

Baka men. Why couldn't they try to learn and improve instead of trying to break me?

Tricia: *rubs her hands over her eyes some more* Ugh, I haven’t even eaten lunch yet. *Her stomach growled in victory that she had finally remembered that she hadn’t eaten since 6 a.m.*

A knock echoed off her open door. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was Hanaka. Hanaka was one of the few females that worked at Shimade Games in the Tokyo. In addition, she was one of the few allies Tricia had at work.

Hanaka: I take it the meeting was less then productive? * She has a knowing looking on her face*

Tricia: *gives her a look back* you could say that. How does a one-hour meeting turn into a two-hour meeting? Not only that but the main activity becomes slinging barely hidden barbs at me.

Hanaka: Welcome to the male dominated world of gaming. Wasn’t it like this in the American office?

Tricia: Maybe, because it was so hidden that I never played any attention. However, you have to understand the American culture over the past one hundred years has been birthing the mindset of strong willed women. It is pretty much accepted; although it is still hard. We are STILL underpaid, even in the west.

Hanaka: I know that you just came from a y meeting, but there is someone very yummy waiting to meet you in the conference room. He specially asked for you. He has been waiting for the past 45 minutes.

Okay that was unexpected. Tricia glanced at her calendar lying on her desk. There were no other meetings or appointments penciled in. Weird.

Tricia: Who is it? I do not have any other meetings planned today.

Hanaka: Just get your up and see…

There is a sly smile on Hanaka’s face. Keeping the sigh that wants to escape tightly locked in Tricia leaves the barely warmed chair and follows Hanaka back up the corridor to the conference room that she had passed not five minutes earlier. The conference room was coreened off by massive glass panels, the furniture that furnished the room was retro 1950s, something that you would expect to see on the American TV Drama Madmen. It was actually cool.

Looking through the glass panels, Tricia’s eyes were drawn to the tall male sitting in one of the chairs at the conference table. His posture was lax, super nonchalant, as if the last forty-five minutes that he had waited for her was of no consequence. His back was turned to the slightly closed door so Tricia could not immediately see his face. Grabbing the doorknob Tricia entered the room.

&*&*&*&*&

Junnosuke Taguchi had perfected his acting skills a lot over the years because he had just about every fooled. He had tricked them into thinking that his natural personality state was mellow at all times, no matter the situation. The truth was much darker at times; however, he was a bit nutty with a chocolate coating that covered effervescence that just came off as mellow. As for the nutty inside, it was not psycho nutty or fruitcake nutty but a flavorful, optimistic, overly stimulated nutty. It kind of explained why he came off as KY sometimes. His brain has a tendency to plunge ahead of the situations around him.

His brain was doing that to him now. He had been sitting in this insanely eye-popping conference room waiting for Tricia, for forty five long minutes. All the while, his mind went from one extreme to another. Thoughts like why had he let Tatsuya trick him into reading fan fiction that involved him and said friend. After reading half of it, he had wanted to pull his eyes out of his head and soak them in a strong disinfectant. Did fans, female fans, really want him to do THOSE types of things to Tatsuya? However, knowing Tat-chan as he did Junno would be the one having things done to him not the other way around. Junno shudder at the thought.

Then Junno’s mind wondered to Koki. His birthday was in a few days and he still did not know what to get him. The game was still on and Junno was definitely winning this round. Then he his brain refocuses on his present location and instantly his body was on alert. Just being in this building was calling up memories of the best kiss he had ever had in his life and with a foreigner no less.

Unlike Jin and Koki who had a thing for foreign girls, Junno not so much. He liked his women Japanese, small and with big s.

Junno loved big s on a woman.

So why was he attracted to a blond, green eyes foreign woman? Okay, maybe she did have a nice set of s that had felt wonderful the last time that they had been pressed against his chest; it was not as if he noticed them the first time they met. Had he?

Junno inwardly groaned. When had he become so erted? If he was honest, and usually he was, that was exactly the first thing that he noticed about Tricia Soledad. In addition, if he was even more honest with himself he has been a ert since he turned 13 years old. It is written into male DNA.

As he was pondering these thoughts, the door to the conference room opened and there was the physical manifestation of his current desires. Despite having just seen her 24 hours before something pulled at him to go and see her. Besides, they needed to finish their earlier conversation. Tricia’s eyes darkened when they connected with his and that change in color fascinated him. Junno had learned quickly that the key to understanding the Enigma that was Tricia lay in reading the emotions in her eyes.

Tricia: *Turns to Hanaka* Thanks for telling me he was here.

Hanaka: *darts her eyes from Junno back to Tricia* Not a problem. Nice to meet you Junnosuke.

Tricia calming closed the door behind Hanaka-san before she turned back to Junno. Junno gave her points for appearing to be cool and collected. Nevertheless, Junno knew that like much of his life, it looked perfect on the outside, its chaotic contents were well hidden from prying eyes. On the other hand, Tricia liked to think in her case. Junno knew better. There was intensity in her green eyes that matched the equally intense brown eyes that Junnosuke possessed. That was part of what attracted her to him. That and the fragileness that he had witnessed that first day that they had met. Moreover, for the first time Junno felt an intense desire to protect the woman-child that he sensed shielded everyone away.

***

Tricia: Taguchi-san…what brings you here?

Tricia was proud of herself that she sounded so calm; because to be honest she felt like a bunny in headlights beneath Junno’s intense stare. What is he doing here? Tricia had been quite certain with Lolita being in LA with Jin that there would be no reason for her to see Junno this soon, yet here he was. He was starting to annoy the hell out of her.

Junno: Isn’t it obvious? I am here to see you…we didn’t get to finish our conversation last night.

Oh, hell! Tricia thought. Her hands fisted in her lap underneath the table, her short nails digging into the palms of her hands. I do not want to go where that conversation was going.

Tricia: As I recall, that conversation was finished.

Junno: It was interrupted, actually and you know it.

Okay, so he has a point there.

Junno: *holding up his hands in surrender* Okay, I will not go there…I will leave that conversation alone. However, I did come to see you for a reason.

Tricia: *sat back in her chair in a relaxed posture at Junno’s statement (she was relieved that he would not poke at her anymore or at least for now)* what is the reason?

Junno: Go out with me.

Tricia’s mouth dropped open in shock; she totally did not see that coming. They were not each other’s types so why was he asking her out. He was asking her out right?

Tricia: Are you seriously asking me out? Like on a date? You can’t be serious?

Junno: Why can’t I be serious?

Tricia: Because…Because you are Taguchi Junnosuke.

Junno snorts in derision he was so sick of outside people thinking that he was a dumb blonde-haired person, although he was more dark brown then blond now, but the stigma was still attached to him and it stung his ego just a tad. Right now, it totally pissed him off that the woman in front of his had bought into that image as well. Although to be fair she hadn’t called him stupid but just not a serious person, but wasn’t that the same thing?

Junno: I will let that slide since you do not know me…and whether you realize it or not you just proved why you should go out with me. You really need to get to know me for who I really am first before you write me off…maybe then I won’t scare you so much.

At that last statement, it was Tricia’s turn to snort in annoyance.

Tricia: Again, what makes you think that I am scared of you?

She was not scared of him, really, she was not, it is just that…well, she did not know what it was really, and that was what she did not like. Tricia was already beginning to understand that Junno was more then he seemed and she could not properly categorize him in her brain. Tricia, who likes order and calm in a world that was completely chaos, could not handle that. Trivial yes, but that was how it was with her. In addition, add that Junno also saw too much.

Junno: Then I dare you…

Tricia: What? Are you eight? No.

Junno: Ha! You are scared.

Tricia: I am not falling for that, Brainac. *her tone is super sarcastic* and this is my queue to exit. I have work to get too.

Tricia pushes her chair back and stands up to leave. Just as her back is to Junno, he also stands and says,

Junno: I can help you make sure your game is launched properly. Isn’t it  only two months until its launched right? *Tricia stopped in her tracks, her back still to Junno*

Tricia *turns back to Junno, her voice low* what do you mean?

Junno: *rounds the table coming to stand directly in front of her* you have heard of “Dainamikku Productions?

Tricia: Yeah, Hanaka-san says they are the premier event planners in Tokyo.

Junno: What if I promise you that I can arrange for DP to handle the planning of the launch? Then will you go out with me?

Tricia wanted to laugh. Was he serious? Shimada Games had been trying for months to get Dainamikku Productions to produce the launch party with no luck, and Junno was promising her he would get them to do just that.

Tricia: Okay…I’ll bite. If and only if you can get DP to help launch the game will I go out with you. Moreover, the date will only take place after the launch party takes place.

Junno: *Junno’s eyes deepen in color and his lush lips move into a y smirk* Deal. *he leans into her space* Just remember our deal.

Tricia smirked back at him. If Shimada Games couldn't get DP to plan the release party there was no possible way that Junnosuke Taguchi could pull this off...right? Yet as she stared into Junno's eyes why did she began to feel backed into a corner again? What had she just gotten herself into?

#%&%#&

Nikki: Merry Christmas Minna-san! I hope everyone had a really great Christmas full of fun and love. Surprise! I am still here! Yea! Sorry for this late Christmas present but I still hope you enjoy.