Wheels of Steel Book 4 Read online

  Robin leaned over and she kissed his forehead. He was so tired that he didn’t stir. She sighed and as she gazed down at his peaceful face, and Robin wondered how she would ever protect her heart when it came to Jason. She could resist any of the men that constantly approached her after her singing gigs. She had dismissed men that could have been underwear models. But when it came to Jason Hamilton, she couldn’t resist him. He made her throb and he sent her heart racing—even without a touch or a word.

  She knew that they loved each other with the same intensity, but Jason had a star on his name. He was going to be famous and she wondered how that would affect him—and if it would then impact their relationship.

  After a nine hour flight the plane finally landed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Jason grimaced when he stood. His body felt stiff and he was just grateful for a flight with no layovers—thank you James Edelson.

  He and Robin were allowed to be the first to disembark and Mr. Edelson said that there would be a car waiting for them. Jason had earned a jab to the arm when he advised Mr. Edelson to make sure the car was big enough to accommodate Robin’s entire luggage. Robin was just happy that she had packed as much as she had. She had looked at the prices in Tokyo and she would not be going on any shopping sprees.

  As the two made their way to the terminal Robin saw a sign that said simply WOS, being held over the head of a young Asian man that looked like a teenager.

  “Is that us?” she asked as she began to walk in that direction.

  Jason caught her hand. “No. Mr. Edelson is over here.”

  Robin turned and saw that indeed, the neatly dressed white haired man was waiting for them with a broad smile. Robin then noticed that there were other people holding signs over their heads. Some said Top, some said Wheels of Steel and a few signs read Soul Horizon, which was the name of the first collaboration album between Wheels of Steel and Akita Tom.

  Robin stared with her mouth agape until Jason tugged her arm and urgently whisked her in the direction of Mr. Edelson who quickly boarded them into a mobile luggage cart. A driver in uniform was already behind the wheel.

  A moment later a girl screamed. “TOP! It’s Top!”

  By then they were already driving away. Jason and Robin craned their necks at the twenty or so teens that were trying to catch sight of them. Uniformed security kept the fans from chasing the cart.

  Robin looked at Jason who was equally as surprised.

  “Jeez,” she said, “Did you know you had groupies?”

  Jason’s mouth was still open as he shook his head. “J just said that there would be a luggage cart waiting so that I wouldn’t have to try to navigate through the crowd …”

  Mr. Edelson placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “We have no idea how they figured out which flight you were arriving on. We got Belinda and Peter through easily with only a few fans waiting in the terminal.” Mr. Edelson didn’t seem surprised that there were fans waiting for Jason as he gave a quick glance at the disappearing throng of yelling people.

  Jason looked at Mr. Edelson. “J, maybe we should go back so that I can sign some autographs.”

  Mr. Edelson smiled. “No, that’s not a good idea. You can sign autographs at the events—that way we’ll have the adequate security available.”

  Security? Robin thought, still in a state of disbelief. Jason wasn’t a shooting star. He was already a star.

  They were driven straight to a waiting limousine.

  “Wait, what about our luggage?” Robin stated before she would climb into the large vehicle.

  “No worries.” Mr. Edelson stated. “Your luggage will be waiting for you at the house.”

  Jason was just getting ready to step into the limo when he stopped. “Akita’s house?”

  “Yes, is that alright?” Mr. Edelson asked.

  Jason gave Robin a pensive look. “Robin … uh, that’s where Y and Amberly are living …”

  Robin’s face fell, but she quickly caught herself. This wasn’t about her this was about Jason.

  She gave him a quick smile. “It’s fine, Jason.”

  Mr. Edelson looked over his shoulder where several young fans had evidently recognized Jason—or perhaps they recognized his red hair because they were yelling in excitement and coming towards them at a rapid rate.

  “I suggest we continue this conversation inside the limo.”

  Robin quickly climbed in, followed by Jason and then Mr. Edelson who had to block the door with his body to prevent three girls waving papers to be autographed to bowl them over.

  “J, roll down the window and let me sign a few.” Jason said.

  The older man didn’t seem to think it was a very good idea but the smile on Jason’s face as he spent the next five minutes signing autographs and thanking the fans was enough to put an end to the protests.

  “Now we really must go,” Mr. Edelson said with a distinct British accent. “We have more than a two hour drive to the house.”

  Two hours! Robin thought. She was tired, she had her period and another two hours after the nine-hour flight was not good news. Tokyo seemed to be just as hot as Atlanta while the plane had been nearly frigid.

  “Babe, we are going to have to make a pit stop.” She tried to whisper to Jason.

  “Yeah, J,” Jason said while placing a hand over hers to let her know that he had no problem with it. “My girl has the bladder of an acorn-“

  Robin swatted him playfully.

  “And I need to hit the head—you can’t do much in the toilet of an airplane.”

  Robin looked at him in disbelief that he was talking about his bodily needs with the stiff and proper Mr. Edelson. And was he calling the man ‘J’?

  “Of course. We can take a respite once we leave the terminal—that is, if your needs can be held for fifteen minutes or so?”

  Jason looked at Robin who nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.” He replied and Robin gave his hand a slight squeeze of appreciation. She remembered a time when telling Jason that she needed to stop for a bathroom break would have granted her a withering look and a sharp chastisement. But that was pre-falling in love. She smiled as she remembered their arguments—and legendary makeups.

  Jason and Mr. Edelson—J, talked incessantly about the upcoming events. There was to be a short conference this afternoon concerning the contract with Akita Tom Productions and the second album that was created when they recorded Soul Horizon. The recording had been so long that there was enough material for two albums—even three. Later in the week, after Akita’s brother arrived there would be a reading of the will. Also J mentioned that there was an impromptu tribute album being created as well as several pop up boiler rooms formed by Akita Tom protégés. Jason perked and he and J spent the next few minutes talking about them.

  “Boiler Room?” Robin asked.

  Jason nodded his head in excitement. “It’s like the Omicron parties only we call them boiler rooms. You set up your turntable and then each artist delivers a set that can go an hour or more. The set is streamed live to whoever couldn’t make it inside.”

  “Yes,” J stated. “They are a very big thing in Tokyo and they have been going nightly since Akita’s death.”

  Robin saw that J’s voice was even with very little fluctuation, but he looked away before continuing. “Artists have been mixing Wheels of Steel music for years. One of the hottest tunes is More Love with your beautiful voice on it, Robin.” J looked at Robin in appreciation. “In fact some of the more compelling mixes have your voice looped throughout the set.”

  Robin looked at Jason in surprise. “People can do that? It’s not illegal?”

  Jason grinned in excitement. “Not at all. They are just streamed live for people to share. But the most important thing is that someone is going to say, ‘who is that singing? What song is that sampled from?’ And then it comes back to Wheels of Steel and of course, you.” Jason looked at J for confirmation and the older man nodded in agreement.

  “The popularity of the boiler rooms
has certainly brought awareness to Jason and Wheels of Steel.”

  Jason and Wheels of Steel. What a strange way of stating that, Robin thought.

  Before long they stopped in Shinagawa, which Robin mistakenly thought was Tokyo. There were skyscrapers and little shops and restaurants, but J explained that Tokyo would be much bigger and grandiose than this. She finally understood when he likened it to Vegas and Robin’s mouth had just formed a small O.

  The driver had them stop at a cute little shop with a hand panted sign featuring large Japanese characters alongside the American written words that stated simply ‘Ramen’.

  J explained that it was a popular restaurant among the American’s as an introduction to authentic ramen—which he stated was much better than the stuff sold in little cellophane packets in the United States for half a dollar.

  Robin wanted to say that she liked the stuff sold in the cellophane packs but decided that it might make her seem defensive.

  Robin was wary of Mr. Edelson. While she didn’t dislike him, she would not soon forget that he had been okay with offering cocaine at a party with the underage members of Wheels of Steel. It was at that party that Jason had gotten so drunk that he had ended up swimming naked in a pool and making out with Amberly. There had been more than one catalyst for their break up but when she had found out about that little event it had been the end for her.

  She supposed that she equated that painful period with Mr. Edelson and the fact that he was a man that would provide illegal drugs to an underage person suffering neurological disabilities.

  They stayed at the restaurant only long enough to use the facilities and to purchase a carton of fresh ramen to go. While they drove the long route to Akita’s home the men talked about the industry and musicians that she had never heard of as if they were legends, Robin stared at the sights. Every once in a while Mr. Edelson would point out a sight or Jason would grip her hand and tell her some story that he remembered about his first trip to Japan. But mostly Robin silently marveled at the strange and familiar sights before her. And then they were in Karuizawa.

  Chapter Five

  After nearly two hours they finally pulled to a stop in front of a modest house. Robin had expected that Akita would live in a mansion because he was a successful artist. But she was surprised to see that while the house was beautiful, it was not a mansion.

  Karuizawa was a mountain town located in Negano. Robin knew that Japan’s population meant that it would be busy and congested but, as they grew further and further away from the big city, Robin was struck by the spaciousness and the amount of luscious greenery in the lovely small town.

  The house was surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds, which consisted of sculpted trees and bushes. Although the structure was tall it was not anything like the huge house that Peter and Jason had purchased. It looked like a bungalow and would have fit well in any American forest, but it also had a traditional Japanese feel with its wide curved roof.

  A cobblestone walkway led up to the house, curving through gardens of pretty wild flowers, rose bushes and small bonsai trees. A metal ramp was the only thing that appeared out of place and Robin knew that it had been added to accommodate Jason and Peter.

  The door swung open and Belinda came bounding out followed by Peter who sped rapidly down the ramp. Robin saw that Belinda’s short hair was now a mixture of soft pink and then a vibrant fuschia at the roots. Amberly and Yagano followed behind them and Robin’s eyes locked onto the slender girl that she had recently sent out of Jason’s home—and now she and Jason were coming into her home.

  That was irony for sure.

  While Amberly’s face stayed impassive, Yagano—who liked being called Y held a welcoming smile on his face.

  In the brief moment before being tackled by Belinda, Robin’s eyes scanned the image of the handsome Asian man. Yagano Kurahara was neither tall nor short, he had an average build but Robin could see that his arms were roped with muscles and that beneath a grey t-shirt that sported the image of an Asian musical group, he was athletically toned.

  Y’s face was smooth and hairless but his sideburns were longer than usual. His sleek black hair was short and neat despite the presence of layers of thick waves and curls. Although his lids were distinctly slanted, they were wide and revealed eyes that looked like drops of dark chocolate. One arm was covered in tattoos that ran from his wrist to disappear beneath the short sleeve of his shirt, yet the other arm was naked of everything but a single black knotted slip of leather. Jeans and black suede slippers rounded out his look.

  Robin’s attention moved from him and Amberly to Belinda when the bigger girl nearly squeezed the life out of her with a big bear hug.

  “Are you staying here? Please do-“ She whispered into Robin’s ear.

  Robin returned the hug and chuckled. “Yes we are. I’m not worried about her living here,” she replied knowing that Belinda was concerned about Amberly’s place of residency.

  Belinda yipped happily and then moved to hug Jason. Peter had already greeted his friend with a fist bump and he fist bumped Robin as well. Amberly called out a brief hello.

  “You two have to be tired. Come inside. Your bags are here and Y has already taken them to your room.”

  Y and Jason shook hands enthusiastically leaving Robin and Amberly to look upon each other awkwardly.

  “How was the trip?” Amberly asked politely.

  “Long.” Robin glanced at Jason who was not paying them any attention. “So this is where you live.”

  “Well Y and I were planning to get our own place but that won’t be until after … ” her voice trailed off.

  “The funeral.” Robin supplied.

  Amberly nodded her head. She looked at Robin as if waiting for something, but when it didn’t come she turned and joined the rest of the group. Robin did the same. She probably should have apologized but that would have meant that she had forgiven and forgotten—and she had done neither.

  Robin knew that before she entered the house she would have to take off her shoes, but she didn’t realize how big of a production it would be.

  “Watch how Y does it,” Jason had whispered. As his whispers was actually his normal talking voice, everyone looked at her and Y explained.

  “Robin, turn your shoes to face out, so that when you leave they will be facing the correct direction.”

  And what if those aren’t the shoes I want to wear when I’m leaving? Robin thought to herself but chose to keep the question to herself.

  “This entryway is called the genkan. When you are wearing your ie no kutsu they should not touch this portion of the house to prevent dirt from outside being transferred into the house.”

  “There are a lot of things to get used to in Japan.” Belinda said. “Like, you have to wear toilet shoes when you go to the toilet. The toilet shoes are considered the dirtiest thing on the face of the universe.”

  Robin made a face. “Do I want to put them on my feet?”

  Y chuckled. “They are clean but they breach a portion of the house which is most unsanitary so you must never wear your bathroom slippers when out of the toilet area.”

  “Wait until she gets a load of a traditional Japanese toilet.” Belinda smirked. Robin gave her a quick look. She’d used the bathroom at the Ramen noodle restaurant and it had just been a regular toilet.

  Oh shit, I hope I don’t have to squat over a hole or use an outhouse …

  Once barefoot they went inside the house. Peter just smirked as he was in a wheelchair and got a pass. They entered into an area that felt like a wet room. There were cubby’s that held the indoor shoes and everyone grabbed a set, including Jason.

  “You can choose your own cubby Robin and keep the same pair of slippers,” he said.

  “Or if you are a guest you can just use one of the disposable pair that are wrapped in plastic.” Peter added.

  Robin examined one of the disposable set of slippers and saw that they were too fine to throw out after each us
e. They looked like cotton and although white the stitching was yellow and red and they seemed more comfortable than the uwabaki that she had been given which where were white canvas with a strap across the top. She returned her personal uwabaki and opted for the softer slipper.

  Robin saw Y smile slightly although no one else seemed to notice.

  “Jason your Baclofen stuff is here too,” Amberly said. “You should get your levels checked as soon as possible.”

  “My doctor is setting it up for me to work with a physician. He’s in Tokyo though …” Jason was thinking about how long the drive between the two cities were and he was just happy that he would only be here a week—two tops.

  Amberly slid open a door made of rice paper against a carved wooden backdrop. Robin had thought that the screened entryway was a mural--it was that beautiful. Once Amberly opened it Robin could barely remember stepping forward. The house was exquisite. She’d been in beautiful houses of late—her mother’s and stepfathers, and of course Jason’s, but the style and uniqueness of this house put the others to shame.

  She wondered if this was some type of optical illusion because it was huge. It was an open-air concept but not like a huge square room. Robin saw alcoves and private seating areas. It was decorated in both a traditional Japanese manner as well with Western style rugs and couches.

  She saw the hint of more of those screens and knew that portions of the house could be closed off for privacy but they were all pulled back allowing for a wonderful flow.

  J Edelson spread his hands wide. “Welcome Robin. Get refreshed and you and Jason can join us here. Then we will show you around the house. You will find that your rooms are very modern so don’t worry about anything. You have a Western bathroom in your room although there are the traditional Japanese style commodes in other areas of the house. Jason can explain how to use them.